Fragments of the Past

yiga

You were bored.

The two of you had gone to bed early the night before so that you could be up before sunrise. This allowed you plenty of time to stock up on supplies, have a big breakfast, and set out before the sun was even fully over the edge of the horizon.

Link had said that the Zora's domain was relatively close, and so you had anticipated the journey taking a few hours—maybe until mid-afternoon at the most. You were beginning to realize, though, that while the domain may have appeared close on a map, the road leading to it was, in fact, the longest road in the history of roads.

The strangest part about it all was that it was surprisingly void of any life. You had anticipated running into some sort of monsters along the way, and the two of you had definitely passed by what had once been enemy encampments. And yet, despite signs that there certainly had been monsters there (recently, even, if some smoldering embers were anything to go by), you had yet to encounter a single one.

For what must have been the umpteenth time in the past ten minutes alone, you sighed. Link glanced at you over his shoulder, seeming almost amused by your lack of enthusiasm. The knight only smiled.

Clouds were beginning to roll in overhead, and the sight made you worry. Just because there were no monsters nearby didn't mean that the path you were walking was safe. In all honesty, the high roads made you feel a little sick to your stomach, but you would be damned if you would admit that out loud.

You glanced warily down at the raging waters below and didn't notice that Link had stopped in front of you until you were crashing against his back. You stifled a yelp, and were about to apologize when you noticed the rigid line of his shoulders. A serious expression had found its way to his face.

He stared straight ahead, where a young man was standing near the side of the road. The stranger's posture seemed strange, as though he were trying to appear inconspicuous. A faint murmuring carried over the distance, and you realized the man was talking to himself. Link turned his head enough to make eye contact with you, expression cold as he raised a finger to his lips.

Quiet?

You weren't entirely sure why he would want this, or what it would accomplish, but nodded nonetheless. Link was clearly more seasoned to life in Hyrule, and if he wanted you to be quiet when walking past a strange individual, you would.

The knight took a firm hold of your hand, and as you both walked, he made sure to keep as much distance as was possible between the two of you and the man. You both managed to walk past him, though you were so close his murmurs were almost discernible.

It seemed as though things would pass without incident, and you nearly breathed a sigh of relief as you moved a bit further away when the man's voice rang out, the tone chilling to hear.

"I heard the weather is going to be nice tomorrow."

Link stiffened beside you. His hold on your hand tightened for a brief moment, as though in reassurance, before it was releasing, calloused fingers moving up to the hilt of his sword.

The man did not seem to appreciate Link's silence. Though you could not see him from where you stood with your backs to him, you could hear his movements. He began to creep closer, every foot-fall thundering against the silence of the valley. Seeing the rigid line of Link's posture, you reached for your own weapon, feeling the hair on the back of your neck stand.

"Too bad you won't be alive to enjoy it."

Almost as soon as Link's fingers closed around the hilt of his sword, there was a loud blast from behind the two of you. Your own hands closed around the shaft of your bow, and as you turned you couldn't help but reel for a moment as there were now two figures before you, both clad in red, with their faces obscured behind a mask.