After some well deserved rest that lasted until sunset, you and Link decide to head to Gerudo Town. The temperature settled to a comfortable perfection, only leaving a window of opportunity to travel.

You gather your belongings and begin your trek through the sand to the foreign town. As it grew closer, you can see protective walls of sandstone surrounding the town, as well as two tall guards standing by the entrance.

Once you reach the arching entrance way with Link at your side. You attempt to walk through, but the two Gerudo guards stop you. Eight feet tall toned women point their spears at you two.

"Halt! No voe are allowed in our walls!" one shouts.

"Voe?" Link echoes the unfamiliar word.

"The Gerudo term for male," she clarified.

"How come?" you ask in indignation.

"It is a Gerudo tradition to only allow vai in our town. A tradition that has been here for centuries and will be kept!" She slams her spear on the sand intimidatingly. You turn to Link as you try to think fast.

"Well, shoot," you say and look around. Nearby, you spot a traveller who was spying at the Gerudo Town entrance. "Hey, maybe that guy knows something."

"Who?" Link says and follows you.

When you approach the man, he stops his obvious spying and places his hands on his hips. "You too, huh?" he says. "Man, I can't find any way to get inside without those guards finding me!"

"Is there really no way in?" You ask.

"Well," the traveler says, "no, there is. I heard there is a man who frequently travels between Kara Kara Bazaar and here and gets in without problem. So, I'm waiting for him. I plan on asking him how he pulls off his amazing infiltration. My plan is flawless!"

The stranger was quick to get back to his spying.

You turn to Link and frown. "What do we do now?" you say.

"If there is someone who frequently travels between the two," Link says, "then we should run into him on the path. We should head back to the Bazaar and see if we see anyone."

"Good idea," you nod and head in the direction of the Bazaar.

The sky started to glow a twilight and casted a shuddering chill on the desert. You were previously wishing for the desert to be colder, but you didn't mean this cold. You hugged yourself as you walked along the path.

No one was around the bazaar except a few people inside the lonely building. The person you are looking for has probably left.

"We should wait until morning," you suggest.

"Yeah, I... suppose that would be smart," he agrees and follows you to the building, where it is significantly warmer. You sit down on a cushioned bench and lean back, thankful for the heat. You take off your gear and set them aside. You grabb some mushroom sauté and ate the dish, offering some to Link.

You waited out the night, completely throwing off your sleeping schedule. Link fell asleep beside you, with his hand almost touching yours. His soft breathing filled the silence in the room. You thought of something to do in all this spare time, already limited by the fact you shouldn't wake Link. You then thought of his Sheikah Slate.

It wouldn't hurt to see the pictures and runes right now. They interested you, truthfully. You slowly and quietly reach over and grab Link's Sheikah Slate. You turn it on and it emanated an electronic chime. You freeze and hope the noise didn't wake him.

You swipe to look at the pictures and see where the new pictures begin in the album. You pass the picture of your and Purah and smile fondly. You swipe and see a landscape photo of Zora's Domain, then three photos in a row of the distant mountains in Hateno.

With each photo, Link slowly got better at photography. As soon as he learned how to capture lens flares, he snapped the effect every opportunity he had. The angles became more cinematic as well and you wonder how he took all these photos without you seeing.

He took photos of Ginger and Epona, close-ups of flowers, and the house you own in Hateno. Your subconscious smile then died into surprise as you swiped to the next photo.

It was of you, completely spellbound as you stare up at Farosh. All of his photography skills were executed perfectly. The angle, the focus, and the exposure was flawless.

You stare at the photo for multiple moments before continuing your scrolling. He then took several photos of the canyons and sand seals lazing in the sun. Then, you come across another photo of you that was taken recently.

Too recently.

On the walk back to Kara Kara Bazaar, he lagged behind you the slightest bit for a photo. The focus was perfectly on you. The twilight sky reflected in your eyes and casted a halo around your face.

Your face immediately heated up to a violent red. The twisting feeling felt so sickeningly strong as you look at the picture and listen to Link's breathing.

'What is happening? Am I going crazy?' you think to yourself.

And then, you remember.

--~--

"Excellent," (Y/N) said as Link practiced. "Don't forget to breathe."

Link leveled his Master Sword and drew a deep breath as told. He turned for more instructions. "I think we can take a well deserved break," (Y/N) said and turned away. Link lagged begin to shamelessly stare at the Commander.

"Where are you going?" he called and sheathed his sword before taking off in a jog to catch up.

They walked around the perimeter of Hyrule Castle until they were just behind it. (Y/N) lead Link to a clear spot in the grass and promptly lied down after (Y/N) set their sword and royal guard cap to the ground. Link sat down as well as (Y/N) heaved a sigh.

"In a world where the calamity didn't exist..." (Y/N) said quietly with closed eyes.

Link smiled faintly at (Y/N)'s calm state, an expression that rarely spread on his face anymore. And it appeared now all because of (Y/N), without doing any effort.

"When this is all over, I'm dropping all extra training courses and relieving all heavily guarded grounds," (Y/N) claimed while sitting up and assuming a comfortable position. "The rush and race would be over, the King would be safe, and I would travel to Kakariko whenever I wanted."

(Y/N) turned to the knight and met his eyes. "And we could spend time together," he said, "free from training."

"That's right," (Y/N) answered as their eyes flickered between his before glancing at his lips.

A sudden feeling erupted in (Y/N)'s stomach. It twisted sickly and made their faces grow hot. (Y/N) wanted the feeling to go away but it continued to boil and stick like sap. Something about him seemed different in that moment.

(Y/N) could feel that they were on the verge of something. Maybe revealing a secret that was meant to be kept and locked away. Maybe a desire was going to be fulfilled that has been there hiding in both of their heads for a while. A sparkle glinted in Link's blue eyes and (Y/N) felt the moment escalate slightly. Something was reflecting in them.

His thoughts were projected in the blue in a code that she couldn't quite read. His emotions sparkled a melody in a tune that seemed distant. Maybe if the moment held for a little longer, maybe those secrets would be revealed.

But the moment stopped as (Y/N) was snapped back to reality. Their eyes widened as they heard a third presence present itself near them. They both turned, breaking the eye contact and breaking the last chance they had to change everything. They turned and were met with a Lynel, gripping its monstrous weapon and growling deeply.

They both stood up and retrieved both of their weapons. Utter annoyance and disappointment crossed both of them simultaneously.

Link harshly cursed. (Y/N) wore a hardened expression waited for it to make the first move.

--~--

You snap back to reality and look around as you breathe heavily.

It makes sense now. You both had something before the Calamity.

With a hot and burning face, you turn off the Sheikah Slate and reach over Link to put it back in the clip. Your heart drops when he stirs. Did you wake him?

He turns over and adjusts his seating in his sleep. You retract your hand and try to sit as still as you can. You jump slightly as you feel his head rest against your shoulder. Your heart beats even faster and your emotions whirl and mix. You can't think.

You eventually calm down and take deep breaths. The hours pass by quickly as you drift in and out of sleep. The sunlight slowly crept in through the open door.

Your eyes flutter and you see the two Gerudo women standing at the desks ready for anyone to arrive. You then feel that Link is awake and looking through the Hyrule Compendium with a studying look on his face as he tried to guess what he has missed. He swipes through the empty pages full of slots for pictures of animals, weapons, monsters, and treasure that haven't been taken yet.

You desperately want to fall back asleep. The thought of the memory of last night made your head spin.

After a few minutes, Link puts away the Sheikah Slate and you take this as a cue to wake up. You sit up and rub your eyes, startling Link.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" he softly asks. You shake your head without opening your eyes. You then sit back and yawn.

"Let's get going," you say after a moment. You stand up, with Link following suit, and grab your sword, bow and quiver, and walk towards the heat of the bare desert. You squint your eyes at the blinding sun and cover the source with your hand, giving you some shade to observe your surroundings. You look at the stands selling fruits and meat, and then you see a dog.

You smile and run over to the almond brown dog. It grins and hangs out its tongue as its tail wags madly. You rub the sides of its soft face and scratch behind its floppy ears. Sparkles seemed to dance around the dog's eyes. You hear a sound of a picture being captured. You turn around and see Link staring at his Sheikah Slate.

"'Hylian Retriever'," Link reads off the screen. "'The native breed of this mammal varies by region, but one thing remains true: this animal has been known as 'man's best friend' since ancient times. They're clever and obedient, so aside from serving as pets, they are also put to work watching over grazing livestock. It's said that all Hylian retrievers are descendants of the dog once owned by the king of Hyrule.'"

He puts down the Sheikah Slate and smiles at the cute dog. He walks over to it and scratches its head. "Cute boy," he cooes. You grab an apple from your bag and throw it in the air. The dog leaps up and catches it. It starts munching on the snack and hopping around with delight. You watch the adorable creature with your cheeks glowing from happiness.

"Hey, look up there!" Link points. You spin around and look in the direction he's staring at. You see a figure walk out of sight that is standing on top of the large rock building. You spy a ladder leading up to the top. You walk over to the ladder with both Link and the dog following you. You climb the ladder and circle around the platform to the next ladder. You then are met with a Hylian wearing Gerudo traditional robes, staring off in the distance.

Link walks up to the figure in pink and makes his presence known. The person turns around to reveal masculine features, slightly hidden behind the mask.

"Oh, my. What a lovely young lad you are," the Hylian flatters. "Do you need something from me?"

"Yes, I am looking for someone who snuck into Gerudo town," Link says.

"Oh... I don't know anything about him. Sorry, I couldn't be more help," she says. Link tilts his head slightly and studies her face. "Heehee, you are making my cheeks warm looking at me like that," they giggle.

"You are very beautiful," Link says. You can tell he's onto something.

"Oh, such a nice thing to say! And I'm sure you'd agree that these clothes help with my looks, right?" she says. "Now that I think about it, this style would look quite fetching on you... I'd have to charge you of course, but I bet people would see you completely differently if you wore them!"

Link's eyes widened. The realization came across to both of you that your journey to Gerudo Town called for disguises. "What do you think? Do you want to buy them for... 600 rupees?"

"I'll take them," Link nods. You can hear the cringe in his voice.

"It's a deal! Then I'll take your rupees now," she says. Link hands over the money. "Heehee! I have the perfect outfit for you. Go ahead and change into it right now! Don't worry, I'll look away," she giggles. Link turns a tone of red.

"...R-Right now?" Link stutters. You start to go red as well. The Hylian nods and hands over a set of the Desert Vai set. You turn around and shield your vision with one hand. You hear Link changing into the clothing and then a squeal from the other. You turn around and see Link standing in a light blue silk outfit and bite back a laugh.

"You look adorable!" she giggles. "just as I thought, you'd made quite a good looking gal. That's a traditional Gerudo outfit. It's such a striking look around here, I doubt anyone here would even suspect you're a man! On top of that, it breathes so well that it's sure to help you deal with the desert heat... at least a little!"

You couldn't help but smile at Link's face, which was burning from embarrassment. He caught you staring and angrily points a finger at you. "You're getting one, too," he flamed.

Your eyes widen and you open your mouth to argue.

"Oh, my," the stranger beams. "I'm getting two sales in one day? Can it be so?"

You give Link one last look before sighing in defeat. "I'll take one too," you say.

"Fantastic!" The Hylian then produces another set of the Gerudo Vai outfit, this time in a shade of purple. "Sorry, I don't have another blue one. It's a shame you two can't match."

"A shame indeed," you mutter and begin pulling off your layers of clothing. You shoo both of their gazes and make sure they are both covering their eyes before you change. The clothes take time and confusion to change into.

You decide to tuck your Champion hood away, but you keep the Sheikah eye brooch and pin it to the top of the halter neckline. You give the others the all clear and they both unshielded their eyes.

You didn't need to look, you could feel Link's gaze on you, taking in your exposed skin. You grew more and more self conscious and a blush returned to your face.

"I'm so glad I was able to help you out," the Hylian flirts. "If you're free to grab something to eat sometime, keep me in mind." A sudden gust of wind shoots to the side and blows back the stranger's silk mask. You raise your eyebrows as you saw the mask reveal a white beard. Link looks physically shocked. The stranger fixes the mask back into place and stands awkwardly. "Heh... make sure you watch out for the wind."

Link sighed and face palmed.

You turn around step down the ladder with Link and walk over toward the path to Gerudo.

"Okay, let's try this again," you say.