Life in Zora's Domain - Part Two

Chapter 37 - Astra Departs Gerudo Town

Summary: Astra concludes her visit to Gerudo Town and returns home to discuss her visit with Zelda.

Astra awoke the following day to the sound of indistinct female voices. Then it took her a moment to realize they were from conversations in the Gerudo marketplace just outside the Hotel Oasis where she had bedded down for the night. Her Hylian hearing was excellent, but the words were too faint to make out, save for the occasional loud Sav'otta, Vasaaq, Sarqso, or Sav'orq.

Astra had slept well but awoke with a mild headache, no doubt the lingering effect of last night's Noble Pursuit. Thank Hylia that she had the sense to stop drinking when she had! And as she sat up and stretched her arms overhead with a yawn, she heard a much clearer voice in her head in a tone that sounded like a mild scolding.

"I detect a distinct deterioration in your mental acuity and reflexes, Mistress. Therefore, I recommend you initiate restorative measures."

"Yes, Fi, I know, and good morning to you, too," said Astra as she stretched her arms overhead with interlaced fingers. "That's my plan. It's called having breakfast and clearing one's head."

"Clearing one's head? I am familiar with cleaving a head, Mistress, but you cannot mean that."

Astra covered her mouth with both hands and tried to suppress her laughter, not wanting to hurt Fi's feelings. But in the end, she couldn't contain herself and burst out laughing.

"No, I definitely cannot mean that and what a pleasant thought to start the day!" laughed Astra. "But being a sword with a long history of battling evil, I suppose you would be familiar with cleaving heads. Clearing your head, in this case, means recovering from the ill effects of too much strong drink. And thanks for looking out for me."

"Looking out for you? I am bound to you spiritually, Mistress, and do not need visual affirmation of our relationship."

"I'm not sure this conversation is helping my headache, Fi," Astra said as she yawned again. "But don't sulk - I always enjoy our little talks. Looking out for me means being protective and trying to make sure that I am well. Anyway, I'm getting up now to initiate restorative measures, as you put it."

Astra's first stop was a visit to the fruit stand for a Hearty Durian and a Hydromelon, followed by a trip to a pot next to the royal palace to cook a simmered fruit dish. After preparing her meal, she carried it a short distance past a mushroom shop and then under two archways to the alley along the town's southeastern wall. She stopped at the small Goddess statue there to say a brief prayer to Hylia, then sat down in the shade, her back against the inner wall.

It was a quiet spot, no passersby to interrupt her as she ate or loud shopkeepers to aggravate her headache. And the guard at the nearby gate stayed at her post and kept out of sight as well. Astra chose this location because she recalled a conversation with her father about this very spot when they had discussed Gerudo Town during one of his visits.

"The Gerudo respect women who excel at combat, so you'll get along fine with them," said Link as he and Astra strolled along one of the castle paths. "And you won't have to disguise yourself as a Vai to get into town as I did. It was a real nuisance! Once inside, I didn't want to keep going in and out of town too much for fear of looking suspicious and the guards noticing. But with all the people coming and going, finding someplace to eat in town where I could lift my veil without being seen was a challenge. I remember I thought I had found a quiet spot near the Goddess statue, but an elderly Gerudo woman named Muava was sitting there. And not only that, far from avoiding detection, she flat out told me she knew I was a Voe before I did a thing!"

"She figured that out so quickly when nobody else could?"

"Well, as she went on to tell me, she had traveled extensively throughout Hyrule in her youth looking for Lover's Pond and the perfect Voe to settle down with. She never found the pond or the Voe of her dreams but had no doubt met quite a few men along the way in her travels. Thus she was more experienced dealing with men, unlike so many of the women in town. She was not so easily fooled and saw right through my disguise as she told me. Luckily, she had no desire to report me to the guards but was happy just to chat. We parted on good terms, with her advising me to live my life to the fullest, not to let time slip away as she had. It was good advice, though little did she know that 'time slipping away' held such a special meaning for me."