Love in Zora's Domain

Chapter 44 - Infiltration

Summary: A Yiga Clan spy enters the Forgotten Temple. Zelda and Purah discuss the next steps with Robbie. Zelda reminisces about a time she and Link sought shelter from a rainstorm.

As the pale light of the early morning sun filtered through a patchwork of clouds, it cast a soft glow over the rugged landscape of the Tanagar Canyon and the canyon floor below. A group of Hylian laborers made their way from the lifts to the Forgotten Temple entrance, ready to begin another day's excavation. 

The air was crisp after an overnight rainfall, and the earth was still damp and cool underfoot. Another rainstorm was expected later that morning, making everyone thankful to be working indoors. Anton spotted his colleague Landon and called out to him as they approached the temple entrance.

"Hey! Long time no see, buddy!" Anton exclaimed, laughing as he greeted Landon.

What Anton didn't know, however, was that it wasn't Landon: it was a Yiga Clan spy disguised as Landon. Landon's brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to play along.

"I...guess it has been a while," he said awkwardly.

Anton chuckled at his joke. "Just messing with you, mate. We only met last night," he reminded him with a grin.

Landon shook his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Right, right," he said. "Some days, I'm just not myself."

Along with other workers, they entered the temple, but Landon seemed uncertain where to go. Anton noticed his hesitation.

"Are you okay, Landon? You seem a bit lost today," Anton asked, pointing to the red armband on Landon's work clothes. "You're on rear room cleanup duty today. My armband is green because I'm on duty in the front room. You'd better hurry; they don't like us to be late."

Landon nodded in understanding and made his way to the designated area at the back of the temple. He couldn't help but reproach himself for his carelessness, realizing he had mishandled the situation. For one thing, he had not expected to run into someone Landon knew. And in hindsight, he should have asked Landon for more information about his job assignments here.

He planned to discuss that with Landon tonight as he delivered his week's wages and some fresh food. It wasn't an act of kindness but rather a strategic move on his part. Fear was his most potent weapon in securing cooperation, but he didn't want to push Landon to desperation by stealing the rupees he needed for his widowed sister. Desperate subjects could become unpredictable, believing they had nothing left to lose, and he needed to maintain his cover for now.

Anyway, despite the rough start to his day, he had succeeded in reaching his main objective - getting inside the temple. However, as he gazed around at the ancient walls, he felt a sense of unease. His focus was naturally drawn to the looming presence of the colossal statue of Hylia, which was said to be the oldest such statue in Hyrule. The cursed Goddess towered over them all, and his spine tingled with a sense of foreboding as if she were watching his every move. Of course, it was ridiculous; she was just a lifeless statue. With a shake of his head, he pushed aside these thoughts and got to work.

Meanwhile, after seeing everyone getting settled into work and busy with their expected tasks, Robbie adjourned to his tent for a video conference call with Queen Zelda and Dr. Purah. He had been up all night pouring over ancient manuscripts, and the fatigue was evident in the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes as he greeted them through the screen of his Sheikah Slate.

"Good morning, Your Majesty and Dr. Purah."

Zelda's soft voice was filled with genuine concern. "Dr. Robbie, you look utterly exhausted. Are you getting enough rest?"