The day the funeral was held was a beautiful day. The sun was shining; the birds were singing, all in all, a day he would have hated. "But he's not here anymore…." Thought Nairiu. She looked around at the few people at the funeral service. No one was crying. Then again, other than herself, no one here knew him in person; he was just a distant leader who guided them. They had no reason to cry over their fallen king.

She had been close to her father; he was her mentor, the one who told her what to do, taught her how to respond in difficult situations. She couldn't cry; no, she wouldn't cry. One of the first things he taught her was how to hold her emotions inside, to not show what she was feeling; to cry now would only disappoint him. The priest said the final words, and the coffin was lowered into the earth, the stained black wood gleaming as it sunk into the earth. The five or so people who had survived the massacre went inside the main meeting hall. Now that their leader was buried, it was time to figure out what to do.

Only Nairiu stood by the grave still, looking down at the final resting place of the man she once admired, the man who raised her in her mother's absence. She looked up at the sky and said in a voice so cold that if her words appeared in the air, they would have been covered in ice. "I swear to Din that I shall avenge my father's death, that I shall take away the person Link loves most, and make him live with the pain and suffering that he has caused me and my people." With one last look at the grave, Nairiu turned and went inside; she had a meeting to run.

The five Gerudos where standing around in a bunch, talking in whispers about what had happened, and what they were going to do. As Nairiu entered the room, the whispers fell silent. She walked up to the head of the room and began to speak.

"The death of Ganondorf is a sad thing, along with the execution of almost every Gerudo in Hyrule. Nevertheless, we will rise again and prosper, building our lives out of the desert once more. I am going on a little trip, and then I shall return with good news. While I am gone, you are to not leave this hideaway, except to get food, water, and to use the bathrooms." She paused and scanned their faces, making sure they were listening to her. "Anyone venturing outside just to walk around will be severely punished. There will be no robbing, stealing, or killing while I am gone, lest the Hylian Guards find where we are at." She looked around once more. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, I got one." One of the Gerudo spoke up from her place at the back of the room. "Who put you in charge? I don't remember ever voting on it." she said snottily.

"I put my self in charge; it is after all, my duty to this tribe. And I will remain leader until a boy is born, and he reaches the age of seventeen. After that, he will take my place."

"But….." said one of the older Gerudo women. She was not a warrior anymore; she was too old to be of use, so her job was to watch after the children in the village, until they were old enough to look after themselves. "Ganondorf died too soon! The goddesses declared that our leader was to live for 117 years. And when he reaches 100, a boy would be born and cared for until he was old enough to rule as king! The cycle has been broken!"

"Yes, I know… That troubles me, knowing that my father died too early. But in seven years, a boy will be born, and we will be a great race once again." Nairiu tucked a piece of her bright red hair, which she had inherited from her mother, behind her ear. "I will be taking a bag of Peahat seeds with me; I will use them to communicate with you. My trip should take about two weeks, and I will be leaving right after I change."

Nairiu left the main room and changed in the only bathroom. She shed her long black dress, and replaced it with the traditional Gerudo clothes. She put her hair up in a long pigtail, and then grabbed the bag she had packed yesterday, and began the weeklong walk to Oridon Village, where her target lived.

A Week Later

Nairiu arrived at the village just after the sun rose and life in the village and surrounding woods had begun to stir, mainly because she had walked only at night, to hide from any Hylian people who walked during the day. Almost immediately after Ganondorf died, a reward was put on the Gerudo. For every Gerudo killed or captured that was brought to Zelda's Castle, the person who captured or killed them would get a large reward, a sum of about 900 rupees. Because of Zelda's fear of that the Gerudo's anger about their fallen leader would turn towards her and the other Hylian people, the Gerudo race now consisted of only a few surviving Gerudos, who were in hiding.

Nairiu walked through the woods with her trusty Scimitars in their sheath. Now, all she had to do was find Saria, who could tell her whom the Hero of Time was closest to. She slipped through the woods silently, as if she was the Forest Sage herself. She wove her way through the forest until she reached the Forest Temple, the home of Saria. She approached the temple with caution, hiding in the shadows of the large oak trees that hid the temple from the rest of the forest. She peeked out from behind the tree and looked around for Saria.

All she saw was the rune-covered, large marble entrance looming in front of her. Seeing the coast was clear, she walked out into the open. "She must be inside….." She said aloud.

"Who's inside?" She heard a voice behind her. She spun quickly, her scimitars drawn and hungry for blood.

"Damnit! You where this close to getting your head chopped off! Don't EVER sneak up on people, ya hear?" She said to the child before her.

The kid giggled and tossed her bright green hair. "Tehehe… it looks like you were sneaking up on me." She began airily dancing around Nairiu.

Nairiu followed the dancing child with her eyes, scimitars still in hand. "You must be Saria then. Stop your damn dancing, you look like a fool!" Nairiu said. She had expected Saria to be… well, older, less kiddish in appearance, seeing as the sage was probably old as Hyrule itself.

Saria stopped dancing and leaned toward Nairiu. "Hehe… that's quite a mouth on you. Did you perhaps get it from your father?" Saria grinned as her comment struck a nerve in Nairiu. "A wise, strong man he was. But alas, he was not strong enough for our fair Link, was he?" Saria laughed haughtily, and then ducked as Nairiu's scimitars sliced through the air where her head had been. "Aww….. You wouldn't want to hurt me, now would you? You would never get the information that you need." Saria winked at Nairiu. "I know exactly what you want, Nairiu."

"How the hell do you know my name?" Nairiu said, suddenly suspicious of Saria's motives. "And how do you know what I want, you've never met me before!"

Saria laughed, and spoke in a tone that suggested she was talking to a child. "Silly, the minute someone crosses the bridge into my forest, I know everything about them. What they want, who they are, where they come from, etc."

"Then you know I want to find the one Link loves." Nairiu said, the golden eyes she inherited from her father glinted evilly in the morning light.

"Of course I know that, haven't you heard a single word I've said? You want to find Link's love, and then you plan on killing whoever that is." She laid her hand on Nairiu's, and then spoke again. "You're sought with guilt, and anger. You want revenge, which I know you will get, but not in the way you think."

Nairiu wretched herself away from Saria's grasp, and spoke, anger in her voice. "I want you to answer my question! I don't need to know any of your mystic mumblings!"

"Fine then…. Ask your question, although I already know what it is." Saria grinned.

"Who is Link closest to? And where can I find this person?"

"Link has no mother. Link has no father. Link has no wife, nor kids. His childhood friend has married and is now living with her husband, the Zoran Prince Ralis. In a way, Link has no one. No one to love, no one to care for, no one to cry if they were mysteriously murdered." Saria winked as she said 'mysteriously', as if she knew exactly what Nairiu had planned for Link's loved one. "Except for one person that is. The person whom he talked with as a child, the person whom gave him his treasured Ocarina.

"You? You are the last one who Link loves?" Nairiu cried out shocked, her scimitars hanging loosely by her sides.

"Love is such a strong word….. I prefer 'cared for greatly'. Anyhow, this is the part where you attack me and kill me, isn't it?"

"Why, yes it is." Grinning evilly, Nairiu lunged at Saria, who dodged and ran off through the woods, laughing as she ran. Nairiu grinned and followed, she enjoyed it when her prey didn't give up easily. She followed behind Saria, who wove her way through the trees. Saria glanced behind her every now and then, making sure that Nairiu was following her.

"Just a little ways longer, my dear friend!" Saria cried out behind her. "Just a little ways longer indeed….." She said to herself, grinning maliciously. She ran into a clearing, and leapt over the middle and landed on the other side, where she turned and grinned at Nairiu, who was just entering the clearing.

"Stand still you little green-haired freak of nature!" Nairiu shouted as she approached Saria, walking through the center of the clearing.

Crack! The ground beneath Nairiu disappeared, sending her crashing into the pit that was covered by leaves and branches. She heard a loud snap as she landed, and a bolt of pain shot up her right leg.

"Hehehe…. Your so predictable, Nairiu." Saria said, looking down at Nairiu who was trapped in the pit.

Nairiu looked up at Saria, the blackness clouding her vision. Saria laughed one more time, as the blackness closed in, and Nairiu fell into the dark abyss of sleep.

In Oridon

"She was trying to kill me! It was in self-defense!" Saria cried out, to the green clad man sitting on the hand-made wooden chair.

"So you lead her into a trap, knowing she would fall in the pit and be caught." The man shook his head, his golden hair, mixed with premature grey, falling into his eyes. He brushed it back behind his long pointed ears and stood up, his crystal blue eyes dull with fatigue. "Well then, we have to get her." He glanced at Saria, "Unless you'd like her to get eaten by wolves."

Saria looked at the floor, where she had stood the last hour or so, being yelled at by Link. She followed Link like a shamed child out the door. "You do whatever you want with her, I'm going back to my Temple!" Pouting, Saria dissipated into a mist and reappeared back at her Temple.

Link walked the path into the forest, and to the pit that he had dug a week or so ago. He saw the crumpled form of Nairiu at the bottom, and silently gave thanks that he had never gotten around to placing the spikes at the bottom of the pit. He dragged a ladder out from behind some bushes and slipped it down the hole. He slung her limp form over his should and climbed back out again, put up the ladder, and carried her back to his home.

Nairiu opened her eyes, wishing she could close them again and go back to memory she was reliving. Her first bulls-eye. Her father had set up a target, and for days, she was not able to hit it with her simple slingshot. When she did, he actually congratulated her. However, an immense pain brought her back.

She saw the deepest blue eyes staring at her, framed by short, shaggy, golden hair. She was so preoccupied looking at him, that she did not notice he was speaking.

"…...set your leg, and it's going to hurt. A lot." Nairiu attempted to respond, but was cut off by a fiery pain that ripped up her leg. She blacked out again.

He had placed her on his kitchen table, and had set her leg. Being the hero he was, he had to know some medical skills. As he watched, she slipped back into a faint. He worked quickly, bracing her broken leg with two ling but thin pieces of wood, then wrapped it in strips of fabric, ensuring that she wouldn't be able to move it.

He picked her up, and carried her into his only quest room. He couldn't remember the last time he had a woman in his house. Let alone, in his arms. He shook his head, this girl had tried to kill Saria, he wouldn't allow himself to think about her like that. He placed her in the bed, her long bright red hair framing her gentle yet deadly face. It wasn't her face, her hair, or her body that captivated him. No, it was her eyes. Her large golden eyes. He had seen eyes like that before, but he couldn't remember where. He ran his eyes over her once more, eyeing the Gerudo clothes she was wearing, when she herself looked nothing like a Gerudo.

He quickly left the room before his needs overcame him, and closed the door. He would wait until she was awake before he asked her questions. He walked back into his kitchen and picked up one of her scimitars. Fingering it, he wondered. "Who is she?…." He said aloud.

"Nairiu!" A high-pitched voice cried out from behind him. He spun around to find the floating blue ball of light called Navi.

"You're supposed to be training that new kid, Ryan something. Why are you ditching your duties again?"

Navi pouted. "That Ryan boy is a stickler to the rules… he's so boring. I have a feeling he wouldn't go out of his way to help Ilia get her memory back like you did." Navi fluttered around Link's head, disturbing his golden hair with the wind from her wings. "You should come back, Link. We had so much fun together. Saving Zelda multiple times, saving Prince Ralis and his little sister, Princess Ruto. Defeating Ganondorf, meeting the skull kid, getting Ilia's memory back, stealing Epona from Ingo, meeting Midna, and defeating Zant!"

Link shook his head. "I told you before. I'm done with being the Hero of Time. Yes, we had some good times, but that's in the past. You'll just have to live with it."

"You spoil everything!" Navi began pouting again (an action she does whenever it suits her). "I think I just won't tell you anything about that girl in your back room."

Link turned and plucked Navi out of the air, holding her by her wings. "What do you know about her? Tell me, or I'll rip off your wings and make you eat them."

"That threat stopped scaring me years ago. But I'll tell you anyway, just 'cuz I like you." Link let go of Navi, and she fluttered over to a pile of junk mail on his kitchen counter. "There should be a wanted poster in here somewhere…." Navi pulled it out. "Ah. Here it is!" She handed it to Link.

Link unrolled the small poster and laid it down on the table.

Wanted:

Dead or Alive

Nairiu, Daughter of Ganondorf, Leader of the Rebellion.

(picture)

Red hair, golden eyes, favorite weapon: Scimitar, 5"6, weighs approximately 112 lbs.

Reward: 10,000 rupees.

"Oh my Din…." Link said as he read the poster. "She's Ganondorf's daughter?"

"That's it? Just, 'she's Ganondorf's daughter?' She's worth 10,000 rupees! She's hurt, so I figure you could just knock her out, and then go claim the reward."

"Wait… how the hell do you know she's hurt?" Link turned to Navi. "And how did you get inside anyway?"

Navi responded carefully, hoping not to draw Link's anger. "I…uh… Went in through the window in the quest room…" Navi shifted her eyes away from Link. "You left it open again."

"I was just in there, I know I didn't leave it open!" Link shook his head angrily. "I can't believe you picked the lock again!"

"Well I can't believe your not going to turn her in for the reward! You're harboring a wanted criminal! If I have to, I'll bring her to the Castle myself and claim the reward!"

"Get out of my house. Now. And don't you ever come back here when your supposed to be training Ryan."

"You, Link, are really an ass sometimes, you know that?" Navi floated out of the room and outside.

"And you're the greediest fairy I've ever seen…" Link muttered to himself. He rolled up the poster and set it on the counter when he heard the scream.

"DAMMIT!" A loud thump followed.

Link rushed to the guest room, only to find Nairiu tangled up in sheets on the floor, clenching her hands together, as if she was trying to keep from crying out again.

Nairiu had woken up, alone and in a strange room, to find her leg wrapped up tightly, and throbbing like mad. She stood up, careful not to put to much pressure on her broken leg, only to get tumbled up in the sheets and fall to the floor, twisting her leg under her in an extremely painful position.

"Well, you going to stand there or help me up!" She said through clenched lips. The man rushed to help her, hesitating as he grabbed her arm and waist, helping her back into sitting position on the bed. He held onto her a moment to long, and she shot him a look that could kill.

Link backed up, until he leaning on the wall. This girl, she scared him. He faced Gorans, battled Zant, even had Midna yell his ear off, but he had never been afraid. Yet, this twenty or so girl scared him. He had the feeling that even in her injured state, that if she wanted to kill him, she could. She had the eyes of an Ice Wolf. Cold, calculating, evil and dangerous. (Sorta like Midna when the store was out of her favorite candy .) He stepped forward, to show that she didn't intimate him.

"I help you, and this is the thanks I get?" Link frowned. Sure, he didn't expect a medal or something, but a simple thank you would suffice.

"You're the who wrapped my leg in those binding wraps!" She scowled, her pain making her irritable and easily angered.

"If you mean by binding wraps, you mean I set your leg, then yes, I did" He scowled right back at her, tauntingly.

"Who are you? And why the hell am I here!" Nairiu shouted, her voice remained strong, but inside she was growing nervous. The last thing she had remembered was this man looking down at her, then her waking up in this bed. "You kidnapped me! How dare you!" She reached to a hidden sheath that that attached to her thigh, only to find the dagger missing.

"I've relieved you of your weapons, your scimitars, your dagger, and the poisoned needles you hid in your hair band." Link approached the bed. "Now, tell me, why would an innocent girl have so many weapons on her?"

"You never answered my questions!" Her golden eyes seemed to glow with anger. "Answer mine, and perhaps I'll answer yours."

"I'm Link, the person who's friend you tried to kill." Nairiu's mouth dropped open. She had never seen a picture or portrait of Link, but the stories and songs written about him had depicted him as a much younger looking hero. "And your in my home, specifically, my guest room. Saria lured you into a pit I had dug, to catch the runaway goats. You broke your leg, I fixed it and put you in here."

"Your…so….," He expected her to say, handsome, heroic, kind, nice, but instead, she finished her sentence with the one word he hated most. "old!"

"….." She just called him old! He was not old. He was only thirty-five, for Din's sake! The consent years of adventuring had put him through much stress, which had caused his hair to begin to turn a premature grey. "I am NOT old!"

"I beg to differ." She tucked a piece of her long red hair behind her ear, and sighed. "I suppose that since you answered my questions, I have to answer yours." She scowled. "But first, I want my weapons back, now!"

"Why did you try to kill Saria?" He asked, not planning to give back her weapons at all.

"You're a dumb one, aren't you?" She sighed again. "Revenge of course, you moron. To kill the one whom you care about, just as you killed the one I cared about, would be the perfect revenge."

"I retired months ago, I have not harmed a person since then. And I'm not a moron, you are, for falling into that trap."

"Touché, but don't forget it was that pathetic excuse for a sage that lured me into that trap." She reminded him, mostly to get off the subject.

"Who did I kill, that you apparently cared so much about?" Link questioned. He was truly curious, did he kill her lover? Her husband? Brother? Sister? And why would he?

"My father, you fool!" She acted angry, yet he could see that mentioning her father had almost brought tears to her large golden eyes.

"I have never killed Ganondorf! Not then, and not now!" Link cried out in defense. "I never hit any vital organs, ever."

"Well, you didn't need to! He died anyway, from an infection that came from your sword!" She spat back at him.

He grimaced. He knew infections were deadly. Rusl had died from one, a simple splinter had gotten infected. It took him months to die, the entire time he was hanging on by a thread, not in life, but not yet dead. It was painful for him to watch the man who had cared for him since he had come to Oridon die a slow painful death.

"What, got nothing to say? Feeling guilty?" She snarled. "Well good! If it was my decision, you'd be rotting in the deepest depths of hell right now!"

"I need to go out…" He mumbled something about being back in an hour or two, and backed out the door. Her hostility…. It reminded him of himself years ago. Young, handsome, yet he had the temper of an angry Bulbo who was wearing a collar made of nails. The world of Hyrule saw him as a hero, yet one person knew him as a monster. Qynth. The girl who loved Ganondorf. He had despised her, hated her, was jealous of her. She was able to act like herself, be herself, unlike him. Over time and vigorous training, his temper had been brought under control.

He shook his head, grabbed his bow from its hook on the back of the front door, and shimmied down the ladder and out into the forest. He never hunted to kill, his arrows were blunted at the end to insure that the arrows wouldn't kill the animal they hit. He tried to remember if he had locked the room she was in….

She watched as he had walked out the door and he heard the front door slam shut. She counted to thirty to ensure that he had gotten far enough away. Two hours…. He would be gone for two hours at the most. That should be enough time to get out of Oridon, and on her way back to the hide-away. There, the old woman could hopefully use some sort of potion or something on her leg.

She tried to ease herself from the bed, only to have a bolt of pain shoot up her leg. "Oh Din… have you deserted me?" She sighed as she realized her leg couldn't hold much weight. If she had some sort of crutch… maybe she could get to the door. But what could she use?

She looked around the room, noticing that it was more of a junk/storage room than a guest room. The only thing that defined it as a bedroom was the bed she was laying on, the rest of the space was packed full of boxes, slingshot ammo, a broom, some clothes hangers, and….. Wait… was that a broom? She looked at it again, and judged that it was roughly a few inches shorter than her. It would have do though, she just had to get out of here. Only problem was the broom was on the other side of the room, and she couldn't place any weight on her broken leg. She looked around again, and noticed the box of clothes hangers was within her reach. She worked quickly, grabbing them and hooking them together, in order to make a long stick thing that she could use to grab the broom. She finished, and stuck it out, missing several time before the hook grabbed the broom handle and pulled it toward her. She grabbed it, and held it in her hands, before decided to put it under her arm like a crutch, the handle on the floor. She hobbled out the door, and navigated her way to the kitchen, where she spied her weapons on the table. Leaning up against the wall, she slipped her dagger in it sheath, and tied her hair back up, careful not to touch the poisoned needles. Her scimitars, however, were a different problem. She only had one hand free. She grabbed one, and tied it to the decretive strings of beads on her pants waist. The other one she picked up in her hand. She began to make her way to the front door, unaware of what was happening outside.

He had just been passing the guy with the crazy hair that had birds in it, when he realized he had left his quiver hanging up in the hallway. He sighed and began the long walk back to his home.

She walked to the door, and opened it, the sunshine falling on her face. "Damnit!" She looked down only to see that Link lived in a tree. "What kind of freak lives in a fucking tree house!" She cried out loud, unaware that Link was on his way back.

He heard her before he saw her, he recognized that 'Damnit' from earlier. But what he wanted to know was how the hell she had gotten outside. He picked up his pace, and as he neared the clearing where his home stood, he heard her cry out again. "What kind of freak lives in a fucking tree house?" He frowned, he had lived in that house since he was a boy, and many of his fondest memories were made there.

She dropped the broom to the ground below, her other scimitar following it. She began to climb down the ladder, keeping her broken leg from touching the steps. It felt like an eternity climbing down, but before she reached the bottom, she heard the rustling sound of a skullita on the ladder rung below her. She was close enough to the ground to jump, but she would most likely land on her broken leg and the pain would cause her to black out again, leaving her at the mercy of Link, should he find her before she woke up again. Worst of all, she could fill her hands slipping on the rungs of the ladder. Either she jumped, or fell. Either way she would hit the ground quickly.

Link had rushed into the clearing, to find Nairiu hanging to the ladder in an awkward position, her broken leg hanging in space, with only her hands holding her up. A broom and one of her scimitars laid on the ground, preventing her from jumping down, that and the pain of breaking her leg again kept her hanging on. He spotted a Skullita hanging on the rung beneath her, spinning its web again. For some strange reason, that Skullita came back and tried to build its web there every time he left. He always had to use his boomerang to swept it off and back into the forest, where it belonged. But this time, he had left his boomerang inside, forgetting to take with him. He sighed, regretting his misfortune. Why did he always get the crazy ones? He thought as he laid his bow aside. Now he just had to get her down, without harming her any more than she already was.

She heard the rustle of bushes, and turned her head, just as Link walked into the clearing, a frown upon his face. She gulped when she noticed the bow on the ground next to him. Was he going to shoot her? No, she noticed the quiver was not on him. She was safe for now. She felt herself slipping again. "Perhaps I spoke to soon…" She thought to herself.

"Where do you think your going?" He said, trying to figure out how he would get her down.

"You're a little slow, aren't you?" She turned her head toward him, and he could see that she had somehow gotten her weapons back. "Let me say it slower for you then, I'm….escaping… do… you… understand…me?" She said slowly, like she was talking to someone brain-challenged.

"Your not doing a very good job of it," He said, shrugging of the insult, "And what do you plan to do know, considering that your stuck?"

"I…uh…planned this!" She lied. "I planned on jumping down." She said more confidently, hoping he wouldn't remember earlier, when she had just tripped and cried out in pain.

"I see…." He replied, not believing one word that she was saying. "Well, go ahead, jump, I won't stop you."

He called her bluff. She had to jump now. It would hurt like hell, but she would be home free. Free to go back to her home, were should would have to stay a rule the Gerudos. Never would she see this strange, yet handsome man again. "1.…2.….," She counted to herself, as she prepared herself for the pain that was about to come. "3..." And she let go.

(okay, this is my first slow motion scene, don't hate it 2 much! .)

He saw that she was going to jump, when he had only wished to call her bluff, he instead had actually made her jump. He lunged forward.

It felt like she was falling in slow-motion, even though she was only about ten feet from the ground. As she was falling, she saw out of the corner of her eye, Link rushing forward.

He wasn't going to catch her. He could tell that instantly. He was to far away, and she was falling to fast. But still, he tried. He slid, dust floating up as he slid through the dusty grass.

She landed.

He missed.

She landed, not into Link's open arms, (which would have been romantic, but alas, I didn't feel like writing a fight scene of when she would have punched him in the eye. Ow!) but on the ground, her leg bent under her, not broken, but twisted in a such a way she could feel the beginnings of tears on the edge of her eyes. She had never felt that much pain in her life, ever. Not even when she had mouthed off to Ganondorf, bragging that she was better than him. Instead of yelling at her, he had challenged her to duel. Of course, he had won, and right before he did, he had thrown her across the arena. The impact of her hitting the wall had broken three of her rips, and the pain was enormous, but could not compare to the pain she was feeling now.

She squeezed her eyes together, a few stray tears running down her cheeks. Gritting her teeth, she attempted to stand up. She grabbed a ladder rug, and pulled herself up, into a standing position. She leaned against the ladder, trying to relieve some of the pressure on her leg. Doing that caused another bolt of pain to shoot up her leg. Her breath came out in shaky breaths, her face was pale. Shakily, she bent down and grabbed the handle of her scimitar, using it to steady herself even more.

Link had saw her fall, and was amazed that she could even get back up. He himself wouldn't have been able to get up that fast, let alone not cry out in pain. He could tell she was in immense pain, her face was pale, her breath was coming out in shaky breaths, and he could see a tear running down her cheek. He stood up, and dusted himself off to the best of his ability.

He was walking over to her, and when he got to her, he used his thumb to brush off the stray tear that had made its way down her cheek. "That was dumb…." He whispered to her. She felt the darkness claiming her, and tried to fight it, anything to get away from this man. But it was a losing fight, and she closed her eyes, and the darkness claimed her.

"That was dumb…." He whispered to her, as she fell back into a faint. He guessed she didn't see the platform that he had made, it lowered to the ground and back up, he had used it for transporting wood, his weapons, etc. if she had… she wouldn't have been in this mess. He picked her up in his arms again, her blade falling from her hand and landing by the broom on the ground. He laid her on the platform at the side of his house, then walked back tog et the broom and her sword. He could already tell this was going to be a long day….

The Next Day

Nairiu opened her eyes the next day, to find herself in the bed…again. She wouldn't give up on escaping, no; she would instead bid her time, and escape when she felt she could get far enough away. Until then, she would have to suffer with Link. He was mean, cruel, strong, had an amazing smile, the biggest blue eyes ever…. She shook her head, Link was the enemy, no matter how strong his shoulders were, or how soft and wavy his hair looked…. She wouldn't let herself feel that way, especially toward Link.

She sat up in the bed, wincing as her broken leg started to throb. As she did, she heard a sharp knock on the door. She laid back down, and closed her eyes, she didn't want to have to deal with Link right then.

He opened the door, looking at Nairiu, who was pretending to be asleep. He knew she was a awake, just avoiding him. He was carrying a cup of red potion in his hand, and set it on a small end table next to the bed. He leaned close to her face, and whispered.

"There's something on the end table, it'll reduce the pain." He stood up, and left.

She heard him come in, then, she heard him lean close to her and whisper, "There's something on the end table, it'll reduce the pain." Then he left. She opened her eyes. His lips… were so close to hers. And his breath smelled like…. like mint leaves. If he kissed her, would he taste like mint leaves to?

Oh Din… what was she thinking? Kissing Link? He's her enemy. She looked over at the end table, and saw the small tea cup filled with a red liquid. She sat up and picked it up. Was it poison? She dipped a finger in it and licked it. No, it was red potion. She tentatively took a sip. It was bitter. She made a face and quickly swallowed the drink, then set the cup back down.

So that was what red potion tasted like. Like bitter water. Supposedly, red potion was used to heal minor wounds. To much of it could be fatal, and it was commonly used to heal broken bones faster than they would heal naturally. She had learned all of that when she spent the day at the infirmary in Gerudo Desert. She was free to roam as she wished, and often helped out wherever needed. But not even when she had broken her ribs was she allowed to drink it. Gerudos were strong, proud people. The healed their wounds naturally, not using red potion unless it was a dire injury.

Of course, that's when Link walked in with a tray of food. (he always comes in at the right times J and with food *drools* I'm so hungry!) Nairiu realized that she had not eaten for two days. She was famished. He set the tray on her lap, and sat down in an old chair across the room. She eyed him suspiciously, when he started to speak.

"You're lucky, Saria could have easily given you to the Hylian Guards, but instead she gave you to me." He looked at her.

"No one gave me to you!" she fumed. "I am not an object! And I could easily escape from their dungeon. Its just a large underwater maze thing. A child could find their way through it."

He needed answers, as to why she was wanted, but she wouldn't easily tell him. He tried a different approach. "If you can get out that easy, then what's stopping me from telling the Guards that you're here, hmm?"

She glared at him, fire in her eyes. "You wouldn't dare!"

"I can, and I would. But, maybe we can make a deal…."

She scowled. "I'm not sleeping with you, you scum!"

Her comment shocked him. "I don't want your body! I want answers!" he said shocked.

"What kind of answers?" She asked, interested. "Where we are hiding? Who's our leader? Information you can use against us?"

He never thought about those questions… he retired months ago, and didn't need to know any of that. "Why are you on a wanted poster?"

She laughed. "That's it? You just want to know why I'm wanted?" She laughed again. "I'm their leader, so naturally they think I'm more important than capturing the others. But honestly, I don't even know what we're going to do." She thought about it for a minute. "But it could be because I've sneaked into the Castle a couple of times and riffled them all up. I'd steal a couple of Rupees, sneak into Zelda's room, steal a couple of things, and sneak out again." She grinned. "Its tons of fun, you should try it sometime." She winked, and when she did, she accidentally moved her leg. She grimaced at the pain.

"…." He sat silent. He had been called to the Castle dozens of times because of a mysterious 'ghost like person with flaming hair' had been creeping around in and outside the castle. "Your the Red Haired Demon?" He asked.

"Cool, I have a neat nickname!" She grinned.

Link saw the girl inside of Nairiu, the child who wants to play and joke around. But on the outside, she was a cold blooded killing machine. "I should leave you alone so you can eat." He stood up and opened the door.

She looked down at the tray of food, then back up at Link. "Thank you." She said, not attempting sarcastically, snarky, or snooty in any way.

Link just nodded and left. Her attitude was puzzling him. Yesterday, she was just escaping, calling him names and insulting him. But now…. Cooperating? Manners? Saying 'thank you'? Was she faking it? Or was she actually grateful? He walked to his kitchen to fix himself something to eat. "Women…" He muttered, "I'll never understand them…"

She watched as he left. He acted confused when he left, and she knew her plan was working. The way to get home was not by fighting or brute strength, but by acting like a woman. Manners, niceness (gag me), acting flirtatious, she'd would even kiss him to get away from here. Anything, to go back home.

She picked up the fork that came on the tray, and began eating, starting with the Cuccoo egg omelet, and ending with a glass of Lon Lon Ranch Milk. (I ran out of food ideas, so I put down what I had for breakfast a few days ago, with some changes, of course! .) It was a new day, and she would need her strength if she wanted to get out of here before the next moon. "Life is so unfair…." she said aloud.

(okay! This is the end of chap. 1! Glad you read this far! And sorry it was so long, but alas, I didn't want to start a new chapter just yet, 'cuz I'm lazy ;O)

(btw, thnx to LorF! (legend of rune factory) I wouldn't have been able to write my broken leg scenes without the info you sent me!)