TLOZ: The Desert Air
It was noontime and the sun was at its harshest. Link had set off to the Gerudo desert in search of a mysterious sanctuary he heard about back in Hyrule.
The temple was rumored to be the home of the exalted Gerudo leader, Nabooru. She had previously ruled the infamous tribe of thieves, up until the birth of their recent leader, Ganondorf. Afterwards, she was never heard from or seen again. What Link needed from her was a few bits of information that might help him figure out how to approach Ganondorf. And the more help he had, the better.
The wind had begun to pick up and step-by-step, he made his way deeper into the desert.
Eventually, he came across a small structure that had a sign at the top written in…Hylian?
As confusing as that was, he read the words and immediately took out his Eye of Truth as instructed. He turned from the plaque and stared straight into the eyes of a green poe ghost. It was known that poes don't usually let you look at them, let alone allow you to look them directly in the eyes.
"Follow me." The poe giggled.
Link watched the ghost go off into the distance and followed in pursuit of the cocky being.
It zigzagged around for a while before it paused and turned around to face Link once again.
"Straight ahead is the desert Colossus," Link looked past the Poe and saw the large statue of the desert Goddess in a meditative position.
"Don't let the desert air mislead you." The Poe giggled once again before disappearing with the sandy wind. Link couldn't comprehend what had just happened, but he let this occurrence slide for the time being. He stared out into the distance and admired the temple from his current standpoint.
The sandy breeze had been coming from the direction of the Colossus all along. Huh. He thought of it as a coincidence, but could it have rather been fate?
Link began to walk towards the bold monument that was only half a mile away from him. Step by step, he concentrated on the statuesque carving as he made his way through the final winds of the desert.
The storm had finally calmed as he entered the immediate vicinity of the Colossus. He took a moment to marvel at the abnormally large statue, in absolute awe of its beauty.
The monumental carving was of a woman, a deity among the Gerudo tribe, that was known for protecting the travelers of the desert. At least, that's what the odd man floating on a carpet had told Link at the start of the desert.
Nevertheless, she was stunning and confident in her stance. Her eyes gave off the aura of both assurance and fear. Link couldn't help but feel protected, especially when he stared into the eyes of the statue.
Suddenly, he ceased from being distracted and pressed on towards the statue. Just below it was an opening. The thought of anything being built inside the statue amazed him completely.
He stepped in and began to dust the sand off of his tunic. God, there was so much sand. More than he expected, but then again, it was a desert after all. He looked up and basked in the shade for the first time since he left.
Then, it hit him.
The inside was completely constructed in stone, the small staircase before him, even the snakes on both sides of the stairs were carved out of stone! He took a few steps towards one of the stone snakes and attempted to read the Gerudo language. Unfortunately, he had never seen it anywhere, other than on the pass the substitute leader had given him previously when he visited their fortress.
He took out the note and tried comparing the two side by side. Unfortunately, it was of no use.
All of a sudden, a shadow caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He unsheathed his blade and readied himself for confrontation. Link examined the room without making a sound and spotted the shadow move once again. He turned around and looked behind him to where the figure moved towards.
No sign of anyone.
It seemed that the movements were a possible figment of his imagination.
"Well, aren't you the entity of amusement?" [too good to be true] A woman chuckled, now in front of the staircase.
Link quickly turned to face the woman and readied himself to take out his sword once more. She crossed her arms in reply.
"I don't know what you're doing that for. I just wanted to say hi." She even had the nerve to wave her hand.
"Are you-" He proceeded to say before he was interrupted.
"The ex-leader of the Gerudo? Yes, as a matter of fact." She stood differently, unlike the rest of the Gerudo women back at the fortress. She had a way of standing that made her seem like a true leader. From her prominent facial features to her long, scarlet hair, held up by a high ponytail.
Link studied her for a moment. There was no doubt about it, this was the person he was looking for.
"Allow me to properly introduce myself," She turned away.
"I am the exiled Gerudo leader, Nabooru." Her eyes fell to the stone ground for a minute before facing Link once more.
"Who are you, boy?" He instantly got on one knee and pressed his left fist over his heart.
"I'm the Knight who watches over Princess Zelda of Hyrule, Link. I seek your assistance."
Nabooru groaned.
This was either going to be something stupid or serious.
"What is it that you would like to know?"
"Ganondorf has taken over Hyrule Castle and plans to dominate the rest of Hyrule."
"Say no more, how can I help?" Her attention was caught as soon as he said His name.
"Ah, well..." He expected her to fight the question. But in any case, this could work, too.
"I'll take any information you can offer."
"That's a good answer." She smirked at his response.
"It all started when he was born- no, wrong word, MADE. That man was created by two witches named Koume and Kotake, Hylia knows what black magic they used. And since he was born amongst the Gerudo, he immediately became our new leader. He grew up with dark intentions, always prattling on about how important being powerful was. The man caused me so much affliction and agony for so long..[Pain and suffering] Not to mention, I was practically nonexistent after his birth. It wasn't until he made the Hylian-Gerudo alliance that I knew something was off and made a run for the desert. The Colossus is my new home now," The exalted leader paced back and forth.
"It's almost like this place called out to me. And I answered her.." She referred to the Goddess outside of the temple. She glanced at Link, who had been intently listening to her tale.
What an interesting boy... She thought.
"What Ganondorf treasures the most is his power. He drowns in it. Reflect his power back to him, challenge him in other words, and he can be taken down." She grinned at the thought of the bastard getting a taste of his own medicine.
"Thank you so very much." Link bowed before her.
"No problem!" She placed a hand on her hip, amused by the boy's thankful nature.
"I have a question for you now," She pointed at him and wiggled her finger.
"Are you planning to take him down by yourself?"
"Not at all. I have the spirit of the Great Seven with me. They're all the help I will need." He spoke honestly and that was it. Link turned around to leave.
She laughed at him. What a response!
"Haha! Do you really think they'll help you?"
He turned his head to look at her one last time.
"They already have." He smirked back before placing a scarf over his mouth and left the temple, making his way back towards the neverending desert. Nabooru stood there, baffled by his words.
She crossed her arms and walked back into the depths of the temple that she instinctively called home.