Author's Note: Well, I certainly didn't think that I would be doing this any time soon. Anyway, I have been toying around with the ideas and aspects of Gerudo culture, especially during the Ocarina of Time period where they were first introduced. And, well, here we are. It isn't an in-depth look into Gerudo life, however it is more of a look into a Gerudo character that I created, Ciren, and how she is incorporated into the physical story of Ocarina of Time. This isn't a "Link/OC" story, and probably won't have a romantic aspect to it, as I merely want to look deeper into the story of Ocarina of Time, like Ancient Roots, and give it a darker setting due to Gerudo culture.

Extra Note: Like in Ancient Roots, I will use symbols in between my writing to show certain moments. If there is a: ~*O*~ , then it is a dream.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Legend of Zelda, only the rights to any OC that I create.

"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive."

~Ozymandias, P.B. Shelley~

Shards Of Time

An Ocarina of Time FanFiction

Act I: Uprising

Chapter 1: Favour

Darkness. Darkness everywhere. I do not know of where I am, but it seems somehow familiar to my senses. My whole body is unnaturally shaking, yet there is no cold breeze nor is there anything here to send me into a fit of quaking. I attempt to search the surrounding area, though something is stopping me: a force with immeasurable strength for me to prevail against. And yet another force suddenly washes past my right side without any warning, knocking me to the ground harshly. By the time I look upwards to see what rushed past me, the outline of a tall male form is highlighted by tendrils of green has appeared; greener than the forests which I have heard so much about.

"The Saviour..." A voice whispers through the shadows, sending shivers down my spinal cord. The Saviour draws a blade as I rise back onto my feet, their aura strong to myself before fading. I am about to feel as if I am alone to the world when another force strikes me to the non-existent ground once more. Bright blue tendrils of light draws my attention over to more feminine built form, although their height is still rather tall. A feeling of regal power and infinitive wisdom surrounds their body as another voice speaks; sounding slightly older than the other voice. "The Wise..."

The Wise figure draws an arrow back, firing it towards an area behind he before disappearing; causing a large mass of red light to follow the arrow and form what could be the final figure. They seem to be broadly built and male once more, taller than the other two forms and filled with arrogant power as the third voice speaks with their own sense of pride. "The Empowered..." The Saviour as well as The Wise reappear and turn to The Empowered and attack automatically. The Empowered, filled with greed and hatred, strike the other two forms down and draw twin scimitars; aiming them straight at me.

The voices speak outwards in unison suddenly, talking directly to me for the first time. "Beware of The Empowered, oh brave youth... find the King's secrets." As soon as The Saviour and The Wise fade away, the three lights trail off into nothingness as The Empowered drives the scimitars through my stomach and my shoulder before I can get onto my feet and flee. The Empowered holds me close as their amber eyes sparkle with amusement.

"My beautiful Desert Flower..."

I look skywards to meet their gaze, my eye wide with freight in realisation. "K-King Ganondorf?" The form fades away when I try to wriggle free of their grip, leaving me to bleed out in confusion over why my King would want to harm others and even myself: one of his many followers.

~*O*~

"Ciren, come on! Get your ass out of bed!" With a cry, I bolt upright and slam my forehead into something incredibly hard. The world comes flying back to me in a flourish of light as well as pain, and my hand automatically flies to my stomach along with my shoulder; finding no pain in either of those areas, only in my head. I frantically search around for those figures or the voices, realising that I whacked my head off of the bunk bed above me, yet all I find is Nisah hanging upside down from her bunk with an unimpressed complexion. Her elbow rests on the side of the bunk, her chin on her palm too; something that she almost always does.

"Ow! Farore!" I hiss, holding my hands onto my aching head as I fall back onto my mattress; air spewing outwards from the force of it as I pass her an angry look. "What the Hell, Nisah?"

Her waterfall of crimson hair falls around her face, her golden eyes gleaming in amusement. "You woke me up from my beauty sleep with your shouting, for the love of Din!" I roll my eyes at her. "I swear, how much longer are you going to keep doing this for? You've been doing this for two weeks now." I sigh and roll out of bed, the light brown bed sheet following me as I go.

"I don't know, Nisah... I honestly don't know." I huff, rubbing my face and eyes tiredly. "What's the time?"

"Time for you to get your ass out of bed?" She offers "kindly", although I can feel her grin without even looking directly at her. Before I think about it, I toss her a look as she leaps off of the top bunk and throws a bundle of clothes to me. I barely manage to catch them before they hit me straight in the face. "Seriously, though, you've got about ten minutes until we need to head out for guard duty around the front of the Fortress." She smirks at the look on my face.

"Nisah!"

"Oh stop it, you worry wart!" She snorts, poking at my forehead before acrobatically flipping off of her own bed and onto the cobbles beneath us. She ignores the wave of dizziness that washes over her as I leap out of bed, desperate to find all that I need before we are late for a job that is far too boring to care for; although the routine of the Gerudo is the opposite of boring. No matter what the job, the honourable duty is still yours, and it must be respected. "Oh, and I need to talk to you about something later. Find me back in here after our duties, and don't be late!"

Before I can throw a retort back at her, she simply waltzes out of the room without anything else to say on the matter; twirling her naginata as her shoes click against the ground; leaving me alone in the silent room, every other Gerudo awake and alert except me. I drop my frantic stance for a moment, my eyes following her form as it dances off into the shadows, her head held high. "What am I going to do with her?" I can't help but ask myself aloud as I stare at the creased clothes in my hands.

Nisah and I have been one of the closest pairs in the Fortress despite the fact that we are not related. We had met in a way that does not befit our lives in the Gerudo tribe whatsoever. ever since I can remember, which isn't very far really. We had both been practising in the training yard with wooden scimitars (both too young to handle the real, far deadlier versions), the two of us left to the dust by the older Gerudo. She had bounced over to me, my past self far more reluctant to socialise; even with my supposed "Sisters".

I remember how she pridefully stuck out her tanned hand to mine, hoisting me back onto my feet, smirking as she still would do now. "Hey, why don't we work together? See if we can kick their butts by next week?" Again, I had hesitated at first, but I'm perfectly happy that I did not for long. Ever since that day, she has been my Sister, friend, and alarm clock more so than ever. I smile a little at the memories, casting my gaze down to the floor for a while. She's more of a Sister than anyone else could ever be to me, and I won't ever regret it.

And then I remember guard duty.

With a deep sigh, I strip off my night clothes, I slip the deep purple uniform across my tanned skin and tie back my fiery red hair; covering part of my face with the same material used in my uniform. Taking one last moment to tame my hair, I grab my naginata and head out of the room finally; breaking into a jog past my other Sisters and out into the ten o'clock light before I miss my guard duties; knowing that I would never live it down if I missed something that I been doing ever since I could fight for myself.

No matter how long it took.

I let my eyes slip shut as I pivot back around to continue on with my guard duties, the bright sun shining the warm rays of light already onto my tanned skin through the large windows that hold no glass panes in between them; a Hylian design that we will never use. Nisah is guarding the outside of the Fortress, while I have been assigned the interior of the Fortress with Izia and Jazperi; both a year or so older than I am. Shifts are usually the main role of a Gerudo of my age, and I aspire more than anything to work above such jobs.

In the far distance, my ears pick up the sound of scimitars clashing, something that I've grown used to over the years of being here, as well as the hooves of numerous horses colliding with the dusty ground. If I wasn't stuck here guarding the Fortress, then I would be out fighting with Nisah and the other Gerudo; but I cannot. The good old days where Nisah and I would pull pranks all over the Fortress is nothing but a memory lost to the winds now, nothing more than a memory of younger days.

Those were the days where getting scolded by our superiors didn't faze either of us from putting more Deku Nuts into Aveil's shoes.

I sigh deeply. Those were the days... The scent of heavy spicy incense and the bonfires already lit stream into my nostrils so harshly that I sneeze loudly, hearing Izia laughing at the sound of my anthropomorphic sneeze. I must have been cursed by Din herself when I comes to my sneezes, I swear, nothing miraculous about them whatsoever. I briskly ignore her, diverting my gaze away from them as I cross past them, working my way up the large set of steps on the other side of the corridor in order to advance to the higher levels of the Fortress.

Lost in a trance of the past still, I barely notice some strands of my hair coming loose before they are stuck across my parched tongue; cursing that I should have drunk before frantically racing towards duty. The uncomfortable taste is enough to snap me out of the daze for a few moments to pull them out before I tumble back into the world that only I know about; the world that my mind replicates in order to free me from the bores of these duties.

"Beware of The Empowered, oh brave youth..." I clench the naginata tightly at the thought of my dream. I feel my anxiousness taking over from the nightmare Nisah woke me up from a few hours back, and I can't help but struggle to believe the accusations made out within my dream or to just ignore them like every other dream. The Empowered from my dream was made out to be Ganondorf, the King who I have hailed since birth. The tribe in which he leads is the Gerudo, the all female tribe (except for the single man born every one hundred years) that hail in the desert located in the western part of Hyrule, within the Gerudo Valley and the Gerudo Fortress.

Being that he is the only male Gerudo living now, Ganondorf was forced to take on the role of Kingship ever since he was very young. He is our superior to us, and nothing but that; so I guess he really does fit the title of "The Empowered". And yet, I can't help but feel some sort of truth lurking deep within the words of those voices. Lately Ganondorf has been commanding for us to be working more on combat rather than regular theory work, not allowing us much time to socialise with our Sisters like usual, and has been attempting to form alliances with the King of Hyrule along with the Zoras, Gorons and Sheikahs.

At first glance, I don't take much notice of it, as our tribe is known for their skills and creating more for our enemies to spend time deciphering will allow us more time in which to kill them. However, the alliance idea is something that I cannot really understand. Many tribe in Hyrule are against the Gerudo entirely due to the Great War, therefore it is accustomed for us to stay in the desert "where we belong", so for something to have sparked his sudden desire to become allies with these tribes again is both inspiring and questionable at the same time.

The King was always one to inspire us with: "Serve me, serve your Sisters. Serve no one but this tribe." So to do such a thing this suddenly is stranger than one would make it out to be.

Even worse, most of his time is spent away from us, which is something incredibly different to past Kings of the Gerudo; spending his time especially in his office at the very summit of the Fortress where I now stand near. That isn't the weirdest part, however, as I have been hearing the strangest of things when I pass by his office at night on my guard duties. A lot of the time, I can hear loud chanting emanating from his office in a language that I have never heard of before – and even speak of the Golden Power in such a way that unnerves me even thinking about it.

The sacred triangles he forever speaks about in his office are those from the Legends of the Golden Goddesses. The legends state that three Golden Goddesses descended onto the world of chaos and formed peace within it. The Goddesses had numerous roles within the formation of the world we know of today, and we thank them all for everything which they have done. Din, the Goddess of Power, cultivated the land of turmoil and created the "red earth" with her strong flaming arms.

Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, poured her infinite knowledge onto the earth and created the spirit of law to hold peace in the new world. And Farore, the Goddess of Courage, structured the life forms that would hold up Nayru's law in Din's land. With their labours finally complete, the three Goddesses ascended back to their places in the heavens above to watch over their new world; a sacred Golden Relic of the three golden triangles, left at the very point which the Goddesses left our world. This location is now commonly known as the Sacred Realm.

Farore, the Green Goddess, is said to always favour the forest in the south of Hyrule over anything else; as all is natural there in those lands, and nothing man-made can harm it. Nayru, the Blue Goddess, has favoured the lake at the very bottom of the Valley which we live in; as all is pure in those waters. And Din, the Red Goddess which we Gerudo worship the most of all of the Goddesses, favours our land most over everything else. Many believe that this is mainly because the red earth described in the legends looks mostly like the area where we live.

Although it may seem that I know a lot of the world of Hyrule outside of Gerudo Valley and the Desert, no young Gerudo are allowed to leave the premises until they have become a a high enough level to deal with the outside world, or are permitted to migrate into Hyrule so they can reproduce. As I am only low in the hierarchy, I am no where near meeting either of those conditions; therefore I am left here in the Fortress until I am of age, or permitted to leave for sexual purposes.

Still, that isn't all there is to the current King of Gerudo, my life aside. When he can actually be around us, he is just like any other father figure around our Sisters; whether it be playing with the younger Gerudo, battling the older Gerudo, and holding Feasts in the rainy season for us to "bond" even more than we have already. Yet he seems to miss a lot of these Feasts, even when he was the one who is supposed to host the Feasts in the first place.

At any point where he does choose to attend the Feasts, however, there is always this one look that he gives the lower ranking Gerudo in particular, myself included in that, and I cannot seem to fully interpret what this means. It's a look that represents how empowered his is in this tribe, and how I will never hope to overthrow the amount of power in which he holds. But by the time his eyes have shifted to another fellow Gerudo, all of that arrogance fades from his complexion and he continue on with this act that he holds up to everyone but me.

Something isn't right at all, I can't help but confirm for myself as I pivot back around across the earthy surface.

Another few strands of red hair gets trapped in my mouth, and I am forced to halt for a few moments so I can cast my mind back to the current task at hand: getting these Goddess-damned bits of hair from out of my mouth. "For the love of Nayru..." I swear to myself when I finally brush the hair aside. "I should never get ready in a rush, and I wouldn't have to deal with stuff like this." When I finally straighten, I halt suddenly when I hear a voice radiating out from the doorway to my left. Like the windows, all doorways are open completely, though I can still hear her conversing with another through the veil that shrouds the doorway.

It is the voice of Nabooru, Ganondorf's second-in-command. She is one of the highest of all Gerudo. There are four levels in the Gerudo race: Hierba, Purpura, Carmesi and Coraje. You may become a Hierba at six years old no matter what your abilities are, handed a uniform of green to represent this and taught the history and other verbal aspects of the Gerudo tribe that was not taught in the early years of growing up here. Anyone younger than six cannot become a Hierba, and are grown up by the rest of the Gerudo as a tribe.

At the age of eleven, any Gerudo then has the ability to become a Purpura. It is extremely easy at this stage, however Gerudo class as easy, as the only requirements are to have a sense of fighting skill (proved through battle) and a large amount of knowledge on this tribe. To some, including myself, it was easier, though others found it harder than catching Leevers in the Wasteland; which also ranges in difficulty depending on who you are. Once passed, you are bestowed a purple uniform to replace the green one, and are assigned guard duties while training five days per week for six hours each.

By the time that one is fifteen, they are able to become a Carmesi, and are sent out to the Desert Wasteland in order to survive for two weeks on whatever you can find. There is no help other than the ability to carry knives and a day's worth of rations, but other than that, you must survive alone. I have heard of many "unworthy" dying in this test, though I don't fear it. Either way, I am a Gerudo, and will die as one no matter what. If you do survive and return to the Fortress safely, you are given a red uniform to replace the purple, and focus solely of combat.

After a minimum of seven years as a Carmesi, there is the ability to become a Coraje, the final level that is filled with immense honour and pride. Everything about knowledge, combat, mounted combat, archery, and any other skills taught across the years must be perfect, which is why there are less than ten who have attain the level of Coraje, wearing a white uniform to replace their red one and must cut their hair to prove their honour.

Nabooru is the only Coraje with long hair, as she earned it by outmatching even the King in physical combat; which is no small feat, as I witnessed the defeat myself. While the King's defeat came with shame, we know that we must still serve him, for he is our leader bought to us by the Old Gods themselves. As I'm only twelve, I cannot take the Trial to become a Carmesi for a few years, and neither can Nisah, so I am but a Purpura until that day finally arrived.

"—King has no full intentions for our tribe." She is explaining quietly, although I can easily strain my ears enough to hear her. There is only one other Gerudo on this floor at the moment, most likely because they are soon about to change their shifts, so I have very little time to listen to what has caught my attention so suddenly. "He means well, as I will serve no other but the King, however there is something wrong. I believe solely that his connection to our tribe is close to being severed; another duty calling out for him, one that should not be present.

My lips part in shock, my brow raising as I lean closer towards the stone wall. This is not your conversation to be a part of, Ciren, one part of my brain near screams. My eyes fall to the ground away from Nabooru's chambers, that shard of my mind being the truth and nothing but it. I have no right to eavesdrop into a conversation that I do not belong in. I have a duty of my own to complete, no matter how boring it may be, so I must leave them to how they are.

What are you, a Hylian? Another side of my brain suddenly retorts sternly, my pride and honour fired into the mix. Sure, you may not be a part of the conversation, but you can certainly make yourself one. Don't be a Hylian or a Sheikah and hide away from what you don't believe is right. If you believe that something will affect your Sisters, and others think that too, then suck it up, act like a Gerudo, and act forwards for your Sisters; no matter what it does to your King.

I don't need to think about who wins. Pride and honour for my Sisters are worth too much.

"What do you propose that we do, Nabooru?" The second voice questions. I think that they are Xallia, and are also of the Coraje, meaning that this matter has gone far above the low levels of Gerudo. This is a Coraje matter, but I still won't rest until the connection between the King and my Sisters is secure. "Speaking with the King is foolhardy, but we cannot allow this situation to fall. We aren't cowards, and we must protect our Sisters before they fall into the mix of this feud."

Nabooru hums in response, and I find the irony in Xallia's words. It all ready has become a problem... "The King has been making more and more excursions across the Wasteland, has he not?" The pause is all that I need to know that Xallia had agreed to such a thought. "While it may be entirely Sheikah like to do, we must also venture there when the moon is next at its zenith to collect what information that we can from the Spirit Temple there. If there is nothing for us to be worried about, then we may leave, but if there is..."

The Spirit Temple is an area in the Desert Colossus, a place that you must cross the Haunted Wasteland to get find it, and we have lost many Gerudo from those trying to get into the area. The Spirit Temple is only accessible to the Whites and the King, and any other levels who go in there and get caught are severely punished; though many have tried it and slipped through the net. Yes, I have always wanted to go into the Spirit Temple just so I can show that any level of the Gerudo race is capable of going across the Haunted Wasteland and into the Spirit Temple.

I remember one of the least likely of Gerudo passing their Trial of Carmesi using shelter of the Spirit Temple to pass their Trial. Of course it was not a part of the rules not to go there, although it became an idea that was controversial. She had passed her Trial, technically, but she had abused a religious Temple in order to gain her passing. However, the Temple had its own trials within them, and she had to return to the Spirit Temple and pass those trials in order to fully gain her title of "Carmesi".

"We—"

"Find the King's secrets." I slam my naginata down hard suddenly when the voice of my dream whispers into my mind, catching the attention of both Nabooru and Xallia inside. My eyes widen in shock, knowing that I have given myself up like any Hylian would, rolling back onto my heel and shooting away from the doorway. I hear a harsh whisper from inside, and I haven't even made it further than a few feet before the veil of Nabooru's chambers have been cast aside, and Xallia of the Coraje appears.

I turn, acting as if I was never there, watching as Xallia scans the corridor to find any sign of threats that their conversation was overheard. Her golden orbs soon catch my own, and we bore into each other's eyes as if the world has come to a stop entirely, attempting to decipher each other's minds entirely. Minutes pass before either of us speak, and it is Xallia who speaks first. "Purpura!" She orders, arms completely vertical at her sides. "At my side this instant."

I curse.

Soldier like movements take over my body as I march towards the Coraje, my mind completely blank of all thoughts. "At your command, Coraje." I say upon instinct, hands wrapped tightly around my naginata. "What is your bidding, Coraje?"

Xallia's eyes bore down at my own, and once noting that the other Gerudo has left the premises in order to change shifts, she grabs my shoulder and throws me directly towards Nabooru's chambers. I stagger towards the veil, nearly tearing it down at my speed, but Xallia does not stop. She continues to urge me inside and kicks at my knees as soon as I pass the veil, causing me to fall straight down onto my knees, the tactic allowing me to drop my naginata as well.

I have never been in Nabooru's chambers before, let alone anyone else's but the chambers belonging to the Hierba and the Purpura when I came of those levels. The large, hexagonal shaped room is lined with numerous bookshelves filled to the brim with the Gerudo culture and history that all at the Coraje level should know off by heart. Pages from those books pour out from their spines, discoloured from wear and time. Before me is a small wooden chair, presumably knocked over and onto the rug beneath it when I drew attention to myself.

And, in the mahogany desk above me sits the highest of the Coraje themselves. Two large windows allows light from the sun to pour inside, the dusty sky around it filtering in gracefully. However, due to the drapes that cover the other windows and the smell of incense sticks that burn throughout the room, the air is too thick to be classed as clear. Nabooru sits tall in her plush seat, paperwork and other piles of paper stacked high above her desk.

"This one was too close, Nabooru." Xallia hisses from behind, a cool blade felt against the back of my neck as my face covering is ripped away; leaving all eyes directly on me. "I could see it in her eyes. She heard far too much. What should we do? If word gets out..." She leaves the threat hanging, and I lower my head not due to shame whatsoever. The tension rises suddenly, and I hold my breath. I didn't mean for myself to be picked up in such a way, and for my eyes to give all of my lies away.

No matter, I did not expect to be in this situation when I came onto guard duty today. Or ever, for that fact.

Nabooru hums in response. "Rise, Purpura." She purrs, gesturing towards Xallia to let me follow her orders. I raise my head and face the facts as any Gerudo should, meeting her bright eyes dead on. I shift my weight a little, feeling Xallia against my back."I know you, Ciren of the Purpura." She clarifies with a small smirk. "The notorious Deku Nut prank came from you and Nisah of the Purpura. I did not expect you to act out of line, in either cases that we not face."

"I was young and foolish, Coraje." I say calmly.

"Also in both cases." Xallia comments from behind. I can feel her presence behind me, and it's more than unnerving to have one of the strongest Gerudo with a blade behind you. "Why did you decide to go against orders on your duty, Purpura? None of us expect a Gerudo to go against their Sisters in such a way." I relieve myself of holding my breath, allowing oxygen to flood back into my lungs as I straighten myself fully, accepting the situation with all that I have.

"I had also been concerned for my Sisters." I explain hesitantly at first. "And to hear of my superiors also concerned drew my attention. I should not have acted in such a way, and accept any form of punishment that you wish to push upon me. I was wronged in ways that a Gerudo should not be, and understand such things." I hold my head high. "Any punishment will be deemed fit from Coraje like you all." As my voice dies out, I instinctively hold my breath once again. I don't like having to do it, but staying calm is what I need to do.

But I am surrounded by Coraje that I have wronged. It isn't easy to stay calm, no matter what tribe you belong in.

A pregnant silence ensues, and both Nabooru and Xallia cast each other questioning looks in this time; almost as if they are discussing their punishment for myself in their minds like one of the Shadow Folk would do. I hold my shoulders back, standing as still as any ceremonial statue created in honour of fallen heroic Gerudo, even if I will never be hailed as one. They continue this vigil for a long time, and I watch Nabooru's eyes as much as she does the same to me.

All gestures stop, then: "Release her."

"W-What?" Both Xallia and I gasp in response.

Nabooru passes us both even looks, golden eyes glowing with authority. "While our Purpura has wronged us as Sisters, her intentions are clear to see in her eyes. I can see the truth lingering in her irises, and I know that she will not do this again nor take any action on what she has heard." Her eyes become rock solid, demanding for me to object. "She will not do this again, therefore she is free to return to her duties as a fellow Sister, and none shall object."

Xallia moves to reply, only to hold herself back at the words of her fellow Coraje. She steps away from me, and I am permitted to tie the facial veil back around my face, scooping up my naginata before bowing to both Coraje and taking my leave. I take large steps to exit the room, allowing the both of them to be left alone, feeling their eyes upon me even after I am back into the clearer air of the corridors, more Gerudo returning to this level in order to join guard duties.

I cannot leave my own any faster.

"And she just let you go?!" Nisah gasps with incredibly wide eyes, er voice echoing all around the supply closet that we stand in, a room so small that we are forced to stand incredibly close together; the stench in here from the cleaning supplies making my gag reflex act up. After I had left my guard duties, I barely got Nisah out of her own duties when she was called to stay on for longer; and I needed to get her somewhere safe where no one would hear us.

Apparently this was the compromise.

While Nabooru had said about me not taking action on this, there is something singing in my blood that forces me to ask for the help that I need. I wouldn't talk to anyone else about this but Nisah. In response to her cry, I hold my hands out to calm her down and nod in agreement. "Yeah." I say quietly, checking the hallway to see if anyone is there, coming up with no one. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is that they are going after the King, and something is going to happen soon. When it will happen, though, I'm not quite sure of."

Nisah doesn't reply for a long time, but she surprises me greatly when she does. "Why don't we follow them?"

"What the Hell?!"

She rolls her eyes, making sure that I am quiet. "Just listen. If you've been feeling how the Coraje have been, then who is to say that others haven't too." You haven't, I think to myself, yet hold it back from my tongue. "They're gonna need all the help that they can get, and besides, we will be hailed as the greatest Gerudo if we helped in solving this mystery of our own King!" My eyes widen in alarm, catching onto what she is hinting at. My hands clench into fists.

She always was one who wanted power in the tribe.

"Nisah, you're insane!" I cry, quickly lowering my voice when I realise just how loud I am. "We are Purpura, and they are Coraje for the love of Din! We can't handle ourselves in a place that we have never been to, let alone going against direct orders from the King's second-in-command. I'm not going against what I have been ordered to, and against the King in such a way. I value my life too much for that." I fold my arms up crossly, staring Nisah down as she chews at her lip in irritation; a habit that she hasn't gotten out of.

"So you aren't a real Sister of mine then." With gleaming embers, Nisah carts out of the supply closet and back out into the corridor near our chambers. My stomach twists violently at her words, the attitude from her tone slicing straight through my heart. Her tongue has always been sharp, but it is normally in such a beautifully sarcastic way that I laugh at, not in a harsh way that is directed straight at me; dubbing me as a traitor to our tribe.

Realising just what I will have to do, I exhale and race after her. "Nisah, wait!" I dart straight after her, catching her arm before she can walk too far away from me. She turns, eyes still glowing with hate as they bore into my own eyes. "I-I'll do it. I am your Sister, and I will come with you."

Her eyes flash once, then her lips twist up into the largest smirk that I have seen from her.

"You are so easy to mould." She comments, taking her arm back. Sighing deeply, I return the gesture with a smile of my own. We stand there for a long time, the friendly bond that we have shared ever since we were kids growing between us with every second that passes. All of today's events, no matter how important they are to me, seem to fade away when I'm around people who I can trust; and I like it. "Go on then. I need to go and carry on with duty. Meet me after, and we can plan out our epic quest!" She smirks at me, pointing straight at me in accusation. "Whatever you do, don't fall asleep."

I roll my eyes and silently nod, smiling a little myself. "I can't promise you anything." She laughs, turning on her heel and carts in the opposite direction. I roll my eyes at her shrinking figure before going in the opposite direction to her and back into the gorgeous daylight, unsure of what just happened, but strangely happy with it at the same time. I can always count on Nisah to drag me into such ideas that are good and bad, more so the latter, though there's something tugging at the front of my mind.

I have agreed to go directly against orders.

After a few moments of becoming lost in a trance, I finally shake my thoughts away from that of Nisah's deal as well as the nightmare from this morning and slip back out of the tiny room; moving in the complete opposite direction of Nisah and down the wide corridor, down a set of large steps and past a group of three gossiping Greens. "The King wants us to attend a feast with him tomorrow, isn't it exciting?!" One of them, Lizani I think, squeals in delight. They all stand against the wall at the bottom of the steps, and I immediately act like my shoe is coming undone so I can kneel down and hear more.

It isn't long before another cries: "I know! I really do miss the King sometimes..." Their voice is small and quiet, and I don't really think they sound like a Hierba (maybe even younger) but I didn't see anyone without a Gerudo uniform. Strange... "I'll need to find some jewellery to stand out from the rest of you, though. Serise, you have to help me!"

Classic Gerudo. "I'll need to find something!" generally means: "Who can I steal from first?"

"Oi, Ciren!" I snap my head over at them, straightening when I "fix my shoe". "Heard you had it out with a Coraje in duty. How the Hell did you pull that and how can I do it?" Amnita, one of the newest of the Hierba, asks with a hand on her hip; causing commotion to break out with the other Hierba; which the one who I didn't think was a Hierba actually is a Red.

I find myself smirking at her and winking. "That's for me to know and for you to never find out."

Amnita calls out for me loudly as I cart off, laughing like an idiot as I break out into the brilliant sunlight on the second-to-top floor. I slow as I move around the edges of the Fortress, finding the outside part of this level mixing in with the dirt path which leads into the Horseback Archery Range. Smiling to myself, I semi-skip across the warm stone and onto the earthy pathway towards the ravine-like area; seeing Genna, another White, standing underneath a large canopy to shield herself from the heat.

She strokes the mane of her grey horse: Alivio, and waves a little when she sees me. I wave back at her as I walk over to the right, heading underneath a thick shelter of rock and into the busy, yet very open, Stables. The Stables is rather circular-shaped, outlined with numerous stables and an open space in the centre for us to take our horses out of here. I scan the area, feeling rather content with the gentle neighing of the mares and stallions here; spotting my own horse in the very left stable.

Dodging a few Carmesi and horses speeding towards the exit, I leap over the gate into Luz's stable; not bothering to physically open the gate myself. His dark eyes sparkle with delight when he sees me, shoving his nose into me for a fuss. "I'm sorry, boy." I apologise softly as I rub my finger across the white tufts of hair on the bridge of his nose. "I've missed you too." Because the King has been lengthening our guard duties, and those stupid nightmares have been plaguing my sleep, I have been seriously neglecting Luz and my riding in general.

And I've missed him a lot, as our bond stretches back from when I was little; knowing him since my memory fades into a misty cloud of nothingness from age.

I hoist his light brown saddle over the fencing, holding it in front of him. "Can I make it up to you?" My chestnut horse nickers playfully, allowing me to strap the saddle into place across his body and mess with his black mane lovingly; fixing his bridle into place too. I grab my bow and quiver that shouldn't be stashed in here, tying the quiver around my waist and holding tightly onto my bow after pulling the strands of hay from off of the string.

Pushing the gate open, I leap onto Luz with a grunt and nudge his sides softly. We edge out of the small fenced area carefully so I can force the gate shut behind me. Patting Luz's neck, he bursts into movement when I kick his sides once again – the wind catching my hair as soon as we break into the Horseback Archery Range. Later on, I'll have to either go on foot through the Haunted Wasteland, which is nearly impossible from what I've heard, or I'll have to take Luz.

As much as I don't want to put Luz in that much danger, the odds of getting to the Desert Colossus on foot is even slimmer. And I can't take that chance. Voices of the three from my dream whisper into my mind, but I can't make out what their saying exactly. Shaking my head, they quieten a little, yet still haunt me, as Luz and I take on the Archery Range and head down past the Fortress; going into the Valley and towards the ravine which I will forever wish to cross someday.

I pull the reigns upwards by the very edge of it, peering down into the crystalline waters of the river leading into Lake Hylia. I wonder what it would be like to swim in those waters, and to roam across the Golden Land of Hyrule without the fear of being taken back to your homeland for disobeying the rules; attaining severe punishments for it. "One day, Luz, we'll go across this bridge and be completely free." I tell the world on the other side of the bridge, grabbing Luz's attention; who makes a small sound of agreement. "One day..."