A Note from the Author: Welcome to those of you who have followed the series and those of you who are just jumping in. This is the fifth and final installment of the series of Ocarina of Time novelizations in which I take the original story and give it depth, drama, excitement, and purpose. Like the others in the series (which I know call the Dark Mind series), Fallen Matriarch will be guarunteed to give you exciting battles, deep psychological drama, and a sense of purpose that Ocarina of Time never gave us. If you have not read the rest of the series, I'd recommend doing so. There is one for every sage (sans Rauru): Phantom Destiny (Saria), Dragon's Duet (Darunia), Arctic Succession (Ruto), and Rising Puppetmaster (Impa). Though each story is made so that it can be stand-alone, to avoid spoilers I'd recommend starting with Phantom Destiny.

Anyway, this opening part will be a bit short compared to others--but fear not, good things are already brewing in Part II.

Thank you for taking the time to read this story, and reviews are both welcome and appreciated. So please review! I promise to read every one!

Zelda stuff (c) Nintendo, Capcom
Original stuff (c) Me

Part I ~ The Fortress

The darkness of the night was a menacing reminder of the horrors I had experienced a mere 24 hours ago. Needless to say, it was a comfort to be beside a fire once again, its angelic light scaring away the monsters of Hyrule Field and the dangers they brought with them. Around the campfire, one person was asleep, while the other one fed the fire. The sleeping person was Sheik, a mysterious man who claimed to be a Sheikah, a virtually extinct race of people from the northeastern part of the country. He was not really a Sheikah, though, for his mentor, the awake person, was the last of them. Impa was the Sage of Shadow, whom had joined me in my venture into the House of the Dead last night. She was tall and muscular, battle-hardened and imposing, yet she had a heart of gold and a memory full of sacrifice. Impa had used to be Princess Zelda's au pair, but since Ganondorf took over the princess has gone into hiding. Impa also used to be mayor of Kakariko Village, the last remaining Sheikah settlement, but has left it to the Hylians now residing in it. I used to travel alone, but Sheik and Impa now insist they join me on my final venture.

My name is Link. Long ago, I used to hang my head in shame whenever I heard the name. Now it was one I took with pride, for it carried a meaning now: "Hero of Time." I entered this world not knowing who I was, fooled into believing myself a Kokiri outcast. I didn't know my parents, my heritage, even why it was that unlike any other Kokiri I came to exist right in front of the God of Earth, the Great Deku Tree. Fairyless, I was picked on by the other Kokiri and found asylum only in a Kokiri girl named Saria. We grew into the closest friends that could ever exist, destined to fall in love and be together for the rest of time; but that was all a façade. I know who I am now, and it was thanks to Saria and a new Deku Tree that I discovered it. I am a Hylian; not a Kokiri, not a Goron, nor Zora, nor Gerudo, but a Hylian. My whole life in Kokiri Forest was suddenly made clear; why I didn't have a fairy until Navi came along, why the old Deku Tree treated me differently, why after a seven year coma I found myself an adult when I should have kept the body of a child... But this knowledge almost cost me Saria's heart, until we agreed we could be together no matter what race we were. On the other hand, though, a glaring question haunted me afterward--why? If I'm a Hylian, then why would I appear alone in Kokiri Forest? Why didn't the Deku Tree turn me into a Skull Kid? And who were my parents? All of these questions have gone unanswered. So I'm just Link, the Hylian man with the mind of a Kokiri boy.

My heritage has become unimportant in my travels. I thought my discoveries were done when I left Saria, the newly awakened Sage of Forest, in the Forest Temple. I traveled Hyrule seeking out the other Sages while I purified sacred Temples of Power from the evil Ganondorf's grasp. Darunia and I saved Death Mountain from destruction; with the help of Sheik and Princess Ruto I avenged the massacred Zoras; and Impa and I lifted a dark curtain from Kakariko. I had to fight terrible creatures in my journey: Ganon's skeletal phantom in the Forest Temple, the ancient dragon Volvagia in the Fire Temple, the psychopathic monster Lady Morpha in the Water Temple, and the god-like demon Bongo Bongo in the Shadow Temple. I was too busy to question my past, and merely drove forward on my mission to rid Hyrule of Ganondorf. But now, as the denouement to my adventure loomed on the horizon, I found myself asking those same old questions all over again. Was I, too, in the same situation as Ruto and Impa? Was there now family to call my own?

But I was done in Hyrule. I'd covered everywhere in the entire kingdom but the Snowpeak Mountains, and Sheik was positive that the Wind Temple there was untouched by Ganondorf's men. The only temple still controlled by Ganon was to the northwest, outside Hyrule's borders and in a vast desert known only to Hylians as the Haunted Wasteland. The wasteland was ruled by Ganon's own people, the Gerudo, and housed the greatest threat I'd be up against yet. It would be a week or two before I'd come face-to-face with it, but already just thinking about the Kingdom of Arbiterus make me shiver over events to come.

Fortunately, I wouldn't be alone this time. Impa, no longer tied to the well-being of her village, joined me, and Sheik was going to see to it that his master didn't go alone. The two of them were an inseparable pair. Impa was the last of the Sheikah, a race of tall Hylian-like people who swore themselves to the guardianship of the underworld, not to mention the Hylian Crown. Though they flourished in the valley of Kakariko for many years, the race was brought to an untimely end when they were wiped out in the Great Civil War. Impa is all that remains. Sheik, on the other hand, is a mystery. I don't know who he is, where he comes from, or why he behaves like a woman sometimes, but he is Impa's loyal pupil all the same. Before I woke from my coma, Sheik was leading the revolution against Ganondorf.

After two days and two nights, we found ourselves at an old gatehouse, the border between the kingdom of Hyrule and the kingdom of Arbiterus. Seven years ago I had a brief visit to the border, and could remember its proud look, a mixture of Gerudo and Hylian architecture, guarded on one side by Gerudo women and on the other by Hylian soldiers. Those days were long gone; now that the Dragmires were in charge of Hyrule, the need for a gatehouse was obsolete. It had been the first thing torn down when the Gerudo invaded, and now it lay in ruins. We crossed it without passports, or anything of the sort, and as we entered the Gerudo Valley, "Gateway to the Desert," we looked back with mild longing. All that we knew was vanishing behind us as we crammed on top of poor Epona, and in front of us was unknown territory. Not even Impa, who knew the entire kingdom of Hyrule, knew what lay in wait in the land of the Gerudo.

The Gerudo were a people I had only heard about in fairy tales the Know-It-All Brothers used to tell. Bathed in mystery, they were an all-female race that lived in the desert outside Hyrule. Once every 100 years a male Gerudo would be born, and would automatically become destined to rule the desert people until his death—that man was Ganondorf. The rest of the Gerudo were known to be beautiful in every way, and were notorious for being able to seduce almost any Hylian man into bearing them a child—before discarding the new father. They only entered Hyrule to find husbands, and so their own world was left to speculation. It didn't take a lot to guess the Hylians despised the Gerudo; the Gerudo and Gorons had fought the Hylians and Zoras during the Great Civil War, and the Gerudo were responsible for the destruction of the Sheikah. The Hylian government was always distrustful of the neighboring kingdom, and it was perhaps out of these bad relations that Ganondorf's rise to power was made possible. With the exception of Ganondorf, I had never seen a Gerudo with my own eyes. My mind wandered to fantasizing about them, and trying to imagine how beautiful they truly were. It is a known fact that that which remains a mystery is always the most alluring.

The defeat of Bongo Bongo released me from a curse that had been controlling me since I awoke from my coma. Now, for the first time, I saw Ganondorf's Hyrule clearly and my actions were my own. I felt a fluidity in my movements that I hadn't experienced for ages. It was like a weight being lifted off my shoulders; I could have flown! Despite our situation, having crossed enemy lines and on our way to the desert people's outpost of Gerudo Fortress, I was in high spirits. The strange curse of Bongo Bongo had kept me in the gloom, but now my lips struggled to keep themselves from smiling. Everything would be alright, I told myself. Sure, the Gerudo were a powerful race, but I'd survived so many struggles—and Farore was watching me and Nayru was blessing me, so I figured perhaps I would succeed in the end. I'd probably be stressed and anxious later, so why not be happy now?

Epona walked so slow, having to hold the weight of our supplies, Impa, Sheik, and myself, that I gave her some relief and hopped off her chestnut back, opting to walk alongside her. The dusty brown sand crunched softly under my boots, but didn't make a sound under Epona's hooves. We traveled in relative solitude; there wasn't anything to be seen but desert plants, copper-red canyon walls, and the occasional vulture above our heads. Not a Gerudo in sight; they were never a very large race, so I assumed most of those not in Gerudo Fortress now took residence in Ganon's Castle. The sun glared down onto the valley, forcing us to seek shade whenever possible. I wished there was something I could use to shade my eyes, but my hands were full leading Epona and grasping the of my sword in case of attack.

The valley was so quiet that I resolutely decided some conversation was in order. "So," I opened, clearing my throat and startling Sheik with the sudden noise, "whatever happened to the princess, Impa?"

"The princess is in hiding, Hero of Time," Impa answered, her words poetic and wise as always, never missing a beat yet always soft-spoken and calm. "I know your mind and soul would love to partake in a meeting with her highness, but I cannot reveal her location at this time. The Gerudo have ears everywhere, and it would be very inconvenient for us if Ganondorf were to learn where the princess hides. She bears something he wants, and he will stop at nothing to capture her if he finds her. I apologize for my secrecy, but it is my duty as her guardian to protect her."

"Alright, fair enough," I shrugged. "I wouldn't mind seeing her again, though." I didn't fancy "dear" Princess Zelda—Saria was where my heart lied—but the princess was one of those fair maiden types that you never wanted to see only once. Her voice, as I recall, was annoying, and she was overly mischievous, but she got me into this mess, and that was more than an invitation for us to meet again.

"She's in good health, though," Sheik spoke up suddenly from behind Impa. "And I'm sure that wherever she is, she's thinking about you. I think you two will meet sooner or later, actually. All you need is that Spirit Medallion, I'd warrant." Sheik at one time spoke only in riddles, and seemed to only appear when I needed to learn a song, but these days I saw him almost on a daily basis and he had dropped his poetry (probably learned from Impa) for more casual talk. I found him quite annoying at first—no less than dear Princess Zelda—but the consistency of his appearances led to me finding comfort in his presence, even if he was kinda girly now and then.

"What were you like when you were young, Impa?" I questioned, eager to keep the merry talk going.

Impa chuckled quietly. "Ah, those were the days, young hero. There is no childhood like a Sheikah childhood. We were taught from an early age how to fight, for we are warriors always, but the lessons were so fun that we thought them games. Kakariko blossomed with many an infant, and my friends and I would make it our duty every day to make sure all the babies were alright. Sometimes we'd pretend to be Gorons, and go scare our boyfriends while they followed their fathers' footsteps and paced the graveyard. I must remind you, these were the years leading up to the War, so we did not think highly of Gorons.

"I was a rebel amongst my peers, though, and would never do what my parents told me to do. If my father said, 'Go to the Windfall Market and buy some bread,' I'd go all the way to Hyrule Bazaar—before it was ever so grand as to be called a Castle Town—and fetch him some jam instead. I was punished often, I assure you, but one's mind pays little attention to pain when it is enjoying itself." Impa smiled and paused for a moment to enjoy the memories. Her smile vanished shortly after like a barnacle popping back into its shell. "Then the War began. We weren't allowed to go running out of Kakariko Village any more. Every day, the messengers would come back with news that some village or another had fallen to the Gorons, or that the Zoras and Hylians were being pushed back by the Gerudo. Time knew no darker an age. As soon as I was old enough, I was sent to the Snowpeak Mountains to fight for the Hylian crown against the Gerudo's highest-ranking army. In the shadow of the Wind Temple I fought, and I won, but it was a terrible sight to see the Sheikah and Hylians being slain all around me. When the war met its end, I did not know I was the last of my kind until Hyrule Castle summoned me and I heard the death count." She clenched her fists around Epona's rein. "I do not care if there are a thousand Gerudo; I shall never forgive them for what they did. Before the blood has dried my people shall be avenged."

-

Eventually we came upon a rickety, dusty, old sign. The words on it were in some sort of language I had never seen before—it certainly wasn't Hylian. "Does anybody know what language this is?" I asked the others. "I can't read this sign."

Sheik took one look and shrugged, but Impa, after examining it closely from Epona's back, leaned back and exhaled loudly. "Those accursed words are in Gerudia, the language of the Gerudo. I can speak but a little of it—the sign is warning us that the Gerudo Fortress lurks ahead. I recommend we travel on foot from here on out."

We left Epona in a small cave near the sign, though I wouldn't leave her until I was sure that she'd be out of sight in case the wrong kind of people passed by. Impa led the way; she'd been the only one of the three of us who had ever fought Gerudo warriors before, so we decided it would be safest to have her in front. Impa insisted that Sheik stay next to her, so I wound up taking up the rear. We kept our steps silent, doing the best we could not to make a sound, and we hid in the shadows whenever we could. There was nobody to be seen, but we attributed that to the fact that the fortress was also out of sight. It would be bad news if we were caught.

At last, the Gerudo Fortress came into view. It was dustier than the ground, and blended in with the canyon walls behind it. The large outpost stood at the edge of the Gerudo Valley, and looked out at the Haunted Wasteland through a giant wooden gate. A pile of crates met us about half a mile from the fortress, and despite the distance Impa was insistent that we dive behind it. "The Gerudo boast the greatest guards of all the three kingdoms," Impa whispered as soon as we were in the shadow of the crates. "Their eyes are like those of an eagle's—even better, some say. They can spot a pin drop half a mile away; it is only natural then that even at this distance we are in danger of being seen."

"Then what do you recommend we do?" Sheik asked, peering nervously through a hole in one of the crates at the fortress. "If we proceed any farther we'll be sure to be seen."

Impa was silent for a moment, looking around for some sort of answer. Then she glanced up. "We must scale the canyon wall; we'll have to come down on them."

"And why are we invading their outpost?" I groaned, looking through the crates at the massive quantity of guards patrolling the fortress, visible even from here.

"See that gate?" Sheik answered, speaking of the gate to the Haunted Wasteland. "We need to get through that gate to get to the Spirit Temple, and there is no possible way of getting through there unless somebody opens it for us."

"The Gerudo value honor over everything else," Impa explained. "If we get the key to that gate, and can defeat the gatekeeper in battle, she will let us through. It is impossible to cross into the desert without being seen, especially when we must raise such a large fence, so without assistance from the inside our task will be impossible."

I shook my head in dismay. "This just keeps sounding harder and harder. Okay, so we come down on the fortress from above—what then? What's our plan?"

"Considering we manage to get that far, we must search the fortress for the gate key. They don't hold it at the gate; as a matter of security, they keep the key and the gate separate. It sounds like an impossible task, but I am sure it can be done." I made another groan. "Then we must get out of the fortress and make it to the gatekeeper unseen. That is the easy part; you are traveling with a Sheikah and her pupil—our greatest skill is remaining invisible from probing eyes."

"All the same..." I moaned with a sigh, "forgive me if I'm not reassured this isn't going to be a complete failure."

"Perk up," Impa smiled. "I am sure we'll succeed. Now come on, let's go."

-

Believe me, there is no stress like one experiences trying to break into the Gerudo Fortress. The sun was nearing the horizon by the time we got in, which was to our advantage: it would be harder to see us escape at night. Nonetheless, we had to keep completely silent, for even the slightest sound could have alerted the Gerudo to our presence. They were the greatest guards in the entire world—and we were trying to break into their stronghold.

In the blood-red light of the dying sun we crept down a ladder on the roof and into the fortress. Despite being so close to the desert the air was chilly, and a powerful breeze pierced my Zora Tunic and made me shiver. It was like being at the top of a mountain, where strong winds are inevitable and are just a natural occurrence. As I took one last look before descending the ladder, scanning the unfamiliar terrain stretching out in every direction, I already felt miles away from home. This was it: there was no turning back now.

The moment we slipped into the torch-lit hall Impa yanked Sheik and I behind another pile of crates. Indicating with a finger on her lips for us to be silent, she gestured towards something beyond the crates. Peeking through a hole in the pile, I saw my first Gerudo: a gorgeous siren with an orange-tan face as crisp as a delicate fire, long, flowing red hair to match, and lips as white as snow. She was dressed in very little—only a small, semi-transparent purple bra and long, silk pants that were equally-translucent. Her waist was skinny, her breasts abnormally large, and her face seductive. It was impossible to take my eyes off her; as with Ruto, I truly preferred women who dressed more modestly, yet the appearance of the guard tapped into the deepest, most primitive of all sexual desires and brought them forth. It was all a strangely pleasant reminder that I was no longer a Kokiri boy, and I stared at the guard with an undeniable infatuation.

It was Sheik's hand that seized my scalp and tugged it away from the peephole and back into reality. She gave me the most distinctive "Grow up" expression, then released me. I suppose women didn't really have the same response to the Gerudo.

We sat there for what felt the longest hour. It was an hour, that much I was sure, but Impa had insisted we stay put that entire time. Later she would explain her actions in the fortress; it is for that reason that I know why we stayed, for I was unable to see over the crates for the rest of the evening. Apparently, the Gerudo were alerted that somebody had been seen in the outskirts of the fortress, and were on high alert. This was a known back entrance to the fortress, so they had positioned a guard to stand there for one hour. Impa's strong sense of smell and touch alerted her to the presence of guards before they came, so she was able to search for cover before we were spotted. As the first guard finally left her post we dove into the inner fortress, but it would not be until daybreak that we'd make our way out.

I had been used to acting on my own accord throughout all these adventures; here, however, I was merely a subordinate, a soldier working for somebody greater. Impa was our leader inside the fortress, and nobody questioned her role. She led the way, found us our hiding spots, showed me how I could use my bow to fire an arrow in just the right spot to kill a guard without alerting the others—she was the mastermind of this endeavor. Somehow, though, it just felt right. This was her time to shine—for too long she had to sacrifice her race's passion for war and play docile, but now she had her chance to finally enact revenge on the Gerudo for slaughtering her people. Sheik and I obeyed every word, every gesture, out of respect and a group understanding that without the stealth of a Sheikah we'd never see the light of day again.

We searched every room, every nook, and every cranny, but we could not find the key to the desert gate. Sheik was beginning to grow frustrated, and I could visibly see his impatience when he yanked my bow from me on one occasion and launched it at many a guard without any remorse to speak of. He pouted like a little girl—but he arched like a trained warrior.

We soon found ourselves backtracking to some rooms and searching again, racing against time before another Gerudo guard entered the corridor, and making sure we had places to hide if we ran out of time. The Gerudo had weapons we had never seen before—weapons that could fire strange metal balls that pierced the armor Hylian Soldiers wore, and had swords put on long wooden sticks so that they could sword fight without getting close to their enemies. Sneaking through their weapons storage was like taking a step forward in time. The Gerudo themselves lingered in rooms for the longest of times, never speaking a word, and though many were barefoot, some wore curly shoes that didn't make a single sound on stone nor carpet. It was for this reason why we never relied on our sense of hearing. The eyes of the Gerudo were as sharp as a hawk's, and they were able to tell when there was an additional presence in a room. My Zora Tunic came in handy, because I found myself having to hold my breath for the longest time, which was entirely possible when hiding in an urn full of water. Sheik and Impa were masters of disguise, and I found myself wishing I didn't always have to be the one hiding in the big water jug.

Finally, though, we found it: true to Gerudo security, the key was in the most unlikely of places. They had decided that to place the key under high security, or to put it in a special place of its own, would have been disastrous—therefore, it was put in the most insignificant place in the entire fortress. We found the key in the dustiest crack in the dustiest corner in the dustiest room. It probably would have remained unfound if we hadn't had to jam ourselves into that corner to avoid detection when a Gerudo burst into the room unannounced. The key itself was dusty and dust-colored, and so unremarkable in appearance, that I myself had doubts that it was the key we wanted. But one look at the key and Impa knew it was the right one.

"Notice how it is worn in some places," she said as soon as we were in a place where we could talk. "The fortress sees many sandstorms. This key has seen many strong winds and sand; that is how I can tell that it is for something outside, right by the desert."

"That's amazing that you can do that," I exclaimed.

"I am not Zelda's au pair for nothing," Impa beamed.

Leaving the fortress was no easier than entering it, and we had to continue to hide and avoid capture for another three hours. It was almost a labyrinth on the inside, and often we weren't even sure where we were. But then, all of the sudden, we appeared out along a narrow ledge on the outside of the fortress. There was only a faint light in the air—the sun was nearing the horizon, but it had yet to show its face. Many glaring spotlights shone on the sandy ground beneath the ledge, searching for any intruders who thought the night would bring them cover. "We must be careful not to drop," Impa whispered sharply. "If any of us go down there, we will be doomed for destruction." Sheik and I nodded. The ledge made its way along the edge of the mesa towards a gigantic portcullis; beyond the gate was nothing but desert. If we kept on the ledge, we probably would make it to the gate unhindered. The problem, of course, was managing to open the portcullis without anybody noticing—how nobody would, none of us knew.

We were going along just fine for a while, when I suddenly heard a wobbly old scream from down below. I glanced down just in time to see somebody in a cloak being shoved around on the dirt by a trio of Gerudo guards. "You like that, old hag?" one of them snickered.

"Please stop," the old lady pleaded. "I'm only a defenseless old woman, I mean no harm, please leave me be!"

"Silence!" The Gerudo who spoke kicked her to the ground.

Sheik noticed my intent expression. "Link, we have to keep going," he murmured.

"I... Just wait, I have to help her," I whispered back.

"Hero of Time, your mind is wandering!" Impa hissed. "If you drop from the heavens, all the world will know your name! We must continue."

We kept inching across the ledge, but after a few seconds I stopped again. The lady was sobbing. "I... Impa, I have to save her!" I protested. "I can't just let her—"

"—and then what, Hero of Time? What will you do when they see you?"

"I'll... I'll..."

"Link, you can't," Sheik pleaded. "If you help her you'll give us all away! We're so close to the gate..."

"But I—"

"No buts!" Impa interrupted, her patience thinning. "We can't have you jeopardizing our mission!"

"I'm the Hero of Time!" I insisted. "Hero! It's my duty to save her, just like it is your duty to ensure Zelda is safe! Can't you understand?"

"Link, I order you to—"

But I didn't listen. It was my responsibility as a hero to save those who needed saving, and as the old lady cried again I knew what I had to do. Perhaps it was stupid of me. Against everybody's wishes, I broke from Impa and Sheik's grasps and jumped down from the ledge, straight onto the ray of a spotlight. A loud, blaring noise suddenly erupted from somewhere nearby, and the whole fortress came to life. I couldn't waste any time—if I was found and apprehended where I was, Impa and Sheik would be seen too. I bolted from where I landed and ran to the Gerudo and the old lady. She was bent over, sobbing on the ground, and the Gerudo had turned their attention onto me. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Navi whispered into my ear. I nodded. "Okay, then. Just remember, the Gerudo don't fight like people do in Hyrule. Be prepared for anything."

As I approached the group, the Gerudo closest to me pulled out a curved sword, which if memory served was called a scimitar. "You're pretty brave, for a man," the Gerudo growled, her voice as heavenly as the goddesses and as wicked as Majora at the same time. "I'll give you ten seconds to get out of here before I make you wish you were never born."

"Leave that woman alone," I ordered. "She's defenseless! You have no reason to torment her!"

"We Gerudo will do as we please, Eastern boy." Without another second, she suddenly pulled her arm back and hurled the scimitar towards me like an arrow.

"What the—?" I brought my sword up just in time to reflect the unexpected projectile, but it merely spun right back into her hand.

"Nice reflexes," she cooed. I could feel myself blushing, but I had no time for follies. I charged towards her, ready to stab her with my sword, but she jumped out of the way and seized another scimitar that was dug into the ground. I had never fought somebody with two swords before—this would be more difficult than I thought. "Leave him to me," the Gerudo ordered her companions. "Go see if there's any more of them." The other Gerudo nodded obediently and ran in the direction that I had come. In the back of my mind, I hoped Impa and Sheik would be okay.

The Gerudo I was fighting jumped towards me and did a somersault in the air, fanning out her arms in the end so as to slice me like an upside-down "V." I moved back just in time, though once again I was reminded that I had forgotten to get any sort of shield. My old one had been destroyed when I was fighting Lady Morpha. Many a time while I was in Kakariko, I wished I had gotten a new one. If she got too close, this Gerudo would spell my demise. There was no way I could get anywhere close to defeating her while she had that second sword.

I swung my sword at her again, but she blocked it with her two scimitars, using them like a shield. But I had tricks up my sleeve too. I jumped away from her and pulled out my longshot with my free hand. Skillfully handling it, I was able to hook it onto the hilt of one of her scimitars and pull it out of her grasp. It spiraled to the ground with a clank, taking her completely by surprise.

Taking advantage of her sudden surprise I made an attempt to charge with my sword, but she spun out of the way and nearly caught me with her sword again. I was ready this time, though—I grabbed her arm and twisted it, making her lose her balance and fall to the ground. I pulled her scimitar away from her and held it at your neck. "Go now," I ordered, "or I'll kill you."

She didn't know what to make of it, but when I backed away she scrambled to her feet and ran back to the fortress. There was an uproar from the Gerudo there, and they began swarming down towards me.

Suddenly, though, they all stopped. The whole world seemed to turn a dim white. Though I was capable of moving, the rest of the world stood completely still. "That was a good show, young swordsman," the old lady applauded. She too, it seemed, was capable of moving.

"What... What is happening?" I stuttered.

"I have merely halted the passage of time," she answered, rising from where she sat. The hood of her cloak fell down, and I saw a face so kind and sweet that it couldn't have been owned by a nicer person. She was old—that much I could discern—but she had only a few wrinkles and was otherwise youthful for her age. Her skin was the palest of white, and almost blended in with the realm around us. "It was easy," she beamed. "All you have to do is put a little 'oomph' into it. But they caught me off-guard, and I wasn't able to cast the spell. It's a bit of a long one."

I exhausted deeply. "I've never fought somebody with that much energy! Wow..."

The lady nodded. "The Gerudo take measures to ensure every guard can fight like a warrior. You had to deal with high standards! But you lived in the end. What did you say your name was?"

"Link."

"Link... Hm, I've never heard that name before... Oh, but you must excuse me. I'm wasting your time, rambling on my own like that! What were you doing by yourself in such a dangerous place like this?"

"The same can be asked to you, ma'am."

"Oh, why don't I answer first then?" She smiled so warmly that I could help but comply. "My name is Syrup—I'm a witch from Holodrum. I was taking a break from my job and decided to travel somewhere exotic, so I figured Arbiterus would be a lovely place to visit. Looks like I was wrong... They shot me out of the sky the moment they saw me, and I've been being tormented ever since!" She stretched her back, making a distinct popping sound. "But I'm alright now—thanks to you! Now it's your turn."

"I'm traveling with two others—we're trying to get into the Colossus, but we had to sneak the key to the desert out of the fortress. We were almost out, but I just had to rescue you. I'm a hero—it was my responsibility!"

"Though I thank you for your kindness, I'm afraid you won't be getting out of here. They know you've arrived, and you still have to move that giant gate! There's no way you'd survive."

I looked away. "...thanks for the support..."

"However, you're quite lucky! I can help you."

My eyes rushed back to her's. "You can!?"

Syrup nodded calmly. "I can cast a spell to make them forget all about you, and not see you as you leave. How does that sound?"

I nearly jumped for joy. "That would be excellent, Syrup! Could you please?"

"Sure thing. Just give me a moment..." She turned to face all the petrified Gerudo. "Farore knows what you don't know, and Nayru has your eyes. You cannot see these three foreigners, so keep on going with your lives!" There was a flash of light, and time resumed. The Gerudo stood where they were dumbfounded for a moment, then went back to their positions. "There," Syrup smiled wiping the dust off her hands. "You are free to go to the desert."

Impa and Sheik ran up behind me. "Link, what's going on?" Sheik demanded. "The Gerudo just forgot about us all of the sudden!"

"That would be the work of me," Syrup cackled. "A thank-you for the rescue. In case you didn't know, I'm Syrup the Witch!"

"You have our gratitude, Syrup," Impa bowed.

"I must ask, though... Do you have a map of the desert?" We shook our heads. "Goodness, you've all come so unprepared! Here..." Syrup reached into her cloak's pocket and dug out a folded piece of paper. "It is a map of the eastern part of the desert. I'm sure whatever you are looking for, you shall find it there."

Impa took the paper and unfolded it. "Ah, here's what we want!" she exclaimed joyfully. "The temple is less than a week away. Thank you again, Syrup."

"No problem," she replied. "Good-bye, and good luck!"

Leaving Syrup, we crossed the fortress courtyard to the giant portcullis, which stood out like a black grid against the rising sun behind it. Impa placed the key into a small lock, and the gate raised just enough for us to pass around to the other side. "The Haunted Wasteland now lies before us," Impa explained, eying two giant boars, their backs crowned by saddles, "we shall need mounts."

I nodded. "Makes sense, but is riding a pig any different than riding a horse? I'm still learning how to ride Epona..."

"It isn't too different," Navi answered. "I can help you, Link."

"Then it's settled! Thank you, Navi." My fairy made a little curtsey on my shoulder. I briskly approached the boar, which could have cared less whether I was a Gerudo or a Hylian, and swung myself onto its back. The saddle was comfortable, and I easily prepared myself under a minute. Impa and Sheik walked up to the boar behind mine.

"Ugh!" Sheik whined with disgust. "Do I really have to ride this...thing? This dirty, ugly thing?"

"Come on," I groaned. "It isn't going to bite!"

"No!" Sheik stamped his foot on the ground. "I'm not going to sit atop such a filthy animal!"

Impa sighed and got herself atop the boar. "You can sit behind me," she offered. "Now come on. It is either this 'filthy' creature or the deep, treacherous sands of the desert. We shall not be stopping for hours—are you sure you want to walk the entire way?"

Sheik grimaced at the thought. He made the snottiest, girliest face I had ever seen on a guy, but submitted and (albeit delicately) got herself onto the saddle behind Impa. "When this is all done, remind me to 'thank' you all for the heavenly ride," he growled.

"Lighten up," I suggested cheerfully as I told the boar to start moving. "We just had a huge stroke of luck—don't ruin the mood. Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can, because if this temple is like any of the others, things are going to get ugly the moment we arrive."

As we set out towards the rising sun, things seemed to be on our side for once. I had a good feeling about this temple—I didn't know what was waiting for us there, but somehow I felt that we could conquer anything Ganondorf threw at us. But for now, it was time to brave the Haunted Wasteland.

A Note from the Author: As you can see, I totally scrapped Ocarina of Time's plotline for the fortress. It was crummy and made no sense--if Link is Gerudo Enemy #1, they shouldn't just LET him into the desert for saving five prisoners. This part is short though, and I realize it--but the other Parts are going to be long, so I figured I'd give you all a break after the impeccably long end to Rising Puppetmaster.

Please review! I promise to reply to everything you have to say! Reviews are what fuel me on! Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the next chapter--things are going to get really good. I'm practically dying to post it even at this moment, but it isn't done yet...