Part 1
A/N: My first Legend of Zelda fanfic. This should be interesting. I had this idea maybe a month back, but it wasn't very solid. Well, it still isn't, but at least I have an idea of where it's going. But, like always, I'm just going to pull random shit from my head and string it together. Why is it that whenever I do this, it always works? I must be a really good writer, or something.
The story here is a bit different than the events of the Zelda series. It's set 130-ish years from the events of OoT, and Windwaker, Phantom Hourglass, and TP never took place, and neither did the games before OoT. The last time Ganondorf or Link were seen in Hyrule was when the Triforce was split between the three. More will be explained in the story.
So, down to business, then.
Disclaimer: Blah blah, Zelda not mine, yada yada, original characters, so on, etc., I hate you, Eisner.
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"Nik'l! Get the hell up!" (Nik'l is pronounced Nick-el. Kinda like 'Nicole.')
With a muffle groan, a figure wrapped about with blankets rolled over, yelled out, and fell off the bed with a loud thump. Someone was knocking on the door, while Nik'l tried, vainly, to escape the blanket that seemed intent on trapping him/her.
"Nik'l! I won't tell you again, lazy child!" The voice was older, stern and crisp, and made the enshrouded figure flinch under the blankets.
"I'm trying, auntie! I'm stuck in my blankets! ...again." The muffled voice was female. After rolling around and struggling unsuccessfully to escape the blankets for another thirty seconds, she stopped moving with a sigh. "I'm stuck."
There was an exasperated sigh on the other side of the door. "Damn it, Nik'l. Hold on." The woman at the door gave a sharp whistle, and about a minute later, a Gerudo woman came through the window with a leap, and straightened up, holding a bladed spear in her hand.
"Nik'l, having a bit of trouble, I see?" This Gerudo, like all others, had dark skin, red hair, a prominent nose, and golden eyes. Most Gerudos kept their hair in large ponytails, but this one had a long mane of braids that were, again, braided around each other, forming three larger, thick braids. "Hold still!" The woman swept her weapon across the blankets, and the girl Nik'l gave a little roll and yelped as she flattened out to lay spread eagle, on her back, looking up.
"Thank you, Sooma." Nik'l was different from other Gerudo women, and not just in subtle ways. Where other Gerudos had the typical red hair and gold eyes, Nik'l's hair was a straw-blonde color, and her eyes were deepest ocean blue. Like all other Gerudos, she had a prominent nose, an athletic, slim figure, and was very beautiful. However, the two traits that most distinguished her from the others were the ones that made her the 'outcast'. Though she was surrounded by Gerudo sisters, she always felt alone.
Except for when Sooma came around. Sooma was only two years older than the fifteen-year-old-Nik'l. Sooma was her best friend, and sparring partner. On some level, Sooma was able to understand that Nik'l was different from other Gerudos. She was kinder where they were cold, and compassionate where they would leave a target dying in the sand. And she didn't even know why, it was just so.
The older girl helped Nik'l to her feet, and Nik'l crossed over to the door, unlocking it, and opening it to find her aunt standing there, her thick, muscular arms folded, and looking very cross. The three things that seperated her aunt Rada from the other women of the tribe, were her extremely muscular form, and that she was covered in scars where other Gerudo women were graceful enough to avoid most enemy attacks. Rada called this 'cowardice' instead of 'skill'. Rada was a brawler, a fucking TANK, and she was as fierce in day-to-day life as she was in battle.
"Nik'l!" The younger girl flinched; her aunt knew how to use her name like she was cracking a whip. "Asleep again?! How did I ever come to guard such a lazy child! And THIS filth!" Her aunt strode into the room, picking up books that were lying open. "The 'Legend of Link'? 'Gerudo Ganon: The Beast of the Desert'? 'The Master Sword against the Triforce of Power'? What nonsense! I thought I steered you away from these ridiculous myths!"
"That's my cue to leave," said Sooma, leaping out of the window.
"But auntie, they aren't myths!" protested Nik'l. "Old people alive today say they've seen the last reincarnation of Link! And every hundred years, a male is born to the Gerudo, and it's always Ganondorf! And why is it that every Princess of Hyrule is named Zelda, and always looks the same?"
"Bah!" Rada tossed the books out the window, into a waiting trash bin below. "Silly garbage and nonsense, all of it! Of course there are Links. People would certainly name their kids after the fabled hero, even if it's a lie, and did you forget about the 'Link Day Festival'? So maybe he did exist, ONCE, and so did Ganondorf. But Ganondorf shamed our tribe over three hundred years ago, and if he's born every onehundred years, then why has it been one hundred and THIRTY years and the Gerudo King is no longer back? Answer me that.
As for the Princess...well, I have my own theories, but they aren't for young ears to hear. Now, get dressed and get down to the court for your daily training. I won't put up with this for much longer, young lady! I expect you down there in no less then ten minutes, or YOU can expect to be cleaning the horse stables for a week!" Rada slammed the door, leaving Nik'l alone.
Fuming, the young girl dressed into the traditional Gerudo clothing, a red chest band and wide-legged pants, and pointy red shoes. She put her thigh-length blonde hair into two massive ponytails that fell on either side of her head, like pigtails, and grabbed the wide-bladed, desert scimitar she always used, leaving her room.
Eight minutes after her auntie left her alone, she appeared on the court, and found her partner to be Dallo, a purple clad woman who she heartily despised, and who despised her in turn. Dallo, because Nik'l was better than her in just about EVERYTHING, and Nik'l because Dallo was a rotten, bratty teenager. Rada, the supervisor for the day, signaled the start of the excersise.
At once, Dallo's bladed spear came in with a horizontal slash, which Nik'l halted before it could cut into her ribs, pushed it off to the side, and flicked her wrist, bringing her scimitar in at Dallo's stomach with a jab. Dallo jumped back, and aimed a vertical cut at Nik'l, who sidestepped the attack, and lightly stepped forward with another jab, slicing a shallow cut into the right side of Dallo's waist. The Gerudo girl stepped back again, glaring at Nik'l.
Pressing the attack, Nik'l aimed a diagonal slash from Dallo's left shoulder to right side again, but this proved to be a bad move, as Dallo blocked the attack with the shaft of her spear. While the shafts were covered in a layer of wood, the insides were metal. Nik'l's sword was stuck in the spear, and Dallo kicked her in the stomach, and then struck her in the jaw with the butt of her spear, sending her on her back.
Dallo leapt into the air, coming down with her blade aimed for Nik'l's chest. The blonde Gerudo rolled back, pushing off with her free hand and landing crouched on her feet. Placing her open hand palm down, and her sword hand's knuckles on the ground, he pushed off and swung her body to trip the other girl, who had landed and was coming forward.
It worked! Dallo lost balance and came down, hard, on her ass, letting go of her weapon. Nik'l leaned forward, her sword at Dallo's throat, assuming that the fight was now over. But Dallo grabbed her sword hand with both of her own, placing a foot on her stomach, and rolled over, extending her leg and throwing Nik'l to the side, directly in the path of two other battling Gerudo while Dallo recovered her weapon.
Getting to her feet, Nik'l had to dodge several attacks not meant for her, while apologizing several times to the swearing combatants. With a set of three back-handflips, she turned to face Dallo, who was coming at her in a charge. Nik'l slapped the oncoming blade with her sword, and stepped on it when it touched the ground, grabbing hold of the shaft of Dallo's spear. With incredible strength, she pulled the weapon up, Dallo still holding on - and yelling - until the spear stuck straight up, and Dallo let go, flying about five feet before landing very hard on the desert floor, bouncing her head, and moaning in pain.
Nik'l swung the spear, and then spun it a few times, tossing it up, and catching it easily, sending it into another spin until it came to rest, tucked her her left arm, with her scimitar resting on her right shoulder. "I win."
Her reward was the rest of the day off from training, so she went to the horse stables, and got her favorite horse, a black mare she named after the Gerudo witch, Twinrova. Grabbing a bow and quiver of arrows, she got up on the horse, and steered it gently out of the stables. Then, with a kick to the mare's thighs, the horse neighed and took off, heading for the target area. Nik'l readied her bow and first arrow, and let it fly when she was close enough, sending arrow after arrow streaking off for the targets.
Again and again, they hit the bulls-eye on each target, without fail. As she got to the last target, she sent three arrows into the bulls-eye, blasting through te already-weakened center and right through it, along with something else. Something red and blue, that glittered in the sun. 'Shiny!'
Nik'l pulled Twinrova to a stop, and dismounted from the horse, running over to the object. It looked like a red heart, the kind you'd see on drawings, surrounded by a larger heart made of glass. Reaching out, she touched te object, only to have it disappear. And suddenly, she felt healthier, stronger. She wasn't sure what just happened, but knew it had to be good. She turned back to Twinrova, and arched a brow in curiousity. She could swear the horse was staring at her, with the exact same look...
A few hours later, the sky was dark, and the Gerudo women were all relaxing. Some did this by wrestling, some did this by drinking, and others played games with each other. This ranged from cards, to a dangerous game involving unprotected hands, table tops, and sharp knives. Nik'l, however, was lying on her bed, with a dark form appeared on her windowsill.
"Hey Sooma."
"Hey Nik'l. Heard the news?"
"Hmm?" Nik'l sat up as Sooma entered the room. "What news?"
"War." This got the blonde girl's attention. "Rumors of strange creatures appearing in the land, terrorizing the Hylians. Dark things, strange occurences, and a black-haired man in dark armor. They call him the King of Evil. Apparently, he wields a massive, black sword, and wicked, evil magic."
Nik'l's eyes were wide. "Really?"
"Yeah." Sooma nodded; she looked scared. "They're calling him...they call him Ganondorf of the Black Forest."
Nik'ls heart skipped a beat. "G-Ganondorf?"
"That's right. Not the Gerudo King, or the King of the Desert. The King of Evil from the Black Forest, that's what they call him. There's more. The Black Forest they talk of, it's the Korok Forest. He's poluted it with evil."
Nik'l let out a small gasp, but then her brain began to think. "Wait...how do you know of this?"
"Travelers, in the desert. Two Goron, merchants, it looked like. They were discussing it, and I kind of...spied, a little. But that isn't important. Do you think that it's for real? Could it really be the Gerudo King?"
Nik'l shook her head. "I...don't know. I really don't. This is incredible...and horrible. If it really in Ganondorf...do you think he'll come HERE?" She looked terrified at the idea. "I don't imagine he's happy with us, exactly. I mean, if the legends are true, then he'll be pissed at us..."
Sooma shrugged. "I don't know. I have to go though, my mother wants me back. I just thought you would be interested to know." Sooma turned, and leapt from the window.'
Nik'l lay back on her bed, and sighed, putting her hands under her eyes. The day had started out so normally. She sighed, rolling over, and fell asleep, dreaming that night of fire, of monsters, of a silver sword with a blue hilt, and a light-skinned, dark-haired man in black armor riding a great, big horse, with a black sword in his right hand, laughing evilly...
When she awoke the next day, it was to screams. Screams of terror, screams of fright, and screams of battle. Nik'l threw her blankets off, grateful they hadn't wrapped around her yet again, and quickly threw her clothes on, grabbing her sword, bow, and quiver, and leaping from her window into the bright, morning air. She landed on a rough awning, sliding down until she reached the end, jumping off to land on the first enemy, driving her blade into it's chest.
It coughed as red blood gushed up from the wound, looking at her with hateful, yellow eyes. The creature, as were all others around, was wrapped in bandages and desert clothing, shrouding all but those glowing eyes. They had spindly arms and legs, carried swords like the one she had, and fought with a strange, bouncing, spinning style.
Nik'l jerked her sword to the side, killing the Garo, and rose to face a horrible sight; the Gerudo were losing. Badly. More women lay dying that Garo, and those still fighting were slowly losing their advantages. Putting her sword away, Nik'l drew her bow, and sent two arrows into the hearts of two Garo, killing them instantly, notching another as the bodies toppled to the ground. But she screamed in pain as a blade trailed a slash, diagonally down her back, and then headbutted her forward into the foot of another Garo.
"NO!"
Sooma came from nowhere, and spun her spear viciously, slashing both Garo several times before they knew what hit them. The two bleeding Garo toppled, spilling their steaming innards on te ground, and Nik'l was grabbed by her hair, gasping, and hauled to her feet.
"Fight, damn it! Ignore the pain, or they'll cut you down!" With a fierce battlecry, Sooma leapt into the fray, her bladed spear throwing blood into the air as she hacked into the midst of ten Garo.
Another Garo rushed at Nik'l, scimitars wailing away, and the girl tried desperately to stop its attacks, but she only had one sword to the Garo's two, and it wasn't fucking fair, damn it, and she stomped the sand...
And a domed, old bronze shield came up, whacking the Garo in the face and dropping to the ground. Nik'l stared at it for a split second, and then dove, recovering the shield and sliding her left arm through the straps, facing the Garo. Now things were a bit more even. The Garo came in, blades wailing away. Nik'l threw her shield out, pushing the first one away. She struck with her sword, knocking the other sword downward. She stepped forward, shield-rushing the Garo, which stumbled back in pain. And she thrust her sword forward, biting into the Garo's heart as it's blood covered her sword, gurgling a deaththroe. Pulling her sword back, she looked for another opponent.
Two Garo came in at once, but Nik'l jumped back, landing on a crate. Then she jumped up, set her shield underneath her body, and landed on one Garo, knocking him loopy. The other came down with both swords in a vertical attack, but Nik'l put her sword horizontally and blocked both swords, pushing off from her shield to double-kick the Garo in the stomach, pushing it back. Standing, she cut a reverse swipe, slashing the downed Garo's head off behind her. Then she rushed the Garo still reeling from her kick, and drove her blade into it's chest, and pushed her sword down through it's stomach and ground, damn near cutting the thing in half, and watching intestines, organs, and slimy black guts fall to the ground in a bloody pile, as the creature hissed it's last breath and fell lamely to the ground.
She was beginning to have fun, now. She faced another Garo, who came in with a feint that she easily saw through. It tried to cut a reverse swipe on her, which she blocked with her sword, came forward, grabbed the Garo's arm with her own, and slammed her shield into its elbow, breaking it. The creature thrashed in pain and struck wildly with it's other sword, which she ducked, and threw the Garo back. Then he shield-smashed it's face, watched as it spit up blood, and then cut its head off with a horizontal swipe, watching it fall to the ground with a meaty 'thump'.
Nik'l turned at a sudden scream of pain, and saw Sooma fall from a series of blows by six gleaming scimitars. The girl turned her head, a horrible, pained look on her face as her eyes sought cast about wildly, caught Nik'ls, held that gaze for less than a second...and dimmed.
Tears streaming down her face, Nik'l screamed her pain and ran at the group of Garo Master's, larger and stronger than the other Garo, who turned red eyes on her eagerly. But as she neared, a group of four Gerudo appeared in front of her, Rada among them, and slammed the butts of their weapons into her stomach, driving the air from her lungs. Then another Gerudo grabbed her, pulling her, struggling and screaming, away, and finally put a choke hold on her, sending her into a black nothingness...
When she awoke, it was afternoon, but the sun was still out. She felt burning pains over her body, and vaguely wondered how she could feel when she seemed so dead. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she remembered the sight of Sooma, cut down by the Garo Masters. He felt something cold spread over places of her body, and then a sharp stinging that brought a short gasp.
"It's a healing ointment, it will help with these wounds."
'Wounds?' She glanced down at her body. She was covered in a lot of little cuts, but her shield-arm, stomach, and back were stitched-up from serious slashes. The only wound she remembered sustaining, though, was the cut to her back. She must have been too enraged to notice afterwards. "Wh-where's Sooma? And my a-auntie?"
The Gerudo medic frowned, her eyes sad. "Sooma is in one of the chambers, awaiting a burial, and...I'm so sorry, Nik'l. Rada is, too." The girl shut her eyes tightly, sobbing quietly. Her aunt may have been a true bitch at times, but she had raised her when nobody else would, after her mother had died. "One of the Gerudo Masters got to her."
The medic left, leaving Nik'l alone, weeping silently. Her aunt and her best friend...the two people in her life who had been like a parent and a sister, were gone now. She was truly alone. And very, very scared.
She remembered when Sooma had first come into her life...
She had been seven, playing by herself, as the other Gerudo children didn't want to be near her, except one, a mean girl named Dallo, who kept pulling her hair. They said she was a freak because her hair and eyes were different then theirs. They said she wasn't a real Gerudo, and should be left in the desert, for the Garo and sandworms (a myth).
Nik'l was bouncing a ball against a wall and then catching it, and didn't notice when another Gerudo girl, her shoulder-length hair in dozens of thin braids, walked over to her.
"Hi there!"
Nik'l turned, her eyes glaring warily at the girl. "What do you want? Are you here to pull my hair, or push me, or, or...take my ball?!" Nik'l held her ball behind her back, keeping her distance from the other girl.
The girl shook her head. "No. My name is Sooma. You're Nik'l, right?" She smiled when the girl nodded. "Can I play too?"
Nik'l kept glaring. "Is this a trick? Because I won't fall for it!"
Sooma shook her head again. "It's not a trick, I promise. Friends?" She held a hand out to Nik'l who hesitated, but then took her hand.
"Friends," she said with a smile, and tossed the ball to Sooma, as they began to play...
When Nik'l was twelve, she'd first come into contact with a certain set of books in the library. Books about the Hero of Time, and the Gerudo King. But when she brought them home, her aunt saw them and forbid her to have them in the house.
"Take them back" she had said, "Or so help me, you'll be put in the dungeons for three days!"
Tearfully, Nik'l had taken them back to the library. They were her favorite books, but her aunt said she couldn't have them.
And later that night, Sooma had appeared at her window, carrying a set of books. They were the ones her aunt had forbidden her to have, the original covers hidden with new covers, disguising them as combat books...
Earlier in the year, Twinrova had given birth to a gray foal. As Twinrova was Nik'l's horse, it was up to her to help with the birthing. But there had been a complication. The foal was being born backwards, and would die if not taken out of the mother soon.
And Ni'k wasn't strong enough. Just as she was on the verge of panic, Sooma had appeared, and ordered her to get ready. Sooma was always there to help. Sooma always had her wits about her in a pinch. Sooma had been like a sister to her.
A sister who had not only helped her pull the foal out, but gave it mouth-to-nose (yes, it IS disgusting) when the baby wasn't breathing. She helped it back to life, and that gray baby horse, a male, was now with it's mother, and given the name Soom.
As Nik'l came out of her memories, the only torch lighting the room guttered out suddenly, leaving her in the darkness. The darkness that held a pair of cunning, brilliant red eyes. Eyes that blinked, and came closer.
"Nik'l?" asked the voice softly.
The girl jumped, looking around, and gave a small squeak of fear when she saw the eyes. "Wh-who are you?! Stay back...I'm armed!"
The owner of the eyes chuckled, sounding feminine. "No, you aren't. I'm here to talk to you." Her voice was calm, strong and confident. "My name is Impaz of the Sheikah."
"Impaz? You...you're a Sheikah?! So, what do you want?" Nik'l tried to sit up, but a hand restrained her.
"Stay still, your injuries are great. As I say, my name is Impaz. I am the last living descendant of the Sheikah, and as such, am bound to serve the Royal Family of Hyrule. And so I carry a message from two people, very important people with very important messages. The first is from the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda. She wishes to speak with you immediately."
Nik'ls eyes widened. If this woman really was a Sheikah, then she'd be telling the truth. But what if she was lying? Nik'l didn't seem to register the fact that only a Sheikah, with their ninja-like stealth, could enter the Gerudo Fortress undetected. "And the second message?" she asked warily.
Impaz grinned. "Is from the Golden Goddess of Fire, Din. She says, 'It's time to wake up, Link.'" Every torch in the room lit up, revealing a figure in a black bodysuit, her head wrapped about so that only a pair of red eyes could be seen. She wore white bandages on her forearms, hands, lowerlegs and feet, and on her chest were two symbols: A crying eye placed in front of three golden triangles that formed a larger triangle. The Triforce. She really was a Sheikah.
Nik'l gasped, and suddenly curled into the fetal position, as a sandstorm of memories began to invade her head. Memories of struggles, friends made, battles won, and a great fight against a man of immense evil. And the darkness was suddenly parted with a bright, golden glow.
A glow of three triangles, set together to form a large triangle, on the back of her left hand...
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A/N: I'm pretty sure everyone saw that coming, right? I mean, I think it was kinda obvious from the beginning.
Sorry this was so short, but for the beginning chapter, I really didn't have many ideas.
Next chapter coming...whenever.