The moon had already risen to its highest point in the sky when the two scarlet-haired women reached the steps leading up to Kakariko Village. This was perfectly alright with them; everyone would be asleep at this hour, making it very easy to break into the storehouses undetected. Besides, the swords at their hips could easily silence anyone unfortunate enough to chance upon them.
As silently as the stars above them, the two women dismounted their horses and tied them up in a small copse of trees near the foot of Zora's River, not far from the entrance to the village. Each of them then stared into their horse's eyes and drew their right palm across their lips as if to dry them. The horses immediately dropped their heads and stood as still as statues. The Gerudo were magnificent horse trainers; from a young age, all of their horses learned to recognize this motion as a signal to be absolutely still and silent until their masters returned.
With their horses well-hidden, the two Gerudo raced through the shadows into the small village called Kakariko. They disturbed hardly a blade of grass, so graceful and light was their tread. Their thin shoes, which curled slightly upward at the toe, were made of silk, with fine horse-leather soles. Everything about the footwear discouraged heavy steps and unnecessary noise.
"Now, Rhodora," Ziti whispered as they entered the village and ducked behind one of the old houses, "I will search the windmill and the guards' lookout tower. You break into that storehouse by the well and take as many valuables as you can carry. Understand?"
"Yes, Mother." Then, with a slight swish of the tall grass, both women had vanished into the shadows once again. Rhodora quickly snuck over to the village storehouse, checking each of the windows with a gentle tug. The third one came open with no resistance, and she climbed through it easily. "Fools," she thought gloatingly. "You make it too easy for me." Using her well-developed night vision, she easily found the burlap bags of sugar, flour, and salt the villagers had stored on the shelves, as well as boxes of dried fruits and vegetables that had been preserved for the coming winter.
"Perfect."
For a Gerudo, "valuables" did not refer to jewels, money, or clothing, as it might to a Hylian. For those of the scorching desert, where it was rare to see anything but the occasional flower growing, the most valuable things in the world were food and water. What good were dresses and jewels if no one had anything to eat? As such, the traditional dowry of a Gerudo bride-to-be was made up almost entirely of provisions stolen from Hylian villages.
In no time at all, Rhodora had taken enough food to completely fill the cloth sack she always kept folded inside her shirt. As soundlessly as she had entered, the young thief climbed back out of the small window and slid it shut behind her. Just as she was about to leave, however, the door to the storehouse slammed open and a man carrying a lantern dashed inside. Rhodora pressed herself flat against the ground, peering into the room through a small crack in the lowest part of the wall. Her heart hammered in her chest as she realized how close she had come to being caught.
"What in - Ingo!" shouted the first man to enter the storehouse. He was a bit shorter than average, with a thick black mustache and black hair tied back in a short ponytail. His voice was deep, and he had a strong drawl to his words that most Hylians did not have. "Ingo, get in here! Someone's been in the storehouse!" Rhodora could hear another man approaching, cursing angrily under his breath. This was not good. She hastily prepared to leave, accidentally dropping a small box of rice onto the ground as she stood. It broke loudly, hissing as grains of rice poured out onto the ground.
"What the -?!" the first man exclaimed, at the window faster than the young Gerudo had thought possible. For an instant, their eyes met, his widening ever so slightly as he gazed at the strange-looking girl with deep pink eyes. Then, before he could draw another breath, she had bolted away into the shadows and vanished.
"What is it, Talon?" asked the man called Ingo, who had not heard the sound of the box breaking.
"Nothing..." Talon answered distractedly, his eyes fixed on the broken box of rice on the ground just outside the window. He was still thinking about those strangely colored eyes. "I must be imagining things..."
Rhodora sprinted out of the village as fast as she could, her heart racing like a rabbit's as she leapt down the stairs and toward Zora's River. Her feet carried her almost soundlessly over the soft earth as she dashed toward the horses, her fear making the sack of food feel light as a feather in her arms. In a few moments she had reached Shajzrha. His head snapped up as he caught sight of her and readied himself to be mounted again. Rhodora suddenly screeched to a halt, however, as she noticed that Arakra was already alert and moving around. Their horses were trained not to move under any circumstances; someone must have seriously disturbed him if he was disobeying a command from his master.
Rhodora was about to disappear into the shadows again when the shape of a woman appeared from behind Arakra. The young Gerudo nearly jumped out of her skin before she realized it was only her mother. The older thief had evidently been waiting for her for quite some time.
"What's gotten into you, Rhodora?" Ziti whispered as Rhodora caught her breath. "You were running here like Din's Fire was burning at your heels."
"I ran into a bit of trouble, Mother, but I managed to evade them." Ziti's face paled.
"Are they pursuing you?"
"I don't think so," Rhodora said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.
"Still, I think we should leave as quickly as we can. Let's go." They both sprang onto their horses' backs and dug their heels in hard. The horses galloped off as quickly as they could, carrying the two Gerudo far away from Kakariko Village before any wary townspeople could think to come after them.
The moon began to sink lower and lower in the sky as the two women rode the long path back to Gerudo Valley. They remained silent for most of the way, sleeping in short intervals while they rode. There was no need for either of them to fear getting lost; Arakra was a seasoned thief's horse and knew the way back, and Shajzrha gladly followed his lead.
The duo finally reached their home within the fortress just as the sun was beginning to peek above the horizon. Exhausted, they dismounted their horses and gave them a quick rub-down before turning them out in the corral behind the fortress. Rhodora was about to retire to bed when her mother grabbed her shoulder to stop her. She quickly turned around to see Ziti grinning impishly for a reason she couldn't understand.
"Look, Rhodora," Ziti said excitedly. "Look what I've found for the wedding feast!" She reached into her bag of spoils and retrieved a large glass bottle with a long neck and a cork in the end. It was filled with some kind of red-black liquid that Rhodora was unfamiliar with.
"Mother, is that..."
"Yes! It's the wine from the storehouses in Kakariko!" Ziti's eyes shone with glee. "There are four more bottles in this bag. Wine, Rhodora! We haven't had any in the fortress since before you were born!"
Wine, or alcohol in general, was a precious commodity among the Gerudo. Since most of it ended up being delivered to the Hylian Castle and taverns in Castle Town, it was securely stored and extremely hard to come by. Rhodora smiled and hugged her mother tightly, indescribably grateful for all that the older thief was willing to risk for her daughter. It made her happy, but it also made her feel like a traitor for being less than happy with this loveless arranged marriage.
"I truly appreciate everything you've done for me. Now, if it's alright with you, I must get a bit of sleep so I am at my best for my meeting with Lady Kotake and Lady Koume."
"Of course. I'll wake you before their messenger arrives."
"Thank you, Mother. I will not disappoint you," Rhodora said, feeling the weight of her responsibility to their people sitting heavily on her shoulders.
"I know you won't, Dear," said Ziti, kissing her daughter's cheek. "I know you won't."