As the World Falls Down

by: Starlight Sonata

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,"

- Confucius

The Sheikah and the Gerudo were friends. Okay, maybe not friends, but affable rivals in the very least. They were two sides of one coin with the female dominated Gerudo on one side and the male dominated Sheikah on the other. They'd banter and brawl nearly every night, but blows eventually turned to handshakes and hugs followed by drinking. If there were any two peoples in Hyrule who knew how to drink, it was the Gerudo and the Sheikah.

The two tribes were labeled as brother and sister by the rest of Hyrule, for that was how they acted. Though, she always thought they were more like an old married couple, always arguing but loving each other all the same.

She being Impa, daughter of Akhil, who was leader of the Sheikah. Despite the population being dominated by males, the Sheikah were unlike the Gerudo in the respect that females were born more frequently than every hundred years. Maybe, every twenty or so, a lucky Sheikah family would be blessed with a bouncing baby girl. So it happened that Akhil and Malika were blessed with such a thing, and they named that thing Impa. In the ancient language her name meant wise or cunning, as imps were referred to as one of the wisest of the goddesses creatures. Though as she aged, her more dominant traits reflected the less attractive traits of the imps. She was a royal terror, clumsy and ungainly, as well as a lover of tricks and pranks.

Yes, Impa was a walking tornado, but she was loved by her people all the same. She still possessed that wisdom and there was a subtle strength that rested deep within her. She would, hopefully, grow to be a proud Sheikah woman and honor them all.

However, as it was the present, Impa had very different thoughts on her mind.

Even though she was seen as a child to the Sheikah, she wasn't exactly one. In all actuality she was a teenager, but her people didn't quite know what to call the awkward and moody youth, so they just labeled them as children. This, of course, only served to frustrate them more and push them to do ridiculously foolish things, which would trigger the elders to, again, label them as children. So, the cycle continued and has since the beginning of time; the struggle between youth and elder.

Impa was the age of seventeen, that median age between full-fledged child and adult. Seventeen was probably the most awkward age of all, since so many urges were pulling at the teenager from so many sides. The desire to grow up, the desire to stay young. The urge to stem responsibility, and then the urge to shirk them to run and play with their friends. It was the age that began to shape their adult being, but didn't define it.

Seventeen was also the age of the Trial.

The trial was nothing official, quite the opposite actually. It was about as unofficial as unofficial could be. It was the teenage tradition of rebelling against the elders one final time. It was looked down upon by the adults, so obviously the teenagers grew more and more eager as the time for the Trial came about.

The Trial, of course, was not to be confused with the Ordeal. The Ordeal was the bridge between childhood and adulthood, completely official. It revolved around entering the Sacred Temple of Shadow and completing it. An easy enough task in explanation, but it was foolish to think so.

The Shadow Temple was perhaps the creepiest place on the entire face of the Earth. It manifested one's fears and weaknesses and threw them right back in the person's face. It was based on deception and horror, two things frightful enough on their own, but absolutely terrifying when placed together. The Ordeal was no laughing matter. It was quite possible to never come out of the Shadow Temple. Not every Sheikah who entered, returned. There were no guarantees in this trial, only uncertainties.

But, the Ordeal wasn't for quite some time, well, several months in reality, but that was forever to a headstrong teenager. Now, it was time for the Trial, basically the teenage parody of the Ordeal. Really, it was just a way for the teenagers to shake off their dread of the Ordeal. An inane test that had no tangible weight at all.

Though, in truth, there was some insubstantial weight. Those who passed the Trial gained respect from their peers. How one did it and how well one did it also mattered. It was a way of defining rank amongst the teenagers, a pecking order of sorts. So, taking that into account, there was some weight to the test after all. There was no life or death risk, and people who failed weren't turned into outcasts; but, it would still suck to be at the bottom of the food chain.

So, therefore, Impa had steeled herself to pass whatever test was thrown her way. She was the daughter of Akhil, being at the bottom of the pecking order would be a disgrace to her. She was either at the top or she was nowhere at all. If Impa was nothing else, she was determined...no, she was more stubborn as all hell. Once she had her head set to doing something, there was no changing her mind. She'd either do or die.

Which brings us to the matter at hand.

Impa was seated Indian style before a line of three boys. They were the eldest of all the children, practically eighteen and set to take their Ordeal's within a month's time. It was always the oldest who chose the trial, that's just the way it had always been.

They were in some dark, stinky cavern beneath Kakariko Cemetery. The rest of the children sat behind her a ways, all between the ages of ten and seventeen. It was a shame that they couldn't allow all the kids to come to the choosing of the Trial, but it wasn't certain that a child below the age of ten could keep a secret. The Cavern of Trials was protected by the silence of the children. Of course, this seemed to be a silly way of doing things as all children grow up eventually and become adults.

That was always odd, however, as once one reached the age of adult, they could never manage to remember where the meeting place was. Everyone said that the cavern was magical and once one reached a certain age its magic had no effect on them at all. Or maybe they just kept on with their silence. Maybe, they didn't approve but they knew it was an important part of growing up as Sheikah. But, that didn't make the kids any less wary. If they were ratted out then the adults would have a reason to stop them. They didn't want to give them that reason.

The cavern was relatively quiet, save for a few hushed whispers. Impa sat, amazingly quiet for once, waiting for her Trial. She was ready for anything they threw at her. A lot of the tests consisted of traveling somewhere and retrieving some proof of something and returning it to the test givers. Children had scaled Death Mountain, bringing back a spike of Darunia the Big Brother of the Gorons; or they had traveled to the Lost Woods to bring back a leaf from the Forest Temple. It was impossible to guess what the eldest would think up.

Therefore, she sat there, picking at the dirt that had somehow crept beneath her fingernails and waited. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait much longer, for before long one of the eldest cleared their throat. All noise ceased and all eyes focused on the apex of the room.

The middle one of the three stood, a boy named Barik, his hair dark and his eyes the customary crimson. He clapped his hands together three times, and on cue, the other two boys stood, Vance and Foran, twins with platinum blonde hair.

"Impa, daughter of Akhil, daughter of Malika, you have reached the age of seventeen years and the time has come for you to complete your Trial. Do you accept whatever fate has been given to you?"

Impa tried not to snort at their mock serious tones. She nodded her head in agreement, not able to stop a smile from curving her lips. This was what she had been anticipating for years now. A chance to prove herself, and a chance to get out of this damned village.

"Let it be known that Impa, daughter of Akhil, daughter of Malika, has accepted her challenge and all hardships that go with it," The room mouthed it agreement with a grunts of understanding. It was their way of safeguarding themselves if anything happened. Impa had accepted the challenge and if she, by some trick of fate, was injured she couldn't rat it out on the eldest. She'd have to make up her own story.

"Your trial, Impa, is to journey to the Valley of the Gerudo. You must sneak into the Fortress of Theives and bring back one of the King's jewels,"

Impa's trial elicited a few gasps from the group of children behind her, even Impa seemed to be shocked, as her eyes were wide and her mouth wide open. Were they absolutely insane? This was the craziest trial she had ever hear of, well, almost. She had heard about one trial where a Sheikah boy had to travel into the Fire Temple and bring back evidence of the demon dragon Volvagia. Needless to say, the boy returned far crispier than previous, but with no evidence in tow. Volvagia was just a legend, anyhow. The eldest had probably just not liked the boy. But, in her case...

It wasn't that she feared that harm would come to her, but...well, people didn't screw around with the King of the Gerudo. He was like their god; there was no way in hell she was going to be able to get near him, let alone take one of his jewels. He was guarded like a sacred treasure.

"You wish to forfeit, your trial?" Barik inquired, his blood red eyes gazing at her incredulously. She grumbled at his question, damn those boys, they did it on purpose. She was the daughter of the leader of the Sheikah, of course they would burden her with an outrageously difficult trial. It wasn't just that feeling of jealously she knew some of them possessed, it was mildly warranted. She couldn't be given some silly trial to Lon Lon Ranch to bring back some cow milk. She needed to prove herself.

"No, I accepted it, I will never forfeit," She said, steeling herself against the great challenge. She could do this. The Gerudo wouldn't kill her if they caught her. They might rough her up a bit, joke about how she was a clumsy Sheikah and send her packing on her way. There was no danger unless they thought she was a threat to their king. She'd just have to be careful about that.

She stood from her seat on the floor, chin up and eyes set in stone. The three before her nodded, motioning for her to make for the door. The crowd of children parted before her, and she walked, assuredly for once, through.

She paused in the entrance, the stars sparkling like diamonds in the night sky. Her eyes scanned them warily, asking them to give her strength.

Sucking in a deep breath and exhaling it the same, she stepped through the opening and into the Graveyard. She was expected to leave on the morrow, and she would do just that.

------------

One would think it'd be easy to find a desert. Its big, it's full of sand. How many places can something like that hide? However, it seemed that the Gerudo had found the perfect place to conceal themselves, as there was no trace of sand anywhere. Not a damn grain.

It had taken her nearly all day to find the road to the Valley of the Gerudo. All freaking day. She rode around blindly on her dappled mare, cursing herself for not bringing a map. After about the third circle around Lon Lon Ranch, she had finally spotted a dusty road near the castle.

It took her another twenty minutes, as she attempted to convince her mare to travel the orangey road. The obstinate creature refused, however, and left Impa to travel the path, as it quickly became darker and darker.. It was probably for the best, the horse would only attract more attention. But, now she was getting all dusty...

On the horizon the sun was practically set, something that Impa hadn't really wanted to happen. She had wanted to slip in unnoticed. The Gerudo were thieves, therefore she assumed they probably rested during the day and operated solely at night. So day time was her best shot. At least then some of the fortress would be sleeping, she could just steal the jewel, and then hightail it out of there. Well, looking on the bright side, at least now she'd have the cover of the shadows.

She swallowed hard, and quickened her pace. Get in, get the jewel, get out...get in, get the jewel, get out. That had become her mantra of the night, the one thing that kept her walking forward and not sprinting backward.

In next to no time, the fortress came into sight. It towered above her, a stone monolith, imposing and glorious in the orangey rays of the setting sun. Looking around, she spotted a ledge and quickly raised herself up on to it. From there she could see almost everything perfectly, there was even a handy boulder that she could hide behind.

A wide smile grew across her face, and she chuckled with delight. This wasn't going to be too hard after all. She had nothing to be worried about. The Sheikah were naturals at sneaking; she'd have no trouble slipping in unseen.

Blood red eyes surveyed the courtyard of the fortress where about ten Gerudo sentries patrolled. There were a few strolling about on the rooftops, as well, and probably countless more within its depths. Also, somewhere in there, was the King. Luckily for her, the only male Gerudo. He'd stick out like a sore thumb, she'd have no trouble finding him. The only hard part factored in when she'd have to actually get near him unnoticed.

A loud noise from the courtyard below pulled her from her thoughts. A couple of Gerudo women and some men, Hylian by their clothing, were laughing raucously as they walked through the courtyard. A few of them were stumbling about, as if drunk, and more were coming out behind them. Apparently, it was looking like there was some type of festivity going on inside the fortress. Perfect! Absolutely perfect! Now, everyone would be distracted. Things were just getting better and better.

That was until the boulder she had been leaning on, far too heavily, began to move. She didn't notice it at first, as it slowly began to inch forward. Being Impa and completely unmindful, she only leaned against it further more, attempting to get a better view of the courtyard. It was then the boulder decided it would be a good time to roll away. It rolled right out from under her, falling, extremely loudly on the ground beneath and rolling straight into the courtyard in front of her.

She gasped and dropped to the ground. The yelling from the courtyard stopped as everyone stared at the boulder. All of the guards on patrol turned toward the courtyard. Impa, peeking up, noticed that the way was actually clear. In a clumsy effort, she pulled herself from the ground and ran, like a bat out of hell, to the closest entrance.

She barreled through the door, not thinking that maybe there might be guards standing in the doorway. Luckily for the foolish Sheikah, the hallway that she happened to run into way devoid of any sign of life.

Impa stopped, her chest heaving with each gasp of air she took. She had never run that fast in her life; she'd also never been that nervous before either. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why didn't she notice that she was pushing the boulder over the side? Sure, it turned out to help her, but she could have been caught. What then? No way was she returning to Kakariko in shame. She'd either bring back that damn jewel or not go back at all.

She plopped down behind a bunch of crates, sure that the surprise from the amazing rolling boulder would end soon, and the guards would be back on patrol. They'd probably be extra cautious, too.

Oh well, its not like she could spend her time worrying about it. She was in the fortress, which had been one of her goals. So far, not too shabby.

She stood up and dusted the orangey dirt from her pants. Good thing, she'd opted for darker colors. With a combination of a tight black body suit with black boots and a over that tunic, in dark blue, she would be ready for anything.

Slowly she tiptoed down the hallway. Sounds of partying echoed throughout the halls, drowning out any sound she may have been making. It sure sounded like they were having one hell of a hoopla. She absently wondered what exactly they were celebrating.

It could have been one of their infamous mugging parties, where they ran around like wild animals, stealing from whatever poor soul came across their paths. But, from the presence of the Hylian men, she figured it was just some normal Gerudo bash. The ones where they lure unsuspecting men into their hideout, get them drunk, and then have a bit of fun with them. The Poor Gerudo, it was probably a rare day when they interacted with men...well, aside from the King, of course.

In the midst of her absent wondering she failed to noticed the footsteps that seemed to copy her own or the large shape that shadowed her footsteps. Well, its not that she failed to notice, for after a time, she did realize that her own footsteps didn't make a sound like that. They made a sound like only one pair of feet, not two.

Whirling around, she gazed down the hall behind. There was the flash of something black disappearing up the stairwell, but other than that there was nothing, nada. Not quite convinced, she pressed herself against the wall and shuffled closer to the stairwell. When she was close enough, she peeked around the corner, only to find nothingness staring back at her.

Maybe, she had just been imagining things. That boulder incident had managed to spook her quite a bit. But, to be on the safe side, she decided to be extra careful and stick to the shadows. Now, definitely wasn't the time to screw up.

Instead of continuing down the hallway, she opted to go up the stairs. She figured she'd have to search the place anyway, might as well start on a higher level and work her way down. The main level seemed to only consist of shrieking Gerudo women and hiccupping Hylian men, anyway.

She was nearly silent as she crept up the stairs, hugging the wall as she did so. The stairs were bare, so she'd be in a sticky situation if someone decided to come down them. Again, it seemed that luck was on her side as no one came down the stairs.

The second floor was a lot quieter than the last. The halls were dark, compromised of shadows and closed doorways. There was a faint light coming from down one of the hallways, but aside from that there was none.

She snuck into the hallway, still on her tiptoes. Looking both ways and determining that she was alone, Impa let her guard down. It seemed she was alone. Now was the time to do some exploring. Before her was a set of grand doors, which she figured lead to the throne room.

Walking forward, she gripped the handle and opened the door a crack. She peered around the corner, but was only met with darkness.

She sighed, no go in the throne room. She closed the door and turned back around. This wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. The man she assumed would stick out like a weed in a rose garden, wasn't sticking out at all. Now, she'd have to go around opening doors and praying to Din that no one caught her.

Turning right, she began down the passage. Every now and then she'd come to a door, which she would then open and peek into. Every time she was met with the same undesirable darkness. The further and further she got down the hallway, the more and more discouraged she got. Why would the King be upstairs by himself? He was probably downstairs, in the midst of the celebration, surrounded by a hundred Gerudo women. Man, she felt like an idiot.

She grumbled audibly, what she had thought was a blessing turned out to be a curse. There was no way she could get near him if he was surrounded on all sides. Maybe, she should give up and come back tomorrow.

Looking around she noticed she was at the end of the hallway. Before her were the two torches that she had noticed when she came up the stairs. Between the torches was a door, gilded with gold, not unlike the grand doors to the throne room. It was, also, the only place she hadn't checked yet.

She stepped forward and rested her hand on the knob. Testing it, she was delighted to find it was unlocked. With a deep breath she opened the door and peered inside.

In the corner of her sight was a candle, flickering weakly, placed on some bedside table. She could only make out the edge of ebon blanketing. The rest of the room was pretty empty. There was a wood desk in the corner, along with a large wood dresser. A burgundy carpet sat in the center of the room, with a black crescent moon and star inscribed upon it. The sign of the Gerudo. Whosever room this was, they were important.

Silently, she snuck into the room, leaving the door ajar if she needed to make a quick escape. As she stepped into the actual room, her breath caught in her throat. On the bed, sleeping like a baby, was a man...and he was green. Not like green as in sick, but green as in his skin was deep shade of olive green.

She cocked her head to the side, mystified at the sight of the lone male Gerudo. Almost clashing with his deep skin, a bright mane of flaming red hair rested atop his head. His face was strong, with a set jaw and a prominent nose. He wore a simple black (sleeveless, of course, he did live in the middle of the desert) tunic with a pair of loose black pants. Brown boots sat at the foot of the bed, along with a mass of black, brown, gray, and white clothing. It seemed he had hauled it all off in a hurry, or like most boys, didn't really care about the condition of his garments.

But, the thing that most caught her eye was the pile of jewels on the table, ranging from shape and size, from earrings to rings to bangles. Everything she needed and more, all she needed to do was grab one and make a run for it. She would have completed her task and respect would be hers.

Of course, Impa did nothing of the sort. Another jewel had caught her attention, it was a simple thing, a thin gold chain with a brilliant emerald pendant on the end. It was beautiful in its plainness and Impa knew that she had to have it. The only problem was that it was around the King's neck.

No one in their right mind would go for that jewel when there were so many others, completely accessible, on the table. But, Impa never claimed to be in her right mind. Not even once.

She slinked forward, quieter than a mouse. Her breath caught in her chest as she hovered above him, causing her to pause for a moment. Now that she could see him up close, it was odd, but there was some sort of exotic beauty to his seemingly harsh features. She wondered what color his eyes were.

Oh, they were orange, strange she always thought they'd be yellow...

Oh, shit...

Her eyes widened as the met his now wide open ones. They indeed were a shade of orange, like burning embers or the setting sun, and right now, they were staring at her with a strange look of glee.

In a moment of desperation and complete and utter stupidity, Impa gripped the chain and tore it from his neck. Thankfully, she then had enough common sense to start running like all hell. If she had maybe been smart and left the chain well enough alone she probably could have gotten away, but no, she had decided to walk on the wild side. Therefore, instead of getting closer to the doorway, she stopped short, her arm gripped by a very strong, very green hand.

"Gotcha!" He shouted with delight. His voice was deep, like the rolling of thunder or the growling of a predator. It made her stop in her tracks, her heart beating like a bird in a cage.

She was going to die, she had stolen from the King of Theives, and now she was going to die. Stupid, stupid, stupid!!

"Let go of me, you...you, big meanie!" She yelled, sounding more like a child having a temper tantrum than a girl demanding her freedom. An amused grin crossed his face, as he looked at her curiously.

"Big meanie?"

"You're hurting me!" She cried, trying to wrench herself free. In flurry of motion she flew backwards, her butt stinging like something nasty as it came in contact with the floor. In an instant she was scrambling towards the door, and in an instant the door slammed before her eyes. Oh, damnit...

"Please stay awhile. You tried so hard to get here, I wouldn't want all of your efforts to be in vain," He said with a brilliant grin, laughter dotting his voice.

Impa, of course, found absolutely nothing about the situation at hand amusing. She didn't want to die, not during the stupid Trial. It wasn't even a real test, it was a joke, a sham, and she had gone and failed it. If she couldn't even pass her Trial, how in Nayru's name was she supposed to pass her Ordeal? That was if she lived long enough to take her Ordeal...

Swallowing hard she looked up to the King of the Gerudo, her crimson eyes locking with his ember ones for a brief instant. For a second there she swore she saw a glint of amusement in his eyes, but how could she? He must be furious with her for snatching his necklace right off his body, no less for breaking into his fortress.

"I knew you were going to go for the necklace, you truly are reckless," He stated, a smirk taking the place of the grin that resided there before. Impa was struck by his words. How could he have know what she was going to do, none the less that she was there in the first place...unless he had...

"That was you! In the hallway downstairs, you were following me, weren't you?!" She shrieked, her hands slapping the ground beside her throbbing rump, her ruby eyes glittering with anger. She would be one unhappy camper if it turned out she had been playing the fool.

"It was. I was a bit curious as to what would bring a clumsy Sheikah girl to my fortress,"

She gasped, her eyes widening in alarm. It had been a trap set by him! The cape and the stairwell, the pile of jewels, the glittering necklace around his neck. Oh, Farore, she felt like a bleeding idiot. He hadn't only played her for the fool, but he had done it exceptionally well.

"No! That's not fair! I snuck by your guards!" She whined, as she jumped from the ground.

"True, your...interesting display in the courtyard did manage to distract the sentries outside. Though, it also served to draw my attention," He replied with a smirk. Cocky bastard, she wanted to spit. It wasn't fair. She had been so sure that no one was following her. She knew none of the female Gerudo has seen her; she hadn't gotten near enough to any of them for that to happen.

She hadn't anticipated being followed anyway, so she hadn't been all that cautious. She had planned that if anything had gone wrong, it would have been that someone would have spotted her. Certainly, she hadn't expected to be outwitted by the King, himself.

She crossed her arms and released a drawn out sigh. He really got her, the sneaky bastard. Oddly enough though, that was more of a good thing, now that she thought about it. True, it would be harder to get away with the necklace, but now she wouldn't have to worry about battling a couple hundred Gerudo warriors just to get to the king. He had come to her on his own accord, which also meant she hadn't pissed him off too much. Though, she had to admit that it royally sucked to be outwitted by a large male.

Her options were also drastically limited; she'd have to be extra sneaky to wiggle her way out of this one.

"Well, gosh, you got me! I guess, I'll just be going now," She stated in her most nonchalant voice. Turning, she grabbed for the handle, but once more found the door would not budge. Upon looking up, she noted that his large hand still held the door steadfast. Okay, what else did could this guy possibly want with her?

"You seem to be in my way..." He snorted at that, a chuckle following. All right, even she could understand how someone could find this situation amusing, but this guy was really taking it too far. True, he probably didn't get out that much, but really. There had to be funnier things than messing around with a Sheikah girl.

"Yes, I noticed that too..." He replied, his voice still thick with mirth.

She resisted the urge to growl out loud and heaved in a deep breath instead. He was blatantly toying with her and it was starting to grate on her nerves. She turned slowly, her hands coming to rest upon her hips in defiance. He was grinning at her again, broad like a cheshire cat. Something in that look, that blatant triumph scrawled across her face, made Impa's blood boil. There was a degree of toying the girl could handle, and the Gerudo King had gone way, way past the line. She was the daughter of Akhil, not some flighty, stupid Hylian who might find his ploys somewhat charming. Therefore, she would not, could not stand for this treatment!

She, of course, completely disregarded the fact that she had just blatantly stolen from him. That wasn't important.

"Okay, what is your problem!? You've had your fun, now either kill me or let me leave!" She demanded, resisting the urge to stomp her foot. His amusement only seemed to grow at her outburst, as he exploded into laughter at her words. Her red eyes narrowed to slits at his reaction, suddenly feeling like she really didn't like this guy.

After a few moments, his laughter died down to an occasional chuckle. But the mirth remained resolute in his eyes as he regarded her keenly.

"Relax, Sheikah, I'm not going to kill you,"

"My name is Impa, not Sheikah," She snarled, her hands clenching into fists. She swore to herself, if he hadn't been king she would have clocked him one. No one laughed so casually at Impa.

"And my name is Ganondorf, it's a pleasure to meet you," He said extending his hand in greeting. Surprised, she gazed down at his hand. Wasn't it a little late for introductions; they had already been bantering for about ten minutes now. And did he say his name was...what, Ganondorf? She resisted the urge to snort. That definitely had to be the most ridiculous name she have ever heard. Nevertheless, her anger seemed to melt slightly at the sheer absurdity of it all, and she conceded to shake his hand.

"Your name is funny," She stated simply. His eyes widened at her words, perhaps, it was the first time that anyone dared to say as much.

"So is yours," He replied, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.

"Well, your skin is green," At that the glint vanished and his eyes narrowed.

"It's deeply tanned," He grumbled, "Besides you have weird tattoos all over you, I don't think you're one to talk."

Impa released a giggle at that. Okay, maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as bad as she first thought. But, he had scared the hell out of her and she definitely didn't like being outsmarted, especially by a guy. On the other hand, he hadn't threatened her in anyway, if anything, he seemed to be enjoying the fact that she was there. She wasn't sure if it was her company or that she was simply someone to pull amusement from, but either way it seemed that he was in a good mood. Good moods and kings were always a good combination. She might actually have a chance of surviving until her Ordeal, now.

"Well, I really appreciate you not flipping out on me and all, but I really should go now," Impa stated, knowing full well that she was dodging the fact that she had just stolen from him. But, on the other hand, she wanted to get home before her father started to worry about her. The last thing she needed was a good telling off when she got home from her father, the night had been eventful enough already.

"Oh? Is that right? Did you really think you could just barge into my fortress and leave with my things?" He asked, crossing his arms.

She had to admit that he had her there. He was correct, of course, she didn't have a right to take his things. Not that she cared, though. She needed the jewel way more than he did. Besides, it looked funny on him. The necklace was girly and he...well, he wasn't girly.

"I bet it isn't even yours, anyway," She finally responded, not quite believing that had actually come out of her mouth. She had meant to say that she needed the jewel, but no, her foot decided to insert itself in her mouth instead. Though, thinking back on it, she did have a point. It probably was stolen, as the Gerudo just happened to be a band of thieves.

"What does that have to do with anything?" He raised an eyebrow at her, ember eyes glittering at her verbal challenge.

"Well, if you stole it and got to keep it, then the same goes for me. I stole it fair and square, so its mine," Impa crossed her arms, and smirked right back at him. Ganondorf's eyes widened considerably at her twisted form of logic, but he still didn't seem to grow angry at her. Farore, the guy was nearly unflappable.

"You're quite a cheeky girl, has anyone told you that?"

"Every damn day," He laughed at that, a rich sound, now that she was actually paying attention. He had one of those deep laughs, the one where the person gets so rapped up in delight that they throw their head back in abandon.

She decided then that she did not just think that Ganondorf, King of Thieves, was just okay. Actually, she decided that she liked him. On further thought, the guy reminded her a lot of herself. Sarcastic, but still able to laugh about the lighter things in life. Nobody that was like herself could be all that bad, even if they were green.

His laughter faded and they were surrounded by silence. He was looking at her again with those curiously colored eyes, and suddenly, like being struck by lightening, she felt wildly awkward. It was a strange rush of emotion. The sudden realization that she was standing, inches apart, from the King of Thieves, alone at that. It was like getting a load of potatoes thrown at your head, or maybe getting punched in the face.

If Impa hadn't been an awkward teenager, she would have been able to reason out that her girly side was battling to take control. The side that blushed when a man unashamedly stared at her or paid her more attention than was strictly necessary. The side that she zealously attempted to suppress whenever it struggled to be free from its chains. Even now, she could feel the sweep of red brushing across her cheeks. Okay, now it was time to go before she started giggling like a fool.

"Er...well, it's getting late..." She said slowly, cursing herself for stumbling over her words. Just minutes before she had been just fine with insulting him, now she found it hard to even look at him, no less talk to him.

His gaze left her for a moment, to glance out the window. The sky outside was primarily dark, but if one gazed hard enough they could make out the traces of light on the horizon.

"Yes, it is,"

Silence once more dominated the room, and Impa found it to be suffocating. Why couldn't she stand still?

"I probably should go..." she stated, followed by more awkward fidgeting.

"You probably should,"

She sighed, mildly frustrated at the fact that he wasn't making this easier for her. Why couldn't he just tell her to leave? Then she'd have no problem walking out that door behind her. But, no, instead he left it up in the air, for her to mull over and decide on her on. Ugh, boys were way too complicated.

"Okay, then..." She turned around, walking slowly, very slowly towards the door. Gripping the doorknob tightly, she turned it and pushed open the door.

"Um...goodbye then," She said, glancing over her shoulder. He was still looking at her with a strange expression on his face; an expression that made her breath catch and her hands sweat. It was amazing how much intensity he managed to pack into a simple gaze. She had a feeling that no matter what way he looked at someone, he eyes would always be piercing, always powerful.

"Goodbye," He said slowly, a smile quirking the edge of his lips. Her mouth moved as if to thank him, but no words came out. She shook her head slightly, and turned again and walked out.

When she was about halfway down the hall, she ran.

A/N: Yay! I'm having an inspiration burst, so I'm gonna go with it and just keep pushing out with this story! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It's always great to see that people actually enjoy reading what I'm writing. This chapter is a lot longer, which is surprising. Anyhoo, the next chapter is in the works already. I got a plot summary all written up, so I actually have somewhere to go with this story. Needless to say, you poor readers are in for a bumpy ride.

I'd, also, like to say now that I'm taking a lot of liberties with this story. For one, I'm gonna assume the Sheikah and Gerudo have a longer lifespan than Hylians do. Why? Because, I'm mean and I want to make the characters suffer longer! Haha!! Actually no, that's not it, but nothing official says that they have the same lifespan, so I can do whatever I want! Oh, and just so all of you know, this is before the Great War. Hehe, just a heads up.

Anyhoo, keep reviewing if you find what I write reviewable. Thank you!