Gorotdorf was in a murderous rage, the like of which had never been seen by his people. He had ordered them to not only come fully armed but also to kill any creature whether it was human or monster, that crossed their path without hesitation. While the thieves did not know all the specifics of this mission they had been told a basic objective by the king: intercept the young prince and his mother and return them to the valley to face punishment.
Gossip had spread through the tribe when this mission had been ordered, partly because of the extremes Gorotdorf seemed to be taking to intercept the deserters. Not only were they coming in fully armed to the teeth, but also the King had garbed his own battle armor along with the ritual sword. This royal armor was darker than obsidian and not made from chains but the large black scales, supposedly from an ancient demon. The sword was massive broadsword with a winged guard and a unique blade that resembled three diamonds with three spikes on each side of the blade placed at even intervals. The rumors seemed to be getting spread equally by the women but also the few strange talking stones scattered around the valley. Supposedly the Queen had taken the young prince and fled the valley for Hyrule.
"Intercept her, drag her from her horse and tie her hands tightly, the ropes should cut in the flesh of her wrists until she bleeds! She has committed high treason against the tribe and her punishment will not be any less because she is the queen. Do not hurt the child or you will face the same punishment Kasima will!" Gorotdorf had screamed this from his black armor-clad horse as they rode across the bridge and down the cliffs towards the border between the two kingdoms.
Though no one had said it out loud many had begun thinking it, this was not just a capture mission, they seemed prepared for an all out war against Hyrule and despite disagreements in the past this was something the women did not wish to happen. Hylians were good trade partners; the guards of castle town used the iron weapons forged in the valley because the tribe had been able to master the art of purifying iron, a technique that had been lost many years ago and only recently rediscovered by the Gerudo women. These weapons were traded for several varieties of food that could not be grown in the mostly sterile desert. If they declared war many would die not just from the violence related casualties but also from the lack of a food they had come to depend on from their neighbor kingdom.
The army was now entering the neutral zone that neither they nor Hyrule had a claim to, a small amount of land that had only sparse bushes and a few scraggly patches of grass breaking through the stone, in another day they would reach Hyrule Field and it would be another two or three days until they came to the drawbridge of the castle. They made camp in the neutral zone at the kings orders, for although the rage seemed to be boiling off of him and his ginger hair stood up and seemed to move like flames, he also knew that Kasima was a skilled warrior, and she would be completely able to outmatch all of the warriors that were coming to retrieve her.
Zewaro sat near one of the small fires they had built talking with three other warriors, Inesti, Samia and Ganubi, her three nieces, and the elder sisters of young Prince Ganon. Zewaro was very close with her nieces, she had found that she could not have children so she considered them her own daughters. She knew they were fond of her as well, Kasima had never had much to do with her daughters, females born of the Gerudo king were not honored as royalty and were either left in the desert to die or given to another woman for care. Zewaro had trained each of them extensively in combat, and although they were quite young, Samia and Ganubi being only sixteen and Inesti nineteen, they had quickly surpassed their aunt in combat.
Inesti had the closest resemblance to her mother and her name suited her well, for it meant Star of the Evening, she had long raven hair falling nearly to her waist, currently braided with a blade at the end she had learned to use very skillfully in combat. Her eyes were her only resemblance to the king, they were the same fierce shade of orange as his, one that was rarely seen outside of the royal line.
Although Samia and Ganubi were twins they were not identical in appearance or personality, however they shared an ability for magic, which was not uncommon between Gerudo twins, being children of the king they had much more raw magical power than many other warriors. Samia had short brown hair, currently tied in a small ponytail with a rawhide string, while her sister had shoulder length blonde hair that flowed unbound over her shoulders like fine golden thread. When they had first begun their training in the magical arts Samia had found she was inclined towards lightning manipulation while Ganubi was able manipulate water, a skill considered very useful in their desert home.
The four women sat talking about the situation at hand, all clearly uncomfortable at the prospect of having to fight and capture Kasima, but they would not disobey their orders and they would not hesitate if the situation called for violence. Gorotdorf showed no favor for his daughters or sister-in-law, in fact he had ordered them to lead in the capture of the deserters.
"I just don't understand why she would do it, why now? Especially when she knows she can't get escape with our brother without the King demanding that she be brought back."
"It is complicated Samia, your mother assumed that the king would not be willing to declare an all out war against Hyrule over an issue like this, unfortunately for her she was wrong. It seems that a civil war is inevitable and it won't end swiftly." Zewaro sat cross-legged facing Samia across the fire, the flames throwing her face into a dancing mix of light and dark.
"I can't help thinking that father has finally gone mad. He was never far from the edge, at least when it came to Kasima, he was always paranoid about what she would do to his son. The only thing we can do is listen to what he tells us and stay out of the reach of his sword." Inesti spoke bluntly, ignoring the shocked looks her sisters gave her, not only because she had accused the king of madness but also because she had referred to him as Father, something that was likely to get her clouted around the head by the king if he heard her using such endearments.
"You'd better not let him hear you speaking like that Inesti or he'll likely make you the one to execute Kasima, he knows it would hurt you most to be the one to has to end her life, after all you're the closest to her." Ganubi regretted the words as soon as she had uttered them; Inesti had given her a look of anger that resembled their father's much too closely, it had flashed across her face for only an instant before she masked it with her usual indifference.
"I may have been closest with Kasima but I can assure you Ganubi, I would not hesitate to kill her where she stands if Father had not ordered her taken alive. She has stolen the heir to the throne, deserted her tribe and has brought our kingdom to the brink of a war we are not likely to win. She deserves whatever sentence she gets and if I am the one ordered to kill her I will not hesitate to follow the order."
The conversation waned after this unsettling statement and eventually the four women departed to their tents for a night of rest. Sleep took a long time to finally come to them, and none slept particularly well, each having fitful nightmares that did not depart from them until the light of morning crested over the peak of Death Mountain.
In the small, cramped and run down house where she was currently living with her child, Kasima of the Raven Hair slept on a bed of damp straw with her child wrapped loosely in her arms. She had no idea that in less than 24 hours a declaration of war would come from Hyrule Castle and she would be forced to kill those she loved for the one she loved most.