Chapter Four: Connection
"Eshe!" Zev called.
"Oh, Goddess..." Ursa immediately crouched at Eshe's side, her golden eyes concerned greatly for the young Gerudo girl. She cradled the younger's head in her hand.
"What happened to her?" Zev asked softly.
"She's out. I wonder if this all is just too much for her to handle at the moment." Ursa said softly, lifting Eshe gently. Eshe's horse whickered and trotted up, sniffing her. Zev patted the stallion's neck.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine."
Hyrule Castle: Throne Room
Ganondorf's eyes were closed tightly and his mind wandered. In his head, he imagined the girl. That Gerudo. She gasped and looked at him.
"You!" She snapped, taking one step back.
"Ah, you do see me darling," a wicked grin passed over the Evil King's face. The girl stepped back one more step.
"Yes. Why do I see you?" She growled, frightened.
"Because I hailed your spirit. As long as you're a Triforce holder, as well as Zelda, we can all hail each other. I just happen to have the most experience doing so due to still not reincarnating. I am the eldest of us all." Ganondorf smirked.
"Not surprising, old man." the girl rolled her eyes and looked away.
"You will have some respect for me, young woman, as I will find you and I will make you my bride." Ganondorf chuckled.
"Make me your bride?" The girl snapped, rushing forward to slap the Evil King, who grabbed her hand and laughed.
"I was a fool to think that a Hylian or a Twili could bear me a son. Only a Gerudo can bear a Gerudo man." Ganondorf grinned.
"I won't ever bear you children. Ever. And good luck finding me. I'm someplace you cannot see." The girl growled, her face contorted in anger and disgust.
"When I do find you, you'll become my wife. My Queen. We will have the strongest sons and most beautiful daughters. More beautiful then my current brood." Ganondorf laughed.
"I'm old enough to be your daughter. And you would marry me? You sick, sadistic asshole!" She slapped him with her other hand and the connection broke.
Gerudo Cave, Inner Depths
Eshe woke with a start and sat up. She shivered, and Ursa was immediately at her side.
"Easy. You're all right, young one." The elder smiled, putting a comforting arm around the younger. Eshe closed her eyes and sighed, a tear escaping.
"He contacted me."
Ursa looked down and sighed, "I was afraid he could do that."
"Why? Why can he do that?" Eshe asked.
"Because his powers are strong. He could hold the Hero of Time in a psychic wave so his fairy could not get to him." Another voice said softly. It was definitely an elderly voice, and the footsteps were faint. Eshe looked up into dimmed golden eyes, seeing bright white hair, short to assist easy care, and an overall, elderly appearance.
"Mother!" Ursa said softly, "You need to rest. Where's Hephaestus?"
"Ursa, I am your mother, and I am still the Elder of the Gerudo, even if Hephaestus is the King." The elderly Gerudo smiled, then looked at Eshe, "Such blue eyes, just like the Hero of Time and the Blue-Eyed Beast. You're beautiful."
"Thank you. I try," Eshe smiled at the elderly woman, "I'm..."
"Eshe, I know. Ursa told me. My name is Nabooru. I am, besides Ganondorf, the eldest Gerudo of this land of Hyrule." Nabooru said softly.
"How old are you?" Eshe asked.
"Well over one hundred years. Gerudo here are fairly peaceful, so we grow to be very elderly. But our lifespans are longer than the Hylians' eighty years. We age slower, I think you remember." Nabooru smiled.
"Yeah, we do. Our adolesence is the same, but after, we age so much slower. My mother was well into her fifties when I was born, and she told me she looked as a human did in their twenties. That's how old my father was when he met my mother." Eshe smiled.
"Exactly. And even now, I look as an seventy something as Hylians do, anyway..." Nabooru paused, "What brought you here? Who did?"
"A mask salesman. He said I needed to save this land as the Hero of Time had saved Termina years and years ago." Eshe said softly.
"Ah. I remember when he returned from that land a young man. I was the Sage of Spirit, and we remembered everything he did. Saving Hyrule was one of them. He came to me often, and I allowed it. He grew up quite handsome," the elder had a slight smirk on her face, "but he was meant for another. He married the ranch girl, I remember that. But that is besides the point, the point is, Ganondorf contacted you."
"Yes. He wants me to be his bride." Eshe said softly, a red tendril sneaking into her face.
"How dare he... A child. He's no better than the King before him!" Ursa growled.
"At least he didn't force nine year olds to bear children as that King did. I remember our history." Nabooru said softly, "Anyway, why you? Is it power he wants?"
"He thinks... only a Gerudo woman can bear a Gerudo man sons." Eshe looked away, sighing.
"That's obviously wrong, otherwise Zev wouldn't be alive." Nabooru rolled her eyes, "Zelda insisted we raise Zev. Otherwise Ganondorf would have raised this heart with hate."
"How did she get Zev here?" Eshe asked, her eyes wide, "She's trapped, isn't she?"
"She is... and back then, she wasn't as trapped, especially being pregnant. She could leave without the guards. She had Ursa sneaked into the palace and had her whisk Zev away to here shortly after his birth, to protect him." Nabooru smiled at her daughter.
"But... How did she know you guys were here? When I got here, the only Gerudo I saw was him!" Eshe was confused, quite obviously.
"Well, simple... We protected her when she hid from him the first time." Ursa said softly, "She was with us for a number of months while the Blue-Eyed Beast tried to save Hyrule. She appeared again when she knew Link needed help. But he died, and she was captured."
"It was not our proudest moment. We went back into hiding. If Ganondorf knew we existed... He would kill the sons. Including our current King, my son, Hephaestus." Nabooru said softly.
"How many Gerudo sons are there? There were hardly any boys born where I come from." Eshe said softly.
"Well... There's still less male than female, but there are quite a few individuals." Nabooru smiled.
Eshe nodded, her brain processing the information. She looked between Nabooru and Ursa, then glanced again at the cave wall. A loud whinny was heard.
"Oh dear..." Ursa chuckled.
Suddenly the trampling of hooves was heard and a snort sounded just behind Nabooru. Eshe smiled and stood slowly. Her red stallion whickered and gently walked past Nabooru, setting his head into Eshe's torso as the girl wrapped her arms around his head.
"He adores you so much." Nabooru smiled.
"I guess I adore him too." Eshe chuckled as the stallion breathed hot air on her.
"What's his name? We haven't been able to calm him or call him anything other than 'Hey, you!." Ursa laughed.
The stallion looked up and looked into Eshe's eyes. The Gerudo girl smiled and touched a hand to his white stripe, then to his forehead.
"Dyaus." Eshe smiled softly as the horse pushed his head into her a little more. Eshe laughed and took that as a sign of approval for the name.
Hyrule Castle: Courtyard
Tetra quietly sat, her golden eyes scanning the horizon as the sun rose. Here she was, alone with her thoughts, thinking over what her mother had admitted to her and her sisters. She was shocked to the core, she knew that her mother and Midna weren't exactly willing concubines, but the story.
A blue eyed beast, born to save our land, slaughtered before my mother's eyes... My father, taking her as a concubine and forcing himself upon her to have me... I'm just glad Callie and Hilda were in bed by the time that she and Midna told Anwen and I. Tetra thought, tears forming in her eyes.
"You have sympathy for your mother now, don't you?" Ganondorf said sternly.
Tetra blinked her tears away and growled, glaring at her father, "I always have, that's why when I was old enough, I would take her beatings, hers and Callie's, to protect them. But now... You're nothing but a rapist pig! No better than the Gerudo King that came before you! I guess the better thing is... you won't take brides as young as Callie or Hilda." The golden-eyed girl said softly.
"I will take another bride though... and it will set your family free, Tetra." Ganon grinned.
"What in the hell do you mean, you bastard?" Tetra demanded.
"Once I have the blue-eyed Gerudo with me, she will become my wife and bride. She will bear me a child that will be the legitimate heir, or heiress. Before that though, I will set your mother, sisters, and Midna free of this life. I'll set you free, too. I just need one thing from you..." Ganon smirked.
The golden-eyed girl stood, looking into her father's same-colored orbs, her breath hitched, "Do you swear you'll let us go free if I do this?"
"I swear on the life of my heir." The Evil King grinned.
Tetra looked away, looking at the rising sun. Should she do this? She could save her family just oh so easily, and so simply. One favor. "Do you want my blood?"
"No. Hold still." The Evil King's voice sounded then a sharp sound was heard. Tetra gasped, reeling a bit as she saw a lock of her hair in her father's hand. Her beautiful brown hair that was still barely touched from the sun.
"My hair..."
"I took it from beneath. You won't notice it's gone. I still care some, Tetra. You're still blood." Ganondorf huffed.
"Not willingly." Tetra sighed, "Fine. Do what you wish with it. I won't miss it... or you. Get out of my sight." The golden-eyed girl turned fully away.
Ganon smirked and turned away, walking quietly, "As you wish, my daughter." his chuckle left a cold feeling in Tetra's bones. She shivered when she was sure he could no longer see her. Tears met her eyes again, and she sighed.
I'll do anything if it frees my family... anything... The girl thought as she sat down again, watching as the dawn broke.
Hyrule Castle: Throne Room
Ganondorf chuckled darkly as he held the lock of Tetra's hair. In the opposite hand, he held a vial filled with a bit of clear liquid.
"With Tetra's hair, Hilda's tears... and my blood... I shall create someone to find that girl. My bride." He smirked as he stepped towards a cauldron. He put the lock of hair in, then opened the vial and dumped its contents in.
"By the hair of a strong warrior, the tears of a pure child," Ganon smiled a bit as he sliced his palm open with a knife, "and the blood of the King, you will be born. You will be mine, my creation, my puppet, under my control," he started to chant in Gerudo, and smiled as he did so. A dark mist filled the air, followed by a bright light shining through.
The items in the cauldron started to bubble, and a human form took shape. The form was smaller than Tetra or Anwen, but larger than Callie and Hilda. Brown hair formed atop the head, the ears were pointed, and her eyes were bright reddish-orange, but a mask made of a leaf formed over her face, so seeing the face other than her eyes was impossible. Oddly, the mask had cat ears as well.
Ganon smiled as the spell stopped. He looked at the being and smiled, "Hello... and what have you named yourself?"
The smallish girl looked up, her mask covering her most important features, "Endura Carrot."
The Evil King's red brows furrowed, but relaxed, "Endura Carrot... after the plant. Interesting. And what are you?"
"I am a forest child, born of your blood, to seek the last Triforce holder." Endura said with a chuckle.
A small voice sounded in the smallish girl's head though, Don't hurt Link. This one will save us all.
"To find her." The girl said, heeding the voice in her head.
"That's it." Ganon put a hand on the girl's back, "Come with me now, daughter."
Gerudo Cave: Inner Depths
Eshe and Dyaus were headed towards the innermost cave when the girl paused, looking about.
Link... Link Ganondorf made something... someone to find you, be careful. Please. A small voice said.
Eshe touched a hand to her heart, breathing in quietly, she knew the voice... "Saria."
"Are you all right?" A male voice asked.
Eshe spooked and turned to face a quite muscular, jovial-looking Gerudo man with the softest amber eyes and dulled red hair. The teenager smiled and nodded, "Yes. I just was getting in touch with a past life, I guess."
"That's good progress, Hero... or should I said Heroine?" The male chuckled, "Where are my manners... My mother told me you were here. I am Hephaestus, King of the Gerudo. And I am here to offer my support in destroying Ganondorf."
Well there we have it. Eshe is connecting to her past life as the Hero of Time, and Ganondorf has created a puppet to find Eshe. However, the puppet, Endura Carrot, and Eshe are connected by a Sage we know and love, Saria. How will this play? Is the puppet going to respect Saria's wishes? And how will Hephaestus play into helping Eshe defeat the Evil King? Review and stay tuned!