Pulling the shaft of the arrow back almost to his ear, Link closed his right eye and focused on his target- a ceramic shard about twenty paces away and no wider than three of his fingers. Nasira and Kalila stood behind him in anticipation, waiting for him to release the arrow. Archery fascinated the Gerudo people. It was almost magical, being able to damage or destroy something which was far out of one's reach. The younger Gerudo held a particular interest in watching Link shoot. Though not the best shot in the valley, he could shoot better than any of the sisters who had not yet come of age. Whether because of his advanced training or just his natural demeanor, there was something otherworldly about watching him fight or shoot. He was the symbol of their people and they revered him for it. It seemed that every week a group of sisters from another tribe would arrive to watch the heir to the Gerudo throne show off his skill. Though his training was incomplete they always left impressed, promising to send representatives when the king came of the age to assume power.
Link released the arrow and smiled when the makeshift target shattered. Though he would never show it, he hadn't been sure he could hit it and he didn't want to disappoint his younger sisters, or further earn the scorn of the older. "Nice shot," she remarked from her perch on a crate a few feet behind him, though her tone of voice didn't match her praise. Link sighed, Khalisah was two years his senior and resented the fact that he could best her in combat. She had tried several times to defeat him in their training, but failed to do so even when backed by two of her sisters. Still, Link knew that her animosity was due to more than his martial superiority. Like the rest of the Gerudo, she would rejoice over the skill of her future king if not for one problem. "You know," she added, "I only just noticed it now while you were shooting, but it appears that your hair has gotten lighter." Link winced as he turned, his hair was no longer the deep red of his sisters, but now a strawberry-blond with a few brighter streaks mixed in. He hoped that it stopped changing color soon, or else it would soon be the color of the desert sand itself. Some of the Gerudo made it clear they disapproved of the fact that their future king was growing up to appear so Hylian, including the youth sitting before him.
Oblivious to the cutting remark, Kalila chimed in, "Yea, it really does. Still, I'm more interested in that shot; that was amazing!"
"I don't know," Link deflected. His instructors never praised his abilities, and he was a bit uncomfortable with somebody younger doing so. "I sure that Master Nibaal could make that shot from another fifteen paces without much difficulty."
"Maybe," replied Kalila, "But she is also three times as old as you. I'll bet you'll be better than her once you are that old."
Link frowned a little. Part of the reason he liked to spend time away from his instructors was to get away from the expectations placed upon him. Kalila wasn't alone, it seemed that every Gerudo, especially the instructors, expected him to surpass them all in skill. He was their future king, and as such he had to prove himself the best of the Gerudo in every area. Even when he fended off three sparring partners at once, or passed through the riding course at a record time, they would casually acknowledge his victory but make it clear that they expected even more. He drew another arrow and fired it off. Why had he taken so long to disarm the first opponent? Another arrow. He was sloppy on the second turn, otherwise his time would have been better. Another arrow. Seven of the nine shafts had found their target, what had happened on the other two?
As he pulled back on the string one more time, the training bow snapped under the strain. The bottom piece fell to the ground while the top came back and smacked him on the head. Link just stared stupidly at the half-bow still gripped in his right hand. "By the sands, are you alright?" Nasira asked, running to his side.
"Yea, just got a little too into it I guess. Perhaps you should take a turn now sister." He replied, turning back to the sidelines where Khalisah was suppressing a giggle and Kalila wasn't even trying to. "It's a shame these bows are so flimsy, it would be easier to work with some of a higher quality."
"Perhaps," Khalisah replied, "but you get to train with the best of the equipment when you are off with the instructors. When with us, you just have to cope with these." Link grimaced and hopped up on the crate beside her. Khalisah seemed to always be able to pick on the things which worried him. As a Gerudo advanced in her training, so too did her rank in society. For a Gerudo to then be permitted to use their people's finer weapons, she first had to master those which were of a lower quality. Normally, this was a good motivation for a Gerudo to advance her skill, but Link had skipped all of those ranks. While his peers were training with wooden bows of questionable quality, one of the Gerudo tribes further to the west had already presented him with a bow carved from a giant piece of ivory. The steel of his training weapons was pure, and probably gave him an unfair advantage when sparring. The most drastic privilege though was that he was already becoming a master of horsemanship, when the rest of the Gerudo had to wait until they were fourteen before being allowed on one of the tribe's beasts. He couldn't help feeling as though the special privileges he granted to him were also alienating him from many of his sisters-in-training. It had been these thoughts that had driven him to seek an audience with the elders a few months back, shortly after his twelfth birthday.
Link had never been this nervous. Though he had appeared before the elders before, it had always been at their behest. This gathering was different. He had been the one to request an audience and he was about to submit his petition. Pausing outside the chamber for just a moment, he took a breath and entered.
The Chamber of the Elders was one of the more curious rooms in the fortress. Upon entering, Link's boot made a familiar crunching sound as it embedded itself in the sand which covered the floor. The walls had been colored the red and pink shades of a dessert sunset, and the room was devoid of any form of furniture. A small fire burned in the center, its smoke rising up and escaping into a vent in the ceiling. Around the fire sat the five Gerudo elders, the Matriarchs who guided the tribes when no king sat upon the throne. Link approached an empty spot in the circle and sat down cross-legged among them. When he was king, they would all rise at his entrance but for now he was as subject to them as any other Gerudo. To his left sat Nabooru, who gave him a reassuring smile out of the corner of his eye. She was the one who had urged him to pursue this meeting and he was thankful that she sat by his side. Though she was just as strong a warrior as the other elders, she also had a softness to her that they lacked. Of all the elders, she was the closest that he had to a motherly figure, the one who seemed just as concerned as to how his spirit was holding up as she was concerned about his training.
To her left sat Koume, whose short hair contrasted with Nabooru's long ponytail. Their hairstyles were not the only difference between the two, as the latter's complexion was devoid of all the softness of the former. Link knew that Koume only wanted him to achieve his full potential, but he hated the days when she oversaw his training. She would resist his request, her objections only being less ferocious than the figure to her left. Sitting directly across from Link, Kotake made no effort to hide her displeasure at the meeting. Like her biological sister Koume, her hair had been cut short, but that did not hide the fact that her locks were not the normal red of her people, but rather a deep purple. Some Gerudo wondered how it was possible with one of such impure blood to have achieved the rank of elder, but having spent more time than he wished with her Link knew exactly how she had managed. The woman had a heart of pure ice, uncaring and unsympathetic to those around her. It would not surprise Link if anybody who questioned her qualifications found themselves wounded and abandoned out in the desert sands. Still, like her sisters Kotake was loyal and took her duty towards her future king seriously.
To Kotake's left sat Afya. It was said that, in her prime, Afya had been discontent with merely obtaining supplies from the neighboring peasantry and had spearheaded a heist at Hyrule Castle itself, removing several pieces of art from the royal vaults. She had completely shorn off her scarlet hair, and her skin had a dark olive tint to it, a trait that was neither common nor unheard of amongst the Gerudo. She was actually one of Link's favorite instructors, as she rarely put him through tests of strength and rather spent time developing his abilities of stealth. Occasionally, she even permitted him to play tricks on the Guards, though that didn't make his punishments any less severe if he got caught. Finally, to his right sat Nasiha. The youngest of the elders, Nasiha had only achieved her position two years before. As such, she had little involvement throughout most of Link's training and he wasn't particularly familiar with her mannerisms. Like Naborru, she had all of her hair pulled back into a single ponytail, but one which only reached down to the base of her shoulder blades. All of the elders wore a traditional black robe etched with ancient runes, of which Link wondered if any of them knew the meaning.
"So," began Afya, "Before we get to other business it is my understanding that the brother had something he wished to discuss with us."
Link flinched a little at the title. Though other races had particular labels for their royalty, the Gerudo didn't believe in any form of dynasty. Family of their ruler were just considered sisters, and the future king was just a brother until the day he came of age. Though some may be comforted with the idea of animosity, the fact remained that being the only "brother" amongst the Gerudo instantly identified him, along with all of the expectations which were thrust upon him. Taking another calming breath, Link began, "I thank you sisters for taking the time to listen to my concerns. Specifically, I am worried about my connection with the sisterhood." Looking at Naborru, he though he saw her give a small nod. "I have learned many things in my training over the past few years, how to fight, shoot, sneak, and think. However, despite your best efforts I do not know if I am truly learning how to lead." At these words, several of the elders around the fire narrowed their eyes. Link paused for another moment before continuing, "I fear that though I am mastering the art of our people, I am failing to truly appreciate what I am, what it means to be Gerudo. My training has segregated me, split me from my sisters, so that I no longer know those who I am meant to guide." Well, this was it. "Therefore, I request that I be released from my training one day a week, so that I may work alongside my people. I may assist with the crops, or the livestock, or train alongside them rather than separately. It is my hope that in so doing, I may reestablish the connection with my sisters that I believe has become neglected."
To some, it seemed like a simple enough request. He began his training early in the morning even before many of the sisters were awake, usually not finishing until far past the evening dinner. Though he occasionally would get a break and spend a few hours with some of the other sisters, such opportunities occurred perhaps once a month. However, he knew that the elders would see something else in his proposal.
"If I am to understand then," began Kotake, "you wish to neglect your training under the pretense of getting further in touch with your subjects. You would endanger your future competency, by extension our entire people, so that you could train with those who will never have to do anything more complicated then hold their own in a skirmish?"
Link bowed his head, "It is because of my responsibilities that I feel I must work alongside them, how can I lead that which I do not know?"
Koume chimed in, "You believe then that your training is insufficient, that the knowledge and skills we, the elders of our people, impart to you is not enough?"
Link glanced at Nabooru, "I do not believe your training to be insufficient, for surely it is your instruction which has sent me on this path."
"I for one believe our brother may have a point," Nabooru added, "Surely he must feel as though he is tapped into the very lifeblood of our people if he is expected to lead us in the days to come."
"Come now," Kotake responded, "As elders, we agreed upon the boy's curriculum when he was still in his mother's arms. Do you really mean to tell me so much has changed?"
"Unknown contingencies always seem to appear, even under the best of plans," countered Afya
And so it went, with the elders bickering in circles over his request. Link allowed himself to relax, though they were far from approving his plan, his part was now over. As he expected Afya and Nabooru were coming to his defense, but Nasiha's silence worried him. As the elders always believed in a unified front and didn't officially make split decisions, he knew that Afya and Nabooru would side against him if he couldn't get a majority to support his plan. He needed Nasiha's support, but as the youngest elder she may be reluctant to give it. Finally, the discussion ended.
"I believe we have said all that needs to be said," Kotake stated, signaling that she wished to move on to other matters. "I believe it unwise to endanger our people by neglecting our brother's training, and I do not support his proposal."
"I believe that his words have shown a wisdom beyond his age, and that we should take his recommendation to heart," countered Nabooru.
"I too believe that this is a request we should grant," added Afya.
All eyes around the fire turned to Nasiha. Playing with the sand before her, she looked between Nabooru and Kotake before exposing her thoughts, "I must agree with Kotake, we cannot allow the wisdom of the elders to be forgotten, despite how reasonable the brother's words may seem."
That was it then. His first move proposal before the elders had failed. Koume spoke, "Brother," she said, getting his attention, "As the future king of our people, do you truly believe that this course of action will better serve our race in the long run than the Elders' plan?" He nodded, not having the words to reply to the accusatory tone in her voice. Koume was silent for a moment, "Then I will trust in the judgement of our future king, and support his proposal for a weekly release from his training. However," she lifted her head and he almost thought he saw a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "know that the days you do train with me will be adjusted to compensate."
"Then I too approve of the plan of our future king," Kotake stated, completely without emotion.
"As do I," added Nasiha, though a bit too quickly.
A faint smile crept over Link's lips, he had been shocked at Koume's support; it seemed that she and her biological sister never disagreed. It had given them quite an influence over the Gerudo, as they only needed to convince one other elder to see things their way. When conversing with Nabooru later, the older woman had helped to put it in perspective.
"I don't think that Koume necessarily agreed with you, but she saw you finally taking the role of a leader, making decisions that required the trust of your people, and she respected that."
Regardless Koume followed through on her promise the next time he trained with her. He hardly slept that night he was so sore, and he counted himself lucky that the following day was the agreed upon respite from his training. After the trials he had been put through, tending to the tribe's meager crops was a blessing.
Kalila came running up to him, "Link! Come see, come see, Nasira hit it!" He hopped down from his crate and followed the excited girl, who had turned around and bolted before she had even finished speaking. Nasira was no longer standing at the front of the archery range, but had run down to the remains of another clay target beside the one he had shattered. Sure enough, though there were four spent arrows embedded in the wall nearby, her fifth shot had managed to find its mark.
"Great work sister! Now, we had best get back to the crops before we end up being late for our shift." He praised. Helping to gather up the arrows. As they headed back to the fields, Link felt a feeling of satisfaction spread over him, he had been right. Over the past few months, he thought less about being the leader of the Gerudo people and more about leading his sisters. A day would come when he would be responsible for guiding Kalila, Nasira, and even Khalisah. His determination had only grown and he felt a new confidence within him. That was good, because none of the elders would like what he had planned next.
-A/N
So I am aware that this story has sat unkempt for awhile now. After the summer I began working on a videogame with a group of students and have been spending all my creative energy on that project. I figured this story would just fall into obscurity, but then got some notifications of new followers and felt convicted that people were enjoying this project and I had left it hanging. With that in mind, I am going to try to keep going on this story. I do still have the next four chapters already written, so I am just going to proofread and submit them periodically myself even if I don't get a beta (though one would still be great and would help me to stay on track). If you have been enjoying this work, please review as getting more feedback will probably help motivate me to stay on track. Thanks again for reading!
