Chapter Four

"Where'd it come from?" said one of the Gerudos, staring at the horse.

"There must be someone here," said another, glancing around from atop her steed.

"There can't be," said yet another.

"Why not?"

"No one who's not one of us comes around here…"

"Unless he's real stupid."

"For sure."

The first Gerudo looked over the cliff at the black water rushing hundreds of feet below. "Maybe someone topped himself."

"The hell are you talking about?"

"I mean, maybe someone jumped in the river. You know, killed himself."

"Why would anyone do that?"

"I dunno."

"That'd be a terrible way to die."

"I can think of worse…"

The Gerudos continued like this for some time, and only one of them –– the one on the red roan, with the long ponytail –– remained suspiciously silent. She was still staring at the horse.

"Lo?" said one of the Gerudo. "What's up?"

"Oh –– well, I was thinking that maybe it just wandered off," said the Gerudo on the red roan. "The horse, I mean. There are a couple of ranches nearby, right?"

"That's an awful long way to wander off."

"Plus it's saddled and everything," said another Gerudo. "Weird, huh?"

"Girls," said the Gerudo in front, "we gotta get going. We don't have time to stand around and wonder about a stupid horse." She yanked on the reins of her own horse and urged it over the bridge. Though the planks swayed and the lines strained, miraculously it remained intact. One by one, the other riders followed.

When they were all on the opposite side of the canyon, they paused once more. There was some talk among them –– Dyla, from his hiding place, couldn't hear them very well, nor could he see them in the dim light. But eventually they left, heading out of the valley –– except for one.

The Gerudo on the red roan. She watched as the others left. Then she approached Dyla's horse, took it by the reins, and led it to the edge of the canyon. "Alright," she said, loudly enough that even Dyla could hear it. Her words echoed off the rocks. "Where are you?"

For a moment Dyla remained hidden, his quivering fingers clutching the rock in front of him. Then, cautiously, he stood. Apollonia spotted him immediately, even from across the gap. She jumped off her horse and deftly crossed the bridge, unconcerned even as it swayed back and forth like a ship at sea. "You," she said, approaching Dyla. The closer she got, the more clearly he could see the outline of her angry yellow eyes. "You."

"Yes," said Dyla, "I suppose it is me."

"I ought to slit your throat," said Apollonia, coming to a stop in front of him. She had her hand behind her back, gripping the handle of her scimitar. "I thought you were going to stay away from here."

"I was," said Dyla, "but…" He trailed off. There was no way he could say I just wanted to see you again that didn't sound incredibly stupid.

"But what?" demanded Apollonia. "No –– wait –– never mind, I don't care. You have five seconds to get your ass out of here."

"What about your friends?" said Dyla. "Aren't they wondering what you're doing?"

"They think I'm taking your horse back to our stables," said Apollonia. "Three seconds."

"I'm not leaving," said Dyla.

"Two seconds. Why not?"

"Mostly because you can't make me," said Dyla, "but also because I know you won't kill me."

"Time's up," said Apollonia. "Get out."

"Am I right?"

"No! Now get out of here."

"If you had wanted to kill me, I think you would have done it already," said Dyla. "Don't you think?"

Apollonia reached out and shoved him. Hard. Unlike the way most girls might push a man –– that is to say, futilely –– she was apparently stronger than most girls. And Dyla hadn't really been expecting that sort of reaction. Thrown off balance, he tripped over a rock and went tumbling to the ground in a cloud of red dust. "Out!" she said, pointing to the bridge.

Dyla would have loved to rip that veil off her and see her furious face in earnest. His heart pounding, he climbed to his feet. "What are you going to tell your Gerudo friends?" he said. "About the horse?"

"Nothing," said Apollonia. She paused. Her eyes were on him, examining him. "Go. Please. I don't want anyone to see you here. I would be in so much trouble, and it would be entirely your fault."

"You would be in trouble?" said Dyla. Somehow he knew that he would be in a little more of a predicament if any of the other Gerudo saw him here.

"Yes. Now, will you please leave?"

"Alright, I'm going," said Dyla. "At least you said 'please'." He dusted himself off, pulled his hood up over his head, and started back towards the bridge, his heart pounding in his chest and his veins driven with fear. Even though he couldn't see Apollonia, he knew that her eyes were still on him. When he reached the edge of the bridge, he crossed it just like before: one foot in front of the other, hand over hand, keeping his eyes forward so he wouldn't vomit.

When he reached the middle of the bridge it began swinging back and forth, the weight thrown off balance. Apollonia appeared next to him. "What's the matter?" she said. "Haven't you ever crossed a bridge before?"

"I have," said Dyla, clutching the ropes with white-knuckled hands.

"Well, you're taking an awful long time," said Apollonia. She bounded to the opposite side of the bridge and waited as Dyla crept the rest of the way, watching him with her arms akimbo on her hips. Once he was safely on the ground again, she said: "Look, I don't want you getting caught by the other girls by accident, so let me show you the way out."

Dyla tried to catch his breath. "There's more than one way out of here?"

"Of course."

"Well, if that's so, I can find it for myself."

"Don't be dumb." Apollonia grabbed the neck of her horse and swung onto its back. "I'll show you, but you have to be quick about it. Come on, hurry up!"

Dyla mounted his own horse and followed closely behind Apollonia as she took a winding path through the rocks, going the opposite direction of the entrance to Gerudo Valley. So they did have secret ways out. Dyla knew that Apollonia might get into huge trouble for showing such a route to a Hylian, but he kept his mouth shut. If she's not presently killing you, then you're probably doing okay.

They walked in silence for some time. The going was slow: the ground was covered in thousands of tiny stones, and for the horses it must have been like stepping on marbles. There were slopes that went gently up and then sharply down, and dead trees with rotten roots sticking up in the middle of the path.

After a while, Apollonia spoke up again. "You know, uh… that's a nice horse you have," she said.

"Oh –– thank you. You think so?"

"I do," said Apollonia. "A pretty nice horse for someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on," said Apollonia, looking back over her shoulder at him. "I can tell you're not rich."

Dyla gripped the reins tightly. "I get along all right," he said.

"I'm sure you do. What's his name?"

"What?"

"Your horse," said Apollonia. "What's his name?"

"I don't know," said Dyla. "He doesn't have one."

"He doesn't have one?" said Apollonia. "How can you be so insensitive?"

"Well, I ––"

"This is Diamond," she continued, reaching down and stroking her mare's neck. "I named her the moment I saw her. You know why I named her that?"

"No, why?"

"Because she told me that she thought that was one of the most beautiful things, a diamond," said Apollonia, "so we decided that it would be her name. Toughest thing in the world, diamonds are. Did you know that?"

"Do horses generally talk to you?"

"Not in any language you would understand," said Apollonia. "Now, shut up for a second."

She turned around in her saddle so that both legs were on one side of Diamond's body and she could look back at Dyla. Diamond continued as though she knew the path by heart and didn't need anyone to guide her. Apollonia looked down at Dyla's horse with a thoughtful gaze. The horse, in turn, eyed her warily. "Peridot," Apollonia said finally.

"Whatnow?"
"That's your horse's name," said Apollonia. "Peridot. He told me."

"What's that mean?"

"It's a stone," she said, turning back around and righting herself in Diamond's saddle. "Sort of an olive green. That stone reminds me of you foresty Hylians."

Dyla was silent for a moment. "Peridot," he said again. "I guess I can live with that."

"Good." She was silent again. But from behind that veil, she may have been smiling. Dyla couldn't tell, but he imagined that she was.

By this time night had wholly fallen, and the only light was the faint twinkling of a few dozen stars above them and the dying sunset to the west of them. They probably hadn't been walking for very long, but to Dyla it seemed like an epoch.

Once they ascended one last hill, however, Apollonia stopped. "Here," she said. "Look down there."

Dyla slid off his horse's back and crept to the edge of the cliff. Below him lay the market, lit torches only dots against the blackness of night; beyond that the spires of Hyrule Castle jutted up in front of Death Mountain. The sight was rather beautiful. "Wow," he said. "I didn't even know this was here."

"You're not supposed to," said Apollonia. She hopped down off her horse and blithely made her way to the drop-off. "The path goes down that way ––" she pointed to a thin trail zigzagging down through the rocks, "–– and it should take you almost right next to the gate."

Dyla peered down into the darkness. "Damn," he said, "the bridge is up already."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. I didn't know how late it was."

Apollonia was quiet for a moment. "They'll let you in, though, right?"

"The guards will probably question me about where I've been, and I'll probably look pretty suspicious, but yes."

"Terrible thing," said Apollonia, "having a curfew like that."

"It's for the safety of the town ––"

"I know, I know, you're all so safe tucked away in your little castle town," sighed Apollonia. "There is another way in, another way besides the front gates. You know that, don't you?"

"No," said Dyla, "but I'm not surprised that you do."

"Well, I shouldn't tell you," said Apollonia, waving away the thought.

"Then why bring it up in the first place?"

"You've got to go," she continued, ignoring his sass. "I've been gone too long as it is. You're not going to tell anyone about this path, are you?"

"I won't tell anyone," said Dyla.

"Good. Because I'd kill you if you did that."

Dyla smiled to himself, but said nothing.

"Well, I guess that's it," said Apollonia. She turned around and took a step back towards Diamond; the loose rocks under her feet shifted suddenly, and her legs slid apart. She didn't cry out, just gasped as her body began to skate over the edge of the cliff. Dyla, without thinking, flung out and grabbed her by the arm. Her ragged glove slid underneath his hand, and her fingernails dug into his skin.

That was all she needed to regain her composure. Apollonia scrambled back up onto the rocks and yanked her arm away from Dyla. "Don't," she said.

"You'd rather I just let you fall?" said Dyla.

"No –– but –– shut up," she said, and haughtily swept her cloak back around her shoulders. "I left you alive, what more do you want? Now get out of here." She crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

"Okay," said Dyla. "Fine."

He took his horse by the reins –– Peridot, he reminded himself –– and began making his way down the slippery mountain path. Little by little he crept, and only once did he look back. Apollonia was still standing there on the cliff, watching him over her shoulder, almost completely obscured by her black cloak. She very well could have shot him in the back with an arrow by now. But why go through all the trouble of leading him up here if she was just going to kill him?

By the time he had reached the castle town walls, she was gone.

It was nigh on the middle of the night by the time Apollonia caught up with the rest of the Gerudo. Even though Diamond could outrun almost every other horse in camp, she couldn't reunite with the others fast enough. They would suspect something. Something for sure.

Apollonia crossed Hyrule field, keeping a wary eye for any midnight travelers. There was no one out now, no one except the wolves. The moon was out, though it was beginning to wane, and already it was approaching the western horizon. Still, it provided enough light by which to see, and silhouetted the mountains in the distance. Pretty.

She arrived at the edge of Lake Hylia –– the place they had agreed upon earlier –– and, as she suspected, the other four riders were there, waiting. By the looks of things, they had already completed their mission. Two sacks, on the backs of two horses, bulging and misshapen.

Joelle was the first to speak. "What the hell happened?" she asked.

"It's a long story," said Apollonia. She didn't know what else to say.

"I thought you were just going to put the horse away," said the tallest of the girls. Her name was Zephyra. Most of the time when a leader was needed, for whatever reason, she'd step right up and volunteer. No one ever argued with her.

"I… did," said Apollonia. "I mean, I was."

"Then what took you so long?" Zephyra's eyes were violet, and always had a somewhat put-upon look in them. Now they were staring directly at Apollonia.

"Well," began Apollonia, lowering her voice like she was speaking of something serious, "I wasn't going to tell you this, but… when I was going back to the fortress, I happened to find the owner of the horse." That wasn't quite a lie, was it?

The girls gasped.

"Was it a Hylian?" said Joelle.

"Yes, it was," said Apollonia. "A Hylian. But we don't need to worry about him anymore, if you get my drift." She nodded knowingly, hoping the others would believe her.

"Oh, wow," said one of the other girls. "What did you do with him?"

"Well…" Apollonia thought quickly. "The river was right there, wasn't it? He went over easy –– all the way down to the rocks. It'll be days before anyone ever finds him, and even then, I'm sure there won't be much of him left to find."

Some of the other girls chuckled, and so did Apollonia, though the thought of hurling Dyla into the canyon didn't really thrill her as much as she had hoped. He had never really posed a threat to her, had he? No, none whatsoever.

"Well, come on," said Zephyra, giving her horse a kick. "Let's get back to the valley."

"What a shame," said Joelle, following her. "You missed all the action, Lo."

"I don't mind too much," said Apollonia. She guided Diamond around and followed the other girls in turn.

"I guess not," said Joelle. "You had your share, after all." She pulled her own horse closer to Apollonia's. "The Hylian," she whispered. "Was it the same one as before?"

"What same one as before?"

"You know what I mean," said Joelle. "The one that got away."

"He's not a fish," said Apollonia, "and he didn't get away. He just happened to have a faster horse. Anyway, I don't know who it was. They all look the same to me."

Joelle's eyes frowned, but she said nothing as she pulled her horse back into formation. Apollonia let out a nervous breath of air. It felt wrong, lying to her sisters like this. But if anyone found out she had let a Hylian intruder go free not once but twice

The entire way back to the valley, Apollonia wished she had never met the stupid Hylian. I'm going to kill him, she said to herself. If I ever see him again, I'll kill him. I swear it.

That would make everything better, wouldn't it?

As suspected, Dyla had a little trouble getting back into the castle town proper. The drawbridge was up: its massive oak planks stared him in the face, unmoving. A moat bordered the walls; it was water from Zora's River. It wasn't very deep, but it did have a fairly strong current. The light from the flickering torches shimmered in the water like a thousand golden minnows.

Dyla parried outside the drawbridge for a few minutes, walking Peridot up and down the length of the gate, until one of the soldiers popped his head over the top of the wall. "Oy!" he called. "You there!"

"Evening," Dyla called back. "Could you let me in?"

"Do you live in town?"

"Yes, of course."

"If that was the case," said the solider, "you'd know that we raise the drawbridge at night. No trespassers allowed!"

"I was held up," called Dyla, growing more frustrated. "I was out in the field, hunting."

"Of course you were," said the soldier. "Didn't get anything, then?"

"No, I didn't," said Dyla. "Game is getting scarce, you know. Probably all those wolves. Couldn't you just let me in?"

"Well…" The solider thought for a moment. "All right, but don't let it happen again." He disappeared behind the wall. Not long after, there was a loud display of clattering and clanking as the drawbridge was lowered. It thudded into place. Dyla steered Peridot across. He was barely inside the walls when the soldiers raised the bridge again, locking him –– and everyone else –– safely inside. No one could enter, and no one could leave.

Dyla thought about this as he returned to his little corner of town. There is another way in, another way besides the front gates. You know that, don't you? That's what Apollonia had said. If she and her little Gerudo friends ever snuck into their town, that's the way they'd go. Part of him wished he knew the secret way; it sure would be a lot easier than haggling with the guards every time he ran a little late.

Dyla put Peridot away in the stable, just like before, and returned to his house. Though he had a lot of work to do in the morning, he remained awake until very late, until the last of the embers burned away in the stove. He was thinking –– thinking, thinking, thinking, going over the same things in his mind again and again.

He vowed to forget about the whole thing.

The next day, Apollonia went about her day like normal. She went with Aelishae to the shooting range and helped her with target practice. She rode Diamond out in the dunes for exercise, then brushed her thoroughly afterwards. She folded every piece of clothing in her room, then refolded them, then refolded them again. Try as she might, she couldn't stay busy enough. Her mind still wandered.

Around noon, while seeking shade in the cool shadow of the stable, Joelle appeared out of virtually nowhere. "Hey, Lo," she said.

"Hey." Apollonia gave her a friendly wave, but that was all.

"Sooo…" said Joelle, sitting on the edge of her horse's stall and scooting up next to Apollonia. "I wanted to ask you about something."

Apollonia tried to look casual –– curious, perhaps, but not guilty. She didn't know if she quite succeeded. "Oh yeah? What's up?"

"Well, I was kind of wondering what happened to that horse," said Joelle.

Apollonia blinked. "What horse?"

"The horse from last night," said Joelle. "The one that we found a-wandering through the valley?"

"Oh…"

"The one whose owner you said you tossed into the river? You didn't push the horse in after him, did you?"

Apollonia was silent. She hadn't really considered how she would explain a missing horse in this equation. "Uh, no, I didn't," she said. "That would have been stupid."

Joelle's easygoing expression turned serious, and she knit her brows above quizzical green eyes. "Apollonia, I know there's something going on," she said.

"There isn't."

"No, I think there is. You're never like this."

Apollonia scuffed the dirt with her shoe and stared at the resulting dusty mist. "I can't tell you."

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't," said Apollonia. "If anyone ever found out about this, I'd be in big trouble."

"Oh, well now you have to tell me," said Joelle. "Did you let him go?"

"Who?"

"The Hylian! You let him go, didn't you?"

Apollonia glared at her. "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"I don't know. Was he young?"

"Well, now, that doesn't have anything to do with it ––"

"I mean, how young was he? There's a certain point where it just plain isn't right, you know."

"Is there?"

"Yes, of course. I wouldn't want you running around killing children," said Joelle. "And I'm sure Hellime wouldn't, either. And I hope Ganondorf wouldn't, either."

"Don't mention him," Apollonia said with a frustrated sigh.

"I just mean that there are some situations where it's okay to let someone off," said Joelle. "It's not like he saw your face or anything, right?"

Apollonia tried to keep her guilt inside. "Right," she said, which wasn't quite a lie. The Hylian hadn't seen her face that time. "And –– you're right. He was pretty young. I –– I told him to take his horse, get out, and never come back this way again. I think I scared him pretty bad. Then I met up with you guys. I just didn't want to tell Zephyra about it because… you know how she can get."

"Oh, I know."

"So that's what happened."

"Well, that's okay!" Joelle gave her a pat on the shoulder. "See, now, don't you feel better?"

"A little. You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"I won't," said Joelle. She paused. "So it wasn't the same Hylian from the other night?"

"What do you… oh. Like I said, I couldn't really tell. Now, can we stop talking about this?"

"Alright, alright," said Joelle. She leaned back and gave her horse, Carnelian, a stroke on the muzzle. "Still, it was a shame you had to miss that raid last night. Hellime's impressed. I told her you were with us, just so you'd get some of the credit, too."

"Yeah," Apollonia said absently. "Look, I better go."

"Why?"

"I dunno," she said. "I probably have things to do. Don't you?"

Joelle arched an eyebrow. "Perhaps."

Apollonia said nothing else, just took a few tentative steps out into the hot sun. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was going to do once she got there, but she couldn't stay around much longer being interrogated.

For a while she just walked, until she reached the gates that led out into the desert. The yellow sands stretched for miles –– how far, no one really knew. She wished she could just walk and walk and walk until she was eons away from Hyrule. But she couldn't, and she didn't.