Ganondorf watched the sands around their campsite carefully, they had been lucky to find a stony spot, so creatures couldn't attack from strait under them, but sandworms could still jump onto the stone if they were hungry enough. He heard someone stirring behind him.
"You're awake Chariton?"
"Y-yeah."
Ganondorf kept his eyes on the sand "Why are you in the desert?"
"I… thought that maybe I could help. I mean you've helped me so much."
Ganondorf frowned "Chariton, I appreciate the thought, but you're no Gerudo. It could be days before we even get a drink of water, and you're not trained for that."
"… I'm sorry. I didn't want to be a burden."
Ganondorf shook his head "What's done is done. I doubt you could reach the edge of the desert alive, so you'll just have to come with us. You'll have to learn to survive in the desert, fast."
He slid a dagger across the stone over to Chariton "Start by having that beside you at all times, even when you sleep."
Chariton nodded and secured the dagger to his belt "I understand."
The four adventurers clamored over the mountainside, or rather the three light adventurers clamored. Midna simply floated along, occasionally yelling a cheer or two back at them.
"Let's go! We've almost reached the cliff! And after that there's only about a thousand more cliffs!"
She giggled and landed on the stone ledge above them.
Link looked at her, exasperated, and clamored up after her. A few seconds later Ganondorf joined them, mentally thanking the goddesses for making the desert flat. He was in his normal attire again, and armor never seemed so heavy.
Zelda took quite a while to join them. The princess wasn't exactly the fittest of the lot. She was dressed in a page's outfit, a bow and quiver on her back and a thin sword at her side, her hair was pulled back in a braid and her face was bright red, she was sweating in places she hadn't even known existed. She collapsed onto the ledge with a huff.
"I never… thought… this would be… so hard!"
Midna rolled her eyes "I know it's not you're fault, but this is yet another example of why a life of luxury is not fitting for a princess."
Zelda smiled "If you can persuade my father that then I am forever indebted to you."
She got up slowly "All right, I'm ready to-"
Her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the ledge again
Ganondorf groaned "Oh for dins sake! Muerte will have destroyed Hyrule before we even get half way up the mountain!"
Zelda looked guilty and made another attempt to get up. Link and Midna both glared at Ganondorf.
Zelda collapsed again and Ganondorf sighed, he walked over to her and knelt down "Get on my back."
"What?"
"You heard me. It would be just plain idiotic to have the holder of the triforce of wisdom die before we even got across the mountains."
Zelda still didn't move, Ganondorf sighed and rolled his eyes. Then he grabbed Zelda and swung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Zelda's eyes widened to the size of saucers but she saw the sense in it and didn't complain.
Link and Midna both struggled to hold back laughs as Ganondorf started back up the mountain. They were only partially successful, breaking into muffled snorts as they followed.
Midna floated a few feet in front of Link, turned backward so she could talk to him "Maybe all the women should be carried?"
Link smiled and gave a little imitation howl.
She grinned "I suppose you have carried me a lot already." Suddenly she spun around in a full circle, casting an illusion on herself that made her look like Ganondorf "Me Ganondorf! Me in hurry! Me carry princesses like vegetables!"
Ganondorf spun around to confront her but Midna had already removed the illusion "So do you know what's on the other side of the mountain Link?"
Link shook his head.
"Pity. You know, my kingdom isn't the only one back home. There were three Interlopers and each of them started their own kingdom. None of us get along very well"
Ganondorf suddenly started paying attention, after all the other kingdoms might turn out to be his allies. He wasn't paying attention to the mountain any more, he didn't notice flawlessly spherical stone the size of a large cat until he put his hand on it, and it bit him.
He gave out a yell and stepped back suddenly, almost losing his footing and causing a shower of rocks to cascade onto Midna and Link.
Midna scowled up at him "What the heck was that for?!"
Ganondorf didn't answer, the rock had sprouted an eye. The front of the stone split in two, revealing several razor-sharp teeth, and four tektike like legs sprouted out of its sides.
Zelda was twisting her head left and right to try and get a look at what ever was causing such strange noises. Ganondorf slowly put her down, trying not to spook it, just as he was reaching for his sword it attacked. The thing flew through the air with a screech and Ganondorf whipped out his, Zelda leapt back as so not to get cut and the sword sliced the creature in two, spraying them with silvery blood. The blood burned, leaving red scorches down on both Ganondorf and Zelda's skin.
If it had been nothing but that it would have been a shaking encounter, but at the creature's dying screech, thousands more of is kindred leapt from their hiding places along the mountainside.
Link and Midna had clamored up the rocks between them and their allies in seconds, Link with the master sword drawn and Midna with twin bolts of twili magic ready. Zelda swung her bow off her shoulder and loaded it with an arrow.
Seconds later, the creatures attacked with a screech of war.
