Nabooru imagined that Kakariko's people must have grown nervous when they saw dozens of horse riders on the horizon. Sure enough, when she and her companions arrived, what remained of the town's militia eyed them warily from the other side of a row of metal bars.
The guard in control didn't open the massive gate that protected everyone behind it from Ganondorf's minions. "Halt! State your purpose."
At the head of the pack, Link called out to him, sounding composed and mature for someone so young. "I've returned with Mutoh and his workers from this village, Princess Ruto of the Zora, and Nabooru of the Gerudo."
"Their kind are not welcome," the guard spat, referring to the dark-skinned women.
Nabooru shrugged, letting his hostility roll off of her like water. "Oh well. I didn't expect a warm greeting. I am second-in-command of my people after Ganondorf. We're here to recruit a force to defeat him and end the war."
"Your desert rats are responsible for what's happened to Hyrule. You will never be welcome here."
"For Din's sake, Jerrod, let us in," Mutoh snapped. "My men haven't eaten in days."
The carpenter glared at his employees, still angry about the poor decisions they'd made in Gerudo Valley. His men lowered their heads like scolded puppies, and Nabooru privately chuckled at their stupidity in thinking they could just join the Gerudo.
Then again, Link snuck into the Gerudo fortress, and it worked out well for him. She took a moment to admire the boy's posture. She knew from their short time together how much he doubted himself, yet he sat tall (or as tall as a kid could sit) and resolute for the sake of the mission.
"I suggest you let us in before you suffer my royal wrath," said Princess Ruto, who had joined the group on their way here. She spoke with poise and superiority, her back straight and her head held high. "If you delay the fall of the man who has made my home suffer any longer, I'll feed you to Lord Jabu Jabu."
The guard looked from Hylian to Zora to Gerudo, speechless at the diversity of the gathering, and Link took the opportunity to reason with him.
"Please, sir. We have a plan to end the war, and I know how to find Zelda."
This got the townsfolk's attention. They began murmuring loudly enough that shouts from afar were no longer effective means of communication. Likely recognizing he had no way of stopping such a large force if they wanted to get in, the guard bit his tongue and opened the gate.
Link sent a messenger through the town to summon Darunia from Goron City, and Nabooru called out to everyone who could hear her.
"Love my people or hate them, it bothers me not! The Hero of Time is leading an assault on Ganondorf, and my women are here to help him! We ask that this village's remaining leaders meet with us so you can help too."
Link led the group to a house for the homeless, and the curious townsfolk parted for them, giving the Gerudo a wider berth than the rest.
At the front door stood the building's architect. "Hello, hero and Sages," the tall Sheikah woman greeted emotionlessly.
"Lady Impa, I take it?" Ruto asked and dismounted gracefully, the beautiful fins attached to her arms fanning out as if to show her station. "I am the Sage of Water and princess of the Zora, Ruto."
"I am the Sage of Spirit, Nabooru."
"And I am the Sage of Fire, Darunia!" boomed a voice. To everyone's shock, the Goron ran toward them, grinning and holding a great hammer over his shoulder. The ground seemed to quake beneath him, and Kakariko's citizens fell over each other in their scramble to get out of his way.
"Darunia?" Link asked, wide-eyed. "How are you here already?"
"Princess Zelda contacted me telepathically and told me the other Sages were meeting here."
"She told you correctly. I am the Sage of Shadow, Impa. Let us talk inside." Once everyone had gone in ahead of her, she addressed Kakariko. "Knights of Hyrule! Many of you abandoned the fight after the castle fell. There is no shame in that; had you faced Ganondorf or his monsters on your own, you would have been killed by his magic. But now we have a plan to take Hyrule back, and her highness needs your strength! This is a call to arms for those who have sworn oaths to this kingdom, and to anyone else able to fight for it."
Knights and villagers lured by the spectacle followed her into the large shelter. Link, the Sages, and the carpenter Mutoh sat in a circle at the center while others sat around them.
Nabooru snorted upon sensing all the eyes on her. People were too afraid to get close to a Gerudo, but apparently had not trouble ogling them. Men stared at her flat bare stomach and white top covering her large breasts, and abruptly she wondered if Link was eyeing her, hoping for another opportunity to tease him with her body.
To her disappointment, he was looking at someone else. Link's eyes lit up as he waved to a petite redheaded teen who came to stand stood between him and Mutoh.
"Are you all right, father?" she asked the older man.
"Yes, thanks to Link here."
Clasping her hands in front of her dress, Anju bowed politely to the boy in green. "Thank you so much. Between this and finding my Cuccos for me, I feel like you've done nothing but help me since we met."
When she sat down, a group of Gerudo fought for the other spot beside Link. Nabooru chuckled when Neesha, the girl his age who hit on him in the desert, won. The same height as Link, she stared suspiciously at the slim woman.
"I wish I had known this would happen today," said Anju. "I would have made myself presentable."
"You look fine," he replied, confused at her concern. "A lot of people are looking at the Gerudo, but some are looking at you too."
"You're just saying that," she replied shyly. Still, from her conservative (especially compared to the Gerudo in the room) long skirt, her demure manner, and the way she discreetly looked around to confirm his claim, Nabooru suspected that she was grateful for his words.
He shook his head. "Malon thinks so too."
"Well then, I'm lucky to have you both."
At length, Neesha asked the question which had been on Nabooru's mind. "Are you Link's girlfriend?"
The taller redhead blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
Mutoh turned to them in surprise. "Link...are you courting my daughter?"
"Wha...Father!" Anju squeaked in embarrassment, but Link only tilted his head in confusion.
The man who always seemed to wear a severe expression for scolding others gave Link a toothy grin. "You've shown in the past few days that you're strong and brave enough to protect her, and I already know you care about her wellbeing. You have my blessing."
"Father!" Anju repeated, the color of her cheeks matching that of her hair.
"You're too skinny," Neesha said to her. "A warrior's mate must be strong. I challenge you for the right to be his girlfriend!"
Neesha put her hand on Link's chest as if claiming him. Nabooru contained her laughter as he squirmed, but Impa decided she'd had enough. Crossing her arms, she cleared her throat. According to Gerudo spies, Impa was a captain of the knights before she became Zelda's nanny, so it didn't surprise Nabooru when she projected to the crowd and commanded their attention like she'd been barking orders her whole life.
"Thank you all for coming. The goal is to reach a rendezvous point in the Temple of Time. Sheik, one of our contacts, will bring Princess Zelda there once it is safe. We will escort Link there, and then her highness will find a way to join us. Only she and Link can defeat Ganondorf, and with the sacred temple boosting her magic, she can teleport them both to the castle."
"Sorry, but who is this 'Link'?" someone asked.
All went quiet. Nabooru's eyes darted to him, wondering how the shy kid would handle this. He looked up and quietly said,
"I am Link."
There was a pause before several people laughed. "He's just a kid. How's he going to hurt Ganondorf?"
Impa spoke, stopping the outburst before it could grow. "Link's power is real. He has saved the Gorons, the Zora, the Kokiri, Nabooru of the Gerudo, and even me."
"He may not look like much," Ruto added, and Link flinched from her brutal honesty, "but he is braver and more capable than any Hylian I have ever known."
Nabooru threw in her vote of confidence as well. "The Gerudo recognize him as an adult, despite his appearance."
Link seemed to shrink into himself from the dozens of eyes on him, and he said, slightly louder this time, "I have the only weapon that can hurt Ganondorf."
When he unsheathed a blade strapped across his back, the humor of some of the naysayers fell. "Is that...the legendary Master Sword?"
"It has to be a counterfeit."
"Either way, carrying it around is sacrilege, young man."
Link held the sword out nonthreateningly in his palms as if making an offering, his face impassive. "Then take it."
A volunteer rose to do so, but the moment he touched the purple hilt, pure white energy enveloped it. With a cry of pain, the man held his hand and stepped back.
The room broke into calamity which Impa silenced with a single shout. With a smirk, Nabooru explained to everyone what had happened.
"My sisters in the desert all tried to wield it with the same result. This is the Master Sword, and it burns everyone except Link. It has found him worthy to be its instrument of justice."
"It deals magical damage to evil beings," the boy added. "Like I said, it's the only weapon that can hurt Ganondorf."
Despite the display, some knights were not convinced. "Impa, do you expect us to believe that this war hinges on a child?"
Nabooru could tell from the darkening of Link's eyes that the remark angered him, but he spoke calmly.
"No. It doesn't hinge on me. It hinges on all of us. I may be the only one who can hurt Ganondorf, but I can't get there on my own. Castle Town is full of monsters."
"So what do you expect from us? We've already lost so much."
"We aren't asking for much. We're not going to just throw everyone we can into Castle Town," Ruto assuaged, and the desert ruler silently thanked the goddesses that someone with tact had joined their group; Nabooru was too callous, and Impa too frightening and demanding.
"Why not? Wouldn't that be the quickest way to recapture it?"
"The ReDead would infect weaker fighters, turning them into more ReDead. That would make the enemy stronger."
"So we need fighters who can stand up to them with minimal casualties..." Darunia mused before laughing. "My Goron soldiers can go into Castle Town first. The ReDead will break their teeth on our skin if they try to bite us."
Impa turned to the knights. "Once the Gorons have done their work, we will rush through and get Link to the temple. Her highness will take him to the castle from there. After that, everyone will pull out. Ganondorf will surely send more monsters once the ReDead fall, and there's no reason to stay and die. Ruto, can we count on your people to stay in the moat surrounding the outer walls and cover everyone's escape?"
"Of course."
"Excellent. When do we start?"
"We Sages need to get to our respective temples first," advised the Sheikah. "That way, we can add our magic energy to the spell Princess Zelda plans to use on Ganondorf."
"Then we will be on our way," declared Ruto. "I imagine we will be able to reach our separate destinations before the day is through."
"The rest of us will start our march on Castle Town tomorrow," Impa announced. "If we wait any longer, we'll risk the enemy finding out about our plans."
"Did everyone hear that?" Link called. "The war could be over tomorrow. Let's do our best!"
Everyone filed out of the building to gather what weapons and armor the peaceful town had. Nabooru expected the other Sages to leave immediately, but Ruto stopped in front of Link, hands on her hips.
"You had better not die tomorrow! I have a lot planned for us after the war ends." She winked and giggled, but whatever she meant seemed to go over his head as he nodded happily.
One of Nabooru's younger sisters stopped beside her. "Do you think the king will be okay?"
In an instant, the Spirit Sage's nonchalance gave way to rage. "We will gut him. Why do you even ask that?"
"No, I meant Link. He's our king now, right?"
Nabooru paused. If he killed Ganondorf, he would have the throne by right of superior combat, plus he would be the only male Gerudo left. She watched as Anju, Ruto, and Gerudo surrounded Link. He seemed to attract a lot of female attention.
If he were King, then Nabooru would be required by desert tradition to find a harem for him rather than for Ganondorf.
Her painted lips formed a smirk.
Malon sighed in relief when she saw Link and Epona heading toward the ranch. She didn't recognize the dark-skinned woman sharing his ride, however. To her surprise, Link dismounted at the entrance and left her behind, running the rest of the way to his girlfriend and looking distraught.
"Malon, I don't have much time, but I wanted to see you."
She smiled. "Thank you for coming. I've been worried. Who's your friend?"
"Her name's Aveil. Her boss Nabooru assigned her to protect me while I'm here. I know I'm not explaining a lot, but that's because I have to go back to Kakariko in a few minutes. Everyone's getting ready to march on Castle Town tomorrow."
A ball of dread formed in her stomach. "They're marching on Ganondorf?"
"Yes."
"Are you going with them?"
"Yes," he answered after a slight hesitation.
"Please don't fight him, baby. You've done so much already."
Clearly afraid of his taller girlfriend's reaction, he composed his expression, and she knew talking him out of this wouldn't be easy.
"Malon...I'm going to. I've made up my mind." A pause. "Are you mad at me?"
"Yes. I thought we talked about not pushing yourself too hard. You're going to just throw your life away if you fight Ganondorf!"
Link hated seeing her angry, especially at him. One of the incredible things about her was how she always smiled. Even when Ingo took over the ranch, she tried not to be angry at him.
"I've seen you and so many others suffer. I won't just do nothing. And I'm not throwing my life away. I'm going to live so I can see you again, b-because...you're really special to me, Malon." His eyes flickered away from her face. "But before I go, I have to know. I saw Anju in Kakariko. A Gerudo thought she was my girlfriend, and her dad didn't seem to mind the idea. Malon...you told me you don't want others knowing about us because people wouldn't approve. Is that the only reason?"
"I'm sorry, Link. No, it's not the only reason, and it's not because I think you're a bad boyfriend. I'm just not ready to tell others."
"Then why?" The familiar feelings of worthlessness rose inside him, and he tried to quell his anger, remembering what Darunia said: not everything is about you. "No, I'm sorry," he said quickly, seeing how guilty Malon looked. Before he could say something he knew he'd regret (and also because he simply didn't have time to be mad), he pulled a breathtaking ruby as big as her fist from his pouch and held it toward her.
"The Goron chief Darunia gave me this. He told me that rocks and jewels carry meaning. I want you to have it."
Malon told herself that her blush was a natural reaction to any man giving her a jewel, but she couldn't deny that her heart skipped a beat. "If the Goron ruler gave it to you, you should keep it."
He shook his head. "It's a promise that I'll come back. The Goron Ruby is special, like you, and after this is over, Darunia said he'd make it into a necklace for you. If I come back...will you still be mad at me?"
Her little hero had grown so much since they first met: he looked stronger, and she didn't know what happened since they left the forest that made him more confident, but she liked it.
Yet his use of "if" revealed the truth: he was scared. Malon wanted more than anything for him to be happy and not have to dislike himself because of people like Zelda. He didn't deserve everything the world had thrown at him, and besides that he was so much cuter when he smiled.
Realizing he needed her support, she dropped to her knees and captured him in a hug. "Of course not. Everything will be alright," she soothed. He squeezed her more tightly than he ever had, trembling slightly when he exhaled. "I'll be here for you."
He separated sooner than she thought he would, still a bit shaken. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now."
Her heart caught in her throat. He was going off to war, and despite his assurances, he could die. What did people say in these situations? Part of her wanted to tell him she loved him, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to admit that she had fallen for her friend, hero, and lover.
He turned around and ran before she could make up her mind, and she clutched the ruby to her chest, already missing him and praying he would come back safely.
