A/N: I am SO sorry this took so long to update! Life got in the way, and... Well, y'know. I wanted to thank you for the 830 views so far! I really hope you continue to enjoy my story! This is take one of me trying to make Anali more child-like. I think it was an oversight on my part to make her so adult. It was also a mistake for me to have her call glass "clear metal" in a chapter - when in the first chapter she knew what glass was. XD Whoopsies. Anyway! I hope you like. Thank you so much for reading - let me know what you think! Enjoy! 3

xxx

Chaos.

Smashing against rocks and water heaving me under, gushing up my nose, into my lungs.

Burning.

My eyes sting and clamp themselves shut.

It's cold.

Beyond cold.

I flail, trying to find air. Push myself up. Tides rip at my clothes and pull me down.

No pain. Just endless tumbling, jostling movement. I hit a boulder head on, peel off and twist downstream.

Water whirls past me, around me, rolls in and over itself. I grind against the bedrock, feel my head hit the bottom. My lungs grovel for air.

Boiling.

Crushing.

I take in water.

It's all over.

Fresh, freezing air for half a second as a waterfall throws me over the side. A waterfall. Blue light pierces through my eyelids. My ears roar. Then a crash and I'm under again.

This is it.

Warmth wells up from my bones, my blood. Boulders and tides pound against my body, but I barely feel them. The sting in my nostrils lessens, and a dull thought enters my mind.

It's amazing how similar death is to sleep…

And then nothingness.

First the heat and hearing. Then feeling returns. I'm hit by a cosmic feeling – the notion that, had things gone differently, something larger than myself – the same something I'd felt yesterday – would have been drastically altered. The rest of me swims. I'm in some sort of fog. Coughing. Something holds me. I hear the drip of water and sloshing steps. Wind.

"Don't worry little one," someone whispers. A woman. When I breathe in, I taste fish. "Whatever darkness you have been through, you are now beyond it."

But he's wrong. As soon as he says this, the darkness takes hold again.

xxx

This time, I wake to fire and blankets. It's dark. I sit up slowly. Where am I? For a moment, my eyes are blurry. I'm alive. But why? I may as well be dead… My people cast me out over Nabooru's lies.

Hate fills my chest.

Why did she blame it on me? Why me and not Abana, too? Was she not there too? Or was it Abana that blamed the escape on me?

Curse them both! May the Wastelands eat their souls!

Nothing hurts but the blow to my dignity.

Sadreah, my fanny.

Voices reach me from beyond the door. They're speaking Hylian, and so quietly I can hardly hear them. Something… "Take her…"

Take me? Take me where? I shudder and wrap the blanket closer around me.

No way am I letting anyone else touch me.

Not after what just happened.

I look around for my weapon, my shield, but they're nowhere to be seen. My clothes are, though. They're hanging up to dry over the fireplace. I'm in some kind of woolen dress. It feels strange; I've never worn a dress before. I'd much rather be in my old clothes. I'm just about to stand when the door opens. An old man comes in, along with a tall figure with blue skin, and fins like a fish. I can't help staring. She – they look female, anyway – gives me a small smile. The old man is the first to speak.

"You are very lucky to be alive, young missy. Indeed, it's a miracle! There's barely a scratch on you… What is your name?"

I don't say a word. The fish woman and the old man look at each other.

"Perhaps she is in shock?" She says. Her voice sounds familiar. Bubbly. Garbled. Like I heard it before in a dream. She raises a webbed hand to me, as if offering it. And then she says it again: "Worry not, child. Whatever darkness you have seen, you are now beyond it."

Could this be the woman that saved me? Still I say nothing. If I speak, they will know I am a foreigner. What would they do with me then?

"You are lucky this Zora found you," the old man continues. "Otherwise you should have drowned."

I should have drowned? Is this man wishing death upon me? I grip the sheets tighter. I have to get out of here. I glance at my clothes. So close yet so far away…

But if I did get out, where would I go? I have no place I can call home anymore. The clothes are pure shadows against the fire. I can barely see the fabric…

Black. The color of exile.

After a long silence, the Zora speaks again. "Perhaps we should leave her alone for a while. Let her rest."

"Yes, mayhaps. Though, wasn't there something you wanted to ask her?"

"About the sword and shield? Later, when she can speak."

Sword and shield? My weapons! As the Zora turns away, I launch myself from the table they've set me on and try to run past her.

I want out but I'm scared of being alone. I'm afraid of these people and this strange land. I want to go home but I hate home and Nabooru and Abana and Ganondorf and…

The dress is heavy and strange and I trip and fall into the old man's arms. He's stroking my hair and hushing me before I even notice the tears falling.

No, you fool! Don't cry in front of these people. It makes you look weak. It makes you look…

Like a child.

Before I know it, my body is curled up in the man's arms and I am washing him with my tears.

xxx

It is deep night now. No more time for tears. I will not cry over those people again. They are liars and fools and thieves – everything the Hylians think they are. I am glad to be rid of them.

The old man says he will write his student to come and take me away somewhere. Give me food and a home. The word he said sounded something like "orange-ish". It's a place where adults take care of kids without parents.

What a stupid name.

When I heard this, I thought somehow of Ingo, and how roughly he treated me and Malon. About Nabooru. About the beating. I don't trust this adult not to do to me what the others have.

I won't let them hurt me again.

If only I could have completed my plan. Then I'd set the prisoners free on all of the Gerudo instead… Goddess knows they deserve it.

It is night and even though my clothes are still damp, I put them on. At dusk, I washed in the lake, and the Zora gave me back my sword and shield. She tried to ask me about what happened to make me wind up in Lake Hylia – the name of this water – but I would not respond to her. She looked at me, seeming to know everything even though I had not spoken, kissed my hand, and was gone. When I had finished washing, I found a bottle full of water by the dress.

It hurts to move. I am covered in bruises and scratches. The man's eyesight must be poor. Could it be so poor that he would not miss food if I took it?

But no, I will not be like the Gerudo.

Not that I ever was.

I start down a narrow road to somewhere just before dawn.

If I can't be Gerudo anymore, I'll be a Hylian. I'll stop Ganondorf before his plan can even begin.

I owe Princess Zelda for the kindness she showed me.

I at least owe her her family.

I have to warn them before it's too late.

I walk in the dark, trying not to trip. Hyrule's darkness is a lot different from Valley darkness. Calmer, with less wind and less cold. But more bugs. I spend the remaining night and early hours swatting at them and running from Stallchildren. By early morning, I start to get hungry.

This isn't good.

I'd forgotten about food. I barely touched the meal the old man gave me, in case it was poison, and now I'm suffering for it…

Everything aches now, including my feet.

What should I do?

I try to fill myself up with water, but I only end up having to pee in the bushes, and then the hunger comes back.

Then I hear a mooing in the distance.

A cow.

The ranch must be nearby!

I run over the top of a hill and see its walls, guarded and gated as ever. I'm afraid of Ingo, but I'm also too hungry to give him much thought.

I'll eat him if I have to!

I'm at the gate before I realize something. If Ingo sees me, will he let me in?

Somehow I doubt it.

Then what should I do? Sneak in? Hide somewhere until I can get Malon to… Do what? Help me? Would she even do that?

Suddenly, I doubt. I back away from the gate. I could find berries somewhere. Keep going. After all, there's no time to waste. Ganon could be coming any day now…

Horse hooves. I shrink back against the ranch's walls and wait for it to lumber past. It's not one horse, but two, pulling a carriage. Through the crates in the back, I can see the balding head of Ingo. He mutters to himself over the trotting of the horses.

What luck!

Cracking a smile, I dash through the ranch's gates and run straight into the fields. There's no one around but cows and horses. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Still, I look for some place to hide. If they see me, will they throw me out?

Why would they? Customers must come here all the time, right?

But then again, those customers are usually able to pay for their food…

I crouch behind horses as I think of what to do, careful not to step in their poo. Goddess, there's a lot of it…

"Anali!"

I jump as I hear my name said. Look around.

A redhead runs up to me, dropping a basket full of eggs as she lunges for me.

For the second time, she knocks the wind out of me. "Hello, Malon," I manage, once my breath is back.

"You came to visit!" She lets go of me, sees the bruises and such on my face. "You look awful! What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

She looks concerned. "Oh… ok…. Do you want some ice? Some steak to cover that eye of yours?"

Steak? What good would meat do me, except to eat? My stomach growls at the thought. "Food, Malon," I tell her. "I need food…"

"Sure! When I'm done harvesting them, you can have some of the – Oh no!" She rushes away and kneels beside the basket. I follow her. A lot of the eggs are broken, the inside spilling out through the weaving. "What'll I do? Ingo will be so mad if he finds out!"

My throat tightens. Something tells me I know what happens when Ingo gets mad. "I will eat the broken ones," I say. "Quickly! Cook them and if there is a mess, tell him you were hungry."

"Then he'll be even madder! These eggs are for selling, not for eating!"

"Then…." My palms feel sweaty. I cannot think straight. I clutch my stomach.

"I'll think of something!" She says, picking up the basket and shielding the bottom with her free hand. "Come with me!"

She leads me back toward the gate, through a door and up some stairs, where a set of beds and some cooking supplies lie. Noon light pours through the upper windows. She breaks the broken eggs further and fries them in a pan. On one bed, a man sleeps soundly, snoring loud enough to wake the stallchildren. I look at him before going into the room fully. Seeing me hesitate, Malon smiles. "That's just Daddy," she says. "He sleeps all hours! He won't wake up. Sit down."

I can smell the eggs cooking and I can't help drooling. I find a seat by a round table between the beds and the kitchen. When she serves me, I hardly wait for her to put a fork down before I start eating. She puts another bottle down beside me. "There you go!" She says with a smile. "Fresh Lon Lon Milk, on the house!"

I look at her. "This milk has been on the house?"

She giggles. "No, no! It's a saying, silly. It means I'm giving it to you for free!"

Oh. I flush. "I… Thank you."

"No problem! You're my friend, aren't you?" She puts a hand on my shoulder and I flinch.

Friend?

The last time I trusted a redhead….

But still. She seems different than the others. Simple. Kind. I can't help but like her. "Yes, Malon," I reply. "We are friends."

She giggles again. "It's so funny how you say my name! It sounds like 'melon'."

I blush again. My accent… Did I say something embarrassing? "I'm sorry…"

"It's ok! It's only because you can't speak Hylian well."

I swallow the sweet, sweet eggs and milk. "What is a melon?"

"You don't know what a melon is?!" She exclaims. "It's a type of fruit. It's big and around like this – see?" She shows me. "And it's green and pink and yummy!"

I can't imagine fruit to be the size of a small child, but if she says so. "May I see this melon?"

"Um… No…" She looks embarrassed now. "We don't have any on the ranch. But they sell them in Castletown! Next time we go there, I'll buy you one and we'll share!"

"Castletown?" The name reminds me of the princess. I have to get to her as fast as possible…. "When will you go there again?"

"Well… Ingo just went to drop off a shipment of milk in town, and we won't have enough milk to ship another for about three weeks…"

"Three weeks! I have to get there now!" She looks surprised at my outburst. "Sorry," I murmur. "It is just… very important that I get to Castletown soon."

"Why?"

How could I explain this to her? If I did, would she even understand? "I… have to see a friend who is in trouble," I say.

Again, she looks concerned. "What kind of trouble?"

"They have… How do you say… Having rock times…"

"Having a hard time?"

"Yes." I hate lying to her. But it's not really a lie, is it? If Princess Zelda's father dies, won't that mean hard times for us all?

She seems to understand. "If there is anything I can do to help, you will tell me right?"

"Yes." Then I think of something. "How fast is it to Castletown from here?"

"On horseback? A day, maybe two."

"And walking?"

"Much slower. I don't know how long."

I bite my lip. "I will wait for your next shipment, then. Is there a place for me to hide here? Ingo will not like me coming here…"

"You're right…" Her eyes light up. "Don't worry! I know just the place. Are you done eating?"

When I nod, she takes my hand and we run down the stairs again and through the fields. She opens a small door, and we walk into a room filled by two cows and crates. The cows moo at the sight of us, chewing hay from the blocks of it that surround them. She begins moving the crates. "Help me!" She says, and I do. Eventually we push most of them aside, revealing a hole in the wall big enough to crawl through. She ducks under and I follow.

The hole is a comfortable size and full of hay as well. She flops down in it, sending up a loose pile. It lands in her hair, and she smiles. "This is where we keep the baby calves when they're sick. Don't worry, it's clean now." She pats the hay next to her, and I sit. "I come here sometimes after Ingo gets mad at me. It's nice and quiet, among the cows…"

"What do you do here?"

"I sing. Ingo doesn't like it when I sing." She frowns. "'You're here to work, not to sing show tunes'!" She mocks, making a gruff voice. I can't help but laugh. "He doesn't like it, but the cows do! Every time I sing, they give lots of milk! Ingo and Daddy don't believe me, but they do! I even think I can hear them talking sometimes!"

"Then they should let you sing," I say. "Would not Ingo be happier with more money?"

"He's never happy with anything…" She trails off. Then: "Wait a minute!" She screeches so loud I jump and plug my ears. "That's it!"

"What's it?" I ask.

"Singing! If I can sing enough, maybe the cows will make milk faster – and you can be there to see your friend sooner!"

"That's genius!" I cry. "Sing, then! Sing like the wind!"

"I will! And look!" She points to the crates outside. "That's half a shipment right there. All we need is the other half!"

"Praise the Goddess!" I say in Gerudo.

"What?"

"I said… Praise the…. Goddesses…."

"Yeah," she says with a smile. "Oh no! I forgot to clean up the mess I left in the kitchen! I'll be right back!"

She vanishes through the crawlspace, shuts the door behind her, and is gone.

A smile reaches my face. For once, I feel safe. Ganondorf's shadow still hangs over my head, but in this hay I am calm enough to let myself rest.

I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, and in my dreams, there is a boy in green.