Chapter 10: Haven

Confused, Nabooru woke up. She did not recognize the room in which she had slept, although that was to be expected. After losing consciousness deep within enemy territory, a soldier does not expect to wake up and find themselves at home. However, she did not seem to be a prisoner, either. The sheets on her bed, soaked through with sweat, were plain, but not what one would find in a prison cell. The door to the room stood open slightly, with no guard in sight.

Making up her mind, she decided to leave before someone came around to correct her situation. Her clothes were nowhere to be found, but instead she found a plain light-brown dress laid out, obviously intended for her. The thought of wearing something that would restrict her ability to fight disgusted her, but it was better than nothing- although not by much, in her mind. In the end, the desire to avoid notice won out over the desire to be able to fight, so a few minutes later, she emerged from the room.

She walked down a flight of stairs to the ground level of the building. While she would have preferred to simply exit out of an upper floor window, the only window in the room opened out over a fairly large marketplace. It was still early in the morning, but enough people were already out that she would be noticed.

"Oh, you're awake." The voice that suddenly came from behind her startled her, making her basic training kick in. Almost immediately, her hand was shooting towards where the other's throat would most likely be. Before it could make contact, someone applied gentle, yet forceful, pressure to her arm, bringing it to a stop.

"No need to be so uncivil to each other," the speaker remarked. He was in view now, a tall man with medium-length blonde hair. He wasn't particularly muscular, but something about him carried the air of strength.

"What do you want?" she demanded, never taking her eyes off his.

"Nothing," he responded kindly. "I would, however, appreciate it if you would permit me to remain conscious."

A muffled sound from the bottom of the stairs drew Nabooru's attention away, although she still was wary of the man who was now behind her. A young woman, probably only a few years older than Nabooru, stood in a side door.

"My fiancée, Erin," the man informed her. "She has been caring for you." Nabooru fought the impulse to trust the two of them and lower her guard.

"What do you want?" she repeated.

"We want you to be safe," the woman replied. "To be of another race and in Castle Town at this time could be very dangerous for you."

"It's true," the man added. "The Gorons and Zoras have gone to war with us and each other, the Sheikah have been gone for centuries, and the Kokiri… well, they still do whatever it is that they do in that forest of theirs, but nobody is exactly being friendly to us Hylians. If you'd been discovered at the sight of a Goron assault, it wouldn't have been pleasant for you, so I brought you back here to recover."

"Why?"

"I have eyes. You collapsed near the bodies of five of your comrades and two dead Gorons. You were clearly fighting them, so I managed to sneak you out before the other guards arrived."

"It might have been clear to others what had happened, but they would also know that you came to kidnap our people."

"W-we didn't…" Nabooru desparately searched for a way out of this situation.

"Don't think that we don't know what you do with the men you capture," the man advised. "You're every bit the enemy of our tribe as the Gorons."

"Why did you save me, then?" Silence followed her question.

"I really don't know," the man answered at last. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to work." He walked the rest of the way down the stairs, nudging Nabooru slightly as he passed, as if he didn't even know she was there. Without turning around, he walked out into the street and disappeared.

"Please excuse him," the woman requested. "He doesn't regret saving you, miss, um…"

"Nabooru,"

"If he'd had any doubts about bringing you here he wouldn't have done so," she assured. "However, it would still be a good idea if you left the city as soon as you can."

"What's going on here?"

"It's as he said earlier. The tribes are at war, and any race that hasn't revealed their intentions would make people nervous. The biggest threat is your Gerudos, since what few descendants of the Sheikah are left sided with us, and the Kokiri can't leave their forest." She sighed. "I kind of envy them, you know. No battles, none of their people leaving to never come back… When you get back to your people, make sure they stay out of this war. There's nothing to be gained from senselessly killing each other."

"How do I leave?"

"Follow the alleys away from the central market. Don't act like you're hiding anything, but try to stay in the shadows of the buildings if you can." She reached for a cloth bundle sitting on a nearby table. "These belong to you."

Inside the cloth were the twin swords that Nabooru had carried north with her. She thanked Erin and left the way she was told, avoiding contact with strangers as much as possible. After turning a few corners, a dark shape dropped in front of her.

"Nabooru?" it asked. It was a few seconds before she remembered the voice.

"Terai?" she asked, hesitantly.

"What happened?" the older woman asked. Nabooru told her about the fight and waking up in the strange house. She told about what she had learned, and the way she was told to leave.

"Continue the way you have been going," Terai commanded. "Keep going until you reach the village. I'll follow, but I have to make sure nobody follows us."

"Are you sure?"

"Go!" Despite Erin's instructions not to do anything in a suspicious manner, Nabooru turned and ran.