-Chapter 10-
The Den of Thieves

Link swung off Epona and parked the animal beneath the shade of a flowering tree. He tossed it a carrot and brushed her mane. Looking up, he could see the stronghold of the Gerudo tribe. Situated upon a cliff, the adobe built base was defended by guards patrolling the perimeter. Link squinted his eyes in the darkness as he counted the armed women. There were four on the ground, armed with halberds. They were pacing. Up above were two guards. To the side, one was posted in front of a gated door, arms crossed. She was unarmed and was seemingly guarding something.

Link stealthily crept behind two wooden crates and poked his head out. The guards' backs were turned to him, and he reached into his quiver and notched an arrow to his bow. Pulling back on the drawstring, he sent the projectile crashing into one woman's back. She let out a tiny yelp then slouched to her knees, dead. The second Gerudo instantly pivoted around, but she too was pierced by an arrow, and she fell.

With those two taken care of, Link slipped into the fortress. There were decorative masks and torches hanging from the walls and boxes on the floor that contained grains. Carefully, Link prodded around making trying to figure out where to go. He walked along the hallway following the descending slope, his hand clutching his bow tightly. After moving his way deeper into the fortress, he smelled something.

Link stole a peek around the corner and spotted a hoard of Gerudos sitting in the kitchen. There were six of them. They were cooking something, and white smoke was wafting from the boiling pot. Link looked up and found a flight of stairs that led to another hallway. He drew back his bow ready to shoot them down. However, a thought occurred to him. He was clearly outnumbered, and an arrow would attract too much attention. He doubted he could pull out his sword fast enough in case he was rushed at.

Thinking his plan over, Link lowered his bow and assessed the situation more clearly. He had to get to the other side without being caught. Looking around, he found a wooden beam hanging from the ceiling. It was used to brace the roof and prevent it from collapsing. In this instance, however, Link had a different use for it. Taking out his longshot, he fired the chain at the beam and used it to pull himself to the other side of the room.

Suddenly Link found himself on the floor, and a Gerudo woman was glaring down at him. She had a sword in her hand. Link immediately rolled away and rose to his feet. He blocked an attack with his shield and pushed the woman back. The girl let out a terrifying cry as she swung her sword madly. Link deftly dodged and pivoted behind her. Drawing his sword, he hammered the Gerudo's head with the hilt of his weapon, and she crashed into the wall.

Link turned around just in time to duck under the point of a razor sharp halberd spear. Tracing the wooden weapon to its owner, he frowned. It was another Gerudo. Link fell back as the woman continued her thrusts. The tip of the spear collided with Link's shield and nearly knocked him back. Regaining his footing, Link raised his shield arm and caught the halberd immobilizing his opponent. Holding on tightly, he brought down his sword and shattered the spear in twine. He delivered a swift kick that turned the Gerudo warrior. With a sudden lunge, the warrior fell.

Fearing he had attracted attention, Link made a run for it and found himself in another hallway. He was clearly lost in this labyrinth of corridors. He had gone up and down so many flights of stairs, and he feared he would never find Zelda. Link brushed the thought out of his mind and kept walking. There were voices down the hall, and he stopped at a wooden door. Placing his ear beside it, he listened.

"I hope you're happy," Link heard someone snap. He gently pushed the door open a tad just to be able to glance inside. There, he found Zelda captive behind a cell. She was tied up to a wooden chair and certainly unpleased. Link turned his attention to the woman who was also in the room. She had two swords fastened to her back. Link nodded. It was Nabooru. She hadn't changed at all these past seven years. Her red hair was tied up in the ponytail, and her arms were folded as she took an earful from the unhappy princess.

"You ruined Hyrule and all for what- rupees that you haven't received?"

Nabooru bit her lip as she pounded her fist on the metal cell bars. "The state of Hyrule does not concern me, princess. It also does not concern me that I have not received any ransom money. The Hylians are all dead, and you are the last of their pitiful kind. The Gerudos are now free from Hylian oppression, free from this dry, arid desert. When Hyrule fell, it was more rewarding than any sum of money."

"Then why do you still have me chained here?"

Nabooru smiled. "Insurance… or a sacrifice to the Goddess of the Sand."

Zelda gritted her teeth as she struggled to fight out of her harnesses. "Let me go! I'll never forgive you for this. If Link was here-"

"He'd what? Your precious Link had probably died by now. Monsters like the Stalfos are running rampant out there, and they are treacherous. Despite what you may think, he'll never come for you." With that, Nabooru turned and walked out of the room.

Zelda shook her head, knowing that Link was fine. He was the Hero of Time after all. She glanced at the back of her hand, the lower left triangle illuminated. For the past few days, she had this burning sensation inside of her. Her Triforce had been glowing, giving her strength and hope. Her spirits had begun to lift knowing Link had pulled the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. He was here, somewhere.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she imagined her Link. She remembered the first time he had saved her from captivity. He looked courageous then and to mention, quite handsome. His innocent boyish face had become battle hardened, and there was a glint of determination in his eyes. Zelda curled the sides of her lips upward. He had fought bravely against Gannon, able to hold his own without the aid of the Master Sword. She had no doubt he would come to her rescue again. For the first time in seven long years, she smiled.

However, her thoughts were interrupted as there was an explosion at her door. Smoke was everywhere, and it made her vision poor. Coughing, she wondered what was going on. She could hear someone rattling the cage door, and when she opened her eyes, she could have fainted.

"Link…"

He lifted a finger to his lips, and he quickly untied her from the chair. Suddenly his body crashed into hers, and Zelda nearly toppled over. His strong arms embraced her.

"I am so sorry, Zelda," Link apologized as he held her tightly. "I made you wait for so long."

"It's okay, Link. I'm fine," she whispered as she held back her tears. She cupped Link's cheek and stared into his eyes. "I knew you'd come." Zelda could feel her heart lighten at this gaze, and she threw her arms around him. She felt like she was dreaming, and she squeezed the boy harder, feeling his muscular body between her arms.

Link returned a faint smile as he lifted himself from his knees and helped the girl up. As he was about to ready to turn around, a voice called out to him.

"What is going on in here?" Nabooru yelled out as she raced back in the room. The smoke had cleared and she found the cage door thrown open. "Zelda! Guards!" Her eyes scanned the room, picking up the sight of something green. "So that's what happened..."

Link unsheathed his sword. Nabooru had an amused smile on her face, and her arm was twitching ready for a fight.

"I'm sorry to break up this sweet reunion, but I can't have you take the princess. You, however, may join her for the sacrificial ceremony."

Link tossed his shield aside, not needing it for this fight. Speed would be essential here, and the added weight would only slow him down. He would have to rely on his reflexes to carry him through this fight.

The two ran at each other, the intent to kill written all over their face. Nabooru let out a blood curling shriek as she brought down her sword. The blades crashed with such force that it hurled both fighters away from one another. Link parried a thrust and knocked aside Nabooru's weapon. Quickly, he cut her in the thigh. Blood dripped down.

"Well isn't this interesting: the exact same cut in the exact same place." Nabooru let out a laugh. "This is wonderful."

She charged after Link, swinging her sword with fury. Link dropped to one knee as he brought his blade up to block the attacks. His sword arm was throbbing at the amount of pressure he was under, and his weapon was kicked to the ground. Defenseless, he felt the ground for his sword.

Nabooru was spinning wildly as she unleashed a barrage of attacks that nearly took Link's head off. Frantically, he dove to the ground and picked up his shield just as Nabooru lunged for him. Getting out of the way, Link reached into his bag and pulled out a Deku nut. Striking the ground, it was able to momentarily freeze Nabooru. Link raced for his sword and sprang into the air. Coming back down, he unleashed a devastating slash that broke the Gerudo's weapon. Link spun, his sword cleaving Nabooru in the chest. The girl gasped and fell back against the wall.

Breathless, Link sheathed his weapon and stared down at the Gerudo who was laboring heavily in the corner. Her chest was ripped open, and blood was flowing uncontrollably.

"I can't believe it…" she tiredly spoke. "I lost."

Link turned away as the woman breathed her last. Her shoulders slumped and her weight gave out. Drained, Link fell to his knee and landed on his hands. He was coughing up blood. Hurriedly, Zelda came running to him, and she gently laid him on the ground. She ripped apart Link's tunic and found that he was bleeding. There was a nasty gash at his side.

"Oh god, Link. I need to find bandages." As she turned to find something to wrap his wound, Link pulled on her arm. Extending his finger, he pointed to his bag.

"Milk…"

Immediately Zelda reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of white Lon Lon milk. Uncorking the bottle, she lifted Link's head and let him drink. Instantly, the color returned to his cheeks, and his bleeding stopped. The gash was still present. Zelda ripped the bottom hem from her dress and used it to wrap around Link's midsection. After tying it, she helped Link stand.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Zelda replied with a smile.

They walked slowly to the outside. There were still Gerudo patrols there. Link lifted his ocarina to his lips and played Epona's song. He could hear neighing in the distance and the thundering footsteps of the horse. It immediately caught the guard's attention, and Link could see them chasing after the horse. Wrapping his arm around Zelda's waist, he fired his longshot at a nearby branch. He and Zelda swung into the air and landed gracefully onto Epona's strong back. Link snapped the reins hard, and the mare rocketed into a gallop.

The Gerudo thieves were hot on their trail as they crossed the bridge. Link took out his sword and cut the ropes. The suspension bridge fell into the water.

Having escaped and now far from danger, Link led Epona into a casual walk. He took the horse by the reins and led it to a nearby stream. As the horse drank, Link stripped off the bandage and proceeded to clean up the dried blood. The cool water stung his flesh, and he winced in pain. There were multiple cuts all along his body, and his muscles were aching and sore. He hadn't felt this beaten up since he fought Gannon.

Zelda came beside him. She had a frown on her face, and her worry was evident.

"Does it hurt?" she asked as she traced her fingers along his wounds.

Link looked at her and shook his head.

"It looks painful." Zelda was biting her tongue, still uncomfortable seeing the wounds that tarnished Link's body. They would turn into scars. Then she broke down.

Link placed both hands on the girl's shoulder and tried his best to get the girl to calm down. He hated to see people cry, and he hated to see Zelda sad. If anyone deserved to be sad, it was he. He had abandoned the girls for seven years. She was all alone in a cell, captive, as her people and her home were ravished and destroyed. The beautiful land of Hyrule looked like a wasteland. It was unrecognizable.

"Zelda, Zelda. Don't cry. Look at me," Link begged. "It's alright now. You're safe."

Zelda buried her face in his chest as she continued sobbing. Throughout the seven years, she had been forced to keep up a brave front. She refused to let her captors take satisfaction in her wallowing. The cold metal bars that held her in also sealed away her heart. Now in the arms of Link, she felt a giant weight was lifted from her shoulders, and she fell asleep.

Bad news, guys. I start school on Monday. NOOOOOO! Even more bad news...the next chapter is the final chapter. So it's probably going to be a bad week for me. Cheer me up by reviewing, okay? Hahaha. You all probably know there's no obligation to review, but it makes me feel good.

Rock out, party hard, live hardcore