Disclaimer: ...Don't you know this by now? Anyways, me no own Zelda.
Dear Goddesses
Chapter 14 - Traveling Friends
Amber yawned and stretched as she pushed open the door to her house. Jenny collapsed on the couch, tired, and waved her hand. "Amber, I'm gonna..." Jenny paused to yawn. "Sleep downstairs."
The redhead nodded and continued upstairs with Link following. She pushed open her bedroom door and looked around, her eyes suddenly wide. "W-what happened?" She stepped inside and instantly started cleaning up the mess. Clothes were everywhere, there were books on the floor, and her single poster had been ripped carelessly in half.
Link stepped into the doorway, staring at the mess. "Amber?"
Amber stopped her cleaning and looked back at Link with a half-smile as she held the ripped poster in her hands. "I don't know what happened... But I'm thinking about calling the police. Can you go get Jenny and bring her up here with the phone?"
The blond nodded and hurried down the stairs to get her. Amber stood up and walked over to her trash can to throw away the poster. She picked up some jeans and a t-shirt, hurried into the bathroom and changed before Jenny and Link made it back upstairs. When Jenny stepped into the room she gasped at the mess and handed Amber the phone.
Just as Amber was about to dial the number of the police department she was stopped when Jenny pointed behind her in disbelief. She turned a bit to see who it was and screamed with joy. "Sheik!" She exclaimed as she dropped the phone and ran to give him a hug.
Sheik smiled under his facial cloth as Amber hugged him. He could definitely get used to that. "Is everything okay, Amber?"
Amber pulled back and nodded, noticing the jealous look on Link's face. She giggled and stepped beside Link and took a hold of his hand to comfort him. "We're fine. I was just about to call the police about the mess. I think someone broke in and was trying to steal something."
Sheik gave a sad nod. "I..know who it was."
The two girls tilted their heads in confusion. "You do? Who?" Amber asked.
The Sheikah turned to look out Amber's window. "It was the two shadows. They tried to steal the Master Sword."
Link took a step forward. "But they can't touch it. Why try?"
Sheik turned around to look at Link, and only Link, with a disapproving look in his eye. "The Hero of Time left it alone to have fun. Why else?"
The elf looked toward the ground in shame. Amber shook her head. "We were celebrating my birthday... isn't that something?"
Jenny nodded and took a step forward, poking Sheik in the chest. "Link deserves his fun, you know! So he left the Master Sword alone for a few hours, it was no big deal!"
Sheik carelessly moved Jenny's finger away. "But he's left Hyrule alone in its time of need."
This time all three teens cast their gaze to the floor. Amber started mumbling something. She looked up and opened her mouth to say something aloud, but stopped herself as Link started speaking. "I'm sorry, Sheik. I'm assuming I'm able to go back to Hyrule now, since you're here."
The Sheikah nodded and pointed to Amber's closet floor, where the opening to Lake Hylia was dimly shining. Amber took a step forward and peered into the hole, noticing that it was raining in Lake Hylia. She looked up at Sheik with a curious glance, and he took a step next to her. He kneeled down as Amber leaned on all fours to look at the hole. "We can only go between the two worlds while it is raining at Lake Hylia," he stated.
"And only then?" Amber asked curiously, leaning forward again.
"Only then. We only have a matter of minutes before this hole will close again."
Amber, Jenny and Sheik turned when they heard the click of Amber's bathroom door. In a matter of minutes Link was stumbling out of the bathroom with his tunic, sword, shield and hat in place. Navi flitted around by his head, then buzzed over to Amber. "Will you be coming back with us, Amber?" the fairy asked quietly.
She looked over at Jenny, who was nodding her head sleepily. They smiled at each other knowingly, each for different reasons, and Amber nodded. "Give me a moment to get ready, and we'll be there."
Sheik gave a nod to the teen girls as he stepped toward the hole. "Come, Link. We'll wait for the girls in Hyrule."
The blonde elf gave a nod and took a step toward the hole, but was stopped by a hand on his sleeve. He turned to see Amber holding him in place. "Uh... Link. If it's okay... Can we buy Jenny a tunic before continuing?"
Jenny perked up upon hearing her name. "Wait, I'm coming?"
The redhead turned to look at her friend with a smile. "Well, duh!"
The brunette grinned and hugged her friend. "Yay! I'm gonna make some coffee real quick." With that said, Jenny ran out of her friend's room and down the stairs.
Link laughed to himself. "Sure, we could get her a tunic," he said. Sheik and Link then carefully climbed into the hole and disappeared.
Amber smiled and walked to her closet, pulling out her tunic from the farthest hidden corner. She held it up in front of herself before her mirror, smiled, and walked into her bathroom to change. She took her time while pulling the tunic on, wondering just exactly what was waiting for them in Hyrule.
She heard a tentative knock at the bathroom door. After quickly pulling on her tights, she opened the door only to see Jenny, holding two traveling mugs full of coffee (thankfully with the caps on, because she dropped them upon seeing her friend) with her jaw dropped. "...Amber?"
The redhead grinned and walked past her friend, picking up one of the fallen mugs, and moved to her dresser. She set her coffee down momentarily to set the twin blades on either side of her hips, then picked her mug up again and took a sip. She sighed with relief as the hot liquid slid down her throat. "Yum. Nice coffee tonight, Jenny."
Jenny shook her head in disbelief and picked up her fallen mug. "Uh... Will I get a cool tunic like that?"
Amber smiled, taking another sip of her coffee as she stepped toward her closet. "If I can get Link's rupee bag again, sure." She grinned as the brunette's eyes widened. "Oh, don't worry. I can probably get my Gerudo friend to get you a tunic instead."
The older of the two girls tilted her head, sipping at her drink. "You have a friend from the Gerudo Desert? Wait... so your tunic was stolen!"
The redhead shrugged, disregarding the last statement her friend made. Instead, she chose to reply to the first. "She thinks I'm the Gerudo princess. Oh well." She finished off her coffee and set the empty mug on her dresser. "Are you ready?" She asked and started hurriedly writing a note for her little brother, telling him to go to his friend's house for the next two or three days. It didn't matter much that they both left the house; their mother was on a business trip yet again.
Jenny looked at her friend curiously and read the note over her shoulder. She then smiled and held up her mug, quickly finishing off her coffee with a big gulp. "Ready!"
Amber looked away from the note she left as she picked up her ocarina and adjusted it on her belt. Then, grinning, she grabbed Jenny's hand and started pulling her friend toward the hole in her closet. "Banzai!" She yelled while jumping into the hole, dragging the brunette with her.
They opened their eyes to the darkness for a split second, then Amber reached out and grabbed the first thing she could. Jenny let out a scream, looking to the ground far below her. Amber let out a sharp cry as a pain shot through her shoulder. "Jenny, find another branch to hold on to! I can't hold on to you much longer!" She yelled out, looking between the branch she had caught and her friend.
Jenny nodded and started swinging gently toward the tree. Once she was close enough she grabbed onto a branch, allowing Amber to move her now free hand. Amber swung her arm up, grabbing the branch with both hands now, and pulled herself up. She plopped onto the branch with a sigh, looking at the ground below her.
The brunette glared up the tree at her friend, hanging on to the trunk tightly. "Thanks, Amber! You could've gotten us killed! Don't jump through the hole next time, yeah?"
Amber nodded, rubbing her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah... At least not while we're holding hands. That really hurt my shoulder." She looked toward the ground again, watching the rain drops hit the ground. She then smiled when she saw Link waving up at the tree.
The two girls slowly made their way down the tree, Amber wincing every time she had to hold her weight with her left arm. Once they reached the ground the two looked around. "Where'd Sheik go?" Jenny asked curiously.
Link looked to his right, shrugging. "He has a tendency to disappear like that. But, from what I know, we have to head to the Gerudo Desert."
"Oh, that's perfect!" Amber yelled, taking the short amount of time to not focus on her shoulder. "We can hopefully get a tunic for Jenny from Kyra while we're there! But... oh. Damn." She paused to think.
"What is it, Amber?" Link asked.
Amber sighed, looking toward the ground. "Remember that outfit Kyra gave me? To make it seem like I was a Gerudo with the Hero of Time captive?" Link gave a nod and Amber sighed once more. "I left it at Impa's house."
"All the way in Kakariko Village?" Jenny piped up.
The blonde sighed. "Well, I can't very well head into the Gerudo Desert without being a," he paused to use air quotes (something he learned from Amber) " 'prisoner.' We'll just have to go get it."
Amber rubbed her shoulder again, already leading the group toward the bridge. "You realize we'll hafta walk all the way to Kakariko and back, right? Epona may be able to carry the two of us, Link, but she surely can't carry three people."
Jenny sighed loudly. "Amber! You can just give me a piggy back, that way all of us won't have to walk." She started grinning.
The redhead slowly turned around to face her shorter friend. "Haha, piggyback... No. Especially not with my bum shoulder." She tapped a finger to her chin and then thrust it into the air. "Aha! Link, we can just transport to the Temple of Time, right? It's not that far of a walk from there, and we can just transport back here since Lake Hylia is close to the desert!"
"That might work, Amber," Link replied.
With that decided, Amber linked her elbow with Jenny's and set her free hand on Link's shoulder. Link smiled slightly and pulled out his ocarina, then started playing the Prelude of Light. The two girls closed their eyes, Jenny hugging closer to Amber. After the melody ended, the three teens felt a sort of lightheadedness and empty space beneath their feet.
Amber opened her eyes for a single moment and gasped, having to close them against the bright yellow light surrounding them. She pulled Jenny closer and tightened her hand on Link's shoulder, tightening her closed eyes to block out the light until she felt firm ground below her feet again. She cautiously opened one eye when she felt Link step away and realized they were in the Temple of Time.
"...Link, is it always like that?" Amber questioned timidly.
Link turned back and glanced at Amber, who was still clinging to her friends arm. "Like what?"
"...The bright light and the empty space?"
The blonde nodded and motioned for the girls to follow him. "You learn to get used to, I suppose."
Amber nodded while Jenny started rubbing her own head confusedly. They walked down the stairs together, their arms still linked together at the elbow. Jenny turned her head this way and that, amazed at the detail and reality of the Temple of Time.
Link stepped out of the temple, his hand ready on his sword. Amber wriggled her arm loose from Jenny's and pulled out her swords as well. Jenny tilted her head, confused, until she heard a scream rise from market. "What was that!" she yelled, covering her ears.
The redhead sighed and glanced back at her friend. "The ReDeads in the market, remember? Just... stay at the entrance, with your eyes closed, until you hear my okay." Jenny nodded and stepped to the entrance of the market, her eyes closed as Amber had told her.
Amber raced forward with Link, slashing at the ReDeads before they could scream. She smiled, satisfied that the ReDeads fell with one slice. She yelled out to Jenny and turned to see her friend running toward them. "Wow, Amber! That was quick!" Jenny exclaimed.
Link and Amber were smiling and placing their swords in their rightful places before holding each other's hands. Jenny gave an 'aw' and a smile as they all started walking toward Kakariko.
...Kakariko Village...
Amber walked into Impa's house, alone. She let Link give Jenny a grand tour of the village while she went to change into the Gerudo attire. She raced upstairs to change as quickly as possible. Going to Gerudo Desert sounded so exciting, and Amber just couldn't wait!
Meanwhile, Jenny clung to Link's arm in amazement. The sounds, the sights-everything-just awed her. "I can't believe it... I'm really in Hyrule!" She shrieked so loudly, Link had to cover his pointed ears. Jenny kept going on while Link tuned her out, talking over her voice to cover everything she needed to know about Kakariko Village. They made a loop around the whole town until they met Amber in front of Impa's house.
Amber waved shyly when Link and Jenny stopped in front of her, hiding her blush easily behind the Gerudo veil attached to her headband. Everything she wore was of a deep sapphire hue-lined with silver where appropriate-except for the necklace that hung just above the curve of her breasts. The necklace itself was exquisite, and a perfect touch to her appearance: it was a pure silver chain that linked around itself until it reached the silver crossed swords-a symbol of her weapons-that it held. The Gerudo pants puffed out as she had assumed they would, yet they seemed to give her legs a very shapely appearance. Her shoes came to a small point at the toes that were dotted with silver, and her top, if she could call it that, only covered the bare essentials. Silver lined the edges of the top, and made a cross to the middle where a jewel of sapphire had been set into the cloth. She crossed her arms over her bare stomach, embarrassed, when she realized Jenny and Link were staring with their mouths open (for very different reasons).
Jenny ran up and started to hug her best friend. "Oh my god Amber, you look so different! You look good as a Gerudo. Tan up a little and you'll be perfect!"
Amber ran back inside, embarrassed, and reappeared within a few moments. She held up her belt, smiling, then attached it to her pants. Jenny gave a confused look when Amber pulled off her ocarina. "Guess what? I'll call my Gerudo friend and have her get you a Gerudo outfit too. Sound good? We'll both bring Link in as a 'prisoner'."
The brunette sat down, intrigued, when her friend started playing the ocarina. The tune seemed to catch in the wind and carry off. The redhead smiled when the song was over, set her ocarina back safely on her belt, then sat down with Jenny to wait. "It might take a while, but we should wait here till she gets here." Amber looked up to Link and gave another smile. "Do you have potions, fairies, and any other supplies? Extra arrows?"
Link shook his head and pointed with his thumb to the upper lot where the bazaar and potion shop were. "Should I go get some?"
"From experience, yeah. Especially arrows. We'll wait here, okay?" She replied, waving her hand.
The blonde elf shook his head, smiling, and started to walk away. Jenny and Amber started giggling loudly minutes later, when Link couldn't hear what was said. He turned back to look at them, only to see the girls waving happily. He walked into the bazaar, bought the arrows he needed, and walked back outside. He looked in the direction where he had left the girls and dropped his gear when he realized they weren't there.
Link sighed heavily and closed his eyes while rubbing his temples. It was going to be a long day, he decided. He went to pick up his new bundle of arrows, so he could go to the potion shop next, and gasped when they weren't by his feet. He reached behind his back cautiously, seeing if anyone was behind him, when he felt a bit of weight lifted off his back. His arm lifted up behind his head now and he was surprised to find that his bow was no longer in place either. He turned around to face the thief and gasped. He saw Jenny out of the corner of his eye, happily putting the bow and quiver on her back, as Amber tackled him to the ground.
"LINK!!" Amber yelled happily after pouncing on him. "Jenny and I decided that she can take care of all the arrow stuff. I wouldn't trust her with swords, anyways. But, in addition to the arrows, we're gonna ask Kyra to buy her a knife or something so she'll still have close-combat stuff. Yeah?"
The elf could only nod his head from lack of air. Amber gasped when she realized she was sitting on his chest and scrambled off. Air rushed back into his lungs and he sat up, smiling. "Yeah, I guess that sounds fine. Less work for me."
Jenny grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "I'm better than Amber when it comes to archery. You have no need to worry, Link!"
"She's right," Amber agreed, "she's better than I was. Would've been nice to have during that stupid battle with Bongo-Bongo. I seriously got lucky there!" She laughed.
Link shook his head and stood up, dragging Amber with him. "Come on girls, let's get what we need from the potion shop and then wait for Kyra." The elf walked into the shop, followed by the two girls, and purchased a fairy for each of them and a red potion for himself. Amber attached her fairy to her belt, while Jenny just held on to the bottle, inspecting the fairy with a great curiosity.
The trio then stepped outside and made their way back to the center of the village to wait for Kyra. It was only about twenty minutes before she showed up, yelling terms of endearment for Amber (which, needless to say, made her blush about thirty shades of red) when she saw the Gerudo outfit.
"Wow, Amber, just...Wow." Was all Kyra could finally say when she got close enough. She inspected Amber thoroughly, making wide circles around her and nodding her head silently. "Yes, yes... You look very Gerudo like, Amber! Well done. If only you had more of a tan...but, oh well. Now, who's this?" She asked, just noticing Jenny standing next to Amber.
Amber stifled a giggle and waved her hand at Jenny. "This is my best friend, Jenny. I was wondering if you could do us a huge favor and get her a Gerudo outfit too?"
Kyra then started inspecting the brunette. "It might be a little tough for her to pull off... She's very skinny and has brown hair!" Jenny huffed at the remark and Kyra only shrugged.
The redhead sighed and unattached one side of her veil. "Please, Kyra? Jenny really needs to help me and Link, and you'd be doing a great thing for us." She paused for a second, then she flashed a smile. "For me?"
The Gerudo started blushing wildly. "Well...I suppose I could get one for her. I won't be back here until tomorrow morning, though, if I do get it--"
"Actually, Kyra," Amber interrupted, "we're going to be at Lake Hylia tonight. If you could just meet us and give it to us there, we would be really grateful."
Kyra contemplated the idea for a moment, then nodded. "That's perfect. Less traveling for me. Besides, I don't want to be gone for too long... I'm still the Gerudo in charge! I can't be gone too often or someone else might try to take my position."
Amber nodded, understanding. "That's perfect. And, if you don't mind, could you get her a knife too? Thank you so much, Kyra. We'll meet you in Lake Hylia tonight, then!"
Sorry, no review shout-outs this time. I'm sick. TT