The sheets were warm but there was a cold draft by Naboora's feet. She could tell that she was lying on the floor with some sort of rag/blanket covering her. She could tell that there was a faint light to her right even though her eyes were closed, and her nose tickled… please say there weren't any cats around.
Naboora opened her eyes sleepily and sat up. The room she was in resembled a sort of cosy dungeon. The walls and floor were stone but not dirty, there was a table in front of her and what resembled a bar at the end of the room. Blue and green bottled were piled on their side on the shelves and a heated discussion was taking place around the corner from where she was. And a white, fluffy cat was staring at her. She blinked at the cat and, as if mimicking her, it blinked back. The purple ribbon around the cats neck glinted in the light as the cat got up, stretched, yawned and started to make her way towards Naboora. It reached her slowly and looked at her, its nose twitching. The cat meowed and brought its head to her hand, rubbing its fur on her skin. She tried to push it away but it seemed to like that and just rubbed itself more. And she felt it, the dreaded tickled in her nose as the cat started to purr.
"ACHOO!" her sneeze echoed off the stone and the voices became silent.
Naboora rubbed her nose as the cat walked off angrily and footsteps thudded on the stone.
"You awake hun?" a woman with dreadlocks and a little too much breast showing poked her head around the wall and looked at Naboora. She nodded.
"I'm allergic to cats."
The woman approached the bar. She picked up a plate and walked over to Naboora, the voices starting to talk again. The woman gave the plate to Naboora who started to wolf down the meat and vegetables (there wasn't much but she ate anyway) and by the time she was finished, the was licking the juices off of the plate.
"You are hungry then! We haven't got much given the circumstances, I'm Telma. Nice to meet you honey." she winked at Naboora and started to walk away.
"Wait! What am I doing here?" she croaked, she started to wish that Telma had given her something to drink as well.
"I think that is for my friend to tell." she rounded the corner and another figure appeared. They had on a tight suit and the symbol of the Sheikah tribe was on their chest, at once Naboora knew who it was.
"Princess Zelda?!" the figure pulled down the cloth that covered her mouth and nodded. Zelda sat down next to Naboora and passed her a cup of water which she drank in one gulp.
"You were close to death when I found you. Passed out on a road not far from here. But before I tell you anything, I want to know where Link is and what they've done with him." she was serious, not a trace of emotion in her voice. And Naboora told her, from the cage fights and the kiss to the castle dungeon. Zelda had her head in her hands and looked to be on the verge of tears by the end of Naboora's story.
"I've told you my story. Now tell me yours."
And Zelda told her. Right from the beginning and all the way to saving Naboora. The two were silent for a few moments, taking it all in. When a squeaky voice broke the silence.
"Princess? The warriors need you!" Naboora glanced up and saw the small figure who had saved her, but it wasn't human. It had a wide grin and was dressed in orange and green, a bit like a live jack o lantern. Zelda got up and started to leave but was pulled back by Naboora.
"Can I see? You can trust me, I want to help." Zelda considered her for a few moments and nodded. She helped Naboora up and told her to wait where she was. She returned a few moments later with a black cloak which she handed to Naboora who hurriedly put it on.
"We have 5 days until Link is publicly hanged so we need a plan. Naboora knows how the Gerudo work so that'll help." Zelda placed her hands on a the table where 4 other people were sat besides Naboora, Zelda and the recently introduced Skull. A woman with black hair, Ashei; a man in his late 40's, Auru; a man with glasses, Shad and Telma. They were part of a resistance that had formed during the first war in Hyrule and had reformed because of this one.
"We could create a diversion and get him at the hanging." Auru suggested.
"Too risky, something could go wrong and he could die before we get to him. Besides, that is a last resort." Ashei sounded angry. They were all impatient with each other and a plan hadn't been formed in the last hour they had been sat around the table. Naboora had been quiet throughout and tried to hide herself deeper into Zelda's cloak. Besides, it was partly her fault that Link was still a prisoner and that Hyrule was at war.
"Why not attack the castle? Round up some warriors and take back control. Link will be safe once we win." Shad didn't seem very experienced in battle and seemed to sink into the shadows when everyone looked at him.
"Not that that isn't a brilliant idea," Ashei said sarcastically. "But rounding up warriors and preparing would take at least 2 months by which time Link is dead. If we get him first then it creates some hope. And people who are injured but have hope are a lot better than people who believe the rumours and want to kill their leader. Any more bright ideas?"
Shad shook his head and sat back in his chair. There was silence as everyone looked at each other across the table.
"I have an idea." Naboora whispered. Everyone's heads shot up to look at her.
"There's a secret passage into the castle, Zelda you've used it but it might be guarded. However, if we were to send in a spy, someone small perhaps, then they could take out the guards and we go into the dungeons and get Link." Naboora looked towards Skull.
"If Skull were to do that then we could warp out." everyone turned to Skull, a gleam of hope in everyone's eyes. At once, Skull started to shake its head.
"Hero would be too weak! Princess was exception, Hero could be gravely injured."
"Skull please. You owe it to Link that he would play your games and instead of taking me to him, your friend, you decided to get things for yourself when he could be close to death. And if he's weak then getting him though the passage will be just as dangerous." Zelda almost shouted at the Skull kid who glared at her with its large orange eyes.
Skull nodded. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Skull also seemed to smile at the sight of their faces and soon, they were planning. Planning to break into the castle and get Link, to take back control over Hyrule.
By the time they had set a rough plan, it was close to midnight and everyone except Zelda and Naboora were awake.
"Why are you helping us?" Zelda asked quietly in between Auru's snores.
"What do you mean?"
"You're a Gerudo."
"I guess I'm fed up with being the tribe that is always so… evil I guess. Half of our tribe became the Twili race generations ago according to legend and since then we have roamed the desert. My mother had always said I was never like the others, like her. And Link deserves more than this. He saved our world… he saved me." she looked towards Zelda and saw her nod in the light of the lamp.
"He saved me too. He would take me out on rides with Epona and take me to different parts of the land where we would explore. He helped me escape the pressures of being royalty and I started to be myself. Anyway, get some sleep, not long before we see him again."
Zelda laid her head down and bunched up her blanket and used it as a pillow. Before long Naboora heard her steady breathing as she slept. She laid her head down and closed her eyes, amongst friends and soon to see Link again.
Yay! 20 chapters! By the way, does anyone ship Ashei and Chad? Thanks for reading and please review!
Ps: Is said this in the last chapter but I wrote a one-shot of how the hero's shade (Link from Oot) died and not many people have read that so please do! Review as well please ;)