Author's Note

Hey bros and babes. Hope you missed me. ;D Missed you too.

I've spent a lot of time recently doing some planning and such. If I make any mistakes about names, or things (like Cece's little snake buddy or her roommate at Vaati's the first time around) please, don't blame me. I actually don't have the copies from the earlier chapters, and have to go to Fanfic to get information from them. For now, I'm gonna do my best. But please, don't get mad if I make any mistakes. I'm trying!

And I know this chapter goes fast. Forgive me! It's just, I'm so impatient, because these next coming chapters are some of my favorite in the whole story! And all of this stuff is rather unimportant. Transitory crap, y'know?

Dragon Book from How to Train your Dragon, Hector's Death from Troy, and Minstrel Boy from Black Hawk Down

When I woke up, it wasn't like a normal morning with Dark Link. Normally, it was an easy thing. I woke up, we exchanged quiet pleasantries, and stayed in bed for a bit. It was much different that time. As soon as my eyes were open, I knew something was going on. The air felt charged, tense even. I sat up, and felt as if someone had attached live electric lines to the base of my spine. Dark Link wasn't in bed, which was odd enough, even if I didn't factor in the fact that it was very, very early in the morning. Dawn was a long way off.

Pulling the sheet away from my chest where I had it clenched in my fist, I slid out of the bed, pushing off as soon as my feet fell to the carpet. It was too dark to find the matches to light the candle, which bothered me. I grabbed the dagger I always kept on my nightstand, and unlatched the lock on the door.

On the floor sat a lit lantern, and a full bottle of oil. I glanced around, but there were no other sources of light, and the darkness that permeated the hall beyond frightened me into taking the gifts and shutting the door. It was quickly locked.

The lantern lit the room well. I set it and the jar on the nightstand, and lit the candle before snuffing out the flame in the lamp. The amount of light was greatly reduced, and I snatched up the candle quickly. I was way too on edge to go back to sleep, so I crossed the room, and set the piece of metal with twisted flowers and snakes on the vanity table, and opened the doors to my armoire. I thrust my hand into the black mess of fabric, and pulled away a grey tunic with silver piping and long, trumpeted sleeves. Yanking the chemise off quickly, I dressed, and pinned my hair up in a fast and messy bun. I felt a good portion of my hair on my face, but suffered in silence.

It occurred to me as I was grabbing my sword and putting on my boots that I very, very frequently run off without first finding out what exactly is going on. For all I knew, the door could have been locked for good reason. Maybe there were enemies in the castle. But I had no way of finding out, so it was a moot point. I was about to unlock the door when it hit me.

I ran back to the box that held all of my gifts from Tila, and went for the smaller box that held all of the gossip stones. Fumbling in the dimly lit space, I grabbed one of the pendants and a chain. I moved back to the light to slide it onto the chain, the firelight caught in the gem, and the little shards of brightness shook as I struggled to work the pendant onto the chain. When I finished, I slid the necklace on, and went back to the box to put everything away. As I shut the smaller box, I realized there were three, not two, empty slots.

Before I could wonder why that was, there was a bright flash from below me, and then darkness again. I could barely see, and the candlelight was so dim.

Then came the roaring. It was like the voice of the ocean, but more vicious, more ululated. I grabbed my ears, but that didn't make it any better.

Damned by the goddesses! came a voice I knew well, but not from outside. Her voice was in my head.

T-tila? Is that you? I thought it to myself, but then I felt the words slip away, like they were being pulled somewhere else. Normally, whatever I thought stayed in my head, and circled around and around, like a cup that fill just as quick as it drains, swirling and swirling.

Crap, you're up! Cecelia, stay there! Don't leave the room! Tila sounded stressed, and breathless, like she was fighting. I fumbled my way back to the door, and locked it. While I waited for Tila to tell me more, I slid the nightstand behind the door, and grabbed the lantern and oil off of it. Time ticked by agonizingly slow, and Tila wasn't saying anything more. I could still hear the roaring though.

Tila. You need to tell me what's going on.

I heard a bit of grunting from Tila's end of the connection, and grit my teeth to keep from , I felt the connection come back. I anticipated Tila's voice before I heard it.

Some raiders got into the castle. We've taken care of it, but we don't know how they got into the castle. I'm looking now. There could still be more, so don't leave your room yet. I'll send someone to come and get you when it's safe. Without waiting for me to give the affirmative or ask a single question, she cut the connection. I pouted, and lit the lantern. It seemed like I'd be there for awhile.

After hanging the lantern from a hook on the ceiling, I started to go through my closet, in search of clothes I could take to the desert. I grabbed most of the tunics, and even a few lightweight gowns. After that, there was nothing to do. Time seemed to have slowed to a near stoppage. It was infuriating.

Pacing was something, if truly nothing. And pacing is what I did. For what seemed like an eternity, round and round the room I went. I was beginning to worry about Dark Link when there was a thud at the door. I stopped, and waited, rooted to the spot where I stood.

After awhile, I thought it was just my imagination.

Then the door shook violently as there came an even louder noise that moved even the heavy table behind it. I unsheathed my sword, and shifted into warrior mode. My pulse began to rush, and my chest rose and fell with my accelerated breathing.

There was another crash, and the door was stressed at its hinges. I saw a ring of light around the door, and snuffed the candle. As the various metalworking that held the door in place screamed in protest, I knocked the lantern from the hook with the pommel of my sword. The flame went out before it even hit the floor. I backed away from the door, and grabbed a brush off of my dressing table with my free hand.

The door flew off of its frame and crashed onto the floor not three feet from where I'd been standing. A few forms came into the room. Men, I would assume. The one with the torch was no where to be seen, but definitely in the hallway, since I still stood in darkness. I gave the brush a quick kiss for luck, and tossed it into the far corner before quickly moving to the dark corner beside the door.

As I'd been expecting, they went for where I'd thrown the brush, thinking that it was me that had made the noise. I rushed at the nearest one, and as I'd been taught, threw the pommel of my sword into his temple. He dropped like a rock. I suddenly realized I didn't want to kill these men, and sheathed my sword before removing it from my belt. This took only a few moments. As soon as I was done, I went after the other two. The closest got caught in the base of the skull with the full force of the goat-horn casing, and the other turned around in surprise to see my foot connect with his face as I launched myself over his fallen comrade.

The man in the hallway quickly realized something was amiss, and leaned into the room. His torch was not a torch at all, but a silver-backed lantern. New technology for this world, it threw as much light as a kick-ass Coleman lantern. The man got a very good look at my face, and sneered.

"See you soon, wolf-girl," was all he said in his thick accent before taking off down the hallway. I growled, and took off after him. The fools in my room would be out for awhile.

The idiot ran with the light on, so I knew exactly where he was. I ran as fast as I could manage, and waited until he thought he lost me. I even huffed a bit, just so he would think I got tired and gave up.

He paused at a dark junction between the halls that led to the kitchens, where there was a servant's entrance, and the halls that led to the Grand Foyer. He was breathing very heavily, and wiping his brow. Stupid, stupid man. I tied my sword onto my belt, but in the back, out of the way. Moving my feet slowly, I crept towards him. He had no idea I was there until I was upon him. Literally.

I crouched low, and threw myself at the man, hands extended like talons. He dropped the lantern in surprise, and I very quickly got on top of him. My sword was at his throat, and my legs pinned his arms to his sides.

Without moving my sword, I leaned in very closely to him, right to his face, so that my cheek was against his. "Wolf-girl? Hah. Seems like the gutless sheep got caught. Too bad this wolf has claws," I whispered, and bared my teeth. He shook, like a leaf. For someone so bawdy he was a coward. Before he could do anything or say a word, I threw my skull at his forehead, and knocked him out cold. It hurt like hell, but it was worth it to see the surprise on his face when I head butted him.

I stood to see Dark Link gaping at me. I grimaced at him. "They broke into my room. I don't like that," I said blandly.

Dark Link walked towards me slowly, his hands held up in truce. I was confused. "Easy there Cecelia. Easy…" He said softly as he came closer. I backed up slightly.

"I'm not a wild ani-"

Before I could finish, he snatched me up, and held me close to him. I struggled at first, unsure of just what in the hell he was doing. Then I realized he was shaking slightly.

I leaned back and looked up as something warm and wet fell on my face. It trickled down over my cheek and fell to the floor. I freed one of my hands, and reached up to Dark Link's face. It was wet.

"C'mon… Shh… It's okay, shh…" I said quietly, pulling him closer to me. "I'm okay. Everything's okay."

This was definitely a new side of Dark Link. I'd never seen him this concerned about me, ever. That just proved how much things had changed. I held him, and wondered just how I would get by without him to help me in the desert. I'd be alone, for the first time… It was a frightening thought.

"Y'know," Dark Link said hoarsely, breaking me from my reverie, "I think you'd fit in well with Vaati's crew. You can be pretty damn scary when you want to be!"

I laughed, and pushed at his chest. He let me go, but grabbed my hand. He also took the torch from the unconscious man, and I quickly told Tila about the group that had broken into my room. I could already hear the clank of the guard's armor as the came running.

"So, I bet you're jealous," I said idly as we walked back to my room.

"Jealous about what?"

"Well, you know how the women that Vaati has dress. I bet you wish you could be there to see me in one of those outfits." I looked at Dark Link for a comeback, but he only smirked.

"What?" No response. "What?"

Dark Link laughed, and set the lantern on the ground before turning to me. Roughly, like old times, he grabbed me by the waist, and threw me over his shoulder. I huffed as soon as I regained myself. This was the Dark Link I knew. Definitely.

"This is getting old already!" I said loudly over my shoulder at him. He just laughed again.

"Okay, let's get going! We've got a lot to work on, and a short time to do it!" shouted Machon as he swung his horse around to face me. I grimaced at his overly enthusiastic nature, which brought on one of his booming laughs. "No worries, Lady Cecelia. My riders may be a crude bunch, but once you show them you're no pup, they'll leave you be unless you want otherwise."

Machon's words were well heeded. It seemed like the small vanguard he'd brought with him were either entirely busy gawking at the fact that Machon had brought back another rider with him, or that I was a girl. It made getting my things into the wagon very, very difficult.

"Oh, bother it all, shoo you insufferable beasts!" I snapped impatiently, shooing them away from the wagon as the gawped. Dark Link was coming to see me off, and I'd known they would have a field day with that.

As he got closer, I grabbed the cream colored gown from where it hung near the ground, and held it somewhere between my hips and knees as I ran to meet him. The whole outfit was designed to cover a lot of skin with lightweight material, and it did its job well. I felt as if I were completely naked. But that's neither here nor there.

Dark Link caught me up in his arms as I reached him, and I threw my arms around his neck, pulling in the smell of him to last me until I next saw him. Pine and darkness, crisp, cool, and all his own. I buried my face into his chest, clutching at the bit of fabric I could reach.

"I'll miss you," I stated quietly. Dark Link ran a hand over my head, and kissed my forehead briefly.

"I'll never be far," he said, using a spare hand to pull out the pendant he'd taken the other night. I smiled, and kissed it. Just for good luck.

Dark Link laughed softly, but sobered just as fast. He pulled me close for what I knew was a last embrace, and I tried to pull myself as close as I could. A quick (but nice) kiss, and he was on Ella, waiting to see me off. I waved, and he waved back. It was ridiculous and childish, but we did it nonetheless.

Suddenly, I straightened my shoulders, stuck out my chin, and sort of puffed myself up, trying to put on a brave face. Dark Link burst out laughing.

"Oh come on! That's not even fair!" I shouted, a little miffed, but he kept on laughing. After a moment, I began to laugh as well. When we were done, I blew him a quick kiss, and climbed onto Reese to get going. I let Reese follow Tilead, Machon's horse, and watched as Dark Link faded away in the blurring space behind him. Machon had assured me that his encampment wasn't far, but the sun already felt too hot. My hair, since I'd yet to change the color, was tied up and covered with a head cloth.

"So, I take it that was your…?" Machon said idly as we traveled, just as a way to fill the space that was silence.

"I'm not entirely sure what he is to me, to be perfectly honest." I caught an unwelcome hopeful look in Machon's eyes. "But he is important to me." The look went away quickly, and was replaced by a friendliness I already found more comfortable than the previous expression.

"I see." Machon stopped talking for awhile, and I figured he was done. But a couple of minutes later, he added something. "I hope you know, it's been young women these raiders have been abducting." He paused again. "Young, attractive women, Miss Cecelia."

I scoffed quietly. Under my breath, I said, "Machon, do you really think I didn't know that? Of course I did! I've had a run-in with these bastards before." I grimaced, and stared angrily off into the desert for a moment before I remembered to tell Machon about the gifts. "By the way, tonight, and I'm warning you ahead of time, so don't panic, I have to take care of something. When I come back, I'm not going to sound or really even look like myself. I decided I would say a password to you so that you knew it was me."

Machon thought for a moment, and the turned in his saddle and looked straight at me. "Butterscotch," he said in a completely serious voice. I held his intense gaze for about two seconds before I broke down and started to laugh hysterically. The laughing fit was so bad I started to cry.

"Okay, okay," I said, my voice slowly falling back to a non-dulcet range. "B-butterscotch it is!" I said, starting to laugh all over again.

Tila's gifts turned out to be far easier to use than I anticipated. I just slid in the earrings, and thought of a color. Poof. Red hair. Put on the ring. Poof. Golden eyes. The necklace was even kind of easy. I just thought of how scary Dark Link sounded sometimes, and I had this sultry, dangerous and wild voice. I frightened myself on that one, I think.

Machon had given me some new clothes, since no one wore traveling gowns in the settlement. It was loose cotton pants, and strip of purple cloth for the shirt, and a long strip of brownish cloth for a strange vest/jacket clothing item. It was very strange.

I looked at myself in the reflection of the water, and saw was looked to be pretty dang close to a gerudo. My tan definitely helped, but my ears… Well, those couldn't be helped.

I reached up tentatively to look at my reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall. For a moment, I thought my hand would just pass through the pointed part, like a mirage. But when my fingers reached my ear, it was my ear they touched. I couldn't stifle the heavy sigh that came after that. Things changed far, far too quickly for my liking. Alas, that was life. Change, change, and even more change.

After re-latching my belted sheath around my hips, I lifted the flap that served as a door to the small tent. The riders, since they lived in the desert, had been forced to adopt the nomad's way of living. They'd been there too short a time to establish a solid settlement, let alone find solid, non-shifting ground to build it on.

The people in the encampment were all hard, tough looking people. There were no children there, for good reason. Without a secure society, the children wouldn't be safe. You could tell how the lack of childish laughter and fun had affected the people. Their faces were set with grim expressions, and they all showed the signs of long hours of hard work under an unforgiving sun.

I gulped internally. I sincerely hoped that I wouldn't turn out like that after a time here.

Machon shouted my name from across the common area, and raised a hand in greeting. Steeling myself, I ran over to him at a brisk pace, and quickly found myself uncomfortably warm.

When I reached him, Machon just stood and stared at me. I was unnerved at first before I realized he was waiting for something. Swearing silently, I tried to remember what it was that I was supposed to remember.

"Oh! Crap. Butterscotch, I'm sorry!" I said, after suddenly remembering the safe word. I felt like I was about to faint from the anxiety of it all.

Machon smirked. "Well, that's definitely you. And you were right. You look…" Machon's eyes skated up and down in less time than it took me to even recognize the gesture. "Different."

I frowned with a furrow to my brow. "Different in a bad way? Because, you know, it is attractive girls that Vaati wants."

Machon laughed at me. "No, I'm just used to seeing you in more clothing, and not looking like this." He turned away then, and began to speak in a sharp guttural sounding language to a hooded figure. I could see what looked like talons extending past the long shredded sleeves of the stranger's shirt. His or her skin was a dark shade of grey brown, and looked alarmingly human. A pair of glowing eyes peered out from under the hood.

Machon turned back to me with a bright smile. "This is very good. My friend Tamon said that his tribe knows a band of nomads that trade frequently with Vaati." Machon stepped back and gestured to me, speaking to the stranger. I heard my name thrown into the quick sentences, and it sounded very unsettling. Machon then turned back to me. "Between the two of us, Tamon and I can teach you just about everything there is to know about surviving in the desert."

"First thing first," Tamon said, his voice catching sharply on the vowels and over accentuating them, "we teach you about water."

Machon clapped his hands. "That's right. Water is the biggest concern in the desert. We've yet to find the nomads' oases, so we can't go any further than this for long periods," he said as he gestured to the whole settlement. He placed a hand on my back and the other on Tamon's shoulder, and steered us into a nearby tent, where food and drinks were already laid out.

Tamon settled into a seated position with his legs crossed Indian-style and his hands palm down, facing inward on his knees. Machon sat between us, and I just tucked my legs underneath my body. We talked about how camels store their water, and how long a person could go without water. Basically, a course on hydration in the desert and how there isn't much. I was so bored, but I made myself pay attention for my own sake. Afterwards I made a point to remember where Machon said the water well was here, and where I could get waterskins. I got thirsty just listening to them.

Apparently, after I'd learned more about the desert, I would be leaving with Tamon to go with his tribe. They were Moblins, I think, so it was sort of risky business. Tamon would have to convince them that I'd be worth more as something to trade to Vaati than something to eat. I didn't get to see Tamon's face, but I had to imagine that he looked at least a little like a human. After all, he spoke. He spoke Hylian. That means he wasn't an animal.

I had to admit though, I was curious to see it. He had pointed ears as well, but they turned in and down a bit. It made it easy to think he wasn't a heartless beast. Don't get me wrong, he still put me on edge, but I at least made myself not panic when he was around. It was a little like being around a wild animal. I wasn't sure if he was going to attack me, but I was leaving him well alone to lessen the chances of it.

I wandered through the encampment, making my way slowly over to the tent that had been erected for me to use. It was nice enough for a temporary structure, and for once I didn't take in all the details of it. I was tired and seeing my darling Reese standing beside the tent, ears perked forward as he waited for me, made me calm and happy.

He pawed at the sand as I took his bridle and kissed him on his fuzzy little nose. He snorted, and shook his head. I took that as Reese speak for, "it'll be okay, don't worry!". I laughed, and gave him a little scratch behind his left ear, just like he loved. A quick whinny of thanks, and he turned to the bucket of oats a small girl brought over. I waved in gratitude, lifted the thick flap of fabric that served as my door, and went inside.

The interior of my tent was dark, and I couldn't see anything. I stood in the doorway, letting my eyes acclimate to the lack of light. After a moment, I saw that my tent was sparsely furnished, my scant belongings placed beside a mound of some sort on the other side of the room. I went over to it and prodded it experimentally, only to find that it was a bed roll. Glad for the promise of sleep, I quickly unrolled it, and settled onto the soft mattress. It was a little lonely, as I'd gotten used to have a bedmate after Dark Link had come back.

Oddly enough, I wasn't as alone as I'd thought.

For suddenly, the vaguely familiar sensation of something sliding over the surface of my skin startled me. Bolting upright, I felt it again on my side. It headed across my bare midriff, and I looked down; afraid and fully aware of what I would see.

"You have no idea how nice it is to be moving again," the snake tattoo said in a amiable voice, coiling sideways on my skin and stretching. "It's been awhile, kid. How's it going?"

I just gaped at the thing. Last time it had spoken to me, it was completely intent on keeping me in Vaati's hellhole of a palace. The snake kept looking at me, and in an extremely snakelike manner, I lunged forward and pinched the skin where its neck was. It hurt me, but not as much as it should have. The snake thrashed about for a moment before I flicked it on the head with my free hand.

"Just what in the hell are you still doing on my body?" I asked quietly, afraid that anyone might here. "I don't want you here. And I swear on the goddesses, if you so much as say a peep to Vaati, I'll cut you off with my own two hands!"

I released the snake, and it curled in on itself, shocked. It was silent for awhile, and I thought that perhaps it had died. Hoping that wasn't the case, I gave it a gentle poke, and it shuddered, and brought itself back up.

"By the goddesses, I don't think anyone's ever threatened one of my kind like that. They'd just rather deal with it than maim themselves," the snake said quietly. When I reached for it again, it cringed. "Relax, child! If I were going to betray you, I'd have done it by now." The snake uncurled, and slid across my skin for awhile without saying anything. I'm pretty sure that was his equivalent of pacing. "When you take one of my kind far away from the person who made the enchantment that brought us to life, we go dormant. If we're dormant too long, our contracts concerning the spell are terminated, so to speak. Basically, I'm a free agent now. I don't report back to that prick or anyone else." The snake hissed is an annoyed way, and I think it didn't particularly enjoy being on me anymore. "I don't know of a way to remove me, short of loping off your own skin, and that'd kill us both. Perhaps you could just be content with a talking snake tattoo? I'm not really that bad."

I'd been to busy processing all of what Leatre, the snake, had said, so his request caught me off guard. "…I never actually wanted a tattoo." After I said it, I felt bad for what could've been implied. "But having a tattoo hasn't been all bad. You've been well behaved so far, and didn't jump out to scare anyone."

Leatre sensed that his chances of survival were increasingly rapidly, and slid up my arm so he could get a good look at me. "Y'know, I still know where Vaati is. That's one part of the magic that doesn't die. I can still communicate with him and tell you exactly where he is, I just don't have to do what he says anymore."

"Well, that's convenient. Because I'll need help like that pretty soon." I gave Leatre a little pat on its tiny tattoo head, and curled up onto my side. I felt it crawl up my side and settle on my shoulder.

"Well, goodnight then. I suppose I'll see you in the morning."

Leatre was silent, and I thought that meant it fell asleep. Then it shook a bit on my skin.

"Sorry, I was talking to my friend's back at that cesspool. Did you say something?"

"No, just goodnight," I said quietly, nuzzling back into my pillow. Then a strange thought occurred to me. "Umm… Leatre, right?"

"That's correct. What is it?"

"Umm… Are you a girl or a boy snake tattoo?"

Leatre chuckled. "I'm a boy."

"Oh." Silence. "Well, then please stay away from my… you know… private places."