Nabooru whirled around the corner, slipping on the stone where someone had spilled water, and smacked into Ganondorf.
"What-are-you-doing-here?" she asked in one breath, windmilling her arms to keep balance.
"Trying-to-find-you," he responded just as quickly, grabbing onto Nabooru's shoulders for support. "What-did-you-do-this-time?"
"You don't want to know. Aah!" She stepped back and skidded, falling to the ground and landing on her butt.
"Aah!" And Ganondorf came with her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Fine!" Nabooru scrambled to her feet, glancing over her shoulder.
"What's going on?" Ganondorf called, trying to follow her.
"Nothing. Everything's dandy. Peachy keen. Nifty and all that. Don't worry about me, just 'cause I got thirty freakin' Hylians out for my blood. Nothing wrong with that." She started to leave.
"Wait!" Ganondorf grabbed her leg. "No you don't!"
Nabooru performed a rather lovely split, wobbled unsteadily, then, CRACK, fell on her face.
He brushed some wet hair out of his face. "What did you do?" he demanded, completely ignoring her angry protests.
"Krysu wanted to help the wounded Gerudo. And she couldn't do that with the Hylians there. So I was a distraction. Good enough for you? Will that satisfy you for ten seconds so I can wipe the blood off my face!"
"It's just a broken nose, where's your sense of adventure?" he teased.
"Back with all the Hylians; I think they stabbed the shit out of it with those pointy sticks of theirs." Nabooru winked.
"Nabooru! Ganondorf! What are you two doing! Get up, before the Hylians come find you!" Aveni stood over them, an irritated-yet-amused expression on her face. "The girls are waiting for you, Your Highness," she added, to remind him of who he was and what he was supposed to be doing.
"Right. Good. Yes. Great."
"Damn skippy," Nabooru added helpfully.
"Where do you get that stuff?"
"Damn skippy? I have no idea."
Aveni grabbed Nabooru and hauled her to her feet. "Where are the Hylians?" she demanded.
Nabooru jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Somewhere back there."
There was an ominous thud, followed by shouting, and Ganondorf assumed they'd all ran into the door at the end of the hallway. "That would be them, and now I've gotta go." To the door she called, "I'm right back here, if your wussy asses can keep up with me!"
With an angry cry, the Hylians surged as one through the door. Giving them a wave, she turned and hurried down the other way down the hall.
Aveni stared at Ganondorf with wide eyes. She looked up the hall where Nabooru had gone, down the hall, where the Hylians were gaining on them, then back at Ganondorf.
He shrugged, then stood. They followed her, hearing the Hylians' voices getting louder and louder. "Nabooru! You're leading them straight to the other Gerudo!" Aveni hissed as they caught up.
"Good! They can help me!" she whispered back. "Which way?"
"Take a left here . . . another left . . . one more left . . . and turn this corner . . . the one on the left . . . and . . . here."
Nabooru looked up and down the corridor. "We're like, two feet away from where we started!" she said furiously.
"Yes, but this will have set the Hylians back a bit," Aveni shot back smugly. "Now, through this door . ."
"Thank the Goddesses you're back," Amalyse complained as they entered the room. She was squashed right up against the door. "We've been waiting here forever." She rolled her eyes at Nabooru, still addressing Aveni. "It seems like all we've done is move from room to room and hide."
"That is all we've done," Tami shot back. "Aveni" -- she gave her a dirty look-- "told us to stay in here while Ganondorf 'gathers information.'" She snorted. A few girls dared uneasy looks at one another, while one brave girl laughed derisively. The rest just stared straight ahead, like they were somewhere else.
"Well, I thought it would be safer--" Aveni began, flustered.
"What?" Tami stood in front of Aveni, her hands on her hips. "There. Are. Hylians. In. Our. Fortress," she said slowly. "We need to get them not in the Fortress! Or at least less in the Fortress, instead of letting them run around and use up the last of our supplies!"
Aveni shook her head, much less wrongfooted and much more angry. "I'm still your elder, and you don't know a Goddess-damn thing about what's good for you and what isn't!"
"Then let Ganondorf decide," Amalyse said simply.
Heads turned in his direction, and eyes burned into him. He fidgeted, not sure how to answer. He could let down his people, maybe cause them to disrespect or disobey him, maybe cause problems with trust later. Or let down his own mother, maybe force her to lose her position. "Uh . . . I think we should, you know, do what Tami said, and, well, get them out. But Aveni's idea was smart," he added hastily. "We didn't know what was out there, and it was good to stay and figure things out. So . . . I think we should spread out." He suddenly snapped into King-mode: all business. "Everyone to the right of Tami should take the fourth corridor and spread out from there. Everyone to the left of Jessa, take the third and sixth floors. Everyone else, except Nabooru and Krysu . . . go somewhere. Don't stop searching until I give the word."
"And what if we find Hylians?" Jessa pressed.
Aveni trained pleading eyes on him. He looked away, scanning the room. Thinking carefully, he answered, "We can't have any Hylians tell others about our Fortress. Right? Because they could have seen something important, something that could be very useful in a war. Besides, they'd think it was easy to break into the Fortress, if people are doing it and living to talk about it. They might do it more often. So no Hylian gets out alive. Plain and simple."
"But Ganondorf," insisted Aveni. "They believe what they're doing is right, even though it isn't. We can't--"
"They think we're savage," Ganondorf said quietly. "They think we're evil barbarians. Nothing is going to change years of hatred like that. Is there any chance we'd make alliances with the Sheikah?"
"That's different--"
"Is it?" His voice grew louder. "It isn't any different. They will never forgive us. There's nothing we can do about it. There's no point in trying."
"Ganondorf . . ."
He stared at Aveni, and his voice was quiet again, though it contained a hint of anger. "They think we're bloodthirsty killing machines. That's a fact. It's not going to change." He looked over the Gerudo in the room. "Why not live up to our so-called reputation?"
Silence greeted his words. Some Gerudo looked worried, some eager, but most were expressionless. Including Nabooru, who stared at the door. Only the slight furrow in her eyebrows and the shadow of a wry smile showed any emotion. If he read her mood right, she was . . . disapproving, but understanding. She didn't like the harsh means, but there was no other way. He smiled ruefully. Easy to relate to that.
But he was the King, and he could make whatever orders he wanted.
And he wanted the Hylians to pay.
"Like I said before, no Hylian gets out alive."
Daphnes doubted anyone slept very much. Maybe Zelda did. He hoped so; she had to be tired. But he didn't, even though he was exhausted. His brain kept whirring around and around . . .
The Triforce was gone. There was nothing he could do about it. Hyrule's last chance for peace was gone. This whole stupid journey was for nothing.
So pointless . . .
Why was everything he did so pointless? He didn't do anything that would change the world or whatever. Unless it was to royally screw up. And he was supposed to be the prince!
Prince . . . royally screw up. He chuckled. Well, it was fitting, at least.
Man, was his brain messed up from sleep deprivation! Or maybe he was nuts. Maybe none of this was happening.
Maybe he was a figment of his own imagination.
Focus. He thought back to his original train of thought--before it went off the cliff into insanity. Oh, right. Prince--royally screw up. He chuckled again.
Stop!
Okay . . . his life sucked, and he was an idiot.
What was so great about that?
Nothing, that's what.
The Gerudo were going to attack. And why shouldn't they? The Hylians had banished them to the desert to starve. His father hadn't even listened to the King of the Gerudo. They had to be angry. Which they had every right to be. If he was King, he would have . . . probably messed things up even more.
He groaned, throwing his arms over his face.
Everything was falling apart.
The Gerudo were going to declare war.
The Hylians would expect him to fight back, which seemed like the wrong thing to do.
The Sheikah would be dragged into it; how could they not, if they were bound to serve the Royal Family? The Gorons were reasonable people. They might stand by the Hylians if Daphnes presented the situation in the right way . . . by omitting all the important details . . . like how they kicked out the Gerudo and didn't help them at all. The Zoras would definitely turn on them. The Hylians had completely ignored all their requests, and stole their sapphire. Which, of course, didn't work. Stupid rock.
He was going to fix it . . . until the Triforce disappeared.
"Ugh . . ." Daphnes rolled over and almost collided with a tree.
He wasn't a religious person. The priests usually dealt with things like that. He believed in the Goddesses, but he wasn't one of those people who bless their meals and pray to them all the time.
But he was out of ideas.
"Din, Nayru, Farore," he whispered, keeping one eye on the sky, which was growing paler. "I need help." Unsure of what to add, he picked up some dew-covered leaves and threw them into the air. "Tell me what to do."
And a soft melody rang through the trees.
Three minutes earlier, although time means nothing to the Goddesses, Din was lounging in front of a large bowl-shaped crater. It had mystic symbols all around the sides, and was filled with what looked like a shimmering liquid.
Din poked a slender finger into the liquid and swirled it around. Her bloodred fingernail seemed to mix with the liquid, turning it red. A second later, it had cleared, and a forest was visible, floating in the bowl. A young man--the future King of the Hylians--was sitting on his knees, praying. His voice echoed up out of the bowl and through the Sacred Realm. "I need help . . . Tell me what to do . . ."
Din pursed her lips, poking at the water again. Images floated across the surface of the water at lightning speeds.
"Yes," she murmured to herself. "But what if he . . ." She poked it for the third time, and the images changed again.
She leaned so close to the water, her nose practically scraped the surface.
"What are you going to do?" a voice asked from just above her shoulder. Din squealed, and almost fell into the water. She grasped the sides of the bowl, turning an angry glare onto her sisters. Fire actually licked at her fingers and danced in her eyes.
Farore grinned, and helped Din to her feet. Standing next to each other, the contrast between each of them was blatantly obvious.
Din's skin was paper-white, just like her sisters', and her layered hair fell in shimmering red waves to her hips. Her eyes were a color identical to Ganondorf's. Her lips were ruby red, matching her fingernails, and she wore a tight black vest over a red, orange and yellow low-cut, long-sleeve shirt and a short black skirt slit up to mid-thigh. Her striking features were anything but stereotypical; with high cheekbones framed by her wild hair, a thin face devoid of makeup, and thick, arched eyebrows, she had a wild beauty very few expect to see in a goddess. Her earrings were little silver hoops, with a tiny Triforce in the center.
Nayru had the same white skin, red lips, and earrings, but she had a much cheerier, and a much less provocative, appearance. Her eyes were bright blue, darker than Zelda's, and had deep wisdom hidden beneath the obvious joy. She had navy blue hair cut just below her chin in a cute bob. Her slight frame was covered in a sky blue sun dress decorated with blue daisies. Her fingernails were the same blue as her hair, but they were short, and slightly bitten-looking, unlike the sharpened claws of Din's nails. Her face was round and pink, always looking flushed with glee. She looked more like a little girl than a centuries-old goddess.
Farore was the most surprising-looking of all the goddesses. Much more practical than Din and less carefree than Nayru, she wore her hair curled down to her ribs. It was black, with wide green stripes. Her earrings were hidden by her hair most of the time, except when she was wearing her pale green glasses. She didn't need to, of course--goddesses have better-than-perfect vision--but she liked the way they looked. Her porcelain skin had no trace of cosmetics, and her clothes were simple: a long turtleneck dress that clung to her hips and swirled around her feet; the color of Granny Smith apples. Her eyes were a quick, intelligent green, magnified by her glasses. Brown freckles dotted her nose. She didn't look at all like a goddess; she could have passed as a Hyrulian with a green fetish.
Looking over the other two, Farore said, with a long-suffering sigh, "Din, why do you have to dress so . . . so . . ."
"Cool . . . ly?" Din suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.
"So . . . provocatively," Farore finished. "You really should wear looser shirts, and that skirt could be longer, and please yank up that blouse . . ."
"Oh, Farore." Din gave her a pitying look. "We can look however we want, dress in any clothes we want to. Why in the world would I want to dress like somebody's grandmother? We are supposed to be beautiful, you know."
"Are you saying I'm not?"
"No . . . but if I dress up like an old lady, I will. You can do the bookish, geeky thing so much better than I can."
"Gee, thanks!"
"Who says 'gee,' Grandma!"
Nayru gave a little cough. "What did you decide, Din?" she asked, and, despite her young appearance and naive behavior, she reminded them how smart she really was.
"Oh, right." Din raised her head high. "I'm going to take him to the Triforce."
Nayru smiled, but Farore looked horrified. "But . . . what about . . ." she began angrily.
"Oh come on, it was going to happen anyway. Our little creatures" --she looked fondly at the bowl-- "are much too violent to let bygones be bygones."
"We could stop it, if only--"
"No, we couldn't," Din shot back. "I've asked. I've tried every possible outcome there is, and it all points to that. It's going to happen, and I think the smartest thing to do is let him take it." Farore and Nayru stared at her. Farore looked frustrated, but Nayru was still smiling. Either she approved of Din's idea, or she was totally oblivious.
"Oh, fine, then," Farore snapped. "But if it all backfires, don't you dare blame me." Angrily, she stormed away.
Din sighed, then sat back down in front of the bowl. She stuck her finger into the water, watching the forest reappear. Daphnes was still sitting there, looking incredibly hopeful.
Nayru came and sat next to her. "You're doing the right thing, you know," she said softly.
"Yeah." Din swirled the water gently, blowing on it every few seconds. The trees' leaves rustled, Daphnes looked up, watching them.
"May I?" Nayru asked. Din smiled, sitting back to let her sister take her place. Nayru swirled the water, blew on it once, then started to sing.
"Ok, listen up. This is Ty. She is our champion fighter. You can beat her, then you've passed this test. Got it? Good."
Demi nodded at Maria. "What do I use to fight with?" he asked.
She gave him a death glare, then decided she probably should answer his question. "This." She threw him a short sword.
He winced as he caught the sword, looking at it apprehensively. He'd taken a fighting class, but that was hand combat. It'd take a miracle to do this.
He tried to focus on his opponent, Ty, but his eyes were drawn constantly to her matching scimitars. They glimmered prettily in the early morning sunlight. They looked almost innocent, sitting there, reflecting the ocean and the sky.
Yeah, and they'll innocently tear you into a bloody lump. Demi groaned. The Dark Triforce could've picked any other time to rear its evil head . . .
"And . . . go."
Demi ducked instinctively, and Ty's scimitars sliced the air an inch in front of his face. She'd been expecting him to do that.
"That was a warning," she said, lifting her scimitars again.
Roll forward.
What? Demi demanded the Dark Triforce silently.
She'll be expecting you to move backward or to the side. No one would dare to move toward the weapon.
There is a reason for that . . .
Shut up. On my word . . . if you'll trust me.
Demi didn't answer, but he gritted his teeth and clutched his sword. What could he do?
Sensing his hesitation, it said, I want you alive as much as you do. What do you think I would do without a body? Now . . . go.
He rolled forward, scraping his bare back on one of the blades and leaving a bloody streak. But he was still alive.
Anything else? he asked reluctantly.
Yes. Now kick out to the side--
Demi kicked. There was a thud, then a soft cry of surprise or pain.
--And roll to the right.
He felt the breeze of the scimitar as it whipped past him.
Good. Grab her ankle--it's just behind your head--and give it a hard tug. She's trying to get up.
Ty sprawled on top of him as he did what the Dark Triforce said.
After a few minutes--or was it a few hours? The time seemed endless--of hard fighting, acting and reacting, doing what he was told . . . after that battle, Ty fell to the ground, nearly unconscious.
She looked up at him and glowered. Standing quickly, she brushed herself off and stalked away. He watched her go. She was covered in blood, and the attempt to appear dignified seemed to be sapping the last of her energy.
Annabelle rushed to his side with a water-covered cloth. "That was amazin'!" she gushed, mopping up the blood around his face.
"Thanks," he said distractedly, watching Maria go to Ty. He strained to hear what they were saying.
"I can't believe it. That's crazy--did you let him win?" Maria asked. Demi's neck and face flushed in embarrassment.
Ty gave him a resentful glare, then turned back to Maria. "No. The kid did that by himself. He's got talent. Sucks, doesn't it?"
Annabelle noted the exchange, and the interest Demi had in it. Maria was right--the girl did know too much. "Don' worry 'bout Ty," Annabelle said.
"She hates my guts," he replied simply.
"Yeah, so? She hates everyone's guts. 'Cept Maria. Dunno why. I have a theory--" But she was cut off as Maria strode up to them.
"Annabelle, you can go," she said. "All right, you beat Ty. There's still one more test, so don't get cocky. Cockiness is not good. I don't want it in my pirates, and I don't give a damn if that's how pirates are supposed to be. Got it? Good." As she turned to leave, she glanced back over her shoulder. "Not bad, by the way."
Demi leaned back against the side of the boat, looking up at the still-rising sun.
How did you learn to fight like that?
I've been around a long time. Let's just leave it at that.
Demi didn't know what to say to that. He didn't want to "leave it at that," but knew the Dark Triforce wouldn't tell him any more.
Thanks, by the way.
Just call me a miracle.
And Demi wondered, even after what had happened, even after cursing the Goddesses again and again for inflicting the Dark Triforce on him, if that's exactly what this thing was.
Maybe it was sent to him to do something important.
Maybe it really was a miracle.
Zelda was woken abruptly by someone shaking her shoulders. And not gently.
Wham. Her head hit the ground. Wham. Her chin hit her chest. Wham. Wham. Wham.
Wham! "Zelda! It's back!" Wham!
She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. The lilting melody had filled the forest, and Daphnes was shaking her. His round face was alight with happiness and wonder.
"Can you believe it?" Once he realized she was awake, he let her go and went over to Saria, who was sitting up, watching the forest. She put her hand on a tree and closed her eyes. When she looked back up at them, she said, "The trees are talking about a change in the air. Something's been disturbed. I think that's the Triforce. It's not supposed to be back this soon."
"Well," Daphnes began, hoisting a small bag over his shoulder. "Do you mind taking us where you think it is?"
"Sure."
The forest was like a maze; Zelda was relieved Saria knew where she was going. When they reached a clearing, the music rose to a deafening roar. Zelda stepped forward bravely.
"Wait!" Saria grabbed her arm as the ground opened up beneath Zelda's feet. They both screamed as Zelda plummeted through the leafy forest floor, dragging Saria down with her. With a cry of pain, they landed on the stone floor below.
Daphnes leaned over the edge of the hole, peering into blackness. "Are you all right?" he shouted down.
"Uh . . . I think so," Zelda called back. "Saria twisted her ankle, though. It might be broken . . . I hit my head on something, but I'm not sure it's too bad. Hurts like hell, though."
"What's down there?"
Saria's voice rose out of the gloom, coming out in gasps. "There's . . . some sort . . . of tunnel . . . and that's . . . pretty much it. I can't . . . really see . . . very well. It's . . . too dark."
"Should I come down?"
"Sure, why not?" Zelda answered, her voice dripping sarcasm. "We've both suffered minor to moderate injuries, but you'll probably be fine. And what could possibly be more fun than hurtling yourself down a hole into darkness? I, for one, think--"
"Zelda? Shut up." She really wasn't making this easy. He looked into the seemingly endless depths. "It's not that far," he muttered to himself. "Just a little drop . . . onto a nice, cushiony stone floor." He took a deep breath, then threw himself into the hole, landing painfully on his back.
Saria was leaning against the wall, clutching her ankle. Her face was deathly pale. Zelda was pacing the underground room, her hair matted with blood. She looked up at the hole they'd come through. "That was probably . . . a ten-foot drop?" she guessed. She jerked her head at Saria. "She landed on the side of her foot. There was a snap and everything. I landed on the side of my head. Good thing nothing happened to me." She tapped the side of her head, then wiped the blood off on her dress. "I've got a hard head."
Daphnes sat up. He was winded, but otherwise fine. He helped Saria to her feet, putting one arm around her waist. Zelda hurried to her other side. Now that he was looking at it close up, he could see that her ankle was twisted in an unnatural direction, her foot pointed grotesquely behind them. A glistening white bone could be seen poking out of her leg, surrounded by crimson blood.
"Do we go down there?" Daphnes asked, pointing down the tunnel with his free hand.
Saria gave a weak nod of consent, and Zelda shrugged, so they continued off in that direction.
"Saria," Daphnes asked as they trudged slowly along, "do you know where this goes?"
She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. I've never . . . been down here before . . . but I think . . . we're going in the . . . right direction . . . The music's . . . louder."
"How did ya miss the big ol' gaping hole in the ground?" Zelda huffed, tripping over a rock as she spoke.
"The trees . . . warned me," Saria said simply, "and I went . . . around."
"What is with this whole tree-talking thing?" Zelda continued, apparently looking for something to talk about.
"It's one of my powers . . . as a Sage." Saria almost collapsed as she put weight on her ankle, crying out in pain. Daphnes caught her before she hit the ground. "I'm . . . fine," she replied, in answer to his concerned expression. "I can also . . . heal . . . and talk . . . to animals."
"Heal?" Zelda raised her eyebrows. "Um, hello?"
"Not . . . on myself. Which has never . . . been a problem . . . until now. I don't know why . . . I can't heal myself."
". . . Alrighty." Zelda shrugged, then wrapped her arm around Saria's waist again. She turned toward Daphnes. "You don't have a red potion or anything, do you?"
He shook his head. "Nuh-uh. You?"
" Well," she began cheerfully. "I have . . . nothing. Literally." She looked down at her torn, stained dress. "This isn't even mine. Sorry."
"That's--" But he was cut off as something leapt from the shadows. It moved to fast for them to see it very well. It was a blur of silver and claws and teeth. It stopped for a split second, and Daphnes caught a glimpse of a wolf-like thing, with glowing eyes the color of rubies. It pulled its lips back in one looked like a grin, revealing yellowed teeth. Lunging at Saria, whose leg was bleeding profusely now, it gently clamped its jaws around her foot, digging aforementioned teeth into her leg. It looked up at Zelda, who was rummaging around for a rock or something to use as a weapon, then to Daphnes, who was frozen, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. It gave them a mock salute, raising a ham-sized paw into the air. Then, with a howl, it was gone.
Daphnes turned to Zelda, who was staring at where the wolf had been seconds before. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up. She raised her eyebrows at him pleadingly. "We have to go after them, don't we?" she asked. Daphnes didn't reply, watching her stonily. Finally she sighed, and went back to staring at nothing. "Fine," she conceded moodily. He grinned, and gave her a peck on the cheek. The corners of her mouth twitched, and she picked up a sharp rock. Pointing down the tunnel with it, she looked up at him expectantly.
"Lead the way."
Ganondorf watched all the Gerudo file out of the room. Pretty soon the room was empty except for him, Aveni, Krysu, and Nabooru. He turned to his mother. "Could you . . ." He jerked his head at the door. "I need to talk to them."
"Yes. But I need to talk to you, too," Aveni replied, holding her head high.
He sighed. She was getting very annoying. "I don't want to hear it. Now . . ." Aveni, getting the not-so-subtle leave-me-alone vibes, turned and strode away, fuming.
Nabooru turned and gave him an expectant look. "What do you want?" she asked, sitting down on a crate. Krysu sat next to her, fiddling with her bracelets.
"Do you think you'd mind doing something extremely stupid and probably dangerous?"
Nabooru's smile widened. "Always."
Krysu nodded, looking sick.
"Good." He took their arms and pulled them closer, glancing back at the door. "Now, if you could just . . ." In a whisper, he told them exactly what he was planning, and how he needed them.
Nabooru gave him a wink. "Aye, aye, captain," she whispered. She put her hand on her chest. "And I solemnly swear that I won't get myself killed. Not on purpose, anyway."
"Good," Ganondorf repeated, putting his hand on top of hers. "I'm holding you to that promise."
Krysu cleared her throat uneasily, glancing at the door, then slipped outside.
As Nabooru left, she gave him a confident grin, and he felt his heart sink. It wasn't that he loved her, per se. Gerudo weren't allowed to fall in love, since love is weakness. No, this was protectiveness he was feeling. After all, it was her life on the line, not his. Protectiveness and a very strong like.
He thought about her perfect lips as she smiled at him, and her shimmering waves of red hair that she refused to keep in a ponytail, and his heart rate sped up unexpectedly.
Okay, so he was attracted to her. That was normal.
And definitely not love.