"I'm... Vincent Picoru, my father makes medicines" a pale black haired brownish red eyed teen said to a group of teens. Maemi as she looked at him flashed him a brief smile that made him relieved after introducing himself.
"I'm Lawrence Forrester, sadly I don't have much family except my uncle" Lawrence greeted before sitting back down only to Maemi's side causing the tanned male to glare at him but Lawrence paid no heed and glared back to Maemi's annoyance.
"Easy boys, no bickering it gets you no where and fast" Maemi said bluntly as she dragged her words to show she was not in the mood, pausing the males shuffled away to gain distance from the other. Shaking her head she turned to look at greyish haired male who stared at them with calm calculating eyes that left most of the males unsettled except Maemi who just smiled faintly.
"I am Helmaroc, I am still in juvie" the pale skinned male with large glasses said surprising them at how blunt he was, then again the tanned male did still have to go juvie and serve up the rest of his sentencing for violent behaviours. Some crimes on the other hand weren't even his fault to begin with, but were actually caused by his twin who somehow tricked everyone that it was him. Lawrence raised a brow while Vincent pale at how blunt he was with them.
"What did you do?" the tanned male asked with a bored look, thinking it was something dumb.
"I hacked into the pentagon and cracked their network leaving them unable to work for months" Helmaroc replied with a shrug not caring that some were now uncomfortable or shocked by the fact that he didn't feel guilty about what he did. The tanned male blinked but masked how impressed he was, that in itself was next to impossible to achieve.
"Wh-why would you do that?" Vincent asked looking completely shaken up by his words, Helmaroc raised a brow before shrugging uncaring about the response.
"Felt like showing the useless lot how weak their security was" Helmaroc replied in a nonchalant tone which now left the tanned male concerned at how little he valued his life, then again compared to him he had spent more of his life in gangs and rotten traditions that involved his parents who chose to work more than care about him and his brother.
"As impressive as that is Helmaroc, that is dangerous" Maemi said softly which startled Lawrence and Vincent meanwhile the tanned male felt a mental smile form but didn't show much emotions, however it was a genuine warmth that filled the usually stoic male. In truth he was happy at how she was reacting to what he said, Helmaroc pushed his large glasses which Maemi could suss out was a nervous tic he had given how quickly he did it.
"Still taught them a lesson" Helmaroc said stiffly which made her smile a bit.
"They got to you didn't they?" Maemi asked before watching him deal with his glasses again, smiling she looked at the tanned male and nodded for him to start introducing himself, grunting slightly the male stood up before brushing dirt and leaves off his worn grey trousers. Ignoring Lawrence's intense look and focused on everyone else despite the uncomfortable stare.
"I am Ganondorf Dragmire, I have two weird aunts" Ganondorf said with a humorous smirk, seeing Lawrence's blank expression as he raises a brow made Ganondorf relish in knowing that he got to the blond boy, some snorted causing some tension that had filled the area to leave slightly.
"S-Seriously?" Vincent asked weakly which made Ganondorf turn to stare at him.
"Got a problem with that?" Ganondorf challenged only to see Vincent shake his head quickly.
"N-No! You see my dad's paranoid and hits me with his cane" the group stared at Vincent sharply.
"He does more than that..." Maemi muttered bluntly while speaking in a low tone causing a shiver to run down the males' spines, at the same time Maemi remained emotionless about the whole thing.
"Shouldn't you call the police about it?" Helmaroc asked while his voice almost went up a notch due to shock, Lawrence went quiet since the bespectacled boy spoke had asked before him, Vincent smiled weakly and scratched his head.
"He just doesn't want me messing up, I am sure he cares... just wish he would stop throwing me down the stairs and stuff when I do things like fail a big test" Vincent said weakly before his phone buzzed, curious he unlocked it to see a message from his father- he paled causing his skin to look more sickly than ever.
"You had better hope that you did well with your homework, I want a word with you. You stupid boy" Vincent swallowed loudly but didn't notice that the others were looking over his shoulder.
"What kind of father do you have?!" Ganondorf asked looking stunned at the message.
"The paranoid kind that supposedly sees the future and knows when I speak about him" Vincent almost trembled before Maemi sighed and plucked the phone off his slackened hands.
"Oi uncle! I'll tell your wife and mum if you try anything funny!" Maemi wrote to his relief because the next thing Vincent got in reply was-
"..." the boys stare at her and then the message with baffled looks.
"You're related to this guy?!" Helmaroc asked in disbelief while she gave him a bland look.
"Vincent invited me to his house to study and ended up meeting his parents. Thought he was dead but he cheated me out of sending his soul to hell" Maemi shrugged not caring that they were stunned and confused by the statement.
"What do you mean... cheated you out of sending his soul to hell?" Lawrence asked now feeling uncomfortable as sweat ran down the back of his neck, blinking Maemi looked at them with a blank look.
"Oh I'm the descendent of the keeper of death" everyone except Vincent went pale.
"That's a joke right?" Helmaroc said feeling uneasy about this, what made it worse was that she didn't care about their reactions.
"No" they gulped while a blank faced Maemi looked at a shaky smiled Vincent who shrugged lightly.
"Doesn't it bother you?" Ganondorf asked sounding unsettled causing Maemi to look, understanding what he meant.
"That I could kill someone with one touch? Yup went through that phase but got over it. It only happens if someone is meant to die" Maemi shrugged "Why? You going to run away screaming?" she asked while leaning on her left leg while her right remained straight on the floor. Vincent stared at the others who almost looked like they were ready to bolt, not that he could blame them however it wasn't her fault for being born with this power. In truth he should be scared and yet... he wasn't. Instead Vincent felt a sense of calm and comfort which he guessed was because of her, how she did this was beyond him but maybe it was because of how honest and open she had been with all of them. So why should he be truly afraid?
Lawrence felt prickles of fear fill his system but instead of bolting he stayed to his confusion. Looking at Vincent and Maemi, Lawrence blinked as he stared at the usually scared male look at her with a kind smile which left him more confused. Shouldn't he be running? Trembling at how his cousin could end him at any time? However he never did any of that, instead he looked content which left Lawrence at a loss of what to say or do. After all he had learned from his experience with Ganondorf who had been treated by Maemi after being injured to never judge a book by it's cover, yet being around her without knowing made Lawrence frown at how he was acting. So what of her heritage and power? It didn't define Maemi, she did and it made him feel foolish for acting up. A part of him screamed at him for overeating from her words, she didn't have to tell them but she did. Just looking at her filled Lawrence with a sense that he did know her from somewhere but could not figure for the life of him how or where. All his mind knew was that she was important to him somehow, however instead of pushing himself to find out he was willing himself to let it come naturally.
Ganondorf remained shaken but swallowed as he looked at all of them, he should be scared of her for sure and yet... he remained calm to his surprise. Maybe it had been when she helped him with his injuries which left a deep effect on him he didn't truly know, regardless he trusted her enough to know she was willing to tell them one of her probably many secrets. To know she was willing to trust them after what some of them had done made Ganondorf feel… appreciated and happy? Knowing that he had a friend who was confiding in something that would no doubt send her to a nut house or worse if someone else had found out what her secret was. This was huge don't get him wrong but seeing Maemi for her it left him more at ease than compared to if she told him when they first met. Since he told her about his family life, she had been accepting now… would everyone else be just as accepting? Given how she reacted to his past he had faith they would just be as kind.
Helmaroc continued to sweat and looked at person to person in shock before pausing, why was he acting like an idiot? So what that she could do that? Maybe she was joking maybe she wasn't who cares? Pushing his glasses up he shook his head.
"So what? Why would I want to leave?" Helmaroc asked bluntly as he saw her bland look.
"You tell me?" Maemi asked bluntly "you're all scared of me, so you can run" she shrugged but they all stayed put.
"You helped me when I was hurt, you even listened to my problems so why should I run?" Ganondorf asked sounding offended by the very thought of running, meanwhile he folded his arms and leaned his back on a tree but never took his eyes off of her unchanging expression.
"Exactly, you didn't have to tell us and yet you did. Why should we treat you badly when you have been nothing but kind?" Lawrence asked with a boyish smirk that made her eyebrows go up.
"…" Smiling Vincent looked at everyone with relieved eyes, maybe being in this group of strange friends wasn't so bad after all.
"Honestly Maemi, I feel uncomfortable doing this" Link said weakly once they arrived at the carpenter's tent. The first thing they did after resting was have Link change to his dismay.
"Well it's either that or being locked up OR being used for the mating hunt... whatever that is" Maemi commented as she stood outside the tent with a white dress and white cloak to protect her from the sun, her shoes were also white but were durable allowing her to walk for long periods of time.
"Your guess is as good as mine" Link grumbled as he came out pushing some hair from his face, Maemi blinked in surprise while the carpenter boss who was drinking water spat it out sharply from seeing Link's new look. The now shy Link had white Gerudo pants, a red crop top, red curl tipped shoes and a red jewel on his forehead which was attached to a string. Squirming under their looks Link looked away feeling mortified for being made to wear the atrocious outfit.
"Are you really a boy or a girl?" the carpenter cried now believing his eyes, Maemi however went up to Link and had him kneel so she could put on a red stoned pendent. Instantly Link had completely turned full Gerudo including the tanned skin and long red hair which had been tied up, just witnessing this causing the carpenter to look at his water and Link before grimacing from his drink and tipped it to the floor.
"There, all done now they can't recognise you big brother" Maemi giggled before hearing a thump, both looked at what was behind her and saw the carpenter had fainted to their surprise. "I guess your disguised look was too good for him to handle?" Maemi commented softly causing Link to glare at her slightly.
"Just great...?!" Link froze as he heard a female voice instead of his own, flashing her a look she shrugged.
"We have to play the part you know" Maemi defended before sorting out her hood "he says his workers had been taken into the fortress, how are we going to get inside without being caught?" she asked with a curious look. Pondering himself Link took Epona's reins and released a heavy sigh.
"I don't know but we can explore the area to get a feel of what we're dealing with" Link finally said as he held her hand, giggling Maemi leaned on his arm before they started walking "so what does Dark say about me wearing this?" Link asked not believing that he was asking this.
"He laughed" she said bluntly causing Link to feel his head go down quickly as the mortified feeling grew more and more with every minute that passed, what if someone they knew saw them? What if her plan failed?! The list of worries kept growing until he felt his hand being squeezed, looking at Maemi she smiled at him softly.
"It'll be okay, we need to save the carpenters and find the Sage of Spirit. We can do this Link" Maemi said, Link remained silent before a soft chuckle left his lips.
"Yeah..." he nodded sharply "thanks Maemi" Link said with a grateful smile, in more ways he was glad that Navi and Maemi were with him throughout this quest.
"Anytime big brother" and with that the pair approached the entrance to the Gerudo lands, fear filled Link as they slowly saw a town as they continued to walk but he held himself together, as long as he had the pendent inside his top the disguise wouldn't break which meant that they were safe. Looking at the town and it's bazaar left Maemi staring in awe, Link as he observed the area was also left in awe at what took place before him. Seeing happy children playing or were with their mothers or aunts. Surprisingly they looked happy and lively... except the guard Gerudo who wore either red or purple veils across their faces, their eyes emotionless and yet calculating as they scanned the area. Most likely to find him and Myra for sure. Despite the unbearable heat caused by the scorching sun Link was amazed to see that their spirits hadn't dampened much, then again ignorance was bliss. They didn't have to know what their king had done, they could be free for now until the spell broke revealing the ugliness of what was shrouded from them.
Looking at Maemi who smiled brightly Link felt some joy re-enter him, just seeing her eager but happy to explore the area regardless of being in hostile enemy territory she was truly relaxed to be here. Watching her giggling and waving at some of the children who waved at her with the same enthusiastic expression.
"We should stock up on potions" Link whispered before feeling Maemi tug him harshly making him pause from approaching two old ladies with either a red or blue jewels on their head.
"I don't trust them, their auras are dark" Maemi whispered to his surprise, they looked so normal which left him more baffled but regained his composure. Nodding he walked with her through the bazaar not seeing Sheik appear near the elderly women.
"Was that her?" the one in blue asked in a creaky voice, Sheik remained neutral faced as he kept his back to them. For sure that was Maemi but who was she with? Where was Link and why was he not with her?
"No... it isn't, a look alike perhaps but it's not her" Sheik replied in a neutral tone that made the elderly women huff.
"Poooey! When are they going to show up?" the one with the red gem muttered darkly.
"The king is getting impatient, he wants her dead now that the sixth temple has been purged" the one with the blue gem commented. Sheik remained quiet but kept a discrete eye on Maemi.
"Where is he?!" Sheik started to feel frustrated on the inside but swallowed his emotions due to who he was with.
"I'll take a look around" Sheik said before vanishing leaving two disgruntled women behind to seethe at the bad luck they were having. They anticipated the hero would arrive with the girl but neither had appeared, all they saw a look alike of the girl but that was it.
Maemi looked left and right before crossing the busy area, she soon jumped while using a blind spot of the fortress as cover. Immediately she spied a window and went inside while Link remained on guard for anything suspicious that would notice. Already he was against the idea of letting Maemi enter the fortress even if she had Dark with her, whether or not this Dark person who apparently was trapped inside the pendent was real. Knowing that anything could happen unsettled him, however so far nothing was happening which was probably good news.
"Oi, there's an archery tournament taking place, Gerudo are gathering to watch or take part" a Gerudo guard said sternly causing Link to tense up, assessing the situation on whether stay and look suspicious or leave entered his mind before nodding.
"Right" Link replied while tugging on the reins of his horse catching the guard's attention.
"Where did you steal that?" the guard asked startling Link before she grinned "It's a fine horse, want to show us what you can do?" the Gerudo guard said, hearing this he relaxed and smiled softly.
"S-Sure" Link said meekly not knowing that the guard had now gone red in the face from his expression.
"She looks cute-wait what?!" the Gerudo woman blinked in shock thanks to the unexpected thought that entered her mind.
"Um... excuse me, could you direct me to where the area is?" Link asked as he moved a few steps towards the guard who mentally screamed at how close he suddenly was to her, her face now burned causing her to squirm under his curious look. Now unable to handle him she ran away leaving Link blinking in surprise.
"What did... I do?" he looked at Epona who just looked at him with confused eyes, even she didn't understand what was going on-
CRASH!
Link's head shot up in panic as he heard the violent crash, swallowing he gave an understanding Epona a weak smile before spotting the side entrance and rushed inside only to yelp as a brown haired man wearing white and blue ran out looking petrified which only made Link more worrier than ever. Keeping his mouth closed he turned a few corners as he tried to locate where she had entered the window near where he stood. To his surprise it had an empty but open gate which meant the one he saw running was one of the carpenters. This relieved him slightly but still begged the question on what the crashing was. Link remained on edge even as he jumped over a part of the fortress to reach another part and entered, another gate door was open so he went through a hallway to see- sleeping Gerudo?! No one made a movement or stirred as they slept soundlessly, almost as if they had bee drugged or something.
Not wasting time he tip toed past them and went to another hallway which contained another open gate door.
"Where is she?!" Link wanted to scream only to tense up as a Gerudo woman jumped down behind him and took out her two swords, this left him frustrated due to his disguised form prevented him from using his shield. Biting his lip Link took out his sword that was hidden in one of the pouches Maemi had disguised and defended himself against the now startled Gerudo guard who was forced to retreat leaving him alone. Huffing Link kept his sword in his hand and ran not caring if he was spotted due to how the guard who spotted him no doubt alerted everyone who was awake.
"How do women run in this?" he muttered darkly before dodging a large knife that almost hit him, startled he looked at where the sword had come from and rushed towards an entrance... he froze.
There in the room was a Gerudo guard engaging in a sword fight with Maemi?
Disbelief filled Link because of how small she was compared to the guard, in a way it wasn't a fair fight but to his amazement she was holding her own against the woman. Stomping on the woman's foot after leaning close she used her free hand to heat up to remaining sword in her hand to the point the guard yelped in pain, as a result she dropped the sword which allowed Maemi to kick it away and hit the wall silencing the cheering carpenter who was rooting for Maemi. Now putting her sword near the guard who narrowed her eyes at being bested before a wide grin formed on her face.
"Heh... not bad, you definitely weren't holding back on me" the woman in red said while Maemi smiled wryly from the compliment "although I must commend you both, it takes guts to enter the fortress and steal from us" Maemi shrugged.
"Hey, the boss wants his workers back. Who am I to deny helping an old man out?" Maemi asked slyly causing the woman to cackle at the comment.
"I like you! Very sassy for someone so young" the Gerudo woman mused with a glint in her eyes "tell you what I'll make you both members so you can travel throughout the province, sounds good?" the woman asked shocking Link enough to nod. What an earth had Maemi been doing when he was outside?
"Why not?" Maemi and the woman laughed at her remark.
"Good, oh and feel free to go to our training grounds. The name's Aveil if they ask who let you join our ranks" Aveil winked while Maemi giggled.
"Allie and Lucia, nice to meet you" Maemi greeted as she shook hands with Aveil, at the same time Link's stomach plummeted to the point he felt sick at the fact she called him a girls name. Alas if they-he was ever going to make it out safely then he knew better than to speak.
"Pleasure... you know we have a second in command Nabooru" Aveil sighed with a sad smile "she left to the Desert Colossus, I wonder if she is okay" Aveil said shocking the pair.
"She went where?" Maemi cried while Link moved closer, startled Aveil looked at them.
"What happened?" Link asked not caring if she was acting weird as her face looked a little red.
"Oh um... you see Nabooru didn't approve with what our king Ganondorf was up to, although... attacking the women and children had been a little upsetting even for me as well. Unable to take it she left and put me in charge until she returned which I doubt is soon" Aveil sighed heavily as she looked at her feet with helpless eyes "I haven't seen her in seven years, the chances of her returning is a fool's hope" Aveil said while the pair have the other a worried look.
"We'll look for her" Link assured the sad smiling Gerudo.
"You might as well chase a ghost, there is hardy any evidence of her being alive" Aveil commented.
"No Aveil, you can't just give up. If anything, if Ganondorf had discovered her abandoning him then he must have done something to her. We will find her I promise" Maemi added with a determined look that startled the pair. Clearing her throat softly Aveil kept her eyes on the ground.
"I'll ask someone to open the gate, may Din protect you on your task" Aveil said softly causing Maemi and Link to nod sharply as they eyed the other. This wasn't a coincidence, this no doubt was foul play!
"By the way, why does Lucia look attractive?" Maemi blinked in shock while Link gave her a helpless look from the question.
"Does she? Never noticed or cared" Maemi said bluntly, hearing Aveil blanched in shock while Link now raised a brow however said nothing. If anything he just wanted to go and leave this place altogether, regardless of being a new member to the group.
Now covered in white cloaks the pair began to enter the bad lands after Link had asked the boss of the carpenters to look after Epona.
As they continued to trek through the desert which started to unleash a sandstorm much to their dismay which forced them to try and seek shelter, which in itself proved harder than they would have liked. Making sure that the cloaks also covered their mouths to prevent sand getting in they kept close while holding the others hand in order to prevent being separated once the storm escalated. Link from time to time glanced at Maemi to make sure she was okay, to his relief she was coping well despite the blistering heat and unforgiving sandstorm that was picking up rapidly. Pride filled Link in knowing that she was pushing on and refused to falter, the proof? Her eyes remained focused and determined to keep moving despite what would await them.
"Over there Link! I see something" Maemi cried as she pointed at something that was in the distance. Looking Link had to quint his eyes before spotting a silhouette, hope filled him as he picked Maemi up and rushed towards it despite her warning him to slow down due to how choppy the sand was which would make it easier for them to trip due to being unfamiliar with the terrain. Regardless of how many times he stumbled Link kept on running while keeping both arms tightly around the worried girl who didn't let go due to fear of falling and hurting herself. Soon Link's knees buckled once he opened a door to the now identified hut, panting heavily Link placed his face on Maemi's shoulder not caring to move as relief in knowing they were okay continued to fill him. Which in turn helped him relax as he leaned on the wall beside the door. Maemi meanwhile now knowing that it was safe closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms. Feeling her arms loosen around his neck Link looked at her from the corner of his eye, a soft smile formed on his face at how peaceful she looked as her head was on his chest.
"I guess she is wiped out from that trial" he looked up and sighed heavily "not that I can blame her. Even I'm too tired to move a muscle" Link groaned as he tried to move and adjust but didn't have the strength. Link's mind went to the water skins he had kept in one of his pouches and then the pendent around his neck, as much as he wanted to take it off worry of being spotted by a Gerudo was not on one of his lists to make happen. Instead he allowed his eyes to close and allow whatever moments of peace to come. They were close, so close to achieving their goal of stopping Ganondorf. They just needed to find the Sage of Spirit.
Sheik continued to examine the area but refrained from panicking. Maemi was no longer in the area and her lack of aura confirmed it to his dismay.
"Where could she be? Where is the hero? Did he get captured or something? No Ganondorf and the tribe would not keep this hidden so where did they go?" spotting the gate he approached the guardswoman who was observing the area.
"Gerudo, have you seen any child with black hair and brown eyes walk by here?" Sheik asked the now annoyed Gerudo.
"I see a lot of people Sheikah, do you think that I need to remember everyone who comes and goes?" the woman spat at Sheik who narrowed his eyes in a threatening manner that made the Gerudo guardswoman blink. "Okay fine" she scoffed before looking out to the desert trial.
"I saw a girl with black hair and brown eyes being accompanied by one of our own, she was heading towards the Desert Colossus. Something about helping our second in command find a missing member" the woman said, hearing this Sheik's heart stopped at what this could mean.
"That place is Ganondorf's base of operations- The Spirit Temple! But why is she going with a Gerudo? Why is the hero not with her?!" Sheik wanted to scream but remained calm since there were sandstorms in that area which made the journey there all the more perilous, he kept an eye just in case Ganondorf spies could be anywhere and would notice something was wrong thanks to how on edge he was at the moment.
"I see, thank you for the information. Be sure that this doesn't reach anyone else's ears and don't tell anyone about where I'm going" Sheik instructed before jumping over the wall leaving the woman to scowl at him.
"Why would I need to tell anyone? It's not like they're doing anything wrong" she muttered before resuming her watch.
Now refreshed the pair exited the hut and climbed to the roof as instructed by the guards who told them about the trials.
"We will need the lens of truth for this Link" Maemi explained as she examined the worn tablet. Nodding Link took out the purple lens and examined the area before seeing a Poe.
"Keep close and don't stray" the Poe said catching their attention.
"Thank you Miss Poe" Maemi smiled as she jumped down and landed softy on the ground, despite being concerned at how she was being nice to a POE of all things. Link jumped and then rolled once he was on the floor to minimise damage and followed the now departing Poe, to their dismay a sandstorm quickly formed as they followed which led them to realising that this was a test. Holding hands the pair followed in a brisk manner, Maemi's other hand remained on her cloak while Link's other hand remained holding the lens. Refusing to stray the pair continued their pace while dodging what Navi called Leever which popped up from the ground and started moving about. Seeing the Leevers shooting up more the pair now started to run which encouraged their guide to pick up the pace so the could reach their destination.
"Let me tell you a tale, a tale filled with endless sleep" a throaty voice filled with hidden glee entered Maemi's ears causing her to almost stop and trip due to being startled but shook away the voice and resumed her pace.
Strong light soon filled their eyes as they reached a sandstormless area. Palm trees, a large rock, and an empty oasis area caught their attention. However what also left them surprised was seeing a large statue of a woman sitting with her hands level but above her lap. Behind her was a large mountain like rock which looked like was fused to her.
"Do you think we've arrived?" Navi asked after peeking out from Link's hair, looking at Navi and Link Maemi felt her eyes grow sad as the area was filled with malicious auras and despair. What could have happened to such a place?
"Why even though it looks peaceful does this place fill me with dread?" Maemi asked now feeling her heart grow heavy, spotting a spot between two trees Link guided her to the side of a medium sided stone. Staring at it Maemi looked at Link before blanching in shock as he took out the hammer and hit the stone which crumbled easily from under the heavy weight.
"Oh! It must be protecting something like what we saw at Death Mountain" Maemi said in awe while Link grinned.
"I may not be sure if the Gerudo are around but I can still use items, let's go take a look" Link extended his hand to which a smiling Maemi took and followed him inside. As they walked further into the dark hallway the area soon left them feeling much cooler than outside but they also felt warm inside which meant this place was a Great Fairy Fountain. Soon they picked up the sound of fires crackling around them even though the light was further ahead of them.
Not wasting time Link took out the ocarina and began to play Zelda's lullaby once he stood on the Triforce insignia located in front of a pool. A bell like laugh entered their ears before a woman with pink hair wearing vines for clothes, her feet remained bare as she faced them with a smile.
"Oh you poor things" the fairy cooed as she saw the state of the pair "let me help you soothe your wounds, after that I will teach you a spell called Nayru's love. This will protect you against harm but it will drain your magic the longer you keep it up" the fairy explained with a sad smile before blinking as she saw Maemi's pendent.
"Oh dear child! You contain a spirit of a dark hero" the fairy exclaimed in surprise as she placed her hands to her face. Startled Maemi looked at her in alarm while Link and Dark gasped in shock.
"So they were telling the truth, there is a dark me inside that pendent... but why? Why was he in her pendent? What role does he have in all of this?" Link pondered while Maemi and his other half remained on guard, still smiling the fairy chucked softly.
"You need not worry child, I will not wish any ill will towards him. But you must know that if the dark ones find out they will try to claim and use him as their slave" the fairy said softly.
"It won't happen!" Maemi snapped surprising Link, Dark and Navi. The fairy observed her as she narrowed her eyed "I won't let them hurt my brother! It doesn't matter if he is born of light or darkness he is still my brother and they are NOT taking him" Maemi said with a determined tone as she stared fiercely at the fairy.
"Maemi..." Dark was left speechless from how she was willing to risk her life to save his pathetic soul, why should she care? It's not like he wasn't a slave to fate like his other half, he was hated and shunned because of who he was so this in a way meant nothing. As much as he was happy that someone was willing to care it was pointless...
"Are you my ancestor?" a female voice echoed in Dark's mind causing him to freeze completely.
"That voice... why do I have the feeling that I know this person?" Dark retreated into the deepest part of the pendent, despite it being dark it felt safe. Not Like the world outside. His mind soon went to the voice, the desperation and anxiety as she asked that question struck him deeply. Dark as he mauled on the voice and question had a feeling that he should know who it is that was asking but the form was blank, instead it was just a disembodied voice that rang in his ears. The only way he would know who it was came directly from his light side. But it didn't make sense, his light half had not encountered anyone asking him this question so it had to be before his time. But when and where?
"I wouldn't expect any less from you child, I wish all of you the best in your endeavours against the dark one" the fairy said after surrounding them in a blue light, once the light vanished the fairy giggled "if you are injured or weary come back here and I will heal you. Farewell for now" the fairy said before vanishing once she flies down. Looking at the other they sighed.
"At least this one dressed decent" Maemi commented bluntly, not having it Link stormed out not caring that the fairy had purged the dirt and sand off of them. Shrugging Maemi and Navi followed behind him until they were outside, looking at the area for any enemies the trio soon made their way towards the building where the statue resided. Looking inside they were left in awe as the room was vast, it contained gold and red colours that didn't look damaged but instead remained in good condition.
"They may have a bad man for a king but they do look after this place" Maemi commented.
"This was a place for the Gerudo to pray and pay homage to their Goddess, it's strange that no Gerudo is here" Dark commented surprising Maemi.
"Really?" Maemi asked Dark, her eyes lit up from how he knew such things.
"What did he say?" Link asked while Maemi touched one of the snake statues.
"Gerudo use to come here and pray to their Goddess who is most likely Din due to the red hair. He also pointed out that no Gerudo are here and it is odd. Surely if this is a sacred place then there should be some here" Maemi commented now looking worried as she looked up at the snake to see writing.
"I see... it is strange but that means I can take this off then-"
"Wait!" Maemi yelled as she grabbed his arm shocking Link enough to make him jump.
"What is it?" Navi asked now looking anxious.
"I don't know why but I can access Dark's sixth sense, someone is here and there is a person shrouded in pure darkness. Their mind is being warped to the point they think nor feel anything" Maemi explained while Dark remained on edge, gulping Link looked round before examining the two small statues. Looking right he saw a large stone block blocking an entrance while the right contained a small crawl space which he was sure would be impossible to enter given his height.
"Looks like we're out of options, the last thing I want to do is put you in danger and I can't fit into that" Link said weakly while Maemi looked at him with owlish eyes.
"Maybe you should cut back on getting muscly?" Maemi suggested causing him to blink in surprise while Navi 'coughed' with her back to them.
"I woke up like this, it's not like I asked to look like this" Link said weakly while she smiled.
"I know, just messing with ya" she said with a playful look which immediately vanished "but now... what can we do to get inside? It's not like we can shrink you..." the pair went still.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Link asked while eyeing her.
"You mean going back in time seven years, just like how we entered the well and got the lens then yup. But! How will you get back here? We don't know any teleporting songs and I doubt Sheik will know-"
"Maemi someone is outside!" Dark yelled startling Maemi who tensed up catching their attention.
"Someone is right outside the temple" Maemi's voice quivered in fear, grabbing his bow Link walked slowly outside the entrance while Maemi wore her cloak but hid in the shadows as she stayed inside. Looking around Link spotted no one until a shadow shot downwards in front of him, before he could move he grunted as be was pinned against the wall with his back to the assailant.
"Where is she?" a male voice hissed as they tightened their hold on one of the arms they twisted while a knife was pressed against his throat. Was this one of Ganondorf's henchmen? How did they find them so quickly.
"Ah!" Maemi cried out after running out of the temple to help Link only to cry out in shock at what she was seeing. "Big brother release my friend!" Maemi said sharply startling the pair. Sheik looked at her quickly before dropping Link to the ground and rushed towards her.
"Do you have any idea of how worried I was?!" Sheik snapped as he immediately scooped her into his arms, a low sigh left his lips as he relaxed knowing she was alive and well "the Twinrova would have killed you if I hadn't told them that who we saw was not you, why weren't you being careful?" Sheik scolded while Maemi whined from his mother hen behaviour, Link grunted as he got up and glared at Sheik for the underhanded manner. Honestly yes he was in disguise but that didn't mean he should be treated like this!
"She was, I was taking care of her" Link spat as he dusted himself and grabbed his bow, Sheik quickly tensed up now remembering who she attacked and glared at him.
"Who are you and why are you with my sister? Explain yourself Gerudo!" Sheik snapped as he was about to reach for his knife startling the pair.
"Hey hey brother!" Maemi cried almost tensing up for nearly slipping something out "put the knife away! If anything let's go to the fairy fountain. I'm sure you're tired from coming here" Maemi offered, Sheik remained on guard and glared at Link who returned the look with just as much anger as he could muster. Seeing this Sheik narrowed his eyes.
"Fine, but you're staying with me" Sheik warned while sauntering off with an apologetic Maemi who stared at Link before her head was turned to look at where Sheik was going.
"Um brother… the fountain is between those two palm trees" Maemi said meekly causing Sheik to turn to the left quickly almost as if he had meant to do that, eyeing him weakly she shook her head while Link tried to keep his composure due to how Sheik had been called out on the mistake.
Once they were inside Maemi sighed before trying to detach herself from Sheik but he refused to let go to her dismay.
"Big brother I can't show you the truth if you're holding onto me like that" Maemi said wearily but Sheik refused to budge.
"Start talking, who are you?" Sheik ignored Maemi causing her to glare at him, instead of reacting she did nothing except give Link a weak smile. Link however folded his arms as he stared at Sheik.
"She asked you to let her go, I'm not telling you anything if you don't do as she asks" Sheik's eyes flared in anger.
"Do you value your life scum?!" Sheik bellowed startling Maemi and Navi.
"Sheik no!" Maemi yelled before tumbling on the floor as she tried to restrain Sheik's hand which grabbed a knife.
"Maemi" Link cried as he grabbed her before she hit the floor, instinctively he pulled back before Sheik could grab Maemi and placed her on the ground beside him.
"I'm okay, thank you" Maemi smiled brightly at Link who's eyes softened from seeing her happy, eyeing them oddly Sheik remained still but on guard.
"She's now free so start talking" Sheik demanded snapping the pair out of their happy mood, Link now glared at Sheik before taking the pendent that hung around his neck off causing his female form to revert back to being male. Startled Sheik's mouth parted but was hidden thanks to the cowl to his relief, however his eyes showed he was stunned by what he was seeing.
"There, happy now?" Link snapped before grabbing his original green clothes from one of the pouches and went to change in a corner after handing a guilty Maemi the pendent.
"Sorry Link…" Maemi murmured while Link grumbled darkly in the corner.
"So wait… all this time Link had been with you in that form? How did you both not get caught?" Sheik asked, he didn't even sense anything out of the ordinary. If anything Link just looked like a regular Gerudo which made it more confusing.
"I um… infused the pendent with my illusion powers… since I've been masking myself with the barrier, I just wanted to see if it would work on something small in order to hide Link" Maemi explained with a shy look as she looked down at her feet, nerves filled her since Link could have been killed because of what she did and that upset her. Blinking in surprise Sheik stared at her with a wordless expression before looking at Link, his eyes grew dim before placing his hand on Maemi's shoulder.
"Forgive me for being rash, however you should be careful. If the witches find you it'll be over and everything we worked on would be stopped before we could finish it to the end" Sheik said as he stood up, taking out his harp he fixed his gaze on Link who stared at him with a blank expression. "You know what you need to do next, but you are unable to enter as an adult" Link nodded.
"We need to go back in time but we do not have the song to warp us here" Link commented, staring at them Sheik plucked a few notes softly before pausing.
"I will teach you the song- Requiem of Spirit, this will lead a child back to the desert to finish what they started. Good luck" Sheik said before playing the melody, as he played Maemi felt a surge of energy fill her from the inside out. Opening her mouth she closed her eyes and began to sing a haunting song.
"Sing me to a sweet dream" Maemi said with her eyes closed, Link as he played almost faltered from hearing her slow but foreboding tone while she sang in a low voice.
"Huh?" Sheik remained playing the song while Dark as he heard the song felt his spirit shake at how Maemi continued.
"Forces beyond my will" the air around them started to form while orange particles span around the trio, at the same time an owl that roasted nearby started to move its wings before taking flight.
"What is happening?" Link pondered as the air became tense and stifling, almost as if the air was being forced away from them.
Spirits shine brighter there" Maemi as she opened her eyes revealed blue slitted eyes which then reverted back to being brown within seconds, startled the pair paused once they finished playing. Staring at Maemi with sad eyes Sheik knelt down and hugged her with one arm, smiling briefly Maemi accepted the hug and sighed as she took in the musty scent which would calm her down at times.
"I will see you all again, be safe but be careful. This place is filled with dangerous monsters and as you might have guessed is a breeding ground for evil, Ganondorf has used the temple and infected it with darkness. What was once holy has been tainted but I know you can both purge this area, do not get lost and stay together" Sheik said before Maemi grabbed her hand.
"There's a Gerudo Nabooru, have you seen her?" Maemi asked in a frantic tone that left Sheik sad, shaking his head caused Maemi's grip to slacken.
"I'm afraid I have not, if she has entered here she could either be dead or enslaved by the witches on his orders. If she has then you have a chance to free her but you must play your roles in the past to see how the future will turn out. Be careful Maemi" Sheik said before moving back a few spaces, taking the hint Maemi closed her eyes to avoid the flash of the Deku nut.
"Are you okay?" Link asked as he picked Maemi up, looking at him she sighed heavily.
"I'll be fine, but I'm worried about Nabooru. We need to find her but the best way to is traveling back seven years. I'd have to teleport here from where I hid to find you" Link smiled.
"You can remain hidden, I would rather you were not hurt by him" Link said before she shook her head.
"No, I'm coming… as the saying goes one must take a leap of faith to see where it would take them. I'm coming along whether he catches me or not, I'm not going down without a fight" Maemi said with a determined expression, hearing this he chuckled.
"Alright Maemi, I'll meet you there" Link said before placing her near the fountain. "Stay safe until I get back" he said before using the Prelude of Light to teleport back, sighing Maemi looked around with a helpless look on her face.
"Was what happened at the well a fluke?" Maemi muttered before looking at her pendent weakly, Maemi had remembered when he went to put the sword back at the Temple of Time. It was then she heard the clock ring before a flash of light blinded her for a split second and then… she was back at Impa's house. Only now… there was no clock ringing in Maemi's ears, instead the young girl's vision blurred and the area quickly became out of focused. Feeling energy completely leave her body the dazed child fell to the floor with a loud thump. Cringing weakly she opened her eyes to see she was still at the fountain to her surprise.
"Wha? What happened?" Maemi looked round to see that nothing had changed, curious she grabbed her cloak and left the safety of the fountain before heading over towards the temple. Seeing that nothing had changed Maemi pouted and groaned until she felt someone in the room.
"Who's there?" a woman's voice entered Maemi's ears startling her, despite how powerful the voice was Maemi went up the steps while holding both ends of the cloth tightly to see who it was. Quickly her eyelids opened more widely as she took in the appearance of a Gerudo woman who stood before her with a proud look on her face. "A girl? What are you doing here? How did you get here when there are sandstorms present?" the woman asked but Maemi was too surprised to see the woman.
"Are you Nabooru?" Maemi asked in a airy tone before she could stop herself, startled the woman blinked rapidly from hearing the question.
"That I am, my name is Nabooru I am second in command of the Gerudo army… I was to be honest" Nabooru admitted as she gripped her right arm with her left hand.
"Because of Ganondorf right?" Maemi asked, hearing this the woman's eyes narrowed from the response.
"What do you know girl? You know nothing about our hardships-"
"Once every hundred years a male is born and crowned king, Ganondorf is the king because of that rule" Maemi commented.
"It's a stupid rule… it makes men pig headed, conceited at best but still I am intrigued- wait a minute!" Nabooru's eyes widened as she took in Maemi's appearance "remove your cloak child" obeying Maemi removed it from her head, she soon watched Nabooru's face grow pale as she realised who was standing before her.
"If the King of Hyrule found out that one of his daughters has escaped here, he would no doubt declare war and blame us. Do you have any idea of what you've done-"
"The king is dead…" Maemi looked down with a grudging look not seeing Nabooru's horrified look "Ganondorf killed him and took over Hyrule. Zoras, Gorons, Kokiri and Hylians alike are suffering as a result while my sister is forced in to hiding. As have I but I will not hide any longer… I've had enough of his selfish ways, he stole the Triforce and is destroying whatever peace we had. Yes what happened was a mistake but the king now has tried to fix his mistake, it's not his fault Ganondorf just saw this as an opportunity to invade while his defences were down" Maemi's hands shook as tears formed in her eyes. Staring at the child Nabooru's eyes grew heavy from knowing how this would be tearing the child apart, from being a strong child it was hard to see someone be forced to deal with someone's cruel choices.
"I promise… when this war is finally over, that there will be peace. Even if I have to tear down every argument both sides would have, if the king had found out before his murder there would have been another war. One more bloodier than the last and there would only be one winner. I don't want that to happen, I want everyone to have a chance to be happy… I might have been denied that a lot but I refuse to let anyone else suffer" Maemi said before looking up at Nabooru with tears running down her face, her eyes were hardened but shone in determination that made the woman smile.
"You're not the same girl I met back at the castle, not that it's a bad thing. Having a thicker skin will serve you more than a frail one, tell you what I'll let you in on a plan of mine and that involves taking down Ganondorf" Maemi blinked in surprise as Nabooru had a sly smirk on her face as she placed her left index finger to her lips.
"See this man's been causing too much trouble for far too long, before he was just a boy who was quiet but wanted to make a difference. Till this day I don't know what made him change and I was a fool to think he would revert back, I just kept thinking about his old self and how he cared for his people. He declared war so that we could all leave the desert when the King of Hyrule denied us to leave. Every day our people died from either heat or the frozen gales, we wanted to be free from this place but it is only a pipe dream" Nabooru said with a faint smile.
"No it's not! The excuse he had was because of the thievery, it's a bad one but that and taking the men from their families only escalated the reason" Maemi explained while the pair exhaled loudly.
"You know… we are a women only tribe, we only have one male every hundred years and mostly girls. Not that I would complain but…" Nabooru placed a hand to her belly and lightly touched the top of her trouser pants. "Without a leader, a strong one who would rise up regardless of what is against them… he had been that. He had tried to give us a voice but the witches, they were too ambitious and no doubt taught him that power was everything…"
"And he got greedy, he wanted more forgetting who and why he was doing this for… that stinks" Maemi said before the females looked at the other, a weak smile formed on their lips.
"Well, my plan is to get inside that crawl space and steal the Silver Gauntlets. Once I have that I can reach the center of the temple ruin their base of operations" Nabooru said with a grin.
"You're using this as an excuse to steal aren't you?" Maemi asked dryly as she gave a startled Nabooru a withered look "just say that you wanted to do that, I'm not going to be acting all high and mighty since you want to get even with him" Maemi said before hearing Nabooru laugh.
"You're something you know that?" Maemi still eyed her wearily "well yes I plan to steal his stuff, however paying him back for the pain he caused sounds more ideal. Having us raid towns while ordering us to kill women and children makes me sick, I left because I wanted no part of that life. It's not something I would be happy to acknowledge doing. So now… if you're willing to help me, I'll make it worth your while" Nabooru winked as Maemi scowled at her weakly.
"I'm looking for someone who could be the Sage of Spirit, if you find someone who has powers besides the witches please let me know. They're crucial to stopping him once and for all" raising a brow Nabooru smiled.
"Oh? Well I'll be more than happy to accept that condition, you surprise me. Most would opt for money or something like that but you, you impress me so a deal's a deal" Nabooru said before shaking hands.
"Umm…" Maemi looked at Nabooru weakly.
"What is it?" Nabooru asked while blinking in surprise.
"Have you seen a blond haired boy wearing a green tunic? He has a fairy with him" Maemi asked shyly, tilting her head Nabooru tried to think about anyone who would match that description.
"No I haven't seen anyone like that, but if I do I'll tell them you're looking for them" Nabooru said causing Maemi to smile and nod.
"Thanks Nabooru" Maemi chirped before looking at the crawl space. "See you soon" Maemi said before entering.
"Good luck princess" Nabooru called softly while waving, smiling Maemi continued to crawl until she was on the other side of the room.
"This could get tricky…" Maemi said with a sheepish smile as she saw a lot of things in the room.
"I'll help out don't worry" Dark said surprising Maemi before she nodded sharply causing her long hair to move.
"Thanks Dark, let's go!" Maemi said with an excited expression as she started her search.