Many thanks to guitarfreak32 and Marvel296 for favouriting me, to guitarfreak32, inlemoon and Yuyake no Okami for favouriting this story, and to inlemoon for reviewing.
Hope you enjoy this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing this one!
The arrow shot from the bow with a small 'twang', soon followed by a thunk as it embedded itself into the far wall. Red hair swept around in a second, and the guard's yellow eves scanned the entryway. She looked back and forth, but saw nothing. She snorted and narrowed her eyes, then turned away to continue her patrol.
Dark Link let go of Link from where he'd grabbed him and forced him down behind the shade of a crate. "Idiot..." He muttered.
Link shrugged and took up his bow again, this time peering around the corner of the wall. Twang, thunk.
The Gerudo's body snapped around in a second, pike at the ready. When she saw nothing yet again, she growled and leapt at the crate Link hid behind. Dark Link's form disappeared into the shadows just before her pike struck down on the box, shattering it into splinters and revealing Link, who stumbled back, falling onto his backside. "Ah-hah!" She called triumphantly.
As she drew a breath to call for more guards to take Link away yet again, Dark Link's appeared behind her. He nonchalantly rolled his shoulder and raised his arm, then brought his elbow down, jabbing right into the pressure point on her neck.
The breath she had drawn came out as a strangled "Hurk!" as she collapsed to the ground amongst the splinters. Her pike fell forward, and if Link hadn't scrambled back, it would have landed a deft slice to his groin.
Link heaved a relieved sigh. "I thought I was going to get caught again. Thanks"
With a swish of his black tunic, Dark Link turned away and continued down the corridor. "Don't thank me," He grumbled. "I'd simply love to laugh at you for getting captured a seventh time," He shot a glare back over his shoulder at Link as he stood up. "But honestly it's getting a little tiring to have to go back and wait for you each time."
Link rolled his eyes and muttered in response, but he had no comebacks. He just followed.
"H-hey, hey you!" was heard from the next room. Link turned the corner to find Dark Link staring down another cell with the last of the carpenters inside. "I don't know who the two of you are, but you gotta help me! If you managed to get through all those guards, you can get me out of here, right?" He sounded desperate.
Dark Link was already sick of this routine. "Let me guess, the key is with a guard who will likely ambush us while we talk."
"Oh! Don't tell me you've already saved my buddies?"
Link walked up to the cell and peered through the bars. "Four of them. There are only five of you, right?
"Yes! Oh, yes!" He cackled gleefully. "Thank you, thank you so much! Once you get me out of here, I'll make sure you're repaid handsomely for your help."
Dark Link sighed and dragged himself away from the cell into the centre of the room. "All right then, miss, come on out. We know you're there. You're welcome to give up the key without a fight..."
"Gerudo's never surrender!" the girl dropped down behind Dark Link and landed a solid blow to his back. He keeled forward, then turned on her, his sword drawn in a moment.
"Now, that was a dirty move." He muttered slyly.
"Imposter!" She hissed, throwing her weight deftly at him, only to dance away from him once he thrush his shield into the path of her blades. "You'll never beat a Gerudo warrior!"
Dark Link raised one eyebrow, then shrugged, standing up from his readied stance, leaving himself well open to an attack. "Funny... All of the others said that too, yet I can count four of them that I've already defeated."
The girl let out a shriek and charged at him, but at the last moment he ducked under her blades and swung his sword round into the small of her back. Despite the hit, she nimbly cartwheeled away from him.
"Um," The carpenter leaned into the bars of the cell, whispering into Link's ear. "Aren't you going to help your friend?"
Link looked down at his hands and scuffed his shoes on the floor. "Oh, um... He told me to keep out of the way since last time I almost got myself killed." He shot a sideways glance at the carpenter with a nervous laugh. The portly man did not look impressed.
He opened his mouth to no doubt rebuke the hero, but chose to warn him instead. "Watch out!"
Link cast about, just in time to see the Gerudo guard lunging at him. He threw himself the the ground to avoid her, and before she could take another swing Dark Link appeared between them. "Now, that's not fair. I'm supposed to be your opponent. Or do you give up?"
"You're nothing but a big-talking, self righteous ass-hole!" She spat back.
"Now, now..." He chuckled. "Let's not resort to petty name calling."
"I'll kill you!" She yelled, seething with anger. She charged. Dark Link simply dodged her blow and stuck out a leg, tripping her. He then landed a foot square on her back where she had hit the floor face first.
He leaned over to look her in the face, pinning down her and her struggling limbs with his foot. "Now, do you give? Or do I have to take that key by force?"
She growled and pulled the veil down from her mouth, not to talk, but to spit. She landed a hit right on Dark Link's cheek. "You'll have to pluck it from my unmoving corpse!"
He wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, sighing. "Well, can't say I didn't try to go easy on you." He raised his sword. "Goodnight then sweet cheeks, tell the Goddesses I said hi."
"Halt!" Everyone in the room looked up in surprise to see another Gerudo woman, this one dressed in Green as opposed to red, and unarmed. She locked eyes with the warrior on the floor. "At ease."
Dark Link lifted his foot and the woman in red somersaulted backwards towards the doorway and the new woman. She glared back.
Link watched, nervously clutching the hilt of his sword. The new woman turned to the warrior, who sighed, dropped her swords in an overly dramatic manner, the pulled the key from where it hung around her neck and dropped it into the outstretched hand of the woman in green. The fighter picked up her swords with a grumble and walked out, muttering something about 'cheating men' and 'lucky win'.
Once she was out of sight, the Gerudo in green chucked the key to Dark Link. "Here." He caught it, looking back at her, bewildered. "I think you deserve it."
"So... You're helping us free your prisoners?" He passed the key to Link, who got about unlocking the cell.
"I've been watching the pair of you, and I think you have every right to free them. And I'd rather less of my women were hurt in the process."
Dark Link chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sor-"
"Oh, don't apologise." She cocked her head to one side, putting a hand on her hip. "I've seen that you're not trying to hurt them. Only those who've attacked you first. The others...? Well, there's a lot of unconscious girls throughout the Fortress now. But they're unharmed, and I respect you for that."
The door opened, but the carpenter didn't dare move. Link turned to look at the Gerudo, and she returned his gaze before looking him up and down. "I want to offer the two of you honorary membership to this Fortress. Honestly I used to think all men aside from the great Ganondorf were useless, but now I see that I was wrong." She nodded at Dark Link, then turned to Link. "You... I'm still not sure about you." Navi snickered from where she hid in Link's hat. "But you seem to make a decent team."
Dark Link sheathed his sword and smiled. "Thanks. I think." He looked at Link, who shrugged.
She sauntered up to Dark Link and handed him two membership cards. "These will grant you access to any area of the Fortress, including our training grounds. It will also allow you to use the gate to the desert. I think you should head to the Desert colossus. Our Leader Nabooru is there, and... well." Her gaze turned sly and she ran a hand down Dark Link's chest. "Considering you just freed all of our captives, I feel like you owe us help repopulating." His face flushed and she laughed. She turned and left the room.
The room stayed in stunned silence for a while, but it didn't last long. Navi hopped out from Link's hat and onto his shoulder and began sniggering, and then they both broke out into laughter, and even the carpenter chuckled.
"Wh-what are you laughing at?" Dark Link demanded.
"You're such a player." Navi giggled.
"I am no such thing." He glared back, looking furious enough that she was silenced in an instant, yet Link was still smirking.
The carpenter also fell silent, his gaze shifting nervously between the two of them. "I, uh, I'll be leaving, then..." He crept past the doppelgänger like he was some kind of bomb, then beat a hasty retreat once he was out of arms reach.
Link's eyes were watering with laughter, and Navi had joined back in. "The pair of you should get your minds out of the gutter." He scowled and stalked out.
"Dark Link and the Gerudo..." Link started.
Navi giggled. "Sittin' in a tree..."