Link was surprised by how little resistance their passage met. Aside from a few scattered challenges no one paid them any mind. Riding double with Nabooru seemed strange to him but since he didn't want a horse of his own and she couldn't let him run free in his wolf form until they were safely beyond the fortress and within the desert, well there was no other solution. Being wrapped in the cloak and veil made it all that more awkward and he'd made no secret of his displeasure at wearing it. That, and Nabooru's falcon had combined to make it a truly miserable experience. The little raptor had either taken a liking to him, or was set on making him as uncomfortable as possible. It had sat atop his head the entire ride and no amount of shooing had driven it away. The moment they were away from the gates of the gorge where the fortress rested he'd hopped from Nabooru's horse and shifted which had finally driven the bird away and back to Nabooru's padded shoulder. Link took a long moment, feeling the cool desert wind wash over his fur with childish delight.
She laughed at his elation to be on all fours once again. "Was my riding and company so displeasing?"
He shook his head, looking up at her, his blue eyes shimmering with reflected starlight.
"No, I just hated wearing that cloak."
"Fair enough." she replied, her face hidden by the veil. "We must hurry, time is of the essence if we are to return in time to save your friends."
Link nodded and then paused. He'd become more accustomed to the desert smells in the few hours he'd spent within the Gerudo fortress and now he sensed something different. It smelt of the plains and shadows. He looked behind them to find a lone rider sitting astride a powerfully built horse watching them.
"It would seem that my husband's spies have followed us." Nabooru said grimly, taking her blade from its sheath. "We must finish them quickly."
"No." Link said. "He's a friend." he looked up at her. "Go on ahead, I will catch up. I need to speak with him."
Nabooru regarded him for a moment before she nodded and turned her horse around. "I will go slowly. Be swift."
Link nodded and turned to scamper across the sands. It was different treading on the sand than it was on solid ground. He'd never run on anything quite like it and it was not without several stumbles and trips that he got to the waiting rider.
"That was elegantly done." Sheik said with something approaching humor as he leaned over Epona's saddle.
"They haven't caught you I see." Link said happily. "I'm glad. It means the Princess and Malon won't have to rely on me if something goes wrong."
Sheik looked back the way Link had come at Nabooru. "You think she'll betray you?"
Link shook his head. "No, I don't. She won't betray me."
"Then what?" Sheik pressed.
Link looked up at him earnestly. "I don't know, Ganondorf shows up?"
Sheik nodded grimly. "I'll keep an eye on the Princess."
"And Malon." Link pressed. "Promise me that you'll take care of her too."
When Sheik hesitated a moment Link let out a low insistent whine.
"Fine, Malon too I swear." Sheik said in exasperation. "You don't have to beg."
"Don't leave her behind." Link insisted.
Sheik's red eyes flashed in annoyance. "You act like I will."
Link canted his head to the side and his wolf's face twisted in a toothy smile. "I know my pack Sheik and I trust them to do what they will."
Sheik rolled his eyes. "You're insufferable." his tone became somber as he continued. "Link...I know what you did with the Gerudo woman...what are you thinking?"
Link paused and considered before looking up at Sheik again. "I don't know...it just happened...it felt right."
"Right...just..." Sheik scowled. "Dammit wolf, be careful."
Link nodded. "I will, you too, farewell Sheik."
"Farewell Link. Be safe."
Link made to turn and then stopped to regard Epona for a long moment before he looked up at Sheik.
"She let you ride her?"
Sheik shrugged. "Is that odd?"
"She doesn't let just anyone do it." he considered for a moment before his smile returned. "That means you have a good heart."
Without another word, Link ran back across the desert towards Nabooru's fan outline on the starlit sands.
Sheik sat astride Epona for a long while, watching as Link and the Gerudo's High Priestess made their way across the desert and out of sight. He had a good heart huh? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He looked down to find Epona had swung her head around to look at him with her large eyes.
"Do I?" he inquired.
He hadn't expected a response, but when Epona tossed her head up and down with a happy whinny, Sheik snorted and shook his head in disbelief. The horse was agreeing with Link, unbelievable.
"Well lets get back to the Princess." he paused and laughed at himself. "And Malon. Goddesses Link, you really do know me don't you?"
With that bittersweet thought, he swung Epona's reins around and headed back the way he'd come. The Gerudo thought their fortress pass completely secure, but Sheik was a son of the Sheikah, nothing was secure to him. He'd even managed to get Epona through without anyone noticing him. There was a slight chance his mother would have been proud of him, and that chance made him very pleased with himself.
"Who was that?" Nabooru inquired as Link rejoined her.
"A friend." Link replied easily as he resumed his easy pace besides her horse.
She continued to stare at him for a long while as if expecting more from him but when none was forthcoming she laughed.
"I suppose even between us there are secrets."
Link looked up at her. "You're not angry?"
She shrugged. "We're supposed to be enemies in this war Link. I can't fault you for keeping somethings from me...besides the less I know the less risk there is that I might tell the wrong person."
"You wouldn't do that." Link replied immediately.
Nabooru chuckled. "My husband can be very persuasive Link. You have no idea."
"You wouldn't give in." Link stated flatly.
Nabooru's smile was sad as they continued onwards through the desert. "Never lose that naive hope Link. It's very endearing."
"So Link has gone into the desert with the Priestess?"
Sheik nodded. "Yes. I spoke with him briefly and he felt confident that he could trust her."
"I should hope so." Zelda said dubiously. "He spent the day with her after all."
Sheik said nothing and Zelda realized the touch of jealousy that tinged her words. She wiped such thoughts from her mind and moved on.
"Do you have any idea when he'll return?"
Sheik shook his head. "No, he did not say and I didn't think to ask. I apologize."
Zelda waved her hand dismissively. "It's no matter. I will inquire with the Priestess' daughters. Perhaps they'll know. In the meantime I suppose there is little more we can do but wait for his return." a wry smile appeared on her face. "Unless of course we want to try and escape and follow him."
At these words Malon looked up from the bed where she sat. "Could we do that?"
Zelda shook her head. "I wouldn't even dream of following Link and the Priestess into the desert. I know nothing of its geography." she cast Sheik a glance. "And unless you think you can suddenly navigate the desert as well as the Gerudo and know where their temple is..."
Sheik shook his head. "No your Highness, I'm afraid I cannot."
Zelda nodded. "I didn't think so, though I admit I wish that we could help Link in some manner."
She meant to say more but Sheik's eyes snapped to the door and then back to hers. "Someone is coming, they're in a hurry."
Without another word he rolled under the bed, Malon barely had time to get her feet out of the way before he vanished beneath it. Zelda would never understand the affinity for the darkness that the Sheikah had, just that they seemed to be able to weave it about themselves and use it to shield themselves from prying eyes. It seemed mildly ironic that her staunchest allies were people of the shadows where her principle enemies—the Gerudo—were people of the light. Something about that just seemed so backwards as to be funny. Her mind jerked back to the matter at hand as the door flew open and Nabooru's elder daughter, the captain of the guards, stood in the doorway.
"You need to come with me your Highness, now."
"What's happened?" Malon asked, standing from the bed.
The guard captain looked at them both grimly. "My father has returned and he has brought a shade with him."
Malon felt her heart sink. The Mage King was here? How had he known they were even here? What were they supposed to do now? Run? What about Link? A million questions flashed through her mind at once, convoluted and muddled with the feelings she was having about Link's absence and apparent intimacy with the Gerudo High Priestess. She looked to the Princess.
"What now?"
The Princess looked grim. "We run."
"What about Link?"
"Much as I hate to leave him here..." the Princess cast her an apologetic expression. "He is beyond our reach and likely safer than we are at this point."
"You're going to leave him with her?" Malon snapped, not meaning to sound so harsh. "You yourself said you were worried about the effect she had on him!"
"I remind you that you speak of my mother." the captain of the guard said darkly. "Mind your words."
Malon rounded on the older woman. "Will you take us to the temple?"
"No." she stated flatly. "My mother wished to share its location only with your wolf. I will not help you violate our sacred ground. However my mother did charge me with keeping you safe and I intend to fulfill that task." she stepped aside and her younger sisters entered the chamber. They carried a between them which they laid on the floor. One of them untied it and revealed the party's weapons and gear that had been taken from them before. "A few of my loyal guards have readied your horses. Hurry and equip yourselves."
The Princess did not hesitate, gathering her weapons and armor once more and reequipping herself in short order. Malon though hesitated. She did not want to leave Link out here alone...or in the company of the enemy for that matter. What guarantee did they have to his safe return after all? Would this be the last they saw of him? Would the Gerudo help to push him over the edge and into Ordon's arms? What if the Mage King captured him, and turned him into another of his puppets? She shook her head, steadying herself. She couldn't think like that. Action was required now. She could worry about Link once they were safe. Besides her, Sheik materialized from beneath the bed. Neither Gerudo seemed at all alarmed by the Sheikah's sudden appearance. In fact the captain of the guard gave him an approving nod. Apparently she was impressed. Malon gathered her things, pausing as she took up the Zora armor. Link had given this to her, to protect her. She clenched the metal scales a little tighter at the thought, but quickly shook herself and donned it, retrieving her bow and ax before standing.
"We're in your hands." the Princess said to the captain who nodded and turned to leave.
"This way, follow me."
And without another word, their party left the room and began a new trek through the Gerudo fortress. Malon noted with a flickering of uncertainty, that they were going a different way than they'd come. She had to wonder, just how close was the Mage King? Did he know where they were? Or what Link was doing? She hoped the answer to both of the two questions was no. The last thing she wanted was to encounter the real Ganondorf. His shades were frightening enough.
Zelda followed Nabooru's eldest daughter through the maze with Malon and Sheik in tow. The two younger girls had vanished somewhere along the way and when Zelda had asked the eldest simply said that it was not her concern. Zelda didn't press the issue, understanding that though temporary allies all three children were potential enemies in the future. She just hoped that this sudden flight would not hinder Nabooru's plan or endanger Link...at least not anymore than he already was. Their passage was marked by no one, this area of the fortress seemed all but deserted. The only occupants being the scorpions, spiders, beetles, and other desert creatures that scurried out of their way. Once, Zelda spied a massive coiled snake, hopefully asleep, down a side corridor. It could have eaten a horse, of that she was certain. After that she kept glancing over her shoulder to see if perhaps the reptile or some other horror lurking in the fortress depths was following them.
"You have nothing to fear." Nabooru's daughter said. "We are safe here." Zelda begged to differ but kept her tongue as she continued. "So long as we remain quiet, none of the creatures kept within these halls shall disturb us. They slumber for the time being, waiting to be awakened."
"Awakened for what?" asked Sheik dubiously.
The guard captain shrugged. "Who knows? Even my mother is unsure of many of the things that lurk within the depths of the fortress. Just that they do not stir unless disturbed."
Zelda hoped they never would, if any of them were as terrible as that snake had been. She thought of the monsters she'd seen thus far in their quest and had to laugh at herself inside. She'd faced a dragon, the undead, and a snake was frightening her. She shook it from her head and looked ahead once more.
"Where will our horses be?" she asked presently.
"My sisters are seeing to that, all three of your mounts will be waiting for us." replied the guard captain. "Have no fear, we will see you safely on your way."
"That's good we—" Zelda stopped as something gripped her chest.
"Your Highness?" Malon asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Sheik, something's wrong!"
Sheik was by her side in an instant. "Your Highness?"
Zelda waved them both off, looking up. There was something coming, she could feel the magic building around them. Her head jerked up, there, the wall.
"Look out!"
The portal opened and a massive fist shot out, pinning Nabooru's daughter against the wall by her neck. The woman let out a wet choke as she gripped her father's arm. It took her only a moment to regain her composure, she drew her saber and jammed it into the Mage King's flank. He dropped her, and the woman grasped her halberd, shaking herself as she maneuvered herself between the Mage King and Zelda's party.
"Youg Highness, run."
"I won't leave you." Zelda said deadpan.
"You will and you must. My life is of little importance, if I am to die with my brother then so be it. You on the other hand, you can stop this madness. Go."
The Mage King, apparently a shade though Zelda could hardly tell. Pulled the saber out of its flank and turned to face the woman who had been its sister.
"Stand aside Hara."
"No. The High Priestess has given me an order and I will see it through to completion."
"Then die daughter." the shade intoned.
"Run!" shouted Hara as she rushed the shade.
Zelda felt Sheik grab her arm and she was yanked back, she turned and followed his lead as he darted through the shadowed passageways. She looked over her shoulders, just in time to see the shadows close in around Hara's silhouetted form. A moment later, she heard a blood chilling scream which ended suddenly with a wet splat. She closed her eyes and let Sheik lead her through the maze. Uncaring how he found their way, just that they found it. Behind them, she heard the scraping of what sounded like hundreds of nails clawing at the stonework. They were being pursued, and she felt an aura of dread seeping in around them. They needed to escape. Now.
Their flight through the catacombs of the Gerudo Fortress was an exercise in horror. Malon never dared look behind her as she followed after Sheik. There was something in the shadows pursuing them, that much was evident. From time to time she caught a glimpse of hellish things out of the corner of her eyes. She wanted more than anything to escape from the confines of the stonework and get back into the open air. Even the oppression of the desert was preferable to the stifling of these would be tombs. Something grabbed at her leg, she screamed and fell, twisting to see what had gripped her. A massive disembodied hand, wrapped in tattered cloth, loomed over her. She kicked at it as it picked at her legs, and then Sheik was there, snapping his fingers and issuing forth a blast of blinding light. His arms were around her as he yanked her back and pulled her to her feet.
"Come on." he growled. "We need to keep moving."
She nodded and picked up the pace, noting that he was looking over their shoulders even as he pushed her forwards.
"Can you see?" she asked.
He nodded solemnly.
"What are they?"
He shook his head. "You don't want to know, believe me."
"There's a light ahead." the Princess called from the front.
Malon turned around and ran forwards, putting all her strength into her legs as she raced past the Princess and broke through into cool desert night. Emerging from the blackness of the labyrinth into the starlit night was almost as blinding as day would have been and it took her a moment to adjust to the sudden change. Then she saw the two girls waiting patiently by the horses, Epona among them. She went immediately to Epona and wrapped her arms around the mare's head, taking refuge in the horse's gentle nuzzling. Nabooru's two daughters moved past her as Sheik and the Princess exited the tunnel and murmured some kind of chant. Flames came to life and lit the night, sealing the mouth of the tunnel in a series of interlocking runes. Within the tunnel, unearthly shrieks and wails greeted Malons ears and she buried her face against Epona as the great mare whinnied excitedly.
"Our sister?" asked one of the girls.
"She fell, one of your father's—"
"He is not our father." snapped the other girl venomously. "He gave up that title when he killed our brothers."
"A shade took her." the Princess finished meekly. "I'm sorry."
The pair said nothing for a moment and then nodded solemnly to one another. "You must leave now, the desert roads will be free to you, hurry and leave the desert. The Mage King's wrath will be great once he realizes the extent of our mother's betrayal."
"What of our companion?" the Princess pressed.
"The wolf's fate is no longer your concern." they said. "Go now before you are found."
Without another word they both vanished in a whirlwind of sand. Malon shivered, though whether from the desert cold or from the freakish things that the sand filled wastes seemed to hold she was not sure.
There was silence for a time thereafter, before the Princess finally broke the spell and mounted her steed.
"We make for the Plains, we need to rally our allies."
She turned around and urged her mount forwards as Sheik and Malon both mounted as well. Malon looked to Sheik.
"Thank you."
He looked at her, his red eyes glowing in the night. "For?"
"Coming back for me."
Sheik said nothing for a moment before spurring his horse. "I promised Link."
Malon's heart stopped for a moment and she turned her gaze back towards the vast desert. Where was Link? Was he safe? Was anywhere truly safe? Would she ever see him again? So many questions, questions which she quashed and pushed aside. Hyrule needed her right now, Link was on his own.
AN-sorry it took me so long to get this out, been busy and not very inspired to work on writing...granted I was sitting on a good four pages of the chapter for the last couple weeks, you may hate me now. Anyways, sorry if this is a little rushed, hope you enjoyed it. More to come of course. Despite appearances, this will be finished, you may just have to wait a little while for that. Bear with me if you please.
