Hej vänner! (Hiya friends, in swedish!) Finally, I present to you, the latest chapter of 'the Heroine'! Sadly, the chapter error thingy has NOT been fixed, as I have no idea of what is wrong, really. the chapter called 'Dark Foreboding' is the one that's crazy. But the content of that chapter is the same as in the chapter 'First Quest', just different headlines. So nothing, story-wise, has been lost. So until I can fix this reaaaally annoying problem, just ignore the chapter called 'Dark Foreboding.' Got that? 'Dark Foreboding.' That's D-A-R-K F- oh, you get the picture! Until then, I'll make it up to you by this new chapter!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay- er, Anyway, enjoy! Any questions or comments: review!!
Lots of love//Louii
Gerudo Valley
The sun was setting, the last rays sending a reflection on Link's shield. Her blue eyes followed the orange reflection as it steadily sunk, studying her shield intently. The iron shield had blue and red markings on it and in the middle, the mark of the Triforce was carved. It was a shield of the old Hylian Knights. Looking up again, her eyes were struck with the sharp rays of the sun.
When they had returned from the temple, the Zoras had thanked them but Link and Sheik did not have time to stay. Now they were back on Hyrule field and they had set up a camp by a small hill. Link looked up to Sheik, who was standing a bit away, gazing out over the field. A light breeze caught the front stripes of his hair, sending it fluttering around his eyes. His shirt, slightly unbuttoned, rippled in the wind, revealing slightly more of his chest than Link had seen before. As if he could sense her eyes, he turned around and went to sit on the blanket he had spread out on the grass.
'That doesn't look very nice,' Link said mentioning to an open wound he had on his right upper arm.
'It's nothing,' he said. She looked at him with her blue eyes.
'Right, and I'm a barking rooster,' she said sarcastic. He smiled and let her have a look it.
'It's only a flesh wound,' she said.
'I told you it was nothing.'
'Shut up and let me sew it.'
Sheik sighed at her stubbornness and gave up. She picked up a needle and thread and placed her right hand over the wound and began sewing.
Sheik bit his lip as the needle went through his flesh and sent a tingle of pain.
'There,' she said. As she finished she cut off the thread and then she let her thumb run softly over the closed wound. Sheik suddenly placed his left hand upon hers and led it away from his arm. Link raised her eyes from his wound and into his eyes. They were sitting very close, and Link could practically feel her breathing cease, so afraid to break the moment. Sheik then suddenly placed his right hand on the side of her head and let it run over a small scar she had on her temple.
Closing her eyes, Link let her skin send a wave of excitement through her body. His soft hands seemed to have some kind of heeling strength to them. His hand moved down to her cheek, and she opened her eyes again, looking into his deep red ones. There was something so soft in his eyes, something Link hadn't seen before. Goddess, his eyes are so beautiful…
A sudden snort from Epone broke the spell between them. Both he and Tzadek were grazing beside the youngsters. Link looked down in the ground, and Sheik let his hand fall unwillingly to his side.
'So what did the map say?' he asked.
Link picked up the paper and examined it. It contained only two sentences, but it had been ripped in two so that you could only read half of the sentences.
Time was endless
It rests deep under
Link sighed.
'There's nothing we can get out of it.'
'Then there is only one way to find out,' Sheik said. Link looked at him.
'We must look for the second piece in the south.' He looked in the direction and fell silent for a while. Link followed his gaze, thinking of the moment they had shared only minutes ago. Then she heaved a sigh. Thanks to Epone, the moment was gone…
She only prayed it would return some time. She looked at Sheik, wondering if he did not think of the same thing. But then he opened his mouth and spoke.
'Yet, we'll do it in the morning, now we must get some sleep.'
---
Epone snorted and took stronger leaps in his gallop as they rode uphill. Sheik and Tzadek was already standing upon the hill waiting for Link. She held in Epone and found herself looking at a rocky canyon, which led away from the grassy field of Hyrule.
'What does it lead to?' Link asked Sheik. He looked at her.
'Gerudo Valley.'
Then he drove on Tzadek with a shout and slid down the hill in gallop and Link followed him. As they entered the canyon Sheik held in Tzadek to trot and then to pace.
'The Gerudos that live here, aren't exactly friendly,' he said and led Tzadek up the canyon, 'be careful.'
Epone trotted up the rocky hill, but Link held him in as they reached the top.
A great fortress was built out from the mountainside, and before it lay a great valley where a canyon led to an enormous desert.
Link and Epone paced slowly through the valley, which had e sense of foreboding, as there was not a soul that could be seen. Epone's steps echoed of the rocky walls, sending an eerie feeling through both riders.
Tzadek paced eagerly to catch up with Epone but Sheik held her in, since he could feel that something wasn't right.
Link turned Epone to the right as they trotted up a small hill, but suddenly out of nowhere, a small arrow shot through the air and hit Link's neck. She quickly pulled out the small arrow and looked at it, but suddenly she gasped as her body went paralysed and she slowly slid of Epone, landing unconscious on the ground.
'Link!' Sheik gasped and suddenly realised what was happening. He quickly turned Tzadek around to gallop away and thereby avoiding one of the arrows to pierce into him. He had to come back for Link. Tzadek leapt into gallop but suddenly a spear pierced into the ground before her hooves and she gave a rear. Sheik turned her around but then another spear pierced into the ground and Sheik held her in, since he realised that he couldn't escape. Then suddenly the Gerudos appeared from the fortress and behind several rocks, as if waiting for them. One of them, a woman; every Gerudo was a woman, pointed her spear towards Sheik. She had wide pants of dark green and a red scarf around her hips. She wore a beige top that only covered her chest; leaving her stomach bare. This was the clothing for almost every Gerudo.
'You're coming with us,' she said fiercely.
---
Sheik was thrown in a cell along with Link, whom they threw in without considering her unconsciousness. He quickly made rid of the ropes that had been tied around his hands and then went forth to Link. She was lying with her back to the ceiling and Sheik placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. As he looked at her face he was again reminded of how beautiful she was. He stroked the hair that had fallen out from her plait out of her face. Then she slowly opened her eyes.
'What happened?' she asked as she looked around in the cell.
'The Gerudos surprised us. You were hit by an arrow that contains a poison which seizes your blood long enough to make you unconscious.'
Link sat up, rubbing her neck.
'Well… ouch.' Then she looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the shadowy cell.
'We have to get out of here.'
'…That is impossible.'
Sheik and Link spun around towards the unfamiliar voice. A woman, a Gerudo, was sitting in the dark corner. She looked at them. 'Believe me, I've tried.'
'Who are you?' Link asked.
'My name is Castona. I'm stuck in here since I stole a loaf of bread.'
Link sighed.
'Then what are we going to do?'
Castona looked at them.
'We don't get many visitors in our land,' she said, 'what is your quest that has brought you here?'
Sheik looked at Link and then explained the story about the map. Castona nodded.
'We do have that map,' she said, 'It is placed in a temple that we built in the desert.'
'Great,' Link said, 'all we have to do now is get out of here!'
She rose and Sheik was looking at her. 'How?'
Link located a lone window up in the wall. She quickly made her way up to it and sat on the window frame. Sheik followed her up and sat beside her. Looking out, Link could see that it was several metres to the ground. The cell had been carved out of the mountainside. The jump down would be deadly. She looked towards the desert.
If we could only get there…
She suddenly realised something, as she saw a branch sticking out from the mountain. Then she looked below it and saw a hill of sand that reached high enough.
'Does anyone have a rope?'
Castona raised an eyebrow.
'This is a cell. Do you think they'll leave a rope to just let us climb down?' Link nodded thoughtfully, realising she was right. Then her eyes fell upon Sheik's chain.
'It's too short to reach down to the ground,' he said.
'I'm not thinking of the ground,' she said. It might work. She picked up an arrow and her bow.
'Give me the chain,' she said. Sheik did as she said, realising there was no point in arguing. She stuck it onto the arrow and loaded her bow.
'What are you doing?' Sheik asked.
'I'm going to use the chain to swing us over to the desert. Hopefully, the sand is soft enough to give us a soft landing.'
Sheik looked at her as if she was mad.
'Do you have any better idea?' she asked. He didn't reply, merely shaking his head and muttering something in a tongue Link did not understand. She loaded the bow and took aim. The chain was heavy, but with the right speed it might just work.
She let go of the string and the arrow flew to pierce into the branch. They looked at Castona.
'You're crazy,' she said. Then Sheik took hold of the chain.
'Alright, hold on to me,' he said to Link. She grabbed his waist and with a final look at each other, they leapt out.
They soared over the guards down on the ground and towards the desert. Link resisted the urge to shriek out. If theyr were to fall, they would surely die. But the approached the sandy knoll, and they got ready to let go of the chain. But suddenly the branch gave with and they fell helpless to the ground, and the scream escaped Link's lips. Fortunately, they fell on the hill of sand and tumbling down, round and round, they finally came to a halt on plain ground. Link landed beside Sheik, with her mouth full of sand, actually full of sand everywhere, and she began laughing. Sheik rolled over to the side, coughing to get the sand out of his mouth. Then he also, began laughing.
'I'd like to see their faces now,' Link said and began coughing of the sand. Sheik sat up and brushed the sand of his arms, and Link rolled over to the side and took support on her arm as she brushed the sand out of her hair. Then suddenly the ground started to shake.
Link quickly sat up beside Sheik who was looking out in the desert but he couldn't see anything. Then Link suddenly noticed that something was sliding under the sand, towards her. Then it suddenly disappeared and the ground stopped shaking. Link looked at Sheik who had a concerned look on his face. Then, as Link rose by Sheik's side, it was if the sand exploded under her feet. A huge sandworm emerged from the ground under Link and she followed it up in the air. It opened its jaw and Link almost fell down in the gap of it, but she managed to make a back roll and landed between its eyes, which glowed in green. Then it turned and soared down instead of up. Link slid over the slippery skin and she fell down towards the sand, which was several metres down, but Sheik caught her in his arms.
'What is that?' she panted, as Sheik put her down on the ground.
'I don't know!' he shouted to over voice the rumbling that came from the ground. Then they both suddenly gasped as the ground under them gave with and they both fell screaming through the sand.
They landed with a hard thud on a stone floor. Sheik looked up and found that they were in a large chamber of red stone, and over their heads, the giant sandworm was circling, and now Sheik could see that it was in fact a dragon.
Link groaned and rose. A roar suddenly caught her attention and she saw that the dragon had made a dive down towards her. He opened his jaw to spread fire over the whole chamber, when suddenly a chain wrapped itself around the lower jaw of the dragon and pulled him away from Link, who quickly rolled to the side. The dragon turned angry to his attacker and tried to snap his jaw around him, but Sheik jumped over his nose and placed himself on the dragon's neck. Then he flipped the chain over so that it worked like two reins. The dragon roared and soared turning around in up in the air in an attempt to shake him off.
Link, who was still on the ground, watched as the dragon roared high up in the air. Then she gasped, as the dragon's roar caused the whole chamber to shake. The ground under her suddenly began to fall apart, as huge chunks of stone fell down into a river that flowed deep under the mountain. She gasped as the stones under her feet began to sink.
'Link! Grab on!' Sheik had managed to get the dragon down to a level where he could throw down a bit of his chain to her. She grabbed the end of the chain just in time as the rock under her fell down with a splash in the water. Sheik pulled up the bit of chain she was hanging in and grabbed her arm to pull her up. Link took her sword and tried to jam in through the hard scales off the dragon, but it had no affect. Link looked down at the water.
'Do you think we can drown it?'
Sheik looked at her, his face being dusty from the ashes that came from the fire.
'How are we going to that? He'll never get down in that water!'
Link nodded thoughtfully. They sat helplessly upon the dragon as it continued its way through the chamber. Then suddenly a shriek, clear and beautiful, loud from above their heads. Amon soared down from the sky and then circled over the dragon's head. Then it dove down and hacked the dragon's eyes, until the blood flowed from them. Shrieking in pain, the dragon tried to shake the bird away, but it merely flapped its wings, settling on the next eye.
'Of course!' Link exclaimed, 'Amon is a genius!' Sheik looked puzzled at her.
'If he can't see, he'll go down in the water!'
'Now steer him down to the water!' she shouted in the roar from the dragon. Sheik pulled the chain and the dragon started to fall down towards the water. Then suddenly Link realised that they would follow him down. But this Sheik had already figured out. He threw his chain towards a rock that stuck out in the wall, and it twisted itself around it.
'Link!' he called and wrapped his arm around his waist before the chain was strapped out and carried them up from the screaming dragon. It slowly crashed into the water and a huge cloud of mist emerged from it. And in the middle of the disaster was Sheik and Link, dangling from chain. They looked at each other and sighed.
---
A lizard was sneaking up on a rock, where a fly was resting, nearby the large hole in the ground. He made his way silently over the sand and was just about to shoot out his long tongue when a hand suddenly grabbed onto to the edge of the hole and both fly and lizard fled in fear.
Link heaved herself over the edge followed by Sheik. Amon flew over them and landed on a dead tree with a single small branch sticking out from it.
'He sure came in the right moment,' Sheik said and looked upon the majestic bird. Link nodded as Amon flew over to her shoulder. Then she turned her head to suddenly see an opening in the stone wall before them. With a nod from Sheik they ran forth to it and quickly slunk inside.
The temple had been formed the same way the Zoras' temple had. The grey stone, and in the front, a stone altar. This temple had not been destroyed and Link sighed relieved as she saw the ark lying as it should on the altar. Amon flapped his wings and left Link's shoulder as she ran forth to the altar, and then he settled upon Sheik's shoulder instead. He looked surprised at the bird who turned his blue eyes to him, as if smiling, and then turned his neck quickly in the other direction, looking around the chamber.
Link stood in the front of the chamber, looking at the paper.
'What does it say?' Link heard Sheik's soft voice in her ear. Amon landed on the altar, scratching under his wing as Link handed over the sheet of paper to Sheik.
in this temple.
the castle of Hyrule.
Sheik raised his eyebrow and then he picked out the other half of the paper and put them together.
Time was endless in this temple.
It rests deep under the castle of Hyrule.
He was silent for a while and then they both looked at each other.
'I don't get it,' she said puzzled. Sheik tucked the paper thoughtfully away in his pocket.
'Do you?'
'Maybe.'
'What do you mean?'
Could it be? The Temple of Time?
'Sheik?'
His thoughts were interrupted and he looked at her.
'I am not sure, but I know someone that does.' Link smiled.
'Alright then, keep your secrets.' He looked at her, first surprised, then smiling as he realised that he was being very vague.
'I'll explain later. First, we have to get out of here.'
---
'Got any plans?' Link asked as they were lying over a large rock, looking out over Gerudo Valley.
'Well,' he said and looked at a building on ground level, where sounds of snort and shrill whinnies came from, 'We do need our horses to get out here fast.' He pointed towards the building.
'They are probably in the stable over there.' Link followed his finger with her gaze.
'Say no more,' she said and rose. Then she swiftly jumped down the rock and looked up to Sheik.
'I'll be back in five.'
Then she left before Sheik had time to stop her. He sighed and watched as she managed to sneak past the guard watching the stable by throwing a rock to the other direction. The guard quickly raised her spear and went to check it out, and Link quickly ran into the stable.
Sheik waited a couple of minutes. Then, all hell broke loose.
Under much shouts and chaos, Link came dashing out from the stable upon Epone with the reins of Tzadek in her hand, ducking for spears and arrows that whistled over her head. Several guards followed her, shouting angry at her.
She steered Epone towards the rock and then let go of Tzadek's reins as Sheik jumped down upon her.
'What happened?' he shouted to overcome the noise in the valley.
'Let's just say I got caught,' Link replied and then drove on Epone to swiftly avoid the flying arrows. But as they entered the canyon they found that several guards blocked their way.
'This way!' Sheik cried and they galloped up for a rocky path. Once upon it, Sheik had come to a halt, but Link galloped on, looking back at the guards that chased them.
'Link, wait!' Sheik suddenly shouted and she suddenly realised that the ground didn't go on; the hill made a sharp drop of several metres down to a river. The brave Epone took a blind leap out from the cliff before Link had done anything, and they fell from the rocky canyon and reached the water with a great splash.
Sheik gasped as he realised that the stallion could crush the only fifteen-year old girl, and the horse would injure himself badly.
He quickly turned Tzadek to dash down the rocky canyon. The surface of the lake grew calm as Sheik pulled the reins and Tzadek came to a halt. Yet then, Epone burst his head out of the water, and not late after so did Link. She grabbed on to his mane as he quickly made his way towards the shore. Then he heaved his way out of the water and Link slid up on his back as he trotted up on the beach. Sheik stared amazed at her as she threw back her wet hair that had fallen out of the plait. Both she and Epone seemed perfectly healthy.
'How did you make that?' he asked astound. She looked back at the water, and then at Sheik. She gave a shrug.
'I…don't really know,' she said. A sudden arrow that flew over their heads caught their attention and looked up to see the Gerudos pursuing them on foot down the rocky hill.
They quickly drove on the horses and they left the Gerudos only a dust of sand.
