The Legend of Zelda
Ti'ana's Story
__________by Ti'ana MYST
Chapter Ten
The steady beat of horses hoofs against the hard ground echoed throughout Gerudo Valley. A hazelnut mare and its rider galloped into the valley. The horse slowed down as it reached the cliff about 100 feet above a small river leading to Lake Hylia. It stopped short, rearing back, knocking the rider off.
He landed to the ground with a thud. "Epona!" Link jumped up and brushed himself off. He stepped up to the broken bridge.
"Great, now what?" He mounted Epona again and backed her up a few steps. Suddenly, the horse shot forward and jumped the large gap high above the water. She landed gracefully on the opposite side, and slowed down.
"Wow!" Link exclaimed. "Go, Epona!" He looked around. In front of him was a large white tent; in front of it the boss from Kakariko Village seven years ago.
Link didn't bother to talk to him yet. He had another mission that was more important now. He had to get to the Spirit Temple as soon as he could. There he would find, he was told, Nabooru. He guessed she was the sixth sage, since he didn't know anyone from the Gerudo Valley.
Galloping at top speed, Link rode Epona into the Thieves' hideout. Someone cried out at him, "Halt! Stay where you are!!" He listened, not knowing what was going on. A Gerudo woman in purple ran towards him with her long stave.
"AH!" Link tried to ride away, but the woman caught him.
"It's the jail cell for you! Prisoner guard, come toss this MAN into the cell!"
"Coming!" A light voice called from high above. A woman wearing pink, blue and purple Gerudo dress jumped down from a ledge just above Link and the Gerudo guard. her long blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail. On her face, covering all beneath the bridge of her nose was a dusty violet veil. All that could be seen were her malachite-green eyes, which glistened in the sunlight with a sense of familiarity.
"I'll take him to his cell," she muttered, looking Link over. "Come with me." She grabbed his arm and yanked him along through the thieves hideout.
"Can you loosen your grip just a little?" Link asked.
The girl laughed. "And give you the chance to get away? I don't think so, Link."
Link's eyes darted up. "How'd you know my name?"
The Gerudo didn't answer.
The reached the hole in the floor which led to the jail cell below. She appeared as if she was going to push him in, but instead she pulled him away.
"Listen!" she rasped. "There's a window near the top of the cell. If you hookshot up to it, you can get out! Just be careful, we have guards all over the valley. If you shoot them with an arrow, you'll knock them out unconscious. Just be careful, still, because the guards in white are protected from arrows, or any kind of harm for that manner. There are four carpenters locked up in the fortress. Fight a Gerudo woman and she will drop the key to free him. When you have all four freed, just wait by the last cell... You'll see why."
Link wondered why this woman was helping him. "Who are you?"
Again, the woman didn't answer. She simply looked down into the hole. She definitely looked familiar, that was for sure.
Link noticed something. Around her neck she wore a chain. He couldn't see what was hanging from it. A charm of some sort. She pulled it from her shirt. The "charm" was actually a coin with a hole in the center. Link had one just like that just about seven years ago.
Navi shot out from behind Link. She went up to his ear and whispered, "Link, we know her! That's your chain! Don't you remember? When Ganondorf came and took your friend away, just before that, you handed her your chain. That means..."
"Ti'ana?" asked Link.
A small fairy darted from the Gerudo's tunic. Startled, Link slipped fell down into the dark cell. "There!" called the girl. "Now, stay in there!"
'That was Ti'ana,' Link thought. 'Soon as I get out of here, I'm going to have to find Taabu.'
***
Link had her figured out. Ti'ana knew that soon Taabu would be coming to the Gerudo Valley to take her away, something she had dreamed of for all of her years in the thieves hideout.
She fiddled with her goblet and slammed it down on the table in front of her. Nikita, who was preparing to leave, jumped at the bang.
"Good gracious, 'Ana, what's with the banging?!"
Ti'ana almost shrunk back from the woman's voice. "Sorry," she mumbled.
Nikita shook her head. "Children," she sighed. "I remember the day you came to us, Ti'ana. They day you were named...."
"Don't say it!" Ti'ana ordered. Her voice softened, but maintained its firmness. "I'm trying to forget."
Nikita nodded. "As you wish, ma'am. Do you want anything while I'm out?"
Ti'ana nodded. "I threw a young man in the cell. Release him if he hasn't already escaped. But do not mention it to any of the other Gerudos. He means no harm to us."
So Nikita left for the cell. When she got there, he was already gone. Link was already on his way to find Taabu. Seeing that the prisoner had left, she shrugged and left to check on the carpenters who were locked up in the cells inside of the fortress.
Ti'ana sighed as she left for the horseback archery range. The young gelding standing by a woman in white reminded Ti'ana of a male Flicka and Epona. The woman standing there nodded a hello.
"We need more horses," Ti'ana said firmly. "I want four women to come with me, two on horseback. We shall leave tonight for Lon Lon Ranch, precisely at sundown. There is a mare there I intend on taking. She is mine already. I want her back." The slight smirk Ti'ana made gave the woman the impression she was speaking figuratively.
"My, Lady Ti'ana, I'm impressed. You've finally taken onto our customs of stealing, giving orders now like Nabooru once did. Ah, it will be good being led by you rather than having you follow along. You're an intelligent lass."
Nodding, Ti'ana stepped over. "Do not forget to tell everyone for me. I do not wish to give the order myself right now. I'm tired and need sleep for our night excursion."
The woman bowed. "As you wish."