The Legend of Zelda
Ti'ana's Story
__________by Ti'ana MYST
Chapter Twelve
A ray of light peaked over Death Mountain and struck Nikita's face. She closed her eyes tightly, seeing only darkness for the past few hours. Her horse whinnied and started to buck from his master's hard tug on the reins when she went to cover her eyes.
Nikita feared for Ti'ana's life, but had to face the fact that her friend was a betrayer to her race. More so, her life was more at risk than Ti'ana's, for she was the one elected to speak to the Great Gerudo King. She had seen his temper's physical punishment on others before, and knew he would show no mercy to her.
Reluctantly, she walked into the Gerudo Fortress, leading her horse by the reins.
***
Ti'ana had slept the whole night at Lon Lon Ranch. Talon and Ingo had awaken a few hours before the sun had even considered rising. Horses were missing, as they usually were stolen this time of the year. Over the past seven years, ten good horses were filched. Mares, stallions, geldings, colts and fillies alike were the target for the thieves. They seemed to have no preference to age, gender or ability to bear progeny.
Malon handed 'Ana a glass of warm milk. "The cows this year have been producing wonderfully. Maybe it's a sign of things to come."
Nodding in between bites of buttery triangles of toast, Ti'ana reached for the milk. Nuli hovered above the glass and fluttered around the room. Since her stay in the Gerudo Valley with Ti'ana, she rarely got out.
Ti'ana swallowed the food in her mouth and agreed with Malon again. "Things have gotten pretty bad, yes. But as Link always used to tell me, they can only get better." Ti'ana reached up to the coin necklace around her neck and tugged at it.
"Speaking of old friends," Malon said softly, "Taabu is supposed to work today."
Ti'ana turned bright red. "I can't see him!" She cried out as she jumped from the table. "Not like this, not after so long! Look at me!" She motioned to her veil which was now around her arm, loose white pants and other Gerudo attire. "He'd never understand! I'm not a Hylian!"
"You will always be a Hylian!" Malon shouted over Ti'ana's complaining. "You two will see each other. You must speak with him! Ti'ana, you just can't understand how depressed he's been lately!"
A single silvery tear ran down Ti'ana's cheek. "You don't understand... I can't see him. Whatever we could have been just can't... Just can't be anymore."
Malon shook her head, confused. "Why?!" A moment of uneasiness followed.
"Why, what?"
"What do you mean 'why, what'?!" Malon shouted, vehemently annoyed. "Why I..." It took Malon a moment to realize the voice was not Ti'ana's. Cautiously she turned around.
A sandy brown-haired young man stood at the door. "Have I come at a bad time? I see you have company."
Malon beamed. "Taabu! No! This is.." She turned to face Ti'ana. Her Gerudo veil was already covering her face and Nuli was hidden safely under her garments. Apparently she had learned to react quickly under pressure. She could see her malachite eyes pleading to her in silence. "A friend," she finished. "She won't mind if you say." Ti'ana sighed, relieved.
Taabu arched a brow and whispered harshly in Malon's ear. "You invited a Gerudo to your home?"
Malon looked embarrassed, but knew she shouldn't have. Thinking quickly, Malon said, "She's not a Gerudo! That's the.. latest fashion in Hyrule, you know."
Shaking his head, he turned to the girl. 'Those eyes,' he thought. 'They're so familiar.'
"Taabu," Malon broke in. "Why don't you stay for breakfast? We have enough for a few people, since the cows have been producing a lot of milk recently."
Ti'ana shot a look at Malon, who simply grinned. Taabu quirked a brow and nodded. "Sure I'll stay. I'd like to get to know your friend here. What's her name?" He fiddled with a chain around his neck: silver with a bright green emerald attached by a gold clasp.
Ti'ana turned pale, but Malon's face remained unchanged, but understood Ti'ana's reaction. "Tira," she said simply. 'When Ti'ana realizes what an idiot she's being,' Malon thought, 'She'll tell Taabu herself.'
***
"She WHAT?!" A great voice shattered the long, unbroken silence throughout the Gerudo Valley. All the women on guard shouted in surprise and dropped their spears at the loud yell. They pulled themselves together quickly and acted as if nothing had happened. They were quite used to outbursts like that.
Nikita got the worst of it. "Please my king, let go of my arm!" A deep scarlet mark formed where the rough hand gripped the tender skin of her tanned wrist. Though Nikita had rarely felt such pain in her life, she was utterly grateful Ganondorf used only his bare hands and not the hard gloves he usually wore. Those would have easily broken her whole arm without a strenuous effort.
Ganondorf threw her arm forcefully, causing Nikita to fall on her back. "Bring Ti'ana to me! Dead or alive, I have no preference. Capture all she's with, they will pay as well for allowing a traitor among them! Go! Go, GO!" Throwing in his final bit, Ganondorf stormed from the room.
Nikita rubbed her arm. It was well bruised by now, and redder than before. Another Gerudo woman rushed to aid her.
"Niki, are you all right? I hate seeing you caught up in Ganondorf's outbursts like that." She helped her stand.
"It's all right," Nikita sighed softly. "He sure knows how to throw a temper tantrum." She forced a grin. "We'd better hurry up and find Ti'ana before he kills us all, including 'Ana."
***
Taabu yawned as he stretched out against the barn wall. "I didn't get much sleep last night. I met up with Link about a week or two ago. Haven't seen him since. Have you, Malon?"
Malon quickly nodded as she moved the bucket full of cow's milk. "He saved the ranch, you know. After he took Epona, Mr. Ingo became good again and let my dad come back to run the ranch. Since then, everything has been getting better around Hyrule, so I've heard. Lake Hylia has all its water back, the Kokiri Forest is back to normal, all the Gorons have returned to Goron City, and the rain in Kakariko Village has stopped."
Ti'ana's gaze hadn't moved from the necklace, *her* necklace. The one she had pulled of the day seven years ago when the Gerudo woman took Ti'ana from Link and Taabu.
Malon glanced back and forth between the two. "I.. I spoke with Link two days ago, as a matter of fact. He stopped by for some training with Epona. He promised he'd come back.. Today, actually! He's pretty good with Epona now, but he has to work on his lap time."
"WHO has to work on their lap time?" A voice questioned from the door frame. "If I remember correctly, Miss Malon, I beat you by two seconds!"
"Linky!" Malon said enthusiastically. "We were waiting for you. Where have you been?"
"Just rescuing Nabooru from Koume and Kotake. That was one tough temple guardian, Twinrova." He grinned. "Despite being 400 years old, Twinrova was pretty cute." Shuddering, he added, "Koume and Kotake separate they were disgusting."
Everyone laughed, except Ti'ana. She kept her head as low as she could. She knew if Link recognized her, which he would, he was sure to say something.
Navi fluttered around Link's head and then over to Ti'ana. She didn't say anything; she didn't have a chance. Ti'ana swatted her away, and the fairy, annoyed, bounced around in front of Ti'ana's head, making her fall off her chair.
That was when Link noticed the fourth person in the room. "Oh my goddesses," he murmured. He grabbed Ti'ana's arm, seemingly helping her up but instead he pulled her out of the room.
Once they were out of earshot, Link let go of Ti'ana. "What is going on here?"
Ti'ana looked down. "Please don't tell Taabu. That's why I threw you into the hole when you figured out who I was, I knew you'd have told Taabu the first chance you got."
"What'd you think? I'd hit my head and lose my memory?"
Ti'ana stifled a laugh. "Wishful thinking."
Link crossed his arms over his chest. "And if I got knocked unconscious and had a concussion, then what? You'd have left me there to die, wouldn't you have?"
"No, I sent my friend to check on you. Told her if you weren't in there to let you out."
Link laughed, but stopped short. He tilted his head a bit and looked her over. He reached over and pulled the veil off her face and smiled. "Gosh, you look exactly the same as when we were younger."
"You've gotten..." Ti'ana blushed. "Handsome. You were adorable when we were kids, you know."
Link laughed. "You don't feel so adorable when you have Mido telling you you're inferior and a person who you thought was your friend agreeing with him."
"You mean Fado? Oh please, that pigtailed annoying little head of the *Meeeedo* fan club?" Ti'ana shook her head. "She didn't like me much, either."
"We were different than all of them. They told us so, and now we know they were right."
Ti'ana scowled. "I hate letting people know they were right when for so long I would beat 'em up for telling me I wasn't like them." Ti'ana wasn't really a bully, but when someone got on her nerves enough she would push back. "We at least are a lot bigger than them and if they bug us now we can squish them."
Link laughed again. "Actually, I talked to Mido. He didn't know it was me, of course, but he told me that he was sorry for being such a bully to me. He said the only reason he did that was the fact that Saria liked me. By process of elimination and some tough thinking, I guess he likes her."
Both of the friends' fairies were out by now, each chatting in high voices. Nuli apologized to Navi for helping knock Link into the prison cell back at the Gerudo Fortress.
Navi flitted up and down. "No problem. You were just trying to protect Ti'ana. That's what us guardian fairies do!"
Ti'ana smiled watching the two fairies, but then her face became dark. "What am I going to tell Taabu?"
Shrugging, Link ruffled Ti'ana's hair. "It's up to you whether you are going to tell him the truth. Just think about how he's felt over the past seven years. Neither of us has been here, so we don't know. I've talked to Malon, and she said not so good." He put the veil back around her face.
Ti'ana reached for his hand gently. "No, I should let him know." She pulled his hand down. The veil drifted down slowly and landed at her feet.
Link nodded, smiling. "Good choice."
"Thank you, Link," Ti'ana said through a stream of tears. "I couldn't have decided without you." She threw herself into Link's arms.
A little surprised at first, Link wrapped his arms around her. "It'll be okay, 'Ana. Trust me." He stroked her hair softly. "Just tell him."
Ti'ana nodded with her head against Link's chest. "I will, I..." she seemed to have trailed off.
"What's wrong?" Link asked.
"Shh!" Ti'ana ordered and pulled away from Link. "Do you hear that?"
Link shook his head, and then widened his eyes. "Horses. The only Hylians who have horses now besides those here are..."
"Gerudo!" Nuli and Navi both shrieked at the same time. They both flew around wildly. Navi ordered, "Both of you, get inside!"
"No!" Nuli said. "If we go inside, they'll have us trapped! We could go around to the back of the corral, but we'd still wind up caught. No matter where we go.." she paused. "We're in trouble."
Ti'ana grabbed at the doorknob and ran into the two-story house. She shot up the stairs into the room where Taabu and Malon sat, still eating and talking. "We have to get out of here!"
Malon's eyes darted up, startled that Ti'ana wasn't wearing her veil. "What's up?"
Ti'ana shook her head. "Just get out of here! We're in trouble. A LOT of trouble, and it's all my fault."
Taabu blinked a few times. 'It can't be,' he thought. 'She can't be one of THEM!'
Ti'ana saw Taabu's shocked look. "I promise, I'll explain later. Just follow me!" She hurried out the door with Taabu and Malon close behind her. "It may already be too late," she said in despair.
As she opened the door from the house, she cried out as a hand grabbed her arm. "Don't take me back!"
"Quiet!" Link ordered. "Follow me, and fast. I mean really fast, like The Running Man fast." His breath was short and rapid. "They're going to be here any minute."
Running just as fast as TRM with his bunny hood, the four sprinted around the horses' fenced area to the wooden wall at the back of the corral. Malon was the last to make it, tripping over her skirt a few times.
"If we stay here," Link panted. "Maybe they won't find us."
Ti'ana and Taabu exchanged glances. She shook her head, not taking her eyes away from Taabu. "They are a lot smarter than you think." She sucked in her breath. "They can taste your fear and find you like a hunting dog traces the scent of a fox. Stay quiet and hope for the best."
No sooner had Ti'ana spoken that the hoof beats entered Lon Lon Ranch. Ti'ana grabbed Taabu's hand and held on to it tightly.
A Gerudo woman's voice sounded from the entrance. "Ti'ana is here! Find that deceitful, traitorous little good-for-nothing and bring her to meet her fate!"
"Remember Ganondorf's words," another said in a monotone voice. "EVERYONE who is with her comes back." The words struck Ti'ana hard, for those were the words of Nikita.
Navi peeked out from under Link's tunic. "We have to get to the Temple of Time, Link!" She whispered. "I hate to leave the three here, but the destiny of Hyrule depends upon ye!"
Link's face almost broke. "It's true, Navi." He turned to Malon, Ti'ana and Taabu. "If I don't go, we'll all perish. We'll have a better chance if I defeat Ganondorf guys." He pulled out the Ocarina of Time. "Please forgive me."
The other three smiled and nodded. "The fate of the world rests upon your shoulders, Hero of Time," Ti'ana whispered. "I'd try to warp us all out of here, but only I'd get out and then I wouldn't be able to come back here." She took out her Gerudo banto with her free hand. "I'll protect them the best I can."
Link nodded and put the ocarina to his mouth. "Good luck." He played the Prelude of Light. Navi didn't even ask if he wanted to warp to the Temple of Time. She flew around him and then off to the temple.
The sound of the ocarina's song indicated to the Gerudo's where Ti'ana and here friends were. "Behind the corral!" A woman shouted out to the others, and ten women on horseback surrounded the small fenced area. "Come out and we won't hurt you!" The voice itself seemed to smile. "Right away, at least."
Ti'ana looked at Malon and Taabu. She nodded and mouthed silently "stay here." Taabu reluctantly let go of her hand. "I'll be okay," she whispered, and kissed Taabu on the cheek.
Ti'ana stepped out from her hiding place. "I am here!"
Nikita, who was rather near Ti'ana, gasped. She wasn't expecting Ti'ana to come out; secretly she hoped she wouldn't. Her eyes darted from left to right, then she acted as quickly as she could, without being threatening to Ti'ana. "I've got her!" She pulled a long coil of rope off her stallion.
Ti'ana started to struggle, and wound up dropping her banto. Another Gerudo snatched it quickly and threw it into a leather bag attached to her horse's saddle.
She looked up at Nikita, her eyes asking "why?" Nikita nodded her head once, telling Ti'ana just to play along. "Struggle a little more," Nikita whispered. Ti'ana did as she was told. Nikita "tried" to get her onto her horse while Ti'ana twisted this way and that.
'Taabu and Malon,' Ti'ana thought. She looked around quickly and saw both of them were already captured, bound and gagged, each slung over the saddle of a horse.
"We'll be taking them back to the valley!" One of the Gerudo women called as she climbed on a horse, holding on to the reins of the mare Taabu was on.
Nikita nodded and looked down at the squirming Ti'ana. "I need to work on this one. All of you, back to the Valley. I'll follow soon."
"Yes madam," the woman holding onto Taabu said. "Hurry and get Ti'ana back. Ganondorf won't appreciate what we've done unless she is with us. He will already be furious we didn't get that Link kid."
"Don't worry about him, Judit," Nikita assured. "Ganondorf said if we didn't find him he will somehow, and I'm sure it has to do with the Princess."
Judit had more questions, but thought it best to get Taabu and Malon back to the fortress. Without another word, she kicked her spurred shoes into the side of her horse and was off.
Nikita watched as Judit sped off. She didn't move until the sound of the mare's hoof beats were inaudible. Then she turned to Ti'ana.
"What more do you want with me, Nikita?" Ti'ana questioned. "I'm not a Gerudo, I never was a Gerudo and I never will BE a Gerudo." Her voice remained firm, though it broke off a few times. "I just want a normal life again. No stealing, no fighting, nothing like that. If it weren't for this I could have told Taabu the truth about how I felt for him in the first place, but I can't now. If I do," her voice broke again. "Ganondorf will destroy me. Even worse, Taabu."
Sighing, Nikita let go of Ti'ana. "If you don't come back, he'll find you anyway. I don't like seeing anyone like this. I guess I'm more like Nabooru than I thought." She forced on a little smile.
Ti'ana paused. "I'll come," she said. "I need a few minutes to myself right now, though. I'll go to the Gerudo Valley on my own accord, don't worry. And don't wait for me."
Nikita knew well enough that Ti'ana had always been true to her word. "I can't enter the valley without you, though. Ganondorf will be furious."
Smiling, Ti'ana answered, "Tell Ganondork I'll be there soon. And if I'm not..." She thought for a moment. "Tell him he can come get me, I fear him not."
Nodding slightly, Nikita nervously mounted her horse. "Take care, 'Ana. I trust you." She kicked the horse in the side and sped around the corral to the entrance.
Ti'ana watched her go. When the hoof beats were well off in the distance, she reached into a pocket hidden in her shirt and emerged with her hard clay ocarina. Placing the blue mouthpiece to her lips, Nuli fluttered out from her hiding spot and sat on Ti'ana's head, watching. Sixteen notes were played. It was the mysterious music from the Lost Woods: Saria's Song.
"You want to talk to Saria?" Nuli asked this in a strange tone. She wasn't asking if she wanted to talk to her or not, because that was the only reason Ti'ana usually played the song. "You just spoke to her a few weeks ago, before Link came back."
Ti'ana nodded. She used to speak to Saria a lot after she was taken captive by the Gerudo. For a few months, though, she could not because of vigorous training required by any Gerudo member. Saria was her only contact to the outside world, even after she was stuck in the Forest Temple.
"Okay," Nuli was confused, but connected the two anyway.
"Ti'ana, is that you?" Saria's voice came clear out from the ocarina.
"Yes, Saria, this is 'Ana."
Saria's voice seemed to shake uncontrollably. "Something bad has happened, Ti'ana. Princess Zelda was found by Ganondorf after Link met with her."
"Ganondorf's not at Gerudo Valley?" Ti'ana's voice was hopeful.
"He is, though. For now, at least." Saria stopped short, then spoke quietly. "He's waiting for you, Ti'ana. I don't know why.."
A sound resembling a sob rose from Ti'ana's throat. Her voice came out raspy. "I thought he had forgotten."
"Huh?" Saria's voice questioned, then lightened a bit. "Anyway, Ti'ana, get back to Gerudo Valley immediately before Taabu or Malon are hurt. To Ganondork, their lives mean nothing and he will take them without a second's thought."
Ti'ana nodded. "I hope I'll make it in time, though. Thanks a lot, Saria!"
"Bye, 'Ana. Take care, and don't forget the sages are helping you and Link." The connection with Saria was canceled.
"Ti'ana, we have to go!" Nuli's high voice rang in the girl's ear. "Remember what Nikita said. She trust you."
"Let's go." Again, Ti'ana placed her ocarina to her lips and played Flicka's song; the basic eight-note of the whole song were all that was necessary to summon the mare.
Obediently, Flicka walked around from inside the corral over to Ti'ana. "Let's go!" She repeated this over and over again quietly as she climbed onto the saddle.