Note: As always, I own no part of Zelda. Wish I did though. '^_^'
Once again, the Geldman rose up from the shifting sands…
The morning sun shown over Link and Zelda as the trudged on. It had taken nearly a day to get from Sanctuary to the Hyrulian desert, and ever since they had gotten there, they had been getting attacked almost continuously. Mainly by a creature known to the Hyrulians as a 'Geldman'. They were creatures that lived under the surface of the desert.
A Geldman was a monster that looked to be composed of sand and dirt. Without warning, they would burst from the ground and attack anyone who dared to venture into the desert. They were humanoid, barely, and seemed to reason by instinct alone.
Every time Link would attempt to hit it with his sword, the beast would recede back into the sand. Zelda quickly found that her arrows were useless as well. They would go right through the creature. So, instead, they had taken up the strategy of running whenever they saw one.
"Zelda! Watch out!" Link called as the sandman prepared to take a swipe at her. The princess quickly dodged her attacker and Link stepped forward, slashing at it with his sword. As had happened before, the creature disintegrated and fell back to the sand.
"Thanks," Zelda smiled uneasily, "We'd better keep going…"
The two continued on their way though the desert, always keeping a watchful eye out for danger.
Link again found himself wishing that Zelda could have stayed at Sanctuary. It was just too dangerous out there for a princess who had lived in a castle all her life. She seemed to be holding up alright, but Link wasn't so sure. Though they had brought water along with them, it had already been used up. If they didn't find a place to rest soon, they were done for…
***
The heat of the desert wore on as it always did. Day after day, month after month. They all wore on, blurring together until they all looked the same.
Sand and horizon…sand and sky. It seemed as though light itself was being bent by the utter intensity of the desert inferno.
Rose would have done just about anything to shirk off that life and go…somewhere. Anywhere else.
Most Gerudo liked the savage environment of Gerudo Valley, but Rose was hardly like the normal face in the crowds. They liked the fiery sand and scent of battle. The others seemed to enjoy this life.
Hour after hour, of sweat and heat. No. She could surely do without all this. As the daughter of a trader, Rose had had the opportunity to see other lands from time to time. She'd seen places where water was so abundant that it fell from the sky. One didn't have to dig into the ground if they wanted a drink.
Not even a cool breeze greeted Rose and her two companions; their clothes had long since soaked through with sweat. She shook her head, attempting to free her long, tangled red hair from her back. The Gerudo girl sighed and brushed the sand off her tanned arms.
Still. The animals and their riders went on. They were used to the acrid environment. It was normal for them.
Maybe now she could do nothing, but in a few months, she would turn twenty. She'd be recognized as an adult by the ruling council and could go where she pleased. Unless her father chose a suitor that was. He hadn't told her either way, but Rose had a feeling that he planned to do just that.
She'd find a way out though. Rose would run away if she had to - Nothing would keep her from her freedom. Nothing!
There was silence for a long time. Neither of Rose's traveling companions seemed very talkative. Not that she expected them to be. They were just some of her father's hired escorts that were to make sure that she got to town safely. The men didn't even care what happened, as long as they got paid.
I can take care of myself, Rose thought in disgust, I don't need a couple of boars trailing after me!
It was true enough. Rose was only making this trip to purchase some camels from a nearby town. Several of her father's animals had fallen ill and died the week before. Though hardly routine, this trip was nothing special.
"What's that?" one of the men questioned. The sudden utterance pulled the Gerudo girl from her thoughts. Rose looked up, and noticed him pointing at something in the distance.
She gazed further out, and soon noticed a two blotches in the distance. One was green, and the other, blue. She quickly recognized that they were people.
They weren't moving.
Rose replied, "Just some foolish travelers who tried to cross the desert."
"Who would be stupid enough to try to cross the desert without animals?"
"Who knows?" Rose said, indignantly.
"Do you want to check them out?" he asked.
She thought about it for a moment, "They're probably dead, but I suppose it won't be too much of a hassle."
When they reached them, Rose found them to be alive; though not by much. There were two people: one a Hylian boy, and the other, a young Elvin woman. Both were in bad shape, but would probably be alright if they were taken to the town.
"We'll take them with us," the female Gerudo affirmed.
***
The morning sun crept over the horizon, spilling its radiance upon the sleeping landscape. Soon, sounds of bustle filled the air.
Link groaned. He tried to breathe in sharply, but found that his throat was so dry that it almost caused him to suffocate. The Elvin boy began to cough violently, which was further agitated by his thirst.
What was wrong with him? Try as he might, he couldn't quite remember what had happened. Link opened his eyes, but the bright light that surrounded him forced him to close them again. The boy groaned again in discomfort. Slowly, he forced them open again, and then, he slowly sat up.
Link found himself to be in a small, sparsely furnished room – one he had never seen before. He was lying on a straw-stuffed mattress, that sat by a window. It looked like an inn of some sort…yet the question still remained: How did he get there?
He thought back. The desert…he'd been in the desert. The princess! Where was she? Link looked frantically around the room, but she was nowhere to be seen.
A sudden wave of nausea came over Link, and he felt as though he might be sick. His head became heavy and his vision blurred. Link felt unconsciousness claiming him once more, and a moment later, be blacked out.
"Girl! Wake up!"
Zelda didn't want to wake up. She felt so exhausted; so thirsty. Everything was a jumble in her mind. And her whole body ached.
"Girl!" the voice persisted. Zelda opened her eyes to see a young woman leaning over her. She was Gerudo as far as Zelda could tell. Her hair was fiery red, a similar shade to Ganondorf's. However, this girl seemed much more gentile than the tyrant. Her eyes were violet, and her skin, dark. She was slender, and wore a thin, white cloak that hung on her shoulders, and extended down to the girl's knees.
Zelda tried to ask what was going on, but the only sound she could make was a raspy wheeze. The woman seemed to understand her confusion though.
"You're lucky to be alive," she commented. A moment later, she held up a canteen of water to Zelda's lips. The princess gratefully accepted her kindness; she drank every drop…
She took a moment to catch her breath. "Thank you," Zelda said weakly.
"You are welcome," the Gerudo replied, "I'm Rose."
Zelda nodded, "My name is Zelda."
"That is what I thought," Rose smiled brazenly, "Princess Zelda. Yes, I know who you are."
Zelda froze. Rose knew who she was. But how? Was she one of Ganondorf's servants? A flurry of questions entered her mind, but she was afraid to ask them. Rose was inscrutable. The princess couldn't tell what the girl had in mind.
In the end, all Zelda could bring herself to ask was, "How?"
"How what?" Rose seemed to derive some sort of pleasure from Zelda's discomfort.
"How do you know me? And what are you going to do now?"
"Well you see," Rose began, "I am the daughter of a merchant. On several occasions I've gotten to see your kingdom. One time, we were summoned to the castle. I can't remember why we had gone there, but I do remember seeing you just before we left," she paused, "You were high up in the castle, standing on a balcony.
"I remember saying to myself, 'That's how the other half lives'. That's what I wanted. To be…free."
I'm not free either, Zelda thought to herself. She kept it to herself though.
"As for what I'm going to do with you now…" Rose seemed to consider this for a moment, but Zelda quickly changed topics, "Is my companion alright?"
"The scrawny kid?" Rose questioned, "He'll be fine as well," her gaze became more intense, "Now what were you doing in the middle of the desert, anyway? That's practically suicide for a Hylian."
Zelda looked away. She didn't want someone prying. Especially not a Gerudo. Anything she said would probably go strait to Ganondorf. Although, this Gerudo had just saved her life. "We were," she paused, choosing her words carefully, "looking for something."
At this, Rose snorted, "Oh please! What could you possibly want? There's nothing out there but sand and more sand." She shook her head, "I've never understood you Elves and your quests. You're so intent on your goals that you never even realize what's going on around you." There was no malice in Rose's voice; more like curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"You're land is rich in culture and resources, yet you take that all for granted," Rose replied. She put her hands on her hips, "The land of the Gerudo is nothing but dirt and sun-bleached rock." She went over to an open window and glanced out it. Zelda turned to see her. Looking at the Gerudo, as the morning sun shone on her features, Zelda had the feeling that Rose had ambitions that were greater than that of most of her race.
"You seem to have quite an opinion about Hylians," the princess whispered.
The red-head nodded, "I envy you," she hesitated, "Most Gerudo hate Hylians because of the war. I know that you Hylians have no love for us either."
"Fear is a powerful force," Zelda interjected, "As is hate."
Rose nodded, "Come," she motioned for Zelda to follow, "I'll take you to your companion."
***
As afternoon approached, the heat once again grew steadily worse…
"So what were you two doing out in the middle of the desert, anyway?" Rose questioned. She, Zelda, and Link had gone to a nearby inn to discuss matters further. It was fairly empty at this point in the day, so they were somewhat free to talk.
"Like we said," Link cut in before Zelda could answer, "We were looking for something that we can only find here."
Rose snorted in frustration, "Stubborn boy. Fine, have it your own way."
"So what do you plan to do with us?" Zelda asked. The calmness in her voice drew Rose's attention away from Link - whom she was still deciding whether it was worth her trouble to hit. After a moment, she concluded it wasn't.
"I don't know. I could hand you over to Ganondorf, but what good would that do me?" The elves looked at her, not understanding, so she clarified, "I haven't told my traveling companions who you are; so why would I turn you in to him and go to all that trouble?" They seemed to relax a bit. Rose smiled inwardly; it was too soon for them to relax just yet, "However I will do just that."
"What?" Zelda and Link both questioned in unison. This was just the reaction Rose had hoped for.
"Unless…" the Gerudo continued shrewdly, "Unless you do something for me."
There was a moment of silence, and the two elves simply stared blankly at one another. Finally, Link asked, "What do you want?"
Rose took a deep breath, "Take me from this place," Rose couldn't hide a small amount of pleading from her voice, "I don't want to live in this sandy pit of a kingdom anymore."
The two who sat across from her once again looked at each other. This time though, they seemed more focused, almost as if they were able to speak by thought alone.
Link nodded, and looked back at Rose, "Uh…sure."
***
"So that's what Ganondorf is up to," Rose said thoughtfully, " What a fool!"
Though Rose quickly agreed to help them, Link still wasn't sure that he and Zelda could trust her. After all, she was a Gerudo; she could turn on them at any moment. Zelda had told him that she sensed no malice from the woman, though Link just couldn't be sure.
The three had slipped away from Rose's guards without much trouble. Link got the distinct impression that they really didn't care about her much anyway. The two men had spent most of the morning drinking at the tavern, and had been barely able to stand. With any luck they'd have another hour or two before they discovered that Rose was missing. As it was, they already had about a three hour lead. Fortunately, Link and Zelda had taken their camels so even if they did find out where the trio was going, they'd never catch them.
Link eventually decided that they had to tell Rose where they were heading though. However, he had no idea just how the Gerudo would react…
Rose continued, "The Dragmire clan has had a grudge against the Hyrulian Royal family for many years now," she shook her head and gazed up at the sky, "But I never would have he would follow in the mistakes of his father."
"He has done just that," Zelda replied. The three of them moved on, continuing on their way west, "Ganondorf though, seems to have succeeded where his father failed."
Rose took that in, but seemed to quickly shrug it off, "So where are we headed anyway?"
"It's kind of complicated," Link said truthfully.
Rose smirked, "We seem to have nothing but time," gesturing to the seemingly endless desert, "Tell me."
Link was silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say. However, that task was quickly taken out of his hands…
Zelda spoke up, "We need the Sapphire of Water from the Desert Palace to the west."
"You what?" Rose asked, dumbfounded disbelief. She stopped her animal, and Link and Zelda paused a few paces ahead, "Let me get this straight," Rose smirked, "You two plan on breaking into a heavily guarded temple, overpower the Gerudo who are inside, and all this just to steal some gem stone?"
"If we have to," Link admitted. Though Link hoped to get the stone peacefully, he knew that there was little chance of that happening.
"You're crazy!" Rose blurted out. Then suddenly she smiled, "I like that."
To say that the Desert Palace was heavily guarded was an understatement. There were Gerudo soldiers patrolling the grounds at regular intervals, and Link and the others had to stay some distance away in order to keep from getting caught.
The temple was very old looking. Perhaps not as old as Sanctuary, though much more worn, and twice as imposing. It was easy to tell that the desert sands had taken their toll on the ancient building. It's stone had long since been bleached by the sand and sun.
Though the structure itself didn't appear to be in disrepair, there was one question that Link couldn't quite put from his mind.
"How can they support so many troops out here in the Desert?" it was Rose. She voiced the question that was on everyone's mind, "There isn't an oasis for miles around. It's just not possible."
"Maybe…" Link replied. He didn't take his eyes off the troops as he watched them from behind a dune.
Rose laughed sullenly, "Maybe? You try going a few days without water and see how you feel," then sarcastically, "Oh wait! You already did!"
Link ignored her. "We'll wait 'till nightfall," he told them, "As soon as they change guard for the evening we'll sneak in, grab the stone and get out. Nothing simpler."
Rose shook her head and huffed, "Yes, and maybe we'll find some Moblins that can sing on key." She laughed, "It won't work, and it's foolish to think that it will."
Link gritted his teeth, "Fine!" he growled, "You come up with a better plan then!:
Rose laughed again, something that was really beginning to grate on Link's nerves, "No. Your plan is fine, but to expect it to go off without a hitch is to end up getting yourself killed."
The Elvin boy remained silent, but he knew his silence would testify against him. That's why he was so glad when Zelda finally spoke up, "We will deal with whatever we must, and we'll do so as we come to it. There's no use worrying about it now."
Link sighed, "You're right Zelda," he wiped the sweat from his brow, "Let's keep an eye on them for now…"
***
Sunset approached and Link noticed that Zelda had fallen asleep due to the heat. The boy tried to keep her in his shadow to provide her with some comfort, though there was little comfort to be had.
However, that left Link, much to his dismay, with no one to talk to but Rose. Not that there wasn't plenty he'd like to question her about, but it was her attitude that bothered him.
"Hey kid," it seemed that Rose had broken down first and decided to talk.
"What?" Link replied, nonchalantly.
Rose turned to look at him directly, "I think we'll be able to sneak like you said. It looks like they'll be changing the guard soon."
Link nodded and looked back at the Desert Palace. It was true. The guards were beginning to mill around as though they were tiring. "Yeah," he replied simply. He turned back to her, "So tell me something. Why are you so eager to leave your home, anyway?"
Rose didn't respond for a moment, but then shrugged, "It's not that I want to be away from here…I just want to be anywhere else."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
The Gerudo just laughed softly, "That's for me to know, kid."
Link heaved a sigh of frustration, "Whatever."
The sun had nearly set, and Link was beginning to have to strain his eyes to see. However, he could still make out the movements of the Gerudo that patrolled the temple grounds.
Link took that in. As he did that, he glanced at his other surroundings. The young elf had to admit one thing: they'd been totally unprepared for the situation. But really, what choice did they have? It wasn't as if they could march up to the Gerudo and just ask them to hand over the Sapphire.
"Hey kid…" it was Rose. She sounded concerned about something but Link, lost in his thoughts, failed to take notice.
How were they supposed to win back Hyrule if Link couldn't even make a decision about how to get inside the temple…
"Hey kid!" she was more insistent this time, and it was enough to shake Link from his thoughts.
"What?" he asked.
"We've got company…"
Before he could react, suddenly, Link was grabbed and painfully hauled to his feet, "I told you I saw something!" Whoever grabbed him wrenched arms behind his back also. "So what have we got here?" came a gruff voice, "Some Hylian brat and a couple of girls! What are you doing here runt?" he demanded.
There were others as well. One was holding Zelda while another was preoccupied with the now struggling Rose.
"Just enjoying the sights!" was Link's sarcastic reply. Link tried to free himself, but the Gerudo was too strong. He repaid Link's remark with a hard crack to the back of his head. Link fell limp, and the last thing her heard were Zelda's muffled cries.
