Chapter 6

Where does it all begin?

When does it all end?

Why does it all change?

Ruto sat on the pedestal that used to hold their lord, swinging her feet in the iced water. She was lost without Zelda's knowledge. She was alone without her people's company. She was afraid without Link's guidance. And yet she'd sent them all away somehow. Not all were purposefully, but nonetheless, it was her flaw, her fault. She'd told Zelda to leave her after learning what she must first do. Why? Because she felt that this was something she took on herself, and no one else should have to give of their time for it. It was her undertaking, and she would be the one to emerge true, if ever someone would.

Then again, she could go to Link. Zelda assured her that he'd aide her in the quest, and that he would make her task much simpler. His dexterity with a blade was admirable, and surely Ruto would need protection.

No. She would not have any help.

No. She would save the Zoras alone.

And if she could not, she would die trying.

"Where in Hyrule is possibly big enough to hold him?" she asked herself, looking at her reflection. There was no answer. Not that she expected one. "Why would anyone want to destroy an entire civilization?" she whimpered. She couldn't fathom anyone having so much hatred and destruction inside. "What am I going to do?"

She needed an answer. But there was no one to tell her, and no one to care enough to try.

* * * *

"Of course, I know where Jabu-Jabu is," Ruto mumbled for the thousandth time, "with the Gerudos, where else would he be? Ganondorf was a Gerudo, and he took Jabu-Jabu!" She threw her hands in the air, exasperated at her own thoughtlessness.

Never before had she ventured into the Gerudo hills. She'd never even imagined what lay beyond the treacherous mountain walls and atop the sandy peaks. But now she had to go inside, she had to explore it in all its entirety, and she had to speak with the race that she detested with all of her heart. Hesitantly, she stepped forward, her feet lingering on the flimsy bridge that led to the fortress, and inside. Her stomach fluttered as she glanced at the deep chasm beneath. The atmosphere around her was different from anywhere else in Hyrule, more deserted, more alone, more intense, and more...forbidding.

Ruto casually walked up to the gate, trying to look confident and surefooted. She cast a nervous glance at the Gerudo guard, but quickly replaced it with a steadfast grin.

"Can you open this gate for me?" Ruto asked, not meeting the guard's undaunted stare.

"What business do you have?" the guard retorted, moving her spear slightly in her hand.

Ruto paused, then began to laugh nervously, "Well, I need to get a drink because I'm really quite parched," she bit her lip, praying that she sounded convincing.

The guard shifted the weapon to her other hand threateningly, "We haven't any water here, it's a desert," she smirked.

"Of course, I knew that!" Ruto said tightly, "I was just testing you," her tone dropped slightly, "Actually I need to..." she eyed the guard, a silver glint catching her attention. Fastened to her belt, was a pointed dagger, so sharp it was almost dulled. "Can I see that?" Ruto whispered, pointing at the weapon.

"Of course not," the guard snapped, drawing back.

"Listen, you have a spear, it's not like I can attack you. Anyway, I'm a Zora, and we have no knowledge of battle. It's just that it's a very interesting weapon."

The guard mulled over Ruto's words before speaking. "Briefly," she growled.

Ruto grasped the small knife in her hand, running her fingertips over the sleek blade. Now or never...

"Ouch!" she shrieked, stumbling backwards and dropping the dagger on the sand, "I cut myself!" She winced as she help open her palm, revealing a deep, carmine gash running from her thumb to her wrist. "Do you have a bandage?" Ruto yelped.

"Well..." the guard paused uncertainly.

"I'm going to faint from blood loss in a moment," Ruto gasped, tripping over the fine sand and coughing simultaneously. "I feel sick..." she moaned, her every word wavering.

"Come with me," the guard muttered, taking her roughly by the arm and leading her inside the fortress. She shoved the Zora into a sitting position, placing her on a patchily made bench and storming from the room.

"I didn't mean to cut myself so badly," Ruto sighed, sucking the blood from her cut. "At least I'm inside," she murmured, looking around her for the first time. The room was hung with brightly colored cloths, and the wind blew freely through them causing them to whip about. The flooring was just orange dirt, soft and warm with the heat of the desert sun. Crates were scattered about aimlessly, atop them were basins of water, dried plants, or glimmering jewels. Temptation pulled her in all directions, teasing her body and mind. Ruto shook it off, and stood up. Wandering from her seat, she came to a curtain of beads and gems, all strung onto thick coils of rope to form a doorway. She pulled them aside to reveal an on stretching desert, abound with touring quicksand.

Trapped.

The word stuck to the roof of her mouth.

"I take it you're going to be alright," the illustrious voice of the guard sounded behind her. Ruto whirled around.

"Why...yes," she stammered, "the fresh air did me a world of good."

"What do you want from us?" the Gerudo snarled. She took Ruto securely by her neck, and whipped out a nitid sword, crafted from silver and twisted with wear from its many battles, from its many deaths. She placed the tip at Ruto's neck, the slightest touch and the Zora would never again breath. Ruto opened her mouth to speak, maybe to scream, maybe just to plead...

But instead she broke down sobbing. It was all to much. The sacrifice. The loneliness. The battling. The fear. They all surrounded her night and day. She just couldn't take it anymore. A single grain could tip the steadiest scale...

So be it.

"Slit my throat. Do it," Ruto growled, her eyes flashing with the vehemence of her fury. "I've had enough. Please, kill me. Now. I'm asking you to."

The guard stared at her, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. But there was nothing to be suspicious of. Ruto's face drained of all emotion, and she wept bitterly.

"Why won't you do this? I'm so alone, and I'm so scared..." she sobbed. "Fine, just give me your sword and I'll do it myself."

The guard thrust her to the ground, backing away steadily. "I won't take lives of the innocent, no matter what some fables may say. Take your life, it means nothing to me. And obviously, nothing to you. But first think about it. If there's just one person who will weep when you pass, then your life has had some meaning, and you should not throw it away. Take this with you," she tossed a slip of paper on the ground, charred about the edges but lined with a thin strip of gold leaf. "And I don't do this out of pity. I do it out of understanding." The guard slammed the door behind her, leaving Ruto alone, kneeling on the ground in wroth tears.

"What is it?" Ruto gasped, catching her breath. She picked the sheet off the ground, turning it over in her palm. "Membership pass...I can get in anywhere in the valley," she deemed. She leaned against the wall, allowing her chest to rise and fall rapidly as she regained her stamina and equanimity.

It was impossible to wade through the depths of the quicksand, so she would need to leave through the way she came in. The legions of Gerudos made her feel uncomfortable to say the least, but by simply waving the small paper, she was treated with a newfound respect. After wandering about aimlessly for quite a while, Ruto realized that she was making no progress. Timidly, she approached another guard.

"Do you have dungeons here?" she asked, meekly holding out the pass.

"Of course," the guard nodded, "we are warriors, and capture those who fail to obey or listen to us."

"Only for people, right?"

The guard looked her over skeptically, "who else would they be for?"

"Fairies, deku scrubs, fish...?" she gulped.

"Right..."

"Listen, I need to explore the desert, but I can't get through that quicksand. Do you have anything I could use?" Ruto said hurriedly.

"No one ventures into the desert. It's almost certain death."

"I'm willing to risk that. I'm very curious."

"Alright, it's your life. Over in the back of the fortress there's a storage room. There's some old carpets piled up. I think some of them fly," she gestured towards the eminent, wooden structure behind them. It towered over everything, shading the valley from the harsh, desert sun. Ruto bowed her head briefly, and handed the woman a single rupee before lamming away.

The air was heavy with musk and jasmine inside the room. It was dark and chilly, with a silence broken only by the steady dripping of liquid from some far off pipe. Scads of ancient carpets were heaped in every corner, draped over every table, and hung from every window. Ruto approached them charily, afraid that one might suddenly rush into the air and take flight. She lifted the corner of a thickly embroidered one, aureate and cinibar in color. Sorrel tassels hung from each side, knotted and then strung with pearls. She placed it on the ground, smoothing out its folds and sat herself firmly on the surface.

"Go," she muttered, urging it forward, "Fly?" she tried once more, "lift?"

The carpet remained entrenched to the floor.

"Fine, I'll stay here all day," Ruto pouted, shifting her weight. She yawned, and began to examine the carpet. "Lorieth conten hylurn?" she murmured, reading the curious symbols printed on the carpet's tag. "Whoa!"

The entire ground beneath her began to quake, in a queer, enhancive rhythm. The corners of the carpet curled in and out, as if stretching from a long slumber. The tassels shook, causing the beads and pearls to clack melodically together. And the carpet took flight, shooting off the ground as if it grew wings. Ruto's hands grasped the front, completely white from the shock and pressure.

As if it knew where to go, they flew out the doorway, moving swiftly but steadily. The wind whipped about, softly securing her to her conveyance. Ruto slowly unlocked her grip, throwing back her head and laughing at the absolute liberty she was feeling. Nothing was out of her reach, she could have the stars, the clouds, the very sky...

But then she'd still be alone. Her eyes began to scan the desert below.

Emptiness.

Nothing but sand stretching on eternally.

"What's that?" she murmured. In the distance, she could make out the vague form of a palm tree, swaying in the harsh winds. "There's no life in a desert...unless..."

"Is it a mirage?" she sighed, "No, it's there alright. An oasis!"

The one foundation for life in this vast nothingness was an oasis. She envisioned the pool of water, surrounded by a grove of palms and fruits. She squinted at the utopia, still not seeing anything but...

"Lord Jabu-Jabu?" she yelled, almost falling from the carpet in her haste to land. She could clearly make out the form of the enormous whale, floundering in the deep hole that used to be filled with cool water. The carpet landed smoothly by the palm, which was only dried mud, not the thick, moving sands of the rest of the desert. Ruto rushed over to the Zora lord, already feeling the hot, bitter tears that coursed down her face.

"It's alright, I'm here now," she whispered, stroking the whale's head. She fingered the overrefined jewels that adorned his crown, remembering the many times she'd cleansed and fed him, even recalling when he'd swallowed her so many years ago. And now...

"You're dying, aren't you?" she choked out, "not enough water here?" she sighed "You can't die! We need you! Don't you see? The Zoras will never again breath without you! Get up, stop it!" her words became thick, and she began to sob uncontrollably. "Please, please don't die. You're my last hope..."

She felt his body go cold and stiff, his scales bristle as they met death, and she took away her hand. "You just can't..." she backed away, "I'll take you with me...I'll..." she broke off, unable to finish her words. "You were the Zoras last chance. There is no hope left for them now."