Chapter Five: Gerudo Features

                        It had been a long day, too long. Malon curled under her warm blankets and tried to fall asleep though she was wide-awake. Pointless, this is all absolutely pointless; you know you're not falling to sleep any time soon, she thought to herself.  Her father had been so glad to see her home safe and sound again; he really had worried about her. It touched her heart and made her feel loved, but she always knew her father loved her. She got up three times for water and lay there for some time before sleep decided to come and stay with her for the night. As Malon slept, she dreamed.

                        She was in the stable at the castle again. Damn it, she didn't want to be there. Malon could feel the unease she had here…she wanted to get away as soon as possible. All of the doors were closed and she ran to open the big gate they used to bring the horses in and out. As soon as she had it opened though dozens of crates fell down on top of her. She wasn't hurt, this was a dream and she could tell that she was dreaming. She shoved them off of her and stood again, looking for another way out. She had to get out. Door after door those crates fell and she got up again and again unscathed. This was ridiculous. She heard someone coming but she wouldn't nor couldn't turn around…

                        The stable changed and now she was sitting in the middle of the coral, alone. There were no horses and she could not see her father…not even her Uncle Ingo. The panic began to creep back into her. She heard the same footsteps behind her again and felt two hands on her shoulders. They were soft hands…a woman's hands. Malon turned this time. The woman was young and very beautiful. She smiled at Malon. The woman's hair was red like her own and Malon knew this woman, she had dreamt of her many times before.

            "Mother!" She yelled and hugged her fiercely. The woman laughed and stroked her hair.

            "Ah, my Malon, how sweet you are," she cooed. Malon didn't want to let go. Her mother always left to soon in her dreams; sometimes she almost hated to dream of her for the horrible heartache she would have in the morning. The woman smiled, her blue eyes laughing along with her voice as she placed a finger up to her lips for silence. Malon stared at her as she pointed over to the coral gate.

                        A man stood there, a very tall man. His dark hair and clumsy appearance gave him away even at that distance. Her mother smiled silently and kissed her daughter on the forehead, motioning for her to go to him. Malon obeyed her mother and as soon as she turned, she was gone again. Malon walked toward him and she could feel her heart fluttering. He smiled at her and even though the conscious Malon who knew she was dreaming didn't want it; her subconscious did it anyway. She leaned onto her toes to lift herself up in height and she and the man tilted heads into a kiss…

                        She woke herself up before their lips met. She made herself wake up was what she did. Malon groaned in aggravation and fell hard back down into her pillow. There was no way she was going to let herself acknowledge she was attracted to Rook.

***

            "Get in there and keep quiet!" The woman's voice yelled at them as they were thrown violently into a holding cell. The girls landed hard on the stone floor and scraped the palms of their hands against it. The women who threw them in there left the room and they were alone…all alone trapped inside the Gerudo Fortress.

            "Are you okay Meg?" Loraefin asked, getting up off of her stomach from which she had been thrown in face first.

            "I think so," Megeara answered and groaned. She looked around the cell and out into the room beyond it. Suddenly, she became aware of the throbbing pain growing in her ankle. She rubbed it to try and make the pain go away. "I think I twisted my ankle in the struggle though…some struggle that was." Her voice was sarcastic and afraid at the same time. Loraefin took her friend's foot and moved it about, at which every movement was met with a small groan or gasp from Megeara.

            "I would say so too," Loraefin agreed. This was a fine mess they had gotten themselves into, captured by the Gerudo…how clumsy they were! Not even among them for more than an hour before they were caught. She thought Link said they weren't ruthless and cruel…if she had listened to her grandparents they wouldn't be here right now. Megeara leaned her head back and took a long drawn out breath.

            "What do we do now?" She said simply. Loraefin didn't bother to answer right away and stood up to examine the bars of the cell.

            "I don't know," came her quiet reply. She heard Megeara laugh to herself behind her. "I don't see how this is funny Meg."

            "It's not, that's why I'm laughing."

                        Loraefin left it at that. The room, she thanked whatever higher power was to be thanked, was not cold like she had pictured a cell would be. But then again, there were in the desert where it was warm and dry. The firelight from the torches flickered on the wall, thank the Goddesses that they left that there at least. Megeara's ankle was beginning to swell after about a half-hour or so and they had nothing to take the swelling down. Loraefin, as much as she was reluctant to, tried to call for a guard, anybody, but none came. Megeara sat uncomfortably against the wall, propping her ankle up on Loraefin's knees for elevation. They didn't know what to do, nobody knew they were there…

                        Loraefin's ears perked up when she thought she heard someone coming down one of the corridors toward them. Megeara heard it too, but neither of them moved from their place in the corner of the cell. Four Gerudo women came to stand in front of the bars, two guards, a woman in white with short hair, and the other who looked to be in charge of them all. Megeara and Loraefin didn't look at them, but kept their eyes to the ground. The lead woman stared at them and bade the others to put down their weapons.

            "These girls are children, what were you thinking when you locked them up in here?!" The woman's voice was strong and hard and heavy with the rich Gerudo dialect. "We are not uncivilized and savage people who lock up unarmed children! Release them now!" The door was opened and the two guards came into the cell. Now Loraefin looked up at them and stared blankly, but obeyed when she was bade to stand. They saw Megeara's ankle and nodded to the woman outside.

            "This one's ankle is swollen, should I see her to Ingraine?" Her voice was unfeeling and cold, like Megeara was not there at all. Neither Megeara nor Loraefin led on that they could follow every word.

            "I won't let you take her without me," Loraefin said still talking in Hylian when the guard moved to take Megeara away. The woman smiled wryly at her and made a motion for her to come outside the confines of the cell. Loraefin looked back at Megeara.

            "It is alright child, she will not be harmed, despite what people think, we are not inhuman," her voice was calm, deep, and now in Hylian though the Gerudo lilt was still there. She stood very erect and powerful and Loraefin remembered her from the Temple of Time. She wondered if the woman recalled her, obviously not she thought.

            "I beg your pardon but our imprisonment would prove so otherwise," Loraefin answered. Nayru, please don't let me be struck across the face for that…

                        Tiamra smiled and took the girl's face in her hands, her fingers smoothing over her skin. They were strong hands too, ones fitting a Gerudo warrior. They were also ones that could break Loraefin's neck if thy wanted too, so she was sure to keep still. She had not seen her at the returning of the Sages and though Loraefin knew her, she did not recognize this girl.

            "I apologize, it was a mistake on my part for not being more detailed in my wishes of the guards," Tiamra replied. "If I'd have known you were here, you would not have been detained so long nor in here in the first place. We are not cruel, or we at least try not to be," she smiled again and then knit her brows together curiously as she continued to examine Loraefin's face. Loraefin did her best not to flinch away. She was not overly fond of being touched. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that some of your features are Gerudo…" She looked at her, more deeply this time it seemed, as if she were searching for something. "Bring the other one out here, be careful with her."

                        Megeara was brought out supported by the two guards and Tiamra looked her over as well. She pushed away the girl's hair from the side of her head and her hand shrank back a bit at what she found. Immediately she went to Loraefin's side and moved her hair out of the way as well.

            "What trickery is this?" She demanded. "Who are--" The memory resurfaced in her mind. "Pamiea…" She spoke under her breath. The other Gerudo looked upon her strangely. Immediately Tiamra recomposed herself. "Get the girl to Igraine and let this one go with her. After they have been taken care of with food and water send them to me." She paused as the guards started to push Loraefin and carry Megeara out of the room. Her voice was sharp, but calm. "Treat them well or it shall be you who gets the beating."

***

                        Malon was not the only one who dreamed that night. Link again sat it his table, his head in his hands and hair leaning over the wood with eyes shut tightly. Right now he hated to dream for in his dreams he was constantly at the mercy of memories gone by, ones he didn't want to remember. He heard his voice shutter as he inhaled which right then and there he knew the dream had bothered him more than he expected. It was not the first time he had had a dream like that, since the meeting with the future Sages, it was quite common for him now. Though they were always different and came in different forms, the ending was always the same…

                        He saw a shadow go around the corner of the back alley in the market. He always followed it though he didn't want to. The shadow avoided him many times and he would get tired from chasing it quickly. The alleys were dark. They were always dark. He could hear himself call out to the person and could feel his arms try to reach out and grab the shadow. It escaped him and moved on. No, he didn't want to go around this corner…Damn it he didn't want to go…he knew what was around this corner…Please no…By the power of all the Goddesses combined, don't make me go there…But his feet kept moving as he knew they would.

                        Lying on the ground, dead, lifeless, her skin paler than the winter moon, was Loraefin, the Master Sword lying with its bloody blade beside her. There was a deep gash that ran down her middle as if the sword had been thrust right through her. Blood was everywhere. Link wanted to throw-up and he could feel it in the back of his throat. He dropped to his knees and let out a sob, the girl's body motionless in front of him. Though, suddenly it began to stir itself, and the corpse rose to its feet. Link would only stare at it in awe and grief as it stared back at him, glaring.

            "How could you…?" it would say slowly and deeply, not at all the voice Link remembered. "How could you do this to me? I thought I was your friend…You killed me!" Link would stand and try to explain, but the words would never come out. He would look down and there in his hand was the Master Sword, bloody in his grip. She would advance on him, her white face grim and frightening, the blood staining her clothes and hands. "You killed me, murderer…You took my life away from me…" The hands would reach for his neck but now it was no longer Loraefin, but a monster. The gnarled hands would wrap around his throat and he had to gasp for air. Now his voice would let him speak and in gasps he would scream "I'm sorry!"

                        He always woke up there.