Lenetu led them over the bridge spanning Gerudo Valley and down the
road to the fortress. "Wear this," she said, tossing Zelda a face mask.
"Wouldn't want anyone discovering who you really are."
Zelda nodded and tied the mask around her face. Not that she felt she needed special protection when Link was around.
"Where's Epona?" Link asked Lenetu as they walked.
"She has been taken up to the barn near the horseback archery range," the Gerudo replied. "None of our people have ever seen a horse of such color before. They are fascinated with her! So don't worry about it. She's probably just being spoiled."
"Okay," Link laughed.
They arrived at the fortress. "Come," Lenetu said, gesturing into a doorway. "We have much to talk about."
She led them into a door set in the center of the fortress, up a ramp, down a hall, up another ramp, across several rooftops, a few more halls, in and out a few more doors, and after what felt like penetrating a maze, the three arrived at a hidden room with a table and three, um, seats around it. Actually, the seats looked like tree stumps, but when Link and Zelda sat down on them, they seemed remarkably comfortable. Once everyone was comfortable, Lenetu snapped her fingers; next moment, Gerudo guards had come back with glasses full of cool drinks. The most remarkable thing was, they all had ice floating in them.
"How can you keep ice in the desert?" Zelda wondered.
Lenetu took a sip before she answered. "Sand does amazing things to keep ice from melting."
"So what are we waiting for?" Link asked after a moment or two.
"Nabooru," Lenetu answered simply. "She's late." The Gerudo rose and left the way that they had come in to go stand on the outside balcony. Link and Zelda looked at each other uncertainly, then followed.
"Nabooru!" Lenetu called. "Auy esi rebi!"
"Deyhlb bseggod up bli cea cecm," Nabooru replied.
"Op bli givisb?" Lenetu laughed.
"Don't you just want to know what they're saying?" Link said to Zelda.
"Yes," she agreed.
Nabooru didn't bother to use the network of tunnels through the fortress. Instead, she chose to use her swords to cut into the wall of the structure and climb straight up that way. At the top, she picked up her twin scythes, put them in their scabbards, and stood straight. It was a figure that demanded respect. "Lady Sage?" Zelda said with a quick curtsey.
"Take a look at that," Nabooru said. "The princess of Hyrule is curtseying to me. You seem to be under the impression that I'm a lady. Zowie. Get up, we've got a lot to talk about today." It's not that the Gerudo queen was rude; she just liked to get things done. Zelda complied and the four walked back into the chamber.
Nabooru pulled up a crate for herself to sit on. "Now then," she said. "Welcome to Gerudo Valley. And now that that's out of the way, maybe you all can tell us something about this mysterious golden light?"
"Not a lot, actually," Link said. "It's just that every time you see it over something in the sky, the next thing you know, that place is under attack from monsters, and if you don't get there in time to stop them, then...then it's bad." Zelda, who knew where his mind had drifted, took his hand under the table. He squeezed hers. "This is the first time we actually saw it up close."
"What do you think it could have been?" Lenetu asked.
Link hesitated before answering. "It kind of looked like a Triforce."
"Impossible," Nabooru dismissed right away.
"I know," he answered.
"I don't know what else it could have been, if none of you do," Zelda said through her face mask. The lack of answers signified that no one did.
"So do you just keep chasing it from place to place?" Nabooru asked.
"There really isn't anything else we can do," Link said.
"You could tell the castle."
"The guards wouldn't follow a 'light in the sky.' They need something more hard-core," Zelda said.
"Well, you can't keep following it forever."
"Yeah, we know."
"I think you ought to return to the castle anyway," Nabooru said.
"We really can't go back until we're positive about what we're talking about," Zelda pointed out.
"Well then, where do you think you can find out?" Lenetu asked.
"No idea," Link said.
"The castle libraries don't have records of anything like this, and they supposedly have everything," Zelda added.
"Well then, my friends, you are up the river of sand without a paddle," Nabooru said.
They talked over some other things as well; mostly matters of Hylian politics and popular culture. They finally departed for bed around 23:00. Link did not need a guide to show him around, since he already knew the way; however, Zelda was shown to her room by a guard. She thanked the guard and stood at the window. It faced into the west. Far, far off, across the white sands of the desert, she could see the mighty Desert Colossus rearing up above the dunes. Before this, she had seen the monument up close only in sketches, but there it was. Waiting for something with unconditional patience. There it would rest until the end of time, if need be.
Suddenly, Zelda was shaken out of her thoughts by a light knocking on the doorframe. She turned quickly to see Link standing there, and breathed a sigh of relief. At Link's questioning look, she said, "I just thought you might have been a Gerudo who had found me here."
He smiled. "You can probably take that face mask off now," he said. "It's really too dark to see anything. The Gerudo don't get a lot of light way out here."
Zelda did so, and turned thoughtfully back to the window. "There are the stars."
Link smiled. "There are always the stars."
"Is that really the Desert Colossus, way back there?" She asked, pointing to the tall silhouette.
"Yes, it really is," Link said, coming over to the window as well.
"Right there...waiting," Zelda said dreamily. "I'd love to see it someday."
"Then I," Link said, drawing himself up, "will just have to take you there."
Zelda laughed for a moment. "You know, Link," she said finally. She didn't finish the sentence.
"What?"
Zelda hesitated. "What about Malon?"
Link's gaze lost focus. "Don't worry," Link said. "I'll take care of it."
"All right," Zelda said. She paused again. "But then what about Harlan? Look, Link, I love you, but-"
"Shh," he held up a hand to stop her. "Don't think. Just feel. It has been my experience that things have a way of working themselves out."
"I...I'm sorry."
"And don't apologize," he said with a grin. He knelt and gave her a kiss on the hand. "Good night, my lady."
"Good night," she replied, and watched as he strode out of the room.
Zelda nodded and tied the mask around her face. Not that she felt she needed special protection when Link was around.
"Where's Epona?" Link asked Lenetu as they walked.
"She has been taken up to the barn near the horseback archery range," the Gerudo replied. "None of our people have ever seen a horse of such color before. They are fascinated with her! So don't worry about it. She's probably just being spoiled."
"Okay," Link laughed.
They arrived at the fortress. "Come," Lenetu said, gesturing into a doorway. "We have much to talk about."
She led them into a door set in the center of the fortress, up a ramp, down a hall, up another ramp, across several rooftops, a few more halls, in and out a few more doors, and after what felt like penetrating a maze, the three arrived at a hidden room with a table and three, um, seats around it. Actually, the seats looked like tree stumps, but when Link and Zelda sat down on them, they seemed remarkably comfortable. Once everyone was comfortable, Lenetu snapped her fingers; next moment, Gerudo guards had come back with glasses full of cool drinks. The most remarkable thing was, they all had ice floating in them.
"How can you keep ice in the desert?" Zelda wondered.
Lenetu took a sip before she answered. "Sand does amazing things to keep ice from melting."
"So what are we waiting for?" Link asked after a moment or two.
"Nabooru," Lenetu answered simply. "She's late." The Gerudo rose and left the way that they had come in to go stand on the outside balcony. Link and Zelda looked at each other uncertainly, then followed.
"Nabooru!" Lenetu called. "Auy esi rebi!"
"Deyhlb bseggod up bli cea cecm," Nabooru replied.
"Op bli givisb?" Lenetu laughed.
"Don't you just want to know what they're saying?" Link said to Zelda.
"Yes," she agreed.
Nabooru didn't bother to use the network of tunnels through the fortress. Instead, she chose to use her swords to cut into the wall of the structure and climb straight up that way. At the top, she picked up her twin scythes, put them in their scabbards, and stood straight. It was a figure that demanded respect. "Lady Sage?" Zelda said with a quick curtsey.
"Take a look at that," Nabooru said. "The princess of Hyrule is curtseying to me. You seem to be under the impression that I'm a lady. Zowie. Get up, we've got a lot to talk about today." It's not that the Gerudo queen was rude; she just liked to get things done. Zelda complied and the four walked back into the chamber.
Nabooru pulled up a crate for herself to sit on. "Now then," she said. "Welcome to Gerudo Valley. And now that that's out of the way, maybe you all can tell us something about this mysterious golden light?"
"Not a lot, actually," Link said. "It's just that every time you see it over something in the sky, the next thing you know, that place is under attack from monsters, and if you don't get there in time to stop them, then...then it's bad." Zelda, who knew where his mind had drifted, took his hand under the table. He squeezed hers. "This is the first time we actually saw it up close."
"What do you think it could have been?" Lenetu asked.
Link hesitated before answering. "It kind of looked like a Triforce."
"Impossible," Nabooru dismissed right away.
"I know," he answered.
"I don't know what else it could have been, if none of you do," Zelda said through her face mask. The lack of answers signified that no one did.
"So do you just keep chasing it from place to place?" Nabooru asked.
"There really isn't anything else we can do," Link said.
"You could tell the castle."
"The guards wouldn't follow a 'light in the sky.' They need something more hard-core," Zelda said.
"Well, you can't keep following it forever."
"Yeah, we know."
"I think you ought to return to the castle anyway," Nabooru said.
"We really can't go back until we're positive about what we're talking about," Zelda pointed out.
"Well then, where do you think you can find out?" Lenetu asked.
"No idea," Link said.
"The castle libraries don't have records of anything like this, and they supposedly have everything," Zelda added.
"Well then, my friends, you are up the river of sand without a paddle," Nabooru said.
They talked over some other things as well; mostly matters of Hylian politics and popular culture. They finally departed for bed around 23:00. Link did not need a guide to show him around, since he already knew the way; however, Zelda was shown to her room by a guard. She thanked the guard and stood at the window. It faced into the west. Far, far off, across the white sands of the desert, she could see the mighty Desert Colossus rearing up above the dunes. Before this, she had seen the monument up close only in sketches, but there it was. Waiting for something with unconditional patience. There it would rest until the end of time, if need be.
Suddenly, Zelda was shaken out of her thoughts by a light knocking on the doorframe. She turned quickly to see Link standing there, and breathed a sigh of relief. At Link's questioning look, she said, "I just thought you might have been a Gerudo who had found me here."
He smiled. "You can probably take that face mask off now," he said. "It's really too dark to see anything. The Gerudo don't get a lot of light way out here."
Zelda did so, and turned thoughtfully back to the window. "There are the stars."
Link smiled. "There are always the stars."
"Is that really the Desert Colossus, way back there?" She asked, pointing to the tall silhouette.
"Yes, it really is," Link said, coming over to the window as well.
"Right there...waiting," Zelda said dreamily. "I'd love to see it someday."
"Then I," Link said, drawing himself up, "will just have to take you there."
Zelda laughed for a moment. "You know, Link," she said finally. She didn't finish the sentence.
"What?"
Zelda hesitated. "What about Malon?"
Link's gaze lost focus. "Don't worry," Link said. "I'll take care of it."
"All right," Zelda said. She paused again. "But then what about Harlan? Look, Link, I love you, but-"
"Shh," he held up a hand to stop her. "Don't think. Just feel. It has been my experience that things have a way of working themselves out."
"I...I'm sorry."
"And don't apologize," he said with a grin. He knelt and gave her a kiss on the hand. "Good night, my lady."
"Good night," she replied, and watched as he strode out of the room.