"Family Ties ~ The Tale of the Poe Sisters"
Part Two ~ Trials of the Desert Goddess
The golden glow of the sun, rising over the distant Death Mountain range, signalled the start of a new day. And for the first time, four sisters saw the sun rise. Beth, Joelle, Amy and Meg. Four siblings that had lived through hardships set on them buy their own people, had finally been accepted thanks only to the King of the Gerudo people, Vladrig Dragmire. The night gone had been long and joy filled for them. They ate and drank like never before, all the time knowing that they would soon be leaving the desert on a duty for their King.
The celebrations had lasted through the entire night until now, many Gerudo lying unconscious on the floor from exhaustion or over indulgence. So it was, that now, at the first light of the day, the King of the Gerudo rose from his throne. He stood between the four girls and pointed out over the vast open desert.
"That.." he began "is the Haunted Wasteland."
Haunted was perhaps the best way to describe that part of the desert. Spanning out across the horizon, strong winds blew the sands across the immeasurable landscape. It was an unforgiving part of nature that doomed anyone who entered it to be lost for eternity. Old stories say there is a way to get through the desert safely, but the tasks that must first be passed are difficult enough for even the most experienced explorer.
"Across the storming winds lies the Desert Oasis. There you will find the Colossus of the Sand Goddess. In the very entrance is a golden treasure. All I ask from you is to bring me that treasure. By proving yourself to me and bringing me this gift, you will live the rest of your lives as true Gerudos."
The instructions were simple. Cross the River of Sand, follow the Gerudo Sign posts to the stone plateau in the center of the desert, and then, find your way to the Colossus from there. Each sister was given a scimitar blade, as used by the Gerudo warriors, as they stood on the edges of the Fortress, looking out into the tornado of sand and certain death. With no hesitation, one by one the sisters stepped out of the fortress, and into the sandstorm, disappearing from sight almost instantly.
--
The violent winds of the desert, crashed relentlessly against the frail bodies of the sisters as they crept through the desert. Only partially visible through the dense sandy winds was a single tall post, flying the red Gerudo flag. That was the marker they had to make it to, but first, lay the river of sand. Once a true river, of crystal clear water that flowed from the beautiful oasis on the other side, but not, polluted with sand, it crawls across the stormy desert, anything that goes near it, pulled it under it's surface and trapped forever.
"Do you hear them?!" Meg asked, raising her voice over the howl of the wind.
"Hear what?!" Beth replied, trying to look at her sister, but keeping her eyes shielded from the dancing sands.
"The song of the lost Gerudo. The howling wind echoes their cries for help." Meg replied. "Listen, and you can hear their last words."
Listening to the howling wind was not pleasant but the sisters tried. Amidst the screeching and roaring came a gentle song, like a female choir, whispering voices that beckoned you further into the sands.
"That's it, that's the voice of the goddess, drawing her people to the colossus. The Siren Song. I heard the Gerudo talk about it. They say that anyone who follows it is lead to their death."
For a moment the sisters were still. They had volunteered for this on the hope that they would achieve a higher place in life, but now, it looked as though death would be their only comfort.
"Come, we have to keep moving. The longer we stay till, the more sand will weigh us down."
The sisters moved on. Aching as they pulled their feet out of the soft sand, dragging them onward, the wind pushing them backwards, and from side to side. Near falls into the sand could have meant doom, for their footprints were covered almost instantly by the raging wind. Through the wind, a marker post could be vaguely seen. But before it lay the river of sand. Before that, lay a number of crates. Supplies that the Gerudo had once tried to take through the desert, but failed.
"We have to hurry, the river will sweep these boxes away quickly!" Beth shouted over the wind "We'll have to use them to cross the river. Push them in, and jump across!"
The sisters followed suit, pushing a box through the sand. With great difficulty the boxes slid towards the river. As they hit the side, they immediately began to sink into the center. Meg jumped on hers, pushing it down ever so much more, before leaping to the other side. Amy followed, skipping across with ease, as did Beth. Only Joelle remained. She nudged the box and jumped onto it. The box rocked and rolled, causing the young child upon it to wobble and tip. Instinctively, the other sisters moved forward to help, only to be pushed back by the gaping maw of the river. The box, sinking fast, Joelle was running out of chances to jump. Closing her eyes, she made a leap of faith, her foot, touched the edge of the bank and slipped down.
[i]In the darkness of her clenched eyes, Joelle prayed. She had no god to pray to, no beliefs, nothing. She prayed to anyone that would help her. In the darkness of her mind, through a time that seemed like eternity she saw two faces. A face of a Gerudo woman, kind caring, eyes full of tears, and the face of a man, pale skinned dark haired, and a determined expression. The man reached out to her.[/i]
The box tipped under the surface and disappeared. Joelle opened her eyes, expecting to find herself swallowed by the river. Her first sight, was that of the happy face of her eldest sister Meg.
"What happened?" She coughed, spitting out a mouthful of sand.
"You made it!" Meg exclaimed, lifting her sister up and hugging her.
"No.. I slipped. I fell down. How did I get up here?" she asked, pushing her sister off and looking down into the trench of the river. "I.. I saw.."
"That doesn't matter now. Come on, when we get to the plateau we can rest."
Meg tugged at Joelle's sleeve, beckoning her onwards. The first post was within reach. It's solid wood pole tarnished by the repeated battering of the wind and sand, greying now from old age and beginning to splinter. The bright red flag, torn to shreds, but still waving around in the violent winds.
A new pole was set out, just within sight from the last. There were some fifteen poles before the sister finally saw the outline of the stone plateau. A small coving on the outside was marked with Gerudo Symbols, and a ladder, crept down out of the sands and into the basement. One by one, the sisters descended the steel ladder. Rusted near the top, but as they went further down, newer and shinier. The howl of the sand died down, and the room built by the Gerudo was revealed.
"It's so dark and cold in here.." Beth said, no longer needing to raise her voice, but with her arms clenched around her body.
"We're out of the sun now. There are torches on the wall, I can feel them." Amy replied. The hatched metal frame, and soft wood still felt warm under her hand. "We need a flame to light it."
As Amy stepped away from the torch, a small flicker of orange light moved through the cave, and the torch burst into flames. Amy fell backwards, landing in the arms of her responsive twin sister. She looked around, all the torches in the room were lit, but there was no oil, nor natural flame to put to use.
"What happened?" She asked. She had no response, and it was not until she stood up, she realised why.
In the centre of the room, lay a skeleton. Not like the Gerudo Skeleton, it was broader, had more prominent pelvic bone and an unmistakable male skull. Cast over it, were the tattered and torn remains of a soldiers uniform. The chain mail rusted and falling apart, the helmet tarnished and dented. Nearby, lay a small dagger, blunt now from carving into the rocks. A message was etched into the wall nearby. Above it, was carved a simple shape. The three triangles of the gods, the symbol of the Hylian Royal Family and the gift from the gods, the Triforce. Joelle knelt beside the message and read it out loud.
"Here I lie, Jardo Malvin. In my death, there shall be eternal life. I live on in the world as a guide to the lost. May the Gods have mercy on those that are led astray."
"That name.." Meg whispered. "Jardo, it sounds so familiar."
"What does it mean, guide to the lost and eternal life? Is that not what was promised us by Lord Dragmire?" Beth asked.
As the words Dragmire passed her lips, a wind blew down from the outside and brushed through the torches, extinguishing them one by one until only one remained lit. The sisters huddled together and watched, as the last remaining flame shrank down to its last ember. Instead of fading out, the flame moved. It moved from the torch it once sat on and began to float in mid air. The sound of the wind picked up, but changed into a whispered, clouded noise. Like steaming escaping through the hot earth. The single flame flickered, and grew once again into a ball of fire, lighting a portion of the room and revealing it's new source.
The sisters stood frozen from fear, clutching each other in their tight grips, backs against the wall, as motionless as statues if not for their erratic breathing. Before them stood a human unlike they had ever seen. Only shadow remained of what could once have been the face, two white glowing eyes providing a secondary light source. A hooded cape surrounded the darkened head, and moved down over the entire body stopping at the feet. But the feet were not there. The figure floated a foot off the ground, it's shadow showing perfectly on the floor, flickering as the flame flickered from a lantern, held in a skeletal hand, reaching out from the cape. Beneath the torn and shredded cape, was the distinct purple hue, worn by the Hylian Guard. A gritty, harsh growl emanated from it, before a word trickled out rough wherever it's lips may be.
"Gerudooo.."
"Jardo Malvin.." Amy whispered. "That must be his ghost.."
"I recognise him.." Joelle whispered. "I know who he is.." she moved away from the huddled group. Meg reached out for her to pull her back but Joelle moved closer to the hovering phantom.
"Joelle.. get back here!" hissed Beth, but as she spoke the ghost reacted.
"Joelllee..." it hissed, the voice sounded like it had been eating sand, it was dry, coarse and old. It floated down from the stand it stood over and began to close in on the small girl, as her sisters' watched, too scared to move.
"Jardo Malvin.." Joelle began "I know who you are now..." she stood, unmoving, not shaking from fear, as the ghost came within a few feet of her, it's free skeletal hand reaching out "..father."
The hand stopped, as though time itself had frozen the ghost in place it remained still, as still, as the sisters huddled together stood. Not even their breathing gave them away, because that too, had stopped.
"Father." the young girl repeated "It was you.. you saved me.. pulled me out of the trench. Thank you"
The ghost hovered, unmoving for a second more, before floating back into the shadows, the light of the torch fading out and light flooding from the room again.
"No, father wait..!" Meg cried out at last, running to be at Joelle's side. The others quickly followed.
For a second, the light stayed, still, and so small there was little light coming from it. Only for the ember to disappear finally, into nothing. The sisters dipped their heads, the man they never knew as their father, has left them once more. Waiting for what seemed like forever, they finally returned to the desert above and began their trek onwards to the desert Colossus.
The sky was beginning to redden as day turned to evening. The desert was becoming harder to see, but the colossus was not far now. The sandstorm was beginning to lighten. Only ever so slightly, but as the trek continued, it wasn't as difficult as it had been. As the moon began to peek over the horizon, the storm suddenly stopped. The sisters looked up, finally, they had reached it, the Desert Oasis.
Carved into the side of the mountain was the feminine body of the desert goddess, her two hands outstretched from her golden body. The sands around were clean and soft, not the coarse, rough sand that plagued the wasteland before. Nearby, a pool of crystal clear water glistened under the moonlight. Before ythey even approached the temple, the sisters ran to the water. They had not seen such beautiful clean water before, and for a moment, it was all that mattered to them. Fully clothed, they waded into the pool and began to wash. Some time had passed before the girls crawled out of the pool. Even at night, this part of the desert was still warm, so they lay, under the star lit sky, and dried their cleansed bodies. Finally, the time came for them to enter the temple. Under a stone arch they passed, and together, they stepped in.
The interior of the Temple was unlike anything they had ever seen. The walls were etched with the Gerudo language, both ancient and recent. A red carpet of some kind covered the stairs that rose from the ground before them. The framework was coloured with gold, illuminated by the light that shined in through intricatly patterened glass windows, high up the outer wall. Besides the steps sat two large snake shaped statues, each one carved with a message, but written in a language they could not understand. As they crept forward and began to ascend the steps, there was a clatter of noise behind them. They turned around, drawing their blades, to face what had arisen.
Part Two ~ Trials of the Desert Goddess
The golden glow of the sun, rising over the distant Death Mountain range, signalled the start of a new day. And for the first time, four sisters saw the sun rise. Beth, Joelle, Amy and Meg. Four siblings that had lived through hardships set on them buy their own people, had finally been accepted thanks only to the King of the Gerudo people, Vladrig Dragmire. The night gone had been long and joy filled for them. They ate and drank like never before, all the time knowing that they would soon be leaving the desert on a duty for their King.
The celebrations had lasted through the entire night until now, many Gerudo lying unconscious on the floor from exhaustion or over indulgence. So it was, that now, at the first light of the day, the King of the Gerudo rose from his throne. He stood between the four girls and pointed out over the vast open desert.
"That.." he began "is the Haunted Wasteland."
Haunted was perhaps the best way to describe that part of the desert. Spanning out across the horizon, strong winds blew the sands across the immeasurable landscape. It was an unforgiving part of nature that doomed anyone who entered it to be lost for eternity. Old stories say there is a way to get through the desert safely, but the tasks that must first be passed are difficult enough for even the most experienced explorer.
"Across the storming winds lies the Desert Oasis. There you will find the Colossus of the Sand Goddess. In the very entrance is a golden treasure. All I ask from you is to bring me that treasure. By proving yourself to me and bringing me this gift, you will live the rest of your lives as true Gerudos."
The instructions were simple. Cross the River of Sand, follow the Gerudo Sign posts to the stone plateau in the center of the desert, and then, find your way to the Colossus from there. Each sister was given a scimitar blade, as used by the Gerudo warriors, as they stood on the edges of the Fortress, looking out into the tornado of sand and certain death. With no hesitation, one by one the sisters stepped out of the fortress, and into the sandstorm, disappearing from sight almost instantly.
--
The violent winds of the desert, crashed relentlessly against the frail bodies of the sisters as they crept through the desert. Only partially visible through the dense sandy winds was a single tall post, flying the red Gerudo flag. That was the marker they had to make it to, but first, lay the river of sand. Once a true river, of crystal clear water that flowed from the beautiful oasis on the other side, but not, polluted with sand, it crawls across the stormy desert, anything that goes near it, pulled it under it's surface and trapped forever.
"Do you hear them?!" Meg asked, raising her voice over the howl of the wind.
"Hear what?!" Beth replied, trying to look at her sister, but keeping her eyes shielded from the dancing sands.
"The song of the lost Gerudo. The howling wind echoes their cries for help." Meg replied. "Listen, and you can hear their last words."
Listening to the howling wind was not pleasant but the sisters tried. Amidst the screeching and roaring came a gentle song, like a female choir, whispering voices that beckoned you further into the sands.
"That's it, that's the voice of the goddess, drawing her people to the colossus. The Siren Song. I heard the Gerudo talk about it. They say that anyone who follows it is lead to their death."
For a moment the sisters were still. They had volunteered for this on the hope that they would achieve a higher place in life, but now, it looked as though death would be their only comfort.
"Come, we have to keep moving. The longer we stay till, the more sand will weigh us down."
The sisters moved on. Aching as they pulled their feet out of the soft sand, dragging them onward, the wind pushing them backwards, and from side to side. Near falls into the sand could have meant doom, for their footprints were covered almost instantly by the raging wind. Through the wind, a marker post could be vaguely seen. But before it lay the river of sand. Before that, lay a number of crates. Supplies that the Gerudo had once tried to take through the desert, but failed.
"We have to hurry, the river will sweep these boxes away quickly!" Beth shouted over the wind "We'll have to use them to cross the river. Push them in, and jump across!"
The sisters followed suit, pushing a box through the sand. With great difficulty the boxes slid towards the river. As they hit the side, they immediately began to sink into the center. Meg jumped on hers, pushing it down ever so much more, before leaping to the other side. Amy followed, skipping across with ease, as did Beth. Only Joelle remained. She nudged the box and jumped onto it. The box rocked and rolled, causing the young child upon it to wobble and tip. Instinctively, the other sisters moved forward to help, only to be pushed back by the gaping maw of the river. The box, sinking fast, Joelle was running out of chances to jump. Closing her eyes, she made a leap of faith, her foot, touched the edge of the bank and slipped down.
[i]In the darkness of her clenched eyes, Joelle prayed. She had no god to pray to, no beliefs, nothing. She prayed to anyone that would help her. In the darkness of her mind, through a time that seemed like eternity she saw two faces. A face of a Gerudo woman, kind caring, eyes full of tears, and the face of a man, pale skinned dark haired, and a determined expression. The man reached out to her.[/i]
The box tipped under the surface and disappeared. Joelle opened her eyes, expecting to find herself swallowed by the river. Her first sight, was that of the happy face of her eldest sister Meg.
"What happened?" She coughed, spitting out a mouthful of sand.
"You made it!" Meg exclaimed, lifting her sister up and hugging her.
"No.. I slipped. I fell down. How did I get up here?" she asked, pushing her sister off and looking down into the trench of the river. "I.. I saw.."
"That doesn't matter now. Come on, when we get to the plateau we can rest."
Meg tugged at Joelle's sleeve, beckoning her onwards. The first post was within reach. It's solid wood pole tarnished by the repeated battering of the wind and sand, greying now from old age and beginning to splinter. The bright red flag, torn to shreds, but still waving around in the violent winds.
A new pole was set out, just within sight from the last. There were some fifteen poles before the sister finally saw the outline of the stone plateau. A small coving on the outside was marked with Gerudo Symbols, and a ladder, crept down out of the sands and into the basement. One by one, the sisters descended the steel ladder. Rusted near the top, but as they went further down, newer and shinier. The howl of the sand died down, and the room built by the Gerudo was revealed.
"It's so dark and cold in here.." Beth said, no longer needing to raise her voice, but with her arms clenched around her body.
"We're out of the sun now. There are torches on the wall, I can feel them." Amy replied. The hatched metal frame, and soft wood still felt warm under her hand. "We need a flame to light it."
As Amy stepped away from the torch, a small flicker of orange light moved through the cave, and the torch burst into flames. Amy fell backwards, landing in the arms of her responsive twin sister. She looked around, all the torches in the room were lit, but there was no oil, nor natural flame to put to use.
"What happened?" She asked. She had no response, and it was not until she stood up, she realised why.
In the centre of the room, lay a skeleton. Not like the Gerudo Skeleton, it was broader, had more prominent pelvic bone and an unmistakable male skull. Cast over it, were the tattered and torn remains of a soldiers uniform. The chain mail rusted and falling apart, the helmet tarnished and dented. Nearby, lay a small dagger, blunt now from carving into the rocks. A message was etched into the wall nearby. Above it, was carved a simple shape. The three triangles of the gods, the symbol of the Hylian Royal Family and the gift from the gods, the Triforce. Joelle knelt beside the message and read it out loud.
"Here I lie, Jardo Malvin. In my death, there shall be eternal life. I live on in the world as a guide to the lost. May the Gods have mercy on those that are led astray."
"That name.." Meg whispered. "Jardo, it sounds so familiar."
"What does it mean, guide to the lost and eternal life? Is that not what was promised us by Lord Dragmire?" Beth asked.
As the words Dragmire passed her lips, a wind blew down from the outside and brushed through the torches, extinguishing them one by one until only one remained lit. The sisters huddled together and watched, as the last remaining flame shrank down to its last ember. Instead of fading out, the flame moved. It moved from the torch it once sat on and began to float in mid air. The sound of the wind picked up, but changed into a whispered, clouded noise. Like steaming escaping through the hot earth. The single flame flickered, and grew once again into a ball of fire, lighting a portion of the room and revealing it's new source.
The sisters stood frozen from fear, clutching each other in their tight grips, backs against the wall, as motionless as statues if not for their erratic breathing. Before them stood a human unlike they had ever seen. Only shadow remained of what could once have been the face, two white glowing eyes providing a secondary light source. A hooded cape surrounded the darkened head, and moved down over the entire body stopping at the feet. But the feet were not there. The figure floated a foot off the ground, it's shadow showing perfectly on the floor, flickering as the flame flickered from a lantern, held in a skeletal hand, reaching out from the cape. Beneath the torn and shredded cape, was the distinct purple hue, worn by the Hylian Guard. A gritty, harsh growl emanated from it, before a word trickled out rough wherever it's lips may be.
"Gerudooo.."
"Jardo Malvin.." Amy whispered. "That must be his ghost.."
"I recognise him.." Joelle whispered. "I know who he is.." she moved away from the huddled group. Meg reached out for her to pull her back but Joelle moved closer to the hovering phantom.
"Joelle.. get back here!" hissed Beth, but as she spoke the ghost reacted.
"Joelllee..." it hissed, the voice sounded like it had been eating sand, it was dry, coarse and old. It floated down from the stand it stood over and began to close in on the small girl, as her sisters' watched, too scared to move.
"Jardo Malvin.." Joelle began "I know who you are now..." she stood, unmoving, not shaking from fear, as the ghost came within a few feet of her, it's free skeletal hand reaching out "..father."
The hand stopped, as though time itself had frozen the ghost in place it remained still, as still, as the sisters huddled together stood. Not even their breathing gave them away, because that too, had stopped.
"Father." the young girl repeated "It was you.. you saved me.. pulled me out of the trench. Thank you"
The ghost hovered, unmoving for a second more, before floating back into the shadows, the light of the torch fading out and light flooding from the room again.
"No, father wait..!" Meg cried out at last, running to be at Joelle's side. The others quickly followed.
For a second, the light stayed, still, and so small there was little light coming from it. Only for the ember to disappear finally, into nothing. The sisters dipped their heads, the man they never knew as their father, has left them once more. Waiting for what seemed like forever, they finally returned to the desert above and began their trek onwards to the desert Colossus.
The sky was beginning to redden as day turned to evening. The desert was becoming harder to see, but the colossus was not far now. The sandstorm was beginning to lighten. Only ever so slightly, but as the trek continued, it wasn't as difficult as it had been. As the moon began to peek over the horizon, the storm suddenly stopped. The sisters looked up, finally, they had reached it, the Desert Oasis.
Carved into the side of the mountain was the feminine body of the desert goddess, her two hands outstretched from her golden body. The sands around were clean and soft, not the coarse, rough sand that plagued the wasteland before. Nearby, a pool of crystal clear water glistened under the moonlight. Before ythey even approached the temple, the sisters ran to the water. They had not seen such beautiful clean water before, and for a moment, it was all that mattered to them. Fully clothed, they waded into the pool and began to wash. Some time had passed before the girls crawled out of the pool. Even at night, this part of the desert was still warm, so they lay, under the star lit sky, and dried their cleansed bodies. Finally, the time came for them to enter the temple. Under a stone arch they passed, and together, they stepped in.
The interior of the Temple was unlike anything they had ever seen. The walls were etched with the Gerudo language, both ancient and recent. A red carpet of some kind covered the stairs that rose from the ground before them. The framework was coloured with gold, illuminated by the light that shined in through intricatly patterened glass windows, high up the outer wall. Besides the steps sat two large snake shaped statues, each one carved with a message, but written in a language they could not understand. As they crept forward and began to ascend the steps, there was a clatter of noise behind them. They turned around, drawing their blades, to face what had arisen.
