CHAPTER FIVE
A New Face
"Jacob, do you have that sword on ya?" Derek asked through a whisper. He had ducked behind a tree, along with Jacob and listened as they heard footsteps come closer and closer.
"Yeah, it's right here." He pulled from his belt and held it so Derek could see it. "I don't see what good it'll do, it's still broken."
"Better than nothing." Derek said.
They listened as the steps were closing in; Derek peeked around the tree and saw a dark figure walking fast towards them, a long cloak billowing out from behind the figure.
"Here he comes." Derek whispered.
Just as the steps reached them, they both jumped out and tackled the person to the ground, a feminine squeal followed. Both boys jumped up and watched as the person they tacked was revealed as a woman, with long dark hair and beautiful blue eyes.
"What in the Sacred Realm are you doing? I must be away!" She jumped up and attempted to run away, but Jacob caught her arm.
"Who are you?"
"I've no time to talk, I'm in terrible danger." She stated, she fixed her hood upon her head and turned again.
"Come with us." Jacob said and pulled her with him back in the direction of the cave.
"Wha. What are you doing? Who are you?" She said in a raised whisper.
"Jacob, what are you doing? We don't know her!" Derek said as he followed suit.
"She can give us some information."
As they neared the cave, Sarah was waiting for them at the entrance with the infant in her arms.
"What? Who's that?" She said. Jacob did not answer, so she pursued them inside.
* * *
"My name is Anastriana, but my friends call me Anna." The woman said, "I was in service to the Gerudo, until they found my ruse, I was a spy for the Hylian army. My mission was to. Why am I telling you this? How do I know you're not with the Gerudo?" She suddenly looked suspicious of Sarah and then looked to Jacob and Derek, "Of course, men are banned from the Gerudo, so maybe you aren't."
"We need your." Jacob began but then was silenced as Anastriana put her hand to his mouth.
"Shhh. They are coming." She said silently, only the coos of the infant could be heard as they sat there in the silence.
They listened as hooves could be heard coming closer, they could hear the voices of the pursuers speaking in a unknown language, it sounded as if it were Arabic.
They heard dogs bark, and then was followed by the hooves trampling away and the voices trailing away.
"Who are they?" Sarah whispered.
"They are the Gerudo, under the service of their king, Lord Ganondorf." Anastriana said.
"Anna, we need your help." Jacob said, sliding closer to the woman.
"What is it?" She said. She pulled her hood back and looked at Jacob who gasped at what he saw, her ears were not small and round, but long and pointed.
"Your ears." He said, which was followed by questions from Sarah and Derek.
"It is a Hylian trait, I'm a Hylian. As I can clearly see, you are not." She said.
"No, were human." Derek said.
"I see, I've never heard of you before." She said, she pulled her torn cloak off and revealed a long gray robe that was tore and filled with holes, "You said you needed my help?"
Jacob looked to her and gave a slight smile, "Do you know where the Forbidden Forest is?"
"Yes, but as it name suggests, it is forbidden, all who go in never return." She said, her face darkened.
"We need you to show us how to get in. I made a promise to someone to take this infant to the Forest." Jacob said.
"You can't, no one can enter the forest." She said,
"Fine, if you won't help, then I'll go alone, who else will join me?" Jacob said, as he walked over to Sarah and took the infant gently into his arms.
"Jacob, I'll go." Derek said as he stood up and looked to the girls.
Sarah sighed and looked up with her emerald eyes. "Somebody has to keep an eye on you two."
"Are you people crazy? You can't just waltz into to Forbidden Forest, the Forest may cover thousands of miles, but no one enters with out the Kokiri knowing, unless you know what you're doing." Anastriana said to them, she had jumped up and was following them to the mouth of the cave and pleading with them not to go.
"Look, I made a promise, you can stay here, I'm sure you'll be safe from those. Gerudo." Jacob walked out of the cave, followed by the others.
"I'll show you the way," Anastriana said as she burst out of the cave and walked briskly in front of Jacob, "Follow me."
* * *
"Jacob, do you have that sword on ya?" Derek asked through a whisper. He had ducked behind a tree, along with Jacob and listened as they heard footsteps come closer and closer.
"Yeah, it's right here." He pulled from his belt and held it so Derek could see it. "I don't see what good it'll do, it's still broken."
"Better than nothing." Derek said.
They listened as the steps were closing in; Derek peeked around the tree and saw a dark figure walking fast towards them, a long cloak billowing out from behind the figure.
"Here he comes." Derek whispered.
Just as the steps reached them, they both jumped out and tackled the person to the ground, a feminine squeal followed. Both boys jumped up and watched as the person they tacked was revealed as a woman, with long dark hair and beautiful blue eyes.
"What in the Sacred Realm are you doing? I must be away!" She jumped up and attempted to run away, but Jacob caught her arm.
"Who are you?"
"I've no time to talk, I'm in terrible danger." She stated, she fixed her hood upon her head and turned again.
"Come with us." Jacob said and pulled her with him back in the direction of the cave.
"Wha. What are you doing? Who are you?" She said in a raised whisper.
"Jacob, what are you doing? We don't know her!" Derek said as he followed suit.
"She can give us some information."
As they neared the cave, Sarah was waiting for them at the entrance with the infant in her arms.
"What? Who's that?" She said. Jacob did not answer, so she pursued them inside.
* * *
"My name is Anastriana, but my friends call me Anna." The woman said, "I was in service to the Gerudo, until they found my ruse, I was a spy for the Hylian army. My mission was to. Why am I telling you this? How do I know you're not with the Gerudo?" She suddenly looked suspicious of Sarah and then looked to Jacob and Derek, "Of course, men are banned from the Gerudo, so maybe you aren't."
"We need your." Jacob began but then was silenced as Anastriana put her hand to his mouth.
"Shhh. They are coming." She said silently, only the coos of the infant could be heard as they sat there in the silence.
They listened as hooves could be heard coming closer, they could hear the voices of the pursuers speaking in a unknown language, it sounded as if it were Arabic.
They heard dogs bark, and then was followed by the hooves trampling away and the voices trailing away.
"Who are they?" Sarah whispered.
"They are the Gerudo, under the service of their king, Lord Ganondorf." Anastriana said.
"Anna, we need your help." Jacob said, sliding closer to the woman.
"What is it?" She said. She pulled her hood back and looked at Jacob who gasped at what he saw, her ears were not small and round, but long and pointed.
"Your ears." He said, which was followed by questions from Sarah and Derek.
"It is a Hylian trait, I'm a Hylian. As I can clearly see, you are not." She said.
"No, were human." Derek said.
"I see, I've never heard of you before." She said, she pulled her torn cloak off and revealed a long gray robe that was tore and filled with holes, "You said you needed my help?"
Jacob looked to her and gave a slight smile, "Do you know where the Forbidden Forest is?"
"Yes, but as it name suggests, it is forbidden, all who go in never return." She said, her face darkened.
"We need you to show us how to get in. I made a promise to someone to take this infant to the Forest." Jacob said.
"You can't, no one can enter the forest." She said,
"Fine, if you won't help, then I'll go alone, who else will join me?" Jacob said, as he walked over to Sarah and took the infant gently into his arms.
"Jacob, I'll go." Derek said as he stood up and looked to the girls.
Sarah sighed and looked up with her emerald eyes. "Somebody has to keep an eye on you two."
"Are you people crazy? You can't just waltz into to Forbidden Forest, the Forest may cover thousands of miles, but no one enters with out the Kokiri knowing, unless you know what you're doing." Anastriana said to them, she had jumped up and was following them to the mouth of the cave and pleading with them not to go.
"Look, I made a promise, you can stay here, I'm sure you'll be safe from those. Gerudo." Jacob walked out of the cave, followed by the others.
"I'll show you the way," Anastriana said as she burst out of the cave and walked briskly in front of Jacob, "Follow me."
* * *