The Legend of Zelda: The Return
A Brief Interlude
It crouched in the darkness, struggling to breathe. It still didn't understand what had happened back in the Skulltulla nest. One minute, it had been feeding on the boy's delicious agony, and the next . . .
The boy had touched it . . .
That's what had triggered it . . .
He had awoken the Other.
Dad's . . . dead . . . It told itself. Dead . . . It repeated it until it believed it and then narrowed its crimson eyes at the boy, standing away from his friends. HERO O- It's shout was cut off as a wave of pain swept through it and sent it crashing back into the shadows in mid-lunge. It couldn't do it . . .
Every time it had tried since then . . .
The Other wouldn't let it . . .
It snarled in frustration.
How was it supposed to complete it's mission and finally be rid of the hated Thief's power over it if it couldn't attack the boy?
De-Dead . . . It snarled at the Other. DEAD!
Unfortunately, the fact of the matter was obvious even to it.
The Other wasn't dead.
He was weak . . . he could do nothing more than stop it from attacking the boy. That was the only control he had over it.
But he was not dead.
It narrowed its crimson eyes and continued to watch the boy. A sling hung around his neck with his right arm resting in it, and in a few other places bandages could be seen peeking out through the tears in his tunic. The boy took a few practice slashes with his left hand then pulled his right out of its sling and attempted to transfer his sword over. The instant he tried to hold its weight with his bad arm, however, he dropped the sword with a startled oath and immediately clutched his arm.
"Link," one of his friends called disapprovingly. The boy scowled.
"I'm fine, Hunter," he yelled.
"Stop using that arm," the friend called back. "It's nice that you've got your sword skills back and all, but they don't mean diddly-squat with a twisted arm. Give it a day or two and you'll be back to normal. If you stop using it."
"I'm fine, Hunter!" The boy insisted, picking up his sword with his left hand and once again trying to transfer it over to his right - with the same results as last time.
"Link!"
"I'm fine!" Scowling darkly at the sling the boy slipped his arm back into it and sheathed his sword. He moved over to a nearby tree, away from the welcoming light of his companions' fire, and sat down, setting his forehead against his knees.
Even at this distance confusion and fear and pain radiated from him. It closed its eyes and reveled in it.
But delicious as the agony was, it wouldn't free him.
He had to destroy the boy.
And to destroy the boy, he had to hurt the boy.
But the Other wouldn't let him.
It opened its eyes with a dark scowl, glancing back at the boy's companions. Two of the friends sat talking quietly, every now and then casting a worried glance in the boy's direction, but the third - the Sage - had yet to remove her eyes from him.
It could taste her pain as well . . .
It's sadistic smile returned.
Maybe it didn't have to attack him.
There was more than one way to hurt the boy.
The Other sagged in defeat . . .
xxx
Chapter 21
Why can't I catch a break?
If the Goddesses were still here on this world I'd swear they hate me.
I can picture them, sitting up there on their clouds, or stars, or whatever Goddesses sit on, and just watching.
'Oh, look, guys!' Nayru would gasp. 'Look, look! It's that Link kid! He's happy again!'
'You're kidding me!' Din would say. 'Dammit! Can't that kid take a hint!'
'Geez,' I can picture Farore complaining. 'We've got to do something about that. Why doesn't he just stay miserable like a good little mortal?'
Yeah . . . I can see it.
Hmm . . . maybe it's a good thing the Goddesses aren't here anymore.
They'd probably strike me down for blasphemy.
It wouldn't be so bad if these things would happen one at a time.
But no.
They have to mob me.
I can't focus on one problem long enough to sort it out, because the others keep creeping into my thoughts.
How is it possible to hate someone this much, and love them at the same time?
Why did Psycho Me have my Dad's memories? He's a Shade! A Shade! My Dad wasn't a Shade. He was a Sheikah.
Where in the name of all that is named did I get the idea I could pull off this rally the races plan?
I growl darkly to myself.
"Focus," I hiss at myself. "Focus!" Now isn't the time to get all scatterbrained.
"Incoming," Navi says in a low voice from her position on my shoulder. I look up and spot Zelda approaching me hesitantly. My scowl grows deeper.
Instant focus.
I turn my head away.
"Link, please talk to me," Zelda begs. I refuse to answer her. "Link . . ."
"There's nothing to talk about," I say flatly.
"Then why are you sitting over here instead of over there with the rest of us?" She demands, crossing her arms and shifting her weight. "You haven't said two words since we finally got out of that damn nest! Don't tell me there's nothing to talk about! You're obviously angry." I grind my teeth but don't comment.
She thinks I'm angry.
Isn't that cute.
I'm not angry, I'm furious. I'm enraged. I'm seething.
I'm hurt.
I don't want to talk about this.
"Link, talk to me!" She cries, desperation seeping back into her voice. "Please! Say something! Anything! I'd rather have you shouting at me then not talking to me at all!"
"You're going to regret that one," Navi says, fluttering up and away from me, heading over to the campfire. "Nice knowing you princess." Zelda watches her go then turns back to me, blinking in surprise when she finds I'm looking right at her.
"What do you want me to say, Princess?" I demand. I push myself to my feet with my good arm. "You want me to say thank you? Is that it? Fine. Thank you, Zelda, for stealing my memories, forcing me back in Time, and taking everything I worked, and fought, and bled for away from me. Thank you for taking the experiences and feelings that defined me and scattering them to the four winds. Thank you, Zelda, for being the selfish, spoiled . . . cowardly woman that you are. For all of that and more, I thank you." I stop and raise an eyebrow at her, glaring at her and shaking with anger. "There. Are you happy now?"
She certainly doesn't look it.
Her eyes flash with sudden anger.
"Selfish?" She cries. "Spoiled? Cowardly?" She gives me a rough shove. "You bastard! I did it so that you could be happy! I did it so you could have some kind of a normal childhood! I did it . . ."
" . . . For me?" I finish for her, my voice trembling with rage. "How long have you been feeding yourself that bullshit, Zelda?" I ask. "Do you actually believe it now?" She scowls at me.
"How dare you even accuse me of lying!" She cries. "I meant every word I just said!"
"Oh, shut up!" I cry in return. "Listen to yourself! Did you even once stop to think about what I wanted Zelda? Generally speaking if you're going to do something for someone, you ask them if they're okay with it first. I didn't want to go back in Time, Zelda! I didn't want the childhood I never had! I was happy, Zelda! I was the happiest I'd ever been! You destroyed that when you sent me back." Her face is still angry, but tears are starting to well up in her eyes. Her voice shakes.
"I did it, for you, Link," she says. I clench and unclench my fist, trying desperately to keep my anger from getting the better of me.
"If you say that one more time," I hiss, "I'm going to let Dark Link have you next time I see him. Forget the excuses you've been using to justify your actions, Zelda, for just a minute and think about what you did, and why." I take a deep, shuddering breath. "Not only did you deny me the right to remember you, and the feelings I had for you, but you denied me the right to remember anyone else I knew. You denied me the right to remember any of the other friends I made. By sending me back in time you denied me the right to have those friends!" My voice is getting progressively louder. "You took the life I had made for myself - the person I had made myself into - and you destroyed it like it was nothing. Or worse," my eyes narrow, "like it was yours to do with as you would! I'm not your pawn, Zelda! I don't belong to you, and you had no right to do what you did. You had no right to make that choice for me!" Zelda's face has gone pale, but she's still stubbornly clinging to her illusions of doing the right thing. She's trembling.
"I . . . I did it . . . it was for the best . . ."
"No," I snap. "It wasn't. I wasn't for the best. It wasn't for the greater good. It wasn't for any sort of cause beyond your own selfish feelings! You were afraid!"
"I . . . what?" She cries, staring at me in shock. "What are you . . ."
"You heard me!" I cry. "You were afraid, Zelda. You were terrified."
"You're out of your mind!" She cries. "I spent seven years just managing to avoid Ganondorf's clutches by the skin of my teeth! What could I have possibly been afraid of after that? I know why I did what I did, Link, and it was for -" She never gets to finish. I grab her before she can and spin her around, slamming her back against the tree, not hard enough to hurt her but hard enough to surprise her, and kiss her.
Deeply.
I pull away and stare down at her.
She stares back up at me in shock, her breathing suddenly ragged and her mouth open.
"You were afraid of that," I say coldly, letting her go and turning my back. I clench a trembling fist. "That's why you sent me back in time, Princess. It had nothing to do with anything, except that. Don't tell me you did it for me, Princess. Don't insult me. We both know why you did it." I head back in the direction of the campfire. Zelda doesn't follow me. Hunter and Neesha are on their feet, waiting for me.
"Link, what . . ." Hunter starts.
"I need to be alone right now," I say, my voice low and uneven. "I can't . . . I don't . . . I have to go."
"But Dark Link . . ." Neesha says.
"Look, I won't go far, all right?" I say. "I just . . . I have to go." Neesha looks like she's going to argue, but Hunter grabs her shoulder and holds her back. Navi starts to follow me but I stop her with a look. She frowns but flutters back over to Hunter.
I plunge into the comforting darkness of the woods, out of sight of the others. I pause and lean up against a tree, breathing heavily.
Did I just do what I think I just did?
"Sweet merciful crap . . ." I breathe, dropping onto the ground and putting my head in my good hand. "I've got to do something about this temper . . ."
But it wasn't so much my temper that got the better of me this time .. .
It was the hurt.
It was retaliation.
She had no right to mess with my life the way she did. None. And the worst part is there's nothing I can do about it now. It's too late. She did what she did and for better or for worse this is the way things are now.
And all because she couldn't face up to her own feelings.
That nagging little voice in the back of my mind keeps demanding to know what makes me think I know her so well . . . how do I know that she even has the feelings I'm talking about . . .
But I know I'm right.
She never would have gotten that angry if I hadn't been right.
She's the original Miss Calm-Cool-Collected until you hit a nerve, and that's when she loses it.
I know I'm right.
I can't believe I kissed her . . .
I blink.
I can't believe I got away with it . . .
Farore . . . if I'd done that to Malon she's have put me in a body-cast for the next six months, no questions asked . . .
Malon . . .
What am I supposed to do about Malon?
I rub my face.
So this is what she was talking about back at Lon Lon Ranch . . . about the rest of what Bruiser had told her about me . . .
That's why she had assumed Zelda was my girlfriend.
That's why she had looked so sad.
I blink suddenly.
That's why Sheik and her never got along.
Well . . . that certainly explains a lot.
It's too bad really . . .
Zelda and Malon could probably be pretty good friends . . .
Maybe now that I remember . . .
I pause mid-thought and frown.
Oh yeah, that would go over well.
'Hey, Malon, I need to talk to you. About that whole . . . girlfriend thing. See, I need to take that back because I just remembered that I'm actually in love with the psychotic princess of Hyrule who seems to have this whole thing against having any kind of relationship with me, which, although it sounds, and is, crazy, is unfortunately the way things are going to have to be from now on. Oh! While I'm thinking about it, why don't you invite her over for dinner sometime. You two could be great friends!'
Farore . . .
Malon's gonna kill me.
Too bad I can't just go back in time and re-do that whole goodbye scene with her at Lon Lon . . . I mean . . . it's still going to hurt her when I tell her, but maybe it would hurt less if I hadn't already told her she was my girlfriend . . .
Unfortunately I don't think the Flow of Time works that way.
I pull my arm out of its sling and absently open and close my fist.
I don't want to hurt her . . .
Malon means a lot to me . . .
For a half an instant I consider not telling Malon. I mean . . . it would be just as easy - if not easier - to tell Zelda it had all been a mistake, instead of telling Malon. Hmph. The Princess would deserve it. And it's not looking like she's ever going to let this relationship go anywhere, regardless of any feelings she might actually have towards me . . .
For a half an instant I consider it . . .
For a half an instant I imagine it . . .
For a half an instant I picture life if I took that route. Malon and I together . . . Zelda shut up in her palace . . . all three of us knowing the truth . . . all three of us pretending we're happy as clams . . . all three of us miserable as all Hell . . .
I shake my head . . .
I can't do that to Malon, or Zelda, or myself.
Especially not to Malon.
If I break it off with her now she at least might have a shot at happiness.
She deserves happiness. She hasn't done anything wrong except befriend me.
I close my eyes and lean back against the tree.
Lately that seems to be a fatal mistake.
It got almost got Neesha and Hunter killed.
It got Bruiser and Malon and Talon and Ingo and the goddesses know how many others captured and tortured and killed.
It got my parents killed.
Being my friend is a dangerous position lately.
I wonder what I'm getting Hunter and Neesha and Zelda into this time . . .
I wonder if I've got a right to get them into it.
I mean . . . I know Navi said they're going to follow me no matter where I go, and I don't really doubt it. I may have only known them for a few weeks, if that long, but I'd trust them with my life . . .
But if they get hurt because of me, I don't think . . .
The thought is interrupted before it's completed by a pain-filled scream tearing through my reverie.
My blood runs cold and my heart leaps into my throat.
That was Zelda.
That was Zelda!
I rocket to my feet and take off at a dead run for the camp.
I'm not that far from it.
Maybe thirty seconds out of sight of it.
But somehow . . . I know . . .
I'm too late . . .
"Zelda!" I skid into our camp with a cry and take in the situation. Neesha has her scimitar out and she's standing in a ready stance just in front of Hunter, who's lying without moving on the ground. Dark Link is leaning lazily against the tree where I left Zelda. One ebon arm is wrapped around Zelda's neck, and the other is holding his black version of the Master Sword pointed almost casually at her side.
"Let her go!" I shout furiously, my right arm flying back to grab the hilt of my sword.
Not that it makes it that far.
My muscles scream in pain at the sudden motion and I gasp and clutch it hard.
Damn.
I forgot it's twisted.
Dark Link laughs and Zelda winces as his sword digs into her side.
I grind my teeth.
"Let her go," I hiss out between them. Dark Link laughs again.
She's mine, he says with a sadistic grin. You said so.
"What are you talking about?" I cry furiously, afraid to go for my sword in case he hurts her any further. "I never . . ." My voice dies off.
I did.
I told her I'd give her to Dark Link next time I saw him.
My eyes widen.
"No!" I cry. "I didn't mean it! Let her go! Zelda, I didn't mean it!" Zelda struggles against Dark Link's grip and he digs the sword in just a little deeper. Her dress is starting to stain with blood.
"Link!" She gasps.
"Let her go!" I shout.
Too late! Dark Link practically crows. You said! He laughs again and darkness swirls up and around him and Zelda. His grin stretches even wider. Catch me if you can.
"No!" I shout and throw myself at him, but I'm too far. He and Zelda vanish in a swirl of darkness. "No!" I shout again, throwing my fist into the tree they'd been standing at just that half second ago. "No!" I throw my fist into again, furiously. I throw my right fist into it and ignore the searing pain that burns up it as I do.
"Link!" Neesha cries, grabbing my arm and roughly throwing me back and away from the tree. "Stop it!"
"I didn't mean it!" I say furiously. "I never meant it!" Someone groans behind me. I whirl around and Hunter's pushing himself into a sitting position and clutching his head.
"What didn't you mean?" He demands, then stops and his eyes widen. "Damn! Where's Zelda? How long was I out? Did Dark Link . . ."
"She's gone. Only a few seconds. Yes," Navi says, answering his questions in order and settling in defeat on my shoulder. "He caught us completely off guard." I sink weakly to my knees as Neesha helps Hunter unsteadily to his feet.
"Are you all right?" They both ask me at the same time. I shake my head.
"I told her I'd let him take her," I say thickly. "I told her I'd give her to Dark Link." I look up, suddenly desperate. "I didn't mean it!" I cry. "I swear to the goddess I never meant it!" I jump to my feet. "I have to go after her. I have to!" I start towards Epona but Neesha suddenly leaps forward and grabs the back of my tunic. Without her support Hunter falls over with a startled cry.
Neesha skids to a stop and stares from me to Hunter and back again, unable to decide which one of us to hold on to. Hunter makes the decision for her by pushing himself to his feet on his own and reaching out to brace himself against a tree. Neesha tightens her hold on my shirt and digs in her feet.
"Neesha let me go!" I cry. "Zelda's . . ."
"Long gone," Neesha interrupts. "Dark Link's got Black Magic, Link. They're already at Castletown."
"Then I'll go to Castletown," I say, twisting around and breaking her hold. Unfortunately the move leaves Neesha between me and Epona.
"Link, calm down," Hunter says, shaking his head. "We have to think about this rationally."
"Rationally?" I cry, whirling around to face him. "My psychotic clone has kidnapped Zelda and you want me to be rational?"
"Yes," Hunter snaps, glaring at me suddenly. "You lose your head now, Link, and we'll all lose our lives. Zelda included." I glare at him.
"Then what . . ."
"Deep breaths, Link," Hunter says slowly. "Take deep breaths. Lots of them." I try and do as he says.
They're right.
I know they're right.
I can't just run off to Castletown after Zelda . . .
It will do no one any good . . .
I can't go after her.
I can't not go after her!
But I can't go after her!
. . . But I can't not go after her!
"Link, you're not taking deep breaths," Hunter observes. "What you're doing is generally called panicking, and that's not going to do us any good." He watches me until I've settled down a bit more. "Now," he says, "what are we going to do about this? We can't go straight to Castletown," he says before I can suggest it. "We'll be playing straight into their hands."
"But Zelda . . ." I whine in frustration.
"Can take care of herself," Hunter says. "They won't kill her. They haven't killed the other Sages yet, and they're not going to kill her. They need her, to get you."
"Keep that in mind next time you get a stupid idea that might get you killed," Neesha says, watching me closely for any signs of bolting again. "You die or get captured and Zelda won't outlive you for long."
"So what do we do?" I ask in a small voice, knowing they're right. "Continue on with the original plan?" Hunter thinks about it for a moment, then nods.
"I think that's the best plan," he says. "It will get us to Castletown eventually, and when we go we'll have an army at our backs. Better odds for everyone's survival. This is, of course, assuming you can convince the Gerudo you're their King."
"That's the part that I'm . . ." My voice fades off as Neesha and I both stare at Hunter in surprise. "I . . . you know?" I ask. He raises an eyebrow at me.
"Yeah," he says. "Have for a while." I whirl around and glare at Neesha.
"I didn't tell him!" She cries, then narrows her eyes at me. "You accusing me of breaking a promise?" I open my mouth to respond but Hunter interrupts.
"Neesha didn't tell me anything," he says. I turn back to look at him. "Link, what kind of an idiot do you take me for? Back at the Quisrol after you came back from your little excursion back in Time, Detsu called you every name under the book for Gerudo. Specifically he referred to you as a miserable Gerudo mongrel, and your mother as a Gerudo harlot. Forgive me if I put two and two together and jumped to the obvious conclusion that you're a male Gerudo, and therefore their King. The way Neesha's been acting around you lately did nothing but reinforce my theory." Neesha almost blushes - almost, but not quite.
"Why didn't you ever mention it?" I ask, wondering why I hadn't even realized he'd probably know. Hunter shrugs.
"Didn't see much point," he says. "You were having trouble enough dealing with it on your own, I figured you'd let everyone else know when the time was right. And apparently you have." I blink.
"Zelda doesn't know," I say. "I told Neesha because I figured I'd need her help, and I was waiting to see if anything would come of it before I told you and Zelda . . ."
"Nothing we can do about it now," Hunter says. "Anyway, I'm assuming that none of us are going to sleep tonight anyway, so we may as well finish the ride to the Desert. Link, are you all right to ride?" I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Are you?" I demand, watching him sway slightly when he takes his hand from the trunk. He grins at me.
"I've been hurt worse," he says.
"Likewise. All right then," I say. "Saddle up. We're on our way." Neesha lets out a happy whoop and runs for her horse. Hunter and I follow more slowly.
Oh Goddess . . .
Please let Zelda be all right . . .
xxx
You know . . . I can remember a time when it took nothing short of Bruiser grabbing my foot and hauling me bodily out of bed and onto the floor to get me up and about - and that was long after sunrise. He wouldn't have had a hope in Hell of getting me up before then.
Since then I've seen nothing short of an obscene amount of sunrises . . .
Pretty though they may be, I can't help but be slightly disgruntled by this observation.
The fact that I haven't slept all night, and my arm is killing me, and Zelda's been captured doesn't help much either, mind.
The sun rises with a burst of crimson and orange over the walls of Gerudo Fortress and I stare up at the massive complex with a new appreciation for it.
My mother lived here . . .
I blink once and the spell is broken, reality reaffirming it's hold on me with a single thought:
How the hell am I supposed to convince these people that I'm their King?
I don't even really look Gerudo . . .
Blonde hair, blue eyes, skin that's pale by comparison even though its tanned . . .
They're so going to laugh at me.
And then they're going to kick my ass.
And then they'll laugh at me again . . .
And the process will probably repeat itself indefinitely for as long as my poor little body holds out . . .
Maybe I should have let the Skulltulla have me.
"Farore, Link," Neesha swears, glaring at me. "You look like a goddess damned puppy with his tail between his legs. You think they're going to take you seriously looking like that?"
"Oh like they're going to take me seriously anyway," I point out.
"Some King," she huffs. "Afraid of his own subjects." I twist around in my saddle and raise an incredulous eyebrow at her.
"Neesha!" I cry. "I have every right to be afraid of these people! Yeah all right, so I can take on most of them, but I'm still no match for the best of them! They could, and would, kill me without so much as a second thought beyond 'Oh geez, how am I supposed to get this blood out of my new uniform?'"
"Look, you want my help or not?" She demands, glaring at me. "You want them to even listen to you, you're going to have to look confident, and you're going to have to ram it down their throats. They're not going to respect you if you wuss out."
"She's right, Link," Hunter says. I turn back around to look at him. "The Gerudo are a violent people with strict codes about everything. You can't appear indecisive to them, they won't like it. And you can't let them order you around. If you're going to win them over you're going to have to drag them kicking and screaming over to your side." I frown.
"Like Ganondorf?" I ask flatly. "Who probably took your advice quite literally if I know him at all, and believe me," I add, "I do."
"No," Hunter says uncomfortably, "not like Ganondorf . . . but . . ." I sigh.
"Sorry," I say. "Didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just . . . stretched so thin right now I'm about to snap . . ."
"Maybe we should wait for a day or two to rest up before we tell them about your mother," Neesha says with a frown. I shake my head and frown back at her.
"We haven't got a day or two to waste," I say. "Dark Link now has all six Sages who hang out in this Realm. We're Hyrule's last hope. We can't wait that long. Besides," I add, "you said that there's some kind of test that they'll probably do . . ."
"I said I think there's some kind of test," she corrects me. "But I'm not sure."
" . . . and you also said that it's been so long since it had to be done that no one really remembers what it is and they'll have to look it up, right? So that'll take at least a day if not longer. That should be more than enough time."
"Maybe it'll be multiple choice," Hunter says, grinning through his weariness. I try to return the smile but can't quite manage it.
"I bet you it'll hurt," I say. Neesha gives a harsh laugh in confirmation of that. I frown at her. "If you want me to be confident, stop that." She chokes back her laughter and edges her horse forward.
"Come on, boys," she calls. "We're home!" Hunter and I stare blankly at her back as she moves ahead.
"You're home," we both correct her at the same time. I glance over at Hunter.
"Maybe you should have changed or something," I say, eyeing his Sheikah outfit. "I don't really think the Gerudo are gonna like your outfit."
"If they're gonna freak out on me, I'd rather it happen now, then later at some kind of crucial moment," he says. "Besides, you never know. It's been, what? Twenty years since the Great War ended? Maybe things will have settled down and they won't . . ." A shrill whistle pierces the air.
"SHEIKAH!" Echoing whistles are heard in answer. Hunter and I wince simultaneously.
"Apparently not," Hunter says. "Do me a favor, hey? Don't waste any time getting me out of whatever Hell hole they throw me into?"
"If they don't shoot you first," I say, edging my horse closer to his in the hopes that should they, in fact, decide to shoot him, they'll recognize me and hesitate.
"Oh, that I needed," Hunter says caustically.
"Hey, it's not my fault you decided to wear red and blue and white to a freaking desert," I say. "You stand out like a Goron at Zora's River."
"Or a Sheikah at Gerudo Fortress," Hunter says wryly as four Gerudo on horseback race towards us. Hunter's hand twitches towards his sword but he holds himself in check. The Gerudo's grim expressions relax only slightly upon recognizing Neesha, and even less so upon recognizing me. Their eyes, however, are riveted on Hunter, who stares back placidly. The only thing betraying his real emotions is the white-knuckled grip he has on his reigns.
"Neesha," the lead Gerudo snaps. "Get your horse to the stable and then report to my chambers. You have a lot of explaining to do." Neesha's expression - more humble than I've ever seen it - changes only slightly to add a tint of chagrin to her face in the form of a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
I suddenly feel sorry for her.
I have a feeling Gerudo discipline is not fun.
Neesha shoots Hunter and I a farewell glance and moves off with her horse. The other Gerudo don't even watch her go. Their eyes are fixed on Hunter, who continues to stare back without reacting. Geez . . . he must be flipping right out in his head right about now . . .
"You disobeyed a direct order from Nabooru," the main Gerudo says crisply, frowning darkly at me. I raise an eyebrow at her.
"I work with Nabooru, not for her," I point out. "Nabooru's 'orders' conflicted with my duty and my job, and as such I was forced to disregard them."
"Your job?" She asks me with a dark frown, not liking my tone.
Too bad for her.
I don't like hers either.
"Hero of Time," I say shortly. "And Nabooru is the Sage of Spirit. You know this, why are you making me go over it again?" She ignores my question.
"You've brought a Sheikah to our Fortress." She raises her hand and the other three Gerudo start forward but I pull Epona up between them and Hunter.
"I've brought a friend to our Fortress," I say. "He's with me." I frown at the other three Gerudo. "No touching."
"Our Fortress?" The main Gerudo asks with a raised eyebrow. "Since when is this our Fortress?"
"Long story," I say. "Who's in charge here with Nabooru gone?"
"I thought Nabooru was with you," the main Gerudo says flatly. "What have you done with her?" She eyes Hunter suspiciously as though its his fault Nabooru's gone.
"Dark Link took her," I say. "Like I said, long story. Now are you in charge, or not?"
"No," she says, glaring at me, "Rue is."
"I need to talk to her," I say. "Like . . . now. It's important."
"Hah, sure it is," she says, still eyeing Hunter. "And how do I know you aren't going to try to assassinate her?" I stare at her in disbelief.
"Do you think we'd just ride up to the front gates if we wanted to . . ."
"Are you saying you don't think this Rue would be able to stand up to a lone Sheikah?" Hunter asks suddenly, raising a cool eyebrow. "Link, be sure and relay that to her once we find her." The Gerudo chews thoughtfully on her lip as she stares from Hunter to me and back again.
"Fine," she says finally. "Follow me. But don't even think about trying anything."
"Right," Hunter mutters just low enough for me to hear, "because I'm a complete moron and would so try and pull something right smack dab in the middle of a fortress of blood-thirsty, slash-happy, psychotic, female warriors who are just looking for an excuse to separate my head from my body!"
"Deep breaths, Hunter," I advise.
"I like my head right where it is, Link," Hunter hisses back. "Right. Where. It. Is." The Gerudo turns back to stare at us suspiciously and Hunter's placid, nonchalant expression is immediately back on his face, no traces of his previous panic attack in evidence. I shake my head and grin at him.
And to think I used to wonder if he was really Sheikah . . .
No one but a Sheikah can cover their emotions that well.
The Fortress suddenly looms in front of us.
Goddess I hope I can pull this off . . .