Chapter 9
I woke the next morning to Dmitri's loud snores. As payback I ran my finger along his spine to give him a rude wake up. He jumped in the air and yelled angrily at me.
"Man, I have sand in my pants. 'We're going to the desert next Dmitri' 'Make sure you repel your clothing Dmitri.' Couldn't have done it for me, eh? I'm going to have sand up my butt, you realize?"
"Whine, whine, whine. You should have done what I told you. Anyway, let's get moving"
"Saira we haven't eaten in hours. I'm hungry"
"But -" At that moment my stomach growled loudly
Dmitri crossed his arms and gave me a satisfied smile. I cooked breakfast for us and then finally we were on our way again. Dmitri complained endlessly about the sad but I just ignored him.
We reached the Gerudo Bridge that spanned over the gorge where the river flowed at the bottom.
"Gerudo Valley" I said "Then the Gerudo Fortress is farther along"
"Great"
A Gerudo woman stood in front of a gate blocking the opposite side of the bridge. She wore a white vest and white pants that fanned out near the bottom. She had fiery red hair and dark tan skin. Her hair was short and curled under her ears. Her arms were crossed and she held a stern look on her face, which worsened as I approached with Dmitri at my side.
"Who're you?" she asked
"I'm Saira and this is Dmitri"
"A boy?" Without warning she yelled, "Guards!"
A moment later more women ran up carrying long spears. However they were dressed in purple and were tube tops instead of vests. Their hair was long and pulled in to high ponytails. Purple masks covered most of their face but you could see anger in their eyes.
"Seize him!"
I jumped in front of Dmitri as if it was instinct and they stopped with their spears and inch away from my face making me cross-eyed.
"You cant take him" I said with a trembling voice
"Why? He is a man and they are filth"
"That's not true. Dmitri is, uh, he's, he's, he's my boyfriend"
They were all taken aback. Even Dmitri.
"Yeah, that's right. And would I, a thief like you, be with a man that was filth? And he's a thief too" I was just saying the first things that popped into my head and hearing it made me fear for Dmitri.
"You're a thief?" She asked me disbelieving
"Yeah"
"Prove it"
"How?"
"You see that large man over there. Steal his pouch. Go!"
However I didn't move. Instead I remembered a levitation spell Link had taught me. I whispered the words and the pouch magically floated perfectly into my hands and the man never even flinched.
No one said a word. The woman clapped twice and the guards lifted their spears. Then they escorted us to the Gerudo Fortress. Many more women in purple were standing guard and ran up seeing all of us.
"Where is Nabooru?"
"She's at the Spirit Temple still. Shall we fetch Nyssa?"
"No. Find a room for these two"
One of the guards led us through the fortress and into a small room with one bed and one couch. There was a table too and a bookshelf.
"Stay here" they commanded
We heard the door lock and Dmitri, who had been very tense, sighed deeply and fell backward onto the bed
"It's like attack of the belly dancers" he said
"Well, you'd be in a cage right now if it wasn't for me"
"And thanks for that. But what I cant believe is that Miss-Goody-Two- Shoes stole a money bag from someone"
"I didn't"
"But I saw you -"
"Obviously you didn't notice me put it back"
"Apparently not"
The door began unlocking and a beautiful Gerudo walked in. She wore a deep red outfit decorated with jewels. A few tattoos could be seen on her arms and stomach.
"I am Nyssa" she said, "I'm in charge when Nabooru seeks solitude at the great Spirit Temple of our ancestors. Tyra tells me you are a great thief and also that you are 'well-acquainted' with this boy"
"That's right. Is there a problem with that?" I said
"It's surprising but then again you Hylians accept men easier than we do. Besides the Great Ganondorf, very few men are accepted in the Gerudo ranks"
"Hmm" I couldn't help feeling angry at how highly they spoke of Ganondorf when every other place in the world is going to the grave while they flourish.
"So -"
"Do not speak unless spoken to," she snapped at Dmitri.
"He is with me and shouldn't be treated with such disrespect" I said
"That's right.. love" Dmitri stuttered
We both turned and stared at Dmitri then he raised his eyebrows at me because we were supposed to pretend we were a couple.
"Yeah, ok, well there you have it" I said
"Come, you are to stay here as long as we say"
"We are prisoners?" I asked
"For now and since you are I will show you where everything is. Come"
It was hard to remember how many right and left turns there were to each room. Dmitri got scowls wherever we went. Eventually, Nyssa led us outside
"The horse archery is up the hill to the left and the entrance to the Haunted Wasteland is to the right down that hill. You are not to go there and you may not leave unless we say you can." She said sternly. "Now, I have matter I must attend to. Take this" she handed me a slip of parchment
"What is it?"
"Tyra spoke of your excellent thievery. You are one of us with this"
Dmitri held out his hand but Nyssa flashed him a look of hatred before departing.
"Well, now that you're one of them, you should wear one of those sexy belly dancer outfits"
"There are two chances of that happening: No way and no how"
"Oh, c'mon, love, you'd look smashing in one of those"
"Give it up"
Everywhere I went, I was treated with the utmost respect. Dmitri got in the habit of calling me 'love' every time we saw a Gerudo because Nyssa had told me that if she found out I was lying, she would personally throw Dmitri in the dungeon. I got used to it every time he'd wrap his arms around me for show.
One day after we'd been there for at least a few weeks, we stumbled past the training ground
"Hello Saira. Try your luck?" The Gerudo woman asked me who was guarding the door.
'Try my luck at what?"
"Through this door is the Gerudo Training Ground. It tests our skills at fighting speed and intelligence"
"Then I would fail miserably at the first one. I have no talent or any ability when it comes to fighting"
"Really? How do you know?" She asked, "Try one for free. If you get in any trouble, everything will be called off."
"Go on, love, give it a try" Dmitri urged
"Well, all right. 10 rupees I don't last 5 minutes?" I said to Dmitri
"Nah, I think you'll go at least ten so you're on"
"You would bet on your abilities?" The woman asked shocked
"Yeah, I can make a little money while I'm getting my arse kicked" I said
"Alright but Saira, don't cheat. Give it all you got"
"Don't you trust me" I said batting my eyes
"Not when it comes to my wallet. I mean, yeah, go on"
"Alright, here's a sword and shield. You'll need them depending on which door you choose. There will be a chest in the middle containing a key. There will be chests surrounding that one containing things to help you as you go along." She directed
"Ok, Dmitri, start timing right when I get in the first door"
"How will I know?" he asked
"I'll tell him" she offered
"Tell him when to stop too. Wait, just let her time"
"But -"
I looked at him crossing my arms
"Alright"
The Gerudo woman opened the door and held it open for me. I walked down a long tunnel until I emerged in a large circular room with 3 stone lion heads above three doors about 30 feet in front of me. There was about 10 feet between each door. As she'd told me, there was a small chest in the middle containing a silver key. I chose the door on the far left and walked in a room with sand as the floor. The exit was across the room but when I reached the center of the room, two things dropped from the ceiling.
They were Stalfos: Undead creatures. They were warriors once reduced to skeleton form. Tattered armor hung off their bones and their eyes burned with fire.
I was surrounded. Within a moment, one of them had knocked my sword out of my hand and sent me across the room. I evaded them and ran back to the entrance but the door had locked trapping me in the room. I was forced against the wall as both Stalfos slammed against my shield with their steel swords.
Suddenly they burst into black flames, and the door opened. I ran our, all the way out, and didn't stop until I ran into Dmitri making us both fall over. I just laid on top of him for a minute panting.
"Well, love, how was it?" he asked smiling
"God, I'm never going in there again" I asked almost laughing
"So, what was the time?" Dmitri asked
"4 minutes, 57 seconds"
"Ha! Wait I was only in there for -"
"5 MINUTES!" Dmitri interrupted, "That means"
Dmitri shoved me off and helped me up seeing the look on the woman's face
"That means you, Dmitri Alonde, owe me 10 rupees." I said slyly, "For it over, love"
Dmitri pulled out two blue rupees worth 5 each and placed them in my outstretched hand.
"Sorry to interrupt but what happened?" she asked
"I told you I was a terrible fighter. I can barely hold a sword the right way let alone fight two Stalfos."
"Saira, come by tonight and I'll teach you"
"You're wasting your time" Dmitri said standing behind me
"Why's that?" she asked
"Because all the best in Kokiri have tried and every last one of them have failed" Dmitri said
"It's true"
"Permit me to try"
"Okay, this has been bugging me. If you tell me your name I'll try. Everyone here seems to know my name -"
"That's because you are the first to use magic as a thieving maneuver"
"Really? Well, your name?"
"Forgive me. My name is Viera. Veer-uh"
"Cool"
"If fighting is not your best area, have you tried archery?" she asked
"Not yet" I smiled
I woke the next morning to Dmitri's loud snores. As payback I ran my finger along his spine to give him a rude wake up. He jumped in the air and yelled angrily at me.
"Man, I have sand in my pants. 'We're going to the desert next Dmitri' 'Make sure you repel your clothing Dmitri.' Couldn't have done it for me, eh? I'm going to have sand up my butt, you realize?"
"Whine, whine, whine. You should have done what I told you. Anyway, let's get moving"
"Saira we haven't eaten in hours. I'm hungry"
"But -" At that moment my stomach growled loudly
Dmitri crossed his arms and gave me a satisfied smile. I cooked breakfast for us and then finally we were on our way again. Dmitri complained endlessly about the sad but I just ignored him.
We reached the Gerudo Bridge that spanned over the gorge where the river flowed at the bottom.
"Gerudo Valley" I said "Then the Gerudo Fortress is farther along"
"Great"
A Gerudo woman stood in front of a gate blocking the opposite side of the bridge. She wore a white vest and white pants that fanned out near the bottom. She had fiery red hair and dark tan skin. Her hair was short and curled under her ears. Her arms were crossed and she held a stern look on her face, which worsened as I approached with Dmitri at my side.
"Who're you?" she asked
"I'm Saira and this is Dmitri"
"A boy?" Without warning she yelled, "Guards!"
A moment later more women ran up carrying long spears. However they were dressed in purple and were tube tops instead of vests. Their hair was long and pulled in to high ponytails. Purple masks covered most of their face but you could see anger in their eyes.
"Seize him!"
I jumped in front of Dmitri as if it was instinct and they stopped with their spears and inch away from my face making me cross-eyed.
"You cant take him" I said with a trembling voice
"Why? He is a man and they are filth"
"That's not true. Dmitri is, uh, he's, he's, he's my boyfriend"
They were all taken aback. Even Dmitri.
"Yeah, that's right. And would I, a thief like you, be with a man that was filth? And he's a thief too" I was just saying the first things that popped into my head and hearing it made me fear for Dmitri.
"You're a thief?" She asked me disbelieving
"Yeah"
"Prove it"
"How?"
"You see that large man over there. Steal his pouch. Go!"
However I didn't move. Instead I remembered a levitation spell Link had taught me. I whispered the words and the pouch magically floated perfectly into my hands and the man never even flinched.
No one said a word. The woman clapped twice and the guards lifted their spears. Then they escorted us to the Gerudo Fortress. Many more women in purple were standing guard and ran up seeing all of us.
"Where is Nabooru?"
"She's at the Spirit Temple still. Shall we fetch Nyssa?"
"No. Find a room for these two"
One of the guards led us through the fortress and into a small room with one bed and one couch. There was a table too and a bookshelf.
"Stay here" they commanded
We heard the door lock and Dmitri, who had been very tense, sighed deeply and fell backward onto the bed
"It's like attack of the belly dancers" he said
"Well, you'd be in a cage right now if it wasn't for me"
"And thanks for that. But what I cant believe is that Miss-Goody-Two- Shoes stole a money bag from someone"
"I didn't"
"But I saw you -"
"Obviously you didn't notice me put it back"
"Apparently not"
The door began unlocking and a beautiful Gerudo walked in. She wore a deep red outfit decorated with jewels. A few tattoos could be seen on her arms and stomach.
"I am Nyssa" she said, "I'm in charge when Nabooru seeks solitude at the great Spirit Temple of our ancestors. Tyra tells me you are a great thief and also that you are 'well-acquainted' with this boy"
"That's right. Is there a problem with that?" I said
"It's surprising but then again you Hylians accept men easier than we do. Besides the Great Ganondorf, very few men are accepted in the Gerudo ranks"
"Hmm" I couldn't help feeling angry at how highly they spoke of Ganondorf when every other place in the world is going to the grave while they flourish.
"So -"
"Do not speak unless spoken to," she snapped at Dmitri.
"He is with me and shouldn't be treated with such disrespect" I said
"That's right.. love" Dmitri stuttered
We both turned and stared at Dmitri then he raised his eyebrows at me because we were supposed to pretend we were a couple.
"Yeah, ok, well there you have it" I said
"Come, you are to stay here as long as we say"
"We are prisoners?" I asked
"For now and since you are I will show you where everything is. Come"
It was hard to remember how many right and left turns there were to each room. Dmitri got scowls wherever we went. Eventually, Nyssa led us outside
"The horse archery is up the hill to the left and the entrance to the Haunted Wasteland is to the right down that hill. You are not to go there and you may not leave unless we say you can." She said sternly. "Now, I have matter I must attend to. Take this" she handed me a slip of parchment
"What is it?"
"Tyra spoke of your excellent thievery. You are one of us with this"
Dmitri held out his hand but Nyssa flashed him a look of hatred before departing.
"Well, now that you're one of them, you should wear one of those sexy belly dancer outfits"
"There are two chances of that happening: No way and no how"
"Oh, c'mon, love, you'd look smashing in one of those"
"Give it up"
Everywhere I went, I was treated with the utmost respect. Dmitri got in the habit of calling me 'love' every time we saw a Gerudo because Nyssa had told me that if she found out I was lying, she would personally throw Dmitri in the dungeon. I got used to it every time he'd wrap his arms around me for show.
One day after we'd been there for at least a few weeks, we stumbled past the training ground
"Hello Saira. Try your luck?" The Gerudo woman asked me who was guarding the door.
'Try my luck at what?"
"Through this door is the Gerudo Training Ground. It tests our skills at fighting speed and intelligence"
"Then I would fail miserably at the first one. I have no talent or any ability when it comes to fighting"
"Really? How do you know?" She asked, "Try one for free. If you get in any trouble, everything will be called off."
"Go on, love, give it a try" Dmitri urged
"Well, all right. 10 rupees I don't last 5 minutes?" I said to Dmitri
"Nah, I think you'll go at least ten so you're on"
"You would bet on your abilities?" The woman asked shocked
"Yeah, I can make a little money while I'm getting my arse kicked" I said
"Alright but Saira, don't cheat. Give it all you got"
"Don't you trust me" I said batting my eyes
"Not when it comes to my wallet. I mean, yeah, go on"
"Alright, here's a sword and shield. You'll need them depending on which door you choose. There will be a chest in the middle containing a key. There will be chests surrounding that one containing things to help you as you go along." She directed
"Ok, Dmitri, start timing right when I get in the first door"
"How will I know?" he asked
"I'll tell him" she offered
"Tell him when to stop too. Wait, just let her time"
"But -"
I looked at him crossing my arms
"Alright"
The Gerudo woman opened the door and held it open for me. I walked down a long tunnel until I emerged in a large circular room with 3 stone lion heads above three doors about 30 feet in front of me. There was about 10 feet between each door. As she'd told me, there was a small chest in the middle containing a silver key. I chose the door on the far left and walked in a room with sand as the floor. The exit was across the room but when I reached the center of the room, two things dropped from the ceiling.
They were Stalfos: Undead creatures. They were warriors once reduced to skeleton form. Tattered armor hung off their bones and their eyes burned with fire.
I was surrounded. Within a moment, one of them had knocked my sword out of my hand and sent me across the room. I evaded them and ran back to the entrance but the door had locked trapping me in the room. I was forced against the wall as both Stalfos slammed against my shield with their steel swords.
Suddenly they burst into black flames, and the door opened. I ran our, all the way out, and didn't stop until I ran into Dmitri making us both fall over. I just laid on top of him for a minute panting.
"Well, love, how was it?" he asked smiling
"God, I'm never going in there again" I asked almost laughing
"So, what was the time?" Dmitri asked
"4 minutes, 57 seconds"
"Ha! Wait I was only in there for -"
"5 MINUTES!" Dmitri interrupted, "That means"
Dmitri shoved me off and helped me up seeing the look on the woman's face
"That means you, Dmitri Alonde, owe me 10 rupees." I said slyly, "For it over, love"
Dmitri pulled out two blue rupees worth 5 each and placed them in my outstretched hand.
"Sorry to interrupt but what happened?" she asked
"I told you I was a terrible fighter. I can barely hold a sword the right way let alone fight two Stalfos."
"Saira, come by tonight and I'll teach you"
"You're wasting your time" Dmitri said standing behind me
"Why's that?" she asked
"Because all the best in Kokiri have tried and every last one of them have failed" Dmitri said
"It's true"
"Permit me to try"
"Okay, this has been bugging me. If you tell me your name I'll try. Everyone here seems to know my name -"
"That's because you are the first to use magic as a thieving maneuver"
"Really? Well, your name?"
"Forgive me. My name is Viera. Veer-uh"
"Cool"
"If fighting is not your best area, have you tried archery?" she asked
"Not yet" I smiled