I'm back! I'm really happy that I finished this chapter. IMHO I think this is the best chapter yet! Since this chapter is extra long, chapter 4 will be a "mini-chapter". Just to let you know, I made a name correction in chapter 1. There is no one in the story named James.
As for reviews, I am happy that I got one! Yay! Just remember: Reviews = Motivation and Motivation = Chapters.
pfsoccer77: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you will continue to read despite my laziness.
Disclaimer: If I owned Zelda, I would have made Link and Zelda make out in the end of OoT! (but that's just me…hehe)
Now on with the story!
* * *
"How could she keep something like that from me?" Zara said out loud as she stormed through the village. This day just kept getting worse and worse.
At last she came to the stables. Despite her bad day, a small smile came to her face as she walked inside. She walked down the long central aisle to stable number 7.Waiting inside was her horse, Pazia.
Zara got Pazia when she was 15. She was a traditional Gerudo mare that her parents purchased from Lon Lon Ranch for her birthday.
I don't even have a real birthday anymore. Zara thought back to the day she was blindfolded and led to the stables, where she received Pazia. Grabbing her saddlebag, she mounted her horse. She decided on her walk to the stables that she wasn't going to give her mother or anyone else a chance to follow her.
She galloped out of the village and down the stone staircases to Hyrule Field. Though she had been there many times before, the sight still took her breath away. The sun was shining down proudly, the grass was emerald green, and there was a light breeze. It was a beautiful. It comforted her a bit, knowing that she lived in such a wonderful place. Then she remembered the events that had transpired that morning and the sun seemed as if it were now mocking her.
She stopped Pazia and opened her saddlebag, which had been hanging from her shoulder. She gave a relieved sigh as she saw a towel, a bar of soap, and fresh clothes.
She urged Pazia back up to a gallop and they set off across the field.
As she crossed the Zora River, her eyes settled on the spot where she rested the night before. She closed her eyes to keep from getting queasy. She looked away and then headed south following the river.
* * *
Within 45 minutes, she made it to her destination; a small blue pond that the river flowed into.
She dismounted, grabbing her saddlebag and tied Pazia's reins to a tree.
Zara slipped off her shoe and dipped her foot into the clear water. The water felt cool against her skin. She traced the ripples with her finger as a small fish chased it. Then she pulled her foot out and stepped backwards. She casually looked around, slipped off her clothes, and slid into the water.
She gave a relaxed sigh and closed her eyes. It felt good to take a bath. She felt grimy from last night's excursion. She decided she'd just soak for a while to clear her mind, wash up, and then go to Katherine's house to hang out.
She figured she'd just unwind now and let the water soothe her mind.
* * *
After about 15 minutes of organizing her thoughts, Zara heard the sound of beating horse hooves.
She opened her eyes quickly and looked around, her eyes readjusting to the light. Pazia was still there grazing. She looked south and saw a small dust cloud.
Zara reached out of the water for her saddlebag. She pulled out her towel and placed it on the grass. Then, she took a deep breath and went under the water, with only her eyes above.
The dust cloud was getting larger and soon she could make out two horses.
Zara then ducked under the water, making quick peeks. She could see the horses clearly now, one black and one chestnut, with a lone rider on each.
Go away, go away, go away, Zara told herself as she ducked under the water. She could feel the vibrations from the horses. She grabbed her towel and pulled it into the water around herself, not feeling like exposing herself to anyone.
The vibrations got harder and harder as if it were an earthquake and the water rippled around her. Suddenly, the shaking stopped.
Cautiously she peered above the water. To her embarrassment, it was Ben and Anthony.
"Ahh…we found her. I'm sure my mom'll be happy with me," Ben said confidently. Ben was Zara's cousin but his parents were killed during Ganondorf's reign so Zara's parents took him in as their own.
"Anthony…Ben? What are you guys doing out here so early? You're usually still asleep at this hour of the day," Zara said shifting her eyes to Ben. She could feel her cheeks growing bright red in their presence.
"Yeah," Anthony said making a dramatic fake yawn with his arms stretched back far beyond his light brown hair, "We would still be asleep if it weren't for you and my sister. Everyone was really upset you know."
"Hello, Anthony! You let us get drunk and then you abandoned us! If it's any ones fault it's yours for leaving us there alone!" Instantly she regretted her words. He was probably hanging out with Marisol, a voice in her head taunted, because Marisol is his girlfriend.
"I was visiting with Marisol in a different pub and I went back later to look for you guys but you were gone," he reasoned. See, he was, the voice came again.
"You two can finish this later. Right now, we need to get you back to Mom. She's probably going to yell at you," Ben said not bothering to wipe the smug smile off his face. Zara couldn't understand why Anthony would want to be friends with someone like Ben.
"She already has," Zara mumbled, her mind shifting back to the story, "Besides, I'm going to see Katherine now." She got out of the water and began putting her clean clothes on behind Pazia.
"Yeah, right," Ben retorted.
"I'm serious Ben! I did go home and she launched into this whole lecture," Zara said. She wasn't feeling ready to tell Ben about the story.
When Zara finished changing, she grabbed her saddlebag and mounted Pazia. Then she started trotting off in the direction of Kakariko Village. She could see Ben and Anthony urging their horses on most likely to catch up with her.
"And where do you think you're going?" Ben said as he came up beside her and grabbed Pazia's reins from Zara.
"To Katherine's" she replied as she tugged the reins from Ben's hand and started off into a gallop.
"We'll see about that!" Ben called. Zara turned around and from what she could tell, they weren't making any attempt to catch her. Not that she would have let them anyway.
He'll check in with Mom and find out that I wasn't lying so Ha! She thought to herself confidently as she rode back to Kakariko.
* * *
In an hour, Zara found herself knocking on Katherine's door. She had seen Ben and Anthony ride into the village about 15 minutes ago. She hurried out of sight before they could drag her home.
The door opened and Katherine was standing in front of her.
"Hey," Katherine said giving Zara a half smile and a sleepy wave.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Zara replied as she thought back to last night again. She could tell Katherine was thinking the same thing by the look that came across her face.
"Not great 'cause my mom shoved tons of food down my throat," She groaned.
"You won't believe what my mom told me!" Zara exclaimed. She was more than eager to spill the story – her story – now.
"Let's go down to my room where we can talk in privacy." Katherine said glancing over her shoulder at her mother who sat at the kitchen table reading.
When in Katherine's room, Zara began to tell her the story, skipping the unnecessary details her mother had thrown in. Everything spilled out faster and faster and Katherine sat there, half in shock, with her hand covering her mouth.
Soon grief had overcome Zara's initial anger and she began crying, her face buried in one of the pillows on Katherine's bed.
"I…can't believe it," Zara choked out, "Just…left me…in the dark,"
"I bet she told you about getting you from the orphanage with the full intent of telling you the real story someday. Can you imagine her telling you that story when you were younger?" Katherine rationalized.
Zara sat there and thought for a minute. That was what she liked about Katherine. She always saw things at a different angle and she never said things to make Zara feel bad about being so closed-minded. "I guess you're right," she said as she wiped at her tear-streaked and blotchy face.
They sat in silence for a few moments until Katherine spoke up once again.
"You know what you should do? You should go to the fortress. I'm sure someone could help fill you in on the rest of the story."
Zara thought about it. At first it seemed crazy. It would never work. The more she thought about it though, the more it made sense. Maybe it's just crazy enough to work.
I'd need someone to go with me though. My mom would never let me go by myself." Zara said, the thought almost ruining her recently found good mood.
You could have Ben go with you," Katherine suggested, "She couldn't say no to that."
Zara sighed. Ben would be no fun. She'd rather not go at all than go with Ben. "I wouldn't be able to do anything with Ben there. You know how overprotective he is."
They both thought to themselves. They didn't have many male friends and those that they did were friends of Ben and Anthony first…
"How about…Anthony?" Zara said trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"No…Zara…I thought you were over him. I know this isn't what you want to hear but he is really not a nice guy. I've seen what he's done to nice girls. He goes through them like water, breaking their hearts left and right. I can almost guarantee that Marisol will be over within a week. I'd stay away from him if I were you." Katherine warned. She paused to let everything she said sink in. "I'm only saying this because I'm your friend and I don't want you to get hurt."
Zara sighed again. "I know…" She knew deep down that Katherine was right even though she didn't want to admit it. Anthony acted like he was interested in everyone. It was foolish of her to think that he even remotely liked her.
"Besides," Katherine said bringing in another fact to help get Zara's mind off of her brother, "I've heard you need a membership card to pass through the valley and Anthony doesn't have one."
"I don't think I know anyone who does…" Zara murmured. She was just beginning to realize that it would be a lot harder to find someone that she initially thought.
After a few more minutes of the brainstorming, Katherine came up with another idea.
"You could post messages on the bulletin boards inside the shops. It could read: WANTED: One handsome single male (under 25) with Gerudo membership card willing to escort a beautiful girl to her homeland. Please contact Zara." She said with lots of hand gestures. She and Zara started giggling and soon they were both laughing hysterically.
"We better get down to business then. Let's go find some paper!" Zara said with a sly smile.
* * *
What will happen next!? Who will answer the
message!? (Hmmm...that's a hard one! ^_^)