**Wow! How long has it been? Never mind, don't tell me, it will only
depress me. I am so sorry that I haven't updated in practically forever!
I don't know what happened! But I am back now, and I hope that I haven't
lost any of my faithful readers (Raine Ishida, you're criticism is always
welcome and appreciated, and I love your comments, they make me feel so
good; Naval Ace, you are just too good to me). I really will try to update
this now that I have started it again. Thanks so much you guys, and I am
sorry.**
Link flung his legs over Epona's back. He sat there, hesitating only a moment before gently digging his heels into her side to make her go. He knew that it was time he confronted the Gerudos. He had known that for a while now. He just didn't want to do it. It unnerved him that those women would turn on him so violently. To be sure, when they had first met it had not exactly been a friendly meeting, but they had never attacked him with such force or in so many numbers. He had thought that he and the warriors were now allies. He hoped that his assumption was not now incorrect.
Navi made her presence known soon after they were underway. She poked her tiny head out from behind Link's shield to whisper in his ear. "So, you and Saria were looking rather cozy together last night." Link smiled but made no reply. "Are you two any closer than you have been in the past?"
"You mean you weren't listening to every word that was said?" asked Link in mock shock. "I thought you were supposed to be the ever-so observant one, never missing anything. You can't tell me you didn't hear at least a little of what went on, Navi," replied Link. He had struck a nerve.
"Link! How dare you accuse me of eavesdropping! Me! I was the one who stood by your side last year through your entire quest, Hero of Time, and I was the one who came to tell you all about Irnan, and I was the one who decided to be your aid and guide on this particular quest. Link, we've been through everything two creatures can possibly be through together, and you dare accuse me of infringing on your privacy!" cried Navi indignantly. Link couldn't help but laugh at her rage. "And now you mock me with laughter! I see that my friendship carries little weight with you."
"Oh, Navi, I was just playing with you. Lighten up! I don't know what I would do without you. Really. Your friendship carries a lot of weight with me. You must know that," Link replied. Navi gave him a look that let Link know that she forgave him. A moment later, Link asked, "So how much did you hear?"
"Oh! Fine! You know me too well. I only heard a little of what the two of you were saying before she fell asleep, mainly because I was tired. I heard all of your conversation this morning. Please don't hate me, Link. I can't help it, it's in my nature." Link just laughed, and they rode the rest of the way in silence.
Once they got to the bridge nearing the fortress, Link readied his shield and sword. The Gerudos had never been hostile towards him after they had become friends, and he considered them allies. He hoped that his assumption of their relationship was not incorrect. He valued their loyalty. It saddened him that he felt the need to walk into their territory with his sword drawn and his shield ready.
It was Rue who descended on him first. "Halt! Oh, Link! How nice to see you again! What brings you here?" she asked. Link had brought the weapon that one Gerudo had left behind as evidence of their attack. He produced it now and Rue looked at it in puzzlement.
"It belongs to one of your tribe members. Rue, I don't know if you know this or not, but I was attacked by Gerudo warriors a few days ago. If I hadn't been so tired I'm sure I would have been able to fight them off better than I did, but I was injured very badly, and would have been worse if Saria hadn't intervened. I don't want to accuse anyone. I don't even want to accuse any of the women here. I don't know if they really were Gerudo warriors or if they just wanted me to think they were. Do you have any idea (assuming that the people that attacked me really were Gerudo) who it might have been?" asked Link.
Rue looked completely shocked. She stood gaping at him. "You were attacked, by Gerudos?"
"Well, like I said, I'm not exactly who attacked me. All I know is that they were dressed like Gerudos and carried these weapons," Link replied.
"Link, I hate to say this, but I think I have an idea of who might have done this. Why don't you come inside the fortress, and I'll take you to where I live and we'll talk. I trust my fellow Gerudo implicitly but there are some things that even they should not be privy to."
Link followed Rue as she lead him to where she lived. He was deep in thought, wondering what Rue might know about the attack. It must be something big, or Rue would not go to all this trouble not to be heard. Gerudo stuck together through everything, and when it was a question between the tribe and an outsider, the answer was always the tribe.
The room was small, but surprisingly warm and inviting. She had a nice fire going, even though the heat was intense outside. Inside the fortress walls, the air was cool and damp, and sometimes cold. The fire didn't make Link excessively hot, in fact, it was glad to have it's heat. Rue gestured to a chair in the corner and had him sit down. "This might come as a bit of a shock, Link. I know exactly who it was that attacked you," Rue said, avoiding Link's eyes.
"You do? Well, who was it? Have you apprehended them?" asked Link, leaning forward in his chair.
"No. They have not been apprehended. It is not acceptable behavior, since my people have considered you an ally, not to mention a friend. Link, I cannot apprehend them for their behavior. They were acting under orders."
Link let himself fall back in the chair. He could not believe his ears. "Rue, I don't understand. They were ordered to attack me? And they're not even going to get a warning, let alone a well deserved punishment? I thought that we did have an alliance! I thought that we did have a friendship! What happened to that? Rue, I was nearly killed! As it is, I was injured very badly, and if Saria hadn't appeared when she did...I just don't know what would have happened."
Rue sighed deeply. "I knew your reaction would be like this. They were not acting under my orders. I have very little power over them. I am on a higher level, but I am far from being the highest rung on the ladder. I have no control over what happens to the Gerudo. I have no control over where they go and what they do unless I am told that I have control. It pains me greatly that my people were ordered to attack you. I apologize and ask for your forgiveness. I would never have a hair on your head harmed by my warriors. Unfortunately, it is not up to me."
"Who ordered it?" asked Link. He was still in shock, and he needed to know who it was that was threatening his life. "Are they working for Irnan?"
"I don't know," replied Rue, blushing slightly.
"What do you mean you don't know? You don't know who your orders come from? Or you don't know if they work for Irnan?" asked Link.
"Neither one. I have never known who our leader is. It is only a privileged few who do. Link, I know that this is a huge shock. The Gerudo have always come across as a group of women who took orders from only themselves and did what they wanted. We do have a leader, and we do exactly what we are told. If we were to do whatever we pleased, there would be harsh consequences to pay. But our loyalty runs deep. Unfortunately, our loyalty to each other and our leader is far greater and far deeper than our loyalty to you.
"Link, despite all of this, I want you to know that as far as I am concerned, you will always be welcome here. Please don't let this incident hinder our friendship."
"You are asking me to forgive this 'little incident'? You would call my near death a 'little incident'? Oh, of course, Rue! I'll just write this off and I won't allow it to affect our friendship. It doesn't matter to me at all that your leader, who you don't even know, might order this fort of thing again. That carried no weight with me.
"You mark my words, Rue. As of this moment, the Gerudo have no ally in me. I will find this leader, and I will take care of the problem. Thank you for enlightening me. I will show myself out," said Link. He gathered his things and stormed out of the room. He could not believe that the Gerudo would stab him in the back like that. He could not believe that Rue would sit there and ask him to forgiver her. And he could not believe that he felt a pang of guilt at leaving Rue the way he had. Still, he saddled Epona and rode quickly away, refusing to look back or regret his decision.
Link flung his legs over Epona's back. He sat there, hesitating only a moment before gently digging his heels into her side to make her go. He knew that it was time he confronted the Gerudos. He had known that for a while now. He just didn't want to do it. It unnerved him that those women would turn on him so violently. To be sure, when they had first met it had not exactly been a friendly meeting, but they had never attacked him with such force or in so many numbers. He had thought that he and the warriors were now allies. He hoped that his assumption was not now incorrect.
Navi made her presence known soon after they were underway. She poked her tiny head out from behind Link's shield to whisper in his ear. "So, you and Saria were looking rather cozy together last night." Link smiled but made no reply. "Are you two any closer than you have been in the past?"
"You mean you weren't listening to every word that was said?" asked Link in mock shock. "I thought you were supposed to be the ever-so observant one, never missing anything. You can't tell me you didn't hear at least a little of what went on, Navi," replied Link. He had struck a nerve.
"Link! How dare you accuse me of eavesdropping! Me! I was the one who stood by your side last year through your entire quest, Hero of Time, and I was the one who came to tell you all about Irnan, and I was the one who decided to be your aid and guide on this particular quest. Link, we've been through everything two creatures can possibly be through together, and you dare accuse me of infringing on your privacy!" cried Navi indignantly. Link couldn't help but laugh at her rage. "And now you mock me with laughter! I see that my friendship carries little weight with you."
"Oh, Navi, I was just playing with you. Lighten up! I don't know what I would do without you. Really. Your friendship carries a lot of weight with me. You must know that," Link replied. Navi gave him a look that let Link know that she forgave him. A moment later, Link asked, "So how much did you hear?"
"Oh! Fine! You know me too well. I only heard a little of what the two of you were saying before she fell asleep, mainly because I was tired. I heard all of your conversation this morning. Please don't hate me, Link. I can't help it, it's in my nature." Link just laughed, and they rode the rest of the way in silence.
Once they got to the bridge nearing the fortress, Link readied his shield and sword. The Gerudos had never been hostile towards him after they had become friends, and he considered them allies. He hoped that his assumption of their relationship was not incorrect. He valued their loyalty. It saddened him that he felt the need to walk into their territory with his sword drawn and his shield ready.
It was Rue who descended on him first. "Halt! Oh, Link! How nice to see you again! What brings you here?" she asked. Link had brought the weapon that one Gerudo had left behind as evidence of their attack. He produced it now and Rue looked at it in puzzlement.
"It belongs to one of your tribe members. Rue, I don't know if you know this or not, but I was attacked by Gerudo warriors a few days ago. If I hadn't been so tired I'm sure I would have been able to fight them off better than I did, but I was injured very badly, and would have been worse if Saria hadn't intervened. I don't want to accuse anyone. I don't even want to accuse any of the women here. I don't know if they really were Gerudo warriors or if they just wanted me to think they were. Do you have any idea (assuming that the people that attacked me really were Gerudo) who it might have been?" asked Link.
Rue looked completely shocked. She stood gaping at him. "You were attacked, by Gerudos?"
"Well, like I said, I'm not exactly who attacked me. All I know is that they were dressed like Gerudos and carried these weapons," Link replied.
"Link, I hate to say this, but I think I have an idea of who might have done this. Why don't you come inside the fortress, and I'll take you to where I live and we'll talk. I trust my fellow Gerudo implicitly but there are some things that even they should not be privy to."
Link followed Rue as she lead him to where she lived. He was deep in thought, wondering what Rue might know about the attack. It must be something big, or Rue would not go to all this trouble not to be heard. Gerudo stuck together through everything, and when it was a question between the tribe and an outsider, the answer was always the tribe.
The room was small, but surprisingly warm and inviting. She had a nice fire going, even though the heat was intense outside. Inside the fortress walls, the air was cool and damp, and sometimes cold. The fire didn't make Link excessively hot, in fact, it was glad to have it's heat. Rue gestured to a chair in the corner and had him sit down. "This might come as a bit of a shock, Link. I know exactly who it was that attacked you," Rue said, avoiding Link's eyes.
"You do? Well, who was it? Have you apprehended them?" asked Link, leaning forward in his chair.
"No. They have not been apprehended. It is not acceptable behavior, since my people have considered you an ally, not to mention a friend. Link, I cannot apprehend them for their behavior. They were acting under orders."
Link let himself fall back in the chair. He could not believe his ears. "Rue, I don't understand. They were ordered to attack me? And they're not even going to get a warning, let alone a well deserved punishment? I thought that we did have an alliance! I thought that we did have a friendship! What happened to that? Rue, I was nearly killed! As it is, I was injured very badly, and if Saria hadn't appeared when she did...I just don't know what would have happened."
Rue sighed deeply. "I knew your reaction would be like this. They were not acting under my orders. I have very little power over them. I am on a higher level, but I am far from being the highest rung on the ladder. I have no control over what happens to the Gerudo. I have no control over where they go and what they do unless I am told that I have control. It pains me greatly that my people were ordered to attack you. I apologize and ask for your forgiveness. I would never have a hair on your head harmed by my warriors. Unfortunately, it is not up to me."
"Who ordered it?" asked Link. He was still in shock, and he needed to know who it was that was threatening his life. "Are they working for Irnan?"
"I don't know," replied Rue, blushing slightly.
"What do you mean you don't know? You don't know who your orders come from? Or you don't know if they work for Irnan?" asked Link.
"Neither one. I have never known who our leader is. It is only a privileged few who do. Link, I know that this is a huge shock. The Gerudo have always come across as a group of women who took orders from only themselves and did what they wanted. We do have a leader, and we do exactly what we are told. If we were to do whatever we pleased, there would be harsh consequences to pay. But our loyalty runs deep. Unfortunately, our loyalty to each other and our leader is far greater and far deeper than our loyalty to you.
"Link, despite all of this, I want you to know that as far as I am concerned, you will always be welcome here. Please don't let this incident hinder our friendship."
"You are asking me to forgive this 'little incident'? You would call my near death a 'little incident'? Oh, of course, Rue! I'll just write this off and I won't allow it to affect our friendship. It doesn't matter to me at all that your leader, who you don't even know, might order this fort of thing again. That carried no weight with me.
"You mark my words, Rue. As of this moment, the Gerudo have no ally in me. I will find this leader, and I will take care of the problem. Thank you for enlightening me. I will show myself out," said Link. He gathered his things and stormed out of the room. He could not believe that the Gerudo would stab him in the back like that. He could not believe that Rue would sit there and ask him to forgiver her. And he could not believe that he felt a pang of guilt at leaving Rue the way he had. Still, he saddled Epona and rode quickly away, refusing to look back or regret his decision.