Chapter 1 – The Gerudo Sisters
"Get down, let me see."
"In a minute!"
"No, let me look." Yerra struggled against her sister, and then decided to scramble around to the other side of the large sign above the building to see down. "Hey yeah, you're right Jerra, he is pretty fine."
"I told you."
Yerra looked at him admiringly. The boy was a bit older than she was, about Jerra's age, and wore an earthen brown tunic. He was very handsome, with a commanding build and red-blonde hair. Currently, he was sitting on the well in the centre of the market square, apparently oblivious to the two of them on the roof of the bazaar. He was looking over a map, and marking points of it with a dagger.
"Hey, you don't suppose he's that Link guy do you? The one we saw in the Hylian museum. The Hero of Time." Yerra looked across at Jerra for a reply.
Jerra took another look and then turned to her sister. "Maybe. He does look quite a bit like the picture..."
"Well, I'm gonna find out!" Yerra leapt down from the building onto a balcony.
"Yerra!" Called Jerra, but she was already making her way down some wooden steps to the ground. "I swear...One of these days..." Reluctantly, she jumped down from the building and hurried after her sister.
Yerra reached the boy sitting by the well. "Hi." She smiled and sat down close to him. "I'm Yerra."
"Hey." He said, quite startled. He had every right to be startled, Yerra was stunning. He knew instantly that she was a Gerudo, her clothes made it obvious; the material they were made from, the vibrant purple and deep black, the gold patterns; and of course her unmistakeable long, bright red hair. She was incredibly beautiful, and he was wondering what he had done to make her approach.
Then before he had chance to speak again, another girl approached. She looked almost identical, but older, more mature looking. She glared at the other. "Yerra, don't do that to me." Then she looked at him and smiled. "Hi."
"Hey." He said again.
"I'm Jerra." She sat down on his other side, and looked at his map.
The other girl started again. "We were just saying we think we recognise you."
"Really? Why?"
"Are you Link?"
The boy's eyes widened, something had clearly shocked him. "No...my name is Karak."
"Oh." Yerra seemed disappointed. The other girl didn't seem too bothered though.
"Hey, what made you think I was called 'Link'? Do you mean Link al'Ryak?"
"Um...yeah I think so. Its just, you looked a lot like him from a painting we saw. And you're the right age as well." Said Jerra looking up from the map. It was a map of the eastern reach of Hyrule, stretching as far west as Death Mountain and Hylia.
"Really? You think I look like Link? And he's sixteen as well?" He seemed very interested in this. More interested that one might expect.
"Yeah. Well, I guess." Said Yerra.
"Yerra said she thinks you're fine." Said Jerra laughing.
Karak turned to Yerra and she leaned back. "I did not!" She said laughing playfully.
Karak laughed as well, and then tried to veer the conversation away from him. "You two are Gerudos aren't you?"
"Oh yes," said Jerra, "We're the infamous middle Grimal sisters." She smiled flirtatiously. "Of the 'noble and most ancient house of Grimal'."
"Not so noble anymore though..." Muttered Yerra. "Just a broken line. Somewhere along the line our house was supposed to be the royal heirs, before another Dragmire was born. But that was a couple hundred years ago." Karak wasn't sure where that change of tone had come from the previously lively Yerra. Then she winked at him and added, "We're still pretty good though." She laughed.
"Ignore her," Said Jerra, "She's got no control."
"No control..." muttered Yerra, "look who's talking." Jerra just laughed at this.
Karak wasn't sure what they had just meant, but he was certainly enjoying this attention, as odd as it was. He just reminded himself that these were Gerudos; maybe this was usual behaviour for them. Then again maybe it was just the 'Grimal sisters'. "So what are you two doing here?"
"Oh we're just er..." Began Yerra, but didn't find the words.
Jerra leaped to finish her sentence. "-passing through. Yes, we're passing through. We're um...going to Death Mountain, for..."
"Shopping!" Said Yerra trying to carry on this obvious charade.
"Shopping?" Questioned Jerra, abandoning it.
"Um...yeah. They make really nice things there like..." She looked for help from Jerra, but she just looked at her hopelessly. "Um...jewellery! Yeah, very good craftsmen up there. Or craftsgorons I should say." Jerra shook her head in disbelief.
"Okay," Said Karak. "It doesn't matter why you're really here." He looked over Yerra's shoulder towards the main gate. "Listen, I've got to tell you something."
"What?" Said Jerra.
"Well, don't look now but...there's a Zora leaning against a wall just over there, inside the shadows. He's been staring at you two this whole time. He wasn't there before."
Yerra gave Jerra a concerned look. "We'd better go."
"Yeah, you're right. Come on." The two of them stood up and walked away briskly leaving Karak alone again, quite startled by their sudden leave. He looked down at his map and traced his journey with his dagger. If this was Hylia, then Link must be around somewhere.
He looked around hopefully, but his attention was suddenly drawn to a figure dressed in white and blue walking briskly into the square through the north gate from the castle. She had long golden hair and a very elegant aura about herself. There was no doubt who that was, that was the Princess Zelda. He watched as she walked down into another street, escorted by two castle guards. He had a sudden thought, a daring one granted but...The Princess knew Link...He stood up and walked in the direction she had gone.
From the shadows, a Zora stood quietly, spinning a dagger between his fingers. The Grimal girls had climbed back up onto the rooftops. Slowly he made his way in the direction they had gone, eye sharp and ears keen. He was close now. So close.
"Get down, let me see."
"In a minute!"
"No, let me look." Yerra struggled against her sister, and then decided to scramble around to the other side of the large sign above the building to see down. "Hey yeah, you're right Jerra, he is pretty fine."
"I told you."
Yerra looked at him admiringly. The boy was a bit older than she was, about Jerra's age, and wore an earthen brown tunic. He was very handsome, with a commanding build and red-blonde hair. Currently, he was sitting on the well in the centre of the market square, apparently oblivious to the two of them on the roof of the bazaar. He was looking over a map, and marking points of it with a dagger.
"Hey, you don't suppose he's that Link guy do you? The one we saw in the Hylian museum. The Hero of Time." Yerra looked across at Jerra for a reply.
Jerra took another look and then turned to her sister. "Maybe. He does look quite a bit like the picture..."
"Well, I'm gonna find out!" Yerra leapt down from the building onto a balcony.
"Yerra!" Called Jerra, but she was already making her way down some wooden steps to the ground. "I swear...One of these days..." Reluctantly, she jumped down from the building and hurried after her sister.
Yerra reached the boy sitting by the well. "Hi." She smiled and sat down close to him. "I'm Yerra."
"Hey." He said, quite startled. He had every right to be startled, Yerra was stunning. He knew instantly that she was a Gerudo, her clothes made it obvious; the material they were made from, the vibrant purple and deep black, the gold patterns; and of course her unmistakeable long, bright red hair. She was incredibly beautiful, and he was wondering what he had done to make her approach.
Then before he had chance to speak again, another girl approached. She looked almost identical, but older, more mature looking. She glared at the other. "Yerra, don't do that to me." Then she looked at him and smiled. "Hi."
"Hey." He said again.
"I'm Jerra." She sat down on his other side, and looked at his map.
The other girl started again. "We were just saying we think we recognise you."
"Really? Why?"
"Are you Link?"
The boy's eyes widened, something had clearly shocked him. "No...my name is Karak."
"Oh." Yerra seemed disappointed. The other girl didn't seem too bothered though.
"Hey, what made you think I was called 'Link'? Do you mean Link al'Ryak?"
"Um...yeah I think so. Its just, you looked a lot like him from a painting we saw. And you're the right age as well." Said Jerra looking up from the map. It was a map of the eastern reach of Hyrule, stretching as far west as Death Mountain and Hylia.
"Really? You think I look like Link? And he's sixteen as well?" He seemed very interested in this. More interested that one might expect.
"Yeah. Well, I guess." Said Yerra.
"Yerra said she thinks you're fine." Said Jerra laughing.
Karak turned to Yerra and she leaned back. "I did not!" She said laughing playfully.
Karak laughed as well, and then tried to veer the conversation away from him. "You two are Gerudos aren't you?"
"Oh yes," said Jerra, "We're the infamous middle Grimal sisters." She smiled flirtatiously. "Of the 'noble and most ancient house of Grimal'."
"Not so noble anymore though..." Muttered Yerra. "Just a broken line. Somewhere along the line our house was supposed to be the royal heirs, before another Dragmire was born. But that was a couple hundred years ago." Karak wasn't sure where that change of tone had come from the previously lively Yerra. Then she winked at him and added, "We're still pretty good though." She laughed.
"Ignore her," Said Jerra, "She's got no control."
"No control..." muttered Yerra, "look who's talking." Jerra just laughed at this.
Karak wasn't sure what they had just meant, but he was certainly enjoying this attention, as odd as it was. He just reminded himself that these were Gerudos; maybe this was usual behaviour for them. Then again maybe it was just the 'Grimal sisters'. "So what are you two doing here?"
"Oh we're just er..." Began Yerra, but didn't find the words.
Jerra leaped to finish her sentence. "-passing through. Yes, we're passing through. We're um...going to Death Mountain, for..."
"Shopping!" Said Yerra trying to carry on this obvious charade.
"Shopping?" Questioned Jerra, abandoning it.
"Um...yeah. They make really nice things there like..." She looked for help from Jerra, but she just looked at her hopelessly. "Um...jewellery! Yeah, very good craftsmen up there. Or craftsgorons I should say." Jerra shook her head in disbelief.
"Okay," Said Karak. "It doesn't matter why you're really here." He looked over Yerra's shoulder towards the main gate. "Listen, I've got to tell you something."
"What?" Said Jerra.
"Well, don't look now but...there's a Zora leaning against a wall just over there, inside the shadows. He's been staring at you two this whole time. He wasn't there before."
Yerra gave Jerra a concerned look. "We'd better go."
"Yeah, you're right. Come on." The two of them stood up and walked away briskly leaving Karak alone again, quite startled by their sudden leave. He looked down at his map and traced his journey with his dagger. If this was Hylia, then Link must be around somewhere.
He looked around hopefully, but his attention was suddenly drawn to a figure dressed in white and blue walking briskly into the square through the north gate from the castle. She had long golden hair and a very elegant aura about herself. There was no doubt who that was, that was the Princess Zelda. He watched as she walked down into another street, escorted by two castle guards. He had a sudden thought, a daring one granted but...The Princess knew Link...He stood up and walked in the direction she had gone.
From the shadows, a Zora stood quietly, spinning a dagger between his fingers. The Grimal girls had climbed back up onto the rooftops. Slowly he made his way in the direction they had gone, eye sharp and ears keen. He was close now. So close.