Sakina was avoided by everyone. The entire market formed veritable lanes to let her pass, watching her go, whispering as she went.
"What did that little girl do?" Asked a woman to her child.
"Dunno,"
"Didn't she have a friend?"
"Yeah, what happened to him?"
Sakina felt her head pounding. Pain wracked her small form and had wandering and weaving through the streets. Terrified, enraged and confused, Sakina wandered back to the Temple of Time. Her bag was at the entrance. She picked it up half-heartedly and ran inside to find that the wall had returned, solid as ever. She pressed her forehead up against it and whispered.
"Link, if you're in there, please hear me." Sakina begged. She stayed there all night, watching the wall hopefully. The next day, she left, feeling put-out and hopeless. The market was emptying slowly. People were talking about moving to Kakariko or some such thing.
"Yeah, this place is cursed, man," said a guy, about seventeen. "I think I'm gonna have to move it on out."
People still watched Sakina with fascination, sympathy and horror.
There was one place she felt she might be able to stay for awhile with Hylians. Leaving Hyrule Market, she ventured to Lon Lon Ranch.
"Sakina!" Malon ran up to her. "Thank Din you're here!"
"Why? What's happening?"
"Daddy just got a letter saying he had to leave next week!" Malon was crying.
Sakina's heart sank. Was everything in Hyrule going to be mutilated by the end of this nightmare?
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Malon jumped on Sakina, who had to restrain a cry of pain. They hugged fiercely. Malon's arms squeezed her bruises and cuts and arms which still cried for relief. Malon let go finally and wiped her eyes.
"What happened to you?" Malon asked quietly, finally noticing that Sakina was bloody, dirty and crying herself.
Sakina shook her head. "Doesn't matter."
"Let's get you a bath… what's that on your neck?" Malon saw Sakina's Triforce brand and gasped. "You! You're the one that…." Malon stepped away horrified.
Sakina's lower lip trembled again.
Talon came out, unshaven and in a dither.
"Malon, tell yer friend she can't stay. We're movin' tomorrow." Talon sighed. "Mr. Ingo wants immediate ownership of the ranch."
"But Daddy!" Malon cried. "I can't leave the horses!"
"No indeed." Said an oily voice. A man emerged wearing a wrinkled tailcoat and a bowtie. "I think you can stay, Malon, to help me with my chores. There's a good girl. Oh? Who's your friend?" Ingo rubbed his mustache thoughtfully. "Another hand for the ranch?"
Sakina thought it sounded like an okay idea, until Ingo saw the brand on her neck.
"YOU!" He turned pale immediately. "GET OUT! GET OUT!!"
"Mr. Ingo…." Malon pleaded.
"NO! GET OUT!" He picked up a stone and threw it at Sakina, barely missing as she fled the enclosure, feeling as though her luck was running desperately out.
She couldn't go back to Kokiri; she knew that, because she was Hylian and would eventually grow older. Saria might allow her to stay, but the other children would be afraid of her. A great deal of them probably thought she was responsible for the Deku Tree's death. Kakariko was out of the question, as everyone there would have heard of Ganondorf's edict. Death Mountain was guarded by a man from Kakariko who would probably not let her by. She resolved to try the Zoras; they were her last hope, after all.
Her limbs were exhausted so she nearly limped all the way to the river.
Flap, flap, flap, flap….
"Hoo, hoo!" The large owl landed in front of her. She looked up half-heartedly.
"What do you want?" She sighed.
"Sakina," the owl started gently, walking awkwardly towards her. His was the first truly sympathetic look she had gotten all week. She collapsed to the ground and her chest heaved a few tearless sobs. "Where are you going? The Zoras cannot take you." The owl explained. "For soon they will have problems enough for themselves."
"Why?" Sakina asked her meaningless question. "Where can I go? Where?"
The owl turned his head, thinking.
"Get cleaned up, and try staying in Kakariko for awhile. Hide your scar with your hair." The owl looked up and saw a herd of horses riding for them. "I must go! The Gerudos approach!" The owl took off. "They may be your last chance!" He hooted after her.
Last chance for what? Sakina wondered to herself. She stood on shaky legs and decided to take out her dagger, hoping she wouldn't have need of it. Holding it defensively to her chest, she waited for them to stop.
The Gerudos were a band of women dressed in desert clothes. They circled her with spears at the ready. Perhaps she would finally die her blissful death.
"What's this? A Hylian lass with forest braids!" A hard-faced Gerudo guffawed.
"What are you going to do about it?" Sakina pushed. The Gerudos all saw the dark shadows underneath her eyes. One of them saw the fresh brand on her neck and whispered to the other.
"Sakina, isn't it?" Their apparent leader. "Nabooru, our sage, said an enemy of Ganondorf's is a friend of ours. My name is Heltzaku." She reached down with an open hand. Sakina sensed a true offer of friendship and took the woman's hand happily, watching carefully for any signs of lying. They shook hands. "How old are you?"
"Nine," Sakina said quietly.
"Still a child, certainly. What Ganondorf was thinking…. You're come with us. We're stocking up for the cold season." Heltzaku motioned to her tribe. "Zahmora will take you back to our village." A softer faced woman nodded encouragingly to her. "There she will tell you what you are expected to do while living with the Gerudos."
Sakina walked over to Zahmora.
"HYAH!" Heltzaku and her band of warrior women rode off towards Kakariko.
"Hi," Sakina said uncertainly.
"Hello," she reached down and pulled Sakina into her saddle. "Let me show you to your new home." Holding Sakina round the waist, Zahmora rode back to the desert village which she and her gang inhabited.
It looked to be built out of sand and stucco. The building rose out of the sand like a sand castle and was guarded by more fierce Gerudo warriors. Zahmora tethered her horse to a post and helped Sakina down.
"First, you need to be cleaned up."
Sakina grinned. "I certainly can't smell too clean." She tilted her head instinctually and grimaced as her scar twinged.
"Nay, you do not indeed." Zahmora took Sakina by the shoulder and led her into a small bath chamber. After a gentle scrubbing and long combing, Sakina was clean and wearing her extra tunic. She braided her hair again and breathed normally for the first time in days. She collapsed gratefully in a seat and closed her eyes. Zahmora knocked on the door and came in.
"Oh, I see you already have extra clothing." Zahmora noted. "All right. Heltzaku would have you rest for tonight and tomorrow your training will begin."
Sakina slept like the dead, never waking from her dreamless sleep until another woman, Kynthia, woke her for breakfast. Sakina was immensely grateful. Touching her neck instinctively, she remembered Link.
"I have to go!" She said, standing abruptly, to the surprise of chatting Gerudos.
Zahmora, who had been walking in, looked at Sakina in shock. "Where?"
"Link! My friend… he might be coming back today! I have to see if he's there!"
"You're not going anywhere today."
"But-."
"But nothing. You're starting your training today." Zahmora scolded. The other Gerudos muttered to one another.
Sakina couldn't believe it but allowed herself to be bossed around for awhile. Training began an hour after breakfast. She was the youngest girl there. The rest were no younger than seventeen. The hot, desert sun beat down on her small, green-clad shoulders and made her brand sting cruelly.
"Among the Gerudos," Heltzaku spoke officially to her, "only one man is born every hundred years. We must go out and seek other men for our children to be born. None has been sought since the beginning reign of Ganondorf." Heltzaku said with a chill in her voice. "You aren't a Gerudo, but we must take you in, and one day we may give you up. You need to be able to protect yourself."
"I can protect myself," Sakina said hotly.
Heltzaku brought her spear down and hit Sakina on the shoulder. "I could have killed you. Where was your defense?"
Sakina was left speechless.
"You favor the dagger?"
Sakina nodded.
"No good but for small fights." Heltzaku shook her head. "You need a sword if you are going to follow the Hylian way of blade fighting." Heltzaku pointed towards a door in the building. "See that door yonder? In there you will find dangers. Great and terrible. But those you must fight if you wish to earn your steel. Otherwise," Heltzaku fiddled with her spear lovingly, "you will need to obtain one of these."
"I can get a sword." Sakina said confidently, remembering how Link got his first sword.
Heltzaku grinned, walked towards the door, and unlocked it for her. "Good luck, forest girl."
Sakina's fingers brushed the wall as she went and then she pulled out both daggers. Heltzaku slammed the door behind her, shaking a few small spiders from the ceiling. Sakina's heart leapt for fear. She was still sore from the prior day's injuries, but the Gerudos didn't seem to believe in healing or rest. Sakina held her dagger all the tighter for fear.
"All right," she muttered, "I can do this."
Boulders were everywhere, rolling, rolling, rolling and spiders were making their turns and Deku Babas popped out of the ground. Sakina, for the first time, realized that she was utterly alone. No Link to act as her backup. Or protector, as the case may have been. She found, after fighting the initial beasts off, a vine leading up a wall. She climbed it with prudence and a dagger between her teeth. She thought this was much more difficult that Link's sword obtainment.
Again, her heart did a little dip as she recalled his loss.
He's still alive! She reminded herself. She would go back and wait for him again.
Finally, she reached the top. To her horror, there was a gigantic fire slug awaiting her arrival. She grabbed her smaller dagger and plunged it into its molten depths, killing it instantly but burning her hand in the process. Her small brow was furrowed in concentration, focusing anywhere but the pain that had taken over her left hand. There was a large chest in the center of the block upon which she stood. It had seemingly come out of nowhere. She ran her hand across the top and felt the golden encrusted chest. Determinedly, she pulled the chest open and pulled out its bounty.
Gasping, she removed the white-sheathed sword. It was beautiful; the sheath alone was engraved with thick symmetrical lines. The sword was long and sharp and commanded respect more than any weapon she had ever seen. It was gracefully put together but clearly powerful. It was almost too large for her to wield but from the moment she successfully pulled it from that box, it was hers and part of her forever. The hilt was bronze wrapped with a white, leather grip. Sakina silently vowed to clean it every night.
The small girl whipped around, holding her sword at the ready. A growling animal was approaching her. It was a white wolfos and it was coming towards her in a way that suggested death. Sakina was ready. In three hits, she had rendered the wolfos dead. Her blade, now shining red with blood, sang to her and she smiled at it, then wiped it in the wolfos fur and left the challenge.
"Congratulations," Heltzaku said, somewhat surprised. "I suspected you might be able to do it." Heltzaku seemed to be lying. The rest of the Gerudos seemed frankly shocked. A Gerudo with red hair whispered something to Zahmora who smiled and nodded.
"Thank you," Sakina said, strapping her sheath around her waist. The sheath trailed to the ground, so she changed her mind and decided she would try something different later.
"Today, we will have you practicing against Naoll, the best swordswoman of our tribe." Heltzaku motioned to a woman with golden hair pulled back tightly in a high ponytail. "Best besides me, that is." Naoll nodded to acknowledge her inferiority. What they didn't know about Sakina was that she had practiced swordplay (with wooden swords and sticks) since she was about five. They expected her to be highly amateur. In comparison to them, she certainly was, but she was able to keep up. They practiced the sword until noon. Naoll found she liked Sakina quite a lot by the end of their primary lesson.
"Girl, you are one hot and bothered child." She teased her on their way to lunch. "You need to learn to control your shots more and place them where the enemy is weakest. Wild thrusting will only get you so far."
"Will we be practicing more this afternoon?" Sakina asked eagerly, taking a seat next to Zahmora and across form Naoll.
"Not today. For you, it's off to learn the art of arrows."
"Oh." Sakina blushed. "I can barely use a slingshot, what's the chance of me mastering a bow?"
"If you're going to live with us?" A woman named Nokomis took a seat next to her. "It had better be pretty damned good."
"How old are you again?" Naoll inquired. "Was it ten?"
"Nine," Sakina corrected.
"Great Farore, this girl has got a chance more than them normal Hylians."
"Forest-born Hylians too. What's with these braids, eh?" Nokomis took a hold of one playfully.
Sakina smiled embarrassedly.
"Forest-braids, hah! She will be an interesting one to encounter in a few years." Zahmora said.
"Oh, I think she's pretty interesting already, Zahmora. Pretty interesting indeed." Naoll smiled at Sakina with her orange-colored eyes.
It was later in the evening that Sakina finally was allowed what was called "free-time" which was actually more practice. She stuck mostly with her sword and Naoll because with arrows she found no luck and the other women laughed, not cruelly, at her horrible aim. She wasn't used to being the worst at something and she wasn't sure she liked it.
"Naoll," she finally said, after one of their rallies, "I really need to go to Hyrule Market to the Temple of Time."
"To what purpose?"
"My friend… Link…." A lump formed in her throat. "I don't know when he'll come out from behind the wall."
"And Ganondorf said one day he would, did he?" Naoll chewed on this thought for a bit. "Well, you'll need an escort, beyond a doubt, at least until I'm convinced it's safe. Let me carry it over to Heltzaku, eh?"
Sakina nodded, heart sinking for fear of Heltzaku's probable no. To her surprise, Heltzaku complied.
"If that's what the girl wants to do with her free time, whatever." Heltzaku waved a hand.
Sakina beamed, and then looked at Naoll. "You don't have to come with me if you don't want to waste your free time."
"Eh," Naoll shrugged. "We can practice there, can't we, love?"
Sakina smiled even more brightly. "Thanks!" Together they set of for Hyrule Market.
It was empty, devoid of life. There were a few papers and dead flowers flying over the streets, but beyond that, it was still as death.
Naoll shivered. "Don't like this place when it's like this."
"Me neither," Sakina whispered.
They both ran for the Temple without remaining for long.
After seeing that the wall was still up, Sakina signed and resigned herself to another rough beating from Naoll. One thing could be said for Sakina's performance: in increased with every foul rally she had, and it was two years carrying on this way with Naoll that brought her up to Naoll's strength. But all this time went by, and Link still wasn't there.