(A/N: Pirates-princess: I love your reviews more than anything. Sorry it took me so long to update. Here it is: a monster came out of the woods, and gobbled them up as they held each other in their arms. The end. Just kidding. I just wanted this chapter to be good. Don't want to disappoint you. Smiles.)
Water flowed around Sakina's arms gently. A crow fluttered noisily overhead, squawking irritably, searching for a floundering fish, but they had all seemed to have disappeared. The water tektites had probably eaten them all, the greedy pests. Sakina had killed a group that was nearby before swimming around. She closed her eyes against the bright, gray sky, a frown squeezing her forehead quite tightly. It was rather stupid that Link should be in the Water Temple by himself. She was the better swimmer. But of course, he was the hero. And he had the iron boots from that freezing cold Ice Cavern.
Gods, what a wretched place.
Her blue pants floated in the water, caressing her legs almost fondly. Whenever she dove under, she found that she could breathe with ease. The blue outfit she had been supplied with by the Gerudos was a miracle among miracles. Naturally, Link had been given one too. Honestly, she really had no need for it, since she couldn't very well help him. It was highly plausible that she would faint from trying to swim for too long, while he would be able to walk along with ease in his heavy shoes. She would be a hindrance to him.
Sakina sighed, remembering the night before.
If he dies leaving me with that memory, I'll go and kill him again. She remembered everything Nokomis had raved about the "act" and smiled inwardly.
Cloppity-clop…. The approaching hoof-beats of an ungulate quickly beat the ground. Sakina wondered vaguely if Link had warped from the Water Temple and was coming to get her on horseback. Sakina lifted herself from her back and treaded water until she was clinging to the shore with her hands. Mud squelched between her grasping fingers. The hoof-beats ended and Sakina frowned, suddenly feeling vulnerable and frightened, a feeling she hadn't properly felt since she was nine. Before she could squint to see who had ridden the beast, she felt herself being dragged bodily from the water by her arms.
"Well, well, well," a low voice growled amusedly. Her arms were bound behind her back before she could even look at his face. She knew who it was without looking. The voice was as strong in her memory as the feeling of water on her skin. "It seems as though the rumors are true. To think that my Gerudos would be fool enough to dress you as one of them." Ganondorf smirked at her.
Sakina blushed furiously at him. His mulberry eyes glowed with malicious laughter. Behind her she could not see the four guards, but she could feel them. Sakina was about to spit out a retort or insult but Ganondorf was ready to speak.
"Little Hylian, you cannot escape your heritage," he tweaked her nose. To the surprise of the guards, she kicked fiercely, knocking them down. Their bodies fell heavily to the wet mud with cries of surprise and Sakina was ready to take Ganondorf down as well, but he was prepared for the blow. Grabbing her lashing foot with a ready hand, he laughed.
"Gotten stronger, have we?" He twisted fiercely and she had nothing to do but fall or be broken. She spun to the ground, landing on her back and smashing her hands in the mud. Ganondorf towered threateningly above her while his suddenly vigilant guards held her down.
"What do you WANT with me?" She shouted.
Ganondorf raised his eyebrows. "Simply to know where our friend Link might be. I don't appreciate his wrecking my fine work."
It was Sakina's turn to smirk.
Ganondorf laughed again. "No answer. Certainly doesn't surprise me. That's well-enough. Link will either die or come to me. But perhaps we can speed things up a bit."
Sakina's smile faded quickly. He was going to kill her this time. She would die bound on the ground without a fair fight. The mud on her bare arms and back suddenly felt like a prison and the last thing she would ever feel. Her heart-rate increased tenfold.
"You, sir, are a coward that you wouldn't take me one on one in battle," she said with surprising composure. "Instead you are so frightened of my skill that you must kill a caged rat."
"Kill you? You are an amusing girl. Deriquen, put her on the horse."
Sakina struggled and writhed like a snake under flames. It was when her teeth sunk quite sharply into Deriquen's flesh that he screamed and dropped her. Ganondorf heaved a menacing sigh and grabbed her by her braid with his gloved hand. Sakina gasped in pain. He pulled her up to look him in the eye.
"Sakina," he breathed right on her face, "you will cooperate." Her eyes swam out of focus for a second and in the second she was thrust onto a horse and taken away to Ganondorf's castle.
Link allowed himself to float up out of the temple, feeling he had done quite well for himself. Other than those stupid spiky balls, it really hadn't been that difficult. Oh, and the water tektites, as always, were aggravating beyond belief. He wanted to see Sakina. He wanted to feel her lips against his, her stomach and shoulders. His heart felt giddy with joy. He broke the surface and that all changed.
"Sakina?" He called. "Sakina!" He tried again. Desperately, he swam to shore to look for her. "SAKINA!" He bellowed. There was only an echo as response. She wouldn't have left him, would she have? Would she have been that angry with him for going without her? His blue eyes were wide with anxiety.
"Look," Navi squeaked, flashing by the ground. "Footprints."
Link stared in horror at the hoof prints and footprints alike. There was a print in the mud that resembled a female form. Nearby was a pile of Sakina's arrows, bow, bag and sword. She wouldn't have left without them; that was certain. He was filled with relief, and then terror.
"Ganondorf," he whispered. "You will pay," he muttered sincerely. He glared in the direction of the castle. "I will not leave you to suffer with him, Sakina," he promised the sky. "I will complete my journey and save you! This I swear!" In fury, he shot an arrow at the setting sun, as though that would keep his promise for him, then he called Epona and rode away to the Temple of Time to change ages and complete the rest of the two-day journey.
It was an improvement, but hardly comforting. Now Sakina's hands, still bound above her head in those manacles, at least weren't holding her in the air. She could touch the floor quite easily. The Gerudos had never taught Sakina how to get out of iron chains, so she knew better than to try. Dried mud caked her back and cheeks. The guards were afraid of her now and mostly avoided her cell that first day. Ganondorf hadn't even come to visit her yet. Sakina's chin rested on her chest. About to nod off to sleep, she was suddenly made alert by a trembling key in the door.
A guard came in and took a wary look at her.
"You're to move to different quarters," he spoke officially, as though addressing royalty rather than a hostage. "Come nicely or Ganondorf shall see to your punishment."
"Fine," Sakina was too tired to struggle anyway. The guard, a tall and brawny fellow with a sweaty brow, leaned up close to her to unlock her chains. He smelled strongly of ale. His body pressed against hers for a moment longer than necessary. If she hadn't been so exhausted, she would have noticed or have done something. He pushed her along by the small of her back, escorting her into a room with a bed and chamber pot. Sakina almost laughed with joy when she saw that she would have a little more freedom. The nine-year-old in her recalled peeing on her own pants and living in the urine. There had been the two nights without sleep and the standing sleep. The bed wasn't worthy of royalty, but it was a bed with blankets, and that was enough for her.
The guard looked at her. "Dinner will come later."
Sakina glared at him. His hand was poised over his sword and his eyes were looking her up and down as if just realizing that she existed. He backed out of the room and closed and locked the door behind him. When his footsteps faded away, Sakina sat down on her bed and massaged her aching shoulders. Shifting her face, some of the mud began to crack off. With the back of her hand, she wiped off what she could. For the next quarter of an hour, Sakina worked at picking the mud off of her clothes and skin.
"Hungry?" A gruff voice came at the door. Two men opened it and put some broth on the floor. They were taller than her by a head. Not intimidated in the least, Sakina stood lazily and strode over to the bowl. They had closed the door and were standing against the wall.
"What, no water?" She asked, stifling a yawn. She crouched down to pick up her bowl and went back to her bed. The chicken broth was lukewarm and had questionable specks floating around. Sakina knew better than to complain. Her empty stomach had become her captain. The bowl had no spoon, so Sakina drank it straight from the bowl. She finished it and handed it back to one of the guards. "Go away." She commanded in a polite tone.
The guards laughed, but one of them looked nervously at his companion.
"All right, ma'am, maybe we'll spend more time together later." The confident one spoke, grinning and revealing a cracked tooth. "But we ain't leaving without a kiss."
"Get over yourselves," Sakina spat. She sat down at the corner of her bed and glared at them. They waited. There would be no sleep, even in there. They waited for half an hour before another guard called to them to leave. "Hah," Sakina laughed through a yawn. Once they had left, Sakina pushed the bed over against the door. Finally exhausted, she allowed herself to sleep, praying and hoping that Link would save her. And half hoping that he wouldn't.