The Prince of Thieves
Time flowed quickly, for Nabooru had never raised a child. It was a new experience for her.
The Gerudo prince was nearly thirteen years of age. He had been raised his whole life in the Spirit Temple, and knew only what Nabooru taught him.
She did her best to teach him in the ways of a thief of who is true to his heart. One who needs not to kill to achieve. Though she did teach him how to do so if necessary. She also told him of the evil his father infected the land with.of how it choked their race from the once noble clan to the petty thieves they were as of date. Of how the land lived in a constant state of fear and turmoil.
Though he had never had interaction with any other before in his life, he knew all too well the ways of Gerudo. Despite not interacting with other Gerudo, he had encountered many monsters outside of the temple during his training. Through this, he learned basic combat and weapon skills and within the temple itself, he learned well the fine art of thievery and infiltration.
His weapon of choice was the boomerang. Overtime, he had become so deftly aggressive with it, that he wields it as an extension of his body. Nabooru frequently vexed him about what he would do if he were caught in close combat. Most of the time he simply shrugged, giving no answer.
One day, Nabooru came to him.
"Kid, I have to go out again."
"Again?" He whined. "What about the fire keese training you promised?"
"Sorry, but I am to show at a banquet for Ganondorf. He said something about prying a magic stone from an old Deku, or something like that. Think you can stay out of trouble till I get back?"
"Yes miss Nabooru." He said rolling his eyes.
As she stepped onto the elevator leading to the entranceway, she called out to Shikotsu:
"And don't even think of tackling those keese till I get back, K, handsome?"
She gave him a teasing grin and wink; and with that, the elevator descended.
As he returned to his quarters, he pondered of why she nay grants him leave of the temple. His childish ponderings soon turned to reckless actions.
Alone he stood there, upon the right palm of the mighty Desert Colossus. The sun slowly set in the horizon, searing the desert with its last few moments of glory before giving into the eve. The eve of the festival had begun.
He made up his mind. He was to set off. He would see others. the loneliness would nay bind him for a moment longer. Already having his load, he leapt down to the gritty sands below, shifting his momentum forward into a run upon impact.
"Nabooru was right," he thought, "that did come in handy."
Twas' not long before he had discovered that Nabooru's tales of the desert were all too real. He wandered for nearly an hour. until finally he came upon a bizarre man dressed in green, riding atop a carpet of some kind. A carpet of which he had never heard of before. for the man floated above the sinking sands and gnashing leevers.
He soon departed from the man, learning of his business. Bombchus. The idea of blowing stuff up appealed to him, but alas, he held not a single rupee. He had no use of them before.
He held the bombchu man's map close to his face. the desert sand blew viciously in his eyes. He hated sand. For it was all he knew there to be on the outside of the temple. sand and stone.
He pressed on until finally, a pair of towers became visible in the distance. once he arrived there, he noticed a woman standing watch upon a tower above the steel gate. She appeared to be Nabooru, but he soon realized that this must be one of the other Gerudo. Knowing of his birthright to death, he hid behind a large stone cliff to the side.
"Now, how can I get around this?" He questioned himself. But no sooner had he spoke, when another woman barreled up to the towers base on the other side.
"Hurry up Avail! You're going to miss the party!"
"I'm coming! Nobody ever comes through the desert anyway, why watch for intruders?"
"Don't know. But I do know that it will be your head if you DON'T HURRY UP!"
And with that, the woman leapt down from the tower. But Shikotsu noticed that upon her landing she shifted her momentum forward into a dash, as he was taught to do.
"So that's why she was so strict about me doing it right. It does have its uses."
With the guard gone, he had no trouble scaling the gate and hopping over. Once inside, he had to put his stealth skills to the test. The security was not what it should have been, however, for the women were frantically running around trying to get ready for the big festival. Many of which in elegant purple dresses covered with little shiny things around the waist. He found them quite amusing.
He crept along the canyon wall until he came across a vast clearing in the canyon. He looked in awe at the fortress Nabooru had told him of. He never thought that he would get to see it.
The fortress spanned across the width of the canyon wall, stretching deep into the ravine. As he stood there, a guard scurried by. He threw himself behind a small, wooden crate to his right. From this vantage, it appeared as if he would have a better view from the roof of the fortress.
Looking to his left, around the crate, he saw a doorway. His curiosity got the better of him and he quickly proceeded in once the coast was clear.
Once inside, walking down a long hallway, he noticed more easily the mud bricks that comprised the structure. He ran his hand along the gritty mortar between the bricks. He had assumed that they had used sand in much of their architecture from what Nabooru described. He was right.
As he neared the end of the hall, he peeked around the corner just in case any guards were still on duty. Seeing no threat, he moved on. At the end of this hall to the left, there was some sort of kitchen. A large iron pot rested on a small fire stove, a wooden table in the middle of the room, several other pots and pans hanging on the walls next to some spears.
He also noticed a pair of ramps on each side of the table. Each heading up, the left one to the outside, while the right led to an eerie black hall. He had guessed that the hall torch had gone out. He chose the right, his curiosity getting the better of him once more.
The ramp was steep, yet their architects had somehow managed to mix some form of mortar into a grip. With this coating the incline, it was easy to climb.
Once in the hall, he noticed that there was a torch, but the masonry made its flame hold only to its surrounding vicinity. All of the torches were like this. He had just now noticed.
After wandering for a few minutes, he could hear the sounds of drums and flutes on the outside. In his surprise he rushed ahead and around a corner, nearly falling off of a ledge. Once his balance returned, he knew where the music was coming from.
He saw two Gerudo near the crate that he had been at previously; one was playing a flute, the other a large drum of some kind. The once open canyon in front of the fortress now had a long wooden table set up. Two Gerudo were pulling a purple silk cover over it. Shocked at their efficiency, he watched as a pair of Gerudo rapidly placed the table with plates and bowls. Yet as soon as they finished their task, another pair wearing funny looking, tall, white hats covered the table with large platters and dishes.
His mouth watered as the smells of roasted meat and wine flooded his senses. The fragrances too much to bear, he scaled up once more level to reach the roof. From there, he saw that they had already set pillows around the table for dinner.
All of the Gerudo suddenly stopped and stood silent. The light tones of the flute rose above all else. He turned, following the other's heads. They were looking down the long canyon fading into the night, opposite the desert gate. His ear twitched when a faint report of hoofs echoed from the crevice.
And as if planned out, each of the women dropped to their knees. Then a figure came into view from afar. It had to be Ganondorf. Why else would all of them act so?
He saw Nabooru, also on her knees. But as the rider closed in, Nabooru raised her head and stood. She greeted the king, but they were too far away to hear. She then walked his horse to the banquet laid before him.
As he dismounted, several younger Gerudo women greeted him. Each of them dressed in a somewhat smaller version of the dresses he had seen before. Ganondorf seemed pleased to see them. He did not know why.
The man stood over all, each of the women hardly rising to his chest. He bore black leather armor coated in gems that seemed to shine from the torches. His bright red hair gave way to his cold yellow eyes.
Soon, they were all seated around the table. Ganondorf sat at the middle of the side near the fortress. Nabooru sat opposite from him. When they finally began to feast, Ganondorf told them all of his recent activities. He had been to the lost woods a few days before. He spoke of a giant, magical tree that could speak. His story went cold when he revealed what he did to the tree. He had planted a large egg sack he found outside of the tree's "mouth." Of which hatched and laid siege upon the tree. Of how he laughed as the hatched creature forced itself into the tree.
"And I shall return to the Deku tree once the parasite has hollowed him and his accursed stubbornness out. Maybe then He'll give me the stone. And tomorrow, I shall journey to the Hylian castle and "pledge" my allegiance to their king. but only until the Sacred Realm is within my grasp."
The entire group began to laugh out loud, their drunkenness beginning to bear itself. After nearly an hour of his tales, their drinking, and feasting, Ganondorf stood up suddenly. He stood surprisingly well, considering his ale consumption. He turned, and walked towards the fortress, motioning several of the girls to follow. They stood, their faces red, balance of set, and staggered to him giggling the whole way. And with their departure, the more sober members of the group began to clean and put away the remnants of their feast.
Shikotsu could only clench his fist at such vulgar, horrid acts.
"How can one man be so cruel? To do such things?"
His temples throbbed with anger when he thought of how the people must suffer. He nearly cried out, but remembering his "birthright," he had to keep hidden.
Such a plan would of worked, had he of watched his footing on his way back into the dark halls of the fortress. He didn't notice the nights dew forming around him as he observed the festivities. He slipped on the wet brick, but when he caught himself upon the wall, he knocked a lone brick loose.
It fell silently; time seemed to slow as he watched it plummet. He stood frozen as it hit the stone floor with a light click.
"Maybe they didn't hear. "
Time flowed quickly, for Nabooru had never raised a child. It was a new experience for her.
The Gerudo prince was nearly thirteen years of age. He had been raised his whole life in the Spirit Temple, and knew only what Nabooru taught him.
She did her best to teach him in the ways of a thief of who is true to his heart. One who needs not to kill to achieve. Though she did teach him how to do so if necessary. She also told him of the evil his father infected the land with.of how it choked their race from the once noble clan to the petty thieves they were as of date. Of how the land lived in a constant state of fear and turmoil.
Though he had never had interaction with any other before in his life, he knew all too well the ways of Gerudo. Despite not interacting with other Gerudo, he had encountered many monsters outside of the temple during his training. Through this, he learned basic combat and weapon skills and within the temple itself, he learned well the fine art of thievery and infiltration.
His weapon of choice was the boomerang. Overtime, he had become so deftly aggressive with it, that he wields it as an extension of his body. Nabooru frequently vexed him about what he would do if he were caught in close combat. Most of the time he simply shrugged, giving no answer.
One day, Nabooru came to him.
"Kid, I have to go out again."
"Again?" He whined. "What about the fire keese training you promised?"
"Sorry, but I am to show at a banquet for Ganondorf. He said something about prying a magic stone from an old Deku, or something like that. Think you can stay out of trouble till I get back?"
"Yes miss Nabooru." He said rolling his eyes.
As she stepped onto the elevator leading to the entranceway, she called out to Shikotsu:
"And don't even think of tackling those keese till I get back, K, handsome?"
She gave him a teasing grin and wink; and with that, the elevator descended.
As he returned to his quarters, he pondered of why she nay grants him leave of the temple. His childish ponderings soon turned to reckless actions.
Alone he stood there, upon the right palm of the mighty Desert Colossus. The sun slowly set in the horizon, searing the desert with its last few moments of glory before giving into the eve. The eve of the festival had begun.
He made up his mind. He was to set off. He would see others. the loneliness would nay bind him for a moment longer. Already having his load, he leapt down to the gritty sands below, shifting his momentum forward into a run upon impact.
"Nabooru was right," he thought, "that did come in handy."
Twas' not long before he had discovered that Nabooru's tales of the desert were all too real. He wandered for nearly an hour. until finally he came upon a bizarre man dressed in green, riding atop a carpet of some kind. A carpet of which he had never heard of before. for the man floated above the sinking sands and gnashing leevers.
He soon departed from the man, learning of his business. Bombchus. The idea of blowing stuff up appealed to him, but alas, he held not a single rupee. He had no use of them before.
He held the bombchu man's map close to his face. the desert sand blew viciously in his eyes. He hated sand. For it was all he knew there to be on the outside of the temple. sand and stone.
He pressed on until finally, a pair of towers became visible in the distance. once he arrived there, he noticed a woman standing watch upon a tower above the steel gate. She appeared to be Nabooru, but he soon realized that this must be one of the other Gerudo. Knowing of his birthright to death, he hid behind a large stone cliff to the side.
"Now, how can I get around this?" He questioned himself. But no sooner had he spoke, when another woman barreled up to the towers base on the other side.
"Hurry up Avail! You're going to miss the party!"
"I'm coming! Nobody ever comes through the desert anyway, why watch for intruders?"
"Don't know. But I do know that it will be your head if you DON'T HURRY UP!"
And with that, the woman leapt down from the tower. But Shikotsu noticed that upon her landing she shifted her momentum forward into a dash, as he was taught to do.
"So that's why she was so strict about me doing it right. It does have its uses."
With the guard gone, he had no trouble scaling the gate and hopping over. Once inside, he had to put his stealth skills to the test. The security was not what it should have been, however, for the women were frantically running around trying to get ready for the big festival. Many of which in elegant purple dresses covered with little shiny things around the waist. He found them quite amusing.
He crept along the canyon wall until he came across a vast clearing in the canyon. He looked in awe at the fortress Nabooru had told him of. He never thought that he would get to see it.
The fortress spanned across the width of the canyon wall, stretching deep into the ravine. As he stood there, a guard scurried by. He threw himself behind a small, wooden crate to his right. From this vantage, it appeared as if he would have a better view from the roof of the fortress.
Looking to his left, around the crate, he saw a doorway. His curiosity got the better of him and he quickly proceeded in once the coast was clear.
Once inside, walking down a long hallway, he noticed more easily the mud bricks that comprised the structure. He ran his hand along the gritty mortar between the bricks. He had assumed that they had used sand in much of their architecture from what Nabooru described. He was right.
As he neared the end of the hall, he peeked around the corner just in case any guards were still on duty. Seeing no threat, he moved on. At the end of this hall to the left, there was some sort of kitchen. A large iron pot rested on a small fire stove, a wooden table in the middle of the room, several other pots and pans hanging on the walls next to some spears.
He also noticed a pair of ramps on each side of the table. Each heading up, the left one to the outside, while the right led to an eerie black hall. He had guessed that the hall torch had gone out. He chose the right, his curiosity getting the better of him once more.
The ramp was steep, yet their architects had somehow managed to mix some form of mortar into a grip. With this coating the incline, it was easy to climb.
Once in the hall, he noticed that there was a torch, but the masonry made its flame hold only to its surrounding vicinity. All of the torches were like this. He had just now noticed.
After wandering for a few minutes, he could hear the sounds of drums and flutes on the outside. In his surprise he rushed ahead and around a corner, nearly falling off of a ledge. Once his balance returned, he knew where the music was coming from.
He saw two Gerudo near the crate that he had been at previously; one was playing a flute, the other a large drum of some kind. The once open canyon in front of the fortress now had a long wooden table set up. Two Gerudo were pulling a purple silk cover over it. Shocked at their efficiency, he watched as a pair of Gerudo rapidly placed the table with plates and bowls. Yet as soon as they finished their task, another pair wearing funny looking, tall, white hats covered the table with large platters and dishes.
His mouth watered as the smells of roasted meat and wine flooded his senses. The fragrances too much to bear, he scaled up once more level to reach the roof. From there, he saw that they had already set pillows around the table for dinner.
All of the Gerudo suddenly stopped and stood silent. The light tones of the flute rose above all else. He turned, following the other's heads. They were looking down the long canyon fading into the night, opposite the desert gate. His ear twitched when a faint report of hoofs echoed from the crevice.
And as if planned out, each of the women dropped to their knees. Then a figure came into view from afar. It had to be Ganondorf. Why else would all of them act so?
He saw Nabooru, also on her knees. But as the rider closed in, Nabooru raised her head and stood. She greeted the king, but they were too far away to hear. She then walked his horse to the banquet laid before him.
As he dismounted, several younger Gerudo women greeted him. Each of them dressed in a somewhat smaller version of the dresses he had seen before. Ganondorf seemed pleased to see them. He did not know why.
The man stood over all, each of the women hardly rising to his chest. He bore black leather armor coated in gems that seemed to shine from the torches. His bright red hair gave way to his cold yellow eyes.
Soon, they were all seated around the table. Ganondorf sat at the middle of the side near the fortress. Nabooru sat opposite from him. When they finally began to feast, Ganondorf told them all of his recent activities. He had been to the lost woods a few days before. He spoke of a giant, magical tree that could speak. His story went cold when he revealed what he did to the tree. He had planted a large egg sack he found outside of the tree's "mouth." Of which hatched and laid siege upon the tree. Of how he laughed as the hatched creature forced itself into the tree.
"And I shall return to the Deku tree once the parasite has hollowed him and his accursed stubbornness out. Maybe then He'll give me the stone. And tomorrow, I shall journey to the Hylian castle and "pledge" my allegiance to their king. but only until the Sacred Realm is within my grasp."
The entire group began to laugh out loud, their drunkenness beginning to bear itself. After nearly an hour of his tales, their drinking, and feasting, Ganondorf stood up suddenly. He stood surprisingly well, considering his ale consumption. He turned, and walked towards the fortress, motioning several of the girls to follow. They stood, their faces red, balance of set, and staggered to him giggling the whole way. And with their departure, the more sober members of the group began to clean and put away the remnants of their feast.
Shikotsu could only clench his fist at such vulgar, horrid acts.
"How can one man be so cruel? To do such things?"
His temples throbbed with anger when he thought of how the people must suffer. He nearly cried out, but remembering his "birthright," he had to keep hidden.
Such a plan would of worked, had he of watched his footing on his way back into the dark halls of the fortress. He didn't notice the nights dew forming around him as he observed the festivities. He slipped on the wet brick, but when he caught himself upon the wall, he knocked a lone brick loose.
It fell silently; time seemed to slow as he watched it plummet. He stood frozen as it hit the stone floor with a light click.
"Maybe they didn't hear. "