A Woman's Tears
"Did you get him Nabooru?" Ganondorf called up to the tower.
"Yes sir, I hit him." She said as she climbed down the ladder. "I shall dispose of the intruder in the desert."
"No, Nabooru. You will bring him here, before me. I believe that he was my late son."
"WHAT!?!"
"I looked him in the eyes while trying to apprehend him. He incapacitated three of your sisters at once. No other boy that young could do such things."
Nabooru turned her head away, trying not to jump to conclusions. Her eye began to tear in the stress. She couldn't stand it.
"Ganondorf! I...uh...I request permission to retrieve the boy before the leevers have their way with his corpse. If I bring back a body, I'd rather have it intact."
"Granted."
And with but that one word, she raced to the gate. Once through, she no longer held back her tears. The desert sands giving way her trail of mourning.
As she speed over the sand, she prayed to the goddesses that it was not he. She saw the body lying in the sands. His legs and most of his arms covered by the blowing sands. She stood over him in horror. Her eyes followed the arrow's blood spattered shaft down to his neck, then to his face. It was Shikotsu. A crimson puddle of sand mingled with blood lay round his neck. All at once she cried out, breaking down.
She knelt to him, pulling her own handiwork from his neck. She noticed once she had wiped her eyes that the arrow pierced the front. Though his blood loss was great, it was not that of a deathblow. She leaned down to his chest.
"A...a...a heart beat! He's alive!" She cried out. Her tears now of joy and thankfulness; she tore off a piece of her clothing and bandaged his wound. But as she did so, she noticed all of his other wounds. His arms were lacerated, his pants torn from the arrows nicking him. He had a large gash on his back. She guessed that he had run into Ganondorf earlier, for none of her sisters attack with such force.
She realized that she couldn't head back without corpse. So, she placed him on a nearby crate adjacent to one of the flags, and drew her knife. Knowing full well of how one can be attacked in the open and how leevers can ambush you.
She closed her eyes, calmed her nerves, gripping the blade tightly. And without warning, she cut far up her arm and across her leg several times. She threw the knife down in pain, and began to tear her clothes while rolling in the sand. After a few moments, the screaming faded out and the sand settled. All that remained was Nabooru, lying on the sand perfectly still.
It took her some time to get up. She had made her wounds deep, as would a leever. She stumbled to the boy, and gave him a swig of a blue potion. She raised her blade to his shirt, and cut the upper right sleeve off.
"Now to get you out of sight..." She moaned.
She pried the wooden crate open with the blood stained dagger. Once the panel was off, she set him inside and covered the opening. After her deed was done, she began to limp back to the gate.
Nearly there, several of her sisters came running out to her. They couldn't see where the screaming was coming from through the forming sand storm. But when their eyes lay upon her torn clothes and open wounds, they understood.
"Nabooru, what happened!?! Are you all right? We heard screams." They gasped out of breath.
"Le...leever...Ganondorf..." She passed out from the loss of blood. She had made the cuts too deep.
The guards grabbed hold of her before she fell. They rushed her back to the fortress, in hopes she would recover...
Nearly an hour after Nabooru had left him, the potion took effect...his eyes opened only to find a wooden prison. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to remember what had happened, as he examined his odd surroundings. He didn't remember anything after the arrow.
"An arrow," he thought as he found a whole in his throat. The wound was still open but not bleeding. He stuck his finger inside in curiosity, but he the pain returned a hundred fold. He fell back into the panel sealing the crate, knocking it open. His eyes focused in the dark, but it didn't help any.
He opened his mouth to scream in pain, but nay a sound did he make. His eyes opened wide in shock, rising to his knees. He kept trying to speak again and again, but it was too late. The arrow had punctured his voice box, severing his vocal chords. His wrapped his hands around his throat in disbelief. His eyes began to tear.
Nabooru awoke the next day, lying in a bed next to a chair. Sitting in it was Ganondorf, fast asleep. She threw the covers off and swung her legs over the bedside. She noticed in his hand was the sleeve she had cut off of Shikotsu's tunic. She sat there for some time, gathering her thoughts. She remembered Shikotsu alone in the crate and hoped that he would recover enough to get home. She would be there soon enough, for on a table by the door, lay a blue potion half used. She had guessed that her sisters had given it to her. Her bleeding had stopped, with no infections visible.
Ganondorf began to stir; she threw together a story in her head. He woke soon enough, glad to see her up.
"Did you sleep well?" She asked quietly.
"No, I did not. My thoughts dwelled on your injuries. They seem better."
Her mind filled with disgust for him. He was nay worried about her. He only wanted to know about the boy. But she replied just the same.
"Thank you sir. I am feeling better, but aren't you here for my report?"
"Ah, sharp as ever." He chuckled.
"I arrived too late. The leevers had gotten to him already. All that was left was shreds of his tunic and a mangled skeleton. But when I reached down to retrieve this fabric, they returned. I killed two, but a third came up from behind me. I did my best to escape..."
"I see." He said as he held up the cloth. "But was it "him" I wonder. My son."
"Wasn't he kidnapped?"
"Yes, that little stain got away before I could get rid of him."
"He seemed about the right age...how old would he be? Ten? Eleven?"
"Thirteen, in three days at twilight."
Her eyes opened with surprise in that he remembered the very night that the "little stain" was born.
"Did you get him Nabooru?" Ganondorf called up to the tower.
"Yes sir, I hit him." She said as she climbed down the ladder. "I shall dispose of the intruder in the desert."
"No, Nabooru. You will bring him here, before me. I believe that he was my late son."
"WHAT!?!"
"I looked him in the eyes while trying to apprehend him. He incapacitated three of your sisters at once. No other boy that young could do such things."
Nabooru turned her head away, trying not to jump to conclusions. Her eye began to tear in the stress. She couldn't stand it.
"Ganondorf! I...uh...I request permission to retrieve the boy before the leevers have their way with his corpse. If I bring back a body, I'd rather have it intact."
"Granted."
And with but that one word, she raced to the gate. Once through, she no longer held back her tears. The desert sands giving way her trail of mourning.
As she speed over the sand, she prayed to the goddesses that it was not he. She saw the body lying in the sands. His legs and most of his arms covered by the blowing sands. She stood over him in horror. Her eyes followed the arrow's blood spattered shaft down to his neck, then to his face. It was Shikotsu. A crimson puddle of sand mingled with blood lay round his neck. All at once she cried out, breaking down.
She knelt to him, pulling her own handiwork from his neck. She noticed once she had wiped her eyes that the arrow pierced the front. Though his blood loss was great, it was not that of a deathblow. She leaned down to his chest.
"A...a...a heart beat! He's alive!" She cried out. Her tears now of joy and thankfulness; she tore off a piece of her clothing and bandaged his wound. But as she did so, she noticed all of his other wounds. His arms were lacerated, his pants torn from the arrows nicking him. He had a large gash on his back. She guessed that he had run into Ganondorf earlier, for none of her sisters attack with such force.
She realized that she couldn't head back without corpse. So, she placed him on a nearby crate adjacent to one of the flags, and drew her knife. Knowing full well of how one can be attacked in the open and how leevers can ambush you.
She closed her eyes, calmed her nerves, gripping the blade tightly. And without warning, she cut far up her arm and across her leg several times. She threw the knife down in pain, and began to tear her clothes while rolling in the sand. After a few moments, the screaming faded out and the sand settled. All that remained was Nabooru, lying on the sand perfectly still.
It took her some time to get up. She had made her wounds deep, as would a leever. She stumbled to the boy, and gave him a swig of a blue potion. She raised her blade to his shirt, and cut the upper right sleeve off.
"Now to get you out of sight..." She moaned.
She pried the wooden crate open with the blood stained dagger. Once the panel was off, she set him inside and covered the opening. After her deed was done, she began to limp back to the gate.
Nearly there, several of her sisters came running out to her. They couldn't see where the screaming was coming from through the forming sand storm. But when their eyes lay upon her torn clothes and open wounds, they understood.
"Nabooru, what happened!?! Are you all right? We heard screams." They gasped out of breath.
"Le...leever...Ganondorf..." She passed out from the loss of blood. She had made the cuts too deep.
The guards grabbed hold of her before she fell. They rushed her back to the fortress, in hopes she would recover...
Nearly an hour after Nabooru had left him, the potion took effect...his eyes opened only to find a wooden prison. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to remember what had happened, as he examined his odd surroundings. He didn't remember anything after the arrow.
"An arrow," he thought as he found a whole in his throat. The wound was still open but not bleeding. He stuck his finger inside in curiosity, but he the pain returned a hundred fold. He fell back into the panel sealing the crate, knocking it open. His eyes focused in the dark, but it didn't help any.
He opened his mouth to scream in pain, but nay a sound did he make. His eyes opened wide in shock, rising to his knees. He kept trying to speak again and again, but it was too late. The arrow had punctured his voice box, severing his vocal chords. His wrapped his hands around his throat in disbelief. His eyes began to tear.
Nabooru awoke the next day, lying in a bed next to a chair. Sitting in it was Ganondorf, fast asleep. She threw the covers off and swung her legs over the bedside. She noticed in his hand was the sleeve she had cut off of Shikotsu's tunic. She sat there for some time, gathering her thoughts. She remembered Shikotsu alone in the crate and hoped that he would recover enough to get home. She would be there soon enough, for on a table by the door, lay a blue potion half used. She had guessed that her sisters had given it to her. Her bleeding had stopped, with no infections visible.
Ganondorf began to stir; she threw together a story in her head. He woke soon enough, glad to see her up.
"Did you sleep well?" She asked quietly.
"No, I did not. My thoughts dwelled on your injuries. They seem better."
Her mind filled with disgust for him. He was nay worried about her. He only wanted to know about the boy. But she replied just the same.
"Thank you sir. I am feeling better, but aren't you here for my report?"
"Ah, sharp as ever." He chuckled.
"I arrived too late. The leevers had gotten to him already. All that was left was shreds of his tunic and a mangled skeleton. But when I reached down to retrieve this fabric, they returned. I killed two, but a third came up from behind me. I did my best to escape..."
"I see." He said as he held up the cloth. "But was it "him" I wonder. My son."
"Wasn't he kidnapped?"
"Yes, that little stain got away before I could get rid of him."
"He seemed about the right age...how old would he be? Ten? Eleven?"
"Thirteen, in three days at twilight."
Her eyes opened with surprise in that he remembered the very night that the "little stain" was born.