A/N: Wow. I didn't know it could actually take that long to write a chapter… I have totally lost my inspiration and I find it hard to continue with this story. Besides, I've got a lot of projects and homework that need to be done. I hope it will get better.

Why does Link have a sour look on his face when Zelda says he's her friend to her father? Is he slightly annoyed about her calling him a friend instead of a boyfriend? You got that right. They're more than friends in his eyes, but she thought it would be a bad idea telling the King about that.

When Zelda 'meets' her mom, if she does, can she meet Marth too? That's something I'd rather not tell, at least not yet. I won't spoil anything, so read on to find out.

I always thought of Impa of more like a bodyguard or a warden instead of a nursemaid... I know it wasn't a question, but I decided to explain it anyway. I think of Impa as both, the woman who took care of Zelda when she was a baby, and the Princess' protector. I'm often referring to Impa as a 'nursemaid', though…

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Chapter twenty: The first shot

"Sheik. It's been a while since I saw you."

The sound of Link's voice startled the Sheikah youth. He had been standing on the balcony, gazing at the starry sky, pondering something. He quickly turned around, seeing Link standing there, smiling. He had swung the door open without making a sound.

"What are you doing?" Link asked.

"Nothing. Thinking."

"Oh." Link leaned an elbow against the stone rail, glancing at Sheik for a moment, then turning his gaze to the darkish garden beneath them. He could perceive the shadows of trees and bushes in the darkness, and suddenly he noticed something. "No birds are singing tonight… not even a nightingale", he remarked. Sheik nodded thoughtfully.

"You're right. I didn't realize how quiet it is. Strange…"

Link nodded. "Even stranger is the way you're hiding something from me."

"You noticed", stated Sheik with a sigh. "All right, you got me. We're headed for Gerudo Valley first thing in the morning and—"

"I knew it!" Link exclaimed. "She's hiding in the Fortress, isn't she? She's hiding there, thinking the Gerudos will help her."

"Yes, they think so. There's only one way to find out. So I want you to meet me at sunrise, in the courtyard."

"Sheik… you haven't told me everything. There's still something you're avoiding to tell me."

"No. There's nothing." Sheik's voice was suddenly irritated, and he backed away slightly. Link did, as well.

"All right, whatever you say. See you in the morning, then."

Rose could not sleep. She was unable to relax and close her eyes. She felt like a chased animal, knowing the predator would get it, sooner or later. And Rose preferred the latter – she would stay out of their reach for as long as possible. There was a vast desert to the west, with uncountable miles of just sand, fierce sandstorms that would make a human blind, and with grains of sand piercing through one's skin with the force of sharp needles.

If they came, she would escape through the desert, to a land she knew must be on the other side. Or if she just could make it to the Spirit Temple… she would never let them get her. At least not yet. But they surely wouldn't, they had to break through the only gate blocking the way to the Fortress, and it was very well protected. And the Gerudos would be helping their Queen out, wouldn't they?

She sighed, following a crack in the ceiling with her restless gaze, thinking about the creature that had appeared in her dreams last night. She called it a creature, because it wasn't human. It had the features of a human, but its eyes were coals of fire, flames were consuming the slender body although leaving no wounds, and the being had spoken to her. The creature had been speaking to her with a voice sounding like the roar of a thunderstorm. She could catch no words, it was just an endless stream of words in a language she couldn't recognize. She understood, however, that the being wasn't pleased.

The force in its voice and the crackling flames licking the being's skin startled Rose. That dream could not be a good omen. If only she could understand what it meant, what it wanted to tell her…

Sheik's POV

The sun, not yet that high above the horizon, was shining over Hyrule field, over the silhouette of Lon Lon Ranch, which we had passed by a while ago, over the dust path taking us closer to our destination, even over Gerudo Valley. It was a beautiful day, the sky cloudless, the breeze mild and warm. The sounds coming from Zora river were barely heard, instead I heard the treading of horse hooves and excited voices.

Ophelia acted strange today, I noticed. Maybe she wasn't used to be around so many people. She was nervous and not even the presence of Epona could soothe her. Perhaps Tatl circling her head was disturbing her. I just hoped it wouldn't cause any problems if it came to a battle. I held the reins tightly with my left hand and patted her neck with my right to calm her down. I wasn't surprised that Spot was nervous, though, because I was, too. Who wouldn't have been?

I was riding in the middle of the horde. About three hundred soldiers, most of them on foot, were behind me, another two hundred in front of me, most of them riding. Bringing seven hundred more would have been unneeded. Link was on my left side, and Navi was settled on his shoulder. Jonathan, the officer, rode on my right. When I had seen him, I noticed how much he looked like Link, in fact, they could have been brothers. Their hair color was the same, I didn't know whom had the bluest eyes, and they even acted the same way. But I knew better…

"Okay, so what do we do when we arrive?" I heard Link ask.

"We'll see when we get there", Jonathan answered. "The Gerudos will probably suspect that we're coming, so just be prepared. That's the best you can do. We don't know what they'll do."

We were riding between two high rocks now, and I knew what would come next. Following the path south would take you to Lake Hylia, but turning abruptly to the left took us to the western desert. I didn't like the desert at all; it was dry and dead, with no animals, no birds singing in the sky and no plants or trees anywhere. A wooden sign indicated we were on the right way. Just one more turn, and we would see the valley. I could already hear the surge coming from the waterfall. That, if possible, made me yet more nervous than I already was. I glanced at Link. He looked as calm as ever. What had I been expecting?

The rushing of water became louder with each step Ophelia took. Some soldiers unsheathed their swords, some held their bows ready, some attached heavy shields to their forearms. Those who were marching at the head of the army turned the last corner now, and in a matter of minutes, we did. If I had been expecting to see the whole Gerudo people standing there, ready to charge, with Queen Rose in front, I wouldn't have been the least surprised. Now, I was. The valley was deserted. The roaring coming from the waterfall was echoing between the vertical, reddish cliffs. The wooden bridge high above the river was deserted as well. Not a sign of life anywhere…

Jonathan rode quickly to the front rank to deliberate upon what would be done next. Then an unbearable wait followed, before we finally could hear the welcome, yet feared call: "We are continuing!" We were moving again. The wooden bridge looked too frail to support the weight of hundreds of men and horses, and I closed my eyes as we passed over, not daring to look down. When I opened them again, we had stopped in front of a high, wooden gate, strengthened with strips of iron attached across the sturdy blocks of wood.

"Sheik", said Link quietly, "the dagger."

I nodded shortly and unsheathed the dagger from my belt. It was eleven inches long and had a blade made of silver, a weapon Impa had given me that morning. I clutched my fingers around its haft tightly, preparing myself mentally. I could hear Link yanking his sword from its sheathe and strapping his Hylian Shield to his right forearm.

The silence that followed was almost more than I could stand. Just sitting there, not doing anything, waiting for what would undoubtedly come, was too much for me. Then I heard something. A zipping sound, an arrow darting through the air, settling itself deeply into the flesh of the man right in front of me. He fell without a sound, inches away from Ophelia and me. Then the gate slowly opened.

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I'm glad I finally managed to finish chapter 20. Though it was short, it was hellishly hard to write. Please review!

-HH