Chapter Nine
Isuke knelt down next to the body of a dead Sheikah he had just killed. The sent of blood was still fresh in the air, and there were three other bloody bodies laying around that had been hacked up by the Zora's blade-like fins.
He closely examined the dead soldier's belt and found that there were many small darts around it. Picking one up, he slowly put his finger on the tip. Nothing. It didn't even sting.
Just a normal dart...not the kind that my fellow zora died by...
He spat on the body then stood and started walking away....and moments later, dropped.
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"It's very kinda of you to help me Sir Link," smiled the 16-year-old girl sitting behind Link on Epona. She had shoulder-length green hair, bright blue eyes, and wore a spell-caster's blue cloak. She held a long white staff with a red butterfly at the top.
"No problem. You're just lucky I found you when I did."
Indeed it was lucky; she said she had been traveling from somewhere in the southern part of Hyrule when a group of Sheikah had attacked her. She had been able to fend a few off until Link had seen her, and raced over to help.
Once they were defeated, Zara (that was the girl's name) told Link she was traveling to find the Hero of Time, and that she was a Great Fairy's daughter. He didn't really believe her until she showed him her powers as a fairy. So, after that they both got on and headed to Lake Hylia, for that was where Link was headed before he ran into Zara.
"I find it strange," Link started, "that when you leave the Fairy Sanctuary you cease to be immortal, yet you retain your healing power as a fairy."
"It is because it isn't something I was born with from leaving the Sanctuary. All fairies are taught it when they are old enough."
"Does that mean I could learn something like that?"
"No. It still takes fairy blood, which is something I can't surrender from leaving."
"What? But isn't being immortal in your blood?"
Zara sighed. She was getting kinda tired of all the questions. "No. Being in the Sanctuary makes me immortal."
"I see."
Link had expected her to start asking many questions about everything around him, since she had lived all her life in the Sanctuary, but it seemed everything was already familiar to her. Link had pictured the Fairy Sanctuary as a big temple where all the fairies lived happily together, sitting on colorful cushions and eating grapes. Maybe that was partly right, but he didn't want to ask anymore questions.
It was pretty much silent after that. They rode a long distance from the afternoon until sundown without stopping. Finally, Link broke the silence when he pointed at the sign.
"Look, it says 'Lake Hylia: 20 miles.'"
"Are we going to stop?" Zara asked.
"Nah, we can be there in an hour. Then rest at the Doc's Lab. Besides, it's too open out here... We'd be easy pray."
"Well, we could get there more quickly if we made Epona run."
"It might alert the enemy though."
Zara shook her head. "I can use my magic to conceal the sound....well, for a little while."
"Okay then. Go Epona!!"
The horse's hind legs sprung out behind her, kicking up rocks and dirt as she suddenly shot forward at amazing speed.
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"Haaaaa!!!"
A curved sword swung up, and blood flew into the air. It swung down, and the body dropped to the ground.
"Peh, I really expected more from the legendary Sheikah," said the Gerudo warrior, sliding her two swords back behind her belt. "Eh? What's that?"
She saw something laying on the ground a few feet away and walked over. "A zora..."
She kicked the body, wondering if he was dead. Looking closely, she saw his chest was moving. "Ah, he is alive."
Picking him up by his arm and slinging him over his shoulder, she walked back to her camp.
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Link hopped down from his horse and helped Zara down, then walked up to the Lab's door and knocked. The Doc opened the door. "Link! My, I didn't expect you so soon. Did you use the formula I gave you?"
"Not yet. I'm saving it for when I need it. Mind if I bring Epona in?"
"The horse?! Why?!"
"....I'll explain over some tea. Can you put the pot on?"
"Eh...yeah. I'm making eyeball frog too."
Link sipped his drink as the Doc thought about what he had just been told.
"Hmmm....This is indeed a troubling situation," He finally said.
"I'm surprised you didn't know of it. And we haven't even found any clues on Princess Zelda's whereabouts," Zara said.
Link didn't bother asking her how she knew the Princess had been kidnapped. He thought fairies just knew stuff like that.
"Hmm...Well, I think your best bet would be to go to Gerudo Valley to see what the Gerudo know," the Doc said.
"Why the Gerudo?" Link asked.
"They're the only people I can think of to ask about this. The Zoras and Gorons don't know anything. And even you Great Fairies don't know what's going on. But think about it this way: Hyrule has a barrier all around it to keep outsiders...well, out. The desert is the only way to get into Hyrule, so..."
Link suddenly sat-up. "So the Gerudo must know something about it since they would have had to pass through their territory to get here!"
"Exactly."
Link nodded and sat back. He'd stay here for the night then head out first thing in the morning to Gerudo Valley. It was only a two-day ride from Lake Hylia, but if Epona rode there at full-speed he could probably get there in less than half the time.
An hour later after they had talked more often, Link and Zara figured out their sleeping areas. The Doc had offered his bed but Zara got out of that by saying she'd feel safer sleeping in the same room as Link. Link was sleeping in the actual Lab area of the house with Epona. He wasn't going to get any sleep so he thought he may as well be in a room with a lot of books he could study.
"You're not getting any sleep?" Zara asked, after setting her sheets up on the floor.
"Nah, there has to be someone awake to welcome any midnight guests that might show-up," smiled Link.
"I should stay up though. You're the one that is going to have to fight."
"It's alright; I can go four days without sleep."
"But... When was the last time you slept?"
".............Eh....you're right..."
He hadn't slept at all since his one rest in Kokiri Village.
"Okay....but you have to wake me up even if you here just a little noise outside, okay?"
"I promise!"
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Isuke's eyes slowly opened....his sight was blurry but he could tell he wasn't in the fields of Hyrule anymore. He sat up instantly and blinked until his vision was back to normal.
"Hey, slow down there blue-boy," came a female voice.
"Where am I?! And who are you?!" Isuke demanded. But then his hand went down to his stomach as a sharp pain shot through it.
"I found you passed-out in the field so I brought you here. Why were you just laying there anyway?"
"I'm not sure....I...Don't remember what happened.....eh.... My stomach hurts...."
"You probably need some food," the Gerudo smiled, getting up to fix him a bowl of whatever was cooking in that pan.
Isuke took a look around the place. They seemed to be in some sort of cave, lit only by the fire that the pan was hovering over.
"You are a Gerudo aren't you?"
"Yeah. I am Rittowa, daughter of Nabooru."
"My name is Isuke, son of...." He stopped short and sighed.
"Heh, not too proud of your father, eh?" Rittowa said, placing a bowl of stew in front of him.
Isuke took the spoon and cautiously sipped the stew. To his surprise, it was delicious! He ravenously ate everything in the bowl then asked for more. The Gerudo got him more and he ate up. By the time he was full, he had eaten four bowls of it.
"Ahhh....man, I feel so much better now...What's in that stuff?"
"....You don't want to know."
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Link snored so loudly that Zara wouldn't have been able to get to sleep even if she tried. She was reading a thick book on Hyrule history, and was already half-way though.
She sighed, bored with the part she was reading, and looked out the window just in time to see a dark figure move swiftly across the lake.