Chapter Two

Garen sat off on the side, watching as the horse ran by at a blazing speed. The rider whipped out an arrow and took careful aim. She released, and struck the target dead center.

'100...'

He watched as she whipped out another arrow, took aim, and fired it with amazing precision.

'160...220...250...350...'

She fired arrows one after the other, hitting the targets every time. She paused while the horse looped around the end target, and then she continued. Soon, her arrows were spent, and the horse came to a stop. Her final score: 1630.

Garen watched as she dismounted and returned to the sidelines. This seemed to be just a game, but it was also good training. It trained them to hit stationary targets while moving at great speeds, and it also trained them to hit moving targets while they, themselves, were stationary. The guards often teased him for not wanting to participate. He did not want to because he was too young (although he was seven, which was the average age at which the Gerudo started training), and he did not like using the bow. He barely had the upper body strength to draw the arrow properly, and he did not have a good sense of perception. So, he sat on the side and watched them train, ignoring the taunts the guards threw at him.

He watched as Seiya mounted the horse. She seemed much more at ease than the previous rider, and she seemed to have much more intense concentration. Garen watched her carefully as the horse took off running. He noticed that it was much faster than the others. Seiya seemed unperturbed by this. She drew her arrows one after the other and released. Every time, she struck the center of the target.

Her arrows were spent before she was halfway through her second run. She forced the horse to stop, and she dismounted. Her score: 2000. The other guards applauded, and she smiled slightly. Garen smiled as well. The reason Seiya was the leader of the Gerudo was because she was possibly the most adept at fighting both armed and unarmed.

Garen stood, brushing the sand off his pants as he did. He decided to let them train. He, meanwhile, would keep watch.

He walked down the hill in silence, his hands folded behind his back. He sighed, looking up at the sky. '...What kind of leader will I be if there's nothing I'm good at?' he wondered, 'I can't use the bow, spears are annoying, and I just don't like using the sword... So what good am I to the tribe if there's nothing I can actually do for them?'

He focused his attention on where he was going, and he spotted Kaya. She was at her post by the gate leading to the desert. She was six years older than him, and possibly the most respected youth of the entire tribe. Most of that respect had been gained two years before, when she had saved his life. As a result, he found himself attached to her, looking up to her as a close friend, and possibly as a sister.

She saw him and gave him a small smile. "Hi..." she said as he walked over.

"Hi," he said in response, returning the smile, "Anything interesting happen?"

"Not really," she said, "How was training?"

"I didn't participate," Garen sighed, scratching the back of his head, "I can't use a bow, I can't ride a horse... I can't do much of anything."

"Don't say that," Kaya said, "There's sure to be something that you can do, something that sets you far above the rest."

"...Like what?"

"That's something you'll have to find out for yourself," Kaya replied with a smile. Garen sighed.

"I'm tired of waiting," he said, "I want to know now."

"Well, for one, you're destined to be the Gerudo King," Kaya said with a laugh, "That should count for something."

"Just because my mother is the leader doesn't mean I'm gonna be the 'King' of the Gerudo," Garen said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's not that," Kaya said, her smile fading, "Even if Seiya is your mother, that's not what makes you our King."

"Then what is?"

"Well--" Kaya was cut off by the sound of raised voices. They both turned, and one of the other guards ran up to them.

"Both of you, to the top of the tower now," she said, pointing.

"What's going on?" Garen asked, "What happened?"

"Somebody's gotten into the fortress, and nobody knows where," the guard said, "Seiya ordered that you two should go to the top of the tower. Get moving!" She pushed them towards the ladder and, once they started to climb, ran back in the direction where she had come from.

"What was that about?" Garen asked, looking over the edge of the wall as Kaya pulled herself up.

"Obviously someone got through the defenses..." Kaya replied, following his gaze, "My guess is that they're assassins... They're the only ones who have gotten past the gate before."

"Why would assassins come here?" Garen's eyes widened slightly, turning to look at Kaya.

"The last time they came was several months before you were born..." she replied grimly, "They went after Seiya, but she killed them all. That was around the time when people first realized she was with child. However, she started training harder. My guess is because she felt she had more to protect." She glanced at Garen, but her eyes widened. "LOOK OUT!"

Garen didn't get the chance to react when he felt something strike the back of his head. He heard Kaya scream as he fell, but he was caught around the waist. His vision started to dim as he saw Kaya slump to the floor, covered in blood.

"K-Kaya..."

He felt another crushing blow to the back of his head, and he finally lost consciousness.

'

"Is she still alive?"

Seiya grimaced at the question as she took Kaya in her arms. The girl had been cut across her abdomen, and had been stabbed in the shoulder as well. Seiya removed her long jacket and tore it into thick strips of cloth, which she used as temporary bandages for Kaya's wounds.

"She's still alive," Seiya said softly, "She's lucky. Those assassins decided to let her live so they could use her..."

"'Use her'?"

Seiya grunted, gritting her teeth as she shifted in Seiya's arms. Her eyes shot open and she grabbed Seiya's shoulder.

"They took Garen...!"

Seiya placed one hand on Kaya's. "Where did they take him?" she asked calmly. Kaya coughed, gritting her teeth as pain shot through her body. Seiya placed her hand on Kaya's cheek, waiting patiently.

"They went out... into the desert... towards the temple..."

"We'll never find them at this rate..." Seiya heard a guard say.

"Even if we find them, he could already be dead by the time we find them..."

"Well, I'm going to look for him," Seiya said, standing, still holding Kaya in her arms. She handed Kaya to a nearby guard and started towards the gate. "I would advise that nobody follow," she said, "You need to protect the fortress. We can't let this weaken us." She stopped, and turned to look at them. "I'll be back... Count on it."

'

Garen opened his eyes a crack, shifting his body painfully. Everything was blurry, and it was dark. He wasn't outside anymore. He was lying on his stomach on a hard, coarse surface. His body hurt all over, and he had several cuts and scrapes. They were covered in sand, which made them sting.

Garen closed his eyes, lying as still as he could. He could hear voices around him. They weren't far off. They were in the same room.

"I still don't see how this child is going to become such a hindrance..."

"He is the lone male of the Gerudo, and so he will become their King. Of all the races of Hyrule, the only ones we've had to deal with are the Sheikah. They are the only ones who truly stand in our way. The Gerudo are powerful enough, but they keep to themselves, which is beneficial to us. If they were to somehow rebel..."

"Well, well... looks like our charge has finally awakened."

Garen felt someone's foot nudge him lightly. He laid as still as he could, trying to ignore the sound of his beating heart. The person who nudged him growled under their breath and drove their foot into his stomach, forcing Garen to cry out. The blow forced Garen onto his side, and he drew his knees in, wrapping his arms around his middle. He kept his eyes shut tight, and he found himself shivering uncontrollably. So this was fear... He hadn't felt this in two years... When he almost died.

"Stupid brat," he heard his assailant mutter, "Your breathing changes when you're awake. It also changes when you're afraid and in pain. I can tell you're hurting, boy. I can also tell that you're very much afraid."

Garen didn't reply but kept his eyes shut tightly as he shuddered, silently praying to the Desert Goddess, something he never in his life thought he would do. Another thing he forgot, but soon remembered with dread, was that the Goddess did not favor men, and he, being a male, was probably no exception.

"So, what should we do with him now?"

"We have no reason to keep him alive. Let's kill him now and get it over with."

Garen kept as still as he could. He would have gotten up and fled, but fear held him in place. He felt a strong hand grab him by the front of his tunic, hauling him to his feet. He opened his eyes before he felt the cold metal against his neck. He could hear his own heart beating, pounding in his chest. He stared up at the assassins in fearful silence.

Then, time just seemed to stop.

In that brief instant that the blade touched his flesh, all his fear simply vanished. He did not feel anything but hatred and contempt towards these three who intended to kill him. They had no right. He had done nothing to them, so what gave them the right to treat him like this?

He felt the knife cut into his neck and he brought his fist into the assassin's stomach. Surprised, the assassin dropped the knife and loosened his grip. Garen pulled away from him and rammed his shoulder into the assassin, knocking him backwards. The assassin's partners leapt at Garen, but he ducked, grabbing the knife and leaping out of their path.

He backed into a corner, brandishing the knife at them as the two remaining assassins helped their partner to his feet and starting closing in on Garen.

"You, boy, have been enough trouble for us," one of the assassins said.

"It's about time we rid the world of you," added another, "Before you do any more damage."

"You have no right to speak to me that way," Garen said darkly, "I haven't done anything. To anyone. What the makes you think you have the right to kill me?"

"You're the so-called 'King' of the Gerudo," the third assassin replied, apparently angered at having his pride bruised, "If the Gerudo somehow get the strength to rebel, there's no way we'll win this war. And so, your death shall ensure our victory."

"Just try it..." Garen growled, narrowing his eyes. He felt strange power coursing through him. He thought it was a result of his anger. He'd never felt this kind of hatred before.

The assassins each drew their blades, and took a step toward him. Garen backed himself against the wall, glaring at them, his hand trembling as he held the knife. The assassins jumped at him, and, for a split second, he was afraid again. He closed his eyes, and thrust his free hand out blindly. There was a strange surge of power, channeling through his body and seeming to force itself through his arm and shoot from his hand. He didn't know how long he stood like that, awaiting the feel of metal cutting into his body.

It never came.

Once the strange feeling of power finally faded, he opened his eyes. The three assassins lay on the ground, their bodies severely burned beyond recognition. It was a horrific sight, and one that sickened him greatly. His body started to shake and he let the knife fall to the ground. He sank to his knees, curling up in the corner.

"Garen...!"

He lifted his head to see Seiya descending the ladder. She leapt to the floor, skipping the last five or six rungs. She darted over to him, leaping over the burnt carcasses. She scooped him up into her arms, holding him tight.

"Momma..." Garen said hoarsely, wrapping his arms around her neck.

"Sh..." Seiya said softly, carrying him back over to the ladder, "Let's go home..."

"What happened...?"

"...I don't know, Garen," Seiya replied, stroking his hair, "... Let's just go home for now... We'll worry about that later, okay?"

Garen turned his head to look at the assassins once more before burying his face in her shoulder.

"...Okay..."

'

Author's Notes: Okay, everyone is free to make their own guesses as to what will happen and who's who in the story. I'm not telling, although it might be obvious. shrugs They could be actual charas, they could be fictitious. :p Still not telling.
I like how long this chap ended up being. It pleases me to know that I wasn't struggling for ideas, hehehehe... Kaya wasn't meant to be a big chara. Maybe she'll actually be a key character. shrugs We shall see... Hehehehehe....Well, I've got more chapters to write. See ya!