Thanks to: Arctic Wolf 18 (I like your logic concerning my fireworks) and Tizami (welcome aboard). Enjoy this next chappie!
The Dark Before The Dawn - Chapter 6: Of Thieves And Revenge
By the time Link finished drying off, taking a much-needed nap in the sun's rays, it was nearly dusk, only a few more hours before the sun went to bed and the moon awoke unspeakable things. Once again, haste was relevant to his quest.
For the hundredth time, Link wished for his horse. Riding Epona would get him places thrice as quickly and he could travel by night, outrunning any dead that happened upon them. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen.
Before Link left Lake Hylia, he stocked up on bombs and fairies. He had no need of arrows, since his bow had remained idle. He had found another bottle in his bag besides the one Harlen had used. Where he had gotten it, Link had no idea. Impa must have stuck it in there when he had been unconscious. No matter, for now he had two fairies available, just in case.
His pace swift, Link headed northwest towards the desert, where he might be able to either purchase or borrow a horse from the Gerudos. His feet left the grass and trod in packed dirt, typical of the arid land of the Desert Dwellers. He began the uphill climb to the Fortress, his head lowered in his effort.
"Stupid 'orse!"
Link looked up, startled by the angry voice. He turned and noticed several tents, people, and horses on the small plateau at the entrance to the path he was taking. Several crates and barrels surrounded the area, telling Link of the thievery of the inhabitants of the camp. One of the people was kicking at a large form on the ground, which whinnied pathetically. Link recognized the painful cry of the horse and felt anger burn through his veins. He ran to the camp and bent over the horse. She was emaciated, her red coat dull and littered with patches of missing hair, and she had whip marks on her bony back. Her side was bleeding, and Link glanced up to notice the riding rod in the hand of the burly man standing next to him.
"Hey, wot er ya doin' with me 'orse, mate?" the huge man sneered at him. His arms and face were hairy, while his clothing consisted of blue breeches, a black vest, and a large belt that could have held seven scabbards, swords and all. Link could see that he was missing a few teeth, while some of the others were gold. He also smelled like he was in dire need of a bath. Link stood to face him, or rather, looked up to face him.
"Why are you treating her like this?" Link asked, trying to keep his voice under control.
"She's a worthless mule, she is," he snorted. "Ever since we found 'er 'bout four years ago, the bloody nag's never done nothin' she's told to. Can't believe she's lasted this long. I'm gonna be happy to git rid of 'er." He pulled a scimitar out of his belt and lifted his arms over his head. He brought the sword down right over the horse's neck, only to be jarred by the blocking of the blow by Link's sword, which shattered by the force. The thief stepped back, surprised, but saw that Link's sword was now useless and wouldn't be putting up a fight. He grinned evilly, then swept the sword at Link in the manner of a poor swordsman. Link dodged the swing easily, plunging his drawn knife into the thief's back.
He howled and swung his sword back, catching the front of Link's tunic, tearing a neat slice in the fabric. The lack of resistance to the force of the swing threw the thief off-balance, and Link took the opportunity to draw his bow and an arrow. When the thief collected himself and faced him, his eyes bugged out in horror as he was looking down the shaft of an arrow in the fierce blue eyes of this boy. No, not a boy, a man.
Link released the arrow without a second thought, watching the head pierce through the hard bone and bury itself deep into the man's skull. He fell face-first to the ground. Link heard the shouts of the other thieves as they heard their fellow's cries, and plucked the knife from the dead man's back and threw it at another victim's throat, then drew an arrow and fired it at another thief. He heard a squelch and then a thud as the knife ripped through the soft neck and decapitated the thief. His second arrow had hit its mark and produced the same results as the first thief.
Link pulled a third arrow, released into a short man's wide open mouth, then held his hand up and caught the returning knife without even looking. He whipped around and sliced the throat of the man reaching for him from behind before releasing it into more flesh. He drew arrow after arrow, penetrating the thieves in the eye, nose, skull, throat, chest, and the rest he slaughtered with the knife. Fifteen men he killed at that camp, each with hearts as dark as Ganondorf himself, fulfilling the revenge for his horse.
When none were left living, Link wiped the blade of his knife clean and knelt beside the broken body of Epona. She breathed with difficulty, evidence of her slow journey to death. Link looked into her brown eyes, which sparkled with fire as she recognized his sight, his smell. Had she been in a normal condition, she probably would have chased him down and run off with his hat, or in this case bandana. Link gently touched her ragged mane and stroked her bleeding nose. She shuddered and seemed to sigh under his gentle touch, probably the kindest contact she'd received in four years.
"Farore, goddess of Wisdom, please let her live..." Link whispered through the tears in his eyes and the lump in his throat. Praying that it would work, Link pulled out one of his bottled fairies and released it. The fairy seemed confused, for Link hadn't suffered a scratch in his little battle. But the undying desire of a fairy to heal the wounded sought out Epona's body. The little pink fairy bobbed around her still form, closing the gashes and even patching up the fur. And then it disappeared, leaving Link holding his breath in anticipation.
Epona lay still for a moment, then with a snort rolled to her knees, and shakily stood on her feet. From that point, she eyed Link and nickered quietly. Link threw his arms around her neck, releasing his tears. He nearly knocked her over, for though the fairy was able to heal her wounds, it was unable to heal a starved body.
"Feel up to visiting the Desert Dwellers, old friend?" Link asked, smiling at her big brown eyes. Epona characteristically tossed her white mane, which was in desperate need of thorough cleaning. "What say you to getting you cleaned up and fed?" he asked fondly. Epona neighed and reared up on her hind legs, showing that though her body had been beaten, her spirit could never be. This was why she and Link were destined partners and could never really be happy without the other.
Link snooped around the campground, finding plenty of oats that Epona had been deprived of. While she munched happily, Link set the other horses free, which hadn't suffered nearly as much as Epona, but they clearly didn't know what to do with their given freedom. He also explored the stolen items. Most of it was unidentifiable trinkets of gold, silver, and precious jewels, but inside one tent there was something he'd never expect to see. Four girls, young women really, were bound hands, feet, and mouths, terrified to see the blond man enter the tent. One of them screamed silently as he pulled out his knife and seeing the blood on his hands and tunic. Epona's blood.
Instead of killing them like the thieves as they thought, Link released their bonds and gently helped them to their feet. They stood there for a moment, studying Link while he studied them. Their skin was nut brown and their hair long, while their pants ballooned at the bottom just above pointed shoes. They wore tops that showed their stomachs and one of them had a golden band in her long, orange hair. She looked strangely like what Nabooru might have looked when she was a teenager. It was this one who stepped forward and spoke first.
"Pale stranger, what has become of the thieves? We heard men dying outside the tent."
"I killed them," Link said simply.
"So we are free to go? Or do you plan to enslave us too?"
Link laughed lightly. "How could I by myself enslave all four of you?"
"You just killed nearly twenty men single-handedly. I think you can deal with four girls."
Link's face turned serious. "Yes, but you are four Gerudo women, worth twenty men apiece."
Two of the girls giggled at this. A handsome, blond man considered them to be dangerous women. The leader gestured for their silence.
"What is your name, sir?"
"My name is Link."
Her eyes widened. "It couldn't be...well sir Link, because of your valiant effort to save us, I invite you to visit the Gerudo Fortress and take part in the hospitality that we do not present very often."
"Spoken like a true diplomat," Link grinned. "Of course I will. I was heading there anyway."
The girl seemed even more surprised. "What business do you have with the Gerudos?"
"That information that I cannot reveal to anyone except for Nabooru," Link said firmly.
"Eh, Nabooru gets all the juicy stuff. All the guys too." She flushed. "I mean..."
"Shall we get underway?" Link gestured.
"Before we go, girls, let us regain that which was stolen from our Fortress," she suggested. They gathered several large bags that would have been difficult for an ordinary man to carry, but these were Gerudo women, who were much stronger than any mortal man.
As they returned to the path Link had just been on, there was much silence, one because the girls were concentrating on the weight that lied on their shoulders, two because they hadn't ever been in the presence of a man before, besides the thieves, but one could hardly call them "men". "Barbarians" was more like it. Link would catch one of them looking at him, which would cause them to blush and falter. He would simply smile and lead Epona on.
Not too long after, they came upon the bridge crossing the powerful river that fueled the waters in Lake Hylia. Link could see smoke in the direction of the Fortress and feared that there wouldn't be much left. If the thieves had managed to steal treasure and four of the Gerudo, something terrible must have happened to prevent any chase.
They approached the Fortress, the smell of burning and carnage everywhere. Link left Epona to her will and ran forward, searching for signs of life. Several Gerudos were dousing a flaming building, while others were tending to wounded. Link spotted a familiar figure amidst the smoke. Her white clothing was anything but, and her appearance was altogether disheveled, yet she held herself erect and proud. One of the Gerudos next to her pointed at him and said something. She turned around, a startled look on her face. Link approached her.
"Link? Is that you, kid?"
"Hello, Nabooru."
She chuckled. "It is you! I never would have expected to see you here. Especially on a day such as this," she added morosely.
"What happened here?" Link asked, though he knew who had attacked.
"A group of men rode in here like they thought they were going to steal from the Gerudos." Nabooru laughed. "Of course, no one is a match for us, except maybe you. So I sent guards to deal with them. Half a minute later, one came limping back and said that the men had just killed them all and were burning the homes and buildings. I grabbed my own weapons and met them with several more guards, but every time we tried to kill them, they went unharmed. Like they had some sort of magic protecting them. They killed a lot of people. So many...dead. They stole as much as they could carry, then made off with four of the younger girls. One of them was my sister."
Link smiled. "I wondered why she looked so much like you."
Nabooru looked at him. "What?"
Link stepped back and revealed the four girls standing behind him with sacks on their backs. The nearby guards took the sacks. Nabooru stared at her sister, then reached for a big hug.
"Lenina, I am so glad to see you!" she cried.
"I'm surprised. You always seem to hate my guts," Lenina said nastily.
Nabooru pulled away and stared at her. "Let me just for once act like a sister towards you rather than your leader, okay?"
"Hm," was all Lenina said.
"Narya, Vilya, Nenya, I'm glad you're all safe too. I will talk to each of you later." The three girls nodded and went to help extinguish the fires and clear the smoke. Nabooru turned to Link.
"We need to talk in private."
"Wait, before we do so, will you take care of Epona? She needs to be nursed
back to health..."
"Of course!" Nabooru whistled, which brought her two Gerudos. "Take care of Link's horse and give her all the luxuries you'd give mine." They saluted and went to carry out their task. "Now, follow me."
Nabooru led Link up a staircase and into a locked room. She closed the door behind them and locked it. There was a fireplace it one corner, blazing warmly, odd for the temperature outside. A long sofa lavish with pillows and silk blankets sat opposite the flames. There was a large rug of strange design, probably stolen, and upon it sat a table that had three legs exquisitely carved with a figure of the goddesses on each one. Upon the table sat a pitcher and three golden goblets. Nabooru gestured for him to take a seat, and Link selected a large, cushiony stool which he could comfortably sit cross-legged on. He removed his cloak, quiver and bow, and belt and lay them carefully on the floor next to him within his reach in case something was to happen.
Nabooru took the couch and poured a red liquid into all three cups and handed one to Link. He tasted the rich red wine, an unusual texture and sensation for his traveler's palette.
"Do you like it?" Nabooru smiled at his expression of pleasure. "It came from Romani Ranch. The two sisters there raise cattle, cows, and grapevines. They have a most excellent business. I guess Lon Lon milk is in high demand there; it has different properties than Romani milk. It's better for cooking, too."
Link nodded, then eyed the third goblet. "Are you expecting someone?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Nabooru took another sip.
Link waited. Nabooru looked up.
"Oh. She should be here soon. When I send for her. But first, there is an important matter we must discuss...Link, the race of Gerudos is dying."
Link started at this. He figured that warrior women who stole for a living would live indefinitely. They could take care of themselves and didn't need men...Men. There weren't any Gerudo men.
Nabooru could tell Link had figured out the problem. "As you know, every hundred years, a man is born. Unfortunately, because of Ganondorf's untimely death, or timely I suppose, and his distaste for those of us who didn't agree with his evil schemes, we were left without any man, and without a man, there will be no boy, or girl for that matter, born."
"And it probably didn't help that many of the Gerudos just died from those thieves' attack."
Nabooru nodded. "Precisely. Anyway, what I'm asking you to do, Link, is...father my child."
Link fell off his stool. His legs still on it, he propped himself up and looked between his boots at her.
"I know this comes as a surprise to you, but Link, you are just as good as any Gerudo man, even better, maybe. We need a strong man to be born to the Gerudos and lead us back into better times, and with your seed we can do just that."
Link had regained his composure but hadn't lost the incredulous expression on his face.
"It may be a lot to ask, and it might not be, but please, Link. You wouldn't be doing it to satisfy my pleasure, but instead for the fate of an entire race."
Link tried to meet her gaze but was still quite flustered. "I-I don't know what to say. Can I have time to think about it?"
Nabooru looked a little angry. "I suppose, but it seems to me the answer should be quite obvious. Is it me? Maybe you'd like one of the guards? Or perhaps my sister..."
"No, no," Link said quickly. "It's not that, it's just...well, I've never done this before, and...I'm afraid I'd screw up or something."
"Oh," Nabooru sighed in relief. "Is that all? Well, I promise I'll go easy on you..." She began to peel her clothing off, and Link took a long draft of his wine before joining her.
Link woke suddenly, disoriented and wondering where he was. Then he saw the sleeping Gerudo beauty next to him and recalled the night's proceedings. He had been really nervous about Nabooru's request, but she had made him forget any misgivings he might have had. Several times, in fact.
Link rose and pulled his leggings, tunic, and boots back on. He had hopefully saved the Gerudo race, but now he had to finish saving the entire world. He had to find Zelda before it was too late...
Nabooru stirred, then turned and faced him.
"Good morning," she smiled.
"'Morning," he nodded. "I'm sorry, Nabooru, but I really should be getting on my way."
"I understand, but I need you to see something first. Give me a moment." While Nabooru dressed, Link took his place on the stool once more. Nabooru retrieved another bottle of wine, for they'd finished the other one last night, and poured some into the two cups. The third still remained from before.
They waited for a few minutes in silence. Then Nabooru perked up.
"Oh, right on time!"
Link had caught the high-pitched humming as well and was now staring at the circle of light that was forming on the floor. The light stretched upwards, and out of the circle rose a form. The bright light faded, and the form became clear. She had long, sun-bleached blond hair, skin nearly as dark as the Gerudos, lavender billowing pants, a matching, stomach-baring top that bore a violet symbol of the owl, and violet pointed shoes. Hanging from her neck was a gold necklace with several smaller charms, and with a moment's study Link noted that they were the symbols of the Temple Medallions, and a large charm of the Triforce. A gold circlet ran across her forehead and into her hair, which was pulled into a high ponytail and a braid in the centre. At first, Link didn't recognize her, but when her sad blue eyes lifted and met his, he nearly fell off his stool again.
"Zelda?" he gasped.
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Caranril: Muwahahaha! Evil cliffhangers! Gotta love 'em!
Legolas: Sometimes I wonder about you...
Caranril: What, only sometimes? Not often? Or always?
Legolas: No, you're sane when you're sleeping.
Caranril: Ignoring that remark...I put a little Lord of the Rings mentioning in this chappie, but since I thinks it's really too hard, I'm gonna reveal it. You know the three other girls besides Lenina? (By the way, her name came from the book Brave New World, if any of y'all have had to read it for English class.) Their names were Narya, Vilya, and Nenya.
Legolas: Ooh, let me tell.
Caranril: sighs Fine, ruin my first chance to make myself look smart...
Legolas: Okay, those names are the names of the Three Rings of Power held by the Elves. Mithrandir, or Gandalf as Men called him, was the Keeper of Narya, the ruby Ring of Fire. Lady Galadriel was the Keeper of Nenya, the adamant Ring of Water. And Lord Elrond Half-elven was the Keeper of Vilya, the sapphire Ring of Air.
Caranril: Know it all.
Legolas: (sniffs) Well, it is my job to know it all. It's my history you know. I lived in the times of the Rings of Power and let me tell you, they are not a thing to be ridiculed.
Caranril: I wasn't ridiculing them. Besides, I don't know my history, so I don't get why that's so important...
Legolas: Slacker.
Caranril: Dark Elf!
Legolas: (gasps) What did I do to deserve such an insult?
Caranril: Well you insulted me!
Legolas: Turn the other cheek!
Caranril: Why I oughta...
Manwe: SILENCE!
Crickets chirp.
Manwe: That is better. Now, cease thy bickering and finish thy chapter before I show thee the true meaning of power...
Caranril and Legolas: Yes sir.
Legolas: (meekly) P-please review?