A/N: This chapter's a bit longer to make up for my negligence. Had a bit of a case of writer's block, too; actually, I'm still in the middle of it L . But I'll try harder because of all the wonderful reviews I'm getting! Thanks!

Oh yeah, and Link isn't evil in this story. He's just not much of a talker and doesn't like to show affection much, especially for Ganondorf's son. Wouldn't you find it a bit difficult to be friendly to your arch enemy's son? Anyway, you'll find out more about Link and why he acts the way he does as the story moves on.

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Abduction

I finally learned the truth on my tenth birthday. The truth about my father, and about me.

That morning began normally enough. I awoke just as the sun was peeking over the horizon to the East, behind Death Mountain. Remembering my mother's promises of wonderful birthday gifts, I dashed to her and Link's room to wake her up.

I was happily eating breakfast when Link entered the dining room, transforming my mood without hesitation. He was dressed in those same damn green forest clothes he always wore, and I frowned, feeling suddenly irritated by him as he sat at the end of the table.

Fortunately, my mother walked in not too soon after, wearing a soft blue gown and looking lovely, as usual.

"Well, you're ten years old today," she said sweetly, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Kiran."

"Mama, can I go to the market today?" I asked eagerly.

"Yes, of course," she replied. "Link, will you take him?"

Oh, no, I remember thinking. I would rather have not gone at all than suffer spending awkward and uncomfortable hours with Mr. Hero.

Link looked at her, expressionless. I could easily tell that he was as indignant about going with me as I was about going with him. "Sure," he said, sounding much more positive than he felt, I'm certain, for Mother's sake. "Well, go get ready," he directed at me.

I reluctantly did as I was told and we headed to the market. I always loved going to the market and seeing people, real people, going about their everyday lives. I hardly ever noticed when they paused to stare at me contemptuously. If I even so much as questioned it, my mother would quickly lead me into a nearby store and buy me anything I wanted, once again pushing away the truth about me and building upon the mass of lies surrounding us.

When Link and I arrived, he gave me the usual lecture about staying close to him and not bothering anyone else. Needless to say, as soon as I had the opportunity, I bolted.

"Kiran!" Link's voice died away as I ducked into an alley and wound my way through the maze of streets. After I was sure I had lost him, I sat on a wooden crate in a corner to catch my breath. Leaning back and chuckling to myself, I did not notice the dark shadows approaching me until it was too late.

I sprung up from the crate as soon as I realized their intentions. But before I could even cry out, they violently seized me by the arms and pulled me into the closest building.

I was thrown onto the ground roughly, and I heard the door slam shut as I was enveloped in darkness. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I struggled to see through the pitch blackness.

"Alright kid, we ain't gonna hurt ya," I heard a deep voice said. A small flame sparked to life to reveal a tall and young-looking man in a dark cloak. He smirked, the flame creating shadows that danced on his face. "Unless you don't do what we ask." He lit a lantern, lighting up the room. I could now see another rather hefty man beside him, who chuckled as he looked at me. All of a sudden he paused, his eyes widening as he stared.

"Holy Din! It's... it's the prince!" he exclaimed, pointing at me excitedly. I raised my eyebrows at him and lifted my chin, which was a mistake, for it seemed to confirm his statement.

The two men broke into a chorus of incessant chatter.

"Are you sure?"

"'Course I'm sure! We hit the jackpot!"

"This is our lucky day!"

I stood there impatiently and crossed my arms in front of my chest, becoming quickly irritated with the two jokers, as I thought of them. I cleared my throat loudly, and they stopped to stare at me, grinning like fools.

"The Gerudo have been looking for you," the tall one said finally. "Hell if I know what they want wit' you, but they promised a hefty reward to whoever brings you to 'em."

"Gerudo?" I questioned, frowning. "No way. I'm not going."

They laughed mockingly. "You don't have a choice, little man," the fat one taunted.

I learned, then and there, that people on the outside world were not so keen to simply take my commands. The numerous servants that had been hired to tend to our every need at the castle would never think to challenge my authority in any way. Clearly, I had no power outside the protective walls of the castle, and I learned that the hard way.

I soon found myself riding uncomfortably on the back of a horse, in front of the tall, thin man. I hadn't gone quietly, and the consequences included a swift smack in the head with the hilt of an ax, knocking me unconscious. Never before had I so detested my small size than right then.

"Ah, the lil' one woke up," the man holding me muttered. I glanced up to see him grinning wickedly. "Just in time, too. We're approaching Gerudo Valley."

I looked in front of us to see that we were indeed very near to the dreaded Gerudo Valley. The sun was beginning to sink into the horizon, and the gorges nearby cast shadows onto us as we passed through them, enveloping us in an ominous darkness.

The heavy man rode on the horse beside us, smiling dumbly to himself. "Hey, Jaegar!" he shouted suddenly, and pointed off in the distance. "There she is!"

I looked toward the direction he pointed and squinted. Soon I spotted a dark figure clad in a long cloak standing off to the side of the road and holding a long scimitar in one hand.

"Ah… good," the man holding me replied. I assumed he was the one called Jaegar. He pulled back on the reigns, and the horse came to an abrupt stop in front of the mysterious, cloaked figure.

"Er… 'ello Miss… Gerudo lady… uh, ma'am," Jaegar stuttered anxiously. The figure did not move an inch or acknowledge Jaegar in any way. He glanced back at his comrade on the other horse.

"Caine, what the hell is wrong with 'er?" he asked nervously.

The hefty man shrugged uselessly and shook his head. He slowly moved forward and waved his stubby hand in front of her face.

"What do you want?" the Gerudo snapped at him.

Caine flinched and backed up defensively. "We got the Prince," he replied nervously. "You know, the one y'all…"

"I know!" she suddenly hissed. She glanced at me, smirking with satisfaction. "Yes. This is the one," she said softly, nodding to herself. "I can see it."

I instinctively grabbed Jaegar's arm, suddenly very afraid of the Gerudo woman. He hastily yanked me off, and then turned back to the woman. "So what about our reward? We brought the little runt right to ya, just like y'all said to…"

"Fine, fine!" she replied angrily, reluctantly taking her eyes off of me. "Follow me," she told them, and turned and quietly crept along the road toward the Gerudo Fortress. Suddenly, she turned to the right and led us along what appeared to be a secret passageway into the fortress from the back. Jaegar pulled me along by the arm, squeezing it tightly and making me more anxious than ever.

We entered a dark tunnel, dimly lit by the lighted torch carried by the Gerudo woman. I could see the shadows of rats scurrying along the floor and hear the sound of bats flapping their wings. After a while the tunnel ended and we entered a larger chamber.

"You hunters remain here," the Gerudo ordered Caine and Jaegar. "I must show the boy to our leader." She grabbed me roughly by the arm and led me to another room full of Gerudo women. They all stood straight and stiff, their eyes staring blankly ahead. Each of them held a long scimitar, which obviously did not help lesson my anxiety in the slightest.

A moment later, an older-looking Gerudo woman entered the room. She wore white, and her red hair was cut short, just below her chin. From the way the other Gerudo woman began bowing before her, I got the impression that she was higher on the Gerudo social ladder.

"Leave us," she commanded with an authoritative tone. All of the other Gerudo women quickly tiptoed out of the room, leaving me completely alone with the elder Gerudo woman.

"Prince Kiran Harkinian," she proclaimed as she studied me head to toe. "Or should I say, Kiran Dragmire," she added, grinning maliciously.

I glared at her and narrowed my eyes. "What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to sound tough, but failing miserably with my unstable, childish voice.

She twisted her mouth in disgust. "That woman has been telling you lies your entire life, my dear."

I stared at her, confused. "Huh? Who?"

"The Princess… or Queen, whatever. You know, Zelda!" she replied angrily. "Has she ever told you anything about your father? About you?"

"My father is dead," I replied nonchalantly.

She smirked, fueling my anger further. "He's far from dead," she remarked. "He may not be with us in this world, but his presence is everywhere." She opened her arms and gestured around the room. Her eyes had a dreamy look in them as they wandered around the room and came to a stop on me. "Especially within you."

I felt a cold shiver suddenly run down my spine as she said this. She seemed to sense that she had frightened me, for she smiled and nodded knowingly.

"And now you are here with us, where you belong," she continued. "Now you will fulfill your destiny as the King of the Gerudo. You will follow in Ganondorf's footsteps, and complete the tasks he himself set out to do."

This woman was beginning to scare me. I got the idea that she might not be completely sane. "Look, lady, my momma will pay you whatever you want…" I began.

"You were not brought here for that," she snapped. "Don't you understand? You weren't brought here so that we could beg the Queen for some silly ransom. You are not going back. This is your new home, and you shall be taught our ways and the ways of dark magic. First of all, I want you to forget anything you have ever been told regarding the Triforce and Ganondorf."

My heartbeat quickened as I began to panic. This was moving far too fast. Hadn't I been in the castle with Link and my mother just this morning? And now, some crazy Gerudo lady was telling me that I would never see them again?

"Oh, by the way, my name is Gunda," she told me. "I am, more or less, the leader of the Gerudo rebels. We are the only remaining Gerudo followers of Lord Ganondorf."

I narrowed my eyes. Link had mentioned to my mother one day that he suspected Ganondorf still had some followers who remained loyal to him. He was right, I noted.

"I don't want to live here," I said obstinately, looking at her in disgust. "I hate Ganondorf, and I hate the Gerudo. Take me home now."

Gunda raised an eyebrow and curled her lips. "You don't seem to understand, little one," she replied dangerously. "You are not in the position to order us around nor to insult us. Quite the contrary, in fact. So I suggest you bite your tongue and do everything you are told here, because you will never see your precious castle again." She paused, her intense glare softening just barely. "Anyway, you don't really want to go back. You think you do now, but once you've been away from the Queen and the Hero for a while, you'll thank us for rescuing you."

"You're mad," I retorted. "I'll never thank you for anything." Before I could stop them, tears sprang to my eyes. I hastily wiped them away with my fist, but she noticed.

"I see," Gunda said softly, tilting her head sideways as she observed me. "You have become attached to them; to Zelda and the Hero. But that will go away with time. Listen, they don't want you there. The truth is… they fear you. They know who you are, and that frightens them more than anything in the world."

"You lie," I murmured angrily.

"Say whatever you want," she replied, not phased in the slightest. "But deep down, you know what I say is true. The only reason they keep you there is so that we, the few remaining followers of Lord Ganondorf, can't get our hands on you. They knew that that would be far too dangerous, so they keep you within the walls of the castle to protect you from outside influences like us. But they made the mistake of turning their heads away for a moment, and the very thing they feared most has happened. And now you are here with us, in your new home."

"No," I said, shaking my head unconvincingly. I was so confused and lost as I began to piece everything together in my mind. My heart fell as I realized what she meant. "No, no…" I muttered, my eyes growing wide as I placed my hand over my mouth in shock. "Ganondorf… is not… he can't be…"

"He is," she inserted. "Ganondorf is your father."

No, I thought stubbornly. It doesn't make any sense. She's mad; she's lost her mind.

However, before I could protest, a rather young looking Gerudo woman entered the room. Gunda turned and grunted angrily.

"I told you, no interruptions!" Gunda screamed furiously at her.

The girl bowed nervously. "I apologize, milady, but the hunters are growing impatient. They insist on seeing you."

She grunted with irritation. "Fine, fine, send them in," she commanded with a wave of her hand.

However, it wasn't the bounty hunters who showed up next. Instead, a mysterious, older-looking Gerudo woman stood in the doorway, trembling with anger. Her long, fiery red hair was pulled back away from her face and fastened with a pink jewel. Something about her set her apart from the other Gerudo women I had seen so far.

"Nabooru," Gunda whispered, a look of panic suddenly crossing her features.

Nabooru. Now where had I heard that name before?

"Yes," Nabooru said, frowning and crossing her arms in front of her breasts. "Me."

And then I suddenly recalled that Nabooru was the name of one of the Seven Sages. She was of the Gerudo race, meaning that she must be the Sage of Spirit.

I was saved.