Caught!
Link woke to see the first signs of dawn in the east. The duo didn't make it back to the valley before the sun went down and so Link called a rest for the night, mostly because Pirate was still in pain. He decided that Pirate deserved a rest, and so they stayed under a lone tree located on the field.
They could see Lon Lon Ranch from where they were but Link knew that the people there probably wouldn't house a Hylian and a Gerudo thief. So he and Lania took shelter beneath the tree.
Link sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair, the result being more tousled. With a slight yawn, Link stood up and went through a daily morning stretch to take the kinks and soreness out of his body from sleeping on the ground. Lania woke to a grunt, and saw Link complete a perfect back flip.
"Jeez Link, back flips first thing in the morning?" Lania asked teasingly. Link ignored her and went over to where Pirate had been tethered. Link ran a gentle hand down the horse's leg to where the sore muscles were. Link was glad to find that the swelling had reduced slightly.
"Ok, lets get going," Link said, as he walked to where Epona was standing. He mounted and Lania followed. They made it to the valley late in the morning, and the Gerudo were livid that Lania had left.
"Lania, you should know better, what if you had been killed by the Hylian filth in the city!" Lania's caretaker asked. Lania just sheepishly stared at the ground. "As a daughter of Nabooru, you should know better, especially with her disappearing," The Gerudo reprimanded harshly. Link turned to Lania, surprised that she was Nabooru's daughter. Lania's age didn't surprise him because it had been when Link was fourteen that Nabooru had attacked him, whose to say that she didn't have a daughter twelve years before that?
"Thank-you Link for bringing her back safe," The Gerudo said, turning to Link. Link nodded in acknowledgment and then said to Lania, "I'm heading out to explore, see you around Lania," Link said, using his leg to turn Epona around.
"Link, you're not staying?" Lania asked, surprised that the seventeen year old was leaving so soon. "Yes, I have things to do and places to see, so I'm heading out now while the day is still young," Link said, gently tapping Epona with his heels.
With Epona, Link made it back to Hyrule City in two hours and it was only two hours after midday. He hopped off of Epona's back and headed into the town, carefully waiting for a guard switch. Entering the town, Link went to his hideout for a long needed meal. From there he watched the comings and goings of the city.
Zelda and Libby were taking in the sights of the city. Zelda was in awe of the people. They had so much freedom. She watched the people shout and barter back and forth, and looked at some of the merchandise. She smiled at the complements but she virtually ignored them.
Link had seen the pretty princess as she passed closed to his hideout and now he was watching her like a hawk, just to make sure that she would be ok by herself.
Zelda came across a young boy about seven years old reaching for a loaf of bread that was by the baker's station. "Are you hungry?" she asked the boy kindly; he nodded shyly but said nothing. Zelda looked at the small loaves of bread and selected one. Giving it to the boy, who scampered off with a whispered thank-you, Zelda turned and was about to walk away from the stand, when the baker grabbed her wrist.
"Hey, you better pay for that!" he said angrily, Zelda just looked at him in surprise, becoming speechless in a hurry. Libby gave an angry wicker at the baker and Link heard it coming from the mare. He decided to intervene.
"Excuse me my good man, you honestly aren't threatening this young lady are you?" Link asked in a godly manner. The baker's eyes widened at Link, the wanted thief. Zelda looked at the thief curiously but didn't have time to ask as the baker shout the alarm
"SHIT" Link cursed as he grabbed Zelda and practically threw her up on Libby. She gave a slight shriek as Link did this but didn't have time to hesitate because Link was shortly on the horse behind her. He urged the mare into a gallop heading for the only town exit, the bridge.
But the guards had smartened up since yesterday and that exit was already closed. Cursing again, Link steered Libby back through the guards towards the alleys. From there, he quickly dismounted and uncovered the secret entrance into his hiding place. "Quickly, in here!" Link said, as Zelda quickly urged Libby into the dark. He quickly closed it and put a hand to his lips in a signal to be quiet. Link quickly ran to the roof and watched the guards run by, still searching the alley for them. Soon they gave up and Link sighed in relief.
He quietly made his way back to find Zelda sitting at the window, Libby standing quietly behind her. Link approached her, his eyes scornful as he eyed her. She looked at him and found him to be quite handsome with the messy blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. She could also see the well-toned muscles through the holes and patches in his tunic.
"You can't steal in plain view of the guilds, they want the money and if you don't have it they immediately call the guards," Link said plaintively. Zelda, looked at him angrily and spoke, "And let me guess you know from experience?" she said hotly.
"As a matter a fact I do know, because I was younger than that kid when I was left stranded on the streets," Link said scornfully. Zelda's eyes widened slightly at that but it was at that moment that Link noticed the sapphire jewel around her neck.
"Do all of you nobles have jewels like that?" Link asked in surprise. Zelda gasped. He knew she was of noble birth. "How did you know?" Zelda whispered. Link raised an eyebrow and commented, "I could tell it was your first time on the streets cause you just looked at everything and anything there was to see. And not many townspeople have as nice a dress and cloak as you as well as your pretty mare. Plus you have the sapphire around your neck," Link chuckled and turned his now peaceful eyes on Zelda. Zelda's hand immediately flew to her neck but she was beginning to trust the thief.
Link tugged at something on the inside of his tunic and found the emerald. As Link held it both gems seemed to glow slightly. 'That must be Farore's Emerald!' Zelda thought.
"Where did you get that?" Zelda asked. "How do you think, I stole it," Link smirked. Zelda flushed slightly but didn't probe anymore; instead, she drew the sapphire from her neck and also held it in her palm. Link looked at her questioningly.
"I want you to have this because you have very little. This gem is called Nayru's Sapphire," Zelda said, gently placing the gem in his hand. Link froze at the contact, but quickly snapped back to reality when the doors to the hideout were thrown open. He tucked the jewels away and grabbed Zelda's hand again.
"Do you trust me?" Link asked, standing on the edge of the window. "Yes but what about Libby?" She asked looking to her mare. Link looked at the horse and then back at her. "She'll be fine," Link said, jumping off of the sill onto the cotton cover of a merchant stand. Libby ran down through the open door and continued to run, mostly in the direction of home.
Link and Zelda were now on the run, but Link made a mistake and they ran straight into a fleet of guards. "Grab him!" The lead guard yelled as the guards grabbed at Link. They caught him and Zelda was tossed to the side. She swiftly got up and yelled, "Unhand him!" Zelda ran in front of the lead guard. "And who says we have to listen to you little missy?" the guard sneered. Zelda pulled the hood off of her head and said with a great air of authority, "Because I am the Princess and you must do as I say!" The guards all stopped and found that she really was Princess Zelda standing in front of them. Immediately all of the guards bowed in respect and they forced Link to bow as well.
'The Princess! How could I have been so stupid!' Link cursed inwardly. Zelda saw the look of anger on the boy's face but she didn't back down. "I demand that you release him," Zelda said. "I'm sorry Princess but Ganondorf is in command here and so we can't let him go, besides we have been after this kid for a long time now," The guard apologized, "You will have to talk to him…" Another guard who was leading Libby down to them interrupted him. "Sir, we have caught one of the bandit's horses," He stared at Zelda for a moment before bowing low. "Libby, come here please," Zelda called, and Libby immediately obeyed glad to be out of the guard's clutches. She gently stroked the horse and then glared at he guard.
She swung up onto Libby's bareback, because Zelda didn't take time to saddle Libby before she left. The guards took a firmer hold on Link and they lead him to the palace.
'Finally, I have found the boy, and it's all thanks to Princess Zelda's precious Sapphire," Ganondorf thought smugly. Now he needed to find the blasted Ocarina of Time and he would be set to send Link into the Sacred Realm.
Things were starting to grow clearer.