AN: Yay! Exams are nearly over! Here's chapter 11 :D

Chapter 11:

It was somewhat relaxing to see the Gerudo Fortress in such panic. The pitiful women could barely hold their defence against Twinrova. It was rather amusing to watch them fall to the ground as the two witches came swooping down to the ground to seek the Princess and Nabooru inside the stone stronghold. They all threw themselves down into the dirt; it was like the mighty Lake Hylia had parted.

The wailing screeches then diminished as the darkness of the Fortress corridors consumed Twinrova's figure, and then, for a short moment, all was silent. The cackling laughs that had cracked the air ceased, and the dust that had been blown up into the wind began to settle. But the scramble and scuffling of feet returned. Without any order the Gerudo guards piled into the Fortress to hunt down and pursue their intruders, their raging battle cries holding their spears high.

Ganondorf watched the entire scene enfold below him as he stood atop the blocked valley. As he looked down his shadow cast a long darkness over the entire Gerudo Fortress, and he grinned in the dying sunlight. He had seen everything, including the princess gazing stupidly out of one of the windows. He admitted that they had done well in trying to conceal her. She looked just the part. Nevertheless, there was nothing that could ever hide her Hylian ears, and there was no mistaking her white, pale skin, even from where he stood now.

Muttering a few words under his breath, he floated down to the ground using a simple spell and stood in the lower passageway that looked up to the Fortress. A glimmer of a memory stirred within him, and he remembered the days when he used to be a god in this forsaken place. Even Nabooru had bowed down to him in his youth, and every other Gerudo flocked to him for guidance and affection. At the pinnacle of his manhood he had stood strong and courageous in the face of danger, loved by all and obeyed by all.

But after the mighty Ganon had chosen him to be the vessel of his spirit, no one bowed to him. They had done so for a while, grovelling at his feet in those seven glorious years of terror and corruption, but the rise of that wretched Hero cast a new darkness over him. Though he had been a light to the rest of the world, he brought to Ganondorf an evil so sinister that it threatened everything he had striven to achieve. No longer did they cower and fear the name of Ganondorf; no longer did the people wash his feet and whimper the praises so rightly his. No, they bowed and made way for Link, the Hero of Time. They cheered and blessed his name, gave him the highest position in the land, and the prize of Zelda's hand.

But all that would change; he would become a god again, and in the eyes of all of Hyrule. Every single filthy vermin, peasant, lord, Zora, Goron and Gerudo would praise his name to the heavens for delivering them out of the poverty of war. His saving hand would thrust them into a prosperity that they had never known before, into the glorified Age of Darkness! He would become their new Hero of Time, and Link's death had secured him the title of the greatest Hero Hyrule had ever seen. All he needed was Zelda's hand and an army to slaughter the lives of thousands, reclaiming the kingdom that should have been his from the day of his birth. He would succeed Link in every way, taking his bride, his glory and his power to rule over Hyrule.

Amid the soothing silence of the late afternoon, the lone caws of the birds were interrupted by the clatter of a horse's hooves. Out of the Fortress galloped a small horse with none other than the princess riding like a man in its saddle. Ganondorf grinned again. She had not looked toward him, and she had no knowledge of his presence. The surprise of him catching her would be all the more exciting when he cornered her in the Colossus.

But there would be no fun in an instant chase. He let her go for now, grinning at the thought of her trembling in fear as his power became stronger and stronger behind her before finally tearing her from her horse, and claiming not only her Triforce but also her precious hand. He could only smirk in speculation of his wonderful future about to play before his very eyes.

Just as he thought of pursuing Zelda, Twinrova burst from within the Fortress looking flustered and beaten. Their hair was dishevelled and their large eyes were rolling in their sockets, looking nervously into the Fortress entrance for ensuing Gerudos. Koume was bent over, revealing a large gash in her back while Kotake's disjointed hands grasped her broom in a contorted manner, bleeding a thick black liquid over the cursed wood.

"Where did she go?" Koume shrieked. "Did you see her Lord? Did you see the way the Princess fled?"

"You mean to say that you let her out of your sight?" Ganondorf said, raising a thick eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that you lost the princess and failed what I asked of you?" he continued, toying with their frantic anxiety.

"Forgive us, Lord Ganondorf!" they whined. "She disappeared! We speak the truth, Lord! She disappeared before our very eyes!"

"A simple magic trick. You should be ashamed to call yourself witches if you could not anticipate such a simple spell. Now go! She fled into the desert. Find her and bring her back to me you worthless hags!"

"B-But what if she reaches past the Colossus? It would take days, possibly weeks, for her to get back to the castle!"

"I shall be waiting at there when she returns. Even if that is not her destination, I trust you that you will steer her in the castle's direction. Now hurry, before she gets out of your sight!"

"Yes, Lord Ganondorf!"

There were shouts re-emerging from within the Fortress, and the angry Gerudos were getting closer. With a quiet yelp of fear the witches made for the desert at once. That Nabooru could certainly defend herself, and had given them a few tokens of her appreciation for their infiltration of their home. They would be nursing those wounds for weeks. The healing arts of white magic were of no use to them; their black magic had consumed them entirely.

Ganondorf had heard the cries too, and promptly left his homeland. He hovered back up to the top of the collapsed entrance, floated down over the over side, and over the deep gorge where the river raged. His jet-black horse was patiently waiting for him there, and Ganondorf heaved himself up into the saddle. He kicked it hard and at once it reared in pain before it went galloping down the path to Hyrule Field. Even if Twinrova failed, at least he would be able to cross Zelda's path and take her himself.

The whistles and the whipping of the wind howled in a sad lament as it brushed through the raging sandstorms of the Gerudo Desert. Night was falling fast across the horizon, the blazing reds and oranges being succeeded by the cool hues of blue and black. But it soon all became one mass of blurred grey as the sands blew up in front of Zelda's eyes.

On she rode to the Colossus, her horse slowing with every motion it stepped through. The giant stone guardian seemed metres away from her, looming high as a dark outline in the distance. But dread and fear were creeping precariously around Zelda's shoulders, and her hands soon shook despite grasping the reigns as tightly as she could. The noises around her resembled too distinctly the sounds of the witches, and every breath of the wind chilled her to the very fabric of her soul.

Everything was riding on her now. It was her duty to return to the castle and put an end to this terror about to unleash itself upon Hyrule. She would not let her country fall away to the power of one man; one man that Link had fought so hard to destroy. His suffering was not to have been in vain. She would not let it be so.

She snapped the reigns again, urging her horse on further, although she could already feel the horse heave for breath underneath her. Just a little more. She could already feel the cool clarity in the air begin to emerge from out of the oasis. It wouldn't be long now. Only a little more.

But 'a little more' suddenly became a whole lot further. Two dark shapes slithered past Zelda's vision, floating effortlessly through the walls of sand. They were completely indistinguishable except for the long, thin shape that the figures cleaved to. A long, triangular shape appeared at the front, while another protruded beyond the thin, narrow stick that supported them.

Zelda had no doubt in her mind who they were. Twinrova had finally caught up with her. Nabooru must have not been able to keep them held back for long, but she had done what she could. Zelda couldn't have asked for anything more. The Gerudos had fulfilled their duty, of taking care of her and of protecting her, and now it was time for her to fulfil hers.

But there would be no time for her to change her horse at this rate. They were far too close and much too aware of her presence. There had to be a way for her to pass Twinrova without them noticing. Then it came to her. Focusing all her energy, she conjured the words of Farore's Wind, engulfing both her and her poor horse. Along they went, riding the thin planes of the winds, speeding past Twinrova in a silent stampede of nature.

Yet there was no feeling of relief. Carrying such a large load was a heavy task, and Zelda soon released them from the spell. The most crucial element of her escape was still before her. The Colossus was now very close and she would reach it in a matter of minutes. The speed of her changeover was vital. She must find the horses immediately and be off again before anyone noticed.

The night was drawing in quickly, and the Gerudos lazily looked out over the desert from high atop the Colossus. They saw the sandstorms and talked idly about how drab and dreary the desert looked at night. The rising sand hid the beautiful landscape that had reigned over the sunlight, and took away the raw brilliance of the colours in the relentless heat of the sun.

They were somewhat glad though. Their post here was almost up, and soon they would return to the Fortress. It was an objective obligation to watch over this sacred land. Everyone obeyed the rules, and no one would ever think twice about skipping out of their responsibilities. The Colossus was a historical monument and something to be proud of, even if no one else in Hyrule thought so. This had been the very site where the great Hero of Time had vanquished the evil of Twinrova, sealing her away for eternity. Though a strange rumour was circulating the Fortress that Twinrova had been sighted about a month ago. But it couldn't possibly be true.

The small band of Gerudos leant against the ancient treasure chest that had once contained their most prized possession - the legendary Mirror Shield that had been the key the Hero of Time needed to destroy Twinrova. There was a comfort resting against such important history. It made them feel apart of their country. In spite of their exile, they had been important nonetheless in seeing the great fall of Ganondorf. The despised man was not to be uttered in the Gerudo Valley. His evil was too great to speak of, and too horrible to even contemplate. Those years truly had been the darkest Hyrule had ever witnessed, and the present strife was hardly standing in the shadow of those long, ugly days.

But as one of them glanced down nonchalantly, the same terror from those seven years awoke once again. A fellow Gerudo was being chased in the fierce sandstorm by the unbelievable sight of - it couldn't be, it couldn't possibly be - Twinrova! The rumours were true, the terrible rumours they refused to believe - it was all true!

Frozen in the dying heat, they gaped moronically over the scene before another pulled themselves from the living nightmare. They all eventually grabbed their spears and ran silently back into the Colossus, all too astounded to speak. The bravest timidly went out to meet the rider and bring them into the shelter of the Colossus, only to find that it was not a Gerudo at all. It was the Princess of Hyrule, adorned in their traditional clothing, trespassing on their forbidden land, riding one of their horses.

Zelda leapt off the mare suddenly, and the tired horse promptly stopped in its tracks, exhausted and panting for a small gasp of air. The Gerudo was about to leave, refusing to help the Princess who had given them their death sentence, but the look of fear on her face compelled the guard to stay just that moment longer to hear her plea.

"Please, I need another horse! Twinrova are after me and I need to escape! Please help me!"

She knew she shouldn't be helping her. The Princess had exiled them from Hyrule. She had been responsible for their loneliness, for their poverty, and for their hardship. Yet Twinrova, the unspeakable terror that had once possessed their mighty ruler, Nabooru, was right behind her. There would be no use hiding her in the Colossus. The witches knew that place better than the Gerudos did. To hide her here would only endanger all their lives. And the Gerudo wanted to go back to the Fortress.

Without saying anything at all, she grabbed Zelda's hand and ran back to the Colossus entrance. She yelled at the others who peeked from around the archway to prepare a horse. In no time at all a stallion was ready to ride and the Gerudos received unexpected thanks and an immense amount of gratitude for their kindness.

Before they could answer, Zelda was away. They were left completely dumbfounded once more as they watched her disappear into the sandstorms as quickly as she had come. They couldn't believe what they had heard. The Princess of Hyrule…was thanking them? It was too unbelievable to be true.

But this world was full of strange things, and as reality set in they all rushed for a hiding place in case it really was Twinrova they had seen flying in the desert. But the strangest thing of all was finding themselves praying for the safety of the Princess. Even if she did belong to the tyrannical Royal family that had sentenced them to exile, she had thanked them for merely borrowing a horse.

It was only after that they realised that Zelda had, in effect, stolen their strongest, most intelligent horse from right under their noses, and that they would probably never see that horse again.

AN: Sorry for the long wait! I've finally found some free time after my exams, and here it is! Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I might even be able to update much quicker next time :D Let's hope so!

serenitythefaierikin: Thanks! I've had a go at writing battle before, but it wasn't great. It's good to hear thatmy writing is getting better. Practice makes perfect!

Forlorn Rain: Yay for an over-packed plot! XD This story is definitely the most adventurous I've done, so I'm glad it's going okay! Thanks for the review as always :D

vladimir the hamster: Sorry, I couldn't make May 10th, but Happy Birthday! XD And yes, a LinkxImpa pairing would be the epitome of creepy-ness Oo;

Hououza: I was quite worried about that last chapter actually. I was wondering whether Zelda's resolve would come over effectively, but I guess it wasn't as bas as I thought it was. Thanks for the review, once again :D

Rae37: Yeah, unfortunately Link is dead, but it's very important. But don't worry, I won't let him stay like that :D

Fire Gem: Thank you! It's great to see new readers. I hope you enjoy the rest of this.