Chapter 8. Finally!

The sun was rising behind a cloud of sand. Sandstorms were common in the desert, and the soldiers laying siege to the Gerudo Valley were almost becoming used to the sunrise being obscured.

Getting used to the fact that they were laying siege to a bunch of women, who seemed genuinely confused about the armed guard outside their gate, was not so easy.

"They can't all be such good actors," a grunt said.

"Actors, liars, same difference," his friend replied. "Everyone knows Gerudos are theives."

"So thieves are automatically liars?"

"Bad is bad."

"Woah," a voice said behind them. "What's going on here?"

The two soldiers, and several of the ones around them, turned.

A young man, barely more than a boy, was standing there. He had the dark coloring of a gerudo, but was bare-chested and therefore probably male. He was dressed in mismatched green clothes, most of which were too small for him, and looked rather tired.

"What do you want, kid?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Well, I originally wanted to go home, but now I kind of want to defend my people. So...what the hell is going on here?"

"The Gerudos kidnapped the prince. We're going to get him back."

"Some Gerudos kidnapped the prince, yes. But they didn't bring him to the Valley, and the rest of them didn't know anything about it. So whatever it is you're doing here is pretty pointless."

"How would you know?" a soldier snapped.

"Who are you anyway?" another asked. "One of the Gerudos' man-bitches?"

The boy winced. "Okay, first of all... No, never mind, it's not worth it. Just let me through will you?"

"No way kid, this is a war zone."

"Oh it is not," the boy said, as though chiding a child. "Now I am telling you, the prince is not in there. He's...I don't know, I was pretty out of it when she explained it to me...but he's not in there! Now are you gonna let me through or am I gonna call for help?"

"And who would help you, huh?"

The boy sighed. Then he put his fingers to his lips and whistled three sharp notes.

A head popped up over the wall and peered toward the boy.

"Holy crap it's His Little Majesty!" the guard exclaimed. She disappeared again and there were sounds of hurried activity. Soon the gate opened and a dozen Gerudos, armed to the teeth, emerged.

"Let us pass or we unman the lot of you!" they said in unison.

The Hylian soldiers immediately backed off.

Doran couldn't help but smile. The Gerudos found the effectiveness of that threat highly amusing, since it didn't apply to them. Doran was probably the only person in the world who could see it from both sides.

The Gerudos surrounded their king and began fussing over him in a motherly/sisterly way, clucking over his clothes and wiping his face with handkerchiefs and spit. Doran didn't even bother to fight. He was used to this.

The Gerudos escorted their youngking back through the soldiers and into the fortress. A few moments after the gates snapped shut the king appeared at the top of the wall, wearing his crown.

"There's been a misunderstanding," he called down. "Send your leader forward and we can talk this out."

"Why should we talk to you?" someone shouted back.

"Why not?" the king replied.

The man had no answer for that.

"I'm not kidding you know. This is all a mistake. I'm not sure what really happened, but I want to help clear this up."

The captain stepped forward. "I'll hear you out," he said. "But no tricks."

The king smiled. "Do you really think I could take you?"

The captain thought about it. "Good point."

zzz

It was the middle of the morning, and the potion shop was empty. Mara tapped her fingernails on the counter and stared blankly at the door. No one would be arriving for hours. No one ever did.

Then, much to her surprise, the door opened and a blonde head popped in.

"Good morning," Link called cheerfully.

Mara looked up. She blinked. "It's you! How are you?"

"Good, good," Link swung her pack on the counter and pulled a piece of paper out of it. "I wrote a note to my parents so you can send it to them along with your bill."

Mara scanned the letter. "Are you sure you want to address your mother this way?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't sound like me."

"Er, right."

"By the way," Link swung her pack on her back, "where does Kobold work?"

Mara scratched her head thoughtfully. "I think he teaches. Yeah, that's it, he teaches self-defense and magic after the kids get out of normal school. He should still be home now."

"Thanks. I just need to say goodbye."

"You going somewhere?"

"Yeah. I am."

Link trekked back to Kobold's house. She was a little annoyed by the fact that she had to keep coming back here, much as she liked Kobold. It all felt a little too repetitive.

Link knocked on the door. It was actually later then the last time she'd visited, so it should be all right.

Kobold answered almost immediately. "Link!" he exclaimed, grinning. "You're okay! I mean, hi! I mean, oh come in."

Link smiled. He looked like he wanted to hug her, but was holding himself back, so as soon as the door was shut behind them she threw her arms around his chest to take the choice away from him. Kobold was startled at first, naturally, but he hugged her back.

Amoment later Kobold held her at arm's length and smiled down at her. "I take that to mean it worked?"

"Hell yeah it worked!" she grinned. "I found the sword, I found the pretty king, I got lost but it was okay because it worked!"

"Well, you're alive and back so I'm going to ignore the lost bit." He couldn't seem to stop smiling. Despite the hero business, Link was too much a woman not to recognize the brotherly love in his eyes.

"Wanna see it?" she asked, still grinning.

"Do I ever! Here," he led her into the kitchen and cleared a space on the table.

Link unbuckled the sheath from across her chest and laid it on the table. Slowly, savoring the moment, she drew the sword.

Shing!

"Ooh..." Kobold sighed softly. "Fairy-made. It's beautiful."

"Isn't it just?" Link squealed. "Roses aren't usually my thing, but...wow."

"Yeah..." Kobold agreed.

They were both silent for a moment, staring at the sword. Finally, Kobold pulled a chair out and sat down, gesturing for Link to do the same. When she was seated, he clasped his hands in front of him and stared at them.

"Link...you're going now, aren't you?"

"To get Zeld? Of course. I'm not one hundred percent how to get there...but I'm going."

"You...you remember once you said if I ever needed your help I could ask?"

"Of course Kobold." She resisted the urge to grab his hand. "After everything you've done for me, I'd do anything for you."

"It's not big...but..."

"What ever it is, I'll do it," she sad firmly.

Kobold smiled wryly. "It's not the task itself that I'm worried about. It's...well... There's someone I want you to keep an eye out for."

"Someone?"

"The...the person I mentioned before..." he was fidgeting with his ring again. "The one who disappeared in the Lost Woods. He knew it was dangerous, he knew, and he promised me he would be back in a few days...but..."

Link blinked. She processed this new bit of information as quickly as she could. "So, um, you want me to look for this...guy?"

"Yes." Kobold was still staring at his hands.

"How will I know him?"

"He's a Sheikah. Tall, very handsome, silverish hair that he likes to wear long. He wears glasses, though he prefers to wear dark-tinted ones so that they look like they're for style rather than necessity. Altough...it's been a few years...Idon't know if any one that's true any more...The most important thing is...he'll have a ring like this one." Kobold held out his left hand, and Link noticed for the first time that there were two Ancient Hylian symbols carved into the band on his finger. "Or at least he did... And if he doesn't have it now...then I don't want to see him."

"I think I understand," Link said softly.

"Do you?" He smiled that sad smile again, but still wasn't looking at her. "Maybe. I- I know he's still alive, because of the rings. We're...connected through them. So I know he's alive...but I know he's not in Hyrule. The thing is...he could only have lost the ring if he wanted to lose it, that's part of the spell. So..."

"I'll keep my eyes open Kobold."

He smiled, and it was a real smile this time. "Thank you."

zzz

Tor pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Sometimes it was hard to believe it had been almost five years since he had come into Lord Vaaltos' service. It was once easy to pretend it was all just a nightmare, that soon he would be back to the life he'd left behind. But then the prince, Zeld, had come and Tor had talked with him, gotten to know him, and he couldn't pretend any more.

He couldn't go on like this...

Someone rapped on his door. "The Masterwants you on guard duty for the blond," a gruff voice said. It was one of Vaaltos' few human servants.

Reluctantly, Tor got up and put on his uniform. The black wind was flowing past his window almost too fast for the human eye to follow. That meant Lord Vaaltos was agitated. Tor held back a sigh.He'd guarded prisoners before, but he'd never spoken to them. It was a mistake, he now knew. But he couldn't go back now. He would continute serving Vaaltos, because there was nothing else he could do, but he wouldn't hurt Zeld.

Any more than he had to.

When he got down to the main hall where Zeld was caged he dismissed the other guard and settled down with a deck of cards.

"How's it hanging your highness?" he asked.

"Not funny," Zeld glared down at him, the wind cage swinging slightly.

"Sorry."

There was silence for a moment.

"Hey Tor?" Zeld asked thoughtfully.

"Yes your highness?"

"I told you to call me Zeld."

"Sorry. Zeld."

"Is it true that ReDeads are considered a race here?"

Tor blinked at that, then laughed. "Did Lord Vaaltos tell you that? It's one of his stranger affectations. ReDeads aren't a race, any more then you could consider the black wind a race, but because he controls them and because he likes to intimidate the townsfolk he insists on people calling them a race. Basically that means no one's allowed to kill them, the same way you can't just kill another person."

"I can't believe Vaaltos would do something like that! ReDeads are dangerous!"

"But Lord Vaaltos controls them completely. I'm not sure how he does it, I've been trying to unravel his magic for years, but they never do anything or attack anyone that he doesn't want them to."

"Do the townspeople know that?"

"Everyone does. I'm not sure how long Lord Vaaltos has ruled this town, but he first came here long before I started working for him, and he has everyone so cowed that it must have been years."

Zeld's expression darkened. "This shouldn't go on."

"No...but..." Tor fiddled with something around his neck. "You should know," he said quietly after a moment. "Lord Vaaltos is going to come for you later today. You should do what ever you have to do to prepare yourself."

"Yeah...yeah okay."

zzz

"You'll be fine here for awhile," Link said to 17th. "This is a nice stable and I'm paying them plenty to take care of you, so you should-"

Link?

"Zeld?"

Can you talk?

"Yeah, sure." The stable was empty except for horses. And one cow for some reason. "What's up? Why haven't you contacted me?"

I was...tired.

"Tired?"

Er, yeah.

"Right."

I don't want to talk about it.

"Be that way."

Link...

"Right, sorry. You're entitled to your secrets too."

Damn straight. Now where are you?

"Stable. Leaving my horse behind. Gonna come and get you!"

You found a way? Way to go! But how?

Link grinned with pride. "It's called the Black Rose Blade."

Blade? A sword?

"Yuh-huh. A sword once wielded by the hero of time himself."

Dude. That's awesome!

"Yeah, isn't it?" Link grinned.

But how will that help? Nothing against swords, swords rock, but I don't get it.

"I didn't at first either, but apparently this sword can...uh...cut...through...worlds?"

You have no idea do you?

"I'll burn that bridge when I come to it."

I think you mean "cross that bridge."

"I said what I said."

zzz

Water?

"Check."

Food?

"Check."

Shelter?

"Check."

Belongings secured?

"Check."

Got my heart?

She laid a hand on her chest. "Big check. Got mine?"

Link couldn't see him, but she knew he was making the same gesture. Safe and sound, he said.

"I'm ready to go."

Good luck.

Link looked out at the seemingly endless expanse of sand, brush, and scorching sun that was the western desert. "I think I'll need it."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Notes from the Author

Yes! I have been waiting so long to reveal Kobold's past! Perceptive readers will have already figured something out...heh. I love Kobold. (cough)

I also finally got Link on the path to rescue Zeld. And sent Doran home. And got to talk some about Tor. Who I also love. (cough) Wow, I'm giving way too much away here. Bad author, bad!