Chapter 3
The feeling of a damp cloth dabbing his face dragged Ganondorf out of the blackness that held onto him. He became aware that the pain from the gouges on his face had lessened to a dull throb and his weary body lay on something soft. As he opened his eyes to gaze about, The wet cloth came away from his face and found himself looking up into A woman's face.
Her eyes were a dark brown and seemed to be filled to the brim with annoyance, while her brown hair was pulled back into a tight braid. If her oval face had not been so hard and stern, Ganondorf thought she might have been beautiful. She was dressed in a dark-brown tunic that went down to her ankles and was worn over a billowing pair of breeches in a light brown color. The full sleeves of the tan shirt she wore under the tunic were bound at the wrists with strips of brown cloth and on her right arm she wore an archer's wrist guard. She wrung the cloth out in a small bowl beside her on the ground. Her eyes narrowed at him, "The moment I think your well enough and we won't find your carcass again, You're leaving!"
He stared at her with wide eyes as he took a quick glance at his surroundings. He lay on a bed made out of large cushions and was covered with a light weight blanket. The white fabric of the tent glowed faintly from the bright sunshine and the pungent scent of incense filled the air. The ground was hidden by a rug that reached up to the walls of the tent and scattered about were large cushions, large enough for a man to sit on with ease. He met her dark gaze, "Why not just get rid of me now! Who cares if you–"
She threw her cloth down into the half full bowl of water as her eyes blazed, "Because then another person would become an outcast because of you!"
"And why would they–?"
"Because any who find a sick outsider must care for the wretch and be separated from the tribe while the outsider is in their possession!" She glared at him, "Only after you stagger out of here will I be able to join in tribal activities!"
He felt an unknown emotion well up inside of him that made him feel rotten and he started to push himself up, "Fine! I'll just stagger away right now!"
To his surprise, she pushed him back down onto his bed of cushions, "Didn't you hear me?" Her eyes narrowed at him, "If you collapse, somebody else from the tribe will be cursed with you!"
"But then I wouldn't be your concern!"
She rose to her feet with her hands clenched at her sides, "Yes, but do you think that would please the Goddesses?" She folded her arms, "Besides, wether I enjoy being an outcast or not, Taking care of you and making sure you heal is the right thing to do," She glanced away and he just caught her words, "I can't help it the tribe has that stupid law . . . "
He stared at her with wide eyes, 'But if she just let me leave, then she could be with her tribe . . . ' He couldn't understand what she meant, "Then you don't want to be a part of your tribe?"
Her sharp gaze seemed to cut right through him, "Did I say I wanted to be treated like a plague?"
"No, but you said . . . "
"I said wether I enjoy it or not. I don't enjoy it in the least!"
"Then why take care of me!"
She gazed at him for a long time before finally speaking, "Did the poison in your wounds affect your mind?" She let out an exasperated sigh, "I'm helping you because I want to, wether you deserve it or not!."
"But why! I can't understand . . . "
She stared at him as though he had grown another head and then scowled,"That I can see, very clearly," She gazed down her nose at him, "Have you ever thought of anyone except yourself?" Before he could answer, she was already shaking her head, "No, don't answer. I already know the answer and don't expect me to give in to your every whim!"
She turned and stalked out of the tent leaving Ganondorf staring after her with a wide-eyed gaze. He allowed his head to fall back onto the pillow and stared up at the tent's ceiling. Inside of him, he felt a turmoil that he'd never felt before and it almost made him sick. He closed his eyes and wondered, 'What is happening to me? Why was I found by this woman? What are these emotions raging inside of me?'