A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
A Pair of Time
Chapter 51- Amongst the Thieves of Sand, Part 3
Gerudo's Fortress; Day
Loneliness. Malon tries her best to suppress the feeling she always fears the most. Not more than a half the day has gone by and she has the yearning of eternity for Link's company. She knows the feeling too well, and having it resurfaced does not do well on her confidence. A disturbing noise of footsteps abruptly approaches her ears, causing the redhead to cringe into a still statue. Malon lines her back against the nearest wall and has her gaze straight to a right angle of the dusty ground. A patrol yawns briefly as she ambles by a frozen Malon. Again, the Hylian girl hurls hot breaths of relief as the watch enters one of the many entrances to the Thieves' Hideout. She quickly glances around for a rise in suspicion, then rushes into the same opening.
Thieves' Hideout
Malon would give anything just to have Link by her side, especially right now where sleuthing is not a strong point of hers. Much of this pining comes as forms of constant whims whenever her mind is not completely occupied. Wishes to have the agile knight's presence, his strength and skills, his quick-witted mind, his boundless courage, his humble smile and voice. She even doesn't mind his subtlety comments and remarks about her.
If only something could be done about fairy boy's ignorant world of love.
Malon, pay attention! Navi booms through her mental privacy. I know Link is callow when it comes to that issue, but don't let it distract you. Look! Some more prison cells!
Snapping her attention to her physical vision, two prisons similar to the first one she found loom from the wall of the current room. Again, Malon stiffens as soon as her line of sight reveals the same Gerudo in front of the second cell. The guard effortlessly notices the Hylian's feeble movements and lays a wary eye on the rookie. For a few moments, Malon could feel the sharp, icy glare from the topaz irises from a rather third-person perspective. Her body is painfully rigid, but she couldn't move if she tried. A freak thought keeps ramming in her head as she heeds the dexterous composition of the Gerudo. Hand to hand, this simple sentry could dispatch her, but with difficulty due to Malon's own self-experience of combat herself. However, what could ensure the Gerudo's victory is her pole arm. Malon holds back a nervously agitated gulp as she sneaks a quick glance at the weapon that to her now looks more sharpened. The large, curved blade seems rather the right size to decapitate a trespasser…
"Hmph." To Malon's relief, the guard ignores her quaint actions and proceeds to exit the opposite way. She could not take such suspense anymore; her breathing is becoming ragged from holding and heavy deflating. She collapses slowly onto the floor to remedy her lost of energy. If this were kept the same pace and execution, Malon would soon be uncovered before she could even reach the third carpenter. Or sooner, because the Gerudo that just left didn't dismiss herself without keeping her awareness of this unknown infiltrator. That has Malon worrying quickly. If the Gerudos at least have an inkling of an intruder amiss themselves, she might as well kiss seeing a beam of sunlight goodbye.
Urging herself not to panic, Malon steadily picks herself up and tiptoes over to the cell. The carpenter inside is spawn across the floor, slumbering by the sound of a set of quiet snore. Struggling with the given set of keys, Malon soon unlocks the cell's door and slips through.
"Hey." She silently shakes the inmate's shoulder. "Wake up. Wake up already."
"… I didn't… do anything… with her…" mumbles the carpenter. "No, boss… Your daughter is fine…"
Malon suddenly pauses to connect these words from her memory. If the carpenter boss's son is the sickly man in the forest, and that man is the brother of the Cucco lady…
Oh, Nayru! She shudders lightly at the discovery.
"Wake up!" Malon continues arousing the carpenter, no matter what he has done in the previous days. "Wake up, you… you… unjustified person!"
The carpenter stirs slightly for a second, then groans as he sits up. "Arg… Is it time to work on the cliffs already…?"
"No. You're on a jailbreak!"
"What?"
"I'm not a Gerudo. I'm a Hylian! I got you freed, so get out of here!"
"Er… Okay… Well, since this doesn't look like a dream…" The poacher rushes to a stand, alert of any signs indicating a humiliating con. When none presents itself, he edges out of the opening until he reaches a distance where he feels safe enough. "So you are here to free me."
"Yes, I am."
"… Well, you're a cute kid. Thank you for coming to save me. I'm Jiro, the carpenter," he introduces himself. "These Gerudos… They're so scary! I'd rather work as a carpenter than join them! I can't wait to say good-bye to this place!"
"The other carpenters… I rescued one of them. Do you know where the other two are?"
"I think they should be further down the main route around the fortress. Are you rescuing all of us?"
"Yeah, your boss asked me."
"Oh… Well, I have to get outta here, then. I'm sorry I can't be of any more help!" With that said, Jiro dashes off up to a supposed exit from Malon's view. She sighs in foreboding dismay. Hopefully, her luck would hang on for her sake. But, for added help, she mutters a quick prayer to herself. A prayer to the heavens to ask the three goddesses. Especially a prayer to Farore to ask for her courage.
And also, a prayer to ask her mother… to give her strength…
--
Gerudo Valley
"Read 'em and weep, boys." The boss lays down the cards in his hands onto the tent's floor. "A straight flush."
"You're cheating, and you know it," remarks the marathon man.
"Boss, that's the third time you had a straight flush!" Ichiro said.
"It's actually his fifth one," Link reminds sullenly.
"How do you know, boy?" The boss glares at him haughtily. "You don't even know how to play poker!"
"But I recognized five straight flushes."
"Boss, I don't like this. I lost 50 Rupees because you cheated!"
"Are you against me, Ichiro!"
Ichiro shrinks back in composure and voice. "Um, um… no…"
"Look, let's just play something else," the marathon man suggests sorely. "Something less tedious to work with."
"No."
"It's either that, or we know you're cheating, sir," Link said.
"Fine!" The boss stands up fuming. "The only other game that I will allow to play… is…"
"Yes…?"
"Goldfish!"
If Link could believe he is living in a demented fantasy world, then everybody in the room except the poacher would fall flat on the floor in pitied for embarrassment shock.
"I'm back!" Jiro, the recently freed carpenter, suddenly marches into the scene. "Um… what's going on?"
--
Thieves' Hideout
"So, where is the jail keeper?"
"Her shift was over a long time ago! Where were you!"
"My apologies, madam! I had arrived late to the training ground earlier!"
"No excuses! If you bring upon yourself a tardy presence again, do not expect another exemption from severe punishment!"
"Yes, madam! It will not happen again!"
Malon eavesdropped on the conversation from a concealed position. With her back hugging the wall, she sidles her head a short distance to receive a glimpse. Down the hall, two Gerudos in the room ahead exchange a few more words before one of them leaves, taking the route opposite Malon. From what she could put together, the redheaded Hylian is going to be in a messy situation if the true jail keeper finds out an impersonator is walking around with her keys. Unless she does something right at this moment, later on she's going to find herself surrounded by watches with their pole arms a few centimeters away from her sweating neck.
Malon swivels into the hall, then stealthily advances behind the supposed jail keeper. Fortunately, the Gerudo is too busy observing a cell, away from anything that leads people in. Malon freezes for a second to examine the inmate, which is another carpenter she's here to break out. The man lazily glares back at the Gerudo, but his face shifts suddenly as soon as he spots the assailant coming up behind. The jail keeper notices this in a flash and immediately tightens her grip around her pole arm. For an infinite split second, two thoughts blare like tortured screams inside Malon's mind. It's now or never.
"Huph…!" The Gerudo's cry is muffled from the clamping hand over her mouth. She then finds a tight grip on her neck by a firm arm. Malon, holding the captive adamantly, slowly steps backwards, sliding the tense body with her. The carpenter behind the bars watches in astonishment as this progress.
One of the elbows of the Gerudo flies upward, nearly smacking Malon in the face. The keeper screams through Malon's hand, trying desperately to fight through the suppression. Malon returns the failed attempt with an impulsive squeeze on the neck. "Shut up!" The guard seems to consider this by desisting, then continues to struggle against the Hylian's grip. "Stop moving, you…!" Malon reaches for an arrow hidden in her dress with her neck-restraining arm. Positioning it awkwardly so that the receiving tip is directed at the captive's countenance, she mutters, "If you don't stop, I'm going to make sure this arrow will gouge out your face slowly."
For a moment, Malon believes her threat has worked its purpose. By the end of that, however, she knows it didn't get through as one of her captive's legs flips backwards and kicks one of hers. The two tumble down onto the floor, both grappling to gain control. Malon experiences a barrage of kicks and elbow jabs on her body as the Gerudo's limps flit about the air trying to hit a target. All the while, her grips on the mouth and neck never weaken and unbind from their grasps. In a quick decision, Malon lets a fist curl up and sends it hammering on the guard's head. As each successive assail makes its blow, the scuffle of the Gerudo lessens considerably. Soon, the fist stops its bombardment on the tanned head of the still body. Malon sighs wearily but with vehement relief. Standing up, she scans the room for signs of alert, then to find an area to effectively hide the unconscious Gerudo. After an extensive moment of worry, she drags the knocked out woman by the shoulders to a nearby stack of crates. There, Malon quietly opens one of them, dumps the Gerudo inside, and shuts the crate close quickly with merely a noise. She then permits one loud breath to desert her lungs.
"Uh…" The carpenter draws her attention back to him, "I'm going to assume you're not a Gerudo, right?"
Panting, Malon develops a weak smile as she nods in acknowledgement. She effetely ambulates up and unlocks the cell. The man chuckles as he jogs out.
"Thanks, lady! You're fantastic!"
"You're welcome."
"I'm Sabooro, the carpenter. Have you seen our boss, miss?"
"Well, I'm sent by him to get you guys out of here!"
"Ah, thanks! He's probably worried about me! I have to get back to him immediately!"
--
Gerudo Valley
"Boss, you have any fives?"
"Goldfish!"
Jiro warily takes up another card from the stack.
"Do you have any fives, Jiro?"
"I just asked you that, boss!"
"I said, DO YOU HAVE ANY FIVES?"
He reluctantly gives up the only five in his hand. The boss pairs it up with the only card he has left and lays down the pair of fives.
"Ha ha! I win again!"
"Until now, I never thought you could cheat at goldfish…" The marathon man grumbles, then flings his hand at the ground.
"Boss, admit it! You only cheat because you can't win!" Ichiro exclaims.
"You're all just sore because I'm a pro and you aren't!"
"PRO? I LOST HALF OF MY MONTH'S WAGES BECAUSE YOU WON ELEVEN GAMES STRAIGHT IN A ROW!"
"I LOST THREE QUARTERS OF MY WAGES BECAUSE OF YOUR CHEATING, BOSS!"
"And I lost my Bunny Hood!"
"Why can't you people be happy that I am too good for you? You knew you should have never challenged me to a game of goldfish and poker!"
Link groans to himself, releasing a quiet sigh. He lays down on the matted floor, soft yet hard at the same time. For some unexplained reason, he almost laughed. Maybe it would have been better and more exciting if he could accompany Malon and stick with Plan A, which is to assault the Gerudo fortress by themselves.
Ah, but you would have been dead a long time ago.
He should be worried about his friend like any other normal person. But he, no, they know each other too well to believe that failure is to come so dashingly. Link feels his worry is but a wasteful use of time. He could trust Malon to do this operation by herself. Besides, if the two of them infiltrated, he knows that no way in hell would they be able to make it past the first patrol. It's too much of a hassle for this to be allowed a two-man option. Malon is the better choice to send in, for she's the only one who could be fitted with masquerade.
Hoping is just all he needs to do. Thinking happy thoughts is another. Link grins at the cogitation of Malon silently pulling a Gerudo away from help and welting the guard to unconsciousness. It would be a high point of her abilities. He sighs again at the fun he's missing. It's childish, and technically not the right term it may seem when he thinks of the word 'fun,' but at the moment it would seem more blood rushing than losing 300 Rupees to a poacher that cheats at goldfish.
Oh, goddess, how will I explain that to Mal…?