Link opened his eyes to stare at the stone tiles of the ceiling above the bed, blinking slowly as he realized where he was. Daylight filtered through the long grated windows of his room in the fortress, but he had no idea what time of day it was. The tiles above him did not shift into horrible faces, but were simply light brown squares of stone surrounded by stained wood framing. The hallucinated horror that had gripped him did not return, and instead was replaced with very real pain. His entire body ached from the abuse it had taken in the Arbiter's grounds, his back stiff and his leg pulsing with a sharper pain as he stirred. His head was pounding, and his mouth felt dry. When he moved his tongue to lick his lips, they felt dry as well. He felt the sudden, strong urge to drink water. How long was he laying here, if he was this stiff and thirsty?
He slowly sat up, grunting from the pain in his leg and his back, and from how weak he felt. Somebody helped him as he rose, and he looked to his right to see Auren there, a hand to his bare back. She did not look upset, so whatever he had heard the last time he woke was probably a while ago. Either that or he imagined it. There were certainly a lot of strange things that he thought he saw and heard while under the influence of Gerudo medicine.
"Are you awake for real, this time? Or are you going to wander around again?" she asked, leaning to the side a bit to examine his face. The stool she sat on was directly next to his bed. "Hmm, your eyes look like you're with it. Maybe you really are awake now."
He opened his mouth to speak but a croak came out, and he coughed, putting a hand to his throat. "...water?" He was so very dry.
Auren gave his back a small pat and stood up, crossing the room to the writing desk next to the door. There was a tea service with a few used glasses sitting there, some with the dregs of tea and leaves still in them. Whatever she was pouring was in a different container and was not tea, and a moment later she returned while holding out a glazed clay cup.
He took it from her and gulped it down, unbelievably thirsty, and let out a breath once he had downed the water. He took a few deep breaths and handed the cup back to her, and cleared his throat. "Now…" he said, still sounding weak but far closer to normal. "What did you mean by 'wander around'? I haven't left this bed...have I?"
"Of course you wouldn't remember it." She sat down and set the cup on the bedside table, next to a Gerudo book that had a ribbon marking a page in it. Auren had likely been reading it while she sat here with him. "The antidote we gave you is effective, but it does strange things to the mind. There were times when you'd sit up and start talking, or even stand up and start walking around, only to lay back down a minute later."
"Really? Weird. I don't remember any of that." What he did remember was strange enough. The thing he remembered the most was his discussion with the previous hero in the dream world, but she knew nothing of that.
She bit her red-painted lip and looked away, not exactly awkward, but uncomfortable in some other way. "It wasn't always like that. Sometimes you'd cry. At one point, you were calling for your mother."
"Oh." He looked down at his hands. Courage was not glowing anymore, the antivenom having done its job in restoring his body. "I remember that part. I'm sorry you saw that."
"It was only me and Midna in the room, so don't feel bad. I know what snow sage can do to somebody's mind, and you're smaller than us Gerudo. The dose in the antivenom was probably a bit strong for your body and made you see some scary things." She looked back at him. "Speaking of your body, how are you feeling?"
"Sore. Stiff. Hungry. Still a bit thirsty." He had to have been out for a while to feel that way. "How long was I here in bed?"
"Two full days, two and a half since you were poisoned, since that happened in the middle of the night."
"Two days? No wonder I feel awful." Everything that happened with the Lanmola came back to him, the memories resurfacing even though his mind had been foggy at the time. It had bit into his leg and injected its venom into his bloodstream, and it had nearly killed him. He threw back the blanket to look at his injured leg, and did not find either his leggings or his undergarment. Instead he wore a loose pair of Gerudo silk trousers in a brilliant red color, cinched at his waist with a silken rope belt. The leggings had been cut unevenly, the right leg cut to fit just below his knee, and the left one cut short enough on the inside to cover his groin, yet the outside cut high enough to expose the stitches on his hip. "These are not my clothes." he said in surprise.
"No, they're mine. We had to work with what we had, since there were only so many people in the fortress, and I couldn't steal clothes from somebody else without permission. Sumati's were too wide for your hips and waist. You have a small waist for a man."
Link stared at the silk pants on his body, and started to turn nearly as red as they were. He was not wearing his underwear beneath the Gerudo garment, which implied that at some point he had no clothes on at all. "Who put these on me?"
"I did, once you were stitched up. Midna was the one who tried to take your clothes off since she knew you'd feel awful about being seen by anyone, but you were fighting her. Sumati had to come help, and you punched her in the face, so then I came to help too." Auren did not seem to be bothered by the fact that she was one of the people who had undressed him. "You're really strong, even when you're weakened. Neither me or Sumati expected you to fight us like you did. She had to hold you down the entire time."
He groaned in embarrassment and lay back down, putting one arm over his eyes so he could avoid looking at her. "Great. Any other women see me naked?"
"Only Nadi. She's the healer. You couldn't wear anything we had on hand at the time when she sewed your wounds shut, since the one is on your hip. She wanted you cleaned up anyway, so it was unavoidable." She gave a quiet little titter. "It's not so bad. Nadi's a healer and has seen males before, and the rest of us have too. Although they don't know that I had. You're the only one in on that secret."
His only response was another groan.
"You were being cooperative at that point so Sumati took your clothes to clean and mend them, and the rest of us cleaned and mended you."
"Oh, gods." He took his arm off his face in favor of covering it with both hands.
"It's all right. We're your friends and we wanted to help you. You were in rough shape, and none of us were really thinking about females versus males, only about your life." Auren paused, and then spoke softly. "Link?"
"Hmm?" He continued to hide behind his hands, still feeling uncomfortable. He shouldn't have been that embarrassed since they were his friends and only wanted to help him, yet here he was. Gods, he was such a prude.
"I'm glad you're all right. I was afraid that we'd lose you." There was a small catch in her voice that made him lift his hands away from his face and turn his head to look at her. She had lowered her eyes and looked hurt. After hearing the conversation she had with Midna, he understood why.
He sat up again and reached out to take one of her hands in his. "Hey, I'm fine now. It's thanks to you." When she turned to look at him with her lovely orange eyes, he smiled. "You shot that big bug in the eye and it dropped me. If it wasn't for you, I would have been dinner, and that would have been the end of saving Hyrule." He gave her hand a squeeze. "You were angry about not having a thing to shoot in the Arbiter's Grounds, but boy did you make up for it once we got outside. Thank you."
Her eyes were unreadable for a second, and then she smirked. "I owed you one, after you saved me from the burning stable."
"I was saving both of us, you know." He let go of her hand, shifted to dangle his legs over the end of the bed and put his feet flat on the floor. "Speaking of which, let me look at that face of yours. King Bulbin really hit you hard." He leaned forward to examine her face, frowning. While there was a bruise there on her left cheek, it was faint, almost as if there was some kind of makeup she was able to put on her skin that was the same skin tone. "Did you cover it up? I remember seeing it when we slept in your house."
"We have face paint as well as paint for our lips. Usually it covers up blemishes or dark circles, but it's useful for covering up a bruise, just like this." She put a hand to her cheek. "I normally don't use it at all, since it's a pain to mix the colors right to match my skin, but I thought I should still look good."
"Please, you always look good. I'm jealous. Look at me, halfway to a beard and black and blue all over my body." He gave a small smile when she laughed. "You aren't hiding away that bruise because you're ashamed of it, are you?"
"What? No. Why would you think that?" She stood up, reaching for the cup that he had drank from a few minutes ago.
"You were ashamed of being afraid." he said as he watched her go back to the desk to refill the cup. "First in the stable, then in the Arbiter's Grounds. You view it as a weakness."
Her stance stiffened just a bit, and she poured more water. "You were apologizing for being afraid of the undead. I don't see how that's any different."
"I was apologizing for losing control of myself, not for being afraid in the first place. I understood that something was wrong with me, and it was preventing us from progressing through that damn jail." He considered how he should talk to her about it. "You being afraid of heights is not the same thing. It didn't slow us down, and it didn't put us in danger. My issue did."
"Still, I need to control myself. A warrior does not cave to fear." The Gerudo returned with the cup and held it out to him. "You should drink more. You barely had anything to drink over the past two days, even though you were able to partially wake up to do things."
Link took the cup from her hand, but shot an intense look up at her. "Auren, don't change the subject. I wanted to talk to you about this after we were done visiting the Sages, but then we got sidetracked by me nearly dying. A warrior ignores their fear when necessary, yes. But a warrior is not ashamed of feeling it in the first place. That's like being ashamed for breathing. Everyone feels afraid sometimes; it's part of being human." She didn't realize it, but the words he chose were very close to what his father had told him once he had began his training with a sword.
"You don't understand, you're not my mother's only daughter." She sighed and fiddled with one of her braids. "Look, we can talk about this later if you want, but right now you should drink and probably eat. I need to tell Nadi that you're awake, and I'm sure Midna would like to know too."
"Wait. Before you go, where are my clothes? Where's my sword? The Master Sword didn't hurt anyone, right?" It had let Ilia move it, but the sword knew of his emotional attachment to her. A Gerudo may be a different story.
"Over there." Auren turned to point at the dresser that was next to the vanity. "Your clothes are clean and mended, and on top of that dresser with your sword. That legendary weapon of yours didn't hurt anyone, even though we needed to move it around."
I am here, Master Link. The sword spoke at the same time Auren did. Its artificial female voice was still faint, like it was weak. I have not harmed anyone, since no one drew me from my sheath.
"I don't recommend putting your normal clothing on yet." Auren continued, oblivious to the fact that the Master Sword had spoken. "That ointment on your leg can stain, and you probably don't want your wounds rubbing on the inside of your pants anyway."
That was going to be a problem. How was he going to travel if he was wounded? This was different than the broken rib. He looked down into the cup of water in his hand, not sure what he was going to do next. "Thanks. Go tell the others I'm fine now." He was not fine, and he knew it. His body felt weak, and even just the effort of riding through the desert would be taxing on him. Then again, he had no idea where he was even going after this, or when.
He watched Auren as she left the room, and drank the water. She was right, he was dehydrated, and as much as his body needed the water, putting it into an empty stomach was uncomfortable. The last time he had eaten was with Sumati beneath the date palm in Gerudo City. That was three days ago. It had been three days since he was healthy. The trip through the Arbiter's Grounds weakened his body considerably, and because of that he had been grabbed by the Lanmola. He knew that if he hadn't been so tired, he would have been able to dodge the monster and killed it himself.
Do not blame yourself, Master. You carried out multiple important tasks while in the Arbiter's Grounds. The chances of you being attacked and injured as you walked between the Arbiter's Grounds and Gerudo City were one in seven hundred seventy-nine. That is a point one four percent chance of you being attacked. The chances were very slim.
"There was less than a one percent chance of that happening to me?" He set down the cup on the bedside table. "I guess I'm really unlucky."
There is no such thing as luck or fortune, only an occurrence based off statistical data.This may result in something appearing to be chance. That sure was a strange way for the sword to tell him that he wasn't unlucky and sometimes things just happen. Its choice of words were overly-complex at times.
Link sighed and ran a hand through his hair and considered that even if luck had nothing to do with it, he still just barely survived. He could tell from touching his hair that he had been sweating. Even though Auren said they had to clean his body, they did nothing for his hair. He wondered if he would be able to bathe with his wounds or not. With a tired grunt, he rose from the side of the bed, feeling the tug of his skin from the stitches that held it in place. It wasn't painful, only strange. He made his way around the glass divider, and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror on the way to the privy: a young man with wild uncombed hair in ragged red pants, wearing a five-day beard and covered in bruises. No wonder Auren was asking him how he felt. He looked horrible.
He came to stand in front of the mirror afterwards, looking at the bruises on his torso, purple impressions of rings from his chain shirt, pressed into his skin through the thick linen padding of his gambeson. It had really bit him hard. Well, he had to expect that he'd get hurt sometimes. He turned and looked over his shoulder at his back, and grimaced at what he saw. His back was mottled blue and purple, with distinct marks from specific things; there was a wide stripe that went diagonally across his back where the scabbard for the Master Sword had dug into his back, a group of bruises that ended with an odd straight line from where the quiver had mashed into the small of his back, and a mark along the edge of his ribs where the lich had hit him with its sword.
"No wonder I hurt…" he muttered. It had taken him over two weeks to recover from the bruises given to him from the giant plant. How long would it take for these to go away? At least they were in places where no one would see them, and no one would know that he had been injured. As much as he wanted people to see him as a person, he knew that the Hero of Hyrule needed to be strong and not appear to be hurt in any way. He wondered if the previous heroes before him had abused their bodies like this.
They did, even the child ones. Fighting so often is damaging to one's body, and no one is capable of completely avoiding injury. Even heroes are human.
He wasn't sure if that comment made him feel better about it or not. His injuries were simply part of what he needed to do, and there was little to be done but endure them. With any luck, he wouldn't wind up breaking another bone or nearly dying of poison again. The next time he spoke with the previous Link in the dream world, he would have to ask him how badly he had gotten hurt.
He was examining five days worth of stubble in the mirror when the door opened and shut, and Sumati's voice called out. "She said you were awake, where are you?"
"Here." he said, coming around the divider. "I was surveying the damage in the mirror." There were four people in the room with him now: Sumati, Auren, Midna, and an older Gerudo with half-white hair that he did not recognize.
"You probably think you look terrible, but since you're up and about, I think you look a lot better." Midna came over to him and wrapped her small arms around his neck, putting her cheek up against his. "I'm glad you're okay. You really had me worried." She giggled and pulled away, rubbing at her cheek. "Even if you're trying to grow a beard right now."
He put a few fingers to his chin, scratching it. "Yeah, I know. It's been what...five days since I've shaved?"
"You look awful with whiskers." Sumati said honestly, putting her fists on her hips. "I like you clean-shaven much better. You're much more handsome that way." She grinned. "But look at you! Walking around, and your eyes are just as bright and smart as they were when I first met you."
"I guess I'm feeling better. I still don't feel great, though." He put a hand to his chest. "I'm all kinds of colors right now."
"Yes, let me look at you today." the older woman said, a thin Gerudo that was nearly as tall as Rennie. "I've checked on your stitches daily, but not your back." She circled around him, and he felt her fingers prod at him here and there around his spine and shoulder blades. "How does that feel?"
"Ow! Sore." He turned his head to glare at her over his shoulder, not appreciating her bedside manner. "You can see they're all purple, so why poke them?"
"To see if the bones themselves are bruised. Bones are alive just as much as flesh, and so they can bruise like flesh." She kept poking him. "Hmm, you're still in fairly good shape. A warrior would have a body that could withstand injuries like these, and you have youth on your side as well. The bruises look worse today, but I can tell that they're healing already." When she poked in the wrong place and he gave an involuntary twinge and a laugh, she scowled at him. "Please don't do that."
"Please don't tickle me, then." He was finding that he did not like Nadi, even if she did save his life. "Was it intentional for me to sleep for two days?"
"No. The hibernation draught was designed to slow your body for only one day, which is usually enough time to find the proper antivenom." The old Gerudo came back around to stand in front of him. "The dose you had was meant for Auru, who is on the larger side for a man. You are on the smaller side for a man, so it was a bit too much medicine for you. If we had given you the average Gerudo dose, it would have made you sleep so deeply that your heart would have stopped."
That sent a chill down his spine. The medicine that they had given him was dangerous, and they had misjudged the dose. Or perhaps Auru had responded quickly and knew that his own dose was closer to the amount that Link needed.
"Strangely enough, even though you had that large of a dose and were sleeping for most of the time over the past few days, you kept waking up." Nadi crossed her arms and glared down at him. The woman was not friendly in the least. "I don't know what the deal with that was, but you gave us trouble. Only once you had the antivenom did you actually rest. Well, after you had a psychotic episode from the hallucinations."
"Auren told me about that. I was seeing things...strange faces on the ceiling, people I didn't recognize in the room." He shrugged. "I don't see or feel anything weird anymore."
"Yes, you seem to be past that." She bent down to his eye level, resting one hand on a knee, and held up a single dark-skinned finger. "Here, keep your eyes on my finger." She moved it this way and that and he did as was told, and she must have been satisfied with his response since she gave a grunt and nodded. "Keep staring at the wall behind me. Don't move." Her frown deepened. "I'm not going to tickle you."
He rolled his eyes at that, but then obediently stared at the wall as she circled round, examining him. After she had been behind him for a second looking at something or another, she clapped her hands loudly right behind his head. His visceral response was to jump slightly at the sound.
"Good." Nadi said, still behind him. "His mind seems to have recovered."
Link turned to look at her. "You know, you have been talking to me for a few minutes now, and I don't sound like I'm out of my gourd."
The healer's expression was sour. "Of course you don't, and you didn't two days go. There were times when you got up and spoke to whomever was in the room with you at the time, but didn't respond in any way that made sense when they spoke back to you." She knelt down next to his left side, and gently prodded the skin near his wounds. "Only two days and they're not inflamed at all. Good. I believe that you may take a bath tomorrow, provided it's a quick one. Don't soak." She stood and looked him up and down. "I recommend you do bathe, since that little sponge bath could only do so much. Men stink."
He did not appreciate that comment, and felt his anger flare. Like he had any control over his personal hygiene while he was unconscious. He opened his mouth to retort, but Nadi talked over him. "Your body is strong, but even then you must remain here to recover for at least another two days, and that's being optimistic. Eat slowly while you are here, and rest often."
"We may not have that time." Midna said, looking vexed. She didn't seem to like the healer much either. "There's an army camped outside Castle Town, and we need to get back there before it attacks. There are other things we need to take care of, and time is of the essence."
The healer directed her sour expression at the Twili. "His injuries need to heal. Just look at his bruises. You've been pushing him too hard as it is, from what you've told me." She seemed to think Midna was in charge and was the one pushing him to hurry. "All the things you've done in just three weeks without stopping are too much."
"Not wasting time has been a necessity." Link told the healer, attempting to be patient with her. Her attitude was lousy, but she was still doing her job. "The lives of a lot of people depend on how quickly I get things done."
Nadi leaned forward and shook a finger in his face, and he recoiled from it a bit. "You may be young, but you abuse your body. You were in quite a state after all you did in the ruins, to the point where the poison almost killed you. Slow down, young man." She stood up straight and crossed her arms with a grunt. "I'll see about having the kitchen send something suitable for you to eat." The older Gerudo looked him up and down. "And find yourself a shirt. Bruises or not, you're still a male without many clothes on." Without another word, she turned and exited the room, roughly shutting the door behind her.
Link let his breath out explosively, not realizing that he had been holding it since she put her finger in his face. "She's charming."
Sumati came and gently lay a hand on his shoulder instead of clapping him on the back as usual. "Don't worry about Nadi, she's like that with everyone. You're not the only warrior to have heard that lecture on pushing your body too far. Her attitude is legendary among our people, but so are her healing skills." She grinned at him. "I think I'll try to find you something to put on your chest, but only that. There's not much to be done with what you're wearing on your legs due to your wounds."
"I wish I could put my underwear on. I don't like wearing nothing but these chopped-up pants." As soft as silk was, it did feel odd in certain places. There were other reasons why he wanted to be back in his old clothes as well.
"Ha!" She gave him a gentle tap on the back, out of respect for his bruises. "Afraid we're going to see through those thin silk pants? Don't worry about that. Seen it already!"
He sighed and put a hand to his face, once again feeling embarrassed and self-conscious. "So Auren told me. I'm trying to not feel uncomfortable about the whole thing since you're my friends but...you're also women."
"See? I told you he's a good boy." Midna gave a little giggle. "Which is an endless source of amusement for me, let me tell you."
"Be nice." Sumati chided. "He's had a rough time while here. His first battle, defeating hundreds of undead, and nearly getting eaten by a Lanmola." She gave him another kind pat. "Your food should be here soon. I'll go see what I can find for you to wear. Maybe I can talk Nadi into putting bandages on your leg so you can wear your normal clothes again, but I think for now you're stuck with Gerudo clothing."
"Try to make it match my nice red pants. I want to look good."
The subchief grinned again. "I'm going to find something in purple, to match your bruises." The muscular woman reached over and gave his face a pat, her grin turning into a fond smile. "I'm happy you're alive. Even I was worried. I should have had faith, after all the stories you told me." Before he could say anything in response, she turned and left, shutting the door behind her with a bit more grace than Nadi had a moment ago.
Link stared at the door after she left, surprised at her reaction. "Sumati too…"
"Everyone knows about you, and what happened." Auren told him. "Not everyone knows how close you were to death, though. Only the four of us that were here with you, Rennie and my parents know how close we were you losing you. Sumati's reaction isn't unreasonable, considering that."
"We didn't know if we would get the other medicine in time." Midna came and put her hands to the sides of his face, her expression somber as she described what had happened. "The antivenom in Gerudo City was too old to be effective, so we had to hurry here. Sumati carried you on Setskie's horse, Auren rode Epona, and Rennie came on her own mare."
The Gerudo looked just as serious. "The antivenom works fine by itself, but it takes time. The problem is we wasted about five hours looking for it, finding that it was too old, and then riding here. Every second counts, and before too long Lanmola venom will make your organs shut down. That's why we had to go to one of our herb farms up on the mesas south of here, near the sea. There was a particular kind that we needed that enhances the effects of certain other medicines, Lanmola antivenom included."
"She didn't want to take me with, but I told her I could carry her while flying. She trembled like a leaf the entire time, but still did it so we could get there and back quickly." The Twili was still close, hands on his face. He thought of what she had said to herself when he was falling back asleep, and pushed the thought away. No, she was only concerned for her friend and happy to see him. Sumati had acted the same way. "Nadi was pretty quick to prepare the medicine, which was good since we lost a little time while here. We had to hold you down to undress you and clean you up so she could treat your wounds properly."
"I know. I apparently hit Sumati." At least it didn't look like he had given the woman a fat lip or anything.
Midna turned her head towards Auren. "You told him about that, huh?"
"He wanted to know where is clothes were. He was very red in the face when I told him." Auren said.
"Maybe not as red as you." The Twili gave a little giggle and patted his face, moving away a bit. "She tried to play it cool, but unlike the rest of us, poor Auren hadn't seen a naked guy before."
"I told you not to make fun of me over that." the Gerudo said sulkily, looking convincing. Link knew the truth of it, not only that Midna was wrong, but also the real reason behind Auren's reaction at the time. He would have had the same reaction if he had seen Ilia with no clothes on.
"I won't make fun of you. At least not right now." He pulled Midna close in a hug and held out his other arm to the red-haired woman, smiling. "Come over here." When the Gerudo came to stand next to him, he put an arm around her and pulled her in as well. The two women laughed. "I appreciate everything you did. Thank you for saving my life, ladies. I really owe you two."
Midna gave one of her typical snorts. "I've been saving your life from day one. I wasn't about to stop."
"I just wanted you to live so I can have tea with you." Auren said with a straight face, although it did seem like she had a bit more color to her cheeks. She probably wasn't expecting him to hug her, without a shirt on no less. "Oh fine, I guess I like you and wanted you to live." She put an arm around him and placed her cheek on the top of his head to return the hug. It was cute. "You blue-eyed rascal."
The comment made him smile again. "Right now I'm a black and blue rascal. And also in need of a shave." He let the two of them go and went over to his belongings. The rest of the gear he had worn into the desert had been piled next to the satchel: lantern, bombs, and and clawshot. He felt that he had no need to use them in a mounted battle, and he had been right. "Who moved the Master Sword?"
"I did." Midna said, hovering not too far behind him. "I carried it all the way from Gerudo City to here, since it was hard for Sumati to hold you in front of her on horseback with your gear on. The bow, quiver, boomerang and shield got put into shadow storage for the time being."
"You carried it for hours? I guess you were in no danger of being hurt by it." Then again the sword had said that it wouldn't hurt someone who was simply moving it from one place to another and not actually drawing it from its scabbard.
Affirmative. I also could not harm her even if I wished to. She carries Zelda's soul within her body, and my programming forbids me from harming any incarnation of Zelda.
That was an interesting fact, although he wasn't sure what "programming" was. Considering the sword and its soul were ancient, it was probably was something they had in the distant past that was no longer relevant.
This time, he had an audience of two as he stood in front of the mirror and shaved. He wasn't about to tell them to leave, since the two of them sill seemed quite happy that he was alive and well. And strangely enough, it felt good to have people care about him that much, even though his near-death had clearly upset them. The two women filled the silence by telling him about how much progress had been made in relocating the people in the town near the fortress. Some were going to remain in the fortress and the town surrounding it, and there was another fortress that was part of an old cave system almost directly north of Gerudo City in the mesas there, where a few hundred more Gerudo had holed up that needed to be notified.
"There are still scattered nomadic tribes that are smaller than Sumati's." Auren said as he splashed water on his face. She had not found shaving as fascinating as Midna did, since Auru had been a clean-shaven man up until about ten years ago and she had seen her father's morning routine. She had laughed when she saw that Link was using a dagger and not a proper razor. "I know a few, Sumati knows a few, but my mother has memorized where they all are. It will take some time to gather them up. Some may not wish to return to the city, and some may prefer to come here. The other smaller towns may not want to return to the city at all, since they're on the edges of the desert and grow much of our food."
"Your population is still fairly low, even lower than that of the Zoras." he said, deciding to splash water on his body and not just his face. Men are stinky, or so Nadi said. That bitch.
"It's hard to find men that don't hate us. It's also hard for couples to conceive children when they're forced to live apart. I have an idea to fix that, but I don't know if mother will go for it or not. Since East Oasis is the first town on the road to the city, I thought that perhaps men could be permitted into the desert and be allowed to live there with their families." She ran her long fingers over the bumps of one of her braids idly. "Or even perhaps the town here. We have not allowed men into our desert for centuries, with very few exceptions. You being one of them. Once, we allowed Hylian females to visit for trade, but that hasn't happened since the war." She sighed. "Perhaps some things can change, but many are resistant to it."
"That's how people are everywhere, even in the Twilight Realm. Change is difficult." There was a polite knock at the door, and Midna turned her head towards it. "That's probably your food. Sumati would have come in without knocking. You finish up, I'll get the door." She floated away and around the divider.
Link went back to carefully trying to dry himself off without pressing too hard on his bruises. He probably was going to be sleeping on his side for a while, but even then he had sore spots there too. Reflected in the mirror, he saw Auren's orange eyes move down to look at his back, and her arm reach out as she lightly traced the straight line of purple that ran diagonally across his back with a finger.
"I know why all of these happened and it was nobody's fault, but I still feel bad about it." she said, not thinking anything of reaching out and touching him like that without permission.
"You Gerudo are really handsy, you know?" He hung the towel on one of the hooks set into the wall next to the mirror.
"What? We're friends. Is it wrong that I touch you? I know you're a male, but that doesn't matter to me." She didn't seem to understand, and she was one of the ones who hadn't been touching him as much.
He sighed. "No just...cultural differences, I guess. Hylians don't touch each other that much." The Gerudo did seem to touch one another more frequently, now that he thought about it. It wasn't only him. The warriors that lounged around Hida's fortress would reach out to touch one another when speaking, sometimes leaning one one another while sitting or even holding hands.
"Is he all right?" The elderly voice came from the other side of the divider. It was the white-haired servant that had brought him food before. "Sometimes a man's body is not as strong as a woman's, and Lanmola venom is horrible." The Gerudo certainly had some weird, sexist ideas.
"This guy is strong, trust me." Midna fixed her one red eye on him when he came around the divider. "See? He's walking around."
The old woman was holding a tray in her hands that had another tea service on it, a plate of flatbread and a bowl of rice mixed with vegetables and what looked like cucco. "Oh my goodness, did that giant insect chew on you?"
"A bit, but I was wearing a chain shirt. That's why my chest is only bruised, but my leg needed stitches." He walked past her to pull out the chair at the desk, figuring he'd eat there. Eating rice in bed did not seem like a good idea.
The servant spotted his back as he went to sit down. "You poor thing! I didn't know your back was worse. And pale skin shows bruises so well." The white-haired woman came to stand next to him and set the tray down on the desk. "I understand you're a warrior, but you're so young. I don't like to see people get hurt that are practically still babies."
"I'm an adult, you know. I know I'm shorter than you Gerudo, but I'm not a kid." He was not practically still a baby. Young, yes. Baby? No.
"See if you say that when you're in your seventies." she said with a small smirk. She was in her seventies? The woman appeared to be far older, but perhaps Gerudo aged faster than Hylians did. "In any case, Nadi said no red meat for today. You get cucco, and no curry either. Just a little onion and tumeric. I also did not put much honey in your tea, even though I think it would give you more energy." She began to set out the dishes and swap them with the other tea set that had been left on the desk. "Auren, are you making a mess of this young man's room?"
"I was going to take care of it later, when it was Sumati's turn in here." The young Gerudo seemed a bit annoyed.
"A likely story." The old woman was a servant, but she didn't bow and scrape like a Hylian one would. She gently nudged Link with her elbow. "This youngling has always had problems with messes. You should see her room. Books and clothes everywhere. I gave up keeping it tidy years ago."
"Zenna!" Auren huffed a breath. "Don't you have anything better to do now that you've brought him food?"
Zenna smiled and picked up the tray with its dirty tea service. "I suppose I can go see if the next batch of honey has come in from the apiary yet. Enjoy your meal, Link."
He nodded, already stuffing a piece of flatbread into his mouth, and watched as the old woman exited the room while Midna held the door open for her. As soon as he smelled the food he felt ravenously hungry, and he had no intention to eat slowly like the healer suggested. He hadn't eaten in days.
Midna giggled as she shut the door again, putting a small dark hand to her mouth. "You still have problems picking up after yourself? How old are you again?"
"Oh, shut up." Auren grumbled, busying herself with pouring him a glass of tea so she could avoid looking at anyone. "I come and go from here an awful lot, keeping the Lizalfos and sand monsters away. I don't always have time to pick up after myself."
The imp giggled again. "Link told me he had two jobs, yet his house was clean. But go ahead and believe that killing monsters excuses you from being a slob." She gave him an amused look, pleased that she had something to hassle Auren about. "Enjoy your food. I'm going back to talk to Auru. He's had a lot of questions about the Twilight Realm." He was about to say that he also had a lot of questions that she wouldn't answer, but Midna opened the door with her hair and slipped out of the room. Well, at least she was able to wander around freely and be near people now.
Auren watched her go with one hand on her hip, and stared at the closed door a bit grumpily. She glared down at him, watching him as he ate. "Well?"
"I didn't say anything." he said between bites.
"You were thinking about it, don't lie." For somebody who normally joked around, she was taking it personally. A suspicion grew in his mind about Auren, the way she acted, and the way others treated her.
"Thinking and doing are two different things." He paused to take a sip of tea. "Besides, unlike Midna, I'm not going to make fun of you over the fact that people around here still treat you like a child."
She opened her mouth with a retort ready to hurl at him, and then shut it again without saying anything. Her orange eyes shifted through a bevy of emotions, and eventually stopped on caution. "How do you know that?"
He looked up at her for a moment, chewing. It was a sensitive subject for her, and he knew that it was related to her reaction to things in the Arbiter's Grounds. "I've put it together. Your mother doesn't want to trust your judgment, at least not at face value. You needed to convince her about the Bulbins, even though Sumati believed you right away. In fact, over the past few days you've been spending more time with Sumati and me than your parents. We respect you as a fellow warrior and adult, but your mother doesn't, does she?"
Auren lowered her eyes and shook her head, and then crossed the room to fling herself in the chair next to the bedside table. "I don't want to complain about it, Link. It won't change anything."
"It's why you're so hard on yourself, isn't it? Why you thought being frightened would make you weak. Your father didn't seem to think so, even though he did joke about it, and considering how Hida treats you, that kind of joke was completely in character for him." He stuffed more rice and cucco into a piece of folded flatbread. "It's also why you didn't show up for any of the planning for the battle. You knew she wouldn't listen to your advice, even though you were best-suited to advise since you had been there."
"Just eat your food." she muttered, not looking at him.
He turned back to his meal, doing as she said, and ate in a rather uncomfortable silence. It felt as if she was looming behind him, her frustration and anger palpable as she sat in the chair on the other side of the room. While he wanted to think of a way to approach the subject with some kind of tact in order to try to help her feel better, he also wanted to eat. He had finished doing just that and was pouring himself another cup of tea when he heard the Gerudo sigh behind him.
"Fine, I'll complain after all." That got his attention, and he looked over his shoulder at her. She was staring at him grumpily while sitting sideways in the chair, one leg over a cushioned arm. "You listen so much better than most people here, just like Sumati does." She began to play with one of her braids and watched him as he drank tea. "No, my mother does not want me to grow up. I'm supposed to succeed her one day, but it doesn't feel like she trusts me to do so. To her, I'll always be the baby."
"Don't you mean a baby, not the baby?" While she was fluent in Hylian, he assumed that since she was talking about something that bothered her, she slipped up. Sometimes he spoke differently when upset, like repeating himself. It only made sense she might do something like that too.
"Link? Can you keep another secret?" Auren was clearly uncomfortable.
He set down his glass of tea and turned in the chair to face her. "Yeah, of course. Is everything okay?"
"If I was okay, we wouldn't be having this conversation. This isn't a big secret or anything, most Gerudo know about it, but nobody talks about it out of respect." She dropped her hand from her hair, and rested it on her stomach, lowering her eyes to the floor. "I wasn't always the only daughter. I had a sister that was two years older than me."
Link was not expecting that. It did explain things, but he thought that perhaps Hida was critical because Auren wasn't the kind of woman she wanted to be the next Chief. "Had? What happened?"
"A Lanmola, the very same thing that happened to you. You wore armor and it saved your life. She did not." She shook her head slightly, still not looking at him as she spoke. "I wasn't with her, since I was only thirteen at the time and had to stay in the city. She was with my father when they were attacked, on her way from East Oasis with him as she escorted him through the desert. He killed it with his pistols, but by then it was too late." Her voice grew quiet. "It was the only other time I had seen my parents cry, other than when they had thought I died in the burning building with you."
His near-death experience with the Lanmola attack had a double-meaning for poor Auren. She had lost her big sister that way, and then had nearly lost him in the same manner. He resisted the urge to get up and go give her another hug, but only because the last one seemed to fluster her just a bit. "Tell me about her? If you're comfortable talking about it."
"Her name was Ubani, and she showed promise with a sword when she was eight years old. She was my mother's pride and joy, the one she dumped all of her energy into so she could make her into the next Chief. She was allowed to leave the city, to ride her horse, to shoot game and slay Lizalfos. I was told that I should stay inside and focus on my own studies." Auren gave a sour grunt. "Never mind that I learned my letters and figures earlier, never mind that I picked up a bow at six and was not only strong enough to draw it, but also accurate with my shots. I wasn't Ubani, my mother's favorite daughter."
She fixed her amber eyes on him. "Don't get me wrong, I loved my sister and I didn't resent her, only my mother. My father treated the two of us equally when he visited, but he wasn't here that often, which meant I spent my time in Ubani's shadow. I'm the one who taught her how to use a bow, I'm the one who helped her learn her herbal studies, and still…" she trailed off and then pressed her lips into a line bitterly. "I didn't have much freedom before she died. After she did, I had none. I was the baby, and my mother had to settle on me being the next Chief.
"That's why I'm trying to please my mother, to show her that I can be just as capable as Ubani was. I need to be brave, strong, smart and still be obedient. I'm not allowed to be a woman yet, because I can tell that she feels I haven't lived up to her expectations." She gave a snort. "Not that it matters. Whenever she dies, I'm it and she doesn't have a choice."
Her frustration made sense, now. She had lived two steps behind her big sister for the first thirteen years of her life, and the girl's death did not change very much. It made her life more restricted, and made it so she had to work that much harder to earn her mother's approval. Auren must have had to work hard in order to earn the right to lead a group of elite archers and patrol for Lizalfos with them. What he had been appointed to do when he was fifteen without a second thought on Bo's part, she had to earn with her own mother.
"I'm sorry. I can see how amazing of a warrior you are, and I know your father does too. He referred to you as his 'best work' when we first came here." He smiled, hoping that his words were something of a comfort to her. "I agree with him. You're the best archer I've ever met, and you're really smart. You get along well with the other warriors, so I think a transition to you as Chief will go over well."
The door opened and Sumati came in, holding a few articles of clothing in her hands. He hadn't noticed it before, but today her fingernails were painted dark blue. "I have a few things you might want to try on…" The subchief looked at their expressions and shut the door behind her. "You two okay? Did I interrupt something? I can go."
"I was telling him about Ubani." Auren said. "He had noticed how my mother treats me like a child, so I had to explain things."
The other Gerudo twisted her blue-painted mouth into a frown. "It's such a shame, all of it. I understand that losing a child is difficult, but she needs to see that you'll never be your sister. I have no idea why Hida won't get that through her thick skull." She went to stand in front of where Auren was seated and reached out to cup one of her hands under the young woman's chin. "Look at you. I will be proud if my daughters grow up to be just a fraction of what you are. She's blind if she can't see what I can." Sumati smiled. "You're a wonderful woman."
"That's more or less what I was telling her before you came into the room." Link was eyeing the clothing in the scarred woman's hand, but he didn't say anything about it.
Sumati turned towards him and put her hands on her hips, left hand still clutching the clothing. "It's good that you're telling her these things, since you're quite the man yourself. Praise from you is nearly equal to praise from the goddess after what you've done for us Gerudo. So much of what you say is genuine." Something about her red eyes made it look like she wanted to say more, but she abruptly changed the subject. "I have two things for you here. One is Hida's, and it should be long enough on you to cover that hip and thigh of yours. You're showing a little too much skin there, so if you ever want to leave this room for any reason, you can put it on. The other is a shirt that's been passed around a bit since it's technically for a half-grown teen, but I think it'll fit you well enough. It won't cover your belly, though."
She passed him the two articles of clothing, and he examined them. The one belonging to Hida was long-sleeved and blue, made of thick cotton and embroidered with green and white. The other shirt was a simple orange silk top that looked like it would fit him reasonably well, if leave his arms and stomach bare. He pulled that one on, figuring that he ought to wear something else, even if he did not care for the color. "Thanks. This works."
The subchief looked at him critically and began to laugh. "You know, if we dressed you in a better outfit and put some makeup on you, you'd look like a Hylian woman."
"No, I absolutely would not." He didn't have the curves to look like a woman, and doubted anyone would be fooled. Where did she get that ridiculous idea?
"Sorry, sorry...I saw the image in my head when you put that shirt on and had to comment." She shook her head and turned to put her hand on the door handle. "I'll come back later when it's time for Auren to take a break." Sumati slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
"You don't have to keep an eye on me anymore. I'm awake now." he said after the woman had left.
"I want to. Now that you know about my sister, you probably can understand how personally I took your injuries from the Lanmola." She stopped lounging in the chair and moved to sit in it properly, setting her feet on the floor. "I wanted to be the one who killed it, but the others were so much more effective with their blades. I wanted to be the one to save you."
He stood up, throwing the blue shirt on the chair and came to sit on the wooden stool that had been pulled next to the bed. "Auren, you did save me. You shot th-"
"That's not what I mean." she said while talking over him, sounding frustrated again. "I wanted to be the one who killed it, and I wasn't. It's selfish of me, I know."
"It's not selfish to want to save a friend, especially since you said you took the whole thing personally. I can see that you're angry with yourself." He leaned forward on the stool and went to rest his arms on his knees out of habit, forgetting that the one was wounded, and then gave up and sat up straight again. "Why is that? Is that something that has to do with your mother's approval?"
"Yes. That's why it's selfish. I still was only thinking about saving you, but once Sumati got you to safety I thought 'I need to kill this'. I wanted to prove myself." Her eyes fell on the stitched-up puncture wound above his knee. "That's not a great thing to want when your friend is injured."
It wasn't, but at the same time the situation was unique. Ubani had been killed by a Lanmola, and he had nearly been killed. Sumati and Auru were already helping him, so there was no reason for Auren to fuss over him when she was able to fight and help the others take down the giant insect. It was almost like a repeat of the event that changed Auren's life, and this time she had a chance to make things right. He tried to think of a way to tell her that without making her more frustrated, but she continued talking.
"I guess if I'm talking about things that are shocking about me, I ought to continue." Her amber eyes looked to his, and then down to the floor. Her expression was guilty. "I did something else to try to earn my mother's approval, something she's been bothering me about for years. I approached her with the idea that you be a prospective husband for me."
That was completely unexpected. In her discussion with Midna, Auren had admitted that she didn't want to get in his way. Yet here she was, proposing to him. She of all people was proposing to him. "What?" Link shook his head, disappointed that she would be just like the others. "You know what my answer to that is. We've talked about it multiple times because of how the other Gerudo have behaved towards me. You should know better."
"Please hear me out, all right? I didn't mean right now. One day, you'll be done with what you're doing to save the two realms, and then what? What does the Hero of Hyrule do when he's not needed anymore?" She didn't give him a chance to answer and plowed forward. "My mother agrees that the union of your bloodline and mine is ideal. I'm descended from the sister of the woman that led the resistance against Ganondorf. You're descended from a long line of knights and Sheikah warriors, according to what my father told me."
Auren gave a soft little sigh and drew her legs up to her chest, folding her knees and wrapping her arms around them. "That's not all. I've been trying to be your friend, only your friend, and not be like the other women. But even though I'm trying to resist it, I can't deny how I feel about you." Her voice became small. "It doesn't make any sense. We barely know one another, and it goes against all logic, but here I am, falling for a guy I just met. And I fell pretty hard for you, too."
What she had just admitted to him had to be difficult, so he pushed his disappointment in her aside and tried to be kind. "I know. I was trying to ignore it since I didn't want to ruin our friendship. I certainly like you, but not that way."
She gave a short, humorless laugh. "That's what Midna told me. She said that you knew, but weren't going to say anything."
"I'm not interested in getting married either." Not to Auren, anyway. "I'm sorry."
Auren sat next to him silently, and neither one of them spoke in that awkward moment. Her frustration with herself not only involved trying to please her mother, but also her feelings for him. She wanted to tell him even though she knew she didn't have a chance, and he appreciated her honesty. He certainly wouldn't have had the gumption to do the same. "Then...will you consider something else instead?" she asked quietly. "When you're all done, will you return here?"
That wasn't anything unreasonable or surprising, and he smiled. "Sure, of course. I plan on visiting here one day. I've made a lot of friends."
The young woman still would not look him in the eye. "Not just to visit. I want you to father my children."
His smile faded and he stared at her with his mouth hanging open, although he shouldn't have been surprised. A marriage between the two of them would have resulted in children, and that was the goal in the first place. The mixing of their two bloodlines was the entire point, and a marriage would only have been a formality.
"You don't have to love me. And who knows, maybe by the time you come back here I won't love you anymore." She finally raised her amber eyes to look at him. "But I trust you enough to have children with me. No other men have interested me in the slightest, not even for friendship, other than the one I have with Shad. And I know it would be a bit of an odd arrangement, but I think we could still do it as friends."
It was Link's turn to look away. It would be something of an oddity, but it could be possible. He had admitted to himself that he was physically attracted to her, but that feeling was followed by one of guilt. "I don't know if I can do that. Not that you aren't beautiful, and I wouldn't want to…" he made a vague gesture. "...you know, with you. But the problem with that is I'd feel guilty about it. There's somebody in my life, and I felt bad when I realized I could feel attracted to a woman other than her. I thought she was the only one. Even so, I don't want anyone but her."
"I thought you might say that. Both mother and Midna mentioned you're interested in someone back home in Hyrule. What's her name?"
"Ilia." As soon as he said her name, a rush of images and feelings came back to him about the woman he was so far away from. Her smile, her bright green eyes, the way she smelled when she was close to him, the way she had touched his hair when he was embarrassed, or insisted on hugging him when she was upset, even the foolish way he had lusted after her while drunk. All those feelings coming at him at once made him miss her terribly, and he felt a sharp pang in his chest.
He expected Auren to ask about Ilia, maybe how long they had known one another, or what she looked like. Instead she asked something else, something direct. "Do you love her?"
"Yes." There was no hesitation, no waffling about. He had already had a discussion about it with Midna a week ago, and admitted it to a complete stranger days ago. "Very much. But it's the same way with her as it is with you; I can't take time for somebody else when what I'm doing is so important. Not even if I want to."
"Hmm." The sound was distant and thoughtful, like she was considering something. "Do you think you could still visit here and have children with me without Ilia knowing?"
His eyes shot up to hers, and he felt slightly offended. He did not like that idea one bit. "No. It's not that she wouldn't know, it's that I would."
"Oh. I didn't consider that you would feel that way about it, but all right." She stood up and took an unsteady breath. "I tried and it's obvious where you stand. Just...keep it in mind for the future? In case things don't work out between you and Ilia. We're still young, and there's no telling how you'll feel in a few years. My mother didn't start having children until she was twenty-seven." The Gerudo crossed her slender arms and gave a smirk, a bit more like herself again. "Then again, she did start not that long after she met my father. Maybe the way I'm drawn to you runs in the family."
While he appreciated her attempt to turn the entire conversation around into a joke, his mind was still distracted by a myriad of things. He longed to see Ilia, to sit and talk with her and share all that had happened in the desert. He wanted to be in Kakariko, with the children and Ilia, with Renado, Luda and Barnes, the people that had made him feel like he had a second home there. But a part of him also wanted to take Auren up on her offer. Not that he was interested in having children at this stage in his life, but the act of conceiving them certainly did. While other women in the desert had desired him that way, all he had felt about it was frustration. With Auren, it was different and filled him with curiosity. A more primal part of his mind wanted to know what it would be like with her.
Could he sneak away to the desert to do as she asked, without telling Ilia? He had been lying to her so far about a number of things, even though it made him feel guilty. Would this bigger lie be so terrible? Sleeping with Auren would probably be a lot of fun...but also make him feel guilty. Not to mention it was a bit intimidating. He had never done anything like that before, and would probably screw something up and making a fool of himself.
"Come on, I'm trying to be funny and you're staring off into space with those blue eyes of yours." she said, arms still crossed. "You're not that weirded out, are you?"
"No, I'm just…" He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "You're still my friend, but you've also given me a lot to think about. I'm having a bit of an internal conflict over what my mind, heart and body want out of the whole situation. Forgive me if I'm a bit overwhelmed about it and not laughing at your jokes."
"Sounds like you need to think of something else." Auren reached out to the bedside table and moved the book she had left there to the nearby windowsill, which was wide due to the fortress' thick walls. Not explaining what she was doing, she went over to the cosmetics table that was next to the vanity and picked up a shallow wooden box, a box that rattled with she moved it.
"All right, distraction time." the Gerudo said, her orange eyes bright. She had gotten over the discussion between the two of them, and was ready to move on. Not only that, but she was going to help him do the same. She scooted the cushioned chair closer to the bedside table and sat down, placing the wooden box on the table. It opened up to reveal a white lacquered surface on the inside of the box's top and bottom, with a collection of black and white rocks worn smooth and round. Auren began to take out the rocks and perked an eyebrow at him with a faint smile. "So...have you ever heard of wind stones?"
The rest of that day passed quietly for Link, with him learning to play Gerudo games from Auren and Sumati. The one he played the most was wind stones, which required the two players to move their colored stones across a series of lines on the board by rolling a pair of dice. It sounded simple at first, but then he realized that there was strategy involved that required the players to pin down an opponent's stones by placing their own in front of them, which Auren did far better than he did. He also discovered that the Gerudo had chess, or more specifically Hida had a Hyrulean chess set that Auru had brought to the desert years ago. That he did far better in, to the point where Auren got tired of losing and suggested they do something else.
Sumati brought cards, and even though the numbers were written in Gerudo and the suits were different symbols than he was familiar with, they still the same set of playing cards people used in Hyrule. Once he was able to read the squiggly Gerudo numbers, he was able to not only learn some games from Sumati, but also teach some to her and Auren, and later Midna. The Twili even took a turn to teach them a pair of games from the Twilight Realm, where they also had playing cards.
Midna was good at cards, especially the ones that required careful observation and memory. Link found himself glad that they had put away the chess set for the time being, because he knew that she'd mop the floor with him and anyone else. As it was, she was winning in the Gerudo games far more than the pair of Gerudo.
Throughout the day he also nibbled on food, which was Zenna's suggestion, not Nadi's. The healer wanted him to carefully eat as to not stress his stomach, but Zenna claimed that young men had stomachs made of iron and could handle eating plenty. She even made him stuffed grape leaves after learning how much he had enjoyed the batch he had the first night he had been in the fortress, which was a means for her to sneak in some red meat into his meal. His lady friends left so he could both eat his meals in peace, but also so he could take that bath that Nadi had so rudely said that he needed. As nice as it was to be by himself after being constantly surrounded by people for days, he only had so much solitude before Auren came back to check on him.
There was no more discussion of him having children with Auren, nor of her feelings for him. She was clearly trying to move on, and he was going to let her, even though a part of him still felt that some sexual encounters with the beautiful young woman were appealing. Nobody else seemed to know about it other than Hida, who did not visit him even though she had come to the fortress the night before.
Auru did come to see him later in the evening when both he and Midna were quietly reading by lamplight, the Twili allowing Link to read some of the books she had from Kakariko. The older man seemed pleased at his quick recovery, and quietly admitted that he had lost a daughter to a Lanmola. Without realizing it, he told Link the story of Ubani that he already knew. Not only that but Auru admitted he wished he could have been the one to kill the monstrous insect that had nearly eaten the young hero, just like Auren had said.
The next morning, Auru was back a bit after Link's breakfast of sweetened bread and tea, which seemed to be a morning staple for the Gerudo. He also had a strange visitor with him, a tall Gerudo warrior dressed in silks of white and orange. The warriors from Hida's tribe normally wore green or red, and Sumati's blue or tan, so the orange seemed just as out of place as the woman's unfamiliar face.
She also had the double-image of Rauru within her.
"You can drop your disguise." Link said as soon as the two had entered the room and shut the door behind them. "I can see that it's you."
"Who—" Midna began, and then her mouth opened in surprise when the Gerudo suddenly took the form of an older Hylian man with a sweeping white mustache that merged with his mutton chops. "All right, I have questions." she said, clearly confused.
"He's one of the Sages, Midna." he explained. "He's the one who showed me his memories, the only Hylian out of their group. You couldn't see through their illusions for some reason, but I could." Link shut his book and set it aside on the bedside table, knowing that it would be a while before he could return to it.
"I had feared for you." the Sage said. "We were able to see what happened with the monster that attacked you, but not what happened after you were taken away. I am glad that you're well."
"As well as I can be, anyway. I'm still stuck in bed most of the time. With any hope I'll be back on my feet soon and ready to go wherever you Sages send me." He knew that it would be a while before he fully healed, but until then he would have walk the fine line between carrying on and pushing himself. "I'm going to guess that's why you're here."
"Indeed." Rauru came to sit in the cushioned chair, an ordinary-looking Hylian man in an orange and red robe. The chair gave a faint creak as he settled his weight into it, and he let out a small sigh as if it was the best chair he had ever sat in. "I have not sat down in years, as ridiculous as that sounds. The last time was when Zelda was sixteen, when she was beginning the plans for taking the kingdom from her mad father." He rested his elbows on the arms of the chair, steepling his hands in front of him, and smiled. "She served me tea."
"From what little I know about Zelda, it seems like she becomes informal when given the chance. Her serving you tea sounds about right." Link said, throwing the blanket off his legs and swinging them over the side of the bed to face the Sage. "Of course you'd drink tea if given the opportunity...I could tell that you were alive as soon as I could see your true forms. Spirits don't breathe or move like people do. The Zora Sage bled and died in your memory as well."
"You didn't tell me any of that." Midna said, a bit annoyed that Link was privy to some information that she wasn't.
"If you remember, I spent the trip back down through Arbiter's Grounds holding Auren's hand, and then I almost got eaten by a Lanmola. There wasn't much time to tell you about things, but I plan on it when it's just you and me again." He focused his attention back on Rauru. "What information do you have? Anything?"
Rauru's pleasant smile faded, and he looked serious. "We have located where Ganondorf hid two of the pieces of mirror, although one of the locations is nebulous and unclear. The third is still on the move, meaning he's still searching for a location to put it. Or perhaps he's sent someone to put it there for him. All three pieces split and began to move at the same time, you see."
"I don't know much about the man's character, but if he was the kind of guy to invade and think he was unstoppable, that's the kind of guy who would send minions to do the work for him." Link stood and crossed the room, feeling a bit foolish in the presence of an ancient Sage while wearing mismatched Gerudo clothing, in his bare feet.
"You seem to be walking fine considering your injuries to your leg. I did not know about your back. Did that happen when you fought the skeletal dragon?" the Sage asked, watching as Link poured tea into one of the glasses. He had grown tired of them bringing him the stuff, and was more than willing to share some with someone else.
"Yeah. I fell about thirty feet, so I'll take being black and blue over broken bones. I'm not worried about the bruises, I'm worried about how I'm going to ride my horse with these stitches on my hip and knee." He turned and offered the glass of tea to the ancient Hylian. "Here. Our current Zelda served you tea, and now the current Link is doing the same."
Rauru's white eyebrows shot up as he considered the young Hylian before him, and then he actually laughed. "Thank you." he said, taking the glass of Gerudo tea. "You're like her, you know. She sees us as people, and not mystical wise beings."
"I'm a person, not necessarily the current incarnation of an ancient hero. I think I can relate." He turned the desk chair towards the Sage's, and sat down on it. "Tell me where the shards are, even the one you're not sure about."
The Sage sipped the tea and smiled a little at the flavor, then began to share what he knew. "There were two shards together, which confused us at first...but then one was suddenly in the southeast. I was able to track it until its magical signature became distorted, which meant that it was in the old Kokiri lands, which have been covered by a curse in order to protect what is left of the Temple of Time." He paused to take another sip. "And then quite suddenly, it vanished."
"How can it vanish? The Mirror of Twilight has a massive amount of magic in it. That's like the sun vanishing." Midna said.
"It vanished because it went into the Sacred Realm. The doorway to there is in the Temple of Time." Rauru looked grim. "I must tell you the implications of having evil beings or dark magic in the Sacred Realm. It is a land of innocence, pure and pristine. If too much of Ganondorf's dark power is there, then it will begin to corrupt and turn into a dark world, just like the Twilight Realm."
"So we go there first?" Link asked. "That sounds important."
"You cannot yet. You strained yourself and the Master Sword, meaning you cannot easily open the gateway to the Sacred Realm. As it is, the way through is far more difficult than it once was." The Sage shook his head. "No, instead you must go far to the north of here. There is a large Hyrulean keep on the side of one of the mountains in the eastern end of the range, although it is now abandoned. I can sense the fragment in that area, and it is disrupting the weather there. While the tops of the Snow Peaks live up to their namesake and wear snow all year-round, their lower slopes do not. The area near the keep is beginning to grow cold and accumulate snow."
"That doesn't make sense...I doubt the Mirror has that power." Midna frowned, and floated up into the air near the Sage. "But I guess we'll figure out what's really going on when we get there. Okay, we know about the one in the Sacred Realm, and we know about the one in the mountains. Where's the third one?"
"That one is nebulous, as I said. I would swear to Hylia that it moves about. Considering that it is in the sky, it makes sense." He finished his tea, looking content. Seeing this ancient Hylian enjoying something as simple as tea made Link feel warm inside, happy that the man could still enjoy things despite being an ancient Sage. "Midna, did you know that Hyrule has islands in its skies? Most of them are over the southern half of the kingdom, the biggest cluster being over Lake Hylia."
"Huh, so it's like the Twilight Realm. We live on a large group of islands, but they're stationary. Do the ones in Hyrule move?" She took the empty glass from him and set it back next to the silvery teapot on the desk.
"I suppose they must, yet the ones over Lake Hylia have been there for thousands of years. You must figure out a way to reach there." The Hylian Sage gave a small, mysterious smile. It reminded Link of Auru. "I believe you know someone who has considerable knowledge on the subject. You also know someone who is familiar with the Snow Peaks, having lived there for years."
"Thanks for being cryptic. I guess you weren't very Sage-like, drinking that tea like an ordinary man. Oh no, have to be mystical and all." Link waggled his fingers at him. "Oooh."
Rauru looked at him with his ancient blue eyes and gave a small chuckle. "It is good to see that you still have a sense of humor, even after everything that has happened to you." He stood, smoothing out his orange robe. "Never lose that spirit, Hope of Hyrule. Keep holding onto the hope you inspire in others, and we shall see Zelda restored and Ganondorf finally disposed of. Farewell, until you return to the Mirror." The old man wavered and transformed into dozens of bright motes of golden light, and they zipped straight through the wall and outside, the Sage returning to the Arbiter's Grounds.
"He always was a bit on the dramatic side. I like him, though." Auru said, crossing his arms and turning to Link. "I'll make things a bit easier on you and not withhold information to be funny this time. I admit I'm not sure about which islands in the sky he was speaking of since there are many in the area around Lake Hylia, but Shad has been studying a race that lives there. As for the Snow Peaks, there was a member of Telma's group named Brent, an ex-knight who now lives in the Snow Peaks."
"That's Ashei's father, which means I need to talk to Ashei." Link sat back down on the edge of the bed and looked at Midna. "I guess that means the first place we go is Castle Town. I'll bet Ashei is still there, since she said she wanted to keep an eye on Zant's army."
"We can go whenever that healer says we can go." The Twili shrugged, holding her palms up. "Or whenever you feel fine. Whichever comes first."
They found out when they would leave later that day, when Nadi examined him again. Her expression was sour and she grumbled the entire time, but her hands were gentle when she prodded the flesh around his stitches. Her frown deepened and she muttered something in her native tongue.
"I don't speak very much Gerudo, but I'm going to guess those words aren't very nice." Link said. Being cooped up inside had made him feel increasingly punchy, and even though he should know better than to crack jokes around Nadi, he couldn't help it.
Nadi made a sound that was halfway between a growl and a grumbling hum. "I don't understand it. Your wounds are still clean and don't need any ointment, which is typical when somebody young heals. What isn't typical is how quickly things are stitching up. It's been three and a half days, but this looks as if it's been healing for a week."
"Isn't that a good thing, though? I need to heal fast."
The healer shook her head, still sour and grumpy, but now also confused. "Young man, there's healing fast, and then there's healing unnaturally fast. I understand that you're somebody important, but nobody heals that quickly without light magic. I don't understand it."
He stared at her, figuring it out as soon as she had mentioned magic. She didn't understand it, but he did. Part of it was his normal ability to recover quickly; he had seen how fast he was able to bounce back from things many times since he was first dragged into the Twilight. However part of it was something else, something that had been protecting him, something that helped him do what he needed to do, even if it didn't work all the time. He had no idea how he had the magical reserves to be using Courage all the time, but it seemed like they recharged quickly.
He did his best to keep his expression neutral, so she wouldn't catch on. "I guess I'm a quick healer. Does that mean that things are looking good?"
"If this continues, these stitches on your hip can come out in only a few days." She delicately tugged on the silk stitches, shaking her head. "Amazing. No redness, no new scabbing...of course, that doesn't mean it won't scar. I doubt your strange hero healing ability will prevent that. But this big one, the puncture wound? Perhaps it can come out in another two weeks. I was going to give it twice that." She raised her red eyes to look at his face. "I was being optimistic when I said that you may leave tomorrow, but now I feel that you will be fine to do so."
With that, he began to make plans to leave the desert the following night. The rest of his day was spent much like the last one, playing games with Midna, Auren and Sumati, and having pleasant conversations with them as well. He didn't mention what Nadi had said about healing quickly to them, not wanting to make it seem as if he was indestructible. He certainly was not, and the fact that Courage chose this one time to help instead of the time where it let him wander about with a broken rib made that clear. Of course it was not an instant process, not like how Power had instantly healed Ganondorf once he had taken a blade through the heart. It probably relied on his body's natural ability to regain its stamina, but even then, he was healing faster because he needed to.
The next day he took advantage of the hot bath one more time, dressed himself in his green outfit, and made his way out into the fortress. There was no need for Rennie to guard him anymore, even though he did run into her and spent some time chatting with the tall Gerudo. The number of warriors in the fortress were far fewer, but were still enough to defend the canyon if anything happened. With the Bulbins in Hyrule and the portals captured, there was little chance of there being trouble in the desert.
He took a nap midday and ate with Hida and Auru, as he did the day before the battle. This time Sumati and Auren were in attendance, and the group discussed the future of the Gerudo in their own lands, and perhaps in Hyrule as well. Unlike when he had first come to the desert, everyone was hopeful that the two nations could coexist peacefully again.
When he wanted to restock his provisions, Zenna gave him far more than was necessary, pushing food on him like a sweet old grandmother, which she had been doing since he woke up from his poisoning. The food was still Gerudo warrior and soldier rations, a combination of hard soda bread, dried dates and figs, and spicy jerky that tasted like venison, but was likely some other kind of game. When he decided to give her one each of his slightly-wrinkled apples and pears, the old woman pulled him into an appreciative hug and planted a kiss on his cheek. Auru was right; fruit really was worth its weight in gold in the desert.
Auren got the rest of the pears, and her reaction was no less enthusiastic. Link had gotten so used to being around her, he actually had forgotten how much taller than him she was, so it was quite the surprise to him when he found himself higher up than usual as she physically picked him up in a hug.
"Okay, okay...I'm glad you're happy, but please.." he said, feeling awkward. She hadn't hugged him all that much while he was here, and this one made him feel like a child being picked up by an adult. He also had now seen first-hand that Auren was quite strong despite having slender arms, and that the Gerudo strength he had seen was more of a racial trait and did not necessarily have anything to do with the muscles some warriors had.
"I do like to see my daughter happy." Auru said, smiling nearby. They were in the stable, and Link was preparing Epona for departure now that it was nearing midnight. "And of course, I thought that perhaps if you were the one to bring her favorite food, she may make another friend."
"Oh father, I would have made friends with this guy even if he brought me nothing but mud from Hyrule." the tall archer said, setting Link back down on his feet. "Shad certainly didn't bring me any treats, and I got along with him fine." She smirked. "I think this means that I prefer having male friends to female ones, although that's not necessarily a good thing living in a society that's mostly women."
"I'll have to come back to visit then. Maybe I'll bring Shad." Link offered, returning to Epona's stall to finish preparing the horse. For some reason, Auru stood nearby instead of going to his own roan mare.
"That's against our laws, you know." Auren said, moving down the stalls to visit Hida's horse.
"What is your mother going to do, arrest me?" He leaned his head around the divider to watch her as she went into the stall and there was the jingle of a bridle being taken off a hook. "Wait...you're coming back to Hyrule with me? I thought your father was."
"No, I plan on spending more time with my family." Auru said. "Which is why she'll escort you to the border and then return here, since Hida can't do it." The older man leaned forward to rest his arms on the faded wood door of Epona's stall, and winked while speaking softly so only Link could hear him. "There are other reasons as well. I know my daughter."
He understood completely and nodded in response, not wanting to argue. It would be nice to have Auren see him to the border, but knowing that her personal feelings had something to do with it made him feel strange. It was an odd mixture of pleasure and guilt; he was happy that his beautiful friend was coming with him and would be the last Gerudo he saw, yet his attachment to Ilia made him feel like it was somehow inappropriate.
It wasn't long before the three humans and two horses made their way back through the chilly town and to the front of the fortress, meeting with the others on the sand just past the steps. Sumati, Rennie, Midna and Hida waited there, all chatting while surrounded by most of the warriors from the keep, about forty women. As he approached the group, he could see Midna begin to say goodbye to the other women, speaking to and hugging Rennie, then Sumati.
He walked up to Rennie first, the tall warrior currently without her spear. "Thanks for looking out for me." he said, smiling up at her.
She bent down and gave him a hug, which was the first time she touched him. Rennie had respected his personal space the entire time she was with him, and she was with him for much of his time in Gerudo lands. "Thanks for treating me like a person. You're the only man that treated me fairly, and that means so much to me." The tall Gerudo let him go and straightened. "I hope there are more men like you in Hyrule."
He smiled at that comment. Rennie had revealed she had an interest in him, but even now she wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. She was one of the Gerudo he liked the most. "There are good guys out there, trust me. You just need to get away from Lakeside. I think all the good men there have been taken." What he had seen of the young men of Lakeside did not impress him. They were volatile towards him simply because he was a warrior with a horse, and they saw him as a threat. Rennie deserved better than them.
"See, that's what I think too! I told my sister, and she said I'm not looking hard enough." She giggled her girlish laugh and reached down to tousle his blonde hair. "See you around, Link. I hope I find someone like you."
"Hey, not my hair. It was actually behaving itself today." He ran a hand through it, feeling like a child that had just been patted on the head by an adult. "I hope you find somebody, too. Goodbye, Rennie." He turned to look over at Midna, who had moved on to say her goodbyes to Hida.
"Thank you for welcoming me, even though I'm not really one of your people." The Twili was saying as she embraced Hida. "I've been hiding myself from others so long, and having your people treat me like a human being has been wonderful."
"It's the least I can do. You may be a sorceress, but you are still a warrior...and you have Gerudo ancestry." The Chief pulled back from the imp and leaned heavily on her cane, still needing aid to walk with her injured leg. "You've shared so much with me about yourself and your people, that I'm the one who feels honored."
"Just don't tell anyone, okay? You and Auru are in on my secrets." Midna raised up her helmet to look at her with both eyes, and winked. "Let's keep them that way: secret."
"Of course. Be sure to remember what I have told you on...the subject. I'm sure you'll be fine. You're a very bright young lady." She turned to Link. "Now you're ready too. It's completely against our rules, but you're welcome in our lands at any time, Hero of Hyrule. Now come over here and give an old woman a hug."
"You're not that old." he said, stepping forward to embrace her. "You certainly are pretty enough to fool me. I thought you were younger when I learned your age."
Hida laughed warmly. "You're adorable. When you talk to women, you blurt out the right things to say without meaning to." She kissed his cheek. "Thank you for coming to my people. We are in your debt, Link of Ordon. If you ever need us, I don't doubt that hundreds of warriors will rush to your side before I even give the command." She put her mouth close to his ear and spoke softly, very much how Telma did not too long ago. "We both understand how my daughter feels about you. Please don't feel as if you're breaking her heart. All that I ask is you continue to be her friend and visit."
"You don't need to ask that. I'll be her friend until the day I die." he murmured, and then pulled back. "I do plan on visiting again before too long, anyway."
"You had better. I still need to kick your ass in cards." Sumati said with a grin, putting her fists on her hips.
"Sounds like somebody's still a sore loser." he said, returning her grin while holding out his hand to her.
"Ha!" She clasped arms with him and her grin turned into a warm, fond smile. "You'd better come see me, in any case. I'll come into Hyrule and drag you here kicking and screaming if you don't."
He laughed. "I don't doubt a single word you just said. I'm glad I met you, Sumati. You're a great warrior and a great friend."
"Likewise. I was surprised to see a male youngling in our lands, and then pleasantly surprised when he was a warrior beyond compare. My tribe and all of my people have our home again, thanks to you." She crossed her arms over her chest and bowed. "We are in your debt."
The other Gerudo did the same bow, lowering their heads to him in respect. Only Hida did not due to her cane, but she did bow her head. First the Gorons, then the Zoras, now the Gerudo. He wasn't trying to impress the races of Hyrule, but they sure seemed to appreciate him regardless. It must have meant he was doing something right, even if he felt awkward about it.
Link bowed in return, and saw that Midna was doing the same to his right. "Thank you, for your hospitality and your support. You all fight well, and it was an honor to fight alongside you." He straightened. "When I'm back in Hyrule, I'll be sure to tell them of the honorable warriors to our west."
"I've tried that, but for some reason I think they'll listen to you better than I." Auru said dryly, and he put something small and glass into Link's hand. "Here, as requested. Although you still haven't said what you want an empty perfume bottle for."
He knelt down in the sand, making sure to kneel on his right knee and not his left, and scooped up some dun-colored grains into the ornate glass bottle. "I made a joke about bringing back sand to a friend of mine right before I left. It's quite the ways to go just for a joke…" He pushed the cork into the bottle, sealing the small gift he planned to give to Ilia. "...but if I can make her laugh, then it's worth it."
"That is a very Link thing to do." the scholar smiled. "I'm not surprised that the son of Gwyn would go that far for a joke. You're quite a bit like him, in that way." He shook hands with Link. "I will return to Hyrule before too long, but for now, goodbye."
"Goodbye, Auru. And thanks for everything." He pocketed the small vial of sand, putting it into one of the pouches on his belt, and mounted Epona. He smiled when Midna merged with his shadows, and putting his hood up, he turned to the young Gerudo waiting patiently on her mother's horse. "Let's go."
The two of them wound their way through the narrow entrance to the canyon and left the fortress behind, riding their way out into the open desert. Auren led him at a canter across the dunes, looking up to the stars for navigation as she made her way north to the main road that went from the gates of the desert to the gates of Gerudo City. The wind prevented the two of them from speaking, so he rode next to her in silence, with only his own thoughts for company.
The trip into the desert was not what he expected at all. While he did figure that the Gerudo would pursue him as a mate, and while he did assume that he would be killing Bulbins or Shadow Beasts like anywhere else, there were so many other things that happened that were out of the blue. The Lanmola attack was the largest one for him personally, and the revelation that Ganondorf was behind the machinations of the invasion of Hyrule was ultimately the most important one. The things the Sages had told him about Ganondorf being nearly immortal was frightening, and a problem that he did not know how to deal with.
All will become clear in time. Patience, Master Link. We will be ready when we need to be.
He hoped the Master Sword was right, but then again it had seen previous heroes face previous threats to Hyrule and even the world, terrible demons and sorcerers that had the potential to do just as much harm as Ganondorf did over two centuries ago. He decided to trust its judgment for now, even though the two of them still needed time to recover.
Auren rode ahead of him, her long red hair streaming out behind her, graceful as any Gerudo on her mount. He considered his new friend and how everything had rapidly evolved between the two of them, and not only her admissions but her requests as well. With time, he likely would have grown to love her. That perhaps, if he had been allowed to grow up in Castle Town and at his family's ranch, or even Kasuto, he never would have met Ilia, and there would have only been Auren. Then again, if Ilia was never captured by the Bulbins and Zant had not sent them to Ordon in search of the Fused Shadows, he wouldn't have started on this journey, and never have come to the desert.
He looked down at his left hand, which held onto the reins. Would he still have been chosen by the gods? The crest had been on his hand since he was ten so he was marked to become something of importance, and his bloodline descended from the previous hero. Would he still have been transformed into a wolf when he inevitably entered the Twilight, and encountered Midna? No, he couldn't think of what could have been. There were so many what ifs that he had considered in the past weeks, and none of them were a true possibility.
He was tasked with what was important right now, and even though it was expected of him, he threw everything he was into making Hyrule safe again because he wanted to. It was far more important to him because it affected everyone...and now, Auren too. He valued her friendship, and was grateful to have that, but what of something more? Could he return here in a year of two, and do as she asked? Unsure of what may be, he knew that he would at least return to the desert to visit. He had grown to love the desert and the Gerudo, the proud female warriors who took him in, fought next to him and later saved his life. On the outside, they appeared so different than Hylian women, their culture and traditions almost the opposite. Yet on the inside, the Gerudo were still a people with feelings, desires, hopes; and despite their warrior culture, all they wanted was to live in peace. As they passed East Oasis to continue down the road, he found himself feeling wistful. Looking up at the Colossus, he knew that he would miss the desert.
They stopped at the final guard station to rest their horses and give them water as the sun began to stain the eastern sky pink and gold. Nebara greeted them just outside the adobe building, offering them tea and water for their horses. She was the only one on duty at the moment, and welcomed their company.
"Tell me, beautiful...did you find what you were looking for in the desert?" the guard asked as they sat and watched the first rays of the sun color the canyon walls golden-orange. She still called him that nickname, but since she didn't learn his actual name, it didn't matter.
"I didn't find what I expected, I admit." His blue eyes moved to look at Auren's for a second, and then he looked down into his tea with a smile. "But what I found was certainly something of value."
It was hard to tell what Nebara was thinking after watching that little exchange, since she stood up and turned towards the walled border. "Then it's not a trip wasted." Her tone was even more enigmatic. "Auren, will you need to stay here to sleep through the day? It will get hot soon."
"No, as soon as I see Link to the bridge, I'll turn around and ride. I think I have enough time to make it to East Oasis before mid-morning." Auren said, setting down her empty cup next to the teapot. They had been resting for about half an hour, and it would be time to go soon.
"If that's the case, I'm going in to sleep. I was supposed to be relieved an hour ago and I don't plan on working overtime when I'm tired." She smiled and lightly touched Link's shoulder as she walked past him. "I'll see you around, beautiful." The guard went into the adobe building behind him without another word.
He drained his tea and set the cup down next to Auren's. "I'm sad to go. I know I have things to do…"
"It's all right." Midna materialized next to him. "I feel the same way. We both know we can't stop even though there are things we'd rather be doing. This is a mission, not an adventure."
He stood up and went to gather up Epona's reins. "Yeah."
The makeshift bridge had been replaced with a normal wooden one with railings, and looked to be far more sound and stable. It was a proper bridge, and he suspected that the Gerudo had kept the supplies to make it that way nearby, just in case. Below the bridge, the river continued to swiftly move south through Gerudo Valley, the natural barrier between two nations that perhaps soon would not so much of a barrier anymore. One could hope, he thought.
Auren gave Midna a hug first. "I'm happy to have met you. I don't know what those secrets are you mentioned, and frankly I don't care. You're a wonderful woman and I'm glad that we became friends."
The Twili gave her a soft kiss on the cheek in a surprising show of affection. "The feeling is mutual. I hope we can see each other again some day." She pulled back and put a hand to the young woman's cheek. "Goodbye, until then."
She smiled at the imp and then turned to Link, and her smile became forced. Even though Hida had told him not to feel guilty about breaking Auren's heart, he couldn't help it. She deserved better, and he hoped that she would find somebody who returned her feelings. "Goodbye, Link." she said simply, embracing him.
"Goodbye. I'm glad I stumbled into the desert and found a friend like you." He felt her hug tighten, and he spoke more quietly. "Hey, it's all right. I'll be back one day."
"I know. There's so many things going through my head right now and I don't-" She stopped suddenly, trying to keep control of her emotions. "Please...I know you don't want to think about it right now, but after some time, reconsider my offer. Things may be different in the future." Auren pulled her head back ever so slightly to look him in the eye, and opened her mouth to say something else. Then she leaned in and kissed him full on the mouth instead. It was not a quick chaste kiss either, but something that hinted at what could be waiting for him in the desert if he wanted it. It made his heart pound like a drum.
The beautiful Gerudo pulled back from him, her face inches from his, and smirked. "Besides, I really do have a thing for blondes." Not waiting for him to respond, she let him go with a little laugh and made her way to her horse, mounting it fluidly. Auren gave one final wave and kicked her heels into her mount, riding off and out of sight.
Link stood there, stunned. She had kissed him. He had been kissed for the first time, and it wasn't by the woman he expected. Not only that, but he had kissed her back. The guilt that loomed behind that thought was still there, but it was crowded out by his fast pulse, the warmth in his chest and a feeling of pure exhilaration.
"You're smiling." Midna said smugly, crossing her arms.
"I am not." he said, even though he knew as he said it he most certainly was. It was hard not to. He began to lead Epona over to the bridge, the mare far calmer crossing it than she had been the previous time.
She giggled. "You are. You just got a kiss from a pretty girl and are smiling like a fool."
He shrugged, his smile not fading as Epona's hooves clopped on the wooden planks of the bridge. "Well I may as well enjoy it." His smile turned into a grin. "Besides, it's not like I can hope from a kiss from you."
She fumbled for words for just a second, thrown off-guard when she thought she was the one harassing him, and his comment probably ruined the joke she was about to make. It made him laugh, and her expression darkened a bit when he did. "I've already told you that nobody wants to kiss that clever mouth of yours, me included. After hearing some of the things that have come out of that mouth, I have no intention of having my lips on it." She scowled. "Link! It's not that funny!"
He continued to laugh as he crossed back over into Hyrule, the sound of his laughter echoing through the valley below.
