Hey guys, Chapter 120 is here! This time, Link and Reirousa finally confront each other on something very important to them...
"Thank you everyone for coming out here!" Link called out to the people of Gerudo Town, by his side was Nabooru, Aviel, Nemisa, Saria and Halei.
It was the day after Link had confessed everything to Nabooru and the others, and he had come to the choice to make a speech to the people about the recent events that had unfolded.
"I'd just like to start by saying we've all gone through a difficult time over the past week." Link said with a heavy heart, "The attack on the town by the Ebony Sisterhood rebellion caused us a great amount of pain and grief, and as your king, I bear the full responsibility for what has happened here."
Nabooru sighed softly, they had vowed to keep Link's ordeal with the Fierce Deity a secret for the situation would be a bit difficult to explain to the whole town.
"As the head lady of Gerudo Town, we both bear that responsibility." Nabooru spoke stepping up by his side, "You all depend on us for our leadership, and we let you all down."
The crowd were all murmuring to each other, but were silenced by Nemisa silently lowering her hand.
"As a result," Link resumed, "We're redoubling our efforts to fulfill our promise to you all. The meeting with our allies Lady Impa, along with the Zora, Goron and Kokiri went well, and I feel through the hardships we endured by the rebel attack that our trust and faith in them is even stronger than before. In two months from now, we'll be going out to Hyrule Castle to meet with the Hylian Parliament and finally abolish the Gerudo Banishment Law!"
The people of Gerudo Town all clapped out loud, and Link smiled warmly, seeing them all so happy despite all that had happened. Despite all they had been through over the years, they had proven themselves to be strong-willed individuals that he grew to admire and love.
'He's becoming more like a real king to them everyday...' Nabooru thought to herself. She noted he was still wearing a simple red vest and green baggy pants, 'But he's also going to have to look the part," she thought about the black outfit he had worn before, "...for real this time...'
"So how does it look Sarami? I don't need to get anything amputated do I?"
"Not at all silly, your injuries from last week are healing just fine!" Sarami spoke happily, examining Link's body at her private office in the Gerudo Town medical clinic.
As Sarami worked on him, Link noted how she was dressed now; she had swapped her white vest for a long white lab coat that she wore open and loosely. She had a device around her neck she called a 'stethoscope' that she obtained from a traveling merchant, which apparently helped her sense one's heartbeat somehow. Under that she wore a black blouse that held her large breasts intact. Rather than the baggy pants Gerudo typically wore, was now wearing a professional skirt, and she had on black leg stockings that went all the way up to her somewhat plump thighs. She didn't use to dress that boldly before, and Link was happy to see her be more comfortable with her beauty.
Sarami meanwhile was clearly trying to remain as professional as she could be as a doctor while Link was sitting before her shirtless, her delicate hands ran along his toned form, "And your body's just getting stronger... really stronger..." she whispered, tracing a finger between his developing chest pecs, making Link shiver a little at her delicate touch.
"Thanks Sarami, I owe it to Reirousa for all the training she's been putting me through." Link smiled, giving the doctor a gentle kiss on the lips, "And I'm glad you enjoy it so much. Maybe if you're feeling in the mood we could have a more through examination of each other..." he spoke suggestively as he put his hand on her soft thigh.
"Oh my..." Sarami breathed heavily with a bright blush on her face, before she suddenly gave Link a gentle shove away, "N-None of that here mister! This is a hospital mind you!" she scolded, waving her finger at him.
"Heh heh... sorry." Link sported a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head. Maybe he was getting a little too bold for his own good at times.
Sarami cleared her throat and sat back on her chair, crossing one of her long legs over the other as she consulted a medical chart. Seeing his lovely fiance in that poise was making it hard for Link to hold himself back, but then the doctor sported a serious expression as she tapped her chart,
"Besides, there's something else I need to examine about you. While you're physically well, I'm more worried about your mental health after what happened with the Fierce Deity." Sarami spoke.
"Ah, yeah..." Link spoke, quickly dropping the lewd attitude.
"Now have you had anymore dreams of the deity's spirit since then?" Sarami spoke, adjusting her glasses.
"Weirdly enough, no." Link shook his head, "After what I experienced, I would had figured I'd be having more dreams with the deity, but I got nothing like that this whole week." he thought to himself for a second, "That said, I have been having some new dreams lately..."
"Oh, like what?" Sarami tilted her head.
"Well it's weird, I find myself in some other kind of void... I think it's the same one I keep falling into at the end of my dreams with the Fierce Deity." Link spoke, "There's a woman's voice calling out to me. I don't know who it could be, and yet it sounds weirdly familiar."
"I hope it's not another spirit possessing you. What do they tell you?" Sarami asked.
"That's another weird thing, I can't make out what they're saying at all." Link shrugged, "But unlike the Fierce Deity, I don't get the feeling they're dangerous. Kesuta, Korume and their mother have been using their mystic abilities to check me out, and I don't think it's another spirit in my body either."
"Hm... that is strange." Sarami muttered.
"Dr. Sarami! Sorry to interrupt, but we got a new patient here!" called out a nurse in the clinic's lobby, "We found her collapsed near the clinic!"
"Uggghh..."groaned out the Gerudo as Sarami and Link both ran out to see to her.
"Oh my, aren't you one of the soldiers?" Sarami spoke, "You seem rather beaten up and fatigued, did you have to fight off the rebellion, or a monster?!"
"No... just doing my mandatory training..." groaned the Gerudo with dizzy spiraling eyes.
"Training?!" Link asked.
"Yeah, General Reirousa's been working us really hard these past few days... she says after what happened with the rebellion that everyone needs to toughen up more. Right now she's got a bunch of us jogging laps around town..." the solider groaned, looking outside as some exhausted soldiers ran past a window, "...I was on my thirty second lap when I collapsed."
"Why doesn't she just have you use the training ground track?" Link asked.
"She's using that for all of us to spar against each other." sighed out the solider, "I'm still sore from when she sent that stampede of cows at us."
"Oh dear..." Sarami placed a hand to her cheek in worry, "Reirousa's always been rather tough on you all, but she's at least been fair about it."
"Just don't let her know I'm slacking off please... I don't want to do another five hundred push ups..." groaned the solider, "I can barely lift that boulder she straps to my back after the first three hundred..."
Link frowned, "... somehow I think this is partially my fault. Maybe I should go talk to her." he bid Sarami and the solider good bye and went out of the clinic towards the training grounds.
"Be careful my king, or she'll send the cows at you!" the solider exclaimed.
Link soon arrived at the training grounds of Gerudo Town where all the soldiers were drilled in combat and weight training. He didn't have to obverse for more than a few seconds to see the girls were all being heavily overworked at that moment. He looked around and spotted his target, General Reirousa as she was angerly ordering around some soldiers.
"Hey! Quit slacking' off or yer gonna be running more laps!" Reirousa shouted, "Do ya want the rebels takin' over the town again?!"
"We're sorry General Reirousa! It won't happen again!" pleaded a solider.
"Yeah that's right! I'm the boss around here!" Reirousa shouted out, "Anyone gotta problem with that they can speak up right now!"
"Reirousa."
At the sound a very familiar man's voice, the general's whole body turned a pale white and froze up. She slowly looked behind her to see Link standing there with his arms folded and bearing a cross stare in his eyes. Reirousa broke out into a cold sweat as her eyes shrunk down into small dots.
With Reirousa now in a state of paralysis, Link turned to the troops and clapped his hands loudly to get their attention.
"Attention everyone! As of now, all mandatory training is suspended until next week. Please take this time to rest and relax!" he called out to the soldiers.
The soldiers all thanked Link greatly, some even giving him some affectionate hugs and kisses in gratitude, before they all went off on their way. Normally Reirousa would had argued against such an order, but she was still frozen solid in shock. When all the soldiers were gone, Link sighed out and turned to the training general.
"Hey, Reirousa?" Link gave the general a slight nudge which snapped her out of it.
"W-What the hell man?! I gotta make sure the troops are ready for when there's another rebel attack!" Reirousa shouted stomping her foot, "What if they attack after we leave to meet with the royal family?"
"It's fine, Nabooru's already getting our defenses fortified for when we leave." Link pointed out, "In fact she's also been wanting to go over the plans with you."
"...guaah..." Reirousa flinched a bit and looked away.
"Now, did you have something you wanted to talk about?" Link asked.
"mph..." Reirousa muttered, turning her head away with her cheeks puffed out.
"Reirousa?" Link asked, moving himself over to try and make eye contact with the general.
"MMPH!" Reirousa quickly jerked her head away in another direction to avoid seeing him.
"Hey Reirousaaa..." Link spoke in a singsong voice as he grew a small knowing smile, shifting himself so she could see him.
She turned her head away again and Link moved in that direction to see her expression. He was pretty amused at how flustered she was getting, it was rather cute to him. This went on for a while until the general was starting to get angry and increasingly dizzy from shifting her head around.
"F-Forget it! Just piss off, would ya?!" she finally shouted out, turning and stomping off. She was still a little dizzy and staggered near a cow, impulsively pushing it out of the way with one arm, "O-Outta my way!"
"MoOoOOo!"
"Oh boy." Link sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "What am I going to do with her?"
"Hey, there they are!" shouted a voice. Link looked to see Togau and Saria running up the training grounds, "There's mah cows, and someone's been tippin' them! What in tarnation did Reirousa bring em all the way out here fer?!"
"Training apparently." Link said.
"Trainin' the cows fer combat? I didn't think we was that desperate for soldiers!" Togau spoke, thinking about a cow dressed in knight's armor.
"Link, is something wrong with Reirousa?" Saria asked. Link went ahead and explained what happened to the two of them, "Oh, so that's it... Link, this is just my point of view, but I think she's really frustrated about her feelings for you, and she's taking it out on her troops."
"Yeah I gathered that." Link nodded, "I need to talk to her about this, but she keeps shunning me."
"Honestly I can understand her, I had the hardest time working up the courage to confess my feelings for you too." Saria sighed, "But instead of suppressing it like I did, shes taking it out on others... "
"Taking it out on others..." Link muttered. He closed his eyes in deep thought, before he grinned widely. He kneeled down and gave Saria a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks Saria, I think I know what to do now!"
With that Link quickly ran off, leaving Togau in particular confused, "Eh? What's he gonna try doin'?"
"I think he's going to finally get through to Reirousa and tell his feelings for her!" Saria said happily.
"Huh, so Reirousa's next to join us? Bout time." Togau nodded, then turned to the cows that were knocked over by Reirousa's temperament, "But when this is over I'm gonna have a looong talk with her about cow snatchin' and tippin'!"
"Moo."
"Thank you for your business General! Come again!"
"Yeah, have a good day Boss!"
"Buuuurrrrrrrp!"
Reirousa was on her way out of the diner after having a huge meal. With no troops to drill for three weeks she had gotten so frustrated that she decided to eat her stress away. Her stomach was full to bursting after having eaten practically half of what was on the menu, but it didn't do her any good at relieving her of her problems.
"Damnit... this sucks..." Reirousa muttered. The truth was her crush on Link was getting too hard to deal with. She had no luck being honest with him about her feelings, and she completely lost her nerve whenever they were around others. And now after what she had put the troops through earlier, he was probably really angry with her...
It wasn't like she enjoyed treating her troops like that in their training, but she was always having so much trouble finding out ways to deal with her anxiety about Link that she kept taking it out on them, "Gonna have to apologize to them all later I guess..."
As she went to grab her Bombos Warhammer which she checked in when she arrived in the diner, she noticed a note attached to the top of it.
"Huh? What's this?" Reirousa read the note, "'To General Reirousa: This is a letter of challenge. I'm waiting for you on the rooftop of the schoolhouse building. If you have any spine then you'll show up.'" her glum look from before suddenly turned upwards into a big wicked grin, "Oh hell yeah, this is just what I needed!"
Reirousa soon made her way over to the children's schoolhouse. There was no class that day, so she didn't have to deal with anyone in her way, and just went up the floors until she got to a door that led out onto the rooftop. Being one the taller buildings in the area and having a tall ledge to prevent anyone from falling off, there would be little chance of on-lookers. She took a step out and brought up her fists, smiling widely.
"Alright, who is it?! Who's the sucker that challenged me to a fight up here all alon-?!"
Suddenly she heard the door slam behind her, and a strange familiar feeling started to creep up on her, as she turned to see sure enough, that it was Link who just shut the door closed.
"L-LINK?!" Reirousa exclaimed, "This was a trap?! Shit... shit-shit-shit-shit!"
"Reirousa, I'm glad you came..." Link muttered in a cold voice, slowly walking towards her with his head hanging downwards.
'Oh man... this is it...' Reirousa trembled, going into a defensive position to hide the fact that she had small tears forming in her eyes, 'I really screwed up big this time.. He must he totally pissed off about what I did to the troops... H-He's going to say how much he hates me... What if he banishes me...? What if he...?'
"Well if you're ready, than let's do it." Link spoke, he pulled off his vest and threw it to the ground, before looking up with determined eyes and bringing up his fists,
"FIGHT ME!"
"Huh?" Reirousa spoke blankly "The hell are you talkin' about?!"
"I sent you a letter of challenge didn't I?" Link asked, thrusting his fists left and right to pump himself, "Well we're both here, so put em up!"
"I... don't get it," Reirousa spoke, "What the hell you tryin' to prove?!"
"Just shut up and fight me already you muscle-headed idiot!" Link shouted to her, "Or have you gotten too soft from pigging out like I saw at the diner? I bet all that muscle of yours is gonna turn to flab in a few weeks!"
Reirousa's eyes widened, Link had never talked to her like that before. She clenched her fist as she reached up and rubbed at one of the scars he had given her back when he was going berserk from the fake murder of Esolu. She scowled darkly and gritted her teeth, grabbing and throwing off the black vest she wore on her shoulders.
"Fine.. if that's how you wanna do things... THEN GET READY FER A POUNDIN'!"
The two ran right at each other and started punching with all their strength. Reirousa swung her fist downwards and impacted into Link's stomach, but the Hylian countered with an upward hook right into her chin. She swung out again and bashed him across the face, while he countered with a jab to her chest. Bizarrely, neither side bothered to block or dodge any of the punches thrown. Link and Reirousa just kept punching at each other head-on and taking each hit as it came.
After what seemed like hours, Link and Reirousa took a step back from each other, panting out in exhaustion as sweat was rolling down their bodies.
"You... done... yet?" Reirousa muttered, "You... look like you've... had enough."
"This... is nothing..." Link gasped out, before he rushed at her again, "I'm just getting started!"
"Bring it then!" Reirousa shouted back.
Link and Reirousa were now sitting on the roof of the building, leaning against each other's back for support as they were recovering their stamina. They had decided to call their battle a draw. Link had developed numerous bruises and a black eye, and while Reirousa didn't show much injuries on her thick skin, she still felt some soreness from Link's blows.
"You... holding up alright Link...?" Reirousa muttered.
"Yeah... that was... a good fight Reirousa." Link gasped, "You're just... as strong as ever."
"Uh, thanks." the general muttered, "You've gotten a lot tougher yerself."
"All thanks to your training Rei." Link nodded with a smile.
There was a heavy and awkward silence between the two until Reirousa finally gulped and spoke up.
"S-So tell me somethin' Link. Do... you hate me?"
"Hm...?" Link looked to her.
"It's fine if you do and all... I just wanna know why. Did I do somethin' to piss you off? You get tired of hugging it out with me when I get upset, or is it cause I keep pounding you outta nowhere?"
"What? No, not at all!" Link shook his head, "Where the heck did you even get that idea?"
"It's cause..." Reirousa looked down at her body, seeing the newest scars on her body, "...of something Lady Nabooru and Doc Sarami said before back in the canyon..."
Flashback - When Link recovered in Kokiri Forest after the rebel attack on the town
"But... I remember attacking everyone..." Link said,"I remember fighting Nabooru, Reirousa and all of you! And I killed at least a number of guards too!"
"No Link-honey, you have it all wrong!" Sarami said, "The Gerudo are all just fine!"
"Huh? But how?" Link exclaimed.
"You see, back in the canyon Reirousa rounded up everyone you had fought..." Sarami explained, "I was prepared to do emergency treatment of all the soldiers, but the thing is, they were almost completely unharmed!"
"There was nothing severe or lethal. It's not anything worse than what the girls go through in their usual training exercises."
"You're kidding me..." Link muttered, "But I was on a rampage, I could barely even think about anything other than killing that knight and anything that got in my way..."
"Nabs figured it out when I showed her the soldier's injuries..." Sarami said, "She saw that their wounds were very minimal compared to the monsters and bandits you fought. It led her to believe that no matter how angry or vengeful you felt in that time, that there was a small part of you that managed to hold back against your own people."
End Flashback
"They said you were able to resist that anger enough to not hurt anyone too badly." Reirousa spoke, running her hand along one of the scars, "But when I snapped out of it, I saw I had a buncha new scars from fightin' you, and I remembered the pain I felt trying to stop you..."
"..." Link hung down his head in thought.
"You care enough about everyone else that you held back... But you didn't hold back against me... It just made me wonder if I did something to make you hate me." she looked up into the sky, "I don't care if you do or anything, I just wanna know the truth is all."
"..." Link sat there silently, leaving Reirousa to wonder if she really was right, before he said, "Just as I thought Reirousa, I've always known you were pretty dumb, but I see you really are an idiot."
"Huh?! What'd you say you little bastard?!" Reirousa shouted, about ready to bash Link again.
"Come on, you know there's no way I could ever hate you. You're one of the most important people to me in my life." Link assured her.
"W-Well that's not sayin' much, you got a lotta people important to ya like that..." Reirousa grumbled.
"That's right, and every one of them is important for me for different reasons, including you." Link nodded, "You help train me to get stronger, but more importantly you help comfort me when I couldn't deal with my grief of the past. We've both turned to each other to cope with that sort of thing lots of times."
"Yeah, but you got over that a while ago..." Reirousa muttered, "When you told us all about what happened in the dark future, all those lives that were hurt and lost cause of something you blamed yerself for... I realized how you could understand what I went through, after what happened in the war."
"And that's what brought us together." Link nodded, "Being able to comfort each other like that."
"But you were able to deal with that and move on, like what people keep telling me I should be able to do..." Reirousa said hanging down her head, "I still can't forgive myself for what happened with the war, and what happened to Ma, and Hira..."
"Hira... your war friend." Link spoke, thinking about when she told him about her mentor and friend Hiraemo who died in the war, and the conversation they had together...
Flashback - When Link and Reirousa were alone at Hotaig's Mausoleum
"Reirousa; I don't expect you to just get over your loss and move on, I understand that as much as anyone... All I can tell you is just take it one step at a time." Link said, "And if you can't deal with the pain... then I'll help you through it."
"You... you will?" Reiroua asked.
"I promise I will." Link said, "And if neither of us can ever let go of the past, then we'll just comfort each other for the rest of our days."
End Flashback
"You were able to get over it all, but I can't..." Reirousa said with tears going down her cheeks, "I may be tougher than you in a fight, but yer way stronger than I am... I feel like I'm bein' a huge load for you to deal with... I keep beatin' you up... I treat the soldiers like shit... I don't get why you don't hate me for all that..."
There was a brief pause, making Reirousa think she may have been right. She was about to get up and leave without another word...
But then she heard Link starting to chuckle lightly to himself, before he broke out into a loud laughter, completely confusing her.
"Hey, what's s funny ya little dweeb?!" Reirousa shouted.
"So that's what this is all about?" the young king calmed down and wiped a tear from his eye, "Let me ask you something Rei, do you know why I choose to become the Gerudo King?"
"All the sex and the free grub?" Reirousa guessed, scratching her cheek.
"Well that's definitely a couple of the benefits." Link admitted, "But no, it's because I grown to love this town, and all the people in it. I want them to be given the chance to live and be free, to become a real part of Hyrule." he reached down and put a hand over Reirousa's,
"And of course I care about you too, I could never hate you for anything Rei."
"H-Hey!" Reirousa quickly jerked her hand away, and looked down at it with a blush, "If... if that's the case, then why'd you beat me up so bad as the Fierce Deity then?"
Link paused, "It's hard for me to say exactly. Everything that happened was a huge blur for me, and I've been trying to piece together my thoughts..."
The young king closed his eyes and thought to himself deeply, back when he was fighting some strange women that attacked him in the canyon. He recalled familiar voices, and the appearances of some of his fiances all talking among each other.
Then came the image of a huge muscular woman holding a huge hammer and standing among some others, and he remembered some voices that spoke out to him as he confronted them...
"Please your highness, don't do this!"
"Link please stop! If you keep doing this I'm... I'm not going out for shaved ice with you anymore!"
"We know you're not like this! We had fun traveling with you, playing in the oasis, hearing you play that cute song by the campfire... we want you back to the way you were!"
And then one voice in particular that came from the huge figure, just before he had to fight them all off to confront the knight he had wanted to kill...
"You're coming back with us Link! I don't care what you think of me, we're gonna get you home and back to yer old self!"
"I'm just gonna have to be the one to do it then, so they don't have to..."
"I think..." Link stared up into he sky as he leaned against Reirousa's back, "... it's because you understood me and my problem."
"Huh?" Reirousa asked in confusion.
"You and I both swore to comfort each other in our grief, and I think even if you weren't fully aware of it, that I needed something to take my anger out on. You were hoping if you let me go all-out on you, that it would be what I needed to calm down and not hurt others."
"...did I really think that...?" Reirousa muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.
"I don't know for certain." Link shook his head, "But I think the reason I attacked you like I did was because a part of me understood that as well. So I gave you what we both wanted, a chance to cope with all that rage I was feeling."
"... ya know it hurt every time I had to hit you Link." Reirousa muttered, "I totally understood why Aviel didn't want to fight you, and I saw the others didn't want to either. So I tried to do it for them."
"And I guess I responded to just that." Link nodded with a sad smile, as the two of them got themselves to onto their feet, "I'm happy you were able to do that for the girls, but I don't think I can apologize enough for hurting you. My stupid choice caused a lot of pain for the town as a a whole, but it felt even worse to hurt you Rei."
"...nah, don't sweat it man." Reirousa sighed, "After everything I've been through, I'm tough enough to take it."
"Does it feel good to just get it out of your system?" Link spoke with a knowing smile.
"Yeah, it-" Reirousa paused, "Wait, that's why you challenged me to that fight just now? So we could work out our problems with our fists?"
"That's right." Link nodded, "You told me before about how your anger over that Hylian Captain who killed your mother caused you to get captured by the knights in the war. I can understand how much that kind of anger can make you do stupid things. I think sometimes it's okay to just let it out like we did just now. We both know we can take it."
"...heh... jees..." Reirousa muttered, before nodding, "Alright, if that's the case... then promise me somethin'."
"?"
"The next time you start feeling that pissed off again, that the Fierce Deity is gonna make you go angry and crazy, then come right to me!" the general brought up her fists, "Just go all-out on me and beat me up real good, you know I can take it! I'll even beat you up until we're both completely senseless!"
Link stared up at Reirousa, before he started chuckling a little, then laughed out loud again, "Sounds good Rei! We can be each other's punching bags as well as each other's comfort pillows!"
"Sounds good!" Reirousa nodded with a big grin.
The two of them both laughed out in unison. They looked to each other for a moment, before they embraced each other in yet another comforting hug. It felt just as good as the day they met, when they both confessed their pasts together in Gerudo Wastes, and decided to huge out their problems with each other.
As Reirousa was enjoying having the smaller, younger man in her muscular arms, she felt a sense deep within her that made her want to continue to protect him; from not just bad guys, but also his inner rage. It was a strange nurturing instinct that she had been suppressing for a long time now...
Link meanwhile was pressing his head against her abs. As much as he loved the soft feeling of Sarami's curvy motherly body, he also enjoyed the rock-hard muscular sensation of Reirousa's embrace. Her body was still sweaty from their fight earlier, and it gave off a certain musk that he enjoyed from her. Despite Reirousa being so strong that she could break his back, when they hugged like this, she could be so gentle with him...
"Though while we're on the subject..." Link spoke as he backed off a bit and gazed up at Reirousa, "There is something else I'd like to take out on you..."
"You wanna beat me up some more?" Reirousa grinned widely, "Alright, do whatever you want to me then!" she slammed her fist against her chest.
"If you insist."
Link then reached up and took Reirousa by the back of her neck, pulling her downwards to his eye level, and he gave her a firm kiss on the lips.
"MMPH?!" Reirousa was shocked by Link's action, it was her first kiss with anyone. She tried to pull back, but Link brought up his other hand and cupped her cheek, deepening the kiss further. Reirousa's mind quickly became a total blank as her friend kissed her so long and passionately.
Eventually Link slowly pulled away from her, and whispered with a hot breath, "I've been feeling pretty turned on by you, and I'd absolutely love to take my lust out on this huge sexy body of yours..."
"I-I... I... that... I..." Reirousa's face was a beet red, her eyes were spiraling, and steam was shooing out from her ears, until she couldn't take anymore.
"GRRAAAAHH!"
She then swung out her fist, decking Link in the face and sending him flying backwards into a wall.
"... … ..uh oh." after a moment the general realized what she had done and panicked, running over to Link, kneeling down to see if he was okay, "Holy shit, I'm sorry man! I-"
"It's okay Rei..." Link groaned, he got up and sported a big grin, "It's just how you are, but I love that about you." he reached out and took her hand, holding it firmly, "In fact I want you to be by my side for the rest of our lives. I want you as my wife, and when you're ready, the mother of my children."
"Reirousa... I love you."
Reirousa was at a loss for words, when she accepted the letter of challenge she didn't expect to be confronted with a challenge like this. She gazed at her friend, his dreamy blue eyes, his wild bleached hair running down behind him, his defined body... She could feel that nurturing instinct deep within her again, and a heated feeling growing more and more as she gazed at him.
"J-Jees..." Reirousa groaned out, looking away from him, "Look, I... don't really care all that much about marriage or anything like that right now. I... just wanna stay by your side and protect you... I wanna be with you forever... I... I..." she closed her tear-filled eyes and shouted out,
"DAMNIT, I-I LOVE YOU, MAN! I LOVE YOU TOO!"
She fell to her knees and trembled in embarrassment, "I really love you Link... but you'd really be alright being with a giant dumbass musclehead like me...?"
Link took her face with both his hands and pulled her into another deep kiss, before breaking away from it.
"How's that for an answer?" Link smiled warmly.
"D-Damnit..." sobbed Reirousa as tears started flowing down her face like water canals, she pressed her head against him as she started bashing away at the wall behind them with her fists, breaking off stone as she did, "Why'd you have to go and say somethin' like that?! Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!"
Link just smiled warmly as he held her, not even minding that she was breaking the wall off around them. By the time Reirousa calmed down, the two were covered in a pile of sandy pebbles from the destroyed wall.
"It's okay Reirousa, it's just like what I told you the day we met..." he spoke, holding her softly, "We'll just comfort each other for the rest of our lives. Except now it'll be not just as friends or confidants, but as lovers."
"Thanks Link..." Reirousa sobbed, she then realized something and pulled out a small black box, "Listen, this is something I've been meaning to give to ya... I was gonna give it to you back during the meeting with those allies of ours, but then the whole thing with that Fierce Deity happened and... uh..."
"What's this?" Link asked curiously.
"J-Just look at it!" Reirousa shouted, opening it up.
Inside was a pair of brass knuckles, they were engraved with his and Reirousa's names on them. One was somewhat small and made for his own fist size, while the other was quite large and made for Reirousa herself. Oddly though, they seemed a little dented and chipped off in various places.
"Oh shit!" Reirousa exclaimed, "They must have gotten beaten up from when we fought back in the canyon..." she hung her head down, "I was gonna give you one and me the other, like a pair of engagement gifts..." she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "I-Ill get us another pair! I swear!"
But she saw Link was staring down at the knuckles, trembling with small tears in his eyes.
"Reirousa... you got these just for us...?" Link asked, he brought up his arm to try and hold back his tears as they flowed down his face, "You're... so... CUTE!"
"Ehhh...?" Reirousa was confused at how well Link took to her gift, despite it not being as glamorous as a king deserved, or the fact that it was dented.
Link took the left knuckle and put it on over his fist, "I'll treasure it always. Thank you Rei."
Reirousa stared back at him, before she grinned lightly and nodded, putting on her own knuckle...
And the two new lovers lightly bumped their fists together.
"...so with how everything ended up..." Link spoke before Nabooru, Halei, Aviel, Nemisa, Saria, Togau, Sarami, Kesuta and Korume in Gerudo Palace later that day, "I'd like to announce that me and Reirousa are going out now."
"Yaaaay! Welcome to the family Reirousa!" Aviel cheered out, running over and hugging Reirousa with her bird wings.
"Congratulations Reirousa!" Saria said happily, "I just knew you could do it!"
"Yeah... thanks for helpin' me out before Saria... Reirousa muttered, despite blushing at all the attention she was getting, she knelled down to the Kokiri child and put her hand gently on her head, "Don't think I could've confessed to him without you pushing me along."
"Of course!" Saria giggled, "Aviel did the same for me once!"
"But there's somethin' else..." Reirousa stood up and glanced to the side, "I'm still not really sure if I wanna get married to him or have kids or anythin'... for now I think I'm just happy being with Link."
"We understand." Nemisa nodded, "Just keep looking out for Link like you do. The two of you share a deep understanding between each other that none of us have with him."
"Ah jees, don't tell me you guys figured it out...?" Reirousa spoke embarrassingly.
"Actually Halei told us a while back how much you two like hugging each other in private!" Aviel chirped in complete obviousness.
"W-What'd you just say...?" Reirousa muttered, staring over coldly at Halei.
"Meep!" Halei exclaimed, her Bunny Hood ears standing up right as her glasses tilted off her head slightly, "I-I just remembered I need to alphabetize my book collection again!" she shouted as she ran off in a hurry.
As everyone laughed out loud at Reirousa's fit, Nabooru came up to Link and put a hand on his shoulder, sporting a proud smile.
"Well, well, another fine woman to have in your family. You're really come a long way Link." Nabooru smirked, "I hope she makes you happy for years to come."
"Yeah, after everything she's been through I want to do what I can to make her feel loved." Link nodded.
"So is she the last of them then?" Nabooru asked.
"No, I'm not done yet." Link shook his head, sporting a light grin, "After all, I've still got to win over the woman I've chosen as my Grand Queen."
"Oh wow, she sure sounds like a keeper." Nabooru sported a knowing smirk, "You've become a real ladies' man, but you still have a long way to go before anything like that could possibly happen between us, you know why."
"Yeah, but you know I love a good challenge." Link spoke, giving Nabooru a wink.
"Heh, speaking of a challenge, you got a message from someone." Nabooru said, handing him a note.
"Uh oh." Link said.
Later that night Link and Reirousa both found themselves side -by-side on their knees in a hallway of the Gerudo schoolhouse.
Before the new couple was the schoolteacher Ms. Fareafu, tapping her ruler in her hand and glaring angerly down at the two. Togau was also there, with her arms folded and looking at Reirousa in particular with a grumpy scowl, her eyes flashing to her Lynel ones.
"Even if it was not during school hours, I absolutely do not condone picking fights on our school's roof! I should give you both two week's detention for this!" Fareafu snapped.
"And I outta tan yer hide for what you did to mah cows Reirousa!" Togau snapped.
"Guess we went too far." Link sighed.
"Yeah... but it was kinda worth it." Reirousa spoke with a small grin, as the two were holding each other's hands behind their backs with their respective brass knuckles on.
Meanwhile, far off in the storm-torn area of Gerudo Wastes, a group of dark figures were walking through the sand in cloaks, fighting off the fierce storm going on at the time. They soon arrived at an indoor stone structure set up in the middle of the harsh desert.
"So this is it..." spoke the head of the group. Their head rose up to show they were Lady Imono, leader of the Ebony Sisterhood, "The Shrine of Aifet."
Within the shrine stood a small statue holding a yellow rod, with a blue jewel revenged in the center of it.
"And the treasure that we've been after, the Sand Rod!" spoke up another cloaked person with goggles over her eyes, it was the rebel Engineer Meokuro.
"Yes, you did fine work tracking it down with your machines." Imono spoke, "Despite your failures of the past, you've proven yourself invaluable to our cause."
"Wiihiihiihii! Thank you Mother... urm... Commander... what do we call you now again?" Meokuro asked.
Imono turned to the rebels, she was still wearing the half of the Couple's Mask that Link damaged in their battle. She narrowed her visible eye which chill the rebels to their core.
"As I stated before, the one that shall see our true king from the despicable royal family, the one that shall bring the Gerudo to salvation and prosperity..."
"I am the Holy Mother Imono, bride of the great King Ganondorf, the true queen of the Gerudo, and the one who shall rule all of Hyrule by his side!"
"Y-Yes Holy Mother..." the rebels spoke, bowing before her.
"I once failed to save the great King Ganondorf, and out of shame I changed my name to Eclipsis, covering my face with this mask as a constant reminder of why I fight." Imono spoke, bringing up her fingers to the porcelain mask, silently cursing that Link had managed to break off half of it.
"But now that the truth of my identity has been laid bare, all that matters now is what we desire." the leader spoke, "I shall lead us to supreme victory over the Hylians... and we shall start with this relic, the Sand Rod!" she turned to the rebels before her, "Sister Runesa, if you please."
At the mention of her name, one rebel warrior stepped up, gazing at the Sand Rod, "So this is where it's been this whole time, the relic that Nabooru has been using to fortify the defenses of Gerudo Town. It's hard to think the Sand Goddess Sofuira would allow them to use such incredible power for all these years..."
"Yes Runesa." Imono nodded, "The Sand Rod has the potential to manipulate this entire desert to their whim. Just the fact that Lady Nabooru refuses to use it for anything beyond her simple little town is proof that it's been wielded in the wrong hands all this time."
"Well in that case, I'm putting it in the right hands. On behalf of the great Desert Goddess Aifet!" Runesa said with a wicked grin, simply snatching the Sand Rod from the statue.
"Um, about that..." Meokuro spoke, looking down at a device on her wrist, "I wouldn't do that if I were-"
"Silence nerd. Watch and learn true power." Runesa held the Sand Rod up, then gazing out at the sand blowing outside. She focused the rod out and the sand blowing through the air started to shift and move, until it started moving in a circular motion, and eventually becoming a giant tornado of sand. She started moving it around, accumulating more sand as she did and letting it grow in size.
"Woah!" spoke the guards in astonishment.
"Impressive, you seem to have already grasped the abilities of it Runesa." smirked Imono.
"..." Meokuro stood silent.
"Shahahaha! This is great!" Runesa laughed out, waving the rod left and right to make sand fly around everywhere, "I can feel the great power of the Sand Goddess herself coursing through me! With this, the Ebony Sisterhood will be invincible! We'll destroy Gerudo Town, and engulf the fools of Hyrule Castle in a giant mountain of sand! Nothing can stop us, not even the godde-!"
"Um, sister?" spoke up a guard.
"What?!" Runesa shouted, waving the rod at the rebel, "You want to go for a ride in my tornado, you little bitch?! You better bow down before me or else I'll... I'll..." she started to gasp out a bit, "I'll... why am I suddenly so thirsty?"
The others watched curiously as Runesa grabbed her canteen and started drinking it down incredibly fast. She started coughing more, and they were shocked as sand started to come out from her mouth.
"Sister Runesa, what's wrong?" asked a guard.
"Nothing... it's nothing!" Runesa shouted, "I'm just... harnessing the power of the sand... the sand..."
She then looked to her free arm, and saw with shock that it was drying up and crumbling.
"What's happening?!" Runesa spoke with a raspy voice, as she looked down to see her body was drying and cracking up, crumbling apart like... sand.
"..." Holy Mother Imono said nothing but watched, as Meokuro and the rebels looked on in horror.
"What's this thing doing to me?!" Runesa tried to let go of the Sand Rod but couldn't. She saw that her other arm was also drying up and crumbling. The crumbling went all the way up to her face as she turned to her sisters and spoke out to them with what little breath she had left,
"H-help... me..."
With that, the Ebony Sisterhood rebel Runesa suddenly shattered into millions of sand particles, leaving a large pile on the ground before them, and the Sand Rod fell on top of it.
"Oh my goddesses! Sister Runesa!" screamed a guard in horror.
"What... happened to her...?" spoke another guard with small tears in her eyes.
"...it appears the Sand Goddess Sofuira didn't approve of Runesa wielding her power, and brought forth her curse." Imono spoke, she glared down at the rod, "And yet she allowed that fool Nabooru to use it... why...?"
"..." Meokuro simply stared down silently at the remains of their ally.
"Regardless, we cannot allow Nabooru to use it's power any longer." spoke Imono. She pulled out her sword the Soulbinder, as it gleamed with red energy. She then brought it up and slashed forward multiple times.
The Sand Rod was struck with each slice, until ti fell apart into multiple pieces. The shards of the blue jewel that had been engraved on it lost it's shining hue, and the rod disintegrated into dust before them, joining the remains of Runesa.
"You destroyed it?" spoke a rebel.
"If we cannot use it, than it is worthless to the Gerudo." Imono spoke, "Now come, let us return to Gerudo Fortress so we may honor our fallen sister."
As the rebels all went off on their way, Meokuro continued to stare down at the remains of Runesa and the rod. She clenched her fists as she thought about Imono honoring her as an Elite Rebel...
Just then though, her arm band gave off a strange beeping sound, and she went to check it.
"Huh? Oh, it looks like she's finally rebooted..." Meokuro spoke, gazing at a certain light on her band, "I'll just reactivate her mechanisms, and the false king will... will..."
Meokuro paused, looking back down at the remains of Runesa, thinking deeply to herself.
"Meokuro, come along at once." spoke out Imono.
"C-Coming Holy Mother!" Meokuro said, running off out of the shrine.
As they all left, they were unaware that the sand and dust pile that was once Runesa and the Sand Rod started to give off a strange red glow, much like that of the Soulbinder...
And that ends the chapter! Sorry this one took so long, but I had to completely rewrite it at one point and cut a lot of padding. I'm going to try and start writing more now that my work hours have changed for the better, but don't be worried if I miss a week. I intend to see this story through to the end!
As always, leave a like, follow, comment or send a PM at your leisure. Your feedback is always encouraged!