Part II – Evil Sands
Chapter IV – Old Scores
The training ground had changed very little if Ganondorf's memory served him right. The rotating sparring posts, though visibly repaired many times and even replaced in some aspects, still tested trainees in the art of striking and blocking. The training glaives were still long sticks of wood flattened on one end and the training swords were still only sheets of shaped metal without an edge. The air was still filled with the scent of blood, sweat, and determination and the floor still had stains from the work of past trainees. But the one thing that brought him back to his childhood was the echoing sound of all the trainers saying that one word he knew all too well. Again.
One tent, however, Ganondorf did not recognize. It was, of course, made out of a white tarp but the inside looked to be a maze of wooden logs creating slots. These slots each had a target at the end of them that trainees were constantly throwing daggers at. The daggers that bounced off their intended targets noisily clanged to the floor where a wooden bar pushed them back to the trainees when a pulley system was used. This prevented the trainees from walking into the range of the other trainees. In Ganondorf's childhood they would just throw at the training posts. It was probably why they were repaired so often.
Watching the children, Ganondorf was pleased to see that most of the daggers that were thrown did hit their targets. However, there was one girl that wasn't having the best of luck as each knife she threw was either too high, too low, or too wobbly to embed itself in the wooden target. Ganondorf walked over to one of the trainers and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Oh, hi Ganondorf! What are you doing here?" the woman said with a smile.
"Hey Phara, I've got a match with Nabooru in…" Ganondorf looked up at the red sky, "an hour, maybe more. Who is that trainee there?"
Phara looked to where Ganondorf was pointing and furrowed her brow, "That's Nadira but where is her trainer?"
Ganondorf was already walking towards the trainee before Phara finished, his voice becoming distant, "That's alright Phara, I got this."
As Ganondorf walked towards Nadira, the girl picked up another dagger and threw it in frustration at the target. She held the knife backwards and as it left her hand, the blade sliced into her index finger and she recoiled in pain. Ganondorf hastened his pace to the girl's side and knelt to be level with her.
"Are you alright?"
Nadira was immediately startled and then, on sight of Ganondorf, hid the cut she had just received, "Oh, Ganondorf! Y-yes I'm alright."
"You are?" Ganondorf gave the girl a doubtful look.
"I just cut myself a little. It's nothing, really."
"Let me see."
Nadira reluctantly retrieved her hand from behind her back and a fair bit of blood had already covered her fingers and the thumb she was using to try and stop the leak. When she removed her thumb a deep cut, almost perfectly centered on the top section of her index finger, spilt blood that traveled around her hand and dripped off her knuckle.
"Well, first off," Ganondorf reached for the girl's canteen and fished through his pockets, "we need to stop that bleeding."
When Ganondorf pulled bandages from his pocket, Nadira looked up at him in confusion, "Why do you have bandages?"
"I was going to use them in my fight with Nabooru, but I think this is a little more important." He uncorked the canteen and gently guided Nadira's hand towards him.
"You're fighting Nabooru? But she's like, the best fighter!"
Ganondorf smiled as he rinsed Nadira's hand of blood, "Actually, I'm the one she used to train with."
Nadira's eyes went wide with wonder, "Wow, that's awesome!"
The statement made Ganondorf smile as he finished wrapping Nadira's finger in the bandage. He tied a simple knot and ripped the excess fabric with his teeth.
"There." He said when he finished, "better?"
"A little." Nadira said, squeezing the bandage slightly, "It still hurts."
"It will for the next four days if you take care of it, that cut was pretty deep. Have the medics look at it at the end of the day to have it properly cared for. If it ever happens again, this is how to bandage it in the field. As for your accuracy-"
"Oh, I'll get it. You don't need to-"
"Just watch."
Ganondorf reached down and grabbed the final dagger from the floor, noticing the extra wooden targets leaning against the front guard. He stayed kneeling with Nadira to show her how he held the blade and demonstrate how to line up the throw. Then he rose to his full height and took two large steps away from the alley. Nadira, seeing the man concentrating heavily, took a step out of the way. Ganondorf put the dagger in front of him and, after lining the blade with the target, threw the knife with all his strength. The blade through the air at such an incredible speed that Nadira hadn't noticed that it had left Ganondorf's hand until she heard the crack that came from the target. When Ganondorf looked at Nadira, he was delighted to see the little girl's eyes beaming with amazement. It was also at this moment that Ganondorf every trainer had stopped their trainees to watch him. Suddenly feeling self-conscious and slightly embarrassed, Ganondorf smiled awkwardly and returned to the girl he was instructing.
"That was amazing!" Nadira exclaimed as Ganondorf got close. When he came to the range he pulled the rope to the pulley system and brought the target up to him. The dagger he threw had embedded itself to the hilt in the wood. Ganondorf grabbed the knife and grunted as he pulled the blade from the target. When the knife finally came out, the target completely split in two and fell to the floor. After clearing the floor of the splinters, he set up another target on the stand and gathered the daggers to place them on the stand in front of it. He finally took one of the daggers and handed it to Nadira before using the pulley system to send the target down the range again.
"Do you know how to do it now?"
Nadira seemed to be mesmerized for a bit at first but quickly snapped out of it to take the dagger from Ganondorf, "Y-yeah, sure. I can try."
"Just follow my example."
Nadira sighed and stepped up to the range. She positioned the knife in her injured hand and took aim at the new target. Before she could hurt herself again, Ganondorf reached over and repositioned her hand on the blade. He saw the girl flinch slightly.
"My finger still stings."
"Fight through it, sister. Pain should never stop you. If it does, you are dead."
Nadira nodded her head and focused on the target. She looked to have completely forgotten her injury and now took slow focused breaths. After some more preparation, Nadira quickly reeled her arm back and threw the knife at the target. The blade made a very nice arc and it hit the target far from the edge but not in the center. It didn't seem to matter to Nadira who jumped with joy.
"I did it! I did it!"
"Good job!"
"Thanks!" Nadira exclaimed before wrapping her arms around his neck in a quick embrace.
"Now practice getting the knife in the center. Hitting your target does nothing if you are inaccurate."
The girl nodded and continued her training by picking up another dagger and lining up another shot. Ganondorf looked about and found Nabooru watching him from the arena section. Ganondorf patted Nadira's head and walked away as her trainer silently took her place by her side. As Ganondorf got closer, Nabooru's smile grew wider. She had on her Gerudo guard uniform on and had her hands wrapped in bandages.
"Enjoying the show?" he said as he stepped up to her.
"Come now, it was cute! You're a good teacher."
"Aren't you supposed to be instructing some soldiers, Lieutenant?"
"Actually, I was supposed to be sparring with a certain somebody two fights ago."
Ganondorf shrugged, "I… yeah. I got a little distracted there."
"It's fine. Come to the arena, I don't think there are any fights waiting."
Ganondorf followed behind Nabooru as she led him to the edge of the arena. Other Gerudo were already there watching and betting on the fight. They stopped just outside the white line where a wooden post stood to show the queue for fights. Two young women, most likely a year or two out of the trials, were already sparring inside the arena but they were trading blows so intensely, Ganondorf couldn't make out who was fighting. All he could make out were the orange and blue ribbons they wore on their respective arms.
"It seems we have to wait." Nabooru said as they both folded their arms.
"So who is that in there?" Ganondorf motioned to the arena.
"Kala is in orange. Amita in blue. They've been having a dispute over who's been stealing the good bathing oil. Hopefully this ends it. I hate having bickering roommates."
"They sound as if they are children."
"Children are cute. They are insufferable. Always arguing about something. And if they aren't at each other's throats, they're gossiping! I almost can't stand them anymore."
"Right. And who would you rather bunk with?"
Nabooru was quiet for a moment but then said under her breath, "You."
Ganondorf grinned but quickly recoiled with everyone as Kala pulled Amita over her shoulder and flipped her onto her back. Kala wasted no time in putting Amita into an arm pin that looked very painful. It took longer than Ganondorf thought, but eventually Amita tapped her hand on the ground signaling her surrender. Kala released her opponent and the two took a moment to recover and undo the fabrics on their arms. They left the arena in a fit of laughter and applause.
"I told you, I never stole your oils." Kala told her roommate.
As they walked away towards the compound, Ganondorf and Nabooru walked into the arena.
"You ready?" he asked Nabooru.
"Been ready for four years." She said back while stretching.
Ganondorf began to tie the blue ribbon to his arm as Nabooru tied the orange one to her own.
"What was the old score? Thirteen to fourteen, my favor?"
"More like thirteen to thirteen, no one's favor. You left it a tie." Nabooru fixed her hair, "And this is the tie breaker."
"By the way, who really did take Kala and Amita's oils?"
"I did." Nabooru adopted a smug grin, "They took my perfume so I only saw it fair. What's the saying, 'never steal from a thief'?"
"And how did you pit them against each other?"
"Ah… a trickster never reveals her secrets."
"Fine then," Ganondorf looked over at her, still tying his ribbon, "if I win, you tell me."
"Oh, a wager then, is it?" Nabooru put her hands on her hips, "And what if I win?"
"Then… I'll be Kala and Amita's roommate for a whole week."
"Oh you are on!"
Without warning, Nabooru lunged towards Ganondorf, who had just finished tying his ribbon, and delivered a quick punch combination. Ganondorf evaded the attacks but only barely, the punches coming far too close. He finally slipped away from the onslaught and followed up with a volley of his own aiming low with powerful strikes. Nabooru dodged out of their way as if she were expecting them, then a surprise roundhouse caught Ganondorf off guard and the kick grazed the very edge of his hair as he ducked out of the way just in time. Ganondorf disengaged in tandem with Nabooru by rolling away from her as she did the same. When he came up and spun around, he found Nabooru watching his movement very closely; intensely focusing on him so as to not be caught off guard. Ganondorf, to Nabooru's surprise, smiled at her.
"It seems we've learned new moves, huh?" he chuckled.
"You noticed? How sweet. It seems your moves expired three years ago."
Ganondorf heard gasps and snickers from behind him and glanced to see the small crowd forming.
"I would've shown you had I not been taken by surprise."
"I'm sorry," she chuckled sarcastically, "I thought you were ready,"
"I haven't even had time to wrap my hands."
Nabooru produced his bandages from her pocket and smiled mischievously, "Then do it now."
Ganondorf's hand instinctively went to grab his pocket yet he was unsurprised when the bandages weren't there. Nabooru tossed the large roll back to him and as soon as Ganondorf snatched it from the air he quickly wrapped both his hands. He had just enough fabric to efficiently cover his knuckles and wrists and flexed his arms when he was done. Nabooru eyed him very closely, obviously thinking about her next move.
When the two had taken their stances, they began to circle each other like they should've done at the beginning. Ganondorf, keeping his eyes level with Nabooru, started to slowly circle closer and closer until he was close enough to attack first. Nabooru was somehow taken by surprise and had to frantically dodge and block a combination of attacks that Ganondorf had never used on her before. He was using familiar combinations but ending them in unfamiliar, sometimes ridiculous ways. A three jab combo suddenly ended in a left hook. His roundhouse was followed by a dropkick instead of a reverse push. However, Ganondorf's commitment to the added complexity left him open for unpredictable amounts of time. One such moment allowed Nabooru to leap out of the way to give them some distance. They regarded each other slightly panting.
Nabooru was the first to break the silence, "So, it seems you've learned some moves as well."
"It'd be disappointing to return with nothing, right?"
Nabooru walked to the edge of the arena and stretched her neck, "Well, you certainly did not disappoint." Her hands went to the back of her neck as she undid the gold necklace holding her top up, "So I guess now…" Nabooru let her top fall to the floor, exposing her chest, "we can get serious."
The large crowd that had gathered around the arena erupted in hoots and hollers of all kinds, cheering Nabooru on. Ganondorf, on the other hand, became excited and chuckled as he shifted from side to side impatiently. When shirts and tops came off in the arena, it meant things were serious and fights became more exciting. So Ganondorf, likewise, shed his shirt and tossed it to the side where he left his sandals. The crowd went crazy with even more cheers, two sides clearly forming in the observers. Ganondorf rose to his full height and gave a smug grin to Nabooru. She scoffed at his provocative attempt and returned to her previous position in front of him. They took their stances and resumed circling each other.
Ganondorf had seen clothes shed during many fights when he was a trainee, but this time was different. No matter how hard he tried to focus, Ganondorf's eyes kept gravitating towards Nabooru's exposed chest. He felt strange and very annoyed at his eyes' sudden infatuation with the woman's chest. To make matters worse, this distraction could cost him the match. So, to reestablish his focus, Ganondorf attacked first. He let loose more attacks but Nabooru seemed to know his advances before he made them. His punches and kicks either soared through the air or thumped against an iron defense. It was exhilarating for him. After four years of fighting nothing but dummies, finally fighting an adapting, calculating, and thinking being felt amazing.
All of Ganondorf's attacks had failed and he had since gone on the defensive. Trying to get around her new defensive capabilities was going to be tough. So Ganondorf decided to pull out an old move he used to do in his training days. He dodged Nabooru's attacks and began his own advances mid-combo to throw his opponent off. Then he ended one of his own combinations with a fast leg sweep that Nabooru easily jumped over. Ganondorf, assuming she was in the perfect position, followed up with a strong shoulder charge. But Nabooru hadn't jumped straight up, she had anticipated his attack and had jumped above him. She landed behind him and gave him a playful smack on the back of his head as he stumbled forward. They smiled at each other and immediately went back into another volley of traded blows that made them dance all around the arena together.
The crowd around the arena had gotten huge as every trainer in the area pulled their students from their regular rounds to watch the legendary fight. Nabooru, nimble and strong, and Ganondorf, powerful yet quick, weren't just putting on a spectacular fight for the adults, but they saw an invaluable opportunity to show the young ones perfect examples of flawless technique. At first, the crowd cheered with each successful advance and landed blow as they rooted for one or the other. But as the fight dragged on, the people slowly became silent and simply watched in awe as the two friends went for hours dodging and parrying, neither letting up for even a second.
When it finally came for the trainees to retire inside the two were still locked in combat, though it had gotten slower due to their shared fatigue. Their engagements were fewer and they landed more attacks resulting in more damage done to one another. It was around midnight by the time they stopped. Fatigue had finally gotten to them and they dropped to their knees when they pushed each other away.
"What's wrong?" Ganondorf panted as his sweat pooled on the floor, "You… you give up?"
"Hah." Nabooru coughed out between breaths, "No! I just… you… goddess' sake."
The fatigue took hold of Nabooru and she collapsed to the floor on her back. Ganondorf, unwilling to give up and concerned for Nabooru, painfully dragged himself back up and slowly trudged to her side. As soon as he got to her and saw the labored rise and fall of her bare chest, he collapsed himself right next to her. They stared up at the starry sky, their breaths matching in the silent night.
"Let's call it a draw." Nabooru sleepily breathed.
Ganondorf chuckled but then coughed from the harsh sound. Their hands slowly found each other and habitually locked together. It was a sensation that Ganondorf had missed ever since he left the compound. They lay like this for a long time, only the sounds of patrolling guards in the distance to keep them company. Finally, Ganondorf forced himself up and tried to shake Nabooru awake as she had fallen asleep next to him. He ended up grabbing their things and, using magic to keep himself upright, he carried Nabooru to her room. Thankfully, her roommates were just as tired from their fight and didn't stir when he placed the woman's limp body on the bed. After a final look at the woman he couldn't live without, he retired to his own quarters and buckled into the waiting sheets.
