The Gerudo on her knees in front of him bore into his soul with amber eyes which shone with desire. She was young and eager to please, beckoning him to reach ecstasy inside her mouth. Every time Link tried to tear himself from her golden eyes, she worked harder, and when he was done and out of breath she licked her lips, grinning like the cat that got the cream.
When Link awoke, he found it difficult to open his eyes all the way, but he saw enough to know that he was in his small room in the Gerudo's fortress and was not actually being pleasured. Shutting his eyes to block out the images from his dream, he reprimanded himself. He was here to work with the Gerudo, not to...objectify them. Remembering how he had resisted his sexual urges at the Spirit Temple, he silently vowed not to disrespect anyone here by thinking of them in such a perverse way.
"What is that? One of the spies told me Hylians call it a game pipe."
"That can't be right. I think it was called a third leg."
His eyes snapped open immediately, and the tiny dimensions of the "guest room" forced him to look at the two guards standing over his prone form. Blood rushed to Link's cheeks as Yumn and Nailah curiously examined the tall rise beneath the blanket that covered him; despite his attempt to forget the fantasy, one part of his body still remembered it.
"Dominion Rod," Yumn suggested.
"Deku stick."
"Pocket Cucco."
"I-it's nothing," Link said, but when he tried to adjust himself, the quick movement made him painfully aware of his injuries. While he could not raise his arms, however, his other limb proudly showed off its ability to rise.
Nailah quirked an eyebrow at him. "That's a whole lot of nothing."
Link couldn't remember being more embarrassed in his life. Both women seemed not to hear his grunt of pain as they continued to stare. Despite the fact that she was as much an adult as Link, Nailah's thin form and her wide-eyed curiosity made her look cute and almost child-like. She reached out tentatively, her hand open as if to grasp the object making a tent out of his leggings.
"J-just...can I be alone for a moment?" he panicked, voice higher than usual, before she could make contact. Nailah smiled and nodded, but Yumn grinned wickedly as she had when she was taunting Abia, and he wondered if she had figured out what his "problem" was.
"Sure. We'll tell everyone you're awake. Let us know if you need help with anything."
Yumn's provocative grin haunted him until they were gone, and once alone he tried and failed to cover his face with his hands, hoping that was all the "local gossips" told their sisters. It was bad enough that Abia and Nabooru had seen him like this.
He needed to focus more on his mission, but his dream was far less fleeting than his dream of taking Zelda had been. It had the same uncanny vividness as the dream about the Fierce Deity he had at the Spirit Temple, or the one about the blue-skinned woman he had at the oasis.
With a grunt, Link tried once more to rise, but once more his body did not cooperate. The pain which had been dulled by his super strength while he wore the Silver Gauntlets flared, and he fell pathetically back onto his mattress. The strain on his arms had torn his muscles, and Link knew that without potions or fairies, he would be crippled for the rest of his life. It was worth it, though, he thought, remembering Aveil's gratitude, Gelbooru's admiration, and the way Abia looked at him with something other than anger and contempt for once.
As if on cue, a very angry Abia burst through the door, her medium-length hair moving behind her from the speed with which she entered. To his mortification, his erection still hadn't gone down, and the purple looked at it before shouting, "Fight it, Link!" Half-running, half-limping toward the bed, she flung herself on top of the wide-eyed young man and pinned his wrists over his head. "You're stronger than this. Don't let them control you!"
She straddled and held herself above him, which without his injuries would have made it impossible for him to move. Her eyes searched his for some sign that he was really there, and he wondered if he was still dreaming.
"What are you talking about?"
"Yumn and Nailah told me about your third leg. You don't have to rape anyone! Remember how you resisted at the temple!"
To his horror, the closeness of her lips made his erection grow more firm against his will. It pressed through the covers against the rear of the warm girl on top of him, and he spoke quickly.
"I-I'm not under Twinrova's spell. Men just, uh, get like this when they wake up. It's called morning wood."
"This is...normal?"
He nodded awkwardly, though nothing about a beautiful woman being in his bed and on top of him was normal. Due to their proximity, he saw that the proud warrior wore only enough makeup to mark herself as a purple, which somehow didn't surprise him. The slender yet powerful woman's small breasts seemed more pronounced as they hung from her body, accentuated by her purple top.
Slowly and silently, she rolled off of him and stood with as much dignity as she could muster, crossing her arms and looking away. "Hmph. You made me worry over nothing. I thought I'd have to fight you to protect my sisters. You're lucky you were able to explain before I cut into you."
She hadn't looked like she was in a hurry to kill him, but Link attributed the observation to his less than virtuous mental state and moved on to a more important topic. "How's your leg?"
The words were out before he could stop them. He'd asked that exact question before to annoy her, and he hoped she didn't feel insulted by his asking again.
"It's fine." At his questioning look, she corrected herself. "It's not fine, but it will be. I'm strong."
"I know." Their battle at the Spirit Temple passed before his mind's eye: her determination to complete the mission even without Nabooru and her improvised fighting on a frozen leg stemmed from great courage.
"How's your...everything?" she asked hesitantly, clearly unused to showing concern for him.
"I'll be fine when I get another potion from Hyrule. I'm strong too."
"I know." A heavy silence fell on them, during which Link's wood gradually fell soft, and he almost wished she would insult him again to relieve the tension. "...for a Hylian," she amended, and he sighed in relief.
"Sorry to ask, but could you help me out of bed? I can't move my...everything."
She sneered. "If you're too weak to move, where will you go? To help the whites collect water?"
Despite his pain and humiliation, he cracked a smile. "I'd fall to my death if I went to the cliff now. I need an audience with Aveil."
Her strength shouldn't have surprised him, but when she easily pulled him to his feet, he could not help staring at her. The shorter girl mirrored his gaze, and he followed her eyes to a set of bandages wrapped around his bare chest.
"Where is my tunic?" he asked, feeling naked despite his clothed lower body.
"We kept it off to make sure you didn't bleed through any of your bandages. Your other outfit is here, but it's been crumpled on the floor for a few days."
Days? How long had he been unconscious? "Can you lead me to an oasis, if there is one? I think it would be disrespectful to visit your queen smelling the way I do."
Bending down, he found to his horror that he could barely lift his green tunic from the ground, and when he stood properly again his broken rib made him hiss in pain. Already out of the room, Abia sighed petulantly when he struggled to keep up, but to his surprise she did not insult him. He walked without moving his arms, each breath an assault against his ribs. She stepped gingerly on her right leg, but once were in the sun again, in view of the other purples, she walked normally.
Those not sparring halted to observe them in shock, and Link wondered if they thought he would not eventually wake up. Abruptly he felt self-conscious without a shirt on, and he realized this was probably the first time many of the women here had seen a man's upper body. As had become the norm, the word "Oni" drifted to him, but Abia said nothing, only leading him away from prying eyes.
A small pool hid in the shadow of a dune, and Abia stood in place as though awaiting orders. "Er...you don't have to stay here."
"Whatever, Hylian. Don't dirty our water," she retorted before marching away.
Link turned in a complete circle and saw no one, the water having collected in a small basin surrounded by rising hills, but just as he unbuckled his belt, a voice greeted him.
"Hi, kid."
"N-Nabooru!" he exclaimed, fumbling to secure his leggings before they fell. "How long have you been there?" How did he not notice her? It was like she just appeared in the dune's shadow.
"A while. I was about to take a bath."
Link mentally slapped himself before images of her nude in the water could form in his mind. "I'll wait until you're done, then."
"I won't make you wait. You don't strike me as the peeping type, so I don't mind sharing. And if I accidentally see something below your belt, it won't be much more revealing than what I saw at the temple." She grinned, appraising his shirtless form. "Maybe I shouldn't call you kid anymore."
She laughed when the tips of his ears reddened, and he angrily wondered why his manhood was the center of attention today.
"I haven't had a chance yet to thank you for saving me and Abia." She walked toward him casually, her waist-length hair swaying with her hips, and while her outfit was the same as always, he couldn't help noticing it more after last night's dream. The orange jewel on her forehead made her caramel skin more enticing, and her pink baggy pants showed off the femininity of a woman who could just as easily seduce a man as she could kill or swindle him. A large gem functioned as her ponytail holder, and a small one hanging from her necklace fit nicely into the top of her cleavage.
Every part of her demanded attention, and he fell under her spell when she placed her arms on his shoulders, connecting her hands behind his neck. He blinked dumbly, having never been touched in such a familiar way, and as he watched her face, he noticed she didn't wear lipstick today.
The reason for that became clear when the taller woman leaned down to press their lips together. Link's eyes widened as her tongue invaded his mouth, stealing his breath and instantly leaving him panting for more. This was not at all like the innocent kiss Gelbooru had given him. Nabooru was older, more confident, and obviously more experienced, and he could not believe how incredible this novel experience felt. Since he couldn't push her away with his hurt arms, he was inclined to return the gesture, but he quickly thought better of it.
It didn't matter that Zelda wasn't satisfying his physical needs: he was not going to kiss other women behind her back. How could he even think of using his inability to move as an excuse?
He turned his face away from her, separating their mouths. "I appreciate your thanks, but...I'm in love with someone."
Strangely, Nabooru did not seem upset. On the contrary, she smiled as if pleased by this development. "Don't worry, I'm just thanking you, not propositioning you. You're constantly horny like any other young man, but I think you're a good person. One of the few."
He breathed more easily once she backed away. "I think you like teasing me a little too much. But really, anyone else would have done the same in the temple in my situation."
"No, they wouldn't have. What do you think I wanted to do to you while I was under the spell?"
"You made it pretty clear you wanted to kill me."
She smirked. "You weren't the only one whose lust was unlocked by the spell. Part of me wanted to kill you, but another part of me wanted to subdue you for...other reasons. Violence was a way to achieve both goals. I like it a bit rough." Link blushed, both because of her attraction to him and because a woman was speaking so openly about her sexual preferences. "Anyway, you should know that I have a reason for wanting to take a bath with you. I need to talk to you about something important, and I wanted to make sure you were alone."
She began removing her top, and he quickly turned around before he saw her large breasts, his heart beating wildly. Could she not have warned him? Deciding she was just teasing him again, he regained his composure but paused in the middle of discarding his belt, not sure he could trust himself around a naked woman at the moment.
"I heard about how my sisters took care of you the other night, but you should know that you're still in danger."
At her serious tone, Link discarded his trivial concerns and undressed with his back turned. He stepped into the water, which was hot despite the shade, and a splash behind him indicated she stepped in as well.
"Don't get me wrong. Many of those who tended to you were honest with their affections. Because of how harsh life is here, we're encouraged to start looking for mates soon after the changes began, and Oni or not, you've caught some people's attention. But Samiyah's trust is an act."
He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, but he was still disappointed after seemingly making progress with her. Thinking only of what this meant for Hyrule and the Gerudo, he mechanically scrubbed himself.
"I'm telling you this because I like you. We have a legend that a false god, a demon, will appear in a time of great need to deceive us by claiming to be Oni. Samiyah is grateful for what you did, but she is still cautious."
Link remembered how convinced the middle-aged woman had been that he was here for sexual favors. "She hopes that acting like she trusts me will make me feel safe enough to take advantage of someone," he realized, but his determination did not waver. "I'll keep doing what I've been doing, then. I may never earn your people's complete trust, but I won't give them any reason not to trust me."
Water trickled behind him as she spilled it onto herself. "Somehow I knew you'd say something like that. That's not all, though. Last time we were at the Spirit Temple, I sensed Twinrova using dark magic when they fused. I believe they're siphoning someone's life force to strengthen their own. If I had to guess, I'd say that's how they've been able to live for so long."
As she spoke, he realized her back was turned to him like his was to her, and his long ears told him that she was at the opposite edge of the water, as far away as one could be without leaving the oasis. He wondered idly why she put such distance between them. She clearly didn't think he was the demon of legend.
"I'm impressed. I didn't know any Gerudo other than Twinrova and Ganondorf could use or sense magic. Who are they stealing energy from?"
"I don't know. It could be someone in the desert, or it could be someone on the other side of Hyrule, but somebody's spirit is definitely being consumed. I feel like something bad is going to happen soon. I've been sensing magic a lot lately, even though the witches aren't here."
Her use of "spirit" brought memories of their previous mission to the forefront of his mind. Nabooru claimed to have been brainwashed by the witches before, so did that mean she somehow retained her memories of the alternate timeline like he and Zelda did? He decided against asking. Trust was fragile (especially a Gerudo's trust, apparently), and he didn't want to crush it by making her think he was crazy should his suspicions be wrong. Surely if she remembered Ganondorf's seven-year reign, she would tell him.
"Then we'll be ready for it," he said strongly.
"There's something else. I don't know if it's Oni or a different source, but there's something powerful inside you. Be careful, blondie. It could kill you if you let it."
Link chuckled, shaking his hair dry. "Blondie? I think I liked 'pointy-ears' better."
He could practically see her smile behind him. "Too bad. Anyway, we've been bathing long enough. I don't like sitting still for long."
Nabooru's behavior had struck him as odd since their first trip to the temple a few days ago. Whereas she was passionate in the alternate timeline, in this one she seemed easygoing, the sole exception so far being when she had been outraged at moblins invading the temple. As he stood with water dripping down his legs, he grinned at how easy it was to talk to her.
They turned to each other fully outfitted once more, and she smirked. "Ah good, you have a shirt now. My sisters won't get hot and bothered looking at you anymore."
Feeling brave, he joked back. "Why would they? I thought walking around half-naked was the custom here."
"Oh please. Why do you think they took your shirt off in the first place?"
"To make sure my wounds were healing."
"They took it off because you have become the fortress's eye candy, just like I am."
She made an elaborate show of placing the large jewel back into her hair to show off her beauty, and he rolled his eyes, thinking she was teasing him again. "Once negotiations end, they'll have access to plenty of men more handsome than I am."
She frowned, and when she spoke, a seriousness that sounded strange coming from her replaced her mirth. "Kid, promise me you'll never lose your humility."
He blinked uncomprehendingly but promised, and after they hiked out of the basin Abia intercepted them. "For someone who's not in love with Nabooru, you seem very comfortable around her," she said to him with arms crossed, and his eyes widened.
"You were watching?" Link wondered if she had seen him nude, but his insecurity faded as he realized that he had been oddly at ease bathing with Nabooru. Not a single impure thought had crossed his mind once the conversation shifted to the danger he and the Gerudo might be in.
"I just wanted to make sure you didn't die in your weakened state."
"I've never known you to worry that much about someone," Nabooru remarked, and as the shorter girl glared at her she looked every bit the Spirit Sage's junior.
Nabooru strolled calmly while Link dragged his suddenly heavy body. He noticed that Abia hid her limp in Nabooru's presence, but he dismissed it and reveled in traveling with the ones who had been with him during his last fight. Despite Abia's still sour attitude toward him, he felt a bond with them that he did not feel with any of his fellow knights. That comforting feeling vanished, however, when he did not see any of the purples from before outside the fortress.
"Before Samiyah accused me, many of the Gerudo had gathered inside the great hall. Am I in trouble again?" he asked, having faith that they would be truthful.
"While you were unconscious, Samiyah told me that Aveil wants to see you about something," Abia answered. Nabooru shrugged, and Link reasoned that Aveil probably just wanted to continue negotiations. Now that he wore his green cap and tunic, he felt more confident despite his broken body, and he entered the Gerudo's stronghold ready to discuss their population problem once more.
Blizzaga Saga: I've decided to do shorter chapters from now on to keep from stressing out. (Yes, I stress out about fanfiction. :P) I ended up liking this one much more than I thought I would. Things are going to get crazy for Link soon, so I hope you'll look forward to it. Let me know what you think! Many thanks to Kenju for ideas and help with planning.