The sun had long since set, enveloping the small room where Zelda lay in darkness. In three days time, her army would march across Hyrule Field to a fairly large town named Trath, where her intelligence had told her a large number of Ganondorf's minions were hiding. Well, it was more like inhabiting, Zelda thought wryly. They were the ones who were hiding. Her army was scattered between towns and villages, each keeping as low a profile as possible. She herself still hid in Kakariko with a personal guard of five highly skilled Sheikah warriors, Impa included.
She rolled over in her bed and let out a sigh. What if this was the wrong thing to do? She had ordered her army to assemble and prepare to attack Trath in an attempt to recapture it, but what if Ganondorf knew this is what she would try? Since Trath was the next largest town after Castle Town, it would be a logical move. If he did, he could be lying in wait, ready to kill her and her army in one attack. She cringed at the thought. It would be a massacre, like the one that had taken place in the Sheikah's hidden village.
Doubt gnawed at her mind, preventing any semblance of sleep. She rolled over again in an attempt to get more comfortable.
Zelda was also missing Sheik greatly. Her friend had been gone for around two weeks now, and she found herself wishing more and more often that Sheik was there to advise her and listen when she needed to talk. Especially about her personal worries. Impa was there if she needed her, but Impa was like a guardian, and Sheik was more a sibling or a friend. There was a big difference.
She was also worried about Sheik. When she had left, they hadn't talked much, and Sheik had been in a very fragile state of mind. Impa had sent another Sheikah, Raven, if she remembered correctly, to protect her, but Zelda still wished she could be there for her friend. After all, Sheik had always been there when Zelda needed her, and now Zelda was on the other side of the massive stretch of plains that was Hyrule Field when Sheik needed her.
Zelda flipped onto her belly and hugged her pillow. There were just so many problems, so many things she had to attend to. Being a ruler was hard, even with Impa's help. There were so many people asking her for things, decisions regarding the war that she needed to make, the problem of the hero still being asleep, and what she considered her most pressing issue, the problem of everyone doubting her ability to lead. Herself included.
She was young, inexperienced, and female. Prejudice regarding her gender was something so deeply ingrained into her peoples' minds that she was afraid she would never be able to gain their trust and loyalty. It was almost as strong as discrimination of the Sheikah had been, and look how that turned out.
Zelda shut her eyes determinedly and forced her body to relax. She was going to sleep, now. Worrying about all of this wasn't going to help just now. If she didn't sleep, she wouldn't be able to solve the problems that would surely arise tomorrow. With this in mind, Zelda eventually forced herself into a light sleep, images of bloody massacres and her escape from the castle haunting the young queen's sleep.
-0-0-0-
Raven stared at the stone ceiling of the room she was sharing with Sheik, a frown etched onto her countenance. The Gerudo had let them in without a fuss, gave them a room and treated them like guests. It was just all too easy, too casual. Their leader, Nabooru, was apparently away, and would be arriving late that night, so they had offered them food and a place to rest until they could meet with her in the morning.
The fortress itself was extremely impressive, made entirely of stone with three layers of rooms, and the roof, all accessible only by ladders. The hallways that connected the rooms were a maze, with many twist and turns, loops, and rooms joining into other hallways.
Without a guide, Raven suspected they would have gotten lost. Nevertheless, both Sheikah had done their best to memorize the fort's layout incase a quick escape was necessary, and both had come to the conclusion that the quickest way out was through their window and onto the level below, and from there onto the ground. Even if they got out of the fortress, they still had to get past the numerous guards and out of the canyon before they would be safe. That alone would be a challenge.
She could barely hear Sheik's shallow breathing in the bed next to hers, and knew that Sheik was also on high alert. Since they had walked in here, she had been abnormally still and quiet, even for her. Raven guessed she was nervous. Of course, Sheik would never say that aloud, but it was obvious, to Raven at least, how on edge she was, with every muscle tense and eyes darting continuously back and forth. Each tiny twitch was barely noticeable, but Raven had learned how to read Sheik pretty well, since they had been together almost constantly for around two weeks now.
Sheik shifted slightly in her bed, and Raven's eyes slid from the ceiling to her companion. She was worried about her. Which was an odd feeling for Raven. She had not been worried about anyone aside from herself in years. The last time she had someone to worry about had been... She quickly cut that train of thought, unwilling to bring up memories of her past.
Closing her eyes, she turned her face to the ceiling again and matched her breathing to Sheik's, willing herself to sleep.
Half an hour passed before Raven finally felt herself slip into the realm of unconsciousness.
-0-0-0-
Warm rays of sun were filtering through the silk curtains when Sheik opened her eyes. She had been awake since the crack of dawn, unwilling to get out of bed and face the desert's freezing morning. But now, the sun had risen and was heating the desert to an intense temperature.
Throwing back the covers, she stood up and retied her scarf before pulling the rest of her armor on and waking Raven.
The two left for the dining hall shortly after. They had some trouble navigating the seemingly identical hallways, but eventually made it to the desired room.
The hall was filled with Gerudo, all smiling and laughing with one another like there wasn't a war going on with their king spearheading it.
As soon as they walked in, a tense quiet descended upon the room and about thirty pairs of golden eyes turned expectantly towards the newcomers.
The Sheikah looked back, meeting each pair of golden eyes in turn.
"Now! Is that any way to greet our guests?" asked the Gerudo who was dishing out some sort of oatmeal like thing into bowls for everyone.
There were muttered "sorrys" and "nos" throughout the crowd and they turned back to their food and conversations, but much quieter this time.
"Here you go," the Gerudo who had first spoken said, handing them each a bowl of oatmeal, "Have a seat anywhere you like." Then she was off again, filling someone else's empty bowl.
Raven led the way to a spot on one of the long tables in a corner near the back and tasted a spoonful of the food.
"It tastes alright," she concluded. Sheik tried a spoonful of her own food and shrugged. It tasted similar to what they ate at home, but with more spices.
After breakfast, they returned to their rooms to wait for someone to summon them to their meeting with Nabooru.
Two hours later, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in." Raven called. A Gerudo dressed in white entered, and both Sheikah quickly rose to their feet.
"Lady Nabooru," Raven greeted.
"You must be the Sheikah I was told about," Nabooru said, looking them up and down.
"Yes," confirmed Raven, "I am Raven, and this is Sheik." Sheik nodded a greeting, and caught her eye briefly, shaking her head slightly to signify that Raven should not be informed that they had met before.
"Nice to meet you!" Nabooru smiled enthusiastically.
"Likewise," Raven replied, her tone much more subdued.
"Well then, let's get right to it. Why are you here?"
"We come requesting free passage into the desert. As you posses the only easily accessible gate into the desert, we ask that you let our tribe pass through without conflict," Raven explained. Nabooru frowned.
"Why would you want that?"
"As I am sure you are aware, we too originally came from the desert. We simply wish to return to our ancestral home."
"Yes, but that was over a hundred years ago. I was under the impression your tribe now lived in Hyrule under rule of it's monarch."
"I am sure you are aware of the current war," Raven began, "We have fought many wars, and simply wish to have no part in this one. War only brings sadness, and death. Rarely do they bring and semblance of happiness," she added the last part quietly. Nabooru nodded.
"How many of you are there?" she asked.
"Less than two hundred." Nabooru looked surprised. Then, slowly, her expression began to show anger.
"That... Is less than I remember," She whispered, "I am sorry to hear you have lost so many." Raven glared at her.
"Your sympathy is appreciated," Sheik cut in before Raven could make a scathing remark about it being the Gerudo's fault in the first place.
"But unnecessary," Raven continued, "We are a proud people, sympathy is not generally appreciated." Sheik knew it was true, but it seemed stupid to hear it aloud. Sympathy wasn't going to hurt anyone.
"I see," Nabooru said. A moment of silence followed before Nabooru spoke again.
"You will be passing through our portion of the desert without touching anything besides the sand and wind, and not resting until you reach our border. Are those terms acceptable?"
"Yes, thank you very much for your cooperation," Raven said. Sheik nodded. A few more questions were asked, such as the timing of the main parties' arrival, and what supplies they may need, then Nabooru left.
-0-0-0-
Late that night, Sheik slipped silently from the room, out the window and onto the second level of the fortress. Careful to stick close to the wall and within the deepest shadows, she traversed the uneven roof of the fortress and dropped onto the dusty ground below.
Red eyes searched the relative darkness of the archery range for the tell tale smudge of white that would signify Nabooru's presence.
Sheik found her sitting on the fence in front of the stables, petting a large, darkly colored horse. Sheik approached quietly, but was sure to make enough noise to alert Nabooru of her presence.
"Hey, Sheik," She greeted, hopping off the fence and standing before her.
"Hello."
"It's been awhile, huh?" she asked. Sheik nodded. Nabooru was speaking very casually to her, but her voice lacked the irrepressible energy and optimism it had contained when they'd first met. Her very aura was somehow more... Dim. Sheik decided. Perhaps it was not an entirely adequate description, but it was the best Sheik could come up with.
"So... I heard about your village," Nabooru began, looking down at her feet, "I'm really sorry."
"What for? There is nothing you could have done," Sheik replied, a little stiffly.
"Yeah, but still..." Nabooru trailed off and they stood in silence for a moment before Nabooru spoke again.
"Sheik, I know you are probably going through a hard time, but Ganondorf has ordered us on another mission," she hesitated, "I can't do it," she took a breath then rushed on, "He wants us to destroy the Spirit Temple, and I just can't do that. I mean, it's our sacred temple, the Gerudo have gone there to worship our goddess for ages! It's just not right to destroy it! Anyways, why does it matter? The sage will be one of us, right? All of us will obey Ganondorf no matter what, so why does he have to destroy the temple? Won't that weaken the sages power? Why-"
"Nabooru," Sheik cut her off, "The sages serve the goddesses, even if it is one of you, their first priority will still be to the goddesses and their chosen hero."
"But-"
"It is only a precaution, Nabooru. If king Ganondorf has ordered it, then we have to do it." Nabooru growled, her golden eyes flashing angrily.
"How can you say that!? That temple is sacred to us, we cannot let it be destroyed!" Nabooru snapped.
"I understand your distress, but what do you propose we do about it? We both know what happens when we disobey Ganondorf, so what other option do we have?"
"I don't know," Nabooru sighed, "But I can't let this happen. As leader of the Gerudo, I must not let him destroy our temple. If you wish to continue with this mission, then I shall eliminate you here and now, then destroy Ganondorf on my own." She drew her saber and leveled the tip at Sheik's neck.
"That is suicide," Sheik said softly, "We do not posses the power to oppose him, only the goddesses' chosen hero does. For now we should play along with him, and when the time comes, you and your followers can strike back. Until then, you must obey."
"Sheik... Why do you have to be so logical! It's so annoying!" Nabooru screeched. Sheik hissed at her to be quiet before she woke the entire fortress. At least Sheik was sure Nabooru wouldn't do anything rash now. Well, beyond what she normally did.
"We will place traps throughout the temple instead of filling it with Ganondorf's monsters, that should maintain it's purity somewhat," Sheik suggested. Nabooru nodded her agreement.
"Alright, tomorrow at sunrise, meet me at the gate to the desert. Do something about your friend too, she can't come along."
"I know. Goodnight." Sheik left, fading into the shadows and leaving Nabooru alone with her horse and thoughts of murdering Ganondorf.
A/N
I hope this wasn't too awful... Sorry if it was.
Please review!