AUTHOR'S NOTES: All Legend of Zelda characters are © Nintendo. Lamia Carna, Tartara, Vanessa Valeska Ardea, Saanabora, Adonica, Didrika, Irk, Jona, Zared, Yashaki, Yashakia, Undead, Cibola, Bawaadi-Yin, Beoudi-Yin, Ayo, Uta, Phillipa, the Orcus Poltergeist, Bryna, Lilu, Dis, Ewain, Bonnie, Balder, Deiphoba, Mezentius, Lord Gryph, the Skorpyons, the Scyllas, the kappas, the Zote hounds, Ephiny, Saturnalia, the jenii, Mount Stygis, Makare-Yin, Tatchi, Severin, the Sheikdom, Awen, Troy, Desdeomna, Nike, Faustine, Meredith, © Chiyome, 2009.
Laura, Linkchepto, Shurai, Habn, Era & Azeril © Laura Belmont.
This is a REALLY OLD story—we're talking ten years at least, during the heyday of Nintendo 64 and Ocarina of Time. I still don't know exactly how I came up with the concept, but it was fun to write. I fixed up Vanessa's character to hopefully make her less Mary Sueish (how come nobody warned me? I didn't notice it until about a month after I wrote it & was rereading it. It was one of those moments where you stare at it for a while, blink a couple of times, then roar, "D'OH!".)
I took out a few characters and rewrote a few bits, but for the most part the story's the same as it was when I posted it. Hopefully it's not too convoluted. Please read & review!
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA:
LAMIA'S REVENGE
By Chiyome
CHAPTER 2
Epona thundered across Hyrule Field at an amazing clip, driven on faster by the recognition of her master's fear.
Link leaned forward in his saddle and whipped Epona a little harder. Come on, he had to get to Zelda! She must have had that same dream!
Epona snorted angrily and vaulted a stone wall. She was going as fast as she could.
With Navi tucked safely under his cap, Link rode hard to the castle. He shouted for people to clear the way as Epona rushed by. She wasn't about to slow down for anybody.
As soon as they reached the foot of the palace steps, Link leapt out of the saddle and Navi zipped out from under his hat. Together, they raced up the steps and Link reached for the heavy knocker-
The door whipped open and a blanched Zelda appeared. "Link!"
"Princess!" Link gasped, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I had--did you--?"
"Yes! So did Impa! Oh, Link, come with me to the balcony!"
Link ran after her, feeling all the more worried. Zelda hadn't looked like that since the day Impa had spirited her out of Hyrule, away from Ganondorf.
Panting, Link and Navi skidded out onto the balcony, still slick with last night's rains.
Nervously running a hand through her hair, Zelda turned to Link. "Link, all of the Sages had some sort of nightmare with the dragon and that woman. Something's coming--"
"Gee, y'think?" Navi snapped. "I dunno about you guys, but this just screams of Ganondorf."
"Oh!" Zelda cried, clapping her hands over her mouth. "Don't say that, Navi!"
"Wait, we're missing something here," Link interrupted. "Who or what is this thing? Why did it say that we took its father? And that girl … what's her deal?"
"I don't know," Zelda said with an exasperated shrug, an unladylike thing for a princess to do. "But something about her seems familiar to me, like I've heard of her race or something--"
"Race?"
"She wasn't a Hylian, Link."
"Uh, left in the dark here," Navi said, waving a hand around. "Link never told me what this girl looked like."
Link glanced at her briefly. "Like us, basically, but …"
"Her ears," Zelda started, "and her eyes …"
"Is she a Gerudo?" Link asked, more to himself than Navi or Zelda. "I mean, I can remember seeing her kick some major ass before--"
"Link!" Zelda scolded.
"It's only the truth!"
Before Zelda could speak again, a crack of thunder sent the three leaping into the air in fright.
Heads craned heavenward to search for more clouds, but oddly, the sky was clear, bluer than Link had ever seen it.
The thunder cracked again, and suddenly, a white bolt of lightning arched out of the sky and struck Hyrule Field, just between Lon Lon Ranch and the Pass to Gerudo Valley.
Zelda gasped, and Link and Navi automatically turned to fetch Epona.
******************************************************************************
Wind roared around her, and the air crackled with raw energy unleashed from Awen's magick. Gasping, Vanessa plunged through the portal, fighting the hurricane-like winds. As soon as her feet touched the soil of Hyrule, the portal sealed up behind her like a drawstring pouch.
Frowning, Vanessa whipped off her sunglasses and looked back where the portal had been, then back to the land around her.
"Well, I made good time," she muttered to herself.
Setting the glasses back on her face again, Vanessa looked around her one more time. Hell, where was she supposed to go? There was a ranch nearby, but Vanessa thought that she could see a castle a ways off.
Sighing, Vanessa readjusted her backpack on her shoulders, then opted for the castle. The princess might be there. If not, Vanessa could always buy a pony and look for Zelda, couldn't she?
Vanessa climbed a steep hill and headed for a dirt road. She glanced up at the sky. It was a deep blue, just like Cibola's skies and waters.
Maybe she could get used to it here … hey, Hyrule was in early summer, and it was as hot as it got in the Cibolan lowlands. Not bad.
Vanessa was midway up the road when she heard a horse whinny. Surprised, she glanced up and saw a group of cavalrymen galloping towards her.
'Hey, maybe they were expecting me,' Vanessa thought, and she smiled a little. That was nice of Awen, calling for a welcome party …
She raised her arm and began to shout a greeting--but then noticed that they had lowered their long spears.
And they were aiming right at her.
"Uh-oh …" Vanessa braced herself, moving slowly into a combat stance as the horsemen closed in on her. Her mind raced; should she run? What good would that do? Maybe they were just being cautious?
Forget it. The eight men broke off and circled their horses around her. Vanessa winced and cursed her hesitation furiously.
From the look of the armor, Vanessa figured that these guys must have been part of the Royal Army. She relaxed only slightly; friendly or not, if the soldier-boys figured she was strange, she could be in for a fight.
One of the men rode closer to her, lowering his lance so it jabbed right at her throat. "State your name and business!" he barked.
Vanessa cocked an eyebrow, the slowly reached up and removed her sunglasses. "I'm Vanessa Valeska of Ardea--"
The men all laughed, and their leader sneered. "What kind of a name is that?"
Irked, Vanessa clenched her fists. "That's my name, genius," she snapped, "It's Cibolan for 'Vanessa, the warrior queen of Ardea--'"
"Warrior queen," someone snorted, and Vanessa shot him her nastiest glare.
The leader inched the lance closer. "What are you doing here?"
"I was sent here by Queen Awen the Conqueror …" Vanessa grimaced when she saw the leader's eyes flare. "And I'm guessing you're not too friendly towards Danna'kas?"
"Baaahhhh!!" he bellowed, "Filthy beasts!"
"Hey! Those are my friends you're talking about!"
"Any friend of a Danna'ka is no friend of mine!"
"Who said I was your friend? Do you actually have any?" Finally driven to the edge, Vanessa slapped the lance aside. "And point that thing some place else, buddy!"
The men began to mutter something, and Vanessa bent back into attack position. "Look, I just want to find Princess Zelda--"
"No one goes near the princess!" the leader snapped. He nudged his horse forward, and the huge stallion snorted as it advanced, forcing Vanessa to back up. "Least of all you, whelp. Your kind aren't welcomed--"
"MY KIND?! Have you looked in a mirror recently, pal?"
The leader roared and flung his lance. Muscles tightening, Vanessa flipped backwards, landing on her hands and launching herself back right up again. She shot off to the side, throwing her bag aside and startling the leader's horse.
The stallion reared, and as the leader fought to control it, Vanessa shouted, "And you should talk, Donkey Ears. Those things are huge! Why don't you go to the local crone and get 'em amputated?"
"Arrgghh!!" Snatching another lance out of a soldier's hands, the leader thrust the huge spear at Vanessa. She leapt back, just far enough for the lance to miss her ribcage. Grabbing the shaft, Vanessa drove the spear back, slamming the butt into the leader's stomach, lifting him up and flipping him right out of the saddle.
The man slammed to the ground, yelping like a puppy. Forgetting him for the moment, Vanessa spun around to meet her oncoming attackers with a loud snarl.
One man tried to impale her on his lance as well. Vanessa sprang into the air, twisting her body around and bringing her booted foot down heavily on the lance head, snapping it right off.
She ducked away from him, and lifted her lance up. Bracing herself, Vanessa ran towards two approaching knights, then slammed the tip of the lance into the ground. The lance sailed up, carrying her with it.
Both men gasped in fright as Vanessa released her grip on the lance, flying towards them with both booted feet thrust out. She slammed hard into their chests, knocking them backwards off of their mounts.
Tucking her head against her chest, Vanessa hit the ground with a loud thunk, rolled with the impact, then sprang easily to her feet.
The four remaining men all leapt down from their horses and raced towards her, raising lances or swords.
"Give me a break, guys," she muttered, then threw herself across the ground, launching herself into a cartwheel.
Coming within four feet of the men, Vanessa changed the cartwheel into a back flip. Her powerful leg muscles threw her into the air, just enough to clear the men's heads.
Panting, Vanessa quickly regained her balance and pivoted on one leg. She kicked one knight hard in the back, throwing him to the ground. The remaining three's surprise gave Vanessa enough time to disarm one, fling him into a second, then punched a third, sending him reeling.
"You guys are pathetic!" she shouted as they scrambled away. "One little sixteen-year-old like me took all eight of you out like last week's trash--and I'm not even breathing hard!"
Somewhere near her, Vanessa heard more hoof beats. Fairly growling, she spun around and prepared for another offensive.
The sorrel mare skidded to a halt next to her, throwing dust high into the air. Atop the horse sat a young man wearing a green tunic. As a fairy zipped around his head, the man glared at the soldiers. "Back off, you guys."
The leader of the knights swore. "She's an invader!"
"I am?" Vanessa asked, sounding puzzled. "Gee, I had no idea …"
The young man waved the soldiers away. "She's my concern," he said, "Your concern is protecting Princess Zelda."
Hearing that name, Vanessa wheeled around. "Zelda? You know her?"
The man looked down at her, and suddenly, his eyes widened, as if in shock.
******
Link could only stare at the girl. He was numb with shock and horror.
That woman from his dream was standing right next to him.
It took Navi a minute to figure out why Link looked so petrified. She yelped, then leaned close to his ears and hissed, "Are you as freaked as I am?"
Link couldn't speak. It was like he had lost his voice in his shock.
The young woman blinked, then shifted, somewhat uncomfortably. "Um, I need to speak to Princess Zelda," she said softly, "I was sent here by Queen Awen to help her."
"Queen Awen?!" Navi squealed, "Cool! The Hylian records put her up there with Link as one of the greatest heroes in the world!"
The girl's eyes flew open. "You? You're Link?"
He nodded. "Ye-yeah …?"
The girl heaved a heavy sigh. "Thank God," she said, sounding relieved, "I didn't know where to find you. My name--" She paused to glare at the regrouping men. "--Is Vanessa Valeska of Ardea. Just call me Vanessa, and don't act like those idiots over there."
The lead soldier opened his mouth to snap something, but Link cut him off. "All of you, go home."
Vanessa glanced back at him as he leapt down from Epona. "I really need to see the Princess," she said.
"What's wrong?"
The girl hesitated, then glanced back at the soldiers. She didn't speak again until they had all saddled up and had ridden away.
"It's a long story, but I'll try to keep it short," Vanessa began, "Two months ago, I was sent on a mission sent by Awen and the Cibolan queens to find these … people. They were vampires."
Link and Navi stared at her curiously.
"Undead," Vanessa explained, to which they both nodded. "One of them--Renfield--was going to free a demon called an ekimmu. It's a servant of an ancient queen of demons.
"Anyways, I managed to catch up with him just as he became the Avatar--you know, the Ekimmu Spirit took over his body?--and I was able to kill him. But … but he had a, well, maybe you could call it a mate. Her name was Lamia Carna."
Vanessa hesitated, then swallowed hard. "I think she was never truly human to begin with, because I haven't seen Undead like her before. I couldn't kill her, and she fled.
"My mentor--Awen--discovered that Lamia Carna was going back to her home in Hyrule--"
"Oh, great," Navi sighed.
"--And she sent me here," Vanessa finished. She looked pleadingly at Link. "I really need to see Zelda."
Link shrugged. "Undead? That shouldn't be a problem--"
"No! No, it's not that …" Vanessa rubbed her forehead. "Link, you fought a man named Ganondorf, right?"
Suddenly, a sick feeling burned in Link's stomach. "Yeah …?"
"Lamia Carna is Ganondorf's daughter."
Navi shrieked and fell backwards off of Link's shoulder, and Epona reared in fright.
"No!" Link cried, but Vanessa only nodded. "Ganondorf … he had a daughter?! No, that's not right--"
"Link, face it; Ganondorf had a daughter. When he tried to take over Hyrule, he sent Lamia out to make sure none of Hyrule's allies intervened."
Link shook his head incredulously. "Vanessa, I didn't--I never met her …"
Vanessa shrugged. "I don't know what to say, Link. Personally, I don't care whose kid she is, I want her put six feet under." Vanessa stared at him hard. "Lamia Carna is the most dangerous demon I've seen. I can't even stress what she …"
Vanessa broke off and shook her head. "No, look; Zelda will understand. I'm surprised that you don't believe me."
"It's not that," Link insisted, "Holy Farore, I don't want to believe it. I've fought so many people, and for so long …"
Vanessa nodded, her face saddened. "I know, I know … I've fought too long too."
Link locked his eyes with Vanessa's. Somehow, he knew that he couldn't doubt what she was saying.
He was surprised to see her cheeks flush. Vanessa quickly looked away. "Sunlight's burning, Link," she said, a little shyly. "I'll explain everything when I see Zelda."
Link heaved a sigh. "All right." He smiled ruefully before turning and swinging up on top of Epona. He began to hold out his hand, but was surprised when Vanessa hefted herself up behind him.
"She won't mind?" Vanessa asked, and Epona nickered.
"Nah," Navi replied, fluttering up in front of Vanessa's face. "She's carried heavier loads."
"Hardy har har," Link snorted. He nudged Epona with his knee, and the mare obediently turned towards the palace.
"Uh, Link?"
"Yeah Vanessa?"
"Where're the reins?"
"Reins?"
Epona let out a mighty whinny and leapt into a full speed gallop. Behind Link, Vanessa gasped in fright and grabbed him around the waist.
"A warning would have been nice!" she snapped.
"Sorry! I thought you would have known!"
"Forgive me for not polishing up on Hylian riding techniques before I arrived!"
******************************************************************************
Nabooru sat atop one of the mud-brick complexes in Gerudo Valley, her knees drawn up and tucked under her chin. She sighed miserably; she woke that morning with a violent jerk, screaming in horror. She had dreamt of various monsters infesting the Gerudo Valley, something about the Gerudos following a triad of dark women. Two seemed evil, truly evil, and they stayed hidden in the shadows, away from what little light filtered in past the cliffs. But the third, something about the third frightened Nabooru the most. She couldn't quite explain why; the third woman wasn't nearly as sinister as the first two. But something about her spirit troubled Nabooru; she had known that spirit once, but it had changed horribly.
Somewhere below, a Cucco crowed, and Nabooru blinked in surprise. She hadn't realized that she didn't eat anything all morning long. Nabooru had been going between the Spirit Temple and her home, trying to pray to the Goddesses and contact Princess Zelda.
But there was something wrong.
There was someone in Hyrule that didn't belong here. Whoever it was, he or she was upsetting the magickal balances.
As Nabooru stood and walked towards the stairway, she heard shouting from the sentries in the towers overlooking the canyon. A gong roared, and Nabooru broke into a run. Whenever the Watchers rang the gong, that meant a group of strangers was approaching.
Nabooru leapt down the last few flights, meeting her second-in-command Ephiny halfway down and accepting an axe from the woman.
Nabooru's lieutenant raced to herd the children and male slaves into the complexes as Nabooru gathered her army. Just as the warrior women assembled, a trumpet sounded. Nabooru started; the people approaching were Gerudos.
Nabooru held a hand up to her army. "Easy, sisters." She turned and shouted up at the sentries. "Let them in!"
The sentries obeyed, and the gates swung open. A huge tribe of Gerudos, all heavily clothed to keep out the heat and the sand, thundered into the Valley, their dark horses whinnying impatiently.
The lead Gerudo leaned back heavily into her saddle, holding a hand up. Instantly, her mare, and her tribes' horses all halted.
Nabooru gripped the handle of the axe and approached the tribe. She stopped before the leader and raised her head defiantly. "Who are you?"
The woman didn't answer, yet she swung down from her horse. With a flourish, she removed her hood and scarf.
Nabooru gasped in shock as her daughter smiled back. "Mother! It's great to see you again!"
"Saanabora? What are you doing here? And with your tribe?"
Saanabora's smile grew wider, and Nabooru froze; were those fangs?
"We wanted to join yours, Mother," said Saanabora. "Didn't you hear?"
Nabooru felt sick. She didn't want to hear. "I think I speak for all of us when I say 'no'."
Saanabora stepped aside and gestured to a woman seated atop a huge black stallion. "Our lord Ganondorf's daughter came back!"
There was a collective gasp of shock behind Nabooru. Nabooru wheeled around, a bit frightened; there were Gerudos here who were still visciously loyal to Ganondorf. If that monster's daughter had returned, then there was no telling what may happen.
Saanabora's smile faded slightly. "What's wrong?"
"Saana … but …"
"It's true, Mother. The princess is going to free her father--"
"No!" Nabooru bellowed, and Saanabora jerked back, startled. "No! Whoever this is, take her back to your tribe! Get her out of here!"
"Mother, I thought you'd be happy--"
"No spawn of Ganondorf is going to rule my queendom!!"
Before Saanabora could snap back, a loud, viscious snarl cracked through the air. Nabooru's eyes widened fearfully as the tall, cloaked woman turned to her and hissed, "Is that what I am now, Aunt Nabooru? Spawn?"
The Gerudo leapt down from her horse and advanced threateningly on Nabooru. Fear getting the better of her, Nabooru began to back away, a cowardly thing for any respectable Gerudo queen to do.
The woman pulled away her cloak and scarf, and the Gerudos around them either gasped in horror or shouted with glee. Nabooru could only stagger away, terrified.
It was Ganondorf's daughter.
Lamia Carna was back.
The younger woman glared at Nabooru, her cat-like eyes narrowing. "A pleasure to see you as well, Aunt," she growled, the words hissing out between two sets of fangs.
Nabooru didn't know what to do. She couldn't kill her niece. The hell with being a Sage, Nabooru just wasn't strong enough to fight a woman who was pure demon and who had manipulated magick since the day she could speak.
Lamia drew in a deep breath and lifted her head, scanning the cliffs and pueblo houses. "It all looks the same, yet I can feel the differences," she said softly. "Like this, for instance; Mother isn't here."
Nabooru almost jumped; she had forgotten about Tartara.
Snarling again, Lamia turned back to Nabooru. "Where is she?"
Nabooru had to stall her. Lamia Carna around was bad enough, but Queen Tartara?
Nabooru shrugged. "Dunno."
Lamia blinked slowly. Behind her, Saanabora snarled herself. "She lies."
"Hmm. Let's try again, Aunt; where is she?"
Nabooru began to shake. "I seriously don't know."
Saana growled. "Cooperate, Mother."
"Don't you speak to me that way, you whelp."
Lamia sighed. "Since the easy way doesn't seem to be helping, I'll try a different approach."
Faster than any of the cobras in the Spirit Temple, Lamia's clawed hand shot out, catching Nabooru by the throat, and effortlessly lifted her off of the ground.
Nabooru choked. In her panic, she dropped the axe and began to claw helplessly at Lamia's muscular arm.
Suddenly, Lamia's face seemed to warp. Her small, delicate face twisted and descended, turning into a short snout. Her skin tightened across her face, and both her cheeks and eyes sunk into her skull. Her eyes fairly disappeared, becoming bloody red.
When Lamia opened her mouth, her entire mouth was rimmed with stained fangs and discolored saliva. An animalistic roar blasted out of her throat as she screamed, "WHERE IS MY MOTHER?!!"
Nabooru yelped. "Saana--help--!!"
When her daughter appeared at Lamia's disfigured elbow, Nabooru burst into tears.
Saanabora, her eyes yellowed and skin pale, snarled at Nabooru, revealing her own set of knife-like teeth.
"You're stupid to defy her, Mother!" Saana snapped, jabbing a long, black talon at Nabooru's face. "Answer the princess!"
"NO!!!" Nabooru screamed.
Disgusted, Lamia flung Nabooru aside, sending her crashing into a brick wall.
As Nabooru lay there, gasping and choking, rubbing the huge bruises on her throat, Lamia turned to the Gerudos who had once been under Nabooru's leadership.
"As I've demonstrated, I'm not very patient," Lamia shouted, her voice sounding more sinister with every echo throughout the village. "But I'm willing to strike a deal with you; join me, or I can kill you all, drink your blood, devour your flesh, maybe make trophies out of your skulls, and then call it a day."
Cries of horror erupted, but they were soon drowned out by the voices of those Gerudos who wanted Ganondorf to be restored as king. The grumbling turned to shouts, the shouts to roars, and the roars to fighting.
Nabooru's sight wavered, but she could see her tribe turning on themselves. She coughed, staggered to her feet. "No …"
Claws ripped into her scalp, and Nabooru let out a garbled scream as Saana grabbed her by the crown of her head and yanked her back, flinging her back to the ground.
"You can still save yourself, Mother," Saanabora said. Her snarl faded. "I don't want to see you hurt."
Nabooru looked up at her daughter. This was Saanabora, 'daughter of the Sun', Nabooru's only child, the one she loved so much that, rather than subject her to her uncle Ganondorf's tyranny, Nabooru had her slipped out of the Valley and sent across Hyrule, to the Raja tribe by the ocean.
But now Saana had betrayed Nabooru. She allied herself with Lamia Carna despite everything Nabooru had taught her. She had changed herself, turning into a monster. She was embracing the evil that Ganondorf and his daughter thrived on.
Saanabora didn't want to see Nabooru hurt. But she had only stood by and smirked as Lamia throttled Nabooru.
Nabooru's hands dug into the hot sand. "Saana?"
The girl nodded.
"Go to hell!"
Nabooru flung the sand into Saana's eyes. The beast screamed and staggered back, furiously wiping away the stinging grains.
Nabooru leapt to her feet. Wheezing, yet forcing herself to run as fast as she could, Nabooru tore down towards the gates to the Pass. If she could get to Lon Lon Ranch, she could ride from there to the palace--
Like some monster from a fairy tale, Lamia Carna calmly dropped off the side of the cliff and landed before Nabooru.
"Where do you think you're going, Auntie?"
Nabooru skidded in the dirt. "Oh--!"
Lamia's eyes turned to slits. "Going for help?"
Nabooru turned--
Swinging one huge hand, Lamia battered Nabooru to the ground. The demonic princess pounced, and Nabooru screamed as she felt fangs tear into her arm.
Snapping her neck around, Lamia threw Nabooru onto her back, like a doll . Nabooru gasped and gripped her arm in fright. She couldn't feel anything.
Licking some of the blood off of her fangs, Lamia Carna sank down across from Nabooru like a hellish lioness.
"I'd rather kill you now," she said nonchalantly, "But you're needed a bit longer." Lamia chuckled. "You've gone from lunch to bait, Old Nabooru."
Nabooru gave up. As the screams in the village became worse, she began to weep.
******************************************************************************
Zelda, Impa, and Zared were waiting in the reception hall when Link, Navi, and the newcomer returned to the castle. Zelda's eyes widened when she saw the girl. "You--"
Vanessa blinked, then bowed slightly. "Princess Zelda?"
"Yes, but--" Zelda stood up and walked towards the trio. "You … Link and I saw you in our dreams."
Vanessa looked surprised. "Really? It's not often I get a cameo in dreams." She shrugged. "I'm Vanessa Valeska of Ardea."
"Ardea?" Zared repeated, sounding like he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"Valeska de Rexanna?" Impa asked, leaping to her feet.
Link looked at the small woman next to him. "What?"
"Either I blacked out," Navi snorted, "or I missed something."
Vanessa shrugged again, uncomfortably, but she nodded. "Yeah, Valeska de Rexanna. And yes, Ardea as in Cibola."
Zared stood immediately and both he and Impa bowed. "Princess!"
"Princess?" Link repeated in disbelief.
Vanessa nodded, but she didn't look proud. "Don't call me that," she said quietly. "I'm not a princess anymore."
"But …"
As if eager to end the discussion, Vanessa turned to him and muttered in his ear. "I'm from Cibola, Link. Ardea was my home before it was decimated. I'm technically not a princess anymore … just an everyday, run of the mill magic-working demon hunter now."
Link only stared. Vanessa? This odd looking, strangely clothed, heavily accented girl standing next him, the one with dark brown hair streaked with black and red, with the glittering brown-green-and-gold eyes, as muscular as any Gerudo, was a princess?
Vanessa tossed her heavy bag aside and walked towards Zelda. "May I have something to drink? I've been traveling all day."
"Of course, Vanessa," Zelda replied kindly, even though her sparkling eyes betrayed her worry. "Cold tea?"
"That sounds great."
Link folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes. "Vanessa has something to tell you, Princess."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed, and she sighed as accepted a mug from Impa. "Yeah. It's not good."
Impa shook her head as she moved to stand next to Zelda. "News after prophetic dreams is never good in Hyrule."
"Yeah, well, this is bad." Vanessa paused to gather her thoughts, drumming her shiny fingernails against the side of the mug. "Where do I start? Princess Zelda, my mentor Queen Awen sent me here because a demoness has escaped from our realm. Normally … normally, I wouldn't have bothered to track it here because I knew Link could destroy it."
Vanessa shook her head. "But this creature … this is the daughter of--"
"Ganondorf?" Zelda whispered.
It became freezing cold in the reception hall. Vanessa's shoulders fell as she nodded.
"I'm sorry that I didn't kill her before," the girl said softly. "But this demon, Lamia Carna, has returned to Hyrule to free Ganondorf from the realm you imprisoned him in. I knew you would need help fighting her--"
"Link can defeat her," Zared said firmly. "He did defeat Ganondorf several times already--"
"That's not it! Lamia's a sorceress, but she's also an Undead. It's going to be as hard as hell to catch up with her, never mind the actual killing." Vanessa finally put her mug down. "Lamia's a warrior. She's studied the Cibolan martial arts, and she managed to raise armies in the Isles. And I'm not sure, but Awen is certain that Lamia captured several monsters from our worlds and might have taken them back here."
"Like I said," growled Zared, rising slowly to his feet. "Link can--"
"How do you know?" Vanessa snapped visciously. "Didn't he need all sorts of fairys to bring him back to life?"
Before Zared could reply, Link took the liberty of stepping between the prince and the princess. "Sir, I'm impressed that you have such great faith in me, but any help Vanessa can offer can help me end this--problem--quickly."
Zared only growled.
"I don't like him," Navi muttered.
Zelda hid her eyes behind her hands for a moment, then turned to the people around her. "I'll go contact the Sages. Link, you, Navi, and Vanessa comb the field between the palace and Lon Lon Ranch."
"Right," Link agreed.
Zelda turned to Zared. "Zared, I'd appreciate it if you would watch the castle for me."
"Of course, dear." Zared smiled at her, and Link bit back a jealous scowl.
Vanessa's strange eyes noted his frown. She leaned over to him and whispered, "What's wrong?"
"Huh? Oh, uh no-nothing …"
Navi rolled her eyes. "Smooth, Loverboy, real smooth."
Agreeing to return to the palace when the sun was halfway down to the horizon, Link nudged Vanessa and gestured for her to follow him.
As they trotted down the steps and Link whistled for Epona, Vanessa said, "Hey, I just realized something; I never thought beyond killing Lamia, so what am I going to do meanwhile?"
Link and Navi looked at her questioningly. Vanessa shrugged.
"I don't have a place to stay," she explained, "and I don't have any money."
"Not to mention a mode of transportation," Navi noted as Epona cantered towards them.
"Or a decent weapon," Link added, swinging up into the saddle. Vanessa surprised him again by easily hopping up behind him.
He glanced back at her as she shoved her multi-colored hair away from her face. "We could go to Lon Lon Ranch tomorrow and buy you a pony," he suggested.
Vanessa shrugged. "Don't waste your money on me."
Navi laughed. "Waste it? Come on, Vanessa; trample any weed here and you're bound to find hundreds of rupees."
"Oh, rupees? Sorry if I sound stupid, but I'm still catching on."
Link shrugged and smiled. "No problem. So, tomorrow; first thing, we'll get a pony."
As he kicked Epona into a gallop, he heard Vanessa chuckle. "I finally get a pony after antagonizing my guardians for like, five years."
Startled, Link glanced back at her. "Guardians?"
She didn't hear him.
Link and Navi shared a curious look; they suddenly realized that there was a lot more to this stranger than they knew.
******
Epona slammed to a halt in the middle of Hyrule Field, whinnying in fright. Link and Vanessa yelped, pitching over Epona's neck and each other. Navi sped on a few more feet before realizing that her friends weren't following.
"What's the matter?" she asked, flying back to them.
Link shrugged as Vanessa dropped to the ground. "Somethin' scared Epona."
Vanessa slowly approached the nervous horse, making quiet nickering sounds and gently stroking Epona's nose. Epona relaxed visibly and buried her head into Vanessa's shoulder.
Stroking the horse's cheek, Vanessa glanced up at Link. "Does she do that often?"
"Only when she wants to make a swift exit in the opposite direction," Navi replied.
Link pointed with his chin. "Is there something in the bushes?"
Releasing Epona's head, Vanessa knelt down next to the brambles. "I don't see anything--"
Something skittered through the bush, snarling at Vanessa. Epona shied away fearfully as Link drew out his short sword.
But the little beast moved faster than he could.
Epona reared in terror as a small green, spiny gremlin leapt out of the bushes, lunging for Vanessa's throat. The girl cried out in fright and flung herself backwards. The monster flew right over her, squawking in irritation.
It skidded across the dirt and ducked between Epona's legs. The mare screamed and bucked. The gremlin shrieked back and shot off across the field.
Vanessa flexed her body and sprang to her feet as Link leapt down next to her. "What in Holy Hyrule was that thing?!"
"Something you don't want to live?" Navi suggested before diving under his cap.
The fanged monster hissed furiously at them, then squawked and bounded away as Vanessa dove to grab it.
Link leapt into a run, shouting, "It's heading towards Zora's Domain!"
"Ooh, all right! I'm on it!" Navi shot out of Link's hair and zipped after the monster.
Vanessa jumped to her feet and sprinted after Link, reaching his side easily. Link regarded her for a moment in surprise; for such a small person, she was remarkably powerful.
The beast ahead of them howled and dove headfirst into the river. Link and Navi skidded to a halt at the edge of the bank, but Vanessa bounded right in after the monster. "Bonsai!!"
"Vanessa!" Link cried in shock.
The girl hit the water with a gigantic splash. She surfaced a second later, spitting out a mouthful of water. "Guys, help me!"
Link wildly about him for something--anything! He jumped in fright as Navi grabbed his ear and screamed, "Bomb Flowers!! Use the Bomb Flowers!!"
Spotting the fiery plants on the opposite bank, Link ripped across the dirt and launched himself into the air, catching the bank by his fingertips.
Thanking the Goddesses that he was too lazy--maybe too wary--to take his Goron Bracelet off, Link raced over the patch and yanked the largest flower out.
As he ran back to the river's edge, Navi shouted, "Vanessa! Incoming!"
Vanessa and the monster froze in the water, staring at the fairy in confusion.
"What?" Vanessa demanded, but Navi didn't reply. With a grunt of effort, Link threw the reddening, hissing Bomb Flower into the river.
The Bomb Flower exploded, showering the ground around the river--as well as Link and Navi--with muddy water. The gremlin screeched as it was flung high into the air, then slammed into the bank.
Vanessa clawed her way up the bank as Link lunged for the dazed creature. She joined him as he struggled to hack at the squirming monster. Finally, Link drove the short sword home, and the beast dissolved into ash.
Panting, Link wiped away water and mud from his face before turning to Vanessa. "What the hell was that?"
"It's called a kappa," Vanessa replied between breaths. She paused to bend down and insert her dagger back into the sheath tied around her right calf. "It's in the same genus as Undead. Lamia must have stolen a few from Japan."
"From where??"
Vanessa stared at him for a moment, puzzled. Realization crossed her face, and she smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. "D'oh! I forgot."
Link sheathed his sword and cocked an eyebrow at the girl. "Explain."
"Japan's an island nation in another realm."
"Different from ours?"
"Yeah."
"How do you know about it?"
"More important question," Navi interrupted, fluttering awkwardly on mud-caked wings. "What are kappas?"
Vanessa began to wring out her hair as she answered. "Kappas are water gremlins. They attack people and animals for livers though, not blood."
"Ick!" Navi squawked, "I'm sorry I asked!"
Link's heart stopped for a moment. "Wait, will the kappa attack anything?"
"Well, yeah; if it's moving, not another kappa, and can't burn 'em alive, they'll eat it." Vanessa blinked. "Why? Link, you look weird."
He shook his slowly. "There's a race of water people here."
"Mermaids?"
"What?"
"Never mind."
"They're called Zoras."
"Zoras …?" Vanessa mused. Her eyes widened and she snapped her fingers. "That's right; I met a clan when I was in Cibola two years ago."
Link and Navi looked at each other; Zoras lived outside of Hyrule??
Vanessa seemed to sense their confusion. "Portals, you guys. We use portals to travel to different lands!"
"Ah," Link and Navi said.
"Anyways …"
"Anyways," Link picked up again, "The Zoras can't stay anywhere that isn't damp. If the kappas find a way into the Domain, they could kill the Zoras either by attacking them in the water, or beaching them on land."
Vanessa blinked. "That's gotta suck. What'll we do?"
"We??"
Navi elbowed Link hard in the temple. "She means that she's gonna help!" she hissed.
Link grimaced, then glanced back at Vanessa. She was so different from any inhabitant of Hyrule that he had known. He kept forgetting that in Vanessa's homeland, things were obviously done differently.
He sighed. "I don't know yet. But I think we should tell Zelda before we go running off after anything."
Vanessa hesitated, the reached up and pulled a slimy twig out of Link's hair. "Sounds like a good idea."
****
Vanessa hopped off Epona before the horse even slowed her canter. Link jumped down onto the castle steps, and bounded up them three at a time.
Vanessa sighed, then trudged after him. It had felt like an extraordinarily long day, and Vanessa was dying to sit down on anything other than a saddle.
She trailed Link back into the reception hall, where the princess and her attendant stood, staring at them in disbelief.
"We're back," Link grunted, kicking some dirt off of his boots.
"And I brought dinner," Vanessa added sarcastically, pulling a wriggling fish out of her pocket and tossing it on the table.
"What in Din's name happened?" Zelda demanded.
Link glanced at Vanessa. She sighed, then proceeded to recount their battle with the slippery kappa, and then explained the kappa's demonic characteristics.
"It eats livers instead of drinking blood," Vanessa said. She shrugged. "If that's good or bad, you tell me."
Impa shook her head. "I suppose I have me work cut out fer me now," she muttered.
"We're going to help," Vanessa offered.
Zelda rubbed her forehead. "Link, I couldn't summon Nabooru."
The knight's eyes flew open. "What?!!"
Vanessa might not have been a fully trained warrior-witch, but she defiantly could sense emotions. Right now, Link was feeling absolute terror.
"What's wrong?" she asked, "Nabooru? Is she a sage?"
Zelda nodded. "She's the Sage of Spirit, and the queen of the Gerudos."
"Your people," Navi said, as if to explain.
"Warrior women?" Vanessa said, surprised.
Impa nodded, her face grim. "One man every one hundred years is born t' th' Gerudos. Ganondorf was their most recent king."
Vanessa's brow furrowed. "Lamia's gone back to her family."
"But Nabooru," Link said urgently, "What happened to Nabooru?"
Zelda looked exasperated. "Link, I don't know!"
Link shook his head. "I'll go find her--"
"NO!!!" Zelda fairly shrieked, and Vanessa figured that if she had leapt any higher into the air, Zelda would have fingernail marks in her ceiling right now.
The princess leapt across the room in a lithe movement and blocked Link's progress to the gates. Her once sensitive eyes were now flaring with rage. "Link, if you go there now, Lamia won't hesitate to rip your head off!"
Link's eyes narrowed. "Do you really think that Nabooru would sit back and let that monster take over her tribe?"
"Link, listen to me!!"
"Link," Vanessa said, crossing quickly to the pair. "Zelda's right, and you know it."
He didn't seem to hear her. "She's your sister-in-law, Zelda," he growled, "and she's my only link to the Spirit Realm."
With a strength that surprised them all, Zelda shoved Link away, throwing all of her weight against his chest and knocking him onto his back.
Vanessa stared open-mouthed at Zelda. "You go, Princess."
Zelda's eyes glazed over as she jabbed a finger at Link. "The Sages are my responsibility, Link!" she shouted, "Yours is to protect the people who live here!"
Link struggled to his feet. "But Zelda--"
"No, Link; don't fight with me over this."
The princess' furious glare faded. She sniffed, then stepped away from Link. "I need you, Link. Don't die on me."
Vanessa bit her lip; her two allies were torn between their duties and their loyalties.
Like she had been …
Vanessa reached out and gently touched Link's shoulder. He turned to her, his face hard, but his eyes troubled.
"I'll help you find Nabooru," Vanessa whispered, just so Zelda couldn't overhear and interject. "But the princess is right; it's too early to make any moves now."
Link's head bowed slightly, and his shoulders fell.
Suddenly, Vanessa felt badly for the man standing before her. She had known him for a few hours, and already she was sharing his pain.
"Maybe she's all right," Vanessa suggested, though she knew it was probably all in vain. "Maybe Nabooru escaped and is camping out somewhere."
He shook his head. "I can't help it, Vanessa," he muttered.
Link turned away before she could say another word. Navi fluttered up to her side. "Thanks for trying, Vanessa," she said.
Zelda wiped her eyes, then turned back to the trio. "We should all get some rest," she said wearily. "We'll meet back here right after breakfast."
"An' no dallyin' around," Impa said sharply.
"Aye, aye," Vanessa agreed.
Link nodded. "All right. Vanessa will stay with me." He lowered his voice. "Tomorrow, I'll go to the Temple."
Vanessa cocked an eyebrow at the cryptic remark, but decided not to question him. Wishing Zelda and Impa a good night--or at least a halfway decent sleep--Vanessa turned and followed Link and Navi to the gates.
Zelda's trembling voice halted them. "Link …?"
The young man turned to the princess.
Zelda drew in a ragged breath. "Talk to Saria," she said, and fell silent.
***
Vanessa ducked a low hanging branch as Epona thundered through a forest, into a village where Link lived. Vanessa glanced about her in disbelief. Wait, were those kids? Or was she seeing things?
Epona slid to a halt, and a short, pug nosed boy scurried over, glaring at Link.
"Who's this?" he demanded, pointing at Vanessa
"Take it easy, Mido," Link grunted as he slipped out of Epona's saddle. "She's a friend. Don't worry."
The elf looked flabbergasted. "Don't worry?! I AM MIDO!! BOSS OF THE KOKIRI!! AND I DEMAND TO KNOW WHO THIS STRANGER IS!!"
"The Annoying Elf Crusher," Vanessa said sarcastically as she hopped down from Epona's back. "But you can call me Vanessa."
Mido gulped. "Elf C-crusher?"
"But that's only when she's in a good mood," Navi said dryly. "Mido, why don't you piss her off and see what happens?"
Mido shot Navi a nasty glare. "She is still a stranger, and I say--"
"Back off, Stumpy," Vanessa snarled, "Or I'll be forced to use the Vulcan Mind Melt."
Hearing that, Mido threw up his hands and backed away. "All right! No need to get testy, heh …"
Navi looked back at Vanessa quizzically as Mido scampered off. "What Mind Melt?"
"Don't worry. It's not even real."
Navi sighed. "Too bad."
"Guys," Link called to them. Vanessa turned, then grinned as she watched Link stagger back from the corral where he had turned Epona loose. He had two tiny Kokiri babies clinging at both feet, hampering his movement.
"I've got to go talk to Saria," he said. "I'll be back later."
"Where're you going?" Vanessa asked.
"No where, if these two don't leave me alone!!"
The babies giggled.
Link bent down to pry them off. "I'll be at the Forest Temple," he said, "Navi'll take you to my house. And if there's a problem, just send Navi out. She'll find me."
"Okay." Vanessa glanced up at the fairy. "Lead the way."
"Righto!" Navi shot off, leaving Vanessa fairly choking on a trail of fairy dust.
She sprinted after the fairy, following her down a long path that led to an immense … tree house??
"This is it!" Navi said, almost proudly. "Welcome to Chateau de Linkmeister."
"It's huge!"
"Well, y'know, Link does tower over everybody here by like, three feet." Navi shrugged. "He needed more head room. C'mon."
Vanessa followed Navi up a set of stairs and into the darkened house. Vanessa had gone barely three feet before she wound up plowing into a small table.
"Yeow!!" she yelped, dropping her bag and clapping both hands to her shin. "What the hell--!"
"Hang on!" Navi's bluish-white form disappeared as she ducked into one room, then reappeared a second later with a lit Deku Twig. She proceeded to fly about, lighting candles and lanterns, saying sheepishly, "Sorry. I should've warned you."
"'Should have'," Vanessa repeated, rolling her eyes and rubbing her shin. As the room brightened, she looked down at the table, intricately carved with vines and leaves and flowers. In the lower right hand corner sat a young Hylian girl, smiling slightly, her knees drawn up and hugged against her chest, and a small crown teetering on her head.
Vanessa, forgetting her pain, reached down and ran her fingertips over the carving. "This is Zelda?"
"Uh-huh. When she was ten. Pretty cool, huh? Link carved that from memory."
Vanessa blinked. "He's in love with her, isn't he?"
When Navi didn't reply, Vanessa looked up, confused. "What?"
"You--you could tell that just by looking at the table?"
"Huh? Oh, no!" Vanessa straightened. "I saw the look on his face. He was hurt. I don't need to be a witch to know that."
Navi shook her head. "Wow--I mean, I've known it for years--Link's been in love with Zelda ever since he first met her. But, you saw it right off the bat. Not many people are that astute."
Vanessa smiled slightly and shrugged with one shoulder. "I recognized it."
"Then, maybe you can help me. See, there's this sprite--"
"Hey, I don't think I'm that good!"
Navi's face softened. "I feel bad for Link," she said, "He's been hurt a lot."
Vanessa didn't reply. She only nodded sadly.
She knew the feeling.
She could feel it right now.
****
The Minuet of the Forest dropped Link down a few feet away from the stump where Saria sat, crossed-legged, her eyes closed, as she played her Ocarina.
She opened her eyes when she sensed his presence. She stopped playing, and looked up at him sadly. "Hi, Link."
"Saria, Zelda said I should talk to you."
Saria held his gaze for a moment, then looked away, down to her hands that cupped the Ocarina.
Worried, Link knelt down in front of the Forest Sage. "What's wrong?"
"Link …" Tears brimmed in Saria's eyes. "All of the Sages have been having nightmares …"
"I know."
"And we saw the battles … but we didn't--"
She stopped, and choked on a sob. The Ocarina slipped through her fingers and thudded to the ground.
Pained, Link wiped away her tears and took her hands into his own. "What did you see?"
Weeping, Saria told Link what she had seen. Their forest had been destroyed, completely, utterly destroyed. The land was burnt and smoldering. Trees were ripped and shredded. The houses were on fire. In the sky, huge bird monsters slowly circled over the carnage.
Saria collapsed into Link's arms and cried harder. Lamia hadn't spared anyone. Bodies littered the fields. The Deku Sprout had been cut down. Blood stained the streams.
"She killed us all!" Saria cried, "She sent monsters to follow me and the girls--oh, Goddesses! They killed the babies!"
Link cradled Saria and stroked her hair. "I won't let it happen, Saria. Zelda won't either. And Vanessa's here too. She'll help--"
"No, Link! Fighting Ganondorf was hard, but we knew what to expect from him. Lamia … Lamia doesn't … oh, Link, she doesn't even have a soul! No soul, no conscience! We can't …"
"We'll stop her!" Link said, somewhat fiercely.
Saria sniffed, then leaned back to look into Link's eyes.
"What about Vanessa?" she whispered.
The glen was suddenly silent.
Cold, Link's eyes fell away from Saria. He had been pushing the frightening thoughts away, not wanting to face them …
But he couldn't deny what he saw.
After a moment, Saria sniffed again. "I want to go home, Link."
"All right." He stood, then picked her up, and carried her out of the Lost Woods.
*****
Link brought Saria back to her house. She promptly went to bed, skipping dinner, which only worried Link more. He wanted to speak to her, but the Twins shooed him out.
Returning to his house, he was greeted at the door by Navi. "Hey, Link."
"Hey, Navi. Where's Vanessa?"
"Washing up. Link, Shurai came."
"What? When?"
"Like fifteen minutes after you left. I was just showing Vanessa the guest room, and I turned around and there she was, standing in the doorway. She wanted to know where you were."
"Did you tell her?"
"Yeah, duh. But then she took off. Vanessa was all set to go after her but … you know, Sage of the Wind …"
"Right," Link agreed heavily. Tossing aside his gauntlets, shield and short sword, Link crossed the room to his bookcase. He scanned the titles for a moment, then pulled out a slim volume.
"What's that?" Navi asked.
Link shrugged. "A book on Cibola. I really couldn't remember anything about it."
He sat down at the dinner table, ignoring the stew that Navi had shoved towards him. He paged through the book, skimming the lines; like the Gerudos, the women of Cibola were warriors. Various tribes inhabited the island, and every one was made up of what outsiders called 'warrior-witches', due to the Cibolans' warrior nature and ability to use magick.
Unlike the Gerudos, though, the Cibolan women controlled the island totally. Their men were all slaves and servants, deprived of any right, and, since they were bereft of magickal powers, were scorned. The great queens and chieftesses of Cibola generally married princes from other countries, rather than their own males.
Link's eyes narrowed as he read the passage on Ardea; Ardea had been a great and prosperous city until a force from Atlantis and their neighbors, the Mu, attacked and leveled it. The last queen, Zenobia de Rexanna, had died trying to drive the enemies out.
"Watchya reading?"
Link leapt about a foot out of his chair. He spun around to see Vanessa standing a few feet behind him, wearing a blue nightshirt and rubbing her damp hair with a towel.
"Vanessa, you scared me!"
"I'm sorry. I thought you heard me." Vanessa crossed the room and sat down in a chair next to his. "What's this?"
"This? It's a book on Cibola." Link shrugged. "I couldn't remember anything, really."
"Could've asked me."
"But where's the logic in that?" Navi asked.
Link glared at the fairy as Vanessa laughed.
"Anyways," Link growled, turning back to Vanessa. "I'm curious … about you. You're an Amazon?"
"Yeah."
"But you don't dress like the ones in the pictures."
"Oh, I can explain that; I was born in Cibola, Link, but after Ardea was attacked, my father had me snuck out and sent to a neutral country. Obviously, their fashion's different."
"And you know magick?"
"A little. Portal casting, strength gathering, stuff like that. Mostly my magic strength is in medicine. I'm working to be a full fledged doctor soon."
Link blinked. "Why are you hunting Lamia? I'm sorry; there's just things about you that I don't understand."
Vanessa sighed. "Well … all right, I'll try to make this quick; my mom was Queen Zenobia de Rexanna of Ardea. My dad was Prince Marius Everett Aldrich of Prestor John's Land. He was a Danna'ka too, you know …
"Atlantis always hated Ardea, so it wasn't a big surprise when they attacked. My father wasn't allowed to fight, but my mother had him take me and some other girls and flee. He took us to Alba."
Navi snapped her fingers. "Queen Awen's land."
"Right. And I was part Danna'ka, so I was given asylum there. There's nothing special about me; I'm a typical Cibolan girl. But Awen told my father that she wanted to train me when I was older. He agreed, and then Awen sent me to another country to be hidden.
"My adoptive family changed my name from Valeska to Vanessa and never said anything about Cibola. I don't blame them; they were trying to protect me. But it was no secret that I was adopted. I figured it out when I was little; I didn't look like any of them, I was smaller, and stronger. My skin's a lot darker than theirs, and my eyes … well, all Cibolans have gold-rimmed eyes, like all Hylians have pointed ears.
"I didn't find out that I was a Cibolan until I was ten. Hell, that's a story in itself …
"My little brothers liked to play out in the woods, but there was a wolf-man that ran around there … what do you guys call it? A Wolfos? Well anyways, they were late coming home one night, so I went out to find them.
"I found them halfway home. They weren't even scared. We started back, but … that's when the Wolfos found us.
"It lunged from my baby brother, and I jumped and tackled it. My brothers took off, I was trapped--I wound up beating the crap out of it with a branch--but when I tried to run for it, the Wolfos chased me.
"I got to the door when I heard this yelp. I turned around, and I saw this--well, I didn't know what it was, but she stopped the Wolfos and punched it so hard she fractured its skull!"
"It was Awen?" Link asked.
Vanessa nodded. "Yeah. God, I was terrified--Awen's scarier than hell when she jumps out of nowhere. Gives you a heart attack … but there was something nice about her. She had a kind of mommy voice, you know?
"She took me back inside my house--Dad was pissed--and she told me about the Cibolans, and said that it was time for me to learn how to become a warrior-witch. I was like 'WOO-HOO!!! When do I start?!'. I was so excited …"
Her voice trailed off.
Link looked down at the tips of his boots. "But it was hard."
"It got harder as I got older," Vanessa admitted. "I can pretty much take it now--at sixteen years old, a Cibolan is supposed to be able to fight her own wars. But, y'know, twelve years old?" Vanessa shook her head. "Total hell."
"We know the feeling," Navi said softly.
Vanessa sighed, then stood. "I should have been trained since I was a baby," she said, "but now, my magick's still weak. Where my magick lacked, Awen had it made up for in martial arts. I guess I'm pretty good at it. I've been hired out by a lot of people to hunt demons."
"When did you hunt Lamia?" Link asked.
"Well, the first time I ever met her, it was totally by accident; I was on a scouting mission with some other witches, and Lamia jumped us. None of us realized that she was an Undead. It wasn't until she ripped through Cibola, Is Elfydd, Avalon and Alba did we find out that she was a demoness.
"Awen was the only one who could drive her out, but not before Lamia freed all sorts of monsters and raised a rebellion in one of the Alban providences. Awen and other queens and kings called for soldiers to go out and hunt her down. Awen sent me with a friend named Lara.
"We found Lamia and her boyfriend getting ready to release the Ekimmu Avatar. Lara and I stopped it, and Lamia took off. Awen had her path tracked, and it led here." Vanessa shrugged. "Lara was hurt bad--she's not even from the Isles, so she was a lot weaker than us--and since I was the one that got closest to Lamia before, I was sent to hunt her down."
"Why didn't Awen go?" Navi asked.
"Well, there is that little problem of the rebellion with the lunatics chanting Ganondorf's name," Vanessa snorted.
"Point noted."
Link watched silently as Vanessa walked towards his door. She stood there and, despite it being a warm night, she shivered.
"There's something wrong here, Link," she said. "The balance of Hyrule … it's lopsided."
She swallowed hard. "There's someone else here."
******************************************************************************
The flames in the fireplace snapped and hissed as she slipped out of the shadows. Drawing her cloak around her tighter, Queen Tartara slowly crossed the room, over to a chair that had been knocked over. She extended one bony, clawed hand, pointing it towards the chair. She flipped it, palm up, and the chair immediately leapt right up.
Growling softly, Tartara sank into the chair. As soon as the messenger girls had retrieved her from her desert fortress, Tartara had fled the burning sun and raced into the vacant room, hiding in a shadowy corner until night fell.
She closed her dry eyes and began to meditate, focusing on the varied energies of Hyrule, drawing strength from them.
Outside, there was a loud thunk of an axe hitting its block, and the Gerudos cheered.
Tartara opened her eyes and smiled thinly.
A moment later, the door opened, and two lithe figures slipped inside. Tartara knew who the first one was before she even stepped into the light of the fire.
"Mother!" Lamia cried.
"My Lamia!" Tartara would have leapt to her feet, if she had the strength. She stood, her arms opened and extended towards her daughter. Lamia raced to the old queen and embraced her.
"Oh, Mother, I missed you so much!"
"Child, the years have been long and unkind! It was terrible living alone in the desert--thank Lilu that you've returned!"
Lamia smiled, her fangs gleaming in the firelight. She eased Tartara back into her seat. "I'm here to stay, Mother. And I'm going to free Father."
"Oh, Lamia …"
"Don't worry about the allies," Lamia said, grinning devilishly. "They're too preoccupied by the rebellions right now."
Tartara stroked Lamia's hair. "But what of the Sages?"
Hearing that, Lamia jerked away from Tartara's touch. "Those idiots?! They can't do a thing to me! They're weak--weaker than you, weaker than me! They can't destroy this body--" She gripped Tartara's hands anxiously. "Mother, we can defeat the Hylians! I've raised armies and we have enough weapons to last us decades."
Lamia stood up and gestured to the figure behind her. "Old Nabooru's been overthrown. Her daughter now rules the tribe. Saana?"
Almost shyly, the Gerudo slipped into the light, clutching a bloodied bag. She knelt before Tartara. "My queen."
"Saanabora, my niece!" Tartara smirked, then glanced up at Lamia. "Your doing, I assume?"
Lamia chuckled. "What can I say? I saved her life …"
"Aunt Tartara," Saanabora said quickly, "To honor your return, I have a gift for you." She laid the bag at Tartara's feet.
Tartara focused on the bag, and seemingly invisible hands unwound the cord that tied the top. She glanced inside and smiled again. "The messenger girls."
Lamia snorted. "Their mothers were the ones that drove you out."
Tartara laughed softly. "Have these mounted on my walls."
"Yes, Majesty," Saanabora agreed.
Tartara turned back to Lamia, her antlered crown throwing weird shadows across her daughter's face. "'Tis interesting that you mention freeing your father," she said, "Ever since he was banished, I have been studying, trying to find the most effective way of freeing him." She laughed softly. "And its fitting that we are both Undead … to free Ganondorf, we must pour the blood of the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny on the exact place where he was exiled."
Lamia's face brightened. "Their blood? That's all? HA! This'll be too easy!"
Tartara held up a hand. "And it only gets better." She smiled, her breath hissing between her sharp teeth. "The prophecy of the Hero of Time is much longer than I had known before … according to the Grimorum, the Hero of Time will succumb to the bite of an Undead!!"
Hearing this, Lamia threw her head back and roared with laughter. "The Grimorum is never wrong! Do you heard that, Goddesses? Your Hero will fall to our fangs!!"
Saana was laughing so hard that tears were spilling over her cheeks. "Imagine the looks on the Hylians' faces when he bursts into their houses, drinking their daughters' blood--!!"
"The Hero of Time becomes the Hero of the Undead!" Lamia spun around to face Tartara, her eyes sparkling with a certain, and malevolent light. "Why the hell am I waiting? I can sneak into his house and Turn him tonight!"
Tartara's face hardened. "No, you can't …"
The two princesses' laughter immediately faded. Looking suspicious, Lamia snarled. "Why?"
"There's a stranger here, Lamia Carna. She followed you."
"Followed me? Who? WHO FOLLOWED ME?!!"
Unfazed by her daughter's fearsome response, Tartara calmly closed her eyes, seeking out that life energy again. "It's a young woman," she said. "She lives outside of these borders, far beyond Hyrule. Ah … she is strong, not unlike the Gerudo, but she is a magick user …"
Lamia recoiled away from Tartara, her eyes turning bloody red. "Is there--"
"A snail shell talisman about her neck," Tartara murmured, her eyes still closed. "And a mark--a tattoo--behind her right shoulder. It's a shield … with a dragon's eye--"
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!" Lamia screamed, her features twisting with demonic fury. Unable to control her rage, Lamia spun around, swinging a fist, smashing it straight through a wooden column. She hefted up a table twice her size and flung it across the room, shattering it against a distant wall. "VALESKA!!! It's Valeska of Ardea!! That creature cannot get in the way of my plans again!! I want her killed! NOW!!!"
****
Nabooru heard the doors of the jailhouse creak open, and she sat up as quickly as her broken bones would allow her. Lamia had all but obliterated the bones in Nabooru's right arm when she bit the fleeing queen. And then when Nabooru struggled against her guards, the ones that had once been her subjects and friends, they beat her brutally, then flung her into her cell, breaking her leg.
It hurt to even breathe, and the darkened jailhouse still sweltered, all of the day's desert heat trapped in the bricks. Nabooru was given a bucket of water once every five hours, and she was trying her best to ration the water through the day and night.
She couldn't call Zelda, or Impa, or Saria. She stretched her magick as far as she could, but it just seemed to dissipate in the sky, exploding and sprinkling down like Navi's dust.
There was some sort of shield around the Valley that Nabooru just couldn't break through.
A flicker of movement caught her eye, and Nabooru's head snapped up towards her cell door.
"Hi, Mom," Saanabora snarled.
"Get out my sight, you traitor!"
"TRAITOR?!! I'm the TRAITOR?! I wasn't the one who sacrificed my own brother to the Sages!"
"YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME!!! You can't be my daughter!! My daughter would never give her soul up to become a-a parasite!! A leech!!"
The younger Gerudo roared, her eyes yellowing and her fangs gnashing in the dim light. "Then I know that you're not my mother! My mom wouldn't have sent me to some backward little town where Gerudo hanging is a game!"
Nabooru froze. "What …?"
"Forget it, Ma. Don't tell me you didn't know the Rajas were fighting the Mako villagers?" Saanabora snarled. "Didn't the lovely Princess of Destiny tell you about the murder of Queen Lucora?"
Nabooru couldn't answer.
"Of course she didn't," Saana said visciously. "And I know she didn't tell you that, before that, the queen's own daughter had been killed on Gerudo territory by Hylians? Oh, what else? Oh yeah! When I was eighteen, four of my friends were arrested, tried for thievery--without witnesses and without lawyers!--found guilty and hung!" Saana snarled again. "What happened to those letters I sent you when I was little? The ones that told you about the men who whipped me because I was playing with their kids? What did you do? Did you rip them up? Hide them from Uncle so he wouldn't find out where I was? Y'know, Mom, if you had let Uncle Ganondorf just take over Hyrule like he planned to, neither of us would have thirst in the deserts. Your friends would still be alive … and my baby wouldn't have died like a fleeing criminal."
Nabooru looked up at Saana, her eyes wide with horror. "You had …?"
Saana roared and slammed her fist against the brick wall beside her, sending tiny cracks racing through it. "Yes, Mother; I married a man that I was in love with and we had a daughter--you obviously never read my letters otherwise you'd know!"
"What … what were their names?"
The flare in Saana's bitter eyes seemed to die. Saana stared at Nabooru for a moment, puzzled, then dropped her stare, drawing in a hissing breath.
"My husband was Rashid," she murmured. "He was Lucora's adopted nephew. We married about three years after Lucora named me her successor."
Saana glanced at Nabooru. "My baby … I named her Terra Ceres … Rashid and I called her Terri for short. She was a bright little girl. She liked everyone she met …"
Saana's grip tightened on the dungeon bars. "The Hylians at the Mako Village always hated us. They drove us so far back into the desert that it was basically impossible to get food and water. We always fought at the borders, only to chase them off and give us time to hunt.
"I never did anything to provoke a war. I wouldn't risk it. I loved my family too much--Mother, I couldn't breathe if I was away from them for a day …
"And then Link defeated the Gerudos," Saana said, her voice acidic with rage. "There was an anti-Gerudo riot all across Hyrule." She looked at Nabooru sharply. "I was going to visit you then, Mom; I was going to take Rashid and Terri with me so you could see them. I …"
She laughed bitterly. "I mentioned it once to Terri, and she started running about, packing her diapers and saying she was going to bring 'Gwandma Naboowu' bananas … she actually didn't call them that. She called them 'nanners'. She was so excited to see her grandma…"
Nabooru felt hot tears spill down her cheeks and Saana hid her face in her clawed hands. "Then the Hylians attacked. Oh, Goddesses … they destroyed everything. All of our houses, the well we were digging, our food barn …
"Rashid tried to take Terri and go with the older Gerudos and some children to the hills. But-but the Hylians!! The Hylians caught up with them--" Her voice cracked. "They killed my baby! They killed them all!!"
Fighting off her sobs, Saana sank to the ground, pounding her fist against the floor. "Damn them!! They took my life from me!!
"My tribe and I attacked the village every day … my spies found out that the Hylian men were going to the harbor to buy weapons from a Yashaki merchant. We camped out in the pass and planned to kill them when they returned. They never did.
"We stayed in the pass … we thought they were late, or maybe expecting an attack. Then, the next morning, this band of warriors rode through the pass. Their leader slowed down, halted the band, and looked straight up at the cliffs, straight at me.
"She called us down. She knew my name, and told me hers--Lamia Carna. I remembered Lamia. She said she was returning to free her father, and I-I wanted to help! I wanted to free Ganondorf and punish the Hylians! All of them! Punish them all for what they did to the Gerudos--especially Impa."
Nabooru swallowed hard.
Saana sniffed, then sat back on her heels. "Lamia was … she became so crazed with anger when I told her what happened to my family. She helped me take my revenge." Saana paused, and her lips parted into a fanged smile. "We killed every Hylian there and burnt the village to the ground. I actually would have died there--the Hylian mayor there stabbed me in the back." She shook her head. "Damned coward. He left me to die in a burning house, but Lamia caught him, killed him, then dragged me out.
"She offered to save me by turning me into an Undead. She said that I would be able to live to annihilate my enemies. I accepted." Slowly, Saana stood up.
"I had hoped that you had betrayed Ganondorf only to keep the Hero of Time from killing Gerudos," Saana growled. "I expected you to leap at the idea of freeing him so he could restore the Gerudos to their rightful place … and you call me the traitor!! You aren't worthy of the Gerudos!! You--you're a Hylian lover!!"
With a final inhuman scream, Saana wheeled away from the dungeon door, stalking away, out into the night, to hunt.
Nabooru broke down on her musty straw pallet and wept. She realized that her daughter wasn't truly dead to her.
Saana was just hateful.