Chapter 7—Scouting Party
"My lord, where have you been?" the young page asked as Paris rode into the stables. Dismounting, he turned to the page and shook his head.
"Where I've been is my business." Motioning to the horse he said, "Brush him down and give him extra oats, if you would, please."
"Yes, my lord," The page took Heath's reins and Paris left his animal friend there. He rushed across the war camp, ignoring those who called out to him. It was dark, the place was lit by torches around the tents and scattered campfires. He rushed into his own tent, throwing the flap back. It was empty, like he had hoped; his personal page was no where to be found. Sitting down at the portable desk that had been set up in the corner next to his bed, he drew out ink and paper. He barely paused to form the words in his head before he started writing.
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Two Days Later
Savannah sighed as she mounted Shadow, her black stallion. Looking back over her shoulder, she watched six Gerudo follow suit. The sun would set soon; it was already gaining on the horizon. Some of the Gerudo had gathered to see her party off, but most had other thing to tend to.
Abinan walked from the fortress, her spear in hand. Two attendants followed her, like hand-maidens and bodyguards.
One of the Gerudo on the ground held Shadow's reins, so Savannah could bow to the Queen without upsetting the great beast.
"My Queen,"
Abinan stopped and nodded once, with firm resolve and control. "Watch where you tread, Savannah. They are close and will not hesitate to attack your party." She spoke softly, slowly, allowing each word to carry a heavy weight of its own.
"I will, my lady, you have my word."
The queen nodded again. Savannah retrieved the reins and led the six others toward the gate. Their animals walked solemnly out, deliberately. Some of the younger Gerudo, those who knew nothing of bloodshed or battle, leaned over the edge of the gate and waved them on. Some ran along the higher ground with them, cheering good luck and fortune, bidding them to accomplish their goals with speed and efficiency, to return home safely.
One of the youngest girls, no more than eight summers, leaned over the high ground on her belly, her arm outstretched to Savannah as she passed. The child held desert flowers out to her with a bright smile. Savannah, touched, reached out and gently took the flowers.
The child's smile grew wider. "Be safe, my sister," she giggled, then she ran off, joining a group of others who waited for her.
Her simple words touched Savannah. My sister. Could it be that maybe she was not so alienated after all? The foreign thought had her dazed. Maybe she did have a place here, maybe with time she could feel at home. She didn't know. All she knew was that the small child's words and gesture had warmed her, melted her heart. Here she and the others rode to death if they faltered, but the child did not see that. Such innocence.
Soon the fortress no longer sheltered them; they rode in open desert. Once outside of those protective walls, Savannah led her party at a slightly faster pace. They needed to reach the forest territory before dark. The woods where she had first met Paris. That memory pulled at her, demanding her attention, but she forced it back. She could not afford to be caught daydreaming. Not now, not while she held these six lives in her hands.
They rode out to the forest, which wasn't so very far away. Savannah led them along the path, warning about sudden falls and rises, and about the jump along the latter half of the path. She was the only one to speak, and then in only low mummers. She worked hard at keeping away memories, harder than she worked at guiding the party.
Once on the far side of the woods, she stopped them and they set up camp, just as the sun began to kiss the sky, painting red lipstick along the horizon. This would be their base—when the sun had set completely, leaving them in the dark, she and two others would head out toward the military camp belonging to the Hylians. They would spy and report back and if they were spotted they would fight to the death. They would not retreat to report back to Abinan. If they retreated, they would report what they could about the enemy, and that would be what Abinan would go on for the attack. But because spies had been fought, the Hylians would change their strategies in some vital way. It was better by far for Abinan to keep up every front, to have no knowledge, to avoid the power of suggestion that could lead to ruin on ruined plans.
Either they would come and go and no one would know, or blood would stain the ground. Their blood and the Hylians' blood, for they would not be easily slain.
Savannah had to prepare herself; had to root out images and memories of Paris. Thoughts of him made part of her wilt and another bloom. She wanted to see him again.
She shook her head furiously. She stood on the slight hill that looked out over Hylian Field and could see the glow from the camp a few miles away. The night cloaked her, the sunset's last firefly light silhouetting her. Her hands on her hips, she stared blankly at that glow.
Paris's face flashed through her mind, his smile. The feel of his kiss made her lips tingle. His phantom arms around her warmed her for a moment, but when he vanished, she felt lonely.
"We're ready, Savannah." Lea said from behind her.
Savannah squeezed her eyes shut to rid her eyes of slight tears. "We ride out immediately."
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Hyrule Castle
The page burst through the door, breathless and ragged looking. Her chest heaved as she ran through the hall, dodging guards and servants who tried to stop her. In her hand, held high, was a plain piece of paper. Running a sharp left around a tall thin maid, she skidded around to the magician's table.
"My lord!" she nearly shrieked. "An urgent message from Master Paris on the field!"
The elderly magician looked up from the vials he was mixing together. He had a white beard and thinned white hair, wrinkled skin and shaking bony hands.
"Lord Paris, you say?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Yes, Lord Magician. From Master Paris. He said it was most—most important." She gasped out, then handed the missive to the magician.
A tall blond haired woman entered the room at that moment. Without a word, the maids and guards retired. The woman stood tall, dressed in a rich blue gown of softest silk, and was obviously pregnant. Her eyes were a large blue, an inner light shining. Her smile was kind as she quietly thanked each present as he or she left.
"Magius, what's all the fuss about?" she asked when the last had left, coming toward him, taking in the paper his eyes were glued to.
The young page's eyes widened and she suddenly, roughly, bowed, lowering her eyes. "My lady,"
The Queen Zelda touched the young one's head so that she looked up. Zelda smiled for her, and the girl smiled back. Fishing a large golden coin out of her pocket, Zelda placed it in her hand, wrapped her fingers around it.
"Thank you, little one, for delivering your message."
"It was my pleasure, my lady!" the girl exclaimed, taking that as her permission to leave. Zelda, still smiling slightly, went to lean on Magius's shoulder to read the message.
He was frowning as he finished it and passed it on to her. She read it through slowly.
"Oh my," she said when she'd finally finished it. "I did not think such was possible."
"Your Link grew up," Magius said.
"Yes, he did, through the Master Sword, a tool of the Goddesses. How the Gerudo managed to change a Kokiri to one of them…Why would they do such?"
"Hard to say, my lady. But it's obvious that young Paris is worried about the girl."
Zelda glanced at the note again. It was formal enough, but his choice of words… "I worry for her," and "…unfair to Savannah…" suggested that his concern steamed from something other than a professional opinion.
She looked back up to see Magius pulling out potions and mixes, sitting them out before him. Looking at the labels on a few of them, he started mixing. She watched him for a long moment as he worked. "Do you really think you can create a cure for her? A potion that will make her Kokiri again?"
"If I cannot, my lady, then I fear you need to search for a new court magician."
Zelda would have laughed—the thought of banishing Magius!—but he sounded so serious. "You take this matter into consideration with much gravity."
"I do," he barely nodded, his attention mostly on the potion he had begun mixing without hesitation. "The young Paris has requested my help and I intended to give it to him. Now, if you would leave me to my work, Zelda, please, I'd be very grateful."
"Yes, of course," Zelda dutifully moved out of the room, closing the door without noise behind her. She stood there, leaning against the thick wood for a long moment, then decided to search out Link; she needed to speak with him about the matter; it troubled her and so close to her due date, a fretting mind was the last thing she needed. Her two body guards fell into place flanking her as she walked, searching the castle.
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Gerudo Fortress—Abinan's private chambers
"Are you sure it was wise to send Savannah out with them?" Nina asked. The young, second-in-command wad reclining on the chase, a wine glass in her hand. Abinan was leaning against the hearth, one strong arm braced on the stones above her, staring into the flickering flames that threw warmth and light throughout the chamber.
"Yes, I am."
"But she is our best chance against the Hylians; one of them and us at the same time."
"I know. It was a risk to send her out there; the chance of losing her is great, but I fear the Gerudo would have been less at attention under anyone else. Despite what Savannah thinks, she commands a powerful dose of respect here."
Nina inclined her head in agreement with a slight frown. "What if they capture her?"
"We made one of her, we can make another."
Nina's head jerked up at the queen's base comment. "Does she mean so little to you?"
"It is not that she means too little. I am a queen, Nina. I must put my people first in my mind. To our people, Savannah is a tool forged in our own version of hell. She is useful, but dispensable."
Still frowning, Nina nodded. Her queen was right, but it pained her to think about it. Savannah was like a sister, a quiet and distant sister, but a sister to her nonetheless.
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This chapter feels too choppy to me, but I needed to be able to show what was happening on all fronts. If any of you have any tips for smoothing it out, please let me know. Thank you, Thawn716, for your review. On a side note, ZombieDragon mentioned bringing Link and Zelda into the story. I have given it thought as I promised and decided that they will appear later on in the story, to clean up the mess that Paris's superiors have made.