Disclaimer: "The Legend of Zelda" names, characters, places, etc. (C) by Nintendo. Original names, characters, places, etc. (C) by me.
Chapter 4: Crossing Sands
"So… hot… need… water…" Zelda mumbled. It had been a week since she, Link and their entourage of Gerudo Amazons had left the fort. Link was a little more accustomed to the hazardous environment of the vast Gerudo Desert, but it was still taxing on him since he hadn't had any exposure to the intense heat in the last five years. But what was even worse was Zelda's constant complaining. Granted, she had grown up in a relatively secure environment, but he thought her training as a Sheikah would have included wildlife survival. He shook his head and kept marching. Like the Amazons, he and the Princess had donned thick wool gowns and had wrapped large cloths around their heads.
"It's to keep the heat out," Nayla had explained. "Otherwise you would lose too much water and die within a matter of hours."
Link caught up to Nayla.
"How long until we reach the border?" he asked her. "I think Her Highness is beginning to melt.
Nayla laughed. "Not too much longer. Another four days or so." She seemed tense all the same, always keeping an eye on the horizon and looking around.
"Four days?" Zelda asked shocked. "Din's Fire I don't think I could handle another four hours!"
Not even noon and she's already complaining, Link thought.
"Don't worry, Link" Nayla said as if she had read his thoughts. "There's an oasis about two hours from here. We'll be spending the night there."+
"Do mine ears deceive me?" Zelda asked excitedly. (Does she eavesdrop on all my conversations with Nayla? Link asked himself.) "A real oasis? With an entire pool of water? I can wash?"
"Certainly Your Highness," replied the Gerudo commander. "Have patience for a little while longer and you will be able to bathe."
Zelda sighed with delight at the thought of washing the grime and sand off her body.
"It won't be permanent, Zelda," Link warned her. "We still have several days of travel ahead of us."
"You're a man, Link. You don't understand that sort of thing."
"I might, if you would be so kind and explain it."
Zelda opened her mouth to say something, but instead she blushed. "I… I can't. It's just something I have to do."
"That's fine," said Link. He was surprised at Zelda for admitting that there was something she couldn't explain.
When they finally reached the little green island on that sea of sand and heat, Link was ordered to tend to the gear while the women were allowed to freshen up, which he did without so much as a sigh, seeing as he was grossly outnumbered.
"I'm sorry about this, girl." Link said to Epona. "I wouldn't have taken you through here if there was another way to get to Rhunia."
Its okay, Epona said with a soft whinny.
"I'm sure the ladies won't mind if you go have a drink if you're thirsty."
And leave you to roam about, without me to keep an eye on you? Not a chance.
"What? As if I would ever dare to peek on Zelda. That is just sick."
What about the Gerudo women?
"Yeah, right. I'd get my crown jewels cut off for even considering it."
Epona gave Link an icy stare. I double dog dare you.
"Not. A. Chance." he said, putting an emphasis on every word.
Oh, you're no fun, Epona snorted and trotted off to the water hole.
Link shook his head, smiling nonetheless.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were talking to that horse," said a voice behind him. Link turned to look at Nayla.
"Bath-time over?" he asked his favorite Gerudo warrior.
"Meh, I bathed about a week ago. I should be fine until we get back to the fortress." She looked hard at him. "So, were you talking to your horse?"
"If you have to know, I was. Epona and I have a strong spiritual connection that helps us understand each other."
"If you say so." Nayla said shrugging. Her view wandered to the horizon. "Not good..." she mumbled.
"What? What's wrong?" Link asked looking out in the same direction. Just where the sky met the ground he could see an undulating and writhing darkness.
"That's a sand storm, and a big one at that. We're not going anywhere anymore today." She walked back to the other Gerudos to give them orders.
"Nayla, wait!" Link ran after her. "When will it... Whoa!" He quickly turned around and shut his eyes fiercely when he came in sight of the pool. He had caught a glimpse of several bare breasted Gerudo women before rushing back to where he was taking care of Epona. He heard the women laugh raucously and wondered what they were planning on doing to him.
"What's the matter Link? Didn't like what you saw?" one of the amazons called to him and more laughing erupted. Link buried his face in his hands and moaned.
The Storm hit about two hours later. Link and Zelda shared a cover with Nayla while waiting for the dusty tempest to subside.
"How long will this take?" Zelda asked.
"I don't know," replied Nayla. "An hour, a day... either way this definitely threw us way off schedule."
"Look at the bright side, Zelda, at least we can get some extra rest until we head out tomorrow." said Link, lying on the ground with his eyes closed an his hands behind his head.
"I guess," she admitted and also closed her eyes.
**********
Link was running. Running away from an invisible enemy that was bound to catch up to him at any moment, From everywhere he could hear the hushed voices of those he cared for, hissing evilly at him: "You are not fit to become a true hero!" "Last time I checked, you didn't want to get married at all. And now you're with her" "Why does the hero wish to lead the life of a common peasant?"
Link kept running. "Get away from me!" he yelled at the non-corporeal voices. The enemy was coming closer. "Leave me alone! I love her! Why are you doing this to me?"
"We do not advocate your behavior," the King's voice boomed. "You are a disgrace to the Land, the People and the Royal Family of Hyrule!"
**********
Link woke with a start, but did not seem able to sit upright. The reason for this was made clear, when he looked at what was holding him down. Zelda had snuck in under his arm and had her head rested upon his chest. Her pale face seemed to glow in the white strip of moonlight that shone through a little crack in the canvas of the tent. She looked very peaceful and innocent as she lay there breathing regularly and seeming to smile ever so mildly. Link smiled as well and closed his eyes yet again, drifting this time into a dreamless slumber.
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For whatever reason it was that drove the Princess's ambitions, she had changed her outfit to compliment Link's green and white Hero's Garment. Link did not address this matter, but nonetheless took it as a sign that Zelda was beginning to accept him again.
Each day was hotter that the one before, if that was at all possible. The caravan trudged along the endless sea of dunes under the constant beating of a relentless sun. Zelda had finally given up complaining, having come to the conclusion that her bickering really was nothing more than a waste of energy, which she needed to continue forward. Link also spoke only when it was absolutely necessary. It was also becoming harder for him to discern between reality and mirages. Images flickered across his eye when his consciousness seemed to drift in and out of the now. With every step he took he wished for the cool and lush green shade of the forest, the wide windswept fields and the clear lake water, which glistened like diamonds in the noon sun. Epona was also breathing harder than usual in an effort to keep cool. Link had spared her the ordeal of having her to carry him, because she was already laden down with as much water from the oasis as she could carry. I was a trying journey on all of them, even the Gerudos, but at least they had the training not to let it show.
"It won't take much longer," Nayla said, wiping a drop of sweat from her brow. "We should make it to the border within the week. That is of course, unless another sandstorm hits. But that's more than unlikely."
"Good," Link wheezed. "I'm getting kind of tired of this desert myself."
"Less complaining, more walking," commented Zelda weakly.
Hark who's talking!Link thought, but kept that to himself.
The days went on and the closer Link got to the Rhunian border, the more agitated he became. But it was not because of the idea of leaving Hyrulian territory, he had done that before. No, it was something much deeper. The horizon, once a sight full of hope and anticipation, now had a foreboding air about it.
As if to confirm his sense of dread, Nayla raised an arm, signaling the party to stop.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Moblin Raiders. A whole pack of them."
"Moblins? In the Desert?"
"They first came from the desert, in case you didn't know," Nayla breathed. She lifted her nose into the air and sniffed. Then she pointed to an inconspicuous seeming mound about fifty yards away.
"I need you to shoot a frost arrow right there," she said. Link nodded and had one of the Amazons hand him a Gerudo recurve-bow. Then he placed an arrow on the sting and whispered something. Moments later, a sphere of glistening ice surrounded the tip of the arrow. He drew it back, aimed and fired. The arrow flew straight and true and hit its mark squarely. But instead of some kind of crunching sound that one would expect when steel meets sand, there was a resounding thud, closely followed by a piercing howl, which was instantly muted by the spreading of the magical glacier. Suddenly they were surrounded. Many brown skinned, man-like creatures with grotesque snouts and large tusks which made them look like unfortunately misshapen boar headed people had them completely encircled.
"Weapons at the ready!" shouted Nayla as the Moblins rushed towards them.
One of the monsters, the leader, judging by the way he wore several ornamental trinkets upon his armor, opened it's snout and grunted in a grotesque mutation of the Hyrulian language: "The Master wants the ones in Green! Kill the others!"
They wielded crude weapons ranging between clubs, iron glaives, stone axes and slings. Link drew his sword and shield, thinking that to be the better strategy against ranged attackers. He charged himself, ducking under an attack and thrusting his blade into the Monster's jaw. The beast howled in dismay, clutching it's would in pain as it fell writhing and twitching to the floor while Link cut down another foe. Their blood was so thick that it did not flow, nor was it red. Instead a viscous black fluid oozed from the gashes inflicted upon them by Link and the Gerudos. Link blocked a stone hurled at him from one of the sling-shooters. He whirled his sword around in a half circle and was promptly parried by Zelda, who had joined the fight. She shot him a quick grin, before lashing out with her own rapier to cut the throat of a Moblin to her right. The enemy gurgled as it's blood ran down it's windpipe and collapsed. Nayla let out an ear splitting battle cry as she unsheathed her two swords and simultaneously cut down three attackers. In a blinding blaze her twin scimitars glared in the desert sun, sending many a foe to the afterlife. She seemed entranced by the rush of battle, yet every stroke of her deadly curved blades had a cold precision within them. Many Moblins were moving in on Zelda, making it more and more difficult for her to move about freely and guard herself from the monsters attacks. Nayla jumped into the midst of the fray to assist the princess. She fought fiercely, but in her zeal to safeguard the heir to Hyrule's throne, she neglected her own guard and thus did not notice the one foe moving in to slay her from behind
"NAYLA!!!" Link bellowed and rushed over to her, cutting down five more monsters in the process. Yet he was not fast enough. The Moblin leader bellowed in triumph as he ran Nayla through with his crude but mighty glaive, sneered at the hero's arrival and raised his weapon yet again, without bothering to remove the Gerudo Captain's already lifeless body from the shaft of his weapon first. Link was raving. His anger knew no bounds. He collected all of his will and called upon the Goddess of Power to feed his vengeance.
"BURN! YOU BASTARD!" He screamed. Without so much as an additional warning his blade burst into flame as he decapitated his opponent. The blood gushed as if it were an oil well. Link turned to the other Moblins and, fiery wrath burning in his eyes, advanced upon them. Shortly after, the skirmish was over.
It was gruesome. Dismembered body parts lay scattered on the sandy desert ground. The black substance stained the desert sands and made them stick to everything. Link breathed heavily, looking around wildly as if wishing for more marauders to kill. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and whirled about to look into Zelda's azure blue eyes. Tears were welling up within them. The fire inside him seemed to slowly die down as he looked at her. He wanted to say something. Something that could properly express what he was going through, but the words would not come to him. Zelda nodded silently and pulled her champion into a tight embrace, her tears now running freely. Link also wept for the young woman.
In old Gerudo Tradition the body was cremated. Since they had no pyre to properly lay Nayla upon, Link once again called upon the fire of Din to do his bidding. The ashes were then cast into the wind, so that Nayla's spirit was free to roam the world or continue on into the afterlife, whichever it chose.
"We must press on," one of the Amazons, formerly Nayla's second in command, said softly. "The desert does not have much patience."
Link and Zelda silently agreed and they all continued their journey to the border.
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"Behold, the True Border of Hyrule," the Amazon exclaimed a few days later. Link stared at the gigantic crevice before him. It was much vaster than the gorge that separated the Gerudo Valley from the rest of Hyrule. There seemed to be no bridge and by the expression Link saw in Zelda's eyes he knew she was not excited about the idea of crossing that thing on foot.
"We must part ways here," the new captain continued. Zelda blanched slightly at those words, but nodded regally nonetheless.
"Both Sir Link and I thank you all for the selfless aid you have given us," Zelda bowed regally, and Link copied her move.
"We trust your journey will be safe. May the Wind of Fortune blow a soft breeze along your path. Farewell Princess." The Amazons saluted and made their way back to the desert. Link and Zelda watched after them until the Gerudos vanished behind the curb of a dune.
"We should make haste," Zelda said finally. "It is still quite a ways to the Rhunian capital and the day of our scheduled arrival draws nearer."
"As you wish, Princess," replied solemnly.
Crossing the Canyon took less time than they ha thought and by the time the sun had set they had reached the opposite end and therefore were within the borders of the Patriarchy of Rhunia. All the while nobody spoke. Then Zelda asked "Are you feeling okay?"
Link turned in his saddle to look at her. "Yeah," he replied bitterly. "I feel just peachy. Thanks for asking."
"Link!" Zelda exclaimed pulling in beside him. "Look at me. You've hardly spoken for the last few days, let alone eaten anything. If you give up now, before our mission has even really started, then Nayla's death will have been in vain. Do you want that?"
Link pulled Epona's reins and looked ashamedly to the ground. "I know. But I can't help thinking that her death was unnecessary. She didn't have to come with us. She could still be alive."
Zelda looked at Link for a while, then placed a consoling hand on his own. "Come on," she said motioning with her head to a forest not far off. "We both need some rest. I can cook something to eat if you like."
Link looked at her with an odd expression. "You can cook?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, I can," the Princess replied calmly. "You just wait and see."
So, that's that for chapter 4! Please remember to read and review. I'm looking forward to your feedback!