Sakura Kaziama: If you could tell me your aim screen name, if you have one, I'll tell you everything you need to know. Haksa was the best I could come up with at the time, but I was 11 then, so I don't know.
Crazy Tomboy: It's hard to teach something that you can't do. If that makes any sense.
Once they all down at the foot of the mountain, Ci-Ci leaned against the cold, hard rock wall. She didn't want to kill this man, and even if she was the one chosen for the job, she still didn't want to go to Termina. She wanted to stay right there. She didn't want anything to change, because, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was deathly afraid of change.
Standing there she looked deep into Matiyan's eyes, thinking that at least she would be with him on this journey, and was then reminded of Lan. If she had to go to Termina, she hoped it would at least be without this little pest. She had just come along and ruined everything. How she despised her...
Ciarra then remembered the old man, the hermit who had told her that she must go to her mother. They would have to go see her mother at the Gerudo Fortress in Termina. Obviously her mother knew something about this wretched man who they were out to destroy. The man who was ruining everything for her and not even knowing it. The man who she already hated...
"Matiyan, I-"
Her voice stopped as she realized that she has not yet told him about the man's prophecy. And so she did, whether she had been prepared for it or not. From her travel to Hyrule with her father as a baby, to her father's death. From the beginning of her times with Malon to the night when she heard the prophecy. She told him everything. Without hesitation. She knew what she had to do, and she did it.
Once she was finished, she paused, making sure she had covered everything. Ciarra was quite sure she had, and was a little embarrassed at how long she had been talking.
"So we have to go see my mother...she's at the Gerudo Pirate Fortress in Termina. That means we'll have to get a boat of some sort, and them we'll be off. I haven't seen her in so long...
"But I do have but one request. I want to go back to get Shadow Fire. I've known him for so long, I practically raised him...he's my companion...I...I...oh..."
Suddenly Ci-Ci stopped her explanations and bowed her head, hiding her face. She had unintentionally remind herself of the times before her father had passed on. That had probably been the third time that day, and, although she knew how much of a crybaby she was being, she couldn't take much more. She didn't want to go to Termina, she had never wanted her locket read, she couldn't stand behind near Lan one more horrible second of her life which was slowly falling apart from its already tattered state. On this quest to have her locket read it had seemed like no one cared for her, y for her locket, and now she was finding out that she probably wouldn't even play an important role in this journey they were about to embark on. And to top everything off, Matiyan hadn't even noticed her attempts to show him how she really felt.
She knew that she'd have to get herself together soon, but now all she wanted was to be held...
"Ci-Ci, are you okay?" Matiyan said quietly.
"Y-Yes Matiyan." She replied, getting better, "ShadowFire is at lon-lon ranch. And I'm not going back through that path."
"Okay," he replied, "I think the guard changes soon so we can sneak by when they change."
They saw they're chance and got over the fence, that is, all except Lan. Ci-Ci didn't want to help her, she thought this was the perfect opportunity to make a miserable journey less miserable. Ci-Ci ran to dodge the guard, but she saw that Matiyan had gone back and got Lan over. She was running when the guard grabbed Matiyan and brought him to the jail.
"This is all your fault!" Ci-Ci yelled at Lan, "If you had never came with us in the first place, this never would have happened! Now, go back to your stupid little tribe, and if never see you again, it will be to soon!"
Lan was shocked and ran faster than a horse to a fountain on a hot summer day. Ci-Ci then went to the village and tried to get Matiyan out. The guard thought that she was with him when he jumped (and he was right).
He grabbed her and threw her in the cell next to him.
"Ci-Ci!" Matiyan said astonished, "What happened? Why are you in here? Where's Lan?"
"She…" Ci-Ci replied, "Left. She said you were a nuisance and didn't want anything to do with you."
"Wow." He said, "She wasn't all that bad. I mean, how many Kokiri do you see with a sword?
Ci-Ci didn't know what he meant. She was feeling a little bad about lying and was going to tell him the truth when a guard yelled, "Ci-Ci and Matiyan, come to the court. You're to be tried for disobeying authority.
Ciarra stood for a moment, not saying a word. She sure as heck wasn't going to court. She knew that they were guilty, and would be charged as guilty. What was so bad about jumping a fence anyway? Why were there even guards there?
Ciarra did realize that she had been a little hard on Lan, but that was the least of her worries at that moment. She didn't feel bad about it all, for what she said had been true. None of this would've happened if she had stayed with her tribe. Although she didn't want to admit it, part of the reason she hated Lan so much was because of Matiyan. She wanted him all to herself, which wasn't something to be proud of as it showed how selfish she could be at times, but that was just Ciarra.
As two guards walked her and Matiyan to the courtroom, plan began to formulate in Ciarra's mind. She relaxed her shoulders so as to appear less aggressive, and the guards loosened his grip on her. Looking quickly behind her she saw their weapons towards the front of the room, lying against a wall. If she could just make a run for it, hopefully Matiyan would follow.
When the time came, she broke away from the guard completely, turning and kneeing him in the gut. Ciarra then slipped past him, hearing the shouts of the guard who had been restraining Matiyan. She hoped that he had seen his opportunity and ran just as she had when the guard's attention had been taken off of him, but she wasn't about to look back. For now, she was only looking out for herself. Her earlier attempts at showing him how she felt had been for nothing so why look out for him now. Of course, if he didn't make it, Ciarra would go back for him. Her conscience wouldn't allow her to leave him.
Without stopping Ciarra leaned over as she passed the wall and grabbed her sword, swinging it over her back, where it was supposed to be. And with that she continued running until she was safely concealed in the forest, only then stopping to rest, sitting down and leaning against the tree. And only then did she look back for Matiyan.
Matiyan was running like the horse that they were going to get. He sort of thought it was dishonorable, but he knew they would never get to Termina in time in jail.
"We… need… to get… a boat." Matiyan panted then paused to catch his breath, "it might be a little expensive though, and your horse, were is it anyway?"
"At the ranch," Ciarra replied, "and, I might have a pay check Malon hasn't paid me yet."
Ciarra felt really bad now for lying to Matiyan. The thought that Ci-Ci had was that she could slide Matiyan thinking she hated Lan (even if she did) by saying she would be useful.
"You know," she said slyly, " Lan might actually be of some use. She is quite small, no? She could reach some thing that you and I can't reach."
"You're right." Matiyan replied, "She can't hate me that much can she? Okay, time to go to the forest. And, Ci-Ci, stay behind."
"No problem." she replied.
Ciarra sat with her back against a tree, waiting for Matiyan to come back, and hopefully with Lan. It wasn't that she felt all that sorry for the way that she had treated the Kokiri, it was that she felt bad for lying to Matiyan.
He was so nice, and had even saved her life...in more ways than he would ever know. Thanks to him she actually had a goal in life, a reason to live. Sure, this seemed a little desperate, maybe even over-emotional, but it was true. He had become her very best friend over this past year, and now it seemed that they were about to embark on the biggest adventure either of them had ever seen.
Ciarra knew not how long she had been waiting, but she heard a rustling in the bushes, and knew that it must be Matiyan. Or she hoped it was...
"Hey, Ci-Ci!" Matiyan said as he popped out of the bushes, " I got Lan and ShadowFire, but Malon said you have to get the paycheck yourself."
"Odd," she replied, "you'd think she'd trust you more than that. Oh well, let's go."
It was a dark day. The sky was gray with rain coming and some bolts of lightning. They were far away from the field, but still as loud as a swarm of rolling Gorons. Malon greeted them with accommodations for the night.
The sleep in a bed was great for all of them, and Ci-Ci was able to get to sleep. The next morning, she got 200 rupees from Malon. They left for the docks and did some business with the seller.
"Well hello there," he greeted, "what's a lad like you need a boat fer?
"My friend here has family in Termina and we would like to meet her." Matiyan said, though not lying, "I think well need a small but somewhat large ship. Only 3 passengers, but we might have 4, 5, or 6 on the way back."
"Well, the hi-land model might be good fer yuse." He replied, "it gots 2 decks and a hold with two 10 foot sails. Yer lookin' at 'bout, 400 rupees.
"Deal!" Matiyan exclaimed, "here you go." Nobody believed it, but Matiyan had saved up 500 rupees! The ship was perfect for the trio, it had the room they needed and it wasn't too big or small. When they set sail they thought of a name that all would remember. "The Lander."
Ciarra stood on the top deck of The Lander, leaning against the railing that separating her from the where she was standing and the ocean below, smothered in shadows and darkness from the night sky. She was beginning to feel more at home with Lan now and hardly objected to her coming along.
She played absentmindedly with the locket around her neck, the locket that had led her into this insane mess. Still playing with her necklace she looked up at the star scattered sky. It was beautiful...simply beautiful. Ciarra felt at home surrounded by the night then blinded by the day.
She could hear ShadowFire happily chomping away at his dinner, even at the distance that was between her and the horses quarters. How nice it would be to be a horse...so carefree, only knowing the feeling of a rider on your back and maybe a few unimportant others.
The sound of footsteps on the wooden deck startled her from her daydreams. Ciarra turned around, supporting herself with her hands behind her on the railing. Just as she had suspected, the footsteps had belonged to Matiyan. They had been too loud to belong to Lan, and besides, she knew that the Kokiri was fast asleep.
"Hello..."she said, not knowing what else to say.
"So, Ci-Ci." Matiyan started, " I was wondering, did you want to go on this journey? Because it seems like you don't like change."
"You're right," she replied, "I hate change. Ever since I lost my father, it was so…hard. I couldn't stand it. Haksa is the man who killed my father. He must have."
She clenched her locket with hatred. She knew that this soulless man made her grief and she already wanted to kill him at first sight. Matiyan looked at her locket and asked: "Who gave you that locket?"
"My father did," she replied, "it was a gift. He said, 'when you're alone, and feel like there is no hope, if you have this, you will never panic over the small things, and have strength in hard times.'
"What about your mother, did she ever give you anything?"
"I, don't know," She stated, "I never knew my mother. She didn't want me to live the life of a pirate, so she went to Termina, to live with her kind."
"Oh my," he started, "that's terrible. My mother and my father are alive, but they work for the king and seem to never be done. I used to live at the castle and what a glorious time it was. I was taught swordplay from birth. Then things got tough when something my parents went away to do something and instead of taking me with them, they dropped me in the middle of the field."
"Wow. What happened after that?"
"I don't remember."
" I might my mother again, but… I… what if she…died?"
Matiyan felt terrible. She was worried she'd never see her again. She then fell into Matiyan's arms. He was kind of astonished and realized she'd fallen asleep. He carried her to the sleeping quarters and he went to sleep himself, knowing they had a long day tomorrow.
Ciarra awoke to the feeling of warm sunlight across her face. At first the rocking motion startled her, but she then remembered where she was. But how had she gotten to her quarters? The last thing she remembered from the night before was being held awkwardly by Matiyan. It was a nice thing to be remembering, and she realized that he had carried her here.
Yawning Ciarra swung her legs over the side of the bunk and stretched quickly before standing up. She made her way to were ShadowFire was being kept and said her "good mornings" to him, afterwards giving him his breakfast and having her own.
Finally, after promising the horse that she'd be back later, Ciarra went out onto the top deck and spotted Matiyan at the wheel. Lan was standing nearby, and Ciarra greeted the girl with a quick wave. Nothing more, and nothing less, a show of indifference towards her. But indifference was better than hate.
Ciarra walked towards Matiyan, unsure of how he would react to her presence after the night before. His eyes seemed to be on the azure sea lain out before the Lander, and so she would have to get his attention.
"'Morning, Matiyan, "she said cheerfully. "Or should I say, 'Captain'". How much longer till we reach our destination?"
"Oh, about two hours till we see the bay, and bout one after that to land. So, how did you sleep?"
"Good, Matiyan. You?"
"Fine. I had a hard time waking, though. Till we see land, maybe you and Lan could get your things and bring them to the top."
"Aye, aye, captain." the girls said.
"You really don't have to do that."
So a few hours past and they came about a league from land. "LAND, HO!" Matiyan cried in a loud, deep voice. The place was great with splendor and wide with beauty. The trio would have named it 'The Great Bay' if that wasn't already its name. The Zora dived out and in to the water without a care on their mind. They at last reached the shore, and jumped on to the sand and carried their luggage on the shore.
"Hello there, newcomers." A boy greeted, "What brings you to this corner of the world?"
"We wish to meet a member of my friend's family." Matiyan replied, "do you know where the Gerudo pirates are?"
"Oh," he replied, "you shouldn't be messing with pirates. They're bad folk and attack merchant ships before they can return fire. They're behind that cove. You've been warned.
Ciarra rolled her bright brown eyes as she patted ShadowFire's nose. He set it affectionately on her shoulder and snorted playfully.
To be honest, Ciarra really didn't worry about being attacked. It never crossed her mind that she probably wouldn't be remembered or recognized as the Princess of the Gerudos. Perhaps it was the workings of the fresh, bay air that filled her lungs and the sunlight warming her air and skin.
Looking over at Matiyan, her eyes brighter than ever be for with her happiness, she spoke out for nearly the first time that morning.
"Don't bother listening to him. If we're attacked, we'll just pull out my locket. It may prove to be useful after all..."
"I always knew that it was useful," Matiyan replied, "but I never thought it would bring us here."
They knew what they had to do but there was a problem: the entrance wasn't there. The three looked with dismay at the door-less cove. They saw a wandering Zora and asked, "how do you get into the fortress?" He told them that a hole in the cove led to it. He gave them a ride on his back to the opening but when Ci-Ci went to go under, she slipped from his back and hit the top of the cove! But Matiyan saw it and jumped into the water. He held his breath and saw Ci-Ci unconscious against the hole. He grabbed her and got the water out of her mouth.
"You saved me," she said after a few coughs, "thank you."
"Just doing what I'm suppose to, now let's find your mother."
"Just doing what he's supposed to do?" Ciarra wondered, not bothering to say her thoughts out loud. It probably didn't mean much anyway.
After her near death experience, Ciarra realized how dangerous a switch in personality could be. She decided that she'd just stay her old, half-depressed self. Things seemed to work much better that way. After all, worrying occupied her mind.
The three companions got off of the Zora's back and climbed up onto a rock. The cove that they were in looks so familiar, yet so threatening to Ciarra. The group would definitely be hard to spot in the position that they were in, but each time one of the guards' patrol boats passed close by them a chill ran down Ciarra's spine.
Matiyan, Ciarra, and Lan started in towards the fortress quite sneakily at first. That is, until they were inside and the guards were less dense, and in the places where the guards were dense they weren't paying much mind to what was happening around them.
Although she didn't remember anything about this place, Ciarra took it upon herself to lead her companions through the maze-like structure. Before long the were crawling through something like a ventilation system, and Ciarra stopped to look through one of the vents. Sitting on an elaborately made chair was a woman, apparently not too old but old enough to have the responsibility of Queen of the Gerudo Pirates.
"Mother..."she mouthed absentmindedly. She started to crawl forward, not thinking much, and the pressure applied by her hand broke the vent cover. With a squeal of surprise Ciarra came tumbling down and landed with a "thump" on the floor in the room she had just been staring down into. Before she could react two guards, female ones, seized her upper arms tight enough to cause pain. Both had swords, and more guards with swords as well stood in front of her, blocking her view of apparently the queen Gerudo.
Once again she was trapped.
"This one looks like fellow Gerudo." Remarked a guard, "if I didn't know better I'd say she's the princess."
Ci-Ci face throbbed with pain. Her arm was scraped very bad and her leg was bleeding. The guards knew that she was Gerudo so they tended to her wounds immediately. The queen then saw her.
"Ciarra," she said, "Ciarra is that you?"
"Y-y-yes," Ci-Ci replied, "yes mother.
"Ciarra, when I found out about your father I thought you died too. Oh, I'm so glad you're back. So, how did you get here?"
"You can come out now," she yelled at Lan and Matiyan, "It's okay now."
The two dropped out one at a time. First Matiyan, then he caught Lan. The two saw Ci-Ci's mother but Matiyan said "Cianna? You…you're the one who taught me in the field."
"Matiyan? Wow, I never thought I'd see you again"
It seemed like a great reunion but then they had to tell them what they had to do now.
"You two...know each other...?"Ciarra said quietly.
Yet she decided to forget it. There were more important matters to attend to.
"Mother...I...there's...someone. Trying to take over the world. I was told this, and many other things, by a man who is thought to be insane, and yet I know he isn't. I know he...sees things.
But that was back in Hyrule. Back where I met Matiyan." she paused to gaze at him, accidentally blushing as she did so.
"And we have to…to work together, with Lan, our friend, to save the world. But we don't know where to begin. We thought that maybe you could help us. And open my locket, too...Besides, I've got problems of my own..."