New Faces
'Everything is set in place, young one. It is Time,' a firm voice washed over him like a fierce gale.
He was used to the feeling. It was a chore to hear the words, knowing their meaning. After four years of traveling this way, it was nothing new. His surroundings melted from his vision and blurred together. Everything was black for a moment, and then light began to appear in patches like puzzle pieces forming a bigger picture. Soon, an entire field of luscious, green grass that swayed in a mesmerizing motion revealed itself to him. He stood and took in his new surroundings as a light wind danced its way across the grass to tussle his long cloak.
"Where to begin?" he said to himself. He was standing in a vast, uninhabited field, though he could see the signs of civilization in the distance. That meant lots of walking. Behind him, a little ways away, lay a thicket. He rolled the words of his objective around in his mind.
'There are two catastrophes you must eradicate to prevent the fall of this land. The fall of this land means the fall of mankind.'
His assignment was shorter than usual, though they generally held the same meaning. If he didn't succeed, everyone loses. He couldn't remember when he started caring about however many people his actions affected. The tiny, faraway buildings and the peak of a castle glinted at him from across the plains. He sighed inwardly. It may look peaceful now, but that was about to change.
Something felt slightly familiar to him about the way the wind drew across the green blades of grass and the way the sky smiled brightly down on him. It felt like he had once stood in this particular spot sometime before in his existence. He shook it off.
He began to prepare for his trek by removing his dark traveling cloak. It was far to warm for him to go unnoticed by locals while wearing it, and he mostly tried to stay anonymous at the start of these missions. His armor remained adorned as he rolled up his sleeves, revealing unhealthily pale skin. He reached around to a small pouch that hung from his waist, opened it up and began to stuff his cloak into it unceremoniously.
This pouch was a very special pouch. It could hold an impossible amount of items, no matter its dimensions and regardless of the quantity, it felt no heavier than if it were empty. It was a very useful pouch and was endless in its usefulness. Creating it took a lot of tricky and advanced enchantments, something he happened to have quite a talent for.
He was a sorcerer.
Sorcerers were few and far between pretty much anywhere he went. He also concealed this part of him when he first arrived in a new place. For as many things as he had to hide from people, it was pretty tough to make new acquaintances. Knowing there was no sense staying in the spot he arrived, he took a step forward to begin his laborious trek towards wherever this job happened to lead him.
0000
"Perfect," Link whispered to himself as he placed the last of his belongings onto the last empty shelf. As much as he wouldn't want to admit it, the little comely cabin was quite fitting for him. He wasn't sure how long he was going to stay, but he decided that hurrying himself into a new home wasn't entirely necessary anymore. It was rude, he told himself, to toss aside the sages' gift so quickly. He would utilize it for the time being.
With this new decision, he was packing away his meager belongings into different parts of the room to make himself feel more at home. It was as if he needed an excuse at that point and he was giving himself as many as possible.
As grim as things were at the start of his arrival, Link was gradually growing accustomed to his new life in Kakariko. He was making a living for himself and was making plenty of new friends. He yearned to meet up with his old friends again as well. He made a note to find some time to visit them all. Mido, Malon, Link the Goron, and maybe he could even find a way into the Sacred Realm for his sage friends. With the construction on the new Western Castle, there was plenty work to be done and he made decent pay. However, he knew that because of the toll on the kingdom's finances from the destruction of Ganon's reign, there wasn't much to go around between the workers and the politicians. He, personally, didn't mind the cut backs, but he did hear plenty of arguing among the laborers he worked with. Even though Ganon was gone, he had left his mark. It would be a long climb back to Hyrule's former glory.
With his new job, no rent to pay and only himself to feed, Link was putting most of the money he made away. Everything was beginning to settle down quite smoothly.
He longed for some sort of action; something other than the dreams that plagued him as he slept. It was never the same dream, he mused. Though, they were always centered on the same person; the female Gerudo. He once thought about revisiting the Gerudo Valley just to seek out this girl. Then he thought about how weird it would be to find her and not know what to do next. Awkward scenario's played through his head when it would cross his mind to go searching. He just hoped that the dreams would stop eventually. It was very strange to dream repeatedly about someone whom he wasn't even sure if he'd met. He didn't know what to make of it.
No longer needing them, he finished putting away his traveling bags and packed a small lunch for work. There was a small skip to his steps that morning as he made his way to the Kakariko tavern for his morning routine. He would start out at the Tavern to say hello to some friends, namely a certain bartender named Sally, pick up Epona at the villages' stables, and then make his way to Hyrule Castle Market. It was a rather monotonous schedule but he enjoyed it nonetheless. It was the people who made it interesting. Sally kept him updated on all of the Kingdom's gossip that she overheard from travelers in her tavern. People were always willing to talk with her. She was friendly and kept the ale refreshed.
The most interesting thing she conveyed to him was of the scuffle several nights ago at the village entrance. She had been one of the ones awake when the newcomers arrived but could only watch as some of the elder women hesitantly took over the situation.
"I just stood by holding a light, but from what I could gather before they toted off that poor girl was the two were traveling companions and they were ambushed on the way here. The guy seemed fine but the girl was worse for wear. She was completely covered in old bloody bandages and looked close to death. She never spoke a word. The guy was yelling for someone to help her." She explained to him in a breath. Link listened on intently.
"How endearing," Link referred to the man's actions.
"You mean sickening, right?" Link, taken aback, cocked his to the side in a questioning glance. "The girl was injured but the man wasn't? Well, that says it all right there, doesn't it? It seems fishy for him to not be hurt if they were both ambushed. I think the whole thing stinks." She finished with a huff.
"That's pretty interesting," he had replied to keep with the conversation. Sally just smirked knowingly.
"That wasn't the most interesting part, though. When that injured girl fell off of her horse, I caught a glimpse of her face. I held my lantern up and you know what I saw?" At this Link shook his head. "I saw dark skin. She was from the desert. She's a Gerudo."
Link's eyes widened at this part. A female Gerudo. Bits and pieces from his dreams flashed through his mind along with an onslaught of questions. It couldn't be the same person, could it? He became excited and wanted to know more.
"Did you see what all she looked like? Like what the length of her hair was or the color of her eyes or something?" Link's sudden interest in this new girl was a little off-putting for the bartender who shut up after that and refused to say anything else on the subject no matter how much Link goaded her. He found it amusing that she jumped to jealousy so quickly when they barely knew each other and he came to her doorstep every morning to say hello. He didn't bother her with it any after that.
The mysterious duo never showed their faces which was a slight annoyance to Link as he was itching to meet this Gerudo. It had been more than a fortnight when they made their moonlit appearance and Link was getting antsy. He craved to have more information about the new arrivals, but decided that investigating openly would look strange on his part. He wanted to silently observe.
His lack of effort was proving less than fruitful. The two new faces were still as shrouded in mystery as when he witnessed their advent. He wouldn't stray from his day job and continued his trips to the tavern and the new castle.
Shouldering his pack, he opened the door to an empty room. It wasn't odd for the place to be empty in the mornings, which was why Link visited Sally before work. He would order a nice cold beverage before he had to be out in the heat all day and Sally got her first friendly customer of the morning.
The bell sounded above his head that was triggered when the door tapped the metal and Sally looked up from her the glass she was cleaning. A big grin spread across her lips.
"Back again, hero?" She teased.
"Always," he replied without hesitation. He picked his way across the room, dodging tables and chairs, and seated himself at the bar. Before he could even say anything, Sally reached under the bar and put down his mug of refreshing sweetness before him. She had it already made for when he arrived. He smiled coyly.
"And what if I wasn't going to have the same thing today?" He asked of her. She gave him a stern look.
"Well that's just too bad then, isn't it? You get this," she pushed the mug towards his face, "and there's nothing you can do about it." She glared semi-menacingly at him and he laughed.
"Alright then," he took the beverage and gulped down half of its contents in the first swig.
They were quiet for a while. Link sipped his drink and Sally prepped her bar for the day. Then the girl sighed and rolled her eyes. Link looked up at her.
"I've got some news for you, sir." She said a bit indignantly. Link grinned.
"And what would that be?" He asked of her genially.
"It's about your little Gerudo girlfriend." She said with as much mockery as she could muster. Link rolled his eyes in turn.
"I've never even met her," He chuckled. "I come to see you more often than I do any other girl in the village." She gave him a studious look before she smiled and continued with her gossip.
"She and that friend of hers," she said the word with no small amount of distaste, "came into the pub yesterday." Link tried not to look too interested. "He seems really pushy and she didn't talk at all. They're a strange pair, let me tell you. She's still wearing bandages and the like. It's been way longer than one would need for wounds to heal, if you get what I mean." Link took note of everything she was saying. If the two of them were finally coming out in the open then maybe he could meet this female Gerudo. He'd have to be careful of the male in this situation though.
"Thanks, Sally," he said then left his usual tip for the girl and left. She waved as he closed the door behind him.
Blinking through the sunlight for a second, he then made his way to where Epona rested. When he got there, she neighed impatiently.
"Alright, already, we're goin'," he cooed to her. She was still agitated and wanted to be on the move. Seemed she was just as used to be on the move as much as he had been. Link began preparing her saddle and reigns.
There was a tingling on the back of his neck that he couldn't ignore and whipped around. His eyes focused on a lone figure leaning against a house a little ways away. It was a girl who wore a heavy looking cloak and was staring up at the sky, almost longingly. She seemed relaxed and peaceful and Link couldn't help but stare. She started to bring her gaze around to face him but, with a small burst of adrenaline, he quickly turned back to his horse. He felt he must look quite ridiculous for it was obvious he had been staring. After a few seconds of mindless twiddling, he surreptitiously glanced at the spot again. She had vanished. He paused and stared at the place where she had stood. He had had that strange feeling that he couldn't explain, only connect it to the same tingling he had experienced in his dreams. Like someone was tapping him on the shoulder ceaselessly. He shook himself and continued his task.
After saddling Epona, he led her around a new path designed specifically for horses to the open Hyrule field, and she happily obliged. When they cleared the walls of the path, Epona giddily nudged Link to mount her and they were off.
It was a relatively short trip, especially for one as excited as Epona. He had only ridden for about half an hour before the drawbridge came into view. He pulled up to where he had first found the stables and was saddened to see that Malon was not there. He left his horse with one of her stable hands and re-shouldered his pack to set off for the Western Castle. As he approached, he easily spotted the check-in line. A mildly annoyed expression settled on him when he saw Sheik was at the head of the line checking off names on a rolled parchment. He wasn't normally the one doing this particular job when Link would check-in. Every so often, when he made a mark, the man before him would stalk off in the opposite direction of the site. Were they letting people go?
It was his turn fairly quickly and Link felt a sinking in his stomach as Sheik eyed him from under his blonde locks.
"Link." He said plainly, uninviting. "It's so nice to see you again."
"N-nice to see you, too." He felt exceptionally stupid and weak at his stutter. How did this man get under his skin so easily? Sure, he had been the one to inform him of the unfortunate events that took place in his absence, but was that what really got to him? He noted a glint in the Sheikah's eyes that riled him up all the more.
"I have here, a list of workers who have the next few days off. For financial purposes." He specified. "We have more than enough laborers and not nearly enough income to sort out." Link noticed Tarro, the heavyset man with broad shoulders and a thick jaw line who gave him this job in the first place, was shifting around on his feet behind Sheik in agitation. He tried to make eye-contact with the man. "Your name is on this list, Link."
"Alright." He tried to make this affirmation as nonchalant as possible. He straightened up a little more and looked determinedly, unwavering, into Sheik's eyes.
"Sheik, he's one our best workers," Tarro said as he placed a hand on Sheik's shoulder. The Sheikah gave Tarro a subtle ominous glare. Link was gratified by his boss' encouragement, but then was distracted greatly by something behind the two men he stood in front of.
"He will not be working today, I'm afraid," Sheik said rather unkindly, as if to show that he was the one in charge.
"But," Tarro could only utter one word of his rebuttal before Link swiftly dropped his pack and took off in a dead run.
"Where the devil does he think he's…" Link only heard the first part of Sheik's enraged tones before his gaze fell on to what had distracted Link in the first place.
Suddenly, there was a loud 'Snap' and a lot of yelling from above. Link had his eyes mainly on one target, a thin man who stood under a scaffold, chiseling away at some molding between bricks. He heard the snap and his gaze jolted up towards the yelling, but he wouldn't be able to see the danger until it was on top of him. Link watched the pile of bricks that had been supported by some old rope was hurdling down towards the hapless man. He put on a burst of speed and grabbed the guy by the midriff and slid them both from underneath the scaffold to safety. The resounding and inevitable crash that followed was mere milliseconds after they cleared the woodwork. Link sat up on his hands, breathless, while the man stuttered in shock.
"You alright?" Link wheezed. The man nodded vigorously after a second of bleary blinking. Link got up off the ground, brushed off the dirt from his legs, and offered a hand to the man. He took it.
"Thank you, so much," he said dryly, bewilderment still etched on his face. Link just flashed him a big smile. He looked up and the men on the wall were all gawking disbelievingly between him and the pile of bricks and smashed wood. Link, then simply marched back over to Sheik, Tarro, and the line of workers. He picked up his pack.
"So I have today off then?" Link inquired of the Sheikah.
"Y-yes," it was Sheik's turn to stammer. He gathered his wits. "Tarro," he turned to the man. "Will you oversee clean up and make sure nobody gets hurt? I'll finish with the sign in." Tarro nodded and set off. Then he made his way over to the wreckage shouting commands and people were scurrying to follow his orders.
Link didn't stay to watch anything else unfold so he just made his way back to the stables. Though he felt the thrill of his good deed, and a little joyous at the small amount of excitement he felt, he also felt this day had been a wash. What was he going to do? Maybe he could convince Sally to let him help her work her bar. It was always getting busier from this point in the day until the sun set. He pushed open the stable door.
"Fairy Boy!" Malon's pet name for him wafted through the air again and he smiled as her warm tones filled his ears.
"Hello Malon," he said greeted. Amazingly, her smile grew even bigger, barely fitting on her petite face, as she gestured for him to enter. She had been grooming Epona lovingly and Link had an inkling as to why Epona was so excited to leave that morning.
"You look a bit flustered over there, Fairy Boy." Malon stated as Link watched her work with the mare. He had been in deep thought and hadn't said anything for a few moments.
"Maybe just a little frustrated, but nothing really upsetting." She gave him a look that told him he had better start talking. He sighed. "Things got a little weird at work today."
"Oh?" She egged him on.
"The one who oversees the reconstruction doesn't like me very much. He told me I couldn't work today." He explained simply.
"Why don't they like you? You're the most likable person I've ever met!" He marveled at just how
"I'm not really sure why." He thought for a second. "Maybe because I mistook him for a woman when we first met." Malon let out such a melodious laugh that made him instantly feel a thousand times better.
"I can't imagine why that would upset anyone," her tinkling giggles put him completely at ease. They dropped the subject after that and decided to have lunch together. After appointing another stable hand in charge during her absence, they meandered the food stalls littered around the market and chatted for the better part of an hour. He was feeling very comfortable in her presence and almost wished she would not return to work. He knew that was selfish of him, and so did not protest when she professed her need to go.
Epona wasn't as excited to leave. She would never be difficult with him but he did notice an air of melancholy about her. He felt bad for the mare. He turned to Malon who had helped him finish saddling up and handed her Epona's reigns. She blinked.
"I think she misses you a bit," Link said to her. She smiled warmly. "I think I'll walk today. It's beautiful outside." He hitched his empty sack a little higher on his shoulder, patted Epona on her auburn neck, and made to exit. Epona trotted after him for a step and he turned right into a tongue to the face. He laughed as he petted her behind her ears.
"You two have fun now," he called as he left the stall. The fair voice that followed him out kept his grin firmly in place.
"Come visit me again, Fairy boy!"
...
The walk back to Kakariko was definitely a lot longer than he was used to. It didn't bother him though. The time alone was good for him to sort out his storm of feelings. His thoughts dwelt on his most recent dealings with Malon and Sheik.
Malon. She was such a wonderful person. He loved everything about her, from her smile to her flowing red hair. Her personality was beautiful even. He could feel himself become more and more attracted to her presence as the days wore on. He wouldn't deny it. So what could he do about these feelings? He honestly had no idea what to do about anything. He liked it when his thoughts centered on her, but sometimes, he just didn't know what to think about her at all.
Then there was Sheik. He had no idea what was going on between the two of them. Sheik obviously had a hatred for him that he could not explain. In turn, Link really didn't care much for the guy either. How this bad blood started he simply could not figure out.
As the sky started to show signs of twilight, Link's mind wandered onto other matters. His dreams were among them, along with the grim possibility that the Seal of the Sacred Realm that kept Ganon contained could break. It sickened him with worry that he could do little about this situation. He felt like he was dragged into something that he had no control over. That, or he was dragged into it because he had the answers. He just couldn't figure out what any of it meant. Zelda and Ganon were both gone, but they still managed to haunt his every step. Since Impa last visited him and gave him the grave news, she had yet come to him with any more news. He didn't know how to contact anyone from the Sacred Realm either. He was in the dark.
His dreams, he felt, were connected to this new development. He felt like they were trying to tell him something that he very much needed to know. He could glean nothing of interest from these visions except that Gerudo girl. He didn't know how he was connected to her but he wanted to meet her if she existed. Maybe she had some small piece of a puzzle that would help him figure everything out. She never showed her face though and that disheartened him. Kakariko's entrance came into view during his musings and there was a soft glow that emanated from the steps and over the high rock walls into the darkening sky. He was only a little tired from his long trek but glad to finally be back.
Since he had put an end to Ganon's reign, vendors from all across Hyrule, even some farther than her borders, would gather in the busier towns. Those who couldn't fit in the ever bustling Hyrule Market, or those who simply liked the town setting more, occupied much of the once-baron entrance to the small village of Kakariko with many stalls filled with exotic goods. With these new travelers coming to town, more buildings were built to accommodate them. The small town community becoming quite the social gathering place.
The stalls that lined the village entrance, as he had guessed, were the source of the lights. Everything and everyone were spirited with the many social activities available. He was in good spirits because of it all and was happy for the small distraction from his earlier brooding. He began to peruse the different types of stands, fascinated with all of their weird contraptions and inventions.
Then he saw her. She was there, right next to him, just peering over at the different shiny objects that were on display. Her cloak had vanished and she wore an unappealing tunic that was overly large for her. Her skin was dark, but not as dark as the Gerudo he was used too. Her dark auburn hair lay in short tufts that covered her ears and a portion of her face. Just as he stared, completely entranced with her miraculous appearance, she reached up and brushed the part of her hair that covered her face and revealed her ears. He was taken aback. They were pointed. Gerudo didn't have pointed ears.
That was about the time that she noticed him staring at her. He was being completely obvious about it and felt kind of abashed at her staring right back into his eyes. They didn't break. She looked back with a certain determination, like it was a competition to see who could hold their gaze the longest. She had the most interesting green eyes he had ever seen.
"Marickiya," a shout rang out that made both of them start. A man came up to her with a scowl on his face. 'What are you doing?" he asked of her fiercely. She blinked a couple times and he turned to see what she was looking at. He spotted Link and his eyebrows furrowed even more. Link's own eyebrows rose with curiosity. "Who's this?"
"We just met," Link offered. The girl gave him a searching look and he flashed her a small smile. "My name's Link."
"I'm Marickiya," she said. "This is Jerais," she gestured at the guy with the mean face which seemed to deepen with each passing introduction.
He whispered to her loud enough for Link to hear. "Don't speak to him." She scowled.
"I can speak to whoever I feel like, thank you," she said loudly. He rolled his eyes.
"I told you not to wander off on your own. You're still recovering."
"I am completely fine." She tried to say quietly, but it was his turn for raised voices.
"No you're not! You always do things on your own without telling me." People were starting to stop their random tasks to listen in on the loud discussion. Marickiya was looking rather uncomfortable.
"Jerais, really, I'm alright. You don't have to worry so much-" he cut her off.
"You never listen to me! Do you even care that I'm doing all this for you? All you do is take and take and never give anything in return. I don't even know why I'm doing this for you anymore." It was then that he began to notice the onlookers. He clucked his tongue in annoyance and grabbed the girl's arm.
Link was on him in a second. He had the man's wrist in a tight grip as he gave him a dangerous look. Jerais stared back at him with hatred in his eyes as he let go of the girl. He sneered maliciously.
"Tch, you're in luck, girl. Looks like you've got yourself a new servant to cater to your every need."
"That," Link squeezed the man's wrist and he yelped, letting go of the girl's arm, "Was uncalled for." He pushed the boy away from him. He started to make his way towards the village entrance. Then he dealt the last bit of damage.
"I'm done. Keep those clothes, wench, they suit you better." Then he turned to leave as most of the vendors and their customers became quiet. Link scowled as the boy's back disappeared in the direction of the stables. He turned around to speak with the girl again, but she had vanished. He didn't blame her, that had been quite the scene. He turned towards the vendor at which she had been originally been spying at.
"Did you see where that girl had run off to?" The man pointed in the direction of the village houses. Link thanked him and was off. He was searching in an alley created by two taller buildings when he spotted her. She noticed him and made to flee.
"Wait!" he called out to her. She stopped. He didn't really know what to say after that.
"I don't need pity," she said in a poorly concealed choked voice. She kept her back turned to him. He felt his heart go out to this girl. It was more than that though. The tapping from his visions had begun when their eyes first met and he felt a tingling on the back of his left hand. Something was urging him toward her.
"How about a friend?" The words escaped from him before he could hold them back. Not that he would have; their effect was immediate. She sniffled softly and slowly turned to face him. He moved closer to about arms length from her. Then, after a short silence, quietly she said,
"A friend would be nice." She put her face in her hands and attempted to wipe the tears away, but they wouldn't let up.
"Are you alright?" he asked of her. She smiled sweetly at him.
"I'm fine," then her face fell as more tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Would you like to sit down? Maybe we could go to the Tavern?" She made a sort of choked giggle in response.
"I'd rather not. I'm too much a of right mess." Just as he thought, she was rattled from the situation. She plopped herself down on the grass and leaned against one of the buildings they sat between. It was completely dark then and lamps began to fizzle into existence all around them. He walked over and sat across from the girl.
"I'm sorry you got dragged into that," she was still trying to clean her face of tears. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I shouldn't even be here," She tried to keep her voice steady at the last part. "I screwed up."
"You didn't screw up," he tried to say. She shook her head.
"I shouldn't have let it get as far as it did."
"What happened?" Link offered. It was a simple nudge, not too forceful, he hoped. She rolled up her sleeve to reveal bloody bandages. Link scowled.
"He didn't do this," she guessed at what he was thinking, "I... came from the desert."
"I had guessed. From the Gerudo Fortress?" She gave a low somber nod. "I noticed your pointed ears. I..." He chose his words delicately. "I don't think I've seen many Gerudo with them."
"You're pretty astute," and she gave a small, sad smile while tucking her hair behind her ears again, their points showing proudly.
"I am both Gerudo and Hylian." Link had also guessed this.
It was all very strange to Marickiya that this stranger showed such an interest in her. She hoped that he didn't have any intention of pursuing her. She didn't have the energy to reject another false suitor. Then again, there was something about him that made her feel at home and she couldn't explain it. She had never really experienced this feeling before. It was comfortable. For the time being, she decided to just sit there and talk. She didn't have anyone else that she could do that with anymore.
"Have I seen you before? I mean, I've been to the Fortress." She looked him up and down.
"No, I don't think so. Wait…" she had a contemplative look. "I remember there was some sort of announcement about how we were not to bother some guy clad in green. That wasn't you, was it?" Link's quirky grin was his response. "How did you pull that off?" her tears were forgotten temporarily and he took that as a go-ahead.
"Oh, you know, boasting my toughness and amazing skills with a sword." He flexed his arms to her at the toughness part. She looked quite unimpressed.
"Really?" she asked simply. Link dropped his arms with a plop.
"Yes 'really'," he could feel the heat rise in his face a little at her question of his strength. "I set free those carpenters who were imprisoned there. I had to best your greatest warriors- Why are you laughing?!" She was laughing in earnest and he thought that his dignity was a small sacrifice to get her to smile.
"Those guards weren't our 'greatest warriors," she said after she recovered from her giggling fit.
"What do you mean? They were greatly skilled," he still wanted a little credit for the effort.
"Well, yes. All of the Gerudo are trained. We have a sort of grading system, and those who received the lowest marks receive guard duty."
Link had been beaten.
"I only fought your weakest warriors? Man," he trailed off, to which Marickiya began to laugh anew. "I honestly have no idea why they let me in then." She stopped her chuckling to ask
"Who exactly is 'they'?"
Link had to think back for a moment. He pictured her in his mind. She wore the traditionally Gerudo garb in a green that was darker than his own tunics'. Her hair was the most interesting as it was braided extremely elaborately. He stopped in his thoughts as he remembered the one dream-vision he had on the first night he arrived in Hyrule. He realized that the two Gerudo women her saw were Marickiya and the one who gave him permission to roam the Fortress. For the moment, he wouldn't ask her about it. So he described the woman to her.
"Do you know her?" he asked. A warm smile spread across her face.
"Nalyra," she stated simply. "Naly. She was my best friend. She probably let you in as a sign of her power to the other authorities. The kind of butt heads a lot."
"I suppose that makes sense." They became quiet for moment. Then another thought crossed his mind.
"I've heard rumors," he tried making his statement light and like he didn't believe it himself, "That Gerudo use to come to Hyrule looking for boyfriends. Wouldn't that make most of the Gerudo half Hylian as well?" He was dismayed to watch her warm features turn sullen.
"Not for a long time." The words were clearly causing her discomfort. "It was made a taboo to mate outside of our race just before I was born." Link found this confounding.
"I thought the whole Gerudo race were all women." As he said this, a revolting revelation dawned on him.
"No," she said, a sickened look was added on top of her sullenness, "There is one male Gerudo that is born every one hundred years. He is the leader of our race." She confirmed. The obvious went unsaid. Link, even though he had visited the Fortress few times before, would have never guessed that was the custom there. He knew Ganondorf must have been the one behind the proclamation. Did his depravity never cease?
"I'm sorry," was all he could say. She huffed out a little breath.
"It is nothing to be sorry for. It can't be helped." She folded her arms and stared at the ground. "I can't go back anyway, so it doesn't matter."
"Why can't you go back?" Link wished he hadn't asked her once the words were free of his lips. She tucked her knees up close to her chest and her eyes bore even harder into the grass at her feet.
"I was banished." She stated. "I didn't look like a Gerudo. What right did I have to be there?" He didn't press for more to be said. They were both quiet and almost tense.
"So," he tried to ease conversation back onto the table. She lifted her head to look at him. There was a lot of pain hidden in her eyes. He made a decision. "Now... You don't have a place to stay." She nodded slowly as she watched him form his next words. "I own a house. It's very spacious. There's a loft. If you wanted, you could stay there," he trailed off as he watched her face for a hint on an answer. Then…
"We just met. You barely know me," she dropped her arms and fell into a cross-legged position.
"I know. I just thought it would be nice to offer." She looked him up and down for a second time that night as if sizing him up. "You don't have to take it. I just thought I'd lend a helping hand to a new friend." Her eyes lit up when he said it like that. She thought to herself for a moment.
"I don't have any money," she tried to explain, but he shook his head and dismissed it. Her eyes were glistening. "I'll try and find some work so I can get out on my own." She said. He smiled.
"Sounds good to me. Let me show you my house," he stood and brushed off the back of his legs.
"Alright," she stood also and looked down. "Can we stop by the inn I was staying at to get my things?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied without hesitating. She relaxed her shoulders and her eyes took on a brighter tone.
"Thank you so much, Link," she said and he turned to smile at her.
"No problem, Marickiya." She beamed at this.
"My friends call me Mari."