A/n: Thank you for reviewing. It was very much appreciated. You're comments are very encouraging. We are back to Link in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 3: Troublesome Gerudos

Epona's hooves stepped lightly across the little wooden bridge. The old planks creaked beneath her weight. No one was in sight. The sun rode across the sky from afternoon to evening as Link made his way into the valley. Link had stopped by castle town to buy some arrows before he went to the Gerudos fortress in the desert. It had been nearly seven years since he had been able to go there, and he was thinking of trying his hand at their archery game to see if he still had the skills for it.

Soon the young Hylian came to the all too familiar mountains of the Gerudo home, but something did seem wrong. Is it really possible that Zelda wasn't exaggerating this time? Ever since she had been right about Ganandorf, every time she had a dream she made sure Link checked it out. So now Link was running to the Gerudos, but strangely enough, he felt as though he was forgetting something.

It hadn't been very long since he had seen Nabooro, but he couldn't remember actually going to Gerudo valley since the adventure seven years ago, but now it was too late to turn back. Link had mindlessly ridden into the center of their home, but strangely enough there were no Gerudos in sight.

"Link, I'm scared, aren't there supposed to be Gerudo guards right—MMph!" Navi screamed as she was suddenly caught in a butterfly net. Epona reared, and Link felt several ropes wrap around him. He hit the ground when these ropes grew taut. Seconds later everything became dark.

Link mumbled and groaned. The annoying fairy was poking him again, no. She was shaking his shoulder. Link couldn't take it at the moment. He was too sore and tired from whatever had happened.

"Go away Navi, let me sleep." He said, his voice a little rough from lack of use. Much to his surprise, instead of the squeaky voice of the fairy, Link heard a deep voice that was nearly as rough as his own.

"Who's Navi?"

Link's eyes shot open. His first sight was of a boy of small build, with dark black hair that fell over piercing green eyes. Link backed away, not sure of what to think. The boy too backed away, he was slightly scared by Link's frigidness.

"What were you doing?" Link asked suspiciously. The last time someone had been poking him when he was asleep they had stolen his ocarina, and that was a pain to get back, but that had been a mischievous looking skull kid with a cursed mask, this guy looked innocent enough.

"I just wanted to wake you up, why else would I be shaking your shoulder?" The boy said in his defense.

"For what?" Link continued after a short pause. He wasn't used to carrying on a conversation himself for that long. Normally Navi would have cut in by now… where was that accursed fairy?

"If you didn't get up soon the Gerudos were going to bury you alive, well they would have just assumed you were dead since you haven't moved in nearly ten hours."

"Sorry, I haven't had sleep in a long time, but wait, what? Gerudos?" Link exclaimed, he suddenly realized he was leaning against metal bars. Looking around he found that he and the boy were in one of the jail cells. Link immediately remembered what he had forgotten.

"Curses! When I went back in time I forgot that I hadn't become their leader…" Link said to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing… Thinking out loud… So any way…" Link said roughly, but he couldn't think of anything to say after that, he had never carried on a conversation before, but he didn't have to since the boy decided to break the awkward silence first. He arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Man they must have hit you on the head hard…" The boy said. "Now who is Navi?" he repeated.

"Oh, um." Link said, happy that this was an easy question. "She's my fairy, she normally talks for me but where is she?"

"Oh! Does she look kind of like a little blue fluff ball with wings?"

"Yeah! Have you seen her?" Link asked, actually happy that Navi was safe. The boy pointed to a box that sat in a corner behind Link.

"She was originally in a jar, but she didn't shut up, so they kept putting boxes over her until there wasn't anymore noise." The boy said. "That fairy of yours is inside 25 boxes… I counted…"

Link couldn't think of anything to say. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or sit there with his mouth gaping and his eyes wide. He decided just to sit there because he wasn't sure how his laugh sounded, and he didn't want to scare the person whom he was seemingly stuck with for a while. Lucky for the hero of time, he didn't need to carry on a conversation, for they heard the sound of the Gerudo guards come marching in. The boy signaled for Link to keep quiet, which normally wouldn't be necessary, but he didn't know Link.

"So he's awake." Said the harsh voice of the red-headed soldier. Her voice greatly contrasted the one that awoke after she said this.

"Who Link?" cried a very muffled voice from inside the crates. "LINK!! I'M IN HERE!! bonk bonk IF YOU CAN HEAR ME GRUNT ONCE!!! IF NOT GRUNT TWICE!! bonk IT'S REALLY DARK IN HERE!! LINK??!!?!"

The Gerudo soldiers let out an exasperated moan. The boy decided to say something when it seemed Link wouldn't.

"It's his fairy, I'm sure he would know how to keep it quiet." He said as he pointed to Link. The Gerudo soldier bent down and looked Link in the eyes.

"Is it true? Can you shut her up?"

bonk "—LINK! I DON'T HEAR YOU GRUNTING!!"

They all ignored the last comment by the fairy. Link didn't say anything, but he nodded. His eyes were still a little wide from the concept that they could hear her through 25 crates and a bottle.

"How do we keep her quiet?" The soldier asked as she flinched when Navi continued shouting.

"Let her out…" Link said calmly. "She doesn't do anything besides hover above my head any way."

The Gerudo soldier stared in disbelief for a few moments, but the noise of the fairy was obviously getting close to driving her mad.

"Let it out!" The guard ordered. Two other soldiers appeared and began opening the various crates.

"See, one… two… three…" The boy began, but when he received an annoyed glare from Link he became silent. True, Link did silently count out 25 boxes before the Gerudos finally pulled out a bottle with the bouncing blue fairy in it.

"OH! There you are Link!" She said. They undid the cap and Navi immediately floated over to Link and began floating above his head.

For a few moments the Gerudo soldiers looked close to tears, but then a few commands were barked at them to put away the crates, and they were off doing their tasks and the room was once again empty of the soldiers. The boy then turned back to Link.

"That was amazing." He said.

"What was?

"What was?" Navi and Link said simultaneously. Navi shook in surprise.

"Link you're talk—MMph!" Navi said, but Link grabbed her before she could get too loud. They heard rapid footsteps from above but they settled back down after a short silence.

"I'll talk for now Navi since I'm a lot quieter than you are." Link said in a whisper. Navi shook up and down—her version of a head nod. "Anyway what?"

"Oh," The boy continued. "She had just been so loud during the entire time that you were asleep, and all they had to do was let her out."

Link smiled and Navi blushed slightly, but then she went to rest in Link's hat.

"She does that." Link whispered when the boy looked alarmed. He smiled warmly.

"My name's Arian." He said. Another silence followed this, then Link realized it was his turn to say something.

"I'm Link…" Neither of them shook hands, but Link attempted to curve his lips up into a smile that might not scare him.

"This is my first time here, do you know how we get out?" Arian asked rather jokingly, but they both knew that they should start working on a plan to get out of there.

"I have been captured by them before, but back then, or rather in the other time… never mind… I have been here before but when I was last captured, all of the cells were full and they threw me in a hole so that was easy to hook-shot out of." Link said, he then began to examine the room. He poked his hat. The little blue fairy popped out.

"What is it now?" She asked in a voice quieter than it had been.

"It's time to patrol Navi." Link said, the little blue fairy was very happy to be assigned a task and flew through the bars and circled the room several times. She then returned to Link.

"There doesn't seem to be anything particular about this room, I don't even see a place that you can bomb it. Even if you did get out, you would have to face three guards when you go to your right and two on the exit to your left." Navi said quietly.

"Thanks Navi… that was disheartening, but helpful." Link said.

"No problem Link." Navi said and then flew back into his hat.

"So do you have anything that could help us at least get out of this cage?" Arian asked when it seemed Link wasn't going to say anything. The hero of Time began to search the many pockets that were hung on a leather strap across his chest.

In a few moments he had pulled out several arrows, some bombs, deku nuts and some deku sticks. His better weapons and gadgets such as the hook shot he decided to keep hidden, just in case Arian was not as he seemed.

Link laid all of these things out in a long line without even glancing at Arian. But the boy grabbed his attention as he exclaimed, "Holy crap! How did you fit all of that in your small pockets!"

This time Navi was the one to speak for Link, "Never underestimate the powers of the Kokiri." She said. Link looked up from his work and grinned.

"Okay…" Arian said. "That's cool. So anyway, I think I can use that bomb."

"But that bomb isn't powerful enough to work against those bars or these walls." Navi stated, she then popped back into Link's hat.

"Don't worry, I know. I have a different plan in mind. Just give me a bomb." Arian said. Link hesitantly handed the bomb over to him. Immediately Arian began tinkering with the top. Link's eyes widened and he considered reaching for his shield, but at the time Link expected an explosion the top popped off.

"No worries, I used to build these all the time. I know what I'm doing, but it might take a while to build what I want." Arian said when he saw Link jump. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

Link shrugged and then just began to stare out the bars. Arian didn't care that Link didn't give him an answer since he was too preoccupied with his new project.

A/n: Remember to R&R: )