Hello everyone! It's Scrap, as always. Thank you for waiting patiently for this chapter. It took a long time to write, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. So thanks again for waiting. I hope you enjoy it, it's somewhat different from the others. Anyway, I'll see you all in the final chapter. There's one more to go.
"Let's see." Nabooru mused, looking around the chamber at the other sages. Not an impressive lot, that was for sure. It didn't matter to her, however. She wouldn't be here for long. "I count six including me."
"Lucky me, no waiting!" She exclaimed, as the others approached. "Okay, baldy, let's get it over with, I want to be back to the desert soon to clean up the mess."
The old man in the robes with the unfortunate lack of hair stared in surprise and confusion. She waited for him to start the process, but there was nothing. She gestured for him to get a move on, but he only looked to the other sages, who shrugged.
He must have been in charge. After all, old fat guys were the definition of 'sagely', or so she'd been told. He was the one who looked the part, anyway. Among him were a kid in green, a bulky rock thing, a snobby looking fish girl, and some kind of ninja. An interesting collection, sure, but it she hardly had time for intr. She was the sixth of six sages, which meant she would be here for only a few minutes at most.
She examined the chamber itself as well. Nothing. A big, empty space with nothing in it. No artifact to pilfer, no ancient treasure to uncover. Just a big empty room for waiting in. Everything Nabooru found slow and boring.
"I..." Baldy began, finally breaking his silence. "I beg your pardon?"
"Oh, good, a slow one." Nabooru quipped, sarcastically. She had no patience for messing around. "There are six sages in here, and it takes six to stop Ganondorf. So let's fire it up, stop him, and go home, there's a lot of things I need to take care of." She suggested, nonchalantly.
"'Slow'?" The old man boomed, taking Nabooru by surprise. "Such insolence! And from a stranger, no less!" Nabooru took a step back. Perhaps she should have chosen her words with a bit more care. Then again, what was this ancient fossil of a man going to do to her?
She shook that question from her mind immediately. She knew more than anyone, the elderly were the most dangerous of all.
"Rauru, please, your temper." The Ninja woman begged. The old man caught himself and cooled off. Here was someone Nabooru could get behind. Clearly a woman of action by the armor she wore. Nabooru saw herself getting along with her.
"My apologies." The old man offered. Apparently his name was Rauru, but Nabooru preferred Baldy. She was about to accept his apology, when she noticed it wasn't being offered to her, but to the other sages. Fair enough, Nabooru thought, she didn't really need an apology.
"She's right though, right?" The Goron, who Nabooru had lovingly designated as Big Guy, asked Baldy. He had an unassuming face, like a child. "We have six sages now, we can seal Ganondorf away!"
"Right now?" The kid in green chirped. She seemed nice enough to Nabooru, if a little innocent and childish, but looks can deceive. "Let's get him!" She yelled, punching the air in front of her.
Nabooru was already beginning to like these people. They cut right to the chase, just as Nabooru herself would. She was almost sorry this would be over so quickly, she would have liked to get to know them a little bit better.
"I'm afraid what you're suggesting is impossible." Baldy said, bringing a frown to everyone's face. Even Fish Princess seemed disappointed, and she hadn't even said a word about it. Nabooru pinned her for the quiet type.
"Why's that, Baldy?" Nabooru inquired, but the only response was an irritated leer from the robed old man. Evidently, he didn't appreciate the nickname.
"At present, Ganondorf is far too powerful to seal away." Rauru explained. Nabooru groaned. She should have known. "We must bide our time until the right moment."
"When will that be?" Fish Princess finally spoke up. The others were as curious as she was, as all eyes had turned to Rauru, who continued his speech.
"When Link has weakened the Demon King sufficiently, that will be the time to strike." He droned on. Nabooru chuckle at the title Ganondorf had gotten for himself. "However, Link will need time to gather his courage and strength. We may be here for quite a while longer." He stated.
Nabooru moaned in protest. She had no idea what she was getting herself into when she awoke as a sage, but now it seemed apparent that it was going to be a lot of waiting. On the bright side, she'd have some time to acquaint herself with the other sages.
"Well, if we're going to be stuck here together, I should probably introduce myself, hm?" Nabooru sighed. "My name is Nabooru. Sage of Spirit. Now, that's N-A-B two O's, an R and a U. In case you decide to write it in the history books, Baldy." She taunted. She was knowingly confident and rash. She didn't concern herself too much with the feelings of others. She usually kept to herself, a lone wolf only seeking out others when the cooperation would be beneficial. Or when she was stuck in an ancient chamber with nothing else to do.
"Very charming." Rauru groaned, unimpressed. "I am Rauru, Sage of Light." He stated plainly. Nabooru was equally unimpressed.
"Good to meet the man I've heard so much about." She said, sincerely, shaking his hand. He looked up at her with mild surprise. She was slim, tall, and muscular, where he was short, old, and chubby.
"You've heard of me?" Rauru asked, genuinely surprised. Nabooru shook her head and laughed, causing Rauru to twitch a bit in frustration. She decided it would probably be wise to lay off of him at that point, she didn't want to be stuck with a crotchety old man for a few days.
How about you, Big Guy? You have a name?" She asked the Goron across from her, whose gaze shifted from Rauru over to her. She raised an eyebrow at his vacant expression. She wondered if this thing really understood her.
"Oh, uh, sorry," he apologized, for some reason that Nabooru couldn't really understand. "They call me Darunia, I uh... I'm chief of the Gorons, and Sage of Fire." He said, slowly and quietly. Nabooru looked him over, concerned.
Nabooru took a step forward and Darunia took a step back. She squinted at him, and his eyes darted around the room. He was the biggest creature here, but right now, he seemed very small.
"Do I intimidate you, Big Guy?" Nabooru interrogated, as harshly as possible. She took another step forward and the Goron froze in his place. The others simply observed silently, or speechlessly. It was hard to tell.
"You..." Darunia croaked. "You do right now." He said with hesitation. Nabooru stared into his very soul, narrowing her gaze. She remained like that for a few moments before bursting out in rambunctious laughter.
"Aw, you're just a big softy, huh?" She said, giving him a friendly pat on the arm. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tease you. Not too much, anyway. I like you!"
Darunia breathed a sigh of relief, as did the other sages. Apparently they'd never seen Darunia in such a tense situation, they had no idea what to do. Nabooru found the whole thing amusing, but she wasn't really certain the others agreed.
"Good, I like to keep things civil." He said, smiling. Nabooru laughed again and dismissed him.
"Clearly." She cooed, sarcastically. The Goron must have picked up on her tone, because he seemed taken aback.
Next, she kneeled down to the tyke in green, who was smiling cheerfully at her. She didn't normally care for kids, but historically, kids in green had proved to be valuable allies to her. She returned the child's smile politely.
"Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing! And what's your name?" Nabooru asked. The little girl chuckled and blushed at the compliment, which only made her look cuter.
Nabooru had a soft spot for kids. There were hardly ever any children in her village, new Gerudo's were born only every few years. Her tribe was small, and most of them were grown. His made children a rarity where she came from.
"I'm Saria! Kokiri Sage of the forest!" She announced happily. The Gerudo looked at her, surprised.
"Kokiri?" She asked. She had heard of the Kokiri. A race of children who never grew old. "Maybe you should be calling me 'little'!" She laughed, causing the Kokiri to beam in delight.
"How come you're all friendly with her?" The Goron whined. Nabooru turned to him and scowled. She had already forgotten this Sage's name, but she secretly appreciated the way he spoke his mind.
"She's cuter than you, Big Guy." She stated, like it was some sort of objective fact. For a moment, the sage of fire seemed offended. In the next moment, however, he displayed more of a thoughtful expression, before finally nodding in concurrence. It seemed the two sages had found something they could agree on. Still, she dropped the conversation. She knew she had already succeeded in annoying him.
"So who's this?" Nabooru said, shifting her gaze to the Ninja woman that matched her height. The woman exhaled as if she had to prepare to talk to others. Nabooru shrugged it off.
"Impa, Sage of Shadow, last of the Sheikah. It's a..." She paused, looking to the others. Fish Princess gestured eagerly for her to continue her introduction. "Pleasure... to make your acquaintance, Nabooru." She continued through gritted teeth.
Nabooru shook her hand. She had a tight grip and rough, callused hands. Nabooru guessed she was some sort of warrior, evidenced further by the armor she wore. Nabooru knew plenty of woman warriors back home, but they emphasized grace and style in combat. Impa seemed to prefer function over form.
"Wow," Nabooru cooed, "If Big Guy was intimidated by me, I'd hate to see how he reacted to you." She said, mostly as a compliment. Impa glared at her so coldly, it made the desert sage anxious.
"He reacted pleasantly." She hissed. Nabooru could hear the Goron chuckle behind her. "Perhaps it was because I held my tongue instead of throwing insults at everyone in the room."
Impa's eyes seemed to bore through Nabooru and attack her very core. Her smile contorted into an unpleasant shape, and she shrunk into herself. There were few that could intimidate her, but the list grew by one name that day.
"Yes, uh..." She muttered, hesitantly. "Perhaps it is." With that, she moved on, as casually as she could manage. As she walked, she could still feel Impa's cold leer locked on her.
"I'm Princess Ruto, of the Zora people. Sage of Water. You can call me 'your highness'!" The Zora winked. Nabooru liked this one already, though she would never address someone as royalty. Not since the last one.
"You know, when I first laid eyes on you, my head screamed 'fish princess'. How's that for intuition?" Nabooru laughed, and the two grinned. Some of these sages were more tolerable than Nabooru expected. Perhaps her stay here wouldn't be so bad after all.
"My beauty is known worldwide," Ruto responded with a demure laugh, "It's no surprise that-" Ruto cut herself off in the middle of her sentence and the gentle smile faded. "Fish Princess? What do you mean Fish Princess?" She asked, emphasizing the word 'fish'.
Ruto put her hands on her hips furiously. Nabooru sighed. She had no idea her comment would be taken so personally. As far as she was concerned, it was a completely tactful thing to say.
"I mean 'fish princess'." Nabooru defended herself innocently. "I mean, that's essentially what a Zora is, right? A fish person?"
"Anyway," Saria interjected, no doubt attempting to distract the two and prevent a potential, inevitable argument. Ruto held up a hand to hush her, then held a finger in Nabooru's face the way one might if they were lecturing a child. Nabooru was not intimidated.
"I am no more a fish than Darunia is a rock!" Ruto testified. Nabooru chuckled to herself in the face of the coming storm, which only served to anger Ruto and confuse the others. Confidently, she waved a hand toward Darunia, casting everyone's attention to him. The Goron seemed anxious as all eyes fell on him.
"Have you met Darunia?" She asked Ruto, suddenly recalling the Goron's name. "I'd say he's more rock than man!" She laughed, much to the chagrin of the Sage of Fire.
"How dare you?" Ruto seethed. Nabooru rolled her eyes at her adversary's righteous attitude. She may have acted like a princess, but she was a child. "Slinging insults as if you know anything about any of us!" She defended.
"If Darunia is more rock than man, then you're more nose than woman!" Ruto quipped. Nabooru tensed as Ruto's voice cut the very air itself and bit hard upon Nabooru.
The women of the Gerudo were known for their exaggerated features. The nose was especially apparent. There was no Gerudo in the desert, female or otherwise, who did not proudly sport an extended proboscis. Nabooru knew her nose was a thing to behold. Insulting such a feature was unforgivable.
"Alas," Nabooru cried, poetically, "we could marvel at my colossal nose all day! But it will never measure up to the size of your inflated ego!" Nabooru spat. The princess winced, balling her hands in to furious fists. Clearly, Nabooru's words had stung her like a swarm of angry bees. She relished in the knowledge that she had outwit such a narcissist. Perhaps it would take her down a peg.
"I've heard enough!" Impa interrupted, stepping between the two just as Ruto's retort began to leave her lips. Nabooru was thankful someone had taken her side, even if it was a terrifying warrior woman. Impa would calm Ruto down, surely. But this, to Nabooru's great surprise, is not what occurred. Instead, Impa turned to face Nabooru, staring her down in the same cold way.
"I will not stand by and watch you insult my fellow sages." She said. She was shortly joined by the other sages, who made it very apparent where their loyalties lay. Even Saria, who had responded rather well to her, seemed to arrive in support of the others. Nabooru looked up at the group in irritation.
"You're out of line, Gerudo." Darunia threw in, apparently abandoning his fear of being insulted. Nabooru scoffed at him. Apparently there was strength in numbers for the Goron people.
"I never meant to insult her!" Nabooru argued. "She simply took what I said too personally." The others did not seem convinced. Nabooru thought this whole thing was absurd. They were not children, with an exception or two. Why did Ruto need support from her friends, as if Nabooru was a schoolyard bully? The whole situation was a bit too warm and affectionate for the Sage of Spirit.
The others did not accept her arguments, and finally, Nabooru became fed up. Of course she never meant anything personal to any of these people. How could she? She didn't even know them. She just spoke very rashly. It was how she behaved since she was a little girl. If the others couldn't handle the odd curve ball thrown at them, they were far too sensitive to combat Ganondorf.
Nabooru sulked bitterly back to her pedestal as the others watched her with fire in their eyes. She sat with her back turned to the others, staring out into the pale void that surrounded the chamber. It was all the reassuring she needed, staring out into the nothingness. She imagined herself drifting in solitude in an endless sea of emptiness. It soothed her and allowed an escape from the frivolous worries of the real world.
She had gotten a bit moody since the argument occurred. Usually, something so trivial wouldn't have an effect on her. She was extremely apathetic when it came to the affairs of others. Even so, she found herself annoyed with the other sages. Maybe it was because they had all come together to voice a unified disdain, or perhaps it was simply because she was stuck with these people, and couldn't simply walk away. Either way, what irritated her the most was being unable to tune out the banter from the others.
"Thank you, all!" Ruto exclaimed, cheerily to the collection of sages that surrounded her. That voice grated on Nabooru's nerves. The others all gave her words of support and friendship.
"Of course!" Saria replied. "We don't allow bullying here." She said, as if Nabooru was no longer nearby. It wasn't a very large chamber, there was no keeping secrets from one sage to another. It was even built like a circle, so that one sage could see all the others from their pedestal. This encouraged discussion between them. Nabooru smirked when she imagined the original purpose of this chamber, built before history, and compared it to the way it was being used now.
"Let's all just take some time to relax," Darunia suggested, "we're all a little riled up." He said. Nabooru could feel someone eying her from across the chamber, but she didn't turn to see the culprit was. She didn't care.
Someone whispered something to someone else behind her, and the Gerudo tilted her head to make sure they knew she was aware of it. For a brief time, there was no speaking. Then the eldest sage cleared his throat.
"She is a Gerudo, part of an-" he began, but he was cut off before he could continue by the frantic hushing of Saria and Ruto. It seemed the others wanted to keep the conversation low.
"Rauru!" Ruto scolded. "Now she knows we're talking about her!"
Nabooru laughed and gave an indifferent shrug, drawing the room's focus to her. "I knew you were talking about me by the whisper, Princess." Nabooru was far too clever to have the wool pulled over her eyes in such a way.
Ruto huffed and muttered something about eavesdropping, which only served to make Nabooru laugh again. She was having difficulties determining whether she thought Ruto was the most amusing or the most irritating of the sages.
"I do not believe in keeping secrets." Rauru explained, resuming his speech. "Information is meant to shared, and it is most beneficial in when all can partake." He said, neutrally. Seemed he and Nabooru had differing views on secrecy. Either way, Ruto groaned and told him to keep explaining.
"Our new... associate Nabooru," he resumed, "Is a member of the desert tribe of the Gerudo. They are an all-woman tribe known for their dark skin, golden eyes, red hair, and... Slightly larger noses." He stated, nobly attempting to remain neutral on a topic that caused quite a stir in recently.
Nabooru was thankful that the old sage seemed to be taking a neutral stance, not only on the topic of the argument, but on others as well. Gerudo were not well liked in the kingdom of Hyrule. Their reclusive nature had always made them appear suspicious to the other races, but there were other reasons not to trust a Gerudo, especially in such dark times.
"A race with only girls?" Saria chirped, fully amazed. Darunia frowned and turned to her, but Saria was not phased.
"Is that so unbelievable?" Darunia croaked, his rumbling voice shaking the room at a low tone. "I lead a race entirely of men!"
"Yes, but..." Saria agreed, coyly, "I'm a girl." She nodded. Darunia gave this a great deal of consideration, and eventually, he nodded, understanding.
"Not entirely women," Rauru continued after some hesitation. "A male is born every one hundred years, and that male becomes their king."
Nabooru shuddered. She knew precisely where this conversation would go. It was unavoidable. Being a Gerudo, there was one thing that made people raise their eyebrows wherever she went. She could never escape the presence of her king, and the effects he had on their people.
She waited for the sage to continue his lesson, waiting to hear the name of the Gerudo King. Every time she heard it, her heart dropped like a stone. She was no ally of his, and she would never stand being roped in with the cretin. And yet, she knew that it was exactly what was about to happen. Such knowledge filled her with righteous anger.
"In this cycle, that king happens to be..." Rauru began, but the words were stuck in his throat. Nabooru rose to her feet and turned, facing the group, solemnly.
"Ganondorf." Impa finished for Rauru. The other, less informed sages gasped and took a step away. Nabooru grit her teeth. She knew all too well the accusations that were about to fly at her. Bracing herself, she took a preemptive stand in support of herself.
"Don't you dare." She warned. "Not even for a minute. That man is a demon. He is no king of mine. Never, ever associate him with me."
The others looked on, skeptical. She took a furious step toward them and the others backed away. All except Impa, who took a step forward, standing firmly between the others and Nabooru. The two sages made eye contact, and the air stilled. It became so quiet in the chamber that Nabooru could hear the sweat drip off of Impa's brow.
They stood facing each other, tense and nervous. Nabooru felt her heart pound in her chest and her breath grow short. Was she to be attacked? There was no way she could withstand a fight against Impa. She prayed it didn't come to that. There was no need for violence.
Perhaps she seemed aggressive at first glance, but the desert sage had no intention of violence. She simply wanted, or perhaps needed, them to understand that she was different from the man who had caused all the turmoil that ravaged the kingdom. She would sooner give her own life than devote it to the traitor that called himself her King.
"Take another step toward them, and you won't be walking for the rest of your stay here." Impa threatened. Her voice was cold and terrifying, even the sages she protected seemed unsettled. Nabooru swallowed and took a step back. It did not appease the Sheikah warrior, whose serious gaze never faltered.
This had frightened her. Nabooru wasn't a skilled warrior, like so many others of her people. She was a thief, and a trickster, but she tried to avoid fighting whenever she could. If it came to blows, Nabooru knew Impa would make good on her threat.
"There's no need for that, Impa!" Darunia called out. Impa was unmoved. For a moment, Nabooru thought the Goron might calm her aggressor, perhaps even come to the aid of the Spirit Sage. But he didn't move. Nabooru desperately wished she were somewhere else.
"How close are you two, hm?" The Shadow Sage interrogated. "Where do your tribe's loyalties lie? I certainly know it isn't with Hyrule!" She accused. Her presence was terrifying to all in the room. Still, no one move to stop her. Were the others truly so afraid of Nabooru that they would sooner see her attacked than take the chance? Or was it Impa they feared?
"I was his second in command." She answered, honestly. It was not the time to be caught lying, and risk appearing even more dishonest than she already did. Her fellow sages all reacted just how she expected. Shock, fear, trepidation, she'd seen it all before. "My tribe is loyal to me, and by extension, to Ganondorf himself."
Impa, filled with a rage that Nabooru had not seen in anyone before, took another step toward Nabooru. Panicked, the Gerudo retreated to her pedestal, throwing her hands up. She had worked her way out of similarly dangerous situations, but only when there was room to flee. She chose each word with the utmost care.
"But they don't know I'm against him!" She pleaded. "We are both thieves, we worked together before, but the similarities end there! He is well aware, I am no ally."
Impa seemed unconvinced, or perhaps she just didn't care. Whatever the case, it was clear something had happened to her that gave a personal vendetta against all things Ganondorf stood for. The hate displayed now was not the same hate that the other sages felt when they heard the man's name.
"Are you truly a sage?" She questioned. Nabooru didn't understand what she meant. "Or are you some sort of spy? An elaborate trick?"
"What?" Nabooru responded, in total shock. "How could you even think such a thing? I couldn't be standing here if I weren't a sage!" She reasoned. She wasn't even certain she knew what Impa was getting at now. Maybe she had even come a bit unhinged.
"Maybe your king found a way in! And sent you to keep us from fulfilling our role!" She argued. Nabooru looked to the other sages and back to Impa in disbelief. She wasn't certain of how to respond to such heinous allegations. Firstly, she was offended, but if she voiced that, it would surely be the end of negotiations. She had to make Impa see reason, now was not the time for snark.
"If Ganondorf had found a way in here, he wouldn't send anyone in his place." She explained, crossing her arms. "He'd have come himself, I assure you. He isn't the kind of man to send others in his place."
Impa held her ground. It wasn't enough to make her concede, but Nabooru's argument did visibly away her. It was relieving, but The Gerudo knew she wasn't out of the woods yet.
Nabooru was crafty. She was shrewd. It was her best quality, her most attractive feature. She was easily the cleverest of her tribe, smarter than even the king himself. Her tongue got her into these situations regularly, but her mind always saw her out unscathed. Today would be no exception.
Still, while she could easily outwit any Gerudo, she wasn't dealing with one presently. Nabooru and Impa knew nothing about each other. No doubt this is what made Impa so suspicious, and of course, made this particular encounter so dangerous for Nabooru.
"I do believe Nabooru is telling the truth." Rauru stammered anxiously, finally breaking the stagnant silence that had fallen over the rear end of the chamber. "Why would Ganondorf need someone else to execute such a plan? Without us, Hyrule is doomed. He might as well come and seal his victory himself."
The two conflicting sages turned their attention to Rauru, each with opposite reactions to his words. The Sage of Spirit smiled at him, relieved to finally receive some assistance. The Sage of Shadow, on the other hand, had a look that betrayed her frustration and concern. The look on her face was as much anger as it was worry. Nabooru could see in her eyes that Impa only wanted to protect her friends. It was touching, and it almost made her want to apologize for anything she had done. Almost.
"But..." Impa continued, desperate to be right. "What if it's some elaborate ruse? What if he wants us to think she's really a sage?"
Nabooru frowned. She was at the end of her rope. There was no evidence that could prove that was the case, but on the contrary, there was no evidence that could prove it wasn't. Sighing, she threw her hands up and gave in.
"I don't know what you want me to say." She moaned. "I was betrayed by that man. He and his lackeys stole seven years from my life, and I want him to pay for every minute of it. I swore an oath to him. He used me, and when I would no longer allow it, he cast me aside. You must believe me, what I'm telling you is the truth." She pleaded, exhausted from the surge of emotion that the argument had brought.
The sages locked eyes, standing stock still. Impa's face displayed a range of emotion; first anger, then deep thought, and finally doubt. It looked as though Gerudo had finally convinced her. Still, she kept on guard. Nothing had been resolved, and the panic on her face remained.
"I don't..." Impa began, trailing off. Nabooru yearned for an end to the fighting for her own sake. The others looked frightened as well, truly, but Nabooru's position was far more nerve wracking. She had no one behind her to support her.
"Impa, look at her!" Ruto insisted, coming up behind Impa and putting a hand on her shoulder. With her other hand she indicated Nabooru, a panicked, uneasy mess. "She's telling the truth!"
Nabooru's head spun in disbelief. Was she really be defended by Fish Princess? Ruto was the reason for Impa's hostilities toward the Spirit Sage. Rather, it was Nabooru's insults toward her that had been the cause. The sage's face flushed and her ears felt hot. She wished she had held her tongue earlier. It would have prevented a conflict, but more than that, Ruto didn't deserve such insults. She was far kinder than she initially let on.
"Lay off a little, Impa." Darunia added. "You aren't acting like yourself. We know you're trying to protect us, but..." He looked Nabooru over, and sighed. "She's no threat to us. Physically anyway." He grumbled. Nabooru was just as shocked about his defense as she was about Ruto's. Of all those among the sages, she had treated none worse than Darunia. She played on his sensitivity, his weakness. She demeaned him in front of his fellow sages. It only served to make her feel worse than she did, although if it meant Impa wouldn't break her legs, or whatever it is she was planning to do, she didn't mind.
"We don't allow bullying here, Impa. If she says she can be trusted, she can be trusted." Saria assured her, grabbing a hold of her hand. Nabooru was reminded of why she adored children in that moment. Saria was clever, her charm and wisdom betrayed her true age. Nabooru thanked goodness for cute, clever little children.
Impa hung her head, sighing and pinching the space between her eyes. It seemed the others had talked her down, much to Nabooru's relief. Swallowing her pride, the sage of shadow nodded and directed her attention back to Nabooru, whose worry was finally beginning to fade.
"I believe you, if only because the others do." She conceded, after some hesitation. There was a collective sigh as the tension in the room melted away. Every one took a brief moment to relax and deflate, Impa included. She ran her hands through her hair and shook her head, and gave the desert woman one last word.
"It may help your broken image if you had a little more respect for others." She suggested. The nerve of such a statement infuriated Nabooru. After what she said to her, of the villainy she had accused her of, Impa was the one who needed to be taught respect. Still, Nabooru had no intention of starting another argument.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that." She murmured, saying nothing more. She waited for Impa to walk away, keeping her eyes wide open and firmly trained on the sage who had caused so much strife. It was a long while before Impa finally retreated, returning to her designated pedestal. Satisfied that the danger had passed, Nabooru went back to staring out into space. At the very least, she had accomplished what she wanted. No one would associate her with Ganondorf.
Her thoughts wandered. The argument about her allegiances brought her mind to her home in the desert. She hadn't seen her people in several years. They were a constant concern. She had friends there in the valley, people whose company was valuable to her. Of course, there were few in the desert she actually trusted. She made sure to keep to herself most of the time. She once had a friend in her king, and that was all she ever really needed.
Still, she couldn't help but think of her people. At the very least, she knew they were safe. The King was a mad man, but she knew he would never harm his own people, only mislead them. Still, if they could be made to follow that fool, they could just as easily be swayed in the other direction. Nabooru would have a lot of work to do on her return, as she would become leader of the Gerudo.
She imagined herself, sitting proudly as the queen of the desert, watching over her subjects. Probably showered in amazing gifts. It was an opulent life style, one of ease and comfort, what every thief longed for. Every artifact she unearthed, every rupee pilfered, all went towards such a life. And yet, her fantasizing didn't satisfy her.
She had a much higher purpose. As a sage, she and the others had a responsibility to lead Hyrule out of an era of chaos, and back into an era of peace. No royal position of leadership could ever compare. What she wanted now, more than affluence, was to find the man that had twisted her world, and make him pay.
She hate him. Loathed him. He was an ugly stain on her otherwise happy life. Not too long ago, she was happy to call him friend, but it all changed, as if in a single instant. She wouldn't forget anytime soon.
"Nabooru." A small girl squeaked. Nabooru jolted from her thoughts with a start. Looking all around, she found Saria, hand to her chest, expectantly looking for a response. The Spirit Sage rubbed her eye lazily and yawned.
"What?" She asked, somewhat boldly. "You interrupted my meditating!" She scolded. The Kokiri leaned in, concern wrinkling her soft face.
"Nabooru," she whispered, making her fellow sage slightly uncomfortable, "you were asleep."
Apparently, the whisper was to save the desert sage from some embarrassment, but it didn't work very well
"Oh." Nabooru responded. That's all she could really think to answer with. Being caught in such a way, without Nabooru even knowing she had fallen asleep, made her cheeks red.
"Well, why'd you wake me up?" She asked, pretending she hadn't accidentally fallen asleep. Saria didn't respond, only pointed over to the other side of the room. Casting her gaze over to the opposite end, she saw what Saria was referring to. Gathered around one pedestal, Impa, Darunia and Ruto all quietly discussed something Nabooru didn't particularly care about. Their conversation ceased when they noticed Nabooru looking over at them. They didn't even make eye contact with her. Across from them, on his own pedestal, Rauru stood with his eyes shut, possibly meditating, but possibly asleep.
"Okay, I see them, what about it?" She asked, apathetic. Sorrowfully, Saria sighed and took a pensive glance over her shoulder at the group of sages. She seemed nervous when she turned back to Nabooru.
"I don't think they like you too much, Nabooru." She whined. Nabooru laughed, placing a hand on her small friend's shoulder.
"So what? Let them gossip, it doesn't matter to me what they think." She spat. If they truly shared such a bond out of hatred, she wondered what made them terribly different from Ganondorf.
Nabooru never cared for how she was viewed by others. It was never worth it to worry about such trivial matters. There was one person whose opinion once meant the world to her, but he turned out to be the King of all evil, so she didn't concern herself with him any longer.
"I don't want to pick sides!" Saria protested. The sages that had united out of spite pretended not to hear her, but Saria at least had Nabooru's full attention. "We have to be united, or we're never going to stop Ganondorf!"
Nabooru thought about that for a long while. What the Sage of the Forest said was likely true. If they were not a unified force, they had no hope standing against her former king. Ganondorf would desire a schism in the sages, which Nabooru's presence had caused. In a way, she realized she had served his purposes, intentionally or otherwise. That seemed to happen a lot to her. She hadn't come there to sabotage the sages, but that's what had happened.
Nabooru pounded the ground with a fist. She had served that man long enough. It was time she really took a strike against him. She rose to her feet, a new determination filling her mind and spirit. It was time for the Gerudo queen to make some allies.
With a confidence filling every stride, she approached the other sages, Saria walking alongside her. All eyes were on her whenever she so much as took a step. Nabooru wasn't sure if it was a good thing, but she wouldn't complain about commanding so much attention.
Her fellow sages met her with cold eyes. They were less than enthused about her presence, that much was clear.
"Can we help you with something, nose?" Ruto hissed. The sarcasm practically oozed off her words like honey. Nabooru wasn't even satisfied with the mocking nickname she had been given. There was so much potential, and Ruto was smart enough to come up with something better. There were so many different ways to insult Nabooru's long snout. Her personal favorite was 'Desert Colossus'. Unmoved by Ruto's lack of creativity, she continued with pride.
"Now what's that tone for, Princess? Weren't you on my side earlier?" She insisted, leaving out the 'fish' qualifier. If she wanted to fix what had broken, it would take a bit more cordiality than she had displayed.
"I didn't do it for you. I did it for Impa." She responded. Nabooru put a hand to her chest and acted as though her words held some meaning. "She wasn't herself."
"Thank you again, everyone. I don't know what came over me." Impa added, displaying what Nabooru already firmly understood. Yes, they were close. Closer to each other than they were to her. She was well aware, but she supposed Impa needing to remind her meant there was more work to be done than initially thought.
"I did it for you, Nabooru." Saria chirped happily from down below Nabooru's field of view. Nabooru smiled indignantly, mostly at the other sages who were so adamantly against her.
"Anyway, I thought I should get to know my fellow sages. And since Rauru appears to have left this plane," she added, turning her attention to the old man, whose mouth hung unceremoniously open as he snored. "I thought I might start with you three."
"Oh really?" Darunia retorted, clearly taking everything the woman said with a grain of salt. "How do you intend to ridicule us this time?"
Nabooru rolled her eyes at him. She was surprised he even knew a word like 'ridicule', but the sages were full of surprises. It's little wonder Darunia was more intellectual than he seemed.
"I don't, of course. I simply thought I should spend some time socializing, seeing as we're all stuck her until a certain Hylian in tights gets his behind into action." She insisted. Her snark was not appreciated by the others, least of all Ruto, who seemed to take personal offense to her comment about the Hylian hero.
"How dare you insult my fiancé?" She accused. Nabooru's eyes widened and her jaw dropped like an anchor. She raised an eyebrow, half wanting to inquire further, half not.
"That's right! We're engaged!" She laughed, boasting. Although to what end, Nabooru wasn't terribly sure. "I gave him my mother's precious stone when I proposed. It was beautiful and romantic." She said, eyes losing focus as she dreamily recalled that fateful day. Nabooru just smiled sarcastically.
"It's true!" Saria peeped from Nabooru's side. "She told us all about it. Many times." She groaned.
"Really." Nabooru commented. "And what does Link think of that arrangement?"
Nabooru didn't know Link as well as she'd have liked. He seemed like a truly good, decent person. Almost the opposite of Ganondorf. He'd make a fine king of the Gerudo. But Nabooru didn't really need a king, and even if she did, she would need to put in a lot more time with others before she was ready to choose. Still, though she didn't know him as well as some of the other sages, he didn't strike her as the sort to get married so young.
"It's..." Ruto choked. She hesitated, and obviously Nabooru had struck a nerve. Whether that was the right thing to do in this situation, only time would tell.
"It's complicated right now. There's a lot of discussing that has to be done." She said, voice getting shaky with doubt. Nabooru nodded. She didn't need any more information to piece together this story.
"Let's not dwell on that." Impa snapped, changing the subject. Nabooru agreed. For all she cared, Ruto and Link could already be married. It didn't matter at all to her.
"Right. I'm here for relations, not relationships!" She joked. No one else thought it was very funny, so she cleared her throat awkwardly and continued. "Now, I know this sounds mad, and I don't know what could possibly give me this idea, but I'm sensing some hostility between us." Nabooru pointed out, smirking. Her sarcastic attitude was getting the best of her, as it always did, but she tried in earnest to stifle it.
"There's no reason we need to fight, after all." She added. Her so-called allies seemed unenthusiastic and unconvinced.
"You're right, there's no call for infighting." Impa mused, thoughtfully. For a moment, Nabooru thought she had won. "But there wouldn't be any if you had kept a lid on that snobbish attitude of yours."
Nabooru groaned. She was beginning to think certain doom at the hands of a mad king might be preferable to dealing with temperamental sages.
"At least hear her out!" Saria insisted, catching glares from the others, stamping her feet on the ground. Still, she persisted, the other sages could not intimidate her.
"Listen to Saria and Nabooru." An aged voice yawned, calling from across the room. It was Rauru, standing on his pedestal, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The ruckus must have roused him. His tired eyes fell upon the arguing sages, unimpressed by their squabbling.
"I do not much care for our new associate's attitude either, but I'd endure it if it meant diplomacy." He continued, stepping off his pedestal and shuffling over to the group. Nabooru grinned. There was a man with some sense, she thought to herself. She turned back to the adversarial sages, who looked reluctant.
"How about this, I'll tell you everything there is to know about me, and about Ganondorf." She suggested, swaying the others slightly. "As an act of trust."
She was being as sincere as was possible for her. She was willing to tell these people everything if it meant peace. Under normal circumstances, it would be the last thing on her mind, but these were extraordinary times.
Impa and Ruto nodded, and seeing this, Darunia joined them. Saria jumped in joy and gave Nabooru's arm an excited tug. Even Rauru, now fully shaken from his sleep, and having joined the others, seemed interested in her history. Nabooru took some time to gather her thoughts before recounting the tale of how she had come to this point.
Nabooru's earliest memory placed her standing in the desert sun, looking over her valley from a roof top. She had short, bobbed hair and wore light clothing. She was around seven, and known for getting into trouble.
On this particular day, she had a plan. She saw her prize, a fat leather wallet dangling from the belt of a guard down below. In her hand she held a crude knife. The guard was in position, exactly as Nabooru had predicted. It was time for her to get rich.
Running to the other side of the roof, she looked down over the side. A desolate corner of her village, between a building and a wall. No one ever visited, and the only thing left there was an old, rotting pile of wood. Steeling herself, she shoved a pile of bricks off the roof and onto the pile of debris down below.
There was a satisfying crunch and a nice hearty thud. Nabooru let out a feigned scream of agony, one which she had practiced tirelessly. It sealed the deal. The guard below her snapped to attention and ran to the scene, exactly as predicted.
Her window was open, but she had to act fast. Removing her boots, she hopped down on to the sand below silently, ahead of her was the guard, investigating the source of the scream, terribly confused. She crept up from behind like a specter, using the knife with surgeon like precision to free the captive wallet from its prison on the guard's belt loop.
With her heart pounding, and success looming on the horizon, she turned to sneak away. All she had to do was make it around the corner and she would be free. She could taste the wealth she was about to acquire, made all the more sweet by the accent of victory.
But something inconceivable happened. A hand grabbed her shoulder. The wallet fell to the ground. Time stopped and all sound dulled. She felt herself rise from the sand, lifted by an unseen force. Could it be? Had she been caught?
"Nabooru!" The guard scolded as she turned the young thief around to see we face. "I should have known this mess had something to do with you."
"Put me down!" Nabooru protested, demanding freedom from her captor. "This isn't fair!"
"Not fair?" The guard questioned. "You were robbing me!"
"Yeah, it was the perfect plan! No way you could have caught me! You cheated!" She hollered, wriggling to get free. The guard rolled her eyes and put her down on the ground.
"First, clean up the mess you made of my wallet." The guard commanded, indicating the rupees that had spilled all over the sand from the dropped wallet. Nabooru groaned and folded her arms.
"You aren't going anywhere until all my money is back where it belongs. And I'll be watching, so don't try anything clever." She insisted. Nabooru looked up at the guard, whose golden eyes leered back at her impatiently. Reluctant, the little thief began cleaning up her mess.
The sand was hot and grated on her knees and got under her fingernails. The sun was a blazing inferno and the desert beneath it baked like a roast. Another average day for the Gerudo people. Sweat dripped from her brow and into her eyes.
"May I ask you something?" The guard spoke up after a few minutes, leaning comfortably against a wall, examining her fingernails. Her spear rested on the pile of rubbish beside her and she fanned herself with her hand.
"No." Nabooru hissed.
"Why did you want my money?" The guard asked, ignoring her. "You have food, shelter, water. What do you need money for?" She asked, only half paying attention to the girl, whose eyes glistened whenever she eyed another beautiful gemstone.
"If you have a lot of money, you don't have to work!" Nabooru chirped. The guard laughed at her naïveté, but said no more. Eventually, the girl had picked up every last rupee and stored them back in the wallet.
"Alright, follow me." The guard ordered. She began toward the center of the village, but Nabooru did not follow. Seeing this, the guard grabbed her arm and jerked her forward. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Nabooru asked, deeply concerned. She felt a lump in her throat and butterflies in her stomach. She was in trouble now.
"We're going to the King. He'll decide how you should be punished." The guard replied. Nabooru tensed and quivered. She grabbed the guards arm and pulled, dragging her feet. The guard stopped and looked at her.
"Please, no!" Nabooru pleaded, shaking the guards armed futilely. "He's gonna lock me up! Let me go! Please!"
The guard rolled her eyes. Nabooru was being melodramatic. She jerked her arm away from the girl and kept walking. Her would-be pick pocket followed by her side, sniveling.
By the time the two had gotten to the King's domain, Nabooru had tears running down her face. She wiped her face with her arm as the guard pushed her into the presence of the king. Looking up, she identified three people looking over her.
The guard began to explain what had occurred as Nabooru took in her surroundings. The King, a boy only a year or so older than her, sat on the throne dressed in opulent robes that didn't quite fit his small frame. He wore a beautiful crown that hung off his head awkwardly, clearly intended for someone older. Nabooru took in every detail, studiously. It was the first time she'd ever seen a boy.
By either of his sides, there sat a disturbingly old Gerudo, hovering on a broom stick. Each was so old and decrepit, they looked less like women and more like creatures. They were identical, save for their hair and a gem on their fore heads, one a fiery red, the other an icy blue.
When the situation had been explained, the witches approached Nabooru, whose heart skipped a beat. They cackled at the fear in her eyes, and grinned maliciously to one another. But the King simply seemed bored.
"What do you think, Koume?" Laughed one of the King's servants. The other chortled in the same way, and together, the sound was bone chilling.
"Seems perfectly guilty to me, Kotake!" The other laughed. "Perhaps she'll learn her lesson if we drop her in the middle of the desert!"
The two screamed in delight, chilling the air. Nabooru surmised that her first impression was correct; they were certainly more creature than woman.
Nabooru said nothing, only shivered and shook her head, begging for mercy with her eyes. The king, still unamused, rolled his eyes and gave the guilty party a once over.
"How did you trick the guard?" He asked, neutrally. His voice was high and nasally, with a tone that gave away his privileged upbringing. Nabooru looked up at him and cleared her throat.
"Well, sire," she began, "I just watched where she went everyday on her patrol. She always walked past this building, so I hid on top, and used some rubble to make a big sound. She heard it and went to find the problem, and while she wasn't looking, I took the wallet." She confessed, anxious. There was no point in trying to feign innocence. Her word meant nothing next to the guard's.
But the King leaned forward, eyes wide and a smile on his face. Nabooru prayed that was a good sign.
"You did all that? By yourself?" He asked, voice bubbling with glee. Nabooru was confused. She nodded hesitantly. "That's amazing!"
The guard and the king's elderly advisors wore expressions of shock, and Nabooru was no different. Still, the kind words did lift some small amount of fear from her.
Nabooru smiled, grateful for the compliment. Then it hit her. This might be her one chance to escape from penance. If she played her cards right, she might walk away from the king a free girl.
"It was okay," she smirked, hiding her nervous tension. "But I've pulled off more impressive jobs than that." She boasted, lying through her teeth.
"Truly?" The king asked, childish voice echoing through his throne room. The young thief nodded, smug face clearly irritating every adult in the room. "Could you teach me?"
"Koume..." A witch groaned. "I think our little thief is filling the king with some wicked ideas."
"I agree, Kotake," her sister moaned, unimpressed by Nabooru's charade. "If it were me, I would-"
"Silence, you two!" The kid king barked. "I'm too old to need your ceaseless input! Now let..." He trailed off, uncertain how to continue without a name for the girl.
"Nabooru." The thief asserted.
"Nabooru! Let Nabooru talk!" The boy monarch demanded. His associates grumbled, but said nothing more.
"I could teach you..." Nabooru began, moving in to seal the deal. "But not if I'm stranded in the desert." She smiled.
"Then you're free to go!" His majesty declared. The witches on both sides narrowed their eyes and tightened the grip on their broomsticks. The aggravation they felt seemed to rise off of them like stench.
"Sire!" The guard, whose presence had nearly been forgotten, protested.
"Quit your babbling! You have your money, now return to your patrol!" The king ordered. The guard bowed her head and made her exit. Nabooru stuck her tongue out at her childishly as she left, and the king erupted in taunting laughter.
"Now then, when can we start?" Nabooru asked, eagerly. She felt as though she may have done more than simply won her freedom with clever words. She may have also won a powerful ally in her thieving endeavors, and more than that, potentially, a friend.
"Now!" The king barked! "Come on! We'll go up to the roof!" He giggled, hopping off his seat and running off. Nabooru began to follow eagerly, as did the two vile witches that kept watch over them.
"By the way, you can call me Ganondorf! I'm sick of being called 'sire'!"
From that day on, the two were inseparable. Nabooru was Ganondorf's constant companion, and the King was hers. Together they wreaked havoc throughout the village, pulling off ever larger and more elaborate schemes, without fear of retribution. The king could not be punished.
As time wore on, Ganondorf began to shirk his responsibility as leader, which was quickly rectified by the witches, Koume and Kotake. As bored as he was, as he matured, he grew to understand the importance of his role. Nabooru knew this and, though saddened that their time playing together would be cut down, she accepted it.
By the time their teen years came about, Nabooru had already secured herself a spot as the king's second in command. It didn't please the witches, who thought Nabooru to be more of an unfortunate distraction. Of course, Nabooru cared little of them as well, and of their useless opinions.
Of course, they continued to thieve. In their late teens, they went from harmless tomfoolery in the village to actively raiding ancient tombs and ruins scattered through the desert. For Nabooru, it was all in hopes of a more fortunate life. But she never quite knew her companion's motivations, until one night.
It was a dark desert night. The two of them had gotten caught in a dust storm while returning to the village. It was after a successful exploration, they had found a number of old, interesting relics that would make fine additions to the collection. But it had gotten dark, and their way was lost after the storm, so they settled in near a rock, built a fire, and stayed out for the night.
The stars were beautiful up in the sky. The dust had settled and every last inch of the cosmos twinkled in the sky, putting on a show for the two of them. Nabooru stared up at them. To her, the stars were beautiful gem stones, waiting to be taken and placed in her pocket, if she could only reach up high enough.
But Ganondorf did not look at the night sky. He stared intently into the dancing flames before him. They crackled and sang, their glowing words rising into the air. He liked to watch the wood underneath burn.
"Something on your mind, Dorf?" She asked, noticing his vacant expression. He looked up when he heard his nickname being called. Only she could call him without invoking wrath. She had a special hold on him that way.
"No." He fibbed. She grinned at him, knowingly. She could always spot when he was lying. "Yes, yes there is. I should know better than to even attempt lying to you."
"What's wrong, Dorf?" She inquired, still eying the wealth in the sky. He fidgeted, black armor whining as he moved.
"I've been reading some of the old scrolls we found in the ruins." He answered, looking up at her seriously. She looked down to meet his gaze. "They mention an ancient, golden treasure, left behind by the goddesses of Hylian myth."
Nabooru guffawed. She did this whenever he thought up another insane scheme or hatched a ridiculous plan. He was a ridiculous fellow, always set on gaining just a little more than was there to be gained.
"Listen, Ru." He insisted, calling her by the special name that he had given her. She didn't care for it, but it felt nice to have someone call her by a pet name. She had one for everyone, but most simply called her by her full name. Not Ganondorf, however. They were close enough for informality.
"The power mentioned in these scrolls, this ancient treasure, reappears in old history times from every province of Hyrule. The first thing the books mention is a golden power that grants every desire." He explained, making obnoxious hand gestures to emphasize his point. Nabooru rolled her eyes.
"Sounds delightful. If only it were real." She dismissed. Her crossed his arms and stared back into the fire, pensively. Nabooru joined him.
"It is real. It appears in some form in every old tale I've ever read. As do a few other constants. It's referred to as the Triforce." He stated. Nabooru raised her eyebrow at him.
"Okay, say it is real. I don't suppose it's buried in some tomb somewhere." She quipped. Ganondorf looked up at her with a tired, thoughtful expression. Her smile faded.
"No it isn't." He replied. "But I know where to get it. And how. I've done my research. It lies behind an old door in Hyrule's Castle Town, in a sacred realm few have ever seen." He mused. "All I have to do is cause a stir, and someone will open the door for me."
Nabooru frowned. She had no intention of leaving the village to go chasing after mystical Hylian relics, no matter how powerful. Even if she did, there was no guarantee such a thing even existed, much less granted every whim.
"What sort of stir?" She asked, starting to become concerned. The way he described it, this sounded like a huge operation. He had clearly spent time planning this out. It was already becoming far more elaborate than anything they had planned together.
"It will have to be something grand. Ground breaking. Something drastic. Perhaps a little bloodshed." He stated, nonchalantly. Nabooru stood up and backed away in shock. He rose to his feet as well, swiftly and sternly.
"What are you talking about?" She questioned. "Bloodshed? Why bloodshed? We would never!" She insisted. In all her time as a thief, she had never once truly harmed another soul. Taken from them, sure. After all, a thief can only operate as such. But violence? The thought never crossed her mind. She was beyond such acts, and she thought Ganondorf was as well.
"A small price to pay for this artifact, Ru!" He persisted. She put her hand to her chest and waited for the justification. "This thing, the Triforce, whatever it may be, can change the world in our image! On a whim, anything we desire can be ours! Surely, that alone is worth a body or two."
Nabooru stared at him in disbelief. She could hardly fathom the words that had spilled out of his mouth. This was a side of him that she had never known, or even wanted to know. His words seemed almost foreign. It was as if he'd suddenly become a different person entirely.
"Where?" She asked. He seemed confused. "Where did you get this idea? This isn't you." She knew Ganondorf. He was a thief, and talented at that, but he was no murderer. He wouldn't stoop to such heinous acts.
"I have been discussing it with Koume and Kotake for quite some time." He answered. She spat. Those two vile creatures ruined everything.
"Nabooru, see reason!" He begged. "It's the ultimate prize. You could live the rest of your days comfortably. Luxuriously! You and I, together!" He implored. She did not listen. It was too much.
Had such a power truly existed, Nabooru knew it would never be worth the intense guilt of murder that would hang over her conscience. Even had she ignored her morality, and gone ahead with it, power like that was never meant to fall in to the hands of a mortal.
"I don't want that." She declined. "I already have everything I want. A life where I am free to do as I please is all I ever wanted." Indeed, she had achieved her dream. She was free to do what she pleased, and go where ever he heart willed her to go. She didn't need any godly power for that.
"Why, Ganondorf? Why would you meddle with something like this?" She asked. He sighed, tapping his foot on the sand. Nabooru waited for a reply, but she wasn't really sure she wanted one.
"For the power that will come along with it." He said, neutrally. Nabooru felt ill. "I don't have enough power."
"You are king of the Gerudo!" Nabooru protested. "How much more do you want?"
"King of the Gerudo?" He laughed. "More like King of the sand. This small 'kingdom' is an afterthought compared to what I could have! King of Thieves? A childish title, bestowed upon me by no one but myself. It is not enough. I could own this world!"
Nabooru had no words. This was not the man she had grown up with. He had changed into a bitter, scowling fiend. It was disturbing. Nabooru tried in vain to argue. She was speechless.
"I should have known you would be reluctant." He muttered. "Koume and Kotake warned me about this. They said you would hold me back."
He took a step toward her, and she tripped backward. His presence commanded such great force when he was angry.
"I should have listened to them. Years ago, when you came to me, you were a quivering mess. Now it seems we've come full circle." He mused, standing over her. "Where would you be without me? Hm? You owe your life to me alone. I took you in. Gave you a life of comfort and pleasantry." He hissed bitterly. His eyes burned brighter than the fire they had built, and his words burned more than it ever could.
"They said all those years ago that I should have left you in the desert." He recalled, malicious grin spreading across his face. "Fine! I will heed their advice now, as I should have then!"
Raising a foot, he brought down a heavy stomp on the fire they had built. In a single, powerful action, Ganondorf had plunged the world around them into darkness.
Nothing moved in the blackness of night. Nothing made a sound. There was a silent moment, Nabooru dared not to speak. She knew that Ganondorf was beyond reason now. They waited there, in the still air. Their last moment together.
"You are weak, Nabooru." He muttered, foul voice so low and powerful, it shook the earth. "When the world within my grasp, when the kingdoms bow to my will, then you will be made to regret your decision."
With that, he stomped off, the sound of his footsteps were the only indication of movement. The cold air chilled Nabooru as she waited for the sound to fade away. When at last she knew she was alone, she sat amid the sand and darkness, trying to comprehend what had happened.
A single night brought about the end of a friendship that was never supposed to end. Nabooru's nerves were shot, and her head spun. When Ganondorf left, he took a piece of her with him. She felt as though she had been torn apart. It was despair that she felt. It spread through her being.
But there was more to it. Her sadness was an anchor. It caught her, kept he still, willed her not to go on. But here was another force that drove her forward. It burned like an inferno in her gut. It tore through her mind, until her thoughts were no longer coherent. She collapsed on to the sand, pounding the ground with her fist. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
She screamed until her throat burned and her voice gave out. Rising to her feet, she looked out into the desert, in the direction she knew Ganondorf had left in.
"No!" She screeched to the empty stretch of land before her. He voice echoed in the distance. "I won't allow it! Do you hear me Ganondorf? I will stop at nothing!" She screamed, anger broiling in her chest, tears staining the ground.
"You'll be the one who regrets this night." She muttered to herself, fury blurring her vision. She was not weak. She was not defeated. She was Nabooru, the true Queen of Thieves. She was smarter than him, she was better than him, she would show him. It would take more than a simpleton like Ganondorf to keep her down, and indeed, she would be his greatest regret. That same night, her plan to bring him down had already begun.
When Nabooru had finished her story, she sighed. They were bittersweet memories. The other sages, who had all listened intently, waited for him to resume. She shook her head, indicating that the end of the story had come.
"So..." Saria began, innocently, "what did you do? I mean, you said you ha a plan, right?" She asked. Nabooru chuckled, but she couldn't disguise the sadness in her voice. Saria frowned along with her.
"It took me a few days to organize my things," she explained, "and I had to find my way out of the wasteland Ganondorf had left me in, but I went to the Spirit Temple in the desert. There was an ancient Gerudo artifact there. If I could find it, I could tear right through anything Ganondorf could throw at me." She continued, the regret in her voice indicating the failure of her plan.
"That's where I met Link. He was a child, but he was a helpful little guy." She continued. "I sent him to fetch the treasure, but before he could return, I was discovered."
"By who?" Ruto inquired, eagerly. Of the five of them, Ruto had been the most engaged in Nabooru's tale. "What happened?"
"Koume and Kotake." Nabooru replied, disgusted. "They spirited me away and took my most valuable asset, my mind. I spent the next seven years as their personal guard, inadvertently serving the one person I swore to bring down. The two have a sense of humor like that." She hissed, embittered.
"Did Link get you out of there?" Darunia asked, keeping the whole story straight surprisingly well. Nabooru nodded.
"The one and only. He also took care of Ganondorf's ancient lackeys, so I'm indebted to him." She explained. "But something tells me that's not uncommon for the Sages, hm?"
She smirked and the others laughed. Even Rauru and Impa, the two most stifling, serious sages seemed to lighten up. It was a welcome change to Nabooru, who welcomed the idea of less hostile company.
"Seems that man is no stranger to betrayal." Impa spoke up. Nabooru sighed miserably and nodded her head. The more she thought about that night, the more it pained her to do so.
She had nothing but scorn for Ganondorf. He was despicable, and she would consider herself fortunate if she never heard the name again. But he had left his mark none-the-less. She could never forget the joyous days they spent together, but she would never allow herself to forget about the monster that Ganondorf had become, and the wound he had left on her.
"I apologize." Impa offered, breaking the silence and snapping Nabooru back to the present. She looked up, bewildered at the sage. Her eyes were filled with sadness and regret.
"Had I known, I never would have accused you of such things." She continued. Nabooru, charmed, laughed and pretended to be surprised.
"An apology? From you? Does your pride allow such a thing?" She mocked. Impa furrowed her brow and crossed her arms, already annoyed once again. The desert sage laughed again.
"Impa, I'm kidding. I accept your apology, thank you." She said, graciously. The other sages all smiled, just as relieved as she was that the conflict was resolved.
"And I apologize," Nabooru began, facing each of the other sages, "for what I said. I don't generally think before I speak, but maybe it's something I could work on."
"Hm. Your apology isn't needed." Rauru claimed, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I believe we've all but forgotten about any wrong doings on your part."
"Speak for yourself, Rauru!" Ruto barked. "I'll never forget the 'fish princess' remark." She guaranteed, waving her hand around dramatically. "But I may forgive you. Just this once."
Ruto and Nabooru smiled to each other, both proudly starting to see eye-to-eye. It was a joyous union of two incredibly clever, smart people, and the beginnings of a strong friendship.
"Hey, don't you worry about me, Nabooru." Darunia assured, dismissively tilting his head to the side. "I've all but forgotten whatever it is you said to me! Must have been your story. Either way, you're fine." He explained.
Nabooru shook his hand, nearly reducing her own into a fine powder. His grip was as strong as his will, and he put his whole heart into his shake, just as he put it into everything he did. Nabooru cursed herself for not noticing the Goron's more positive points earlier on.
Nabooru breathed out and fell back into a sitting position. The others joined her on the ground. There was a brief moment of relief, as all the sages together let their tension melt away. It was a pleasant moment.
"I know I'm not a good person." Nabooru admitted, catching the others off guard. Her eyes searched the ground for something she knew wasn't there.
"Don't be silly!" Ruto scolded. "I think you're a fine person!" Nabooru smiled a fake smile. She was grateful for her vote of confidence, but it really didn't change anything.
"Is this about the insults? They were rude, but they don't make you a bad person." Saria noted. Nabooru shook her head.
"I never said I was a bad person," Nabooru corrected her, "I just know I'm not a very good one. After all, I am a thief. How 'good' can a thief really be?" She mused.
She had lived a life of raiding tombs and rummaging through graves. She defiled holy places, she ransacked houses. She made a profit off of other's misfortune. It was, after all, a life of crime. She never truly felt sorry for any of her actions, of course, but she knew they made her an unruly character.
"I want to become a better person. And I think being here is a good first step, don't you?" She asked no one in particular. The others nodded or laughed, and the sages were once again united.
"We'll be going into the final conflict soon." Rauru reminded the others after some revelry. It had been a few good hours since everything had been settled by Nabooru, and Nabooru herself was finally settling in as well.
Darunia groaned and Saria fell on to her back, making dismissive noises. Rauru nodded, agreeing with their sentiment.
"I don't like this." Impa muttered, eyes filling with fret. "I need to know what, exactly, our role is in all of this."
"Oh, stop worrying, Impa!" Ruto pleaded. "We're safe in here, or rather, he's safe from us out there. When the time comes, I'm sure it will all be perfectly clear. At least, it will to me." She noted. She was lying on her pedestal, without a care in the world.
"Indeed, when the moment comes to act," Rauru said, his voice almost a whisper, "it will come naturally to us."
"So there's nothing to worry about!" Darunia cheered, spreading his positive outlook brought the room.
"Unless, of course, Link fails. Then there will be no moment to act, and all will be lost." Rauru reminded. Ruto glared at him angrily, but he paid her no mind.
"Link won't fail! Just because I'm not there to help him doesn't mean he's incompetent." The Water Sage insisted. Her hopefulness was as infectious as her charm.
"Link won't fail." Nabooru assured. "And if he does, I'll break out of here and fight Ganondorf myself!" She laughed. The others laughed as well, but no one could deny the nervous tension that filled the room.
No one else spoke. Any minute they could be called upon to fulfill their roles. But until that moment came, the Sages waited.