I'm so sorry it's taken a while to update this story. As I said in the last chapter, I'm currently writing another fic (Anything but Ordinary) and am concentrating more on that at the mo. Anyway, thank you to my sole reviewer SkullKing (I know a lot more of you read chapter one and liked it so please review!!! I love hearing from you and I don't even mind flames as long as they are constructive. I hope I didn't sound too desperate there! Anyway - I'll stop rambling now - chapter Two is up. PS This will contain essence of Zelink later on!
Chapter Two
It was with an air of languid disdain that Tassia Ma Delainio (as Tassia as her more intimate acquaintances knew her) watched the world pass by. A woman of her station, wealth and beauty could easily afford such indifference. Such an idle life was almost a necessity.
She sat on a window seat, looking completely dignified despite the fact that she was sprawled comfortably on the long chair, one hand propping up her richly tanned face, the other delicately selecting the best samples from a plate of chocolates and popping them into her mouth. Through the leaded windows she observed the yard of the busy tavern, watching travellers come and go. Her heavy-lidded, lash laden amber eyes were half closed in utter boredom but they missed nothing.
Tassia's long fingers gently probed around the bowl of edibles until they located what she had been looking for – a truffle sweetened with honey and packed with hazelnuts and shrouded in chocolate. Her fingers slowly closed around her prize, her attention still fixed on the bustle of the yard, and lazily she lifted the confectionary to her mouth. Slowly and deliberately, the lady allowed the chocolate to rest against her quivering, plump lips for a moment before nibbling a tiny portion.
To watch Tassia eat chocolate was a rather interesting experience. For most men, it was possibly the most intriguing, attractive and almost indecent thing they could witness. Tassia licked her lips slowly and smiled to herself, getting the full pleasure from her favourite food before taking another careful bite. It was so delicious she could not prevent a tiny sigh of delight escaping her lips. Her left hand, which had so far been propping her chin up, now slid to her long chestnut hair.
She noted her head was still throbbing as she fingered the bruise she now sported. She did not really wish to dwell on the events that had led up to the injury. The memory was one she chose not to recall.
It had been her own fault, she decided calmly. She knew the consequences of her actions when she took the risk. She had just not envisaged being caught. For the briefest of moments the mask fell away and an unexpected tear fell from her golden eyes. This shocked Tassia back into her indulgent, idle mode. She ate another chocolate and sighed. There were many things in her life that had happened that she had never expected.
She wondered what her old friend would make of her now? Would he see beyond the flippancy and finery and still see Nabooru, his playmate, hiding behind those fashionably listless eyes? For that was who she was, Nabooru – daughter of Nadina and Bisano, a Gerudo and stranger in the land of Hyrule.
She acted her part well for Tassia was her favourite disguise. Tassia was the woman Nabooru would have been had it not been for them. An angry spark flashed in her magnificent eyes.
Time and time again she vowed to get revenge upon those who had destroyed her ambition. She knew how to accomplish this; all she lacked thus far was the opportunity. Nabooru's eyes veiled over again and returned to their languid study of the world below her window. Her ambitions were slowly being realised. When the time came, she would not miss her mark.
Suddenly she spotted something.
Her amber eyes narrowed as she watched the elderly man descending from his carriage. She sat up in her seat and altered her position slightly so she could not easily be seen from the window.
The man looked to be in his sixties. He had a ring of white hair and a thick beard. His face was round and good-natured but even from a distance it was easy to see the lines of stress that had marred his features. He was on the thin side, and was of smaller build than she had expected. He was clothed in purple gowns which had once been magnificent but were now faded and tattered. He was a testament to all that Hyrule had once been, and a living monument of what it had lost.
Tassia watched him intently as he made his slow procession across the courtyard. Although one could fault his appearance, and could mock at his fall from grace, one could never fault his graciousness in defeat. He carried his head as high as he had when he had been the most important man in the land. He was dignified unto the very end.
Tassia closed her eyes and cast a silent prayer to the gods to beg forgiveness for what had happened to this poor man before she abandoned her seat.
Her maid awaited her in her room – a young foolish girl who knew little of fashion and makeup but had her uses none the less. She bowed as Tassia walked past.
"He's here." Announced Tassia as she sat before a mirror.
The maid nodded and ransacked her mistress's wardrobe for a selection of clothes suitable for the occasion. Tassia surveyed her reflection for a long moment, smiling slightly.
Nobody would ever think she was just a little Gerudo girl. She looked like a duchess although her Gerudo ancestry was apparent. She was very proud of her heritage and did little to hide it. The Gerudo were a strong race – a matriarchal society and though they had many enemies, to their friends they were loyal to the end. In the land of Hyrule, she was uncommon. Her sunset-red hair and dark skin were striking and her large golden eyes and pouting red lips were attractive. She had been blessed with an excellent figure too.
She had learnt from a young age how best to use these assets.
As her maid scurried around, plucking dresses from their hangers, Nabooru untied her hair from its usual ponytail. She so rarely saw herself with her hair loose that the site made her laugh even more.
Her voice was rich and deep.
In a trice she tied her hair into a more traditional style, pinning it up with some magnificent ruby clips that had been a gift from her previous employer. She then applied heavy turquoise shadow to her eyelids and painted her lips a pale pink. Finally she cast her eyes over the dresses her maid had chosen for her and selected a pale turquoise robe, with a golden belt. She slid her feet into some matching sandals.
"You look magnificent." Commented the maid as Nabooru gazed at herself critically. Nabooru nodded in answer and smoothed down a fold in the dress. She hated the restriction of corsets and skirts after wearing the usual Gerudo dress of baggy pants and brassieres. But she had a job to do and to accomplish her goals she was prepared to undergo anything – even wear tightly laced gowns.
"It will do, I suppose." She said in the languid voice of Tassia. Her maid smiled and started packing the unwanted dresses back into the wardrobe. She was quite used to her mistress's changes in personality. She had seen many of the roles she had played, sometimes even taking her part in them and could be trusted to keep Nabooru's secrets.
Satisfied with her appearance, Nabooru placed a large ring on her middle finger and nodded to her servant. "Do not wait up for me, this will take some time." She advised as she made her ponderous progress towards the heavy oak door.
"Yes, my lady." Said the maid with a curtsey.
A smile flashed in Nabooru's magnificent eyes for the briefest of moments before it was lost in the wondrous golden depths of Tassia's boredom. A faint smile adorned her lips and her carriage became more stately and lethargic.
She was a consummate actress. She had to be. And she had to be absolutely perfect. One wrong move and she could blow everything.
With these thoughts in her mind but her face as serene as ever she made her way down the long, narrow stairs to greet her visitor.
"My granddaughter is missing."
The old man sat uncomfortably in a high-backed chair near the fire. The room had been purposely darkened – the velvet curtains were drawn tightly closed and only a few candles had been provided for illumination.
Tassia sat opposite him, perfectly at ease in a similarly uncomfortable chair. At her side was a small table, on it a golden goblet filled with ruby wine. She barely took her eyes off her guest. It was clear that he found her scrutiny uncomfortable but she made no attempt to ease his distress.
The news that his granddaughter had vanished did not affect Tassia. He knew it would not. She had been recommended to him as a sell sword who had a talent for uncovering secrets. Of course she didn't care that his most precious possession had vanished into thin air.
"Tell me what happened." She stated. Her voice and face showed no emotion other than lethargy but he knew her reputation was fearsome.
"We…stopped near the old town…Kakariko." He began, his voice filling with emotion at the memory. "The horses were tired and I needed a break. There was an inn near the river so we decided to stay there."
"It is a perfectly respectable inn." Said Tassia smoothly. She allowed a tiny smile to break the disinterest on her face. "You are surely not accusing the innkeeper of any ill deed towards you?"
The man cringed at the callousness of her words. "No, no." He asserted. "The inn was, as you say, very respectable. It was quiet and…"
"I have been there before. I do not require a description." She interrupted ruthlessly.
The man gazed at her thoughtfully, perhaps wondering how she had become so heartless. Her golden eyes stared back at him, devoid of compassion. He did not fear her, although as a race the Gerudo did have a reputation for violence but he wasn't quite sure if he trusted her.
"Very well." He said at length. In the end, he had no choice but to trust her. There was no one else left to turn to. He had to find his granddaughter before that monster got his hands on her. The very thought made him visibly shudder. This spurred him on to speak, "We spent the night at the inn. The next day, whilst I was arranging payment my granddaughter went to walk in the village. She had her maid with her so I knew she would be safe. I waited for hours but…but…"
"She did not return?" Tassia finished the sentence for him. She studied his face for a long time, watching the tears of despair fall from his eyes, watching as he tried to control his grief. 'How many of your tears are for Hyrule?' She wondered as he silently wept. He had once been powerful, but he did not care for that. He had once been wealthy, but he did not care for that. He had once belonged to a country – a nation he had loved. But it had been destroyed. It was now but a shadow. He had cared for that.
"No… she and her maid vanished." Said the man finally. "Her maid was some days later with her throat slit." Although this visibly affected the man, Tassia remained unmoved.
"An assassins trick." She remarked. "And what of the lady herself?"
"I do not know." Wept the man. "I do not know what happened. Where is she? Is she alive?"
"I would imagine, given that she is your granddaughter she will be very much alive. She has a value even in a crippled nation like this. She is of no use to anybody dead" Tassia studied her nails for a moment allowing this grain of hope to sink in before saying in her coolest tone, "I will require payment."
"Yes, yes of course." Stammered the man. He was not easily intimidated but grief and distress had worn his stamina down to the point where he was easily broken.
Tassia named her price and he accepted without a blink. A deposit was paid in golden rupees and the man stood up to leave.
"Please…just find the child…find Zelda…" He begged as he bowed to his only remaining lifeline.
Tassia watched him steadily. She showed not what she was thinking. He left with only small hope and little faith. He prayed to the gods that somehow this Gerudo woman would win through; somehow she would find his most precious possession.
Only when she heard the sounds of his carriage trundling out of the courtyard did Nabooru allow her mask to slip for a moment. A wry smile toyed with the corners of her mouth as she counted the money she had just received. She slid it into a small pouch and tied it carefully to her waist.
Slowly she stood and stretched her tired limbs. She gulped the remaining wine down and sighed. She wondered how much Daphnes De Hyrule would have paid to know exactly where his granddaughter was at that precise moment. Or what he would have done to her had he known she was the one who had kidnapped his 'precious possession' and had murdered her servant.
Nabooru could have told him everything. She fingered the bruise on her head one more time and sighed. She knew she would not have told that poor man anything, no matter how much she had wanted to soothe his fears.
Her master had commanded her silence. Gerudo's were loyal to the end.
