The Waters of Nayru
Chapter 11: The Arbiter's Grounds: Temple of the Sand Goddess
By, Frank Hunter

Dawn had come and the kids, though nervous, wasted no time. They stepped apprehensively into the doorway of the giant temple, holding hands as they went. It had been a long, quiet night save for the incessant yowling of a pack of desert coyotes. They were now close enough to water to allow for the regular signs of life again, and that meant Rigo was nervous about leaving their food supply untended. Amili wore the satchel with the remainder of their jerky, as well as the bow and arrow, while Rigo kept hold on the sword and shield. They both knew the place was most likely fully abandoned, but at the same time had no real idea what to expect.

A few steps into the temple immediately alleviated one of the children's fears: there were torches. And they were lit. Rigo didn't know how it was they burned without being tended to. Some kind of self-replenishing fuel source?

"The Hylians are supposedly very partial to magic," Amili suggested. "It was actually magic that allowed the Princess Zelda fight back and defeat Ganondorf in the days before."

"I thought their 'Hero of Time' beat Ganondorf," Rigo said as they descended the stairs.

Amili nodded. "He did, but not alone. It was with the help of Princess Zelda that he was able to shape and mold the power of light into arrows that could crack Ganondorf's own magic."

"Uh huh," Rigo said. "So I bet self-burning torches wouldn't be a problem."

"Probably not."

They reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a dark chamber below. The sense of being watched re-emerged inside, but it was more of a breeze than a chill now, as though some apathetic spirits were only taking a passing interest in their actions. Rigo and Amili both tried to ignore it.

Rigo stepped forward, working to get his eyes adjusted to the dark. "What do you suppose…" he started to say, but was cut off immediately.

"Rigo, watch out!" Amili shouted. She was too late. Rigo took one final step forward and fell, submerged to his waist in quicksand.

"What the?!" he exclaimed, and immediately tried to swim. The substance sucked him in deeper, to his chest.

"No!" Amili cried. "Rigo, stop! Just stop moving!"

He did what she suggested. "Stopped," he said. "I'm stopped. Just get me outta here!"

Eyes adjusting, both kids could see the room for what it was: scattered segments of tile floor displaced throughout by pools of quicksand muck. There was no clear way across. "Great," Rigo sighed.

"I don't think…there's nothing in here for me to pull you out with. Except the bow?"

"No," Rigo said. "I'm too heavy. I'd break it."

"Alright, then just try to sit tight for a minute. I'll be right back," Amili said and turned back up the stairs.

"Where are you going?!" Rigo exclaimed in a moment of panic.

"I'll be right back, I promise. Don't move!" She retreated up the stairs.

The boy groaned, feeling like he didn't have many other options anyway. He just rested his head back on the muck. "Good start," he said to himself with all the sarcasm he could muster. "Really great. How could I possibly do worse than this?"

He rolled his head to the left and saw how. Creeping along, apparently unaware of the imminent dangers of quicksand, was a black desert scorpion the size of his fist. It was walking straight toward him.

"Oh," he said.

He reached back and grasped at the hilt of his sword, but the sand clung to its scabbard in such a way that he couldn't dislodge it or the shield, not without getting himself sucked in deeper. The scorpion, within arm's reach of the boy's exposed cheek, came to a stop and seemed to study him, sensitive to his frantic movements, possibly trying to decide if he was an enemy or possible food.

"Shoo," Rigo hissed at it and swiped toward it with his hand, trying to be careful not to shift around too much. The scorpion didn't even need to dodge, Rigo wasn't aiming to come close enough to touch it. But it still decided he was a threat. It began a predatory sideways dance and lashed its tail toward his hand.

"Damn it," he said. "Amili!" He tried to push a little sand in the creature's direction, for all the good that would do. The surface just rippled and the little arachnid didn't even notice. It lashed out again, and its sideways movements were bringing it around behind his head. Pretty soon he would no longer be able to see it, and it would only be a matter of time before he had to deal with the venom.

"Amili!" he cried again. "Help!"

In an act of desperation he tried to grab at the creature's tail and almost got stung for his effort. "Agh!"

As it began to circle out of his sight, he could finally hear the echoes of footsteps down the stairs and felt a little glimmer of hope. "Amili!?"

"Rigo? Are you OK? I found something!"

"Great, but hurry! Look behind me! Get it!"

The footsteps got closer and he saw Amili appear at the foot of the stairs and come kneel down behind him. "What?" she asked, and then her eyes widened. "Oh!"

She reached over her shoulder and pulled an arrow from her quiver. Rigo saw her plunge the little spear down just out of his range of sight. When she pulled it back up, it had the wriggling creature impaled on it, still lashing, still trying to catch something with its deadly tail. Amili threw it away into a shifting puddle of quicksand across the room. With the combined weight of the scorpion and the arrow and the looser ground, the sand took hold and pulled the wretched thing down into oblivion.

Rigo let out a breath of relief. "Thanks."

"No problem," Amili said. "You're gonna owe me two after this. Lotta debt to build up just in the first room, buddy." She grinned at him and held up a wooden plank that must have come from the ruins outside. "Just pull yourself onto this," she said, and set it down right beside him.

Rigo wrapped his arms around the plank and wiggled his legs slowly, pulling himself up and trying to break the suction. Slowly, inch by inch, he drew his muddied body free, and finally rolled up back onto the tiles.

Amili took his cheeks in her hands and looked down on him, concerned. "Are you OK?" she asked.

Rigo coughed and gave her a thumbs up. "Never better. Thanks, Ami. Owe you two."

She hugged him and kissed his forehead. "Will you please be more careful?" she said.

Rigo took a minute to catch his breath before getting back to his feet, and the two of them surveyed the room more thoroughly. Their initial suspicions were correct. There was no walking through it safely.

"We can use the plank," Rigo suggested. "Just brace it between pieces of solid ground and move it with us as we go."

"Better idea," Amili said. "We can go get more planks and just make a permanent bridge across. There were a bunch of them up there…you know, if you don't mind getting a little cold?"

In the ruins, she meant, the spirits. But she was right. It was a better idea than having to move the plank each time they wanted to go further in. They retreated outside and started gathering the materials to create a makeshift bridge.

It was hours of work to set up catwalks for themselves, and more than one board got lost in the muck. As it turned out, two full rooms of the temple had succumbed to the pull of quicksand, and they bridged all of it patiently. A little more work now would make things easier if they found themselves having to cross these rooms over and over, or more quickly.

Eventually they finished construction and made it through to the temple's main chamber. The great hall glowed, not in firelight, but in the eerie blue aura of some other kind of magic. It was off-putting, but Rigo couldn't help but wonder if it was intended to be exactly that, to ward off trespassers.

They stepped into the room and their footfalls echoed around the chamber, reverberating multiple times and adding to the overall creepy ambiance.

"What do you think the Hylians used this for?" Amili asked.

"Who knows? Torture? Prison? Seems like it would have been up their alley," said Rigo.

"Yeah, but something this big and intricate. It had to be more than that."

Rigo was about to answer, but got distracted when he saw the blue light glinting off something in the corner of the room. "What's that?" he asked, and trotted over to it.

"Ugh, Rigo be careful!" Amili called out and ran after him, habitually looking for quicksand now along the way.

They drew closer and stopped when they could make out the shape of a skeleton slumped against the wall. It was wearing armor crested with the seal of the Hylian Royal Family throughout, and was clean of any sort of flesh or sinew. This soldier had been here a while.

"Wow," Amili said.

Rigo looked him over. There was no obvious sign of identification, and every bit of his armor looked like the plain steel and paint of standard military uniform. Every bit except one.

"What do you think did him in?" Amili asked.

"I don't know, but take a look at his hands." Rigo pointed at the reflective, glittering armor still set about both of the soldier's wrists. They were silver, obviously shinier and more decorative than the rest of his gear, and inset with diamonds and precious gems.

"They're gauntlets?" Amili ventured.

"Yeah, but special ones. Look at how nice they are. Hold on a minute." He leaned in and reached out for the soldier's hands.

"Oh, gross. You're not gonna take those, are you?"

"He doesn't have any use for them, does he?" Rigo asked. "Besides, gotta start treasure-hunting somewhere."

Amili scoffed. "Yeah, but it doesn't look like those belonged to the Sand Goddess."

Rigo took one of the silver gauntlets in his hands and, with a shake, was able to pull it free of the skeleton. "Who'll know the difference?" he asked. He took the other gauntlet and tried to release it, but the force of his pull broke the skeleton's hand off with it. "Eeg," Rigo squirmed, and he shook the armor until the hand came tumbling out and clattered to the floor.

He held up his new treasure and felt a sense of satisfaction run through him. Maybe this wouldn't all be for nothing after all. Even something like this, something so little could be a symbol for the people back home. It was definitely something.

He hesitated only for a moment, a bit squeamish about the dead body, before putting the gauntlets on himself. To his surprise, they fit well. Perfectly, actually, as though they contoured to his own hands as he settled them on. They glistened in the blue light, and held his arms up in front of them to admire his new treasure.

"Wonderful," Amili intoned. "Quite a fashion statement. Can we move on now?"

"Sure, let's just…"

Rigo's answer was cut off by a voice. The voice resounded through the darkness and hit his ears with the force of a bullhorn. It all but knocked him backward onto his butt and scared him straight to the bone.

Well! it exclaimed loudly, seemingly from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The voice was nasally and female, and not threatening on its own but for the sheer volume of it. Ain't you a sight for sore eyes, kid? The shield. Look at that emblem! You're…holy hell, you're Gerudo, ain't you?!

The boy's fear was palpable, brighter than day. He began spinning around, looking for the source. He pulled his sword and shield, moving away from the corpse toward the center of the room.

"Rigo?" Amili ventured.

"Get behind me!" He waved at her. To her credit, she responded with all the speed she could muster, pulling her bow and eyeing the room.

"Rigo, there's nothing here," Amili said.

"Don't you hear it?" he asked.

As if on cue, the voice boomed out again, sounding pensive. You're not him, it said. Are you a new one? Can it really have been so long?

"Hear what?" Amili asked, frustrated.

"Show yourself!" Rigo called into the darkness.

Love to, kid, but it's not really an option for me. Not part of my health plan, if you get my meaning.

"Come out!" he shouted again, unable to think. Unable to put meaning into the words he was hearing.

You're a bit dense, huh? Let me enunciate for you. I. CAN'T. Maybe you shoulda given the gauntlets to your little girlfriend there. She looks like a sharper cookie.

"Rigo, you're scaring me," Amili said.

Rigo took several deep breaths and tried to calm himself, but there was no time for that. A loud THUD! emanated from the walls and a chirping sound like thousands of locusts swarming through the chamber echoed around them.

"What's that!?" Amili asked, panicked. Rigo was actually somewhat relieved. At least she'd heard that bit.

"I don't know," Rigo answered.

Oh. That, said the voice, sounding pouty.

"Tell me what that noise is!" Rigo shouted.

"Who are you talking to!?" Amili demanded.

"I don't know!" Rigo repeated.

Well, you're Gerudo, so you gotta know the legends, right kid? the voice asked. This temple belongs to the Sand Goddess, and the Sand Goddess protects what's hers. That means you don't come in here trying to take anything out. Or they take you out.

The sense of coldness rode up the backs of the kids' necks again, this time at full blast. Rigo exhaled and could see his breath steaming in front of him. "Oh no," he muttered.

There was a clacking sound from the side of the room, and both kids looked in time to see the skeleton that Rigo had pulled the gauntlets from come to life. A blue light, the color of the chamber's illumination, brightened in its eyes, and it rose to its feet. Its head turned ever so slowly, and the dead, lighted eyes fixed on Rigo.

Amili screamed and raised her bow, and as she did another dozen skeletons fell to the ground at the walls, apparently out of the ceiling. All had blue lights in their eyes. All were staring straight at Rigo. The kids were surrounded.

Shame, really, the mysterious voice sighed. Thought I was finally getting outta here.