Talofa! Okay, I'm starting to run out of ideas...so don't expect much from here on out. But please, please, please, be patient with me! I pretty much have the ending planned out, even typed, but I still need a middle. Just one or two more before I hit slightly smoother waves.
By the way, in case you haven't noticed, the two are getting older and older each time. Just...yeah. Pointing that out.
Cummon, keep climbing…
Nabooru gripped the vine between her sweaty palms, trying hard not to think about her aching muscles, no longer able to keep moving rhythmically, or the vast space just waiting for her to fall.
You're almost there.
Her throat was dry and parched, reminding her of the sand that had gathered in the walls, threatening to slip her up and send her plunging back down to earth.
Just a little farther…
With one last grunt, Nabooru heaved her sore body onto the roof of the highest house in the Gerudo Fortress, her arms finally giving out from underneath her gratefully. Rolling onto her back, she squinted up at the sun, chest heaving as she grinned triumphantly to herself. See? You can do it. You are strong.
"Nabooru?"
Nabooru sat up, turning around to find Ganon staring at her with wide eyes. "You actually made it all the way up here?"
She just grinned wider. "Would I be here if I didn't?"
"Well, no, but…" He sat down next to her, legs crossed as he frowned. "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"
"What, that stuffy room full of old bats trying to knock some sense into us 'commoners'?" She snorted. "This is so much better."
He sighed, shaking his head. "And you wonder why you're always picked on."
He couldn't blame her, though. A private tutor wasn't exactly fun, either. "So is this where you go whenever you want to skip class?"
Nabooru nodded. "I tell them I don't feel well, then as soon as they're gone, slip out." She stared down at the landscape guiltily, dangling her legs over the edge. "I didn't think anyone else came up here."
Ganon shrugged. "Doesn't matter. It's not like I'll have a lot of time soon."
Silence.
"That's right. You begin taking up court duties next week, don't you?"
He nodded, eyes downcast. "They said it'll only be little things, mainly just watching and following what the last king's aides do."
"Kotake and Koume."
"Mm-hm. Supposedly they've been around for at least four kings, so everyone says I'm lucky. I'll have the best direction there is."
Nabooru snorted. "Oh, aren't you special. What do we get? Three stuffy generals that look like they served under Din herself. They should be living out the rest of their lives sitting around and getting old peacefully, not smacking us trainees into shape. Besides," she added, grinning again and sitting up a little straighter. "I'm fitter 'n them. I made it all the way up here on my own, and it isn't the first time."
Ganon smiled at her usual rambling. "I'm guessing training is going well then?"
"Hah, someone's gotta keep those old bags on their toes. They've gotten too lazy from the lack of action around here. And the other new ones just coming in? They've got nothing on me, Makal, and Taiiya."
Nabooru, Makal, and Taiiya: a real triple threat. Makal and Taiiya were two other Gerudo orphans that were more like polar opposites, the former being quiet and solemn, the latter almost annoyingly bubbly. The three balanced each other out perfectly. "Where are those two anyway?"
"Still in class. I wanted to come on my own." She still took time for her own independence. "Okay, so be honest with me."
"Aren't I always?"
"How badly do you want to be king?"
He was afraid someone would ask that question. Ganon stumbled around with words, shrugging. "It's definitely an honor to be chosen," he mumbled, looking anywhere but at her. "Not a lot of people can say that they're the Prince of Gerudos."
"But is this really what you want?" Her eyes were skeptical.
He took a deep breath. "I don't know," he finally said. "I really have no idea. To tell you the truth, I'm scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Nabs, look how fast we have to grow up: almost fifteen and you're training to become a soldier, I'm learning about court duties. I take up the crown when I turn sixteen, and when that day comes I won't have room for mistakes. The whole race depends on me!"
Nabooru seemed pensive as she thought about that; in just a year, she'd see her first real raid, see what it really meant to be one of the cold-hearted Gerudo soldiers. She wouldn't be practicing knife skills on a sandbag anymore, nor receiving just a smack on the head for getting caught stealing. As she got older, the stakes got higher. Hyrule beyond the desert didn't look so vast and mysterious anymore.
Finally, she snorted. "If they tell us to grow up fast, then grow up fast. Time doesn't stop for anyone. And about the race depending on you," she grinned. "don't be so conceited. You've got a whole line of generals that can share your screwups. Most likely they'll make more 'n you. Just have fun while you can."
He could never really deny her logic, he thought to himself as he grinned back, staring out at the clear blue sky. For now, he would just enjoy himself. "Speaking of fun," he said "there's something we haven't done in a while."
She didn't say anything. "No one else is up here."
"What's your point?"
He gave her a look of mock pleading. "Please? The generals aren't any fun anymore."
She gaped at him, disgusted. "You cocky bastard. Just one time with me and you suddenly think you can take anyone?"
"I am the prince. I can take whoever I want. And they even agree with me."
He shrugged and stood up, his small knife already in hand. Nabooru grinned and followed his lead, pulling out her own worn dagger. "The trouble I'd get in if they knew what I was doing to you."
She dashed forward lightly, twirling her weapon in front of her and letting it collide with his as he blocked her. "Who said this time'll be like any of the others?"
"I did." Dropping low she swept his feet out from underneath him and went to plunge her knife into his side, but he'd once again blocked it, grabbing her wrist and sending her hurtling into the air. Nabooru regained control easily, though, and landed easily on the roof as the two began circling each other. "Huh. I can't remember the last time you threw me that far."
"Weightlifting. You're never around to bother anymore, so I've taken on a new hobby."
"Makal's a pro horseback rider. And Taiiya's got an eye for daggers. You should come around someday instead of standing in front of a polished shield admiring yourself. So worth it."
This time he charged first, feinting a stab to one side and instead spinning behind her to slash her back. She twirled with him and blocked. "I've got better things to do than pose in front of a mirror," he retorted as she jumped back and crouched low. "I'll save that for when I'm king…whoa!"
He blinked and shook his head blindly as Nabooru tossed a handful of sand in his face. By the time he'd gotten a quarter of his vision back, his arms had been twisted uncomfortably behind him, knife digging uncomfortably into the back of his neck. "Save your cockiness for then," she hissed, panting lightly.
Ganon stared ahead disbelievingly. "That was cheap," he mumbled.
Nabooru shrugged. "I am a bandit."
He chuckled. "Really? I thought bandits were fast."
"What do you mean, of course we…"
Before she could finish her sentence, he'd reached her knife hand and grabbed it, pressing her up against the wall and letting her dagger clatter to the floor. His own knife was pressed against her throat as he bore over her, smirking triumphantly. "Never let your guard down," he murmured in her ear. "You can never be too sure of a victory."
"Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing."
He gasped in pain as she kneed him in the groin, turning and pinning him up to the wall this time. One forearm was pressed against his neck, his own knife directed at his chest. "I win again, Gan," she whispered in his ear.
Even he had to admit it. She had him, quite literally, with his back against the wall. And it wasn't the first time. He was yet to beat her.
"You're such a cheater," he grumbled, sounding hurt.
"Bandit," she reminded him.
Every time she beat me, every time she humiliated me, I felt myself growing stronger. Practicing with the generals and the other girls was nothing compared to fighting her. Fighting Nabooru was like fighting fate itself: never fair, but never unreasonable, and always subject to change.
The last two lines I got from the first Pirates of the Carribean:
Will: "You cheated."
Jack : Pirate.
I hope they came off somewhat similar...
Quick note: Makal (ma-kahl) and Taiiya (ta-EE-ya...I couldn't think of anything else) play important parts later on.
Read and review, por favor!
"The last that ever she saw him, carried away by a Moonlight Shadow"
