As much as I disliked this whole part of the story, it's finally done. With my favorite few paragraphs at the end.

As far back as I can remember she always seemed to out-do me in everything: smarts, skills, even talking to people seemed to go over better for her. I was jealous of her, but the good friend that she was, she refused to let me roll over and feel bad for myself. She dragged me onwards towards my destiny, guiding me straight every time. There was only one time that she was ever wrong, and even though it had nothing to do with me, the consequences were terrifying...

"One, two, three, four, five..."

Kotake and Koume would have probably been livid to see how he was treating his personal chambers, but right now he couldn't have cared less. He scraped the flint across the wall, five other scrapes already marking the days that Nabooru had been gone.

"Six...Seven...Eight."

He tried not to think about the freak illness that had kept him from going with her on the latest raid, that he hadn't talked to her since her outburst almost a week ago. Most of all, he tried not to think about when the soldiers would finally return. They were already days late.

"Milord!"

Makal hurtled through the doorway. She was panting heavily and, by the look on her face, had been thinking of the exact same thing he had. "They're back!"

Even he wasn't aware of his own movements; all he remembered was a blur as he sprang up and dashed to the yard without a second thought. Makal took the stairs two at a time; he, four.

Nabooru, Nabooru, Nabooru...

He wasn't too sure whether he was thinking the name or saying it out loud, nor did he care. She had to be alright. There was no other way...

"...had to take the long way back, lose them at Lake Hylia..."

Lose who?

"...dangerous, incredibly dangerous...stupid, even..."

I should have gone. I could have saved her.

Ganon and Makal ground to a halt behind the crowd that had gathered at the gate. Taiiya was already there. "Is she..." Makal began.

"I don't know," she said anxiously.

Being the smaller one, Taiiya cast a look back at her friends before slipping to the front. Ganon looked over at Makal anxiously. Normally taciturn, even she couldn't hide the fear that was etched into her face. He'd heard the stories about her sister: she'd lost her mind, killed herself shortly after her first raid. The thought still baffled him; she'd been such a happy, charismatic woman before her first battle, before her first kill. Loved by all. A lot like Nabooru...

"...but totally worth it! I'm telling you, she's a hero!"

There was a cheer from the front, followed by the sound of much back-slapping and calls for a bath and a soft bed. Taiiya reappeared at Ganon's side, tears streaming down her face. "They're okay! All of them!"

"Nabooru?"

"The hero!"

The crowd parted for the small party –soaked to the bone, to everyone's confusion- as Nabooru was dragged along to the front. She was laughing and grinning sheepishly, but even she couldn't hide her pride. "Who'da thought that that waterfall leads straight here from Lake Hylia? Why didn't we ever think of that before?"

"Probably because no one's stupid enough to dive down it," someone called out.

"Stupid or ingenious?" she winked.

"Nabooru!"

Taiiya and Makal leapt on her, half-sobbing, half-laughing. Nabooru collapsed almost instantly, hugging and grinning at them. "I told you I'd be okay! I told you!"

"But still!" Taiiya was full-on sobbing by now.

Despite the tangled limbs and dusty ground, Ganon could still see her face in the center of his vision, smiling and laughing as if she'd told a good joke. She was happier than he'd ever seen her.

When he closed his eyes, however, all he could remember was the first time he'd killed somebody, the shock at his own power, and now Makal's sister...

"I'm really glad to see you guys, though. It's been a long week."

As he looked up, he found himself staring straight into her eyes. She smiled, a mix of defiance and gratitude. "I missed you all."


Ganon didn't get to see her much in the next couple of days. Because of her incredible role, Nabooru was asked to make the final report to the generals: they'd made it to the Goron caves with ease but wasted several days when, upon exiting the caves laden with treasures, ran into the angry guards. Their chances looked slim at first; they'd barely made it out of the actual caves, but then their only escape route had been blocked off. The general herself had been at a loss of ideas. However, after much persuading and prodding, Nabooru had finally convinced the party that their only chance of escape was through water and over the falls. She'd even managed to kill one of the rocklike ogres when it advanced on her. Other than a couple lost horses and some wet goods, they'd all come back safe, some treasure still in tow. Never been done before, Ganon kept hearing from the generals. Raids on the Gorons were almost always ten times more dangerous...

Then why did they let her go? He wanted to yell. Why would they make her risk her life like that?

He could have lost her...

"My Lord?"

Ganon jumped as Kotake and Koume appeared at his sides. "My Lord, it's getting late."

"You should get some rest."

"Y...yes. Yes, I'll be getting to bed soon. Thank you."

They dematerialized without another word.

Rather than head to his chambers for the night, he turned his attention back to the guard post that he'd been staring at.

He was almost sure that someone was up there. Someone that wasn't supposed to be. Whoever it was, they were sitting precariously on the edge and staring out at the Lost Desert, as they had been for quite some time now. He looked back at the door to his room, then back out at the figure. It wasn't strange for Gerudos to wander freely around the fortress at night; and he'd run into many on his own nighttime walks. This was different, though: a gut feeling told him that he was needed right now. Jumping from his ledge, he padded off across the sand.

Ganon didn't like coming to the gates guarding the Lost Desert, partially because there was nothing exciting over here to begin with. The only truly breathtaking sight could only be seen from the guard post that this stranger was currently perched upon. That, too, was normally deserted: the unknown soul who'd designed the structure made it exhaustingly difficult to climb. It had been originally named the "Ladder to Heaven", but everyone else called it a nuisance.

Even in his prime, Ganon felt himself wheezing by the time he got near the end, and part of him wondered why he hadn't just wandered off to his soft, comfortable bed on firm ground. However, another part of his nerves buzzed as he grasped the last couple steps, pulling him upward and pushing him towards the top.

"Who's there?"

Ganon didn't even flinch as the figure gasped and snarled. He was even sure he'd heard the sound of steel being pulled. "Relax. I don't want to fight. Really, I don't."

Pulling himself over the edge, he stayed kneeling for a couple of minutes to catch his breath. "Who...in the name of Din...comes all the way up here...for fun?"

He looked up to see Nabooru staring back at him with a mixture of confusion, knife still grasped in her hand. It might have been shaking, but as he tried to clear his head and get a better look, she'd quickly stowed the weapon and crossed her arms. "What are you doing up here?"

He gasped out a laugh. "In all honesty, I asked first. And considering I'm still out of breath and you were just harboring actual thoughts of killing me, you should go first."

Nabooru winced. "I wasn't thinking of..."

"I'm joking, Nabs." Ganon sat down and leaned his back against the wall of the post, legs crossed comfortably. His breathing was starting to slow.

She didn't smile. Turning away from him, she went back to staring out at the desert. "No one ever comes up here," she muttered. "I just thought..."

"You'd come up here to think? Stands to reason." He smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the night breeze. "I haven't been able to see you since you got back, you know. You could have payed me a visit."

"Kotake and Koume would have never allowed it."

"Well, as I am of high standing in this community, I think they'd have to allow it."

For once, she didn't have a smart-alecky response. He opened his eyes and looked at her back. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He could have sworn she'd flinched again. Her shoulders had definitely tensed up.

"Well, I mean, you are a bit of a hero right now. Pulling off an impossible mission and adding an extra passageway back to the fortress, not to mention your first kill was one of the most impossible creatures in Hyrule..."

He watched her for the signs. "There!"

She didn't turn around. "What."

"There! Your hand! The left one, the one on the ledge!"

"What are you talking about?" Her voice had turned angry, irritated with him.

"You know, the generals never figured it out because they don't really know anyone personally, but I can always tell when something's bothering you. Your left hand always clenches up."

Just as expected, she drew it away from the ledge but, unsure of what to do with it, let it fall back. "That's not true."

"Oh, don't try me." He stood up, triumphant. "I'm even willing to bet money on this: when I mentioned the Goron you clenched your jaw and your eyebrows twitched."

No response. "Nabooru, I understand you're mad at me. And I'm sorry. I never should have doubted you. But that was a huge step you were on the verge of taking, how could I not worry?"

He grabbed her shoulder and whirled her around. "Nabooru!"

He instantly wished he'd left her as she was. Up close, he realized that he'd been right: her jaw was clenched; her brow was furrowed. And tears were falling silently from her face.

Ganon found himself speechless for a minute. He'd never seen her cry before. When they were younger she'd laughed at Taiiya, the most sensitive in the group and prone to crying when she would fall. Now she stood in front of him, at the top of the world and on a wave of victory, unable to stop her own tears.

"Nabooru..."

She looked down, trying to hide her face despite the fact that the damage had already been done. "Trunn," she said finally. "His name was Trunn. The treasure belonged to his great-grandfather and was the last precious thing in his family. He...he said he would rather die than let it be taken from him."

Nabooru slammed her fist into the wall. "What else was I supposed to do! He came at me...he grabbed me by the neck and tried to kill me...I had no other choice..." the rest of her words were lost in her sobs.

"I...Nabooru..."

Ganon wrapped his arms around her heaving body as she continued to cry. "I'm sorry," he murmured into her ear. "I'm so sorry."

He rested his head on top of hers. This side of Nabooru scared him, he realized. He was so used to the tough, stubborn woman who outdid him in archery and beat him in every fight. The young soldier who'd sworn she was strong enough, sworn she was ready to grow up before her time...was this really her? This girl that could barely stand on her own for crying?

"You were right," she finally sniffed into his chest. "You were right..."

He didn't want to be right.