Chapter 43: Gerudo District

Several hours later, Link arrived in the Gerudo District inside a Skyloft rail-cart. It was a vast desert with the canyons of the Sheikah District standing eastward while the rest was a rolling sea of sand-dunes. There was a cluster of adobe huts near an oasis that was labeled 'Nabooru Village' where several Gerudo women were trying to sell things to the group of Hylian tourists Link joined to avoid suspicion. Once again, the Hylian Shield and Master Sword were covered up by pieces of cloth thanks to Madame Starling who was still working at the Bazaar despite her son Beakon making plans to leave for a nearby island to avoid being around when the moon crashed into Skyloft. Before leaving for the Gerudo District, Link used some of the Rupees he'd found while exploring the temples to pay for another fortune-telling by Madame Starling and her advice was baffling.

"'Search for the girl who can see what's hidden and the four winds that blow across Skyloft,'" Link said to himself. "What in Termina does that mean?"

"Beats me," Proxi responded. "But we only have three days to figure it out."

"Excuse me!"

Link looked down and saw a girl bump right into him. The things she was carrying flew everywhere and the people didn't bother to stop to let her pick them up. So Link knelt down and helped the girl gather her things which included bottles with various spices and Potions. Link also found a book made of thin paper with a picture of a man wearing yellow-tinted goggles, an unbuttoned shirt exposing his muscular chest underneath, and tight-fitting brown pants. He was carrying a pistol in one hand while a woman with long raven hair and a malicious grin lurked in the background. Above the woman, the words 'Commander Clamp and the Queen of Ravens' were printed in bold lettering.

"Don't touch that!" cried the girl who bumped into Link, taking the book away from him and cradling it.

She was of short stature with tan skin, short red hair, and dark brown eyes. Her clothing consisted of a sleeveless pink top and matching pants that were silken along with a pair of pink slippers. A pink jewel rested on her forehead, making Link think back to the Gerudo sisters Kasai and Kouri.

"I'm so sorry for bumping into you," the girl said, looking up at Link. "But this magazine is really important to me."

"I can see that," Link said, and gave the girl the crate with the bottles back inside it. "These are also yours."

"Thanks," said the girl as she put the book/magazine back inside the crate. "My mom would've killed me if I had broken a single bottle."

"It was nothing," Link said as he got to his feet.

As the girl did the same, she looked down at her book and then back at Link with a surprised look. "Say…you kind of look like the hero of my magazine."

"Really?" Link looked at the magazine once more and winced. "But I'm not that good-looking."

"I think you are, in a kind of boyish scrawny way," the girl said as she blushed slightly. "Have you ever been to the Gerudo District before?"

"No, this is my first time," Link answered.

"Then let me show you around," the girl said, and took Link by the hand. "I'm Naru."

"Link."

###

After Naru showed Link around the entirety of Nabooru Village, she took him to a small adobe hut where a woman in a purple dress was waiting. She had a significant frown on her face as Naru approached the door.

"Where have you been, young lady?" The woman snapped. "You were supposed to be back here an hour ago."

"I'm sorry, mother," Naru said. "I ran into this boy in the market and showed him around town. His name's Link and I was wondering if he could stay here for the night."

"Have you got any Rupees?" asked the woman.

"No, ma'am," Link said shaking his head.

"Then you might as well sleep on the street," the woman said and was about to close the door. "Come here, Naru."

Reluctantly, Naru walked into the house as the woman shut the door behind her. So Link wandered to the oasis and chose to sleep under a palm-tree. He tried to fall asleep, but the moon's face made it difficult. Also, a chilly wind picked up which made him shiver. A blanket was suddenly thrown over his shoulders, causing Link to look up and see Naru standing above him with an embarrassed look.

"I'm sorry about the way my mom treated you," Naru said without looking directly at Link. "She's usually nicer, but I think the moon's driving her crazy because she thinks we're all going to die."

"Can't exactly blame her," Link said, wrapping the wool blanket around him tightly. "It's certainly not pleasant to look at."

"If only the False Hero hadn't disappeared seven years ago," Naru sighed. "Everyone thought he was evil, but I didn't."

"Really?" Link gave Naru a curious look.

"He sounded good-looking, so he couldn't have been bad," Naru said as she started blushing again. "I think Cia was just jealous of his good looks, because she was actually ugly and that's why she wore that mask all the time."

"Was? Don't you mean 'is'?"

"Cia's dead, silly," Naru said. "Zelda had her executed after becoming the new Mayor."

"Why did she do that?"

"I don't know. Something about being a fraud, but I'm not sure I believe it."

"You sure know a lot about Skyloft's politics for a twelve year-old."

"I'm fourteen, you idiot!" Naru snapped, and then said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to shout."

"No offense taken," Link said assuredly.

"I get this information mostly from my mom, who's very passionate when it comes to what's going on in Skyloft. She didn't like Ganon while he was Mayor, saying he gave the Gerudos a bad reputation, but hates Zelda even more. Not just because of the stuff Zelda's done, but my mom also thinks women shouldn't be in powerful positions."

"It's not being in a position of power that's the problem," Link said firmly. "There's something wrong with Zelda, and I plan to find out why that is."

"Wow, really?" Naru's eyes lit up. "How are you going to do that?"

"By locating something Ganon supposedly buried out in this district called the Time Gate. Ever heard of such a thing?"

"No," Naru said shaking her head. "But I could find it for you. I have a talent for finding things, you see, which supposedly comes from my aunts. You might know them as Madam Kasai and Kouri who run the Deku Swamp Tours and a Potion Shop respectfully."

At that, Link flinched remembering what the sisters did to him.

"They're a little weird sometimes, but they can be nice," Naru said nervously. "For instance, Aunt Kouri occasionally sends Potions to my mother which helps her stay energized when she's selling trinkets to Hylian tourists."

"Well, that's nice, I guess."

"So how will the Time Gate help you figure out what's wrong with Zelda?"

"I'm not sure, but it's the only thing I've got to go on."

"All right," Naru said clapping her hands together. "But in exchange for helping you, I want you to do something for me in turn."

"Such as?"

Naru took the magazine she held earlier from under her top and put it in Link's hands. "I want you to find the author of this series and have him sign it. If you can do that for me, I would be really grateful to you."

"Sure," Link said, and placed the book inside one of his pouches. "I'll do it for you."

"Great!" Naru cried joyfully as she left the oasis. "I'll meet you back here when you have the autograph, then."

To be continued…