Nabooru smiled grimly at the few sisters who passed by their strange group, earning herself a few weak smiles before they dashed away. Their walk only lasted for a few moments before they found a suitable cell to lock him in. They dragged the fuming Link into the room, chaining him to the wall before the gaurds left the cell. The room was as empty and dull as the previous cell, only furnished with a small sleeping mat and another strange metal bucket that were placed close enough for Link to reach without having to strain on the chain. He stared at the bucket, wondering why it looked strange, and realized that it was chained to the ground to keep prisoners from throwing excrement on the guards if they happened to come in. He had not noticed the chains in the other cell, but now felt foolish for wondering about it.
"Okay, Link, how is this room? Is this private enough for you?" Nabooru asked slyly, crossing her legs as she sat down on the ground. Link glanced at the door, a solid metal door that separated him from the guard outside. He did not really want to talk to Nabooru, unless talking to her would somehow gain him his freedom.
"I guess I'll take that as a yes. At least we don't have the other men listening in on our conversation. I agree with what you had said earlier, they don't need to hear what we talk about. Anyways, is it true that you were going to marry Ruto and have lots and lots of creepy children?" Nabooru asked. Link could feel his face burn in shame.
"How did…" Link sputtered, trying as hard as he could to stop himself from turning red from embarrasment. Nabooru fished out a worn blue paper from a pocket and waved it in front of Link's face before she opened it.
"To my dear friend, Nabooru, Leader of the Gerudos: I wish to invite you to my wedding. I am marrying my one true love, Link. It would be an honor if you were to attend… more false flattery and nauseating remarks about how wonderful my attendance would be... sincerely Ruto, Princess of the Zoras," Nabooru read, the mischievous grin on her face stretching with each word she spoke. Link's desperate battle between his embarresment and pride was won as his face turned a dark red. He had hoped that the Zora Princess had kept the ceremony quiet. He should have known better than to hope that no one would hear about the fiasco.
"Not voluntarily; it was stopped before the ceremony was finished. I didn't marry her and I had never planned to marry her in the first place," He mumbled. Nabooru laughed, bright cheerful laughter that lasted for several minutes before dying away.
"Ah, so the little fish did turn out to be rotten in the end. It's not surprising, you should have listened to her babbling about you when we were in the Sacred Realm. It was all 'Link this' and 'Link that' and 'I hate that fairy, she took Link's attention away from me.' She'd never shut up," Nabooru said, mirth still accentuated in her voice as she pocketed the invitation.
"Well, she is currently located in the bowels of Hyrule's dungeons," Link growled.
"Really, she must have done something really stupid this time. What did she do?" Nabooru asked.
"It was not my choice to be a part of the ceremony, as I mentioned before. Princess Zelda stopped the marriage and arrested Ruto for several other crimes she had commited," Link said.
"Oh. That is not too surprising, actually. But, perhaps a few years in a dungeon without servants could help her," Narbooru murmered, frowning as she thought quietly to herself. Link waited, not that he had much of a choice. He was chained to a wall. After a few minutes, she remembered that Link was there and stared at him.
"I can guess at what you're thinking, Link. The princess ain't gonna help you with escaping the fortress. Believe it or not, this is a religious holiday for us Gerudos. Princess Zelda must respect our traditions, if she wishes to keep the peace treaties," Nabooru said quietly, a small frown forming as she spoke.
"I know that, Nabooru," Link growled, biting his cheek in frustration. He had momentarily toyed with the idea, despite the fact that Zelda herself had warned him about the festival and warned him about her lack of power over it. He also thought for a moment that, upon hearing that Ruto had been arrested, that Nabooru would release him in order to avoid a confrontation with the princess. Nabooru's frown slowly vanished, although she was no longer smiling as she had been before.
"Do you even know why you're here, Link? I suppose you have probably thought of a few ideas about your arrival," Nabooru asked curiously. Link wondered about telling Nabooru about Zelda's warning and decided simply to shake his head. There was nothing to gain in inciting Nabooru's anger towards Zelda.
"Course not, I bet you learned about it from the farm-girl. All that girl knows is that men are taken away and something supposedly bad happens to them, she probably thinks we eat them or something strange like that," She said, shaking her head. Link smiled despite himself, he hadn't thought of what the other wives would think if their husbands were stolen away by another woman.
"You will be a part of the Wild Hunt, a festival that is to celebrate the peak of summer. We celebrate it every twelve years in honor of the twelve days our Lady of the Sun fought against the Trickster. During the short night, we celebrate with dance and song and games to mock the Trickster and once dawn arrives…" Nabooru stated, breaking off before she delved into what happened at dawn. Link realized what she had stopped herself from saying and felt dread burn at the pit of his stomach.
"Well, that's a surprise. I don't wish to spoil everything," Nabooru replied, a strange smile on her face as she stared at him.
"Who is the Trickster?" Link asked. The strange look on her face vanished and she regarded him with faint glee.
"Finally, an outsider who is interested in our religious beliefs. How wonderful. Well, since you're a friend and you'd already been accepted into our clan, I will tell you," Nabooru replied, glancing at the door before turning to Link.
"The Trickster is the brother of the Lady of the Sun. When the world had been crafted, the creatures and plants been given life, and the Lady was about to ascend the sky to take her place as the Sun, the Trickster offered to stay on the land. She allowed him to stay and began her flight around the land. When her light left the land, the Trickster became affected by the night and began playing with all they had created, changing them to suit his new and strange wishes and desires. When She returned, She found that Her beloved creations had been altered. She scolded him and returned the creatures to their rightful form before she returned to her flight. For three days, He changed the world to suit his needs and his heart grew darker and darker the longer they quarreled.
Finally, She decided it would be easier to take the Trickster away from the world. She told him that She had arranged a spot for him in the heavens, where he could monitor the creatures during the night. He agreed, planning to use this opportunity to continue his workings. He was brought to an empty part of the sky and suddenly realized that something was strange. It was too late and She cursed him to remain there, following Her footsteps far from the earth and away from the creatures she adored. He seethed and fought against her power for twelve days, but Her power was much greater than his and she permantly confined him to his new prison in the sky.
However, his pull on the creatures of the night still linger on, for he is the face in the moon above in the sky. The dead walk for him and the dark creatures perform his bidding until the banishing light of Her Grace drives them away. The Wild Hunt is to celebrate the victory over the Trickster. We also celebrate the initiation of all girls between the ages of…" Nabooru explained, smiling as she told him the story of her clan's religious history. Link sat there, the whole story passing completely over his head.
"Nabooru, Elder Nimona wishes to speak to you," A Gerudo said as she stuck her head in, interrupting Nabooru's explanation.
"Very well, I will be out shortly," Nabooru replied. The woman nodded, glared at Link, and vanished from sight. Nabooru sighed as she stood up.
"Well, maybe I'll explain it a little more later. I must return to my duties," Nabooru growled. She walked towards the door before stopping.
"It was great talking to you. See you later, Link," She said, turning around to give him a wink before walking out of the cell. Link sat there, still trying to process the information that Nabooru had said. He didn't understand much, he had been hoping more for information about the festival's workings instead of the history. He pondered on it before a growl in his stomach brought him out of his thoughts of the festival.