Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Legend of Zelda. All I own is my original characters and Link's voice.
AN: Yay! Second chapter! So, it's a bit slow, but we're working up to the excitement. Well, there's excitement in this one too :D As always, enjoy and please read and review.
Chapter 2
I decide to sleep on it and talk to Nabooru in the morning. When I wake the fortress is loud with voices and I'm startled by the noise. When I was sneaking around before it was deadly silent, but I suppose they were searching for me. I avoid the places where I hear large groups and end up deep within the walls where the heat doesn't reach.
I walk the halls and see empty dormitories through open doors, shrines, and places of relaxation as well as places of fighting. It makes the most sense to have living and working areas in the back under the cliff. Navi pokes her head in each room curiously occasionally eliciting shrieks and slammed doors when the Gerudo women realize who is roaming their halls. Navi huffs and I grin.
"I am the only male in the entire place and you are my fairy; it's no wonder they are shutting their doors." Navi doesn't acknowledge my explanation and sits on my shoulder as I wander.
After walking the halls and considering how to talk to Nabooru I ask a guard where I would find her.
"Ever since you beat her she's been in the training grounds. It's toward the front of the fortress. It's a special training ground that very few Gerudo have been able to complete. There's an added difficulty of it being so close to the heat of the desert." The guard gives me directions back to the entrance since I've gotten myself hopelessly lost
I see Keeru on the way and wave but all I get in response is a scowl. That's her way of saying hello I suppose.
"You better help with the dishes again tonight!" She yells at me as I pass through the mess hall.
"No promises Keeru, but I'll do my best," I yell back and all I hear is a grunt for a response. Navi raises her eyebrows and plays with her wavy hair. She's let the braid out and her blue hair flows past her shoulders as she hovers in front of me.
"You haven't told me your plan on how to deal with Nabooru and we need her help. Do you want me to talk to her?" She doesn't look like she actually wants to, and I shake my head in response. She sighs in relief and nods.
"You're right. You should talk to her since you're the one who ticked her off in the first place."
"Yeah," I reply and squint as the morning sunlight pierces my eyes, "that's going to be lovely."
It takes me most of the day to get through the training grounds and I work even through lunch. The training grounds are split into three sections and require puzzle-solving, speed, and quick thinking. The left and right doors meet in the middle behind what I assume is a chamber that the third and middle door leads to. Since I've cleared the two side doors and haven't found Nabooru, I enter the center door and prepare myself for the worst.
Nabooru is in the center of the ring facing a dark version of herself. Navi gasps and points, speechless and I nod in response; I recognize that challenge. In the Water Temple I faced the same nightmare. In order to beat yourself you have to think and fight in a way that you never have before. I hang back near the edge of the room and watch Nabooru.
Her teeth are gritted and her brow is knit in concentration; sweat collects on her forehead as she circles the dark incarnation of herself. She intermittently attacks in short bursts only to be parried at every attack. She's wearing down, her low stamina working against her again, as it did in our fight. She screams jumping forward, swinging both swords down from the upper left and right that took the shadow down in a surprising display of ferocity. She falls to her knees and then onto her back and closes her eyes, panting.
I start forward as if to help, but I don't want to make her angrier by helping. Navi confirms my thoughts by shaking her head. I fight against my instincts and start to warm up for my own training. My fight might be different than hers and there's no guarantee that my own shadow will face me again.
Nabooru halfway rises, turns on one knee, and then freezes half crouched, her eyes wide. I'm between her and the door, but I don't move.
"Nabooru, I-," I start, but she effectively cuts my off with narrowed eyes, rising to her feet.
"What do you want?" She spits the words at me.
"I want to talk to you," I reply instantly nervous. This could go very badly and I have to be careful of what I say.
"And what makes you think I want to even look at your pale pointy face?" Nabooru asks, pointing at my face. Navi sniggers and then bursts out laughing, clutching her stomach. Nabooru and I both look at her with open mouths.
"Haha, he-," she gasps for breath, "he really does have a pointy face doesn't he? Haha!" She collapses into fits, falling off my shoulder and I smirk. I risk a glance at Nabooru and she's trying not to smile, but Navi has an infectious laugh sometimes. Then I join in Navi's laughter and even Nabooru lets out a short laugh.
"I suppose I can stay and watch you get your ass kicked," says Nabooru, sitting down against the wall. "Want to join me fairy?"
"Gladly!" Navi squeaks in between deep gasping breaths. "I'm Navi, by the way. Nice to meet you!" She floats down to Nabooru's shoulder and tries not to grimace at the sweat on her bare skin. I try not to look at any of her, least of all her bare skin; I need to concentrate. I roll my shoulders and take a defensive stance with my shield up and sword ready.
My shadow appears to my right and instantly attacks. I raise my shield and grunt as the black sword glances off with a shriek. Nabooru was lucky; her shadow only defended while mine attacks. I throw my whole body into a stab and I hit the shadow dead on in the abdomen. It disappears and I know it will reappear behind me unless I killed it which is unlikely. I spin and duck as a swipe flies over my head nicking the end of my hat and pulling it from my head. Damn, I think, now my hair's gonna be in my eyes.
The shadow doesn't give me time to recover and attacks as I duck behind my shield. From my crouched position I can see an opening where the shadow isn't taking full advantage of its shield and I swipe, catching it in the side. I get hair in my eyes and push it back with my arm hoping sweat will keep it in place as the shadow grunts and disappears again. I spin in a slow circle trying not to focus on Nabooru and Navi as my vision passes over them. The shadow appears again, jumping like Nabooru did at hers. I catch it on my shield and use its momentum to throw it over my head. As it lands I spin and deliver a death blow, plunging my sword into its neck. It gurgles and then fizzles into black smoke.
Navi rises from Nabooru's shoulder as she stands clapping her small hands and I smile at her, sheathing my sword and putting away my shield. Nabooru looks at me critically and cocks her head. I retrieve my hat and settle it back on my head before walking over to her.
"Watching you fight something else makes me think that I'm lucky that you didn't take my head off, Hero." She says, leaning back against the wall. I roll my eyes.
"Please don't call me that. My name is Link," I say and offer my hand. "Since we didn't get properly introduced the first time we met." She looks at my hand then back up at me and twists her mouth into a wry smile. I open my mouth in embarrassment and retract my hand, dipping into a hasty bow. She bows back and breaks out in a real smile.
I can't help but notice how her teeth are not perfectly straight, but just a little crooked. That fact doesn't detract from the strength and beauty of her face, but rather adds to it. I realize I've been looking too long and drop my eyes.
"Now that you don't hate me, could we talk?" I ask, trying to distract myself.
"I believe that is possible now," she replies. We leave the training grounds and walk to the mess hall in silence. I can tell that Navi is getting more and more impatient to ask about the Desert Colossus. Before she can blurt it out I stop and turn to Nabooru. Her face stays passive as she stops to face me.
"I need your help Nabooru. I need to get to the Desert Colossus. There is a medallion there that will help me defeat Ganondorf. Can you get me there?" Nabooru presses her mouth into a thin line and places her hands on her hips.
"You want to cross that desert," she points toward the gate, "and risk our lives to take down Ganondorf?" She almost looks angry.
"I'm sorry, but it's really important, and I've risked my life many times. Ganondorf can't go on the way he is. Hyrule is falling apart!" I realize I'm shouting and I stop. "Please, I can't do this without you." She twists her mouth and I realize she's holding in a smile. My mouth pops open and I return the smile after I punch her on the arm. She punches me back, harder, and we continue into the fortress.
After dinner and another cleanup session with Keeru, Nabooru and I sit at the tables. Keeru raises her eyebrows, but doesn't say anything.
"I was taught how to cross the desert by the previous spiritual leader, Natal, who is too old to be the leader any longer. I am the new spiritual leader, but I still talk to Natal when I need help."
"Will we need her help to cross?" I ask, watching Navi braid her hair back.
"I don't believe so, but it would be good to ask if she knows anything about this medallion."
"So what're we waiting for?" I get up from the table and Nabooru stands slowly, stretching her back, which thrusts her chest out. I avert my eyes and walk to a doorway.
"Wrong doorway, pointy-face," she says flipping her hand to the correct door.
"Sorry," I mumble, keeping my eyes down. She raises an eyebrow and follows me through the doorway.
Natal and her attendants are so deep in the fortress I couldn't find my way back out if I tried. Navi is open and happy, humming Zelda's Lullaby and then Epona's Song. I smack my hand to my forehead.
"Epona! Nabooru, do you know where my horse is?"
"She's fine. She's being stabled with our horses up on top of the cliff. She's happy and a little impatient. We had to get our best handler to get her saddle off to comb her down."
I laugh, "She's a spirited one, that's for sure."
Natal really is old; her room is the coldest I've been in so far and is lit not by torches, which create too much heat, but by magic. I can't tell where the light originates but the shadows are strange and all wrong. I ignore all of this and focus on Natal. She is immensely wrinkled and crooked, but her eyes are bright and she is completely aware.
"Ah, the Hero of Time," she rasps stretching out her hand. I take it and her cool, smooth skin clings to mine. I bow with her hand in mine then release it and return to stand beside Nabooru.
"Master," says Nabooru bowing, "Link needs to journey to the Desert Colossus to retrieve the medallion; he needs this to defeat Ganondorf."
"My son has passed far beyond my help by now," Natal sighs. My eyes widen and I glance at Nabooru. Apparently she already knew because she doesn't react. Natal sees my face and wheezes a small sigh again.
"Yes, he is my son, but he doesn't know. He was raised by those two witches Koume and Kotake. They are the ones who twisted him into who he is today. They are who awaits you in the temple. You will have to defeat them to reach the medallion."
"Thank you Master," says Nabooru bowing again and nudging me with her elbow and I bow too before we leave the room.
"That went well," said Nabooru, leading me down the halls. "If she hadn't liked you she wouldn't have even greeted you."
"Well, are we ready to cross the desert?" I ask, ready to leave at any moment, but Nabooru shakes her head.
"We should leave tomorrow evening when the sun sets. The moon is almost full and should provide enough light and the desert will be much cooler."
"Can we not leave tonight?" I ask, frustrated. "I've already been here two days."
"It will take most of tomorrow to arrange our transportation. I haven't been to the colossus in many months because of the danger so I need to do some work. Go back to your room, Link. We'll leave tomorrow evening." She sets a hand on my shoulder. Her touch sends a pleasant feeling through me and I nod, unable to argue. Tomorrow evening I'll be one step closer to Ganondorf.
AN: So yeah, Navi's giggle fit was a bit of a cop-out, but I really couldn't think of another way to help Nabooru and Link reconcile. Hope ya'll enjoyed and looking forward to Chapter 3! It might be a little while since I cranked out two chapters within three days. Stay tuned.