III

Ezerella watched her sister Pivona laugh at her from across the dining circle.

"A man? From the west?" she said, holding a delicate hand up to her mouth to stop food from falling out. "Blessed Tama, you really are bored up there, aren't you?"

Ezerella looked down at the communal bowl in the circle's center, filled with spiced meats and flat bread slices. The cushions around it were of some luxurious fabric she couldn't determine, probably satin, and were trimmed with gold lace. The small circle was enveloped by sheer fabric as well, painting the whole "room" in red and purple. It was the kind of dining circle meant for higher class Gerudo, which Pivona was not. But it was no secret that she was sleeping with one of Ralzana Koume's council members, who had her own quarters within the palace itself. It earned Pivona quite a good bit of luxury.

"That's beside the point," Ezerella said, taking a sip of wine from an ornate goblet on the ground beside her. She rarely got to taste wine.

"It is not beside the point," said Pivona. Her curls were a deep crimson that seemed to shin a little brighter than her sister's. "If what you say is true, I'm guessing you did not bring him to the ralzana. Where are you hiding him anyway?"

Ezerella paused, amber eyes meeting her sister's. "My house."

Pivona's eyebrows shot up. "Keen to keep him to yourself, then?"

"That's not it," Ezerella said. "There's something…different about him."

"Oh, you're in love, how adorable," Pivona said, voice lilting. She reached into the bowl, curling her fingers around the delicacy and bringing it to her lips.

"Will you listen to me?" Ezerella said with a laugh, slapping her sister's arm.

"You will get in trouble, you know," said Pivona. "If you keep him a secret, if he's even real, he can't stay hidden forever. Ralzana Koume will discover him. And I can't pull enough strings to get you off that kind of hook. Especially not now."

Ezerella sighed. The rules were so strict concerning men entering the city, and she knew what Pivona was hinting at. It wasn't spoken of ever amongst people of sociable status, but the gossip flew like a sandstorm among the public wash houses Ezerella went to every week. So many had begun to write it off as myth, something that couldn't possibly be true given their circumstances, but there were others who clung to the hope. Maybe it was more than myth—maybe it was true.

"Do you believe it?" Ezerella said suddenly.

Pivona stopped mid-sip and regarded her sister carefully. She put the goblet down. "I figured my last statement would give you that answer."

"You really think it could happen? A ralzan?"

"Not just a ralzan, Ezzy," said Pivona, leaning forward across the circle. "A ralzan to bring ultimate prosperity to our people. To change the bleak situation with the Hylians that have declared ownership over Hyrule."

Ezerella glanced out the parting between the drapes that shielded them from the hot sun. They were on a balcony looking out over a wonderful oasis, walled conveniently inside the upper class district of the city. Not many people were bathing, with the sun beating down on the desert, relentlessly.

"His name is Link," she said, a smiling alighting on her lips.

Pivona laughed beside her, making her look up again. "Just be careful, little sister," she said. "Step lightly through this one."

The next day Link convinced Ezerella to allow him outside her isolated room—told her that he felt a little like a pet guay in a cage. Ezerella made him promise to stay "invisible" to everyone, at least for a little while. He agreed, and she brought him through the bazaar when her shift was over. Eventually, as the visitor grew accustomed to Gerudo traditions, he gradually revealed his presence to the citizens. Ezerella began to grow nervous, given the attention he was receiving. But he assured her he would not let things out of his control.

One day Ezerella did not even have to return to her house to retrieve Link; he had already made his way to the bazaar. Ezerella found herself running down the stairs and across the irrigation canal bridge that separated the districts, every worst possible scenario running through her mind. The ralzana had found out about him and taken him as a prisoner. He had gotten lost somewhere and killed by a warrior. But when she arrived at the bazaar, she saw Link beneath a tented kiosk, sitting on a rolled-out carpet. Displayed in front of him was an incredible array of masks and weapons, all seemingly handcrafted. Ezerella walked up to him, smiling in bemusement.

"What is this?" she said, unable to hide her anxiousness about his nonchalance.

"I'm a traveler," Link said, looking up at her from beneath the awning. His silvery white hair looked metallic even in the shade. "This is my livelihood."

"You made these?" Ezerella knelt down in front of the arrangement and picked up a mask. It was wooden, painted gold, and finished with a smoothing lacquer. It was beautiful.

"Yes," Link said. He smiled.

Ezerella put the mask back down. "Link, you have to be careful," she said. "If anyone finds out you made it into the city without seeing Ralzana Koume…"

"It will be fine," Link said with a laugh, putting a hand over hers.

Ezerella looked at their hands, one pale over the other deep brown. Everything about him contrasted her—his skin, his hair, his eyes, even his personality. But that only increased the feeling of lightness that accompanied his touch.

Link removed his hand with a timid smile. "You don't need to worry about me."

But she did. In the days, weeks that followed, Link's presence became undeniable. Being one of the only men in the whole city, many of them flocked to his tent merely to pass yearning glances and comment on his interesting clothes. Although he was quite the reserved gentleman, Ezerella once caught him fastening a mask to a woman's face while standing behind her, and very close behind her indeed.

But Ezerella's fear was only heightened when a whole troop of guards marched through the bazaar's cobbled streets. They looked identical in their leather uniforms, red hair tied up and out of their faces concealed by sashes. In the middle, dressed in the finest satin Ezerella had ever seen, was Ralzana Koume herself. As she neared them, the surrounding people began bowing their heads respectfully, causing Ezerella to duck her head as well.

"Stand," she whispered. Link did so and bowed deeply at the waist, black eyes resting on Koume.

The Gerudo leader was undoubtedly beautiful. Her burgundy, wavy hair stopped at her waist, held back by a red headband that dangled jewels in front of her golden eyes. Her tan-skinned face was partially concealed by a sheened veil of gold that connected to the headband above her slightly pointed ears. Robes of red and yellow blanketed her shoulders, protecting her skin from the harsh rays of the sun.

"Link of the West, I am to believe?" she said with a slightly lifted chin, eyes scrutinizing her guest.

Link straightened and nodded. "Ralzana," he said. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Koume's gold eyes flashed with amusement. "I am at quite a loss," she said, voice like velvet. "Usually visitors come to me before setting up shop and starting a life amongst my people." Her eyes flitted toward Ezerella for the briefest of moments.

"It is my fault, Ralzana," Link said. "I should have come to you sooner."

Koume tilted her head to the side slightly, eyeing Link carefully. "I must say, normally my patience would be quite tested and I would dispose of you immediately." She smirked. "But your presence seems to delight my people." The women around them giggled girlishly and Ezerella felt her jaw set against the tension. "I do have my eye on you, however."

"Understandable," Link said, nodding again. "Once again, my apologies."

Koume's smile widened, but the scrutiny did not leave her gold eyes. "Welcome to the Desert, Link of the West." And with that she turned and the horde of Gerudo continued their march through the bazaar.

Link sat back down on the roll beneath the awning as the minor crowd dispersed. "See?" he said. "Nothing to worry about."

"I should get to the watchtower," said Ezerella as she fastened her sash across her nose and mouth.

"Why, exactly, are you so worried?" Link said, looking up at her.

Ezerella's brow twitched slightly. She wasn't sure what to even tell him, what the concrete reason was for her anxiety.

"I'm not very significant in the eyes of royalty."

"You are significant in the eyes of me," Link said softly, looking up at her with smiling eyes.

Ezerella looked down at him, heart fluttering inside her chest. But as light as it made her feel, a frown covered her face. Now that even the ralzana recognized his presence, she couldn't afford to let herself feel this way. Still, Link's smooth pale features and knowing smile… Ezerella suddenly felt the irresistible magnetism of his gaze and her frown was replaced by a gradual smile.

"Come with me," she said.

Link's lips twitched and Ezerella saw his black eyes flash in the light. After a moment Link stood and rested a sheer blanket over his wares. Normally Ezerella would have advised him to pack his things away and safe from thieves, but she was in the midst of doing something she shouldn't, so she only grabbed Link's hand and pulled him through a narrow alley.

As they navigated through the dusty streets of the quieter parts of town, Ezerella wondered if Link would ask where they were going. Whenever she cast an excited smile at him, he always seemed to have an expression of calm acceptance on his face. She shook her head slightly when she found that the expression made her somewhat frightened; she knew Link wouldn't hurt her. …would he?

The thought did not spend much time in her mind as they neared a wall—incredibly tall and made out of solid slabs of adobe clay. Along the wall about thirty feet up were square holes, made as miniature lookout points for the sentries that patrolled the inner wall. Constant surveillance, Ezerella thought, even on the citizens within. She felt along the wall's surface cautiously, letting go of Link's hand.

"There's a passage here somewhere," she said, although she didn't think Link needed any explanation. He had walked up with her and was feeling along the edges.

"Here," he said after a moment, and nudged a loose brick at the base of the wall with his foot. The dirt ground gave way to a dark, dry passage that led deep underground.

Ezerella smiled. She and Link scurried inside before any of the wall sentries could spot them. She pulled a lever on the side of the passage wall and the path shut behind them.

For a moment they were in total darkness. Ezerella cursed herself for not bringing a torch, right before the sound of a match lighting filled the quiet. Link's face, pale and mysterious, was lit up from the fire burning at the end of the match, and he smiled.

"Shall we?" he said.

Ezerella turned and moved down the tunnel. It was as dry as the surface, and she had to cover her face with her sash so not as to breathe in any sand. The two of them had to duck their heads slightly—the passageway was a lot smaller than she'd remembered. They moved onward in silence, for many minutes. The tunnel was the quickest way to their destination, and probably the safest if you include harsh Gerudo guards as threats. But the trek in the darkness lasted about an hour before they Link ran out of matches. It wasn't too unfortunate however, since Ezerella spotted a burning torch not too far off along the path.

Once they made it to the end, Ezerella pulled another level on the right wall of the tunnel, made visible by the torchlight. She knew there must have been a spell on the fire to keep it burning, since the lever and torch stand were covered in layers of dust as if they hadn't been touched in years. Once the lever had been pulled, a row of stone steps appeared from above and she could see a wooden trapdoor at their peak. They climbed the steps and pushed open the door, only to reveal more darkness.

"Come on," Ezerella said. She grabbed one of the torches from inside the tunnel and closed the wooden door behind them. Around them were stacks and stacks of crates and ceramic pots, as if they'd exited in a storage room. They made their way to a door on the far wall and Ezerella opened it slowly.

The light was blinding and the Gerudo had to step back inside the dark room to adjust. But Link stepped out with his dark eyes wide open as he gazed at what stood to their right: a giant curved wall with large arches built into its surface. Ezerella grinned as well when her eyes finally allowed sight in the brightness.

She grabbed Link's wrist again and pulled him around the edge of the curved wall. She knew there would be no guards on duty—this place was barely accessible as it stood in the middle of a mountainous valley not far from Snowpeak. But the place was so eerily quiet that she felt a need to be silent.

Eventually they rounded the corner and stepped out toward the front of the massive structure. Stone pillars stood towering over them on either side of the building's entrance, which was a massive rectangular opening in the middle of the stone wall. Above it rested the symbol of the Gerudo, resembling a desert beetle, and many ancient Gerudo hieroglyphs. Behind the entrance they could see the circular, open dome of arches, five stories high, the towering coliseum of the Gerudo ancestors.

The Arbiter's Grounds. It was known to be a prison of the damned where chained captives were dragged directly to the underworld via a mirror. It was just as, maybe more ornate than Gerudo Palace. It seemed to exist in a realm of the in-between, only accessible during the transitional hours of the day. The spirits of those once chained within its walls lingered in the air. Ezerella had been here a time or two in her childhood, when she and her sister would sneak through the tunnel that led here. Their mother caught them returning once and scolded them so heavily that they never even spoke of their secret, forbidden adventures. Ezerella was never frightened of the cautionary tales anyway. It was only a children's tale to get them to stay within the law. The Arbiter was a terrifying spirit from the realm of evil itself, and you would be at his mercy if you did not make your bed every morning. But how could he have been real, Ezerella always wondered, if he was a man?

Link was standing at the top of the steps that led toward the structure's entrance, gazing up at the coliseum walls. His eyes were darker than Ezerella had ever seen them, and her eyebrows twitched apprehensively. Not once had Link wondered where they were going. And even now, as they stood on the heightened stone platform, he seemed to know exactly where he was. Ezerella began panicking—she brought a complete stranger, and outsider to the most sacred of Gerudo grounds, one she wasn't even allowed to visit. The ralzana rarely ventured out here, let alone lowly peasants. Her heart began to pound as she watched Link survey the Grounds.

"What are you?" she said suddenly.

Link's expression seemed to relax as he turned his dark gaze on her. He smirked. "I am Hylian." Ezerella could tell he was repeating this phrase as a form of test, to see if she still believed it.

"You're a Hylian from the West," Ezerella said, stepping toward him. "Yet you are able to disappear from anyone's sight at will. Either you are an incredibly talented sorcerer, or you are not Hylian."

Link laughed lightly, closing the space between them with a few swift strides. He suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly, holding it just above her head. She felt fear and panic flash through her as she gazed into his shadowy eyes, now alight with the red fire of the sun. She thought once again that his pupils were diamond-shaped.

"You want to know what I am?" Link said, voice low and rough as his eyes raked over her body. "That is what I am."

Ezerella wanted to run. She wanted to go back to before she let this stranger into the desert. She prayed to Tama, the sacred Goddess of Sand, to reverse time, to undo all of this. She never felt more afraid in her life.

And then Link's lips were on hers. Ezerella didn't think she could push him away if that was what she really wanted. But she found herself leaning into him heavily, moving her lips against his with an intensity she'd never felt before. She needed to be closer to him, to be part of him. The two of them collapsed on the stone before the entrance to the Grounds, pressing into each other as the red sun sunk below the horizon.