Dora sheathed her sword with a twisted, satisfied grin lighting her face. The next step was to conceal the bodies. She quickly debated several options, but finally settled on leaving the corpses in the woods along the road. Before anyone even found them, Hyrule would have bigger problems. She returned to the car to retrieve Raiden, and then dragged them both by their arms to leave them by the roots of a tree.
Dora climbed into the driver's seat of the still running car and slammed the door closed. She investigated the wheel, the knobs, and the levers by twisting and pulling them. The lights flickered off and back on, and she gained knowledge for the strength she needed to control the wheel. She turned to the pedals on the floor. Pressing the one on the right made the car roar, while the pedal on the left made a squeak and met with resistance. That was the control Perry used to slow the car to a stop. Finally, the shifter, which was thankfully marked with words that were easy to understand. She pulled the stick back to "Drive" and stepped on the gas.
The journey was far from smooth. Dora sped up and stopped, jerking the car left and right continuously, until she learned to better control the speed. Turning the wheel back and forth to stay on the road also required time to learn. By the time she reached Hyrule, she had the car under her control. The shock at what she found made her stomp on the brake and she lurched forward.
There was no wall, no moat, nothing for protection, just a row of houses and roads to welcome strangers to the town of Hyrule. There was no telling how far the houses spanned. Dora slowly pressed on the gas and drove at the pace of a walk. She checked out the homes, some of them lit, some dark. They were all similar with two levels, a porch, a few square windows, and were either clumped together or separated by fences. As Dora took in the sites, she wondered how she would find the hero with such a vast area to cover.
One road she turned on led to a store with a section of black ground painted with some evenly spaced lines. She parked the car between a set of lines and disappeared. Dora felt the car seemed pretty exposed and obvious, but she needed to be able to find it to return to Gerudo Desert.
Dora wandered along the empty street and continued to observe the new way of life. She learned that fire was no longer used as a source of light or heat, but she could not determine how light was being created. There were these poles stuck in the ground every thirty feet that carried odd rope across the town, and connected to the outside of houses. There were posts along the street that magically emitted light from a dome at the top. She wanted to find out how it was possible, but staring at the light too long hurt her eyes and made her see spots. She did her best to avoid being further distracted by her curiosity, to focus on the task at hand, but the chore of quickly finding her prey was overwhelming.
One more detail she noticed was a few houses represented the Hylian Crest on their door. Did this signify it was the home of a descendant of a Hylian Knight? At first, that seemed lucky, but she was not about to go barging into the marked houses to ask if someone named Link lived there. No, she still needed more information, and fast.
Around the next corner she found a building with colored lights in its windows that spelled out names or words she could not pronounce. There were a few cars parked outside. Someone, a Zora of all things, walked in, and the sound of music and voices drifted from the open door. This seemed to be a local gathering place, like a tavern, so it would be an ideal location to hide in plain sight and gather information.
Dora opened the door, walked in, and no one noticed. In any other circumstance she would have been enraged that her presence was not acknowledged immediately. For the purpose of her mission it was for the best. The overhead lights were dim, but other lights scattered around the room were pulsing in different colors to the heavy beat of the music. People in the middle of the floor were dancing, some of them singing, while others sat at a bar by the far wall to have a drink from the bartender. Dora chose to make her way to the bar and take a seat in the center of the other patrons.
Nothing she heard was useful, but it was all interesting. She overheard talk of schools, sports, musical bands that played at shows, radios to hear music on, fashion, and running water. The latter was the most intriguing, so she followed some girls into a room in the back marked with a figure in a dress. She copied another girl exactly by entering the stall and slid the lock in place. She sat down to relieve her bladder, since the opening to the bowl resembled the seats she remembered. Then there was this monstrous sound from the other stall, but Dora had no idea what it was or how she managed to make it happen. After emptying her bladder, she discovered a silver lever on the side of the seat and pressed it. The device made the same sound, and she watched the yellow water swirl down the drain. It was the most incredible invention ever. No more smelly homes and villages.
Dora returned to her seat at the bar. Not even a minute later the bartender, a curvy Hylian woman, placed a blue drink in front of her. Obviously someone ordered a drink on her behalf, so who was she to refuse it? She tipped it back to take just a sip, and it was so fruity it was as easy to drink as fresh squeezed juice. The smell and after bite reminded her of the strong liquor that accompanied the fruit flavor. The question was, who would have ordered her a drink?
While she sat and pondered this riddle, she was distracted by the conversation of a Hylian man and a Goron beside her.
"Link was blessed with the mark of the hero at our meeting today."
Well, well, well... she thought, and tuned in to their conversation. Although the Gerudo ears were not as tall, they were just as receptive.
"Is it more of a blessing, or a curse?" the Goron wondered.
"It's hard to say. If the legend is true, we are all in for a rude awakening. He will have a big responsibility to fill."
"Well, you know Link. He might be great with a sword but he is lazy. He doesn't care about destiny or any of that, no matter what his father tells him."
"It's sad how much people have forgotten. The threat is real, and this mark of the hero proves that evil has returned."
"Yes, but we have no way to know if it is imminent, or what the evil really is."
"The mark only appears when evil has returned to claim the Triforce."
Evil, she laughed only in her mind. Had they forgotten his name, or did they fear speaking it would make the legend come true?
"Tomorrow is going to be..."
Dora was unable to hear the rest of the conversation, because a man suddenly stood in front of her. She glared angrily to find a brunette Hylian, with blue eyes, of average muscle and height. His shirt was only buttoned half way up, and it was tucked into his buckled pants. The anger faded to avoid drawing suspicion as best she could. He flashed a charming grin and said, "Hi there."
She already deduced this man was the one who bought her the drink, and was most likely swooping in to collect his reward. "Hello," she answered.
"I haven't seen you around before, and I know pretty much everyone," he bragged, sounding important. "I'm Drake."
"I'm Dora, and I just came by for the celebration tomorrow. Let me guess, you own this establishment?" she ventured.
"You are absolutely correct," he said with a proud smile. "Enough about me, I want to know more about you. You must have descended from the heavens, because you are more drop dead gorgeous than the goddesses."
Dora's eyes flickered away from him as a sentimental smile played her lips. She fondly recalled the numerous times her husband called her more beautiful than the Desert Goddess. Drake did not refer to that one, he meant the other three. Dora's eyes focused on him again, and with a devious grin, she said, "No, but I did break a nail clawing and scratching my way out of the Dark World."
Drake snickered, barely a fear betrayed by his expression. "My, you Gerudo are just as feisty as they say."
Her eyes showed the faintest surprise that shifted back to confidence, hopefully before he noticed. Apparently, not everyone forgot.
"I must be a lucky man."
"Must be," she retorted with an annoyed smile. Dora hoped he would go away, rather than pursue what every other man wanted from a Gerudo.
"Are you interested in a date for the party tomorrow?" he wondered innocently, and leaned one elbow on the bar.
"I might be on the market," she answered plainly. This was reminiscent of her mediocre thieving days, where the best plan was to seduce a man, go home with him, and then steal all of his valuables before even removing any clothing. If he thought she was going to be that easy to win, he was in for a rude awakening.
"Well, I could help you with that, if you'd be willing to help me with a problem tonight."
Dora raised an eyebrow suspiciously. She had never been, and never would be, in the business of helping people out of generosity. "What could I possibly do to help you?"
"You see, I'm what some might call an overachiever, and I have heard that the Gerudo are exceptional in pleasing a man," he began, and then moved close to her ear to softly whisper. "I would love to own the bragging rights for the experience of the legendary pleasure a Gerudo has to offer."
The warm breath dancing against her ear made her shiver, and the excitement of such intimacy was forgotten until that moment. Dora trembled, and fiercely missed her king. The longing for his arms, his lips, his touch, it all rushed back to her suddenly, and Drake might have mistaken it as a desire for him. No one would ever compare to Ganondorf's passion.
Dora tipped her glass back and swallowed a mouthful. Instead of setting it down, she flung the rest of the drink all over Drake's shirt and exposed chest. He glared at her with a severely insulted expression, as if he had never been rejected. "Think again, worm," Dora growled. "You obviously have no idea who you are speaking to."
Drake snatched her arm roughly and pulled her away from the bar. Dora fought back enough for him to know she would not cooperate, but she refrained from an all-out brawl to avoid drawing more attention. He yanked her back a dark hall, and shoved her inside a well lit room. While Drake turned around to lock the door with a bolt and chain, a gruff guard, wearing an expensive black suit, restrained her arms behind her back. Drake tore her blade from the sheath at her hip. Dora inspected her surroundings more carefully after glimpsing familiar images on the walls and ceiling. They were plastered with maps depicting the old world of Hyrule, scriptures in ancient languages, paintings of sages, of Zelda, of Link. He was obsessed with the legends of Hyrule and the Triforce, but what was his alliance?
"Judging by your sword, it appears the infamous Ganondora has stumbled into my bar, and that means I know exactly who you are," he said, gloating. "I'm not used to being told I can't have what I want. So, Dora, you have one last chance. We either do this the easy way, or the hard way," he threatened.
"I'll use your entrails to paint the room crimson you sick bastard," she snarled, trying to rip her arms from the grip of the guard. His biceps were huge, and definitely over powered her physical strength.
"Oh, I like it rough, and I hope you do too. Because when I'm done with you, I have a whole group of friends who will want to take the Queen of Evil for a ride," Drake said with a laugh. "I have always admired your sword, do you mind if I keep it?"
"How about I make you eat it instead?" she yelled.
"Aw, you're so cute when you're mad. You know, when that disgusting husband of yours isn't around to protect you, you're nothing more than just another woman," he mocked.
Dora waited, because while her fury grew, so did Drake's confidence and ego, and she wanted both to be nice and ripe when she cut him down to size. "Say one more word about the King of Evil and I will personally present your head to him."
"Oh, you mean about how much of a coward he is? How he was so weak he was defeated by children? Please, Ganon was a chump."
Dora snapped, and the only thing that mattered was Drake's death. The guard restraining her was a big guy, but his grip on her weakened when she stomped the heel of her boot against his toes. He even yelled out in pain. Dora watched him reach inside his coat for a weapon, but never gave him time to withdraw it. She tore the sheath from its loop in her belt and smashed him over the head. After he collided with the ground, Dora reached and yanked his skull around so his neck broke. Then, all of her attention was on Drake.
He pointed this device at her, with a hole at the end of a tube. It certainly seemed like a weapon, but how would it harm her?
"That's right, you've never seen this before. This is a gun, and by pulling this trigger it fires a magic beam. So, it really gives anyone the power to control magic," he explained smugly.
"You are so naive. You can't control magic, that's just a toy. That is not what it means to be a powerful sorcerer," she yelled.
"Let's see you dodge this then," he shouted and fired.
The beam of magic was short and narrow, but Dora did not dodge it, she used her sheath to block it. "You failed, Drake. Now, try to hit a moving target!" She ducked down and rushed forward, swerving to the right and left. Magic zoomed by, but never struck her. When she stepped down just at his feet, she jumped up and smashed her fist into his lower jaw to make his head spin. He stumbled back and held his head to try and focus. Her sheath met with the back of his legs. He was forced to his knees, and then he landed with the side of his face against the floor. She stepped on his back and kicked away the gun. To claim her sword, she stomped on his wrist to cripple his grip and tore it from his fingers. She smashed her knee into his spine, gripped his shoulder length hair to pull his head back and pressed the sharp blade to his throat.
He whimpered, "Please don't kill me."
The change in the tune of his voice was music to her ears. "You cannot escape death tonight. Despite how much I would love to watch you suffer, I have an important task to complete before morning arrives. I require Link's blood to revive my husband, and since you know everyone in town, you can tell me where he is. Tell me, and I make your end swift and painless. Fight me," she said with a cruel laugh, "and I'll break your legs. I'll slit your neck so shallow that you die of shock long before you bleed to death."
Drake swallowed a lump of fear in his throat. "You know this will end for you the same way it always has. I'm sorry for how I treated you. I can make up for it. I don't think you should have to die for him again."
"So, you want to offer me some type of protective relationship? You are a fool!" Dora spun him around so he lay on his back, and then straddled him with his arms pinned under her legs. She snatched his throat and dug her nails into his skin. "I live and breathe to serve Ganondorf. My heart and soul belong to him. I need no other lover, king, or husband. No hero, nor princess, sages, goddesses or death have ever torn us apart. Our love is eternal!"
"Then I guess I'm not the lucky one, he is," Drake admitted. "At least when I get to see the goddesses, I can tell them I was killed by one of the last Gerudo."
Dora swiftly delivered a punch across his face. His lip split and bled down his chin. "Tell me what I need to know," she hissed.
"Link lives with his family down the road. If you go three blocks to the east, and then turn south to take another five blocks, you'll reach his house."
"One more question. Who are you allied with?"
"I have no alliance, but I always knew Ganon would return. I am just glad I won't be alive to see the chaos and destruction when his terrible reign begins."
Dora smirked, and sliced clean through his neck to immediately end his life as she promised.