Tales from Hyrule, Chapter 4
AN
Ok, thanks for reading so far, and I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I am enjoying writing this story, and I will continue to write this, no matter what happens, it just will take more time.
In other news, right now my word subscription has run out and I'm not sure how many more chapters I can putting up at this time, I will however keep trying to post new chapters. Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying this story, I do try to post chapters whenever I can, but life likes to get in the way of my updating. Either way, I will keep this story going, but it may take some time before I can post more chapters. Or It might not, depends on what happens, but I hope you all will bear with me and keep on reading this story.
I do not own The Legend of Zelda Franchise or any other thing owned by a company that is in this story, those companies and Nintendo own everything they own, I only own the products of my mind.
Ug, my head throbs and my arms hurt. I crack open my eyes and wince at the little light there is in the room. Rough stone walls and a thick door with a small window. Small and compact. The air is dry and my mouth is dry as It can be.
I try to move to grab the back of my head and realize I can't. My wrists burn and turning my head as little as possible and see my wrists are suspended by leather cuffs and chains. A prison, great.
I rest for a small bit till my head stops hurting then work on breaking free. The door opens as I am in the process of getting second hand free.
The woman stops and stares at what must be an odd sight for her. I'm hanging by one cuff and wrapped around the chain as I work my hand free. Our eyes meet and then she jumps into action and draws a scimitar and points it at my head.
"Stop that. I swear to the goddess I will cut you if you don't stop trying to break free." She says in a youthful sounding voice.
I turn and look at her, shock and surprise on my face. "Excuse me? You mean I shouldn't try to escape and break free? I mean you obviously don't want to honor a diplomatic envoy from Hyrule. Go find someone who can make actual decisions and tell them the man they captured was a Hyrulian diplomat, and that they should probably free me before things go south for them."
The girl stares at me, and I stare back. She shakes her head and then turns and leaves. The door slams behind her. I finish freeing my hand and then sit down and rub feeling into my numb wrists.
The door opens and the same girl comes into my cell. "Get up and get moving. Someone wants to speak with you. And no funny business you hear?" Damn, she sounds young yet she talks like she is grown.
She leads me through a fairly large prison area, where most of the cells are empty. Yet there are still guards everywhere keeping a close eye on empty cells. Each dressed in light flowing clothes, in various light shades, and each holding a spear and a scimitar. And a veil across their faces. Unlike the girl leading me, maybe they denote rank or experience. Probably there are books in the royal library which I could have read about the Gerudo. But I honestly don't care that much. And most times I have much better things to do than read up on a tribe of women hidden in the desert.
My guide leads me to a door with 4 Gerudo women guarding it. They take one look at me and open the door. One of them says something in a foreign language and the others laugh. I sneer at them and shake my head, say some gibberish and then laughing as if I made a joke. They all look angry and grab me and nearly throw me through the door. After my guide comes through the slam the door and I hear the lock engage behind me.
"What did you say to them?"
"Complete and utter gibberish. What did they say about me?"
"They made a comment about the only good use for a man, and how you probably wouldn't be very good for that use. I'm sorry for my sisters. Many are not what you would call, good and polite people."
"They only made one joke, if that was some of the soldiers I have served with, there would be a lot worse of things said, and done. So I guess that it's the same where ever you go. Then again there are also some very noble soldiers I have served with. So I guess it's the same here.
"Yea I guess you're right. But it doesn't excuse their behavior. Even though you're still a prisoner, they should still give you some sort of respect."
"Well, that's interesting. You're a Gerudo, yet you don't believe that you're the best race in the world. Then again, I guess I'm a Human that doesn't hate all Gerudo on sight. I guess were two special people in this racist world. I'm Jack Halfstan, what's your name?
"I'm Malon, it's nice to meet you Jack. Keep quiet now. Nabooru doesn't like it when men talk unless she lets them. Now come on. It's time to meet the leader of the Gerudo."
She leads me into a large and ornate room, large cushions lay about with large rugs and all sorts of comforts. The temperature drops down till its noticeably cooler in the room than it is outside of it. A beautiful woman reclines in a position of honor, while girls in white clothes like my guide attend to her every need. She gestures and the serving girls leave. She points to a spot in front of her. I walk forward and sit down on the ground. She smiles and gestures for my guide to leave.
"She can stay. I would rather have at least one witness than no witnesses. I hope you understand my reason." She frowns and then just shrugs.
"Fine if you must have it. Now tell me what is so important to have Hyrule send an ambassador to us. And not to teleport them straight into the fortress." Her voice is feminine and lightly accented.
"That bitch, she deliberately tried to get me killed. When I get back to the castle I have some words for her." Bloody bitch, trying to sabotage me and also mess up the chances of Hyrule.
"Well, that's colorful, and what do you mean by that, sir knight?"
"Oh just a bitch trying to passively kill me. When I get back to the castle I will have some words to say to her. But forgive my being side tracked. What I was sent to tell you was that Hyrule is going to be destroyed. Termina, Loborynia, and Holodrum's armies are all massing to attack Hyrule and destroy everything. From what I have been told it's because the son of the ruler of Termina found out that Princess Annie broke off the engagement and is instead engaged to me. And apparently he couldn't deal with the imagined slight and got his father to set into motion, events that would soon send an attack on Hyrule. I was sent here to see if we could call in the ancient alliance that was once between Hyrule and the Gerudo. And hopefully gain more warriors to aid us inn defending against our invaders. And if not, then to make sure the Gerudo would not join my foes and block off this route of access into Hyrule, as unlikely as that is."
Nabooru looks at me and I can't tell what she is thinking. Finally, "Well, that's completely interesting. I don't know what Hyrule thinks by sending a man to us. But I have a condition. If you can train to complete the trials that all Gerudo must complete to become full members of the Gerudo. And if you do, then we shall send aid to Hyrule. And if you fail, then you won't care, because you will be dead. So will you take this, or would you instead flee and live until you fall in battle?"
"Well, I'm not a coward. And I would rather die for Queen and for country. And if I fail, the woman I love and plan to marry will be forced to marry a horrible man, and Hyrule will surly burn. So I shall take your challenge. And I shall beat it and never look back or consider failure. Give me your challenge, and watch as I crush this challenge underfoot." I say the final bit with defiance in my voice. I fully intend to not let this stand in my way and instead move on onto the next challenge.
"You will have two weeks to train with the other novices and you shall take this challenge with them. I'm sorry but that is the only time you can take the challenge, its doors only open at certain times in the year. And the next is in two years. And as for the ease you will complete this challenge, well I can't wait to see how you handle it. Now leave, this novice shall lead you to your chamber and aid you in preparing to rest. Your training shall start in the morning."
I let Malon lead me out and through an open area where I see the darkness that has fallen over the desert. As I see it I immediately feel completely tired and ready to sleep. I allow Malon to lead me to a fairly large room. A large bed sits in it and a few tapestries hang on the wall and a few large leather bound books sit on a low table. A small coal brazier sits in the corner burning and heating the room up.
I strip down to light breeches and stretch my back out to relieve all the stress that had built up through my ordeal. I turn back to Malon and see her sitting on the edge of my bed. She looks like she is struggling with something.
"What's wrong Malon?" I ask continuing my stretching.
"I… I… I wanted to ask, can I… sleep with you?" She looks so distraught, and she sounds so defeated.
"Why… why would you ask that? I mean you don't have to do that with me. I'm not that kind of man."
"Its… it's not that. I get lonely at night and I don't have anyone at all. And, the older girls can use us if they wish. I was always lucky that no one had ever chosen me, but, I think one of them did. And, if you chose me, then I wouldn't have to do that for them. And I would rather have my first time with a man, than with another girl. Just, can you…" She leaves it hanging and I feel like such a horrible man.
"Honestly even if you weren't younger than me, and if you weren't so emotional, I still wouldn't do it. I'm sorry but I made a promise to Princess Annie. That was to not break the faith that I have been given by her to not sleep with other people. If you wish, then you can sleep in the bed with me, but nothing more will happen. Nothing at all is going to happen between us. And I want you to only give yourself to the one you love and who loves you and who you are to marry."
"That's not the Gerudo way. We don't marry, we are free spirits and we take whatever men we can, or we share one another's love. We leave marriage to the inferior races. Or so the sisters who teach us everything say."
"That's stupid. Live how you want to live, not how they tell you to live."
"I would love to do that Jack, but I have to live the way the sisters tell me. Unless when you leave, you take me with you? If you take me back to Hyrule then maybe I could live that way?"
"then if you want to leave and I can, then I shall bring you with me. I swear to you; by my power I shall bring you back to Hyrule with me. Now it's late, and hell, I'm tired as a redead, so I'm going to sleep."
I lie down on the bed and wrap myself in the light sheets on the bed and let Malon lie next to me. I close my eyes and pass into the dream realm. And dream happy dreams of better times.
AN
Well, that's another chapter down, and this is the start of a small section of the story. Not sure how long this story will go, but I think It might be more than 10 chapters. Which doesn't sound like much to me, but I guess we can't all have 70 part stories. I'm just happy I can get this story written and posted for you guys. And, well I guess this is the part where I tell you guys to review if you liked the story or if you read something that you didn't understand or wanted to tell me how good it was. Either way, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are enjoying the story so far.
Cheers Guys
Wolf