"So dark in here." Navi complained. Luckily Link had his lamp with plenty of oil and wicks. Plus it helped it had oil inside the grounds. "Watch out!"
Link stared at the Wallmaster. He put away his sword and kicked the corpse out of the way. Navi shuddered. Link, he acted different being here. Same with the Well. The evil in both places changed the person's demeanor. Even Navi to her discomfort. She mentally hit herself for not caring. She knew if they stay in this place long enough, they'll change forever. Luckily, they found a map.
An hour later both were eating their rations. They had food, but couldn't risk getting seen. They were deep inside the Temple/Dungeon and the monsters here were more deadly. Navi prayed they got out safely.
"Shall we keep going?" She was exhausted. She ate extra, she was starving. Luckily Link shook his head. "Thank you." She silently squealed when he opened the diary. She was dying to know what happened next.
It took them days to get out of the Geruldo Fortress, the sandstorm only lasted another day. Only because Darwyn, Mirabel, their new friend Rheda, plus a few others came in time to free the trapped women.
"Here. You must wear these outfits! Don't take off the hood in front of your eyes, otherwise the sand will blind you." Rheda, she was worried about her mom. She didn't know who her dad was, her sister just said he was a traveler from far away.
Mirabel and Darwyn put on the outfits. They were light, but covered them from head to toe. They were going to repay the Gerardo for everything they did for them. Rheda, she knew this area well, she was going to lead the rescue team. As for her older sister, she was going to stay behind to keep an eye on the small children along with the inn's staff. Cyra was coming along to help, since she was a trusted navigator.
"Do you know exactly where they are?" Darwyn asks Rheda.
"Beyond the gates. The gate is closed, we close it whenever mother is at the Desert Colossus. No outsider is allowed beyond the Gates without strict permission." Only the worthy is allowed in, the treasures inside are not meant for anyone except heroes. The Head Priestess Petronilla was the only one that went inside the Desert Fortress to pray to the Goddesses, except this time, she brought the Priestesses.
"Why should we trust you? What's stopping you from leaving us out there to die?" Mirabel tells Rheda. Rheda glares at her.
"I may be a thief. But I'm no murderer. Let's go."
"Oh Goddess!" The wind. It was so strong. Mirabel fell back from the storm. It was daytime, but the blowing sand made it look like dusk. "Where do we start?" She yelled. It was so loud.
"I have to tie us together. Sheikah! Hold our lantern! Our sisters, they need to see where we are!" There were three teams. Rheda, Mirabel and Darwyn were one. Cyra, the inn's owner was leading another, along with one of the horse handlers on the third team. "Stay close! And do not go anywhere. You may fall in a sand pit! Let's go!"
The trip took them a lot longer to get there. Only because the wind was so strong. The gates were far. Both teams had to stop and help when three women got sucked inside a sand pit. Luckily they were okay, with six people, they managed to get them out. With the nine people heading on, it was Mirabel that found the Priestesses.
"Rheda! I see the Gate!" Cyra called out.
"Okay! I'm climbing up! But I need help! Darwyn! Help me open the gate! Mirabel, stay down here and make sure that you hold on tight to our ropes! We need to be stable!"
Mirabel nodded, even through she knew no one could see her. She and the others held on the ropes as tightly as they could, both Rheda and Darwyn were even more in danger being up there. One wrong move, either one or both will fall to their deaths.
Rheda knew no one could see or hear up there, it was too loud and dark. They left their lantern down the ladder, they couldn't carry it up. Luckily the ladder was still standing, the winds couldn't reach inside. Rheda and Darwyn climbed slowly, they had to make sure they were careful not to rock the ladder.
Rheda was terrified. She knew she and the Sheikah would be on their own up there. The winds will guarantee to knock them both over. She took a deep breath and climbed to the top, gesturing for Darwyn to follow her.
Darwyn was scared. Not for himself, but for Rheda. Poor girl was terrified. He walked up beside her and held her hand in comfort. Rheda, she nodded in thanks. They both grab the gate's lever and pull.
Mirabel and the others were praying hard. They felt the rope getting tighter. They knew if the rope pulls them forward, they had no choice but to cut the rope. They will all die if the ones on top fall overboard. After what seemed like forever, the gates opened. Thankfully, the couple came back down.
"Thank the Goddesses." Mirabel muttered. When she saw Cyra gesturing for them to follow, they all went forward.
The Haunted Wasteland. It was beyond the Gates. It wasn't always called that, it was just a ordinary desert. But during the storm, it was even more dark and ominous. No one could see inside, not even their lanterns could provide light. Cyra, she had trouble finding where they were.
Ugh. Rheda wanted nothing more than to go home. She hated storms. But she knew she needed to find her mom. It was so dark. She wasn't stupid to take off her headwear, there was no point. She couldn't figure out where her mom was. When she felt a tug, she and Darwyn went forward.
"I found them!" Mirabel, she couldn't believe it. It was a total accident, she heard a whisper. She was leading, Rheda wanted to stay close to Darwyn. She swore she seen someone with a lantern, but she chalked it to delusions. When it flew and stopped a few feet away, Mirabel for some reason followed it. There, she seen a group of women huddled together. She tugged on the ropes.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Rheda, she was hugging her mom. They were back in town, it took them awhile to get there. The town was a disaster. Most of the homes were buried, only the fortress and inn were left; the town's citizens were safe, they were smart and went to the fortress for shelter. "Mom. What happened?"
"We were on our way back to town when the storm hit. It was unexpected. It is not the season for sand storms." She was shaking her head. "It is a sign of great danger." The signs were there. She saw the future. It was full of blood. "We must inform the King. We need aid." The town, they needed help, their crops were buried underground, their main water source dried up. "I can ride into town." Nahara, she was the town's spokesperson.
"Sister, be careful." She ordered some of their handlers to follow Nahara. She looked at Mirabel. "Thank you. Thank you both." The Sheikah and Hylian, they could have left town. But both stayed to clean up.
Darwyn and Mirabel refused to leave. They stayed behind a few extra days to clean up. Darwyn was a experienced farmer, he knew where to find a water source. After the well was dug up, he and Mirabel waited for Nahara. There, Mirabel and Rheda became fast friends.
"No. Take that money and use that for the town." Both Mirabel and Darwyn refused to take the money back from Rheda's crooked game from before. "The children, they need food." Thank goodness for their canning, everyone would have starved to death. They managed to store everything before the storm hit. Now everyone will be fed for the next few months.
"Thank you." Rheda, she was so wrong about Mirabel. Mirabel was so kind. She offered to capture some horses that were lost during the storm. Both Midnight and Eshina were alright, they hid in the mountains. Once they head Darwyn's singing, they went back down.
Once Nahara returned, she came with good news. The King was sending aid. They would be here by morning with blankets, tools, food, containers of water and anything else they needed. The town's citizens were relieved. The King, he was hard to get a hold of the days. Especially with his new advisor taking over the reigns.
"Darwyn, Mirabel. Stay here for the night. It is dangerous this time of night. Plus the monsters that live in the sand, they arrived here from the Wasteland. They are vicious creatures that happen to be very unpredictable." Rheda, she cared for her new friends.
"Of course. Your hospitality, we will never forget this." Mirabel smiled at Rheda, already they were gossiping about random things and events in Hyrule Castle Town.
"I will tell the Sage in Kakariko to send some supplies. Our potions, they will cure anything." Darwyn, he felt sorry for the town, the Priestesses were ill from the sandstorm.
The King, he kept his promise for aid, the town's citizens were grateful and swore their eternal fealty to the Royal Family. Unfortunately, they broke that promise when the war started. They had to protect their fortress. Like the Zora, they sealed themselves away. Once Darwyn and Mirabel felt like they did what they could, they said their goodbyes, but not before the Leader gave them their gift.
"I cannot accept this." Darwyn, he was deeply humbled. This treasure, the Priestesses almost died getting it.
"It would be an insult to reject such a fine gift. Besides, you need this to enter the Temple in the Hylian Lake region." Rheda, she was jealous that her mother gave the town's treasure away. But she understood why her mother was handing it to the outsiders.
"The legendary Hookshot. I thought it was just a myth." Mirabel was in awe of the treasure. "You found it in the Desert Palace?"
"Yes. My vision, I saw three travelers, they were entering the Water Temple. The treasure inside is a very rare jewel. I must warn you, never let evil get its hand on it. Evil cannot rule this land." Petronilla, she saw the Guardian trapped in the Temple. "You must also free the Great Fish inside, he is trapped by a evil monster."
"A fish? They have to save a fish?" Rheda was scratching her head. "There is no way a fish can survive without water."
"Don't judge, daughter." Petronilla was shaking her head. "The Zoras, they need a guardian. The Great Fish will provide magical protection for Hyrule's water sources. Without him, even our well will dry out or be poisoned over time."
"Then I'll come." She looks at her new friends. "You are down one person. I am a good swordswoman, I will help protect you against any evil. What?!" She saw the fortress' citizens sniggering. Especially Nahara and Cyra.
"Watch your valuables. She tends to take her samples from anyone she travels with." Rheda glared at her sister.
"I will not! Promise. However, the treasures inside, they are fair game."
"Then we will go. Thank you again." Darwyn bows to the women. Petronilla and the others bow back.
Once they left, Nahara asked what happened in the Desert Colossus.
"There is danger coming. Nayru showed me." Petronilla, she was one of the few left that was a direct descendants of the Ancient Sages. "The man that works for the King, he is the Key.''
"What key?'' Both Petronilla's daughters hated when their mother spoke in tongues.
"The Realm of the First Treasure."
Diary, Petronilla wasn't wrong, but her vision was skewed. The so called "Man,'' he wasn't human. He was using the King. But no one knew who he really was. Even now, I still don't know his true identity. But his motives were very clear. He was using the King to get the Golden Triangle for himself.
"The man on the black horse." Navi, she remembered the visions Saria told her. How her best friend was having nightmares. But, there was no way he was immortal. No one had that power, except the Deku Tree. Geruldo, they had average life spans. However, it was a coincidence that their goals were the same. She followed Link when he got up. Ugh. They had to fight another Dead Hand. At least Link gave her a sneak peek. The diary was finally telling the story of the Water Temple.