Clearer in Time

XI. Desert Sunset
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Ganondorf watched gleefully from his stronghold. Things were proceeding well. The shadow warrior had not destroyed the hero as planned. He had however, accomplished something.

With the news of Sheik’s hidden allegiance, the hero’s mind was reeling with confusion and betrayal. His focus scattered, dwelling on everything but the quest at hand. If he managed to even make it to the Spirit Temple, he would surely die inside. Mother were waiting for him.

…

Epona galloped steadily across Hyrule Field, the moon high in the sky. Atop the horse, Link’s face was stern and set, his hands gripped tightly to the reigns.

Kakariko was safe, the Shadow Temple now cleansed of evil. There had been no major damage in the fire, and the shadow warrior had seemingly accepted defeat, no longer a threat. The quest was almost complete.

Link felt no joy in any of this. Sheik had disappeared, her true motives revealed. Link’s mind reeled with questions and turbulent emotion. How could this be? She had helped him. Saved him. And he had done the same for her. He had believed her to had seen a friend in him, as he did in her. Perhaps beginning to feel something deeper than friendship, as he had… as he had hoped that she had…

Apparently, she did not feel the same. His trust had been a tool to her, in order to get closer, to… do what? Kill him? He didn’t know. Not that it mattered. She was gone now.

He was alone, once again. Even his would be companion, Malon, had mysteriously opted to stay in Kakariko, leaving him with nobody, except Epona. Link was glad to have at least her, but she did not speak.

Without Sheik, Link had not so much as a clue as to where to go next. He had closed his eyes, and the Eye of Truth had shown him a vast desert. The only desert he knew of was the Gerudo Desert in the west, so he headed that way, towards a place he had never been to before. Hopefully the desert people were not entirely under the influence of their king, Ganondorf.

Link’s hands gripped tighter on the reigns as the name crossed his mind.

Ganondorf. The Evil King seemed relentless in crushing Link’s spirit, turning his quest to save Hyrule into some kind of personal vendetta. Cursing everywhere and everything that Link had ever been or had held dear. All those years ago, when Ganon had killed the Great Deku Tree, the closest Link had ever had to a family. It had only been the tip of the blade. He had since twice attempted genocide against the Gorons, and once against the Zoras.

There were sages, as well. Impa, Ruto, Darunia. Especially Saria. All people he knew, all his friends. All of their homes cursed and plagued and all of their lives threatened. The Evil King had even cast his dark shadow over Lon Lon Ranch, Malon and the ranchers meaning no harm to anyone.

Then, of course, there was the doppelganger. Ganon had gone so far as to create an assassin in the hero’s likeness, as if in some kind of morbid joke, mocking his exhaustion and waning resolve.

The list of the Evil King’s transgressions had seemed endless, as if he could sink no lower in order to break Link‘s will. But Sheik had been that method, the hero’s own trust and affection the last nail in the coffin.

Link trembled in rage atop his steed. He would destroy the Gerudo King, even if it killed him.

…

The sun was rising as the hero reached the desert. The grass gradually faded from the ground, replaced first by hard packed soil, and then eventually by fine sand. Epona trod through it laboriously. Link walked beside her, saving her energy. They walked through a giant canyon of red earth, leaving only one direction to travel in. Surely it would eventually lead to the Gerudos’ home.

Eventually, the walls of the canyon began to recede, the gray, early morning sky suddenly visible. Link reached the top of a rise in the path, and looked down upon the land below.

It was an enormous valley. Walls of reddish earth steeped upon all sides, as if in a giant bowl. On the far side, a path could be seen, leading out into the other side of the valley. Constructed into one side of the valley was a giant fortress of sand bricks. It looked extremely sturdy and durable, a stronghold if there ever was one.

About the entire scenery, were the Gerudo. Head upon head of wild, scarlet hair, crowning dark, desert skin. All women, he noticed. He used to hear of such stories, in the Castle Town. He had always assumed that a race entirely of women had been an exaggeration.

Some were dressed in white, traveling in and out of the fortress, the common people of the land. Others wore garments of some shade of lavender, there faces concealed by veils. They carried with them halberds and bows. Sentries.

As Link observed all of this he heard something. A whistling sound. He flinched back as he felt something prick him.

He looked down and saw a small dart protruding from his chest. Not very deep, he thought as he pulled it out. But the damage was done. Link’s knees began to buckle, his whole body trembling. The desert valley blurred before his eyes as he fell to his knees. Finally he collapsed, his eyes closing as the poison took effect.

…

Link awoke in a cell. It was sandstone on three sides, iron bars comprising the fourth. Outside of the cell was a hallway, presumably leading into the rest of the fortress. There was no guard watching his cell, yet Link did not feel alone. A hidden gaze was upon him, he could feel it.

He suddenly felt extremely thirsty, his mouth unbearably dry. Most likely a side effect of the poison dart. He spotted a pail of water in the corner of his cell and rushed towards it, drinking it all in one swig.

He finished, and checked his own person. His sword and shield had been stripped from him. The rest of his tools were in a bag with Epona. All he had was his ocarina and…

He reached down to his boot and retrieved from it a small, glinting metal blade. It had a small, wooden hilt, encrusted with a few jewels. The Kokiri Sword. He had kept it after awakening as an adult, sure it would come in handy at some point.

He approached the door of the cell and reached his arm through the bars, proceeding to pick at the padlock his the blade. The sword was infinitely small, working extraordinarily well at the lock. It was a wonder that the blade had ever been able to actually slay monsters.

The mechanism gave with a metallic click, and the padlock fell to the ground. The cell door creaked open for Link to step out. He clutched the Kokiri Sword in his hand as a dagger, silently making his way down the hall.

There were guards all throughout the fortress. Link was in no position to fight, and therefore was forced into a stealth like sort of action, hiding behind and under things as the sentries passed by. He laughed to himself at the irony of it. Here he was, in the stronghold of marauders, yet he was the one slinking about like a thief.

As he sneaked through the stronghold, he wondered to himself as to what he should do next. The Gerudo were obviously not going to help him. Could he make it through the desert without a guide?

After so long of wandering, Link came upon another cell, also unguarded. On the other side of the room, he could see a passage leading out of the fortress. Golden afternoon sunlight shined through it.

There were people inside the cell, four men. They looked slightly familiar, somehow. They were all fat and looked very unkempt. They noticed him approach and rushed to the front of the cell, gripping at the iron bars.

“Hey, you! How’d you get out? Get us out, too! Get us out of here!” They spoke in hushed tones, terrified that they might be heard.

Link grimaced to himself. If he hadn’t been detected yet, this was a sure way to accomplish it. This could only lead to trouble. So close to the exit, too.

Of course, it was never really with a question. He couldn’t just leave them there. With a sigh, he approached their cell and began to work at the padlock with his sword. It was picked in a matter of minutes.

It fell to the ground with a clank and the door creaked open. The four men hurried out of the cell and rushed for the exit, not one of them uttering a single thanks. As they rushed past him, Link heard more footsteps approaching. He turned and saw guards hurrying towards them, halberds in hand.

“Halt!” They cried as they rushed forth. Link raised the Kokiri Sword, standing between the two guards and the four retreating men. He prepared to defend himself, as best he could.

The guards charged at him, one of them swinging their halberd. Link parried the blow, losing the Kokiri Sword as he did. It spun out of his hand and clattered to the floor behind the guards, far beyond his reach.

The Gerudo women made to attack again. The blades of the halberds sliced through the air, speeding towards him… and hit.

The strikes resounded with a loud clanking, as if the blades had struck one another. The Gerudos’ eyes widened in surprise, and they swung again. Once more, the blades seemed to be hitting an invisible wall.

Link was completely unharmed, although as equally puzzled as the thieves. Their blades were striking thin air. A barrier.

It was magic. He looked around the room, spotting her in the ledge of a window. Her arms were outstretched from the cast of the spell, and through her gauze mask, amber eyes gazed at him intently.

It was Sheik.

The Gerudo women followed Link’s gaze and spotted the Sheikah girl. One of them threw their staff at her. Sheik barely dodged, but lost her balance and tumbled out the window.

The Gerudo charged forth as Sheik got up, colliding with the young girl. The second guard made to rush forth, but while she was distracted, Link wrenched forth her weapon and grabbed her into submission, the blade of the halberd at her throat. He looked across the room to see that Sheik was held in the same position as he himself held the guard, a blade at her neck as well.. Sheik’s captor glared at him menacingly, daring him to proceed.

“Enough!” The four of them looked to the exit of the room, their feud temporarily forgotten. In the doorway stood a Gerudo woman dressed in white. Her hair was long, and her entire person was adorned with charms and jewels.

“Both of you drop your weapons,” she instructed. Link turned his gaze to the guard holding Sheik, and they both dropped their halberds. The Gerudo in white nodded in satisfaction.

“Good,” she said. She approached Link, his captive guard retreating to her companion. The two guards pushed Sheik forth, so that she stood side by side with Link.

The mysterious Gerudo woman looked them over intently, for what, neither could say. Finally she folded her arms and smirked.

“You two have done well, to infiltrate the Gerudo Fortress. I’ve been watching the both of you for quite some time now. Your thieving skills are superb. What are your names?”

Both Sheik and Link remained silent, fearing that Ganondorf may have given the thieves warning of them. The woman’s smirk grew wider.

“Prefer to remain anonymous, I see. You two are shrewd thieves. Very well. I am Nabooru, Lord Ganondorf’s second in command.” She smiled as she said this. Link noticed something strange about it, as if she were grimacing rather than smiling.

“I rule the fortress while our king tends to Hyrule. Forgive our earlier treatment, but, seeing as though you’ve proved yourselves, why not just put it behind us? What’s brought you here?”

Again, the two remained silent. Link wondered what to say. Would they be suspicious? Before he could finish thinking, Sheik spoke.

“We have business within the Spirit Temple.” The three Gerudo stared, their gazes suddenly suspicious. Then Nabooru spoke.

“I’m going to the Spirit Temple, as well,” she said. Link and Sheik started in surprise. “You two can join me. I could use the aid of skillful travelers like yourselves in the wasteland.”

“For now,” she grinned prettily. “It’s Gerudo custom to celebrate when we accept another into the clan. It’s been a long time since we’ve had men around the fortress. Especially such…” she looked over the two of them, more so Link than Sheik. “capable men.” She looked to Sheik with a puzzled expression. The young Sheikah was trembling, and what little of her face that could be seen was flushed red.

“I AM NOT A MAN!!!” She screamed. “You thought I was a man this whole time?!?! I’m a WOMAN!!!” The Link looked at her, flinching a little. He could hear the guards giggling amongst themselves. Nabooru smirked again.

“In that case, we need to get you into some real clothes. Come with me.

…

Link sat down on the edge of the four poster bed in the sandstone room. It was where he would stay for the night. Nabooru had promised to take them through the desert in the morning. Epona was in the corral with the Gerudo stallions, where she would wait for her rider to return.

He laid back on the bed, his head spinning. Sheik had saved him. Why? Why was she even here? Had she followed him? Everything had happened so fast, he’d had no time to interrogate her. He had no idea what to think.

On the one hand, she was Ganon’s subordinate, and had betrayed him for reasons he still couldn’t explain.

On the other hand… she had saved him again. Was there something he wasn’t seeing? He remembered the last moment they had been together, in the graveyard. He had kissed her then. Had it meant anything to her? He liked to hope so, but… he wondered if it perhaps didn’t matter what her allegiance was.

He cleared his mind of it all. There would be time for this. They would be alone in the desert, and he had the Eye of Truth. For now, there was a celebration, a pleasant rest before the wastelands ahead. Time to relax and just enjoy the night.

…

There was a large, spacious hall within the twisting corridors of the fortress. There was table after table lining the room, there tops covered with food and drink. In the center of the room was a large vacant spot in the center for dancing. There were high, arched windows high above, and the light of the setting sun lit the room.

Link stood in the center of the room, as instructed. Seated about the tables, all there eyes on him, were the Gerudo. The air was alive with their whispers and murmurs. Link caught snippets of the conversations with his elfin ears. Most of it entailed the same subject. Apparently males really were few and far between throughout the desert.

Then, the Gerudo began to rise from their seats, all facing the same direction. Link followed their gaze. Nabooru approached. At her side was a shorter woman with long hair, not a Gerudo. The two approached the center of the hall and stood beside Link. Nabooru raised her arms above her and called out to her audience.

Girls, I present to you the two newest members of the Gerudo clan!” The audience clapped and cheered. Then it ceased, and Nabooru resumed her speech. Link hardly noticed. His eyes were fixed on the smaller woman standing beside him. Nabooru had referred to them as the two newest members. Could it be?

It was. It was Sheik. She looked different. Amazing. Her mask was gone, leaving her beautiful face revealed. In the stead of her short, uneven locks, were long shining strands of dirty blond hair, pulled into a Gerudo-like ponytail that rest upon her shoulder. Her outfit, as well, resembled those of the thieves. She wore a small, tight lavender top that exposed her neck and shoulders, as well of her midriff. She wore matching loose pants that hung provocatively off of her hips. Her entire person was tastefully adorned with charms and jewels, as if she had lived among the Gerudo all her life.

Link’s eyes traveled back up and he realized she was watching him, her amber eyes gazing at him seductively. He quickly turned his head away in embarrassment and frustration. He was still supposed to be suspicious of her. Link heard her giggle to herself, causing him to fume even more, arms crossed about his chest. He turned his attention back to Nabooru’s dialogue.

“And now, we shall commence with the marking!” Another cheer and applause from the audience. The marking? Link thought. That didn’t sound very pleasant. Just as he thought this, two hands grabbed firmly onto the side of his head.

“Hold still,” a woman’s voice said. “I don’t want to hurt you on accident.” Link held as still as possible. He suddenly felt a small, sharp pain in his ear. He hissed in surprise. Then came his other ear.

The hands released him and, a moment later, a mirror was held before him. He inspected his ears. They had been pierced. A small, blue earring hung from each one. He looked to his side to see that Sheik’s ears had been pierced, as well. She looked over and smiled at him.

“My fellow thieves,” Nabooru called out. “I give you our newest members!” The crowd cheered wildly, rising from their seats. Before he knew what was happening, two Gerudo women had grabbed Link by each arm and led him away.

The entire company celebrated passionately. They ate and drank. Link played songs on his ocarina. The Gerudo taught Link and Sheik some of their native dances. The thieves fawned over Link, snatching him away from one another constantly in the middle of dances. Sheik watched furiously.

Finally, with Link surrounded by three women, Sheik slipped between them and swept Link away. The three thieves looked around confusedly, not seeing where he went.

Link looked down at Sheik. She stared up at him, her face uncovered and perfect. He longed to kiss her again, as he had in Kakariko. But he couldn’t let himself. He still didn’t know whether or not to trust her.

“I’m sorry I can’t explain, Link…” she said, as if hearing his thoughts. “I know I can’t expect you to trust me, but… I never meant to hurt you…”

What to do? Should he trust her? Link brushed his hand against her long hair, his fingers moving affectionately and against his will. She smiled nervously at him, her pretty sepia eyes shining in the same color of the sunset.

“It’s just a spell,” she said, toying girlishly with her ponytail. “My hair will be short again tomorrow.” They gazed at each other. It was strange to see her like this, he thought. Not as a mysterious ally, nor a treacherous enemy. Just as a beautiful woman. He looked into her sunset colored eyes. Her stare was an expectant one, waiting for him to respond. Her eyes were so innocent.

So trusting.

He smiled at her. He couldn’t help it. He would put his suspicions aside, for tonight, at least. It wasn’t quite trust, but the look in her eyes filled him with something. Faith, perhaps, if that was any different.

She saw his smile and grinned back, her eyes shining with relief and joy. He put his arms around her, and she pulled close, the two of them dancing together as the sun set behind the desert horizon.

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Here it is, finally. I'm a bit rusty from the long break, but I think it turned out pretty okay. Review and let me know what you think, please : )