The Gerudo Prince

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor do I make any money writing this story.

The Gerudo Prince
Chapter III

~*~

Link returned and found the fortress to be a frenzy of activity; luckily he could slip within the walls of the fortress without attracting the attention of any lovely guard who may have been patrolling. He left Epona up with the target practice course, and was able to swiftly make his way into the fortress and into his room, where he feigned making his bed and dressing himself when there was a knock at the door.

When he expected Nabooru, he instead found Omorose, Nabooru's newly appointed second in command now with Hasina gone, standing at his door with a bland expression and sheer concern in her eyes.

"You arrived late this morning, my Prince." she said carefully, not wanting to challenge him but making her voice stern enough to allow him to know she was displeased. "One of the guards saw you. Been frolicking with your horse in the fields, have you? You know it is forbidden."

Link had played this over a million times in his mind, thoughts of what would happen should he ever come late enough to be caught by one of the guards. In a way he was glad to be hearing this from Omorose and not from Nabooru; if she was disappointed by his behavior he would not have been able to live with himself until she felt like appropriately forgiving him.

"I only took her to the bridge and back," Link lied without a twinkle in his eye, without a flinch in his small apologetic smile. "She was restless. I'm sorry if it caused commotion."

Omorose stiffened for a minute and then relaxed completely, her usual flirtatious smile now breaking out over her deep red lips. She had always been a favourite of Link's, always being so very serious but friendly enough to be a good companion, and a remarkable storyteller, and a fine fighter. It was no wonder she had been put second in command next to Nabooru now that Hasina was gone.

"I came to tell you that Nabooru has left for Hyrule Castle Town." she reported to him.

This came as a shock to Link. As far as he had known Nabooru, she never stepped foot outside the fortress unless to go to the Spirit Temple, and the Hyrule Castle Town was a full day's journey from the fortress, she would be gone almost three days, when she had only just returned from her trip to the Colosseus.

"Did she mention why?" he asked curiously.

Omorose shook her head. "She told me she had a very urgent appointment she had to make."

"Does this have anything to do with why everyone is so busy in the fortress?" Link inquired.

Omorose stiffened and Link thought he had found his answer. But she relaxed, placed a lazy hand on her side and again shook her head. "It is a day like every other day. I'll leave you be to carry on with your plans."

When Omorose left, presumably to check on all the others to make sure things in the fortress were going rather smoothly, Link sat in his room for most of the morning and contemplated what she had revealed to him.

He wondered if Nabooru had discovered of his love affair with Malon...and perhaps it wasn't the Castle Town she was going to, but instead the Lon Lon Ranch, where she would readily challenge Malon with the crimes of seducing the Gerudo Prince. But how would she have discovered such a thing? Wasn't he always careful? Except for that morning, hadn't he always arrived in the dark with enough time before the rise of the sun on the sand, and been back in his bed an hour or two before he needed to wake?

Link laid in his bed and without meaning to, he fell asleep. He had been tired, and now Nabooru's puzzling decision to go to the Castle Town so quickly was making him suspicious.

~*~

After lunch, when the sun hung the heaviest in the afternoon and the heat was deeper than anything you could ever imagine, Link took to wandering the halls of the fortress aimlessly, pondering still about Nabooru. He wondered if events in the Colosseus Temple instructed her to go to the Castle Town to meet with someone, or to bring back certain supplies. It could have been any number of possibilities, couldn't it?

Despite his best efforts to keep to himself and keep his curiosity at bay, his eventual boredom and ache to find out the cause behind Nabooru's visit to the Castle Town, brought him to her very bedroom, which was located in the quarters just above his own, not guarded and not locked, and he let himself into her bedroom quite easily.

He rarely did this; when he was a child he used to go into her room to look at her dresses, for he loved the bright colours that she owned and adored the feel of the fabrics against his little pudgy child-like fingers. And Nabooru had loved his sweet little questions about her trinkets and treasures that she had in her room, and she had quite taken to having him sit by the fire with his books while she carried on with important Gerudo business.

Nabooru's room was now cold and empty. The ashes in the fireplace had been swept away by recent winds. It seemed as though she hadn't even stayed a single night within her room since she had returned.

He investigated modestly, looking about her made bed and the fireplace, and on the table where she kept her books and writings, and the trunk where she hid her clothes and shoes. Hanging on the wall were her two best golden-handled fighting swords that she rarely used but was deadly and fearsome with. Nothing seemed particularly out of the order, and that reassured him. Perhaps she was only looking to meet with someone in the Castle Town for purposes that were non-threatening to the good to the fortress.

However, before he turned to leave, he spotted a little white corner sticking out from underneath the rug under the table, and having finally decided he would soon discover the reason for her absence, he tore it out from its hiding place, and found it was an envelope with a letter inside.

The envelope was open; when he brought out the paper he could faintly smell smoke, as if someone had been writing it right close to the fire. As much as he knew he shouldn't have been snooping as he was, he unfolded the letter and began to read.

Nabooru -

Ready for my return at the Fortress within five days. The summer and the desert will drive us to death if we continue further into the agreed course of exploration. There are many of us, ready the chambers for an army of at least twenty. I expect your full hospitality and a welcome of epic proportions.

- The Dark King

Link lowered the letter onto the table and stared at it for a good five minutes before blinking.

Who was the Dark King? And why was he coming here to the Fortress, expecting Nabooru to give him a lavish welcoming? It explained the rush of activity there in the fortress, but it did not exactly explain Nabooru's disappearance into Castle Town.

He put the letter back in the envelope and placed it carefully where he had found it. He left Nabooru's room quickly, not bothering to look for any more evidence of the Dark King's arrival to the fortress. He went to his chambers, ignoring the guards who greeted him, not bothering to continue to the plans he had set up for the afternoon, such as archery with Epona. He went right to his chambers and pondered the letter, wondering if Nabooru had had it for a long time, and if this Dark King was on his way to the fortress as he stood there.

~*~

Three days later, Nabooru returned. And as Link decided to challenge her on the letter he had found in her room, he was greeted with some shocking news from her.

The evening that she had arrived, after a long hot bath and dinner, right when Link decided he would go and confront her about the letter, one of the guards came to his door and informed him that Nabooru had to speak to him right away. So Link went with the guard through the fortress to Nabooru's chambers, and once being welcomed inside, he could instantly tell that something was wrong.

Nabooru looked tired and worn. The fire in the fireplace was roaring but it did not seem to comfort her in the least. She sat at the table, the envelope sitting snuggly beneath her hands, and when Link looked about the room, he noticed that she had thrown her cloak and pack on the floor; most unbecoming of her. Something indeed was troubling her a great deal.

"Link," she whispered with a small smile as she saw him come in. "I have to tell you something very important."

Just as Link was about to reveal that he had learned of the Dark King and his arrival to the fortress and that he had sent a letter to Nabooru and she had told no one of it, he was quieted quite quickly by the words she spoke.

"I went to the Hyrule Castle to meet with the King. You are to be wed to Princess Zelda."

Link stood silently, and studied Nabooru for a sign that she was fooling him. But he found none. Her deep eyes were full of seriousness, and the sound of this news stiffened her instead of make her shake. Link blinked as he took in the news, unsure what to think, knowing that for a split second he thought his heart was going to break.

"You...arranged a marriage for me to a princess?" he asked her, not quite sure he understood what it was she had said to him and wanted to clairify.

She nodded. "It is to maintain our place here in Hyrule, to make sure that we can stay here with no threat of being run out or attacked by Hyrulians."

Link scowled. He was suddenly both insulted and upset to know that Nabooru had so blatantly planned his marriage to a princess he had never even knew existed just so that they could stay in the fortress and not be forced further into the desert.

Nabooru could read him easily and saw that he was not impressed with the news. She sighed deeply and looked at her hands. "If you're angry, I understand. But it is a neccessary tie that we must make-"

"I am to be married to a princess...for a peace treaty?" The words sounded ugly as they left his lips and he knew that he hated the idea almost at once.

Nabooru stood from her seat, her eyes fixed on him. "Link you must understand me. This is very important, your marriage to the princess will ensure us to stay here safely, without worries of war. And from what I understand, the Princess Zelda is a lovely woman with a good heart-"

He nearly blew up shouting at her, but instead refrained. He suddenly understood how serious this was, how it was really going to happen, how Nabooru had really gone to the castle and must have talked to the King and made a promise that she would deliver their prince to be wed to the princess to make the kingdom a bond between Hyrulians and the Gerudo.

But...had he not a choice? All he had ever wanted was to stay here at home in the fortress, and make his trips to the Lon Lon Ranch-

Link's heart seemed to jump into his throat.

Malon...if Link was to be married to Princess Zelda...he would never see Malon ever again.

Rage built inside of him, and he balled his hands into fists and shook them. But his anger did not frighten Nabooru, who only looked upon him and said. "Your wedding will be in five days, Link."

And with that, he stormed from the room and vowed he would never look Nabooru in the eye again until the day the King collected him for his forced marriage to the princess.

~*~

Nabooru's plans to move Link from the fortress into the safety of the castle failed considerably.

While she thought she had plenty of time to get him to safety, Ganondorf and his minions arrived early the next afternoon.

~*~

Next chapter: Ganondorf arrives, and is acquainted with Link.