Evil within the Heart

A/N: Chapter 5! I was going to make this one longer, but I was running out of steam on it. Being written from Link's POV is finished and I'm finally writing how I'm more accustomed to. I hope people like the explanation I have from switching POVs.

Chapter 5: Broken Shadows, Wounded Spirits


The Eye of Truth was a godsend in that Goddess forsaken place. Every corner I turned was one illusion after another. I had nearly lost my life many times and was only saved by the eye and my reflexes. Of course the Dead Hands and Stalafos that covered the temple were far more than annoying. Dead Hands enjoyed any chance to drag their hands over my body, touching in places that I preferred them not touching. When I was finally able to reach the antechamber, I merely collapsed down the hole.

Bongo Bongo...if I ever hear those aggravating drum beats ever again, it'll be too soon. The Eye of Truth allowed me to see past the massive hands that constantly tried to crush or squash me. In all truth, he wasn't that hard to defeat once you could actually see him. Of course his defeat allowed me to meet up with Impa, her words being ignored like everyone else I had met up until then. When I was deposited back into the graveyard of Kakariko Village, Sheik was nowhere to be seen. Even when I had entered his own home, it looked as though he hadn't been there in weeks. I had been abandoned. Livid with anger, I had stormed up to Death Mountain, slipping into the secret trail to where my dragon was hiding. At least Volvagia was there to greet me. The Desert Colossus was where I was to report to next, but I had no urge to go just at that moment.

By the time I was finally ready to go, I had spent days with my dragonic beast. Volvagia knew that he still had to remain hidden, and allowed me to leave this time so that I could continue with my journey. Epona merely chewed grass by the entrance of Kakariko Village, awaiting my return. With kick of my heels gently into her flanks, we ere off to the brutal and unforgiving desert where the Gerudo called home. Why couldn't they wait until after I had gotten to the desert to destroy the bridge into the valley? Someone had gotten destructive, leaving me to force Epona to jump over the gorge, not something I want to do ever again since she nearly lost her footing; we would have plummeted to our deaths if she wasn't such a great horse and was able to maintain her balance. We had quietly made it to the Gerudo Fortress, but I dismounted from Epona, keeping the horse quiet as I continued to try to sneak past a few guards. Unfortunately, one guard turned just as I was trying to slink by her, sounding an alarm. She struck me behind the head with the butt of her spear...everything went black after that.

When I woke up, I was chained up and naked. I could figure out why my weapons and items weren't with me, but why was I naked? No idea of how many days I had been trapped in that prison cell either. Tugging at the chains that bound me, I wanted nothing more than to escape, however it seemed unlikely that these women were going to let me go if I asked politely. When my cell door opened, two guards were there for me. One removed the chains from the wall, but still leaving them attached to my throat and wrists.
"Walk." was all that they demanded for me, guiding me out into the arid night. Before I could protest, I was knocked down to my knees, kept there by the free guard keeping her spear close to my body. The cackling of old hags pricked my ears, causing me to shudder. Their voices sounded like nails of a wolfos scraping against the metal of a shield.

"We can certainly use him as the sacrifice within the Desert Colossus. We'll keep his weapons with us, but return his clothes. Lord Ganondorf would not wish for the boy's skin to be damaged in any way that would diminish his beauty." A dried out and bony hand stroked my cheek, making me flinch in revulsion. Soon I was being dragged back to my prison cell, to leave come the following night. My clothing had been thrown inside my cell with me, leaving me with the remainder of the night to wonder about what was in store for me...

Even traveling at night within the desert is hell, being the horse for two old hags and all of their items made it even worse. They would grant me next to no water, making certain that I had just enough to keep me from dehydrating in such deadly conditions. They would crack a stick, or whip against my back, cutting into the few layers of clothing that I had. Blood seeped down my back from some of the scored lines they had created with their attacks and I collapsed once we had finally reached the massive temple built by the Gerudo. I wasn't given long to rest before my items were handed back to me as well as a pair of silver plated gauntlets. "Come on boy! You must clear out the monster that have made their home in this temple." One of the hags started, the other ready to finish her statement. "Once you've cleared out the monsters, you must defeat the rogue and reclaim the item that was taken from this temple by thieves and traitors to Lord Ganondorf. If you can complete these tasks, then you will be allowed to be graced by Lord Ganondorf's presence."

Did they really know that I was the Hero of Time? One could only assume so and they were more than likely expecting me to die while making my way through the temple. Monsters? They were nothing and even in my slightly weakened state, I was able to get trough the horrid stone palace. The final room before the antechamber had the chest that I was looking for, however before I could even attempt to open the thing, an axe came swooping down close to my skull. I had to move fast, rolling to the side and ready to fight the giant that dared to attack me. It was thankfully slow, but strong enough to take out stone pillars within the room. Quick thinking was what had saved me. I was able to find one pillar that was a support pillar, coaxing the hulking mass of iron over to it. One swing of the axe, I rolled far enough away so that all of the stone collapsed upon my enemy. Breathing a sigh of relief, I had walked over to the chest to claim my prize, a shield so finely polished that it gleamed light like a mirror. I tossed down my dented and damaged Hylian shield, becoming accustomed to the new weight of the mirror shield. There was nothing left but to enter the antechamber and face whatever beast was there to try and kill me.

I was expecting some giant sand beast, scorpion, something that had possibly been inhabiting the temple for years. It was a bit of a shock to see the old hags who had brought me there earlier. The bigger shock came when they were actually putting up a fight against me. My new-found shield was all that would protect me from the fire and ice the two hags would fire at me. It seemed to take hours, but I was finally able to drive my sword into them, finally being rid of their horrid laughter and voices with one final scream.

Finally, I had received the blessing of the Spirit sage, a Gerudo woman named Nabooru. Of course they had mentioned that I had to meet someone at the Temple of Time...

Link sighed, closing the small weathered notebook and sliding it back into his pack. He had to reach the Temple of Time, but there was still a matter of making his way from the desert. Shifting his feet in the sparse sand that rested against the stone steps leading into the Desert Colossus, he began heading off into the blowing winds of the sandstorm. The winds cut into his cheeks, trickles of blood being adhered with sand, but he had to press onwards. Even if Sheik wasn't there, there was still a chance to steal Ganondorf. After what he had put the Hylian through, Link vowed that he was not going to end up as someone's whore to be used whenever.

Getting through the desert was hard, he had only made it partway through the sand filled wasteland before collapsing of dehydration and delirium. Link could see the setting sun, doubting he'd be able to attempt to find his way in the darkness. All the hero could do was curl up in the sand and pray that nothing attacked him while he at least tried to sleep. Unbeknownst to the Hylian, as he slept a large shadow fell over him. The massive serpentine body of Volvagia had surrounded Link's body, keeping him warm in the cold night.Even though he was supposed to remain hidden within Death Mountain, Volvagia worried about Link when he left, and followed the hero when he had made way for the desert.Once the morning came, they would be able to leave the Goddess-forsaken desert behind.


A/N: Okay I know people are reading, so review! I'll take ANY type of review, plug your own story, complain of how I'm writing, even flame me if you want. I'd really like at least 5 reviews before continuing.