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I do not own The Legend Of Zelda or any of it’s many characters. Any side character that I create will belong solely to me and will not be touched or used by another writer. Thank you for understanding.

Summary: Review to chapter 1.

Writing Style: Review to chapter 1.


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Chapter 8. Gerudo Tales


Epona lowered her chestnut head, nibbling at the tussles of grass that swayed this way and that. Her ears perked and she lifted her head, turning to watch as her master walked out of the home before her, his green-clad clothes blowing gently in the breeze. She lowered her head and let out a low neigh.

“Shhh, quiet girl,” Link whispered.

He patted the side of her neck, rubbing down the dusty fur. Epona quirked an ear, turning her head to the side in question. Link placed the bag of necessities he carried with him upon her back and turned to her inquiring look, sighing and walking in front of her and placing his hands on his hips.

“I don’t want to wake, Sheik,” Link sighed in a low voice.

She gave him, yet another, odd look.

“What?” Link asked, staring at her shaking head. “Let me guess... your against me leaving in the middle of the night.”

She gave him a nod and a loud snort.

“Why?”

She kicked her feel and grunted gently, tossing her mane and reared up, kicking her front legs before dropping back tot he ground, snorting again. She tossed her mane a second ime before looking at him, head raised high.

“He did it to me, though,” Link sighed, sitting down on the crate he and Sheik had played their instruments on.

She snorted at him and glared.

“So you want me to be the bigger person and stay and leave in the morning,” Link said, crossing his arms.

Epona neighed loudly, shaking her mane with rapid nods before returning to her grazing. Link, shaking his own head, the long green cap tossing from side to side, stood and walked back toward the house. He stopped, hand on the doorhandle and turned to Epona, seeing one eyes watching him. He smirked at her and opened the door with a whisper of words that made her lift her head and snort at him.

“You owe me for letting you rest longer...”

Link closed the door and sighed, rubbing the side of his face, the bandages now gone. He pushed away from the entrance and walked across the room to the stairs, looking over at the dying fire where Navi lay sprawled across a plush carpet that was wrapped delicately across her body. He smiled sadly, his mind still eating at him as to why she had been acting so weird earlier.

He ascended the stairs, making his way to the open room above. He peered slowly around the corner, Sheik’s back to him, his upper torso exposed to the gentle wind that passed through the room. Link moved to the bed, standing beside it. He watched Sheik turn over in his sleep, one arm going out to grip at something that wasn’t there. Slowly he stirred.

“Link?” he groaned in confusion.

“I’m here,” Link whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“What’s wrong?” Sheik asked, seeing the Hero fully clothed before him.

Link lowered his head shamefully. What had he been thinking? How could he have thought to just leave Sheik and let the man see he wasn’t their in the morning. What a way yo ruin a prospering relationship. Epona, though Link could not understand his horse, knew she had been right.

“Link?” Sheik whispered, wrapping his arms around the Hero’s thin waist.

“Sheik... I’m sorry,” Link mumbled.

Sheik said nothing. He turned Link’s left cheek and kissed his lips softly, stroking the smooth pale skin. He smiled when a blush rose to Link’s soft cheeks, burning across his face as he leaned in again for another welcoming kiss. They parted briefly to gather air before kissing again.

“Let’s go back to sleep,” Sheik whispered.

Link nodded and immediately stood up and stripped from his clothes, pulling away the belts, boots, gloves and tunic he wore. He tossed everything aside onto one of the tables that littered the room and peeled back the covers, sliding under and snuggling close to Sheik as the crimson eyed male wrapped his arms around Link and pressed their nude bodies together.

“Link...”

The Hero closed his eyes, listening to the beat of Sheik’s heart, the gentle thudding making him smile as he stroked the warm chest before him, placing a light kiss on the muscular torso. He heard Sheik sigh and looked up, gasping when lips captured his again, the kiss light and passionate, exploding the fire within them both.

“You have a big day tomorrow,” Sheik said, lacing his fingers into Link’s hair and massaging his scalp.

“I know.”

“I want you to be careful,” Sheik whispered. “Come back to me.”

“I will.” Link felt Sheik place his cheek on the top of his head. ‘I promise...’

*~*~*

The morning lagged slowly, Navi’s attitude still being brisk and overly aggravating. Link shot her dark looks every time he saw her glaring at Sheik and opened her mouth to say something he knew would make him snap on her more dangerously than he wanted. With a sigh, he strode from the Sheikah home and out into the slowly rising day, the sun shimmering lightly over the dew sprinkled grass.

He patted Epona’s muzzle softly, giving her a sweet smile that she seemed to return. He turned to Sheik as Navi fluttered onto Epona’s head and nestled into the white mane. He felt her chewing on his green hat and smile. They stood almost uncomfortably before one another, not knowing what to say or how to say it in the lease. Link chuffed from one foot to the other, keeping his eyes on his feet as he rocked back and forth slowly.

Slowly, he was pulled into a warm embrace, arms encircling him softly as a head rested so delicately on his shoulder and breath whispered into his ear. He rubbed his forehead against Sheik’s shoulder and sighed, closing his eyes and loosely tying his arms around Sheik’s waist as they held one another. He swore to himself he heard Navi making gagging noises, but paid no attention as Sheik had nos pulled back, but not out of their embrace, and tilted the Hero’s chin up to look into his blue eyes.

“Remember what I said,” Sheik whispered, so soft it sounded almost angelic.

“I know,” Link whispered. “I’ll come back, don’t worry.”

“I’m not,” Sheik smiled. “You’re the Hero of Time.”

“Will you be here?” Link asked to lighten their mood.

Not to his surprise, Sheik shook his sandy mane and looked att he Hero with soft and caring eyes, the pad of his thumb gently massaging Link’s bottom lip as he parted them for an intake of breath. He smiled, moving in closer and tilting his head down, but did not advance to kiss the Hylian. His whispering voice roved over Link’s soft lips and into his mouth and across his cheeks, making him shudder.

“I have business that must be attended,” Sheik sighed out, eyelids fluttering. “I will return as swiftly as I can.”

“I know you will,” Link gasped quietly.

They caught each others lips before parting, Link’s face slightly flushed at the shyness of their passion before, reluctantly, turning to Epona and mounting the mare. He turned her toward the steps leading down from the Sheikah home and smiled at Sheik before kicking his heels into her sides and they darted off down the stairs and around the corner out of sight.

Epona dove the last twenty steps down from Kakariko’s passage and out into the fields of Hyrule, over the river that flowed beneath the castle (without bothering to use the bridge nearby) and across the vast land. She snorted with every breath, the reins slapping gently against her neck as she wound around Lon Lon Ranch and up over the hill and down again toward the red sand of the Desert thieving ground.

Link gripped the reins more tightly as he leaned back, giving Epona gentle birthe from her back as she strode briskly down the side of the hill situated beside Lon Lon Ranch and down onto the flat ground before working her way back up the steeping hill and onto the soft red sand that sunk her hooves deep within it’s grainy surface.

“Link...” Navi yelled over the whistling of wind. “The Gerudo tribe do not like men. They have that as their utmost policy. Any man that tries to sneak within their boarders is immediately jailed and trialed.”

“And you didn’t tell me this before because why?” Link asked over the howling of wind in his ears.

“I thought your *little boyfriend* would know,” Navi said, her words scathing as she gave any mention of him and Sheik.

With grudging annoyance, and Epona’s neighing dismay, he pulled his mare to a brisk stop, making her rear up with disapproval, and looked down at the now fuming fairy. He rolled his eyes at her, seeing the blue glow turn a shade of pink as he stared at her with accusing eyes that only meant trouble for all three of the them.

“What is your problem?” asked Link exasperated.

“What do you mean?” Navi asked with fake innocents.

“Don’t play dumb, Navi,” Link snapped, glaring at her more fiercely. “You’ve been acting this way every since we left the Water Temple and me and Sheik...”

He blushed and let his sentence drop away, his bangs hovering dramatically over his embarrassment as Navi gave him an inquiring look of disgust and feigned interest. He looked back at her with some renewed annoyance and continued to glare down at the little fairy he had been entrusted to him by the Great Deku Tree.

“What’s been eating you?” Link asked, a little more calmly.

“Not what’s been eating you, that’s for sure,” Navi said nonchalantly as she leaned back into Epona’s mane like it was a bed.

Link felt another heated blush rise to his cheeks at that comment as the rage flared withing him and he glared almost murderously upon the small ball of blue light. He jumped down from Epona’s back and snapped his hand over the mares bowed head, snatching Navi in one hand and pulling her barely inches from his angered blue eyes.

“What did you say?” he whispered darkly.

Navi seemed stunned and shocked by this turn of events and tired to break free of Link’s tight hold on her frail waist. She struggled in vein as Link brought her even closer to his angry blue eyes, her body wriggling even more fiercely in his grasp as he frowned darkly and the lines across his brow began to crease.

“Never... ever... say that about Sheik, or me, again,” Link whispered acidly. “Do you understand?”

I.... I... um... Link... please... I....”

“DO YOU... understand?” Link snarled.

“I understand,” Navi whispered fearfully.

She let out swooning breath when Link returned her to Epona’s head and saddled back on his horse. He nudged her sides with his heels and they set off up the plank that sat moldy over the puddle of water and led over to the bridge in Gerudo valley and over onto the flat desert ground. Link pulled Epona to a stop as he looked across the gorge to the other side, focusing on the dipping bridge and setting his mare off at a brisk canter toward it.

“WOW,” he cried, pulling Epona to a startled halt.

Below, the stream of many waterfalls crashed and the river exploded wide out over the basin. The bridge – that had once housed a Gerudo guard and a long posted fence to keep out any intruders – now stood broken and tattered, hanging loosely on either side with torn rope and splintered pieces of wood.

Epona gave a wild snort.

“Well isn’t this inconvenient,” Link muttered.

Epona gave great shake of her head, snorting her disapproval. With a sigh, Link patted her on the neck and lead her away from the raging falls and up the embankment back toward Hyrule field. He would have to find another way into the valley... or no way at all. Epona looked back at the gap between their destination, seeing the evident disappointment upon Link’s Hylian features.

With a great snort, she stopped cold.

“Epona?” Link said, wondering what was wrong. “Girl, are you okay?”

She looked back over at the bridge, hearing the fallen planks clacking against the rough stone walls that had been carved from many years of erosion. With little warning, she turned back round, facing the broken down way and pawed the ground, sending up dust.

“Epona, what is it?” Link asked, confused by her sudden change in behaviour.

With a great, whinny and kick at the ground, she tore off at a desperate gallop, breath heavy, Link’s definite cries of surprise ringing in her pointed ears. She bit hard onto the metal bar in her mouth and strained as her feet his wood and she pressed forward, the gap between the valley and gorge coming closer and closer to a stiff close.

Link gasped, ripping tight onto his mares leather reins and ducking lower onto her back as she stopped dead on the bridge, digging low and then pouncing forward, her entire body stretched for it’s worth, long and lean legs extended to their fullest as they took flight, sailing over the gap and toward the opposite side.

Link lifted his body up as they neared began to dip, leaning backward to absorb the force of the fall with his body as Epona’s strong hooves clattered noisily on the other end of the bridge, her legs giving way under the strain and sending them toppling up onto the sandy banks. She rolled heavily, dropping like a rock near a white tent.

Link landed with a dull thud farther away, his breath whooshing from his body as he gasped for his lost breath. His muscles tensed as the sore sensation washed over him, burning every bone in his back and up to the nape of his neck. He felt the back of his head, which was pounding heavily, and found a large lump forming that was mighty tender.

His eyes blurred from the bright golden sand across the valley, his eyes traveling across a white tent at the edge. A man stood outside, watching him. His thick brows seemed to become one as his brow scrunched. Link turned away from him and looked over at Epona, her legs trembling as she stood slowly.

“That was a great plan,” Link muttered. ‘Now it’s not just my ass that’s sore.’

Epona snorted and walked toward him, nudging his cheek with her nose. He patted her gently and stood, brushing down the dirt and sand that was covering his body. He dusted down Eopna’s coat and climbed upon her again, looking over at the opposite side of the valley. There was no way they were getting back over, so the only way was toward the Gerudo Camp.

“Come on girl,” Link said.

She trotted forward slowly, moving toward the trench that cut the valley off from the Gerudo Fortress. He slowed her pace to a walk, not wanting his mare to make too much noise. She seemed almost like she wasn’t breathing either. Her eyes were watching her feet, dodging even the smallest of pebble that she might kick and send rattling across the ground.

The woman of the fortress looked like they were having a rougher time than normal. They all seemed lank and tired, their long spears pointed down lazily. The bags beneath their eyes were heavy and they looked uncaring about protecting their home. Link stopped Epona just around one of the large sand dunes and tiptoed across the ground, looking inside the large fortress that was set into the side of the cliff.

It was dark and musty, dust flying around even without a breeze. The heat outside was heavy and he panted, looking into the cool darkness. One of the guards stopped, her spear raised. Link gasped and dove through the doorway as she turned, staring at the empty corner where he had been previously standing. She gave it a quick once over, nodded that it was bare, and moved on.

“Too close,” Link whispered to himself.

“Link, come on,” Navi hissed, pointing into a dimly lit room. “I hear someone in here.”

Link, with a confused frown, stood up and walked across the flat surface, his boots clunking along the stone floor. He stopped by the entrance, peering inside before walking through the door. There was definitely a jail cell, and, within it, a large man with messy black hair that stuck up in odd directions, a blast of dark facial hair obscuring his face.

“Hey you, young man over there?” he called.

Link cocked his head to the side and walked forward, stopping before the cell. He rattled the bars, testing their stiffness, just as the man spoke.

“I don’t know who you are and where you came from but you must have had a lot of guts to get passed all the guards around here–”

‘Not really,’ Link thought as the man continued to speak.

“All of my fellow carpenters are in her somewhere. If you can get us out wee repay you for the favor... some... how. But be careful, there are sure to be a lot of guards around here... whoo, watch out–”

Link stopped fiddling with the bars and turned while unsheathing his sword. A long slender blade came out and connected with the Master Sword, stinging loudly in his ear. He glared at the sword and his eyes moved up the blade to the woman holding it, another long slender blade in her other arm. She smirked at him and back flipped away from him, holding both swords out defensively.

Link stood, staring calmly at the woman, wrapping his arm inside the straps of his shield and positioning it before him. The Gerudo guard gave a laugh and dove forward, swords our. Link jumped, watching as she rolled beneath him and struck, his sword sliding deep within her shoulder. She cried out and rolled away, one sword dropping form her hand. She glared angrily at him, eyeing her fallen sword and his own.

“Leave, now,” Link said, pointing the thin blade at her, “or I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”

“Then kill me,” she hissed, charging forward to her blade.

Link bit his bottom lip, his feet sliding on the ground as he ran after her, sword raised. She gripped the handle to her blade and looked up, just as Link brought the Master Sword down across his body, clear before her, and then stopped, eyes closed, his legs trembling.

Flump...

Something dropped softly to the floor, followed by the evident crumpling of a body following afterward. Link opened his eyes, gagging and shaking his head as he straightened and looked down at the dead Gerudo. Her head had rolled away across the ground, slowly rocking back and forth. He shuddered and held back another gag, knowing he would vomit if the urge got to great.

“WHOOOHOOO, WAY TO GO KID,” the carpenter cheered. “YOU GOT HER.”

“Yea... I did,” Link mumbled, staring at the ground.

A small silver glint caught his eyes and he leaned down, grabbing the key hanging from the Gerudo guards belt. He walked, numb, over to the cell and unlocked the large iron door. The carpenter looked happily at Link, walking to the door and out. His eyes fell upon the Gerudo and he shrugged, turning to look into the Hylian’s milky eyes.

“Thank’s, you’re a cute kid–”

Link flinched. ‘Did he just call me a CUTE kid?”

“My names Hiro, the carpenter,” he said, “we got sick of our boss telling us off so we decided to come to the Gerudo’s and join them. When they saw we were men they locked us up just like that. For getting me out of their, I’ll tell you a secret I heard the Gerudo talking about...”

“Hmm,” Link said, noting he was listening.

“Their leader, Nabooru, lives in the Colossus not far from here; just on the other side of the desert. But, just recently, she has supposedly gone missing,” Hiro said, leaning over and whispering.

“Really,” Link said, partially surprised.

“Yea, and that’s why they’ve become so weak right now,” Hiro continued to whisper.

“Thank’s for telling me,” Link nodded. “You better get going.”

Hiro nodded and pulled Link into a bone crushing hug before bounding off toward the exit. He watched him go, rubbing his ribs as he waited. Once out of the way, Navi fluttered out of Link’s hat and looked at him, their eyes depicting the same thing.

“If Nabooru’s gone... that means Ganondorf has already gotten to her,” Navi said, frowning.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Link said, staring at the dead Gerudo again. “I’ll kill him... Ganondorf, if your listening... I’m coming for you... and I’ll get you... just you wait...”

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A/N: A pretty boring chapter but I promise the next will be better and longer. Sorry this one took so long but I was taking a break and letting my mind go wild with ideas until I found one I actually liked. This one was the best so far, so I’ll try to do better next time. Remember to Review or you get no update.