The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time - Part Two: The Quest

Chapter Seven: King of Thieves

It had been only a short time since Link had departed from the castle. The princess happily sighed, a small smile still adorning her face. She was back in the courtyard again, having left only to secure a book for her reading, but it lay open in her hands on her lap, hardly being read.

She was still reveling in the joy of being believed, and now something was being done! Her own father didn't believe her, and while she did in part understand his reasons, it was still a blow to her. As happy as she was to have it, Impa's support was only natural. She had never questioned or doubted the princess' dreams ever. But now she had a friend, a true friend, who she had only met yesterday, who believed her. And now he was gone from the castle, off on his self-imposed quest to find and hold the remaining two spiritual stones. All for her, to try to stop the man she knew would bring destruction to Hyrule: Ganondorf.

She frowned at the memory of him. She had only met him at a passing glance once before, a year ago for a meeting concerning trade negotiations. It had been a big deal; the Gerudo had not sent any kind of representative or ambassador since the Hylian civil war more than a decade ago. Not a peep from them, and out of the blue their king arrived, with words of peace, an alliance, and friendship. Everyone had been skeptical at first, but they had welcomed it.

She had met him then, he and the other members on the way to the first session, she on her way to the library with Impa. Upon seeing him she had flinched, and had grabbed the fabric of Impa's shirt sleeve, frightened. He had noticed, and took interest, engaging in polite small talk. She was able to chalk it up to having never seen a Gerudo in the flesh before – perfectly true and understandable, particularly with her age – but had afterwards confided to Impa the truth.

The man had frightened her; able to sense his dark heart from the very first moment she had clapped eyes on him.

She shook her head, abandoning the memories. It was a good day, today, and she didn't want it to be sullied by dark hearts and unpleasant memories. Smiling again, she picked up her book and tried to concentrate on it.

                                                          ~0~

The lone Gerudo male stared down into the courtyard from one of the castle quarters' windows, scowling. She was so close to him, it would be painfully easy to take the object he desired from her: the legendary key to the Door of Time, the Ocarina of Time.

He turned away, staring aimlessly about his darkened room. So close, but impossible in current standards. No doubt she was well protected. He had read the stories of the fabled Sheikah tribe, sworn to protect the royal family. They were the shadows of Hyrule, carrying out their duty in ways those who walked in the light could not. No, here it was nigh on impossible. His scowl deepened as he thought of last night. His servants had returned empty-handed, thwarted by the actions of a young boy, it seemed. Oh how furious he had been! These Gerudo assassins, like none other in the land, held at bay by a boy?! He had dismissed them from his service for their failure, sent back to the harsh desert that was their home.

In the end, it was no matter. It had merely been an opportunity that had presented itself. A plan had already been carefully devised before ever arriving here. The plan was simple enough, only its execution was the matter of utmost care. Sighing, he seated himself in front of the desk, various tomes and papers covering its surface. The one book open was Hyrule's history. He frowned slightly, glancing over the words across the pages. The history of Hyrule was here, including the recent civil war that had ended only a decade ago. It had lasted only a couple of years, give or take a few months, but it had in that short time caused great suffering.

He had been a part of it, as well. At the time, he had been a young adult, the prince of the Gerudo peoples. He had planned the campaign and had personally led several charges. The memories still haunted him, in his dreams and in the shadows. So many had died in the senseless violence. The Hylians had started it, their fear and contempt of the Gerudo had twisted into a unanimous belief that the Gerudo were a pagan tribal people who practiced dark magics for the ill of others. Somewhere along the way, someone had even preached that the Gerudo were fallen from the eyes of the goddesses, which ultimately led to a religious, zealous crusade to purge them.