Gerudo Forest

Chapter 53

The day to leave came sooner than Melissa thought it would. She had just finished packing her stuff. Sitting back down at her bench she made some finishing touches to the bow Ganon had given her.  

The day Ganon had wanted her to follow was the day he had surprised her with the bow she had wanted from the market. She had definitely over thought his intentions on the way to her room and when he had given it to her she had almost been disappointed. She had spent most of the walk trying to prepare herself for what might come but her disappointment faded quickly just holding the bow. She had been so excited to start restoring it. She had worried he had pressured the woman to sell it to him but he promised he had done nothing of the sort.  

She had worked nonstop on it since he had given it to her making many trips to the market. Where the dragon had worn down she ended up re-carving it. It had also needed a new string and Kona had helped her replace it. Next she stained and polished it. It ended up being the most time consuming process of all because she had to wait for it to dry before applying the next coat. Once finished it had the color of cherry wood. 

Now her problem was the grip. The fabric had been stained and didn't really look like it belonged any more. She had decided to remove it and just hope it wasn't a wreck underneath. Working the little knife, that Kona had given her as a present for her upcoming trip, she slipped it under the fabric and sliced all the way up with no resistance.  

Pulling it away she gasped. The grip beneath looked to be tarnished gold inlaid with a red stone that seemed similar to what the ghost king's throne had been made of. The stone's shape was the usual Gerudo symbol and on either side of it a triangle was pressed into the metal. 

Where had the merchant gotten this bow? Why hide such a beautiful grip? She couldn't help but think there had to be some history behind this weapon's origin. She couldn't wait to show Ganon the finished product. Looking at it now she just knew he would have to take back his comment on her weird taste in things. 

She was excited to try it out but after the incident with Impa she had been forbidden to leave her chambers without an escort. Ganon had made her promise to not disobey his command this time and reluctantly she agreed. It made her feel like she was cooped up but understood it was for her protection. 

It was still dark out but technically morning. Anticipation of their journey today made it hard for her to sleep anymore so she paced the room restless. Moving to the window she looked out at the desert which expanded as far as the eye could see. The usual guards were on patrol and a few villagers were beginning to emerge from their homes.  

The villagers had been sharing accommodations with gerudo families since they had gotten here and it could be quite cramped. Now quite a few makeshift homes had been allowed to be erected on the outskirts. Melissa had noticed during construction that some of the gerudos had even stopped by to show them how to make the buildings sand storm proof. This made her very happy. She didn't know how long the villagers would stay after this was all over but it seemed they had been pretty much accepted into the tribe. She wondered if some might even choose to stay. 

She spotted Chara walking back to the the main building and wondered if her friend would ever speak to her again. Every time Melissa had spotted her, she seemed to slip off before she could even get close. Melissa had been hoping Chara would have been over what ever was causing this behavior before she left but it didn't seem like that was going to happen now. 

A light knock on the door signaled Ganon was here to see if she was up yet. He swung the door open and spotted her by the window.  

"I almost thought you would still be asleep with how late you were up last night." he chuckled seeing the exact opposite.