Disclaimer: I don’t want to get in whatever trouble people can get into when using other people’s characters so - The Legend of Zelda, Link, Zelda, Ganon, Hyrule and other related characters and settings belong to to that wonderous console company, Nintendo. No infringement intended.

Juliet A. Singleton (juliet@northcastle.co.uk) & Kirsty Singleton (arcadionseye@btopenworld.com)

Chapter 4

     "Behold, Nera-Lyrle-Ru, last City of the Gerudo!" Molasar announced, as he and Brianna reached the summit of the mountain. Brianna gasped in surprise. As Molasar had said, the city could only be seen from one point, and it was true. Below her, she could see many square buildings of grey stone, with dark slits for windows. They looked plain on the outside. A few buildings though, stood out from the rest. They had exquisite carvings, tall pillars and arches. Everywhere was surrounded by a reddish coloured sand, and grey rocks. It couldn't really be called a city, for it looked smaller than Mido, and Mido was classed as a town. Hyrule had no cities, all of it's settlements were so small, after all. Far down below, she could see little specks; people walking about. The shone reflected off the weapons they were carrying.

"Gosh, it's... it's so different to Hyrule!" Brianna exclaimed.

"At one time, the Gerudo lived in Hyrule," Molasar reminded her.

"And you live..." Brianna asked. Molasar pointed to one of the larger buildings, which had plenty of decoration.

"That is the palace where I reside," he said. He pointed over at another building close by. "That is the Temple of the Wind, where we worship the great goddess," he explained. Brianna nodded, understanding. Another thing that was different. In Hyrule, they worshipped the goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore, but Trinity was the only time they ever did so. She sighed to herself. It really was a lot more different than she'd ever imagined possible. Already it was so hot, as hot as Dalsona. The sun beat down relentlessly, and the air felt strange. They'd had to walk through the jungle for several hours, after being deposited there by a man with a cart and horses, who refused to take them any further. In those strange, hot, wet forests, Brianna had been extremely frightened. Twice, large animals had leapt out at them, but Molasar had deftly killed them with his curved sword. But, they had been able to refresh themselves by eating many of the colourful, juicy plump fruits that grew in abundance throughout in the jungles. Brianna had enjoyed them. In Dalsona, it always smelt sweet, of lemons and oranges, but the jungle had smelt even nicer. Already, Brianna did not miss the woody smell of the Hyrulian forests, which bore little fruit, just apples and pears, nuts and berries.

"The sand here is red," she commented. Benlucca's shores had had black sand. Brianna had only ever seen the golden sand of her home shores, and the pure white of Dalsona's beaches. The black sand had looked so strange and dirty, and the red sand surprised her.

"Yes. It is desert sand," Molasar stated.

"Do you have plenty of water?" Brianna asked. She longed for a drink to soothe her parched throat, and to cool her hot skin.

"We have an oasis that provides all we need," Molasar replied. He turned to a jutting out piece of rock, and climbed over it. Brianna couldn't see him for a few moments, then she heard a rumbling noise. A few feet away, a small hole opened up in the ground; a concealed trapdoor. Molasar climbed back over the outcrop, and pointed over at it. "We go through this passage, and it leads to a path that is cut on the face of the valley. That eventually leads into the valley," he explained. They both dropped down the hole, and Molasar pulled a lever inside that slid the rock cover back into place. "This way," he pointed, at a passage that led into pure darkness.

After around twenty minutes, the pair had reached the bottom of the valley. A great gate stood before them, with two towers either side of it, and a metal portcullis. On the other side sat a young woman with short, red hair, glowing amber eyes and wearing turquoise trousers and a brightly decorated bikini top. Brianna saw women with spears atop the towers, peering down at them. "Open the gate, your King has returned!" Molasar called. At once, the woman turned to pull a rope that released the winding mechanism. Slowly, the gate rose.

"My king," the lady curtseyed, moving aside to let him past. Molasar ignored her, striding right past, and pulling Brianna with him. Brianna felt the eyes of the woman on her, obviously curious. She too, was curious, but kept her eyes firmly on the ground, rather than staring.

"Welcome to our city," Molasar said, pausing. Before them, it was all spread out. Brianna saw that many female guards were posted at intervals, keeping watch.

"Why are all the guards women?" she ventured.

"Because the Gerudo are mainly a female race," Molasar said. He did not reveal anything more. Brianna gazed around, in absolute wonder. They were all so similar. All had tanned skin, and red hair. And those golden eyes. She'd never seen anything quite like it. This race was obviously a lot more pure than today's Hylians. Brianna had always felt proud when people had told her she was the perfect conformation of an original Hylian.

"This place is..." she began. Molasar took her hand, and looked at her earnestly.

"I know you may find it strange at first Brianna, but I am sure you shall soon grow to love this city as much as I do. You will certainly want for nothing, I can promise you that," he said. Brianna smiled at him.

"I'm glad that I came here," she said, seeing so many things around her that she could write about. All thoughts of Hyrule and her friends and family had suddenly vanished. She was so excited to be in a brand new place, with this man she had fallen deeply in love with. Molasar smiled back at her.

"Nera-Lyrle-Ru is a fine place to stay, I assure you," he said.

"What does it mean?" Brianna asked, curious. Molasar had told her on the voyage that all Gerudo names had a meaning to them. Hyrule's, as far as Brianna knew, did not, although some tales stated that the some of the older town and village names were after great Hylian people of the past.

"The house of the great sun," Molasar explained.

"Oh... I see. That's pretty," Brianna said. The name had an interesting pronunciation, but Brianna doubted she would ever be able to say it. Her Hyrulian accent would make it somewhat difficult. But Molasar made the names of the Gerudo sound like music.

"The sun is a powerful gift from the Great Goddess," Molasar stated. Brianna looked upwards briefly, but then turned her eyes away, the light was so bright.

"In my country, it is said that the sun is also a gift from our goddesses," she said. Molasar nodded.

"Come. I shall have a grand room prepared for you, near to my quarters, so that we can be close to each other at all times," he said.

"I'd like that," Brianna nodded.

"Yes, and in time, I'm sure you shall want to be even closer to me," he noted. They walked off up the main path. Brianna bit her lip nervously at his last comment, but said nothing. He was still taking things a little too fast for her liking. She was only fifteen, after all. What was the rush? But you came with him, away from your family, a voice reminded her. Shaking her head to herself, she tried to focus on her new life instead. It had to be so. After all, her mother had told her that if she, Brianna, ever fell in love, she and her father would not ever stand in Brianna's way, and respect her decision. Molasar stopped again, and she realised that they were outside a richly carved building, with pillars of marble, glinting in the sun. Stone serpents were wrapped around each column. The most beautiful architecture that Brianna had seen, was back in Dalsona, with its great palaces of marble and gold, and on some of the older Hylian buildings of Hyrule. The Gerudo buildings were far more simple, but adorned with many wonderful looking symbols, and decorations. They were beautiful in their own way. On the doors was a symbol of a crescent moon. Molasar pushed the doors open wide. "This way, Brianna," he instructed, pointing towards the darkened interior. Brianna stepped inside, and Molasar followed her close behind, guiding her to the royal chambers.

***

Timothy and Aden slogged through the jungle, using their swords to draw aside any foliage that tried to block their way. They had been going for a while now, and the two had seen many things their eyes had never even seen before. Plump, juicy looking fruits grew on every branch, and both Aden and Timothy had been equally tempted to sample them, but they had decided against it, due to the fact any number of them could be poisons. Sweat streamed down their faces, chests and backs, and their throats were parched. If either had been cold from the dampness of the sea, they were now longing for the coolness of the Hyrule waters.

"Do you think..." began Timothy, pausing as they pushed through some more leaves, "...we are getting anywhere?" he finally finished. Aden swallowed carefully.

"I sure hope so, this place is like the depths of death mountain, only worse!" said Aden panting. Timothy nodded in agreement as they pushed on. To their left, the two suddenly heard an uncommon rustling, and all at once a huge shape leapt out at them. Timothy stepped back in surprise and Aden let out a yell of shock as they were confronted by a huge beast, similar to a cat, only a whole lot bigger. It snarled viciously at them, pawing the ground, its mighty tongue licking its lips, displaying a set of yellow and jagged teeth. Timothy stared at it, then raised his sword in front of him, ready to defend himself. The mighty beast leapt towards him, its claws shooting from its paws, and knocked Timothy to the ground. As at leered on top of him, it let out a cry of pain as an arrow appeared, embedding itself in the skull of the thing. Timothy quickly rolled to one side, scooping up his sword, just before the hefty creature crashed to the ground. He looked behind him at Aden, who was as pale as a slab of stone. His eyes looked to Timothy.

"Did you do that?" asked Timothy, looking at the dead creature.

"Not, it was I," claimed a female voice. Timothy and Aden turned to see an exotic woman, her skin deeply tanned, her hair bright red. And her eyes, were a strange shade of gold.

"Th-thank you," said Timothy graciously, his voice catching in his throat.

"Then I shall thank you. I have been chasing that beast for a long while now, you were the perfect bait to bring it into the open," said the woman coolly. Aden stepped forward, smiling at her.

"Think nothing of it!" he exclaimed.

"Then I will not," replied the woman in a low voice.

"Of course, you can if you want, if you'd like to repay us in any way," said Aden hopefully. Timothy grabbed Aden and pulled him back. He stepped forward and bowed to the woman, who smiled at the sight.

"Please excuse my friend. We are both very grateful, I would offer to repay you, but we do not have much in the ways of gold, and it hardly seems that a woman such as yourself would need any aid from us," said Timothy. The woman smiled again, studying Timothy carefully.

"I'm sure there are ways a man such as yourself could repay me," she said. Timothy blushed a little and looked down. "But besides, I can see you are lost. You are foreigners, from Sosaria perhaps, the Westlands, or maybe...Hyrule?" asked the woman.

"Yes, we come from Hyrule!" said Aden enthusiastically, stepping forward again.

"Why do you travel to these shores? What is your purpose?" asked the woman.

"Let me introduce myself, my name's Aden," began Aden. Timothy sighed and pushed Aden back again.

"We are looking for a girl, she is about fifteen. She travelled here with a man I know as Molasar. We believe she is in grave danger, as this man tried to kill her brother," said Timothy. Aden stared at Timothy.

"Molasar? Why didn't you say?!" he demanded.

"I wasn't sure, but now I've thought about it, I'm positive," said Timothy. He turned his eyes back to the beautiful woman. She looked troubled. Finally, with a rise of her eyebrows she spoke,

"I know of Molasar. He is ruler of my race, or at least what was my race," said the woman sadly.

"So you know the home of the Gerudo?" asked Timothy.

"Only too well. I was born a few years before Molasar, when his birth came, so did the fall of us all. My mother, and a group of her friends attempted to slaughter him as a babe, you have to understand, he was a thing of evil! My mother knew of the risks, so she took me away from the city of the Gerudo, for fear of me being punished, should her plan fail. She said she would collect me from my father's mother when she knew I would be safe. Needless to say, she never came, I can only assume she perished in her attempt.

"But wasn't Molasar the son of Balayna? Brianna's mother, that is the girl we search for, she said Balayna was good, nothing about her was evil," said Timothy slowly.

"Balayna was the greatest Queen we Gerudo ever had, after the great Nabooru. But she died giving birth to the child, my mother was present. Balayna begged them to kill the child, but they did not listen. It was only when Faylita, who took care of him, showed the Gerudo his evil. My mother tried to kill him, or at least that is what she was going to do. I fear she never did," said the woman sadly.

"What is your name?" asked Timothy, stepping towards her.

"My name is Brillarindraina, which in the tongue of the Gerudo means 'shine of the storm'. My mother was Dindraina, 'she of thunderstorms'. You may call me Rillar, I know my real name is a bit of a length to speak," she said kindly.

"I am Timothy Westley, and well, Aden already introduced himself," said Timothy.

"Who is this Brianna? She is a figure of importance I assume?" question Rillar.

"She is the daughter of the Queen and King of Hyrule," said Timothy bowing his head. Rillar looked a little surprised.

"A princess? Does she know of her peril?!" asked Rillar.

"Apparently not," said Aden, interjecting the first half decent comment of the conversation.

"Then this is most dire, he is the son of...do you know?" she suddenly asked. Timothy shook his head.

"Ganondorf Dragmire," murmured Rillar, looking to the ground.

"What?! But..." began Aden, recognising the name.

"Can you take us to the valley, we must find her, before anything happens," pleaded Timothy.

"I shall certainly do that," affirmed Rillar. She looked at the two.

"First we shall head to my village, I'm sure I could find the two of you more suitable attire. It will be a long trek to the city of Nera-Lyrle-Ru, so we had best equip ourselves some provisions," said Rillar wisely. She gave the two men one last look, then glanced to the great beast upon the ground. She hauled it up over her shoulder with incredible ease and began to walk forward. Aden and Timothy watched in amazement. The creature must have been far more than even double her weight. They jogged after her.

"Do you not need a hand?" asked Timothy.

"I have practised this for many years, and besides, I doubt you would be accustomed to the weight coupled with the heat of this place," said Rillar, not even glancing back at them.

***

Link let out a shaky sigh of weariness as he followed Tseremed over the sweltering plains of the Geyser desert. They had walked through the day before, barely stopping for any rest, and it had been hard work crossing the lock swamp. Due to the swamp they had had to leave their horses in Evian, and walk. It was infested with alligators and a strange and grotesque gelatinous mass that attacked them by hurling foul blobs of slime at them. Tseremed had swiftly disposed of this foul mess, by lighting his arrows and aiming them at the slime. They had burned like nothing Link had seen before. It had taken them a good few hours to pick their way through the swamp, and they, as Tseremed had warned, slept under the stars. It had not been a comfortable night, and Link had barely slept. He suspected it was more due to worry about his children, and Zelda, and Leigh than to an uneven sleeping spot. Tseremed looked over his shoulder, looking a little concerned. He stopped and waited for Link to draw level with him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How do you fare friend? I fear the heat of this place is not being kind to thee," said Tseremed. Link paused and took a drink from his canteen. He wiped his brow and shook his head.

"How much further is this shrine?" asked Link. Tseremed glanced over his shoulder and into the distance, shading his eyes from the glare of the sun. He turned back to Link.

"Maybe another four miles," he said, and he sounded hopeful at that.

"I've never known such heat, not even in Dalsona," sighed Link. Tseremed shrugged.

"To tell thee the truth, I have never known such heat, not even in this desert," said Tseremed, sounding confused himself. He and Link began to press on.

"It's no use in thinking about it, only the goddesses know what those bastards could be doing to her," said Link.

"I assume you are talking about Leigh?" questioned Tseremed, slightly surprised at the outburst of this seemingly gentle man. Link nodded, his face a brooding expression.

"I know I hardly know anything about her past, but she was a friend to Hyrule, and to everyone in it," said Link.

"I barely knew her myself, but she hath rescued this damned land more than once, often at risk to her own self," said Tseremed solemnly.

"I can't believe how people can turn a blind eye to what is happening in this place," said Link.

"Nor can I, but seemingly the people of Sosaria have taken loss of their senses, and there is naught I, or any other mortal can do about it," said Tseremed sadly. They marched on through the blistering heat.

Two hours later and the two were still trudging through the barren desert, but they had paused for rest, and were seated under the shade of a great sand dune, sipping what little water they had left.

"There is an oasis of fresh water in Geyser, we shall have to fill these up there before we go to assist our friend, else we shall not be going far," said Tseremed, taking a small sip of his water.

"How long is Geyser from the shrine?" asked Link, not wanting them to delay a second longer.

"Not far, say only a twenty minute walk. It shouldst not take us long," said Tseremed. Suddenly, from behind the dune, they heard a loud clamouring of voices, and rowdy singing. Tseremed paused, his hand on the blade in his belt. Link had the very same reaction.

"Men of British no doubt. If we are found, we shalt have to fight them to the death," whispered Tseremed. Link nodded. He dare not speak a word, for fear of being heard. They heard a loud voice drift over the top of the dune.

"Ha! 'Twill be a fine thing to see the suffering of that lowly maggot, at my own hands," laughed the voice. Tseremed frowned.

"I doth recognise that voice, though 'tis long since it reached my ears," he murmured.

"Who is it?" asked Link.

"You may refer to him as Beast British," muttered Tseremed. He glanced around. "I doth not fancy our chances of fighting him and his men, this desert is barren and bland, 'twould be verily easy for us to be spotted. I hath pause at what to do," admitted Tseremed. Link drew his sword, the ring of sword against sheath clear. Tseremed stared at Link. The crowd that was on the other side of the dune had gone quiet.

"Art thou quite mad?! The beast will have a number of men by his side, we could never defeat them!" whispered Tseremed furiously. Link turned to Tseremed, his face grim.

"We have a determination they can not possess, we shall beat them in battle!" said Link a fierce fire burning in his eyes. Tseremed reached out to stop Link, but he charged up the dune, to the very crest of it, and looked down upon the silent crowd of men upon their steeds. He held his sword up high and called down to them.

"Prepare to suffer you loathsome creatures!" he yelled angrily. Tseremed arrived just behind him, his bow in his hand. He fired off the first shot, striking one of the dazed soldiers in the neck. He let out a howl, and fell from his steed to the ground, gurgling a pained scream. Link glanced to Tseremed and nodded, and the men at the bottom of the dune, dismounted, let out a roar and charged towards them. There had to be at least eight of them. Tseremed took two out in their ascent, both with deftly placed arrows. Link grasped his sword, and shifted from one foot to the other, waiting for them to arrive. He brought about the sword in a swift arc, and split two bellies of approaching men. From then on, it was hand to hand combat all the way. Link fiercely challenged the men, as did Tseremed, whose strength with a sword surprised Link, as he had earlier confessed to being far more deft with long range weapons. He certainly was a pro shot, perhaps as good as Dion even. But as far as Link could see, he was as good with a sword. The two fought back to back, covering each other, and Link fought as he never had in years. As the last man fell, Tseremed turned to see British fleeing atop his steed across the desert towards the Shrine. Tseremed shook his head, wiping his sword through the sand. Link picked through the bodies of the dead, and retrieved a canteen or two of water. He handed one to Tseremed.

"I shudder to think that my lips shouldst touch anything owned by one of Them, but I do suppose it is better than dying of thirst," said Tseremed, taking a sip. "If we are careful, it looks as though we won't have to be taking any detours into Geyser. I just hope we aren't too late," said Link. He then jogged down the hill to the crowd of horses that belonged to the dead men. Link chose one and mounted, Tseremed taking another.

"How did they get these through the swamp?" asked Link. Tseremed shrugged.

"I know not, but there was a lot of them, they were less likely to be attacked in the first place," replied Tseremed.

"We have little time to waste," said Link, spurring his horse on and following the tracks left behind by the fleeing British. Tseremed chased him upon his own steed.

"You fight well my friend. The last time I saw anyone fight as you did was when I fought alongside the Avatar," commented Tseremed as they rode together.

"I wish I could claim to fight as well as her, but I'm afraid my skill has gone to waste in the past few years," said Link with a shake of his head.

"Come, we must rouse our spirits, and head towards the Shrine, before that fiend doth do anything he may come to regret," said Tseremed, patting Link on the shoulder.

"He should pray he does nothing to her, or he will regret it," said Link, his tone a low and threatening one.

"As should we," added Tseremed as they rode on.

***

Leigh opened her eyes, and quickly shut them again as the glaring sun bit at them. She exhaled a little, her throat parched. She turned her head to one side, and opened her eyes again, staring. All she saw was sand. She swallowed again, a dull pain ebbing through her. She tried to lift a hand to rub her forehead, but to no avail. She blinked a few times and let out a low moan. She heard whisperings around her.

"Where-?" she began to ask, blinking a few more times. A face appeared in front of her. She squinted a little, then turned away.

"I see thou hast finally awoken. Nice sleep Avatar?" asked the sneering voice. Leigh looked up. All she saw was a cloudless blue sky. She was lying down, on something hard, something cold. Her hands were tied down, as were her feet. "Is this place familiar to thee?" asked the voice. Leigh sighed.

"No," she admitted.

"'Tis the Shrine of Sacrifice, it hath been frequently used in the past few years, many a mans blood hath stained the altar thou now lie on," informed the voice. Leigh felt too exhausted to even say a word.

"British will be arriving soon Avatar, we are in for a treat I am sure," said the voice. Leigh turned to look at the speaker. His stale breath enveloped her.

"You would kill a defenceless woman?" she asked sarcastically to Hook, who was standing over her.

"With pleasure," he sneered.

"You do surprise me," sighed Leigh. At that moment, the sound of a horse could be heard walking over the stone bridge that spanned the water that encircled the shrine. Hook turned away, and Leigh turned her gaze back to the sky.

"Sire, thou dost arrive alone. Where are thy men?" she heard Hook ask.

"My company was attacked by that dratted Tseremed, and another warrior, one whom I didst not recognise. His accent was unfamiliar, certainly not from Sosaria, and he was clad in green. He wielded a sword like I have not seen in a long time," she heard British inform Hook. She closed her eyes, trying to think of something, some way in which she could escape. She could think of nothing.

"She has just awoken my lord, she has even found it in herself to speak," said Hook. British walked over to her, and smiled down at her. Leigh looked up at him.

"So, are you going to kill me yet, or just wait a while?" she asked. British frowned.

"Nothing of the sort my friend. We are just going to make you...suffer a while," he said, giving her a kindly smile. Leigh averted her eyes in disgust. "Although, I must admit it is very tempting to kill you now," added British.

"So, what are your plans?" asked Leigh casually, looking back to him.

"I haven't thought of them yet, but I'm sure Hook here has plenty of ideas," said British.

"Aye, you couldn't be righter my lord," said Hook stepping forward.

"Well, if you want me to live long enough to suffer, you might want to prevent me from dying of thirst first," suggested Leigh. She had long ago reached the point were she didn't really think or care about what she said anymore. Hook passed a flask to British who purposefully poured the water before her eyes onto the altar that she lay on. A little water splashed on her cheek, but she could barely move her head to even see the water trickling into the thick rust red grooves that lines the stone slab. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"You shall be receiving no favours from me Avatar, for whatever the reason," he stated. Leigh bit her lip. He leered over her. "But I am sure there are plenty of favours I could ask of you dear friend," he murmured, grinning at her. Leigh spat at him, hitting him in the face. He stood back, wiping the saliva from his face. "Wonderful manners you have for a lady. I get the feeling you don't like me much," he concluded.

"Wrong, I don't like you at all," retorted Leigh sharply. British raised his eyebrows.

"Your spirit remains to be broken Avatar, I promise it soon will be," he swore.

"My Lord, two riders approach, could these be the strangers who accosted thee in the desert?" said Hook urgently. British turned away from Leigh. She was glad that he had left her for a while, when it suddenly dawned on her. Tseremed, an old friend. Had he somehow heard of her arrival and come to help her? She dare not even hope. But at the same time she was filled with despair, for how would two men, whomever this second figure was, fight the men that guarded her? She tested the ropes that bound her hands to stakes that were embedded in the altar, but they were very strong, and there was no way she would be getting out of them without help. Suddenly a shadow loomed over her again, and a hand was pressed to her forehead. A horrible flash of pain flashed through her head, and she heard words being murmured. She struggled against the pain, but it was proving too much for even her, her mouth opened and let out an agonised scream. She heard a soft chuckling as the terrible agony filled her, like she was being ripped out of her own living flesh, then she slumped down to the altar in defeat.

"I will take this gift from thee Avatar, thou wilt not be needing it...."

"There is the shrine!" said Tseremed pointing forward. He and Link had never stopped in their pursuit of British, and now it was looking to pay off. Link saw a stark island, surrounded by murky water, it was bare and the trees that grew upon it were dead and broken. A agonised scream suddenly split the air, and Link drew his sword. They rode faster, approaching the place nearer and nearer when they were apprehended by a crowd of men. Link brought his horse to a halt. The men also stopped. At the front of them was a bearded man, with long unruly hair. He was apparently blind in one eye for he wore a patch, and he had a sneering lip. "Hook!" muttered Tseremed unhappily.

"Long time no see ranger, art thou prepared to feel the bite of this blade for a second time?" asked Hook, his sword drawn.

"The question is, art thou prepared to die a second time?" asked Tseremed, unsheathing his own sword. Hook laughed, then paused briefly to instruct his men.

"Kill them," he said, his tone growing serious. They let out a great call and charged forward, one man knocking Tseremed from his horse. Link tried to help him, but he was too occupied defending himself. He felled two men, but there were many of them, and Link wasn't sure if he could defend himself much longer.

"Halt!" cried a voice suddenly, and the men ceased to fight. Link stared as he saw Leigh walking through the crowd, towards where Tseremed had fallen.

"Leigh!" called Link. She turned and looked at him blankly for a moment, then leaned over to help up Tseremed. As she touched him, he seemed to be healed of all ails, and he stood up, then to Link's utter shock and confusion she drew her sword and plunged it through the chest of the man. Tseremed looked at her with a bewildered expression, and whispered a few words to her, before she cruelly pulled the sword from him and let him slump to the ground. There were murmurings from the men, and Link sat there with shock. She turned and looked at him. It was apparent she did not recognise his face. "Leigh, how could you?" asked Link, his voice barely audible. She strode towards him.

"Who art thou stranger? What is thy business here?" she demanded in an unfamiliar tone. Link looked down at his horse.

"I..." he began, lost for words. Leigh tilted her head to one side, studying him with contempt.

"Speak quickly mortal, for I have little time to waste upon the likes of you," she said, her voice unkind and spiteful.

"I...I am travelling to Geyser, I must have come off the road, that man said he could show me the way," stuttered Link. Leigh looked down at the slowly dying Tseremed, who was gasping in pain.

"This man is a traitor to this country, didst thou know that?" she demanded. Link shook his head.

"Really?" he asked, feeling terrible.

"You killed some of my men," said British, appearing behind Leigh.

"Wh-what? That's ridiculous!" declared Link. He felt a coward for lying, but he either used his brains now, or died fighting. If he'd been any younger, he would've been hacking at necks with his sword right now.

"Thou didst not answer my question stranger. Tell me thy name!" demanded Leigh. Link gulped.

"My name is Gibson, of the Isle of Scars," said Link.

"The Isle of Scars? Then thou wilt be trained with thy sword?" said Leigh, fingering the bloodied tip of her blade thoughtfully. Link nodded. "Then thou shalt know how to fight. I will challenge thee now, if thou dost impress me with thy skills, then I may let you proceed punished. If thou do not impress me however..." a smile crept across her lips. It was a look of pure evil, and one that Link would have never thought Leigh capable of. He stared at her. "What art thou waiting for Gibson? Draw thy blade!" she commanded. Link clumsily obliged, scrabbling at the hilt of his sword, his eyes glued on her, until it finally came free. He held it in front of him. Leigh bother not with any more words, and charged forward with her sword, which Link neatly deflected despite his nervousness. She let out a growl of discontent and struck again, harder and faster, but Link managed to protect himself every time. The rage that burnt in her eyes was evident, and it was over taking her skill, making her moves raw and useless. Link finally recovered and even began to get in his own blows. As Leigh stepped backwards, a glimmer passed across her eyes, and she fell to the ground, backwards. She lay still as he advanced but then leapt up, only to be met by Link's own sword, poised at her heart. Her hand was in front of the blade, just stopping it from doing any damage. Link gave a grim smile of victory. Leigh glared at him with utter contempt. She reached forward with her hand and grasped the tip of the sword, despite the wounds it caused to her and pulled the sword from a stunned Link. She cast it aside and looked at her hand, fascinated almost. "Strange, I feel no pain," she murmured to herself. She looked up at Link. "Thou didst impress me mortal. Leave, before thou doth receive the same treatment as thy guide. If our paths do happen to cross again, I can promise thou wilt not leave our meeting alive," said Leigh. Then she turned away from him and mounted up on the fallen Tseremed's horse. She looked around at the men, then rode off, the lot of them following her, leaving Link alone. Hook sneered at Link as he passed.

"You're lucky she let you live," he said. Link turned in his saddle and watched after Leigh, who did not even look back. He looked down at Tseremed, and leapt off his horse as Hook left. He kneeled next to Tseremed and drew his canteen out, dribbling a few drops of water past the dying man's lips.

"Wh-what happened...?" asked Tseremed, gazing down at his wound.

"I'm sorry," murmured Link, cradling Tseremed's head in his arms. Tseremed looked back up from his wound, from which blood was pouring very slowly. Link gazed away. It seemed Leigh had struck where it would cause lethal damage, but take a long time for him to die.

"There is no healer in Geyser," murmured Tseremed wryly. Link looked around, and then back to Tseremed.

"I wish I could help," he said.

"I deserved to die a long time before this, I was only delaying the...inevitable," said Tseremed, pausing to cough a little.

"I should've stopped her," said Link quietly, looking to the ground.

"That was Leigh wasn't it? She did this?" asked Tseremed slowly. Link slowly nodded.

"She healed you, and then...then this," said Link.

"That wasn't Leigh, he must've...done somethin..." started Tseremed, a fit of coughing over took him as more blood spilt to the ground.

"Who?" asked Link.

"Him..the," began Tseremed, but he began to cough again. Link gave him some more water. "Kill me," pleaded Tseremed, as his face contorted in pain.

"I," began Link, meaning to protest. Tseremed let out a cry of pain as another coughing fit overcame him.

"Please, there is a little poison in my pack, used to coat my arrow heads, just get it out for me," asked Tseremed. Link moved and grabbed Tseremed's pack, emptying the contents, and finding a vial of clear liquid. He opened it and held it before Tseremed. "It won't take long for it to work, then thou canst leave this place...I'm sorry thou didst not find what you came for," said Tseremed, sounding upset. Link emptied a few drops of the poison onto Tseremed's lips. Tseremed swallowed it.

"I would rather die with peace than pain," he admitted, before turning limp and slipping to the ground. "I feel...cold," he murmured, his eyes shutting. Link felt his pulse. There was none. It took Link a while to collect his thoughts. Finally he stood up, and looked down at Tseremed, who looked more at ease than he had just before he died. Link wiped away his bangs, then realised his hands were damp with blood. Link took the body and dragged it over near to the edge of the water. He began to cover to body as best as he could, removing Tseremed's sword and bow, and resting them both on top of the funeral mound. He said a few words of prayer, his head bowed, before turning away, filled with remorse and regret. He guessed he should perhaps travel to the nearest town, before deciding his next move.

Back to Story Menu