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 5

     "How...far...is this city?" asked Aden, between breaths. He and Timothy had been following Rillar for a long time now, they had long left her village behind, and the heat was unbearable. Rillar smiled slightly, looking back at the two.

"You Westlanders," she murmured, shaking her head with amusement.

"Hey, I bet you wouldn't last a minute in a Hyrulian winter!" accused Aden, feeling a little agitated.

"We Gerudo originate from Hyrule, I'm sure I would withstand one of its winters with ease," said Rillar. Aden grimaced. He hated anyone getting the better of him, especially women. "But in answer to your original question, the city is not much further. It would probably only take us a few more hours. We will have to rest by night, but by then we should be very close. Of course, if you prefer we may stop and rest a while, and travel through the night, when it is cooler," said Rillar.

"Are you sure you aren't suggesting that just because YOU want a rest?" asked Aden. Rillar smiled.

"I'm am quite capable of travelling through this heat, the suggestion was solely out of concern for you," she replied with a smile. Aden frowned.

"We can take it, we'll go on," said Aden firmly. Timothy remained silent as they trudge along.

"Timothy, you remain rather quiet, is everything well?" asked Rillar. Timothy turned his eyes to her and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just worried, that's all. About Brianna," said Timothy, trudging on. Rillar fell into step with him.

"You know her well?" she asked.

"He loves her," said Aden, behind the two. Timothy turned and shot Aden and annoyed look.

"Love her?" repeated Rillar. Timothy smiled a little.

"That's just Aden messing around," he assured the Gerudo.

"But you do know her?" asked Rillar.

"We are close friends. Her brother is like a brother to me," admitted Timothy.

"So you are out for revenge, as well as to rescue this...Brianna?" assumed Rillar.

"He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it," said Timothy fiercely.

"Molasar has inherited the powers of his father, he is a strong man," said Rillar, looking ahead.

"I know. At the moment, all I want to do is get Brianna out of there. Molasar can be dealt with at a later time," said Timothy.

"I don't know about you, but I'm taking out the guy as soon as I see him!" said Aden.

"No you won't. He nearly killed Ewan, Aden. Ewan was the strongest fighter in Hyrule, how could we even try to match him?" snapped Timothy, turning to face Aden. Aden looked a little shocked by Timothy's outburst. He held up his hands.

"Hey, fine. I see your point," he conceded. Timothy's features softened and he turned around again.

"You know, not many people I know would leave the sanctuary of their own country, travel to strange foreign lands just for one person," said Rillar.

"She is a princess you know. We're probably in for a big reward if we save her," said Aden.

"We need no reward Aden. Just to have her safe!" said Timothy angry again at Aden's careless comments. Aden shrugged.

"Hey, that's alright for you to say. You have a job for life in the castle, but what about me. Damon and my mother don't exactly have money pouring out of their ears," said Aden.

"It seems you two have a difference of opinions," observed Rillar. Timothy and Aden said nothing as they walked on. "You will have to resolve these differences before you reach Nera-Lyrle-Ru, for you will have to work together if you wish to save this Brianna you speak of," said Rillar wisely. Timothy bowed his head and stopped. He turned to Aden.

"Sorry for being an idiot," apologised Aden quickly. Timothy nodded.

"I'm sorry about being so touchy," replied Timothy. They clapped each other on the shoulder and started walking again.

As darkness fell over the jungles of Benlucca, the trio set up camp for the night. Rillar had lit a fire to keep them warm, night in Benlucca was extremely cool, even under the cover of the jungle. It was also to warn of any prowling creatures, which were hoping to get an easy supper. Rillar had also gathered some fruit from the surrounding trees for them to feast upon, and both Aden and Timothy agreed the fruits were sweeter and more delicious than anything which could be found in Hyrule. They set up a one man watch just in case however, which Timothy volunteered to take first. Each person would watch for three hours before waking up the next person. Aden had agreed to take the last watch. As Timothy sat watching the fire that they surrounded, occasionally throwing pieces of gathered wood to keep the flame alight, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Aden.

"I can't sleep," he said with a yawn. Timothy smiled.

"No doubt you will find it easy enough when it is your turn," he said. Aden raised his eyebrows in agreement.

"It's to true. So, what d'you think of her?" asked Aden, leaving the subject.

"Who?" asked Timothy.

"Rillar. She's the most beautiful creature my eyes have ever come across," said Aden.

"Firstly, Rillar is a woman, not a creature, and secondly, I agree she is very beautiful, but as are most living things," said Timothy.

"Yeah, you would say that. Just my luck that she has a passion for you instead," moaned Aden. Timothy laughed.

"Aden, you can be, at times, a very delusional type of guy," said Timothy.

"As can you Tim. Have you not noticed how she looks at you, how she stands near you, talks to you?" asked Aden, sounding a little surprised.

"She would have no interest in a man such as myself. She is older than me in any case," said Timothy.

"How do you know? And besides, from what I heard, it didn't stop Ewan," said Aden. Timothy glanced at his friend.

"So you knew?" he asked.

"Who didn't? I heard she was at least five years his senior," said Aden.

"Well, it matters not. Not now anyway," said Timothy quietly.

"Greg told me, she was quite a beauty apparently. Could she compare to Rillar?" asked Aden. Timothy shrugged.

"Would Ewan have settled for anything less?" muttered Timothy.

"I suppose not. He was pretty picky, as I recall, she must have really been something," went on Aden.

"She was not without her problems. She had some kind of bad blood with Ewan's mother, but...like I said, it does not matter. You should sleep in any case, you'll be complaining when Rillar awakes you," said Timothy. Aden grinned.

"To be awoken by a woman of that beauty, I'll think I'm still dreaming," joked Aden. Timothy rolled his eyes.

"Go to sleep, you will need it," advised Timothy. Aden shrugged.

"I suppose you're right," he said.

"You know I am," said Timothy with a smile. Aden nodded, then crawled back to his sleeping space where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. Timothy smiled a little, his eyes drooping. He began to eat a piece of fruit that Rillar had left with him. He looked across to where the Gerudo slept. One would not know from looking at her the tragedies that had befallen her short life. Maybe Aden was right, perhaps he did like her. She was a good companion, but Timothy knew that he could never hold anyone as high in his heart as he did with Brianna. As Brianna's name crossed his conscience, he felt a jolt of worry and anguish, and his gaze turned back to the flames, his thoughts praying that she had not yet, or would not be harmed.

Leigh trudged across the drawbridge, and into the main entrance of the castle. She glanced around critically as Hook joined her inside.

"Sleeps what I be needin'! Dragging yer sorry hide across that bloody desert did me no good!" claimed Hook in a dark tone. He gazed at Leigh for a moment, who stood watching him, looking less than impressed.

"Sleep is only for weak humans, and fools, but I do suppose they fall under the same category," said Leigh, smirking.

"I suppose ye'll be needing a lot of it then!" said Hook, laughing at his own joke. Leigh frowned.

"I expect thou didst find that amusing mortal fool!" she snarled, drawing her sword, pinning it to his throat. Hook placed one hand on the hilt of his sword. Leigh raised one eyebrow, a smirk passing across her face. At that moment Lord British entered, and looked at the scene before him. He let out a low chuckle.

"My dear children, what is this?" he asked, the amusement blatantly displayed across his face.

"I do know not how thou expect me to put up with this poor excuse of life, he is putrid and weak, not at all the kind I would gladly associate with," said Leigh. Hook growled in his throat.

"And she is delusional and a woman. How dost thou expect me to put up with her airs and graces?" demanded Hook. British looked from one face to the other.

"Thou should both be working together, not apart. Division of the ranks always ensure defeat," said British calmly.

"I refuse to walk with those whom are not even fit to walk the same ground that I pass upon," said Leigh in an aloft tone.

"And I refuse to work with a weak and feeble woman. Look at her, she will betray thee at the first opportunity I guarantee!" stated Hook. Leigh swung her gaze back to Hook, pricking his throat with her sword.

"Watch thy words pirate, or thou will be the one I betray!" she warned.

"I see thou art not going to get on. As I cannot decide, I do propose a duel between the two," said British. Leigh let her sword drop to her side.

"To the death?" asked Hook, his voice evident with glee. Leigh shot out her sword, and plunged it into Hook's stomach, past his spine and out through his back. He let out a weak cough, and blood trickled from the wound. He fell to his knees, and Leigh casually allowed him to slide backwards off her sword and onto the floor. British looked down at the bloody corpse, a wry smile across his features.

"Indeed, to the death," he murmured. Leigh ran the blade through her fingers, cleaning off the blood. Two servants appeared and began to carry away the body. "Really Avatar, thy action was most unfair," commented British his gaze turning to her, a smirk passing his lips.

"If I had such flaws of fairness and honour, then I would have wasted valuable energy in defeating him during a tiring duel. There is no point in that," stated Leigh. She did not smile at British, but he smiled at her.

"A valid point, if not indeed a very observant one," conceded British. Leigh sheathed her sword, kneeling down before British.

"Now sire, what dost thou wish of me?" she asked. British smiled, placing one hand on top of her bowed head.

"I am very sure that I wilt think of something," he promised.

Link stumbled around his small inn room, which he had purchased for a night at the Gilded Lizard. He was tired, he had felt never before felt so drained. He finally slumped onto the hard bunk that supposedly passed as the 'greatest nights sleep in the whole of Sosaria'. Link doubted that claim very much. He kicked off his boots, not having the energy to pull them off and lay back, running through his head the events of that day, or rather the last few hours. That woman, it had been Leigh, and yet not. Perhaps it was some kind of illusion, like that created by the Amulet of Nagul, a trinket that had long ago passed in and out of Ganon's hands. An exact replica of his dead brother it had created, as well as a replica of Link's beloved Zelda. But he had a sickly feeling within him that that woman had been Leigh, at least in body. It was no replica, no clever illusion. There had been a strength in her Link had long not seen, how Leigh had been before she returned to the lands of Hyrule this very year. But he had seen her slay Tseremed, with no mercy, nor any warning. Surely Leigh would have never, ever done that. She would not even have killed an enemy the way she killed Tseremed. It was too cruel, too malicious for her nature. That scream he and Tseremed had heard shortly before they had met with British's men, that had to have been Leigh. What had happened? What had they done to her. She had been possessed, her mind and thought taken over by a mind of evil and cruelty. He closed his eyes, wishing he could've been faster, swifter, got to her before British had. He wished desperately he could've done more for the kind Tseremed, rather than grant his dying plea. Letting out a loud sigh he let his thoughts wander back to Hyrule, to Zelda and his son, and to Brianna. He screwed up his eyes, praying that they were all safe, and well. What was he to do now? Leigh was already beyond a stage of being helped, and he had no way of finishing his way back to Hyrule, not until Sal found him anyway. And what was he to do then? He needed to help his son, but he did not have the means to do so. He supposed his only choice now would be to seek out those whom Aimé had told him about, the healers who had been outlawed. Link closed his eyes once more. First, he would need rest, however guilty he felt for taking it.

Slowly, Brianna opened her eyes and wondered for a moment where she was. The hot sun filtered through the pillared window at the far end of the room, and she was lying on a canopied bed of silken cushions. She sat up, and looked around, rubbing her eyes. She hadn't slept very well the previous night, the bed, though comfortable, had felt strange, and it had been far too hot. Obviously at some point though, she had drifted off. At that moment, the beaded curtain that masked the doorway to her room, was tentatively drawn aside, and a young girl, who looked about Brianna's age, peered in.

"I have been sent to help you, Your Highness," she said politely.

"Oh, why thank you!" Brianna said. She'd almost forgotten that she would need some help to get ready and do her hair. She suddenly remembered Alyssand, and realised just how much she missed her friend. The girl walked into the room on light feet, barely making a sound. She placed a basket down on the ground.

"I am Leniarala," she introduced, rolling the 'r' in a way Brianna was sure she'd never be able to do. Leniarala smiled. "You may call me Leni," she commented, almost reading the Princess' mind. Brianna smiled back gratefully.

"It's nice to meet you, Leni," she said. Leniarala smiled again, her high ponytail bobbing a little, as she raised her head proudly.

"And your Highness, is there a name I may call you?" she asked.

"My name is Brianna Alina Medila Grâtia-Illustrísquídam, but you may simply call me Brianna," Brianna replied.

"Your accent is most strange. You are a westlander, no? You must be, for you have hair the colour of gold, so beautiful and long," Leni commented.

"Uh... thanks. I come from Hyrule," Brianna replied. Leni nodded.

"I know of Hyrule. It is to the north, in the middle of the world, three islands, where everything is green and cool," she said. "Not like this red desert, it is so hot for you here, I suppose," she added, looking slightly sympathetic.

"Yes.. it is a little," Brianna admitted. "But we have deserts in Hyrule too. But they are brown and dead, and the wind is always blowing," she stated. Hyrule had two deserts at the northernmost tip of the West island, Parapa and Tantari.

"It is the clothes you wear, your westland gowns will be too hot for you," Leni said. She opened the basket, and pulled out a beautiful long dress of blue silk. "His Highness, The Great King Molasar sends you this with his kindest regards," she said. Brianna stared at the outfit, with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. She'd never worn something so revealing before, not even the Dalsonians had clothes like that. But it really was a fine garment, spun of only the finest materials. A lot of work had gone into it. "I hope that it is your size, but I am good at alterations, so we need not worry about that," Leni continued.

"Uh, thank you," Brianna said. Out of curiosity, she dared to ask the girl a question. "Leni, please may I ask, but what does your name mean? I hear that the Gerudo names always having a meaning," she said. Leni laughed.

"Ah, so foreign! But indeed, it is true," she said, smiling at Brianna in a friendly fashion. "My name means 'She of the Brightest Star'. My sister is Dinlestaryle, 'She of the Fireside'. King Molasar, he is 'He of the Night'," she said informatively. "What does your name mean?" she questioned. Brianna shrugged.

"I don't think my name means anything really," she said sadly. The only thing she knew about it, was that it wasn't Hyrulian, it was Catalian, but nothing more of interest.

"Brianna... well, it makes me think of flowers," Leni said. "So to me, you will be 'She of Flowers'," she said, smiling. Brianna smiled back.

"I never thought of my name that way before," she said.

"Yes. Now, you have such a lot of hair, you cannot leave it down else you will surely collapse in the heat!" Leni laughed.

"Oh, I usually tie it back in two plaits," Brianna said.

"Plaits?" Leni asked, looking puzzled.

"You know... braiding. When you twist strands of hair together," Brianna said. Leni suddenly nodded.

"Ah, now I see. We do not do that much, takes too much time! But His Greatness has commanded me to cater to your every wish, and so if it is braiding you wish for, then I shall do it!" Leni stated solemnly.

"It's okay, I'm sure I can do it myself," Brianna said. She'd managed, in a fashion, during the journey to the city.

"No, no, I insist!" Leni said.

"Well, thank you, then," Brianna said politely.

"Do not thank me, it is my job," Leni said. Brianna smiled at her, thinking what a strange girl she was. Alyssand was her lady-in-waiting, and she wasn't even half as polite. Leni walked over to a nearby golden table, and picked up a brush, and from her pocket, produced a length of string.

"You may use my clips," Brianna said, not really fancying the idea of having string wrapped in her hair.

"I will use those after," Leni said firmly. She lead Brianna over to the window, where there was a shallow seat. "Here, sit here and look down into the plaza. There is lots going on, you will like to watch," she said. Brianna did as she was told, and gazed downwards. Sure enough, people were walking about, doing their daily tasks and so forth. It was a myriad of bright colours, mixed with the redness of the sand, and the grey of the buildings. "We shall soon be done," Leni promised, brushing her hair as gently as possible.

"Then what will we do?" Brianna asked.

"You shall go to His Highness, King Molasar. I suppose he will be wanting to introduce you," Leni explained.

"To who?" Brianna asked.

"The rest of the city, of course," Leni said, smiling. Brianna took a deep breath, suddenly incredibly nervous.

"The whole city?" she asked. Leni nodded.

"I should think so. You will be the envy of all the girls. Molasar is so handsome, after all," she said, winking. Brianna just continued looking through the window. Had she really done the right thing by coming here, she wondered.

 

***

Link yawned and stretched. He sat up, and rubbed his back. It felt extremely stiff, and it was no wonder, for his bed had been so hard. He'd stayed in many inns in his life, and this had to have been one of the most uncomfortable. The hero sighed, and stood up, trying to wake his deadened limbs. He'd been dreading the morning. For today, it was time to embark upon the quest to find a healer for Ewan. Only, all the Sosaria healers of any skill, had been outlawed to places unknown. And now, Link didn't even have an ally to help him. His former companion, Tseremed, was dead. Currently, he was located in the desert town of Geyser. Tseremed had said there were no more towns to the east, and that they all lay to the west, or north. Unless he had a boat, in which case there were many inhabited islands in Sosaria's large bay. He quickly washed his face and teeth using the small jug of water provided and items from his pack, then changed into a clean shirt, trousers and tunic. Then he put his sword through his belt, pulled on his now much worn leather boots, and hoisted the pack onto his pack. It was time to leave. He walked out of the tiny bedroom, and into the main part of the inn. No-one was in, it was deserted. Then again, it was 6am in the morning, or at least it was by Link's pocket watch. The sun was just beginning to rise to the east. He laid the key to his room on the main counter, but didn't bother to sign the guest log. The less he made his presence know, the better. He had been given odd looks when he'd entered the tavern the evening before, and felt sure that everyone had known he was a foreigner. Some Sosarians had pointed ears like him, but only a few. They were Hyrulians that had settled there, like Zelda's mother, for example. She had been a Hylian born on Sosarian soil. So that was not the problem. There was obviously something about the way he carried himself, which made them suspicious. He had kept speaking to as much a minimum as possible, for that was something that would probably give him away in a second. Even surrounded by Sosarians, he still couldn't pick up their bizarre way of speaking. He could speak Hylian, a practically dead language, with ease, but he couldn't speak Sosarian. Sighing again, he pushed the door open, a concealed bell tinkling. He ignored it, and walked outside to face the already rising desert heat, once more.

***

Rillar shook Timothy gently, just as the first rays of light pierced the cover of the jungle. Timothy let out a small groan and rolled over, shielding his eyes with his hand.

"It isn't morning already is it?" he asked. Rillar smiled.

"It is I'm afraid to report, and we'd best get moving if you want to reach the city soon," said Rillar. Timothy shut his eyes for a moment, and rubbed the sleep out of them, easing up onto his shoulders. "That friend of yours fell asleep on his shift, it was lucky I woke up. We could have attacked very easily," said Rillar with a faint smile. Timothy frowned.

"Trust Aden," he sighed, running his hand through his hair. He noticed Rillar was still smiling at him. He swallowed a little, his throat dry. "There a spring nearby? I need a wash," said Timothy, getting up. Rillar stood up with him.

"Yes, there is one nearby. I found it earlier on, after I had woken Aden to resume his watch," said Rillar with another pure bright smile. Timothy brushed himself off and followed Rillar through a host of trees, and soon Timothy could hear the sound of running water. They left the shelter of the trees and into a small clearing, which a small stream ran through, leading into a beautiful, crystal clear pool. Timothy turned and smiled at Rillar and jogged down to the stream, stripping off his shirt and beginning to wash. Rillar joined him by the streamside, dipping her feet into the cool water. "The water is very refreshing, yes?" said Rillar. Timothy stopped from washing his face and turned to her nodding, his hair now damp, water trickling down his face and chest.

"Yeah," he agreed. He looked back down into the water. "Is it safe to drink?" he asked. Rillar nodded.

"Oh certainly," she told him. Timothy leaned down to the water and took a long draught, savouring the coolness of the water. As he leaned over, he slid forward, and fell head first into the stream. He let out a cry of surprise, but being underwater, he just received a throat full of the stuff. He rose out of the water coughing and spluttering. Rillar watched him, laughing lightly. He looked across at her, dripping everywhere. He grinned a little, wiping the water from his eyes.

"That wasn't even funny," he said, climbing out from the stream. Rillar offered a hand in helping him up, still smiling.

"Ah, it'll do you good!" she insisted. Timothy ran a hand through his soaking hair. He shook his head.

"Well, I guess I got my wash," he conceded.

"You did indeed. Now, come, we can't waste much time. We need to return to our camp, and eat. Hopefully your friend has managed to find us some...breakfast I believe you call it," said Rillar slowly. Timothy nodded.

"What do you call it?" he asked, slinging his shirt over his shoulder.

"Well, in Benluccan tongue, we call it solei and in the tongue of my mother race, it is called unosol," explained Rillar, pushing away the dense foliage that had fallen in their way. Timothy nodded.

"I suppose that's something to do with first sun or something," he guessed. Rillar smiled.

"Why yes, most Westlanders are ignorant to many meanings of our language," she said.

"I try," admitted Timothy, moving aside some leaves for Rillar. She gratefully stepped through.

Back at the camp, the nights fire was no more than a pile of smouldering ash, and Aden was sitting there contentedly munching away on a piece of fruit.

"I see you managed to do something right," said Rillar. Aden grimaced.

"You ain't ever going to let me forget that are you?" he asked. He picked up some fruit and tossed some over to Timothy and Rillar. "So, what you two been doing in the bushes?" he asked, giving Timothy a pointed look.

"Nothing that would interest you," replied Rillar, examining her breakfast carefully. She finally deemed it worthy and took a bite, as did Timothy.

"You're looking like a drip as usual I see," commented Aden, glancing back at Timothy.

"My sides are splitting," assured Timothy sitting down. Aden grinned.

"Me and Rillar had some fun this morning, didn't we," he called, Rillar had seated herself in the crook of a tree.

"Your bawdy humour does not impress me Westie," she said sounding critical. Aden grinned at Timothy.

"She loves me really," he half whispered. Rillar finished her breakfast and threw the empty core of the fruit at Aden. He ducked out of the way and she jumped down from the tree.

"Are we ready?" she asked. Aden stood up.

"Am I ever!" he remarked enthusiastically. Timothy smiled and stood up.

"Come on, this way then," said Rillar, striding forward, and back into the thick of the jungle.

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