The Legend of Zelda:

Kat awoke with a start and shot upright in her bed. She had forced herself to wake up; she did every time she had that dream right at the last moment so she wouldn’t be watching her parents being murdered. True, it was just a dream, but Kat had a strange feeling that it was almost, if not, was really, the way it actually happened.

She glanced around the room, gathering her bearings until she sighed solemnly and ran her long fingers through her thin black hair. “Uhg…” she mumbled, feeling her heart hammering against her ribs. She massaged her face with her rough hands, waiting until she was calm enough to actually wake up. Finally, after rubbing the sand out of her eyes, she leapt to her feet and ran straight to the window, resting her palms on the cold stone sill. It was still dark outside, but the guards were already setting up their horses for their usual morning rounds around the fortress. The sun was almost visible too, a mixture of orange and purple cascaded brilliantly across the sky over the desert. The Spirit Temple loomed on the far horizon. It was an almost beautiful sunrise, yet the yelling and fighting below completely cancelled it out.

A knock came at the door. “Kat,” said a female voice, “you awake? We’ll be eating soon.”

She sighed again, clearly annoyed. “Yes, I’m awake. I’ll be down when I am ready.”

“Yes, Kat.” The voice showed an unnecessary amount of respect. Kat looked at the door and waited until her shadow was gone. “Lona, wake up,” came the same voice from down the hall.

Kat walked over to her vanity and plopped down on the wooden stool. She rested her chin in her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. What was once long, straight black hair, was now above her shoulders and curled inwards slightly, around her head. You weren’t allowed to have long hair here, it got in the way too easily. You would have to tie it up, or if you had an attitude and refused, you’d get it chopped. Unfortunately, Kat has an attitude. She had her mother’s ice-blue eyes and her pupils were very small. Her skin was dark, but not from her genetics. She had pale skin but her skin was tan from hours in the blazing sun. Her lips were like her fathers’, thin and plain. Her mother’s graceful hands in her dream reminded her of her own. Her arms and legs were muscular and she was in good shape from constant training and working.

Suddenly Kat’s image began morphing as she concentrated. Her nose grew an incredible amount, sticking out at least twice as much as her actual nose. Her skin darkened even more, her hair now up in a ponytail and a hideous shade of orange. Her eyes were yellow and fiery, and she aged about thirty years with wrinkles embedded under her eyes and on her forehead. Nabooru snarled back at Kat. “I dare you to challenge me, Kat. But you and I both know you’re just as cowardly as your mother and father. It sickens me to know that you are my niece. You deserve to die too, you pathetic half-breed.”

“Arg!!“ Kat leapt from her chair and sprung forward with a clenched fist, but the image flashed back to herself and she stopped just before she hit it. She paused and looked at her reflection. “Not like I needed anymore bad luck,” she said to herself.

She examined herself pathetically. “God I need help.” She turned on the ball of her foot and headed out the door.

--------

After the usual breakfast in the dining hall, Kat headed out onto the grounds. Immediately, shouts came at her from all directions. “Kat, the troops are coming in today.” “Our shipments are in. Where do you want these crates?” “Kat, a few horses have escaped and have run off into the desert, what should we do?”

“Ask Nabooru or one of the other elites,” she grumbled pushing her way past briskly. She wasn’t in the mood to help anyone today. She was never in a good mood after having that damn dream.

Kat trudged up the hill to the archery range and glanced around briefly, making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be. She grinned in satisfaction and made her way over to the small hut where the supplies were kept.

“Mornin’ Kat,” said the guard inside the hut, leaning lazily against the wall. Nowadays, few Gerudos were actually hard workers.

Kat nodded at her and chose a bow from the rack. She swung a quiver of arrows over her shoulder professionally and headed out into the shooting range. She made her way to the target furthest down the path, checking the other Gerudos already shooting and making sure they were doing it properly.

Before long she was standing across from her target, about three away from the last one. She glanced over at the girl next to her. It was clear she was trying to act tough in front of her, but she was failing miserably. A newcomer, nonetheless. She struggled to reach an arrow in her quiver, and dropped the arrow after finally getting it out. She was holding her bow upside down and obviously couldn’t get the arrow in the nook.

“Before you work on your image, you should work on your skill. It was hard for me to understand that at first too, but you begin to get it after a few months.”

The girl looked over at Kat, then quickly went back to trying to get her arrow to fit. “I’m fine.”

Kat grinned. “I didn’t offer to help.” She slid an arrow out swiftly, clearly trying to rub it in.

The girl grumbled and finally shot her arrow. It flew about twenty feet and landed perfectly in the ground. She sighed, still holding the bow upside down.

Kat pretended to be adjusting the string on her bow but watched the girl from the corner of her eye. Finally, the girl clued in. She glanced over at Kat as if she hadn’t already noticed, and quickly flipped it right side up. She cleared her throat nervously and took out another arrow.

Kat picked up her bow and slid the arrow into its nook. Holding the bow as if she’d been using the same one since she was little, she pulled back on the end of the arrow, aimed briefly, and fired. The arrow soared smoothly across the range and landed with a soft “thunk” in the centre of the target.

“Good thing you figured that out on your own. Now just work on your image.”

--------

The day continued on like this, through archery practice and sparring. Kat was on her way to the fighting ring for her daily melee fight, when a shout came from behind her that actually caught her attention for once. “Kat, we’ve captured a little Hylian girl… and she wants to fight!”

Kat whipped around, seeing Lona, probably her closest friend, running towards her. “A Hylian? Wanting to fight? I didn't even know there was anymore Hylians left in Hyrule.”

Lona ran up to her and nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! I know! We found her snooping around near the entrance to the fortress. A little blondie. We took her in and she says she wants to prove herself worthy! HA!” She burst into laughter.

“What?” Kat looked at her seriously. “Where is she now?”

“She’s being led to the fighting ring right now. Let’s go watch her get her ass whopped!” she wailed, motioning towards the front of the fortress.

Kat laughed, never wishing to pass up a little entertainment. “All right. Let’s go.”

--------

Kat pushed her way through the rowdy crowd quickly forming around the ring. Lona followed closely behind her, jumping up and trying to get a glimpse at what was going on. Their fellow Gerudos were riled and shouting. For women, they were pretty rabid, clawing at each other as they all tried to get to the front where they could see.

“Get the hell out of my way!” Kat roared. The Gerudos blocking her path glanced over their shoulders, immediately recognized her as an elite, and quickly moved out of her way like a pack of Wolfos making way for their alpha. Kat marched through to the front of the crowd, Lona grinning at the rest of them as she got a free passage behind Kat.

They were finally able to see the entire ring. A large circle, the ring, was marked off with a thick rope and had barrels and hay bales surrounding the sides. The ring was split down the middle with another thick rope, and a wooden pole stood in the middle. Nabooru was standing off to the side with her back turned, talking with a group of elites.

Lona moved up beside Kat, scanning the situation. “Our cells are already packed with Hylians from Ganondorf's takeover,” she said looking at Nabooru. “I wonder if Nabooru will take another one in.”

“Not likely.” Kat’s eyes darted around also. “She’ll get beaten up and humiliated in front of everyone, then she’ll be killed for challenging us… That’s my guess at least.” She shrugged. “Either that, or she’ll be killed in the fight.” Some of the Gerudos standing around them were listening in, clearly excited about watching this Hylian girl getting her guts beaten out of her.

“HA HA! Here she comes!” shouted a random voice. Immediately everyone’s heads turned to the direction of a small group heading towards the ring. A single Gerudo elite leaded the way of another four or five Gerudos. In their arms was the girl, glaring at everyone around her. Everyone’s eyes rested on her pointed elf ears and the pack began howling with laughter. This was the real deal!

Kat crossed her arms and studied the girl as she drew nearer. “Maybe she’s tougher then we think.”

Lona looked up at her, her brow raised. “Are you kidding me? Of all people I wouldn’t expect you to say that.” Of course, Lona didn’t know Kat’s past. She had heard the rumours for sure, but she figured like everyone else that Kat just wanted sympathy because she was considered a "half-breed", which the Gerudos called her all the time. Although Kat believed in her dream, having grown up at this bloody fortress, she naturally learned to despise Hylians. Does she despise her father? She didn’t even know.

Nabooru crossed the ring casually, her group of elites following closely behind her. She shoved through the crowd and met with the group and the girl before they entered the ring. After a moment’s debate, Nabooru nodded and re-entered the ring. Two other elites shoved through the crowd behind her, grasping the Hylian girl by the arms.

The crowd grew louder and more rowdy, beginning to toss rocks at her drooped head. Nabooru stood in front of her and motioned with her hands for them to back off for now. “Silence! Listen up, everyone.”

Silence dropped over the entire fortress grounds. It was eerie. Even the guards at their posts had their gaze set towards the ring, their pointed staffs resting against a wall or dropped on the ground.

“My fellow Gerudos…” the queen began dramatically. “Another pitiful Hylian has dared to set a toe in our western lands…” She crossed her arms behind her back and strode lazily around the ring, looking every one of her women in the eye. “But this one… This little blonde girl wants to challenge us!” She threw back her head and laughed, listening as everyone else did the same. Then she stopped, waiting at least a minute for everyone to regain their composure.

She stepped to the centre of the ring and kicked the girl in the back, forcing her to fall to her knees. She looked to the crowd again, her foot resting on her back still, pushing her face into the dirt. “Shall we teach her a lesson?!”

“YEAH!!” roared the Gerudos, twirling towels over their heads. Lona joined in too, thinking this was sweet entertainment. Kat on the other hand thought she had better things to do, she really despised Nabooru's long, dramatic speeches. She shifted on the ball of her foot, getting shoved around by the cheering women next to her. She groaned.

“SILENCE!”

Again, the crowd drew silent.

Nabooru grinned maliciously. “Now…” she said, scanning her magnificent team of thieves. “Who would care to do the honours of showing this little blondie what we’re made of?”

Immediately everyone’s hands shot into the air, shouting and pleading for her to choose them. Kat stood there calmly, arms crossed, simply wanting to watch this match and get going with her own training.

Nabooru paced slowly around the circle, resting a sharp, polished nail on her chin. “Hmm…” she mumbled, as if it took thought to decide who it would be. Her eyes met with Kats solemn stare. Just as she thought she would be, not the slightest bit interested in taking this girl on herself. She stopped and stared at Kat. “Hmmm…”

“Oh, come on,” Kat thought caustically.

“I think Kat would be an excellent role model to us all if she took on this little girl!” she announced without hesitation, grinning at her, knowing very well she did not want to fight.

Some moaned, having wanted to be the one to fight her. Most of them however cheered and shoved Kat from behind out into the ring.

She groaned. “Fine…” she mumbled to herself walking over to Nabooru. She really didn’t want to proceed with this, but she didn’t want to look like a wimp in front of her fellow Gerudos. To them, reputation was everything, and Kat wanted to keep hers.

“How ironic is this, eh, Kat?” Nabooru kicked the Hylian girl in the side of the head. “It’ll be like killing-off one of your own,” she whispered maniacally.

Kat glared at her, her icy eyes piercing into her head. “I hate Hylians just as much as you do.” She looked down at the girl, who was now glaring up at her. Her long blonde hair fell in front of her face, making her look more terrifying then she really was. She wore a simple pink dress and tiny slippers. Kat pictured what she must have looked like before, because now her dress was tattered and torn, splattered with mud stains and a little of her own blood. Her face was damp and a clear scratch could be seen on her cheek where Nabooru had kicked her. Tears filled her sapphire eyes, but the challenge was there. The hatred was there. This girl was going to fight for her life, and she wanted Kat dead.

Kat glanced at Nabooru and began walking to one side of the ring. “Let’s get this over with.” She had almost felt sorry for the girl, but she had learned over time never to show her true emotions, or let them get the better of you.

Kat stared down her Hylian opponent opposite her on the other side of the ring. She reached over her shoulder and drew her long katana, and held it in front of her with two hands. It was an impressive sword, especially when the Hylian girl drew her temporary weapon. It was a short sword. Kat recognized that she had used that type of sword when she had just begun learning combat training when she was about ten. They could have at least given her a better sword, but she was going to lose anyway. At least they had given her a small metal shield for some protection.

“Should I kill her or not…?” The question hovered in Kat’s mind as the girl’s glare burrowed into her from across the circle. Nabooru had really gotten on her nerves by making her do this; just trying to ruin her life, as usual.

Her thoughts suddenly rushed from her mind as the whistle blew and the crowd around them began howling even louder then before, leaning in over the bales of hay and screaming as loud as they could.

Kat began moving to her right, stepping over her heels as she circled the ring. She watched the Hylian keep across from her as she did the same, holding her blade out and her shield up nervously. She might as well make the best of this. “Hey kid, what’s your name?”

She continued to glare at her endlessly. Kat realized she wasn’t going to tell her, and the audience laughed at her because she wouldn’t speak.

“How about Blondie? I think that would suit you just fine.” She began wearing into her like a knife sawing into her bones. “I’ve never had someone fight me by choice in a dress. I’m quite honoured. You clearly must be very confident in yourself.” Kat grinned as the crowd laughed and cheered, egging her on to attack.

Kat stopped, the girl following the same. “Luckily for you, I’m still questioning killing you or not.”

Everyone cheered in excitement as Kat shot forward and brought her blade down on the girl, a cloud of dust forming around them when she struck. To everyone’s surprise, her small sword was there to meet hers when the dust quickly settled. Their blades were grinding against each other, Kat pushing downwards on her and the girl struggling to stay on her feet. Kat pulled away and did a back flip to the outer edge of the ring.

This time, the Hylian girl ran towards Kat and stabbed at her with her sword. Kat gracefully leaped onto the crate behind her and jumped over her. When she landed, she realised the girl had stabbed her sword through the crate when Kat had jumped out of the way. She laughed with her audience as the girl tried miserably to pull it out from its place.

Kat ran up behind her and swiped horizontally at her head. “What the-”

The girl ducked and swung her leg around under Kat amazingly fast. Kat dropped to the ground, and the girl quickly tugged again on her sword and successfully pulled it out of the crate. But Kat was there to meet her. She arched her back and leapt to her feet, then smashed into the girl with her shoulder, knocking her to the ground. Normally, that wouldn’t have been allowed, but no one could have cared at this point.

Kat quickly trotted backwards away from the girl as she laid on the ground. “Where the hell did this puny little girl learn to move like that?”

The girl rolled over and rose to her feet. Kat braced herself, but the girl just stared silently at her for a split second.

“Toying with me eh? We’ll see about that.” Kat went to bring up her foot to charge at her again, but her feet were stuck. She looked down at the ground and her eyes widened with both surprise and fear. “ICE?”

“What the hell are you doing Kat?! GET HER!” she heard Lona call over her shoulder.

“I-I can’t…! I-”

A hard heel slammed into Kat’s cheek. The force was so powerful that Kat could have sworn she had been hit with the blunt side of a hammer. She didn’t even try to keep her balance and she fell onto her back, her feet now free from the ground. Her sight was blinded by the hot sun looming overhead.

Everyone began whispering instead of shouting, as they watched the Hylian girl make her way towards her enemy.

“Kat can’t lose to her!”

“She must just be making this more exciting for us.”

“She’s just messing with her head!”

“Get up Kat!”

“What… the hell… was that…” she grumbled, reaching frantically for her sword.

Suddenly the image of the Hylian blocked out the sun. Kat opened her eyes in time to feel the sharp edge of her sword against her neck. The girl grinned down at her.

“I don’t know how you did that, but I’m not finished yet.”

Kat brought up both legs at the same time and drilled them into her tiny stomach. She stumbled backwards for several feet before regaining her balance. Kat was already at her feet with her sword in her hand again. She had had enough. She wasn’t going to be made out to look like a fool anymore. Kat screamed and charged at the Hylian. She swung her sword relentlessly yet professionally at her multiple times but they were blocked each time by her shield.

“COME ON YOU COWARD!” She knocked the shield out of her hands and it soared across the ring, landing somewhere in the crowd, which was now cheering again in Kat’s favour.

Still she swung away until finally the girl was overcome by her force and she backed off, getting sliced on the side of her face. “Agh!”

Kat backed her up against the wall of the ring and stabbed her sword into her face.

Well, she missed actually, and ended up driving her blade into the wall directly beside the Hylian girl’s head. She was wincing, waiting to feel her death come painfully. Kat held the handle of her sword, and put her face right up to the girls’ so their noses were almost touching. “Wake up, wench. You’re alive.”

“That’s enough! Kat is the victor!“ came Nabooru’s voice as she blew the whistle again.

She ripped her sword out of the wall and slid it into her scabbard. She turned her back on the girl and walked towards the edge of the ring, basking in her audience’s praise. She pretended to at least, but really she was more concerned about how she had almost been defeated. Before she had time to think, Lona was running up to her and hugged her in congrats.

“I was so worried!” she squealed.

Kat already knew where this conversation was going. “I swear I saw ice form around my feet! When you shouted to me, I couldn’t move.”

Lona backed away from her slightly, her brow raised. “…Yeah… Okay…”

“I’m not kidding!” Kat snapped. “Why would I just stand there and take her hit?”

“How the hell could there be ice around your feet? I mean, we're in the desert.” Lona said dryly pointing up to the blazingly hot sun.

“The Hylian did it. I swear, there was ice around my feet! I don‘t know how she did it!” she said throwing her hands up in the air. “I did not try to forfeit if that’s what you’re getting at! I didn’t feel sorry for her either!” she yelled angrily.

Lona looked at her disappointedly. “Maybe you should take the day off tomorrow.” She turned and disappeared into the crowd. Kat stood there even after she was gone. She couldn’t blame her for not believing her. The story did seem a little strange, and not even Gerudos trusted their own kind. But the ice had been there!

“Congratulations, Kat.” Nabooru appeared suddenly behind her.

Kat jumped and turned around, rejecting her thoughts immediately. “It wasn’t hard.” She looked at the girl who now was being dragged off and into the fortress.

“Really? To me it seemed as though she almost had the upper hand at one point,” Nabooru teased, almost sounding innocent.

Kat didn’t bother trying to tell anyone else her excuse, especially not Nabooru. She clapped her hands together and removed her gloves. “I merely lost my concentration.”

Suddenly Nabooru grabbed Kat’s collar and hoisted her off the ground. Kat looked down at her. Her teeth were sharp and bared, and her nose was cringed and wrinkled.

“You think this is funny? This is no joke, Kat! You made us all look like fools when you let her knock you to the ground like that! You deserve to be ripped from your elite ranking and thrown in with the other Hylians!”

Kat glared back at her. Then her expression softened slightly and she sighed. “It won’t happen again, Nabooru.”

“WHO?!” Her grip tightened on her collar.

Kat cringed. “…My queen.”

Nabooru grinned and set her down roughly. “Very good.”

Kat turned and headed for the fortress doors.

“Yeah, yeah. Just keep your big nose out of my face you witch.”