The Legend of Zelda:

The fast, steady beat of the saber’s paws hitting the sand was constant for nearly half of the day in the steaming heat of the desert, but the creature was trained to be strenuous and knew the worst would be in for it if it let it’s master down. The saber was truly fierce. The cat-like creature had a muscular form and large, bulky shoulders, with skinnier but sturdy legs and powerful paws beneath. The creature’s pelt was a deep red colour with only about three or four black stripes that ran down it’s back horizontally. It had a long tail which bounced in unison with it’s body for balance as it ran. The head of the animal was fiercest of all; two flaming yellow orbs scanned ahead of it with black slits that were barely see able, and a pair of smooth, razor-sharp teeth came down from either side of the saber’s closed mouth to below it’s chin. On it’s forehead, the tribal mark of the Neroth tribe.

It’s breath was heavy as it maintained it’s speed.

“We’re almost there,” came a sharp voice from atop the creature.

The rider was a male of about the age of sixteen. His attire was dark, with deep, black baggy pants much like the Gerudos’. He wore a tight fitting, dark red shirt that cut off at his shoulders. A plate of silver armour covered his chest with the same Neroth symbol engraved into it. His hands were covered in gloves that cut off at his fingers so his hands wouldn’t get sweaty. On his feet were thick brown boots that the bottom of his pants were tucked into. The only protective part about his clothes was the plate of armour on his chest, but out in the desert you had to make sacrifices in order to keep your body temperature down and keep yourself from losing too much water.

The rider’s dark brown hair ruffled sharply as the beast continued bounding across the sand dunes. A pair of dark brown eyes kept a careful watch ahead of them as the Gerudo Fortress rose before him on the horizon. The familiar rock wall surrounding the fortress stood tall and mighty. He knew well that the large gate entrance to the fortress was not too far away, but entering from there was impossible without force, which he did not have on his own. Instead, the rider headed directly for the rock wall outside of the fortress.

In a matter of minutes they had finally arrived. The man tugged on the chain tied around its neck, like a collar, and the creature slowed to a stop beside the mighty wall. He leapt off the creature and gave it a brief, appreciative pat on the back. The saber barely recognized it, it was too tired and was glad they had finally stopped.

The rider put an arm over the head of the creature and slid the chain off of its neck. From a small bag on his side he took out what looked like a mechanical hand and quickly attached it to the end of the chain. He turned to the wall that towered over him, the harsh glare of the sun nearly blinding him as he looked up. He looked to the saber once more and nodded, telling it to stay where it was until he returned.

Checking the chain once more to make sure it was secure, he began twirling it around in his hand. He scanned the wall, looking for a nook. The Gerudos were clever to try to smooth it out, but they had been lazy in doing so, especially around the back. Easily spotting a small ledge in the rock, he put all of his power into his arm and slung the grapple up to the nook. It hit perfectly and took a sturdy hold when he tugged on the chain.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he took his heal to the rock and began his ascent up the wall.

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“Nabooru, this is not a joke. That girl can’t be trusted.” Kat slammed her fist against Nabooru’s desk in anger. “She claims she doesn’t remember anything, but she does, oh, she does.” Kat glared at Nabooru from across the table. She knew Rin was up to something and she wanted her banned from the Gerudos, even better, killed.

Nabooru however, wasn’t taking any interest in the conversation. Her feet were crossed on top of the table and she leaned back casually in her chair, fingers laced behind her head. “Kat, please. She’s a Hylian. What harm could she do?” One of Nabooru’s servants stood beside her, fanning her with a giant leaf.

“She’s a Hylian. Why the hell is she here? The Gerudos and the Hylians have always been enemies. We don’t know where this girl’s come from or what she knows. She could be a spy or something for all we know.”

Nabooru tossed her head back and laughed briefly. “A spy? For who? The Hylians? They ran off to Trinidaria, they’re not going to send a spy out here! What would they want to know? What would they find out from us?”

Kat didn’t bother to answer. She watched Nabooru take her feet off the desk and she leaned forward across the table. “Ganondorf is our leader, your leader. Do you really think a little Hylian girl could really be of that much trouble to him, or to us?” She looked at her mockingly, a grin curling across her lips.

Kat maintained a straight face, although Nabooru’s nose was getting a little too close for comfort. She didn’t know what to say. It did seem outrageous, but something about that girl seemed to puzzle her. Finally, she spoke up. “Why do we need her here, Nabooru? If she‘s as pathetic as you say she is then why do you insist on keeping her here?”

Nabooru leaned back again, showing that she still had the power over Kat. “You know why, you would be stupid if you didn’t… Then again, you are asking me, so I guess that does make you stupid, doesn’t it?” She laughed once in her throat, just to insult her. Knowing she wouldn’t receive an answer, she continued. “We all hate the Hylians with a passion, a fiery, burning passion.” She threw her fist up into the air dramatically. Still holding it there, she looked over at Kat. “Knowing that you must deal with your worst enemy just makes me all the more merrier then I already am.”

Kat still contained herself and kept her face emotionless. She didn’t want Nabooru to think she had the upper hand, even though she really did. She decided to change the topic slightly, to put herself back in power in the conversation.

“Why in the hell do you want to take over the rest of Hyrule? What the hell would you be able to do? You know very well that Ganondorf is perfectly capable of doing so himself.” Kat cocked an eyebrow as if she was thinking. “Oh, I know what he’s doing. He saved a few crusts for his beloved sex-buddy so she wouldn’t feel left out. Awww! That is so sweet of him.” Kat grinned at her, eyes pinched like she was ready to burst into laughter. Then her face was dead serious again. That is how she won her arguments. She simply turned it around with something that had nothing to do with it, and insult them in such a way that they would have forgotten about what they had been previously talking about completely.

Nabooru went dead silent. Even her servant who had been fanning her stopped and looked like she was about to crack. Nabooru’s eyes widened and her nose crumpled up like a stone. “How dare you! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!”

Without hesitation, Kat slapped her palms out on the table, pushed out her chair and stood. “Gladly.” She grinned again, turned, and left through the door without another word. Except for the word 'bitch' that she mumbled under her breath as she left, but no one heard it.

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Kat knocked gently on Lona’s door; It was typical of her to go meet with her after a meeting with Nabooru to tell her about how she made such a fool out of her. But there was no answer.

“Lona?” She knocked again. She probably wasn’t in there.

Kat curled her hand around the doorknob and slid the door open. She peered inside. She could have sworn that her heart burst out of her chest when she saw what was inside.

Lying face up on the floor in a bloody pool, was Lona. There was a huge gash in her chest where she had clearly been stabbed, probably multiple times. The rest of her room seemed to be perfectly fine, as if there was little or no struggle. The culprit must have snuck in without her knowing, and then took her by surprise.

“Holy shit…” Kat stepped into the room and quickly shut the door behind her. She examined the body from the door, not wanting to stir anything up from when she had gotten in. It was clear that her friend was dead, and although it hurt Kat at first, it really did not effect her. As a child and having grown up amongst Gerudos, she had learned early on that you should never become close with anyone, even your friends. Kat had not realised what they had meant by that back then, but it was now that she realised how right they were. It was best not to make close relationships with people so you would not be distracted by your emotions towards them.

Kat did not feel sad for Lona. It was a loss, but not a large one. That was another one of Nabooru’s sayings. “A true Gerudo has no great loss, only many small ones that will make her stronger.”

Kat was more concerned about finding out who did this. Quickly scanning the room again and seeing no clear evidence of anything, Kat slid back out the door and closed it tightly.

She now had a decision to make. Should she tell someone that a Gerudo had been killed? No, they would expect that she would have done it. That’s always how it was, the first person who found the body was the first and most likely suspect. Then again, the Gerudos didn’t care much towards their own people, and losing one more would not be that big of a deal. However, this may be more of a problem then it seemed to be. This may not have been a Gerudo who did this. The chances of someone being able to sneak into the fortress was unlikely, but the chance was still there. Should she report to someone, definitely not Nabooru, that there may be a possible intruder?

She decided yes. Kat glanced down the hallway and saw a guard at the end where another hall ran through. She walked over calmly and they saw her approach. It was a rare sight seeing an elite interacting with a guard. The guard thought she was simply passing by, and was surprised when she leaned in close and whispered to her.

“Lona, fifth room down on your right, has been killed. She was stabbed; I found her body. You and I are probably the only ones who know about it, but the culprit is unknown. There may be a possible intruder considering how close her window is to the outer wall of the fortress. It’s unlikely, but it’s better to be safe then sorry. Get the word around and tell all the guards to keep their wits about them.”

The guard nodding and Kat dismissed her from her post. She watched her jog down the hall before turning down the other way and making her way down a set of stairs two at a time. She decided to check around a bit; Kat was one of those people who liked to be sure of things for herself.

She continued her way down until she was in the less-populated basement of the fortress, where the dungeons were held. The Gerudos had no use for any of their prisoners they kept down there, but they liked to know that they knew who was boss. Kat peered through the entrance to the cells, a solid door with a small window with bars through it. Seeing nothing suspicious, she turned and made her way down another dark hallway lit by only a few occasional torches.

At the end of the hallway Kat could see a door; the door which led to the Gerudo’s treasure room. The silhouette of the guard that was always there was in clear view before the door. Kat felt relieved knowing that if there was an intruder they had not reached that room.

“Hey Pertia,” Kat shouted to her as walked down the hall towards the door. “Seen anything suspicious going on down here? There’s warning of a possible intruder running around.”

As she finished saying that, Kat knew immediately that something wasn’t right. As she drew nearer she realised that the person outside of the door was hunched over and facing away from her. It glanced over it’s shoulder when she had shouted, and then quickly turned back and started fiddling furiously with the doorknob. Kat could now make out the shape of an image lying on the ground.

“You son of a bitch!” Kat tore down the hallway and drew her sword from its place in her belt.

The figure now heard her footsteps and swung around to meet her square on. Kat met the figure’s weapon with hers. The eerie glow of a nearby torch made the fresh blood on the sword stand out more then it normally would. Kat now could see the figure’s face. A male with dark brown hair that fell over his deep brown eyes that were flashing at her in anger. His teeth were bared, and as Kat realised where this guy had come from she bared hers right back.

For a moment they stood there, blades leaning against each other with very little force. That was typical of the Gerudos and the Neroths alike; to get in each other’s faces before you fight. Then, when one finally gets angry, burst out in fury until your enemy was taken down.

“What in the hell are you doing here, scumbag.” Kat’s eyes met with his, him standing slightly taller then her.

“I’ve come to get my treasure back, bitch.”

As if she hadn’t seen that coming. “You took the lives of many of our women. You don’t deserve anything.” Always over exaggerate. Of course they hadn’t lose many to the Neroths, and even if they had Kat couldn’t care less.

“You were the ones who attacked us, and I‘ve come back to get my vengeance.” He looked down at Kat with pure hatred; more then Nabooru, which surprised Kat.

“Vengeance? Hah. We all figured you wouldn’t be mad at us considering how we left you all of your ripe young men for you to rub up against. In the end, isn’t that what every man wants?”

“Fuck you!”

And so the fight began between the two. It was awkward for both of them to fight in the narrow hallway, but neither of them were going to let the other one live. It was pathetic how long the battle lasted however. The man’s force was far more powerful then Kat’s, and he soon brought her to the ground after only a few minutes of slashing furiously at each other.

He pinned her down and held his blade to her throat. A wide grin carved itself into his lean face as he looked down at Kat’s infuriated face triumphantly. “Oh boy, that sure was quick wasn’t it? Well, I’ll be sure to make your death much longer to make up for it.”

Kat looked up at him hopelessly, feeling his blade pressing onto her neck. This was it. She would be killed by her enemy and he would run out of here with the Gerudos’ treasure. She tried once to push him off of her, but there was no way she could push a 180-pound man off of her. She was distraught. She hated this feeling more then anything she had ever felt, seeing the face of the enemy over her, overpowering her, while she laid there hopelessly, just waiting to die. But Kat felt something inside of her that thought that it wasn’t over for her yet. Or maybe she was just being cocky. “You dirty bastard.”

He laughed at her. “I’m afraid your opinion will no longer matter when you are dead, my dear.”

The man lifted his blade up above her, just like the way Nabooru had killed her parents. “I am pathetic,” Kat thought. She winced, closing her eyes shut tightly, ready to take the hit.

Kat did feel something, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as what she was expecting. Her eyes shot open when she felt the weight of the man fly sideways and off of her body. A blur of red shot by and several others followed, screaming and shouting filling the tiny hallway. When her vision returned fully, Kat could see several red elites pilled on top of the Neroth man. His scream was muffled out by the shouts and orders they were giving. One of the elites who was not able to get at the man looked in Kat’s direction and hurried to her side.

“Kat, you okay?”

She stood, almost ignoring the elite and more concentrated on the dog pile of bodies. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she said quickly, watching what was happening.

Things finally seemed as though they were under control when the elites began pulling themselves off of the pile and their shouts lessened, until two elites were left atop the man and they had successfully tied a strong rope around his ankles and hands behind his back.

“Damn you all, damn you all!” he shouted, now taking Kat’s place hopelessly on the ground. One of the elites kicked him in the side, just to get their pleasure from seeing him suffer.

As the elites dispersed, Kat went over and looked down at him, grinning viciously. She much rather liked this position then his; the one on top, the one he feared and hated most of all right now, in charge and in control. “Don’t worry, we’re all going to Hell.”