The Legend of Zelda:

The dunes of the Haunted Wasteland seemed blurry and twisted into complex patterns as Kat rode in silence across the desert. She was near the front of the line of at least three hundred to four hundred Gerudos, behind Nabooru and with the rest of the elites. The other hundred or so Nabooru considered to be too young for a partner, and had left them behind to manage the fortress. They were all mounted on sabers; there had only just been enough for this chunk of the tribe, while the younger, less experienced Gerudos would continue to ride horses until more sabers were bred.

The journey from the fortress to the Spirit Temple had been an unusually long one for Kat. Not only was she severely frustrated with getting used to her saber, but the reason why they were going to the temple was just sickening to her stomach.

Kat was forced to have Rin ride beside her for the ride, but she actually enjoyed talking to Rin for once; her constant conversations kept Kat distracted from what was waiting for them, even when she was talking to Dace, who had ridden up beside Rin for the venture.

It seemed to Kat like the two of them bonded in an unusual way; two complete opposites being attracted to each other, just like that. It was things like this that just bewildered her, how some things just fell into place so suddenly. Not that she thought that it was meant for Rin and Dace to be, but just the way they talked was interesting. Kat was certain that Dace would choose Rin as his partner, just seeing how they interacted so nicely. Kat and Rin on the other hand was a different story that Kat had gotten used to over the years; how two complete opposites just didn’t attract at all. Kat had never been able to get along with anyone. Rin however, an outsider, came into the fortress and became “the new thing”. Everyone talked about her and actually talked with her, not in a hateful way like Kat thought it would be like. Even Kat herself was drawn to her for some strange reason, even though she didn’t trust her at all. Something about her was just…

“How do you Gerudos manage to stay so cool in this blazing heat?! It’s doing major damage to my skin… and these saddles aren‘t very comfortable at all!” Rin said bluntly, adjusting herself awkwardly atop the saber.

“You’ve never bare backed have you?” Kat smirked, glancing over at her and Dace.

“No… I guess you’re right… but still, it would look way better if you guys colour coordinated a bit! I mean jeez, it wouldn’t hurt having some pink saddles or accessories made for these things… they look way too mean, but I’m sure they’re really not deep inside…”

Dace laughed thoroughly. “You’re probably right Rin.” It appealed to him how Rin thought so differently about things then anyone else he’d ever known. That’s what made her so interesting to him, she was just so unlike anyone else. True, she may be a Hylian, but she was different then the others he had... well, killed.

Rin smiled calmly and looked out to the horizon ahead of the group.

“Hey, isn’t that that temple place we’re going to?”

Kat leaned to one side and looked past the rider in front of her. Her heart felt like it was being strangled by her veins. Eyes resting on the formation looming ahead, a terrible reality sunk in on her and she suddenly felt sick. This was just brutal; Nabooru had always been one to give a long, dramatic speech about a woman’s right to choose for herself. But now, here Kat was, along with the rest of the Gerudos, following her aunt, their leader, the murderer of her parents, to the Spirit Temple, her temple, to be picked out by a group of men like pieces of meat, to be gawked at and assigned to the person they are supposed to love and give complete devotion to. There she was up ahead, riding in front as her little minions followed at her word, her golden orange hair tossing steadily in the harsh desert wind. Sick.

Suddenly Kat leaned over the side of her saber and her body lurched as she gagged, a flaming, volatile liquid shooting out from her mouth and searing her throat as it rushed its way up.

“Sick!!”

The riders behind Kat veered to avoid the pile of brown slop on the sand.
Kat slowed slightly, wiping the thick, sour liquid from her lips. “Uhg… For fuck sake…” She grimaced as she regained herself and the saber worked back to its steady pace.

“Kat, are you okay?!” Rin shouted, coming up right beside her.

Kat looked over at her and was surprised to see a very worried look on her face.

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Kat smiled briefly and then looked back to the temple now nearer then ever. She figured Rin could use a smile, she didn’t want her to feel like she did right now.

Kat blinked. Again the question rose to her head: Why did she care about Rin?

She shrugged the thought off quickly as she felt a familiar feeling inside her gut. She didn’t have time to worry herself about that, she’d had plenty to worry over by the time she was inside that temple.

Rin sighed. It sickened her just the same that she’d be put on display for someone to just pick and take away from everybody else. She hoped with all of her heart that Dace would choose her. He was by far the nicest person she’d met at the fortress. The chances of him picking her were slim to her though. He wouldn’t choose a Hylian. But the same thing kept her motivated as the Spirit Temple neared.

“Don’t worry Rin, this’ll all be worth it in the end.”

--------

The halls of the Spirit Temple were hollow and forgotten, formed of tinted yellow bricks on the walls, floor and ceiling. Occasionally there was some sort of art form on the wall like a mask, painting or display, but the same abandoned feeling was still there as the Gerudos were led down one large hallway, towards the central chamber.

“Good luck, guys.”

“Thanks,” said Dace, not even looking at her.

Rin however looked at Kat in disbelief. “Did you just say something nice for once?!”

Kat remained silent and stared ahead as they walked, her face much paler then usual.

Rin looked away as they continued down the hall. She couldn’t blame her for being out of it. If what she said was true about her parents, and about Nabooru, then this really wouldn’t add up to be a basket full of peaches. That was a lot to live with, but Kat couldn’t try to kill Nabooru. There was no chance she’d be able to take down a Sage. The only reason Nabooru would have been able to do that to Kat’s mother would be if she got help from Ganondorf, which she did, and she still had his power today. Kat really had no hope at all, and she was probably starting to realise that.

Dace really couldn’t feel sorry for her. Everyone else would have to go through the exact same thing as her. She was just being a baby. She’d probably end up killing herself if the rumours were true. Many Gerudos had killed themselves in the past to avoid this life. The rest learned to deal with it and have found that they can either cope with it, or they can’t. Kat was one of them who couldn’t. God she was pathetic. At least he’d get the chance to pick and not be picked. He felt pretty confident and just thought of the ceremony as any other and figured he had to do what he had to do.

The Gerudos dispersed into the central chamber of the Spirit Temple. A large statue of one of the first Gerudos at the beginning of time, Sairmora, stood tall in the chamber, arms outstretched and palms raised towards the heavens. Several torches were scattered around the incredibly large chamber, casting shadows around and making the atmosphere even more eerie. Two staircases climbed up opposite walls of the chamber.

Within barely any time at all the Gerudo women were lined up horizontally at the base of the statue. The men were sent outside the chamber.

Kat and Rin stood next to each other. They had been forced into slightly more revealing outfits for the ceremony, so the men would have a “better idea” of what they were getting, consisting of mostly see-through material and few solid parts. They both felt horrible but knew they would have no choice. It was either this, or dying. Some were happy to be there, happy to be a part of this. They stuck their chests out broadly and smiled devilishly. Others, mainly the younger of the group, were very upset with the matter and hung their heads low, wishing not to be picked. The rest thought evenly about the ceremony and really did not care, they just hoped they‘d get somebody good.

They all stood in silence, soaking in the intense numbing coolness of the hollow chamber, goose bumps raising on their skin. They definitely weren’t used to the cold. Some wrapped their arms around themselves for warmth.

Rin stood there, standing a considerable amount shorter then everyone else. She hoped that Dace would be in the first group and choose her; she’d rather be with him then some other creepy pervert. She crossed her arms impatiently. She didn’t like the silence.

“I’m going to make a run for it.”

Rin’s eyes widened and she shot a look to her right. “Are you crazy?!” she whispered.

Kat continued to stare ahead, keeping her voice low. “Nabooru’s not here yet. I’ll get out through the staircase and eventually find my way out. I’m nimble enough, I’ll be gone before anyone knows it. No one will care. I‘ll run away, out of Hyrule, far away from it, where no one will find me.”

Rin noticed that her voice was very shaky. Clearly she just wanted an excuse, any excuse, to get out of here. But she sounded scared, a trait she’d never seen in Kat. Perhaps she was afraid of taking the same path as her mother, and having the same doom come to her.

“Kat, you’re not leaving. Please. I need you here with me. You‘re like my sister.” Rin looked up at the side of her face solemnly. “Ganondorf will be here soon. Please…”

She shook her head and closed her eyes. “No, Rin. I can’t take this. You don’t need me. I rather be dead then deal with this shit.”

Rin opened her mouth to say something, but Kat continued without looking at her.

“Rin, these past few months have been my best. I don’t know why, but I’ve bonded with you more then anyone ever in my life.” Kat laughed silently to herself. “Funny, ‘cause you probably think you and I haven’t even bonded that much, but that’s a lot for me. It’s weird, I don’t trust you at all, yet something about you just keeps me there. You’re full of shit, by the way. I don’t believe your story for a second. I don’t know where you’re from or what you want here, but if you’re planning on stopping Nabooru somehow, then please do so… Maybe I’m just confused, seeking guidance, some shit like that, but I don’t get it. This is too much for me. I’ve had enough with Nabooru. I may not be able to kill her, but I can sure get away from her.” Her gaze rose to the closest staircase. “Call me a coward, but at least I’ll be happy.”

“Kat-”

“I’m sorry Rin. Goodbye.”

“NO!”

Kat made a mad dash for the closest staircase, all eyes resting on her sudden movement within the silence. She leapt up as far as she could, grabbed onto the railing, pulled herself up, and began taking the stairs three at a time, her breathing steady as she ran, her heart pounding. This was it.

Yelling erupted from below her. They immediately knew she was trying to get away. “Somebody stop her!!” was the loudest one Kat could hear, but her heart beating in her forehead was enough to smother it out as she continued to scale the stairs.

Finally, the stairs ended and she was on the upper platform of the staircase, a large door towered over her. She shot for the golden knob and clasped her palm around it.

An incredible stinging shot through her palm and into her arm from the knob. She released her hand and screamed in agony. She fell backwards but steadied herself. She knew her palm was burning, but she immediately grabbed the knob again and began turning at it frantically.

She could hear her hand sizzling as she clutched the knob, but still she kept turning it. Her face began to turn red and tears flowed from her eyes. She cried out in pain, clenched her eyes shut, and grinded her teeth against each other, determined to get it open. She had to get away now, they were going to kill her for sure if she was caught. Anyone who so much as tried to escape from the Gerudos were instantly killed.

Her heart was in her throat now as it swelled from her own cries. Her palm seared and she knew she could not get through. Something kept her going and still she tried; she tried and tried and tried, but it just would not click. She was dead. She had no where to go. She could hear someone coming up the stairs beneath her.

As disoriented as she was, a shot of commonsense came to her: Why was the knob so hot?

Kat released the knob. She opened her eyes and looked at her palms; they looked absolutely normal and the burning stopped. She looked at the knob.

“What the fuck?!”

There was a yellow glow emitting from around the knob, shining gently. It instantly reminded her of the orange glow her mother had shot at Nabooru in her dream, the colour of the Spirit. But it was yellow, not orange, like the colour of… Light, was it?

Suddenly a giant fist closed itself around Kat’s neck and hoisted her off the ground. It squeezed her neck muscles with a mighty force and blocked off her windpipe.

Kat gagged as the hand turned her around to face them.

“How dare you try to escape during my presence!”

Ganondorf’s green skin and flaming orange eyes became a blur as Kat was thrown like a limp doll over the edge of the staircase.

The Gerudos below watched her fall and hit the hard, stone floor in front of them.

“Kat!!”

Rin screamed and began to run forward to help her, but she was suddenly very afraid and stopped in her tracks as she saw Ganondorf towering mightily overhead.

Ganondorf leapt off the ledge, his long cape billowing above him as he landed hard on the ground next to Kat. Without hesitation, he grabbed Kat roughly by the neck and lifted her up again, his grip not as tight as before.

“You little bitch. You die today.”

His huge fingers dug into her neck, her face tense and turning purple. She squinted in pain as her lungs screamed for air.

Suddenly his grasp lightened and his gaze shifted slightly ahead of him. Nabooru stood there, smiling maliciously. “No,” she whispered, accenting the word so he could understand her lips.

Kat managed to open one eye and saw Ganondorf’s extreme, harsh glare burning into hers.

“You must be Kat, the one I’ve heard so much about,” he spat. “You’re lucky my Queen has sympathy for you. You should thank her that your life will be spared for now, and you will be around for this ceremony in my presence.”

He threw her to the side, back into the line-up of Gerudos. She landed hard on the ground and was greeted by Rin simultaneously.

“Kat…! Are you okay?!”

Kat sat up quickly, trying not to look too pathetic. “I’m fine… Fuck!!”

Rin frowned sympathetically down at her Gerudo friend and held out a hand. “Here.” She smiled sweetly, sapphire eyes shimmering.

Kat looked up at Rin’s hand, her eyes empty and hollow. She sighed deeply. Nabooru did not want her to get away. Maybe she was going insane? She just felt her hand being scorched and she saw a yellow glow around the knob, yet, now her hands were fine, and no one would believe her about the glow. No one would believe anything she said. Something had stopped her from getting out; something wanted her to be here and at the same time wanted no one to believe her. But the glow seemed so gentle and calming…

She sighed again and took Rin’s hand and was lifted to her feet. The other Gerudos were staring at her, wondering what she had been thinking.

Their attention suddenly shifted to Nabooru, who stood beside Ganondorf in front of the group. “Ladies, we apologize for that pathetic interference. We’re going to keep Kat alive for now and let her little attempt to bypass this ceremony slide… Everyone should get a chance to partake in this wonderful ceremony of love…” She giggled and brushed up against Ganondorf, sliding her hand over his grotesquely large chest as he grinned pleasingly.

Kat lurched slightly as she literally threw up in her throat. She quickly swallowed the burning liquid with one horrid gulp. Disgusting, but she didn’t want anymore attention drawn to her. She could feel her reputation plummeting as the seconds went on as awkward looks were passed her way.

“Let’s get this over with as quickly as possible,” Nabooru went on. “A brief overview of the procedure will be necessary, seeing as how this has never been held before. The men will come in in groups of ten, the higher ranks getting first choice. They will be free to choose whomever they wish, and she who is chosen is not allowed to object, no matter what the circumstances. You will learn to love one another and become devoted to that one person. The last thing we need is people getting infections from fooling around; it’s time that the Gerudos started becoming serious and put effort in to increasing our numbers.

“Upon choosing a partner, the man will be offered two objects that the woman must wear…”

Ganondorf turned and was handed a pillow by an approaching guard. He stepped forward, as did Nabooru, and held out the pillow to be seen.

“One of the objects,” Nabooru went on, eyeing the shining jewellery, “is a ring.” She took the ring and held it up high. “This symbolizes the union between the man and the woman. She will be forever bound to him and will learn to love him deeply.” She placed the ring on the pillow and picked up the other, holding it high. “The second object, the arm bracelet, means the same thing as the ring, but with a slightly different twist.”

“Oh no…” Kat thought to herself in a panic.

“The arm bracelet symbolizes a slightly stricter partnership between a man and a woman. The woman will be more of a slave to the man, and will do whatever he says without any disagreement. We took a tally around the fortress of how many men would rather have something meaning that they had a little more power than the ring; the results were about fifty-fifty, so it was decided that it would be included here today. Any questions?”

Her voice rang out through the chamber, but no one answered. She glanced down the line at Kat, who now had her head buried in her hands. She grinned crookedly. Excellent.

“Good. Without any further interruptions, let the ceremony begin.”

Without delay, the main doors to the chamber were thrown open and the first group of men entered eagerly. They spread quickly across the line of women, eyes feasting on what soon could be theirs.

Kat’s heart sank as she saw Dark Link heading down towards her side of the row. It surprised her slightly; sure, he’d given her a few weird looks, but really he hadn’t done much more to her. She still didn’t trust him at all. He was close to Nabooru, who never meant well for her. Oh well, there was nothing she could do now. It was time that she stopped trying and just accepted whatever was to come to her. There was no hope for her. There never was.

Rin was watching the crowd disperse uneasily across the room. “Please Dace, come on… Where are you…?”

Dark Link appeared in Kat’s vision and stood before her proudly. His eyes scanned her thoroughly. “My, my, Kat. What a fine wife you would make…” His pale lips curled gently, red eyes meeting with Kat’s. He chuckled softly to himself. “What am I doing?”

For an instant Kat felt relieved, until Dark Link grabbed her by the arm and trusted her out of the line like a toy. “Come with me, my dear.”

Rin was shocked at how hard he had grabbed her. She watched Kat go, seeing her head slumped as they headed back to get her a charm. Maybe Kat was right about him.

“Poor Kat…” She looked very worried, wrinkles emerging on her forehead that made her look years older. She looked back towards the group, hands held together, close to her chest. “Dace…”

Suddenly a riot erupted where the group of men were and hoarse yelling rang out all around the chamber. A silver-haired man shot out from the crowd, another one with brown hair quickly stumbling after him. Rin immediately recognized them both.

“Dace!!”

Seth approached Rin at an incredible, surreal speed. Dace did not stand a chance and quickly fell behind him as he made his way towards Rin.

“No…!!”

Rin was more worried then ever about Seth. Seeing how Dark Link took Kat from the line was a hint that he was no good, and Rin had come to learn that Kat was usually right about her hunches. Seth was always around him; maybe he wasn’t as good as he showed?

Rin watched as Seth stopped abruptly before her and grabbed her by the arm.

“Ah, my sweet Rin,” he said as if he hadn’t seen her before. He kneeled down and kissed her hand.

Rin blushed. As odd as he seemed he really could be quite the gentleman. She looked behind Seth and saw Dace, who looked incredibly disappointed. His forehead wrinkled and a look of extreme disgust came to his face. He turned away suddenly and headed back down the row.

“Dace…!”

Dace glanced over his shoulder but quickly turned back. Seth’s eyes flickered upwards at her and he stood.

“You’re with me now, Rin, not anybody else…” His voice didn’t exactly sound threatening, but his eyes flared and Rin noticed his incredibly small pupils.

She shuddered slightly. “Uh… Yes… Yes, I know…”

Rin watched Dace across the room step forward hesitantly and pick a girl from the line. Her heart sank and an intense jealously came to her. She sighed, trying to look like she was interested as Seth took her hand and led her out of the line.

“Come, my sweet.” And he led her up towards Nabooru and Ganondorf.

--------

Dark Link gazed down at the pillow Nabooru held before him, a line quickly building behind him and Kat.

“Hmm…” he wondered aloud, digging a sharp nail into his chin in thought. “Which one would you like, Kat?”

He pulled her up beside him where she could see. She wasn’t being very cooperative.

Kat’s eyes met with Nabooru’s for a second and she quickly looked down at the pillow, still wanting Nabooru to know that she wasn’t getting the better of her. She examined the ring, then the bracelet. She already knew what was coming to her. She hadn’t trusted this bastard from the start. Nabooru was in on it too somehow; she wanted Dark Link to take the bracelet, so she could be ordered around and Nabooru could lay back and watch as if she had nothing to do with it. Kat knew she would not have a ring on her finger after this was all over.

Kat was overcome with rage suddenly, her heart pounding in her chest. For the rest of her life she would be forced to stay beside this nut? Well, Nabooru said this was the way it would be, and whatever she said, went. That’s how it always had been, and things were never going to get better. She was a coward in Nabooru’s eyes. “Call me a coward, but at least I’ll be happy.” That's what she'd said, but she sure wasn’t happy right now, and she wanted to show Nabooru that she wasn’t a coward.

“Well?” Dark Link looked at Kat, a slight hint of impatience in his voice.

Kat looked at Dark Link, knowing very well what he was thinking. She bared her teeth at him suddenly, her eyes squinting with utter rage. “You’re a bastard.”

Before he could process what she had just called him, a warm, thick liquid hit Dark Link square in the eye. He instantly knew what it was, but knew he‘d have to keep his cool in front of his king.

He took his wrist to his face and wiped the spit from his eye casually, as if he was only slightly annoyed. He expected that Kat would be frightened by him now, knowing what was going to come to her. He opened his eyes but saw her still where she was before, staring right back at him, her expression slightly calmer now for some reason, mouth closed steadily, eyes blazing. She was in the upper position now, a position only where a man should stand.

This outraged him more over anything else and without even thinking he raised his strong, muscular arm and punched Kat in the face, launching her across the room limply and into a large, decorative vase, which smashed instantaneously.

Silence fell over the chamber again, all eyes resting on Dark Link. He looked around awkwardly. He didn’t mean to do that…

Ganondorf looked angrier then before, but for some reason was amused by the entire situation and couldn‘t help but chuckle to himself. Dark Link was losing his touch. He could never keep himself together, even if just being annoyed by a woman. Good thing he’d gotten Seth by his side now, he had a feeling that Dark Link wouldn’t be around for much longer.

Nabooru laughed to herself too, but more at the fact that Kat had just been thrown into a vase.

Dark Link turned his back to her and to the pillow that Nabooru still held out to him. He breathed in deeply and sighed, not daring to look Ganondorf in the eyes. He’d made himself look weak and now had to make it up.

He looked down at the ring and the bracelet. Take the ring and Kat would simply be his wife’ she would have some freedom in what she could and couldn’t do. Take the arm bracelet and she would be his slave, and he could tell her to do anything he pleased without her being able to disagree.

“Remember,” Nabooru said, looking at him. “Once you’ve chosen you cannot go back on it.”

Dark Link looked up at her briefly, then back to the pillow. Persuasion? He thought so. He knew Nabooru did not like her niece, but he had just made a complete ass of himself in front of everyone over some dumb broad. Did everyone think he was going to take the bracelet? Nabooru wanted him to, but she’d be expecting that, and so would Ganondorf.

Dark Link shot a look at Ganondorf, and quickly snatched the ring from the pillow. He turned and headed towards where Kat was starting to get up.

Nabooru’s jaw dropped and she looked up at her king as if to say, “Can he really do that?!”

Ganondorf watched Dark Link advance towards Kat in disbelief. Did he just take the ring?

This silence bothered Nabooru, knowing all attention was not on her, which she couldn’t stand. “Err… Well it would seem that Dark Link has chosen to take the ring!” she announced uneasily, cursing under her breath and staring down at the bracelet.

Dark Link grabbed Kat by the arm and pulled her up from the ground. He slid the ring onto her finger roughly, it digging into the bends of her finger as it was shoved down.

Kat watched him in awe and an almost happiness came over her. She sighed deeply, relieved, but still a little shaken up.

“You have no idea how lucky you are.”

He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her over to the side to watch the rest of the ceremony.

Rin stood in line, a few people in front of Dace. She was happy for Kat that he had chosen the ring. Maybe Rin’s hunch had been right. Although he had punched her and knocked her into a vase, he hadn’t taken the ring. He did not want her to be his slave. She could only hope that Seth felt the same way.

A few minutes later Seth and Rin approached Nabooru and she held out the pillow. Rin was pretty confident, but now the nervousness was setting in on her as Nabooru smirked at her wickedly.

“To reiterate,” Nabooru said looking to Seth. “If you choose-”

Before she could finish, Seth snatched away the arm bracelet from the pillow and immediately turned to Rin.

Rin gasped. “What are you-”

Seth grabbed Rin’s arm, slid her hand through the bracelet and thrusted it up her arm.

Rin screamed in pain as it dug into her arm and started bleeding heavily, but still he kept pushing it up until it was past her elbow and near the middle of her upper arm. Rin pulled away from him after he let go and bent over onto the floor, clutching her arm and wincing in pain. “Ahg…!!”

Seth merely admired her pain for a moment, then stepped forward and pulled her up, blood now covering her body. “You’ll never take it off. You’ll always be mine.” He tightened his grip around Rin’s hand and quickly led her towards the exit.

Rin, tears now flowing steadily from her eyes, took one last look behind her and saw Dace, watching her go helplessly, worry in his eyes.

Then they were gone through the doors, leaving another moment of uneasy silence behind.

Kat looked down at Dark Link’s pale grasp around her wrist as the door slammed shut. She had been lucky to have gotten the ring. Maybe Dark Link wasn’t as bad as she thought he was, Seth seemed to be worse; Kat had had to shut her eyes as he was shoving the bracelet up her arm. She could bandage it up for her if she saw her back at the fortress. Poor girl.

Dark Link was furious as he saw Ganondorf smile contently as Seth left. Had Seth gotten the better of him again? Was he really losing his loyalty and determination? Dark Link didn’t think he would take the arm bracelet; who did he think he was? He never should have created him to begin with. He would not let this happen again, especially in front of their king. “Cheap son of a bitch.”

The rest of the ceremony went on normally for the rest of the day until everyone was assigned to a partner. It had become clear that Nabooru had been lying about having taken a tally of how many people would choose the bracelet; Kat was surprised to see that everybody else had chosen the ring. These Neroth men weren’t that bad after all, and Nabooru had just been trying to scare them.

Dace had chosen a high-rank Gerudo named Shianne as his partner, but you could tell by looking at him that he wasn’t happy at all. Shianne on the other hand seemed very pleased and held Dace close to her at all times. She was one of Nabooru’s closest elites and Kat did not trust her at all. She seemed to be just as bad as Nabooru as she hogged Dace for the rest of the day, giggling loudly and making constant pathetic attempts at jokes.

Kat was eager to get back to the fortress and make sure that Rin was alright. Finally the ceremony was over and Nabooru led the Gerudos back through the main hallway in their pairs.

Dark Link still clutched Kat’s wrist possessively as they walked in the wave of Gerudos.

Kat glanced up at him oddly and noticed he looked very troubled, not that she cared. She walked clumsily and with a slight limp and her face was puffy and a dark bruise was forming on her cheek. She recalled what he had done to her and wished more then anything to get away from him. She looked away from him, trying not to pay attention to him. “Asshole.”

Dark Link noticed Kat’s limp and looked down at her. “If you’re too hurt to ride by yourself you could come with me.” He sounded slightly affectionate, but she knew it was all just a joke.

Kat sighed deeply, not bothering to answer him. She was depressed, knowing that the ride back would be even longer then the ride there, which had been very, very long.