Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda.

Hello My darlings.

It's been over two years since my last update. I've dealt with aging, loss, death and grieving. My lap tops changing, my writing evolving and of course, my share of a breakup or two.

Thank you for those who love my work and still send me heartfelt emails, loving what I wrote. I never, ever take them for granted.

For some updates, I'm planning the Three Day Updates. In the three days after this update, I will update Frailty, then three days and Upgrade.

This chapter will be the thoughts of Nabooru, I hope you will enjoy.

Please review and email me any questions. In other news, My blog will up and running, I will post a link with my next update of this story.

Thank you all.

Purplelizard

It's cold. Much colder in the desert then it should be.

I sit upright in bed, watching my breath appear and reappear. This would cause my people to panic. And due to the silence, I'm only assuming they are sleeping soundly. The past year and peace among all the tribes, call for no night guards. Impa strikes fear in all of us, dares us to go against her words of peace. That woman is a idol, she truly is a Queen.

But these changes are the least of what to come. Times are keeping it's pace fast, launching Hyrule into more peril. The other Sages can feel it, I'm sure. Even I as one, who's power is not so great, can surely feel it. The balance was disrupted when Zelda was killed. And that of another.

"Can you not sleep?"

I smile and look down into beautiful grey eyes. His pale skin and black hair covered in glorious moonlight. Soft eyes and strong features, the very essence of inter sex beauty. His bare chest hard with battles, scarred with winnings and few losses. My shadow, lying in bed with me.

"No, go back to bed. I am fine."

He sat up. the sheet, fell from his body letting his nakedness be known. I sighed in awe. My own Gerudo people would wrinkle their noses in distaste for me acting like this. It's said around here that I am the toughest, they all fear me and I equal the strength of any man. But my heart simply quaked when this man wandered into the territory a few months ago.

It was a little after Link had died.

I could say right after peace had been declared. It was another day in this dry hot place when one of my guards came to me with a problem. There seem to be a man, bearing the crest of Siri, trespassing into our desert. He had taken every one of the guards down and proceeded. When I had reached the entrance, the other women were fine, not even a scratch on them.

"We fought to our best!" Thaana cried. "He simply pushed us aside and said he wouldn't hurt defenseless women."

"Defenseless?" I had asked.

She snorted in anger. "Arrogant Hylian, I will kill him."

Denum, my second in command, approached me then.

"Perhaps you should not go. He was, different. Looked like..." Her eyes dropped away from my gaze. Her skills are formidable, but still, she's so gentle.

"Looked?" I asked.

"You'll see. Take care." She nodded knowingly.

As they all stood around and bickered who was to kill him, I carefully reminded them of peace. Killing a Hylian breaks the blood. My eyes challenged anyone to voice against me. I left my own blades and walked in the sandstorm.

It was twilight when I spotted a man.

My breath had caught when I saw him.

From his back, he outlined perfectly the Hero.

His sturdy built and long lean body was all too familiar, the long pointed ears, sticking out the ends of his long hat. He was walking unevenly, the heat must have gotten to him and I didn't think of water. My steps were quick.

"Stay back Gerudo woman."

The voice stopped my stride.

The man stopped walking, seeming to look ahead of him. His labored breathing and gasping was loud enough for the dead to hear, he coughed then, and spat. The sand was in his lungs. He didn't know how to breath properly in this place.

"Turn back. This place is against you."

My hair was whipping in the wind, the sand picked up and flowing liquid, like water. A sandstorm was soon approaching. We were much too far out to turn back now. Unless we go back now.

His body was rigid and his back was still to me. His grey tunic was dirty, smudged with dirt. His leggings were torn and ripped, blood flowed through the wounds. Dried blood caked his black boots.

"I cannot woman."

His voice was rich and broken. He sounded lost and chaotic.

The sand was brushing against us harder. I walked to him and stopped short.

"I will help you Hylian." I paused and breathed deep, the sand was getting too much for me as well. "We must go."

At that point he whipped around.

I was in shock. He was the spitting image of Link, The Hero of Time.

"Leave me be woman. I will not harm you. But I need this." His dark grey eyes were clouded with misery.

His started on, walking slowly, the sand blowing against his body, hard and strong. He kept going, rigid with stubbornness.

I glance ahead of him, there on the ground, was a ditch. Often as defense, the sprits of this dry and dusty land, try to kill those not bearing the Gerudo name. Or that of a woman. A female of any race would survive here. The ditch led to a quicksand. Swift and deadly. It would swallow him whole. Steps quick and rushed, I charged toward him.

"Don't go any farther! You'll kill us both!"

I took all my strength to fight against the sand storm brewing and knock his heavy body down. We fell with a soft plop. Pressed against him, a familiar scent filled my nose.

He smelled so much like him.

That musk, I could smell it kingdoms away, it was surely his indeed. Emotion pricked at my heart and water filled my eyes for a split second. The body under me shifted and breathed heavily. I dug my face into his shirt, pulled and clutched big fistfuls of his clothing, pressing it into my nose. Inhaling deeply and forgetting myself.

"Dammit Link, haven't I told you to stop wandering into the desert."

"Nabooru, I was only seeing the Great Fairy."

"She has many fountains! Do not go into my land again!"

"I'm not a child."

"I'll wager you different, whelp."

"I'll spar for the right to wander in your lands."

"Oh yeah? So tough? Hylian man, I will destroy you! Both body and soul!"

"So much talk for a insolent weak woman!"

"Damn you brat!"

"Curse you wench!"

"…Fine…Don't get yourself killed."

"Come now, like death has a hold on the Hero of Time."

One of the happier days. When I had come from the Chamber of Sages to collect my head and serve my people.

He had always been a persistent bastard.

The hot tears shocked me.

It was the shock of the man's voice that pulled me out from my thoughts.

"I…am…not…"

I quickly wiped it away and grabbed the man. Whispering an ancient incantation, we were transported back to the gate of the desert. The Gerudo women awaiting, growled and sniffed in disgust as I called for aid. They rushed to help with angry glares and defiant gestures. I myself, cleaned and bandaged him. His face caked with dirt, so innocent and painful in masked light. I never would have thought to find such sorrow wiping the dirt away. His eyelids fluttered everyone and then, but he made no attempt to open them, his still body much like death. Only the light breathing betrayed his state. The Gerudo waged how long he would last, with the sand so filled in his lungs. Thaana often asked me why I picked this low life man out of a desert designed to kill him. How could I tell her, that my nostalgia was what kept me from disposing of him? How could I tell her that my regrets and past laid with this soft breathing man?

His face was…so much like…Goddesses…to utter that name.

I watched him sleep every night.

I suppose now, it was because of the strong likeness, but even now I think it was the pale moonlight wavering, taking stride in his smooth skin. He basked in it, while resting. His bare chest heaving and coughing up sand and filth. I waited all those nights, watching him sleep so soundly. Deeply. The first few nights, I studied him. I didn't sleep, only in the day, letting another Gerudo watch him. He slept fitfully sometimes, calling out incoherently.

My golden eyes dragged over his chiseled body, scarred and maimed. Pink nipples and defined veins, he was vision of health, yet he hadn't woken in a week.

It was when I had given into sleep that he woke me with terror.

He shrieked as I rested in a chair, beside him.

My eyes shot open and I jumped in alarm. Ready to strike, the room was clear and safe, except for the shrill screaming coming from this unknown man.

I was puzzled. He was screaming bloody murder and twitching around in his bed. Stumped of what to do, I stood only watching him. His face contorted in frozen horror, disrupted by the strain of his frantic screaming. He was soon resembling a angry tomato.

The door opened behind me and in rushed in fellow Gerudo women, some in nightgowns. Others still in full uniform.

"What has happened!" They called to me. "He's waking everyone!"

The next step surprised me.

"Leave us." I said.

The women narrowed their eyes still and I snarled a threat. My instinct was feral, common, and even, maternal.

My arms went to him, wrapped around and held him tightly. Much too strong for me, he flung me off and continued in his dream like rage. I jumped back up and tried again, this time not letting go. I pressed my mouth against his ear.

"Be still." I whispered. "No harm is here. Be still."

His breath slowed, his eye lids fluttered and his thrashing ceased. He stopped. It was sudden.

I didn't move him. I held his sweating body, wet and hot. His face was returning its color, his deep breathing filling the room. The peaceful look, the deep ease of his face drew me in. I raised a brow and leaned to his face. He hadn't moved, he truly was in slumber. My curiosity was sparked.

He looked so much like you.

I raised my hand and touched his face.

Slowly, tracing a finger over his soft eyebrows. My finger stroked his cheekbone, the hard bone well shaped and curved. I pressed my finger slightly. He didn't move.

Continuing my slow search, I rubbed his cheeks. His nose had a few freckles, but was straight and medium sized. A small bump indicating he had broken it once or twice before. His skin was exquisite. Rich with color and slight puff in his cheeks. My fingers held his jaw, hard and solid. As a final act, I gave into my own desire.

I leaned in and pressed my nose against his neck. The familiar scent filled my nose. It was bittersweet, the stale smell of sweat and warm sleep. Intoxicating it was. My breathed him in slowly and rubbed my nose on his face and neck. I realize now, when we were both in the desert, I had wanted to smell him like this. Intimate and freely.

He resembled so much like him.

Having my fill, I pull away and look down.

That masculine scent he carried was nothing like Link's.

What looks and resemblance he had to the Hero. But so lacking.

Who was this man? A doppelganger of some sort?

Curiosity became infatuation.

I didn't move from his side once. He hadn't woken in days and I was worried, on the edge. I took it out on my fellow women. I snapped orders, demanded better, and gave harder punishments to those who went against me. Some smirked with pride, I had finally adapted and became the leader they needed, wanted. Ruthless, merciful. Yet. I was not raised like that. My own mother, a strong Gerudo woman, told me that our people, who live for pride, forget the gentle side of life and forget the serenity a women carries. I wanted to be serene like she was. I wanted him to wake.

After some time, black circles formed under my eyes. I looked gaunt and grew thinner. My concern for this man was frightening. It scared even myself. I didn't sleep, eat or much less bathe. I gave it all to watch him, hour after hour. His steady breathing became my rhythm. I tried to match my heartbeat to his slow breathing. I counted his breaths. I did this all out of pure insanity, I was so sure. My hair was dirty and matted to my face, my eye lids grew heavy, and soon, while counting the rhythm, I fell so deep asleep.

"Nabooru."

I woke with a start I remember.

That soft voice. So tiny and childlike. I opened my eyes to stare into blue orbs so deep. Her little pink lips smiled, green hair longer then I can remember. She pressed her face to mine, in a cold kiss against my cheek.

"Saria." I spoke, voice rasp.

"I see. I understand." She looked to the bed. Shaking her head, her green hair bounced. "He is not him."

I nodded and stood then. Stretching, Saria moved me aside and sat in the chair I had. She giggled darkly and looked up at me.

"He is who I think he is."

I cleared my throat and stood at the side of his bed. Not once has he moved, shifted position. His black hair plastered to the pillow, sunlight dancing on his pale skin. His eyelids fluttered slightly, and he breathed deeply. Blankets twisted around his feet, I bent to fix them. As I moved carelessly, I brushed my hand by his foot and felt a sharp pain in my thumb. His damn toenail cut my thumb.

Sticking my finger in my mouth, I turned to a frozen face.

Saria looked concentrated and far away. He eyes glowed, her skin was stretched and pale. Her mouth was tight, in a red line. I didn't fret.

She hears the forest spirits all the time. They whisper in her ear as Saria tells me. Telling me everything. The future, the past, the present. They whisper soft secrets into her ear and she'll listen intently. This is the only time that her eyes aren't empty.

His death. It had changed everyone. But her especially.

Her music ceased. The small ocarina strapped to her side is cracked. The holes are filled with dried clay, the mouth piece broken. She just keeps it at her side, for a reason unknown. Saria, never sang or played or smiled gleefully. She was cold and hidden. Her tender moments a shell of she once was. Her little body was that of a child, with her mind was aware and sharp, a woman.

Her soft whisper broke me from my thoughts.

"Time is near." She said suddenly.

"What?" I was confused.

"The Time to end all Times is coming." She smiled, distant and small. "Would you want to know your future?"

I raised a brow. Her mystical ways, surprise even me. I looked deep into her blue eyes. Looming there, was a sorrow. She looked so incredibly sad. Those same eyes, when he had passed on.

Ah, the ache, buries hard and deep, even now remembering it all.

"I have no time for whimsical nonsense. You insult my Gerudo ways." I clicked my tongue. In fact I lied through my teeth. The Gerudo were as superstitious as the next. Women here believed rain was a sign of evil, an omen that bad times were coming. Every women held their breath when the clouds turned sour and gray. Stupid honestly.

Saria confirmed my lie by smiling, in her odd little way.

"Times are rushing. The hold is loosen. The instant is the same. The reaction is the same. Nabooru, you will suffer."

Saria lowered her gaze. "Rebirth."

The silence then was difficult to muster. Suffering? Hold loosen? What babble is this? Reactions? Lost in thought I again clicked my tongue in annoyance.

"Saria you make no sense." I say then, unable to think of anything clever.

Saria gripped the seat and her eyes bulged. Fear was building in my chest, becoming the ball in my throat, Saria's eyes were lit with excitement. Her mouth wide and open, suppressed giggles as she stood from her spot and walked around the room slowly. The dampness in the room gripped my legs, passing my legs back and forth. The chills on my spine are understated.

"Saria, " My voice shaking, "What is happening?"

"Is that fear Nabooru? I can taste it." Saria licked her small mouth. "Fear is smart, it is good for what is to come."

I cursed my horrible luck to be weak in this moment. Sleep deprived, dirty, and hungry, my mind is slack and waning. Damn Saria.

"You spoke earlier of who he was, who exactly is he?" I asked then.

"Death, grievance, rebirth, resurrection, Time, and fate are all tied to your stomach." Saria tapped her own belly, and brought the same hand to her head, shaking it slightly. "I can see that little red thread round your waist, old friend."

Her eyes clouded with vision, and that endless fear was beginning to sicken me.

"Listen well dear, sweet woman: Time is drawing close and you will suffer beyond Time. It will not be kind, you will burn for a yearning not bestowed upon you. Your eyes will open when the Time is right. Then you will see life for what is it. Pray you do not break like him before you."

Relief was distant at this point and my only feeling was dread, knotted in the pit of my stomach. I looked at my belly and saw a thread coming loose on my frock. It was irritating to see it red and wispy, the taunt much for me to bear. I ripped it off in one swift motion sending Saria into strange , chocking peals of laughter. Her eerie ways were annoying and belligerent, had she not been comrade my hands would find her mouth and rip it out. More then anything, I could not help but to believe her. I am no fool. This woman is touched my the Goddesses themselves, her predictions are never incorrect. This overwhelming dread, this overcoming. How is this possible for me? I clicked my tongue.

"In Time you will come to choose. I look forward to it." Saria turned on her heel and skipped out the room. The strong pine scent left wafting in the room.

A sharp, gasping cough escaped from the man on the bed. The contortions of air racked his frail body and he sat straight up, shocking me into reality. His hands clawed around him, eyes bloodshot eyes searching, rolling about in his head. He found the jug or water and drank greedily, slurping and chocking all the same.

"Slow down."

His eyes focused on me, not heeding my warning. In that instant he threw up putrid clear liquid. The stench replace the pine woodsy fragrance, my nose wrinkled in disgust. I set to work. I left the room to collect rags and hot water for his bath. Soap, change of clothing, it was all in my hands. I marveled at my strength, displaying it to the Gerudo I passed in the hall. They knew better then suggest help.

When I returned, he was standing by the window looking out. His sheets were neatly piled on the floor to be burned, the mess on the floor apparently wiped up, the jug resting on the table beside the bed. He was in shabby long johns and shirtless, his pale skin dull and lifeless in the sunlight. I could already see the night travels he must partake, looking so out of place in the daylight. Most of my time with his was in this small shrouded room used for storage. Having the women move a bed and table, was for his protection. The festival was drawing near and an heir was to be produced. These hungry fools would drain him all of his sap, kill him, and dispose of the remains. If a male was to be born, he led us into salvation, and if it another batch of whelping girls, then my leadership would not be questioned furthermore.

All this for his protection.

I amaze even myself.

"I won't be sorry for my hindrance. You should have left me for dead. I knew what I was doing, you interfered."

My nostrils flared. He didn't even bother to turn to me.

"What is your name?" I asked.

He laughed and shook his head.

My anger was a slow volcano, waiting for the final straw for the grand eruption. I wasn't far from it.

"Would you like a bath? I have brought the tub and hot water." I cleared my throat. "Fresh clothes, not much but-"

"That is more then enough. I ask only for my things, I will be on my way."

Things? Was he mad? I had burned those rags he assume were clothes and had that tacky, bent, and misshapen sword welded into a playset for the children.

"It was difficult to salvage what was left of your belongings, I had them burned or thrown away." Best not to talk of the playset.

Whatever he watched outside no longer became interesting and he turned his gaze on me. His eyes were dark with anger, the muscle in his cheek tightening more and more. I almost laughed. This kind of intimidation is what makes us Gerudo such powerful creatures. We were not feeble Hylian women, not frightened little cats waiting to be swayed away by a strong back and flesh flapping loosely between legs.

"You were in our care this entire time. You best show gratitude." It was between gritted teeth I choked it out.

He scoffed.

"What were yo doing in our lands? In that sandstorm? Men are not welcomed here."

"I do what I please, precious kitten. A bunch of defenseless women do not trouble me, not do the lands yielding to them." He walked over and sat on the bed. "My boots at least?"

With out a single beat missed, I bent down and tossed the tub of water into his face. His face contorted into one of pure pain, crimson blood beneath his skin coming to life, giving him color. He yelled ferociously and jumped in a defensive stance. I was on my guard and my face was hard and angry. More angry then I had ever been. My hands reached for the dagger in my sheath and I was a leopard. I leapt on him, brought him down, and forced the blade against his neck.

His hands grabbed my waist and easily tossed me aside. Ripping a war cry from my mouth, I attacked with gusto. He blocked my uppercut to his nose and slapped my face. In the next step, my foot tripped him and when he fell flat on his back with a thud, I brought my other foot hard on his groin. His groan earned my smile. My victory lasted a short moment, as he grabbed my legs, flipped me over and pinned me to the ground. I struggle, trying to knee his groin and kicked passionately. He smacked my wrist repeatedly on the stone floor, but my dagger was glued to me. My training included massive amounts of pain to determine the strong, and to never, ever, let the enemy gain leverage or your weapon. I held on. His face was cold and indifferent, watching me, predicting me. It was humiliating. His hangs gripped harder and he flung my body up from the floor and against the wall. He made it a point to slam me hard.

The dagger was still locked in my hand.

As I fought hard, he smiled slightly. "The little kitten has a terrible attitude. A leopard she becomes." He knee opened my legs. "I wonder, does this kitty still purr?" His voice was husky, dark.

Switching hands, one dove under my warrior frock. The gentle calloused hand brushed my slick sex. It was unbearable, this heat forming into waves, I was sure scarlet ran over my face. His hand searched slowly, watching my face for any effect. I couldn't suppress the moan. It left my lips with my dignity.

"Your beautiful."

He kissed me soft, open, and wet. The passion sucking from us in tongues, the language of lovers spoken silently as he ravaged my body. Ransacked me, my heat moved to different places in my body and I wanted more then I could handle. My breasts were swollen, nipples erect and he bent to suckle through the cloth. He let go, and picked me up wrapping my legs around him. I took the opportunity, slammed the hilt into his neck. He dropped me and growled. I didn't stop. My knee connected with his face and he laid flat on the floor.

"I'll let this one go for now." He said softly. The bulge in his long johns I closely scrutinized and felt instantly disgusted.

My heart raced.

I had to get out there. And I did.

Passing Thaana I ordered her to tend to our prisoner, no longer a guest. His move to the prison was immediate. I almost stopped to ask her what happened, what I experienced. She would know, she has a daughter, she knows the ways of men. Her seductress figure was legend in our lands and her beauty was the stuff of fairy tales. I wonder if he was safe with her. I banished the thought. Like I would care. Why would I care? What I was feeling was new. My body was hot still, a slow flame creeping in the nethermost regions, the heat on my face, the dark desire strumming in my toes. His body was soft and warm. That bulging groin fat and wide with anticipation. I licked my lips in my thoughts and headed back to my room.

My dinner was hot on my lavish table. I ate with anguish, instilling what I had just learned. I wanted the food to yield to me, give me the same effect he had on me. Let me burn you, I thought endlessly, let me burn hot coals into your body.

It wasn't enough.

I order a scalding bath to be brought in my room. The women surrounding me, for my attendance gasped as I disrobed and climbed in, the steam in long puffs. It was fire, lava hot, and sinfully good. It was soothing. The thirst from my body was steadily being quenched. My thoughts ran the current event over and over. The scene played with alternate endings, with me in total control. The dissipating heat came back, slowly, a slow dance on my thighs. It was time for me to discover what this was. Privately.

"You may all leave."

Scattering like flies, I lifted my leg, resting it on the ledge of the tub. The metal was burning, searing me. If only, I had this sensation between my legs. Coitus was a far element in my mind, it was inevitable. All Gerudo women must produce one heir, if not, we would die out quickly. So once a year, we all trouped to Hyrule and suckered men into our beds. No love, no feelings, just a steady pace of evolution. No one loved here. We loved the fight, the blood, the ripping bodies. But we did not love men or women. Some here took measures in dealing with pained wanting, the urges coming in our adolescences, following into adulthood. I had no lover to call my own, but witnessed guards on watch stealing kisses and touching themselves in fervent ways, calling names unrecognized to my ears. My hands became his hands and traveled down my legs.

"Your beautiful."

Was I? I didn't even own a mirror. I didn't possess the awe of Thaana's face, or the gentle voice like Denum. I was hard all around, with full breasts, sloping to a hard stomach, scarred. I was scarred. Battle wounds were not beautiful on a woman. I did not have what it took to be beautiful. Zelda was stunning, Malon lovely, and Saria, well Saria was equally gorgeous. If I was beautiful, what would I do with it?

"Your beautiful."

His hands in my mind, caressed my thighs, parted them and touched.

Touched me in my wet, swollen area. I gasped when the water envelop inside, the heat just right. I took it as a start and carefully placed my hands up and down in a steady motion. What else could I do? Friction was lovely and I have my needs.

"Nabooru, have you ever...?"

"Speak up. Aren't you a man?"

"...been with a man?"

"I assume this is not a battle situation."

"No."

"Well, no. Not yet."

"Oh right, the harvest."

"Yes my sole duty. There are very few Gerudo who enjoy being intimate with a man."

"Perhaps...?"

"Yes?"

"You'll like it?"

"Get out."

I think if it was with him I would, Link. How I would have enjoyed telling you over salt pork and bread.

My leg bucks and I know the friction is too much and whatever is coming, is arriving faster with each soft touch of my hands, his hands. I imagine all sorts of touching, with his softness, and then some with his hardness. I picture his mouth on my breast again and I hold the edge of the bathtub as it comes with a pain I know too well. The dream is over, as I gasp my iniquities. As my breathing slows to a normal pace, my heart stopped the fluttering. It was amazing what I accomplished myself. Never did I have those thoughts or ideas.

That night, I slept soundly. So well I missed breakfast.

"Your remembering aren't you?"

I'm back to this, the night, and now. He touches my hair and kisses into it.

"Is our son troubling you?"

My hands fly to the sleeping boy, his small fingers in his mouth suckling softly.

"I am remembering."

The morning I overslept, I went to his cell. He was tied to the wall, watching me as I walked across the room and lifted his face. He was beautiful. The most exquisite man, I had ever seen since...him.

"Who are you?"

His eyes were amused, and he chuckled. The shackles clanged and scraped the floor.

"Your not him, but something else." I said.

"I am something. Else." He responded with a rasp in his voice. I looked around and see the sponge in the bucket, like all cells. I dipped, watched it swell with water and held it to his mouth. His drank, watching me.

"Well?"

"I am not Link, if that's what your looking for."

His name stopped my thought flow.

I cleared my throat. "Then?"

"I am his counterpart. The shadow created to destroy him. I have no formal name."

It was that easy. I grew suspicious.

"What did you come here for?"

"To die." He looked confused. "I told you already."

"Whatever for?" This was interesting.

"I have nothing, now that he is gone. We were the same he and I, and now that he is gone, I want to be gone as well."

"So the desert was your choice? Not poison or blades or anything else?"

He stared. Up and down, his eyes traveled. I wonder if he noticed I was wearing a silk dress. I dabbed a bit of perfume as well.

"I cannot die easy. I was created that way." His mouth became wetter, and he shifted his gaze.

My body was aflame like the night before. A hot bath wouldn't be able to calm the storm my body stirred, his eyes knew. They told me of disgusting hidden places he must bury all of his true self, the latter becoming truer the more he swept lecherous looks over me. I want his hands on me.

I took a step back, already regretting my next command. "Guards release him. Have him ready for work. He is a slave, use him however you deem fit. Work him like a horse."

The rest is, as you say, history. I relished watching him cut firewood, his top discarded to the side, his frame being a silhouette in the moonlight. How the moon played delightfully in his hair, dancing a mysterious forbidden trance, I watched every night from my window. The grunting, cutting, and sweating of this looked alike. The urges presented themselves every night as I watch his last bidding for the day. We had stacks of wood around the village as result. He treated us like women, not like warriors. When approaching females patching up the dam in the lower valley, he took over and did it all himself, never stopping for a break. His planted the rows of desert corn, squash, and sour apples. Wild stallions were broken in by him, not our fully able horse trainers. He left us the so called womanly arts cooking, sewing, weaving, the like.

Ever since that fateful night we fought, where he touched me, called me beautiful, I avoided him. I made sure we never had to be in the same place at the same time. And I was still using his hands in my mind for release every night.

It hurt to see him so happy here. With his face, his moments, I was in pain. Link used to dance and laugh the same way, played with the little girls growing to be Gerudo woman. Even Thaana was known to give him the first break of bread at mealtimes. We turned into giggling youth, he would often tell long and deep stories, with twists and turns. How I enjoyed them, Link did the same.

Where are you now Link, if he was here?

The Harvest came in the next month. I advised all the guards not to rape our poor man for their own needs. They all smiled and dressed wonderfully to entice the Hylian men in town. It was virtually empty in the village that night. I put all the children to bed in their respective beds. I kept watch, although young as they are, these girls were well equipped to be home alone. We started training sometimes as young as three. I had supper alone in my room, eating slowly, so the hours would stretch and be kind to me. The air was thick with sex, it tingled my nose. My thoughts were wandering now.

Link, what happened? Still I recall the day when my tears fell without worry, when the women and I wept bitterly for our fallen friend. We Gerudo weep openly, only in front of our kind. It's the luxury we allow ourselves for such a life.

"Need some company?"

He entered the room. His shirt was off and stuffed in his back pocket. I stiffened and tried my best not to pounce him.

"Come in."

Stupid, he was already in.

"Thanks. I ate beforehand. Feeling strange with everyone gone to man hunt."

"It's to ensure our survival." I snapped, getting up and gathering my dishes.

" I worry about you sometimes Nabooru."

"Are you mad? Whatever for?"

"Your wild, your spirit is free, you used to come and go as you pleased. Why did you leave the wind for a throne?"

"They need me. As we needed you. Tis our duty boy."

"Duty? Duty is like a heavy stone wrapped to your back. No matter how they all see you struggle to carry, no one offers a hand. When will our duty be when we are forgotten and gone? Life is here and now…here and gone. My duty is not I want to be remembered, but who I was. Am."

"…Are you going to eat your pork?"

The distant memory was tugging in my eyes, the mist water tempting to fall unannounced. Isn't it funny when you remember the wrong things at the worst possible time. But being around this man, all I think of is Link. It hurts. This weight was incredible.

"You think of him, when you see me." His eyes were bitter and his smile was painful.

"I do. I will not ask for pardon." I wouldn't.

"Did you love him as well?"

I swallowed hard. "Yes, I did."

"Like a woman?"

My face betrays me.

He walked over and touched my arm. My dish clattered to the floor and I kissed him, like before, wet and hot and open and...

Here we are wrestling on the bed. Here we are naked, his body making me succumb to his weight. The penetration was hard and dirty and I loved the invasion of this foreign object, jabbing in me.

"I am….not….him…" His breaths were shallow as I straddled him. We fought for power.

He repeated it all night, shuddering inside me as my folds gripped him the last time. His sweat and sex was fun and delicious. I licked every part of him, craving more. These feelings were consuming.

I craved him. Any chance I had he was sent to my room, his eyes downcast. He loved the areas I hated, touched my body with a deep insatiable darkness, moaning with each stroke of his fingers. What was between us was carnal and dark. With his pleading for me to see him different, to not be distracted by Link's face prettily perched on his. I forgave the insecurities but punished him all the same for it. The Gerudos knew, they could all smell it, hear our pangs of hunger on the walls. It was a consuming spiral of pain and pleasure. He without a name, made the night song burst from me, each note carefully placed, signifying my addiction.

Was it love?

It was haughtier then that.

I didn't fret when I grew with child. My belly dropped, a sure sign of pregnancy, and when I told him, he threw a fit. His anger was monstrous, he flung ever piece of furniture he could get his hands on. It was a powerful display and I loved it, he was sure to be sworn as my mate.

My labor was simple enough. The pain was bearable, it was the pushing that tired me out. When I came to, there was him standing, with a baby. My child was so much like him it scared me. His pale skin, dark hair. He was the spitting image of the man who helped in his creation. I was angry, where was that read hair? The blood eyes and beautiful brown skin we were praised for? I gave birth to a Hylian, the other children would mock him. Ah, but he would be stronger then any other.

"Our son Nabooru."

That tone. So unlike him.

He spent all his free time with him. Our lovemaking stopped, my milk and tenderness made it impossible. The Gerudo welcome their new leader with reverence, no one spoke of his white peachy skin and light milky eyes. They envied it, turning his misfortune into luck.

"He's the kiss of the Goddesses."

"His mother should be proud."

"Look at that grip? See how he commands respect!"

"He browns in the sunlight. He was born to rule this world."

Thaana was the most exhilarated and proclaimed her own child his nurse and future wife. No matter the ten year age difference. Denum was quiet, with her harvest gone well, she was feeding her own peculiar child. Her daughter did not enjoy the company of my son, she would cry and fuss, even if he was sleeping beside her. We believed all children should grow as one, so when they took over an care for us in our old age, they would know what true family was.

But he had other plans.

I caught him checking the babe for ridiculous things. Markings he said, would show up sooner or later. That he would do something important when the Time was right. He became secretive. I became motherly and protective of my son.

Now here I am, welcoming the night and not sleeping, the cold shaking me awake.

Saria was right. I was suffering and Time had all to do with it.

He will leave and the snow will fall, and this would mark the end of all to come.

I stared at his sleeping frame and shook him awake.

"Give me your name." I said then.

He sat up and looked bewildered. "Link. Or Dark Link. I preferred DL, should someone wanted to call me something."

"DL? That suffices enough." I paused. "I know what your up to. I figured it all out."

Dl's face changed. "I will do it when the Time is right."

"You will not interfere with what is to come."

"He will destroy everything if we let this child grow. His hands are stained with blood. He will become a monster."

"It is his fate. Time will tell when he choose for himself what he wants."

"Nabooru!"

The snow falls so silently outside. If I had a heart in this moment, I would cry. Open and soft, like his kisses, but wet with tears and transgressions. My choices are so limited. My heart is aching with misunderstanding. Damn Goddesses, Link were you a fool for them as well? Our lives are meaningless playthings. And he were are acting it all out, kismet and fate playing so tirelessly in our actions. How can we, as a collective, know anything else?

"You will obey me or I will kill you." The dagger was so cold underneath my pillow.

His eyes scared me then. Lifeless, indifferent. There wasn't much to say then. He understood his choices.

I rose and picked our son up. I left the room and walked down to Denum's room. She was sleepy soundly when I knocked, but her daughter, Jo'Un, cried loudly.

Denum answered in the next second, with Jo'Un suckling her breast.

"My liege." She spoke softly. "The snow, I just saw."

"Keep him safe. For the night."

She knew. Of course she knew. My child cradled in her arms and took the other treat in his mouth. Seeing both babies, I knew when they grew, he would be her betrothed.

Thaana would be most upset at my choice, but respect it all the same.

Back in my room, I watched the moon spill on his back. I walked over and ripped it from the bed. My hand swiftly grabbed the pillow, the dagger. His hand stopped me and we fought one another. His strength was admirable, but my cunning, quick ways were always hard for him to overthrow. I soon sat on top of him, dagger on his heart.

He watched me waiting, no expression.

I pressed down, a trickle of blood staining his white, lithe body.

My eyes burned at the sight. Saria's prediction coming to mind.

I do suffer. I want rebirth. I do see life for what it is.

Cruel, unwavering. Controlled.

"Be the wind like you used to Nabooru. Duty is nothing."

His voice so soft, like he was there. Link, save me once again.

"I….CAN'T!"

DL, saw my tears, the first he;s ever witnessed and threw me off, pinning me underneath him. He cooed and kissed my tears, licking each one.

"You love me don't you?" His mouth covered my own. "You'd die for me," He licked my eyes. "Before dying yourself."

I would, I could. I have.

It was sweet rapture, over and over. Our lovemaking was gentle, so different from before, I cried with every thrust, slap, pinch. I wanted it to hurt so bad. I begged for it in more ways then one, I wanted mercy to be forgotten but he loved it. Whispered his contentment and spilled into me thrashing, and holding me close. No end in sight, I whispered back, tender moments lost, memories from a childhood missed. My heart was full and wet and frothing with sweet, succulent intimacy. This was real joy, and this was real sudden, gasping trickery of the heart. What can we do now?

That mantra played over on my lips and in my mind. He told me. He knew. He decided.

So when the morning came, and no love letter written, I knew I would see him again. And this struggle would come alive in each visitation. He would come by moonlight and know our son only in the night, letting no one see him. Should he make the decision he made that night, I would kill him. He would kill me and our son. It was just Time playing with us.

I look sweetly upon my bustling boy, strong arms and legs, running around with his playmates. He, born with sin on his shoulders, reminds me so much of Link.

Where are you now? I wonder endlessly. We are all plagues by life it seems. Link checked out earlier, with pain riding his tail ends. He chose rebirth rather then repeating death.

"One day Ganondorf will return."

"One day."

"I hope when he does, he completes his cycle of destruction."

"WHAT?"

"So that we could all be reborn, so our grievances can be left behind. So we can all just be people. Fate can no longer control us, we can forsake the Goddesses and live our lives freely, chasing the wind. As you have Gerudo Princess."

"Perhaps, but won't we suffer?"

"Suffering is truth. In it we see life for what it is. We know, we all come to pass as ourselves. Not our lives."

Ah.

Saria. You are a dear friend. You were right.

DL, I saw the tuft of red hair, and the patch of dark skin resembling a birthmark on his back. He is the reincarnation of Ganondorf. My son will grow and decide what to do with his other life and this. Ganon returns, each and every time, to be given the chance to be different and each and every time he turns out the very same.

Perhaps our son will be different. Perhaps Link will be as well.

We must have this hope, we carry on like parents, turn a blind eye and do the best.

Please come back my darling.

Because when the snow comes every year now, seasons change, I remember that night we shared just like so many others. When I couldn't say those words, when it was simple for you. My actions betrayed my mouth, several occasions, that night marking the truth. But, now that I am able, like with the impossible un of snow in the desert, with your son born with the mark of evil, and with the choices I made, I love you.

Pitifully, eternally love only you.

I never saw you as Link. I wish I could tell you.

I hear the stories of you back with the Sirian army, and the new rumor that you left all the same. I await your return and your son awaits to have his papa once again.

I feel wane and different. I saw life, and tried to kill it.

But hope fills the void.

We wax and wane, tire and weep, weary and fret. We fall in and out of fate, we tie ourselves to rocks and duty.

What are we, as a collective, supposed to do, when it is ever all we had known?

Link, Time had the betterment of you. In the end you did not accept rebirth or anything. How I pity you. These new feelings are so bright and vibrant. The small colors they bring are so comforting. My son grows each day, your fate tied to him and he smiles and thrives all the same. No evil is in him. That could change as well. DL I wait for you, because you are bound to return for good. We will raise this child, and when the time is right keep our promises.

It will all change.

Perhaps, it was only a matter of Time.