"It's... It's nothing... just... no, It's nothing." He started to walk through the door, but noticed the Gerudo simply peering inside and stopped, signaling Leonidas to do the same. He peered into the room, and noticed nothing out of the ordinary except for the fact that there were no guards. "Hmm... That's interesting."
"This could be fun," Rosalinde said quietly, grinning behind her veil as she gripped the hilt of one of her scimitars and crept forwards towards the prison.
As she suspected, five jail guards fell from the ceiling and immediately surrounded her, each wielding a pair of scimitars like her.
"Hope you two can deal with ten scimitars flashing around your face, because I don't intend on fighting much," Rosalinde called back as she gripped her other scimitar also.
In an explosion of motion Rosalinde had thrown herself at two, ripping out her scimitars and launching into the air, rapidly turning their scimitars aside with her own as her feet came through and kicked them off balance, shooting along upside down through the air, roughly sheathing her scimitars and twisting mid-air to land on her feet before the jail cell.
((Is Ruto actually in the prison? It's been a bit unclear lol))
Richard ran into the cell and rolled Ruto on her back. "She's still alive, but she needs to get back to Zora's domain. You're the fastest one, I'll make sure to draw the guards off of you."
Richard heard a faint whisper escape Ruto's lips. He nelt down, putting his ear to her mouth. "L...Li...Link...Where are...you?" then her head turned to the side as she passed out. "Link?" Richard said, remembering the name Talon had mentioned. He turned to the Gerudo "Gerudo, We've found who were after, so I guess our Partnership has ended." He turned to Leonidas. "She doesn't have much time left, Don't worry about any guards... They'll all be after me soon." Richard smiled as he began to head back through the door. "I'll meet you there, I am curious about this Link character that Ruto and Talon are talking about."
Richard climbed to the rooftops, firing rocks at Greudo as they swung their Glaives at Leonidas. He then saw a group of ten Gerudo running streight at Leonidas. He lept off the roof, landing on two of them, hitting another one with the side of his sword blade, knocking all three unconcious.
He found himself surrounded by seven Gerudo, all carying Glaves. He parried a glave wile simultaneously moving out of the way of the others. and kicked one of the Gerudo in the face. He saw a Glave heading streight for him, but he ducked at the last second, and the glave flew past hitting another Gerudo in the neck. 'two more down,' he thought. two more glaves were coming directly for him, He parried one while dodging the other, and slammed the two heads toghether. 'that's seven total.' he thought. He turned to see the other three Greudo staring angrily at him. He reached in his pocket, and tossed another Deku nut on the ground, shielding his eyes from the flash. While the Guards were stunned, he ran to Epedii, jumped on, and began galoping through the breaking dawn toward Zora's Domain.
'Intriguing,' Rosalinde remarked as the two ran from the fortress, they made a brilliant diversion for her and didn't even give a second thought to their Gerudo guide.
Seemed like it paid off to help them after all, as she leisurely strolled out of the fortress and over to the gate to the desert, roughly climbing over it and wandering into the desert that she knew so well.
She had to find Nabooru, something had obviously happened and it could only be explained at the Spirit Temple, she began running through the desert, performing graceful leaps over most of the quicksand regions, keeping the balance of an acrobat through the moving dunes of the desert.
The scorching sun didn't bother her any more, her trips were a lot shorter and her skin was a lot darker, and her garments made sure she didn't overheat, it made desert travelling a lot more pleasant than for most people.
Rosalinde came up to the Spirit Temple in good time, lithely dodging several creatures that lived beneath the sands as she ran up inside the Temple.
There was an absolutely massive stone in the way of the main door inside the temple, it made one wonder just how they were supposed to even access this place. But nothing was impossible for a thief like Rosalinde, she knew these Temples often had old treasures in them and that was more than enough reason to try and get in.
She saw a small hole in the nearby wall, some kind of drain or some such, it'd be a pain but she'd be able to slide through laying down flat.
When Richard reached Zora's domain, he ran into the King's Chambers. When richard entered the chambers, he saw Leonidas leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed before him. Then he saw the king sitting on a slab of rock, looking directly at a small raised platform, great consern filling his eyes. Then Richard saw what he was looking at. Ruto was still unconcious, with another Zora examining her.
"King Zora," the Zora started, looking up at his king. "This doesn't look good. It appears that Ganondorf has poisoned her.
"Poisoned?" The King said, his eyes widening. "Is there any cure."
"Not here, My Lord." The Zora replied, with a shake of his head. "However, I have heard that there is a plant in the Lost Woods, that can be refined to cure it."
"Is that so?" King Zora said, hope sparkling in his eyes again as he looked up and noticed Richard standing in the doorway.
"You," he said "Hylian, you helped Leonidas save my daughter right?"
"Yes" Richard said.
"I have another request for you," He said "If you are willing."
"Yes?" Richard replied.
"I would like for you to accompany Leonidas to the Lost Woods to recover this plant." King Zora said.
"How will we know it when we see it?" Richard asked
"It has pink pedals and a long black stem." The Zora examining Ruto said.
Richard looked from the king to the Zora. "I will." Richard said confidently.
"Good," King Zora said. "There is a shortcut right outside the waterfall to the Lost Woods, but only one who can swim like a Zora can make it."
"Then how will that help me?"
"Take this Item." King Zora said tossing richard something that looked like a large silver scale. "This Scale will help you swim like one of us."
"Thank you." Richard replied, putting the scale in his pocket. "How does it work?"
"Just keep it with you, it is magic and will work on it's own."
Richard looked at Leonidas. "Well, it looks like we will be working together for awhile."
"As soon as you exit the waterfall, just turn to your left and you will see the shortcut there." King Zora said.
Richard began to walk out, but then paused. "Tell me, do you know of a boy named Link?"
"Link?" The Zora said. "Yes, I do know him. He saved Ruto and our Lord Jabu Jabu from Ganondorf's evil creatures not long ago. A Remarkable boy Link is. I believe he was one of the Fairy Boys from the Kokiri Forest."
"A Kokiri?" Richard replied. "But I thought they couldn't leave the forest."
"No, I believe Link to be a Hylian like you." King Zora said, "How he came to live with the Kokiri, however. I don't understand."
Richard stood there thinking.
((Exile, we're coming your way...))
((Kokiri don't ever grow up and they have permanent fairy guardians, Link has neither of those traits, Navi was just hanging around coz the Deku Tree told her to))
Rosalinde felt a little sore from being in the cramped drainway thing, but at least she was somewhat passed the massive stone barricade, which meant she could use more of her skills of her shadowy occupation, roughly climbing about, slipping through gaps and picking locks, assassinating the odd monster and dodging traps, all in a normal days work of thievery.
It wasn't long before she was sneaking inside a room where she heard a few people talking, peaking through she saw Nabooru half encased in huge armour, slowly being fully entombed in the suit of an Iron Knuckle.
"Nabooru!" Rosalinde said in despair before she could stop herself.
Nabooru seemed to rouse slightly and instantly saw Rosalinde, the two witches were steadily approaching her.
"Rosalinde run, find the little green boy, he has the silver gauntlets," Nabooru said quickly, "You can't save me."
Rosalinde clenched her fists but obeyed, sprinting away long before the witches could get close to cast anything.
Little, Green, Boy...? A Kokiri? What would a Kokiri be doing with the silver gauntlets?
Perhaps there were more answers to be had with the Kokiris, she fled the temple with all due haste and retraced her hazardous trip across the desert, her shortcut that usually seemed suicidal even at the best times in the desert.
Back over the gate to the Gerudo Fortress and running right through, several guards chasing her all the way to the bridge.
"I hoped I'd never have to do this again," Rosalinde sighed, leaping out off the bridge and pulling out a pair of daggers as she plummeted down, roughly stabbing into the cliff wall on the other side. It took a lot of arm muscles but she slowly climbed up using the daggers.
((I doubt this will happen, but I am going to go on and say it just incase: If I disappear for awhile, It's because I am working on one of my papers for my English 102 class [It's an analisys of the Link from Wind Waker.] So, yea))
((EDIT: FORGOT SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE MENTIONED EARLIER!!!))
As richard began to walk out of the King's chambers, the King called to him."
"Yes, King Zora?" Richard replied
"When you get the plant, take it to the scientists next to Lake Hylia, he will be able to make a cure out ot it." The other Zora said.
Richard replied with a nod of his head, and turned to Leonidas. "Well, I guess we need to get going..." he said.
((For future refrence if we end up in Kokiri forest, which is my plan, because I kind of want Richard and Leonidas to discover that the Great Deku Tree has died: http://www.zeldawiki.org/Kokiri))
((Meh, Let's throw in the tree too. 🙂 http://www.zeldawiki.org/Great_Deku_Tree))
She heard the telltale stretch of a bowstring and turned slightly from the cliff face to see a Gerudo letting fly an arrow, Rosalinde's eyes shot wide and she tried to dodge, although hanging on a cliff wall by a pair of daggers didn't allow much movment.
The arrow hit home in her left shoulder, Rosalinde cried out in pain and her grip on her daggers slipped, and she fell a distance into the river below, being carried away by the currents off into Lake Hylia, plummeting down several waterfalls limply as she clutched the arrow in her shoulder, vainly trying to keep her head above water.
Eventually she hit the still waters and was able to swim to the lake's edge, clambering out groggily and staggering along to a dry patch of grass where she could tend to her wound.
The blood was staining her white clothes as she worked on getting the arrow out, creating some makeshift bandages from one of her sashes before heading back over to the water to clean most of the blood out of her clothes.
"What's going on," Rosalinde wondered aloud tiredly, climbing back out of the water and began heading out of the area, completely soaked.
All she knew was she needed to get to the Kokiri forest, those forest children would know more, so she made her way along the Hylian fields, left arm dangling at her side uselessly as she waited for it to heal, right hand firmly gripped around the hilt of a scimitar.
The skeletal monsters of the night in the fields would not deter her, they moved slower and were quite fragile, Rosalinde owned the night, not them.
She made steady progress over to the strange tunnel to the forest, it wouldn't be long now.
Richard surfaced in the middle of a small pond in the forest. Once he climbed out of the pond, he looked at the three paths which led deeper into the Lost Woods. He decided to take the path to the Left. Once he made it through a small area of pitch blackness, he found himself in an open area, with what looked to be several trees made into houses, and children dressed in green walking around, talking, and playing. This, he thought, must be the Kokiri Forest. Richard turned back, gesturing for Leonidas to follow, back into the forest.
When they re-entered the forest, he found himself in a completely different part of the forest. Puzzling, he led Leonidas out of the woods and back into the Kokiri Forest. He looked to his right, and saw another entrance into the Kokiri Forest, with a Greudo walking in... Infact it was the same Gerudo that led them through the Gerudo Valley to find Ruto. "Damn, he thought... What the hell is she doing here." Next thing he knew he was freeing his sword from it's scabbard and rushing directly at her. When he was within five steps from her he stopped and raised his sword. "What are you doing here, Gerudo? And by Din, if you plan to do anything Malicious to the Kokiri or the Great Deku Tree, I will cut you down where you stand."
((Yes, I will be using the names Din, Nayru, and Farore, in place of the word God... being in a Zelda RP, I feel they fit beter. 🙂 Oh, and here's a map of the Lost Woods, incase anyone forgot the path... like I did. 😮 Just keeping it like the game. 😄 I thought about using Subrosia from Oracle of Seasons as hell... but thought that is alittle over the top. 😛))
Rosalinde gave the Hylian a dead stare, she didn't look to be in the best of moods right now.
"I wish you'd stop pointing that thing at me, does it make you feel more secure?" Rosalinde said, hand still gripped to the hilt of her scimitar, it was out in a flash and struck the Hylian's sword aside, and just as fast it was back in its sheath, "The only time you should be suspicious of me is when you can't see me."
Her shoulder bandage was staining up with blood again, with a grumble she lumbered over to sit against one of the houses, taking a moment to re-tie her bandage. She still felt pretty wrecked from the hard impact with the water and the blood loss, she wasn't up to moving much.
She looked around at all the Kokiri children, some watching the foreigners curiously, how was she supposed to find a specific Kokiri? Specially with that Hylian around again, Rosalinde thought he was supposed to be at Zora's Domain with that princess, not that she entirely cared as long as he wouldn't attack her, in such a weakened state she'd have to resort to a lot of nasty techniques.
Richard eyed the Greudo curiously then, deciding that she wouldn't be too dangerous with that injury on her arm, turned to Leonidas. "Well, since we are here." He turned to a young Kokiri female with green hair and nelt down infront of her. "Do you know of a boy named Link?"
The Girl's eyes opened wide. "Link? What about him, is he okay?"
"I've never met him, but his name is circulating around Hyrule like wildfire. A Zora princess, whom had been poisoned, was calling out his name. Do you know him?"
The Girl looked at Richard for a good long time. Then deciding that"He was a friend, and was sent to Hyrule by the Great Deku Tree... Before it died..."
"The Deku Tree is dead?!?!?"
"A few weeks ago." The girl said "A dark man came... Link tried to save The Great Deku Tree... but he couldn't..." She looked down, a tear in her eye. "If you find Link... Tell him... Tell him... we all miss him."
Richard placed a consoling hand on the girl's shoulder. "I will." he said. "Do you know where we could find a flower with pink pedals and a long black stem?"
"Pink pedals..." The Girl said thinking. "No... Why?"
"The Zora Princess... The Zoras say that that flower may be able to save her."
"I don't know... But," She said looking up. "The Deku tree is still open... you may be able to find a clue there."
Richard turned, looking from Leonidas to the Gerudo. "Damn..." He said. "Leonidas, I need you to stay here, and make sure the Gerudo doesn't do anything. I'm going to the Great Deku Tree. We may even find out more about this Link character." He said turning back to the girl."
"Where can I find the Great Deku Tree?" He asked, and Saria pointed to the right, past a small pond, at a path through the trees."
Richard stood and began walking toward the path.
As Richard walkied into the opening and saw the tree. "Damn..." He muttered to himself. It was a horrifying sight, The tree that had stood as the guardian of the Kokiri forest for ages had indeed died. It's bark was blackened, and it's leaves were dried and brown. Richard looked at it's face, it's mouth was still open, and he could see inside... something crawled past the opening...