The Hurali, however, were not easily fooled by Garof’s change of location. They had attacked Sahaar previous times, but after Garof’s addition to the village, the battles had increased. Garof, never having been an extremely trustworthy man, eventually joined forces with the Hurali. Surely he could grant them the power of the Triforce once he was their master. As a race, they would rule the land. Though he had started out trying to manipulate them into being his pawns, they had also manipulated him. He was no longer of pure soul, but angered, maddened by the powers that the Triforce promised to grant him. Once he was of age, he would have the power to possess the Triforce and to rule the entire world.

Of course, his coming of age was just what had taken him to the temple where he had hidden the golden object many moons ago. Destroying Sahaar was but a small precaution in his quest to obtain the Triforce. He’d heard rumour of his brother living in the village, and he was certainly aware of their lead warrior's power. What he was not aware of was that Rauru, too, knew of the dungeon’s location; and that he’d sent the warrior girl herself in search of the Triforce.

Once he had learned of what he thought to be his brother’s attempt to gain birthright of the Triforce, Garof was furious. He’d had half a mind to kill Rauru on the spot, but became even more angered once he realized that he could not harm Rauru. His father had somehow betrayed him, given Rauru a share in the safety of the Triforce. As long as his brother was around, he couldn’t take over the Triforce. He also knew, however, that Rauru could not withstand the sheer effort it would take to counter-attack his own magic. He had to run down Rauru in other ways, for as long as Rauru was conscious to protect the Triforce, Garof could do nothing.

The journey through the Haunted Wasteland was long and treacherous. The horses became too exhausted to carry more than one rider, so Link and Raven dismounted and led them. Espergrai was asleep for most of the trip, worse injured that he’d initially thought, and Ganondorf’s kicking lessened as the journey stretched onward. Raven led the way, holding the Lens of Truth up to her eye every minute or so to be sure they were going in the right direction. The only landmarks in the desert were large red flags, and so she followed them. They were all that anyone could know to go by.

As the light of that horrific day began to fade, Link opted to set up camp by a small outcropping of rock, sheltered from the wind. They agreed to take turns keeping watch, both to hold an eye on Gandondorf and any nearing sandstorms. Though hungry and deathly thirsty, all were exhausted. Raven offered to take first watch, but Link insisted that she rest and let him go first. Link proved also much weaker than he’d thought, however, as the night began to set in. He struggled to stay awake, but all too soon he, too, drifted into a soundless sleep.

Raven awakened at the first light of dawn, confused for a moment why Link hadn't awakened her earlier for her shift. As she stretched and turned around, she realized in horror that Espergrai, Ganondorf, the black mare and the Lens of Truth were nowhere to be seen. Not even footprints left any clue as to where they had vanished. Raven kicked Link furiously in the gut as he mumbled incoherently. “Hey! What-”

“Link! What happened?” She nearly yelled at him. His eyes grew wide as he realized their situation. “How long have you been sleeping?!” She glared at him furiously.

“I… suppose I fell asleep…. not long after dusk” Link admitted shamefully. Raven sighed, burying her head in her arm against Sahm’s neck in defeat.

“What are we to do now?” she asked quietly, realizing that it was no use to throw her anger at him. “Where could they have gone? Ganondorf must have chewed through his bonds like a little animal. Goddesses know where he is now, with the Lens… I don’t understand how he could have out powered Esper, though…. And he didn’t seem much in control of that horse last I saw him…” She trailed off. Whoever was responsible, there was a possibility that outside personnel had intervened, and that could only mean that civilization was close. It could also mean that the remaining Hurali had found their way out of Sahaar. The flags led in a straight line away from the outcropping they spent the night in front of, from what both of them could remember. They decided that their only option was to carry on in that direction.

Sahmaraf was showing his exhaustion the most of the three travelers. Raven didn’t even dare to climb onto his once sturdy back in the fear that he might collapse from her weight. The burns on his silky coat were further scorched by the desert sun, and stung with immeasurable pain as sharp particles of sand were driven into them by the unrelentless wind. Link and Raven struggled to keep a straight line, keeping sharp eyes for the telltale red of a guiding flag.

After nearly two hours of walking, without any sign of a flag, they could barely put one foot in front of the other. Their throats burned, their legs ached and their spirits were too low for any hope. Link kept quiet nearly the whole way, speaking only to offer his vague insight on their location. For the first time in his life, he felt as though there was absolutely no hope for his cause. He'd changed so much during this adventure -- always he kept a positive outlook on life, but now he felt positively lost.

It also certainly wasn’t like him to fall into such quick infatuation with a girl, but there was something about Raven that drew him to her immediately. Of all the women who had thrown themselves at him, it had to be the only one he had feelings for who was already taken. Not only that, but he’d let her down completely. He’d let Rauru down. With both Garof and Ganondorf thriving, only the Goddesses knew what havoc would be wreaked later one. He’d let the entire course of history down.

Raven walked on numbly, nearly oblivious of Link’s presence, Espergrai the only thought on her mind. They’d both gone to hell and back, only to see one another for a few hours. She could still feel his gentle lips against hers, hear him whisper softly into her ear, feel his salty tears drop onto her face and mix with her own. Those thoughts were all that kept her legs moving. She wanted only to be held in his strong arms one more time -- and would not give up until she had.

“Raven?” Link asked gently.

“Yes, Link?” She replied softly.

“I’m sorry about the mess I’ve caused. It was my duty to help you, yet it seems all I’ve done is let you down,” he bowed his head as he walked, not even daring to bring up his previous advances.

“I’ll not forget everything you’ve done for me, Link. I will be eternally grateful that you came into my life. If not for you, I would have never have truly met Espergrai. At the least, I won’t know the agony of living an eternity, as you say I might…” she stared into his eyes, which were mostly covered by his sand-strewn hair. They could both sense the tension that existed between them, now.

“Or, perhaps you will,” Link replied as he pointed ahead. Two large red flags lay in front of them, and beyond that, the gate of what could only be a village.

There was a Hurali woman on the other side of the gate, the shock evident in her expression at the sight of the small convoy. Her eyes were wide as they approached: the Sahaarian girl, the strange boy, and the burned horse. She spoke quietly to them. “Were you with the others in the desert?” Her tone was not threatening. Link noted something vaguely familiar about the young woman, though he could not quite point out what it was. He replied to her.

“Yes… do you know where they are?”

“The women here went out to meet the warriors, who were late getting back… they captured your friend and Garof’s son, who told them what happened. He decided to leave you two out there to die painfully, even though us women rejected the men’s plans. The young Ganondorf is in control now. He knows more than he lets on. The others are easily influenced by him…” she trailed off.

“Is Espergrai okay?” Raven asked anxiously.

“Your friend? He’s being detained… but you’re not at all safe here. They’d kill you in a second if they saw you. Garof is in Hyrule, now, but he still has the most say around here,” she continued hurriedly.

“Is it far to Hyrule?” Link broke in, almost certain he knew the girl.

“Just follow the wall of the city, over the bridge. There will be guards, but they’re young, like me. Please don’t hurt them; they won’t be hard to get past. It’s too dangerous to come into the city. I’ll do my best to make sure your friend is comfortable, but you must go to the Temple of Time,” she seemed genuinely concerned for their welfare. “Please… do all you can to be rid of Garof. He has done nothing but maim the women of this society.”

“Can you get us any water?” Was all Raven managed to reply. The girl disappeared to get them small rations of food and water, which they quickly consumed.

“Thank you, m’lady,” Link told the young woman as they were about to set off. “I promise to pay you back sometime in the future, but might I ask what your name is?”

“Nabouru,” replied the young woman.

Next..