Chapter Six
Chasing the Sunset: "Determined Spirit"


Marin, accompanied by Gerudo guards, was led inside one of the tents of the nomadic Gerudos.

She knelt down. Her clothes were still covered with the desert sand.

The two guards then backed out of the tent and left her alone.

She waited in silence, nervously fiddling with the ring on her finger. It had been a week since she made her getaway from Link’s estate.

The beaded doors behind her parted. Marin turned around and saw an elderly woman look at her. The woman had red and gray hairs. Actually, she didn’t look too old, but she surely wasn’t very young, either. She was a nice mix between.

“So you’re the girl I’ve been hearing so much about.” The woman bowed slightly, “The names Nabooru.” She walked around Marin and knelt down in front of her, sitting on a plush pillow.

Marin began to introduce herself. She was unaccustomed to the traditions of the Gerudo.

Nabooru shook her head and interrupted her, “Don’t be nervous, we aren’t all that different. And I know who you are, Marin. You’ve had quite a time making your way through to here.”

Marin, feeling a bit more relieved, asked what was on her mind, “I heard that you used to be the Sage of Spirit. If you are…can you help me?”

“’Used to?’” Nabooru smirked, “Kid, I’m the Sage of Spirit until the day I die. Like an old friend used to say,” Nabooru quoted Impa nostalgically, “‘you can’t suddenly stop being a sage whenever you feel like it. Once you’re given the title, you stick with it.’”

Marin looked hopeful, “Then you’ll help me?”

“No,” Nabooru said, cutting down Marin’s optimism.

Nabooru winked, “I’d like to, but…I can’t just give away help without getting something in return. Even if you are the daughter of the Hero of Time…there are some things you have to do first.”

“Whatever it is, I’ll do it.” Marin said. Nabooru smirked, “You’re just like Link in his younger years. Always eager to help…come to think of it…” Nabooru thought for a moment, “I still never got my Silver Gauntlets back…Your daddy was a smart little kid, very courageous, too. I’m glad to see that he passed those traits onto you. Are you familiar with an item called the ‘Mirror Shield’?”

“Good luck, kid.” Nabooru said, leaning against the side of the entrance. Marin stepped into the Spirit Temple. She looked around in awe. The ancient depictions of the Goddess of Spirit inscribed into the wall were in some foreign Gerudo text and hieroglyphs. She turned to look at Nabooru, Marin looked uncertain. Nabooru gave her the thumbs up. Marin smiled and turned back towards the first door she sees, she muttered to herself, “If daddy did it…I should be able to do it, too.”

After tightening the strap on her sword and quiver, she steps through.

As the door behind Marin shut, Nabooru finished, “…you’re gonna need it.”

After an hour, Marin had made it back into the Goddess’s main chamber. She was actually standing on a hovering platform. She looked up at the sunlight beaming down on her.

She had the Mirror Shield equipped on her left arm, unlike her father, she was right handed.

She looked at the crumbling facial features of the huge Goddess before her.

“What now?” she mumbled, lost and confused, “…hmm.” She looked from the sunlight, to her shield, to the statue. Her mind clicked.

She angled the mirror shield to reflect the sunlight at the statue. The beam of light caused the statue to crumble before her eyes until a door is revealed on the other side. She smiled happily until she realized something wrong with this picture, “…how am I supposed to get to it?”

It was too far from her to jump from. And a fall from this height would surely kill her, well, at least make a nice splat. She didn't want to start all over again. Her father had used a hookshot to get across, but she didn’t have one.

She sat down and thought long and hard, determined not to give up.

Suddenly, she had an idea. She drew an arrow from her quiver and tied some of her climbing rope around the arrow, just below the arrowhead.

She took out her bow and knelt down on one knee, she stuck out her tongue to the side of her mouth and aimed very, very carefully, “Forgive me for this,” she said, not knowing why, since she did in fact burn off the Goddess’s face. She lets the arrow fly.

The arrow whizzes through the air and swiftly impales itself into the Goddess’s forehead. Marin was smart enough to realize a flaw in her plan. The arrow could be pulled out, even if it doesn’t, the wood would snap due to her weight.

She pouted, angry for needlessly putting a hole into the goddess’s head.

“C’mon, Marin…use your head.” She mumbled.

She looked at the hovering platform she was standing on. She had an idea. She drew her sword and went to work.

Two hours pass and she finally chipped off the last remaining part of the platform.

She pushed the piece forward towards the other parts she chipped off. The hovering piece floated over towards the others. Her idea was to jump from fragment to fragment and make it to the door. Knowing she’d chicken out, she leapt onto the first tiny fragment of the platform without thinking. She used her hands to help herself balance as she leapt again.

The door opened and Marin stepped through, relieved. She was sweating; her shirt was wet from the sweat accumulating, her blond and barely noticeable red hair stuck to her face. Chiseling out rock wasn’t very fun. She wiped the sweat from her brow and looked up at the platform. The platform in this room was where Link had fought the Twinrova sisters, the supposed mothers of Ganondorf. She’d have to climb up. She stomped her feet and shouted, “Oh, c’mon!” it wasn’t fair.

If only she had a hookshot…

After another seven minutes of climbing the colossal platform, she pulled herself over the edge and onto it. She was on her back as she looked at the ceiling, breathing heavily.

“I hope you aren’t that tired.” A voice rang out.

She immediately bolted to her feet. She turned towards the voice and drew her short sword.

She was surprised to find Nabooru. She sighed and lets down her guard.

Nabooru laughed, “You know, you took much longer than I thought you would. Your father defeated this temple and Twinrova in a little more than an hour. It took you more than twice as long. Not bad, though…considering your father had much more equipment at his disposal.”

Nabooru looked around the room they were in. She gestured to the circular platform they were standing on, “This was the place your father supposedly defeated the two sisters of evil. Kotake and Koume. Twinrova.”

Marin was glad she didn’t have to fight Twinrova…she was too tired to go any further.

“…but since it was in the future, I can only believe that’s how it happened.” Nabooru said, “Anyways…this was supposed to be a boss battle…” Nabooru drew her own bow and arrow set, “…I shall be your final opponent.” She charged up an Ice Arrow. Marin blinked for a second as Nabooru fired without warning.

Marin rolled to her left to avoid a potentially icy cold death.

Marin shook her head in disbelief, “Can I have a fifteen minute break?”

“Your father would never have been allowed to do that.” Nabooru said, placing the bow onto her back. She drew two Gerudo Broadswords, “If you truly wish to defeat him, then you must surpass him.”

Marin nodded slowly, understanding the task at hand. She went into her own fighting stance.

“Ready?” Nabooru asked. Marin nodded.

Marin and Nabooru shouted their battlecries. They both charged.