Author's Note: This fan fiction is written by me and another author, KPG (known as "Kuja's Prized Genome" on the site message board), and it is a sequel to her fan fic, "The Dark Soul," which she has finished and has posted here, so please take the time to read it. I hope you will enjoy our fan fic together, and feedback is welcome.


The Gerudo are a desert dwelling race, made up entirely of females. They tend to hate men, assuming that they are weak. There are two exceptions. One is that some Gerudo go to Hyrule Castle Town to look for boyfriends. The other exception is that in Gerudos' Fortress, one male is born every one hundred years, and he becomes king.

But ask yourself one question: What happens if the king dies before a new king is born?

And that is exactly what happened. Ganondorf, the evil Gerudo king, was locked away in the Realm of Evil by Link, the young Hero of Time. The Gerudo were not entirely certain what had happened to their king, but Nabooru told them that he had died. Since she had been his second-in-command, it was decided by the Gerudo that she would become their leader.

However, Nabooru was reluctant to do so. Being as dead set against becoming queen as she was, she gave up her crown to a servant girl named Naiko. Naiko was shocked, but she accepted when Nabooru agreed to stay as her second-in-command as she had done for Ganondorf. So it was confirmed with all of the Gerudo in Gerudo Valley that Naiko would become their queen.

However, what they did not know was that Naiko, like many of them, would soon find a boyfriend in Hyrule Castle Town...
* * *
Five Years after Link, Zelda, and Impa had defeated Dark Link, Link and Zelda had married and had their first child. A girl named Lilliana, named after Zelda’s beloved deceased mother. Two years later Zelda gave birth to their second and youngest child. A boy named Silas.

Lilliana bore a strong resemblance to her father Link, with her dark blond hair and dark blue eyes. Silas looked very much like his mother Zelda, with the lighter blond hair and sky blue eyes.

The children grew up being very close to one another. You could hardly see one without the other, and when ever they went to walk around they always had to hold each other’s hand to make sure that they wouldn’t be separated from each other or lost. This strong bond brought tears even to their grandfather, King Harkinhan’s eyes.

Though as strong as their bond were, one could tell that they were very different from each other as they grew older. Lilliana was ladylike, bossy, and at some times even downright snobby. Silas was a free spirit, adventurous, and carefree. Lilliana made sure she kept to the royal ways, Silas could care less. Lillian would turn her nose down on a commoner, Silas would engage in friendly conversation with them.

As their personalities started to change, growing up, Lilliana and Silas…though they cared for each other very much, were growing apart…

"Silas? Silas?! Silas?! Where are you?!" screeched an infuriated nineteen-year-old Princess Lilliana, her blue eyes blazing with anger and frusertation. For the past half hour she had been searching everywhere for her younger brother, Prince Silas. She had looked in his room, the library, the ballroom, and finally in the stables. But there was no sign of Silas.

Lilliana stomped a dainty foot and flipped back her long dark blond hair in disgust. "That irresponsible boy! Wait until I tell father!" she snapped to no one in particular, succeeding in startling the horses. But even in her current state of rage, Princess Lilliana was beautiful. Besides having long blond hair and big blue eyes, she had a perfectly shaped mouth like her mother and a straight nose like her father. Her figure was the curvy shape that all girls Lilly's age wanted. She was the perfect picture of a princess.

Her high-heeled shoes smacking loudly on the ground, Lilliana stormed back into the castle and found her way into the throne room where her father and mother, King Link and Queen Zelda, sat on their thrones engaged in lively conversation. Hearing his daughter's footsteps, Link glanced up at her and smiled.

Link, though middle-aged, was still the same handsome man he was when he was the Hero of Time, with his dark blond hair not having a grey streak in sight and his body still the youthful-looking slightly muscular physique. "Why, hello, sweetheart," Link said cheerfully. Zelda smiled at her daughter by way of greeting. Zelda still had an ageless look on her beautiful face, free of wrinkles. Her shimmering golden hair was still radiant and her blue eyes were as bright as ever.

Lilliana stood in front of her parents with her hands on her hips. Seeing the annoyed look on her face, her parents laughed. It was somehow amusing when Lilliana got angry. Maybe it was because it seemed to happen so often.

"Well, what's the matter?" Link asked finally, although he knew the answer - the same thing as it always was. Lilly's brother.

"Silas isn't here," Lilliana huffed. The king and queen exchanged knowing looks.

Zelda cocked her head although she looked unworried. It was not uncommon for Silas to preform these little disappearances. "Did you check the stables?" Zelda wanted to know.

Lilliana let out a frusterated sigh."I looked everywhere for him! I swear, that boy is going to get himself into serious trouble." Glancing at her father, she added, "And just when you said you had an important announcement to make at dinner, father." Lilly recalled how that morning Link had said he was going to suprise everyone with an important announcement at dinner. Lilly had not forgotten, but it was no surprise that Silas, irresponsible as he was, had forgotten this information.

But Link waved a hand as if this was not important. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be back soon. He's probably out at Kakariko Village again."

Prince Silas was beginning to visit the village more and more lately, but Lilliana could never understand why he liked going there so much. At her father's comment she crossed her arms over her chest and looked away slightly. "I don't see why Silas is wasting his time mingling with those peasants," she spat.

"Hey, hey! I was a mere peasant myself once!" Link said in defense. He was remembering, of course, when he was living in Kokiri Forest in a tree house. That was before he had married the royal Princess Zelda.

"That's different," Lilliana insisted, although of course it wasn't. But Link shrugged it off.

Zelda sighed. "I really don't think that you have anything to worry about, dear," she reassured her daughter.

"But how could he forget that father had an important announcement to make at dinner?" Lilliana protested.

Link shrugged again. "He's human," Link pointed out. "He needs some time to himself sometimes. But all right, we'll give him an hour more, and if he's not back by then, you can take the carriage and go after him."
* * *
Seventeen-year-old Silas stood at the entrance of Kakariko Village. Finally, I can get some peace and quiet without my crazy sister breathing down my neck! he thought with a smile. With his worn brown cloak, black trousers, green tunic and black boots, one could never tell that he was the Prince of Hyrule.

The truth was, he didn't hate his sister. True, as they grew up they became so different from each other and they grew apart, but Silas really did love his sister. She just got on his nerves sometimes. A lot of the time. But it wasn't just because of his sister that he came to the village. He liked being alone. He liked watching what people were like outside of the castle. He could have gone to the castle town, but he liked the people better in Kakariko Village. They weren't as rich, but they were interesting and less snobby. And it was fun to watch what they could do without all of the money in the world. He liked them.

Silas walked towards the center of town, smiling respectfully towards the ladies. They blushed, having been noticed by such a handsome young man. And Siilas certainly was handsome, with his light blond hair and pale blue eyes.

Hmm, I wonder what oddities I'll run into today, Silas thought to himself. Whether one of the carpenters had slacked off and was getting yelled at by his boss or someone's dinner had gotten burnt or the cuccos had gotten loose again, there was always something interesting happening in Kakariko Village.

"Aiiiya! YAAAI! Hieeeya!" a voice shouted from somewhere as if reading his thoughts. Silas smiled. It looked like he was about to run into one of those interesting things! Silas ran towards the sound and he soon realised that it was coming from the cucco pen. Silas had just reached it when he stumbled back and gasped.

"YAAAAI! YAA! HIEEEYA!"

The voice belonged to a girl...a beautiful girl. She had short auburn hair half covered with a red bandana, and she was clad in tight red trousers and an equally tight red sleeveless tunic, and tall black boots. She was slashing the air with twin daggers as if fighting an invisible opponent. She did an impressive flip and landed gracefully on her feet before preforming a final swing of her daggers and sheathing them.

Silas immediately began clapping his hands. He had never seen such amazing swordmanship, especially from a girl. In fact, he had never even seen a girl with a weapon. But even the men that he had seen who fought with swords weren't as talented as this girl.

Hearing Silas, the girl turned to look at him. He smiled at her. She returned the smile. "Hi there!" she greeted in a friendly way with a wave of her hand.

"H-h-hello," Silas stammered, still entranced by what he had just seen. The girl was not only amazing with daggers, she had a nice smile - so mischievous, so cute. He stood there in surprised silence as the girl picked up a bucketfull of cucco feed, gently scattering it in front of the cuccos to eat.

Finally the girl looked at him again, but her hands on her hips, cocked her head and smirked. "Well, are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna talk?"

Such straightforwardness! Silas had to laugh. All of the ladies that he knew were just like Lilliana - dainty, and they never spoke until they were spoken too.

“I..I’m sorry. It’s just that…what you just did. That was amazing! I don’t even think the Knights of Hyrule have as much skill as you do!” Silas blurted out.

The girl smiled a bit shyly. Silas loved it when she smiled. “Well, when there’s only women in your family…you have to learn such skill.”

“Oh?”

“Yep, It’s just me and Mama, Papa died when I was real little.” The girl paused, thinking hard. She shook her head. "Since then, Mama taught me how to fight. It comes in handy when thieves try to raid our home.”

Silas smiled. “I bet.” It seemed so amazing that this girl knew so much about fighting when she was obviously self-taught. And she seemed so dedicated to it as well! She obviously enjoyed doing it. She was so determined to protect her family. Then Silas realised that this girl's mother was probably Anju, since they lived in the same house and the girl had said she lived alone with her mother. And Silas had seen Anju was the cuccos quite often before. This girl even looked a bit like Anju - they had the same body shape and hair although this girl's was a bit shorter.

There was another awkward pause.

“What’s your name?” Silas asked finally.

The girl smiled again. “Oh, Ashilia…but please call me Ashi.”

Silas nodded. Ashilia. It was a beautiful name. She is so beautiful. No noblewoman could ever match her beauty, Silas realised, thinking of all of the princesses that had visited the castle on special occasions. They had all been dressed up with their hair done and Silas had thought they were all beautiful, but that was before he had seen Ashi. Now he realised that even without a pretty dress a woman who had a such a face as hers could be as beautiful as any rich noblewoman - even more so.

He is so handsome, he cant be from town...yet, he looks so familiar somehow... Ashi wondered. Maybe he was from Hyrule Castle Town and she had seen him on her shopping trips there? Ashi nodded back to him. “What about you? What’s your name? Where are you from?”

Silas paused for a minute. Then he responded, “Me? Oh, My name is-“

Clomp, clomp, clomp, came the sound of horse hooves. Ashi and Silas looked up to see a carriage coming toward them. To their surprised it stopped right in front of them. A middle-aged knight and a furious Princess Lilliana got out of the carriage. Lilliana glared at Silas, then looked over at Ashi and gave her a sour look before looking angrily back at Silas.

“Silas! What are you doing here, messing about? Don’t you remember that we have to have dinner with Father back in the Castle?! He has a special announcement he wants to make!” she snapped.

Ashi’s eyes widened in surprise.

The knight nodded. “Yes, Master Silas please come, I shall escort you back to the castle,” he added.

Silas nodded and reluctantly went into the carriage as Lilliana was screeching on and on about how he was irresponsible he was. After Lilliana and the knight got in after him, the carriage moved out of Ashi’s sights. Ashi shook her head, her mouth gaping open.

“Ashi, supper is ready, honey!” A red haired woman called from the house near the cucco pen.

Ashi nodded. “Be right there, Mama!” Ashi called out. The woman nodded and went back in the house. Ashi walked over to the front of the house and opened the door. Then she paused, looking after the carriage again as it disappeared out of the village.

That man..he..he’s Prince Silas of Hyrule?
* * *
“And just what were you doing with th-that peasant?!” Lilliana screeched in Silas’ ear.

Silas cringed. Geez, must she always be so loud? he couldn't help wondering.

“Well?!” Lilliana demanded when he didn't reply right away.

Silas sighed. “We were just talking. Is there treason for that?” Lilliana annoyed him so much sometimes. It seemed like the most trivial things upset her.

Lilliana crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head as she sighed. “Honestly, Silas…I do not see why you waste you time with those peasants. Especially peasants who can’t even afford a decent dress like that..that…girl!” Lilliana spat the word “girl” out as if it were poison.

Silas glared at her. He couldn't believe how shallow she was being. Just because someone wasn't as rich as she was was a reason not to talk to her? “Maybe she wears pants by choice. Ever thought of that?! Oh no, of course not. She’s a commoner, so she’s trash, right?” Silas said sarcastically.

Lilliana was taken back a bit by Silas’ outburst. “Are you trying to say that I’m an uncaring person when it comes to people of not our stature?” she demanded.

“Took the words right out of my mouth!” Silas shot back.

Lilliana sighed as if Silas was a young boy who didn't know any better than to do something that was against the rules. “Silas, you really shouldn’t waste your time with commoners. You have a responsibility as a Prince of Hyrule, you can’t spend all your days mingling with commoners.”

Silas turned his face to Lilliana’s. “Have it ever occurred to you that all of Hyrule consists of all people. Royalty, middle-class, …even peasants! You know maybe if you spent a day with the people of Kakariko Village, you will see that they are very nice people! There’s more to life than just status you know.”

Lilliana had a slight smirk on her face. “You seem rather defensive, dear Brother. Are you showing some self interest towards that boy/girl?” Lilliana hissed.

Silas’ sky blue eyes looked as if they had turned to ice in his glare. “Her name is Ashi! And so what if I do?!”

“She’s a commoner, you’re a noble. Those kinds of status just don’t mix. You should marry a noblewoman," Lilliana told him, as if this were obvious.

“How dare you tell me how to run my life! What if I don’t want to marry a noblewoman?” Silas wanted to know.

Lilliana dismissed his comment was a laugh. “Oh, come, come now, Sili. You really don’t think that when Father passes down the crown to you that a peasant will rule by your side?! Why the mere thought is ludicrous!” She laughed again, hautily.

“Father said that we could marry whoever we want! And maybe I want to marry a commoner!” Silas protested, and it was true. After all, their mother, who had once been a princess, had married their father, and he had been a commoner. There had never been any rules against doing so.

Lilliana sighed again. I have to admire his spirit…but it’s very unbecoming of a Prince. “Oh, Silas…I wish you would just drop this matter and face the facts. Royal and Common blood just do not mix.”

“I don’t care! I will marry whomever I wish! What about you, Lilly? Are you going to marry a prince?” he demanded.

Lilliana shrugged. “Why not?”

Silas shook his head in disbelief. “B-but…what if you don’t love him?!” Silas wanted to marry for love. He had never been in love before, but he didn't want to marry someone he didn't like. He knew for a fact that Lilliana had never been in love either. Being cooped up in the castle almost all of the time didn't give them the opportunity to meet very many people.

Lilliana sighed. “Sili, for an intelligent boy…you can be so naïve. We are royals we don’t have to get married for love. We have to follow tradition.”

“You can’t be serious! You would marry a man you despise just so you can carry on tradition!?”

“We are royalty…that’s part of life as a noble. To follow tradition.”

“Even if it’s against your heart, will, and desires?!”

Lilliana was silent. The carriage had stopped. They were back at the castle. Lilliana got out of the carriage and sighed as she turned to face Silas.

“We shall talk of this matter later, Silas. Right now we have to get ready for dinner. Father has an important announcement to make.”

Silas fought back a yawn and tugged at the high collar of his pale blue dress tunic. He was sitting at the far end of the family dining table. Link and King Harkinhan, the former King were busy talking about politics, while Zelda and Lilliana talked about the latest trend in fashion. Lilliana glared at Silas as he rolled his eyes over the boring conversations everyone was having. He couldn't help being reminded how she had scoffed at Ashi's choice of attire.

He sighed. I wonder when Father will make his so-called announcement… He was getting really bored, having no one to talk to and nothing to talk about. But as if reading his mind, Link stood up from his chair and gently tapped his fork against his glass to silence everyone, which immediately made everyone comply and grew silent.

Link smiled. “I have a wonderful announcement to make!” Link said excitedly.

Silas tried as hard as he could to look interested, while Lilliana squealed with delight. “Oooooh! What is it, Father?” she asked.

Zelda nodded, equally excited as well. “Yes, dear. What is it?” she inquired politely.

King Harkinhan chuckled at their enthusiasm. “Well, perhaps if you stop asking him questions, my dears…he’ll tell us,” he pointed out.

Zelda and Lilliana nodded. “Sorry, Father.” Zelda apologized.

“Yes, forgive me, Grandfather.” Lilliana chimed in.

Kink Harkinhan nodded and smiled at Link. “Please continue,” he said.

Link returned the nod politely. “Thank you," he began. "Well, it seems we will have a new visitor coming over soon. A very important visitor from a nearby country from the west called Lesdemna, a prince who possibly wants to become Hyrule’s ally.”

Silas and Lilliana froze. Silas’s lips twitched, turning into a wide grin. He let out a low chuckle, covering his mouth and snickering. A prince, eh? he thought to himself. Finally he threw his head back and burst out laughing. Then he winked in Lilliana's direction..

“Oh! The very nerve! How rude of you to interrupt Father like that!” Lilliana huffed, fighting back a blush. It was easy to tell that she was embarassed. Apparently she hadn't forgotten her conversation with Silas in the carriage.

Silas finally calmed down. He shrugged and turned his attention back to his father.

Zelda had a curious look on her face.

Link chuckled. “Something troubling you, my love?” Link asked.

Zelda shook her head. “No, I’m just wondering…is this land one that’s on an island and is always at war?” she wanted to know.

Link nodded. “Indeed, it is, love," he answered. "It is a very wealthy land…many other countries are jealous of that wealth and try to get their hands on it. However…this country is a fortress, with stone walls to protect it from enemy fire should war break out there.”

Zelda put her chin in her hand, a thoughtful look on her face. “Fascinating…but why would Hyrule want to ally with such a country if it meant that we would have to join a war if Lesdemna went to one?”

Link shrugged. “Lesdemna had never lost a war…they only wish to help out Hyrule.”

Harkinhan nodded. “Then let us join together as allies,” he suggested.

Link nodded. “Indeed,” He agreed.

Zelda nodded as well. “Yes,” she added. Link had been worried that she would not be enthusiastic about their agreement, but after hearing Link and her father's views, she seemed to worry very little.

Silas fought back another yawn. That’s it?! That was the BIG announcement? he thought furiously. Lilliana dragged me out of Kakariko Village, just to hear about more pointless politics? I swear…if she wasn’t my sister, I would wrap my hands around her skinny little neck and…

Lillana stood up from her chair, looking a bit flustered. “I’m a bit tired…may I be excused, Mother and Father?”

Link and Zelda nodded. “Yes, Goodnight, Sweetheart.” Link said, as Lilliana gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Sleep well, darling.” Zelda added, getting the same treatment.

“Thank you, Good Night, Grandfather…Silas,” she added and she walked out the door.

Silas smirked slightly as he stood up from his chair. His anger with Lilliana had faded. Seeing her embarassed expression he again remembered what his father had said to make him laugh so hard. “I am rather tired too. May I be excused as well?” Silas asked as politely has he could, trying to hide the smirk on his face.

Again Link and Zelda nodded and exchanged “good nights” with him, and he was out the door. He could still see his sister walking briskly down the hall to her room. He ran up to her and grabbed her arm. “Sooo…a prince is coming to visit, hmmm?” he muttered deviously.

Lilliana ripped her arm away from his grasp. “Y-yes..so what?!”

“Hmmm…are you blushing, Lily?” Silas couldn't help himself. After his sister had been so rude to him, as well as Ashi, he couldn't help teasing his sister. She deserved whatever she got.

“O-o-of course not!” Lillian said, hautly turning away slightly, hiding the blush.

Silas chuckled. “Sooo, are you going to marry the Handsome Prince on His White Horse? Hehe!”

Lilliana let out an annoyed sigh. “Don’t be ridiculous!” she snapped.

And with that she left Silas behind in the hallway, still fighting desperately to keep from blushing, as Silas smirked one last time. It served her right.
* * *
Two woman slowly emerged from their hiding place behind a house in Hyrule Castle Town without being seen. In the dark of the night it was impossible to tell who they were or even what race they were of but by their graceful movements it was obvious that they were females. Hidden by the velvet darkness and also very cautious as they snuck by the two knights, they managed to sneak onto the path that led to Hyrule Castle. They peered around a tall dirt wall and spotted one guard by a gate.

"Even if we got rid of that one," one of the females whispered, indicating the knight standing in front of the gate, "we couldn't get by that barrier. Looks like we're going to have to do some climbing." The other woman nodded without replying in word.

It was easier than they expected to get up that wall of dirt. Almost right away they found some vines hanging down from the top of the hill that they climbed up with ease. They began slowly creeping across the grass path when they heard a voice.

"Hey, you! Halt!"

It didn't take a moment to realise that they had been seen, but the two women acted fast. Before the knight could say another word one of the woman drew a long curved sword, a scimitar, and hit the knight on the head with it. Even with his armour on, it was enough to knock him out. He fell to the ground at their feet.

"Quick," said the woman who had hit him, "pass me the rope. There's enough in the bag to tie up him and do the other job..."

The other woman nodded and drew some rope from a large sack she brought. She tossed it to her friend, who began tying up the knight, and as she did this the woman with the sack began looking around the grounds. "Doesn't look like anyone's seen us yet, despite loudmouth here," she told her companion.

She had just finished tying up the knight. "Good," she muttered. "We'll just leave him here," she added, nodding her head towards the knight. "Let's get a move on."

Then the two of the guards ran across the grounds towards the castle.

The next morning Silas awoke early and put on his best tunic and trousers of light blue, for the Prince was to come early this morning. He cursed slightly over having to be up so early, but they were his parent’s orders and who was he to go against them? It wasn't that his parents would punish him, they rarely raised their voices, but deep down Silas knew that it was his duty to be as much of a good prince as possible, even though he hated it.

After tugging on his shiny, black, dress boots and combing his hair neatly, he walked out of his room and into the throne room. Link and Zelda were sitting in their thrones, dressed in their very best. Zelda was excitedly chatting to Link about the soon to be new arrival. Link would just nod and smile, sharing loving eye contact with his wife. Silas had to smile. It’s been over 20 years of marriage and they are still in love… he mused. He wondered what it would be like to be as in love with someone as his parents were with each other.

He walked over to the thrones and bowed politely to his parents. “Good morning, Mother, good morning, Father,” he said with an equal amount of politeness.

His parents nodded to him. “Good Morning, Son.” Link greeted.

“Good Morning, Dear,” Zelda chimed in with her motherly smile.

Zelda patted at a chair next to her throne. “Come, sit here, dear,” she requested. Silas nodded and obediently sat down next to her. He and Lilliana were too young to have thrones of their own, but chairs had been placed on either side of the king and queen so that their children would not feel left out.

Silas was surprised to see that Lilliana wasn’t here yet. She would’ve been here before Link and Zelda woke up, if she could. Silas laughed at the thought, but he shrugged it off. It’s probably nothing…

After about 20 minutes there was still no sign of the Princess. This was strange. Princess Lilliana always woke up early, eager to fulfill whatever duties awaited her. She never disobeyed her parents, and she was always a good princess.

Link motioned Silas to come near him. Silas got up and walked over to him. "Yes, Father?” Silas asked curiously.

Link sighed, obviously upset. “Could you go find your sister? She should’ve been her by now and it isn’t like her to be late for occasions such as these.”

Silas nodded. “Very well, Father. I’ll be back soon.” He bowed, turning on his heel and left the room. As he walked down the long hall, he couldn't help wondering what was keeping Lily. Maybe she wants to look her best for the handsome prince, he thought, amused. Lilliana probably was wondering how to get Prince Whatshisname to marry her. Silas smirked.I wouldn't be surprised.

When he reached Lilliana’s room he knocked lightly. “Lily? Are you awake? The Prince will be here any minute!”

Silence.

“Lilliana?” His response was greeted with more silence.

Worry flooded Silas’s heart. This definitely wasn’t like Lilliana. Was she still angry? Or upset? Did he say or do something to hurt her last night? He never would have thought it...

He swung the door open. “Lilliana?”

His eyes scanned the room; she was nowhere in sight! The bed was unmade and the windows were left wide open.

“Lilliana!” Silas gasped.

This was worse than having Lilliana angry. She was gone.
* * *
“His Honorable Prince Califf of Lesdemna!”

Link and Zelda stood up from their thrones as a tall and handsome man walked into the room and bowed before the royal Hyrulian couple. And handsome he was indeed. He had shoulder length, dark blue hair and matching blue eyes, his features were delicate. He was clad in a shimmery, silver tunic tucked into a deeper shade of silver trousers and tall black boots and a red cloak at his shoulders. And he looked so young, too. Link and Zelda were surprised; he looked only about twenty-one.

“Your Majesty’s,” the young Prince said softly with a smile.

Link bowed and Zelda curtsied their greeting. “Prince Califf, Your Highness,” they greeted.

Prince Califf’s smile deepened as he bowed again. “Thank you so much for the opportunity for my Kingdom to join in Alliance with yours, my King and Queen, Also—" Prince Califf was interrupted by a running Prince Silas nearly running into him in a panic.

“Son?” Link said, a bit astonished.

“Silas, what in the world?” Zelda cried.

Silas was breathing heavily, his eyes wide from fright.

“Mother, Father! Lilliana is gone!”

Link and Zelda were stunned. They kept shaking their heads and asking questions at the same time such as, “Lilliana? Gone?” “Where could she be?” “This isn’t like her!” “Where is Lilliana?”

They were talking at the same time so fast that Silas had a hard time figuring out what they were trying to say to him. He probably would have been acting just like them if he weren't so shocked over what had just happened. Prince Califf stood in shocked silence. “The Princess…gone?”

Suddenly the doors opened and two knights rushed in, one looking extremely frantic and flustered.

Link put his head in his hand. What could it be this time? “What now?!” Link exclaimed, annoyed.

Everyone in the room was quite taken back. Their King was always a patient man who hardly ever raised his voice, but then again this was his little girl that was missing. Silas didn't blame him. He could hardly believe that Lilliana was gone.

The calm Knight saluted. “I am sorry, Your Grace but I found Anthony all tied up and gagged," he replied. Even though he was much calmer than the other knight, Silas could easily tell that it was hard for him to keep his cool, seeing the king in such a state.

Link raised an eyebrow. “What?” he demanded.

Silas froze. What is going on here?

The Knight nodded. “Yes, I believe he has information most useful to Princess Lilliana’s disappearance,” he added.

Zelda gave Link a desperate, helpless look. Link nodded. “Very well…you are dismissed,” he said.

The Knight bowed. “Sir,” he said before leaving the room.

Link turned his attention back to the flustered Knight. “Well then, Anthony…tell me everything.”

“S-s-s-sir! I...I…” he stuttered nervously.

Link sighed. “Now just calm down. Take deep breaths, take your time.” Link said soothingly while doing calming gestures with his hands.

Silas shook his head, frusterated. How did Father let such a moron join in the Knightly order?! Still, if the knight could tell them something about Lilliana's disappearance, then Silas would forgive him.

Anthony took a couple deep breaths and finally calmed down. He began to speak again, as slowly as he could. “Your Highness, I really don’t know too much. There were two Gerudo guards that entered the castle grounds. They were heading for Lady Lillana’s room!”

Zelda gasped in horror. Link stepped back. “Gerudos?” he demanded. Califf’s eyes widened in shock. What would Gerudo guards want with the Castle?

Anthony nodded. “Yes, he replied. "I called out to them to stop, but the last thing I remembered was them knocking me out. When I woke up I was all tied up and gagged.” He bowed his head. “I am sorry.”

Link shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault," Link told him. "Gerudos are a very strong race.”

Zelda grabbed on to Link’s arm. “Link…what are we to do?” she asked him nervously.

“What does this mean?” Califf asked, shaking his head. It was the first word that Silas had heard him say since he had returned to the throne room.

“Simple,” Silas said. All eyes turned in his direction. “Lilliana has been kidnapped,” he concluded finally.
* * *

It was late morning when two women on horseback rode into the Desert Oasis. They had dark skin, long firey red hair, and they were dressed in clothing obviously made for the heat of the desert. They were Gerudo - a race made entirely of female except for one male who was born every century and he becomes the king. They live in a fortress, made of stone in a desert across a wide valley. They claim to hate all men, except, of course, for their king.

One of the women had a large sack on the back of her horse, containing something large. The woman with the sack turned to her friend and mentioned, "She's still not moving. You knocked her out pretty hard, you know. The king will be angry if she's harmed - "

"She's not dead, if that's what you're thinking," the other woman interrupted. "Stop worry, Leeana. You're such a wimp."

Lyeena sniffed. "I am not. I've been in tougher situations than you have. I wasn't worrying that she was dead, Kyela. I just thought that...the king is very picky about these things..."

"You are worrying. So stop it. the girl is fine. She'll be awake any minute now," Kyela insisted.

Kyela and Leeana finally stopped in front of a huge stone building. Carved into the face of it was a huge figure of a Gerudo woman. She watched, unblinkingly, over the sandy desert. She was a queen, sitting on her rock throne.

Leena dismounted first before walking over to Kyela, who got off of her horse as well. Together, they lifted the large sack off of the back of the horse, and to their surprise, it started to twist around violently in their arms, and a voice came from inside: "Hey! Where am I? Let me out!" The voice continued it's rambling furiously, and the owner of the voice kept struggling inside of her prison. Kyela gave Leeana an "I told you so" look, however neither of them said a word, so they proceeded up the steps into the Spirit Temple.

Inside, standing at the top of another long staircase, were two Gerudo guards. As Kyela and Keeana made their way up the steps with the sack, one of the guards raised her eyebrows and said, "You got the girl?"

From within the sack there was a pause, and finally the voice rang out, "Who's there?"

Kyela stared angriyl at the guard, ignoring the voice. "Of course. What did you expect?" Then she and Leeana walked up onto a dark brown platform, held up by chains, that began to rise, lifting Kyela and Leeana onto the floor above, where they found themselves in a long corrider. At the end they went through a door that barred behind them after they walked through.

Suddenly, they were in a huge room. Straight ahead was a huge statue of a Gerudo woman, her palms outstretched in the air as if holding something. Kyela and Leeana proceeded forward, towards a platform slightly raised above the ground, two torches lit on top of it. Sitting on the platform was a male and a female. The female was of course Gerudo, and she kept her red hair short with bangs, and she wore a white dress tied with a rope around the middle and bare feet. She was crouched at the feet of a male - who surprisingly was not Gerudo. Although he had tan skin and red hair, his skin was not quite dark enough and he did not have the same prominent nose that the Gerudo had. But it was clear that he was still a man of great importance. The woman at his feet was some sort of servant - she was feeding him food off of a platter, although she did not look pleased about it.

The man smiled - an evil, horrid smile - and he did not notice Kyela and Leeana come into the room. But as they got closer he turned his head toward him. Kyela undid the rope at the top of the sack and flung it onto the floor, causing its contents to be flung out of it at the man's feet.

It was Princess Lilliana.

She looked like a mess. Her blond hair was distraught, her night dress was torn, her eyes were heavy, and she looked frightened and angry.

"There's your princess," Kyela hissed, although she seemed more angry at the princess than at the man.

The man stood up, an arrogant smile on his face as he approached Lilliana. Gently he began stroking her chin. "Be careful," he said to Kyela, although his eyes were set upon Lily, "we must not harm the Princess of Hyrule."

Lilliana slapped his hand away, althought the man's smirk did not falter. "Ah yes, but we'll have to work on this one. She's feisty." He snickered evilly.

Lilliana's expression had turned from fear to anger and hate. "Just who do you think you are?" she snapped. "And where am I? Do you even know who I am? My father will have all of the knights in Hyrule searching for me, you conceited, egotistic..." She trailed off, seeing that the man was not listening to her. Instead, he was cackling.

"Do not fear, lovely princess," he reassured her. "His knights will not get this far. You wish to know where you are? You are in the Desert Oasis of the Haunted Wastelands. As you can see, no one will ever find you here, and if they do, they will not get past the guards...not even your silly knights."

Lily looked worried again. "B-but...why? What do you want with me? Who are you?"

The man was smiling still. Lilliana hated his smile. "Ah, yes, I was waiting for you to ask me that. I am Dosorous, King of the Gerudo people. And you, are the fair Princess Lilliana...soon to be my bride."

"What?!" Lilliana screeched, backing away. Immediately the guards behind her blocked her, in case she had any intention of running. "Your bride? Me? Is that what you want? Why?"

"Fair, sweet, Lilliana...you are the loveliest of all of the girls in Hyrule. Of course I would pick you to be my bride."

Lilliana stared into Dosorous's eyes with a look of pure hatred. She hated the arrogant way he spoke to her, and the arrogant way he looked at her...he reached out his hand to her, wanting to touch her silky hair. Without warning, Lilliana spat in his face.

Dosorous touched his cheek where Lily's spit had hit. "Why, you..." he hissed, finally mad. He looked over her shoulder at Kyela and Leeana. "Take her away!" he ordered. Kyela and Leeana took the struggling Lilliana out of the room.

Dosorous spun around to look at the servant girl, who was staring at him. "Well?!" he spat. "What are you looking at, Naiko? Go, now!"

Without a word, the girl he addressed as Naiko fled from the room.