The Legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time

Ice and Fire

Chapter 38
Ice and Fire

After days of traversing the pass through the Gerudo Mountains, Hyrule's fertile hills gave way to dry and cracked earth—an endless plain of parched and cracked soil. The small hills that dotted the waste resembled ancient cairns that could have belonged to some long-forgotten race, lost in a clash between mortals and the divine. Before long, a spine of tall brown mountains, resembling pale clay beneath a scorching sun, rose up in the west. They dwarfed the western landscape, which became drier and hotter with each passing day. Smaller bodies of water could be found amongst the mountain foothills, and it was amongst these that the Gerudo procession marched, threading their way through a mountain pass that would lead them to their home.

Link trudged amidst a crush of horses, carts, and veiled Gerudo. During the long march, flies seemed to emerge from nowhere, and the hideous unwashed smell of the Blins permeated the air. Neither the bulblins nor moblins seemed to care much for bathing or personal hygiene, and the near-suffocating heat on this side of the mountains made it all the worse.

The wind brought a slight relief, chilling Link's skin as he tried to keep up with the column of Gerudo. His guards nudged him periodically when they felt he was too slow. The evenings brought a welcome reprieve from the stiflingly hot days, but once the frigid winter nights set in, Link's clothing and blanket offered little comfort. Sleep did not come easily.

The days became a blur. The Gerudo marched until nightfall and broke camp before dawn. Link ate little, nor did he have much water. After days of marching, he was sluggish, dizzy, and weak from thirst. Only the thought of rescue and his sense of duty stopped him from merely collapsing in the dirt.

There was little chance of escape. For one thing, Link feared that his ailing strength would betray him. Then there was the fact there was nowhere to go. The path through the mountain was precarious, and the only means of escape would be to clamber down the steep slopes of jagged boulders. Even if he did try that, it wouldn't work; he'd be picked off by archers the moment the alarm was raised. Then again, they might just assume he would get himself killed and not bother going after him. But that was not likely; he was valuable, despite what the witches thought. The Gerudo knew this and kept him under tight guard. Even when Sheik encouraged him to meditate, the Flow of magic and Courage proved impossible to reach, despite hours of effort.

Sheik would not have had much opportunity to escape either. She had at least six Gerudo assigned to watch her at all times. They seemed to think she might fight her way to freedom, regardless of how difficult that might be, but Sheik seemed content to spend most of her time meditating. Not even the heat appeared to bother her, despite her garments, making Link quite convinced that the Sheikah really did have ice in their veins.

The final stretch into the Gerudo Valley was across a canyon seemingly chiselled into the rugged ridges that marked the border of the Gerudo kingdom. A single stone bridge spanned the length of the chasm, flanked by cliffs that plunged into the river below. Two enormous gatehouses stood on either side of the bridge, and a pair of watchtowers rose high into the sky on either side of the two sentinels.

Finally, they arrived at the Gerudo Fortress. It was a small city perched on a bluff, overlooking a wide river that threaded its way through the desert and into the grasslands. Groves of palm and olive clung in loose clumps along the banks, and farmers worked the narrow expanse of fields growing along the river's shore. Link could see the canals that fed the sparse scattering of arable land, and at another time, he might have marvelled at the fact that anything could grow at all in this harsh climate. He noticed many of the fields appeared abandoned, and the small smattering of trees along the river shore were a sickly colour. Left to ponder, he might have concluded that the Gerudo's water supply was cursed or poisoned, but it was Sheik who guessed this first.