About two hours after they got home, it was Saria's bedtime. She insisted she wasn't sleepy, but her parents disagreed. Sure enough, Saria fell asleep almost as soon as she hit the pillow. Her parents weren't far behind her. Everyone on the ranch, including the animals, was asleep.
Saria didn't know what time it was when she woke up. It was the middle of the night, and everyone was still asleep. She didn't know what had woken her up, either. Then it happened again- a sound.
It sounded like a door closing. But who could be awake? She heard footsteps, headed towards her bedroom, and she froze. Her breath stopped in her lungs, and she listened and watched.
A figure, a silhouette, appeared in her doorway. It was a female figure, she could tell, wearing a robe. She saw in the dim light of her nightlight that the woman's hair was red.
"Mommy?" Saria whispered doubtfully. This didn't look like her mother.
The woman walked towards her silently. She stood before Saria for only a moment, then cupped a hand around the child's mouth and lifted her out of her bed.
Saria panicked. Her heart thumped against her ribs, but the woman's grip was fierce, and Saria couldn't even struggle. She was begin held tight by a woman who was clearly an expert criminal. But who would want to kidnap Saria?
As they walked out of the ranch, Saria still couldn't struggle. Outside, Saria could see a gem on the woman's forehead reflecting in the moonlight. No, it wasn't on her forehead, it was in her forehead. The woman was... Saria couldn't think of the word. She'd heard her parents speak it with fear, often accompanied by the word "Ganon". Mom and Dad had warned her that this type of woman was evil. But what was the word?
The forceful hand left her mouth for only a millisecond. Before Saria could gather the breath to scream, there was a rag being bound around her mouth. She was thrown harshly to the ground, then her wrists and ankles were bound before she could run away. She was hoisted up onto a horse, followed by the woman mounting, and they rode off.
Saria knew how to ride, but not sidesaddle and not bound and gagged. And certainly not a wild stallion like this one. She rode horses that were broken for children, not criminals. It was all she could do to keep from falling off, even though the woman held her by the hair tightly.
They soon arrived at a place where no vegitation grew. It was a barren place, a desert, and again the word for who this woman was teased the back of Saria's mind. It started with a G...
A guard blocked their path. She demanded, "Halt! Who requests entry into the Gerudo Fortress?"
That was it! Gerudo!
"I, Alakime of the Queen Evashino's Loyal Order, and I am her best friend. I have brought the prize the Great King demanded."
"You have brought the child? Let me see her."
Saria was pulled forward so the guard could see her face. The guard nodded, and opened the gate. Saria was practically thrown back into the saddle, but not for long, for they soon dismounted.
The woman leapt off the horse and took Saria with her. They were outside a grand structure that looked like a shrine or palace. As she was carried inside, Saria saw several guards bow to her kidnapper, who must be named Alakime. They entered a long, ornate chamber, lined with guards, with a throne at the far end.
When they first entered the room, Alakime called out, "Evashino! I brought the child you asked for!"
"You brought his daughter? Bring her here."
Alakime untied Saria's feet and allowed her to walk to the end of the chamber until she stood face to face with the woman on the throne, Evashino.
The queen leaned down to look in Saria's eyes, and sneered, "Your father brought us much shame, child. Do you know what he did?" Saria was surprised by the question, and since her mouth was bound she couldn't answer. The gag was taken off of her, but she didn't dare try to run.
"Daddy...helped people. Helped Hyrule...didn't he?"
"Ha!" Evashino shouted, "Helped people? Naive little brat! He nearly destroyed us, and you shall follow what he has done! Prophecies declare that you, the daughter of the man who overthrew our king, shall destroy us all! Well, at your tender age you're nothing. We shall simply destroy you before you can destroy us! Alakime, throw her into the desert of the Haunted Wasteland! Offer her as a sacrifice to our Goddess of the Sand! We'll see who destroys who."
Saria didn't understand what was going on. At only a year old, she didn't know what Evashino was talking about when she mentioned "naive", "destroyed", "prophecies" and "sacrifice". Nevertheless, she knew whatever was happening was not good. Alakime grabbed her and bound her ankles again, then gagged her mouth. Saria was once again being carried around.
Her kidnapper took her to a large gate, heavily guarded. Alakime spoke with the guards, and they opened the gate, saying, "Good luck with your mission. Carry the blessing of the Sand Goddess to protect you as you protect yourself and all your sisters." Alakime thanked them for their good wishes and wlked into the desert.
Sand swirled around them, and Saria couldn't see two inches in front of her. There was only oblivion, and sand. Sand in her eyes, her ears, her nose and her mouth, penetrating right through her gag.
Alakime tripped, and Saria found herself face down in the sand, unable to breathe, being smothered. Alakime grabbed her up and threw her away, and Saria faintly heard her call, "Good riddens, child. The River of Sand will claim your life soon enough."
Saria hit the ground and found herself in sand that moved as liquid. The River of Sand. She was swirling away, struggling to mantain consciousness. But exhausting overtook her in a sudden wave, and she faded away.