Chapter 3

"LINK!" Malon screamed, "Link, wake up right now!" She shook him violently.
Link sat up and asked, "What, what's the matter? What happened?"
"It's Saria! She's gone! Have you seen her? Oh, Din, where could she be.?"
Jumping out of bed, Link cried, "Gone?! What?!" He threw on a tunic and ran to her bedroom.
Saria's bed was empty. Her father could only stare and mutter, "Oh, Din. Where in Nayru did she go?"
Malon began to cry, and she said, "I came to get her and she was gone. Link, where did she go? Who would want to take her? And why? She's just a baby, what would anyone want with a baby?"
Link stood dumdfounded. He could think of nothing to do or say. Finally, he said, "Zelda."
"What, you think Zelda took her? Don't be stupid."
"No, I think Zelda can help. I'm going to talk to her." He began to talk telepathically, saying *Zelda, are you awake?*
The answer was groggy, *I am now. What can you possibly want so early in the morning?*
*Saria's gone. My daughter's been kidnapped.*
There was a shocked silence, then *What did you say?*
*I said she's gone. Someone kidnapped her. Who do you think it could be?*
Again, silence. Finally, Zelda siad, *Oh, Link...oh, no. Do you remember who swore revenge on your descendants?*
*Yes...I'll kill him if he's taken her. I swear I will kill him.*
*Think things through first. Don't just lash out and kill him. It could have been someone else.*
*He still deserves to die.*
*Granted, but he's banished, remember?*
*But who else could it have been? I will murder him if it's the last thing I do.*
*Perhaps the other Gerudo? The were his subjects, right?*
*Right. I'll go talk to them.* Their conversation ended there.
"Well?" asked Malon, "What did she say?"
"When I defeated Ganon, he pledged revenge on me and my children, and my grandchildren, and theire children. Bascially, we've been living under a curse. Anyone with my blood will be living under it."
"You mean, Ganon took her?"
"Well, I don't know. He's banished, you know, so we think it might have been the Gerudo women. I'm going to talk to them, and I'm going armed." He turned to leave, and Malon didn't stop him.

Link stood at the gate to Gerudo Fortress and said, "I come in peace, with a request to speak with your leader."
The guard smiled and said, "Ah, great Link. We are still grateful to you for saving us from the reign of the evil Ganondorf. Please, do come in." She bowed low and opened the gate. Link was surprised by this reaction, but he welcomed the hospitality and entered the fortress.
Every Gerudo he passed smiled at him and thanked him for saving them from Ganon's evil power. Some even bowed to him, as the guard had done. When he asked where their leader was, they happily pointed him in the direction of Queen Evashino's palace and added, "She's be honoured to speak with you."
At the palace, the guards welcomed him. They opened the gates and ushered him in. One offered to escort him, but he said it wasn't necessary. Instead, he accepted their directions through the palace. ("Take the first left for the throneroom, straight ahead for the training area and the first right for the servant's quarters. The second right leads to the dungeon, and the second left leads to the kitchen and dining room.") Although he was tempted to check the dungeon, he thought it would be best to stick with diplomacy and speak with the Queen.
As soon as he entered the throneroom, two guards approached him suspiciously. Upon seeing who he was, they called, "Your Majesty, the great Link has arrived!"
At the far end of the room, Link saw the woman on the throne smile, and she called, "Oh, how wonderful! The man who saved us from the cruelty of our former king! I assure you, though we seemed loyal to him at the time, it was only a matter of tradition. Since he is gone, we are eternally grateful to you for freeing us! Do come in, please! To what do we owe the pleasure?"
As Link approached the queen he said, "Dire circumstances, I'm afraid. It's an issue of my daughter."
"Oh, daughter? You have a child? And a girl nonetheless! How perfectly delightful! But you did say it was dire. What can be the matter?" Evashino asked.
"I'm afraid she has been kidnapped." Link could sense a change in the atmosphere in the room. Suddenly, everyone looked horrified. He continued, "My wife, Malon, and I discovered she was missing this morning. We can only assume she was kidnapped in the night."
"Oh, how awful. Whoever would want to take your daughter away from you?"
"I don't know. In all honesty, I came today because I thought it might have been you, the Gerudo people, since-"
Evashino gave a trill of laughter, "Oh, say no more! Of course you thought we were still in league with Ganon, so we would want to take her! Perfectly understandable! But you must note, we are not on his side. Of course, there are underground organizations of his followers, but any that are located are immediately destroyed. But returning to the task at hand, how old is your daughter and what does she look like?"
"She'll be a year old soon, and she looks rather like me, but younger and female. Her name is Saria. Thank you so much for your help. I really do appreciate it."
"Oh, it's the least we can do, considering all you've done for us! We'll put out the the word and let you know if anything comes up. Good luck with your search. I hope you find her well, and soon."
As Link turned and left the throneroom, Evoshino's feigned concern melted into a wicked smile. She chuckled, "He's as foolish as his daughter. We'll keep him thinking we're on his side, but we shall never waver in our loyalty to the the Great Ganon."