Heart of the Gerudo

Chapter 3: Shackled Choices

Part 3

Heart of The Gerudo: Shackled Choices

Written by SilkenScribe

Original Story inspired by the Gerudo Link works of HeartGear

Minutes ticked by and became hours. Hours ticked by and eventually led to morning. Avery had no idea just how long he'd been out. Lost in a world of swimming images and dizziness. He did know however that when he awoke he was in a large prison cell. Its interior is dimly lit by a small slit-like window cut in the back of it.

He came to rather blearily. A small groan escaped his lips as he eased open his hazel eyes.This was not the same place he'd fallen asleep in. Nor had his hands been bound before. He looked into his lap, thick woven rope encircled his wrists, cinching them tightly together in front of him. Muscles flexed slightly, testing the bonds and finding they were quite secure.

Although perhaps less secure as he could to his surprise still feel the the daggers sheathe hanging about his waist just beneath the edge of his tattered shirt. Why bind his hands and still leave him armed? It seemed a bit of an odd choice, but he wasn't going to look the gift horse in the mouth.

His shoulder, while it still ached felt slightly better than before. He found when he looked at it, that its makeshift bandages had been changed and swapped out for crisp white ones. Another curious fact. His captors cared enough to treat his wounds. But had been unwilling to let him into the city to keep him from dying of thirst.

~How strange...~ He thought to himself.

Across from him on the opposite side of the cell was another occupant. A woman who belonged to the Gerudo tribe inhabiting this village. She looked rather ragged and had a strange and almost ominous air about her. Her bright red hair fell about her face in a rather unkempt mess and her wrists too were bound neatly in front of her. She was staring across at him rather intently.

Avery shook his head a little to clear the fog from his head, "Uhm. Hi." He said awkwardly to the woman across from him, "How long have I been here...?" He asked cautiously.

The woman grinned slightly, "Well. Long enough for me to find this anyways..." She reached under one leg and produced the silvery dagger that had until recently been inside the sheathe about Avery's waist. She rolled it over in her hand.

Avery felt anxiety bubbling up in his stomach. Had he awoken just to get stabbed by his cellmate? Great.

The woman chuckled slightly, "Don't look so scared Voe. I'm not going to use it on you but I am..." She twisted the dagged about and after a minute of sawing back and forth with it, cut her wrists free. She let out a long groan, "...Going to get out of here. I have no intention to rot in this place."

Avery stared at her for a long moment as he considered the woman's newfound freedom, "Get out of here? How?" He dared to ask.

The Gerudo woman looked towards the front of their cell, "Food and Water twice a day. They're not generally expecting a prison to be unbound. So I'll make my break then. You can follow me, or rot in this place until they decide what to do with you. But I can assure you, Voe are not punished lightly."