Heart of The Gerudo Pt. 5

Part 5

Heart of The Gerudo: The Task Ahead

Written by SilkenScribe

Original Story inspired by the Gerudo Link works of HeartGear

It was surprising just how peaceful he found his rest was. He spent two days, bound and locked away in the little 'bedroom' provided for him. However, it was little more than a comfortable pile of pillows inside a sort of utility closet. A singular stream of light filtering in through the small barred opening at the top. But somehow, this place allowed him a sense of peace.

For the first time in the last month, he wasn't running. He had no enemies at his heels. It brought a strange sense of comfort, even though he was bound and gagged. It was funny how the brain worked sometimes.

The few days following his 'sentence' were fairly peaceful. Once a day, the young Gerudo healer came in to change his bandages and check his shoulder. He'd learned that her name was Isumi, a head healer in the oasis city. Of course, he couldn't converse with her. But she was consistently flanked by guards who definitely knew her. Much of what they spoke about were the comings and goings of the city.

Part of Avery was fascinated with the information that filtered through. Talk of warrior training for the young, of trade being allowed in and out of the city. Even news about the parts of Hyrule that surrounded the desert slipped through. A local village up in the hilly mountains to the north had been raided by Moblin's, the Gerudo had dispatched a small regimen to help re-liberate the village.

Apparently, this wasn't very common as the Gerudo tended to keep to their own according to Isumi's back and forth with the guards.

Of course, this was only speculation based on what Avery could hear. It wasn't like he could respond. It wasn't like he was...allowed to. In some ways, he felt like his voice belonged to them. The gag that he'd been given felt like it was their way of having him silently accept his punishment.

~Or maybe because I'll complain about whatever is to come...?~

He wasn't sure. But for now, he was at peace in a sense. His morals had bought him an opportunity and that opportunity had brought him two of the best nights of sleep he'd had in a long long time.

As he lay there, staring up at the ceiling of his little room his mind wandered.

~I wonder what Riju told the group pursuing me? I wonder if that'll be the end of it?~

He wrinkled his nose slightly at that thought.

~I doubt it. Gerivelt isn't going to give up on me that easily.~

Some debts, never truly went away. And with how far out he'd put Gerivelt's group of thieves, he was pretty sure that bounty would be on his head for the rest of his life. The only reason his village hadn't been burned to the ground was likely because he fled. However part of him worried what may happen if the band couldn't track him down. Would the leader take his pound of flesh out of Avery's home?

Avery resolved to find a way to get information about his home...when he was allowed. Perhaps letting himself be molded into a Vai in this place, would allow him some sort of privileges in the future? Right now he simply felt like a prisoner. Albeit a well-treated and surprisingly well-fed prisoner.

That was another thing. The food was so...vibrantly different than the fare he was used to. Tropical fruits native to the desert, dishes overflowing with unique spices he'd never even smelt before let alone tasted. Of course, some of that enjoyment was dampened by the fact that he had to be bloody spoon-fed by another. But perhaps that was a small price to pay for now, at least it let him rest his jaw a little from the constant thick cord of cloth in his mouth.

As he lay there, flexing his feet a little bit he wondered what time of day it was. Isumi had already visited to change his bandages. But no meal had arrived yet, so that meant it was likely still pre-noon. That was his best guess.

It was as he lay there contemplating the time that a knock came upon the door of his room.

~A knock...?~

Avery blinked a few times. What was he supposed to do? Tell them they could come in? A laughable notion.

He let out a soft 'Hmmp.' At the door. There was no response immediately. But then the sound of a key sliding into a lock and the click of the handle echoed through the room. The door swung open and he found himself looking up at a Gerudo who had a bit more of a feminine air about her than the rest of her warrior-like tribe. A frame while still Amazonian in stature, was more delicate in its body lines. Her face was painted a little more softly and with a dazzling red lip that matched her hair completing the ensemble.

She offered a bit of a sideways smile and chuckled, "Right. They did tell me you'd not earned your voice yet. Sorry. Nooooot sure why I chose to knock." She placed a hand on her hip as she looked at Avery, staring up at her from his position against the pillows at the back of the bed.

"Hm. Well, at least the canvas they've provided isn't terrible. Though it's going to take some elbow work to get the stink of the road and the voe off of you." She wrinkled her nose slightly, looking at him like one might look at a decidedly soiled piece of laundry.

She gave her fingers a snap and the two guards flanking her moved in, tugging Avery gently to his feet. To his surprise, a leash was clipped to the front of the collar he wore. It felt rather degrading.

The woman looked to the guards, "I can handle her for the day. You will post yourselves outside my facility, but not a single foot inside. She may be a prisoner, but she does deserve some semblance of privacy. Understood?"

The two guards dipped into slightly formal bows, "Understood."

The woman waved her hand, "And keep your distance as we go through the city proper. There is little this one can do within the city proper that puts me in harm's way."

Again, the pair of guards nodded and stepped back.

The woman turned her attention back to Avery once more, "Isn't that right dear? Do you promise to behave so that this process is as relatively painless as possible?"

Avery tilted his head a little bit. But he understood that she was offering him a sort of olive branch. The hint at privacy that he deserved, the soft but stern tone in her voice.

He gave a curt nod.

She clapped her hands together, "Wonderful. I'm sure you'll find at least some enjoyment today. My name is Lilas, Lila for short. I am the proprietor of our best spa. I've been commissioned by Lady Aikoro to help you along on this most curious of journeys. You must have made some sort of good impression to not be rotting away in the middle of the desert! And your name is...?"

She paused a long moment, staring at Avery.

He let out a small mumble around the gag.

Lila simply grinned, "Hm. No name? I'm sure we'll find one for you in time. Come along then! We've a bit of a walk to get to our destination for the day." However, she did feel a little bad. While Lady Riju and Lady Aikoro had informed the general populace of this little curiosity, it was likely to be quite intimidating to be walked bound and gagged through the entire city.

But some things you just had to deal with.

She gave the leash a rather sharp tug, making Avery stumble and move to follow lest she drag him along. The guards waited a fair while to follow as she headed through the palace proper, making sure to keep a healthy distance while Lila moved through the palace towards its exit.

If Avery thought this whole thing was anxiety-inducing before. It was so much worse when they emerged out the front of the palace and into the main square proper. Avery had only seen the place in the middle of the night when not a soul except for the guards had been milling about. Now it was a veritable hive of activity, a hive whose many many eyes seemed to turn and follow Avery being tugged along behind Lila like a dondon on a leash.

In truth though, while plenty of eyes did follow them. Plenty didn't. As it stood, Avery wasn't much more than a curiosity to some and Lady Riju's words had encouraged them to be welcoming, to try and not make him feel as though he didn't belong. A few offered small smiles. A few of the children milling about even waved politely.

~Gods. Is this so normal that they're acting so...normal about it?~ Avery had to wonder. He only managed to catch a few glances and waves. Eventually, he found a distinct interest yet again in the toes on his bare feet as they walked. The heat during the day was still just as excruciating. Avery could feel the beads of sweat on the back of his neck the second they'd emerged into the sun.

But luckily, the trip wasn't TOO far. They moved to the far end of the main city square before turning down one of the larger side streets. Eventually, they came to a stop out of a building that looked like a sphere that had been plucked right out of the sand. It was a huge spherical building with intricate stained glass windows set around the top. This building was attached to two others. One was a small square building with a curtain as its front door and another whose only entrance seemed to be through the spherical building. A column of steam rose from a chimney at the top of the second building.

Without even coming to a stop, Lila tugged him through the curtained door at the front of the sphere. Noting happily that the guards didn't follow them inside.

Avery wasn't sure what to expect inside. But whatever he may have expected, this certainly was the opposite. Instead of a sandstone interior, nearly every inch of the walls had been draped in vibrant canvas and silks, shelves lined many of the walls over top of these silks housing dozens of bottles holding a veritable collection of different liquids. The interior itself hung thick with the scent of a hundred different perfumed extracts and Avery felt a strange sense of calm wash over him as they entered.

"Weeeelcome to my little slice of heaven," Lila said with enthusiasm and a proud motion of her hand. The spherical building held a desk and a few tables lined with comfortable-looking cushions and sheets.

"I've gone through the trouble of making sure that you will be the only one here today. Like I said to the guards. You may be a prisoner, but you deserve privacy like anyone else." She offered Avery a bright smile and tossed the leash over his shoulder casually, "The guards are outside, you're welcome to run off if you like. Just know they will drag you back here by your hair if needed."

She clapped her hands together and took a step back to look him up and down, "Hm. Feel free to peek around. I'll prepare the bath."

"Bmmth..?" Avery asked with a tilt of his head.

Lila looked over her shoulder, "Yes. I've been tasked with scrubbing the Voe out of you and if how you smell is anything to go by. We've got our work cut out for us! But I've been in the business of bringing out of a glow in the Vai of the city for years, so I'm confident we can make you shine at least a little." She offered a wink and then hurried off without another word, leaving the bound Avery standing in the atrium of the building awkwardly.

More and more, he wondered what in the hell he'd gotten himself into.