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~Chapter Three- You Owe Me Two~

Warro’s head felt as if it had been struck by an arrow as he opened his eyes. He looked around, expecting that he had once more been captured by guards and detained in a cell. His body felt sore all over and he felt his head, noticing his hat was missing. He turned and pulled his legs over the side of whatever he was on. Maybe it was a bed? The Skull Children always told Warro of how even the people outside the forest slept on comfortable furniture they called beds.

“That’s good,” somebody said. Warro rubbed his eyes. The voice was so familiar, yet it seemed different. “I thought I saved a dead man.”

“What?”

“You. I thought you were dead, again.” Warro blinked several times and regained his focus. At the front of the bed a girl stood, who appeared to be in her mid-teens, but sometime intrigued Warro. Everybody, even Princess Zelda and himself, has long ears. Where were hers? He tilted his head. “You remember me, right?”

“Where are your ears?”

“Where they always are. Now, answer my question,” the girl said, crossing her arms. She had brown hair that was cut short, but just below the jaw. Her eyes were a dark brown, and her skin was pale. She certainly did not look familiar. All the girls Warro had seen until now dressed as if they were going to a ball, but this girl…

“Only girl I really spoke to was the princess, sorry,” Warro answered. The girl’s eyes narrowed and she crawled onto his bed. It felt awkward at this moment. Even the Skull Kids would not do such a thing. Her hands grabbed Warro’s shoulders and she looked deeply into his eyes.

“Do you remember me?” she asked in a very slow voice.

“No, I don’t,” Warro answered. He backed his head back, but suddenly a quick whack to the head reopened his wound, and blood leaked out.

“Not again!” the girl groaned, grabbing some cloth and wrapped up the wound some more. “You really don’t remember me? I’m the guard from the castle? Remember, now? The one who let you go?”

“You’re a girl?”

“Of course, I am! You didn’t notice that my armor looked different compared to other guards?” the girl asked, pointing to her chest. “Because of these?”

“Aren’t those the things I poked on Princess Zelda? When did you get those?” The girl flicked his forehead and said,

“You really are dimwitted…”

“Long as it don’t kill me, right?”

“Right… Well, anyways, I’m Kuro,” the girl said, holding her hand out. Warro tilted his head.

“Warro.”

“Funny name,” the girl said, picking Warro’s hand up and shaking it. “You need to learn stuff. This isn’t the forest, you know. Speaking of which… where do you find ribbons in a forest?”

“I’m not quite sure, to be honest,” Warro said, sitting up. He took hold of one of his side burns and looked at the ribbons. “The Skull Kids said they found me with them on, and nobody has been able to remove them. As for my clothes, we stole them.”

“From where?”

“From Castle Town, of course,” Warro said. “Why do you think I know how to communicate so well?” It was true, though. Warro’s vocabulary was entirely of words he had heard in Castle Town and from the Skull Kids.

“Okay, I’ll pretend I didn’t just hear that,” Kuro said, getting off the bed and looking out the window. Warro looked around and saw various pots and pans hanging on the wall, and a halberd on a rack.

“So, care to tell me what you were doing in the clock tower?” Kuro asked. “You owe me twice, now. Once for letting you go, and the other for saving your wounded behind.” Warro looked back at Kuro as she finished, and Warro finally noticed her hears. They were really short and rounded. Everyone, including the Princess, had long, pointed ears, but this girl…

“Kuro, why are your ears—“

“Enough about my ears, okay?” she snapped, covering them. “Stop avoiding the question!” She turned and stared at Warro. “I saved you; I wrapped your wounds. You were bleeding who knows how much blood, but I saved you! I have a right to know at least!”

“You heard of Ganondorf, right?” Warro asked. “You do. You mentioned him yesterday.” Warro got out of bed and cringed from the pain in his side as he limped over to his boots and put them on. The black pants he wore tucked unto his boots and he put them on. “He was in there, talking with the intruder--the real intruder-- from last night.” Warro looked around for his weapons and saw them against the wall under Kuro’s halberd.

“So, he beat you up for finding out?” Kuro asked. Warro nodded and continued,

“The intruder is called Dark Link, and for some reason it not only has resentment towards Link, but also to me.”

“Well, you do look like Link when there is no light,” Kuro said. “That could be a reason. Anyways, Princess Zelda fired me from the Royal Guard for letting you go, but she did tell me to keep an eye on you. The pendent you wear is extremely important.”

“Fire?” Warro asked, tilting his head. “Are you okay?”

“I mean, I lost my job,” Kuro explained. “I didn’t like it too much anyways. Being the only female guard was so annoying. I have the ability to defeat so many knights, but yet they kept me at that rank, because I’m a girl.” Kuro looked away in disgust. “I only let you go out of an act of defiance, but now, I need to get a source of income.” She looked back at Warro. “You paid your first debt off by telling me what you were doing. You’re next debt is helping me get money. I’m unemployed, so I’m going to have to travel with you.”

“What?” Warro asked.

“You heard me. I lost my job for letting you go.”

“But you hated it there!”

“And I figured traveling with you would be more profitable. So, where’s your next stop?”

“I have to return to the forest and tell the Deku Tree what Princess Zelda ordered me,” Warro explained. “I need to return the Spirit Pendant as well.”

“Well, we best get going. You can walk it off. I already gave you a red potion, while you were out. We’ll make a quick stop at Lon Lon Ranch for you to recover.”