Shampoo angrily sat down in the hot sand of the training arena. How long did she have to wait? After all, she was the great-granddaughter of one of the three elders...
When a shadow fell upon her face and blocked the hot sun of the desert, she looked up... and looked right into the face of a certain, high-ranked Gerudo warrior.
She smiled and jumped to her feet. ('Auntie Nabooru!') she said in her tribe's native tongue.
"Now, now..." Nabooru scolded. "What did your great-grandmother tell you about practicing your Hylian?"
The young girl sighed. "Shampoo is sorry, Auntie... But Hylian is so hard... Shampoo have trouble pro... prom... pronouncing it."
"Still, it's only good for a Gerudo warrior to know her husbands native language," Nabooru smiled. "After all, every member of our tribe is female, you know that, do you?"
"Yes, Shampoo knows," the warrior in-training sighed. "Have to take husbands from inferior Hylian race, so have to know their language..."
"Very good," the second-in-command of the Gerudo desert fortress nodded. Then she sighed. "I'm afraid to tell you that little Aveil can't join you on the training field today, Shampoo..."
"Why? She promised!"
"Yes, but her duties as chambermaid of the great Ganondorf is of a bigger priority... and His Highness..." Nabooru spat the title, as if it would be an insult... "Has informed us that he will come back earlier than planned, so she has to prepare his room for him."
Shampoo pouted. "Why that stupid brute king anyway? He is inferior MAN!"
Nabooru sighed as she sat down next to her niece in the warm sand. "I'm afraid our laws are very strict about this, Shampoo... and as legend says that only once in hundred years, a man is being born, this man has to be our king. And as much as I have to agree with you that he is an arrogant jerk... his magical powers are quite immense. You should be careful and let no one of his followers hear your opinion of him. Understood?"
"Shampoo understand," the little girl grumbled. She then looked up at her aunt. "Has Great-Grandmother returned from Spirit Temple?"
"I'm sorry... but she, elder Koume and elder Kotake have to prepare a special ceremony for Ganondorf. She'll come back tomorrow."
Seeing the disappointed look on the child's face, she decided to cheer her up. "What do you say I'm gonna be your sparring partner today?"
Shampoo beamed at her. "Really? But... don't you have guard duty?"
"Hey, I'm the second-in-command, right? Who says I can't change the rules a little bit?"
Shampoo grinned.
----
"WHAT??"
"You heard me!" Impa, nursemaid and bodyguard of Princess Zelda, looked down at the young, rebellious Sheikah girl in front of her. "You have been chosen to be the protector of Princess Kodachi, as I am the protector of Princess Zelda. And as it is the king's decision, neither you or me can do anything about it."
Akane grimaced at the idea of serving the snobby and - in her opinion - slightly demented younger sister of Zelda. "But Mom, she... she's a major pain in the ass! Can't someone else do the job? What about Nabiki? Or Kasumi?"
The Sheikah woman looked sternly at her daughter. "Akane, you know that Kasumi is no fighter... She's going to be a regular maid at the castle. And while I'm disappointed that Nabiki has visibly slacked off with her training, I need her assistance with our family's finances... after your father passed away, we have to make sure that we don't waste our money, and you know I'm not as gifted with money as Nabiki is..."
"But we're the protectors of the royal family!" Akane said in astonishment. "Surely you could ask the king for a slight raise..."
"Akane!" Impa sounded shocked. "You don't know what you're saying... No one DEMANDS something from the king! Also, we should be grateful for our place at the castle... Most of the other people in Hyrule look down at us Sheikah, they don't trust us 'Shadow Folk', as they call us. Surely you haven't forgotten how your father died?"
"No, Mom..." Akane said in a small voice. "I just thought..." She sighed. "Never mind... But still... Serving KODACHI? C'mon..."
Impa put her hand on her youngest daughter's shoulder. "I know you can do it. You're a strong girl, and I'm know you're gonna be a good warrior as I am. And in time, Princess Kodachi will become as wise and warm-hearted as her sister..."
Akane sweat-dropped. "I seriously doubt that..."
Suddenly, one of the windows above their heads opened, and a black-haired girl in a royal gown looked out into the courtyard. "AKANE TENDO! Where are you, servant? Come up here this instant! My royal corset needs adjustment!"
Akane looked at her mother pleadingly.
Impa smirked and gestured upwards with her head.
Sighing in defeat, Akane walked back inside. "My life is hell..." she groaned.
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:26)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.