So I realize that I have quite a few stories going, but this wouldn't stop simmering in my mind, and it finally boiled over. I just had to write this! It's so different than your typical Zelda story.

Picture this, Ganondorf took over Hyrule before Link had a chance to learn that he was the Hero. And when Ganondorf found him and discovered the mark of the Triforce of Courage, he enslaved Link. Now only a small resistance stands up to Ganondorf's tyranny. BAM! Minds blown!

Anyway, this is an AU and will obviously feature an OC.

Oh, and I don't own Zelda sadly. Enjoy.

The kingdom flourished under the rule of our princess, recently turned queen. She was a fair and just ruler. Her name was Zelda. We thought she would rule until the end times. And those were closer than we thought.

A year into her rule, a man of Gerudo descent invaded Hyrule. No one saw it coming. There was no declaration of war; only total takeover.

Since then, ten years have passed and no hero has emerged and only a small force stands opposed to the tyranny of the new king. I am a member of that resistance, a woman trained in the art of espionage and assassination. I am Shadow.

Pulling the ropes tight, I ignored the way my captive gritted her perfect, white teeth in discomfort. "Would you watch the ropes?! I'm not an animal!" she snapped.

I lifted an eyebrow and chuckled. "Could've fooled me. I can't tell if I'm looking at a woman or a snake."

"How dare you!" the woman exclaimed, her mouth opened in a cry of outrage. "I'll have you know that I was invited by the great king Ganondorf, himself, as an emissary to my country. He'll have your head for this!"

Pulling out an old bandana, I gagged the overly-sensitive countess. "But he won't, you see," I told her. "He won't be ruling for much longer anyway. Which reminds me, thanks for letting me use your identity." Turning to my accomplice, I gave a sincere smile and pushed the countess in her chair towards him. "Watch the countess will you, Shad? I need to get ready."

With a nod, the redheaded Hylian placed a gentle, scholarly hand on the countess's shoulder. "Don't worry, Lady Cecile. No physical harm will come to you," he told her, pushing his spectacles up his nose. "I guarantee it."

Ah, Shad. Always the perfect gentleman. What would I do without him?

The inn Countess Cecile had been staying was a classy place for sure. A noble woman from Asudan would expect no less. Cecile, in particular, had been selected as an emissary from the wealthy kingdom in the hopes that an alliance between them and Hyrule could be formed. After all, when conqueror takes power of a nation with an unlimited supply of resources, you can only hope that you won't be the next to fall.

Reaching into mahogany wardrobe, I pulled out the dress that Cecil was supposed to wear when meeting with the "king" of our once great country. It was lucky that I looked somewhat similar to the countess as well as had a similar body style, only with muscle. I looked down at the dress and blanched. "Well, uh, this is quite the dress."

Turning to our captive, I wiggled my eyebrows at her. "Judging by this little number, it seems that this was a little more than a diplomacy mission, eh, Cecil." True enough, the dress found in the wardrobe would leave quite little to the imagination, and I was supposed to wear it now. Great.

Going behind the folding screen, I began to change out of my combat leathers and into the dress. Pulling it on over my head, the red velvet spilled around me, cascading to the floor. The color was a nice contrast to my pale skin, but I found that the gold embroidered square neckline was a little too low for my taste.

Slipping on the matching gold flats, I emerged from behind that screen to find Shad staring at me with his blue-green eyes. "Uh, is there something wrong?" I asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

Shad snapped out of his daze, shaking his head wildly. "No, no, of course not. Uh, let's pin those ears down, shall we?" Moving towards me, Shad motioned for me to sit down before going to work. Taking my silver hair in hand, Shad tied my long ears down with it, pulling the mass of it into a bun on the top of my head. "All right then, now for the wig." Reaching into the pack we had brought, a blonde wig was retrieved and placed on my head. It was styled into ringlets.

"Not bad," I noted, looking into a mirror on the hotel wall. "I'm almost identical to Cecile."

"Almost," Shad emphasized. "We can only hope that the Evil King doesn't realize that Cecile has green eyes and not grey. We might want to cover up your beauty mark too."

I fingered the freckle under my left eye and shook my head. "Nah, they'll just think it's drawn on. A lot of noble women are doing that lately." Breathing in deeply, I sighed. "I'm ready. Make sure my gear gets in no later than eleven-thirty."

"Right." I headed for the door. My hand grabbed the doorknob when Shad called my name again. "Shadow?" Looking back over my shoulder, I saw Shad look down at his feet. He bit his lip nervously. He never did like when I went on missions. Looking back up at me, he smiled, though his eyes showed his seriousness. "Good luck."

I nodded and headed out the door. Hyrule Castle, here I come.

The mighty towers of the once beautiful Hyrule Castle loomed overhead. Hylian soldiers forced into Ganondorf's army looked down from the battlements. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shouted up to them. "I am Cecile from Asudan here to meet with the king! I request entry into the castle!"

"Open the gates!" one of the soldiers called.

The iron gates slowly rose into the sky, and I walked to the doors, waiting for them to open. Once I was inside, I was greeted by a Gerudo attendant. "Lady Cecil, my king will be most pleased that you have made it, though you were supposed to be here an hour ago."

Mentally, I swore to myself. None of that information had been given to me in the briefing. Keeping my poker face, I smiled. "Yes, well, while browsing your wonderful capital city, I happened to get lost."

The attendant smiled, though it didn't meet her eyes. She brushed a strand of red hair away from her face. "Castle Town tends to do that to the visiting public. I notice that no one accompanies you."

This girl is too observant. "I gave my men a day off to explore the city. No one would dare attack me, a guest of the great king."

The attendant suddenly turned serious. "You'd be surprised, my lady," she warned, believing my story. "There is a small group of rebels in the kingdom. Do be careful."

Pretending to be alarmed, I faked a gasp. "Oh, my. I'll be sure to do that. Thank you for the word of warning."

"Of course," the woman bowed. "Now, please follow me. The great Ganondorf is expecting you in the dining hall."

I followed the thorough attendant through the twisting halls of the dark castle. Eyes peeked out at me from the shadows in the nooks and crannies. Slaves. I tried to ignore them, but I couldn't stop my heart from reaching out to them. I wished I could offer them something of comfort, but I couldn't blow my cover.

Upon reaching the dining hall, the massive doors swung open to reveal a long room with an equally long table. It was lit rather poorly by a mass of candles, and at the very end of the table, sat a man. He was dark-skinned with blood red hair and eyes that glowed yellow in the dim lighting.

"Ah, Lady Cecil. It's so wonderful to finally meet you," his deep, raspy voice boomed.

I curtsied. "As with you, King Ganondorf. I've been looking forward to this meeting for quite some time. I hope we can reach an agreement with this meeting."

"I'm sure we will," the Gerudo agreed. He motioned to a chair with a large hand. "Please, sit down. We have much to discuss."

Taking a seat at the table, I tried my best to ignore the overwhelming urge to vomit at Ganondorf's overly sweet words. "Yes. To start, I'll get straight to the point. My kingdom would like an alliance with yours."

Ganondorf laughed. "I assume so," he said. "After my display of power in Playgia, most others have offered their allegiance to me. Tell me what Asudan has to offer that others do not."

"Well," I began, choosing my words wisely. "Asudan can offer many resources such as ore and other supplies."

"Hyrule has many resources, many of them limitless," the dark king rebutted.

"Asudan has the most fishing ports in the world and could easily stand to share the wealth with Hyrule. Plus, we could supply your army with weapons, armor, and soldiers."

The Evil King hummed in thought, his fingers stroking his trimmed beard. "You make a most convincing argument." He looked off to the side door, grinning. "I will have to think further on this. I insist you stay here until that time. But first, let us eat."

Clapping his hands, Ganondorf summoned a stream of people carrying a plethora of food. The table became lined with roasted boar, steamed fish, sweet rolls, and various other foods. The cutlery placed in front of us was gold inlaid, and I had no doubt that it was used by the old royal family once upon of time. If only they were still here… of course there was still the possibility that Queen Zelda was still alive, but where?

"Do you drink wine?" the king questioned.

I nodded shyly. "Not much as it is improper for a lady to drink in excessive amounts."

"Yes, of course. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

With a snap of Ganondorf's fingers, another slave appeared from the shadows, a pitcher of wine in his hands. In that instant, I was mesmerized by the young slave. He was shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of ratty pants, and he was rather scrawny as all slaves were. His ribs stuck out pronouncedly and his hair, probably a golden color at one time, was dirty and oily. A steel collar was bolted around the slave's neck, chains hanging down from it, leading to a matching set of cuffs on his wrists. The young slave took short, yet quick steps due to the chains around his ankles.

This slave… whoever he was… was so different to the others. He was special.

"Lady Cecile, this is Link. He is my personal slave, but tonight he is yours. Do with him what you wish. Link, pour our guest some wine," Ganondorf ordered.

I discretely pushed my goblet closer to the slave, watching him approach cautiously. Raising the jug he carried in his hands, he began to poor the wine, his arms shaking with tremors. The goblet filled, Link stepped back, moving to the side of his master. He did the same with his master's goblet.

"Very good, Link. That is all," Ganondorf addressed.

With a bow, Link returned to the shadows. "If I may ask, Highness, where did you acquire Link?"

The king raised a wildly thick eyebrow at me and smirked. "Thinking of getting a slave, Lady Cecile?" he laughed. "Alas, you cannot. I acquired Link during the first days of my reign. He was but a boy, barely twelve, when his village offered him as a willing tribute. They begged me to spare their pathetic village, but of course I had to make an example of power somewhere. No one but Link is left."

I internally shivered at the heart-wrenching news. Ganondorf had to have been talking about the small village of Kona. A young boy had offered himself up to the king only for the village to be torched and the people slaughtered. I wondered if Link even knew that had happened or if he remembered his village at all. He was nearly, if not already, twenty-two, and the life of slave was all he seemed to know now.

We finished dinner in silence, not bothering to make small talk. I sat contently in the chair, the surplus of food, feeling wonderful in my stomach. It had been a long time since I had eaten this well. While we weren't as underfed as slaves, the common folk were far from getting what they needed. Our only options were to hunt illegally. That is how I stayed strong and fit during the duration of my training.

"I will have Link escort you to your room if you are ready. We'll discuss more on the alliance in the morning," the king spoke up, his deep base rumbling and loud.

Rising from my seat, I bowed before backing out of the room. "Yes, highness. Good night," I said, closing the doors to the dining room once Link was beside me. I let out a breath of relief, a pressure, that I wasn't aware of until it was gone, lifting from my chest. I turned to Link, surprised to find him kowtowing on the floor.

"As per the master's wishes, I am yours for the duration of your stay, Mistress. May I escort you to your room?" he said, like a trained doll. Did Link even know what some of what he said meant, or was he just repeating a monologue?

I nodded. "Lead on."

Following the slave through the corridors, Link led me to a room, pushing the door open. "I hope the room is to your liking, Mistress." He bowed. "Do not hesitate to call upon me if there is anything you would like or need."

I felt a sudden need to give Link some comfort. However, the thought of him reporting my words to his master briefly crossed my mind. It didn't matter, if he knew what I meant or not. I could not have any part of the plan disclosed to anyone or anything. The risk was too great.

With a sad and soft smile, I placed my hand on Link's shoulder, causing him to look at me, fear evident in his eyes. My breath was taken away by the cerulean color of his irises. They were far too blue to be real, and yet here they were before me, nearly brimming with tears. Moving my hand up to his head, I stroked his dirty hair, shushing him. "Shh, it's all right," I whispered. "I will not need anything at all. You may return." I hoped this sign of affection wouldn't get the handsome slave in trouble; Goddesses, I hoped not.

With a hesitant nod, Link scurried off, closing the door on his way out. I was left alone. Crossing the room, I looked under the bed, finding a pack as Shad and I discussed. Our guy on the inside had managed to sneak the pack in far earlier than I could have ever hoped. Inside was my gear.

A wicked smile crossed my face.

Ganondorf's end was nigh.

I promise I will finish a story or two before completely focusing on this one. I just wanted to get the first chapter out of the way.

I figured this would be an interesting twist to the Zelda Universe. I hope you guys enjoyed this and are looking forward to the events to come.

Let me know what you think of this in a review!