To Zelda's chagrin, Link laughed. "Do you think your paltry magic tricks will scare us, unholy fiend? I have waited my whole life for this day!" With a shout, he charged Ganondorf, sword raised for a strike.

The sorcerer smirked and held out his hand. Dark magic coalesced around Link, binding him and jerking him into the air. "Pathetic," the King of Darkness rumbled.

"Unhand me!" Link yelled. "I demand a fair fight!"

Ganondorf's grin grew. "Funny, I don't remember agreeing to those terms. Begone!" He swept his arm, and Link was thrown across the room.

Zelda clapped a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream, but just as Link looked like he was going to hit the wall, in a flash of magic he disappeared. "What did you do to him?" she asked, pushing herself shakily to her feet. While Link was not her favorite person, she was far from wishing him dead at the hands of a mad overlord.

Ganondorf shook his head. "I banished him from the castle. Permanently, if the spell holds." His smile faded. "You thought I killed him? You'd have to raise my ire more than that in order to earn that honor. Although his voice alone is enough to give me a migraine."

Somewhat against her wishes, Zelda smiled. She knew she really shouldn't, but somehow it comforted her to know that someone else disliked Link as much as she did—and Ganondorf had only known the man for ten seconds.

The moment passed briefly, though, for far more important matters were at hand. She cleared her throat. "Why have you come?"

"To claim this kingdom. By force, if I must." Ganondorf glanced over at the cowering knights and attendants. "I am sure by now you have received word of my army. If I so command, they will overrun this land, burning and pillaging—"

"What if I give the kingdom to you?" The words left Zelda's mouth nearly as soon as she thought of them. Her subjects looked at her incredulously, but she kept her gaze on their attacker.

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes. "You would offer Hyrule to me freely?"

"Yes—" Zelda began shakily, then forced herself into a more authoritative tone. "Yes. If you do not harm my people… we will make no attempt to resist your rule. You have my word."

The dark king stood in silence. "Some would term this an act of cowardice," he said in a quiet voice, albeit one brooding with power. "There are codes of honor that state it is nobler to die defending your right to rule, than to bargain with your conqueror."

Zelda nodded. "But I do not deem it honorable to allow one's people to be slaughtered in a vain war. You caught us unprepared, I know the military state of my kingdom, and I know we do not have what it takes to withstand an attack of this magnitude. I will take the path of mercy."

"You are wise, for one so young," Ganondorf said. "Many before you have eschewed such wisdom. Not all—but many."

Zelda's eyes fell and she glanced at the back of her hand. There, glowing faintly, was the Triforce of Wisdom. "I hope I am wise," she murmured.

Ganondorf took a step toward her and extended his hand. "So, we are agreed? You surrender the throne to me, and I ensure your people remain unharmed?"

The princess looked up at him. Here she was, caught up in the endless cycle just because she happened to be born a Zelda. In her head, she replayed the events of the past few minutes, over and over. Should she have done something differently? Was it really supposed to turn out this way? Had Ganondorf won?

But something about trying to oppose him just left a sick feeling in her stomach. And she knew she could never forgive herself if any of her subjects were hurt because she chose pride over mercy. This was the only way that felt right.

Taking a deep breath, she clasped his hand. "Yes. I give you my word."

As they touched, the Triforces on both their hands flashed. Zelda jumped, startled, and even Ganondorf's eyes widened. For a moment they both stood in silence, and Zelda wondered if anything else would happen.

Then Ganondorf pulled away and smiled—a smile that did not quite reach his eyes, but was not necessarily a cruel smile. "Excellent. Now, please stand aside. I have a throne to claim."

As Zelda did so, she met the pleading eyes of her subjects, and could only give them an apologetic look. Surely they realized this was better than going down fighting.

Ganondorf eased himself onto Zelda's father's throne, which seemed comically undersized for a man of the sorcerer's stature. He leaned back on the ornate chair, looking grim and determined, and not altogether as happy as Zelda thought he should. Perhaps the cycle was on his mind as well.

Zelda turned to the others in the room and gestured to him. "I give you… the King of Hyrule." And she bent her knee and bowed before him.

The room filled with a heavy and uncomfortable silence. There were far too many awkward silences today, Zelda decided. Then again, dark lord invasions were not exactly scripted ordeals.

And she wasn't really sure what would happen next. The fear struck her that Ganondorf might not keep his word.

"You may rise," he said, sounding rather tired. "All of you may return to the day's affairs. My officers will be occupying this castle as well, so please prepare any unused quarters." He paused. "I would like a feast tonight, as the march has been rather long. Thank you."

Zelda rose to her feet and stared at him dumbstruck. This was so mundane that it bordered on ludicrous. Finally she ventured to speak. "Shouldn't you be—er—throwing people in dungeons, or flinging hexes, or something like that?"

Ganondorf glanced over at her. "I promised you I would not harm your people. Therefore business shall continue as usual, and my subjects shall integrate themselves with yours. They are hard workers and can be quite ingenious crafters and magicians. They will be a great asset to this kingdom."

"So you took over my kingdom," Zelda said, "in order to rule it normally?"

The king looked at her for a long moment. "I'm sorry if I disappointed you. You would have had more of a show if you hadn't ceded." For just a split second, Zelda thought she saw his eyes crease with something suspiciously close to mirth.

A smile tugged at the corners of her own lips. "The histories never said you had a sense of humor."

Immediately his expression dropped. "History, Princess," he said, "is written by the victors." Letting out a sigh, Ganondorf turned his attention back to the throne room doors, hanging sadly off their hinges. "I'll have to get those fixed," he muttered to himself. "Perhaps a dark teak would look nicer."

He said nothing more as his new subjects filtered out of the room, leaving him and the princess in the vast silence. Zelda wrung her hands, noticed she was wringing them, and thrust them back by her sides, not wanting to look sniveling.

Finally Ganondorf raised a bushy red eyebrow at her. "Well?" He seemed to have a way of speaking that, while rarely having to raise his voice, commanded respect all the same.

The sort-of question caught her off guard. "Well—what am I supposed to do now?" she asked in all honesty. "I'm not exactly in charge of a kingdom anymore."

The statement evoked a small smile from the new king. "What would you like to do? Besides start an insurgence—that's entirely out of the question."

For a moment Zelda just stared at him, trying very hard to dislike him and failing. "I assumed—I guess—I don't know," she admitted. "Are you going to banish me, too?"

Ganondorf shifted in his throne and turned to her. "That depends," he said, looking her in the eyes. "How would you conduct yourself if you were to stay here? Would you secretly plot against me? Would you act disagreeably towards me and my subjects and generally be an unpleasant houseguest?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, but it is a bit of a headache to live with someone who's constantly fainting dramatically and bursting into tears, or mouthing off and getting underfoot. I can't decide which is worse, actually."

"Yes, I would behave myself," Zelda said. "This is my home, and I should very much like to stay in it, thank you. I can even help you with administrative business."

"Would you?" asked Ganondorf. "That would be greatly appreciated, for you know this kingdom much better than I…" He frowned suddenly and turned away, shaking his head. "No—I shouldn't involve you in such things."

Zelda grimaced. "Why not?" she asked, expecting to be told that he was too afraid she would try to undermine him or steal his political clout.

His answer surprised her. "Because you hate me." He did not look at her, but kept his eyes fixed on a point on the far wall.

"I don't hate you." Zelda thought Ganondorf suddenly looked so miserable that she wanted to put a hand on his shoulder and comfort him, but then she thought better of it. "That's silly. I've barely met you—that's not enough time to decide that I hate you." She bit her lip. "Besides, you're—not half as bad as I thought you would be. You're reasonable, and you keep your word… and I like your sense of humor." Part of her thought it was ridiculous to be complimenting her ancestral enemy. But the other part of her just wanted to cheer him up.

Ganondorf's eyes lifted back to her. For a moment he scanned her face, and then he smiled weakly. "I would appreciate your help with administrative duties, yes."

Zelda returned his smile. "Finally, I don't have to go through all that paperwork myself."