Well, here it is. Second chapter. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, just the plot.


2 months later

Zelda had once believed that she would someday escape her bindings. But ever since the death of her father she found herself more trapped than ever. She still was not allowed to leave the castle, and everywhere she turned, there was Ganondorf attempting to drag her into his plans.

"I was just looking for you princess," he would say whenever saw her, "Might you join me in the library?" Or wherever he saw fit to speak. Zelda, being a mannered woman, would politely accept. And Ganondorf would whisk her away to some destination in the castle's dark walls, pestering her with conversation. She never paid attention; an occasional nod or sigh of acknowledgement seemed to satisfy the Dark Lord when all she wanted was the solitude of her room. These "conversations" usually did not last long, but nonetheless were a daily nuisance to the princess. But one day, things took a strange turn.

The day had begun like all the others: Zelda aimlessly wandered the castle, Ganondorf running into her and inviting her for a chat in the courtyard garden. It was fairly warm, a soft breeze stirring the plant life. Clouds flecked the sky and occasionally blotted out the sun's light. Ganondorf led the princess to an old stone bench by a shallow pond. He gestured for her to sit.

"Such a lovely day, isn't it?" he asked, both taking a seat. She nodded as her eyes wandered off into space. He droned on with pointless observations and other things Zelda did not care to listen to. So, as usual, she tuned him out. She did not know exactly how long he had been talking, but at one point he stopped abruptly and sighed deeply.

"Do I bore you, princess?" he asked with slight annoyance. Zelda snapped out of her trance and looked up.

"I beg your pardon?" Zelda was genuinely surprised by his new tone. He turned to face her straight on, glaring into her oceanic eyes.

"I have tolerated your behavior for this long only because I believed you to still be in shock over the death of your father, but quite frankly, I've had enough." He stood up, towering over the princess's small body. "Though I am not Hyrulean, I am still royalty, same as you. And I demand respect. So if you're going to treat me so rudely then expect to be treated in the same fashion, you insolent child." Zelda's mouth dropped and her eyes flashed anger. No one had ever spoken to her like that in her entire life. She stood up then as well, though he was nearly a foot taller than her.

"How dare you!" she spat as she raised her hand to slap him across the face, standing on the tips of her toes. He caught her wrist just before she made contact and lifted her until they were at eye level. She gave a small cry as pain shot through her arm.

"See what I mean? You, my dear, are a brat, and need to learn proper behavior." Ganondorf let go of her wrist, letting her hit the ground hard, and glared at her for a few moments. Zelda cradled her wrist and returned his glare.

"The next time you treat me with such disrespect, I will not be so kind," he growled. With that he stormed out of the garden.

Zelda sat on the grass for a long time. Her wrist ached, her head swam, her heart raced; she had never been more terrified in her entire life. She had realized then how immensely powerful Ganondorf was. Within the past few months, he could have killed her in seconds, snapping her bones and crushing her skull. He could have done anything to hurt her and there would be nothing she could do.

So why hadn't he done any of these things? Why did he keep her alive?

She could not say.

But she knew he was right. Ganondorf was a king, and he deserved respect. Even if he was not of royal blood he would still deserve respect. She had acted rude, and he did not deserve that when he had been nothing but kind to her.

Zelda felt she owed him the greatest of apologies, but it would wait until tomorrow. She slowly got up, looking to the sky. She would turn over a new leaf; she would give Ganondorf a chance.


Zelda did not see Ganondorf. As she wandered through the castle, Ganondorf did not appear. Neither did he attend meals. It was almost as if he had vanished, though the guards assured Zelda that the Dark Lord was indeed in the castle.

"But may I see him?" she persisted.

"I'm sorry," they would say, "But the king is very busy and does not wish to be disturbed at this present time."

Three days had passed and still Zelda could not see him. She thought herself clever whenever she ventured into the library or the courtyard, hoping he would be there and catching him off guard. But he was never anywhere she looked.

The princess was lonely. And although she didn't want to admit it, she missed Ganondorf's company.

On the evening of the fourth day, she approached one of the guards.

"I must speak with Ganondorf," she requested. But still the same answer.

"I'm sorry, princess, but he is quite busy and wishes to be left alone." Zelda decided to change her tactic.

"Please, it is of the utmost importance that I speak with him," she pleaded. The guard looked at Zelda sympathetically.

"I'll see what I can do," she replied. The guard wandered off in the direction of Ganondorf's quarters and did not return for quite some time. When she did come back, she motioned for Zelda to follow.

The guard led Zelda down a long corridor of a forgotten part of the castle. In the days of old, the rooms there had been used for torture. As a child Zelda was not allowed to enter this part of the castle though it was no longer in use. The walls were caked with dirt and dust and the occasional bloodstain. It was not a place that Zelda wanted to be, but if it would get her to Ganondorf she would endure her discomfort.

At last the guard stopped in front of a set of wooden doors. They were chipped and just as dirty as the walls. She knocked on the door.

"You may enter," came Ganondorf's booming voice from inside. The guard opened the door and Zelda cautiously stepped inside. It was a simple room; the same stone floors as the rest of the castle, a plain looking chandelier to light the room, and an old stone hearth with a fire burning to help illuminate the room. At the other end of the room was an archway that she assumed led to Ganondorf's sleeping quarters. The only thing extraordinary were the walls. Lining the walls of the room were thousands upon thousands of books, more books than even the library contained. Zelda gaped at the books, wondering to herself why she did not know that they were here. Her eyes finally came to rest on a long table in the middle of the room. Busily writing something was Ganondorf. She cleared her throat, causing him to glance up and then quickly return his gaze to his writing.

"Yes, princess? What is so urgent that you need to speak to me about?" he asked dryly. She took a deep breath before she spoke.

"My lord, I have been carrying a great burden upon my shoulders for these past few days," Zelda said. Still he did not look up. So this was how it felt, she thought.

"I would like to offer my apologies to you, for I have been rude and ungrateful these past few months," Zelda finished.

"That's all?" he replied, not looking up from his writing.

"Well," she started. Ganondorf looked up at her and began to laugh.

"It's just that you made it sound as if this were something of importance." Zelda eyed him sheepishly; she did not understand what he was getting at.

"You do not need to apologize. A small scare and a sore wrist seem to balance out your insolence enough for me. And besides, you seemed to have learned your lesson."

"But I haven't even seen you in days. I thought that–" Ganondorf held up a hand to silence her.

"Really, princess, I mean you no disrespect but I could care less about what happened the other day. I haven't been around lately because I've been dealing with matters in my homeland. In fact, that is what I am doing now." He watched with a stoic expression as her cheeks flushed a vibrant red. Zelda felt embarrassed. Here she was worried that he was tired of her when he really had been busy. She tried to shake off the feeling.

"I want to make it up to you," she stated. "I want to learn, and I want to help." Ganondorf looked slightly annoyed.

"Yes, yes, alright," he replied, "But may we discuss this further at a later time? I really must handle my other affairs."

"Yes," Zelda said. Ganondorf nodded once and brought his focus back to his writing. Zelda turned around and headed for the door.

As she left, she couldn't help but feel happy. She really did want to help him, and he was going to let her.


Okay so I don't really like this one as much as I think I should. It's kind of sloppy, so sorry. And I really just wanted to finish and post it tonight so it's kinda dumb at the end. Also I'm weird and I can't just write straight up and down. I like jumping around. I'll try doing better for the next chapter. Ummmm I don't know what else to say. Constructive criticism is always helpful.

Rating might have to change within the next few chapters...