It had been a month since Mora had gone to the cave, and any time Ganondorf saw her, she had seemed off. The spark in those green eyes was wrong, the way she held herself was more withdrawn, her shoulders pulled forward to protect herself from something. Today, she was walking through the square, a wicker basket perched on her hip as she shopped fruits and other goods. Ganondorf watched her from where he was at the entrance with his mother and queen while they were supposed to be getting updates on parts of the wall surrounding the village needed repairs.
Ganondorf jumped when he heard someone clear their throat and he turned, meeting his mothers' eyes. He gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'll pay attention."
Eabim shook her head, waving the young man off. He was almost as tall as she was now, easily towering over the small Hylian girl he watched over. "You've been through this before, go and check on her." She let out a small laugh when he took off without another word.
One of the guards leaned in, giving the queen a look. "Do you think he'll pick her?"
Eabim looked at the guard, her face questioning what the guard meant but then she nodded in understanding. "I would be surprised if he picked one of the Gerudo he grew up with."
The woman that ran the stall Mora was standing at now paused, glancing behind Mora to the prince that towered over her. Mora noticed the attention but ignored Ganondorf until he would speak to her; he would do this sometimes, especially since last month. Just stand guard over her, when he stood behind her, she relaxed, she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her. She paid for the wheat and eggs, moving onto the next stall. Her basket grew heavier with each stall she visited.
Mora didn't fight it when Ganondorf grabbed the basket from her, holding it easily in one arm while she shopped. The small girl at the stall stared in awe at how Mora used their prince like a pack mule, she smiled though when the prince gave her a slight nod and a warm smile of his own.
When her shopping was done, Mora led the young man back through the streets in silence, women stopping and staring at them. One of the older women watched them from where she sat next to her home, little gaps from missing teeth when she looked at the tall voe. "Well trained already, my dear."
Mora paused, looking down at the woman. She gave a small laugh and glanced back at Ganondorf, finally acknowledging him for the first time since he came up behind her. "He did this to himself."
"Only for his future queen."
The two stared at each other for a moment, their cheeks bright red. Mora let out a nervous laugh, hugging herself shyly. "He's getting his practice in for whoever he chooses." She turned and quickly walked away, her head down as she made her way towards her home.
Ganondorf turned a sharp eye to the woman, making sure she sealed her lips before he followed Mora. He set the basket down, looking around for Nikesa to say hello. He gave a confused look to Mora who was watching him. "Where is-"
"She is helping Ubo practice her defensive stance. Ubo keeps getting hit when the guards are practicing, my mother was the best at defensive strategy in fights." Mora licked her lips, trying to keep her eyes focused on his nose. She bit back a growl and looked at the wall behind him instead. "Gan, you can't pick me."
A Queen of the Gerudo didn't need the assistance of a King, it was seen almost seen as if she didn't think she could rule on her own if a Queen declared a King to rule next to her. But, the King, when he was born, would eventually need to choose a Queen to help carry out his line, because once he passed his crown, a woman would rule again for one hundred years until the next King. Mora could hear the whispers no one dared to think of when Ganondorf was nearby. All the young females resented how close Mora was to Ganondorf, but of course they would. They wanted to be Queen. Mora wanted none of that. But she wanted to see another female at his side even less.
"Promise me you won't pick me."
"I can't do that."
"Yes, you can." Mora took half a step back when he took a step forward, towards her. "I'll refuse."
She froze at the purr she heard come from the tall prince, a snarl leaving her at his words. "And deny me, your prince, what I want? If that is what I want?"
"And here I thought you wouldn't let the power go to your head." Mora stared at the mouth that was in front of her, mere inches away from her own. She knew he was teasing her; she could hear it in the chuckle that left him. She wondered if her cheeks were tinted pink like his were, if he felt the same butterflies that were making her heart hammer in her chest and making her limbs numb.
Ganondorf started to close the distance that separated them, time seemed to go to slow around them as his nose brushed lightly against hers. He could feel his cheeks flush more as he tipped his chin, her breath teasing his lips. "Put your lips on my dabi, Prince…" the voice that broke their silence had the two teenagers jumping away from each other. The way Nikesa spat out the title made it sound like an insult as she moved through the doorway. "And it will be the last thing you do."
Mora was wide eyed and staring at the ground between her feet, barely able to hear the grunt from Ganondorf as the sound of her beating heart started to drown the world around her out. She risked glancing up, seeing Nikesa with a hand on Gan's earlobe. "You are almost sixteen and she is fourteen. You will wait until she is older before you do anything with her. Neither of you are adults. And already talking about her being queen? And while your mother is still on the throne? The audacity. The disrespect." Nikesa snarled, meeting the prince's eyes.
Ganondorf had once told Mora that he had three things he feared in life, one was his mother, one was Nikesa and the other was Mora. Those three women kept him on his toes and second guessing himself. He swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly nodded. "I'm sorry, Nikesa."
"I don't know why you're apologizing to me. I am not the one you were trying to pressure into being your queen. While your queen mother is still living and breathing on that throne."
"He was teasing! He- I… the old woman on the street said something and Gan was just… he was just teasing, mom." Mora grasped her mother's free hand, her green eyes round and pleading.
Nikesa glared at her daughter before rolling her eyes. "You two are too young to be necking around like this, you have no idea what the feelings really mean. Especially with all the other pril have been giving her such a hard time for being so close to you."
Mora's jaw dropped and she looked between her mother and Gan. "Mom!"
"What…?" Gan stared at Nikesa, hurt in his eyes as he turned to Mora. "They've been giving you a hard time?"
"It's not like that! Mom! Why would you-"
"You hadn't told him?" Nikesa looked surprised, Mora told the prince everything. Even things she wouldn't tell Nikesa. "Why?"
Mora dropped her hands to her side, her fingers clenching into fists. She turned her eyes away, biting her lip hard enough to turn them white. "I didn't want him hurt."
Nikesa and Gan both reached out to her, but before they could lay a hand on her, she was gone, running out the door. Nikesa frowned, rubbing her face with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Ganondorf. I thought she had said something to you."
Gan shook his head, a pathetic look in his eyes. "My mother wants me to pick Kyra… but…" He looked at Nikesa, shrugging some. "There's just something about Mora."
"You two have a trust system in place already, you've known each other since I brought her here." Nikesa met Gan's eyes once more, tipping her head to the door. "Are you going to go get her, or do I need to go fetch her?"
"No, I'll find her. She usually only has one place that she runs off to when she's upset like this." He started to leave when he paused in the doorway, only turning his head slightly towards Nikesa. "Can I borrow her for a few days? I promise to bring her back home."
Nikesa watched Ganondorf for a moment before sighing softly. "That would be fine, I suppose. But no kissing." She laughed when the prince's face lit up in different shades of pinks and reds.
Ganondorf walked quickly through the village, heading towards the Eastern gate when a guard trotted up to him. "Prince! I know it is none of my business, but I saw Mora run off crying. Is she okay?"
"Ruby?" Ganondorf stopped and shook his head, sighing. "We had a disagreement, I upset her when I didn't mean to." He waved his hand towards the Eastern gate, where he had been headed. "I'm off to go get her."
"Oh, I saw her run towards the Northern gate." Ruby pointed back behind Ganondorf before scratching her cheek. "It was just a moment or two ago."
Ganondorf's face scrunched some as he thought about what was to the North. He gave a small nod of his head, thanking the guard for letting him know as he took off in the direction. He took pause when he arrived a few moments later, seeing his mother and some guard talking to each other about what he could only assume were repairs.
Eabim glanced over, raising a well arched brow at her son. "Ganondorf, what did you do to Mora? Poor child could hardly see straight through those tears."
Gan gave his mother a look, trying to keep his smile pleasant. "We had a small disagreement."
"About?"
"I will keep her personal business between us, I don't want to put something about Mora in prying ears and loose lips." His mother smirked at the harsh bite to his tone, but he ignored it, and the offended huffs from the guard around them. "What way did she go?"
Eabim lifted her arm, flicking her wrist back towards the East. Gan let out a groan and headed out, he hadn't left but a minute or two after her, and with how short she was, he was surprised at how far ahead of him she was.
Mora looked up at the watch tower, it wasn't used very often, only by her and maybe one or two of the guard that liked to look out over the land. She made quick work of the ladder to the second level, and then slipping around to the next ladder, she scaled on up. When she reached the top, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing a mane of fiery red hair whisking around in the wind, headed for her location. She plopped down on the edge so her back was to the ladder, her feet swinging in the air as she looked out over the sea of sand beyond.
It didn't take long for his long strides to finally get Ganondorf to the tower, his brows furrowed together as he looked up at the sand beaten ladders. The older he got, and the heavier he grew, he always worried more and more that those stupid ladders would give out under him. But he climbed anyways to the third level. He cringed some when the third level platform creaked when he started to put weight on it. He stayed on the ladder, watching as the wind grabbed at the long brunette strands of hair around her shoulders and pulled against the silky teal threads she wore. He waited for her signal that she was ready to talk, his chin resting on his lanky arms.
Mora glanced back at Gan, she knew she should say something, anything, to him. But anything she thought up to say just sounded wrong. She twisted around and crawled over to him, her forehead butting against his.
Gan locked gazes with her for a moment before closing his eyes and breathing in deep. He knew what Nikesa said was true, they were still young, and they didn't understand their feelings. No matter what the two of them. He felt Mora move her forehead away from his, he started to open his eyes to see what she was doing when he felt her fingers clutching his arms and her lips crashing against his. His eyes snapped open and his lungs seemed to stop working for a moment, the world around him cracked and shifted at the feeling.
Something ached deep inside of him when she pulled away for a moment, only for relief to flood through him when her lips were against his again. "I've been hearing a voice in my head since I visited the cave." He barely heard her as he tried to refocus on the here and now.
Gan tipped his head so his lips were close to hers, huffing softly. "So… you kiss a guy and then tell him that you're weird?"
"Gan!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He cupped her cheek and pulled back so he could see her eyes better. "What did you find when you went there?"
"Nothing… at first." Mora sat back, extending her legs out as she leaned back on her hands in front of him.
Gan carefully pulled himself up and rolled over onto his back, resting his head in her lap. "But?"
"But… when I was getting ready to leave, I pushed off a wall and it broke open, sending me down and into some weird room with some boxes and crates. I found some cool weapons." Mora idly played with his fire red hair, her eyes going distant for a moment.
Mora looked down at the torch in one hand and the sword in the other. She wanted to take it back and get the blade cleaned up in time for Gan's sixteenth name day. An ancient Gerudo Claymore? How cool of a present would that be.
With a look up the climb she had to make, Mora swallowed the lump in her throat, ignoring the pounding in the back of her head and the thrumming pain in her legs as she started her slow ascent back to the top. She started to slip a few times, but swung the claymore awkwardly up, catching herself before she fell back down.
It felt like it took forever to climb back up with how many loose rocks made her slip back down a few inches, but finally she threw her torch up, and then the claymore. She grabbed the edge and hoisted herself up. With a loud groan she slowly stood back up, picking up her torch and the claymore. She turned on her heels, starting back the way she came when a hissing noise sent a chill as cold as ice down her spine.
Wait
Mora felt warmth on her cheeks as fear coursed through her veins, the voice was deep and growled at her. She didn't dare move, barely able to let out the shaky breath that was trapped in her lungs. She didn't know what way she should run if she could bring herself to move in the first place. The voice bounced and reverberated off every wall around her, trapping her in that spot.
Co…
…me….
It was a straight shot towards the entrance, she remembered her markings, her rest spots. She hadn't turned down any side corridors, there hadn't been any. She could run, she could make her legs move, she could do it. 'Run! Run! Run!' So why weren't her legs listening to the frantic screams in her head?
Ba…a…ac…k….
Help… us…ss
"Run, dammit!" Mora finally put one foot in front of the other, then the next and the next, until her feet were crashing on the ground beneath her. She growled when the claymore seemed heavier in her grasp, dragging her down with each fevered step. She could come back and get it; she should drop it. Gan would want her safe over some stupid sword.
A growl left her, she found the damn thing, she was going to keep the damn thing. She stopped for just a heartbeat, awkwardly tying a bag strap around the hilt of the sword. The tip scrapped against the ground as she ran, but with the weight on her pack, it was easier to carry. She was an idiot, she shouldn't have kept the sword.
Help…
…us…
Mora didn't mention the sword to Gan, just about the voice pleading for help when she got back to the cave she started in. She could see the gears in his head working, trying to piece together the information. "Do me a favor, close your eyes." When she did as he asked, he grabbed a hand, grounding her to him. "Tell me, what did it smell like?"
"Dirt. Mildew."
"What do you hear?"
"Rats… some bats… hissing. Like… no… not like a snake… it's… airier than a snake hiss."
"Can you pinpoint the hissing?"
"Right behind me when I was leaning on that wall…"
"And the wall giving way, what happened?"
"I fell, I was sitting up at the bottom…something hit me in the back of the head." She squeezed his hand, he squeezed back, his thumb brushing along the back of her hand, reminding her she was safe.
"Now… you've lit your torch again, what do you see?"
"Crates… boxes…"
"What else?" Gan watched her, she was back in that room, studying the walls she remembered. "Do you see a door?"
Mora opened her eyes, instantly finding his, a wild fear in those eyes. "I didn't notice it at first… there was a door behind one of the crates."
"I wonder what was behind that door." Gan gave her a coy smile, reaching up with his free hand and brushing her cheek. "Maybe one day we can go back and find out?" He was always up for an adventure when Mora wasn't.
Mora let out a nervous laugh and looked away, her hand still squeezing his. "Yeah… maybe one day."
"What does the voice say?" Gan saw the flinch, frowning as he stroked her hand once more. "Does anything help to ease it?"
"You. You help. It just… wants help… in that… creepy… hungry voice… help us." Mora looked down at Ganondorf again, giving him a stupid grin. "Will you kiss me again?"
"You have to ask?" Gan chuckled and sat up, pulling her against him, his lips gently pressing against hers. A smile slid across his lips when he felt her relax into him, the weight of her new problem dissolving from her shoulders.
