Zelda kneeled there, transfixed, the dead Hero's head in her lap. Suddenly angry shouts echoed far down the corridor, and Time threw her back into the world of the living.
Ocine was coming. He had the favor of the King and half the Shekiah. And he had killed the Chosen Hero.
Zelda did not waste time thinking about what he would do when he found her, whether he would kill her or attempt to subjugate her. A single coherent thought stood sharp and fast in her mind. She needed to get away, far away, NOW.
As she struggled to her feet, wobbly-legged, she shifted Link's hands over his chest, then changed her mind. He had given his life to protect her. He had sworn to serve her even in death. She dragged his body over the cold stone floor, making it look like he had crawled through the bedroom, searching in vain. Then, though it pained her to do so, she left him there, shifting into her Shekiah uniform and left through the window. With luck, no one would be able to confirm she had left for a very long time.
Zelda focused on one thing and one only as she made her way along the castle parapets, hearing the cries of guards as they searched the castle for her. Her heart took up permanent residence in her throat as she crept slowly, maddeningly slowly, toward the Shadow Temple. Every now and then she froze, not for the presence of the useless guards but the other Shekiah…the others now searching for her, either to help or hinder her. She had no way of knowing who was who. And likely neither of them would approve of what she was about to do.
She had to warn the Desert King, and free him, so he could defend his people.
The Temple's doors stood guarded by nothing but shadow magic, the tool of the red-eyed tribe that defended the Crown. For the most part, it was enough. Even with her own skills, Zelda had to be cautious, to avoid alerting other Shekiah of her presence. Let alone make a misstep and fall into one of its many traps.
Finally, at the very end of the Temple, she opened the door to the Gerudo King's cell. He hung limply, unmoving, even when the arc of light from the door crossed his face. The shadows played over the lines of his face, making him appear older than he really was.
Fearful, Zelda quickly stepped to his side, unlocking the manacles that held him even as she spoke. "You must return to the Gerudo Valley. There isn't much time…"
With blinding speed, the limp figure straightened and rammed Zelda into the right-hand wall, his right arm pinning her as amber eyes burned into her blue ones. "No. There's no time at all," he hissed in a voice at once both melancholy and sinister. "Why are you here? How can you possibly torment me further?"
Zelda coughed, ribs bruised from his punishing blow. "Ocine…he's going to kill all the Gerudo…he's brought the Knights and the Shekiah to his side…" Her vision blurred both from the pain and the tears in her eyes. "He killed Link…"
"What?! You fool!" Ganondorf bellowed. "If Ocine has killed the one who defeated me, there will be no stopping him!"
Zelda wavered slightly, stunned to hear that Ganondorf drew no satisfaction from the death of the Hero. "You have to go…we'll both go. There's no reason for me to stay here. I'll help you…"
Mocking laughter rang in her ears as all the pent-up rage inside Ganondorf finally surfaced. "And what would I want with your help? You only offer it because your own life is threatened."
Zelda shook her head vigorously. "That's not true, I can't let Ocine take my kingdom and destroy your people! I…"
"Where were you when I stood before the Sages, and they condemned me to this fate?" he snarled, shaking her. "Now you see what your foolishness has wrought. Idiot! Ocine did not need to steal the Triforce to claim Hyrule. He was able to do so through much easier means. He simply fooled you…all of you. Even those who should know better. I had no choice but to go to extremes when you did not listen to me!"
"How could I know he would go this far?" Zelda demanded, digging her nails into his hand. "Why did you not just stand by my side as a friend should? Once Ocine made his move, you could have helped Link!"
"Nothing I did legitimizes this fate, starving to death, surrounded by the constant stench of blood and pus, betrayed by the one person I thought I could trust!" Ganondorf howled, the biting pain searing his words. He threw her against the wall where he had stood for so long, clasping the manacles around her own wrists. "You're not leaving here until you get a small taste of what I have had to endure."
Zelda pulled against the chains, reaching out in an attempt to kick him. "You fool, what good will this do? I could be helping you…"
"I don't want your help," he said slowly, biting off each word with a sour relish. "You will stay here, out of danger and, more importantly, out of my way – while I fix this mess you've created!"
"You can't keep me here!" she strained against her chains, feeling through the shadow magic to find the lock, to no avail.
"You won't have to stay there long," Ganondorf said, matter-of-fact, as he opened the door. "Just until after I've saved my people from extinction and taken that fool's head. I'm sure you'll be just fine."
Zelda hurled curses after him once he slammed the door shut, knowing it would do her no good.
-&-
Time had no meaning in that dark place. Zelda hung there, half-standing, half-leaning, once her angry tirade wound down. She shut her eyes against the black void, trying to think of some way out of the situation. And yet escape was not what came to mind.
She should have listened to him. What she had done to her old friend was unforgivable. Zelda had let paranoia and Ocine's words taint her judgement…
-&-
"I came immediately once I heard what had happened." Ocine stepped into the throne room still clad in his riding gear. "I'm sorry to hear about your friend."
Zelda flinched slightly at his painstakingly concealed insincerity. "There is no need to apologize. It is my job to uphold the rule of law, regardless of who breaks it."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
Zelda shook her head, handing her page the last decree for the day and stepping down from the dais. "I'm afraid you've come all the way out here for nothing. My Shekiah have the situation under control."
"Ah yes, I understand," Ocine said as he followed her to the great double doors at the end of the room. "What I meant was, is there anything I can do for you in particular? The loss of a friend must be difficult to bear."
Zelda stopped, turning toward him. "How did you find out so quickly what had happened, and who was involved?"
Ocine waved his hand as if it were nothing. "Oh, I asked one or two of your Shekiah to let me know if anything happened. Good to keep the lines of communication open between our two kingdoms, don't you think?"
Zelda's eyes narrowed. "If I needed you, I would have sent a messenger."
"Forgive me, I acted in haste." He made a slight bow, and stepped ever so slightly closer. "Zelda…you don't need to face everything alone, you know. You have allies. I am one of them. There's no shame in asking for a bit of assistance now and then."
She gave him a forced smile. "I told you, my Shekiah have taken care of it."
To her chagrin, he followed her into the courtyard. Technically, he wasn't doing anything wrong, and she felt that his company was at least better than being alone with her burning questions.
He began a long, one-sided conversation, which she kept rolling with a lot of "uh huhs" until he said, "But really, it makes sense, I suppose. The Hylians and the Gerudo have never really been on good terms."
Pulling herself out of her daze, she said, "I don't see how that's a concern of yours."
"Well, I'm just saying you shouldn't put all the blame on yourself. I mean, he might have been your friend at one time, but he's got his own people to think of. And the pull of the Triforce is just too much for them to handle."
"It would be tempting to anyone," she replied irritably. "The Gerudo are not alone among those who have tried to claim it."
He shrugged. "Well, I guess you just have to be careful about who you trust…"
-&-
Zelda's head jerked up as she heard someone approach her cell. Several someones, as a matter of fact. None of them had Ganondorf's characteristic gait. The door opened and Zelda's face twisted in hatred as she recognized the leader, standing in front of a group of Shekiah.
Ocine grinned wide. "Greetings, Your Highness."
She did not conceal her ire. "What you have done is nothing short of unspeakable. Surely the Goddesses have a particularly frightening fate in store for one who kills the Chosen Hero."
"I? I did not kill the Chosen Hero. It was Ganondorf, of course, right before he escaped."
Zelda lunged forward. "Do you think I am such a fool as to believe…"
"Not you, my dear." He stepped just out of reach, smiling down with the air of one who withholds his hand from a drowning man. "Everyone else in the kingdom."
"Idiot. Do you intend to kill me, then? For there is no other way to keep me silent. Or are you going to blame my death on Ganondorf as well?"
He shook his head. "No, my dear. In fact, your father the King knows that you are alive, though not well. After I told him his poor mad daughter had released the Evil One, out of misguided affection for a criminal, he agreed that you would have to be locked up, as a danger to yourself and others.
Zelda blanched. "What?"
The little group of traitor Shekiah released Zelda from the manacles, keeping a good hold on her both magically and physically. "I think we can do better than this, don't you?" Ocine said conversationally. "After all, you're not a criminal yourself…you're just insane." He brought his face very close to hers, so much that she would have bitten him if not been held back by the hair. "And it makes some things so much easier, for the both of us. I don't have to drag you to the altar, or the bedroom…I don't need to have you around at all."
Zelda stiffened. "You lie. My father would never…"
"Your father is a very insecure man…always has been. With the Gerudo King on the loose and his lone child out of her mind, he's become very interested in strong successors."
"You can't keep me here!" Zelda cried out as the Shekiah threw her into another cell. "You attempt to play with the very prophecies of the Goddesses!"
Ocine snorted as the door slammed shut, silencing her. "If your Gerudo friend couldn't escape on his own…what makes you think you can?"
