This fic will probably do a lot of back and forth, at least at first. Easiest way to write it. I thank you for all the reviews, they keep me energized!
Ganondorf flopped aimlessly in bed, staring at the ceiling. There were eight hundred tiles making up the ceiling, eight hundred exactly, each colored white with little pink speckles and the Royal Family crest making up most of the design. He'd counted them many times over the course of the past three days. His seven efforts to escape, three of which had ended with him being caught, eventually prompted Zelda to take measures to stop him and post guards outside the door. The other four times he'd given up himself and returned to the recovery room before the inevitable capture. There were simply too many people in this damned castle to walk around unnoticed, especially when the boy's body was so weakened. A part of this actually comforted him. At least he'd done severe damage to him during their battle. He tried not to notice much about the body itself, apart from the fact it was pitifully white and considerably less-developed in the strength department. He tucked both hands behind his head and sighed through his nose.
The door opened and he turned to face it as Zelda came through, carrying a tray of food. It was lunchtime. His life had formed into a series of boring, strung-out routines. He felt fine, which made it all the more irritating when he couldn't be allowed to leave this room, much less seek out his body. She set the tray by his bedside and took a seat, her eyebrows knitting together as she observed his sour look. "I've got good news, Link."
Good news? He sat up and faced her, unmoving to take the food. He wasn't used to eating the rich food she'd prepared for him and had rarely touched the plates she brought in. Maybe it was part of the reason she'd never let him leave. Because she looked so utterly concerned, her eyes glued to the tray, then turning to him, he reached over and took a few grapes in hand, popping them into his mouth. He swallowed them quickly. "What's the news?"
"The doctors say you're well enough to get up and move around again," Zelda said, offering him a serene smile.
He threw the covers back and got on his feet, clothed in the white cotton of a simple undershirt and pants. "Good. I've been telling them the same for days. These wounds will not stop me." She was giving him an odd look, so he quickly continued, waving a hand dismissively and approaching the open window, the only window he had to the outside world. He leaned out and stared into the horizon, in the direction of the desert. "I mean, from finding him."
"I'm so glad to hear you're as brave as ever, Link…"
Ganondorf felt a pair of slender arms encircle his waist and stiffened. No one had touched him in years, not with a sensitive or sweet intention. He smelled her perfume and felt her bosom press against his back as she leaned against him, the feel of her cheek apparent through the thin cotton clothing. What should he say to that? What should he do? He cleared his throat and turned to face her, but her arms didn't move from around him. Instead she just leaned against his chest, arms satisfied just to hug him as if she didn't intend upon ever releasing him. He wrinkled his nose and lifted a hand, giving her back a few pats. Maybe that would be enough to get the girl off of him. She looked up at him, and he saw in calm blue of her eyes a definite look of care, of love. He'd suspected the boy and the princess had a thing going between them, after all, they were two teenagers. He'd been a teenager once. He knew what was on their minds around one another. However, now that he was her object of affection, the tables were entirely turned. How did the boy normally act around her? Did he return her affections? If he did, Ganondorf certainly had no intention to do so.
She began to lean in towards his face, faintly, but Ganondorf knew enough to tell what she meant to do. He tilted his body back and turned his head to the side. She met his cheek and planted a gentle kiss, apparently not bothered by his movement, probably attributing it to shyness. "Before you go off gallivanting to your own vices and plans, I've called a meeting in the court. Get changed and meet us there, alright? The soldiers will show you where it is…" She brushed a few locks of his hair back, playing with them and then turning away, her long dress swaying gracefully. She set a bundle of fabric on a nearby chair and turned, still smiling. "Here are your clothes, fresh and washed. I'll be waiting for you."
She closed the door behind her and Ganondorf smeared a hand over his cheek, face twisted in a snarl of displeasure. It wasn't that the Princess was ugly, or that Ganondorf did not favor the company of women from time to time. After all, his entire society was based around solely female contact. He suspected he knew more about them than he did men sometimes, but to receive affections from someone who'd only been a stumbling block for him time after time only annoyed him. He uttered a short, flustered grunt through his nose and took the clothes she'd brought him in hand. Shaking them out, he grimaced with an audible groan.
Green. Everything was so green. It was enough he was being tortured by occupying the boy's body, did he have to dress like him, too? He missed his own clothing, and getting changed only meant he'd have to see more of the Hylian's body in contrast to his own. There would be no helping it, at least not until he got the chance to buy his own clothing. He changed as quickly as possible, doing his best to keep his gazes limited, buttoning and affixing until everything was on correctly. He'd never worn tights before, and they felt the oddest to him, but the fabric itself was actually quite light and easy to move in, different from his armor. He wiggled his toes in the boots and took a few steps out the door. The hallway seemed empty apart from the doors lining it on either side. Was this his chance? Could he just go now and-
"Good morning, Link," a soldier said from behind. "They're expecting you in the court. Come with me."
Damn it all. When were these people going to let him go? He uttered a deep sigh and waved. "Lead on." He followed the man until they reached a room he'd been in a few times before, a which always led to mind-numbingly boring meetings and drawn-out discussions never going room anywhere in particular. The doors were huge, and inside there would be a long table with a little over a dozen seats around it, a stained glass window decorated with a portrait of the princess, her mother, and her father. The doors were opened for him and he entered.
"Link! Link, you're okay!"
Suddenly Ganondorf found himself surrounded by a group of people he knew very well: the sages. A bouncing ball of light with wings alighted in front of him and he took a step back, stunned, blinking rapidly as a small voice emanated from the ball of light.
"Hello, Link!"
The boy's fairy. Ganondorf held particular contempt for this thing. He tried to force a smile, but suddenly a booming voice sounded from behind him.
"Brother!" He was lifted from his feet in a crushing hug that stole his breath, exhaling in a gasp of pain and surprise. The arms holding him were rock-hard and impossible to struggle from, but he flailed regardless, which only elicited a chorus of girly giggles from a few people and chuckles from the rest. He was set down a few moments later with a pat on the back firm enough to make him stumble over himself. He finally got a look at who had grabbed him and paled a little at the girth of the Goron in front of him. He vaguely remembered confronting this Goron many years ago, when he'd demanded the Spiritual Stone from him and blocked the cavern as a result of the Goron's refusal. However, when he'd last encountered him, he'd been holder of the Triforce of Power, the great King of the Desert. Now… he was little more than a teenage boy with no power at his disposal. His posture must have seemed tense, because the Goron gave a great laugh. "You gave a good fight, didn't you, brother? We Gorons could not be prouder!"
"T…thanks, I guess…" Ganondorf stuttered, patting his chest to slow his heartbeat and tell his body to breathe normally once again.
"We're all proud of you, too, Link…" a voice calm and smooth purred.
He turned to face it and stopped short when he saw the figure of a Zora woman approaching and giving him a hug. So much physical contact… so many hugs and well-wishes… it was making him sick to his stomach. However, he had to admit, he didn't mind the feeling of the woman's chest pressing against his near as much as he'd minded the Goron hug. Unlike Zelda, the Zora woman was well-developed and completely open with her body, leaving nothing closed to the mind. She may have been a sage, but he liked her taste. Ganondorf had never bothered much with modesty, nor had any of the women in his life. If only she hadn't been a Zora, he may have prolonged it, but as it was, he broke away from her and forced the same smile on his face.
"I knew you'd be okay." He had to look down to see the source of this voice, a small girl with green hair. She also hugged him, but she couldn't get her arms any further than around his leg. She could have been a younger sister, as far as Ganondorf knew, but he recognized her aura and sighed, letting the sage finish her squeeze. "I never stopped believing in you."
As she backed away from him, hands held in front of her comfortably and smile on her face, he held out his arms. "Anyone else? If anyone else wants to touch me or hug me in any way, now would be a good time."
A woman standing near Zelda, who was seated at the head of the table, gave a gruff chuckle, arms crossed. Her eyes seemed to smile even more than her lips, wise and experienced. "Don't tempt them." He knew her well. She was Impa, the castle nanny for Zelda and an overseer for the army, a supreme battle strategist. Occasionally she would join him during his sessions with the king and discussions about his fealty. She'd known his intentions from the beginning somehow, suspected his loyalty was not true.
"If you make that offer, kid, we'll be here all day."
Kid. His eyes were drawn to the voice and stayed glued there. For the first time in many years, Ganondorf completely lost track of everything around him. He stared at her and before he knew it, his lips moved. "Nabooru."
She stood near the chair to the direct left of Zelda, hands crossed leisurely over her chest, leaning on the back of the wood. She looked exactly the same as she had the last time he'd seen her. When had that been? He couldn't remember seeing her for at least a few years. She had the same long red hair tied back in a haphazard ponytail, the same gold jewelry on her body, the familiar amber jewel centered on her neckline and among her forehead. Even her clothing hadn't changed much, from the shameless exposure of her midriff to the billowing of her pants with a classical Gerudo design zigzagging along the legs.
"Yes?" She cocked her head, giving him a stunned look and overlooking herself. "What's up, kid? You okay?"
He just stared at her, memories he'd long forgotten by force resurfacing themselves. When he spoke again, his voice sounded softer. "Fine."
"Then let's get on with it," Nabooru remarked, seating herself, the other sages following suit. Ganondorf finally snapped back into his senses when a smaller hand wrapped around his own and the little girl with the green hair pulled him to the chair on the end of the table, between herself and the Zora girl. Even after he seated himself, he couldn't stop staring at the Gerudo woman. Maybe he was simply glad to see something familiar after interacting with so many strange things the past few days, but… he didn't like how unguarded her presence made him feel suddenly. How… open. Weak.
"The matter of business we have gathered to discuss," Zelda began, her hands regally folded on the table in front of her, "is the retreat of Ganondorf into the desert. As we all know, he has wounded Link, and attempted to claim the Triforce for his own during our last encounter. Before we could open the sacred realm and perform the motions necessary to seal him there, he took to the Triforce. Luckily Link was able to beat him to the relic and both were knocked unconscious."
"What does the Triforce appearing mean?" Ruto asked, her fins flicking gently in and out instinctively. "That's never happened before."
"You're right," Zelda said, her eyes centering on her hands in front of her. "As Link reached it, he was knocked out. You don't remember anything or feel any different, do you, Link?"
Ganondorf shook his head. Well, apart from being in a different body. "There's no difference."
"Our matter of business becomes what to do about Ganondorf next. We were taken off guard and his people took him forcibly. He's been abducted and reportedly seen heading for the desert. According to Nabooru's reports, he's not in the vicinity of the fortress. Is that right, Nabooru?" Zelda turned to face the desert woman, who nodded.
"That's correct. Although he passed by that way when he was taken, he has not returned since. We have been alerted to keep close watch in case he decides to return."
"Do you really think he'll try to come back and take the castle again?" Saria asked, her voice timid, eyes turning to the older ones around the table for comfort. "Link is weak, now would be a good time, wouldn't it?"
At this point the sages began to discuss Ganondorf's goals and Link's condition, which Ganondorf found boring to the point of exhaustion just by listening. He knew his own goals; he knew how he felt. He leaned upon one elbow and found himself doing something instinctual, twisting a finger around a lock of hair and twisting it in small circles. A habit he'd never quite rid himself of, he did it when he found himself bored or lost in thought. The boy will be trying to find a way back here, too, no doubt. He won't be looking for a fight, but that only means he won't expect an attack. If he passed the fortress, it's likely he was taken to Sumata. He won't be able to return here without help. I can get there before he even gets to the valley.
"Link?"
He snapped out of it, face slackened in surprise and lowering his elbow, the sages looking to him as if expecting a response to something. "Huh?"
"What do you think?"
What do I think about what? He blinked a few times. "I agree."
"You do?" Zelda asked, looking a little stunned, her lips parting. "That's not like you…"
Damn. He tried to think of something the boy would say and managed, "It's best for everyone, isn't it?"
Impa put a hand to her chin and closed her eyes for a moment, nodding a few times and smiling sagely. "I think Link has a point. Very well. Nabooru will be appointed ambassador in this case, and sent to find Ganondorf as well as take his formal plea. When she finds him, she'll return to us with news. Link, you will not go with her. It's best you do not face Ganondorf until we are prepared and you are fully healed."
"What? No, I didn't mean that, I have to find him-"
"No, Link." Impa held a hand out and motioned for him to sit. "You are too weak."
If there was ever one thing that Ganondorf could not stand, it was being called weak. The word reacted with his mind like a poison. He stood up suddenly, quick enough to cause the chair behind him to topple over, and slammed a fist down on the table, face twisted into an expression of anger. "I am not weak!"
The sages gazed at Link, Saria recoiling from him and looking almost hurt. Impa's expression settled into a stunned look. "Calm yourself, hero…"
As he heard the sound of a bell ringing, the boy's fairy flying from one shoulder to the other in a dodgy pattern, Ganondorf untensed his fist and took a deep breath, turning and righting the overturned chair before settling into it once more. "I want to find him. I have to find him."
"And you will," said Impa, standing rigid. "But not now. Let Nabooru try to see where he is hiding. Until we hear back from her, you must try to relax. Try to give your body time to heal."
"We can spend time overseeing the preparations for the Festival of the Goddesses," Zelda said, smiling towards Ganondorf. "You can help me prepare what needs to be done."
He'd forgotten about the festival. Every year the Hyrulians gathered in Castle Town for a celebration, a night comprised solely of feasting and partying to celebrate the Goddesses descending and creating Hyrule, leaving the Triforce in their wake. People and races from everywhere joined the party. Even some Gerudo were known to partake in the fun, but not because of their beliefs. The three Goddesses were not present in the beliefs of the Gerudo, but rather the Goddess of the Sand herself. The party typically lasted three days, all day, and Ganondorf had never attended for long, although every year after swearing his fealty he'd made a show of making brief appearances during one of the three days.
He didn't plan on staying put any more than he planned on helping Zelda, but to say any more here would only further rouse suspicion. He forced a smile, swallowed his pride for the moment, and murmured, "Whatever you need me to do, Princess… Zelda… I'll do."