AN: So, I'm officially out of buffer chapters. Whoops. But I'd like to thank Xombie hunter, Um I lost my name, and silverheartlugia2000 for their reviews, as well as those who favourited/followed this week. I say it every week, but your support really does keep me writing. So thank you.
And now, chapter four. Enjoy!

4- Tentative Alliance, Shaky Resolve

'No. No, you know what? Screw this. Screw you. I don't buy any of this.' Ganondorf was freaking out, pacing back and forth through the trees with a feverish kind of energy. Link meanwhile, having taken a seat on the abandoned tree stump, was watching with no small amount of amusement.

He couldn't help it. It was just so strange to see Ganondorf so obviously out of control, unhinged even. Link was used to feeling like everything he did had been planned for, like he was the one being dragged along at Ganondorf's or Zelda's or the goddesses' pace, so it made a nice change to not be the one at a loss.

Ganondorf paused mid-stride, turning to stare at him. 'You seriously expect me to believe any of this?'

Not sure what to say Link just shrugged. There wasn't really any way he could prove a thing about his tale, so he was hoping Ganondorf would just believe him. Which was clearly something that wasn't going to be happening any time soon.

It was so weird, to be having a halfway decent conversation with the person he'd fought to the death against so many times before. Link was still struggling to wrap his head around the whole situation.

That made two of them, he guessed.

'And why should I believe you?' Ganondorf seemed to be talking more to himself than anything as he started up his pacing again. 'You've been trying to kill me for weeks, this is probably just another trick or something. Well, kid, looks like you're finally doing something right.'

That stung. He was a warrior, a Hero, not an assassin. He wasn't used to sneaking around, using whatever underhanded means were necessary. He usually just charged in headfirst and stabbed whatever was in the way. It was more difficult when his target wasn't a hulking behemoth but an actual person, with their own sword and better skills than him.

Scowling Link explained, shortly, that the only reason he'd even been trying to kill him in the first place was because of their history with one another. Ganondorf might not remember what Link did, but did he really not know anything about his heritage? About all the Gerudo kings that had come before him, who had repeatedly attacked Hyrule?

'Heritage?' Ganondorf halted, frowning slightly. 'Sure I've heard of the Gerudo, but they're just stories these days, kid. Stories we were told just to make us feel like we belonged, somewhere.'

Link huffed, annoyed. Of all the times for the Gerudo to disappear, it had to be the one lifetime where Ganondorf needed to know about them. Maybe he just didn't want to believe, so he was going to explain it all away however he could.

But Din, this whole situation was so weird. To think Link was actually considering trying to change the cycle he'd followed for hundreds of years, over and over. It had never occurred to him to try before, but then he'd never had lifetimes of memories crammed in his head before, either.

Would it even be possible? He didn't have the first clue about how to go about changing anything. If he left Ganondorf alone, alive, it was only a matter of time before things carried on as they always had.

No, he'd need to do something big. Something that meant Ganondorf wouldn't try to take over Hyrule, ever. The question was, what?

Maybe he could talk to Zelda, warn her of things to come.

He'd already ruled that out, though. She couldn't exactly arrest Ganondorf for things he hadn't done yet-not that she'd even have any authority of her own yet-and she was probably a whole lot more likely to just think Link was crazy. Triforce of Wisdom or no, it would probably be asking a lot for her to believe him.

Maybe he could just go back to Ordon? Refuse to fight, no matter what.

And let everyone he knew be hurt, or worse?

Chewing absently on his thumb nail Link watched as Ganondorf started pacing all over again, thinking. How could they stop something like destiny? Was it even possible?

Eventually Ganondorf stilled, running a hand through his hair before fixing his eyes on Link. 'Okay. So let's pretend, for a minute, that I actually believed you. What then? What are you going to do about it?'

For a moment Link just stared blankly, before he processed Ganondorf's words and spluttered. What was he going to do about it? Ganondorf expected him to fix all this? Alone? That was ridiculous. He was a twelve year old kid and Ganondorf was- well, he was a teenager. Didn't the job of fixing things fall to him, then, as the older one?

'Hey, this is your fantasy, kid,' Ganondorf protested when Link said as much. 'Why have I got to solve your problems?'

Levelling a glare at him Link didn't say anything, not sure what he could say. Ganondorf was obviously going to be difficult, and just arguing with him wasn't going to convince him of anything.

But Link didn't know how to go about proving his tale.

There wasn't really any way he could blame Ganondorf for not believing him. Link was pretty sure, if the situation were reversed, he'd react the exact same way.

That didn't mean he wasn't getting frustrated, though.

'Kid, this…' Ganondorf sighed, running a hand through his hair before rubbing his eyes wearily. Oh, he was tired of this? 'How can you ask me to believe this? That I'm, what, doomed to turn evil and try destroying Hyrule? My home? I'm just a thief. Not a- not a killer, or- or a tyrant. I'm just a thief.'

Ganondorf almost seemed to be pleading, his expression stricken as he stared at Link. Seeing him like this, so agitated, tripping over his words and pacing and pleading, Link was beginning to wonder if he even really was Ganondorf.

When he asked, Ganondorf seemed taken aback. 'Yes, I'm Ganondorf, which is, I'll admit, something I don't get. I know you've been hanging around our camp for, what, three weeks now, but that lot-' he gestured in the direction of said camp, '-all call me Gan or Ganon. But you still know my name, somehow.'

Link scowled. That's what he'd been trying to tell him. They were stuck in a cycle, Link and Ganondorf and Zelda, the Hero and the King and the Princess, all reincarnating over and over because of a dying demon's curse. An endless loop that the goddesses somehow hadn't got bored of yet.

Well, maybe that was why Link remembered. To shake things up.

The thought bothered him. If that were the case, then surely by trying to fight the cycle he was doing exactly as the goddesses had planned.

He didn't want to think about it. It was bad enough as it was.

'You're going to have to give me a bit more than just your word, kid.' Ganondorf sighed, his frantic energy slowly shifting into something wearier and more pained. 'Please.'

But there was nothing Link could do. Nothing he could say. Unless Ganondorf somehow gained the ability to read his mind he was pretty sure they were stuck.

Although, maybe…

Ganondorf didn't seem impressed when Link suggested a library. There had to be at least some record of at least one or two of their lives written down, somewhere. Someone must have written about the Gerudo, and as such at least one of the King Ganondorfs. It wouldn't be much, but it might be enough to show Ganondorf that he wasn't just making things up.

'I'm pretty sure there aren't any libraries in Hyrule.' Ganondorf started to frown, before something like realisation sparked in his expression. 'But I'm sure the aristocrats have their collections of precious books- actually, you know who does have a library?'

Link shook his head when Ganondorf paused, obviously wanting a response.

He grinned a wide, darkly excited grin. 'The King. The Royal Archives, too. I hear he got them all fixed up for the princess. Apparently she's a total bookworm.'

That was probably true. It made sense that the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom would want to be surrounded by as much knowledge as possible. She could see the future, so why wouldn't she want to know all about the past as well?

But was Ganondorf suggesting what Link thought he was suggesting?

Sneak into the castle, break into the archives?

Ganondorf's grin widened when Link tried to clarify. 'That's exactly what I'm saying, kid.'

And Link balked. He'd snuck into castles a good few times, but only ever the gardens. Going into the actual castle before it had been invaded wasn't something he'd ever done. He wasn't stealthy, Ganondorf had said as much, there was no way he'd be able to.

Plus it was- it was wrong. Wasn't it?'

'Kid, come on. All the stuff they have in there… they shouldn't be keeping it for themselves. They only ever let scholars into the archives, or royals. And that's wrong. They have no right to keep the public from learning, especially not learning about the history of their own country.' Ganondorf shrugged. 'But what does it matter anyway? We won't take anything. We'll just be reading.'

Link narrowed his eyes, suspicious. Ganondorf was a thief, always had been, so he didn't trust him to not take anything. Especially not from the royal archives, which even Link had heard of. In passing, sure, but there were all kinds of stories about the priceless, powerful objects kept within the castle.

'What's that look for?' Ganondorf seemed abruptly affronted, though Link realised he'd been feigning innocence a moment later when he grinned again. 'So maybe that last part was a lie. Who knows?'

It suddenly struck Link that he was planning to break into the Royal Palace with Ganondorf. Ganondorf.

Was he seriously considering this? Was he seriously going to work together with Ganondorf, his enemy of so many lifetimes?

He considered it, and was surprised by how easily the answer came.

Yes, yes he was. He wanted to change things, so what better way to do that than work with Ganondorf? They'd always been enemies before, so why not allies once? Ganondorf was proving to be surprisingly reasonable, and honestly the idea wasn't seeming as awful as it could have.

Sure, Ganondorf had caused Link a lot of grief over the lifetimes, a lot of pain and difficulty, but it hadn't, in the end, been this Ganondorf. The one standing in front of him seemed as opposed to all of this as he was.

So really, what better way to change things?

'All right.' Clapping his hands together Ganondorf fixed Link with a steely look. 'If we're going to do this-and I can't quite believe I'm doing this-we'll need help. I need to introduce you to my friends, 'cause they're all the help we'll need.' He paused for a second, still regarding Link. 'Speaking of, what's your name, kid?'

And Link told him, because why not?

'Well then, Link.' Ganondorf stuck out a hand. 'It's good to be doing business with you.'

For a moment, or maybe an eternity, Link just sat and stared. Then he pushed away from the tree stump and took Ganondorf's hand.

'Same to you,' he said softly, slowly.

They shook. Nothing happened. The world didn't fall apart, the goddesses didn't smite them for it, Demise didn't rise from the grave to murder them or something.

There was still a moment, a brief moment, where past experience told Link that Ganondorf was going to crush his fingers or maybe fling him into a tree, but he shoved it aside. He shoved aside the parts of him that were screaming that everything about this was wrong, too.

But then they parted, Ganondorf turning to walk away with his back completely exposed. After a few metres he glanced back, raising his eyebrows at Link who started as he realised he was supposed to be following.

And so that's what he did. He followed Ganondorf back to his camp, being careful to stay at a wary distance because he still couldn't quite believe this was happening. He kept expecting Ganondorf to turn on him or something, maybe fry him with magic of some sort. He kept wondering if he should take the opportunity and strike now, while Ganondorf's back was turned. But that was underhanded, and anyway hadn't he decided he wouldn't be doing that? Not this time.

In the end, then, they both reached the camp unscathed. Link hung back amongst the undergrowth as Ganondorf's friends noticed him and all started talking at once, voices all mingling together until it was hard to make out specific words without concentrating.

'It's fine, I'm fine,' Ganondorf eventually said around a chuckle. 'But I do have something to tell you that you probably won't approve of.'

That got a few grumbles that made Link wonder if Ganondorf doing stuff like this was a usual occurrence.

Glancing over his shoulder at Link Ganondorf beckoned. 'You can hide if you like, but it won't exactly get us anywhere.'

All the same Link still hovered for a good minute longer, pretty sure Ganondorf's friends wouldn't take all that well to his being there. He had, after all, tried to kill one of them many, many times.

So when he did emerge from the undergrowth he wasn't all that surprised by the looks of shock, confusion, or faint horror that appeared on the six waiting faces. He was a little surprised that it didn't go any further than that, though. No one tried to drive him away, or maybe catch him. They really hadn't seen him as a threat, had they?

'Isn't this the kid who's been trying to kill you for like a month?' one of the girls asked, resting a hand on her hip as she dragged her eyes-brown-up and down Link. He squirmed under her gaze-all of their gazes, really-fiddling with the straps of his bag as he waited for them to be done.

'Yeah.' Ganondorf nodded, tone too casual for the topic.

'And you've invited him back to our camp… why?' the other boy spoke next, frowning at Ganondorf.

'Because he's going to help me break into the palace library. Maybe the Royal Archives too.'

And all at once they were all talking again. Or rather they were all either protesting or complaining. Apparently that was too much even for a band of thieves.

'Are you kidding me?' the girl whose hair was more yellow than orange complained, shaking her head. 'Who's the one always saying we shouldn't steal from the royals? Because it's too dangerous?'

'And now you want to? For, what, books?' another chimed in, distinctly unimpressed.

Ganondorf made a noise of protest. 'Do you know how much some people would pay for books? Or for the other stuff that's probably in there?'

They quietened at the thought of a big reward, all glancing at once another, none of them looking pleased by this turn of events. Link stayed hovering a little way behind Ganondorf, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Ganondorf, Ganondorf, was apparently defending him.

'Give us a good reason to help,' one of the girls-this Hyrule's Nabooru, Link realised with a start-said after a minute. 'Otherwise no deal.'

That got a few nods while Ganondorf huffed, glancing back at Link again. 'Can't you just trust me on this one?'

'No deal it is, then,' Nabooru said, smiling into Ganondorf's annoyed look. 'Just send the kid on his way and be done with it.'

'Oh come on.' Folding his arms Ganondorf glared around at them all, Link included. 'Look, I can't really give you a reason that won't make us both sound completely bonkers, but can you at least believe me when I say it's important?'

There was silence, filled with more glances being exchanged.

'How important?' the other boy asked eventually, tawny eyes flitting between Ganondorf and Link.

'You always cave so easily, Kian,' Nabooru muttered, but when she looked back to Ganondorf her expression was just as expectant.

'Well… maybe save the world important?' Ganondorf offered with another glance at Link, earning himself a chorus of scoffs and complaints as he did. 'I'm serious!'

Frowning Link eyed Ganondorf's back, trying to work out if the guy actually believed him or not. It seemed like he might, at least tentatively, even if he was demanding proof of some description.

Well, that was better than outright disbelief, at least.

'You sure know how to twist our altruistic arms,' one of the girls sighed as she tugged lightly on her long braid. 'I guess it wouldn't hurt, would it?'

'Are you kidding me?' Nabooru's voice, and face, was incredulous. 'Think about what would happen if we got caught. This isn't just some lord's mansion, this is the royal castle. Trespassing could get us beheaded.'

'Since when do you think about what happens when we get caught?' Ganondorf protested. 'If we go about it properly it'll be no different from any lord's mansion. And when have we ever got caught?'

It took a little more arguing, which Link watched with interest, but eventually Ganondorf managed to convince them to at least think about helping. It took a threat of doing it all himself-an idea that seemed to horrify the six-to get their cautious agreement.

And then Link found himself being introduced. Aside from Nabooru he forgot all of their names almost immediately, not for lack of trying, but they were new to him and he couldn't place any of them in his lifetimes of memories, so their names and faces didn't quite stick.

It was nice, being around people who didn't remind him of anyone he remembered. Anyone he'd lost. Finding something, or someone, new was refreshing.

But also very nerve-wracking. He didn't know these people at all, and he found himself feeling surprisingly shy as he loitered at the edge of their camp, watching as they came up with a plan of action. He didn't want to get close, and he knew they didn't want him closer given his many assassination attempts, so he was stuck hovering awkwardly. After a little while he climbed a nearby tree, feeling safer semi-hidden among its branches as he dangled above their gathering.

He had never expected thievery to be so technical and complicated. The longer he sat there the more his brain started to hurt as Ganondorf and co. discussed everything from escape routes to potential bribes to the best time of day to raid a castle.

Was he really doing the right thing? He couldn't tell if it was guilt or nerves squirming in his stomach. It was one thing to want to change fate, but to work with Ganondorf? Actively help him commit crime? Could he just be doing this on impulse, out of spite? He didn't feel like he was, but then he wasn't exactly doing it to help Hyrule in any way either.

But if he could stop Ganondorf from trying to take over Hyrule, at all, then wasn't that a good thing? What did the method matter if the end result was the same? Hyrule safe, free from Ganondorf.

To ask for anything more was stupid.

It all depended on whether or not he could convince Ganondorf, in the end. At least his friends were, more or less, on board with the shaky plan being formulated beneath Link's dangling feet. They didn't seem to want his input, and he was only too happy to comply. He didn't think he'd be able to make himself actively plan a heist, a crime.

Sure, he'd managed to convince himself to assassinate a man, but that was different.

In the end he didn't have to weigh in at all. Ganondorf's friends were, understandably, wary of him-well, a couple of them were downright hostile, not that he could blame them-and had no interest in his opinion. Or maybe they just didn't think a twelve year old would have anything useful to add.

They would be right. Link had no idea how to break into castles, his only experience being with their gardens, and he definitely didn't know how to go about stealing things. Not from castles, anyway. Two years without any form of support or income had left Link with few options. He'd got pretty good at pickpocketing during his forays into the city, and it was surprising how inattentive the owners of some stalls were.

He hoped the goddesses were annoyed, to see their hero fall so low.

So maybe his willingness to break into the castle was from spite. At least partially.

They left the forest a few days after Ganondorf first announced his plan, Link making a conservative effort to remember the others' names on the journey to the city. He was tempted to just not, given how they all insisted on calling him kid or sometimes other, ruder names, but he figured he should. They were helping him, after all, despite all his attempts to kill one of their friends. Maybe they felt a little more amicable because of how miserably all said attempts had gone, or maybe it had something to do with how insistent Ganondorf could apparently be.

He was taking the whole multiple attempts on his life thing surprisingly well. It didn't seem to bother him at all, something Link couldn't quite wrap his head round. It just didn't seem sensible.

Nabooru and two of the other girls, Maram and Aveil-whose name and face rung a bell but Link couldn't quite place-felt much the same way, actively trying to get the others to reconsider their ludicrous plan. It wasn't just that they didn't trust Link, but also that they thought the whole thing was completely ridiculous, more akin to suicide than an actual plan.

As for the details of the plan, as far as Link could tell he, Ganondorf, and two of the others were going to sneak into the castle-possibly under the guise of servants-and then while he and Ganondorf searched the library all six of the others would act as various lines of defence against capture. They all, also, apparently had jobs to do in the city before they could actually get on with the whole breaking into the library thing. It was hard work, being a thief.

Nabooru and Aveil were casing the palace, learning guard routes and routines while looking for ways in and out. Maram and Kian, the other boy, went off to fence all the spoils from their last robbery and secure passage out of the city, in case it was needed. If it wasn't, then Dana and Simin's scouting out a safehouse wouldn't go to waste.

And that left Link with Ganondorf, who despite his light-heartedness about the attempted murder ordeal hadn't let Link out of his sight once in the week it had taken to form a plan and reach the city, meandering around the alleyways and back streets while they waited for the others to be done.

It was a side of Hyrule Link had never seen before, not even in his two years of resorting to very unheroic methods of survival.

The Hyrule he knew was bustling, brimming with life. The main streets were always full, teeming with people swathed in bright fabrics and going about their business merrily. Stalls and shops lined every road, sagging under the weight of their wares.

The Hyrule he found hidden around corners, behind the bright face of those main streets, was horrifying. The citizens of the city's underbelly were sick, they were dying. Thin, ragged, grey-faced, curled up in shadowy corners or lying prone against walls. Their clothes were tattered and grubby; they would not, without question, stave off the coming winter.

'It's rude to stare,' Ganondorf said after Link slowed to a halt for maybe the fifth time, horrified by what he was seeing. He just about managed to tear his eyes away from a hollow-cheeked, dead-eyed child who was so thin he could see every bone beneath their skin.

'What is this?' he managed, aghast. Where had they all come from? How had he not noticed them before? Sure, he'd seen the occasional beggar out on the main drags, but never in this number, never in such a poor state.

'This is Hyrule,' Ganondorf replied simply as he turned a corner, briefly vanishing from Link's line of sight. He scrambled to follow, only sparing the briefest thought to the way he seemed to be gravitating towards Ganondorf as if he'd provide some kind of protection. 'It's been getting worse lately, but still the Royal Family does nothing.'

Somewhere Link could hear a baby crying, it's high, thin wail sending dagger through his heart.

This wasn't the Hyrule he knew. This couldn't be Hyrule, couldn't be Castle Town. How many times had he walked these streets, memorised all the different ways they'd been built through the ages? Had he missed this, every time? Overlooked so much suffering?

How? How could he have?

This couldn't be Hyrule. And the Royal Family were doing nothing? He couldn't believe it. Zelda wouldn't stand for this. She just wouldn't.

But she was just a kid, like him. How could she change a thing?

Looking around Link hugged himself, as if he could bar himself from the truth with just his arms.

Because if this was Hyrule, if this was how the King treated his subjects then… what had he been protecting all this time? What had he been fighting so hard for, what had he risked his life so many times for?

Was this Hyrule, a Hyrule that ignored the suffering of its citizens and was ruled by a King who was letting his people starve and die right under his nose, even worth protecting?