((Author's note: Thank you for the advice, cmjanimelove! It was a bit tedious with the gender nuetral terms at first, and I know it can be a bit confusing to read. Anyway, thank you everyone for reading and I do hope you enjoy. At first I'm going to focus a bit on their own issues they need to sort out, then I'll start moving on to the action and fighting. I realize Ganondorf probably isn't portrayed here how he usually is in stories, but I thought it would be interesting to make him a flawed, but not truly evil character. Also, there is a part in the story where he is screaming and I have him speaking in caps, and it's a little chunk. So, do bear with me!))
Link hadn't slept so deeply even as a young child as she did now, uninterrupted even by dreams. Her body was rue to shake from slumber and many times did she roll to her side to tuck her head beneath the toasty warm blanket, clinging to the eventless rest. But as the sun rose outside, light filtering into the stained glass of the narrow window above the bed, she could no longer deny the waking world. Her eyes opened slowly, fingers reaching up to brush away the slumber sand as she sighed softly. Her legs stretched, toes wiggling and popping, and slowly Link pulled herself to a sitting position, blinking sleepily. Her brows furrowed as she reached up to run a hand through her hair, which had dried over the course of the night and gained quite a few cowlicks.
Where am I? She thought, glance slowly drifting about the room. It must have belonged to someone eccentric, with so many trinkets and delicate decorations. Spun glass hung on thin strings from the ceiling and clocks of all shapes and sizes lined the walls, each ticking and seeming to be in perfect synchronization. She pivoted her body and slid to the edge of the bed, carefully placing her feet on the ground, cool and smooth. She squinted as she attempted to recall the events of last night.
She had been locked away for what felt like months, hadn't she been imprisoned permanently? That was, until…Ganondorf! She instantly froze, what was left of her muscles locking. She remembered now. He had…fed her? Washed her body? She shivered hard as cold fingers ran down her spine. He had seen her at her most vulnerable. Furls of sickness crawled up her throat. He had helped her, nursed her back from death. But why? What was the motive of his dark mind this time?
She took a deep breath and slid from the bed and as the cool air rushed against her skin, she squeaked. She was completely nude. Her eyes searched frantically for anything she could have used to cover herself, and upon seeing a plain, neutral colored tunic and loose pants draped over the back of a chair, she wasted no time in grabbing them up and tugging them on. They fell loosely over her narrow, frail frame and she stared on, forlorn at the lack of her old, Hylian clothing. Ganondorf did this on purpose, she stewed, he must be trying to make a statement. A grunt of anger escaped her as she padded to the open door, stepping out and looking down the ornate corridor. There were many stained windows lining the walls like the one in the room, allowing a colorful light to shine in. It was a completely contrast to him, painfully misleading. She didn't take time to admire the windows, tapestries, and old suits of armor as she began running forward. She had to find a way out of here.
Her pace was stopped quickly as her stomach gave an agonizing clench and vertigo hit her like a ton of bricks, her balance thrown off and body beginning to stumble this way and that. She fought to keep herself upright, but her knees were giving out. She began to tumble to the floor, and right before her shoulder slammed against the unforgiving ground, a tight grip snatched the back of her shirt. She wiggled with confusion as she was lifted up…and placed back on her feet. The grip remained on her, perhaps a good thing, as her legs were still shaking as she felt rushes of hot and cold strike her as the dizziness continued on.
"You have no sense of self care, it seems". A familiar, bass voice said. Link couldn't believe her horrid luck. She scowled as she attempted to look over her shoulder, but her vision was swimming far too much to lock her eyes on the bastard. "Still twisting your face up as though shit has been shoved beneath your nose?" He lifted her yet again, but this time held her by her shirt as she felt them begin to move. She didn't bother struggling; it was a waste of her time and strength. But she made her disdain clear with tightly crossed arms and weakly bucking knees.
"You would think coming from such a "refined" culture that you would be grateful towards those who step out of their path to keep you from ignorantly killing yourself". He quipped, which she answered with a harrumph.
"Has your tongue been cut from your throat, Atamest?" Another harrumph.
He gave a single hum of wry humor as he entered a dining room that hadn't been used in centuries, yet kept clean for any "visitors" that might stumble across the unique castle. Breakfast had already been prepared and laid out, the thick, rich smell reaching Link's twitching nose. She fought with her watering mouth as the beast of hunger raked it's claws against her ribs, for he had planned this all out and she refused to be a part of his infuriating games. She felt herself being sat in a chair and gripped the armrests as she attempted to focus her eyes on what was in front of her.
"Yes, I have ensured my people a comfortable, hardworking existence". Ganondorf said as he sat near Link, who leaned against the back of the chair, turning her face away from him. "Even considering they were forced to be thieves. But all the same, I have taught them well". He observed Link's straining and his assured grin returned. "You are petty beyond belief. Do you really insist on such small rebellion? What satisfaction will it bring you?" He knew she would not answer, which was why he did not wait for one as he pulled up a plate of roasted sausage, cutting the length into small bites before catching one on the end of a fork, raising it to her lips.
She nearly whimpered as she felt the delicious steam rise from the morsel, the wonderful, spiced smell filling her nose. She was ravenous. But it was him! And she was no child, no pet to be doted on. Not in her eyes. She clamped her lips and glared in his general direction. He pressed the bite closer.
"Does starving to death provide a comfortable end, whelp?" The coldness had returned to his voice.
Something like fury bubbled hot in her throat as a switch in her mind flipped. And out of sheer defiance, sheer youthful desire to spite his words, she snapped her teeth down on the tongs of the fork, pulling the bite into her mouth to chew angrily. Of course, upon hearing his barking laugh after she had swallowed the bite, she realized how foolish that really was. A heavy sigh escaped her nose as she wrinkled it upwards. You sure showed him, Link. She thought bitterly, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, do not give me that look, brat". He chortled, scooping up another bite and offering it out. "I am nothing if not a man of my word. Did you think it was in jest when I said I would ensure your vitality? Or must you insist upon being extremely dull?"
Link rolled her eyes again as she swat at the piece of food, which he jerked away quickly before she could knock it from his hands. "If you continue to be so insolent, I will restrain you to MY bed that you so enjoyed, and force a funnel down your damned throat!"
She gulped slowly, not putting it past him to carry that threat out. Ganondorf never made empty threats. And now that she had gained at least some sort of relief from complete restraint, she wasn't eager to return to confinement. Though, in a way, she was still just as chained up with him keeping her under close watch. With a crestfallen face of defeat, she parted her lips, waiting for another bite of food.
"Why do you look as though I have beaten you?" He placed the bite in her mouth, waiting for her to chew and swallow before offering out another one. "Is your pride so very important to you?" She hated the accusations he threw at her, the ruthless assumptions and break downs of her personality. No, she wasn't prideful! He was the enemy! She had to fight him every step of the way.
Again, as if reading her thoughts, he spoke calmly. "If for just a moment you would pull the blinders from your eyes, you would see I am not the monster the empire would have you believe". She snorted as she swallowed, and he shoved another bite into her mouth, which silenced her. "I have never wanted anything but equality. Your precious King was entirely too fond of his riches and titles to give us even the basic means to survive. And yet, they forever label us as dirty thieves". He laughed bitterly as he forked another bite into her mouth. "It is interesting to be forced into being a criminal. They are fond of beating a starving dog, then finding outrage when it bites them".
Link was skeptical of his description of her old home, but he couldn't have very well blamed her. She had been programmed all her life to be completely loyal to the crown, and the programming would take time to abolish. "I suppose I grew mad with my desperation". He looked off, eyes searching. "In my falling into darkness, I became one with it. I could not earn their respect or kindness. So I would earn their fear".
Why is he telling me all this? She wondered with confusion. And why…Why does a part of me almost…believe him? Her experiences with Gerudo hadn't been all that bad, she realized. She was required to earn their respect through proving her willpower, but after having done so, they had always been quite helpful towards her. As far as she could see, they were a proud race. It had always struck her as odd that they were thieves. It didn't seem to fit them very well at all.
But still.
The plate of sausage was finally finished and her vision returned to her. She hadn't realized how much her body had degraded. All her strength she had built up over the years, she would have to gain it all back again. An unpleasant thought, coupled with the fact that she was in the clutches of Ganondorf. But there had been a nagging thought at the back of her mind ever since she had first faced him.
How did she always beat him? In her younger days she assumed it was because good always defeated evil. But these were childish notions, and she was no longer so young. He was older, larger, stronger, and more skilled. Dumb luck was stretching it entirely too far. Had…had he let her win all these years? Her victories had always felt hollow somehow, incomplete. Always at the last moments did he seem to pause for her blade, if only for a split second. Always did he present a knowing smile before death took hold of him. And seeing what he was capable of, the inconsistencies in his battles with her were overwhelming. With one, deft blow he could have reduced her to nothing. And yet, he didn't.
And since she had first wound up in this place, he had yet to cause her the most minor, physical pain. Not once had he even raised a hand to her. The suffering, aside from being cooped up, had been her own decision…He had done nothing but supply her with the means to survive. She felt the twist of conflicting thoughts and emotions as she let her eyes drift down to her knees. Who was Ganondorf, really?
His voice startled her back into reality. "What brings such a curiously befuddled expression, Atamest?" She ground her teeth at the tone of his name on her tongue, wishing to rip her name from his mouth for good. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, but why talk for him? Why say even one word?
"Very well. Do you find yourself still hungry?"
She wanted to shake her head and yet even before she did, her stomach gave a greedy rumble, still feeling quite empty. He chuckled smugly, grabbing a plate of sweet bread and ripping off a small piece, holding it up to her lips. Now, that was too much. She refused to eat from his hands. Her fingers reached up, quickly snatching the piece from his fingers. Oops. Had that been a mistake? She flinched downwards, staring up through her messy, blond hair at him, waiting for his anger. Her arm tensed, fist coiling.
"Enough. I will not strike you. I have no use for your bruised flesh. What do we have to fight over anymore?!" He said with a note of impatience. "Damned fool".
She twisted her lips as her body slowly relaxed. Why did she feel so stupid now? Her cheeks stained with embarrassment as she placed the sweet bread on her tongue, holding it in her mouth. Her eyes fluttered as it slowly melted on her tongue, the tasty bit was enough to quell her bashfulness for the moment. She began to reach out to pluck more shreds off of the bread and even though she found his watching her to be unsettling, she continued to eat until finally the wonderful feeling of fullness came to her.
"Hm. I assume I will no longer have to coddle you like an infant, then?" His voice was gentle, harsh, and yet humorous. She felt a bit of annoyance at this, but not near the amount of anger she expected. She simply rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time this morning before eyeing a glass of what appeared to be more cactus juice. Her hand stretched out slowly and carefully, her eyes trained on him as she cautiously wrapped her fingers around the glass and picked it up, bringing it towards her. He simply waved a hand to her, and she felt comfortable enough to bring the glass to her lips, tipping back. The fluid was a tiny bit thicker than water and held a somewhat bitter quality to it, but the aftertaste was refreshing and sweet. She could get used to it, she supposed. Once thirst had been quenched as her hunger, she set the glass down and wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve.
"There. Was that so torturous?" He stood, pushing his cape behind him as he stepped around her. She tensed ever so slightly as hands slipped beneath her pits, lifting her up to her feet. She growled, squirming away from the grip to stand shakily on her own feet. The lack of strength in the legs that once carried her over mountains was more than upsetting, and she felt the deep sadness sink into her bones as she stared at her stick thin legs and the hip bones that pressed beneath her tunic.
"You pine. Why?" He observed her with those calculating eyes and in that moment all she wanted to do was get away from him and sort through the mess in her mind. She dared to look up at him, pursing her lips together tightly as her pointed ears rested downwards. Like she could just tell him what was wrong, let alone speak to him at all.
He cocked his head slowly. "Why do you never speak?"
Her ears twisted right side up, herself having been thrown off by the question. Why did he want to know anything about her? How would it benefit him? She was under the impression he never took any action that did not offer a reward. She lifted her shoulders once, unwilling to talk to him about anything like that. Why she had stopped speaking wasn't very complicated, really, but it was still the principle of the thing.
He relented as he turned, beginning to herd her out of the dining room. "Just to preface any blame you want to shift to me, your clothing is being mended and cleaned". She felt a small sense of relief and surprise as she looked up at him, expression searching. It was an art she possessed, saying so very little and yet painting a canvas of thought with her expressions alone.
"You think me to be interested in playing mind games? I do not have time for such trivia". He pushed her down the corridor of colored light, and this time she paused to peer at the interesting, blocky patterns of the windows. He stopped with her, gazing at a tapestry. "All I ever wanted was Utopia. And if I must be a monster to change the world, then so be it". He spat the last words and she was surprised at the sheer venom seeping between his clenched teeth…the tiniest whisper of regret. Regret? No. That wasn't Ganondorf. He didn't feel regret, he was without moral.
Link wobbled, feeling her knees begin to give out again. Damn it all. She whined with frustration as she struggled to keep her muscles from giving out with tire. Ganondorf abruptly gripped her arm, but his terrifyingly large hand was akin to the fangs of a mother lion. Deadly in appearance, but with the gentleness of a cushion as he lifted her and placed her in his arms.
"If you continue to push yourself, you will make your heart give out". Despite the razor's edge in his words, his voice was soft. She wanted to be cross with this ragdoll routine of his, but she couldn't seem to muster the desire to reach up and sink her knuckles into his jaw. In fact, she didn't even want to struggle as she had before. Was she going mad?
No, she decided. She was simply in a time of need and unwilling to suffer any longer. As weak as the notion was, it was the best one she could come up with out of all the other options she didn't want to think about. The day had already been confusing enough, and it probably wasn't even noon yet. As he carried her back she peeked over his arm, just a bit curious of where they were going. What on earth could he possibly have planned now that her basic needs were met? Shouldn't he of simply dumped her off and returned to whatever it was he did when he wasn't causing chaos?
They approached the familiar door to what was apparently his bedroom and once he had stepped over the threshold and crossed to the bed, plopping her down, he turned, putting his back to her. His voice was back to it's old mocking tone as he spoke to her.
"It appears that all creatures need some form of socialization, even as I find the idea vexing". He turned, staring down at her like a hawk. "And seeing as I have yet to find a fitting strategy to defeat that repulsive 'God', I am forced to keep you from mourning yourself to death".
Mourning herself to death? The very thought was degrading to her, she had always taken care of herself, always been a shield to everyone else even when no one was there to defend her. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, glowering up at him. He curled his lip at her.
"Oh, and I suppose laying there like a buffoon and starving yourself to death was a training in will power?" His words bit into her and she wanted to toss the nearest object at him. He was exceptional at putting his foot in his mouth. Each time he would throw her off with his help, he would shortly earn her ire.
She tried to out glare him, but her resentment was quickly withering beneath his own, overpowering stare. This was a man of war, of hatred. She truly was no match to his centuries of practiced rage. So, with a deflating release of air, she let her gaze fall. What even was the point? She had no friends here, no strength, no sword-The Master Sword! Her gaze snapped back up as she squared her shoulders.
"…" The question was burning on her tongue, and unable to hold her years old oath of silence any longer, she cleared her throat carefully before rasping out one word. "Sword".
His eyes widened with surprise and he chuckled. "Ah, so you can speak! I feel this is a celebratory occasion". He gripped the back of the chair, pulling it up and sinking down into it, the legs groaning ever so slightly beneath his no doubt hefty weight. "Your cursed Master Sword is lost to us until he is defeated". At her cry of indignation, he held his wide palm up. "It could not affect me less if you believe me or not, Atamest. You dropped your sword when I prevented you from facing the same fate as your precious Princess and it was swallowed by the darkness".
Zelda. Link felt her throat close painfully as her insides throbbed acutely. So much did this pain make her feel as though she were splitting in half that she drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. She felt as though she might fall apart now if she didn't hold to herself for dear life. Her fingers trembled and she let her face fall into her knees. She hadn't cried since she had been a mere infant, but as she sat in front of him, she wanted to do nothing more than weep until she had emptied herself of everything.
"…You were completely swayed by her, weren't you? She had you by the very nose". The words might have been intended to be a simple question, but the way they tore at Link's heart prompted her to curl in tighter upon herself, digging her nails into her arms. Hadn't he torn at her enough? Couldn't he let up even when she was flat on her face?
"I cannot pretend to understand your internal woes. You were simply a dog to her, nothing more". He popped his neck one way and then the other. "Had your roles been reversed, she would have seen you as an unfortunate but justified accident. She would have expected you to die first, assumed it was your place and moved on".
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Link roared with rage as she found the strength to launch from the bed, fingers extended like claws as she flew towards him. Zelda was her friend. Zelda cared about her! HOW DARE HE SAY THAT! She wanted to tear his eyes out, wanted to smash the jewel upon his head and send him back to whatever rock he crawled out from underneath. But despite all her ferocity, he simply caught her by the shoulders, gripping at her until she felt her flesh begin to protest and bruise. She struggled, snapped and kicked as she saw red. Without warning, he jerked her forward until his nose pressed against hers.
"ENOUGH!" He roared. His voice began to climb in volume with each following word until the window rattled. "YOU ARE SO BLINDED BY YOUR SO CALLED LOYALTY THAT YOU FAIL TO REALIZE IT IS IGNORANCE! SO BE IT IF THE EMPIRE MAKES ME OUT TO BE A MONSTER, BUT I WILL NOT HAVE YOU BLAMING ME FOR EVERY UNFORTUNATE THING IN YOUR MEANINGLESS LIFE, YOU SPOILED, ARROGANT MOPPET! YOU HAVE LIVED YOUR LIFE CONTENT TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN AN ANIMAL, FACING ME TIME AND TIME AGAIN ON THE MERE MERIT THAT THEY ORDERED YOU TO!" He drew breath, his face flushed purple. "AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN HAVE I THROWN AWAY MY OWN LIFE AND THE COUNTLESS LIVES OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOOKED TO ME TO SAVE THEM, ALL BECAUSE I COULD NOT BRING MYSELF TO SLAUGHTER ONE, UNGRATEFUL HYLIAN CHILD WHO WAS TOO UTTERLY USELESS TO MAKE THE DEED THINKABLE! EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER DONE HAS BEEN FOR A BETTER WORLD AND FOR THE GOOD OF MY OWN PEOPLE", His spittle landed in her face as he screamed on, "AND WHILE YOU ENJOY THE WAXING OF A FALSE VICTORY, OVER AND OVER WILL I SUFFER THE TORTURE OF DARKNESS THAT I EARNED SIMPLY BECAUSE IT IS FAR MORE LUCRITIVE FOR THE KING TO HAVE CRIMINALS THAN SAVE A DYING RACE!"
He stood, hurling her down onto the bed hard enough to roll her right across and onto the floor. "I should have left you to rot along with the rest of the trash in that room." He turned and stormed from the room, slamming the door hard enough to send a crack splitting all the way up the middle of the door, the wood splintering.
Link's eyes were fixed and wide, her entire body shaking violently as the tiniest noise escaped her, the squeak of a mouse. Tears gathered within the corners of her eyes and without any attempt to subdue them, they slid down her face as she tucked herself into a fetal position upon the cold floor, sobbing silently.