Dislaimer: Link and Ganondorf belong to Nintendo
So, hello there!
What should I tell? It's a new chapter, and for once, a bit longer. I'll try to have another one ready for next Wednesday, but I am working 40 hours a week and have (or want) also a lot of additional stuff to do (including gaming and role playing, which are hobbies). So I hope you can be lenient with me, if future chapters are either shorter or take a bit longer than a week. :) (Also, English isn't my native tongue, so it's not as easy to write for me)
Nevertheless, have a good time reading!
Big thanks to PaladinDragon for betaing my stuff and for encouraging me to keep it up. 3
Thanks to all readers and followers for your support on this story!
Best wishes,
Dwarfi
PS: I forgot! I also have a tumblr account, where I plan to provide additional snippets regarding my fanfiction. Facts about the background of my story, artwork, maybe even little side stories written down as one-shot. So if you are interested, you can find me under the name 'bartkartoffeln' on Tumblr.
"Can you feel it, Hero?" Asked the deep voice of Link's former enemy, with certain amusement. Doubtless Ganon wanted to mock him, calling him 'hero', but as always, the Hylian stayed calm.
"This place is holy," he answered softly.
"Well.. I wouldn't know about that, but it is definitely magical. And what better place to start your training than this?"
"Does Rabo know about this place?" Link wanted to know. He limped along slowly, and used the walls for orientation and support. Ganondorf didn't seem to mind about the slow motion.
"He knows. But he doesn't feel it. For him it's simply 'the Cave', as he calls it. My suggestion is that someone with magic powers died here and was buried inside. There.. you can already see it."
Sunlight was flooding through holes in the ceiling of the big cavern they had just reached. Where it touched the ground, earth covered with plants and flowers could be seen. They had even claimed the rough walls partly. The flowers had the brightest colours. Red, blue and golden, silvery white mixed with spots of pink and orange. They weren't big, but plastered the whole floor, nourished by a very intriguing, black earth that looked like stone that had been crushed to sand. Obviously, it contained enough minerals and humidity to let the plants grow. "It's beautiful," the Hylian admitted in awe, not daring to take the last steps to reach the innermost of the cave. Ganon nodded and pushed him softly forward.
"Now, sit down with me, will you? Let's feel the magic first, before you try something."
For a moment, old distrust surfaced on the former hero's face, the feeling hitting him without a real trigger. Link didn't even know why, out of all times, now he had a moment of caution. He leaned heavily on his cane and tried to analyze the Gerudo's intentions. Ganondorf chuckled darker than thunder. "No need for your wariness, Link. If I really wanted to return to old habits, I wouldn't have sought to be alone with you in a cave. I would have taken you down ferociously and stomped your bones into the bleached ground of my former home," the man sneered in a low, slightly menacing voice. From behind, he had gripped Link's chin and forced him to lay his head back. The King of Demons smiled, for once the hero's eyes did not look at him with stoic determination, but with anger and fighting spirit. The Hylian was ready to face him if need be, regardless of his condition and his many injuries. For a long moment, they just stared at each other, tension building up, thinking about how this peace between them might be more rickety than the former hero had thought. And Ganondorf enjoyed every bit of this moment. He enjoyed the unbent will of Link, the promise to never back down in those sky-blue eyes.
The man with the blazing hair let go of the former hero and shrugged. "But I vowed and it's no longer my intention to vanquish you. I have other things in mind."
"You certainly do," the Hylian retorted coolly, taking a huge step away from the man. How could he really have forgotten the power and the menace that were constant companions of Ganondorf? Had the Gerudo lulled him so fast with his soft voice and warm chuckles? It seemed to Link he was losing his edge. But instead of nourishing the other man's pride and arrogance further, he kept those thoughts to himself.
"Now, shall we proceed? I still have other things to do, hero." Ganondorf said finally, yanking Link back to reality. The Hylian merely nodded and stepped onto the carpet of flowers, where he sat down cross-legged. It hurt, but he bit back a whimper with soldier-like routine. This pain was nothing compared to what he had endured during their first battle several years ago. Beside him, the huge figure of the Gerudo followed suit with bored smoothness, but his golden eyes were watching intently Link's reaction. He never missed an occasion to test out how he might be able to trigger some emotion out of the well-trained warrior, as he had done by being sneaky just a few minutes ago. "In order to feel the magic, I will give you some initial aid. It's nothing bad. Just lay your hand in mine, and I'll show you the way. After that it will be easier for you to find what you are looking for around you and - very important - inside you," the huge man declared. He laid his left hand onto his knee, palm facing upwards, waiting for Link to take it. It didn't take a lot of attentiveness to read the scepticism in the hero's eyes.
"I have a feeling this won't end well, Demon King," he informed Ganondorf grimly. His eyes were darker now, like churning thunderclouds. It surprised the Gerudo that Link was so persistent in his scepticism. How should they both know, that this foreboding feeling inside the hero wasn't even really linked to Ganon? The man sighed.
"Don't worry, I mean you no harm. I intend to help. I tended to you for days now and nothing happened. Why the sudden suspicion I would try to change this peace I wanted in the first place? Now give me your hand, Link, and stop wasting my time!" The last words came out as a fierce, slightly annoyed growl. The Hylian understood that this particular anger was about him not trusting the Lord of Shadows. Was it so important for Ganondorf to have his approval? And why would the man with the blazing hair even strive for that? What was the Gerudo's motive? He had made it clear that he was attracted to Link, and obviously the man wanted sexual intercourse. But the hero still found it hard to understand why approval and trust seemed to be of essence to the Demon King. Especially because the man showed time and time again facets of his personality that made Link aware how menacing Ganondorf could be. The soldier sighed.
"You are still a difficult person to deal with." He shook his head and reluctantly laid his hand into the bigger one of the sorcerer, closing his eyes. At first, nothing happened. There were only half faded calluses and warmth and strength, as the Gerudo gripped the fingers of the younger fighter.
Then, an odd tingle spread throughout his heart, like a call. It was as if fingernails scraped over rough fabric, neither a good feeling nor a bad one. Link frowned and tried to grasp the magic that Ganon wanted to show him. But suddenly, the scraping and tingling in his soul vanished. Seconds later it struck him that there was no sound anymore. He couldn't hear the breathing of the Gerudo beside him, couldn't hear the wind, or the drip of water against the stone. All those natural sounds around him just seemed to have died out.
Link opened his eyes in alarm and saw only blackness. This dense, heavy darkness surrounded him, pressing in on him so that he felt his breath catch in his throat. Suddenly, he didn't sit anymore, but drifted mid-air. "If this is one of your tricks, you better end this now, Ganondorf," he exclaimed harshly, but his voice was devoured by obscurity. But another part of the hero knew this wasn't the Demon King's doing. The very one had never let go of his hand and tightened his grip now.
"Please, hero, I prefer the direct fight with you. Illusions don't fit my pride," the Gerudo growled in a low voice, a deep, muffled sound. He was right there beside him, but his huge figure was clouded by the dusty Shadows around them. In his eagerness to assess the situation, Link hadn't even realized the pressure on his right hand. It was an odd feeling. He wasn't afraid, yet he couldn't help but feel more at ease having the Gerudo with him.
"What is this? Show yourself, intruder!" The Demon King demanded. His charming self as an inn keeper was at once replaced by the natural arrogance and authority befit for a king.
The laughter that pierced suddenly through the blackness was a soft, rasping tenor. "How demanding you can be, brother. Demanding, even though you are in my netherworld and subject to my rules now. I wanted to invite only you, but the one beside you seems to be rather persisting." The rasping of the unknown's voice was disturbing and made Link want to clear his own throat. More disturbing was the information the words of the stranger provided. Had they been captured in another world already? Was this an illusion? A dream? The thoughts of the hero were racing, he was trying to find answers and a solution to the new problem at the same time.
"I am not your brother!" Ganondorf growled darkly. "And I certainly must have missed your invitation. Kidnapping is clearly the more fitting expression." The Gerudo's eyes glowed, full of anger. He wasn't one to be bossed around.
"Aren't you curious what my intentions might be?" the rasping voice asked. "I wanted to make you an offer. You and I have much in common, after all. On the other hand, my words and promises are not for the ears of the light child."
Link lifted his eyebrows. If this was the new enemy, the new threat that Ganon and he assumed, then he certainly didn't lose time to turn the tides in his favor. The Hylian was afraid the Demon King might take this offer, and was not surprised when the huge man beside him smiled coolly. "An offer?" He repeated thoughtfully. "Speak, then," Ganondorf demanded, now sounding mildly interested. The hero gritted his teeth. He wasn't keen on working together with the Gerudo, but having him as an additional enemy would be outright cataclysmal. While the stranger's raspy voice drawled on, Link tried to calm himself and summon his sword. Their training in magical sword summoning hadn't even started yet, but he needed to do something. He needed to break the spell, to expel the evil. For this, he would need his mighty blade direly. Link tried to remember the feeling from his dream. The feeling of his weapon in his hand, the soft glow of the metal, the need to swing it once more against foes. He pictured the holy sword in every little detail, from the razor-sharp tip over the flat and shiny blade to the purple grip. The hero remembered the weight, how it felt to use the weapon, how powerful it sang when he slashed it at the evil in the world. With all his might, Link tried to call forth the Master Sword.
Meanwhile, the darkness introduced itself.
"I am Teneb, the Ruler over the Dreamworld. Help me to guide the mortal creatures into my eternal dreams, and I can grant you true freedom from the cycle," was the short but clear offer of the rasping blackness.
"In other words, you want to enslave all people within your dreams," the Demon Lord reshaped Teneb's intention.
"Quite so, brother. Quite so. Quick on the uptake, aren't you?" The Dream King chuckled. That was the moment when Link finally got a grip again on the call, the magic. It was partly intuition, partly wishful thinking, and lastly the voice of a woman in his ears, that guided him. He knew her voice from somewhere.
Follow my lead, she said. Just give in, I will guide you... And Link followed. What else could he do? It was like a stream of silver moonlight, sweet and cool. It touched his heart, reached for his wish to call his sword, and he gave in. Behind closed eyes, the hero could feel it, his connection to the Master Sword, like a rope tying his hand and the holy blade together. He gripped it, this silver rope, and pulled. Hard. There it manifested, the glowing Ban of Evil, right in his hand! Bit by bit it formed, and what was silver moonlight became his weapon. It was time to interrupt the voice that was trying to persuade Ganondorf to literally follow the dark side.
"NO!" Link exclaimed ferociously. "You will not make him break his vow!" Despite being under the rule of the shadows, his voice was much clearer now, and flashed like lightning through the blackness. The Triforce of Courage lifted the darkness and illuminated everything around him. The Master Sword gained its complete form, resonating with the golden power and giving him further strength. Link sprang forth and swung the blade, trying to slice the shadows before him, led by sheer intuition. A high screech exploded in his ears, as the power of the holy sword dispelled the dream. Everything dissolved into thin smoke, retreating but not entirely vanishing. Instead it became the shallow figure of a man, wavering in mid-air.
Link's feet suddenly found hard ground, and the return of gravity made him stumble. The sudden strain on his body as well as his own momentum made him nearly fall to his knees. Ganondorf was much more elegant and alighted with powerful grace. His eyes gleamed with an odd satisfaction. The emotion vanished, as he saw the smoke-man forming claws, long and sharp. He didn't doubt they would be able to tear someone apart, despite looking like they were made from black fog. A man who could drag him and the hero together into a dark dream must not be taken lightly. Link saw the shadow man, too, and seemed determined to face him, for he braced against a possible attack. His stance wasn't very solid but of formidable technique. Far, far better than years ago, when they had battled in the gardens of Hyrule Castle, the Demon King mused.
But in his current condition it wouldn't suffice to ward off such an enemy. Doubtless, the inexpertly usage of power had taken its toll on Link's body. The shadow-man attacked swiftly, aiming for Link's throat. Instead of blocking, the Hylian let himself fall sideways and rolled halfway around the figure, bringing the Master Sword upward with a short slash. The particles of the attacker parted, the scheme flickered. It came at him again, even faster this time. Link hoicked his blade, but the claws somehow went around it. Just before the attacker's hand reached the hero, a sudden outburst of magic dispersed the shadow into its atoms, the claws missing their target. Instead of hitting Link's forehead, they sliced three deep scratches into his right cheek. Blood welled from the cuts, running down his face and dripping to the floor and onto his tunic. The red liquid soaked into the rough fabric. Link brought his fingertips to the fresh wounds, slightly touching the rims. The scratches burned like fire and made his head spin, but he would deal with that.
"So.. he will not make me break my vow, hm?" Ganondorf sounded intrigued and chuckled lowly. He studied Link, as the hero tried to get up, and his gaze especially beheld the fine sword in the hands of his former enemy. "How in Din's name did you call your sword? We didn't even start training," the Gerudo wanted to know. He drew closer to Link and extended one hand to him. The Hylian didn't react, neither to his words, nor to the hand. Instead, he looked exhausted to the bone, still working what exactly had happened the last few minutes.
Finally, his soft but calm voice spoke up, "I am a fast learner. But my condition is not good enough to fight properly. Or to face sudden illusions, dreams, or enemies without being prepared. I might not have died from that last attack, but I would definitely have lost an eye," Link sighed and took the hand of Ganondorf, who helped him get up. "Thank you for helping me out."
The lips of the Demon King formed a dark smile. "I must say, I like your sternness about all this. It's intriguing. You have matured quite a bit since our last battle. I actually itch for a rematch - a friendly one, of course. In the meantime: you're welcome, hero." He had well noticed that the Hylian hadn't answered his question, but for the time being Ganondorf dropped the issue.
Link nodded and picked up his cane. "Do you think, he is coming back soon? This Teneb doesn't seem to waste time, does he?" He had hoped that there would be time enough to not only find out what was going on, but also to heal. But fate seldom waited, it seemed.
Ganon grew serious. "No, he doesn't. And I don't like that one bit. I need time to arrange some things." He bowed close to Link and inspected the bleeding scratches. "We better take care of this, too. Who knows, what those claws might be capable of." His thumb carefully stroked over the wounds, smearing the blood, leaving a burning pain. Link sighed deeply.
"I appreciate your concern, but you don't have to use every excuse you can find to ignore my personal space."
"I know that perfectly well. And I choose to ignore it. As I ignore many things, like pesky flies that cannot even touch me. You are by far no fly anymore," the huge man mumbled contently. "I liked your fire already, when you started out on your quest to save Hyrule. Today, I like it even more. What do you want to do about it, Link?"
The answer was a light, piercing pain at his throat. The Hylian had lifted his sword with one shaking hand and pressed it softly into the skin of the Gerudo, right beneath his larynx. His gaze was level and calm. Ganondorf stepped back and let out a bark of laughter, warm and genuine – and dark.
"One day, Link. One day there isn't going to be a holding back for me. But for today, I accept your silent threat," the man with the blazing hair granted patronizing. There was, however, a slight warning in the undertone to his words, despite his smirk. Link stared at the Gerudo pensively.
"You vowed not to harm me. Are you saying you are planning on going back on your word? Or is this only an empty threat?" He asked blandly.
His voice was intentionally neutral, yet it had a certain… edge to it. Under the Hylian's soft question seemed to lurk something dangerous. For the second time during their reunion, the indifference towards Ganondorf was broken by a spark of fighting spirit. He wanted to hear from the Gerudo himself that he wouldn't throw away the peace they had committed to for some carnal pleasure.
"Interesting," the huge man murmured, rubbing his chin. "Very interesting." He didn't explain what exactly he found 'interesting', he just turned in direction of the cave entrance. "For days I try to ignite something, anything in you. And this is the thing that sets you off?" He added, finally. A deep sigh followed. "I am not planning on breaking my vow… yet. Considering how rare the opportunities are to have a normal life, me breaking my vow is most likely not going to happen at all. I'm enjoying myself. Don't worry." He waved the topic aside.
Link lifted an eyebrow and seemed to debate, whether he wanted to believe Ganon or not. On the one hand, the man had said himself that he would rather fight on the hero's side.
On the other hand, there was of course the whole Teneb-thing. The Gerudo had sounded interested in the offer, the King of Dreams had made: true freedom from the cycle. It surely was tempting for the powerful man to try it. So one way or another, maybe Ganondorf would shatter their peace contract.
"It's so easy to read you, hero," the Demon King whispered, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Link snapped back to reality. His blue eyes, pupils dilated from the pain in his body, pierced right into the golden ones of Ganondorf. The man shook his head, and suddenly, just for the blink of an eye, he looked incredibly sad. "There is no such thing as true freedom. We are all slaves to something. It's just so that we don't always see it – or that we accept it because it feels right. No one can grant you true freedom."
"But Teneb was specifically referring to true freedom from the cycle, not freedom in general." The warrior retorted demurely, but he couldn't deny to himself that Ganondorf's sudden sadness shook him. Such emotions from the dark king were alien to Link. He only knew the blaze-haired man as determined and sinister fighter, someone who knew what he wanted and knew also how to take it.
The other man shrugged. "He cannot give it to me. Only the goddesses could free me from the cycle, and they would never give up one of their most beloved playthings. However, there is a possibility to make them owe me. And that is why I consider playing along. As long as I can have a reward at the end." His old sly smile resurfaced, destroying the melancholic attitude.
Link studied the face of his former enemy and, after a short moment, nodded as if he'd simply accept this. Then he looked at his sword that now was more hindering than useful. Without a proper scabbard and sword belt, carrying it around in his actual condition was cumbersome, and he didn't know how to send it back to wherever it had come from. Yet he didn't complain, but limped in direction of the cave exit. They better get back to the inn, before he tilted over. All the improvement in his condition had been blown away by that last fight. The Hylian hurt all over, cheek, ribs, head and thigh. By the goddesses, he had to heal faster!
He could feel the presence of Ganondorf beside him almost immediately. The huge Gerudo had caught up to him without effort and strolled slowly along. The trouble-free attitude of the man was unnerving for Link, who was hindered by his own injuries. He ached for some training. His body was used to hard exercising and yearned for exhaustion of the good kind. Of course, during his journey, he didn't train as much as during his time as head of the guard. But he would shoot things from horseback; he would do some idle swordplay, repeating his stances and movements over and over again.
"I probably better carry you. You are awfully slow, hero, and your limping has become worse again," Ganondorf droned beside him.
"No. I am no toy you can carry around and have fun with. I am a trained, seasoned warrior of Hyrule, and not a child you have to pamper. It's time you stop treating me as if I was inferior to you. Or as if I was some idle entertainment for you!" Link sounded slightly angry. Ganondorf smiled widely in the darkness of the tunnel.
"I am only considerate, oh my precious guest," he said in such an amiable way it raised the Hylian's hackles. At least, the Demon King did nothing further to undermine his self-esteem and kept not only his hands to himself, but also a respectful distance while they were returning.