A/N: I just want to preface this by saying I like Link. I actually have more merchandise of him than I do of any other Legend of Zelda character. That said, every story has to have a villain and unfortunately he is the villain of this one.
Day seven of Zelda's leave had arrived, and Daphnes was just about finished packing his belongings. He and Zelda had decided it was best that they not alert anyone in the village that they were leaving, on the off chance that they decided to follow them or bother the castle. So they quietly loaded their things onto Daphnes cart, cleaned up the house, and prepared to leave.
"Have you thought of what to do with the chickens?" Zelda asked, as she sat in the kitchen packing her father's favorite tools.
"Yes, I took them down to Mr. Mercer yesterday as a gift and said we were downsizing," Daphnes replied from the other side of the table. "Told him we had far too many to keep, and that I owed him for all he's done for us in the past."
"Oh, good." Zelda finished with the tools, and gathered up a few more bags to take out to the cart. "As soon as we load up these last few bags, we just need to make one last sweep of the house and we'll be on our way."
Zelda gathered the bags and headed toward the door, when it suddenly burst open in her face. In walked Link, followed by a few of his cronies. He looked at the bags in her arms and at the empty room around her, then violently grabbed her arm.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Daphnes shouted and rose from his seat to help Zelda, before being restrained by one of the cronies. "Release my daughter at once!"
"You thieving little snake," Link growled, gripping Zelda's arms. "You steal my property, disappear for damn near six months, then when you finally come back you pack up all your shit to disappear again? I don't think so."
"Get your hands off me!" Zelda hissed, but was silenced as Link slapped her hard.
"Don't you speak unless I give you permission! You know, I'm tired of you always coming around, acting all cutesy and loving when you need something, then refusing me when I want a little womanly comfort. You're MY woman, and it's time you learn your place!"
"Let go!"
Link scoffed, and stared her down. "Look at you... Wearing clothes clearly out of your class, backsassing, and- what's this? What the hell is this?" Link grabbed Zelda's left hand and focused on the ring she was wearing. It was a simple silver band with a small ruby, that she had received as a get well present after her fall.
"What the hell, you let some other man claim you? MY WOMAN? WHO?"
"I don't belong to you!" Zelda screamed, and kicked at Link's legs. Link shoved her back against the wall, seething.
"Hey boss, when we found your stolen horse, it was roaming around in the forest," one of the cronies chimed in.
The other crony nodded. "Yeah, I heard there's another path you can follow, but it leads to a haunted grove where a monster who eats children dwells."
Link snorted. "...You mean that old abandoned castle? Someone's actually living there?" He turned back to Zelda and squeezed her chin. "Well, it would explain this regency getup. Looks like I'll just have to go show this fool what happens when he touches my property."
"No!" Zelda put up a fight as Link dragged her and her father out of the house and into the yard. One of the cronies opened the storm cellar and threw Daphnes in, then Link stepped up to do the same.
"I will deal with the two of you when I return. I could have you flogged and branded for the theft of my horse, be thankful all I want is my right of consortium," Link growled, causing Zelda to gasp in disgust. "Now, since I don't need you following me..."
In the blink of an eye, Link pulled a switch from his belt and smacked Zelda across the head, knocking her unconscious. Daphnes was able to catch her as she fell into the cellar, but he couldn't do much more as the doors were quickly closed on him.
"Ugh..." Zelda woke sick to her stomach, but collected her thoughts and sat up as quickly as she could.
"Easy, honey, you were hit pretty badly," Daphnes said, gently guiding Zelda's head back into his lap.
"How long have I been out?"
"Well, I'm not too sure... It's been at least a day..."
"A day?!" Zelda jumped to her feet, and once the dizziness wore off ran to the cellar door. She pushed against it, but it wouldn't budge. "Ugh, open!"
Daphnes watched as Zelda got more frantic, and eventually had to pull her back. "It's no use, honey... They jammed the door with steel bars, I couldn't get through."
"Hic... I promised...! I told him I wouldn't be late!" Zelda collapsed against her father and began mumbling, until she realized she still had the magic mirror in her dress pocket. "Mirror... is he okay? Let me see..."
The mirror fogged and swirled, eventually revealing an image of the garden. Ganondorf was hunched over in front of the rose bush, his breathing slow. He looked up to the sky and sighed, then sat down on the ground and buried his head in his knees. For a proud creature like him, the heartbreak was obvious.
The image made Zelda hysterical, and she leapt out of her father's arms to resume pounding against the cellar door. Surprisingly, after several minutes of pounding, someone came over and started removing the bars. The door opened up, and the two were greeted by a pair of orange, pupil-less eyes set in a narrow gray face.
"Here you are..."
"Great Golden Goddesses!" Daphnes shouted.
Putting her fright aside, Zelda studied the strange face. "Sniff... are you... Zant?"
"Yeah, and we have to hurry. I think Master might be in trouble," Zant said, helping Zelda and Daphnes out of the cellar. He then threw a black ball onto the ground, turning it into a blue and black swirl. "Quick, into the portal."