Chapter Eleven:

The day had just barely begun and there already was rumors spreading along the few merchants that were still setting up their wares and their potential customers that were already out of their beds. Some had claimed that they heard or knew someone that had seen the queen and princess of Hyrule ride out of the township and into the Field to go to wherever the Goddesses' knew they had gone. None had been stupid enough to follow the two regal horses out of the main gate to the town, not when three armed guards rode horseback around the two women. They had been dismissed rather quickly when guards had walked by the early morning gossipers, their stares silencing them just as quickly as they had started to speak; there need be no mention of where the queen and princess-heir was, not when they were not inside the castle.

The commoners had gone back to their morning chores and the merchants had resumed setting up their wares in the hopes that they would be able to catch a rare glimpse at the young Princess Zelda before she would be escorted back to the castle. There had been only three other times that Zelda had been seen in the Market and those times she had been escorted by her father and by a full legion of guards behind them; where they had been going at the time, none had been too bold to ask. Now they would see her without guards swarming around her and perhaps even see the queen without the king by her side, if they were lucky enough.

If the guards had started to squash the rumors that had spread around the commoner homes, the presence of Gerudo had finished the job quickly. The small band of Gerudo had come into the Market without word, their silence deafening to the already busy morning stalls; merchants and customers alike had stopped what they were doing to stare at the surprisingly small band of thieves. There were whispers among those that watched them, suspicious as to why such a small band had come so far and without so much of an indication as to why they had taken the long journey across the Field. Indeed it had been a long ride from the Desert that had taken them several hours to get there but to the Gerudo it had been worth the trip if it did not end in disaster.

Despite all of the stares that were being given to the Gerudo, they went about their business as though they did not take notice that they were being watched. This allowed all eyes to be trained on them while Ganondorf slipped away and towards the path that lead up to the castle. Even the guards took little notice that one of the thieves had disappeared from their sights, more focused on the young women that were flutter their eyelashes at the guards and smiling pretty. Only Nabooru and Callon did not seem to be enjoying their time at the Market, despite Nabooru catching the eye of one particular merchant. That gave Callon just enough time to swipe several jewels from the stall and pocket them into her horse's saddlebag and casually glance up to the looming form of the castle. She only frowned at it and moved on, intent to at least give Ganondorf his time in the castle.

Ganondorf had taken his time to walk up the path to the castle, especially when he had gotten to the gate that barred him entry from the castle grounds. He had to suppress a laugh when the guard standing at the gate gaped at him and stammered out orders for him to return back to the Market and beyond the borders of the township. Had Ganondorf not wished to go to the castle in a hurry, he would have stayed there and played mind games with the incompetent fool longer then he had but with time, and his patience, wearing thin he had not lingered more than he had to. When he came back through the gate with what he needed, information on the whereabouts of the pendant or the pendant itself, he would torment the poor fool longer if his mood had improved by then.

It had taken the guard around forty seconds to fumble for the right key to the gate and another thirty to get the gate open properly. By the time the iron gate had been unlocked, Ganondorf had tried his best to remain calm but his anger had emerged and he had forced the gate open by himself once it had been unlocked. He left the guard to stand where he had been, staring at the point of entry and key still in the lock of the gate, an almost horrified expression on his face. Just seeing the expression on the guards face had given him a small satisfaction despite the lingering foul taste he felt in his mouth from the last time he had visited the castle. Had he not want anything of power that came from within and trusted more of his clan, he would have sent in several Gerudo to the job for him instead of him doing it himself.

Ganondorf now stood at the gate of Hyrule Castle, his arms crossed loosely over his chest and a deep scowl on his face, as he waited impatiently for the draw bridge to fully come down to the ground. It had taken the guards inside five minutes to even take notice that there was a visitor to the castle and another two minutes to start lowering the draw bridge down so that he could enter. Oh there were other ways into the castle as there were with any structure this size but it was staying inside was what he wanted to do. Already he had visions of what he would do to each and every guard that served inside and outside the castle as well as the Royal Family itself. Fools, all of them, he thought bitterly to himself as he waited. I will have the pendant this day, even if I have to kill both the Sheikah and the Royal Family to get it. What a pity to have to waste good weapons so needlessly on them.

By the time the bridge had fully lowered a few moments later, the Gerudo had become even more impatient then he had when he had first entered the castle grounds. He had little interest in waiting any longer and this was only delaying him further more. He had to hold his words as he walked across the wooden planks of the drawbridge, dropping his arms to his sides. Two guards had appeared at the entranceway to the castle, glaring at him from underneath their silver helmets and stood stiffly as he walked passed them. They both had a hand on the hilt of their silver swords that stayed sheathed at their sides, spears held tightly in the other hands just in case they had to use either one of their weapons. They still did not stop him from entering the castle since he had not entered in a threatening manner nor had they received any direct order from the king to keep Gerudo out of the castle that numbered more than five in a group. In due time, however, they would regret allowing Ganondorf to enter so willingly.

As soon as Ganondorf had taken ten steps into the castle, his eyes wandered around the main entranceway before falling onto a figure that was moving towards him rather quickly. He smirked inwardly, his lips actually parting into a frown when the king stopped only a few feet away from him and alone with the exception of the two guards stationed at the entrance. It was either good timing on Ganondorf's part that he had run into the king like he had or the king had been tipped off that the Gerudo had returned for another audience with the Royal Family. Either way it played right into his little trap and if he had his way that day, he would be one step closer to gaining the power he lust for.

In fact, the king had been told that there was Gerudo presence within the Market and had started to gather several guards to disperse the threat as soon as possible once it had been known to him that there were, in fact, Gerudo still lingering inside the township. He had every intention of walking to the main entrance to tell the captain of the guard to kill all lingering Gerudo after this day when he had been given the word that a Gerudo male was already at the doorstep of the castle. Had the king not been in the presence of Ganondorf already he would have had him killed along with the thieves that were in the Market. He had no intentions of speaking to Ganondorf and had hoped to have gotten past the main entrance before the drawbridge had come down fully. Now he had to confront the man he wished would remain in the desert until he died.

"I thought I told you to leave the castle and not return," the king snapped as the two of them attempted to smile at each other even slightly without looking too forced. Ganondorf placed his hands behind his back, attempting to look slightly hurt at the idea he had been told to leave without even being there for more than ten seconds in the presence of the king. "And I know I meant that."

"You did, sire, but there is a matter that must be taken care of. Immediately." Ganondorf smiled rather warmly when he emphasized the word immediately, staring the king straight in the eyes. Had the two of them not met before, the Hylian would have backed down ever so slightly before demanding what was so important that it couldn't wait. Instead, he gave the stare right back but rather than return the smile he frowned deeply as Ganondorf's smile was wide.

"Whatever it is, it can be taken care of at another date. Right now I have other and more important things to tend to." That would have normally ended a conversation with anyone else and to emphasize that point, he started to walk in the direction opposite the way he came. He did not get very far, with Ganondorf stepping three steps backwards and then left, into the path of the now very irate king. Taking in a sigh, the king rubbed his head and stared beyond the Gerudo; if he didn't make eye contact then he could fight the urge to have this man thrown into the dungeon much more then he would if he continued to stare at him. "What is it that you need? My patience is wearing thin, Ganondorf."

"Your Excellency," Ganondorf started, his smile faltering ever so slightly, "this cannot be put off any longer. I must have information regarding one of those in your employ and what she knows."

The king froze where he was, his body stiffening in defense. If the Gerudo presence in the Market had been suspicious to him, then asking information about one of the servants was just as, if not more. It took all of his effort to look the Gerudo up and down, taking in the way he was standing to the expression on his face. If a Gerudo wanted information out of something then that meant there had to be a rupee value to it if not by gold; they had little use for knowledge and information unless it benefited them. In all of the years that he had ruled Hyrule so far, the king had not once heard of a Gerudo wanting information from the Royal Family.

"What kind of information do you need?" He asked stiffly, not inclined to give any details of matters that would stay in the confines of the castle. Ganondorf didn't seem to take notice of the defensiveness that the king had started to take, smiling ever so slightly more.

"There is a certain artifact that I would like to see, something that I had heard of in passing from one of my newest members of the Gerudo." He then gestured to the entranceway they were standing in. "It is contained within the castle walls, or so I have heard. I am hoping that I would be able to view it." Ganondorf then raised his hands in defense before any words could be spoken from the Hylian's mouth. "With no intention of stealing, I might add. You can have all of your best soldiers watching me every second if you feel much safer doing so."

"Which 'artifact' are you talking about?" The king then gestured the same way Ganondorf had. "There are plenty of things that are in the castle in which you are welcome to see, under the supervision of the guards like you just mentioned. You may observe them but I warn you that thieves aren't taken lightly."

"Of course, of course. I understand." Inwardly, Ganondorf struggled to keep his sanity at a level that wouldn't overflow. Not yet, he told himself mentally. You can't kill the bastard just yet. "However, this is something only that Sheikah of yours knows about."

"Impa?" He asked, more than a bit surprised. Very few in Hyrule would want to see a Sheikah for information. especially Gerudo, and even fewer were stupid enough to ask about the objects they made. Even so, this made the Hylian think about what the Sheikah was hiding in the castle and that made him worry. "What does she know that I do not?"

With that, the Gerudo's smile became even more apparent on his features and what looked like a content expression lit up his face. If the very king did not know what lie beneath his feet, then that meant any secrets of the Sheikah were still unknown to the current generation of the Royal Family. This gave him an even bigger opportunity to scheme under the king's nose and a better way of getting what he wanted from the Sheikah. Despite the worried and surprised mixed expression on the king's face, and knowing that he know had something to think about, Ganondorf would have an easier time getting the pendant from the castle. If it wasn't heavily guarded by the royal soldiers then that was one less hassle he would have to deal with.

"It is a private matter that I must speak to her with." The smile faded from his lips and he pressed his lips into a thin line. "Sheikah are prone to have secrets and plan on keeping it that way until they die."

"What makes you think she would share her secrets with you?" The king asked defiantly. "I am sure that you, out of all the people in Hyrule, would understand this."

"I have ways of getting information out that you, as king of Hyrule, do not possess." Ganondorf took a step forwards as though he was intimidating the king. "I'll need to speak with her as soon as possible."

"Of course," he said, hardly one to have intimidation work on him. "However, Impa is not here. She is elsewhere at the moment and quite possibly will not be returning until later tonight if that late." He then gestured to the still open drawbridge. "If it can wait until tomorrow or later in the week, I am sure that she would be delighted to help you."

If the king had seen what anger had looked like on Ganondorf at their last meeting, then he had only seen a fraction of what a Gerudo's anger could really look like. Ganondorf's face contorted into what could only be described as fury but in reality it was just a minimal percentage of the pent-up frustration that he still had. His eyes narrowed into almost small slits, the corners of his mouth curving into a frown, and his teeth baring out into a hiss. His entire body seemed to shift into a different form, his muscles tensing and his hands ball into fists of rage; his whole demeanor changed with the words of the man standing in front of him. Even at this stage there was nothing the two guards would be able to do quell the Gerudo's fury, not when he had been waiting all of this time just to get this far. Even so, a quiet voice inside of him somewhere had to tell him to keep the rest of his anger in check or he would regret any actions he made.

"NO! I must see her now!" His voice rang throughout the room, echoing off of the walls and into the side hallways. Both guards at the entrance jumped their heads turning towards the Gerudo for a moment before they snapped back to their original positions. Even the king had to take several steps back partly due because of the tone and volume of the voice; even when Ganondorf spoke his next words, they were still loud but not as loud as the ones that he had pleasantly shouted. "Drag her back to the castle if you must. Call her back from wherever she is, she must be here."

The king took in a deep breath, silently wishing to himself that he could do such a thing. How he would enjoy seeing Impa squirm with guards on either side of her, pulling her from the Hylia and through the Market. Then she wouldn't be so cocky with snickering commoners at her back, watching as normal Hylians pulled a mighty Sheikah through the town square. That would give him satisfaction beyond what even Ganondorf could ever hope for and want; even the thought gave him a slight pleasure. And if the Gerudo could make her existence a bit more torturous, that not only would humble the woman but would give him something to threaten her with. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to allow a proposition of a short-lived alliance with Ganondorf, he thought to himself with a smile.

"As much as it would please the both of us if I dragged her body back to the castle, I cannot do such a thing. There is certain things she has to do and they must be done." Or I'll never be able to get a night's rest again, the king added silently to himself. Despite the thoughts of seeing Impa dragged through the Market all humiliated, he still feared a sharp reaction from the other Sheikahs and quite possibly from Impa herself, threats or not. He didn't pretend to know the inner workings of how Sheikah worked or their magic and he didn't want to test the limitations of said magic or their anger. They were a natural companion to the Royal Family and to lose not only the support of the Sheikah but their protection would be met with disaster.

"Don't expect me to be as nice this time around, Your Highness," Ganondorf growled deeply. "I am not in the mood to tolerate such things."

That had been a direct threat on the king's life and he would have had the guards stationed at the entrance on either side of Ganondorf, dragging him down to the dungeons to wait for his death to come. Taking in account that Ganondorf's anger level had risen quite considerably since their first meeting several weeks ago, he let it slide knowing that this anger could very well be useful in the future. After all, thieves were expandable and could get into places an army of soldiers could not get into nor could the commoner population. As much as he hated to admit it, the Gerudo Clan of the desert did have their uses no matter how small they were or what they did to survive.

Rubbing a hand along his chin, the king looked the Gerudo up and down several times again to take in the man standing before him. His eyes had opened more since his outburst and his muscles and grown several inches due to some abnormal power that coursed through his body. Something else had changed within him, a curious power that could possibly rival the Three Goddesses of legend. If only he, the king, believed in such nonsense then he would have believed in the unknown power that he could almost feel coming from Ganondorf himself. Maybe there was a possibility that he could extract information out of Impa and even share it with the Royal Family.

"I have a proposition for you, Ganondorf," the king started as he tapped a finger on his chin. "If you can extract any information out of Impa, you can have whatever it is that she is hiding and quite possibly more." He could tell that he had gotten the Gerudo's attention when he raised an eyebrow to continue. "All I ask is that you return at a later date and share the information with me." He then raised a hand to stop Ganondorf from speaking. "That's all I require, nothing more. I am a man of my word, just a simple ruler like yourself. At the moment, however, I cannot get that damnable Sheikah back into the castle without using considerable force and that force won't go unnoticed by the common people, and I wouldn't want to cause an uproar at this time."

Ganondorf's face changed drastically, his body relaxing only slightly when he watched the Hylian's face smile back at him. He couldn't tell if there was any deceit to the man's words or if he would hold true to his words; regardless, it sounded like something he would be willing to take. But how far would he be able to go to get such information out? And would the king go back on his word if he knew what this so-called pendant could do? Even Ganondorf didn't know exactly what it did and he was more than willing to stake his life on learning what Sheikan magic worked in a cheap charm. And if the king went back on his word, not only would he feel the wraith of the Gerudo, he would feel the fury that was Ganondorf.

That gave him something to think about as they stood there, engulfed in silence. One contemplated the proposal that had been given to him and the other stared at him with a smile. The king knew he was staking this on something that he couldn't really promise and he would retract it as soon as he could get what he wanted from both Impa and Ganondorf alike. Gerudo, to him, were all alike and this one was no different from the rest that he had thrown into the dungeon below. Ganondorf, however, had already formed his own plan in his mind and could use this fool in front of him as a way to get back into the castle for the pendant if things went downhill. After all, information could be twisted around so that no one would really know the truth behind it especially when it concerned the Sheikah.

"Do what you will with the Sheikah when she returns, but speak nothing of this meeting to her or anyone else. That includes your guards." Ganondorf's eyes flickered over to the two that stood by the entrance. The guards knew that he had come into the castle but they didn't have to know why he was there or what, or who, he was looking for. "I prefer to catch her unawares when I return. All I ask in return for this is her artifact and knowledge on how to use it."

He stretched out his hand as a way to seal the deal, the king smiled to himself and laughing inwardly as he took Ganondorf's hand. Shaking on the words spoken, both were already breaking their promises and finding ways to step around the deals that had been forged so roughly. Had this been put to paper and signed by other kingdoms, it would be considered treason to contort the words of another leader. This wasn't, however, any other treaty or ruler that they were dealing with but raw, unchecked power that neither knew about. They dropped their hands to their sides, both bowing their heads ever so slightly to each other as a way to finalize their silent pact.

Ganondorf then turned and strode out of the entrance room, leaving the king to go about his duties as though there had been no meeting between Hylian and Gerudo. He watched him go into the castle grounds, a wondering look appearing on his face as he sighed and shook his head. He would return to his study and mark down what had just happened; Impa would eventually know when the time came for Ganondorf to return to the castle. That gave him pleasure enough, to see the surprised and horrified look that would be on her face. In due time, he told himself.

Shrugging at a passing thought, he walked to the other side of the room and went about his business for the day. Nothing else would make this day any better than it already had.

Beyond Book series and all original characters © Ameera Mae Laramie

Legend of Zelda games, characters, and places © Nintendo and their original creator