Ganondorf is surprisingly excellent at sailing. Link is quite resourceful when it comes to obtaining a new skill, but Ganondorf seems to know all the ropes. Quite literally.
The vessel that was given to them was not so large that two people could not maintain it. It was a standard size, with a spacious deck as well as a two section cabin. One for storage and one for slumber.
Link was grateful he wasn't getting seasick, but Epona on the other hand didn't look so good. Link thought it would be best to take Epona down into the storage cabin and get her comfortable.
They've been at sea for nearly a day, and she was getting antsy already.
"How do you know so much about sailing?" Link asked Ganondorf when he was back on deck.
"This is the first time I've ever sailed in my life." He laughs.
"I don't believe it." Link says lightly. It's hard for him to believe. "How?"
"Books." Ganon retorts. "We kept a vast library in the fortress… Despite what most think of the Gerudo, we are quite studious."
Link was irked by the assumption. He never thought of the Gerudo as anything to patronize. He always looked at them as brave, strong, and intelligent. He felt stupid himself, now that the thought came to mind. He never had much time to do things such as reading or writing. He wasn't very good at reading at all actually. He did know how, but only so much. Sometimes the big words got him.
"Gan." He didn't finish until his eyes were on him and he had his attention. "I've never thought lowly of the Gerudo. Not ever." He never thought lesser of anyone for that matter. He assumed that Ganon was inclined to think of him as some sort of enemy in a general sense simply because of their backgrounds.
"I apologize…" He started as he stepped down from the helm. "It's just; Hylians even try to tell their children that we're no good."
Link understood this and he was well aware of what Ganondorf was talking about. There was long history and a brutal war behind all of the hatred. The Hylians never took a liking to the Gerudo. But he didn't consider himself in the category Ganon was referring to.
"I've never really been a Hylian." He laughed bitterly. "I mean I am… But I've always been a Kokiri. That's how I see it anyway."
"So it's true then? They're really all there. Those forest children?" He's laughing, Link is glad the conversation is taking a turn. "Didn't they notice how you were growing up a tad more than the rest of them?"
It was meant as a joke, really. Link knew that but he couldn't help but feel that pang of loneliness. The painful memory of having to leave everyone behind, including Saria was resurfacing.
"That's when I left."
Ganon was quiet. Link took it as an invitation to continue.
"Not because they didn't want me... But that's when I had to leave. That's when everything started I suppose."
It's not often that he has to be reminded of these things, but he supposes it's important not to forget. Even when he was sent back, he was far too bitter to stay in the forest knowing what he'd known.
"What of your kin? Your mother?"
"I have never known her. I've reason to believe she's passed away, but I'll never really know for certain." Link can think of a thousand other things to talk about that wouldn't upset him. He opts for a refocus of the question. "What of yours?" He asks Ganon.
He finally sits, sighing out. He takes a place next to Link on the empty crates he's occupying.
"The Gerudo tradition is to cut off all contact with a man once a woman is with child. So if my father is out there I might never know him. I don't have siblings. The boys never have siblings. And they don't know of any other Gerudo boy in their lifetime unless they live to be one hundred years old. Which isn't very likely." And he sounds as if he's told the tale more than once. It sounds rehearsed, but perhaps only internally rehearsed. Like he's been waiting for someone to hear it.
"I was born late actually. I hear it caused quite the ruckus…" He trailed off momentarily, laughing to himself.
"But my mother... She's gone." He's staring at the planks of the deck emptily. "Murdered actually. By Hylian soldiers. I was 9."
A lot of things click into place in that moment. He feels like the information isn't particularly shocking, but that doesn't change how unsettling it is. He doesn't see sorrow in his eyes; he only sees a gleam of regret. He doesn't know what the regret could possibly be for, given the fact that Ganon was only a child when it occurred. Perhaps it was that he did not get to know her as well as he would've liked. Or maybe it's just pure regret that he couldn't protect her the way that he would've like to. Either way it's completely heartbreaking and Link thinks that it's definitely worse than what most endure. He thinks for the first time in his life that someone might be worse off than he is. To first know your mother and then have her ripped away from you after you become so attached sounds much more awful than never knowing her at all.
Ganon is spacing off, like he's replaying something in his head.
"Did you…" Link is trying to decide if it's insensitive to ask. "Did you see?"
"I did." He answers without hesitation. "Nabooru had to pull me away before they could do the same to me. We barely made it out."
Before Link could think to say anything or offer any of his comforts. Ganondorf was standing over the small table at the help and laying out a map.
"Let's not speak of such things. It's all in the past now."
His mind paints the image of Aveil's dead body on the floor. He imagines Ganon's strained and pained gaze over his shoulder through their embrace. Logically he knows that Ganon isn't so emotionally weak to actually associate it with Nabooru. But that doesn't change the fact that it affected him. It's a reminder. It makes Ganon hasty to return home in fear that things could be as bad as he worries they are. Link knows it's paining him to think he could have been the cause of any more suffering.
He regrets Aveil. He doesn't regret the battle. He meant to fight her. But he regrets her death. It feels bitter and empty. It seemed that she was so determined, and he was so blinded by rage where he disregarded that a fight to the death would result in actual death. She's gone. It weighed on him. But not in the same way it did on Ganondorf. It wasn't because of the effect that she had on their lives. It's the principle.
Because they're here in Termina where there's a copy of everyone they've ever know, with different names and personalities, taunting them into madness. He can't imagine that Ganon handled it any better than he did. After all he was here for three years before link returned here.
And Link realized that maybe he wasn't the only one desperate to not have to linger on the miserable events of the past.
"Where did you get a map?" As far as Link was concerned this wasn't even a real place. He wondered who had even left Termina in order to chart the seas. He's trying to dispel it from his thought that he can't leave this place. He'd done it before, he just can't remember how. It was kind of accident. But whether he's coming or going he always seems to be unconscious in the middle of it.
"The old man. He gave it to me quite some time ago." He flips it over on the table. "He's a curious one. Always vanishing. He's written some silly message on the back."
Link stalks over to the table. What could it possibly be? He leans over to read.
Believe in your strengths.
He's quiet. Suddenly he's frustrated because too many things have taken him far too long to realize. And he had that feeling, he knew it. He knew that all those years ago wouldn't be the last he was going to see of that mask salesman. He just never expected to meet him under the guise of an elderly man. Why hide?
Link would like to think the things this man does are purposeful. But for some reason it doesn't quite feel that way.
He doesn't mention it to Ganondorf. It doesn't feel important enough. He just laughs to himself briefly and even when Ganon asks, he just shrugs and tells him it reminds him of someone he once knew.
The map looks strange. Charted like any map, but the sea is so vast and barren that any land charted there appears to be incredibly small. There's no way at all to determine the scale of the land or the distance between each entity. The only thing it was good for was determining the direction in which they had to go to get to the selected expanse of land.
It was unclear whether any of this would lead them to Hyrule. The map only seemed to show small ports and reefs.
"Did you notice something about this map?" Ganondorf asks him.
He shakes his head no. He hasn't really examined it or anything.
Ganon puts his finger on the shoreline of the great bay, which is south according to the map, and drags his finger all the way up to the top where it rests on a tiny spec of land. Etched there within the confines of its borders in careful, thin lines of graphite, is a very familiar symbol that Link instantly recognizes. It's small, but there is no doubt as to what it is.
"The Triforce." Link states. It sounds wobbly when he says it, but he's not sure why.
"That has to mean something."
Link can't believe it but he's thinking to himself that maybe things are looking up. Things have gotten better. It's only a drawing by that crazy masked man but it feels like hope.
"How long have you had this map?" Link thinks to ask as an afterthought.
"A while. Maybe a year. He gave it to me on a whim."
It was curios, but he saw no reason to be suspicious. Whoever or whatever the mask salesman was, he knew things that were going to happen. Link might never find out why and he was strangely fine with it. Not that he could do much about it anyhow.
"And you never thought to sail out before?" Link asks incredulously. It's hard to believe that if he's had the map, that he would not attempt to leave sooner.
Ganon looks hesitant, then guilty before he finally opens his mouth. "At the time it was given to me, I was still beginning to recall many things that I had forgotten… I was feeling much disbelief that I had done those things that were being pushed back into my memory. So I did not wish to return so swiftly. I wanted to see if I could find a way to live without so much hate. No thoughts of returning came to me until I realized who you were."
"Why then?" Link doesn't think he's ever wanted to know something so bad in his life.
"Your tears." He says softly. Link is confused, and doesn't know what he means.
"Your tears over the imp. I've never known a single person that didn't speak ill of him. He was evil to all of them. Just a demon to be cast out. But you… you shed tears for him."
"He was a victim of circumstance." Link tells him.
"And you are the only one that could see such a thing." Ganon smiles.
He sees the point, and it makes sense. He sees why it would move Ganon the way it did. Link has a suspicion that Ganon also sees himself as a victim of circumstance. Link just hopes he will not have to shed tears over him as well.
They continue sailing and when the sun goes down and the clouds roll in, they decide it's not safe to go on. Link has been caught in a storm or two at sea and he's learned his lesson.
They corner in on the nearest reef and anchor the ship. It's difficult with only the two of them but they manage.
The rain is just beginning to fall when they've settled.
"I love the rain." Link says thoughtlessly.
A loud crack of thunder reverberates through the sky and makes them jump. They look at each other. It cracks again with a fury and suddenly the rain is pouring down. They're soaked within seconds.
Ganon is laughing now. "You love rain?"
It's like it fills him with energy. Storms are dangerous, but they're filled with such life and it's always made him feel something. He can't help but think of the notes of that enchanting tune he was taught so long ago. He might be able to play it still, given the chance. He's laughing right back at Ganon.
"You love this?" Ganon yells over the roar of the thunder, smile plastered to his face as he gestures to the sky. "This?"
He feels like he's nine years old. In the forest right before his life was no longer his. He was happy. Really truly happy. He would run through the pouring rain with Saria. Everyone would run inside to avoid the downpour. But they would stay out and run. They would leave buckets out to fill with rainwater, only to throw them over each other until they were soaked to the bone. It was the most fun he's ever had. It was theirs.
He spots a bucket out of the corner of his eye on the deck and it's calling out to him.
He supposed he could share it with someone else.
Ganon isn't quite fast enough. Link makes for the bucket and throws the water right over him and he's soaked through.
"Link!"
He can't help it. He just keeps laughing as he lets the bucket clatter to the deck.
Ganon doesn't look cross, but his face is oddly serene. He won't tear his gaze away from Link. And Link isn't quite sure with how its making him feel. He's smiling at him.
"What?" Link asks hesitantly, smile feint but still present.
"I'm just…glad." Ganon leans back on the center mast, "It's nice. To hear you laugh so much."
He wasn't expecting the sudden pound of his heart in that moment. It keeps happening at random moments. But Ganondorf always seems to be the cause.
He's cold now, and Ganondorf must sense it.
"We should rest." He says through the rain. He takes Links hand in his and leads him down into the cabin.
There's something in him that wants to comply. As he goes down the steps there's a twist in his gut. Anticipation.
The cabin is quite plain, just a large sleeping mat, a chair, a single rickety wardrobe cabinet and several crates.
Links legs stop moving. He feels frozen. He's slept beside him more than once now. But something feels different this time. He's shared something; many things with him. He's never opened up to anyone this much in his entire life and it's slightly frightening to him. He's put a lot of trust in Ganon and he doesn't want it to end up getting thrown back in his face and leave him broken all over again.
Ganon faces him, carding a hand through his wet hair. "Are you tired?" He sighs out.
It feels like a pointless question. Link doesn't think he should bother answering it. It feels like a diversion. Ganon's tone has been different with him. He's more careful. Link doesn't like it. He liked it when he was brash and straightforward. Hell, he even liked it when he was rude.
But this strange sense of carefulness has made Link uneasy. It's created an odd sort of longing in him.
Ever since the barracks.
"What were you going to tell me?" Link suddenly asks, tone rushed.
Ganon is taken aback for a short moment before he recomposes himself. "When?"
"At the fortress, in the barracks." Link looks at him carefully as he watches him settle on the mat. "You meant to tell me something. You said you would tell me after I've won the battle. I've won. What were you going to tell me?"
Ganon seems like he's holding his breath. Link is waiting and the air is thick; it seems tense.
"Come sit." Ganon says, but it sounds more like a request than a demand.
Link takes his place on the edge of the mat, fiddling with the edges of his own damp clothing. He doesn't make eye contact until he hears Ganon's voice again.
"I… Wasn't going to tell you anything." Ganon speaks in rushed breaths. "I was… Going to do something. But I was unsure of myself."
"Are you sure now?" Link asks. He thinks he knows what it is and he's scared.
"I think I am."
Link looks at the yellow gleam of his eyes, a small struggle flickering behind them. Whatever it was, it seemed to make Ganon nervous. And Ganon nervous was a new concept to him.
"Then do it." The words leave his lips before he can stop them.
It isn't until Ganon hones in closer and palms his shoulder, turning towards him, that Link catches wind of what that thing truly could have been.
He so close. Ganon's eyes are half lidded; and while his nervousness did not seem to ebb, he seemed more confident.
But that did nothing for Links nerves as he felt the ghost of Ganon's breath across his lips.
"Is it alright?" Ganon breathes.
Link thinks it's alright. He wants it to be alright. He nods ever so slightly, he isn't sure Ganon even detected it.
He begins to shake under Ganon's gaze, in the caress on his hands; one on his shoulder, the other on his waist. He inches in ever so close.
"It's alright." Link tells him, just to be sure.
And he feels the soft and careful press of Ganon's lips on his face, just at the corner of his mouth. Link lets out a heavy breath through his nose. He can't seem to tame his breathing or the rapid beat in his chest.
The hand leaves his shoulder only to gently Palm at his face, sweeping over the apple of his cheek just before resting there. Ganon encourages the upwards tilt of Links face.
And then Ganon's lips are fully on his. It's not insistent. It's asking, pleading, a hopeful question that it's all really alright. Links chest feels tight. Like he's all strings being pulled in every direction without getting to the point of snapping. He's lost himself in it the moment he feels the press of it.
He leans into it, answering Ganon's silent worried question. He's giving into it.
He feels his grief fade away, if only for a short moment.
He takes the liberty of touching him. He scoots impossibly closer, holding onto the strength of Gannon's arms as they pull him in. He feels the slight tug and give of their lips as they kiss and move together ever so carefully.
They break apart mutually, breathing labored. Link feels so light but in a way that's practically painful. Ganon's eyes are so kind and worried that he's somehow made a mistake.
But he hasn't. This was no mistake. Link felt his tensions melt away and a lump grow in the back of his throat. He lets a sob escape him and he feels the wetness trickle down out of his eye.
Ganon is there, crowding him eye to eye.
"Don't cry." He shushes him. "Please don't cry."
But he's not sad, or frustrated, or angry. He doesn't know why he's crying. He can't even explain himself because he doesn't know why.
He does the only thing that feels right and buries himself in Ganon's embrace just as he's done so many times before.
"It's alright."
Link feels exhaustion, and he's shivering in his wet clothes. He's shaking and he doesn't know if it's from the cold or from the sheer disbelief. Disbelief that someone could ever make him feel the way that this man has made him feel.
He doesn't think he'll ever find comfort like this in the arms of another. It's frightening. The chance that he could lose this is so real, and he clings onto him.
He lets himself be handled. Ganon peels the wet clothes away from him body and hangs them on the chair to dry before he does the same for his own. The small amount of time that Ganon is away from him fees like a loss.
He covers them with the only blanket on board and pulls Link close, relying solely on the heat of their bodies to keep them warm.
Ganon doesn't think his tears are from sadness. But that doesn't mean he'll pass them off. He just hopes it's some kind of emotional release that been pent up in Link for quite some time. He won't press now. It can wait until morning.
"Sleep." He tells Link.
Link has never fallen asleep so quickly in his life. His last thought as he drifts is an image in his mind. One where he would always have this. He fades before he can let himself doubt the likelihood of it being true.