A/N: All right, this is Chapter 21 for you. It took me a little longer because I wanted to make sure that everything is as accurate as possible, as this is the longest chapter we had up to now, and one of my favorite chapters.
There are some phrases in Sheikah in this chapter, and I will append the translation at the end of the chapter, so you may look them up quickly.
And now I hope that you will find this chapter as exiting as it was for me to write it.
Enjoy!
Chapter 21
1
Her magic broke from her and went to him. She wanted to hold it back, but she could not. Her magic slipped through her fingers like the fine sand of the desert, for it wanted to go to him, to his magic. At the same time, she felt his magic coming to her. It brought back a piece of her magic, which returned into Ranalla's body like a familiar layer. But it was different. It was her magic, but oddly, it was familiar and new at the same time; it was wild and powerful, but then again, gentle and comforting; it was soothing, caressing, caring, loving, but also exciting, seductive, greedy, and full of longing...
"Madam, wake up!"
Ranalla gave a jerk and sat upright in bed instantly. A warm hand was on her stomach, and when she looked there, she saw that it was her own hand. Frightened, she pulled it away. With wide eyes, she stared around and found other, golden eyes that were glowing in the darkness. Where was she, and why was it dark?
Another hand, warm and familiar, stroked her hair, and the memory seeped into her consciousness like a fine trickle of images and sounds. She was in the niche under the waterfall, and something had happened with her magic.
Where was her magic?
She let her senses search for it and found it clinging firmly to his magic.
"Mil..."
She struggled to speak. Her tongue was so heavy, and she was thirsty. His hands were still stroking her.
"Mil Tria..." she managed to say in a hoarse voice. Was she still dreaming? Why was this so difficult? She swallowed, but her throat felt like sand.
"Mil Tria... wi drit."
"Yes, Madam," he said gently. "You sent it to me in your sleep."
"Padri mi raurili rivendriti?"
"You became restless, Madam. I thought you had a nightmare."
No, it had not been a nightmare. She had seen what had happened, she had felt it...
Two parts of herself met and mingled, and finally, reality was sound again.
She grabbed his shoulders. He was there, it was not a dream.
"Your Majesty!"
"Yes, Madam. Are you all right?"
It was dark, but for some reason she could see his face clearly. His eyes were shining, and she noticed an exuberant, pulsating joy in his face.
"Did you give me your magic?" she asked.
"No, Madam. Your magic came to me while you were asleep."
"What did you do with your magic?"
"At first I tried to send yours back to you, but it did not want to leave me. It stayed with me, and when I tried to exert pressure, you became agitated. I woke you, for I was worried."
Ranalla looked for her magic. It was still with him. She tried to pull it back, and it came, but it left him only reluctantly.
"Kiss me, Your Majesty," she said determinedly. She had to know.
His shining eyes came closer, and she closed her eyes. His hands came to her face.
They were so warm!
The warmth entered her body and called for her magic. His lips touched her gently, and a shudder hit her like a violent blow. The fingers were back, and dug into her magic. It was the warmth from his hands, the warmth that was flowing from his lips to her, and from every point where he was touching her. She pulled him to herself and kissed him fiercely, and the searing fingers dug even deeper into her magic. The pain, which had been there all along, pierced her consciousness, and it hurt; but in a peculiar way, she knew she had to go on. Something was there at the end of that pain, something precious, that she absolutely needed to have...
But it hurt so much!
Suddenly, Ganondorf broke away from her, gasping. She screamed and wanted to hold him tight, and her fingers clawed into the muscles of his arms.
"Please..." she whimpered.
"Madam," he said tenderly. "First, I want to know what this is. I do not understand. My magic is behaving unusually. I cannot control it when I kiss you. I want to make love to you, but I'm afraid that I hurt you. Come, we will ride to the Temple."
"I'm hungry..."
"We will eat before, Madam. You had no lunch, and you were so exhausted that you slept all afternoon. I wanted to stay with you, but in the meantime, I had to go to take care of the horses, and I left our clothes on the ledge."
He took her hand and opened the barrier in front of the entrance. They went to the edge of the niche, and then the barrier was back. He climbed down first and she followed him into the water. They swam to the narrow ledge on the wall and jumped up. Their clothes were there and were dry. Ranalla dressed, and when they were both finished, they jumped hand in hand to the edge of the ravine. Ranalla was so hungry that she tugged at Ganondorf's hand to push him. He ran with her through the hollow path to the Fortress and then through the corridor into the dining room. It was dinner time and the four guards were waiting for them at their table.
"I just want Liri leaves and fruit," Ranalla said to Risha. "Many leaves, please."
Risha nodded obediently and went to the kitchen with the other guards. When they brought the food, Ranalla rushed to the leaves, pears, and peaches. Ganondorf watched her, smiling, while she ravenously ate the leaves and fruit on her plate. When she had eaten her serving, she looked greedily at his plate, and he pushed it to her with a smile. At the edge of her consciousness, she wondered what this knowing expression meant, but then the taste of the sweet, soft fruit caressed her tongue, and she forgot the question. Ganondorf cast a questioning look at Risha, but she shook her head.
"We were expecting to go back to the Temple after lunch, Your Majesty," she said softly.
"It's all right, Risha," said Ganondorf. "We can leave at once."
Ranalla emptied his plate too, and she felt better. She looked at Ganondorf and contemplated his figure as he gazed at her with a reverent expression. With overwhelming clarity she perceived his beautiful face, his sensual lips, his high cheekbones, his strong jaws, and his clear golden eyes. His long, red hair fell over his shoulders, and through the opening of his vest she saw the muscles on his chest. All the noises around her fell silent, and the sight of him acted upon her like a beguiling, intoxicating potion. The memory of last night entered her consciousness, of when he had made love to her after their brief conversation, until the bright streaks of the morning had appeared behind the trees of the forest. She could think of nothing more than his lips, and what was hiding under his clothes.
In her desire, however, a different feeling reached her from a certain direction. It was the same desire she felt herself, but it did not come from her. Slowly, she turned around and looked for the source of the feeling in the room. Just behind her, two tables away, Sirla sat, and her beautiful eyes were directed full of longing and greed at Ganondorf. When Ranalla's eyes found her, Sirla's eyes turned to her, and Ranalla saw her raise two fingers with a grim smile.
2
On the horizon, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and illuminated the mighty, dark clouds for a fraction of an instant. The guards had ridden ahead and Ganondorf rode on Sardun behind Ranalla. It was only with difficulty that she had torn her gaze off him as he had led her out of the dining room. This time, it had been he again who was pulling her through the broad torch-lit corridors of the Fortress, and she had walked, staggering and wavering at his side, across the courtyard to the horses. He had placed his hands around her waist and put her on her horse because she had just been standing in front of him, staring at him with dreamy eyes. His embarrassed smile had made her mad with desire, and when she had settled on her horse, she had bent to him and kissed him. Every time she had touched his burning skin, her magic had trembled and broken through her body like an unbridled river bursting its banks. Ganondorf had also seemed to feel it, for she had felt him shiver again and again.
At last, she had let him go, and he had mounted his horse, and now he rode by her side through the gateway to the Wasteland. They had to follow the mark one after the other, and Ranalla missed his touch, and was full of painful longing. In the valley of the Temple, he came to her side and took her hand to guide her through the barrier. Small, blue whirls she could not control broke loose from her hand. They wound around Ganondorf's fingers, and he giggled. Ranalla gave him a greedy look, which he returned with a mischievous smile.
They left the horses to the guards, and Ranalla grabbed his hand with a beating heart and wanted to go straight up into the pavilion, but he pulled her into the living room. He went to the closet and took out their two swords. Ranalla did not care and pulled him further.
Why did he want to do so many things?
She wanted him, her magic craved for him, and her whole body trembled with desire. He had promised her...
As they passed through the double doors onto the dark platform on the roof, her patience broke. She would not wait a single moment longer! With a jerk, she stopped and pushed Ganondorf a step back to the wall. The torches from inside the Temple shone through the open doors, and he looked at her astonishingly as she ripped his swords out of his hands and threw them to the ground.
"Andryl mi, Lorin ill Deron," she breathed, panting.
He kissed her tenderly, and Ranalla grabbed the cloth of his vest and pressed herself against him, but he broke away from her.
"I would like to read first, Madam. Please, I..."
"Andryl mi!" she growled angrily with her eyes wide. Her heart was racing and her jaw tightened. She could not bear it anymore. Her magic raged and reached for his with greedy fingers and clung to it. In a flowing motion, she picked up the smaller sword, drew it out of its sheath and slashed at Ganondorf. He grabbed her wrist and held it tight.
"ANDRYL MI!" she cried, snatching her hand from his grip. She jumped at him with all her might, but he ducked and reached for his sword. Ranalla hit him again, and he parried her blow. A flash of lightning lit his face for a moment as he drew back from her, and she saw his eyes, and his irises were completely dark. A deep roar followed the lightning, and Ranalla closed in on him.
She was so angry!
He had promised!
She needed him now, she must have him!
Again she attacked him, but he parried and withdrew further. He was slipping through her fingers, she could not reach him...
She tried to call her magic back from his. It did not want to come, and Ranalla dragged at it. The pain rushed through her body, as her magic sprang back from him to her like a stretched band, and Ranalla threw a blue-glowing energy ball to Ganondorf. He struck it back with his sword and Ranalla had to dodge it. The ball dissolved behind her, and she threw a new ball. Ganondorf hit it, and as the ball came back to her, she raised her sword to repel it. She met it and threw it back to Ganondorf. The ball went back and forth between them a few times, but then it came back from Ganondorf at a steep angle, and she could not ward it off. Too late she jumped aside, and the ball hit her with full force, and the hissing magic hurled her to the ground. She slid over the rough rock and the pain almost stunned her, but she heard Ganondorf's steps approaching. She got up in a hurry and ran away from him, then she threw another ball behind herself.
"Wait, Mad..." she heard him call, but his voice broke off as she suddenly stumbled into the void. She called her magic and slowed her fall as she flew down through the darkness illuminated by the flashes of lightning. The face of the giant statue stared threateningly as it slowly passed by, and the mighty stone hands seemed to reach out for Ranalla in the flickering brightness of the lightning bolts. Her heart pounding, she landed under the hollow rolls of thunder on the sandy ground and bent her knees to jump up again. But another flash of lightning revealed Ganondorf's figure, who landed a few steps away from her. She ran toward him and lunged out with her sword to hit him. He parried – and then he attacked her. But the hard training that he had imposed on her had done wonders for her muscles, and her strength had increased enormously. She could parry his blows effortlessly and attack him again. When the lightning lit up his face, she saw the expression in his dark eyes for a moment, and at the edge of her consciousness once again she recognized that it was pride.
Suddenly, a big water drop fell on her cheek, and she was startled. Involuntarily, she looked up, and another drop fell into her eye. She squinted and looked back at Ganondorf, but it was too late. He had used the moment of distraction to get closer, and again he seized the wrist of the hand that held her sword. She screamed in panic when she felt his hand, and struggled under his firm grip. He twisted her hand and she dropped her sword. Tears were in her eyes.
"Ah! Let me go!" she cried, full of pain and anger. "You wanted to fight!"
"It's enough, Madam," he said calmly, but so loudly that he drowned out the thunder.
"Let me go..." she sobbed, and her knees gave way.
"No, Madam. I will take you with me now."
No, no...
With one last burst of strength, she tore her wrist out of his hand and ran angrily toward the embankment.
She wanted to burn if she could not have him!
She heard his frustrated growl and a metallic clang as he threw his sword to the ground, then his quick steps sounded behind her. Five steps to the barrier, now just two...
He grabbed her arm and whipped her around to himself. She bounced against his body, and at that moment his magic was with her. With firm, relentless fingers, it reached for hers, which went to him willingly. Ranalla tried to hold it back, but she could not. Ganondorf wrapped his arms around her and clutched her so tightly that she could not move. Ranalla's entire body was trembling, and the longing for him was aching in her limbs. Her face was on his chest and she felt his fiery skin at her cheek. His smell was like fuel to the flames of her desire, and she clung to him with all the strength that she could muster. Huge drops of rain fell on her hair, and lightning flashed again and again. Loud thunder rumbled after each strike and made her jump.
"Andryl mi..." she begged.
Ganondorf's grip loosened, and he lifted her face to his. His lips parted to say something, but she got ahead of him.
"Please... Your Majesty..." she implored him. "I know now... what it is... please..."
He looked at her questioningly in the flickering light. His eyes were dark because his pupils were dilated over the entire iris, and she knew what that meant.
"What is it, Madam?" he asked, and the drops rushed down onto her face.
"Please... Your Majesty... kiss me... now!"
He swallowed. His face came closer, and Ranalla stretched her body to reach his lips. When he touched her, her body reared up, for her magic had been waiting in her lips. His lips were burning hot – and immediately the pain was back. Then he gave her his tongue, and the pain inside her grew. Something bit into her, and the bite became ever more violent, ever sharper and tearing. It hurt so much, it hurt so much!
Ranalla grabbed his head and held him tightly against her face, because she felt that despite the pain, she could not allow the connection to break again. For there, at the end of the pain, something was waiting for her, something she needed, something that had to be completed. The pain burned and cut itself into her body, and devoured her, consumed her, killed her...
And then...
Like a delicate light in a dark tunnel, she recognized what was waiting there in the distance. She had never experienced it, but her heritage contained a memory, a notion of the essence of her being. And at the moment when she could no longer bear the pain, Ranalla suddenly knew what to do. She felt Ganondorf's tongue in her mouth, so ardent, burning hot, and she sent her magic in a great stream to him through the connection. She gave him her magic and felt his body twitch and rear.
"Your Majesty, give me your magic! Give me as much as you can!" she cried through the streaming water on her face and the frenzied lightning around them. The next moment, she felt his lips and tongue again, and his magic, which he gave to her. It poured into her body like a wild fire that consumed everything on its way. It flowed into her and flooded her entire being, filling her with a furious power that crushed all her senses. She opened herself and sent the rest of her magic to the place where the alien fire was raging, and absorbed it. The feeling that she knew so well – and that she had missed do badly – overwhelmed her, and she felt Ganondorf's arms tighten around her, and he trembled.
"And now make love to me, Your Majesty!" she cried. A wind blast of her powerful, merged magic removed their clothes, and she felt the warm rain flowing over her naked body. His body was glowing hot to hers, and her skin was boiling with excitement and desire. Ganondorf's lips met hers, and as he touched her, a mighty feeling of fulfillment she had never known before spilled into her body. Her knees gave way and Ganondorf held her tight as they sank slowly down onto the wet sand. She parted her legs as he laid her on her back, then she felt him coming closer as he continued kissing her. The merged magic stirred inside her and reached out for his, and his kiss cut her mind off her body. She raised her body toward him and gasped as he widened her in that wonderful, familiar way, then she clasped her fingers into his arms and held onto them as his forceful thrust shook her body. He gasped loudly at her lips, then he bowed his head and trembled. Ranalla opened her eyes wide and looked into the sky above, from which the drops fell on their bodies. The next thrust made her close her eyes again, for the sensation overwhelmed her. He moved slowly, but it was just right, because time ran as slowly, and when Ranalla opened her eyes, she saw the rain drops floating in the air and slowly sinking to the ground. Around them, the lightning was flowing from the heavens as long, bright, branched vines that bound the roaring sky to the hungry earth, and the thunder followed as a mighty, dark rumble that made the world tremble. Another slow, wonderful thrust sent her thoughts into infinity, and she felt her merged magic pour out of her. It flowed upwards in thousands of blue rays, and from Ganondorf's glowing, luminous body more rays rose into the sky. The rays met up there above them, between the glittering raindrops, and twisted into swirls and spirals, circled and whirled around each other, connected and mingled, and gathered in an explosion of radiant blue light, whose shock wave shook the ground with a shattering thunder bang. A gentle light shimmering in blue waves sank over their intertwined bodies, and Ranalla cried as the light enveloped her, for her body trembled in a wave of joy and bliss of such great might that she thought her heart would stop. Into her ecstasy broke Ganondorf's final thrust, and he dug into her and reared up, and Ranalla pressed herself against him and felt him pouring into her like an unleashed volcano.
He closed his eyes and slowly sank to her. With infinite tenderness, he pushed his arms under her back, and Ranalla felt the wet sand caught between his hands and her skin. Ganondorf pressed her to himself, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Above them was the shimmering, pulsating dome, and Ranalla felt the power of the blue light that invaded her body, strengthened and supported it, and gave her a mighty, immeasurable power that made her shudder with wonder.
3
After a long time, when their breath, their hearts, and the lightning had calmed down, they finally dared to move. He held her tightly to himself and turned with her on his back, as he liked to do so much. She laid her head on his chest and listened to the beat of his heart in her ear as he stroked her back gently and softly – for he had sand on his hands. The blue light had faded and had left a sweet, ringing tingle on Ranalla's skin, that grew stronger where Ganondorf's body touched hers, even in the place where her stretched tissue around him slowly relaxed and came to rest. The rain had stopped, but her hair was wet and full of sand and had mixed with the dark strands of Ganondorf's hair that were lying beside her on his chest. From somewhere the full moon came out, making the wet sand grains and the drops on the rocks glitter. Deep, calm breaths raised and lowered Ganondorf's chest, and she adapted to his breath to enjoy the unity with him that she had achieved in this cruel, miraculous dance.
"When exactly did you plan to tell me, Madam?"
She heard his voice, and at the same time she felt it with her skin vibrating from his chest at her ear. With infinite effort she drew her attention to his words. She knew what he meant, but it was so hard to speak...
She took a deep breath.
"Not at all... Your Majesty... I wanted you to find out for yourself."
She heard him snorting softly and felt his stomach twitch beneath her as he exhaled, trembling.
"Are you angry with me, Your Majesty?" she asked with an anxious heart.
"No, Madam." She felt the smile in his voice. "I just wish I had known earlier."
"When did you find out?"
"Right now, Madam. I did not know until you just told me."
Ranalla gasped.
"But..." she straightened up and looked at him. He was lying with wet hair in the sand, and smiled. In the light of the moon, he winked at her with a dark eye, then burst into laughter.
"Oh, you should see your face, Madam," he said, laughing.
"If you did not know, why did you ask?" she asked, puzzled.
He was still giggling. "It was a gamble. I guessed, of course, Madam. There were many small signs that I noticed, but I never looked at them on the whole until this afternoon when you were sleeping in the niche under the waterfall."
"Signs?" Ranalla repeated.
"Yes, Madam. You were more hungry, for example, and Nabooru had to bring you snacks during the training sessions. You suddenly liked the Liri leaves, although you did not like them before, I know for sure. You ate them, but they were not exactly your favorite dish. The Liri leaves contain large amounts of an element called calcium, Madam. The body of a woman who expects a child needs this substance because the child draws it out of her body.
"During your midday nap, I was watching you again for a long time, for I was not as tired as you, although I... did not sleep much last night. I watched you in your sleep and noticed two things – or three, to be exact. Firstly, your breasts have grown. They are full, and heavy, and sensitive. I covered you several times, but you did not want to have the covers on your chest. Secondly, almost the entire time of your sleep – and that was more than four hours – you kept your hand on your belly. You held it there in a loving, protective way. I lifted it gently three times and put it next to you, but after a few moments, it always came back to your belly.
"Thirdly – and this was what ultimately caused me to put together all the small parts of the riddle and draw my conclusion – your midday nap itself. Last night, you slept little – I'm afraid it was my fault – but I have never seen you so tired so early in the day. I would have liked to bring you something to eat and make love to you, but I felt that there was no point. Without giving you some of my magic, you would not have held out. I therefore decided to ask an innocent question and see what would happen."
"You tricked me, Your Majesty!"
"Yes, Madam, and I'm glad I did. May I ask how far along you are?"
"I received your cell the night the twin sisters kidnapped me, Your Majesty."
He counted in his mind.
"Six months, a few days more or less."
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Ranalla. "Are you happy?"
"Very much, Madam," he said tenderly, and gently pushed her to his chest where he stroked her wet, sandy hair. "I am so happy that I even forgot to ask what happened to us before. Will you explain it to me?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," she said. "But first... I would like to get rid of the wet sand. Do you think this is possible here, or do we have to go to the ravine for that?"
"No, Madam. There is something that can be done here. Come, I'll show it to you."
Ranalla rose from him, and he stood up and gathered their clothes and the swords. His back was full of sand and Ranalla helped him to shake off most of it. He took her hand and pulled her with him, and they both went naked into the Temple.
In the large entrance hall, Ganondorf went with Ranalla to the right into a passageway to another wing, and opened a door. They came into a dark room and Ganondorf closed the door behind them. Ranalla could not see anything at first, but then she saw several magical whirls break from Ganondorf's fingers and light five torches in five large niches in the walls. She was standing with Ganondorf on a platform in front of a huge, deep pit with stone walls. As Ranalla approached the edge, she saw still more niches with torches illuminating the flat bottom of the pit.
Ganondorf put the clothes and swords on the floor, then he went to the edge of the platform, bent his knees and jumped. Ranalla gasped, for she feared that he would fall down on the hard ground. But then she noticed with surprise that the torches seemed strangely upside down in the lower niches, and at that moment, she heard a loud splashing sound as Ganondorf broke through the smooth, motionless surface of the water and submerged. What Ranalla had seen down there had been the reflection of the ceiling and the niches with the torches, and she was so perplexed and shocked by the illusion that she just stood there, stunned. Then Ganondorf reappeared and rubbed his wet hair out of his face with his hands.
When he saw her expression, he laughed.
"Come in, Madam!" he called joyfully. "The water is cold, but we can warm it if you want."
He was in the water up to his chest, and Ranalla knew it would reach up to her neck. She jumped in, then dived under the cool water with a few swimming strokes and came back to the surface. Her hair was clean again and the sand from her body had also disappeared.
"What is this?" she asked in astonishment.
"It is our safety water storage," said Ganondorf. "And you can swim in it if you like." When he saw Ranalla's frown, he added, "This water is for the plants, Madam. We are storing the drinking water in another basin." He came to her and took her hand.
"There are steps in the water, Madam, and the water is shallower there. We can build a barrier and heat the water."
Ranalla went with him to a corner of the basin. The ground rose gently, and in the corner the water reached just to her chest, and to Ganondorf's waist. He built a circular barrier in the water and warmed it with his magic. Then he approached Ranalla and embraced her. He looked wonderingly at her eyes, which Ranalla knew were as dark as his.
"Will you tell me, Madam?" he asked softly. "What happened with us out there? You seemed to know what was going on, and I trusted you, although I did not understand."
Ranalla took a deep breath and looked up at him. She thought for a moment about how she could explain to him.
"It's easier to show you, Your Majesty," she said. Then she closed her eyes and opened her lips for him. She heard him laugh softly, then she felt his lips. The moment he touched her, a powerful, blissful shudder went through her body. But she felt the shudder in his body as well, just like his wonder, while he pressed his lips on hers and his tongue came to her. He kissed her feverishly, and the feeling swelled like a rushing stream on the way to the sea, until it found its climax in an explosion of joy and delight, and slowly ebbed away. As the feeling inside her faded, Ganondorf broke away from her lips and looked at her in amazement. He thought for a moment, then he kissed Ranalla again, and the feeling came again. She whimpered with desire under his lips and clung to him as her body opened again for him. He broke away from her and pulled her into another tight embrace.
"What you feel, Your Majesty," she said with a trembling voice, "and I, of course, too – is what we Sheikah simply call the Feeling. It occurs only in magically gifted couples who have accomplished the Bonding."
"The Bonding?" Ganondorf repeated. "Is that what happened to us?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Ranalla, nodding.
"But how did you know what you had to do, Madam? Since that day when you refused to return my magic, I was so afraid to transfer it to you that I would never have come to this idea by myself. Have you ever experienced this before?"
"No, Your Majesty. A magically gifted couple can experience it only once, because afterwards the two partners are bound to each other for the remainder of their lives."
Ganondorf frowned.
"Bound, Madam? What does that mean?"
Ranalla swallowed and took another deep breath. It was hard, but she had to tell him.
"Our magic has merged, Your Majesty. The two magical fields that surrounded us have united and mixed. We can still access our magic, but it is now a mixture of the two partial magics that were there before. It is a very powerful union, Your Majesty, for the mixed magic is much stronger than the two magics alone were. For us both, Your Majesty, it means that we will love each other until the end of our lives. We will grow old together and... when the time comes, die together. For, just like our magic, our life force has also merged. It has been divided equally between us. For you, it means that your life expectancy has increased by about half of my remaining life expectancy, and for me, that I have lost this part of my days."
4
Ganondorf's eyes, with his huge pupils, widened as he heard Ranalla's words.
"Oh, Madam!" he shouted softly and pressed her tightly to him. "If I had known that! I'm so..."
But Ranalla quickly put her hand on his lips, and he fell silent.
"Please, Your Majesty, don't!" she said, and tears entered her eyes. "What happened to us is the highest perfection that is possible for the love of a magically gifted couple, and every member of my people – every one – wants nothing more in the world than to experience this. It does not happen to all couples, you must know. In... my time, our scientists were researching this phenomenon, but..."
She broke off, for the memory of the end of the community was too painful. Ganondorf stroked her cheek and waited curiously for her explanation.
"Please, Madam, continue," he said.
"We were living under a powerful barrier, Your Majesty. Some of us suspected that the barrier was hindering the development of the Affection."
"Affection?" he asked.
She felt that Ganondorf wanted to have further explanations and looked to the corner of the basin where the steps were. Ganondorf noticed her gaze and pulled her to a place where they could sit in the warmed water on the steps and lean on something. Ganondorf settled down on one of the steps and pulled her to him. She sat down on his lap, facing him, and let him put his arms around her. She was aware that this position would not allow a long conversation, but this way it was the most comfortable for her.
"The Affection," she began, "denotes a series of symptoms that occur in a magically gifted couple before the Bonding is performed. Not all symptoms occur always, but most of them. With the two of us, the Affection manifested itself, among other things, in the unusual behavior of our magic. It went from one partner to the other independently in our sleep, and we felt the pain when we kissed. Within me, a wild desire for you arose, and I became angry because you still wanted to fight and read the book. Your body warmed so much that it glowed, and already in the niche under the waterfall, I could clearly see your face in the dark, because it shone from within. With both of us, the pupils dilated over the entire iris..." – here, Ganondorf looked into her eyes and nodded– "...and already for some time, I have been able to feel your... climax in my body when we made love. I was able to receive Sirla's feelings tonight in the dining room, and you were able to unconsciously receive fragments of my thoughts and memories from me. You knew, for example, quite a while ago, how the love confession of the Sheikah was pronounced, although I had never told you about its particularities."
"Since when did you know this, Madam?" Ganondorf asked. While she was sitting on him, she was at just the right height to kiss him comfortably, and his lips being before her had an irresistible effect on her. She closed her eyes to answer his question.
"I did not know, Your Majesty," she said. "Just like you noticed the individual symptoms of my pregnancy, I perceived the symptoms of the Affection, but only tonight, out there, when I saw your dilated pupils, the answer formed from all of the parts. The instinct to do the right thing is imprinted in my heritage, as in the heritage of every other Sheikah, and just at the moment of greatest pain, my mind released the information. I suddenly knew what I had to do to stop the pain, and I knew it was absolutely essential that it happened, because otherwise..."
She opened her eyes and looked at Ganondorf with a serious expression.
"What would have happened, Madam?"
She had to close her eyes again, for his lips attracted her like a torch attracted a wandering moth.
"If the Affection builds up and the Bonding cannot be accomplished, the partners die, Your Majesty. The Affection, the desire, the fire of their magic consumes their life force, and..."
But she did not come any further. Apparently the attraction had the same effect on Ganondorf as it had on her, for she suddenly felt his lips, and the Feeling scorched her thoughts. His hands came to her hips, and he lifted her up in the water and slowly lowered her, closer to him, as close as she could be to him. She cried softly and wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on to him, for the delicate, thronging pain required her to take him in very slowly, until her body had adapted to him. He kissed her again, and his kiss caused the tension in her tissue to loosen, and the pain faded.
They made love having the Bonding for the first time, and it was almost as if they were making love for the very first time again. So many sensations were new and had never been experienced by them, so much wonder and reverence were awakened by their movements and feelings, and at the moment of the highest fulfillment, they both opened their eyes and looked at each other in amazement as they felt their magic breaking out of them, and the blue-glowing aura rose around their bodies. They held each other with their arms, and Ranalla clutched him with her legs, and they kissed and absorbed their emotions from each other's lips.
As Ganondorf kissed her under the shimmering dome of their magic, Ranalla felt her spirit wander to his. There, in the velvety darkness, she saw radiant fires that were burning and pulsing with breathtaking brightness. Full of curiosity, she flew to them and approached one of them. Warm, welcoming flames squirmed around her, caressing her with affectionate force. She willingly let herself be caught by them and sank into the gentle layers of his memory.
5
He was standing before the steps of the bridge, looking at the picture before him. Niala, Blir, and Laira were holding a woman with white hair in a tight dark suit. Niala was sitting behind her, clutching her body with her legs and holding a dagger at her throat.
There was only one woman with such hair, and at the exams of the Elite Fighters, she had worn a similar suit.
Why was she here?
With her resolute rejection, she had crushed all his hopes. Had she perhaps changed her mind? And why had she tried to enter the Fortress secretly? With her powerful magic, she should have felt his barrier...
"What did she say, Weri?" he asked the Sister who was in charge and was threatening the woman with her spear from the front.
"Nothing, Your Majesty," said Weri, and bowed. "But the woman is Sheikah and magically gifted. We believe it's Impa."
He descended the steps to see the woman's face. As soon as he had passed through the barrier, he immediately felt her magic. It was graceful, pure, and radiant, like a young morning, and he tried to remember the feeling he had felt in cold Hyrule when he had first met her. At that time, the feeling had been different, more mature, calmer...
He saw her panting and struggling to straighten her body, but Niala held her tightly. He stepped forward and sat down on one knee to better see her face in the flickering light of the torches.
"Good evening, Madam Impa," he wanted to say in Hylian.
But he broke off when he saw her face, for at that moment there flowed through his body a wave of joy of such power that he almost seized her without thinking.
"But no..." he said, stunned with amazement. "...You're not Impa!" Slowly he shook his head as hope clawed into his mind. "But you are Sheikah, aren't you? I must say I am surprised."
The woman blinked and lowered her gaze.
"Niala, remove the dagger, please," he said to the Sister behind her, who immediately obeyed. "The legs too."
"Look at me, Madam," he ordered the woman in Hylian, reinforcing his words with magic. He wanted to see her face, he had to!
She raised her face to him and looked into his eyes. She was not Impa, but she was just as beautiful. His gaze remained fixed on her lips, which were gently curved and slightly open, as if waiting for a kiss. In his imagination, he kissed those lips, and for a moment he forgot why he was there. With great difficulty he broke his eyes from her lips and directed his gaze to her figure. She seemed to be thinner than Impa, and he assumed that it had to do with Impa's strong muscles, which resembled those of the Sisters. This woman's body shape was more delicate, more feminine.
"Who are you?" he asked.
Again, he let his magic intensify his will, but this time he felt her build up a mental barrier to resist his influence. Her barrier was soft and flexible like a fine, stretchy membrane, and he could have broken it easily, but he decided to respect it. Instead, he gently sent his magic to her, but when he met her magic, he could not touch it. Unlike with Impa, however, the barrier did not come from her. It was more like a solid wall surrounding her magic from the outside, and as he approached, he felt that there was something else about her, something wild and powerful, that lured and attracted him.
"You are gifted, Madam," he said. "But..."
Without thinking, he put his hand to her cheek, for he wanted to know what it was that called him and stretched out to him like a vine to a support. He stroked her soft skin, and then he felt the frantic power inside her, that reared like a captive animal in its shackles and desperately reached out for his magic. Like a long-forgotten fire that was rekindled, the realization blazed in his mind.
It was her magic!
What he had perceived from the outside had been only a small part of her magic! The rest was trapped behind that solid wall which gave him a sense of its presence, but did not let him touch it.
"Your magic... it is trapped..." he whispered.
Under his fingers, he felt the fervent craving and desire of her magic, and then he had to close his eyes and lower his head as he felt the Viss bursting into his body in a burning, impetuous wave.
Confused, he withdrew his hand, for he could not believe it. Her magic was trapped, but at this brief moment of touch, his body had chosen her, and a wild longing for her had seized his whole being.
He saw her hungry gaze following his hand, and then it came back to his eyes. He looked at her face with wonder, searching for a clue as to why she had come to him, only a few days after the Ren-Bird had built its nest on the rock.
"My guards told me that you wanted to enter the Fortress concealed with magic," he said to her. "Fortunately you failed at my barrier, which protects the access. Will you tell me why you came to us tonight, Madam?"
She swallowed, and he realized that she was confused.
"What do you mean, my magic is trapped?" she asked.
He laughed, for he had not expected this question. Didn't she know about the hidden part of her magic? Or did she just want to distract him?
"I like you, Madam," he said, smiling. "Come on, let's start over again." He put a hand on his chest and said, "I am Ganondorf Dragmire, King of the Gerudo, and lord of this area you wanted to enter. May I now know your name?"
"Ranalla," she said.
He smiled with joy. Her voice echoed softly within him, like a delicate gong swinging from a gentle blow.
"Good evening, Madam Ranalla," he said.
She nodded softly, and he longed to touch her again.
"Since you do not carry any weapons with you apart from your trapped magic, I assume that you do not intend to kill anyone. The guards will now release you, and I hope that you will accept my hospitality without an attempt to escape. Do you agree, Madam?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," she said.
"Release her," he ordered the guards, and they obeyed.
"Come, Madam Ranalla," he said to her, reaching for her hand. "I must lead you, otherwise you will not be able to go through the barrier."
She gave him her hand and he took it into his with the ancient gesture of his people that meant that he had chosen her. He could have touched her shoulder or her arm to bring her through the barrier, but his magic and the Viss had long made their decision, and his nature commanded him to do this. He heard the guards gasp, perplexed, but he was Gerudo, and it was his right, and they would have to accept it. At the last moment he had renounced the test fight with Sirla, just to find his Ren-Bird here on the bridge, and nothing in the world would ever make him let her go again.
.
With the blissful echo of his joy, Ranalla stepped out of his mind as he parted from her lips. He embraced her with such caution and tenderness that she looked at him in astonishment. The light of the torches sparkled in his eyes, but she knew that it was not the eyes themselves that glittered there.
"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" she asked anxiously as she recognized tears in his eyes. He smiled, and despite his tears, his face shone with joy. He pressed her to himself again, this time so tightly that his arms were trembling, and Ranalla held her breath.
"Andrys, Ranalla, mil Natiar," he said at her ear, and she shuddered at these sacred words she had never taught him.
I love you, Ranalla, my life.
There was only one answer.
"Andrys, Lorin ill Deron," she said.
"I was in your mind," he said with reverence. "And there I saw him, Madam."
"Whom?" she asked, but then she knew whom he meant.
"Our son, Madam. I met his magic, and he recognized me."
xxxxxxxxx
A/N: Here are the phrases in Sheikah with the translation.
Mil Tria... wi drit. - My magic is touching you.
Padri mi raurili rivendriti? - Why did you wake me up?
Andryl mi, Lorin ill Deron! - Love me (make love to me), Son of the God!
Andryl mi! - Love me (make love to me)!
Andrys, Ranalla, mil Natiar. - I love you, Ranalla, my life.
Andrys, Lorin ill Deron. - I love you, Son of the God.