Chapter 25 Humiliation
Ganondorf looked forward to hearing Cassandra sing at the ball. His parents told him that he was expected to dance with the Princesses while everyone stood back and watched. His heart raced with anxiety every time he imagined stomping on their tiny feet.
Ganondorf sat at a round table with his parents and fumbled with the table décor. He continually glanced at the entryways to the ballroom, expecting Cassandra to emerge at any moment. What if I step on her toes? What will she do? Ganondorf sighed in defeat. Who am I fooling? Me, the Gerudo Prince, dance with the graceful Hylian Princess Cassandra. I'm skilled at combat, music, and magic, not dancing. Ganondorf's heart leapt when Cassandra entered and glided over to the orchestra. He nervously gulped once he realized she was watching him intently. The Princess nodded at the conductor to begin. Immediately after she sang the first note, Ganondorf became mesmerized.
Rama and Durga snickered at their smitten son. Rama leaned over and whispered, "Excited to dance with her?"
Ganondorf nodded absent-mindedly, causing his parents to snicker louder. He found that his vision was drawn to Cassandra's cleavage. The fear of getting caught gawking over the Princess's bosom jabbed at his mind. Ganondorf ripped his sight from Cassandra's cleavage to her mouth. Her mouth...
Cassandra noticed Ganondorf gawking at her. She winked at him after executing a high arpeggio, which ended the composition.
Shortly after the lengthy applause, the ball attendees gathered at the dance floor, arm in arm with their partners.
Before any other lord had the chance to ask, Ganondorf rushed over to Cassandra, and with an outstretched hand, he asked, "May I have this dance, Princess?"
Cassandra felt flattered that he came to her first. She took his hand and followed him the dance floor.
Across the ballroom, the conductor raised his baton and waited for Ganondorf's initial movement.
Ganondorf's heart pounded as they positioned their hands in the appropriate places. He inhaled deeply to calm his raging nerves.
Seconds felt like hours. The stillness concerned the Princess. She looked up at Ganondorf as if beckoning him to begin.
The Gerudo Prince gulped and then finally made his first movement. With his peripheral vision, Ganondorf noticed everyone had gathered around and cleared the dance floor. Don't look, don't look, he thought as he fixed his stare on Cassandra. Not even a minute into the dance, Ganondorf's monstrous foot crushed the Princess's toes.
Cassandra winced as she moved her foot.
"Sorry," he whispered with a crooked smile.
The Princess jerked her head up and snorted. "I certainly hope so," she snapped. Cassandra had many pet peeves. She couldn't stand when others made her appear ungraceful and unskilled.
Ganondorf frowned, but then disregarded her rude comment. He glanced at the spectators from the corners of his eye, hoping no one noticed. Due to his lack of concentration, Ganondorf accidentally stomped on Cassandra's entire foot.
The Princess stopped dancing and cried out, "Ow, you stepped on my foot!"
Ganondorf flinched at the loudness of her voice and glanced at the surrounding crowd. A group of young noblemen covered their mouths and snickered, while the noblewomen opened their fans and gossiped to one another.
Cassandra flashed him a sour glare that felt like a thousand knives. "I say, have you ever danced in your life?"
The Princess's outburst alerted the conductor to stop the orchestra and wait for the King's cue to resume.
Ganondorf's blood boiled. His embarrassment twisted into anger. The spoiled Princess made him look like a fool in front of Hylia's court. Ganondorf dropped his hands and stepped back. "Madam, I bid you farewell," he said calmly. "Have a nice evening," he finished, inclining his head. The Gerudo leisurely walked away, leaving Cassandra alone on the dance floor.
"I've never been so humiliated in my life!" she exclaimed. Her throbbing foot demanded her attention. She turned to her ladies-in-waiting and left the dance floor. "Hurry, get the physician!" she wailed as she and her ladies exited the ballroom.
With his head held high, Ganondorf rejoined his parents at their table and sat down silently.
Rama and Durga knew better than to mention the incident to their son. They pretended nothing happened.
Creon and Catalina, on the other hand, were mortified. Their daughter's disrespect toward their guest of honor was a reflection of how they raised Cassandra. The King and Queen avoided eye contact with everyone, especially the Gerudo Royal Family.
Creon raised his wine-filled glass and announced to the silent crowd, "Let the dance resume."
The orchestra skipped to the next movement as if nothing happened.
On the other side of the ballroom, Sabrina sat alone with her lady-in-waiting, Stella. Sabrina told Stella everything, every problem, every secret, including how infatuated she became with Ganondorf. Sabrina knew he didn't want to dance with her. Why would he? He was the heir to his kingdom's throne. She still wanted to dance with him. With dreamy eyes, Sabrina sank her chin in her hand and sighed.
Stella noticed Sabrina longing to dance with Ganondorf. The Sheikah leaned over and whispered, "I'll be back." She left Sabrina's side and approached Ganondorf, who was sitting at his table. "Greetings, Your Highness," Stella said, curtsying. "I'm Stella, Princess Sabrina's lady-in-waiting. The Princess would be most flattered if you asked her to dance."
Ganondorf looked at his parents; they gave him an admonishing glare. He knew he didn't have a say in the matter. The Prince rose from his seat and reluctantly walked over to Sabrina at her table. "Princess, may I have this dance?" he asked, trying his hardest to sound livelier than he actually felt.
Sabrina blushed and replied, "Yes." She took his hand and walked beside him to the dance floor.
Ganondorf positioned his hand and listened to the music for the beat. Once he found the beat, he commenced the dance. The Gerudo felt more at ease since no one watched them. He was surprised at how much easier waltzing to the music became now that he danced with a partner he felt indifferent toward.
Sabrina felt the complete opposite. Ever since he protected her that morning, she thought about him constantly. His knowledge of monsters also made her swoon.
During the waltz, Ganondorf yet again stepped on his dance partner's foot. He gave Sabrina a weak apologetic smile and mumbled, "Sorry." Ganondorf expected her to cry out like her sister.
Sabrina was not bothered by the accidental clumsiness. "It's quite all right," she chuckled. Five seconds later, the Princess found herself stepping on his foot. She blushed. "Sorry," she whispered.
Amused at how both of them were clumsy dancers, Ganondorf chuckled. "Sorry, I'm not very good at this; I learned two days before coming here," he admitted.
The waltz was drawing to an end. The conductor waved his arms faster and more vigorously.
Ganondorf and Sabrina took turns stomping on each others' feet after every other down beat until the waltz ended. The clumsy couple tried to keep the corners of their mouths from quirking but failed. Sabrina and Ganondorf burst out laughing.
"I hate to admit, but I quite enjoyed our dance," said Sabrina after her laughter ebbed.
"So did I, Princess," he said with a smile.
The next movement started. Some individuals stayed on the dance floor while others left.
Antony had many noblewomen flocking around him, all of which were exceedingly beautiful and wealthy. Antony was renowned for his skill in combat and his high social status. Women of nobility could achieve greater financial status by marrying a higher ranking nobleman. Antony knew this and found most noblewomen to be shallow. If he had to marry, he wanted to choose someone with similar interests and genuine motives. He saw this in Sabrina and longed for her attention.
Before Ganondorf and Sabrina resumed dancing, Antony appeared before them and asked, "May I have this dance, Your Highness?"
Sabrina looked up at Ganondorf as if asking for his permission to change partners. It was considered rude for a princess to turn down a high-ranking nobleman.
Ganondorf took his hands away from Sabrina and nodded. He sat back down at his table and watched.
The Princess accepted Antony's offer and started dancing to the music.
Ganondorf watched Antony and Sabrina dance and oddly enough felt jealous. Someone finally wanted his company. Like Antony, the noblewomen flocked around Ganondorf in hopes that he would choose them to be his queen. Their motives disgusted him. He had more in common with the soldiers, but the soldiers didn't want anything to do with him. In their eyes, Prince Ganendra was a spoiled palace brat. Why should they go out of their way to spend time with the Prince when he'd just marry a noblewoman and forget all about them? Ganondorf sighed.
Dion, who had been visiting with Creon, glanced at Durga and had a dreadful idea. He excused himself and strutted across the ballroom to her table. He stood directly behind her.
Durga sensed someone's presence and turned in her seat. She saw Dion smiling broadly at her, pretending to be a good-natured man.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," he said almost mockingly before bowing. "You look ravishing this evening. Care to dance?" he asked with a charming tone.
Under different circumstances, she would have slapped him and pinned him against the wall for being disrespectful. But since he had Creon's favor, Durga would have to play along. Without a word, she reluctantly took his hand but refused to look at him.
Dion grinned maliciously as he led her to the dance floor and began to dance. "Was that your son you were sitting by?" he inquired, feigning curiosity.
Durga raised her chin and tried to keep her voice steady. "Stop this foolishness," said Durga.
Dion chuckled. "I was simply asking a question, Your Majesty," he stated. "Was that your son's father on the other side?"
Durga refused to respond. She kept a calm disposition and avoided eye contact.
"I take that as a yes," said Dion. "Last time we met you were with another man, correct?"
Still, she remained quiet.
"And the time before that, you were with another man—one I knew very well, I do recall."
Durga knew where he was going with the subject, but still remained stoic.
"Let's not forget the first man—the one you started with. My, my, what a busy woman you are. So busy that the first one left you," Dion ridiculed.
For the first time, she was unable to discipline Dion. A lump had formed in her throat and in her chest, and her eyes stung with tears. The awful memories from her tragic past hit her like a wave.
"I'm curious to see how long this man will stay," he said. "Usually they leave after they find out you're carrying their child."
Durga's limit snapped. Her tears streamed down her cheeks. "Excuse me," she whispered. The Gerudo Queen fled from Dion, wiping her tears as she exited the ballroom.
Ganondorf witnessed the scene and leaned toward his father. "Did you see that, Ba-ji?"
"I did," Rama answered. "He said something offensive to her."
Ganondorf stared at the exit his mother went through and then at Dion, who stood alone on the dance floor appearing content with himself. Ganondorf had an uneasy feeling about Dion. He felt like he had seen Dion and his mother interact before, but knew it couldn't be. He glared suspiciously at Dion before returning to his meal.