Just before dawn the following day, Impa caught a rather smug yet frazzled Ganondorf sneaking back into the house, with Zelda asleep in his arms.

"Well, nice of you two to return in such a timely fashion," she mocked. "Have fun conceiving the next Dragmire child?"

"Very funny, General," Ganondorf answered after he tucked Zelda into bed. "I suppose you never consummated a relationship with the one you loved?"

"The only one I ever loved was Zelda's mother Iriana, and considering we were fourteen at the time she was wed to Harkinian, no we never did anything of the sort."

Ganondorf had meant the comment in jest, so Impa's confession made him feel remorse. "My apologies, Impa, I hadn't meant to offend..."

"No, it is quite alright," Impa replied. "Our mothers were sisters, and we grew up together. Iriana and I were only cousins, but our bond went beyond that of sisters or even lovers. That's why I'm so protective of Zelda, and though there is no part of me in her, I still consider her to be my daughter."

"I don't know, from the sound of those curses yesterday, I'd say she is very much your daughter," Ganondorf laughed. "Plus she's got the stamina of a Sheikah. We were at it all night thanks to those damn little fairies healing her condition as a wedding gift. Praise Din it wore off because my back was starting to hurt- OW!"

A hit to the back of Ganondorf's head from a rolled up newspaper ended the conversation.


The week was finally over, and after a few tears, Zelda and Baby said their goodbyes to Impa. The plan was that they would meet in Gerudo Valley when everything was ready to put in motion, so at the moment Ganondorf and Zelda were loading the girls' belongings into a wagon.

"Fall and winter are mild in the Valley, so you shouldn't have any trouble enduring the weather," Ganondorf said while tying down a trunk. "I'll send one of the girls to mind the house and look over the livestock for you. Your horse can help mine pull the wagon."

"Nabs is coming with us too, you know," Zelda reminded him. "I bought that little pig as a runt last year, but she turned out to be more valuable as a companion for Baby than as a food source. I would hate to break them up..."

Ganondorf hugged his wife and kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't dream of such a thing. There will be plenty of room in the wagon for you and Baby to sit with her piggy, don't worry. Have you talked to Baby about my middle name suggestion yet?"

"I did, and she said something rather strange," Zelda replied while handing him another trunk to load. "I told her that we wanted to give her the middle name Hylia, but that it was a very special name and could be troublesome. She said she didn't care about that. She really likes the name and wants to take it, because then her name is 'a mix of all three'. Do you know what she's talking about?"

"Yeah, I do," Ganondorf said with a chuckle. "I told her the story of Hylia, Demise, and the Goddess of the Sand, and she very cleverly pointed out the parallels between their story and our own. I believe her exact words were 'Mama is like Hylia, you're Demise, and I'm the baby, so that's why my name's Baby'. It's very cute."

"I hope you didn't tell her exactly how the words 'Demise' and 'Dragmire' are linked," Zelda said with a frown. "I have come to terms with what I know about our past lives and their roles in Hyrule's dark past, but I do not want our daughter ashamed of her heritage."

"She won't be ashamed," he assured her. "I am certain she has inherited the gift of wisdom from you, and will understand that all things change with time. Besides, if all goes well, she won't have to worry about anything happening to her. Hyrule is going to be reunified, and there will be no strife in her lifetime. I will see to that personally." Ganondorf finished loading the wagon, then scooped up Zelda and carried her into the house, where Baby was napping on the living room floor next to her giant bear.

"I must thank you a thousand times over for giving me such a beautiful child," Ganondorf murmured into Zelda's ear as they sat on the couch. "I was a father in most of my previous lives, but during so few of them was I allowed to live and grow with my children. Even with the six, almost seven years we were apart, this means a lot to me. Thank you."

Zelda sensed the hurt in Ganondorf's voice, so she held and caressed the back of his hand. "Gan... Things are about to get a little hectic, possibly overwhelming for the three of us, but... When everything settles down, we can have more children."

Ganondorf sat up excitedly. "You mean it? I don't want to burden you..."

"No, it wouldn't be a burden," Zelda said. "I thought with Baby's pregnancy I'd be stuck in bed all day, but actually I didn't have to rest until about the last month. Plus I think it would be beneficial for Baby to have a sibling she can help take care of. Baby may be blind, but she is a very smart little girl and I have every confidence in her development."

"Mmm. I'm going to start teaching her our language when we get to the Valley, and I'm confident she'll have it mastered by the time we start for Hyrule Castle." Ganondorf then laid his head in Zelda's lap, and nuzzled into her belly. "You're such a wonderful mommy..."

Zelda smiled and stroked his hair. "And you're such a wonderful husband and Papa."

End of Part Two