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Authornote: Friday June 23rd 2017
Hello everyone!
Welcome to the first chapter of Part 4! This is a longer story arc, about the same length as Part 2. Another early update this week, because I'm still working crazy long hours at work.
There is a lot of stuff happening in this chapter, so hopefully no one gets confused.
In chapter two, (Sunday's Chapter) there is a singular use of the F-Bomb used during an extreme show of temper. I was going to remove it, but since it's the only one in the entire story, I've left it for now. If the word bothers enough people, I will remove it, otherwise it will stay. Please be advised about it.
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Thank you very much for the reviews, everyone! :D Reviews are always greatly appreciated. :D
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SilentyDead- Cool, I'll definitely have to get the game to check it out! It sounds like a lot of fun! :D
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The Hylian Chronicler - Oh good, I'm glad the battle was okay! I find it's hard for me to judge if a battle scene is good or not, because I have to re-read it so many times that it gets boring for me. lol
Everything is indeed happy...for now. The Postman is a trouble magnet, however, and so you know the peace can't last for long. lol
I hope you enjoy the new story arc! :D
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Rainmy- I'm glad you liked the fight scene! Ghirahim hasn't clued in quite yet, but he knows the sword is in some way important.
Sakon would indeed use all the politically incorrect words just to bother people. He doesn't say these things to be hateful, he simply likes annoying people a little bit too much.
Ganondorf does not get to be happy very often, and so he was probably cherishing the moment. lol
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Reiz16- Yes, Sakon loves that crown very much. lol
I don't think Ghirahim realized that blood would make a very bad nail polish. ;) Poor Ghirahim though, he worked so hard on that dungeon, and there was no one to appreciate it. lol
The quest will be revealed over time.
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Guest101- Woohoo! :D I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far!
If Ghirahim's hair got burnt off, i think that would be an instant defeat. Ghirahim would glance in a mirror, and then proceed to die from a heart attack. That would probably be the most embarrassing villain death in the history of the universe. lol
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placesmileshere- Unfortunately, I can't answer your questions without giving away some major spoilers about what's going to happen later on. Thank you so much for putting so much thought into my story, and I really hope it lives up to your expectations. :D
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Randomreader- Aw, thank you so much! :D I hope you enjoy part 4 of the story as well! Thanks for reading!
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There are 5 parts to The Postman series, and most chapters will be between 4000-7000 words. Updates will be on Sundays and Fridays.
To anyone that didn't read the original version of this story, this series kind of merges all the different Zelda universes into one. In this story there is only one legendary hero that was singlehandedly responsible for saving Hyrule on multiple occasions. This story assumes all Zelda adventures happened within the same timeframe. The Zelda games I'm merging are Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Link's Awakening, Windwaker, and Breath of the Wild.
Thank you very much for the reviews, they're always greatly appreciated. Please let me know any feedback, suggestions or criticisms you might have.
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How to be a Villain
Part 4 Chapter 1
Ganondorf's Gratitude
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For the longest time, Ganondorf simply stood in the rain, silently staring up at the sky feeling an incredible sense of relief. The horrible-looking monster had long since flown off in the direction of Hyrule, and both armies had laid down their weapons in a temporary truce. For once, Ganondorf hadn't minded the end of a war, and he bore no ill will towards the Zora. His Loftwing looked healthier than ever, and despite it's struggles against the leash holding it down, it remained tied to a nearby tree.
When he finally tore his eyes away from the sky, his gaze settled on the small Kokiri children who were laughing and shrieking as they played in the puddles just in front of the Gerudo army. They were seemingly unaware of the horrors the world had faced while they were gone, and he knew they had to be protected above all else. He could never let such a thing ever happen again.
The Postman was standing nearby, completely soaked, his attention also on the Kokiri, and Ganondorf slowly approached him.
"Tracker?"
The Postman looked up at him. "Yes, Sir?"
"Do you know where the Kokiri live?"
The Postman nodded. "Yes, Sir."
"Good. I want you to escort the Kokiri safely home. I will send several soldiers with you to ensure your safe passage across Hyrule Field. I know Gerudo cannot enter the Kokiri Forest, and so they will take you to the borders of the forest, and then wait for your return. This mission is of the utmost importance, and not a single Kokiri is to be injured. Do you understand?"
The Postman gave another nod. "Yes, Sir."
"When your mission is complete, return to the castle, and report to me."
"I've been away from my mail route for over a week, Sir. I need to check in with my replacement, and get caught up on my missed work. I can't neglect my route any longer."
Ganondorf shook his head. "Report back to me." he ordered. "One more night away from your 'day job' won't make much of a difference. There's something important I need to discuss with you."
The Postman frowned, but supposed one more night could be managed. His brother, Haru was probably already finished with the mail for the day, and so he wouldn't have much to do until morning anyway. He gave Ganondorf a nod.
Ganondorf turned his attention to the Gerudo army, and his eyes scanned the faces until he found who he was looking for.
"Captain Miria!" he called out.
A woman in her mid to late thirties pushed her way through the crowd, and gave Ganondorf a salute. "Yes, Lord Ganondorf?"
"You are to take your warriors with the Tracker, and safely escort the Kokiri children home. Kill anyone who nears them."
"Yes, Sir." she answered without hesitation.
"Do not enter the forest, or you will be separated from one another, and become lost. The Tracker is the only one to enter the forest, and you will wait for his return. Trust his judgement, because he's more familiar with the land, and make sure he returns to the Gerudo Territory safely."
"Yes, Sir." Captain Miria responded, with another salute.
"Go now." Ganondorf ordered. "The Zora will not stop you."
Captain Miria motioned her group of warriors over, and The Postman noted that they were all older than the warriors in his training group. Realizing Ganondorf was sending more experienced Gerudo as the escorts, he was surprised the villain was willing to spare such valuable warriors. There were twelve warriors in total, and they approached the Kokiri without hesitation. Captain Miria knelt down to their level, spoke with Saria for a moment, who nodded, and then each warrior picked up a Kokiri, placing them on their shoulders. The Postman did the same with the last Kokiri, Mido, and then they were off, heading towards Hyrule.
When they approached the Zora army, the mer-people parted for them to pass, each craning their necks to catch sight of the Kokiri. None stood in their way, and within minutes, they entered Hyrule Field.
Mido kept pulling at The Postman's hair painfully while they travelled, the child clearly excited about all the new places he was seeing. No matter how many times The Postman scolded him, Mido didn't stop, and the Gerudo warriors were clearly amused by this. The Postman had a lot more patience than they did, and he never once lost his temper with the child.
No one stopped them during their travels through Hyrule, most Hylians still weak from lack of food and water. By the time they reached the Kokiri Forest, The Postman had a very bad headache, but couldn't be too upset with the boy. The normally grumpy Mido was all smiles, and The Postman couldn't bear to scold him again.
The Kokiri were all set down, and The Postman accompanied them the rest of the way into the Forest as the Gerudo waited behind. When the children reached their village, they were surprised by the state of it. Their gardens had withered, and there were dead leaves and plants in front of all the little houses. New plant growth had already started, and The Postman bet that within a day everything would be completely restored. The Kokiri invited him to stay for a while, but The Postman politely declined because Ganondorf was expecting him to return as soon as possible. Bidding the Kokiri goodbye, The Postman left the forest, and the children began working to clean up their village.
The Gerudo warriors were surprised to see him back so soon, and without a word, they started back towards the desert.
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Sakon scowled at the bars of his cell irritably, and let out a bored sigh. He'd been sentenced to three days in jail for the thefts on Skyloft, and he also had to pay a fine AND reimburse the vendors he'd stolen from. He'd escaped the cell easily within minutes, but there was nowhere for him to escape to on a sky-island, and he'd been recaptured soon after. He was placed back in his cell, and warned that if he escaped again, his sentence would be doubled. Link was staying on Skyloft for the three days to visit with his friends, and he'd informed Sakon that if his jail sentence got extended, he would leave him behind to live out the rest of his life on Skyloft.
Having a feeling Link really would do it, Sakon remained in the cell, bored out of his mind. There were no other prisoners, and so the only person he ever spoke to was the kid who brought his meals three times a day. From pestering the small boy, Sakon learned the child had actually volunteered to feed him when he found out Sakon was the one that killed the Hinox. The boy was the only survivor of the Hinox attack, and despite Sakon's crimes, he saw him as a hero. Although the boy technically wasn't supposed to stay long, Sakon always managed to draw him into some outrageous tall-tale about all the heroics he'd done in his life-time.
The people of Skyloft tended to 'overlook' this, and usually allowed the boy to stay for an hour during each mealtime to keep the villain company. When Sakon had made the mistake of complaining to Link about how bored he was, Link had responded by giving him a fourth-grade schoolbook. The hero had grinned at him cheekily, and told him he could work on getting an education while imprisoned. Sakon wasn't sure which was more frustrating, the fact he had been given a children's workbook, or the fact when he'd opened it, he couldn't answer any of the questions. He'd tossed it across the cell, where it remained in the corner of the room for the duration of the three days.
When he was finally released from jail, he was forced to stand in front of the entire village and give an insincere apology for his 'atrocious' behaviour. By the time it was over, Sakon was in a complete sulk, and Link was tremendously amused. He thought it served Sakon right to be held accountable for his actions for once, and hoped it had taught The Thief a lesson. Sakon informed him that it only made him want to rob the people of Skyloft even more.
Exasperated, Link sighed. "I'll take you home to Hyrule." he informed him. "But I better not hear about you stealing anything else!"
Rolling his eyes, Sakon stomped his way after the hero. He hated Skyloft, he hated the people, and he just wanted to go home. Just as they reached the edge of the island, Sakon felt a tug on his shirt. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the boy-whose-name-he-couldn't-remember, holding out a handmade thank you card. Taking the card, Sakon stared down at the crudely drawn picture of him defeating the Hinox, and opened the card.
"Please come back and visit again, hero Sakon!" he read out loud.
He hesitated. Well, maybe everyone on Skyloft wasn't completely terrible. Without a word, Sakon took off his crown, plopped it on the kid's head, and then turned back to Link, who was looking just a bit too amused. Shaking his head silently with a smile, Link grabbed Sakon by the arm and then jumped off the side of the island, pulling The Thief down with him. Sakon let out a shriek of surprise, and clung to the hero in terror, and Link grinned, before opening his parasail to slow their descent. Sakon gave him a scowl.
"That was mean." he complained. "You did that on purpose!"
"I thought you knew how I was planning on getting back to Hyrule." Link replied innocently.
"No, you didn't." Sakon accused.
Link didn't answer, but he gave Sakon a smile, who had to admit he saw the humour in it, and he laughed.
"Alright fine." Sakon relented, shaking his head. "You bully."
They landed in Hyrule Field just minutes later, and they parted ways, Link heading towards the Kokiri Forest, and Sakon heading as far away from Gerudo Territory as possible. He knew how angry Ganondorf would be, and wasn't going to go anywhere near the desert for quite a while.
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When The Postman returned to the castle, he was escorted to a room he'd never been to before to wait. The room was very small, and only had a few chairs, and a second door to the side, which was currently closed. He was given a new Gerudo uniform and told to get changed out of the 'ridiculous' postal uniform. Somewhat offended, The Postman did as he was told once he was alone, hoping he wasn't going to be sent on a new mission so soon.
Only minutes later, Ganondorf entered, closed the door after him, and asked The Postman to explain in detail everything that had happened. The Postman told him absolutely everything, including the island with the Hinox, Skyloft, Error, his illness, and the guardian. Ganondorf listened in complete silence, and when The Postman was finished, he asked a few questions, and then left the room, telling The Postman to wait for him to return.
Taking a seat in one of the chairs, The Postman waited an incredibly long time until finally Ganondorf returned. Barely sparing The Postman a glance, he motioned for him to follow, and opened the door on the other side of the room. Without a word, The Postman obediently followed, and to his shock the door led out onto a large stage. Glancing out across the absolutely enormous auditorium, The Postman saw every single Gerudo was in the audience, thousands upon thousands of them. There was an extremely unnerving silence, and despite himself, The Postman tensed up.
"Tracker, stand here." Ganondorf ordered, pointing directly in front of him.
Approaching cautiously, and awkwardly, The Postman did as he was told, now facing the audience.
"Hold out the backs of your hands towards everyone."
The Postman held out his hands towards the room, the desert emblem showing clearly on his skin. Ganondorf then reached over him, and waved a hand over the emblem, and to The Postman's surprise, it disappeared. Staring at his unmarked hand in surprise, The Postman wondered if that meant he'd just been fired for a second time.
Without warning, Ganondorf reached out and seized The Postman by the neck. The Postman immediately froze, and he looked up at the villain, wondering if he was going to be publically executed. Had he done something wrong? Was Ganondorf blaming him for Sakon's theft of the Loftwing?
Although the hold wasn't painful, it was uncomfortable, and The Postman looked up at Ganondorf uncertainly, completely at his mercy. Ganondorf mumbled a few words under his breath, and The Postman felt a slight heat against his neck. A moment later, Ganondorf released him, and The Postman stepped far away from him, clapping a hand to his neck to see what was done.
The Postman rubbed at his neck, and felt a patch of skin that was raised and rough to the touch. It felt like the skin had been branded, and although it wasn't painful, it was still uncomfortable.
"Remove your hand from your neck, and face everyone." Ganondorf ordered.
Giving one last rub to the neck, The Postman did as he was told. The entire room gasped at what they saw, and The Postman had never felt more confused in his entire life. Something was then draped over his neck, and he glanced down, and saw it was a golden medal. He looked up at Ganondorf in surprise, and the villain gave him a pleased look.
"You did the Gerudo Nation a great favour, and saved us all from certain death." Ganondorf informed him loudly enough for everyone to hear. "A Gerudo always settles their debts, and you are no exception. You have earned this."
"What did you do, Sir?" The Postman asked, feeling rather uncertain. "What does this mean?"
Ganondorf turned his gaze to the audience. "From this moment on, The Tracker is a Gerudo citizen. He has all the same rights as any of us, and will be treated no differently. He has earned his place here among us, and no one has a right to question or challenge this decision. He has the right to travel as he pleases, and no Gerudo will ever raise a hand against him. He has received the mark of the Gerudo King, and this shows every Gerudo on this vast Earth that he is one of us."
Ganondorf smirked down at him, and The Postman could only look completely dazed in return. He raised a hand to touch the mark on his neck, and he traced it with his fingers, feeling the shape of the Gerudo royal seal.
"He has received a medal of bravery for his deeds, and his name will be written in the history books as the second male foreigner to ever be granted Gerudo citizenship."
Ganondorf then paused as a thought occurred to him. "What's your name?" he whispered to The Postman.
"Jihiro, Sir."
"Jihiro, The Tracker, will have his name entered into our rich histories, and will forever be recognized as the one who saved our people." Ganondorf announced to the room. "There will be a grand feast to celebrate the end of the horrible drought and famine, and every Gerudo is invited to attend."
There was a deafening cheer in response, and Ganondorf clapped The Postman on the shoulder hard enough to almost knock him over.
"Go find your friends and celebrate for the night." Ganondorf told him. "Speak with me in the morning before you leave for your mail route."
Still completely stunned, The Postman could only nod mutely. This was the last thing he'd expected to happen. He was then left standing on the stage, and he glanced at the enormous audience suddenly feeling incredibly awkward. He stood there stone-still and completely silent, until the girls from his training class finally climbed the stage to rescue him. Adena threw an arm around his shoulders with a wide grin, and led him off of the stage, as the others followed behind excitedly.
"Welcome to the best nation on the planet!" Adena said, proudly. "Now, let's go eat ourselves sick!"
Still unsure whether or not this was all a hallucination, The Postman allowed himself to be pulled away through the castle.
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2 Months Later...
The first thing The Postman had done was return the borrowed mask to The Happy Mask Salesman, and he luckily didn't incur any more late charges. The Postman angrily told him what had happened to Gaepora, but The Happy Mask Salesman didn't seem concerned. He had simply told him that the owl was important, and not to worry about it. He had then changed the subject and asked about Sakon's whereabouts. When The Postman told him Sakon was in hiding from Ganondorf, The Happy Mask Salesman didn't seem surprised. By the time The Postman left the mask shop, he was annoyed, and getting the feeling that he was still somehow being manipulated by the man.
The Postman had settled into a very regular routine in order to juggle both of his jobs. He and Ganondorf had come to a compromise in regards to his job as a postman, and it seemed to be working out well.
In the morning he sorted, and delivered the mail, and in the afternoon he attended both physical and magical training. He passed off any long distance letters to other postmen to be delivered, (something he was technically supposed to be doing all along) and so he always had his afternoons free. As long as he completed his usual tasks in the post office, no one knew how he spent the rest of his day. He spent all of his Sundays in the desert, using his one day off to get caught up on everything else. Everything had gone surprisingly smoothly, and he found he was now treated a lot better by the everyone in the Gerudo Nation.
He had hung his medal on the corner of his bedroom mirror, and every time he looked at it, a little bit of pride would surface. Ganondorf knew it wasn't The Postman who had defeated Ghirahim, but he stated that because of him, Link was able to complete the quest weeks ahead of time, which in turn saved everyone's lives. The Postman had never received an award for his service before, and he proudly kept it polished, and on display.
The Postman hadn't heard from Sakon at all since he'd returned, but he knew Ganondorf had sent out scouts looking for The Thief. Ganondorf had heard a rumour that Sakon had been seen in Peak Province, and the Gerudo was confident he would finally get his hands on him. The Postman had explained that Sakon had helped out a lot on the mission (the truth of that was a bit debatable) but Ganondorf stubbornly remained annoyed. He vowed The Thief had a beating coming to him, and refused to budge on the matter.
The Postman was welcomed back into his training class, and even the Captain had given him a cordial welcome back.
Captain Isa had weighed him upon his return, and she was furious to discover he had actually lost weight while on his mission. To The Postman's dismay, he was placed back on the high calorie diet, and every afternoon he was forced to stand on a scale in front of the whole training class. The Captain was keeping track of his weight in a notepad, and if he was even slightly lighter than the day before, she'd force a snack on him. He felt like he was always eating something, as everyone he knew kept forcing food at him, and wished he'd just gain enough weight to be left alone.
After five weeks of a slow, but steady weight-gain, The Postman got impatient, and tried stuffing his pockets and socks full of rocks to fool the scale. Almost as if she were psychic, Captain Isa immediately caught him, and she unleashed her full fury on him. He was still nursing bruises from her cane a week later, and he was exhausted from all the laps she'd made him run. He didn't try to fool the scales again.
Although everything had returned to a strange sort of normalcy, The Postman was feeling unsettled. His two magics were still constantly in a battle, and no matter how much research or meditating he tried, nothing helped. The flow of red magic was too strong for him to block off, and he felt like he might be starting to feel its effects. The only good thing about the battling magics, was the fact his red magic no longer reacted explosively every time he was injured. It was far too busy trying to cannibalize his green magic to be used for anything.
Every now and then, The Postman would hear something that wasn't there, sometimes a whisper, or sometimes something that almost sounded like music. No one else ever seemed to hear these strange sounds, and he was hesitant to mention it to anyone. He had sort of off-handedly asked Koume and Kotake about his unnatural magic, and they reaffirmed that it was possible the magic could damage his mind if not dealt with. They helped him with the research, but after two months, they were no closer than when they had started.
On rare occasions, The Postman would see things out of the corner of his eye, horrible, violent things that weren't really there. It was almost a ghostly image of different people, and different places that he wasn't familiar with. The strange occurrences began to stress him out, but he kept silent about it, not wanting anyone to know. How could he explain that he suspected he was slowly starting to lose his mind?
His brother Haru's wedding was fast approaching, and he'd already booked time off from the post office to attend. Ganondorf had given his permission as well, not especially caring, and The Postman knew he could use a short break. Was it possible he was simply overworked, and the stress was causing the hallucinations? Still feeling uncertain over it, The Postman re-doubled his efforts at research.
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Ganondorf threw Sakon up against the wall with a sickening crunch. The Thief let out a startled cry of pain, and slid to the floor with a wince. Having bit his tongue from the impact, Sakon spat out a mouthful of blood, and looked up at Ganondorf, not daring to move. Ganondorf was furious, and his red hair was dishevelled from chasing after The Thief. He scowled down at him, and then raised a boot to step down onto the smaller man's chest, pinning him to the floor. Sakon let out a loud yelp of pain as the boot pressed down a bit too hard, and he looked up at the villain in pure terror.
"Did you really think you wouldn't be caught?" The Gerudo king demanded. "That I would just forget how you attempted to steal one of my most valuable possessions?"
Sakon coughed, having a bit of trouble breathing, and shook his head, unable to answer.
"Let me remind you, Sakon, you work for me, and I will not tolerate betrayal! The only reason you're still alive is because of the fact you're occasionally useful."
He applied a bit more pressure on Sakon's chest, who let out a shrill yell of pain as he felt one of his ribs crack. Ganondorf then released him, and Sakon clutched at his chest, and instinctively curled into a protective ball. Ganondorf towered over him angrily, and nudged him on the side with his boot, the threat clear. Sakon let out a squeal of protest, and curled up even tighter, just wanting to somehow escape the pain that was to come. Ganondorf nudged him a bit harder, the contact not exactly painful, but Sakon still yelped as if it was.
"If you don't smarten up, I'm going to start looking for a new thief." Ganondorf informed him irritably. "By the time I'm done with you, hopefully you'll never dare do something so stupid again."
Sakon was completely terrified and knew Ganondorf could do any number of horrible things to him. Knowing that the Gerudo wasn't planning on killing him, made it all the worse, and he gave another useless squirm, hoping he wasn't going to be tortured.
"I'm sorry!" Sakon wailed out. "I'm sorry!"
Ganondorf narrowed his eyes, and crossed his arms. "You will be, Sakon." he stated. "I'm sick of your constant screw-ups, and I will make an example of you!"
Sakon's normally silver tongue seemed to have turned to lead, and he stared up at Ganondorf with wide, frightened eyes. He'd never seen Ganondorf this angry before, and he realized he'd severely miscalculated. Ganondorf's golden eyes bored into his own green eyes for an uncomfortably long amount of time, and then the villain turned his gaze to the two guards watching from the doorway.
"Take him to the dungeon." he ordered. "Give him a severe whipping."
The guards saluted. "Yes, Sire."
Ganondorf watched as the two guards seized Sakon, and The Thief immediately began struggling against them.
"Wait, no!" Sakon cried out in dismay. "I'm sorry, I swear I'll never do it again! I was stupid, and I'm sorry!"
"Use the cat." Ganondorf added, his eyes narrowing.
Sakon's eyes widened, remembering how bad his last dealing with the cat had been. "No! You can't! Please! I'm sorry!"
Ganondorf said nothing at all as the guards began dragging Sakon from the room.
"I'll be down to speak with you afterwards." Ganondorf told him as they neared the door. "Try to escape, and your punishment will double."
Once the throne room door was closed, and he was by himself, Ganondorf let out a disgruntled sigh. His scouts had finally cornered Sakon on Snowpeak Mountain, and it had taken four of them to take him down. He knew he couldn't let such a huge mistake to go unpunished, and the rest of his minions needed to see that no one was above punishment while in his employ.
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Sakon kicked and screamed all the way to the dungeon, the guards barely able to keep a hold on him. The hallways were just a blur to Sakon as he fought to get away, but he definitely noticed when they reached the entrance to the dungeon. A horrified shiver made its way up his spine as the guards pulled him down the dark, and dank staircase, and he kicked and struggled all the harder. Their grip was like steel, and Sakon couldn't break free no matter how hard he fought, and his fear increased as they got closer, and closer to the bottom. The guards ignored him, and when they finally reached the dungeon, and began chaining him to a post, he let out a howl and thrashed hard against his captors.
The two guards were strong, obviously very well trained, and Sakon couldn't even loosen their grip. Once he was secured facing the post, they exchanged a look with one another.
"So, who gets the pleasure this time?" one asked.
The other guard grinned. "I think it should be Reshma who does it."
"What?! No!" Sakon yelled. "She nearly killed me last time!"
"Wouldn't that be a pity." the guard teased.
"Aw, come on, have a heart!" Sakon pleaded.
"Reshma it is!" the guard announced as the other one laughed.
As they left to go fetch her, Sakon scowled at them from over his shoulder. Today was not his day...
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Sakon let out a low groan as he was tossed into one of the cells. His back was in absolute agony, and he wiped at his eyes, feeling incredibly abused. The whipping had actually been less severe than the last time, and he knew he was probably going to be made to heal the long, painful way. Muttering at his harsh treatment and slowly rolling onto his side, he winced as his back stretched painfully. Glancing over at Reshma, she gave him a smirk and held the bloody whip up so he could see it. Feigning being injured much more than he actually was, Sakon let out another agonized groan.
"I think I need medical help!" Sakon wheezed, trying his best to sound weak and pathetic.
Reshma had never liked Sakon, and she looked down at him with an obvious sneer. "You've felt nothing yet, thief. The king will be down shortly, and you'll be lucky if he doesn't break every bone in your pathetic body!"
Sakon frowned, and slowly sat up. "Would it help if I said I was very sorry, and promised never to do it again?"
Reshma let out a snort, and turned away. "I'm going to tell him you need another round of the cat."
Sakon stuck his tongue out at her, and gave a dramatic sigh.
"Well, can I at least have some booze?" he asked.
"Don't have any." Reshma responded without interest.
"There's a few bottles in my backpack." Sakon said, pointing to the nearby backpack. "I've been saving it. If you give me one now, you can take one for yourself."
Reshma looked down at the backpack suspiciously, but did open the top to inspect the bottles within. Pulling one out, she uncorked it with her teeth, and gave it a sniff. She immediately made a face and held it away from herself.
"It smells awful!" she exclaimed.
Sakon gave her a disappointed frown. "Aw, really? I guess it must have gone bad..."
"Garbage wine for a garbage person." Reshma commented shoving the bottle through the bars of the cell. "Enjoy."
Without another word, Reshma turned and began cleaning the blood from the floor.
"I still think you should let me see a doctor." Sakon told her casually. "What if I die? I could be bleeding internally right now for all you know!"
"Once again, wouldn't that be a shame." the Gerudo muttered.
Sakon gave her a dirty look and took a long drink of the wine. He grimaced at the rotten taste, but knew the alcohol would help numb the pain. "Ugh...stupid goddess wine." he muttered, taking another very long chug. "Tastes like a Moblin's foot..."
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Sakon let out another loud moan of protest. "I'm dying, get me a doctor!"
"You're fine." Reshma snapped at him. "Keep bothering me, and I'll cut out your tongue."
"Prisoner brutality!" Sakon yelled out. "Prisoner brutality!"
Reshma let out a low hiss, wondering how someone who had just been whipped could possibly still be so annoying. Determined to ignore him, she didn't answer.
"If I die, what would Ganondorf do without me?" Sakon demanded, faking a few coughs. "He'd never find a thief as good as me! I'm the king of all thieves, and am more valuable than you-"
Sakon cut off abruptly as an excruciating pain filled his entire body. It felt like his insides were being ripped apart, and then melted, and he immediately let out a shriek of agony, and fell to the floor. He gave another loud wail, and curled in on himself, both shocked and confused at the sudden pain. Sakon was paralysed with the agony as the pain kept increasing, and he stared upwards at the ceiling, delirious with pain, and screaming uncontrollably. He felt a wetness make its way down his chin, and realized his nose was bleeding.
Sakon was vaguely aware of Reshma staring at him, but didn't care, the pain getting worse and worse by the second. He laid on the floor, clutching his stomach in agony, as wave after wave of torment ripped through him. He knew he was screaming at the top of his lungs, but all he could hear was the blood pulsing within his ears. He felt his tears mix with the blood on his face, and he convulsed as another wave of pain overtook him. His head was getting light and somewhat foggy, and although the pain wasn't subsiding, and he hoped this meant he was going to pass out. Just as the pain reached all new levels of horrible, everything went black, and he sagged limply to the floor.
The first thing Sakon noticed was that there was no pain. Slowly opening his eyes, he gave a long blink, and noticed his perspective in the room was wrong. Giving another blink, he realized he was floating several feet off the ground weightlessly. Confused, he looked down, and saw he was hovering directly over his own body. He stared down at himself with wide eyes, not quite comprehending what was happening. Holding up one of his arms, he saw he appeared solid but yet floated no heavier than smoke.
"Nice try, thief." he heard a voice say. "I'm not falling for such a stupid trick."
Looking over, he saw Reshma frowning down at his body. When Sakon didn't move, and didn't seem to be breathing, she grew a bit uncertain.
"I know you're faking!" she accused. "I'm not opening the cell, you dumbass!"
Sakon, who had floated closer to her, gave her a scowl. "You're horrible!" he yelled, his voice sounding oddly far away. "I'm still alive, and you can't just leave me there!"
She obviously couldn't see or hear him, as she didn't react to his words. Sakon gave another yell, which fell on deaf ears. Frustrated, Sakon struck out at her with his foot, but his limb went straight through her harmlessly.
"...Sakon?"
Sakon watched as Reshma opened the cell door, and knew he had to do something to get her attention. Trying to concentrate, he reeled back his leg, and then booted straight at her face as hard as he could . He was once again surprised and dismayed when his foot went right through her. The Gerudo didn't notice him, and knelt down next to his body, giving him a hard poke. His body lobbed a bit, but didn't move. Reshma stared down at him for a moment suspiciously, and then hesitantly reached out, and laid two fingers against his throat. She waited for a few moments, and then looked up in horror.
"Oh, shit, he's dead."
Sakon's eyes widened in alarm. "What? No, I'm not! I'm still here!" he yelled out to her desperately. "I'm still alive!"
The Gerudo checked his body once more, and then to his surprise, she attempted to revive him. Sakon watched as she tried alternating between chest compressions, and breathing into him, but his body remained limp, and unresponsive.
When she couldn't revive him, Reshma pulled a bottled fairy out of Sakon's backpack. Opening it, she watched as the fairy swirled around Sakon's body, healing his wounds, but he still didn't wake. Reshma swore loudly, and then picked up the open bottle of wine. She gave it another sniff, and then frowned.
"Poison?"
Sakon was stunned. He'd been poisoned? His heart had stopped? Looking down at his body, he suddenly felt very, very afraid. Was he really dead? In a panic, he threw himself down onto his body, trying to merge back inside. He felt himself connect just briefly, and his body convulsed, but then he was thrown violently back out. Frustrated, Sakon tried again, with the same results.
Reshma watched as the body convulsed, seemingly in the throws of a violent seizure, and her eyes got very wide. The body convulsed over, and over again as Sakon tried to regain control of the body, and Reshma had no idea what was going on.
"...I'm getting Lord Ganondorf..."
As the body gave another flop, she ran from the dungeon at full speed. Sakon let out a howl of pure frustration, unable to figure out how this had happened. The cell door was wide open, but he couldn't seem to stick inside his body long enough to take advantage of it. No matter how hard he tried, he could only stay inside his body for a brief moment before being ejected.
"I'm not dead!" Sakon yelled, more for his own reassurance than anything. "I'm not!"
Sakon wasn't sure what had happened to cause this, but when he went back into his body, he could feel his heart start as soon as he touched it, and then it stopped as he was thrown out. Certain this meant he was alive, he floated above his body listlessly, trying to figure out what to do. The dark, shadowed dungeon made him shiver, despite not being able to feel the cold and he observed the blood and tears on his body's face with almost a morbid curiosity. His eyes were still open a crack, staring unseeingly upwards, and Sakon felt a bit creeped out seeing himself like that. He really did look dead, and hoped he'd be able to find a way back to his body shortly.
He wasn't sure how long he floated, staring into the darkness of the dungeon, but after a while, Ganondorf appeared on the staircase. He approached the cell, seeming absolutely livid, and he gazed down at Sakon's body with a look that sent shivers through the watching Sakon. Sakon floated over to the Gerudo king, sure he of all people would be able to see him.
"Ganondorf!" Sakon bellowed directly into his ear. "Hey! Ugly! I'm right here, and I'm still alive! Ganondorf!"
Ganondorf rubbed at his ear as if there was an annoying buzzing sound, but otherwise didn't react to Sakon's voice. He knelt down next to the body, and removed one of his gloves so he could look The Thief over. Laying his hand on Sakon's chest, he closed his eyes in concentration, and muttered the words to some sort of spell. He was silent for several minutes as his hand emitted a dark red glow, and then he stood up, and turned away with a scowl.
"He's dead." he stated to Reshma. "You absolute idiot!"
Reshma winced, and seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible.
"You know very well how much I valued that thief, and you had no right to beat him that severely! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
"I didn't!" Reshma protested. "I didn't hit him nearly as hard as last time!"
"That's right!" Ganondorf said in realization. "You nearly killed him last time too!"
Reshma now looked like she wanted to melt into the floor.
"You have just ruined your career, and you will be punished more severely than any Gerudo ever has been before!"
"Please, my Lord!" Reshma cried out in horror. "I didn't mean it! I swear I didn't mean to do it! He was fine a few minutes ago!"
Ganondorf's expression turned even uglier. "I made a promise to a friend to take care of Sakon for as long as I was able, and you've made me break that promise! He was under my sworn protection! The Thief is dead because of you, and you've damaged our nation because of it! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a master-level thief willing to work for pay? They're practically impossible to find!"
Sakon stared at Ganondorf with an open-mouth, unable to believe what he was hearing. All the years of hatred, the scowls, the swearing, and the threats were all just bluffs?! Ganondorf never had any intention of ever killing, or replacing him?! Sakon scowled at him. Of all the dirty tricks...
"Ganondorf!" Sakon yelled again. "I'm not dead, you stupid pointy-nosed Gerudo! I'm right here!"
"Lock yourself in one of these cells, and don't even think of running." Ganondorf ordered, still not hearing the screaming in his ear. "While you await trial, you can share the dungeon with The Thief's rotting corpse."
"...Yes, Sire." Reshma replied in a very subdued tone.
"What?" Sakon cried. "No! You can't just leave me here! I'm still alive! I'm still here, you stupid desert-rat!"
Ganondorf rubbed at his ear again, and gave a glance around as if he'd heard something, but wasn't sure of exactly what. Excited, Sakon screamed as loudly as he could into the villain's ear.
"Ganondorf! I'm still here! I'm still here! Ganondorf!"
Ganondorf gave one more glance around, and then turned away. "I will be back to deal with you in a few days." he said in a dangerous tone.
Reshma had locked herself inside one of the cells, and she kept her eyes firmly on the floor. "...yes, Sire."
Then, without another word, Ganondorf stormed away, back upstairs. Sakon stared after the villain, and felt a heavy desperation hit the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he was certain that if his body was harmed, he truly would die. Sakon let out a loud, flustrated howl that should have echoed along the walls, but instead, it fell short as if something was muffling him. He had to save his body! Sakon tried again to re-enter it, but was thrown out like every time before.
"This is ridiculous!" he cried. "Someone has to be able to see me!"
Sakon floated out of the cell, and gazed around the dirty and dreary dungeon, knowing he had to do something. Absolutely anything could happen to his body if it wasn't being protected! He had to find someone who could see him, anyone! Not holding out much hope, he floated out of the dungeon, determined to find someone who could save him before it was too late.
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