Chapter: V

"Serving the Shadow"

Written during the COVID19 Quarantine of 2020

"I am sick of your excuses! You... you... damned wizard!" shouted Nabooru as she angrily followed the sorcerer through the castle. "Your concerns..." the wizard mused apathetically, "are no concerns of mine, woman. Our lord does as he pleases and you... will do as he pleases." he finished with a satisfied grin. The Gerudo champion had struggled for nearly two years without seeing or speaking with her chieftain. The warm, comforting embrace that the women felt at the corrupted Door of Time had lasted for several weeks; but eventually faded until they shook themselves free and realized what had happened. Nabooru had eagerly seduced a filthy ranch-hand from just south of the capitol, and brought him to the ruined temple. Drunk with wine and Nabooru's "carnal skills" Ingo had allowed himself to be pushed through the doorway into Ganon's realm. He returned, outwardly unchanged, but his mind had been greatly altered: He was confident, arrogant, and had become thoroughly delighted with the pain and suffering of others.

For months, the remaining Gerudo in the capitol had been tasked with dismantling the abandoned Hylian homes and stores inside the city walls, and using the recovered stone to first build the aerie for Agahnim's bats, then to rebuild "Ganon's" temple. Very few were ever permitted to patrol or to even carry arms inside the castle grounds. At night, as the Gerudo slept in the few houses they were allowed to keep, companies of fresh moblins -and several other fearsome beasts- would be brought into Hyrule by the wizard and the twin sorceresses. Nabooru had silently watched several times as dozens of beasts departed the half-finished temple and moved toward the castle. In her heart, she knew that she and her sisters were being ground-down and slowly replaced; but she hoped somehow that she could speak with Ganon and change the course of things.

"You treat us as slaves!" Nabooru angrily shouted, with her voice approaching a scream, "We are Lord Ganon's people! The fearsome Gerudo of the Desert Waste! Not worthless bricklayers and whores!" Agahnim continued to keep his back to her, and make his way through the castle without stopping. Nabooru had finally had enough. Dashing forward, she seized hold of the wizard, and slammed his body against the stone wall of the corridor. "Look at me when I'm talking to you! You filthy Hylian-traitor!" She screamed as his eyes blazed a terrible, yellow light. Poised to kill, Nabooru's dagger pressed against Agahnim's neck as lightning flickered between his fingers. They would have surely killed one-another, if a small tremor had not rumbled through the castle. Agahnim's anger quickly melted and he closed his eyes for a brief moment. "As you will, my lord." He muttered as he slowly opened them again.

Nabooru's heart was pounding and her chest heaving with her rapid breath. "Do it! Do it! Just slit his wretched little throat and be done with it!" she urged herself, but she knew she would never reach Ganon if she did. Agahnim lowered his hands, and relaxed his body - hanging from her grip. For a few moments, he seemed to shudder and shake, as if he were having some sort of fit. The Gerudo withdrew her knife and stared at him in confusion... was he ill? Or was this some trick? Releasing his robes, she let him fall to the stone floor and cautiously backed a few paces away. His body stilled, and he slowly got to his feet. A strange, orange glow now seemed to be coming from his eyes. "Hello, my beloved." came Gannondorf's voice from Agahnim's lips. Nabooru's mouth dropped open in complete shock, "What... what is this?" she mumbled as she returned her dagger to its sheath. "You seem troubled... Nabooru... speak and your master will hear." Gannondorf's voice continued, while Agahnim's face remained expressionless.

The Gerudo quickly fell to her knees, bowed her head, and held her arms at her sides; palms turned toward Agahnim. "My Lord," she began with amorous submission, "The joy that I feel at the sound of your voice... cannot be put into words!" Nabooru's body had weakened and become sore with the labors forced upon her, but she still arched her back and lifted her bust. She would use every skill she possessed to return to Ganon's favor. "Your poetry remains pleasing to me, my desert flower, but I grow weary of this conflict between my servants. Speak quickly, or be silenced!" Gannondorf's voice was very firm and Nabooru knew her position was precarious. Though adrenaline and fear coursed through her, the Gerudo kept her graceful, outward calm. Subtly rocking her hips and turning her beautiful Amber-colored eyes up to him, she began, "I miss you, my lord... my body aches for you," every ounce of her feminine will was brought against her master. In his mortal form, Gannondorf was never able to resist her like this. She hoped, he was still weak to her charms, "I am pleased to serve you my lord, in any way you need, but my heart overflows with joy when I can... serve you personally."

Agahnim's face began to show a slight grin. Sensing success, Nabooru pressed farther, "Let me come to you, my lord... let this pitiful servant serve her lord in the ways she knows best." Agahnim stepped toward her, and gently traced one fingertip down her cheek, the side of her neck, and over her breast. The Gerudo rolled her eyes back and whimpered softly, "...my lord..." "Yes," came Gannondorf's voice, "You will serve me well Nabooru. Come to the temple and give yourself to me." Her heart nearly burst with excitement, she had done it! "As you command, my lord." she replied, affectionately, as she lowered her forehead to the floor in front of him. The wizard groaned and staggered back against the far wall. The orange light quickly flashed out and his own voice returned. "As you will, my lord."

Nabooru lept to her feet and scowled down at the sorcerer, "Now you have no more excuses! Bring me to him!" she shouted. Agahnim regarded her with a menacing glare, but did not object. They steadily made their way through the castle, into the capitol city, and finally to the half-finished temple. Once inside, and without command, Nabooru ripped off her own clothing and cast it aside. She knelt before the darkened door of time and raised her arms up at her sides. "Do it." she commanded the wizard. Agahnim, just as before, slowly walked around the Gerudo, muttering and chanting different dark spells. As he did, the swirling, chaotic gateway began to clear until a smooth black portal stood before them. Her skin began to tingle in a strange way... almost as though it were rippling like water, but she ignored it. Whatever she had to do to approach Ganon, she would do it.

The sorcerer now retrieved a small golden jar from beside the portal and poured the deep red liquid over her hair. It smelled foul, and Nabooru struggled not to wrinkle her nose at it. As Aghanim's fingers worked the substance to the tips of her fiery red hair, the Gerudo began to recognize its scent: it was the smell of blood. Blood that had been left in the desert sun to rot. Doubt and apprehension bit at her stomach now as the wizard returned the jar to its resting place. "Why blood?" her fear asked her, but she forced it from her mind. "Now," growled Agahnim, "go to him." Excitement returned, this was it! Nabooru rose and gave Agahnim a smug, victorious smile as she stepped toward the portal. She could not help but rock her shapely hips as she passed him; whether he felt anything or not, she was going to show him, one last time, what he did not deserve. The wizard watched her pass, but did not feel defeated. Quite the opposite, he knew what was going to happen to Nabooru... and it pleased him greatly.

The Gerudo felt nothing as her skin touched the surface of the portal. As though nothing were there, she passed through it and entered a new chamber. What remained of the walls, floor, and ceiling was made of a brilliant white marble but was badly blackened by Ganon's fire. The room was eight sided, with a platform of stone raised at its center. A small marble pedestal, adorned with the symbol of the Triforce, stood empty at its top. Nabooru did not know this place... and wondered at its purpose. "Come to me..." boomed Ganon's voice from the far end of the chamber. There, opposite where Nabooru stood, was another dark, swirling portal. "Come to me... my beloved." The Gerudo rushed forward, passed the platform, and to the final doorway. "Don't go... don't do it!" a very quiet voice urged inside her. Nabooru looked up at the swirling black cloud... what would she find when she entered? What would become of her if she ran? Her own lust for power was strong... but more than anything, Nabooru wanted to see the promises made to her tribe, delivered.

With a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and stepped into the Dark World.