Enpowera: A bit more drama and some making up between Conan and Hilda.
Bunny awoke a few hours later to finding herself chained to a bed, armor stripped off. She only had a blanket to provide any modesty and it slid down and out of her reach rather quickly. Bunny focused on trying to remain calm and such, not wanting to be afraid.
Karka had also awakened to find herself chained up. She put on a neutral face as she apologized for her actions, explaining that it'd been over a year since she'd been herself, after she'd visited the Spirit Temple to pray. Her father's spirit had taken a hold of her using her powers and his connection to the Triforce, and how he made plans to take over Damon's body, as her female body was too weak to house him. She couldn't help but apologize for her role in this. Once she heard of the princess' kidnapping, she pondered.
"I know where he must have taken her. I can open a portal and myself and someone can go fetch her," Karka offered, "It's my fault for letting myself be controlled, I want to help."
The group gave each other suspicious glances, especially Conan. He has been avoiding making eye contact with Karka this entire time as well.
"She's been chosen, and like she said her father used her own powers against her…" Lonán was trying to be not so harsh when it came to bias.
"She's also been tryin' to kill us?" Adara didn't like this.
"I...rather we just get the location out of her and make our own way…" Conan muttered.
"What say you, cousins?" Lonán inquired.
"Who knows what could happen to the princess if we delay though. We don't have much choice but to take her up on her offer…" Hilda sighed.
"I promise I'm not lying. I will do everything to help you defeat my father's spirit and save the princess."
Conan whispered something to Lonán, who gave a small nod.
"You're free to come with us, if you keep your distance from Prince Conan and will only address him in extreme circumstances and emergencies." Lonán instructed.
"I agree. It's more than fair," She nodded, opening the portal.
Meanwhile, Bunny tried not to feel afraid when Ganon entered the room she was being kept in, willing her triforce to hide itself. She couldn't help but feel like she was back to the start of her and Damon's relationship, and couldn't help the longing that filled her in thinking about Damon, and seeing him in front of her even though she knew it wasn't Damon.
"I've rifled through this boy's memories so I'll cut straight to the point, little princess. Either hand me over the Triforce of Courage or I'll force it out with your unborn children!" Ganon slammed his hand near her head as he emphasized his point.
'I won't give it to you. I'm dead anyway…' Came the silent defiance. She just wanted Damon back. She didn't even flinch.
He had to stare and figure that out for a long time, Damon's ability to somehow understand her alluding him. "At least I can have the satisfaction of having both the hero's and princess' bloodlines killed in one fell swoop with you. After you will be your brother, then proceed with your parents and then the rest of Hyrule!"
She just glared, trying to not succumb to the heartache of hearing Damon's voice saying those things, despite knowing it wasn't him. I..I'm the Hero. I'll defeat him and free Damon…
"Any last words?" Now he was just rubbing salt in the wound as his hands charged with dark magic.
'I want Damon back,' She tried to attack Ganon, only her feet free.
"Damon is dead, long live King Ganon!" He knew better after that earlier strike and managed to move in time. He then sent the attack at her, an evil smile splitting his face as he did so.
She screamed silently, but forced her triforce to stay hidden. She tried to think rapidly on how to salvage this situation. There had to be some way to swing this in her favor. She just couldn't think with the fact that her love was dead. It couldn't be true...His body was moving and talking in front of her even if he didn't act like him. She went limp as the attack faded, willing the triforce deeper.
Ganon paused, thinking it couldn't have been that easy. He knew all too well that the Triforces react on their own under extreme circumstances, or sometimes even the opposite. He cautiously walked forward and checked her pulse...It was still strong and steady, and with him close enough she used her legs to try to at least make him unable to move, trying to ignore the familiarity of the situation.
He jumped back again. "I see that you're stronger than when you initially met the little welp. No matter, I have more than enough magic to fix this issue!" He then proceeded to send wave after wave of dark magic at her.
She started to feel weaker, silently screaming. She kept struggling though, even as she almost passed out. Luckily rescued arrived the horde of sages making Ganon retreat for now.
"Zelda!" Her family was quick to get her freed, covered up and working on getting her home despite the magic drain. Neja and Adara stood watch just in case, despite the latter's claims that she'd tear Ganon's head off the moment he came back.
Karka didn't know what to do but opened a portal to Hyrule Castle, figuring the princess at least needed a healer. The group rushed though, and found themselves quickly surrounded by guards until they recognized the group, leading to Karka being quickly attacked to be captured. On Conan's orders she was restrained but not attacked, stating that she had been possessed until recently and was the next Sage of Spirit. He dare not bring up the pregnancy to avoid both his mother and Hilda's respective wraths. He and Bunny were soon ushered to their family healers to double-check both their conditions, already knowing about the pregnancy of Bunny thanks to a swift messenger bird from Zora's Domain. Everyone else was checked over as well, a bit confused as to why Hestia was absent despite it being likely she was a Sage as well.
"Oh, she's in Death Mountain. She's pregnant too, it's pro'ly that Twili ambassador's kid." Adara held no punches back in her explanation.
A few of the healers who knew how Twili worked were immediately sent packing to check on her.
Bunny seemed to not respond to any outside stimulus, her brain having finally shut down in shock as she fell into a deep sleep, exhausted. Link just sat by her side, trying to figure out how it all went wrong. Zelda was bouncing between her children while trying to keep her cool over everything that's happened. She managed it up until it finally dawned on her that Ganon nearly killed her only daughter and began to sob in her husband's arms, thinking she had failed as a mom somehow this entire time. Link just held her close while starting to plan his attack, not wanting to let his daughter back out to fight, Hero or not. He had a bit of hope when Bunny awoke a bit later, seemingly fine except for that heartbroken look on her face. Upon seeing that she wasn't alone, she hid it, schooling her face to be neutral. Link had to let his wife go to make sure his daughter didn't go rushing out of bed.
'I have to stop him. We need to get through the last two temples.'
'You need to rest first…'
'No time. He'll only grow stronger,'
'Your mother will kill me if I let you go,'
'It isn't yours or her choice,'
'You're pregnant though,'
'I will most likely die having them, the least I can do is fight to not have Ganon rule Hyrule at that time…'
Link nodded meekly, praying his daughter wasn't just being foolish, 'What do the Goddesses tell you?'
'I...haven't been listening…'
'Try doing so. They will guide you…'
'I just know that what I want to do is right. I'll defeat Ganon and save Damon.'
'That isn't your mission. It's to be the hero and save Hyrule.'
'I'm not a very good Hero in case you haven't noticed…'
Link just sighed mentally again, trying to figure out what to do. He mentally decided that his stubborn child would do what she wanted, and reluctantly gave her permission to finish the quest. It was better than her trying to do it with no support, though he warned her that she needed to focus on the task and not on her heart.
'You might have to kill him.'
'At least he won't be possessed anymore…' She accepted that fact.
"...Link dear, forgive me but did you just give our daughter permission to risk her life after everything that has happened?" Zelda had that tone of tranquil fury that should be considered very, very dangerous.
'She's going to anyway. She's more hard headed than Delilah. This way I can be there to help.'
"I...I forbid it," she stated quickly, "I nearly lost her today, I cannot and will not lose the both of you!"
'I'm king though,' Link pointed out that technically he had the final say.
"King consort," Zelda stressed despite knowing it caused arguments, "and what part of me wanting you both here, safe and recovering, is so horrible? Lonán has been there working on awakening the Sages, just let him take care of it."
'It doesn't work like that,' Link reminded firmly. 'Only the Goddesses chosen hero can defeat Ganon.' He pointedly looked at Bunny. 'That is who Bunny is.'
"I am aware, Link…" Zelda's eyes started to blur a bit from tears, "but that does not mean I have to accept her leaving so soon. I want her to rest until all the Sages have been assembled, if nothing else that will help."
'Things are happening too fast for that to be an option,' Bunny mouthed, doing her best to speak up. 'We need to be one group, not divided.' Even if I am already an outcast in their eyes.
"I nearly lost my daughter today!" Zelda's fury surfaced a bit, "Zelda Cassandra Eurwen of Hyrule, you will rest and you will accept this fact because I will forbid an earlier death, Hylia help me!"
'I'm dead once it's time for the children to be born anyway,' It was obviously Bunny wanted to yell.
"Then let me at least have the time to say goodbye!" Zelda did yell. Everyone that wasn't the immediate family was dead silent and promptly left the room. "Why can you not see that I love you and just want you home, safe and in my arms after being spirited away for two months? I had so many sleepless nights praying that you would be back, your father can attest to that, but all you want to do is run away the moment you regain consciousness. This is not heroism, this is suicide! And no force on Hyrule or beyond will keep me from trying to keep you here so that you can recover from being hit from Ganon's dark magic head on while we try and figure out what to do from here!"
'I can't stop. I will start to think about it and...It's only the triforce keeping me from just giving into the darkness.' It became apparent everything was affecting her more than realized.
"Bunny…" Zelda had calmed down a bit, "please talk to me about it. I want to help…"
'No. I don't want to talk about having to most likely kill the man I love. That the only person who acted like I could be something more is gone. I want to do something about it.'
Zelda gave her a blank stare. "I still have my magic, I can alter the Light Arrow spell to banish Ganon from his body if you let me help you."
'I...I don't trust it…' Bunny was mistrustful, knowing pretty much everyone was against her and Damon anyway.
"Bunny, this is the most pure and true magic in the kingdom. It can and will harm Ganon, and only Ganon. What did I do to suddenly deserve your mistrust and disloyalty?"
'Trying to keep me like a caged bird.'
"You have a weak constitution and I have done everything in my power to try and remedy that as you have grown, you are fully aware of this young lady." Zelda stated bluntly.
'I've not had a single problem since I left,' Aside from getting sick that one time due to outside factors. And then she remembered that second time with Damon when she couldn't breathe. 'Except for one occasion.' She looked down with an ashamed blush.
"Bunny…" Zelda sighed and rubbed one of her temples, "I want to trust you and want to believe in you, but I know for a fact that pregnancy and battle do not mix. I heard what happened to Hestia and she has been forbidden from continuing on until the last minute. If a Sage cannot complete this because of such a large factor, please understand that it will be too much for even a chosen hero. Yes, I am fully aware that Delilah was in a similar situation, but...you know how she is. She had ended up with her daughters later than I, so she was at a smaller chance of risk. You nor Hestia possess such."
Bunny just remained silent, covering up her body with her blanket and showing that she was done with the conversation, not wanting to hear it and still mistrustful. She'd already resigned herself to not becoming a mother, so saving Hyrule and maybe Damon was all she had to focus on.
Link just sighed and led Zelda, away, knowing Bunny wouldn't listen to anything else. He figured it best to go approach their son again and try to find out what he knew. What he didn't expect was to hear Karka explaining the finer points of Gerudo pregnancy to him, such as that the child she was expecting would be full Gerudo.
"My love is still going to shun me for this…" Conan was still in a bad state of the heart.
Zelda took a deep breath and replied very quietly, "I will be in the bath if you need me." She didn't want to hear this, she could get the implications all too well and needed to do something to cope. She quickly turned on her heels and left for their bedroom.
Link made his presence known to the duo, only a small amount of confusion in his eyes as he expected this.
"F-Father!" Conan flinched and tried to look more presentable than he felt, "Ah...g-greetings. I was just...conversing with Queen Karka and seeing how she felt about being the new Spirit Sage despite previous interactions."
'I overheard. She's with child?'
"Yes…" despite his attempt, his shame showed all too well. Mine…
'Yours?' Link wanted to double checked.
"I used magic to seduce him in order to get the triforce piece. There is no love between us."
'I see. No wonder Hilda won't go near you, Conan.'
"I am fully aware, Father…" The poor prince just deflated.
Link just sighed and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to promise that they'll get it figured out. He knew Hilda was too in love to let Conan go over something like that, even if she was upset now. Conan hoped that his father was right as he leaned against him a little and cried for a moment. Link just held him while Karka excused herself to seek out Hilda.
Hilda was at her favorite balcony, looking up at the stars and thinking of the night years ago when she thought Conan had fallen for her.
"You should see the sky during a full moon back home. It's unfathomable how much larger it looks out when you're sitting on a sand dune." Karka spoke mostly to not scare the other rabbit-themed princess.
"I don't want to speak to you," Desert whore… Her voice was neutral, as she was trying to be civil at least. "Is there something else you wish to steal from me?"
"Just your time." Karka walked up and stood a few feet from her, staring up at the stars as she seemed deep in thought. "I know what I did was inexcusable. I'm not here to beg for forgiveness, just a chance to try and fix what remains. He still loves you with all his heart, no amount of magic ever changed that."
"He bedded you and sired a child with you…"
"I used Gerudo seduction tactics combined with magic. To his credit, it took a week before his magical stamina gave way to the spell. He...wasn't truly willing."
"I suppose I will forgive him then. I hope you two can work through that, as he'll want to raise the child with you."
"I told him if his heart can't be fully committed to it that I won't force him to do such. He confessed that he wouldn't do well in the desert, I agreed, we laughed about it a bit and he's staying in Hyrule."
Hilda felt herself filled with some hope, even though it still hurt. "Are you sure?"
"I swear on my title as Sage. Let Din strike me now should I lie about it."
A lack of fire suddenly coming from nowhere and hitting Karka seemed to prove the point. Hilda excused herself to go seek out Conan. She was fairly happy she found him in his room, so they could talk privately.
Conan looked like a hopeful puppy on her entering. "Hello, what brings you here this late at night?"
"I spoke to Queen Karka. I forgive you for what you could not prevent…"
He looked beyond relieved to hear such a statement, got up from his bed and hugged her as closely and lovingly as possible. "Thank you, thank you!"
Hilda hugged back, trying to hide the fact that she was crying, luckily her hood helping her. "It's been too long since we've been this close…"
"I know...I've missed this," he confessed as he gave her a little squeeze.
"Conan...I still love you…"
"And I will always love you back."
Hilda smiled and wiped her tears, leaning in to kiss him, surprisingly keeping her hood up. He chuckled a bit, moved it back for her and kissed back with all the pent up passion he wanted to give her these past few months. She responded in kind, feeling like it'd been centuries since they've kissed. She made a bold decision and led Conan over to his bed after breaking the kiss. He pinned her for a moment before changing gears and just worked on feeling the curves of her body, muttering softly at how he enjoyed her shape and softness. Hilda blushed a bit, but figured to let him do as he wished, expressing that her body was his to do with as he wanted.
"Hilda, I want you...I want you so much. But I can't risk anything in case you end up a Sage…" Lust showed in his eyes.
"Please," She sounded desperate, lust in her eyes too. "I don't want any regrets."
I really hope Uncle Damien was right about this… Conan got his tunic off and then worked on undoing Hilda's hood and dress. Hilda helped him, soon having her dress and hood off, sprawling back out on the bed in a 'come hither' manner. He did indeed come to her, laying beside her and holding her close while peppering her face, neck and chest in kisses. The couple soon found themselves lost to the throws of passion. At some point Conan flipped Hilda to face away from him and asked in a low voice if she'd be willing to do a little trick he picked up, massaging her breasts when he did so. She agreed willingly, figuring what trick he talked about, as it was popular among the noble girls and boys. He carefully entered her from behind and then worked on stimulating her down there with one hand while continuing the massaging. Hilda was soon moaning his name, some part of her hoping no one heard them while most of her didn't care. This encouraged him to get a rhythm going, not sure if he should be happy (or a bit worried) at how hard he was getting at this. A little while later had them both climaxing and snuggling in exhaustion, Hilda deciding she wasn't going to leave his bed again. Conan quietly hoped the same as he held her close and drifted to sleep.