The king hurriedly ran to his daughter's side pulling her into a tight embrace, going on about how worried he was and how badly he missed was relieved to see her friends were okay, but she could immediately tell something was different. Link's eyes were blank and deadened, lacking the mischievous twinkle she'd come to love. Zelda on the other hand was acting normal. Almost too normal. Had something happened to them?
Her thoughts were immediately dismissed when she noticed the glowing red triangle levitating next to the pair.
"Is that...?"
"Yes." Zelda answered, cutting her off. "Ganon was at the core of the kidnapping and murders as we suspected. However with Link and I working together, we were able to defeat him and take the Triforce of Power back from him." She smiled sweetly at the silent hero who simply nodded in affirmation.
"Why did Ganon kidnap Link? How had they defeated him? Where had he been hiding? What took them so long to get back?" So many questions were buzzing through Spryte's head, but she didn't know where to begin.
"That's incredible! How did you two do it?!" Harkinian exclaimed.
"Well, by the time I got there, Link was on the brink of defeat." Zelda began "By using the Triforce of Wisdom, I forced Ganon back until Link recovered. The two of us working against him at once was too much for him to handle, and he was quickly defeated."
She beamed. "With the Triforce of Power out of his hands, he's hardly a threat anymore."
Spryte glanced over at Link, fully expecting him to brag about his daunting escape from Ganon's prison all the way up to the head honcho himself, but he still remained silent.
"Link? Are you feeling okay?" She asked, fluttering a little closer. "You don't look too good."
"Just hungry, no doubt! I'm sure he'll feel better after a good meal!" The king answered, clapping a hand on the young man's shoulder. In truth, Harkinian too had noticed Link's unusual behavior. He could only hope it was caused by hunger as the four of them made their way to the dining room.
"why would Ganon kill the guards but spare Link?" Spryte just didn't sound like him at all. What possible motivation would he have had to abduct Link instead of kill him? If Link had been so close to death, how could he have had the energy to fight Ganon? The princess had not once mentioned using any healing item on him, saying that he had just "recovered". Usually some kind of medicine or potion would have been needed if Link was as badly hurt as Zelda had said, but she never mentioned treating his injuries.
True, there was the chance Link had medicine on him and just needed an opening to get it out, but it would have been rather stupid-even for Ganon- to leave Link with his bag. Especially since he'd done it before and paid the consequence. Maybe he'd retrieved his bag before encountering Ganon? But then how had he escaped? This whole story didn't seem to quite add up.
Spryte's previous feelings of anxiety bubble up once more.
Dark Zelda looked over at the fairy, perplexed as to why she was still following them. Who was she to the princess? Hopefully nobody important. She didn't even know her name, and hopefully she wouldn't need it anytime soon.
It wasn't long before they reached the dining room, and true to the King's word, an extravagant meal was laid out on the table. The aroma of perfectly cooked food was enough to make anyone hungry.
They all took their seats and began eating, occasionally chatting about trivial things, and eventually the conversation turned to the recent attacks on the kingdom.
"Of course, without the Triforce of Power, Ganon is no threat and that means the monster attacks should stop." Harkinian continued. "That'll be a relief, eh?"
The question took Dark Zelda by surprise. "Uh, yes I guess they should." She hadn't even thought about the raids, much less that the king himself was keeping track of them. This could be a problem.
However, it also gave her an idea. If the monster attacks were to continue even with Ganon out of the picture, the Hylians would be looking for something or someone else to blame. If she played her cards correctly, they might just blame their own king. She smiled to herself. This may be easier than she thought.
The king spoke again, interrupting her thoughts once more. "So how was your trip?"
"No problem." She answered. "The monsters left us alone for the entirety of our journey back, fortunately."
"What about that guy you left with?" Spryte inquired. "Y'know, the magic expert or whatever."
"Ah, well..."
Another unforseen element. A magic expert…?
Ah, yes. Ganon. Her former master.
She'd nearly forgotten he was a part of this whole ordeal.
"He helped me locate the palace, and then left on his own way." She replied.
"There was a palace?" Spryte asked curiously.
Dark Zelda nodded, reminding herself to be more careful with her words. At this rate, she'd blow her cover.
"I didn't even think there were any buildings left on Maze Island either, but it seems Ganon built himself a rather impressive hideout there."
"Oh,I see." Spryte said quietly. She still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling the princess was giving her, but chose to say nothing about it.
The meal continued and concluded uneventfully. The king bade them all a good night and presumably headed off to his own room to retire for the evening.
At this point Dark Zelda had been hoping to have some alone time with Link, but that fairy(who's name she still didn't know) refused to leave the hero's side, chattering incessantly.
Dark Zelda worried that she might realize Link wasn't quite normal.
This nuisance would need to be addressed, and quickly.
"If you don't mind me asking…" Spryte started. "Did something happen to you? I ask because you seem, well less cheery than usual."
Link's expression shifted. It looked like he was trying to remember something.
Spryte sighed. " I understand if it's personal, but remember you can tell me anything." She looked over to Zelda hoping she could get some answers out of her.
"I'm sure he's just tired from the long trip. It took me three days to get there alone, yet we made the trip back in a single days time." She said. "Right, Link?"
He obediently nodded.
"I'll take him upstairs." Dark Zelda said, turning to the fairy. "You should go get some rest yourself."
"Uh, okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Spryte said turning away.
As soon as the bug had flitted out of sight, Dark Zelda put an arm around Link's shoulders and led him through the castle and to his room in the tower, a layout she'd previously memorized before coming here a few weeks prior.
They stopped short in front of Link's bedroom door before she turned him to face her, deliberately making eye contact.
"You were just tired today." She said. "When you wake tomorrow, you'll be back to your usual energetic self."
He slowly nodded as her spell took hold.
"Good." She smiled, giving him a brief peck on the cheek before he went into his room.
Dark Zelda made her way to the princess's room (though she supposed it was now hers), mulling over the night's events.
If the fairy had already realized that Link was acting peculiar, then it wouldn't be long before others caught on as well.
She entered her bedroom and closed the door behind her, pondering what she could do to make Link's lack of memory and emotion less obvious.
She briefly considered returning some of them, excluding his memories of the other princess, but quickly dismissed it. It would be extremely difficult to return those specific memories. It could be done of course, but it would be time consuming and wasn't worth the risk of a rushed job. Now if she could guarantee a few hours alone with him...
Dark Zelda shook her head.
No, she needed a quick solution until the King and fairy were out of the picture.
Perhaps she could play along with them, pretending to be concerned about Link's sudden change in mood. Yes, this sounded doable.
Her thoughts came to a halt when it occurred to her that she didn't actually know any of their names. The fairy, the King, nobody.
She frowned a little. There was no way she could play along if she didn't even know that much...
But there was a way she could learn.
Dark Zelda slipped her tiara off her head and turned it over in her hands.
In the center of her headpiece there was a single ruby cut in the shape of a diamond. At least, that's what it looked like on the outside. In reality, the crystal was a magical artifact, and contained in it were the various energies that made up Link's memories. If she kept her focus, it would be possible to view them herself.
She sat herself down in a chair, holding the headpiece steady with one hand, then placing her free palm over the crystal as she closed her eyes. Gradually, it felt like the room around her melted away.
Once she opened her eyes again, Dark Zelda found herself in a black void, lit only by glowing spheres as they floated about. One of them passed by, showing the hazy image of a child looking in a mirror with a missing tooth.
"These must be Link's memories." she thought.
The one she'd just seen showed a child...it must have been him when he was younger. Perhaps the memories had organized themselves in chronological order?
More and more orbs of light passed by, cataloging Link's journey from child to man. Eventually, one came by that had Hyrule Castle in view. She reached out, and as soon as her fingers touched the glossy surface of the orb, the darkness around her faded away and she found herself standing in the Throne room of Hyrule Castle.
Link was kneeling before the King, who was seated on the throne with Zelda standing by his side.
"What is your name, young man?" The old monarch asked.
"Link, your highness."
"Link, I would like to offer you my sincerest thanks for saving my daughter." The king said. "When I heard that Ganon had kidnapped her and put her under an eternal sleeping spell, I was at a loss for what to do. Had you not come along and freed her when you did, I would have likely given in to his demands and offered the Triforce of Wisdom in exchange for her safe return." He glanced over to his right, where the blue triangle levitated just above a pedestal.
"Which brings us back to why we summoned you here, Link." The princess continued. "We would like you to stay here with us and guard the Triforce from Ganon."
"Me? Stay here?" Link looked uncomfortably at his surroundings.
"I don't do so well with palaces. Those dungeons were the stuff of nightmares!" His voice echoed in the room, but his mouth didn't move and neither the King nor Princess reacted to this statement.
"These are Link's memories..." Dark Zelda thought. "Perhaps I'm hearing this thoughts as well?"
"Please, Link. We need you here."
Her own thoughts were interrupted by the Princess approaching the kneeling hero, hands clasped together.
"If Ganon gets the Triforce of Wisdom, it would be the end of Hyrule."
"If I accept, I get to stay here with Princess Zelda..." Link's thoughts echoed again. "And I'd also get to slay a few monsters, maybe even Ganon himself. That can't be too bad."
"Okay, I'll do it." He answered.
Zelda's eyes lit up.
"Splendid!" The king grinned. "We'll have the tower room ready for you by sundown!"
"Oh, uh, thanks your highness-" Link was cut off by the King waving his hand dismissively.
"You may just call me Harkinian, my boy." He said. "No need for formalities. Zelda dear, why don't you show him up to where he'll be staying?"
"Certainly." She looked over at Link, who blushed a little at her gaze. "Follow me, Link."
Dark Zelda dismissed the vision with a wave of her hand. She had no desire to watch Link and the princess interact any more. She had what she needed from that memory, anyway. The King's name was Harkinian. All she really needed now was the Fairy's name.
She looked around the swirling darkness, the memory she had just viewed was now nowhere to be seen. Oddly enough she didn't see any of the others she had passed earlier. Peering into the darkness, she could just make out the phantom lights of Link's memories ahead.
She started walking towards the lights as they lazily glided towards her. It seemed like from this point onward all these memories took place in or around the castle with the princess. To think that Link created so many significant memories with that weak, useless version of herself...
The very thought filled her with disgust.
Dark Zelda grew more and more angry every time she saw her inferior double on an orb. Part of her wanted to just all out destroy them, leaving no trace of the princess's existence in his mind. Her feelings of wrath subsided when she finally saw the fairy's face on a memory. The small girl's eyes were averted from the center of focus and her cheeks were flushed with red.
She reached out, fingertips brushing the glassy surface before the scene enveloped her. Once her surroundings had settled, she found herself standing in the castle gardens.
Just a few feet ahead, the princess sat on the edge of a fountain talking to Link about something. Dark Zelda inched closer to listen in, but their conversation was interrupted as a small fairy zipped over to the pair.
"P-princess your back! A-are you alright?! Di..." She trailed off, just noticing the green clad hero.
"oh..." the fairy hovered in place for a moment before flitting over to Zelda and taking a seat on her shoulder.
"Who is this, Princess?" she asked, looking Link up and down.
"Spryte, this is Link. He saved me from Ganon." She gestured to him as he gave a wave.
"And Link, this is Spryte. She's joined with me and my father to help fight against Ganon."
"Ah, so her name was Spryte. How uncreative." Dark Zelda thought dryly. She debated leaving the memory, she had what information she needed, anyway. However she still didn't know what to make of this "Spryte". She seemed like a common maid but she exerted an air of importance, much to Dark Zelda's annoyance. There was a missing a piece of the puzzle here, and it bothered her. She already had to cover for herself not knowing their names, but it could prove even more troublesome if she didn't know much else beyond that.
"You've fought Ganon?" Spryte exclaimed, leaving her perch on Zelda's shoulder and flitting around Link's head. "That must have been scary! You're really brave to have done that!"
Link grinned, clearly pleased by the praise.
"Ah, he was nothing. Just takes a few more shots than a common monster."
"What are you talking about, Link? We both were running for our lives!" The princess exclaimed.
His smile faded, replaced with an expression that could only be described as defensive.
"Only because I had to make sure you got out safely! Otherwise I could have taken him out, easy."
"Oh, so it's my fault Ganon wasn't defeated?" Zelda accused.
"N-no no, that's not what I meant!" he began.
"It sure sounded like it!" The princess huffed, storming out of the garden and back into the castle.
Link looked over at Spryte, who looked back at him.
"Don't worry." She said. "Zelda's always moody like that."
"Oh."
The scene around Dark Zelda faded into a white fog, which condensed back into a glowing sphere floating in the darkness.
She blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes. From what she could tell, Spryte was somewhat of a friend to the princess and had an obvious crush on Link. That last observation was a little irritating, though granted she was in no way worried about an insect ruining her relationship.
A short ways ahead, more memories aimlessly drifted. She had all the information she needed, but at the same time she was curious. What else made up his significant memories? The temptation to view more of Link's past was powerful, but enough time had been spent here. Staying too long ran the risk of someone in the castle finding her while she was in this trance.
Dark Zelda closed her eyes and let out a long exhale. It briefly felt like she passed through a curtain of warm air before opened her eyes and found herself sitting back in the castle with her tiara still in her hands.
Glancing out the window, she could see that the grey horizon heralded the coming of dawn.
A little bit of sleep may have been sacrificed, but at least she now knew what she needed. With that, she was one step closer to dethroning Harkinian and taking over Hyrule completely.
Tap tap.
Dark Zelda jumped at the sound, it had been faint but unexpected.
"Hello? Princess Zelda? Are you awake?"
"Yes. You may come in." she answered, still clutching her tiara.
Spryte pushed the door open and let it swing shut behind her and flew over. She immediately noticed something odd: the princess was already dressed for the day. Typically Zelda was still in her nightgown, struggling to get out of bed at this hour. As a matter of fact, Spryte usually didn't come in for another few hours. The reason behind her early visit today was to ask if Zelda was concerned about Link's odd behavior last night. It had been dismissed last night as a side effect of exhaustion, but she was worried he may have been traumatized by either being kidnapped, witnessing the murder of the guards, or whatever else happened to him while he was away.
Spryte cleared her throat, trying to dismiss the oddity from her mind.
"Hey, I know I'm a bit early today. I was wondering if you wanted to talk."
"Of course." Dark Zelda replied. "What is it that's bothering you?"
Not that she was actually concerned. But from what she saw in Link's memories, the other princess was the type to listen to anyone's issues, even that of a servant fairy. Once the king was out of the way and she was a queen, that would one of the first things to change.
"Well, I wondering... Did you notice something off about Link last night? He looked a bit, well, haunted. Did something happen? Or.." She sighed. "I know I'm probably being paranoid but something doesn't seem right."
There could be no risk of anyone scrutinizing Link's behavior now. If her plan was going to work, it needed to go off without a hitch. That meant that Link couldn't be the center of focus.
" It is odd, but I'm sure he's fine." she replied smoothly. "Trust me, being kidnapped is an exhausting ordeal. Give him a little time and he'll be back to normal before you know it."
Spryte wasn't quite satisfied with that answer, but decided to drop it. She had a feeling Zelda wouldn't give her a straight answer.
"Oh.. Okay, by the way your father wanted to see you."
"Really? So early? That's unusual..." she said, feigning surprise. "I'll go see him then. Do you know where he is?"
"Last I remember, he was near the armory."
"The armory? I'll be sure to go see him there."
Dark Zelda got up from her chair and put her tiara back on her head as she left the room and made her way to the lower floors where she assumed the armory was.
Fortunately, despite not knowing the exact location, a group of guards appeared to already be on their way there. All she had to do was simply follow.
Once inside the armory itself, the King wasn't hard to find. He stuck out like a sore thumb with his colorful garb and portly figure.
"I see, so the raids have stopped, then?" he inquired.
"Yes your majesty. There hasn't been a raid since the princess's return." The guard captain replied, then noticing Dark Zelda standing behind the King.
"Your highness." He saluted as Harkinian turned around.
"Oh good, there you are Zelda. I was sure you'd still be in bed." The old man smiled warmly at her. "Did you hear the good news? The monster attacks have finally stopped!"
"I just heard." she said. "That's a good sign, hopefully it stays that way."
"Yes, as a matter of fact, we'll be going out to visit Rauru today in order to help with the repairs." He took her hand and patted it "With all of us working together, the damage will be fixed in no time at all." Harkinian's smile faltered a little. "Do you think Link would be up to coming along? The way he was acting yesterday was a little worrying."
Ugh, not this again. Why was everyone so concerned about Link being a little different?
"I'm sure some fresh air and a little travel would do him some good." She replied with a fake smile.
"Oh good, good…" He trailed off, his expression shifting. "Say are you alright my dear? Your hands are a bit cold. You haven't caught a cold, have you?"
"I'm fine, don't worry. It's just drafty down here." She reassured, pulling her hands away. "When will we be leaving?"
"Oh, in about half an hour or so."
"I see. That'll give me enough time to see if Link is able to come." Dark Zelda gave a polite nod and left the armory, rubbing her hands together. Was it unusual for a normal person to feel cold? When she touched Link she had assumed he was just unusually warm, but even the King's hands gave off heat.
"I guess that's just a normal human thing..." she thought, stopping in front of the door to Link's room and giving it a polite knock. When there was no answer, she let herself in only to find it was empty.
A pang of panic pierced her chest. Could he have woken up before her and wandered off?
Where could he have gone? Why would he even leave in the first place? He never wandered around like this on Maze Island, so why would he start now?
She glanced over at the Triforce of Wisdom levitating above it's pedestal.
"Show me where Link is."
The relic glowed a little, then revealed a fuzzy image of Link standing outside, in what looked like the garden from one of his memories.
What reason would he have to visit such a place all the sudden?
"I'll just have to ask him when I find him." Dark Zelda mumbled to herself, turning around and heading back out of the room and down the staircase.
Finding the Royal gardens itself wasn't hard. It was finding the exact spot the Triforce of Wisdom showed her that proved a challenge. She wandered about the various topiaries, fountains and benches that seemed to be scattered at random, forming an unsolvable maze.
After a few more minutes of what felt like fruitless searching, she finally found him standing idly by a fountain.
"What are you doing here?"
He turned his head towards her, his eyes looking somewhat less deadened than before, almost like they were sad. A trick of the light, maybe?
"I feel like I've been here before, but I can't remember anything... Some of the people here, they seem familiar too, but..." He sighed. "I haven't met any of them before. So why do I feel like I already have?"
Link actually spoke.
This time it wasn't just a mindless confirmation that he had at least heard her or repeating an order she gave him. He was talking about his thoughts, and even said that this spot felt familiar. How was he even able to get a vague feeling of familiarity about a place he shouldn't have recalled to begin with?
"You...remember this place?" Dark Zelda asked. "How much?"
He shook his head. "I don't. I just...feel like I've been here before. Have I?" Link glanced at her expectantly.
"So he doesn't remember entirely. That's good. Dark Zelda thought. "If he had already begun to recall this much, how long until he remembered what happened on Maze Island? I can't let that happen." If Link remembered that she wasn't the real princess, then he'd undoubtedly go searching for the original one. Even if she were to kill the real Zelda before he got to her, it wouldn't be the same. He wouldn't be the same.
"Princess?"
Her thoughts were interrupted by Link inching a little closer.
"Are you okay? Is something wrong?"
"I'm fine Link, I just had a thought." She responded calmly.
He looked at her blankly, but said nothing else.
"C'mon." Dark Zelda grabbed his hand. "We've got plans in Rauru today."
...
The village of Rauru was in a sorry state.
I was one of the more lively of Hyrule's towns, being so close to the castle and all, but since the monster attacks began it took on the appearance a ghost town. No children played outside, there were no cries of livestock or fowl or even the quiet chatter of people. Many of the buildings had shattered windows and broken doors hanging off their hinges.
"These poor people..." Harkinian solemnly shook his head.
"We've had it rough lately." the gravelly voice broke the silence. Everyone turned around to see and old man dressed in thick robes leaning heavily on a cane as he hobbled toward them, seemingly escorted by a group of young men.
"Ah, you are the village elder, then?"
The old man politely dipped his head.
"That would be correct, your highness. I'd like to thank you for coming all the way out here just for us."
"No thanks needed." the King reassured. "Do show us where we are needed, though."
A smile creased the man's weathered face. "Of course, if you'll follow me..."
After dividing the soldiers into groups, one went to make repairs, another went to reinforce the town's defenses, and the final group went to check on the citizens and see if any needed medical attention.
Realizing that no one was paying attention to her, Dark Zelda slipped away to an uninhabited side of the village.
Once positive that she was alone, she dipped her hand into her collar and fished out a thin golden chain with a small translucent orb strung onto it. It wasn't much to look at, and that was exactly how she wanted it. The crystal orb was actually a small fragment of an ancient relic known as a gossip stone, a rock that was said to remember and recite things it's heard, as well as being able to carry a voice from one piece to another no matter the distance. Tracking down even this little fragment had been difficult, but well worth it. With it, she was able to give orders to her monsters no matter where she was. All she needed was for no one to hear her as she spoke into the stone.
"The soldiers are concentrated in Rauru" the crystal glowed faintly as she spoke. "The town of Ruto is defenseless. Attack and take anything you want from it."
Dark Zelda stuffed the pendant back into her collar and out of view. The monsters in her evil jar had received her orders and would now act on them.
"Zelda?" Harkinian's voice rang out across the village. "Where are you?"
"I'm coming!" she shouted back. All that she needed to do now was to wait patiently.
...
Night had fallen by the time the King and his entourage returned to Hyrule Castle. However, they were not greeted with good news.
"Another attack? Where?"
"Ruto, your highness." the knight replied.
"Well? How bad is the damage? Were reinforcements sent to protect the people? Have the monsters been driven out?" Harkinian fired one question right after the other, but the knight could only sadly shake his head.
"With all of our spare forces concentrated in Rauru, we didn't have any soldiers to send out without leaving Castle Town unprotected..."
"How awful..." Dark Zelda sighed, putting on her best sad face. "Here I had thought the attacks had stopped."
"Don't worry, Zelda." the king put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll send a group of fresh soldiers to Ruto immediately." he turned to the knight standing behind him. "Captain, gather a group of well rested soldiers and have them march out. I want to make sure my people can at least sleep soundly for the rest of the evening."
"Yes sire." The knight saluted as the king, princess, and silent hero passed by.
Dark Zelda had to force herself not to smile, the pieces to her plan were already falling in place with minimal effort. She looked over to Link, who still looked emotionless and nudged him with her elbow.
He gave her a blank stare. Any of the confusion or emotion that he had shown that morning seemed to have faded, but she was concerned it would make a comeback as they got closer to the castle.
"At least try to act shocked, it draws too much attention when you don't react." Dark Zelda whispered quietly into his ear.
Link silently nodded, even though he was unsure why this news should be shocking to him. Why should he care if a town was attacked? A dull pain began throbbing in his head. He should care, but why? Did it have something to do with the faint feelings of nostalgia he was getting? Maybe he should ask the princess. She seemed to know a lot. Maybe she would know why he got these strange feelings.
...
How long had it been since she'd been trapped here? It felt like days, maybe weeks, but she couldn't tell. The dreary dungeon had no source of natural light. She could only figure from how hungry she was that it must have been a couple days at a minimum. Zelda looked around, desperate to find some sort of tool she could use to break free. An idea came to mind, though it probably wouldn't work, it was worth a shot. She took out her right earring, and tried using the hook to pick the lock on her shackles. It did little other than leave faint, barely visible scratches near the hole. She grunted in annoyance at herself.
On the other hand, Ganon was trying a different approach, one he'd been attempting since getting captured. The particular shackles that had been clamped over his hands were a special sort, the energy draining sort. Unfortunately, any and all forms of magic took energy, so a lack thereof made getting out of this prison without a key a problem. He'd been trying to slowly reserve what energy he was getting back in a feeble attempt to hide it from whatever spells were on his bindings, but so far no dice. He couldn't even do so much as make a spark.
Then there was that princess, her own magical powers dormant, untouched, just waiting to be unleashed. Normally, an untapped magical ability was near impossible to sense, but the princess was a special case. Her magic was quite powerful from what he could tell, especially for someone as young as her. Yet, she was completely unaware of her own gift. Because she used the Triforce of Wisdom as a crutch and source of energy, she never thought of using the reserve in her own body. He thought for a moment, maybe it was possible that Dark Zelda had not sensed the princess's dormant magic, therefore not giving her spellbound shackles.
Maybe…
Ganon quickly discarded that thought. He was NOT going to rely on the person who got him into this mess. Besides, from what he understood Dark Zelda was still a novice and probably left some kinks in her enchantment. Yes, he COULD figure this out. It was only a matter of time now.
Deep breath in. Exhale.
The core reserve of his magical energy was the stomach. If he could just build up enough energy there-
sharp pain exploded through his wrists, followed by a dull but painful throbbing. The weight of the shackles seemed to increase tenfold, adding an ache to the mix.
Just like that, Ganon was robbed of any energy he had saved up. He'd tried just about anything he knew of to bypass the enchantment on the shackles. Changing the location of his energy reserve, compressing that energy so it seemed less than it was, channeling it away from his hands and arms, but nothing had worked.
The sharp clack of iron on iron snapped his attention to Zelda, who was smacking her shackles together. Naturally, it did nothing other than make a racket. At this rate she was just going to catch the attention of the guards.
She pulled, tugged, and continued grinding the iron cuffs against each other, but they showed no sign of wear. Nonetheless the princess kept trying. Ganon could almost admire the level of tenacity she was displaying.
Eventually the noise drew the attention of one of the Lynel guards, who stalked over and stared at the pair menacingly from the other side of the bars.
"Were you expecting a show or something? Get lost!" Zelda snapped, continuing to strain against the shackles. The guard gave what sounded like an amused snort and wandered back to its post.
"With the amount of noise you're making?" Ganon muttered "I think it was expecting an entire circus."
"At least I'm actually trying to do something." She retorted, not even looking back at him.
"I'm not being useless! I'm trying everything I can!" He wanted to snap, but held it back. Admitting failure was the last thing he wanted to do.
"You're doing nothing but wasting your own energy." Ganon grumbled. "It would takes years and years of work to even make a dent, the way you're trying. If you haven't noticed, we don't exactly have years, princess."
A witty retort, he would have expected. What he hadn't expected was for Zelda to pull off her boot and throw it at him in a single fluid motion.
"Who the heck do you think you are?!" She snapped. "What makes you think you can treat me like some stupid kid?! Do you honestly think I don't know any better?! I've put up with this long enough! I'm not as naive as you think, I'm heir to the throne for Din's sake!" The princess's expression was one of pure, bitter hate as she lectured him. "And another thing, you can get off your high horse! NONE of your plans have ever worked! So don't you dare try to tell me what I'm doing is useless!"
Much like the princess, Ganon was seething with anger. Had his hands not been bound together, he would have strangled her then and there, Triforce or no Triforce. NOBODY talked to him like that.
"And you're in any state to say such a thing?!" He shouted. "Unlike you, I wasn't born with magical skill ingrained in my blood. I worked for it! Spent arduous YEARS honing my craft, and even more time searching for the Triforce of Power to enhance it!" every inch of him felt hot, like his blood was actively boiling in his veins.
"You're only still around because you have an entire country willing to do anything for their precious princess, including that rotten Link!" his chains audibly clattered as he shook. "You wouldn't last a minute in the real world on your own, princess! Why, you've only gotten this far because of MY help! You're only even HERE because of one uppity boy with a magic sword came to YOUR rescue!"
Zelda grew red in the face, unsure how to respond. Being trapped in a small space with the person she hated most made her all the more irate, like a wild animal that was cornered. Thinking about what he said made her remember What Spryte had told her right before she left. Did everyone really think she was incapable of doing anything on her own? Surely there had been a time when she had been self reliant, she just couldn't think of any particular moments because she was too angry to think. Yes, that must be it. She shook her head.
"You're wrong about me, it's true I was born with a lot of my resources. But, I can do a lot on my own, and I would last in the "real" world. Unfortunately, it's quite difficult when I can't even brush my hair without being attacked! Besides, I never once asked for your help, it was your idea to team up in the first place!"
"Pah!" Ganon snorted. "You are delusional, thinking you can hold your own! I bet you haven't slain a single monster without Link's involvement!"
Zelda angrily rolled her eyes.
"That's a trick question, no one can really kill a monster, they just get sent back to your evil jar."
"Your stupidity continues to show." Ganon snorted, almost amused at her lack of knowledge. Was she really meant to possess the Triforce of Wisdom?
"Not every monster is sent to my jar, only those who have sworn loyalty to me. Do you really believe every single monster out there is under my thumb? Hah!" he chuckled. "I haven't even begun to recruit the truly dangerous ones! Yet you struggle even with just the small fry." Ganon had quickly gone from enraged to amused. She truly knew nothing, absolutely NOTHING! It must have been the grace of her bloodline alone that allowed her to survive this long.
Zelda gritted her teeth "As if killing some dumb monster is the only way to prove oneself." She scoffed. There must have been some way to prove she wasn't useless, but she couldn't remember the last time she had ever done something on her own. Why did she even care what he thought? The guy wanted to take over Hyrule for Nayru's sake! Yet she wanted him-no, someone, anyone, to realize that she wasn't helpless. "Now it just feels like I'm trying to prove it to myself..." She thought. "Why am I only starting to care about this now?"
No, in truth, she'd cared about this for a long time, ever since Link first saved her from Ganon. The feeling of complete helplessness she had then was terrifying. It still haunted her after the ordeal, after she'd asked Link to teach her how to defend herself, and here it was again. Taunting her. Even the one responsible for kidnapping her was trapped here, helpless with no escape. The one person she had feared was here and just as stuck as she was.
"Link couldn't even defeat Ganon entirely, and even he can't escape this mess. What chance do I have of getting out of this one?"
As much as she'd grown to resent it, before she could at least hope that Link would come to her rescue. Yet remembering the blank, emotionless look on his face when she last saw him...
Her heart sank as her last hope was snuffed out.
