Here's chapter 3! Everybody say YAY!

Sahjeko and Klaret are mine, but everything else is copyright, trademark, licensed to, yadda yadda... Nintendo.

Chapter 3

Starvation and Conditioning

Ganondorf felt her tense up at the mention of his comment. His hand went back to resting on the arms of his fur and silk bedecked throne, while his brow arched at Sahjeko in a curious manner. "What's wrong?" he inquired of her, as if he sincerely cared.

Sahjeko craned her neck to look up at him even with the absence of his index finger forcing her to do so. What he had said, like so many things directed to her over the years, cut her to the core. He might as well have impaled her with a glaive. "If red doesn't suit me, Father and King, what will you have me wear?"

"Blue," he answered, without hesitation.

"Blue," she repeated, lowering her gaze to her hands.

"Yes -- it matches your hair and eyes..." He stated as though it wasn't the obvious. His massive hand encircled the chalice and brought it to his thin, grimacing lips again, missing the look of scorn granted to his thoughtless remarks. "Tell me, Sahjeko, what occupies your time?"

Nothing. I am Nothing. I do Nothing. "I weave linen with the other girls, and listen to the stories Exalted Koume and Kotake tell," she lied. Now, to contribute to this father-daughter bonding moment, "What does 'Mandrag' mean?"

Ganondorf eyed her suspiciously. "It is a title, meaning 'King of the Enchanted Thieves'. How did you know of it?"

"Koume called you Mandrag Ganondorf earlier tonight," Sahjeko replied, "and I was curious. As the King of Thieves, what do you do all day?" She looked back up at him, boldly intent on getting an answer.

"I steal things, of course," he said with a wink. "It looks like you need to do the same, for I can see your ribs, child. Do you eat?"

I eat when I'm fed, she thought cynically. "Yes, but many times I am too interested in Grandmothers' tales." Little liar. To avert his growing interest in her well being, she pursued her question, "What happens when other people don't want you to steal their stuff?"

"It's a complicated thing called war. It's used to settle things. When I don't get what I want, I make sure that whatever is in my way suffers, so it all works out in the end," he explained, always ready to bask in being the topic of conversation.

"I thought you stole things for your people," she remarked. As soon as she said it, she knew she had caught him, for even a child who hadn't seen the light of Din's orb in months could see through Ganondorf's lies and propaganda. Pressing the matter would end with her death... She felt the words of accusation on her tongue, hot and ready, to deliver her from her persecution, but instead, she found silence dancing on her lavender lips.

"You are exactly right, Sahjeko. When I don't get what I want, what I want being glory and riches for the Gerudo, people die. With nobody to stop me, I take what I want in the end anyway," he beamed, raising his head until his beak of a nose pointed high and menacing in the air.

"I want to help."

He looked down at her sharply, brow arched higher than before. "What?"

Sahjeko stood on his knees, tilting her head slightly at an angle as if in disbelief that her desire was unreasonable. "I want to do what you do. Make the Gerudo happy and rich, killing if I have to."

This surprised him, and at the same time, pleased him a great deal. Sahjeko was certainly showing merit that supported her prophetic namesake. "Excellent. You can help me right now, in fact..."

Sahjeko blinked, but sat back down now that her wish had been granted. If she was away from the fortress, she wouldn't be harassed. She nodded and tried to look intent on his every word, as though it were gospel.

"...The Gorons are a strange race that live in the mountains of Hyrule. They have a huge ruby adorned with gold. They call it the 'Goron Ruby', but it is truly the Spiritual Stone of Fire, and they use it to light up their underground city."

"If you had it, would you use it to light up the children's chambers? Like daylight?" she asked innocently. Even Sahjeko missed the sunlight.

Not on the top of his list of things to do with one of the keys to the Triforce, but she didn't need to know that. "Yes. It will illuminate the chambers brightly, like a captured star!" he promised. "However, it isn't mine yet, and their leader Darunia is stubborn. How do you propose I get him to reconsider?"

Her stomach clenched for want of food, but the pangs were ignored. It was all she could do until she was old enough to feed herself or find a way to pilfer some food from the kitchens. "Destroy their food supply," she said, knowing full well how persuasive it would be.

*********

Sahjeko woke up to an unknown Gerudo pulling her off her pallet. Sleepy, she petulantly whined about what was going on.

"Mandrag Ganondorf made it known you were to start training today," she said, annoyed with Sahjeko. This Gerudo wore poofy, indigo pants, faded to a rich purple. A matching halter contained her breasts, sporting a massive chunk of amber for a brooch as well, marking her as a guard. Her midriff was bare, showing taught, dark skin. Her words seemed muffled due to the veil she wore that covered everything from nose to chin.

The azure Gerudo got dressed, wearing something similar to last night's garb, only in cobalt, with the addition of a creamy vest, all of it airy linen. She had to struggle to get her tiny slippers on, then adjust their pointed toes, making small sounds of effort all the while. Walking over to the guard, she indicated she was ready.

They walked down numerous halls and went of several sets of steps, the two of them seemingly the only ones up and about in the dank levels of the fortress. Slowly but surely, they were going upwards, towards the outside, with the sand and sunshine and blue sky.... Or not. The starry sky wasn't even brightening for dawn yet. Sahejko had gone from one darkness to another, as silhouettes of guards patrolled the sandy court. Her hunger gripped her attention so suddenly it made Sahjeko hug herself, trying to stifle the noise. "When is breakfast?"

"It's too early for it," the guard explained. "You'll get fed like everybody else does an hour after dawn."

Maybe. For being so strikingly dissimilar, her bowl was often overlooked.

Sahjeko followed the anonymous Gerudo across the court, towards what looked like another entrance to the fortress. Only this one had metal bars cris-crossing to make a secure grate. A Gerudo with short hair and sharp features (including her nose) stood beside it, dressed in an undyed linen two-piece, as was fashionable for 'civilian' Gerudo adults when they were at the fortress doing mundane tasks.

"Klaret, here she is. I've got to return to my post," the Guard nodded towards Klaret and ran off, leaving Sahejko alone with her.

"So, you're little Sahjeko," Klaret sneered.

Not that it bothered her -- even if Klaret could smile, it wouldn't look much better. Sahjeko nodded and awaited her first instructions in training.

"Inside are the infamous Gerudo Training Grounds. We'll start off in the main chamber, conditioning you. By the looks of it, it's going to be a long day," a subtle reference to her scrawniness. *Clap* *Clap* and magically the grating rose up out of sight, leaving them free to enter. As they entered, the grating slammed down loudly, then the chamber was deathly silent once more, save for the crackle of torches.

Let the torture begin....

What do you think of Sahjeko? R/R please!