The voices from the other side of the door were new to Piccolo, all but
one, the voice of Ganondorf. He sat against the wall, listening to the
conversation on the other side. His body was shaking and every few moments
he had to swallow a cough or a sneeze. But as he listened, Ganondorf's true
self began to make itself known.
"Methkaphae!"
A woman's voice unsteadily answered, "Yes, Lord? What can I do for you? I was just dispatching some new monsters to the many corridors of our wonderful home. I have heard the terrible news of-"
"Silence! Your affairs are of little importance to me. I have a new assignment for you, Methkaphae. My prisoner is ill, as you know, and I feel it would do him some good to receive fresh air outside of the castle. You shall escort him to wherever he wishes to go," Ganondorf ordered.
"Yes, Master. I would be happy to-"
"I will expect you home no later than sunset! And if he is harmed in any way than I will kill you and lower the rations of the other wenches!" Ganondorf threatened.
"May I ask some questions, My King?" Methkaphae asked.
There was a pause. "Go on," Ganondorf spat.
"I hope I'm not being cheeky in asking, Lord, but why do you care about the well being of a prisoner?" Methkaphae questioned.
"You are being cheeky. However, the answer is something all of you women should keep in mind- he is a very important prisoner. And if anything happens to him then you will all die at the hands of his friends and I will not stop in to save your worthless selves," Ganondorf replied, in a tone that suggested insanity.
"Also, Master, perhaps we should bring the princess along too?" Methkaphae suggested.
"Whatever. As long as the both of them are in their chambers at sunset I won't care if you took the entire dungeon," Ganondorf snarled.
Piccolo heard footsteps. He got to his feet carefully just as the door opened. Ganondorf stepped out briskly, forced Piccolo against the wall, and pushed his face against Piccolo's.
"Enjoy yourself, my green angel," he hissed with a grin.
The Gerudo King rapidly stepped down the hall, turned down a corridor and left Piccolo shuddering. Once again, the door opened and one of the fighting women stepped out.
She was colored like the others, wore a heavy application of makeup, and her clothes was the traditional Gerudo style- flashy, comfortable, light, and colorful. Bangles went up and down both bare arms, jewels sparkled on her fingers and there were thin scars covering her exposed back.
"Piccolo?" she said slowly as if she was just learning to speak.
"Yes," Piccolo replied quietly, freezing on the inside but determined not to appear weak.
"Stay there. I will go get the princess." And Methkaphae scampered down the halls.
Piccolo leaned against the wall again. Why had Ganondorf called him a prisoner? He had told Piccolo that he was a guest? And why did Piccolo feel hurt that Ganondorf had said that. Something strange had been present inside of Piccolo since last night. Perhaps it was the illness he was suffering from, but Piccolo doubted that.
Methkaphae was returning down the hall with a young girl at her side. The girl looked about as old as Goten, but much more mature. A pout was clearly visible on her chubby face from all the way down the hall. She trudged as if walking to her own execution. Shackles and chains covered her small body. Piccolo frowned briefly.
"You should at least be happy I got you out of that dungeon," Methkaphae growled.
"You put me there in the first place," the girl grumbled as the Gerudo woman pushed her to Piccolo's side.
"Alright, you two, let's go. We have until sunset and I really don't want to do this," Methkaphae complained.
"No," Piccolo demanded.
"What? I thought we were doing this for you in the first place?" Methkaphae exclaimed.
"First, take the restraints off of the child," Piccolo demanded in the same tone Ganondorf had used.
"I don't have to listen to you!" Methkaphae yelled, "I'm in control of you, not the other way around!"
"I will tell Ganondorf," Piccolo threatened.
"He wouldn't let me take the chains off of Zelda anyway!" Methkaphae snorted.
Zelda clung closer to Piccolo. When Piccolo had first seen the girl she reminded him of a younger Gohan, and he hadn't been able to feel the same way about Gohan since the boy had become a teenager. Now, he felt, in protecting Zelda he was uncovering one of the few pieces of his past that he missed.
"Yes, but he will kill you if I get hurt, remember? I might just pull one of my arms off," Piccolo grinned, placing his left hand on his right forearm and digging his nails into the flesh.
"You would never rip your own arm off. Not for a little kid like Zelda," Methkaphae stuttered, not sure if she believed her own words.
"Are you sure?" Piccolo winked down at Zelda and powered up slightly, giving the impression that he was using a lot of strength and preparing to actually rip his arm off, when in reality it was quite easy for him. A thin stream of blood flowed from his shoulder.
"All right!" Methkaphae cried, throwing his hand off of his arm and leaning over to remove Zelda's chains.
She produced a key from a hidden pocket in her baggy, nearly translucent pants. One by one, the chains, shackles, and handcuffs fell from Zelda's small body. Methkaphae stepped back, dropped the key into the myriad of folds that were her clothes and grumbled to herself.
"Thank you," Zelda whispered, smiling up at the Namek.
"No problem, kid," he answered hoarsely.
"Are you sick?" she asked worriedly as Methkaphae led them down the corridors dejectedly.
Piccolo nodded and felt her tiny hand squeeze his. Behind his lips, Piccolo's teeth clenched in an inside smile.
Once outside of the castle, Piccolo noticed the storm still twisted above him. He sighed.
"It's okay, once we leave the marketplace it will be sunny again," the child reassured him.
"Will you two hurry up," Methkaphae hissed.
"Are you that princess that Ganondorf captured yesterday?" Piccolo asked.
Zelda nodded sadly and glared at Methkaphae.
"Where's your house? Where do you come from?" Piccolo interrogated.
"Ganondorf destroyed my home and built his castle on top of it," Zelda answered sadly. "Oh look, the sky!"
They had just leaped over a broken bridge, a tiny one, and come out into the sunshine. Piccolo immediately felt warmer.
"Ganondorf says I'm supposed to take you wherever you want, Green guy. So where to?" Methkaphae asked.
Piccolo glanced down at Zelda.
"Lake Hylia?"
"Lake Hylia," he repeated.
"Methkaphae!"
A woman's voice unsteadily answered, "Yes, Lord? What can I do for you? I was just dispatching some new monsters to the many corridors of our wonderful home. I have heard the terrible news of-"
"Silence! Your affairs are of little importance to me. I have a new assignment for you, Methkaphae. My prisoner is ill, as you know, and I feel it would do him some good to receive fresh air outside of the castle. You shall escort him to wherever he wishes to go," Ganondorf ordered.
"Yes, Master. I would be happy to-"
"I will expect you home no later than sunset! And if he is harmed in any way than I will kill you and lower the rations of the other wenches!" Ganondorf threatened.
"May I ask some questions, My King?" Methkaphae asked.
There was a pause. "Go on," Ganondorf spat.
"I hope I'm not being cheeky in asking, Lord, but why do you care about the well being of a prisoner?" Methkaphae questioned.
"You are being cheeky. However, the answer is something all of you women should keep in mind- he is a very important prisoner. And if anything happens to him then you will all die at the hands of his friends and I will not stop in to save your worthless selves," Ganondorf replied, in a tone that suggested insanity.
"Also, Master, perhaps we should bring the princess along too?" Methkaphae suggested.
"Whatever. As long as the both of them are in their chambers at sunset I won't care if you took the entire dungeon," Ganondorf snarled.
Piccolo heard footsteps. He got to his feet carefully just as the door opened. Ganondorf stepped out briskly, forced Piccolo against the wall, and pushed his face against Piccolo's.
"Enjoy yourself, my green angel," he hissed with a grin.
The Gerudo King rapidly stepped down the hall, turned down a corridor and left Piccolo shuddering. Once again, the door opened and one of the fighting women stepped out.
She was colored like the others, wore a heavy application of makeup, and her clothes was the traditional Gerudo style- flashy, comfortable, light, and colorful. Bangles went up and down both bare arms, jewels sparkled on her fingers and there were thin scars covering her exposed back.
"Piccolo?" she said slowly as if she was just learning to speak.
"Yes," Piccolo replied quietly, freezing on the inside but determined not to appear weak.
"Stay there. I will go get the princess." And Methkaphae scampered down the halls.
Piccolo leaned against the wall again. Why had Ganondorf called him a prisoner? He had told Piccolo that he was a guest? And why did Piccolo feel hurt that Ganondorf had said that. Something strange had been present inside of Piccolo since last night. Perhaps it was the illness he was suffering from, but Piccolo doubted that.
Methkaphae was returning down the hall with a young girl at her side. The girl looked about as old as Goten, but much more mature. A pout was clearly visible on her chubby face from all the way down the hall. She trudged as if walking to her own execution. Shackles and chains covered her small body. Piccolo frowned briefly.
"You should at least be happy I got you out of that dungeon," Methkaphae growled.
"You put me there in the first place," the girl grumbled as the Gerudo woman pushed her to Piccolo's side.
"Alright, you two, let's go. We have until sunset and I really don't want to do this," Methkaphae complained.
"No," Piccolo demanded.
"What? I thought we were doing this for you in the first place?" Methkaphae exclaimed.
"First, take the restraints off of the child," Piccolo demanded in the same tone Ganondorf had used.
"I don't have to listen to you!" Methkaphae yelled, "I'm in control of you, not the other way around!"
"I will tell Ganondorf," Piccolo threatened.
"He wouldn't let me take the chains off of Zelda anyway!" Methkaphae snorted.
Zelda clung closer to Piccolo. When Piccolo had first seen the girl she reminded him of a younger Gohan, and he hadn't been able to feel the same way about Gohan since the boy had become a teenager. Now, he felt, in protecting Zelda he was uncovering one of the few pieces of his past that he missed.
"Yes, but he will kill you if I get hurt, remember? I might just pull one of my arms off," Piccolo grinned, placing his left hand on his right forearm and digging his nails into the flesh.
"You would never rip your own arm off. Not for a little kid like Zelda," Methkaphae stuttered, not sure if she believed her own words.
"Are you sure?" Piccolo winked down at Zelda and powered up slightly, giving the impression that he was using a lot of strength and preparing to actually rip his arm off, when in reality it was quite easy for him. A thin stream of blood flowed from his shoulder.
"All right!" Methkaphae cried, throwing his hand off of his arm and leaning over to remove Zelda's chains.
She produced a key from a hidden pocket in her baggy, nearly translucent pants. One by one, the chains, shackles, and handcuffs fell from Zelda's small body. Methkaphae stepped back, dropped the key into the myriad of folds that were her clothes and grumbled to herself.
"Thank you," Zelda whispered, smiling up at the Namek.
"No problem, kid," he answered hoarsely.
"Are you sick?" she asked worriedly as Methkaphae led them down the corridors dejectedly.
Piccolo nodded and felt her tiny hand squeeze his. Behind his lips, Piccolo's teeth clenched in an inside smile.
Once outside of the castle, Piccolo noticed the storm still twisted above him. He sighed.
"It's okay, once we leave the marketplace it will be sunny again," the child reassured him.
"Will you two hurry up," Methkaphae hissed.
"Are you that princess that Ganondorf captured yesterday?" Piccolo asked.
Zelda nodded sadly and glared at Methkaphae.
"Where's your house? Where do you come from?" Piccolo interrogated.
"Ganondorf destroyed my home and built his castle on top of it," Zelda answered sadly. "Oh look, the sky!"
They had just leaped over a broken bridge, a tiny one, and come out into the sunshine. Piccolo immediately felt warmer.
"Ganondorf says I'm supposed to take you wherever you want, Green guy. So where to?" Methkaphae asked.
Piccolo glanced down at Zelda.
"Lake Hylia?"
"Lake Hylia," he repeated.