Chapter 3: Shackles and Cackles

It was late now, around midnight almost; the crescent moon in the sky was shrouded by gathering grey clouds. There was no wind, no movement, and no life, and on top of that, the temperature was dropping drastically compared to what it was earlier that day.

Link slowly sidled his way around the outskirts of the Gerudo Fortress, being careful not to disturb any loose stones that would give his position away.

CRACK… it came from inside a nearby doorway. Link swung about and backed quickly into a dark shadow trying his best to conceal himself from whoever was inside. A lone Gerudo guard wandered out. She wore the attire of all the guards, typical coverage of the mouth, loose pants that ended a little ways above the ankles, made of reds and oranges. She yawned, and sat down on a nearby crate mumbling something about 'always having the night shift'.

Fortunately, Link was opposite of where she was facing, and quickly came about knocking her out quickly and silently. He crept through the doorway, ducking amongst pots and barrels as he snuck his way through the maze of hallways making up the fortress.

"Geeze, how many hallways does a place need, I need to get a map for this place…" Link sighed, "And I'm sick of running into all these stupid storage rooms!" As he had said this, he turned the corner and happened in on some sort of throne room. He quickly pulled back, hiding behind the corner as he peered into the room.

Ganondorf sat there, with his usual menacing facial expression, and about five other Gerudos answering and completing his many whims. Link was too far away to hear any conversation that might have been held, and decided to make his way into the throne room.

"Are you deaf-…"

"no sir, I-…"

"That's not helping-…fool!"

"Go-…kill-…"

"yes sir, they are ready-…"

"Make sure-…and-…Zelda."

Link wasn't quite sure what he was hearing, he had only picked up a few words, but a few of them were good enough.

"Great…"he sighed, "I'm not really in the mood for dealing with him again" Link mumbled, referring to Ganondorf.

"Well maybe, you won't have to," a voice said behind Link.

Link felt quite a few pricks in his side, when he turned about to see three Gerudos lined up looking down on where he was sitting.

"Oh…great…," said Link.

"Take his to the Leader," said what looked like the leader of the three. "He might want to take a look at our 'catch of the night'."

Link was dragged, struggling all the way of course, to the center of the throne room at the feet of his most despised enemy.

"wow, this carpet is really soft," Link though, if only for a second.

Link snatched his arms away from the guards that had previously escorted him, and dusted himself off. There were quite a few guards, well, more than that at least seventy-five littered the throne room. There wasn't going to be an easy escape.

"Hello again…my friend," smiled Ganondorf, "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"You know very well why I'm here, you just came bursting back from a realm that you were eternally sealed in, what did you think I was going to do, go take a vacation!" Link replied, with a hint of sarcasm in the second part of his sentence.

"Haha, I shouldn't have expected any less from you. Well, we know what's going to happen…lock him away" Ganondorf replied, "place him in Prison Block 312-B with all the precautions."

"Yes sir," replied several Gerudos in unison before they grabbed Link and pulled him off to his new residence in the Gerudo's dungeon.

"I'll be back here, and you know it!" called Link, "I'm not going to let you take this land and people without a fight!"

"That's what you think…" Ganondorf said to himself.

Link was thrown onto the mossy stone floor of his cell as soon as the door had been unlocked. Shackles were placed on both his wrists and ankles. All weapons were taken from him, including his sword and shield. The door was at least a foot and a half thick, made of solid stone along with all four walls. It was damp and musty, there was absolutely nothing in the cell other than the chains, Link, and the rocks of course.

"Well, this is quite a bind I'm in this time…" Link said. "No Ocarina, no weapons, no convenient windows, keys, wooden doors, iron bars, and all those other items that always happen to help you out in a time like this…"

Link could sit down, but barely, the chains holding his arms were hooked from the ceiling, and his legs from the walls on either side of him. As he sat, his arms dangled above his head, and his legs were sprawled out on the floor I front of him as he tried to get in the most comfortable of positions.

"I wonder how long they'll keep me in here. Probably until Ganondorf takes over Hyrule, or he can't find what he wants, and asks me, OR when they decide to kill me…" Link stated. "Hmm…kill me…how nice" he retorted, sarcastically of course.

It was going on a week now since Link had been locked away in his cell. He had received some water, and measly portions of food, just enough for him to get by. He was weakening drastically, and he knew it. His wrists were each one giant bruise from the metal shackles that were constantly tugging at them. He was not a happy camper.

Link dangled from the his shackles slightly wavering back and forth, as a door could be heard towards the end of his section of prison cells. Link was a bit spacey, especially after a week of nothing but the dank box he had been residing in. Keys were heard at the jingled together and unlocked the door. A Gerudo had opened the door, and pushed it open, and right behind her came Ganondorf.

Ganondorf ducked as he passed through the doorway, for he was a man of great stature. He grimaced at the look of the cell, the mold and other algaeic plants on the walls, the mustiness, the dampness…it wasn't his thing. He slowly approached Link, and lent down on one knee so that his eye level would be closer to where Link's would be.

"So, Hero? Are you still gonna defeat me?" Ganondorf asked in a slightly mocking manner. "Do you still feel up to it," He continued. Ganondorf reached over with his right hand and grabbed Link's knotted hair and yanked it upwards as Link let out a grunt of pain. Ganondorf wanted them to be looking in the eyes.

Link's eyes weren't quite as filled with fire as they usually were, they had dulled, they had a little blankness to them, but there was still a few embers alit. Link stared at Ganondorf, unable to think up something to say.

"Well if that's the way it's gonna be, Hero," Ganondorf said, letting go of Link's hair and letting his head droop back to wear he had found it. "I'll be back."

Ganondorf said something that Link, being spacey, didn't here, to the Gerudo as they walked out and closed, sealed, and locked the door behind them.