Chapter Eleven:
The day had just barely begun and there already was rumors spreading along the few merchants that were still setting up their wares and their potential customers that were already out of their beds, rumors that didn't even begin to circulate until well after the sun was high overhead during the lunch hours. Some had claimed that they heard or knew someone that had seen the queen and princess of Hyrule ride out of the township and into the Field to go to wherever the Goddesses' knew they had gone, they had left in the wee hours of the morning. Some even claimed that the princess-heir was dressed for a long journey somewhere else, perhaps a suitor had been found and she was to live with this suitor until she came of age with the queen attending to make sure she got there safely. Others still claimed that they had seen the guards push both the queen and princess off towards where the Kokiri lived and would never see them again, not unless the king paid a ransom to the child-like beings that lived in the forest. That last rumor was believed more by the children than the adults, who paid the younger ones no mind about that silly rumor.
Whatever the rumors were that morning, no matter who believed what, no one dared to follow the small group past the drawbridge to the Castle-Town. None had been stupid enough to follow the two regal horses out of the main gate to the town, not when three armed guards rode horseback around the two women that kept the princess close by. They had been dismissed rather quickly when guards had walked by the early morning gossipers, their stares silencing them just as quickly as they had started to speak to ask questions; there need be no mention of where the queen and princess-heir was, not when they were not inside the castle for all they knew. If both returned within a few days of their early morning trip then the rumors would fully be squashed and new ones would take the place of the ones that had been spoken about this very day; such the nature of bored townsfolk between festivals.
The commoners had gone back to their morning chores and the merchants had resumed setting up their wares in the hopes that they would be able to catch a rare glimpse at the young Princess Zelda before she would be escorted back to the castle, whenever she would return back to the township. There had been only three other times that Zelda had been seen in the Market and those times she had been escorted by her father, by a full legion of guards behind them, or both; where they had been going at the time, none had been too bold to ask outside a few that had not gotten far with the market guards. Now they would see her without guards swarming around her and perhaps even see the queen without the king by her side, if they were lucky enough. The townsfolk weren't too concerned about when either would return, rarely the Royal Family was gone long if it wasn't announced weeks in advance and this excursion hadn't been known to anyone until the few townspeople still about at that hour, had seen them riding past.
If the guards hadn't started to squash the rumors that had spread around the commoner homes about the princess and the queen, the presence of Gerudo in the Castle-Town had finished the job quickly enough. The small band of Gerudo had come into the Market without word, they rarely did, their silence deafening to the already busy morning stalls; merchants and customers alike had stopped what they were doing to stare at the surprisingly small band of thieves that came through. There were whispers among those that watched them, suspicious as to why such a small band had come so far and without so much of an indication as to why they had taken the long journey across the Field. Indeed it had been a long ride from the Desert that had taken them several hours to get there but to the Gerudo it had been worth the trip if it did not end in disaster. And on the day that the princess and the queen had left the confined safety of the castle; if certain eyes had not seen the Royal Family's Sheikah with them, then more horrible rumors would have taken the place of the Gerudo.
Despite all of the stares that were being given to the Gerudo, they went about their business as though they did not take notice that they were being watched. This allowed all eyes to be trained on them while Ganondorf slipped away and towards the path that lead up to the castle, as he had done so some weeks before. Even the guards took little notice that one of the thieves had disappeared from their sights, more focused on the young women that were fluttering their eyelashes at the guards and smiling pretty enough. Only Nabooru and Callon did not seem to be enjoying their time at the Market, despite Nabooru catching the eye of one particular merchant to where he did not keep a watchful eye on his wares. That gave Callon just enough time to swipe several jewels from the stall and pocket them into her horse's saddlebag and casually glance up to the looming form of the castle that sat above the town. She only frowned at it and moved on, intent to at least give Ganondorf his time in the castle for however little that may be.
Ganondorf had taken his time to walk up the path to the castle, especially when he had gotten to the gate that barred him entry from the castle grounds. He had to suppress a laugh when the guard standing at the gate gaped at him and stammered out orders for him to return back to the Market and beyond the borders of the township, or be put into the dungeons. Had Ganondorf not wished to go to the castle in a hurry, he would have stayed there and played mind games with the incompetent fool longer then he had but with time, and his patience, wearing thin he had not lingered more than he had to. When he came back through the gate with what he needed, information on the whereabouts of the pendant or the pendant itself, he would torment the poor fool longer if his mood had improved by then. But the snarl that he gave the guard, and Ganondorf slamming a hand on the gate loud enough to wake the dead, told the guard that it was best to make haste and open the gate as quickly as he could.
It had taken the guard around forty seconds to fumble for the right key to the gate and another thirty to get the gate open properly, his hands not the only things that were shaking. By the time the iron gate had been unlocked, Ganondorf had tried his best to remain calm but his anger had emerged and he had forced the gate open by himself once it had been unlocked, ignoring the stammering of the guard that he could've done that. He left the guard to stand where he had been, staring at the point of entry and key still in the lock of the gate, an almost horrified expression on his face once he had finished his stammering. Just seeing the expression on the guards face had given him a small satisfaction despite the lingering foul taste he felt in his mouth from the last time he had visited the castle, his eyes moving along the ridges and dirt around him. Had he not want anything of power that came from within and trusted more of his clan, he would have sent in several Gerudo to the job for him instead of him doing it himself, unfortunately this was one of the few things he needed to do himself.
Ganondorf now stood at the drawbridge of Hyrule Castle, his arms crossed loosely over his chest and a deep scowl on his face, as he waited impatiently for the draw bridge to fully come down to the ground. It had taken the guards inside five minutes to even take notice that there was a visitor to the castle and another two minutes to start lowering the draw bridge down so that he could enter and lurk around the castle to find his target. Oh there were other ways into the castle as there were with any structure this size, none of the Gerudo had ever bothered to find those ways yet it was not for a lack of trying, but it was staying inside was what he wanted to do. Already he had visions of what he would do to each and every guard that served inside and outside the castle as well as the Royal Family itself, he had to keep a smirk from ruining his fowl mood as he thought of more ways to enact his revenge. Fools, all of them, he thought bitterly to himself as he waited. I will have the pendant this day, even if I have to kill both the Sheikah and the Royal Family to get it. What a pity to have to waste good weapons so needlessly on them.
By the time the bridge had fully lowered a few moments later, the Gerudo had become even more impatient then he had when he had first entered the castle grounds. He had little interest in waiting any longer and this was only delaying him further more. He had to hold his words as he walked across the wooden planks of the drawbridge, dropping his arms to his sides, as he strode into the castle as though he already owned it. Two guards had appeared at the entrance way to the castle, glaring at him from underneath their silver helmets and stood stiffly as he walked passed them without a single word spoken to them. They both had a hand on the hilt of their silver swords that stayed sheathed at their sides, spears held tightly in the other hands just in case they had to use either one of their weapons on their visitor. They still did not stop him from entering the castle since he had not entered in a threatening manner nor had they received any direct order from the king to keep Gerudo out of the castle that numbered more than five in a group. In due time, however, they would regret allowing Ganondorf to enter so willingly.
As soon as Ganondorf had taken ten steps into the castle, his eyes wandered around the main entrance way before falling onto a figure that was moving towards him rather quickly in haste. He smirked inwardly, his lips actually parting into a frown when the king stopped only a few feet away from him and alone with the exception of the two guards stationed at the entrance; he either thought very highly of the two guards behind the Gerudo or there were more guards around in case something happened. It was good timing on Ganondorf's part that he had run into the king like he had or the king had been tipped off that the Gerudo had returned for another audience with the Royal Family and had headed him off before he could go any further into the castle. Either way it played right into his little trap and if he had his way that day, he would be one step closer to gaining the power he lusted for.
In fact, the king had been told that there was Gerudo presence within the Market and had started to gather several guards to disperse the threat as soon as possible once it had been known to him that there were, in fact, Gerudo still lingering inside the township. He had every intention of walking to the main entrance to tell the captain of the guard to kill all lingering Gerudo after this day when he had been given the word that a Gerudo male was already at the doorstep of the castle. Had the king not been in the presence of Ganondorf already he would have had him killed along with the thieves that were in the Market, but he held off that order as he knew where the queen and princess were at the present time. There was no need to endanger them at the moment, just as he had no intentions of speaking to Ganondorf and had hoped to have gotten past the main entrance before the drawbridge had come down fully. Now he had to confront the man he wished would remain in the desert until the day he died.
"I thought I told you to leave the castle and not to return," the king snapped as the two of them attempted to smile at each other even slightly without looking too forced. Ganondorf placed his hands behind his back, attempting to look slightly hurt at the idea he had been told to leave without even being there for more than a minute in the presence of the king. "You did not heed my words."
"You did, sire, but there is a matter that must be taken care of. Immediately, if I might add." Ganondorf smiled rather warmly when he emphasized the word immediately, staring the king straight in the eyes and didn't look away. Had the two of them not met before, the Hylian would have backed down ever so slightly before demanding what was so important that it couldn't wait until a formal visit could be arranged. Instead, he gave the stare right back but rather than return the smile he frowned deeply as Ganondorf's smile was wide.
"Whatever it is, it can be taken care of at another date when a formal request can be made. Right now I have other and more important things to tend to that doesn't involve the Gerudo." That would have normally ended a conversation with anyone else in the king's presence and to emphasize that point, he started to walk in the direction opposite the way he came. He did not get very far, with Ganondorf stepping three steps backwards and then left, into the path of the now very irate, and very annoyed, king. Taking in a sigh, the king rubbed the back of his head and stared beyond the Gerudo; if he didn't make eye contact then he could fight the urge to have this man thrown into the dungeon much more then he would if he continued to stare at him. "What is it that you need? My patience is wearing thin, Ganondorf."
"Your Excellency," Ganondorf started, his smile faltering ever so slightly, "this cannot be put off any longer. I must have information regarding one of those in your employ and what she knows."
The king froze where he was, his body stiffening in a slight defense. If the Gerudo presence in the Market had been suspicious to him, then asking information about one of the servants was just as, if not more, suspicious. It took all of his effort to look the Gerudo up and down, taking in the way he was standing to the expression on his face, the same expression that he had seen some time ago when the two came face to face the first time. If a Gerudo wanted information out of something then that meant there had to be a rupee value to it if not by gold; they had little use for knowledge and information unless it benefited them. In all of the years that he had ruled Hyrule so far, the king had not once heard of a Gerudo wanting information from the Royal Family. And the information did not come from the royal blood itself but from a servant and it didn't take a scholar to understand which one it was, he just needed to hear the words himself.
"What kind of information do you need?" He asked stiffly, not inclined to give any details of matters that would stay in the confines of the castle or between the two of them. Ganondorf didn't seem to take notice of the defensiveness that the king had started to take, smiling ever so slightly more.
"There is a certain artifact that I would like to see, something that I had heard of in passing from one of my newest members of the Gerudo that heard it herself from a rather interesting fireside story herself." He then gestured to the entrance way they were standing in. "It is contained within the castle walls, or last I heard it was, and I was hoping that I would be able to view it." Ganondorf then raised his hands in defense before any words could be spoken from the Hylian's mouth. "With no intention of stealing, I might add. You can have all of your best soldiers watching me every second if you feel much safer doing so, and have me bound and gagged at sword point if it makes your mind at ease."
"Which 'artifact' are you talking about?" The king then gestured the same way Ganondorf had, his mind trying to think on what kind of hidden items there were in the castle that he did not know of. Oh he knew that there were several hidden places within the confines of the castle, there always were in strongholds such as this, but he when he had taken the throne he had demanded a list of every hidden room, every secret passage, of the castle known to the Royal Family. If there were still secret places in the castle that he didn't know of, the king would make sure that certain persons in the Royal Family's employ would show it to him as soon as they returned back. "There are plenty of things that are in the castle in which you are welcome to see, under the supervision of the guards like you just mentioned. You may observe them but I warn you that thieves aren't taken lightly."
"Of course, of course. I understand." Inwardly, Ganondorf struggled to keep his sanity at a level that wouldn't overflow and make him more of a target then he already was. Not yet, he told himself mentally. You can't kill the bastard just yet. "However, this is something only that Sheikah of yours knows about."
"Impa?" He asked, trying hard to sound surprised when he had a gut feeling that was who Ganondorf had wanted to see from the beginning. Very few in Hyrule would want to see a Sheikah for information, especially Gerudo, and even fewer were stupid enough to ask about the objects they made or they kept out of prying hands. Even the Royal Family did not dare to ask about things of this nature, at least not to those outside of said Royal Family. Even so, this made the Hylian think about what the Sheikah was hiding in the castle and that made him worry, now that she was outside of the castle and his reach for the moment he couldn't very well ask her about it. Was it just a convenient time that she just so happened to be outside and clear across the land? "What does she know that I do not? Besides the usual Sheikah secrecy."
With that, the Gerudo's smile became even more apparent on his features and what looked like a content expression lit up his face at the king's question. If the very king did not know what lie beneath his feet, as many rulers before him most likely hadn't known themselves during their rule, then that meant any secrets of the Sheikah were still unknown to the current generation of the Royal Family. This gave him an even bigger opportunity to scheme under the king's nose and a better way of getting what he wanted from the Sheikah, as soon as he figured out her riddles and her secrets. Despite the worried and surprised mixed expression on the king's face, and knowing that he know had something to think about now, Ganondorf would have an easier time getting the pendant from the castle once he was able to talk direct to the Sheikah. If it wasn't heavily guarded by the royal soldiers then that was one less hassle he would have to deal with and less time he had to prepare himself.
"It is a private matter that I must speak to her about and only her." The smile faded from his lips as he pressed his lips into a thin line. "Sheikah are prone to have secrets and plan on keeping it that way until they die, I am hoping that she divulges this one."
"What makes you think she would share her secrets with you?" The king asked defiantly. He had been around other Sheikah before, he knew that they very rarely divulged their secrets and when they did, it was often done with riddles and half truths. "I am sure that you, out of all the people in Hyrule, would understand how closely guarded even the most common of Sheikah secrets are. They are not the most forthcoming people after all."
"I have ways of getting information out that you, as king of Hyrule, do not possess, as some secrets might just unhinge the whole family." Ganondorf took a step forwards as though he was intimidating the king. "I'll need to speak with her as soon as possible, as it is important that I speak with her."
"Of course," he said, hardly one to have intimidation work on him but rather the other way around. "However, Impa is not inside the castle at the present time. She is elsewhere at the moment and quite possibly will not be returning until later tonight, if not late tomorrow morning if that early." He then gestured to the still open drawbridge. "If it can wait until tomorrow or later in the week, I am sure that she would be delighted to help you. I can give the word to one of the innkeepers to house you for the next several nights, on the Royal Family's purse. As a guest of ours."
If the king had seen what anger had looked like on Ganondorf at their last meeting, then he had only seen a fraction of what a Gerudo's anger could really look like. Ganondorf's face contorted into what could only be described as fury but in reality it was just a minimal percentage of the pent-up frustration that he still had since the last meeting between the two. His eyes narrowed into almost small slits, the corners of his mouth curving into a frown, and his teeth baring out into a hiss. His entire body seemed to shift into a different form, his muscles tensing and his hands ball into fists of rage; his whole demeanor changed with the words of the man standing in front of him. Even at this stage there was nothing the two guards would be able to do quell the Gerudo's fury, not when he had been waiting all of this time just to get this far and be told to wait. Even so, a quiet voice inside of him somewhere had to tell him to keep the rest of his anger in check or he would regret any actions he made.
"NO! I must see her now!" His voice rang throughout the room, echoing off of the walls and into the side hallways. Both guards at the entrance jumped their heads turning towards the Gerudo for a moment before they snapped back to their original positions. Even the king had to take several steps back partly due because of the tone and volume of the voice; even when Ganondorf spoke his next words, they were still loud but not as loud as the ones that he had pleasantly shouted. "Drag her back to the castle if you must. Call her back from wherever she is, she must be here."
The king took in a deep breath, silently wishing to himself that he could do such a thing and still have his life spared. How he would enjoy seeing Impa squirm with guards on either side of her, pulling her from the Hylia and through the Market like a common criminal. Then she wouldn't be so cocky with snickering commoners at her back, watching as normal Hylians pulled a mighty Sheikah through the town square and into the throne room where she would be asked to divulge her secrets to everyone inside. That would give him satisfaction beyond what even Ganondorf could ever hope for and want; even the thought gave him a slight pleasure. And if the Gerudo could make her existence a bit more torturous, that not only would humble the woman but would give him something to threaten her with. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to allow a proposition of a short-lived alliance with Ganondorf, he thought to himself with a smile. But as pleasant as the thought was, Impa was a Sheikah and there were certain protocols on handling Sheikah secrets to outsiders. And the townsfolk would not take lightly to seeing the attendant of the princess-heir dishonored like that.
"As much as it would please the both of us if I dragged her body back to the castle, I cannot do such a thing. There is certain things she has to do and they must be done, for the Royal Family and beyond." Or I'll never be able to get a night's rest again, the king added silently to himself. Despite the thoughts of seeing Impa dragged through the Market all humiliated and bloodied, he still feared a sharp reaction from the other Sheikahs and quite possibly from Impa herself, threats or not. He didn't pretend to know the inner workings of how Sheikah worked or their magic or secrets and he didn't want to test the limitations of said magic or their anger, he had other thoughts of how it might go. They were a natural companion to the Royal Family and to lose not only the support of the Sheikah but their protection would be met with disaster. The Royal Family wouldn't survive past Zelda if it lost one of it's major supporters.
"Don't expect me to be as nice this time around, Your Highness," Ganondorf growled deeply. "I am not in the mood to tolerate such things from you."
Had he made a direct threat on the king's life right then, the king would have had the guards stationed at the entrance on either side of Ganondorf, dragging him down to the dungeons to wait for his death to come. Taking in account that Ganondorf's anger level had risen quite considerably since their first meeting several weeks ago, he let it slide knowing that this anger could very well be useful in the future and no threat had been spoken or directly given. After all, thieves were expandable and could get into places an army of soldiers could not get into nor could the commoner population. As much as he hated to admit it, the Gerudo Clan of the desert did have their uses no matter how small they were or what they did to survive, a few thoughts running though the king's mind at how useful the clan might become. Thoughts he had pushed out of his mind the first time around but now that he had time to think about them, using whatever the Gerudo did could have an advantage to the Royal Family.
Rubbing a hand along his chin, the king looked the Gerudo up and down several times again to take in the man standing before him. His eyes had opened more since his outburst and his muscles and grown several inches due to some abnormal power that coursed through his body, a power that very few knew came from Ganondorf's birth mothers. Something else had changed within him, a curious power that could possibly rival the Three Goddesses of legend or go beyond even those legends that the commoners spoke of. If only he, the king, believed in such nonsense then he would have believed in the unknown power that he could almost feel coming from Ganondorf himself but ignored for the sake of what he could see. Maybe there was a possibility that he could extract information out of Impa and even share it with the Royal Family, thus maybe having a treaty between the two.
"I have a proposition for you, Ganondorf," the king started as he tapped a finger on his chin. "If you can extract any information out of Impa, you can have whatever it is that she is hiding and quite possibly more." He could tell that he had gotten the Gerudo's attention when he raised an eyebrow and nodded quickly to continue. "All I ask is that you return at a later date and share the information with me once Impa has returned from her duties." He then raised a hand to stop Ganondorf from speaking prematurely. "That's all I require, nothing more. I am a man of my word, just a simple ruler like yourself that thinks of his people. At the moment, however, I cannot get that damnable Sheikah back into the castle without using considerable force and that force won't go unnoticed by the common people, and I wouldn't want to cause an uproar at this time. The Sheikah have a lot of clout with the common folk, and I don't wish to disturb their trust of them. I am sure that you understand that certain measures can't be taken without consquences."
Ganondorf's face changed drastically, his body relaxing only slightly when he watched the Hylian's face smiled faintly back at him. He couldn't tell if there was any deceit to the man's words or if he would hold true to what he had said; regardless, it sounded like something he would be willing to take even if he had to wait for what he wanted. But how far would he be able to go to get such information out? And would the king go back on his word if he knew what this so-called pendant could do once that information was shared? Even Ganondorf didn't know exactly what it did and he was more than willing to stake his life on learning what Sheikan magic worked in a cheap charm then to not know. And if the king went back on his word, not only would he feel the wraith of the Gerudo, he would feel the fury that was Ganondorf.
That gave him something to think about as they stood there, engulfed in silence. One contemplated the proposal that had been given to him and the other stared at him with a smile, his own mind thinking of how he could this to his advantage. The king knew he was staking this on something that he couldn't really promise or knew much about, and he would retract it as soon as he could get what he wanted from both Impa and Ganondorf alike. Gerudo, to him, were all alike and this one was no different from the rest that he had thrown into the dungeon below, this one was just another faceless number to him.. Ganondorf, however, had already formed his own plan in his mind and could use this fool in front of him as a way to get back into the castle for the pendant if things went downhill from there. After all, information could be twisted around so that no one would really know the truth behind it especially when it concerned the Sheikah, who might have just told a simple story to a few weary travelers that knew little of how the Shadow Folk really worked.
"Do what you will with the Sheikah when she returns, but speak nothing of this meeting to her or anyone else. That includes your guards." Ganondorf's eyes flickered over to the two that stood by the entrance. The guards knew that he had come into the castle but they didn't have to know why he was there or what, or who, he was looking for; the two of them had not listened to much of the conversation and would know little to what had been said. "I prefer to catch her unawares when I return. All I ask in return for this is her artifact and knowledge on how to use it."
He stretched out his hand as a way to seal the deal, the king smiled to himself and laughing inwardly as he took Ganondorf's hand. Shaking on the words spoken, both were already breaking their promises and finding ways to step around the deals that had been forged so roughly and had not been written down on parchment. Had this been put to paper and signed by other kingdoms, it would be considered treason to contort the words of another leader and to use the information gained would be a reason to go to war. This wasn't, however, any other treaty or ruler that they were dealing with but raw, unchecked power that neither knew about and hoped wouldn't go past a few rough patches. They dropped their hands to their sides, both bowing their heads ever so slightly to each other as a way to finalize their silent pact.
Ganondorf then turned and strode out of the entrance room, leaving the king to go about his duties as though there had been no meeting between Hylian and Gerudo that had just happened. He watched him go into the castle grounds, a wondering look appearing on his face as he sighed and shook his head. He would return to his study and mark down what had just happened; Impa would eventually know when the time came for Ganondorf to return to the castle once she had returned to the castle from the picnic at Lake Hylia. That gave him pleasure enough, to see the surprised and horrified look that would be on her face when she returned from clear across the land; had Zelda not been with her then the king would've sent Ganondorf over there to speak to her. In due time things will change, he told himself.
Shrugging at a passing thought, he walked to the other side of the room and went about his business for the day, putting Ganondorf out of his mind once again. Nothing else would make this day any better than it already had.