Zant's War – Part 3


-Kanyou, Country of Qin-

Hands.

Feminine hands.

Beautiful feminine hands.

Grasping, beautiful feminine hands.

Choking, grasping, beautiful feminine hands.

A voice cried out in the darkness even as the hands grasped at her, "What is wrong with you!? Can you feel no pain?! Stop looking at me with those eyes! Stop it! You have his eyes! I hate those eyes!"

Zelda released a blood curling scream. Frantically she reached for her throat to release the hands, but her hands were tied down. Her body was tied down and held down by so many hands.

"Princess, stop!" A high pitched voice yelled.

Zelda blinked to find herself wrapped tightly in blankets. Some of the blankets had reached her neck, and her hands were tight at her side within the quilts. Her Fae servant flew into the bed and threw Zelda around the bed while unraveling her from her cocoon. The moment Zelda was freed she leaped from the bed and stood on her own. Even her clothes felt confining with sweat binding it to her skin. She quickly changed into clothes that were not completely covered in sweat.

The Fae flew into her clothing. "Princess! Are you well?! You were hollering and-"

"I'm fine." Zelda cut Tetsu off. She had inquired for the Fae's name, but it gave her something that was… impossible to say with a human tongue. So she dubbed the Fae 'Tetsu'.

"No, you're not! I can tell when people lie you know."

"Then settle for 'I don't want to talk about it'," Zelda whispered harshly. "Now drop it. I'm awake. I'm done sleeping."

Even as she said that she swayed a bit. Zelda knew she was being stubborn, but what else could she be? It had been going on every night. Every night a beautiful woman is either waiting for her in her room or is presented to her after Zelda has retired to her room. Every night Zelda has nightmares and remembers things she would prefer forgetting.

The only option was to endure the nightmares and figure out who was sending her the girls every night!

Thankfully, Zelda's initiative the days following her return to the throne had spurred the ministers into action. Most things were taken care of or in the process of. Reida had been sent home yesterday. Zelda wished to engage her in further conversation and get to know the girl more, but this was a delicate time between them. Ketsu had been publicly executed, torn into pieces really, and his carcass was thrown to the wasteland. It was a short event Zelda had to preside over and witness. Thankfully, she did not have to speak. The sooner he was dealt with, the better.

All of his possessions passed into Zelda's hands, save for a portion Qin gave over to Majora. Overall, she was pleased with this. She gained a great deal of land, rid herself of an enemy, restored security to Qin, and established positive relations with a small neighboring nation. She had yet to appoint governors over the land she had gained, but she had time before it would be necessary. It was a win for everyone and she finally had room to breathe.

Zelda entered the throne room, and the highest-ranking minister present approached the throne. In Ryo's absence, and Ketsu's death, they were short on Chancellors.

"What do you have to report this morning?" Zelda asked.

"My highness, there is much good news!" The man bowed. "The ministers and governors across Qin have begun to send tribute to your royal highness as a show of loyalty."

Zelda nodded. The tribute was a political card and was considered tradition. Ahbdan had said to receive tribute regularly would help them know who was loyal. It was a form of tax, a tax where cities sought to impress her and gain her attention by giving.

Cities that did not give any tribute, or gave practically nothing when she knew they could offer a great deal were troubling. It was a glimpse into their mindsets. Politically it was a slap in the face.

Meanwhile, cities that gave more than they could afford were also troubling, as Ahbdan taught her it could be a sign of fear. And such unnecessary fear or choking tributes and taxes would only damage them and weaken Qin. Impa taught her that only her enemies and the unlawful need fear her, not her subjects.

Tribute, in a way, excited Zelda because it was imaginative. It was not strict as to be only wealth but could be more subjects sent to work for her, or things of an unusual nature. One tribute, when Zelda first came home, had been a fine horse and though it startled Zelda at first, she was fascinated by the creature. She had been given birds of beautiful colors, poems and scrolls, plants for her garden, herbs, and all manner of things. She welcomed the rupee, but rupee did not excite the mind as other things did.

Zelda smiled, "Then we must thank them for their loyalty and quick acceptance of my return. I am glad Qin is taking this in stride." Even though it was most likely Ryo helping smooth the transition.

Her ministers agreed. The man continued, "We have also received reports from the stonemason guilds that they will be able to begin work on repairs immediately."

"Good. Have servants prepare us all rooms on the other side of the palace so we can sleep without excessive noise when they near our rooms." Zelda replied.

The men chuckled. He continued, "Next our scouts have confirmed that Jouto is safe and is in the process of rebuilding."

"Jouto?" Zelda asked. "Which city is that? It sounds familiar, but…"

"Your highness, if you may recall, Jouto is the one you requested?"

Zelda blinked slowly. Her mind felt blank. She knew she wasn't the smartest out there, but she had been able to memorize all 400 cities and villages in Qin at some point. Zelda did not want to blame exhaustion or a lack of sleep or use it as an excuse, but she couldn't deny the feeling that her brain was oozing out of her ears as the days went on.

"It is west… near Joket? The city you gave the Majora?"

"Oh, yes!" Zelda realized.

Jouto was the city Midna and Link were from, and it was an extension of Joket. Joket was Ketsu's capital. Qin had given the Majora the city of Joket, and a stretch of land between the city and the mountains. It did not make Jouto or the surrounding cities part of Majora now, but relations with them would be necessary.

"Very good. Very good that they have settled down. Sounds like some measure of peace is returning from Kyou's rebellion." Zelda sighed. "Is there anything else?" Zelda moved on.

"Now comes the bad news." The man took a breath. "During Kyou's rebellion, the surrounding nations noticed the instability. Our border is riddled with small skirmishes from small armies that have been repelled, and one larger army of one-hundred thousand made it deep into Qin. Our generals forced them back and restored peace and security, but the damage is done."

"How bad?" Zelda dreaded the answer.

"Thankfully, not too bad. The Matsubi were prepared. The villages in the invasion's path had ample warning and fled. Kyou's rebellion and Ryo's counter did not involve the border armies, so most of Qin's strength was at the ready. There are no civilian casualties. Thousands of soldiers died in the conflict, but the Matsubi paid them back threefold and they fled across the order.."

"They saw the instability as more than what it was and were unprepared to be repelled when they were. If Kyou's rebellion had forced the border armies to turn their attention inward, then only Naryu knows how much damage would have been done." Zelda pondered darkly. "Send compensation to the villages to help spur repairs and growth, and have the ministers of war resupply the armies from our reserves. Also, look into who deserves commendation for the strong defense of Qin."

"Anything else?" Zelda asked. It had only been a few topics, but already she felt tired and wanted to rest in peace.

"Yes. We have received messages from the governor of Joket. He expresses concern with… well… being a Majora now. In his own words, he wonders if he should be welcoming the savages openly or barricading his house. He is highly concerned."

"If he wishes to step down from being governor of Joket, then he can take that up with Dragmire. As you may remember, we held a meeting and the Majora was open to many agreements in diplomacy and how the people of Joket shall be treated. Was the agreement not sent to him?"

"It was, your highness."

"Then as per the agreements, he is free to leave Joket and immigrate into any other part of Qin, as is any citizen of Joket, without penalty for the next three years. After three years he will have to go through the due process if he tarries. Reply to him as such." Zelda waved it off. "Unless any of you would argue that."

"Surely you can understand why it would be understandable for him to be concerned when his nationality is being shifted." One man said. "He is a noble. He has value. He isn't just some peasant."

Something about those words stirred Zelda up inside, but she kept herself appearing neutral. "Of course. His loyalty and work have value, but if he wishes to call into question whether he has to follow the rules or not then have him reminded that he served the former Chancellor. By all rights, I should have called for all of Ketsu's subjects to be executed as well if we were to go by norms. Isn't that right? Wouldn't any other king have done so?"

The men looked at each other nervously. The head minister said, "Yes, princess. Any other king would have had them all executed."

"Then the man should be grateful instead of concerned," Zelda replied.

From their silence, Zelda saw the issue was resolved. They did not agree about something, most likely Zelda's statement that he did not receive special obligation just because they said he was a noble.

"One last thing." The man said, "And this is large… General Ouki has requested an audience with you."

The men in the room gasped. Zelda felt herself still and her breathing hitched briefly.

Great General Ouki Mitagi wanted to meet with her.

She was new to being a monarch, but she had observed and learned much in her time. She read on the past kings and their daily lives, their journals, their opinions. If there was anything in the king's library she had read it. She had even found scrolls written by scribes of the king's sex lives since such things were considered sacred for reasons completely beyond her. She had also observed her subjects and figured out a few things.

Namely that Ouki held audience with no one. He neither called for them to meet with him at his estate, and he never came when called. When given orders, he ignored them unless it suited him. He could not be bargained with. He held no opinion on any political matter. All Ouki did was govern as lord of Mitagi, skewer the border for enemies, and scare everyone away. He could declare his land an independent state if he wanted to, no one could stop him, but Zelda received the impression he was too lazy and had no ambition. With no ambition, he desired nothing, asked no one for anything, and gave out nothing when asked. Mostly in part because in a way he already had it. Ouki was the pillar on which Qin's latest expansion was founded, and single-handedly insured Qin's security and prosperity along the border. Ouki had a city to rival Kanyou. His holdings were prosperous, mighty, and peaceful.

Simply General Ouki Mitagi answered to no one, not since King Shorlin and for the first time in twenty-something years he wanted an audience.

"When!?" Some asked.

"What does he want?!" Others exclaimed.

"Does he hope to gain something from the heir?"

The men yelled and asked questions too many for Zelda to focus on, questions she wanted to voice as well, but the head minister in session kept his attention on her, waiting for her question over theirs. Rather than ask for information the man did not have, Zelda opted for what information he did.

"What did his message say?" She asked.

The man did not have the paper on him, so a servant went to retrieve the message from the palace workers who managed the papers and messages they received. The paper was presented to the throne room, and the head minister opened the scroll. It bore the opened seal of Mitagi.

"The great general appears to forgo formality… as usual," The minister said. "He merely says, 'High Princess Zelda, I request an audience.'… that would be the extent of the message."

"A simple message," Zelda observed.

"Indeed…" One man stroked his beard. "It makes me wonder what is being left out."

Another said, "It is a short message, perhaps he has interest more in establishing dialogue then having a meeting immediately?"

"Or he is leaving a great deal left unsaid to test us."

Zelda sighed as the men bickered. They didn't argue in the form that they had a conflict, but what could they say in response? Should they arrange a meeting immediately? Later? Should they reach out and see if he could meet with them at the palace?

Zelda felt herself sway a bit, her vision blurred, but she stopped herself, closed her eyes, and focused.

Zelda said, "Let us take a day to consider this. While I recognize what you are saying, the thing to consider is that this man is not a normal politician. He is a soldier, and if anyone here has experience with soldiers speak up. Would you say soldiers are complex or simple?"

"Simple, princess."

"Then let us remember that." Zelda continued. "Now, let us end this for the day unless something big comes up. And by that, I mean 'bigger than Ouki'. I want you all to put on hold what you are already working on and figuring out a response for Ouki. Let's not focus on what to do when I meet with him, but rather when he wishes to meet."

"You would give him the power to choose when to meet you? Are you not the monarch?"

"And has he not ignored every attempt to force him into submission? Rather than attempt to beat the horse into submission, let us see what his angle is."

She saw Ouki to be the very spirit of the wild horse. He was strong enough to bear a kingdom on his back, fast as a bird, untamable as the wind, and yet loyal to the death when he chose a rider. In this case, he had chosen King Shorlin. Since his 'rider' was dead, the horse was left… empty-hearted and aloof.

Zelda wanted Ouki. He was the strongest piece on the board she could ever possess. She wanted his power, but more than that she wanted the one thing no one had ever claimed: his loyalty.

With the meeting over, Zelda left. For the first time in what felt like forever she had time for herself. So she spent a nice meal in the comfort of the Fae Grove and afterward hunted down the man responsible for all the woman showing up in her bedroom.

Her first instinct was to take the man by the throat and demand what in the realms he was doing shoving whores in her room. It took a lot of self-control to only demand his presence and wait patiently for him.

The man entered in with a smile. The smile quickly disappeared when he saw the look on her face. "Princess?"

"You have been sending whores into my room every night."

"Ye-yes?" The man swallowed. The offensive usage of the word 'whores' made him realize she did not approve. "I take it you are not pleased?"

Zelda laughed condescendingly. "Why in the nine realms would I be pleased with whores and prostitutes in my room? It's not like I have anywhere else with true privacy or self-respect."

"P-princess, I am sorry! A thousand apologies! I thought it was what you wanted!"

Zelda hissed, "And what gave you that impression?"

"Well… Impa brought the first of the royal harem girls into your room some nights ago… and she told me you were pleased."

Zelda blinked in surprise and felt some of her anger go away. The man acted on false information but believed he was doing what was right. It wasn't an attack on her in some way unless he was bought out by someone else.

"When exactly was this?" Zelda queried. For the life of her, she couldn't remember a time this happened.

"Just before Kyou's coup. I figured it went well because… immediately after you were more… open. I figured you had a good night with her and… some pent up 'needs' were met."

Zelda felt her throat clench as he spoke. If it was just before Kyou's coup, then the only person Impa had ever brought into her room was… Midna.

Midna had been dressed in very revealing clothing, but when the face was revealed Zelda had been too shocked to notice the rest of her body or what she was wearing. Midna had been snuck in as a whore to bypass normal security measures and to get direct access to Zelda. The body double worked, but an unfortunate consequence was that Midna was brought in as a prostitute and people were not blind.

"That is true," Zelda said neutrally. She couldn't just tell him it was all based on a lie. Very few knew Midna was her body double. The rest either speculated there was a faked body or Zelda had risen from the dead to exact vengeance. At this moment Zelda could no longer remember why she wanted to keep the truth a secret and let people think what they wanted. She wanted now to say the truth and have the man stop.

She still could, but she would need a different reason behind it.

"Well… once was enough." Zelda decided. "I no longer need whores. Send them all away."

"My lady," The man bowed. "I think you misunderstand. They are not whores. You see… they are from the royal harem. When a monarch reaches a certain age then their body demands certain needs and being royalty, you have certain women devoted to meeting those needs so you can focus on your work. True, it can be sexual, but it also does not have to be. The girls are trained to sing, to recite poetry, to play an instrument, to dance, to please the senses, to relax you with a massage or any service you require. What's more, they are not whores not only because of that but because many of them are from noble families across Qin. These are the highborn woman. Just as you have men guard you, you have women to service you. Both come from noble families… and refusing their services would only be political suicide."

"How is that? It is fair enough that the girls can do more than a romp in a bed, but why should I feel threatened by refusing the services of the royal harem?"

"Because… with so many daughters of the nobles of Qin in the royal harem… hoping to gain recognition from you the only way they can… how do you think they would feel if you told them their daughters amounted to nothing to you? If they had no chance to gain anything?"

Zelda knew the answer. They would be furious. Everyone who submitted to the throne of Qin would turn on it, and she would be back to being powerless… and facing civil war again. Zelda breathed in and out slowly, struggling to contain the spiraling emotions. "They would be angry. Thank you for the advice, especially as it seems I am ignorant of some things."

"Not at all, princess. I live to serve."

Zelda didn't know how to answer that.

"What's more… princess. It is crucial to being in the royal family because it is the responsibility of a prince… or in your case a princess, to be able to produce children."

Zelda didn't know how many more heart attacks she could take. She was closer and closer to having a full panic attack. "You expect me to…"

"King Shorlin was about your age when he started, and he produced many children. King Aou was a little older and did the same. Your father was the same age and he produced children later in his years, but he did." Seeing Zelda was on the verge of a panic attack, he quickly changed his tune. "B-but it would require a man and you need not do that until you feel ready! It is a responsibility, but you have time! Plenty of it."

"No men," Zelda said. Her hands shook and she clenched them together.

"No men." He agreed.

"No men."

"Right… no men."

"No men." Zelda continued her mantra.

He nodded.

Not sure what else to say… or do, Zelda left.

She was trapped. She was trapped in a world that revolved around politics, greed, war, and now sex. She had chosen this for her home, but had she reached a better place than in Zhao? Was this not the world that had trapped her mother and transformed the woman into a lowly prostitute?

"No!" Zelda exclaimed suddenly. She ignored the startled looks of others around her. "I am not her… I will not fail. Its… just some girls. I am still the one in control."

Zelda returned to her room and slept. It was only midday, but she had enough of this day.

-That Night-

As always, the harem minister returned to the royal harem to choose. As always the best girls were presented before him, and he saw such beauty that made his mouth water and his trousers tight. He saw sensuality that awakened the senses.

But he also remembered what Zelda said and how she reacted. Before he had brought girls that were of a different variety, young and mature, virgins and experienced, but all were beautiful and sensual and incredibly pleasing. But he was also a man and saw things differently if her screaming and anger were any indication.

Though it left him confused about why she found that first girl acceptable and not any others.

"Do you have anyone else?" He asked.

-Later-

Zelda did not always sleep the entire night. She often woke for periods. When she had these nights she would pull out a scroll from the king's library and read by candlelight.

There was a gentle knock on the door. Raising an eyebrow, Zelda said, "Come in."

The guards opened the door and Zelda felt her hackles rise at the sight of a girl behind the door. The girl was ushered in, and the door was shut.

'Breathe.' Zelda told herself. This wasn't anything more than a kind of entertainment servant. Zelda wouldn't mind a poem or instrumental music, and if she was extremely outgoing she could see how a massage would be nice, but it didn't need to get further than that.

She did not move, only watched. The girl ushered in did not move either. It was for the longest moment, merely a staring contest. The moment lasted ages. The concubine, whore, prostitute, service girl, whatever she was, stared at Zelda.

Slowly Zelda felt her nerves ease. The girl was wearing modest clothing and wasn't as beautiful as… never mind. The girl was imperfect in every way. She had freckles and her face wasn't structured like a goddess. Her clothing was clean but was tarnished with dirt from ages past. She looked… normal. Completely normal. Not a girl straight off the street like a cheap whore, but a girl taken into the harem from a normal family.

Zelda returned her eyes to what she was reading, but her attention was really on the girl. Would she dance? Strip? Sing? She didn't bring an instrument, so she wouldn't be playing anything.

Amazingly the girl did none of that. She trembled, she cleared her throat, she shook in a bundle of nerves, and she slowly climbed onto the bed… and laid next to Zelda. All the while checking how Zelda would react.

After a while, the girl finally worked up the nerve to ask, "Is there anything you desire from me, princess?"

"What is your name?" Zelda asked.

"S-S-S-Sarah, princess."

"Well, Sarah, on nights like this I want to read and sleep. So what I desire most is silence."

Wasn't hard. Before Zelda knew it, the girl was asleep. Zelda raised an eyebrow. This was far beneath everything provided thus far, and yet for some reason, it did more than anything any other girl had done for her. Although the girl's nervousness was annoying, the girl didn't trigger her or bring back flashes of memory. Zelda could settle for annoying. She blew out the candle and laid down herself. She saw her Fae servant disappear into the bed for the night as well.

When morning arose, Zelda did not rise. An unusual occurrence for her, so the guards briefly checked in to find, to their amazement, she was in a deep sleep. The girl attendant was a nervous bundle of nerves afraid to move lest she disturb the princess, but the princess herself was completely dead to the world.

-Jouto, Link-

Link stayed in Kanyou up until he received a paper from Zelda granting him a piece of land from the Jouto region, as well as a house. He was granted freedom from slavery and was compensated with a small sack of silver to help get him started on his new life. He was allowed to keep Midna's blade. The papers were stamped with the palace seal, and with a quick goodbye, he was off.

When Link laid eyes on the village, it did not look the same as before. It had the same people, but they did not feel the same to him. Whether it be something he consciously recognized or not, he had grown. His exposure to battle, death, to things bigger than him and his little problems, all of it had opened his eyes in a way he never would have expected.

The villagers returned to their old village in Jouto, and started the process of rebuilding. Link's friends Bi 'Bucktooth' Hei and Bi Tou cried when they saw Midna's body. Link held to Zelda's secret and claimed she died helping him defend the throne, a lie to which the Mayor held to. So the night of Link's return there was a feast to celebrate the village's life and a funeral for Midna. It was a night of both joy and sadness, and between the exhaustion of emotions from weeping and the drinking, no one woke the next day.

Midna was buried on a grassy hill overlooking the village of Jouto. Her body was bathed in oils and wrapped in linen donated by Zelda.

While Link had grown, let it not be forgotten he was still very much Link. He stopped by the shop while most people were drunk (he detests alcohol after what the soldiers put him through) and ordered milk. A chicken walked by, and when the two saw each other they stopped to glare hatefully at each other. How a chicken can glare at a human being is beyond understanding, but then one could argue that Link is barely human by multiple standards and sources. Link added chicken to his order, and the chicken proceeded to panic and flee to Link's amusement.

The house Link was given was little more than a shack. It was barely an upgrade from his previous hut. The only true discernable difference was the addition of a wooden floor. Tou felt sorry for him but quickly changed their tune when Link yelled.

"It's my house! It's my first house! Look at it! Isn't it awesome!" Link ran in and admired it. "It has a wooden floor and everything! It has a fire pit so I can cook when I want! It's near a river, so I can bathe when I want! Shit when I want!"

"Yeah…" Tou chuckled. "It's just like you to see the bright side of things. Are you going to work on it?"

"Nope." Link smiled. "I don't plan to be home enough for that. Now that I'm free, I'm going back out to the battlefield. This house is going to grow into a castle. Just you wait."

He chuckled in disbelief. "Sure… sure."

-Later-

"Link." The mayor said, "I need your help."

Link jumped up in excitement. "Sure thing! What you need! What general am I being sent to? Did the princess put in word for me? I knew they would be hearing about me, but I didn't it would be this quickly! Where is Qin being invaded!?"

"It's nothing like that…" The mayor muttered. Just where did the young man get all this energy? He had been asking himself that for as long as he knew the boy, and he never could figure it out. "The princess has claimed the throne, and as a loyal vassal, we will be showing our allegiance to her rule by offering tribute. We also have a shipment going to Joket."

"Yeah?" Link asked, just a little bit disappointed.

"I know in the past you worked as the merchant's assistant-"

"Is that another word for human donkey?"

"-but now that you are a warrior, and one of the only ones in Jouto with any fighting experience, our merchants have asked me to hire you as a bodyguard. It's an important job, Link. Many of our crops were burned by Ketsu, and we have to rebuild the village. We need to keep up the trade and prove to our clients we are still dependable."

Link dropped his shoulders and grumbled. "You want me to be a babysitter?"

"More or less." The mayor smiled. He handed out a scroll. "This is the contract."

Link narrowed his eyes at the man and grumbled at his smirking face. "Tch. Fine!" He snatched the scroll from his hands. "I'll trust you on this… You know I can't read."

-Joket (formerly belonging to Chancellor Ketsu), Ganondorf Dragmire-

"How did the meeting go?" Ganondorf asked.

His second, Nabooru, closed the door and entered the room. She patted Kagami between the ears and stood by Ganondorf at the window. His red eyes met her frustrated ones briefly before looking back out over the city.

"That bad?" Ganondorf figured.

"There is very little we have in common. Our traditions are vulgar, our laws are barbaric, our wolves…" She smiled apologetically to Kagami. "Are little more than feral house pets in their eyes."

Kagami curled his lips back and growled.

Ganondorf frowned. He expected as much, but she sounded particularly aggravated.

"Did mother sabotage it?"

"No, in fact, they were oddly silent."

"A troubling thing in its own right… but we both knew this would be difficult. Why does it sound like this is worse than expected?"

"Simply put, there was nothing positive from the meeting. They are afraid of us. They see us as monkeys, barely worthy of walking on the same dirt as them."

Ganon chuckled. "Did they say as much?"

"Unfortunately, no. Blood would have been drawn if they did." She sighed.

"Ah-hah! So that's what got you down! You wanted a fight!"

"Is it too much to ask they have the balls to say what they're thinking and have it out!"

Ganon laughed at her aggravation. He patted her on the shoulder. "All things in time. Perhaps mother can drug them so they say what they think. Until then, we have to figure out how to make this work. The governor is working for us now, so instead of having meetings with the city elders, have a meeting just with him. Remember what we want from this."

Nabooru repeated the objectives they had, "To allow immigration and security for the Majora, and collect taxes and tribute so we can conquer the other mountain tribes."

"That's right."

Ganondorf excused her and put a hand on Kagami to calm the beast down. "I know you are angry, I feel it too, but something like this is hardly worth getting worked up about. It is all going to plan. Now, let's go for a run."

Kagami's ears perked up at the word 'run' and burst out the door the moment Ganon opened it. He chuckled at the beast's sudden chirpiness. The need to move and run was a joy he suddenly found himself sharing. The two sprinted out of the manor and into the streets. The citizens were all former Qin and fled at the sight of the dark-skinned, red-haired man running with a massive scarred wolf, and he made them no mind. His eyes were on the gates.

Ganon and Kagami ran out the gates of Joket, and Ganon paused to marvel. The walls and mountains no longer caged him. He could see to the horizon and beyond, and though the land he possessed did not extend far, surely Qin would not have a problem with one lone man entering the allied border?

Ganon and Kagami raced through the hills and plains. Every hill was a discovery, every tree was new and unique. For the first time in many years, Ganon felt he could extend his wings as far as he wanted without being caged. He could run for hours and race Kagami without tiring, and without anything to make him turn to the left or right. He didn't feel pain, he didn't feel burdened, he could run to his heart's content.

So he chased the sun until Din left his sight. When finally he stopped, Kagami and he was panting equally hard. Ganon stopped to sit on a rock, and Kagami collapsed by him, but both man and wolf were filled with smiles. Just like you can't keep a strong wolf caged in a house forever, nor could you contain Ganondorf to walls and mountains forever.

Ganon sighed and turned back towards Joket. He lit his hand on fire to light the way.

"Let's head back," he said. Kagami followed along at the slower pace they took.

Now that his pent up energy was gone, Ganon took the time returning to think.

Nabooru was his second in command. In every way, she should be chief by normal standards. She was smarter, sly, quick. She didn't have Ganon's awe-inspiring demonic presence nor his ambition, but she was better at reading people and understanding situations. She was also better at leading and managing people as a whole. Ganon was simplistic compared to her. As the years went by, Ganon found himself letting her have more and more say over how things are done with the Majora.

It wasn't a talk he had presented, but he had a mind to split their duties officially. The more Ganon thought about it, the more convinced he was suited to a role as 'champion' rather than 'king'. He would have by now, but Nabooru lacked ambition, and to Ganon a king needed to have ambition.

Like the High Princess Zelda. Just thinking about the young girl made his blood pump with excitement. That was a monarch with ambition! Her ambition made his desire to be paltry in comparison!

His ambition was to conquer the mountains surrounding Qin so when the day came for them to go to war, he wouldn't just be left on the sidelines watching… he would be one of the major players. There were still many tribes hidden beyond the borders of the plains people. He had seen her maps, and it amazed him how little of the mountains Qin realized existed. There was an entire country around their borders, and they had no idea.

But then, how to go about this?

Despite Nabooru's lack of ambition, it wasn't really necessary if used right. The ambition was not necessary with Joket. Ambition would be detrimental to his efforts there. Ganon hoped some Majora would immigrate to Joket, and pushing things would only be damaging. Ganon wanted the old hatred his mother's forced on him to be proven wrong so that he could shove it in their faces, and so they would stop pestering him that peace with Qin was a bad idea. Yes, Ganon was angry, but most of the people who had wronged his people were dead. What business did he have blaming people for the actions of their parents?

Ganon would encourage immigration and have Nabooru in charge of Joket over the governor to ensure there was no insurgency. His mothers would be in charge of Majora in the mountains. (They were too volatile to leave in charge of Joket around former Qin.)

Which left Ganon to lead the army and conquer their rival tribes.

"Well… can't do it immediately. We need money and weapons…" Ganon mused. "It will take time before I can become King of the Mountains, but all things in due time… Nabooru will probably call me lazy in the meantime. I'll have to find something to do… I may have made the selfish decision to aid Qin, and we gained a big city for it so the people are praising me, but that doesn't mean I'm any good at governing."

Kagami turned his head to his master. Ganon scrunched his face, "Don't give me that look! I'm not just alpha, I'm alpha's alpha. I tell other alphas what to do, and they lead the packs for me… you wouldn't understand." The wolf huffed and shook his fur.

They entered the city. Ganon had wanted to run to the sun and back, but he had made sure not to go too far. They had stayed in the eyesight of the city at the very least. It was night and the guards were at attention patrolling the deserted streets. It was generally in a state of unrest ever since Majora had gained the city. One set of guards stopped Ganon to demand to know what he was doing there, and they were quickly shut down.

"Kagami, your presence spooks the guards. Head back to the manor on your own." Ganon instructed the giant wolf. The wolf merely shook his fur and disappeared into the shadows.

Ganon was too large and obvious to hide. His hair almost glowed in the night.

A flash of red drew his attention, and Ganon turned to see a person with red hair running down the street. The red hair almost seemed to glow like his own. He had never seen anyone in Qin or Majora with such hair beside himself, so who was this? It drew the attention of guards just as much as he did, and the person was stopped.

Ganon drew closer and realized several things. First, the glowing hair belonged to a young girl. Second, she was white-skinned. Third, he did not recognize her, and he recognized the face of every person in Majora. All of this left him openly curious.

Who was she and why did she have hair like his?

The guards had stopped the girl and were on her, but he recognized from their tone that they were being gentle. She was a young girl, but she also seemed to have a reputation. They knew her to some extent. Very… odd for a Majoran to have a reputation from Qin soldiers.

"I'm sorry!" The girl squirmed, rubbing her hands together. "I know it was late and I shouldn't be out after dark and be home, but I was lost in myself in the fields and-"

"It's fine. Just hurry home." The guards told her.

"Hold." Ganon put his hand out and grabbed their attention. The girl's eyes lit up at the sight of him. "Who is this girl?"

The guards gulped when they saw Ganon. They looked toward each other. "Well?" Ganon pressed, annoyed by their hesitation.

"Malon, sir-chief-king Majora, sir."

"Just one title is all that is necessary…" Ganon growled. The men bowed quickly and apologized.

"Your hair is like mine!" Malon pointed up at him excitedly.

"That's right."

"Why is that!?"

"I do not know, I was hoping you could tell me." Ganon lowered himself onto one knee to get down on her level and get a good look at her. Even up close he did not recognize her. "Which family of Majora are you from? I do not recognize you, and I know the face of everyone in my tribe."

"Majora?" The girl tilted her head to the side. "You mean those monkeys that took the city?"

The guards drew in a breath, fearful of how Ganon would respond to being called a monkey. On Ganon's part, he was merely annoyed, but he didn't show it. She had heard things.

Malon continued, "I'm not a Majora monkey! I'm Qin!"

"That explains that, then. But how can you be Qin when you do not have their hair?"

"Oh, I have mom's hair!"

Oh, now that was interesting. "Your mother has hair like you and me?"

She nodded. "Yeah! It glows red in the dark too. Her eyes get all red like yours. Especially when I get her angry… Or when she drinks… Or all the time…"

His curiosity peaked, Ganon asked, "May I meet your mother?"

The girl looked at him long and hard. Was she judging his motives? Was she determining if it was safe or-

"Okay." She said simply.

Or just being a weird child.