Aeris was exhausted, she could barely keep herself upright on Starlight's back as they crossed the gorge into Gerudo Valley. "Halt!" Isha's familiar voice rang out and Aeris could have cried.
"Isha it's me," Aeris allowed herself to lean against Star's neck and close her eyes, confident that she was safe.
The cold sharp edge of a blade being pressed against her neck caused Aeris to slowly open her eyes. Isha the guard who had been so kind to Aeris the night her life fell apart stood before her with a snarl on her lips. "You were stupid to come here traitor,"
Aeris could only stare at the woman, her heart hammering in her chest. "Isha?"
"Off the horse," Isha grabbed Aeris roughly by the arm and drug her off of Stars' back and shoved her roughly toward the Fortress gate. "Move,"
Aeris allowed herself to be roughly guided through the fortress. She watched as each Gerudo they passed sneered and laughed. She spotted Urora in the crowd, she prayed that he adoptive mother would step forward and put a stop to this insanity, but Urora did nothing.
Isha jabbed her spear into Aeris' back and continued to guide her through the fortress and into the throne room, where Nabooru stood waiting for them. The woman that Aeris had grown up with, her sister not by blood but by circumstances, stood before them eyes hardened and arms crossed.
Isha shoved Aeris to he knees. "Nabs, please," Aeris' voice wavered as she looked into those golden eyes. "Tell me what's happening,"
Nabooru scoffed. "How dare you," Aeris' mouth when dry as Nabooru stepped toward her. "You betray your king and come crawling back here," Nabooru grabbed Aeris' face in one hand.
Aeris jerked away, "How dare I? How dare you," Nabooru's eyes hardened as Aeris tried to rise. "I am still your queen," Aeris snarled as Isha jabbed the blunt end of her spear into that back of her knees.
"My queen?" Nabooru laughed. "You are just a Hylian playing dress up," Nabooru leaned close to Aeris face. "You are a pawn in a game that you didn't know was being played," Aeris swallowed thickly. "Take this Hylian filth to the dungeon, the king will deal with her when he has the time,"
Aeris was in a daze as Isha shoved her into the dungeons, and she could have cried from the irony when she was roughly thrown into the third cells on the left. Aeris leaned against the cold wall of the cell and slid down it's rough surface. She curled into herself, shaking from the combination of strong emotions and exhaustion.
Aeris wiped her face with dirty hands, pushing back the tears threatened to spill as she sat huddled in the corner of the cell that meant so much. As much as she tried to hold it in, the pain came out like an uproar from her throat in the form of a silent scream. The tears started falling down one after another, without a sign of stopping. She hit the wall and tried to scream, but her voice was melted by the deafening silence of the cell. The muffled sobs wracked against her chest. The world turned into a blur, and so did all the sounds. The taste. The smell. Everything was gone. The last painful emotion slammed against her before she lost the feeling of feeling. Everything darkened into nothingness as she passed into unconsciousness.
Aeris was woken by an intense wave of nausea, she gagged violently as she crawled to the opposite corner of the cell. The contents of her stomach were a putrid green against the stark grey walls.
Aeris heard the door at the top of the stairs swing open, and another wave of nausea wracked her small form. "Sands, Aeris,"
Aeris looked up through bleary eyes to see Nabooru looking at her through the bars of the cell with concern. "What do you want?" Aeris spat, more bile was rising in the back of her throat.
"I…" Nabooru opened her mouth but quickly shut it. "I didn't mean anything I said yesterday," Aeris scoffed and puked again. "I don't know what's going on," Nabooru's voice wavered, showing a weakness that Aeris had never seen before. "Koume and Kotake showed up early yesterday and declared you a traitor and Ganondorf the new King of Hyrule," Nabooru sighed. "What the hell happened?"
Aeris sat back against the cell wall, the cool stone felt good against her heated flesh. "I still don't know," Aeris sighed the events of the last few days playing through her head, the face of the young soldier flashed through her head and tears started falling again. "I… He… I watched him decapitate King Daphnes," Nabooru sucked in a harsh breath. "And when he called for the princess…" Aeris choked back a sob. "I couldn't let him," Aeris slammed her fist against the floor. "I killed a soldier to get her out of there,"
"Aeris," Nabooru's voice broke.
"You wanna know the craziest part?" Aeris interrupted Nabooru. "I swear it wasn't him," Aeris chuckled darkly. "I know it's crazy. I know it's probably just my brain trying to convince itself, but I swear," Aeris looked up at Nabooru. "It didn't feel like Ganondorf. The things he said, the way he moved… The things he said to me,"
Nabooru stared at Aeris blankly. "No one here feels the same either," She swallowed thickly. "Even Urora… Aeris, she said things about you that she never would have said,"
"He hit me," Aeris words stopped Nabooru in her tracks.
"He what?" Nabooru's golden eyes were barely slits.
"When he found me trying to help Zelda and her nursemaid out of the castle, he…" Aeris' voice broke again.
She didn't hear the cell door open, but when Nabooru's arms wrapped around her she collapsed into her sisters arms, sobbing. Nabooru rocked her gently as she cried, and tried her best to calm her.
"How did I get here?" Aeris leaned her head back against Nabooru's shoulder. "I was supposed to grow up on a farm, with goats and my mom and dad. I was supposed to marry some Hylian boy that would try his best to love me and we would have a farm of our own, with four little Hylians with my hair and his eyes running around,"
Nabooru buried her face in Aeris' hair. "I don't know, but the Ganondorf I know. He loved you so much that he broke laws to be with you,"
Aeris snorted. "Well obviously we got to know the wrong man," She stopped. "Or something changed," Aeris pulled away from Nabooru and stood up. "You said that Koume and Kotake came?"
Nabooru stood. "Yeah,"
"Is that when everyone started acting weird?" Aeris sighed. She hated witches.
"Yes," Nabooru seemed to be catching on.
"How are you still you though?"
"They called an assembly in the courtyard, but I didn't go. I needed a minute alone… I've just been playing along until I could figure it out" Nabooru's eyes widened as she caught on to Aeris' train of thought.
"Bring me Urora," Aeris brought her hand up to her necklace. "I think I know how to fix her,"
"I'm not speaking to traitorous filth!" Urora sounded absolutely livid as Nabooru guided her down the dungeon stairs.
Aeris stood with her hands wrapped around the bars of her cell, waiting for Nabooru to bring Urora to her. As the two women approached Aeris studied the gem that sat on Urora's forehead. The same black energy that had swirled through her necklace was present in the large yellow gem. "Urora,"
The woman snarled at Aeris. "Do not address me,"
"I love you too," Aeris turned her head as Urora spit at her. "That's ok, I know this isn't you,"
Aeris stuck her hand out toward the woman. She didn't have Ganondorf's magic but she had another idea. "Can I have one last hug from the woman who raised me?"
Urora looked to Nabooru who nodded. Aeris wrapped her hands around the woman's head as she stepped forward and slammed her head against the bars of the cell.
Nabooru cried out as Urora slumped to the floor. "Aeris!"
"Did I break the gem?" Aeris crouched down and moved Urora's head revealing that the yellow gem was now cracked and broken.
When Urora stirred, Aeris and Nabooru were waiting. "Why is my head killing me?" The woman looked around. "And why is Aeris in a cell?"
Aeris let out a sigh of relief. "Welcome back,"
Aeris and Nabooru took turns filling in Urora on the new found craziness in the world. When they finished Urora sat in silence for a moment, before falling back against Nabooru. "What in the hell is happening?" The woman broke down in tears. "Why is this happening?"
Aeris grabbed Urora's hands through the bars and squeezed them. "It's gonna be ok," Aeris looked to Nabooru.
"We'll figure it out,"
The three of them decided to keep up the charade, until they could figure out what to do. Urora would sneak into the dungeons to sit with Aeris at night and discuss their plans, but during the day she was alone.
With her thoughts as her only company she sat in silence, until a guard would bring her a single tray of food and small pail of water. For three days she sat in the corner of her cell, still in her bloody dress. The skirt was stiff and uncomfortable, and there was still dried blood on her skin.
The door to the dungeon swung open and a guard that Aeris barely recognized emerged with Aeris' daily tray of food. "Ralusa,"
"Here's your food," Ralusa threw the tray through the bars, spilling the contents. "Oops. It's not like you could keep it down anyway," The woman sent a pointed look at the corner of the cell. "Fucking disgusting,"
Aeris swallowed thickly and grabbed the thin slice of bread from the cell floor, knowing it was the only thing she could keep down. She took a tentative bite of bread and watched Ralusa disappear back up the stairs.
Aeris sighed as she finished the slice of bread, she sat back against the wall of the cell waiting for the inevitable wave of nausea. Her mind began to wander to the other times she'd sat alone in this very cell. Happy memories of stolen kisses and lingering touches.
The door to the dungeons slammed open and Aeris tried to rise to her feet, but her stomach cramped, Aeris hissed and slid back down the wall. Aeris didn't need to be standing to know who was walking down the stairs, anyway. His heavy footfalls and the clinking of heavy armor gave away his identity.
It wasn't long before Ganondorf was standing before Aeris' cell, still in the midnight black armor he'd been wearing that night, the scowl on his face made Aeris shudder. "Took you long enough," Aeris shakily rose to her feet.
Ganondorf said nothing as he put his hand on the cell door. Aeris felt the air change as he used a jolt of energy to unlock the door. He crossed the cell in two quick steps and took Aeris by the throat, lifting her into the air. "You betrayed me," His voice was like ice, cold and deadly.
"What was I supposed to do? Let you murder an innocent little girl?" Aeris gasped for air.
Ganondorf tightened his grip and Aeris clawed at the thick metal gauntlets. "I will find her eventually," He pulled Aeris closer to his face. "And you won't be there to stop me,"
His grip on her throat tightened more and Aeris choked. "Are you that much of a monster now?" His grip loosened enough for Aeris to suck in a quick breath. "Monster enough to kill your pregnant wife?"
Aeris wheezed as she was dropped roughly and Ganondorf took several steps back. "Pregnant?" His gaze was softer now. "How long?" His shoulders sagged.
"Enough," Aeris rubbed her throat. "Does it change anything?"
Ganondorf's eyes hardened again and he straightened his back. "An unseen obstacle nothing more," He left the cell and the door closed behind him with a click. "Someone will come to collect you, prepare yourself to return to the castle,"
"Urora," Aeris prayed that any on Ganondorf's humanity would listen to her. "Can it be Urora?"
Ganondorf looked at her coldly. "As you wish,"
Aeris scrambled to the corner of her cell and emptied the meager contents of her stomach, when she finished she wiped her mouth and sat back against the wall and cried
A/N: So... that happened... Did anybody see that coming?
I may enjoy putting Aeris through emotional turmoil a bit to much