To my surprise, within the hour, two more knights came in. One held in his arms several dozen books. Most were damaged by fire or age, but a few were legible in their entirety. They were random copies from my father's library, but I was happy to have them. Curiously mixed in with the tiresome accounts of war casualties and ancient law were lurid leather-bound womens' novels, with titles like "A Queen for a Day, a Woman for a Knight" and "The Rogue's Prisoner". I wondered if they'd been salvaged from the maids' quarters, and why. The knights left immediately after, and I spent my time reading the old ledgers, trying to decipher my father's cramped writing.

I woke with a start, looking around the room suspiciously. Its dingy wooden walls were so familiar as to be stifling. I'd fallen asleep with my cheek tucked into an ancient and boring account of petty war crimes commited by Hylian soldiers during some three hundred year old battle. I realized what I woke up to- someone had been leaving my room. They left behind a beautiful pale blue gown, with a low-cut bodice, and a note on folded white paper that simply read,

"Lord and Master Ganondorf politely requests your company for the breaking of our fast."

I doubted the tailor could have made the dress in a night, but I did not recognize it from my old wardrobe, and it fit well, if not a little loose. There was also a chipped basin of cool water, a wash rag, and a carefully polished circlet of gold. I warily wiped my face clean, particularly the words that had smudged onto my sleeping cheek. The last thing Ganondorf needed to see was an embarrassing recount of Gismuth the Lion-haired accidentally gashing his own thigh with his own sword emblazed across my cheek.

I finally dared to try the door. It was unlocked. But as soon as I walked out, two guards accompanied me on either side. For a few minutes, I entertained the idea of snatching a sword from one and seeing how far I could get, hacking and slashing my way through this abysmal existence. It might be a nice way to go on my wedding day. I paused on my way down the ruined stairs. I would never have a proper wedding day if I did not survive this. And Link had sworn to be with me, had he not? I gritted my teeth and continued on, past the guards that had stopped when I had. I would survive this.

I stormed into the dining hall with my arms at my sides, slamming the doors open with as much force as I could muster. Ganondorf looked up coolly from where he'd been waiting, standing at attention. "Good morning, princess." A knight pulled my seat out, and I sat down with a strained grimace of a smile. "Good morning, Ganondorf." He did not seem to mind my informality, but why would I mind his? The knights served us covered dishes, under which was a pitiful egg done over easy, with two half-slices of toast, a small pot of jam, and a thin rasher of ham that looked slightly green. I stared at the food, then looked slowly up at Ganondorf. He cleared his throat, looking… uncomfortable. I smiled to myself, knowing I could press this to my advantage. "Food seems to be scarce in the great kingdom," I remarked casually. Even though I was ravenous, I took my time, cutting the ham into the smallest pieces I could manage, and then going for the toast and jam. Ganondorf cleared his throat. "You see, your highness—this is why I request an allegiance between us. I am struggling to rule this place on my own. I desire your help, Zelda." I chewed absently on a piece of toast, taking my time. "And why would I be so eager to help you?" Ganondorf smiled. "Because it is in your best interest of keeping your life." I set my food down. "You are going to kill me anyway." Ganondorf shrugged. "I can be persuaded into sweetness with the right influence, your highness." I took a bite of the ham. It was slightly sour on my tongue. I could only imagine what sort of persuasion Ganondorf was looking for.

When breakfast was finished and I stood up, Ganondorf gestured to the knights. "Zelda, if you will be quite complacent, I will allow you to have run of the castle."

"Why?" I studied him with a frown. Ganondorf stood, rubbing his hands together. "It has been told to me that you are quite bored of your little room, and I hoped that perhaps a look around your old home would comfort you some. You do not have to be afraid of me, Zelda. I am happy to work with you, to recreate Hyrule." I walked away from him, the guards following me as I wandered through the gloomy halls of the castle. Ganondorf was not far behind them. "We can rebuild this castle after the wedding, better than it was."

I headed to my father's old room, what had been my room for only a short while, pushing the doors open. It was in rather poor condition, except for the bed, which was new, and larger than the one that had been in the room before. Ganondorf stepped up behind me and chuckled against my ear. "You are quite forward, aren't you?" I stared at the bed, feeling a warmth of sexual desire spread through my body, a strange smell on the air. "So, this is where you sleep. You don't deserve this room." I shoved my way past him, not daring to look up in his face. I held my jaw tight and tense as I briskly walked back into the main hall of the castle. Ganondorf caught up easily, standing next to me. I stopped and glared up at him. "Where is Link?" Ganondorf raised his eyebrows, and chuckled. "I do not know. Did we catch him?" Ganondorf turned around and looked at the two knights standing there. One of the knights nodded. "Was he killed?" Ganondorf asked next. I held my breath, staring. The other knight reluctantly nodded.

I staggered, nearly falling onto the floor. He'd died. That was why Link had not come back for me; why he was not with me now, to save me. I shuddered and put my hands to my face, feeling tears springing at my eyes. "No, please tell me it isn't true," I whimpered, staring at the guard. He only stared at me. I fell onto my knees and screamed, covering my ears with my hands. I screamed my loss until my voice started to crack and my throat turned sore. I could not move, I could not think. I could only feel the knife of my pain digging deeper into my gut. Ganondorf reached down and pulled me to my feet, and with one hand I slapped him across the face, hooking my fingers so that my nails would dig into the skin and leave scratches. Ganondorf swore and pushed me away from him. "You only have yourself to blame for his death! If you had given over to me the first time, when I asked, this never would have happened!" I charged back towards him and continued to slap Ganondorf's face, tears streaming down my cheeks. With a roar of frustration, he grabbed me by the arms and spun me around, grabbing both wrists behind my back. I wriggled and fought against him, but he was dragging me back towards his bedroom. "Let me go!" I screamed in my raspy voice.

Ganondorf ignored me, kicking his bedroom doors open and throwing me on the bed. I nearly rolled off, climbing down and jumping to my feet and pinning myself against the far corner. Ganondorf stormed after me, his eyes ablaze with an unmatched fury. He grabbed me again, by the hair this time, and threw me at the bed again. I hit something hard, and saw stars in my eyes, gasping for air. Ganondorf muttered a curse of frustration, and scooped me up with his hands, sitting me up on the bed and stroking my cheek. I recoiled from his touch. "Don't do that, Zelda. Be obedient to me, and I will do anything for you." I stared at him in bewilderment. "I will not yield to you," I replied, tears still streaming down my face. Ganondorf smiled sadly at me. "You will have no choice."