Three weeks later…

Chusai had been summoned to the War Room. She had traded her blue tunic, not by choice, for a black-and-silver one similar to Ganondorf's. She had also cut off her braid and dyed her hair black, though this had nothing to do with the clothing. She did not want to be recognized by anyone outside the castle.

She bowed at the door. Inside, Ganondorf stood examining a large map of Hyrule, spread out over a table. "Come in," he said, not looking up.

Chusai stood at the table opposite, still not willing to stand any closer than necessary. For a long while she waited as he poured over the map, not at all interested in engaging in conversation.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Chusai," he said, "Have you ever travelled to the Gorons' mines?"

"Yes," she said, and stopped there, not about to give him any more information than necessary.

"Most of the raw supplies for weaponry come from there, don't they?"

"Yes."

"As I'm sure you've heard…the Goron elders have refused to trade with the Hylian palace. I don't think any amount of bargaining is going to change their mind…I wonder if it would be possible to take the mines by force. The Gorons' tunnels…are they complex?"

Chusai smiled inside. The labyrinthine tunnels of the Gorons' domain were legendary. "No," she lied deliberately. "They live quite close to the surface."

His eyes flicked upward and rested on Chusai; she wavered slightly, feeling pinned by his gaze. She tried to stifle a sigh of relief as he looked back down at the map and traced his finger over a far corner. "Have you been to the Zora's domain?"

"Yes."

"I hear that the Hylian royal family has left them alone in the past, as they keep to themselves and don't pose any kind of threat." His voice was calm, conversational.

"Yes."

"I think it would be a good idea to keep that policy."

Chusai blinked. That didn't sound like what she had expected him to say.

He smiled slightly and traced his finger from the Zora's domain down along the river to Lake Hylia. "Yes, a good idea indeed. For the Zora control the river's source, and the river leads to the lake, which is the main water source for Hyrule…isn't that correct?" He raised his head and looked her straight in the eyes. "It would be a terrible thing indeed…if the Zora felt so threatened by us that they closed off the water source. There would be a massive drought, followed by a famine, and quite a few people here would die…don't you think?"

Chusai shuddered inwardly, and tried to steady herself. "Yes…"

He gave her a satisfied little smile, and then returned to the lower part of the map. "Perhaps, then, with so much at stake, I had better ensure I have the best information possible on them and the Gorons, don't you?"

It was long past sunset, and Chusai was relieved that she would finally be able to retire to her quarters. But first came an absurd ritual that required her presence every night.

She accompanied Ganondorf to the high tower where Zelda had exiled herself. At the closed door to her chamber, Ganondorf made a small bow. "Milady," he addressed the princess, "May I come in?"

The inquiry always made Chusai's skin crawl. There could only be one reason why he would ask such a question at this time of night. Luckily, it was as absurd as it was disturbing.

"No, you may not," came the reply, always the same.

"As you wish, Milady," he said, and turned back.

Chusai didn't understand this at all. He was the type of person that would break down the door and be done with it. He had already violated all of Hyrule, so she wasn't sure what held him back. Of course, she wasn't about to ask, not wanting to give him any ideas or encouragement. But the whole point of the performance mystified her. It wasn't as if Zelda could see him bow to her, after all.

She bowed as he entered his own chambers. "Good night, my Lord." She could not bring herself to address him as anything higher than the rank of courtier.

Strangely, he did not seem to mind. "Good night, Chusai Ordana."

Once she was well down the hall, Chusai sprinted back to Zelda's tower, even though she only had a few precious hours of rest left. She kneeled at the door and asked, "Your Highness…may I come in?"

Zelda bid her enter, and Chusai bowed. "Your Highness…has there been any news?"

Zelda's face was grave. "The third Triforce moves, but I have not yet been able to divine its location."

Chusai tried to hide her disappointment. "Of course…forgive me for troubling you."

Zelda looked at her directly. "Chusai, what has he been doing?"

"Figuring things out," Chusai told her bitterly. "Somehow he seems to glean information even when I only give yes or no answers."

"He is cunning, Chusai. You must be on your guard at all times. Do not believe that his stolen Triforce is the sole source of his power."

"Yes, your Highness. "

"Go to sleep, Chusai. You must remain alert and aware to fight him."

Chusai excused herself and made her way to her chambers. Once there, she fell asleep immediately.

Chusai hated the campaigns. They were nothing more than a show of power, a show that put her on display like a dancing monkey. She could see the hatred in her peoples' eyes, staring at the traitor Hylian that served the evil king. None dared close to throw even foul words, but she could still feel their anger burn her like flaming arrows.

The convoy of dark warriors passed by the gate of a small village. As the last one passed, someone jumped from the gate and threw a rotted tomato at their backs.

The entire group stopped as one, and Chusai heard a little yelp of fear. Ganondorf turned round his black charger and led the group slowly through the gates, into the heart of the village itself, past shuttered windows and locked doors. In the small square were a group of men with farmers' tools, trying their hardest to look menacing.

Ganondorf's face was passive, almost bored. "It seems," he said slowly in a low rumble, "that the inhabitants of this village do not deem their lives and crops valuable enough to warrant the protection of the Crown."

Chusai could hear malevolent chuckles behind her, and knew what was coming next. On a sudden inspiration, she leaped off her horse and kneeled before Ganondorf, her back to the little group of villagers. "My Lord, you may want to reconsider…for your own sake."

"Eh?" His eyes sparkled with amusement. "Do you think there is one here who could challenge me?"

One voice cried out in the terrified crowd, too high to belong to much more than a boy. Chusai spoke quickly. "My Lord, this village grows the fine cherries and pomegranates that you prize so highly. What do you think will happen if you burn it to the ground?"

It was a rhetorical question, of course. She knew he understood full well what would happen, and took his silence as a good sign. "My Lord, perhaps you should simply request that a tribute be paid, as a gift to you, and so that their scarcity of crops to sell at the market serves as a reminder of what can happen."

She kept her eyes on the ground, praying. Finally, to her relief she heard him say. "You heard my lieutenant. That's all the warning you'll be given for now."

The convoy turned and started back the way it came. As Chusai mounted her horse, she felt something strike her hard in the shoulder. She turned and saw a young boy with a slingshot staring at her with murder in his deep blue eyes, no sign of fear at all.

She looked at him for a long while, then turned her horse and joined the rest of the convoy.