"Dalin, have you seen Maroi?" Chusai asked one of the few employees of the castle who still remained.
The young guard shook his head. "No, ma'am. I haven't seen him for days."
"I've checked his chambers and the Hall of Records; he's neither resting or at work. Dalin, do me a favor and let me know if you see him. He's old, and I think the past few months have been wearing on him."
Dalin flicked his eyes back and forth to ensure they were not being heard, then permitted himself a brief smile. "Grim times for all of us, Lady Ordana."
She nodded. "So they are," she replied, her voice low. "All we can do is keep faith in our Princess."
She turned and continued down the hall toward the throne room. The gray tinges of early sunrise still marked the sky. Chusai could not understand why the usurper king could get up at such an ungodly hour and then stay out late at night. There didn't seem to be much to do; the entire country was terrified of him. As she took her place by the throne, she wondered how things could possibly get worse, then reminded herself that things always find a way.
Ganondorf walked in, acknowledged her bow, and sat down, apparently expecting something. Chusai had no idea what; none of the representatives from the outlying areas ever came to the castle anymore.
After a few minutes, two guards – his, not Zelda's – brought in a trembling middle-aged man, his entire face and body looking like it might wither in panic. As he got a good look at the broad-shouldered warlord sitting in the throne, he dissolved into jelly.
Chusai frowned. She recognized the man as Lonnai, a merchant in the castle town. He had never been very trustworthy, and in the past complaints about shady dealings had reached the palace before, but it had never been of any consequence.
"What are the charges?" Ganondorf asked the guards. Chusai looked at him in puzzlement.
"Conspiracy, my King," the guard on the right answered. "Receiving banned items for the purpose of undermining the throne."
The balding man whined like a puppy and covered his head with his hands, unable even to speak in his defense.
"Well, you know what to do," Ganondorf told his guards. "But thank you for bringing this to my attention."
The guards clamped their hands on Lonnai, and he yelped in terror. Thinking quickly, Chusai brought her head down close to Ganondorf's. "I beg your pardon, My Lord, but what is the evidence?"
"Evidence?" he asked, his tone of voice adding, "What makes you think we need it?"
"I know it is not your business to get involved in the minutiae of castle gossip," she said quickly, "but we have dealt with this man in the past and I find it hard to believe that he has the mental ability and backbone to engage in the charges presented."
The ghost of a smile tugged at Ganondorf's lips. "Indeed?" He turned to the guards. "So, then, what is the evidence?"
"A tip from another citizen, my King," the right-hand guard replied.
"I should warn you," Chusai said to Ganondorf before anyone else could speak, "this man has made quite a few enemies through petty squabbles over the years. It would not surprise me if someone spread a false rumor just to pay him back for some minor injury."
He flicked his eyes toward Chusai, and she caught a hint of amusement within them. "If he is a troublemaker, then why not get rid of him?"
Chusai cringed in disgust at what she had to say in order to spare the man's life. "Because he will remember it, My Lord, and perhaps he will be useful to the Crown in the future."
"Very well then," Ganondorf addressed the guards in a bored tone. "You may release him."
Chusai breathed a sigh of relief, but stopped halfway as Ganondorf turned to her. "Lieutenant, I think that we should go on another campaign. I want to see you at the castle gates by noon. In the meantime, I need to prepare for something on my own."
No other explanation was required of him. Chusai watched in puzzlement as he walked toward the Hall of Records without her, a feeling of cold dread creeping over her.
Ganondorf became strangely talkative as the small group departed from the castle gate, in a good humor for much of the march. He passed the time telling Chusai stories of his homeland, and seemed intent on keeping her attention. As the long march wore on, Chusai began to lose track of where they were going.
"Ah, here we are," he said finally, and Chusai looked up in consternation to see that they had arrived at her home village. She kept her expression impassive. "What is our business here, My Lord?" she asked, trying to keep her voice disinterested.
He smiled at her, and she knew it could mean nothing good. "You know, I have learned a great many things about Hylian strategy since coming here," he told her. "Most of it is paltry drabble, but now and again I do come across gems of ingenuity. One of my most recent discoveries was the fact that certain high-ranking palace officials do not have their genealogies on hand."
Chusai felt her skin chill as he continued. "I thought to myself, why could this be? Usually nobles are so insistent that their bloodlines remain pure that they have family trees going back thousands of years. Then I noticed a pattern. The individuals of great strategic importance in the castle have their genealogies hidden. And you know why that is, don't you?"
Her mind screamed at her to run, to get away, but there was nowhere she could go. "Because an enemy could exploit that individual's family ties," she said in a dead voice.
"Exactly!" he said brightly. He dismounted and motioned for her to do the same, then clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Lieutenant, you are a valuable asset to me, but unfortunately your protective nature toward even the dolts and the dregs of your people is a stumbling-block in your development. But don't worry…I have found a way to mend that for you."
Instinctively, she stepped back, but he pulled her forward, nearer to him. "Chusai, today you are going to be reborn anew. We are going to sever your old ties and then you will be free to serve me to your fullest."
"My Lord…" Chusai attempted to pull herself from his grasp without being obvious. "This is hardly necessary…"
"Oh, but it is," he said as he pulled her into the village gates. "I can't have you distracted, you won't be able to do your job properly. "
They walked into the village square, and to her horror Chusai saw three people kneeling and bound in the middle of the square. The rest of the small settlement had been forced to come as well, but they stood as far from the three individuals as they could.
Chusai's eyes widened as she recognized her mother, father, and brother. "My Lord, this isn't necessary," she implored, panic creeping into her voice. "You don't need to do this in order to secure my obedience…"
"Guards, stand ready," Ganondorf commanded, paying no attention. The campaign host drew their weapons.
Chusai ran in front of them and kneeled. "My Lord, I beg of you to reconsider…"
She was cut off by a sharp blow to the side of her head. She raised herself painfully to her knees to see Ganondorf standing over her, the palm of his hand extended. He turned to the guard and barked another order.
Chusai drew her own weapon and stood her ground in front of her sobbing family. "Anyone who touches them dies!" she announced. "You'll have to cut through me to get to them!"
"Ganondorf shook his head in disappointment. "We can't have that, Chusai. I know you're very strong-willed, though, so of course I was prepared for this…"
He made a small gesture with one hand, and suddenly Chusai's muscles seized up. She felt herself being dragged off to the side, and strong arms pinning her own behind her back. Suddenly the spell ended, and she found herself on her knees facing the scene.
Ganondorf barked a final order. The guard ran their weapons through the three kneeling villagers. Chusai screamed and threw herself against her captors, cursing the dark King, struggling to free herself. She bit at the hands that held her and slammed her weight into each of them.
"Chusai!" Ganondorf snapped. "Enough!"
"I'll kill you myself!" she shrieked, staring with maddened eyes, lunging like a wild animal. "Come here and fight me!"
He spoke with sinister calm. "Chusai, you must learn obedience." He drew his own weapon, and pulled a young woman from the crowd. She did not even have time to cry out before she fell dead. "Calm yourself, Chusai, or more will follow."
"What?" The screams of the villagers pierced her brain. "What are you doing?"
He pulled a small child from the panicked crowd as it tried to move away from him, only to meet the rest of the campaign. "No, don't!" she exclaimed. It was no use.
"Stop!" She screamed. Another death. "Stop it, stop it! What do you want me to do?"
The cries of the villagers reached a fevered pitch, some of them slipping on pools of blood as they scrambled away from their fallen comrades. Ganondorf turned to Chusai with the calm demeanor of a patient schoolteacher. "I want you to obey, Chusai. Stand down."
Chusai leaned against the arms of her captors, the tearful pleas of her childhood friends echoing in her ears. Every muscle in her body beseeched her to run forward, to protect them, to throttle the man who had walked into their peaceful lives like the Grim Reaper in a wheat field.
Another death cry. "No, stop, please!" She fell to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes as she turned from the carnage in front of her. She remained kneeling, head bowed, as he walked toward her.
"Very good," he said in a calm, almost paternal matter. "Of course, you are not completely reborn yet. But the first stage is complete, so that is encouraging. See, Chusai? Most of them still live. You were able to come to your senses before they all perished."
He turned to one of the guards, speaking low so that she did not hear. "She will be unstable for a while," he said. "Breaking a person and rebuilding them is a delicate process. I have the next stage set up at the castle. Watch her and ensure that she does not attack any of the soldiers…or attempt to harm herself."
Chusai stayed kneeling on the ground, her stomach compacting into dry heaves, her hands shaking. The smell of blood and soot permeated the air. Those who still lived had fled into their homes as soon as the soldiers had turned away.
She saw Ganondorf's boots before her. "Come, Chusai. It has been a long night, and there are many challenges ahead…but I'm sure you will meet them quite well, as you did tonight."
Chusai rose slowly, weighed down by intense guilt and self-hatred. She turned from the square, not even offering a prayer for forgiveness, knowing she was not worthy of such a thing.