Next chapter! Huzzah!

This is another 'traveling' chapter. Bigger plot points come later. This is purely for the sake of my characters. A chance to pause and catch your breath, if you will.

And I am convinced that the fact that a standardized test governs my future is a major flaw in society that must be corrected. By any means possible. This includes Triforce-wish.

Disclaimer: If I owned the Zelda Series, I'd be the richest little nerd ever. However, I do not. So I am poor. Boo-hoo.

Chapter Seven: Tales

--

"… And the last anybody saw of Kasiel, Queen of the Island Kingdom, was her empty boat on the shore, caught in the rocks below the bluffs. The bluffs were called the holy land, and pilgrims from the Islands settled there."

Link walked along the path with Dizene, leading the group abreast. Zelda followed close after, listening intently with Morrigan by her side. Ganondorf hung to the rear, appearing not to care… yet his eyes were focused intently upon the back of Dizene's head, and the paper she was reading off of.

"The bluffs… the same bluffs that Halifax are on?" the Hero asked, quite interested. "So the pieces really do fall into place, after all!"

"…When the queen's sons waged war, refugees expanded the colony into a neutral port city: the seaport Halifax. Yeah, Link."

Zelda nodded, though her eyes were wild with surprise and wonder. "She must have died in the caves, alone. My- it's only due to simple luck that Halifax exists, and that we fell through the trolley tracks to where Queen Kasiel left her last words!"

"Do not be so sure," Ganondorf mumbled, though it was unclear if anybody heard or not. The power in his hand pulsed smugly, as if it was a player that had narrowly escaped suspicion. "The damned boy was always led on by the heavens in his ventures… I doubt we walk about without some sort of forced path."

The last statement was definitely heard. Morrigan rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Ganny. Personally, I don't believe in fate or destiny or mumbo-jumbo. I'll take it as coincidence, and maybe that the great Ugly used that cave as it's den. No sense glorifying it."

"Then, how do you explain that you chose to break the wall exactly there, wench?"

"The spot looked the most inviting and rusted? It could be that the creepy-crawly was corroding the metal more quickly there. Maybe that's where it peed. Look, I don't care," Morrigan frowned. "And by the way, Dizene, you did a beautiful job on the essay…"

"Thank you…?"

"…Except for the fact that I wrote it for you. Remember?"

Zelda gave a slight chuckle and looked to the pair. They had all been clothed in fare more suitable for traveling by Morrigan's father and Dizene's mother.

Morrigan and Dizene wore mostly plain clothes. While Dizene wore a knitted cardigan (with love from her mother), Morrigan simply had chosen a plain jacket that had been edged with steel thread. Upon inquiry, Morrigan had simply mentioned that it had plenty of pockets, yet none were visible to any of them. Link guessed that they were well hidden, which was wise on Morrigan's part. To replace the kitchen knives, Morrigan's father had presented Dizene with a pair of combat blades of unknown origin. Zelda was a little leery that the man carried with him such instruments, but Morrigan had written them off simply as 'typical overprotective parent tools.'

Dizene's mother had insisted that they, the three Champions of Heaven, take alternative clothing to help them blend in a little. As it was, Link felt strange in the foreign fabric that he wore, even if he had only replaced his leggings with a pair of Vesper-made pants. Zelda, happily clothed in some of Dizene's spares, assured him that they provided excellent freedom of movement.

Ganondorf was, surprisingly, just as little trouble. He had (albeit grudgingly) given up his armor, and traded it in for less conspicuous clothing. He reasoned that if he was capable of making his flesh itself like steel, heavy armor was of little use to him. It had been a sting, losing the garb that he had worn as King of Evil, but he paid little mind. The long black coat that now slid over his shoulders was as impressive as any cape he had ever worn, and that was enough for him.

Their weapons were no bother. Zelda had set up a minor holding spell and keyed it to the need for battle. Their weapons were in safe storage when not needed. The two girls needed no assistance. Knives were allowed to be worn openly as of late, in Dizene's case. Morrigan cared little for hiding the steel-studded fighter's gloves that she wore proudly, and any other possible tools in her arsenal were well concealed.

What was remarkable, Zelda mused, was that the girls' parents had actually consented to letting their children leave. Sofia had been glum, but was reassured by Lancar that their children were in safe hands. He had even gone so far to threaten Link personally concerning the safety of his daughter. With a little pinch of salt, Zelda remarked to herself that it was little wonder that Morrigan was a strange girl, with such a male figure to imprint herself with.

"You don't seem to be in good humor, Morrigan," Zelda sighed as she looked to the beach-brush that lined the path down the coastline. "Is there anything troubling you?"

"Nah," Morrigan shrugged. "I'm fine. It just occurred to me that whoever graded that paper will never teach at Halifax Public High School ever again. It's been gutted and burned to the ground."

Ganondorf snorted. "That's all that tugs at your conscience? Distraught over a public building… simple-minded to the core, I suppose."

"Distraught?" Morrigan blinked. "Are you kidding? I've never been happier! The old bat who taught history was a complete racist idiot!"

"Where are we going, anyway?" Dizene asked Link, but loudly enough to disrupt the whole company and propose a rapid change of subject.

Link grinned. "Getting ourselves good and lost," he replied with a smile. "It should throw them off for a while, and we need to make camp somewhere secluded while Zelda divines for us where we need to go."

"Now that I know what to look for, I should be able to see an exact destination," Zelda pointed out. "I'm looking for some sort of 'spire,' or tower. That shouldn't be too hard to divine."

Ganondorf looked at the princess in distaste. "Couldn't you have figured that out beforehand? You do have Wisdom, am I right?"

"Wisdom doesn't work that way."

A single hand moved to soothe Ganondorf's sore temples where he had been gritting his teeth. "Honestly, I don't have the slightest idea how you two managed to best me, if that's the power of Wisdom."

"You appeared in my dreams as a front of black clouds."

A still pause hung in the air for a moment, only broken by Dizene's quiet giggles.

Ganondorf's eyes narrowed. "Clouds. I was a bank of clouds," he frowned flatly. "Puffy, wispy, fleeting clouds."

"No," Zelda replied with a mysterious smile. "I remember them being more heavy and wet than puffy."

Hanging his head in resignation, Ganondorf could only groan slightly and whisper under his breath, "Din, cruel mistress."

Clouds were what he had wanted for the desert. The desert needed clouds to bring the rain so that his people wouldn't thirst. And hearing that he was the clouds that should have rained upon his desert was somewhat unsettling. He had left the wastelands to bring his storm to Hyrule, to strike everything down with his lightning and thunder and to force the floods to flow to his domain. Perhaps his people would have been better off if he had stayed where he was and simply rained there.

Morrigan rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess that proves that he's a drip, just like I thought."

Ganondorf scowled and frowned at Morrigan, as was his manner. "Are you actually trying to insult me?"

"Only a little, and very gently," Morrigan laughed and started off randomly into the scrub-woods. "One very lost entourage, coming right up."

As they followed her whims, Link could only elbow Dizene softly and squint at the pleased-looking Karai that had just moved to the front of the group. "Is she always like this?"

"Yeah, it's pretty typical," Dizene replied. "Cynic to silly in two seconds flat. You should see how fast she can get angry."

"I'd rather not, if that show was warning enough. She seems to hang around Ganondorf a lot."

"I think she likes having somebody to tease. And I think that she sees him as a challenge to her pride as top dog. But it's not like I'm an expert on the gears turning in her head."

"Teasing Ganondorf would be lethal if he was allowed to strike back, Dizene. She shouldn't provoke him. He's got a dangerous mind."

"Explains why she's enjoying it so much. She has a thing for playing with fire. I think you underestimate her dangerous mind."

"Dangerous to others, or only herself?"

"Both. That's why she's worse."

--

Dizene could only look on with wonder at the sight in the smooth dunes, ringed by twisted beach-pines. The short, wide trees grew thickly in the sandy soil, fencing in a thicket that wrapped around their safe clearing.

It was deemed suitable to rest in for the afternoon and night, and the next day they would begin to head to their destination, wherever that was. They were good and lost, but not lost enough to be unable to find their way. Just lost enough to confuse any followers.

Yet, Dizene could hardly believe what she was seeing. Or rather, not seeing. Zelda was on her knees, hands clasped, seeming to be in deep meditation. Link stood by her side, sword thrust into the ground, eyes closed.

It was not a thing seen, but a thing felt.

Dizene had felt magic in the air but a few times in her life, all in the presence of these three strange warriors. But she could feel it again now, and was awestruck by it. It resonated in a great field, like a violent river of liquid lightning, terrible and all-encompassing. It was only a restrained pool, though, and Dizene was suddenly aware of how bare and dead the world she knew felt. She could see the dry, salt-poisoned grass green up slightly in the presence of the magic swirling about, and the leaves turn as if the two in the nexus were the life-giving sun. Dizene could feel it flow past herself, caressing her softly, and realized that it had been doing so for some time now. But more quietly, as if the presence of the people from the past cast a magical shadow that she was treading like water.

Remarkable, she mused to herself, wondering about her own world. Was the whole world like this, at one point in time? I thought that Vesper was a nice, friendly place. I thought it was the best I could ever hope for. But this… I'm not so sure now. Is Vesper really… dead?

Gods, she frowned to herself. I've been living on a corpse.

Though, she thought, I'm brave now, like Morrigan. We'll face the corpse together.

The magic aura faded slowly as a solemn look came to Zelda's face. The Hero and the Princess opened their eyes, Link returning the Master Sword to its rightful place. The grass turned away again and became as it had been before.

"Well?" Dizene asked. "What happened?"

Zelda sighed to the sky and gave a slight laugh. "Well! We have not one place to venture to, but four!"

"Four?" Dizene blinked. "How long is this going to take, anyway?"

"It could take months," Link frowned. "Only one of the places is close enough to be precise about. It's far to the east, but much closer than any of the others."

Dizene kicked the sand a bit, frowning. "Ugh! The only thing east of here is the ocean. It must be in the middle of the sea, or on an island or something."

"Well, it's close enough for a week's travel by foot, anyway. If we took a straight line."

"We'll need a boat, then."

Zelda smiled and sighed, wiping her brow. "Phew! That was exhausting," she said. "Well, we aren't going anywhere until tomorrow. Where is Morrigan, or better… where is Ganondorf?"

"Morrigan's having a fight with herself and probably honing her fists by mauling trees somewhere. She was pretty banged up over the fact that she couldn't punch the thing we ran into two days ago," Dizene shrugged. "As for Ganondorf, I have no idea where he is."

"He seems to be absent an awful lot," said Link. "Well, I'm not going to complain unless he's doing something wretched."

"Hm," Zelda agreed. "Well, Dizene, we have to pass the time somehow. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

"Why?"

"Well, we're going to be together for a while," Zelda pointed out. "You've never said much about yourself. Come on, no need to be shy. You know all about us now, after all."

Dizene laughed quietly. "I guess I do, Your Highness," she said. "Well, there's not much to say. My mother works… worked in Public Relations at the Eclipse office in Port Halifax. I have normal schooling. Pretty ordinary, except for maybe fooling around in Hope a bit too much."

"What about your father?" Link asked. "You don't mention him much."

"There's not much to mention," followed Dizene. "He works far away from here, in the main Eclipse office at Irien City, in Ciel. My mother comes from there, too, actually. I don't get contact from him more than once a year, and even then it's usually just to tickets to some theme park or concert."

Zelda seemed to understand. "He must be very busy," she said. "You're a Ciel?"

"There's not any difference between the people who live in Ciel and the people who live in Central. Not like the Karai… but even then it's only skin color and culture."

"I see."

Nobody said anything for a few more seconds, until Link rekindled the conversation. "You and Morrigan seem to be great friends. How long have you known each other?"

Dizene seemed startled, as if she had to remember. "Oh, um, one, two… Actually, I've known her for only three or four years now. Huh. I guess things always seem longer, don't they?"

Link and Zelda swapped covert smiles, but both seemed to be in good humor. "That they do," Link agreed. "You're going to have to forgive me, but you two sharing friendship with the state of affairs between Karai and… everybody else… it just doesn't seem likely."

"I guess it doesn't, and I guess this means you want the whole story, huh?" grinned Dizene. "Well, I feel like story time, and it's not like this can do much harm."

--

"To tell you the truth, I met Morri way before we were friends. And I didn't like her at all. We were both fourteen, just coming into the same school. Her father came down from up north for his job, and brought Morrigan with him. I really don't know why, but it's not great to pry so I don't.

But we weren't friends. We were more like mortal enemies. As in, out-to-get-each-other enemies. I'm absolutely serious.

See, Morrigan didn't like my view of Eclipse. I thought it was the best thing back then. Now I know better, but Morri and I got into a lot of altercations about the whole thing, about if Eclipse was a good corporation or not.

Eventually she began to pull all sorts of cruel pranks on me. I didn't have any friends at all back then. I was home schooled until I hit fourteen, so I didn't know anybody. It was pretty awful for me, I guess. She'd steal my books, booby-trap my locker, and do all sorts of nasty things.

After a while, I had had enough of her games. I just lost it and marched straight up to her, screamed in her face and gave her a black eye."

"You actually hit her?"

"Yeah, and it really made the crowd around us gasp, too. They all had thought Morrigan was some untouchable thing, and you can imagine the reaction. So, Morrigan was sort of impressed that I actually hit her, but she was also angry so she threw punches right back at me.

Not surprisingly, I got beaten up pretty badly. I've been kicked around about three times in my life, and I can say that Morrigan's punch was the worst. She was fourteen, but she could throw fists around like you couldn't believe. But even if I got knocked around some, I gave her a few knocks for her trouble, too. In the end, she was the one who came out of the fight with blood on her- she's got a scar whiter than the rest of her on her hip where I caught her with my nails. It looks like an eagle scratched her up.

So we didn't talk for a while. But I kept seeing her everywhere. I didn't know if she was stalking me, or if I was just being paranoid, but she seemed to be watching me everywhere I went.

But the next time I really saw her was at some formal Eclipse event. My father, being out of touch, sent me in his place to help me understand the people that ran the company and how it worked. So I got all dressed up and fancy to go to what I expected would be the most boring night of my life.

I didn't really count on Morrigan being there. Her father had to attend, and had forced her into formal clothes and dragged her along. It's the only time I've seen her wear any kind of dress.

Naturally, she thought it was boring as all hell. So I was really surprised when she sat down next to me and started talking to me. In the end, she goaded me into joining her and sneaking off out the fire escape in the coatroom. We spent an evening at the arcade in our fancy dresses.

When I came home, Morrigan's father was waiting for us with my mother. If you thought he was scary when you met him, you can't imagine what he was like when he was angry. He was all ready to ship Morrigan back north and keep her there. Mom was similarly cross with me.

But I guess, in a moment of desperation, I tried to argue with Morrigan's father. I said that that night was the most fun I had ever had (which was true, by the way) and that Morrigan hadn't done anything wrong by making things right with me.

Weirdly enough, he burst out laughing and left. I don't know why. But he didn't ship Morrigan away.

So we were both grounded for a while, but then we just sort of hit it off.We've been friends ever since. I can't tell you why she warmed up to me. I don't think anybody can.

She's just a little crazy that way."

--

"Hah! Hah!"

Some distance away, Morrigan Rengard was running through her drills. In particular, it was the punch that she had attempted to damage the crab-monster with that she was concerned about. A dead tree was taking definite punishment, but Morrigan didn't seem satisfied at all.

"Damn it," she hissed as she tried again. "There has to be a way to put a little more oomph into it without off-balancing it all… if I mess with the feet any more I'll topple if they kick…"

As it was, the very-rotten tree shivered violently at each strike. Morrigan knew if she tried to put any more strength in it, she'd lose control. And as she didn't have brute force on her side, control was her best asset. You didn't need to have the strength of a wrestler to beat one up, she reminded herself. A punch can be far more destructive if it's controlled properly, rather than thrown out like a two-ton weight on a bungee cord.

"Hm, I suppose you're not entirely unworkable," an amused, smug voice said from the other side of the little flood-thicket. Morrigan jumped, half ready to attack, but only rolled her eyes and crossed her arms when she realized it was only Ganondorf that had interrupted her.

Morrigan tucked the stray strands of hair that had been eased from her braids back into place and gave him a withering look. "Oh, well, I'm only slightly unworkable, then. Good afternoon to you, too."

"I assure you, I meant no offense," he grinned. "There's much to be said for being workable at all."

"All right, let me get one thing straight with you," Morrigan frowned and pointed a finger at the twitch in his eye. "I don't trust you. And I won't trust you until you give me absolute, undeniable proof that you're not a vile scumbag like I know you to be. And fat chance for that."

He laughed at that, a laugh that made Morrigan cringe a little, in the depths of her most secret vault. It was not the cliché 'evil villain' laugh. It was truly amused, but somewhat threatening all the same. Maybe, she thought, that this man when amused is the most threatening thing of all.

"Vile Scumbag… I'm hurt," he smiled at her, eyes flashing. "Well, I can't say I've made an impression worth anything useful. So I suppose it is my fault, that I'm a 'vile scumbag' to you…"

"Creep, Drip, Vile Scumbag, I don't really care," Morrigan scowled. "Cut the crap. Why bother me?"

Ganondorf made an imitation of her gesture in the sea cave: a mock bow. " 'Teach me,' you said. Who am I to deny a maiden's wishes?"

"… Point taken," Morrigan grudgingly admitted. "But I still don't trust you."

To Morrigan's horror, he began to move to her, in her shaded place where she rested against the tree she had been punishing. His gait was unhurried, but measured. For all of his stature he made little sound against the rough sand and scrub, as if the earth itself didn't dare complain as he crushed it underfoot. Morrigan, being her hyperobservative self, noticed every detail and her fear grew louder, assuring her that what was going to happen was going to be very bad indeed.

I hate it, she screamed to herself. I won't stand for him and his garbage! He makes me feel like some vassal,and I only answer to my parentswith that kind of stuff! I'd show him a thing or two…but…but… he's just… too big…too goddamn big to…to…

Words failed her stare of mind. Perhaps he was not impossibly huge in the material sense, though he was rather impressive-looking. His 'size' went beyond his body, or even his physique. It was a menacing aura, like a great looming beast with claws raised to smite her without even the barest hint of effort. It made her feel small and pathetic, a feeling that was utterly alien to her. And she didn't like it at all. It did not help that he seemed much the same age as she was, rendering her infuriatingly willing and able to listen and connect with him, big or not.

He did not advance too close, but stopped within the bounds of her shade. The shore-wind picked up a little, and the cloud above the tree vanished, obliterating her cover.

And he smiled at her.

The smile he chose to use completely threw her brain out the metaphorical window. It was not even mocking, though it was still devious and made her feel like it burned. It seemed 'sincere,' or as close to it as she had ever seen from him.

"My girl," he began in a tone that felt like warm silk only slightly frayed, "What gives you so little faith in me?"

His voice was entrancing, purposely so, Morrigan noticed. It was nothing short of remarkable how soft he could make his words, when she compared the tone to how he had once hissed and roared in her ear right before he threw her like a rotten vegetable. It scared her, but she could not help but relax slightly, no matter how loudly her mind protested. The heavy note of malice had transformed into a timbre of charming mischief, something she, and while she tried to deny it, rather enjoyed.

"Is it only my harsh words?" he continued, softly. "Or is it my past that disturbs you?"

Throughout it all, he had never broken eye contact. Morrigan stared like a deer in a hunter's light, helpless. His voice had a strange effect; it seemed to tune the entire world out except for him. He completely dominated her thoughts, and his face was all that registered in her vision. His eyes flashed bright with fire, and she suddenly was aware how fiendishly good-looking he was, as if she had not even noticed it before. It was almost treasonous, she cried from within. Somebody with so much evil seeping off of him (for that was all she could call it) should never be so impossibly attractive! But the look on his face was not so much disturbing as beckoning, as if he could ask all of his questions with his impossible, roguishly handsome eyes…that say to… trust him…trust him…

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?

The harsh mental slap from the back of her brain was jarring enough to disrupt his strange effect. Suddenly the rest of the universe came back into focus.

You're going to play right into him, Morri, she reminded herself. He's got some sort of motive. He's the King of Thieves, for heaven's sake! And he's trying to steal you! By the way you're totally feebleminded, he's doing an epic of a good job!

And then, with her eyes still in his charismatic deathlock, she attempted to formulate a plan of escape.

He may try to steal me, but it's just too bad that I'm securely nailed down!

"No," she said, daubing her words with a poison honey that mirrored his own. "That's not what scares me."

He raised an eyebrow above that unsettlingly earnest smirk of his, the fire throbbing in his eyes. "Oh? Care to enlighten me?"

Think, think, think, damn you! This man is the poster child for thieves and dishonesty and power-lust! What can hurt him? What…!

Gods. I'm an idiot. Of course… I'll take a whack at…

"I don't trust you," Morrigan purred, "because you are a better liar than me."

His silence was initially taken with satisfaction, but it took only a heartbeat for her to see his thoughts working through those eyes of fire. She could practically hear his twisted mind working in the short respite as his hypnotic smile grew yet more powerful in its effect. Distantly, Morrigan wondered if it was some sort of magic or if he himself had some uncanny, hell-granted talent to mislead and deceive.

"An interesting answer, Rengard," he admitted, savoring the taste of her name on his breath as if he would devour it instead of speak it. "Care to explain it?"

"If you want me to," Morrigan replied modestly, though she knew the answer. She had little choice in the matter, anyway. Morrigan has a feeling that he would extract reasoning whether she told him or not.

Better to feed the beast than have it hunt you, she concluded.

"See, by my views, everybody formidable in the world must be a liar. To lie is to have power over somebody else. And everybody formidable has to have power."

Ganondorf moved yet a foot closer, forcing her to look up at him a whole head's height above her. "So, it's a question of power, hm?"

"Exactly," Morrigan smiled, resenting the fact that he had the height advantage. "You are the most formidable of the three, the most powerful, and by extension, the best liar."

And as you're displaying beautifully, damn you, you are the king of liars and practically wield a king'spower over me

"Which explains why you have no fear for the other two," Ganondorf caught on, "because they…"

"… are painfully honest…"

"… and therefore are not as powerful," Ganondorf finished. "And less of a threat, because you can hold sway over them. The best liar threatens you: the one who can hold power over you. A liar among liars, in other words… the one with the most power. Meaning myself, of course."

Morrigan laughed now. "But we've now established the fact that I'm a liar," she grinned. "So can you take what I say now for truth?"

"Obviously I can," he replied, the wit in his eyes flaring with the fire. "Because I, the greatest liar, hold power over you, a lesser liar. You have already demonstrated to me your fear. You dare not deceive me."

"So you think," said Morrigan. "And you answered your own question. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to figure out how to make this punch better."

She turned from him as she felt his gaze and face and aura too much to bear, turning again to the task at hand. She got back into her stance, staring down the dead tree, pulling her leg back…

Only to feel gentle hands on her body. She held her breath in cold shock, failing to suppress the slight flush that forced it's way to the bridge of her pale nose.

"Hm," Ganondorf mused softly to himself, uncomfortably close to her ear. "I would relax your back and shift your weight back from this side a little. The tension through your body is in the wrong place to be even remotely effective against anything larger than the Princess."

Morrigan looked down in shock to see him place a hand marked with three triangles on her hip and maneuver her with a teacher's gentle forcefulness. His other hand attended to her shoulder; Morrigan could not help but give a small sound of distress as she registered his fingers on her. These were hands that had ripped a tree from the ground, and now they were touching her. Was it even allowedfor such hands to be so tender? In her mind's eye she could imagine him rending her limb from limb…

Don't be a baby, Morri. He'll do no such thing after that exchange.

And he didn't. He only laughed when he had finished correcting her position, said to her, "Try it now," and walked away into the bushes.

Good god, Morrigan sighed in relief. That was torture: nothing short of abuse. At least he thought I actually believe his nonsense and lies now.

Doesn't he? Ah, hell... Like I thought, torture.

But… it was fun, wasn't it? It was a powergame. You never get to match wits with anyone but Dizzy. And you finally have an opponent with a wit good enough not to crush. Not like the bunch of kids you practically were tyrant over back home…

Shut up, subconscious. You're making me sound bad.

And with that, she released the punch that Ganondorf had set up for her. It flew with such fantastic force that even she was surprised. It took so little effort, but…

The dead tree cracked in half with a sharp snap and toppled over in a small explosion of splinters. Morrigan looked at her fist in wonder, horror, and surprise, remembering exactly what Ganondorf had changed to prompt such a result. He had not given her that punch. She had carried the potential for that shattering blow herself. Only, it was him that had taught her how to harness it. He had lorded over her, just for a moment, and forced her into debt.

Damn it, she cursed. He didn't just win over me. He completely destroyed me.

--

I completely destroyed her, Ganondorf gloated to himself. She should definitely doubt now. I've got her where I want her.

Ganondorf, King of Evil, sat on a rock over a still tidal pool as the sun sat at half-mast in its path. The bay was sheltered from the waves, so no cold spray caught his coat as he sat, utterly enraptured with his triumph.

Now I may have at least one supporter, if I play my hand properly, he grinned. I may have an easy time, after all of this is over. I need to cultivate this early…

Though, awkwardly, in the back of his mind, he knew that was not why he had done what he had done.

Don't be absurd, he told himself. You are gathering a follower from this bunch.

No you're not. You promised the Goddess…

Promise! It doesn't matter!

But it does. You know the real reason you have been toying with her. It isn't to build any army.

What the hell are you, anyway?

I'm you, of course.

Then, you ought to know WHY I do what I do!

I do know why. And it's not why you think, King of Liars.

Ganondorf threw a rock far into the distance, making a splash beyond what a normal man could hope to reach. I'm having an argument with myself. And not the demon that's my doppelganger. I'm arguing with me. What is the world coming to? The nagging ideas in the back of his mind silenced themselves as he looked out across the sea.

"It's gone," he said to himself with a frown.

He knew what he referred to, however vaguely. In the corner of his memories, he could recall a pound of surf and rushing water. It wasn't a memory directly belonging to him. It was a phantom from some doppelganger, another him that had a bit of the original trapped inside as a template.

Damn me, he frowned to himself. Control was the thing he prized most, yet… there was something inside him that wrenched control from him and took his fate and future for itself. And not the Goddesses' power. Something far more vile and repulsive.

The something that is me, Ganondorf frowned.

But, for all of his callousness, he could not deny the fact that it was gone. Memories had become muddled in his prison, but he found that he was getting better at sorting through them now.

He had truly wished to aid his country in the beginning. But even then… there was the thing that fancied control a bit more than he did. It only became stronger still when he had touched the ultimate Power. His motives had become scrambled. Power became it's own goal.

He was betrayed by his own people, in a sense, because he had forgotten them.

As Ganondorf looked out to the sea, he could not help but add himself to the list of hate that sprawled inside him. It was truly his fault, he mused. He had tried to solve problems. The Gerudo Curse, for instance, with the Wish from the Triforce. But the evil whispers had been breeding within his mind from the very beginning, and when the time came to enact his plan, it shattered to pieces. Literally.

Dryly, he wondered if he really ever would have wished for his people. He came to realize that the Triforce had been right to split. He would have wished only for his own desires.

He felt no regret. Or remorse. But… anger. Anger at himself, most of all.

But it was too late now. It had been too late countless times through history.

It was all gone.

His Desert. His people. His folly. His curse.

Gone.

The world felt strangely empty to him, not only from the lack of magic. This is what it is, he realized, to be a king without a kingdom. My legacy is restricted only to some tablet written by a crazy war-fearing island queen. And even then… it labels me as 'Demon.'

Demon. It was not a pretty thing to be called. He much preferred to be called 'lord' or 'king.' That at least had some connotations of order or control. 'Demon' was an insult to his honor, or at least what little he had. 'Demon'… demons were lord over nothing but chaos.

Don't you, though?

The back of his mind was taunting him again. Damn it, he cursed.

This is exactly why you seek followers. You want your world back. Power is nothing without someone to wield it over. But even then…

Mentally, he cursed himself for being an idiot.

He had noticed the resonance of the Triforce and the field it made. True to Din's words, the two 'guides' had been caught up in it. The Goddesses deemed them important. It was probably fancy alone, Ganondorf frowned. The ranch-girl had been Important, too, though to a lesser degree. The horse Epona was Link's lifeline, as she had made it possible to travel Hyrule with some sort of speed. The ranch-girl had been a player, unwitting, but a player.

Possibly, the Goddesses wanted the two girls. That meant they both had at least some potential, if not hidden genius. Goddesses never wanted the normal or the mediocre. They created the perfect for their own needs. And if they needed the girls…

Never mind that, he dismissed. The real reason was far simpler.

You can see a Gerudo in that girl, the back of his mind taunted. You can see that your ways are not as dead as would seem. You saw her fight insane odds, fight for her honor, and survive a confrontation with you. And at the end of it all, she practically named you her king! She had no choice, yet she took it with at least a little guile and dignity!

And the Dizene girl had her merits as well. She was talented. Shy, but talented. Enough to mirror Morrigan, if she would brave the sands. And where she had little cleverness, the other two fools you are forced to work with trust her!

Morrigan was the key to Dizene. And Dizene was the key to the Princess and the Hero.

And Morrigan, despite appearances, was definitely Gerudo in her nature.

Perhaps it is not so gone as I had thought…

--

Link, Hero of Time, could not sleep.

It was a bother, he despaired. There was something rather disturbing with having your sworn enemy sitting silently against a tree, sleeping, less than ten feet away. It bothered him deeply, though the other man seemed to be slumbering deeply.

Zelda was safe, he was sure. She was on his other side. But… he could not shake the feeling that any moment now Ganondorf was going to get up and do something awful.

So, he concluded, no sleep until his nerves cooled.

He wrinkled his nose at the smell of salt in the air. The sound of surf was distant, but slightly audible over the still night air. He was extremely antsy about the stars, though. There seemed to be fewer than he remembered, as if many of the smaller ones were blotted out somehow. Perhaps all of the artificial light ruined the sky?

Either way, it did little to take his mind off of things.

Across the way, Dizene slept at the base of a stout beach-pine, wheezing slightly in her sleep. Morrigan had taken refuge in the twisting limbs, claiming them to be more preferable than the ground.

Though… he had a feeling that Morrigan was not asleep. He had seen her sneak out before for solitude at night. He doubted she found much sleep tonight either.

But he was not prepared when, out of the darkness, came a song.

Round and round the world turns,
Between the sky and the snow.
Recall that day the cities burned,
And where no man dares to go.

Hush, child, and let the night-fox take you away…

From the wastes and tortured land,
Beauty's resolve, hardest of all;
His final hope: his final stand
Came to Noble Romero, a call.

Hush, soldier, and let the night-fox take you away…

Claws rent a clouded sky apart,
Tears were the least in cost.
But he at last found an art,
Romero's life never lost.

Hush, my lord, and let the night-fox take you away…

I pray for victory sweet with gain,
In memory of an honored hero.
Spare my brethren strife and pain,
Bless them, Lord Romero.

Hush, my kindred, and let me take you away…

It was not a happy song, yet not a sad song, either. It reminded Link of the lyrical tales sung incessantly to Zelda by her chief bard. Yet, it bore a tone of hope in it. A dark hope. A gallows-hope. The sort of hope that comes when life seems impossible.

He would have to ask in the morning, Link concluded as he let the tune take him to sleep. There was definitely an interesting story behind it.

--

Phew. That was exhausting.

Yes. Morrigan lost the battle of wits rather badly.

Ganondorf is not angsting. He's just confusing himself, like any mortal is inclined to do. He is somewhat miffed, however, that everything he is king over is long gone. He is looking to rebuild his country, and Morrigan seems to be an ideal victim for him.

Dizene is getting training from Zelda on knives. But not within the bounds of the scenes of this chapter.

Morrigan is singing a song for a reason. It is not one of those random angst-songs. It will be elaborated on next chapter. And 'Romero' is a name, pronounced 'Roh- meer- oh.' It DOES rhyme with 'hero.'

Excuse me while I faint. I probably should have been doing homework instead of writing. Guilt trip time!