Purple hues drifted to paint the horizon with shades of twilight, the vague impression of whipping sands in the far distance blurring the line between heaven and earth. From within the ruins of a sandstone palace, carved into the high rising rock of the Mesas and fleshed out with wooden structure to overlook the dunes, smoke rolled lightly from a window to drift in the cooling air. It licked his fingers, staining them with the smell of it, though he paid no mind; The Gerudo King had found a moment of peace, and reclined against the carved wood of the window, golden gaze watching the beasts below with mild interest.
Though his gaze wandered indolently, on the odd occasion spying a beast that he may see broiled and served to him tonight, Ganondorf's attention waned into a tired sigh.
There was so very much left to do, and he'd wasted precious time. Even the leaders of the Moblins he commanded proved to be as useless as bottled piss, and in these early days, he did not have the resources to do better unless he did so himself—a risk of exposure that would eliminate the advantage of anonymity and surprise he held at present.
Ganondorf lifted the sliver of paper roll to his lips lazily, drawing back on it to inhale the rich smoke as the ember flickered, shedding a dim light on his rugged features. He was no closer to Zelda, and the girl that had been taken from Castle Town by mistake would likely have caused alarm by now—her parents would, doubtless, be aware of her being missing, if not a sizable portion of townsfolk along with them and especially the guards… He couldn't afford that kind of panic in town, but neither could he return her. Because of the Moblins' foolishness, it would be a while before he could attempt another sly kidnapping of the Princess without the risk of being caught, but this time, he would make sure it got done properly and make the journey personally.
Why must I always do everything myself? He thought cynically, exhaling wispy smoke through his nostrils and smothering the crude cigarette upon the windowsill negligently.
As for the girl, Agitha, she would have to stay until he held enough power and influence to strike, lest she give away his position or identity; an unwanted guest, rather than a prisoner of note. Still, young Hylian girls were groomed for housekeeping in preparations for when they had families. Perhaps she might be of service to him, even if it was only as a maid…
Then again, she does think herself a Princess, doesn't she? He grimaced, tracing the horizon as he turned away from the view, Princesses don't often clean. Well, I suppose she'll be in for a shock then. But all childish fantasy has to die sometime. The Gerudo snickered darkly, reaching to take his sword from its display upon the wall, the glow of it warm against his hand. He was hungry, and a roasted boar leg sounded quite appealing.
Meanwhile, unaware of the Dark Lord's plans to find dinner—and likely, have her cook it—the lovely Agitha sat humming lightly to herself, a lyrical and happy song that she'd known all her life, but could never remember learning. Her legs were folded so that she sat upon her feet, keeping them warm as the harsh temperature of the Desert vanished with the oncoming night, and settled on the sandy floor of a small wooden room. It seemed to be a storage closet of some sort, but far larger than any she'd ever seen; though roughly made shelving lined most of the log walls, the room was bare and yet unused. In front of her, the bottom of it sunken slightly into the sand, sat a tin wash basin filled shallow with water—the only thing given to her after introducing herself to the King, who hadn't said more than two words to her since. She'd simply been dragged off to this place by more of the beasts and told to wash up.
The pillbug sat atop the girl's leather bonnet, feelers twitching idly to the sound of her sweet voice against the light swish of the water. It didn't mind it all that much here, surrounded by wood as they were; though its loyalty was with its Princess as ever, the small abode of logs in which they sat currently reminded it some of a giant cupboard and that was comforting. It was just a cupboard built for Agitha, rather than itself.
Washing her hands in the basin, ivory skin was cleaned slowly of smeared and dried blood, the strange purplish tint to it colouring the water. Agitha didn't seem to mind. As a matter of fact, the girl didn't truly realise what it was that covered her, but she was growing rather fond of the colour. She wondered idly if the 'Piggies', Domah and Forg, would wake up again soon, once their wounds were seen to—she knew how to sew. If she could find all the pieces of Domah's head and sew them together, she was fairly confident she could even make him a bit easier to look at, and then she would stitch up Forg's belly and they'd both wake up again and be happy.
That's what friends were for, after all; making one other happy and being there for them, just like her and the insects. Domah and Forg weren't insects, no, and perhaps they had been slightly mean to her, but Agitha was sure they only did so because of the Bully who was nasty to them in turn. It wasn't their fault, they were scared of him—and rightly so, the flame haired Bully had hurt them rather badly and was quite scary… But she had told the Piggies they could be her friends, and now that she understood why they had been cruel, she could forgive them and return to their friendship.
She just needed to wake them first.
"Oh, Mr. Pillbug… Agitha's clothes are all ruined, now… But there is nothing else to wear." Her cute features furrowed up in confusion as to what to do about that. "We'll have to find something to make clothes out of… But for now, don't look, okay?"
The Pillbug twitched some in confusion, watching as her clean fingers rose to offer him safe passage to the ground, but complied all the same. It swayed as it saw the light hearted smile on her face, charmed, and almost completely forgot about her request as it was placed softly upon the sand. But as the girl turned away from the basin, reaching to undo straps and unclip buttons, the Pillbug swiftly remembered. If Pillbugs could blush, the pink tinge upon its bug like features would have burned furiously, but as they cannot, it simply curled up in modesty, allowing its Princess some privacy.
The blood stained wings from her back were set down first, followed by the purple sash around her waist and the green dress, folded neatly upon the sand. Her white shirt was completely ruined, covered with spots and stains of reddish purple, the puffed sleeves of it worn from where they had rubbed against the burlap sack. The stockings were torn up here and there, and her single shoe was left scuffed and without a partner. The pink butterfly that she clipped onto her dress was set delicately next to the basin, and Agitha could only stare sadly at it; the fragile wings ripped and bent, tattered from abuse.
Finally, fingers took to the string tying her bonnet secure, undoing the light knot beneath her chin and tugging the garment from her head over her pigtails. Left only in a small pair of bloomers, Agitha's hands rose to cover her chest self consciously, a pink tone to her cheeks though she knew nobody saw. Her hand cupped her cheek lightly, head shaking.
"Left to this indecency… It isn't right for a young Lady! No, no, no!" She sighed, picking herself up slowly and the Pillbug with her, setting it atop her bare locks as she peered toward the improvised door. "You can look again, Mr. Pillbug. It can't really be helped."
She padded over to the exit, the door itself fashioned crudely out of a few planks, tied by straps of leather, and took a hand to it gingerly. Keeping her arm wrapped securely over her chest, she pushed it open, peeking her head out cautiously to look—blonde pigtails bounced as Agitha's gaze whipped this way and that, studying the hallway and seeing that there was nobody around. Precariously, she slipped through the gap of the door, wincing as it made a loud creak, but as nothing stirred she found the courage to tiptoe out into the open.
Looking around, it struck her that most of this queer fort was bare of furnishings or any little somethings to cheer the space up. It was that strangest castle she'd ever seen, and hers was much better, despite being smaller; in fact this palace almost looked like it had been built in quite a rush, and wasn't particularly well done. I bet the Piggies built it, she pondered inquisitively, blinking at the haphazard woodwork. A few daisies could brighten it up nicely.
Slow steps scuffed the sand beneath them softly as Agitha cautiously made her way down the passage, shadows cast about to make the place seem scarier than it was. Turning around a corner, lavender eyes fell quickly to a lopsided window, seeing the night fall and mapping the stars that shone through before others—to Agitha, though, she knew these stars were fireflies that simply flew to high. How else could such bright lights dot the skies at night?
The Pillbug seemed attentive to the chilling wind that blew past it, the strange whistle foreign to both the Princess and itself. It was a very stark reminder how far from home they were; the view of outside consisted of a sea of gold and even the sound of it differed so greatly from the bustling town. It was eerily silent, save only for the winds and the snorts that carried from the beasts below.
Agitha shivered as a gust breeched the small opening, blowing against her bare skin, but turning away from it as hands rubbed at her arms in warming motions, she spied the flap of a red flag. It hung from the top of a doorway, serving as some sort of barrier to the next room; the edges were tattered, but it looked to be in good condition besides and it would easily make a new dress.
Brightening at the find, her lips parted into a sweet smile, joyful with relief. "Oh, boy! That will do nicely, won't it?" She cried happily, hopping toward the end of the shadow filled hall with enthusiasm as the Pillbug held on tightly to her hair.
As she came closer, the Bug Princess realised that she wasn't quite tall enough to get at it, and so swiftly converted her approach into a running jump, arms flailing upward as she leapt through the crude archway. Her fingertips breezed it, though the grab was unsuccessful, and Agitha quickly tumbled through to trip and land upon her stomach clumsily with an 'oof'.
The Pillbug was thrown from her golden locks, simply unable to hold on, and bounced a few times across the sand, left dizzy when finally it stopped.
The room she'd stumbled into just so happened to be occupied by three Bokoblins, in the midst of an argument over a water canteen, smacking one another's clawed hands and making grabs for it over a table. But the annoyed chattering and cries ceased, all attempts for the drink lost to the sight of the Hylian girl landing face first in the sand. One could spend years in this place and see all sorts of things, but a chewy child in nothing but her bloomers simply appearing before you, helplessly sprawled and practically begging for you to take a bite, came as a bit of a shock. Beady eyes blinked with some disbelief and confusion, snouts twitching with her strange smell as all three focused upon the near naked Bug Princess.
Raising her head, cute features scrunched up into a look of displeasure, pigtails were whipped about to get any sand from her hair. Agitha sat up upon her knees, rubbing a forearm over her nose and eyes, without noticing the beasts—the darkly lit room held no torch, and with only moonlight filtering through a small window, the normally obvious monsters were hidden quite well. She blinked twice, making sure her vision was clear and ignoring the sandpapery sting upon her flesh, as her insect companion quickly unfurled to scurry up to her side and hide in the shadow.
It had most definitely noticed what Agitha hadn't.
"…Kra?" Came an odd question, screeched by a monstrous tongue.
The girl jumped, startled, and turned frantic eyes to the source of the sound, staring at the trio of formerly bickering Bokoblins with surprise. For a moment she was distracted by their appearances as she squinted toward them in the dark, thinking that from what she could make out, these ones looked slightly more like a mother rat and a father pig had gotten married and had children, and all were caught in an odd tableau over a canteen. But, it wasn't long before her own appearance became a factor, lavender eyes flicking downward as she remembered her state. With a gasp, Agitha fell back upon her rear, tucking her legs up and hugging them close to cover her.
"Don't look!" She cried loudly, blushing heavily with a look of horror on her face, before squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "You mustn't look at me! Only a husband is allowed to look at a Lady without clothes, and I'm sorry but I'm not marrying any of you, Rat-Piggies!" With tears of humiliation prickling the sides of her long lashes, the girl seemed to shrink into herself, her emotions building up as her head shook in denial of the indecency occurring.
The Bokoblins, who held a very limited grasp of the Hylian language, didn't continue to stare in spite of her or because they had no care for her request, but rather because they hadn't understood that request in its urgency. It took them a few moments, glancing between each other with slack jaws; the little Princess looked very appealing to them, but not in the way she had thought. No, as it just so happened, these Bokoblins hadn't seen a decent meal in quite a while and Agitha was hard to tear their beady gazes from. The imaginings of that ivory skin crispy from a fire, the supple flesh of her legs juicy and warm, even the jelly of her eyeballs upon a slice of bread… how could they avert their eyes from such a delectable sight?
But such scrutiny for Agitha, in only peach coloured bloomers, was too much; no matter what reasons drove it. When still the beasts stared, hunger about them and spit wiped from their mouths anxiously, the lovely bug Princess could take no more, tilting her head back with a large breath.
She screamed.
Immediately, the trio were knocked from their fantasies of devouring the poor girl, jumping back with the force of the noise and swiftly falling into panic. The canteen was discarded upon the table, as confused looks were given all around, gestures and growled words whispered as the beasts considered this turn of events.
'This is bad! This is very, very bad!' Cried one in their native speak, eyeing the others nervously as clawed hands wrung themselves with trepidation. 'I heard her squealing when Domah and Forg took her to the Master! Next thing you know, they were dead!'
'You were the one thinking about EATING her, you moron! This is your fault for looking at her like that, you scared her!' Hissed another, chattering his teeth in a frustrated sort of way as a pointed digit was levelled at the last member of the group. 'Tagah! You know some Hylian, right? What did she say?'
Tagah, who had spaced out in apprehension and was up until that point preparing to run, turned his snout to the other with bewildered yellow eyes. 'What? I don't know! Something about don't look or something! And I think she wants a mate…? Or, at least, doesn't want us to be her mate?' He stuttered, shrugging with a heckled frown and hissing at the first. 'Damn it, Pogar, this is your fault!'
Pogar clutched his patchwork vest nervously, sending a helpless look toward the others. 'Why is it always my fault?' He cried, blinking at the other. 'Omag, the missus and me have a litter on the way, I don't wanna die! If this gets back to the Master-!'
Glancing back toward Agitha, Omag quickly thought of a solution. 'Hey! She tried to get that flag, right? She's just a pup, what if she's cold?' He suggested, as the other two shrugged. He turned his gaze intently to Pogar then, eyeing his vest and reaching out to grab it. 'Here, gimme your vest, idiot! That might shut her up!'
Agitha's cheeks were red by the time she felt something light hitting her feet, pulling her attention down with a blink, her screams abated for the moment—a vest, made of a variety of hide and stitched poorly together. Furrowing her brows, she looked up to see the Bokoblins huddled in the corner of the room, each looking as if they had seen a Poe and waiting expectantly. One of them was now unclothed. Picking the unsophisticatedgarment from the sand, she donned it quickly; it was large on her, overhanging her shoulders and coming down to her hips. Her hands ran the length of it, and as her embarrassment faded, the Bug Princess picked herself up slowly to offer a weak smile as the open front was held shut.
"…Thank you, Rat-Piggies… Maybe you aren't all that bad…" She said, lavender gaze downcast as a hand reached across to grip her shoulder shyly. "But, could Agitha have that red flag, too? I might wear it like a sarong… Agitha can't be going about in her underwear, can she?"
The trio stared at her, visibly tensing up as she spoke to them, but the one on the left was given a whack in response. He seemed torn between the others and Agitha, but growled a hushed reply to the other, to which he received a frown as the one on the right pointed to the flag with a hiss.
The quick exchange between them, unbeknownst to Agitha, consisted of 'She still wants the flag? What's wrong with the ves—' and 'Shut up you idiot, or she'll have us all killed'.
She fluttered long lashes as one stumbled forward, grumbling to himself, and flicked her a tired glare. But as requested, a lanky arm was lifted to tug the flag down, and turning around to stand a head higher than her, the beast shoved it into her arms. Gathering it up quickly into a bundle, Agitha opened her mouth to say something more, but found herself roughly ushered along and out into the hall from whence she came.
"W-Wait!" Digging her feet into the sand in protest, she batted his arms away, turning on her heel and stare up at the monster with a chastising look. "Give me Mr. Pillbug! I'll not have you eat him!" She ordered, pointing to the insect on the sand behind him.
Tagar's protruding brow lowered, a wrinkle forming on the side of his snout as her returned a look of confusion. What did she want now? She was almost as demanding as the Master himself—a human thing no doubt. With a blink, he turned to follow her finger, scanning the floor and spotting the bug. With an audible sigh, he trudged back into the room to retrieve the insect roughly, pinching it between his digits and giving the thing an apathetic look as its curled form quivered. Casually, he turned his hand upward and flicked the Pillbug at Agitha as he would a ball of his own snot.
With a gasp, the Princess step forward to catch her abused companion in the folds of the flag, watching the tiny grey ball land safely upon the red before turning a cute scowl toward Tagar. "Bad Rat-piggy!" She sulked, the corners of her mouth drawn downward.
Even as the beast turned back to the others, walking away in point of ignoring her now that she no longer posed a threat, Agitha turned her nose up at him. "Rude and disrespectful! How dare you treat a member of Agitha's Kingdom in such a way! Agitha was wrong, you are ill-mannered and mean!" Resentment spat, she turned to leave them and return to her room, stomping down the hall in barely restrained tantrum. "We'll not suffer any more of them, will we, Mr. Pillbug? Are you alright?" Her indignant pout softened as she turned a concerned look to her companion.
In response, the insect unfurled upon its back, looking up at her with a twitch of its feelers to suggest that it was indeed unharmed. Honestly, it was just glad to be in the arms of its Princess and away from those beasts—though human sense would not pick up on such things, bereft of antennae as they were, the Pillbug was very much aware of the fleeting desires of the Bokoblins to eat Agitha, and didn't like it at all. It wanted her to be safe, and happy, and specifically not eaten by some hungry beast—whether there was a cupboard in it or not, the Pillbug wanted to see its Princess home and far away from this place.
Agitha gave it a reassuring smile, but couldn't help but wonder about the creatures here—all of them seemed to have little in the way of manners, and weren't all that interested in making friends that didn't look as they did. She'd never encountered such a thing in anything other than people before. Most animals took to her quite well, and of course her own subjects adored her…
But there was something very different about these beasts. Somewhere between a man and an animal for intelligence; Agitha couldn't help but think of her reactions to them and notice now that most held a similar aversion to her. It was only after the nervousness subsided in the littler ones that their blasé attitude came about. Were they scared of her? …Perhaps they had never dealt with a lady before, and were intimidated by this?
Domah and Forg had seemed quite impressed with her, calling her wise and asking her questions. The bigger ones definitely seemed to be a bit less jittery, but then, that was generally the case with most creatures—the bigger, the more brazen; smaller, more cautious. A caterpillar would not pick a fight with a preying mantis… But then, it also made no sense that a preying mantis—with scythes and mandibles like the beasts had claws and teeth—would be nervous of the caterpillar, yet to even grow fully. She was only a child; her life cycle was in larvae stage… why would Agitha make anything nervous?
What kind of a man was the Bully King to have such subjects, ill-mannered and bad tempered yet so unsure of anything different?
He was looking for Agitha specifically, though, wasn't he? She recalled, lavender eyes wandering to the stars again curiously as she passed the window. Maybe he wants to be Agitha's friend? He is the only person here, he probably gets lonely. He may have spent so long with the beasts, he's become quite beastly himself…
Then again, attacking others with big glowing blades wasn't the best way to make friends, or garner affection… Domah had pulled on her pigtail and been rough with her and the King hurt him back—that could mean the King still knew right and wrong, but his punishments were a bit heavy. He likely didn't know how to be sociable, unlike her, or had simply forgotten—he just needed a few lessons in etiquette and good manners; a guiding hand in this fickle world to reteach what it meant to be a man among beasts and the difference in between. The Princess Agitha was renowned for her kind ways and ability to befriend almost any creature to cross her, it was little wonder he would seek her out for this task.
It was a sad thought, but as Agitha's delicate brows furrowed with moonlight caught in her eyes, it was starting to make sense why she was here. The relationship she held with the insects of her Kingdom couldn't be matched—if a King sought her, then it was likely he needed her advice running his own affairs, and maybe even wanted to ally his Kingdom with hers. She'd never been approached by other royalty for diplomatic affairs… it was quite flattering, really.
A tiny smile came to her, fingers curling into the red fabric with some anticipation—Maybe I've finally found somebody else who can understand the importance of bugs in the world, and that looking different isn't always a sign of being different. How else would he have such a strange band of subjects? It broke her heart to admit, but Agitha was very much aware that although many people found her to be to their liking, her subjects did not often receive the same treatment or regard. Nobody took the needs or wants of insects very seriously at all, and the world was full of people who would simply squash them without care.
"That's it! Agitha has decided!" She announced with a chipper smile to her Pillbug friend, pushing open the collective planks of her door. "We will be the Bully King's friends, and we will remind him to how to treat others by showing him ourselves, Mr. Pillbug. It's all about setting an example, and if he's forgotten how to do that, we'll set one for him. Then he'll remember himself, and soon after, his Piggies will be much nicer as well."
And so it was, that the little Bug Princess planned ahead to befriend the Dark Lord, completely unaware of just how dangerous such a thing was to even contemplate. The Gerudo himself was likewise oblivious to the girl's scheme, returning to his fortress with a rather hefty leg hauled over his shoulder and a bloodied blade in hand.
Even as the next hour passed without event, which allowed plenty of time for the young Princess to revaluate her plan, unfortunately Agitha found that time better spent on fashioning clothing from her prize of the red flag. She had tried it as a dress, a sarong, a skirt; off the shoulder, around her hips, and even utilised the vest in any way she could. By the time a rather ugly looking Moblin was stalking through the passage to her door in order to fetch her, Agitha had altered the vest—unpicking some stitching and reusing the twine—into something of a corset, holding the flag securely about her torso in a what now resembled a sleeveless sundress. Donning the blood splattered wings, it was complete, and the Pillbug once again felt comfortable looking at the girl without the want of blushing.
A brutish grunt drew attention before the creak of wood, a heavy and stubby hand pushing open the door with greater force than necessary. Standing about six foot, burly arms tattooed and a fat gut overhanging a tattered belt and shorts, a bald Moblin made himself known. Ducking his head to enter, the boar-like brute fixed beady eyes upon the Bug Princess, looking slightly confused. The scarred snout gave a twitch, his mind racing to figure out where the girl had gotten clothes that matched what his kin might wear—Hylians did not usually wear such attire, and the beast found itself puzzled by this immediately.
Agitha, who had been dusting with a spare scrap from the vest, turned her head nonchalantly to the intruder. An innocent fluttering of long lashes and a tilt of her head was all that preceded a bright and cheerfully optimistic smile.
"Hello, Mr. New Piggy." She chimed, the Pillbug upon her shoulder giving a twitch of its feelers in reluctant greeting so as not to seem rude.
The Moblin simply stared at her a moment—the young girl was upon her toes, stretched out to reach high to the shelf above her, not even stopping her task at the sight of him; not screaming or recoiling as would a normal little girl, no, this one simply flashed a smile and continued to dust.
Taking a finger to scratch at his bald head, the confused Moblin opened his maw to speak, but found himself forgetting what it was he came for temporarily. The befuddled look upon his horrid features was evident, squinting at the girl and mouth slightly agape, languid tongue licking over a solitary, protruding tooth. One could almost hear the cogs turning in his head… and subsequently jamming.
Drawing back from her task, a lavender gaze focused upon her guest, the scrap of leather held before her to be stroked by idle thumbs. This one looked to be a trifle more dim than usual. "Are you lost? Agitha doesn't know this place very well, either…" She conceded sadly, taking a few steps forward to study the beast—he reminded her of the first two, though not as large. "You have an audience with the Bug Princess. Agitha is my name… What's yours?"
The Moblin seemed to snap out of its reverie then, addressed, and gave a vacant look to his surrounds. Was the Hylian talking to him? She must've been, there was only the two of them there. But just to be sure, he jutted a thumb at himself with a curious noise. Seeing her nod, he blinked, unsure of himself.
"…Gorahg." He slurred bluntly, giving a lazy scratch to his belly. "Me name's Gorahg… Uh… Princess Bugatha."
She giggled, watching Gorahg's previous worry vanish—such simple creatures were these, a little prodding and they were almost pleasant. Immediately, the girl was charmed by him, reminded of Domah and Forg, and padded forward without hesitation to wag a finger. "No, no, no. Agitha. A-gi-tha. Not 'bugatha', silly." She corrected with a smile. "Let's be friends."
Somewhere in the midst of all this, the rather small brain Gorahg possessed seemed to kick back into action, causing a visible twitch of his hide as he recalled the reason for being here. "Uh!" He stammered, curved back suddenly straightening as if it recalled the sensation of a whip. "Mas'sah wants you fer dinner!"
Agitha blinked, taken aback by this announcement as her toes curled into the sand. "Oh?" She managed, brows knitting together. "…Are you sure? He wants to eat me?" The cheeriness in her voice faded some at that thought.
Eating somebody was not the best point from which to start a friendship… in fact, it was quite counter productive to relationship building of any kind at all.
Gorahg's chops twitched with the want to say something, and though he chewed the words about before they came, a Moblin's mind was simple and to the point. "…Me would wanna eat you." He grumbled lightly, not seeing any flaw in the Master's logic—if Ganondorf was going to eat the Hylian girl for his dinner, then Gorahg saw no issue. What else would he want with a chewy looking Hylian?
A moment passed between them as Agitha considered this new turn of events, running it over in her mind. She could hardly imagine a man wanting to eat here, but based on what she'd seen so far, the darkest corner of her told the girl not to dismiss it so easily. Swallowing some apprehension now, fingers nervously tugging upon the leather scrap, she stared at the beast with unfocussed eyes.
"…T-tell him that Agitha isn't tasty. She may look sweet, but she tastes awful. Truly she does." She whispered with trepidation, biting her lip with guilt—she was a horrible liar, and she knew this, but being eaten wasn't on her to-do list. But seeing the Moblin's hollow gaze fix upon her with the same look as when she'd first been taken, the Princess knew there wasn't a lot to be done about this. As the beast began to advance on her, automatic steps backward were taken, Agitha's hand raising in a feeble attempt to stop him.
"P-please, don't take Agitha! Please don't let him eat her… That's n-not what friends do! Why does nobody understand the rules of being friends?" She trembled helplessly, the wings upon her back bending against the wall behind.
"Sorry 'bout this, Agibugga… But what Mas'sah says 'round here goes…" Gorahg grunted with some sympathy, a look of shame etched onto his piggish features.
Despite a sudden struggle on Agitha's part as panic overtook her, weak arms flailing to pound again thick hide, Gorahg's muscled arm swooped low to encircle the girl's waist without hesitation. Her light weight was of little impediment, an effortless tug upward shunting Agitha forward to watch the sand grow further from her feet as she was settled unceremoniously over the beast's bulky shoulder. Tiny fists immediately took to beating against his back in protest as the Pillbug scurried to hide in blonde hair, but the Moblin did not seem to notice at all, turning with a heavy step to carry her away to the boiling pot that must certainly await them.
It didn't take longer than a few minutes of traversing down the wooden passage ways and twists and turns for Agitha's dissent to subside, leaning an elbow upon Gorahg's back and cupping a cheek with a tired look. A sigh escaped her, and the girl quickly decided that she didn't care for being carried about—especially by Moblins. At the very least, this one wasn't nearly as rough with her as the others. But getting a better lay of the fort-like 'castle' she was in, Agitha found her earlier assumptions confirmed—this place really didn't have anything to it at all, besides the poorly constructed walls, a flag here and there, the odd wall-mounted spear or hanging lantern. Even the tables they came across were bare; no plates or cutlery or centrepiece at all.
Thinking about the nervousness of her that seemed to be common among these creatures, an odd question came about, Agitha's pigtail brushing against hide with a tickle as her head was turned. "Greg?" She asked, mispronouncing 'Gorahg'. "Are you absolutely sure he is going to eat me?"
Gorahg considered this for a moment, ducking under another low doorway, and shrugged in response. "S'pose. Mas'sah was hackin' up a boar outside. Must be hungry…" He conceded, a slight whistle around his 's'.
"Did he tell you that he would eat Agitha? What did he say?" She peered at the back of his head incredulously, waiting for an answer.
"Uh…" Gorahg was hesitant, but not because he didn't want to answer. He had to strain himself to remember. A lot had happened since then—she'd accosted him with what his name was, and being her friend, and the new clothes… on the way, he'd even knocked his head on a lantern. It was a miracle Gorahg had remembered to fetch the girl at all.
"Mas'sah said, 'Go gett'm girl. Me hungry.' And… uh… Me did." He answered slowly, hoping that would suffice.
"Greg, that doesn't mean Agitha is going to be eaten. Just because you would eat her, doesn't mean another person would." She chastised with a cute looking frown, though the beast wouldn't see it. "You said he was getting a boar leg. He probably wants to have dinner with Agitha, not have her, silly!" A light slap was given to his back, making him flinch. "Now put Agitha down!"
Almost reflexively, Gorahg complied when he heard an order given, stopping immediately with a scolded look and tearing the girl from his shoulder as if holding onto her may burn him. He held his bulky arms out, blinking once at her while she was at eye level, but under the power of her pout Agitha was set down on her feet once more. The Moblin immediately stepped back from her, unsure of what to do with himself as his arms fell uselessly to his sides, snout twitching with confusion.
"But, Mas'sah did say t'get you. You follow me, Agibugga, or me hit you. You walk if me not carry you." He growled, finding some conviction. "No choice! You goin' to the Mas'sah!" Just for good measure, a stubby finger was levelled at her to imply some authority.
Agitha's smile returned, delicate fingers coming up to grab the finger, and turning without letting it go, she held it over her shoulder. "Well, of course, Greg! You're escorting Agitha to dinner! How else would she find her way?" A gentle tug was given as the other hand came to clutch at the Moblin's wrist, the Pillbug scurrying to settle in the hollow of her collar bone and keep some kind of barrier between the beast and the Princess. "Come along, now."
Finding himself completely puzzled once again, Gorahg allowed himself to be pulled along down the hall, keeping pace with the girl and trying not to scrape her heels with his greater steps. She unnerved him a bit—for something so little, she didn't seem to be afraid of anything but being eaten, and only if it was the Master doing it. How she could bounce back from shock or fear as if nothing had happened and simply smile, Gorahg couldn't understand. Was something wrong with her brain? Certainly, there must be. Though it would never be spoken out loud for risk of him knowing, most of the Moblin kin thought the Master's brain was broken too—not in a smarts way, but the sort of broken that makes their thoughts unlike most others. Perhaps the Master wanted this one because she was like him.
As he recovered from his state, Gorahg guided Agitha through the remainder of their journey in relative silence, watching her closely and listening to her hum absently. The Master held a ferocious temper, while this child seemed the polar opposite, but to the Moblin—simple as he was—he saw a strange similarity that he simply could not define. Both humans; neither put off by beasts, and both broken minded, yet each standing at the extremes of the spectrum of behaviour.
If each were at the furthest ends, they were far apart… but if you took that thought, and made a circle with it, the scary result was that they were, in fact, right next to each other. This epiphany proved two things there and then to Gorahg—one, thinking was a dangerous habit for his kind, and to be avoided. Two, Agitha was just as dangerous as the Master… and to be avoided.
Thankfully, by the time that tangent had reached its end, there they both stood at Ganondorf's door, a large and imposing thing that proudly sported carvings and make far superior to the rest of this place. The Moblin made a point of stopping immediately, as if a barrier more potent than the door itself kept him at bay, and Agitha found herself stopped in her advance as the hand she held would no longer give. Confused, lavender eyes turned upward with a question in them, long lashes blinking up at the beast, but Gorahg simply jerked his hand away with a nod to the girl.
"Mas'sah is in there… So, me showed you where it is, and me leavin' right now. If he eats you, me sorry, but there's nothin' to be done 'bout it... I ain't gonna be ending up like chief Domah." Was offered quickly and with a rather shaky voice, the beast turning quickly to retreat even as Agitha called after him.
"You aren't going to join us for a meal?" She asked innocently, furrowing her brows as her hands patted her legs nervously.
"You didn't wanna be eaten and neither do me!" He called back, not bothering to look behind him as he disappeared behind a corner and safely into shadow.
Blinking, Agitha turned back toward the large door, taking a deep breath. He can't be all that bad, She reassured herself, raising a hand to knock, Even if he isn't all that considerate of his subjects, he is a King. He's hosting a Princess to dine with him…At the very least, he should be diplomatic and that means he'll be better with Agitha.
And with high hopes, pale knuckles rapped softly upon the wooden door, patient and optimistic, to await the answer of the Dark Lord.
A/N:
I'm sorry, I know I'm being suspenseful.
But I really wanted to explore the monsters thoughts about Agitha to set up the next happenings and future things. Its nice when you have a second opinion on the matter… and the minions are delightfully dim witted. Plus over these first chapters we've got a good overview Agitha's personality—or the persona she acts with—for comparisons later and contrast with Ganon.
This story terrifies me. I haven't planned every little detail, (I never do, really, until late stages where it comes together) and so I've only got the main plot points listed in my notes. Everything in between is a surprise for me… and that's a dangerous thing for the characters, given free reign, but also, it allows them to express themselves more thoroughly and far more then just I could do justice to.
…But that doesn't make it feel any less like throwing a fluffy bunny into a wolves den…
Onward to Glory. (I hope.)