Polite Conversation
The moon was bright, quietly creeping across the sky, feigning peace for all the lives it shown down on. Link and Marickiya rode as fast as their horses could take them, never stopping once until they reached the forest barrier. It was well into the night when they arrived, but Link was wide awake as he led the horses towards the opening in the trees. The trees that hid the home of the Kokiri. The baby was fast asleep in his arms, lulled by the constant galloping through the night. Marickiya was slumped forward slightly in her saddle, dozing. Link couldn't possibly sleep at a time like this. Not now…
He was filled with panic. The thought that Ganon could be coming upon them at any moment drove him forward. He knew he was running away, and he hated that he had to. What other choice did he have? He had no sturdy weapon with which to protect himself. He also had two others with him that would surely be killed if they were attacked. There was nothing else to do but find a safe place to hide. Hide until he could find a way to reverse this mess.
"Mari," he said gently and nudged her side. She lifted her head and looked up at the giant hollowed log that served as the entrance to the forest. She had a disconcerted look about her.
"Is it… Is it true that if you get lost…" she sort of trailed off as if trying to recall some distant memory, "…in the forest…you'll turn into a… a…" she was still a little groggy and her words were close to being incoherent. He understood, though.
"Not if you stick close to me, you won't." He said reassuringly. He understood that living in the desert her whole life possibly meant she wasn't at all familiar with other land marks, such as forests or lakes. She could have read about the Lost Woods and its Stalchild infested trees at one point or another. "We should leave our horses out here. It would be difficult for them to maneuver around the trees." She nodded and dismounted with her worried expression still in place. He carefully stepped down from Epona with the small child nestled safely in the crook of his free arm.
They trudged through the trees and Link traversed the terrain effortlessly. At points, Marickiya resisted the urge to grab the back of Link's tunic for support. She was definitely not used to this sort of confinement. It was as though they were completely separated from the rest of the world. Just as she was thinking about how dark it was becoming, things began to lighten a bit. The trees were thinning out and she could see the moon lighting a path. She dared not tear her gaze from the green of Link's formal tunic for fear she'd lose him among the greenery that surrounded them. Then the moonlight spilled carelessly onto everything, creating a brilliantly painted portrait, painstakingly detailed. There was a small bridge that covered a gap in the terrain, leading to another hollowed log like the one they had gone through at the beginning of their journey into the woods. It led into a pitch blackness that made the Gerudo girl swallow. She unconsciously moved closer to her traveling companion. Link turned slightly and saw her nervous face. He held out his free arm in offering to her. Without hesitation, she grabbed it and they stepped into darkness.
The Kokiri village came into view rather quickly. There were cute little huts that made up a village. It was in the middle of the night, but everything was lit up. Not just by the light from within the too tiny houses, but also by little glowing orbs that drifted through the air lazily. There weren't many trees to completely cover the place, so the moon shone brightly over everything. She heard quiet voices and her gaze was brought downward. Their arrival was gathering quite a crowd it seemed.
"They're all children," she said softly to herself. Link's keen hearing picked it up.
"They're Kokiri. They only look like children." He corrected her.
"I knew that," she said, too tired for any banter.
"Hey mister, who's that?" One of the Kokiri had braved to ask the question everyone was wondering. Marickiya raised an eyebrow.
"You don't have to worry, she's a friend." He said loudly enough for all of them to hear. They didn't seem too reassured as they still kept their distance, but they stopped huddling so close together.
"'Mister?' Do you know them?" Marickiya asked him quietly. She was surprised when he gave an unmistakably sad smile and he brought his voice to match her volume.
"Known them my whole life." He said. He didn't explain more than that and the answer only left her with more questions. She decided against voicing any in that moment though. They continued on through the village towards an opening in the wall on the opposite side they had come. Then another voice rang out through the woods.
"Link!" A small form was running towards them when they turned around.
"Mido," Link greeted as the Kokiri caught up to them.
"What are you doing here?" He was smiling greatly, clearly happy to see the tall Hylian. Link looked past the small boy towards the clustered group of the bleary eyed Kokiri.
"We're going to visit the Great Deku Sprout. Some… things have happened. You can join us if you'd like." Link knelt down to speak with him and Mido got a glance at the wiggling bundle in his arms. His eyes widened a bit, his smile slipping slightly from his lips at Link's tone.
"Alright," he said with a little uncertainty. He rose and they made their way to the entrance to the Great Deku Sprout, leaving the staring group of Kokiri behind. They left the village and everything returned to quietness.
"Did he just say 'Link'?"
0000
Marickiya could not keep her gaze at ground level. She'd never seen a tree this size in all her life, not even in books. She noticed Link had also been looking to the treetops, but not with an expression of wonder like she was. He was wearing that same sad look that he had pretty much permanently adopted since the castle burned right before them.
His hurt wasn't a normal hurt, she could see that. There was definitely something more, underlying, that she didn't understand. She may have been living with and getting to know Link, but he was still a stranger to her.
"Welcome, Link and friends," there was a voice that came from the center of the clearing they were entering. Marickiya looked around but couldn't see anyone who could have said anything. Link was fixed on one point and gave a reply.
"Great Deku Sprout," he said. She was puzzled for a moment when she came to realize that Link was addressing a lone sprig in between the roots of the enormous tree. Why was he talking to a sprout? "We've come in a time of need."
"I understand. The situation is very grave indeed." The Sprout replied. Marickiya was beyond comprehending what was happening. The Sprout was talking to Link. And he was talking back. Rather than speak out in confusion, she just accepted the weirdness of it all and tried to keep up with what was being said.
"Impa has sent me here with a request." Link said, stopping just a ways away from the Sprout which Marickiya could see had an entire face on the front of it. The Sprout didn't reply at first to Link's statement. They stood in silence for awhile. Link looked like he was about to repeat himself when the Sprout finally broke the silence.
"Such a strange set of circumstances." He didn't seem like he was speaking to anyone directly. He continued. "What is it you wish to ask of me?"
Link began to unravel the bundle so that everyone could get a clear look at what it held. The sleeping child began to stir slightly when the cool night air touched her face.
"Do you know of the babe's parents?" The Sprout asked. Link shook his head. "I thought not," he said, sounding much older than he did just a few minutes prior. There was some rustling on the ground. Mari's first instinct was danger for the sound was much like that of desert leevers. The thing that appeared was not a monster, but a root that slithered along the ground until it was close to Link. Then it lifted itself and slowly swerved through the air to place its tip upon the brow of the baby who calmed immediately at the touch. After a moment, the root retreated back to the leaf-strewn ground and out of sight. It hummed thoughtfully.
"Very strange," he said again.
"What is it?" Link asked, concerned. Would the Sprout not accept the request? If not, then what was he to do with the parentless child?
"It is strange, Link, that you would be the one to bring this child before me," he said. "It is strange that the blood sleeping within this child has a decided fate. She is," he paused for a moment, angling for the right word, "A 'Child of Destiny'."
Link was silent for a moment at this statement. He understood the gravity and the irony of him being the one to bring before the Sprout a 'Child of Destiny'. He had but one question to ask and had a feeling that the answer would be the connection to everything else he had learned. The Sprout seemed to read his thoughts, however and asked the question that was on the tip of Link's tongue.
"You wish to know of the child's lineage?"
Everything was silent as Link nodded slowly.
"The bloodline within this child descends from the Royal Family." He stated happily.
0000
Everything was quiet. The rest of the Kokiri had finally all retired to their own homes. It was still dark out; the darkest it had been all night. Marickiya lay soundless and motionless while she slept. She had just fallen to the heavy veil of sleep as her thoughts had been awhirl with the activities of the night. Her breathing was slow and deep.
'Wake up!'
She dreamed. She knew she was dreaming.
'The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you!'
She felt her dream self stretch and turn away from the voice. But then it took on an irritated tone.
'Hey! C'mon! Can Hyrule's destiny really depend on such a lazy boy?'
The confusing question caused her to awake suddenly. Her eyes were still pretty heavy from lack of rest and she blinked a few times to the get them to stay open. She noticed something bright was fluttering around the room. Her immediate thought was daylight but, the more the light flickered and jumped about, she knew that wasn't it. She regained focus and saw a fairy hovering just in the entrance of the hut trying to get her attention. Looking past the fay, she noticed the absence of daylight. She grumbled on the inside. It started making its way outside and it was definitely gesturing for her to follow.
"Ugh, right now?" She breathed as she sat up. The fairy bobbed up and down like it was nodding.
Marickiya plopped her feet over the side of the bed and shuffled over to the entryway. The fairy flew away and stopped a few feet ahead, leading her. Not that she truly needed the guidance. A line of small shimmering balls of light snaked through the village and through the tunnel at the end that she knew led to the Sprout's clearing.
She walked forward on bare feet and approached the first little light. The grass felt amazingly plush between her toes. She relished in the sensation. She got so close as to touch the first little light. She wasn't sure whether to walk through it or beside the line. She didn't even know what they were. Out of curiosity, she reached out a touched one with the tip of her finger. It sort of shivered and then the light twinkled out. Only its warmth remained. She guessed from the feeling of life that emanated from them, the little lights could have been infant fairies. She followed the trail they left for her and they all flickered out of existence as she neared them.
Through the winding tunnel, the glade that housed the enormous tree unraveled before her. The line of fairies had come to an end at the entrance and the fairy who had first woken her up had vanished with them. She stood awkwardly in the darkness not sure if she was really supposed to be there. She had half a mind to return to her bed.
"Welcome, Marickiya of the Desert."
She had partly expected this, though it was still somewhat unsettling.
"You know who I am?" She hadn't been introduced earlier.
"I know many things. Mine and my forbearer's roots run very far." She looked down at the ground like she thought she could see through all the dirt to some mystically glowing roots. The clearing was silent for a moment as she straightened and looked around in wonder. She'd never seen such a vast forest before. She didn't really get the chance to take in the absolute wonder of it all earlier. The giant tree behind the sprout boasted an age well beyond two or three generations. Those little lights that led her to the Sprout were gathering above her head, illuminating her and the Deku Sprout's faces. "Do you know why you are here?"
Marickiya's attention was brought back down to earth as she took in the words.
"Not really," she said honestly. It had supposedly led her here. Why was it asking her?
"You are here because of the clutter in your mind, young one. I may be able to help quiet it." The forest itself seemed to take in a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. Everything was rustling and it was like a hurricane within her thoughts. Her brows furrowed in anxiety. She thought on that statement. She did have a lot on her mind.
"So I was led here because of all my questions. Are you the one who will answer them?" She asked. There was a groaning in the great tree over their heads like a sigh. She looked around at the falling leaves.
"I may be able to answer a few of your questions, yes. All you need to do is ask."
She thought hard on this, her tiredness long forgotten. She sat on the ground cross-legged, her ball gown pooling around her. They had left in such a hurry that she had nothing else to change into. She felt silly for thinking she looked the part of a fairy tail princess in a meadow. Infant fairies drifted down and swam in lazy and large circles around her head.
"Am I allowed to ask everything that's on my mind? Or do I have some limit?" The Sprout chuckled and it sounded like wooden chimes clinking against each other in a light breeze.
"No, there are no limitations. Ask away."
She began categorizing her thoughts into what had been on her mind the longest, which was harder than she thought it would be. She hummed to herself.
"I, uh, don't know what exactly it is I'm doing here. Do I have some purpose?" She asked.
"That is completely for you to decide. I can offer you guidance, but it must be you who ultimately decides your fate." The Sprout rustled knowingly. Marickiya folded her arms. She figured she was going to get a vague answer to a relatively vague question.
'I guess I'll be more specific.'
"Who is Link?"
"Many stories and legends revolve around Link, the Hero of Time." Her eyebrows raised at the title. "He has traversed and saved this land from a grave peril: one that is once again threatening the downfall of the Kingdom."
Well, that certainly gave her a lot to digest. Link was some big-shot hero. Was he a knight of Hyrule? The Gerudo were very clear about confrontations with knights. Not that she followed those rules anymore. She sighed internally. Then she remembered something else.
"Do you know a man by the name of Vaati?" she asked. She'd been wondering about him the whole time they rode to the forest. He was strange. He gave off a powerful yet reserved aura. Some small roots rustled along the leaves for a second.
"The one you met at the castle. I had noticed his arrival in Hyrule, but I cannot say that I know him, or his origins." Marickiya was a little taken aback by the first statement. Then she remembered that he probably sees a lot of what goes on in the Kingdom on an individual scale. "My advice is that you be wary of him. His intentions are unknown to me." She made a face.
"Well, he seemed pretty nice," she said quietly. The Sprout only gave her a smile at her comment.
She thought long and hard about her next question. She wasn't anticipating a true answer from the Sprout, but she thought it was worth asking. She was a bit nervous about asking it as well. What if the Sprout did know the answer? She took a deep breath.
"I… want to know about my parents." Everything stilled to a calm and quiet state. Already, she was feeling a small weight beginning to lift from her shoulders. She had never aloud questioned the past, or the circumstances of her birth. She had accepted what she was told and all the while silently wondered. She'd never thought about trying to find out who this Hylian man could have been to have a Gerudo, knowing what her ultimate fate would be if she were caught, fall for him. But these thoughts filled her head now. For once, she was free and permitted to think these thoughts and they were running rampant. There was that creaking again that signified the deity's discerning smile.
"May I first ask a question of you?" The Sprout said. She was surprised at the request.
"I… yes." Was all she could say.
"What is it that you already know of them? What do you not know that makes you ask this?"
Her face became passive as she thought back. There were plenty of painful memories that were attached to what she had been told her of her mother.
"I was told by the Gerudo women," she said, retrieving the memory, "That my mother was a traitor to our tribe. She had illegally mated with a man outside of our race and was punished harshly." She paused and took a steadying breath. Anxiousness filled the pit of her stomach with little fluttering. She idly wondered how much an answer to this one question would change her. "That is all I've been told. I don't know her name. I know nothing of my father."
"I know you have wondered this the most and the longest. I am the one who will answer. This will also leave you with more questions to ask yourself. They will comfort and frighten you, but you need not dwell on what has been for you are 'you' and you will know what is right. Are you prepared for my answer?"
She took a gulp of air but still felt short of breath. Nervousness began to stir within her as well. Why was the Sprout prefacing like this? Would she not like what she was about to hear.
"I am not sure how prepared I am to hear it, but… I do want to know," she said. A gentle breeze played with her hair for a moment and she was able to catch her breath completely.
"I understand. Allow me to begin with who your mother was. I will first reveal that your mother was not Gerudo, but a Hylian." She blinked several times, her mind racing erratically.
"No... No, that's... not possible," she breathed. Her brow furrowed in frustration. How could it be possible? She didn't want to make that particular connection in her head. Her thoughts danced all around it but dared not stray too close. She'd been lied to. She was mistreated for this lie. She was an outcast because all the Gerudo believed her father was Hylian and not their leader…
The thought finally fell into place and she shivered. She was nearly disgusted.
"I'm sorry for you to find out after everything you've been told. I know it has been hard for you because of this lie." She could not reply. She had no words. The Sprout allowed her a moment of silence to regain her bearings. She took a breath, though her expression remained fierce.
"Alright. Tell me about my mother." She said finally. She wasn't entirely sure if she was ready to accept this just yet. She wanted to hear everything else first.
"Very well. Several years ago, a prophecy was made about someone who would change the course of the future. The exact wording has been lost for it only traveled by word of mouth, but it had told about someone who would begin the line of heroes that would bring peace to all of Hyrule and beyond. It referred to a young woman at the time. She was hidden away so that she would be safe from anyone who would mean her harm. While in hiding, she gave birth to child. This child began that very line of heroes in the prophecy." Marickiya remained silent though she was beginning to question the relevance of the Sprout's words. She couldn't really be descended from a line of 'heroes.' With her skepticism intact, she waited for her place in the story.
"When the child grew old enough, she was allowed out on her own. No one knew of her origin, so she was believed safe in her anonymity. She found love and began a family."
'I hope he doesn't think I'm going to believe that I'm actually from a normal family,' She scoffed in her thoughts. But still, she stayed quiet.
"She was not safe however. Someone had found out who she was. She was betrayed. Her identity had found its way to the King of Thieves who had been tirelessly searching for the one from the prophecy. She was taken from her home and family."
She didn't need him to continue to know what happened next. Disbelief was plastered all over her features.
"So, let me make sure I'm following you in all this. There was a prophecy about my mother who is the start of a line of heroes and I…" she crossed her arms, "I'm part of that line?"
"That is correct." The Sprout could read her feelings and knew she doubted. "Perhaps you'd like to see it for yourself?" he offered.
"Oh yes, I'd love to see all this. There's no way I'd believe you otherwise. But exactly how-" she was cut off by that rustling she knew to be roots slithering across the ground. One browned, thin root skittered rapidly towards her and she had no time to react before it touched its tip to her forehead. She yelped in surprise at the abruptness of it.
At first, there was nothing. Right as puzzled words were on her tongue, images flashed in front of her eyes. There was nothing completely coherent. She only caught glimpses of a young woman and a man and a child. They all looked very happy to be together, to be alive. The woman was beautiful with long, wavy dark brown hair and bright olive eyes. Emotions came along with the images and she couldn't help but want this woman to be her mother. She looked so caring. The emotions conveyed through the visions were what made her believe.
She was lost in the simplicity and love she expressed, so pristine. Then everything changed. The man and the child disappeared and fear dominated her. Ganondorf, the sole leader of the Gerudo engulfed an image of the woman. Marickiya could feel her body thrashing, resisting what the apparition revealed to her. She was screaming, or at least attempting to, but no sound would come.
It all stopped. She was released and fell forward. The feeling, so intense before, was completely gone. She was left to her own mind again.
"Did that help you see?" the Sprout asked of her. She thought on how unnecessary it was to ask.
"Yes," was all she could get out. The silence that followed was meant for her to calm herself. How could she return to any kind of calm? For the first time in her life, she had seen her mother. Who she was, what she was like. She would relive those images as if they were her own memories for the rest of her life. She would hold onto the happy ones and grieve for the sad ones. She held tightly to everything she'd just witnessed. The memories were flowing through once again when she stopped. Her mother had a family. Who were they? Were they alive?
Her thoughts derailed at this. Guilt seeped into her mixed feelings. She couldn't go to them. They weren't her family. Though she yearned for a normal family, this family wasn't hers. She did, however, want to know what happened to her mother after she was born. She voiced this.
"After you were born, she found her way back to her husband. She was very ill and needed special care, something she couldn't get in Hyrule. The family was getting ready to travel away from Hyrule and the war that was waging, but they didn't leave in time before their convoy was ambushed. In the end, the father had been killed and she barely escaped with her first child." Marickiya was keeping up with more attention to detail this time. Her mother's husband had died. She felt a resounding sadness that she had to go through that.
"Where did she go? Did she find help?" There was no way she could make it on her own after that. Where could she go?
"Allow me to show you what happens next," and with that the root lifted again to her. She was prepared for it this time as it lifted and touched her. She steeled herself for another onslaught of images, but it was not forthcoming. Instead, an entire scene began to play out in front of her eyes. A woman with the same dark hair of her mother was running.
Blurred images whirled past and she couldn't really make out any surroundings. She wondered if this was how her mother had seen everything, unable to truly comprehend anything except for escape.
She noticed a lot of green at first, but it was mostly darkness. Then little houses joined with the blurred scenery. After running a bit longer, her mother's footsteps slowed and the scene began to take shape into that of a natural tunnel that looked all too familiar, as she had traversed it twice that day.
The Great Deku Tree came into view then and Marickiya was astounded at how different it looked. It was alit with a thousand tiny lights and the green of its leaves was a million times more brilliant. There was no sprout sitting in-between its giant roots.
There was a booming voice that shook the ground where her mother stood. She fell to her knees.
"Why have you entered this sacred ground, Hylian?" It asked. She looked scared for a moment, but then determination overtook her tired features.
"Please!" She begged breathlessly. "Please, allow us sanctuary. I won't live for much longer, I must find a safe place for my son."
"You are asking me to allow you to live here in my forest?" The Deku Tree asked. She shook her head.
"Not me, just my child." She said solemnly. "Please, we've no where else to go."
There was a rumbling in the treetops as a deafening silence followed.
"Very well," the Deku Tree decided. "What is the boys' name?"
"My boy's name," she looked fondly at her beautiful baby boy who looked back at her with loving blue eyes, "is Link." She said finally. The surrounding trees began to blur as the dying mother began to slip away from the world.
"Link shall live and grow up in the Kokiri Forest until he is called away by his destiny."
A single tear made its way down her pale cheeks. Before she fell limply towards the forest floor, her baby clutched protectively in her arms, the scene dissolved into inky darkness.
Mari was on her own hands and knees, having fallen at the gravity of what she had seen. She couldn't hold back any tears of her own. She tried calming herself, but couldn't keep her thoughts from her mothers' last moments. The one thing that finally had her come around was the full realization of what the vision had told her. She held her breath to say one thing. Not a question, but a half uttered statement of understanding.
"Link is my…"
0000
A whistling wind tore through the abandoned city, though nothing stirred. There was very little light as there was no sky above, but a cavernous ceiling. The city was rather large, able to hold several hundred inhabitants, but the only sign of life were the tiny campfires dotting the sunless, grayed landscape and the straggling groups of moblins that huddled around them. One small group was chatting away at the topmost room of a tower that loomed over the entire metropolis when one of their fellows appeared at the entrance to the room they were settled in.
"Thasen! Where have you been?" one of the former group had asked of the newcomer. Thasen shrugged.
"I was held up on the surface. There is some interesting news floating around up there," he said with a mischievous grin.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" The same one piped up.
"They're saying," He seemed to pause for effect as most of the group leaned in closer, "the Master has returned."
"What?!" There were many shouts of disbelief and shock. "How can that be? He was defeated!" Another moblin said.
"Defeated, yes. But he was only sealed. His seal was broken," Thasen explained. Most of the group looked on in awe. All, except one.
"That's not possible," he said the quiet one gruffly. The rest of the group quieted themselves and turned to him. He was a little more decorated in uniform than the rest and seemed to be a self proclaimed leader of sorts. Thasen looked to him with defiance.
"It's true." He stated lamely. The leader scoffed.
"And I suppose you saw him with your own eyes?" he glared at Thasen with a challenging gaze.
"Well, no. But-"
"Then I won't believe anything that comes from you." He said with finality. Thasen glowered at him. The other moblins started to whisper to each other. "There's no way that Ganondorf has returned. Why would he? If he was all powerful, why did he need us? And why was he defeated so easily? He was weak, and he will never-"
Suddenly, an angry orb of flame engulfed the spot where the 'lead' moblin had sat. There could be heard some earsplitting screeches as the moblin within it was burnt to a crisp. When the fire had vanished completely, so too had the moblin.
The group was astounded and could not tear their eyes away from the charred and stinking mess that used to be one of their own. They heard a voice and they all nervously turned to face its owner at the entrance to the tower.
"If anyone else has their own differing views of me," the Great Evil King, Ganondorf, boomed, "please, step forward." The air was dangerous as he issued the challenge. He was ready to blow something else up but it was unnecessary as the group of moblins before him began groveling at his feet, uttering praises and titles like 'master' and 'my king.' "That's more like it," he mumbled as he strode into the desolate tower room. He looked at the ragged lot.
"This is a nice place you've found. I'd like it to be our new base of operations," he said. They all grinned at each other and nodded in agreement. "Spread this new information to those above." They began to scramble out of the tower at their masters command. "You two," the last two to leave stopped. It was Thasen and the moblin he had first spoke with. "I want you to stand guard outside this room." They nodded and left, the door closed with a snap. Ganondorf took a relaxing breath. Quiet.
"Lana," he called out to nothing. In the corner of the room, shadows began to swirl and formulate into a solid being. When the blackness receded, a slender young woman in a simple outfit and blonde hair was standing in the midst of the room. She looked towards Ganon and her eyes widened.
"Lord," she took a knee and bowed her head. "It is a surprise to see you."
"I'm sure it is." He said and then fell back. Lana raised an eyebrow at first, but then an extravagant looking armchair materialized and caught him just before he collapsed. He sighed a contented sigh. Lana stood at attention and awaited orders which caused the Evil King to grin.
"Well," he said finally, "it seems I am in need of your services yet again." He opened one eye to see what kind of reaction she would give and was pleased to see her stiffen a bit. He chuckled to himself. 'Like old times…'
"I need you to go scouting for me." He specified. Her demeanor relaxed a bit. "I want you to follow the Hero of Time and the Sages. Get as much information as you can about their movements." Her expression was that of surprise as he revealed her assignment.
"My Lord, would that be a good idea?" She cringed as he sat up and gave her his full attention. "I mean, the water sage. She will recognize me. I do not know if I am capable of taking on a Sage." She explained hastily. He looked like he had a mock pensive look for a moment.
"Very well. Keep track of Link only. I want to know what he's up to. Keep the Temple of Time closely guarded. You don't need to do that yourself," he added when she gave him a pained glance. "Is everything understood?" he asked. She bowed in response.
"Yes, my King." She made to leave but he stopped her.
"Now… your punishment for speaking against my orders," He was upon her in an instant, she couldn't get away. She had been relieved when it appeared that he would overlook her words. But it seemed that had been a farce to catch her off guard. He grabbed her by the chin in a tight grip which she couldn't wriggle out of.
He felt powerful and he relished in the experience. He could completely crush her within his grasp if he so pleased. He wouldn't though. He did have a job for her to do after all. That wouldn't keep him from having a little fun with her before she left though. He had grabbed her wrist with his free hand and pressed her against his body. She had a fearful, but at the same time submissive grimace. She knew it would be better for her to just let him do whatever it was he had in mind. He sneered repulsively.
"Well, isn't this charming?" A quiet voice from the corner made them both start. Someone, who had been leaning against a far wall in the shadows, pushed off of it and stepped into the light.
"Who are you?" Ganondorf asked none too kindly as he let go of the girl he was gripping. She stumbled, almost falling to the ground.
"No one of importance," the stranger waved his hand dismissively. Ganondorf clucked his tongue impatiently.
"Then 'no one of importance' should see themselves out," he threw out his hand to the side and a ball of purple energy began to form. He lugged the orb in the newcomers' direction but he simply hopped to one side to avoid it.
"I'm not here to cause a scene, my Lord," he tossed the title around casually which just seemed to anger the Gerudo King even more, but he didn't throw another magical sphere. He waited for the unwanted visitor to continue. "I merely happened upon this place out of curiosity. I assure you, I'll be out of your hair shortly." The following glower was Ganon taking in his full appearance. He seemed simple enough, a traveling cloak, long silver hair, with an annoyingly blasé expression. Did he not know who he was addressing. What was most off-putting about the stranger was how much power he emitted. He hadn't sensed the man a few moments ago, but his presence completely filled the room now. Was he hiding his power and his essence so that Ganon wouldn't sense him, or had he really just appeared there by chance? He decided that he didn't want to fight this person. He would rather find out what his true purpose of coming to this particular tower was. He stood straight from his crouched, offensive position.
"Lana," he said without looking at her, "Get to your duties." She was gone the instant he had finished his sentence. Now it was just Ganondorf and the unnamed man.
"Who are you?" he repeated with less anger in his voice. The man smiled.
"I am Vaati," he gave an over-the-top bow, "At your service."
"Vaati," Ganondorf tasted the name in his mouth. "What is it you're really doing here?" The man began to walk around the room nonchalantly.
"I had stumbled upon this underground city and was checking it out well before you arrived." He stated lazily. "Then I happened upon that little scene a few moments ago." He flashed him a toothy grin. "I was on my way out actually, but I figured I'd introduce myself before I left."
"You're introduced. Now you can leave." Ganon said a bit gruffly. Vaati chuckled.
"Right, I did tell you I'd soon be out of your hair." The two held firm gazes for a second when a thought struck the King.
"You're a sorcerer." He said bluntly. "And you're not from this country; else I would have sensed your strong power before." Vaati took the near-compliment in stride. Ganondorf squinted his eyes, unpromising, "What is your true purpose for coming here?"
The mage turned to face him and his cloak had parted to reveal light violet robes beneath them. He held his arms out and the edges of his frame began to shimmer slightly.
"My friend, I am simply an observer."
With that, he had vanished from the tower in a shadowy wisp, essence and all. The lingering grin that was burned into Ganondorf's visage unsettled him greatly.