Zelda watched Ganondorf battle against an Iron Knuckle in the courtyard as leaves fell from the trees, colouring the gardens in red and gold. It had been five months since their 'wedding', and the Dark Lord still hadn't touched his wife. She was relieved he hadn't tried anything; however she couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't even looking at her body. She was used to feeling men's gaze upon her, but Ganondorf seemed to ignore her most of the time since he had married her. Oddly enough, his obliviousness offended her more than it should have.
She jumped as she heard a victorious roar echo trough the courtyard. Ganondorf had just cut the creature's head off, making its lifeless body fall to the ground. As he reanimated the construct, he looked up at her and smirked. She could almost hear him mocking her. 'I can hear you, princess. I can hear every thought that goes through your mind because I am stronger than you are, stronger than you will ever be'. She looked back at him, lifting her chin up and crossing her arms. The day she had slapped him, he hadn't screamed or yelled. He wasn't even angry. He had only chuckled and smiled, ignoring her for the next couple of days. Since then, he mocked her.
"You seem tense, my dear," he would say whenever he crossed her in the hallway. "Would you like to take your anger out on my face?"
She would then try to find something clever to say, but she would inevitably fail, blush and turn away, making a humiliating exit.
As she saw Ganondorf leave the courtyard and enter the castle, she left, not wanting to face him again in a battle of wits he would unavoidably win.
"I assume you know it is long past midnight."
Zelda jumped. She looked around but there was nobody to be seen. She suddenly saw Ganondorf step out of the shadow, a small grin on his lips. She sighed in irritation and stared at the book open before her.
"I see I scared you," he said. "My apologies."
She scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"You did not scare me," she snapped dryly. "I was merely surprised."
He chuckled as he sat in front of her. She looked up, and was surprised to see he was not wearing his armor. She had seen him wear it so often that she almost believed he slept with it. Instead he was wearing a black tunic with red leather pants that made him look quite different from usual.
"Whatever," he whispered, interrupting her thoughts.
He stared out the window as she shifted uncomfortably.
"Why are you here?" she asked after a few minutes to break the heavy silence.
"You work too much, Zelda," he said casually, waving at the books spread on the table.
She lifted an eyebrow.
"We both know you don't care," she hissed. "Please tell me what you want so that I may go back to work."
Ganondorf smirked upon hearing the princess speak so aggressively.
"Very well," he said in a mocking tone. "I came to…"
He was cut by the rumbling sound of thunder. The princess jumped, grabbing the edge of the table, quivering. The Dark King shrugged.
"As I was saying – "
His voice trailed off upon seeing the princess' pale face.
"What is the matter, Zelda?"
The young woman did not answer. She whimpered and tightened her grip on the wooden table. Ganondorf touched her hand and, to his surprise, she did not push it away like she would usually have done. Instead she grabbed his hand and held onto it like her life depended on it, her nails almost digging into his skin.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I - Thunder - " she stuttered.
She yelped and tightened her hold on his fingers when thunder once again echoed throughout the land.
"Oh, I see," he chuckled. "The brave princess is afraid of thunderstorms? How unlikely," he added after a few seconds of silence, narrowing his eyes at her.
She tried to speak, but was interrupted by an uncontainable sob. She didn't want to show her weakness in front of him, but her fear, for now, was stronger than her pride. And she had to admit it was nice to have someone by her side, even if this person was a man that had taken over her kingdom and had forced her to marry him.
She swallowed hard and stayed silent. To her surprise, Ganondorf, instead of mocking her again, smiled gently and took her hand in his. She followed him without resistance as he got up and led her out of the library. They walked in silence, Zelda shuddering each time lightning lit up the castle's hallways, and the Dark Lord chuckling each time he felt the princess' fist clench in his large hand.
"There," Ganondorf said when they reached Zelda's door. "Good night."
He bowed and walked away but stopped dead in his tracks when he felt a small hand on his arm. He slowly turned around to face the princess, who was holding him back.
"…Please… Please stay," Zelda whispered.
She didn't look like the proud princess he knew anymore. He hid the devious grin that was about to settle on his lips, keeping his face unreadable as an impatient sigh escaped his lips.
"Well, lead the way then," he said, shrugging.
Zelda blushed as she entered her room, followed by the Dark King, realizing how ridiculous she was. But as thunder made her jump once again, she couldn't help but grab Ganondorf's arm and hold it as tightly as she could. Thunderstorms were rare in Hyrule, and the last one had been months ago, when she still could call her maid who would then spend the night with her. But now…
"I am sorry to bother you with such a thing," she said honestly as she sat on her bed.
He shrugged again as he sat on the chair placed next to her window, heaving a sigh. She hesitated a second before lying down on her bed. Ganondorf gave her a questioning look.
"Do you need help undressing?" He asked.
"N- No!" she shrieked, blushing furiously.
He grinned malevolently and she turned her back to him, shuddering as the sound of thunder made its way to her room. She could feel the Dark Lord's gaze on her, and she could easily tell he was relentlessly staring at her butt. She gritted her teeth but couldn't hold back a small smile. So he was looking after all. She was not unattractive. As Ganondorf cleared his throat, making it clear he had just heard everything that had gone through her mind, she blushed and closed her eyes. She no longer felt his searing gaze on her. They didn't speak, and as the silence stretched on she found the Dark Lord's presence to be more and more comforting. She soon sighed in bliss and fell asleep, no longer bothered by the storm outside.
Ganondorf watched Zelda as sleep took her peacefully, her breath becoming even as her shoulders relaxed. He stared at her back as a devilish scheme made its way to his mind. He could take her. Right here and now. Nobody would hear her screams and she wouldn't be strong enough to resist. Nothing would stop him from finally having his way with the beautiful princess. But he mastered himself. He couldn't do it - yet. As the hours passed, his eyes fluttered shut and he fell asleep, dreaming of a moaning, writhing Zelda.