Author's Note: This chapter, while complete from a plot point of view, can be read in complete form on adultfanfiction. If you feel as if this chapter is lacking something... it is. Half the chapter. For those of you who do not mind reading threesomes, the full version can be found at (Remove spaces) games. adultfanfiction story .php?no=600088365 &chapter=20
Link woke up from a dead sleep, and his first thought was that morning had come far too quickly. Some part of him had been aware they'd been given until morning… and he could see the pink in the sky outside. His arms tightened around Zelda as Ganondorf opened the door and stepped into their room. From the sounds of it, he was barefoot, and he couldn't hear the swish of a cloak either.
Zelda pressed her lips lightly to his chest and pulled away slightly, looking over Link's shoulder. "You're up early," she said softly, not looking the least bit interested in rising from Link's arms.
"I've been patient enough," Ganondorf said, his voice low, barely more than a whisper. Link flinched away as the man knelt on the bed behind him, wanting to ignore him for as long as possible. It was only moments, of course, before Ganondorf pulled down the blankets covering them. "You can start with each other." The tone made it hard to tell whether that was an order or an offer.
Zelda recognized it as both, and she suspected Link did too, even if he would still rather pretend none of this was happening. "You can do this," she murmured softly, her hand sliding lightly down his waist. And he realized she was right. He could recognize the same fear that had gripped him before stepping into his first Twilight portal, before plunging down a mountain on a shard of ice, before he'd gone into battle against any number of foes. It was just a matter of moving past it.
The Triforce was warm and glowing faintly on his hand as he shifted it from Zelda's back to her breast, rubbing lightly over her skin. He took a deep breath, feeling his heart pound, and welcoming the rush just like he did before any struggle. At least this time, he'd have Zelda with him.
.o0o.
"See, that wasn't so bad…" Ganondorf said with a low chuckle, laying back as he watched them disentangle from each other. Link glanced up, his cheeks flushing red as he sat up and pulled the blankets into his lap defensively.
"No, I suppose it wasn't," Zelda said, shaking her head, a faint smile on her face. She rolled to her stomach, leaning against Link's legs, and looked over at Ganondorf. While it was far from the first time they'd been naked in his presence… it was the first time she'd actually seen him unclothed. His skin was the same rich, dark tone all over, well-peppered with a darker shade of red hair and interrupted only by the jagged, glowing wound in his chest. It made her squirm uneasily to look at it, partially because it was unnatural to have a hole just below one's ribcage, but also because it looked painful, and she didn't like feeling sympathetic towards him.
The silence was clearly stretching on too far for Link's liking, as he shifted slightly and asked, "So, what time do we leave?" It would take almost a full day's ride to get to the edge of the desert, and they had to line up what they could find as an army first.
"So eager to get to work… one would almost think you don't want me here," Ganondorf chuckled, leaning forward and rubbing Link's head, grinning as the hero crossly tried to straighten his disordered hair. "We'll begin inspection of the Knights of Hyrule an hour after full sun," he said, standing up with little apparent concern about his nudity, only doing up the robe as he exited their room.
"Well that was… different," Link said, after Ganondorf was well down the stairs. Zelda laughed and buried her face in the blankets, her giggles only a little on the brittle side.
"I suppose it has been worse," she agreed, tilting her head to the side to peer at him. "Are you alright?"
"I don't know… I think so," Link said. "It wasn't as bad as I was expecting…" He wasn't sure if he really was okay with it, or if he was just numb and would be throwing up in a few hours when it sunk in. "I think I'd like something else in my mouth, though…" He wanted to erase the memory of that flavor from his tongue.
She nodded, and crawled to the edge of the bed, passing him the last pastry from last night's dessert. "Come on, let's get dressed and find some breakfast. We've got an army to assemble." Forgoing the corsets and long dresses today, Zelda pulled on leggings and one of her knee length skirts, lacing on the full set of armor too. Link braided her hair for her again as she attached the intricately tooled metal.
Ganondorf's door was open when they descended the stairs, the Gerudo King seated at his table with arm and leg guards still laid out across the surface. He beckoned them forwards, saying, "I'll need my hair braided… I won't demand full Gerudo ceremonial knots," he added at the look of disbelief he got.
"This is why chainmail is better," Link pointed out about how long it was taking to strap on every piece of plate as Zelda stepped forwards to help cinch up the breastplate bands.
"And who won the fight?" Ganondorf pointed out almost amiably, gesturing for Link to step behind him and start in on his hair. As he had no answer to that, Link just started to braid. His hair was surprisingly soft… somehow, Link hadn't expected any part of the man to be less than hard and coarse. He wasn't nearly as gentle as he was with Zelda's hair, but Ganondorf didn't complain or even flinch away once, just took the finished braid to coil it. He stood and turned to face Link, that mocking, wide grin in place again. "You'll have to pull my hair again sometime, Link… I like that." He laughed at the look of disgust on the boy's face.
"You're supposed to be on my side," Link said accusingly to Zelda, who was biting her lip in an attempt not to grin as she tightened up a forearm greave.
She composed her expression for about a second, then let out a snort of laughter. "I'm so sorry… the look on your face… ahem…" A deep breath later, and she was back to her calmer attitude. "I assume you got the package from the Gorons?" she asked Ganondorf.
"And had yours polished last night," he said, reaching up to a shelf that would take a chair for Link to reach it. "A crown for a crown was the promise, hmm?" he asked, handing her the two smaller circlets. "And yes, Link, you have to."
"It'll show solidarity, and inspire trust and a will to follow," Zelda said, smoothly tucking Link's crown in place and brushing his hair to the side despite his look of discomfort. "Both of which we're going to need. Not to mention I'll feel better with you wearing a helm, even if it is decorative."
"You know, I should demand some sort of ceremony…" Ganondorf said, idly turning the largest crown in his fingers.
Zelda smiled sweetly up at him. "Does that mean you're willing to kneel before me in front of all of Hyrule and swear your everlasting allegiance to me?"
He just stared down at her for a moment, then smiled slowly and set the crown in place. While Link's circlet was designed to fit with his armor, almost blend in, Ganondorf's was clearly a crown. It was a larger echo of Zelda's, a brilliantly flame-red gem in the center for Din. "This will do."
"I thought so," she said cooly.
Apparently still in a good enough mood to be amused instead of insulted, Ganondorf just grinned and reached up to the second shelf, bringing down Zelda's rapier, then the massive Sword of Sages. Carefully, he hooked another belt with the hilt, and dropped the Master Sword into Link's surprised grasp. "We are marching to war. How would it look if neither of you were armed?" Ganondorf pointed out.
It was a tense moment, Ganondorf watching both of them with narrowed eyes. Zelda hooked her scabbard to her belt, keeping one hand on the hilt. It took Link several seconds of furious internal debate, but eventually he shifted his shield, swinging the sword and scabbard into place on his back. It wasn't the time. Not yet. Only after Link lowered his hands and Zelda relaxed her grip did Ganondorf pick up his own scabbard, sheathing the long, white blade.
"Well, shall we go, then?" he asked as if they'd just had a pleasant cup of tea rather than been heartbeats away from killing each other. He made sure Link and Zelda preceded him outside.