Disclaimer: I don't own the Gerudos, Gerudo Fortress, Ganondorf, or anything from The Legend Of Zelda…I do however own any OC's that appear, mainly Nalissa/Nali, Kali, and Katara/Kat.
A/N: Enjoy!! =]
Chapter 4
Today is my birthday. I'm seven, and I have one year until I am ranked.
My mom threw a big party for me and invited every Gerudo in the fortress. All my closest friends are here, and even my favorite adults, Katara included, are here. Yet I still don't feel happy.
I wish my dad were here to enjoy this with me…
"What's wrong, kiddo?" says a familiar voice. I scoot over and make room for Katara, who made herself a plate piled with food. I poke at my food subconsciously with my fork as I watch all my friends playing birthday games that I'm supposed to participate in…I just don't feel like it.
"Hey, Kat." I say, sighing.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you enjoying your party with the rest of the girls?" she asks, pointing at my friends all laughing and having a good time. I sigh.
"I wish my dad were here, but he's never home…" I admit.
"You know he's the king, Nali. He has a lot of responsibilities." I nod.
"I know, but still…it's my birthday. He was supposed to be here." Katara nods and watches my friends play.
"Come on, Nali Sweetie! Come blow out your candles!" my mom yells excitedly, grabbing my plate and setting it down and lifting me up by my hands. She eagerly leads me over to my birthday cake. I sigh again.
I want to tell her about Daddy so bad but I promised I wouldn't say anything…
I shake the image of my father with that other woman out of my head and blow out my candles. Everybody claps and my mom excitedly cuts everybody a piece of cake. I'm personally not hungry for cake, but my friends are demanding that I take the first bite as birthday girl so they can enjoy their slices. After a couple bites, I sigh and throw my plate away and sneak off to my room to cry.
***
My dad returned about two days after my party. I stare absentmindedly at the gift he brought back…a new bow. It's really fancy.
I'm sitting on my bed cleaning the bow. Suddenly my father comes in.
"Nali," he says.
"Yes Daddy?" I ask, still cleaning the bow. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see him smirking.
Oh goddesses, I know that look…what is he planning now?
"Remember when you said you wanted the opportunity to make me proud?" he asks, his smirk growing even bigger.
***
"Where are we going, Daddy?" I ask, having to almost run to keep up with his fast pace. He smirks.
"You'll see." He says, picking up his speed.
Ever since he came to my room, he's been leading me to a part of the fortress I haven't seen before. He hasn't said more than two words since then.
Finally we arrive in some room. It looks like a dungeon.
"What is this place?" I ask, amazed. My dad smirks and walks to the center of the room.
"It's the execution room." He says. Before I can respond, he takes out his long black sword and hands it to me.
"What do you want me to do with this?" I ask.
"You'll see." He says. A minute later, two Elites come in with some boy. He has white skin, light brown hair, and blue eyes. I've never seen someone with such light skin. He must be Hylian.
The two Elites throw him roughly onto the floor before my father and me. They bow and wait by the door. The boy looks up at us, and I gasp. His hair is matted with blood and his face is all bruised up. His clothes are in shreds and his body is bruised and bloodied in various places. He's been beaten badly. And the worst part is he looks no older than fourteen or so.
"Go ahead, Nali." My father tells me, looking bloodthirsty. "Stab him." I gape in surprise.
"What?!" I shriek.
"Do you want me to be proud of you, Nali, or not?" he asks, raising his eyebrow. I shake my head.
"No, Daddy! Not like this! Please!" I cry.
"Nali, you said you'd kill anyone who poses a threat to me. This boy does. He tried to break into my tower back in Hyrule. So do what you said you would do." I look back at the young boy.
"Please spare me, Your Majesty!" he begs. "I meant no harm! Honest!"
"You expect us to believe that?" he asks, smiling evilly.
"Have mercy on me, please young girl!" he begs, looking at me. I gulp.
"Do it, Nali." My father says, grinning psychotically. "Do this, and you'll make me the proudest father this world has ever known. I might even take you with me to my tower in Hyrule some time." I look at him. He never takes me to Hyrule! And he said he would be proud…
I take in a deep breath and raise the sword above my head. Just as I'm about to bring it down, the boy shouts and covers his eyes, shaking violently.
In that split second, I see myself…what if I kill him?
I picture the boy dead on the floor because of me, his blood everywhere. I see my father hugging me and telling me how proud he is. I picture the first time he'll take me to see Hyrule and the tower he's been residing in. I would be so happy.
But staring at this boy, how frightened he looks…
I throw the sword down and watch it clang against the stone floor.
"No, Daddy!" I shout, tears pouring down my face. My dad blinks and stares at me in confusion.
"Did you just tell me no?" he asks. I gulp.
I just realized that I've never told him no, ever, and I've never used that tone before.
"Daddy, it's not right." I say in a lower voice.
"Don't you want me to be proud of you, Nali? And what about the tower in Hyrule? You've been begging me to take you since you were a toddler." The offer is tempting, but I don't think it's worth it in the end.
"No, not like this. I want you to be proud of me for who I am. I shouldn't have to do this to make you proud. And the bribes will not make me do it either." I tell him. He wrinkles his eyebrows at me in confusion.
He quickly makes his way over to the sword on the floor and swings it swiftly, slitting the Hylian boy's throat. The boy falls lifelessly. I gasp as tears pour down my face. The two Elites pick the body up and leave with it.
My knees feel so weak that I fall to the floor crying.
"You need to get used to this, Nali. Because you are going to be doing this and following in my footsteps one day." He tells me.
"That…that was horrible." I whisper, traumatized by the scene.
"I will forgive you this once only because it was your first time, but next time you will do as I say, or else…" I shake my head.
"NO, I don't want to kill!" I shout. I've never yelled at my father before.
"YOU'RE WEAK JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER!" my dad screams at me, wiping the blood off his sword with his cape. I stare at it, and then think about the day's events.
"YOU'RE SICK!" I screech. Before he can react, I get up and dart out of the room.
***
"Do it, Nali!" my father tells me. "Or I will never be proud of you!" I look down at the Hylian kid.
"Please have mercy on me, Miss!" he says. I shake my head and bring the sword down.
The boy falls lifelessly, a pool of blood spilling from the gash in his neck that I created. My father laughs wickedly and claps his hands.
"Oh, Nali! That was terrific! I am so proud of you! You're the best daughter in the world!" my dad tells me, hugging me and kissing my forhead for the first time in my life. "I'm going to take you to my tower in Hyrule with me tomorrow. You are going to make a fine Gerudo warrior one day, Sweet heart."
"Thanks, Daddy." I say, hugging back. I enjoy this feeling so much.
I don't feel any remorse for killing the kid. He deserved it anyway because he threatened my father.
Besides, if killing one measly little life has this type of impact on my relationship with my father then it's completely worth it.
"I love you, Nalissa." He tells me. I gape in surprise. This is the first time he's ever told me that!
"I love you too Daddy!" I shout, tears pouring down my face. They're tears of happiness!
"Clean the blood off of your sword, Sweetie." He tells me. I nod and hold the bloody sword up.
I catch my reflection in the blade. Staring back at me is my face but not my greenish/brown eyes…they're my father's golden eyes. I blink and when I stare at my reflection again, it isn't me staring back at all…it's my father staring back at me, grinning psychotically with that same bloodthirsty look in his eyes.
"AHHHH!" I shriek, waking up.
I quickly get up and dart to my mirror.
"Please don't be my father's reflection…" I whisper. But staring back is my own reflection, and my own greenish/brown eyes.
I breathe a sigh of relief and feel my heart, which is beating quickly. I take a seat at the foot of my bed and grip my head in my hand, trying to shut out the nightmare and the horrifying image of my father killing that Hylian boy.
The joy I felt in the dream was beautiful…it was a beautiful feeling, to hear those words from my father's mouth and to feel his loving, fatherly embrace. Oh, how I long for that to happen in real life…
…But not like this. I don't want to kill just to feel that same overwhelming joy I felt in the dream. I shouldn't have to do this just to feel that way.
I jump in surprise at the sound of my mom's screams of pain. She's begging him to stop hitting her…
I shake my head and cover my ears. There's nothing I can do…
After about a minute, I realize he's still hitting her…he's beating her.
I look in the mirror again at my reflection. I am not my father. I'm nothing like him, and I don't want to be.
Unthinkingly, I dart out into the living room.
My mom's on the floor and my dad's hitting her every place he can get his hands on. She's begging him to stop. She reminds me of that Hylian boy begging my father and me for mercy.
I unthinkingly dart over to him and wrap my arms around his neck. I know that I'm not strong enough to pull him off of her, but I've got to do something. I'm tired of sitting around and listening to him hurt her all the time.
"Daddy, no!" I shout, pulling. "Stop hitting her, NOW!" I scream.
Before I even understand what's happening, I'm sent crashing to the floor. I blink in surprise at the stinging on my left cheek.
My father just slapped me.
He's never laid his hands on me before.
He stopped hitting Mom, though. He's standing now, and he's looking at me angrily.
"No more!" I shout from my position on the floor. He darts forward and I try to crawl away, but he grabs me by the hair roughly and jerks me to a standing position.
"You little brat…" he hisses, bringing his hand back to slap me again.
"GANON, NO!" my mom shrieks, grabbing his hand. "Put her down!" she pleads. "Please!" My dad grunts and pushes me away. I fall against the couch.
"I HATE YOU, GANONDORF!" I cry, getting up and darting out of the room. I have no idea where I'm going, but it's definitely far away from here.
A/N: I'm going to come out and say this right now that I do NOT support physical abuse, whether it be to a spouse or a child, and the purpose of me writing this is simply to show how evil and cruel Ganondorf is.
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~Green Eyed Gerudo