A/N: Sorry for the two-week delay. With the holidays, and then January semester starting up, I had to take a little break from this. Also, I'm not sure where this chapter fits, but it definitely does somewhere in War and Corruption. So if y'all have any thoughts, let me know!
SOJA WATCHED THE entire city of Gerudo citizens gather beneath the palace balcony, eager to hear the new king's announcement. Never in her life had she dreamed of holding such a high position that she'd be standing next to the king himself, wearing beautiful silk robes of red and gold. She had been born into a servant's life, the life of her mother and grandmother before her. Her life in the harem no longer bore the duties of a loyal servant, and being the first choice of King Ganondorf, she was usually spoiled with magnificent dresses and foreign delicacies. She was certainly not complaining, but she often thought of her mother still cooped up in the servant's quarters, washing the clothes worn by her now royally important daughter.
Soja remembered the day she saw the king with her own eyes. She had been bringing Lady Koume's dirtied robes to the bath house near the marketplace as the desert sun drifted below the dune-covered horizon. As a newly enlisted servant of the palace she rarely got to walk through the bazaar, and she loved the way the stalls looked at sunset, casting a blanket of gold over the adobe buildings. But she would always remember the way Lord Ganondorf's skin gleamed in that setting sun, the way his stunning red hair turned to fire in the gilded light. And of course, she would remember his golden eyes looking directly at her for the first time.
It wasn't uncommon to see Ganondorf wandering the streets, especially with the Chief of Military. But on this day he was alone, and brandishing a pair of strange Hylian swords. A rumor had been fluttering throughout the city that he took them straight from Hyrule Castle's armory, possibly without the smith's permission. A few young women had been returning from a day at the Fortress; they were clearly well-off, since higher class citizens generally had the funds to maintain a beautiful apartment within the city, instead of the free lodgings within the Fortress itself. The two women were laughing and waving their curved swords at each other, boasting their higher levels of warrior training. Sentries did not have swords, but spears.
When they saw the new king striding through the streets, they shut their mouths and sheathed their swords hurriedly. Soja, safe behind a mound of unwashed cloth, watched as Ganondorf's expression went from idle to mischievous.
"Warriors?" he said as he approached the women. A few heads turned at his passing.
"In training, milord," said one woman with straight hair that fell to her waist even tied up by a leather strip.
"Perfect." He drew one of the straight-edged longswords in his right hand, a grin about his lips. Although Soja and the rest of the middle class workers knew of Lord Ganondorf's reputation for informality among his people, she felt slight sympathy for the trainees whose expressions revealed the slightest hint of immense fear. Something was inexplicably unsettling about his demeanor, and Soja found herself staring in fascination.
The women glanced at each other in apprehension, and Ganondorf laughed. "Do you enjoy it?" he said, eyeing them curiously. Soja remembered seeing a hint of something else in the way he looked at them: too much hunger in the gaze of a twenty-year-old toward women in their thirties most likely. Soja herself was twenty that day.
"I enjoy serving my people," said the other woman, who had noticeably more Hylian features than her companion.
Ganondorf laughed again, shaking his head. "You've surpassed sentry training and it wasn't enough." He summoned the first trainee's sword from its sheath, using magic like he had been born with the ability to manipulate it. The woman's eyebrows went up as her sword floated through the air and into his empty left hand. "Clearly there's something about it that captivates your interest."
As the king admired the scimitar, the women seemed to relax. Soja watched as the first watched as she unsubtly eyed him in curiosity. "I like swordplay," she said.
Ganondorf grinned at her. "As do I." He spun the longsword in his right hand idly. "There's something elegant about our style of fighting."
"If I may, my king," said the second woman, "why do you have a Hylian longsword?"
Ganondorf lifted both swords in the air in front of them, encouraging her to examine them. "As elegant as the curved blades are," he said, "there's something much more powerful in the straight steel of a longsword."
Soja couldn't seem to help herself. Her mouth just opened in a response, saying, "I would argue that the true power lies in the wielder, no?"
She tensed as Ganondorf looked at her. She had completely stopped doing anything save for watching the scene unravel. And what really drew her in was how she itched to pick up one of those swords. Even though she'd been a loyal servant of the palace for as long as she'd been able to lift buckets of water, she spent most of her free time with swords.
Ganondorf smirked at Soja for a good moment before taking the first woman's scimitar over to where Soja stood in terror. His approach was slow, and although she was fairly concerned with how he would react, she felt her skin burn as she looked at him, and shivers curled down her spine.
"Come here, girl," he said.
Soja did not meet the king's eye as she walked around the stall's counter. Her heart pounded as she turned to finally look at him.
"What would a lowly servant know about sword fighting?" said Ganondorf curiously. His eyes seemed to scrutinize every single breath that Soja took.
"My mother gave me a practice sword, milord," said Soja quietly. "Said my father left it here before leaving the Valley. I've been practicing with it."
"Ever used a real sword?" said Ganondorf.
"Yes, milord. Several times. But I couldn't be a sentry, let alone a warrior. It's not in my blood."
"But if you're passionate about it…" Ganondorf twirled the scimitar in his hand before holding it out to her.
Soja swallowed a lump in her throat before laughing nervously. "Oh, no, milord, I couldn't—"
"Take it," said the king.
Carefully, Soja reached out and took the sword from the king's hand. As their fingers graced each other's, she felt her whole body increase in temperature.
"Let's see what you've got," said Ganondorf with a sly smile.
Soja shook her head. "I don't think…"
But Ganondorf was already backing up, relinquishing the heavy robes from around his shoulders and leaving his chest bare. He held his sword outward toward his opponent, left hand behind his back in a respectful bow. "By all means," he said, skin gilded gold from the setting sun, "show me what true power is."
As expected, Lord Ganondorf had parried and countered his way into a victory with his straight-edged blade. With a small laugh from the other sentries and the king himself, she was dismissed to finish her chore of clothes-washing.
The next day however, Soja received a knock on her door. She opened to see a well-dressed messenger of the palace court standing before her.
"Soja Diramine," said the messenger, voice rather dainty and soft. Gold makeup adorned her face. "Lord Ganondorf requests your presence tonight."
Soja hadn't quite known how to react, or even act in such a situation with the king. She had never before been with a man or a woman, and she certainly never considered herself as lovely as some of the other women in the palace.
The messenger, whose name was Niame, led Soja through the palace corridors until they reached a small dressing room on a higher floor. Inside were beautiful clothes Soja had only ever washed, and mirrors with large palettes of makeup before them. There was a small bath in one corner, with a curtain to shield it from view.
Soja was left to wash by herself, which she had never done in such luxury before. The sweet scents of cactus and Deku flowers filled the whole room as she cleansed herself in the hot water. Once she had finished, she wrapped her body in a smooth robe and Niame reentered.
"I'll be helping you dress," she said, and Soja was grateful for the aid. She had no idea how to make herself look presentable for the king.
After an hour or so of trying-on and discarding dresses, Soja found herself in a deep maroon dress with multiple strands of golden jewelry dangling from her neck, wrists, and ears. Niame coated her whole face in powdery makeup, sprinkling gold dust onto her cheeks and across her bosom. Finally, she pulled a sprig of vanilla from a small pouch and gave it to Soja.
"Place this down your dress and you'll be smelling wonderful all evening," she said with a small smile.
After another trip down the halls of the palace, Niame left Soja outside of the king's chamber. The servant girl took a deep breath, heart pounding in an array of emotions. She eventually lifted her hand and knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in."
Opening the door quietly, Soja stepped inside. The room was dark, dimly lit by a few candles by the king's rather large bed. She saw him standing by the window, chest bare, and expression rather unreadable. But once he saw her, a smile adorned his lips. Soja was rather certain that in that moment, she had fallen in love with him.
Now, as she stood beside him on the balcony nearly a month later, she could feel every woman's eyes on her. She still didn't know what made the king want her above everyone else, but she was in no place to question his authority.
"People of Gerudo Valley," called Ganondorf once the citizens had quieted, "What happened to the lore of our ancestors? What happened to the pride we once had in our own mythologies? I say we bring the myth of Ganon to life once more, and celebrate his mighty deeds for the Desert People with a glorious feast." After a pregnant pause, he said, "Thus, I have a new decree. On the seventh day of Din's Harvest, we shall celebrate the Day of the Beast."
The people below the balcony raised their voices in agreement.
"The palace cooks will be preparing a wonderful dinner for the whole city," said Ganondorf, "but we will need your help. If we are to collect adequate resources to provide everyone with enough food, you all must contribute. Trade caravans will be sent to Castle Town to gather supplies. If anyone would like to volunteer to join the route, please speak to a palace attendant waiting before the courtyard. Thank you all, and have a wonderful Day of the Beast!"
With a cheer from his people, Lord Ganondorf turned and entered the palace. Soja caught a long look from the Chief of Military, Nabooru, before they followed suit.
During the following days, while preparations for the feast were made, Soja returned to some of her normal duties out in the desert crops. She and a group of other girls from the harem gathered cactus fruits and insects, along with decorative materials like feathers and amber stones. Some of the sentries were sent out to hunt for leevers, plantlike creatures that dwelled beneath the sand's surface and made wonderful dishes. While toiling in the sandy crop fields, many of the other women prodded Soja with questions.
"You must feel incredibly special," said one. "Does he ever talk to you, or is it all business?"
After a few giggles from the others, Soja shrugged. "He doesn't say much," she said. "I'm not really that special. He often sends me off when he's had enough."
"But you've been with him every night for a month," said another woman. "That's special in my book."
But the truth was, the king was much more secretive than Soja would have liked. She found herself waiting eagerly every night for his call, and often wondered if just one night he'd let her stay with him. But each time he tossed her away to sleep by himself. She knew she shouldn't be expecting much, but her heart broke a little every time she left his spacious chambers to return to the harem quarters.
The night before the Day of the Beast, as King Ganondorf rained kisses down her neck after finishing his business, Soja found herself drifting off. She awoke what must have been hours later since the sky was already paling with early sunlight, and she sat up quickly. Ganondorf had been awake already, back against the wooden headboard as he gazed out the window.
"I'm so sorry, milord," said Soja with a nervous laugh. She rushed to get out of bed. "I must have fallen asleep."
"It's okay," said the king quietly. He gave her a joyless smile. "You may stay."
Confused and yet happy, Soja crawled back beneath the covers. Hesitantly, she let her head fall on his shoulder. He did nothing to stop her as he turned back to the window.
At least an hour passed and Soja couldn't fall back asleep. She was about to get up and return to her own chambers anyway when she witnessed something she never thought would happen. Lord Ganondorf revealed his thoughts.
"I wasn't supposed to be this way," he said quietly, not looking at Soja. Another moment passed, and she dared not speak. "I was supposed to bring prosperity to my people."
"You will" Soja breathed. "You will make the best leader in all of Gerudo history."
Ganondorf looked at her, face expressionless. His words however were not. "What do you know?" he said, voice sounding somewhat sinister. "You know nothing about me. You're a lowly servant girl."
Soja swallowed, sitting up. "I'm sorry, milord, I didn't mean to—"
"Get out."
And with that, she got out of bed and wrapped a robe around her naked body. She left his room hurriedly, tears staining her cheeks.