Chapter XXI – Resignation
The birds whistled and a gentle wind blew through his hair when Ganondorf sat on the bed at the hospital ward, eating his breakfast. Luckily, he was alone and the whistling not interrupted by someone who tried to involve him in an unwanted conversation.
After he had gotten his first medical treatment back at the village near the Shadow Temple, he headed back to the castle with Link and the rest of the division. There, albeit he deemed it unnecessary, his superior forced him to see a doctor to get fully checked, not allowing any complains.
A few days later, only the bite wound around his shoulder remained from all his injuries. It was deeper than he believed it to be, but because of all the tension and anger, combined with the subliminal fear of death, he did not noticed the whole impact back then. As of now, they had bandaged it to restrict the movement, yet he felt the sharp pain spreading from his shoulder when he acted carelessly.
Back when the town healer inspected the wound, the blood had regained its natural color and showed no other abnormality either. The healer asked him if he came into contact with black magic but before Ganondorf had even a chance to answer, his assistant broke into laughter. Only when he calmed down, did he explain that if Ganondorf had contact, he would not be sitting here but either resting inside the temple or haunting it forever. Although the healer still looked inquisitively at Ganondorf, he claimed nothing had happened. After he had seen what it had done to Esbern and how the assistant reacted, he believed it to be better to not tell anybody that he survived all of Naotz's incantations without lasting damage.
Ganondorf gazed outside the window, eating the last bit of his meal, when the nurse came in. "I've spoken with Doctor Minos. If you're feeling alright, there is no need for you to stay here longer." Satisfied, he grinned when he put the tablet aside as he had only waited for this statement. Ironically, as a gladiator, he could not get enough days where he was allowed to lay around dormant, but it was not his cup of tea anymore once he had become a knight.
He took on the clothing the nurse had brought along. After some effort, he stood up and intended to leave when she said, "Ah, I almost forgot. Lieutenant Link has asked us to tell you to come to his office once you would be released from medical care."
Ganondorf forced a smile, but did not turn around when he answered, "I have my doubts about thanking you for that information," and left the hospital ward.
Link kept his word to not speak about that incident in the Shadow Temple before Ganondorf had not recovered from his injuries, yet he truly wished they could just skip the event forever. Especially since he had not any reasonable explanation for his action. None at all. Being scared because of the knowledge that the Gerudo were buried down there and getting enraged with Esbern into recklessness because he provoked him was everything except reasonable.
The sooner he got over with it, the better. He would see how much time in the stable or behind a sink he had to spend or of which other unpleasant task Link had come up in the last days. At least, he was still breathing and once he served his time, he would grab his sword again. Also, the knowledge that Link cared for him despite his misdemeanors delighted him.
Ganondorf searched his way through the castle's passageways before he reached his destination. A long corridor furnished with a blue carpet and doors on both sides. All the leading members of the army had their offices within this part of the building and if he followed the way further, up the stairs, he would reach the one of the highgeneral.
Ganondorf looked for the nameplate of his superior as he never cared to remember which office belonged to him. Even though he had been taught how to read and write in all those socializing lectures, the symbols of the Hylian language still felt foreign. Seemed he was once able to do both, but the typeface must have had consisted of different letters.
As Ganondorf found the office, he opened the door and stepped in. Link sat behind a staple of papers, yet laid his feather down once he became aware of his guest. "Ah, Ganondorf. Nice to see you in a good shape again," greeted Link him when Ganondorf walked towards his desk to take a seat. "However, it's not good to see that you still haven't learned to knock on a door before entering somebody else's room. Furthermore, you're supposed to wait until you're offered a seat before sitting down." Ganondorf did not react to his lecturing. "It's a pity that the doctor wasn't able to cure your bad habits. But well, I haven't ordered you here to speak about those." Link looked eagerly at him. "You know why you're here?"
"I guess so." Ganondorf made himself feel comfortable on his chair.
"Is that all you have to say towards my question?" Though Link sounded calm, he had a displeased undertone.
"Probably," responded Ganondorf while he let his view wander over Link's desk, filled with papers and some figures. One in particular, which looked like a sandworm, caught his interest.
"Any explanations you want to offer me about that one event?"
"No."
Link sighed annoyed and his expression told the same, yet Ganondorf saw no meaning in explaining his behavior. It would change nothing. Just thinking about a man like him getting feared because of corpses he had not even seen, furthermore of a folk he did not know at all, sounded pathetic and absolutely unbelievable, regardless of the truth behind it.
"You know, Ganondorf, I'm not sure if I should admire your self-esteem or hate it." Link leaned back while he dropped his arms on the chair. "Well, I guess I should better call it self-importance that makes you just defy everybody around you and disrespect any authority wherever those cross your path. A miracle you've survived with such an attitude when you were a slave without rights and still live today when you rush headless in the next battle because of it. But it can't go on like this. And this time, it will not."
Link stood up and turned around to look outside the window. Ganondorf tended himself to the side in order to see what Link was gazing at, yet he saw nothing but a clear sky and the minutes passed by without him saying a word. Bored, Ganondorf grabbed the sandworm and played around with it. He did not want to provoke Link further by asking him if he could go if he had nothing worth to say anymore. He seemed to be irritated enough by now and sometimes it might be better to not stretch the patience of a superior.
After a while, Link said in sorrow, "I always feared that one day, he, Esbern, despite all his talents for the sword falls victim to his hot blood. Similar to another man who is still allowed to live amongst us, he got easily enraged by words alone, leading him into recklessness." He did not look at Ganondorf when he walked to the side of his desk. "I have always warned him to not let his emotions get the better of him and not pick up battles in his wrath. Which actually was the first thing he did when he and the other man met for the first time. Probably it was only a matter of time until they both ran into their ruin. Together."
Ganondorf felt how his throat dried up. He disliked the way Link spoke and the doom that his words contained, while he not even looked at him. This was definitely not one of the common lecturing he knew.
"Yet neither I nor anyone else blames you for what has happened to Esbern. He made the decision of rushing after you despite any warnings himself and he knew that death is an unpleasant companion of all of us who fight outside these walls." Link stepped towards Ganondorf, snatched away the figure and clunked it on the desk.
Only then Link stared at him, making Ganondorf feel even more uncomfortable, before he continued severely, "I can't afford to lose yet another man because of his short temper. And don't fool yourself that I might have forgotten who of you two was the one who rushed ahead headless because of some provocative words." Link's expression showed he had a hard time to remain calm. "Ganondorf, I truly believed you had gotten your temper under control after our last conversation and that you were able to solve your problem as you showed improvement in your training after that. I truly believed it. It pains me to see how much I was mistaken and how much that unspoken problem called 'nothing' is still blinding your mind. Even a man of mine had to pay with his life for my misjudgment."
"That 'nothing' has nothing to do with that!" Ganondorf talked back perplexed as he never thought Link believed that to be the reason. Even though the matter with Zelda bothered him until now, he focused on his training as he could not endure it anymore how pathetic he had become because of that one night.
"What is it then? What?! Tell me!" Ganondorf avoided Link's fierce gaze when he turned his head away and remained quiet. To tell him the truth about his fearful feelings was just as embarrassing as telling him about Zelda's refusal. "Good. If you don't want to tell, you'll have enough time to solve both 'nothings'."
Ganondorf looked at Link, yet none of that one's seriousness had vanished. "What do you mean I have enough time?"
"I've told you I can't afford to lose yet another man because of his uncontrollable short temper. And since I don't know the reasons for your reckless behavior and neither do you want to tell so someone could help you, the only other thing I can do is to give you time until you've solved them on your own." Ganondorf felt his hackles raising. "I have talked with Highgeneral Aldar about the incident and he has agreed to suspend you from any knightly duty as of now, until you can prove to be in the state to fulfill your duty accordantly again."
"I'm suspended?" repeated Ganondorf and looked in disbelief at Link. "What does that mean?"
"Yes, you are and Aldar also stated that you're not permitted to leave this town until your suspension is nullified. All the gatekeepers are already informed about your restrictions, so you shouldn't try to leave if you do not wish to be declared a deserter. I guess you know the harsh consequences those have to suffer," explained Link without even a touch of pity. "As for the suspension itself, it means you're not allowed to either attend training, missions or any other duty of a knight, yet it doesn't exclude you from disciplinary actions if you misbehave. Additionally, your armor and weapons are confiscated until you rise in the rank of a knight again."
Speechless, Ganondorf stared at Link. He did not trust one word he heard and needed a few more seconds before he was able to stumble, "You're kidding me, right? That is a bad joke, isn't it?" He only waited for the moment Link broke out in a laughter. He just could not be serious about that.
Link did not. Not even a grin appeared. "Even though you're not the most empathic person I've met, you should know I don't make jokes of this kind."
"You can't do this!" Ganondorf shouted but Link's expression remained hard.
"You're wrong," he responded, undeterred. "I can and I especially will do it as it has the blessing of the highgeneral himself, which you know has the absolute word in every regard concerning the army of Hyrule."
"Have you all gone crazy?! You just can't do that crap!" yelled Ganondorf while he drilled his fingers in the chairback to keep himself back from strangling Link. "Who came up with all that nonsense?!"
"First, I've told you to speak in a civil manner with me. If you can't, either be quiet or feel the consequences." Link did not step back a bit and just faced him with that well-known determination in his eyes, which he despised to the core in situations like these. "Secondly, if you wish to elaborate the restrictions of your suspension, you are free to speak with our highgeneral about those. He is the one enforcing them."
Ganondorf kept himself back in giving an answer. He only snarled. He felt how the tension dominated his body and slammed his fist on the desk, though he regretted it soon as his shoulder paid the movement with pain, it only increased his anger. He stood up, knocking the chair down and stomped to the door with the wrath pulsating in his veins. That was enough. More than enough.
"One last piece of advice. You should calm down before you pay the highgeneral a visit, assuming you even intend to," said Link once Ganondorf stood at the door. "Don't let yourself get fooled just because of his reserved attitude. Trust me, he can even show you a living hell if he goes serious in battle. Remember, he hasn't earned his rank because of relationships, he worked hard for it. Very hard since his youngest age."
Ganondorf did not answer and just burst the door open, which crashed into the wall, causing a few books and figures falling out of the shelve nearby. One crushed to the floor.
"And that is another evening of floor cleaning for you. I'm eager to know how many you need before you understand that tantrums won't get you anywhere, no matter the situation you're facing."
Ganondorf left without responding and stomped along the corridor. The people who crossed his way instinctively moved aside. He had a bad mood. A very bad one. He had no intentions in visiting Aldar, just as he had no intentions in following his restrictions, and even fewer still of cleaning the floor.
If he had to, he would force his way out of this town and squash the ones trying to hold him back. Nothing kept him to this place anymore as he was neither imprisoned nor chained. But he had lost it all. Zelda and his battles, even Link showed him his cold shoulder and neither had he found anything out about his past. If he stayed, he would only waste time. He needed to go and leave this place behind.