Twilight-Dipped Dreams
Chapter 9
Ganondorf sat at his desk, holding the page he had ripped out of the book that Kohana had so desperately wanted not too long ago. The mortified look on her face when she had realized it had been ripped out and the heart-broken little sob that had escaped when the realization sank in for her; He had witnessed and heard it all. He let out a sigh as he flipped through some pages of some other books he had rummaged up from the castle's archives of hexes like the one on them both, while he set the page down and ran his now free hand through his hair.
The requirements to break the hex on them both had to be collected by the one who had been Hexed (a.k.a. Kohana) from the Hex Master (a.k.a. Ganondorf). Despite how the ritual and the collection and proper ordering of the hex was pure and professional alchemy with a hint of black magic, the ingredients needed to the untrained eye were quite… Risqué. A lock of hair was needed from both parties, pretty common of an ingredient. Then, something both of them wore often like his forehead gem and a necklace she wore or some earrings. Come to think of it, Ganon had never really seen her wear jewelry. Aforementioned trinkets would represent each person along with the hair. After that, things representing their being 'bonded' needed to be collected; mixed saliva from both parties and another bodily fluid that had to be mixed, but could not include sweat, urine, or saliva. The ridiculousness of that notion made his face hot as his mind drifted off. Kohana- would possibly have to have sex with him to get the last ingredient, maybe even blow him.
"G-Goddamn weird ancient rituals." Ganondorf said with spite but he couldn't get rid of the goofy look he felt on his face. The thought of Kohana being so intimate with him made him horny and giddy. Thinking of her riding him, even if it was to get what she needed to get away from him, almost sent him over the edge until a sultry voice asked, "Do you know where the firewood is?" Ganon yelled out in shock, jumping as he looked back, Kohana jumping at the exclamation too. He slammed his leg hard into the wall and fell back into his chair, holding his wounding leg that his outburst had caused. "What's the matter with you?" She asked and Ganon gripped the desk, whatever erection he may have had, gone.
"I got too focused on the paperwork." He told her, looking back at her, "Why are you out of bed?"
"Do you think I enjoy being locked up and laying in bed all day? Because you're surely wrong if you do. I hate it." Kohana said and Ganondorf rested his chin on the desk. "If you're not going to help me, then I'll go find it myself!" Kohana huffed and walked off as Ganon rested there for a moment. That's right. Ganon really hadn't considered her thoughts or opinions about all this and had just done things on instinct without consulting her. He ran a hand through his hair again as he looked up at the ceiling. He'd have to put off the wedding until she got a bit better and more intimate moments had been put in. Plus that weirdo, that kept creeping on Kohana and getting away from him, was still on the prowl. Ganon got to his feet and went after Kohana, or tried to rather, since once he stepped out of the office she was gone. He wandered around a bit until he found her on the first floor, standing a few feet from the threshold of door that led to outside where the horse stables were across a courtyard. She stared longingly at the door as he walked up, "Are all the logs in your room gone?" He questioned and she answered,
"I wouldn't be looking for more if they weren't." He frowned at her tart answer, "I need to step out from my room anyway. It's such a small place, I can't really stretch my legs." Ganondorf looked over at some idle guards and gestured for them to come over which they obediently did.
"Escort her back to her room." Ganon said and the guards clashed their coat-of-arms and weapons together to make a small semi-circle of metal around Kohana, "Ensure that she stays there too." Kohana's temper flared at his added order,
"I'm not some prisoner of war, Ganon, you have no right to treat me like this!" She spat angrily but Ganon didn't turn around as the guards herded her back up the stairs, "Ganon, you're-! Get away from me! Knock it off!" She protested loudly against Ganon's decision and the guards he ordered to execute it, as they maneuvered her back up the stairs and to her room. He was doing it with her interests in mind. He really was.
"How troublesome." He grunted before he walked out into the courtyard and shut the door behind him. The stonework was blanketed thickly with snow, but the horse stable was insulated and the horses were dressed with thicker blankets and leg warmers to keep them snug and warm against the briskness of the coming winter. The firewood shelter wasn't too far off and he went over, grabbing some of the logs before the horses began to rear and neigh in distress, making him look up.
Standing between him and the castle, was the freak, his hood down, two long strands of blood-red hair framed his face and the white hair was straight and neck length, while the two strands were sternum length. Bright, crystal clear and cold blue eyes looked right at Ganondorf. "You're not right for her." They said, reaching up and running their left hand through their hair to tuck it behind an ear, dark blue beads interlaced with their fingers and wrapped around their wrist. "The two of you are legions apart in every way." Ganondorf stood up and turned to him.
"I'll tell you this nicely, but only once," Ganondorf grunted, "Stay far from her." The stranger scoffed,
"Or what? You can't even catch me, nor can you really fight me. That little firewall trick of yours? 'Twas merely a clever set back." He said confidently, "You need to return her to where you got her from, boy." The figure told him, "If not for your own well-being, than for hers. Do you see how she suffers around you? How miserable she is? You need to let her go." Ganon clinched the logs he was holding in anger.
"Where do you get off telling me what to do? Do you know who I am? I'm the King of all of Hyrule!" He boasted but the freak was unfazed.
"By bloodshed and treachery you are. You are not fit for a crown of such a place." The Freak said, "In every story, all across time, there are three roles that always repeat themselves," Ganon listened as the Freak spoke and rose their left hand, holding up a finger for each role, "The 'Knight-In-Shining-Armor', the 'Damsel, and the 'Villain'. Though some things change and turn, bad events going much worse or going off better than expected, the plot usually never alters too much; The 'Villain' brings misfortune in their wake, and usually takes the 'Damsel', and from the chaos arises the 'Knight' who is ready to go to any lengths to save the 'Damsel' and destroy the 'Villain'. Then, the 'Knight' and the 'Damsel' run off into the sunset and live happily ever after." He finished, before lowering his hand, "Every story has to have a 'Villain'. An evil force or being that the 'Knight' must strike down to make sure the safety and well-being of the 'Damsel' and whatever land she may be heiress to or the events take place in." The Freak said, "I wonder what role do you play?"
Ganon hesitated, "I…I play the 'Villain', obviously…" Ganon answered but the answer didn't feel like the right one. He had killed his rival, taken over the Kingdom of Hyrule and the world, but still his answer seemed off. Like he was not thinking clearly when he answered a second time, "I definitely play the 'Villain'." Ganon added, "Link was the 'Knight' and Zelda was the 'Damsel'. Why are you saying all of this anyways?"
"Do you think so?" The Freak questioned, "I don't think it's about your old rivals anymore that story is over." The Freak said and voiced sharply, "You just are too dense to realize that it's not about 'The Hero in a Green Tunic' anymore, Ganondorf. You need to look at the bigger picture. No matter how strong you are, there's always someone stronger than you." Ganondorf gripped the logs he had gotten tighter than before,
"And whose stronger than me? YOU?" He commanded, "I didn't see you crawl out of the woodwork to bring down this squeaky-clean kingdom! I only saw you-" "When you brought Kohana close to where everything began." The Freak interjected and Ganon hesitated, having to think about that one. "I put illusions of trees where the sign posts stood, a simple parlor trick that fooled even you to bring her so far north that you'd cross back just within range of where you first met her." Ganon was humiliated and tight-lipped for once, realizing that he had indeed been tricked, remembering the sparseness of signs. Then again, he was also in the cabin with Kohana.
"My name is Kelik." The Freak stated, "On behalf of my clan, I humbly ask you return that which you stole from us; the last female of my clan, Kohana." Ganon clenched his teeth. So what if he was the last of the clan? That would be impossible, Ganon had killed them all but Kohana. What was the Freak- no, Kelik's- game? To repopulate their stupid little clan to one day try to oppose Ganon? More than Kohana had already opposed him already?
"When I'm dead, perhaps, but that won't be happening anytime soon." Ganondorf barked, gabbing more logs, "First you talk about roles, then you want me to give you Kohana after you've chased her down to the brink of exhaustion? Perhaps the one thinking about their 'role' is you." Kelik glared at him,
"I will take that as your answer- I'll be seeing you soon." Kelik said and hopped up, vanishing as Ganon went back into the castle. He pondered Kelik's words as the guards he stationed at Kohana's door opened the doors. It was cold and drafty in the room, Kohana was tightly snuggled in a shivering heap of blankets, the roaring flames of the fire-place having reduced to glowing embers in the short time he was gone. He glanced up and noticed someone had opened the window. Ganon barked, "Maids! The fire is dead!" A couple of the maids shuffled shakily into the room, strange, circular bruises on the back of their necks, "What's the meaning of this slacking?" He demanded.
"Sorry, Lord Ganondorf." One of the maids said, "We left for but a moment and then I must have blacked out." The same story came from any other maid he wanted answers from but they busied themselves. Shutting and locking the windows, starting the fire back up again, drawing a hot bath for Kohana and fiddling with her wardrobe for the night. "Lord Ganondorf, thank you for the logs, but you really must go. We're going to help Kohana into a bath to warm her up." They informed him and he left to give them privacy, questioning the guards if they knew anything about the maids passing out. "No, Sir." They answered in fusion, "We saw all the maids file out and leave. No one went into the room either. We both were under the impression miss Kohana was well and better when she went in." Ganon left to return to his own room, servants drawing a bath for him as he undressed.
There is always a Villain.
No matter how strong you are, there is always some one stronger than you.
What is your role?
Troublesome and bothersome "last survivor of the clan", my ass! Ganon thought angrily as he got into his bath when it was ready and waved off the servants, wanting to be alone. He relaxed a bit in the warm bath though his breath was still a little foggy from the cold the metal and the stone all collected. All of the maids had weird bruises on their necks, if he recalled correctly, but the guards were fine. Did that mean perhaps something had happened to the maids and someone or something had gained access to Kohana's room under the guise of one? He was tired now from how the day just seemed to go from bad to worse. He scrubbed himself down and groaned, not liking how the water changed colors while he scrubbed himself down. "Gross…" He grumbled and ensured that he cleaned his hair well, not liking it when it was an untamed and tangled mess. I can't believe I am so nit-picky about how I look when I never go out anywhere. He mentally questioned himself, letting out another grumble and washed his hair. Ganon ruffled the water out of it as his mind drifted from diplomatic and boring matters like governing the country he now controlled, to other things, such as wondering why Kelik would be so concerned with Kohana that he'd appear so boldly in front of Ganon but not in front of her. Why would he do that? Ganon questioned himself. Kelik seemed to approach things head on. If he wanted Kohana why would he ask now? Was it some type of low-class sportsmanship he was trying to portray? Either way, Ganon didn't get it as he got out of the bath and dried himself off, pulling on a thin shirt and a thick pair of pants before picking up a razor and wetting it in the bath water as he started to trim his beard, a task he hadn't done in a while.
He tilted his head back slightly and watched his reflection in the mirror as he thought. Perhaps…He was trying to say something metaphorically? But why the 'round-about' way of doing it? Why not just come out and say it? If he's so obsessed with her to follow us down from the north, then why not just try to take her? Why come to me and speak so openly with me before skipping off? There's something not quite right about this whole situation…It feels like some sort of ploy for him to wedge a piece of his own into my game. Ganon cleaned the razor with the water once more and trimmed his eyebrows and side chops too, before switching to a pair of scissors to work on his hair, He had the chance to slip into the castle to take Kohana while I was out. Knock out the guards and the maids and just take her. Why didn't he do it? …Or did he? Ganon paused in his thoughts to inspect his handiwork as he tilted his head this way and that, left to right, profile to profile. No matter what I do, I can never seem to do it just right. I looked better when Kohana trimmed my hair for me. I did a pretty good job on my face this time though. He set the tools down, not having put in his head bangles yet to hold back his bright orange locks as he let them "breathe" for the night as they swayed to the top of his sternum when he walked, going to Kohana's room as a maid left it. She looked up and bowed, "Is she finished yet?"
"We just finished helping her into her night wear, Lord Ganondorf." The maid answered, "The other maids are just setting everything up for the night. The doctor came not too long ago and he is checking up on her like you requested." Ganon nodded and dismissed the maid, entering the room. The fire was bright and warm, making the room just warm enough to be toasty but not overbearing. The doctor looked over from the chair he sat in next to Kohana's bed where she rested, back propped up against pillows and the headboard, her hands folded delicately in her lap, listening attentively to the doctor. "Ah, Lord Ganondorf, I see you're out of your room now." The doctor said and Ganon frowned at the way he was greeted by the doctor, though when he looked to Kohana for a greeting of any sort she simply looked to the doctor.
"Please continue with what you were saying, Doctor." She requested and Ganon crossed the room in two strides, sitting on the bed's edge where her legs weren't laying.
"Ah, yes!" The Doctor said and looked at Ganon, "I was just telling the miss here, that I think I know of a way to perhaps, boost her immune system drastically." The doctor voiced. "Much of our body's ability to fight off illness is thanks to vitamins. Most vitamins we need come from the food we eat, the water we drink, and the way we take care of ourselves. There is, however, a vitamin that our body needs and, usually, gets on a daily basis; Vitamin D." Ganon blinked,
" 'Vitamin Dee' ?" He repeated, unsure of what that was and the doctor nodded.
"Yes. It comes from the sun. It's a vitamin the body only really produces in great measure when one is out in the daylight hours. That particular vitamin, the miss here is severely lacking. It's a crucial part of building a strong immune system." The Doctor explained and Ganon was getting tired of how many doctors had their own theory about what was causing Kohana to be sick, but none of them really had any information about a damn cure, "I brought with me an experimental supplement that could, possibly, make her feel better. It's a clinical trial of a Vitamin D supplement that I think the miss should take, since she won't be able to go outside for direct sunlight in her current condition." A supplement? It made sense but…
"How many successes have you actually had with this 'experimental wonder drug' of yours?" Ganon demanded gruffly and Kohana let out a tired little sigh. "I'm not going to feed her, or any other of the people working under me, something that isn't tested." The Doctor hesitated,
"N-Not many testers, but it seems to be a good start to-" "I think I've heard enough." Ganon interjected sharply, standing up, "I will show you to the door. Make sure you take your supplement with you." Ganon told him and Kohana hissed, "Ganon!" To make him curb his tongue before looking at the Doctor, "Thank you for your time." She said as the Doctor quickly got up and left in a huff while Ganon held the door open for him, shutting it behind him as he left. Ganon turned around to meet Kohana's displeased glare, "What?" He questioned, a quiver of guilt arising in his chest.
"You call a doctor to get some type of insight on what could be done for me, and he when he gives you an answer, you rudely tell him to get out? That's no way or anyone to act!" Kohana said as Ganon crossed the room to sit on the bed again.
"It was experimental. Without guinea pigs to see if it works, it will still be in the first stages and could be fatal-" Ganon tried to explain before she punched him in the arm. Hard. "OW!"
"I'm not an idiot, I knew that too!" Kohana snapped, "I hate every bit of this! I have just enough strength to sit up in bed, sometimes I can move around, and when someone comes along and offers up a possible solution, you're quick to cut it down." Ganon rubbed his arm that throbbed with a dull pain. "I have to sit here, day in and day out, confined to a bed while you get to roam and screw around. It's not as easy as it looks or sounds, you know!" She fumed at him and Ganon sat there and took it. She had every right to be mad at him and he liked it. It was a form of attention, wasn't it? Besides, Kohana was one of those girls that looked a lot cuter when they were mad. She finished her angered rant with, "Go get that doctor and get that experimental supplement! Right now!" "No, I-" "If you don't leave, I'll kill you with a piece of barbed wire, in your sleep. I will strangle the very last breath for your god-forsaken body with my own hands, even if I have to go to sleep again! I will kill you." Despite how much he didn't want to, Ganon got up and opened the window of the room, the doctor in the front courtyard, Ganon glanced back at Kohana. She gestured for him to go on and Ganon cupped his mouth, "Physician!" He said loudly and the doctor stopped, whipping around to look up at him, "Return tomorrow with a sample of that supplement. No excuses, no exceptions." He said before shutting the window and locking it, looking at Kohana who let out a breath, "Happy?" She gave him a thin and tired little smile,
"More than I was with your reaction before." She answered and he laid on the bed next to her. Ganon boldly laid his head in her lap, moving her hands to do so and she looked down at him, "Who said you could lay there?"
"I said so. I'm the king after all. Stop defying me and bow down to me, woman." Ganon said smugly with a smirk as he made himself comfortable on her soft thighs. "Such a nice pillow. Not too soft but not too firm." He said before she put a pillow over his face and he pretended to struggle a bit before playing dead and she laughed, "And stay dead!" Before he grabbed the pillow and used it as his pillow on top of her legs while she sighed.
"Did you shave?" She questioned and he grunted affirmatively, "You did a really bad job- and your hair is all messed up too." She said and laughed at him until they both fell asleep with Ganon having forcefully scooted her over to steal some of the pillows.