Not thirty seconds after watching Midna and her wolf slip out her room's window, Zelda heard the now familiar sounds of heavy footsteps climbing the stairs to her chambers. Zelda ignored them, continuing to stare out the window at the twilight that was plaguing her kingdom. If she looked closely, she could make out the spirits wandering the streets of Castle Town. No matter how often she'd seen it, the sight still made her want to weep.

"Talking to yourself, Princess?"

Ganondorf had reached her and had come to stand next to her at the window. Zelda turned to face him.

"Yes," she said.

He laughed. "Liar. How is that imp doing?" Seeing her shock, he chuckled. "I know everything that happens in this castle, Princess. You would do well not to lie to me."

Zelda glared at him. "That imp has a name."

"I do not care for the politics of the Twili. Remind me."

She scoffed, turning back towards the window, not wanting to look at him. "You've stolen her kingdom and transformed her into that and you do not even have the decency to recall her name?"

"That was all Zant. It is regrettable, honestly. He will make a terrible king of the Twili. But I needed to promise him something to make him trust me. Anyway, do not change the subject," he said, grasping her arm and turning her back to him. "She had someone with her. Who was it?"

Zelda sighed. Was there any point in trying to hide it? Somehow, he seemed always to know when she was lying. "Midna believes she has found the one destined to save her people," she said. "A blue-eyed beast… He appeared to have been imprisoned in the dungeons."

Ganondorf scratched at his beard thoughtfully. "Zant has mentioned this legend," he said. "A blue-eyed beast. What did you think of him?"

Zelda shook her head. "I only saw him briefly." That brief moment was still long enough for her to see the intelligence and determination in that wolf's eyes, which she chose not to mention. "They fled when they heard you coming," she added.

Ganondorf nodded. Zelda studied him, noticing for the first time the bags underneath his eyes and the lines across his forehead. "You are tired," she said.

"People like us are not meant to live in the Twilight," he said. "It is not good for us. You must feel it too."

"Yes." She felt as though she had not been able to breathe properly since the twilight invasion, the air heavy and oppressive. She had yet to sleep through the entire night.

"That is why I must work through Zant, for now."

And why you have so much time to come and pester me, Zelda thought.

"I am still regaining my strength," Ganondorf added. "I was trapped in the Twilight Realm for a long time, Princess."

A long time… That reminded her… "You know," she said, "I remembered where I've heard the name Ganondorf before."

"Oh?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

Zelda hesitated. What she was about to say sounded ridiculous. And yet… "Ganondorf is the name of a foreign king who was executed for crimes against Hyrule. The leader of the tribe of women that used to live in the Gerudo desert."

Ganondorf frowned. "Is that what your Hylian history books say about me? Well… I am the King of the Gerudo. And they did try to kill me, not that it went well for them." He smirked. "Clearly."

"Then you are – but that was hundreds of years ago! How can you be alive?"

"I've told you, I have been chosen by the gods," he said. "When they struck me with the execution sword, I was gifted the Triforce of Power. They could not kill me so they panicked and sent me to the Twilight Realm." His face clouded, the smugness fading. "I will admit, there were times when I wished that I was dead, rather than spend another moment there, powerless and formless. But I've found my way back to the light world and soon I will fulfill my destiny."

Zelda simply stared at him. Hundreds of years in the Twilight Realm… Could he even still be human at that point? And King of the Gerudo. There were no longer Gerudo in Hyrule; they had chosen to leave when their king had been arrested, or that was what her history books said.

"And what is your destiny, Ganondorf?"

"I will obtain the rest of the Triforce," he said, touching a gloved finger to the back of her hand. Zelda shivered. "Then I will exorcise all of the rot from this Kingdom and become its King."

For the following week, Zelda decided to honor Ganondorf's wishes and stay away, although she did have new clothes tailored, which she magically transferred into his cell while he slept. Even if she had wanted to visit him (and she had to admit that some not-so-small part of her did), her life had become full of meetings and paperwork. The general populace of Hyrule and its neighbours may not have been directly aware of the Twilight Invasion, but they could sense that some cloud had been lifted and were eager to resume normal life. Trade offers, requests for permission to develop and expand towns, visits from representatives of the Goron and Zora wanting to resume relations with the crown; Zelda was beginning to feel like she was drowning. She may not yet have officially been declared Queen of Hyrule, but she had all of the responsibilities of the head of Hyrule's Royal Family. It pleased her to meet with her subjects and see them thriving, but it made her miss her father desperately.

One of her meetings found her in Telma's bar with the members of the Resistance (sans Rusl, who had returned to Ordon Village to be with his wife and newborn daughter). She had requested to meet with them periodically to obtain news from the outskirts of Hyrule. She also just wanted to see that they were well; though she had only briefly met them as herself, she felt, through Midna, a closeness towards them. Zelda smiled, bringing her drink to her lips as she listened to Ashei describe her latest visit to Snowpeak. She found the woman fascinating, her blunt nature so different from the court ladies Zelda usually met.

"I passed through Zora's Domain as well. The young prince seems to be healthier," she said. "The Zora have been increasing military training. They don't trust the Hylian soldiers to protect them – not that I blame them."

"Ashei!" Shad admonished, tilting his head towards Zelda.

"Oh, sorry, Your Highness," Ashei said, not sounding particularly sorry. Zelda had the impression that Ashei did not like her very much.

"It is fine," she said. "You can speak freely."

"The Zora shouldn't trust the Hylian soldiers, with how their prince was treated," came a voice from behind her. Telma had finished serving customers and pulled up a chair to sit at the table. "They really are a pathetic lot."

"Your Highness should do something about it, yeah?" Ashei said, eyes narrowing.

"Now that Hero of yours," Telma said. "There was a real man. I haven't seen him in a few days. Hope he is well; he was in a right state the last time he was here."

"Link has decided to leave Hyrule," Zelda said. "He will be away for a while."

Telma sighed. "Without saying goodbye! I guess those hero types never do stay put. And here I was thinking he might be our next King!"

Zelda laughed. "Hardly. He left to follow a girl."

Telma raised an eyebrow. "Well, that explains why he was drinking so much when I last saw him. Kind of wish someone would get like that over me," she added dreamily.

"Master Link was asking about the Mirror," Auru said. "He seemed desperate to know if there could be a second one."

"Have you ever heard of such a thing, Master Auru?" Zelda asked.

"No." Auru said. "But there are many places in the Gerudo Desert that have not been explored. I've been hearing things, recently, about the desert."

"What things?"

"Increase in monsters, travelers being attacked," Auru said. "The Gerudo Desert has always been dangerous, so I wouldn't put much stock in it. Likely just more people travelling now that Hyrule is at peace again."

Zelda nodded thoughtfully.

"I can't believe people used to live there," Shad said enthusiastically. "Civilization really will emerge anywhere, huh?"

"Do you know anything about the Gerudo, Shad?"

Shad shrugged. "Not really. I was always far more interested in the sky beings, as far as ancient tribes go. But the Gerudo are fascinating. They were almost all female, you know, and said to be incredibly strong! It's a shame they left Hyrule. I would love to speak with one."

If only you knew, Zelda thought, imagining Ganondorf conversing with the overly keen scholar.

"My mother always thought we had Gerudo blood in us," Telma said. "Children used to tease me growing up. Why, there was this boy…"

As Telma launched into a story, Zelda found herself distracted. The history books she had studied as part of her formal education only briefly covered the Gerudo and their past with Hyrule. During the Twilight Invasion, Ganondorf spoke only briefly of his past as the Gerudo King, but perhaps now she had an opportunity to question him. With how heavily the desert had been featured in her dreams as of late, she thought it would be wise to learn more about it. And despite agreeing not to come to Ganondorf again, she thought it had been long enough that she should check on him. Having decided this, when Zelda finished her drink, she thanked the Resistance members, tipping Telma generously, and made her way back to the castle.

When Zelda opened the door to Ganondorf's cell, he was lying on his mattress, staring at the ceiling. Hearing her enter, he quickly stood. Upon seeing her, his face twisted into that familiar expression of anger. "Where have you been?" he snapped.

"I thought you wanted me to stay away," Zelda said flatly.

"And be left here to rot for – how long has it been?"

"Twelve days."

Ganondorf relaxed slightly. "Okay – that's what I thought."

"And you have not been left to rot," Zelda said. "You are brought food three times a day, you have been given clean clothes – "

"That is not what I meant," he said, bristling again. Zelda had the impression he was holding himself back from threatening her. She shook her head.

"Well, what do you mean then? You tell me I disgust you and you don't want to see me and now you are angry I listened to you? You must make up your mind, Ganondorf. Do you want me here or not?"

He glared at her for several seconds. Then, when she thought he wasn't going to respond, he mumbled, "Come, then."

Zelda fought to hide a smile. He is lonely, she thought. After hundreds of years in the Twilight Realm, it was clear that Ganondorf did not like being alone for prolonged periods. Even when he was her captor there were times when he would be in her chambers daily, under the guise of questioning her about things which were clearly unimportant. She did feel for him, remembering her madness and desperation while her spirit, in Midna, travelled into the Twilight Realm. And I was not alone.

"You really must work on your temper," Zelda said, approaching him. When he tensed in anger, she briefly touched his arm. "I am sorry. I truly did not mean to be gone for so long; I have been very busy running the country. I will have some books brought to you, to pass the time, if you like?"

He nodded curtly.

She sighed, stepping back from him. "Now that Hyrule is at peace again, it seems every person in the country wants to meet with me. It is exhausting."

"I remember the feeling," he said, frowning. After her apology, much of the tension had left his body. A moment later, he said, "If you are in charge, why are you still called Princess? Should you not be Queen Zelda?"

"I've had the responsibilities of a queen since my father passed five years ago. But I will not be given the title until I marry. It is considered good luck for there to be a Princess Zelda," she added at his questioning look. "Something of a tradition in this family. Many expect my first daughter to be named Zelda."

"Will she?"

Zelda shrugged. "I have not much thought about it. My advisors are fond of telling me it is time to consider marriage, but I…"

"Go on," he said, smirking. Zelda suddenly felt as though she could not look at him and averted her gaze.

"I have met with several potential suitors, before… everything. Either they clearly consider me a weak female to be controlled, or they are intimidated by my powers." She hesitated, glancing at him. She remembered herself, pressed against the wall in her rooms, him purring into her ear. There needn't be any more violence, Princess… You could be my queen… That mark on your hand proves that we are equals…

As if he could read her thoughts, Ganondorf's smirk widened, though he did not say anything. Desperate to change the subject, Zelda asked, "And is Ganondorf a common Gerudo name?"

He chuckled, but allowed her to redirect the conversation. "No male Gerudo name could be called common," he replied, "but there have been a few recorded kings with the name." A shadow crossed his face. "Many of them died young."

"What was it like, living in the desert?"

He frowned, deep in thought for several seconds. "It was… difficult," he said finally. "The sun burned during the days; the nights were frigid. Crops did not grow well. We often had to resort to thievery to survive, and death was common. But it was home, I suppose." He sighed. "When I was young and foolish, I thought to ask the King of Hyrule for aid. But he wanted me to surrender my people to him, to become a vassal state to Hyrule, which I would not do." He glared at her then, perhaps searching for signs of his old enemies in her face. He shook his head. "I vowed then that I would take Hyrule for myself. And I would have, if not for the princess and her visions." The last sentence was said with a sneer, which Zelda elected to ignore.

"I am sorry," she said simply. "Your people should not have been left to suffer."

He shook his head again. "It was not all bad. My people were strong – unlike you Hylians." (Zelda rolled her eyes at this.) "We had an impenetrable fortress where soldiers trained. There were places that were beautiful. Oases with flowers that can only grow in the deserts. Our temples dedicated to the Goddess of the Sand – I believe you call her Din." He frowned, eyeing her with suspicion. "Why the sudden interest, Princess? Wanting to repurpose another one of our temples into a prison?"

Zelda studied him as he spoke, wondering which, if any, of his words were true. Could he be lying to obtain her sympathy? The pain in his face when he spoke of his people, and the tense anger when he referenced the Arbiter's Grounds appeared to be true. Zelda knew that this man was a masterful manipulator, from how he had played Zant into carrying out his biding. Still, she found herself wanting to believe him.

"Simple curiosity," she said, answering his question. "It isn't everyday one gets to speak to a Gerudo, let alone one who remembers firsthand their past with Hyrule. And my duties as Princess do not afford me much time to travel. It is interesting to hear about places I have never been."

"Free me," Ganondorf said, lips curling. "I'll take you there."

"Nice try. Anyway, the desert is said to be very dangerous."

"Without my people around to keep monsters in check that is unsurprising. Still," Ganondorf said, straightening and stretching his arms, "Nothing I can't handle."

He brought to mind a preening peacock. Zelda smiled. You like his company, she thought to herself. Do not forget what he has done. It was something she had needed to remind herself even when she was his prisoner. Her smile abated as she cursed herself internally. What am I doing?

"What?" Ganondorf said, noticing her sudden silence.

She shook her head. "It is nothing," she said. "I've been here too long; I need to go." She began moving towards the door without waiting for his reply. "I will have some books brought to you," she added before stepping through her magic barrier. "And I will not be gone so long again."

Zelda locked the door quickly after she left, hurrying to begin preparing for her next appointment, hoping it would keep her mind from him.