A/N Welcome to another chapter.
I apologize for the delay with this chapter. I have been extra busy with work and having a blast with Echoes of Wisdom. I have loved every second of playing it. I am actually so sad that I've now finished it. I am considering now playing in Hero mode.
Anyway thank you for the continued support.
Chapter Warning: Minor sexual innuendo.
Chapter Eight.
Aching muscles and a loud pounding in her head jolted Zelda from her peaceful slumber. She groaned softly as she drew in a ragged breath. Her whole body hurt, not one part exempt from the pain that coursed through her. The princess slowly raised her hand to her forehead, wincing as it made contact. She then clenched her teeth and whilst grunting with effort she sat herself upright and surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings. She was lying on a small wooden bed in a windowless, circular room. The floor was coated in a thin layer of sand and dust particles danced in the air. Memories suddenly flooded her mind, and panic swept in with each one — the ambush by the bokoblins, Link being shot with an arrow, and her own desperate actions to save him.
Details filtered through her fuzzy mind. Although they remained hazy, a strange sensation lingered within her, the flicker of an untamed flame. Zelda's eyes suddenly widened with realization — she had somehow tapped into a hidden power, a latent energy that surged through her very being. She had never experienced anything so all-encompassing before. In that critical moment, she had created a shimmering shield, deflecting the bokoblin's vicious attack and therefore protecting both herself and Link from certain death.
The burning question though was how? As far as she was aware she did not possess a single ounce of magic or shred of power. She stared at her hands, wondering how she was able to conjure up such potent energy out of nowhere. Zelda plopped her head back down on the pillow and huffed in frustration.
"Ah, look who's awake," Sooga growled, his tone low and deep. "I see that you're still alive, princess, imagine that!"
Startled, Zelda whipped her head towards the easily recognizable voice of the crimson cladded Yiga blademaster.
"It would seem, Your Highness, that you placed Link in unnecessary danger."
Zelda shook her head in response. "Wait, what? No! That's not what happened," she protested.
"Tell the truth, or I'll cut out your lying tongue."
"That's enough, Sooga. Allow me to handle this," Nabooru chimed in, forming a barrier between the hulking figure and the princess.
From underneath his mask, Sooga scowled, releasing a gruff of annoyance. He then turned on his heel and promptly swept out of the room.
The princess's eyes darted to the fretful face of the Gerudo warrior, and for a long, dreadful moment she was convinced that Nabooru was about to deliver the news that somehow Link was dead. "W-What happened? Is L-Link, is he — " Her throat felt painfully dry and scratchy, her lips parched. Every word was a struggle, having to crawl up a throat that was about as dry as the Gerudo Desert.
Nabooru's eyes flicked to the figure lying motionless on the opposite side of the room. "Link is resting comfortably. His wound was quite severe and he lost a considerable amount of blood, but he's young, strong and remarkably resilient."
Why had Link's safety been the first thing that sprang to her mind? It was like things were different now. Like she suddenly felt genuine concern for him. She couldn't explain it, although she wasn't able to explain a lot of things lately. "Where am I?"
"A stable just east of the Desert Gateway. The establishment seems to have long been abandoned, so the perfect place for us to shelter whilst the two of you recover."
"Wait! So we're close to the Gerudo Desert already? How long have I been out?"
"Two days."
Zelda's voice trembled. "T-Two days?!
Nabooru placed a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "What did happen, princess? When we found you both, Link was mumbling incoherently, something about a shimmering golden light. Do you happen to know what he was talking about?"
She considered telling Nabooru about the magic, but she wasn't sure if she could fully trust her so she decided to keep quiet — at least for now.
The Gerudo smiled warmly, agreeing not to press matters further. "Why don't I go find you something to eat, you must be rather famished."
Despite not having much of an appetite, Zelda did manage two small slices of Hylian cheese and gulped down some creamy heart soup. It was a meager meal, but oddly satisfying and with her energy returning, she decided it was time to check on Link. Slowly, she eased herself up from the bed feeling her muscles scream once again in protest and the continual thud of pain in her head.
As Zelda hesitantly approached the bed, she felt a twinge of apprehension. She still wasn't quite sure how much Link had seen and how he was going to react. She guessed that only time would tell.
As Link weakly stirred awake, he grimaced. Pain streaked through his right shoulder and his ribs throbbed in agony. He could hardly move his legs, and for a split second he was worried he'd been paralyzed, especially after being tossed from his horse twice.
He was lying on a rather lumpy, uncomfortable bed and was naked save for his underpants. Stray lines of sunlight leaked into the room and highlighted his torso and the large, thick bandage that had been wrapped tightly around his bruised flesh. As he wiped sweat from his brow his mind flitted back to the bokoblin attack. He recalled being shot with an arrow, vaguely seeing her face, before being almost blinded by a brilliant golden light. The princess — she had saved him.
Immediately, Link sensed her presence. He didn't speak a word at first, he merely watched. The princess was staring at him rather pensively, or perhaps admiring him. Which one, he couldn't be quite sure.
As their eyes briefly met, he felt a flutter in his stomach and a surge of emotions that were quite disturbing. They was ridiculous feelings really, and he had to keep reminding himself that just because she had saved his life, it didn't change anything between them. His loyalty would not be divided. They were not friends, and if she thought for one moment that they were, then she was even more foolish then he thought. NO! She was and always would be his enemy.
"Enjoying the view there, princess?" he purred, peering up at Zelda.
She was caught completely off guard. Her heart lurched and she stepped backwards. "What? No! Of course not."
Truly amused, Link smirked as he pressed his advantage. "It's okay, princess, there's no need to lie. After all, we all have our urges. And I for one feel yours. Would you like me to satisfy those urges?"
Zelda took a deep, painful breath. Sweat began to bead under her collarbone and her blood ran cold. It took every ounce of willpower not to reach for his sword which was laid there with the rest of his personal belongings and use it to pierce his vile, monstrous heart. Although she was proud of herself for the restraint, she was also disappointed at the temptation. This was not who she was. Even with the anger coiling in her stomach she'd never have it in her to actually kill him. That said, she still wouldn't stand for his deviancy. "So even after everything, you still can't resist making lewd comments?"
Link stared up at her with an expression that was a mix of curiosity and disdain. "Well look at you, always loyal to a fault. However, you are not as innocent as you appear to be, princess. In more ways then one."
"Excuse me?"
"Hiding such power from me."
Zelda shifted uncomfortably. She could already feel the tendrils of panic winding tightly around her heart, intertwining with the fear that already possessed it. She shook her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Bitterness rose in his chest like bile. Did she really take him for a fool? "Oh don't play coy with me, sweet cheeks. I was still conscious enough to bear witness to it. Perhaps it was only for a split second, but I saw it — that beautiful and pure golden light."
Her mind still struggled to piece together everything that had happened. She could barely think.
As Link tried to sit up too quickly complete agony hit him all at once. White-hot pain and an agonizing flare in his shoulder and head, accompanied by a deep persistent throb in his back. His breath hitched mid-hale as he shifted to a more comfortable position.
"Perhaps you shouldn't try to move," Zelda warned.
"I'm fine!" he replied hotly. Slowly, he eased herself up from the bed. "Now, princess. Care to explain to me what I saw?"
"Yes, do tell."
Link's attention suddenly diverted to her right, his head turning to look past her. Zelda let out a surprised yelp as another of the Gerudo appeared behind her.
"So it is true then? You possess some sort of magic?" Aveil questioned, edging towards Zelda, slowly and purposefully.
Zelda's mind was still clouded with confusion. She knew so very little of her family history — so very little about magic or even how to harness it. "I'm...I'm not exactly sure what it was."
"I should have listened to him before. Master suspected all along..." Link's comment drifted off and he failed to finish his sentence.
"Suspected what?" Aveil prodded.
"That she hailed from some divine bloodline," Link concluded.
A glint of delight settled in Aveil's eyes. "Divine bloodline you say? Well this...this changes everything," she added. "It could be the reason for master's sudden decision to marry her. Lord Ganondorf has always desired great power. I don't doubt she'll do rather nicely."
Zelda's pulse pounded in her ear. How could Ganondorf possibly know whether she possessed magic or not? A tidal wave of fury flowed through her. Did her mother know? What about her father? Impa, her nursemaid from when she was a child? Did any of them know? It wasn't fair! Why was she left in the dark?"
There were many words to describe Ganondorf.
Cunning, manipulative, devious, bloodthirsty.
As the King of the Gerudo, he was loyal to no one. However, he had always demanded his underlings pledge their allegiance to him. Anyone who refused, or opposed his rule, were deemed a traitor and therefore promptly imprisoned or executed. However, his ambitions was greater then just being the leader of a small women only race and a bumblesome group of Sheikah defectors in the harsh desert wasteland. Oh no. He wanted more...much, much more.
He wanted to rule the entire kingdom of Hyrule. To sit upon the throne of his enemy — the Hyrulean royal family.
The former monarch, King Bosphoramus Hyrule, had fallen ill one year ago, and the moment that he had perished, his daughter, Princess Zelda had immediately ascended to the throne. She had yet to have a coronation though, therefore she was still officially only a princess. However, the people of Hyrule loved her. Not only was she a benevolent ruler, she was suspected to have a lineage far beyond that of a simple princess. Divine powers passed down through her bloodline. Although no one had seen evidence of such a birthright.
In the beginning his first thought was just to attack the kingdom and overthrow the princess. However, it was well known that the kingdom had allies so he had come up with an even better idea. One that would cement his rule and have complete control over the kingdom. With the princess at his side, he'd have every citizen bowing down to him.
He had therefore made the conscious decision to bind himself to her through marriage. A union between himself and the princess would not only win him favor with the citizens of Hyrule, but she would also keep his bed warm at night and perhaps even give him an heir and a few spares. After all, what use was a prize if it was never claimed. Yes it would be a glorious conquest.
In the dimly lit room, Ganondorf sat upon his throne. He had been expecting news about the princess's imminent arrival, yet he was about to bear witness to more foible and failures. "I grow impatient. What is the reason for the delay? I demand a full report, General Sooga,"
The Yiga blademaster silently bowed, supplicating himself before his master. "There have been a few setbacks, master."
"Set back? Whatever do you mean by this?"
Sooga cleared his throat. "Well, you see, master. A few days ago we were attacked by a horde of filthy bokoblins. I commanded Link and the princess to flee, in order to ensure their safety. However, they too were attacked and Link was severely wounded in the fray."
Ganondorf mused as he stroked his chin. "A group of bokoblins, you say? Foolish creatures, daring to attack loyal servants of mine. I will boil their bones and grind them into dust. As for Link, tell me, is there danger of death?"
"Surprisingly, Link is recovering well. This next bit of information actually pertains to the princess. You see, something very interesting happened which I believe you should be privvy to."
"Well, what is it? Don't keep me in suspense," Ganondorf barked.
"Once myself and the other Yiga and Gerudo had battled those vicious barbarians, we went in search of, Link and Her Highness. When we finally located them, both were seemingly unconscious. Anyway, whilst en-route to the desert, Link began murmuring about the princess and something about a shimmering golden light. I believe there is strong evidence to suggest that the princess used magic to save his life."
That got his immediate attention. Ganondorf rose to his full, imposing height. His red hair and beard swirling around him as he gestured broadly with his hands. When he next spoke, his voice was serious and measured. "Are you quite sure about this?"
"Fairly certain, My Lord. I mean a shimmering, golden light. What else could he possibly be talking about?"
Ganondorf's eyes glinted with satisfaction as he listened to Sooga's words. "So my suspicions were correct? There is a strong possibility that the princess does indeed share the blood of the wretched goddess. This is rather delightful. If she does in fact possess magic, it only serves to make her more desirable to me. Of course, she may also be rather dangerous."
"Fear not, master. Even if it were true, I believe she poses very little threat. She is alone and unaided, not to mention she clearly has no idea how to control this power or whatever it is. If so, then she would have used it during our initial attack."
Although this could be the case, they had to remain vigilant. "Have Aveil monitor the situation and report anything that may jeopardize my upcoming wedding plans."
"Yes, My Lord." Before the blademaster departed, he felt there was one other thing that he needed to bring to his master's attention. "There is something else I find quite disconcerting."
Ganondorf made a small motion with his hand, gesturing for him to speak. "Go on."
"It's about Nabooru."
"What about her?"
"I feel as though she is growing rather attached to the princess."
Ganondorf chuckled gleefully. "Oh don't worry about Nabooru. As my second-in-command, I have ordered her to work closely with the princess — gain her trust. If however she betrays me then there will be no grace. As much as it would grieve me, she will succumb to whichever punishment I see fit."
Resentment welled upside of him. Sooga had always been slightly jealous that his master would choose a Gerudo as his second-in-command, still he kept his composure as he replied. "Very well."
"Your dedication and loyalty as a member of the Yiga Clan has earned my full interest and admiration," Ganondorf complimented. "You have proven yourself a valuable asset. I hope you don't disappoint me."
"I won't disappoint you, master. You have my word," Sooga promised.
After a wave of Ganondorf's hand, Sooga offered a curt bow, before taking his leave.
The King of the Gerudo seated himself back down upon his throne. If the princess had indeed inherited the power of the goddess then he knew it would be wise not to underestimate her. However, he would not be deterred. Nothing would stop him from achieving his goal. He would marry the princess and claim Hyrule as his own.