Ganon stood in Zelda's room, purposely looking away from the vanity. She had gone to try and find clothes that would fit him better before they went to meet the king, and he was waiting for her to return, unwilling to wander around the castle looking like some scruffy vagabond.

It cannot be that bad, he thought. Tri had said that he looked weird, but Zelda had called him handsome, hadn't she? Though he was beginning to realize that she was perhaps a bit biased when it came to him.

Zelda's cat meowed at him. He reached over to pet her where she lay on Zelda's bed. (Did she recognize him, even though he looked completely different now? Somehow, he had the suspicion that she did.)

The cat meowed again.

"You're right," he said. "I am the Demon King. I cannot be bested by a mirror."

He took a breath, stepped towards the vanity, and for the first time in a very long time, Ganon looked at his own face.

He looked into eyes with amber irises – between that, the tone of his skin, and the red hair, if there was any remaining doubt that he was Gerudo, it was gone now. He saw thick eyebrows, as bright a red as his hair, and a strong nose. His forehead was perhaps a bit larger than he'd have liked, but that was nothing a nice piece of jewelry wouldn't fix.

He breathed a sigh of relief. He was handsome.

Of course I would be, he thought, smirking at himself in the mirror.

Though, he was not pleased with everything that he saw.

"I can't meet your father like this," he announced as soon as Zelda re-entered the room. "I look unkempt."

"What?" Her face appeared in the mirror beside him.

"I have stubble," he said, gesturing at his chin. "And I don't like my hair at this length." He pulled at a strand of it; it fell just under his shoulders. He wished it were longer. Or shorter. He was not sure which. "I think I should cut it."

Zelda giggled.

"This isn't funny," Ganon said sourly.

"Of course not," she said, though her eyes were still bright with amusement. "I'm sure I can find a razor and scissors for you. Though, if you ask me…" She gestured for him to lean down, then murmured in his ear, "I think you should keep the hair." She kissed his cheek. "If you want."

He kept his hair. Not because of her, he told himself. Just because he wanted it longer, so he could style it in more ways. His facial hair he removed, though he thought perhaps he might try to see what he looked like with that grown out some day. He was human again; the possibilities felt endless.

Zelda had borrowed clothing from one of the knights for him to wear. It fit him better than what he had worn as a monster, though it clearly belonged to someone shorter than him. The shirt stretched across his broad shoulders in a way that he might have appreciated if he and Zelda were alone, but he was not thrilled wearing in front of her father. The pants made him look like he was expecting a flood. Still, for now, he supposed it would do.

When they entered the Castle's throne room, it was empty except for the king and Impa, who were standing at the foot of the throne deep in conversation. The king looked up when they entered, and Zelda ran to him and threw herself into his arms.

"It's done," she said. "Null is gone. There will never be a rift again."

"My brave, brave daughter," the king said, holding her close. He was so focused on Zelda that he did not appear to have seen Ganon.

Impa clearly had, though, and looked at him suspiciously.

"You have done so well," the king continued, "and made me so proud. And the young man?"

"Link is safe," Zelda said. "He helped me. He went home to Suthorn, but I'm sure you'll meet him soon."

"He will be welcomed as a hero," said the king. Finally he looked up, seeing Ganon. "And who is this?"

Zelda pulled herself out of the hug, and turned to him. "This is Ganon," she said.

Impa rose an eyebrow. He smirked at her.

"I rescued him from a rift in Hyrule Field, and he's been accompanying me ever since," Zelda continued. "He aided me in sealing the rifts in Lanayru and Faron. And he came with me to the Eternal Forest. He was instrumental in the fight against Null."

"You haven't told me anything about this," the king said, frowning.

"Oh, well…"

"It would have been a comfort to know you were not alone all this time," the king said sternly. "I've been worrying myself sick."

"I can look after myself, Father," Zelda said.

"I know." He put a hand on her shoulder. "But don't begrudge an old man for worrying over his only daughter."

Zelda rolled her eyes. The king cleared his throat.

"Ganon, was it?" he said. "Thank you for aiding my daughter." He smiled. "You must be a very kind young man."

Ganon briefly wondered if he had somehow stumbled into a parallel universe – surely there was no way the King of Hyrule had just referred to him as a 'kind young man'.

"Thank you," he said uncomfortably.

"He is," Zelda said. "That's why I want to court him."

Ganon coughed. She is bold!

Impa's eyebrow rose just a bit higher. The king's smile became strained.

"Zelda…" he said weakly.

"You cannot tell me no," she said. "I am not a child anymore. I haven't been for some time; you seem to keep forgetting that."

"But you are a princess," the king said. "Zelda, may we talk about this?"

She acquiesced, and followed him through a door into the hallway. Ganon was now left alone with Impa, who turned to him. She placed a hand on her hip.

"So," she said coldly. "Is he a man who looked like a monster, or a monster who looks like a man?"

Ganon slowly curled his lips into a wicked smile that let his teeth show. "Bit of both, I think," he said.

Impa did not even have the grace to look frightened. "Do you remember?" she demanded.

"Not quite. But I will."

"Hmph."

She did not say anything more. She just stared at him, one hand on her hip and the other tapping on her cane, red eyes boring into him until he could not take it anymore.

"You aren't going to threaten me?" he asked.

Impa shrugged. "I don't need to," she said quietly, her eyes not losing any of their intensity.

He resisted the urge to shudder. What is with this woman?

Actually, he thought he knew.

"I've remembered what is so familiar about you," he said.

"Is that so?"

"Yes," he said. "You remind me of my mothers."

Impa snorted. "Is that good or bad?"

"I'm not sure yet. But I'll let you know."

She finally took her hand off her hip. He still watched her warily until Zelda returned, with a small grin on her face.

"Father's accepted it," she said when she approached.

"He has?"

She nodded. "He would much rather see me court a prince or a king, but you did help defeat Null. You're a hero!" She touched Ganon's arm. "And he loves me and wants me to be happy, so…"

Ganon swallowed.

"Anyway, I think it's past time we go buy you some new clothes." She reached down to take his hand. "Want to come, Impa?"

Impa shook her head, now smiling. "You two go enjoy yourselves. I can't keep up with you young things."

"Impa, I watched you take out three guards at once," Zelda said dryly.

Ganon turned his head to Impa, shocked. She winked at him.

"But alright," Zelda said. "See you later."

As they walked down the hallway out of the castle, Ganon mulled over what Zelda had just said.

"You…" he said quietly. "You think that I'll make you happy?"

"Yes, Ganon," she said. "I really think you will."

A few days later, Ganon found himself at a Castle Town restaurant, at a table with Zelda at his side and Link sitting across from them. Zelda had claimed this was her favourite restaurant in town, and Ganon was thinking that if she thought this was good, he really needed to take her to try his favourite Gerudo dishes sometime. Then he startled because he realized he was beginning to remember his own people.

"Everything alright?" Zelda asked.

"Yes – fine," Ganon said. He pushed the thoughts of Gerudo-anything out of his mind; he really did not want to become emotional in public. Because Zelda was still looking at him with concern, he quickly changed the subject.

"You must have been glad to get home," he said to Link.

Link momentarily paused from stuffing his face with food to nod.

Ganon waited.

Link's face pinkened. "Sorry," he said. "I keep forgetting. That I can talk again."

"It's fine."

"Lueberry said that even when I was a child, I was very quiet. Before I lost my voice."

"I'm sure he was pleased to see you again," Zelda said.

"He cried," said Link. "It was… kind of awkward, actually."

"Oh dear."

"Who is this?" Ganon asked.

"Impa's older brother," said Zelda, at the same time as Link said, "A genius inventor."

"He made Link's sword," Zelda continued. "I'll take you to meet him sometime."

"Hmph," grunted Ganon, thinking that one dangerous old Sheikah in his life was plenty.

"I bet he could improve your trident," said Link. "He really is a genius."

That piqued Ganon's interest. "Fine," he said. "I'll meet him."

Zelda shook her head, an amused smile on her lips.

Soon they finished their meal, and Link claimed that he had better get going.

"My neighbours get worried now, if I'm gone too long." He smiled crookedly. "I didn't realize they cared so much."

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked, frowning.

"I never realized they would miss me." He shrugged. "I can't – couldn't – speak. I didn't think they'd even notice I was gone."

Zelda reached across the table to touch his hand. "I spoke with several people in Suthorn Village when I went there, and it was clear they missed your presence very much, Link."

He smiled, but said no more. They walked together to the edge of Castle Town, then Ganon and Zelda watched as Link began down the path towards Suthorn. Ganon narrowed his eyes.

"You can't possibly still think he wants to kill you, can you?" Zelda said to him, noticing his expression.

"I don't like him," Ganon said. "We should keep a close eye on him."

"Alright," Zelda said. "We'll invite him for dinner again next week. How's that?"

"Good," said Ganon. "We can't be too careful."

"Any new memories?"

They stood on a balcony at the top of one of the castle's towers, overlooking the city and watching the sun set and the stars begin to appear. Ganon greatly enjoyed the view. What he enjoyed even more, however, was that it offered he and Zelda some privacy.

He had thought her popular at all the places they had gone during their adventure, but that had been nothing compared to her hometown. It seemed everyone in Castle Town considered their princess to be one of their best friends. Hence, it had become a tradition to find somewhere in the evening where they could hide away – sometimes in the surrounding fields, sometimes in Castle Town or the castle itself – and every time, without fail, she would ask him this question.

Occasionally the answer was no. Sometimes he had something small: the name of a childhood friend (Nabooru), or a detail about one of his hobbies (it was the organ, his favourite instrument, and he had been very pleased to learn there was one within the castle), but today…

"There was one time, after I had become a monster, that a sorcerer from another world – with horrible fashion sense – merged himself with my body and almost destroyed this entire realm by removing the Prime Energy from it."

"What?"

"Yes, absolutely horrible. He wore way too much makeup – he made his face so pale it's like he wanted to look ill – and his hair... like he was trying to imitate me. Poorly." He stopped, realizing that Zelda had begun to snicker. "What?"

"That is not the part that I was surprised about, Ganon." She shook her head. "Another world? Are you sure?"

"I am certain." He brought a hand to his chin, thinking. "Actually, there was a princess there, too. He trapped her in a painting."

Zelda blinked. "Are you messing with me?"

"No," Ganon said vehemently.

"Fine," she said with a bemused smile.

"She looked a bit like you," Ganon remembered. Then, thinking himself very clever, he added, "But you're prettier."

Zelda crossed her arms. "Oh?"

"And tougher," he said. "You would never have let yourself get captured by this clown."

"I was captured by Null."

"That's only because Null was me."

Zelda laughed. "Alright then," she said. "Clownish sorcerers, alternate worlds, damsel princesses… Anything else?"

Ganon swallowed. There was one other thing he had remembered, and though it did not have to do with world-ending threats, it somehow seemed even more important.

He looked into Zelda's eyes, searching. I trust her, he thought. That is my choice.

"Ganon is… just a nickname," he said. "My full name… is Ganondorf."

He watched her mouth the word. Ganondorf.

"You can continue to call me Ganon," he said. "If you prefer."

She reached to take his hand in her own.

"Ganondorf," she said, and he felt a warmth in his chest hearing it. When was the last time someone had addressed him by his name?

"Ganondorf," she said again. "I like it."

He swallowed, then brought his free hand up to cup her cheek. She leaned into his touch.

"Well then," she said softly, "I look forward to getting to know you, Ganondorf."

"You already know me," he replied.

As he closed the distance between them, he made himself a promise. He had not yet told her that he had been King of Hyrule, or that he had held the Triforce within him (nor of Din's implication that he would have been able to take the Triforce, something that kept returning to his thoughts no matter how much he told himself the goddess was simply playing with him), but once he remembered it fully, he would. He trusted her.

And he promised himself that no matter what was in his remaining memories, he would make this work.