Zelda and Ganon Part Two

Chapter Four
I love You.


The morning held onto its promise of self loathing. The wash maid comes, pulls the rumpled blankets from the bed, and I avoid her gaze, but only because she avoids mine. I try to tell myself that she couldn’t know, what happened in here last night... but I am unconvinced. If She did, i wonder would she think me a monster?…. Laying with him like that, willingly and enjoying it so much. I see the wash maids eyes look at me and I can see her eyes are filled with sadness. She knows. She knows, what happened in here last night, and then it hits me...she thinks that he raped me……the princess of Hyrule, her princess, raped. I feel even more ashamed.

As the hours melt away under the always grey sky, I watch the door expectantly, nervously, listening for the sounds of his foot steps on the stair, and I’m not disappointed. Ganon comes. The sight of his body, dressed in hard steel makes me shiver. I know what lay ahead and I am defenseless.

I watch him with halted breath as he starts taking off his armor. Piece by piece. Finally, pulling his gauntlets off and stepping out of his heavy boots.

Without a word, he is on top of me, and I am underneath him squirming and moaning. He is touching me, cupping my breasts with his large hands, and putting my nipples in his mouth. He knows ways a hundred ways to make me scream out his name. I know It’s wrong…. but I don‘t care.

From above me, he looks at me strangely and suddenly I know he is going to kiss me. It feels strange that he hasn't kissed me before. His lips press gently on my lips, and I open my mouth to let his tongue slip in. His thrusts slow down, as he kisses me slow and soft. His hands comb through my hair. For a moment everything is lost, there is nothing but him and I and this bed. Our eyes lock together, and I see a new glimmer behind his eyes,something deeper that i have'nt seen before. His kiss turns hard and fast and he is fucking me again.

When he is finished I pull the blanket over my head to hide my face, but he doesn’t leave, like last night. He pulls the covers down off of my head, and puts his hand under my chin. His dark eyes are looking right into mine and I can’t stand it. I try to turn away but he holds me steady. Even after all of the things I let him do to me and I can’t look him in the eye. I feel my cheeks redden at the thought. I wait for him to say something, but instead he leans forward and kisses me again. His tongue is as skilled as his fingers. Its soft and sweet and gentle and… I close my eyes and lose myself with him. I warp my fingers around his thick neck, and push my hands through the thick red hair on his head.

He pulls his face away and I smile at him. I want him to stay with me forever and lay next to me while I sleep….. Have his tongue on mine again. His hands on my body. Feel his warm breath on my skin. My hand finds his and squeezes it tight. For a minute I forget everything and i am truly happy. He kisses again me but harder this time and I know we are both starting to get excited again. I lay back as he kisses my neck, and my head turns to the side, and close my eyes letting the pleasure sweep over me. My eyes flutter open for a second and I find myself looking at something dark leaning against the wall.

His long sword. Leaning against the stone, nearly as tall as me, dark and evil. The sword he held, while he knelt in front of Father and asked for my hand in marriage. The sword in scabbard while he attacked me in cloisters. The sword he held while stormed the castle, when he cursed mother and father, covered them in stone. In my mind I can see, myself huddled next to their feet. Small and afraid. I see Ganon’s face, his dark sword drawn… MOVE HER! he yells as he readies his magic….. I see the long blade, from the ground, after he has shoved me. I watch as he touches the bloody scratch I left on his face…. Bring her to the tower! The black swirling clouds that are now the sky. I feel a tear rolling down my cheek then another more quickly. I feel one of his hands slide between my legs.

I am sobbing now, and my words are choked and cracked. “Get away from me!” I kick at him with all my strength. “you….. Are….. a monster….. I ..I wa…ant you… to.. Le..ave right n..ow..!"

I’m naked so I try to pull the blankets off of the bed to cover myself but he is laying on them so I tug at them harder and harder but they wont budge. So jump up from the bed, and back away from him as if he was a deadly snake. I’m crying hysterically now. “I…hat…e …I …am..so….st-stupid… my mother..my fath…er he is dead…. they are..dead!"

He just sits there calmly. Naked, bursting with hard muscles looking at me with his dark eyes. .

“Little..Princ…” he starts to say but then his eyes drop.

He starts again, “Zelda, …..it‘s ok….” He stands and walks toward me, and his arms wrap around me.

I try to fight him, “You killed them, you killed them” I sob into his arms

“Zelda, I already told you, they are not dead”

He brushes the tears away from my face with his thumbs. I look up at him, my face wet with tears and search his face. His lips are in a thin line and his eyes search mine for a long time.

He never moves his eyes from mine, “I will turn them back and send them away…. if that is what you want.”

“Do you mean it?”

“ I mean everything I say Little Princess”

“How do I know you are telling the truth.” I say sceptically

“I told you. I mean everything I say”

Wordlessly, he is dressed and gone only minutes later. I lay naked on the bed. So tired I fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next day, the bells in the cathedral go off, for the first time since the day Ganon stormed the castle, the day the sky darkened. I look out the small tower window and see Mother and Father walking down the drawbridge, in single file, behind a carriage. I yell out to them and I see Father turn around to look for my voice before they are hurried along. I watch until they are herded into the carriage and driven away, silent tears streaming down my face.

He did it. He’d released them. He’d really meant it… I wait all day, watching the door. Thinking about what I would say to him. I want to thank him, tell him that I was wrong… I watch the door, daydreaming about his hands, and the way his lips curve in a seductive grin…his deep voice and dark eyes.

I can scarcely eat when the maid Hilda brings me food, she talks about a revolution in Castle Town, where men meet, beneath the streets, hidden away in secret basements, but I don‘t hear her. When night comes I wait for him, watching the door expectantly until finally I drift off to sleep.

After the third day I stop watching the door. He is not coming. I spend hours watching the dark sky from the small window, wondering. Why would he do such a nice thing? Prove that he has a heart and then disappear. I think about him all day and all night. In the day I think, he is changed, I dream that he will surrender the castle. I dream that, on that fateful day, when he had come to castle to ask for my hand in marriage I had said yes. I had told father, yes. The commander of the Kings army was good enough for me. We were married in the cathedral, me dressed in fine white lace and him dressed in the Hyrule royal armor. At night, I dreamed that we lay in a bed on fine white sheets. Towered with the finest feather pillows while he teaches me everything he knows. After all, I was allowed to dream, Dreams were secrets of the mind that no else knew.

By the fifth day I know in my heart that I miss him. I feel sad but then I feel the anger returning, but this time at myself. I have been a fool. Dreaming of the man who had imprisoned me, it was ridiculous. He didn’t even care enough to come to tell me where my parents have gone.

On the seventh day, when I hear his heavy steps on the stairs my heart starts pounding in my chest. I don’t even care that he is here, he means nothing to me. I smooth my skirt and hair quickly. I try to keep my face blank and uninterested when he opens the door. I only look at him quickly, then I look away. I want to ask him, where he has been but then I remember that I am his prisoner and that is silly.

“Where did my parents go?” I ask instead

I notice that he is trying to avoid looking at me as well. He walks to the small window and looks out at the black swirl the sky has become. His long crimson cape swirls lighty behind him.

“Kakariko Village. You parents are safe there” his eyes scan the blackened horizon thoughtfully, but his voice sounds tired and strained.

It’s coming up in my throat, before I can even stop it……. but I want to know…

“Why didn’t you come?” and even to my own ears I sound like a fool.

“Were you waiting for me Little Princess?” he says, his voice taking on its familiar mocking tone.

“No! I only wanted to ask of my parents.”

“I told you I would free them, I told you…. I mean everything I say” his voice was softened again and I thought about all of my dreams.

He is dressed in full amour, his sword at his side. The sight of him takes my breath away. I catch a glimpse of his dark eyes and fall apart.

“Why? This? I say leaping from the bed and approaching him quickly, “It doesn’t have to be like this, ” I touch his shoulder lightly and he flinches. “Ganon… why do you have to do this…? I've been thinking about us and.. we could be together, once things are normal again. We could leave here, and "

He turns abruptly and grabs my arms with both hands, his face screwed up with anger, “The castle is mine Zelda! The royal family does not rule here anymore. This is what i want. My place is here”

The tears collected in my eyes threaten to spill over. “What of me then? What place is mine? I say, feeling a wet tear on my cheek.

I can see Ganon’s face relax and his eyes soften . He answers me with a kiss. Slow at first then hard and furious.

His hands ravage my dress. Tearing it from my body. Peeling off his own clothes hastily. He lifts me with one arm like i am weightless and lays me on the bed.
He pulls off the rest of my clothes slowly, his hands reach up and touch my erect nipples. His tougue touches me soflty at first, and i moan lightly. Soon,I feel hot, my toes curl, i start moaning louder and louder. His tougue slows down, licking me gently. He inserts a skillful finger and i moan with delight.

“Please,” I beg, but he stops and starts kissing my leg instead, then starts again but more slowly. Teasing me. Toturing me. He uses his hands to steady my legs and body as I wither helplessly under the touch of his tongue.

He moves himself up, so that his face is next to mine, his skilful fingers playing at torturing me.

“Please,” I choke out

My legs squeeze together tightly, and I squeeze my eyes closed.

“Please, Please, …” I beg him but he only plays with me more.

“Tell me……"

"that you love me” he whispers into my ear.

I try to touch myself to end the torment but he moves my hand away.He holds both of my small hands above my head in one of his . his other hand toughing me lightly .

“Tell me you love me, …. And I will make your dreams come true, Little Princess” he whispers again in a deep low voice.

He lowers his head, kissing me carefully, first my breasts, then my stomach, all the way down until I feel his tongue on me again. I close my eyes tightly as his warm tounge puts me closer the the edge.

“I love you” I say breathlessly

His tongue moves faster. I am starting to squirm, he holds my body in place. “I love you…” I say again louder…

“I ..I love you!…. I moan again, as his tongue, makes me shudder suddenly, and my toes curl up. “Oh my….go…” I start to say, but he is on top of me, his huge cock is filling me and I forget everything.

His body is amazing. I look up at him, awe struck as he finishes on my belly. He is sweating and it drips down, his thick muscles. He lays down next to me on the small bed. His body is warm and hard. I lay my head on his arm, waiting for my breathing to slow. My eyes start, feeling heavy and I know I am going to fall asleep. I feel his hand touch my hair, very softly.

Just as i fall asleep I hear him whisper, “I love you, Little Princess”


Chapter Five
The Return of Link

In the morning I wake up next to him, my head is rested comfortably in the crook of his arm. He looks so peaceful while he sleeps. I touch his face, and trace the muscles of his chest. I feel him stir, and I feel excited, knowing I will be the first thing he see’s will be me. He looks at me intensely and I swear I see a hint of a smile on his lips. He kisses me, and I feel that he is already hard and ready, and soon…under his touch I am too.

After, we lay in the soft haze of the morning, and I think, that maybe that the darkened sky is not so bad. He strokes my hair gently, while looking up thoughtfully at the vaulted stone ceiling. I watch his lips move.

“I’m leaving for a little while…………I have to go to the desert…”

“When……. will you be back?”

He sighs, and it sounds painful and sad, “I don’t know, Little Princess… but I …promise… I will be back for you…”

He dresses quickly, I watch his chiseled body, mesmerized, from the bed. Before he leaves, he kisses me softly and lingers with his lips close to mine. I feel his hand close tight around mine, and I know, that it may be the last time we will lay together.

Ganon turns and leaves without another word, and I hug my knees to my chest, trying to fight this feeling I have, that I will never see him again. The maid comes in only a few seconds later, and she is avoiding my eyes at all costs, she must of passed Ganon on the stairs. The old wash maid, says nothing to me, even as I rise naked from the bed and scramble to find my torn night dress.

Surely now, she knows the truth about Ganon and I.

Days go by before I see the other maid, the one who speaks to me. She is fragile and as old as dirt itself but the cracks in her face deepen when she smiles at me.
“Word around Castle Town, is that, the hero Link is going to the desert, it’s the last place Ganon’s foot hold is strong.” she says as she pours water through my soapy hair.

My heart sinks, knowing that Ganon has left for the desert as well, the end of this chapter is nearing… Part of me wishes that Gannn will return to me…. No matter the cost…But then I look out at the blackened sky, and I remember Link… I try to think about him… the times that we lay together in the cellar… but I can’t seem to remember… and when I do, It’s always Ganon’s face I see. I look out the window sorrowfully, wondering which man I loved is dead.

The nights are long, and sleepless. I am haunted by strange dreams, I am running through the gardens, chasing after a man, and when I find him, I discover he has no face. I wake in a cold sweat. Imagining I hear loud footfalls on the stairs, but there is nothing.

Hilda comes back a few nights later and before she leaves she places a folded paper in my hand. I stare at it, disbelieving for a long time, afraid to open it. Hours later with a shaky hand I open the letter.

It is from Link, I scan the letter quickly looking for Ganon’s name but it’s not there.

My dearest Zelda, ………………………………...I am working hard to save Hyrule………….I have been collecting crystals that will ... tonight I am coming to save you…………………. Everything is set, Hilda will unlock the door…………………meet me in the room…… where we met ……………..We will travel through the east tunnels………I seen your parents in Kakariko Village…

I throw the paper to the ground, but it just floats down, gently. I watch it glide gently to the stone floor. I don’t know how long it has been since Hilda came. One hour? Three? Who will be here when Ganon returns? Tonight, I will be saved from this tower, but who will save me from myself?

What are you thinking! I tell myself. Link is here! But the thought of leaving still fills me with sadness…when I think about Ganon coming back to find a empty room, tears fill my eyes… I wipe them away swiftly. He is the monster that imprisoned you.

I stumble around clumsily, quickly dressing and putting my hair up. Trying desperately to quiet the voices in my head. What Is he going to think of you? You, who lays with Ganon, the Dark lord, while Link is off fighting for Hyrule……….and you are crying tears for him, the monster but not your hero? I look in the mirror and stare at my reflection long and hard. I still look the same. Bright green eyes and pale blond hair. Soft pink lips. How would he ever know? No one knew for sure. It would be my secret, a mistake, I was trapped in here, I lost my sanity, I love link I always have more then anyone, these weeks up here …..it never happened.

Click, swish, creak. I hear the soft sound of the door unlocking and retreating footsteps. I am free now. The door is opened for me. Here we go.

The castle is dark, long gone are the days that lanterns lit every wall. In the dark it seems like a different place then the warm safe home I had known all of my life. In the short time I have been locked away, everything had changed. I sneak quickly through the darkened halls, hiding in shadows, until I reach the stairs leading down into the cellar. They are stone and I am thankful they do not creak and groan like those made of wood.

In the cellars, I see a light under a door, and I know it is Link. It is the same room where Link and I used to go. I breath in nervously before I open the door, and try in vain to steady my hands. My hero awaits.

He has a lantern in one hand, and is pacing the room, with his sword drawn. He looks older since I saw him last, no longer dressed in his green tunic, now he wears a tunic of blue and black with heavy iron boots. All of my nervous energy falls away when he turns to me.

He embraces me, “Zelda” . “I’m so glad you are ok” he says into my hair. We stay that way for a long time and I search for something to say, but I have nothing, so the silence rages on until it becomes unbearable. He grabs my hand

“We have to go”

He starts leading me though stone passageways, traveling deeper and further underground until we finally reach the tunnels, underground Castle town. All the while he talks about all that has come to pass since we last spoke. He had bravely thwarted Ganon at every turn, battling his dragons in the Goron mountains, serpents in the water temple beneath lake Hylia, and freed the Zoras from a prison of ice. Now he held six of the seven crystals that Ganon had used to curse Hyrule. There was only one place left to go, deep in the desert to the Spirit temple, to retrieve the last crystal…..

Finally we emerge on a hillside behind the castle. Link moves the iron grate easily and we are thrust into the cool night. The air is so fresh I breath in the deepest breath I can, savoring the smell of fresh grass and cool breeze.

Link pulls out a ocarina, from his belt and plays a short song, the note’s seem to float up into the sky and travel lightly on the breeze. We are standing alone in a field. The night is dark, there are no stars but link is looking around. I squint a little, and in the distance, sure my eyes are playing tricks on me, I see a horse, running toward us. .

“Its ok, this is my horse, Epona” Link says, looking at me. When the horse gets closer, I see that it is a beautiful mare, with a soft chestnut coat. He helps me get on the horse and then swings his body on behind me. The horse starts running, and just before the Hyrule castle disappears behind the hills, I take one last look behind me, at the castle that’s been my home all these years.

“We’ll be back, Princess” he says over the loud sounds of the horse running hooves.

We ride fast the rest of the night. Not even stopping once. I can tell, even the horse is tired when we reach Lon-Lon ranch. I remember coming here once long ago with my parents….

The ranch is quiet, and seemingly untouched by the war that is raging in Hyrule. Link leads us to the Inn, but it is locked for the night so instead we go up the rows of barns that are next to the great corral. We walk in one, and Link grabs a lantern from the wall and lights it. The barn is nearly empty except for a few small cows. I feel very small. All I had ever wanted was to see what Link saw, Live how he lived… having a new adventure everyday.. Seeing the world.. But now all I wanted was to be back in bed…

He gestures to the back, where the hay is piled up high, and lays down his shield and sword. I sit down next to him, hugging my knees to my chest, feeling the chill of the night in my bones.
He looks at me, carefully before speaking. I look at his smooth face and my mind wanders. It is so cold in here.

“I never stopped thinking about you” Link wraps his arms around his own knees. His eyes are the brightest green I have ever seen. We sit there, in the hay, looking at each other, silently. I say nothing. I want to tell him the same thing, that I have never stopped thinking about him, but I can’t.

He lifts his hand and turns my chin so I look at him “Its going to be alright…”

He kisses me, I feel his soft lips press against mine and his smooth hand on the back of my neck, and I choke back tears. I don’t know why I am crying. For home. For Hyrule, and somewhere deep in the back hidden away, HIM

After he pulls away, he looks into my eyes thoughtfully, “Zelda, I’ve missed you”

He kisses me again, but stops suddenly when he see’s that I am crying.

He rolls onto his back in the hay and lays there for a minute, bright eyes looking at up into the rafters “Tomorrow I’ll take you to Kakariko Village to see your parents.”

“I’d like that”

I lay in the hay, next to link, listening to his chest rise and fall, Trying to remember what I used to feel like with Link. Had it always been this way? When I look at his smooth face and tussled blond hair all I can think about is Ganon, and I hate myself for it.

In the morning, we go the inn for breakfast. I wash and dress, in a empty room listening to excited chatter floating up the stairs. Link is talking to a girl, with long strawberry hair. She giggles frequently, a slight pink blush spreading on her cheeks.

“Princess! She gushes, “I never thought I’d…. really meet you… I am Malon.

“It’s nice to meet you, Malon.. It is such a beautiful place here, I say looking around at the soft woods in the kitchen. The smell of cooking bacon fills my nose and the morning sun shines through a open window. “Have you been here long?”

“Oh yes, princess, My father Talon and I owned this ranch, for many years but when our taxes were late… Ganon gave this place to a evil man named Ingo, and my father was put out.

“That sounds terrible”

“Yes it was, But Link came and tricked Ingo into forfeiting the ranch, and now my father is back safe and sound, he is just out with the horses now, he is very excited to meet you princess”

During breakfast Malon and Link share stories of triumph over the evil imp Ingo, and amazing feats Epona has done. Suddenly it is clear that Link has had a whole life I never knew about. All those times I waited in the castle for him to return. Watching the wall for the sight of him, climbing over. Hurriedly making love to me in the grain cellar, before rushing off to his many adventures. All of those times he said he had to go, that he couldn’t stay,….. He never did want to stay. He never wanted to marry me and live in Hyrule castle…..I had been such a fool…..even this ranch girl, Malon, knew him better then me. …

“We should go” I say trying to hide the sorrow in my voice.

We leave unceremoniously, after a quick hello too Malon’s father Talon, and start the ride to Kakariko village. We stop at a river and walk a bit.

Link shoots at Poe’s in the sky, with his bow. “These are crossed over from when Ganon entered into the sacred realm. The world is unbalanced, this is the world of darkness.”

I look up at the sky and think of the swirling black clouds above Hyrule castle. A crowd of Poe’s form overhead, and begin swooping down on our heads, Link and I run to a nearby bridge for cover.

“Look, over there, in the water” he says pointing to a glint in the river.

He wades in the shallow river water, the sound of soft trickling fills my ears. He emerges carrying a wooden treasure box closed with rusted iron clasps. He opens it and shining red light illuminates from within.

“It’s a Heart stone,” he says placing it in my hand “I want you to keep it. It makes you strong.”

He places the glowing stone, in my hand gently, I feel its smooth edges with my fingers. Closing my hand around it….

“It’s gone!”

“It’s not gone, It’s with you now”

I look at my hand curiously, I don’t feel any stronger. The world was a strange place.

We approach the village at dusk, through a long winding dirt road. Epona’s hooves kick up dirt, sending clouds of dry dust swirling into the air. The moon is just beginning its rise and far away on a cliff top I hear a wolf howl.

I shiver. “Where are you going after this, I mean, after you bring me to Kakariko?”

“To the desert, and your coming too”

“Why ?”

“I don’t think you will be safe here, I’ve made a deal with the Gerudo’s. They’ll hide you there, in there compound until it is finished.”

In town, it is quiet, all of the shutters are drawn, and the shops are closed. Link takes us to a small house on the out skirts of town. He hitches Epona up to a post quickly, and walks up to the old wooden door. He doesn’t knock. In the front room Mother and Father sit by a fire, dressed in plain tunics, of brown ruff spun, mothers hair is in a simple bun, and father warms his hands my a small fire.

Mothers hand goes to her mouth and tears pour from her eyes. “Oh Zelda!”

My own eyes well up as I realize how much I had missed them. We are all together then hugging and crying and proclaiming our feelings of happiness. Father, just wraps me in his arms as tight as he can. “We thought you were dead” he chokes out between sobs. Finally he turns to Link, who is waiting by the door quietly, “Link we can’t thank you enough”

“She can’t stay, Ganon knows you are here, if he wants to kidnap her again, he will know to come here…… it…..wont be safe for her here, Link’s face is searching. “so I am going to take her into the desert tomorrow.”

Mother and father nod in agreement. “Are you ok?” Mother asks, putting me at arms length to look at me.

“Yes I’m fine” I assure them, keeping my eyes onto the floor

Fathers wipes a tear from my cheek with a large thumb, “I’m so sorry Zelda, you were right….. about everything…. about Ganon……. I should have…. listened to you. You always were a smart girl”


Chapter 6

The Desert.


I have never been to Gerudo valley. Never even been to the desert. It is dry and clouds of dust swirl in the air. The landscape is jagged and sharp, covered in high peaks and dusty brown cliffs. We cross the longest bridge I have ever seen. Eldin Bridge. The sun is too hot here, and my throat is dry and sore. Eventually the cliffs and peaks, taper off and are replaced by endless fields of sand.

“Why is safer for me here” I ask Link., eying the unforgiving landscape

“It is the last place, Ganon would ever look for you”

“Why?”

“Because Ganon is a Gerudo”

“…wait I thought the Gerudo’s were all female…”

“Not all of them…”

“I don’t understand……they say that…”

“shhh you need to be quiet" He says cutting me off, “We have to sneak in”

“what…why, you said you made a deal with them?”

“Shh!”

I see high flags in the distance blowing fiercely on their poles, and the tops of tall towers. At the first set of billowing flags, we have to leave Epona. Link assures me Epona will be alright, that she is much smarter then most horses. We sneak around guard towers and hide behind rocks, all the while shielding our faces from the ever present blowing sand. Finally we get to a large low building, in the heart of the Gerudo camp and link ushers me inside.

A women dressed in fine white silk pants and short white bando top comes forward. Her red hair is very long and tied back in ponytail that sways when she walks.

“Is this her? The princess?” She says, walking around me, eying me suspiciously, she has a strange accent but her voice is pleasant.

“Link…” I say, feeling afraid. I don’t want to stay here.

“This is Nabooru, she is in charge here…. She is going to take care of you. Disguise you as a Gerudo”

“You should go now, L-i-n-k…..” Nabooru says “Lots to do” she winks at him

“Where are you going?” I ask him, not wanting him to leave.

“To the spirit temple, that is where I am going to find Ganon, Nabooru says he passed through here a few days ago” I can see his hand flex on his swords hilt

After Link is gone, they dress me fine white silks and tie my hair back in Gerudo fashion, but it is still obvious I do no belong. The women here are tall and strong, their hair is long and dark . They shoot arrows and wield long swords. I look nothing like them. So much for a disguise.

Nabooru doesn’t talk much, but most of the other Gerudo wont speak to me at all, so I try to talk to her, that evening.

“Link said that Ganon is a Gerudo, but I always heard that all of the Gerudo‘s were woman ?”

Nabooru is eating a chicken leg, the grease is sliding on her chin “Yes, he is, there is one man born every one hundred years.”

I think for a full minute before speaking, “Why are you helping link then, if Ganon is one of you?’

She drops her chicken leg, onto her plate and wipes her chin with her hand.

“I am leader here now. I think….Ganon has gone to far now, we do want to take Hyrule castle … we cannot support him in this… as much as the women miss him……and trust me, they ALL miss him... I decide no! The tall women slams her fist down on the wooden table causing the wine in cups to slosh around. “It is like this, Princess….If link comes back from spirit temple, I am leader, if Ganon does… he is still our king, he is always our king…. Do you understand princess?”

I take a small bite of my chicken. “Yes, you are waiting to see who comes out of the desert alive”


I sleep in the room next to Nabooru, and through the open door I see the silhouette of a women, enter her room. All night I listen to moans, through the thin walls.

In the morning, Nabooru wants me to train. The Gerudo’s are master archer’s she tells me so I go to the grounds where the targets are set. There are many women there already practicing. They ride there horses by and shoot, one two, ten targets in a row, while the other women cheer.

I can’t hold the bow high enough, it is very heavy and I struggle to pull back the tight string far enough. The arrow falls to the ground at my feet. I can hear the other Gerudo women starting to laugh.

“You are weak, Princess!” Nabooru says, finally taking the bow and arrow from my hands.

“Weak Princess” I hear the other Gerudo’s snickering.

The air is so hot and dry, I feel faint under the hot sun, I can feel the hot sand through my sandals. The sand blows in my eyes, and they start to water, but soon I realize I am just crying.

Nabooru pinches my arm…. “Is too skinny arm for bow” she declares. “To fair skin for all the sun…. not your fault Princess….bad blood”

I look off into the swirling sands, where are you?

Nabooru decides that training was a mistake and that tomorrow I can stay in. That night I lay in bed and plug my ears to drown out the sounds coming from Nabooru’s room. How long will it take before one of them comes back from the temple? Who will come back.. And then what? Will I go back to Hyrule?

In the morning I am resolved for a better day. I bathe leisurely in the underground springs and dress in the Gerudo fashion and relish the feel of the crisp white silks on my skin. A old Gerudo women fashions my hair in a long ponytail that drapes down my back, and I slip my feet into strappy gold sandals. It is cool in the houses and I wander the halls looking at everything, soaking in this strange culture I find myself in.

I am reading a old history, about the spirit temple when I hear a commotion outside. I know someone has returned from the temple. My heart is beating out of my chest but I can’t move. I feel frozen in time. Finally, I take a deep breath and start walking slowly from the room and through the maze of stone halls. When I reach the door I am in a full fledged run. I burst from the door, into the bright sun and run into the middle of the sandy street.

I spin around frantically, shielding my eyes from the sun, and see the familiar large silhouette in front of the bright rising sun. I step forward. It is him.

“Zelda!” I hear, calling from behind me. I turn toward the voice and see Link, standing next to Nabooru. I look back into the rising sun, and see nothing but swirling sands, Did I really see him?

Link is walking toward me, as I frantically scan the horizon.

“What happened out there? Link tell me! What happened” I say desperately. He’s gone, really gone… Link looks at me confused.

“It’s o.k. Zelda, everything is going to be ok now, the spell on Hyrule is broken.”

“What…. happened to Ganon” I ask, even though I am afraid of the answer.

“He got away….but don‘t worry, I got the last crystal.”

I feel a rush of air return to my lungs. I turn my back to him and I start walking down the sandy street toward the rising sun. The breeze blows my ponytail gently, and I like the warmth of the sun on my skin. He is alive. I hold my hand to my eyes and look into the horizon again hoping to see Ganon emerge from the sunset. Link is calling out for me, but his voice is lost in the wind.

Then I see him, and this time I know it is real. One by one, the Gerudo women drop to their knees as he passes them. Link is screaming now, “ZELDA!” I can hear him behind me but he sounds far away. I'm running.

Then Ganon is standing in front of me, looking down at my flimsy white Gerudo outfit.

“Little Gerudo Princess” he says, reaching and touching my face gently with the tips of his fingers. His hand falls to the bare skin of my shoulder and he touches it lightly, like he is handling a fine silk.

I reach my arms up then and wrap them around his thick neck, I feel his hand on the small of my back, pulling me closer. His hand feels cool and rough on my bare skin. He lowers his head and kisses me, and when his tongue touches mine everything else fades away, all of the sand and the hot sun and Links voice yelling for me to stop. Finally he pulls away and I cling to his hard chest.

“I thought….. I’d never see you again” I whisper to him. Feeling a blissful tear run down my face. The sandy winds are blowing all around us, and I look up at him and see his face through the suns bright rays and just then I realize how much I had wanted him to return.

“I promised I’d come back to you, and I mean everything I say, Little Princess”

For a minute I am lost in my own world where only Ganon and I exist.

“Zelda!” Link yells and his voice breaks me away from my private world.

I turn, to look at him, feeling ready to face him, but when I see the look of revulsion on his face, my nerve breaks. Even the tall strong Nabooru looks stunned.

Link Draws his sword , “Zelda, what are you doing!…Come here” He is slowly coming closer. His sword trailing in the sand.

I look up at Ganon one last time just to be sure, “No!” I feel for Ganon’s large hand and entwine my fingers through his. “I am not leaving”

Link raises his sword above his head, his feet poised to charge, but Nabooru’s hand falls on his forearm. “Link, No”

His hand drops and he places his sword back in its scabbard. He is just looking at me with huge eyes, I squeeze Ganon’s hand and remind myself this is what I want. Nabooru approaches us, calmly.

She bows her head, “Lord Ganon” Nabooru looks to me, “Gerudo Princess”

Ganon turns to me and looks at me with hopeful eyes. “Come with me, to the spirit temple, be my Gerudo Princess”

I only smile at him to tell him yes… I will go with you, I love you.

Ganon motions to the horizon, “After you, Little Princess”





Epilogue.

Two years later.


Someday I hope to return to Hyrule, to see my mother and father. Perhaps even rule my beloved kingdom, take my place as rightful heir and queen. Although in Link, I believe they have found a suitable replacement. Sometimes I think that no one, not even me deserves to rule Hyrule more then Link.

From the letters I receive from the castle, I hear that Hyrule is prospering, and Link is still the reigning defender of the realm. Off coarse, I am missed, and in some circles mourned, but slowly I am forgotten. I am no longer their princess, although now I am the Gerudo Princess and nothing makes me happier.

The spirit temple, feels like home now, so much that the thought of leaving it, even for a day fills me sadness. I have left, for a time, to see the world, but unfortunately Ganon’s presence is still… uneasy in most of Hyrule…. But In The desert he is still very revered, as king of the Gerudo’s.
‘
The stone temple is cool even on the hottest day, and our bed we share is like an oasis of silk blankets and pillows, we spent many days and long nights in that bed, getting to know each other. I think of the fateful day, long ago, when he had come to ask for hand in marriage, and I wonder what would of happened if I said yes. If I had really known how amazing life could be, with him lying next to me.

In the sea of silk pillows, life could never be better. But Tonight I lay in a different bed, with no silk pillows, and I am surrounded by Gerudo midwifes.

They are kind and sweet, and love me despite my many flaws and weaknesses.

“Princess, don’t worry it is always like this” they are saying, but I don’t believe them. I don’t believe everything is going to be ok, Until I hear the sound of a baby crying, and Ganon’s hand is squeezing mine.

The midwife looks at my tired face, her own eyes huge and a large smile on her face. “I don’t….. believe…. it…. It’s a boy”



The End.