
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/10855098.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      The_Legend_of_Zelda_&_Related_Fandoms
  Relationship:
      Ganondorf/Link_(Legend_of_Zelda)
  Character:
      Link_(Legend_of_Zelda), Ganondorf_(Legend_of_Zelda), Zelda_(Legend_of
      Zelda), Impa_(Legend_of_Zelda)
  Additional Tags:
      plot_heavy, Explicit_Consent, good_guy_Ganondorf, bad_guy_Zelda, very
      minor_ZelImpa, Please_beware_the_underage_warning, Link_is_like_14_when
      puberty_hits_him_HARD, Gerudo_Link, Mentor_Ganondorf
  Series:
      Part 6 of Main_Stuff
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-05-11 Updated: 2018-03-21 Chapters: 23/? Words: 70264
****** Courage of the Gerudo ******
by Redawilo
Summary
     Weird things have been happening lately. Monsters have appeared
     around Hyrule Kingdom and have been slowly spreading throughout the
     lands. The queen, too, has been showing some strange behaviors.
     The Gerudo, on the other hand, have been particularly blessed of late
     with males being born more frequently into their race. Two of which
     are a rather short boy, named Link, and his mentor, Ganondorf. The
     two have lived a quiet life full of combat training for several
     years, but of course fate has other plans. It isn't long before the
     pair are tasked with saving all of Hyrule. Can they discover both the
     source of the monsters and Queen Zelda's odd behavior? And
     furthermore, can they do anything to solve these problems?
     Not set in any particular Zelda universe!
     Updates the 1st and 21st of every month!
Notes
     Y'know, GanLink is one of those pairings I always feel like is more
     popular than the amount of fanart/fanfiction lets on. I've wanted to
     board this train for a while now, and finally I've decided to charge
     headlong at it!
     This fic is going to be quite the beast to tackle, but I'm really
     excited! Myself and a good friend came up with the premise together
     and with their help I've managed to get a good, solid chunk of this
     figured out. I hope it will be enjoyable to you all!
     These first chapters...I guess you can call them backstory? It'll be
     a while before the plot really kicks in, but I'm not about to skimp
     on the intro! It's important!
***** The Gerudo Boy Called Link *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Gerudo are a tough race, a “band of thieves” known to be strong warriors of the
deserts. Most Hylians have never met one, but those that have usually have done
so only by straying too close to their borders and getting driven away by the
guardswomen. The strength of the Gerudos is not limited to their adults,
either. The young girls of the tribe all learn to defend themselves from a
young age, lest their games leave them battered and bruised. But many do not
grow up to become warriors. In fact, only a small handful continue their
training with a weapon or hand-to-hand combat. Most carry on lives similar to
Hylians; they’re cooks, farmers, ranchers, seamstresses, mothers, and every
other job that needs doing. When a Gerudo child becomes a teenager, she is
encouraged to decide on what role she will play in society and to find a mentor
amongst her mothers or aunts if need be. Those that choose to pursue the
warrior’s way of life have it especially hard, as they must prove to somebody
that they have exceptional talents.
As it happens, all of these rules apply to even the rarest of the Gerudo: the
males. Although it is expected of every man born to the tribe to take a number
of wives and to father many children with them, he is not exempt from being a
productive member of society in some way.
The Gerudo had been particularly blessed of late. Their youngest male was
barely a teenager when another had been born into the tribe. The Gerudo live
long lives, and men are only born every fifty to a hundred years. To have two
in such a short span of time meant their population might be allowed to
flourish in ways it had not in known history!
The young boy, like every other before him, was raised as equals with his
sisters. His aunts and mothers taught him how to cook, mend his clothing, and
more. When he was allowed to play, he spent long hours roughhousing with his
sisters just the same as they would with each other. The boy grew nimble, and
he grew strong. More and more his aunts would share whispers that he was sure
to become a warrior. The boy was not particular about fighting, but he knew he
did it well. The older he got, the more it became obvious to him that it would
be a waste of his abilities if he were to pursue another field of expertise. By
the time he was ten, he began to wonder who he should choose to be his mentor.
Surely any of his aunts would be thrilled to take him under her wing, but
something about that idea bothered him.
Although he was still young, a number of his older sisters had begun to act
strangely around him. They would go out of their ways to talk to him, or would
go easy on him in their games, or would favor him if he needed something from
one who had already begun her training. Something in the back of his mind
nagged that should one of his aunts take him as her student, in time she too
would treat him differently than his sisters. What’s more, he was sure that it
wouldn’t matter what he chose to do, the women of his tribe would all end up
treating him differently.
He didn’t like it. He didn’t want to be favored by his sisters and aunts. He
wanted to be their equals. And so he began to distance himself, just a little.
He stopped talking so excitedly when somebody showed him interest. The time he
spent playing alone increased. And eventually he took to bathing alone as late
at night as he could manage. His sisters were disappointed, but his aunts
chalked it up to puberty. His aunts, at least, were partially right.
As Link and his sisters grew ever older, his aunts began to hold special
classes for the young girls of the tribe. The subject of the lessons was
supposedly about how to attract a man’s attention in the hopes of being chosen
as his wife. Not all of the girls cared and therefore not all of them attended.
Link himself of course was not allowed to even sit in on the lessons. He did
however occasionally catch some of his sisters talking about what they had
learned. They stopped immediately once they noticed him, so he never caught
more than a few whispers. The whole idea behind the girls needing to learn how
to earn his favor seemed ridiculous to him anyway, so he felt that the less he
knew about their lessons the better.
His thirteenth birthday drew near far quicker than Link would have liked. By
then he was set in his decision to be a warrior, but he hadn’t yet found a
mentor, although not for a lack of offers. It was only when he stepped out to
get his bath one night that he found the one he wanted.
He had met the man before, if only a few times. More often though the boy had
only admired him from afar. Women were incredibly common, and there were a few
old men here and there whom the boy had spoken with throughout his life. But
this one was still young. He was a warrior, perhaps the best there had been for
generations, and as such he was rarely in the village proper. The boy hadn’t
expected to see him when he went out, but he was glad he did.
Ganondorf was the man’s name. He had been practicing with his swords on the
road between the village and the bathing pool. The boy stopped short in his
tracks when he spotted him and stared in awe. Truly Ganondorf was impressive to
behold. His height, his muscles, his fiery red hair, all of it made him the
picture of Gerudo handsomeness and it was no wonder he was so popular among the
boy’s aunts. The boy had heard tell that Ganondorf had yet to take a single
wife, for he claimed that doing so at this point in his life would do nothing
but distract him from his duties. The boy found it admirable.
So admirable in fact that he was hardly thinking when he boldly strode up to
Ganondorf that night and asked him to be his mentor. Ganondorf studied the boy.
He hardly looked the part of a mighty warrior, for he was short for his age and
while he certainly had some muscle it didn’t show much. The boy waited for an
answer and every second that ticked by, each feeling like an hour, began to
fret that his request would be rejected. To his delight, Ganondorf told him to
come find him in that same place again before noon the following day, and that
he would be tested properly before a decision was made.
Sleep did not come easily to the boy that night, for his anticipation had his
mind racing a mile a minute. Somehow he managed to get a few hours in before
morning dawned, and the boy found it to be the longest morning he could
remember. Fortunately his mothers excused him from his late morning chores when
they heard he potentially had a mentor. As soon as they released him, he bolted
for the meeting place, leaving rumors to start spreading as to whom he had
chosen in his wake.
Ganondorf was waiting for him. When the boy arrived, he was immediately given a
sword that was much too heavy for him. The man had constructed a handful of
crude dummies, little more than bundles of dried grass and twigs tied with
ropes to sticks that were embedded in the ground. He was instructed to attack
them, and the boy did. Heaving the blade with both hands, the boy managed to
retain some semblance of control and form as he struck each in turn, cleaving
off a small section or two of the materials bound to them with each swing. The
boy was panting by the time he was told to stop, but he was not allowed a
moment’s rest. The sword was taken from him, and in its place he was given a
bow and several arrows. He was pointed towards a series of targets that had
been hung upon similar dummies, and so he set to shooting them. Each of his
arrows hit their target, if barely. His muscles were screaming from the effort
of drawing the powerful weapon time and again and from the seconds it took him
to take aim. But still Ganondorf did not let him rest.
The boy continued to be handed new weapons. A staff, a spear, a knife, and even
things he had never seen before that Ganondorf had called a boomerang and a
slingshot. By noon, the boy laid on his back in the sand, completely exhausted
and sweating and panting hard. Ganondorf bestowed upon him a canteen of water
freshly obtained from one of the drinking springs, which the boy drank
gratefully. When he managed to sit up again, Ganondorf shot him a smile and
held out his hand.
“What is your name, boy?”
He looked up at the huge man, his vision wavering a little from his exertion,
and it took him a moment both to process the question as well as to give his
answer.
“Link.”
“Stand.”
Link’s eyes dropped from his face to the hand he was being offered. He laid his
own shaky palm upon it and was quickly pulled up to his feet. He staggered and
it took most of his willpower to not collapse again. Ganondorf squeezed his
hand gently and Link looked him in the eyes once more.
“If you will continue to put in as much of your resolve as you have just shown
me here today, I would be glad to have you as my student.”
A wide smile split Link’s face in two, his blue eyes sparkling with delight.
Eagerly he agreed, declaring that he would do whatever Ganondorf said it would
take to have him as his mentor. As there was still a few weeks before Link
would be old enough to officially begin and Ganondorf had business outside of
the desert until then, Link’s apprenticeship would not start immediately.
Still, Link was elated at having found somebody whom he was sure would not
treat him as his sisters and aunts would. That Ganondorf was the best there
was, and quite handsome on top of that, was just sugar on top!
                                     *****
The training began much the same way Link’s testing had gone. Every day he was
given a weapon and would spend time using each one. He was given no
instruction, and no doubt his form was incredibly sloppy, but still he did his
absolute best. After two weeks, Ganondorf finally changed up the routine. He
announced that he had been studying Link’s natural abilities to see what sort
of weapon fit him best. After what he had seen, he was certain that a one-
handed sword and a bow would suit the boy wonderfully. That wasn’t to say that
Link would never train with anything else ever again, but rather it gave them a
focus point.
Months passed, and Link was beginning to be able to swing the heavy sword
without tiring, and he became able to draw his bow without straining himself.
Now that he had built up the muscle needed to perform, Ganondorf began to take
a more active role his training. Link had been prepared to be told time and
again to fix his form, or to be roughly moved into position. After all, his
older sisters who had been in training would often share their horror stories
of such things. What Link had not been prepared for, though, was the positive
reinforcement. A simple “good” when he performed a move correctly or the
occasional ruffling of his blond locks after a hard day of practice worked
wonders for Link’s confidence. Sure, Ganondorf still corrected him every single
time he slipped up even the slightest amount and would still be forcefully
repositioned if something still refused to stick, but the tiny bits of
encouragement that were levied his way made everything worth it in Link’s eyes.
It was some days after Link’s seventh month of training with Ganondorf that
things took a turn he had never expected. One morning when Link met him for
practice he was told to take a seat instead of being given his task for the
day. Link complied, sitting in front of the man on one of the rocks near their
training area. Ganondorf took a seat as well, and something about that caused a
sinking feeling in Link’s gut. If there was something going on that would have
his mentor need to sit down and really talk to him, surely it couldn’t be good.
“You have been progressing rapidly, and that is wholly commendable. Not many
could have come as far as you have in such a short time. I think it would be
wise for you to continue your training, but I can foresee a problem with that.”
Ganondorf began. “The older you become, the more distractions there will be
from your training and your duties. Surely by now you have noticed your sisters
taking an interest in you?”
Link could feel a little heat pooling in his cheeks and was thankful for his
deep tan, hoping that it hid his blushing well. “I have. That started years
ago.” He said softly, his voice having fallen into disuse over those years.
“If you do not have a problem with their advances, then I will continue to
train you as I have been. But if you believe they will become a distraction,
and are willing to let me, I believe I have a solution.” Link tilted his head
to one side, curiosity shining in his eyes. “At the edge of the desert is an
oasis. It is small and unused by our people. Because it is still within our
borders, the other races of Hyrule do not visit it, either. I could take you
there to continue your training. We would have to build our own shelter and
training equipment, we would have to hunt and cook our own food, and we would
have to sew and mend our own clothes. But it would be far enough away from the
women of our village that want to disrupt your training...” he breathed a sigh
before adding quietly, “…and my teaching.” He waited a moment to allow it to
sink in for Link. “Unfortunately either way I must leave the village again for
a few weeks, but when I return, I will want an answer from you. Think it over
carefully, and know that while your sisters may seem like a bother to you now,
you may come to miss their company more than you know a few years down the
road. I won’t let you change your mind so easily if that happens.”
With his proposal made, Ganondorf stood again and handed Link his bow. It was
back to training as usual, and Link did his best to focus and not think about
his mentor’s offer. He was just a little sloppy, and Ganondorf was as quick as
ever to correct him, but the time passed quickly and his daily training came to
an end. The two walked back to the village in silence, and Ganondorf reminded
him to keep practicing on his own even though he would not be around. Link
nodded, hesitated, and quickly wrapped his arms around the man’s waist before
hurrying back to his home. Ganondorf stood frozen for a few seconds, wracking
his brain as to what the quiet boy had meant by this action. The man had become
fairly good at reading him, but this was new. He decided it must have been his
way of saying “take care” and went back to his own place of residence in order
to prepare for his departure.
                                     -----
The sun shone over the trees of the forest to Hyrule Kingdom’s east and slipped
between the cracks of the curtains. A single ray fell upon the plush, silk-
covered bed, not yet reaching the eyes of the sleeping inhabitant. A door
opened and a tall, lean, white haired woman entered the room, a billow of steam
coming from the room behind her. She looked down at the sleeping girl, and
something akin to affection graced her smile. She sat down gently on the edge
of the bed and she caressed the girl’s shoulder delicately. The girl whined and
curled further into her bed that was much too large for its small occupant.
“Princess, you must get up now.” The woman spoke softly.
Her princess grunted and rolled over to face her, eyes slipping open slowly.
“Five more minutes…” she whispered.
“I’m sorry, you Highness, but your father wants you up bright and early.”
The girl let out a huff and threw her covers off of herself. She sat up and
hung her legs over the edge of her bed. The woman helped her to her feet and
guided her into the other room where a hot bath had just been prepared. The
princess disrobed and sat herself in the giant tub. While washing the girl’s
hair, the woman made note of three little dark spots marring the otherwise pale
and perfect skin of her neck and shoulder. The woman would have to set out
clothing for her that would cover those up. It wouldn’t do for there to be
rumors of the teenage princess having a lover.
“Impa,” the girl began as if sensing her maid’s thoughts, “do you think you
could leave just one visible?”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot do that. If somebody saw them, there would be whispers
of horrible things about you going around. You do not want that to happen.”
The girl frowned. “I think it would be fun.”
“It would not, Zelda. You shouldn’t tarnish your reputation only because you
are bored.”
“I do not wish for this because I am bored. I wish for this because I am
growing tired of hiding it. Why should a princess not be allowed a lover if she
has one?”
“Princess!” Impa whispered sharply, incredulous.
Zelda breathed a sigh and closed her eyes. “Alright. I won’t push it this time.
Dress me as you would, I won’t fight it further.”
The woman frowned throughout the rest of her work. Her charge was sweet and
kind as befitting one of her status, but as of late she had acquired a certain
mischievous streak and it was beginning to wear on the maid’s patience to
decline so many of her requests. She prayed that whatever was causing her
princess to want to misbehave would pass with time as she grew accustomed to
her changing hormones.
                                     -----
It was only a few weeks. Just a matter of days until Ganondorf returned. Link
kept telling himself as such. It only made it marginally easier to wait and
pass the time. He still practiced on his own every day, swapping between sword
and bow and working himself nearly to exhaustion, but it all felt so lonely to
do by himself. Ganondorf wasn’t particularly the greatest company when he was
practicing, but Link found himself missing the encouragement, as well as the
corrections oddly enough.
He must have been sulking more than he thought, for one of his sisters offered
to spar with him on a few occasions. The third time, he took her up on her
offer. It was fun. A breath of fresh air and even hearing another person’s
efforts as they fought staved off his loneliness. Link wasn’t surprised when
the older girl thoroughly cleaned his clock, as she was more accustomed to
actual combat than Link was. Still, he felt himself laughing just a little as
she helped him back to his feet after knocking him onto his ass. They continued
their match on into the afternoon, only stopping when Link could barely remain
standing.
Panting, his sister suggested they get a bath together to wash off the sweat
and to soothe their sore and tired muscles. The boy hadn’t bathed with any of
his sisters in quite some time, but decided that since she had been so nice to
him he would go along with her. He thought nothing of it as she stripped naked
at the edge of the bathing pool, and he removed his own clothing just as
easily. Just as they had when they were children, the two cleaned themselves
between splash fights and tackling each other, trying to throw the other off
balance. As they wrestled their laughter filled the air, reverberating off the
canyon walls nearby. Briefly, Link wondered why he had stopped bathing with his
sisters in the first place.
After their fun was over and they were sufficiently free of sweat and dust,
Link was reminded of the very reason he was waiting so eagerly for Ganondorf to
return. Link left the waters and reached to pick up his clothing when his
sister placed her hand on his cheek, stopping him. He straightened up and
looked up at her in confusion. She was smiling at him warmly, and she stepped
closer to him, their bodies barely not touching. She leaned in to press their
lips together, and Link quickly stumbled back out of her reach in surprise. She
asked him what was wrong, but all Link could do was shake his head, dress
himself in record time, and run away back to his home where he shut himself up
in his room until dinner time.
Ganondorf was right: his sisters were going to be a distraction. He had known
that the moment the man had brought it up, but this was all the more proof. It
wasn’t that Link didn’t like his sisters. Certainly not! He liked them quite a
bit. But that they clearly felt something for him that he did not was going to
become a problem. Link decided that he would give the man his answer as soon as
he returned. The sooner he was away from those who wanted to take him to bed,
the better.
Chapter End Notes
     This fic'll be updated on the 11th of every month. Although, if this
     fic is received well I may update a few more times before June 11th
     if only to get through the intro a little bit quicker. I have no
     minimum word count per chapter for this fic. This means that some
     chapters may be very short, but I'll do what I can to make each one
     worth reading.
***** Leaving Home *****
Chapter Summary
     Ganondorf returns and Link tells him of his decision. Link's sisters
     are disappointed, and his mothers surprised. But more than that, how
     is Link actually going to get along with a man nearly twice his age?
Chapter Notes
     I've been going over what parts of this fic I have written and uh...
     Yeah, it's gonna be a while before the plot kicks in. ^-^' Sorry
     folks. Prepare for the long haul!
     ...But then again that IS why I want to post most of the intro before
     June 11th. Otherwise I'm afraid the year would be almost over before
     this got anywhere, haha!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The day his mentor returned to the village, Link immediately sought him out. He
was aware that any other person might give him time to rest and relax, but the
boy felt his bout of selfishness was warranted. Link had never been to
Ganondorf’s home, but wasn’t too shocked to find that it was small, as he lived
alone. It was sparsely decorated as he usually spent half the year away, and
his own personal weapons and armor were sitting in a corner. Link stepped in
and shut the door quietly before calling out.
“Ganondorf? Are you here?”
Link heard movement in another room and a second later the man appeared in the
doorway. He smiled down at Link and approached him. Somehow, seeing the older
man immediately calmed the boy, and tension he had not realized he had in his
body was released. He really had missed Ganondorf’s presence.
“You’re earlier than I expected you’d be.” Ganondorf spoke, his deep voice
pleasing to Link’s ears as the days without him had reminded the boy that most
women don’t speak in such tones. “It’s good to see you again, too.” The man
smiled.
Link shifted his feet, feeling embarrassed that his mentor could tell what he
was thinking. He nodded, a smile crossing his face as he avoided eye contact.
“I take it you’ve come to your decision?” the man asked him, gesturing to a
chair for him to sit in. Link nodded again and complied, taking the seat
offered. Ganondorf sat across from him, leaned forward and rest his elbows on
his knees, laced his fingers together, and dropped his chin on his hands.
“I want to leave.” Link stated.
“You’re certain of this? I wasn’t lying when I said I would not allow you to
reconsider so easily once we’ve gone. You are going to be away from your
mothers, your aunts, and your sisters for many years. Yes, you’ll be allowed to
see them now and again, but consider that to only be a twice-a-year
opportunity. You’re not yet fourteen. You may not think much of it now, but
there will come a time when you feel frustrated. I won’t allow you to leave
just because of that.”
“You’re going to be away from them too.” Link pointed out.
Ganondorf couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped from him. “You’re not wrong, I
will admit that much. However, unlike you I have been away from here, from my
family, plenty of times. Also unlike you I know my own body. I will be fine.”
Somehow the reminder that Ganondorf was in fact an adult man with an adult
man’s experiences and needs brought heat to the boy’s face. He mentally shook
the thought from his head and gazed at his mentor with determination. “I want
to leave.” He repeated.
The large Gerudo man breathed deeply through his nose. He closed his eyes in
thought and a lull of silence fell between them. Link kept his eyes on his
mentor, searching him for any sort of hint as to what he was thinking. Link was
quiet, but fairly expressive when he wanted to be. He was not, however,
particularly good at reading other people, especially since he had cut himself
off from others the way he had.
“Alright.” Ganondorf spoke at length, nodding and getting to his feet.
“Alright! Then it’s settled!” he clapped a hand down on Link’s shoulder,
startling the boy just a little. “Three days. In three days we will depart. You
have that long to gather your belongings, say your goodbyes, and perhaps spend
a night with your sisters. You do not have to practice if you do not want to,
but come find me if you do. I will come for you in the morning when we are to
leave.”
Excitedly, Link hopped to his feet, his face split in two by a smile the same
way it had the day Ganondorf had accepted him as his student. Again the boy
threw his arms about his mentor’s waist, and this time the man was able to
process what was happening in time to pat him lightly and awkwardly on the
head. Without another word from either of them, Link hurried out of the small
house.
Link’s mothers were startled when they were told that he would be leaving.
Neither woman had been told anything about the offer, let alone that their son
would take Ganondorf up on it. They decided they would have to prepare a lot of
supplies for him, as well as make him a big meal for his last night at home.
The girls Link’s age, those he called his sisters, were equally stunned. The
girl who had tried to kiss him at the bathing pool cast him a strange look at
the news and she let him be. Many of the others, on the other hand, suddenly
found it time to come forward about their desires to be his lovers. Link had
known he should have expected something like that to happen, but actually
hearing and seeing them say it was still troubling. He shook his head at all of
them, trying to tell them as quickly and gently as possible that he had no
desire to sleep with any of them. It hardly deterred most of them, but they
didn’t push it. Instead they decided that because he would be away from them he
should have to spend time with them in some way, be it playing or sparring or
just doing chores. That, Link decided, was something he wouldn’t mind doing,
and actually might enjoy.
Once he had freed himself of their presence late that night and had tucked
himself into his bed, the gravity of his decision hit him. He really was going
to be leaving everyone and everything he knew behind. He felt sadness tug at
his heart and tears stung at his eyes and threatened to fall with every blink.
But he was resolute. He was going to leave, and it was going to be good for
him. He wouldn’t have to worry anymore about his sisters’ feelings for him, be
they sexual or romantic.
It was during this time that a thought occurred to him. Link had no blood
siblings. All of those he called his sisters were simply girls who were about
his own age that he had grown up with. After all, throughout Gerudo society
everyone was either a sister, a mother, an aunt, a wife, or a daughter. They
were all related in some way, and it was just easier to have only a few labels.
So while the girls were Link’s sisters, he knew them to be strangers in the
sense that they were not immediate family and therefore were potential wives
for him when he grew older. He had grown up with this knowledge. Why then? Why
could he not find it in himself to return their affections? Even those he had
been closest with he only saw as sisters. Even the girl who had tried to kiss
him… He didn’t find her unattractive, in fact she had become one of the
prettier girls he knew, and he had known her fairly well in their youth before
he had cut himself off from them. So why could he not stomach the thought of
kissing her? Of being intimate with her? Of touching her naked body, and her
touching his? Of doing…things…with her? Things that he had only been told about
in the vaguest or most jumbled of manners.
These thoughts confused him and the more he dwelled on it, the more it troubled
him. In the end, he forced himself to think of something else. He wracked his
brain, trying to find something soothing to lull him to sleep. Thoughts of his
leaving made him anxious, so that would not do. Eventually he thought about his
practice. Of perfecting his form and of Ganondorf guiding him every step of the
way, and Ganondorf praising him when he performed exceptionally. It was
soothing, in a way, and at long last he fell asleep.
The next two days were too eventful that by the time he laid down he was ready
to sleep and no amount of stressful thoughts would have been able to stop him
from doing so. His mothers prepared all of his favorite meals, he cleaned and
mended his clothing with them, and he played and sparred with his sisters. Once
he considered going to Ganondorf for practice, but decided that the time he
spent roughhousing with the girls more than equated for his physical activity
for the day. Thankfully, none of them pressed him further on sleeping with
them, but Link was certain a few had thought about it.
Finally the morning of his departure had arrived. He awoke early, partially due
to nerves. He stretched and was relieved to find his muscles far less worn than
they had been in months. The first few had been almost nightmarish, as he was
wholly unaccustomed to such rigorous routines. It had become less painful with
time, but there were still some mornings where he was completely sore and
wanted nothing less than to get out of bed. His mothers were awake as well,
having always gotten up before dawn to prepare for the day. They greeted him
warmly and invited him to help them one last time. He did. They had one last
big meal together, and then his mothers bestowed him with several bundles of
supplies. Clothing, dried foods that they knew he loved, little trinkets for
luck or just things to remind him of home, and other odds and ends they thought
he’d like or could use. He thanked them, and welcomed their hugs and their
kisses. While he was certain he would be grateful to be away from his sisters,
he would certainly miss his mothers’ warmth and kindness.
There wasn’t a whole lot of time for their goodbyes, as Ganondorf arrived only
minutes after Link had been given his supplies. The man carried with him just
as many, and Link felt jealous that he lacked the sheer muscle mass that
Ganondorf had to make it look easy. With another round of hugs and kisses, Link
left the place and people he had called home for nearly fourteen years.
                                     *****
The trek to the oasis that Ganondorf had in mind took far longer than Link had
expected. By nightfall, they had not yet arrived, and the boy was beginning to
see why his mentor had said that going back to the village would not be a
frequent occurrence. After the sun had completely set, Ganondorf stated that
they should stop for the night due to Link not being used to such darkness.
Link insisted that he wanted to keep going a while longer, and showed that
among his gifts he had been given a lantern. Reluctantly, the man let him light
it up and they continued to walk another few hours.
The camp they made was very basic. They had no fire, as the desert was still
just warm enough at night, and the only shelter they had from the elements were
the bed rolls they spread out on the sand. It wasn’t bad though. They were
Gerudo, after all. They were known for being able to withstand the harshness of
the desert without batting an eye. As they ate what bits of fresh food they had
brought along, Link realized something that might make his time with Ganondorf
stressful.
He really didn’t have any idea of how to talkto the man.
Not that Link was much for conversation in the first place, but even then he
didn’t know how to try and start one with Ganondorf. The most they had ever
spoken to each other was about changes in the training regimen, or about their
leaving. It didn’t help that his mentor was nearly twice his age, so he
couldn’t even think of what they might have in common. Luckily for him,
Ganondorf broke the ice for him.
“At the rate we’re going, we should reach the oasis before noon the day after
tomorrow. We’ll start setting up a tent after lunch. After that, I will take
you out to hunt for dinner. Have you ever done that before?” Link shook his
head. “I thought as much. You wouldn’t be the first who hasn’t. We’ll fix that.
I suspect our first few weeks will be spent getting you able to hunt properly,
and between that we’ll probably want to get our home set up more to our liking.
I’ll warn you now, though; I’m no builder. I can set up a tent, and I can make
a basic shelter from sticks and reeds, but in no way are we going to be living
in a good, solid house like the ones you are used to unless you’ve got some
skills up your sleeve that I highly doubt you do.”
Link nodded. He had a feeling they wouldn’t be living in the sort of luxury he
was used to. Somehow the idea of being left more to the elements for an
extended period of time thrilled him. Not to mention having the chance to learn
how to hunt to sustain himself! These were things he always imagined a true
warrior would be able to do, and for the first time ever he was going to be
able to do them. While his head swam with all of the new things he was going to
be experiencing, Ganondorf chuckled. He looked up at him, puzzled, and the
Gerudo man smirked.
“Four months ago I wouldn’t have been able to tell that you’re excited about
the prospect of providing for yourself. Now it seems as plain as day. You’re a
strange boy.”
The boy couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that escaped him. So maybe he
wasn’t the only one who was having to adjust to spending time with another
person whom he had seemingly little in common with.
“I…am not used to speaking.” Link stated. He knew it might be obvious from the
way he behaved, but if they were on the subject, he may as well speak his mind
and explain himself. He felt it was the least he could do. “I might not even
enjoy it anymore. I stopped because of my sisters.”
Ganondorf raised one of his large red eyebrows curiously. “Tried to distance
yourself from them, I take it?”
The boy nodded again. “They were trying to get too close. Talking to them felt
like I was encouraging them. I didn’t want that. So I stopped.”
“Why?” Link tilted his head to one side quizzically. “Why did you not want them
to get closer to you?”
He hesitated, blushed, and looked away from the man. “I don’t… I don’t know. I
love my sisters, but I don’t understand why they want to…to…k-kiss me.”
“They want to be your wives.” Ganondorf stated matter-of-factly.
“I know.” The boy admitted. “But we’re still children.”
Ganondorf shifted how he was sitting and breathed in a deep breath in thought.
“Some of your sisters have already become young women. I’ve told you before
that in a few years you might miss their company. When that time comes, you’ll
understand all too well why your sisters were interested in you.”
Link shook his head frantically. “I don’t think so.”
The man shrugged. “Suit yourself. Only time will tell. In the meantime, you
will be away from them.”
“I don’t know if I want to talk more, though.” Link confided. “I like being
quiet. I’m used to it.”
“That’s fine. As long as you can communicate what you need to to me, I do not
care. Just remember that not everyone will be able to read you like a book. So
don’t give up completely on speaking.”
“Okay.”
The two fell into a relatively comfortable silence until it was time to sleep.
They crawled under their own blankets, and Link was surprised by just how tired
he found himself. Thinking about it a little, it made sense. He had been so
anxious about leaving the past few days that although he had slept long enough,
it wasn’t exactly restful. Then there was the fact that he had gotten up early
that day. The walking they had done was nothing compared to his rigorous
training, but it sure didn’t help to relax him. He breathed a soft sigh, and
the last thing he vaguely remembered thinking about before drifting off to
sleep was that Ganondorf was snoring.
Chapter End Notes
     I like to sum up this chapter as-
     Ganondorf: Link, you horny?
     Link: No.
     Ganondorf: You will be.
     Link: 'Kay. Not for girls though.
     Ganondorf: Riiiiight, I don't believe you.
     If you want updates as to what's going on with this fic or any of my
     other "main works", consider checking out my tumblr, wiloshorts! I
     post updates there if something ever comes up!
***** Realization *****
Chapter Summary
     Spending so much time around a tall, handsome man is proving to be
     very bad for poor young Link. Or...maybe it's actually very good for
     him?
Chapter Notes
     I was going to wait another day before updating but... Well I'm
     excited and I still have a lot written so HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HAVE SOME
     MORE FIC!
     And oh hey, this fic is starting to earn it's relationship tag. Neat!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Link’s first month away from home was indeed full of new experiences for him.
For starters, the oasis was entirely new to him. Sure as far as they went it
was fairly standard, if on the small side, but Ganondorf had warned him about
that. But the bits of foliage around it provided him with a surprising number
of places to crawl or climb through, which he enjoyed doing whenever he had an
hour to spare. Their shelter was, as his mentor had said, very crude. He could
feel the cool winds slipping through the cracks at times, and the rug they had
hung over the doorway to keep things out was often pelted by sand during the
heavier breezes. But as the days passed Link found it wasn’t without its
charms. It was only one room, and that meant that he and Ganondorf slept fairly
close to one another even though they were on opposite sides. The boy was quick
to become used to his mentor’s soft snoring, and found it even helped to lull
him to sleep.
True to the man’s word, the first weeks were all about making sure Link could
locate and kill the scarce creatures of the desert. It was the first time the
boy got to put his skills with his bow to the test, and he learned quickly that
firing at an actual creature was much different than hitting a target. He had
no qualms with killing them, the problem was the waiting. He had to draw his
bow and keep it drawn and aim carefully for upwards of a minute some times to
be certain he could make the shot, and that was something he wasn’t used to at
all. Ganondorf assured him he would get better with practice, and even muttered
that they should add that sort of thing to Link’s training schedule.
Once the man was certain the boy could at least feed himself every day, he made
a quick return to their village to pick up a few more things they were going to
need: blankets, cooking and lantern oil, extra wood and straw so they might be
able to make better beds, and the like. To Link’s surprise, when the man
returned he carried with him a large pot of a deep red liquid. Ganondorf
explained that his own mothers had cooked up the potion just for them and had
insisted he take it with him. Recognition hit the boy.
Ganondorf’s mothers were Koume and Kotake. They were pretty famous amongst
their people if only because they were incredibly skilled witches, of which
there were only the tiniest of percentages who could claim to be. Unlike many
parenting couples, they weren’t lovers themselves but were instead twin
sisters. They were said to be able to manipulate fire and ice from a young age,
and their powers only grew with time. At their peeks, they apparently protected
the entire village from a Hylian raid all on their own, with no casualties to
the Gerudo tribe. He had also heard that they had been so beautiful that the
man of their time had actually begged for them to be his wives. Link had never
met them personally, but he knew that nowadays they were simply old women who
lived a short ways out of the village proper and were content with brewing
potions to heal injuries and acting more like doctors than sorcerers. The
potion they had made for their son must be their fabled “heart potion” which
was said to heal nearly any injury almost instantly and with little pain in the
process. Such a thing and in such a large quantity was sure to come in handy
for a pair living on their own and handling weapons every day.
After getting their new beds made and rationing out the other supplies
Ganondorf had brought back with him, it was time for Link’s training to get a
long overdue upgrade. In addition to his bow practice for hunting, Ganondorf
decided the boy should put his sword skills to better use as well. This meant
sparring. From Link’s limited experience against his sisters, he was prepared
to get beaten into the ground multiple times a day. He was shocked when his
mentor’s methods turned out to be less forceful. Rather than actually fight the
boy, he had Link come at him. It was the first time since he had asked the man
to train him that he had seen him in action, and it reminded him why he had
made the sudden decision that Ganondorf was the one he wanted to be his mentor.
The large man made it look easy as he blocked each and every strike Link made,
and the boy had to marvel at his speed and ability to read Link’s movements.
Again he was thrown off guard when after a few days of having done this,
Ganondorf blocked one of his strikes with his sword as usual but then suddenly
grabbed him by the arm and wrenched his body to the ground, pinning him on his
stomach with his arm held painfully behind his back. Link gasped as he fell and
his mouth filled with sand when he hit the ground. He coughed and sputtered,
trying to rid it from his mouth. He wanted to struggle against the man, but the
moment he twitched more pain shot up through his arm. Above him he heard
Ganondorf snort out a laugh before letting him go and standing up.
“Your form was bad.” He stated, a hint of amusement in his voice as he watched
Link slowly sit upright and try wipe his tongue and mouth clean of sand with
the backs of his hands and wrists. The boy stared up at him, bewilderment
slowly being replaced by understanding as he replayed what had happened in his
head. Ganondorf offered him a hand, and Link took it. Once back on their feet,
the man handed him the sword he had dropped in the process of being wrestled to
the ground. “You are not yet ready to learn to deflect my attacks, but do not
think for a moment that that means I will not retaliate if you are coming at me
inadequately.”
Link nodded, and they went right back to their work. That night as they settled
in to sleep, it occurred to Link that it had taken him days to experience
something like that and not hours. He was certain that Ganondorf had been
planning to do that from the start, and that meant that Link was doing better
than he might have thought he was, what with the man so easily blocking or
deflecting everything he threw at him. He also realized that while he had been
rattled by the suddenness of it and uncomfortable with having his arm twisted
behind him, not even for a moment did he feel panicked at having been attacked
and pinned down by him. He had to wonder if that was more telling of how much
he trusted his mentor, or how gentle the man had always been with him.
It was about that time that Link began to…notice…a few things about his mentor.
Sure, he had known from the first time they had encountered each other some
years ago that the man was handsome. Even without quite knowing what that
meant, as Link’s only male influences in his life up to that point were
elderly, he knew that he liked what he saw. He had always been aware that
Ganondorf’s large size and musculature were good things. They were things any
Gerudo appreciated. He had also always known that he liked the fiery red of his
hair and the bushiness of his eyebrows. Even the odd tint of green to his dark
skin that some of their tribe possessed had its appeal.
Now it felt like it was some of the littler things that were standing out to
Link whenever he looked at the man. The way his muscles moved and stretched
during their warm-ups and cooldowns was interesting to watch. The way sand
would cling to his face and to his arms and the thick, coarse, red hairs on
them after he had worked up a sweat. Heck, Link even found the relaxed
expression on his face while he slept to be fascinating.
Whenever Link caught himself staring at the man, which had become increasingly
frequent, he realized that his fixating on such things was causing his body to
react. His mothers had given him a quick and dirty run-down about sex about the
time his sisters had started taking interest in him, if only so he would
understand what they were thinking and doing. But neither of the women raising
him seemed to have much knowledge of how a male’s body functioned and that now
left Link with a lot of questions that he had no answers to. He supposed that
was due to there only being so many males in the village at any given time:
there wasn’t much need for the tribe to understand them.
Things got worse as the summer reached its peak. During or after their
training, Ganondorf would work up such a sweat that he would pull off his
shirt, or not even wear one to begin with. Link hated it. Unlike Link,
Ganondorf wore clothes that were distinctly Hylian in their make and covered
much of his body. Whereas Link’s outfits were the exact same lightweight and
revealing clothing that all the women of their tribe wore. As such he was not
used to seeing so much of Ganondorf’s naked body. The man’s hard chest was
covered in red hair that also creeped down over chiseled abs and, as Link
couldn’t help but notice, continued even further down and vanished below the
waist of his pants. That more than anything caused him to blush and flustered
him enough that he had to fight in order to focus on anything else. It also did
an excellent job of keeping him up at night.
As by an unspoken rule between them, Ganondorf and Link had never bathed
together even once since moving out to their remote corner. The man would get
up early in the morning to take his, and Link would usually wash himself just
before going to bed. They were fortunate that their oasis had two springs; a
smaller one they used for consuming, and a larger pool that they could wash
themselves and their clothes in. On one particular night after Ganondorf had
gone into their home to give Link his privacy, the boy disrobed and stepped
into the bathing pool like usual. He cleaned himself off quickly and sat down
to just enjoy the feeling of the cool water on his sunbaked skin. While
relaxing, his mind wandered to that day’s events. The man had taken his shirt
off again after training, and the more Link thought about it, the more it made
him squirm.
As any boy his age would be, he was accustomed to getting random erections.
That was just how a male’s body was, even from a young age. What bothered him
was how frequently they had begun to occur and how they were more often than
not associated with his thoughts of his mentor. His mothers had explained it as
being “sexually excited” or some such thing, but again their lack of knowledge
prevented them from being able to elaborate. Link found it hard to believe that
his body was reacting to Ganondorf, a man, when everything his mothers had told
him said that it should be happening because of women. So were they the same
thing, related, or something else entirely? And moreover, what was he supposed
to do to stop it from happening, or what was he supposed to do when it did?
Something in the back of Link’s mind compelled him to touch himself. It was
only out of purest curiosity as to what would happen. He wasn’t surprised to
find that it felt good, as touching himself always had. What did catch him off
guard was just how good it felt. He sucked in a breath and poked at and stroked
himself a little more, wondering if it had all been in his head. It hadn’t.
Somehow learning that it felt really good made a deep blush creep across his
cheeks. He decided he couldn’t take it and he forced himself to get up and put
his clothes back on, ignoring his erection until it went away on its own.
By his fourteenth birthday, Link had given in. Somehow or another, he was
reacting to Ganondorf and not the few times he remembered his last bath with
his sister. He had come to accept that, as bizarre as it felt to him. He had
also come to learn that if he kept messing with his erections when they
happened, eventually he would reach a point of pure bliss wherein a substance
he should have remembered the name of but didn’t would be released from his
body. After which his body and mind would calm down substantially for at least
for a day or two.
In addition to his acceptance of his strange feelings and the discovery of how
to handle his body’s reactions to them, Link had begun to wonder if maybe he
could get Ganondorf to think about him in the same way. Something about the
thought of the man looking at him in that way was thrilling, and for a moment
on a few separate occasions he felt he understood what his sisters must have
been feeling. At length the boy decided to test the waters as best as he could.
The first part was simple. When practicing alone he would purposefully mess up
his form, at which point Ganondorf would step in and show him again how it was
done. The close proximity and physical contact was exciting, and Link could
only hope Ganondorf thought so as well. As there were still days where it was
warm in the evenings after his training, the boy had taken to removing his own
shirt as well. He was still too embarrassed about looking at his mentor to be
able to tell if the man was looking at him, but at least he was trying. And
lastly, Link had begun to purposefully sit or lay down in ways he hoped showed
off the shape of his own increasingly well-defined body. Again, he didn’t know
if it was working, but he felt it was better than doing nothing.
It was well into fall when Link made his next move. He thought he had caught
his mentor watching him when he had come back from his bath and laid down on
his bed before they turned in for the night. That he had been looking when Link
was not doing anything in particular gave him a huge boost of encouragement. He
had grown more accustomed to dealing with the appealing sight Ganondorf made
and to his rampant thoughts of the man, and with that had gained some
confidence in himself. With the two combined, he began to fantasize and
formulate what could loosely be called a plan.
Soon after his training underwent another change. He and his mentor switched
their roles, where Ganondorf would attack and Link would be left to try and
block him. It was hard, and Link failed often, but more than that it meant that
the man was being more physically active in Link’s training. Every time the boy
saw him panting after a long day’s work, it pushed him closer to his breaking
point.
Oddly enough, it was not this that sent Link plummeting over the edge. Because
of the cold and early nights, Link’s bathing time came earlier and earlier. One
evening after an uneventful bath, the two still had several hours before bed.
Link entered their hut which was lit by his lantern and immediately stopped
short in the doorway, the rug falling into place behind him. Ganondorf hadn’t
paid him any mind and was sitting on the edge of his bed rereading one of a few
books they had brought with them. Seeing the man he admired bathed in the
orange glow, relaxed and undisturbed, Link moved without thinking.
The boy crossed the small room to his mentor’s side and put a hand on top of
his book to get his attention. Ganondorf looked up at him curiously, and set
the book aside when Link glanced at it.
“What’s the matter?” the man asked, seeing an unusual look on the boy’s face.
It was one he hadn’t seen before and didn’t know how to read.
Rather than answer him, Link moved to stand in front of him, and then to both
of their surprise, he came to straddle Ganondorf’s lap. The man’s eyes widened
and he reflexively put his hands on the boy’s back to keep him from falling,
and Link brought his own up to cup either side of his mentor’s face. He leaned
forward, eyes slipping closed, and kissed him.
It was the boldest thing Link had ever done, and his heart was pounding out of
his chest. Their lips had only touched lightly, briefly, but the boy’s mind was
in a raging panic. Why had he done that? What in the world had possessed him to
do that?! What felt like a minute was only a second before Ganondorf cocked an
eyebrow at his student who was still on his lap.
“So, how long have you felt this way?” the man asked him calmly. Somehow that
made Link even more anxious, as he still didn’t know how Ganondorf felt about
it.
“A while. Half a year?” Link admitted.
“Commendable, I suppose. Both for keeping it bottled up that long and for
expressing yourself. But…” Ganondorf moved his hands to the boy’s hips and
gently but firmly moved him off of his lap until the boy was standing again.
“Link, I am nearly twice your age, and you are still young on top of that. Not
to mention I had no idea you were so fond of me. Although thinking about it,
that does explain a lot. You’ve been behaving oddly for a while now, but I
didn’t think it was because of something like this.”
Link blushed and frowned. Thinking back on it, he had been doing some pretty
dumb things. But more than that, he felt his stomach sinking. Had he really
been rejected so easily? Sure it might have been foolish to believe Ganondorf
felt the same way, but he had just gone all-or-nothing on a split second’s
decision! Couldn’t Ganondorf at least consider his feelings?
His mind still racing, Link looked down at the ground sadly. “Why?”
“Come again?”
“I’m almost an adult, Ganondorf. I am not so young anymore. And I don’t care
how much older you are. I like you. So why do you reject me?” His words spilled
forth in a way he was wholly unaccustomed to anymore.
The man considered him briefly and breathed a sigh. “Link, I must say that you
have certainly done a lot of growing up while we have been out here. I am not
rejecting you because I dislike you. Quite the opposite. You are a strong,
intelligent young man and one of the fastest learners I have ever encountered.
And what you did just now took a lot of courage. But there is still so much
more growing and learning for you to do. As your mentor I would be honored to
be beside you every step of the way, but I cannot yet say for certain if I
would be willing to do so as your lover.”
“Is…there something wrong with two men being lovers?”
“What? Where did a question like that come from?”
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Our people need us to keep our population
up, right? So it would be bad if we were together, right?”
For the first time that evening Ganondorf smiled up at the boy and shook his
head. “Yes, that’s important, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be drawn to each
other. It is nearly unheard of among our people, since the vast majority are
women. But just as they can find love with each other, I see no reason why we
can’t do the same with other men.”
“Then… You wanted to come out here to get away from your sisters just as much
as I did?”
Ganondorf visibly winced at the accusation. “You are not wrong there. It is
also why I had spent so much time away, outside of our borders. I cannot say I
like women very much, but I do not dislike them. I do know that I am not at all
ready to sire any children like they want me to. So it is best that I stay away
from them.”
“I’m not sure I like women at all.” Link admitted.
“I got that impression. And you may never like them. That’s okay. But as a
Gerudo I do want to stress that you and I both have a duty to them which we
must fulfill in time.”
The boy nodded. He was aware of that, even if he didn’t want to think about it.
“So… You don’t want to be my lover because you have not thought about it?”
“You could summarize it that way, yes. You are not unattractive, boy, I will
give you that. Give me time and I will have an answer for you. But do not think
this means I will take you as a lover.”
It was a glimmer of hope, small and fragile, but it was there nonetheless. Link
could feel himself smiling just a little, and he gave his mentor a nod. He
returned to his own bed and tucked himself in to it. Ganondorf remained awake a
little longer, trying to read more of his book but finding it somewhat
difficult to focus. Twenty minutes after the boy was sound asleep, he gave in
and went to bed himself.
Chapter End Notes
     Couple of quick notes here. First, I like to think of Gerudo sex ed
     as the exact opposite of what I got in school. My sex ed was CRAP
     when it came to anything to do with women! So in turn, Link knows
     basically NOTHING about men, including his own body.
     Second, yes, Link wears "women's clothes". I make the reason for this
     apparent later on, but that won't be for a while. So for now just
     know that he does indeed dress like a girl.
     If you want updates as to what's going on with this fic or any of my
     other "main works", consider checking out my tumblr, wiloshorts! I
     post updates there if something ever comes up!
***** Establishing a Relationship *****
Chapter Summary
     A trip back home reaffirms Link's sexuality, and a rainy day brings
     about both a delightful turn of events as well as a most disturbing
     one.
Chapter Notes
     I'm so delighted by how much love this has been getting! <3 Ya'll
     have no idea how glad I am to see so many people supporting not only
     this fic, but GanLink in general. So I'm gonna keep powering through
     this early stuff for ya'll!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Link did not try so hard to get Ganondorf to look his way after that. It would
have been too obvious what he was doing, and as much as he wanted his mentor to
return his affections, he couldn’t bring himself to do something that might
frustrate him. Besides, the man had informed him that they would soon be making
a return to the village. They had plenty in the way of food and other supplies,
so Link was certain that it was either the man’s way of letting him see his
family again, or perhaps his mentor was missing them himself. Or both. Because
this would mean around a week’s worth of rest from training, Link was made to
work extra hard. Between having to hunt three meal’s worth on his own and
keeping up with how much Ganondorf wanted him to practice he hardly had time to
think about their relationship. Besides, whenever he got free time he would
find that he had something else he had to do. His favorite shirt and pants, for
example, had a lot of holes in them that he had to patch up.
Just as winter rolled around, they gathered together what they’d need for the
trek back and made sure everything else was securely out of the elements and
would not be in poor shape upon their return. Just as they had quite some time
ago now, the two left together just after the first light of dawn. Their two
day walk went rather uneventfully, although Link found himself amazed at how
long into the night he could go without having to light his lantern. All the
time he had spent away from the lights of the village had gotten him used to
the darkness, it seemed.
As they arrived at the village, Ganondorf reminded him that they would only be
staying for two days, and then they went their separate ways. There was no need
for his mentor to drop Link off at his home, after all. Link’s mothers were
thrilled to see their son back home, and he hardly had a chance to greet them
when the sisters he had been closest with found him. To his relief none of them
brought up the subject of sleeping with him, although the many awed comments at
how much he had grown and how much muscle he had put on were still just a
little unsettling. When his mothers and aunts made the same remarks, it
embarrassed him but made him quite happy.
He tried to spend as much time with everyone as he could. He helped his mothers
at home, chatted with his aunts whenever he crossed paths with them, and even
talked with his sisters. Some of them pushed him to spar with them, partially
out of wanting to play, partly out of wanting to see if they still matched up
as they did before, and of course they still held the slightest hope that doing
so would bring them closer together. Link did fight them a little, and was even
able to best a few that he hadn’t been able to before, but most of them still
mopped the floor with him. While fun, he hadn’t come back to fight, so each of
his sisters only got one chance if they wanted to. With some coaxing and plenty
of promises, they did manage to get him to take a bath together with them on
the second day after playing around. Link felt somewhat self-conscious, knowing
that even though they were not going to do anything they were still eyeing him
up, but otherwise he still felt the same way about it as he did when they were
young. It made him all the more certain that he was not interested in women.
He didn’t see Ganondorf at all during those two days, which was fine. He
suspected the man had his own closest relatives he wanted to spend time with,
and it wasn’t like they wouldn’t be seeing a lot of each other again very soon.
Link found it unfortunate that he didn’t get to hear his snoring when he went
to bed, but that was as far as that went.
Two days of peaceful and relaxing visiting passed by quick as a flash, and on
the morning of his departure Link’s mothers had yet more gifts for him. They
had thought that he would be growing a lot because he was at that age, and sure
enough when they pointed it out Link noted that a lot of his clothes no longer
fit properly. Thankfully they had been making new ones for him while he had
been gone, and he accepted them gratefully. But the gift that stood out the
most for him was the one that he hadn’t expected at all.
When he had arrived home, his mothers had noticed that he was battered and
bruised from all of the times he had messed up and Ganondorf had been able to
strike or wrestle him to the ground. They hadn’t made more than a passing
comment on how hard he must be working, but it became apparent that they were
more concerned than they had let on. The surprise present they had for him was
a wooden shield. It was finely crafted and just the right size for a person of
his small stature. It was both such a small show of affection, and yet the
meaning behind it caused tears to sting at Link’s eyes. His mothers wanted him
to keep at his training, but they also wanted to make sure their baby didn’t
get hurt. He thanked them profusely and hugged the both of them tightly.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if Koume and Kotake had had the
same feeling when they had given Ganondorf all of that heart potion, of which
they had only lightly tapped in to.
He didn’t get to think about it for too long, for his mentor arrived only ten
minutes after Link had gotten his belongings, new and old, together. Ganondorf
raised an eyebrow at the shield, and made a muttered comment about how it
wasn’t a bad addition to Link’s arsenal. With one more quick good-bye to his
parents, Link followed Ganondorf out of the village again.
Link had some small concerns when it came to using his new shield. He had grown
a lot and his sword was no longer too large for him, but he had never wielded
it completely one-handed before. But just like all other changes to his
training he adapted quickly enough, the muscles in his left arm building in no
time so that he could use his favored weapon just as well as before. In
addition, using his shield allowed him to take heavier and heavier hits from
Ganondorf, and he found it was easier to react quickly with it as well.
                                     *****
Rain in the desert was of course a rare occurrence. As such when the first cold
rain of winter came around, Link and Ganondorf were quite unprepared. They
scrambled to bring in their belongings that would not fare well in the rain and
retreated inside where it was still warm and dry. It was not yet noon, and
Ganondorf was muttering to himself about if they should still carry on with
Link’s practice. After all, one could not be expected to always have perfect
conditions when it came to battle. But then again, one day of rest was not a
bad thing. In the end, he left the decision up to Link.
Not particularly liking the cold but understanding the importance of this
opportunity, Link said they should go ahead with it. So after they had eaten,
they took up their swords and shield and went back outside. It was nearly dark
as night and the rain fell in harsh, stinging waves. Link supposed it fortunate
that the wind did not add to its ferocity. The wet sand proved unusual to
maneuver on, and more than once Link tripped up and in turn took a painful hit
from Ganondorf’s weapons. For a while now the man had taken to dual wielding
when they sparred, as it was his preferred method. While his mentor’s swords
were huge and he wouldn’t want to receive even the smallest blow from them, the
man had been kind enough to stick to wooden blades during training. It kept
Link’s limbs from being torn apart, but in exchange he could feel his bones
scream at him every time he failed to block properly. And with his shield meant
to take more force than his sword, Ganondorf wasn’t too keen on holding back
against the boy.
In no short order Link found himself flattened upon the ground again, panting
hard and staring up at the dark, cloudy sky. Fighting in inclement weather was
harder than he had thought it would be. Not only was his footing bad, but the
darkness and stinging rain made it hard to see and his body did not want to
function quite properly in the biting cold. Ganondorf took pity on him, though
not without a few chuckles, and helped him onto his feet again.
“I think it would be best if we took the rest of the day off.” He stated.
Link was all too happy to agree. He could work on dealing with these sorts of
conditions later. After all, winter was still young and they were bound to get
more days of rain eventually. Once inside their hut again, Ganondorf quickly
stripped off his shirt and pants so that they could be hung up to dry. Link
froze and averted his eyes, feeling his blood creep up to the tips of his
pointed ears. The man noticed his shyness and rolled his eyes, smiling down at
the boy.
“It won’t do to stay in cold, wet clothes. I don’t care if you look. If you are
bothered about me seeing you, I can turn around.” He stated, digging through a
box that contained the rest of his garments.
Link shook his head, and with some feelings of bashfulness he glanced back at
his mentor. It had been a while since he had seen the man without a shirt, and
had never seen him in his underclothes. It only proved to remind the boy of his
raging crush on him. Still he managed to tear his eyes away in order to remove
his own clothing and to fetch a new outfit to dress himself in. As he pulled on
some pants again he noticed Ganondorf had paused in dressing himself and was
eyeing the boy strangely. Link inclined his head, biting back his urge to cover
himself up, and questioned what the man was doing.
“You’ve really put on a lot of muscle, haven’t you boy?” Ganondorf asked, and
Link could see his eyes skimming over his torso.
“I guess I have.” Link replied, looking down at himself. He wasn’t sure why
Ganondorf had only noticed this now, as much of his body was always exposed.
But he had been training hard nearly every day for almost a year and a half. It
would have been unusual for him not to be more muscular than he had been at
thirteen. Unlike Ganondorf, however, his musculature was lither and built more
for agility than raw power. It was something Link had been a little puzzled
about for a while, but had come to reason that if his aunts could be built
differently from each other, then why should he be exactly the same way as his
mentor?
The man admiring his physique quirked a smile. “You are becoming a grown man
faster than I sometimes give you credit for.” He admitted. Ganondorf set the
shirt in his hand on his bed and strode across the small room to stand before
Link. The boy could hear his heart pounding in his flushed ears and face, but
he reminded himself that he should not get his hopes up. “I have been putting
much thought into this, and if you still feel the same way as you did before, I
believe I would like for us to go beyond simply being mentor and student.”
Link’s eyes widened in shock. He gaped, trying to find words to express what he
was thinking. For once, it was their escaping him that caused him to nod
enthusiastically rather than his dislike of using his voice. Satisfied with his
answer, and even somewhat understanding the boy’s use of a gesture rather than
speaking, Ganondorf gently cupped his cheek and leaned down to bring their
mouths together. It took Link half a second to figure out what he should be
doing, but he raised both of his arms up and wrapped them gingerly around the
man’s neck, pressing their lips closer in the process. Their kiss broke, and
Link stared up at him, excitement and nervousness in equal parts showing in his
eyes. Ganondorf took half a step back, his hands sliding over Link’s arms until
he took the boy’s hands in his, lowered them from his shoulders, and held them
softly between where they stood.
“We’ll take things at your pace.” Ganondorf assured him. “Whatever you feel
ready for is all we will do. If you have any questions, just ask.” He smirked.
“I know that Gerudo women’s understanding of male sexuality is dismal, to say
the least.”
Despite himself, Link sputtered out a laugh at that. There were certainly many
things he still didn’t know about, the least of which was how two men even went
about having sex. But now he had somebody to teach him properly, and on top of
that he felt that he had all the time he needed to remember all of the little
things he had been dying to ask about. For the time being, though…
“I have two things on my mind. A request and a question.” Link stated.
“Go ahead.”
“I want to kiss you again.”
Ganondorf chuckled. “Go ahead.”
Their hands still together, Link brought himself up onto his toes and the man
met him halfway this time, both their eyes closing happily. It lasted only
about as long as their first previous had, but it set little butterflies free
in Link’s stomach.
“And my question…” he frowned as he tried to think of the least embarrassing
way to word it. “When men get erections… What is it called when we touch them,
and what comes out afterwards?”
Ganondorf choked up briefly before tilting his head back and howling with
laughter. It took Link by complete surprise, as it was the first time he had
heard the man laugh so deeply. The Gerudo man did his best to compose himself
quickly, and it only caused him to gasp painfully instead. He wiped the tears
from his eyes, still shaking from repressing his laughter and grinning ear-to-
ear.
“Yes, those would be important things to know.” He finally managed to say. “I’d
forgotten how truly bad at this the women of our tribe are! Touching yourself
would be called ‘masturbation’, and that fluid is called ‘semen’.”
Link’s eyes lit up in recognition. He had heard those words before, come to
think of it! He thanked his mentor, who told him to think nothing of it, and
they returned to getting their dry clothes back on and their wet ones hung up
to dry. For the rest of the afternoon, they took care of some things that they
had been putting aside for a little while, such as shaking sand from the
carpets and general cleaning up. They consumed part of their stored food for
dinner, and huddled up on their beds for the rest of the evening, Link forgoing
his bath as he did not want to bare the cold rain again just yet.
                                     -----
Zelda sat before her opened bedroom window looking out at the dark and cloudy
sky as it poured down cold rain. She had been sitting in the same place for
hours, not moving a single inch, only watching the clouds roll in from beyond
the forest before proceeding to empty themselves over the lands. A knock
sounded at the door to her quarters, but she did not respond. Cautiously, Impa
opened it and stuck her head in. Concern crossed the woman’s face and she
quietly entered the room, closing the door behind her. She crept up behind the
princess, although not intentionally as quiet as she was. Gingerly she laid a
hand on the young woman’s shoulder.
“Your Highness, you should be with your father.” She said softly.
“What good would that do?” Zelda asked, her voice tired and void of emotion.
“The best healers in the kingdom, from potion brewers to those who can use
magic, have all seen him and they’re all in agreement. He won’t be recovering
from this. He won’t ever wake up.”
Impa sighed. “If not with your father, then perhaps you should be using this
time to prepare a few words for your people. They’re going to be looking to you
for leadership now.”
Slowly, the princess hung her head. “You’re right. I need to be thinking about
the future. My future. And my kingdom’s future.” She turned to look at her maid
and offered her the smallest of smiles. “It is my duty as the soon-to-be-
queen.”
She turned and stood up from her windowsill, and Impa took that moment to close
it lest the cold make Zelda ill as well. Zelda ignored her and walked calmly
over to her writing desk where she ran a hand over some blank pages she always
kept there.
“Impa, how long do you think it will be before my coronation?”
“I’m sorry?”
“I want to know how long you believe it will take before I am officially
queen.”
Impa frowned. “I am sorry, you Highness, I do not know.”
“I was not asking if you knew. I was asking what you believed.” Zelda stated
sharply, looking over her shoulder at the woman.
“I…” Impa breathed a deep breath. “A week? Perhaps two?”
Zelda nodded and turned her attention back to her papers. “Plenty of time to
make certain that my speech is ready.”
“But what about when your father passes away? You should be thinking about what
you will say then, first.”
The young princess waved off her maid’s words. “Of course, of course. I will
take care of it.” She slid her chair out and sat down, picking up her pen and
one of the papers. “Impa, I’m a little hungry. Get me something to tide me over
until dinner.”
The woman hesitated a moment before bowing. “Yes, your Highness.”
Chapter End Notes
     Who doesn't love some shirtless kisses? >3> And now Link has somebody
     to teach him all the sexy things! =3 Haha!
     As always, if you want updates as to what's going on with this fic or
     any of my other "main works", consider checking out my tumblr,
     wiloshorts! I post updates there if something ever comes up!
     (Or you could perhaps check out my original work if the wait for porn
     is driving you up a wall. ;) )
***** A New Friend *****
Chapter Summary
     Ganondorf is called away from the desert for two weeks. Link gets
     bored and meets a new friend as a result.
Chapter Notes
     I hate to break it to ya'll but...there's no porn in this chapter!
     *dramatic long gasp*
     I know, I know. It's crazy.
     One day this fic'll earn that explicit rating. =3
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Barely a week into Ganondorf and Link’s relationship they were paid a surprise
visit by one of the villagers as they were eating their dinner. She rode out to
them on one of the few horses the tribe had to deliver a letter emblazoned with
the Hyrulian Royal Family seal. As soon as her duty was done and the letter was
in Ganondorf’s hands, she left. Link stared at it curiously as the man tore it
open and read over the contents. The boy got up on his toes, peering over the
man’s arm at what was written but found that he was unable to read it. For the
first time it struck him that his mentor was able to speak more than their
language.
“I see…” Ganondorf muttered. “That isn’t good news.” He waved the papers for
emphasis as he addressed Link. “The King of Hyrule has passed away. The
coronation for the new queen is going to be taking place in…” he paused as he
recalled what day it was. “…nine days.”
“How terrible.” Link stated with a frown. He had known that their neighbors
were a kingdom, which meant that they had somebody in charge. For that person
to die must mean a lot of people were grieving. He had never met any of them in
person, and he felt that news of a change in power didn’t matter to his people,
but he still felt empathy for those that were affected.
“Yes. I’ve met the man twice before. He seemed kind enough, and his people
liked him.” Ganondorf confirmed, looking back at the papers. “I’ve been the
delegate for our people for several years now, you know? This sort of thing is
a huge deal.”
Link was aware. Ganondorf had been chosen to represent his people soon after he
had finished his own training as a warrior. It was why he was often away,
although he had come to learn that the man had used that as an excuse on many
occasions simply to leave the pushy women of their tribe for long periods of
time. That word of a neighboring king’s death had happened and of an upcoming
coronation was to take place had reached them surely meant that…
“I’m going to be leaving you again tomorrow.” The man announced, heading inside
their tent. “It will take me five days or so to reach Hyrule’s capital, so
expect me to return in two weeks.” Link followed after him, listening intently
to what he was saying. “If you get lonely, you may return to the village for a
few days, but I would like for you to remain here as long as possible. And
don’t slack off from your training, of course.” He looked up and pointed at the
pot of potion that had been sitting in a corner. “Fill me three bottles of
that, it will probably be far too much but I wouldn’t want to find myself
without any and need it. And then if you could, fill both of our canteens with
water. I’m going to take them both with me, if you don’t mind.”
Link nodded and set to assisting him. That night the Gerudo man was restless,
waking and checking his supplies every hour or two. Link tried to sleep, but
Ganondorf’s troubled state was bothering him. Eventually, in the earliest hours
of morning, the boy got tired of his mentor’s anxiousness. When the man sat up
in his bed again, Link’s eyes flew open and he huffed out a breath. Before
Ganondorf could stand, Link was on his feet and crossing the room to sit beside
him on his bed. The boy tentatively wrapped his arms around the man’s waist,
and after a moment Ganondorf responded by putting his own arm around Link.
“I’m sorry.” The man muttered. “Dealing with foreign nobility is never a walk
in the park, and I’ve never had to attend a Hylian coronation. Thinking about
how carefully I will have to conduct myself is stressful.” The boy leaned his
head against his chest and Ganondorf stroked his back softly. “You’ll stay with
me tonight, then?” Link nodded again and the man smiled. “Thank you.”
Tired as he was, Link thought little of it that this would be the first time he
and Ganondorf shared a bed. He lied down and Ganondorf pulled his blanket over
both of them, pulling Link into his arms and to his chest. The boy snuggled in
close, and sleep finally overtook both of them for the rest of the night. When
morning came, they ate and checked again to be sure that Ganondorf had
everything he needed. Once loaded down with his supplies, Link put his arms
around his neck and got on his toes to press a kiss to his lips. Ganondorf
returned it lovingly, and then departed.
                                     *****
Two weeks without his mentor proved to be more boring than Link had thought it
would be. The first few days were fine. He stuck to his usual routine, which
kept him occupied. But as the days went on, he began to miss the man. He missed
the way his body ached after sparring with him, missed the sound of him snoring
as he drifted off to sleep, and most of all just missed feeling another
person’s presence.
After practicing with his bow one afternoon, Link sat down at the edge of the
bathing pool and stared off into the distance towards where the village was. He
considered going back as Ganondorf had told him he could. He needed something
different to pass the time or he’d go stir crazy. As appealing as he felt
visiting his family again was, he had just seen them and didn’t want to get too
soft by going back a second time so soon. He laid back and looked up at the sky
instead. There had to be something he could do…
In the end, he opted to read one of Ganondorf’s books. It wasn’t horribly
exciting, but at least it was a way to get himself lost for a couple of hours
before doing his evening chores. The book detailed various ancient Gerudo
traditions, most of which Link knew about as they were still practiced or at
the very least talked about. One in particular however struck him as unusual.
It talked about how male Gerudo were only born once every hundred years, and
how that male would be named their king. Certainly Gerudo men were still
incredibly rare, and their race were known to live more than a hundred years,
but in addition to himself and Ganondorf, Link knew at least three other men in
the tribe. Not to mention not a single one of them was a king. Well respected,
yes, but not a king. Perhaps the Gerudo really were blessed as of late, having
so many men born to them in such a relatively short time.
In addition to what it had to say about the scarcity of Gerudo men, the book
also had a few paragraphs that talked about how Gerudo women would go about
getting pregnant if they were born during a time without one. It said that
should a Gerudo woman wish to be a mother, she would have to leave the desert
and find a Hylian man to impregnate her. It was uncommon for those women to
actually marry the man in question, but on rare occasions a woman would bring a
husband back to the village. This too Link found strange. He knew that some of
his grandmothers had done something like that, but with the way his sisters
clung to him and the way he would sometimes catch his aunts talking about
Ganondorf, he couldn’t help but wish the practice was more common in their
generations.
                                     *****
Three days before Link expected his mentor to return, he was absolutely going
mad. He hadn’t realized he was pacing around their home out of boredom before
at least fifteen minutes had passed. With a groan, he picked up his bow and
quiver of arrows and stormed away from their little oasis. If he really was so
restless, then he may as well go explore the desert some. He was familiar with
the general surroundings of their home, as that was where he hunted, but he
intended to go beyond that territory to the nearest canyon wall and then follow
it a while.
By mid-day he had made it to the wall, and Link was surprised by how many
shrubs and cacti were growing there. It did make a little bit of sense, he
supposed, as he knew that the area on the other side of the wall was not a part
of their desert, and he had heard tell that the lands out there were rolling
hills covered in lush, green grass. The thought made him curious. He knew grass
only to be green when it was newly growing in the spring. Every other time of
year it was dead and dry. Not to mention it only grew in a select few places,
not all over. It was strange to imagine, as he had only seen something like
that in a painting one of his aunts had.
He followed the wall and tried to make note of every little thing that might be
considered a landmark until he grew bored of it. Then he turned around and
slowly made his way back, congratulating himself every time he recognized
something he had passed. When his home came in to view, he did a double take.
Something was over there!
He broke out into a run, afraid that it was a coyote or something trying to get
in to his and Ganondorf’s belongings. He made it back to his home in record
time, and he skidded to a halt as soon as he got a better look at the creature.
It wasn’t a coyote, but something even more surprising.
A young horse.
There was a horse, one that couldn’t be more than two years old, with a red
coat and white hair drinking from the spring. Taking a quick glance around his
home he saw that a small crate of fruits had been knocked over, but not opened.
Link assumed that meant it had somehow wandered to their home, attracted by the
smell of food and water, and had tried to get some for itself. He snuck over to
the crate and opened it, retrieving a couple of the sweet fruits. Carefully, he
approached the filly.
She jumped and backed away from him when she noticed him, and he froze, hoping
not to scare her. He held out the fruit and she swished her tail, but did not
come closer. Link smiled and instead rolled the fruit towards her. The creature
was startled, but didn’t flee. She stared at the fruit and approached it
cautiously. She sniffed it carefully before licking it, and eventually biting
into it. Link sat down and watched excitedly as the filly happily chewed at the
fruit, eating like she hadn’t all day. When she was done, she looked back up at
Link almost expectantly. He held out the other one and this time the horse took
a few hesitant steps towards him. Link whispered to her quietly, hoping to calm
her down. Slowly, slowly she came closer.
She took the fruit from his hand and stepped back in order to eat it. Link
laughed, and was relieved that the horse didn’t jump when he did. He carefully
got to his feet, still knowing that he could easily spook the poor creature
without meaning to. He waited until she had finished eating and then held his
hand out towards her.
The young horse stared at him and stepped closer again. She sniffed his hand
curiously, and didn’t recoil when Link gently placed it on her muzzle. Her tail
flicked excitedly, and Link pet her cheek softly. It was terribly cute how
trusting she was. Link tore his eyes away from her and looked around. Wild
horses were known to roam the desert, but finding one alone like this was
highly unusual. She must have gotten separated from her herd somehow. As much
as Link adored the friendly thing, he had to get her back to her herd if he
could. He sighed as he tried to think which way she could have come from.
The nearest place her herd might be that he could think of was near the canyon
wall he had just been to, but the other way. Ganondorf had mentioned there was
a spring out there that he would always visit before leaving the desert. It was
half a day’s walk away, though, and it was getting dark. Link pet the horse
again.
“Sorry girl, I don’t think I can get you back to home today.” He told her.
He did what he could to accommodate the horse. He gathered up whatever extra
blankets and straw that they had and made her a little bed near the entrance of
their hut. He had half a mind to go ahead and bring her inside, but if
something spooked her in the night she might damage something. He led her onto
the pile he had made with another fruit and to his delight, she laid down as
she munched on the treat. Link stepped inside and got himself something to eat
before sitting beside her to enjoy his own dinner with her.
He stayed up with her for a little while. He talked to her to keep her calm,
and to make sure she didn’t try to wander off where she might get killed by one
of the nocturnal predators. She got up occasionally to get a drink or nibble on
some of the plants around the water, but she always came back and flopped down
on her little makeshift bed. Link was glad. He got the feeling that if he
stayed with her until she fell asleep he wouldn’t have to worry about her
running off in the night.
It took longer than he would have liked, and he assumed that was because she
was still a bit scared and stressed out that she was away from her herd and in
the company of an animal that smelled like a predator, but eventually her
eyelids got heavy and she fell asleep. Link waited another half hour to ensure
she was totally out before getting up and going inside to go to bed as well.
At the first light of dawn Link awoke. He quickly dressed himself and left the
hut to see if the horse was still there. Her bed was empty, but she was getting
a drink at the spring. Relieved that she was still around, he called out softly
to her. Her ears twitched and once she was done drinking she trotted over to
him and shoved her nose into his hands. He chuckled at how friendly she had
already become to him and he rubbed her cheeks and neck. After greeting him,
she returned to where the foliage was and began to pick her way through it.
Link got his own breakfast, and the two spent the early morning together
quietly.
When he was certain the animal’s belly was full enough, he dug through his and
Ganondorf’s supplies and found a few vegetables that were still good. They
would do to keep the horse following him, and were probably healthier for her
than fruit. He called her over, and with a little coaxing she decided to follow
him.
The trip over to the spring was a bit slower than Link had anticipated, as the
curious filly he had in tow would stop frequently to sniff at something, but a
quick call and the promise of a tasty vegetable if she was a good girl and kept
following had her back on track fairly easily. A couple of hours in to their
trek, Link stopped and handed over one of the treats, and she quickly scarfed
it down. He kept up the pattern, and she trotted along behind him without fear.
At long last, the spring came in to view and relief washed over Link as he
spotted half a dozen horses milling about it, grazing on the grass that was
there. He handed over the last of the vegetables he had brought and stroked the
horse as she ate it.
“Well, it’s been fun.” He told her. She shoved her face into his hands again,
and he laughed. “Time for you to go home.”
Carefully, he guided her closer to the herd, making sure he didn’t scare the
lot of them in the process. Finally, the filly caught on to what he was doing
and she excitedly bounded forward to rejoin her family. Link watched as she
approached one of the mares, who sniffed at and nuzzled her. He assumed it was
her mother. He stared at the herd for a few minutes as the filly became
reacquainted with the other adults and two babies. Finally, knowing that he had
to head back to his own home soon, Link turned around and made the lonely walk
back.
When Ganondorf returned, it was far too late in the day to share stories of
what either of them had done. Neither of them minded, as they were just happy
to see each other again. Link greeted him with a kiss, and oddly enough doing
so caused a little voice in the back of Link’s mind to say “Oh that’s right,
we’re together now.” Even though he had always been aware of that. Exhausted
and thankful to be back, Ganondorf asked if Link would sleep in his bed with
him again, and the boy happily agreed.
Ganondorf called off his practice the following day, as he wanted to tell Link
about what had happened with him. The two sat outside as they chatted instead
of fighting. It turned out that the late king had fallen ill some time ago, and
by the time of the last rain storm had taken a turn for the worse. Ganondorf
hadn’t been able to get to the kingdom in time for the funeral, but then again
neither had any other delegates from the other neighboring regions. The new
queen was a girl not much older than Link who went by the name of Zelda.
Apparently she was a kind girl and the people of Hyrule had high expectations
of her. He also said that she seemed very confident when she gave her speech.
Which for the most part was a good sign.
The boy didn’t understand a whole lot about politics, especially foreign ones,
so he took his mentor’s word for it. Knowing that while Link would listen to
any details he cared to share, he didn’t fully understand everything. So
instead the man went on to say that there had been a family of horses by the
spring he would normally visit when he was coming back, and Link’s eyes lit up.
“About that…” he began. “A filly somehow ended up here.” He explained that he
had gone for a walk and found the young horse when he came back. He told
Ganondorf all about how he had taken care of her and how she had slept there
through the night. When he had finished his story by saying she had gone back
to her herd, his mentor smiled.
“I believe I saw the horse you’re talking about. She was very pretty.” He
stated. “An unusual color, that’s for sure.”
“I’m a little sad that I won’t get to see what she looks like as a mature
adult.” Link admitted.
“You did the right thing taking her back. A wild horse needs its herd in this
desert, and the springs here don’t have enough grass for her to eat for very
long. Still, you never know. I’ve seen the same herds now and again for years.
You may spot her again someday.”
Link smiled at the thought. He knew she wouldn’t recognize him, but if he could
see her grown up and healthy one day, then he felt that the trouble he had gone
through would be worth it.
Chapter End Notes
     <-<
     >.>
     ^_~ Next chapter's got the "good stuff".
***** Their First Time *****
Chapter Summary
     Some months have passed and Link decides it is time to move on from
     simple hugs and kisses.
Chapter Notes
     This is it, folks! The part we have all been waiting for!
     PORN! >8D
     This is a shorter chapter, but given what's in it, I think that's
     okay~
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Spring time came, and with it the biting cold slowly seeped away. The rains
that fell now had a certain warmth to them, and Link was finally able to get
some proper practice in bad conditions in. Ganondorf was as relentless as ever
in their sparring, but Link was getting quite used to that too. The times he
could get the large man on the defensive was increasing, although still rare.
By the time they were planning their next visit to the village, Link’s shield
was heavily battered and threatened to fall apart every time he blocked
something with it. He had scribbled down that he wanted to get a new one on
their list of supplies to pick up.
When Ganondorf noticed that, he decided to put off weapon training until their
trip. Instead he began to teach Link something he had been meaning to, but kept
putting off for one reason or another; hand-to-hand combat. For a while it was
very much back to basics, and Ganondorf drilled the forms into Link day after
day, correcting him roughly every time he slipped up. Link was used to it by
now, and was even able to enjoy the feeling of his mentor’s hands on him
however brief it was.
A thought occurred to Link shortly before they were planning on leaving. While
he and Ganondorf were technically lovers now, they didn’t really act any
differently than they had before. Hugs or kisses happened about two, maybe
three times, a day and Link had spent a few of the colder winter nights cuddled
up in Ganondorf’s arms, but that was it. Even when they were relaxing, there
was hardly any contact between them. It wasn’t bad, and Link did his best to
savor every moment of affection, but he had begun to think that maybe there was
more they could be doing together. He knew that the man was taking things at
his pace, but Link didn’t know how to bring it up to him.
The morning before their trip, Link was disturbed from his sleep when Ganondorf
got up early like usual to take his bath. Link watched him for a few seconds
before closing his eyes again, planning on going back to sleep. Despite his
wishes, his ears strained and he heard every little sound the man made as he
got himself ready. Before he could leave the hut, Link opened his eyes again
and said his name softly. Ganondorf stopped and turned towards him, surprised
that the boy was awake.
“Getting your bath?” Link inquired. He knew the answer, but he felt he had to
ask anyway.
“I am. Sorry, did I disturb you?” the man responded.
The boy shook his head. “Can I join you?”
For once it was Ganondorf’s turn to be taken aback. “If you would like to,
sure.” He replied at length.
He waited for Link to get out of bed and held the doorway open for him. Link
blinked wearily at the morning sun stinging his eyes. He was still groggy and
never had been a morning person, so the sunlight felt brighter than it probably
was. Ganondorf ruffled his hair affectionately before heading over to the
water’s edge. He discarded his clothes for the day on the dry sand before
pulling off his shirt and pants. Link couldn’t help but stare, feeling his
loins stir as his mentor and lover finally stripped off the last of his
clothing. Heat pooled in his face as much as it did down south, and the boy
stepped over to join the man as he entered the water.
Link pulled off his own clothing and felt a little ashamed when he actually saw
how the whole situation was affecting him. Fortunately Ganondorf wasn’t looking
his way and Link willed himself to keep control of his body, although just
barely. Doing his best to think of the cute horse he had met instead of the
very nice, very muscular, very hairy, and very naked body in front of him, Link
joined his mentor in the water. Somehow, they managed to wash the sand and
sweat from their bodies before things got out of hand, but only just.
Ganondorf sat down in the water, intending on enjoying it a bit longer before
getting out. He was surprised when Link opted to sit beside him and cuddle up
against his chest. He smiled and wrapped his arm around the boy, taking the
chance to admire him. Dark skin, sun-bleached blonde hair, and brilliant blue
eyes…and not to mention the muscle the boy had put on. The man had to admit
that he was becoming very handsome.
Wanting to see how far he could take things before his nerves gave out, Link
reached up with one hand and ran his fingers through the course hair of
Ganondorf’s chest. The boy shuddered involuntarily as his hand slowly fell
lower, threading through the short curls on his mentor’s toned abdomen. His
hand stopped above the man’s navel and he looked up at him, curious has to how
he was taking it all and too shy to let his eyes stray any lower than his hand.
The man had closed his eyes, the smallest of smirks tugging at the corner of
his lips. Link breathed in deeply and shifted to once again straddle
Ganondorf’s lap.
The man’s eyes cracked open in time to catch Link getting himself more
comfortable before leaning in to kiss him. Ganondorf wrapped his arms securely
about his waist and back, pulling their chests flush together. Link couldn’t
help the moan that escaped his lips, and he felt the man’s tongue tease at his
lips. Not entirely sure how or what to do, Link parted his lips and tried
meeting Ganondorf’s hot, pink organ halfway. He assumed he had gotten it right
by the feeling of electricity through his body and the way the man sighed into
their kiss.
Link had no idea what he was doing, and more than once he felt himself choke up
or gag because he forgot to breathe or tried to go in too deep. Ganondorf would
always back off and wait patiently for the boy to sort himself out. By the time
the man chose to move his mouth lower in order to kiss and suck at Link’s neck,
the boy was certain his lips were swollen from their make out. He panted
softly, a little shocked at how good it felt to have somebody drag their tongue
up the length of his neck and bite softly at his ear. Link’s fingers curled
tighter into Ganondorf’s chest.
He wanted so badly to do something that felt good for him, but his mind was
drawing a complete blank. All his body knew to do was run his hands tenderly
over his muscular form, and while Ganondorf hummed appreciatively, he knew
there had to be more he could be doing. He didn’t get much chance to think
about it. The man coaxed him into leaning back a little, and his wonderful
mouth found one of Link’s tender nipples and sucked.
The sound that tore itself from Link’s mouth could only be describe as lewd,
and that more than anything caused the boy to flush from head to toe. Why had
he never thought to touch himself there when he masturbated?! Speaking of
touching and masturbation, Link was certain he was fully erect by now. As
Ganondorf shifted his attention to Link’s other nub, he wondered if it would be
wrong of him to grind himself against the man’s lap or lower stomach. He
glanced down to see just how much space there was between them, and his breath
caught in his throat.
Goddesses…Ganondorf was huge! And erect.
Link swallowed and felt his mind cloud over as he stared. The fingers he still
had buried in thick red curls dragged over to Ganondorf’s hips and he pressed
his palms flat against his heated skin. In turn one of the man’s hands lowered
from the small of Link’s back down to his butt and squeezed it roughly. Link
squirmed. He really, really wanted to touch himself.
“G-Gan…Ganon…dor…f…” he choked out, wondering why it was so difficult to speak
suddenly. Even his mind was having a hard time forming the man’s name.
“Hm?” He hummed, his lips back at the crook of Link’s neck.
“I-I… I wa...n…t…” he tried futilely.
Ganondorf moved away from him and Link did his best to gesture between them at
their equally erect cocks. Thankfully the man understood and wrapped one of his
large, rough hands firmly around the boy’s shaft. Link gasped and leaned his
head against the man’s shoulder. Ganondorf kissed his ear softly as his hand
began to work. He stroked Link’s length quickly, and the boy quivered in his
hold. Somehow, the boy got the idea to reach between them and wrap his own hand
around Ganondorf’s dick as best he could. He didn’t have the strength or
presence of mind to do anything beyond that, but dammit he tried. The man gave
what Link assumed was a grunt of thanks, but he was too wrapped up in the
feeling of ecstasy to properly figure it out.
When Link came, it was hard, and something compelled him to bite down on
Ganondorf’s shoulder as shocks of pleasure wracked through his body. His cum
mingled with the water between them, and Ganondorf idly swept the soiled water
away. Link breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. Ganondorf stroked his
back, letting the boy settle back to reality all while placing tender kisses to
his neck and shoulder.
The boy managed to sit upright, and with a sudden sense of purpose moved his
hand along the enormous length of Ganondorf’s penis. The man smirked and Link
pressed another kiss to those warm lips. His mentor wrapped his own hand around
Link’s on his cock and began to guide his hand to stroke him at the pace he
liked best. Link was thankful for the assistance, as he wasn’t even sure he
would be able to cover so much skin on his own. But Ganondorf’s hands were
large and warm, and they knew his own body well. And they knew how to teach
Link what he needed to know. Far more rapidly than Link had expected, the man
grunted, his eyes closing and eyebrows knitting tightly as he ejaculated.
Just as his mentor had done for him, Link waited until the man could swallow
back enough air to clear his head. When Ganondorf opened his eyes again, Link
swooped in to kiss him briefly. The man let out a shaky laugh.
“Been wanting to do this a while?” he asked.
Link blushed. “A long while.” He admitted with a smile.
On slowly-becoming-less-shaky legs, the two stood up from the water. Link eyed
the mark on Ganondorf’s shoulder where he had bitten him and blushed when he
thought about how bruised it was going to be. There was an odd thrill to the
thought of the man sporting a mark Link had given him during sex. Ganondorf
noticed where the boy’s eyes were lingering and gave him a smirk and ruffled
his hair again, assuring him it didn’t hurt and that he didn’t mind it one bit.
They dressed themselves quickly, as the morning air hadn’t quite warmed up yet.
Before going back in to their hut, Link grabbed Ganondorf’s arm and the man
leaned down to meet the kiss that awaited him. Link’s free hand stroked the
man’s cheek, feeling the red stubble more than he could see it. A thought
occurred to him.
“You should grow it out.” He muttered, running his thumb over Ganondorf’s cheek
for emphasis.
The man chuckled. “If you want me to, then I will.”
Link nodded. “Your hair too.”
“I think could do that.”
Chapter End Notes
     You know, we're still a few chapters away from the plot. Which I
     think is really telling of who I am as a person that porn took
     priority over what this fic is about as a whole. =|
     I suppose now would be an appropriate time to say which versions of
     these characters I have based mine on in my head. Ganondorf is based
     on Hyrule Warriors, and this Link is very much Twilight Princess-
     y but with Breath of the Wild's pretty pretty long hair.
      
     ...Also yes, it is totally the TP thing that makes this Link a biter.
     ;) Because you cannot convince me that that wolf boy wouldn't bite~
***** Rising Tensions *****
Chapter Summary
     The months tick by and Link continues to improve his skills. Along
     with his impending graduation comes a growing curiosity about the
     world beyond the desert. Even with Ganondorf warning him of the
     dangers that are out there, Link cannot shake his desire to see the
     world for himself.
Chapter Notes
     Quite a lot happens in this chapter. It's basically one big time skip
     to bring us closer to the real action. I am generally not a huge fan
     of large time skips myself, but decided it would be the most
     appropriate way to deal with the end of all of this introduction
     stuff. I think I did a decent enough job that it is still enjoyable,
     though!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The rest of their spring passed fairly uneventfully. Link got the hang of
fighting bare handed about as quickly as he expected, and also like he expected
Ganondorf didn’t go easy on him when they began sparring. One false move and
Link would find himself painfully thrust to the ground. A part of him wondered
if he’d ever be able to best his mentor at anything, but rather than being
frustrated about his losses it only made him all the more impressed with the
man. Besides, it wasn’t all bad to repeatedly get pinned or thrown around by
him. A part of him kind of liked being manhandled, actually. A few times Link
had to wonder if he didn’t have a masochistic streak, not that he knew that
particular word.
There was something else about himself that he had learned in the meantime. He
and Ganondorf continued to explore the sexual side of their relationship at a
slow but steady enough pace, and Link was beginning to overcome whatever
shyness he had around the man. His gaining experience and knowledge also made
him a bit bolder in the heat of the moment, and it didn’t take long for him to
discover that he really, really enjoyed leaving bite marks about the man’s
neck, shoulders, hips, and thighs. None of them were made gently, either. Each
one left an imprint of his teeth on Ganondorf’s skin for a while, and a good
sized bruise long after that. He might have even punctured the skin once or
twice, but he did his best not to be that rough. He didn’t know what compelled
him to do it so much, but Ganondorf never seemed to mind it. In fact, the man
had even joked a couple of times that Link reminded him of some sort of dog.
The summer months came, and with them the heat that Link loved. It had always
been his favorite season, even if it left him sweating profusely and worn out
without having done anything. Now though, it was especially nice. Just as the
year before, the hot afternoons after his practice often came at the expense of
Ganondorf ridding himself of his shirt. The boy had decided that he would never
tire of the view, and unlike the year before wasn’t bashful enough to turn away
from it. From the smirks his mentor gave him on occasion when he caught the boy
staring, Ganondorf was a fan of the side effects of his shirtless-ness as well.
And of course when Link joined him, well, it often wasn’t long before the rest
of their clothing came off too.
At times Link wondered what would happen if he went back in time and told his
frantic not-quite-thirteen year old self that in two years’ time he’d
essentially be dating the man he admired so.
That wasn’t to say life was perfect. Far from it. The more time he spent away
from the rest of their tribe, the more Link could feel a sense of discomfort
growing in his mind. He had seen a fair portion of the desert, and in general
if he didn’t know a certain area he at least knew what major points of interest
were out in that direction. But there was far more to the world they resided in
that he knew nothing about. Aside from the rolling hills of grass that he still
had a hard time comprehending, Ganondorf had told him that there were huge
mountains of fire and ice, a forest almost as vast as their desert, and even a
body of water easily size of their village, among other amazing locations. Each
and every one sounded almost made up to the boy, but Ganondorf wasn’t one to
make up stories or feed him lies. And every time Link thought of the world
beyond the desert, beyond their canyon walls, he yearned to see it all for
himself.
He once expressed as such to the man, and Ganondorf in turn told him that one
day, maybe, he would get the chance to. It was then that he informed Link that
like their desert there were any number of dangers roaming those lands. The
fields of Hyrule proper were the worse yet, as they were teaming not just with
dangerous wildlife, but with monsters who would actively seek out and attack
unsuspecting travelers. And considering those fields separated the desert from
all other parts of the world, trying to go anywhere was not a smart decision.
But it did make Link ask another question.
“Why are there only monsters around the kingdom?”
Ganondorf was at a loss. There had been some chatter along much of that same
line among those from other regions at the coronation, and none of them
reported having a similar problem. However, one of the Gorons, the creatures of
the fiery mountains, had said he’d seen them milling about near the Hylian
settlement at the base of their lands. A few of the Zora, people from the lake
and rivers, expressed that they had heard about strange creatures having been
seen along the banks in the dead of night. Such news was unsettling for all to
hear.
“Has anything like that been seen around here?” Link inquired.
Ganondorf shook his head. “I asked one of the guards who patrols our borders
when I returned, and she said they haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary.
But if I were to wager, things won’t remain that way forever.”
“How long do you think before those monsters come here?”
“It’s hard to say. More than that, everyone is hoping their numbers will remain
low and that they don’t have some goal behind their spreading out.”
It was unsettling news, and while it did make Link rethink his desire to leave
the desert, it didn’t do so by too much. Monsters. They were yet another thing
he had never seen. Ganondorf had, and he’d done battle with them before. Just a
little, the boy felt the difference between their ages and experience, a
feeling that had been steadily growing the more time he spent with him. It
wouldn’t be wrong to say that he was envious of the man.
By fall again, Link had become very good at countering his mentor when it came
to using their swords. The boy was small and nimble, and while Ganondorf was
indeed fast, the boy was beginning to see and be able to use the advantages he
had. No longer was he the only one who would have to tap in to their potion
supply at the end of the day to heal cuts and bruises, although there was still
a long ways to go before Ganondorf needed it as much as Link did. In fact, Link
sometimes had to wonder if the bite marks he left on the man had hurt him worse
than the combat wounds.
As for going weaponless in a fight, Link was quickly applying what he had
learned about himself while armed and could now at least maneuver out of the
way better. He still had to practice that more, but Ganondorf had mentioned
once that the boy would probably be able to win if he ever found himself
cornered in an alleyway by a bunch of thugs, not that the man had any reason to
suspect that would ever happen.
But the thing Ganondorf was most impressed with was Link’s skill with his bow.
In just the two short years, Link had progressed with it the most. The boy was
a crack snap-shot; able to raise, draw, and fire an arrow and hit his target
dead center without aiming. It was something Link had accidentally done once
fairly early on, and out of curiosity Ganondorf encouraged him to do it more
often. Over time, Link gave up entirely on aiming and instead let his instincts
and muscle memory take over. Even while moving at a fairly rapid clip, Link
could make just about any shot this way. In addition to this talent, Link had
learned that his eyes were quite sharp. It wasn’t an infrequent occurrence that
he could spot and hit something before Ganondorf had even registered what had
happen.
Link’s fifteenth birthday rolled around, and they had decided to go back to the
village early in order to celebrate. Of course their family and friends were
happy to see them again, and Link’s mothers and aunts cooked up a small feast,
inviting Ganondorf and Link’s closest sisters to join in. While the boy talked
with the girls whom he was sure had still not given up on him, he managed to
catch part of a conversation his mentor and parents were having.
“Another year and I might call his training complete.” Ganondorf said. “The
more he practices, the faster he progresses. You wouldn’t recognize him with a
bow anymore, and I’d be willing to bet only three or four his age could beat
him in a sparring match now.”
“Are you sure? He’s only fifteen!”
“Of his skills now I am sure, but of course of how much longer it will take I
am not.” The man stated. “Most warriors finish their training by seventeen, but
it is not unheard of for that to happen before then. Link is exceptional, not
an exception.”
Pride stung in Link’s chest. So Ganondorf thought he was nearly ready? That was
incredible to hear, especially when Link had felt that there was still so much
more for him to learn. Perhaps it was one of those things that even after he
finished formally, he still had much experience to gain.
Then it hit him.
And he felt his heart sink.
Another year and his training might be over.
Another year and there might no longer be a reason for him to be away from the
village. To be with Ganondorf. To be alone in their little hut away from the
women of their home who wanted both of them. Link knew he didn’t like women,
but Ganondorf had said before that he did not mind them as much. If they were
to come back, would he have to give up what they had together? There were
obviously questions for later, and Link did his best to remain in high spirits
during the rest of the small gathering. He could ask about the future when
there weren’t other people around.
As night rolled around and Link’s aunts and sisters departed to return to their
own homes, Link and Ganondorf helped to clean up after them. To both of their
surprise, Link’s mothers asked if Ganondorf would like to stay the night at
their place. The man declined, but instead offered Link to stay at his home.
The boy had to wonder if that wasn’t being too obvious about their
relationship, but his mothers seemed to be all for it. Link didn’t mind joining
him, but still nearly felt pressured in to doing so.
While making the short walk in the dark, lonely night to Ganondorf’s home Link
found it to be as good a time as any to ask him. “When I’m done with my
training, is that going to be the end of…well…us?”
“You’re worried about that?” Link nodded. Ganondorf gave a short laugh and
ruffled his hair. “Boy, something like that only has to end if we want it to.
So the better question is ‘do you want it to end?’” Link shook his head. “Then
it won’t.” Ganondorf assured him, opening the door to his very unused home,
stepping aside to allow Link to go in first. “We don’t even have to stop living
out of town, if you’d prefer. It’s lonely, but I’ve been enjoying being away
from my sisters as much as you undoubtedly have.”
This brought a smile to Link’s features as he set his lantern down on the table
in the middle of the room. He waited until Ganondorf had closed his door and
fully entered the room before pulling him in to a kiss. It had been odd for
Link’s mothers to seemingly magically know about their relationship, and while
Link wasn’t ashamed of it he would prefer for the rest of the tribe not to
know.
Even if that would surely make his sisters back off.
The next year passed much the same as the one before it. Link worked hard to
make his mentor proud, and his instincts in combat grew ever sharper. Every
one-in-fifty or so sparring matches they had, be it with their weapons or
unarmed, Link was able to win. He had even learned when and how to use his
shield so as to reduce the damage done to it to a minimum. And of course, he
had honed his archery even more.
Every now and then Ganondorf would have to suddenly leave in order to meet with
somebody from another region back at the village. Every time he returned, he
brought graver and graver news that the monster threat was indeed spreading.
The fire mountains were overrun with the beasts, and the waters had somehow
bred their own brand of threats. Even the mountains of ice which were on the
furthest reaches of the land had become target of attacks. The only places
which seemed to still be safe were their desert, which still had not seen hide
nor hair of threat, and the forests. According to the man, the forests were an
unsettling labyrinth of both natural and magical properties, and likely acted
as a near-perfect barrier for the timid forest dwellers. The more Link heard
about these problems, the more he itched to see them first-hand.
And of course, Link and Ganondorf continued to explore their own relationship.
Ganondorf’s beard came in nicely, and Link was happy that he had been right in
it looking good, and he greatly enjoyed running his fingers through it when
they kissed and made love.
                                     -----
“I had a dream last night, Impa.” The queen began when they were alone together
that night. It was nearly time for her to sleep, and her maid was brushing her
hair before bed. “It’s made me curious about the desert to the west.”
“The Gerudo Desert?” Impa inquired.
“Yes, that’s the one.” She stated before explaining. “My dream felt so real,
yet not. I could distinctly see the desert. When I looked at it I got the
overwhelming sense of ‘green’. How unusual is that?”
The woman frowned. “That is very odd.” She agreed.
“I have been thinking about that color a lot lately, if I’m honest. Green. I
used to think it meant something about the forest, but now I am not so sure.”
When Impa put down the hair brush Zelda stood and crossed the room to her
window. It was a different one than what she had looked out of as a princess,
for now she occupied the former king’s chambers. No longer did her window give
her a view of the forests, but instead of the great canyon walls that
surrounded the entrance to the Gerudo Desert. “Perhaps it is this new
perspective…” The queen murmured before continuing. “When I think about the
color green, something else comes to mind. Do you know what that is?”
“I’m afraid I do not, your Majesty.”
“Blonde and blue. Isn’t that strange? Why would there be blonde and blue in the
desert? And that is not all. I see light in my dreams, but the light is
surrounded by darkness. The light isn’t being consumed, or snuffed out, drowned
out, or even shrouded. Just surrounded, almost like it is being cradled
tenderly.” She laid her palms on her windowsill and leaned closer to the glass.
“The desert. Green. Blonde and blue. And light peacefully co-existing with
darkness.” Her eyes narrowed and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Thinking
about it makes my blood boil.”
“What was that?” Impa asked, approaching her.
The woman giggled and looked back at her. “Nothing you need to worry over.” She
stood upright again. “Impa, I want you to stay with me tonight.”
Lately whenever Zelda would ask such a thing from her, Impa would learn some
days later of the monsters having increased in ranks or having invaded a new
part of the surrounding lands. It had taken a while for the woman to notice,
but now that she did it made her fear for her beloved queen. Zelda was well
loved by her people, and the other leaders liked her well enough. But if
somehow Zelda were responsible and that Impa’s being distracted was involved,
she would never forgive herself.
Unfortunately she knew that she could not refuse her queen. She had tried, and
all it had done was anger the woman. That was the last thing Impa wanted to do,
and so without protest she once again warmed Zelda’s bed as she had often done
since the young woman had become a teenager.
                                    ------
Ganondorf returned from a meeting with somebody who had lived not far from the
forest. He had a distant look in his eye, and Link had to carefully coax the
news out of him. A group of monsters had invaded the forest, and according to
the person, the sounds that they had heard coming from within were the likes of
which they’d never heard before. Ganondorf said that while no one wanted to
think about it, they were afraid that those creatures might have finally
overrun the labyrinth. If that was the case, then it meant the desert was the
only region that had not yet been penetrated. He felt great empathy for the
other region's losses, and a part of Link felt that he should be praying for
the safety of his people.
However, another part of him had to wonder if there was something that he, as a
trained warrior, could do to help.
Chapter End Notes
     We're nearly there, folks! There is just ONE more chapter before
     something comes along and kicks this fic into gear!
     For the record, the first 45,000 words or so of this fic were written
     for NaNoWriMo 2016 and have since been heavily edited and revised to
     make things flow better. The next chapter, however, was written more
     recently than that because when I looked back at my work I realized I
     wanted a buffer of sorts between this time skip and the plot going
     into high gear. Plus the next chapter serves to reveal a few things
     which will be important later down the line. ;) I'll see you all in a
     couple of days for penultimate early update~
***** Eve of Festivities *****
Chapter Summary
     Link and Ganondorf return to the village in time to partake in an
     annual festival. Despite his sisters swarming him again, Link manages
     to take some time indulge in something wholly for himself.
Chapter Notes
     As I said previously, the entirety of this chapter is newer than what
     came previously. It's sort of a breather between the timeskip and the
     big event that happens in the next chapter that really sets the plot
     in motion. That said, it still contains a few things that I either
     think are important or that you will otherwise quite enjoy. =D
See the end of the chapter for more notes
A month after Link’s sixteenth birthday was a festival that took place every
year and spanned three days. It was meant as a way for their people to
celebrate another year spent in the harsh desert. From what Link had read in
Ganondorf’s book, originally it was a time of giving thanks to each of the
Goddesses in turn for gracing even such a barren, arid land with enough for
their people to thrive on. On the first day they would offer Din the finest of
objects crafted from her land; things such as weapons and jewelry. On the
second day they would offer Farore the best of their harvests. And on the final
day, they would offer Nayru an abundance of water freshly obtained from every
spring they used in the village.
Nowadays the festival was more about feasting and sharing in song and dance and
showing off their crafts, whatever they may be. There wasn’t a lot of structure
to it, people would simply choose to partake in whatever they fancied in the
moment. The only constants were that everything was lively, and would start at
the break of dawn and continue long into the night each day.
In Link’s childhood he had adored it. The energy and music, the good food, and
to watch the warriors compete with each other in a variety of ways, almost like
a tournament. In time he had begun to dislike it just like many other things.
And just like those other things, it was due to his sisters’ treatment of him.
Whenever the festival came around they would corner him and try to pull him
this way and that to do whatever it was they wanted with him. It grew tiring.
He had missed those days when he could do what he wanted and not have to worry
about hurting their feelings. So he stopped participating at all.
As such he hadn’t missed attending the festival while he had been in training.
Before he turned sixteen, Ganondorf had asked if he would like to schedule
their visit to the village around the festival instead of around his birthday.
Link gave it some thought and decided that it couldn’t hurt to partake in
something as self-indulgent as the festival, especially when neither of them
had in a few years.
They arrived the day before the festival began, and Link’s sisters couldn’t
have been happier about it. He spent what time was left of the day with them,
just sitting and chatting. Although the older ones were now out of training
themselves and were not available, those who were younger than Link listened to
the stories he told about living outside of the village very intently. When
night came and they had to return home, it struck him that the youngest of
those he considered to be his siblings were going to be looking for mentors of
their own very soon. They were growing up, and certainly they saw Link as a
potential husband, but none of them had tried to turn his eye that afternoon.
Even the girls his own age hadn’t been too annoying to be around.
The following day was different, however. From the moment Link was up his
sisters fought for his attention. He decided it had been a while and that he
would indulge them, just a little, and let them choose where they went and what
they did. Several of them tried to get him to buy them sweets or trinkets, to
which he did his best to turn them down gently. He didn’t have a whole lot of
money, seeing as he didn’t need it out at his and Ganondorf’s oasis, but more
than that he didn’t want to have to buy all of them something. As no doubt if
he showed even a handful favor, the others would become upset.
In the afternoon he managed to convince them that it was time to go and see
what the warriors of the tribe were up to. As expected they were competing, and
Link spent a couple of hours just watching all of the ways in which they had
been trained. When they began to set up archery targets, he got excited. He
completely forgot that his sisters were around him as he watched, letting
himself get absorbed in what was going on. But it wasn’t long before he became
irritated with what he saw. Certainly the warriors who participated were
skilled, but Link couldn’t help but feel that they were taking too long and
without thinking he began to criticize nearly every aspect of what he
witnessed. It was only minutes before he stood and had to leave. Had he been a
different person, one who wanted to gain renown from his people and even more
awe from his sisters, he knew he would have joined the women in their
competitions instead. As it was, he could only feel annoyed that the women were
not up to his standards when it came to archery. His sisters were confused as
to why he had left so suddenly, but he only told them that he did not want to
belittle anyone in their tribe. It only served to confuse them more, but they
didn’t push him.
The second day was much the same as the first. Link was surrounded by his
sisters all throughout the day, and he did his best to make them happy without
getting their hopes up. He saw Ganondorf a few times, but they did not get a
chance to speak with each other. Despite knowing that soon they would be alone
together again, Link couldn’t help but miss him. It made him all the more
certain that Ganondorf was the person whom he cared about most of all, and the
person he wanted to spend all of his time with.
On the night of the third day something wonderful happened and Link happened to
catch all of it right from the beginning. His older sister, the one who had
tried to kiss him what felt like so long ago, took the hand of a young woman a
few years older than herself. Link didn’t particularly know the woman, as she
was just outside of the scope of those he considered to be his siblings. His
sister led her towards the fountain in the middle of the village square that
continuously streamed water through shallow canals all around the village. The
fountain itself was made up of three statues, depicting the goddesses, and each
one had a jug in her hands from which the water poured. The young woman’s face
lit up, blushing brightly as Link’s sister announced loud and clear and proud
and for all to hear that she loved the woman whose hands she held, “for now and
forever”. The crowd around them watched in excitement as the woman giggled
gleefully and repeated in kind that she loved his sister. Applause erupted
throughout the crowd as the two sealed their declaration, their vows, with a
kiss. Link too had to give them his approval, a fond smile painted on his face
as he clapped for them. He was happy for his sister that she had found somebody
whom she loved, and enough that she had wanted the whole of the village to
witness their marriage.
Without skipping a beat and to continue with the even more joyous atmosphere
that had been created, the square erupted into song as some of the tribe’s
musicians began to play for the new couple. With the music of course came
dancing, and soon the square was filled with beautiful melodies and ladies both
very young and very old and everywhere in between dancing along with them. Link
was familiar with every tune and every movement the dancers made. In his youth,
Link had always hurried to join them, finding it fun to copy his aunts. He had
even become exceedingly good at it, if he were to say so himself. But like
everything else, it was something he eventually stopped doing. However it was
not because of his sisters that he stopped. Instead it was a nagging feeling in
the back of his mind that he should not be dancing like the rest of his people.
He did not know why, when nothing else he did gave him that feeling. The
traditions of their people belonged to all of them, after all. Yet something
about their dances felt like they were meant only for females to perform, and
so he stopped even though nobody had told him or made him to.
As Link watched them dance now, though, he felt that long forgotten itch. The
itch that told him he so desperately wanted to join in. He wasn’t sure if he
could still dance, however, and so he watched them. He must have been mimicking
them to a small extent without thinking about it, as he felt himself stop
moving when one of his aunts spotted him, ceased her dancing, and called out to
him.
“Link! Don’t just stand over there, boy! Come here and dance with me!”
That was all the coaxing he needed. The Gerudo’s dances were not gender-
specific; anyone was welcome to take part in them. Link flushed and felt a bit
silly and once again had to wonder how the idea had even entered his head in
the first place. He smiled the most gleefully he had since arriving home for
the festival and hurried out from the sidelines. He came to stand in front of
the fountain beside the aunt that had invited him. As soon as he was with her,
she began moving again and he starting copying her. It wasn’t long before
Link’s muscles remembered what they were meant to do and he danced with as much
energy and joy as the ladies did, his hips moving in ways he was sure he had
long forgotten. He was certain his sisters were watching, but he couldn’t care.
He wasn’t being pressured to do something he didn’t want to do, and was having
fun because of it.
He wasn’t sure for how long he danced with his aunts, but it must have been
quite a while. When the music began to die down and he stopped he found himself
completely exhausted. It wasn’t the same sort of tired he felt after practice
where he would be aching the next day. It was a contented tired that meant he
would be smiling for the rest of the night and would sleep soundly later on.
As he silently announced his departure with a nod to the woman who had invited
him to dance and returned to the crowd, he thought he spotted Ganondorf
retreating from the village center. Link grinned. He and Ganondorf had shared
many an intimate moment, but part of Link hoped that his lover had been
impressed with his long-forgotten ability to dance. He wasn’t able to think on
it for too long, as his sisters hurried to him to inform him of just how much
they had been impressed. Their praise made him happy, certainly, but more than
that it only made him want to know Ganondorf’s opinion more.
The following day, he and Ganondorf set out for their oasis again. When they
took a quick break for lunch, Link asked the man what his thoughts were about
his dancing. Ganondorf smirked.
“Overall you were very rusty, but I think anyone could tell that you have
talent.”
Link flushed a little and gave him a look. “That is not what I meant and you
know it.”
“Were you hoping that I would compliment the way you looked and then tell you
all about how much I wanted to pick you up and carry you away from the crowd
and back to my home so that I could get a private show?”
That made Link’s heart flutter just a little. “Perhaps I was.” He grinned
devilishly.
Ganondorf ran his hand across Link’s cheek and threaded his fingers into the
boy’s hair. “Would you care to give me that show now?”
It was Link’s turn to smirk. He placed a hand on Ganondorf’s and turned to
press a kiss to his wrist. He then leaned in to kiss the man properly, teasing
his lips briefly with his tongue before pulling away and nipping at his throat.
“I’ll only give you a private dance on one condition.” Link whispered to him.
“And that is?”
“You mustn’t touch me...” Link’s free hand traced down Ganondorf’s chest,
abdomen, and then down further still to fondle his crotch. “…or yourself.”
The man quirked an eyebrow, amused. “Very well. I leave everything in your
capable hands.”
Link gave him a quick wink before standing up and taking a step back in order
to begin his dance. What started as a short lunch break ended up taking nearly
an hour more than originally planned.
Chapter End Notes
     "Aw, Wilo! Did you just rob us of a sex scene?!" Eh, kind of? I never
     intended to write that scene out in its entirety. But don't worry, I
     won't be a tease all of the time~ I can guarantee you that there are
     more, fully detailed scenes to come. ;)
     Speaking of teasing things, the next chapter will be the last early
     update I have planned. Look forward to it!
***** Departure *****
Chapter Summary
     Guard captain Impa gets a long night in order to take care of some
     much needed business. She finds exactly what she expects to in the
     desert, and Link and Ganondorf are finally set on the path of the
     greatest quest of their lives.
Chapter Notes
     Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! Guys. GUYS! WE'RE THERE! THE PLOT!
     IT BECOMES A THING IN THIS CHAPTER! AAAAHHHHH! <3
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Fortune was on Impa’s side that night. Her queen had gone to bed early. Impa
had been waiting for a chance like this for a few weeks, and every day that it
didn’t happen made her more and more anxious. As it was, she suspected she only
had ten hours to do what she needed, meaning she would have to be exceptionally
quick. Luckily, that is exactly what she was. Donning her black cloak both to
hide herself in the dark as well as to shield her from the night’s cold, Impa
left the castle.
Racing across the fields of Hyrule had become increasingly difficult, even for
the woman who served both as Zelda’s maid as well as the captain of her guards.
The stalhounds that prowled the night were fast, not as much so as she was, but
if she wasn’t careful they could intercept her path. She tried not to waste
time by fighting them, but there were some that she simply had no choice but to
fell lest she sustain injury that might slow her and provide evidence that she
had been away.
Despite getting in to a few more scuffles than she had hoped, she still managed
to reach the valley between the canyons that bordered the Gerudo Desert. She
slowed her pace substantially, tackling the path with caution. She would prefer
to get through the opening without being spotted, but was prepared to defend
herself if she absolutely had to. She knew the Gerudo who patrolled the valley
had the eyes of hawks, even in cover of night, and in that single path their
numbers were dense.
She thanked the Goddesses as she emerged in to the desert proper without
detection. She still had plenty of time to reach her destination and make it
back with time to spare, if she could have as easy a time as she had thus far.
Once in the open, she picked up her pace again and flew across the sands at top
speed. She didn’t know the exact location of where she was going, but from what
her queen had told her she had a general idea of which direction to head.
Nearly an hour had passed when her searching came to fruition. A single hut
beside a small oasis. She could just barely make out light coming from inside,
and she breathed a sigh of relief that she would not have to wake its
inhabitants. As she reached the outer edge of the area, she once again slowed
down, this time to a walk. She approached carefully, not wanting to raise
alarm. She stood a short ways in front of the hut’s entrance and cleared her
throat.
“Excuse me!” she called out.
She had spoken relatively quietly, but in the silence of the night her voice
had rung out clearly. She heard movement inside and braced herself, as she was
sure the occupants were doing themselves. She had already decided that she was
not going to fight them, but she wasn’t about to let them harm her either. At
length, the cloth covering the doorway was brushed out of the way. To her
surprise, the one who greeted her was a large Gerudo man who in no way matched
the description of the person in the queen’s dreams. He was, however, a
familiar face.
She bowed politely. “Excuse my intrusion in to your space.” She said. “My name
is Impa, captain of the Hyrulian Royal Army. I believe I have seen you before?”
The man nodded. “That is a possibility. I am Ganondorf, warrior of the Gerudo
tribe and their chosen delegate to yours and other lands.”
“Ah, then you were at Queen Zelda’s coronation.”
“I was.”
“Splendid! Thank you for showing your support by attending.” She glanced over
his shoulder, but the man was too large to see beyond and in to the hut. “I
would explain why I am here, but I must ask: are you alone?”
“I am not.” Ganondorf replied simply.
“Could whoever is with you come outside as well?”
Ganondorf nodded and called over his shoulder. He stepped aside to allow Link
to emerge from the hut, and he and Impa took a good look at each other. Dressed
mostly in green, blond hair, and beautiful blue eyes. Yes, this had to be the
one Zelda had seen.
“How do you do?” Impa inquired. “I am called Impa.”
Link furrowed his brow. He had thought it odd that he could not make out what
his mentor and their surprise visitor were saying while he was inside, but now
he could tell why that was. Whatever language this tall, lean woman was
speaking, it wasn’t one Link had ever heard before. He looked to Ganondorf for
help. The man breathed a laugh.
“I’m afraid the boy doesn’t understand your language.” Ganondorf told Impa in
the Hylian tongue.
“Oh, of course.” Impa replied. She closed her eyes briefly as she focused on
the language she was not entirely familiar with. When she spoke, it was in
words the boy could definitely understand. “My name is Impa.”
“I’m Link.” The boy replied, relieved that Ganondorf wouldn’t have to play
translator.
“It is nice to meet you, Link.” The woman said, smiling a little. “Sorry if I
must speak quickly. I do not have a lot of time.” She looked between the two.
“There is something wrong with Queen Zelda. I cannot say what, as this is
beyond my understanding. All that I know is that she has been…has been…” the
woman clearly struggled to figure out the words she needed. “The monsters.
Their appearance is her doing.” She settled on.
Both men’s eyes widened in shock. Ganondorf took a step closer to her. “That is
quite the accusation. What is your evidence?”
Impa shook her head. “It is difficult to explain. She was not always like she
is now, though. It has taken me much time, but now I am certain. The monsters
that have been attacking everyone are hers.” She breathed a deep sigh and
looked to Ganondorf. “I am sorry, would you translate?”
The man nodded, and Link looked up at him to catch his words better. So much
for the man not needing to play translator, but Ganondorf did surprisingly well
to relay what Impa was saying as she spoke.
“Queen Zelda has slowly been changing since she had reached puberty.” Impa
began, once more speaking that language that was strange to Link’s ears. “It
started out simply enough. She had become mischievous, something she had never
been before. In time, she became distant, often staring off at nothing and
barely responding for great lengths of time, and she started to have strange
dreams. It was around then that monsters began to roam the fields around her
kingdom. Over these years, I have noticed that whenever I am or my men are not
immediately performing our duties, the monsters would increase in number and
become more aggressive.” She frowned. “I did not want to believe it at first,
but something happened that has made me certain that my queen is the cause of
all of this. Would both of you show me the backs of your dominate hands?”
Ganondorf and Link both extended their hands, and Impa stepped forward to wave
her own hand above them. A soft glow emitted from the backs of the duo’s hands,
and Link gasped in surprise. Ganondorf clenched his jaw as he stared down at
the marks that appeared only briefly.
Triangles.
A strange triangular pattern comprised of four smaller triangles had shown up
on both of their hands for only a second. Ganondorf swore it was a familiar
symbol, but he could not pinpoint from where he might have seen it before. Link
on the other hand was completely bewildered and he stared at his hand long
after the mark had vanished.
“As I suspected.” Impa muttered, Ganondorf taking half a moment to interpret
her words to the boy beside him. “My queen, Zelda, has the same symbol on her
hand. It is something we at the castle have known about since her birth. I take
it the two of you are unfamiliar with it, judging by your expressions. I do not
have time to explain it fully, but that mark is sacred. The three of you are
bound by some twisted fate, but something is very wrong. I can feel it. I am
afraid that I do not have the time nor the ability to research what it is, but
please believe me. If there is anyone that can fix the mistake that has been
made, it is the two of you.”
Link furrowed his brows, still staring at the back of his hand. “What needs to
be done?” he asked.
“I am afraid it is not something so simple.” Impa stated. “Throughout these
lands are a number of sacred locations. Temples, if you will. These temples
have all become overrun with monsters, as Zelda does not wish them to be
intruded upon by those who would seek to stop her. Unfortunately, these temples
are the only places where clues as to what is going on might be found, as well
as the only places that may hold the solution to our problem. Please, I would
not be asking this of you two if I thought anyone else could do it. Seek out
these temples and find out whatever you can from them.”
Link finally tore his eyes away from his hand and turned to Ganondorf. The two
shared a moment, brief as it was, wherein they could read the determination in
each other’s expressions. As many reasons as they had not to trust this strange
woman who had shown up in the night, they both found themselves believing every
word she spoke.
“Where do we start?” Link inquired.
“If it were up to me, I would first search the most recent place that those
monsters were able to overrun: the forests.” Impa replied.
“Right. Then we will.”
Impa bowed to the two of them. “Thank you. I wish I could be of more help, but
I must return as swiftly as possible. I pray that the both of you will find
what it is you seek. If you learn anything, I ask that you go to the tavern in
Hyrule Town. I know the owner and she will be able to notify me if you arrive.”
The pair of men gave her their word, and once more she hurried off at top
speed. They shared a look and retreated in to their hut in order to discuss
what was going to be done. For her part, Impa made it back to the castle just
as quickly as she had left it. She flagged down one of her guards who was
stationed by the castle gates.
“In the near future the queen is going to command you and the other guards to
keep an eye out for a certain individual. A short, blonde haired boy, with blue
eyes. He will be wearing Gerudo clothing, most likely green in color. No matter
what she commands, you are not to harm him. If you locate him, inform him that
I am the one who sent you. Be sure to use my name. He shouldn’t fight you if
you do. Take him to the Tipsy Cat, and then return to your posts. Should he
have a large Gerudo man with him, have both of them shown the way. Understood?”
the guard nodded. “Spread the word.” The man saluted and hurried off to do just
that.
For her part, Impa had to get back in to the castle and wake the queen in only
a half hour’s time. Having not slept, Impa mentally prepared herself for a very
long day ahead of her.
                                     *****
They spent a few days gathering their belongings. They had been to the village
not long ago, but it seemed they would need to pay it another visit. They had
what they needed to survive another six months or so in their home, but they
lacked the supplies they would need in order to leave the desert altogether. So
as not to waste anything, they agreed that they would split what they had and
give what they could not carry to their mothers so as not to waste any of it.
While they drew up their lists of what they would need, Link mentioned that he
wanted to buy a more durable shield as well as a new bow and more arrows.
Ganondorf agreed that it would be money well spent.
Link’s mothers were horrified to learn that he would be leaving the desert
entirely, and he did his best to assure them that it was something he
absolutely had to do. He had to promise them time and time again that he would
come back to them safely one day. He browsed the weaponsmiths’ wears, and was
at least able to find a more powerful and finely crafted bow. He decided that
it would also do him well to splurge and pick up an iron shield that was
emblazoned with the symbol of the Gerudo. There had been plenty that did not
have the marking, or at least not so obviously, but he felt that he could
afford himself something at least a little sentimental.
His mothers surprised him before he left with yet another new gift. Two of
them, actually. The first was a new outfit, of which the primary feature was
its green color and warmer, more durable material. Like his shield, the shirt
bore the Gerudo’s mark in gold across the chest. The second gift was a set of
chainmail. It was only enough to cover his torso, and had probably cost his
parents a small fortune, but he was all he more glad for it. He wasn’t certain
if he could make use of it given the rest of his clothing was not designed to
be used with any sort of armor, but he was thankful all the same. Even if he
was going to be away, or perhaps because of it, they wanted to protect him
however they could.
When Ganondorf met him on the morning they were to leave, he handed Link half a
dozen bottles filled with the strongest potion the man’s own mothers could
make. He quickly admired the boy’s new equipment, and with an approving nod,
the two departed. Their walk through the desert was going to be a long one, and
they were going to have to camp a few times, but for the most part, they were
both very aware that this might be the last time either of them saw their home
for a long time.
Link had never seen the valley between the canyon walls that led out of the
desert for himself until now. On top of that, he had heard that what amounted
to a prison lay there, but somehow seeing it for himself felt surreal. Inside
the stone structure that had been dug up from the sand and carefully carved
into the earth were people whom their tribe had considered dangerous. Be they
from within the desert or outside, they were all housed in the cool stone
building. Guards greeted Ganondorf and Link as they passed, guards who would be
quick to subdue anyone who tried to break into their desert. Seeing them gave
Link some hope that their home might hold out from the monsters for a while
still.
Their travels eventually brought them to the very edge of their desert, and
yellow sands gave way to hard dirt, which was soon covered by soft, green
grass. For the first time in his sixteen years and some months of life, Link
gazed out at the rolling hills of grass that was Hyrule Field for himself. It
was an extraordinary feeling, to be sure. Ganondorf said nothing as he stood
aside and waited for the boy to sweep his eyes across the land. The man knew
what it was like to see such a sight for the first time, and although he was
apprehensive due to the task at hand, he knew that rushing the boy through
everything would make it more difficult than it needed to be.
“The forest is on the far side of the fields from here.” Ganondorf explained,
finally getting Link’s attention after the boy had gotten a good look around.
“You’ll be able to see more of this land. But remember: these fields are
teaming with monsters. You mustn’t let your guard down, no matter how peaceful
it may seem.”
Link gave him a short nod. He breathed a deep sigh, and the two made their way
out into the tall grass. For a moment, the boy thanked the Goddesses that
Ganondorf was there beside him, and that he wouldn’t have to do this by
himself.
Chapter End Notes
     My oh my. A lot sure did just happen, huh? Hm, what to give my own
     comment on...? Oh! Oh! I know! Prepare yourselves for several new
     (ish) sides to Link. <3 Out in foreign lands, there's a lot for him
     to experience!
     Now I've been giving fair warning all along. This whole fic is to be
     updated on the 11th of every month. That day is when I PLAN to
     update. In reality, I have been dying to write this fic for over a
     year. I added it to my schedule to make sure I updated it regularly
     and make it less likely that it would fall by the wayside. HOWEVER! I
     never said I wouldn't ever update this fic on a whim on days when it
     is not scheduled. ;) The schedule is just the bare minimum. So keep
     an eye out!
***** Hyrule Town *****
Chapter Summary
     Link and Ganon arrive at Hyrule Town at last. Link feels a bit
     overwhelmed, but thankfully the bustling city has at least one perk
     amidst everything else. Although he doesn't quite know what to make
     of one particular person who appears to know Ganondorf...
Chapter Notes
     Told ya'll that there would be a chance I'd update not on the 11th.
     =D I decided to post this early due to a few reasons, but the primary
     one being that this has reached 1000 hits! Why wouldn't I celebrate?!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The trek across the fields was anything but uneventful. Link really did his
best to stay on task, but it was difficult when everywhere he looked there was
something new that he wanted to take in. The flowers, the animals, and
everything else he could see in the distance were all things he had never seen
or even dreamed of before. More than once Ganondorf had to stop just to let the
boy wander from their path a little so that he could climb up onto a huge
fallen log or rock or hill to get a better view. If there was anything they
were both quickly learning, it was that Link was far more curious than either
of them had expected.
Despite the tiring days, their nights were restless ones. Almost immediately
Link had spotted what were known as monsters. They were oddly colored, ugly,
pig-like creatures that brandished crude weapons. Somehow they managed to avoid
them during daylight, but during the nights they weren’t quite as lucky. Link
would take the first watch, climbing on top of something to get a better view
and to snipe any marauding creatures with his bow. Ganondorf would wake in the
early hours of the morning in order to let the boy get some rest. Link didn’t
know how Ganondorf kept the beasts at bay, as he possessed no ranged weaponry
and always appeared unscathed when he woke. He wanted to ask about it, but
never found a good opportunity.
A few days after leaving the desert, Hyrule Town came in to view. It was a
huge, sprawling city made of stone, and the castle stood proudly above it on a
hilltop. Link asked if they were going to be visiting the place, and after some
thought Ganondorf agreed it would probably be best to stay there that night.
They hadn’t gotten a decent night’s rest in a while, and being able to sleep
inside was a welcomed change. They reached the gates as the sun was setting,
and for the first time Link got a taste of what life was like outside of their
valley.
Hyrule Town was unruly. There were crowds of people on every street they walked
on or passed. Merchants were shouting in their strange tongue, trying to get
the attention of anyone who heard them. Housewives browsed food stands,
fighting with the vendors for better prices and complaining about quality. Men
who were clearly drunk already shouted and sang as they searched out food carts
to continue their celebrations at. Children scurried from place to place hoping
to swipe something in the commotion or to stare drooling at brightly colored
treats.
For his part, Link tried to stick close to Ganondorf. He couldn’t help but look
about, though, and every time he did he found himself getting a little more
separated from the man. It was lucky for him that Ganondorf’s enormous stature
remained true even in this town, and so he was easy to spot whenever the
distance between them increased. Getting back to him however was another trick
entirely. Agile as Link was, even he found it difficult to dodge and weave
through the masses of people. What’s more, he was sure that a few times
somebody had tried to get his attention, but having no idea what they were
saying all he could do was shake his head and proceed to catch up with his
mentor.
Eventually the man stepped off to one side the street and waited for the boy to
reach him. Link stopped beside him, panting from all the excitement and effort
it had taken to get that far.
“I’m glad to see you didn’t get lost.” Ganondorf teased.
“You’re…easy to…find…” Link breathed.
Ganondorf laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “We don’t have much farther
to go. There’s a tavern just down this side street.” He pointed with his thumb
over his shoulder to the vastly-more-empty road behind him. “We’ll stay there
tonight.”
“Tavern? Do you think it’s the one Impa told us about?”
“It’s hard to say. There are a few of them in this town, but if I were to
hazard a guess I would think so. It isn’t the most popular one, and it’s very
quiet because of that. I’ve seen guards in there, though. I assume that means
the bartender knows her. Thinking about it, it’s unfortunate that she was in
such a hurry as to not say the name of the place.”
Link nodded in agreement. Ganondorf gave him another moment to catch his breath
before leading him down the road. The boy found it to be quite the breath of
fresh air, as he found he could actually walk a straight line along it. The
people traveling on that road were far less rowdy, and the noise level dropped
seemingly tenfold. The quiet relaxed him, and he fell into step beside his
mentor.
That was, until he heard a tiny little sound. Link halted in his tracks and
looked around. Had he just imagined that? It had sounded like a squeak. He
heard it again and this time he was able to turn towards the sound and spot
where it had come from.
A tiny animal. Although Link had never seen one like it, he could tell by its
stumble-y gait and large eyes that it was a youth. Link’s eyes widened at it
and he stepped over to where it was. He knelt down and extended his hand, and
watched with glee as the little thing hobbled over to him and stuffed its soft
little head into his outstretched fingers. Carefully, Link flexed his
fingertips, gently scratching the top of its head and around its teeny ears. To
his surprise and delight, the small animal began to make a soft, rumbling noise
as it closed its eyes and enjoyed the scratch.
Link turned his head to look up at his mentor who had noticed the boy had
gotten distracted and had rejoined him. The man raised an eyebrow at him. “Um…
I made a friend.” Link said, eyes bright and voice weak from being overjoyed.
Ganondorf gave a snort of a laugh and knelt down beside him. He reached down
and gently picked the small animal up around its belly. The creature let out a
soft whine and stared up at him curiously. The two of them stood and Ganondorf
handed Link the small thing to hold instead. Link took it carefully, not really
knowing how he was supposed to handle it. It clung to his shirt with tiny claws
and continued to purr softly.
“So cute!” the boy cooed, petting it. “What kind of animal is this?”
“A cat.” Ganondorf replied, scratching under its chin. “More specifically, this
one’s a baby, so it’s a kitten.”
“A cat...” Link repeated, committing the word to memory. “Are they common
around here?”
“Very. I’m surprised there aren’t more. Might be too many people at the
moment.”
As if to prove his point, three women passed by them. They took one look at the
boy fawning over the baby animal and giggled and chattered to themselves as
they went by. Link felt a tinge of embarrassment, but was unwilling to put the
little animal down just because of that.
“Some people keep them as pets, but I assume this little one is a stray,
although pretty well fed.” Ganondorf stated, poking it in the belly. “Got a
fair amount of meat on its bones.”
Link pried its little claws from his shirt and held it in front of him. The
kitten mewed in protest, but didn’t squirm. “They don’t stay this round?” he
asked, disappointed.
“Not typically.”
Link brought the tiny kitten to his face and nuzzled it briefly before setting
it back down on the ground. Its tail twitched a little and it crawled its way
through a small hole in a fence. Satisfied with the time he had spent with it,
Link told Ganondorf to lead the way again.
A sign hung outside the tavern depicting the silhouette of a stumbling cat.
Link found it humorous that they were going to it just after he had learned
what the animal was. The look Ganondorf gave him when Link laughed told the boy
that the coincidence was not lost on him. The tavern was small and dark and,
much to Link’s delight, mostly empty. A woman in her thirties stood behind the
counter and called out to greet them, and Ganondorf approached her. Link gazed
around the room curiously and nearly bumped into his mentor because he wasn’t
looking.
“Hello there, Ganondorf! It’s rare to see you here again so soon.” The woman
spoke in that language Link didn’t understand, although he was certainly aware
that she knew his mentor’s name. A tiny bit of jealousy tugged at his heart.
“What can I do for you?”
“The boy and I are passing through town and looking for a place to stay.”
Ganondorf replied.
“Boy, huh?” She glanced Link up and down once. He couldn’t tell why she had
done that and it made him feel oddly self-conscious. “Well I can certainly hook
you up with a couple of rooms.” She stated and held out her hand to Ganondorf
with a playful grin on her features. “Same as before, 30 a night per room.” She
gave Link a quick wink. “Although I could go 20 for the boy.”
Link started at her, puzzled. He had assumed that from her holding out a hand
that they were discussing payment of some sort. But that did not at all explain
why she had winked at him, or even kept looking at him in the first place.
Seeing that the boy was confused, Ganondorf clapped a hand onto his shoulder
and spoke up.
“He doesn’t speak Hylian. Yet.”
“Of course he doesn’t.” the woman sighed, shaking her head. She looked him over
again. “I’ve not seen many of your kind in my life, but he certainly looks
unusual.”
“Link is as Gerudo as I am.” Ganondorf stated calmly.
“That may be, but he is still unusual. But then I suppose there have been many
an odd Hylian that has come in here. Though I must say that the clothing is
very becoming of him. He looks so much better than you did the first time you
came in here, all dressed up in women’s clothes.” She teased.
Link was surprised as Ganondorf suddenly frowned and blushed. It wasn’t very
deep, and some people may not have even noticed it. It made Link feel
conflicted. It was very rare that he got to see the man blush and wanted to
enjoy it, but also this strange woman who clearly knew the man had been the
source. Link narrowed his eyes at her disdainfully, and she let out a soft
laugh. Ganondorf had a feeling he knew what Link’s problem was and patted his
shoulder.
“They are not women’s clothing. They are Gerudo. I have told you that countless
times before.” Ganondorf told her in a friendly manner. “Gerudo have clothes
and men’s clothes. Anyone can wear clothes, but not everyone can wear men’s
clothes.”
“Uh-huh. You may say that, but around here they are most certainly not what men
wear. But back to the topic at hand. You giving me 50 for your rooms or not?”
Ganondorf looked back down at Link and spoke to him in their own tongue. “Do
you want to have a separate room from me?” Link, while happy to hear the
language he understood again, felt a bit strange to be speaking his own native
tongue. Instead of speaking, he shook his head. Ganondorf flashed him a smile
and returned to speaking with the woman. “And for one room?”
The woman let out a soft whistle and smirked at the pair. “Two people in one
room’ll be 40 rupees.” Ganondorf dug through his wallet to find the appropriate
amount and handed them over. The woman put the money in a small lockbox and
retrieved a key from beneath her counter. She slipped it over to Ganondorf,
taking the chance to lean closer to him and whisper, “If you gentlemen run out
of anything, just give me a yell.”
Ganondorf breathed a sigh and took the key from her. With a gentle tug to
Link’s shoulder where his hand still rested, he steered the boy towards the
stairs and to their room. Link gave the woman another quick scowl before going
along with him. Once in the privacy of their room, Ganondorf chuckled.
“She was not flirting with me.” He assured the boy.
“She…wasn’t?” he asked, surprised.
“On the contrary, she was more interested in you.”
Link glanced away, feeling his cheeks color despite himself. “I had a feeling
that was the case…” he grumbled.
Ganondorf hooked his finger and thumb on Link’s chin and made him look up at
him. “You are a handsome boy, Link. Even though we have left our tribe, do not
underestimate what women find attractive.” He stated.
“Does…that mean they like you too?”
The man grinned. “You needn’t worry. I wouldn’t dream of cheating on you.”
The smallest of smiles graced Link’s features and Ganondorf leaned down to
place a gentle, chaste kiss to his lips. “Now there is something I want to
discuss with you.” He wrapped his arm around the boy’s waist and guided him
over to the bed where they sat down beside each other. “As you have clearly
noticed, the people here speak a different language: Hylian. I’ve spent enough
time out here that I can speak it well enough. But you do not even know the
difference between ‘yes’ and ‘no’.”
Link cringed. He had a feeling he knew what the man was getting at. Whatever
Ganondorf was about to say, Link knew he would have a point. But seeing as he
only recently began to use his voice again in the first place he wasn’t sure
how easily he would be able to speak a second language.
“From now on, I want you to pay close attention to what you hear. As soon as
you know even a few words, you are use them as much as possible. I have no
plans of leaving your side, but we do not know what the future will bring.
There may come a time where I must leave you to your own devices, and you need
to be able to communicate. Understood?”
With a sigh of understanding but frustration nonetheless, Link nodded.
Ganondorf pressed a kiss to his temple. “You will get the hang of it soon
enough.”
The boy nodded again and wrapped his arms around his mentor, resting his head
against the man’s chest.
Chapter End Notes
     From now on, at least for a little while and unless it is specified
     what language things are said in, all things spoken in Hylian are
     going to be in bold font. Such as when Ganondorf said "yes and no".
     And now you know why Link is dressed like the women of his tribe! =D
     They consider that kind of clothing to be gender-neutral!
     Now imagine beefy young 18 year old Ganondorf dressed up in the same
     way...
     Welp, I guess this means I'll see ya'll again with chapter 11 on the
     11th. ;)
***** Foreign Town *****
Chapter Summary
     Link is left to his own devices in Hyrule Town. Unable to speak a
     single word of the local language, he sets goes out to see what
     things he can.
Chapter Notes
     I had a lot of fun writing this chapter.
     That's...all I'm going to say about it for now. =D
     EDIT: OH MY GOSH! A little somebody who only goes by "Me" down in the
     comments drew a cute lil' fanart for this fic!
     GO_CHECK_IT_OUT_FOR_YOURSELF!_=D
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Morning came, and like always Link was the second of the two to wake. He was
surprised to find that Ganondorf wasn’t in the room, but quickly spotted a note
that was sitting beside a small setting of food and some water. The man had
gone out to try and get more information about what had been going on, and he
planned to rejoin the boy around noon. Until then, Link was on his own.
Link frowned. Great, several hours in a city where he couldn’t speak a word of
the language. With a sigh he got himself ready for the day and eventually left
the room. The owner of the tavern greeted him, or he assumed she did as her
tone was chipper and she was directing her attention to him. He smiled politely
and muttered a quick “good morning”, even though he had a feeling she did not
know what he had said. Quietly and without really taking in any of his
surroundings within the tavern itself, he left the building to explore the city
a little.
On the quiet road the establishment was on, Link looked around himself and
tried to see if he could figure out what everything else in the area was. Most
everything was fenced off and appeared to be the backside of places, but he did
notice a few signs that caught his interest. One of which had a large, black
bomb painted on it. The other had a target with an arrow on its sign. Link had
never dealt with bombs before, but the one indicating archery sure had him
curious.
He entered the building and was surprised to see a couple of young men not too
much older than him and dressed in what he assumed were guard’s uniforms taking
shots at a bunch of moving targets. Behind a short counter near the entrance
was a large, overweight man watching with a bored expression. He was glancing
down at a watch he had in his hand, and after a moment he blew a whistle and
the two guards let out frustrated groans.
“Again!” one of them shouted.
“Yeah! We can still do this!” the other agreed.
The man behind the counter sighed. “You’ve been trying for twenty minutes.” He
grumbled. “You’re welcome to keep at it, I won’t turn down the business, but
don’t you think you should take a break?”
“Again!”
The two guards dug through their pockets and managed to scrape together enough
to pay the owner again. The man stashed the money away and got to his feet. He
retrieved the arrows they had put into the targets and tossed a couple that had
gotten broken. He replaced them and handed the bundle back to the men. He took
his seat behind the counter and stared at his watch. When the hands ticked to
the right spot, he blew his whistle and the guards set to work trying to hit
the targets.
Link frowned. He began to question if the two men really were guards. Watching
them was more difficult than watching the warriors back home during the
festival. Their stance was all wrong, and they were gripping their arrows too
tightly. Not to mention they easily missed half of their shots, and the targets
weren’t that far away from them. After what Link felt like had been only a
minute and a half, the man behind the counter blew his whistle again, much to
the disappointment of the men.
“So, care to give it another shot?” he asked, sounding entirely bored.
The two men looked between each other, grimaces on their faces. They didn’t
have the money left for that to be an option. With a disgruntled “tch” the two
men handed over the bows and arrows they had been using. They shoved Link out
of the way and left the building. The owner grunted as he got back on his feet.
He glanced down at Link, looked him up and down incredulously, and then went to
retrieve and replace the arrows. Link watched him curiously and then eyed the
sign that was hanging in front of his counter.
There were a series of pictures indicating the options and rules for each of
the games. Ten rupees would get you twenty arrows and forty-five seconds to hit
the targets. If you got what Link assumed was thirty points there was a small
cash prize of twenty rupees. If fifty points were scored, there was a larger
prize of fifty rupees. There were two other games, but they were out of Link’s
price range. When the man turned back to him, Link waved to get his attention
and pointed at the first part of the sign.
“Ah, so you want to give it a try?” the man asked. He shrugged, assuming from
Link’s clothing and lack of speaking that he didn’t understand a word he had
just said. “You’re welcome to…” While he was still out among the targets, he
pointed to the three rows of them in turn and held up the appropriate number of
fingers as he spoke. “Back row’s three points, middle’s two, and the front will
get you one.” Link nodded and retrieved the fee from one of the pouches on his
belt. Despite clearly having a bow and quiver of his own, the man gave Link one
of the bows the two guards had been using and counted out the arrows for him.
Link supposed this was to keep things fair.
Link took his position in front of the targets and nocked one of the arrows and
waited for the whistle to be blown. A moment later, he heard the sound and put
his first arrow in to one of the back targets. He was quick to fire his next
shots, making use of his not needing to aim to speed things up. He had two
arrows left when he heard the whistle again, followed by an impressed hum from
the man as he got up from his seat. Link had hit mostly back row targets and a
couple of middle ones. He didn’t know quite how many points he had gotten, but
it was clearly enough for the lower tier prize. To his delight the man handed
over a bright purple rupee as his prize.
“Good show, kid!” the man stated, giving him a grin and a thumb’s up. Link
smiled up at him and handed him back the bow and remaining arrows.
With an extra forty rupees in his wallet, and a sting of pride that he might
have outdone two guards, Link left the archery building. He thought about
investigating the building with the bomb on it, but got distracted from that by
a familiar squeak. He looked around and found the tiny kitten he had met the
day before huddled near the base of a tree not too far away. Link smiled and
stepped to the side of the road and knelt down. He clicked his tongue softly
and held his hand out towards the small animal. The kitten mewed again and
trotted over to him to rub its head into his fingers, starting to purr again.
Link gave the kitten a few scratches before sitting down and lifting the little
animal on to his lap. He pet its soft fur as it walked up and down his thigh
and eventually climbed up his chest to perch on one of his shoulders. Link
couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him as the kitten’s fluffiness tickled
against his ear as it turned around and around to find the most comfortable way
to sit. He reached back as best he could to continue stroking it when, to his
amazement, a few other cats poked their heads out of where they had been hiding
to watch. He watched them curiously. One of them, all black and clearly an
adult, slunk forward and sniffed at his shoe cautiously. It then rubbed its
face against it and got a little closer. Link held his free hand out to it and
it jumped back a little bit. He remained still, and slowly the cat approached
him again and smelled his outstretched hand.
When Link was certain that his movement wouldn’t startle the cat away, he moved
just a little and pet the cat’s silky fur at the nape of its neck. The cat
closed its eyes and lowered its head a little, allowing the boy to continue
petting and scratching it until he was massaging the top of its head, drawing
out a quiet purr from the older cat. While he had been giving attention to that
cat, about half a dozen more slipped out of their hiding spots and were now
investigating Link more closely. The boy chuckled as he watched them.
“So does that make you their boss?” he asked the black cat. “The others trust
me now that you do.” His fingers found the cat’s chin and he scratched there,
the cat lifted his head and appearing to be smiling. “Well, I’m glad to have
your approval, Mr. Boss.”
As much as Link wanted to stay and play with the cats all morning, he knew he
should be spending his time getting better acquainted with the town. Something
about it gave him the feeling that he would be back to visit it many more times
before he was finished with the task he had been given. He carefully removed
the cats from his person and got to his feet, brushing dirt from his backside.
He looked about, deciding which way to go, and chose to wander further down the
road to the parts he hadn’t yet seen.
After a short while, the road curved and met an alleyway. Link considered it
briefly before wandering aimlessly down it. The characters hanging around it
were shadier than they were in the rest of the town that he had come across,
and Link knew it despite having never been to a place like that before. He
glanced around, assuming certain groups were only keeping their distance from
him because he was clearly armed. Part of him wondered how surprised they’d be
if they attacked him unarmed thinking he would have been an easy target. After
all, they were much closer to his own size and Link was used to taking on
Ganondorf. Link was certain he could make quick work of them.
Aside from the shady bunch he had passed, the rest of the alley remained
uninteresting. The place Link now found himself in appeared to be the town
center. A large, ornate fountain poured water endlessly from three tall statues
depicting the Goddesses, reminding Link of the fountain back in Gerudo Town.
Around it, children ran about on its outer edge and people would occasionally
toss a rupee or two into it. The area was open, and packed almost as tightly
with people as the market streets had been. Sticking to the edges, Link walked
around to take in the buildings that lined this area. He could tell that people
were giving him strange looks as he passed, but he did his best to ignore them.
He assumed they were not used to seeing a Gerudo. Besides, the shops were much
more interesting to pay attention to. Some were filled with knick-knacks,
others with fine clothing, and still others with brightly painted toys. Little
about their wares meant much to Link, but there was one place that caught his
attention.
It was a rather inconspicuous shop, with no great sign out front and only one
window which had no display. Link peered in out of curiosity and found things
like arrows, cheap wooden shields, and oil across the counter. Everything was
clearly labeled with price tags, and he made a mental note of it should he ever
have need of such things.
After crossing the whole of the town center, Link found another alleyway which
he then slipped in to. This one was much less populated than the last, but it
also had a strange, heavy odor about it. The stink lingered in Link’s sinuses
and he found himself wanting to cover his face to keep it from entering. Still,
he continued down it, as something about the smell was familiar to him and not
in a bad sort of way. He was only mildly surprised when he found the source.
Nestled in the furthest reaches of the alley was another shop. A sign depicting
bottles filled with strangely colored liquids were all Link needed to see to
know that this was a potion shop. Curiously, Link opened the door and stepped
inside.
It was dark, and a multicolored haze covered the floor, swishing and swirling
around his ankles as he crossed the room. Several large cauldrons bubbled away,
and Link peered in to each one of them. As he spotted one filled with a red
liquid just a few shades lighter than Koume and Kotake’s potion, he heard a
voice call out to him.
Link glanced up at the old man who was climbing onto a stool behind a row of
cauldrons at the back of the shop. The boy smiled and him and approached. The
man looked him up and down skeptically. He spoke something, and Link cast him
an apologetic look before shaking his head and softly mumbling that he didn’t
understand in his own language. The man tuttered out a quiet laugh and smiled
back at him.
“Good mornin’, young man. Been a long time since I had one o’ yer kind in
here.” The man spoke in nearly perfect Gerudo. Link blinked in surprise and
stepped closer. Again the man chuckled. “I got my start here from a pair o’
women from yer tribe. That was many years ago. Don’ suppose you know them?"
“Koume and Kotake?” Link asked. “I don’t know them personally, but they still
help the tribe from time to time.”
“Yes! Them!” the man grinned. “I was just a boy at the time, ’m surprised
they’re still kickin’. Ah, but yer kind live many years, do they not?” he
nodded to himself. “Well then, boy, let’s have yer name then.”
“I’m Link.”
“Good ta meet ya, Link. Name’s Marcus. I can’t say my potions are as potent as
my ol’ teachers’, but if you ever need somethin’ ta keep yerself goin’, I’d be
happy ta serve ya. I’ll even give ya a discount.” The man shot him a wink. “Fer
bein’ in the same tribe as those two crazy ol’ ladies.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” Link told him with a laugh.
“So, there anythin’ I can get fer ya today?” Marcus asked him.
Link looked about him. He still had a couple bottles of the potion from Koume
and Kotake, so he really didn’t need anything else at the moment. However, a
certain opportunity arose from being around somebody who spoke his language.
While he was certain Ganondorf planned to drill the Hylian language into him,
Link wondered if the man would be proud of him for taking the initiative.
As such, Link decided to give something a try. “Marcus…” Link began, wanting to
give himself a better chance of remembering the man’s name. “Could you teach me
a couple of Hylian words?”
“Certainly!” the man chirped. “What d’ya want ta know?”
“Hm… Well ‘yes’ and ‘no’ are always a good place to start. And maybe ‘I don’t
understand’ or better yet ‘I don’t speak Hylian’? Also ‘hello’ and ‘thank
you’.”
The man nodded. “Of course.”
Marcus told Link the three words he had asked for, and Link repeated them a few
times until he got them right, and then a few times more to help memorize them.
After which Marcus had him go over each word of the phrases he wanted to know
until the boy could say it fairly naturally-sounding. Link thanked him in
Hylian and decided he had taken too much of the man’s time already. Bidding him
a good day, Link left his shop.
Link glanced up at the sky and found it was getting close to the time he would
be meeting up with Ganondorf again. He decided not to explore further, and
instead retraced his steps, muttering the new words and phrases quietly to
himself as he walked. They felt so alien on his tongue, but he supposed any
practice he could get with them would help.
Upon arriving at the tavern again, Link found Ganondorf talking with the owner.
They had been speaking seriously, from what Link could gather from their tones.
They both looked up when the little bell by the door rang to signal somebody
had entered. Link gave them a brief wave as he came to stand beside Ganondorf.
“I take it you did some exploring, Link?” the man asked, to which Link nodded.
“That’s good. You’ll probably need to know much about this town.” He glanced at
the woman. “Cheryl here and I were talking about rumors from near the forests.
I’ll fill you in on those later.” He turned back to the woman and exchanged a
few words with her before giving Link his full attention. “We’re leaving town
already. Let’s gather our things and get going.”
Again Link nodded and followed him up to the room they had been occupying.
Having only spent one night, their belongings were still mostly together. It
didn’t take them more than a few minutes before they were ready and leaving the
tavern again. Ganondorf led the way towards the busy streets and, noticing the
distress on the boy’s face, he put an arm around Link’s shoulders. Briefly Link
wondered what people would think seeing them like that, but ended up deciding
that it didn’t really matter. They were together, after all. Why would that be
a problem for anyone outside of their tribe?
Once outside the walls of the town, the man released his student and the two
began to walk along the dirt road side-by-side. Link looked up at Ganondorf
briefly before speaking up.
“Why are we leaving so late in the day?” he asked.
“It’s true we could have stayed another night and gotten an early start, but
something about that town has always felt…unwelcoming to me.” Ganondorf
admitted. “It is not something I can put my finger on, as everyone I have
spoken to has been kind enough. There’s just something that feels off about
that place.”
Link raised an eyebrow. Sure, he was overwhelmed by the crowd and found the
strange language to be intimidating, but he hadn’t felt Hyrule Town to be
unwelcoming. Especially when there were adorable creatures like cats around for
him to pet and play with. He didn’t say as such, and instead quietly hummed a
thoughtful note to himself. He took a step closer to Ganondorf and took hold of
his hand, lacing their fingers together as they walked. Ganondorf smiled down
at him and squeezed the boy’s hand gently. They didn’t hold hands all that
much, but neither shied away from it if the other made the offer.
Some ways down the road, Ganondorf guided them off the path and back into the
tall grass. With Hyrule Town out of the way, Link was beginning to see what he
was certain was the forest. The tall, dark green trees sat off in the distance,
and even as far off as they were the boy was beginning to be amazed by how
dense they were. Trees in the desert were sparse, twisted, and their leaves
weren’t nearly so thick. He was starting to feel excited at the prospect of
exploring them, of lounging in the shade they provided, and to take in the
scent of dense foliage.
“Remember, Link...” Ganondorf began, seeing the sparkle in his eye. “The forest
is a labyrinth. It is easy to get lost in, and once lost, your chances of
escape are close to zero. In fact, those who live near it have stories about
how those who go in and lose their way become cursed. Children become one with
the trees, taking on a wooden appearance and mischievous nature. Adults are
said to rot away alive into skeletons. As fun as it may sound to go in and
explore, I cannot stress enough that you stay alert at all times.”
Link frowned. He gave a nod and looked down at the ground, which was growing
increasingly dark as the sun was already beginning to set. Ganondorf was right,
they weren’t on this journey to sightsee, after all. He knew there were going
to be dangers, Impa had warned them as such. But a small part of him wished
they could take things slower. That they could spend as much time as they
wanted enjoying the change of environment. He tightened his grip on his
mentor’s hand just slightly. Perhaps it was foolish to think about, but a small
part of Link had to wonder if he might be able to convince Ganondorf that
taking it slow could be a good thing.
Chapter End Notes
     Oh my gosh, writing Link being completely out of his element was
     great! I especially had fun with the archery minigame bit. Just
     trying to piece together how he and the minigame guy would
     communicate was fun. I know it seems simple, and it kind of is, but
     I'm super happy with how that whole bit came out.
     Also the thing with the "Boss" cat has a bit of a story to it. My
     neighbor has a black cat that roams the neighborhood like he owns the
     place, so my family jokingly calls him "Boss Cat". He doesn't let us
     touch him, though. I just thought it'd be fun to include him in this.
     =3
     If you want updates as to what's going on with this fic or any of my
     other "main works", consider checking out my tumblr, wiloshorts! I
     post updates there if something ever comes up! I write a bunch of
     other things that go up there as well. =D Either way, I plan to see
     you all on July 11th with the next chapter!
***** Night in the Labyrinth *****
Chapter Summary
     Link and his mentor finally reach the forest labyrinth. They spend
     the whole afternoon within it, and when night comes, Link decides to
     take advantage of the privacy the forest offers them. On top of that
     the boy finally brings up something fairly important to Ganondorf.
Chapter Notes
     Ooh hoo hoo~ B3 This fic is gonna be earning its rating again this
     chapter~
     And because I want to give any and all fanart the chance it deserves
     to be seen, I'm sharing this again. A little somebody who only goes
     by "Me" down in the comments drew this, so go_check_it_out_for
     yourself! =D (Personally, I love how gentle Ganondorf is being with
     Link. <3 So sweet!)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Around noon a few days later, the pair arrived at what could loosely be called
a village at the edge of the forest. A cluster of a dozen or two houses had
been built around half a mile from the line of trees, and surrounding them was
a decently sized bit of farmland. Ganondorf explained briefly that the people
who lived there wanted to take advantage of the forest’s rich soil, but were
too afraid to brave the trees for more than a few feet in. Most of the
residents were closer to the man’s age as well, being old enough where they had
started families and wanted space for their children to run and play.
The more intimate size of the village put Link much more at ease than the town
had. Nobody was shouting at him or pushing others out of the way, they were
just going about their lives. It was a little strange though, because Link and
Ganondorf stuck out like sore thumbs and everybody noticed them. Thankfully, a
young man came to greet them, calling out to Ganondorf by name. He and
Ganondorf exchanged a few short words and then the young man let them be.
“We’ll stop here for lunch, but we won’t stay long.” The man stated, leading
Link through the village to a small patch of grass beneath a tree near its
edge. “The people here keep to themselves, but they’re friendly.” The pair sat
down in the shade and Link ran a hand through his hair, pushing a few strands
out of his face. He had been letting his hair grow out like Ganondorf had and
it kept getting blown into his face by the wind. “If we get the chance at a
later date, this would be a good place for you to pick up the language.”
Link nodded and took a drink from his canteen. He had taken to answering “yes”
and “no” questions in Hylian when he could. It had surprised Ganondorf the
first time he did it. The man had even proudly put an arm around the boy and
drawn him into a tight hug. As they had walked they chatted, the man had done
his best to teach him as many words as he could, and when he thought of them
the boy did his best to use them. But everything about Hylian was still very
foreign to him and it took a conscious effort on Link’s part to use what little
he knew. Link was also fairly certain that his pronunciation was awful.
“How long do you think it’ll take to get where we need to be? To the…” the boy
asked. He furrowed his brow in concentration. “…forest…tem…temple?”
Ganondorf smiled at his effort and passed him his share of their lunch. “If we
traverse it correctly, we’ll be through the labyrinth in two or three days.”
“You know the way?”
“I’ve been through it twice. We’ll manage.”
Somehow Ganondorf’s confidence in their ability to navigate a place he had been
repeatedly warning Link about didn’t comfort the boy all too much. If the
natural side of the forest wasn’t intimidating enough, there was the magical
side to worry about. Link had never encountered anything explicitly magical
before, let alone an entire region of the world that was protected by magic. A
part of him had to wonder if Ganondorf knew something about magic that he
wasn’t telling.
The man must have noticed the look on Link’s face, for he smiled at the boy and
spoke up. “You don’t need to worry. As long as we stay on track, the forest’s
magic won’t bother us.”
Again it did little to ease Link’s nerves, but he nodded again and tried to put
it out of his mind.
Their break ended far too soon for Link, but the boy didn’t argue when
Ganondorf announced it was time to get going again. He walked as casually as
always across the fields between them and the forest, and Link followed closely
behind him. His first step into the line of trees had Link tense. He had been
expecting to feel something. He wasn’t sure what, but since the forest actively
tried to keep invaders out he thought maybe there would be at least an ominous
presence. He felt no such thing. In fact, all he felt was a slight drop in
temperature as the sun was suddenly blocked out by the thick leaves above their
heads. The more he followed after Ganondorf, the more Link began to relax.
Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all?
By nightfall Link could no longer see the settlement behind them. He was fairly
certain they had kept moving straight ahead, but he had a feeling he could be
entirely wrong. Eventually Ganondorf let out a sigh and turned to face him. He
said they were going to stop even though it was still just a bit early. While
Ganondorf assured him that they were still on the right track, even he didn’t
want to chance messing that up in the dark. Link didn’t complain.
They cleared a space on the forest floor to make themselves comfortable and to
build a small fire to give them a bit of warmth and light. Link wasted no time
in sitting down beside his mentor, leaning against the man’s shoulder and
closing his eyes contentedly. Ganondorf put an arm around the boy and the two
lapsed into a comfortable silence. As the minutes ticked by, Link started to
get an all-too familiar feeling. Silently he raised a hand and laid it on his
mentor’s thigh, stroking the muscular flesh through his clothes. The corners of
the man’s mouth twitched up as Link’s hand got just a little bolder and his
fingers brushed across his inner thigh.
“I suppose I shouldn’t have expected any different when you sat down beside me.
It’s been more than a week, after all.” Ganondorf stated, pulling Link closer
to him. “You have something in mind?”
Link grinned up at him. “Yes…” he whispered, remembering to use the new word.
He tilted his head up to meet Ganondorf’s lips as they came down to his.
Link shifted to straddle one of the man’s thighs and ran his fingers through
Ganondorf’s beard, pulling him deeper into their kiss. The man’s hands dragged
him closer still by his hips, unashamedly caressing his back and butt
afterwards. Slowly the boy’s fingers threaded into Ganondorf’s hair, gripping
firmly and giving the slightest of tugs. The man hummed happily and Link
slipped his tongue passed their lips to meet his and explore his mouth. Link
knew his mouth and tongue now, and a few quick swipes of his tongue had the man
groaning pleasantly. Not to be outdone, Ganondorf bit Link’s bottom lip and
sucked on it, eliciting a soft gasp from the boy.
Their mouths parted and Ganondorf leaned in further to tease his ear and neck.
Link shivered at the feeling of the wet muscle caressing the shell of his ear,
all the way up to the point. Only months ago he never would have believed such
a thing could feel so good, and yet here he was clinging to Ganondorf and
sucking in a breath as his lower region reacted to it. One of Link’s hands fell
from his hair and gently stroked down the back of his neck to his shoulder. His
fingers brushed away the edge of his shirt and, taking the hint, Ganondorf let
up on what he was doing so Link could lavish attention on his favorite place to
work his mouth over.
The boy wasted no time in gliding his tongue down Ganondorf’s neck, stopping to
kiss only once on his way. His eyes briefly scanned the exposed skin before him
and he frowned. The part he could see still had a bruise from the last time,
although it was close to being completely faded by now. Judging by Link’s
hesitation, Ganondorf pulled away from the boy just long enough to remove his
shirt entirely. With the man’s whole upper body laid bare for him to take his
pick, Link eagerly seized up the expanse of skin and dived in to sink his teeth
into the man’s collarbone. Ganondorf flinched, but otherwise didn’t object.
Even when he felt the familiar sting of the boy biting just a bit too hard and
breaking the skin, he didn’t tell him to stop.
The man’s hands found the edges of Link’s thin shirt, and the boy whined softly
as Ganondorf’s fingers brushed over his sensitive sides. He bit down a fraction
harder for half a second before sitting up and allowing his mentor to strip his
chest bare. Wanting to keep the boy from biting him again so soon, Ganondorf
ravished Link’s chest with his mouth. No inch of skin went without a kiss or a
gentle nip or suck, and Link moaned loudly when one of his nipples came under
attention. Link’s fingers curled, dragging his nails down and across
Ganondorf’s back and shoulders. The man chuckled; the thought of the boy
marking him up regardless of taking away his ability to bite endearing to him.
It was Link who first reached between them to grasp at Ganondorf’s erection.
The man groaned, pressing himself further against the boy’s hand. Link groped
and rubbed his palm over the bulge. He kept it up, listening as Ganondorf’s
breathing became more and more shallow and labored. When he felt the slightest
hint of moister through the fabric, he pulled his hand away, much to the man’s
disappointment. It took little coaxing for Ganondorf to remove his pants, and
Link settled himself between his outstretched legs. He ran his hands delicately
over his mentor’s thighs, teasing the sensitive skin near his length but not
touching it again quite yet. Slowly Link leaned down, but rather than give
attention to the one part Ganondorf really wanted him to, the boy sunk his
teeth into the inside of his thigh. Something somewhere between a laugh and a
growl escaped the man’s throat, and Link lavished the red mark he had just made
with his tongue.
Ganondorf watched him with lust-clouded eyes as Link finally stopped his
teasing and grasped his dick to give it a few strokes. The boy glanced up at
him and licked his lips, causing the man to grin in anticipation. Sure enough,
Link’s next move was to lean down and run the tip of his tongue up the entire
length of Ganondorf’s considerable cock. The man’s toes curled just a little
and he leaned back on his palms to give Link more room to work.
The boy continued to run his tongue along the engorged dick in front of him,
lapping up the precum that trickled from the tip. Ganondorf moaned loudly as
Link finally took the head into his mouth and sucked. Slowly Link began to
swallow him down, sucking and flicking his tongue against the underside every
half inch or so. He felt the head against the back of his throat, and he hummed
around the length. He grasped what was left in his hand, knowing he couldn’t
take any more into his mouth. Just as slowly as he had taken it in, Link let
Ganondorf’s cock slide from his mouth. He stopped at the head again, sealing
his lips around it once more and this time taking him in as far as he could in
one swift motion.
Link continued to bob his head along his length, stroking what he couldn’t
reach with his fingers. Ganondorf gave up on keeping quiet, letting his heavy
panting and deep, rumbling moans echo through the forest around them. He lifted
a hand, wiped it briefly against his side to clean the dirt from his palm, and
fisted it into Link’s hair. The boy let out a tiny whimper, a sound that
despite not doing much directly still aroused the man further. Link took the
action as a signal to pick up the pace, and so speed up he did. His movements
were now accompanied by a generous amount of saliva, and each time he raised
his head a delicious slurp accompanied it. Ganondorf was coming undone beneath
him, and Link focused his every movement to bring him over the edge.
He was barely given a choked breath as a warning before the man emptied himself
into Link’s mouth. Thankfully the boy had come to learn the slight change in
breathing as a sign and was ready. He sealed his lips tightly around Ganondorf,
swallowing back his seed as quickly as possible. When he knew the man was
finished, he pulled off of him with a soft “pop” and sat upright, panting from
the effort and his own arousal. Fortunately Ganondorf was on top of it, and
quickly pinned him to the ground on his back and pressed a passionate, open-
mouthed kiss to Link’s flushed lips.
In an instant the rest of Link’s clothing was removed and he was bared
entirely. His mentor’s warm, rough hand encircled his shaft and began to pump
him vigorously. Link became a writhing bundle of need beneath Ganondorf, nails
once again grazing over the man’s back as he tried desperately to fill his
lungs with precious air. He was so, so close! Ganondorf knew it, and
frustratingly enough seemed to be taking his time to decide on what to do to
make the boy come. It took only a few seconds, but each one felt like an
eternity too long before the man leaned down and bit Link’s collarbone,
mimicking what the boy had done to him just before. It hurt, but the rush of
pain in his aroused state tipped him overboard and he came into Ganondorf’s
hand.
Link went limp, arms outstretched beside him as he panted. The man lowered
himself to lay completely on top of the boy, and after a moment Link grasped
the wrist of his dirtied hand and brought it to his lips, licking it clean.
Ganondorf let out a laugh as he watched him. No matter how often he witnessed
the boy do something like that, it would still be just as arousing and
endearing.
Once they had calmed down and regained their breaths, Ganondorf sat up and
pulled Link up with him. They got themselves clothed again before setting up
their bedding to make themselves more comfortable upon the ground. Ganondorf
laid out on his back, Link curling up against his chest. Ganondorf stroked the
boy’s back, soothing him further and causing the boy to feel a bit sleepy.
Before he gave in and let himself fall into dreamland, Link spoke up.
“I’ve been thinking. Do we have a time limit?” he asked.
“Hm?” Ganondorf glanced down at him curiously.
“I know that the sooner we find out what this problem is, the better. But,
well, the pace we’ve been taking things at feels a bit rushed. This is my first
time outside of the desert, and I haven’t been able to take any of it in.
That’s what I feel like, anyway.”
The man stared up at the trees and drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly as
he thought. His hand rubbed Link’s shoulders some more, and the boy waited
patiently for his mentor to give him an answer. At length, Ganondorf spoke up
again.
“I’ve always been one to try and do things as quickly as possible. When I was
in training, I would push myself so hard that I actually fainted on a number of
occasions. Even when I began to leave the desert on a regular basis, I never
allowed myself the chance to stop and smell the roses. I did what I needed to
and I moved on. Even when I would be away for my own leisure, I didn’t spend a
whole lot of time in one place. When I started training you, I continued to
think this way. I pushed you hard, not intending to spare you even an inch
despite how tired I could see you were. But…that did change over time. When I
asked if you wanted to fight in the rain, for example. I hadn’t even noticed I
was doing it until weeks after, but I think I slowed down just a little because
you were showing immense progress despite the already high expectations I had
for you. Technically speaking your training is done now, but I suppose I’m
still driving us as hard as I can. And that’s a damn shame. I’ve enjoyed the
slower pace you’ve shown me, what little of that there has been.
So how about this? We press on just a little bit faster than we have been
tomorrow. Whenever we reach the labyrinth’s end, I’ll turn the reins over to
you. You lead the way at whatever speed you feel is best, and I’ll follow. Even
once we get out of this forest again, I’ll let you decide where we go and how
we get there. Impa’s task is important, certainly, but it won’t do if we push
ourselves so hard that one or both of us gets hurt.”
Link’s eyes sparkled at the man’s words. He hadn’t expected such a lengthy
explanation, but he was glad for it. Ganondorf was willing to recognize how
Link felt and to give him the freedom he desired. The boy beamed and clung
tighter to his mentor, muttering a soft “thank you” in Hylian to him. Ganondorf
pressed a kiss to the top of his head and patted his back.
“It’s still a bit early, but I think we should call it a night. An early sleep
means an early start. If you want to take the reins soon we’ll want to get
going bright and early.”
Ganondorf flinched as the boy’s teeth scraped his collarbone through his shirt.
“Or we could get an early sleep and wake at our normal time so that we’re
better rested for the rest of this labyrinth.” Link pointed out.
The man chuckled. “Understood. Just don’t bite me like that again.”
A wave of concern hit Link. Did Ganondorf actually not like getting bitten? Had
Link accidentally hurt him too much in doing so?
“Why?” he asked.
“Because…” Ganondorf pulled Link further up onto his body until the boy was
laying entirely on top of him and they stared into each other’s eyes, their
noses a mere inch from each other. “…I’ve come to associate you biting me with
sex. So if you’re going to bite me for no reason, I may end up getting the
wrong idea and think you’re trying to be frisky.”
Link grinned. “Maybe I am.”
“Do you want to get to bed early, or do you want to go another round, boy?”
Link had to put some serious thought into his answer. “We’ll sleep.” He
decided, shifting a little down Ganondorf’s body so that he could drop his head
comfortably on the man’s chest. “Sex later.”
Ganondorf patted his back again and closed his eyes. With the magic of the
forest to give them some protection from the night’s usual monsters, both found
sleep fairly quickly and were able to rest together in each other’s arms for
the first time since they left Hyrule Town.
Chapter End Notes
     Of course Ganondorf likes being bitten, Link! You think a man like
     him would allow you to just do something he didn't like? B) That
     aside, I hope this filled all of your porn tanks well enough! Because
     next chapter it is back to plot!
     See ya'll again on August 11th, if not sooner (depending on my mood).
     If you want updates as to what's going on with this fic or any of my
     other "main works", consider checking out my tumblr, wiloshorts! I
     post updates there if something ever comes up!
***** Forest Exploration *****
Chapter Summary
     Link and Ganondorf arrive in the main part of the forest. True to his
     word, Ganondorf allows the boy to explore to his heart's content.
Chapter Notes
     I had intended to release another early update, but other stuff kinda
     swamped me and I didn't really get the chance to do so. Heck, even
     this month's posting date kinda snuck up on me. That said, with this
     chapter we officially reach what I consider to be the meat of the
     story! =D Every Zelda game has that point where you (Link) are
     released into the world to just bumble around and somehow make
     progress in doing so, and this is it for this story. Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The rest of their journey through the labyrinth of trees exhausted Link. When
he had heard “just a bit faster” he didn’t expect it to mean “walking so fast
they may as well have been jogging all day”. Link liked to think he had a good
amount of stamina, but by the day’s end he was panting heavily and sweating
more than enough to make him uncomfortable. By all appearances, Ganondorf
wasn’t faring much better than him, which did give Link some relief in his
abilities.
At first the boy had wondered how they were to know when they were in the clear
of the forest’s labyrinth, but when they arrived in a large, nearly-clear area
he knew they were passed the worst of it. He hurried passed Ganondorf and
immediately hoisted himself up onto a fallen log and then into a short tree to
get a better look around. Ganondorf came to stand beneath him and waited while
the boy took in his surroundings.
The trees were far less dense in this area. They grew here and there, but for
the most part it was just dense foliage, rotting logs, rocks, and ledges. The
elevation of the area was surprisingly uneven, and Link wasn’t certain if the
highest point he could see was close to the center or not. He eyed his
surroundings, taking note of a few places that looked like he could crawl or
climb through, and tried to figure out the best route to take to reach them.
Once satisfied, he hopped out of the tree and motioned for Ganondorf to follow
him.
The man did so silently. Link had spotted what could vaguely be called a path
and he was now leading them along it. A couple of times he stopped to take in
his surroundings again, making sure he was going the way he wanted to be.
Finally he came to a tall cliff side covered in vines. Link reached out to
them, gripped them in one hand, and gave a sharp tug to test their strength.
Once satisfied with that, he heaved himself up by them. Ganondorf stood back
and watched as the boy continued to climb, carefully maneuvered his way to one
side, and pulled himself into a little alcove. He disappeared into it, and
Ganondorf raised an eyebrow, wondering just how deep into the cliff it went.
A few moments passed, and Link finally stepped back in to view. He lowered
himself until he was just about sitting on the edge and then dropped down in
front of Ganondorf. He held out a small red rupee, something the man was
certain Link had not had beforehand.
“Is it normal for money to just be lying around in the wilderness?” Link asked.
Ganondorf ran a hand through his short beard, raising an eyebrow at it. “I’m
not certain. My guess would be that it was dropped there a long time ago by
somebody who had used that spot as a resting place.”
Link shrugged and pocketed the money. Finders keepers, he figured. He got back
on the path, but before he could reach his next point of interest both he and
Ganondorf stopped in their tracks.
Monsters. What looked like half a dozen of them. They were similar in
appearance to the ones that Link had kept at bay in Hyrule Field at night, but
their skin color was green like the lush trees and bushes around them. Link
gripped the hilt of his sword, preparing himself to fight. Even Ganondorf drew
one of his blades. The boy took the lead and approached the odd creatures, and
they let out surprised shrieks as they all noticed the pair at once. They
charged a bit awkwardly on their short legs and Link sprinted into the fray. He
tore passed the first onslaught of them, leaving them for Ganondorf to bring
down, and instead swung his blade through the flesh of the archers who had
stayed back a short ways. He had never gone up against something that was using
his own weapon of choice, but he could tell just by how slow they were to line
up their shots that these beasts were nothing to be afraid of. He hacked and
slashed his way through the lot of them, barely feeling one of their shoddy
arrows scrape passed his lower arm.
Once all were felled, he turned to see how Ganondorf was faring and wasn’t
surprised to see the man sheathing his sword already. If Link could dispatch
some archers in less than a minute, of course his mentor wouldn’t be slowed
down by a handful of rotting wooden clubs. Link checked his arm to see what the
damage was and decided that the cut wasn’t anywhere near deep enough to worry
about. He stepped over the rapidly decaying corpses (Link having learned some
time ago that because the monsters were magical in nature they decomposed
impossibly fast) and approached yet another tree that grew in the center of the
small space that had just served as their arena.
Link wasn’t so used to climbing the trunks of trees, as he certainly had not
grown up around them. Fortunately Ganondorf was there to give him a boost up
and onto the lowest branch and Link could take things from there. He pulled
himself up a few more feet before carefully inching his way out on one of the
thicker branches. Ganondorf squinted to see what he was going for, as the sun
had set a while ago and it was getting difficult to see in the darkness. Link
snatched something from what looked like an abandoned bird’s nest. He eyed his
reward curiously and called down to his mentor before sliding off the branch
and relying on the man to catch him, which he did.
Once Link’s feet were safely back on the ground he held out a most unusual
object to the man. It was about half the size of Link’s palm and appeared to be
made of glass and was shaped like a heart, the kind somebody would draw to
symbolize life or love. It was mostly clear, but it had a smaller red heart in
its center. While Link slipped it into a pocket, Ganondorf wracked his brain as
to what it could be. He was sure he should know something about it, as he had
heard tales of all sorts of strange objects, but he was at a loss.
As it was now too dark to see, Link lit his lantern and the pair began to
search for what they hoped would be a safe place to rest for the night. In the
meantime Link crawled through some brush to find yet more dropped money;
another point of interest he then crossed off of his mental check list. They
decided to settle on top of a low ledge, with a much taller one at their backs.
It wasn’t the best place, but it at least gave them a chance to see any
marauding monsters coming. As usual, Link took the first watch and Ganondorf
stayed awake during the early morning hours.
When Link woke it was to a strange sound. His eyes slipped open and he looked
about, trying to figure out if it had just been a part of his dream. He could
see Ganondorf sitting on the edge of their ledge, and the man seemed to be
unperturbed. Link yawned and stretched, tipping off the man that he was awake.
He crawled over to Ganondorf, wrapped his arms around his shoulders from
behind, and kissed him on the cheek in greeting.
“Did you hear anything just now?” Link asked.
“No, I don’t believe so.” Ganondorf replied, turning his head to look at the
boy and give him a proper peck on the lips. “What do you think you heard?”
Link hummed in thought. “It almost sounded like that kitten.”
The man laughed. “I don’t think there are any cats out here. If there are, they
aren’t the kind you want to go petting…not that they would let anyone near them
in the first place.”
“I don’t think it was a kitten.” The boy said, shaking his head. “It just
sounded like one. It was a squeak.”
“Might have been a bird. There are some around here that you won’t find
anywhere else in all of Hyrule.”
“Maybe…” Link replied, although he wasn’t convinced.
He buried his face into Ganondorf’s neck. The man’s hair was quite long now,
and doing so meant Link got a face full of thick, red locks. It was cool to the
touch and even a bit silky, and Link breathed a happy sigh into it. He sat back
on his on his legs and ran his hands through Ganondorf’s hair, combing it
behind his ears with gentle fingertips. A thought occurred to the boy and he
smiled fondly as his hands began to separate the locks in to three parts.
“What are you doing?” Ganondorf asked him, amusement apparent in his voice.
“Guess.” Link replied teasingly as his hands began to work the three parts
together.
It only took Ganondorf a few moments to piece together what was going on.
“You’re braiding it.”
“Yes.” Link giggled. “I…er…think…it will...uh…look…um…good!” he said slowly but
happily, mentally patting himself on the back for remembering all but one of
the words he was after.
Ganondorf almost wished he could turn around and hug the boy. That hadn’t been
his longest nor his most complex sentence that he had spoken in Hylian, but it
may very well have been the first one he had pieced together on his own without
being prompted to come up with one. He waited patiently as Link got up to fetch
a string in order to finish and tie off Ganondorf’s hair. The boy was allowed a
minute to admire his work before the man turned around to face him.
“That was very good.” Ganondorf told him, pulling the boy into a hug. “But you
really should try and speak Hylian more than you do.” Link frowned at him. “The
more you use it, the better you will get.” He ruffled the boy’s hair and got to
his feet. “If you don’t pick up on the language soon, I may be forced to only
speak in it until you do.”
Link couldn’t even begin to understand what the man had just said, and he
frowned. He assumed it was something important though, if only from the way
Ganondorf had said it. Without asking for a translation, he stood and the pair
gathered up their belongings to start the day.
                                     *****
Link’s climbing and exploration earned him a handful more rupees and little
else. While not the most exciting finds, it was at least interesting for him to
get to know the area better. For his part, Ganondorf was enjoying how excited
the boy was about having a whole new place to roam about freely. What’s more,
even the occasional monster didn’t slow down or hinder them all too much.
The place they stopped at for lunch was a natural fountain. The pure, clean
water spilled forth from the base of a moderately sized tree and down a short
ledge, finally ending in a shallow pool. Neither wasted any time in first
making sure the area was clear of monsters, and then drinking to their hearts’
content. The water was oddly refreshing, Link found. While cool and delicious,
he could almost feel it actually reenergizing him. A part of him wanted to
mention it to Ganondorf, but he decided against it when the man didn’t bring
anything of the sort up himself. Thinking it might have just been his
imagination, Link flopped onto his back in the soft grass around it while
Ganondorf refilled their canteens.
“So how close are we to where we’re going?” the boy asked.
“Surprisingly, not much further.” The man replied, scanning the trees around
them. “We’re nearly at the peak as far as these hills go, and just on the other
side is our destination. Although I doubt that will be the end of our business
in this forest.”
“Really? The temple is that close? I didn’t see anything like that when I was
looking around.”
“That’s just it… Ah, hold that thought.” Ganondorf motioned for Link to get up.
“See those yellow fruits hanging from that tree?” Link nodded. “Shoot a couple
down for us.”
The boy drew his bow and fired a couple arrows, both catching separate fruits
and causing them to fall to the ground. They broke open upon landing and
Ganondorf picked through them to get what little edible flesh they possessed.
He passed one of the chunks over to Link and sat down beside him.
“When I say we’re almost to our destination, I do not mean the temple Impa
spoke of.” Ganondorf stated as Link sunk his teeth into the tender fruit.
Delight filled the boy’s eyes briefly at the sweet taste and he ate with
enthusiasm. “The place where we’re going is known as the Deku Tree. It’s an
ancient guardian of the forest, having been here since before Hyrule was
established. It is the tree’s magic that protects the forest and turns the
labyrinth around it into something truly formidable. With any luck, we’ll be
able to get some information from it as to where this templeis.”
“The tree can talk?” Link frowned momentarily. “I guess I shouldn’t be so
surprised, everything else about this place is unusual.”
Ganondorf barked out a laugh. “The tree cannot talk, no. But that does not mean
it cannot communicate. The natives here can hear its voice. They are incredibly
shy and won’t show themselves easily, but if we can earn the tree’s trust they
might just be willing to tell us what we need to know.”
Link hummed in thought, finishing off his fruit and licking the sweet juice
from his fingertips. “I’ve been meaning to ask…” he began, going off on a small
tangent. “We got through the labyrinth really easily. How is that?”
The man furrowed his brow, just a little and only for a second. “You are still
very new to the world, so I suppose I shouldn’t have expected you to feel it.
Let’s just say that I am a lot more sensitive to magic than most people. I
could feel it whenever we got too close to a place the Deku Tree had made off
limits, so I steered us away from there. The monsters that invaded this forest
could not feel such subtle changes, which is why it took as long as it did for
this place to fall. And judging from what we’ve seen, they haven’t been able to
get more than the bare minimum inside.” His face fell. “Unfortunately though
that means whoever is commanding them now knows the way inside, and even if the
Deku Tree changes the path, they’ll be able to get inside far more easily from
here on out.”
Link got to his feet. “Then we do what we can to help while we’re here.” He
stated determinately.
Ganondorf smiled up at the boy and joined him in standing. After brushing a few
stray bits of grass off of themselves, the pair continued on their way. To
Link’s surprise, the monsters they encountered from there weren’t the green
beasts they had taken to calling bokoblins, but bizarre, round things that
would hide underground beneath shrubs. They would pop up out of the soil to
spit rocks at the pair, and it didn’t take Link long to piece together that if
he deflected the rocks with his shield, the fragile monsters would be wounded
and usually die on the spot.
The first real hurtle the two came across was in the form of a large gap in the
cliffs they were walking across the top of now. With his keen eye, Link
immediately spotted a vine tangled around a branch that hung near the middle of
the gap. With a quick boost from Ganondorf, the boy scaled the tree and cut the
vine, lowering it so that it hung near the edge of the side they were on. Link
returned to the ground and tugged at it, making sure it and the branch could
support his weight. He was fairly certain it would, but…
He glanced at Ganondorf beside him, who was looking at it with suspicion. The
man shook his head and looked down at Link. “You should be able to make it just
fine, but there’s no chance it will carry me.” He smiled at the boy briefly.
“You go on ahead. I’ll find my own way around. I’ll join up with you soon.”
Link nodded. He got to his tip-toes and placed a kiss on the man’s cheek before
gripping the vine firmly and taking a running leap off the edge, swinging
across the gap easily. Once his feet were firmly on the other side, he turned
around and the pair waved at each other before Ganondorf headed back the way
they came. Now on his own, Link took a deep breath and pressed forward.
Chapter End Notes
     I hope ya'll are ready for several chapters of cuteness and real
     story progression, because that is what coming. B) That said, I'll
     see ya'll again on September 11th (ouch, bad date...) if not sooner
     (should my other work allow for it)!
***** The Deku Tree *****
Chapter Summary
     Link is on his own in the vast forest. Just who, or what, is he going
     to find in the strange magical place? And will who- or whatever it is
     he finds be able to help him?
Chapter Notes
     Who's excited? I'm excited! I must say I quite like this chapter. =3
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Almost immediately after they were separated, Link wished Ganondorf had been
able to follow him. As he began to descend the other side of the hill he
spotted another collection of bokoblins. There weren’t enough to be a problem
for him to take on alone, but not having the man at his back made him just a
little nervous. With a sigh he drew his bow once more. It was unlikely he would
be able to bring down all of them this way, but if he could pick off a few
before they got close to him it would make cutting through the group all the
easier.
The first arrow hit its mark, and the whole lot of them shrieked. As they began
to charge on Link’s position, the boy strafed to one side to make it harder on
their archers to hit him. Again Link had to be thankful that they weren’t too
bright or skilled, as he was certain that they would have been able to hit him
no problem otherwise. With a few more arrows their archers were felled and the
others were nearly upon him with their clubs. Quickly switching weapons, Link
closed the gap between them and hacked and sliced his way through them.
Once every last monster had been dispatched, he breathed a sigh and looked
around to gain his bearings again. He had been unable to get a look at what was
on this side of the hills before, but now he had a considerable view. The
ledges on this side were sloped, and there was a clearly walked-on path going
down them. It was a bit steep, but at the bottom of them was a wide open space.
At the far side of it grew a massive tree, the likes of which Link wondered how
he hadn’t spotted before. There didn’t appear to be any more monsters about,
but Link didn’t drop his guard as he wandered down the path.
In the clearing he glanced around himself cautiously. He wasn’t sure why, but
he felt like something was watching him. He took slow, measured steps forward,
prepared to draw his blade at any moment. Once in the middle of the clearing,
he stopped and turned his gaze upward towards the giant tree.
It was a majestic thing, easily taller than any tower he had seen from his
brief glimpse of Hyrule Castle in the distance, and nearly half as wide as the
clearing itself was. Link felt himself awestruck by the thought of just how old
a tree would have to be to get so large. He had heard once that full grown
trees could be several hundred years old, but this one must have easily been in
its thousands.
So much had Link been staring at the tree that he didn’t notice the movements
in the brush around the clearing. Only when one particular bush rustled
especially loudly did he snap out of his thoughts and put a hand on the hilt of
his blade. He stared at the bush intently, waiting to see if something would
emerge, and if something did if it would be hostile towards him.
He was expecting any number of things, from a sneaky bokoblin who thought it
might get the jump on him to a bird that had woken from a nap. One thing he was
not expecting however, was for a strange, pudgy, and furry creature to peek out
from between the leaves. Link locked eyes with it and it the creature let out a
squeak and hid itself again. Link blinked in surprise. He’d heard that noise
before!
Relinquishing his grip on his weapon, Link tried to relax his posture a bit,
eyes trained on the bushes where the creature had been. Slowly, ever so slowly
the creature pushed a branch out of the way to get a better look at Link again.
It stared, afraid and curious. Link tried not to move. He didn’t want to scare
whatever it was even more if he could help it. Finally, with a nervous
squeaking whine, the creature took a few steps forward and into a position
where Link could get a better look at it.
In the short time Link had been outside of the desert, he’d seen a number of
things he’d never imagined could exist, but this one took the cake. It was very
short, not even standing as tall as his waist…and Link wasn’t very tall
himself. Whether it was fat, fur, or both, the creature was incredibly round
and didn’t look like it was very fit. It stood on two legs, though they were
much too short for its body. And the strangest thing about it yet was that it
appeared to have a small bush of its own sprouting from its back.
The little creature took a few steps closer to Link before it froze in place.
It glanced around itself wearily before turning fearful eyes at Link. If the
boy were to guess, he’d assume it had moved without realizing it had left its
hiding place. The thought made Link laugh, softly. He relaxed further and cast
the little thing a smile.
“Hello.” Link spoke, hoping it would understand him.
It blinked a few times, considering him. Just as Link began to think that maybe
it didn’t speak Hylian, the little creature took a deep breath and whispered
out, “He-hello…”
Feeling a bit bolder at having gotten a reaction from whatever this little
thing was, Link took a step towards it. It flinched, but didn’t back away. “My
name is Link. What is yours?”
“C-C-Ca…ih… Caih…” it answered.
“Uh… Nice to…to…”
“Meet you?” Caih offered.
“Yes! Thank you. Nice to meet you.” What almost looked like a smile tugged at
the corners of the small creature’s mouth, and Link felt elated that it was
starting to get used to being in front of him. “I have a question...but…”
“What is it, kwee?” Caih asked, tilting its head to one side.
“You are…?”
“Kikwi!” Caih said happily, this time not holding back its smile. “I am a
Kikwi, kwee. What are you?”
“Human. Gerudo.” Link vaguely indicated the symbols on his shirt.
“Gerudo? I’ve never…you. How…?” Caih muttered, bringing one of its tiny hands
to its face in thought. Link couldn’t quite understand what it had just said,
and frowned.
“I am sorry. What?”
The Kikwi shook its head and approached him further, this time without
hesitation. It came to stand beside Link and looked up at the gigantic tree. It
muttered something that Link could not understand at all. However its tiny,
squeaking voice only continued to make Link think of the kitten he had met
before. A part of him wanted to reach out and pet Caih, but he restrained
himself out of politeness. Finally Caih stopped its chattering and looked back
to Link.
“The Deku Tree says he is pleased to meet you, kwee.”
Link blinked in surprise. The last thing he had expected was for this small
creature to be able to speak his language. On top of that, the usual guttural
Gerudo language being spoken in such a high pitched and cute tone was nearly
unbearable. If Caih’s intention was to make Link want to throw his arms around
it in a tight hug, it was doing it well. It took the boy a moment to realize
exactly what it had said.
“Wait, the Deku Tree says that?”
Caih nodded and pointed at the tree. “He says that he has not seen one of your
kind around here in a long time, kwee. He is happy that you are here.”
“Then…is he the reason you can speak my language?”
Again Caih gave him a nod. “He is letting me speak to you on his behalf.”
It was certainly odd, but Link couldn’t help but look back up at the tree with
a smile on his face. “It is nice to meet you too, Deku Tree!”
Caih joined Link in gazing up at the great, immobile guardian the forest. “He
wants to wish you a warm welcome to the Deku’s Forest.” Caih quickly looked at
Link and added shyly, “He named it that himself, kwee.”
Link chuckled at that, figuring that last part had not been something the tree
had said. “Thank you.”
“The Deku Tree has a question for you…” Caih fidgeted. “He wants to know what
has brought you so far that you are here now. He says the journey from the
desert isn’t something just anyone makes on a whim, kwee. He wonders if you
have some purpose in being here.”
Link took a deep breath. Getting right to the point was good, he supposed. He’d
fooled around enough the last twenty-four hours, now it was time to push
forward.
“The queen’s guard captain, Impa, sent me. She says something is wrong with
Queen Zelda, and that somehow I and my ment-…my lover, Ganondorf, are involved.
I don’t know the details but Impa told us that there was something called a
temple here in the forest. I was hoping to find it, since it might have some
answers for us.”
Caih lowered its head, focusing on the words the Deku Tree was no doubt
speaking inaudibly to Link. Moments passed, and the boy was beginning to wonder
if something was wrong. He waited. And waited. And waited. Finally Caih closed
its eyes and stood upright again.
“The Deku Tree knows these woods well, kwee. He knows every nook and cranny.
Unfortunately, he says he does not know of this ‘temple’ of which you speak.”
Link gasped, eyes widening. If the Deku Tree didn’t know, then…?
“But!” Caih spoke, bringing Link out of his momentary panic. “He says that he
may know a way for you to find it still. What you were told was a ‘temple’
might just be…well, he says that even if he were to tell you what you are
looking for now, you would not be able to get there, kwee.”
“Wh-what?”
“You would not be able to reach this place even if you knew where to go and
what it was you seek. The Deku Tree says that he sealed that place off long
ago, and it has since been left unchecked, kwee. He says that even if he wanted
to, he cannot open the way for you.”
“I…I see…” Link muttered. “Wait, what was that about ‘even if he wanted to’?
Are you saying he doesn’t want me to be there right now?”
Caih nodded. “He says that the way you are now, if you were to go there, you
would surely die.”
The boy froze. Sure, he had been weary before about what this journey of his
and Ganondorf’s would entail, but this had to be the first time somebody had
ever told him flatly that he would die if he were to make the wrong move. Even
trekking through the labyrinth, death was not something that was on the table.
Being turned into a skeleton yes, but not death. And of course at that time he
had had Ganondorf by his side to guide him.
“What…what do you mean by that?” he asked, staring up at the tree.
“He means exactly what he says, kwee. While the rest of the forest has only
recently succumb to monsters, he says that place has been overrun with them
since long, long ago. Even we Kikwi are forbidden to go near it, kwee.”
There was a long pause that hung in the air. Link was at a loss for words.
Fortunately Caih spoke up again.
“The Deku Tree says that if you are so determined to go to this place…there may
yet be a way for you to do so, kwee. He says he will help you, but first you
must do something-” Caih paused and stared up at the tree in disbelief. What it
said next was once again in its own tongue, and Link could only watch him
curiously as it babbled on and on. After several exchanges, Caih released a
long sigh of defeat. “He says that if you want his help, if you want to have
any chance at surviving, then you must do us…and I mean ‘us’ as in us Kikwi…a
favor, kwee.”
“I’ll do it.” Link stated with determination.
“Then…” Caih began. “In this forest, there are creatures who are not native,
but were still born here. Usually they stay in the surrounding woods and leave
us alone. But the monsters disturbed them, and they’ve intruded on our home,
kwee. My friends, the other Kikwi, are always being harassed, kwee. So the Deku
Tree asks that you find them all and bring them back here where he can keep a
safe eye on them.” The Kikwi fidgeted nervously. “I can show you to where they
are, but I’m too scared to help you look for them.”
“Alright. Show me where to go, and I’ll do the rest.”
With a tiny nod of its head, Caih motioned for Link to follow him. It was slow
on its stumpy legs, and after a moment Link was overcome with the urge to pick
it up. Unlike before, he acted on it. He easily scooped the small creature up
into his arms, hugging it carefully but firmly around its middle. Caih let out
a started shriek, and Link quickly apologized and explained it would be faster
if he just carried it. With a nervous whimper, Caih agreed with him and began
to point the way.
The Kikwi lead him into the brush. The boy tried to pay close attention to the
direction they were going, but found it was getting difficult as he continued
to step through and around bushes, trees, and various exotic plants. A part of
him hoped that Caih or one of the other Kikwi would be able to lead him back,
because he was certain that he would end up getting lost otherwise.
Eventually Link spied another clearing through the trees, and judging by the
way Caih was pointing, that was where he needed to go. Before he could cross
the threshold of trees, the Kikwi squirmed in his arms and whined. Getting the
idea, Link placed it gently back on the ground.
“I don’t…” it whimpered, shaking in fear. “I…that is…not…”
Link frowned. He had no idea what the Kikwi was trying to say to him. He
wondered if the Deku Tree’s magic had worn off and Caih was now unable to speak
his language. Seeing the little creature so afraid though, he had to assume
that it didn’t want to go any further. Link patted it on the head, giving it a
warm smile.
“Stay.” He told it. “I will go.”
Caih looked up at him, eyes watering a bit out of fear. It nodded, and Link
went on his own out into the clearing. At first glance, this one was much
smaller than the one before. But as soon as the boy found a way to get to
higher elevation by climbing up onto a tall stump, he saw that there were
several openings in the trees that led to other areas. He looked back to where
Caih stood waiting at the edge of the woods. He had a question to ask, but did
not know the words to ask it. He closed his eyes and wracked his brain as to
how to use motions to convey what he meant.
“Caih!” he called out, getting its attention. He pointed to it and held up one
finger on his other hand. “You…” he stated. He gestured to the area he was
about to explore. “Them…?” he slowly raised a few more fingers, one at a time.
Caih tilted its head to one side and scratched the top of it, trying to figure
out what Link was asking. It repeated his motions, and after a few seconds it
seemed to click and Caih let out a squeak.
It raised four of its little fingers for Link to see. “Them!” it replied.
There were four Kikwi Link had to find. Praying that the area wasn’t too large,
Link took a breath and hopped off the tree stump. He still had all afternoon to
hunt for them, and his lantern would help him a little if it got dark out, but
he wondered if this would be something he could do in such a short amount of
time. Not wanting to waste any more of it, he proceeded through the nearest
opening in the trees.
Chapter End Notes
     Kikwi>all other forest creatures. FIGHT ME! >:| (Although I AM a fan
     of the others, too. BUT KIKWI ARE TOO STINKING CUTE!) *ahem* So...I'm
     aware that I've probably flip-flopped between calling Caih "he" and
     "it". I mean for it to be an it, but I'm afraid I might've missed
     some mistakes. Sorry. ><
     I want to give a big, BIG shout-out/thank you to my partner-in-crime
     for this and the next part of this fic: melodicmadness. Anyway, along
     with the whole premise for this fic and many aspects thereof, they
     were a huge help in naming all of the Kikwi race...since I am wholly
     unfamiliar with tea. X'D
     Anywho, I will see you all again on October 11th, if not before! =D
***** The Kikwi and a Skull Kid *****
Chapter Summary
     Link begins his search for the other kikwi. While he hunts for them,
     a certain other inhabitant of the forest decides to be a nuisance.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Strangely, almost from the moment Link had entered the new clearing he could
hear music being played. Its tempo was quick, and was coming from only a single
instrument. Link looked around, but couldn’t see who might be playing it. He
wandered about the clearing, climbing up where he could and peering through
bushes, but he didn’t get any closer to the source. Feeling a little uneasy, he
approached another opening that was nearly right across from where he had come
from. The music got louder, and he hurried through.
Link nearly jumped out of his skin when the way behind him suddenly sealed over
with thick vines. The music was so loud now, and it was interrupted momentarily
only by a long, sharp note being played. Link covered his ears briefly, but
immediately drew his sword and shield when a handful of bizarre, twisted,
wooden things descended from the trees. They shuttered and shook, their limbs
clacking and moving unnaturally as they advanced on Link. As with any other
monster that came at him, Link hacked away, slicing through their hollow bodies
and making them collapse into piles of useless twigs. But as soon as he had
destroyed all of them, he heard a childlike giggle echo through the clearing
followed by another sharp blast on the instrument. More of the odd puppets fell
from the trees and advanced on him.
It didn’t take Link another second to determine that if he wanted to be rid of
the puppets, he would have to take out the puppet master. Ignoring the wooden
creatures, he darted about the clearing. The music being played echoed so
perfectly around the trees that he couldn’t determine exactly where it was
coming from. Eventually he noticed a small pool of water situated beside a huge
stump. Peering into it he noticed an opening at the base of the stump beneath
the surface, and he didn’t think twice before diving in and swimming through
the gap. He surfaced again inside the stump, and the source of the music
shrieked in surprise.
Like its puppets, the thing was made of wood. But unlike them, its body and
limbs were not crudely fashioned together, but were one whole piece, joints and
all. Its glowing yellow eyes peered at Link, and it let out a giggle. It stood
up from where it had been sitting on a mushroom and raised its flute-like
instrument to its mouth. Before it could play even a single note more, Link
stepped forward and bashed it with his shield. The creature yelped and stumbled
backwards, falling off of the mushroom and landing harshly on its back. It
groaned and hopped back to its feet. With another giggle, it leapt on top of
the mushroom and then onto the top edge of the hollow stump. It turned its back
to Link and gave its own butt a quick slap in his direction, taunting him,
before it leapt away.
Link was about to dive back into the water to give chase, but stopped when the
mushroom wriggled. He took a better look at it, and knelt down beside the
familiar pudgy, furry creature that was lying face-down on the ground.
“Hello.” Link told it in as warm a tone as he could.
The Kikwi flinched, and Link barely heard a whine escape from it.
“The Deku Tree sent me to find you.” Link stated, knowing it wouldn’t
understand more than two of those words. “Caih and Deku Tree,” he tried, “for
you.”
Slowly the Kikwi peeked up at him. It was clearly still nervous about the
situation, but that it sat up spoke volumes of how much it was willing to trust
Link.
“Caih…?” it asked, voice shaking and tears forming at the corners of its eyes.
Link nodded. He looked around, trying to see if there was a way to get the
Kikwi out of the stump. As he did, he also had to wonder how it had gotten in
there in the first place. He could understand if it had been dropped in there
by the strange creature and its puppets, but if by some chance it was there
voluntarily he was at a loss. Cautiously he picked it up, and the Kikwi
whimpered but didn’t fight him. He had to raise himself onto his toes, and even
then it had to pull itself up the last few inches to stand on top of the stump.
Once it was situated there, Link went back through the water and emerged on the
other side. He took the few steps around the stump to stand in front of the
Kikwi and held his arms out towards it. Getting the idea, it gave a short hop
and Link caught it easily. He set it back on its feet and pointed to where the
vines had receded and the opening showed once again.
“Caih.” He stated.
The Kikwi gave him the smallest of bows. “Thank you, kyu.” It whispered. It
paused, pointing to itself. “Rooi.”
“Link.” The boy replied with a smile, placing a hand on his own chest.
“Thank you, Link.” It repeated before hustling towards the exit.
The boy watched it go before turning his attention to one of the two other
openings. He approached both of them, listening intently. Through one he could
just barely hear the creature’s flute being played, and so he went through it.
He followed his ears a few more times, trying his best to take in his
surroundings as he went. A part of him wondered if maybe the other Kikwi were
in hiding in the places he had gone through, but he was determined to get rid
of that monstrous pest that was in the area first.
He knew he had stepped into the right place when once again the opening behind
him grew over with vines. This place was easy to get a grasp of, as it was
completely flat and only had a hollow log in it. Dancing awkwardly on top of
said log was the wooden creature. It stopped to summon more of its puppets, and
Link was quick to be rid of them and to attack the creature again with his
shield. It was hit in the face and fell over onto the hard ground with a groan.
It lay there a second before placing its hands on the ground beside its head
and flipping itself backwards and up onto its feet. It growled softly, and
darted away through a new opening. Link ignored it for now and peered into the
log. Sure enough, a grass-covered Kikwi was hiding inside.
Link whispered softly to it, but rather than come near him, it scooted closer
to the other side. Link stood and went over to there, only for it scoot back to
where it had been before. With a sigh, Link removed his weapons so he could fit
into the log himself. He crawled flat on his belly until he could reach out and
touch the Kikwi. It shrieked and hurried out of the log. Link followed it
through and quickly grabbed it before it could go back in. He sat down on the
ground, holding it tightly as it wriggled to get free. As best he could, he pet
its soft head and made little noises to try and shush it and doing his best to
explain that its friends and the Deku Tree were looking for it.
After a minute or so, the Kikwi began to tire out. Eventually it went limp,
sobbing quietly in his arms. Link felt bad for forcing it to come out of
hiding, but he had already tried to tell it that its friends were waiting. He
continued to hold and pet and comfort it until it stopped crying and finally
blinked up at him. It was clear from the confusion on its face that it didn’t
know why Link wasn’t hurting it, and the boy offered it a smile.
“My name is Link.” He told it.
“Dajee.” It replied, its voice far softer than the others had been. “You are
friend, kee-paleep?” it asked.
Link nodded. “I am.” He pointed back the way he had just come. “Caih and Rooi.
Go.”
It wriggled a little and Link let it out of his arms. Nervously, Dajee trotted
his way out of the clearing they had been occupying. Link got himself back to
his feet and retrieved his weaponry. It was getting dark out much sooner than
he had anticipated, and a part of him hoped that he could get out of there
before night fell completely.
He went the same direction the wooden creature had gone again, and was
surprised to see that he was in one of the places he had walked through
previously. Once more he strained his ears as he walked the edge of the small
clearing, hoping to hear the music again. He caught the tune ever so softly and
followed it. The creature had him travelling all the way back to the start
again, but he was still not in the same place as it was. There was only one
other way for him to go, and so he did. Sure enough in this new place the vines
blocked his escape again and the creature’s music was loud.
Fallen logs, stumps, and even a few rocks liberally dotted the area, and Link
could just barely see the creature dancing at the highest peak. Link knew the
moment he tried to approach it, it would probably just run away. Instead he
crept as silently as he could around behind it while it was distracted with its
dancing. He pulled himself up onto a rock and then up into a tree near the edge
of the clearing. He sat as far out on the edge of the branch as he dared to and
removed his bow from his back. He eyed the creature for a moment before drawing
it. The second he fired, the creature shrieked and barely ducked out of the
way, the arrow slipping through the top of its straw hat.
It jumped up, pointing in Link’s direction and giggling loudly. The boy wasn’t
sure if it was trying to taunt him or was genuinely laughing like it was having
fun playing a game. It grinned at him and with a quick hop it appeared to float
backwards until it came to rest on another tree on the opposite end of the
clearing. It giggled again and twirled its flute around like a baton. It rested
the instrument against its shoulder.
“I like you.” It announced. Link gasped at its use of his language. “Let’s play
again some time. You can have those things back. They’re no fun anymore.” With
that it turned around and hopped away into the thickness of the woods.
Slowly Link descended from the tree he was in and took a quick scan of the
area. There were plenty of places for a Kikwi to be hiding here, and he really
didn’t want to try looking through each one. He decided to clear his throat and
called out.
“Hello? It is okay! You can come out!” he said loudly, using all of his
knowledge to piece together those sentences.
Much to his shock, it seemed to work. A little head peered from around one of
the rocks in the area and Link noticed that it was much smaller than the
others. He knelt down and watched it. He spoke again, telling it that it could
come closer, although using words it wouldn’t understand. Without much
hesitation the baby came out of its hiding place and hurried over to him. Link
was taken aback when the tiny, sprout-covered Kikwi threw itself at him and
hugged his leg. As if to confirm that this was indeed not normal for the
species, another Kikwi, an older one, peeked out from their hiding spot. It
shouted something Link couldn’t understand. When the baby didn’t respond, it
took a deep breath and hurried forward to pull the baby from Link.
“Ocha, no!” the flowered Kikwi cried.
The baby only shouted something else and threw itself back onto Link with a
happy little laugh. The older Kikwi tried desperately to separate the two of
them, and Link couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that escaped him.
“It is okay.” He told the flowered creature. “I am a friend. My name is Link.”
The older one stared up at him cautiously and then looked back down at the baby
who was still happily latched onto him. It glanced up at him again and sighed
shakily. “Ceylee, koo-weep. This is Ocha.” It stated.
As if on cue, the baby shouted out, “Ocha, koo-kwee!” and giggled again.
“Deku Tree is…” Link began before realizing he didn’t know the word for
‘waiting’. He frowned as he tried to think of some way to rephrase what he
wanted to tell them. For the first time, he found himself cursing his limited
vocabulary. He was certain he knew the words he wanted to use, but they were
not coming to him at all.
“He is looking for us?” Ceylee asked. Link nodded. “Then we go, koo-weep!” It
gave Ocha a little tug and said something to it quickly. The baby finally let
go of Link, mostly. It kept a hand on the leg of his pants and tugged, wanting
him to follow. Link complied, getting to his feet. Before he could even think
to speed up their return by picking one or both of them up, Ocha latched onto
his leg again, doing its best to climb him. With a laugh he reached down and
picked it up. The baby let out a happy giggle and climbed up onto his shoulder,
where it sat down.
Link put a hand on Ocha to steady it and looked at Ceylee. “You too?” he asked.
The older Kikwi shied away nervously, but one look at Ocha happily sitting on
Link’s shoulder changed its mind. Slowly it nodded, and Link knelt down to pick
it up in his free arm, doing his best not to shake Ocha free from his person.
Carrying the two Kikwi, Link proceeded to leave the small maze of clearings. He
was happy to meet up with the others just at the edge of the forest, and he set
Ceylee back on its feet. He continued to carry the tiny baby as the other four
chattered among themselves and led the way back to the clearing where the Deku
Tree was waiting for them.
Chapter End Notes
     Hoo boy, I was not expecting these end notes to be so long, but here
     we are...
      
     Some info about the kikwi I've created. Concept art for kikwi in
     Skyward Sword indicated there was going to be greater variety in what
     they had on their backs. I wanted mine to be more distinct than just
     having a bush on their backs, so I went with the more elaborate ideas
     when I made these little ones. Also, just like canon kikwis these
     little ones are named after different kinds of tea. Caih is Chai,
     Rooi is Rooibos, Dajee is Darjeeling, Ceylee is Ceylon, and Ocha
     is...Ocha. XD (And for even more trivia, until my friend helped me
     name them, they were referred to as Fred, Tim, Bob, Alfred, and
     Zeus......this is why I should not be allowed to name things.) I also
     gave each of them their own personalized verbal tick, instead of
     having a pool of them that they all share. =D I just think it's cuter
     that way.
     In addition to kikwi, my favorite forest creatures from Zelda are,
     you guessed it, skull kids! Not just Skull Kid from Majora's Mask,
     but skull kids in general. I love them to death and if you ask me
     they are horribly under-utilized. GIVE ME MORE SKULL KIDS, NINTENDO!
     *ahem*
     And finally...A SMALL ANNOUNCEMENT!
     I originally began writing this fic last year for NaNoWriMo, and what
     you have all been reading so far is a heavily edited version of that.
     I still have several chapters left before I've run out of material
     from last year. But! Next month I will once again return to working
     on this fic for NaNoWriMo. I am announcing this in case anyone would
     like to get a sneak peak at what is to come. Be aware that what I
     will be writing will likely be rough and messy (as is the nature of
     NaNoWriMo works) and will go through a lot of editing before it comes
     up here. Also be aware that you'll be missing a few chapters between
     now and where I will be starting from. But for those of you who would
     like to indulge in this preview, I suggest you follow me on tumblr or
     at least keep an eye on it from the start of November!
     To the rest of you, I'll see you again on November 11th for your
     regularly scheduled update! =D
***** Great Fairy of the Woods *****
Chapter Summary
     Although Link has rescued all of the Kikwi, there is still one last
     task for him to complete before he can be pointed to where the Forest
     Temple lays.
Chapter Notes
     This is another of those chapters that I happen to really like. Not
     for any specific character or scene, but just in general. I think it
     turned out really well, and a decent amount of plot progress gets
     made. =3
See the end of the chapter for more notes
A small part of Link was surprised to see Ganondorf waiting in the Deku Tree’s
clearing. The rest of him wondered how long he had been waiting and just what
he had been up to on his alternate route. Not really paying attention to the
Kikwi, Link hurried on ahead and up to him.
“Ganondorf!” he called out, getting his attention.
The man, who had been sitting on the ground observing the huge tree, smiled up
at him. Link dropped to his knees and threw his free arm around him. Ocha let
out a squeak, all the sudden movements and being brought so close to a stranger
understandably startling it.
“Oh, sorry!” Link exclaimed, sitting back on the ground and setting the baby
down.
“I see you’ve met the natives.” Ganondorf stated, looking at the tiny baby who
was staring at him curiously and then glancing at the other four who remained
at the edge of the forest. Dajee had already flopped down onto its belly,
trying to hide.
“Yes. They were being harassed by one of those wooden creatures you told me
about. The Deku Tree had me go and help them.”
The man nodded. “He told me. He said he had sent a boy to take care of the
skull kid. He’s very interested in you, you know? Says he sees a lot of
potential in you.”
Link’s eyes widened in surprise. “You…can talk to the tree?”
“A little. I told you, I am much more sensitive to magic than most people.”
While they talked, Caih slowly approached them, spurred by Ocha’s lack of fear
towards the large man. The Kikwi greeted Ganondorf by name, and then quickly
stated it only knew it because the Deku Tree had told him. No matter the
reason, Ganondorf spoke to it in a friendly manner, and slowly the others came
to join their braver friends. In turn, each got introduced to him. Even Dajee
gave up on being terrified after a time and came forward skittishly. After all
introductions had been made, Link finally asked the all-important question.
“Now that everyone’s back, what about getting to this temple?” he inquired,
turning his attention to the giant tree.
Caih fidgeted. “He says that…the Deku Tree says that he still doesn’t think you
are ready to go there, kwee. He says that death is almost certain for you.
But…” he glanced quickly at Ganondorf. “He says he understands your need to be
there, so he will help you. Somewhere in this forest is a very special spirit.
A fairy, kwee. He says that if you can find and convene with her, she will aid
you on your quest. If you can receive her gift, the secrets of thetemple can
become yours.”
“Can become?” Link asked. “So I need whatever it is she has in order to get
there?”
“No, kwee. You will need her gift after you have gotten inside.”
“I have an idea of where this fairy might be.” Ganondorf chimed in. “If it is
allowed, I can point Link in the right direction. But that is all I will do.
Actually speaking to her and getting her help will be all on him.” He eyed the
confused look the boy was giving him. “I know how these things work. It’s a
test, isn’t it?”
Caih nodded. “The Deku Tree will allow this.”
“Well then,” Ganondorf got to his feet, causing Dajee to flinch a little,
“let’s get a move on.”
“But it’s late!” Link stated, although he stood up despite his protest.
“Shouldn’t we rest?”
“This won’t take us long. We can rest afterwards. Besides, if this is going to
turn out the way I am suspecting, we’ll want as much time tomorrow to reach the
temple as possible.” He gazed up at the tree. “We’ll be back tomorrow. Thank
you for your understanding and assistance.”
“You lot stay safe.” Link told the Kikwi, who wished him likewise.
Without another moment’s delay, the man led Link back up the hill behind them.
As they walked, the man began to explain that he had gone back into the
labyrinth and had to carefully find his way through. It had taken him a few
hours, as the Deku Tree was being very cautious and the path led him well out
of the way. He had only arrived at the clearing minutes before Link returned.
The tree then recognized him and apologized for making it so difficult on him.
He said that the Kikwi have seen him before, but have never come so near to him
as they did just earlier. He also added that he was impressed Link could gain
their trust so easily.
“It wasn’t so easy.” Link admitted. “I think they mostly trust me because I got
rid of the skull kid that was worse than me.”
“The small one showed no signs of fear towards me because you were there. No
matter the reason, they like you. That is a feat to be praised.”
Emphasizing his point, Ganondorf put an arm around Link. The boy had nothing to
say to that, so he simply leaned against the man briefly, putting his own arm
around his waist in return. When they reached the gap where Link had swung
across on a vine, the pair instead slid down the side of the short cliff to cut
time. From there the two only had to trek back a short distance. As they
arrived again at the fountain, Ganondorf stopped and motioned for Link to go
forward on his own. Cautiously the boy stepped towards the water. He hesitated
at the edge before stepping into it. He was already wet, so what did it matter
if he went in? The water got no higher than waist-deep, and like drinking it
Link couldn’t help but feel that somehow it was oddly refreshing to stand in.
Once he was in the middle of the fountain he glanced back at Ganondorf for
help, but the man only shook his head. Link was all alone for this one.
The boy breathed deeply and closed his eyes. He had to do something, but he had
never spoken to a spirit before…unless talking to the Deku Tree through Caih
counted. What was he was supposed to do? A few minutes passed, and Link felt a
small nagging in the back of his mind. It seemed silly, and if he was wrong
Ganondorf might laugh at him. But it was all he could think of and so he tried
it. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, bowed his head a
little, and offered up a prayer to the spirit, the fairy, inhabiting the
fountain.
The sky dimmed considerably, even in the near-darkness that was already upon
the forest. Link opened his eyes and quickly looked about in confusion.
Ganondorf was gazing up at the sky curiously as well. Somehow seeing the man
even as slightly uncertain as that made Link wary, but his worries were tossed
away as a bright light appeared near the source of the fountain. It became
brighter and brighter, and Link had to shield his eyes from it. Almost as soon
as it had come, the light dimmed and the boy was able to look again. To his
awe, a being had formed from the light.
It was a woman. She was large, easily three times Link’s size and then some.
She had extremely pale skin, and was nearly naked from head to toe with only a
pale, shimmering cloth wrapped loosely around her hips. Her long green hair
draped over her shoulders and chest, barely serving to retain her modesty. From
her back sprouted huge, translucent wings. She was lounging on her side in the
clear waters, propped up on her elbows and peering down at Link curiously.
“What’s this? It has been a long time since someone has paid me a visit.” She
said, her voice light and airy. Her gaze drifted over Link’s form again and
when she spoke it was in his own tongue. “Hello, Little One, what brings you to
my fountain?”
Link blinked, finding it momentarily difficult to process what was happening.
He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting when he had heard about a ‘fairy’,
but this was not it.
“Um… The Deku Tree sent me to find you. He said I should speak to you about
something to help me once I am inside the temple in this forest.” Link replied.
“A temple, you say?” The fairy hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head to get a
different view of him. “Ah yes, I know what you speak of.” She sat upright on
her bent knees and laced her fingers together on her lap. “Would you mind
telling me why it is you need to go there?”
“The Queen of Hyrule’s royal guard, Impa, has told me that something is wrong
with Queen Zelda. The templeshould have some clues as to what the problem is.”
“Oh, is that so?” the fairy turned her head and now considered Ganondorf, who
hadn’t moved from where he stood but was watching the two with interest. “A
special quest from the royal family; a tale as old as time. But perhaps this
time there is a twist?” she gazed down at Link and a smile played across her
lips. “Very well. I like you, Hero. I will bestow upon you a gift that will aid
you in your quest.”
The fairy held out her arms towards Link, and for the briefest of moments he
felt power surge through him. It wasn’t painful, but he could feel it burning
beneath his skin. He looked down at himself, puzzled and wondering what had
just happened. The fairy giggled at his reaction and reached out with a finger
to gently place it beneath his chin and tip his head up to look her in the eye
again.
“I have given you a sacred power of fire. As a person of the desert, Hero, I
think you will find that it suits you well. Good luck on your journey. We will
not meet again, but should you need it the water from my fountain will ease
your weariness.”
And just like that, the fairy faded into a small ball of light which then
dissipated into nothingness. Link blinked a few times, startled by how simply
that had happened. He left the water and met Ganondorf with a puzzled
expression.
“So the Great Fairy has recognized you.” The man stated thoughtfully. “And
she’s given you magic. That’s quite interesting. You’ve never shown any
adeptness to magic before. I suppose this means I’ve got some new lessons to
give you.”
“You can use magic?” Link asked.
“Of course I can.” Ganondorf replied, grinning at the bewildered look he
received. “I have always been quite masterful with it. Who do you think my
mothers are?”
Well, that made sense. Although Link was still plenty shocked to learn that his
mentor, a man of incredible physical strength, could wield magic. He had never
seen or heard of that before. Before he could ask any further questions, the
man announced that they should set up camp already. Link complied, the events
of the day beginning to wear him down. In addition, being in the water more
than once that day left his clothing sopping wet and uncomfortable. Once they
had everything laid out as it needed to be, he stripped off his clothing,
flopped onto his stomach, and breathed a contented sigh, his eyes slipping
closed.
“Boy, you really know how to tempt me, don’t you?” Ganondorf asked him.
“Has there once been a time where I have been undressed around you and not been
willing?”
“I cannot answer that for certain, but I suppose you have always been since we
started having sex.”
Link was about to laugh at that but was cut off by a cool breeze sending a
shiver down his spine. He cracked an eye at Ganondorf and grinned. “How about I
make things easy for you? Being in the water all day has made me feel cold.
Warm me up.”
That was all the invitation his lover needed in order to approach him. Link
rolled onto his stomach and encircled Ganondorf’s neck with his arms as the man
came to lay on top of him, his full weight pressing down on Link’s chest and
between his legs. Link chuckled and welcomed the kiss that was given to him. He
brought one leg up and hooked it around the man’s waist.
“I want you inside of me.” Link breathed against Ganondorf’s ear before sinking
his teeth into the tender flesh just below it.
Ganondorf ran a hand down Link’s side before gripping and massaging one of his
butt cheeks roughly in his large palm. “I’m certainly up for that.” He
whispered back, his voice a low growl.
                                     *****
Link washed himself off quickly and pulled on a fresh change of clothes, his
old ones still drying on the grass. It was nearly time for the two to sleep and
they were getting themselves sorted after their brief distraction.
“Are you going to take first watch again or shall I?” Ganondorf asked.
“You’re the morning person.” Link stated. “Get some sleep. I’ll climb one of
these trees here soon and keep an eye on things.”
“Very well.” The man said, getting himself comfortable. “Good night, Link.”
The boy leaned over him briefly to steal once last kiss before he fell asleep.
“Good night.”
True to his word, it was only a few short minutes before Link stretched and
scaled a nearby tree. He sat on a low branch and leaned against the trunk, his
bow and a few arrows on his lap. Despite his exhaustion from everything he had
done that day, he felt plenty awake as he kept his eyes scanning the darkness
for movement. Eventually though he felt boredom creep over him, as there hadn’t
been a single monster yet that night and it had been a couple of hours. He
raised a hand in front of him and stared at it curiously.
He had never seen magic used before, let alone had any idea how he was supposed
to use it. Ganondorf said he would teach him, but Link had to wonder if he
might be able to learn a thing or two on his own. After all, he enjoyed being a
step ahead of what the man expected. Thinking to himself, he assumed that since
he was given fire magic, he should be able to make a flame in his hand, right?
He tried to envision what it would look like to have fire just sitting in the
palm his hand, and for a moment he thought he saw a small glow, but it could
have easily just been his mind playing tricks on him.
With a sigh, he gave up. He would definitely need Ganondorf’s help. He was too
tired to keep trying on his own.
Chapter End Notes
     Sorry ya'll, I don't mean to blue balls you by not including porn. =P
     But I figured that since you got some just a few chapters ago I
     should hold off this time. Don't want to spoil you all, now!
     Just a reminder, if anyone is interested I am currently working on
     this fic for NaNoWriMo! Between the end of this chapter and where I
     have started is a single chapter, so you will be missing a tiny bit.
     And of course what I am writing is rough and messy and will be
     heavily edited before it gets posted here. But I invite anyone who
     would like to get a sneak preview to come on over to HERE. =D I
     update my progress every Thursday and Sunday.
     And to the rest of you...keep an eye on this fic over the next few
     days. ;)
***** In Search of the Forest Temple *****
Chapter Summary
     With his new magic in hand, Link gets some help from an unlikely
     source as to the location of the Forest Temple.
Chapter Notes
     Oops, look at what's come early~~
     So um...today's actually my birthday (and I'm sick as a dog ><) and I
     thought I'd celebrate by giving you all the last of what I had
     written from last year's NaNoWriMo!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Midway through the night Link traded watch duty with Ganondorf like always. As
much as he disliked it, he had gotten fairly used to getting only six hours of
sleep every night, at most. Before leaving the desert he had a whole eight or
nine hours to enjoy and he missed that dearly. He didn’t complain, though, as
even if it meant having to stand watch at night it was better than trying to go
well out of his way to find a safe place to sleep.
When morning came and the boy was roused from slumber, he found his mentor
awake and staring off into the distance with a blank expression on his face.
Not wanting to interrupt his thoughts quite yet, Link quietly got up and drank
down as much water as he could from the fountain. When he found that his
movements hadn’t bothered Ganondorf whatsoever, Link decided it was time to
inform him that he was awake. He crept towards the man, not really intending to
be as silent as he was, and laid a hand on his shoulder. Ganondorf jumped a
little in surprise at Link’s touch and the boy slipped into his lap and draped
his arms around his neck. Ganondorf smiled down at him and wrapped his arms
about the boy’s waist.
“Morning.” Link muttered, pressing their lips together.
“You’re up earlier than I thought you’d be.” Ganondorf laughed. “You looked
very tired yesterday.”
“I’ll be fine.” The boy assured him. “Besides, I would be lying if I said I
wasn’t excited to learn how to use this fire magic.”
The man nodded. “I was just thinking about that, actually; about how best to
teach you. You’ve never used magic before, and it’s quite a bit different than
picking up a sword and swinging away.” He shifted to make himself and Link on
top of him more comfortable. “If you’re ready, we can try and get that started
now before we return to the Deku Tree.”
Link brought his hands down from his lover’s neck and gazed at them. “Sure, if
you think I can make any progress so quickly.”
“Oh, you will. That magic you have was a gift from a very powerful spirit, you
should be able to pick it up very easily.”
Much to Link’s disappointment he wasn’t able to remain on Ganondorf’s lap any
longer. The man instructed him to stand, which he and the boy did, and he
proceeded to walk the boy through using his new ability. Ganondorf started by
showing him one of his own magical attacks. He summoned a ball of darkness that
crackled between his hands. Link didn’t get very long to observe it, as
Ganondorf swiftly slammed it into a fallen log. The decaying hunk of wood
withered and fell apart as quickly as a bokoblin corpse before Link’s eyes.
“I find that magic is easier to use if you combine it with a form of combat you
already know. As you just saw, I prefer to do this without weapons. Do what you
are comfortable with, but I want you to light that on fire.” He instructed,
pointing at a small collection of bushes.
“What I am comfortable with?”
“Yes. What is it you think would be easiest to channel your magic with? Use it.
You’ll find that when you put your mind to it, you’ll be able to use magic in a
large number of ways. So pick whatever you like, get a clear, solid image of
what you want to have happen in your mind, and go through with it.”
Link couldn’t even begin to point out how absolutely vague that was. But since
Ganondorf was insisting that he should do this by using something he was
comfortable with, he picked up his bow and an arrow. He saw the man raise his
eyebrow curiously as Link took a few steps back to position himself better.
Nocking the arrow, Link tried his best to picture the bushes going up in
flames. He felt rather silly, but as he raised his bow he suddenly felt a surge
through his body similar to when he had first been given his new skill. Drawing
a breath, he fired. His arrow whizzed through the air and buried itself
somewhere in the bushes, but nothing else happened. Ganondorf ran a hand
thoughtfully through his beard.
“Not bad. Try this instead: don’t imagine the bushes being on fire. Focus on
the tip of your arrow.”
Link did so. He drew his bow again, and in his mind the very tip of the
arrowhead was set ablaze. He released the arrow, and it too shot into the
bushes never to be seen again. However this time a small spark shot from where
it had landed and one of the branches caught fire. It was weak and burned out
in a matter of seconds, but the sight left Link feeling elated. Judging by the
clap he got on the shoulder from his mentor, the man was satisfied as well.
“Well done, boy.” Ganondorf stated. “The more you do it, the better you will
get. And don’t limit yourself to just your bow. You never know what you’ll be
able to do if you don’t try out different things.”
“Yes sir!” Link laughed.
The pair swallowed down their breakfast and refilled their canteens. Again
Ganondorf had Link shoot down a few fruits that grew in the trees, if only to
give them something different to eat while they had the chance. When they
returned to the gap in the path that had caused them to part ways before, Link
was surprised to find that a good, sturdy log had been moved quite a number of
yards to form a bridge across. He looked to Ganondorf, who only flashed him a
smile and offered no explanation before climbing onto it and leading the way.
Link cracked grin and didn’t say anything, and simply followed after him.
They arrived at the Deku Tree’s clearing quickly, and a part of the boy was
glad to see all five of the Kikwis slumbering peacefully at its base. The four
older ones were nestled on their bellies, the plants on their backs serving as
a poor form of camouflage. Ocha was curled up on its side against Ceylee and
was snoring cutely. Before Link could question how they were supposed to
communicate with the tree, the boy felt an odd prickle under his skin. He heard
Ganondorf laugh beside him.
“That look on your face, you felt it didn’t you?” he asked.
“Yeah…what was that?”
“The Deku Tree saying good morning.” He replied, gazing up at the tree in
question. “The boy has done as you said and sought the Great Fairy of these
woods. She has given him her gift just as you had wanted. Link cannot
understand you, but I can. So tell me: where is this temple we seek?”
More prickling caused goosebumps to rise across Link’s arms and shoulders. For
a brief moment he anxiously wondered if it was going to keep going and felt
great relief that it didn’t. Beside him, Ganondorf had a thoughtful look on his
face as he listened to the words that Link could not hear. Finally the man
turned his head and gazed out into the forest in the direction Link had
explored the day before.
“I see… That does sound like what we would be looking for. Thank you, guardian
spirit. I will tell the boy what he needs to know.” The man stated before
turning his attention back to Link. “You will need to traverse that small maze
again. It should not be difficult. At the back, out of sight from everyone, is
a decrepit tower that was abandoned long, long ago. The Deku Tree says that it
has been there longer than he has, but still it stands, and his magic is unable
to penetrate it. If there is anywhere in the forest that would have answers for
us, it would be there.”
Link breathed a sigh. “Very well, let’s get going.”
Silently, the two proceeded into the forest. Link led the way, having enough
confidence in his sense of direction that he didn’t feel the need to have a
Kikwi guide him again. Sure enough, the two emerged into the first of the
series of clearings that made up the small maze. As soon as they were out in
the open, Link couldn’t help it as a gut feeling caused him to grip the hilt of
his blade. Curiously, Ganondorf seemed relaxed until Link was visibly on edge.
It was unlike Ganondorf to pick up on potential dangers only after Link had.
It took a few moments, but finally Link was able to figure out what the problem
was. The sound was very, very faint, but he could hear a few notes of the skull
kid’s song being played in the distance. Not dropping his guard, the boy
silently motioned for Ganondorf to follow him. The man understood, treading
softly after him and ready to defend himself should he need to. As soon as they
stepped in to another clearing, the man was finally able to hear the melody.
The louder volume gave Link pause. There was more than one flute being played.
“Sounds like that skull kid has friends.” Ganondorf murmured as if reading his
mind.
“You know that tune?”
“When crossing the labyrinth, something to keep an ear out for is their song.
If you can hear it, it means you are in a dangerous place and are about to be
lost.” The man stated. “Out here…I don’t know what it means.”
Cautiously the pair made their way deeper into the maze. Louder and louder the
song got until at last they stepped into the largest of the clearings at the
back of the area. Link had caught a glimpse of it while hunting the Kikwis, but
hadn’t actually gone in as the skull kid didn’t ever occupy it. Now though he
could see three of the strange wooden creatures dancing together on top of a
few pillars that formed a circle in the middle. Two of them were playing their
instruments, while the third kept the rhythm by clapping along.
All three stopped suddenly as they noticed the pair who had come into their
area. The empty-handed one tilted its head curiously as it eyed Link.
“You’re back.” It stated. “I wasn’t expecting you to come back so soon.” It
hopped across the pillars until it stood atop the one closest to them. “Did you
come to play with us?!”
“I’m sorry, no.” Link replied. “I’m here on business. The Deku Tree-”
“BAH! Deku Tree this, Deku Tree that! Why does everyone do what the Deku Tree
wants?” it crossed its arms and pouted as much as a creature made of wood
could. “So, what does the Deku Tree want this time?”
“It’s not so much what he wants as what I need.” Link stated sharply. “I need
to find the ruined tower in this forest, and he said it would be here.”
The skull kid let out a giggle and grinned at him. “Oh, is that so? In that
case, would you do me a favor?”
“Why should I? You were harassing the Kikwis!”
“I was not!” the creature exclaimed indignantly. “I was playing with them! If
you want to know where the tower is, then do me this favor. Or else you’re on
your own.” It grinned at him smugly, knowing all too well how much hassle it
would be for Link and his companion to find it on their own.
Link had a feeling that they couldfind the tower on their own, but that it
would take them far too much time for it to be worth it. With a groan he
resigned himself to aiding this strange creature. “Alright, alright. I’ll hear
you out. What do you need from me?”
“I dropped my flute at the top of that tower last night and a monster stole it
away. I want it back.”
“If I happen to come across your flute, I’ll return it to you.” The boy stated,
not wanting to promise results.
The skull kid nodded agreeably. “Good! Follow me.”
The skull kid hopped down from the pillar and hurried along the ground on its
short legs. Link followed it with caution, eyeing the other two who remained up
high and were watching them like vultures. Ganondorf too looked like he was
uncomfortable with the situation. When they neared the edge of the clearing,
Link noticed that there were more thick vines blocking the way forward. The
skull kid raised its arms above its head, joints clacking with the motion.
Slowly it lowered them down to his sides and the vines parted obediently. The
creature giggled and turned to Link once more.
“Through here.” It stated, taking a step aside and motioning for Link to go by.
“This is as far as I will take you. The monster that have invaded this land
would hurt even one of us, and I assume you do not want to put your life on the
line to protect me.”
Link nodded. “This is far enough. Thank you.”
Leading the way, Link stepped passed the wooden creature, Ganondorf at his
heels. A few feet in, Link nearly jumped out of his skin when the vines slipped
closed behind them. Even Ganondorf had turned around and put a hand on his
sword just in case. The skull kid’s laughter and voice echoed around them.
“Bring me my flute and I will let you come back through here. Otherwise, you
can rot in the labyrinth for all I care!” Its laughter sounded again. “Oh but
you two have magic, don’t you? Well then I guess eventually you would find your
way out… But I’m still not going to open these vines again without what you
promised me. Bye now!”
Link grimaced. He supposed that’s what he deserved for trusting something that
was a twisted, deformed child. He looked up at Ganondorf and the man looked
none too happy about the situation either. When their eyes met, Link half
expected his mentor to chastise him. Instead, what the man said left him nearly
as shocked as when the vines had closed shut behind them.
“You were conversing with that thing, were you not?”
The boy was completely taken aback and he stared up at Ganondorf, dumbfounded.
“I was. Did you not hear it speaking?”
The man shook his head. “I could only hear your side of the conversation. I
gathered that it wanted something in return and was showing us the way. That is
all I know.”
Link looked down at the ground sheepishly. It wouldn’t do to admit that he had
just been strung along for the most part, but he knew keeping it from Ganondorf
could only make matters worse. “It dropped its flute on top of the tower and it
was stolen by a monster. In return for getting it back, it showed us the way.
It said it wouldn’t open the vines again and we’ll be left to deal with the
labyrinth on our own if I don’t return it.”
Ganondorf scratched at his chin through his beard. “Is that so? Then we should
keep moving for now. We’ll figure out what to do once our business in that
tower is done.”
The boy nodded and took point as the two began to wander the narrow path before
them. Worried that they were going to become lost, Link asked if Ganondorf felt
the labyrinth’s magic. The man informed him that he could feel it all around
them, on either side of the barely-trodden dirt they were following. It put
Link even more on edge, but it seemed that there was no other way to go than to
keep moving along it.
Finally, after what could have been ten minutes or an hour, Link did not know
if only because his nerves had been on high alert the whole way, the forest
opened up once more. Or rather, the trees in the area changed. While there was
indeed a large clearing, the trees that grew around its edge were huge, and
their leaves formed a canopy above it, casting the whole area in an
otherworldly dark green hue. What might have once been a mighty fort or outpost
of stone was now nothing more than a pile of crumbled rock. At its center,
however, stood a lone fat tower that pierced high into the air and whose top
lay out of sight above the canopy. Aside from that, Link and Ganondorf could
see long, thick vines that crept a short ways down its sides from where the
canopy sat.
It was unmistakable that this was the “Forest Temple” that Link had been
searching for.
Chapter End Notes
     As I said, this is the very last of what I have written for this fic,
     aside from what I've been working on this month. Meaning you're all
     caught up now if you were worried about missing anything but wanted
     to indulge in the sneak preview going on over on my tumblr. ;) Again,
     it updates on Thursdays and Sundays, and will be rough around the
     edges due to the nature of NaNoWriMo.
     That aside, I will see you all on December 11th with some brand new
     content! =D
***** Tower Exploration *****
Chapter Summary
     Getting into the tower isn't easy, but of course exploring it is even
     more dangerous.
Chapter Notes
     Alrighty folks, we're getting into some great new territory fresh
     from just last month! Are you excited? I'm excited! IT'S DUNGEON
     TIME!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The crumbled stone of what used to be the fort made it difficult to approach
the tower. It was difficult to tell what would give under their weight and fall
aside, so Link and Ganondorf had to approach with a small amount of caution.
Circling the tower itself revealed no easy way to get inside. If there had once
been an entrance it was now buried under several tons of rock. Instead they
began to search around the ruins to see if there was another way to get in,
perhaps through an underground passage of some kind. Half an hour of searching
turned up no such thing, and the two took a moment to think over their options.
“Digging out an entrance would take far too long.” Ganondorf muttered, eyeing
the stones that surrounded the base of the tower. “Not to mention we don’t even
know where to begin.”
Link nodded his agreement and took a quick glance around the area once again.
Something caught his eye and he took several steps back from the tower and
stared up at it. Ganondorf raised an eyebrow at him before lifting his own eyes
to where the boy had been looking.
About twelve feet above Ganondorf’s head was an opening. It looked like it
might have once been a small window, but it had fallen apart and the space was
irregular in its shape and size. Link didn’t even have to voice his thoughts
for Ganondorf to realize that Link might be able to slip through if he were
somehow able to reach it.
“I can only lift you up so high.” The man stated. “You’d have to climb the rest
of the way.”
“I think I can manage that. Just be sure to catch me if I slip and fall.”
“You know I will.” Ganondorf smiled.
Link put a hand on his bicep and rose up onto his toes, and Ganondorf met him
halfway to kiss him. Afterward the man linked his hands together and bent down,
providing a foothold for Link to stand on. The boy stepped up and his lover
raised him up as high as he could. Link’s hands traced over the uneven surface
of the tower’s wall and he gripped a couple of stones that just barely jutted
out far enough for him to grab on to. He found a spot that he could fit his
toes into and heaved himself up. Climbing was slow going, but he made steady
progress. A couple of minutes ticked by and he finally managed to pull himself
level with the collapsed window.
He threw an arm over the lip of the opening and took a moment to regain his
breath. While he did, he sized up how much space he had to squeeze through and
clicked his tongue in annoyance. With his free hand, Link undid the buckle that
kept his bow and shield strapped to his back and tossed them both inside. Now a
few inches smaller, he heaved himself up and into the narrow space and slid
through. He recollected his gear and secured them to his person again before
peering through the opening again and waving to show that he had made it safely
inside.
“Just so you know, unless you can find another way in, I won’t be able to
follow you!” Ganondorf called up to him. “This is all on you now, boy! Do
whatever you can. I’ll be waiting out here for you one way or another. Take
your time and stay safe in there!”
Link nodded and turned around to assess his surroundings. He was in a little
room that was covered in dust and had old, broken, and rotting remnants of
wooden furniture scattered here and there. The appearance of the place had him
wondering if there really was going to be anything useful in a place as damaged
by time as this. He made his way over to a hunk of wood that used to be a door
but was now standing in the doorway only because no one had come along and
pushed it over. Link’s first instinct was to be the one to give it that push,
but he suddenly heard a scrapping sound coming from the floor above him.
He panicked and his eyes darted about to try and find a place to hide. His eyes
landed on the shadows beneath the staircase leading up, and he quickly ducked
into them, pressing himself as much into the corner as he possibly could. The
scraping halted and the door at the top of the stairs was pulled open. Then,
heavy footfalls fell upon the stairs, accompanied by a dull thump on every
step. Link held his breath and waited as whatever it was slowly descended.
The footsteps finished going down the stairs, and Link heard rattling from
whatever it was as it stood at the bottom of the steps. The thing didn’t sound
like any monster he had seen before. From his spot he couldn’t see the door he
had just been inspecting, but he didn’t dare peek out to see what was
happening. All he could do was listen. The thing approached the door that Link
had just been looking at, the thumping noise now a scraping sound along the
stone floor as it walked. It opened the door and stepped through, closing it
behind itself. Link continued to hold his breath and keep silent until the
monster’s footfalls could no longer be heard. He let out a long, slow sigh the
moment he felt safe enough to.
Link left his hiding spot and opted to try the stairway that the monster had
come from. The door at the top opened surprisingly easily, and Link proceeded
into the room that was there. Like the one before it, the place was covered in
dust. There didn’t appear to be any furniture in the room, but there were
remnants of wooden crates and glass bottles. Not seeing anything particularly
interesting, Link climbed the next staircase.
The door at the top appeared to be in far better condition than the others, but
it still came as a surprise when Link tried to open it, only to find that it
was locked shut. He tried to rattle it open, but to no avail; it was secure on
its hinges. Link went back down the stairs and scoured the floor, wondering if
there was a key or something he could use to get the door open. When nothing
turned up, he let out a little groan. At last he resigned himself to going back
down to where he had started.
He was hesitant to open the first door, but did so if only because he couldn’t
think of any other option. It opened with a rough scrape across the floor, and
Link only had to take a couple of steps to see that the next floor down was
littered with bones. He wound his way down, shoes crunching against the old and
brittle remains when he reached the floor. A quick look revealed that the bones
belonged to all sorts of animals, possibly having come from the forest, and he
may have been able to pick out a human skull or two. It was an unpleasant
sight, to be sure, but it was hardly enough to deter Link from continuing his
investigation.
He made his way over to the next door and pulled it open. Almost immediately he
heard the familiar cries of several bokoblins. Link drew his sword and shield
and charged down the stairs in order to engage them. The startled monsters fell
easily to his blade, and Link breathed a sigh of relief that the unknown
monster hadn’t been in the room. While he took a moment to regain his breath,
he did a little bit of mental deducing.
The floor he had started out from was very high up from the outside. The next
one down probably was not on the ground either. The floor he now stood upon,
however, had a strong likelihood that it was the ground floor. And yet, he
found, there were no doors in the wall that indicated a way out. There was,
however, yet another door leading to another staircase that went even deeper.
Link couldn’t help but feel glad that they hadn’t tried to dig the stone away
from the tower if the only entrance was from underground.
Having collected his thoughts, Link began to head down the new staircase.
Almost immediately he noticed this one to be very different than the others. It
wasn’t part of an open room, as there were walls on either side of him now, and
it continued on and on well beyond what the others had been. The amount of
light was also almost nonexistent, as the torches on the walls were incredibly
sparse. Link was tempted to light his lamp.
He nearly ran face-first into another door at the base of the stairs due to the
lack of light. He managed to stop just in time to avoid doing so, but it was
enough to make him finally give in and light the lantern. The door in front of
him was in almost pristine condition, and Link knew that whatever was on the
other side had to be important. Whether it was from magic keeping it from
rotting like the others, or because someone or something had recently replaced
it, Link did not know…although a part of him hoped it was the former.
The door opened easily and soundlessly, and a whole new area revealed itself to
Link. From the light of his lantern, he could see that it was a large room
leading away from the tower above. There was still dust upon the floor, but the
contents appeared to be that of old sleeping quarters. There were several rows
of basic bunk beds along opposite walls, punctuated with the occasional chest
of drawers for residents of old to store their belongings. The residents now,
however, were no more than gigantic spiders that crept along the walls and
ceiling.
A chill ran down Link’s spine at the sight of the monsters. The skulltulas
didn’t seem to want to bother him, but they most certainly creeped him out with
their skittering and huge eyes upon him. He slowly crept forward, further into
the room. Most of the spiders didn’t seem to do more than watch him, but a
couple scurried ahead of him along the walls. Suddenly another shudder wracked
Link’s frame and he felt the urge to turn around.
He shrieked and nearly dropped his lantern when he did.
A skulltula, far larger than even Ganondorf was, had crept down the wall from
seemingly above the doorframe and now stood between him and the way he had come
from. It screeched loudly and charged at him. Link barely had the time and
presence of mind to block the monster’s huge legs, which threatened to stab
through his body. The creature recoiled before crawling to the wall and taking
to the ceiling. Link tried to watch it, but became distracted by several of the
smaller ones closing in on him. He found that he had to tear his eyes away from
the big one in order to deal with them first.
After hacking apart the smaller creepy crawlies, the big one shrieked again and
drew Link’s attention back to it. He whipped around to find that it was
descending down from above the door at the back of the room and coming at him
fast. He blocked its strike once more and managed to hack off part of one of
its legs, causing it to cry out in pain. It staggered back, and Link took the
moment to chop off the other front leg entirely. It made to retreat, the last
of the smaller ones now advancing upon Link.
The boy dealt with them as he had before and immediately sought out where the
big one had gone the moment that he was done. It was his turn to cry out again
as he found it directly above his head. He managed to dive out of the way just
before it landed on top of him. The spider stayed back and spat something at
him. Link dodged out of the way, the gunk hitting a bedpost behind where he had
been a second earlier. A soft hissing sound could be heard and the wood of the
bedpost seemed to burn and melt where it had been struck.
Link barely had the time to realize that the stuff must have been acidic or
something before the spider spat another wad of the stuff and he had to dodge
that too. Using the moment the spider seemed to require in order to recover,
Link charged at it. Without its front legs to strike him or block, Link was
able to plunge his sword deep into the monster’s head.
It shrieked again and collapsed, body quickly growing dark before crumbling
into dust. Link drew a deep breath and staggered back, bumped into one of the
bunk beds, and sat down on the bottom bed. He had never been a huge fan of
spiders, but wouldn’t have considered himself arachnophobic. Now? He was
seriously reconsidering his stance on the things.
As soon as he could bring himself to do so, Link stood and finally approached
the far door. It, too, was in amazing condition. He opened it more cautiously
than he had the one before. The room that lay beyond was circular and brightly
lit with torches around the walls. Similarly to one of the floors before, the
room was covered in bones. Link crept forward, looking about for a way to go
from there. He stopped short as he heard a clattering from across the room.
Suddenly the door behind him slammed shut, and Link barely had the time to look
back before some of the bones in the room rattled and began to take shape. They
fit themselves together perfectly, and a bipedal creature formed itself. It
looked fairly human, although it came close to Ganondorf in height. A little
red light glimmered in its skull behind its eyes, and the skeleton stared down
at Link, seeming to size him up.
“A stalfos…” Link’s mind supplied him. “One of the poor, unfortunate men and
women who had become lost within the labyrinth. But why is it here?”
While the boy thought, the stalfos looked about it and leaned down to grasp the
hilt of a huge wooden club. It dragged the object across the floor behind it as
it took a couple of steps in Link’ direction, and the boy immediately
recognized the thing as what must have spooked him when he had first entered
the tower. To Link’s surprise, the stalfos raised its free hand and curled its
index finger a few times, beckoning Link to come at it. Link breathed a deep
breath and complied, charging at it.
Unsurprisingly the stalfos raised the huge club and swung it in Link’s
direction. The boy jumped back out of the way and darted in close while the
creature stumbled from the weight of its weapon. Link’s sword sliced through
the thing’s old bones with ease, but the magic that had put the creature back
together in the first place refused to allow it to crumple just because a
couple of its bones had been shorn in two. The creature recovered and brought
the club above its head, ready to smash it down onto Link’s. The boy managed to
block the strike, grunting in pain and the effort it took to do so.
To his surprise, the stalfos then swept his legs out from under him with a
kick, and Link fell back onto the ground, hard. Link barely had time to recover
the breath that had been knocked out of him before the monster bashed him in
the leg with its weapon. Link cried out in pain, tears burning at the corners
of his eyes. Adrenaline managed to keep him moving, and he rolled out of the
way of the next strike. Link clambered to his feet and quickly circled around
behind the stalfos and struck at its hipbone.
The stalfos tried to turn and face him, but the movement and hacked up bones of
his legs and hip caused it to shudder and collapse. It was now just a spine,
ribcage, arms, and skull. It kept its grip on the club and tried once more to
strike at Link. This time it swept the weapon along the ground, to which Link
jumped over it, grunted at the pain in his leg at the movement, and began to
stab at the thing’s ribcage.
Fortunately for him, the ribs fell apart easily and its arms became no longer
able to lift its club so well. Link stamped onto the hand that still grasped it
and plunged his sword down into the creature’s skull. A faint, ethereal gasp
echoed around the room, and the remainder of the creature’s body fell apart.
Link was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he noticed something unusual
about the skull that his sword was still stuck in. The red light that could be
seen inside of it was still present, and so it was with the utmost caution that
he removed his weapon. He waited a moment, fully expecting the creature to pull
itself back together and attack him. A minute passed and nothing happened, but
the light remained. Hesitantly Link sat upon the ground. He reached out and
grasped the skull, picking it up so that he could get a better look at it.
He heard a tinkling inside and the light darted from his view as he lifted it.
Curiously he peered inside through one of the eye sockets. The little light
tinkled again and an unusual wave of familiarity washed over Link.
“You… It’s okay, come on out. You don’t have to be afraid of me.” Link tried to
reason with it.
The little light did not, but it emitted another tinkling sound. Link sheathed
his sword and held the skull out at arm’s length. He raised his other hand and
tried to imagine what Ganondorf would have to say about creating a fireball. If
thinking about there being a fire in his hand had not worked, then perhaps
thinking about his hand being on fire would. There was a spark, and Link’s hand
was ablaze in warm flames that licked his skin in a surprisingly gentle
fashion. The light tinkled again and finally came out of hiding.
Link had never seen any sort of fairy but the Great Fairy who had given him his
magic, but he knew immediately that the small winged light was indeed a fairy.
It circled his flaming hand curiously a few times before flying out in front of
him. Link extinguished the flames on his hand and the fairy tinkled again. It
alighted upon his nose, and Link nearly went cross-eyed in order to try and
observe it.
“Thank you…” came a tiny voice. “Thank you for saving me. That monster had
captured me so long ago, I had given up hope. I want to repay you somehow.”
“Do you know of a way to open the door upstairs?” Link asked the little fairy.
“Well…the stalfos would use its finger to unlock the door…”
Link glanced down at one of its hands, and then the other. Sure enough the
entirety of its left pinky finger had been adhered together in some way into
one solid piece and then carved up to resemble a key. Link reached over in
order to pick it up, the little fairy flying away from him while he did. Once
Link was sitting upright again, it settled right back to where it had been.
“This should be plenty as a reward.” Link told it with a smile.
“No.”
Link blinked, taken aback by surprise.
“You would have found that by yourself eventually. I know you would have. There
has to be something more that I can do for you. Something that only I can do…”
it paused for half a second before crying out more excitedly. “I know! I am a
fairy of magic. The Great Fairy who gave you your magic is my mama. If you
want, I could enhance your control over your gift!”
“Enhance my control?”
“Yes! Just earlier you looked like you were having some trouble getting it to
do what you wanted. I can fix that for you. You’ll still have to put in some
effort, of course, but I can make it so that your magic responds better to your
will. That way you have more leniency in how you can imagine it working.”
“If you’d be willing to do that for me, then I won’t tell you no.”
The fairy tinkled again and drifted away from his nose. It bounced happily in
the air while Link got to his feet again, keeping his weight on his uninjured
leg. The fairy then dove towards Link’s feet. He watched as it circled his
body, rising up the length of it in a few quickly spirals. Red fairy dust
showered over his person and permeated through his clothing and seeped into his
skin. He felt a prickling, burning sensation again, and the fairly rolled its
way in front of him again.
“There you go! Thanks again for saving me. I should get back to Mama now. I
hope you are able to find what it is you’re after. Farewell!”
“Thank you for your help!” Link called after it as the fairy darted to the
ceiling and flew through it like a ghost.
Link stared at his hand again, and this time the moment he even began to think
about there being a fire surrounding it his magic responded accordingly.
Thrilled by his new level of control, he extinguished the flames again. At last
he dug out one of the bottles he had on his person, the last that still
contained any red potion. Thankfully there was just enough left to fix up his
leg. He swallowed it all back in one go, blanching at the unappetizing taste
and tucked the bottle back in his belongings. After that, he began the task of
walking back to and up the tower.
Chapter End Notes
     I'm really curious what ya'll think of how I've handled the dungeon
     so far. I know I'm not great at designing dungeons, I'll admit that
     much. That's why I decided to go with something pretty basic.
     Hopefully it's still enjoyable, though!
***** The Top of the Tower *****
Chapter Summary
     Link returns back up the tower and proceeds to explore the parts that
     were previously inaccessible to him. At the top of the tower, he
     finds something interesting...but of course it can't be that easy.
Chapter Notes
     Five thousand words this chapter because I didn't want to cliffhanger
     you for a month. =P Don't ever say I don't ever give ya'll anything
     good!
     That aside, I super-duper LOVE how this chapter came out. There's
     just so much to it, and all of it ended up exactly how I was hoping
     it would. So uh...enjoy~~~
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Everything went fine for Link until he reached the floor of the tower that was
covered in bones. Similar to what had happened down in the basement, several of
them began to clatter and pull themselves together. The bodies were much
smaller than the stalfos had been, and had an appearance closer to that of
bokoblins. They lacked proper weapons, but they picked up other bones from the
floor and advanced on Link. The boy had to strike each of them down, and
fortunately they were much more fragile than the stalfos. A single slash was
enough to defeat each and every one of them, and Link only sustained minimal
damage from the few hits they managed to get on him.
When he reached the floor that he had started on, he glanced out of the window.
None of the other floors had them, and it made telling the time a bit
difficult. Despite that, he was surprised to find that the sun was beginning to
set. He approached the window and peered out of it, wondering if he could find
Ganondorf waiting for him outside.
He spotted the large man sitting in the middle of the ruins. He had apparently
gone and gathered wood for a campfire, as one was burning nicely in front of
him. Link had half a mind to try and climb down to join him for a bit, but
ultimately decided against it. They had finally gotten at least one of them
into the temple, for Link to cut his exploration short just because it was kind
of getting late would be a waste of time. So it was with reluctance that he
stepped away from the opening and began to head back up the stairs to the
locked door.
The finger bone fit neatly into the keyhole and turned easily. Link breathed a
deep breath before proceeding forward. The new floor was void of monsters, much
to his relief, but there were a number of braziers and torches all throughout
the room. Not a single one was lit. Link ignored them for a moment in order to
climb the next set of stairs. The door at the top was also in mint condition
and locked tightly, but this time there was no keyhole in sight. The boy cursed
under his breath and sat down on the steps to think over what he could do.
After a few minutes Link got tired of being only in the light of his lantern
and went down to inspect the braziers more closely. Each of them were already
filled with coal and ready to be lit, and so Link decided to try and light one.
He poured a little of the extra lantern oil he had onto the coals and carefully
moved the flame of his lamp close. The coals lit and a warm glow was cast over
the room. The boy barely had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief when the new
fire inexplicably went out.
Confused, Link tried again to light it, but it went out just as fast. He then
went to another one and tried to light it up. It too took to the lamp’s flame
well, but went out in a matter of seconds. He tried the torches on the walls,
but even they wouldn’t remain lit. With a groan Link sat down on the floor and
laid his head in his hands. There had to be something he was missing!
Suddenly a thought popped into his head. It felt foolish, and he tried hard to
rid his mind of it. But somehow it stayed. Deciding that it was at least worth
a shot, and that he would only appear foolish to himself if it didn’t work
anyway, Link got to his feet and gave it a try.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. What was he supposed to envision for
his magic to respond the way he wanted it to? He had more freedom to what he
could do, sure, but that didn’t entirely help. After a moment a new thought
came into his head and he resolved to try it. He stepped into the middle of the
room and muttered, “Here goes nothing…” before drawing another deep breath. As
quick as he could, he raised a single hand and struck the stone floor with it.
The impact was like a detonator, and a huge wall of flames erupted from the
point his hand had touched. The fire was harmless to himself and his
belongings, but it set every last brazier and torch in the room aflame. Link
stood upright and let out a victorious little cry. And then felt his head spin.
He staggered, and collapsed to the floor, far too dizzy for his legs to keep on
supporting him.
His vision was black and the rest of his senses were numb as well. He was aware
that he had fallen, but even his mind was too hazy to really thinking much
beyond that. Slowly, over the course of a minute or so, his senses began to
return to him. He felt a tingling sensation in his fingers and toes, which gave
way to feeling creeping its way back up his limbs. His vision regained some
color, and he was able to discern the shapes of the braziers around him.
Finally, the fog in his head lifted, and he was able to start accessing what
had just happened.
He was breathing heavily, partially out of panic, and partly from exhaustion.
He felt a pain in his backside and left elbow from having fallen, but the rest
of him felt okay. Link got to his feet very carefully and was relieved to find
that he was, for the most part, back to normal. He looked down at his hand
curiously, and was only marginally surprised to see it was shaking. If he had
to guess, his fainting had been caused by one of two things: either he was
still too new to using magic to pull off a stunt like he had and thus over-
exerted himself, or he had gone about using it all wrong. Either way, he
decided that he wasn’t going to try something that big again until he could get
Ganondorf’s opinion and guidance on the matter.
With the room all lit up, Link decided to go back up the stairs and try the
door again. He was only a little shocked to find that it was unlocked, having
already assumed that the door’s lock was somehow tied to the lights.
“Magic”, his mind supplied him.
At first glance the next floor was empty of monsters again. That was until the
light from the door fell upon a load of sleeping keese. They screeched and flew
about the room loudly at the intrusion. Link quickly drew his sword in order to
defend himself as several tried to dive bomb him. He was able to kill a couple
of them, but the others who had attacked managed to scratch and bite him up a
little before flying out of his reach.
Thinking that waiting for each of them to come at him and enduring the attacks
of those he couldn’t hit was a poor idea, Link’s mind raced. An idea struck him
and he withdrew his bow and an arrow. When he fired the shot it was into the
middle of the swarm. Flames burst from the arrow as it flew, catching several
on fire and killing them. His fingertips began to tingle again, but he was
satisfied by the efficiency of it so he fired another two in order to thin out
the swarm. Once there were only a handful left he drew his blade again and
waited for them to approach before striking them down.
When the last one fell, something in the middle of the room shimmered. Before
Link’s eyes, a simple wooden treasure chest appeared. With caution, the boy
approached it. There was no visible lock and so he hesitantly nudged it open
with the toe of his shoe. It opened easily and no obvious trap was set off by
doing so. Link peered inside and found a key. The top of it was decorated with
a tree, and upon checking did not match the finger bone. Link pocketed the key
and made for the stairs again.
He was fairly certain that he was near the top of the tower when he reached the
door. It opened on its own, and Link’s first peek at the room revealed that it
was covered in dirt and moss. There were a handful of oddly shaped plant bulbs
in the room, and Link stepped into it carefully. In addition to the bulbs, the
far wall held several clay pots tucked beneath the stairs.
Trying to avoid the bulbs, Link made his way over to the pots. Peering into
them with his lantern he found them to contain a small variety of different
treasures. In trying to reach into one, he accidentally knocked another over
and several rupees spilled out of it as it shattered. Link hurried to pick them
up, only to suddenly be struck in the side by something.
He was knocked off of his feet fell hard onto his side. He winced sharply,
breathing through his teeth as he looked up at what had attacked him. The bulb
nearest to him had grown a long stem-like neck and the bulb was snapping like a
mouth mere inches from him. He scurried away from it and got to his feet. The
plant backed off and stared at him sightlessly, swaying back and forth a little
like it was waiting to see what he would do. Link tried to strike it with his
sword, but his blade only seemed to bounce off the bulb, and in retaliation the
thing smacked him again.
The other bulbs in the room grew necks as well and were watching him now. A
couple of them shook oddly, and Link couldn’t help but get the feeling that
they were laughing at him. Feeling a little humiliated at there being plants
that were immune to his main method of attack and that they were opening
mocking him, Link sheathed his sword again and decided to give the plants a
taste of fire.
A fire arrow embedded itself into the bits of grass at the base of the one that
had been harassing him and it went up in flames, dying in a matter of seconds.
The other bulbs seemed to panic, at least one of them attempting to retreat
back to its dormant state. Link wasn’t deterred and set each of them on fire
with an arrow until they were all dead.
Satisfied with himself for getting rid of the annoying plants, although now
feeling woozy on top of the tingling, Link turned his attention back to the
pots. He decided to stop trying to be nice and instead kicked each of them over
so that they broke apart. In addition to rupees he found a few strange heart-
shaped objects that vanished when he touched them. Oddly, he could feel his
wounds and sore muscles relax more and more with each one that he interacted
with, so he assumed they weren’t anything bad.
The last thing that he found inside of the vases was a little vial of green
liquid. He looked it over curiously in his hand. He wanted to open it up and
see what it was, but he was afraid that even opening it would cause him
trouble. Still, his curiosity won out and he pulled the cork from it.
Immediately a familiar scent hit him, causing him to jump a little in surprise.
The green liquid smelled strangely like Koume and Kotake’s red potion.
Link brought the vial closer to his nose and gave it a little sniff, further
confirming that the scent was coming from the liquid inside. He touched a
finger to the opening and tilted the vial just a tiny amount so that the
slightest drop hit his finger. It didn’t seem to hurt him, so Link brought his
finger to his lips and tasted the droplet. He felt a pleasant tingling on his
tongue, and to his surprise he felt the tiniest bit of his wooziness fade away.
Curiously he tried another taste of it and felt the same result. Choosing to
throw caution to the wind, he downed a small amount straight from the vial.
Immediately he felt the effects. The wooziness went away substantially and the
tingling in his fingers receded to just the tips. It was then that Link came to
the conclusion that the vial did indeed contain something similar to a red
potion. He had heard tell that Ganondorf’s mothers could brew all sorts of
remedies, including some to restore magical energy. He had to wonder if the
contents of the vial were akin to that, and he drank down the rest of it.
Feeling himself reinvigorated, Link made for the staircase. He could see that
this one went up higher than the others, circling the outer edge of the tower
about three times before he was finally faced with another door. This one was
far more elaborate than the last ones, with a large tree carved into it that
matched the one on the key, and gold accents curling around the edges like
vines. Link was not at all surprised to find that it was locked. He took the
key that he had picked up from the chest and found that it fit perfectly into
the hole.
Somehow, he could tell that whatever was on the other side of the door was not
going to be pleasant…
The moment the door opened, Link’s lantern went out. He fumbled with it and
found that it was out of oil. He checked his belongings and found only a tiny
bit left after he had used it on the braziers. Deciding it would be better to
use the oil for other things, he stepped into the room without refilling it.
The room was pitch black. Despite this, Link got the feeling that the ceiling
was extremely low, and every step he took had him worried that he would hit his
head. The floor was covered in dirt once again, although it lacked the moss and
grass from the previous one. Fumbling a little, Link placed a hand on the wall,
only to immediately yank it back.
“Eww…” he muttered, disgusted by the slime that had gotten onto his hand. He
wiped it on the leg of his pants and tried to get a closer look at what he’d
just touched.
Even in the lack of light, he could just barely make out that the wall was
strangely lumpy. Ready for the slime this time, he carefully poked at it. It
was solid, but there was more give than he had expected from stone, and it felt
weirdly cool to the touch. Link decided that there had to be something weird
covering the wall.
He raised his hand and set it ablaze, giving the dark room some much, much
needed light. With it he could finally see that the walls were completely
covered by thick vines. Link was about to turn away from the wall he had been
inspecting when something caught his eye. Through the thinnest of spaces
between the vines appeared to be something carved into the wall. Link reached
out and tried to tug the vines aside so that he could get a better look, but
they wouldn’t budge. With a click of his tongue, Link drew his blade.
So focused was he on investigating the wall that he failed to hear the faintest
of slithering noises coming from the middle of the room. Oblivious to any
danger behind him, Link hacked at the vines, successfully cutting apart a small
section.
Three things happened all at once. First, the segments that had been cut fell
away from the wall, bleeding the same think slime that had coated them. Second,
Link caught a glimpse of the same three triangles that he had seen on his and
Ganondorf’s hands carved into the wall. And third, a loud, pained cry emanated
from the center of the room.
Link whipped around and the light from his hand was cast upon a gigantic
version of the plant creatures he had just fought. It snapped its mouth a few
times and the vines receded from the walls. From the corner of his eyes Link
could just barely make out that there were more carvings, but his focus could
not be torn away from the dangerous plant in front of him. Its vines fanned out
around its bulb-head like the frills on a lizard, and it roared. Link settled
in for a fight.
The first move was made by the plant. It used its vines to lash out at Link,
attempting to whip him over and over again. Link sprinted out of the way and
the thing followed him, turning in place to continue to try and hit him. As
soon as each of its numerous vines had struck the floor uselessly behind him,
Link charged in to try and hack at it. The vines shielded the head of the
plant, and only a couple got severed by his blade. The plant cried out in pain
and tried to attack him again.
This time Link couldn’t just run, as the plant flailed all of its vines
together to strike all around him. Link had to extinguish the flames on his
hand in order to raise his shield. Most of the thing’s vines missed him or
struck the shield, but one managed to whip him across the back of a knee,
leaving a deep gasp. Link winced and fought back the reflex to buckle under the
pain.
In the darkness he could hear the plant moving about the room, and he put his
back to the wall and held his shield close. For a moment he wondered if the
plant would attack him, but then he felt something slimy wrap around the ankle
of his uninjured leg. In a panic, Link stabbed his blade down, cutting through
the offending vine and causing the plant to screech again.
In the moment that the plant reeled, Link freed up his hand again and relit the
fire on it. The plant was all the way across the room from him, vines already
forming their protective barrier around the head. Link grit his teeth as his
mind raced. Hacking away all of the vines would take far too long. The other
plants had been very weak to his fire, but he wasn’t sure where to shoot an
arrow at with this thing. It was mobile, unlike the others, and the slime from
its vines might not let it catch fire...
A thought occurred to the boy and he kicked the newly separated segment of vine
off of his foot. He flung part of his flames down onto it, and the whole piece
burst into flames far too easily to be normal plant material. The plant seemed
to back further into the wall when this happened, and Link shot it a wicked
smile.
The fire on his hand went out just long enough for him to draw his bow. Without
the light he couldn’t see where the plant was moving, but he could certainly
hear it doing so. He drew a deep, calming breath, focusing intently on the
slithering sounds that it made. His gaze snapped to the ceiling just in front
of him and he fired a single shot.
Instantly the vines that had been protecting the bulb went up in flames, the
plant screaming and flailing its vines wildly, a few striking the boy yet again
in the process. Link had just enough sense between the pain to piece together
that it was desperately trying to put them out when it smacked them to the
ground, dousing some of the fires with the dirt there. Then suddenly it began
to push itself upward.
The low ceiling of the room crumbled, and Link barely had the time to shield
himself again as the whole roof caved in. Suddenly there was moonlight, and the
boy realized that they were now, essentially, on the roof of the tower. The
plant extracted its vines from the rubble and loomed over Link. A chill ran
down his spine. He scrambled onto the collapsed bits of stone, uncertain of how
he was supposed to fight when this thing clearly had better footing than him on
such an uneven surface.
He searched wildly, and he could tell that he was getting short of breath. He
had to end this fight quickly or the plant would win. His eyes went wide when
he finally took a good look at the vines. Most of them were burned off, and the
few that were remaining were spilling their slime profusely. On top of that,
the plant was wavering a little, as if it too was feeling the weariness of
battle.
Not trusting his footing, Link could only think of one thing that would let him
hit the bulb without a chance of it blocking with any of its remaining vines.
Praying to the goddesses for luck, Link smacked the ground with his palm again.
Fire billowed from the point of impact and consumed the whole of the rooftop.
The plant had, of course, tried to shield itself, but the few vines it had
weren’t enough to guard its head entirely. The whole of it burst into flames,
and the plant screamed in agony.
With the last of its strength, the plant flailed its vines again, knocking into
the walls, the floor, anything that it could take with it. The whole of the top
of the tower was quickly being demolished, and Link barely had the time to
worry about the carvings that he had been able to see. In his moment of panic
over them, one of the vines succeeded in smacking him across the head and
knocking him to the floor…unconscious.
                                     *****
Ganondorf couldn’t help but fidget as he waited outside of the tower and beside
his little campfire. Despite the hour, sleep was the last thing that tugged at
the man’s mind. He had purposefully put his back to the window so that he would
not be able to see anything go by it, less it get his hopes up that Link would
be coming back out anytime soon. Still, he couldn’t help but worry. Link had
been all alone in there for quite a long time, and it was becoming very late.
Suddenly he heard rocks crumbling behind him. He sprang to his feet and whipped
around, eyes immediately going as high up the tower as he could see. Several
rocks came falling through the trees and clattered to the ground around him.
With the rocks came a monstrous cry from above the canopy, and Ganondorf’s
heart hammered in his chest. He kept his eyes desperately trained on the top of
the tower, trying and failing to see what was going on. Belatedly he realized
that the vines that had once occupied the walls were gone.
Barely a moment had passed and a flash of light exploded from above the trees.
More shrieking echoed through the forest, and the man heard more crashing.
Rocks fell from the tower in droves now, and Ganondorf had to move out of the
way of them. The inhuman cries subsided, but the immediate danger did not.
Whatever had happened at the top of the tower was causing the whole thing to
crumble, and Ganondorf watched in horror as the whole of the top half shifted
and began to fall.
In a panic the man charged forward, heading in the same direction as the tower
was falling. His eyes hadn’t left the tree line, and they went wide when a
familiar form was carried down along with the top of the tower through them.
Ganondorf stepped on the gas and just barely managed to catch the limp form of
Link as the boy fell away from the tower, as well as avoid the tower itself as
it crashed into the ground.
Mind still racing, Ganondorf carefully knelt down with the boy still in his
arms and laid a hand over his heart. Despite feeling his own pulse pounding
throughout every inch of his body, Ganondorf was able to detect a heartbeat. It
was rapid, and the sheen of sweat upon Link’s body was proof enough that the
boy had been fighting. With a sigh of relief, the man suddenly felt incredibly
exhausted. Having Link alive and in his arms had caused all the tension in his
body to be released at once, and he had to fight his own instincts in order to
keep tending to the boy and not fall asleep instead.
His attention, however, was drawn away from his student by motion coming from
where the top of the tower lay. A huge, charred plant bulb had managed to roll
away from the tower and began to crumble away with a light breeze. Ganondorf
watched it suspiciously, clutching Link a little tighter in the process. While
he stared, two things revealed themselves from the ashes of the plant. One was
a heart shaped object similar to the one Link had found in the forest
earlier…only the inner heart was much larger than the last, nearly filling out
the whole thing. The other looked like a flute, similar to the ones he had seen
two of the skull kids playing.
He waited a moment longer just in case before finally deciding that all was
safe. His eyes fell back to Link and he assessed the damage the boy had
sustained. Several cuts and bruises lay scattered across his body from who-
knows-where, a bleeding gash on his leg, and a swollen, red lump on his head…
Ganondorf gingerly touched the head wound, relieved to find that his skull
didn’t appear to be cracked. Ganondorf shifted the boy in his arms so that he
could dig out a bottle of potion from their belongings. He opened it up and
held the boy somewhat upright in order to slowly pour some of the liquid passed
his lips.
He waited and watched with anticipation as the minor wounds Link had sustained
healed themselves up quick as a flash. On top of that, the boy’s bleeding knee
stopped and the head injury became significantly less swollen. After a minute
or so, Link’s eyes fluttered open and he gazed up at Ganondorf blearily. It
took him a few seconds, but recognition crossed the boy’s features and he
smiled faintly up at the man.
“You can fill me in on the details in a moment.” Ganondorf instructed him. “For
now, you need to drink some more of this.”
The man did not let him even try to take the bottle in question. Instead he
raised it again to Link’s lips and the boy drank from it that way. By the time
Link pulled away to take a breath, most of his wounds had healed up enough that
he could sit up by himself and could move fairly easily. Ganondorf set the
bottle aside and watched patiently as Link drew a deep breath and ran a dirty
hand through his messy hair.
“Where to begin…” the boy sighed.
“Did you find any information in there?”
Link grimaced, and Ganondorf knew that meant bad news before he could
elaborate.
“The only thing that might have been remotely useful got destroyed by this…this
huge plant…thing.” He stated. “It was living at the top of that tower, and it
went crazy on me. I think…I think I managed to kill it but…” Link’s eyes
traveled over to the rubble that was now the top of the tower. “You can see
what happened there.” His eyes locked onto the two strange objects lying on the
ground. “What the…?”
Ganondorf followed his line of sight and got up in order to fetch the both of
them for the boy. He sat down beside Link again and held them out to him.
“Looks like a flute and another of those heart things.” He stated.
“The skull kid’s…!” Link exclaimed, taking it from Ganondorf. “Yeah, this is
what it was looking for! I remember this being the one it played. But that…” he
pointed to the heart. “What is that?”
The man frowned at it. “I feel like I should know, but I haven’t been able to
recall since you found the other one. I think you should take it with you all
the same, though.”
Link nodded and picked it up. Both of them gasped as it suddenly shimmered and
disappeared into a little speck of light. They watched in shock as the light
darted straight to Link’s chest and into his body. Link gaped and felt up his
chest, wondering what had just happened.
“Are you okay?! Did that hurt you?” Ganondorf asked him, panic striking his
features once again.
Link was quick to dissuade his fears by shaking his head vigorously. “No! It’s
okay! It didn’t hurt. In fact… I feel… Healthier than before? That’s odd…”
It was then that something clicked within the man’s head, and that was visible
on his face. “…Heart container…” he muttered.
“Come again?”
“That thing just now, it’s called a heart container. There’re extremely rare
objects, only mentioned in old tales and legends. They’re said to increase
one’s health and stamina. Also, most of the stories that tell of them also
mention ‘pieces of heart’.” Link blinked and quickly fished out the other
object that he had found earlier, and Ganondorf nodded. “It’s said that if four
of those are brought together, then they’ll fuse into a heart container.”
“Wow…” Link whispered, staring down at it. “And I just happened to find this
thing lying around.”
“And suddenly I am very okay with you exploring every nook and cranny that you
see fit to.” Ganondorf laughed.
Link had to chuckle at that, too. He tucked the piece of heart away and
breathed another deep sigh. “Well, needless to say I am absolutely beat.” He
stated. “And I’m sure you want to hear all about what happened.”
Ganondorf nodded. “First thing’s first, however. I don’t think this is a safe
place to sleep. We should at the very least get back to the Deku Tree’s
clearing. Its magic is strongest there, so it should be okay for us both to
rest. Plus we need to get that flute back to its owner.”
With a groan, Link got to his feet. Ganondorf stood up with him and put an arm
around his shoulders. Link leaned heavily against him, and the two began to the
walk back to the maze of clearings where the skull kid had been before.
Chapter End Notes
     Midway through this chapter I had the thought of "How did all of
     these monsters get into the tower?" and the answer to that is the
     skeletons've been there since before the proper entrance got
     destroyed, and the rest? ...Eeeh, don't think about it too hard. =|
     Also I wish I was creative enough to come up with a name for my plant
     monster, but all my dumb brain can think of is Audrey. X'D I'm so
     sorry everyone, this is why I shouldn't ever name anything!
***** First Gift *****
Chapter Summary
     Queen Zelda has a nightmare, and as such the time that Impa had been
     fearing has arrived.
     In addition, Link confronts the skull kid who wanted its flute back
     one last time. He's surprised when it actually goes out of its way to
     thank him.
Chapter Notes
     You're not seeing things, folks! I've changed up the schedule for
     this fic. I've swapped it with another fic, so now this is going to
     get updated twice a month! The days'll be the 1st and 21st of every
     month. (Hopefully I won't regret this come June-ish when my NaNo
     reserves run dry...)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The peaceful night within Hyrule Castle’s walls was disrupted by wailing in the
depths of the night. Impa, who had been called upon by one of the maids, burst
into Queen Zelda’s chambers. The young woman was sitting up in her bed, curled
in on herself and gripping her head, screaming in agony.
“STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!” She shouted. Tears were already streaming down her
face by the time Impa could sit beside her and place her hands on Zelda’s
shoulders. Immediately the queen lurched forward and clung to her guard,
sobbing loudly. Silently the guard turned to the maids who were standing nearby
and watching them with concern. She met their eyes and nodded towards the door,
and they left as quickly as possible.
When the door shut behind them, Impa began to soothe her hands over Zelda’s
back. The young woman hiccupped and held her tighter, occasionally whispering
“please…stop…” almost too softly for the guard to hear. It took some time for
the queen to settle down even a little, and to Impa’s surprise, it was Zelda
who spoke first.
“I saw them, Impa. I saw them!” she cried softly. “The light and the darkness.
I saw them!”
Puzzled, and with rising concern, Impa pushed her to elaborate. “My Queen, you
aren’t making any sense.”
“I saw them!” she insisted again. “The two of them are in the forest. I don’t
know why or since when, but they’re there! One was a boy in Gerudo clothing,
the other a large Gerudo man. Impa, I could see them clearly, as if they were
right in front of me.”
Impa’s blood ran cold, her predictions having come true. She had been all too
aware that the day would come in which Queen Zelda would see the other two who
were tied to her fate within her dreams. She had only been hoping that the day
would not have come so soon. On top of that, the queen was still hiccupping and
crying into her chest and so she could not express the dread that she now felt.
“Impa…those two…” Zelda whimpered. “It felt like…if felt like they had hurt me
in some way. I don’t know how, but the moment I looked upon them I felt
tremendous pain. I think they mean to harm me, Impa!”
“Hush now, My Queen…” Impa murmured, continuing to try and soothe the crying
young woman. “They are not here, they cannot hurt you. On top of that, how
could they mean to bring you harm if they are out in the forest? There is
nothing there that could bring danger unto you.”
“I don’t know, Impa. I don’t know! But I don’t like this!” Zelda sniffled and
sat up to look her guard in the eye, her face red and messed up from tears and
snot. “Please, Impa. Do something! I do not want those two in my city! Please…
Put out a warning to your men: if they see a blond haired, blue eyed boy in
Gerudo clothing and a large Gerudo man with him…they are to be killed on
sight!”
“Zelda!” Impa exclaimed.
“I mean it! Those two are not to be allowed within Hyrule Town at any costs! I
just know they mean to harm me, Impa. I don’t care if you think they couldn’t
possibly hurt me. Just now I saw them in my dreams and it was the most painful
thing I have ever felt. I want them dead!”
With a grim look upon her face, Impa promised her queen that the order would be
given. She then laid with Zelda for some time until the young woman finally
fell asleep once more. After which Impa extracted herself from Zelda’s bed and
sought out the nearest lieutenant of her guards. She found one of them
stationed in the castle’s courtyard.
“The time has come.” She told the man. “Queen Zelda has given the order for two
specific individuals to be killed on sight.” The man gave a nod, already
understanding what Impa was talking about. “Remember: a blond, blue eyed boy in
Gerudo clothing and a large Gerudo man. Take them both straight to the Tipsy
Cat. Tell them that Impa wishes to speak with them and they should go without
fuss. Then come and contact me. Understood?”
“Yes ma’am!”
“Good. Spread the word.”
The lieutenant saluted her and hurried to do as she had instructed. Impa
breathed a sigh and ran a hand over her face. All she could do now was hope
that Queen Zelda wouldn’t catch wind of her defiance.
                                     *****
Upon Link and Ganondorf’s arrival at the spot where the skull kid had sealed
them off with vines, Link cleared his throat and called out. A few moments
passed wherein the boy only prayed that the little creature was still around
and had heard him. Thankfully a voice answered him only about a minute later.
“Well now, I’ll admit that a part of me didn’t think you would make it back
alive.” The skull kid giggled. “So now the question is: do you have it?”
Link raised the flute to his lips and blew a single note upon it. The skull kid
let out a happy little gasp and the vines parted for it obediently. The
creature made to hurry forward, but Link and Ganondorf were quicker, crossing
the threshold of vines before it could possibly betray them by closing off the
path again. Link held out the flute at arm’s length to prove that he hadn’t
been lying. Eagerly the skull kid snatched its instrument and played a few
notes of its favorite tune. With a delighted bubble of laughter, the skull kid
tucked the flute into its belt.
“Thank you. I wasn’t kidding when I said that I liked you.” It told Link.
“Would you tell me what you are called?”
With some reluctance and displeasure the boy replied, “Link.”
The skull kid beamed. “That name…it feels somehow nostalgic… I’m sorry about
what I said to you before. I really didn’t want for you to rot in that
labyrinth. I was just upset, you understand.”
“Of course.” Link replied, although not fully believing the creature.
“In fact, I want to make it up to you, and to thank you for holding up your end
of the bargain. Wait here for just a second!”
Before Link could protest in any way, the skull kid sprang onto the branch of a
nearby tree and hurried off into the forest. Ganondorf turned a curious eye to
him, and Link simply told him, “It said to wait a moment.” The man nodded and
waited patiently with the boy. Sure enough, only a few minutes later the
creature came back from the way it had gone. It clutched something in its
hands, which it held out to Link almost shyly.
“This… I made it a long, long time ago. At least, I think I did. I haven’t worn
it since I came to live here in this forest. Please take it with you.”
Curiously Link held out his hand and allowed the creature to place a folded,
forest green cloth into it. The boy lifted and unfolded it, eyebrow raising as
he didn’t immediately recognize what the garment was.
“It’s a hat.” The skull kid offered him, seeing his confusion.
Link wasn’t certain if he believed that, but he smiled and thanked the creature
all the same. The skull kid giggled shyly and stared at the ground.
“Well then, I should let the two of you go now. I doubt we’ll ever see each
other again, Mr. Link, but if you’re ever in the forest again and you feel like
playing…my name is Jun.”
Link nodded. “I’ll remember that, Jun.” The skull kid gaped at him for a brief
second, causing Link to become confused again. Slowly, the faintest and purest
of little smiles etched itself on the creature’s face and its eyes seem to
sparkle with delight.
“…I forgot what it felt like to have somebody call me by my name.” It
whispered. Suddenly it sprang back into the trees, only turning to face them
again in order to give its final farewell. “Good bye!”
Link gave Jun a little wave, and the creature leaped off into the forest and
out of sight.
While Link and Ganondorf made their way through the maze of clearings, Link
relayed to him what had just happened. Ganondorf took the so-called hat from
Link and looked it over curiously. To the boy’s surprise, his lover was able to
give him some insight into the piece of clothing.
“This is a very, very old style. Hylians used to wear something like this all
the time some hundreds of years ago. It doesn’t provide much protection from
the sun, nor does it keep a person’s head all that warm, but supposedly it was
very popular for many years. Judging by that skull kid’s name and it having
made this, I suspect it was once a Hylian child.”
“I see…” Link mumbled, taking the hat back from him. “I suppose in that case
I’ll have to take good care of this thing. Although I don’t think it matches
any of my clothes.”
“I’m sure Jun’ll be happy even if you just hang onto it.”
Link nodded. “Hey, just out of curiosity, do you have any idea if that thing
was a boy or a girl?”
Ganondorf shook his head. “The name’s too ambiguous, sorry. Although from what
I’ve heard, most skull kids will refer to each other as ‘he’ or ‘it’,
regardless of what they are.”
“Right. Okay then. Just wanted to know in case I ever do come back here. I
don’t want to insult him.”
They made it to the Deku Tree’s clearing at long last. The five kikwi were once
more sound asleep together near the base of their guardian spirit. Almost
immediately Link could feel prickling under his skin, signifying that the tree
was speaking to him and Ganondorf. The man raised his head to the tree in order
to reply.
“Could we speak about this in the morning? The boy and I are half-asleep on our
feet as it is.” Ganondorf requested.
Link’s eyes widened at the next tingling sensation that he felt. Somehow,
despite having heard no words, he got the feeling that the tree had said
something along the lines of “Certainly”. Ganondorf shot the boy a little grin.
“So you can hear the tree a little? You are most certainly going to have to
tell me all that transpired within that temple, because it sounds like
something’s given you a bit of a boost. But for now, let’s get some sleep.”
Ganondorf led the way and made himself comfortable at the base of the Deku Tree
some feet away from the slumbering kikwis. Link laid down beside the man,
acting somewhat as a buffer between him and the timid creatures, and curled up
against his side. The man wrapped his arm around the boy, and the pair were out
like a light.
Chapter End Notes
     Hey uh... I don't want to be That Person, but if you liked this
     chapter, please do drop me a comment. I was so excited to be sharing
     the last one, since it had so much important stuff in it, and got
     absolutely nothing. =| And if I'm honest that really bummed me
     out...like a lot. So yeah.
     Anyway, on a happier note, I still love my skull kid so much! I know,
     I know, Jun's kind of a dick...but that's just how skull kids are!
     X'D You can't blame him for that!
     Also uh-oh, Queeny's got it out for Link and Ganondorf now~
***** Checking In *****
Chapter Summary
     Link and Ganondorf check in with the Deku Tree, and gain some
     interesting pointers from him. Then its back through the labyrinth.
     And at long last, Ganondorf learns all about what had happened inside
     of the tower while he had been stuck outside.
Chapter Notes
     I was going to make this chapter shorter, but decided to go bigger
     because, quite frankly, I am just as excited for progress in this
     story as you lot are. =P I cannot wait for ya'll to see the things I
     have in store. There is SO MUCH I want to share! And talk about! UGH!
     Why do I gotta write it all first?! X'D
     Edit: Mm-mm! Would you look at those updated tags!? They're actually
     USEFUL now!!!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Link was awakened by the sounds of the kikwi chattering among themselves.
Groggily he opened his eyes, groaning at the light of the morning. He was still
pressed up against Ganondorf, and the man in question was still sound asleep.
Blearily Link rubbed at his eyes and looked around them.
Caih and Rooi were happily playing with Ocha some yards away. Ceylee sat a few
feet from where Link and Ganondorf were, watching the others with a happy
little smile on its face. Dajee had been quietly observing them as well, but
was the first to notice that Link had woken up. It let out a little squeak,
flinching away more out of reflex than actual fear. This drew the attention of
Ceylee, and the more responsible kikwi turned its attention to Link.
“Um… Good morning.” Link mumbled.
The kikwi nodded. “Hello.”
Link slid out from under Ganondorf’s arm and sat upright. He stretched his arms
over his head and let out a loud yawn. Several of his joints cracked and
popped, and the boy was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of every last
muscle in his body being stiff and sore. He groaned and ran a hand over his
face.
“Did you sleep well, koo-weep?” Ceylee asked him. The prickling under Link’s
skin informing him that the kikwi was using the Deku Tree’s magic to
communicate with him.
“As well as I could.” The boy replied. “I could do with resting in a real bed,
though. Oh! Do you know what I’m talking about?”
Ceylee nodded. “I know of what you speak, koo-weep. Humans sleep upon wooden
structures that are topped and cushioned with straw, feathers, or other soft
things wrapped in cloth.”
“Yeah. They’re a lot more comfortable than the ground. Better for the back,
too.” He sighed.
Finally Dajee found the courage to join the conversation. “You’ll be leaving
today, right? So you should be able to sleep in a bed soon, kee-paleep.”
“Yes, and hopefully so.” Linked glanced at Ganondorf’s sleeping form. “Although
I somehow doubt we’ll be staying somewhere with a bed for very long. Oh well.”
The three of them turned their attention back to the other three kikwi. Caih
had its eyes covered with its hands and was muttering something quietly. Rooi
and Ocha both ran away from it, the baby giggling as it ran. A moment later
Caih shouted something and uncovered its eyes. It proceeded to give the other
two chase. Watching them play their little game of tag brought a smile to
Link’s face. Their playing was so gentle and tame compared to the sort that he
had grown up with, and was certainly different than what the skull kid, Jun,
had been doing with them.
Link’s peaceful watching was disturbed by the sounds of Ganondorf being roused
from his slumber. The man blinked a few times until the world came into focus.
He then turned his head to stare up at Link, who was smiling down at him
fondly.
“Good morning.” Link greeted him warmly.
“Morning…” Ganondorf yawned.
The boy leaned down to plant a quick kiss to his lips. Ganondorf smirked and
sat upright before returning it.
“I’m surprised you’re up before me.” The man stated. His eyes scanned over
Link’s form, noting how exhausted the boy appeared to be both in expression and
in posture. “You look like you could still use some rest.”
Link chuckled. “You’re not wrong. But I’ll be okay for the rest of the day. I
doubt I’m really going to sleep well until we get back to town.”
The man twisted and his back popped loudly. “I hear that.” Ganondorf groaned.
“Sleeping outside always has been overrated. So. You ready to speak to the Deku
Tree?”
“I was hoping we could have some breakfast first.” Link admitted. “We kind of
skipped out on dinner last night. Or at least I did.”
Ganondorf grinned. “I didn’t eat without you, boy. Get us some more fruit and
I’ll see what we’ve got left of our supplies.”
Link nodded and got to his feet. He meandered his way over to the trees around
the clearing and shot down four of them. He had eaten just enough of them to
know which parts were edible, and so he picked through them and carried back
what he and Ganondorf could eat. The man had found some cured meat among their
belongings and split it up between them when the boy returned. As they began to
eat, five sets of eyes turned curiously to the pieces of fruit. It didn’t take
long for Link to realize that the kikwi were staring somewhat hungrily, and he
picked up a large piece and held it out towards them.
“You guys want to join us?” Link asked them.
Ocha let out a happily little cry and hurried over. The baby was too small to
take the chunk of fruit from Link, but the boy set it down before it and the
baby happily plopped down and bit into the sweet, juicy, flesh. The other four
gathered around, Caih and Ceylee breaking apart the piece they had been given
so that they could have an easier time eating.
“I’m curious…” Ganondorf began, watching the five little creatures. “I’ve been
in this forest a few times, but none of you have ever shown yourselves to me
before. What is it about Link that makes you trust him so?”
Caih swallowed a mouthful of fruit and pondered on his question for a few
seconds. “I…do not know.” It stared up at Link curiously. “It is not that we
simply trust him, kwee, but rather we don’t sense anything about him that means
we should fear him.”
“Speak for yourself, kee-paleep…” Dajee whispered.
“Even you are not afraid of him, kyu! You’re just skittish of everything!” Rooi
playfully teased the other kikwi.
“Like I said, we can see that Mr. Link means to help us, not harm us. Kwee!
That isn’t to say that we do not trust you, Mr. Ganondorf, but Mr. Link is much
less scary. You understand, kwee?”
Ganondorf nodded. “I’m not offended. That makes sense. The boy is much
more…relaxed than I am. I understand why you’d be less nervous around him than
you are me.”
With a sigh of relief, Caih bit off another piece of fruit.
After they had finished eating, Ganondorf and Link stood up to finally address
the Deku Tree. The man told Link softly to try his best to listen for the Deku
Tree’s words, although Caih was already prepared to speak on behalf of the
guardian spirit.
“As you probably know, last night Link managed to get inside the temple.”
Ganondorf began. “What happened within I myself do not yet know, but…” he
looked down at the boy. “…Perhaps it would be better for you to explain.”
Link nodded and spoke up. “A large plant-like monster had been growing at the
top of the tower. Thanks to the Great Fairy’s gift I was able to defeat it.
…But in doing so I’m afraid it destroyed the whole top of the tower. I searched
everywhere that I could inside of the temple, but only the topmost room seemed
to hold anything that might have been useful. In other words, all of our
efforts were for naught.”
The prickle that Link felt signaled the Deku Tree attempting to speak. Once
more Link was unable to hear anything, however from the soothing feeling of the
magic crawling across his skin he deduced that it was being sympathetic. Caih
translated for him, only proving his suspicion correct.
“The Deku Tree is disappointed to hear that, kwee. He really did hope that you
would be able to find something after all of your efforts. He apologizes for
making you go through so much, only for you to get nothing in return.”
The boy shook his head. “That isn’t your fault. You were very helpful to us the
whole time. And it’s thanks to you not letting me go straight to the temple and
instead having me seek out the Great Fairy that I am here now to tell the
tale.”
There was a long silence, during which Caih and Ganondorf listened intently to
the inaudible words that the Deku Tree spoke. Try as he might, all Link could
pick up was that he was relaying a lot of information. He still payed
attention, though, as he didn’t want to let his lover down by giving up. At
last Caih gave a little nod and spoke again for Link to hear.
“Just now the Deku Tree thought about everywhere else in Hyrule that has some
great source of magic. He says that if the two of you still intend to seek
answers, then you should try and visits the other places that might be called
temples, kwee. There are four other places in this land that are similar to the
tower you just visited, kwee. Ancient structures that are not in use anymore
that may hold answers to the questions you have. They lie near the lake to the
south, the volcano to the north, the mountains to the north-west, and, kwee…”
Caih fidgeted. “…and the desert where you have come from.”
Link’s eyes widened. Ganondorf, who had heard all of this before him watched
his expression with interest. After a moment, Link swallowed and took a deep
breath to calm himself down.
“…Okay. Thank you for the information.” Link replied softly.
Caih nodded. “The Deku Tree wishes the both of you a safe journey to come.
He…he also says that you are welcome to return to this forest any time. He will
always welcome you, kwee. And as for now, he will open a way through the
labyrinth to allow the two of you an easy leave.”
“Thank you again. And…well then, I guess until another time, good-bye.”
“Good bye.” Caih said back, a little smile on its face.
The other kikwi all said their farewells too, and Link waved to them. Even
Ganondorf gave them a polite little bow before turning to leave the forest.
Link followed after him. It would take them a few days to get back to Hyrule
Town despite the way being opened for them, and he knew that he had a lot of
things to go over with Ganondorf during that trip.
Despite this, neither of them spoke as they retraced their steps. Exhaustion
was still heavy upon them both, and for the time being, talking felt like it
was too much work. It wasn’t until they passed by the fairy fountain again that
either of them made any sort of sound other than their footsteps.
“Huh?” Link asked. He stopped short and looked about them.
Ganondorf stopped with him and raised a curious eyebrow. “Is something the
matter?”
“I…I thought I heard a voice.” The boy stated.
“Could it be Jun again?”
Link shook his head. “No, but it was familiar…”
“Link…!” came a voice more quiet than a whisper.
The boy’s eyes snapped to the fountain and he stared intently. A little light
glimmered just above the water’s surface, and from it a piece of heart fell
into the shallow pool.
“Thanks again for helping me get back to Mama.”
While Ganondorf, who had heard the voice that time, puzzled over what that
meant, Link grinned brightly. He waded out into the water and picked up the
small object.
“Take care of yourself. Don’t get caught by any monsters again.” Link replied.
“I will, and I won’t. Stay safe in your travels! Bye-bye!”
The little light faded, and Link returned the Ganondorf’s side. The man crossed
his arms over his chest and smiled down at the boy affectionately. Link felt
his cheeks flush a little under his warm gaze.
“What?”
“Just admiring how many friends you seem to have made over the past few days.
It’s refreshing to see you talking to people without being on guard all the
time.” The man explained. “Your sisters really bothered you, didn’t they?”
Link cringed and breathed a sigh. The pair started walking again while he
replied. “Yeah… I guess so. Now that you mention it, I really haven’t made a
whole lot of actual friends in my life… It’s…it’s nice.” He admitted, a little
smile gracing his features.
                                     *****
True to the Deku Tree’s word, traveling back through the labyrinth was far
easier than it had been going in. They still had to navigate their way around,
but not anywhere near to the extent as before. On top of that, if Link really
paid attention he found that he was able to feel a slight change in the air
whenever they got close to the edge of their permitted path. Ganondorf seemed
pleased at Link’s newfound sensitivity, but of course remained the one leading
the way. Again Link found it remarkable that despite his own growth, the man
was still leagues better than he was.
Although they walked at a slower pace, they still managed to leave the forest
in about a day and a half’s time. They settled in beneath the same tree near
the village by the forest that they had before in order to relax and eat their
lunch. Although they hadn’t really had a chance to relax, the both of them were
at least feeling better than when they had started to leave the place. As such,
Ganondorf chose then to begin asking for details as to what Link had done
inside the tower. The boy had been thinking about it the whole of their walk,
and so was fully prepared for this.
He started from the beginning. He told his lover about how a monster had come
down the stairs and how he had hidden. He talked about how he had unfortunately
had to follow after it, about the monsters he fought on the way down, and
finally about the underground portion. To his relief, even Ganondorf seemed
unnerved when he heard about the skulltulas that had attacked Link.
“I’ve heard those things could grow to enormous size, but I’ve never seen one
as big as you described.” The man admitted. “They’re nasty creatures, though.”
“To be honest I’m pretty lucky that it didn’t manage to get any of that acid on
me. Even my shield didn’t have to take that sort of punishment.”
He then went on to mention the stalfos, how it had been the monster that had
gone down the stairs, and how it had had a little fairy trapped inside of its
skull. Link raised his hand and ignited it while he talked about having coaxed
it out of hiding and how it had helped him out.
“I see. So then that voice and the one who gave you the heart piece was that
little fairy.” Ganondorf muttered, earning a nod from Link. “I must admit that
I am surprised. I’ve never met a fairy myself, let alone the Great Fairy that
you spoke with. I can’t say there is much that I know about them, but I’d be
willing to bet that little fairy had been trapped for a very, very long time.
It must have felt tremendously grateful to you for it to have thanked you twice
like it did. First a boost to your magic, and then a piece of heart… Either one
of those things could be considered an astounding reward on its own.”
“I got that impression, too.” Link stated. “Anyway, it also pointed me towards
the stalfos’s finger bones, which just so happened to be carved into a key.” He
continued on until he mentioned the small skeletons that had been in one of the
tower’s floors.
“Stalchildren.” Ganondorf said suddenly. “I’ve heard about those as well.”
“Children? But…don’t children become skull kids?”
“They should, yes. As you can probably guess, that stalfos was once an adult of
some description that got lost in the forest. Jun was once a child. Both became
afflicted with the Deku Tree’s magic and were slowly changed over time. The
adult rotted away into bones, and Jun became one with the forest, so to speak.
That said, stalchildren are curious things. They are the bones of those who did
not get lost inside of the forest, but died in there anyway. The magic that
keeps a stalfos alive and moving slowly seeps into the bones of the deceased
and reanimates them. Although I couldn’t begin to guess as to why the ones you
fought only began to move after their stalfos leader had been killed.”
Having nothing more to add to that, Link instead moved onto the room full of
braziers and how he had managed to solve that strange little puzzle. The
shocked look on Ganondorf’s face spoke volumes about how unexpected it was that
Link was able to produce that much fire all at once. When the boy mentioned
having fainted afterward, the man couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Of course you were!” he laughed. “Link, you’ll find that magical exhaustion
feels very similarly to physical exhaustion. Think about it this way: if you
were to fight long and hard all day without stopping, pushing yourself well
beyond your limits, you would eventually reach a point where adrenaline was no
longer enough to carry you. You would feel light-headed and you would probably
collapse. It’s the same thing with magic. You’ve only just been given your
powers and can barely control them as is, even with the fairy’s boost. To
suddenly light up an entire room definitely falls under the ‘over exertion’
umbrella.”
Link frowned. “Well…that explains a lot…” he said softly. “I was still feeling
pretty sick and dizzy after I got back up. Fortunately on the next floor I
found this weird vial of stuff that kind of smelled like your mothers’
potions.”
Again Ganondorf’s eyes widened. “A green potion? In a place like that?”
“Yeah! I tasted it a little, and it made me feel better. So I drank it. …Not my
smartest moment in retrospect, but I guess it refilled my energy because I
wasn’t feeling sick at all after that.”
“My mothers brew many potions, but their green one gets perhaps the least
amount of use.” The man stated. “It restores magical energy, yes, but I’m more
amazed that something like that was in the tower at all. Not to mention for it
to have remained fresh for so long…”
Link shrugged. “All I know is that I’m glad it was there.” From there he
explained how there had been plants on that floor and how they were vulnerable
to his fire. Ganondorf agreed that Link had been very fortunate about finding
such a potion when he had been in need of it.
And then, finally, Link went over every last detail about his discovery of and
battle with the giant plant monster. Ganondorf listened intently to his every
word, expression turning grim the more that the boy spoke. When Link ended his
tale by saying the he remembered being hit and then waking up in the man’s
arms, Ganondorf breathed a long sigh and closed his eyes.
“Link…I don’t know if I should call it fate or sheer dumb luck that you are
still alive.” He said softly. “For what little experience you have against
monsters, I will admit that you handled yourself quite well. But all the same,
to be able to stand again after having depleted your magic twice in such a
short time… And that’s not to mention the strain you were under mentally and
physically…” he fell weirdly silent, and Link couldn’t help but get the feeling
that he was choosing what to say next very carefully.
“I’m…sorry.” Ganondorf finally whispered.
The boy blinked, having not expected him to say that of all things.
“I’m so, so sorry. You shouldn’t have had to go through all of that. Not
alone.” He closed his eyes and briefly ran his hands over his face. “I should
have found some way to get into that tower with you. I should have been able to
provide you back up. And most of all, I should have been there so that you
wouldn’t have fallen!”
Two little tears slipped between Ganondorf’s closed eyelids and left thin
trails down the sides of his face. Link’s lips parted in astonishment and his
heart hammered in his chest. Slowly, gingerly, he reached out and took one of
the man’s hands in his and pressed his other palm against the man’s cheek. He
wiped away one of the tears with his thumb and Ganondorf opened his watery eyes
to look at him. Link licked his lips and he spoke without thinking.
“But you were there, Ganondorf. You caught me. Remember?” he said softly,
feeling his own eyes tingle with moisture.
More tears rolled down the man’s face at Link’s words. He brought his free hand
up to cover Link’s and he closed his eyes once more. He drew a deep breath, and
when he looked at the boy again he managed to give him a little smile.
“…I… You’re right.” He whispered.
“We both did all that we could at the time, and because of that we’re both
alive and here now.” Link stated, brushing his thumb along Ganondorf’s cheek to
once again wipe away the little trail of moisture.
The man squeezed his hand and drew it away from his face in order to press a
kiss to Link’s palm. “Thank you, bo-…no.” Ganondorf paused and his face flushed
with a little bit of color. “Thank you, my dear. I mean it.”
Link’s heart fluttered and he blushed as well. “And thank you for being there
to catch me, my love.” He murmured back.
The pair leaned in to share a kiss. It was quick, chaste, and yet Link had the
funny feeling that he hadn’t felt so fulfilled about a kiss in a long time. And
suddenly he was reminded of why he was so completely in love with the man, not
just attracted to him physically.
Chapter End Notes
     I'll see you all again next week on the 1st. ~_^
***** Passing Time *****
Chapter Summary
     Link and Ganondorf return to Hyrule Town, only to be stopped by a
     guard upon entry. They're led to the Tipsy Cat where they are told
     they will have to wait Impa to come along and talk with them. As it
     is only midday and the guard captain isn't due until nightfall, they
     find a fun way to pass the time...
Chapter Notes
     The second half of this chapter happens to be a scene that I skipped
     over during NaNoWriMo. ;) Enjoy~
See the end of the chapter for more notes
On the way back through Hyrule Field, Ganondorf mercilessly drilled Link on the
Hylian language. In addition to simply teaching him new words and phrases, he
refused to respond unless Link spoke the foreign language and only responded in
it as well. Link did his best to keep up with the lessons, but still fumbled
things up all the time. He wasn’t one to be a defeatist, but he had to wonder
if he’d ever be able to hold a real conversation in Hylian.
It came as a great relief when they were finally approaching the main gate of
the city and Ganondorf quietly muttered in their language, “We may have to ask
around when we get inside. The Deku Tree may have given us an idea of where to
search, but I’m not all too certain where we should be headed to next.”
Link nodded. “We…uh…should…ask Impa?”
Ganondorf gave him a little smile for keeping up his practice without being
prompted to. “Possibly. It all depends on how difficult it would be to contact
her. We don’t know which-”
“YOU! Hey! You there!” a guard called out, catching the attention of the few
people who were passing through the gate. “The two Gerudo! Come here a moment!”
Link and Ganondorf shared a look before approaching the man. He looked them up
and down suspiciously, his eyes lingering particularly long on Link.
“…Hello?” Link inquired, puzzled.
“You are a boy, yes?” the guard asked.
“I am.”
“Right! Yes, okay! I need the two of you to come with me. The captain, Impa,
has given us instructions to bring you somewhere within the city.”
The boy glanced up at Ganondorf, only having caught about half of what the
guard had said. Ganondorf quickly translated for him before telling the guard
to lead the way. The man waved to the other guard who was standing on the other
side of the gate and got a nod in response. With that out of the way, the man
motioned for them to follow and led the way into the city.
It didn’t take Link particularly long to recognize the direction they were
headed and laid a hand on Ganondorf’s arm to get the man’s attention. When he
leaned down a little towards the boy, Link spoke up.
“Are we headed to the same place we were last time?”
“That’s a good question. I was just thinking about that myself. Excuse me,
guardsman!” The man in question glanced over his shoulder. “Are we by any
chance headed for the Tipsy Cat?”
“Oh, so you know the place? Yes, that’s where Impa has asked for the both of
you to remain until she can speak with you. I’d let you go on ahead by
yourselves since you seem to know the place, but I think it’d be best for now
if you kept following me.” The guard frowned. “Since…well… I’ll let the captain
explain.”
Ganondorf nodded and relayed to Link that yes, they were indeed going to the
same place. As they turned and walked down the back alley, Link spotted several
of the local cats scurrying off to who-knows-where. His heart sank a little,
knowing that he wouldn’t be able to stop and pet them right away. He silently
promised them that he would find the time to do so later.
They arrived at the tavern and the guard opened the door, standing back out of
the way for Ganondorf and Link to go inside before him. Cheryl raised her head
and was about to greet them when she noticed the guard following them inside. A
smirk crossed her face and she leaned forward onto the counter.
“Well would you look at that? This sure does bring back memories, now doesn’t
it Ganondorf?” she teased. “I didn’t know the guards were still prone to
bringing me stray Gerudo boys. Last time that happened was the first time you
ever came into town.”
Ganondorf glared at her. “You sure do love to bring that up.”
She gave a playful shrug. “What can I say? You were cute when you were his
age.” She stated, pointing to Link. She then turned her attention to the guard,
who had approached her while they were talking. “So what’s the deal this time?
Did my boys offend another person with their horrible inability to speak our
language, or do you need to keep them nice and safe here for an actually
important reason?”
Ganondorf nearly growled at her for the “my boys” remark, but kept quiet so
that the guard could answer her. He explained that it was by Captain Impa’s
orders that the two Gerudo were to be brought there. He didn’t go into details,
and Cheryl didn’t ask for any. She confirmed that she would keep an eye on the
pair, and the guard gave her a quick salute before leaving. She waited until
the door was shut behind him and they were alone to breathe a sigh and speak up
again.
“Impa might be a while, so I suppose I should explain a few things in the
meantime.” She muttered in nearly perfect Gerudo. Perhaps more surprising than
her ability to speak their language, Ganondorf too appeared to be shocked at
her command of their tongue. Cheryl either didn’t notice their reactions or
didn’t care, simply motioning for them to follow her to a table at the back of
the room. All three of them took a seat around and she leaned forward with her
elbows on the surface, chin set on her folded hands.
“No one’s ever been able to tell since I’m half-Hylian, but I happen to be a
blood relation to Impa. I’m her cousin. This is why she decided the two of you
should be brought to me.”
Link’s brow furrowed at the foreign word. “Cousin?”
Cheryl beat Ganondorf to the punch on definition. “It means that one of our
parents is a sibling of another. In our case specifically, my father is the
brother of her mother.”
The boy nodded, understanding now. Briefly he thought about how that meant that
he had a few “cousins” of his own. He didn’t think too long on the matter, as
the woman continued given them a lowdown on the situation.
“Now I don’t know what’s going on, but if Impa has asked her guards to bring
you here then I get the feeling that it isn’t anything good. I’m going to have
to ask you to stay here until she comes by. That means no leaving the building!
It could take her a while to get here, so I’ll let you take a room until that
happens, on the house. Understood?” Both Gerudo gave her a nod. She flashed
them a little smile and stood up. “Good! Give me a yell if either of you need
anything! Food and drink’ll cost you, of course, but I’d be happy to serve you
something. And boy,” it took Link a moment to realize that she had addressed
him, as he still lost track of what a person was saying if they spoke more than
a few words, “come speak to me before you go out on your own next time. I got
somethin’ for you.”
With that, Cheryl left the two alone. Link turned to Ganondorf and sheepishly
asked for him to translate again. The man let out a laugh and did so. While
Link puzzled over what she could be talking about, the man rose from the table
in order to fetch a room key from the woman. She handed it over and he led Link
back upstairs. Whether it was by chance or not, they ended up back in the same
room they had had before.
“Well Link, what shall we do to pass the time?” Ganondorf asked as they dropped
their belongings into the room. The man stretched a bit and settled onto the
foot of the bed, watching as the boy worked to free his all of his equipment
from his person and set everything down.
“I don’t think Cheryl would approve of us sparring, so…” Link took a seat
beside the man and thought over what their options were. “My vote is either we
take advantage of having a bed here and nap…or we go back downstairs, get some
lunch, and then nap.”
The man cackled loudly and clapped the boy on the back. Once upon a time, Link
would have been nearly knocked to the floor by the force he had used, but that
hadn’t been the case for a while now. Still, it stung a big and Link had to
wonder if he would have a bruise there in the near future.
“Sleep and food, like always.” Ganondorf stated. “I should have seen that
coming.” He lowered his hand from where it had met with Link’s back down to his
hip instead and drew the boy a fraction closer. “Mind if I add a third option?”
Already knowing where this was going, Link raised an eyebrow in interest.
“We’ve got a perfectly good bed here, like you said. We already know how well
it sleeps on, we could always test out how well it performs in other ways.”
 “Well now…” the boy said softly, leaning into Ganondorf’s space and pressing a
hand to his chest. “Since you rarely ask, what are you up for this time?”
“You’ve been doing well in learning a new language, so I’ll let you take your
pick.” The man brought his lips close to Link’s ear, his breathe ghosting hotly
over the sensitive shell. “I could suck you off, you could ride me, or I get
down on my hands and knees for you.”
A shiver wracked Link’s frame as each suggestion brought vivid memories to the
forefront of his mind. He turned his head to press a kiss to Ganondorf’s lips,
and the man parted them zealously when the boy licked into his mouth. The hand
that he had been on the man’s chest gave a little push, and Ganondorf complied
by slowly lying back. Link followed the motion, their kiss never breaking the
whole while. At first Ganondorf thought that maybe Link was taking him up on
the second offer, but the boy quickly slipped between his thighs and laid all
of his weight across his chest and stomach.
“It’s been far too long since I’ve been inside you...” Link breathed against
the man’s lips when they parted for air.
Ganondorf smirked up at him. “It certainly has been.”
Their lips connected once more, tongues invading each other’s mouths hotly and
hungrily. Ganondorf’s hands fit themselves against Link’s hips, hoisting him a
bit further up his body to make their kissing easier. The boy’s hands found
their way beneath the man’s shirt, lifting it high up his chest as fingertips
skimmed along the valleys and ridges of hardened muscle. The hairs of
Ganondorf’s stomach and chest were as course as ever, and it was all Link could
do to stop himself from endlessly threading his fingers through every last inch
of it.
A shudder wracked the boy’s frame as one of Ganondorf’s large, warm hands slid
up his back. Short nails grazed the skin at the edge of his shirt before thick
fingers wormed their way beneath it. Link retreated from the man’s mouth and
kissed down along his jawline to just below his ear. His tongue pressed flat
against that point, earning him a thick swallow from the man. Link knew exactly
what he had been anticipating, and wanted so badly to tease him by not doing
it. But Link’s own delight in the action quickly won out.
His lips continued their trip down Ganondorf’s neck. Every couple of wet,
sloppy kisses that he laid there was punctuated with a very quick little suck
that had the man almost groaning. Feeling a bit mischievous, Link spread his
hand across one of the man’s pectorals and groped at it. He continued to press
into and massage the hard muscle, fingers occasionally grazing across the
stiffened nipple. Again Ganondorf swallowed, and Link took that as his signal.
Without mercy, the boy bit down at the junction of the man’s neck and shoulder.
At last a deep groan escaped Ganondorf’s throat. He leaned his head back
against the bed, eyes screwed shut. Link tightened his jaw for a fraction of a
second before letting up and lavishing his tongue over the deep marks he had
just made. He got a small taste of blood in doing so, but that wasn’t
unexpected. The man sat up just enough to allow Link to rid him of his shirt
entirely when the boy gave it another tug. Once bare from the waist up,
Ganondorf slid further up the bed to get more comfortable. While he did, Link
stripped down to his own pants before crawling back up on the other. Their lips
met again, briefly, before Link’s continued their little journey down
Ganondorf’s body.
Collarbones, chest, ribs, and every inch of his abs were not safe from Link’s
nips and bites. Some were so gentle that Ganondorf hadn’t even been sure that
the boy had done more than kiss him. Others were playful chomps upon a part of
his body that Link particularly liked. Others had been like the one to his
neck; harsh and painful and sure to leave marks. But all of them had the man
sucking in little breaths, or panting harder, or moaning loudly. Link reveled
in every last sound that Ganondorf made. All of it sending little shudders down
his spine and pooling between his legs.
All of his ministrations thus far culminated in the bulge in the man’s pants
when Link finally got down that low. Again, Ganondorf raised his hips to
allowed Link to disrobe him entirely. The man’s huge cock stood tall and curved
back just a bit. Link pressed a kiss to the shaft, earning him a sound almost
akin to a whine, but otherwise left it alone. The boy’s hands found Ganondorf’s
thighs, thick and muscular as they were, and began to press and knead into
them. Link nipped at the man’s hip as he gently pushed Ganondorf’s legs further
apart, allowing Link to dip his head between them. His bites again returned,
this time to the tender flesh so very close to Ganondorf’s cock. It was almost
too much, and the man fought not to squirm or trap the boy’s head by clenching
his legs together again. Once Link was satisfied with the soon-to-be-bruised
state of one thigh, he soothed the bite marks with a hand and went to work on
the other.
Link’s nips softened as his mouth trailed back up to the base of Ganondorf’s
cock. He pressed his tongue flat against shaft and licked all the way up to the
head. Ganondorf’s body visibly tensed up and a breathy moan escaped his lips.
Giving his lover a wicked little grin, Link backed away from him again.
“Turn over while I get the lube.” He instructed.
Ganondorf gave a little nod and Link climbed off the bed. Strangely enough, the
man’s mothers brewed a slick, almost oily substance in addition to all of their
potions. But unlike oil it wasn’t good for cooking or burning and was much less
harsh on the more sensitive parts of the human body. At first Link hadn’t
understood what the clear substance was useful for, but in time Ganondorf had
thoroughly showed him all of the wonderful things that could be done with it.
Link picked up the little bottle they still had left, along with an old rag,
and returned to the bed.
The man had done as he was told. He was down on his elbows, chest pressed to
the mattress and head turned a bit to watch Link as closely as possible.
Perhaps more importantly, his ass was high in the air, waiting patiently for
the boy to return. Link climbed back up behind him and set the supplies aside.
He leaned down to kiss Ganondorf again, and the man turned as best as he could
to allow for it. Once satisfied with that, Link opened up the bottle and dipped
his fingers inside. He set the open bottle and the rag on the bedside table and
brought his slicked up fingers to Ganondorf’s backside.
Link started by teasing at the entrance with his thumb. Ganondorf relaxed into
the touch almost immediately, complete with a long release of breath. As soon
as Link figured that he was ready for it, he pressed his index finger inside.
It went in easily all the way up to the knuckle. This wasn’t surprising, as
Ganondorf was considerably larger than the boy in every way. A single finger
really was not much to him. All the same, Link worked it in and out of him at a
slow pace a few times. The man’s insides relaxed further, and Link pressed in a
second digit.
Now things started to get more heated. The boy continued to thrust his fingers
in and out of Ganondorf, and the man’s panting picked up. In preparation for a
third finger, Link began to scissor the two he was already using. At this the
man began to thrust back against the intruding fingers, but only barely. It was
more like his hips were moving of their own accord than by any conscious
decision on his part. In the heat of it, Link slid in a third finger, and the
man moaned again. Knowing how much more satisfied Ganondorf was now, the boy
began to press into his prostate with every thrust and dragged the pads of his
fingers across it when he pulled out. This had the man thrusting back against
him in fervor, gasping and moaning in no time, completely uncaring of anyone
possibly being able to hear him outside of their little room.
Normally Link would go ahead and add a fourth and final finger. But he was
starting to feel a bit impatient, and his pants were still on. Meaning his own
dick felt too suffocated and dying for proper friction instead of the
negligible rub of his underwear against him. With a quick bite to one of
Ganondorf’s toned globes, Link withdrew his fingers. He didn’t miss how the man
nearly whined at the loss.
“I’m almost ready, hang on just a moment.” Link murmured to his lover. He stood
up off the bed in order to remove his pants and underwear. Ganondorf of course
turned his head to watch, eyes taking in the shape of Link’s dripping dick once
it was freed from its confines. Link dipped the tips of his fingers into the
open bottle again and got back on the bed once more. He slicked himself up
quickly before grasping at Ganondorf’s hip with his clean hand, using the other
to line himself up. “Okay. I’m going in now.”
“Please do…” the man groaned.
Link needed no further provoking. With a snap of his hips, he sheathed himself
fully inside of Ganondorf. The man moaned, and Link hissed through his teeth.
It had been something Link had been concerned about the first time, but despite
Ganondorf’s great size he was still so tight around Link’s cock! The boy
remained still for a moment, simply taking in the feeling of the man’s slicked
up walls clenching and unclenching around him sporadically. Ganondorf took a
few calming breaths before being the first one to move. He rocked back against
Link, causing the boy to gasp breathily before starting up a quick rhythm.
The two moved smoothly together with practiced ease. Link’s grip on Ganondorf’s
hips was bruising, and the man wouldn’t have had it any other way. The bed
creaked beneath them with every thrust, and paired with their moaning left
little to the imaginations of those unfortunate enough to be in the other rooms
or out in the hallway. Link did his best to lean down and leave kisses on the
man’s back and shoulders, but they were sloppy and often his teeth often grazed
his skin. Ganondorf didn’t mind one bit. The feeling of having Link inside of
him and even trying to kiss him more than enough.
The quick, playful slap to Ganondorf’s unbitten ass cheek came as a surprise,
but not an unwelcome one. Behind him, Link about giggled at the way the man had
momentarily clenched down on him at the smack. The boy choked out a quick,
unconvincing apology before trailing his still somewhat slick fingers around to
Ganondorf’s front. They wrapped around his cock, and the man practically became
putty. He melted further into the bed now with each thrust that was accompanied
by a rough stroke. He still managed to keep thrusting back into Link and
forward into his fist, but his rhythm became thrown off very quickly.
Recognizing that the man was getting close, Link picked up the pace until
everything was a frantic slip and slide of their bodies together.
Ganondorf came first. The guttural moan he let out as he released into Link’s
hand sent chills down the boy’s spine, making his dick throb inside of the
man’s trembling backside. Link thrust into him a few more times before coming
with an almost silent, choked cry. They remained still for several seconds,
almost a full minute. Both panted heavily and gulped down air as if they had
been drowning. In a way, they had been. Link was completely soft by the time he
pulled out, and as soon as his hand was out from under Ganondorf the man wasted
no time in collapsing fully onto the bed. Link resisted the urge to fall on top
of him by first wiping himself clean on the rag he had gotten. In that time,
the man rolled himself over, and Link took advantage of that to wipe him down
too.
The moment they were clean enough, Link tossed the dirty rag somewhere and
threw himself onto Ganondorf. The man happily caught him and pulled him close
for another quick kiss. Link snuggled up against him until they were both
comfortable and buried his face into the crook of the man’s neck. His fingers
found Ganondorf’s beard and began to lazily trace through it. Eventually they
reached his ear, which he smoothed over with the back of his hand. The man
smiled and threaded his own fingers through Link’s hair.
“If you want to get something to eat, you’re going to have to get up.” The man
murmured, not entirely willing to break the warm, comfortable silence between
them.
Link made a little noise somewhere between a groan and a hum. He buried his
face closer to Ganondorf’s skin, and the man felt a kiss to where he had been
bitten there.
“I know…” the boy replied, voice barely a whisper. “Just give me ten minutes
like this…”
Ganondorf turned his head to press a kiss of his own to the boy’s temple. “Of
course.”
Chapter End Notes
     I promised myself a long time ago that the first time anal would
     happen in this fic, Link would be the one to top. ~.^ I have now kept
     that promise. (And yes, this is part of the reason I blue balled all
     of you back in the forest. Sorry not sorry!)
***** Consolidating Information *****
Chapter Summary
     In the wee hours of the morning, Impa finally manages to get away
     from the castle in order to speak with Link and Ganondorf. Its time
     for them to sit down and share everything that they know with each
     other.
Chapter Notes
     INFORMATION DUMP TIME! 8D
See the end of the chapter for more notes
It must have been well past midnight before anything came of Link and Ganondorf
waiting for Impa. The pair had been downstairs for a few hours, mostly watching
other patrons get progressively drunker and louder. Cheryl occasionally stopped
by the table they occupied to check on them, but most of her attention was on
making sure the other people were satisfied.
At one point Ganondorf got bored and went back up to their room in order to
retrieve one of his books. Link waited downstairs on his own, staring off into
space. His wandering thoughts were interrupted when a middle aged man with
flushed cheeks swaggered his way over to the table. The stench of alcohol
rolled off of him in waves, causing Link to scrunch up his nose in disgust and
to clamp a hand over his face to avoid breathing in the fumes.
“Hey now, what’ve we got hiding over here? What’s a pretty young foreign thing
like you sitting all alone over here for…?” the man asked, placing a hand on
the table and leaning over and into Link’s space.
The boy hadn’t caught everything that the man had said, but it was obvious that
he was trying to hit on what he presumed to be an attractive young lady. Link
inhaled deeply through his hand before removing it so that he could speak
unobstructed.
“I am a boy!” he stated firmly, not recoiling from how close the man was and
looking him directly in the eye.
“You? A boy?” The man’s eyes quickly fell to Link’s chest and back. “Hmm… I’m
not convinced. You Gerudo gals are all burly anyway. ‘Sfine though if you ain’t
got no tits. Your face is pretty enough to make up for that.” Once more the
man’s eyes fell, this time clearly taking interest in the brand new hickeys
that were dotting Link’s neck and shoulders. They had graciously been given to
him by Ganondorf when Link had refused to get up after the promised ten minutes
and everything turned into a round two. “You seem like an easy woman. Should
come have some fun with me.”
Out of the corner of Link’s eye he could see Cheryl making her way over to
intervene, but the boy didn’t break eye contact with the drunken fool. Instead
he calmly repeated, “I am a boy. Go away.” The man didn’t listen and instead
placed a hand on Link’s shoulder.
“C’mon now, y’should have a drink with me. It’ll loosen you up!”
“Do not touch me.” Link growled warningly. He wasn’t normally one to wish his
voice was as deep and commanding as Ganondorf’s, but now was one of those rare
times where he was envious of the man’s tones.
The man didn’t heed his warning and instead flashed him a lopsided grin.
Somewhere in the back of Link’s mind he faintly heard Cheryl trying to get the
drunken man’s attention, but the boy was giving the man his full, undivided,
and annoyed attention. The man seemed to take this as some sort of invitation,
as his next move involved reaching for Link’s chest and muttering something
about checking for himself.
In a flash Link was on his feet. The clattering of his chair and the sound of
his fist connecting with the man’s face drew the attention of everyone in the
tavern. The man fell to ground, clutching his jaw that had just been thoroughly
clocked. The man tried to sit up, but Link took a single step forward and
planted his foot firmly on the man’s chest, shoving him back onto the ground.
“I told you not to touch me, you creep!” Link snapped, not at all caring if the
man could understand him or not. “When a person tells you not to touch them,
you do not touch them! What sort of pervert tries to grab at somebody’s chest
without their permission?!” Beneath him the man whined and tried to shake the
boy off of him. Link ground his heel into ribs, causing the man to whine in
pain. “Pay attention when somebody is speaking to you! You do not touch people!
You hear me?! DO NOT TOUCH!”
The man whimpered and nodded his head vigorously. Link released him and stepped
aside. Slowly the man sat up, his eyes tearing up and continuing to hold his
battered jaw. As soon as he could the man scrambled back to his feet and
hurried away from Link. Cheryl caught him by the arm before he could leave and
muttered something into his ear, a dark expression on her face. Even though
Link could not see his face, the drunken man looked about ready to wet himself
from whatever the bartender had told him. He sprinted from the establishment
the moment that she let him go.
One of the other patrons let out a low whistle and shouted something to Cheryl.
She responded to him with a smile and the tavern’s ambient noises steadily
returned to normal. Link sighed and picked up his knocked-over chair before
sitting back down heavily upon it. The bartender approached him with an
apologetic grin.
“Sorry ‘bout him. That old man’s notorious in this city for trying to force
himself onto women at the taverns. I normally warn my guests when it’s of
concern; didn’t think he’d be too drunk not to believe you’re a boy.” Cheryl
explained.
“Not your fault he’s a disgusting pervert.” Link muttered back.
That brought a chuckle from the woman. “No, but I should have warned you
regardless. Especially when even I didn’t realize that you were a boy at first.
Still, you handled yourself quite well. Ganondorf must’ve been a good mentor
and taught you all kinds of things.”
The wink she gave Link left him wondering if she was only talking about his
training. It didn’t help that her eyes, too, seemed to trace over his neck for
a split second. Before the boy could ask what she was trying to imply Ganondorf
cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him as he approached from the
stairs.
Link gave him a sheepish little smile. “And how long have you been watching?”
“Long enough.” Ganondorf admitted, taking his seat beside Link again. “I wanted
to see what you would do. That bastard’s lucky he got off as easily as he did…
If you hadn’t moved when you did I would’ve knocked his teeth out.” He
grumbled. He flashed Link a grin and added, “I told you that you’d be able to
handle yourself in a bar fight.” The boy couldn’t help but flush a little at
the praise.
“Well since you’re both here, I suppose I should give you my own two cents.”
Cheryl stated, narrowing her eyes at Ganondorf. “You really should get Link
some new clothes. I understand that where you’re from it isn’t a problem, but
if you’re going to be in town a while he really should be wearing something
more appropriate for a boy.”
Ganondorf made to respond, but the door to the tavern opened up and familiar
tall, white-haired woman stepped inside. Several of the patrons fell silent and
a few quickly dropped the money they owed on their tables and hurriedly
retreated. The woman’s eyes easily found Link, Ganondorf, and Cheryl. She
approached them and exchanged a look with the bartender. Cheryl excused herself
and left to pick up after the patrons that had just fled from the Captain of
the Royal Guard.
“My apologies for making the two of you wait.” Impa stated calmly. She breathed
a heavy sigh. “The queen was very stubborn tonight and would not go to bed
until the fire in her hearth had burned out. I do not know why, but she has
become nervous around fire these last few days…”
Link and Ganondorf shared a look, and Impa raised an eyebrow.
“I take it the two of you have some inkling as to why that could be. Very well
then…” she grabbed the back of a chair that sat at one of the now-unoccupied
tables and dragged it over in order to sit across from them. “I’m sure we all
have much to tell each other. Let’s not waste any more time. Were you able to
find anything inside of the temple?”
Link shook his head and relayed again what had happened, starting with the
Great Fairy giving him command over fire (if only to explain Queen Zelda’s
fear). He finished his story by telling her about the monster that had
destroyed the carvings that he found on the walls of the tower. Impa frowned
deeply as she listened and breathed a long breath once he was done talking. She
leaned forward, elbows on the table and chin propped upon her folded hands.
“I see… About all of that… The queen knows of the defeat of that monster.” She
admitted. “The night you claim to have slain it, she awoke screaming. It took a
long while to calm her down, and she kept repeating that she had seen the two
of you, or impressions of you, in the forest. After that she…she gave an order
to have anyone matching your descriptions killed on sight.” A chill ran down
Link’s spine. Impa caught his eyes and offered him a little smile. “Do not
worry, boy. Obviously I have superseded that order. The both of you should be
free to move about the city again in the morning after I’ve left. My men will
not bother you.” She addressed them both again. “I wanted the two of you to be
brought here so that we could talk once more. I don’t know if I will be able to
leave Queen Zelda’s side again after this, so we should get everything that we
know out in the open here and now. Obviously you two do not know any more than
you did when we first met. I’m sorry to hear that you have no new information
to offer into solving this puzzle. But now that we have the time, I’ll instead
tell you everything that I know.
“The symbol that I showed the two of you, the one that is upon your hands, is a
representation of the Triforce.” Both Link and Ganondorf looked down at their
hands. The symbol hadn’t been visible since Impa had shown it to them, but they
could still remember clearly what it looked like. “It is said that the Triforce
is a power that was left behind by the goddesses who created Hyrule after they
returned to their sacred realm. The tales vary as to where the three pieces are
and how they can be acquired, but there are a few things that remain true no
matter the source. The first is that when the three pieces are brought together
they will grant the wish of the person who touches them. A pure, good heart can
bring about an age of peace and prosperity for Hyrule…but a corrupt one could
bring the entire land to ruin.
“But that isn’t all there is to the legends. The Triforce consists of three
pieces: Courage, Wisdom, and Power. The powers of each of these pieces is said
to work in subtle ways, which can make detection of who possesses the pieces
difficult. Although it is said that the one who holds the Triforce of Power has
the easiest time sensing when another piece is near. Wisdom and Courage,
however, are not so fortunate.
“And then the final thing that all of the legends share is that there are three
individuals who, throughout history far beyond what anyone can remember or even
is recorded, come to possess these pieces.” Impa glanced behind her at the
other patrons in the tavern. Those that remained were all minding their own
business, caring not for what the Captain of the Royal Guard could want with
two Gerudo men. When she turned back to Link and Ganondorf, she lowered her
voice to a hush despite there being an incredibly low chance that anyone could
understand them. “I’ve already confirmed that the both of you and Queen Zelda
are the three people in our time who hold the Triforce.”
As much as Link would have liked to have said that he was surprised, he was
not. Throughout Impa’s explanation he had an inexplicable feeling that the
marks he and Ganondorf bore were because they each held one of the pieces.
Getting confirmation of that did not shock him in the slightest. It did,
however, unsettle him. And judging by the way Ganondorf drew a deep breath and
slowly released it, he too was still processing the information some.
“Impa, if I may…” Ganondorf spoke up.
“Yes?”
“If you know all of this, I assume that means you have a hunch as to which
pieces Link and I hold. I am curious to know which you think they are.”
Impa gave a nod. “I have given it much, much thought. Keep in mind that
although this is based upon what I have seen and read, all of this is purely
speculation. I believe that the boy here, Link, holds the Triforce of Courage.
And you, Ganondorf, it makes sense that you would be in possession of Power.”
The pair both stole another glance at their hands. Impa motioned for the both
of them to give them to her and once more caused the two marks to glow faintly.
While they were visible, Impa pointed a finger at the one section that neither
of them had.
“Queen Zelda has this one here.” She stated. “I believe it is the Triforce of
Wisdom. The tales always tell of that piece being held by a member of the
Hyrule royal family.” She breathed a sigh and closed her eyes. A few seconds
passed and the marks faded from view. A few more and Impa’s eyes slid open
again and she looked back up at the pair. “Beyond that, I am afraid I do not
know what any of this could mean. The fates of the three of you are tied
together, but what that means exactly is not something I have been able to
learn. My only guess is that…whatever fate has in store for the three of you,
it will not be pleasant.”
Ganondorf and Link were both given a moment to process what they had been told.
When neither said anything or gave any indication that they would ask for
further details, Impa rose from her seat.
“I’m afraid I should get going. I’ve already been out longer than I am
comfortable with, given the circumstances.”
“Wait.” Ganondorf said, stopping her. “The Triforce. Do you know the location
of each of the different pieces within the mark itself?”
She blinked, clearly surprised by the question. “I do not. None of my texts
have ever given any indications for something like that.”
The man frowned. “I see… Well then…” He looked to Link, who was clearly
confused by the sudden switch in languages. “The guardian spirit of the forest
gave Link and I the general locations of where we might find more information.
The lake, the volcano, and the mountains. Do you know which of these places
fell first?”
Impa nodded. “The mountains did. But I strongly advise that you do not go there
next! You may be strong enough to survive, Ganondorf, but the boy is not. If
you want my advice: go first to Death Mountain first and then Lake Hylia. They
fell at about the same time, but the Gorons do not have the quality of warriors
that the Zoras do and are therefore less protected. They cannot hold out as
long because of that. Save the mountains as a last resort: that place is
unpopulated and grossly infested with powerful monsters.”
Before Ganondorf or Link could object, Impa gave her farewell and promptly left
the tavern. Ganondorf and Link shared a look before getting up from the table
and retreating upstairs to their room. It was very late, and they had a lot to
do in town later that day. They both knew that they were going to rest first
and concern themselves with where to head next later.
Chapter End Notes
     Upon rereading this, I feel like that scene with the drunkard might
     feel a little out of place. For that, I do apologize. I wrote that
     scene specifically after I saw a certain something. It rubbed me in
     so many wrong ways that I just...I HAD to do something to "fix" it.
     Hopefully it did not come across badly!
     BUT WITH THAT SAID! The boys now know a thing or two about the
     Triforce and why Impa knows that they are tied to Zelda. The rest is
     up to them~
     ...Also, when are people going to be able to tell that Link is a boy?
     X'D
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