Lethe

It didn't seem right at all to Ganondorf, staring at his enemy, observing the splotches of blood staining the boy's clothes. It was unfathomable--yet eerily, it made perfect sense. Of all the people he knew, this was the boy to do it. This boy would get himself lost in the woods and fight Wolfos, all the while without any eyesight. That, Ganondorf had no doubts over.

Ganondorf was, however, a tad irked that Link didn't recognize his voice. It was a silly detail, Ganondorf knew, but there was something particularly insulting about Link's easy forgetfulness. Ganondorf thought of himself rather highly, considering himself the one and only enemy of the boy, and yet Link had forgotten his voice. Ganondorf tried not to sound flustered as he protested, "You're kidding me!"

Ganondorf's tantrum was leading to even greater confusion on Link's part--the blind man was bewildered by this stranger who was so suddenly growing angry with him, and held his blade with an air of panic. "Do I know you?"

"I should think so," Ganon offered.

Link was beginning to share Ganondorf's frustrated sentiments. Link huffed and lowered his sword. "If you're not going to answer me, you're not worth my time!"

Ganondorf laughed as Link's intimidation faded and approached him without hesitation. As he moved in, he spat, "A little full of yourself, aren't you?"

The blade twitched murderously, but Ganondorf didn't pay it any attention. Indeed, when Link felt him coming closer and attempted a blow, Ganondorf effortlessly smacked it from his grip. The sword whirled in the air and hit the ground with a dull thud. Link froze and glared daggers into his pursuer. "Don't come any closer," the Hylian hissed, crouching like an animal, as if preparing for an attack with teeth and nails.

Ganondorf berated him. "And what exactly are you going to do to me if I don't, Link? Scratch me like a cat?"

Link emptily stared into space, concentrating on every noise surrounding him, eyes shifting perhaps unconsciously. The sword was gone, and Link couldn't grab for it from where he stood. Link's breaths jumped, the sense of being cornered closing in on him. Link ignored the stranger who was mocking him and instead focused on every possible escape.

Ganondorf quickly lost patience with this and, without thinking it over properly, grabbed Link roughly by the arm. "C'mon, boy," he growled, "you're injured."

A look of obstinate horror crosses Link's face only a moment for Ganondorf paid the consequence for such an unwelcome move.

"I said, stay back!"

Ganondorf, in his lack of forethought, seemed to have forgotten that Link was by far a potent fighter. Before Ganondorf could bat an eyelid, he was battered and gasping in pain at the sudden and crisp crunch of his arm. Flustered and in shock, Ganondorf recoiled and swallowed a scream of pain. He gagged, desperately tending his abused limb, and after confirming with relief that Link had been generous enough not to break anything, he realized Link had run. Ganon looked about in irritation, growing weary of chasing after frightened animals. He finally took in a breath, leaning down and taking up the dropped sword, and set off after the trail of blood.

The forest emitted a jaded sigh as well, bowing to the brisk flight of the young warrior. As Ganondorf worked quickly to go after the escapee, he paid close attention to the gasping woods around him, the breathing green of the trees that seemed to wax and wane in his sight. Though his feet trampled dead leaves and pursued a faint trickle of blood on its floor, he had no intentions of concentrating on this world. His mind had been trained from the very beginning of his life to wander needlessly, to only shallowly interact with the ordeals in which he was involved while his detached mind moved the fuller world around him. He was not chasing Link, or so he thought--he was barely aware of this menial task, for it required little thought.

He watched curiously, the trees growing and breathing and multiplying in front of him, all in a deep trance of contemplation. Everything was asleep, dormant, but very much alive. The sunlight beat down, glittering in bright golds and silvers, thumbprints of color scattered in the undergrowth. All else was black and a musty, hidden green. Ganondorf would have smiled at such sights, had he anything other than a simple fascination with the splashes and gaudy patterns. He read the forest like it was a book, and likewise picked it apart with his romantic critique.

Moss and vines awakened his poor eyesight, and suddenly as he found himself in the depths of the woods, the light had vanished completely. The air was moist, the stench overwhelmingly grassy, a deep and healthy soil's scent clouding his senses. The sunlight couldn't touch him, nor could the heightened singing of birds. Only the insects and rodents could keep him any company. He was dazzled by the dark and the chilliness of the forest's underworld, trekking over moss and mushrooms, upturning the black dirt as he walked.

Ganondorf had to shake his exhaustion. He was feeling dozy, the rocky earth cradling him and tempting him to sleep. He was ready to succumb to the world's call to rest. Ganondorf realized he hadn't slept in years. The dimension he had been released from didn't require sleep, nor did it allow for a very comfortable means for it. Ganondorf stopped in his tracks a moment, the pain in his side growing to unimaginable intensity, and the cold comfort of the earth lulling him. Birds sang faint and deft lullabies, the depths dripped of dew, and spiders drew out their webs, all in some maddening, synchronized spiral that could only pull Ganondorf into a comatose of fatigue.

He trembled, eyes trailing off back into the string of crimson.

He lost his train of thought. What was this thread? He knew it meant something, but suddenly, he couldn't place its significance. What did it lead to?

Ganondorf's eyes followed it and found his answer.

There was a flutter of pale skin, bleeding breath, a strand or two of golden hair, all in a single beast. The thing leaned against a tree of insurmountable age, the crust of its bark prickling the tender skin and cloth. It gasped, immobile, blood dripping down its side as it moaned aloud, and with a final groan of pain, the bark snapped as it fell.

The bleeding boy collapsed into the dead earth, and made no more noise or movement.

Ganondorf watched this spectacle for several minutes, slowly comprehending what this meant for him, and debating what to do next. As his mind reawakened to the thing's identity, he felt hate. But in the same way, his mind reminded him of his connection. The burn at his side would not go away unless he tended to this thing that he hated, and for this reason he at last consented.

The sword in his hand flashed distinctly silver and he soon lost his thoughts. Everything seemed drunk, murky like a dream, and he couldn't recall a thing. What had he done? What was he doing? The lack of sleep pounded on his mentality, every move he made becoming a caricature of a possible dream. He couldn't separate the illusions from his true actions, and soon everything melded into a single sequence of sensations, a distanced commencement. Like a dream, he couldn't remember what he had done, or what he hadn't done. It was only when he awoke that anything seemed real anymore, and that he could confirm what had happened.

Ganondorf woke up, head spinning. The colors of the world around him clashed, stabbing his eyesight, leading to despaired curses. A flame raged in his head but the pain in his side dwindled. Ganondorf glanced around, everything still surreal, but took a breath of relief. He found himself laying on a stretch of soft soil and moss, comfortable and feeling rested. Everything was relieved, his body only throbbing from a dull ache by then. He stretched, feeling his muscles complain at being neglected so long. He snapped a few joints and tried to gather himself.

He was struck with a short period of amnesia. Where was he? He knew he was in the woods and had to slowly remember why. He looked to his right, down into a small pocket of vines, and saw Link. Ganondorf's mind almost impulsively drummed up his ancient feelings of hate, but after a minute he came back to his senses. The boy was unconscious from bleeding, and now he was lying silently in a carefully crafted bundle. Ganondorf looked closer. Not only was Link wrapped in his cape, but the color was also returning to the Hylian's face and the bleeding seemed to have receded. Ganondorf crawled soundlessly to the boy's side and looked over him.

The boy's wounds were tightly bound. Ganondorf looked at his hands and found they were smothered in blood. He didn't remember anything, and so he came to the conclusion that he had tended Link's wounds. He fought to think back but could not. The only images he could summon were of red and white, a swirl of Link's pale flesh, and the shedding of cloth.

It appeared as though Link had been undressed and redressed at least partially for the wounds to be fixed, but Ganondorf found this odd. He would think that he would remember something like that, yet he could recall nothing. Chilled by the absent memories, Ganondorf sat back.

He looked to the sky, wondering how long he had slept. It was closing in on evening, and stars were beginning to flicker in the blue sky. The sky seemed so much bigger from deep down in the earth, while he lay on his back and stared up into it. He no longer troubled himself with the things he couldn't remember and watched the day turn to dusk, and the last of the scorched sky darkening into night. Crickets started to sing in place of the birds, but these songs were more intimate and loud, for the crickets were much closer neighbors. Ganondorf almost nodded off again to his new chorus, but Link stirred and he shifted his attention.

This time, Link did not carry a panicked expression, although he was aware of the
heightened danger. The Hylian appeared solemn and determined, sitting up silently.

Ganondorf smirked and turned his head.

Link felt his bandaged chest. "...Is someone there?"

Ganondorf considered remaining silent, but he decided to not torture the boy any further. "Yes."

There was a twitch and a scowl. Link betrayed none of the anxiety he clearly felt--even from the position he was in, injured and vulnerable, he seemed quite at ease. "I know who you are now," Link informed him flippantly.

"I suppose that's good," Ganondorf replied. In truth, he was barely listening. The moonlight was too silver and he was drowning in its intensity, the milky brightness twisting the shadows, turning everything a sharp black and white. A frog sprawled from a patch of shimmering water, croaking and trying to nestle in the shallow puddle of fungi and dew. Ganondorf's head ached, the color becoming so stark in contrast that he nearly fainted, and he didn't notice Link's agitation.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you rotting away where you're supposed to be?"

The questions were benign. Ganondorf winced as his eyes tweaked and jarred, the
images before him blurring. The earth only sang more harshly, and the snowy frog again croaked. Ganondorf felt scattered, uneven, his head floating away before he could grab for it and keep it in place. He knew the boy was saying something, but it was lost in the fogginess of his consciousness.

The voice grew more profound and angry at his silence. "You villain, what are you planning?"

The boy sounded furious, offended by Ganon's presence, the tenor of his voice strained. Ganondorf absently wondered what could be causing such violent feelings, but even this he could not focus on. Ganondorf was absorbed by the lifeless rock and leaf that stood underneath the depth of the sky, blanketed by a dark field of glittering jewels, and watched as they curiously seemed to come alive.

The boy's voice nearly interrupted his connection, and soon Ganondorf grew restless with the intruding sound. He grew irritable and vengeful, unable to comprehend why some gnat wished to break him away from his fantasies. Hyrule had grown angry with him before for being too boastful and oppressive, and now that he was completely silent and calm, there was still someone to complain about his actions. He groaned, unable to escape the others' whimpers, and concluded he could please no one.

A glitter caught Ganon's eye. He realized Link's sword was still divorced from its owner. Ganon lazily stepped down from the ridge of moss and carefully picked up the blade. "You dropped your sword back there," he said conversationally, setting it to Link's side. Link emptily glared at him.

"I will repeat my questions and you will answer me," Link growled.

Such a stony comment caused Ganondorf to emit a weary chuckle and he traipsed back to his spot. "So be it, Link. Try one at a time, though. I happen to only have one mouth."

"What are you doing free?"

"That would be Din's doing," Ganondorf answered crossly. "Apparently She believes you need some assistance. I didn't understand why at first, but..." Ganondorf examined Link and nodded affirmatively. "I understand now."

Link became defensive. "I don't need your help."

Ganondorf wasn't surprised, but reminded him, "You don't have sight. That's a bit of a disability."

"And I've done just fine without a guide."

Ganondorf didn't wish to waste his energy on useless bickering and resigned to Link's objections.

"How am I supposed to trust you?" Link challenged vehemently, not about to surrender to this outrage. "Where's Din? If what you're saying is true--"

"I'm not going to hurt you--I can assure you that," Ganon spoke curtly. "But unless Din decides to show up on Her own, I can't help you there."

Ganondorf smiled unwittingly in response to Link's increasingly flustered expression. It made no sense to either of them, really, but Link was in the disadvantage. He had no sight, no way to even begin trusting Ganon's words. "What do you want?" Link at last managed, fingers sliding through his blonde, tangled head of hair.

"What do I want?" Ganondorf snorted. "I want to kill you, just as I always have--but I can't."

Link cautiously tested this concept. "What's binding you to your word?"

"It's not my word... But I can't hurt you all the same. Din has found satisfaction in toying with my fate as She sees fit." Ganondorf folded his arms, sitting back now with a new, frustrated look. "Your pain is my pain; your death is my death. The only hope I have of escaping an existence of torture is to keep you from screwing yourself up as you did so terrifically today."

"I won," Link pointed out, juggling between the two ideas. "And what do you mean? You feel what I feel?"

Ganondorf disregarded the question and began to fume. "'Won'? Are you mad? There were at least twenty more of those beasts surrounding you!"

"I would have beaten them."

Ganondorf snorted, throwing up his arms. "Gods, that would have been a spectacle! You, blind and already passing out from bleeding, take on and defeat twenty hungry animals trying to maul you! Yes--a spectacle indeed!"

Link went bitterly silent.

"What's your story, anyway?" Ganondorf bantered. "What exactly went on so that you lost your sight?"

There was no response.

Ganondorf sighed, knowing he had lost the conversation to Link's stubbornness.

**********

The night was almost perfectly dead, save for the hovering shadows over Ganondorf's body as he slept. These murderous, elongated flickers swarmed about, waiting patiently like vultures, baring their silvery teeth and crimson eyes. His imagination twisted every curve, exaggerated every spot of color, and enhanced the sharpness of every corner. The earth devolved into a twisted, gnarled surface filled with eyes and faces, all leering, all looming over their prey, all flaming with vibrant colors. Every rustle of a dry leaf in the breeze became a footstep, every shiver of the trees became an eager hand groping for its victim, and every sparkle of moonlight became a brimming, threatening blade. It caused Ganondorf no end of anxiety, turning at every twitch of nature, panicking at the sight of every wary eye.

Perhaps it was because of this that he didn't believe himself the first time he thought he saw Link.

He thought he saw the Hylian standing over him, emptily gazing into his resting body, somehow emanating threat...

Ganondorf thought he was dreaming at first. He blinked, frozen still, hoping the shadowy figure would disappear from his vision. However, the figure remained, and Link continued to debate with himself, a knife pondering over its use.

Link stood icily, for what seemed like hours, but finally with a breath of reluctance, the Hylian backed away.

What was that about?

Ganondorf lost all of his remaining feelings of security. His heart pounded through his chest and he prayed that the noise wouldn't betray him. Sleep embraced him once his body exhausted.

**********

The morning swelled into focus with a golden light. The crickets that had so triumphantly sang the night before were now absent, and so the only sounds came from the heights of the trees--a few chirps and warbles from rehearsing birds.

Having finally accomplished his night of sleep, Ganondorf decided to attempt waking up. He blinked again and again--his vision stubbornly remained somewhat foggy nonetheless--and shook with a newfound energy. His rest had been deep and remarkably refreshing. Everything was clear to him. His thoughts were no longer muddy or confused, and his body felt alive. The pain at his side, too, had almost completely vanished.

And so, Ganondorf was almost uncharacteristically satisfied. His limbs twitched in rhythm, a cheerful tune singed his memory, and the morning light seemed unnaturally bright. Ganondorf, for that moment, couldn't understand how this return to the natural world was to be a punishment. He was feeling good.

He sat up, and then the reality hit him like a rock. A red figure flared and vanished in front of his eyes, and then he saw Link standing alone. A quiet conversation had just come to a close, and Ganondorf moaned. Din had visited.

Link brushed himself off, more as a gesture of conclusion than one of cleansing, and breathed in wistfully. The milky eyes looked up aimlessly. "Are you awake?" Link tested.

Ganondorf grunted but didn't stand up.

Link frowned and folded his arms, giving in reluctantly to the situation. "Din informed me into what was going on."

Again, Ganondorf avoided any conversation. He was getting a headache, and furthermore, he was getting depressed.

"I don't understand it," Link complained, shaking his head. "I don't need a guide, and I most certainly don't need a slave." Link voiced the latter occupation with such contempt and freedom that Ganondorf was empowered to stand on his two feet.

"Excuse me!" Ganondorf sputtered angrily, "I am nothing of yours, boy!"

"Din seemed to have a different opinion," Link spoke mildly. "She said you are my responsibility, and that my safety is your concern. You're here to serve me, villain."

"'Your responsibility'?" Ganon guffawed. "I don't even have to be here. I could leave if I wished!"

"Regardless," Link sighed, more upset with the 'burden' than with Ganondorf's temper, "the fact is that you need me. If you leave me, I am vulnerable; if I am hurt, you are hurt; if I hurt you, you cannot hurt me in return."

Ganondorf's face was flushed red with fury. This was nothing less than a crime. Now, he really wanted to hurt this boy. "I'm not your slave," he repeated breathlessly, his anger straining his voice.

"Then you better get used to the idea."

Snotty brat. Ganondorf stomped impotently, though he knew what Link was saying was true. He didn't have much choice in this situation, so his only option was to stay close, whether he liked it or not.

The birds were singing louder. The cicadas began to join in with their monotonous buzzing. The sunlight was melting over Ganon's sweaty, batting eyelids, in a wondrous wave of warmth. The currents of deep-rooted rivers were flowing and bubbling, the veins of water stretched over the summer's landscape.

He was feeling better.

His mind left him, so he wasn't paying attention when Link told him that Din was giving Ganondorf a horse. He only dumbly nodded, which under the circumstance was even more deluded, for Link could not see the movement of his head. When he turned to see his old, black horse with a fiery mane of red, he didn't feel surprised. The ghastly beast seemed to fit amongst these shadows of trees, its untamed eyes fitting for a wild animal of the woods. All that he wondered was how his horse was to be used. Then he saw that the goddess had courteously left a saddle on its back, though little else. Its armor was nowhere to be seen.

How the goddess liked to play with him.

He approached the bulky horse, hoping it would remember his scent. The animal grazed nonchalantly, not even turning its head to his touch. He could feel its overwhelming lungs and heartbeat, its velvet coat covered in flecks of dust and brimming with heat. It was huge, alive, yet despite its size it was utterly tame. This huge animal could effortlessly kill him with a toss of its head, and yet it yielded to him, and allowed his hand to smooth over its muscle and skin. He could touch it, pat it, kiss it, and still it would be at peace with him.

"You do know where I'm headed, don't you?" Link inquired, standing by while Ganondorf reeled in his horse.

Ganondorf shrugged. "I have nowhere else to go--go ahead and tell me."

"I'm going back to the castle."

Ganondorf would have cursed if he was grounded in reality, but his eyes strayed to the fluttering overgrowth of the woods. "I see." He then got onto his horse effortlessly.

Link heard this effort and protested. "Aren't I going to ride?"

Ganondorf sneered. "Yeah, right. You can walk."

The horse snorted and Ganondorf led it forward in his path. Link, too tired to object to Ganon's antics, merely ambled onward, attempting to follow the sound of the horse's hooves. This was a treacherous sentence, for the terrain was rough and Link had no way to see what to prepare for.

"Which way do I head?" Ganondorf asked lazily.

"East," Link bitterly replied.

There was another long period of silence. Ganondorf continued to ride in a steady, paced manner, only so that Link had some time to maneuver down the path and catch up. They were unhappy with each other, and so the conversations lapsed for the next hour. Ganondorf mused on how patiently Link was trekking, and how little complaint the boy was expressing. However, Ganon's thoughts were swallowed by the dizzy and glittering landscape.

The air was fresh and cool. They both gradually moved uphill until they reached the height of the grounds, and there, Ganondorf's head fell back, eyes gazing into the vastness of the sky. There were no clouds, no barriers between the brightness of the sun and the health of the earth, and the light poured over the trees. Ganondorf devoured it greedily, his fondness for the sun suddenly reborn, and growing with a terrible fervor. His skin hadn't felt such a pure touch in years, and had since bleached, but now he could feel the rays giving his flesh its true tone. The horse beneath him rocked and bowed, step by step emerging from the depths he had slept in.

He awoke only to chastise the Hylian for his sloth.

"Can't you be any faster?" he roared impatiently, turning his head to search for his reluctant traveling partner.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Link calmly explained, though it was obvious from his restrained tone that he was holding back his irritation. Link painfully felt his way around another tree stump and tangled web of vines. "Wouldn't this whole thing be a lot less painful if I rode with you?"

"Are you mad, boy?" Ganondorf balked adamantly. "First of all, you are not riding my horse; second of all, in no universe are we going to ride on the same horse. Grow some common sense!"

Not to mention you'll probably try to kill me while you're at it, as you so valiantly considered doing last night.

Link was practically quivering from his bridled temper. Every word shook with a falsely collected tone. "If you would just let me ride, and you were to guide me, then perhaps it wouldn't take so long."

"First you say you don't need a guide," Ganondorf mocked, "and now you are asking for one." The horse galloped for a few feet, drumming the ground in a distinct playfulness, as though jeering. Ganondorf spat triumphantly. "You are not getting any help from me."

*********

Ganondorf tugged the reins slightly to the right and mumbled something incoherently. He looked again up from the ground at Link, who was sitting atop the horse in an absorbed silence, and Ganon had to yet again ask himself how it came to be.

It didn't really matter.

They ventured into some shade and a few crows flapped overhead. Ganondorf snorted, stepping over a branch, and lead his horse toward the narrow edge of the approaching brook. Ganondorf's feet were killing him.

With one hand he led the horse. With the other, he smoothed his mussed hair and smeared the beaded sweat from his eyesight. It seemed he had been walking for ages. All the comforts of the natural world immediately withered under the oppressive burden of labor, and the growing dissatisfaction with his traveling partner made the burden even harder to bear. Lazy thing! Ganondorf swore with all his might. He must enjoy playing the victim with this disability of his--he's even garnered pity from me!

Ganondorf tried desperately not to think about it, for it soured his mood, and this made the pain in his feet swell. But similarly, the pain kept him grounded and unable to fantasize, and without his imagination, things seemed more dire and unhappy--for indeed, they were. He was trekking endlessly, with no hope of rest, all the while guiding a miserable weasel of a person who just sat there while he did all the work and still felt entitled to--

The horse nudged him. Ganondorf blinked from the heat of his temper, and once he snapped out of it, he realized he had stopped dead in his tracks in the midst of his mental tantrum.

"Is something wrong?" Link asked, obviously wondering why they stopped moving.

Ganondorf shook it off. "No, nothing." They began to move again, and Ganondorf shuddered. He felt ill, his stomach churning at every foul thought he managed. He wanted to throw up at the absurdity of the situation, but of course he didn't. His nerves were shot. He couldn't breathe. His feet--GODS, they HURT!

Ganondorf's limbs were so singed with anger and hate that they began to fail. He could feel his arms trembling and dying, his feet giving up beneath him, his lungs flattening. He forced a thin gasp for air and in desperation looked up at Link.

"...Why..."

He clenched every joint in his body, refusing to let himself faint, and decided he had to start a conversation if he was to survive much longer.

"Why are you heading out for the castle?"

A stupid and obvious question, yes, but it was a question--one that could be answered and be developed into something to distract him from his suffocation. Link looked surprised at being spoken to, and finally answered. "Well, actually, it's an event. Princess Zelda is hosting a gathering, and Her Majesty has deemed me an important guest."

Ganondorf squinted, eyes watering from the sharpness of the pain from his stomach, and tried not to interpret the words in any subjective way lest his readings result in a more furious tantrum. He tried not to focus on his bodily failings and concentrated on the issue at hand. Ganondorf became rabid in conversation. "What's the event for?" he gasped.

Link paused. "I don't know."

Ganondorf knew Link was lying but decided not to think about it. The conversation stopped dead very suddenly, and so Ganondorf instead concentrated on Link's appearance. He looked to a noticeable flash of color at his fingers, and saw a crested ring of silver. Ganondorf rolled theories around in his head to keep his mind busy. Maybe it was a royal ring. Is Link part of a royal family now? Or maybe it's some obscure, secret organization? Or perhaps, even, it is a part of some military branch? Link did seem to be apt for fighting.

Then Ganondorf looked at the boy's face.

Ganondorf wasn't sure why it fascinated him so, but one thing was for sure: Link was handsome. However, it seemed there was something beyond that. There was something that piqued Ganondorf's curiosity, and caused him to unwittingly stop again.

He couldn't help but speculate what this haunting expression was betraying. There were no elements of fear, uncertainty, or innocence. It was hard, cold, stiffly barred from any readings. There were hints of anger in his face, but those were minimal. He was emotionless and distant. There were such bizarre puzzles to be found out just from his eyes, those off-blue eyes that seemed so dead and soulless... Ganondorf was captivated for a full minute with the total lack of emotion.

Then, Link looked at him with an accurate guess of where his face lay. "Ganondorf, are you trying to be odd?"

Ganondorf had been so enamored that he jumped from the sudden move. "N-no, sir!"

Ganondorf's mouth shut and he paled. He almost said something to correct his slip, but it seemed silly to bring attention to it, and so Ganondorf miserably sunk into a silence. His embarrassment shrouded him so strongly that he successfully overcame the feelings of hatred that threatened to destroy him.

However, he was so ashamed of his slip that he never realized this victory.

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