Lethe

Chapter 3: behind her eyes (continued)


The rain was gentle but enough to give Ganon chills. Fog swirled among the dripping trees, and everything was cold.

Ganondorf gathered his cloak tighter around his chest.

However, to his relief, there were the fields, and there, sunlight was blooming again. Though the rain did not let up, even as his horse stepped onto the first patch of grass, he could sense the light's approach and prayed it would come soon. Without sun, he withered and grew weak.

Ganondorf gazed out into the fields. The color was obscured by the grayness of the rainfall and fog, but beneath these gloomy colors, he could see the wheat green and gold that speckled the landscape. He looked further on, but his sight was limited by a hillside and so he couldn't identify the direction of the castle.

"We're in the fields now," he almost bragged to the boy who was still in his spot atop the horse.

Link merely nodded to show he had heard.

Ganondorf was nearly paralyzed by the sight of this grass, not because they threatened him, but because now he was in Hyrule again. He remembered these fields so vividly, but it had still been years. The fields were dream-like, too good and precious to be real. The fields were the one thing Ganondorf had fallen in love with, the one thing that had enticed him to try and take the rest of this land, the one thing that had betrayed him... This clash of love and hate forced a heavy convulsion from his lungs. The wind that blew across this land was perfect and nourishing, but at least for now the rain drowned this nostalgia out. There was no breeze except a chilly and wet one, which gave no comfort to either traveler.

The sunlight approached. Ganondorf breathed a relaxed sigh.

While the rain eased, the horse seemed encouraged by the rolling hills, no longer having to endure the struggle of traveling through heavy forest. It skipped almost playfully, before Ganondorf's sluggishness dragged it back. Ganondorf could feel himself breathing again, the air free of the forest's humidity and musk.

As Ganondorf watched the distant silhouette of the castle come into form, he decided it was best to force a conversation.

"So..." He cleared his throat readily. "What exactly will you be doing?"

"Oh," Link dismissed, "very boring things, really. A special occasion, and all that. I'll mostly have to make conversation with aristocrats and politicians and simultaneously trying not to offend them."

That sounded familiar. "And me?"

"You?" Link blinked, then nodded in confirmation of the problem. "Yes, you... That is a puzzle. We wouldn't want the townsfolk to see you, much less the royalty..."

"That isn't a trouble," Ganondorf responded. "I have a spell to solve that. Really, I just want to know where I can stay. Unless you want to sleep in the same bed."

Link must have only listened to Ganondorf's comment partially, because he didn't look at all disturbed at what he heard. "...I could always rent a room at an inn, so long as you keep yourself locked up and out of sight. I'm sure I could get you the food as well, while I stay at the castle... I'll just ask the cook to send some food up to my room and you can stop by."

Ganondorf mused that Link had obviously spent some time setting this up in his mind. The offer was silently accepted.

*********

No one could see him. The cloaking spell was a simple one, and in the blink of an eye Ganondorf found himself effortlessly entering the town's gates. Link was now on his feet and leading the horse, while Ganondorf stood close behind him.

The peasants were few in number due to the rain, but even those who remained glanced at Link without much suspicion.

Of course, they did not see Ganondorf.

He wondered whether they would have noticed him regardless of the invisibility.

Ganondorf stared hard at every rock surface that anchored this town, from the smooth slate slabs under his feet to the intimidating arches over his head. In the midst of dripping water, the stone gave the town a particularly gloomy and wet look. Ganondorf tried to disregard the chilliness he felt, and his eyes caught a distinct black flutter. He looked up and saw a crow sitting atop a roof, cawing in protestation, pulsing its wings to escape the wetness.

Ganondorf's thoughts clicked, and suddenly he didn't feel comfortable. Was that the same crow he had seen earlier? The bird certainly felt familiar, but Ganondorf told himself that the idea was silly. All crows looked the same to him, anyway.

Its ebony gaze gave him a headache.

"This way," Link whispered, turning to the left. Ganondorf divorced himself from the bird and looked to the cluster of buildings Link was aiming for. "Go down that alley and the inn will be the second on your left."

And so Ganondorf did, pressing against his horse's ribs, searching for some heat in this godforsaken town, clasping his numb hands together. Ganondorf could not bear to examine this town or even begin to read its face--his observations became confused, for everything he saw was lost in the sea of gray stone and marble. Everything blurred into a stony haze, so that he could barely make out the figures that shuffled through the city. As he pressed the horse in the right direction, and as Link followed suite, he noticed a few other travelers passing them. An indiscernible face sat atop a decorated white horse and then this figure passed away into the drizzling rain with a glitter of royal gold, and similarly passed away from Ganondorf's memory.

"What sort of people are going to the castle?" he inquired softly, as not to be caught.

"All sorts," Link replied. "Mostly royalty and foreign leaders."

The alleyway was daunting and lopsided. Ganondorf had to close his eyes and follow the horse's lead to escape the pathway's pressure. Breathing suddenly became more difficult amidst all the moisture and dampness. He couldn't understand how people live in such crowded areas, in which all oxygen is robbed.

"We're here."

Link stepped up to the door and made his entrance. Ganondorf unwittingly had to stand outside, having received no instructions and feeling perplexed. Should he step inside? Instead of moving, he waited for several minutes, and found himself nodding off. The rain was no more than a steady dripping, splashing over his shoulders, and he wearily rested against his horse, hearing faint voices converse inside the inn.

What were they talking about? He couldn't care less. The sky grumbled in upset, the afternoon beginning to fade into the seduction of dusk. The town, this town that he had before conquered and trampled, existed as such a pest to him now, reminding him ruthlessly of his failures. He was just about the curse it when Link stumbled outside again. He closed the door to avoid being heard, and scolded, "What are you doing just standing there?"

Ganondorf snorted haplessly.

"Get in here!"

Link was getting snappy again.

When Ganondorf entered the inn he was overwhelmed by the scent of red pine. He couldn't stand the smell and began to breathe through his mouth. There was almost no one else save for the innkeeper who was busy with his books, and a distant glimpse of a woman going up the stairway. Link ended up going the same direction and Ganondorf decided against stomping up the wooden stairs, so he did what he could to hover his way up without making any noise. Everything was silent; Ganon was becoming a bit unnerved.

Link drew out a key and unlocked the room. "Here," he instructed, holding the key out as he pushed the door open. Ganondorf took it and glanced inside in disappointment.

Well, maybe he was expecting this.

The room was small and empty save for the bed at the other end of the room. It wasn't bad exactly, but it wasn't up to Ganondorf's standards either.

"I'm sure it's good enough," Link hinted with impatience. "Stay here, will you? I'm off."

Ganondorf was careful to voice no actual agreement and yet simultaneously feign it. Fortunately for him, Link was not searching for any consent and quickly made his way off. Ganondorf, still standing shrouded by the spell, considered his options.

He could either stay here and die of boredom, or follow Link.

It was hardly fair competition.

Careful to be quiet, Ganondorf set out to track the boy's activity.

The rain had stopped, but as the moon loomed overhead, heat vanished from the stony city. The only clouds swallowed all the warmth, leaving Ganondorf shuddering helplessly. He tried to overlook such setbacks and concentrated on staying quiet. Though he doubted Link's ability to prevent him from following if he so wished it, Ganon found it simpler to not be caught.

Link circled around the inn, taking the horse with him. The people had mostly vanished from the plaza, leaving everything deserted and silent, but this dormant quiet was not to last long. Without hesitating, Link began to head towards the castle gates. The stone pillars vanished, and Ganondorf couldn't help but feel a bit relieved to be out of the city. The trodden dirt road and barricading hills surrounding the distant outline of the castle were hazed with green and a lush breeze. He could smell flowers and spring water, the expensive luxuries of nature pouring from the marble halls of royalty. It only seemed fitting.

The two guards were at quite a distance from Link when they first reacted to his presence. Apparently without much worry, they abandoned their posts, running and hollering like banshees in his direction. Ganondorf was at first quite alarmed by the charge, but soon realized they were only fooling around. Link froze in his steps only to compliment their insanity, and before he could comment on the clamor they were making, the three men collided. The two guards immediately began to banter like excited schoolboys.

"Where were you?"

"We thought you wouldn't show up--you're late!"

They were more overjoyed than offended, so Link laughed and tried to explain himself while passing them. "I got caught up in something along the way. How late can I possibly be? The main guests aren't here yet, are they?"

"Oh, no," one shook his head. Link had already moved right past them, so now they trailed behind as they approached the gate. "They won't be here for a few days."

"All the others are here, though," the other teased. "I didn't the Hero of Time would be the tardy one this time around."

Link was obviously in the company of friends, because nothing they said bothered him at all, and they broke down to making inside jokes at laughing at each other.

"Open the gate; I don't have all day."

And so the men opened the gate, and as Link left them behind, they both gave a vacant look at the horse that followed him.


"The thing looks familiar, doesn't it?"


Ganondorf slipped past the gate before it closed.

Once Link was confronted with a two more men at the foot of the towering castle's entrance, Ganondorf had to consider his options. Either he could continue to follow Link strictly, or trail off beyond his socialization. Surely, other things were happening inside the castle, and the boy was likely to linger with others and indulge in boring conversations. After weighing the two, he decided to try to catch the gist of the conversation going on before him.

One of the man was clearly a close friend and a soldier in the army, donned in uniform and inquiring what was sure to be the main topic of every conversation. "Why are you late?"

"I was running around in circles," Link smirked. "Now, why is everyone accusing me? I'm not that late."

"Of course not, of course not," the soldier laughed. "How's your health been? I haven't seen you in ages--and last I saw you were in pretty bad shape."

"I've gotten better," Link offered. He paused, then read the soldier's curiosity and satisfied it. "I've gotten used to being blind; I can use my other senses quite well."

At this, the soldier shied and the conversation grew awkward. As though frightened of the topic, the soldier lowered his voice, shook his head, and murmured, "N-no, no, we needn't mention that..."

The silence was only broken by the soldier's glance at the horse.

"Is this thing yours?"

Link made a confused noise.

"This horse," the soldier clarified.

"Oh, yes. I found it."

'A convincing story...' Ganondorf sarcastically mused.

"Heckuva find, huh?" The soldier nudged the quiet man next to him, apparently a servant, and informed him, "Take care of the thing for 'im, alright? Come on Link, everyone's waiting for you."

And so they were.

Ganondorf watched in mostly dull disinterest as Link was surrounded by even more soldiers, all curious about how well he had been doing 'since they last saw him.'

Ganondorf was beginning to piece this together. He followed Link inside the castle, gazing out into the stretch of marble and red carpet, the torches flickering and throwing light onto the countless faces. The group of talking heads moved readily towards the open courtyard, and soon they were in the hallway encircling the outdoor platform lying at the castle's center. Through the windows, Ganondorf could see the people--countless people, most of them diplomats, conversing and moving about. Some they passed in the hall, and Ganondorf carefully dodged their quick and deliberate steps. They were clearly rich, but the noblest ones were not particularly interested in Link's arrival. There were foreigners from other, nearby countries--allies of Hyrule nodded in Link's direction though they knew he could not see them, and those from the military jumped for the opportunity to talk to him.

They reached a corridor leading down into the courtyard, where the sunlight freely flowed in through the glass ceiling.

"It's a good thing that awful rain has stopped," a few were commenting.

An older soldier grabbed Link's arm and shook it. "Link, have you heard any news about the war?"

War? Now Ganondorf was confused. There was no war in Hyrule. He didn't exist in history. How could there be a war?

"How's it been going?"

"Oh, beautifully, especially since you left it," the man joked. The others laughed boisterously, and for once even Link dropped his seriousness and joined in. "The war should end any week now."

Wait a minute, Ganondorf thought, stopping in his tracks. Not only is there a war, but Link had been fighting in it?

There was a lot of explaining that Link had neglected.

"I know, I did awful things for it," Link smirked. "It's a good thing I lost my sight when I did."

At this, the soldiers ceased laughing and incessantly protested. "Link, don't say that," one whined. "You know we were just kidding. Don't be so morbid."

"I was kidding too," Link assured without any hurt feelings, though he seemed a little frustrated. "Why are you all so high-strung?" They laughed nervously and Link changed the subject. "You know what I need?" he sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"A drink," three answered simultaneously.

"Exactly."

There was nothing less than a roar of laughter. This earned them a few unhappy looks from their more dignified neighbors.

"Come on, guys," a younger soldier urged. "There's nothing but champagne and fancy nonsense like that here." The boy began to whisper, as though hiding a dangerous secret, and leaned into Link's ear. Ganondorf overheard something about 'ale,' but the rest was lost in their sniggering. They continued onwards, clumsily shuffling together back to the hallways of the castle, immersed in conversation and thoughts of partying together. Ganondorf was a bit overwhelmed with their behavior and had to linger behind, standing dumbly in the courtyard, watching the royals exchange pleasantries in their newfound quiet. Couples dressed in feathers and silk breathed sighs of relief, swirled glasses of wine, and gave sweet smiles to their partners.

He leaned on the far wall, watching them carefully as to not be knocked into, and for that minute closed his eyes. He felt somehow relieved and safe, for now, even though he was surrounded by potential enemies and far from home. He remembered these hollow paths well, and he mused gently on their beauty and sustenance, looking back to the days when he wandered them without worry. The King had allowed it, inviting him again and again to visit this place and offer his false worship. Ganondorf glanced about, seeing the calm people, seeing the ease in which the tower stood. He couldn't understand, in that moment, why he had such a contempt for this place. He had torn it down to build another one, a castle that he thought would be greater. And yet, now as he saw this one, the black fortress was put to shame. He had tried to build perfection and failed miserably.

How he would have liked to do it over again and instead of destroying this place, he would keep it whole for his purposes. That would've been better and eternally more pleasant.

But, like all things he adored, it became tainted when he tried to grope for it.

Torches growled with heat and light. Ganondorf heard some distant noise, and upon realizing it was Link's group, he opened his eyes again and reluctantly tried to trace their tracks.

A woman dressed in a blue gown was speaking loudly, scolding the men knowingly and greeting Link with mortification.

"Would you look at yourself?" she wailed. "What do you think you're going to do, looking like that?"

"Leave him alone, woman," the soldiers defended. "He doesn't need to hear from you."

The woman crossly folded her arms, blocking their way. "Her Majesty has been waiting for you, and you're not going to see her dressed like a common bandit. And what's this?"

Ganondorf winced at the appalled shriek.

"What did you do to yourself? You're bleeding! Are you hurt?"

Yelling commenced for a minute until the woman called for a servant. A younger girl in an apron stumbled in at being called.

"Woman, why are bothering him with a servant?" the men asked.

The woman ignored their jeering and took Link by the arm roughly. "Come on, Hero... Dear," she addressed the young servant, "Would you lead him to his room and help him with his clothes?"

"He doesn't need to be dressed!" the men howled angrily.

"Be quiet, you oafs," she retaliated, pushing Link along his way. The servant blushed, took Link by the hand, and mumbled something about following her. "You're not even drunk yet and you're obnoxious animals!"

Defeated and blocked off from their source of entertainment, they turned and left. Ganondorf edged against the wall to avoid their trampling, and after a moment's thought, realized that watching Link get dressed did not really fascinate him. Without tracking the boy on his agenda, Ganondorf had to follow something else for a while.

What else was there except thirsty soldiers and bored rich people?

Ganondorf would have sighed if he thought no one would hear him.

Ganondorf ended up following the woman at first, a bit curious of how she was connected to Link. Obviously, she had some influence in the castle and over the men.

The sky blue dress ruffled briskly when she walked and finally she reached the main hallway, pressing a large door open and peering inside. Ganondorf watched, wondering what she was relaying, but quickly realized she was speaking to the Princess.

"Majesty," she hissed.

A voice asked, "Yes?"

"Link's arrived."

There was a distinct noise of motion. "What?"

After a moment of deliberation, the woman pushed the door open fully and slipped inside, closing it behind her. "Oh, yes," she replied as the door clicked. Her voice grew muffled and distant; Ganondorf pressed his ear against the wood in an attempt to listen in. "He just got here. The other soldiers were about to go get him drunk, no doubt."

Zelda laughed lightly. "I'm glad you saved him from that. How was he?"

"He looked awful, Majesty," the woman huffed. "I sent him to his room for a change. He'll be ready in a few minutes, I'm sure." She mumbled unhappily. "I'm not surprised--he's always getting himself into trouble, that boy."

Zelda sounded disappointed but a bit relieved that a change was all that was necessary. "Don't be so hard on him, Jamil," she responded hastily. "He has a lot of responsibilities. I didn't expect him to get here on time."

"Did you expect him to come here in good shape?"

There was another quiet laugh. "Not exactly."

"I don't know what you see in him," Jamil snorted. "Anyway, where's your father? I've been looking for him."

Ganondorf withdrew, hearing only the stifled mumbles but not desiring to hear any more. The woman must be a friend of the Royal family, to so easily ask for the King's presence like that. After a minute, the woman opened the door and swiftly barreled down the corridors. The clatter of the closing door shook the walls.

All Ganondorf could do at this point was wait.

*********

"Ah, Link! So you've arrived at last!"

The King and the Princess of Hyrule stood immediately as he entered the door, smiling broadly.

"It's so good to see you," the King continued, chortling and stepping up from his throne. "I haven't seen you in such a long time."

"Yes, your Majesty, it has been quite some time," Link agreed. "And it is with good tidings that we meet again."

"Indeed, indeed," the King nodded, touching his shoulder. "Now, did you run into some trouble on your way here? We've been wondering what caused such a strong young lad as yourself to arrive late..."

"I ran into some Wolfos on the way," Link answered truthfully.

"Ah! That would do it!" The King looked to him curiously. "And you got out of it all right?"

"Only barely, your Majesty. I was lucky to get out in one piece."

"Savage creatures, then."

"Yes, your Majesty."

The King nodded in understanding. "Well, I know you have friends to speak with, and I know you'd like to speak with my daughter, so I'll make this quick for you." He cleared his throat, leaning Link in closer, and explained, "This is a very important event for Hyrule and all of her neighbors. I cannot stress enough how large of a role you played in accomplishing this. And for this, I thank you."

Ganondorf was more than perplexed. What on earth? There was a war going on, a war Link had fought in, and now the King was speaking nonsense about how Link had led to some accomplishment? Had Link single-handedly defeated the enemy? Or were there two things going on at once?

"Hyrule will have an age of peace not known since the Great War between its races."

"More than just I played a large role in this," Link reminded the King gently, standing up straight once the King released his shoulder.

"Of course! But you did plenty in the diplomatic regard," the King continued. "You were able to build bridges for us that could have not been possible without you. You, after all, know the Gerudos the most intimately of all of us."

The Gerudos?

Ganondorf was quivering with questions but was powerless to ask them. Diplomacy? Peace? What on earth were these two politicians babbling about?


After Link spoke with Zelda a while, he excused himself from the castle, obviously in pursuit of meeting with Ganondorf at the inn. Once Ganondorf realized this was the boy's goal, he rushed ahead of the boy's trip to return to the room.

Link later caught up and knocked on the door. Ganondorf, feigning innocence and trying not to sound winded, allowed him inside and asked what Link was doing back.

"I came to ask whether you want some food."

"Of course I do," Ganon responded irritably.

"I can get you some good food and a bath," Link explained. "You don't have a change of clothes, but I guess you'll have to live with that."

Ganondorf glanced over the boy at last, realizing he indeed donned a new outfit and was clean. He couldn't help but stare for a minute, admiring this somewhat boggling image. The boy was dressed in an expensive, silk-woven tunic, with plates of metal at his shoulders. The cloth was riddled with patterns and design, glimmering a rosy brown from head to toe. From this, Link's fair skin and bright, blonde hair were in shocking contrast.

It was the same suit, Ganon realized, that the other soldiers were wearing. Ganondorf swallowed his countless questions, knowing they would give away his stalking, and asked, "Where's all this?"

"Follow me."

Ganondorf found that again, he did not like this city very much. It was no forest--there was no life to watch except for the occasional person bustling past. It was far too empty and vacant for his liking.

Link led him to the castle again, and up to his room. Link had to dismiss a few pleas for conversation on his way upstairs, and once they approached his door, he had to slip inside swiftly to avoid being caught up with more company. Ganondorf entered and found, as he expected, the room to be far better than his own. But instead of dwelling on the silk bed and the chandelier that glimmered overhead, he looked to the food.

"I convinced the chef to send an extra meal up this way," Link explained. "Have fun. There's a bath, too," Link vaguely motioned towards a door in the back of the room, "if you need it."

Link left and Ganondorf immediately began to consume the food. Only once he started stuffing his face with it did he pay any attention to what the food was or even what it looked like. There was a faint memory of the taste of chicken, and he moved onto the potatoes, the spices' smells swimming through his head. He hadn't eaten such cuisine in a long time, and was unused to the freshness of the meat and vegetables, but he overestimated the power of his hunger. Before he knew it, he was staring down at a half-consumed plate without an inclination to continue.

This, he thought, was a bit odd. He hadn't eaten in many hours, and when he began he was ferociously hungry. He normally could have eaten several plates of a portion this size and still complain of hunger. Now, however, he couldn't manage to finish one.

Maybe he was just a little too tired, he thought. Maybe he was ill and didn't feel like eating. He set his utensils down and decided it would be best to have a bath. It may clear his head.

The room was thick with steam, rolling with heat like a sauna. The hot water calmed the nerves in his body, flowing gently over his face and neck and offering a freshness he hadn't experienced in a long time. The more he pondered it, the more he realized how ghastly little he had felt this past decade. He hadn't eaten a good meal or taken a bath, at least in any normal way, for ten years. Gods, he hadn't lived.

He undressed at the shivers of cold and buried himself in the hot water. There, he submerged himself in the pleasant warmth and breathed in the fumes simmering above his head. His breaths became deep and clear, the thick fog easing the labor of his lungs. He sat back and mulled silently, exhaustion sending his sight spinning.

Somehow, he felt a bit at home here in the midst of royals, and he thought urgently back to the days he had before spent in the castle's company. The King was a naive man, eager for company and allies, and would invite any slime that managed to make a good impression. However, Ganondorf's memories mulched and traced back to Link all the same. He growled with frustration. The boy wouldn't leave him in peace for long without invading his mind.

Ganondorf never understood the boy or those allied with him. These people who had worked to strike him down were entranced with the most bizarre obsession with justice. Just as Link had fervently apologized for his actions, others Ganondorf knew experienced this illness and craze. Ganondorf puzzled over it, thinking back to Link's expression, unable to connect with that sincerely sorry look. How did these people convince themselves of right and wrong so fully that it controlled them? The sages had torn him down, labeling him the King of Evil, naming his efforts in vain. And yet he could not understand this obsession with good and evil, this completely inane context that made no logical sense.

He would think of the things he did, struggling to see what disgusted them so, and wrestling with the possibility that these acts were criminal and wrong. He could sense nothing in their vibrations, nothing but an emptiness of impulse. He wanted to do those things, and so he responded, just as waves crash against stone, just as flesh falling to the force of gravity. How could things so natural be perverted? Animals devour one another, and they receive no punishment--yet when he satisfies his bloodlust, he is a murderer. He felt sorry for those people who wretched and wept over the evil of this world, for those who racked with guilt, for those who worked tirelessly to do what was right. If only they had his enlightened understanding, they could find his freedom and his prison, his inability to feel guilt or pleasure, and his recognition that these things did not matter. The righteous die as well as the wicked, and all are doomed to meet the same fate. So why did people destroy themselves and waste time feeling sorry? And why did they spend so much of their life plundering riches and pleasures, when it cannot follow them to the grave?

He felt sorry for them in a way, knowing they would never feel the release he did in living for nothing. He spent his days chasing chimeras, merely to keep himself amused, but nothing kept his loyalty as strongly as his desire to live for no cause, to be born and die the same man, to mock the senseless justifications men made for their lives.

Ganondorf tired of sitting so idly and left the bath. It wasn't the ideal to put on his dirty clothes on again, but he had no choice, and so the sweaty clothing remained his. Having finished what he set out to do, he almost decided to leave, but after rethinking this prospect, he realized he was not excited about returning to the empty room with a simple bed. He gazed longingly at the bed Link was to rest in, immediately recognizing its superiority.

Surely Link wouldn't mind if he rested his eyes a bit.

Ganondorf lay flat on his back, sinking deep into the flush of down and silk, and immediately his vision became hazy. The bed was comfortable--more comfortable than he had ever imagined, and he dared not open his eyes lest it be proved a dream.

His comfort was cut short.

The door opened, Link entered, and before long the boy realized he was still there, and that he was sleeping in his bed.

"What are you still doing here? Get out!"

So much for hospitality.

**********

Ganondorf returned to his room, but it was not all in vain. Before he left Link's room, he had managed to swipe a pipe he had eyed earlier, along with some tobacco. He reasoned that the boy didn't need it as desperately as he did, for after all, he was older.

But to his shock and disgust, the smoking did not work. He swung open the window to let the stench dissipate outside and made a single puff of smoke before he realized his mistake. The fire sprawled through his lungs, suffocating him, burning him, and with a furious fit of coughing the pipe fell to the floor. Tears from the stinging flame and bitter taste of the tobacco formed at his eyes, the smoke swirling and irritating him.

Ganondorf growled impatiently. What had gotten into his body? Not only had it lost its appetite--now it had also lost its ability to smoke.

Ganondorf sighed, still wheezing a bit from the attempt, and decided that the tobacco was probably bad anyhow. He didn't know how old it was, and it may had aged too much for his taste. He picked up the pipe, balancing the singed herb in place and setting the item aside. He would buy his own tobacco later.

A faint wind brushed past his shoulders, the chilliness of the breeze forcing him to turn. He nearly turned around for the sake of closing the window and barring this cold, but once he faced the windowsill, he stopped short.

It was undeniable this time. The same crow was perched there, only a few feet from him, its eyes sparkling and staring right into his. He froze, no longer comforted by this charcoal-colored critter, and nearly shooed it away.

But the creature opened its beak, cawing furiously, the noise somehow sounding simultaneously more and less human. Ganondorf was startled by its aggressiveness, and almost found himself speaking to it, but before he could scold it, it took the initiative.

Hello.

Its feathers briskly ruffled. Ganondorf blinked. "What?"

The bird's beak still opened, it still cawed, but over its ruckus came a voice of shocking clarity, vibrating through his skull intensely. He could not decide whether it was male or female, human or sub-human, or even if it spoke in English. All he could tell was it spoke to him, and he could understand it.

Hello, dearest.

Ganondorf's heart pounded. Was this some sort of trick? "What are you?"

Whatever do you mean?

The crow fell silent, its beak closing, and Ganondorf felt a headache coming on. He could swear it was smiling at him. "What do you want?"

You feel very safe at the enemy's breast.

Ganondorf looked at it again, still wondering if he was hallucinating or hearing things. It was talking about Link, he realized. "...So?"

You have grown accustomed to being his pet too quickly.

Ganondorf was typically honest with himself, and he knew his increasing comfort with being Link's property carried its hypocrisy. But no matter the disgust he had with himself in this matter, he was not willing to face such a foul statement. "I am not his pet!"

You trust him. You believe he will not destroy you. But you do not know him.

"Shut up!" Ganondorf lunged for it, but the wings flapped too quickly for him, and as he crashed down on the windowsill, the ebony shadow had vanished with a protesting bark.

You will regret trusting him so easily, dearest. I promise you.


Ganondorf cursed countless times, convincing himself this was some horrible dream, and that a crow had not just conversed with him. He panted miserably, but now that the eerily realistic vision had passed, he calmed himself.

He wondered if what he conversed with was merely his insecurities, but somehow this seemed silly. Not only was the prospect a bit cheesy, but the thing did not have his voice or intent, and it said things that made no sense to him at all. Why did it promise he would regret trusting the boy?

Whatever the being was, it knew something he didn't, and it induced shivers up his spine as he pondered its existence. He prayed it was the only and last visit, but he knew in his heart the thing would return.

Without hope and shaken, he closed the window roughly and retreated to his bed. He spent the night staring at the ceiling and watching the hours pass by him, every thought tracing back to the single look of hatred he had read from the boy's eyes. He could see Link lingering like a shadow, lurking, trembling with ancient hungers, and when he closed his eyes it became worse: not only could he see the boy then, at the back of the eyelids, but he could hear the boy's breathing impending on him and threatening him. The thought streaked across his mind so clearly that it was like a written phrase floating in front of his eyes: Link was going to kill him.

And he could do nothing to protect himself.

Ganondorf shivered and finally fainted from terror.

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