Lethe

Chapter 5: cripple

Chapter 4: cripple

Ganondorf woke up with a fresh circulation of breaths. The possibility of Link killing him faded, and the premise grew more ridiculous as the day matured. Of course Link was not going to kill him. Link was no murderer, and no force Ganondorf could conceive would make him such.

The morning was dry, offering no moisture for his hoarse throat. And so, with nothing else to do, he left in search for a drink.

Being unable to reveal himself resulted in barriers to this goal. He could not hope to purchase or ask for a drink (even if he had any money), and he wasn't sure stealing was his best option. In the end, he realized his only real hope of getting nourishment was to return to the castle. Boredom, too, had taken its toll, and so any form of entertainment beyond the bustle of the village was welcome.

The day was clear, thankfully, and the sunlight was pouring forth with an unbridled passion for the world beneath it. There was not a cloud in the sky save for a few weary puffs of white, and the city at last stirred to life. The awakening was painful at first, but as the hours past, the townsfolk breathed and moved, and without warning the square swarmed with people. This gave Ganondorf new obstacles to dodge, and he had to be especially careful of the erratic play of children, who would tear past quicker than he could blink. He seriously considered flying, but his mind rattled at the memory of his last, failed flight. He did not want to repeat the accident, and he certainly did not want to in front of all of these people.

Once he crossed this obstacle course safely, it was just a matter of getting in the castle.

This was more complicated than he remembered. Maybe the headache was getting to him.

**********

"Link!"

Link was again captivated with the blankness of the landscape, staring at a wall senselessly and separating himself from the crowd. How staring into nothing was interesting, Ganondorf was not sure. Jamil, for his sake, raced to Link's side to put an end to his empty staring.

"Link, come on! What are you just standing about?" He was tugged by the arm, but he still seemed enamored with the darkness he peered into. "Zelda is waiting for you upstairs."

Link, at last convinced of the leave's importance, allowed himself to be pried away from the wall.

Ganondorf, for a moment, looked at that very wall, curiously examining it, wondering what Link found so fascinating about it. It was then that Ganondorf remembered Link couldn't see it at all.

"Link!" Zelda exclaimed upon seeing him. They exchanged pleasantries, and Ganondorf meanwhile observed the Princess's mode of dress. She glittered of jewels, the fires surrounding her giving her dress and eyes a blinding shimmer of pink and blue. Every nuance of her shape and voice was brutally gorgeous, and without warning she embraced him, laughing. "I spoke with you hardly at all last night."

"His military friends couldn't get enough of him," Jamil dryly explained.

"They had reason for it," Link assured her.

"They need to learn to share," Jamil retaliated, speaking of him as though he were an object.

From there, the conversation turned to names and places, and they were engaged in countless topics, all of which Ganondorf was unable to register. There were so many names he had never heard of that his head began to spin. His mind began to pale and shut down. This was going to be another excruciatingly long day. Ganondorf shifted his weight, suddenly awakening to the throbbing ache in his legs. He had walked too long these past few days, and after a good night's sleep, his muscles started to complain.

Miserably, he tried to pay attention to the drivel that these two women discussed with Link, but every attempt failed, and he finally withdrew. His head was numb with disinterest and impatience. When was something going to happen?

You seem a bit bored, dearest.

Ganondorf snapped awake and froze. Oh gods, he thought, now I'm hearing voices.

One voice, dearest. Only one.

Ganondorf was perplexed but as he allowed himself to think, he realized he was holding a conversation in his head with the very voice that conversed with him last night. Apparently, the crow had found it fit to lodge its voice into his head, where it could torment him further. How irritating. It was only a matter of time, Ganondorf mentally moaned.

Before what?

Until I lost my mind. Ganondorf paused. And I'm telling this to a voice in my head. Now I'm really crazy.

You're not insane, the voice assured. Not quite yet.

Ganondorf overlooked this bizarre conversation for a moment and looked over to Link's. The three were still talking up a storm. If I'm not crazy, prove your not just something I'm imagining.

Oh, that's simple, the voice replied. Because I know plenty of things you don't.

Now Ganondorf was interested. Tell me about that girl, Ganondorf nodded towards Jamil.

That thing? The voice hissed. Are you trying to bore me?

The group began to move. Without any choice, Ganondorf pursued, and challenged the voice again. I don't know anything about her; tell me something.

The voice sighed. The girl, Jamil... Used to have a crush on your master--

Master? Ganondorf scoffed, realizing it was referring to Link. He's not--

He will be. The voice, sounding a bit irked at being interrupted with what it regarded to be a silly defense, tried to continue. Anyway, that thing manages all the interior orders of the castle. She's blood-related to the family all the same: she probably just sticks around to be annoying...

This all sounds like something I would make up at the top of my head.

Don't be ridiculous! the voice snorted. You're a terrible liar; you couldn't hope to make up something half that good off the top of that rock you call your head.

Ganondorf noticed Jamil separate from the group once they reached the hallway, leaving Link and Zelda alone.

Oh, just to let you know, dearest, the voice noted quickly, she's going to try to kiss him. In case you can't bear looking at such things.

'Try'? This is getting a bit weird, Ganondorf confessed.

Then don't listen to me.

For a while, the voice withdrew and went silent. Slightly relieved, Ganondorf turned his attention back to the couple. Instead of kissing, as the voice had suggested, they moved down the corridor. Zelda explained that there were more royals to speak with there, and they were all 'excited' to see him. He followed a bit longer, watching more royals slips past, hearing more inane blather--

I give up.

Already, dearest? The voice sneered. You aren't easily entertained, are you? This all brings back incredibly dull memories.

I can't believe he thought I would stay in my room.

Yes, how foolish of the boy, the voice agreed dryly.

Link was shaking hands with a military general and a nearby group clapped wine glasses with a crystalline, ringing outcry. After another five minutes of this conversation, Link and Zelda broke off into yet another direction, heading for a smaller gathering. Ganondorf swore mentally at their inability to stay put. His legs hurt enough.

Ah! Here we are, the voice jeered.

Ganondorf nearly asked the voice in his head what it was rambling on about, but as he watched the two march up a fleet of stairs, he realized what it meant. Zelda was speaking low, in nothing but quick, hushed intervals, and Link was fighting zealously not to pay any attention. It would have been the perfect romantic display, but Link grew immediately discontent. He brushed off any attempt to slow down and almost frantically grazed past her attempt to kiss him.

What did I tell you? the voice whispered. She tried.

The Princess came off more confused than hurt, and when she tried to reason with him, Link played innocent. Unable to convict the blind man of any misdoing, Zelda reluctantly released him from her desires.

Ganondorf was at a loss to explain this to himself.

The room the two moved into burned with velvet reds, the curtains and carpets colored with deep crimsons and golds. There were tables serving foods of mouth-watering quality, exchanges of drinks, pleasant laughter, wine, everything Ganondorf thought he had left behind decades ago. He slipped through the door before Zelda could turn to close it, and edged himself into the shadows behind a wooden display in the corner of the room. It was a frustratingly small room, and the space he tried to place himself into was particularly tight, but he felt at ease, and from that corner he could stare out a nearby window. Not that he could manage to see too much except for the flowers that bloomed a story below.

"Jamil, you've been drinking already," Zelda suddenly protested. Ganondorf's attention span momentarily snapped back into place.

Jamil had downed a glass of red wine and snorted. "So?"

"Just... Don't make a scene, will you?"

"I promise you, Princess, my drunken stupor will be quite adequate," Jamil nodded, motioning to a servant for another glass. Once the second glass was poured, she swirled it with a sniff, hissing, "Link, there's some odd man wanting to speak with you. I'm just warning you. I don't know where he's from, but he's awfully--"

"Ah!" The noise of discovery came from across the room, exerted enthusiastically before Jamil could completely express her worries. "Hero of Time, is it?"

Attentions turned to the man who so abruptly interrupted the girl. A couple rushed over to Link's side, and as they stared, they noticed the source of Jamil's disconcerting words. Wordlessly, the group wondered what country this man could possibly have come from.

He stood tall, even compared to the disturbingly exotic woman following him, and had the expression of a piqued lizard, with the eyes and skin tone to match. He smiled, but it was anything but comforting, his sickly form making him seem prepared for fainting at any moment. They examined him but couldn't imagine him as a leader of anything other than a band of rogues--his clothing, too, was a bit unfit for the occasion. He smelled like horses, and before they could recoil, he offered a gloved hand to the Hero.

"I've heard so much about you," he spoke breathlessly. Without an image to aid in prejudice, Link was not as unwilling as the others to stand near this man, and uneasily held out his own hand.

"I... Suppose so," Link meekly murmured. The man shook his hand, leaving fresh dirt on Link's palm. Link brushed it away as subtly as he could.

"You fought in the war, didn't you?" the man suddenly interjected.

Link wasn't surprised that the man knew of this, and nodded slowly. "I did."

Zelda attempted to intervene. "Sir," she asked, "would you be so kind as to introduce yourself--?"

The man didn't even blink, still staring right down into the boy. "How's the war going, Hero?"

"...I hear it's going well," Link replied carefully.

"Sir," Zelda pleaded.

"How long did you serve?"

"Sir, what is your name?"

Zelda was getting vexed, and so thankfully, the woman stepped up and nudged her partner sharply. "You're so rude," she berated him.

The group collectively faked smiles, a tremor of nervous laughter floating tenuously over their heads. Ganondorf recognized this familiar scene from some unfortunate experience of his own. He decided to avoid reminiscence.

The woman cleared her throat, recovering from her brief growl, smiling comfortably as she slipped in front of him. With a wave of her hand, her partner, though a bit flummoxed, turned and left. They hoped she would be better company, but her expression was distinctly oily and her voice was no better.

"Never mind my husband," she hissed dismissively, speaking of him boldly once he trailed off. "He's very interested in you."

Link nodded bleakly, understanding this. Jamil made a grimace, the alcohol beginning to affect her, and took another swig of her wine.

"He has read all of the legends. He is fascinated by it all, particularly That Man--" She would have continued to rambled if Zelda had not interrupted her.

"--Where are you from?"

The woman stopped short and her face went blank, as though struck dumb, her eyebrows furrowing, distress wrinkling her expression. "We are from..." There was a skip in her breath. "Allanis."

"I've never heard of such a country," Zelda exclaimed, now a tone of disbelief overcoming her. "Where is it?"

The woman gave her a dumb look, ignored her, and skipped around the subject, leaving Zelda abandoned and insulted. "As I was saying," she reintroduced, "My husband. Fascinated by 'That Man,' he is."

It took Ganondorf a moment to realize that the woman was referring to him.

"I always thought it was awfully morbid of him to study such a topic, but he insisted. Hero," she turned to Link eagerly, "You faced Ganondorf, didn't you?"

His name clearly carried some emotional baggage; the very mention of his title induced a collective wince. Only Link seemed less perturbed by the word. "I did."

"Quite ferocious isn't he?" It was obviously a rhetorical question, for the woman allowed not a second for him to answer. "He killed many people, you know. Women... Children..."

Link's posture nearly slipped. There was a compulsive tremor beneath the surface, a buried and flaring temper attempting to unearth. But Link did no more than subtly distort his mouth in his struggle to restrain himself. "Yes," he coughed out forcefully, sounding ready to end the conversation.

"All in cold blood," she added, with a dismal sense of awe and disgust.

"Yes," he replied again, this time irritably, wasting no time in implying he didn't want to talk about it.

Ganondorf was struck with the oddest sensation, an increasing discomfort with Link's behavior that he could not explain. As Link grew angrier at being reminded of such things, the more Ganondorf was tempted to disclaim those actions. Those crimes stopped being irrelevant, and suddenly he wished the woman would stop--he couldn't those horrible looks, those glimmers in the boy's eyes.

"There was a village a bit far out, beyond the mountains," she began to explain, "and it had nothing but peaceful folk--save for a man or two who didn't hold back their tongues."

There was a heavy swig of alcohol. Jamil gave a disapproving gaze at the woman, watching her morbid excitement in describing the event.

"He killed every last one of them."

Jamil choked. Ganondorf tried to force himself to swallow, but upon seeing Link's expression, his throat went dry. He was nearly allured to immediately tell the boy it was all a horrible mistake, but as Ganondorf puzzled over his desperation, he realized he was not thinking straight. He painfully squirmed at the crestfallen, horrified faces, but none disturbed him as much as Link's. He wanted to lie, remembering that accursed village full of useless people, and tell Link he had not done such a thing.

Feeling guilty?

Ganondorf responded swiftly and easily. No.

Then why are you so flustered?

He didn't need to know I had done that.

Would you have not done it, the voice droned quietly and curiously, just so that he may not have heard it?

Ganondorf could not answer this riddle and so he refrained from replying.

"Whatever!" Jamil blurted irritably with a scowl. "What does all this nonsense have to do with anything?"

Everyone gaped at her in shock and watched her tip on her side, appearing woozy.

"Jamil, you're drunk," Zelda sighed crossly.

"And proud of it."

Zelda tried her best to regain her composure, clearing her throat and turning her attention back to their strange guest. "That's... Very interesting," Zelda meagerly offered, though by her expression they could tell she was lying through her teeth.

The woman did not seem offended at all--in fact, she looked quite pleased with herself, especially in receiving the reaction she did from Link. She made a disquieting grin, but fortunately, another group closed in, and their situation was dispersed.

Joyous incantations erupted from more mouths, and several foreign leaders swarmed the area, all speaking in incomprehensible accents at once. "Hero!" a tall man with dark flesh and eyes chirped cheerily, "I've been looking for you!"

And so yet again, Link was momentarily lost in the flutter of worship, and the had to paste a polite smile on his face as he was barraged with questions from every side. He responded best he could, but he could not escape looking lost and overwhelmed by the attention. He could have well gone mad if a suggestion hadn't saved him from being crowded.

"Now, Link," the dark man curiously spoke, waving dark velvet robes in every move he made, "I keep hearing that you play the piano and yet I've never seen you do it."

Link balked humbly. "Not so well..."

"Oh, come now! There's a piano right over there--" The man motioned to an ivory grand piano in the far corner of the room. "You could at least try. It would pass the time."

"No, no..."

The oily woman sniffed. "Don't be silly," she spoke up sharply, eyeing Link smugly. "You know that he can't do that in his condition."

"Oh," the dark man stammered suddenly, realizing his embarrassing mistake. They all turned to Link in a feverish tremor of sympathy and apologetic murmurs. "Oh, oh dear--I'm sorry, I seem to have forgotten--"

That did it. Link stood for only several seconds, enduring this humiliation, before he sputtered with the most restraint he could gather, "I can do it."

Zelda blinked and looked at him in surprise. "Link?"

Link was flustered now, haughty and insulted. Link could accept the fact that he was blind, but he was in no position to accept pity, nor was he ready to say there was anything he couldn't do because of this disability. "I'm fine, I can just feel my way, it's not that hard," he strenuously explained, frantically trying to escape this circle of people. The group shifted uncomfortably at his justifications, but Jamil interrupted.

"The man says he can do it; for pity's sake, let him!" She took Link's arm from Zelda's grip and shoved him in the grand piano's direction. The group, at last recovering from their shock, shuffled along with him and led him the rest of the way, all the while engaging in wild conversations. Jamil settled right back in the same position as before, standing idly with her alcohol, and the oily woman sidled in front of her.

The two women exchanged glares, though the stranger seemed far more amused by the situation than Jamil did.

Ganondorf leaned on the wood beside him, feeling jaded. He could feel the licks of overwhelming exhaustion Link must have faced. These people were suffocating, troublesome, and Ganondorf wished they would simply leave the boy alone. He took in a slow, silent breath, the soreness of his body growing with every passing moment. It was an agonizing yet necessary fate if he wanted to reduce any risks of being discovered. No one could see him, but if he made any disturbances or managed to be touched, he would likely be caught.

"Caught"? Right. And what exactly would they do then?

Link was trying to feel the keys at his fingers, tapping notes and conversing simultaneously with the others as they crowded him at the piano's side. He pondered aloud which song to play, if he remembered any, and he dabbled with the clear sounds ringing from the instrument's hollow skeleton.

"I haven't played in a while," he excused himself, attempting a few scales. The others, for his sake, were still speaking vibrantly, talking over his practice and not intimidating him with attentive silence. Suggestions were tossed, and Link played along carefully, producing a few timid tunes.

The songs were hesitant, clunky and restrained, but somehow in Link's meek expression of skill, the notes he played managed to enchant. Though the royals around him paid little heed to the simple, rhythmic hum of his efforts, the tentative compositions still shook them with disquieted allure. If one ignored the occasional fumbles, if one moved steadily in motion with the emerging sway and consistency of the notes, it was truly charming, in its own imperfect way.

If Ganondorf had a soul, the only evidence of its existence was his crazed adoration of music, and it was only when he heard that music that he remembered what it sounded like. He hadn't heard any in years, not even a hum or scale, nothing but the flat sounds of birds and crickets. Immediately upon hearing the piano, he woke up and was absorbed with fascination and hunger, succumbing to his longing by shutting off every other sense his body demanded. All he wanted to do was listen--even though the music was unsteady and amateur, as Link had told the truth and really wasn't very skilled--and take in every sound and pattern. He hadn't heard music in a long time and was ready to accept anything, even a the work of a hack who had probably only taken lessons a few times.

Ganondorf shut his eyes, his mouth, his awareness of the world around him, and drank it greedily.

Hgghn.

Ganondorf snapped angrily, flustered at the voice's disruption. Be quiet.

He tried again, but the voice was breathing on him now, grunting, making unpleasant noises, and he could feel it smile at the back of his head. Do you like?

I'm trying to listen, Ganondorf told it impatiently.

Not the music; do you like him?

What?

--Jamil burst into a temper at the strange visitor, dismissing her as a mad woman. "What is wrong with you? Why do you obsess over that old tyrant? He isn't around anymore; why bother fussing over him?"

--I mean it, the voice hissed. He is quite handsome--don't you wonder what he'd be like--

Good goddesses, Ganondorf gagged, suddenly feeling sick. He needed a drink, fast, before this devil could slip in a complementary mental image. It was the one thing on the face of the earth he didn't dare try to picture--

"You're so morbid," Jamil roared in a drunken rampage, turning towards the window near him, splashing her wine, her eyes cascading around the room--

All Ganondorf could hear was a scream and the sickening giggle of a being that he now knew for certain did not originate from any corner of his consciousness.

To his alarm, Jamil was staring right at him, pointing at him, shrieking at the top of her lungs, which in her state sounded like the bellow of a cow. She emitted an ensemble of cursing and exclamations, and Ganondorf was dizzy with panic. For an entire, horrible moment, she could see him perfectly and howled bloody murder at the sight of him.

Then he gained control of his magic and was gone again. Without wasting a moment, he shuffled away from the corner and sped for the door.

"What on earth is the matter, Jamil?" Zelda inquired rather crossly.

Jamil stammered in terror. "It was him! It was him! He was standing right there!"

"Who, dear?"

The music, by this time, had ceased, and Link was already close by, listening in carefully. Ganondorf knew he had been caught, but it was lucky that his only witness was a heavily drinking friend of the Royal Family.

"It was Him! Oh, we were just talking about Him, and then--"

"You mean Lord Ganondorf?" Zelda clarified skeptically.

The dark foreign leader peered in the direction where she had experienced this. "There's nothing there."

"He was right there, staring at me, and then--and then he just disappeared like nothing at all!"

Link made a disquieting look, his nightmarish eyes giving away his understanding of what had just happened. Though he was trying hard not to tip off anyone else, he did not look very happy. Ganondorf looked longingly to the closed door, but the last thing he wanted to do was open the door and throw them all into a fit upon seeing a door open by itself. He was trapped, forced to watch their fear and confusion unfold, and watch Link's simultaneously upset look.

"Calm down," the others crooned, "you're just seeing things."

Jamil, panicking and tearing up from shock, handed Zelda her wine, murmuring weakly, "I swear, I'll never drink again."

"That's just your headache talking," Link joked forcefully, his smile coming off as fake. "Let's go outside and take a breather."

And so, Link managed to convince the group to leave the room before him, and on the way out the Hylian purposely paused and held the doorway open and free. Ganondorf miserably accepted the opportunity and slipped past. He could hear a low, profane threat chase him, and Ganondorf recalled what Link had told him before.

"If I hurt you, you cannot hurt me in return."

The voice in his head garbled with excitement. The Hylian boy is going to kill you.

Shut up.

**********

Ganondorf wasn't sure which path to take in this matter and cursed whatever he thought was responsible. He didn't understand why his magic had so irresponsibly fluctuated as of late. The spell had worked fine for the past few days, but the moment that girl set her eyes upon him, it failed for several seconds, long enough for a clear and dangerous gaze. He was lucky to have gained control before any others could catch sight of him.

And then, of course, Ganondorf's thoughts inevitably turned to the newly birthed voice in his head.

So you're going to blame me?

Ganondorf didn't dignify its question with an answer.

Well?

Ganondorf stifled some semitic swearing as he shuffled aimlessly down the streets of the town. He wandered, knowing that he could return to the inn but deciding against it. That would be the first place Link would try to find him, and Ganondorf, at the very least, wanted some calm before being yelled at. Ganondorf was not fond of criticism of any sort, for he didn't like to be reminded of his mistakes, and nor did he like the time it consumed. Perhaps, if one wanted to assume a gentler vision of his blackened heart, he could be called sensitive to such admonishments.

Ganondorf would probably not support this wording.

Maybe, he thought to himself grimly, I could just stay this way, stick around, but never say anything to him. I could just follow him. He can't see me, after all. That way, I don't have to deal with him, but I can keep track of where he is going.

He thought over this idea and uneasily accepted it. He looked out into the cobblestone road in front of him, seeing the arches of stone and dribbles of clear water. Birds flocked and chirped noisily, disturbing the quiet of the vendors who set up shop for the approaching afternoon.

You're frightened of him? the voice queried quietly. That is a puzzle.

I'm not afraid of him.

Then why do you run like a coward?

Ganondorf was getting tired of the thing stabbing at him, so he could only weakly retaliate, I'm not running.

Then go back.

Fine. I will.

Ganondorf regretted his agreement the moment he made it, knowing he had only said it to shut the voice up, and that he did not want to go to the inn. He figured the longer he avoided it, the better. However, in his intolerance of being marked a coward, he had miserably trapped himself between his words and intentions.

The voice, smugly, waited for his next action.

If you hadn't distracted me, none of this would have happened, Ganondorf bitterly mused as he turned around and forced himself onward, back to his room.

**********

Ganondorf had reached his room easily, slipped inside, and without much else to do, had to wait for Link to find him. As he rested, feeling the ache of his feet and relieved to be able to lay down on his bed, he thought back to similar feelings he had before. The tension was left unsaid, but he was aware of it--he had only known the boy for a day or two, so he had no idea what sort of response this would bring about. He had always imagined Link was the sort of all-forgiving type, but he wasn't so sure now. Link did not like him, that much was obvious, so it was likely that Link was not going to extend his mercy quite so gracefully in his direction.

Ganondorf lazily fingered the cloth sheets underneath him, nearly dozing off. The voice wasn't about to let him.

What do you think he's going to do?

Throw a fit, Ganondorf replied dishonestly. Like a woman.

He stared at the far wall and without reason spoke aloud. "Crows are talking to me; there's a voice in my head (who I'm conversing with); and now I'm waiting around for the boy to yell at me. I must be losing my mind."

And you're talking to no one.

"That, too, yes." Ganondorf shut his eyes, emitted a fatigued groan, a pulsing headache hitting him. "Go away."

All you had to do was ask, the voice replied simply, and to his shock, disappeared. The voice lifted like a weight off of his shoulders, and he nearly protested the suddenness of it. Before he knew it, he was without any company and all the more suffocating with boredom. At least his headache was getting better. He stuffed his face into the bed and tried to sleep.

It was not long afterwards that Link arrived, knocking on his door and straining his voice. Link was trying not to let the others in the building overhear his temper, and so he knocked and seethed, "Open the door, Gerudo."

Ganondorf decided not to make him wait too long, though he certainly didn't rush. Ganondorf unlocked the door and nearly went for the knob, but Link beat him to it. The door swung open wildly, narrowly missing Ganon's face as it swerved and struck the wall with a loud clatter. The foundation of the building shook; Ganondorf yawned at Link's infuriated expression. He was still groggy and had lost interest in what Link was going to do to him.

"How nice of you to come," Ganondorf welcomed him irately. Link just ogled him angrily.

"What happened?" Link hissed, shutting the door behind him. Ganondorf scuttled backwards slightly, but not out of fright. This was in fact becoming amusing.

"What do you mean?" he teased.

"Back there!" Link roared, forgetting his attempts to stay quiet. "Jamil saw you!"

Ganondorf again yawned. "My magic failed for a second there. It's not a problem; no one else saw it."

"That's not the point!" Link vexed. He stepped forward. Ganondorf stepped back. "What were you even doing in there? It's too dangerous for you to be walking around there--you know that!"

He did? Ganondorf sighed and stared at the wall behind the boy.

"I told you to stay here and you said you would!"

"You honestly thought I was going to stay here all day?" Ganondorf snorted and raised an eyebrow. "There's nothing to do."

"That's not my concern!" Link pointed out. "If you don't want to cooperate, at least tell me. Pretending to cooperate is not productive here!" Link was trembling now, red in the face, sputtering at being so boldly lied to.

"And what then?" Ganondorf challenged, beginning to grow upset himself. "It wasn't as though you were going to let me do anything--"

"Don't say that--I could have very well considered it. All you had to do was ask."

Now Ganondorf, at hearing this phrase for the second time, lost his temper and began to complain sourly. "Why do I have to ask for things?"

"Because you don't have priveleges anymore," Link explained somewhat calmly, his voice lowered and his quivering slowing to a halt. "Okay? You don't. I don't think you quite understand this yet, but you're not in power here. And that's what happens when someone is above you, Gerudo. You have to ask permission."

"Well, you're not above me," Ganondorf snarled.

"Then that's obviously the core of the problem here," Link murmured, his countenence slumping a bit as his anger faded.

"The fact that you're not above me?" Ganondorf attempted to clarify, suddenly overcome with confusion.

"The fact that you don't accept I'm above you," Link contradicted softly.

Ganondorf and Link found themselves in a very odd situation just then. As they attempted to comprehend the gravity of this exchange, their thoughts gave way to the absurdity of everything they said. Ganondorf, King of Evil, Emperor of the Desert, for the first time in his life was stricken at the mercy of a superior. Link, as well, was dazzled by the possibility of controlling the Gerudo. Ganondorf stared at the boy with the most hatred he could summon, but was paralyzed with the realization that he could do nothing. The world was quivering at his shudders of disgust and repulsion, but there was no force he could wield that could reverse the circumstance. Link stood, looking smug, complacent with this paralysis.

If only he could rip that look from the boy's face, he would feel better.

He didn't need permission to do anything! He was older, stronger, and probably smarter than Link--the last thing he should be required to do is request Link's blessings. It made no sense. Ganondorf frantically searched the room for distractions from this injustice, but could find nothing but wooden beams, the hide of dead trees standing still and offering no opportunity for his starving imagination.

"I think I know what can clarify this for you," Link spoke, bitterness tainting his voice. Ganondorf understood the comment didn't mean anything good.

"Is that a threat?" Ganondorf stabbed, ignoring the obviousness of his question. Link didn't respond, at least not verbally, and instead moved erratically, flicking some fingers.

Ganondorf was at first confused with the movement. However, his confusion lost relevancy as he awoke to a fiery and sharp jab of pain in his stomach. He sputtered from shock, clawing at the affected muscles that now wretched from agonizing tension, but found nothing there. After a moment, the twisting and grinding of his senses ceased and the pain faded into numbness.

Ganondorf fumbled from surprise at the immediate stab, but nearly panicked when he could not identify its source. There was no injury or wound--only a passing, painful crunch of innards. He looked back to Link, marked with dismay and rage, swearing at him, demanding an explanation for this trick.

Link merely opened his hand, let his fingers dance, and a mild yet sharp wave of pain hit the Gerudo once more. Every stir struck the tenderest of his nerves, sending Ganondorf into a fit of anger.

"What are you--?"

Link frowned but couldn't completely conceal the smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. "It works. How grand."

Ganondorf had to stop himself from striking the boy upside the head, and instead, he reacted to his desperation by accordingly spitting in Link's face. The boy was apparently not expecting this, and so he froze in alarm and the painful strokes stopped at least momentarily. Now looking a bit flustered, Link tried to wipe the foul saliva from his forehead, blinking away the specks that had flown into his eyes.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Ganondorf roared, panting with relief.

Link grimaced as he cleaned himself. "Disciplinary action."

"Excuse me? Do you know how much older I am than you?"

"Do you know how much more painful that spell can be?" Link dismissed mildly, starting to relax again. "It's very flexible magic; that was just a tickle. A wonderful spell, really--I'm glad it works--"

"Are you insane?"

Link batted an eyelid plaintively. "No. But if this is what I have to do to make you listen to me, then I'm happy to do so."

Ganondorf did not learn well through pain, and so he snarled icily, "You can go to hell."

Link didn't miss a beat. Ganondorf considered what he had just experienced to be painful--the wave that hit him then was infinitely worse. Overwhelmed with the clamor of nerves, he fell to the floor in a heap of writhing agony. He gagged, cursed, pounded the wooden floor to compensate for his weakening flesh, and felt every muscle in his body contort and tear. Link was obviously waiting for something--probably for a cry for mercy--but the boy had underestimated Ganondorf's stubbornness. Instead of screaming in pain, instead of begging for forgiveness, Ganondorf just got angrier. Unable to give up, he sprawled and forced himself back onto his feet, beginning a thread of threats of his own.

"Why don't you fight back if you hate me so much?" Link impatiently mocked, weary of the man's inability to accept defeat.

"You know that I can't!" Ganondorf shrieked in the midst of his morbid swears, the sound of his voice so rigid with exasperation and rancor that Link was finally subdued.

Ganondorf didn't know this exclamation would solve his problem, but for some reason Link gave up and put his hand back at his side. The boy looked lost, almost bewildered by the anger being assailed against him, and without a word, he turned around and left.

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