Lethe

Note: There is quite a bit of bi-lingual conversing going on in this chapter. All foreign language is in italics.

Chapter 5: a new purpose

"Are you alright?"

Ganondorf was hastily trying to skip over Link's inquiries. "What are they doing here?" he asked more forcefully, unable to conceal his exasperation.

"Just a moment ago, you collapsed and nearly died--what happened?"

Ganondorf huffed, eying Link with disdain. He had discovered an obstacle in his search for answers. For Ganondorf, even deadly situations that resolved themselves momentarily were of no interest to him--the fact that he had collapsed and passed out from bleeding and the fact that all traces of the occurrence had vanished for no reason did not bother him. Ganondorf decided that he did not understand it, and that it had passed, so he would not dwell on it. He had found a new topic to abuse and wanted an immediate change in focus.

Link, he found, was the exact opposite. Link refused to let go of what had happened, and barricaded all possibilities to accessing new information. For Link, the reason behind his collapse was critically important. After all, the future may provide another instance, and the boy wasn't sure he would be saved again.

"I don't know," Ganon impatiently replied. "Never mind that! Tell me what they are doing here!"

Link looked ready to give up, but uneasily offered a truce. "You're sure you are feeling well?"

"Yes."

Link skeptically stepped down, knowing that no argument in the world would convince this man otherwise. "All right."

"Tell me now," Ganondorf spoke with uncharacteristic eagerness, "what has been going on here?"

Link did not sound so enthused about the history, but begrudgingly accepted the citation's necessity. The two stood awkwardly a moment, as though they ought to be sitting, but the room had no place to be seated, save for a bed, which was in no way a proper place to sit. So instead of sitting down, they loitered in hopes that this would not have to take long.

“It's... A bit complicated,” Link admitted. "But I suppose it would be best to get this over with.

"It was soon after you were banished that an overseas, aggressive country made an invasion from across the ocean, and through the desert. They attacked the Gerudos without warning--as you can imagine, this was all awfully confused at the time--and no one was very sure what they wanted. They managed a swift takeover, mainly because your people..." Link took a cautious breath. "They suffered from a lack of strong leadership, I think. They were forced from their homeland, and of course the King was keeping a wary eye on such things. The kingdom did not especially want to get intermingled with foreign matters, but I, with some others, argued to intervene. Ultimately, I believe, it was a political decision: the country was likely to take its aggression further, and the last thing we needed was an angered race and a warmongering nation in our midst. So..."

"So?"

"That was that. We joined preemptively, and the first time that I know of, our races fought a war on the same side. And, too, I believe, fighting alongside each other can bring people to great understanding. Ever since, things have been warm between the two. The Gerudos appreciated the help and the Hylians think they're military masterminds."

Of everything Ganondorf had ever heard, this was the worst news, and he didn't even know why. Whatever it was, to hear of this alliance and flourishing world between his race and his enemy made him feel very, very troubled. But Ganon had mastered the art of faking his tone of voice. He pretended to sound surprised as he dumbly mumbled, "I... I see... Hence, the cheering."

"Oh?" Link blinked and cocked his head. "Oh, yes. That. Indeed--your people are very talented in war. Their tactics once or twice saved many of our lives."

Ganondorf stopped wanting to discuss it and his mind grew rigid with irritability. "I get it."

Link ceased speaking, seemingly confounded with Ganon's sudden reverse of mood, but privately understood.

"I'm glad they've managed to do so well without me," Ganondorf lied through his teeth, the statement deeply sour in his mouth.

Link uneasily consented. "Well, however you want to think of it... All the same, I have an appointment tonight."

Ganondorf paused. "And?"

"You will join me, won't you?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Link just smiled.

**********

Ganondorf had somehow forgotten to inquire who Link was meeting with, and by the time he remembered its relevance, it felt silly to bring it up.

Ganondorf was, besides, rather occupied, even as they entered the castle halls. It was difficult to concentrate on anything other than the numbers of Gerudos passing by. He could feel his heart beating at a worrisomely rushed rate, and he only became more excited as he could identify some of them. He never thought he could miss these people so dearly.

Link was, meanwhile, not in the mood to entertain the touching reunion. He paced down the hallway, hand against the wall, counting the doors under his breath.

"Seven... Eight..."

Ganondorf subtly interrupted with a hiss. "Are you sure you know where we're going?"

"Of course I do."

"How?"

"I asked," Link returned sharply. "Do you have a point? Now I've lost count."

Ganondorf grumpily went quiet and Link fretted in his attempt to remember where he had left off.

"I did tell you who we're meeting with, didn't I?"

"No," Ganondorf replied flatly. It was about time.

"Oh," Link quipped. "I should have guessed; you've been awfully calm about this, after all."

"Why wouldn't I be calm?" Ganondorf raised an eyebrow.

"Ah... Well, it will be some people you know. Did I tell you about Malati either?"

"Malati?"

Link clicked his tongue. "How dreadful that I've forgotten these things! Well, it sounds like you two know each other."

"Know each other?" Ganondorf hissed in exasperation. "We 'know' each other all right! What about her?"

"She's the leader of Gerudos now, and I'm going to speak with her now. She'll be accompanied by Nabooru, as well."

Ganondorf, after hearing two names he was not thrilled to hear of again, changed his mind and abruptly changed direction. He believed that if Link wanted to get entangled in such matters, that was his right, but Ganondorf did not want to meet those two women. Nabooru, obviously, was no friend of his, and Malati was--quite frankly--critical of him from the beginning. But before Ganondorf could swiftly take his leave and escape, Link heard his steps and seethed.

"Gerudo, if you try to run away, I will gladly drag you there by a leash."

Not one to be outdone by threats, Ganondorf responded with an obnoxious snort. "Why do I have to be there? I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time without my company."

"The meeting's about you."

"Great; have a good time talking about me."

Link shook his head despondently and continued down the hallway. "I may well muzzle you while I'm at it."

"You would," Ganondorf sourly complained, and as soon as Link walked onward, he gave in and followed.

**********

Link had apparently found the appropriate door at last and knocked, and once the door opened, Ganondorf realized he was going to regret this. A familiar face peered out from the dim-lit room smiled.

"Link, come in," Nabooru welcomed him, speaking in the rhythmic tones of her native language. Ganondorf did not think Link would understand what she said, but to his surprise, Link nodded and entered, keeping a stray shoulder in the way of the door.

"Captain--My Queen. It is wonderful to see you again."

Ganondorf shook his head, thinking he was hearing things, but to his dismay, he heard correctly. Link had just opened his mouth and spoke in Gerudo. Ganondorf would have intervened immediately and put a stop to this travesty, but Link was already absorbed in a conversation with the two women. Link continued to speak beautifully in his language, and stubbornly propped the door open despite Nabooru's attempt to close it. As usual, Link's deliberate manipulations came off as blind clumsiness, and Ganondorf slipped inside the room before Nabooru convinced Link to move out of the way.

The room was cozy enough to be a little cluttered once the Gerudo women had settled in, but the women were not known to be choosy, so no uncontentment was expressed of it. The room was just another of the countless guest rooms the castle had to offer, and was in fact very similar to what Ganon had seen of Link's. Ganondorf at first paid little attention to the room's contents, but then he could smell the distant scent of food, and he suddenly remembered how long he had gone without it.

Nabooru smiled coolly after the door shut and the three stood in a circle. "Have you been getting along by yourself well? Hasn’t it been a bit lonely, traveling alone all the time?"

Link made an amused noise. "Ah, no, actually."

As the three engaged in a fluent Gerudo discussion of their personal exploits, Ganondorf looked on in agony. This situation did not seem right to him at all. Link was not only fluent in his language (an insult in itself), but the boy was speaking to the women as though conversing with friends. Who does he think he is?

Ganondorf had to hold his tongue until he was introduced. This promised to be an interesting meeting.

"Link," Malati spoke suddenly, "I sensed some urgency in your request for this arrangement. Is there something you need to talk about?"

Link cocked his head.

"Was I wrong in my interpretation?" Malati asked in surprise.

"No," Link admitted. "Perhaps we should be seated before I continue."

"Bad news?" Nabooru guessed.

"In a way," Link vaguely clued. "There is no danger, at the very least."

The two were not sure how to react to this statement, and so they said nothing and took a seat at the table, inviting Link to join them.

"What’s this about?" Malati impatiently badgered him. Malati never did like to be held in suspense.

Link took in a strained breath. The matter was complicated, and he didn’t know how to start this off in the gentlest way. "It’s about an old acquaintance of yours, I think."

Malati and Nabooru were evidently not encouraged by these words and glanced at each other warily.

Link reluctantly motioned for Ganondorf to emerge from the shadows, and with a similar resistance to the idea, Ganondorf moved forward. Bracing for their expressions, he uneasily dropped the spell and became visible.

Ganondorf did not expect Malati to be surprised, and true to her nature, she gave him an eerily undramatic gaze. "What a shock," she murmured dishonestly, keying her comment with a tired sigh.

Nabooru, on the other hand, was not a calm woman and stood to her feet. She looked utterly mortified. "Link!" she managed, only irritating Ganondorf more. 'Link'? She sees me and the first thing she can think of saying is 'Link'?

"It's all right," Link hastily interjected, sensing the alarm in her voice.

"What's he doing here?" Malati asked, giving Ganondorf a privately critical look. Ganondorf gave a flippant glare in return.

"The goddesses are playing games with me," Link sighed. "What can I say? I found him and Din has promised me--"

"I found you," Ganondorf corrected crossly, in Hylian. He couldn't get used to the idea of speaking to the boy in Gerudo.

Link only stammered a moment, made a somewhat irritated noise at being interrupted, and completed his comment in Gerudo. "--That he will be under my supervision."

"Why did she do that?" Nabooru bemoaned, giving Ganondorf an uncharacteristically uneasy look.

"I think she was dreadfully bored," Ganondorf decided to reply to her, getting weary of being spoken of as though he wasn't standing there.

Malati stood up and trekked swiftly to the opposite side of the room, the sound of Ganondorf's voice seemingly irking her. The others spoke around the reflex.

Link spoke deliberately and evenly, despite the clear tensions. "I believe it has to do with my trouble," he theorized, pointing to his eyes.

Nabooru scoffed. "That doesn't make any sense, Link. We both know you've been blind for years..."

Malati interrupted Nabooru's pondering with a frustrated huff.

"...My Queen?" Nabooru inquired.

Malati crossed her arms, staring into the wall with her piercing, disapproving gaze.

Malati was not the oldest of Gerudos, and in her race's eyes, she was hardly an elder. Although she was well older than Ganondorf, Gerudo women were well-known for their gift of graceful aging. The senior Gerudo women would commonly live to two-hundred years, and at one-hundred would betray few practical signs of aging. Malati, even as she stood as a seventy-year-old woman, brought about the powerful memories of youth and vigor. Ganondorf eyed her feebly, reminding himself of her unfortunate connection with him. This woman was one of the sacred line, the generation of women who traditionally held power in the Gerudo clan. Before he was born, she was the Queen; after he was born, she was demoted to second-in-command, and once Ganondorf got a hold of his policies, she was replaced again by Nabooru. Both distrusted each other and had a long history of sabotage.

She was always the one with the harshest criticisms and the least optimism concerning his abilities as a leader. He did not remember particularly desiring such adversarial tension when he was a child, but he was too young to understand why she hated him so foully, and he grew up to learn only how to defend himself desperately from her attacks. He always had an uncomfortable feeling of helplessness around her--he did not feel he deserved her malice, and nothing he ever did could satisfy her. Ganondorf would always be, in her mind, the incompetent one who was born into a position she deserved more.

Ganondorf recalled how empowered he felt once he was able to rid himself of her presence. Nabooru, he had thought, seemed far more promising. As it turned out, he had mistaken Malati's tongue as a threat, when in reality, the mild-mannered Nabooru yielded the true weapons needed to destroy him.

Ganondorf was a bit of an expert in feeling threatened by the wrong thing.

"Tell me, Link," she asked quietly, "have you paid heed to your dreams lately?"

"I have not had any," Link reasoned. He made a worried face, as he knew the direction this was going.

"I have." Malati frowned cognitively. "I spoke with Princess Zelda preceeding this meeting, Link, and she has seen the same things as I have."

She rubbed her temples and the room went silent.

"There is a great darkness coming here."

"...M-me?" Ganondorf spoke before thinking clearly. At first thought, it seemed perfectly logical that Zelda would sense his presence. However, even as Ganondorf spat out this guess, there was a terrible nagging idea at the back of his mind. He couldn't get the thought of that crow, that creamy voice corrupting him, out of his head...

"Don't flatter yourself," Malati grunted angrily. "I thought at first it may be you, as well, but you are obviously not a threat, and besides, this evil is very different. It is distant and yet I cannot abandon this feeling that it is already here."

Ganondorf wasn't feeling too well. The more he thought over it, the more probable it became. This thing that was contacting him was very real, very close. Nabooru noticed his suddenly pale and sickly demeanor, and she gave him an inquisitive look. "Ganon? Is something wrong?"

Eyes settled on him and he took in a shaken breath. "Ah--no. Not really."

Neither of the women looked convinced.

Ganondorf momentarily pouted, but this act did not keep up. He finally uttered the truth as far as he knew. "I've been visited."

"Visited?" Link asked upon realizing Ganondorf had kept a secret.

"I don't know its name," Ganondorf carefully informed them, "but it seems to have an... Investment of sorts."

"In what?"

"In us."

"All the same," Malati interrupted, "whatever it is, this darkness is unfamiliar. Zelda did not recognize it; none of the Sages knew it."

Link openly expressed this concern with a frown. "What do you want me to do about it?" Link queried, unsure of what role he would play.

Ganondorf was growing perturbed with the increasing edge in Link's voice. Link's approval of the situation had radically dropped once there was a possibility of personal involvment.

"Nothing, yet," Malati reasoned.

"I don't want to get mixed up in this," Link warned crossly. "I've had my fill, and you know that."

Nabooru gave Link a mournful look, and it was apparent that this was an age-old point of friction. "Link, please. If this is true, you can hardly drop out whenever you wish... It may be interested in you, as well."

"Who said it was interested in me?" Link scoffed, turning to Ganondorf. "Did it ever happen to mention my name?"

Ganondorf blinked dumbly. "It... Did."

"What did it say?"

"I don't know. It didn't really say anything, I just assumed..."

Link huffed and turned back to Malati, flippantly accusing, "Now, listen! Why is it that you people obsess over such things? You have a dream, a petty hallucination probably brought on by stress, and try to draw meaning from it."

Malati somehow remained calm. "Link, the Princess is well adept in the interpretation of dreams, and you do not seem to have qualms about listening to her. What is this about, Link?"

"You people are trying to get me involved in something that is not relevent to me," Link explained wearily.

"'You people'?" Malati echoed, raising an eyebrow.

Link made a condencending sigh. "I should have known that the Sages would require my services so quickly again."

"We have not asked for anything yet, Link--"

Link sat back in his chair, the most frustrated look crossing his face. This was a worn expression, and Ganondorf could tell from his demeanor that he was exhausted. Link had served Hyrule for years, and Ganondorf had never thought that the boy could ever tire of it, yet somehow, Link portrayed the agonies of a parent with a trouble-making child. He had saved Hyrule enough, it seemed, and he had resigned to its constant clashes with chaos in hopes that it would save itself.

Ganondorf did not like this evolving trait, and though he wasn't sure why, there was a distinct feeling that Link had cheated.

"You cannot fall back on me all of the time," Link spoke in his jaded exasperation. "Can you not, for once, deal with this alone?"

"Link, you do not have that choice," Nabooru fumed. "I do not want to argue about this now--please. You are the Hero, and fate has given you to Hyrule."

Link's voice softened, but at the same time it lowered, and so the words did not lose their power. "Nabooru," he calmly stated without as much as a blink, "I am not the Hero. We both know this."

To Ganondorf's surprise, Nabooru only fretted in response and did not refute his comment.

"You know the gods depend on you," Malati retorted quietly.

"If your gods have to depend on me to get anything done, I would recommend you invest in some more capable deities."

Ganondorf started to laugh, and Nabooru gave him a nasty look for it. He couldn't help it. Link had spoken the absurd, and yet it sounded familiar to his own musings. "Your blasphemy is adorable," Ganondorf taunted, sitting back in his chair, still snickering.

Malati snarled and spoke in Hylian, as though she couldn't bear to speak in a language as intimate as their native one. "You stay out of this."

Link seconded this with a disapproving, "Shut your mouth."


The rest of the meeting was sour, and so without warning, Link informed them he had "business." It was an obvious ploy, but no one was obliged to object to it. There was, however, an unexpected twist to his request.

"Would you watch him?" Link pointed to where Ganondorf was seated. The Gerudo women both gawked at him, and he ventured, "Well, you see, I'm a bit busy..."

Ganondorf, upon realizing what was happening, began to panic. He had endured a short meeting with these women, but he was not about to bear staying with them alone. "Wait a minute," he objected, "I'm staying here? You didn't--"

"I'm getting a bite to eat; is that a crime? Honestly!" Link sounded offended by the sudden lack of enthusiasm surrounding him. "I thought you might... You know... Enjoy a meal with some old acquaintences."

"Well, I wouldn't," Ganondorf informed him frankly. He switched up to a subtle whine. "Can't I come with you?"

It struck him that he was so suddenly starting to beg.

Link made a face, as though ill, but no reply came, and he shuffled his feet momentarily. After the brief, uncomfortable bristle, Link finally sputtered his excuse. "I... I really am quite busy."

Ganondorf didn't have any way to disprove him, so instead he made a last, desperate pitch. "I'll go back to the inn; I really don't want--"

Link disregarded his attempt and looked to the two women. "You two wouldn't mind, would you? The chef should be making his rounds to this room shortly. As long as it isn't any trouble."

Malati was clearly unhappy, so Nabooru spoke before anything regrettable was said. "Of course, Link."

The other Gerudo gave her a dirty look, and Link happily took his leave.

"Why did you say that?" Ganondorf growled at her in Gerudo. "What are you going to do now?"

Nabooru haplessly shrugged. "I honestly thought it would be better to leave him alone a while, if he wishes it."

"You're right. He's a treasure," Ganondorf sarcastically scowled.

"He's changed," Nabooru gently corrected, trailing off to Malati's end of the room. The women settled themselves as far away from him as they could and ensured that few words were shared with him. They spoke in Gerudo loftily, as though he did not exist, and at times he would feebly try to interrupt, but Malati fought valiantly against it. He would speak in Gerudo, and she would respond by giving Nabooru a shocked look.

"Did you hear that?" she lazily would inquire, still in Gerudo, still not facing him. "I could have sworn I heard something."

He would act horribly offended and fume, spitting that she was disrespecting him. She would casually ignore him.

This lasted for half an hour, until food arrived, but Malati was growing more vengeful by the minute. Ganondorf did what he could to get his hands on a meal, but the food was hoarded on their side, and the two women ate in disregard of his presence. When Ganondorf tired of this childish nonsense, he at last confronted them.

"My Queen--" he at last hissed.

Malati sighed and gave him a condencsending look.

"Is it my mistake, or did Link leave me here with the intentions of giving me some food?"

"Is it my mistake," she mocked, "or did he never tell me that was our responsibility?"

"I understand you're not happy with me, my Queen--"

Malati interrupted him in Hylian. "Why do you talk like that?" she demanded haughtily. "Don't pretend you're something you're not."

Ganondorf looked in agony at the food before him, and could barely hear her reviling comments. It sounded so caustic that he didn't want to listen to it, and so his mind shut the words out.

"I know what you're trying to do: you're trying to butter me up, now that you don't have authority. Don't think I'm not familiar with that game. As far as our clan is concerned, you are not a Gerudo. Don't waste my time trying to act like you are."

For a minute, it seemed as though Ganondorf hadn't heard what she said, and she was prepared to even repeat it. However, the rejection had somehow come across, and although Ganondorf did not betray it, he felt a heavy sense of defeat. He stood there, shell-shocked and at a loss.

"Go sit down," she ordered him tiredly, and he accordingly returned to his seat. For the next few hours, he watched them eat and converse in a now alien language. He was hungry, humiliated, and deathly bored.

The fact hit him like a slap to the face.

I'm not Gerudo.

I don't even exist.

Then... What am I?

He needed an ale badly.

***********

Link was truthfully not surprised that Ganondorf was sulking once he came back. He thanked the two women for allowing him to stay, and tried to badger the same appreciation out of Ganondorf, but the Gerudo man was not in a thankful mood. He wandered out of the room, apparently guessing that Link was going to exchange a few words and not wishing to be a part of it.

Malati was acting strangely, Link acknowledged, but she was probably a bit sour from his loss of temper a bit earlier. Link told himself to watch that.

"Link," she began just before he left, "I would be glad to speak with you later."

"Why?"

"There is plenty to discuss."

--

Ganondorf was acting as if every step he took back to the inn was some sort of drudgery, and Link somehow prognosticated the problem.

"Did you eat?" he asked skeptically.

"No," Ganondorf answered simply.

Link snorted with irritation. "And why did you do that?"

"I wasn't hungry."

"You stubborn clod," Link sharply chastised, "you haven't eaten all day. I don't give a damn whether you're hungry or not. It's not doing either of us any good, this nonsense--"

Link proceeded to give him some lecture about his 'refusal' to eat, and since it didn't apply, Ganondorf didn't listen to a word of it. He just hoped Link would hurry and 'make him' eat something. Gods, he was starved, and he still needed that drink.

"Well, whatever," Link dismissed. "I'll come in with some food. How late is it?"

"I'm sure it's well past midnight."

"You'll have to have a very late dinner, then."

Ganondorf was overcome with a feeling of nausea. He wanted to eat, and desperately so, but without reason he was beginning to doubt its usefulness. He was dizzy with hunger, but the thought of eating made him ill. He ignored these illogical sensations, however. He needed to eat something. If he didn't, he would collapse from hunger. Any part of him that challenged this was not reasonable and did not merit his respect.

His thoughts slipped back to what Malati had said, and he shook. "Link?"

"Hmm?"

"I need a drink."

"Water?"

"No, not that..."

"Ah," Link finally understood. "That's all right--I can get that for you."

Had Link known what abuse Ganondorf was about to inflict on his intoxicating drink, he may well have not allowed it, or at least not have provided so much. But the deed was done, and Link purchased him the amount he requested, which happened to be too much. Ganondorf was surprisingly quick to succumb to alcohol, and so Link had to face what he never could have before imagined.

**********

Ganondorf felt some of his lost appetite return, though he still could not consume the amount he knew he had consumed in his younger years. He was hungry enough, however, to gain some ground. He ate to his fill, and once satisfied, made aggressive moves towards his alcohol.

With his swigs, Ganondorf steadily fell to pieces. He was exhausted from facing these changes, and refused to accept that nothing was the same. It was beyond culture shock--he had been dropped into a world that he felt he should know, at yet nothing was recognizable. The similar things had become distant and strange. His native country had become an foreign one...

He was alone, so drinking himself into a fit did not qualm him. He became wretched, furious, impotent, distraught, and pained. There was nothing he could do but privately storm and blubber like a perfect imbecile.

It would not be fair to accuse Ganondorf of doing this often, but similarly, he was not completey unfamiliar with such tantrums. He did not always go to alcohol to solve his problems, but there were times when he dreaded thinking normally. Emotion was, after all, easier to excuse when he was drunk.

--

Link entered the room only to receive a foul command.

"Get out!"

Link did not obey, but stood idly in the doorway, pondering the noises he heard. He raised an eyebrow. "Am I hearing correctly?"

Ganondorf hoarsely tried again. "Leave!"

"Gerudo, is something wrong?"

"No."

They were left at a standstill then, with Ganondorf's forehead pressed against the far wall, and Link waiting for Ganondorf to say more.

The momentary silence was interrupted with a drunken snivel, and immediately Link understood. He sighed and closed the door behind him.

"What are you doing?" Ganondorf protested in alarm. "I don't want you here."

"Spare me." Link was not interested in his wishes. "Are you going to always be like this when you're drunk? Because I am telling you now, I cannot stand depressing drunks..."

"That is not it," Ganondorf crossly interrupted. He took another swig from his bottle, and murmured, "Go away. I don't wish to be bothered."

"All right."

Link, to Ganondorf's mortification, nearly turned to leave. He didn't expect Link to be so easily deterred, and before he could straighten out his thoughts, he stuttered aloud, "W-wait! Where are you going?"

Link gave him a tired look. "I'm leaving as you requested."

"W-well--" Ganondorf fretted at the nonsense coming from his own mouth. "Aren't you going to pay any attention at all?"

"What gave you the impression that I want to listen to your problems?"

Ganondorf had honestly thought this was a necessary trait to people who inherited this strange thing called 'sympathy.' He carried the impression that this was all people did in Link's world--complain about their troubles and hear out others' conundrums. Apparently Link had tired of practicing this duty, too.

Link fumed a minute, but begrudgingly gave into Ganondorf's expectation. "Fine, then."

"I had a bad day."

"I can only imagine."

"...Do you know this feeling I have?"

Link could not bring himself to reply. He was shocked by the despair and urgency that so suddenly arose in the man's voice. The man spoke as though hopelessly lost, and Link was not prepared for the possibility of having to comfort him. Link shivered as he heard the choked sobs, his mind battling the sympathy leaching into him. He did not want to feel sorry for this man. He did not want to discover the ugly, horrifically human interior that inevitably lay dormant inside of this villain.

Link fought the temptation to leave.

"This feeling... It's as though..."

Ganondorf could not summon the words and so he continued to drink, drowning his anxieties as swiftly as possible.

"Well, you see... I-I've been gone a while, and when I learned I was to come back, I thought about what I would have to face. I understood that things were going to be different, and I thought I was ready to return here. But I-I think I overestimated myself, because... Now nothing's the same and I can't understand it for anything." Ganondorf paused, unsure if he was making any sense. "I thought maybe you would know what I'm going on about."

Link was trying hard not to abandon him in the midst of his drunken ramblings, but as Ganondorf approached this feeling with words, Link was ensnared. These words carried a haunting familiarity to them, and he knew that this was not a mistake. Ganondorf knew that he, too, had been tossed into a world that was alien before. Link had slept for seven years and awakened to a Hyrule that was defiled and twisted. It was this familiar shock of being caught in time's relentless tide and being stranded on the shores of a foreign world.

Link swallowed hard and decided to entertain Ganondorf's perception of his character. He took in a cautious breath and walked into the room's confines, finding himself a seat at the foot of the bed. Ganondorf did not move from the wall where he rested his forehead, and continued to miserably, though elusively, blubber.

Link sighed. "Look," he began to explain, "I do happen to know what you're feeling, and really, I promise it won't last long. You'll get over it. Change happens--it's very natural--and though it's all coming to you just now, you will get back into the rhythm of it."

Ganondorf was not one to be easily assured. "Things are too different," he started to whimper.

"How so?"

"The Gerudos do not..." Ganondorf could not believe what he was about to say and swallowed his drink hard. "Th-they do not want me."

"So?"

"I've been erased. I do not exist! If I am not a Gerudo, what am I? I am nothing!"

"That's silly," Link shrugged. "It seems obvious to me. If you are not Gerudo, you are still Ganondorf."

Ganondorf went into a dormant standstill, staring at the wall in a perturbed daze. "I am an ill memory. A bad dream. They have already forgotten me, and now I have nothing."

"What do you care what they think of you?" Link questioned. He never thought of Ganondorf as particularly sensitive to others' opinions of his worth.

"I knew you wouldn't understand," Ganondorf furiously retaliated. "You know nothing! They are my people and I did everything only to their benefit! And now for all of my investments, they have tossed me aside."

"To their benefit?" Link laughed at this ill-conceived joke. "Your tirade to take over Hyrule at the expense of your people was supposed to help them?"

"Sacrifices were necessary for us to advance."

As Link realized these were serious defenses, he angrily argued in return. "That is not what I hear from them now."

"That is because all you hear from are those two."

"And they are far more honest than you, I dare say."

Ganondorf went quiet a while, but he was beginning to quake. He felt forsaken by these people, and shook at the prospect of losing his place. He had fought for years to retain respect and approval from a race that harbored serious doubts about his abilities. This terrible anxiousness and desperation in the face of criticism was coming back to him. He had worked for his position, and in a mere moment, he lost all of it.

It seemed incredibly unfair.

"Please... Don't carry on like this," Link sighed in Gerudo. "It's undignified, don't you think? You wouldn't want anyone to see you like this."

Ganondorf dolefully shook his head, then hesitantly verbalized his reply. "No, I wouldn't."

"You're tired. You'll feel better after some rest."

--

Ganondorf felt a peculiar sense of comfort after this exchange, and he wasn't quite sure why. Neither did it occur to him that he should ask how Link had come across the language so beautifully--all he knew was that he had longed to converse in it, and that he was relieved to be able to exchange words in the native language he nearly lost. The Gerudos refused to speak to him in it out of spite, as another trait to their painful divorce from everything he adored, but Link was willing to engage in such chatter. A newfound horror, too, crossed him when he recalled what he had just done. He had spoken to Link in Gerudo.

He convulsed in apprehension. Gods, he must be drunk to do something so trusting and intimate. He wished he had ignored Link's verses, insisted that they stay out of the language that he harbored. Gerudo was, for Ganondorf and others in his race, a personal language. He felt his barred exterior that was supposed to keep others barricaded from his strict culture and identity being invaded. That a common Hylian--that Link--would dare to violate this privacy was appalling.

Yet Ganondorf had succumbed to it out of a sudden realization that Link was the only person willing to speak with him that way--out of desparation... Ganondorf growled at his moment of weakness.

"You idiot. You're not lonely," he told himself.

And he was not: loneliness and aloneness, he quickly recognized, had their own nuances. He was not lonely for company. He did not need company.

But he was very, very alone, and this terrified him above all else.

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