Legend of Zelda 1. Chapter 1

For "new" readers: Beware, this is going to have smut and gore periodically throughout the story.

For "old" readers: This is just a revised chapter one, two, and three. XD Chapter four is new material.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Link glared at his opponent, blue eyes sharp and determined. His muscles trembled with exhaustion and his entire body ached from the beating it had received. Wind ruffled honey blond hair that was slick with sweat as he anxiously circled his opponent, searching for an opening.

Somehow or another, he and Ganondorf had ended up on Hyrule Field, but Link didn't dare to divert his attention and figure out how. Zelda had disappeared shortly after he entered the throne room where he began this bloody battle, and Midna was nowhere to be seen. Link focused his eyes on the false king, where a large wound reminiscent of cracked pottery graced his chest.

"Give up, boy," Ganondorf growled, his voice deep and gravelly. This battle seemed to have no effect on him. No sweat beaded upon his brow, and not a single strand of his flaming red hair was out of place.

Link just glared coolly at him, his face passive. He hadn't spoken to this man yet and he had no intentions of doing so now. He absentmindedly wiped a hand across his forehead. A wound he had received earlier in the battle was still leaking blood, threatening to blind him as it painted his face with the sticky liquid. He was exhausted, but he wasn't about to let Ganon know that. He tightened his grip around his sword, determined to not let Ganon get the better of him.

"No?" Gandondorf asked, raising an eyebrow, "Well, that's disappointing. I would much rather break you slowly than kill you here."

Without warning, he lunged forward. Link blocked the harsh blow with his shield, gritting his teeth at the shock of the impact. He pushed back against the larger man with all the strength he could muster, leaping back away from Ganondorf's deadly blade. Almost as soon as his feet touched the ground, he turned back to face his enemy, leaping into the air. Almost as soon as his feet touched the ground he turned back to face his opponent, leaping into the air with every intention of wounding the other. He had yet to land a blow, and it was a desperate move, but one he was willing to risk.

Reaching up with a large hand calloused by many years of war, Ganondorf knocked Link out of the air. He landed hard on his back, his head cracking sharply against the ground. The wind escaped from his lungs with an audible _whoosh!_

Ganon strode over to where the warrior lay stunned on the ground. His expression bored, the large man thrust his sword though Link's shoulder, burying the blade deep into the earth, eliciting a sharp, pained gasp from the smaller man.

"Getting desperate, are we?" Ganondorf sneered, twisting the sword slightly. Link writhed on the ground, his expression contorted with pain. Still no sound came from his mouth.

That simply would not do, Ganondorf decided. He wanted to hear the smaller man scream.

Link desperately attempted to grasp the sword and pull it out of his shoulder without cutting his fingers, but his shield hindered the process. Tears leaked from his eyes, mixing with the dirt and blood that was caked onto his face, but he did not give up. Instead, he concentrated his efforts on pulling the shield off his arm. If he could get that off, he could pull the sword out.

"You are pathetic," Ganondorf said with a laugh, kicking Link in the side.

The Hylian just glared up at the other man, his fingers working to get the shield off. Ganon rolled his eyes and grabbed the edge of the shield, jerking it off Link's arm. He tossed it to the side, out of sight and out of mind.

Grinning widely, Ganon ground the sword into the ground, twisting and wiggling the blade slightly as he did so. Link gasped from the pain as the blade cut flesh and bone like it was bread. Blood gushed from the wound. He was starting to look decidedly paler, and it was obvious that he was struggling to stay conscious.

Pulling out a small pouch from somewhere within the folds of his robe, Ganondorf knelt down beside the fallen hero.

"I almost feel sorry for you," Ganondorf said, his tone conversational and his expression indifferent. "Here you are, pinned to the ground by your enemy. I don't even have to touch my sword to kill you now; you will just bleed to death here on Hyrule Field."

Link locked eyes with Ganondorf, his eyes sharp and cold with hate. He bared his teeth at Ganon, a habit he had picked up from his time as a wolf. Ganon just laughed at him.

"This is really just so laughable. The kingdom is now mine because of your failure. You must feel so ashamed at being defeated so easily."

Rage burned inside of Link. He would not let this man shame him. The battle was not over until one or both of them were dead. A hand darted out and grasped the hilt of his sword, almost of its own accord. The master sword would cut though Ganondorf's neck with ease.

The blade made a slight whistling noise as it was swung through the air. With a sharp slap, Ganon knocked the sword away. It flew a short distance away, blade burying itself into the earth.

Ganon wrapped his long fingers around Link's wrist, forcing and twisting it into an unnatural angle. He grinned when he heard the all-too-familiar _crack!_ of bones snapping. Stars danced in Link's vision as his wrist was broken, sharp stabbing pains jolting up his arm and throughout his body. Blackness threatened to take over, and it was tempting to slip into that numb void.

"You are pathetic," Ganondorf growled, dumping the pouches contents over Link's body.

The substance the pouch contained was a white, chalky powder that shimmered strangely in the light. It settled over Link like dust would settle on a book shelf and he sputtered when some of it got into his mouth. It was bitter and sweet, and seemed to cut sharply into his flesh. Almost immediately he felt the first tugs of an aching tiredness pull at him.

Link realized what the powder was. It was a sleeping drug! Ganon had no intentions of killing him, but to take him prisoner. Fighting against the effects of the powder, Link turned his thoughts to ways to get out of this situation.

"Of course," Ganondorf drawled on, settling onto the ground as the Hylian struggled to stay awake. "Letting you die would be a stupid thing to do. The goddesses would just find another to replace you, and then I would have to deal with the pesky 'Hero' they picked out to kill me."

Ganon looked down at the Hylian and grinned, amused by the obvious effort Link was putting into fighting the drug.

"I hope you have a nice nap, because you are going to have one hell of a headache when you wake up."

Link snarled halfheartedly as darkness enveloped him, the pain in his body fading away he slipped into slumber. He deeply regretted losing to this man. Midna and Ilea would be so disappointed. Tears slipped from his eyes as he lost any semblance of consciousness.

Ganondorf stroked a strong finger over Link's sharp jawline, his black, rough skin a stark contrast against Link's pale, softer skin. Such lovely, sharp features. Now, they were all his to enjoy; no one else will ever set eyes on this handsome face again.

Smiling to himself, Ganondorf stood up and gently pulled the sword out of the ground. A spray of blood erupted from Link's shoulder as it went. Ganon pressed some grass and dirt into the wound to help stop the bleeding; it was not the most ideal compress, but it would have to do until he had access to proper medicine and bandages.

Examining Link's wrist, Ganondort ran his fingers over the skin, gently but firmly pressing bone back into its natural place, trying to gauge just how much damage he had done. The wound would be set later, but right now, it looked like Link would never have full use of this hand again. Not that it mattered; he wouldn't need it for what was in store for him, Ganondorf thought with a wide grin.

Gently picking up the slender body of the young Hylian, Ganondorf summoned up a portal that would take them back to the castle. Everything had gone exactly as he planned.

The kingdom was his, and so was its hero.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A loud creak. A sudden _bang!_ Cold wind.

Very cold wind.

Wind cold enough to chill you straight to the bone.

The heavy scent of rain to be.

Link woke with a gasp, sitting straight up, eyes darting around the total blankness in a futile attempt to determine the source of the wind. He had no idea where he was, and he had no idea how he got here. He was sitting on something too soft and comfortable to be the fields, and it certainly wasn't a bed that belonged to someone he knew. It wasn't hard or lumpy enough.

Taking a deep breath to settle his racing heart and slow the movements of his eyes, Link tried to focus on his surroundings. Now, the blackness seemed to come into focus. He could start to make out the slightest of differences of textures and shapes. Wildly moving blackness denoted curtains that led to an empty void, a hard, glassy darkness surrounding it.

A strong hand pushed him back onto the bed. The fingers were like rods of steel, and they burned with heat despite the biting cold.

"Damn windows," a deep voice muttered. There was the sound of rustling cloth and a loud squeak, the sensation of the bed springing up as if a great weight was being lifted from it, then the soft padding noise of bare feet across a hard floor. Something slammed shut, and the cold wind stopped.

Link realized he was shirtless in the sudden stillness. In the silence, could hear his own heart beat. His breath rasped in his ears. Feeling slightly panicked, he groped around, hoping to find something that could be used as a weapon. A sharp, ripping pain tore through his shoulder, forcing him to stop and curl into a ball, cradling his injured shoulder. He tried to reach up and feel around to gauge the severity of the wound, but his wrist was stiff and protested as he moved it. He had forgotten that it was broken. The splint prevented him from doing more than wiggling his fingers, but even that proved to be an uncomfortable ordeal.

More soft footsteps – quick this time – and soft cursing startled Link. He looked around the room, trying to discern the source of the noise, but the darkness seemed to press down on his senses, making it impossible to focus.

"Dammit, Link. You are bleeding all over the sheets. Do you have any idea how long it took for your shoulder to stop bleeding or how much blood you lost?"

A pair of hands ran themselves over his body, straightening him up until he was on his back again. They were unusually warm and had no qualms about touching his body; they even seemed to enjoy it, especially when they traveled somewhere intimate. Link reached out and tried to push them away from him. He wanted to preserve what dignity he had left, and he certainly didn't want a stranger to touch him like they were close friends.

"Still not speaking to me, eh?" the stranger asked with a sigh. "Well, I suppose only time will fix that."

Then recognition dawned on him at the familiar voice. Eyes widening, Link realized that it was _Ganondorf _that was in the room with him. Body trembling, Link came to the sudden, harsh reality of just how bad his situation was. He attempted to think of a way to escape, how to get out of reach of the larger man, and run far, far away.

His belly somersaulted when he felt Ganondorf's fingers fiddle with the bandage that encased his shoulder, slipping it off the wound. Blood dripped down his skin, pooling onto the bed. He shuddered violently, the frigid air turning his blood into liquid ice. Something pungent was slathered over his wound, and clean bandages were wrapped around it again.

"Try not to move around so much," Ganondorf growled deep in his throat, his voice rich with a slight accent that was unknown to Link. "If you make your shoulder bleed again, I will cauterize it. That is a procedure I know neither of us want to go through."

Cauterizing a wound was extremely painful operation. A knife – heated until it was red hot – would be placed over a wound, cooking the flesh it touched into a seal that prevented more blood from leaking out of a wound. It always left behind a bad scar and many bad memories.

Glaring at the general direction that the voice seemed to be coming from, Link pulled his lips up into a silent snarl. He had no intentions of being complacent. He will escape from this man or die trying. Either way would mean that he was far away.

Ganondorf sighed quietly; Link had to strain his ears in order to hear it. "I will leave you now. I have business to attend to. Try to go back to sleep; there's a potion on the nightstand if the nightmares get too bad."

_How does he know about those?_ Link thought, confused, as he heard heavy footsteps and the creaking of a door opening and closing. He lay in the darkness, feeling apprehensive as he remembered the nightmares that tormented him every night.

The nightmares would strike at him mercilessly, forcing him to remember the more horrific parts of his journey. The fear-filled times as he crept through dungeons, searching for tools he could use to defeat Zant and Ganon. Sometimes, when he was finally able to sleep under a roof, somewhere safe where he didn't have to worry about being attacked as he slept, his nightmares would consist of the times when he was journeying. Starvation was a close friend. Visions of him caring helplessly for festering wounds as he traveled to lands he was not familiar with would dance across his mind.

Perhaps the worst nightmares were the small villages that he sometimes encountered. They had been burned and pillaged, broken and bleeding bodies cooking in the sun. Often he found a few small children, clinging to life as they sobbed over their dead parents. He found homes for them as best as he could, but sometimes they didn't survive the journey to a village where they could be adopted. Those were the worst dreams.

The fighting and the blood he spilled did not bother him so much. He did only what he had to do to stay alive, but sometimes he thought he could hear the screams of the wounded and dying when he lay in his bedroll at night, just barely in his range of hearing.

Maybe he should drink some of that potion after all, Link wondered, staring into the darkness. He could not escape with his shoulder injured so badly and his wrist broken, so there was no harm in trying to relax, right?

Carefully rolling over onto his stomach, Link searched blindly for the edge of the bed. The damn thing was _huge_. Finding it, he crawled over and groped for a nightstand, anything that resembled a table. His hand touched a cold, smooth surface. Running his fingers down to the base he realized that it was a bottle full of liquid sitting atop a wooden surface.

Gently pulling the stopper off the bottle, Link sniffed it and pulled a face. It was definitely a potion. It didn't smell bad, exactly; it smelled like fresh rain and earth and meadow flowers, but there was a strong but subtle undercurrent of something distasteful.

Link choked down a few gulps of the slimy, viscous liquid before putting it back onto the nightstand. The potion made his stomach roil in protest – oh how he loathed drinking potions – but otherwise he felt no ill effects, just a little sleepy. He crawled back into the center of the bed, hiding deep under the covers, away from the cold. He curled up into a ball, cradling his wrist and injured arm as best he could without causing too much pain.

His thoughts consumed him then and he had to force back the sobs that threatened to over take his body. Tears running hotly down his face, Link thought about recent events. He had failed the quest he was given and was now a prisoner to the very man he was supposed to kill. He was deeply ashamed of himself.

Killing Ganondorf now was not an option; Link would have to wait until his injuries healed before he even dared to try anything. He feared especially for Zelda and Midna. He had no idea where either of them were, but he knew that Ganondorf would torture them mercilessly now that he was king.

There was nothing Link could do but wait and bide his time, and perhaps try to escape when the wound in his shoulder didn't threaten to rip open every time he moved. In the meantime, Ganondorf would be wreaking havoc on the people of Hyrule and the Twili.

And it was all his fault.

This time, Link didn't try to hold back the sobs. They racked his body, making sore muscles weep from the pain and smaller wounds scream with protest. The sobs didn't abate until fatigue made his body tremble, but that didn't stop the tears that continued to flow down his face. He gave into the exhaustion, welcoming sleep and whatever dreams it might bring.


	3. Chapter 3

The next chapter will follow later tonight, hopefully. Just need to revise it. :3

**Chapter 3**

Ganondorf cautiously entered Link's bedroom for the second time that night. He didn't want to wake Link; he'd already had a restless enough sleep. He had never seen someone so distressed by their nightmares before. Link was sobbing so hard that Ganondorf feared that he would choke on his own tears.

He smiled slightly at the memory, however. Instead of waking the youth, he lay down beside him and pulled him into an embrace. Link had calmed down almost instantly, snuggling deep into the warm embrace, sobs reducing themselves to sniffles. He still trembled from the nightmare, and Ganondorf took it upon himself run his hands comfortingly down Link's back.

It was perfect... Until the storm that was raging outside forced the windows open. He had just enough time to pull himself off the bed before Link woke up. It was blisteringly cold outside, instantly chilling the room. He promptly forced the windows closed, reinforcing them with magic to make sure they held. Link – the dumb fool – opened his wound again in a blind panic, but just a slather of healing salve closed it again.

Fearing that Link would do something stupid and hurt himself again, Ganondorf had left the room, pretending he had better things to be doing. He didn't, really. He just went down to his office and did some paperwork before wandering back up to the tower shortly before dawn. Contrary to popular belief, he was not a destructive tyrant unless it suited him. He had what he wanted, there was no need to spread more chaos and death everywhere. Besides, it _is_ difficult to rule a kingdom if the kingdom didn't have anything to rule over.

Well, maybe spreading some chaos was fun. Ganondorf smiled at the thought. The soonest chance he had, he ordered that all the residents of Ordon Village to be found and captured. Then he had them executed in a very public and a very gory fashion. He laughed at the crushed spirits he saw that day, the devastated and horrified expressions.

But he did not do it needlessly. Now that they were gone, Link had no one to turn to if he managed to escaped.

Mind turning back to the present, Ganondorf gently sat down on the bed, careful to make sure his great weight did not disturb the sleeping Hylian. He pulled the blanket down slightly to reveal Link's face. It was rather adorable, how he curled up completely under the blankets like a turtle would retreat into its shell. Predawn light filtered through the windows, dimly illuminating the room. The light was cold and offered no comfort or warmth, but Ganon didn't mind. The light brightened Link's features, letting Ganon see every detail of his captive's face. Honey blond hair took on a decidedly golden shine in the weak light.

_He looks a lot younger and more innocent when he's asleep_, Ganon thought, tracing his thumb over Link's jawline. The little Hylian sighed and turned his face into Ganon's hand, letting the bigger man cup his cheek with his warm palm. Ganon sucked in a breath with surprise, but a smile stretched across his face as he relaxed. The little warrior may hate him with an intensity rivaled by none when awake, but when he was asleep...

Well, when he was asleep, that hate didn't matter. All Ganondorf had to do was make Link realize that his hate would not be worthwhile, that it might be better if he just gave up and loved him instead.

Seeing Link stir, Ganondorf hurriedly pulled his hand away and stood up. Link would need a few days to settle down. Right now, he would probably try to kill Ganon if he saw him. A foolish thought, of course. His left arm was nearly useless and his other wrist was too badly damaged to wield any sort of weapon.

Striding back to the door, he opened it and pulled a tray of food in and placed it on the nightstand. He noticed that some of the potion was gone. Feeling somewhat better about the fact that he had to keep his distance for a while longer, Ganondorf tucked the blankets around Link's body, pulling the blanket over his head to ward off the morning light for just a little while longer.

Ganondorf lingered next to the bed, knowing he needed to leave but was unwilling to do so. He wanted to hold the little blond in his arms again. Hell, he wanted to have his way with him _right now_, but that would just serve to alienate Link further. And that blasted shoulder wound would probably be ripped open again.

"I really need to think some things through a little bit more before I do them," Ganon muttered as he turned and left the room. "That wound is more trouble than it's worth."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, guess what? I finally figured out what I want to do with this, for the most part. It includes an OC and adding a few – possibly unusual and strange – concepts to the story. I don't know when I will start throwing all this in, if I will be doing it at all, however; this is just an FYI.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

The sun slowly rose up into the sky, streaking it with a myriad of pastel colors and chasing away the black of night. The morning slowly warmed as Link slept, and hours passed before he stirred. Then afternoon came and the sun beat relentlessly down on his mound of blankets, making it uncomfortably hot.

Yawning massively, Link shoved the blankets aside, shamelessly letting them fall to a crumpled heap on the floor. They would get picked up when he was ready to pick them up. He looked around for a few moments, confused at the strange surroundings. He slowly realized that this room was not what it was supposed to be.

The room was not a dungeon cell or the corner of an infirmary; it was an extensive, stylish bedroom. As Link sat up on the side of the bed, he once again noticed its massive size. It could easily fit three more people of his size comfortably, which probably wasn't much given that he was thin and slightly shorter than average.

The blankets were soft and a rich, deep red color with gold thread woven in intricate patterns. It made him feel uncomfortable. He was from the country; a beautiful blanket such as this was not suited for people like him.

Feeling a little guilty about using the blanket and treating it like he would a blanket at home, Link stepped onto the floor, the gray stone warmed by the sun. He looked around. Now that it was daytime, he wanted to locate possible sources of light for when it was dark. The pitch blackness of last night was inexcusable. It hid too many things, just like a mask that hid one's face.

On the wall opposite the door, there was a fireplace. It was suspiciously clean, and there was no firewood to be seen anywhere. Link walked over to the wall and examined it, running his hands and eyes over the perimeter of the room. To his surprise, he found that most of the stone wall was the clean gray of freshly laid stone. The mortar that held the stones together was white and fresh, like it had just been put between the stones just a mere few days ago. Even the furniture bore no signs of age.

The room itself was relatively bare. There was the bed, a nightstand, a tub that looked like it might have some plumbing in it, and a couple of chairs. A mirror hung on a wall. The chairs and bed were slightly larger than usual _It's like all the furniture was built for a giant,_ Link thought with amusement, fingering the arm of a chair. It was a dark, rich brown color, polished until he could see his own reflection. The bed was made of the same material.

_I must be in a tower that was destroyed at one point,_ Link mused, peering out a window. _Everything is so new._ His sharp eyes spotted movement on the ground. His fellow Hylians looked like the smallest of ants from his vantage point. He wondered why they were scurrying about so frantically. As far as he knew, there were no festivals that were to happen soon – fall was still a few weeks away. Maybe he was just being paranoid.

Shrugging to himself, he turned from the window and padded over to the nightstand. A tray of food graced the table, the potion glittering brightly next to it. To his disappointment, there was no candle that he could use later that night. There was a bowl with what looked to be porridge on the tray, as well as a plate of buttered bread and a pitcher of juice. The porridge was cool to the touch, indicating that it was put there some time ago. It was sprinkled with fruit, but they looked strange to Link. They were sticky looking and dusted with what appeared to be sugar. He fished a fruit out of the bowl and popped it into his mouth.

It was surprisingly sweet, and he almost choked on the fruit before he convinced himself that it was okay to be swallow it. Link looked at the other fruit with distaste. They looked funny because they had been soaked in honey and covered with sugar, and if he tasted the porridge, it was probably unsweetened.

Wrinkling his nose, Link picked up a spoon and stirred the porridge, mixing the candied fruit thoroughly into it. He spooned the cold cereal into his mouth, trying not to linger too much on the sweetness. He liked sweet things, but he didn't like things that tasted essentially like flavored, concentrated sugar. Relief filled him when he finished the porridge and he could wash the taste out with the buttered bread and the juice.

After finishing his late breakfast, Link walked over to the window and tried to open it so that he could get a better look outside. The room was starting to feel a little stifling; he was used to being outside, where it was open and a breeze was always blowing across the land. If Ganondorf was going to be an ass and keep him in suspense as to what his punishment would be, the least he could was to let him have the windows open. It's not like he was going to jump out the window, let alone try to escape through it. Not with a broken wrist and a next to useless arm.

With great difficulty, Link managed to open the window. Even though they weren't locked - and he'd checked several times to make sure - the windows stuck like they were glued together. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the hinges or frames. He had to shove the handle of the spoon between the windows and lever them apart before they opened. He disfigured the spoon horribly, but he didn't care.

Leaning onto the window sill, Link breathed in the fresh air, relishing the sturdy breeze that ruffled his hair. The skin on his chest and arms prickled in the cold, making him shiver slightly and his shoulder ache. He noticed for the first time that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and that the pants he wore weren't his either. The pants themselves were a soft brown material that was thick and warm, and they fit loosely around his body.

_Well, that's troublesome_, Link thought to himself, turning back to the window. He would have to ask for more clothing the next time he saw someone.

Craning his head up, he examined the clouds. He fancied that the one directly above him was Epona, but the thought was quickly abandoned. He didn't even know where she was, and he missed her. She wouldn't judge him about his failure, and if she did, at least he couldn't understand her. He hoped that she was okay, wherever she was.

Distracted by his thoughts, Link almost didn't hear the door open. He whirled around, fully expecting to see Ganondorf. He was confused to see a pair of maids standing expectantly in front of the door, one of them bearing a large chest in her hands. That was odd. Extremely odd. Men would have difficulties carrying that chest. How could she be holding it so easily?

"His Majesty instructed us to give you some new clothing and other necessities," the maid holding the chest said, dumping it onto the floor. Her voice was flat and emotionless, and each syllable was enunciated carefully, as if she just learned the language.

"I will take your tray down to the kitchens," the other maid said, picking up the tray, "I will bring dinner when it's ready." The two of them turned to leave.

"Wait!" Link said, lunging for the maids and grabbing one of their arms, "Don't leave yet."

They stopped and waited expectantly, their flat eyes gazing at him as if he wasn't there. Link squeezed the arm he was holding, eyes wide with disbelief. It was solid, like wood. He quickly pulled up the maid's sleeve; the joint was a simple wooden ball. He slowly let go of her arm and backed away a few steps, wary. He distrusted magic. It had its uses, but he preferred to not have any interaction with it. Magic was a complex mess and it only meant trouble. His travels had only reinforced this belief.

The maids continued to stare stare at him, giving Link a few moments to examine them. Their skin was light, and their hair was dull brown and tied back into severe buns, and their unmoving eyes were the same dull brown color of their hair. Their figures were minimal and plain. They looked like someone you could see everyday day but would forget about the instant you looked away.

"Did you want something?" one of them prompted. Link thought that if her wooden features could bear any emotion, she would be extremely impatient right now.

"Oh,yes," Link blinked; he had forgotten his questions with the discovery that the maids were just puppets.

"Do you know why I am in here? It seems odd to lock up a prisoner in a bedroom such as this and not the dungeons."

"We do not know why His Majesty does anything," a maid replied, "We simply do as we're told."

Link peered closely at the maids, trying to decide if they could actually feel or think for themselves, or if they were simply glorified puppets. "Well, if you don't know anything, will you ask him to come up here and talk to me?"

"No," came the flat reply.

"Why?"

"His Majesty will come and talk to you when he wants to talk to you," the maid holding the tray replied, her glass eyes looking him straight in the eye, "Do you need us to fetch you anything?"

"...No, I guess not," Link said, looking away, feeling uneasy. The maids were disturbing, he decided, and he didn't want to be near them any longer.

They bowed slightly and quickly left the room. Link glared at the door when he heard the lock click into place. He hadn't even contemplated pushing past the maids and making a mad dash for freedom, but that plan wouldn't have ended well. Too much castle between him and freedom, and that meant there were too many guards for him to avoid.

Sighing, he walked over to the mirror and examined the bandages that were wrapped around his torso and over his shoulder. The gauze was badly stained with his own blood. He shrugged his shoulder a little sharply. Biting his lip as pain erupted from torn muscles, Link turned to look sadly at the tub. It was probably best to not risk bathing, especially since he could feel a fresh trickle of blood leak out of the wound.

Turning his attention to the chest the puppet maids brought up, he ran his fingers over the black wood. It looked like it had been tossed into a large fire until the wood was charred over the entire surface, pulled out, and then polished. Pulling the lid up, he examined the contents. On one side, there was clean clothing. It looked to be made of the same material as his pants, and all of them plain, neutral colors. The other half was far more interesting.

Kneeling down, Link rifled through the contents. To his delight, he found several candles and a box of matches. There were also clean bandages and some salve for his wound, as well as some soap and a few books. There were also a few pieces of brightly colored string whose purpose escaped Link.

_I guess I will just make a bracelet out of them if I get _really_ bored_, Link thought wryly, pulling a creamy white tunic over his head before grabbing a candle and the matches out of the chest. He let the lid slam shut, feeling strangely comforted by the loud _bang!_ in the still silence.

Feeling a strong gusy steal into the room, Link hurriedly jumped up and closed the windows. They jumped out of his fingers, gluing themselves together like they did earlier. They didn't even rattle in the wind.

Glad his fingers weren't in the way when he closed the window, Link gazed out the glass. The sky had turned dark in the short amount of time he had been exploring the chest. It was full of black clouds that looked like they would dump several weeks worth of rain onto the land below. _What is wrong with the weather?_ Link thought, feeling a little gloomy at being forced to have the windows locked up.

Sighing in resignation, Link plopped himself onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. It wasn't until the first sharp crack of lightening – followed swiftly by booming thunder – that he moved, startled. He scooted under the covers, deciding to sleep through the storm rather than stay awake.

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><p>Ganondorf looked out the window of his study when he heard the first crack of lightening. He wondered if it was normal to get such bad storms during this time of year. After spending so much time in the world of the Twili, he had forgotten what it was like in the land of the Hyrule.<p>

Turning back to the puppets, he eyed them critically. He hated making these things, but they were better than having to deal with real people. They would get replaced when he was sure he wasn't going to get poisoned when eating.

"Did he say anything to you two while you were in his room?"

"Yes, sir."

Ganon waited patiently for them to continue, then sighed when he realized when they were going to answer his questions literally. "Well? What did he say?"

"He asked why he was locked up in the tower instead of the dungeons, and then he asked if he could talk to you," came the flat reply. "We told him no."

_Well, that's interesting,_ Ganon thought to himself as he nodded in approval, _I thought for sure he would want me to keep my distance._

"Good girls. You may leave now," with a wave of his hand, he dismissed the maids, who left promptly.

Ganon sat back in his chair and watched the rain drops smash themselves into his window. Another streak of lightening lit up the sky, the resulting boom of thunder penetrating deep into his bones.

_This is such lovely weather, _Ganon thought sardonically, smiling. He watched the storm rage with hellish fury, striking the earth many times with its blades of lightening. The rain fell so heavily that he wondered if he should make sure that the castle wasn't prone to flooding, but he quickly pushed that thought from his mind.

It wasn't until it was pitch black outside that he stood up and lit a candle. The rain subsided slightly, and the lightening was more infrequent. Checking a nearby clock, Ganon saw that it was still a couple of hours until midnight. He wasn't tired and didn't really want to fall asleep when the thunder was still booming about. It was too lovely and powerful to sleep through, but not entertaining enough to convince him that he needed to stay up.

A smile flitted across his lips. Oh, he had entertainment all right, and he was currently sleeping up in the tower.


	5. Chapter 5

So, here is a revised chapter 5.

I had been getting some comments that people were confused and lost, and while I didn't change much (I just deleted a chunk, fixed up the remaining chunk a little bit, and then added a new chunk), so hopefully it will be a little less confusing.

But if you guys are seriously confused, please let me know! What makes sense to me may not make sense to you, and I can't fix anything if you guys don't tell me what's confusing.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

A small, sharp sliver of light pierced the darkness, but disappeared almost as soon as it appeared with a soft click of a door closing. Ganon quietly stripped and slipped onto the bed, grinning at the thought of Link's body and the things that he was going to do to it.

It was pitch black when Link woke to the sensation of smooth skin sliding along his own, arms made of iron wrapping themselves around his body. He was acutely aware of his shirtless state, and of the hands that occupied themselves with his nipples. A mouth nuzzled at the nape of his neck, tickling it in the most peculiar and sensual way. He tensed, ready to throw the stranger off at the soonest opportunity and show them exactly what he though of the unwelcome caresses. But something made him pause.  
>Something told him that this was just a dream, that he was asleep. But there was a tiny wiggle of a thought, telling him that he was really awake. Link felt inclined to listen to the doubtful voice. Why would a dream summon up a stranger with such a muscular body, with obviously male genitalia pressed firmly against his back? But now the hands had moved from his chest, one fitting itself against his lower stomach. The other slipped into his pants, making his stomach flutter violently as strong fingers worked their way around his cock.<p>

Link arched his back, involuntarily bucking his hips into the hand. A small whimper escaped his throat. He heard a deep, gravelly chuckle as the grip tightened firmly around his member and began pumping, slowly at first, but gradually moving faster. Link buried his face into a pillow, biting it to keep from screaming with lust and frustration as he twisted his hands in the sheet. He felt the stranger curl around him slightly, his fingers relentlessly toying with Link's erection, constantly bringing him to the edge but never quite pushing him over.

He could feel every move the strange man made, hear every dark chuckle. But Link refused to recognize the laugh, or the name that went with it. This was only a dream, he was sure of it. Life might be cruel, but it wasn't cruel enough to do this to him. Only his subconscious would think up such a deliciously nightmarish dream and actually make him live through it.

After what seemed an eternity, the stranger didn't stop, not even when Link was teetering on the brink. He pumped steadily as Link came, biting at the nape of his neck as he arched his back against the stranger and spilled his seed over his hand.

Link saw stars and felt like he was floating. He sank into the bed, trembling slightly as tensed muscles relaxed, barely aware of the stranger leaving his bed and pulling the blankets over his body. Then he drifted off into a deep slumber, asleep before he even heard the stranger leave.

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><p>Link woke up with a yawn. He felt better than he had in ages. Stretching luxuriously but careful of his wounds, he was quite ready to face the day's undoubtedly tedious schedule with a vengeance. The dream he had last night was quite odd and extremely realistic, but he had no doubts that it was just a dream.<p>

That is, until he realized that his shirt was on the other side of the room and his pants were a tangled mess.

Stopping cold, Link paused to go over all the possibilities that this was all merely a coincidence and that the dream he had last night was just that: a dream. Granted, an odd but erotic and passionate dream, but a dream nonetheless.

Feeling much less able to survive the day, Link crawled out of the bed and straightened up his pants before retrieving his shirt. He shoved his chest of newly acquired possessions against a wall so that it wasn't in the middle of the floor, threatening to be a frustrating obstacle. After fixing the bed up so that the covers and pillows were as neat as he could make them – which wasn't very neat, much to his chagrin – he pulled the books from his chest. Reading was not a strong suit of his, but at least his inexperience would keep him from reading the books too quickly.

Settling into a chair, Link assumed a look of utter boredom despite the fact that the book proved to be quite entertaining. The light from the windows warmed him to the bones, and soon he forgot all about last night.

The next few weeks passed by like this, his days interrupted briefly by the maid puppets doing their daily duties, bringing him food, and occasionally allowing themselves to be cajoled into bringing him new books to read. Every day he asked about Ganon, desperate for news or information or even a chance to talk to him, anything. And every day the maids just told him that when Ganon wished to speak to Link, he would.

Never again during those tedious days did the stranger invade his sleep, but sometimes Link wished they did. At least it would give him something to worry over instead of forcing him to read books until his eyes crossed and his vision became so blurry that he got a headache. As soon as his shoulder and wrist healed up sufficiently, he had started to work out. He told himself it was to keep himself fit, but he did it out of sheer boredom and because he was too vain to let himself turn squishy.

One day, as Link was leaning on the window sill next to the mangled remains of another spoon, Link noticed that the usual busy stream of people throughout the courtyard was gone. This was unusual because today was sunny and cloudless, a rare occurrence these last few weeks. He craned his head around, looking over what little of the castle he could. He had watched it progress from mostly ruins to a somewhat respectable building, even if most of it was still scaffolding and the barest of stone structures waiting to be completed.

_Maybe Ganon gave them the day off_, Link thought. _But that shouldn't stop the birds from flying around and singing._

Chewing on his lip, Link drew away from the window, worry beginning to claw at his stomach. Something was wrong, he could feel it deep in his bones, but there was nothing he could do to relieve his anxiety. He recovered most of the use of his wrist, but his damned arm was still pretty much useless. He could move it around and use it, but it had a very limited range of motion and he couldn't pick up anything that weighed more than a few pounds without getting hurt. He spent hours trying to work his shoulder and arm, trying to strengthen them and urge the healing process along, but nothing seemed to work.

Punching a pillow until it bled feathers, Link turned to the window once again. This time, there was a figure walking around the courtyard. Even from this distance, Link could distinguish that the figure was a very tall man, and from the black skin and bright red hair, that it was Ganon. He curled up his lips in a silent snarl as he watched his enemy inspect the courtyard. Something was erratic about how he was walking. It was almost like he was searching for something.

Then a noise pierced the air. It was a strange, ringing sound; it was like a mixture of a bird screech and a gong. It made the air reverberate and shimmer, forcing Link to cover his ears as the sound intensified to painful levels. He noticed, with some satisfaction when the noise lessened and then finally ceased, that Ganon was similarly affected.

"What is going on?" Link murmured as a dark cloud burst from the distant mountains. No, not a cloud – it was a large flock of birds, screeching and squabbling as the dispersed over the land.

Whatever it was, it had forced the people of Hyrule to risk angering Ganon if they didn't show up for work today.

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><p>Ganon stomped through the courtyards, his fury barely contained. Where were all the construction workers? Where were all the servants? As far as he could tell, only he, Link, and the puppets that served as the cooks and personal servants, no one remained in the castle. Not even rats or birds. Even to his untrained eye, even the shrubberies and trees had a decidedly off look to them.<p>

Heading back inside after making sure that there was absolutely no one in the castle courtyards, Ganon summoned a few puppets to his side.

"I want you to go and see why no one has come in today," he ordered. The puppets ran off.

Settling into a chair, Ganon rubbed his temples. Lately he had been getting terrible headaches that didn't seem to respond to any sort of treatment. He wondered if it had to do with any of the strange events that had been happening recently.

According to some local farmers, the storms they had been getting were extremely abnormal. Usually they would have to irrigate their fields, and now they were struggling to keep the fields from flooding and ruining the land. But that wasn't the only oddity. Merchant caravans gradually disappeared. Several towns had not been heard from for several days to several weeks. Livestock of all sorts were simply dropping dead. Worst of all, perhaps, were the birds.

For weeks now, crows and ravens were gathering in massive numbers, their flocks often flying aimlessly about. All of the other birds seemed to have disappeared. Ganon would've killed to see a _pigeon._ Then, one day, the great flocks of the black birds disappeared completely, and all of the other birds returned. They acted strangely, singing too quietly or not at all as they flew about, and they were all too willing to perch on someone's offered hand or come indoors.

Without any warning, a deep, reverberating sound seemed to emerge from all directions, forcing Ganon to the ground with his arms wrapped around his head, attempting to block out the noise. The noise reached deep inside of him, and if he didn't know any better, he could've sworn that his bones nearly jumped out of his body they were vibrating so hard. It was extremely uncomfortable and hurt like hell. Then the sound faded away, all too slowly.

Feeling as if his head was going to explode, Ganon picked himself up off the ground and staggered back to his room. When his headache felt like it wasn't going to kill him, he was going to get to the bottom of the mysteries behind the missing peasants and the noise. He had a sneaking suspicion of what was causing all of this, and he prayed to the goddesses that he had abandoned long ago that it was not what he thought it was.


End file.

Legend of Zelda, Adventure, Romance