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Endgame	By : RyuaAlba Category: Zelda > General Views: 26666 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda, or any of the characters or regions or names associated with it. I make no money from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 15
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"He kissed me!" Link said with a shudder, rubbing his sleeve across his mouth like an embarrassed child.

"Well… yes, yes he did," Zelda sighed. "But at least he left."

"I guess…" Link said. "Well, so much for being tired."

Zelda laughed quietly and came over to the bed, pulling his boots off and setting them by the door. "It was… surprising."

Link shrugged, undoing his belt and shucking his outer tunic and chainmail, laying them across the little table beside the bed. "But not entirely unexpected… even I've been reading the signs… I just was trying to pretend it wasn't going to happen."

Zelda was unstrapping jewelry and setting it beside his tunic. "I know, Link… I'm sorry, I hoped I could keep his interest off of you."

"I thought I was supposed to be protecting you from his dastardly tastes," Link said with a weak chuckle.

She smiled at him, and walked forwards, leaning over him and kissing his forehead. "Come on. Let's try and get some sleep, shall we? I have a feeling we're going to need it."

O

They were both dressed and waiting when Ganondorf arrived to collect them the next morning. By the time Zelda emerged from the kitchens many hours later, where she'd been sorting through stores of food and dishes, making lists and helping to clear out rubble from a section of storerooms that had been partially collapsed, there were complete walls and the skeleton of a roof over the great hall.

"Well, Princess, it looks as if you'll actually have somewhere to conduct matters of state tomorrow," Ganondorf said, looking pleased with himself as he strode towards the kitchens, a cow carcass slung across his back for the feast. "The carpenter is polishing the thrones now."

That was a relief. While the incident with the Gerudo had required immediate attention, most of her ruling duties had simply been pushed to the side until now. But it was heading into high summer, which meant there would be increased demands for trade, questions about planting rights and requirements, arguments over labor laws and how many goats could be kept in what size pen and which rivers the Zora would allow to be dammed to irrigate crops and… wait, thrones plural?

Curious, Zelda went to the newly rebuilt state room, where tilesetters and carpenters were laying the roof on over the rafters, and the stonemasons were finally sweeping away the last of their rock dust and chips. There was no glass in the windows yet, it would take weeks for the artisans to complete the stained glass murals, and the walls were still bare. Zelda had sent some of the old, worn tapestries in storage to the weavers' workshop to be repaired, as the newest ones had all been damaged beyond repair in the fight.

Sure enough, on the central dais, there were three thrones, the largest one in the center clearly designed to accommodate Ganondorf's massive frame. While the two on either side were smaller to fit their intended occupants, she was interested to notice they were as well constructed, and clearly were designed to match each other. They were simple and perfectly proportioned, constructed of the pale, pinkish-gold oak wood that made up most of the forests around Castletown. All three came to a triangular point on top, and each had a Goddess symbol masterfully carved in the center of the crowning triangle.

She smiled and complimented the craftsman on his fast and skilled work. The carpenter was an older, cheerful looking man, and unusually had the rounded ears of a pureblood human, a rarity in Castletown. He was currently finishing Nayru's gracefully curved circles on what Zelda recognized to be her intended throne, his chisel cutting effortlessly through the wood's grain with the skill of someone well practiced in the art. Keeping her expression neutrally happy so her musings would not reflect badly on the carpenter's work, Zelda frowned inwardly. Ganondorf had clearly designed the room to enforce the symbolism of Hyrule, just in case anyone walking into the room didn't realize they were speaking with all three Goddess chosen rulers. Even the arrangement of the thrones echoed the Triforce in the Hylian crest. It would be an intimidating sight for those without patron Gods, and she wondered just who he was planning to intimidate. Her musings were interrupted by an irreverent thought; she smiled at the idea of convincing Link to sit in a Royal council. He was going to be horrified at the realization he had a throne.

Good humor at least temporarily restored, Zelda left the state room and went out into the sunlight of the yet-to be completed great hall. When completed, the massive doors would be slid open against the walls, allowing the relatively small throne room to be expanded into an area capable of receiving hundreds of people for events. The appetizing smells wafting up from the kitchen corridor just off of the great hall prompted her to skip down the stairs again.

The head cook laughed, an older, plump woman who had been working in the kitchens since Zelda was a tiny child. "Just like when you were just a wee one, Princess," she said cheerfully, handing Zelda a pastry hot out of the oven, loading the rest into a basket. "Now, you take this lot out to the workers trying to give us a roof over our heads, as I'm sure they're just as hungry as you."

It took several minutes to see how to get up to the roof, but Zelda eventually found scaffolds on the south wall. She tucked her skirts into her belt and started to climb, holding the basket in one arm. By the time she reached the top of the wall, she was surrounded by eager workers all too happy to relieve her of her burden. Seeing Link making his way over, she shifted around the group on the sloped roof so he could easily get at her. "Thanks," he said, picking up one of the nut and fruit filled pastries. Zelda smiled brightly and kissed him on the cheek, setting her basket down for them to peruse at their leisure, and headed back down to the ground. She chuckled softly to hear the good-natured teasing going on above her, certain Link would be bright pink but pleased about it anyways.

After untangling even her hiked-up hem for the third time on her way down, Zelda made her next stop a seamstress. She spent a half hour or so with the seamstress, deciding on what kind of leggings she could wear and how long a skirt would have to be on top of them to still look acceptable for her station. She had no problem wearing trousers privately, but part of being a princess was looking like one, so she'd just have to compromise. Feeling satisfied, she ordered several varieties, one simple version to be completed for tomorrow, the other, more ornate styles would be for when Castletown wasn't in rebuilding mode.

She didn't actually make it back to the castle before being called over to help with clarification on a law about how large an animal could be before being classes as livestock instead of pet, and then was requested to mediate on something else. She didn't even notice when the sky had darkened until Ganondorf appeared out of nowhere, taking the ledger out of her hands. "Time to stop working for tonight, Zelda," he said, handing it back to the flustered store owner.

Zelda blinked, looking around. The sky was in full twilight, she'd been reading and scribing by the light of oil lamps. The shopkeep babbled something about how grateful he was for the help and he was sure he could handle it now and that she should go get some rest. She realized Ganondorf was actually being protective, in a surprisingly quiet, non-violent way. Still, that glower was plenty intimidating… and now that she stood up, Zelda realized how gritty her eyes were and how much her stomach was growling.

For a dizzy moment, she expected Ganondorf to scoop her up into his arms like he'd done with Link, but he just offered her his arm. Glad to retain at least as much dignity as she could while being fetched like an errant child, she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and let him lead her out, up to the castle. "I've already sent Link to bed… he was reluctant to go without you, until I said I would carry him again if he fell asleep downstairs." His laugh was a little less cruel than she expected, sounding genuinely amused.

"How considerate of you," she said dryly. It was a surreal moment, walking to her partially rebuilt castle in the growing darkness, arm in arm with the man who had taken her captive, manipulated countless people into doing his bidding, tortured her and Link… and yet she felt strangely at ease. She didn't like him, and yet she could nearly respect him, could actually… almost… trust him. Not in the way she trusted Link, of course, but…

She could trust him to take the course that would retain his power. And that meant she could trust him to do his best to keep Hyrule stable. She could trust him to keep the country safe as well, although she devoutly hoped her people had seen the end of war for a few generations.

"There is food waiting for you in your room," Ganondorf said, as they entered the tower. "And Link may even still be awake to greet you. I will collect you both in the morning to start again…" He brought her to the foot of the stairs, handing her up until she was nearly on a level with him. Deftly, he shifted her hand from the crook of his arm to his fingers, and raised it to his lips.

Zelda had received hundreds of courtly kisses. Maybe thousands, she doubted she could ever count the true number. It was a culturally accepted way for men of nearly any class to have a chance to touch a noble lady, and Zelda knew she had admirers from all walks of life. So while the act was nothing unusual… it felt differently than it ever had.

It was the first time Ganondorf had shown any true gentleness towards her, and she found it disconcerting that he could. She was suddenly very aware of how hot and dry his hand was on hers, his skin rough and strong from a life of hard work and fighting. His grip was just tight enough to remind her how easily he could crush her bones, a contrast with the surprisingly light touch of his lips, brushing her knuckles just below the Triforce.

His touch lingered far too long, and Zelda pulled away, backing away from him up the stairs. He just watched her go, his expression just amused as it had been the previous night. Zelda didn't relax as much as she'd hoped when she was out of his sight, didn't really relax at all until she'd crawled into bed with Link. "He got you too, didn't he?" Link murmured sleepily, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"You know… it shouldn't be possible for his touch to disturb me at this point," Zelda said quietly, snuggling into him. "After all of it… that he's done…"

"Well, at least you're not exhausted and bleeding by the end of it anymore," Link pointed out, starting to drift back to sleep again.

"Well, not bleeding anyway," Zelda said. Although she liked working as hard as they had been. It felt good to be useful… and if Ganondorf was going to stay happy with working them to exhaustion and teasing them with the occasional light caress, well, there could be worse things.

Such as waking up to Ganondorf peering curiously at them, just an inch away from Link's nose. He woke up with a decidedly un-masculine yelp and jumped, adrenaline burning away any chance of sleeping in. The Gerudo laughed, leaning back on his heels, grinning widely as Link tried to untangle from the sheets without elbowing Zelda more than he already had. "You should have seen your face, boy," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Now come on, up you get. Time to get back to work. And no, I'm not leaving while you get dressed." He tossed Zelda a new, shorter skirt and leggings, which she seized eagerly.

Well, he was definitely still creepy then, Link thought to himself, glowering at Ganondorf as he rolled out of bed, pulling his trousers on as quickly as he could. Still, the man never touched them, just sat there with that maddening grin, which was almost as disconcerting as if he were demanding sex. As if reading his mind, Ganondorf said, "No, if I fuck you now, you'll both just sleep all day, and then how will we get anything done?"

His tone was so matter-of-fact, so light hearted that Link barely even flinched at the words, and Zelda just glanced over calmly from buckling on her jewelry and said, "What a logical thought, Ganondorf. There is hope for you yet." She picked up one of the two meatrolls on the little table and headed down the stairs, Link following quickly after her so he wouldn't be stuck in the room alone with Ganondorf.

Just as they descended into what was rapidly becoming the Great Hall of the new Hyrule Castle, a loud hail was heard, and all three turned to see the postman jogging forwards. "Mr. Link! I have another letter for you! And you, Mr. Ganondorf. An honor to serve you sirs, lady," he said, handing over the folded parchments, saluting, and running off.

Ganondorf gestured grandly for Link to open his, and he did without hesitation, eager for news about his hometown. Colin's careful, clear printing filled him with relief even before he started to read.

Dear Link,

It is good to be back home again, we all missed our families and our houses.

That woman soldier you sent to help us is really neat! Her name is Shalla, and she is so strong, and she knows lots about making good campfires and hunting. Everybody in the village likes her, because she keeps the herds safe and brings in extra meat for the families that can't get out to hunt. She even started to help me with my sword fighting, and she is teaching Talo and even Beth. She says girls should know how to use a sword too.

Ilia didn't like her at first, she thinks swords are bad. But Shalla knows lots about horses too, and Epona seems to like her a lot. Now she and Ilia spend a lot of time together, Shalla even moved into her house. Ilia is much happier, and it makes me happy too. I hope you are happy in the castle in Hyrule.

Colin

He wasn't sure what to think about a Gerudo warrior being that close to Ilia. His friend was so vulnerable and sweet, and would have no way to defend herself if this Shalla was ordered to attack. Much to his surprise, though, Ganondorf let out a hearty laugh as he read over his shoulder. "So Shalla's fallen for this Ilia girl, has she? Good. Ordon could use the extra defense."

Ganondorf handed the parchment he'd gotten to Zelda so she could scan it while he spoke. "Labrynna's army is apparently on the march. One of the Gerudo tribes still holding the wasteland borders got the information from a travelling trader coming up from the east. There's been no official declaration, so it's unclear who exactly they're marching on…"

"But since Hyrule is the only country in the region recently weakened by war, the chances are they're coming here," Zelda finished grimly. She turned and marched into the throne room, drawing the two men after her. With the relative privacy of the newly completed room, she turned to Ganondorf and said, "I sold myself as a hostage to keep my country safe from Zant. I was hoping to avoid the threat of war again during my reign."

"Hence why you sold both Link and yourself to me," Ganondorf said, eyes narrowing. "Hyrule is mine, and I do not intend to lose it to any uppity invading force who thinks they can take it from me."

It wasn't exactly the response Zelda was hoping for. She knew there wasn't actually a response she'd be happy with, though, not with an army marching for her country. "Then you will defend Hyrule if we cannot attain a peaceful resolution?" she asked, feeling her sense of reality swim a bit as she turned to Ganondorf for help.

"If you want to try diplomacy first, you are welcome to," Ganondorf said. "But oh, yes. Yes, I fully intend to defend what is mine." He turned to Link, who looked worried, and with a hint of the same disconnection from reality Zelda had just gone through. "You're not on construction duty anymore, Link. I'm sending you and an escort to the Goron mines. My armor needs repairing, and you'll want to pick up that shield of yours."

Almost before he realized what was happening, Link found himself on a packhorse from the royal stables, two Gerudo riding escort with him, each horse with damaged armor strapped behind their riders. Zelda handed him a package for delivery to the Goron smithies, her face gone hard and cold again, tense at the thought of war. He hated seeing her that way, had fallen in love with her smiles. "Don't worry," Link said, leaning down from the horse to stroke her cheek. "If anyone can negotiate our way out of an fight, it's you. It'll all work out fine."

She forced a smile, although it was a shallow one. "I hope you're right. Travel safe, Link."

"And hurry back," Ganondorf said, coming up behind her. While Zelda didn't exactly lean into him for comfort, she did at least look glad to have someone that powerful as an ally. "It would be wise to have all of us present when this army arrives."

Link nodded, and spurred his horse into motion, feeling a pang of regret at the gelding's unfamiliar stride, missing Epona more than ever. He'd rather she stay safe in Ordon, though, not wanting to risk her life in another battle. She'd earned a happy retirement.

With all three horses laden down with armor as well as riders, they couldn't maintain even a trot the whole way. Navigating through Castletown wasn't too long of a stretch, and within half an hour, they were out on Hyrule Fields. Epona's flowing stride had always eaten up distances so effortlessly, and Link was surprised at how long it took to cross the fields. "It'll be nightfall by the time we get to the mountain," Link observed, the sun reaching high noon by the time they got within clear sight of the cliffs.

"Well, at least you have good company," Shikoru said cheerfully. She and Naburia were his escort, and Link was mostly glad for that. At least he was friendly with them, although Shikoru's overly friendly, open personality made him a bit uncomfortable. "Don't worry, we'll keep you warm at night if we have to camp out."

If Link hadn't been riding, he probably would have tripped over something. As it was, he just caught his breath, going pink and was torn between glaring at her and pretending she wasn't there. To his surprise, Naburia came to his defense. "Now, Shikoru, you know the treaty we just signed. No chasing males that are already spoken for."

"Right," Link said over Shikoru's pouting whine. "Zelda wouldn't like…"

"Zelda? I was talking about Lord Ganondorf," Naburia said, raising an eyebrow at the way Link sputtered to a halt, now turning bright red. "Our King doesn't share his toys. Even if it wasn't forbidden by that treaty, you and Zelda would both be off-limits to any Gerudo… and if they're smart, any Hylian too."

"Oh, Goddess…" Link groaned. "That's not how… that's not what it's like…"

"Yes it is," Shikoru said cheerfully. "You wouldn't be so embarrassed otherwise. So… have you slept with him yet?"

"What is wrong with you people?" Link groaned, pulling his hat down over his eyes, trusting his horse to keep moving in a straight line and not trip on anything. "Don't you have any shame or sense of decency or…"

"Not the way Hylians do," Naburia said, sounding mercifully less interested than Shikoru was. "You forget that we often will share the mates we catch… and when we don't have a man held captive, we entertain each other."

That was enough to make Link peer curiously back over his shoulder at her, still not willing to meet Shikoru's eyes. "I'd never considered that before, but I suppose it makes sense…"

She grinned, showing a bit of that wicked humor that seemed to be inherent in the warrior race. "So while most of us are perfectly willing to bed another woman, a man is almost always more interesting. And there is nothing more erotic to a Gerudo than two men together."

"Except maybe for two men bearing the mark of the Goddesses," Shikoru put in cheerily, laughing as Link just leaned forward along his horse's neck, tugging his hat down to cover his burning face. Okay, he'd actually liked it better when Shikoru had been just flirting with him. He grabbed the reins and kicked his mount's ribs, sending him into a canter and putting an end to the conversation before he died of embarrassment.

They stopped briefly in Kakiriko village to water the horses and pick up supplies at the rural branch of Malomart. Link wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved that the owner was currently in Castletown. Malo was one of his Ordon friends, of course, but there was no denying the child was… odd.

Although they were actually in sight of the mountain at this point, travel was slower, as the horses had to pick their way up the canyon slopes, the trail only getting steeper and rockier as they climbed onto the mountain's foot itself. By the time they'd reached the lowest level of the Goron fortress, night had fallen and the riders were almost as tired as the horses. They'd dismounted several times at the steepest parts of the trail to save their mounts, and it was with great relief that Link rode into the courtyard that the Gorons kept accessible for their trading partners. "Link! So good to see you again!" came a happy bellow.

Link glanced up and smiled tiredly. "Gor Coron, it's good to be back," he said, dismounting for what he devoutly hoped was the last time today. He staggered under the friendly back-pounding, but held his ground. "I'm here for business, though. We need Goron smithcraft... and I've been told to hurry."

"So I see," the Goron said, peering at the cracked breastplate strapped to the back of Link's horse. "This is the Gerudo King's armor, is it not? It'll take at least a full day, but I'll set my best smiths to it immediately. Let's get these horses unloaded, and then we'll show you to your guest rooms."

The promise of rest and a long soak in the hot springs were more than enough to get the three travellers moving again, stabling the horses, providing feed and water, and loading the piles of heavy plate armor onto carts for the Gorons to take down into their volcanic forges. "Oh, right. Princess Zelda sent this for you too," Link said, handing it to Gor Coron after fishing it out of his saddlebag.

Gor raised a rocky eyebrow, but nodded his head. "I'll attend to it as soon as we get you to your rooms." They each could have their own bedroom, all adjoining a common guest room where food would be served, all the rooms carved carefully into the mountain itself. Even the beds were scoops of rock lined with straw mats, the stone warm to the touch, so there were no blankets. And of course, there was a small hot spring just off the main room, a pitcher of cool water to drink already resting at the edge of the pool.

Link did have enough modesty to turn away from the Gerudo as they stripped unselfconsciously, stepping into the pool with sighs of delight. He tried to pull off his clothing as discreetly as possible and slip into the pool without either of them looking. They might have said they weren't going to be seducing him, but he wasn't entirely sure he believed them. The enticement of the hot water was too strong to pass up though, no matter how prudish he might be feeling.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed soaking, his head resting on a ledge clearly carved just for that. Eventually, a giggling Shikoru pulled the not at all reluctant Naburia from the pool, dragging her off to one of the bed cubicles and leaving Link on his own for the first time in… a very, very long time. Even before his capture, Midna was constantly there in his shadow, and they'd been adventuring together for months. He realized he hadn't really been thinking of her lately… it had been a relief to realize she must be alive if she'd stolen the Twilight gem, he supposed he'd just assumed she'd gone back to the Twilight Realm with her people.

He was just debating on whether he missed her company more than he was relieved not to have her teasing him constantly, when he heard someone else enter the water. Forcing heavy eyes open, Link glanced across to see whether Shikoru or Naburia had come back. There was a stranger there, with oddly luminous blue skin, and unnaturally bright orange hair. Link jumped, slipping from the ledge and dipping under the water. He came up sputtering, frowning as he realized how oddly familiar the woman was.

She smiled, her grin just as familiar as her voice. "Hello Link," said Midna.
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Endgame