FicWad

Author's note: Sorry for the delay D: Also, if you can catch the reference to Link, I'll give you a cookie :D

A warm beam from the morning sun found its way through the parted drapes of the only window in Ganondorf's room. It struck Zelda's face and she groaned, curling up tight beneath the thick quilt as if that would stop the sun from rising and the morning from progressing. Several minutes passed before she finally began to stir.

She sat up, reaching her bare arms above her head and groaning as she felt the pressure in her shoulders disappear. Realization slowly began to dawn upon her as she glanced around the room, taking in her momentarily unfamiliar surroundings, and her blue eyes widen. She had spent the entire night in Ganondorf's room! Her hands twisted the quilt and she chewed her lip nervously. She knew there would be bloodshed if she was discovered here. And completely naked no less. She brought her legs down, her feet gently touching the cold stone floor and she rose slowly

“Good morning.”

Her head whipped in Ganondorf's direction and she pulled her legs back into the bed, drawing the quilt tighter about her bare torso. His large frame emerged from the connecting washroom. He was dressed finely, the expensive silk detailing the hard lines of his body that he normally kept hidden in his armor. Zelda felt her cheeks burn as he chuckled lightly at her sudden modest behavior. Offering her a warm cup of freshly brewed tea, he said, “Would you rather I leave so you are able to get dressed?”

She hesitated for only a moment before accepting the cup and smiling softly at her host. “No. It's fine. I suppose modesty at this point is a little silly.” Her smile grew as he chuckled again and sat down in a chair close by the bed.

“Indeed.”

Her slender fingers hugged the cup and she drew her knees up to her chest. “I believe I have slept through breakfast.”

“You have not,” he replied.

“Why didn't you wake me?”

“You were sleeping so peacefully. I did not want to disturb you.”

Another smile settled on Zelda's lips and she looked down into her cup at her tea. How considerate of him. She had always been required to get up at a certain hour and sleeping later usually meant she was lazy. It was nice to have someone think of what she wanted for a change, and not what was considered “proper behavior” for a princess.

“Breakfast will be served shortly, however. So perhaps you should be on your way, so you will not be tardy.”

Zelda groaned softly, as she stretched again. “You are right. Will you join us for breakfast?”

“Unfortunately, I cannot,” Ganondorf said as he stood to fasten his armor in place, “There are new soldiers in your fathers guard that I must train.”

A faint smile graced her lips when he brushed her cheek with his knuckles, “However, I will see you this afternoon for your lessons. I believe you are ready for more complex forms.”

Her smile widened, “I look forward to it.”

His palm pressed to her cheek before he gently gripped her chin and drew her up to him and kissed her tenderly, “I must be on my way, my dear. The door, lock it when you leave.” His hand lingered for a moment more before he turned and left her to dress.

Hyrule's Princess' sighed contently. She could not remember a time when she was so happy. She curled up for a moment and rested her blond head on his pillow. It smelled like him, muscular and strong and she smiled to herself. Her feet touched the stone cold floor moments later and she clumsily began tying her dress. She crept quietly to her room. Her servant would be coming to wake her soon to help her prepare for breakfast.

Zelda arrived in time to be completely startled by her servant arriving at the same as she. “You're Majesty?”

She whirled around, her heart racing at unhealthy speeds. Could this servant tell? Surely she could, because the answer was most certainly written across the princess' face. Her dress was lopsided, her hair mussed, and the answer to the unasked question about her whereabouts etched into her soft features. “G-good morning.” It took all her strength to keep from blurting out an apology. Her heart continued to pound and she discreetly flexed her hands as they were beginning to sweat. As far as this servant was concerned, Zelda had not done anything wrong. She exhaled through her nose to calm her fraying nerves.

“I was coming to rouse you, Miss.”

“O-of course. I couldn't sleep. S-so I went to the library...” She stammered, running her hand along her arm nervously. It was so obviously a lie. Zelda was never much of a liar. And she did not have time to rehearse this fib as she had done earlier. Though the servant seemed convinced. She smiled brightly at Zelda and opened the heavy wooden door to her room. “Shall we prepare you for breakfast?”

Zelda stepped into the room and heaved a sigh as the servant shut the door securely behind them. After she was dressed, she arrived in the dining room in time for her meal to be placed in front of her. Her father was already seated and waiting patiently for his daughter to join him. Zelda glanced around the dining room, taking note that their usual guests were absent and for this, she was grateful. Perhaps she could enjoy the meal then without worrying about being offended by Marius and his need to mock her. “Good morning, my dear.” Her father remarked, nodding to her and selecting a fork so he could begin eating.

“Good morning, Father,” Zelda replied brightly. She was in an unusually chipper mood and her father did not fail to notice it.

“You are cheerful. Almost...glowing.” He did not know what to make his daughter's mood. He had never really seen her this happy in the mornings. She was, in fact, quite the contrary. A grumpy child and nearly as stubborn as the Ordonian goats.

“I slept wonderfully last night. I suppose that is the reason why.” She began eating her food, pancakes drizzled with honey and syrup. He smiled warmly at her as he ate slowly.

“Your plans for the afternoon?”

“After my lessons, I have a fencing lesson with Ganondorf. He believes I am ready for a complex form.” She smiled fondly as she remembered his hand brushing against her skin as he said those words.

“Zelda.”

“Yes Father?” He paused momentarily, carefully wording his response. He most certainly did not want to upset his only child.

“Your fencing. Cancel the lesson.”

Zelda held her fork poised at her mouth, a look of utter disbelief on her once bright face. “Why?”

“Marius, he wishes to take you to Lake Hylia for a picnic. And I believe it will be to your benefit. Besides, you are spending far too much time with Ganondorf.”

“But Father!”

“No buts. You will do as I have instructed.” He sighed at Zelda's frown. She was obviously not pleased with what he had ordered her to do. Not that he was expecting her to be brimming with excitement. She so loved her fencing lessons and he was very glad she did. But he was also growing steadily uncomfortable with how bold Ganondorf was becoming with his daughter. He was becoming far too hands on for The King's tastes. And he sought to put an end to it. Quickly.

Their meal carried on in silence and with a tension so thick, The King could use his knife to slice through it. Zelda stood, almost abruptly when she had eaten her fill. “Excuse me,” said she, a short temper to her voice.

“Zelda, this is for your own good.” It was a failed attempt to smooth things over between them. Zelda did not reply, but simply walked away. Her hands remained in rigid fists by her sides. Her fencing to be replaced with an afternoon with Marius? That most certainly did not sit well with her. She began to wonder why she had not simply told her father she found the boy repulsive. She decided this was exactly what she would do and turned only to collide with a hard chest, covered in armor.

“Ow...” she said, tears blurring her vision as she trailed her eyes up the long torso to discover the source of her injury. Ganondorf stood before her, his arms crossing over his chest and a smirk just gentle enough to be sinister curling the corner of his mouth.

“Hello, Princess.” He remained formal, to temper the suspicious ears he knew the walls had.

“Ganondorf, good morning.”

She crossed her arms and looked distinctly displeased as she stared at the patterns in the rug. Ganondorf's dark eyes glanced around them, before taking his Princess' hand and guiding her into an unoccupied hall. She was pressed into the cold stone wall in seconds and his lips pressed to hers. She would gladly have put her arms about his neck, were he not using them to hold her in place. She would have bruises the shape of his hands later. His teeth scraped her bottom lip when he pulled away and smirked at how breathless she was. “I steal your breath? I like that.” He said, loosening his grip on her arms and gently gripping her hands instead.

Zelda's smile was only short lived, though and quickly replaced with a frown. “Something troubles you.”

She looked down for a moment before raising her head and looking up at him. “My father wants me to cancel my fencing lesson for the day, in favor of a picnic lunch with Marius.”

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes, a frown replacing his smirk. He looked positively dangerous then and Zelda shrank back from him. She had never seen him look so displeased before and to be honest, it frightened her. Just a little. After a brief silence, he released her hands and took a step back from her. “I see.”

Zelda interpreted this as disappointment and quickly reached for his hand again. “But I will come to see you tonight.”

“I would advise against this. You have spent the night in my room already. And doing so again will increase your chances of being caught.”

The Princess did little to hide her disappointment. But he was right, of course. If they were ever to get caught, she shuddered at the thought. She placed her arms about his neck and pulled him to her height. “Then tell me when you wish to see me again. I will have it arranged.” He no longer looked displeased, placing his large hands on her hips.

“I will do so, Princess.”

“Zelda...” Her voice trailed off as she leaned into a kiss, curling her fingers into his course red hair.

“Go, your tutors will be arriving shortly,” he said, once the kiss had ended. He released her and stood upright to watch her disappear around a corner. Though initially, he was upset about the thought of Zelda canceling her lessons to spend time with the insolent whelp, he reasoned then that it could prove to be enlightening if he were to accompany them, without their knowledge of course. He decided to take this time to clear his plans for the rest of the day, so he could eavesdrop effectively. And any thought of being jealous was quickly dismissed. That was silly. And he would not even waste his time entertaining such a notion.

Lake Hylia was beautiful, the water was so crystal clear that one could straight down to the bottom. The air smelled fresh and clean and Zelda had to admit that she was grateful to be outside of the palace today. And she found herself wishing that she could spend this kind of time with Ganondorf. It would really be nice to actually be with him without having to sneak around. Though, Zelda thought, that was apart of his appeal.

Zelda crossed her arms over her chest as she stood on a bridge overlooking the water and connecting the Spirit's Spring to the island where they would be eating. Marius' company had not been altogether unpleasant. He had not been his usual haughty self. He was courteous and something of a gentleman. And though Zelda hated to admit it, she was actually having a wonderful time. “My dear, our food is ready, if you're hungry.” Marius stood next to her and offered the princess his hand. She took it without much reluctance and followed the young man to their spread.

The blanket was a rich purple and the food looked positively delicious. She sat down, curling her legs up and gingerly picking an apple to eat first. “Are you enjoying yourself, You're Majesty?”

Zelda smiled at Marius, for the first time since their meeting. “I am. It is pleasantly warm. And I'm glad I came.” Marius reached for her hand with a warm smile. It was almost genuine and were it not for the words that came from Marius' mouth next, she would have believed it to be real.

“Excellent. When I am your king, I will ensure that you will still be able to come here.”

She drew her hand back and lowered her nearly finished apple. “What?”

“When I am your king. You will have my permission to continue to come here.”

Zelda frowned and put her apple down. “My king? I am sorry, but I was under the impression that I was set to inherit my father's throne.”

“That you are my dear, that you are,” he said with a chuckle, “And yet, you will need a king, one worthy to rule over you. Your father believes I am the worthy one.”

Zelda did little to hide her utter disgust. Rule over her? Who did he think he was? “Let's just eat,” she said as she carefully unwrapped the meal that had been prepared for her. It smelled delicious, despite that, she did not have much of an appetite anymore. And she blamed it on the fact that her father thought this underhanded churl was worthy of being called the King of Hyrule. She began to wonder if her father truly valued the title at all. She would sooner marry some farm peasant and give the title to him. Marius most certainly did not deserve it.

“With our marriage, the debt your family owes to mine will be repaid in full.”

“What debt?” Zelda looked up at him with a frown.

“That, my dear, is something you should ask your father.” He brushed his hand against Zelda's cheek in the same manner as Ganondorf and it caused Zelda to wretch away from him. He chuckled and continued to eat his food. “Your kingdom will be my kingdom. The most powerful country in the world under my control. Can you imagine it?”

Zelda could, and she did not like the thought. She set her food aside and walked away without so much as a word. The Spirit's Spring was much colder than the world outside. She stood on the overhang overlooking the water and sighed softly. The triforce symbol emblazoned in her hand began to resonate and she lifted her hand to look at it. It felt as though she had failed Nayru. Because she did not know how to remedy this situation. Marius was going to get her kingdom and bring it to ruin. And Zelda did not have the knowledge of how to stop it. She sighed, “Lanayru. Please help me. I don't know what to do.”

“This place is lovely, wouldn't you agree?” She turned to see the owner of the voice and she was pleasantly surprised. Ganondorf smiled softly at her. She nodded and turned to look at the golden water.

“It is. I have only been here one other time. My father brought me.”

“I've visited the spring in Ordon and in Eldin.”

Zelda smiled weakly at Ganondorf and reluctantly slipped her hand into his. She needed some source of comfort then and Ganondorf did not object. “Something troubles you still, Princess.”

“My kingdom, Marius wants it. And as it looks now, he is going to get it. He says my family owes his family a debt. And with our marriage, it will pay this debt in full. I have no idea how to stop it.” She stifled her sobs with her free hand and gently squeezed Ganondorf's hand to feel something of him. He continued to look straight ahead, as if mesmerized by the ripples created by the rhythmic dripping of water from the ceiling.

“Speak with your father.”

“Oh I intend to. I just don't know if he'll listen.” She bit her lip and looked down at their hands, intertwining her fingers with his, “Are you certain I cannot come to see you tonight?”

His dark gaze rested on her and after a moment's silence he nodded firmly. “You may, tonight. After your father has retired.”

Zelda looked pleased then. She would not allow this unpleasantness of the afternoon ruin what would happen tonight. She wrapped her arms around Ganondorf's waist and hugged him to her, resting her cheek on his armored chest. “Tonight then. I should return before suspicions are raised.”

He pressed a kiss to her golden hair before sending her on her way, though he remained in the Spirit's Spring, his hands clasped behind his back and a contemplative look on his face. He had heard the conversation between Marius and his Princess before she found him here. And he did not like it. The King sought to pass his kingdom on to the whelp because of a debt? Ganondorf decided then it would be in his best interest to discover the nature of this debt. Because if that boy thought himself a player in this Dangerous Game, then who was Ganondorf to deny him competition?