The gods were in a foul mood, made apparent by the howling wind, the roar of thunder, and the gray sky split apart with white hot streaks of lightning. Ganondorf rose at the sound of a thunderous boom that shook the panes of his window. He crossed the room in a few long strides and slipped into a robe. With today's weather, he doubted there would be much training for the soldiers.

The wind shrieked and raked its nails across the glass of the window. The princess thought it to be the beast haunting her dream finally catching and devouring her. She reached for Ganondorf to ease her weariness and sat up when she encountered nothing. The bed had grown much colder without his presence.

“Good morning, Zelda.” He returned to her side when he realized she was looking for him.

She used the heel of her hand to rub her eye and she smiled up at him sleepily. “Good morning.”

“We have a while before your father wakes.” He pulled the quilt up about them and drew her close so that she could rest against his chest. He wasn't entirely sure what compelled him to do so, as the girl remained a pawn, and little else. He simply shrugged it off, thinking it to be nothing more than a whim and would pass.

“There was a reason I came to see you last night,” she said, a yawn following her words. Ganondorf looked down at her. Her eyes were half lidded and he wondered if she meant to tell him this at all. Then again, she seemed lucid enough. “You are a wonderful distraction,” she continued and kissed his chest where her cheek once rested.

“What was your purpose?” he asked, ignoring how his skin flushed where she kissed him.

“Marius,” she said, sitting up as though she finally realized the gravity of her news.

“What about him?”

“I am...promised to him.” Her face recoiled as though the very thought was poison to her system. “He plans to run my country into the ground. He is ill equipped to handle this responsibility. My people will suffer.”

Ganondorf remained silent and solemn, his mind at work.

“Father refuses to listen. He insists it is the only way to pay back the Hero for what he has done.” She settled down once more and cringed when she felt him press her tightly against him.

“The Hero?”

She nodded, hugging him about the waist. “Marius is indirectly related to him.”

Ganondorf shifted suddenly, jarring the princess from her comfortable position. She looked at him, her blue eyes asking a question that had failed on her tongue. He was frowning, leaving deep creases in the corners of his mouth. The dangerous glow in his honey eyes caused her skin to prick and contract. It was an innately evil expression; one he was careful to conceal from her, though she had seen it more times than not when he thought she was not looking. “What should we do?” Zelda emphasized 'we', as if to ask for his help without actually doing so. He smiled then, offering her unspoken reassurance.

“You've done your best, my dear.” He brushed a kiss along her forehead and she smiled faintly. “Allow me to handle the rest.” His hand traveled the length of her arm, heating her flesh as it mapped every freckle.

“I should go,” she said finally though she made no move to gather her clothing and leave. She found it difficult to do so because his hand had come to rest on her hip, as if to hold her in place.

“I would rather you remain,” he replied, his voice low and breathy. He sat up and drew her close to kiss her neck and shoulder.

“Very well,” she said with a blissful smile. “Just a few more minutes.”

The day crept along at a snail's pace and after she had eaten her lunch, Zelda decided to spend the day in the warm summer sun. It had dried the rain after managing to break the bleak barrier of angry, gray clouds. She smiled as she sat down in a plush chair. Birds twittered happily in the trees of the gardens. Ganondorf was wrong, she thought; the day was absolutely gorgeous. The gods were not angry with them for their deceptiveness.

Her original reason for venturing outside had been forgotten, the moment Ganondorf entered her thoughts. It was difficult to concentrate on much else. She constantly felt as though she was falling when in his presence. Falling into what, exactly was what remained a mystery. The birds grew silent and Zelda finally made the connection. She loved him. That was the easiest, most logical conclusion. What else could this feeling be? This feeling of constantly falling into some abyss that lacked understanding and tangibleness? She dreamed of him and thought of him, even when she was trying not to. And in that very moment, she decided she would tell him so that very night.

As pleasant as her thoughts were, they immediately turned sour at the sight of her approaching, uninvited guest. She cleared her throat unceremoniously and turned away from him, showing him her profile and that the ends of her braided hair greeted her lower back. She lost him in her peripheral vision and for a moment, she believed him to have passed her over but tensed when she felt him chuckle, his breath tickling her ear. What was worse, he pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling deeply before pulling away and looking thoughtful.

She jumped to her feet and whirled around to look at him. Her mind ordered her to maintain a sense of dignity. Had she been raised a savage, however, she would have tore him in two. “What purpose did that serve, Sir?” She spat the word and kept her mouth tight so as to keep the venom from dribbling down her chin.

Marius only chuckled at the tight lipped princess. Zelda pursed her mouth tighter, if such a feat were even possible, and her lips all but disappeared. “Answer me!” she said, her voice strained to keep from shouting.

“Calm down, Your Grace,” he said, “I only meant to see if you smelled like him. Ah, but you've washed already, haven't you?”

Zelda felt the color drain from her face and she thought for a moment that she would faint. Marius had seen them. But where? They only expressed their affection in private moments. Had he followed her? Her mind continued to work, though her dusty blue eyes remained firmly fixed on Marius' mocking gaze.

“I really don't know what you are talking about,” she said finally, her voice found again, though it now lacked confidence. She was certain Marius could sense it.

“I'm sure you don't, Zelda. I would gladly tell you the tale.” He sat down, without bothering to ask. She was bound and chained and he held the key. They both knew it. “The King would be interested in finding out too, I'm sure. Would you like to schedule the audience with him. Or shall I?”

Her posture was rigid to the point that it looked as though she would snap in half. But her expression remained calm and almost impassive. “What proof do you have?” she asked.

“None, save what I saw with my own two eyes.” He continued to smile that smug smile as she bristled. Her suspicions were confirmed; he had followed her. “There is no need for confirmation on your behalf, Highness. Even if you deny it, even if your father does not believe all of my tale, you've done such a pretty job hanging yourself, that I will not need your confirmation. Servants talk, as I am sure you are aware. Talk travels. And as they say, 'there is always a bit of truth in rumors.'” He shrugged half heartedly. “So deny it if you wish. I will enjoy watching your father brand you a liar.”

Zelda chewed her lip nervously until it bled and she could taste the metallic taste of blood on her tongue. Marius only watched, amused. From the looks of it, she would eat herself alive before she would divulge her secret. It wouldn't matter, though. He was an eyewitness to their torrid romance and would out them.

She knew this, and it made her ill. “I will give you anything you wish,” she said. She spoke tersely and had only done so to keep from chewing her lip in half.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully and pretended to ponder his options. But Zelda knew what he had in mind and it did not help ease the nausea settling in her stomach. Zelda blinked, keeping her eyes closed longer than necessary. “Just tell me what you want.”

“You. Well more specifically, your kingdom. And you will give it to me. By becoming my wife by the summer's end.”

The breath she released eased into a long shuddery sigh and it took all her might to keep from bursting into tears. “I will consider it...”

“There is no negotiating, Zelda. You will marry me or I will tell your Father of how you've been sharing Ganondorf's bed, though I cannot possibly fathom why. The man is absolutely reprobate. And hardly attractive.”

She clenched and unclenched her fists in her lap before nodding slowly. “Very well. I will tell my father of our plans this evening at dinner.”

Marius sat back in his chair, a triumphant grin on his face. “I knew you were reasonable, my dear.” He reached over to touch her face but she wretched almost involuntarily from his touch. It felt cold and froze her skin.

He was more amused than offended. “I see. I am not your precious Ganondorf.” He chuckled through the rest of his sentence before standing, “See you tonight.” He waved to her and left her there while he whistled a joyful tune.

Zelda sat still for a moment. It felt as though she were in a vice and it was slowly crushing the air from her. She was very thankful no one was around to see the fat tears blazing trails down her pale cheeks or the undignified way her body shook with sobs.

“I do hate to see you cry, Zelda.”

Her head jerked up and it took a moment for her blurry vision to register this newcomer. Ganondorf stood before her and although an amused smirk twitched his lips, a concerned look held his eyes. “What ails you?”

Zelda shook her head and fought the urge to throw her arms about him and sob into his neck.

His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Five months of practice and your lies remain nearly transparent to me.” He sat down and after checking for an audience, he reached for her hand, threading their fingers.

“Marius knows about us. About this...” She gestured toward their hands and although she knew it would be better to pull her hand away, she pressed her palm against his. His hand was warm to match the fire red mane on his head. Much warmer compared to Marius and his ice cold touch. “He wants us to be married by summer's end.”

Ganondorf smiled and Zelda thought he had gone mad. “Why are you so happy? He dangles this noose over our heads. We're at his mercy.”

“Princess,” he whispered the affectionate nickname in that grating voice, “you think too rashly. We will be fine.”

Zelda shook her head, “How will we be fine? I will lose you! I do not...I cannot...” Her sentences lacked coherency, before her nerves calmed enough to allow her to speak once more. When she did speak, there was only one thing she could say: “I love you.” The words echoed in her head, reverberating against her skull and sending them down into her ears as though she had just said it again. It echoed it's way down her spine and she shivered involuntarily.

He was silent for a moment, fighting the urge to smirk. “What would you like to do, Princess? Would you like to stay with me?”

She nodded and a lone tear slid down her cheek. He wiped the trail with his free hand, before raising the hand linked with his to his lips and kissing it gently. “Then so be it. I told you I will handle it. And I will. But you must trust me. Understood?”

She nodded once more and smiled when he kissed her hand again. “Wash your face, Princess,” he said and he stood up to finish his daily duties and, perhaps, find a way to run into Marius.

It was nearly by accident that the two men passed each other in a lonely hallway. Ganondorf sent servants scattering with his unnerving cold glare, but Marius did not looked fazed in the slightest. “You are a vexatious little boy.” Ganondorf rubbed his temple to prove his point.

Marius tilted his head to the side and continued to smile. “I suppose your wench has told you. And you've come to make demands of me, correct?”

The taller man bristled at Marius' words, but chose to ignore it. Marius could call Zelda whatever he wanted. It made no difference to Ganondorf. “No. I've come to negotiate.”

“Negotiate? I told Zelda this was not-”

Ganondorf raised his hand to silence Marius. “This has nothing to do with her. Your information affects me as well. And I would like to settle this between the two of us.”

Marius regarded Ganondorf coolly before nodding. “Very well. We will talk, tonight. After dinner.” Ganondorf nodded, though as soon as he opened his mouth to suggest a meeting place, Marius cut him off. “There is a bar in the castle town called Telma's. We will meet there and handle our 'negotiations'.” He was curt with his dismissal and continued on toward his destination. The wall nearby where Marius once stood gained a hole, the size and shape of Ganondorf's fist.