Monologue Of Zelda
For three days Zelda keeps her distance. They are tedious and long without her general's company, but Harkinian is not wrong. There is still plenty to occupy her. She studies with Auru in the morning and lets her lessons run well into the afternoon, then leaves him to tend to the wedding. It is strange to her how little she thinks of Casus while she decides her seating arrangements and chooses her flowers. She sees even less of him throughout the rest of her day, but that is not so strange. He hardly strays from Dall's heels now, looking more like a lost child than a man set to inherit the lives of hundreds. But that seems to be just as Dall likes it. The leash was short; it must strangle now. Still, Zelda cannot bring herself to forgive him.
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She can't, not with betrayal still a fresh wound in her heart. Casus' loyalty to his father would always outweigh whatever he felt for her. It is a bitter pill to swallow.
There is solace in her father's recovery. His color returns and with it his appetite and hearty laughter. They share their meals and pretend that there are no fractures in their relationship. Zelda sees them plainly, cracks spidering up a once solid foundation. But it is better to pretend, she thinks, because he is still getting well. There would be time to mend things.
He leaves her with a kiss to her forehead and pat on her hand, as if she were still ten years old and attends to his duties. His load is light, at the doctor's recommendation, and he stops his work at midday. Chancellor Dall always resumes where Harkinian leaves off.
This how she finds him, arguing with the council. Ganondorf notices her first, when the door opens and she slips inside the room. He sits at the edge of his plush chair, elbows on the table and fingers laced together. Their gazes meet and linger until Dall sees her too.
“Gentlemen, enough. We have a guest,” Dall says and waits for silence. He smiles at Zelda, but there is nothing genuine about it. “Your Grace, to what do we owe this pleasure?”
Under their noble scrutiny, Zelda stands tall, thinks this is no different than wielding a blade and she is not so bad at that. “I think you have left me out of these proceedings long enough, Chancellor.”
From where he sits, Ganondorf smiles. Dall does not. “I beg your pardon?”
“I will be queen. In my father's absence, I think I ought to be aware of what is happening.”
Dall frowns before he schools his face into neutrality. “Princess, no one appreciates your enthusiasm for Hyrule's politics more than I. But now is not the best of times.”
“When will it be the best time?” She rarely felt so out of touch with the kingdom at large. There was plenty Harkinian did not share with her, but still managed to include her in the affairs of the kingdom. Dall is not so generous. It needed correction.
“When we are not in the middle of a discussion, perhaps?”
“Let the Princess remain.” The attention shifts and Ganondorf sits back in his chair, arms folded. “A fresh perspective might move this, what did you call it, Dall? A discussion? In a more favorable direction.”
A few of the others murmur their agreement as Dall finally concedes and gestures to the empty chair. His empty chair.
“Very well. Please sit, Zelda.”
“You would station yourself above our Queen, Dall?” Ganondorf asks with a disapproving click of his tongue.
“And you disrupt our meeting with your pettiness, General.
Besides, she is not queen yet.” He realizes too late what he has said and looks at Zelda to gauge her. If she is upset, he cannot say.
“Still, she has more authority than you. Imagine, the King's own child, sitting at your right hand like a commoner.”
The silence that follows chills the air. Zelda wants to protest, that this posturing isn't necessary. But Dall stands, the documents laying out neatly scattering with the breeze. When he sits again, he plops down. It is easy to mistake him for petulant. The King's chair, now empty, feels (some kind of emotion). When Zelda sits in it, she sinks into the plush leather. This is not what she expected when she walked into the room. But, she would admit it is not so bad. She looks at Ganondorf again and he offers her a satisfied smile.
“Highness,” Dall says, voice tight, “We were discussing our trade agreement with Labrynna. Our sister nation objects to the new tariff we've levied against their imports.”
“Why was the tax raised in the first place?” She asks and leans in to study the documents. Trade agreements and alliances. She sees her father's signature and his seal scratched into the …show more content…
parchment.
“Most Labrynnian goods can only be used by the other races. It is a considerable expense to deliver them. Death Mountain is treacherous and the road to Zora's Domain equally so. I think it a fair compensation.”
“If that's the case, then why isn't there equitable distribution of the cost?”
Dall sighs. “Because these goods must pass through our borders. We deliver them at our own expense. It is only sensible to raise the tax on goods that have diminished in value at any rate.”
“No, Dall. It isn't. The Labrynnians pay a tax to bring their goods into Hyrule. The Zoras and the Gorons would pay another to take them into their own territories. If we allow them caravans, we would eliminate the need to deliver these goods at all.”
“And with it, this new tax you propose. We can scarcely afford to compensate our workers as it is. That is why the raise in tax occurred.” He sighs, exasperated. As if he were dealing with a child. In some respects, he thinks grimly, she is just that.
She straightens in her seat and regards Dall over the slant of her nose, often like he does with her. “You misunderstand me, Chancellor. If the imports are first brought to us, they must be handled by our workers, before the export can happen. They must be unloaded and sorted. For this the Zoras and Gorons will compensate us.”
“A reasonable solution, I think,” Ganondorf says and nods at the Princess when she looks at him.
Dall clears his throat. “Funny that you would agree, General. Since you have been quiet this entire meeting.” Except to support Zelda.
“My opinion was never asked, Dall. Had you, I would have raised this very solution.”
“As would I,” Another says, but looks away when Dall glares.
Ganondorf does not shrink down. He never does. “You mean to ring every rupee that you can from the Labrynnians. Then have the audacity to flaunt our strength like some sort of tyrant when they object. You risk alliances and you will not use me or my men as your pawns.” He stands, despite not having the leave to do so. It is satisfying that Dall must crane his neck to look up at him.
“The Princess' suggestions are sound. Take it before Harkinian and be sure you are honest this time.”
Ganondorf leaves them without another word and when the door clicks shut behind him, the other councilmen exchange glances and worried whispers. Dall is silent, back pressed against his chair, massive arms folded over his chest. When at last he remembers the others remain, he stands abruptly. “This meeting is adjourned,” he says and leaves without sparing anyone a glance.
The councilmen leave in groups and pairs, until Zelda is the only one who remains. She feels small in her father's place. Unwanted. Unqualified. She looks up when the door opens. “Hello, General.”
“I wondered when you would come here.”
She smiles and clasps her fingers together tightly, almost as if she is unsure of what to do with them. “I'd only meant to observe. I didn't mean to interrupt.”
Ganondorf scoffs. “You did not. The meeting was going nowhere. We would still be arguing were it not for you.”
“Did you really need me?
You stand up to Dall just fine yourself.”
“The men do not like me, Dall especially. But they like you and so do I.”
She is silent for a moment, then looks up at him with an amused smile. “You made him angry, you know.”
“Good. Dall has lorded his superiority over us long enough. It is high time someone reminded him of his place.”
She stands, pushing up from the table and crossing the room to Ganondorf. He drops his arms to his sides and smiles at the familiar weight of her hand in his. “I want to forget about Dall. I've missed you.”
There is no hesitation in the hand he uses to cup her cheek, running his thumb along the smooth line of her face. “As I've missed you.”
She closes her eyes against the warmth of his palm, at the tender way he touches her and she remembers what it is liked to be so desired. It aches deeply in her. When she opens her eyes, she smiles, turning to kiss his palm. “I will see you tonight.”
“As you wish,” he whispers, leaning in, “But do not leave me unsatisfied now, Princess.”
She could kiss him easily with how close he stands. Instead, she meets him in the middle and grazes her lips along his neck. She can see him swallow from there. When she pulls back, she grins. “Satisfied, now,
General?”
“Hardly.” He straightens, eying the long, old table behind her. The council argue a great many things over this table. Documents are shoved back and forth, passed around for signatures and approvals. It is just as important to Hyrule's continued existence than any person that sat around it. But right now, Ganondorf thinks, it is the only solid surface that can support him and her both. He backs her to a corner, hands at her hips to hoist her up.
“We shouldn't,” she says, but cannot remember why they shouldn't. His lips and teeth and tongue are at her neck, against her pulse and throat while her hands fist into the softness of his robe.
“Why not?” He asks and kisses her where she swallows, “There is no one else here. Just you and me.” He kisses her cheek where color blooms, rucking her skirts up around her hips and for once is thankful she wears her dresses again.
She laughs, gentle as a breeze. “And if someone should return?” Her hands find their way down his front, to the intricate ties that hold his tunic together. It's tempting, because Ganondorf is right. They are alone and it has been too long. Zelda has missed him sorely. He kisses her, drags her to the table' s edge so her legs can hook around his waist.
“Then they will learn to knock.”
Zelda grins as their mouths meet and is still smiling when they part. “As tempting as it is, we shouldn't.”
Ganondorf steps back, smoothing her skirts back down and tucking her stray hairs back into place. There, presentable again. He takes her hand to help her down and they walk with their fingers linked. Zelda stops him shy of the door. “Tonight. I promise.”
“I will hold you to your word, Princess.”
They part and leave the room in opposite directions, a respectable distance between them. Ganondorf passes Dall in the long hallway. He sneers, but does not stop, rounding a corner and disappearing. Dall holds where he is, until Ganondorf is gone. Ahead of him, he can see the wisp of blonde, in a braid down her back. Soon, she's gone too. Dall glances back at nothing before he considers the long stretch of hallway ahead.
There isn't much time to linger, an appointment looming. But it does not stop his smile. Nothing does.
She can't, not with betrayal still a fresh wound in her heart. Casus' loyalty to his father would always outweigh whatever he felt for her. It is a bitter pill to swallow.
There is solace in her father's recovery. His color returns and with it his appetite and hearty laughter. They share their meals and pretend that there are no fractures in their relationship. Zelda sees them plainly, cracks spidering up a once solid foundation. But it is better to pretend, she thinks, because he is still getting well. There would be time to mend things.
He leaves her with a kiss to her forehead and pat on her hand, as if she were still ten years old and attends to his duties. His load is light, at the doctor's recommendation, and he stops his work at midday. Chancellor Dall always resumes where Harkinian leaves off.
This how she finds him, arguing with the council. Ganondorf notices her first, when the door opens and she slips inside the room. He sits at the edge of his plush chair, elbows on the table and fingers laced together. Their gazes meet and linger until Dall sees her too.
“Gentlemen, enough. We have a guest,” Dall says and waits for silence. He smiles at Zelda, but there is nothing genuine about it. “Your Grace, to what do we owe this pleasure?”
Under their noble scrutiny, Zelda stands tall, thinks this is no different than wielding a blade and she is not so bad at that. “I think you have left me out of these proceedings long enough, Chancellor.”
From where he sits, Ganondorf smiles. Dall does not. “I beg your pardon?”
“I will be queen. In my father's absence, I think I ought to be aware of what is happening.”
Dall frowns before he schools his face into neutrality. “Princess, no one appreciates your enthusiasm for Hyrule's politics more than I. But now is not the best of times.”
“When will it be the best time?” She rarely felt so out of touch with the kingdom at large. There was plenty Harkinian did not share with her, but still managed to include her in the affairs of the kingdom. Dall is not so generous. It needed correction.
“When we are not in the middle of a discussion, perhaps?”
“Let the Princess remain.” The attention shifts and Ganondorf sits back in his chair, arms folded. “A fresh perspective might move this, what did you call it, Dall? A discussion? In a more favorable direction.”
A few of the others murmur their agreement as Dall finally concedes and gestures to the empty chair. His empty chair.
“Very well. Please sit, Zelda.”
“You would station yourself above our Queen, Dall?” Ganondorf asks with a disapproving click of his tongue.
“And you disrupt our meeting with your pettiness, General.
Besides, she is not queen yet.” He realizes too late what he has said and looks at Zelda to gauge her. If she is upset, he cannot say.
“Still, she has more authority than you. Imagine, the King's own child, sitting at your right hand like a commoner.”
The silence that follows chills the air. Zelda wants to protest, that this posturing isn't necessary. But Dall stands, the documents laying out neatly scattering with the breeze. When he sits again, he plops down. It is easy to mistake him for petulant. The King's chair, now empty, feels (some kind of emotion). When Zelda sits in it, she sinks into the plush leather. This is not what she expected when she walked into the room. But, she would admit it is not so bad. She looks at Ganondorf again and he offers her a satisfied smile.
“Highness,” Dall says, voice tight, “We were discussing our trade agreement with Labrynna. Our sister nation objects to the new tariff we've levied against their imports.”
“Why was the tax raised in the first place?” She asks and leans in to study the documents. Trade agreements and alliances. She sees her father's signature and his seal scratched into the …show more content…
parchment.
“Most Labrynnian goods can only be used by the other races. It is a considerable expense to deliver them. Death Mountain is treacherous and the road to Zora's Domain equally so. I think it a fair compensation.”
“If that's the case, then why isn't there equitable distribution of the cost?”
Dall sighs. “Because these goods must pass through our borders. We deliver them at our own expense. It is only sensible to raise the tax on goods that have diminished in value at any rate.”
“No, Dall. It isn't. The Labrynnians pay a tax to bring their goods into Hyrule. The Zoras and the Gorons would pay another to take them into their own territories. If we allow them caravans, we would eliminate the need to deliver these goods at all.”
“And with it, this new tax you propose. We can scarcely afford to compensate our workers as it is. That is why the raise in tax occurred.” He sighs, exasperated. As if he were dealing with a child. In some respects, he thinks grimly, she is just that.
She straightens in her seat and regards Dall over the slant of her nose, often like he does with her. “You misunderstand me, Chancellor. If the imports are first brought to us, they must be handled by our workers, before the export can happen. They must be unloaded and sorted. For this the Zoras and Gorons will compensate us.”
“A reasonable solution, I think,” Ganondorf says and nods at the Princess when she looks at him.
Dall clears his throat. “Funny that you would agree, General. Since you have been quiet this entire meeting.” Except to support Zelda.
“My opinion was never asked, Dall. Had you, I would have raised this very solution.”
“As would I,” Another says, but looks away when Dall glares.
Ganondorf does not shrink down. He never does. “You mean to ring every rupee that you can from the Labrynnians. Then have the audacity to flaunt our strength like some sort of tyrant when they object. You risk alliances and you will not use me or my men as your pawns.” He stands, despite not having the leave to do so. It is satisfying that Dall must crane his neck to look up at him.
“The Princess' suggestions are sound. Take it before Harkinian and be sure you are honest this time.”
Ganondorf leaves them without another word and when the door clicks shut behind him, the other councilmen exchange glances and worried whispers. Dall is silent, back pressed against his chair, massive arms folded over his chest. When at last he remembers the others remain, he stands abruptly. “This meeting is adjourned,” he says and leaves without sparing anyone a glance.
The councilmen leave in groups and pairs, until Zelda is the only one who remains. She feels small in her father's place. Unwanted. Unqualified. She looks up when the door opens. “Hello, General.”
“I wondered when you would come here.”
She smiles and clasps her fingers together tightly, almost as if she is unsure of what to do with them. “I'd only meant to observe. I didn't mean to interrupt.”
Ganondorf scoffs. “You did not. The meeting was going nowhere. We would still be arguing were it not for you.”
“Did you really need me?
You stand up to Dall just fine yourself.”
“The men do not like me, Dall especially. But they like you and so do I.”
She is silent for a moment, then looks up at him with an amused smile. “You made him angry, you know.”
“Good. Dall has lorded his superiority over us long enough. It is high time someone reminded him of his place.”
She stands, pushing up from the table and crossing the room to Ganondorf. He drops his arms to his sides and smiles at the familiar weight of her hand in his. “I want to forget about Dall. I've missed you.”
There is no hesitation in the hand he uses to cup her cheek, running his thumb along the smooth line of her face. “As I've missed you.”
She closes her eyes against the warmth of his palm, at the tender way he touches her and she remembers what it is liked to be so desired. It aches deeply in her. When she opens her eyes, she smiles, turning to kiss his palm. “I will see you tonight.”
“As you wish,” he whispers, leaning in, “But do not leave me unsatisfied now, Princess.”
She could kiss him easily with how close he stands. Instead, she meets him in the middle and grazes her lips along his neck. She can see him swallow from there. When she pulls back, she grins. “Satisfied, now,
General?”
“Hardly.” He straightens, eying the long, old table behind her. The council argue a great many things over this table. Documents are shoved back and forth, passed around for signatures and approvals. It is just as important to Hyrule's continued existence than any person that sat around it. But right now, Ganondorf thinks, it is the only solid surface that can support him and her both. He backs her to a corner, hands at her hips to hoist her up.
“We shouldn't,” she says, but cannot remember why they shouldn't. His lips and teeth and tongue are at her neck, against her pulse and throat while her hands fist into the softness of his robe.
“Why not?” He asks and kisses her where she swallows, “There is no one else here. Just you and me.” He kisses her cheek where color blooms, rucking her skirts up around her hips and for once is thankful she wears her dresses again.
She laughs, gentle as a breeze. “And if someone should return?” Her hands find their way down his front, to the intricate ties that hold his tunic together. It's tempting, because Ganondorf is right. They are alone and it has been too long. Zelda has missed him sorely. He kisses her, drags her to the table' s edge so her legs can hook around his waist.
“Then they will learn to knock.”
Zelda grins as their mouths meet and is still smiling when they part. “As tempting as it is, we shouldn't.”
Ganondorf steps back, smoothing her skirts back down and tucking her stray hairs back into place. There, presentable again. He takes her hand to help her down and they walk with their fingers linked. Zelda stops him shy of the door. “Tonight. I promise.”
“I will hold you to your word, Princess.”
They part and leave the room in opposite directions, a respectable distance between them. Ganondorf passes Dall in the long hallway. He sneers, but does not stop, rounding a corner and disappearing. Dall holds where he is, until Ganondorf is gone. Ahead of him, he can see the wisp of blonde, in a braid down her back. Soon, she's gone too. Dall glances back at nothing before he considers the long stretch of hallway ahead.
There isn't much time to linger, an appointment looming. But it does not stop his smile. Nothing does.