The Legend of Zelda: Zelda's Honor

Chapter 45 - Breaking the Barrier

"And you simply play all day?" Ganondorf asked disbelievingly.

Saria nodded her head, "It's all we knew how to do. Life was much simpler back then." She mused.

Saria had finally gotten over her initial depression at seeing Talon being harshly punished. Now that she had a firm plan in place with Nabooru and Impa, she felt a lot more comfortable being around Ganondorf and keeping up the charade. There were nights she didn't know if she could go on. Lying was a concept completely new to her.

Whenever Ganondorf asked what she had been up to, she regaled him with a variety of trivial things she did that day. Regardless of how inconsequential they were, Ganondorf continued to listen with an attentive ear. He would never interrupt and would also allow her to finish whatever she had to say. It was only recently that he started inquiring again about the nature of the Kokiri.

Ganondorf grunted, "That is a luxury we simply don't have here in the desert."

Saria turned her head to Ganondorf as they walked down the corridor, "Why can't you simply have that here? Giana seems happy enough playing around with me." She offered.

A brief smile broke his lips at her suggestion, "No Saria. We always have to be vigilant when living in the desert. When the sun rises into the sky, a punishing wind sears these lands, causing any unprotected soul to perish. When the moon climbs in the dark of night, a frigid gale pierces our homes and kills the unwary. No matter when it comes, the wind carries the same thing...death. That is why we cannot rest on our laurels at any waking moment."

The Kokiri thought on that for a few moments, her wings slowing down their rhythmic beat as the gears in her head turned. "Well don't you use magick? Don't those witch elders have magick to change that wind?" She suggested.

Ganondorf scoffed at this notion, "Those witches wouldn't even know what to do with that much power even if they had it! No, our magicks do not pass beyond the bounds of nature. There is only so much we can do with it. Now if only I had..." He let his fist and the conversation drop. "It need not matter." He continued down the hall in silence.

The pair swept past a corner before a slight whiff caught Ganondorf's nose. With one swift spin, he grabbed the woman before slamming her into the ground. Saria shrieked at seeing Impa gasping for air as Ganondorf strangled her larynx, leaning over the Sheikah scrutinizing her.

"What have we here?" Ganondorf sneered; tightening his grip on Impa's neck.

Saria rushed up to them and began tugging on his arm, begging him to release her. "She is Impa! She has been assisting us all these cycles!" The panic of seeing her friend in misery made Saria remarkably compliant in revealing everything.

Without even looking up from Impa's eyes, Ganondorf demanded firmly, "Assisting you? How?!" The woman struggled further. To keep her in check, he placed one knee on her abdomen and began pressing in.

"She helped Link, Talon, Zelda and me escape from those awful men. She made sure we found refuge here with the Gerudo, she-" Saria abruptly stopped as she realized what she had just said.

"Princess Zelda, huh?" Ganondorf said just above a whisper, his eyes intent on the Sheikah below him, the life force slowly draining out of her eyes.

Saria clapped a hand to her mouth as she tried in vain to put back in the secret she blurted out. "Did I say Zelda? I meant Zander!" She tried to counter. "Please don't hurt Impa, she is a friend!"

Readjusting his grip on her neck, Ganondorf weighed his options at this juncture. How much would he benefit from having a Sheikah on his side if he purported to assist their cause? At length he relaxed his grip and released the knee that was digging into her stomach. "If she is a friend, then I should have no worries about her attacking. If she tries anything drastic, I will have no qualms in killing her."