Sheik's plan was crazy, and I was still confused on how it would work. How could we get to Zelda that way?
Before we could discuss more, the door creaked open. A Gerudo woman spoke.
"Get up. The Great Ganondorf requires your presence, immediately."
Sheik looked at me, his face worried. We got up quickly and followed. We walked down the drab hallway for a few minutes before we reached the throne room. She opened the heavy door, and we were shoved inside. The door shut behind us.
"Hello," an ominous voice said. We turned around to face the source of the voice. It was Ganondorf, king of the Gerudo, bearer of the Triforce of Power.
A Gerudo woman forced us to our knees. "You will bow in the presence of the king," she growled.
I grunted. The floor was polished but was still rough on my knees.
"I hope you slept well," he snarled. His voice was rough and gravelly, but also deep and strong.
"Yeah, great," I replied sarcastically.
Sheik glared at me. Don't antagonize our captor, you idiot.
Ganondorf spoke again, "I need some special information. I know of your quest, and I do believe that you have accomplished it. So, I need to know who the Triforces chose."
Sheik spoke up, "We'll never tell you. You won't get the information from us."
He shook his head. "I thought you would say that." He motioned to a servant and whispered something to her. "Well then, you will just need a little persuasion then."
A girl in Gerudo dress was shoved into the throne room. She fell onto the floor and bent over. Her hair was blonde, not red like a traditional Gerudo woman's. Oh, no.
My eyes became wide. "Zelda? Is that you?"
She looked up, fear in her eyes. She seemed to plead for help, but there was nothing I could have done. I was on the floor, my arms shackled behind me. I noticed a small trail of blood on her face.
"Ah, so you do know her. This will make things more interesting. Bring out the guards!"
Quickly, dozens of Gerudo women filed into the room, each one carrying a blade of my father's handiwork. What a sentiment. About to be killed by something my father had forged.
Sheik looked at me, the panic evident in his eyes. The guards were still waiting for the command from the king, but stood in a stance that portrayed their bloodlust. I scooted back a little, aware of how vulnerable I was on the floor with nothing.
I looked over at Zelda. Her outfit was torn in several places, her hair tousled and matted and her eyes were puffy from crying. I wanted to go to her but was unable to.
I suddenly collapsed to the ground. Lifting my head, I noticed Dark Link in the room, too.
"Did I tell you that the weaker you are the stronger I am?" he sneered. "Also, I feed directly off of your raw power, similar to a vampire."
"Ah, I see you are enjoying my minion, Link. I certainly hope so. He took forever to conjure and shape." He looked toward the guards, and they began moving forward.
Sheik and I scrambled backwards, our backs together. We would be surrounded, and probably imprisoned for life or killed, but all I could think about was poor Zelda sniffling in the center of the floor. I wanted to get to her.
The guards surrounded us and proceeded to tie us to wooden posts in either corner of the room.
Ganondorf sighed. "Torture it is then. Don't stop until they've released the information. Then they may go back to their pitiful cells. Put the girl in the cage at the front. A little motivation if you will."
He smiled, which sent shivers down my spine. Zelda was dragged over to the cage and thrown inside while Sheik and I were tied to our posts. I had never been tortured before, but I wasn't keen on it.
Sheik's face was contorted into a grimace, almost trying to ward off the inevitable doom we now faced. Zelda would witness it all, and that's what made me worried. I could maybe handle it, but I definitely would not be able to be strong with her watching and crying.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be strong, Zelda," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, yet carrying to her ears. "It's all my fault."
One of the women pulled out a whip, and the others began to advance. How were we going to get out of this mess?