Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Calamity took over, Ganon couldn’t recall much with clarity. Maybe that was for the best. There were a lot of Blood Moons between him and freedom from the corruption. He knew Zelda sensed Link coming—the hero certainly took their time with a century of waiting. But Ganon couldn’t scoff at the results. What he noticed of the fight put Link in a good light. Zelda wasn’t cutting corners either, and he didn’t expect she would. Their solitude didn’t soften her sharp mind.

Frankly, he’d expected to die.

Whatever the two of them did, he felt it when Calamity collapsed and left his body. Aches and injuries swept in to take its place. The storm gave way along with his knees. Human knees that could only withstand so much. Sinking to the muddy grass, Ganondorf eyes slid shut like old ruins, and he fell unconscious.

Ganondorf slept for about a week and some change. Much shorter than Link’s stint, for sure. The Gerudo took him in, with Chief Riju’s approval, and the only reason Zelda talked her people down was because Link agreed to stay in the desert to watch over him. Well, Zelda described it as making sure Calamity was really gone. But Link heard the quick version of what Ganon was like before their fight, and the long version afterwards. They wanted to know the man who kept Zelda company while they slept away their fatal injuries. Separating the king from the nightmares that sometimes followed Link into their own rest, that seemed worthwhile.

Still, they were unbearably restless after it all. It wasn’t easy to be stuck in one region after traveling around so often during their journey. They had a divan to sleep on in his hidden palace quarters, and just having a designated place to be each night was new. Odd. At least the people of Hateno were used to Link not coming around all the time. All that staying put was worth it to have Ganon in his home rather than a cell in Hyrule Castle. A friend of Zelda’s—maybe a crush, if she was ready to call him that—could be a friend of Link’s.

“You idiot,” Ganon said as he finally came to. His room was a repurposed guest room in the palace. It was originally for storage with fewer windows to prevent people from sneaking in, but it worked for his recovery too. The Gerudo king blinked quickly as his arm slid off his chest. Awareness lit up in his eyes much faster than Link expected. Then again, they’d been up and walking right out of a magical coma. Maybe it had something to do with the reincarnation cycle Zelda talked about. Ganon stretched his legs under the sheets and scowled. “Saving me when you don’t even know me.”

Link half shrugged, not feeling up to words just then. Or most of the time. They made the exception when they felt like it.

“Is that all?” Ganon chuckled, although it was cut short by a grimace. He turned and scanned the quarters. A simple place for a king without much to look at. His gaze skimmed past crates and trailed along the draped fabric surrounding his bed. Not many belongings to catalog, since he’d been trapped for 100 years, and only the essentials littered the room. A wash basin. Link’s divan. Some bandages and clothes for Ganon. The monarch stared at Link, unreadable. His dark skin seemed a shade too pale, even in the warm lantern light. “Shouldn’t you be with your princess?”

Link smiled, feeling it turn down at the edges anyway. He signed his answer. The Gerudo guards and Riju both said he would know what it was and how to answer, since learning sign language was part of his training as their king. Back before Calamity.

She’s in Hyrule. I’ll see her again soon.

Ganon scoffed. His signing wasn’t as smooth and well-practiced, but that could just as likely be the bandages still over most of his body. Link was just grateful to chat without talking.

I did a lot of damage, so I wouldn’t count on an open schedule anytime soon.

That was Calamity. Not you.

Tell that to the world.

A guard stepped in, part of their assigned rotation, and dropped his spear to the floor with a clatter.

“Ganondorf’s awake,” he sputtered, wearing the standard cropped shirt over his bound chest. He ducked down to get his weapon and stared at Ganondorf. The king only smirked before the guard jumped. “I must inform Chief Riju that he’s awake!”

He darted from the room, moving fast for his toned build, and Ganon laughed quieter than the last time.

“Speaking of a busy schedule…” Pushing himself from bed, Ganondorf seemed ready to do exactly as Link had when they woke up. At least he had clothes on when he got up from his rest. Besides, a storage room was probably more comforting to royalty than a cave. Link stepped forward to spot him as he got up, despite their size difference. They could carry a lot. Ganondorf grimaced and grabbed onto a bedpost for support. “You can stop hovering. I’m fine.”

Chapter Text

Rebuilding Hyrule began quickly. Link expected that from Zelda, who was never the type to sit idle. Anything that kept her from feeding them frogs was a win. They made enough compromises on what counted as a meal since they woke up in that cave.

Link didn’t bother sending a message ahead when they left the desert. They could travel faster than anyone on foot, and they didn’t mind waiting to deliver the news about Ganon’s recovery. Zelda was convinced to wear a crown after she returned to the Castle. But other than that, she was dressed in her usual travel clothes from before Calamity’s spread. The most understated tiara of the royal family didn’t stand out as much as the one they used for portraits lining the main hall. Since reconstruction was still underway, Zelda hosted her meetings in the most restored portions. Link stepped into a small side room and watched her glance at them. At their nod, she continued her work. The regional leaders visiting Queen Zelda to get supplies for their own settlements rarely left completely satisfied—everyone needed something after a century of Calamity, and there wasn’t enough to go around—but she was a legend to the people. No one complained too much.

Link, of course, was also a legend. They weren’t sure if they liked that.

“Ah, it’s so good to see you,” she complimented them and pulled Link into a tight embrace. Back in her element, she smelled like herbs and magic. Link hugged her back and smiled. “I have so much to do. It’s good to be busy after so long away, but… You came with news?”

They didn’t miss the hope in her voice as she stepped back, hands still on their shoulders.

Ganon woke up.

“Excellent! This is excellent, yes?”

I think so. Riju has staff looking after him, and they’ve agreed she should be in charge. He joked about being a decorative king.

“He is handsome,” Zelda teased, but Link could already see her mind working before she put her hand to her chin. Deep dusk sunlight came through arched windows and balanced out the glowing blue lanterns dotting the walls. She was caught between both, squinting her eyes as she planned. “I am worried, though. About him and Hyrule.”

He does stay distant. Hyrule’s still mad?

“Of course,” she admitted. “So much devastation, still so apparent. We’ve only just begun to repair the damage that Calamity wrought. Everyone blames him.”

I don’t.

Smirking, she sat at a random seat along the wooden table in that quiet room. Link took the seat beside her.

“You’re the reincarnated embodiment of courage. Not everyone has your bravery.”

So, what do we do? O wise one.

“Shush you,” Zelda, tapping their arm. “I wish I could just—show them the time we spent trapped together in the Castle. He was attentive, witty, and so intelligent! Just because his ambitions made him the perfect host for Calamity and the Triforce of Power…”

She drummed her fingers on the table. Restlessness was her usual response to a problem, at least until Zelda solved it by any means necessary. Link waited and she continued on just as they expected.

“He’s got a good heart, but… I don’t know if anyone is ready to see that. The Gerudo vouching for him before his possession has yielded nothing in Hyrule.”

Sidon?

“You know,” Zelda brightened and stopped drumming, turning to Link with a brilliant smile. “That’s not a bad idea! He’s forgiving, and while his moral compass can be fairly… straightforward… I think he’d be interested in offering a second chance!”

He can’t go to the desert.

“Hm. So Ganon meets him somewhere, but—”

Hyrule?

“I don’t know. I suppose it’s better than Ganondorf walking into the Zora capital to meet Sidon, although I can’t say it’s much better.” Zelda huffed, tucking a loose strand into the braid at her temple. “Oh, if we just had somewhere neutral for them to meet!”

The royal party ended up meeting at Link’s house in Hateno. Being the only one without a palace came in handy, even if they weren’t exactly sure what to do with three regal figures in their home. Building it up while saving the world kept Link busy. The project gave them something grounded to do that didn’t get undone every blood moon. They eventually settled on leaving their house just the way it was. Pretending to be someone they weren’t would cause more problems than not, between Zelda and Sidon, who would know immediately, and Ganon—he’d been told stories by Zelda. It wouldn’t surprise Link at all if he expected weapons on the walls of the kitchen and dining area.

Of course, whatever Link chose to do inside, men of Sidon’s and Ganon’s stature had to duck to get through the front door.

“Princess Zelda speaks very highly of you!”

Beaming as always, Sidon had crowded himself into a chair at the table across from Ganondorf. The Gerudo man flicked his gaze to Zelda, who shrugged and openly feigned innocence. She wasn’t even sure if she would’ve been able to come before. But apparently, with the freedom from the palace and her royal duties, she would make the most of it.

“Does she now?” Nodding politely to Sidon, Ganon smirked. “That’s kind of her.”

Sidon did most of the talking, of course, but Ganon seemed content to listen. Link wondered if he picked up the habit with Zelda. All they had to do for a hundred years, waiting to be saved, was tell each other stories. At least when he had his wits about him for that much. Link grimaced and got up to refill the water pitcher. If Zelda noticed, she couldn’t have said anything with the other two there anyway. Eager to impress and happy to be chosen to meet Ganondorf in person, Sidon was proving himself the perfect pick. The Zora prince walked the line between socializing and not shying away from talk of Calamity. He was a natural, really, and the plan appeared to be going well.

Gesturing broadly, narrowly missing the lighting above the table, Sidon leapt into complimenting Link with his usual excitement.

“You should have seen it,” he praised, leaning forward on the Hylian chair that gave a faint creak. “Everyone should have! Link is an impressively accomplished swimmer, and they can keep up with even me! I took to water before I could walk, like most Zora, but with quite the notable grace.”

“Impressive indeed. I don’t know how to swim,” Ganon admitted. Link hadn’t known the king very long, but Zelda also raised her eyebrows to hear him acknowledge any sort of gap in his abilities. Ganon crossed his toned arms over his big chest and only spared a glance at each of them before giving his attention to Sidon. Whatever he saw on their faces, it made him grin. “Not well.”

“You cannot—!” Sidon got up from his chair fast enough to topple it, and Link pulled it back against the wall to prevent him from tripping. Really, it was amazing the restless prince took a seat in the first place. He placed both hands on the table and beamed with fangs showing to the desert man, who only chuckled. “I will teach you! I will show you all the finest techniques, and you will master the skill before you know it!”

That was how Ganondorf wound up being instructed how to swim until the sun went past its highest point. Folks in the village went about their days as usual, but they weren’t above staring and whispering about the royalty visiting Hateno. Link dared to hope that they could see this, Ganon learning to tread water from the excitable Zora prince, and know that they were just people. Everyone was. Calamity had taken a lot from the world. Villagers lost lives, land, family. Generations of people watched as that sinister force corrupted Hyrule Castle—with the princess inside—and spread out across every territory. All while Link slept off their fatal injuries.

People didn’t think about Ganon inside the castle too, his freedom taken from him in fits and waves. Even Zelda couldn’t have described the entire thing to Link. Whatever damage Calamity caused through him, Ganon didn’t share most of the details about being controlled by it.

Who could blame him for sharing the lighter stories instead? Zelda introduced Link to Ganon through retellings of his stories, the ones she felt she could share. Link knew about the shallow pools in the palace firsthand. Then, he knew that was about it for Ganon’s experience with water. He visited the oasis growing up—but he didn’t swim there. In Hateno, he had gentle rivers. The ones that gave Link themself peace between epic battles and close calls. Besides, the small pond outside Link’s house wasn’t nearly big enough for Sidon and Ganon together.

Resting on the grassy banks of the river, Ganon tilted his face up to the sun. His thick, red hair was taking a while to dry. It almost glistened in late afternoon sunlight. He’d taken off his linen shirt and left on only the typical draped pants of the Gerudo that he’d worn to Hateno. Despite his rich brown skin drying off much faster in the sun, Ganon left his shirt laying on the grass. Link got distracted from watching him when Zelda nudged their arm, smirking in all her knowing approval.

“Do you care for dancing?”

“Naturally!” Sidon brightened, still in the river and swimming in place against the current. “I may not be as graceful on land as I am at sea, but I strive to enjoy the art of dance regardless!”

“We have different styles among the Gerudo,” Ganon explained. He rocked forward to rest his arms on his knees, and his loose hair fell over his shoulder. Zelda nudged Link again. They nudged her back, and she giggled. “I could teach you.”

“Oh, that would be a delight and an honor!”

Chapter Text

Surprisingly, none of the Gerudo argued with Ganon leaving Riju to lead. Getting everyone to agree on something usually took more than that. But Link figured it was respecting their king’s wishes to be hands-off, which made it all simpler for him to stay a figurehead more than anything. Gerudo healers and medics told the king he could go race sand seals, and that was when he sent his first message to Link directly. The tablets were proving handy. Getting out to the desert with the towers helped too, and their competition was off to a start that easily.

Ganon had two sand seals, technically, given his size. Link took sharp corners and dangerous shortcuts to get ahead of the Gerudo man. Sand swept across their clothes as the seal ahead of Link kicked up even more. Seeing where they had to go next wasn’t simple, and they couldn’t tell if Ganon was far ahead or just behind them. Ruins and cacti dotted the blurred landscape around the track for their race. Link only knew they needed to bring their best if they wanted to beat a local. Even if they got their practice in when monsters were still a problem, that didn’t guarantee them a win in peacetime.

Skidding past the marked finish line and stopping the seal, Link looked up to Ganon crossing the line with his two critters. They knew, suddenly, that this was a man born to be great even if he wasn’t king. Sand settled on either side of him like flecks of gold. His waves of red hair were half-up in a bun, like usual, and the gold jewelry held close to the base of the bun. Tattoos looked like calligraphy over his skin. Ganon’s sharp features and built physique looked chiseled from the desert himself, like the hidden treasures scattered across the region and nestled among towering cliffsides.

He was the Gerudo Desert.

Link realized their mouth hung open on a rare fit of unspoken gloating when Ganon chuckled.

“We should get you a scarf. Keep sand from getting in your mouth.”

Lose with grace, Your Highness.

“I haven’t had much practice,” Ganon teased, reaching forward to pet his seals. The creatures rocked up into his touch with happy grunts. “But I can manage. When the victor is so talented, at least.”

Link felt their ears get hot, and they focused on their seal again instead. Animals were simple. Take care of them, and they took care of you. Admire them, and they didn’t react.

“Speechless again?”

The well-trained creatures stayed nearby when Ganon decoupled the link to his harness, and Link did the same so the seals could play together. Domesticated ones weren’t as skittish. Ganondorf sat on a stone as naturally as the sun resting on the horizon, and Link clambered up to perch beside him. Figuring out how to feel about Ganon’s admiration could happen later. Hopefully, if Hyla ever looked out for the hero, Zelda would never ever ask about the race. Link didn’t think they could lie to her at all convincingly.

“That was a good race,” Ganon announced, resting his weight back on broad hands. Silks draped loosely off his chest and Link snapped their attention up to his face. He smirked at the clouds over the desert sands. “I almost forgot.”

Forgot?

Ganon shifted again to free his hands, responding in Link’s way of communicating.

Hyrule. Expectations. Debts to pay.

I understand.

The Gerudo man laughed, but it didn’t sound happy.

Better than most, I’d say.

I found a lot of distractions to keep my mind off things. Want to spar?

Shaking his head, Ganon turned so the length of his hair fell in front of his chest. “It would be best if I stay away from weapons, I think.”

No one else is here.

“Gossip is as common as sand here, and every bit as pervasive.” Resting a hand on Link’s back, Ganon wiped every other suggestion clean from their mind. The only thing that existed was the weight of his touch and the softness on his face. “Thank you, hero. But I’ll refrain.”

Nightmares were so disconnected. Link couldn’t remember much when they woke up with a sharp gasp, tucked against Ganon’s side with his arm around their frame. A shield. Bracing against the flickers of swarming hands, piercing eyes, and the consuming light of nearly dying. Link blinked and tried to steady their breath. Pressing their smaller hand against Ganon’s chest helped Link feel centered and real in the world—at least in the scope of that canopied bed in the desert palace. Link didn’t fall asleep there. In the other room, on a more familiar cot, they’d gone to bed. Ganon stayed with the lavish silks and plush mattress that suited him after his body was stolen away from him by Calamity. Zelda did the same back in her own palace after it was liberated too. Link did what they always did and camped anywhere they went.

The nightmare must have scared Ganon enough to move Link out of their room into somewhere different, hoping it’d shake the memories loose. It worked. But Ganon stared ahead and idly ran fingers through the ends of Link’s dirty blond hair.

While they were thinking about what to say, knowing he wasn’t exactly looking to see them signing, Ganon took the initiative.

“You’ve got nightmares because of Calamity.”

“You don’t?” Raspy from disuse, Link’s voice didn’t have the same command as the former king’s. Ganon scoffed. Not at them. Problem was, Link couldn’t say what it was that got under his skin. Guilt. Obviously. More detailed than that, only Zelda could say. Wisdom was her wheelhouse. But she wasn’t here, and Ganon felt bad for things that weren’t his fault. There had to be more than two words, but Link didn’t have anything else coming to mind. They reached for the hand in his hair and squeezed two of his fingers gently. That got his attention. Ganon turned slowly to Link and observed them in silence for just long enough.

“Got me there.”

Slipping their hand free, Link picked the best answer they had.

We’ve got each other.

Chapter Text

Looking back, it was bound to happen. People wouldn’t forgive easily. Ganon claimed he saw nothing worth mentioning from the attempt on his life, didn’t know where the arrow came from, and stayed pretty dismissive about the entire thing. Word was that he barely looked up from his morning makeup routine when the Gerudo diplomats asked him about it. He’d thankfully agreed to healing for the shoulder injury. Plus, the representatives could at least share Riju’s theory with Zelda. She figured it was probably one of the Rito people considering the travel challenges for most others out in the desert. But she was steadfast enough to not want more tension there either. Zelda saved composure for the public—and Link preferred it that way. She could be herself around them. Zelda paced back and forth, muttering to herself in her room while Link watched on from her bed.

“Even Sidon can’t get it out of him! I know he saw something!” Throwing her hands up, Zelda turned for another pace along the width of her room. Tall windows let in dusky light. She was wrapped up in a royal robe with her hair in a loose braid along her back. Link had seen her with royal rage a few times, a cold and hard thing that rested on her face like a veil. This anger came from the heart—which she didn’t always believe she had, that Wisdom bound to her soul and all—but Link could see it in the way she scowled. Expressions running that deep were reserved for people she cared about. “Protecting his would-be assassin serves no one, except for the criminal in question.”

She glanced their way once Link raised their arms.

He feels guilty.

“It wasn’t his fault!” Huffing out her frustration, Zelda dropped into an ornate blue upholstered chair. It seemed a bit out of place in relation to what Link remembered of the castle while it was overrun. But they were adjusting, bit by bit. They managed most of the time. She laid her arms on the rests and stared beyond them through the window to sprawling valleys. “Calamity follows him through time, just as our roles pursue us. Why does no one see that?”

Motion drew her attention again, so Link kept signing.

They’re angry. And no one reads as much as you do.

“Well, perhaps they should.”

Link hopped off the bed with a little ‘hup’ and as always, that got her to smirk.

We can find out what happened. The guards will talk to me, and I’ll share everything I hear.

“Thank you, Link,” Zelda stood to kiss their cheek. “You’re saving us again already.”

The plan got turned around when Link went to the desert city. The guards told them everything they knew, which wasn’t enough to know for certain who it was. But more than that, looking at Ganon’s flat expression tore Link open. Bandages didn’t have to be there anymore. He looked fine from the outside. But comparing that empty look to the man they knew, the one learning to swim in Hateno’s river or glowing after a desert race, Link knew it wasn’t over.

“We should go,” they said, and a glimmer of something flickered in Ganon’s eyes. He lifted his head from where it rested on his propped-up arm. Heady desert sunlight cut through the archways out to the training yard and fell on him in stripes. Link could almost see him again. “Sidon loves showing off the Zora capital.”

“Now?”

“I know how to travel.”

Took a bit more power than usual, but Link got Ganon to the entrance of the Zora capital. He looked uncharacteristically small in front of the statue they’d somehow forgotten about. It wasn’t done yet, but Sidon got artists to work right away. Somehow. The historic moment of Link on Sidon’s back to activate Vah Ruta had to recognized—apparently. But the prince of Zora’s Domain wouldn’t be him if he didn’t go that far. Of course, that was before Link expected Ganon to see the massive statue in the center of the main landing.

Ganon smirked, glancing over his shoulder at Link coming up behind him. He had that spark again. Link smiled back.

“I don't see how his intended doesn't hate you.”

She's very kind, or so he says. She’s known him a long time. Sidon told me she’s got enough love for the whole world.

“With praise like that, he could court anyone. Lucky her.”

Anyone? Even you?

Ganon laughed. Weirdly, it reminded Link of sitting together in the desert after the race. A few Zora were staring at them, whispering behind their hands. Sidon’s word was plenty to stop it there. The Zora people would find a similar taste for adventure and luxury in the Gerudo king. Until then, Link and Ganon could linger by the statue like no one else was around.

“I adore a grand gesture.”

But that's not all you like, right?

Softer smiles were rare for him, between a sharp wit and the troubles from before. Link didn’t know what else to do but reach for his hand. Their fingers nestled neatly against his palm. Ganon wrapped his calloused grip around their hand and stared up at the heroic sculpture.

“No. It's not all.”

Chapter Text

Between Riju, Zelda, and people talking to Link, the assassin was bound to be discovered. The queens seemed relieved. Zelda in particular lit up at the chance to put her angry energy somewhere. She’d be fair—it was the wise thing to do—but not having a way to fight back was always hard for Zelda. This was easier on her.

But all the work Link put into unwinding with Ganon fell apart the second they figured out it was a Rito villager that tried to kill him after all.

He stood, even though they had a chair sturdy enough to support him. He loomed beside the thing like it offended him. Arms crossed over his chest only made him look more imposing as he scowled directly at Zelda. She stared back with pure steel in her eyes—the two fiercest people Link knew, locked in an impossible disagreement. Link would go out and wrangle a Lynel for fun before they got between those two with any kind of success. At least, not yet.

“The Gerudo pardon the assassin,” he spoke too calmly to be anything but rigid control. Link shifted weight from foot to foot. This meeting was packed with that feeling, the one before the grassy plains erupted into sinister hands, only there was nothing to fight and nowhere to climb.

“You,” Riju interrupted, blunt and drumming her fingers on the table, “conceded to me as queen. The Gerudo will do nothing of the sort.”

“Thank you,” Zelda tilted her head, looking too much like the painting of her in the strategy room. Whatever the royal army called it.

“All the same, Ganondorf is a citizen and the target. We won’t disregard his wishes.” Riju didn’t look at the man when she talked about him, but her voice softened anyway. “The Gerudo banish the Rito who threatened our peace.”

“We accept those terms,” Teba answered a bit stiffly, less used to navigating diplomacy than the skies. But Kaneli wanted him to take over one day. Seemed like he thought today was as good a time as any, and Link tried not to look at him in pity. They’d both rather be out trying to hit targets mid-air. Teba squared his shoulders. “This was a reckless act that doesn’t represent our people.”

“The Rito are dear allies of ours,” Sidon added, but the fact that he didn’t smile made Teba visibly tense. “Yet we cannot let this assassin go lightly. Others may act so rashly without harsh consequences!”

“Precisely,” Zelda leapt on her chance, standing from her seat at the head of the long table. If Ganon glowered any harder, the goddess herself might have to step in after all. “We wish to coordinate with the Rito to issue a punishment that discourages such extremes. Ganondorf was not himself when—”

“Your Majesty,” Ganondorf cut in, and she only raised her voice.

“Calamity overtook the nations of Hyrule, and I will not tolerate anyone holding him to blame for powers beyond any of our control.”

“I do not need protecting.”

“Let us take a recess!” Sidon got up so quickly that he almost knocked his chair over, and Teba was still out the door before him.

Riju was much more gradual, her Gerudo finery sweeping along the stone floors of Hyrule Castle as she stopped by Ganondorf. She glanced up at him as if he didn’t tower over her.

“Don’t speak in anger.”

She left the room like a stroll through the oasis market.

“You can’t afford to tarnish your crown—”

“I will decide what to do with my crown, thank you,” Zelda snipped, sitting pointedly in her tall chair. The important-looking one to make up for being smaller than Sidon’s, Teba’s, and Ganon’s.

“Then decide better. Wisdom is your domain.”

“I am standing up for you!”

“I never asked you to,” Ganon fired back just as quickly. Link knew that timing was everything in most combat situations, and for now, that left them glancing back and forth between the royals. Ganon leaned against the table and just looked more intimidating somehow. Zelda tilted her head back and stared flatly at him. Link coughed, but neither of them turned or even blinked. “You need to lead Hyrule into peace and prosperity. The people won’t let you do that if they think you prioritize me over them.”

“They won’t accept you if I don’t lead by example.”

“No more suffering in my name. Or is that too much to ask of the Hylian queen?”

Link climbed up onto the long table the way staff always screamed at them not to, putting themself right between them. The storm clouds of their growing argument cleared just like that. Zelda looked up at them and tilted her head, and Ganon stood back from the table.

“Link? Did we…?”

They put their hands out to the two of them, and Zelda left her sentence incomplete. Ganon joined her in just staring at Link as if they’d flown into the room with a cucco. Gesturing to the Gerudo figurehead first, they beckoned for his hand by opening and closing theirs. Hesitant, he put his hand over theirs. It was warm and broad and the right amount of rugged. Link turned to Zelda next, feeling more than seeing Ganon looking at her with them. She frowned, sinking back into the seat at the head of the table. When Link held their hand out closer and smiled, she said something too quietly to be all that nice.

“I understand,” Ganon spoke softly, in a way Link had never heard before, and they wondered if this anything she experienced while they trapped in the castle. Waiting for them to wake up. “That you want to make a place for me in the world. I don’t begrudge you that.”

Zelda’s glower dropped, and surprisingly, she climbed up onto the table with Link. The staff would be so confused to see her boot prints up there with Link’s. People forgot while she was away that Queen Zelda was the sort who fed frogs to folks. She did finally smile up there and interlaced her fingers with Link’s, anyway.

“I know you don’t want to feel responsible if it doesn’t go how I planned. But I am wise, and I know I can make this happen for you—if you let me.”

Ganon stayed quiet, which was something like permission. Moments passed by that way. Hands held together with Link between them until they started to think they might stay together for a while more. There were worse trials out there.

“I prefer this to arguing, Your Majesty.”

“Zelda. Please.” Zelda answered Ganon, coming closer to close the little circle they shared. Every one of them probably had enough of fated triangles. A new shape was nice, and more surprisingly, neither of them let go of Link. “We have each other, all throughout time. I apologize for losing sight of that.”

“At least one of us never did,” Ganon teased, eyeing Link with that mischievous little spark that usually came with wit or some impressive trick with the sand seals. Zelda faced them too and beamed. They flushed, Ganon laughing with Zelda.

Chapter Text

After spending some time traveling, once tension around the assassin incident had mostly wound down, Link went to visit Ganon in the desert again. They’d grown restless after being on the road since they revived. Having three close friends with palaces gave Link their pick of spots to settle down, if they wanted, but too long in one spot got under their skin. It was lucky for them that everyone understood without Link needing to explain. Probably, it helped that the opposite was true too. Being out in the world made them miss their people—Zelda and Ganon most of all.

Link made it a point not to show up in normal ways. Keeping those two on their toes took work, but both of them needed reminders that they couldn’t see everything coming just yet.

Huffing out a breath from the last bit of effort, Link pulled themselves up and through the window of Ganon’s room.

Smoky trails of a purple spell dissipated before Link’s boots hit the smooth floor. Ganon focused on a point beyond them, which was really worse than if he’d looked right at them with that closed-off stare. He lowered his arm and set the magic tome down on the desk near his bed. Everything in here was oversized, given how tall the man was, and it didn’t bother Link. The Divine Beasts were massive too. It seemed fitting that someone as bold as Ganon would have luxuries and over-the-top everything. What snagged on Link’s heart was the neutrality of that expression, the way it made all the space and decorations, all the jewelry and shimmering fabric of his robes, feel out of place instead.

“I apologize.” His voice was familiar, deep, but empty of the usual teasing or self-assured tones. Ganon sat at his desk and pushed the book aside. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

It took that long to realize—the magic was so different than the sinister energy of Calamity. Link almost didn’t expect the spell to feel so… comfortable. They hadn’t consciously noticed a shift in energy during the climb up, not even going through the window. A lot of things caught them off guard those days, from the glow of ancient lanterns in Hyrule Castle that occasionally reminded Link of enemies to random loud noises during their travels.

They didn’t feel so prepared for a pleasant surprise. It was their job to give those to Ganon and Zelda, or so they thought, but the whole arrangement was more mutual than anyone would admit. Link hopped up to sit on the open ledge of the arched window.

I did climb up the balcony.

Ganon laughed, and it was real. That made them both smirk.

“Who needs doors, when you have your dexterity?”

You learn quickly, Your Highness.

“No titles, if you would.”

Ganondorf.

The Gerudo mage tilted his head, and his shoulders softened. It’s not so much that he wasn’t tense anymore. Just less.

Have you had dinner yet?

“No. Are you inviting me out, hero?”

Use my name too.

“Link, then. And your answer?”

I wouldn’t mind if you called it a date.

Palm trees dotted the edges of the oasis, and the Kara Kara Bazaar merchants had their cloth awnings to make shade out in the desert sun. Some trees were stout, just starting their growth, and their long leaves hung low to the sand with hardy grasses and shrubs. The occasional purple blossoms sprouted up between them to join the many colors Link had found out in the Gerudo territory. As always, Ganon looked so much like he emerged from the ground itself to be there.

The rich black of his robes were trimmed in brown and burgundy Gerudo patterns. His tattooed shoulder was covered in golden chains with pendants as big as Link’s hand with all their fingers spread out. It stopped just above the mid-arm tattoo and linked up to the thick necklace he favored. The golden cutout cuff bracelet he had gleamed in the setting sunlight as the former monarch split a hydromelon with his bare hands. Water ran down his forearms as he handed part of the fruit over.

“Half for you,” he offered, and Link took their portion. “It’s always best after a meal.”

The red flesh looked fresher in the sun, or maybe it always looked like that. Link used the fruits for water more often than food. Meals were a rushed thing in the wilderness most of the time. Link had fun with it, and now that Calamity was dealt with, they enjoyed cooking out at the usual campsites. It’d be hard to think of much else than Ganon breaking the melon clean in half with his hands whenever Link looked at the fruit, though.

There was more to think about too. Ganon looked at ease, scooping out the red melon with the fork he used on the roasted bass. He knew he was being watched. But this wasn’t the poised displays Link saw from him and Zelda on formal occasions. Maybe the social king of the Gerudo could heal from Calamity along with the rest of Hyrule. In time. And with a little silliness.

When those amber eyes landed on Link, they bit directly into the open melon. Juice ran down their face as Ganon laughed.

“Triforce of Courage indeed. Those stains might never come out.”

With their legs spread out in front of them on the sand, Link could set the melon down between their knees to sign.

This is my hydromelon tunic.

“Ah, I see. Forgive me for not realizing,” he played along, digging into his own snack with the fork. “Here I had left my melon robes at home.”

I forgive you. This time.

He laughed again, louder, when Link took another messy bite. Somehow, no one turned to investigate that bright sound. People were less aggressive about Ganon in the desert although they went through as much as the other nations—maybe more. Riju didn’t have to work very hard to convince the Gerudo people to welcome their fabled king back once he was free of Calamity. Zelda worried for a time that it was a formality among the people, but that was more of a Hylian habit than Gerudo. They didn’t bother to hide it if they didn’t like someone. Accepted title or not, Ganon was one of their own. Calamity or official standings couldn’t take that from their people.

“And what of Her Majesty? Does she have a melon gown?”

I’ll commission one for her so she can join us next time.

“How generous. Every time I think you’ve reached the end of your heroics, you find new avenues.” Ganon stopped, the fork slowly falling to rest on the green rind. Any tension that might've been left after the royal argument over failed assassination was so completely gone that Link couldn't imagine his hesitation came from that. But feelings? There were definitely feelings there, and Link wasn't any better at handling them than they had been before their own brush with death. Ganon half-smirked at them and shattered any plan they might've put together to cope. “I should stop underestimating you, Link.”

When my plan comes together, we’ll have a melon-eating contest.

Ganon leaned over, bringing the shade and the sun all at once, and Link couldn’t help grinning up at the man looming above them. Maybe a plan for feelings wasn't all that important anyway.

“I won’t simply let you win.”

Who says Zelda won’t beat us both?

“I do,” he answered, reaching up to swipe at juice from the corner of Link’s mouth. He licked it from his fingers with a swipe of his tongue, barely seen, and went back to his own melon like that never happened. Link dove into his fruit to cool down while Ganon finished his too-powerful taunt. “It wouldn’t do for the Gerudo to lose a hydromelon competition.”

Chapter Text

It was decided, Link wasn’t sure by whom, that a trip to the Zora Kingdom was a must. Apparently to celebrate the fading tensions between nations and general tolerance of Ganon’s existence, but he had a feeling that many thick letters from Sidon and slimmer ones from Yona had something to do with it too. Zelda smiled whenever she read them, tired as she always was. Ganon wouldn’t say if Sidon wrote to him too—but Link doubted the famously outgoing prince would hold back.

“Let yourself enjoy the trip,” Ganon suggested to their long silence, riding the oversized horse that Link wrangled back before they fought Calamity. They thought it would suit him all the way back then too. Before they knew they’d come out on the other side of that final fight with Ganon alive. Even barely. They smiled, so wide that the Gerudo man caught a reflection of it. “That’s better. On the road might not be as exciting as gliding, but Sidon will take pouting personally.”

“And we are traveling together!” Zelda was at the front, twisting to look over her shoulder at the two of them. “I haven’t so much as forced you to eat a frog.”

“Thanks for that,” Link answered, skipping the signing while they were on horseback. They chose not to share that they’d eaten much worse after their resurrection.

“Link! My dearest companion!” Scooping them up, Sidon greeted Link with a crushing hug. They squeezed the prince back and laughed. It was a broken, rusty thing, but no one seemed to mind.

“Dearest? Perhaps we should be offended,” Zelda spoke to Ganon with the lofty air she used to pretend at regalness. Her real monarch tones could strike fear into the goddess Hylia herself, Link was sure, and they didn’t envy anyone who saw it more often than her playful side.

“Of course not!”

“I believe our guest is joking, dear,” Yona explained, always the patient sort, and Ganon just smirked while the hug kept going.

The weather in Zora Kingdom was always so much calmer than the storms Link had half gotten used to. Once the Divine Beast was gone, they realized what it was usually like. Never too warm or humid for staying in Sidon’s hugs, and the water seemed to keep the area perfectly pleasant all the time. Even winters with the Zora had a sort of zing to the cold that made them feel so alive, and they liked amazing the locals with their hardiness for a Hylian too.

“Ah, yes! Splendid!” Sidon nodded, finally loosening his grip on Link. They scrambled up to sit on his shoulders and the Zora prince simply adjusted to balance them. Link knew enough to work around the tail on his head, which rested over their leg and under their arm. Sidon liked to talk a lot, but he learned fast to communicate with Link wordlessly. They took care of him right back. Gesturing to Ganon, Sidon moved the conversation along. “I trust you have been keeping up with your swimming lessons!”

“The oasis gives me a chance to try,” Ganon explained. The oasis wasn’t deep enough for the towering Gerudo to swim like he would in the waters at the Zora Kingdom. After only a little nudging from Link and compliments from Zelda, the former king did bring something to swim in. “We don’t have much water in the Gerudo desert.”

Talking about it reminded Link that he wore those shorts under his Gerudo robe that morning. Link and Zelda did their best not to stare, but he didn’t even pretend to not admire the swimwear they both wore under their travel clothes. He could be so honest for someone that folks still expected deception from. Ganon could do that too, probably, but he had more fun openly appreciating the fitted outfits and Hylian designs the two of them chose. ‘A man of taste and fashion’, he said he was, even if Ganon also told Link that they were one fur coat away from being part of the wilds themself.

“Then you must make the most of our pools and ocean!” Sidon turned and Link shifted with him to stay balanced, enjoying the sight of the Zora city from the prince’s height. Tall, glittering towers caught sunlight through the mists of their many pools and waterfalls. Link had scaled the curved paths plenty enough that they knew where Sidon was leading the group. “Come, I shall show you how we swim up waterfalls. Link can join me!”

“I’ll come along too,” Zelda kept teasing Sidon. Yona laughed on a breath, walking in stride with the Hylian queen.

“You have more to teach me than I have to teach you, Your Majesty,” Sidon admitted. They spent hours talking on their respective tablets late into the night about policy and their duties to the crown, most of which was lost on Link when he was around on either side of the call. Sidon never seemed to lose his passion for it all, and Zelda helped happily, but it made an intuitive sense that the prince was eager to prove he had some knowledge to share with her for a change. The radiant smile was in his voice when his usual optimism fired up. He raised an arm, narrowly missing Link, and pointed to the deepest pool below the city. “Yet swimming together shall be an excellent way to deepen our bond!”

Link didn’t have good luck, despite waking up from a 100-year coma when they should have died. They couldn’t remember anything important. Walking, fighting, eating, sure. But they were glad they avoided all the political troubles that came with being Zelda, Ganon, and Sidon. Seeing it from the outside was bad enough—and they hoped that the refreshing, carefree feeling that came over them when they saw the pool was bigger for the royals in their life.

Yona dove into the rippling waters in a wordless arc, popping up to spray water at Sidon. Link hopped down with a soft ‘hup’ to avoid most of the splashing. They peeled off their tunic and boots to leave them on the stone pathway, and Zelda was already down to her swimsuit. Ganon dropped his robe to reveal lots of dark, glowing skin, even in the cool light of the Zora Kingdom. With everyone in the group looking radiant, Link could believe no one was touched by divine powers. They were together, there, to swim and have fun. Nothing else waited past the cliffs around the city.

“No one so much as gawked as we walked here,” Ganon stated, sitting at the water’s edge and lowering his legs in. They distorted in all the ripples and waves, and somehow, there seemed something so—innocent to him. “Did you besmirch my horrid name?”

I do, all the time. I tell everyone you’re a softie and lose to me at seal racing.

Zelda cut off his answer, shouting wordlessly and leaping into the water. She’d curled into a ball to make her splash as big as possible.

Yona cheered her on, “Yes, excellent! We shall secure our victory with elegance and power!”

“I shall not make it easy on you, my love!” Sidon jumped into the water in a perfect, carved arc, going low to gather power.

“Are we about to be drenched?”

Yeah, no hope for any of us.

Ganon stood and slipped into the water, hands held together ahead of him with arms extended, gliding in like a steady predator of the waves. Caution looked like strength on him. Link wondered if he’d been like that before, in his first life. He jumped in like Zelda had, right next to Ganon, and Sidon emerged in a spinning rush of water at the same time. Glittering mist rained on the group and one level up, getting a mix of surprised and amused gasps from above.

“Should we save the ladies?”

I want to see who wins.

“Link,” Ganon prodded, looking sideways at them with a careful gaze. “Why are your lips pursed?”

They felt the smile coming, so they had to spit the water at his arm before it all spilled out in more raspy laughter. It splatted against his skin and rolled down to the clear pool. Ganon put a big hand on Link’s head and shoved them under, slow and gentle enough that they got a gulp of breath first. Their little battle was lost in the war between the two Zora and Zelda, women versus Sidon, but they’d all properly made a mess of the pool by the time all of it came to a close.

“I yield,” Sidon pleaded, “because I am a gentleman and do not wish to secure my victory at the expense of my chivalry.”

“We accept your surrender,” Yona conceded, breathing deep and smiling with all her fangs showing. “Let us fetch snacks for our friends! I’m certain they must be hungry after all this activity.”

Link climbed out of the pool to jump back in, and Zelda caught him in a big splash by clapping her arms just above the water.

“I would appreciate food,” Ganon spoke, sitting on the edge imperiously again. “I can’t speak for the wild animals who have taken the forms of Zelda and Link.”

Sidon and Yona wisely hurried away, hand in hand and chuckling, when Link teamed up with Zelda to get Ganon back into the water with all their combined strength. The Gerudo put up a mock fight, grumbling and saying he wanted to be dry by the time the royals came back with food. Link themselves wasn’t prepared when he suddenly gave in and tackled them both into the deeper water, laughing in garbled bubbles beneath the water. The three of them had to surface for air after, in gasping, deep laughter that echoed against the sheer cliffsides.

It felt good. Being bound together by something outside of destiny.