First off I have to apologize for this taking really forever, but this story isn't dead, I'm hoping to pound out a lot more before the end of Christmas break. But here's the next chapter so I hope you enjoy and that the writing style has improved.

Link grew a little stronger each day under Ganondorf's cruel yet careful eye. At first he slept almost all the time, waking to eat and drink what he was given and then Ganondorf would make him stagger down the hallways until they were outside. Link would always test to see if he had grown resistant to sunlight yet but Ganondorf never tried to make him do anything besides be outside for awhile.

Ganondorf watched as Link tested out the sunlight before drawing back with a pained hiss. Knowing that he didn't have to worry about the Hero escaping today he closed his eyes as he relaxed against the brick wall. His sisters had always said that being inside for too long while healing made the healing go slower and he was impatient to start with the real part of getting the Hero ready to fight him again. But at least the Hero healing gave him the chance to spend time in his home as he hadn't in thousands of years.

One day Link awoke to the sound of horse hoofs outside. He stood and made his way to the window, slowly but surely and he knew that soon he would be back to normal. From the window he watched Ganondorf ride off with a covered wagon that Link tried not to think about where it had come from previously. So he was alone here now? Maybe he should try and explore this place, find out the layout just in case he needed to escape at some point.

He stretched his limbs and began making his way out of the room. The first thing he noticed as he walked carefully down the hallway was how quiet everything was, even the tombs had been louder with their dripping water and the flapping of keese wings.

His footsteps were the only noise and he wondered what it had been like when this place had been full of people. He knew the Gerudos were a loud sort of people who liked fighting, horses, and parties. Though, now that he thought about it he couldn't remember Ganondorf making much noise. Even when he had worn full armor he had been almost as silent as this place.

There were a set of stairs ahead of him and Link headed down them, curious as to what was below this place. As he walked he was happy to feel his legs becoming more sure of themselves. He was well on his way to full recovery, now if he could only go out into the sunlight again. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he could just dimly see what was ahead of him so Link groped along the wall for a torch, when he found one he pulled it from the wall and used Din's fire to light it.

It burst into light and showed Link everything around him. The walls looked the same as the ones in the upper floors but without the skull and feather ornamentations. He entered the first room he came upon and looked around. It must have been an old storage room because the remains of boxes and pitcher were scattered around, all smashed, the bits that had been left behind by a moving tribe. A raised place it the junk that caused shadows from his torchlight caught his attention and he moved towards it and knelt to scrape the rubble from it. It was a flat wooden crate coated in wax that had never been cracked.

Link broke the ancient wax with his hands and began prying open the lid. It gave way and Link saw that inside was clothing. He found a pair of white pants with a very ornate, golden belt attached. He shucked off his tattered pants and hurriedly put on the new pair. These pants were made for women so they hung oddly on his hips, lower than he was used it, but he'd have to make due. It felt so nice to be wearing new clothes. Besides when he let his tunic drop the belt and the way they hung on his hips was less noticeable, almost.

But why should he care how they looked? After all, the only one who saw him at all was Ganondorf who he knew didn't care about trivial things like clothing. Happy with his find and knowing that his legs would be tired even if he walked back to his room right now he began heading back, besides he didn't know when Ganondorf was coming back and had a feeling that it would not be a good idea to make the warlock come looking for him. He put out his torch when he made it up the stairs, by this time breathing a little heavily. But he got back to his room all right and in the dim light that came in from the small, high window he drifted off into a light slumber.

Some time later Ganondorf lead the horse back into it's stable and filled it's trough with some of the water that he had just traded a passing caravan for. The traders had been thrilled to find someone willing to trade bolts of fine cloth for what they considered surplus water. Bu unless they had hidden some he knew that by the end of the journey they would be desperate for water, especially now that they had traded him some of it. If they made it to their destination then they would know better next time, the desert was the best teacher of survival that anyone could ask for, no matter how cruel her lessons were.

As he cared for the horse while it drank he reflected that it was almost nice to be living this way again, almost expecting to see his sisters in the halls, their footsteps as silent as his but their voices loud and brash. To be called out by them to come fight or to come over to see what they had found. Or to see a man from one of the surrounding areas following one of his sisters as they were dragged along to their room, eyes fixed on her but also looking as if they weren't quite sure how they had gotten here.

As a child there had been rarely a moment in the compound when he was more than a few moments from anyone and he could admit to himself that while he was here he missed it. His sisters would have teased him horribly for taking care of the Hero, would have asked if they could have him, or if he was keeping him all for himself. He sighed as he finished caring for the horse and moved away from it.

One day he would have all of that back, he would find his sisters again and they would accept him back, he would prove himself with the offered lands of Hyrule and his own strength. They would likely have a new King, many new Kings since his time truly. He didn't know how he should approach that, he was immortal, if he took the place of one he might have to take the place of many and killing one of his own people whose only sin was being born the boy of the Gerudo didn't sit well with him. Perhaps instead he would become an advisor, so he could enjoy the lands that it had taken centuries to conquer without the weight of the crown on his head. That sounded pleasant, to visit and explore all the places that he had become aware of over his long life, to find out their mysteries. It would delight him to watch and help his sisters flourish over the generations and know he had made it possible.

He made his way back to the Hero's room, wanting to bring him outside for the day. On a steady diet and with plenty of sleep he was recovering quickly. Though Ganondorf had yet to manage to upset the Hero, to make him obviously humiliated and it irked him that he was so able to accept his help even when it was tinged with derision, but hopefully soon that would change when he was recovered.

The blonde young man was curled up on the bed like a kitten and a laugh was startled out of Ganondorf at the sight that met his eyes.

Link was startled awake by the boom of a deep laugh and as he blinked the sleep from his eyes he was surprised to see that it was Ganondorf doing the laughing. It sounded different than the laugh he had gave when they had been fighting, less harsh and more honest, though for it being a nice sound it was still such a strange one to hear out of Ganondorf. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's so funny?"

He gestured with a hand to the pants, his green tunic had ridden up in his sleep and the ornamentation and cut were obvious. "Where did you find those?" They were the type of pants that his sisters would have worn when there was a certain man they wanted to impress, the cut lower than usual and more ornamented. "They're very feminine pants." That was the best way he could put it. Now that his original amusement at them had faded he was curious to know where they had been, they looked extremely well preserved and he knew they hadn't been in the crate he had hidden away.

He tugged his tunic back down over the top, hoping the tips of his ears weren't burning. "A crate downstairs, I know they are, but it's not like they're a dress." Not that wearing a dress was bad but then he might have understood why seeing him in one would have made him laugh.

He shrugged, smirking as he noticed how embarrassed he was, finally and the Hero had even done it to himself, no help required. "It's as good as one to me Hero." Gerudo women hadn't worn dresses, the sand and wind making them impossible and uncomfortable.

Link cocked his head. "Why do you call me that?"

"What?"

"Hero. My name is Link." It probably shouldn't matter to him, it hadn't before, but now that Ganondorf was the only person he talked to he missed his name, and being referred to like that was grating, it made him want to go silent again because he could never live up to what people expected him to be when they expected the Hero.

Ganondorf shrugged. "Your name changes whenever you are reborn so I've never bothered to keep them all straight, after so many times they all run together." He had felt like it didn't matter that he knew what he was called when he knew his soul, the soul of the Hero that despite all the time that had passed had stayed so very solid.

He insisted again, "My name is Link." Ganondorf had changed his life ever since he had started trying to take over Hyrule and it felt important for the other man to at least know his name.

"Fine, I'll use your name from now on." Perhaps it was a sign that this would really be their final battle, far from anyone else's interference and this was the Hero's final body, the name he should really remember. "Now it's time to go outside for the day." After that he would go and find the crate downstairs that he had found the pants in, hopefully there would be something else in the crate, preferably something useful.

Link nodded and got up to follow him, so much steadier these days. Ganondorf sat on his usual perch to watch him move about and test the sunlight.

Link hated everyday that the sunlight burned him, he had always loved the sunshine, having it warm him as he fished or simply rode about. It kept the monsters at bay and having to shy away from its direct rays made him feel like a monster too. But he stepped into the sunlight anyway, waiting for the sunlight to begin burning him again but today the sunlight stayed pleasantly warm. He inched his way fully into the sunlight, paying close attention to make sure no pain was escaping his notice.

There wasn't. He whooped like a child and ran out into it, spinning in it with all the joy his body could muster. He kicked up sand and watched the way the grains moved through the sunlight. Feeling the warmth of the sun against his skin was more wonderful than he remembered. The joy was so great that he forgot Ganondorf was there, that he had almost starved to death, everything bad was for a moment swept away.

Ganondorf watched as he delighted in the sunlight, bemused. When he had first been able to go into the sunlight he had felt only a feeling of relief that he didn't have to travel at night when it would be more convenient to be able to move during the day. But it was clear that the He-Link was delighted and though one day they would lock again in mortal combat he supposed he could let him have this moment.