A/N: (Long A/N's coming up) Guys, I'm so sorry. This won't happen again, it won't be this long. I had actually intended to update this as a late Christmas, Early New Years gift, but that of course didn't happen. I was going to start to type after Christmas since I didn't have school until the end of January, but the day after me and my dog were attacked by a rottweiler when I was taking her for a walk. She had to get shaved and had deep bruising, the dog also punctured several parts of my hand when I tried to pull the beast off and got an area where my nerves were. So needless to say I couldn't use my hand for awhile and then classes resumed and time got away from me. So I am sorry again and I hope you guys leave some nice reviews.
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When Vaati first came to the Gerudo fortress and each distant trip since, he had been somewhat of a spectacle. He was strange yet dangerous, and the Gerudo kept their distance giving wary looks; however when Hecate stormed through the gates on yet another hot day, children were sent into the fortress and women were quickly clearing the way as if some sort of demon had walked in. She was worse than the sorcerer and could snuff out a life like it was a flickering candle without batting a lash, or so the rumors said. These rumors were more than likely true judging by the scowl of disgust and the power seeming to radiate off her in dark ominous waves. Although many were lucky enough to escape her grasp, one unlucky girl was caught by her ponytail and yanked back by the sorceress. "Get me the witches." Hecate hissed releasing the girl who practically tripped over herself to carry out the command.
The older woman did not have to wait long for the girl to run back nervously saying that the two witch sisters were now in the Spirit Temple. An inconvenience, but still good seeing as how curious ears might overhear them if they remained in the fortress. The sight the woman came on was the two Twinrova sisters taking up one of the back rooms, though another Gerudo was present getting a wound stitched up by the sister in red. "Are you almost done playing medic or am I going to have to sit here all day while you two kiss boo-boos?" Hecate sighed.
"Just a second you bat." Koume grumbled weaving the last stitch through before giving the Gerudo woman a potion and dismissing her. Once she was out of earshot Kotake slammed the door and locked it. "Don't blame us, we offer service in exchange for them leaving us alone. We need to do our dark magic and remain close to our son without disturbance. They probably think we spend our days brewing medicinal potions." she snorted.
"And what has you in a such bad mood? You're even more of a bitch than usual." the blue sister cackled seeing the visiting woman looking annoyed.
"I am on a time table and need to take care of this little…hindrance sooner rather than later." Hecate explained reaching into her belt and pulling out a tied drawstring leather pouch. She then tossed it to the closest witch watching the crone frown when she opened it.
"Why…thank you for the bag of dirt." Koume sniffed. "I'm sure we can find some use for your bits of rubble in one of our potions…" she trailed off scooping a bit of the stone grains and letting it sieve through her fingers and back into the bag.
"That isn't just some dirt. I need you to keep it and make sure that no one gets their hands on it. It would be a problem for our plans if they did."
"Maybe we could do a better job keeping a bag of dirt safe if we knew what it was."
"That's ground up bits of the hero's blade….and some of his arm. I have the rest of him with me." she gestured down to her belt which had three more pouches attached to it. "We most likely won't need to worry about him at all, but with that little slut wandering around the palace now I can't take any chances that she won't get her grubby hands on it. Her magic is giving me a headache, I hope it swallows her up like I think it will. There isn't any way she can keep it all from consuming her."
"Didn't you say before that she was of no concern? Changing your tune pretty quickly it seems. Perhaps we could help you out with this little problem. The royal line of Hyrule hasn't had an elemental in ten generations, and you're thinking she might have strange powers? If you bring her to us we can see what it is that our plan is being delayed by and remove the obstacle." Kotake offered returning to a cauldron that was producing orange smoke which bubbled over the rim forming mist that poured over the sides and onto the floor.
"Unfortunately for us Vaati watches her like a wolfo does a strip of meat. If I suggest anything he will suspect ulterior motives and it would be very suspicious if you two happened to turn up in the palace." the wind witch growled knowing that Twinrova would be able to help deal with the brat, but she would have no way of getting them in the same room without Vaati. She closed her eyes rubbing them with two fingers as she thought of possible scenarios that would make this ploy successful when one of them cleared their throat.
"We know judging by his recent trade that he is making some sort of enchanted object that deals with summoning, perhaps we could offer him something to speed up the process. Then how would we get him to bring us the princess….?" the red sister trailed off pausing when Kotake whispered something in her ear. "That could work," she muttered. "although we aren't sure of her persuasive powers over him as of yet, and we could also run the risk of drawing other things to us that I will not be in the mood to deal with."
"Do you have a solution or are you going to continue to prattle like the old crones you are?" the sorceress sighed tapping her foot on the smooth stone floor.
"Keep your robes on; besides, you're older than both of us put together." the two Twinrovas left the room returning a few minutes later holding a vial of white powder. "Sprinkle this on her next meal and we shall see what we will do about her. Remember that we are doing this because it suits us….it's a shame Vaati got to her first, you could have beaten her before her wedding night. I hear virgin tears are very beneficial for dark magic." Koume laughed making the older woman smirk at the satisfying thought of getting to bottle the princess' tears which were useless now. "Wait until your son is feeling up to traveling before giving it to her and we will take care of the rest."
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Zelda couldn't believe it. Had she actually almost kissed Vaati?! Her head ached and she was beginning to get very frustrated with being confused all the time, which seemed to be the case since Vaati brought her there. It had always been times like this when she would seek advice. Impa was the very first person that came to mind, but that idea was quickly squashed. What was she supposed to say? 'Hello Impa, I used that spell again because I needed a bit of advice. Is it wrong that I almost kissed the man who was responsible for countless deaths and taking me away from my home to live in a big empty palace? Let's also not forget our lovely wedding night. I'm sure that's fine, right?'
Zelda put her head in her hands. She had almost kissed him…almost kissed HIM! She couldn't even sleep in a bed comfortably with him, but she almost kissed him! It wasn't that the bed was uncomfortable, because it was. Like her mental rant stated, it was that night. She just kept thinking of his arms around her and how frightened she was. He hadn't really touched her since that time though. The unwelcome smug smirks and passing touches stopped and he was content to just share the bed with her. She was scared that would change at any moment and she hadn't wanted that, yet she sent him the wrong message that she did! What was she going to do?
She was so relieved Ver Colth came when he did or she might have actually done it. Vaati had just looked so human, he looked lost and vulnerable, nothing like his impatient brooding self. She wanted to comfort him, why though? Why did she even sit beside him like that? Poor Ver Colth as well! He had a look of sheer horror when he came in. Was he as shocked and disappointed in her as she was in herself? Would he stop talking to her? She hoped not because he was her only trusted friend and source of entertainment in this cloud prison, and she would miss his company and humor horribly. She needed to blow off some steam because all of this thinking was making her even more frustrated. That wasn't the only reason though, she had been sweating and burning up lately and it was driving her insane! She wore a thinner dress today and no gloves, but was still wishing she was born a man so she could walk around shirtless like Vaati sometimes did when the weather was too warm. The princess was self-conscious alot of the time since clearly monsters here had never seen a woman or some other reason, and she didn't want any of them to see her with sweat stains on her dress.
The clanking armor and foul smell alerted her to a wandering moblin heading in her direction. "You. Over here." she said in an authoritative voice making the creature give her a confused look before changing its path and walking up to her. "Do you have an archery range?" the princess pursed her lips getting irritated quickly with him looking at her like she was speaking in a different language. "Bow and arrow!" She imitated holding and firing an invisible bow, her voice loudly stressing each word at a slow enough pace for the empty headed creature to understand. "Where can I use one?"
Realization dawned on him after a few seconds of considering the question. "You follow me." he said leading her down a hall in the opposite direction. They arrived at a practice area that didn't disappoint. It was a bit bigger than the training grounds for the soldiers at the palace and had practice mannequins, target ranges, a sparring circle, and more. The grounds were an athletic fighter's dream practice haven and she got so distracted taking it all in that she didn't notice the moblin was still beside her until he let out a snuffling sound one made when they had a cold. "You can go." she said realizing with how fast the beast fled that she must have made that order with Vaati brand impatience. Zelda instantly felt both sorry for her outburst of anger and relief that she had the place to herself. She didn't want to have beasts and minions watching her while she made pin cushions out of the mannequins.
The princess looked around before removing her gown and placing it aside to reveal the clothes she had found in the room she had been hiding in which luckily contained pants that she guessed were Vaati's. Despite that, and the discomfort of wearing his clothes, she wasn't going to be blowing steam off in a dress. There was already several different sized bows and arrows conveniently waiting on hooks for her by the targets. The princess put two quivers on her back as she picked out a fitting bow and pulled the bow string back experimentally. Why hadn't she thought of looking for a shooting range sooner? She went through arrow after arrow, moving down the line from target to target, each one making a satisfying dull thunking sound as they hit the center of the target perfectly. Zelda had even tried her hand at hitting the same bull's eye with more than one arrow able to successfully fit three before the fourth one hit the ring outside the center. At last she finally had a reason to be sweaty, having been working off her frustrations and confusing thoughts the only way she could without actually thinking about them.
Zelda was on her last arrow now and wanted to spend the remaining bit of energy on the final shot so she could be completely drained dry of the last of her worries and the humming stamina that seemed to come with her hot flashes. She had pulled back the string as far as it would go, putting her last bit of frustrated strength into the projectile before releasing it. The princess let out a shocked shout as the target the arrow struck exploded, showering down burning bits of wood. Zelda starred at the debris completely speechless before slowly walking up to it and seeing the scorched area surrounding where the target had once been. The first sensation she realized after getting over the shock was how her insides didn't feel like they were burning anymore, it was just normal sweat after a hard workout. Her frustration was gone, and she could practically feel the urge to skip. Zelda looked down one more time at her hands as if expecting them to come alive and bite her before putting the bow back and quickly gathering up her dress. She couldn't risk anyone finding her destroying stuff with strange magic. Impa's words came back warning her about the dangers of anyone knowing. The young woman was in such a rush she hadn't noticed the shocked eyes of a green cloaked figure watching her retreat.
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All sound vanished leaving a dull slushing noise in Hecate's pointed ears as they adjusted to being underwater. It certainly wasn't her ideal means of getting into the Lost Woods, but she couldn't risk any of those Kokiri brats giving her problems. The leader of the Kokiri, the Great Deku Tree, had made it clear she was not welcome in the forest, but her friends that lived where the Kokiri feared to tread might say otherwise. The sensation of diving further and further, muscles moving and working all without the relief of oxygen pumping her blood was familiar. It reminded her proudly of how strong she was…and how weak they were. She could almost feel the strong aristocratic hands of her old master on her. One on her shoulder and the other on the back of her head as he held her underwater despite her struggling. Anyone who had an inkling of how her master trained her would be horrified, but they didn't understand. Her master was the most amazing worker of magic to ever exist, everything he did was to make her stronger and now she feared nothing since she had conquered everything. Hecate continued to swim deeper knowing once she reached the bottom she would only need to swim forward a little ways and come right up in a spring in the middle of the woods.
The wind sorceress had to take a secret route that was located by the entrance of Zora's Domain in order to get anywhere near the forest thanks to the useless tree that guarded it. That old pile of firewood knew things, and Hecate couldn't risk him somehow finding out about her plans. Oh it wasn't like he could stop her unless he suddenly managed to grow feet, but he might tell someone who could. Then there was the ever present problem the princess posed by existing. Even now she seemed to be swaying Vaati or at least dulling down his sharp edges slowly-edges she spent countless precious years sharpening. Still…the princess couldn't get in their way, not when she was so close to her goal.
The dark moss covering the ground felt spongy beneath her wet bare feet as she made her way deeper into the woods passing by dark shadows with blinking eyes that simply followed her as she headed towards her destination. Leaves rustled as tiny feet and curious eyed skull children peeked out from crevices and large tree knotholes, but none of them seemed to have the courage to get anywhere near her. A few of the more daring ones, however, did jump out and openly follow witch far behind her and out of reach. The air was thick with fog and sounds of unknown creatures croaked and whined in the background as she approached the center of a decaying grove.
"Hello my sweet." She murmured, her hand moved up the bark of a massive tree. This one was not as wide as the Deku Tree, but it had to have been the tallest in the Lost Woods. She watched with a smile as the tree cracked across the middle and pulled apart making the bark split into a fanged mouth. Empty wooden eyes that were almost red in the center opened, making the skull children run and hide.
"Mother." the tree rasped in a screeching hiss not accustomed to speaking after so long a sleep and had taken on a harsh tenor. "What do you require of the me?"
"You have overslept. The Deku Tree is growing cocky." she said, the tree hissing at the mention of his foe. "We cannot move yet though, too much is left undone."
"Shall I use the skull children to cause trouble in the meantime?" it chuckled.
"No. That would draw too much attention to us. They don't know about you, you've been asleep and have kept to yourself when you are awake. It would be unwise to make yourself known, especially since you can't exactly run away from their blades." Hecate answered untying the strings of another pouch on her belt.
"Fah! I have my minions to protect me, those useless Kokiri and Hylian scum won't get within a league of me." he scoffed.
"I don't need that yet!" the sorceress snapped bringing her fist down to strike the bark before getting control of her emotions and smoothing out the area she struck with one hand. "No, your purpose is to keep this safe." Hecate said under her breath, holding the bag up so only the tree could see it. "No one can know you have it. You will guard it with your life, and if you lose it..." the woman left the statement unfinished getting her point across clearly. She placed the bag in his mouth mindful of the zig zagged wood that was sharp enough to break skin. Only when she was sure he had swallowed it and the bag was taken care of did she pull back. "I grew you from a little seedling and made you strong through the centuries. You will be allowed to devour Kokiri to your content, but not now. You will do exactly as I say, am I understood?"
"I will not fail you mother. As long as I, the Great Banga Tree lives, it shall be safe." he declared.
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Ver Colth approached Vaati bringing his evening dose of potion with as much caution as a man would approach a rabid wolfo, his beak clipping slightly as he swallowed. To say the cloaked mage was horrified would be an understatement. He had ruined the most romantic moment Vaati was ever going to get from Zelda for quite awhile. The wizzrobe had easily come to like her, and since he liked Vaati, despite how large a pain in the beak the older mage was, the he wanted the two to be together. She was just what Vaati needed, yet at the same time Ver wanted nothing more than to smack the man for his poor handling of the situation. Vaati was way too prideful to ever admit he was wrong, even if he knew he was. Not even the wizrobe's massive collection of knowledge in the field of wooing women would help the brooding man if he wasn't willing to make an effort to be more sympathetic to Zelda's plight.
Vaati had managed to pull himself out of the massive bed and was now sitting in a wingback chair by the unlit fire place, his attention turned to a thin book in his lap. "Feeling bad?" he asked not bothering to look up from his reading.
"Feeling petulant?" Ver Colth countered crossing his arms and leaning against the hearth.
"A bit more than usual seeing as how I have the biggest game blocker since Elzo living with me. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to have to live with some skittish meek little girl instead of the confident woman I spent months observing?" He snapped, closing his book and putting it down on the side table.
"Oh I'm sure it has nothing to do with the wedding night. Don't worry, you needn't concern yourself with that being the reason she isn't completely comfortable and assured around you." Ver Colth answered dryly, not acknowledging the dark glare Vaati sent him.
"Do you have any idea how long it's been since I slept with a woman? Usually they aren't timid blushing virgins!"
"Oh I heard it's been awhile; I'm surprised you were expecting a sheltered unbetrothed Hylian princess to have slept with someone before you." The wizzrobe said with derision. "You know what I have also heard of? Finesse- something you don't need to have read a bunch of romance novels to understand. You have your mother's hard skull if you think that women respond well to forced relations and constant time spent with the one who imposed it on them."
"Mother's hard skull indeed! At least she has a skull filled with something besides daydreams." The mage hissed.
"Funny how the daydreaming empty skull has managed to earn the girl's trust and she actually looks forward to seeing him. You really did it now. Where is that strategic mind you had when I first met you? You know, the mind that thought ahead so you wouldn't dig yourself into the pit that you're in now. Perhaps she might have even accepted her fate and maybe even grown to love you if you hadn't royally botched it all up by letting your libido get the better of you."
"I don't want love. I've gotten by just fine without it, nothing but weakness anyways." Vaati sneered choosing to stare at the unlit fireplace rather than his friend.
"That's what Hecate told you. I understand it is a foreign concept for you, but someone with experience can say that it isn't a weakness. You actually are stronger when you have something worth protecting, and when you are willing to die to keep them safe, you find that them living is more appealing than ever being without them." Ver Colth said almost wistfully before scowling at the mage. "What's your deal with all this weakness garbage? Are you scared that your mother won't approve of you actually getting a heart?"
"You wouldn't understand. She's been the one constant in this eternal hell...I don't want to ever die, despite being alive for centuries. This so called 'living for your love' tripe would just kill me sooner. I might be bored with being alive at times, but I can't die. I don't want to hear what the goddesses will say about me. Eternity is a long time to be alone, and without mother I might have simply ended it myself. She was the only one to believe in my powers and believe in me, she taught me everything she knew, and you want me to just throw her out for some fleeting love?" Vaati grimaced at the very thought of showing his mother such coldness. Despite her being a nightmare a lot of the time, he knew that Hecate cared for him, and did what she thought was right for him. Vaati could have lived just fine without the woman trying to kill his romantic pursuits and calling him an insect when she was irritated though.
"So she's the only one that would make you not feel alone? Why did you even bother to get married in the first place if the only woman you give a hell about is your mother?" Ver Colth kicked off the hearth he was leaning on and bent down enough to stare Vaati in the eye. "Don't give me this shit about wanting some pretty living gem to add to your collection. You're not that vain and you know it. I won't pry further, but I suggest doing something wise soon or you will never have a hope in the goddess' burning pits of getting her." Content with his words and hoping that Vaati would at least consider his wisdom, the younger mage left to give him some time to ponder his options. Perhaps he might actually be able to win her trust...it wouldn't be easy, but Vaati always liked getting stuff he had to work for.
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A/N: I know I am scaring the pants off you as far as Link's fate goes (I'm pretty cruel in that respect) but like I said before, you guys need to trust me on this. I had a bit of trouble writing the last scene with Ver Colth and Vaati. It seems a bit out of character for our normally playful wizzrobe to be so forceful about getting a point out, but I needed to plant a bit of an eye opener in Vaati's head by the end of this chapter. *sigh* I really dug myself into a hole here. See this was one of my earliest fics I wrote back years ago when I wasn't as good. (hence the short chapters at the beginning..I feel like I've revealed this before, heck if I remember though.) Now I want a VaaZel and I have the gigantic roadblock of him being unapproachable because of the wedding night. I know I could never love someone who did that to me, and therein lies the problem. I was a noob who didn't know the future and am wondering what the hell I was thinking. Now I must fix this, giving you that VaatZel you want without having Zelda be all crazy and OOC for falling for a rapist. Wish me luck on that. Read and leave some feedback. What do you guys want to see as far as Vaati trying to win over Zelda? Who's your favorite character?