09-04-2013, 05:26 PM
With the actions of the green-haired stranger, things had gotten a tad more interesting. While the other side remained stoic, the man in the armor, who had named himself Dredd had swiftly moved to action and apprehended the stranger. There was something to be said for decisive action, and Ganondorf appreciated how smoothly things seemed to work for this Empire.
Some of his fellows, despite his words, had begun to align themselves with these groups, much to Ganondorf’s chagrin. Of course, while perturbed, he couldn’t blame them. Some people naturally gravitated to power and authority, of which Ganon had neither. As he thought about this, the green-skinned woman who had previously left strode up to him with determination and resentment plain on her face.
The disrespect in Garona’s voice brought rage boiling just beneath Ganondorf’s surface of calm. It was becoming increasingly difficult to contain the longer he remained with these people. The worst of it was, the question she had posed was a difficult question for him to answer and remain pristine in the eyes of the other newcomers. However… answering difficult questions had begun to hold a certain appeal to the Gerudo. A game of wits, then? So be it.
“You ask for my excuse, Madam?” A sly smile, tinged with just a hint of condescension, graced Ganon’s lips as his green eyes bored down at her and he straightened himself to his full height. Normally, as he had with the others, he would attempt to remain polite, and offer soothing words to this woman. But his anger was too close to the surface now, and he suspected such words would be lost on this woman anyway.
“I’ll try to explain this in a way you can understand then. Try to keep up, my Lady,” Ganondorf continued, imbuing that last word with a slight acid. “You, yourself, claim that you do not trust me. I suspect this was the case before you left, correct? Myself, I had no reason to trust any of you then, and I still have my misgivings now.”
“Had I gone with you, we both would have been too focused on one another to give the task its due diligence. Had you thought before you spoke, you would have also seen this part of my wisdom in not accompanying you.”
The orcish woman bared her teeth at his word, her hands unconsciously moving to her blades at she met Ganondorf’s eyes with her own, blazing with anger. Before she could strike, or even reply to his words, Ganon continued talking, crossing his arms over his broad chest in a show of arrogance.
“You may have noticed that I said that was only part of the reason why I did not join you in your excursion. If you’ll allow me to continue before gutting me with your knives, I’ll explain the rest.”
Garona stared up at Ganon, the moment tense, before she moved her hands from her blades. “You should watch your tone, creature. I don’t appreciate it.”
“Nor I, Lady Garona, yet this is how you addressed me in bringing your complaint. I merely met aggression with aggression. I will, however, attempt to… temper my words as I continue. And, as you said you’ve no care for speeches, I’ll try to keep this short and sweet.”
“A leader… no, a King has responsibilities, as you’ve said. Yet, you neglected the most important responsibility a King has when you pointed out my failings: faith in his people. A leader who goes with his subordinates into danger is admirable, of course, yet it shows a remarkable lack of trust in them. I trusted that you would be able to do what you said you could do. Perhaps it is different where you come from, but I believe a true King allows his subjects to perform their duties without constantly looking over their shoulders to ensure they’re doing them right.”
The orcish woman suddenly looked unsure, her eyes darting aside for a brief second before returning to Ganon’s. Perhaps he could get through to her after all. Ganoondorf was, after all, a master of planting the seed of doubt.
“I don’t regret my decision to allow you to go alone. You’re a free woman, able to do as you please and deserving of my confidence that you will do so correctly. The only regret I have is that I sullied my image in your eyes. For that, I apologize,” Ganondorf finished with wide-spread arms and a slight bow of his head, his smile disappearing for a moment in a look of penance. The woman simply continued to look at him, whatever though she had kept hidden.
“I do believe it is time for me to go, my Lady. I will go alone, if need be, to a place where I can truly be free. If I fail, at least I do so in the knowledge that my failure was my own. I fail in pride that I did not attach myself to the coat-tails of another. I fail without being able to blame another for my inadequacies.”
Those last words said, Ganondorf strode away from the group. He didn’t rightly know where to, but something was tugging at his heart… a feeling of homecoming as he walked. Ahead, barely visible at this distance, a wind-worn archway of stone stood stark against the whiteness of the landscape.
Some of his fellows, despite his words, had begun to align themselves with these groups, much to Ganondorf’s chagrin. Of course, while perturbed, he couldn’t blame them. Some people naturally gravitated to power and authority, of which Ganon had neither. As he thought about this, the green-skinned woman who had previously left strode up to him with determination and resentment plain on her face.
The disrespect in Garona’s voice brought rage boiling just beneath Ganondorf’s surface of calm. It was becoming increasingly difficult to contain the longer he remained with these people. The worst of it was, the question she had posed was a difficult question for him to answer and remain pristine in the eyes of the other newcomers. However… answering difficult questions had begun to hold a certain appeal to the Gerudo. A game of wits, then? So be it.
“You ask for my excuse, Madam?” A sly smile, tinged with just a hint of condescension, graced Ganon’s lips as his green eyes bored down at her and he straightened himself to his full height. Normally, as he had with the others, he would attempt to remain polite, and offer soothing words to this woman. But his anger was too close to the surface now, and he suspected such words would be lost on this woman anyway.
“I’ll try to explain this in a way you can understand then. Try to keep up, my Lady,” Ganondorf continued, imbuing that last word with a slight acid. “You, yourself, claim that you do not trust me. I suspect this was the case before you left, correct? Myself, I had no reason to trust any of you then, and I still have my misgivings now.”
“Had I gone with you, we both would have been too focused on one another to give the task its due diligence. Had you thought before you spoke, you would have also seen this part of my wisdom in not accompanying you.”
The orcish woman bared her teeth at his word, her hands unconsciously moving to her blades at she met Ganondorf’s eyes with her own, blazing with anger. Before she could strike, or even reply to his words, Ganon continued talking, crossing his arms over his broad chest in a show of arrogance.
“You may have noticed that I said that was only part of the reason why I did not join you in your excursion. If you’ll allow me to continue before gutting me with your knives, I’ll explain the rest.”
Garona stared up at Ganon, the moment tense, before she moved her hands from her blades. “You should watch your tone, creature. I don’t appreciate it.”
“Nor I, Lady Garona, yet this is how you addressed me in bringing your complaint. I merely met aggression with aggression. I will, however, attempt to… temper my words as I continue. And, as you said you’ve no care for speeches, I’ll try to keep this short and sweet.”
“A leader… no, a King has responsibilities, as you’ve said. Yet, you neglected the most important responsibility a King has when you pointed out my failings: faith in his people. A leader who goes with his subordinates into danger is admirable, of course, yet it shows a remarkable lack of trust in them. I trusted that you would be able to do what you said you could do. Perhaps it is different where you come from, but I believe a true King allows his subjects to perform their duties without constantly looking over their shoulders to ensure they’re doing them right.”
The orcish woman suddenly looked unsure, her eyes darting aside for a brief second before returning to Ganon’s. Perhaps he could get through to her after all. Ganoondorf was, after all, a master of planting the seed of doubt.
“I don’t regret my decision to allow you to go alone. You’re a free woman, able to do as you please and deserving of my confidence that you will do so correctly. The only regret I have is that I sullied my image in your eyes. For that, I apologize,” Ganondorf finished with wide-spread arms and a slight bow of his head, his smile disappearing for a moment in a look of penance. The woman simply continued to look at him, whatever though she had kept hidden.
“I do believe it is time for me to go, my Lady. I will go alone, if need be, to a place where I can truly be free. If I fail, at least I do so in the knowledge that my failure was my own. I fail in pride that I did not attach myself to the coat-tails of another. I fail without being able to blame another for my inadequacies.”
Those last words said, Ganondorf strode away from the group. He didn’t rightly know where to, but something was tugging at his heart… a feeling of homecoming as he walked. Ahead, barely visible at this distance, a wind-worn archway of stone stood stark against the whiteness of the landscape.