08-17-2015, 01:18 PM
For a while, neither Ganondorf nor Eighteen spoke. Then, the great Gerudo King opened his mouth, his voice low and only for her ear. As his words came forth, he dropped his usual grandiose manner. Ganon would not address her as he would the others, or someone he sought to control. For once, he would speak to her as a man to a woman. He didn’t know if she was listening, or if she was still caught up in her thoughts. He didn’t even know why he was speaking to her at all, considering how she had assaulted him and insulted him. If she were anyone else, he might have been content to let her go and to move on with those more loyal to him and his cause. Yet, somewhere deep inside of his dark heart, he couldn’t see a future where she wasn’t by his side.
“I don’t blame you for hating me, Eighteen. I’ve been a monster in every meaning of the word.”
Ganondorf sighed softly, his gaze moving past her and out to the desert beyond. Many people considered this to be a wasteland, a place of death where nothing good or beautiful could grow. Yet, for those who lived or spent a lot of time here… they knew the true majesty of the dunes. How the shifting sands could create works of art that no man could emulate, how the sun could reflect and create images beyond the ken of a mortal mind, how the stars shone so fiercely during the night, and how the beasts and flora worked together to create the most intricate dance in any reality. For those who knew how to look, there was no greater wonder than the living desert.
“I…” Ganondorf continued, faltering as he fought to find the words to describe how he was feeling. “I don’t want to do this without you. Yes, I haven’t done anything since I’ve been here. All my schemes and plans haven’t amounted to more than a castle of sand. And I don’t think they ever will, without you. I can’t say why, but I need you with me. Not just need, though. I want you by my side; more than any other. I don’t deserve it, no. But I hope you will be there anyway.”
As the Gerudo spoke, his blonde companion turned to him. Her face was blank, emotionless, and her eyes fierce and weighing. As always, Eighteen was an enigma. In a flash she could be filled with a rage even Ganondorf could not emulate, or she could be as cold as winter’s heart. There was no knowing what was going on in her mind, and so an anxiousness arose within the Demon King. What exactly was she thinking?
“Do you want to kill me? I doubt it will help, but if you do, I won’t try to stop you.” he asked, his golden eyes meeting her icy gaze in calm measure. For a moment, she didn’t respond, and then she broke his gaze and looked away.
“No,” she replied with a sad sigh, her eyes mirroring a pain that the Gerudo would never understand. He nodded sagely in agreement, and reached to place a hand upon her shoulder; a hand casually slapped away before it could make contact. For the second time that day, Eighteen had refused his hand and this time as the last, it hurt more than the Gerudo was willing to acknowledge even to himself.
“Listen, Eighteen. I don’t expect you to take me at my word. You were right to call me a liar. It’s in my nature to twist the truth and make others believe what I want them to. So, I ask only that you come with me to Nippur. Watch me. Let my actions speak for me and then make your decision. If, at any point, you feel like you’ve seen enough, you’ll be free to leave and I won’t try to convince you anymore.”
There was a brief silence before her answer came.
“I'll go with you, although we both know you're stronger than I am,” she said and turned to face the man. The android took a few casual steps, the sand shifting under her feet, and she cut the distance between them by many inches. Soon there was nought but a hair between them, and her iron grip took hold of the metal of his collar. Despite the difference in their height, her strong hold pulled that armor down a good inch. “In the end, there is only one resolution, and you know as well as I that it will be what it will be.” Her steel gaze bore into his, and in that moment there was only wind to fill the silence. Something in her eyes spoke volumes more than words ever could.
As if the world exhaled, Eighteen let go of him, stepped to the left, and she began to walk. “Now, where was it we were headed? I was barely paying attention. You tend to ramble.” She flipped hair over her shoulder, and glanced back. If only pressing matters weren't so urgent. She wondered if he even knew the storm brewing inside of her. It was more than a feeling, she was angry, lonely, and she just...needed something to anchor her down.
“I don’t blame you for hating me, Eighteen. I’ve been a monster in every meaning of the word.”
Ganondorf sighed softly, his gaze moving past her and out to the desert beyond. Many people considered this to be a wasteland, a place of death where nothing good or beautiful could grow. Yet, for those who lived or spent a lot of time here… they knew the true majesty of the dunes. How the shifting sands could create works of art that no man could emulate, how the sun could reflect and create images beyond the ken of a mortal mind, how the stars shone so fiercely during the night, and how the beasts and flora worked together to create the most intricate dance in any reality. For those who knew how to look, there was no greater wonder than the living desert.
“I…” Ganondorf continued, faltering as he fought to find the words to describe how he was feeling. “I don’t want to do this without you. Yes, I haven’t done anything since I’ve been here. All my schemes and plans haven’t amounted to more than a castle of sand. And I don’t think they ever will, without you. I can’t say why, but I need you with me. Not just need, though. I want you by my side; more than any other. I don’t deserve it, no. But I hope you will be there anyway.”
As the Gerudo spoke, his blonde companion turned to him. Her face was blank, emotionless, and her eyes fierce and weighing. As always, Eighteen was an enigma. In a flash she could be filled with a rage even Ganondorf could not emulate, or she could be as cold as winter’s heart. There was no knowing what was going on in her mind, and so an anxiousness arose within the Demon King. What exactly was she thinking?
“Do you want to kill me? I doubt it will help, but if you do, I won’t try to stop you.” he asked, his golden eyes meeting her icy gaze in calm measure. For a moment, she didn’t respond, and then she broke his gaze and looked away.
“No,” she replied with a sad sigh, her eyes mirroring a pain that the Gerudo would never understand. He nodded sagely in agreement, and reached to place a hand upon her shoulder; a hand casually slapped away before it could make contact. For the second time that day, Eighteen had refused his hand and this time as the last, it hurt more than the Gerudo was willing to acknowledge even to himself.
“Listen, Eighteen. I don’t expect you to take me at my word. You were right to call me a liar. It’s in my nature to twist the truth and make others believe what I want them to. So, I ask only that you come with me to Nippur. Watch me. Let my actions speak for me and then make your decision. If, at any point, you feel like you’ve seen enough, you’ll be free to leave and I won’t try to convince you anymore.”
There was a brief silence before her answer came.
“I'll go with you, although we both know you're stronger than I am,” she said and turned to face the man. The android took a few casual steps, the sand shifting under her feet, and she cut the distance between them by many inches. Soon there was nought but a hair between them, and her iron grip took hold of the metal of his collar. Despite the difference in their height, her strong hold pulled that armor down a good inch. “In the end, there is only one resolution, and you know as well as I that it will be what it will be.” Her steel gaze bore into his, and in that moment there was only wind to fill the silence. Something in her eyes spoke volumes more than words ever could.
As if the world exhaled, Eighteen let go of him, stepped to the left, and she began to walk. “Now, where was it we were headed? I was barely paying attention. You tend to ramble.” She flipped hair over her shoulder, and glanced back. If only pressing matters weren't so urgent. She wondered if he even knew the storm brewing inside of her. It was more than a feeling, she was angry, lonely, and she just...needed something to anchor her down.