A Hidden Kindness

2906 words

(Friday Night)

Kamilah and the other women arrived back in the desert an hour after sunset. Kamilah didn’t bother helping the others unpack. Instead, she headed straight to Ganondorf’s house.

“State your business,” one guard said. Kamilah huffed in annoyance.

“I have to speak with King Ganondorf,” she said. “It’s urgent.”

“Do you have an appointment?” the other guard asked.

“No, but it’s an emergency,” Kamilah said.

“I’m sorry, he is very busy. You have to have an appointment t-” the first guard started.

“I don’t CARE about appointments!” Kamilah yelled. “This is important and he’d want to know immediately!” There was a cough from behind Kamilah, and she whirled around. Ganondorf looked between the three women.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.

“Thank the goddesses,” Kamilah breathed. She pulled the letters out of her pockets and handed them to him. “These are from Rabia. There’s something very wrong.”

“Wrong how?” Ganondorf asked.

“I don’t know! She was acting strange, like a completely different person. It was like she didn’t remember me. Today when I saw her she was almost acting normal again, but she ran off so fast I couldn’t make sure she was okay. There’s something wrong, Ganondorf, and I’m worried it’s bad.”

“Okay, calm down. I’m sure everything is fine. She was probably just in a hurry,” Ganondorf said. “Thank you for the letters.” He headed inside before Kamilah could reply and went into his office. He sank down into his chair and unfolded the letters, arranged them chronologically, and started reading. The first one was familiar, though the version he had seen had been rewritten before he received it.

Dear Ganondorf,
Oh my goddesses, can you believe my dad? I’m so sorry for how he acted at the Farore’s Day Festival - he’s crazy over-protective of me and it drives me insane. He’s actually concerned that I’m going to run away to the desert, which is a crazy assumption.

I’m lucky I even made it on time to our second date - he had one of his friends send me on some stupid errands to try and make me late. I was able to ditch those though, so it obviously worked out fine.

I still think your horse is cute and I’m glad you weren’t put off by my awful flirting skills. They were pretty terrible. Like, so bad. After you left I picked myself up a copy of ‘The Hollowed Plains’. It’s different from what I usually read, but I like it.

Zelda and my dad keep warning me that you’re not a good person, but I’m not sure I believe that. You may have made some bad choices in the past, but everyone deserves a second chance. I’m glad I agreed to another date with you.

Sorry again about my father,
Rabia

He set the first letter aside, and moved onto the next one. This letter was incomplete, and had never been finished as he had seen no version of it. Despite being unfinished, the words made him smile.

Dear Ganondorf,
The valley is so beautiful - I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing the desert. I loved hearing you play the organ, and I still think you looked great wearing my lipstick. I’ve also found a way to keep seeing you without making anyone suspicious, which will be useful. Oh, and I finished that book - it was wonderful.

This, too, was set aside in favor of the next letter in the pile. The next one was also a letter he recognized in a different form. The unedited version was so Rabia he could almost hear her reading it to him.

Dear Ganondorf,
I never get tired of visiting you in the valley - it’s always so beautiful. I appreciate the heat more and more as Hyrule cools off. I love early fall but when it starts to get cold it just makes me want to stay inside and drink cocoa.

My two best friends are (finally) dating each other and they’re disgustingly in love. The other two are also dating but they aren’t in the honeymoon phase anymore (and haven’t been for a while), so sometimes being in a group with all of them gets lonely. It’s like being a third wheel, except there are five of us. So, it’s not like being a third wheel at all. More like a fifth wheel? I don’t know.

Hope to see you soon,
Rabia

So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the letters Rabia had sent. But still, he set this one aside and moved onto the next one. Kamilah had been far too upset for him to brush off.

Dear Ganondorf,
I really could’ve used you at the dance yesterday. Finn was there, and I had to dance with him. My parents really like him because we used to be engaged but after a while things got… bad. And, ugh, they invited him over for dinner tonight and it’s not like I can just skip it because it’s at my own house. It was nice when he left for finishing school - why couldn’t he have just stayed in Altea? Things were so peaceful while he was gone. Now I’m constantly looking over my shoulder because he only lives a few houses away, not to mention the paranoia I have from all those creepy dreams…

Goddesses, I don’t know if I’ll be able to sit through a dinner with him and his arrogance. I just texted Kaikoura, so hopefully she’ll get it. I know she’ll show up if she can - she’s awesome like that and I’m lucky to have her. Oh shit, he’s here

This letter made him frown. He remembered Finn - his arrogance was hard to forget, and he obviously made Rabia very uncomfortable. He could feel her unease even through the letter, and the mention of her bad dreams was like a red flag. This letter was one he had never seen - apparently, she hadn’t felt the need to finish it. He set this one aside in a separate pile and continued.

Dear Ganondorf,
So that was… well, that was something. I just wanted you to know that I didn’t flinch because I was afraid you’d hurt me. I’m obviously glad you stopped Nabooru from, you know, killing me, but for a moment I thought I was looking at Finn. It’s not your fault - that kind of violence always puts me on edge now. A nice side-effect from dating Finn. I’m sorry if you felt like I was running from you.

Now that I’ve gotten that awkward explanation out of the way, I’m going to work on what to get you for your birthday! I have a few ideas floating around already, but I want it to be something special.

I can’t wait to see you!
Rabia

This short letter was familiar to Ganondorf, but the part about Finn had been omitted from the one he had received. This, too, he set aside, but he still hadn’t found anything to warrant the panic Kamilah had displayed. He picked up the next letter and read on.

Dear Ganondorf,
Spending the week with you in the desert was so much fun! The desert is so beautiful and you guys really know how to throw a party. It was nice to meet your daughter, too, even if she didn’t like me very much. I’ve also decided that I have to try drunk flute playing more often. It was awful, but entertaining. I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble that last day with you with the whole Kamilah and Nabooru thing. I insulted poor Aveil and she didn’t even do anything.

I just got home from the valley and I miss being there already. It’s so cold in Hyrule right now. If I could’ve stayed there with you, I would have. The sun was amazing, but being with you was even better. I’m glad I was able to spend the whole week with you, and I hope I’ll see you soon.

Yours,
Rabia

This one he had gotten as a shortened text message the day after she got back to Hyrule after his birthday. He set the letter aside in the first pile and picked up another. This one was actually to Rabia, from Ganondorf, for her birthday. He frowned and set it aside in the first pile. It was obvious that in her haste, Rabia had handed more than she had intended to Kamilah. He picked up the next.

Dear Ganondorf,
Thank you so much! The ring is beautiful. My party wasn’t much fun anyway - I doubt you would’ve enjoyed it. It was made even worse by the fact that my parents invited Finn. He keeps showing up where he’s not wanted and it’s horrible.

I’m still grounded and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to come out and see you again. I’d be willing to sneak it, if I was left alone long enough but right now it’s too risky to leave. I’m so sorry about missing our date. I was really looking forward to seeing you.

As for the horse thing - I think Nabooru is right. The postman would’ve had a hard time delivering THAT to my house. I don’t want him to resent me, because then my mail might mysteriously “disappear.” Or, at least arrive late, or all crinkled up. I’ll let you know as soon as I’m not grounded anymore.

I miss you,
Rabia

This letter was obviously written after her birthday, intended to be mailed but forgotten. He smoothed this one out and read through it again, a small smile on his lips. He set it in a third pile with the intention of keeping it. After all, she had written it for him.

Dear Ganondorf,
Kaikoura, Zelda, Sheik, and Link came by today and dragged me out to play in the snow in Hyrule Field. I haven’t done that since I was 8, I think. It was cold and wet, but we managed to make a huge snowman before we all got too soaked. Zelda had to sit on Link’s shoulders to give it a face.
We went to Lon Lon Ranch to warm up. I ran into Kabira there, and she didn’t seem too happy to see me. I didn’t know Malon is her mother! They don’t resemble each other much - I think Kabira looks more like you.

I still miss you, and I hope we get to see each other soon. I’m allowed to leave my house with supervision - I just have to find a way to give them the slip. Unfortunately, Zelda has been attaching herself to me like glue, and I don’t think he realized I noticed it but Link was keeping an annoyingly close watch on me, too. I’ll try to see you soon though, I promise.

Still missing you,
Rabia

This letter was smoothed out and added to the first pile. It cleared up why he hadn’t received any letters from Rabia recently. If she had been grounded she may not have been allowed out of the house to mail them. He took a deep breath and picked up the next letter. It was getting late, and he still hadn’t found anything to cause excessive panic.

Dear Ganondorf,
I miss you. Your eyes, your smile, your laugh, your voice, your presence… and I keep writing you letters that I can’t send to you but I hope you know that I miss you deeply. It’s an ache so deep I feel it in my bones, and I don’t think it’ll ever go away. My parents still won’t allow me to contact you in any way because they feel you’re too dangerous.

You’re not dangerous.

Not to me.

It’s Nayru’s Blessing Day and I know I should’ve told you this back in December at your birthday, but I love you
I have feelings for you
You’re everything to me
I can’t do this without you
I love you.

I also owe you an apology. Against my better judgement and everything I feel for you, I agreed to a dinner date with Finn tonight. I promise, it didn’t mean anything to me. At least, I don’t think it did. I don’t really remember what happened and it’s confusing me because there’s an empty spot in my memories where this evening should be. All I remember is arriving at his place, waking up on the floor, and walking home. I have new bruises that I have to figure out how to cover up now, too.

I’m sorry I betrayed you by going out with him. I should’ve known better than to go on a date with him. Every time I’m with him he finds a way to hurt me. I know that I’ve hurt you by going out with him. I’m sorry. I don’t love him. I don’t like him. I don’t want anything to do with him. But I’m afraid, because my parents won’t allow me to don’t want me to be with anyone else and I think I might end up stuck with him.

I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I’m sorry I betrayed you, I’m sorry I can’t come see you, I’m sorry I kept you a secret for so long. Every day I wish I’d stayed in the desert with you instead of coming home. That was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.

Bi és su n. (1)

Always yours,
Rabia

He reread this letter, his eyebrows furrowed. He frowned as he read it a third time. He parents had grounded her because of him - because she had kept their relationship a secret. She had agreed to a date with Finn and returned home with injuries. He felt anger well up in his chest. This letter was placed into the second pile.

Dear Ganondorf,
I hope to the goddesses you can even read this - I’m writing lefty because Finn I broke my arm today. I used to be lefty when I was little so maybe it’ll work out okay. I’m just writing to tell you that I still miss you and that I love you very much. My parents aren’t being as overbearing as they were so maybe I can sneak away for a while to visit you. I’m going to hope so anyway. I really want to see you - I feel like part of me is missing.

Those blackouts I keep having are getting worse, too. I was hanging out at Sheik’s house today with him and Kaikoura and I remember being there and hanging out and heading back to Castle Town, but after entering Castle Town everything is blank. At least until Finn broke my I broke my arm leaving Finn’s house. I don’t remember going there at all. I barely remember seeing him at all. I don’t know how that happened, but it’s just getting worse and I’m scared. It’s just another reason to try and get away.

I miss you.
I love you,
Rabia

This letter joined the others in the second pile. His anger only grew when he managed to decipher the name underneath her scribbles. He was going to crush Finn for what he did.

Darling,
Dear Ganondorf,
I thought it’d be polite to inform you that my engagement with Finn is back on, I don’t know what happened or when I decided this but I don’t want to marry him please and I no longer wish to be in a committed relationship with you. Ignore that, I love you, I don’t want anyone else, especially not Finn. We had fun, but Finn is the only one for me. We’ve been through a lot together and I owe him something for that. I don’t owe that monster anything after what he did to me oh goddesses I don’t know what to do I keep blacking out and I don’t remember any of this.
I hope this isn’t a disappointment to you, but I thought you knew where we stood. We both wanted something that lasted, we were on the same page I don’t know why I’m writing this horrible letter to you but I can’t stop. Send my love regards to Nabooru, Aveil, and Kamilah.
Love, always,
Sincerely,
Your Rabia

This letter he read several times over. Once he finally deciphered words through the scribbles, he stood from his desk. Rabia wasn’t okay. Rabia had blatantly stated that Finn had physically harmed her, and yet she got back with him anyway. The writing was disjointed, confused, and conflicted, and it was clear Rabia was being influenced by something she couldn’t fight. Ganondorf called in a servant.

“Send our fastest rider to Hyrule Castle.” He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a piece of paper, scribbling a note onto it. “This must be delivered to Princess Zelda. Make sure whoever you send places this personally into the Princess’ hands,” Ganondorf said. He folded it up and pressed a wax seal into the back, then handed it off to the servant, who bowed and left. He called in another servant. “Get Nabooru, Aveil, Kamilah, and myself packed. Gather a group of guards and get them packed as well. We will be travelling to Castle Town come morning.” He dismissed this servant and stood, then headed up to his bedroom. He didn’t sleep all night.