A Hidden Kindness

3642 words

The next day was Sheik’s eighteenth birthday party. He had decided to celebrate with a smaller party than his twin sister. Only his close friends were gathered at the dinner table that night. Zelda, Link, Kaikoura, and Rabia sat around and chatted. Their dish of choice was noodle soup and champagne. Rabia took a long sip from her glass before hesitantly clearing her throat.

“So… something interesting happened after Zelda’s party last night…” she started. The others looked at her and waited for her to continued. “I was asked on… what I believe is… a date,” she finished. Zelda and Kaikoura gasped and smiled.

“Congrats, Rabia! When is the date?” Zelda asked brightly. Rabia’s face remained stoic.

“Thursday… um… guess who asked me,” she squeaked. There was a short silence among the friends.

“Ike?” Link guessed through a mouthful of food. Rabia shook her head. Zelda’s smile faltered a bit.

“A guest from the party?” she stuttered. Rabia nodded. Sheik frowned.

“And you accepted?” he questioned.

“Well… I got the impression that if I said no he would show up anyway,” she said. “I looked for Zelda but I couldn’t find her,” she added in her defense. Zelda dropped her head in her hands and let out a long sigh. Link and Kaikoura looked on in confusion, still slurping on their noodles.

“Wait who?” Link asked. “Who was it?” Sheik looked on at Rabia in worry.

“Ganondorf asked her on a date,” Zelda muttered. Link set his chopsticks down and stared at Rabia in shock.

“And you said yes?” She glared at him.

“Did you miss what I just said? I didn’t have much of a choice,” she growled. “We’re going for a trail ride.”

“We’ll go with you,” Link said. “A… like a double date! I’m sure he won’t mind.” Everyone raised their eyebrows.

“Who is we?” Rabia asked, unimpressed, looking Link up and down. He was wearing the same clothes he had worn the night before and his smell was a bit off. “I hope you mean Sheik and Kaikoura.”

“Well, I mean… I meant Zelda and me.” Rabia blinked, then started laughing.

“Something tells me Ganondorf would know exactly what you were doing if you joined us. And… you can’t exactly sneak up on us when you smell like that.” She wrinkled her nose. Zelda frowned.

“You can’t go alone on this date, Rabia. Ganondorf is a dangerous, evil man. He will do everything in his power to take the throne,” she said. “Really, please bring someone with you.”

“Fine… Sheik? Kaikoura? You in?” Sheik immediately nodded, but Kaikoura made an uncertain noise.

“I don’t think you should go at all… I mean, my dad won’t let me go on this double date anyway, so you could just take a raincheck,” she started nervously.

“We need to go, Kaikoura,” Sheik said. “Can you imagine Ganondorf against Rabia? She wouldn’t stand a chance.” He looked to Rabia. “No offense.” Rabia shrugged. Kaikoura slumped in her seat and sighed.

“Alright…” she mumbled. Link downed the rest of his drink and stood.

“Okay, we’ll be on guard for the rest of the night. When do you meet him?”

“Next week, idiot.”

“Oh. Well… we’ll still be on guard!” Link said.

“Um, I have a better idea. Go take a shower. You smell disgusting,” Rabia stated, waving Link away. Link looked to the others for support of his idea, but none of them met his eyes. He shrugged and left.

“Just… be careful, Rabia. Okay?” Zelda said. “Be prepared for anything to happen. Don’t trust him for a second.”

“Well, on that completely ominous note… I’m going to go practice,” Rabia said. She gave Sheik his gift, then went upstairs.

~ VAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTT ~

Rabia sat in front of the mirror at her vanity. She let out a sigh as she straightened the final strand of hair. She was wearing a crop top and shorts, much to her father’s dismay. “Where are you going, dressed like that? It’s sixty degrees out,” he pointed out. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and stood from her seat.

“The desert,” she said, brushing past him. He raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? And um… why are you going there, exactly?” he crossed his arms over his chest and stood in her doorway, blocking her path.

“Oh, you know, I thought it’d be a nice day out with some friends,” Rabia rolled her eyes. “You know, sunshine, heat… no rain…”

“Yeah? Which friends?”

“Um… Kaikoura… Sheik…” she squeezed through a gap between him and the doorframe.

“Is that it?” Saul asked sternly.

“Some horses…” she shrugged.

“Uh huh. Unsupervised? No adults? You’re just going to the desert.”

“Sheik’s an adult! The horses are adults!” Rabia said. “I’m almost an adult! So yes, I’m just going to the desert,” she said. “Be back later, don’t wait up!” she said.

“Rabia,” Saul called after her. “Tell me who you’re going with, or you’re not going.”

“Somehow I don’t think that could stop me,” she muttered.

“Oh, REALLY? Really?!” Saul said. “You don’t think I’m gonna stop you?!”

“Totally not what I meant,” Rabia said, shaking her head.

“Oh? Then what did you mean, exactly? You better not be going off to the desert with some strangers!” Saul yelled.

“Moooom!” Rabia said as she headed downstairs. “Tell dad to stop smothering me!”

“I’m not getting involved,” Petra said. She was reading a magazine at the table and trying her best to ignore the argument.

“She thinks she’s going to the desert, Petra! Unsupervised, with a stranger!” Saul said, hands on hips. Petra folded up her magazine, turned to Rabia, and stared her down.

“Who are you going with, and why?” Petra said.

“Ehhh… Sheik and Kaikoura and our horses because it’s rainy here and it’s not rainy there and yeah!” she said quickly.

“Yeah? Sheik and Kaikoura? Why don’t I just give Cecil a call…” she got the phone and started dialing.

“Nononononono! Cecil will KILL them!” Rabia said.

“Exactly! Then why should I not kill you?!” Saul asked.

“Because… that’s child abuse and you love me?” Rabia smiled at him sweetly.

“Hey, Cecil! How are you?” Petra said. “Did you know anything about our children going to the desert with Sheik today?” she asked. “Uh huh. Mhm… Ohhh, no clue huh? She told you they were hanging out at Hyrule Castle? Okay, thanks Cecil…” she hung up the phone.

“Oh come on, I was so cloooose,” Rabia grumbled.

“You thought you’d just sneak out unnoticed?” Saul asked, frowning.

“Well… yeah, I mean… we live in a huge mansion, so…” Rabia trailed off with a shrug.

“So… all of you are lying. To go to the desert. Why the desert?”

“Holy shit, I already told you! Sunshine is a good thing! Rain is gross!” she said. “I’ll be home later, fully intact and not maimed, okay? Bye!” she went to leave, but Saul tugged her hair.

“Excuse you, I don’t THINK so!”

“Nooo I just finished straightening that for my da- uh… dance party… in the desert…”

“D… Date? Is that what you were going to say? Who in the hell are you meeting in the desert for a date?”

“Just this… friend of Sheik’s… you might know him… he… works at the castle.” Rabia said. Saul looked at her suspiciously, but let go of her hair.

“Keep your phone on. The whole time. If I call you, you answer it. If I text you, you answer it. Got it?”

“Yeah, dad,” she grumbled, fixing her hair.

“Alright. Be careful. Love you!” he kissed her cheek.

“Yeah, love you too…” she muttered as she walked out the door.

~ VAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTT ~

Kaikoura and Sheik were ready and waiting in the castle entryway when Rabia got there. Kaikoura was also wearing a crop top and shorts, but unlike Rabia, she was pale and nervous. Sheik was in his normal clothes, complete with the braided hair and cowl. It would’ve been strange on anyone but Sheik.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late… I tried to sneak out of the house but my dad caught me,” Rabia said with a sigh. “He freaked out on me when he found out I was going to the desert…”

“Well, can you blame him?!” Kaikoura asked. “We’ve been at odds with the Gerudo for years, and today we’re going into their home!” she said. “I don’t like this at all.” Sheik wrapped an arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“It’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you two,” he said. “Besides, I don’t think he’ll try anything funny with extra company,” Sheik said.

“I hope you’re right,” Kaikoura said anxiously.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Rabia replied, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. They didn’t have to wait long before Ganondorf arrived.

“Rabia,” he smiled at her. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“King Ganondorf,” she said, nodding to him politely. “I hope you don’t mind if Sheik and Kaikoura join us… they rarely get time for dates and they’d love to see the desert,” she smiled at him sweetly. He blinked before giving the two a warm smile.

“Oh, no problem at all,” he said.

“Awesome! Our horses should be saddled up by now, so we just have to stop by the stables and we’ll be all set to go!” Rabia smiled. They took a quick detour to the stables, then followed Ganondorf through Hyrule Field.

“So how far away is the desert?” Rabia asked Ganondorf curiously as her horse moved up beside his.

“We’ll be there by sunset, when the place I’m bringing you to is at its most beautiful,” Ganondorf said to her. Sheik and Kaikoura were several paces behind, riding side-by-side and watching carefully. Rabia dug out her phone and sent a quick text.

“Alright, just gotta let my dad know,” she answered. “So… tell me a little bit about the valley. What’s it like?”

“Well… my tribe is all women, except for myself,” Ganondorf said. “We’re a very private people, we don’t let people in without permission, and the only people who get permission are women who can prove themselves. All the Gerudo are either warriors or guards, aside from myself and Nabooru, my second-in-command. She is my advisor,” he said. “I think you’d like her,” he glanced at Rabia. “She’s… unique. You remind me a little of her.”

“What are you saying?” she narrowed her eyes at him. Ganondorf studied her face before bursting into amused laughter.

“The attitude is much more charming on you,” he smiled at her.

“...Oh,” Rabia flushed and turned her attention back to her horse.

The ride was nice. Ganondorf was a complete gentleman to Rabia the entire trip to the desert. However, Sheik’s attention to them didn’t waver until they arrived.

“We’re here,” Ganondorf said. He dismounted, offered Rabia a hand, and helped her off her horse. Her eyes were wide as she looked around.

“...Wow.” From where they were standing, the sky was the lilac color of the evening with hues of orange and pink cast onto the wispy clouds by the sun. The rays of the setting sun reflected off the surrounding sand dunes into the valley, casting the whole area in a dusty golden glow. Sheik and Kaikoura were just as dumbstruck as Rabia, their expressions mirrored hers.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ganondorf asked Rabia. She nodded mutely, still taking in the landscape. Ganondorf smiled and took off his cape, then spread it onto the sand so he and Rabia could sit together. Kaikoura and Sheik hung back by the horses.

“Hey Sheik…” Kaikoura looked at him.

“Yeah?” Sheik looked over at her. “What is i- mmph!” He made a noise of protest when he was suddenly being kissed. “Kaikoura!” he whispered. “Not now, we have to make sure he doesn’t try anything funny,” he said, glancing back over to Ganondorf and Rabia. Kaikoura sighed and snuck in a butt squeeze before conceding.

“Fine,” she sighed. “He was right though… this really is nice,” Kaikoura said. “Rabia looks like she’s having a good time.” Sheik nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. That’s what I’m worried about,” he responded. They waited until the sun set beyond the sand dunes and the gold hue in the valley faded to the half-light of dusk. Ganondorf stood and offered Rabia a hand, helping her back onto her horse. He shook the sand off his cape and put it back on, then looked to Sheik and Kaikoura.

“Are you two coming? If we wait much longer it will start getting cold,” he said. The ride home was quiet, but in a good way. Sometimes Ganondorf would say something to Rabia too quietly for Sheik and Kaikoura to hear and she would respond in kind, but for the most part the only sound was the horses hooves on the ground. Ganondorf helped Rabia dismount her horse and smiled at her.

“I’m glad you came with me today,” he said, kissing her hand. They locked eyes for a short moment, Ganondorf’s hand still on hers. Rabia quickly looked away and retracted her hand, her face pink. “I’d like to see you again,” he said. Rabia nodded.

“Yeah… okay,” she said. He grinned.

“I’ll come back next week to see you.” He mounted his horse with one last glance at Rabia before galloping off.

“... Did I just agree to another date with him?” Rabia asked a moment later, after snapping out of her daze. She looked at Kaikoura and Sheik, who were staring at her in disbelief.

“Uh, yeah, kinda!” Kaikoura said. “What... what the...?!”

“What? He was nice! How could I have said no?” Rabia asked. Kaikoura face-palmed and Sheik just sighed. “Yeah, okay… not a good choice,” she said.

“Next time, Link and Zelda are going,” Sheik muttered under his breath. Rabia blinked and checked her phone.

“Oh, hey… Kaikoura, dad says you can come sleep over if you want,” Rabia said.

“Sweet, let’s go,” Kaikoura kissed Sheik’s cheek and mounted her horse to head for Henderson Manor.

~ VAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTT ~
~A FEW HOURS EARLIER~

Barely ten minutes after Rabia had left, Cecil came barreling up the driveway of Henderson Manor. He ran inside without bothering to knock, nearly plowing over Rabia’s older brother, Rob, in the process. Saul and Petra looked up when Cecil ran into the kitchen.

“The DESERT, Saul?! I don’t THINK so!” Cecil said angrily.

“Hey, man,” Saul said. “Calm down, we’re going to follow them and see what they’re really up to.” That seemed to calm Cecil considerably.

“Oh. Well… why didn’t you just say so? We’d better get a move on if we don’t want to miss them,” Cecil said. Saul nodded.

“You’re right. Let’s go,” he replied. They left in pursuit of Rabia, Kaikoura and Sheik. They got to the castle just as they were getting their horses. Saul nearly lost it when he saw Rabia’s date was King Ganondorf, but managed to be discreet enough to follow the four to the desert at a distance they wouldn’t be noticed. Saul visibly bristled every time Ganondorf even looked at Rabia, and looked about ready to explode again on the way home. They bypassed the stop at the castle all together and went straight back to Henderson Manor.

“... you know what, Saul?” Cecil said, “Invite Kaikoura here to stay the night. I think they both need to learn a lesson from their fathers,” he said sternly. Saul sent Rabia a text, hands shaking with anger.

“Oh, they’ll learn something alright…” Saul said angrily. They waited.

~ VAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTT ~

“C’mon, Duke,” Rabia said, mounting her own horse. The horse took off at a leisurely trot, Kaikoura on Swirl following. They got to Henderson Manor and, left the horses in the stables, and went inside.

“Hey dad, we’re he- oh… aheh.” Saul and Cecil were standing in the entryway, arms crossed, less than pleased. “What’s up…?”

“Would you care to explain to us exactly WHY you were on a date with Ganondorf in the desert?!” Saul asked.

“Ganondorf? Where would you get a dumb idea like that?” Rabia asked with a frown. Saul growled.

“We followed you to make sure you were safe!” Saul said.

“That’s not a creepy invasion of privacy at all or anything,” Rabia muttered.

“Invasion of privacy?! You’re joking, right? You better be joking,” Saul said.

“Kaikoura, why were YOU there?” Cecil demanded. “And don’t you lie to me, young lady,” he said to her sternly.

“W-Well… When Rabia told us Ganondorf had asked her out and she agreed... we were worried and… well, we think Ganondorf is up to something and it’d be really obvious we were spying on him if Zelda and Link went and we couldn’t let her go alone so Sheik and I decided to go so she wouldn’t end up dead somewhere! In my defense, I didn’t want to go at all,” Kaikoura said.

“YOU WHAT?!” Saul yelled. Rabia backed up a step.

“What was I supposed to do?! Say ‘no’?! Saying yes at least gave me time to get some help!” Rabia said. “I don’t know what he’s planning, but I really don’t want him to kill me because I fucking turned him down!”

“You should’ve told us!” Saul said. “But instead, you went to your friends and put them in a dangerous situation as well! What if Ganondorf had tried to hurt them, too?! You and Kaikoura could’ve been killed!” Cecil gasped, shaking his head in disbelief. “Do you really think Sheik could’ve stood up to him by himself?!” Rabia didn’t answer. “You know what? Just go to your room. You’re grounded for… for… life!” Saul said. Rabia went upstairs silently. Cecil looked at Kaikoura.

“Kaikoura, I am very disappointed in you. You know better than to fall for peer pressure. You should’ve told someone else as soon as Rabia told you. We would’ve been able to help you,” Cecil said. “Just… go upstairs while I talk with Saul.” Kaikoura followed Rabia upstairs. Cecil followed Saul into the living room and sat down on the couch.

“What was she thinking?” Saul asked, holding his head in his hands. “She should’ve just stayed with Finn. Then at least she would’ve had a reason to turn Ganondorf down.” Cecil just shook his head.

“I dunno, Saul… I’ll need to have a word with Sheik, though.” He pat Saul on the back. “I should head out before it gets too late. You okay with the girls?” Saul sighed.

“Yeah, it’s fine, Cecil. You go ahead,” he said. Cecil nodded and left.

~ VAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTT ~
~ RABIA’S ROOM ~

“What am I gonna do, Kaiky?” Rabia asked. “Dad will kill me if he knows I agreed to another date, and I’m not going to make you and Sheik come again. Should I just stand him up?”

“I dunno…” Kaikoura said. “Going out with him again seems dangerous.” Rabia’s cat meowed in agreement and jumped up onto the bed.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Rabia sighed. She scooped the cat up into her lap and pat her absently. “Fuck my life. I hate guys. I just wanna be a lonely cat lady, damn it.” Kaikoura rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be so dramatic. There are plenty of good guys! Not as good as cats, but… still,” Kaikoura said. “Isn’t that right, Katrina?” she cooed as she scratched the cat behind her ears. She received a happy purr in response as Katrina nuzzled into her hand.

“Then why haven’t I met any? So far Ganondorf has been the nicest and least psychotic. Which is really saying something,” Rabia said. “No, I think I’ll stick with cats.” Kaikoura shrugged.

“Yeah, cats are pretty great.”
“...Does Sheik have any hot, straight friends?” Rabia asked.

“Um… Marth,” Kaikoura said.

“Psh, he’s not straight. He has the biggest crush on Link…” Rabia said. “Oh well. There’s nothing wrong with being single.”

“Damn straight, girl!” Kaikoura said. “Though you did seem to be having a good time with Ganondorf. Rabia, seriously, don’t date him. He’s dangerous and evil.”

“I know, I know. I won’t go out with him again. She sighed. “Well, I’ll figure it out. It’ll be fiiiine.” The two rolled over to drift off to sleep. Despite Rabia’s hesitance to see Ganondorf again, she couldn’t help but dream about his golden gaze and the way the corner of his eyes wrinkled when he laughed...

~ VAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTTVAATISPURPLEBUTT ~
~ GERUDO VALLEY~

“Care to explain yourself, big shot?” Nabooru snapped, hands on her hips. Ganondorf looked up from the paperwork spread across his desk.

“Ah, Nabooru… I didn’t hear you come in.” He turned to face her. “What seems to be the problem?” She scowled at him, unimpressed. She stormed across the small room and leaned over his desk, her eyes narrowed.

“You know what the problem is, Ganondorf. You know we don’t allow strangers into the valley, and today you brought along three!” He shook his head.

“Did you take a look at who I was with though? There’s no doubt she’s a Gerudo,” he said, unfazed by her glare.

“And what’s your excuse for the other two? I could see their long ears from miles away.” Ganondorf leaned back in his seat.

“The others I couldn’t help. They were friends of my date; I had no choice but to let them tag along.” Nabooru raised a perfectly pencilled eyebrow and folded her arms.

“You brought three strangers to the outskirts of the fortress to… to woo some girl!” Ganondorf shrugged with a sheepish smile. Nabooru growled. “It was stupid, reckless and incredibly dangerous!”

“Rabia, dangerous?” Ganondorf laughed loudly. “Yeah, okay. Have I ever done anything to hurt our people, Nabooru?” Nabooru blinked.

“I really don’t think you want me to answer that.” She turned and made her way for the door, but came to a halt before she exited. “Don’t bring them here again. I will personally assure you that our guards will kill them.” She left without another word.