A Hidden Kindness

2766 words



The next morning, a messenger from the castle was sent to Finn’s house to retrieve him. Rabia had stayed in one of the guest bedrooms for the night, and insisted on going with Finn to the castle to answer his summons. Gideon dogged their shadows the whole ride into the castle; just a moment alone with Zelda would be enough to strike. His heart sang at the thought of spilling the princess’s blood, but he kept himself quiet and hidden.

The messenger led Finn and Rabia into the throne room with a bow, and the doors slammed behind them. Princess Zelda was sitting regally in her throne, Link standing to her right. Sheik stood on Zelda’s other side, between her and Kaikoura. Ganondorf, flanked by Kamilah was in front of the dais steps, facing Finn. With his cape fluttering behind him dramatically and the jewels of his crown gleaming in the sunlight, Ganondorf cut an imposing figure. Finn, undeterred, approached the dais and swooped into a low bow before Zelda; Rabia followed suit beside him. Ganondorf eyed Rabia’s shadow apprehensively as it shifted despite Rabia’s stillness.

“You summoned me, Princess?” he asked

“I did,” Zelda stated. Finn straightened. “I summoned you at the request of King Ganondorf,” she said with a gesture to Ganondorf. “He has some questions that need answers, and it seems you’re the one who can answer them.” Finn gave a slight bow of his head to Ganondorf.

“I’d be happy to assist you in any way I can,” he said. Ganondorf gave him a cold smile and stepped closer to him and Rabia.

“The other day I was seeking council with the wind mage about a most peculiar artifact, but he referred me to your expertise,” Ganondorf said. He reached towards Rabia, who flinched and took a step back. Undeterred, Ganondorf gently caught her wrists and pulled her closer. As he removed the necklace, the stone stopped glowing and rested innocently in his palm. Rabia’s skin turned an ashen blue-grey and her hair black, though her sapphire eyes remained unchanged. Ganondorf’s eyes darkened and he stepped towards Finn menacingly. Finn was stuttering out excuses and lies as fast as he could think them.

“Oh my goddesses, Rabia!” Zelda cried. She went to run to her friend, but suddenly chains sprouted up from the floor and wrapped around her body.

“Don’t move,” Rabia said to Zelda. She was grasping a cruel looking sword that should have been too large for her, but she didn’t seem to have any trouble wielding it.

“Rabia…” Link warned as he drew his own weapon. “Drop the sword.” His eyes flicked between her and Zelda.

“Hey, watch it!” Finn snapped. “No one threatens her but me!” Ganondorf growled and reached for his weapon, but faltered when Rabia spoke.

“Oh, do shut up, you useless worm,” she said in disgust. She shoved Finn aside roughly and snapped her fingers. Dozens of dark, twisted figures materialized from the shadows of the room. The monsters resembled their friends and loved ones, but with bulging eyes and faces twisted in pain. They started to close in on Link and Sheik, who had moved toward Zelda to protect her. “Just stay out of my way!” The shadow monsters parted as Rabia moved towards Zelda. Ganondorf and Aveil were fighting through crowds of the beasts. Kamilah broke through the wall separating them from Rabia and intercepted her.

“Rabia, snap out of it!” Kamilah said. “This isn’t like you! Zelda is your friend.” Rabia smiled cruelly.
“You may be my mother, but you don’t know me,” she hissed. “I will not stop until I spill every. Last. Drop. Of her blood.” Kamilah didn’t flinch or hesitate. She crouched into a fighting stance and the two circled each other. Rabia struck first. Kamilah blocked the blow and soon they were fighting in a blur of clashing steel, feet moving in a perfectly timed dance. In one smooth move, Kamilah twisted Rabia’s blade out of her hand and it fell to the floor with a clatter. Rabia growled low in her throat and lunged at Kamilah.

Ganondorf finally broke through the crowd and ran over as Rabia lunged. Kamilah caught Rabia by the throat and held her at arms’ length. She was about to bring the pommel of her sword down on Rabia’s head when Ganondorf caught her arm.

“Stop!” he said. “Hold her still.” Rabia kicked and scratched at Kamilah as she struggled to twist out of her grip. Ganondorf waited for a moment, then suddenly reached into the floor. Gideon let out a scream of rage that shook the foundations of the room as his hulking form was ripped from Rabia’s shadow. Rabia collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. Kamilah lowered her to the floor gently, then ran over to assist Sheik and Link. Gideon glared at Ganondorf, seething with rage.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Desert King,” he hissed. “I will kill the princess, Rabia will be mine, and you will NOT STAND IN MY WAY!” he screamed. Ganondorf stood in front of Rabia protectively. “If you fight for her, you will die for her.” Ganondorf stared Gideon down. Gideon chuckled. “So be it.”

The room was alight with the sounds of swords clashing, but as one minion was taken down, another was in its place. Sheik and Link were growing tired and Kamilah would soon follow. Similar sounds from the hallway indicated that the Hylian soldiers were also fighting Gideon’s monsters and were unable to break through.

Finn managed to crawl away from the fight and was trying to sneak out of the throne room. Kaikoura, from her spot along the wall, had noticed him trying to escape and cut him off. She blocked the only exit not overrun with monsters as he approached.

“I’ve been waiting to kick your ass for a long, long time, Finn,” Kaikoura said with a grin. Finn started laughing.

“Yeah, okay Kaikoura,” he rolled his eyes. “Now, are you going to move, or do I have to move you?” He chuckled to himself, amused by his own joke. Kaikoura’s blood boiled in rage and she punched him in the nose, taking him by surprise. He stared at her, wide-eyed, for a moment, then tried to punch her back. Luckily, Sheik had trained Kaikoura in basic hand-to-hand, so she was able to dodge his attack. Unlike Sheik, Kaikoura fought dirty. She knew Finn only fought by the rules and used it against him. She knocked him on his ass in a matter of minutes. Once she was certain he was unconscious, she joined Sheik, Link, and Kamilah, who were trying to protect Zelda.

Ganondorf and Gideon were hurling orbs of magic at each other, some light but most dark, and had abandoned their weapons. Few of Ganondorf’s spells managed to hit Gideon and those that did had no effect.

“Give up, rat,” Gideon laughed as he shook off another of Ganondorf’s spells. “You’re not strong enough beat me or to free her!”

“You think so?” Ganondorf asked with a grin. He muttered under his breath in an ancient, evil language that seemed to dim the room. The orb he summoned was made of magic so dark it resembled a black hole. He topped off the spell with a simple phrase. “Tenebras expello.” The orb hit Gideon straight in the chest, only this time he couldn’t shake it off. Black flames enveloped Gideon’s frame and with an anguished scream, he dissolved into dark black smoke. His minions vanished, as did Zelda’s chains. Link caught her before she hit the ground while Zelda caught her breath. A quiet ringing sound faded out and the room fell silent.

“Are you okay?” Link asked. He stroked Zelda’s hair back from her face.

“Yeah,” Zelda said. She grimaced and rubbed her ribs. “The chains squeezed. I’m fine. Thank you,” she kissed his cheek. Link stood and helped her up. Kaikoura and Sheik had stepped away during their moment. Kaikoura was patching up some cuts on Sheik’s arms, while he placed a butterfly bandage over a long scratch on her cheek.

Ganondorf reached Rabia in two large strides and knelt beside her. Kamilah was already there with Rabia’s head in her lap. She was running her fingers through Rabia’s hair, which, along with her skin, had returned to its natural hue. Ganondorf tapped her cheek gently.

“Rabia? Sa mewadaλa(1), wake up,” he said. Her eyelids fluttered and she blinked awake. Ganondorf found himself looking into her amber eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He pulled Rabia out of Kamilah’s lap and brought her into a warm embrace. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“...Ganondorf.” The tenseness in Rabia’s frame flowed out of her as she returned his embrace and buried her face into his shoulder. “I missed you.”

“Hey!” Kaikoura snapped suddenly, pointing to Finn. Everyone in the room jumped and turned. Finn had woken and was once again trying to sneak out while everyone was distracted. He froze when all everyone’s attention was on him.

“U-Uh… I was just…” Finn started.

“Lord Finn, do you know what the punishment is for treason?” Zelda asked as she stared down at him impassively.

“Treason?! I’ve committed no treason!” Finn cried. “That monster threatened me! Isn’t that right, Rabia?” he stepped towards her and she flinched back violently, her face pale.

“Do not speak to her,” Ganondorf growled, but he was quelled by a look from Zelda.

“Link, please escort Lord Finn to the dungeons to await his trial and sentencing for treason and domestic abuse,” Zelda said. Link seized Finn by the arm, and Kamilah grabbed the other. Though Finn struggled, they were much stronger than he and easily hauled him out of the throne room. The door closed with a heavy sort of finality. Zelda let out a tired sounding sigh after they left, then turned to Ganondorf.

“We owe you our thanks,” Zelda said, bowing to him. “You saved us all from that monster. We are in your debt.”

“I didn’t do it for you,” Ganondorf said.

“Even so, you have our gratitude,” Zelda replied. Ganondorf nodded in acknowledgement.

“Guys? What’s going on?” Rabia asked. “Why are we in the castle?” There was a silence.

“You were under some sort of spell, Rabia,” Sheik said gently. “Whatever it was, it messed with your memory.”

“It was some sort of mind control thing,” Kaikoura said. “It was making you act really weird - like, you got back with FINN. I’m sorry I stopped talking to you, by the way. If I’d known you were be-”

“EWW WHAT?!” Rabia shrieked and jumped up from the ground. She wobbled dangerously until Ganondorf wrapped an arm around her waist. “Oh my goddesses, I think I’m going to be sick.” She pushed Ganondorf away and ran to the powder room across the hall.

Rabia turned on the sink and splashed her face with water a few times. She braced her arms on the counter, closed her eyes, and took several deep, measured breaths. She turned the water off after a moment and patted her face dry with a nearby towel. A yellow-green, week-old bruise mottled one of her cheeks; a darker, newer one circled her neck. She couldn’t remember when she had gotten either of them. She let out a heavy sigh and returned to the throne room where her friends were talking quietly amongst each other.

“How can she testify against Finn if she can’t remember anything? And even if she can, who says the memories will even be coherent enough to use as evidence?” Link’s voice trailed out the open door. Kaikoura’s followed in a growl.

“The bruises are enough to imprison him! Did you see her face?”

“He will be imprisoned no matter what - he plotted to kill me,” Zelda answered. “All of you are witnesses and can at least attest to that,” she said, her voice calm as ever.

“That’s not enough!” Ganondorf roared. “He turned her into a - a puppet!”

“That necklace held the spell, did it not?” Sheik asked. “Surely it’s still enchanted. Even if it’s not, Rabia will still hold traces of a spell that strong for weeks to come. That is enough evide-” Rabia pushed the door open and slipped into the room. Sheik immediately cut himself off when he spotted her.

“I don’t want to be at his trial,” she said quietly. Zelda looked at her friend and her eyes softened from their angry glare.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Zelda said. “We need to get you home. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine… I just stood up too fast,” Rabia said. “I can’t go home like this… everyone would freak out. What would I even tell them?”

“...The truth?” Link offered.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Rabia snapped at him.

“Do you want to stay here?” Zelda asked, placing a hand on Rabia’s arm. Rabia ducked away from her and shook her head.

“No. No, I don’t want to stay here,” she answered and stepped back from her friend. Sheik caught Zelda’s arm before she could follow and Rabia gave him a grateful look.

“You can always stay with me,” Kaikoura offered. Rabia shook her head.

“Your dad would tell my dad as soon as I walked in the door,” Rabia said.

“No, I meant at our house,” she said with a glance to Sheik. “We have an extra bedroom and Kakariko village isn’t that far.”

“You’d let me stay with you?” Rabia asked.

“Of course we will,” Kaikoura said. “Besides, I kind of owe you since I stopped talking to you when you needed help…” she trailed off and looked down at her feet.

“Thanks, Kaik,” Rabia said with relief. “For the record, I wouldn’t have talked to me either.”

“Right?!” Kaikoura said.

“It’s a good thing Ganondorf noticed something was wrong,” Zelda added. “He saved us all and broke the spell.”

“That’s some serious Disney shit,” Kaikoura muttered under her breath, but nobody seemed to hear her.

“You did?” Rabia asked, turning to Ganondorf.

“Of course I did,” Ganondorf answered. “I love you.” Rabia pulled him into a kiss and he swept her up into his arms.

“Eww, seriously?” Link said, disgusted. Rabia flipped him off, not breaking the kiss until Ganondorf reluctantly released her.

“You should… you should get some rest,” Ganondorf said. “Is it alright if I accompany the three of you? I’d… feel better if I knew she got there safely.”

“Um… Yeah, okay,” Kaikoura answered.

“I’ll see you all in a couple days for Finn’s trial,” Zelda said. “Have a good night, okay?” She waved the four of them off as they left the castle.



The trip to Kakariko Village was short and silent. They were fortunate not to run into anyone they knew as they left Castle Town together. Sheik and Kaikoura led the way on their horses, but occasionally sent worried glances back to Rabia. She was settled in front of Ganondorf on his horse, and looked a little pale. They arrived a charming house shortly after arriving in Kakariko.

“Here we are,” Kaikoura said as she dismounted. Sheik took the horses to the small barn. Kaikoura followed him through the front gate and led Rabia and Ganondorf up to the porch. She pretended to hunt for her house key off while Ganondorf pulled Rabia into another embrace.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as he brushed a soft kiss against her unbruised cheek. Rabia stood on her toes to press her face into the crook of his neck and held onto him tight.

“Okay,” she said. She kissed him gently, then let him go. Slowly, Ganondorf walked back up the path and latched the gate behind him.

“Aha! Found it,” Kaikoura said as Sheik came around. She unlocked the door and the three of them went inside. “Are you guys hungry? I’m starving,” Kaikoura said. Kaikoura’s cat, Clarice, looked at them with disinterest, then hopped lightly off the couch and stalked down the hallway away from the commotion.

“I think all we have right now is spaghetti…” Sheik said thoughtfully. Rabia trailed behind them slowly as they moved towards the kitchen, chatting. “Actually, Kaik, could you put the water on? I’m going to show Rabia to the guest room. She looks dead on her feet.”

“Sure,” Kaikoura shrugged. “We’ll save some for you!” she added to Rabia. Sheik herded Rabia down the hall to the guest room and pushed the door open.

“Try to sleep, okay? We’ll figure things out tomorrow,” he said. Rabia nodded absentmindedly. After a moment’s hesitation, Sheik closed the door behind him. Rabia crossed the room to the wide window and pulled the curtains shut, then clambered into bed.