Falling Apart at the Seams

Good afternoon readers! You may recognize this little oneshot, as it was first posted on FF about 3 years ago. Because of some sad circumstances, all my work was deleted-see profile for more info-and I am now in the process of re-posting! This is a short little oneshot set during the events of TP and it was written 3 years ago.

Enjoy, and happy reading :)

Zelda had always known of the Twili. As the princess of Hyrule, she knew many things that her own people had no idea of. Nobody would remember the race that had once been banished from the land made by the goddesses, so why ever bother to remind them?

But as the young Princess surrendered her country to a man of that long-forgotten race, she worried for her people who would not know a single thing about what was going to happen to them. All Zelda knew was that she had a deep conviction resonating like a bell in her soul, telling her to have faith, to give in. The Triforce of Wisdom was slightly smarting on the back of her hand and she rubbed it with her other hand to make it stop.

The Twili usurper who called himself Zant came walking towards her like a lion stalking his prey. As he came closer, the strange helmet that was sitting on top of his head retracted suddenly to reveal a pale blue chin. Zelda forced herself from gasping as the tall creature stood towering above her.

"You have chosen wisely, Princess," he crooned in his sinister voice. "Your people will now suffer, as mine have, and your land will belong to me. My god has given me power, Zelda, and you will be a witness to its destruction of your pathetic Hyrule." At his words, the princess raised an elegant eyebrow and shook her head in a confident way.

"You are mistaken, usurper King," countered Zelda with a chill to her voice. "A hero will come, from the most unlikely of places, and you and this 'god' that you speak of will be cast away into the shadows once more." She knew that a Hero would come to the aid of her land. Her gift of Wisdom reassured her that Courage would rise again. It always had, and it always would.

Zant began to laugh. It was a strange, deep gurgling sound and Zelda took a step back in slight disgust. The fish-shaped helmet retracted with a series of metallic clicks and at first the Princess thought she was seeing a mask. The pale blue skin was stretched taut over a long, thin face. He had a flat, almost catlike nose that rested below two slanted, yellow orbs. Between his strange eyes was an intricate symbol that snaked its way into his forehead. His neck and head were covered in what looked like a hood that was skin-tight.

Zant was locked onto her face with his unreadable eyes and she froze in shock. Never before had she seen something that looked so strange and alien to her. It was unnerving to see this unfamiliar human coming towards her, ever closer. Zelda backed away, but the Twili caught her chin with his bony, black hand. His freezing touch on her warm skin was enough to send shivers down to her toes.

"No, Zelda. I will NOT be overthrown! This will NOT be taken from me! My god has—" His voice had grown higher and higher in pitch as he spoke, but then he had cut himself off and now stood silent. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes looked bemused as he continued to stare at Zelda with his pupil-less orbs. Slowly, his fingers began to skim over Zelda's face, exploring her features carelessly. They moved like spiders over her chin, then her cheeks and then they crawled into her hair and then over her forehead. The Princess was sickened and terrified all at once.

"Is this what you're here for?" she demanded as his fingertips raked across her lips. "You're here for me?! You will ruin me!" Her voice was so close to shouting as her ivory princess demeanor began to chip away. Never before had she been treated as though she were trash that somebody could have their way with. She was used to kindness and having her dignity respected. Now some man of a completely different race had come into her home, threatened her life, taken her country, and after all that, he was going to soil her personally?

Zant seemed to snap out of whatever reverie he had been in. His eyes narrowed and his helmet snapped back into its bizarre shape. "No. I'm not a barbarian like you light-dwellers would imagine we are." He turned from the seething Princess to the heavens and loudly declared victory for his so-called god to hear.

The imprisoned Princess hid underneath a heavy black cloak and scanned her twilight-covered land from the tallest tower in her once glorious castle. She spent her time pacing the dark stone floor of her prison and watching black twilight flakes rise from the ground and drift swiftly into the dusky orange sky above. Zelda had stood like a sentinel at her window for ages, hoping and praying to see some sort of change or sign that Hyrule was recovering. It was not until a few precious seconds ago that a glorious burst of sunlight had penetrated the grimy windows and the blue sky had broken free of its bonds. Zelda felt her heart race with excitement.

He had triumphed over shadow. Link, the Chosen Hero, the Divine Beast and the Hero of the Twilight Realm, was simply a farm boy. She had met him when he was stuck as a shaggy, gray wolf and a little imp girl was riding on his back like he was her personal steed.

Now that boy and Midna had restored light to the Lanayru Province and, as far as she could tell, the rest of Hyrule. Help was coming to aid her, and hope and gratitude filled her soul to the brim. "Thank you, Link," she whispered to herself as she blissfully closed her eyes and bathed her face in the light.

Zelda relished in the sight of the clear, sunny sky and later on in the night, gazed peacefully at the stars she had not seen in so long. There was no way of telling how much time had passed, since there was no day or night. But now normalcy had somewhat returned. However, the whole atmosphere of the castle had changed the instant that the shadowy twilight melted away. The princess felt as though she were walking on eggshells. Tension hung thick in the air like fog and she could almost feel it creeping slowly into her room. Something had changed since the light returned.

On an evening a week or so after the light returned, Zant invited himself into her room. Zant had never before graced Zelda with his presence, so she was unhappily surprised to see him. He strolled in and stood silently on the threshold of her prison. His thin mouth was formed into the tightest smile she had seen on a face and his eyes wandered blankly around the room. When they found Zelda, his gaze became fixated on her and the yellow color flared like a fire. He took a few steps towards her. Zant moved as though he were walking under water. Zelda noticed that his movements were so fluid and slow, almost like a dark dream coming to life. The entire sight before her eyes didn't seem real.

Zant came to her where she was standing in front of the window, with a view boasting of a blazing red sunset. His towering height made her look like a child as he stood toe to toe with her. Then with a slowness that seemed like time stopping, his dark hand reached out for the clasp that held her cloak together. She wanted to slap that intruding hand away from her, but she was mesmerized by his ever-staring eyes.

With her cloak unclasped, the black fabric cascaded to the floor and lay in a heap around her feet. "Zant," she whispered sharply. "What are you doing?"

Zant said nothing but grabbed her left hand and pulled off her silk glove. Zelda had lived much of her adult life with gloves on, so having somebody besides herself see her hands so exposed felt incredibly indecent. She pulled her hand back and tried to cover it in the folds of her lavender dress, but he reached out and did the same with her other hand.

"Whatever you're doing, this must end now," said the Princess with as much calmness as she could muster. Zant's bizarre actions were frightening her. The silent man still gave no reaction to her words, but instead he placed both of his hands close to Zelda's collarbone and began to pick off the golden ornaments decorating her gown. The necklace came off, and the two shoulder pads were next to leave her body. Zelda now stood in a dress that was held up by thin straps on her bare skin. She felt so uncomfortably exposed and horrified that this man had practically disrobed her.

Her princess demeanor shattered as the last piece of her ornaments fell to the ground with a clang. "ZANT! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? ARE YOU INSANE?" Her arms flew to her chest and she hugged herself to try and cover up. "Leave this room. Now. Let me have my dignity!" Still, not a sound came from his mouth. Zant's silence was almost as disarming as what he had just done to her.

Zelda started to look at his hands, wondering what horror they would inflict next, but as she watched, they went to his own robes. Zant removed his own armor that sat across his shoulders. It fell to the ground, next to Zelda's cloak. Then he took off the reddish tapestry that hung from his neck. Zelda's breath came in slow intakes of air as she watched with terror and dread at Zant undressing himself. She prepared herself for the worst when he unbuttoned the black robe that covered his body.

"No…please…don't…you've already taken enough…" pleaded Zelda, but Zant's clothing had already fallen to the ground like a dead, autumn leaf. The usurper King now stood in only his peculiar, baggy pants that had been mostly hidden by the robe. His skin was as blue as his face, except for his arms, which were black, and turquoise Twili markings covered his body like vines growing up a wall. It felt so undignified and…embarrassing to see him in such a vulnerable way. Zelda let out a nervous, desperate laugh as she looked at him with morbid fascination, and fear.

Zant finally spoke. "Look at me, Zelda. Look at yourself. See how different we are, light dwellers and creatures of the twilight…tell me, what race is better?" At this his hand went back to Zelda and snatched her fingers in a vice-like grip. She cringed with pain, but she tried in vain to resist the pull of his hand bringing hers closer to his naked chest. It seemed like years passed until her skin made contact with his.

She wanted to scream out loud as her palm was pressed firmly against Zant's chest, but all she could do was let out a heavy breath of air. His skin was not normal, not normal as she knew it. The blue skin was thick and seemed smoother than her own. There was not a hair or scar or imperfection to be found. Even one of the Twili markings underneath her hand did not feel any different from the skin around it. Touching him was like nothing else she had ever felt in her life. Zant's skin was also icy cold. Her hand even grew chilly from being held there.

"How does it feel, light dweller, to be touching those of shadow? How does it feel to touch those that your kind has betrayed? Do you see what has become of us? Do you understand what we have been made into? How does it feel?..."

Zelda only shook her head, wanting desperately for this to be over with. But Zant wasn't finished. His hand was still forcing her own against his chest, but his other hand lifted and moved to her own chest.

"NO, don't touch me, please…" she begged but his hand already was lying against the place where her necklace had been moments before. Zant wasn't touching anything inappropriate, but to Zelda, he was violating her. Her free hand snapped up and tried to pry his off of her, but it remained there without budging. His freezing hand was causing her to shiver with cold and terror.

"You light dwellers are fascinating. Your skin is so fragile, just like your integrity, Zelda. Your whole race is weak and pitiful…but I still can't help but feel it…it makes me feel powerful, because I AM powerful...your skin is so fascinating…." Zant crooned in a voice that was icier than his skin.

Zelda had never been so angry and embarrassed and exposed in her entire life. Zant had once again taken her dignity and now he was touching her and caressing her like she was nothing more than a creature to him. What was he here for? Was his goal to humiliate her and 'feel the difference between him and her' or some such nonsense?

"Isn't it strange?" Zant began as he watched his hand lying forcefully on her chest. "Isn't it strange to see warmth connecting with cold? How ironic that light and shadow are mixing…it should not be this way…what a traitor…what a traitor…what a traitor…I am a traitor, but she is a bigger one…she'll learn…I will teach her a lesson…I am a good servant…I've done nothing wrong…he will reward me…." Zelda watched as this broken rant came from Zant's mouth. She saw his eyes dart frantically around the room, never staying in one spot. Zant's mouth continued to move and form words, long after they had finished making any sound.

Zelda knew that something was completely off about him. To come into her room and strip her and himself down and put his hands all over her was one thing, but what in the world was he talking about? Zant had snapped. Had this happened because light was restored and his plans of destruction were being foiled by a boy hero? Suddenly, the situation she was in seemed ten times as dangerous. What else could he do in this unstable state of mind?

They stood like this for a long while, hand on chest and eyes fixated on each other. Zelda stood with fear in her heart, and who in the good world knew what was going through the mind of Zant. There was no sound to fill the voiding silence, other than the sound of her own heart beating in her ears.

Without warning, the door was thrown open with a crash and a towering, bulky figure stepped over the threshold.

"Zant, why have you blocked me from your mind, I have something—" The man had stopped in his sentence as he caught sight of the pair next to the window. His skin was a ghastly color, one that couldn't even be described properly. His sharp eyes were a fierce golden and his head was adorned with flaming red hair. Zelda knew who he was as soon as he stepped into the room. She knew that her mouth had fallen open with surprise. So this was the man who was pretending to be a god?

His eyebrows were formed into such an angry frown that it looked painful to be that unhappy. His mouth was curled into a disgusted sneer and contempt mixed with shock was written all over his features. After a few seconds, however, the man composed himself.

"So Zant," he said as wolfish grin overtook his scowling face. He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his massive arms. "This is what you've been up to while I'm trying to connect with you."

Zant looked to him with the utmost respect. "I apologize, Ganon my Lord, but I was distracted," he replied with a trembling voice.

His "god" walked towards Zelda with an arrogant swagger that made her frown at him. "Yes, yes, I can see why you'd be distracted by our little princess. She's very…exquisite," said Ganondorf slyly as he stroked an enormous finger against her cheek. Zelda felt sickened. Enough was enough! Everybody needed to keep their hands off.

"I know who you are," Zelda began in a voice that sounded quiet, but stronger than she expected. "You are Ganondorf, king of the Gerudo. The sages long ago sentenced you to death, but they failed and you were exiled to—"

With a wave of his mighty hand, Ganondorf cut her off and talked over her in a loud voice. "My faithful servant, Zant, I need to speak with you this instant!"

Zant nodded his head vigorously at Ganondorf. His hand was still on her chest and her hand was still pressed against his blue skin. Zant didn't even seem to notice Zelda anymore, but she was more than aware of his fingers still smothering her personal space.

Ganondorf rolled his eyes at his foolish follower and thought of how relieving it would be when he could get rid of him for good. But Ganondorf still needed him, for now. "Zant, I need you to go to Lake Hylia and find the spring where the spirit Lanayru resides. I think that we might find some of our 'friends' there. We need to give them a warm hello."

Zant nodded again to acknowledge that he heard what his god had ordered him to do, but then he just stood there looking like a dumb sheep.

Ganondorf looked Zant up and down with a critical eye and then barked an order at him. "ZANT! Put your clothes back on! Nobody wants to see your scrawny little chest." He finally seemed to realize that Zant was half-naked. Ganondorf gave him a piercing glare and then stormed to the door. "Oh, and don't bother the princess again. It's disgusting." He looked away from Zant and his golden eyes found Zelda. The corners of Ganondorf's mouth turned up in a wicked smile.

"Until we meet again, Princess." Then with a flourish of his dark cape, Ganondorf warped from the room in a puff of black twilight particles.

Zelda backed away from Zant's touch and frantically gathered up her belongings in her arms. Zant stood watching her, and with a flick of his hands, all his clothing was mercifully resting on his body once more. "Thank you, Zelda, for this evening. It was most enjoyable."

Zelda looked up at him in fury, but could not say a word. She had regained some of her control and the things that she wanted to say to him would have been enough to have her Triforce taken away from her.

They were both silent as he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him, locking it in the process. Zelda didn't feel whole as she put back on her ornaments and her heavy cloak. She still felt his hands on her, and her palm still tingled with the feel of his skin. Zelda had never been so intimate with another person. She kept her modesty so pure and shining, and now a dark blot ruined it for good. That moment when he touched an area that was so private to her, invading like he had a right to be there, would never be blotted out from her memory. Zant was crazy, she thought to herself as she watched the stars came out one by one.

"Link, please hurry…"

Thank you for reading!