#y’know I thought I had gotten these war blorbos out of my head when I finished writing whump prompts

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Ganondorf sighed as he walked the halls of the castle. The structure of this place alone nearly rivaled the fortress that housed the majority of his people. To think such prosperity could be his shortly…

That was a goal soon to be realized. This king was far easier to ingratiate himself to than the one from his own timeline. This one simply needed his ego stroked - King Ozen was the second son in a line of uncertainty, a male heir with no magic and the younger brother to another male heir who barely had any blessing from his divine bloodline. Ozen had spent his entire rule trying to prove his legitimacy, and it seemed the only way he’d succeeded was in having a daughter who was occasionally seen but never heard. Hyrule knew Princess Zelda had the gifts of Hylia and that had been enough for the common folk, though Ozen desperately continued his quest to gain respect. All Ganondorf had to do was lean into this insecurity and he would become a trusted advisor in no time.

Then he could learn the location of the Triforce.

His plans were falling into place, and in a far better way than he could have ever imagined. When he had started this venture years ago in his own time, he’d been alone. Yes, Twinrova and the Gerudo thieves had backed his mission, but…

It wasn’t the same. He was married now. He had children. And he would do anything to ensure their future.

Speaking of children, his current dilemma in this moment was that his daughter had agreed to meeting him in one of the great halls of the castle and she had not shown up. Ganondorf had a suspicion he knew why, having met the girl’s fixation a week ago.

Ganondorf still didn’t quite know how to feel about that situation. He’d seen it developing for months now - he’d assigned Hemisi to infiltrate the castle’s defenses while he and his son curried favor with the king. Merovar needed to learn how to manipulate and Hemisi was far more a warrior and strategist, so it made sense, but the Gerudo king hadn’t banked on his daughter falling for one of the Sheikah guards.

Hemisi had known Orik for months now, and the two spent so much time together that Ganondorf would be surprised if his daughter hadn’t memorized all the patrol routes just by wandering around with the kid. At least she was still doing her mission while getting distracted. After finally meeting the kid when she’d brought him home…

He just didn’t know. He wasn’t balking quite as much as he’d been the day he’d met him. But still. He didn’t trust anyone from Hyrule, especially someone who was part of a tribe that had sworn fealty to the royal family. But the kid was only half Sheikah, and perhaps that would benefit him.

He was certainly an impressive fighter. Ganondorf could respect that. He treated Hemisi with the utmost respect and clearly loved her as she loved him, and Ganondorf could respect that almost more so.

He sighed. Perhaps if they keep this up long enough the boy would… well. He doubted Orik would fight against Hyrule. But for his daughter’s sake it was a nice thought to entertain.

The real issue was ensuring Orik didn’t distract Hemisi from her goal, which he was clearly doing since she hadn’t met her father where she was supposed to.

Ganondorf heard hushed words ahead, recognizing the sound of his daughter’s worried voice, and picked up his pace. When he rounded the corner, he saw Hemisi sitting on the ground beside Orik, who was leaning against the wall in an awkward position and looking very unwell.

“What’s going on?” he demanded.

Hemisi jumped, startled, and turned to him. “Father! It’s L—Orik’s sick but he’s being stupid and refusing to leave his post!”

Orik’s gaze snapped up to the Gerudo king and he took a shaky breath, trying to rise out of respect. Ganondorf waved him off. “Stay down, boy.”

“He just threw up in that plant, so uh, don’t walk too close to it,” his daughter added, pointing to a nearby potted plant. Ganondorf scrunched his nose in distaste.

“Are you expecting an attack? Why are you insistent on remaining when you’re incapable of your duty?” He asked the teenager.

Orik blinked, clearly struggling to put words together. “N-no, sir. But I—my patrol is—I s-still have a f-few hours—”

“All you will be doing is sitting here being useless,” Ganondorf pointed out.

“I… just n-need a… a minute…”

Ganondorf watched the idiot dully. He glanced at Hemisi, wondering if she would have an answer to this question and dreading the fact that she probably would. “Where’s his quarters?”

Hemisi easily and immediately gave him directions. Ganondorf raised an eyebrow at her, and she snapped, “N-nothing’s happened, Father!”

Orik, whose face was already flushed with fever, grew even redder. Ganondorf looked between the two with scrutiny, and the Sheikah boy nearly melted into the stone floor.

“I trust not,” he muttered somewhat threateningly. Hemisi was strong and could take care of herself, and the boy seemed honorable enough, but they were both teenagers. Shaking his head, he addressed his daughter. “Inform his superiors that he’s ill and is going to bed.”

Orik perked up a bit, apologetic but stubborn. “Lord Ganondorf, p-please—with… with all d-due respect… L-Lady Impa…”

Ganondorf watched the boy struggle for words and then groan, squeezing his eyes shut. He let the boy fester in the misery for a moment and then knelt down to be at eye level with him. “This Lady Impa will recognize you’re incapable of fulfilling your duty. If she doesn’t, she’s as foolish as you’re being.”

Orik’s gaze sharpened a hair, clearly offended for his commander’s sake, but was respectful enough to say nothing.

“It would be wise of you to listen to me,” Ganondorf noted. “If you’re going to be my son-in-law someday, I will expect obedience.”

The fight immediately drained out of the boy, who blushed so brightly his cheeks practically matched his red eyes. Hemisi snorted into her hand behind him. Ganondorf glanced at his daughter once more. “Once you inform Lady Impa, meet me where you were supposed to. Your brother is waiting.”

“Yes, Father,” she replied with a nod, though she didn’t budge, watching Orik hesitantly.

Ganondorf rolled his eyes at it. Children, honestly. He reached forward, grasping the boy’s wrist and pulling him to stand. “Go, daughter. I’ll take care of him.”

Hemisi dipped in for a quick hug, but Ganondorf pushed her back—“He’s sick, you’re not getting sick too”—and she huffed, leaving.

Orik nearly face planted the instant she was gone.

The Gerudo king caught the boy, somewhat startled, and helped him stand again. “Get yourself together, boy.”

The teenager nodded, stumbling ahead, and it became very apparent that his dizziness and weakness were going to be a problem.

Ganondorf sighed heavily. This was becoming tiresome. He stepped forward and scooped the boy into his arms in one fluid motion—the kid barely weighed anything—and started heading for his quarters.

“S-sir—”

“Be silent,” he ordered, and then added on, “If you throw up on me you will no longer be able to date my daughter.”

Orik sucked in his lips like he’d tasted a lemon, and he hesitantly settled into the hold.

When they reached the boy’s room, Ganondorf was grateful to find it empty. He figured as a soldier the boy had shared barracks, which seemed to be the case given the number of beds, but everyone else apparently was on patrol elsewhere. He plopped the boy on the nearest bed and moved to stoke the dying fire - it was raining outside, filling the castle with a cold dampness, and that was the last thing the kid needed.

Orik hesitantly moved to get up, and Ganondorf glared at him, making him freeze. “F-forgive me, Lord Ganondorf… this isn’t my bed…”

Exaspersted, the Gerudo said, “Tonight it is. Now get under the covers.”

Orik obeyed, finally getting some sense, and Ganondorf threw more wood on the fire. He then grabbed a nearby bucket that contained some extra firewood, dumped out the wood, and put the bucket by the bed. “In case you get sick again. You have water in here?”

When he got no answer, he looked back at the kid to see that he had fallen asleep.

Ganondorf sighed again, though he was less exasperated than before. He didn’t have time or concern to dote over the kid much more, but…

Seeing him sleeping like that reminded him of his own son.

He closed his eyes and looked away. Orik was still an enemy. Until he pledged himself to Hemisi and, through her, to Ganondorf himself, the boy was not his own.

But, perhaps, Ganondorf was less reluctant for him to become one of his own.