Chapter 1
“Why would you risk your life this way?”
The walls of the high rise penthouse were perfectly crafted glass, clear enough to imagine an invisible barrier prevented the high winds and elements from destroying the lavish home. Lights from hundreds of cars, apartments, and neon business signs bled into what should have been a pitch black, night sky filled with sparkling diamonds known as stars. Opposite the fire of an electric heater was a black, leather couch, and a glass coffee table in between. The fake flames created a soft glow that converged with the dimmed yellow lights in the ceiling. Her head, full of rust orange hair, rested lovingly on his shoulder, hand caressing his bare, pale chest inside the half unbuttoned dress shirt. His arm cradled her back, fingers clutched to her side.
“For freedom,” she whispered.
“You’re a prisoner now?” he asked quietly in the silent room. An occasional honking horn interrupted the peaceful snapping and popping of the electric fire.
“I’m not exactly free either. I’m not allowed to leave whenever I want. If I wanted to leave him I would be hunted and killed.”
“I can protect you, Dora,” he cooed, his breath warm on her ear. She smiled and nuzzled deeper into his neck as he kissed her head.
“Soon, you and I will be free to marry, and you will be the richest man in the world. You’ll control most of the country with our assets combined.”
He leaned down to kiss her, tilting her head up by touching her chin. “You are beautiful and kind. I’m glad you were able to see the better life I can offer you compared to that miserable tyrant.”
“I love you, Felix,” she said softly, falling desperately into his lips.
“I love you too,” he replied a moment before devouring her.
BOOM!
A harsh sound resonated through the penthouse, the only warning before the fiberglass front door was busted down from its hinges. Dora and Felix tore apart from each other. He stood, both pistols from the coffee table in hand and pointed at the intruder. She hurried behind the couch to safety, securing the straps of her dress over her shoulders.
“How did you know I was here?” she shouted, demanding answers, but her knees quivered with her voice.
“With you around, I’ve mastered following the scent of a lying slut,” the imposing man replied darkly. Dora glared at him fiercely, her hands curling into tight fists.
“Leave her alone, Ganon,” Felix yelled.
“You’ve made the biggest mistake of your life,” Ganon advised arrogantly, glare shifting from Dora to Felix, as if speaking to both of them at once. Four men of varying heights spread out with two on either side of Ganon, all of them pointing silenced pistols at Felix. "Shoot me and I might die, but these men will guarantee that neither of you leave this room alive," he threatened, and brandished a magnum from the shoulder holster hidden in his coat to take aim at Dora.
Her heart sped out of control, beating feverishly against her chest. "Ganon, please don't do this. I'll come home with you and never leave again, I swear," she pleaded, finding courage enough to stand between the two men.
"Move, Dora. I can kill him first. We can take them all out," Felix said bravely.
"Stop defending this worm," Ganon growled.
Dora watched Ganon with a critical gaze as if debating her next course of action.
"Don't give in," Felix said to encourage her. "We can win. We will marry and take over the world just like we talked about. You'll be treated like a queen."
With eyes locked on Ganon, she stepped back cautiously, heels clicking on the laminate floor. Dora stopped only once she reached Felix's side. "I'll do the honors," she said, and Felix extended the gun from his off hand to her.
"None of us are going to survive," Ganon taunted.
"Atleast the world will be better off," Felix said coldly. In his peripheral, he caught the swift swivel of the caramel skinned woman in a red dress as she faced him, and the shimmering steel of the gun pointed dangerously close to his forehead. "Dora? What are you doing?"
"Buh-bye, Felix," she said with a chuckle, pulling the trigger with a firm grip. The explosion was deafening in the small room. Betrayal flashed into his brown eyes before the impact of the bullet hurled the corpse back onto the couch.
The henchmen holstered their pistols, spreading out to open the secret compartments that contained hidden safes and collect the jewels and riches that would pay for Felix's estate.
"Dora," Ganon called in a scolding tone. He watched down the barrel of his gun as she sauntered toward him. "What were you doing when I arrived?"
"Completing my deception," she answered, dodging the true intent of his question.
"By allowing him to kiss and undress you?" Ganon hissed.
"It was all part of the deceit, my love,” she replied sincerely. “I promise, nothing more happened."
He grunted, lowering his weapon. "Next time, we stick with my plan.”
"You must admit, this worked out well, better than most of the other schemes we've used," Dora said with reason, taking Ganon's arm to be escorted out of the building.
"Our next target will be Anita, a married woman, and I won't stop at foreplay," he warned with a smirk, and pressed the call button for the elevator.
"You pig," Dora snapped.
Ganon glared at her. "Still your tongue."
Silence blanketed them the rest of the way down the elevator and through the lobby, until they entered the back seat of a limousine. The driver closed the door while Ganon poured brandy into a crystal glass. Dora leaned against him as he drank and curled her fingers around his knee. "I've been so busy with this mission, wrapped up in seducing another man, that I've sorely missed your affection, my king."
Amber street lights flashed by the tinted windows. Several strobing red and blue lights with sirens raced by in the opposite direction they traveled, toward the building Ganon just departed. He returned his empty glass to the cup holder, and then grabbed Dora by her waist to pull her sideways into his lap.
A sinister grin graced her lips suddenly. "Why are you so excited?"
"Watching you kill my enemies has always aroused me," he responded cockily.
Dora cinched up the red dress to her waist, giving her enough free movement of her legs to straddle his lap.
"Are you so eager that you cannot wait until we are in the privacy of our home?" he asked, though his tone made clear he held no intentions of waiting either.
"No one said the fun has to stop when the limo does," she said deviously, and hungrily kissed him from his lips to his neck. "We can temporarily satisfy our desires with an appetizer here, move on to the main course in the bedroom, and finish with some dessert." Ganon gripped her hips, grinding her pelvis toward his, a motion that forced a moan from her luscious lips directly into his ear. "Make love to me, Ganondorf."
Chapter 2
A warm morning sun twinkled in between the mini blinds of the tall, eastern facing windows. The cozy mansion with stone walls was nestled in the clearing of a forest on a mountaintop. Dora sat with her legs crossed, a bowl of sweetened cereal softened with cold milk balanced on her ankles. All that covered her bare body was Ganon’s extra large, unbuttoned dress shirt from the night before.
The muffled rush of the toilet in the adjoining master bathroom drowned out the reporter on the television discussing the death of Felix Valentina. She turned up the volume as Ganon opened the door and strolled to the bed. “I may never recover from my fascination of this TV,” she said, taking a bite of cereal.
He lay across the bed, propped up on his elbow to see the screen spread across the opposite wall. “Owning everything has certain perks. The media, police chiefs, politicians,” Ganon smirked.
“Drastically different from how we used to do things,” she remarked.
“Sieging castles, killing princess and heroes,” he reminisced.
Dora added, “Or being killed.”
Offended by her last comment, Ganon rolled out of bed in one swift movement. Wearing only lounge pants, he meandered over to the window. The sun rising over the mountain peaks in the distance was one of his favorite views to witness. Some mornings the atmosphere was clear and the sun pale, or even orange, but when the colors of the sun were skewed perfectly by the dense atmosphere, he was greeted by a red orb that blessed his day. “This new world we returned to is strange, but I proved beyond a doubt that I can conquer anything.”
“Of course you can,” Dora agreed, her eyes locked on the television. “One realm after the next.”
“What are your plans for the day?” he asked, turning away from the window.
“I need to get to the gym.”
“Interesting how you’ve gone from training in desert terrain to an environmentally controlled building with machines,” he mocked.
“Funny how you’ve gone from being King of Evil to King of Industry,” she debated.
“Money is power here, Dora. The more you own, the more profit you make, the more powerful you are,” he informed.
“I love to listen to you brag,” she laughed.
“I go to buy Felix’s entire estate today, granting me control over banks all over the country!”
“What’s next?”
“Presidency.”
Dora laughed loudly as if Ganon just performed standup comedy, and he scowled at her. “You’re serious? You’re going to run for president to be fairly elected as leader?”
“No one said anything about fair,” he corrected, and then lifted a full glass of water from the table by the window. After he swallowed the entire contents, he said, “That’s why I own the world.”
“Money won’t speak to everyone,” she warned, and tipped back her bowl to finish off the milk from her breakfast.
“That is where you come in, my goddess,” Ganon smirked, and then entered the clothes closet. “Where the promise of riches fails, violence will prevail, and even death if necessary.”
Dora grinned and then wiped away the milk staining her upper lip. “The scheming never ends.”
“The only consistent factor,” he agreed.
“And our love,” she reminded.
“Of course," he remarked with sarcasm. "Where would you be without that?”
“Why won’t you say it? We’ve been married for…” Dora stopped, clearly thinking on exactly how long ago they were united.
“The answer is because there is no need, I show you every day. And that there is no reason to remember exactly how many years. It could be three or three thousand, it changes nothing.”
She smiled softly, her heart warmed by his sincerity. “Shall we train tonight? Guns are nice, but I miss my scimitar.”
“Tonight, after dinner,” he promised, returning from the closet with a suit wrapped around a hanger.
With a laugh, she questioned, "Dinner?"
“Be home by five, the limo will bring you. And wear that black dress I like, with your hair down.”
Chapter 3
White headlights blinded Ganon as the limousine veered over to the curb he stood on, rolling to a gentle stop. A valet of the restaurant hurried to open the passenger door for the new arrival. Dora twisted to the side, bringing both legs outside of the vehicle, and then elegantly rose to step away so the door could be closed behind her. Ganon grabbed her gloved hand and led her inside the restaurant. He was pleased to find she complied with his request to wear the short black dress with the low cut front while her freshly washed and groomed hair hung at full length to her waist.
A waiter pulled the glass door open, while Ganon allowed his wife to enter first. Dora was surprised to find no other patrons in the dining area, and all but one table was moved off to the sides against the walls. Her smile brightened the room, lit only by the soft glow of crystal chandeliers and a myriad of candles. “What is this?” she wondered suspiciously, allowing him to lead her to the table.
“We’ve written history, we’ve conquered worlds, we’ve fallen, been banished to realms, and every year the date goes by that matters the most to you. The one that marks the day I claimed the woman who would stand forever by my side,” Ganon professed. “No mountains stood in your way, nor sorrow or grief. Knowing you always waited with constant dedication and support is priceless.”
After setting her handbag on the table covered with a black cloth, Dora lifted the already uncorked bottle of wine and poured two full glasses. “The happiness we share in our time together is worth every ounce of loneliness I endure while we are apart.”
Ganon drank from his glass, and then placed it back on the table. Classical music, a combination of piano and violin, floated across the room from speakers hidden within the decor. On cue, he reached for her wrists and escorted her across the room to the open floor. He lifted one arm over her head, and Dora gracefully twirled toward him. She caught his outstretched hand, and he caught her waist, leading her into a dance. The rhythm guided their feet, leading away from a traditional dance, and then home to conform to the rules of a ballroom waltz. Ganon took advantage to lead her into an impromptu dip, just to feel the way her back curved as he supported her and witness the agile way she returned to him. Dora pressed her head to his chest when he drew her back, once more moving to circle the room on their toes. The song ended, and they came to a halt, staring into each other’s eyes with ravenous hunger. Both were short of breath from the excitement and rush of moving in unison on pure instinct, as if combining their bedroom activities with the training of a sword. Dora stepped away and out of his arms, dipping into a curtsy to show her gratitude.
They returned to the table where a meal had been placed during their dance. Salad, with a serving of rotisserie chicken, grilled trout, and mixed vegetables, were set at each place. Dora sat across from Ganon and eagerly filled her empty stomach with the fresh, steaming food.
Before swallowing some wine, Dora asked, “How was your meeting today?”
“Plenty of suspicious faces, but no one brave enough to speak out or contest me,” he replied.
“Trying to accuse you of murder with no evidence would be unwise on their part,” she responded. “I had disabled the cameras and security before you arrived. Felix was killed with his own gun. My fingerprints were wiped clean and the weapon placed back in his hand. There’s no reason to believe the incident was anything but suicide.”
“Most of my associates prefer to avoid asking the difficult questions because they’re afraid of becoming my next target,” Ganon added.
“His face was priceless,” Dora noted, recalling the previous night.
“His? Dora, you were genuinely scared when I arrived,” he laughed cruelly.
She shook her head, denying his allegation. “Why should I have been scared?”
“I pointed a gun at you,” he reminded, raising an eyebrow. “I could feel your fear. You cannot hide it from me.”
Dora finished chewing a piece of fish as she debated her reaction to Ganon bursting in to the room. “It was all an act, that much I know, but I was afraid.”
“We’re sharing an anniversary dinner and we’ve shared experiences unlike any other husband and wife, some that only we could have survived." With a grin, he wondered. "Are you truly afraid that I would kill you?”
She tried not to hesitate but finished the last of her wine before she answered. “If given a good enough reason, I believe you would,” Dora confessed, finding the words difficult to form and not because of the alcohol.
Ganon grunted a laugh, watching her expressions as she waited for him to reply. “You’re right,” he declared.
The cell phone beside his empty salad bowl smeared with dressing began to ring. “Goddess, I hate those things,” Dora cursed.
“A necessary part of life now to conduct business,” he said, just before pressing the green phone icon to answer. “Yes, Mo?”
“You need to be here, now,” said the man on the other end of the phone.
“I’m eating dinner with my wife. This better be important,” Ganon answered darkly.
“You cannot miss this. Bring her with you. Just look at the picture I’m sending you.”
He waited for the text message with the picture to chime in, and then placed Mo on speakerphone. “Is that Lawrence?”
“Yes,” his employee answered.
“What’s so important about that?” Dora hissed.
“We’ll be there in fifteen. Keep him occupied,” Ganon ordered, and then pressed the red icon to disconnect the call. He picked up his fork, ready to finish the last few bites of his meal before departing. “Lawrence is a senator whose campaign is already underway to run for president next year. When he applied to be a member of my club I approved it just to keep an eye on him. Rumor has been spreading that he’s been cheating on his wife. This is my opportunity to blackmail him.”
Dora grinned evilly. “What are we waiting for?”
“You actually want to go with me? There’s a reason the club is exclusive.”
“I will go anywhere one of your evil genius plans are hatching,” she laughed.
Chapter 4
Ganon chose to let Dora tag along. There was almost nothing she could be talked out of when she set her mind. With that thought, as he entered the limo and directed the driver, he offered a warning. “Dora, do not do anything irrational or reckless, or without thinking through the consequences.”
She pouted, feeling like a scolded child, but he held every right to be cautious. “I know. This is really important and I don’t want to cause any trouble. I promise, I’ll behave.”
“Good,” he said, and kissed her to seal the oath.
“What’s this place called, anyway?”
“Voe Club,” he answered, looking back out the window as they approached their destination.
“Men Club? You couldn’t come up with something more creative?” she teased.
“The meaning of voe is lost. Yes, it is a club for men and I gave it a fitting name.”
“An exclusive men’s club. I’m beginning to worry about what I’ve gotten myself into,” Dora realized, and then the door to the limo opened. Ganon stepped out of the vehicle before turning back to offer Dora a hand as she slid across the seats. The face of the club, wedged between two abandoned buildings, was solid with only a few windows. No display or sign mentioned the name of the place, but lights in the front illuminated the carpet on the ground leading to the entrance. Loud music poured out from the door when the bouncer opened it for Ganon and Dora.
Directly inside, twins greeted the new guests. “Oh! Mister Dragmire,” greeted the first sister enthusiastically.
“And Misses Dragmire, it is so nice to finally meet you," added the other in an equally energetic and high pitched voice. "You are such a lucky woman!”
“Mister Dragmire, your wife is gorgeous. You must let her dance on stage.”
Dora did her best to avoid staring at their outfits of white gloves and boots that looked like large cat paws, with matching ears and tails. Ganon smirked deviously and snatched Dora’s hand, interlocking their fingers. “No, girls. Dora needs no help finding trouble. After all, I wouldn’t share her beauty with anyone.”
“They were cute,” Dora said with a smile and waved at them as Ganon led her inside. The music that had played before their arrival came to an end, and as they descended a set of stairs Dora watched the nude woman on stage collect her earnings and disappear behind the maroon curtains.
“They’re only the greeters. Multiple women perform every night. Gambling is done on the third floor, and the fourth floor is the office, which is mostly used by Mo.”
Overflowing with curiosity, Dora asked, “What happens on the second floor?”
“Special requests,” Ganon answered, leading her to a long, extensive bar with stools on the side of the room opposite the stage.
Dora squeezed his hand and pulled in close as she asked, “And you never partake in this?”
“I visit from time to time, but always for business. I usually catch a show or two while I’m here,” he answered sincerely.
“Who interviews them?”
“I leave the hiring to Mo.”
“He’s the best man for the job,” she agreed. “Is this the only place of this kind that you own?”
“For now. I plan to purchase more, maybe two or three to start,” he advised.
“Why?” she questioned in surprised.
“Sex sells, extremely well," Ganon explained dryly. "These establishments are lucrative.”
“What a pleasant surprise,” Mo called, appearing from a room behind the bar. Dora snuck a peak when he swung open the door to find ovens and people in white aprons cooking on stoves. “Misses Dragmire, what an honor.”
Smirking, she countered, “Is it?"
Mo leaned on the bar toward them, and Ganon asked, “Where is this guest of honor?”
“He’s on the second floor, room two, with three girls. They just went in.”
Ganon nodded confirmation of the information and walked toward the staircase, opposite from the entrance. Dora trailed directly behind him, still clutching his fingers. Before ascending the steps, loud music with drums and guitar filled the room, and men at tables began to cheer. The overhead lights dimmed and spotlights flared to life, pointing at the center of the curtains. A pale woman with long, wavy brown hair threw back the curtain and strutted straight down the runway, round lights following the sway of her hips. Dora was stunned by her movements, and Ganon’s fingers slipped away from her as if they turned to sand. She became mesmerized by the eloquent way the dancer maneuvered around the pole, allowing it to spin her while she spread her legs provocatively.
“Dora,” Ganon called harshly, breaking her trance. She hurried up the stairs, and he opened the second door on the right. As he closed the door behind them, he arrogantly said, “Hector, looks like you’re enjoying yourself.”
Dora walked into a bedroom with royal blue carpet, a four poster bed with the same color lace and fittings, and a television playing an erotic video. A man in his forties, with a gray, receding hairline, suddenly jerked back onto the bed, hastily yanking up his pants over his stiff genitalia. Two girls, one wearing the short skirt of a school girl, the other a tight white button down suit of a nurse, turned toward the door. The third rose from her knees at the edge of the bed, backing up toward her coworkers with her arms crossed to cover her breasts.
“Ganon, nice of you to drop by,” Hector replied in irritation, and tried with difficulty to swallow. “I like what you’ve done with the place,” he added awkwardly. "Now, leave."
“As do I. It’s the perfect guise to trap scum,” he remarked darkly. “Dora, take them back stage,” he ordered. She complied, walking over to the three girls and ushering them out the door. Once she was gone, and the door closed, he continued. “I see you favor the private rooms. How does your wife feel about that?”
Glaring, Hector skipped straight to the point and asked, “What do you want?”
Ganon laughed cruelly, a harsh and frozen sound like ice smashing on pavement. “Only your support in my race for presidency,” he advised, crossing his arms over his chest. “Or, I could simply make you disappear.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Hector hastily agreed, zipping up his pants. “I’ll support you for president, just don’t tell Maribel I’ve been here.” He was reluctant, but the alternative was worse.
“One mistake, and I share the video with her,” he threatened darkly, his voice a growl.
“Video?!”
“How else was I going to have evidence?”
Hector sprang up from the bed, fists clenched. “That’s illegal!”
“Not if I post an advisory. It’s for the protection of my employees,” Ganon advised calmly with a wicked smirk.
“You filthy bastard,” he shouted, and then stormed out of the room.
Ganon chuckled, turned off the television, and then exited behind the senator. He descended the stairs one at a time, listening as a new song began to play to the introduction of a brand new dancer. Mo waited for his boss at the bar.
“Hector didn’t look so happy,” Mo laughed.
“He’s not allowed back here,” Ganon advised.
“Cancel his membership and keep the money?”
“And if he has a problem with that he can talk to me,” he agreed. “Have you seen Dora?”
“Have I? I’ve never seen this side of her,” Mo answered with a snicker.
Ganon turned to look where his employee stared, confused by what Mo meant exactly, until he noticed the long, rust orange hair flipping around on stage. Dora strutted around the center pole in tall leather boots, as if she marched toward her next victim. Each twist and flip that followed became deadly, as if he watched her slay his enemies with an invisible scimitar. She stole the show, enchanting Ganon like she never had before. The palms of his hands became slick with sweat. When she snatched the pole and became its master, he longed to reach out and claim her again like a beast. Her backside turned to the crowd of hollering men, and she displayed her flexibility by bending over on straight legs to grab her ankles. Ganon focused on the leather bottoms she wore, short and tight to nearly reveal her second set of lips to the world. Dora remained in that position for only a second, before sliding her hands seductively up along her bare, tan waist to the leather studded top that fully covered her breasts. Her fingers curled inside, ready to rip. Whistles and howls of excitement permeated Ganon’s fantasy, cheering and whooping to the pounding beat that Dora rocked her hips to.
Phones, Ganon realized. Patrons were filming and taking pictures, even though it was against club policy.
“Cut the lights,” Ganon snapped at Mo, and smashed his fist into the bar. “Now!”
Chapter 5
The entire room blackened, but the music persevered. Dora searched the darkness for signs of an enemy, except the enemy found her first. A large, sturdy hand clutched a chunk of hair and yanked her back across the stage. Dora kicked, but refused to scream, fiercely fighting against her kidnapper. The muffled music magically faded away, the curtain swept by her legs and the lights came on, bringing clarity to her situation. The strong fingers tangled in her hair released her. She hastened to her feet and twisted around to see who dared handle her so roughly, as if she were only an animal. A pair of yellow eyes pierced her soul as the man she found was her husband.
“You imbecile,” Ganon shouted, and the same hand that once gripped her hair found its mark across her cheek.
The smack was delivered with enough force that Dora stumbled back and clutched her right cheek. Her ear rang sourly, and she pressed her finger inside, a vain attempt to make the noise stop. Tears, from the sting of the slap and distress at his severe punishment, welled up in her eyes and flowed over, dripping from her lashes. “I was only having a bit of fun,” Dora whined in defense.
“And so were they,” Ganon yelled, pointing at the curtain to indicate the men on the other side. There was shouting of clear disappointment that the woman with orange hair went missing from the stage. “Far more than they should have been at the expense of my wife stripping.”
“Well…”
“More than that,” he interrupted, his voice still raised, “they captured images and recordings.” Ganon stood directly in front of her, glaring down. As if she were merely a clueless child, he questioned her. “Do you know where that goes?”
Dora recoiled, feeling sheepish, and declined to answer. One of the girls that she had left room number two with approached them cautiously, offering the little black dress.
“Online, on social media,” he informed callously, snatching the dress from the girl. “Cover yourself, woman,” Ganon ordered, throwing the dress at her exposed breasts. “My mouth fills with bile to think your body is spreading through the internet like wildfire, all for the pleasure of insects and worms. Hylians, Dora. Do you even remember what they did to us?”
She lifted her head, his words drawing her attention away from shifting the dress properly into place. Her eyes formed a terrible scowl, and her skin crawled, wanting to hide until his scolding was over. “I have never forgotten.”
Ganon snatched her wrist once she was dressed and roughly escorted her toward the back to exit through an aluminum door into the alley. “Worst of all is what this could do to my campaign that has barely begun. This must be the most brainless stunt you have ever pulled!”
He dragged and yanked Dora all the way back the alley to the limousine parked behind the building. His grip on her arm was tight, as though he tried to satisfy his fury by squeezing it out of her. “Ganondorf, I am so sorry,” she confessed solemnly.
“Not as sorry as you’re going to be,” he growled, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He opened the door of the vehicle and shoved her inside, following behind her. Once the door was slammed closed, the driver turned the ignition. Ganon dialed a contact on speaker phone and waited.
On the third ring, a man answered. “Hello?”
“Winterston, I have a job for you,” Ganon replied.
“Hey! Those pics are pretty hot, Mr. D. I can’t believe you keep that all to yourself.”
Ganon groaned in exasperation, tossing a new glare at Dora as she turned her face to hide. “I don’t pay you to jack off to my wife, idiot. I pay you to erase us from the internet. Now, do your job. Eliminate all traces of this incident by morning.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
Ganon did more than hang up the phone, he destroyed the device in his fist.
Frightened, Dora sincerely apologized. “I’m begging you, please find it in yourself to forgive me. If there is anything I can do to make it up to you, please just tell me.”
Without hesitation, he asked, “You wanted to spar tonight?”
“Y-yes,” she stammered.
“As soon as we get home, change into your armor. Be prepared to suffer.”
Chapter 6
The deep, square tub filled to the brim with water supported Dora’s throbbing limbs up to her neck. Every bone and muscle, including the ones she forgot existed, ached without end. Sharp pains sporadically shot through her body, leading to a grimace accompanied by a painful hiss. Jets of water all around the tub massaged her, but with the number of bruises she came away with, the pounding water did more harm than good. Dora cried out as she made an effort to pull her knees up and wrap her arms around her legs. Her breathing quickened to stop from screaming. The pain passed after she remained still for a moment, and then she rested her head forward on her knee.
Ganon practiced no restraint during that sparring match. The evil magic he suppressed during the day was released upon her completely. For a time, she held her own, determined to withhold from him the satisfaction of a victory. Even when she yielded, beaten and broken, her armor torn to pieces with almost none remaining, he proved just how weak and powerless she truly was compared to him.
Dora was abandoned, writhing on the floor after the practice turned punishment. There was no denying she had earned every bruise, cut, and magical wound. Ganon had warned her, and still she was careless. In the matter of minutes, she almost cost him everything they had worked for since finding freedom from the Sacred Realm. Anyone else would have been killed for that sort of insolent disobedience.
After lying on the floor, bleeding and suffering, for what must have been hours, Dora became certain he would leave her there to die. Ganon returned when she least expected. He was showered, rinsed away all her blood that stained him, and wore regular street clothes. As he lifted her mangled body from the floor, too tired and weak to resist, she curled into his torso with her head resting on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered, tears were caked to her cheeks.
“Still not a good enough reason to kill you,” he replied with firm reassurance.
Dora smiled slightly, recalling the warm memory from a few hours earlier.
Ganon had placed her in the tub before leaving, and she only crawled out when the wrinkles in her hands looked permanent. Once her skin was normal, she drew a second bath and soaked again, waiting for him to return. Her ability to heal could have mended her in hours, but he strictly forbid her from using it.
At last, she heard the door to the master bedroom open. Dora tilted her head up when Ganon appeared in the doorway to the bathroom. He wore an anxious expression that brought Dora concern.
“I found her.”
Dora’s next breath eluded her. “Then we must go now,” she exclaimed, and unfolded as she tried to stand. A fresh reminder of her recent discipline made her wince. She moved far enough to lean over the edge of the tub toward Ganon before all her strength was spent. “I want to go with you,” she implored.
“I know,” Ganon said, holding fast to his position in the doorway. Refusing to aid her felt callous, even to him, but all of it was a part of the lesson she needed to learn. “You have a few days to rest and recover.”
Afraid to know the truth, Dora timidly asked, “What happened to her?”
“Trafficking, just like the rest of them,” he answered solemnly.
A terrible scowl and a thirst for blood almost managed to erase all her pain. The urge to leap from the tub and wrap her hands around the throat of whoever sold the Gerudo for money was irresistible.
“She is being transferred between owners for a hefty amount of money. Knowing your daughter, this probably happens a lot, moving from one owner to another that believes they can tame her, only to fail. We’ll be intercepting the exchange.”
"I miss her," she said sadly, but with hope while staring up at his face of stone. "I can only imagine what she has been through."
"We'll bring her home," he promised gruffly.
Chapter 7
The abandoned warehouse off the shore of the lake was about an hour drive from the city. For the sake of being inconspicuous, Ganon drove one of his sports cars rather than being chauffeured by a limousine driver. Of all the creations that came about during his absence, cars and motorcycles were his favorite to collect. The roar of the engine while picking up speed, and the purr of the thousands of rotations per minute to maintain that high speed, satisfied him in a whole new way.
Ganon parked the car down the road behind a busy warehouse that packaged and shipped fish to the city markets. Dora swung open the elongated car door, standing up fluidly in a pair of pants with boots, and a tank top. From the trunk, she withdrew a quiver of fiberglass arrows that she strapped to her back. She unzipped a vinyl bag and hefted a mechanical bow, with wheels and braided strings, onto her shoulder. Armed, she followed Ganon around the warehouse and toward their destination. When they drew near the abandoned building, he waited behind while she moved ahead to clear the way.
The front door to a lobby and a set of large, aluminum sliding doors directly to the right were guarded by a man and woman. Dora hid behind a wooden fence overgrown with weeds as she meticulously aimed at the nearest target. While the first arrow zoomed through the air, she drew a second and let it fly. By the time the man turned to analyze what happened to his comrade, an arrow pierced his skull and he collapsed on top of her. Dora used one arm to scale the fence and landed quietly on her toes. With another arrow drawn back in the string, she sidled along the heavy doors to the narrow opening and slipped inside.
Three. Three men were posted to stand vigilant for trespassers. Dora eliminated the first by raising her bow to fire up at the catwalk. The arrow pierced his heart, killing him before he could scream. Two. The clang of his corpse hitting the elevated, metal path alerted his companions, urging them to investigate. Dora readied another arrow in preparation and hid behind a machine with a conveyor belt. The whispering footsteps were intensified by her heightened senses, as if she were a predator on the hunt to feed her cubs. Each step grew louder, until they were so close the quiet padding of feet shouted in her ears. The man peered around the corner. Dora fired an arrow up through his jaw and out the back of his skull. She hustled out of the way as the fresh corpse slumped forward. One. Another arrow yanked back in the string, she dropped all cover and approached her last victim from behind to shoot him through the neck. Ganon entered through the side door of the lobby while Dora collected her arrows. They met in the middle of the room, surrounded by the dilapidated equipment.
“I am going to the next level to snipe them from above,” she advised, shoving two arrows back into her quiver.
“I’ll head out back to negotiate. Dora, you haven’t lost your touch,” he praised.
She grinned with pride. “Sarqso. Let’s hope my distance game is on par with my stealth,” she said, and then disappeared up the stairs to the second floor office. Ganon locked his eyes on an open bay door at the back of the warehouse and marched toward his enemies.
Five more men awaited him behind the warehouse, and three of them drew guns at his sudden arrival. An arrow sang through the air with enough velocity to throw one man off his feet when it skewered his eyeball.
“Ganon, I’ve been waiting a long time for this day,” greeted the man in a grey business suit, unfazed by his subordinate’s sudden death.
“As have I, Domenik. Hand over my people and no one else gets hurt,” he replied, moving straight to business. The windows of a blue van, parked opposite a teal sedan, filled with tan faces of curious Gerudo, boys and girls, men and women. Ganon already knew their story: Children of current slaves being sold to new owners for a profit, either for labor or prostitution, and slaves who were too broken to complete their current work efficiently being sold to a new owner for different work for the same amount of pay, nothing. These Gerudo never saw a single rupee for their sacrifices. The trouble was, which Ganon avoided making obvious, his daughter was not among them.
“Oh, but I have been dying to have a long chat with you about a very troublesome slave. You see, there’s this one girl is never happy no matter what loving home I sell her to. She’s been purchased by several owners, only to be sold to another because of her disobedience,” Domenik explained, and turned to his car to open the back driver’s side door.
Dora peered out the window of the office to watch the Hylian rip Din out of the back seat of the teal car, and then throw her to the ground. She struggled to stand, using her elbows as leverage because her wrists were bound behind her back.
Domenik pressed his polished shoe to her face to hold her down. “She calls herself Gabriella Garfield. Not very creative, I know,” he mocked, as the girl screamed under his shoe. Ganon’s sculptured glare of hate never faltered. “The problem, Ganon, is that she’s been sold to all kinds of men, and even women, asking her to do simple things like have sex or work in a factory, but no matter who buys her the end result is the same. I’ve made an entire sales pitch just for her. I tempt people with the challenge of breaking her spirit, but when they can’t put her in her place I have to find someone else to buy her for even more money than the last. I’ve been playing this game for about ten years, and I’m sick of it!” Domenik removed his foot from her face and screamed at her, “Get up!” Silently defiant, she remained lying on the ground. Annoyed, the man obnoxiously laughed. “There’s a rumor going around that Gabby isn’t just a typical Gerudo, they say she resembles you. They’ve said she might be your daughter. Well, if that’s the case I’ve been giving everyone discounts.”
Ganon’s blood boiled and his glare expressed every ounce of his rage. “I’m taking all of them,” he advised, each word emphasized by his threatening tone. “All of these Gerudo are important, none more than any other.”
Another arrow soared out of the building, piercing one of the unarmed men between the shoulder blades. He crumpled to the ground beside a briefcase.
“Call off your bitch, Ganon,” Domenik yelled, his fury rising. “You just killed my client!”
“Release all the Gerudo immediately or my wife kills the rest of you,” Ganon said, smirking at his fear.
“I don’t think so. Go find her,” the Hylian ordered, sending the rest of his men to search the empty warehouse.
“You’ve just sent them to their death.”
“More money for me. You see that case? Five hundred thousand in there, and most of that is just for Gabby here.”
Ganon turned his head slightly to take notice of the leather case beside the corpse of the other businessman. As he did, Domenik snatched Din off the ground by her fiery hair and shoved her back into the car. She cried out, but not once for her mother or father to help. Domenik drew a handgun from within his jacket and pointed it at Ganon, while snatching the briefcase from the ground. “If you want your daughter, bring me five million rupees in paper money, and maybe we can negotiate.” He entered the driver’s seat of the running car and bolted out onto the road, disappearing in a hurry.
With hands balled into fists, Ganon jogged over to the van and slid open the side door. Dora was the least of his concerns at the moment. “Can any of you drive?”
“Yes,” a man answered, appearing to be the oldest. “I can.”
Ganon reached inside his pocket and revealed an electronic device that he handed to the new driver. “Take this van and go where the GPS tells you. There’s a man named Mo that works at the club. He can give you money, set you up with a place to live, and help you find your families,” Ganon advised, and began walking back toward the warehouse.
“Why are you doing this?”
He stopped and looked back at them, at the faces of the despondent and hopeless. Never did Ganon imagine the Gerudo could end up worse than thieves fighting for every scrap to survive. “In a time long forgotten I ruled the Gerudo, and they are still my people. I have fought since I was born to liberate them. The races of Hyrule may not be so divided now, but my people still suffer. I will end their suffering,” he promised. “Now, hurry.”
The Gerudo adolescent shifted inside the van to reach the driver’s seat and turned the key left behind in the ignition. “Thank you,” he called from the window, and then hit the gas to escape.
Ganon jumped back as another vehicle, his black car with two red stripes down the center, suddenly arrived and screeched to a halt directly beside him. “Oh no, out of the driver’s seat,” he yelled, not even needing to look to know who was behind the wheel.
“No. We are getting our daughter back right now, one way or another,” Dora roared ferociously.
He leaned over to look inside the open window of the passenger seat. Her hands were gripped around the wheel tightly enough to be attached to the car. “How is chasing them down going to accomplish that?”
Dora turned her yellow eyes to him at last and he found himself captivated by the fire burning within. “He won’t kill her because he stands to make a huge profit. Din can change her name but she still looks like a Dragmire. They know she’s your daughter. If they keep her, they’ll play mind games with us, they’ll do unspeakable things to her if they haven’t already. I want to chop them into pieces and listen to their tortured screams as they die.”
Incapable of arguing with his wife’s emotions, Ganon acquiesced and entered the passenger’s seat. “Try to avoid as many objects as possible.”
Chapter 8
Dora shoved the clutch to the floor and shifted the car into first gear to gradually pull out onto the main road from the side street beside the warehouse. She spun the wheel left to follow Domenik toward the highway, and then stomped on the gas to catch up with him.
Irritated by Dora’s inexperienced driving, Ganon decided to converse with her and unravel her barely formed thoughts. “Let’s discuss this plan of yours, in detail. I want to rip his throat out just as badly as you, perhaps worse, but we must not act irrationally.”
“Trust me, I’ve been debating the best method of death for him since he shoved her on the ground,” Dora replied instantaneously. “I knew he would take her for ransom, that greedy bastard. I have to keep reminding myself that my options are limited because I could endanger Din’s life.”
“And what conclusion have you drawn?”
“We need to follow him, but without being detected or he might start shooting at us. Do you know where he’s going? Can we beat him there?” she wondered.
“That depends. How many guns did you bring?”
“Enough,” she answered, still curious, eyes transfixed on the road.
“He owns a house in the city with his family, but he’s leading us toward another location on the beach. We can take an alternate route and beat him there if you can drive fast enough without killing us. Are you up to the challenge?” he taunted.
Dora grinned evilly. “Yes.”
Ganon produced his phone and typed in the address, manually creating a route to Domenik’s second home. “Take the left turn about a mile out.”
Dora drove as fast as she could on the main road without coming into view of the teal vehicle. The left turn led to a dirt road, giving her trouble with control and handling around the sharp turns. After sliding into the other lane a few times, she adjusted her determined grip on the wheel for better control to manage each curve. The road through the woods turned to pavement and winded along the side of a mountain, eventually descending into a small village on the beach. As instructed, Dora sped up a hill where she parked the car to keep it concealed until they were done.
“We only have a few minutes,” Ganon said, hurrying out of the car as if it might implode. “I’m driving us home,” he advised, leaving no room for questions.
Dora lifted the switch that popped the trunk as she stepped out of the car. Ganon already removed the coat to his suit in exchange for a belt holster with two pistols. He lifted a rifle and offered it to her, but she pushed it back toward him. “I’m taking my bow,” she said stubbornly.
“Take this as back up,” he ordered, handing her a small handgun that she tucked into the back of her pants. The glare she gave him expressed that adhering to his request was under protest.
Dora stalked toward the house through the palm trees, her mechanical bow relaxed at her side. “Survivors?” she inquired.
“Kill to your heart’s content, my love.”
“As you wish.”
Dora continued through the large ferns native to the beach, stopping every few yards to check the windows of the two-story house for signs of life. The front door was painted light blue like the sunny sky to welcome guests, with exotic flowers planted in small gardens around the yard, and the front exterior gave the impression of a home for an ordinary person. Dora knocked three times, and then drew back an arrow in preparation.
The metal door swung open quickly, and the man answering was ready to pull the trigger of his gun. The bullet missed, thrown off trajectory by the impact of the arrow that sank into his chest. Ganon moved ahead of her into the kitchen, gun cocked.
Together, they stormed the home, greeted by three more bodyguards residing on the property that came running at the sound of the gun. The first was encountered in the den, furnished nicely with a white persian rug and a white leather reclining couch with matching chairs. Dora left a growing stain on the carpet after lodging an arrow in the guard's throat before he could fire. The other two came bounding from the second floor. Ganon shot the first, the bullet meeting with his enemy’s skull and sending him tumbling over the banister to the first floor. Both Gerudo threw themselves out of sight when the last man appeared, wielding an automatic gun. He pulled the trigger and sprayed the entire living room. Dora raced back into the kitchen, Ganon hastening toward the deck. The bodyguard chose to follow the woman. She waited around the corner, and when he entered she yanked him onto a headlock. He struggled to aim his gun, not wanting to shoot himself with how close they were. Instead, he shot at the floor toward her feet. He missed, but only because she released him to save her toes. An elbow crashed into Dora’s chin, knocking her senses out of alignment long enough that he snatched her throat. “Well, well, well who do we have here? I think my boss would throw me a special bonus if I kept you alive long enough make a profit off you.”
“Fuck you, dickhead,” Dora choked, kicking her leg at him to make him back away, but the distance between them disappeared as he drew in closer to pin her to the fridge.
“I’d show some respect if I were you,” he hissed, lifting the tip of his rifle and pressing it hard into her shoulder.
“Do it, shit head, unless you don’t have the balls for it,” she snarled. His finger tensed, tempted by the insult, but he knew she was worth more uninjured. “I didn’t think so.”
A bang deafened her. The man’s painful howls rivaled the volume of the explosion. He dropped his rifle, pressing both hands to his bloodied crotch. Ganon arrived in time to see the man collapsed to his knees before Dora, the small gun clutched in her hand. “What did you do?” he asked in shock.
“He threatened me so I shot his cock off,” she said, throwing out an open hand as if the answer was obvious.
“Dora,” he scolded, his voice an octave higher than usual.
“What?!”
Ganon used his gun to indicate the man moaning and writhing on the hardwood floor in agony. “Just put him out of his misery,” he commanded.
“Alright,” she whined, and fired a bullet into her victim’s head, silencing him. “Better?”
“Yes,” he shuttered, moving across the kitchen to drag the corpse inside and close the front door.
“He’s here,” Dora said with great anticipation, after hearing the engine of the car.
“He’s pulling into the garage on the side. We’ll wait in the den,” Ganon ordered, and moved with her into the next room. Dora climbed the stairs, arrow ready and pointed down over the banister. Cries of pain echoed through the hall as Domenik approached, prisoner in tow. He moved through the house using an entrance from inside the garage. “Kaylip, guess what? I have a present for you,” he shouted, barging into the den to look for his men.
“Welcome home,” Ganon said, lifting his gun to take aim.
Domenik found two of his bodyguards bleeding into his white carpet, while Ganon stood there entirely unharmed. “What a bunch of useless…” Dora stopped from firing in the same instant that Domenik spun around to find her. “I knew it. Ganon never goes anywhere without his attack dog. Do you have my money?”
“Does it look like we came here to negotiate?” Dora questioned darkly.
“That’s too bad. I was really hoping to have a pleasant business experience with the two of you. Instead, we have ourselves a beautiful family reunion. It’d be a shame if any of you were to die!” Domenik tore his gun from his shoulder holster, and Dora simultaneously shifted her aim just an inch to the left. Her sight down the tip of the arrow lined up to where his wrist would be with his arm fully extended. The arrow hit, piercing the tangle of thick, blue veins passing through the underside of his wrist. The gun dropped from his lame hand, silently bouncing into the rug at his feet. His grasp weakened by pain, Din hurried to duck out of the way when Ganon squeezed the trigger.
Domenik refused to go down with blood spilling out of the entry wound in his chest. Ganon fired another bullet that ripped through his victim’s skull. The lifeless body crumbled to the floor, adding another red stain to the once spotless carpet.
Dora jumped and swung her legs over the banister in one swift motion, coming to a confident landing beside Din. Ganon walked toward them, sheathing his gun in exchange for a knife, as Dora lay her bow on the floor to help Din back to her feet. He unfolded the knife and Dora held Din’s arms stiff while he slipped the blade between her hands to cut through the plastic tie binding her wrists. The instant her hands were free, mother and daughter wrapped each other in a tight embrace.
Ganon noticed the dried blood and incisions around Din’s wrists, leading him to question how long she had been restrained by the plastic handcuffs and exactly what happened to his princess.
Dora’s arms locked behind Din’s back as her daughter submitted to the love pouring from her mother’s soul. Din’s weight was welcomed, and Dora would have supported her forever, but their time was limited. A short hug was all they could steal until they were safe at home. Din stepped back, standing of her own strength. Dora lovingly placed her hands on the sides of Din’s face, staring into her shame filled eyes for an inkling of the tragedies that befell her during the absence of her mother and father. “You can tell me everything when you’re ready. For now, let’s take you home,” Dora said, a comforting tone naturally returning to her.
Ganon waited by the door leading to the kitchen during their reunion, allowing time enough to express their emotions he could never quite understand. Imagining that his daughter was treated like a harlot, or a mindless slave, opened a new river of hatred in his soul. Din walked up to him with a limp. He absorbed her condition in more detail, from her ragged clothing to the discoloration of her bruised skin. She hugged her father around his waist, the same as she had done since she was a child, and welcomed his strong, supportive arms around her shoulders. “Thank you for being my hero again, Dad,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Death was too good for him,” Ganon remarked coldly, and turned with Din leaning on him to escort her outside. Dora picked up her bow and followed close behind, snatching up her used arrows along the way.
Dora eased her daughter into the back seat of the sports car, and then closed the door. “I heard about your conquest of the human trafficking empire, to save the Gerudo. You spread hope to all your people, just like you always do,” Din said, a broken smile lighting her face, as her parents entered the car. “I want to help. I am more than willing to do anything to save more of us.”
“All of the trafficking leaders have been eliminated. Now, we liberate the rest of the Gerudo. With my campaign coming up, I can think of no other better suited to take over that task,” Ganon advised, shifting the car into gear to drive home.
“Campaign? You’re running for president?” Din wondered.
“Are you surprised?” Dora laughed.
“Not at all. I expect you to win the election by any means necessary.”
“Of course,” he said, smirking.
Chapter 9
Hours later, when dusk nestled into the alleys of the city, the Dragmires sat near one another at the end of an oak dining table to share a meal together for the first time in many years. The employed Gerudo chef delivered the entrees, and then granted them their requested privacy. Every door to the dining room was closed, forest green curtains drawn, and the room lit by the crystal chandeliers hanging low from the cathedral ceiling. Dora assisted without complaint to wash away the dirt stuck to her daughter’s tan skin, and untangle her red hair with much screaming involved. Din chose one of her mother’s long, elegant dresses for dinner.
“After little Ganon was born, we resided in Gerudo Town and Felious took over as chief. We encouraged their growth with the help of the Yiga. Hyrule was left without a leader, so the Hylians elected the next one by popular vote. Their opinions were based on the performance of the candidates during reconstruction. You might consider that the first ever campaign. Felious tried but the Hylians chose one of their own, and they had the majority vote. The first supposed president was in charge for many years, until a party of individuals rebelled, demanding terms for leaders that would give everyone a chance. Shortly after, we witnessed our first Rito president, a Zora, and even a Goron.”
“No Gerudo,” Dora noted.
“Never. We tried, but we always lost. People were too afraid. Eventually, a group of businessmen decided to make it so we could never try again, by kidnapping families and selling us to the highest bidder,” Din explained, tone filled with resentment.
“Din, how long has it been?” Ganon asked directly.
“One hundred and sixty-eight years.”
Dora’s eyes widened and she nearly choked. “That’s it? But there’s TV, cell phones, and internet, even running water. How is that all possible in such a short time?”
“Because of you,” Din answered sincerely, looking from her mom to her dad with yellow eyes full of admiration. “You made them realize that clinging to the old goddesses was foolish. Letting go of Hylia and the three goddesses, with the support of a few decent leaders, helped open the way to new technology and the growth never stopped. Hyrule just exploded over night.”
“Using these advancements, I have built networks that track down anyone in possession of Gerudo. We can begin searching for Felious and your son tomorrow, if you can fill in a few blanks,” Ganon advised.
“You won’t find Felious. He was killed.”
Dora dropped her silverware onto her plate and stared at Din in disbelief.
“At first we went into hiding. The others tried to keep our location a secret. It was all in vain. They came straight to the source and raided Gerudo Town. It was only a matter of time before they found us. Felious stood up to them,” Din explained, her voice cracking with the strain of fighting off tears. Her hands clutching a fork and knife trembled. “Eventually he was just shot and killed. They didn’t consider him to be worth all the trouble of keeping him alive. I came up with a fake name, gave my son one too, and we were taken into separate prisons.” Din leaned back in her chair, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “If he knew what happened to me, he would have hunted every last one of them down until they were all dead,” she said, forcing a laugh. “ I never really grieved him with constantly fighting to survive so his death would not be pointless. I miss him very much, and he would be so grateful that you’ve returned.”
Dora and Ganon remained silent, allowing Din to mourn while they exchanged glances of remorse. Din covered her mouth with one hand, fork still held loosely in the other as she struggled to find enough composure that would allow her to eat the delicious food with the family she terribly missed.
“We will claim revenge in his name,” Ganon swore, his voice disconnected from the sorrow of the situation. Din smiled with gratitude.
Dora offered a new direction for her daughter's thoughts. "Do you know what happened to Ganondorf?"
"He works in the mines far below Death Mountain," she answered.
"The mines? Security is high there," she recalled.
"That's why he was taken there. He grew up to be strong, just like his father and grandfather, and the work there is hardest. If a Gerudo is sold there, it is almost promised that they will not return."
"What about the Gorons? They have always mined for ore. That was their way of life."
"As Hyrule advanced, so did they, and is it any surprise they eventually passed the labor on to someone else so they could sit back and make a profit?"
Dora shook her head, blatantly disgusted.
Din smiled kindly at her mother's naivety as a result of her inexperience in the way of the current world. "Oh, but Dad, you would be so proud of him. Everyone always said that he resembled you, and that he was gifted the Dragmire fire. I am eager for you to finally meet your grandson."
“Until then, you will be given your very own home to settle in and then I’ll give you everything you need to take over the search for the rest of the Gerudo,” Ganon instructed.
“Din, take as much time as you need to recover,” her mother insisted. “You have been through so much.”
“No, I want to start immediately. I can’t rest until I know there are no other Gerudo that suffer as I have,” she protested.
Dora smiled warmly. “I am proud of you.”
“If you insist," Ganon said with a smirk. "After dinner your mother can provide you a guest room and we will start first thing tomorrow morning,” he instructed.
Chapter 10
“The styles of fashion the Hylians have come up with recently is nothing short of disgusting,” Dora complained, flipping through a magazine she stole from the office of the news station. The entire family had been requested to go on the news about the story of Din’s heroic escape and to clear up a few misunderstandings from the sketchy police report. “There is no significance to any of these clothes, no purpose. This girl can barely walk in those shoes. Is she wearing a chandelier on her head?”
Da-ding.
The email notification interrupted Dora’s tangent, music to Ganon’s ears. He drew his phone from his pocket and read the email he received. Leaning over to look at the small screen, Dora asked, “Chuk? He wants to meet?”
Before Ganon said anything to her, he slid the screen around to dial a contact. The phone up to his ear when the person answered, he said, “Is that email-”
“It’s legit.”
“Good.”
The person on the other end of the phone started talking before Ganon could disconnect. “Hey, Mr. D, can I save a few of those pics for personal use? You know, as payment for deleting them from all of the internet?”
“You know the answer to that, Winterston. If I find you saved even a byte of one I’ll castrate you,” Ganon threatened darkly, glare hardening on the seat across from him.
The man on the other end of the connection remained silent for several seconds. “Yes, Mr. D.”
He terminated the call with a hard press on the red ‘End Call’ button but the phone remained intact. “Din, are you interested in sabotaging the Goron’s mining operation?” Her eyes lit up, ears perking as her smile widened. “I received an email from Chuk, the Goron boss, that he wants to meet this evening.”
“I bet he heard about Domenik,” she noted.
“He’s afraid and wants to bargain before he becomes the next victim. This is our opportunity to take the drug cartel under our control,” Dora realized with excitement.
“Precisely. While Dora and I meet with him, you will infiltrate the mines and help the slaves to escape. The world will be reminded of the power of my Gerudo warriors.”
The limousine drove up to the curb out front of a three story business building with small, square windows and double doors that were barred shut and guarded . One of the two Gorons dressed in bulky bullet proof vests abandoned the door and stepped up to the limo. He opened the door and Ganon exited, dressed in a sharp, black business suit. Dora appeared at his side, wearing a crimson dress, cut low in the front and back but the skirt reached her ankles.
A Goron guard patted Ganon’s torso and legs to check for concealed weapons, and then stepped sideways to search Dora. Sharply, Ganon barked, “Touch my wife and you’ll regret your next breath.” The guard’s hands paused before contacting with the flesh of the woman’s chest. He pulled his hands back and raised them up in surrender. “Follow me,” he grunted, then turned to lead the guest’s inside.
They followed their escort down wide corridors that accommodated the girth of the Gorons, walls painted earthy brown, and then through a doorway tall enough that Ganon did not need to duck. Dim, yellow lights installed in the drop ceiling glowed to offer enough light for the crystals of the rare gems and rocks from the mines to glimmer. They mesmerized Dora. Rather than joining her husband at the single desk in the room, she inspected a precious sapphire resting on a pillow atop a narrow stand.
A slim Goron, wearing a green vest and pants, stood behind the white desk, a computer monitor between him and his guest. Ganon accepted the leather seat when his host gestured, finding it was far too wide for even his muscular frame. He sat straight on the edge of the seat, feet flat on the floor. “Chuk, it’s an honor to be welcomed into your office,” he greeted with a smirk.
“Ganon, yes. This meeting is long overdue,” Chuk agreed. With forced pleasantry, he motioned toward a plate on the desk and asked, “Care for a snack?” The food he offered was small pieces of stone that looked like bite sized chocolate.
Raising an eyebrow, Ganon ignored this offer and moved straight to the point. “My sources indicate that you possess a high number of Gerudo slaves, anywhere from twelve to fifteen,” he informed, gaze locked on Chuk’s expression. “I agreed to meet so that we might discuss their freedom.”
Chuk immediately laughed. “Absolutely not. Quite the opposite, I’m afraid. Do not act so naive. The death of Domenik was quick to reach the ears of his customers. I do not fear you because I have leverage. In exchange for leaving my slaves, I guarantee your presidency.”
Stunned silence followed that unsettled Dora’s nerves. She shifted her eyes away from a masterfully cut amethyst crystal, back still facing the center of the room and mind intently focused on the conversation.
Ganon chuckled. “How do you plan to accomplish that?”
“If I told you it would ruin the surprise,” Chuk replied, smile wide. “The only hint I’ll give you is that I’m an influential Goron.”
Dora knew winning this election was everything to Ganon. Since escaping the Sacred Realm, all of his effort was focused on becoming a powerful force in the corporate industry that controlled Hyrule. Her false interest in the crystal faded, rotating slightly to watch how Ganon would respond.
“What’s with the hesitation? Think of all the power that comes along with being president of Hyrule,” Chuk goaded. “You’ll basically be king.”
Ganon’s interest was piqued but he kept his own interests in mind. “There is one that must be freed. My grandson, Ganondorf, is enslaved in your mines. He will be immediately released and united with his mother.”
“No,” Chuk answered instantly. “He is too valuable.”
“Valuable? Yet he is a prisoner, paid nothing for his endless hours of work in your mines,” Dora snapped, taking one intimidating step forward. “He toils to harness the rubies that make your drugs and overflow your pockets while he slowly dies of poison! I refuse your offer. Either you give us Ganondorf and we accept your bargain, or you become my next victim,” she threatened, tone darkening.
The guard standing at the door moved closer to Dora as a warning. Chuk laughed with a more sinister tone. “Ah, that’s the vicious Dora I was hoping to meet. Your wife is a trophy, Ganon. Domenik often spoke of how if he could capture her and sell her he could retire.”
“Fine,” she shouted. “Take me in exchange for Ganondorf!”
“Dora,” Ganon scolded at her repugnant offer, glaring at her icily.
“Now, now, let the woman speak. She’s the only one of you making sense right now,” Chuk interjected.
“You heard me! Release Ganondorf and I will work the mines in his place,” she repeated.
“This is madness,” Ganon exclaimed.
Ignoring him, Chuk hummed and said, “This presents great possibilities. She’s still physically strong. Production might decrease but there’s a market out there for a beautiful Gerudo woman posing in magazines. I could run an entire segment on her. Dora, wife of the millionaire Ganon Dragmire, mines nude for your rubies. We could even make an exhibition out of it. Miner by day, slut by night.”
Negotiations were out of Ganon’s control and he needed to take the reins once more. “That is not an offer, no matter what my wife says.”
“Oh? Then what about her?” Chuk’s large hand took hold of his monitor and spun it completely around for Ganon to see.
Dora gasped. “Din.”
On the top right quadrant of screen showing one of the cameras in the mine, Ganon saw Din was captured by a Goron guard.
Chapter 11
Ganon and Dora watched on the other quadrants of the monitor as the other slaves in the mine were already fighting back against the Gorons for their freedom.
“It’s obvious this arrangement to meet was a farce,” Chuk said, tone losing all kindness. “A distraction for your real motive. Forget my offer to ensure your victory in the election. Now, I’m going to make you work the mines alongside your people, and exploit your wife and daughter for profit!”
The Goron guard reached out to Dora with one more step and snatched her arms. He dragged her toward the door, overpowering her on sheer strength alone. His grip slipped, allowing Dora to yank her arm free. Her fist flew through the air toward the guard’s face. The force was so hard he reeled back, clutching his head. He returned the favor by raising his hand and striking Dora across her face. Her shriek was only rivaled by the crunch of Ganon’s fist crashing through the monitor, shattering the screen and denting the desk of flimsy particle board. The already dim room darkened, the energy and light in the room suffocating. The air became tainted, infected by the darkness and not breathable. Ganon raised his hand, tendrils of dark magic flicking in sporadic directions as if craving a victim. The Goron moved to lift Dora’s unconscious body from the floor at the same time Ganon thrust his hand at him, arm fully extended to direct his powers. The guard was petrified with pain by the tendrils of magic that pierced his flesh, wrapping around and entangling him. He yelled in horror.
“Ganon!”
“Hand over your entire business to me and I will permit him to live!”
Chuk hesitated, unwilling to lose his profit to save a life.
The Goron’s screams echoed through the room and halls as evil and hatred devoured his flesh, leaving holes in his skin. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, the whites of his eyes gradually turning black. He collapsed, begging despite the excruciating pain. “Please, stop! I don’t want to die!”
“You should have considered the consequences before you struck my wife,” Ganon shouted, outraged. The evil energy concentrated around his victim’s skull. With a final scream, the Goron’s head burst, eyes falling from their sockets to the floor, blood draining through the ears and mouth. When the corpse collapsed, his brain could be seen where the skull ruptured, spilling internal fluids onto the carpet. Though Ganon’s attack was successful, the hatred consuming the room increased. Ganon lowered his hand, stepping sideways to twist and face the Goron boss. Chuk struggled to breathe, his knees failing and weak from terror. An orb of swirling darkness that devoured the light around it appeared in Ganon’s hand and he reached across the desk to hold it close to Chuk’s face. “I’ll do the same to every Goron in your employment while you watch if you don’t surrender everything to me. Can you really live with yourself knowing it was your greed that killed them? Made their children orphans?”
Chuk could only respond by shaking his head.
“Good. I will have paid employees working the mines. You keep quiet about this and I will give you a generous portion of the profit, while you live comfortably in your home. If you whisper a word of this to anyone you will learn why this is but a sample of the suffering I can deliver.”
Ganon recalled his power and the room brightened once more. There was an audible, forced swallow, and the Goron boss confessed in a trembling voice, “I- I can’t really g-guarantee you’ll w-win the election.”
Chuckling, Ganon raised an eyebrow at Chuk. “Oh, you’re admitting that you’re useless?”
“What? No. No! I can still use my influence to make sure the people I know vote for you,” he desperately added, realizing his mistake.
Ganon’s power flared, manifesting as a great, jagged sword comprised of pulsing red and black energy. The magical blade hovered directly in front of his face, bobbing and rotating slowly. “I can gain their support without your help by becoming the next boss of this drug cartel scheme you failed to run. Rather than wasting my product I will distribute it to everyone, to the addicted fiends and the hospitals that need it for medicine. Over the years, since my return, I have watched you make multiple mistakes and I will rectify them all. This is the final piece I needed to solidify my presidency. This is your penalty for trying to deceive the King of Evil.” The sword catapulted forward over the desk and impaled Chuk in the center of his chest without resistance. Then it vanished, leaving no trace of a weapon to blame for the cause of death, and Chuk collapsed forward to bleed all over his desk.
Ganon crossed the room steadily with long strides and scooped Dora up from the floor. Her head lulled as he positioned her across his torso, and then proceeded to exit the office building. The chaos outside was a symphony of reassurance. Suddenly, the door to the limo opened from the inside, Ganon noting the tan skin of the hand pushing the door open. He bent down, carefully sliding Dora into the seat without knocking her head. He set her upright beside him before looking across at a mirror image of himself. “You must be Ganondorf.”
The man opposite him nodded curtly. “An honor to finally meet the great king who I am named after. Mom bragged about you often.”
“Yes, you are named after me. I wasn’t given much say in the matter considering my absence,” Ganon replied, irritated but calm. “Never dishonor my legacy,” he added, tone dark and threatening all of a sudden.
Din entered the limo, taking up a seat beside her son. Upon noticing her mother’s unconscious state, she gasped. “Goddesses, what happened?”
“Chuk spotted you on the cameras and a guard tried to capture her. Because she fought back he struck her, but of course he no longer lives. Neither does Chuk,” Ganon explained, leaning back in his seat as the limo pulled forward. He rested his arm around Dora, holding her close.
Din wondered, “Now what?”
“I’ll provide the two of you a home and you can continue helping the Gerudo find the same. My campaign will proceed, and I will win the election. That’s the easy part. The challenge is to maintain the public’s favor to ensure my presidency continues until I transition the system back to a monarchy.”
Chapter 12
A midnight blue, two door sports car cruised along the round driveway made of brick and concrete, slowing to the curb where a valet waited for her to shift the car into park. The driver’s side door opened, and a woman with caramel skin kissed by the sun stepped out from the seat one long leg at a time. A rose perfume emanated from within, originating from the woman that stood tall once extended to full height. She wore a red and black strapless dress that stopped at her knees and was littered with sequins. All she carried was a small, black clutch when she swiftly rounded the car and walked along the wide sidewalk path to the mansion. Two large, rectangular pools of water decorated the front yard, with grand fountains rising from the center. Zora swam among the pools, popping their heads out to greet the guest.
“Mistress Dragmire, a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance,” called the voice of a young man. A Zora emerged from the water completely, dripping excess water as he approached her. His primary scales were pale green, the rest a shimmering turquoise blue. “My name is Tole, butler of this household. Allow me to escort you inside. Miss Noble is looking forward to your dinner!” He pivoted completely around on his heel, dorsal fin lifting up from his spine and then falling back in place. Dora followed quietly.
Tole threw open a set of oak double doors painted to look as old and faded as the wood in the sacred forest. The deep blue carpets gave the perception that Dora walked on the bottom of the lake, and the walls were painted light blue with oil brushed bubbles to enhance the underwater image. The glow of the crystal chandelier hanging over the long glass dining table shone pure white and glistened across the room through other crystals hanging from the ceiling. Hylian men stood around the room, wearing slacks and white, button down dress shirts, posted as guards. Dora grinned and curiously asked, “Am I considered a threat?”
“Absolutely not, Mistress Dragmire. These guards are standard for Miss Noble, for her protection,” Tole explained, escorting Dora directly to her prearranged seat at the table.
“Ah, Ganondora, what a pleasure it is to welcome you into my home,” Anita greeted with a warm smile.
“Yes, Anita, this visit is long overdue. You may have the honor of calling me by my shortened name. Dora will be fine,” she replied, matching the Zora’s warm tone.
“Fantastic, Dora,” she laughed warmly. With a snap of her fingers, the butler disappeared through a set of swinging double doors. Moments later, several Zora appeared carrying covered trays. “Help yourself. I employ the best chefs in all of Hyrule,” Anita prouldy advised.
Dora drew her eyes away from the red Zora presidential candidate and watched her food being delivered. The lids were removed with one quick motion, revealing a steaming plate of vegetables with bits of cow added. “This smells incredible,” she complimented energetically.
“Excellent. You’ll find a Noble Pursuit awaits you. I believe that’s a traditional Gerudo drink, correct?”
“Correct,” Dora answered, reaching for the drink to take a sip the moment it was mentioned. She lifted one of the silver forks beside the tray and pierced a single green vegetable to begin her meal.
“I truly am grateful for your visit. It’s important for girls to get out once in a while,” she said, teasing.
“Let us not forget that much of my life was spent separated from my husband,” Dora reminded, forcing a kind tone.
“Yes, absolutely. My apologies, that was callous. Seems only logical that you would want to spend as much time with him as possible,” Anita said with genuine sincerity.
With a nod, Dora accepted her apology and took another drink. “No harm done.”
“I for one have never been satisfied in settling down with just one man.”
Dora glanced around the room at the Hylian men posted at every door and nearly every window. Suddenly, it seemed their roles were not limited to sentry.
“I keep a close eye on those numbers. They waver everyday but never far,” the Zora explained, fluidly continuing to the next subject while nibbling at her own food. “This is the closest race for president since the elections began!”
“Election day is only a week away, but much could change between now and then. The voters know who to choose if they want to make Hyrule great again.”
Anita laughed richly, but not so abruptly or loud to be offensive. “Ganon may have returned and started conquering Hyrule like he always does, but this is a different world now, with different rules. Money talks. Since I’m descended from Zora royalty, I inherited all of it.”
“I’m beginning to understand,” Dora said with a broad, devious grin that she attempted to hide behind her glass while taking another drink. “This is a personal vendetta for you. Ruto, Mipha, and Sidon. You cannot bear to see the man and woman who brought their deaths win this election over you.”
“Very clever, Dora,” Anita said, wiping the corners of her mouth with a white napkin. “As you say, the voters will know who to choose.”
“No matter the outcome, I know that you and Ganon have Hyrule’s best interests in mind and we can work together for a better future. Din has filled me in on most events since much of Castle Town was destroyed during the attack.”
“It was devastating. The scars can still be felt. Because of that, because of you and your husband, we realized the Goddesses only held us back from our potential. Now, we are free of their bindings and rapidly evolving,” Anita said with a smile, praising Dora. “The only question, and what the election is truly about, is who is the best visionary to continue leading the way?”
Dora drank from her glass, keeping her eyes straight on Anita but her vision blurred. The drink was stronger than she remembered. Her arms felt like dead weight and she exerted much effort to continue eating.
“Dora? Oh my, you aren’t looking so well.”
“I’m fine,” she argued, continuing her meal. “Why exactly did you invite me to dinner?”
“Nothing more than a chat, my friend. Of course, I would love to hear you say you might convince Ganon that I’m the better visionary, but we all know that won’t be the case,” Anita answered pleasantly, orange eyes unblinking.
“Though Hyrule might have reached a new age, betrayal looks the same,” Dora advised, her thoughts difficult to piece together. Once an image was made it immediately burst into pieces again. Standing, she added, “Were I to say that, I’d be considered a traitor and Ganon does not take kindly to them.” Every bit of Dora’s spirit told her to leave at once, warning of imminent danger. This feeling was more than inebriation from the strength of alcohol. Some other chemical hindered her normal function.
The slightest smirk pulled at Anita’s pink lips. “Perhaps you had too much drink, Dora. I think you should sit down.” As if predicting her orders, three Hylian men were there behind Dora, holding her arms and shoulders to force her back into the seat.
Every muscle in her torso tensed, ready to fight. “Leverage, ransom, whatever your plan with me, it will fail,” Dora shouted, her lips peeling back into a snarl with eyes staring blankly ahead.
Anita gracefully stood from her seat, smoothing out the wrinkles in the white, translucent dress resting over her slim torso. “No, Dora, nothing of the sort. You will help me win the election, whether you like it or not. Maybe Ganon will do me a favor and eliminate you for me, after you single-handedly destroy his reputation.”
Dora began to fade in and out of consciousness. Suddenly, her neck was gripped by one hand, and another shoved her jaw back to point her chin at the ceiling. A cool, glass vial was placed to her lips and a red liquid ran down her throat. She stood, throwing her arms to attack the bodyguards, and then nothing.
Chapter 13
“I’ll be fine. I’m a Gerudo warrior, remember?”
The last words she spoke before driving away in Ganon’s favorite sports car, with an engine that purred even at the highest speed. A Gerudo warrior was sufficient for a forgotten time. This age of technology was dangerous for Dora, yet he permitted her to go to dinner alone.
And she never came home.
Inseparable. That was how everyone viewed them.
A dynamic duo, terrible twosome, but no matter what the public tried to call them no titles fit them like the King and Queen of Evil, the one they shared for thousands of years. If he spent the next millenia searching he would never find a woman as faithful and loyal as Ganondora.
A pit like a canyon opened up in his stomach and no matter how he tried could not build a bridge to cross the gap.
Ganon’s cell phone rang. Thoughtlessly, he folded his hand around the device strapped to a case on his belt and slid his thumb along the green button while he raised it to his ear.
“Mr. D!”
That was not the voice of a goddess he prayed to hear. Irritated, he replied, “What?”
“I’m trying my best, but I can’t keep ahead of them.”
“What in the name of Demise are you talking about, Winterston?”
“You don’t know? Turn on the news,” he said, turning fearful.
Ganon picked up the remote to the den television and smashed the power button. The flat screen came to life with scrolling images. He failed to breathe for nearly a minute while he watched. Dora arrived at dinner looking gorgeous for the paparazzi, and then was escorted behind closed doors where the cameras were not allowed to follow. In the next photo, Dora posed, holding a handgun beside a picture of Ganon with a bullet hole between the eyes. The grin on her face was devious and proud. The severity increased, becoming more incriminating with each image on display to anyone watching the morning news. A picture of Dora dancing on a table in a lounge, while a group of Hylian men wearing slacks sat on a round couch and enjoyed the show. In the next snapshot, her dress had fallen, and the media was required to censor her bosom but not the two shirtless men.
The female anchor’s voice cut across Ganon’s mind, interrupting the scenes he imagined that followed the last picture. “It would seem the lovely Dora Dragmire, wife of presidential candidate Ganon Dragmire, is not quite the perfect wife we all imagined. Here are photos posted to her social media of what happens when left to her own devices. And these are the only ones suitable for live television.” One more image appeared of a pool in front of Anita’s mansion, where it was obvious Dora swam among the Zora and Hylians, all of them completely nude. “It stands to wonder, is she the kind of first lady we want at our president’s side? And is this an indication of the candidate’s true personality? Too many questions and not enough answers.”
Ganon felt his numbers of popularity sink as fast as his soul.
“Mr. D,” Winterston began. “You know--”
Ganon cut him off, finding his breath but furious. “Did these images come from her phone?”
“I’ve already looked into it, and yes. Her phone might have been hacked,” he suggested.
“Where is her phone now?”
“One sec,” the tech expert on the other end of the cell phone said. More than one second passed and it wore on Ganon’s patience. Just as he was about to yell, Winterston exclaimed, “Found it! Still at Anita’s mansion?”
“Wait,” Ganon ordered when a chime in his ear indicated an incoming message that he needed to immediately check. “I just received a text from her phone warning me that she’ll do it again if I don’t drop out of the race.”
“Shit! I’m shutting her phone down and wiping her wall!”
“Do not erase the images from her profile. That would be too suspicious.”
“You got it. Her phone is done,” Winterston confirmed. “Now what are you going to do?”
“Expose them.”
“Well, whatever you do, or however you do it, Mr. D, keep Dora safe. She’d never sabotage your campaign. I’ve been working for you two a long time and everyone is jealous of how much she loves you.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that,” Ganon snapped. “I’ve got calls to make before this spirals out of control!”
“I’ll let you know if I find anything useful,” the hacker said despondently, then disconnected.
“Din! Ganondorf!” His blood boiled just beneath the surface. The two that he summoned raced into the room, startled by his anger.
“Daddy, calm down,” Din urged, placing her hands on Ganon’s forearms. “What happened?”
“Your mother is missing,” he explained, looking at Din with a harsh glare. “If media asks, you have no comment on the situation. This publicity will ruin everything.” Ganon lifted his phone to look at the screen, tapping and swiping until he reached Dora’s media page. He offered the phone to Din, who accepted and perused the images.
Concern growing, her voice rose in pitch and octave. “Well, what are you going to do?”
“If I can expose them and prove they manipulated her into these actions by unlawful means, I’ll gain more popularity than before because I’ll have the public’s sympathy.”
“To do that, you’ll need to find her first,” Ganondorf added. “Do you think she is at Anita’s place still?”
Before Ganon could respond, his phone made a two-tone chime. “An email,” Din advised. Then a second notification, a third, and then another. “You two worry about Mother. I’ll handle the press,” she firmly assured. Ganondorf hurried to the door that led to the garage, but Din stopped her father for a second. She looked up into his cold gaze, jaw tense and holding a scowl. “Dad, this isn’t your fault. Mom’s innocent.”
Ganon’s breath left frost in the air from his words that carried on a tone filled with loathing.“When I have Anita in my grasp, I will make her suffer nightmares until she begs for death and then I will deny her that luxury.”
Chapter 14
Blinding and harsh. An unforgiving glare like the sun on a hot, desert afternoon. Groaning, Dora’s head lulled from one side to the other, and then a resounding bang when her forehead collided against metal. A furious hiss startled her awake, heart thumping hard against her chest. Her topaz yellow eyes opened to find she rested against a dumpster. Pain throbbed in her head with the beat of her quickened pulse. The voices of the citizens passing by on the sidewalk at either end of the alley helped to cement the severity of her situation. Dora woke up alone, her dress ripped and torn from top to bottom, completely useless as clothing. The only thought on her mind was the one she spoke aloud. “How did I get here?”
“Dora, Dora, Dora. What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?”
A man’s voice slithered toward her at the same time the back door to a building was thrown open. She quickly stood to her feet, hand on the brick building for support while her vision wildly spun. He wore all white over his already pale skin, and blue diamond-shaped earrings noticeably hung from his ears. Dora snapped at him. “Who do you think you are to address me with such disrespect?”
“Tsk, tsk. Down girl. After what you’ve done, you lost the privilege of demanding respect from anyone.”
“How do you mean that, after what I’ve done?” She turned, quickly searching the area where she had sat for her clutch. It was gone, and no phone in sight.
“It’s no surprise you don’t remember the drunken binges you’ve been on with Anita and her men. No doubt you were part of several orgies. I’m quite envious actually. Based on some of your markings, it wasn’t all fun and games.”
Dora disguised her concern with a glare, possessing no memory of this at all. “I need to find my husband.”
“Oh, absolutely not. He wants nothing to do with you!”
Her eyes sprang open in disbelief just before narrowing in anger. “Who are you?”
Without hesitation, the man smugly replied, “Ghirahim, owner of the innovative club where beautiful women come to knock each other out, literally.”
“An underground fight club?”
“Precisely, and you are my newest star. Atleast, that’s what this contract says that you signed,” he said, and unrolled the paper he delicately held in his left hand. “You were expensive, so come along quietly. There’s no need to cause a fuss.”
“I never signed anything. Nothing is making sense! I have no idea how I even got here,” Dora yelled, her muscles flexing with fear.
Ghirahim chuckled. “Wow! If not for your tall and muscular build, that dose probably would have killed you.”
“Dose? You mean the liquid Anita’s guards gave me,” she realized.
“It’s been three days since your dinner with her,” he explained, and then extended his hand to her. “Your antics have been all over the media. You shared it all over your wall. Every. Single. Picture. The entire world thinks you’re a slut.”
Dora’s eyes widened with confusion and hurt.
“It’s only a matter of time before Ganon is forced to drop out of the campaign. You’ve ruined everything.”
“Silence,” Dora shouted, her fists clenched tighter and tears stinging her eyes. Three women, one similar to her and two pale with long ears, emerged from the same back door Ghirahim used.
“No, you silence,” Ghirahim snapped. “Either you come quietly or you will be beaten into submission! What will it be?”
“That contract is invalid. I was manipulated into signing it and my innocence can be proven.”
The man in white rolled his grey eyes with exaggeration from left to right. “Fine. We’ll do this the hard way. I really hate roughing up my property!” Ghirahim snapped his white gloved fingers and the three women dressed in jeans darted for Dora.
An uncomfortable ache still plagued her head, but she allowed adrenaline from the rush of battle to control her. The first to attack was the Gerudo woman, swinging with a hard right fist for Dora’s face. She swiftly crouched to dodge and drove her fist up into the woman’s diaphragm. One of the Hylian women was next, but Dora was already moving into her next attack. She spun, elbow bent and stiff as she came fully around, the hard, pointed bone colliding with the woman’s nose to knock her straight off her feet. Finally, the second Hylian. Dora’s hand was already out and open to catch her fist, but the woman’s leg dipped down suddenly and knocked Dora’s legs out from under her. She landed flat on her back, and the woman dropped down hard to straddle her torso. Before her fists could meet with Dora’s ribs, she snatched her wrists, yanked her torso down, and smacked her forehead into the Hylian woman’s eye socket. She went reeling back, falling over on top of her companion. Dora quickly stood to her feet to look down at her defeated adversaries. Then her yellow eyes lifted to the man who called himself Ghirahim, and her stomach twisted into knots at the sadistic smirk he wore.
“The rumors I’ve heard about you are nothing compared to bearing witness to your skill. You are a highly skilled fighter, which is only to be expected from a woman of your prestige,” he complimented.
Dora’s chest rose and fell against the ripped dress, the rush of battle diminishing in her veins. “I’ll fight once. Throw your best fighter at me and if I defeat her, that contract gets burned to ash and I go home!”
Ghirahim smirked, but his upper lip twitched with annoyance. “Fine. Expect a full house because if I’m only going to get one fight from you I’m going to make a profit. I doubt you’ll be able to best my top fighter though. When will you be ready?”
“Tonight.”
Dora was escorted inside the back door by the man in white, and then up a narrow staircase where she was offered a small room with a single bed and a sink to wash up. When she inquired about a cell phone or any technology to contact the outside world, she was denied. Dora’s mind and body were fully restored by the end of the day with the help of some rest on the squeaky bed, and her own hidden abilities. Her spirits remained high, knowing and trusting that she could survive this fight, and more if needed. A fresh set of clothing was delivered by a frail Zora woman, clearly not built for battle, and Dora quickly changed into the white shorts and tank top. No gloves and no shoes were provided, too dangerous for a full on brawl. The only accessory she was provided was a hair tie, so she braided her hair back and waited to be taken out for the fight.
The chaos involved with the spectacle was more than she anticipated, and the number of people in the audience was much more than expected. The type of people attending varied. Slightly elevated on a balcony were men and women formally dressed for a theatre show sitting at tables draped with white clothes. On the cement floor, tattooed women and men with long beards, wearing a combination of denim and leather, crowded the arena. Dora was guided up three steps that led inside a hexagonal fighting ring onto a professional wrestling mat, and then locked inside a steel cage. Her opponent was already there: A Sheikah, tan with white hair, almost as tall as the Gerudo but just as muscular.
A disembodied voice filled the room through a public announcement system. “Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, welcome to a once in a lifetime event.” Dora recognized this as Ghirahim’s voice, and he seemed extremely pleased. He continued speaking to the patrons. “We have your returning champion, Impa!” The crowd cheered, those above clapping while those below on the floor hollered with excitement. “And the challenger, a renowned woman and ferocious warrior with fire in her spirit. We’ll find out tonight if that fire is enough to survive. I give you, Ganondora!”
Dora surveyed all those in attendance, and the next breath caught in her lungs. A pair of yellow eyes set in a stone expression of hatred glared upon her from above. He was unmoving at first, and then made minimal effort to clap his hands twice, a meager addition to the tremendous applause. She tore her eyes away from Ganon, determined to keep her thoughts on the present fight and not the consequences in the near future.
The bell was smacked twice with a wooden hammer, beginning the match with a sour clang. Dora pulled up loose fists, arms tucked to protect her torso, and spread her feet for better balance. Impa’s red eyes scrutinized her opponent, searching for weaknesses she could exploit. Suddenly, she charged forward, grabbing Dora by her shoulders to shove her back to the metal fencing that lined the cage. The Gerudo was on firm footing and impossible to push. Dora broke the hold by wrapping her arms down around the outside, and then up between Impa’s forearms. With the hands torn away from her shoulders, Dora threw a fist and jumped on the offensive. Impa ducked, weaving out of the way, until a hard heel met with her side. She stumbled, nothing more, and returned to defense, waiting for the inevitable opening.
Chapter 15
“Enjoying the show?”
The match had barely begun when Ganon heard the voice of a snake over his shoulder. His gaze remained on the women grappling for control. “”I’m always entertained by a battle of skill,” he replied smugly.
Ghirahim would not allow this calm response to deter him from finding a shred of satisfaction in Ganon’s situation. “Even when your own wife is involved? Or, have you already filed for a divorce?”
This ridiculous question provoked a glance from Ganon, but he ignored the insult. Impa snuck in a hard uppercut to Dora’s jaw, the Gerudo reeling back until she leaned on the chain link fence that surrounded the ring. The Sheikah charged to catch her dizzy opponent off guard, but wound up with an arm wrapped around her neck to choke her. “How long has Dora been here?”
“I found her this morning, hungover and sleeping against the dumpster where the alley cats get their breakfast,” he advised with a smirk, stepping up beside Ganon to watch the fight.
“You might imagine my surprise when I was informed that Dora planned to participate in one of your fights,” Ganon offered, prying for more information.
“And you might imagine how irresistible the offer was to make Dora a permanent member of my venue. She eagerly signed the contract last evening and I plan to recoup every last rupee I spent,” Ghirahim explained, mouth wide with a grin. Impa received several fists to the gut before she broke out of the hold by tripping Dora and slamming her onto the mat. They were quick to return to their feet, once more exchanging punches to the torso. “Dora received her own little shock. The poor girl woke up with no memory of the last three days, only to find out she’s performed deplorable deeds and her own husband wants nothing to do with her. Tsk, tsk.”
Ganon’s aura escaped the edges of his formal business coat, furious but restraining any urge to retaliate in a physical manner.
“Come now, Ganon. She belongs to me,” Ghirahim taunted, dragging out the words for emphasis. “Dora thinks she’ll win her freedom if she can defeat Impa, but we both know that either way I’m not letting her leave, and if she does it will be in a body bag.”
Possessing a good judge of skill and strength for one another, violence between the two combatants increased. Dora snatched Impa’s fist that flew toward her face, twisting it far and fast as if to snap her arm off. She ripped forward, pulling Impa with the momentum and then driving a fist into the Sheikah’s stomach. Impa coughed, doubled over and wheezing to bring air into her lungs. Her arms snapped around Dora’s waist, grabbing the long, rust orange braid and yanked her hair back. Impa controlled the Gerudo by this leash of hair, wrapping it around her knuckles until it pulled her roots. She gestured toward the crowd to cheer, to boo, just to make noise and be louder, turning slowly in a circle. Dora’s head was forced down and Impa’s knee slammed into her torso, targeting her ribcage. Each kick caused a groan of pain to emit from Dora’s throat, but she was far from out. She needed to turn the battle in her favor, quickly.
Dora wrapped her arms around Impa’s legs and pulled them right out from under her, which yanked her hair even more. She shrieked at the pain, but never hesitated in her attack. Impa was forced to release the braid wrapped around her knuckles when Dora’s fists came flying at her face. She shielded her head with her arms, but Dora adjusted the direction of her punches to come in from the side to hit her temple and ears. Impa kicked her legs to try and escape, successfully smashing a heel into Dora’s nose. They separated, coming back to their feet to compose themselves before rushing in for another round of vicious attacks.
“Aren’t they beautiful? Nothing excites me more,” Ghirahim remarked, hissing with satisfaction. Then, he turned his attention to Ganon to mock him. “Did you truly come here expecting to retrieve her? You never struck me as the kind of man who easily forgave failure.”
“You’re absolutely right. I do not forgive failure, or betrayal,” he confirmed.
“Oh? Then what brought you here?”
“I still need to have her sign the divorce papers,” he replied with a smirk.
Ghirahim responded with a chuckle emanating from deep in his chest. “So, your election is worth more than your marriage, which as I understand it has been tested over thousands of years. You are an evil bastard.”
Impa was flattened to the mat when Dora’s elbow spun in, colliding with a whack against the Sheikah’s temple. Dora licked the blood from her upper lip that leaked from her nose, and then stood over her opponent with one foot pressed down on Impa’s spine. The Gerudo grabbed her opponent’s wrists, pulling them straight back and then folded them over one another. Impa screamed in agony as her shoulders bent in the wrong direction. Her face contorted from the immense pain.
Ganon folded his arms, a grin of amusement suddenly lifting his cheeks. Mischief sparked in his yellow eyes. “Did you tell Dora that this was not a match to the death?”
“No, why?”
“Then you might want to call off this match. Even if Impa yields, unless Dora has been ordered to do so, she won’t stop until her opponent is dead,” he answered.
Ghirahim’s grey eyes filled with anger. “Well, you’re here! Make her stop!”
Ganon declined with a casual shake of his head. Growling, Ghirahim scrambled to run down the stairs around the corner. His voice was heard yelling incoherent orders, and then two women hurried out into the ring. “You’re going to need more than that,” Ganon scoffed. The patrons on the upper level began to stand, realizing the match was going awry. Both women who were commanded to make Dora stop grabbed her arms and pulled her away from Impa, but the Gerudo attacked them as well, knocking one down with a roundhouse kick. Before Dora could take out the second one, she found the barrel of a gun pointed at her face.
Ganon froze, hands clenched to the railing, helpless to do more than watch. The rowdy audience surrounding the ring fell silent and still.
Dora’s entire torso rose and fell, sweat pouring down her and soaking her white attire. Knowing Ganon’s life would end with hers was all that made her surrender. The gun twitched to the right, and she followed the command to exit the ring immediately.
“Wow! What a show, ladies and gentleman. There you have it, our new champion, the ruthless Dora!”
Ghirahim’s voice boomed over the speakers, reigniting the excitement by making it all appear to be a planned spectacle. The woman with the gun followed Dora, while the other one that recovered from being kicked dragged the heavily wounded Impa by her arms out of the ring.
A sharp force met Dora’s shoulder to shove her inside the small room. She stumbled forward and groaned, broken ribs wreaking havoc on her insides. Before the guard left, she started using the magic in her veins to fix her bones and mend her bruises. There was no visible aura, which made the entire healing process a secret.
“You were going to kill Impa! I should kill you right now,” the blonde Hylian guard yelled.
“Emerald, that’s enough,” Ghirahim scolded, stepping into the doorway as if from nowhere. The girl’s hand holding the firearm trembled. “Lower the gun,” he ordered. She obeyed, and then hurriedly departed the room. His icy glare slid to Dora’s face. “These fights are not to the death!”
“You should have told me that before,” Dora yelled, frustrated. “I won the match and as agreed I am no longer contractually bound to you.”
Ghirahim laughed as cold as his gaze. “I’m afraid not. Anyway, where would you go?”
“Home,” she answered firmly. “Is Ganon still here?”
“Oh, yes, and he brought your divorce papers too.”
“You’re lying!”
“Am I?”
Dora glared at Ghirahim’s cocky expression, her throat thick with tears of misery.
“I’m going to show you something that might enlighten you about your recent activities. I wanted to wait until after the match, make sure you had your head in the game,” Ghirahim advised cooly, taking a cell phone from his pocket. He unlocked the phone with a code, tapped the screen a few times, and then offered it to her. “Here. Your own social page filled with pictures of your antics.”
Hesitantly, Dora accepted the device and scrolled through her wall. Provocative pictures, disrespectful, insulting, and rude comments about Ganon, false information, and it went back about three days. “I don’t remember doing any of this!”
“That really makes no difference. Ganon is going to divorce you to save his campaign,” Ghirahim explained unkindly. “You can either continue working for me as a fighter, making me rich, or you can go and live in the streets. Those are your options.” Seeing that she hesitated to respond, he snatched his phone back from her and said, “As long as you keep fighting for me, I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
“No,” Dora answered, but her voice was disconnected from the situation. “I want to see Ganon. I can make him understand.”
Ghirahim’s loud, cruel laughter filled the room. “You are stubborn!” His hand slipped inside his coat and he drew a pistol, as white as his skin, from a holster inside. “Now, truly. Make me rich, or die.”
Silence followed while Dora stared into the void of the barrel. Her entire world crumbled, coming unglued one piece at a time and plummeting to the ground. Her home, her family, her way of life would be completely different from any way she had ever known. The despair filling her spirit was cold and heavy.
Suddenly, the gun jerked to the left and at the same time Ganon appeared in the doorway. Dora covered her ears, leaping back to a safe distance that could help her avoid being shot. In his right hand was the revolver that followed Ghirahim’s movements before firing. The man in white pulled the trigger simultaneously but both missed. Ganon’s left hand dipped inside his jacket, emerging with a second gun that he tossed under his right arm to Dora. She snatched the sleek, black gun out of the air and pointed it at Ghirahim.
Ghirahim stammered. Even if he shot one, the other would shoot him and he would die. “Ganon! I thought you wanted nothing to do with her!”
“You’re a fool to believe I would give you information into my personal matters. Lower the gun. Dora walks away with me and you continue running this operation,” Ganon calmly negotiated.
“Why would you want anything to do with her after what happened? She’s ruined you more completely than anyone has ever done in the past,” Ghirahim argued, bargaining for his life and his new asset.
“An entire forensics team is prepared to determine if any chemicals were used that altered Dora’s mind. Anita is one of the drug cartel’s best customers and I suspect some of her recent purchases were used to manipulate my wife,” Ganon explained darkly, lining up the barrel with the man's head of white hair.
Dora felt an indescribable sense of gratitude, but also humiliation and shame. “He knows too much,” she said, voice wavering. “He told me he paid out of pocket in addition to the contract. If your theory is correct, then he was in on the scheme.”
Ganon’s unfriendly expression hardened into rage, and a condemning smirk lifted Ghirahim’s lips.
Dora darted forward, eliminating two long strides between her and Ghirahim, and leaned right. He swiftly twisted to aim at her, but she was already behind the pistol when he squeezed the trigger. The bang was deafening in her ear. Ganon’s finger hesitated, but fell still when he realized shooting meant risking Dora’s life. She snatched Ghirahim’s wrist controlling the gun and pointed it down, simultaneously bringing the tip of her handgun to point up and pressing into the fleshy area between his lower jaw bones below his tongue. Without hesitation, while fighting to keep his weapon down, she pulled the trigger. Blood sprayed the wall and ceiling behind him, and he crumbled to the floor.
Ganon sheathed his gun and snatched Dora’s wrist roughly, yanking her out of the room and down the stairs. Her head buzzed with questions, but the adrenaline pumping through her to escape was more significant. He threw open the door to the back alley where a short limo waited with a running engine. He tore the back door open on the driver’s side, shoved Dora inside without care, and then pushed her over to sit down. The moment the car door slammed shut, the driver shifted gears and drove into the street.
Dora sat as close to the passenger side door and as still as possible. Her legs were pressed together, her hands folded over her knees and head tilted down. She dreaded meeting his gaze, but she whimpered, “I saw the pictures. I can’t remember anything.”
“The images will forever be burned into my mind,” Ganon remarked callously.
Tense silence settled between them, Dora’s eyes fixated to a spot on the wall in front of her. “I was drinking a Noble Pursuit when I felt the effects take hold. When I tried to leave the bodyguards overpowered me and forced me to drink something. After that…”
“After that you were manipulated and used, Dora. Hold your tongue,” he scolded, ice clinging to his words. “Once the truth is out you’ll be considered a victim. I’ll earn the favor of the people. Anita will lose trust. My victory is guaranteed. I’ve managed to salvage your mistake.”
Dora felt her heart freeze and being chipped away to pieces by his words. Instead of speaking, she quietly wept.