A Rose

You see, this was only one week before our battle against Hyrule, to conquer the throne and claim the Triforce. Our working relationship was currently being tested for strength and endurance.

Ganondorf checked his emotions suddenly, as if he never intended for me to realize he was afraid I was hurt or killed. In a tone I knew I could not question, he ordered, "I will accompany you home."

I smiled so foolishly that I turned from him, hopefully before he could see. I pinned my roses safely on the cart between two bags of fruit. I mounted my horse right away, and followed Ganondorf back home.

I caught Rayne snoozing a few times on the journey, once because she snorted and it woke her right up.

Ganondorf slowed his horse when we were more than half way home so that I met pace beside him. There was that familiar tension between us, the one that told me I should say something, but I was worried speaking first might be a mistake. Eventually, I couldn't stand it any more. I needed to say what ate at my mind. "I'm sorry that I allowed us to risk our lives like that, especially when we are so close to the date. It was careless."

He glanced at me, a frown obvious on his face. "You needed to make a split second decision, and you chose wrong."

His tone was so dark I felt my stomach disappear. "It seemed like the best decision at the time," I said, defending myself.

"Then you clearly underestimate your importance in the Gerudo."

I was stabbed in the heart. Tears burned my eyes.

"A sword, no matter how priceless, can be replaced. Your life cannot."

I was silent. His words were deep. Although he said them out of arrogance, there was much concern behind them. At the time, I felt I read too deeply into his words and sought a nonexistent, hidden meaning, but apparently I was right to think he might have cared about me. "I just didn't want to cause any inconvenience."

"The inconvenience would have been the impossible task of finding a capable, replacement general so close to the eve of battle. I never should have let you leave the fortress." He sounded the way I imagined an overprotective father might.

"I will learn my lesson from this, your majesty. I cannot express how deeply sorry I am to have caused you so much grief."

"Enough! Quit acting like I was worried about you. My only concern, and reason to have you return safely, is to avoid delay."

Now my heart burned with the fire of anger. He disguised his feelings just to save face. I tightened my jaw to avoid speaking unwisely.

"Have you nothing to say?" he asked. His tone begged for me to speak all that was on my mind.

I chose my words carefully. "You rushed out here alone because I had not returned yet, barely missing my expected arrival by a few hours. Instead of taking the horses and going home with the cart of food, you sat and waited for me to come back for them. You can't disguise how relieved you were to see me alive."

Ganondorf turned his head to look at me, and I struggled with all of my being to avoid meeting his eyes. 

"Why would you even tell me how important I am to the Gerudo, or that my life is irreplaceable, just to say that it's only because you don't want to delay conquering Hyrule?"

I heard him scoff, which caused me to glance up, and I glimpsed a cocky smirk cross his lips. When I caught that expression, he turned away from me again. Nothing more was said until after we arrived home. The conversation replayed continuously in my mind. I worried I had said the wrong thing, or said too much. Perhaps I had missed some unspoken secret in his mysterious tone.

With the horses stabled, the fruit and herbs delivered to guards to be stored, and Rayne finally off to sleep in a bed, I received a personal escort to my room. I clutched the dozen roses in my hand that I stole from the Kokiri as I followed Ganondorf through the fortress. He stopped outside the hall to my tiny chamber and gestured toward it. Before I departed from him, I held out the dozen roses to him. I stared straight into his eyes to find the perfect reaction of adorable confusion. "These roses remind me of you, so I offer them to you as a gift. Also, to say thank you for going out of your way to ensure my safety."

Ganondorf accepted them by wrapping his hand around the thornless stems. I hesitated before I slid my hand out from under his, and enjoyed the way my nerves tingled from his touch. The sight of this tall, dark man, with glaring eyes, and stone cold expression holding a bouquet of flowers was perfect. He stared contemplative at the roses, or perhaps he admired their beauty.

I turned and planned to escape so I didn't do anything else foolish, but he stopped me. He snatched my hand and pulled back so that I twisted to face him. I searched his face, hoping for some hint of how he truly felt.

"You are an invaluable asset to me. I have not devoted years of my life to your training just to see it all thrown away. While I am glad you are safe, from now on I will place more confidence in your leadership." As he said it, he freed one rose and handed it back to me.

I blushed. I smiled. Even though I had just been holding a dozen of the same roses, I accepted his gift as if it were fragile and sniffed it as if I had never smelled it before. "Thank you. Sav'orr, Ganondorf."

"Sweet dreams, Dora," he said in a sultry voice, and then departed toward his room.

I hit my hard, flat bed and passed out with a smile, the rose held against my heart.