He sat back down on the throne and looked at the two Hylians. "Now, the law is clear on the matter of treason, of which I find you two both guilty of. However, I wish to usher in my rule with a gesture of mercy. I will commute both of your sentences on the one condition that you both submit yourselves to me." He held up a hand to forestall any impudent outbursts of outrage from them. "Do not make a rash decision just yet. You two will be taken to separate changing rooms on either end of the central keep here. There you will find clothes and a letter from me. Read it. Read my terms, and then make your decision." He gestured to the guards. "Take them."
*
Zelda couldn't believe her eyes and ears. Somehow, against all logic and reasoning, Ganon, the thief from the desert wastelands, somehow, somewhere, some
time
, got his hands on the Ocarina of Time and used it to come back in time to the here and now before her and Link were ready to move against him. The guard, who she knew when she lived here before Ganon took over, showed no emotion or compassion as he escorted her off to one of the antechambers to her right while Link was taken by his guard in the opposite direction. She searched the guard's face and found what she interpreted as pity, remorse, and possibly hurt and betrayal as well. Had she misread the situation? Was she in the wrong to resist Ganon's rule? No, it couldn't be possible, could it?
Her manacles and chains were removed right before was shoved into one of the small antechambers that had been cleared out save for a couch and a table that had a pile of folded clothes and a small chest on it. A note lay propped against the chest. The only way in or out was the one door that the guard was standing in front of, watching her. With a shaky hand, she reached out for the note to read what Ganon had to say.
"Princess Zelda," she could practically hear Ganon's voice as she looked at the scrawled words. "Even though my rule is legitimate I wish for the people to see us united. It would do neither of us any good for me to exterminate you and morale in the kingdom would certainly plummet as they mourned the loss of their princess so soon after their king. While the law allows me to execute both you and your boyfriend, I wish to begin my rule on a merciful note. My conditions are as follows; Should you submit to me, then start by removing your clothes and putting on the ones provided to you, then Link shall be allowed to live. If you decide to spurn me in a final act of rebellion, then Link shall be executed while I make you submit to me. Should both of you decide to spurn me, then we will hold a public trial where you and your boyfriend's name will be vilified for all time just before you both are publicly hanged for treason. I trust that you will make the correct choice and choose to live. I promise you the life of luxury that you are accustomed to, you will never want for anything, you will always be cherished and maybe even loved, and you can have your boyfriend serving by your side. All I ask is that you submit to me and bear my heir. Ganondorf."
The tears stung Zelda's eyes as she crumpled the note in one first and threw it to the ground. There was the ultimatum; submit and Link will live. Rebel and Link will die. Link had to be getting a similar note to hers that said the same thing. So there were different scenarios here. She could submit and he would be defiant, in which case she'd die and Link would be forced into servitude. Or it could be the other way around. Link would die if she rebelled but at least he wouldn't suffer. The last thing that she wanted to do was both of them rebel and have their names smeared throughout all of Hyrule's history. The prophecies had to be right but maybe this was not the time they'd come to pass. She let out a long breath, her mind already made up before she'd even thought it over too much. With a hard swallow to keep her pride down, she slowly reached behind her to unbutton the back of her dress. To save her love, she would submit to Ganon.
She kept her back to the guard as she let the dress drop to the floor to pool around her feet. Then she divested herself of her undergarments and all of her jewelry, taking her princess crown off last. Zelda took a moment to look at it, thinking of a life that could've been... should've been. Then she dropped it with the rest of her clothes and picked up the small pile on the table. What Ganon wanted her to wear wasn't much; just a green silk loincloth, white silk hose, and matching green slippers. The gold jewelry was nothing more than a pair of anklets, a pair of arm wraps, and a collar. She wouldn't even be allowed a covering for her breasts or even underwear and if she was going to serve Ganon. She had no doubts now what her use would be. Zelda wiped the tears from her eyes, steeled herself, and put on her new garments, or lack thereof, symbolizing her new station in life.
For Link...
*
Link was shoved into an antechamber that was opposite the throne room from where Zelda had been taken. The room was empty save for a couch, a table, a small pile of clothes, and a small chest. A note waited for him on the clothes while behind him the guard stood watching him with his back to the door to ensure that Link did not escape. Disgusted, Link picked up the note and read. It was from Ganon.
"Brave Hero Link. I read a tome once that said that one should not wait for a callow youth to grow strong to destroy him, which is why I made sure that you were captured now just after your 18th birthday rather than wait for you to grow stronger as a man so that you can fight me. In time, you will see that what I am doing is right for the realm and that opposing me was wrong. I am a benevolent man which is why I wish to commute your death sentence that I can apply under the law. My rule will be strict, but it will be fair, and I want it to start on a note of mercy. My conditions are as follows; Should you submit to me, then start by removing your clothes and putting on the ones provided to you, then Zelda shall be allowed to live. If you decide to spurn me in a final act of rebellion, then Zelda shall be executed while I make you submit to me. Should both of you decide to spurn me, then we will hold a public trial where you and your girlfriend's name will be vilified for all time just before you both are publicly hanged for treason. I trust that you will make the correct choice and choose to live. I promise you the life of luxury that you would only dream of, you will never want for anything, you will always be cherished and maybe even loved, and you can have your girlfriend serving by your side. All I ask is that you submit to me. Ganondorf."
There really was no choice in the matter. He'd submit to Ganon just to keep Zelda alive. It was a small price to pay to protect the woman he loved. Link looked at what he'd be expected to wear. It was nothing more than a loincloth, leggings, and slippers. He recognized the clothing style as he'd worn something similar when he and Zelda were hiding with the Gerudo. It was a golden belt with green Gerudo silk as a long flowing loincloth in the front and back. The slippers matched the color of the loincloth. The leggings were made of white Hylian silk. It was essentially a slave's outfit. The jewelry in the chest confirmed it as inside there were two gold anklets, two gold arm circlets, and a gold collar with a ring on it for a chain leash to be attached to it. He swallowed hard. He'd play Ganon's game and whore himself out for this prince of darkness. Maybe, just maybe, he'd have a chance to escape with Zelda. Then he shook his head. No, he could not and would not risk her life. Not again. Never again.
He let out a long breath and stripped out of his clothes before putting on his new slave clothes.
For Zelda...
he thought as he mentally prepared himself for what was about to come.
*
Ganon smiled as the guards brought his two new slaves back. Per his instructions, no matter what they chose, Zelda and Link were brought back blindfolded so that they couldn't see what the other chose. The two looked like quite the fetching pair; Zelda with all of her soft curves and hourglass shape and Link looking young, soft, and effeminate as he was not yet the ripped, hardened warrior that Ganon crossed swords with in the near disastrous future. Without anything in their hair now, the only difference that Ganon could see between the two there was that Zelda's hair was longer than Link's was, but that'd change in time. It was Ganon's intention to keep Link soft and submissive to him instead of allowing him to become the powerful, muscular warrior that nearly brought him down.
"I am so glad that you decided to take me up on my offer," he said, deliberately being vague as he wanted to keep the two guessing as to what the other chose. Ganon saw both their cheeks and their chests flush with embarrassment and shame. He could read their body language and could tell that they were dying inside, wondering what the other one chose, wondering if they would be killed by a swing of the sword at any moment. It was a tactic that he'd read about in that ancient tome he found; it was easy to threaten someone with death and oftentimes people would think death before dishonor. However, you threaten their loved ones and they'd do anything for you. Link and Zelda clearly loved each other and wanted to keep the other alive, not wanting to be responsible for their demise. Ganon would use this to his advantage. "Now, I want you to totally submit to me. Get down on the floor crawl to me to show me your supplication."