birthday asks. @dragmiire sent ;
in the dark of night, with the barest threads of dawn weaving their way into the night sky’s canvas, ganondorf quietly coaxed nabooru onward. fervently did he refuse to tell her what they were doing, and why they must creep out in the dead of night to do so, only assuring her that once they reached the peak of the canyon, overlooking the grand sweeping desert, all would be revealed.
while insisting to do so on foot, his ever-loyal steed, astor, had loosened himself from his ties at the stable and trotted after them—well enough. perhaps nabooru would enjoy a romantic ride back together. though, he often had to nudge the stallion away, eager for the satchel of sweets he had nicked from the hylians as part of his gift to her.
“here.”
coming to a halt, with a sly smile, back illuminated by the rising desert sun, ganondorf knelt. carefully concealed by twin rocks, he revealed precisely why he had made her walk so far—a pair of scimitars inlaid with rubies as vivid as her eyes, with handles made of solid gold. their curved steel glinted in the morning sunlight as he demonstratively pulled one out of its gem-adorned sheath, and he looked proud as he lifted both.
“you broke your blades recently, hadn’t you? you need weapons proper of the warrior that you are.”
it had taken him eons to salvage what he could to have these crafted for her, all procured from his own pocket, never letting his people lack simply for the sake of a gift.
“happy birthday, my sun.”
with steps as light & as soft as silk, nabooru ghosted over the cool tiled floors of the fortress, an ember of excitement & anticipation brightening with every passing second. sneaking out under the cover of night had been routine to her once, & even now, with sources of light few & far between, she knew the path through the fortress well, following in the footsteps of her past lives, allowing herself to be swept along by ganondorf, eyes sparkling with delight as they left home behind.
the hushed questions directed towards him, what is this, where are we going, why the secrecy, were not asked with any intention of receiving an answer ; it was as much a part of the experience, the game, as any other, his firm refusal to indulge her only heightening her enjoyment, & widening the smile that played upon her face.
❛ are we almost there ? ❜ she asked, half – laughing after she looked down, & noticed a discrepancy in her clothing. ❛ you rushed me out the door so fast i’ve put on two odd shoes. if this gets uncomfortable, you’re going to have no choice but to carry me, ❜
perhaps she would play it up, & press the issue, revenge for rousing her so early, or did it still count as late ? she eyed the horse which ambled alongside them, a veritable behemoth of an animal, & silently willed it to turn back. she was fond of the creature, & took a moment to slip it a treat or two whenever she tended to her own mount, but the obvious solution to any hurts she accumulated over the course of their sunrise stroll would be to place her upon the stallion’s back ; hardly conductive for either romance, or as an avenue for her teasing.
after a time, her playful questions had petered out, & given way to true curiosity. she had been about to ask again, much more earnestly, where he was taking her, when he came at last to a halt, & she close behind, coming up so short & so quickly that a collision was just barely avoided. he knelt, & she cast her golden gaze out over the canyon, drinking in the view as the soft colours of the morning streaked across the sky. it was easy to take for granted, at times, the beauty of the world around them, & she found herself glad to have been pulled from her bed, to witness such a glorious sight.
it was, however, no match for the gifts ganondorf presented to her. the sunrise drew from her a smile ; the blades, a gasp, the widening of her eyes, the spread of shock & delight across her features as she leaned in, hands stretched out as if to take them, yet hesitant to touch, as if they would fade like a mirage into the morning mist.
❛ they’re gorgeous, ❜ she breathed, eyes darting between the weapons, & he who bequeathed them, as if awaiting his permission to lift them from his hands. the gems winked beneath the slowly brightening sky, the rising sun playing across their surface, & her suspicion that they would fit her hand perfectly was confirmed when she gently lifted one, &, in an echo of ganondorf’s movements, slid it slowly from the sheath, it’s weight immediately comfortable as she closed slender fingers around it, seized with the impulse to swing, & watch it cut the very air in two.
❛ i didn’t even tell you about it, ❜ she realized with some surprise, returning the scimitar to its scabbard with all the tenderness of a mother laying their child to bed. it hadn’t been something she had purposely concealed, but duty called more frequently for both of them now than it ever had before, & the free hours of their youth in which they had sat, & talked about everything & anything, had dwindled away to almost nothing with the passing of time. if they had been free to speak, her complaints about the loss of her swords would have been numerous, & all – too – emotional, but as it was, there had simply been no time. she looked again at weapons, the quality of their craft, recalled the sharpness of their steel, & knew that it had been a gift long in the making.
my sun, he called her, & the smile she turned upon him matched the brilliant glow of the star which rose behind him.
❛ i really don’t deserve you, my stars, ❜ she said quietly. in one quick movement, she bent, carefully laying the blades upon the ground, placed them where they would face no danger from dancing feet, before rising gracefully, & winding her arms around ganondorf’s neck ; pressing herself close, & standing as tall as she could, the sun crept higher into the sky, & beneath its light, pulled him into a tender, passionate kiss.
