Gerudo Forest

Chapter 56

Melissa reclined back in the tub. Now this was a proper bathroom. It even had a working toilet. Out of every modern day convenience she could think of, indoor plumbing was one of the things she missed the most. There hadn't been any in the desert and that left Melissa wondering. With a running waterfall so close to the valley, why hadn't the gerudo tried to harness it? She might just bring it up to Ganon later, though he would probably just laugh. 

The water was warm and it soothed her aches. If only she could get her mind to relax, but that seemed to be an impossible task. The more she tried to empty her mind, the more she thought of the cursed king. She tried to rack her brain. If she had heard of him mentioned in any of the games, she just couldn't remember now. 

Melissa finished bathing quicker than she thought she would. She really could have stayed in the warm water all night, but it would be rude to hog the bathroom. Plus she really wanted to see if Ganon had returned yet.  

Once dried, Melissa quickly put on a fresh set of clothes and made her way back to the main floor. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ganon leaning against the wall. He was eating what looked to be a bowl of soup. The room was quiet and everyone but Nabooro and Impa were staring at him. When he spotted Melissa, he waved, making everyone turn to look at her now. The looks she received were of fear and awe, but why? What had changed in the 15 minutes she had been gone? Melissa came to a stop just short of the table, starting to feel uncomfortable. 

"Why are they looking at me like that?" Melissa whispered to Nabooro who stood beside her. 

"Well it's not everyday they get to see an evil king and his pet dragon." Nabooro teased. 

" I am not a pet!" Melissa growled louder than she had meant to. 

Most of the group jumped causing Ganon to laugh softly under his breath. He was apparently amused, but that only made her more upset. The comment wasn't funny at all, not to mention it hadn't been the sage's place to tell these people who she was. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself. Shad was watching her intently, and she could tell he had a lot of questions. Unable to help it, she cringed when he opened his mouth to speak. 

"So, your one of the Legendary Guardians." Shad began.  

Melissa froze. She already felt out of place as it was, and this man was going to make it worse. 

"I thought you would be a little more... I don't know... grander?" Shad continued unaware of the annoyance beginning to build in her. 

She was doing her best to keep it contained. She didn't really want to blow up at anyone if she could help it, but she could already feel the heat creeping into her face. Melissa just prayed she wasn't turning red from it. 

"Shad! Just shut up! Can't you see your bothering her?" Ashei commented sharply with a look of worry on her face. 

The boy looked quite put off, but it didn't deter his next question. 

"So can we see?" Shad started again after a few seconds of silence. 

"Shad!" Auru said smacking the boys head. 

"Hey! I'm only asking. You all know you want to see." Shad said readjusting his glasses. 

"One of these days your curiosity is going to get you in trouble." Rusl said sternly before turning to Melissa. " I am so sorry. He meant no disrespect. It's just... well he's always been like this. Why last week I caught him trying to chat up one of those monsters out there."  

" Yeah! Mr. Shad is book smart, but doesn't have a lot of common sense sometimes." Romani chirped. 

"Romani! You know better than to say things like that. Tell Mr. Shad your sorry." Cremia said looking at her sister upset.