Don't Panic! If you are here because you have noticed some changes, calm down, everything is still here. I explain more on the note at the beginning of chapter 12 about what I did and why. 42.
Disclaimer: Most characters and settings belong to Nintendo, except a few original characters that I created. No copyright infringement intended. Enjoy the story!
Nabooru's Memoirs
Translated from the original Gerudo by Trixie Falsae
Chapter 1 Beginnings
I was filled with anxiety. My best friend eagerly awaited our coming-of-age ceremony. Two other Gerudo are entering the novitiate with us, Nati and Tom. I almost feared what was to come. I was greatly anticipating advanced combat and horsemanship as well as learning mounted combat and gaining access to the training grounds. Mistress Lelei, our instructor, had often told me I was ahead of the other postulants in combat skills. I was relieved that my formal studies were almost over. I read well and wrote legibly. I knew our history, customs, mannerisms and laws passably. It wasn't that I despised learning. I would occasionally study subjects on my own but I was ready to enter more fully into Gerudo life. I was intrigued about trying various vocations around the fortress. We were all warriors, but we needed to be cross-trained in medicine, growing, animal husbandry, crafting or any of the other positions that made our way of life possible. I dreaded learning seduction or whatever they called it. I did not like the idea of seeking out a male simply to have a child. I saw it as low as the Hylian prostitutes that roam about the market at night, selling their bodies for a few coins. I felt there must have been another way to further our race without debasing ourselves. Without male Gerudo, I did not know how. Mistress Hana, who would observe my learning after the ceremony, assured me that utilizing my training would be optional, but to learn it was the way of Gerudo. Tom simply told me that I was too proud. I would have rather devoted my life to the Gerudo as a whole instead of diminishing my great love for my people to de directed at a single Gerudo. Mistress Lelei told me that most Gerudo see themselves as "woman first, warrior second" but there are a few, like myself, who are "warrior first, woman second." She said it takes both types to make Gerudo run smoothly. Indeed, she said the second-in-command's second-in-command and many higher ranking officers are this way. This cheered me. I had great hopes for the Gerudo and hoped that someday I would aide them into prosperity.
The coming-of-age ceremonies were enjoyable and I felt less anxiety after they were over and my new routine was established. I loved our culture dearly and felt blessed to advance in standing. Mistress Lelei had led us across the Haunted Wastelands. The other girls were frightened, lest they misstep and become lost in the howling winds. I was carful to follow Mistress Lelei, but I felt as if the desert was singing to me and directing my steps. We arrived at the colossus to be welcomed by the Goddess of the Sand. How beautiful she was to me. We were ushered into the temple in front of another statue of the Goddess to be told more tales of the Gerudo, and secrets that were kept from us as postulants. Partway through the ceremony two very old women interrupted. They were Gerudo from their clothing and appearance, but they were older than any Gerudo, or Hylian, I had ever seen. The mistresses that were conducting the ceremony stopped immediately and bowed in reverence. They, in turn, introduced themselves as Koume and Kotake.
"Well Kotake, this is certainly a promising new group of Gerudo," one intoned in her high voice.
"Yes Koume, the very picture of young Gerudo," the other replied. Silence followed.
"Honored Ancestors, is there anything you require of us, or may we continue the ceremony?" Mistress Hana asked humbly. They laughed shrilly
"Oh continue, continue," one taunted. "We are simply passing through to visit the prince."
"One young Gerudo caught our attention and we simply wished to size her up," the other added. It was impossible to tell them apart while we lay prostrate on the floor, but I felt as if their eyes were burning through my skull and freezing my very soul.
The mistresses were obviously uncomfortable. I wondered if they all felt the terrible discomfort I did. Finally they laughed their shrill laugh again.
"We shall be watching you closely, child. Won't we Koume?" Kotake cackled.
"Oh yes Kotake, we will," her sister replied. "She holds such promise, but which direction she is headed, we are uncertain." They shrilled again and left. Mistress Lelei called us all to sit and shivered. She eyed each of us suspiciously.
"Who were they?" Nati asked, forgetting we were supposed to be in ceremony.
"They are the two old Gerudo who inhabit here from time to time. They are impossibly old. There is talk they are witches who use dark magic to stay alive," Mistress Hana replied. We all shuddered and guarded ourselves from the evil eye. The ceremony continued late into the night. The next day Mistress Hana led us back across the Wasteland to signify that she was now our leader. After reentering the fortress grounds we were quickly shuttled into a room where we were robed in new garb to signify our entrance into the novitiate. Our faces were painted and we were given jewels to wear. I never felt lovelier in my life. There was much cheering from the entire Gerudo as we were presented to the tribe. The celebration was spectacular. There was a bonfire, a feast, and wine flowed freely. Tom, Nati, My friend and I danced for the tribe. We swayed to the sacred melody of initiation. Our hips and arms flowed with the notes beat out by the drum. I lost myself in the music and danced for the Goddess, the ancestors and for all the Gerudo. Soon we were all dancing and celebrating. I tried to regulate how much I drank, but I must have overestimated myself. I awoke on the ground to a dying fire. I was covered with a blanket to keep from freezing in the night wind, but I was still cold. This is the way of Gerudo. You must take the consequences of your actions, but your sisters will keep the severity in check. I sleepily picked myself up, and draped my blanket over Tom, who was passed out nearby, to give her some more warmth. I stumbled into my bed to sleep off the rest of the effects of the night.
I was quite happy with my new lessons. In addition to close range combat I was also learning archery and mounted combat. I was excelling at both. The training grounds were more difficult than I anticipated, but they improved my skills so I persevered. The lessons I was so dreading were not as bad as I anticipated. They were not many lengthy lessons, but a series of short lectures. We were taught how to choose prospective targets, how to intrigue them and what to expect when we captured a boyfriend. Mistress Hana made it sound like a hunt. I listened dutifully, but I did not take the words to heart. I still had no intensions of pursing a man just to produce offspring. I could see why the other girls were interested. They sighed over the descriptions of small tokens and whispered words. However, if I would be in a relationship it would be for love. It would be for what I could give and share and not what I wanted to take. Just as I loved the Goddess and the Gerudo, I would love a man if I was to have a boyfriend. Obviously I was not expecting a relationship to happen. The others were planning on joining the next trip into Castletown Marketplace to observe their sisters flirting, but I declined to go. I had some new strategies I wished to try in the training grounds. This presented an opportunity to practice without interruption.
The morning my sister Gerudo left I had a verbal fight with Nati and Jaila who was looking for a boyfriend. I was waiting with the other novices while they finished preparing for their trip. Mostly I was there to have a few free minutes with my best friend before she left for a few days.
"Aren't you going to go, Nabooru?" my friend asked shortly before they departed.
"No, I'm not. I have no intensions of whoring myself to a weak minded Hylian." I retorted. She looked hurt and I was about to apologize, but Nati broke in.
"Still too proud Nabooru?" Nati jeered. "Still think you are too high to do the duty of a Gerudo?" I spat on the ground and said what I thought of her remark.
"The duty of a Gerudo is first and foremost to the Gerudo and defending the fortress, not chasing after Hylian for a few romps and a swollen belly," I hissed.
Nati sneered while Jaila, who entered the novitiate a several years back, butted in.
"Ha! Are you worried about your figure?" Jaila taunted. "You think you will keep your flat stomach and toned arms by avoiding pregnancy? Age takes care of that regardless. You're probably afraid you couldn't attract a man with that nose of yours!" I subconsciously covered my nose. We were a race of women, so naturally vanity was a common vice. I was contemplating decking her but the second-in-command stepped in.
"Gerudo, please!" she scolded. "Each of us is free to make her own choice in this matter. If Nabooru wished to keep her legs crossed, that is her choice. If Jaila wishes to bed half of Hyrule, that is hers. Neither is greater or less than the other. No more." We all bowed to her. She swept by to talk to the leader of the expedition. My friend looked at me.
"If you really think it is so bad, I won't go," she whispered. I gave her a reassuring hug.
"No, it is okay. I don't mind if you go. I just see the need for a boyfriend for myself. You would enjoy the companionship and would be a great mother," I told her. She smiled at me.
"Mount up!" was heard from the head of the column. She waived at me from her horse as she headed down into the valley. I smiled until she was out of sight, then stomped my foot in disgust.
"There has to be a better way," I muttered. I headed back to my dorm room to collect my scimitars and headed for the training grounds.
"I'd like to train," I told the doorkeeper. Instead of opening she stood fast.
"There is someone in there already," the guard, Kale, told me.
"I don't care. Let me in," I replied irritably.
"I can't. They wish to train alone," she said firmly. Her denial just made me more frustrated.
"Alone? Since when has the training grounds been limited to one? There are several paths to choose. Tell me where they went and I'll take a different entrance. It's highly unlikely we'd cross paths with their head start," I said.
"I have orders…." She was faltering. Kale was also a novice and had been placed on guard duty. She wasn't very good at it, so I doubted she would be here long. I switched to a more soothing tone.
"Orders? From who? Isn't in the laws that once access to the training grounds is granted only the second-in-command or her second-in-command may restrict access. They have both been very busy today so I doubt I have been barred," I purred. I knew Kale wasn't very assertive. She had trouble telling anyone 'no'.
"They didn't want to be disturbed," she whispered weakly.
"You know well that five Gerudo can tackle the challenge at once and never see each other. If I hear anybody I will avoid them. We are supposed to practice stealth anyway, right?" I retorted
She was shifting. Her eyes darted around. She knew me well enough from my previous visits to the grounds that I was persistent and was devoted to my training.
"They took the left fork," Kale whispered and let me slip by as I slipped her some extra rupees. I entered the antechamber and listened carefully. No sounds of mechanism could be heard in any direction. I dashed to the right to await the first challenge.
I was doing well. I was overcoming the obstacles quickly. My new strategies were helping. I became absorbed in my training. I counted my keys. There were seven. I thought this should be enough if I use the right entrance. There was a problem. I didn't remember which entrance to use. I made a mental note to start paying attention to my surroundings better. I slid back into the antechamber. Did I use this door or the door from the lava room? Why didn't I pay closer attention? I quickly decided on the lava room and ran into the right hand fork I had started in.
In my haste I forgot to listen for sounds within the room first. I forgot until I ran into someone else. I was stunned at my own stupidity and at the size of this Gerudo. I was tall for a Gerudo, but this one was above me. They were startled at my sudden collision and twirled about with their naked blade, catching me across my left bicep. I stifled a small cry and grabbed my arm as the blood began to pour forth. My entrance unfortunately had reset the mechanism and released another dinalfos and beamos. A gruff voice swore and turned back to take care of the beamos. I raised my left arm above my head to slow the bleeding, letting my forearm hang limply behind my head. With my good arm I took on the nearest dinalfos. I danced about, protecting my bad arm while picking away at the monster. I finally managed to skewer the beast while the other Gerudo wiped their blade clean and watched me dispatch my foe. I dropped my remaining sword and sank to the ground.
"I apologize," I groaned as I brought my arm in front of me to resume my grasp on the bleeding gash. "I was supposed to avoid you and I obviously failed."
"I cut your arm, yet you are apologizing to me?" a deep voice riddled with humor intoned. My eyes flew up and I observed the other Gerudo for the first time. He was male. The blood drained from my face in an instant and I had to catch myself with my good arm.
"Hey now, are you okay?" he asked. He sheathed his blade and was by my side in a heartbeat, supporting me.
"Just peachy," I winced. "I really am sorry I interrupted you. Please don't get Kale in trouble. I really had to work on her to gain entrance. I should have been more careful." He gently propped me up against the wall and squatted in front of me to look me in the face. I should have lowered my eyes in shame or deference, but it was in my nature to look at my surrounding straight on. I was glad I had kept looking. He was handsome, well kempt, and clean shaven. He was at that age when testosterone surges made muscles bulk quickly, and he was obviously very active. He smiled at me.
"I'm not going to get anyone in trouble. I haven't been crowned yet so technically I haven't the right to punish anyone," he said ironically. I raised my eyebrows.
"I doubt you are ignorant that the second-in-command or her second wouldn't decline any request," I stated sarcastically.
"Do you want to be in trouble?" he asked humorously.
"Not with them," I replied.
"I could do it. I do have the right to reserve any portion of the fortress for my own uses. You ignored my request," he said pensively.
"The king has the right. You just said you haven't been crowned. I would have remembered if you had," I retorted.
"I'm close enough," he shot back, trying to look intimidating and failing as he was still squatting before me, gripping my shoulder in support.
"Not according to the laws and customs," I smirked. Gerudo take their training so seriously and it isn't often that ribbing debates emerge. At least he had a sense of humor.
"Are you actually arguing with me?" he quipped.
I finally lost my focus and dropped my gaze. A new surge of pain shot through my arm and I exhaled sharply to cope.
"I think your arm is enough compensation. It's not like everyday I get to meet Gerudo who can keep fighting with one arm bleeding behind their back." he nudged my arm as he spoke. I pulled away from him with a cry, trying to get the bleeding to stop.
"Oops. Sorry," he apologized as he reached out his hand. I shied away. "Give me your arm." he commanded. I shook my head.
"You did this in the first place," I replied as I withdrew further.
"You are not afraid of me are you?" he asked looking at me intently.
"No," I replied without hesitation, staring him down.
"Let me bandage you up, then lets get you to the healers," he offered, tearing some cloth from his clothing.
"Are you kidding? That is probably nasty and sweaty!" I shot back, disgusted. He actually laughed at that.
"The only other alternative I can think of is your lovely top," he joked. " I wouldn't mind the view, but I was led to believe Gerudo were modest in front of their king. Prince. Me."
"If you were a woman I would strip down naked in a heartbeat, but you'll just have to miss out," I giggled in return. Goddess, was I flirting?
His smile broadened for a second.
"I just want to patch you up until I can get you to the healers," he explained. "Cleaning up blood in the training ground is nothing, but I don't want to explain a bloody trail through the entire fortress. May I?"
I nodded and handed over my arm. He was surprisingly gentle with my arm. I wouldn't think that someone as massive as him was capable. He stood up in one fluid motion and pulled me up by my waist.
"I'm Ganondorf," he said, giving me a slight grin.
"Nabooru."
He led me back through the antechamber and kicked the door roughly. Kale immediately opened it up. Her eyes widened when she saw the two of us. She bowed down and started an apology but Ganondorf stopped her.
"Nabooru has explained everything," Ganondorf told her giving her a little wink. "You did nothing wrong." He swept by her, leading me by my good arm. He was very cautious. Despite his massive boots and heavy armor he moved swiftly and silently. For whatever reason, he did not wish to be seen. We darted down corridors and through rooms I had not previously been in until we were at the chief healer's chamber. The chief healer Zanati stood up and bowed when she saw Ganondorf enter the room.
"It is a pleasure to see you again, young man. What can I do for you?" she asked, not noticing me behind his hulking form. Ganondorf gave her a sheepish look and pulled me out from behind him. The bleeding had slowed but my arm was still caked in blood.
"Good Goddess, child! What happened?" Zanati cried as she pushed me into a chair and adjusted the mirrors to shine the light from a small window onto my wounded arm. She tenderly unwound the makeshift bandage and examined the gash.
"The cut is clean. No muscles were damaged, but I will have to sew the skin closed. Ganondorf, can you fetch me the salve in the jar on the top shelf? No the one next to it. Yes, thank you," Zanati instructed as she wiped some instruments off to clean them. She rubbed the salve on my arm and the pain deadened.
"You just hold still dear," she said soothingly. "This is going to take a while to minimize the scaring. You don't need to speak, but we'll let Ganondorf tell me what happened." I concentrated on my breathing as she sewed my arm as gently as possible. The needle pricked and the skin smarted as it was pulled back into place. I listened to Ganondorf tell his version of the story. He glanced over at me and winked once he had completed his tale.
"Interesting," Zanati replied not looking up from her work. "Maybe if you would finish the training task instead of going in circles for hours you won't slash anymore unsuspecting Gerudo." A smile crept to her lips. Ganondorf chuckled. Zanati gave a painful tug on my arm.
"There, all finished," she said. "You will be free to go as soon as the blood clots better."
Ganondorf stared silently at me while Zanati finished cleaning my arm. Zanati bowed out of the room when an assistant came for her.
"Thank you for bringing me here," I softly said while examining my newly mended skin. Ganondorf shrugged.
"It was the least I could do after nearly severing your arm," he retorted. "Besides, if you came on your own you might not have seen Zanati. She is the best." I flexed my bicep to test the skin. Blood oozed afresh from the wound.
"Oops. I guess I shouldn't do that yet," I winced. Ganondorf chuckled while grabbing a fresh towel to mop up the blood seeping down my arm.
"Thanks," I smiled sheepishly once he was done. He nodded his head in reply and stared at the cupboards quietly,
"You seem close to Zanati," I recalled, trying to carry the conversation through his silent periods of observation.
"She was my nursemaid," he replied. "I've always looked at her as my mother figure." Just then the second-in-command burst in.
"Ganondorf! What in the name of the Goddess happened? I was just told you were in Zanati's chambers due to a mishap at the training grounds," She exclaimed, full of concern. Ganondorf chuckled softly.
"Yeresft may introduce you to Nabooru," he intoned, making a grand sweeping gesture towards me. I was still on the stool nursing my injury. She nodded her head towards me.
"You are not injured?" she asked Ganondorf.
"No, I actually injured poor Nabooru, but she has been taken care of," he replied casually. Yeresft nodded.
"As long as everything is taken care of, Mistress Jorhu is ready," Yeresft informed him. Ganondorf stood up and stretched, displaying the full size of his massive form. He winked at me as he silently left the room, leaving me alone to finish healing.