Hello everyone. For those who know my other current story, Beautiful Blades, I must inform you that I am not taking a break from it. However, I simply wanted to write this. It should help keep those creative juices flowing, especially since I hit a rough patch with my other story.

The land of Hyrule for this story is a hybrid of several Hyrules from different games. Regardless, I hope you enjoy my new story.

Some of you may notice I rewrote this chapter a bit. I wasn't happy with my previous attempt at this chapter, so I edited it.

Enjoy!

Lesson 1: Welcome to Parenthood

There are many stories out there. Some about great heroes of old who go on epic quests to seek the maiden or the buried treasure. Others are about scandalous romances with unrealistic expectations and descriptive vocabulary on rather…. steamy things. And many are about your crazy uncle who once ate a sponge out of the trash can on a dare.

But not this story.

This is a story about a young man named Ganondorf.

He is a 6 foot 2 inch boy on the verge of his 18th year with flaming red hair with a personality to match, and he still had a bit of a growth spurt left in him. He was the prince, soon to be king, of the Gerudo Tribe of the desert wasteland of the ancient kingdom of Hyrule, and he knew he was destined for greatness… despite his rather delayed development on common sense.

He had a standard upbringing that any child would have. Taught how to steal, how to cut a purse, determining the worth of something before you attempt to take the object, the usual. As a child of a tribe of thieves, this was standard. And as the only male to be born to the tribe in a hundred years, he was treated like the royalty he was.

His mothers, the current leaders of the tribe, gave him much encouragement as he grew up.

"You are descendant of a long line of great kings, boy," his mothers often told him. "So that pathetic excuse of a shot at the target was barely worth our time. Again, boy!"

Ganondorf had plans. He would become the greatest King of the Gerudos of all time, so great that even his mothers would be proud. His name would become something to fear; a shadow from the desert, a name that caused even the most powerful of men to tremble at the thought of the great Ganondorf coming. And as he approached his eighteenth birthday, Ganondorf could only feel his destiny come closer and closer.

How right, and wrong, he was.

And here is where the story begins: in the desert, where two groups of very different people were about to meet, and the path of destiny would begin for the young prince.

"What's going on up there? Why did we stop?" a voice asked with harsh demand. The man behind the voice pulled back the tarp that covered the front of the wagon to glare at the two men driving. "This isn't the place to being do this! We need to press on!"

One of men turned and pressed a figure against his lips. "Jared said he heard something," he said in a loud whisper, shaking with nerves. Jared himself was holding still, looking across the desert sands with his eyebrows furrowed.

The man in the back joined him in the search for the sound. The sands looked empty…. Empty and dead. "…. Is it the royal army?" he asked, leaning out farther of the opening.

"I don't think so," his companion answered, looking over his shoulder. "They don't usually venture into the Haunted Wasteland. That's why we even dared to venture this way in the first place."

Jared, still tensed, joined in with a serious expression. "… But you forget, Alan," he said to the man next to him, "that with our 'cargo' they may be willing to come out this far."

The man in the back growled, his hand clenching into a fist. "If they catch us before we completed our mission…."

"They won't, Al," Alan reassured, before looking up anxiously at Jared. "…. Right?"

The man didn't reply as he looked over the dunes, his hand over his eyes to protect them from the sandstorm. Seeing nothing, he rubbed his eyes with his right hand. "… Perhaps I'm just hearing things…"

Alan looked relieved as Al frowned. Something didn't sit right with him. "Then get going, the longer we sit still the higher the chance of us of getting caught," Al commanded before drawing the tarp closed again. Jared and Alan looked at each other before Jared snapped the reigns and clicked his tongue to get the horse moving. Al was the unspoken leader of this group. After all, he had the most experience out of all of them. Hearing the command, the beast stamped its foot before it began walking.

Unknown to these three men, Jared's hearing at been spot on. If they had trusted in what Jared had heard a bit more, then perhaps what was to happen next could have been avoided. Or perhaps this was a fate designed by the gods themselves. Many perhaps, many maybes, but regardless of what could have been, what was about to happened next would change the course of many lives in the most surprising of ways.

Especially for the young, thieving prince that was about to jump the wagon.

The moment the three men had started to pull forward, the thieves made their move. Emerging from their hiding place in the sand, they gave a cry and charged forward on their steeds. As many as ten of them were at full gallop in only a few moments.

Seeing the ambush, Alan gripped the wagon's wood with a cry. "GERUDO!" he roared. In the back, Al let out a horrified gasp. He knew it; this was their territory after all. It did not surprise them that they were so close. Fearing the safety of those in the back, he grabbed a figure in the back with him and held them close. "Better hang on," he said as calmly as possible.

Jared already had forced the horse to move as fast as it could as soon as he heard the cries. "I knew it!" the man growled. The horse rushed towards the next post that pointed out of the shifting sands, but the Gerudo were gaining fast. "Where's the next one?!" Jared yelled at Alan.

After a panicked moment, Alan spotted the next marker. "There!" he pointed. He knew it was vital that they remain on course; else they would be lost in the desert. It was the fate of those who entered the Haunted Wasteland who did not follow the safe passage.

They managed to climb over the sand dune to the next marker, temporarily out of sight of their attackers. The thieves had begun their attack from a rather large distance, but it didn't matter. They would catch up, it was clear.

Jared blinked as he saw through the haze a small, stone building. "What the… Al, there's a building ahead of us!" he called out as they approached it. Al poked his head out to see it, and got an idea. "Stop at it, quickly!"

Jared did as he was told, and Alan jumped out with the figure in one arm, and a large chest over his other shoulder. Al was a huge man, doing this was not a problem. Hoisting the figure higher, he ran towards the building.

"What are you doing?!" Alan yelled after him.

"Those thieves are going to catch up, we can't escape! You two keep going, keep them off our trail!" As Al said this, he ran into the building.

He could hear the wagon pull away. They knew the risks when they entered the desert… Al had just hoped that they could have avoided them. But this was Gerudo territory; they most likely knew that they were here since they arrived. If that was the case, it was amazing that got as far as they did before they attacked.

The building was full of jars and chests, many of them buried in the sand after years of being subjected to the fierce weather and neglect. Al placed the chest on the ground. He flipped open the chest and removed the clothing that was inside before placing the figure inside the chest.

He smiled at the person. "Now do as I say. Just curl inside here and do not move or say a word until I open the chest. Got it?" The figure nodded and curled in the chest. Al threw the clothing over them and improperly snapped the chest shut. He threw some dirt over the chest, before ducking behind the doorway. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and he waited.

It was not long when he heard the sound of horses pull up through the sand. He could hear that the Gerudo had caught up and were outside. They were so close he could hear the sound of the horses' breath above the howling wind. He heard women's voices. Of course. Gerudo were only women. An entire tribe of beautiful, and dangerous, women.

"They must have gone off that way! Quickly!" one of them proclaimed. "Let's get our prize, ladies!" With a hoot and a cheer, they chased after Jared and Alan.

Alan waited a few minutes, glad to see that their plan seemed to work. He wanted to be sure that they had gone off. He hoped the men would be ok, but if they failed their mission… they would be dead anyways. After hearing only the wind howling for a while, he let out a sigh and stood.

As soon as he did so, a voice broke out. "Heh heh, that was a clever trick," a young man's voice suddenly laughed, causing Al to reach for his sword again in surprise. He had not heard someone staying behind, and he realized quickly that he was trapped. The boy he had heard stepped into the house with a scimitar in his hand, his face covered with a long piece of fabric.

Al glared at the boy as he unsheathed his sword quickly, ready for a fight. The boy may clearly be young, but that didn't mean he wasn't skilled, especially if he was from the desert. The boy pulled the cloth off his face to reveal a smug grin. "I'm just a lot cleverer."

The older man eyes went a bit wide. Red hair, golden eyes, darker skin… There was no question, a Gerudo but, "… A male Gerudo." He said out loud in his surprise. He had heard of such things, that only one male was born every one hundred years, but he did not know that such a male existed at this time.

The boy only grinned more when he heard that. "Heh, stating the obvious. I think I gave you too much credit about your intelligence." He pointed his weapon towards Al. "Now, Hylian, drop your sword. I'm not interested in hurting you. Yet." The sparkle in his eyes told Al that this Gerudo boy was enjoying this. "I'm just interested in your valuables. I wonder what you are hiding for you to separate from your pals to throw us off the track. Hand them over, and you can enjoy the rest of your day."

I can't let him figure out about the chest… Al stood there, sword still up, glancing over the boy with a vicious stare.

Seeing Al not back down, the Gerudo laughed. "Standing up to the Prince of the Desert. I like you, old man. But I'm not used to being disobeyed. Drop that pathetic piece of metal you call a sword and do as I command."

Letting out a small sigh, Al began to lower his weapon. The boy gave a nod. "Good, now…."

He didn't get to finished as Al suddenly rushed the boy, ready to deliver a powerful blow. As he towered over the boy, he swung his arm down to take him out, when he felt a sharp whack at the back of his head, and he slipped into darkness.

He fell to the ground as the boy put his sword back at his waist. "Oh, you thought I came alone? Pathetic Hylian." He grinned as his companion as she wiped her hands. "Good work, Nabooru."

Nabooru, a beautiful Gerudo girl around Ganondorf's age, gave him a cold, unamused stare. "You shouldn't lie, Ganondorf. Since when does anyone obey you?"

He ignored her as he crouched next to the body. He was used to her sharp tongue, even if he disliked the disrespect she should him. That's what he got for having a childhood friend come along on this misson. "Well, let's see what we have here…" He reached into Al's pockets, and checked all the bags. He pulled his hand out, frowning. "Nothing? Seriously?"

Nabooru snickered. "I guess they were cleverer than you!" Nabooru laughed. "Since you fell for the decoy!"

"Gr, be quiet, woman," Ganondorf growled. He stood and glanced out towards the sands whipping by in the intense wind. "The others should have caught the wagon, so we should find something useful from this lot."

"Stop calling me that, it's so disrespectful," Nabooru said with her hands on her hips. Ganondorf turned his cheek the other way with a small 'hmph' before plopping down on the floor to wait for the others to return.

When he becomes king, he was going to say whatever he wanted, and stop all this backtalk, that was for sure.

Nabooru gave a small smile as the two of them sat at the building's doorway. Ganondorf dug into the dirt with his toe, arms folded across his chest in a silent pout at being unsuccessful at his end.

Damn it, I hope the others don't tell my mothers about this, he thought to himself. They were already angry at him for not being vicious enough towards his last victims. He will prove to them that he wasn't a washed up thief like they said he was.

Ten minutes later, the Gerudo on their horses pulled up next to the pair with the wagon behind them. The two men from before were gone. Probably knocked out somewhere out in the desert, but not that Ganondorf really cared much. Ganondorf and Nabooru stood. "Well?" Ganondorf asked, peering past one of the horses to look at the wagon. "Anything worth our time?"

"Just some necessities, young prince. Food, water, blankets and clothing, and some oil," one of the women responded. Then she smiled under her veil. "And, of course, a new horse and wagon."

It wasn't too bad of a catch. "Well, not bad. Won't make us rich, but useful," Ganondorf mumbled. The stakes aren't high enough…. If only he was allowed to venture out of the desert, then he could steal something really valuable. Like gold and silver. A crown, maybe!

Nabooru pointed at the knocked out man behind her. "Still, what were these men doing out here so far from home? I thought they would be carrying something extremely valuable for them to brave the wastelands."

That was true. Ganondorf looked at the fallen man, having been wondering that himself. It was not easy getting into the wastelands. There was a natural barrier of quicksand that guarded the desert's entrance, followed by blistering winds and blinding sands. Whoever these men where, they had known about the barrier, and clearly prepared for it. However they managed to get a wagon past the barrier was still a mystery.

Something was going on for these men to take such extreme measures. Probably just Hylian nonsense, Ganondorf decided. It has nothing to do with him.

He shrugged off the thoughts. "Hmph. It's not our concern. Let's just get this stuff…. Home…" Ganondorf's voice trailed off as he spotted the chest Al had tried to blend in with the rest of the junk. "… Heh, I guess this scarred-geezer was pretty clever."

"What?" Nabooru asked as Ganondorf strolled over to the chest and crouched in front of it.

He ran his hand across the wood carefully, then rubbed the sand that had collected on his fingers together near his eyes. As he suspected, this sand had been loosely thrown over it. "See this? It's dusty, but it's not buried in sand. And it's in pretty good shape, with footprints all around it. I can't believe I didn't notice it before." His hand paused at the chest's edge as he realized. "That guy wasn't the decoy! This is probably what they were trying to hide!" A grin grew on his face. This is probably why they were so far into the desert. Whatever was in this chest was the answer. And it would probably make him rich.

The women began to whisper excitingly; they loved a good catch as much as Ganondorf did. "Then open it!" Nabooru said as she ran over and crouched next to him. Ganondorf fumbled with the latch for a few minutes before giving up with a frustrated sigh. "It's jammed." As if the man didn't close it properly in a hurry.

Ganondorf struggled with the latch for several more minutes, his fingers fumbling in frustration, until one of the women hopped off her horse.

"That's enough, Ganondorf," a woman said, looking a bit irritated. She was hungry and wanted to get home. She indicated to the new wagon behind her. "We'll just load it up in the wagon and break it open at home."

"Quiet, you don't tell me what to do," Ganondorf said harshly, standing up and folding his arms across his chest. After a moment of silence, he pointed to some women closest to him. "Pick it up and put it on the wagon! We are taking it home!"

A few women rolled their eyes, and Nabooru shook her head and sighed, but they did as they were told.

It took two women to pick it up. They were surprised by the weight. It was heavy, but there was very little shifting of items inside. It only added to their excitement as to what it could be. Ganondorf was also just as excited, if not more so. He had stolen many valuables over the years from many people, but this may be his biggest and greatest find yet!

Ganondorf viciously grinned to himself, raising and lowering his fist in a 'yes' gesture when no one was looking.

At this point yet, he had no clue as to the magnitude of his find. Or just how extremely crazy his life was about to become.

The women and the prince returned home to their barren valley after a few hours. They approached the closed wooden gate that blocked their home. Once, a long time ago, this had been the only way into the desert. No one remembers when that changed, but it makes it harder to control who went in and out of their territory, like those men from today.

It would normally be concerning that they invaded the Gerudo territory, but they weren't the first, and they certainly weren't going to be the last, so the tribe thought nothing extra of it other than free supplies.

Seeing the group arrive, a guard waved from her post high up, then yelled something inaudible from where Ganondorf stood towards unseen women behind the gate. Ganonorf stood close to the entrance, his hand on his hip and a massive grin on his face. Wait till the women see what he got today. It had to be good, whatever it was. Oh ho, his mothers were going to be so proud.

After a moment, the gate was raised and the group ran in with their newly-acclaimed goods. The Gerudo that had stayed behind crowded them, curious to see the new treasures. "Whoa, a new horse!" the stable master exclaimed, running her hands over the beauty. She pressed her cheek against the beast's soft hair. "You will be perfect for us."

The rest weren't so excited about the clothing, but were ecstatic about the oil. Useful and valuable, it was a nice catch. As the women clambered to unload the wagon, Ganondorf got Nabooru's attention. "Grab that chest, and bring it to the main hall. And you!" he ordered another woman, "Get something to break the latch!"

Working together, Ganondorf and Nabooru got past the crowd and carrying the box carefully (as to keep the treasure inside in good shape) to the main hall, with many following closely. A few of the women were already telling the others the story behind the box, getting everyone excited.

The stable master ran her hands over the horse, surprised by how calm it was being around the new people. She stroked its neck, keeping it calm as she checked its shoe to see the condition it was in. "You are certainly a breed from Hyrule…." Then she saw the shoe itself.

No way. This wasn't good. "Wait, Prince Ganondorf!" the stable master cried, handing the reigns over to another and rushing after him. He and Nabooru stopped, Nabooru looking surprised as Ganondorf looked pissed. He wasn't happy about being delayed to see his treasure.

"What is it?" he growled. "Whatever it is, it can wait."

The stable master waited to breathe before she explain the situation. "This horse is from the Royal Army."

Nabooru's eyes went wide at the news. "What? Are you sure?" Nabooru asked. "Those men didn't look like they were from the army…. They had no armor, no crests, no sign of being connected to the Hyrulean Army at all."

"Of course I'm sure!" the woman cried, looking insulted that she was doubted. "The breed matches the preferred breed, as well as the craftsmanship of the shoe. No doubt about it."

Ganondorf let out a hefty sigh. He really didn't want to waste time on this matter. He wanted to know what he found today, and even if these men were from the Royal Army, he didn't care. "No man or woman from the army would dare tread here, and you know it. Those men probably stole it or something. Maybe the army sold it. Heck, maybe the horse isn't from the army and the shoes are." He shot the woman a deathly glare. "So get back to tending it before I get real angry. Let's go, Nabooru."

The stable master glared back with complete defiance, but the prince had a point. He was young and still had a lot to learn before he was to be king, but he wasn't completely stupid like his mothers say he is.

Nabooru and Ganondorf finally reached the hall and set the chest down as the woman from before ran over with a study piece of metal. Snatching it out of her hands, Ganondorf let out a deep laugh. "There's something great in this chest, I know it!"

All the women had gathered at this point as he had said this. He slipped the metal between the wood of the chest and the latch carefully, barely getting it to fit. Nabooru braced the chest as Ganondorf pushed on the metal like a lever, letting out small grunts as he applied a great amount of force. It didn't take much before the latch popped open.

Everyone held their breath as Ganondorf flipped open the chest with pure excitement to see… clothes. He blinked. He closed the chest and opened it again, staring right at the bundle of unfolded clothes that were right at the brim of the chest.

Nabooru peeked around the chest's lid to see why Ganondorf was just standing there. "…. Ah." She stared with him for a moment, before covering her mouth to still a fit of giggles.

"What? What is it?" a woman called from the back of the room.

"Clothes…" Nabooru managed to say while trying to stifle her laughter.

The room started to fill with the growing sound of laughter as the Gerudo couldn't contain it anymore. Clothes! Once again, the great future King of the Gerudo found something amazing! Threads and embroidery! Ganondorf's shoulders began to shake with rage as the laughter continued to get louder. At last, he turned to snap at them.

"Shut it! This was heavy, there was to be more!" Why would those men go so far to protect a stupid chest of clothes?! Besides, there was no way clothing was that heavy. Stomping behind the chest, he wrapped his arms around it to pick it up and flipped it over, dumping out the contents. He didn't care anymore about keeping whatever was inside in good shape.

If only there could be a picture of everyone's faces, especially Ganondorf's, when a little blonde girl tumbled out of the chest right onto the pile of clothes. She was sleeping, apparently having gotten comfortable among the clothing and having no problem with having been carried everywhere, with her thumb in her mouth.

The prince froze, along with everyone else. The laughter stopped instantly. No one moved at the sight of a Hylian child in the middle of their main hall, sucking her thumb and napping like there hadn't been a problem at all. It was quiet for a few moments as everyone was too shocked to say anything or do anything.

It was Nabooru who finally broke the silence. "Hey look…. A toddler."

The girl shifted, her eyes opening slowly. Ganondorf stiffened more as she sat up and looked up at him, rubbing her blue eyes with her tiny hands. She looked him up and down through her eyelashes, still quiet sleepy.

And in a small, confused voice, she spoke. "…. Papa?"

And that was when the room completely erupted in laughter as Ganondorf had turned stone-like in complete horror at being called Papa by this tiny, blond girl he found in a box.

His mothers were not going to be proud. At all.

The girl sat in a Gerudo's lap, munching on a piece of preserved fruit as Ganondorf sat at the opposite end of the room, face red in embarrassment. Ever since he got called Papa by that… that thing…. No one would let it up that he had basically kidnapped a little girl. As if he wanted to.

"Well well, I guess Ganondorf was ready for a family!" a woman laughed as another giggled with her.

"And he got such a cute one at that! He's such a softie, isn't he?"

"So much for his 'greatest achievement'…."

"Hehe…. She called him Papa."

Ganondorf gripped the sheath of his sword that was positioned between his legs, hearing all of this. "Everyone, shut up!" Of course, no one listened. This was too good to pass up, too perfect to be quiet about. He glared over at the little girl, who was dressed in rags. "Why is everyone being so calm about finding a dirty Hylian in that chest? Isn't anyone curious as to why she was in there in the first place? And why is she not in the dungeon?!" She shouldn't be sitting comfortably in someone's lap eating their good food!

"Because she's just a little girl!" Nabooru said as she folded her arms. She was standing over him, making sure he behaved himself while the little girl had her snack. "It's not her fault you messed up and kidnapped her. Don't be so cold-hearted. And of course we are curious. It's not every day you find a child in a chest of clothing."

Cold-hearted?! She's a foreigner, a child of those pointy-eared freaks who thought of themselves high and mighty! He continued to glare at the girl. This little girl ruined everything for him today, and she just kicked her little legs happily as she munched on the fruit, enjoying its sweet flavor.

He started to speak again. "So what? She's got to be someone, right? Someone important. No one would go to the lengths that those two men did just to protect some little girl," he growled.

Rolling her eyes, Nabooru disagreed openly. "Any parent would go into extreme lengths to protect their kid."

Ganondorf clicked his tongue in annoyance. As if that was true. Besides, they found a freaking child in a box, and everyone was being so calm about it. What was wrong with these women?!

Unable to take it hearing Nabooru's 'great wisdom and knowledge' anymore, he got up and stormed over. He had to know what the heck she was doing in that box, and if she was worth anything at all. "You, Hylian, what is your name?" he demanded, pointing directly at the girl as he loomed over her. " Why were you in that box?"

The girl looked up with her large blue eyes. "…." She looked at her tiny hand for a moment, before she held up her hand and put up four fingers. "Four."

Four? "W-wha…." He blinked. What did she mean, four? Was that her name? That was certainly a strange name, but then again Hylians always had strange ways…. Wait a minute. He then bent closer, gritting his teeth, realizing what she actually meant. "Not your age, shrimp, your name."

The girl folded her arms. "Mr. Al swaid I can't twell my name to stwangers," she said in a matter-of-fact voice.

That was probably the man Nabooru had knocked out; the man with a scar on his cheek. Ganondorf heard snickers behind him at the girls defiance. Nabooru wished she could burn this moment into her head forever as she watched Ganondorf completely out of his element. It was a gift from the gods for her good behavior, she knew it.

Ganondorf pressed his lips together in anger at the girl's answer. "I don't care what Mr. Al said….. I'm a prince, and you have to do exactly as I say, got that? Now, tell me your name!"

"NO!" the girl suddenly screamed, causing Ganondorf to flinch at the screechy, pitchy voice. He covered his ears in pain, then mentally snapped at her stubborness. "That's it…." He reached for her, but the woman holding her suddenly protected the girl with her arms.

"You should never hit a kid, Ganondorf!" she told him. "Play nice!"

At her words, he suddenly felt all eyes… dark, angry, vicious female eyes on him. Despite his status, the glare of the angry woman still made him freeze right where he stood. Great, now this little girl got him in trouble with his own people. He pointed at the girl. "You….. That….. Gr, why are you so tiny?! That's not natural!" He lost all intelligent things to say at the girl.

"That's bwecause I'm wittle!" the girl told him, waving her finger at him. "All wittle girls are wittle!"

"That's stupid!" Ganondorf said with his hands on his hips.

"Stupid is a bad word! Say sorry!" the child commanded him.

He pulled back in shock. No one ever told him to say sorry. "Stupid is not a bad word!"

The women laughed at this childish argument as Nabooru sighed again. "What an idiot…." Well, Ganondorf has never seen a child before, at least not up close. There have been no other children after Ganondorf and Nabooru were born to their tribe. Neither one of them, especially Ganondorf, had any experience with children.

Hearing the women laugh again at him, he turned in a huff. "I'm done with this, I'm going to bed." He crossed his hands under his sleeves and stormed out of the dining hall. The girl blinked as he left. She had a look on her face as if she was deciding something. As she seemed to reach a decision, she hopped out of the lap she was in. With tiny footsteps, she ran over him, following.

Hearing the footsteps, he stopped and looked over his shoulder to see the girl. She stopped when he did, still holding that piece of fruit. He took a few more steps forward, and she began following in the same manner. He stopped again, realizing she was following him. "What do you want?" he asked, tired of looking at her.

She blinked up at him, silent. She was closely regarding him, her large eyes scanning his huge figure, as if trying to determine something about him, but Ganondorf didn't know what.

He growled and turned around properly to face her. What was wrong with this thing? Why didn't it speak when spoken to?! "What? What is it, shrimp?"

For another moment, she didn't respond again, until her face suddenly burst into a huge smile. "Like!"

Ganondorf looked dumbfounded at her words. "…Huh?" he asked, as Nabooru and a few other women caught up.

"Aw, did you hear that? The girl likes her new Daddy!" one of them said, bending down and patting the girl's head.

"No, it was Papa!" Nabooru corrected as she bent down and hugged her. "So cute!"

"Quiet! And stop giving her affection!" Ganondorf commanded, then glared at the girl. "Well, I don't like you."

For some reason, the child thought that was a joke. "Silly!" she laughed, running over and grabbing leg to hug it.

He tried to step back in surprise, shaking his leg to get the creature off. "Someone remove this thing!" he cried, sounding a bit panicked and pissed.

The women glanced at each other, until Nabooru spoke out quickly. "Actually, we've been talking. She's cute, but no one really wants to take care of a child right now. We figured that since you are the one who insisted in attacking that wagon and taking the chest, that you should care for her. It's your responsibility, so own up," Nabooru said with a huge smile. This was a lot of fun for her to break to him. She enjoyed it when he suffered a bit. "And she likes you, so it works out best."

The prince of thieves' jaw dropped. What did these idiots say?! "She's staying here?! She can't stay here!"

"Why not? No one feels like going to Hyrule to return her right now. It's too dangerous for us Gerudo. Besides, it's late. Let's just leave things as they are for now." Satisfied with this, the women began to walk away, wanting to get back to their meal, leaving him alone with the child. "Don't forget to change her clothes and feed her, ok?" one of them called back to him.

The girl was still clinging to his leg, smiling happily. "No, wait, come back!" he roared after them. "I command you to halt! Get it off, I don't want to care for it! Hey, are you listening?!"

"Hmm… I see…." A male voice said from the darkness. He opened his eyes and leaned onto his hand in irritated thought. "Those three fools failed their mission, did they?" So, the princess was still alive. And missing.

The sound of leather squeaked as a fist was clenched. "She's too dangerous to me alive… I miscalculated. When I find her, I won't make that same mistake again."

Thank you for reading. I hope you look forward to the next chapter!