Thanks for taking a look at my story! Some information - This is in the BOTW universe, and falls hundreds of years in the future. You can imagine the Link and Zelda in this game to mostly resemble those in the BOTW game, though Link will be a little different as he's a Gerudo. The traditional Gerudo style of dress, weaponry, and city are all very similar though.
I've always thought the Gerudo were incredibly fascinating, so this is my take on their culture. I obviously own none of the characters. Enjoy!
Tauma stood in the archway, arms crossed, shoulders tight. Beneath her, the desert sand raged, stirring up the seemingly endless sea of sand.
The sandstorm had rolled in quickly, and the merchants had been quicker to pack up their shops. That had been three days ago. There had never been a storm of this ferocity since the Great Calamity had caused Vah Naboris to rage. Those days had come and gone, and all who remembered them were as the sands now.
Instead, Tauma was left to reminisce, passing the time by staring into the sandy-green haze of the storm, the sun blotted out by the vicious desert winds.
The same wind whipped around her ankles, and every once and a while the billowing white curtains covering the palace archways would snap in the storm. The palace, otherwise, was silent. Tauma tensed her jaw, drawing in a long, slow breath.
Then, a scream. The tiniest of wails from newest of lungs.
Tauma turned just as the massive doors to the Chief's chamber opened.
Essa stepped out, breathless. Her arms splayed wide, prying the heavy doors open. There was a look on her face Tauma couldn't read.
"You…you must come see." Essa panted before turning on her heel and darting back into the room.
Inside, Chief Saula lay in a sprawling bed. The towering bedposts had their curtains pulled back to reveal the small infant in her arms. Saula's hair was disheveled, sticky with sweat, but she looked healthy.
"My Chief." Tauma said and knelt by her bed. "You have fought the bravest of battles."
Saula's eyes rose from the squawking bundle. "Sarqso." With one swift, but gentle movement, she pulled the linen swaddle back to reveal a baby, nude in her arm.
It peered up at Tauma with puffy eyes – shining green like her mother's. Wisps of sandy blonde hair covered the child's head. A trait, no doubt, from the voe Saula had taken. Tauma's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly looked back to Saula.
"A boy?"
There was a sudden, static tension in the room. The blowing winds seemed to press in on them, and for the first time since being shut in, Tauma felt claustrophobic.
"Yes." She said with grave sincerity. "This is surely an omen. Of what, I do not know." Saula was no longer the tired new mother. Her eyes hardened and her voice, quiet and low, spoke with urgency. "You must visit Reeza. Return to me with any message she may have. Then, once the storm breaks, you must ride to Hyrule Castle Town. Inform the King and Queen of the birth of a Gerudo voe."
Tauma nodded and rose to her feet, she turned to the door before Saula's fingers caught her by the wrist.
"Link. The boy's name will be Link. After the Queen's great grandfather, and the Light of Hyrule."
Then, Saula's fingers released and Tauma was let free.
The sand stung hard against Tauma's cheeks as she pounded on Reeza's door. She thanked the Seven that the woman had opted to reside in a sheltered side street and not in the exposed central square. Getting here in the storm had been pain enough.
The door opened with a sudden jerk and Tauma was hauled inside by the cuff of her scarf.
"Seven Heroines, woman! What a time to come!" Reeza squawked as she slammed the door shut.
Tauma regained her footing, pulling off her headscarf and shaking it free of sand.
"By all means, get the stuff everywhere." Reeza said with a glare.
"We live in the desert. It is everywhere."
The old woman waved a dismissive hand. "You don't need to be so upset. I only tugged you in a little bit."
Reeza walked into the back of the house, her small frame disappearing behind a curtain. Tauma paused, unsure if she should follow.
"Are you coming or are you going to waste more of my time?!"
She bit her tongue, swallowing the curse rising in her throat.
Tauma despised visiting Reeza. Everything about the woman reminded her of the desert vultures. Her beak-like nose, high, squawking voice, and the way she flailed her arms. A takeoff that never seemed to get air.
"I'm here for the Chief, as you should know. To imply she wastes your time-"
Reeza cut her off. The woman stood on a stool, her finger pointed in Tauma's face as she stormed into the back room.
"I know." She hissed. "Of course I know of the boy. I meant you. Wasting your time looking about." She stepped off the stool, sliding it out of the way with her foot, and walked over to a low table before perching herself on top.
Most Gerudo were towering women, but for some reason Reeza had ended up nearly a foot shorter than average. Some speculated the Seven gave her less height but the gift of sight to compensate. Tauma had always scoffed at that. To her, it seemed that Reeza's only skill was the ability to embellish.
"And what of the boy, then?" Tauma asked, her thoughts moving back to the present.
Reeza shrugged. "Gerudo men bear no good omens. I will have much to discuss with young Link in the future, but those words are not for your ears." She pointed a long, bony finger and clicked her tongue. "The Goddesses will pass along this, though: we are right to be weary. His rise will bring about a great war. Gerudo men are prideful things; cunning tricksters. And the Thief King will not be keen to be forgotten."
"Thief King? The one from centuries ago? Was he the last known voe born to our tribe?"
Reeza bobbed her head. "Indeed."
"So, you have no real good news about this then?" Tauma raised a brow. "I am to bring the Chief the news of an impending war because of the boy? Should we…kill him?" She felt rather dimwitted asking the question out loud.
Reeza squawked and threw a nearby cup at Tauma's head. The guard stepped left, letting it smash into the wall behind her.
"That is not what I said! The birth of this voe will bring about a great war, yes, indeed. But the Chief is wise, and she is right to name him after the Light." Reeza stopped rambling to nod enthusiastically. "Yes. She has made a wise choice in showing good faith to the Crown with that name. The boy isn't evil, but he will bring about evil. Bring him to me on his twenty-first birthday. Hopefully I'm still alive!" She said and laughed hysterically, slapping her knee and throwing her head back.
"Yes. We all hope." Tauma deadpanned, and turned to leave.
It was nearly a week later when she was escorted into the massive marble sanctum of Hyrule Castle. The room towered over her, rich paintings covering the domed roof.
The Great Calamity. A blonde boy in blue with a glowing sword before a great, red beast. Above him, a women draped in white, awash with a golden light. Divinity meets doom.
Tauma frowned. Though the Calamity had been destroyed over 200 years ago, the memory of it still terrified her. The story was a stark reminder that victory was never assured, good didn't always defeat evil. The thought of her people plunged into darkness again weighed heavy in the back of her mind, but the Chief specifically instructed her not to mention the Great War Reeza spoke of. Instead, she was visiting on a goodwill mission. The Chief wanted to show the Crown they were ever loyal despite their seclusion in the desert sands.
"Lady Tauma, Gerudo General and Lead Guard to the Honourable Chief Saula." A short castle guard bellowed from her side, the sudden noise jarring her from her thoughts. The man stepped aside, allowing her to approach the throne.
"Warm welcomes, General Tauma." The King said from his seat. He was an average looking man. Stark black hair, dark eyes, medium height. He was no spectacular warrior, but an adequate fighter. He had come from Hebra; the son of a wealthy Lord who commanded the army before retiring. Compared to his wife - glowing blonde hair, porcelain skin, shining blue eyes - he was perfectly average in almost every way.
The Queen, great granddaughter of King Link and Queen Zelda, was a soft, quiet woman. After marrying, she quickly fell pregnant. She relinquished almost all of her power to her husband, choosing instead to birth four daughters over the span of eight years. Her youngest was nearly a year old now.
Tauma's footfalls were silent, absorbed by the rich, red carpet as she advanced. She knelt on one knee, crossing her fist over her heart. "Your Highness. Thank you for your hospitality in welcoming me today."
"Please, rise, and tell us why you have come to visit." The King said, smiling warmly at her. That same warmth did not reach his eyes.
"I bring news from the Chief. She has birthed a child…a boy." Tauma hesitated only a moment before continuing, but she did not miss the shock in the King's eyes. "She sent me to announce his birth and, as an offer of reverence to the Crown, she has named him Link. After your wife's great grandfather, the Light of Hyrule."
The King smiled nervously. "A kind gesture, no doubt. Please, offer my sincerest congratulations to Chief Saula. I do hope she is recovering well and resting. Do assure her that we very much appreciate the honour. How long has it been since a man was born to the Gerudo?" His tone was almost mocking. All monarchs were well versed in subjects such as history, and the thought of him not knowing about the last Gerudo male was laughable, at best. Tauma knew this was a test, however small.
She placed her hands behind her back and levelled her expression. "None since the Thief, your Highness. Tens of thousands of years ago."
The King nodded and, she suspected, did not overlook the fact that she dropped King from the title she spoke.
"Well, I'm sure that with Saula's guiding hand your young Gerudo boy will far surpass the feats of his ancestors."
Tauma bowed quickly. "We do hope, your highness."