The options for Hyrule were scarce. Have no reliable allies in the war and surrender promptly or make a pact with the Gerudo King. Only one of those options could work, but it would be a mistake-or blessing-Queen Zelda would harbor the rest of her life. Not based directly on any games though the scenery and character design are based on Hyrule Warriors. Zelda/Ganon centric. My first LoZ piece. I really hope to do this story justice. There will be more chapters, so stay tuned! As always, please rate and review, and lemme know what you think. Thanks!

The warmth of Summer in Hyrule could fill any heart with optimism and glee. The grand kingdom was never always at peace—one only need gander at the historic textbooks—but it was well fortified. It had been far too long since the Castle Town and its recipients had been under the scrutiny of war. It may have been their blind indulgences of peace which led to their folly. War had found Hyrule again, and for the first time in many years, the brute strength of the Hylian forces waned. The invading forces in particular came from the shadows, prowling around the perimeter of the once peaceful kingdom. They were creatures of darkness. Not only that, but it seemed that others lands have deemed Hyrule as cursed due to the explicit attacks, leaving the valiant kingdom to fend for itself against the waging tides of creatures. It certainly was not a stretch to say that the comforting Summer warmth of the past did little to soothe the current sovereign leader of Hyrule now. From a balcony within the castle stood a young woman, not past her early twenties. Her posture was poised and her face a portrait of beauty. All it would take was a knowing glance at her gold-woven hair and glistening sapphires for eyes to know she was not of the common folk. This woman was royalty, without question. From this perch the young ruler stood, overlooking her kingdom and glance to the far reaches beyond the horizon. From there, the sun burned especially fiercely, scorching the sands that laid there. Yes, just beyond sight was the Gerudo desert. Anyone with common geographical knowledge would know it, though Zelda was especially knowledgeable of it. She was Queen, after all. If nothing else, it was her business to know of the surroundings of her kingdom.

As of late, the Queen has spent long hours of her days struggling to make ends meet for her citizens, see to it that her forces were well looked after and trained, not to mention the diplomatic portions of being a leader brought. It was tiring, though a duty Zelda was born into by right. She was bred for the day she'd outlive her father and rule the kingdom—and she was ready, truly—to be a self-sufficient leader to her people. Yet, disaster struck not long after her father's quiet passing. Zelda had barely time enough to mourn her father's death when the creatures of darkness began to slaughter the outlying villages and towns. While she reacted as she felt was proper, it seemed that any sort of counter attack or mere defensive line just spurned the creatures on. They were mindless, frenzied things that held no sentient thoughts. Not much was known of these treacherous beings, nor if they had a leader or not. A young man close to her age was a volunteer to a mission about just that. His name was Link, a hero among the common men. He vowed to the Queen that he would venture off on a reconnaissance duty to seek out the source of the evil, if there was one to be found, and to learn more of the dark creatures. That had been some time ago, and Zelda was growing worrisome. He was a diligent fighter, and a courageous one as well. Impa, her guardian and commanding officer for her troops, had even deemed the man more than suited for the task. Yet, she was conflicted with what to do in the meanwhile. Link had yet to return and showed no sign of doing so for quite a while, leaving the kingdom to what little resources it had left to spend against the forces of darkness. It had been quiet for days and there were no signs of an attack to come. These few days of peace gave Zelda time to herself, to muster up all her wisdom to create an idea or two on how to proceed.

The Zora refused to leave their waters for Hylian affairs, and the Gorons dared not tempt the darkness their way out of cultural beliefs. The outlying Providences also held little for resources for the Queen's cause, despite their well wishes for the Castle Town. It was becoming more and more taxing to hold her own against the numbers of the darkness which began to consume her kingdom. Her options were waning, and fast. The young woman began to pace about the balcony, arms folded over her chest and a hand gingerly cupping her chin in delicate thought. What would her father do? What might he say to quell her anxiety? She sighed quietly to herself and gazed back to the early evening sunset, eyes tracing the blinding orb that hung low in the sky. The land that the sun touched every day, the Gerudo Desert, was a powerful one indeed. The indigenous people there, the Gerudo, have survived through the centuries and proved to be resilient in the ways of the parching and unforgiving climate. They were held in their ways, unbent, and unbroken. Zelda had to admire the Gerudo kingdom for that aspect. Despite their location not being ideal for life, they created life there and made it flourish. It was no easy feat, and it was—in part—thanks to their leader. Yes, she had known of this man, for the history could not forget his part he had in the world. He had many titles, but the name in his language was Mandrag Ganon, otherwise known as Gerudo King of Thieves, Lord Ganondorf Dragmire. She had only met him once, while her father's rule still encased the land. She was but a young lady then, one still so innocent and untouched by the tremors of the world beyond her stone walls and gates. It was only a passing glance, but it was all that was needed to see him for what he was worth. He was beyond intelligent, perhaps short tempered, but it only led as an escape for his swelling emotions. If he was upset, thrilled, or otherwise, it would not be hidden long. While his motives might be secretive, his heart—as it were—was worn on his sleeve. The King of the Gerudo had not come back to Hyrule since that day. Not for her father's pyre, nor the day she was crowned the new ruler of Hyrule. Gerudo were not ones to openly give out their sympathies, but it had been such large events. Zelda had anticipated his presence, though all that came were desert hawks, bringing with them scrolls addressed to her in a rather formal fashion. They were addressed to her from Ganondorf, though each time she held those letters she had to wonder if they were genuinely written by him or a squire. It seemed like such a trivial thing to ponder, but it helped her gauge his sincerity and where their relations stood prior to what she would do next.

A loud creak resonated behind the Queen, though she chose to remain in place as a figure approached her. She needn't glance back, for she knew just who it was. The woman was a head taller than Zelda was, older as well. Her hair was stark white and her skin tanned and worn from battles come and gone. While she held her own stoic beauty about herself, her clothes seemed the opposite of Zelda's. While the Queen wore lightly pigmented pink and purple hues while still adorning her golden armor, the new arrival to the balcony wore blues with red accents, her armor far more scratched from experience. It was none other than Impa, her closest companion. She was Sheikah, one of the last of her race. The Sheikah had long since served the royal family of Hyrule. While they had a dark, muddled past, Zelda always knew Impa held knowledge of her people that she never brought up, such as what happened to the other Sheikah. The Queen would not ask, knowing that it would only bring up the sadness of the past and due nothing to right it. As it was, they had a mutual respect for one another when they first met, and time has only seasoned their relationship to that of family neither no longer had. Without budging forward anymore, Impa fell down to her knee and bowed before her Queen. Zelda turned back to face her companion and immediately began to chastise her lightly, both knowing such formalities were never necessary between them, especially in private. It was always with Impa's insistence that such respect was always given. Upon gazing at her long time friend, Zelda noticed a familiar dark bird perched on Impa's forearm.

"My Queen," Impa began, her tone firm and filled with knowing hesitance. "I have prepared your raven. Your letter is sealed and prepared. It will depart on your order." Her dark red eyes couldn't help but steal a glance upward, searching those opposing blues for answers, for clarity. Impa knew better than the question—let alone undermine—her dear Zelda's wishes, especially those that were targeted towards protecting their realm. As if reading her thoughts, Zelda nodded and bent down enough to guide Impa to her feet. They stood together now, Zelda's more gentle hands reaching over and soothing the trained avian messenger.

"Yes, I have decided...it has taken me quite some time to come to terms with it, but it is the most wise decision I have made thus far."

"Zelda," Impa implored quietly, her tone feeble in order to show her respect while getting her point across. "A treaty with the Gerudo has not happened in many years."

"Then this will give the scribes something exciting to write about."

"What makes you so certain, your Grace, that they will not turn away as the other lands have thus far? How can we trust them?"

At this, Zelda wrapped her hands around the raven and turned around and faced the sunburst skyline, her eyes drinking in the intoxicating warmth of it before the sun would wane beyond her sight, leaving darkness and the rising moon as the sole source of light. Her hands cradled the crooning bird, admiring its loyalty and obedience. A soft prayer was whispered to the bird, giving it thanks for its service. Without another word, Zelda threw her arms high and released the raven from her hold. As if born only for the Queen's desires, the bird swiftly left the capital and made haste to the westerly lands, to the Gerudo desert. After giving the bird a final, satisfying gaze, she breathed in slowly. Her response was simple:

"We cannot. Not yet."