A/N: After listening to Gerard Butler's beautiful voice, I decided to write a story about my favorite Zelda character of all time. I'm not sure why the Phantom of the Opera made me think of the Desert King, but it did, and here this is.

I'll admit. I'm a sap for stories that make me feel sorry for Ganondorf. And this one is...slightly AU. Different reasons, so essentially don't expect it to be completely accurate to the game. I did what I wanted to do. Also, Ganon is A bit OOC. I'm usually really picky about characters not acting like themselves, but I'm pretty satisfied with how this turned out. So hopefully, you will be, too.
Oh, and just to say, Twilight Princess is my favorite Ganondorf design that there is. So despite this being written in Ocarina of Time, I still thought of the other one. Just a heads up. But I didn't really go into that much detail describing him, so if you still want to think of his first design, you do that. :3

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda.

A freezing wind blew wildly through the open, silent air, as it did every night. Darkness had fallen over the desert, taking away the brutal heat of the day, but bringing with it the deathly-cold wind of the night. But the chilled air could not stop one particular Gerudo from his mission. Fiery red hair fell loosely around broad shoulders, moving in the wind when the invisible storm would pick up again. Sharp, yellow eyes darted around, careful of being caught at such a dangerous hour. It was worse being out at night, especially since there was a shift in attitude from the warrior tribe. For years, there had been a drastic change for the single male Gerudo in his own fortress.

He was not welcomed there any longer.

He heard something to his right and immediately darted around the corner behind him. Light footsteps could be heard just around the bend. Ganondorf sat and waited silently. He had been sneaking past the guard ever since he was old enough to defy his mothers and sneak out of the fortress. The patterns of the Gerudo guards hadn't changed at all since his younger days. The only differing factor was that Ganondorf was much taller than when he was but a boy, making this much more difficult.

Soon, the woman walked back in the other direction, yawning. As he watched from the shadows, Ganondorf knew that her shift was over from the way she sluggishly carried herself back into the fortress. Now was his time to move.

Ganondorf glided over the sand-colored stone without a sound. For a man of his size, he moved with exceptional swiftness and was much more muted than any other man he had ever come across. He entered the fortress, thankful to finally be out of that blasted wind. There were no torches lit, not that he needed them, anyway. He knew the rough stone walls by heart, and he knew exactly where he was going.

Sand collected in the cracks of the old stone. It shifted under the Gerudo's feet as he briskly hurried down the dark corridors. Every little sound reminded Ganondorf of his youth…the light scurries of the desert ants as he walked past, the gentle tapping of his steps against the hard stone that he could only hear if he listened closely for it…the roar of the untamed wind beating against the unbreakable walls…he missed the desert. He missed the old days.

But those days are long gone…

Ganondorf mused over the past…he could see it as if it were yesterday, but it felt like lifetimes ago…seeing himself seating at the head of a long, large feasting table, surrounded by both lovers and sisters that adored him, training in both sorcery and swordsmanship to become the rightful leader that he was destined to be, learning alongside his peers about the history of the generations before him…he could recall every face perfectly, as if they were etched permanently into the chambers of his mind. All except one very important face…a face that he longed to see every waking moment that he was away.

Ganondorf turned a corner, knowing that he had finally reached his destination. He knew that she would be here…she was every time.

He used magic to light the torch. Its warm light illuminated the room in a red-orange glow. Ganondorf smiled. He very much enjoyed feeling the heat radiate from the fire. It always seemed warmer and more inviting here than it ever did in that castle… He looked down at the bed beside him. The large mattress had only one occupant. Ganondorf gazed down longingly at the deep red hair spread out beneath her. Her darkened skin shone like bronze in the torchlight, and Ganondorf found a deep ache to reach out and touch the fine features of her face…

Nabooru was truly beautiful in his eyes. Her sharp features would have turned any Hylian man away had she not had the voluptuous body that she was so divinely graced with. But that wasn't what made her beautiful to the Gerudo male. He found those Hylian women to be much too soft, too fragile, to be seen as attractive to him. But Nabooru had hard muscles built into her long arms and legs, her facial features long and thin, accented by the tight ponytail that she always pulled her hair into. Her keen, golden eyes that could paralyze even the greatest of monsters…

He couldn't help himself any longer. Ganondorf reached out and tenderly touched her dark cheek. Nabooru stirred but did not wake. He smiled wistfully. He took pleasure in the feel of her warm skin against his calloused hand. Her cheek was smooth, almost like the expensive silks he liked to play with when he was a child…

Suddenly, Ganondorf's eyes were filled with sadness. His mind wandered back to thoughts of his past once more. He found himself regretting ever leaving the fortress in the first place…wishing that things could go back to the way they used to be…when he had been the King of the Gerudo, instead of their foresworn enemy…he hadn't meant for things to end this way. Everything that he had done leading up to this point…he had done it all for his people. And what had they done in return for his consideration to their ongoing exile in the sands?

They had rejected him.

Ganondorf had only wished to better the lives of his people. The Gerudo tribes had been banished into the desert eons ago, when the kingdom of Hyrule was still young. Never, in all the centuries of Gerudo kings trying to rebuild the relationship between the Hylians and the Gerudo, had the Hylians been accepting of the Gerudo 'demons' that the old stories warned them of. Ganondorf had merely been tired of his people endlessly living in misery…he quickly had grown weary of watching his people slowly die, beaten down by the harsh conditions that the desert had to offer. And so he had devised a plan that would benefit his people in infinite ways.

And he had succeeded. He had removed his enemy from the Hylian throne. He had captured the long-desired country from the selfish race that resided there. The small troupe of warriors that he had brought with him to the raid had rejoiced with him the night that it happened. But when they returned…

Nabooru was waiting for him. His second in command…she had always seemed weary of this plot against the neighboring country, but Ganondorf always thought that she was merely unsure of the power of the Gerudo. But that was hardly the case. She disapproved of waging war. But didn't she see? The war was over; the Gerudo had won when Ganondorf struck down the King of Hyrule. And yet despite the victory, Nabooru was furious. She had always been the more popular one between the two leaders over the desert. While Ganondorf was away, she had convinced his entire race left back at the fortress that he was doing this only for selfish purposes, that he only desired to hold the power of the gods in his hands.

Even the small band of warriors that Ganondorf had taken with him believed her once Nabooru spoke when tgey returned. They all turned against him, spitting hate-filled words towards him. They told him to return to the land of light, to never step foot in the desert again…

And what could he have done? Ganondorf clenched his fist at the painful memory of turning his back to his beloved fortress…the memory faded, leaving Ganondorf in Nabooru's bedchamber once more. He turned his hard gaze to the woman below him. Always, he wanted to hate her for turning his own people against him. But…deep in his heart, he loved her. He never wanted any of this…he longed to throw down his crown and return to his desert sanctuary, but he was in too deep the moment he unsheathed his sword before the king. He was now the feared ruler of Hyrule…he couldn't just walk away and hide in the sands. That would endanger his people. And despite that they had turned against him…he still cared for their safety.

But yearning would accomplish nothing. Ganondorf knew that action was the only way to grant wishes. But what could he do? He was unwelcome here, and he was unwelcome in Hyrule, despite being king of both kingdoms.

After minutes of staring down at the woman that haunted his darkest and greatest dreams, a thought flickered in the back of his mind…

There had been rumors of a self-proclaimed hero running about Hyrule, taking down the beasts that plagued the different races. The hero's eyes were set on taking back the throne for the Hylians… Ganondorf thought long and hard about the little hero…he knew that the hero meant to take the life of the tyrant king. But was Ganondorf willing to give up his life in order to be free from the duty of ruling a country he no longer desired? Did he value his life less than he did the people that had banished him?

Ganondorf looked down once more at the sleeping Nabooru. Yes…his race as a whole was far more important to him than his own life… Regret filled the eyes of the Gerudo. He knew exactly what he had to do…he would allow this child hero to grow in strength. He would give the boy even more reason to hate him. He would allow himself to be defeated once and for all…only then would he have the peace that he so desperately craved.

The king sadly gazed at the woman for a moment longer before turning from the room. No matter how much he wanted to, he could waste no more time here. He slipped past the guards into the open night once more. He would return to Hyrule…and he would wait for his own demise.