A/N: Alright, so this is my first LoZ work. Please keep in mind that this is a self contained story, and it doesn't necessarily follow specific timelines or canons. I appreciate all reviews, and I hope you enjoy the story!

Prologue

Ganon was never one to believe in destiny. It was a concept used to manipulate those with feeble minds to perform tasks for those who held positions of power. He was none too pleased on his sixteenth birthday when he was bucked off of his horse in the middle of the desert en route to the Nayru Oasis. If it weren't for a passing caravan, he surely would have perished in the unforgiving terrain. While he recovered from his concussion in the safety of the enclosed wagon, he noticed something peculiar; his hand seemed to have obtained a faint golden tattoo of three triangles, the top one was colored in quite vibrantly. At first he thought he was imagining it due to the heat and his aching head, but when he recovered at the oasis, the odd triangle still persisted.

As a precaution, he wrapped his hand with gauze to keep the mark hidden until he knew what it was. Upon returning home, his sisters greeted him as usual, save for Maleeha, who always seemed to know when there was something awry. She pulled him aside indiscreetly and urged him to unwrap his hand binding. He did so and frowned when she stared at him peculiarly.

"It can't be." Maleeha grumbled to herself as she turned Ganon's hand at various angles. "Gan, please tell me where you got this."

"I don't know." he closed his eyes and shook his head. "It showed up after my horse ran off. Do you know what it is?"

"I know of it, but I don't know much about it. Some legends say it's a gift from the Goddesses, others say it's a curse. All I am certain of is that it's part of the Hylian culture, it's called the triforce."

"Why would I have something Hylian in nature?" He looked at the strange symbol with a grimace. The Gerudo, his people, wanted nothing to do with their war-mongering neighbors to the north. When the two interacted, the result was typically unnecessary bloodshed.

"That I don't know." Maleeha responded with a small grin. "Perhaps it is time you travel to Centrailia City, you could knock out two sparrows with one stone."

Centrailia City was the capital of Central Province, a hub for students, merchants, and refugees alike. It was common for his people to send off their teenagers to the city to learn a trade or skill, and he was at that age. In addition to becoming an apprentice, he could make use of the numerous libraries to shed light on the mysterious triforce mark now imbedded in his skin. All around, it didn't seem too terrible an idea.

"I'll do it." he stated with a nod of his head.

"Good, make sure to keep it covered up, there's been grim rumors of this going around." Ganon hadn't heard of these rumors, but he tended to ignore the news reports his older sisters were always discussing at the lunch hall. "Don't let your temper get you arrested, 'cause I won't bail you out." Maleeha chuckled and she ruffled her little brother's hair. Ganon knew he could be a bit of a hothead sometimes, but he wouldn't do anything brash. Probably. He gently swatted his sister's hand away and laughed with her.

"I won't." he promised, then went to his room to pack his things. The journey itself shouldn't take more than three days, weather and his horse permitting. How long he'd be gone was a different matter entirely. He already had experience as a blacksmith, but he wanted to try something different, like carpentry or masonry. He'd have plenty of time to figure it out when he was on the road.

It took Ganon two months to become accustomed to the bustle of the large city. For one, it wasn't in a desert environment, and he didn't think he'd ever get used to the mugginess in the air. The people, customs, and foods were diverse; not that it was bad, it was merely different from what he was used to. One thing he didn't like about the city was living on his own, he didn't know how everyone else was able to live this way. It was terribly lonely.

While slumping into a chair, Ganon took a sip of his mead. It was sweet and it sent a warm tingle throughout his body. The tavern was in the university district and packed with people of all ages and races. There a few half-Gerudos, but none of them were from the communes based on the way they were dressed. A group of Sheikah sat near the fireplace and Ganon couldn't help but stare seeing as he'd never seen one of them before.

"Hi, excuse me." Ganon turned his head to see a young woman staring at him expectantly. Her clothes were even more strange than what the rest of the city folk wore. What really piqued his interest was the triforce symbol embroidered on the sleeves of her shirt. Despite living in the city for two months, he was clueless about what the triforce was.

"Can I help you?" he asked with a slight tinge of agitation. If she noticed it at all, she didn't show it. The woman had a light complexion and long pointed ears, clearly a Hylian. He wasn't too keen on making conversation with someone who was likely to look down on him.

"Yes, actually!" her bubbly tone was grating and shrill. "I'm an anthropologist from Castle City. You've heard of it, right?"

"Of course." he responded while fidgeting with a loose strand of hair that fell out of one of his braids. Everyone knew Castle City was the capital of New Hylia, it was a fortress not to be trifled with.

"Excellent. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions for my research paper."

"I suppose so." honestly he didn't think it was a great idea, but maybe he could ask her about the triforce in return.

"Great!" she pulled out a pile of parchment and a quill. "Can I ask your full name? It'll be kept confidential of course."

"It's Ganondorf Adinaya of the Lesinea Commune." he beamed with pride as he spoke his name. Lesinea was one of the largest Gerudo communes and Adinaya was amongst the oldest of the families, dating back to their founder, Nabooru.

"That's an awfully long name."

"Yes, but we typically go by our first names. I'm sorry, I don't think I got your name."

"Iphe."

"Just Iphe?"

"Just Iphe." she affirmed as she finished scrawling something down on her parchment. "Only our nobles have complicated titles." Ganon wasn't sure if that was a jab at him or not, so he thought it was best to leave it be. He took a large sip of his mead and noted it was almost empty. "Anyway, what's it like being the only male in your tribe?"

Ganon choked on his mead and he spit it back into the mug. Some of the bar patrons glanced in his direction with curious eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Our books say that a male Gerudo is born once every hundred years."

"Your books are terribly outdated then." Ganon clenched his fists and he took deep breaths. He couldn't let his temper get the best of him, not here. Sure, Gerudo tended to have more women in their families, but there were still quite a few men.

"My apologies." she waved it off and smiled like it was nothing.

"Oh, there ya are. Get lost, did ya?" a voe with a rather impressive afro put his hand on Ganon's shoulder and motioned for him to follow. "Excuse me." he butted himself in front of Iphe and led Ganon to the table with the half-drunken Sheikahs.

As he sat down, he was offered drinks and food, it was all overwhelming. He ate some of the peppered skewers and decided it was best not to question the situation.

"Sorry to snag ya like that, didn't want ya gettin' into trouble."

"Yeah, kid, you look new here." one of the Sheikah said after taking a gulp of her whisky. His loose cotton clothing did not fit in well with the city, but they were too comfortable to buy anything else. "Just a tip for you, if someone from Castle City wants to talk to you, ignore them and be on your way. They're all a bunch of pretentious snobs, except Daren, he's cool." she pointed her thumb at the voe with the afro.

"You're Hylian?" was the only thing Ganon could think to ask.

"Unfortunately." one of his friends responded and jabbed Daren in the side with his elbow. Everyone at the table chuckled before focusing on their notebooks and drinks.

"So, what brings ya into town?" Daren asked, his words slurring more ever so slightly the more he drank.

"I'm studying history," he was going to leave it at that, but since Daren was Hylian, maybe he knew about the triforce, "I'm writing a thesis on the legend of the triforce. Do you know where I can find some information?"

"Oh, sure, the Nibo Library on Main Street has tons of mythology and history books. Watch out for the librarian though, she's a weird one."

"Thank you." he stood up and made sure everything he needed was in his bags, "Thanks for the food." he walked out of the tavern and made his way towards the main road.

The library was three stories high and hard to miss due to it being made out of irregularly cut marble instead of wood and bricks like the rest of the city's buildings. The symbols for all of Hyrule's races were beautifully carved around the base of the structure. Despite its odd appearance, it was impressive to see. The library was amazing on the inside as well. Tapestries depicting all sorts of historical scenes covered the auburn walls. There were mottos in different languages carved into the massive support pillars. He only recognized one, which was written in an old and outdated version of the Gerudo language, 'Daughters of the sand, Messengers of the sun, Beware the Chosen One's brand'. It was a motto commonly found painted on old pots and embroidered into cloths. The meaning of it had been lost to time, not even the wise Gerudo elders knew what it meant.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" a voice spoke suddenly from behind him. He jumped slightly and turned around only to be faced with a middle aged Hylian woman with light brown skin. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright." she smiled at him and focused her attention on the carvings.

"This one here is in ancient Hylian." the librarian pointed to the words underneath the Gerudo motto. "It says, 'Against all odds he traversed through the dark, Again he must defend the light, Be wary the Chosen's mark, For he summons the blight'.

Ganon observed her closely, now he was interested. "That one up there is Sheikah, 'Our people endure time after time, Be watchful of the Goddess' sign, For it summons the malevolent swine'. What do you make of this?"

"I don't know," he responded truthfully, "What do they mean?"

"No one is certain, though I have my theories."

"Could you tell me more?" at this point, he was curious and the librarian seemed to really know her stuff.

"Certainly!" it seemed she was excited to teach him all she knew. "Follow me. Oh, and what was your name?"

"Ganondorf." he decided not to give her his whole name in case she judged him like the Hylian from the tavern did, but he doubted she would care.

"Ah, a traditional Gerudo name." she bowed with her right hand over her heart, which was a sign of respect amongst his people. "I'm Phura, I research Hyrule's ancient histories, it's refreshing to see a new face in here so eager to learn."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ganon responded and gave her a bow as well. They walked up a spiral staircase and sat at a table covered with mounds of books. Many of them had worn covers, yellowed pages, a few of them were written in ancient languages that he couldn't understand. "About those carvings, I couldn't help but notice something strange about them."

"Oh?" Phura grinned and looked at him expectantly, like she knew what he was thinking. It was slightly unnerving.

"Well, they all allude to the same thing. There's some sort of symbol that had these people frightened, and it had to do with some chosen person."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, they're definitely connected somehow. Maybe there was an evil ruler, I know back in the day they believed their kings were chosen by the gods."

"Interesting idea. Who's to say this chosen one was inherently evil, however?"

"I don't know, the whole 'he summons the blight' sounds sinister, and all of them are essentially warnings for this entity. Are there any more verses?"

"Of course." Phura grabbed a cracked leather bound book which had a dull blue feather sewn into the binding. "This is a book written by a Rito historian some two hundred years ago. Thankfully it is similar enough to the modern Rito language, as the ancient version is one of the few I am not proficient in." she flipped through the pages until she found a bookmark. "Ah, here it is, 'I have flown high and low all over Hyrule in search for the secrets of the old civilizations. There must be a connection between the findings I have come across. Grandmother let me have her shawl, which I was surprised to discover had the saying of old embroidered in it in modern terms.

With proud wings we must fly, The chosen will betray all, his deceit we will defy

Not the brightest and cheeriest thing I'd expect to see on a scarf, but there it is, a warning to my people. Oddly enough, it seems all the races in Hyrule have a warning riddle against this fiend. Is he destined to raze the land in my time? Perhaps he already struck in the past, or he will strike in the future. If so, I must warn everyone I can to be prepared. I believe this might be related to the devastating events that happened 100 years ago, though accounts on what happened are not entirely clear.

The Hylians still remain cut off from the rest of Hyrule, and they refuse to let any visitors in. I have spoken to the descendants of those who were able to flee, though they would not tell me of the event. Either they did not know themselves, or the memory was too painful for them to relay.

One day, I hope Central Hyrule will be open to all. The castle, in ruins as it may be, must be filled with ancient texts I'd love to get my wings on. I fear-'"

"Is that all?" Ganon asked when Phura stopped reading. Surely there was more to it than that.

"I'm afraid so. This book was not treated kindly over the years, water damage has rendered a majority of it unreadable. It's a shame, really, this Rito was a talented historian, he didn't think to have his findings published or copied."

Ganon mulled everything he had learned over in his head and he took deep breaths. It was by no coincidence the races had similar warnings about a supposed harbinger of doom. He couldn't shake the feeling this was related to the mysterious mark that appeared on his hand. It had since faded so it could barely be seen, but he could still feel its presence. Surely they all couldn't be alluding to him, he was only a teenager, the thought of causing anyone serious harm made him queasy.

"Are you okay, dear?" Phura asked, concerned.

"Yeah, sorry, it's pretty late. Thank you for the help." she nodded as he stood to go back to his apartment.

Over the course of several weeks, when Ganon wasn't busy with his apprenticeship, he was in the library. There were plenty of translated books he read with ease, but he made sure to call over Phura when he found a book in some ancient words. He learned more history than he thought he ever would, he felt a tad remorseful for not paying attention in his aunt's classes.

Soon he'd have to return home, leaving the fascinating library behind. He decided to venture to the third floor for the first time. It had the smallest amount of space, less decorations, and it was dimly lit. The books seemed to be far older than the ones on the second floor, they looked fragile and he was almost too frightened to grab one in case he damaged it somehow. He wasn't exactly the most graceful person, after all. One book in particular caught his attention. It had gold trimmed pages and a brown leather cover, adorned with runes, and most glaringly of all, a golden symbol of the triforce. With care, he grabbed the book and took it downstairs.

Phura was sitting at a table with two cups of safflina tea, she grinned as he sat down and started sipping his tea.

"What if," Phura started to say, and Ganon made sure to pay attention. She usually started their conversations with an interesting story, and on top of that he was raised to listen to his elders. "Your whole life, you were told you could only be one thing. From the day you could start walking, you were told to tend to the goat herd. And so you do. By the time you're an adult, you have mastered herding the goats, milking them, making cheese and butter. You're a skilled shepherd now, as you'd been told you'd become. You can't imagine life being any other way, this is your destiny."

She took a sip of her tea and continued, "One day, you decide to travel and share your experiences with other shepherds. When you arrive in the city, you discover there is much more to the world than shepherding. There's so much to learn, and you find that you want to discover more. But you can't, your destiny is to herd goats. So, you ignore destiny's call, and never turn back. For once, you're able to decide what you want to do."

Ganon looked at her in silence, not sure how to respond. She grabbed the book out of his hands and set it under one of the many book piles that were amassed on the table.

"Come now, you should be headed back home, I'm sure your family is eager to see you. I have something to give you before you leave." she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a plain journal. Ganon grabbed it and placed it in his own bag.

"Thank you, for everything." he gave her a hug and she led him to the door.

"Don't be a stranger." Phura said before stopping him one last time, "Oh, and I know what the people around here think of me, I have a few screws loose. Between you and me, the legends aren't as legendary as everyone believes. Take care."

And with that, it was time for Ganon to go home.

On his trek, he took out the journal and was surprised to see it was all in Phura's handwriting. She wrote about her travels and discoveries, the first few entries from many years prior noted the triforce was merely a Hylian symbol used for architectural and fashion reasons. The last entry was written only two days before.

'I can tell you have been struggling with this information. The legend of the triforce is an interesting one for sure, shrouded with mystery and whispers of destiny. I know you bear it, please keep it hidden, for not everyone is like me. The mark you have been burdened to take lies dormant. I can tell you are pure of heart, you can fight this curse that your predecessors failed at. Take hold of who you are, and you will not fail. I believe in you. Stay safe. -Phura of Faron'

As he finished reading, he arrived home and was greeted by his siblings and aunts. It was overwhelming, with everyone trying to talk to him all at once. Once things were settled down, Maleeha took him into the dining hall.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked while giving him a dish of steamed fruit and rice.

"Yes, I did."

5 years later

Ganon found a shady place to eat his lunch in peace. His crew was in the middle of constructing an aqueduct for a new town being built. He was pleased with his position, he managed to build up his own contracting company in only a few short years. It was a decent life, though he had to admit it was a tad bit boring sometimes.

On the horizon, he could see a crewmember, Mali, galloping on her horse towards him, waving her arms frantically. Fearing they were under a potential bandit attack, he got onto his horse and rode towards her.

"What's wrong?" he asked when they were close enough to hear each other.

"There's something you need to see." they trotted down the limestone road and stopped when they reached what looked to be a person lying on the side of the street. As it turned out, that's exactly what the case was. "I already checked her vitals, she's passed on." Ganon got off his horse to inspect a bit more closely. She was a light skinned Hylian in no way dressed appropriately for the climate, she likely died from heat stroke. Her poofy white clothes were adorned with golden triforce symbols and other small gems.

"She's a runaway from New Hylia, there's no one to return her to, so we'll give her a burial." Ganon stated as he carefully placed the lifeless body on his horse. For reasons still unknown, New Hylia shut its borders to emigrants a year ago, something that hadn't been done since it was called Central Hyrule fifty years prior.

"How can you tell?" Mali asked.

"The way she's dressed, it's classic New Hylian attire." it was a shame, if she had managed to walk a mere half mile more, she would have been found and rescued by his crew.

"There's still more up ahead." they walked until they reached a wagon on the side of the road. Two of the wheels were broken, some of the canvas that covered the top had signs of fire damage, and broken arrows littered the sides. The Hylian vai had been through many tough ordeals, only to meet her end by the noon desert sun. He unhitched the small gray horse and tied its bridle to his horse's saddle.

"There's a child." Mali announced when she rummaged through the wreck in search of any clues. Ganon's heart sank. It was bad enough he had to deal with one deceased person, he didn't want to have to see one so young as well. "It's alive!" Mali exited the wagon with a small yellow bundle in her arms, which she promptly handed over to Ganon. The bundle wriggled, so he carefully held it in place against his chest.

The child looked to be a few months old, though he wasn't sure on that due to the fact Hylians aged the fastest out of all of Hyrule's races. One of his aunt's back home would be able to guess better than he could. Then there was the matter of what would become of the baby, it couldn't be sent back to where it hailed from, especially without knowing the reason why the mother had fled. Centrailia City did have orphanages, but that wouldn't feel right. Something about the child felt special, there was a feeling he couldn't explain in words. There was no reason the child couldn't be raised at the commune.

"That settles it, little one." Ganon patted the child's head.

"Uh, boss?" Mali asked with her head peeking out the wagon.

"Scavenge whatever you can from the wreck. I'm going straight to Lesinea with the child, and I'm putting you in charge of the site until I return."

"I'm on it."

Luckily his home was only a twenty minute ride away, still he wanted to hurry as fast as he could. He didn't know how long the child had been alone and without food. He would do everything in his power to keep the little one safe.

Chapter 1: Verdict

"Hey, wake up." Ganon rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn. "As cute as that is, you have some explaining to do."

"M'tired, later." he grumbled in response and nestled into his blanket.

"No, now." Maleeha pulled off his sheet and yanked on a strand of his hair.

"Ow, fine, I'm awake."

The situation was odd, he had to admit. He didn't arrive until sunset and he hastily set the mother in one of the catacombs to deal with later. The iceboxes had been effectively raided of their milk supplies, and he had grabbed more bottles than he needed. Now he was sleeping on his living room floor surrounded by a dog pen he borrowed from the kennels with a small child resting on his stomach.

"Care to explain?"

"I'm a dad now." he responded nonchalantly.

"You're but a child yourself."

"I manage my own company and I'm part of the council, I think I'll be fine."

"There's a major difference between having a company and being on the council than having a baby. What were you thinking?"

"I couldn't leave him in the desert." he noticed the child was awake and squirming. "He's hungry, can you grab that bottle for me." Maleeha grabbed the milk, making sure it was at the proper temperature before handing it over.

"I didn't mean you should have left him. There's plenty of experienced mothers and fathers here you could give him to."

"Finders keepers." Maleeha rubbed her forehead and mumbled to herself, probably something to do with how much of an idiot her younger brother could be.

"You don't 'finders keepers' a person, that's kidnapping."

"Yeah, but he doesn't have parents."

"My point still stands. Look, I can tell you have your mind set on this, but raising him won't be like raising the orphaned kittens we found as kids."

"I know." he responded while readjusting himself to properly feed the baby.

"I'm not going to argue with you, just remember you're not alone. I'm always next door."

"Thanks."

"Have you named him?."

"Yes," Ganon replied. The blanket the baby had been found in had a single name embroidered into it, he felt the least he could do was keep it rather than giving him a Gerudo name. "His name is Link."

"I'll be by later with lunch." she gave him a smile before shutting the door. Ganon rocked Link in his arms when he finished feeding him.

"You're so tiny." he whispered as he ran his fingers through Link hair. It was odd that a baby could have so much hair, then again there was always the possibility he was underestimating his age. He'd been around plenty of babies before, but Link was the smallest he'd ever seen. Admittedly, he was a tad nervous that he'd accidentally hurt his new son.

Before he forgot, he decided to take Link to the healer to make sure he was healthy. He'd been far too exhausted the night before to do it, he could only hope there was nothing wrong. He wrapped Link in a blanket to protect him from the sun, then he walked out to the main square to head towards the Norenia building.

The Lesinea commune was enormous, it was the third largest Gerudo city in the desert. The market place was in the center of it all, it was always teeming with life, even in the later hours of the night. Fifteen large housing buildings surrounded the market, a few of them were under construction for expansion. The Adinaya building was the oldest, it was covered with painted murals of long past battles and legends, along with being adorned with precious gems. The newer buildings opted for a simpler, yet pleasant design which involved triangles along the base. Norenia was a family nearly as old as his, they specialized in medicines and healing. Anyone in Hyrule who wanted doctoral training of any sort would go there for schooling.

As he walked to the building, a few people stopped to ask him what he was doing. He was still in his pajamas and his snarled hair hadn't been pulled back for the day. Ganon waved to those who were concerned and assured them he was perfectly fine. He entered the building and knocked on his friend's office door.

"Well, this is a surprise. How did you hurt yourself this time?" Nafoli, a close friend he had known since his early years, answered with a dramatic sigh.

"I'm not injured, I'm here for a checkup."

"Really? Since when have you cared for your health?" she raised her eyebrow and ushered him inside. He never visited healers unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I'm not here for me." he unraveled the blanket and revealed the child. Nafoli stared at them in surprise, clearly she was at a loss for words. "This is Link, I think he's a few months old, I'm not sure though."

"I don't see you for two weeks and then you come back with a kid. I shouldn't be shocked by anything you do anymore, honestly. So, spill the story"

"There isn't much of a story, I found him in the desert near his dead mother. Please, can you make sure he's healthy?"

"I'll do my best." she grabbed Link out of his hands and set him on the counter.

"Thank you," Ganon clasped his hands together and bowed. Nafoli scoffed at his formality, but he truly was grateful. "I have a few errands I need to take care of, I'll be back before noon."

Ganon went back to his home and changed into some clothes that had been tossed on the couch. He didn't feel like messing with his hair, so he put it into one sloppy braid and called that good. He rested his ruby and gold circlet on his head, it showed he was a member of the council and a part of the Adinaya family. Once his appearance was taken care of, he made his way to the catacombs.

Four others were already waiting for him there, he informed them of the situation when he dropped off the Hylian the night before. They had respectively covered her body with a white sheet and placed a simple bouquet of yellow flowers on her chest. Together, the five carried her to the graveyard which was on the far side of field they had their kennels and stables in. The Gerudo cremated their dead, so they had little use for a cemetery. Still, the council members of the past had set aside a small piece of land far away from the commune to bury outsiders if they died on their land.

Half of the markers had no names written upon them since their identities were never found out. A pendant or other personal item found on the body was placed in front of the grave stone, the hope being that someday a traveler would pass by and recognize it, not having to dwell over the fate of the person anymore. As far as Ganon knew, none of them had ever been claimed. The Hylian was carefully placed into the hole that had been dug up, and they recovered it with dirt in silence. When the task was finished, Ganon set a small stone on top. He had just enough room on it to carve in the words 'Brave Mother'. He knelt down and placed the metal bracelet they'd found on her wrist in front of the marker.

"I will protect Link with my life, I promise." he whispered, then he stood up to leave the sorrowful place. It was always strange being out here, even the air itself seemed to be still, he greatly prefered the bustle of the commune.

Back in the Norenia building, Nafoli was gently rocking Link in her arms.

"Welcome back, I believe this belongs to you." she handed Link to Ganon and she looked closely at the notes she wrote down in her journal. She gestured for him to have a seat, so he plopped onto one of the wooden chairs. "Well, to start off, he's not as young as you thought, I'd say he's roughly a year and a half old. He has a few bumps and bruises, but they're nothing to worry about. I must say, I'm impressed he's not malnourished or dehydrated, especially without knowing how long he was alone in the desert. However, I did find something concerning. He has ear infections."

"Ear infections? They're not that hard to take care of." Growing up he had his fair share of ear infections, but a few drops of medicine cleared them up right away.

"Normally, no, but he's been inflicted with this for some time now. At his age, he should be able to say some words, but he can't because he can't hear properly."

"So he's deaf?" he questioned then made a mental note for later to see if anyone in Lesinea was familiar with raising deaf children, then he could ask for advice. Writing to Phura wasn't a bad idea, either.

"For the most part, yes. He can hear some things, like a door slamming, I tried it earlier. Once the infection clears up his hearing may return, or it may remain the same, we'll have to wait and see. Give him this medicine three times a day and come back in a week. Make sure to keep him out of the sun, his skin will burn up easily." she handed him a small vial which he tucked carefully into his pocket.

"I can't thank you enough." he tried to hand her some rupees, but she refused and held up her hand.

"This one's on me. You take good care of him, alright."

"I will." he affirmed then went back to the Adinaya building just in time for lunch. Maleeha pestered him a bit, but he was far too distracted to pay much attention to her. He found some paper and a pen and immediately began to write.

'Phura-

I received your letter a month ago, I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner, I've been under a lot of stress. I was appointed as part of the council shortly before your letter arrived. It was a surprise for me, I was sure they'd vote in one of my older siblings, I still question if the decision was wise. I don't really want to be to be in charge of anything other than my company for reasons we've already discussed. I should have declined, but I wasn't thinking clearly, Dad's death was still fresh on my mind at the time.

I hope you are doing well and that you can still find a way to work on your research. It's strange that New Hylia is being strict with the border now, especially when we're in a time of peace. Be sure to tell me if you're given permission to visit the Odai Ruins, I'd love to accompany you, assuming you're okay with a third person tagging along.

That brings me to my next point...I found a little Hylian voe in the desert. He is incredibly tiny, it's hard to believe he's almost two. As soon as I saw him, I felt an attachment towards him, it's a feeling I can't quite explain. Rather than sending him to an orphanage, I decided to adopt him and raise him myself. His name is Link. I helped raise plenty of my younger siblings, so I'm not too terribly worried about that. Link is deaf due to an illness, we're not sure yet if it's permanent or temporary. I want to play it safe though. If it's not too much trouble, I was wondering if you could help me find books on learning sign language.

-Best regards, Ganon'

He read it over to make sure he didn't forget anything, then he slipped it in the post box. Once he was back in his room, he set Link in the playpen. At some point he'd have to invest in a bed for him. The office room would be perfect as a bedroom, it wasn't like Ganon ever used it anyways.

Link was standing up and smacking the top bar of the pen, as he did so he also made a few sounds of disapproval.

"Hmm, you want up?" Ganon tried to remember what the sign for up was. He, like most of the Lesinea residents, knew only the basics of sign language. "Up." he repeated and then pointed his finger towards the ceiling when Link looked at him. Ganon picked him up and patted his hair. "Down." this time he pointed to the ground and set Link on the floor. Link wasn't having any of that, he immediately ran to Ganon's legs and raised his little hands as high as he could. "Up." he repeated the cycle several times until Link threw a fit and stomped away. Ganon caught up to him in three strides and put him in the pen. He wrapped him up in the nest of blankets and tucked him in for the night. Rather than going to his bed, Ganon fell asleep on the couch accompanied only by Link's light breathing.

Over the course of the next several days, Ganon followed a regimented morning routine; wake up, get dressed, change Link's diaper, feed Link and himself, practice signing with Link, and eat lunch with Maleeha. On one of the days, he opened his door and was greeted with numerous bundles of books, a letter was attached to the top of one of the piles.

'I've sent you all the books I could find, sign language for adults and children, I also sent some children's books. I'm glad to hear you have a son, you'll be a great father.

As for my research, I'm sorry to say that my request was denied. I may have to abandon my studies in New Hylia and stick with the Central Province, although I have thought of expanding my research to the Gerudo Province. I've heard tales of long lost ruins and statues being uncovered in the sands. It may be time for me to take a vacation and see what I can uncover. I could swing by Lesinea to see you and Link, there's things I'd rather discuss with you in person.

-Your friend, Phura.'

Ganon looked again at the pile of books, he had no idea where he was going to put them all, so he pushed them into an unclaimed corner in the living room. He wondered how much the books had cost Phura, she really outdid herself. He'd only been expecting names of titles and maybe an actual book or two. Before he forgot, he quickly wrote a letter, mostly entailing how grateful he was and that he'd love for her to visit.

Link started clapping rather ferociously which brought Ganon out of his thoughts.

"What are you doing, little stinker?" he questioned out loud while approaching the pen. Link learned pretty fast that if he smacked something enough times, Ganon would give him attention; he still wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing yet. To his surprise, Link's ear twitched and he turned around, a large smile was on his face.

"Can you hear me?" Link tilted his head slightly and continued clapping excitedly. He lifted one of his chubby arms and he pointed up. Ganon could hardly contain his excitement, Link had signed his first word! He picked his son up and hugged him. "That's right, up!" it was a shame there was no one else at the moment to celebrate the occasion with, but he didn't want to overwhelm Link by introducing him to everyone all at once.

With the last of the medicine gone, it was time to take Link to Nafoli. The sun was only just beginning to rise, so there was no need to wrap Link up in a blanket. As he made his way through the market, he was given a few strange glances, but plenty of people greeted him as normal. He could agree with the fact it was strange to see someone as young as himself with an adopted Hylian child. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember when the last time a Hylian visited the commune.

"Welcome back," Nafoli said when Ganon entered her office, "how's Link doing?"

"He's great, I think he can hear some things better now. Oh, he signed his first word today!"

"Alright, bring him over." Nafoli smiled upon seeing how happy Ganon looked. After his father passed away, he didn't think he'd feel happiness for a long time. Finding Link and taking care of him seemed to fill a small bit of void in his heart.

"Ganondorf Adinaya," a woman from the Zenali building interrupted them, "you're needed right away with the council." Ganon bristled, he disliked being called by his full name. He looked at Nafoli who gave him a reassuring nod, she would watch over Link for him in his absence. He made his way to the Zenali building, it was where all of the council meetings were held due to it's massive reception room that doubled as a place to hold ceremonies or go to in the event of a hazardous storm.

Fifteen tables were organized in a tight circle with three chairs on the outside of each one. He found his two sisters and quickly sat next to them. He was not prepared for a meeting, he was still in his casual clothes and his hair was pulled into a loose topknot. Normally with these meetings, they were expected to wear their nicest clothes and fully decorate their hair. Thankfully nearly everyone else looked just as tired and sloppy as he did. Once all 45 members were accounted for, the meeting began.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming on short notice, there's a few things we must discuss." one of the council members from the Bentu house announced. She was one of the few who seemed to have found the time to dress up for the occasion. "As you all know, New Hylia hasn't been allowing its citizens to leave. This hasn't proven to be a problem for us as of yet, but we've been keeping an eye open on the situation. Trade profits went down slightly this year, but it's nothing to worry over." she sat down and her brother stood up to speak next.

"A report reached us this morning from Fort Lomei. The rulers of New Hylia have announced they are cutting off all trade routes to and from their domain. They've additionally demanded that any runaways should be returned to them. We will have to strengthen our relationship with Central and Ordon Province so that they and all of us can continue to prosper. We've sent out invitations to their leaders in the hopes of us becoming stronger allies.

Furthermore, there was an incident near a village a couple miles south of the New Hylia border. Five unarmed civilians were attacked by Hylian soldiers, one of them unfortunately succumbed to their wounds. It is still unknown what the motivation of the attack was, but we must prepare to aid Central and Ordon in the event of an invasion."

The council members mumbled amongst themselves. Sure the Gerudo would not be in the direct line of fire in the event of war breaking out, but they would suffer from its impact. A council member from the Bo house stood, she looked unbelievably tired.

"What should we do with runaway Hylians? Do we treat them as enemies or as refugees?" a few sympathetic eyes glanced at Ganon, it seemed quite a few more people than he thought knew about his situation.

He heard a few different responses, some were to send the runaways back, others were to offer them asylum.

"If we were discovered to be harboring runaways, it could give New Hylia incentive to attack us directly." one person countered.

"Lesinea was created to house refugees and to give those with no home a safe place to live. I don't see why we shouldn't help those who are in need." Jia, one of Ganon's sisters stepped in.

"That was a different time, things change. What have the Hylians done for us besides cause war? I say we turn them in for the reward." another council member sitting at the table next to Ganon spoke up. He felt a bit nervous, this was only his third meeting, but Ganon eventually rose from his seat.

"The Hylians we encountered in the past were soldiers, of course they were hostile. Non-combatants bear us no ill will, they just want a safe place to stay. We should offer them refuge, we shouldn't expect a reward in return."

"Of course you'd say that, you decided to keep one of the little rats for yourself." all eyes were on him and the council member, whose name he was sure was Gurio.

"Excuse me?" Ganon growled out and clenched his fists. He had yet to go through his last growth spurt, so he was still fairly small by Gerudo standards. Gurio towered over him and seemed to be amused by the display before him.

"How did a naive kid like you make it onto the council? Your father would have understood why we can't have Hylians marching around here like they own the place."

"Leave my father out of this!" it was still a sore subject for him. Sure, his dad had been a little rough around the edges, but he had a kind heart. Surely he wouldn't have been opposed to letting refugees in. He grew more furious by the second, he wasn't sure what Gurio had against him.

"All I'm saying is we need to get rid of this Hylian of yours before it becomes a liability." size difference be damned, Ganon was ready to fight Gurio, he could take him.

"That's enough." Jia said as she harshly clamped onto Ganon's arm before he could make a move. Gurio's sisters were doing the same. The tension in the room felt thick enough to slice a sword through. "How about we have a vote, there's no need for further arguments." she suggested and most the the council agreed.

A bowl was passed around the tables and everyone wrote in their decisions. Jia and two siblings from the Lise house carefully separated the slips of paper. Everyone remained silent and waited for the final verdict.

"Should Lesinea accept Hylian refugees? There are twenty votes for no and twenty-five for yes. Then it's settled, we will take in those seeking aid. I think we've all been here long enough for the day, we can go over the specifics of this ruling tomorrow." everyone agreed with her and the meeting was adjourned. The members packed up their things and filed out of the room.

"Gan, I'd like to speak with you for a moment." Jia's facial expression was unreadable, as it usually was.

"I'm listening." he was still on edge so he decided he should go on a run alone once he was dismissed.

"You're not the youngest person who's ever been voted onto the council, but your age still makes you a vulnerable target. You must not let your temper get the best of you, otherwise no one will grow to respect you."

"I know." he responded while retaining eye contact with her.

"You are still learning, so I do not blame you entirely for your behavior. Now I must ask you this; in the future, will you make decisions based on how it impacts you, or on how it impacts our home as a whole?"

Ganon didn't know how to respond so he broke eye contact and looked at his feet. Jia eventually walked away, leaving him in his confusion alone. He didn't know.