A/N: I do not own anything having to do with Legend of Zelda, other than this fanfiction idea that's been plaguing my mind. All LoZ rights are reserved for Miyamoto-sensei. Thank you for such an awesome franchise! (even if the storyline is a bit redundant)

Chapter I

Ember of Din

Off in an eastern desert, sands shifted erratically, threatening to sweep away all life that dared traverse its ever-changing rivers. Blistering heat of the blood orange sun added fuel to the fire that withered the plant and animal life alike. Its brilliant rays flickered like tendrils stretched out to suck in the earth. As if in response, the earth churned, its core boiling almost in need of bursting through the crust. In the expanse of the desert, a solitary, charcoal fortress stood stark in contrast to the vibrant surroundings, yellow tents dotted around its borders. The inhabitants of this forsaken land looked up to the blazing sun, their golden eyes reflecting it as emotions ran through their gaze. Fear, anger, and awe coursed through the women of the Gerudo tribe. Anger at the heat's relentlessness, fear at what the signs may be pointing to. Yet, awe and respect still held for the unexplainable natural beauty that is the desert life. They could feel the winds changing.

Inside the fortress, busy hands hurried about. Women were running about, water basins and clean cloths being carried away into a birthing room. They cringed as a blood-curdling wail shook the halls, threatening to knock them off their flurrying feet. Inside the chambers, a woman screamed in agony as her body felt as if a fire was bursting out to consume her. The other women in the room wore shared concerned expressions as they tried to keep the laborious mother from bleeding out. Their efforts were futile as she had already lost too much blood from the sudden body-wracking contractions that continued to assault her. Hours of hemorrhaging without control had weakened the mother. All of the women knew, but dared not voice their conclusions that the mother would not live after the childbirth. She lay I her own cesspool of blood, despite the constant changing of sheets. Rather, the women did everything in their power to guide labor, determined to see the baby out into the world. It was the least they could do for the mother in her final moments. One of the Gerudo called for the elders to be brought in, another leaving the room upon the orders.

After hours of her laboring, the mother let out another pained wail as the contractions reached their peak. The women hurried, preparing for the baby whose head had been pushed through. Some had to restrain the woman's arms and legs, binding her to the bed as she writhed in the newfound pain. Two women gently pressed onto her abdomen to aid in the pushing. After moments of agonizing pushing, the mother was finally able to see the newborn spill out into the world. She smiled lightly through her tears and sweat, too weak to keep her eyes open any longer. She sighed in relief of the pain, feeling her body go heavy and chilled. The loss of blood took toll on her as she allowed death to finally claim her, her body collapsing into the other women's mournful embraces. They held her close, brushing their hands through her sweaty matted hair, whispering onto death ears how she did good, praying for their Goddess to take their sister into her loving embrace.

The two elder women, barely reaching the height of their sister's knees, entered the chambers dutifully. They both murmured a prayer to the dead mother before turning their attentions to the child who had yet to cry. The baby's body lay lifeless as the mother's did. The blue clad elder took the baby into her arms, eyes scanning over to observe its form. Much to the room's surprise, they discovered that the child was male before they began to grieve. They grieved for in the same moment that they were to receive their new king, they had lost him during his birth. silent prayers echoed through the chambers in mourning.

Then the elders both caught a glimpse of something flashing upon the child's right hand. Upon the dark flesh, a golden triangle blinked weakly into existence, growing stronger by the second until its light suddenly burst forth, silencing the women as it shot upward and momentarily blinded them. The light enveloped the room completely, expanding further and spilling out of the windows until it became one massive column. The beam shot skyward, tearing through the already sparse clouds of the desert. All of the women of the valley looked on in awe, too shocked to even comprehend its meaning. A few seconds felt like hours as the light held before fading away almost as quickly as it had appeared.

Curiously, the women of the birthing chambers switched their gazes over to the child, their eyes still throbbing from the pain of the brilliant beam. Had they not reflexed into covering their eyes, they were sure to have lost their sight. Despite their efforts to block its rays, it was still strong enough to sear through their eyelids, causing them to writhe uncomfortably. As their focus was regained, they could see that the triangle had all but disappeared into the child's hand. They had not even realized that they had held their breaths until a simultaneous sigh of relief escaped their lips at the sight before them.

The baby was now drawing his first breath, greedily sucking air into his lungs as if he had been recently pulled out from the crushing weight of the earth. His golden orbs cracked open to greet the world of light, causing him to wiggle in discomfort from the overwhelmed senses, just as the women had not but a few moments before. A shrill wail roared through from his throat, much too powerful to have come from such a tiny form, almost beast like. A vein pulsed in his forehead as he cried, visible through the faint cross-like scar that blemished the otherwise flawless dark olive skin. No one was sure where it had come from, because the baby had come out unharmed despite having been stillborn not even a minute ago. Everyone whispered silent thanks to their Goddess of the Sand, for both blessing them with their king and for preserving his life. The two elders grinned to each other, pleased with the results despite the loss of the mother. They soon announced to the whole tribe the arrival of King Ganondorf Dragmire, leader of the Gerudo, blessed child of the Sand Goddess herself. Cheers erupted, the women feeling their wariness being uplifted by the good news. As if in response, the land and sky momentarily settled and returned to normal, their rage-like shifts no longer threatening to swallow the valley and everything within it.

The birth of the king marked the beginning of a new, hopeful era of the Gerudo. However, they were oblivious to the torment that continued to rage within the dark-skinned child. He continued roaring out as the elders swathed him in silk cloths, tucking his flaming red hair away into its confines. They were unconcerned as to his crying as they announced themselves to be the surrogate mothers of the king. The other women in the room nodded before returning to their own duties, leaving the two older women to tend to the child expertly. After cleaning and bottle-feeding the baby, they managed to ease his crying and lulled him to sleep.

"Sister, I sense a grand future for this King," said Koume, turning to her sister who laid Ganondorf into the cradle in the nearby nursery.

"Our Goddess has blessed us with his being, how could it not be so?" Kotake replied, glaring daggers into her twin at the obviousness of her statement.

"Yes, but I mean on a grand scale," Koume snapped back. "Much larger than we can imagine. He will not only lead our people into prosperity, but also save us from this wretched existence we live in." The two bickering women took leave to the next room, careful to stay silent enough as not to disturb their king's slumber.

"I agree," Kotake admitted, though she would have loved nothing more than to scoff at her sister's claims. She knew her sister to know her well enough to have already reached that epiphany as well. Changing the subject, they argued on to the matters of the mother's funeral ritual. The service usually passed casually with tribute to a fellow sister and warrior, sending her off to be one with the Goddess their mother, but Kotake argued that the ritual should be more elaborate and giving tribute and worship to the Goddess herself. After all, they were only ever blessed with a king once every hundred years.

After much dispute, the two compromised and carried on with their preparations for the funeral, ordering the women about to finish cleaning the birthing chambers and carrying the mother out in a ceremonial casket. The casket was adorned with valuable gems – rubies, emeralds, and sapphires winking against the light of the torches – and decorated with the finest silks, herbs, and gold. The ceremony was held in the Spirit Temple's crypts as with any other funeral had been. The mother had been sent away with blessings, incense burning as an aid in her spirit's crossing over to the realm of the Goddess, before being locked away under a grand golden statue of their Goddess. Offerings were given as tribute by the people as they sang the hymn of the Sand Mother in their native tongue, the funeral coming to an end. After closing off the temple once more, the Gerudo returned to their lives of training, hunting for food, sparring, and cooking supper. The elders took turns watching over the child who no longer cried in fits. They grinned at his stubbornness to vocalize any of his discomforts or needs, deciding upon a routine for feeding, changing, and bathing him. Both joked between themselves at how their ruler was already showing signs of his independence he would likely pride himself over in the future.

Despite his silence, Ganondorf could feel something bubbling under the surface, and evil that seemed to curse for being stifled and silenced within the small body. Too young to even contemplate the sensation of the burning resent he felt in his chest, the king went along with it, not knowing the rage was not his own. The evil within him vowed to haunt him in his future.

Fin

A/N: Well, this is the end of Chapter I. Please read and review and let me know what you think, what I could improve, etc. I tried my best to edit and make sure to fix any mistakes.
Also, I won't be posting as fast I do right now, but I am uploading three chapters in one just for you guys.