Chapter Two: Dilemma of Leadership

And so, Twinrova had taken the child to their home in the Desert Colossus to raise him as their own. They stayed quiet and vowed to do so until 'the rebirth of spirit' occurred. Oh how they yearned for that day to come so they could continue to set their ultimate plan into action…

Peace and tranquility resumed in the Valley of the Gerudo for a time after the death and presumed suicide of the boy's mother had been accepted. Not a single Gerudo woman dared openly question the authority and word of their superiors Koume and Kotake. They had no choice but to resume their daily business. That is, until the birth of Nishiri's child.

Nishiri's bloodline had, in fact, been genuine, and she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl marked with the crest of Spirit. As the law ordered, the child would be named Nabooru, after their goddess of sand. The whole of the Gerudo society had been thrust into an uproar. How could the first son in one hundred years and the Sage of Spirit be born within the same month? It was unheard of. However, this did not stop the Gerudo from celebrating.

The Gerudo held a bonfire at the center of the camp and their best musicians got together and played their desert melodies and sang their desert hymns. From the time the sun had set and well into the cold desert night, the fire billowed its flaming warmth into the air, accompanied by festive music and dancing. The food, for once, was plentiful, and all of the women had their fill to eat. Older Gerudo women shared their stories with the younger girls of the tribe, their childish giggles echoing in the night air. The festivities seemed as though they would never end.

"Oh, Nishiri!" squealed one of the Gerudo guards. "She shall become the leader of our tribe! She'll be a fine leader, I just know it."

You see, the crest of Spirit skipped a generation, and every time the Sage of Spirit was born, she would become the next ruler, whether she was to awaken as a sage or not. However, because a son had been born prior to Nabooru's birth, her rightful place as queen would be passed over. The single male was more important than the holy Sage of Spirit to the Gerudo. They refused to thin their blood by marrying outside of the Gerudo tribe, and so they relied on the single man to keep their race going. Though they did leave their home to hold romantic relations with men outside of their tribe, it was forbidden to bear children by them.

Nishiri sighed at the thought that her daughter may never become a proper child of destiny now that her birth rights would be denied of her. "No," she said to her guard. "Nabooru will never take the throne."

"Why ever not, Nishiri?" asked the guard. "Surely not because of the boy…"

"Because of the boy, don't you remember the laws of our people? A son has been born to our tribe. His birth automatically overrides the birth of the Sage of Spirit." Nishiri raised her daughter to her face and kissed her on the forehead. Little Nabooru was so tiny, so frail…it was almost hard to believe that this was the child who may awaken into the Sage of Spirit. Already, though she was less than a day old, her dark-skinned head was topped with a soft tuft of garnet hair, the Gerudo trademark. "Oh, my dearest daughter…" sighed Nishiri regretfully.

Just then, the twin witches walked into the room, laughing merrily.

Kotake, with the baby boy in her arms, was the first to speak. "I hear the 'rebirth of spirit' has finally come. Is it true, Nishiri? Is your child the goddess reincarnated?"

Nishiri held her daughter close to her chest. As soon as the witches had come she felt a foreboding aura surrounding them. She automatically assumed that it was the boy who held this dark energy around him. She feared that the baby boy's mysterious aura would latch itself onto Nabooru, and even though Nishiri was unable to point out exactly what this feeling of uneasiness was coming from, she knew that it wasn't a good sign. She nodded back at Kotake, answering her question.

"Let us see her, dear! Let us see her mark!"

Nishiri held up her child so the witches could see her, but no farther away from her than the baby needed to be.

"Ah, she does have the mark! She will be a perfect companion for our young son. We've become his surrogate mothers, you know, since the tragic incident with his mother," said Kotake.

"What have you named him?" asked Nishiri. "Since you became the caretakers of him since his mother's suicide, have you named him?"

This time it was Koume who spoke. "We have named him Ganondorf."

Nishiri felt chills run down her spine as they spoke his name. In the ancient Gerudo language, no longer used by their people in every-day speech, 'Ganondorf' meant 'Gift of Paradise.' Why had the witches given him such a name? Surely they knew of what fate they had sealed upon the child the moment they gave that name to him. Yes, the boy was indeed a gift to their people, but that name had a dual meaning. They had sealed his fate to the power of the Gods. He would no doubt, in his own time, seek out the power of the Gods, and consumed by greed, lust for that Paradise which his namesake promised.

Kotake spoke again. "Nishiri, you must be exhausted. Why don't you get some rest? We'll be back to visit you and your holy child tomorrow night. We'll bring the meal, don't you worry."

"That's very kind of you, but I think I need a little bit of alone-time after all of this with my daughter. Besides, I have a lot of things to settle with my family about little Nabooru's lost rights to queen-ship."

"Oh, we'll negotiate about the leadership issues. You must be worried about that, no?" and with that, the two witches exited the room.