The Triforce of Power Part:1 - A King is Born

by Rudy Ska

Ocarina of Time is one of the best games ever. But where is the backstory? Who were Ganondorf's parents? What happened during those seven years with no hero? This story explores both known and unknown parts of the story, but from the perspective of the Gerudo King, Ganondorf. Part1 is his childhood and his rise to power. Continued in Part 2!

7. Chapter 7

Author's note: 1-special thanks, 2-announcement

1) Special thanks to follower Azubi for naming the fearsome and awesome General Naberna in this chapter. Dude was super chill and came up with an amazing name I completely gushed over. You can check out their cool Fire Emblem fics here: (fanfiction) /u/6637154/

2) If any of you guys want in on this just follow the fic. From time to time, more often than I'll ever admit to, I either hit a roadblock or need a character named. When this happens I'll sometimes randomly pick (and it is random I don't play favorites) a follower of this fic to help me out. Azubi was more than happy and I'd like to get some more people in on this as well. I also update my profile with each chapter upload so... there's that. I don't like authors notes, as you can tell, so I'll shut up and just get back to the story.

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter VII – Exile

Rila dove to the ground when the explosion shook the entire arena. She landed atop other Gerudo women who had done the same. Screams and shouts came from all directions as flaming pieces of flesh and scorched rock landed among and over the crowd. She was the first to her feet and as soon as she rose she searched the arena frantically for any trace of her son. A heavy smoke filled the arena with only a few tiny embers glowing through the haze. Rila had neither the patience nor the care to continue to search atop the wall so she vaulted over the side and rolled when she hit the floor ten feet below. The smoke was somehow not as bad but just as worse as it was on top. The smoke was rising out of the crater and the fires all around but there were more holes in the fog to see through. From the new vantage point, the massive crater that was deepest at the middle of the arena, receding almost two feet into the stone, stretched out to almost six feet from the walls in all directions. All the wood on the walls was scorched in most areas and in others it was still on fire, adding to the dark haze that hung over the area. Through the lighter smoke, Rila saw the outline of a body lying face down at the opposite end. She ran towards the outline and when she came to it she could only scream one thing in fear, "Ganondorf!"

Her son lie face down in a crumpled heap where he had hit the wall. The wood covering the impact point had crumbled away and a large crack split the stone wall behind it. She slid to a halt next to him and cradled his head in her lap. He didn't look like he was breathing. Rila held her breath as she leaned in to hear. She had to block out the commotion on the walls, the crackling fires all around her, and listened as closely as she possibly could for any indication of her son's life. Her breath rushed out of her in a half-sob, half-laugh when she heard the feint wheezing of the boys lungs. But though she was relieved, he was very badly hurt. So she yelled into the smoke, "Medic!" and waited impatiently for help.

…

Ganondorf stood before a lake in his black thieves clothes. The lake looked to be almost 20 feet deep but he stood atop it as if it were solid ground. He walked towards the middle of the massive body of water but stopped a few yards from a child standing in the center. She looked to be about eight-years-old and had obvious feminine features but, to Ganondorf's surprise, she had no hair on her head. The girl also only wore a light blue tinged leotard that was fit tightly to her body like a second skin. Ganondorf simply extended a hand towards the girl who adopted a defiant look on her face.

"Give me that which I have demanded." He commanded the girl who shook her head and took a step back.

"Then I shall take your life along with it!"

At Ganondorf's words a gigantic creature with webbed appendages around the size of his home surfaced through the water creating waves that seemed to break around Ganondorf's feet when he dropped his arm. He had heard of creatures who looked like this called fish yet he had never seen one before. They lived in water and there was no water in the desert. The huge monstrosity had large sideways facing eyes, a mouth enormous enough to eat an army, and strange designs and patterns all over its fat body that looked to be more ritual than natural. Ganondorf raised his hand in front of him again and pointed his fingers at the animal. At his command lightning arched from his fingertips, past the child who didn't react to the electricity at all, and into the creature behind her. The beast howled in pain, thrashing and convulsing all the while, and when the lightning finally ended it looked to have changed color from a bright blue to a sickening green. The great fish, when finished with its cries of terror and pain opened its giant mouth as wide as it could showing long rows of sharp looking teeth and a huge tongue. But instead of roaring the creature began to inhale as if it had lungs. Ganondorf was unaffected, simply narrowing his eyes at the strange display. The girl, however, sat on the water's surface, curling her knees into her chest, and carried backwards into the creature's mouth by the rushing wind. When the child landed into the monster's mouth it slammed its jaws shut with a loud echoing snap.

Ganondorf's own jaw locked in frustration, "I have no time for your primitive games. I will avenge my people. I will achieve my destiny."

Ganondorf began to walk towards the fish and with each step the animal seemed to get more and more sick turning other shades of green. A putrid smell polluted the air that smelled of the rotting of a different kind of meat. Rotting fish. It was a rancid smell that turned stomachs three times over, but he continued forward as the fish decayed more and more. The animal's enormous eyes sunk in and different sores and boils began to populate its body. Soon its very flesh began to fall off its bones and the pieces that hit the water wriggled with maggots and other decomposing bugs. The organs, when exposed, slowly melted into a rotten soup that mixed with the lake's water turning it a sickening combination of greens, reds, and browns. Soon nothing remained of the large fish except for its huge skeletal structure that still floated on the water as if it were still alive. Ganondorf balled his hand into a fist and, using all his strength, thrust it forward into the skeletons jaw. The bones began to crack and split as if made of glass or ice as the shockwave of the impact made its way down the length of the now deceased creature. The cracks finally reached the tail of the skeleton and a blast exploded from his from his fist causing the entire carcass to be blown away into a million tiny fragments of bone and cartilage. When Ganondorf drew back his fist the sludge that polluted the top of the water started to dissolve away and soon the water and the air was clear of their impurities. Then something burst through the water making in a flash of light and a large wave that exploded towards Ganondorf. The boy merely stood still and the water parted around him as if he were encased within a bubble. Then Ganondorf beheld a pyramid of three golden triangles floating just above the water's surface. Mesmerized by the treasures brilliance, he reached out to claim his prize.

A breath away from his reward, Ganondorf was hit with an incredible force to his chest and was knocked back away from his reward. He landed on his feet and clenched at his chest in agony as a searing pain cut through it. When he withdrew his hand, instead of blood, a glowing white substance dripped from his fingers. But Ganondorf was more focused on the treasure and started to step, once again, towards the glistening triangles. His feet were getting heavier and his breath was getting more labored with each step he took. But he was so focused that these things were only slowing his gait a little. Soon he was again only an arm's length from the treasure. He trust his hand toward the golden prize only to have the sound of metal clanging against metal ring out from his wrist. His hand was thrown away from the treasure and an unfamiliar voice of what sounded like a boy his age yelled as if he was striking something with all his strength. Ganondorf curled his lips back in frustration and thrust his other hand forward just to have the same outcome deny him again. Ganondorf, now filled with rage and anger, thrust both his hands forward but was stopped by a pain so inexplicably intense it left him sputtering and coughing up real blood. He looked down and a blue hilt in the shape of outstretched wings was attached to a large steel blade that embedded itself within the glowing wound in his chest. When he looked up the treasure had completely vanished and two silhouettes stood at the edge of his clouded vision. The first looked to be wearing a shirt and pants held at the waist by a belt over them both and a long cap on his head that hung down over his shoulder at the end. The second wore a gown and had long, flowing hair. They both had the strangest pointed ears and the only thing that Ganondorf recognized was the Gerudo symbol reflecting off a shield the first silhouette carried. Then Ganondorf heard a second unfamiliar voice, the voice of a woman.

"Ganondorf, pitiful man."

The Gerudo boy tried to move his legs, wanted to move toward the shadows that inexplicably made him seethe with anger, but something kept his feet from moving. His ankles locked up and it wasn't long until the seized feeling attacked his knees and then his waist. All he could do was reach out his hand one last time before the paralysis froze him solid as if he were turned to stone. Then he began to sink into the water that had so easily supported his weight up until now. Ganondorf could only watch helplessly as the water soon engulfed his waist, his chest, up to his shoulders and then over-

"His face! Splash it over his face!" Rila yelled at a nearby Gerudo girl. She was holding a large metal bucket meant for putting out one of the many fires littering the arena, but this one went straight to the boy and his mother. The girl tipped the warm water out of the bucket and it splashed all over the boy and drenched Rila's bottom half. Ganondorf gasped deeply and began to cough violently. After a long time coughing the boy collapsed again but this time from exhaustion. Then the medics finally came and they loaded him onto a stretcher to be transported back to the compound where he would be situated in one of the infirmaries.

…

"He must be dealt with!" General Naberna yelled from her end of the conference table, "He is a danger to us just as much as he is to himself!"

The oval shaped table was set up in a large room in the compound and the representatives of the discussion stood around it even though it had room for almost thirty more people. Furthest from the door at one end of the table stood General Naberna and a few of her lieutenant "yes women" behind her. She wore traditional orange and red Gerudo armor comprised of gauntlets, a chest piece, and full lower body armor. But the crystal ornament that accented many Gerudo ponytails was replaced by a long thin throwing knife that held a tight bun together. She also wore a scar that ran from the bottom right edge of her soul gem down to the top right portion of her lip running through her undamaged yet still scarred eye. Rumor was that a poor spell on her gem caused some of the metal to run as she was being bonded to it. On the opposite end sat the Allmother with her trusty cane laid across her lap. It was usual tradition for all parties involved with the discussion to stand in order to promote faster delegations and solutions, but the Allmother was old and could not stand for long without pain so they honored her rank by allowing her a seat at the table. To the Allmother's left stood Faya who, after receiving the vision of Ganondorf's future, was chosen by the Allmother to be the next high priestess and keeper of Gerudo traditions and practices. The high priestess was also next in line to become the grand high priestess otherwise known as the Allmother. Across from Faya was where the elective parties would stand. Anyone with another voice or opinion that requested an audience with the council would have their thoughts heard from there. Only Rila stood on that side. Even though the discussions would've commenced without her presence, Rila was not going to have a callus general, who had a notorious hatred for anything magical, an inexperienced priestess, and a foolish old lady make any decisions about her child's future. However, the flow of discussion gave Naberna the first words. So all Rila could do at the moment was stand on her side, tap her foot feverishly, and nervously bite the inside of her bottom lip while hundreds of voices echoing within her mind pleaded, bargained, and chastised the delegates at the table.

The livid general continued, "Just that display at the trials alone was enough to send over 20 Gerudo to the infirmaries, some with burns and others with broken bones. What if he had seriously hurt someone? What if someone was ki-"

"General, there'll be none of that." The Allmother said from her seat, hands folded over her cane, "only state your case and your position. There will be no scenarios nor supposition at this council, lest we allow assumption to poison our decisions."

"Of course, Allmother," Naberna respectfully bowed her head towards the old woman, "I was simply implying that allowing the child sanctuary within our walls could be the worst mistake of our lifetime."

Rila's eyebrows furrowed and she could no longer contain her explosive words, "What exactly are you proposing general?"

Naberna paused for a moment and then said after a deep inhale, "I propose… execution."

Faya gasped into her hands, the Allmother was completely taken aback, and Rila, unable to contain her anger, let loose a flurry of swears and personal attacks. The general tried to speak again but Rila's continued yelling repeatedly interrupted her, "If the general… if the general pop… if the general populace cannot… cannot vote on the execution then…" Naberna, annoyed with Rila's yelling, rose her voice to shake the room, "the only other option is banishment!"

Rila was even more flustered with this statement, "Banishment? Banishment!? Banishment to where!?"

"To the desert where he could gain control over his destructive powers with minimal risk to Gerudo life."

"He wouldn't last a week out there. No food, no water, and no weapons to defend himself…"

Naberna interjected, "He has passed the trials."

"You know damn well the trials aren't enough!"

"He's a Gerudo."

"Not in your eyes he's not. You're letting your past with magic get in the way of your rationale."

Naberna absentmindedly touched her scar briefly, "That… has nothing to do with it. You saw the destruction at the trials."

"That was an accident."

"And what if that 'accident' happens again?"

"It won't"

"It won't? Do you remember the twins?"

"Nobody remembers the twins!" Rila roared, "That happened over three hundred years ago and none alive can even attest to their existence! The only thing that remains of their so-called legacy is the stories we tell our children to discourage them from getting lost out in the dunes! But this isn't about them, it's about my son!"

Naberna seemed to calm down a bit, wanting to appeal to the raging mother "Rila I know that this is hard for you but you must face the facts that-"

"You know nothing! You don't know what it's like to defend against insane accusations about your child. What it's like to have to shield them from people who should be accepting him! How about we flip the tables, general? I hear Nabooru's been getting a little too close to Ganondorf."

Naberna's demeanor immediately switched from complacent to passionately angry, "Do not bring my daughter into this!"

"Why not? You seem to be completely fine with supposition and guesswork. I hear she's been practically throwing herself at my son. Maybe we should confine her to quarters. Or contemplate her banishment!"

Naberna's eyes shot death and seething hatred at Rila, "You will stop these lies right now!"

Rila continued unabated, "Who's to say they haven't made a relationship already? Who's to say they haven't kissed already? Who's to say that, right behind your back, they haven't already-"

"ENOUGH!" The Allmother brought her cane down and when the walking tip made contact with the floor a gust of wind rushed from her making the bickering adults before her stagger from its force. When Rila, Faya, and Naberna with all of her lieutenants had all recovered they all looked up at the Allmother in surprise. The air still rung with argument but the shouting had ceased.

Naberna was the first to dare to speak, softly and almost fearful, "Allmother, you… you can…"

"Yes, Naberna," the Allmother looked ashamed with herself, "I have a natural affinity towards magic. I have been mostly been able to control it but as of late these arguments make such fools out of adults such as yourselves. Only when my patience is tested does it have a nasty habit of… showing itself."

The Allmother sighed heavily as if dropping a weight from her shoulders that she was trying with her last breath to keep held up, "I guess you all deserve an explanation. Most, if not all grand high priestesses, Allmothers as we say, have some affinity towards magic. It is how we communicate with the world on a new level as to understand its strange ways. Faya here, I believe, can also tap into this strange power making it possible to see things before they happen, however encrypted the visions might be. The Allmothers have kept this secret from the Gerudo for as long as there has been an Allmother; for almost three hundred years. Both because of the twins' incident and," she narrowed her eyes at the General, "because of people who would rather it be destroyed. But Rila is correct in saying that it has been too long and maybe, just maybe, it is well overdue for the truth to be revealed to the rest of the Gerudo."

The air was heavy with information, uncertainty, and an unhealthy amount of disbelief. But the Allmother then stirred in her seat, "But, that is a discussion for another time. Now back to the task at hand. Faya!"

The high priestess, who was still stupefied at the probability that she may be able to use magic, jumped at the sudden call of her name, "Huh? Oh, y-yes, yes Allmother."

The Allmother smiled at the young child's innocence, even though she was well into her twenties, "Recite the ancient laws concerning the king, dear."

"Oh… uh, ok… um," Faya had spent the last ten years since she was chosen to be high priestess memorizing each and every Gerudo code, requirement, and law, but all of that did little to prepare her for the discussions that were happening here. She began to recite the laws out loud, the Allmother mouthing the same words to herself from her own memory, "The king of the Gerudo is the only sovereign entity within any and all Gerudo discussions. He is the highest ranking officer within our army and no voice has precedence over his rule. He is to be respected with the highest of authority, even as a child. The king is responsible for the sole leadership of our race and with that position comes scrutiny. If charges should ever be made against the king, a grand hearing encompassing all Gerudo must be held. If even one Gerudo, including the birth mother, the Allmother, or any sound-minded adult should find fault or mistrial with either the hearing, charges, or sentence, all those present must listen to each testimony."

The Allmother looked pleased, "Thank you Faya, now we-"

But Faya was so nervous she cut off the Allmother and continued to recite the neighboring laws, "All Gerudo are allowed one day of rest during the month for their-"

"Faya!" the Allmother half chuckled, "You did well. You can stop now." Faya sighed with relief and relaxed as the Allmother continued where she left off, "We cannot ostracize him from our community, from his family. The incident at the trials was an accident and nothing more. What we need to do for him is-"

Before the Allmother could elaborate the door behind her burst open and a Gerudo wearing the blue outfit of a medic stood breathless in the frame, "Allmother! Rila!"

Rila, annoyed at the constant interruptions, said in an exasperated tone, "By the goddess, what is it now?"

"It's Ganondorf. He's missing from the infirmary and I can't find him anywhere in the compound!"

Rila was the first into action, sprinting straight past the Allmother and disappearing through the doorway with a flash of her long red ponytail. The Allmother barely flinched and instantly began barking orders, "Naberna, rally the guards into two search parties; one inside, one outside. Faya, go with Rila, see if you can sense him with your gifts."

"Yes, Allmother." the two said in unison and they both flew past out the door just as frantic as Rila had.

…

Ganondorf exited the compound with only the bare essentials that he needed for his self-exile. He had stuffed a small pack with food, an extra change in clothes, and a small thin sleeping bag for when it got too cold at night. The pack was fitted with a sling that he wore across his chest putting the supplies securely on his back. He also had a leever skin canteen that he wore in the same fashion but with the bulbous container hanging off his right hip. He had also snuck into the armory and, dressed in his white training clothes, attached a few pieces of armor to his body. He only took two arm protectors, knuckle guards, and leg protectors without their knee parts and turned down the chest pieces and lower body armor as they were more situated for a woman's figure. He also wore special desert shoes that were specially made to be curved to a point at the end to reduce the digging that normal flat shoes did in the sands. He had also taken two fairly large daggers, one he wore at his side with his sandstorm veil tied to its hilt and one strapped to his right leg just in case. All Gerudo armor was specially made to be completely silent with any movement so Ganondorf was able to sneak past the night guards, both inside and outside. Once he was clear of being spotted he walked down the path that winded in the shadows around the compound towards a large gate that separated the Gerudo and their home from the desert's harmful sands. The gate was comprised of horizontal wooden pylons, too close together to allow a person to squeeze through, linked together with steel bars and a chain connecting it to a rectangular housing above it. A stone tower stood beside the gate supporting the chain's housing and containing the huge counterweight that helped a single guard at the top raise and lower it. That guard was also responsible for keeping an eye on the desert throughout the day waiting on an alarm for incoming sandstorms. The gate did little to deter the raging winds but with the natural mountains that encompassed the Gerudo's home the sands did little more than make the ground a little grittier to walk on. The only way through the gate without alerting the guard or opening it yourself was to squeeze through a tight yet useable gap between the gate and the tower right under the guiders that stopped about a person's height before the ground. It was a less than acceptable oversight that was however allowed because nobody lived in the desert and the stories about the twin sand witches that ate children kept the kids from going on adventures beyond the gate's bars. But Ganondorf needed to get away from the Gerudo. He needed to leave his family in order to protect them from himself. He had always been told that he was the heir to the throne, the protector of the Gerudo race, and he was determined to do exactly that.

Ganondorf started to encourage himself as he drew towards the gate. Before he could even make a break for the gap in the gate, as the shadows stopped shy of its face, a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Ganondorf expected an adult to be standing behind him, blaring a whistle and calling other guards to rally, but instead found Nabooru, her face stern and confused, still in her sleeping clothes. She looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep, as her hair was very frizzy from her pillow and she was still rubbing her eyes from time to time. Just the sight of her familiar face made Ganondorf sigh in relief as he guessed she had followed him from the compound, probably curious of his shadow that lurked out at night.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nabooru whispered angrily, "You should be in the infirmary healing not snooping around the compound at night!"

Ganondorf didn't know how to explain to Nabooru how his broken bones had miraculously healed, he didn't understand it himself. So he meekly said, "I uh… There was nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong? There was an explosion that created a crater almost as big as the arena. You hit the wall hard enough to crack the stone, you should be dead!"

"Well, I got lucky I guess." Ganondorf shrugged his shoulders.

"Wait," Nabooru's eyes had just started to take in the whole picture as the sleep left them, slowly realizing what her friend was doing this late at night, "Why are you wearing armor? What's in that bag? Why are you outside? What… what's going on Ganondorf!?"

Nabooru wasn't stupid, Ganondorf knew this much, she just wanted to hear it from his mouth. He sighed heavily and his shoulders dropped in defeat, "I'm leaving Nabooru. I can't be here anymore."

"You… You can't leave. It was just an accident, nobody's mad at you." Nabooru looked like Ganondorf had just stomped on her foot multiple times. It was a combination of confusion, sadness, and pain all wrapped into a face that Ganondorf found increasingly harder and harder to look at.

"I'm only a danger to everyone else. I hurt people at the trials and I'm afraid I'll do it again. I need to leave." He tried to reassure.

Nabooru's eyes grew misty and tears jerked at the corners of her eyes. She was visibly trying with all her strength to stop herself from crying. Despite her best efforts her voice still broke and her sorrow leaked through her speech as she repeated, "You can't leave."

"Nabooru, I don't want to hurt anyone."

She fought her emotions more and more clamping her eyes shut and clenching her teeth shut against the vulnerabilities that tried to claw their way to the surface while she repeated again, "You can't leave."

"I'll be fine. Everybody will be fine without me."

"Well I won't!" Nabooru half-shouted at a surprised Ganondorf. Fresh tears streamed down her face and her hands were balled into fists. Her chest heaved in sobs that hit her harder than punches, "You can't just leave. I won't let you. What if something happens to you out there? What if… what if I never see you again? I can't… I… I-"

Ganondorf had heard enough and grabbed Nabooru, pulling her in for a tight embrace. Nabooru caved into her emotions, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her head in his chest, her sadness ripping its way through her body in the heaves of her chest.

"I know, Nabooru. Me… me too."

They stood alone wrapped in each other's arms for a long while, silently saying goodbye a million times over. He wanted to never let her go and he could feel that she felt the same way. He hated doing this, driving this wall between them, making her go through this. But he needed to run away because he would never be able to forgive himself if he were to really hurt someone. He was afraid that the people closest to him were just too close to the blast zone. A loud bell was rung in the compound's direction along with individual whistles that pierced through the night. Ganondorf tore Nabooru, a sniffling mess, off of him and looked her deep in the eyes. The pain was still there, the wounds as fresh as the wind, but they had already begun to stop their own bleeding.

"I have to go." His voice was unintentionally pained as he turned towards the gate to leave his friend, his family, behind.

"When will I see you again?"

Ganondorf froze on his first step and half-turned towards Nabooru, sighing. He reached into one of his pockets and produced a medallion made of copper and gold with two entities in the form of spheres circling each other. The piece of jewelry glinted in the light of the moon and reflected the morphing light that emanated from the compound. He grabbed Nabooru's wrist and gently placed the palm-sized pendant in the middle of her hand.

"This is a soul medallion. My mom gave it to me when I was little. She said that when someone gives this to someone else, their souls are destined to meet again. Keep it safe."

As Nabooru stared solemnly into the medallion in her hand, Ganondorf couldn't help but pull her in again and lightly kiss the topaz soul gem on her forehead. But when she looked up, ready and willing to return his small gesture of affection, he had vanished. His back was to her as he ran towards the gate. He didn't want her to see him cry. Out of anyone in the world, he could never bring himself to break her heart into that many pieces. So he left her, tearing a piece of his heart out of his chest and leaving it behind so that he couldn't hurt it. As he came up to the gate he flattened himself up against the stone bricks of the tower and, after a final fleeting look at the home, the life, he was leaving behind, he slipped past the gate into the unforgiving Desert.