The sun was bright. Ganondorf had to rest his hand above his bow to block the blinding Hyrulean sun from his eyes. With apt shadow, he was finally allowed to see the land stretching before him properly. The valley was lush with life. All around him, grass grew over the hills and plains of this realm. In the distance, he could make out large trees, with pods of the dangerous Peehats underneath them, quietly awaiting their prey.
Far into the distance across the vast plains, dust rolled along the dirt road. Ganondorf's amber eyes were keen enough to separate the dust cloud from the small dots creating it as they made their way towards their destination, wherever that may be. As his eyes watched them, his ears picked up the sound of a horse galloping up beside him.
"How we lookin'?" Jafora asked, holding tight to the reins of her mount. Her eyes focused on Ganondorf's target, prepared for the coming raid. The tall Gerudo King rotated his wide shoulders an nodded. "You'll remember the rules this time, right?" She chuckled. "It would be a shame to knock you off your high horse yet again. Or... would it?" she joked.
Ganondorf turned to her and flashed a coy grin, before sliding his bone mask over his face. Ever since he returned with it as a child, that monstrous mask had made Jafora uneasy. Even more so, when the black pits over his eyes began to glow yellow. Ganondorf's bright red hair spikes above the mask, almost giving off the appearance that this was his own skull, save for the large horns atop it.
That was, in part, why he chose to wear it. It gave off a sense of the supernatural. It made him more, or in some arguments less, than mere flesh and blood. He became unnatural, a phantom from the desert. If there was one thing he knew about the Hylians, it was that they were terrified of spirits. They had even given him a nickname. One that he could not help but smile at. It is almost as if they knew what the meaning behind his name was.
Jafora looked upon her king for a moment, before riding back down the hill on which they sat, to the raiding party in hiding below. It was a smaller group than Ganondorf's first raid, containing five members other than himself and Jafora. Seven total. More than enough for the mark they were aiming for.
There was nothing of value among the Hylian soldiers, no monetary gain, or supplies, or food. What there was however, was pride and fear. Among the Hylian soldiers and aristocrats, these were in abundance. Such was Ganondorf's mark. While he was told not to kill, knocking down the pride of Hyrule, whilst spreading fear among their military and population, was enough.
In his mind, it was the most peaceful way to show the rest of Hyrule that the Gerudo were more than simply a surviving tribe of banished thieves. They were a force to be reckoned with, and should be feared as an equal, or possibly even greater nation. To Ganondorf, this was what was required if his people were ver to be recognized, and saved.
The time was right. The masked king pulled his massive sword from his back and held it high. The signal was easy enough to see, and was obeyed. WIth a shrill cry from the captain, Ganondorf's raiders kicked their horses and began the charge. Gerudo horses were much swifter than the mounts of Hyrule, and the young king watched in delight as his warriors rode to combat the enemy.
Sure enough, he heard the worried call to arms of the Hylians. Far too late, as usual. By the time they drew their swords and shields, the Gerudo were already upon them. Two raiders, Zohuban and Rakaseel the Swift had took down the frontmen. Zohuban shattered the Hylian guard's shield, as well as his forearm, with one smashing blow from her hammer. Rakaseel, on the other hand, had leapt from her horse and tackled her target right off his horse. As they fell to the ground, the small and fast raider grabbed the man's head and slammed it on the hard ground, knocking him out cold.
Ganondorf watched with pride aglow in his eyes as his warriors made short work of their opponents. If this was all that took to defeat a troupe twice their size, he wondered what it was that kept his people at bay. Before he could come up with an answer, his attention was pulled back out of his mind as the call of victory was heard. The young king kicked his heels and strode towards the battlefield.
The struggle, if it could even be considered one, lasted no longer than a minute. All the soldiers were bound together. Some grunted in pain, others uttered their protests, while the rest slept in sweet unconciousness.
"Report?" the Gerudo asked, riding up to meet his warriors.
"Slim pickins', these" a Gerudo archer named kayka said, rubbing the string of her bow.
The yellow eyes of the bone mask lowered to meet Kayka's view. Zohuban slammed the head of her hammer into the dirt road right beside a grunting soldier, who jumped at the proximity of the weapon's fall to his leg. She rested her elbow on the butt of her weapon and snorted.
"Aint what he meant" she said. "None dead, but five bleeding, another five heavily battered, the three forcefully sedated" she said. Ganondorf turned to her and nodded.
"And our own?" he asked. The raid party looked about one another, each one curious of the other's injuries.
"We're fine" Jafora said as she tightened the rope binding the soldiers together.
"Good. Take their weapons, let loose the horses..." His hollow eyes turned to the soldiers. His focus stayed upon those who were wimpering. "Leave the men." As he pulled on the reins of his horse, one soldier, presumably the captain, spoke up.
"Just going to leave us out here, huh? Leave us to the Stal like a coward, Demon Thief?" Silence fell throughout the group. Both Hylian and Gerudo alike were shocked at the captain's words. Ganondorf held his horse still, mid-turn. Without a word, the young king dismounted, and looked over his shoulder to the Hylian.
A short gasp flew through the entire group. Jafora watched carefully as her lover walked slowly, step after prolonged step, to the captain. Ganondorf had learned in the past few years, that his mere presence intimidated the Hylians to no extent. So he used it, taking his own time to accomplish anything in the sight of his enemies. The slower he walked, or spoke, or even gazed, seemed to only frighten them more.
This was evident as the Captain's eyes grew wider and wider as Ganondorf approached and, slowly, crouched before the man. Zohuban could not help but chuckle at the sight. The Hylians that were brave enough not to look away, whimpered and teared up. The captain kept his eyes on the masked king, though all could hear his body shaking under his armor.
He crouched lower and lower, closer and closer, until his hidious mask was but inches away from the Hylian's face. There he sat, silent, his mask's sunken eyes staring hard into those of the captain. His head tilted one way, then another, as though he was curious about the Hylian. The captain stared back at him. Ganondorf could almost smell the fear wafting of the man's sweaty face.
"Wh-what do you want with us?" the Hylian finally asked. Ganondorf blew air out from his nose. With the mask on, it almost sounded like a monster's snort. He slowly looked over his shoulder, peering out over the plains, and the orange skies.
"Sun's setting. Not long now..." he muttered. His words sent a shiver through the spines of all the Hylian soldiers. They knew exactly what happened to those who strayed into Hyrule field at night.
"A-are you Gerudo?" One shaking soldier blurted out. He was silenced quickly, as the yellow orbs in Ganondorf's mask rolled over to him. The answer was obvious, but to simply say it would dismantle the illusion of monstrosity. It is much easier to be feared as a demon, than as a man.
"I am... King" he said. The answer was correct enough while still being vague. Hyrule was for the most part unaware that a male Gerudo had been born, so the guise of a monster as the king of the Gerudo worked well in Ganondorf's favor. He continued to stare the soldier down, watching him crumble in his own fear, before turning his attention back on the captain.
"What is it you fear most, mortal?" Ganondorf asked. His voice nearly made the captain jump.
"N... I just want to go home..." he stuttered out. He had been broken.
"Home..." Ganondorf replied, keeping his eyes on the man. "I don't think you're going to make it" he said, standing up. The Hylian sighed. He was partly relieved that Ganondorf gave space, but was terrified at what was coming. He watched as the Gerudo warriors mounted their steed and began riding off.
"Please! Don't leave us here!" the captain shouted. Ganondorf walked slowly to his horse. Beneath his mask, he grinned wide. The dread emanating off the soldiers was almost palpable. As he mounted his black horse, Jafora trotted up beside him and whispered.
"You aren't really going to leave them defenseless, are you? Imagine what you would do were you in their position." she suggested. Ganondorf looked at her, not saying a word. Finally, he reached over and stuck his hand into the satchel resting on her horse's haunch. When he pulled it out, he brought with him a small steel dagger, looted from the soldiers.
Ganondorf turned his head and looked back to the tied up guards. Twisting his arm, he shot the dagger at them. They flinched together in fear, but the dagger sunk into the ground just before the captain's feet. The moment he opened his eyes and beheld the weapon, the Hylian reached for it eagerly. Ganondorf watched for a moment before kicking his horse, commanding it forward.
"Ganondorf" Jafora began, catching up to her king. "Do you really think they would leave you to die like that?" she asked. Ganondorf kept his eyes forward, watching the sun slip down behind the horizon.
"I'd expect them to."
As the shadows grew longer and longer around them, the Hylians struggled all together to pull the ropes off them as their captain cut. As he heard the twine in the ropes snap, his eyes could not help but notice four pointy, blood stained bones peek from under the ground.
