Hi hey sorry, I haven't updated in a while, I was on vacation and then I moved into college and then shit just so crazy I forgot to update. Anyways, here's the next chapter and to hoping I get back on track.
Chapter Twenty Two:
Ganondorf knocked on the side of Rosa's shop.
"Just a moment!" Came the muffled reply.
A minute later Ganondorf heard shuffling and the curtains were pulled back to reveal Rosa and Calista, who now wore a more traditional Gerudo garb. Pointed sandals, a sirwal and a top. Calista glanced shyly away from him and crossed her arms over her chest.
"You're looking like a real Gerudo already," Ganondorf remarked grinning at her. Calista gave him a small smile. "Come on, I'll show you around. Rosa, you can put it on my tab."
"Yes, yes dear. You know, for a voe you get an awful amount of clothing," Rosa said.
"Most of it is cause she makes me buy it for her," Ganondorf said, glaring at Athena, who promptly smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow."
Rosa just smiled at them. "You kids have fun now. And don't do anything dangerous. That top is one of my newest designs and if it gets ripped I'll make you sew me a new one."
"Believe me, I know better to incur your wrath," Ganondorf muttered as Rosa went back into her shop. "Alright Calista, let's start your tour. What would you like to see first: the sand seal pits, the training grounds or some of the other shops here?"
"I don't know," Calista admitted. "There's just so much."
"Let's start here then," Ganondorf decided. "This is Gerudo Town's center after all. Everything you could ever want you can find here. Rosa's tailor shop is where most people get their clothing from, but across the street there is Priscilla, the blacksmith who makes the armor and weapons for the guard. Next to her is the jewelry shop, and next to that is the Hotel Oasis. Sometimes vendors will have their general shop set up along these walls. They'll sell anything from cooked meat to special arrows. Cheap knockoffs."
"Just cause you can shoot lightning from your fingers doesn't mean everyone else can. I use electric arrows sometimes," Athena declared.
"Well if you learned real magic you wouldn't need those lame excuses for magic," Ganondorf argued.
"You know as well as I do that I can't. You tried teaching me, remember?" Athena said.
"Oh yeah, that was a mistake. Don't know what I was thinking," Ganondorf said, shuddering as he imagined Athena chasing him with a psychotic look on her face, chucking bolts of lightning at him. Athena mumbled something intelligible and probably offensive.
"Would you like to see more of any of these shops?" Ganondorf asked Calista. "We could go see other parts of the town. We can always come back if you like."
"No, can we see the rest of the town please?" Calista said.
"Of course. Down that way is the sand seal pits, and some houses. I believe there's also a goddess statue down there somewhere but I'm not sure. The other street leads down to the Noble Canteen, some more houses, and the training grounds."
"Maybe can we see the sand seals?" Calista asked.
"Of course," Ganondorf said. "They're this way."
Ganondorf guided Calista towards the pits where the sand seals stayed, Athena trailing behind. Calista gasped when she saw the seals and rushed to the edge of the fence. Ganondorf smirked. He had a similar reaction when he saw a horse for the first time. But this was no horse. Sand seals were three hundred pounds of muscle and stomach that could move through the sand like a shark through water. Not that he'd ever seen a shark, or the ocean for that matter, but he'd read about them. Anyways, the yellow beasts sported large tusks, fins, and a fish-like tail. Hair covered their faces, and a mane of hair rose from their spines.
"Hylia above it's adorable! Can I pet it?" Calista gushed.
"Go for it," Ganondorf encouraged.
"YAY!" Calista squealed as she threw herself over the fence. The sand seal looked up in surprise which quickly turned to fear as it beheld the tiny Hylian bearing down on it. With a terrified squawk it tried to turn and flee, but Calista launched herself at it, hugging it tightly around its neck. "Dear Hylia I love you so much you're never leaving me I'm gonna bring you to my house and braid you and give you munchies and read you bedtime stories and then we'll snuggle together forever and ever and ever. I can't wait!"
The sand seal's expression of terror only grew with every word Calista spouted, but it huffed in mortified acceptance once she buried her face in its mane.
"Heh, looks like neither one of us are her favorite anymore," Athena said, nudging him.
"Alright Calista, stop traumatising the poor seal, I'll get in trouble if you emotionally break it," Ganondorf shouted to the girl half buried in sand seal hair.
"Just one more minute!" Came the muffled response.
Ganondorf sighed but let it go. This might be harder than he thought. After several more minutes of snuggling the beast, Ganondorf sighed and jumped into the pit. He grabbed Calista with one hand and picked her up. Calista yelped and pouted at him. Ganondorf just raised an eyebrow. "Had enough?"
"Never," Calista vowed, struggling back to reach the sand seal which was subtly inching away. The other seals crowded against the other wall, eyeing the struggling girl in fear.
"Well we still have some town to see, we can come back when we're down," Ganondorf told her.
"Promise?" Calista asked, her eyes unnaturally wide.
"Yeah, sure," Ganondorf said, lowering her to the ground.
"Yay! You're my favorite Gerudo ever!" Calista said, wrapping him in a hug. Ganondorf hugged her back, throwing a winning smirk at Athena, who stuck her tongue out at him.
"Ok, you can let go now," Ganondorf said after a moment. Calista smiled sheepishly at him and released her grip on him. For something so small she had a tight grasp.
Ganondorf continued showing Calista around the town. He introduced her to a few citizens and explained how life normally operated within the walls of this sandy village. Calista looked at the sights with an expression of awe. She was quiet for most of the trip, only speaking up when he or another Gerudo addressed her. Ganondorf showed her all of Gerudo Town's features, telling her about the fountain that supplied them with life sustaining water.
Their last stop was the training center. Ganondorf strode into the hall, glancing around at the familiar sight. Warrior vai honing their spear skills on practice dummies or practicing their archery on targets. Two vai dueled in the sparring ring battled with wooden scimitars. Ganondorf inhaled deeply, revelling in the scent of sweat and adrenaline. The clashing of swords and the grunts of exertion. This is where he belonged.
"Ganondorf," an husky voice greeted from behind him.
Ganondorf turned to see Iris sharpening her spear. Iris was the combat instructor for Gerudo Town. An old, grizzled veteran, her heavily muscled body was riddled with scars. One such scar had split her eye open, blinding her in that eye. Her red hair had dulled with age and had streaks of gray in it. It was a far contrast to Athena and most of the rest of Gerudo Town's vibrant, fiery red hair and made her stand out even more than her battle scars. Ganondorf himself boasted a crimson red mane, the color of blood, something he took great pride in.
"Sav'aaq Iris," Ganondorf acknowledged, inclining his head slightly. As Prince, he bowed to no one. But Iris had been his mentor and tutor, and was someone he held great respect for. Although she rarely participated in battle anymore due to her missing eye, she was still one of Gerudo Town's finest warriors.
"New recruit for me?" Iris asked, nodding towards Calista.
"I hope so. Council's debating on it now," Ganondorf informed her.
"Hmph. Prickly bitches they are. Can't do anything without yelling at one another about it for an hour. Urbosa would just say the word and it'd be done," Iris grumbled.
"They serve their purpose. Besides, it's tradition," Ganondorf said.
"Who's the Council?" Calista asked Ganondorf.
"The Council's a group of vai that help the Chief govern the town. The Chief's in charge of overseeing all the everyday tasks and ensuring everything runs smoothly. The Chief is also the commander of the Gerudo's military. The Council's only called upon when a Chief wants to do something major, or dealing with citizenship issues, or criminal activity."
"What are vai?" Calista asked.
"Vai's the Gerudo word for woman," Athena butted in. "While the Zora, Gorons and Rito have different written languages, we've got our own spoken language too. Most people don't use it very often, but some terms have stuck around. It's pretty outdated anyway."
"Hmm," Iris mumbled discontentedly. "Where've you been anyway? Haven't seen you in a while."
"This idiot fought the Calamity all on his lonesome," Athena barged in, elbowing him sharply in the ribs.
"Will you stop hitting me?" Ganondorf barked. He was going to be sore for a week if she kept this up.
"Nope," Athena said gleefully, a devilish smile on her lips.
Iris whistled. "The Calamity, eh? Now there's a bastard I'd like to stick it to."
"Wait," Calista interrupted. "You actually fought Calamity Ganon?"
Ganondorf winced. "Just call it the Calamity, but yes. I helped Zelda and Link beat it."
"Why?" Calista asked.
"Hm?" Ganondorf wondered.
"Why's it just the Calamity? Isn't it's full name Calamity Ganon?"
"It is, but poor sensitive Ganondorf thinks he's cursed somehow," Athena scoffed.
"Why?" Calista asked.
Ganondorf sighed. "According to legend, the last male Gerudo was also named Ganon. See, the Gerudo used to have a male once every hundred years. But there hasn't been one since Ganon. He was supposedly kidnapped by a coven of witches and taught magic. Once he was saved by the Gerudo, he pledged loyalty to the king of Hyrule, renouncing the taint of black magic. But it was all a ruse. He used his magic to subjugate the Gerudo and take over Hyrule and kill the king. He was eventually defeated by a hero wielding the Master Sword. The Gerudo were freed of his influence, but their reputation was ruined. In his final breaths, he created the Calamity to forever terrorize Hyrule. Why my mother named me after him, I'll never understand."
"A load of sand seal shit if you ask me," Iris grumbled. "The Sheikah think the Calamity was made by a rogue warlock who wanted to seize control of Hyrule. The Zora think it's some ancient demon as old as Hyrule itself. The Hylians official story is that it's the result of a group of sorcerers trying to create a weapon to destroy Hyrule's enemies. Personally, I don't think we'll ever know. The Calamity simply is, like any other force of nature."
"Things like the Calamity don't simply happen," Ganondorf argued. "Someone had to have made it."
Iris shrugged. "Maybe. But by now even if we did know the truth, would it really matter? The Calamity's gone for the next ten thousand years, till the next lucky souls get to fight it all over again."
"Well that's their problem," Athena said. "Right now, I want something to eat."
"Ganondorf," someone yelled. All eyes turned up to the top of the stairs, where Bulara was standing. "The Council has reached their decision."
Ganondorf put his hand on Calista's shoulder and gave her an encouraging squeeze. Calista smiled nervously back up at him. Together they walked up to where Bulara waited, Athena trailing after them. Bulara nodded to Ganondorf and indicated that they should go into the palace chambers.
The six Council members stood surrounding the throne. Ganondorf led Calista to the edge of the stairs below the throne, between the two small pools of water. Bulara stepped up to the throne and sat down. "The Council has discussed your request, and have decided to honor it. Calista will be given full Gerudo citizenship."
Ganondorf bowed. "Thank you. I appreciate your wisdom and generosity."
Melcia sneered but said nothing. The glare she was aiming at him was nothing less than murderous. Ganondorf ignored it and knelt to speak with Calista.
"Well,congratulations! You're officially a member of the Gerudo," Ganondorf told her, beaming.
"Yay! I'm just like you!" Calista exclaimed, hugging Ganondorf.
"Yeah, yeah, that's great and all, but can we get some food? I'm hungry," Athena complained.
"You're always hungry, you can wait," Ganondorf said, glaring at his friend.
"Bleh. Hey kid, want some food?" Athena asked Calista.
"Sure!"
"Alright, come on then," Athena said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away from him.
"Hey! Stop trying to steal my apprentice!"
"Apprentice," Melcia growled, shooting the voe a death glare as Ganondorf chased Athena and Calista down the stairs of the palace.