Chapter 4: Coming of Age

The market was busy as always, the sound of people bartering and shouting was nearly overwhelming. Pastries and other desserts were being sold at a nearby vendor, the smell was intoxicating. Once this meeting was over with he decided he would treat himself to one.

"Ganondorf Adinaya." he turned and saw Yamuro bowing respectively at him with a bowl of food in her free hand. She was younger than him by only a year, they'd been in the same music and defense classes growing up. Technically they were equals seeing as teachers and council members held similar ranks, so there really wasn't a reason for her to bow and call him by his full name. Then he remembered what day it was. "Happy birthday, geezer."

"Thanks," he grumbled in annoyance, "stop doing that, it's weird." Yamuro stopped bowing and gave him a playful slap on the back before sitting in the seat across him. She began to eat her curry in a fast manner, she was likely doing it to bug him.

"How's it feel being an adult now?" she asked before shoveling another bite into her mouth.

"Tiring. I never would have thought by the time I turned into an adult I'd already have a six year old." it was hard for him to believe it had already been four years since he found Link in the desert. He remembered how small and helpless his son had been, now he was playing and training like any kid his age should. He was also getting himself into more trouble, and Ganon figured that's why Yamuro wanted to talk to him.

"Yeah, you two have really grown up. Look at you, you're finally taller than me!"

"Only by an inch." it was true he finally went through his last growth spurt, but he was still on the smaller side, at least compared to the other Gerudo men. "So, what has my son done now?" he was used to hearing it all by now. Link stole a sweet bun. Link broke my project. Link ran into me and thought it was funny. Link scaled a building and caused a mild panic. Your son takes after you too much.

"He's not in trouble." Sure, sure, Link was a bit rowdy, but he was a good kid. He could admit he was soft on Link when it came to punishments, but he was still a small child. His own father hadn't been strict with his sisters and him growing up, they all turned out fine...mostly. "Gan, are you listening?"

"What?"

"I said Link's not in trouble."

"Really?" he asked rather surprised.

"Yes. I actually stopped by the archery class on my way here, your son was doing a decent job with the bow. I was impressed with how well he handled the horses yesterday, I think he should start training for the Mounted Guard, we could use more archers in our ranks."

"Oh," was all he could think for a response. Being in the Mounted Guard was a high honor, but it was also a lifetime commitment. If Link wanted to go through it, however, he wouldn't be the one to stop him. "I'll have to discuss it with him, when were you wanting to start training?"

"As soon as possible."

"Alright, I'll let you know when he decides." The training would start off easy of course, a half hour to an hour after Link's class of the day was finished. He'd learn the basics of horse riding until he was deemed ready to move on to the more complex parts of training, namely combat. Ganon wasn't opposed to the idea, on the contrary he was incredibly proud that Link was being considered for the Guard. It was only another reminder that he and his son were growing up.

They said their goodbyes and Ganon bought a pair of nut and cream filled cakes from the vendor his eyes had been set on since he arrived in the market. The price was higher than normal, but that was to be expected during the dry months. Once the rainy season hit, fresh foods would be sold everyday in abundance at ridiculously cheap prices. The nomadic Gerudo groups in the nearby area would travel to Lesinea and live there for a week during Din's Festival. The festival was a weeklong event that was held during the third week of spring. Foods and drinks were exchanged freely, material goods were sold and traded at discounted prices.

The nomadic Gerudo lived different lives from their brethren in the communes and cities, but they were regarded as family nonetheless. They were more rugged and strict in their teachings, but they were kind people. When they arrived for the festivities, they always brought with them tales and goods from their various travels. When they left, occasionally one of their members would decide to stay behind, and sometimes someone from the commune would decide to travel with them.

Although the festivities were another two months away, some of the minor decorations were already shamelessly displayed. Decorative pottery and woven banners lined the edges of the buildings, the sandstone central road was scrubbed from grime. A decent supply of precious bolsa wood normally kept in the crypts was brought to the surface and placed on the foot of Mount Urbosa. Eventually the logs would be placed on top of the summit and a ceremonial fire would be lit on the last day of the festival.

As he walked back home, someone bumped into his leg and nearly caused him to drop his pastries. When he turned he saw the culprit was one of his nieces, Riku. She shouted an apology as she continued to run through the busy market, it was made apparent she was being chased when Link zoomed after her. Link paused only for a moment to wave at his dad before he resumed the obviously important pursuit. Ganon pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand and let out a sigh. Those kids would be the death of him.

The Adinaya building had its ceremonial torch lit rather than the usual plain wooden one. It rested in place in front of the main entrance, the flicker of the flame sparkled beautifully against the gold and rubies. There were plenty of occasions when the torch was to be lit; festivals, funerals, births, the birthday of a ten year old, and the birthday of a twenty-five year old. He knew it was an odd concept to outsiders to have two coming of age birthdays, but it made sense to him perfectly fine. Ten years was an important milestone, by that time, the child knew the inner workings of how living amongst their people worked. That was they age they received their first circlet. Turning twenty-five was significant for similar reasons. By then the person was considered an adult who knew enough about Gerudo culture that they could teach children if the need were to arise. It was then they were given a circlet a rank above their previous one.

Being on the council, Ganon already was at the highest rank one could be. A silver headpiece would likely be gifted to him for semantics. When he entered the massive common area, he was greeted by the sights and sounds of his massive family wishing him a happy birthday. Since they were still in the dry months, the food on the center table wasn't filled with diverse options, but he appreciated the love and thought that went into making the best of what they had. Once things settled down, everyone chatted within their groups and drank their wines.

One of his sisters who was a skilled and respected jeweler handed him a silver headpiece. It had a large ruby in the center with smaller ones dotting the sides. Even though she knew he wasn't going to be able to wear it for social reasons, she still made it with care. Deciding it'd be okay for the occasion, Ganon took off his golden circlet and replaced it with the silver one. Drums started playing in the corner of the room, followed by the horns and flutes. He glanced at the musicians and immediately recognized them, they were all from his music class. They hadn't played together since last year's Din's Festival, apparently they were overdue for a session.

A lone lute resting in front of the drummer had his name all over it, within minutes he was playing an upbeat tune with his old friends. His family and friends danced merrily in the room, their intoxication grew more apparent when they fumbled around and tripped over each other. He played the lute even after his fingers grew numb, the drummer had lost one of his sticks three songs ago. After a couple hours, they decided to call it a night. Half of his siblings were sleeping on the floor rugs, no doubt in the morning they'd be feeling sore and groggy.

To his surprise, Ganon saw Link and Riku carrying a long wrapped up bundle in their arms. He knew the two's relationship was complex, they were constantly picking on the other, so it was strange to see them in close proximity while not acting like little hellions.

"The council asked us to give this to you." Riku exclaimed as she and Link handed him the object. It was a little heavy and it was wrapped in a thin black cloth. He carefully slid the fabric off and revealed a brilliant sword. The hilt was made of white gold and rubies, the blade itself was curved and it had ancient Gerudo words for strength and protection inscribed along the sides. The scabbard was simple, it was made of brown goat leather and it had the golden insignia of the Gerudo embroidered in the center. It was an outstanding gift, one he felt undeserving of.

When he looked at his son's and niece's beaming faces, he suddenly realized the pastries he bought earlier were nowhere in sight. They were long gone by now, eaten by one of his drunken family members. Tomorrow he would buy them both a sweet, they deserved it.

"Look who's not a baby anymore," Maleeha said as she came down the stairs. She looked a bit tipsy, but she was sober enough that she could walk without falling flat on her face. "it's not everyday your blood brother turns into an adult, you know. Come on, I have a present, she's waiting in your room." Mal's words slurred slightly, Ganon found himself concerned. She's waiting? That couldn't be good.

"We've been over this, Link doesn't need a blood sibling, he has plenty of siblings already. I-"

"Oh, you silly voe." Ganon stared at her with a perplexed expression. The use of the words voe and vai were typically used to describe adolescents and non-Gerudo. Mal must have been a little more inebriated than he thought. "She's a friend of yours."

He looked at the children who were staring at him with sleepy eyes. Looking through the open doorway, he could see the ceremonial light was put out, which was usually done at around midnight. It was incredibly late and he knew they were going to be exhausted in their defense class the next morning. He slung the sword on his back and he gently took hold of the kids' hands.

"Alright, it's bedtime for you two." they trekked up the stairs in relative silence, Mal leaned against his shoulder for support. It was rather common for children to sleep wherever they pleased in their family's building. If someone was missing a child, they simply would check with their siblings to see if they happened to have an extra kid in their home. There had been a few occasions where Link fell asleep in one of his sister's homes, but he was normally good at returning in the morning to check in. His son was a bit of a Dad's boy, and he was perfectly fine with that.

When he opened his door, he was shocked by a familiar sight. Sitting on his couch and silently reading a book was none other than his old friend, Phura. They still wrote frequently, but they had not met in person since Link was a baby. She looked unchanged from the last time he saw her, save for a few more streaks of silver in her curly black hair. She was sipping her tea and she smiled at them when they entered the room.

"Happy birthday, dear." she said after setting her book down on the table.

"Hello," he responded rather dumbly, "this is quite a surprise."

"It was your sister's idea." she nodded to Mal, who was now half asleep and mumbling something about goats stealing the booze. He patted her arm and made a mental reminder to thank her in the morning when she was sober.

"I'm happy to see you. I'm sorry, I really should make sure these three go to sleep before we catch up."

"Take your time." she replied then resumed reading her textbook. Ganon led his sister into his room and he gently placed her on the bed. Immediately she sprawled out and knocked all of the pillows in different directions. With a groan he picked up the pillows and set them in a neat pile next to the bed, then he placed his new sword up on a high shelf. His sister had always been a bit destructive and boisterous.

Riku and Link were sitting on the floor, both looked ready to fall asleep. With one large scoop he carried them to Link's bed and tucked them under the blankets. To his annoyance they started squirming and fighting over the blanket.

"Hey now, none of that." he reprimanded them in an authoritative, yet soft voice. His last growth spurt changed him in a few ways, he was no longer 'lanky' as his family liked to call him, he was as tall as any average Gerudo, and his voice was moderately deep. His voice no longer cracked when he spoke, so at least he couldn't be made fun of anymore for doing any so called 'squeaking'. "Do you want a story tonight?"

Link nodded his head while Riku pulled the blanket over their faces. "Bedtime stories are for dweebs." her muffled voice came from under the blanket.

"Alright then, goodnight." he stood up from his crouched position and nearly turned off the light, but he was interrupted by his niece's protest.

"Wait!" she pulled off the blanket and Link shoved her an inch away from himself. "Link can't go to sleep without a story, he's kinda a scaredy cat." He smirked upon seeing the ordeal.

"Okay, one story, then you two need to sleep." he grabbed a random book from the floor and he made himself comfortable next to the bed. The book had an intricate cover depicting a golden desert scene, the words 'Patricia Runs Away' were printed in simple dark blue letters. It was one of the books he was sent when he decided to adopt Link, the words were accompanied by the sign language equivalent. The first page had a colorful picture of a family of brown sand seals, except one of them was a gray color. Sand seals weren't native to the Lesinea area since they were surrounded by scrublands and not the sand filled wastes the animals naturally lived in.

"Patricia was not feeling well one day," he paused for a moment. Gerudo stories rarely started with 'once upon a time', they typically got right to the point. "Her fur didn't match the sand like her family's did. Her brother teased her because she couldn't hide in the sand like everyone else could. She decided to leave home so she could find a seal that looked like her.

"She went to a jungle, she couldn't see anything through the tall trees and thick plants. All she found there were pesky bugs that liked to bite and sting. No seal would ever want to live there.

"Next she went to the ocean, seagulls were the first thing she found. She swam and splashed in the ocean, dolphins decided to play with her. Eventually they swam away, but she couldn't follow them into the deep water. The sun set and she was left all alone, there were no sand seals to be found here.

"Patricia went to the fields next, but all she found was a sea of wild grass. Horses surrounded her, but they ran when she tried to talk to them. Now she was starting to feel homesick, but she couldn't stop her search until she found another seal.

"The next place she went to was a rocky mountain, the land was filled with boulders and stones. Ferocious bears and wolves lived on the mountains, they were not friendly at all. As soon as they saw her, they chased her away while showing her their sharp teeth. This was no place for a seal to live.

"The final place she went to was a tundra in the far north. It was filled with powdered snow and gray basking rocks. To her surprise, she saw something moving...another seal! Their fur matched the rocks, just like hers. This was where she was supposed to be.

"The seals let her live with them, they basked on the rocks together. They swam in the snow like her family swam in the sand. They gave her their fish to eat, she didn't like it very much since she was used to eating fruit. The waters they swam in was too cold, she didn't join them when they played. Everything was freezing, soon Patricia was no longer happy even though she found seals who looked like her.

"Even though her new friends looked like her, she knew it wasn't where she belonged. She told her friends goodbye and she began her journey home. The desert was where her loving family was, and that's where she truly belonged." Ganon closed the book and set it down. Just as Gerudo tales did not start with 'once upon a time', they did not end with 'happily ever after'.

He looked at the children who were now asleep. Riku was nestled against Link peacefully, apparently the only time they could get along was when the both of them were unconscious.

Link's messy hair was splayed on the pillow, it was nearly shoulder length now. One of Ganon's sisters once described Link's hair as strawberry blond, he'd never heard of the color himself, but it was true his son's hair had a slight orange tinge to it. His skin was heavily tanned due to being outside in the sun every day, though it wasn't quite as dark as the natural brown as his siblings were. His eyes were green, not pale like the Gerudo, but marvelously dark and similar in color to the deeper parts of the river. It would be unsurprising if his biological grandfather or even father had been part Gerudo.

He wondered if Link recognized the fact he was a little different, he was a smart boy after all. Thankfully no one gave either of them grief for Link's origins, it was widely accepted that while Link may not have Gerudo blood, he did have their spirit.

With one last glance at the sleeping kids, he flicked off the light and quietly shut the door. Phura had a cup of tea waiting for him, he happily grabbed it and sat next to his friend.

"Finally an adult." she remarked while holding her mug in her hands.

"Yeah," he started loosening his hair from his mass array of braids, he might as well make himself comfortable. "When I told Link, he didn't believe me. He informed me that I was a dad, all dads are adults." Phura chuckled fondly at him.

"Be sure to cherish these moments, someday he won't want bedtime stories anymore. There will be times when he gets himself into trouble and it makes you upset, but you must always remember to support him. You never know when a simple 'i love you' will be the last." Where had that come from all of a sudden? As far as he knew, Phura didn't have any children, she never mentioned any. Then again, there were plenty of secrets his friend decided to keep hidden.

"So, have you discovered anything exciting lately?" he asked to change the subject. Phura's previously melancholy eyes now held a mischievous glint, a sly grin crept on her face.

"Of course, I've been waiting to tell you about it in person, I couldn't risk the chance of one of my letters being read by the wrong eyes. You see last year I went on an expedition, all in the pursuit of knowledge mind you."

"Where?" he asked after taking a sip of his steaming drink.

"New Hylia." she seemed proud of herself, Ganon could only offer her a look of shock.

"How did you manage that?"

"Walls are useless when things like ladders and ropes exist." she replied casually. He tried picturing the sight of a middle aged woman scaling a wall while avoiding guards and carrying around a decent amount of supplies.

"Did you make it to the castle?"

"No, it was too risky. I stayed on the outskirts and explored several ruins, some of them were built before the Calamity. There wasn't much to be found, but I did bring back a few old journals for safekeeping."

"How old does something have to be before it's considered archeology and not robbery?"

"Eh…" she made a few other disgruntled noises and she raised her hands in a classic 'i dunno' gesture. "Enough about me for now, what about these dreams of yours?" Ganon sighed, he wasn't the only one who liked to change the subject. It was true he was having more dreams of late, he decided to express his concerns to her in his last letter.

Usually the dreams involved three animals; a wolf, a raven, and a lion. In some of them, the lion guarded the other two as they fought against an army of formless monsters.

One had the raven attack and kill the wolf, the lion started transforming into a tusked boar and it too was struck down by the massive bird.

One had the lion already turned into a boar as it advanced towards the raven. Before it could strike, the wolf appeared and killed the beast before it could do more harm towards the bird.

One had the boar being pinned by the wolf, but before the beast was dispatched, the raven glowed and turned the pig back into a lion. After that, the three worked as one to destroy their amorphous enemies.

The boar tried to consume the world.

The boar tried to consume hope.

The boar tried to consume him.

He didn't know if the dreams meant anything at all, he could be paranoid, but they seemed far too important to deem as mere nightmares of a stressed mind. He could almost feel the lion's pain when it was betrayed by one of its comrades, he could feel the full unadulterated rage it felt as despair filled its heart and began its transformation into a merciless beast. He could feel the hopelessness it felt when it failed to protect one of its companions from their attackers.

His friend offered him no insights to the phenomenon, even she did not know what the dreams were trying to convey. Now that he was an adult, he was expected to have answers for the childrens' multitudes of questions. Bumps in the night were not spirits and monsters causing trouble, it was a person or pet walking clumsily. The rains did not come because of some goddesses will, they came because of the way the world spun. Wars were not fought based on good versus evil, they were fought for the expansion or protection of the homeland.

Why was it then that he could not hope to explain or comprehend what was happening to him? He could feel an unknown force resting within him, waiting to strike at the most opportune moment. It wanted revenge for heinous acts that were yet to pass. During times of stress, it threatened to awaken and cause havoc, it wanted to take over when he was at his weakest.

Yes, he was an adult now, but he did not have answers. The ravenous beast slept inside him, giving him no hints on how to purge the foul unwanted presence. He was expected to know these things, but this wasn't a normal everyday occurrence. The idea of it absolutely frightened him. He was scared of what he might become, and what he might destroy. He imagined the life he knew and loved totally obliterated by his own hand, the thought made him ill. While he didn't have answers, he for sure knew one thing...he would not allow the beast to revive.

A/N: Hello, once again, thank you to all of those who leave lovely reviews for me! As far as updating goes, this story is kind of unusual. Normally it takes me months to publish one chapter, but I'm cranking out these chapters relatively fast (for me anyway). I can't promise that all of my chapters will be updated as quick as they have been, but your reviews certainly do motivate me to hurry it up. Thank you, once again!

A little bit of side lore that I won't expand upon in the writing- when Gan decided to adopt Link, he was equivalent to a 17 year old.

Any questions, comments, concerns? Predictions? Feel free to ask questions.