Bitter cold wind bit at Aeris's skin as she swayed, illuminated by the moon and several fires that cast flickering shadows across her face. The low familiar hum began to build in her chest as her fingers etched the long winding history of the Gerudo in the sand around her. It was a familiar comfort now, she knew exactly where each piece of the story should be placed and exactly which words of the age-old melody went along with it.
She lost herself in the melody just as she always did, lost herself in the biting cold and glowing warmth of the fires around her, the coarse sand sifted easily through her fingers as the first of the Gerudo joined her in the song.
One by one, each of the women joined the melody until their voices echoed across the Desert, belting generations worth of pain and triumph to the skies and the sands and the Goddess that protected them. They swayed and sang as one, both cursing and praising the sands around them until the last of them let the final hum of a note die in their throats.
Dozens of eyes were on Aeris as she rose from her place at the base of the stairs to the Desert Colossus, golden eyes watched as she turned and climbed the stairs. The heavy golden jewelry that lined her arms and throat clashed together in a cacophony of sound, like a tambourine keeping rhythm with her footfalls.
Once she reached the top of the stairs, she turned and scanned the crowd, she paused at each familiar face in an attempt to calm her nerves. Nabooru and Urora sat to her left, Seteli and Kulori leaned heavily against each other to her right. She took a low shuddering breath as she swallowed down the last of her nerves as dozens of golden eyes watched her wearily.
"The history of the Gerudo is the history of these vast sands," Aeris's voice rang out, clear and strong as she recited the centuries old speech. "Through your veins flow these golden sands,"
Nabooru's gaze was fond yet stern as Aeris's eyes met hers. "You are proud warriors,"
"You are proud mother's," Her gaze turned to Urora who smiled at her softly.
"You are proud artisans but above all," She smiled brightly as she held her hands out to the crowd. "You are proud women, and you carry the weight of life on your shoulders,"
Slowly the Gerudo began rising to their feet, one by one they rose and began swaying chanting an ancient hymn. "You live and love where the road has no end," She watched as mothers and lovers held those they loved.
"You're guided through this life by your goddess," The doors behind her opened slowly and the sound of jewelry clinking together filled the silence between her words. "And the king she sends as her voice,"
Ganondorf's large hands settled on her shoulders as he came to a stop behind her. "So tonight, break your fast!" She raised her voice so that it echoed across the empty expanse. "Eat and drink until you've had your fill!"
Her eyes tracked Ganondorf as he moved around her and down the steps to stand before his people. "Tonight he will drink from YOUR hands as a testament to your strength and resolve here in these burning sands!"
The first undulating cries mingled with her voice as she raised her hands, the thick golden bands that encircled her arms slid down, jingling like bells in the night. "You are resilient desert flowers facing the sun's gaze, growing brilliant where others fade!"
The crowd in front of her exploded as Ganondorf turned and extended his hand to Aeris, she took it and let him guide her down the steps as the first heaping trays of food and pitchers of wine were brought out and set on long low tables.
"That was amazing," Ganondorf stooped down to murmur against her ear, so he could be heard over the boisterous crowd of feasting women.
"Thank you," She managed to pull him down into a quick kiss before Nabooru plowed into them, knocking them off balance.
"You did great!" Aeris cried out as she was spun into a tight embrace. "You actually sounded like a queen up there!"
"Gee thanks Nabs," The two women laughed for a moment before Nabooru grabbed Aeris and Ganondorf by the wrists and pulled them toward the table that Urora had settled at.
Aeris slid easily onto one of the benches and felt her mouth water, a platter of grilled meat and vegetables was placed in front of her. She smiled as she met Ganondorf's gaze from across the table. "They really outdid themselves this year,"
"It gets better every year," Nabooru was already grabbing food and carefully arranging it on different plates. "But, the market made it so much easier to put this all together,"
Aeris crinkled her nose as a plate was passed across the table, it was full of ham coated in honey and sugar, something that would normally make her mouth water, but instead a wave of nausea washed over her as the smell wafted toward her. The feeling passed as soon as the platter was further down the table and Aeris opted for a small slice of roasted lamb and potatoes, deciding to start small, they did have a week of feast and drink to look forward to after all.
"Aeris!" She looked up to see Nabooru pouring a generous glass of wine and laughed as it was passed to her. "Drinks!"
She took the glass and forced back a gag as she lifted the drink to her lips. She crinkled her nose again, it was her favorite blend of wildberry and hydromelon but for some reason the smell made her stomach turn.
"Are you alright?" She sat the glass down and turned to Ganondorf who was passing her a mug full of clear water.
"I'm fine," She took the mug and took a small sip of the clear liquid. "Just overwhelmed by all of this amazing food," The wave of nausea passed as she took another small sip of the fresh water.
"Are you sure?" Ganondorf's hand lingered on the small of her back as he lifted his cup of wine to his lips. "You're looking a little green, love,"
She wasn't sure how he could tell with the orange glow of the fires, but she was sure that it was true as she choked back another wave of nausea, a young girl carrying a tray full of candied fruit and nuts had passed behind them. The sickening sweet smell made her stomach turn violently. She rose quickly with her hand covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle the bile rising in her throat.
"Tell Ebisa I'm sorry!" The poor woman had put far too much effort into directing preparations for the feast for Aeris not to offer some kind of apology for running from the table.
She was briefly aware of the people sitting at her table rushing to their feet before she ducked behind a random tent and emptied the meager contents of her stomach onto the sand. She lurched forward and sunk to her knees, the pungent stench of the bile invaded her nostrils and she heaved even though there was nothing left in her stomach. She reached to steady herself against the tent and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Holy shit," Nabooru's warm hand settled against her clammy skin and helped to pull her hair away from her face. "How much did you have to drink?"
"I didn't," Her voice was a hoarse moan as another wave of bile clawed its way up her throat.
"Are you sure?" Nabooru rubbed Aeris's back gently as she moaned softly. "Cause, this sure seems to be "I'm drunk off my ass behind a tent" vomiting,"
"I've only had water Nabs" Aeris finally sat back on her heels and wiped her mouth on her skirt.
"Are you sure that it wasn't some of that weird Hylian liquor Kulori was passing around, that stuff was strong enough to knock me on my ass," Nabooru's face was split by a crooked grin, but there was concern in her eyes as she held back Aeris's hair.
Aeris spit, trying to rid her mouth of the vile taste of vomit and stomach acid. "Just water," She looked down at the bright green puddle that was quickly being absorbed by the sand."I think the lamb was a little too rich for me,"
"Are you sure?" Aeris smiled softly and took the hand that was offered to her.
She wobbled slightly as she was hauled to her feet. "I think I'm just going to head to bed and try again in the morning, tell Gan I'll see him later,"
She turned, but not before taking notice of the concern etched across her sister's face.
She just needed some rest, everything would be fine in the morning.
- - ┈┈∘┈༒┈∘┈┈ - -
Aeris awoke slowly to an empty bed and the faint sound of laughter and drums carrying a lively rhythm. Judging by the brightness of the sun through her eyelids and the blistering heat, it was nearly midday.
Her limbs moved slowly as she rolled to the side, desperately trying to kick off the blanket that was sticking to her sweat drenched skin. A deep laugh rang through the air, finally encouraging her eyelids to peel open as she sat up, wondering why she had been allowed to sleep so long.
She rose, first to her knees then unsteadily to her feet until the intense need to retch brought her back to the ground, scrabbling to reach for anything to catch the vile substance clawing its way up her throat.
Her fingers grazed the edge of a bowl that was set on top of a nearby trunk, flipping the contents over and sending what was likely supposed to be her breakfast scattered across the floor of the tent.
Her stomach heaved, bringing up nothing but a burning sensation that made her nose and eyes run and the faint taste of orange pulp. She gagged again as tears rushed down her face leaving wet trails down her reddened cheeks, the bowl in her hands remained empty as she choked back an involuntary sob.
"Sands, Aeris!" Another fruitless retch came as the flap of the tent was brushed open and Nabooru stepped through the threshold, carrying a clay jug with her. "That's it, I'm getting mom!"
Aeris was too weak to protest as Nabooru ducked her head back out of the tent to yell at some poor unfortunate passerby to go and fetch Urora. The nausea finally passed as a warm hand helped her to sit back and put her head between her knees. "Here,"
Aeris moaned weakly as Nabooru poured water from the jug she had been carrying into a glass and handed it to her. "Thank you," She winced as the words rasped out of her raw throat.
Nabooru silently ran her hand over Aeris's back as she gingerly sipped the water, trying to avoid irritating whatever had her stomach roiling. The silence between them was broken as Urora calmly stepped into the tent with a strange little grin on her face. "How are you feeling?"
"Like hell," The look on Urora's face made Aeris uneasy as the woman slid into the spot that Nabooru made for her. "Is anyone else ill?" Surely she couldn't be the only person experiencing this. "It might be something we ate,"
"No, it's only you," Dread settled into the pit of her stomach as her adoptive mother gently brushed a strand of sweat soaked hair from her face.
"Well, that doesn't make any sense," Nabooru grunted as she refilled Aeris's cup, seeing as she had managed to keep the first firmly where it belonged. "How is it only her?"
Aeris stared blankly past Urora as the smile on the woman's face softened, somewhere beyond the walls of the tent people were singing and dancing while she was miserable with a terrible taste in her mouth, made worse as her mouth suddenly dried as if someone stuffed cotton between her gums.
"Let me ask you something," Her hand trembled as Urora brought them into her lap, the warmth was rapidly fading from her fingers, leaving them numb and unfeeling.
"Don't," She knew the question, knew it before it even left the woman's mouth, and she was terrified.
"Aeris, when was your last cycle?" The world faded to silence as Nabooru sucked in a breath, fuzzy gray crept into Aeris's mind.
She had wanted this moment so badly, so badly that she had actually ached for it, but now that it was here. Now that it was actually happening, all she could feel was fear. She wrenched her hands away from Urora and lurched to her feet. "No,"
Her hands fluttered to the exposed skin of her stomach as each and every possibility ran through her mind, every possible horrible thing that could happen had her paralyzed until the familiar cold pain of a steel boot made her double over retching up what little water was in her stomach.
Urora and Nabooru rushed to her side, catching her before her knees buckled under her. They offered her kind, reassuring words, but they fell on deaf ears as static filled her mind. "I can't do it again,"
Nabooru's grip on her arm tightened as she sobbed softly. "It won't happen again,"
"No, there are too many possibilities, I don't know if—" She stopped herself as she was pulled to lean against Urora's chest as Nabooru gently rubbed her back.
"Aeris, you wanted this so badly," The reverb of Urora's voice in her chest was a mild comfort. "You wanted this so badly you nearly ripped yourself apart,"
Months, months of trying, of research and teas that made her violently ill or made her moods fluctuate unpredictably. All to get her to this very moment, but she couldn't be happy, couldn't let herself be happy.
Not until she was sure.
She pulled herself from Urora's arms and wiped her face. "Not a word of this to anyone," She flicked her eyes from Urora to Nabooru. "Not a single word until I can see Amearu to be sure,"
Her heart sank as a familiar bellowing laugh echoed beyond the walls of the tent. "I won't put him through another lost until, I'm sure that it won't—"
She was silenced by two pairs of arms wrapping firmly around her. "Hush," Urora muttered into her hair. "Enough of that," Nabooru and Urora swayed slightly, rocking Aeris helping to calm her. "This is a time for joy, and I'll hear no more negativity,"
Aeris's stomach let out a loud rumbling growl before she could argue any further. "And I'm won't hear another word out of you until you eat something and manage to keep it down,"
"Yes, mother," Aeris wiped a stray tear from her eye and allowed Urora and Nabooru to pull her into a tighter embrace. She could feel the love radiating from them, she knew that they were only trying to help, but they couldn't possibly understand how she was feeling.
"Don't you mother me," There was a pause at the end of the phrase, as if Urora had left something unsaid, a quip to match the small smile that spread across her face.
It was better left unsaid.
- - ┈┈∘┈༒┈∘┈┈ - -
For the rest of the Festival, Aeris did her best to smile and enjoy the festivities, and for the most part she did. The nausea had calmed to and hour or two in the morning that was easy enough to hide, or cover up with a lie of too much wine. The music and food did wonders for her mood, and seeing her people happy and healthy gave her hope.
"Aeris!" A young child's voice rang across the gathering, drawing the woman's attention away from the plate of food before her. "Look, isn't he pretty?"
Peals of laughter met her as she looked up to see a group of six children huddled around her husband braiding flowers and beads into his hair. He smiled and waved as she met his gaze, but she found herself unable to return the gesture.
Her chest seized as she recalled a long forgotten dream. His arms outstretched, ready to embrace a child that would never be. His smile faltered as she rose hastily, knocking over plates and cups as she did.
"Aeris?" She spun from the table and ducked into the rows of tents, praying that he wouldn't follow her.
Her named echoed behind her again as she disappeared further into the maze of tents. She made a series of quick turns trying to lose him, to avoid him at all costs. "Aeris!"
She yelped as a hand wrapped around her upper arm, yanking her to a halt, like a child caught fleeing from and empty sweet's container. "Are you alright?"
She bowed her head, hiding from his golden gaze that she knew was swimming with concern. "I'm fine love, just a little tired," She put on her best smile, but felt it waiver as she met her gaze.
"Are you sure?" His grip on her arm softened. "You've been acting strangely all week,"
"It's all just been a bit overwhelming," She could tell the moment she said it that he didn't believe her. He always made a face when he thought she was lying to him, whether it be about getting enough sleep or the fate of the world.
"Aeris,"
"I said I'm fine!" She wrenched her arm from him and stumbled back a step. The flowers in his hair were becoming too much for her.
"Why are you being like this?" She jerked away as he reached to steady her. "What's wrong with you lately?"
"Nothing's wrong with me," She could feel the venom pouring from her words.
"I don't believe you," His eyes narrowed, as her lips curled the same way they always did when she was on the verge of tears.
"Nothing's wrong with me," She sighed heavily.
"Why won't you talk to me?" She retreated as he took a step forward, nearly tripping over her feet as she stepped back.
"Because I'm pregnant, Ganon!" He froze as the words came tumbling out of her mouth. "And I—"
The air was knocked from her lungs as he lunged forward and hoisted her up into his arms. He was looking up at her like she had just handed him the secrets to the universe of a golden platter as he spun them.
"A baby!" The music in the background stopped as he bellowed, his voice shook her bones. "We're having a baby!"
A roaring cheer rang out amongst the Gerudo as he held her up, followed by undulating cries of joy. "I love you," He lowered her enough to kiss her, and she returned the gesture.
"And I love you," She faked a smile that could fool gods.
'But I'm terrified'
