Chapter VI- The Path to Power
5 years later…
Nabooru sat in the Queen's court. She watched Mareena's display of power, showing off her skills and bragging to her audience. Many things had changed since Nataru's death.
The child, Ganondorf, had disappeared, as had the traitors Samoora, Koume, and Kotake. Mareena, being the next in the line of ascension, naturally assumed the position of High Warrior. But she had not stopped there; she had made a stranglehold on the Gerudo people. They had almost no freedom any longer, and they all had to bow down to this new "Queen." One of the first things she had done was change her official title, trying to sound important, but really just sounding like a braggart. She tried to pretend that she had, "the people's interest at heart," and that she "cared for each and everyone of them," but she had succeeded in doing little more than making herself more hated by her "loyal subjects."
It was true, they all hated her. Mareena knew this. It wouldn't be long before someone realized she was just one person, and started a rebellion. She would have to make an example of someone, and soon.
She spun around in her throne room, twirling her blades and making difficult leaps into the air. She attempted to impress them with her feats of strength, but everyone knew that it was just an act. There were many here who could best her in a fight, so she had to be constantly on her guard. She finished her elaborate exercise by landing on her toes and sheathing both blades at the same time.
"Know this," she boomed, voice echoing through the chamber, "I am Mareena, and there are know who can best me!" She turned to leave, making a show of her exit.
Nabooru looked at the departing woman with disgust, her emotion plainly spread across her face.
"Someone must have beaten her once," Nabooru muttered quietly. But not quiet enough.
Mareena stopped. Everyone in the room froze. Slowly, her hand reached for her face, her fingers touching the scar on her cheek. It was a constant reminder of her past failure, failure that would not happen again. She traced the imperfection along its length, remembering the pain of a blade slowly carving her face. Her hand dropped, and she spun about. Nabooru stood in the open, for all the others had jumped back at the first sign of trouble. She made her way toward the unlucky youth, drawing one of her curved scimitars as she went. Mareena stopped in front of her, putting the blade mere millimeters from her nose. Nabooru never once flinched.
"You noticed, my scar, did you?" Mareena said, her voice trembling with barely controlled rage. "I can give you one, if you like, right across your pretty face."
She pressed the blade closer, and Nabooru could feel the point pressing into her face, drawing red blood ever so slowly. Nabooru reached for her own weapon.
"Wait!" came a voice from the crowd. All eyes turned to this new speaker, a tall woman in white, bearing a striking resemblance to Nabooru. "Do not harm her."
"You would fight in your daughter's place?" Mareena asked the new woman. Nabooru's mother walked toward the pair, drawing her own scimitar with a fluid movement. She was obviously a seasoned warrior.
"I would."
The girl had been nothing; she would have been easily defeated. This was a different matter all together. Mareena was afraid, though she attempted to hide it. A rather poor attempt.
"Alright. Let us begin." She removed her blade from Nabooru's nose, and the girl felt a wave of relief flood over her, closely followed by a wave of fear for her mother. Nabooru stepped out of the battle field, making room for the two warriors.
Their blades crossed each other, forming an x-shape.
"May the fates favor the winner," Mareena said, in ancient Gerudo custom.
"And may the loser die an honorable death," her opponent finished. It was time to begin.
Mareena's blade flashed, a downward cut at her opponent's head. It was easily thrust aside, and quickly followed by a lunge. Mareena barely knocked the stab aside, bringing her blade around from the side, attempting to cut her opponent in half. The warrior jumped nimbly aside, her blade flashing towards Mareena's head. Again, Mareena barely escaped death. The fighters continued their danced of death across the throne room's beautifully carpeted floor, occasionally slicing hanging tapestries from the walls. They desecrated the throne room, cutting the wooden furniture into to pieces, and tipping over the throne itself as they battled. Mareena came rushing at her opponent, but she nimbly dodged aside. Her momentum carried her forward, and her blade knocked a torch from its mounting on the wall. It clattered to the floor, which promptly burst into flames.
"Do you wish to stop?" came a voice from somewhere in the smoke filled room.
"Never!" yelled Mareena.
"Very well."
Nabooru's mother came charging out of the flames, sword pointed strait at Mareena's heart. Mareena could not deflect the attack. She drew her second blade out of her belt with lightning speed, and held the blades crossed in front of her like a shield. Her opponent's blade stopped just short of her heart, and Mareena pushed outward with her blades, knocking her opponent up into the air.
The next thing happened in slow motion: Nabooru's mother was flying backward, her feet below, ready to hit the ground. Mareena came rushing forward, blades at her sides. She thrust them forward into her opponent's chest, piercing her heart before she hit the ground. She held her there for a moment, arms hanging limp at her sides, before she let the lifeless body slide to the ground. Then she followed the rest out, escaping the searing flames.
Nabooru watched her leave, staring with cold hatred at the woman. She had stayed to the end, watching her draw the second blade, breaking the rules and killing her mother. To top it off, she had destroyed the throne room. Nabooru swore then that she would get the woman. But now, she decided, it was time to disappear for a while.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ganondorf had enjoyed the past five years in the valley. He was now twelve years old, and he and Samoora had everything they could ever want. There was plenty of food and water, and the animals were all friendly here. The warrior had taught Ganondorf everything she could about sword fighting and other forms of combat. She was a good teacher, and Ganondorf knew she wanted the best for him. He still did not know all of what had happened that fateful night five years previous, but it was mostly gone from his memory. Samoora never spoke of it, and he thought it better not to ask. The power he had used then never resurfaced.
True, he had everything he needed here, but he still dreamed of going back. He still dreamed of being the most powerful, the strongest of all. It seemed that the vow he had made so long ago was still in effect.
But that was not what filled his thoughts as he made his way through the grassy meadow. His thoughts were concerned with supper tonight. He had planned to kill a deer, but for some strange reason, he hadn't found one all day. So it was that he had traveled so far off his normal route, in this part of the valley he had never seen before. The sun began to feel unusually warm on his skin when he saw the cave. It looked like it would be cool inside… nice and cool.
He walked in, and realized he could not see. He turned to leave, and realized that the entrance had disappeared. Then he heard the laughter. Cackling laughter, like some old hag.
"Eee hee hee! He has come, sister," came the voice.
"But what does he seek?" was the reply.
"Why, power, of course."
"And what would be the purpose of it?"
"Revenge."
"And how shall he get revenge?"
"By defeating his enemies."
"And how shall he defeat them?"
"With power."
"But that is what he seeks!"
"Then we shall have to give it to him!"
Ganondorf was afraid.
5 years later…
Nabooru sat in the Queen's court. She watched Mareena's display of power, showing off her skills and bragging to her audience. Many things had changed since Nataru's death.
The child, Ganondorf, had disappeared, as had the traitors Samoora, Koume, and Kotake. Mareena, being the next in the line of ascension, naturally assumed the position of High Warrior. But she had not stopped there; she had made a stranglehold on the Gerudo people. They had almost no freedom any longer, and they all had to bow down to this new "Queen." One of the first things she had done was change her official title, trying to sound important, but really just sounding like a braggart. She tried to pretend that she had, "the people's interest at heart," and that she "cared for each and everyone of them," but she had succeeded in doing little more than making herself more hated by her "loyal subjects."
It was true, they all hated her. Mareena knew this. It wouldn't be long before someone realized she was just one person, and started a rebellion. She would have to make an example of someone, and soon.
She spun around in her throne room, twirling her blades and making difficult leaps into the air. She attempted to impress them with her feats of strength, but everyone knew that it was just an act. There were many here who could best her in a fight, so she had to be constantly on her guard. She finished her elaborate exercise by landing on her toes and sheathing both blades at the same time.
"Know this," she boomed, voice echoing through the chamber, "I am Mareena, and there are know who can best me!" She turned to leave, making a show of her exit.
Nabooru looked at the departing woman with disgust, her emotion plainly spread across her face.
"Someone must have beaten her once," Nabooru muttered quietly. But not quiet enough.
Mareena stopped. Everyone in the room froze. Slowly, her hand reached for her face, her fingers touching the scar on her cheek. It was a constant reminder of her past failure, failure that would not happen again. She traced the imperfection along its length, remembering the pain of a blade slowly carving her face. Her hand dropped, and she spun about. Nabooru stood in the open, for all the others had jumped back at the first sign of trouble. She made her way toward the unlucky youth, drawing one of her curved scimitars as she went. Mareena stopped in front of her, putting the blade mere millimeters from her nose. Nabooru never once flinched.
"You noticed, my scar, did you?" Mareena said, her voice trembling with barely controlled rage. "I can give you one, if you like, right across your pretty face."
She pressed the blade closer, and Nabooru could feel the point pressing into her face, drawing red blood ever so slowly. Nabooru reached for her own weapon.
"Wait!" came a voice from the crowd. All eyes turned to this new speaker, a tall woman in white, bearing a striking resemblance to Nabooru. "Do not harm her."
"You would fight in your daughter's place?" Mareena asked the new woman. Nabooru's mother walked toward the pair, drawing her own scimitar with a fluid movement. She was obviously a seasoned warrior.
"I would."
The girl had been nothing; she would have been easily defeated. This was a different matter all together. Mareena was afraid, though she attempted to hide it. A rather poor attempt.
"Alright. Let us begin." She removed her blade from Nabooru's nose, and the girl felt a wave of relief flood over her, closely followed by a wave of fear for her mother. Nabooru stepped out of the battle field, making room for the two warriors.
Their blades crossed each other, forming an x-shape.
"May the fates favor the winner," Mareena said, in ancient Gerudo custom.
"And may the loser die an honorable death," her opponent finished. It was time to begin.
Mareena's blade flashed, a downward cut at her opponent's head. It was easily thrust aside, and quickly followed by a lunge. Mareena barely knocked the stab aside, bringing her blade around from the side, attempting to cut her opponent in half. The warrior jumped nimbly aside, her blade flashing towards Mareena's head. Again, Mareena barely escaped death. The fighters continued their danced of death across the throne room's beautifully carpeted floor, occasionally slicing hanging tapestries from the walls. They desecrated the throne room, cutting the wooden furniture into to pieces, and tipping over the throne itself as they battled. Mareena came rushing at her opponent, but she nimbly dodged aside. Her momentum carried her forward, and her blade knocked a torch from its mounting on the wall. It clattered to the floor, which promptly burst into flames.
"Do you wish to stop?" came a voice from somewhere in the smoke filled room.
"Never!" yelled Mareena.
"Very well."
Nabooru's mother came charging out of the flames, sword pointed strait at Mareena's heart. Mareena could not deflect the attack. She drew her second blade out of her belt with lightning speed, and held the blades crossed in front of her like a shield. Her opponent's blade stopped just short of her heart, and Mareena pushed outward with her blades, knocking her opponent up into the air.
The next thing happened in slow motion: Nabooru's mother was flying backward, her feet below, ready to hit the ground. Mareena came rushing forward, blades at her sides. She thrust them forward into her opponent's chest, piercing her heart before she hit the ground. She held her there for a moment, arms hanging limp at her sides, before she let the lifeless body slide to the ground. Then she followed the rest out, escaping the searing flames.
Nabooru watched her leave, staring with cold hatred at the woman. She had stayed to the end, watching her draw the second blade, breaking the rules and killing her mother. To top it off, she had destroyed the throne room. Nabooru swore then that she would get the woman. But now, she decided, it was time to disappear for a while.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ganondorf had enjoyed the past five years in the valley. He was now twelve years old, and he and Samoora had everything they could ever want. There was plenty of food and water, and the animals were all friendly here. The warrior had taught Ganondorf everything she could about sword fighting and other forms of combat. She was a good teacher, and Ganondorf knew she wanted the best for him. He still did not know all of what had happened that fateful night five years previous, but it was mostly gone from his memory. Samoora never spoke of it, and he thought it better not to ask. The power he had used then never resurfaced.
True, he had everything he needed here, but he still dreamed of going back. He still dreamed of being the most powerful, the strongest of all. It seemed that the vow he had made so long ago was still in effect.
But that was not what filled his thoughts as he made his way through the grassy meadow. His thoughts were concerned with supper tonight. He had planned to kill a deer, but for some strange reason, he hadn't found one all day. So it was that he had traveled so far off his normal route, in this part of the valley he had never seen before. The sun began to feel unusually warm on his skin when he saw the cave. It looked like it would be cool inside… nice and cool.
He walked in, and realized he could not see. He turned to leave, and realized that the entrance had disappeared. Then he heard the laughter. Cackling laughter, like some old hag.
"Eee hee hee! He has come, sister," came the voice.
"But what does he seek?" was the reply.
"Why, power, of course."
"And what would be the purpose of it?"
"Revenge."
"And how shall he get revenge?"
"By defeating his enemies."
"And how shall he defeat them?"
"With power."
"But that is what he seeks!"
"Then we shall have to give it to him!"
Ganondorf was afraid.