Well kiddos, here's my first attempt at a Zelda fanfic. Feel free to give me blunt criticism, death threats, or any other such feedback. Yes, I do like the villains more than the heroes, so sue me…wait, don't.

Speaking of which…

I do not own the Legend of Zelda or any characters of the series. All characters used in this story are property of Nintendo, save for the few I've created, who are property of yours truly. I'm not getting any money off of this, so please don't sue me. However, if anyone would like to send me charity of any sort, they can reach me at… er … nevermind. ^_^'

~~~~



The world became nothing more than a shining white light, surrounding and enfolding his body in it's piercing blankness. Expansive nothingness went on as far as the eye could see and even more beyond that, all matter gone in this forbidden world. There was no air, no life, nothing to sustain life and thus, there was no life to sustain. But one…one who didn't need the pillars of mortal life to continue on existed here.

Gannondorf Dragmire, King of the Gerudo and former King of Hyrule, floated limply in the limbo. His eyes closed and face drawn silent, the devil of a man looked unusually peaceful in this damnation. Serene, seemingly unnoticing of the oblivion around him. It was all over now. The struggle, that long, painstaking battle was over. He had lost to the so- called forces of good and his punishment was banishment to the very void he had entered seven long years ago: the Forbidden Sacred Realm.

Seven years…

It seemed so long ago, but now floating in the emptiness, the moment of his rise to power seemed like just yesterday. But how long had he been floating here? Seconds? Centuries? Who could tell? Time did not touch the Sacred Realm, so it mattered little how long he was cursed to remain. All he could do to remain sane was to remember, to keep his mind strong in the face of the Forbidden Realm. The most recent memories surfaced, still fresh in his mind.

The battle, a terrible fight with the one chosen by destiny; The Hero of Time.

Before that; finding the woman who had eluded him for seven years: Princess Zelda.

His mind raced in reverse, scanning back over the years to all he could hold on to. The taking of Hyrule. The destruction of the Zora Fountain. The capture of the entire Goron race.

Before that, years and years ago to the start of his quest for power. The search for the Spiritual Stones. Failed extortion from the bearers of the artifacts. First meeting the child that had sealed his fate.



Gannondorf became suddenly aware of a presence. Not a creature of physical being, but more of an essence in his mind. He instantly recognized it; the Triforce Shard of Power. He looked down at the back of his left hand, finding the familiar image of an equilateral triangle shining golden light right through his heavy gauntlet. The Power Shard was all he had left of the world he had been banished from, the only thing he could hold on to for memory. It gave him the force he had needed to overthrow Hyrule in seven years' time and establish himself as the unchallenged leader of the land.

Well, unchallenged until just recently.

While the Power Shard had been a great tool to aid his quest, it had never offered an actual presence before. But now, having returned to the Sacred Realm where it had once been hidden, it sparked to a higher life. Sentience. It was intelligent, active, having a mind and spirit all of it's own.



It was alive.



~Gannondorf…thou hast fallen from glory.~



Gannondorf found himself too surprised by this new development to answer the Power Shard before it continued regardless.



~I pity thee, Gannondorf. Thou hast been cast into this Sacred Realm by a mere child…how humiliating. How didst thou become so lowly as to be defeated so?~



Gannondorf stewed with silent rage, to enraged to speak. Indeed, how had he been dethroned this way? A greater humiliation was unimaginable. He cycled unintentionally back through his memory, going over the events of the battle that ended with his unexpected defeat. It felt as if the Power Shard suddenly asserted itself into his memories, reading them like a book. Had Gannondorf not been so crushed of spirit at the time, he might have felt insulted or violated at this action.



~Poor man…I am intrigued. Thy story is quite remarkable. It is a pity that while it is your own, thou does not even realize the tale in entirety. I shall aid thee once more. Keep of thy mind and allow myself to busy the time here.~



In sudden relief of the blank whiteness of the Sacred Realm, the span of the Realm darkened slowly. Gannondorf felt a comforting chill creep over his body, a feeling that did not exist in the Sacred Realm. It was the first sensation he had felt since entering and welcomed it entirely. He felt himself giving in to the darkness, letting it take him away from his own private Hell. Soon, all was dark and consuming.



It was then that Gannondorf remembered.



But these memories were not those of his own. They told of a time shortly before he came to exist, a time before his memory was capable of supplying a story. He did not feel too surprised by this. After all, why would a piece of the Triforce have any trouble performing the impossible? Gannondorf allowed the memories to wash over him, freeing at least his mind of the Sacred Realm.



****

A shriek of pain split the air as cleanly as a sword. The sufferer of this pain, a woman, arched her back with the agony before slumping back again. The pain did not fade, but only retreated momentarily before charging back full force once more. As another scream issued forth, those surrounding the woman only grimaced in sympathy for their poor friend.

It was late in the night, almost morning, when the pain had began. Agonized screams rang through the Gerudo Fortress. Home to the entire Gerudo race, these desert dwellers were not used to having wailing in the middle of the night. Those in hearing range of the screams either tried to ignore them or rushed to help the poor woman causing the racket. It had been three hours since the pain started and daylight was now nearing.

Several women tended to the crying woman, laying cold cloths across her forehead and squeezing her hands. They offered cooing words of sympathy and encouragement, urging her to withstand the pain; that it would all be over soon. The woman's breath was labored and deep, her face clutched tight in an expression of terrible pain. Beneath the blinding agony, she was ecstatically happy. This pain was not of death, but of life.



She was pregnant, but not for much longer.



With a drawn out cry, the woman's body tensed as a great tremor shot through her. Tears streaked down her face from the pain that seemed to linger longer than all the others. She was suddenly given a feeling of full relief as a second voice cried out. It was weak, but much keener than that of the new mother. A smile somehow appeared on her face as she looked to see her newborn child being bore up in the arms of another. The female doctor who held the child made to cleaning the newborn quickly of the afterbirth, a smile on her face and proud congratulations to the mother.



The doctor almost dropped the baby a moment later out of pure surprise.



A collective gasp spread through those present to the birth, accompanied by declarations of disbelief and shock. Few began to call praises to the Goddesses for the gift, though many others didn't know what to do. A few Gerudo didn't even stick around long enough to take a good look at the baby, instead they rushed off proclaiming a miracle's occurrence. The mother, in the meantime, remained clueless as to what all the excitement was about. Childbirth was always a big event for the Gerudo, but she'd never seen this much activity over a birth before.



"What is it? What's wrong with my daughter?" she asked in a panicked tone. She tried to sit up, but was forced to remain laying by a handmaid.

The doctor stared at the crying infant in her arms, then back to the mother. A disbelieving grin split her face as she handed the baby to it's mother. The child stopped crying the instant it was in it's mother's arms. Beneath the swaddling cloths peeked a plump face, eyes squinted shut from the torchlight. There were the trademark features that all Gerudo held: dark, sand-colored skin, sharp nose and chin, even thin traces of brilliant red hair were present on the infant. The baby looked perfectly healthy, not a thing wrong with it. As the mother shifted the baby to a more comfortable position, she saw it's ears. Unlike all Gerudo, the baby's ears were short and rounded. Normally, Gerudo had long, pointed ears that most every race in Hyrule shared in common. This seemed to be the only difference of the child that separated from all other Gerudo children born.

The child's eyes slowly blinked open, gazing up at it's mother's face. The woman found herself lost in the babe's crimson red eyes, sparkling brightly with silent wonder at the world it had been brought into. She felt herself instantly fall in love with her child and knew she'd never feel a happiness like the one she now had again.



"It's a boy."



With those three simple words from the doctor, the Gerudo mother promptly fainted with surprise.



~~~~

That's all for now, but there will definitely be more. I want your feedback! Give it to me or I will hunt you down and beat you senseless with the Pink Bunny Slipper of Might!…or not.