Power, Courage and Wisdom
~*~*~*~*~*
"Look! It's a boy!!" was the breathless shout of the over-excited midwife. A red-haired mother, propped up in a bed inside a tent, looked at her son and beamed weakly. Both, dark skinned and exhausted, were Gerudos.
"Our king has been born," whispered the midwife into the hot, vibrating air around them.
"Has it been a hundred years already, Ruda? Since our last King?" said the tired mother. The midwife, Ruda, was still too lost in her own world to hear her much. Every Gerudo king was put down in history, every Gerudo King was a blessing to their race, every Gerudo King brought prosperity and fortune and a peace of mind. And she, Ruda, had brought him into the world. She was more than overjoyed.
"Your son will be our King, Gohma! Imagine that! Our king! We have lived to see a Gerudo King! Your son! Rejoice!" exclaimed Ruda who began packing away instruments and measuring the baby in an extremely good mood. After not getting the response she expected to, Ruda studied Gohma. "What's the matter, Gohma? Didn't you hear what I said?"
Gohma indeed looked pale and drawn. The shadows under her eyes were dark and she was glistening with the exertion of the birthing.
"Please don't criticise me, Ruda, but…I had hoped my baby would be a girl," she said, ashamed. Ruda bit back her outcry of surprise and instead looked at Gohma questioningly.
"I," began Gohma, "I had hoped so because…it's as if I had no child at all now. He will be taken away from me to be trained and brought up properly as our King by Mabera and the Elders. I shan't see him ever again."
"I understand that, Gohma," said the midwife slowly, "but because of you our race can once again rise to its feet and maybe recover some of its old and forgotten dignity. You have been blessed with this boy. It's a gift. For you and for all of us." Gohma hung her head and nodded.
"Get some rest now, dear. I will take care of the child. You'll be very busy from now one once word gets 'round that our King has been born. Our King! You should be proud! It's not every day a male is born, now is it?" she chuckled at herself and proceeded to mop Gohma's overheated forehead.
"Thank you," smiled Gohma at last and fell soundly asleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Gerudos were a strong race, warriors in heart, made up solely of females that were ruled by one male every hundred years. Which was why Gohma was up and about by the next day. She had gone to talk to the Elders and had been given permission to keep her son until the Ceremony where he would be introduced officially as their king.
The baby was unusually large but apart from that it looked like ay other Gerudo. The flaming-red hair, the tanned complexion, the golden eyes… Only this child emanated a tangible difference from him. But what a baby! His eyes held something deeper and every Gerudo that came by to see him commented on this. Maybe all the Gerudo Kings were like this? None of them had lived a hundred years to find out and compare. But how hopeful they were! The ruthless, harsh, cold-hearted women strutted around Gerudo Valley smiling lightly to themselves. No raids were made during this time. No men were abducted for their own pleasures; they were pleased enough at that moment. No murders or theft or crimes were committed while every Gerudo mind was filled with possibilities of good-fortune for their race and land. The future was bright for the Gerudos. Life would be good from now on until the death of their new King. Life would be good…
* * * * * * * * *
Red-haired Gerudos from all over the Valley were milling about at the place where the Ceremony would be held. From the lowest ranked Gerudos that milked the cows to the highly esteemed Gerudos that were the deadliest of warriors looked up in gleeful expectation at the staged altar where the Elders would appear. Gohma was standing casually within the crowd with her son slung carelessly over her breast. Not surprisingly, Gerudos crowded around her. Some in admiration or curiosity, others in envy.
Without warning the sky darkened and that was the cue for all of them to quieten and focus their attention on the raised altar. Three shrouded figures emerged from the curtained background slowly. Gohma's face was hard but held up high, like a true Gerudo, while she strode over to hand over her only son. The Elders took the baby silently and waved Gohma away. She nodded respectfully and clambered gracefully back down without looking back.
The Gerudo in the centre, Mabera, held the baby high and closed her eyes while the other two placed their hands upon the altar. An ancient chant formed in their opened mouths; "Come hither winds of time
And bring this ancient child
The guardians of his destiny."
At these words a blinding flash erupted from the sky and two small, flying shadows descended from above. The fabled witch twins, seen once every century on the day of the Ceremony, each sat on a broomstick hovering on the air. One donned an icy blue crystal and the other a ruby on her forehead. Nothing more but withering hags looked down upon the feisty race of the Gerudos with wicked, calculating eyes.
"Ganondorf Dragmire!" they screeched in unison. With the naming of their King the Ceremony was over, the witches would leave and the Elders would disappear with the child and not be seen again until the baby boy was old enough to rule. Supposedly.
Instead, without warning, the hags Koume and Kotake swooped down and snatched the child King from the Elder's grasp. A stunned outcry followed this and all eyes locked upon the precariously dangling baby from one of the witch's broomstick.
"Sisters!" they cried, "we will take care of the King this time. This one is special. Do not interfere." Another blinding flash and they were gone - along with their new King.