Part II – Evil Sands

Chapter VII – The Compromise

"Completely unfit to rule the Gerudo?!"

Rila's outburst was so loud, it not only shook the meeting room's closed door, but echoes could be heard in the corridor past it. Naberna, still proud of her disruption of the dusk ceremony, chortled silently behind her ill-concealed smirk.

"I'm sorry to have waited for the last moment but it had just dawned on me that the boy might not have been ready for the responsibilities of a king."

"You snake! You've had qualms against my child ever since he returned to us and you could've taken this up with the Allmother at any moment before now! You publicly humiliated him!"

"Well, that was not my intention, sister."

"That's a damn lie! You were completely out of line!"

Naberna's eyes raised and she placed her hand on her chest in a hyperbolic gesture of shock, "Oh, am I now?"

Naberna's other hand went behind her back and produced a scroll she had tucked away in her waistband. The scroll was so familiar in shape and color that it only took Ganondorf a moment to recognize it as the scroll that was missing from the archive room. The general unfurled the paper to the exact place she needed and began reading, "The prince of the Gerudo is not king until the conclusion of the entire ceremony. At any time before the ceremonies conclusion, if any Gerudo has a reason that the male should not become king, their voice will be heard and honored. If the claims are legitimate and enough of the other Gerudo share the same sentiments, the ceremony is stopped and the issues are settled in accordance with our laws."

"The only reason others rally to your call is because they fear you. Ganondorf is completely qualified to become king!"

"Yet his mother must speak for him!"

Rila's eyes went wide with unbridled rage. The only thing that kept her from leaping across the table itself was Ganondorf who placed a calming hand on her shoulder. Rila's jaw, at her son's touch, unlocked and her muscles relaxed slowly but fire still raged in her eyes. Ganondorf guided his mother back and stepped up to speak.

"I can speak for myself. There is no shame in having a mother who would go against tradition for her child, but I will speak if it proves-"

"It will prove nothing other than your ability to talk." Naberna interrupted with venom in her words.

"Naberna," the Allmother interjected, a fresh yet sharp voice after being silent until now, "let him speak. His words are worth more than air."

Naberna begrudgingly closed the scroll and nodded at Ganondorf to begin, yet her scowl hardly diminished.

"Thank you Allmother." Ganondorf said, panicked though he was. In all honesty, Ganondorf had no idea what to say next. The whole goal of his interjection was to stop Naberna and Rila from fighting again. This whole plan was solely reliant on the Allmother taking the lead after his interruption. The argument and fistfight averted, he had not anticipated that he'd actually be given the floor.

"Uhh…" he stalled. Then he realized this might be the only chance he gets to speak his mind; in front of his mother, no less.

"I uhh… I don't think I'm ready to rule the Gerudo." Ganondorf heard his mother's exasperated sigh, saw Naberna's confused gaze, and quickly started again before either of them could start, "But, I am ready to become king. I may not know the subtlety of Gerudo politics, I may not fully understand the responsibilities of a king, but I do know I can learn and listen to the people. I am ready for the position, I am confident that I can handle the responsibilities I do understand, and I will do everything in my power to do right by the Gerudo."

The silence that came after was a little lackluster for what Ganondorf had assumed would proceed his small speech. In most stories there are cheers and applause after bold speeches, but nothing of the sort happened. Nonetheless, his chest was swollen with pride and when he looked back at his mother, he saw the most glowing of approval and pride smeared on her face. However, when he looked back at the Allmother, he found an expression more akin to Naberna's. A raised, unconvinced eyebrow, and compassion nowhere to be found.

Ganondorf didn't falter though. Maybe if she saw him stand tall, maybe if he showed he wouldn't back down from adversity, maybe if he showed her his determination, she'd see his worth. But the Allmother's expression remained unchanged. She was as still as a rock and her piercing gaze was fixed on Ganondorf. He felt as if her gaze was going to set him on fire and the emotional bombardment only ceased in the miniscule moments of her blinks. It may have been only a few seconds but Ganondorf could swear he'd been waiting for at least an hour.

"I… agree. He is not ready."

As soon as the last syllable left the woman's mouth, Rila and Naberna began formulating and starting the first syllable to their own thoughts. Rila, no doubt, had an extensive argument on Ganondorf's insightfulness and how the Allmother was wrong and Naberna was most likely going to congratulate the elder on her expert settling of the issue and a quick resolution to this childish debacle. However, before either of them could start their banter, the Allmother raised her hand and said, "Yet!"

The two women bit their first words in half and swallowed entire paragraphs to allow the elder to speak, "Yet, the boy shows remarkable passion and incredible insight for his age. He would be a great king. However, in the view of our traditions, and in the view of our laws, he is far too inexperienced. In our excitement for his return I believe we have erroneously overlooked that fact. Now before either of you babbling brats can dictate to me what I should be doing, I will give my ruling on what to do now."

As Ganondorf stifled a snicker from the Allmother's insult, the elder grabbed her cane and made to stand. She seemed to consider the notion for a moment and then elected, after an almost pained expression, to merely sit with the cane in front of her. Her hands pensively interlocked atop it.

"The boy must learn all he should have after his training was complete. He will be assigned to an outfit, go on missions, and at the end of an allotted time he will be evaluated. Should he pass the evaluation he will be given the proper ceremony and crowned king. If he does not, then he will be evaluated again after more time. Are these terms clear and agreed upon by all present?"

The Allmother turned to Rila and, even though Ganondorf could see that she had much, much more to say about the topic, she begrudgingly nodded, accepting the terms where they stood. Then all eyes turned to Naberna and were met with a much less accepting scowl on her face.

"I… just think that he should face banishment." Naberna said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What the fuck Naberna?!" Rila exploded.

"Just after the evaluation not-"

"I don't care if it's after he's old and withered, you don't have the right to-"

The two resumed their arguing and the shouting became so unbearable that it was hard to distinguish either woman's voice. Ganondorf could see the Allmother speaking but he couldn't hear her over the din. It was obvious, though, that she was getting frustrated as her hands began to tighten on the top of her cane.

"…If he fails the evaluation the Gerudo would be better off without him…"

"…He's my son and I will not have him ripped from my life again…"

"…Royal blood doesn't make him any more special than any other Gerudo…"

"…You're just jealous that your last partner called you a slut!"

"ENOUGH!" came a booming voice from the head of the table. The Allmother slammed her cane on the floor and a rush of wind exploded from behind her, rattling and bulging the door due to the pressure change. The rushing air was so powerful that everyone was knocked back a few steps and even the heavy table was pushed almost a foot away from the elderly woman. Ganondorf's, and likely everyone else's, ears popped from the atmospheric changes and when the dust settled, everyone looked to the Allmother with the same horrified expression.

"Naberna, are we in agree-"

"Allmother!" Naberna cut her off, "What in Din's name was that?!"

The Allmother closed her eyes and sighed as all signs of frustration and anger fell from her face like a soaked rag being wrung dry. Then she opened her eyes, now filled with a tranquil sadness, and addressed everyone in the room.

"It was magic." She finally admitted and was met with shocked gasps all around the room. Naberna absent-mindedly touched her scar but forced her hand down when she felt it. "Ever since I was in training to be the Allmother, even before, I have been able to see and feel magic. But, of course, it only flares up when you two are fighting."

"Allmother," Naberna's eyebrows furrowed, "why did you tell no one?"

"Is it really that unbelievable general? The Allmothers throughout the ages, since our first, have always been attuned to magic. We've kept it a secret because we didn't want our people to depend too heavily on our talents. As well as Gerudo with your flavor of beliefs, Naberna. Magic isn't as taboo as you and others would believe."

"You dare say that to my face?" Naberna growled.

"Naberna, we will discuss this another time. Right now, we are discussing Ganondorf's future. Now, do you accept the terms as I have explained them?"

Naberna's scowl deepened, "…Of course. I will assign one of my lieutenants to-"

"You will not. Nabooru will be his evaluator."

Naberna's scowl turned into utter disgust and shock as she looked at the Allmother as if she'd just slapped her scarred face. Ganondorf had quite the opposite reaction. His face sprung into a smile and his morose manner turned to expectant happiness.

"Allmother I can assure you-"

"I don't want to hear it Naberna." The Allmother cut her off, "You forfeited your judgement when you decided to interrupt the ceremony instead of voicing your objections when they first arose. It is bound by our laws anyway. If Ganondorf cannot become king because of your objections, you must then pay for those objections. Only then is the resolve of a person seen. Correct Naberna?"

The general's jaw had been clenching tighter with each of the Allmother's words. Of course, she had something, well many things, to say to the elder but none of them would've helped her case. So, with no other way to express the weight of her emotions, Naberna simply closed her eyes and uttered the deepest sigh Ganondorf had ever heard. When the woman opened her eyes, it was as if she was a different person. She stood up straight and had no traces of anger or hatred on her face. In fact, her face seemed to be completely devoid of emotion, as if the entire conversation had never happened.

"As you wish, Allmother." Naberna may have washed emotion from her face, but bile laced the words she spoke and her eyes looked right through the Allmother. Beneath the tranquil facade there was definitely a roaring inferno threatening to engulf the entire room. The words gave Ganondorf a chill down his spine and lingered long after she walked out with her aide. She didn't give any of them a single look, as if everything in that room was dead to her.