A/N:I Kinda hit a snag writing this chapter so I apologize if it seems rushed or if there are any problems, and i'm uploading at 3 a.m again because i'm trash with a screwy schedule.

Aeris smiled brightly as she rode Starlight across the fortress grounds. The gerudo she passed stared at her and for once she didn't care, she felt invincible as Starlight moved smoothly under her.

As the sounds of the training grounds grew closer Aeris spurred Starlight into a light trot. She couldn't wait to show Starlight to Nabooru.

As she entered the training grounds she scanned the area searching for her friend. She frowned slightly when she saw no sign of Nabooru. She should have been here.

"Hey, Aeris!" Aeris turned toward the girl who called her name, "Aeris! Over here!" One of the other fifteen year old gerudo, Ralusa, sat in the shade of a tent waiving.

Aeris nudged Starlight in the girls direction, "Vasaaq, Ralusa." The gerudo language no longer felt foriegn to Aeris as she greeted the girl. "Have you seen Nabooru? She was supposed to be training today,"

Ralusa set down the scimitar she had been sharpening and stood to rub her hands across Starlight's flank. "You just missed her Urora came and got her not long ago," Aeris frowned again. "So Aeris have you decided what trial you're going to do? Or are you going to be like Nabooru and take all three?"

Aeris' frown deepened. The gerudo had three coming-of age challenges, one for each faction. Warrior, Archer, and Thief, when a gerudo turns fifteen if she wishes she can enter one of these challenges and earn her title. "I don't think I'm going to do any of them,"

"That's a shame it was kind of hilarious watching you hand the king his ass," Ralusa chuckled lightly, "You'd make a fine warrior,"

"So I've been told," Aeris played with a strand of Starlight's mane. She really wished people would stop saying that.

"What will you do? If you do decide not to do a trial?" The gerudo girl smiled up at Aeris, honestly intrigued.

"Seteli could use some help at the stables. I'll probably do that, I like horses," Aeris smiled softly and patted Starlight.

"Well there's no shame in that. The fortress would probably fall apart if it wasn't for the ones who don't take trials," Ralusa laughed heartily. "I plan on taking the thief trial myself, so I should probably get back to training," She retrieved her scimitar, "It was nice talking to you Aeris, Sav'orq,"

"Sav'orq," Aeris watched as the gerudo jogged to a training dummy before turning Starlight back toward the stables.

It's not that Aeris didn't want to take a trial, she really did. She had admired the gerudo warriors for as long as she could remember, but now that she had the option it felt wrong. She felt so out of place most days, it was stupid, none of the gerudo had ever made her feel unwelcome or like an outsider. The had welcomed her graciously and her hylian heritage was only a source of jest.

Maybe she should have gone back to Hyrule.

Aeris shook her head. No she had nothing in Hyrule, her family was gone, she had a new family now. This was where she belonged she could feel it in her bones, her soul had always called out to the desert, her mind was just slow to follow.

As the stables came into view Aeris noticed a group forming around the archery range, she decided to ignore it. It was probably nothing important.

"Aeris!" One of the young gerudo suddenly appeared at her side.

"Sa'oten! Leiliri, you could have gotten trampled!" The young girl smiled sheepishly. "You're lucky Starlight is mild mannered,"

"Sorry Aeris, I didn't mean to scare you," Leiliri gave Aeris an apologetic look. "Can you help me with something?"

"Of course what is it?" The smile this earned her was brilliant.

"The king is about to do his archery trial and i'm too small to see. Could I get on your horse with you?" Aeris' heart melted.

"Give me your hand," Aeris reached down and took Leiliri's hand.

"Thank you!" Aeris hauled the young girl up to sit in front of her.

Aeris maneuvered Starlight to a place where the horse was safe from the crowd but the archery course was still visible. Ganondorf was astride a black stallion, bow in hand, speaking to the archery instructor. He was in the same outfit as the day they spared, and Aeris felt herself blush at the sight of his bare chest.

"He's so handsome," Leiliri said deamily.

"Is he? I hadn't noticed," The two shared a laugh as the instructor called the crowd's attention.

"The rules for this trial are simple. You have twenty arrows to hit as many targets as you can before returning to the start, a bullseye is worth one hundred points. A passing score is one thousand with two thousand being a perfect score. Are you ready?" The instructor turned to Ganondorf, who gave a small nod. "Then begin!"

Ganondorf spurred his horse into action, the black beast took off like a shot. The king used his legs to direct his steed as he reddied his first arrow. He took aim at the first target and let the arrow fly. A perfect bullseye.

The crowd watched in awe as he hit target after target, bullseye after bullseye. His shots were lightning fast and never missed.

Aeris watched as he passed by marveling at the way his shoulder muscles rippled as he drew back his bow. Sweat poured down his face, but he showed no sign of stopping. His horse rounded the far end of the course and broke into a hard gallop. Ganondorf fired six shots into the final target, the last of his arrows.

"A perfect score! Two thousand points!" The instructor cried as Ganondorf halted his horse in front of her. "Congratulations my king! Please take this quiver as a token of your success," He took the prize and turned to the crowd raising it above his head.

The crowd erupted in cheers, Leiliri did so as well, at a pitch that nearly burst Aeris' eardrums. The crowd died down and Aeris watched as Ganondorf talked amongst his subjects still on horseback, he smiled lightly as he did.

"Oh! There's my mama," Leiliri pointed to one of the women standing on the edge of the crowd, "Can you help me down?" Aeris helped the young girl off the horse "Thanks Aeris, You're the best!"

The young girl took off in the direction of her mother and Aeris turned her attention back to the king. He was scanning the crowd as he spoke looking for someone. His eyes landed on Aeris and he smiled, he excused himself from his conversation and headed toward her.

She panicked a little as he made his way through the crowd. Why was he coming to her? Oh goddesses.

"I see you got my gift," His voice had deepened considerably since they were children.

"Yes, thank you she's beautiful," Aeris congratulated herself for not making a fool of herself.

"Yes, she is," The way he was looking at her made her avert her gaze. "Ride with me?"

Oh no, Did he really just ask her to ride with him? Why her? "Sure,"

"Follow me," He turned his horse and Aeris followed suit.

They rode through the fortress grounds in silence. Aeris was sweating nervously, where were they going? Why did he want to ride with her? Oh Din, was he taking her somewhere to get payback for the other day? No that was stupid, Why would he give her a freaking horse as an apology, then turn around and get revenge? Who did that?

"Have you eaten today?" His voice caught her off guard.

She tried to think back to her last meal, she'd had a voltfruit for breakfast. "No, not since breakfast,"

"Will you have lunch with me?" Her heart stopped and her soul left her body.

"I thought you wanted to ride?" She tried to change the subject and he laughed.

"Did I say we were stopping?" She must have made a face because he laughed harder. "You're cute when you're confused,"

Her face flushed crimson and he roared with laughter. She busied herself with the reins, running her fingers across the leather trying to distract herself from Ganondorf's teasing.

He stopped in front of the main entrance to the fortress and got off his horse, "Wait here,"

Aeris watched as he entered the building. He had called her cute, something tugged at her heart, but she pushed it aside. It was probably nothing, he probably just meant she was cute like a child. Most of gerudo were much taller than her and she knew that would always be the case, but it still stung when someone brought it up. She wondered if she would be short even among the hylians.

Ganondorf re-emerged from the fortress with a basket on his arm. He handed it to Aeris before mounting his horse, he took the basket back once he was settled into the saddle and motioned for her to follow.

"So where are we going?" Aeris pushed Starlight to walk beside the black horse instead of behind it like before.

"There's an oasis just before the sandstorm that makes up the wastelands," He turned to look at her and smiled, "I go there to think, sometimes,"

"I've never been to the wastelands," Aeris had always wondered what the desert beyond the gates was like. "I've never even been outside the gates since I got here,"

Ganondorf wrinkled his nose at this. "So you've never been to the Colossus?" Something about this tugged at Aeris' memories. "You've never been to one of the festivals?"

Aeris shrugged, "Urora never made me go," The look he gave her was somewhere between astonishment and pity, "What is the Colossus?"

"Well it's technically the entrance to the Spirit Temple, but the Colossus is a giant statue of the Desert Goddess. The Gerudo have worshiped there for as long as our people have existed," He sounded wistful.

Aeris struggled to remember a distant memory, "Is it a woman with a snake wrapped around her?"

Ganondorf looked surprised at this, "I thought you've never seen it?"

"I haven't, but I think I've had a dream about it, a really long time ago," When had she had that dream? Trying to think of it made her head hurt.

"Maybe you were always meant to end up here," Aeris wanted to question him but they were passing the guards at the gate to the wastelands and the world beyond took her breath away. Sand spread for miles in every direction sand swirled into the air in the distance, "Come on. It gets better," Ganondorf spurred his horse into a light gallop.

Aeris followed suit relishing the way the wind whipped through her hair. She reached back and undid the tie holding her hair captive in the typical gerudo ponytail and laughed as it blew away. She spurred Starlight to gallop faster, she flung her arms wide, using her thighs to stay in the saddle. She leaned back and let the feeling of the wind take her away one moment at a time.

A/N:We got a look into Aeris' mind in this chapter and Gan made a big appearance. The story should really start taking off soon ;)