Author's Note: OMG I am such trash. I cannot believe that I took that long to actually publish this chapter. I've been sitting on it for so long, and just could not finish it. But it's only cause I got supes sidetracked trying to make my Gerudo tribe and Fortress accurate AF in my head, so that when my writing is read, there are no gaps or breaks. So sorry kiddos. But it's here now. Thanks for reading if you do, thanks if you don't. Please review, and send me some thoughts or concerns or whatever. Also, it's unbetaed (is that right?) sooooo…. sorry. Thanks again!
Ganondorf was born into the arid heat of the desert, the unyielding strength of the Gerudo, and the resigned sadness of a culture and people forgotten by time. He was son to a fiery warrior, nephew of a gifted musician, and fiercely beloved by his tribe. Adored by everyone, he was raised with the love and support only the Gerudo, to whom family was and is everything, can give.
At age 7, tragedy struck his tribe. A sandstorm, unlike anything seen in recorded history, raged across the desert. As it bore down upon the hidden fortress that housed the Gerudo, doors were shut, windows barricaded, and animals sheltered. For Ganondorf, safety was discarded and caution eschewed.
His mother and a number of strongest warriors of the tribe had left a day before, in order to roust a ragtag group of ragabond thieves that had taken up residence in nearby caves. They had been consuming at an alarming rate the scarce resources the Gerudo relied upon, and so the council that governed the tribe ordered them removed, or killed.
Ganondorf struggled to flee the confines of his aunt's abode, screaming for his mother in a voice filled with fear and heartbreak. His attempts to break free ceased as the winds and sands roared into the Fortress, as if they had siphoned away his will.
The sandstorm lasted several days, confining the tribe to the homes built into the sheer cliff face that surrounded the Fortress, and the tunnels and caves that had been converted into habitable living spaces for times such as this. At the first sign of the storm's death, a scouting party was sent out to search the caves nearest the Fortress, and cave network that had been the target of the ill-fated warrior party.
They reported back a successful eradication of the vagabonds, but no trace of the warriors that had completed their mission. Upon receiving the news of his mother's death, Ganondorf disappeared deep into the uninhabited caves within the Fortress. It was there, lost within the darkness without a single bright light to guide him or relieve his suffering, that he sensed the dark that boiled just below the surface in himself.
As his despair crescendoed, a foreign rage and blinding hatred broke free from some unseen damn within Ganondorf's mind and seized control. A veritable flood of dark power spilled forth, blasting outward from his body. As the cave walls were battered and beaten by the waves of darkness, Ganondorf likewise battered and beat against presence that had removed him from control of his own body. In Ganondorf's fight to wrest his mind from the clutches of the evil invading him, the despair over the loss of his mother subsided. Subsequently, so did the strength of the foreign presence.
After what seemed like hours, but was truly minutes, the destructive waves of energy ceased. Ganondorf collapsed to the dirt floor, heaving in immense breaths as he struggled to push the evil within back into the cage that had been its prison. As he glanced around, he grew fearful as he took in the state of the cave. Cracks raced up and down the walls, and chunks of the ceiling had begun to fall.
The child bolted from cave as it began to collapse, desperately fleeing the destruction he had caused. He sprinted on until he reached inhabited portion of the network, and kept running until he arrived at his aunt's home. Inside, she paced worriedly, and cried out in shock as Ganondorf burst into the room. He clutched at her, and began to sob. Amidst the frantic questions and assurances that everything would be alright, his despair began to resurface, and with it, Ganondorf could feel the darkness in him waken.
A fear unlike any he had known paralyzed the child, and it seemed as if the foreign presence would wrest Ganondorf's body from him once more. As his strength reached it's limit, time stopped. Ganondorf pulled himself free from his aunt's arms and spun about to witness a golden light fill the room. As the radiant light faded, a woman with verdant green eyes, and short blond hair stepped forward. Ganondorf stared in wonder, for under the gaze of the mysterious lady, even the darkness in him was still.
"Oh young one. How I wish that I could do more for you." Her voice was music to the boy's ears. "I am limited, but I will gift to you what I can." She knelt down, and placed her hands around Ganondorf's. A golden light illuminated her skin. Flowing down her arms and through her hands into Ganondorf, the light began to bind the dark presence in him. In his mind's eye, Ganondorf witnessed it sealed away deep within his spirit.
"I regret that this is not permanent. He is much too strong for me, I fear." A tear falls from her face, as sadness laces her words.
"Who is he?" Ganondorf discovers his voice. "What happens if he comes back?"
"By that time my sweet young one, you will have grown strong and wise. It will be up to you to handle him then." She brings her lips to his head. "And when that happens, you will no longer be alone. Someone very special will be there, I think." With that, she gracefully rises to her feet, and begins to shine from within once more. This time, the light does not stop growing, reaching a blinding luminescence.
"What do I do?! Who are you?!"Ganondorf's cries were met with a laugh that reminded him of the chimes that rang with the wind.
"Ganondorf, you will know who I am when you need. But know that I am always watching you young one." The light vanished, and time resumed.
The heads of the Council, the twin sisters Koume and Kotake, stiffened in awareness of magical energy they had never sensed before. It suffused the young Ganondorf, a repository of power that at its core hid the darkness sheltered in his spirit. A tacit agreement was made between the sisters in that moment. They understood that that power marked a change in their lives, and the future of the world.
The very next day, Ganondorf was brought before the council, and informed that from then on, he would be required to complete training, both physical and spiritual, until such a time that the council deemed this training completed.
For 22 years, Ganondorf's life was filled with nothing but relentless training, and an ever-present vigilance for any sign of weakening of the chains within him. A loving, sweet, and affectionate child went into that gauntlet. A brilliant, strong, and
resolute Ganondorf came out.
Ganondorf awoke to the sound of violent screams, and equally violent explosions rocking the Fortress. He burst into action, standing up quickly. The obvious danger spurred him to skip his typical ritual of putting on his armor piece by piece. Instead, he expended a minuscule amount of magical energy to dress himself instantly. As always, the disconcerting feeling of having used sorcery to dress gave Ganondorf pause, but in seconds he was moving rapidly out of his rooms.
The hallways outside his room were filled with a thin layer of smoke, and as Ganondorf hastened towards the Fortress proper, the overpowering scent of smoke only grew stronger. His alarm rose higher the closer he was, for the sharp smell of blood had also become heavy in the smoke-clogged air. And underneath both the blood and smoke, the air bore the acrid stench of demonkind.
Seconds later, Ganondorf burst out of the halls into the market at the center of the Fortress, to a sight of destruction he had never personally witnessed. A horde of demons had flooded the Gerudo keep, and despite the best efforts of the warrior-women of the tribe, had set fire to the stalls and stands that formed the large, open-air market and were nearly inside the cave system that formed the hidden extent of the fortress.
A righteous anger rose up inside of him, and along with the battle-rage, Ganondorf summoned forth his magic. A spark transformed into a raging storm inside him, and the pressure from the energy whipped the winds into a frenzy from his place atop the building he resided in.
When the swell of arcane power reached its peak, Ganondorf took a two-step run to the edge of the walkway and leapt. The strength of his jump carried him far over the swarm of demons filling the marketplace, and as he began to plummet, he twisted space to drag his twin broadswords from the ether. Channeling the storm within into the blades, Ganondorf ended his descent by slamming his swords into the sand. Arcs of brilliant azure lightning flashed out in a tempest of destruction, chaining from demon to demon, with the King of the Desert standing unflinching in its eye.
As the lighting died off, the man engaged the remaining enemies in a blur of wrath. Each blade moved with such speed that the naked eye could not see them slice in and out of the demons spared from vaporization. Ganondorf made his way through the marketplace swiftly, assisted by the warriors no longer pressed on all sides. As soon as the marketplace was cleared, he shifted into the main road running straight to the gate, dealing death with every motion. Battle flowed through the Fortress, and Ganondorf rapidly ended each and every fight he joined. The last of the demons were slain in front of the building that housed the Council chambers.
Blood now drenched the sands of the Fortress, and stained the armor of it's king.
As the few magically trained members of the tribe began to douse the fires started by the demons-supplemented by other tribe women carrying buckets of water-Ganondorf motioned for them to cease. With the remaining magic left in him, he snuffed the flames about the Fortress with a wide sweep of his blade. A quick assessment of the immediate area ensured Ganondorf the immediate danger to his kingdom was eliminated, and that his warriors were fanning out to kill any surviving stragglers. His battle-rage gone, and his magic exhausted, Ganondorf collapsed to the ground, overspent and weak with relief.
As his eyes shut, two loud pops alerted him to the arrival of his advisors, and heads of the Council, Koume and Kotake.
"Ganondorf! Are you alright?" Koume shouts in a fervor, the sound of her rushing feet filling Ganondorf's ears as she hurries to his side. "We guarded the children and elderly as laid out in the Fortress' contingency plan, but when we felt your magic fade, we feared…"
"We feared you had fallen, and would not be able to protect the Fortress." Kotake finished for her sister, measured and precise in her delivery. "Clearly, we were overly concerned."
Koume snorts, and places her hand on Ganondorf's armor. "Kotake, it's quite alright to say you were worried for his life. Nobody will judge you for caring, despite what you might think."
"I would thank you to not make presumptions dear sister." Kotake's voice was as frosty as her magic. "I did not mean to imply I was not worried. But even lord Ganondorf is aware that the safety of the Gerudo tribe must come above everything, even our lives." She steps lightly, and kneels next to her sister, placing her hand next to hers. "Is this not the truth my lord?"
The king groans loudly, too spent to listen to the bickering of the twin Council members, despite his love for them both. Noticing their hands on his armor, he magics it away, allowing them direct access to the muscles of his body.
"Koume, Kotake, now is not the time for this. Please. We must make haste to assess damage to the Fortress." Ganondorf's tone brooks no argument, and its firm edge has both sisters square their shoulders and bow their heads in shame.
"Forgive us, my lord." They intone in unison. "You are as wise as you are strong. Now, let us take care of you as you have taken care of the kingdom." With that, Koume's hand glowed with a warm red, while Kotake's shone with an icy blue. "This will be over quickly, and then you can be on to your business."
The energy being released twisted and wrapped itself around Ganondorf's body, soothing and restoring him. This healing magic was a specialty of the Gerudo's Witch Sisters, as they were known outside of the Fortress. It drew away the aches of battle, and replenished the physical and magical energies of it's target. The only drawback was that without both Koume and Kotake, the spell was impossible.
As they promised, the spell made quick work of restoring Ganondorf to a suitable status. He stood hurriedly as the sisters followed his lead, turning to the entrance of the Fortress.
"Come, we go to check on the gate and it's guards. I fear the worst, and I must see for myself the extent of the damage done." No sooner had the order, and the concern that his stern voice struggled to conceal, left his lips Ganondorf was moving. Twin pops rang out, and he set his mouth in a hard line. He warred within himself, restraining each step to keep his purposeful stride from transforming into a panicked sprint. As he approached the gate, the sisters could be seen moving from warrior to warrior, healing what they could. Up close, the damage to the gate was immense. It had been ripped apart, as if by giant hands. Stone and blood filled the courtyard, and a number of bodies had been moved from the rubble to a clearer space.
My people have suffered. Whomever committed this atrocity shall face my fury. Ganondorf's eyes hardened, and he cast his gaze out for any survivors from the perimeter guard detail. It fell upon an older warrior, a seasoned veteran whom had joined the guard under Ganondorf's mother, sitting with her back against what remained of the left side of the gate wall.
"Ashari, are you alright?" The king's voice softened around the question, witnessing the cracking of her composure as he knelt beside her and placed an arm on her shoulder. "Did you see who did this to the gate? I faced no enemy powerful enough to cause destruction of this scale."
Her head fell forward, and her voiced colored with shame. "No my lord Ganondorf, I did not. I was inside the barracks nearby, assisting a trainee. I came as soon as I heard the gate being wrenched apart, but…" Her voice catches in her throat. "But I saw nothing that could do this."
Ganondorf's mouth dropped into a frown, his brow simultaneously wrinkling in thought. "I thank you Ashari, for your commitment and service to the protection of the Gerudo." With that he stood, only to feel her hand clench at his.
"There were so many new trainees in that fight. They're all dead now. I watched them die, like pigs led to slaughter." Her eyes shone with tears she refused to let fall, and Ganondorf nodded sharply, unable to find a reply to a statement filled with such hatred and shame. He slowly pulled his hand from her grasp, and moved away to Koume and Kotake across the way.
"Damage report please." Ganondorf stepped up beside the Council women, and picked up the the warrior they had just finished restoring. "How many injured, how many deceased, extent of damage to the perimeter walls?" As he turned to carry her the short distance to the mats set up along the side of the barracks, Koume began to debrief.
"We have 67 warriors injured, 13 of which are severe and require immediate medical attention. 39 dead, the majority of which were the new batch of trainees. And these totals are likely to rise as damage assessment is completed on the rest of the Fortress proper." Koume struggled to keep the quaver out of her voice, the emotional toll of such death heavy on her. "Kotake has a report on the damage to the gate and the surrounding area."
Kotake took the cue to begin said report. "As visible, damage is extensive. The gate and the structure housing it's mechanisms are completely demolished. They are likely irreparable as is, and must be rebuilt from the ground up." Her grip on her emotions was as solid as ice, and she stood tall with a glint of steel her eyes.
"The cliffs are structurally sound, and the guardhouse and active-duty barracks remain relatively unscathed. Necessary repairs are minimal, and can be postponed until the gate is rebuilt." Kotake nodded sharply as she finished her report. "I will proceed to oversee efforts to care for the wounded with Koume."
Ganondorf made a sound of assent, and Kotake moved back to the injured, Koume following closely behind. Processing the information, he turned about on his heel to face the Fortress proper. The smoke from the fires had begun to leave the air, and the extent of the damage became more and more apparent. No building escaped the onslaught, and repairs would be extensive.
I need more information. Reports should be either awaiting me in the Council House, or should be on there way there. Maybe one of them will contain information regarding the mastermind behind this attack.
Ganondorf's thoughts continued to circle the state of his kingdom, and the driving force behind it. Never before had a horde been able to launch a successful assault on the Fortress, not even one of this size. He surmised that something or someone had led the attack, starting with the absolute destruction of the gate.
A loud voice broke through the haze of Ganondorf's rumination, drawing him back to the situation at hand. A woman dressed in a medic's garb crossed the path, coming from the direction of the warrior sect's quarters.
"My lord, I have news you might find important." At Ganondorf's nod, the medic explained.
"Word has been passed along that a strange warrior was spotted within the lands around the Fortress. According to our scouts, he was seen in the vicinity of the demons before the assault, but it was unclear as to whether he was assisting them or was merely a traveler." Unease was evident on her face, and Ganondorf sighed.
"There is no need to be uneasy." He admonished gently. "I am not some god or king to be weary of."
With that, the medic's cheeks flushed, and she bowed her head. "My apologies, but I've never spoken with you before. I was unsure how to act. I will keep your words close." She nodded quickly before attempting to leave.
"If you don't mind me asking, why is a medic delivering a scout's report?" Ganondorf requested.
The medic halted, turning back to the king to answer. "I was just recently promoted to full medic, and seeing as the scouts didn't have nearly as many injured, they asked me to run a quick report to the Council House while the senior medics wrapped up." The medic clapped her hands together, a sudden thought coming to mind. "Oh! I forgot. The scout was insistent that I let you know some defining features of the unknown warrior."
"Well then, I'm waiting."
"Of course sir! They said that it was definitely a he. Blonde hair, blue earrings, and most definitively, a forest green tunic. That's all." Her report finally complete, she spun and jogged back towards the warrior's quarters.
"Green clothing?" Ganondorf lifted his hand to scratch at the back of his neck. "I don't know of any other tribes or races that have warriors that don GREEN tunics." Realizing that he had been musing out loud, he blushed slightly, grateful he was relatively alone.
To the Council House. Reports await, and I cannot delay at all. The matter of this mysterious traveler will have to wait until the more pressing matters have been attended to.
Mind made up, Ganondorf strided off toward the Council House.