Chapter One
The Path of the Sun

The end is coming. Twilight has fallen, storms gather in the dark, the valleys bleed and the world will kneel with the coming of the night. Mountains shall fall, and the sky shall roar and the seas shall give up their dead.

It will continue here, in a vast desert in the west of Hyrule.

Here the third hammer stroke will fall. And it is here that the third chapter of the final legend will be forged.

A hot sun blazed in a cloudless sky, beating down upon the desert with magnificent rays and unseasonable warmth. All the land was covered in a brilliant light that heralded rebirth and growth, filled hearts with hope and chased darkness to deep places. A new age was upon the world. Yet despite the light and joy that the world was feeling, there would soon be darkness and hate and despair that not even the sun's light could quell, and it would be known too soon.

A young man gazed up into the sky, watching desert birds circle and swoop above him, and wondered if they were sizing him up to eat. Food was scarce here, and they were most likely determining if he was yet another dead body. The vultures had feasted upon the carcasses of slain Gerudos and their horses for two days, and had not left the place since. It had been impossible to bury those bodies in the soft dry sand, so they had committed just five bodies to the river; the bodies of four Hylian soldiers, and one young man from Taran Kaey.

Sitting up straight he could see southward along the great river Orre'Aemea that cut through the desert towards a wall of mountains in the south that marked the north border of the Gerudo province in Hyrule. He dipped his cowhide canteen into the river beside him, letting clear water fill it to the brim, then raised it up to his lips to drink. He looked across to the other young man seated beside him, dressed in flowing white robes edged with black hems. "I tell you Daran," he said in a strong voice, with a hard, searching stare for his friend, "there's going to be terrible troubles soon."

His friend turned and eyed him warily, not losing an inch of the self-evident righteousness in his posture, "So you keep telling me, Rael." Daran lay back in the sand and put his hands behind his head. "So you keep telling me."

There was nowhere to retreat to escape the suns rays, no relief save for the bitter cold of night, yet Rael did not care about the weather. He was too deep in thought, too occupied with trying to understand his purpose, his destiny. Was he already walking the Path of the Sun, following it towards his future? Was he moving ever closer towards a confrontation with his brother? Was his Path of the Sun an inevitable and inescapable journey that he was bound to, or could he deviate from it? Could he change his destiny?

"What is destiny, Daran?" he asked his friend.

Daran sighed. "Are you asking Daran, or are you asking the Illivartan?"

"I'm asking whoever has the answer," Rael said sharply. Daran and the Illivartan were one and the same according to whoever his friend was now. He also said Daran had not always been the Illivartan, Rael's guide, but the Illivartan had always been Daran. That made no sense to Rael, but he did not need it to make sense.

"There is no such thing as destiny;" his friend said at length, "at least, not certain destinies. We all have a purpose in this world, a role for which we were born, but whether we follow it, or break from it, is not guaranteed."

"Then I control my own future," said Rael, wondering whether this was a relief or an extra burden, "and I can choose not to follow my destiny."

Daran laughed. Not a friendly laugh, just amused at Rael's apparent ignorance. "You are mistaken in believing that you have any choice in the matter. If you try and change what you believe to be your purpose, you will most likely meet your ultimate goal sooner, unprepared; or you might meet your doom."

Rael grunted with annoyance, taking a swig of his water, "And what if my destiny is doom? Was Tabett's destiny doom?"

Daran bowed his head, remembering their fallen friend. "Doom finds us all, no matter what we do." Daran turned his head to peer upriver. "And it looks like we have been found."

Rael followed his gaze. Three people were making their way around the dunes towards them, a tall man and two women. When they saw Rael and Daran, the man quickened his pace and left the two women to talk together. The man was Link al'Shael, the Marshal of Hyrule. Far from his usual garb of midnight black, he was wearing only a brown tunic and had discarded all of his armour. Rael stood up courteously and met his father with a hand clasp. Daran did the same.

"Today is the day we depart, son." Said Link. There was regret and reluctance in his tone. Rael suspected that this meant Link intended to part ways with him. "I and your mother must return to Hylia with all speed now that we are rested. You have another calling though, I believe." Link looked at him expectantly.

Rael nodded. "Yes… I am going to follow the river southward. 'A river of blood marks the father's path'. That means me, the Father of the Sun." He pointed south to the mountains. "That is my road."

Link looked worried for a moment. "If you intend to walk into the heart of a province in civil war, then I can only suspect one purpose."

Rael was indeed confident in his purpose. He had considered his first move for days, and was now resolute, and Daran was in agreement. "I intend end the civil war and unite the Gerudo people."

Link rubbed a hand through his hair. The man's hair was less red and more grey by the day, but his eyes were fuller of life now than Rael had ever seen, as though he was still waking up after a long sleep. "That will be no easy feat, son. But I believe in you. Daran, is this the way Rael is supposed to go?"

Daran nodded. "Yes, it is. We have discussed it at length. It is the right way." Daran turned away and gazed southward. Rael suspected Daran was struggling to come to terms with his newfound identity and knowledge as much as Rael was with his own.

The two women now arrived, one coming to stand beside Link, and the other sitting down in the sand opposite Rael. Elane gave Rael a curious look as she settled herself down, gathering her dark hair across her right shoulder. Rael wanted to ask what she was thinking, but Zelda spoke up over him.

"Rael, are you decided yet?" His mother's tone was icy calm.

Link replied for him. "He is going to end the Gerudo civil war."

When Zelda heard this she sighed deeply and sat down in the sand next to Rael. His mother was very beautiful, even at the age of fifty she looked only thirty save for eyes that belonged on no young woman. "I thought as much," she said, "then I have much to tell you."

Zelda said that she had presumed this would be Rael's first task, but like Link she said it would be very challenging. She had already taught him some diplomatic technique and royal manner now that he had accepted he was the Prince of Hyrule, but according to her, managing the tensions between the three armies in the desert would require political cunning beyond his experience. She decided it was best if he learned the history of the Gerudo civil war.

She sat down in the sand next to him and motioned for him to face her. She started talking quickly and immediately went into detail. "In peace the Gerudo people are supposed to be one united nation under the rule of the Amethyst Throne," she said, drawing a circle in the sand, "under the higher authority of the Hylian Throne. Under my authority.

"Alas it has been many years since there has been peace in the Gerudo province of Hyrule, and some time since I had any influence there. The conflict in the desert has been brewing for many years, and is ultimately the result of the disappearance of King Ganondorf Dragmire forty years ago." Link looked uneasy when Zelda explained this; he was still uncomfortable with his past. He walked away and settled himself down on a rocky bank, drawing his sword and examining it.

"Go on," said Rael, "I need to know."

"At present Queen Lana Dragmire sits on the Amethyst Throne in Shaylin. She was a cousin of the late Ganondorf and ascended to power at the young age of twelve. She has since ruled the Gerudos for forty years."

"Jaendral and Ramades both lay claims to the Amethyst Throne. Why?" asked Rael. Daran was still sitting quietly and keeping to himself. Elane was sitting listening closely though.

Zelda sighed, "You mean aside from their shared lust for power?" Rael needed only to look at his mother for her to continue.

"The political turmoil began soon after Queen Lana took the throne. A few months into her reign a baby boy was born to a common woman, by a Hylian father of course. The birth of this boy, whom she named Jaendral, came as a shock to the Gerudo nation who had not expected to see a boy born for another sixty years. For millennia there had been but one boy born to the Gerudos in every hundred years. This single boy in an all-female race was always crowned king when he was the suitable age. Following the law of the kingdom, it was decided by the wise that although a boy had been born sooner than expected the tradition would be continued. Jaendral Rashan was named as the future king.

"Of course this angered Lana as something was clearly wrong with the circumstances of the child's birth. The king always came from a noble line, and so she believed Jaendral was a false king, and what was more his birth was too soon by far. But she was only young and could do nothing. Yet she swore to my father then the King of Hyrule that she would hold the throne until her dying breath."

"Why was she so desperate for power?" asked Rael.

"Power is a disease, Rael," said Daran quietly without moving, "it corrupts even the wise. And Lana was a Dragmire, a family for whom the concept of power is nothing short of a religion."

Zelda murmured agreement and fell quiet.

Elane spoke up now. "So why did Jaendral never become the Gerudo king?"

"Well," laughed Zelda, "if you ask him or his followers they will tell you that he is the king. As would Ramades' people. The trouble really began with the birth of more baby boys. You see it began with Jaendral, he was the first you might say, then a few months later a second boy was born, and a third and a fourth. Perhaps initially one in ten babies born was male, then one in five, then one in three, until boys were born just as regularly as girls. The once-cursed female race became just like the Hylians.

"Well!" she exclaimed, "You can imagine how the population grew so fast! As soon as the boys became men the women found themselves blessed with young Gerudo husbands who could provide them with pure-blooded Gerudo children, rather than having to rely on Hylian men."

"But why?" asked Elane. "Why was the 'curse' lifted?"

"I can only guess," Zelda said, "but I believe it was because the evil of the spirit Mandrag Ganon was gone. If indeed that being had caused the curse, then it was lifted when he was sealed in the Evil Realm with Ganondorf Dragmire."

"So what became of Jaendral Rashan?" asked Rael, feeling they had drifted from the subject.

"Well," said Zelda, "he was always aware that he was the first boy born. Though young, he was the oldest man in the kingdom, and for a long time it was held that he would still become king. Since being named future king he had been brought to live in the palace at the heart of Shaylin and was regarded as a Prince. However in time Queen Lana, who was now older, decided that the old laws need not apply anymore, since the curse was evidently broken and declared that she would maintain the Amethyst Throne, and Jaendral would be stripped of his future power."

"And he rebelled?" asked Rael.

"Yes, he rebelled," answered Zelda. "Twenty years ago, when Jaendral was about twenty years of age, he mustered all those who were loyal to him, mostly men, and attempted to seize power. He failed. He was defeated by the royalists and banished. Many Gerudo men followed him into exile, feeling betrayed by Lana, taking their wives and young children with them. Jaendral established a new kingdom in the south of the desert, where for two decades he has ruled as 'King' Jaendral." Zelda drew another circle in the sand, apart from the first, and a connecting line between them.

"We were attacked by some of Jaendral's men in the Grey Forrest," said Elane. "Do you remember Rael? Soon after we fled Taran Kaey, and after we left Baradale. They were like bandits, not like the Gerudos we have fought in the desert."

"Yes, Jaendral has pushed the borders of Hylian land for nearly twenty years. But I have not dared risking open war with him." Zelda sighed. "So I let his people pretend they own small parts of my land, so long as they do not attack my people."

"What of Ramades then?" Rael asked.

"Well Ramades as you know has his stronghold in the north of the desert. Most likely not far from here. But it is hidden and his people are nomadic moving from place to place. Ramades, like Jaendral, believes he should be the king. He too was among the first males born, but was born into nobility, unlike the common-born Jaendral. As the first born male noble, related to the Dragmires no less, he thought he should be king too."

"And he was exiled as well?" asked Rael.

"Yes. And he took a lot of Shaylin's population with him." Zelda rolled her head slightly and flexed her shoulders. "The Gerudos are a divided race Rael. Three separate peoples in a struggle for power. Uniting them once more will mean overcoming years of bitter hate. They are at war, and you may not be able to stop battle reaching the walls of Shaylin." Zelda drew another circle in the sand, and made a triangle with the other two.

Rael traced his fingers along the scabbard buckled to his belt, comprehending the enormity of his task. "I am the Lord of Dawn, and though my road is hard and long I will not rest until the task is done. I will go south to Shaylin and meet with Queen Lana, and from the city I will do all I can to bring peace." Rael was empowered with a sense of duty, a duty that was his alone.

"I am going with you," said Elane, standing up and dusting the sand off herself. Rael looked up at her with bewilderment. "And I won't let you refuse me." She added.

Rael could not believe this. "Elane it is too dangerous-"

"I am going with you, Rael," she said again more strongly, "you will be glad of the company, and this is important to me."

Rael turned to Daran, and met his friend's expressionless gaze. "I must go with the Queen and the Marshal," Daran said, "I have much to teach them yet of what is to come, and there is nothing more I can do for you for now."

"But…" Rael had been sure Daran would go with him. He needed his guide, and would not know where to go or what to do without him.

"You have all you need," Daran said, "Elane will assist you, but for now you must tread the Path of the Sun alone."

There were few preparations to make before their departure. They spent half of an hour readying themselves for travel. All the horses had been slain in the fighting, so they shared out all the equipment from the saddle bags, wrapped up the best meat that Link had harvested from the fallen beasts, and set off on foot. They followed the river southwards together for a while, and little was said between them. They had set off in the heat of the day, and though it was hot and tiring it was necessary if they were to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall. Fortunately there was an ever-present supply of water to keep them hydrated.

Sunlight sparkled on the surface of the flowing water, and the ripples flashed shades of silver. Rael noticed that the mysterious aura that had previously hovered above the river was now gone. The Horn of the Blood had been recovered from its ancient place of rest, and been blown by the Illivartan, as a result of the completion of the blood sacrifice made by the chosen warriors of the light. Zelda said the river would run dry soon, when they left the region.

As daylight began to wane Link announced that the time had come to part ways. Link, Zelda and Daran were turning east and taking the road back into the hills, returning to Hylia by the road they had come. Rael and Elane's destination lay to the south. The sun hung low in the cloudless western sky.

Everybody had private words before they parted ways. Elane was emotional, and cried quietly on Daran's shoulder whilst Link and Zelda took Rael aside. "Here," said Zelda, pulling a golden ring from one of her fingers and placing it in Rael's palm, "this is a sign of my authority." Rael took a look at the light gold band; it had flat gold plate on one side, worked in the shape of the Triforce-and-eagle emblem of the royal family.

"Why are you giving me this?" Rael asked, turning it over in his hand.

"Whoever carries this ring may act and decree law with my full authority. I am trusting you with a lot of power, son, and I advise that you use it sparingly. You will find that having power puts pressures on you that you would not expect. Keep it hidden." Zelda pulled a short knife from her sleeve and cut a pinch of long hair from her head. Strangely she raised it to her lips and whispered a quick incantation. The hair knitted together, winding and stretching into a length of thin cord. She smiled at Rael's surprised expression as she threaded the newly made rope through the ring to make a necklace. "Wear it at all times."

"Is there any particular reason I might need such power?" Rael asked.

"As Prince of Hyrule you may be responsible for choosing who will rule the Gerudos, when this conflict is over." She nodded as he strung it up around his neck and hid it beneath his shirt. "Good. Remember, Queen Lana will recognise this ring when she sees it, and will know you by your father's face. However most Gerudos will not know you, and will be hostile. I leave it to your best judgement how to proceed."

Link put a hand on Rael's shoulder. "Son, you are trying to pacify these people, so avoid confrontation where you can. You have seen how quick to anger they are." Link put his arms around Rael, and held him tight. Rael embraced his father uncertainly, but was reluctant to let go. "I love you, my boy. I will pray to the gods for your safety."

Rael turned to his mother and embraced her fondly, and she kissed him on the cheek. "Be careful, Rael. I love you."

"I love you too mother," he said as they broke apart. "May we meet again soon."

He turned from them now and crossed to where Daran and Elane were talking quietly. When Elane saw him coming she kissed Daran on the cheek and walked past Rael to Link and Zelda. Daran sighed, only able to look at Rael with sad eyes. "I am sorry that I must leave you, Rael."

Rael shook his head. "I don't know how much you are still my childhood friend, but I will miss you. The darkness is growing day by day… without you I may give up hope." Daran embraced him tightly, and Rael held his friend as close as he could. He did not want to let go, but he had already let go when he chose his path.

At length, Daran looked him in the eyes. "Never give up hope." He said. "Even when your world crumbles around you and it seems that all your efforts have been in vain, do not give up. Believe, Rael, and I will be there. I will come back for you." Daran's eyes were intense and sincere, and Rael believed every word he said. "I will be there for you."

And so at last Link, Zelda and Daran said their final goodbyes and departed, climbing away up the dunes until they disappeared over the slopes and beyond sight. Elane and Rael were left alone together in the rapidly cooling desert. They stayed quiet and watched the empty plain for some time, until they air grew cold and stars slowly began to fill the eastern horizon. At length, Rael tightened the pack on his back and checked for the ring under his shirt. "Are you ready?" he asked his one remaining companion. "We can cover a couple more miles while we still have light."

Elane took one last look back into the land where her beloved Tabett had died, then started walking towards the southern mountains. "Let's go," she said.