Breakfast was served in the east most room, where the sun shined brightest in the morning. The King of Hyrule sat at the head of the table, and beside him was his daughter, Princess Zelda. It was over a year ago they lost her mother to a terrible illness, but the girl seemed to be moving on just fine. They shared a breakfast of fresh eggs, bacon, and bread with fruit spread. They were accompanied by the melodious voices of the birds in the courtyard and those that would dart in and out of the windows, picking up the bread Zelda set on the windowsills.
"My dear Zelda, you are unusually quiet this morning. Is something the matter?" The king asked, missing her chatter.
She placed the prongs of her fork in the scrambled eggs on her plate and twisted it slightly. "What prophecy were you talking about last night?"
There was that curiosity her mother gave her. At times he cherished it as it helped him to hold on to memories of the queen, and other times he wished it would have died with her. "You know better than to listen in on conversations that you are not invited to."
The stern tone he used made her drop her fork and stare blankly at her half eaten eggs. "I am sorry father. You can't mean to hurt this boy! You mustn't."
He was shocked that she comprehended so much of the situation. Often he found himself underestimating her intelligence. "How much did you hear?"
"That there is a boy, witches, and a prophecy, and Albert wants to remove the threat. You mustn't hurt him," She said, pleading.
The King smiled warmly and held out a hand to stop her ramblings. "Zelda, these are adult affairs, and I will do what I must to protect you."
"Who is he? What is the prophecy? Why do you feel that I am in danger?" She asked, incapable of leaving the issue alone.
"It is your mother's big heart that makes you worry for a boy you do not even know," The King stated stiffly as he pushed his empty plate away. "If you knew the prophecy, you would change your mind, that much I promise you."
"Then just tell me, father!"
Silence followed as he gauged his daughter's maturity, her ability to cope with the situation. He chose not to doubt her intelligence again. She was eleven years old but she was not as naive as her age suggested. "There is a prophecy, passed down by our royal family, that speaks of a man from the desert. He is born with an evil heart. His destiny is to corrupt Hyrule and the Sacred Realm of the Triforce."
Zelda was familiar with the history of Hyrule and the stories of the Triforce so much she could recite them all in her sleep. It was the kingdom's treasure and her born duty to defend it. "We can change him. No one is born a villain."
The King laughed too loudly to hide his amusement. She stood from the table without excusing herself and departed the breakfast room, leaving half of the meal behind. It was all she could do to not stomp like a child on her approach to her room. Halfway to her destination she stopped, a wonderful idea formulating in her mind. "If he won't believe me, then I will prove it can be done." She rushed the remaining distance to her room and immediately pulled the rope for Impa. In minutes, she arrived, just as she was pulling out her clothes for horse riding. "Impa, would you prepare my horse? It is a beautiful day and I do not wish to waste my day within doors."
The attendant bowed respectfully at her waist and replied, "Absolutely, my lady."
Within the hour, Zelda was dressed in her riding breeches, knee high boots, shirt and vest, and gloves with her blonde hair pulled back in a long tail. Her horse waited for her when she arrived outside the castle, as well as an escort. "I do not desire company on this ride," Zelda remarked, climbing on to her young horse.
"That is exactly why I will be with you, but I will retain a noninvasive distance," Impa assured her as she mounted her own horse.
Then I will just have to lose her, Zelda thought as she took off on her horse. "Catch me if you can!"
Impa was surprised by the speed Zelda drove her horse at, as if she was blatantly trying to ditch her. As promised, she remained a fair distance from Zelda, but always maintained a pace that kept her within sight. The King was afraid Zelda would try to run off, for what reason he did not share, but gave Impa the responsibility of protecting Zelda and reporting what happened. It was clear what Zelda tried to do though. The princess was not familiar with rule breaking, so she was not experienced in avoiding detection, making it very easy for Impa to watch her from a distance. Zelda slowed down to a trot, and then even a walk, comfortable in the belief she lost her tail. They approached the road that led away from Hyrule, toward the infamous desert, and Impa prepared to force the princess to turn around. Just then, fortune shined on Zelda. Impa held back.
As if destiny brought them together, Zelda stared at the dark skinned boy on the back of a young black stallion. She immediately recognized the intense features of the Gerudo, from his high cheek bones to his angled eyes and his bold chin. His head was held high as he met her soft gaze. Zelda's shoulder jerked awkwardly as a shiver skipped up her spine. It was said that a man is born to the female Gerudo tribe once every one hundred years, and that man was appointed king. He was too young yet to wear regal armor, but his tunic decorated with the Gerudo symbol was made of the highest quality satin available. Zelda did not doubt this was the boy her father spoke of and he indeed was not pure. Someone must have corrupted him and she would find out who or what. Bravely, she flicked the reigns of her horse and approached him.
Impa watched intently as Zelda approached and even kept a hand ready on her heavy weapon. The boy was not armed but she knew better than to be fooled. He did his best to hide his nerves at the girl nearing him but the lump he swallowed did not escape Impa's keen eye. For now, she would allow events to play. Zelda stopped a safe distance away, but close enough that she could speak without yelling.
"Good morning. I am Princess Zelda. Who are you?" She asked pleasantly.
He was shocked by the friendliness in her tone. In fact, he was unsure how to respond. His confident facade wavered slightly as he asked, "Are you not afraid of me?"
Without hesitation, Zelda answered curiously, "Well, no. Should I be?"
"No, of course not." He frowned.
She noticed he seemed discouraged and so she asked again, "Who are you?"
"Why does it matter to you, Princess of Hyrule?" His response came more nastily than he intended.
Zelda was surprised at his resistance to answer her question. She knew it would take a calculated response to retrieve the information she needed. "I thought we could be friends." A heavy frown creased her face and she turned from him.
At seeing her expression, he directed his steed to the other side of her horse where she turned her gaze to. Her eyes were incredible. It was as if his world went dark when she looked away. "I like you. My name is Ganondorf, of the Gerudo." His face turned inquisitive as her smile returned. "I did not mean to upset you."
"I like you too, Ganondorf. We should be friends!" She said, happiness returning.
He smiled at her. "I would like that." It was his turn for a long expression. "Koume and Kotake might not like that though."
With an eyebrow raised and her head cocked, Zelda asked, "Who is that?"
"Oh!" He exclaimed, realizing she had no idea. "They are the witches raising me. Daily they teach me sorcery. I am so sick of the tireless work that I ran away from them, but just for today. I have a lot of responsibility at home."
"My father would not be pleased either if he found out we are friends now," Zelda explained, a smile still brightening her face.
"I imagine he wouldn't. You know, you're not like the rest of them."
"How do you mean?"
Ganondorf paused to consider his answer so that he could avoid offending her again. "Most people hate the Gerudo. They avoid them like they're sick. This is especially true with me, since I am in line to be king. Yet you don't seem to care."
Zelda shook her head. "You're silly, you know that? I don't even know you yet, so how do I know if I don't like you?"
Impa could not hear the words they exchanged but their expressions made it clear she did not need to intervene. There was no intent to harm, only uncertainty. Suddenly, Zelda laughed and darted off in the direction of the lake and Ganondorf bounded after her. For hours they played games, running along the beach by the lake on horseback, abandoning their horses to explore the shadows of the woods, until finally they collapsed beside each other, staring up at the darkening sky.
"I need to return home, before guards come looking for me," Zelda managed to say after her breathing slowed down. She sat up and looked down at Ganondorf.
"Yes. There will be no explaining what happened today if my mother becomes suspicious," He explained, sitting up as well.
From the corner of her eye, Zelda caught a flower growing tall in a patch of grass. It was white, with four petals, yellow on the inside. She leaned far over to reach it and plucked it from the ground. When she turned back, she held the wild flower out to Ganondorf. He stared at it blankly. She giggled, "It's for you."
He took it gingerly from her small hands and stared as if it were a precious diamond. "Thank you." Wildly, he searched his thoughts for a gift he could give to her.
She saw his frantic gaze and assured him, "You do not need to give me anything. I had a lot of fun today."
"No, I must," He insisted, setting the flower in his lap and then spinning his hands together as if they tumbled over each other. They shined with a dull blue aura. When his hands came apart, a shower of multicolored lights erupted around them and filled the air like reachable stars. Seeing her excited reaction to the spectacle filled him with a warmth he never experienced before. He dreaded returning home.
"I wish I could do magic like that!" She exclaimed as the lights faded.
"Your kindness is magical enough."
Zelda blushed, but quickly said, "Let's meet again in a week." They agreed, and departed.
Impa met with Zelda when she returned home and ushered her off to bed since night was upon them. The furious debate she carried on in her mind was a terrible distraction. Did she tell the king about the children meeting? Or did she allow events to unfold? There truly was goodness in the boy's heart and she hoped Zelda was the key to saving him from himself. When she reported the day's events, she hid the extent of the truth and fabricated a different story.
Sleep did not come easily for Zelda. Her thoughts disturbed her rest. Was this boy, who so eagerly wanted to prove his goodness, really the man who would corrupt Hyrule and take the Triforce for himself? Although, Zelda smiled, she knew it was foolish. Only one with the balance of all three essences could truly take the Triforce, and Ganondorf's traits weighed heavily to power. She was determined to help him see that and dissuade him from his destiny.
Ganondorf's horse ride home was a farther distance than Zelda's but he had plenty of thoughts to occupy his mind. Was this kind girl really the obstacle to the Triforce and descendent of the goddess? What did that mean for her fate? Could her fate be changed? Could his fate be changed? He recalled her acceptance and wished all people could be as compassionate as her. Maybe the Gerudo would see the world differently. He remembered the warmth of giving her a gift without expecting anything in return and wished he could do it more.
As he closed in on the temple he called home, he pushed these thoughts from his mind. It was nice to dream for a while and pretend he could be friends with her, but it would mean nothing when he fulfilled his destiny. He was to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world, he could have everything he wanted, all he needed to do was obtain the Triforce. The one obstacle that stood in his way made him realize how amazing it felt to be treated with kindness and treat others the same in return.
The haunted cackles of the witches pierced Ganondorf's thoughts like a dull knife twisting into flesh. He disliked them, but showed them respect for raising him. He predicted the first words out of their mouth and closed his eyes when they said it.
"Made a new friend, haven't we?" Koume chuckled.
"What a smart little boy we raised," Kotake laughed, twirling in circles on her broom by the ceiling of the temple. "Deceiving the princess, just to get close, to make her death simpler."
"Death!" Ganondorf yelled in shock. "Must she die?"
The witches alighted from their brooms before him. All manner of joking was removed from their tones.
"Puppy love!" Koume spat.
"Do not let her tricks deceive you! You are but a boy, a friend, and she will never know you as anything more," Kotake mocked, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
"I have never seen such kindness, nor lack of fear, from anyone before. It was as if I was a completely different person to her," Ganondorf explained, desperate to make them understand.
"Only an act to steer you from your true fate," Kotake reminded, and an image of the Triforce shined just in front of his face, blinding him with golden light. "You want this power, do you not?"
Nearly mesmerized, he held his hand out as if it was real, as if he could touch it, and then it vanished. "Yes, but I can make her see!"
"You may try."
" You will fail," Kotake laughed icily. "We will let this play out, but do not let her pretty eyes blind you from the truth."
"Her kindness is not false. You will see. I will have my way in the end!" He shouted, throwing his fists with angry might. He stormed away to his chambers.