VI - Children Of A Lesser God
Sheik secured the bandages around his wrists with a knot, tucking the remaining end under. He felt Toran's glance, burning with hate, on his form. He flashed him a defiant look as he provokingly readjusted the leather shin protectors over his dark blue warrior suit. Toran had taken it out on him that he refused to wear the Yiga garb, and he still felt the bruise on his ribcage where his fists had hit him, but that did not make him falter the slightest. He had joined the Yiga to fight in the same cause, not to become one of them. Their ways would never be his ways, no matter how many times they tried to teach him a lesson. He was born and had been raised a Sheikah, and he would remain a Sheikah until the day he died. Wearing their garb meant honouring his people and all of their achievements.
Toran grabbed him by the collar.
"You arrogant prat. One day I will rip your guts out and feed them to the wolves."
"Leave him and save your energy," Valen, entering the armoury, said.
Toran loosened his grip, and Sheik yanked free, dusting off his collar as if to remove Toran's handprint.
Turning to Sheik, the Yiga leader continued. "We are leaving for Gerudo Town tomorrow morning, at first light. Since you have signed up for this cause, you should know what you're up against."
Sheik did not answer but his ruby eyes bore into Valen's, looking for signs of resentment. What he found, though, was a strange serenity, as if he was at peace with how things were, and that was the first time that Sheik felt something like a slight turmoil. He had expected him to grab his braid and push his face into the mud for disobeying, but Valen acted like he could no longer be bothered by Sheik's rebellious nature. And that was something that unsettled the Sheikah.
"Make sure you're punctual. Toran, you and Sorren will take over the lead as long as we're gone. No arguing."
Valen turned around, his long black hair swaying softly in the movement as he walked back to his chambers. Toran's face was red, out of anger or shame, or both - Sheik did not know – and he gritted his teeth as Sheik walked past him without another word. Gerudo Town, he thought, so the rumours are true. The young Gerudo king is finally making his move.
The route they took to Gerudo desert was the complete opposite of the one Sheik had taken to find the Yiga hideout. They were a small group of people, the less, the better. Valen took the lead, followed by Regon, Sheik and Paya, and Kohga, a surprisingly plump and sluggish Yiga. Sheik made no efforts to blend in, he simply did not care. Valen took them over precipitous cliffs and through narrow slits in the rocks. They partly walked over and partly through Karusa valley, climbing every now and then to reach the lower parts of the mountainous landscape. The closer they moved to the bottom of the valley, the hotter and drier the air became. Sheik adjusted his face cover over his nose and mouth to block out the grains of sands that whirled up with every breeze. He observed Paya as she climbed down the last portion before him, wondering why Valen had decided for her to come along. Did he have a motive other than trying to irk him with her presence? Or did he know more than he admitted?
As soon as they left Karusa valley behind, the sun burned mercilessly down on them, and they were no longer protected by the rock formation above. Sheik lifted the black hood he had been given by Sorren – the only piece of cloth he was ready to accept - over his head, and pulled it as far down his face as he could without shadowing too much of his eyesight. All throughout their descent, no one had uttered a word, but their footsteps had resounded from the rock all around them. Now with the sand cushioning their steps, it was eerily quiet.
It was Valen who suddenly interrupted the silence, pointing his finger at a stone formation in the distance.
"The ruins over there is where we are headed. The Gerudo have opened trading posts throughout the desert, and they should have sand seals at the ready for quicker transportation means. Once we get there, you let me do the talking."
Sheik glanced back at Kohga. His face was round, sweaty and red and he looked as if he was about to faint any minute, but he never complained. Sheik had overheard stories about the sturdy man, the other night, about how he had tried to overthrow Valen and take his position, but had miserably failed. He seemed to have lost all signs of his former arrogance, as his self-confidence had shrunk to the size of a peanut. Taking him on this trip meant Valen still did not trust him, though, because Sheik didn't see how else he could be of use.
Before long, the trading post came into sight at the base of some old ruins of what seemed to be a former bathhouse. The post was not much more than a simple shack with a few carts positioned outside. Metal and wooden boxes with different goods had been stacked in- and outside of the shack, watched by two women who lazily sat in the shade, each holding a coconut drink in their hand. A third one stood further apart next to a makeshift enclosure, rearranging a bunch of metal boards. When they noticed the group approaching, they acknowledged their presence with a nod and a half-hearted "sav'aaq".
"Sav'aaq. We are travelling to Gerudo Town. A few sand seals would come in handy," Valen said, "how much for all of us?"
The Gerudo sitting closest to him cocked her head and eyed the small group lazily. Her gaze rested calmly on Sheik as she spoke in broken Hylian. "Ask Nali. She give you sand seal. And price."
Sheik hadn't seen many Gerudo in his life, but their intimidating physique had always sort of impressed him. They were taller and more muscular than most Hylian and Sheikah men, and their piercing golden eyes had no forgiveness in them.
They reached Gerudo Town after a while. Riding the sand seals, albeit being a very bumpy ride, proved to be a lot quicker than struggling through the desert on foot. Sheik climbed off the metal board, and picked it up. The hot metal burned into his flesh, and he quickly let go of it again, hoping that his obvious display of stupidity had been left unnoticed by the others.
The Gerudo capital was impressive. It throned in the middle of the desert, surrounded by high, sandstone walls. There were four entries, one in each cardinal direction, and all of them were guarded by heavily armoured Gerudo, wearing golden breastplates, shin- and armprotectors. Their nose and mouth were, similar to Sheikah fashion, hidden behind a cloth, but their eyes stared at them with distrust and resentment.
Valen had not even been able to put one foot into the city as a sharp spear, with an incredibly long range, was held under his nose.
"What you want?" the Gerudo hissed, "only women allowed in city." Her eyes rested on Paya. "She ok go, you no."
Valen let out the breath he was holding. He looked collected, but Sheik could feel the anger radiating off of him. "We request an audience with your king," he said calmly.
The Gerudo said nothing but kept her spear pointed at them. Valen tried to argue with the two guards, but both remained hardheaded, and Sheik could tell that Valen had a hard time stopping himself from unsheathing his windcleaver. The Yiga leader finally closed his eyes, resigning.
"Paya, you go inside and try to find anyone who can be reasoned with." He urged her forward. The second guard gently nudged her past the spear, and Paya was inside. And Sheik understood why Valen had insisted on bringing her along.
As soon as Paya set foot in the lively city, she was overwhelmed by all the smells, noises and visual impressions. Much like stepping through a magical gate to another world, the atmosphere of the foreign city enwrapped her like an invisible veil. The square town centre was buzzing with life – but all of the traders, clerks, visitors and inhabitants were female. (She saw a Goron whose sex she could not define, no matter how hard she looked, but she assumed that they must be female, or otherwise they would not be here. How the guards found out should remain a mystery though.)
Other than that, she actually felt pretty lost. She glanced back at the entrance through which she had come, and saw the Yiga group waiting impatiently outside the city walls. She crossed the central square and stood before the majestic building towering over the city.
The frontside of the palace was embedded in a small garden, with palm trees and foreign flowers and artificial rivulets of water. Guards were lazily strolling around the small garden, not paying her any heed as she tried to approach the palace. She took a deep breath, and began to walk up the stairs leading to the palace with wobbly knees, bowing slightly before the guards stationed at the main entry. The guard only raised a red eyebrow as she voiced her inquiry, then laughed in her face.
"Audience with king? You cute...but funny. Go home, sister."
The guard then shooed her away like an annoying fly, and Paya had no choice but to return to the Yiga. Valen would be furious, but what was she supposed to do? Sneak inside?
Just as she was about to walk back to the marketplace, she heard a scream and agitated voices in the backstreet just around the corner. Curious, she followed the voices, and witnessed the reason of the commotion. From the highest point of the wall, a child was dangling, their foot miserably caught in a tendril of a plant that grew along the walls. The girl, about the age of seven or eight, had probably used it to help them climb, but now she was stuck.
Someone shouted something that Paya could not understand, and three Gerudo women dashed off to find someone who could help. Paya saw how the girl's grip loosened as her strength was fading. Without thinking, she ran towards the wall and put her foot on a protruding stone, grabbing for a higher one with her hand. The wall was built very uneven, so it gave her the chance to use the overhanging stones in order to climb it.
The Gerudo were great warriors, with heavy and muscular build, but they were no climbers. Paya saw the girl struggle to hold on, and she called out to her, telling her to hold out as long as she could. She reached her shortly afterwards, her fingers grabbing the upper part of the wall tightly. With her free hand, she put the girl's arm, that was still dangling in the air, around her waist.
"I got you. Don't worry, just hold on to me, and put your other arm around me. Nothing can happen to you. Just let go," she said softly.
The little girl nodded although she did not understand the common tongue, her big green eyes filled with tears, and she let go off the stone, quickly wrapping both arms tightly around Paya's body, almost knocking the air out off her. What a grip for such a young girl, Paya thought as she worked to untangle her foot from the tendril. As she looked down, she saw that a circle of Gerudo had formed beneath her, guards and saleswomen, gaping at her with open mouths. Slowly, she began her climb down. As she had almost reached the bottom, two strong arms took the girl away from her.
"Sa'oten!" The Gerudo warrior looked shocked. She then turned to Paya.
"You saved princess. We indebted to you, stranger Vai."
Paya's heart skipped a beat. She just saved the Gerudo princess? What were the odds?
"Actually...," she began.
The palace was huge, with inner courtyards and loads of corridors so luxurious that Paya wondered how they managed to get all of those gemstones together. In the sandstone walls were embedded rubies, sapphires, opals, topaz and ambers, assembled like valuable mosaics. They followed the captain of the guard, a woman named Buliara, through sunlit, but surprisingly cool corridors to the royal gardens; an inner courtyard with palm trees, hedges and the same exotic flowers that bloomed in the whole city. In the middle and on both sides of the yard were rectangular, shallow pools of water. Valen let out a low whistle, the anger about the mistreatment almost forgotten.
They crossed the courtyard, and stopped before a large, wooden door at the very end.
"The king and his council are awaiting you behind that door," Buliara said in almost perfect Hylian, moving the heavy-looking wooden bar away from the door, pushing it open. Paya had expected her to enter, and announce the guest with a bow, but the royal etiquette of Hyrule did not seem to have any tradition in the lands of the Gerudo.
They stepped inside, one after the other, with Sheik coming last. Paya was surprised at the Sheikah's behaviour – his bold, aggressive and rebellious nature now only displayed through the traditional Sheikah garb that he refused to give up on. At the end of the large room, the council was awaiting them. They were sitting around a sturdy but very simple table that stood in high contrast to the rest of the building. Paya's heart was beating faster when her eyes fell upon the young Gerudo king, standing at one end of the table. She did not know what she expected, but one look at him both frightened and thrilled her. He was extremely tall, even taller than the Gerudo women at his side (and Paya already felt like a midget compared to them), with large shoulders and a broad, muscular chest. He was wearing a dark purple and emerald green robe, adorned with golden ornaments and rubies. His long, red hair was untied and reached down to his lower back. His golden eyes stared down at them as they approached the table. Valen bowed politely before him and motioned his companions to do the same.
"Your majesty...," he began, but Ganondorf cut him off midway.
"So, you are the one who saved my daughter?" he addressed Paya directly, completely ignoring the Yiga leader. His voice was like thunder echoing through the room.
"You have my thanks," he continued then, "sit down everybody."
Ganondorf chewed on a toothpick, twirling a strand of red hair from his beard between his thumb and index finger. Aveil poured more wine into this cup.
"What are you thinking, my lord?" she said, voice smooth as silk.
He shrugged. "Better than nothing," he took the toothpick out of his mouth and eyed it, "although they all look like they break too easily. So small and frail. Just like this toothpick." He broke it in half and snipped it away. Aveil sat down on the armchair of his throne, running long fingers through his hair. He looked at her, her lovely frame and lovely face, and he wanted her as he always did. She was less bulky than most Gerudo women, and that was what he liked about her, what turned him on. If he wanted to, he could crush her between his bare hands.
"They are no warriors. They assassinate people in their sleep. But they've mastered the art of spying," Urbosa said, gaze fixated on her king and the second-in-command, "it will be easy for them to find out what the king of Hyrule is planning."
"And easy for you to find out if they are our allies or enemies."
She smiled. It were moments like these that showed her that he still cared, and valued her more than his actions betrayed.
He gently pushed Aveil from his throne, and bade her to leave them alone. She obeyed without protesting, but Urbosa knew that look all too well. She sighed, and waited until Aveil was out of the door.
"What about the Sheikah? He wasn't wearing the Yiga garb."
Ganondorf shrugged. "He is none of my concern. He can ring all the bells he wants. Let them be our scouting party and see how useful they are."
"Do you plan to rage war on Hyrule? Or will you have him killed in his sleep?" Her question was placed carefully.
He looked her in the eyes. "Come here."
She obeyed, sitting down on his thigh when he patted his knee. He put his hand behind her head, and drew her face close.
"You know better than to ask the wrong questions, sweet Urbosa." He kissed her, and she gave in. This time she would get away with sex, next time perhaps with a blow to her head.
The door flung open with a bang and the tiny pea that Ganondorf had managed to balance on his fork flew in a wide arc across the table as he dropped the cutlery.
"Riju! My lord, please excuse the disturbance," Buliara panted as she tried to catch the little whirlwind, sweat dripping down her forehead. The princess didn't pay her any attention and ran to her father, hugging his leg.
"I don't want to train!" she protested, "I want to ride a sand seal!"
Ganondorf shot Buliara a glare that made her shiver despite the heat, but the tone in his voice was mocking.
"Captain of the guard, and you can't even restrain a little girl of seven?"
Buliara lowered her head, muttering an apology. A heat of shame crept into her cheeks.
"Riju," he said, and lifted her up to sit on his knee. "I understand that training is no fun, but do you remember what happened to your mother?"
Riju's green eyes widened, then filled with tears. They had told her that it was an accident, but she knew better. She knew that the man, who shot her mother with a crossbow, did not mistake her for a wild animal. She also knew that the arrow was aimed at her, and that this man died a gruesome death at the hands of her father. His screams still haunted her at night. She had been too young to fully understand back then, but she was no fool. She had seen and heard more than anyone could imagine, and it had cost her many a night.
"Yes, father."
"Your mother had given up training when she was carrying you in her belly, and even after your birth she did not go back to training. Do you see now why it is important to follow Buliara's order?"
The little girl nodded, sniffing. Fighting scared her, and she was not ready to assume her responsibilities as a princess any time soon. Her father ran his huge hand through her hair, and kissed her on the forehead.
"Go with Buliara now. No more running away and no more objecting. You do as she says, and when you are done with the training, you can ask Frelly to accompany you on a sand seal tour."
The princess' face lightened up and she jumped off her father's knee, running back to Buliara. Ganondorf shot the captain a severe glance, and she knew what it meant. Twice in only a two weeks' time the princess had managed to get away from her grasp, and run into trouble. He would not tolerate a third time. She turned on her heel, and left the dining room together with Riju.
Ganondorf sighed. He loved his daughter, but she also reminded him of her mother, and her death still pained him. No vengeance could ever fill the hole in his chest that she left behind when she died that day in that goddess-forsaken desert under Din's scorching sun. He was just about to return to his now cold meal when the door flung open anew, and he angrily threw the fork into a corner of the room.
"What is it now?!" he roared.
"My lord! One of our caravans has been raided. Only Kyra and Karsh have returned, and they are heavily injured!"
Ganondorf shot up so hefty from his chair that he tipped over the table. "Where are they?"
"They are in the infirmary right now," Liana answered.
"Bring me to them and get Urbosa," he said, and followed the knight out of the room, his red hair floating in the movement like angry flames. When they reached the infirmary, only Kyra was still awake. Karsh was sleeping, and they carried her away into another room. Ganondorf sat down on a chair which he pulled close to the bed. He looked Kyra's injuries over, and turned his head to the nurse. "Is it severe?"
"She will survive."
"Kyra," he said, "tell me what happened."
The young woman moaned as she tried to sit up in bed. Urbosa entered the room, motioning everyone but the nurse to leave the infirmary.
"We were riding to Castle Town. They were...building some sort of check point near the old Coliseum, but they let us through. We took the main trading road, and everything was fine until we were ambushed near Lake Kolomo. They destroyed our wagons, took our goods, and killed almost all of us."
She coughed, and Urbosa gently helped her lie down again.
"Did you see what they looked like? Were they Hyrulean soldiers? Bandits? Sheikah?"
Kyra shook her head. "I could not see much. They were cloaked in black from head to toe, leaving out only their eyes. They carried crossbows and swords. No horses."
Ganondorf clenched his fist, and gritted his teeth. He got up from the chair, and left the infirmary with Urbosa. "Get the Yiga leader. I've waited long enough."
Ganondorf was sitting in the courtyard when Valen arrived. The Yiga leader's face was red and his head fuming. Ganondorf couldn't hold back a sneer when he asked Valen if the guards had stopped him at the gates once again.
"Don't you think it's time to give me a free pass or something?" He did not sound amused.
Ganondorf laughed, and motioned him to sit down on the free chair.
"I need you to do something for me," he began. He told Valen about the ambush on the caravan and how the king has violated their trading pact.
"I want you to send a scouting party to Hyrule to see what's going on. See if they have built up check points everywhere or if there are still free roads. Send another to the Tabantha region and report back to me."
Valen leaned back in the chair, watching the Gerudo king.
"What's in it for me?"
Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. "We're already discussing terms?"
Valen snorted. "You didn't think I came here out of pure loyalty, did you?"
The Gerudo king laughed. "Do as you please, Valen. You came here because without me, you ain't going nowhere. Do as you're told and then we can talk about what's in for you, or stay in the mountain and do your own thing."
Valen smiled, but it was a bitter smile.
"Fair enough. You will have your report." He got up from the chair.
Ganondorf waved at a guard who was standing nearby.
"Show this man out and teach the guards at the gates to grant him free passage."
With a toothy grin, he watched the Yiga leader walk away.
This chapter has 3 main POVs, rather than splitting it into 3 short chapters.
I am trying to give Ganondorf a bit of a background. I kind of like the idea of him being a caring father.
Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to let me know if you like the story so far. :3
