I have been searching for stories with Link and Zelda being what they should have been after the end of Ocarina of Time, just kids. I couldn't find anything ... at least anything that was longer than 2000 words.
So instead I searched stories about Link being raised by Ganondorf (Big fan of Growing Up Gerudo, go check it out !) But I couldn't find anything either, so I did the only reasonable thing I could.
I'm doing it myself.
Yes this was checked using Grammarly and yes Grammarly is absolutely incapable of making the difference between simple words and names. Hope you enjoy !
The kingdom of Hyrule, endless fields of grass, forests of tall trees which sometimes were dense enough to completely block the sun rays, farming fields that would make anyone hungry just by starring at the crops. How could he not be jealous ? His people had to work ten times harder than the Hylians, how else were they expected to survive if they didn't take what they needed ?
Thieves and assassins, ironically the Gerudos were proud of these titles, as long as it meant Survivors and Warriors in their own language. Ganondorf couldn't blame all the Hylians though, their society worked differently, no brothers and sisters, just civilians living next to each others, and at the very top a secluded group of- ... no, no he couldn't find impactful insults to throw at nobles, as if they cared about actual honor.
"Gan, you are doing it again." One of his sisters whispered aloud, giving him a tap on the shoulder. He liked Nabooru a lot, she was stubborn enough to keep him in check, to not call him "My King" , "My Lord" or give him any kind of honorifcs that he had already heard about thirty times in the same day.
He understood the necessity of taking actions for his kingdom, Nabooru didn't have the same point of view, always referring to moral and what's making the difference between them and actual murderers. A rightful opposition that spared him quite a lot of trouble more than once.
Koume and Kotake, his- ... mothers, his birth one died after bringing him into the world as far as he know. He did spend more time with them than any other adult after all. He could just hardly call them mothers for way too many reasons, they weren't bad with him but he would have done a lot of things differently. They hated Nabooru with passion, why ? Because the younger Gerudo was more efficient at scolding their son than they were.
He has been grumbling to himself again, the other members of their expedition becoming wary, he never had to hurt any of his sisters, why the sudden distrust ? "I apologise, it's just- ... I really wish this negotiations are going to be fruitful, quite literally. Having more stocks before winter would help."
"You can't just show up in front of their king and queen and pressure them." Nabooru reminded him yet again, even though that wasn't his plan, at least not the current one. At the same time she answered his previous question, his sisters were worried about him starting a war ... he would do what is necessary, nothing less. "Does their nobles actually hold any power over their decisions ?" She asked.
"No, from what I know they are like lieutenants, they supervise the smaller regions of their kingdom. So hopefully I will only need to convince two greedy bastard."
"Give them the benefit of doubt, they can't be that bad." He wanted to snort, just for the theatrical effect. They didn't grow up like they did, how can they relate to anything ? Just for the sake of not having to deal with his sister the king and queen of Yule won't have to deal with his "boar" mood as Nabooru once defined it when they were younger.
"I wish just as much as you do Nab ..." It was getting late, the journey from the desert to Central Hyrule was long and they had to travel on foot, why should they waste horses ? Ganondorf also feared they would have been accused stealing their stallions. "We are gonna have to reste somewhere before nightfall. How about the forest ?" He suggested.
"It's filled with giant spiders, you want us to have double watch tonight ?" Nabooru complained, instead she pointed her hand at a small village a few kilometers outside Castle Town. "They might not like us but we have more than enough rupees to spend the night here."
Ganondorf discreetly looked at his sisters, of course they would agree with Nabooru "Fine, all I'm saying is, if they call the guards and a political incident follows I'm putting the blame on you Nab." He smirked, it would be troublesome but hlit might as well be a good opportunity to put the royals into a difficult situation, who feared the wrath of the other in the end ? Definitely not him.
The town was quite, how was it called ? Kakarico ? He couldn't judge something by it's name but it awfully sounded like it had been named after the sound produced by their poultry. Surprisingly enough the Hylians were polite, wary of strangers as expected but welcoming enough to not act like fools.
The inn of the village looked to be in poor condition, if the outside appearance of the buildings already gave them this impression the inside was bringing up the threat of collapse for simply coughing too loudly. The innkeeper was an elderly woman with greyish hair. Nabooru had taken the lead of the group but Ganondorf stepped in front of her to speak with the old woman.
The conversation was pleasant, hopefully he showed Nabooru that he could handle a conversation as a decent human being. The old lady was reluctant to welcome them considering they would be occupying all the available rooms until tomorrow but the pay up convinced her.
"I will go take a stroll around the village." He announced once his sisters settled, he had to prepare for the meeting, getting accommodated to the presence of other Hylians would surely help. Nabooru and another of his sisters also went out to see if they could buy local products, leaving empty handed was not an option.
The village was calm, it wasn't like the citadel with all the Gerudo packed in the same place, this place was less populated and at this point most of the families were having dinner.
"Come back here you little rascal !"
Perhaps not everyone, Ganondorf thought to himself. The yell came from the marketplace, for a moment he feared that one of his sisters had fallen victim to Hylian racism or couldn't resist the urge to get extra loot. The Gerudo King grumbles to himself and turned around to go back in his track, he stopped when he felt something bumping into his leg.
He looked down to discover a young Hylian boy carrying what appeared to be stolen apples in his arms. Ganondorf raised an eyebrow at the little discovery he just made, he didn't have to search really far in the end. The kid stood there, starring at the giant that he was.
"You are not getting away this time !" The same person yelled, this time they were getting closer. The boy was driven back to his current situation, he attempted to get pass the Gerudo king but before he could Ganondorf grabbed him by the back of his tunic and swiftly moved the boy behind his cape. The kid struggled of course but was dissuaded to continue when the Gerudo King strengthen his grip on his shoulder.
A man arrived into the alley, handling a beating stick that had been used quite a lot judging by how worn the extremity was. He ran past Ganondorf while muttering insults and other curses, he stopped at the intersection and asked the only witness he could find "Have you seen a boy running down the alley ? He stole fifty rope worth of fruits from my stand !"
The boy shivered, Ganondorf was clever enough to figure out what was going on in the boy's head, he was going to be sold out the the merchant or worse, beaten up by the two in a back alley where no one would come to save him.
"I apologise I haven't seen anyone on the way, how does this boy look like ?"
"Short, messy blond hair and dirty cloth, probably about six or seven years old." The man explained, spatting as much hate as he could.
"No, doesn't ring a bell." Ganondorf finished. The merchant dismissed the Gerudo King and continued his hunt further into the village. "He is gone now, you can move."
The boy pushed aside the large cape and simply looked up at Ganondorf, the fruits still in his hand. What was he waiting for now ? As he didn't get a response Ganondorf picked an apple from the pile and took a large bite in it. "My cut if you don't mind." Still no response though, just a slightly annoyed frown. "Where are you parents ? Surely they wouldn't like to see you stealing like this."
The boy didn't seem to care though, now that he had more time to look at him it was obvious that the boy had been neglected for some time. He could see where this was going. "So where do you live ? How about I escort you there, if the other idiot comes back I will deal with him. You worked a lot to earn your food don't you think ?"
The kid looked at his fruits for a minute before nodding and walking in a direction with Ganondorf following closely behind him. The merchant must have given up, the sun was halfway gone across the horizon at that time, his little accomplice guided him deeper into the village, right to their graveyard which was in a more despicable state than the houses.
The King and Queen of Hyrule aren't exactly taking care of their kingdom as well as he thought. This place was giving him goosebumps, the Gerudo King fearing for himself, the irony. The boy climbers up a tree where a few planks had been installed on two branches to act as a platform. "So this is where you live uh ?"
The young Hylian leaned near the edge to look at the Gerudo from above and nodded, his face as expressionless as before. Ganondorf placed his hand against the trunk, this thing wasn't quite stable and the neighbor's we probably not as quite as they seemed, exploring tombs in the desert thought him that lesson more than once.
He pitied the boy for his current situation, yet he could relate, he had been an orphan too but in a most enjoyable context and he was a thief. "I should head back before it gets dark, just and advice before I leave, if you steal something, try to not get caught unless it can't be avoided."
The boy tilted his head to the side. "Not much of a talker ... well it was nice meeting you. Goodbye boy."
"Link."
Ganondorf didn't see the boy's lips moving but he was sure the word originated from him. "What was that ?" He asked.
"Link." The boy repeated, with a more quiet voice this time.
"Your name I assume ?"
The young Hylian nodded once again, did he pick his own name ? Ganondorf smirked "I will keep that in mind, good evening Link." He left without turning back, this kid was getting to his soft side.
His sisters were installed around a large table in the main room of the inn, with the authorisation of the old lady they had prepared their dinner. It was rare for Ganon to see a plate of meat on a table that wasn't originating from a monster, he was quite fond of roasted Lizalfos, by the color of the meat be deduced it was sheep.
"Ah Gan, we almost started eating without you, just where have you been all this time ?"
"Meeting with the local population and clearing my head for tomorrow's meeting, just as I said." He served himself last, mostly by habit but partially to get the attention away from himself, Nabooru was giving him the stare again. "How was the marketplace by the way ?"
"Oh right, the Hylians have weird customs, they change the prices depending of which client they get !" One of his sisters commented, putting the accent on sarcasm.
"Oh, there was a sudden increase in the price ?" The Gerudo King asked.
"For a moment yes." Nabooru continued "But then you will never believe what happened, some kid dressed in green and white clothes threw a cuco at the merchant we were negotiating with. The Hylian tried to chase it off but then other cucos gathered and they swarmed on the poor man." The whole table laughed, except Ganondorf, he was ... impressed. "While he left the prices of his fruits dropped down quite a lot." She concluded, making everyone regain their seriousness in the process.
They owe quite a lot to the little Hylian now, any food was precious to them. Judging by the sudden increase in volume of their largest bag they had gotten away with quite a lot, not like their previous owner would be missing any, the field of apple trees they passed during their journey could feed dozens of their sisters.
"I heard the commotion, I wondered what it was all about." Ganondorf commented "We better be careful with those fruits, it will take some time to go back to the desert and then we will have to turn them into jelly for conservation." He spoke to himself near the end.
The rest of the meal was uneventful, the innkeeper didn't speak Gerudo so she wouldn't gossip about their conversation to the other villagers. Ganondorf hardly enjoyed his stay, the kid was on his mind since he arrived and he just couldn't forget about him and move on.
They departed for castle town the next day, it was barely two hours away from Kakarico and the gentle breeze of Hyrule fields in the morning was a blessing. At least something they could enjoy both in this foreign land and into the desert. The guards stopped them for quite a while, they had to request for entry into the Town and then they had to make another request to enter the castle grounds.
And they had been "invited", as a compensation the King welcomed him and his sisters personally at the entrance of the castle, he kept apologising until they had arrived into the main hall. The queen wasn't present, she wasn't feeling well according to the King and therefore she wouldn't participate to the negotiations. If Ganondorf had to make a guess the queen simply didn't want to deal with Gerudo thieves.
Her daughter was polite enough to greet them, princess Zelda , she was about seven years old, just like Link. The King dismissed her, she asked if she could stay for the negotiations but her father insisted that she had nothing to do with it and that she shouldn't disturb the adults. The poor girl just wanted to listen, what was so wrong about this ?
The princess left as politely as she could after being publically scolded for meddling with adults affairs. The negotiations themselves were useless, just as Ganondorf had expected, being polite with the King didn't change anything. He wouldn't lift a single finger to open a trading route or make exchanges with the Gerudo "fair" ... no, instead he blamed them for caravan attacks and various other incidents near the border of the desert, justifying his inaction by the lack of trust between the Gerudos and the other races of Hyrule.
Ganondorf stormed out of the castle, none of his sisters complained, in fact for the first time in years Nabooru told him she wouldn't have lasted as long as he did to hold a conversation with the Hylian King. The group came across princess Zelda on their way out.
Despite her young age it was clear she figured out the negotiations went wrong, for her own sake she hadn't been present to listen to all her father's nonsense. The young girl extended her hand once, Ganondorf's eyes caught the discret movement, he slowed door for a few seconds, curious about princess Zelda's intentions. However any courage she had found to reach out was cast away as her father stormed into the entrance hall to complain about the way the Gerudos were repaying him for his hospitality, ironic to the end.
The guards were more than willing to let them leave Castle Town, perhaps their return to the desert would be better than their departure. "You want us to head back home straight away ? We might have to travel during the night and personally I would like to avoid ambushes." Nabooru spoke for all his sisters, as if he would risk their lives over such petty troubles.
"No, we are heading back to Kakarico, we can restock more and-" the bou crossed him mind again.
"And ?" Pressed Nabooru.
"Their inn wasn't that bad all things considered." He improvised, his sisters would never let him go easily if he mentioned his encounter. Now he had to think about another plan, the solution was obvious, he could reach out to the other tribes, the Hylians didn't control the entire world after all.
"Koume and Kotake are going to be mad at you, witches ... if they had been present to hear that fool speaking I would been able to enjoy seeing them curse the King." One of his sister commented. She was right, his mothers would held him responsible in a way or another. Vengeance was tempting, but he would put everyone in danger ... no, he would make the King of Hyrule look like a fool for denying any kind of relationship between their people.
"We won't come back empty handed and that's a promise that I estimate already fulfilled."
The innkeeper was nicer than the last time, Nabooru and his sisters had gotten along quite well with the old lady. Girl talk as they said, one of the only thing that Ganondorf had never truly been into, he just had better things to think and talk about.
This time Ganondorf accompanied Nabooru to the marketplace, his presence surprisingly lowered the prices. This time around they made sure to buy meat and salt for conservation. This was also a good occasion to ask around the origins of the products in order to target which tribe the Gerudo should try to ally with for their next visit.
They finished their tour with a familiar face, the fruit merchant, his stock had already been replenished just as the Gerudo King expected, the merchant however still had a few minor injuries on his face from the cucos attack. "You found your thief ?" Ganondorf asked, feigning innocence.
"Oh I know where he lives right, he hides in the cemetery. But I would rather not mess with him on his territory." The merchant leaned in to whisper. "Belive me or not, but this child is no Hylian, he is a demon !" The Gerudo King raised an eyebrow and so did Nabooru.
"The boy in green ? A demon ? What's making you think that ?" His sister asked.
"That brat hides in the old graveyard. This place is cursed- ... well, to the bone if I may say." He laughed to his own joke, they did not enjoy this kind of humour as much as the merchant. "Anyway, as I was saying this darned graveyard is filled with poes ! Uh ... I mean ghosts, they attack anyone who comes to close, they aren't too dangerous on their own but they mess with your body and your spirit for fun ! If you want my point of view I'm sure that kid is responsible in a way or another."
Nabooru sighed "You are accusing a child of summoning monsters to attack the village instead of thinking about where he comes from or how to help him ? There is a reason if he turns to thievery in order to survive."
"You think it's our fault ? This brat showed up out of nowhere and started creeping everyone ! We sent the guards and they came back with bruises, bruises you hear me ! They won't even dare to approach the place anymore." A whole group of guards in armor came back wounded from their encounter with a kid ? This picked Ganondorf's curiosity, the merchant kept rambling and arguing with Nabooru, the Gerudo King used this distraction to take a fruit before heading further into the village.
He found Link laying down on his tree floor, look at the clouds through the leaves. He looked taken by surprise when he heard the footsteps of the large Gerudo. He was relived to see it was only the stranger he met the other day and simply waved at him.
"Good day to you." Ganondorf threw an orange at the boy, Link staggered a bit, he let go of the fruit once and barely let the fruit fall all the way down to the ground. "Nice catch, I heard a few things about you from some people in town, they say you like ghosts and that you beat up a couple of guards." Link crawled back on his platform hiding himself from Ganondorf. "I'm assuming your silence means you aren't denying what they told me."
No answer, not the right way to approach him. "I do not mind, in fact I'm quite impressed. It takes a lot of courage to lkve like you do." Ganondorc waited, it worked, Link moved again, picking over his wood platform to look down at the Gerudo King. "I'm heading back home tomorrow, I live far away in the desert, my sisters and I went to Hyrule to meet the King and request his assistance. It didn't go well."
Ganondorf sat on a tombstone that wasn't used, Link gestured at him to not do that. "What's wrong ?" The kid whispered something but the Gerudo couldn't hurt. "Speak louder boy, I can't hear you at all."
"They will get angry." He managed to say while throwing glances at the other tombstone in the graveyard, Ganondorf thought this confirmed what the merchant said about the ghosts of the graveyard, af least their existence.
"Oh, you are friend with them ?" Link shrugged. "Uh ... more like your neighbors then." The boy nodded absently in response. "What about the guards then ? Did you beat them up alone ? I doubt you did, you ran away from that fat merchant the other day." This wasn't specifically a taunt but Link felt offended, he jumped down for the platform and starred up at the Gerudo King. "What ? You are insinuating you fought them ? I believe you have a pot of talent as a thief, but not as a fighter."
That look the boy sent him, he saw fire in his eyes, determinatio. Oh he liked it, now the only thing he wished to know was how far he could push the boy. "You know what ? Fine, I'll indulge you, if you can land a single hit on me, I will give you a reward. It's not often someone can prove me wrong." The kid smiled, he ran near a tombstone and grabbed a piece of wood that had been carved to look like a sword. "You are full of surprises." Now this was supposed to be a taunt, but Link took it as a compliment, the shy and reserved boy was gone, replaced by a knight guided by the heat of battle. "Go on, I'm waiting."
The kid dashed toward him at an unexpected speed, this showed a certain level of experience and practice, but against what ? His moves were sloppy and weak, but he couldn't blame Link, the kid clearly looked malnourished, however he had to admit that Hey fighting style was quite efficient.
Ganondorf was unarmed and relied on his armor to block every blow, a wooden sword would never be able to hurr him. But it isn't was Link was aiming for, he was looking for something that the Gerudo King would recognize as an actual blow. "You think I'm just gonna stand still like a tree ?" He landed a wealth kick against the young boy, it still had enough power to send him rolling a few meters back. "I'm not impressed, is that all you got ?"
Link dusted his clothes and regain is fighting stance. He charged at the Gerudo again, Ganondorf thought to himself that kids never learn when to give up, but just as he was about to teach the kid another lesson, he dodge rolled to the side and swung his sword at the thigh of the King.
His reflexes triggered, his blood rushing to block the hit, just barely, how long had it been since he got caught off guard ? And by a kid nonetheless ! The boy sneaked between his legs, but this time around Ganondorf caught him by the collar of his Tunis and dragged him back in front of him, Link lost his sword in the process.
The Gerudo chuckled, the facial expression of the boy being hanged above to ground up to his face level was priceless "Hahaha, you almost got me, you are quite a sneaky little-" he got slapped, the possibility of Link pulling this one move on him never crossed his mind. Oh the satisfaction on the boy's face, proving others wrong despite the adversity, oh he absolutely loved it !
He repressed his anger and laughed, for a moment he feared his laugh would scare off Link like most of his younger sisters, but it did not, the young Hylian laughed along with him. Ganondorf dropped back Link to the ground and placed his large hand on his shoulder "You are a formidable foe, I admit it. Now ... about this reward I mentioned, it's more of an offer."
The Gerudo gestured at the graveyard "You call this place home because it is the only one you ever felt safe at or was able to live in with a certain level of comfort. But when I look at it I see a prison that has been imposed on you, Link, you could be so much more." The young boy looked confused yet inspired by Ganondorf's speech. "Tomorrow I will be returning to the desert, this land is hostile to all life, there aren't any towns or farming fields to buy or gather food. It's a challenge to survive every day." He explained.
"If you wish, you could join us, you would have to fight for something else than food but you wouldn't be alone anymore. I only promise sweat and pain but there might be a glimmer of future for you, what do you say Link ?" The young Hylian was in awe, he gestured at the Gerudo King to wait for a minute and climbed up into his tree, there was some ruckus for a moment before Link jumped down with some kind of rag that he wore around his neck as a cloak, he took that and his wooden sword with him before joing Ganondorf.
"Is that all ?" The boy nodded approvingly. "Then this is probably the last time you will be seeing this place and even this town, are you sure you won't regret it ?"
Link looked away from Ganondorf. "They want me dead." He whispered aloud with sadness. They had to get moving now so Ganondorf's grabbed Link's hand and guided him across the town.
"They won't hurt you anymore, now I just need to convince my sisters to bring you back with us. It's gonna be such a pain."
The reactions of his sisters were mixed.
"Gan you kidnapped a kid ?"
"He looks cute !"
"He is dirty though, did you do that to him ?"
In an instant the boy was snatched from his hand and being examined by his sisters. Link didn't seemed scared, just very uncomfortable, they spoke in Gerudo too so the poor boy couldn't even understand what they were talking about. "Give the kid some space to breath girls." Nabooru commanded, she kneeled to Link's level "You need a bath and a fresh change of clothes for sure." She spoke in Hylian this time. "Ashai, Babi, mind helping him a bit ? There is a bathtube on the second floor."
Link looked at Ganondorf, obvisouly asking if it was safe, the Gerudo King gestured at the kid to follow his sisters. "That went better than I expected." He spoke to himself before taking at sit.
"Gan, you kidnapped a kid-"
"I DID NOT KIDNAP HIM !" He snapped "For Din's sake what's wrong with all of you ? Why are you assuming I kidnapped him in the first place." Nabooru crossed her arms and gave him the stare "...fair point, I would have thought the same in your place."
"So where did you find him anyway ?" Another of his sisters asked. "That's the kid from the marketplace isn't it ? I knew his green clothes reminded me of something recent. He is even smaller than I thought !"
"He is an orphan, he has been living in their haunted graveyard for the goddesses only know how long. I happened to notice his abilities and offered him to come with us. He was more than happy to accept." Ganondorf explained simply.
"Gan, I see a lot of problems. First, he is a boy."
"So am I."
"That's quite different, what would you say if one of us suddenly decided to adopt a young boy and bring them back to the fortress ? Or even better, what if someone wishes to get married and they ask for permission to let their future husband visit their birthplace ?" Her lawfulness was getting to his nerves and as much as he disliked it her arguments couldn't be broken easily.
He could just say "I am the King, I get the final word." But ruining his relationship with Naburi simply wasn't worth it. He rubbed his face to hide his nervousness. "My act isn't completely disinterested, I hope that on the long term he can help us to make some progress on our reputation with the Hylians."
His sisters looked at each others in confusion. "How exactly do you envision that ?" Nabooru asked.
"If I knew you might as well call me a seer. I just know this kid is exceptional, it's not only an intuition ... though if any of you wanna tell him that he has to go back to his graveyard, please, go on. Because I am not sending him back." Playing on their sense of moral was cruel, but it wasn't a dirty blow in their negotiations. Naburo did as much from the very beginning.
They ended up agreeing with him, he dealt with his sisters but dealing with his mothers ... why did everything have to be so hard for him ? Not that he disliked a little bit of challenge but still. A few minutes later Ashai and Babi came back with Link, his old dirty clothes were gone, somehow his sisters managed to modify a sirwal and a garb for him, he was blushing, having so much skin exposed was probably unusual for him.
"Red suits you." Ganondorf commented, Link blended better into the town while he was wearing green, but the Gerudo colours were most often a mix of white, red, pink or black. "You like it ?" The young boy shivered at the question, his sisters were hoping for his approval and Link felt pressured, he nodded freneticly. Ashai and Babi letting out breaths of relief.
Nabooru whispered to Ganondorf "Is he mute ? He hasn't spoken a single word since he arrived."
"Selectively mute." He corrected his sister, when she was about to ask for a reason he simply shrugged. "He is a good kid nontheless, very polite I promise." He open a gourd of water and brought it to his lips.
"He better be a gentleman or else he is gonna have a hard time at the fortress." Nabooru continued, she leaned in closer from Ganondorf's ear "Given the right supervision he won't turn out like you." He choked on the gourd, Nabooru laughed out loud and his sisters followed along, he was about to get back at her but earing Link's laugh made him reconsider his reaction. Instead he shrugged it, he should keep his energy for their return.