Hello to anyone who actually reads these. How ya'll doing today. I've played the Legend of Zelda series for a while but I'm pretty new to this fandom. So please comment and tell me how the fuck I'm doing.
So anyway, this story picks up a few days before the Calamity in the og Breath of the Wild timeline. Not dealing with the Age of Calamity bullshit. (I haven't played it yet so pls no spoilers)
Anyway, in case anyone needs a disclaimer, I do not own the Legend of Zelda. All characters and other shit belongs to Nintendo.
Chapter One:
A storm was coming. They were rare in the desert, but he could always feel when one was coming. There was a certain spark in the air, a power that would send jolts up his spine. Little bolts of electricity arching up his spine, coursing through his veins. It was exhilarating.
Storms in the desert didn't mean the same thing as they did in the lands of Hyrule. No. Here in the vast wastelands of the Gerudo desert, storms meant something else entirely. They meant death.
They were not the carefree breezes and gentle raindrops out in the lushous fields of green. They didn't mean a day inside with their family, huddled together around a fire. They weren't omens of a good harvest. No. Storms in the desert meant fear. They meant hurricane gusts and clouds of sand that could blind a woman and tear the skin from her bones in a matter of hours. Storms meant hiding from the raging winds and thunderous echoes of lightning, praying that one wouldn't strike their house.
At least, that was how it was for most people. To him, storms were exciting. They were powerful. They went were they pleased and crushed whatever got in their way.
He would sometimes sneak out during a storm to revel in its might. To feel the wiping winds on his face and hear the echo of thunder. To feel the power engulf him. It was exhilarating.
At least, he used to. Before his mother found out. He was sneaking back in to Gerudo town when he came face to face with his mother, waiting for him just inside the town walls. She scolded him for his disobedience, yelled at him for his stupidity and recklessness and expressed her concern for his safety. He apologized profusely and was sent to his room while she thought about his punishment.
That had been five months ago. They hadn't had a storm since. He scowled. No doubt his mother would find some nefarious way to keep him occupied during the storm. And assign a guard to watch him. And lock him in his room for good measure.
It wasn't that she was overprotective. More that he had a knack for getting in trouble. Like the time he had accidentally walked over a Molduga pit. Or the time he stumbled into a Yiga hideout. Or when he accidentally set fire to one of the buildings in Gerudo Town.
Ok so maybe he caused a bit of the trouble.
But this was different. He wasn't stupid. He knew what he was doing. He wasn't blindly stumbling into danger, he was searching for it.
With some recollection, he decided that that explanation would probably not sway his mother. As the leader of the Gerudo, she wouldn't make foolish decisions that recklessly put people in danger. Especially not him.
"You will too be Chief one day," she often reminded him. "You have to stop thinking about yourself and focus on the needs of your people."
But he heard the undertones in her voice. He wasn't just going to be Chief. He was the first Gerudo male in millenia. The first Gerudo Prince. The soon to be Gerudo King. He needed to set an example. To show the warrior women that he was a competent leader and a vicious warrior, like his mother. That he would lead with a strong and just hand. That he would lead them in the right direction.
"Prince!"
He looked up as someone called up to him. It was Bulara, his mother's Captain of the Guard and closest advisors. Bulara was usually the one left in charge when his mother left. He sighed, jumping off his position on the wall of the town and landing in front of Bulara. He rose to his full height, having to look down at the woman. He was tall, despite only being seventeen, standing half a head taller than the woman before him. The Gerudo vai were known for their height, towering over most of the other races in Hyrule. Only the Zora or Gorons could look the Gerudo in the eye on even ground.
The woman looked at him suspiciously as he stood before her. "Your mother requests your presence in her throne room."
"Thank you Bulara," he responded courteously, though keeping his head straight. Bulara bowed her head slightly, and a bit stiffly if he noted correctly, which he always did. Flashing her a feral grin, he strutted off to find his mother.
As he made his way back towards his mothers, he noticed as he always did the glares of a few vai. As always he ignored. Some of the vai in the Gerudo were opposed to his presence in Gerudo Town, and liked even less that he would be Chief. They claimed that the tribe was a matriarchy, and a male had no business ruling the tribe. Some even went as far to say that he didn't belong in Gerudo Town.
His mother was always quick to refute them. And none would ever dare to challenge her to her face. But still, the whispers persisted.
He climbed the stone steps leading to the small throne room. Two vai stood at either side of the entrance. They nodded their heads in greeting to him, with more respect than Bulara had shown him. He recognised these two soldiers. He sparred with them often, sometimes both of them at once. He nodded back at them and strode in to speak with his mother.
He knelt and inclined his head a few feet from the small throne. "You summoned me, mother?"
"Yes. I have an assignment for you," she responded. That was one of his favorite qualities about her. She never wasted a breath of pointless words. There was never any small talk.
"What is it, mother," he responded, aware it was probably a research assignment meant to keep his ever curious mind at bay during the upcoming storm. He knew that she felt it too.
"Princess Zelda is coming to inquire about Vah Naboris," her mother stated. "I want you to accompany her as she inspects it."
"With all due respect mother, it is your Divine Beast. Why aren't you going?"
"I am going to investigate a rumor of Yiga spies to the east. I want you to escort the Princess and answer all you can about the Divine Beast. I am clear?"
"Yes mother," he said.
"Good. Then you should start reading up. You won't be much help to Zelda if you don't know anything about my Divine Beast, now will you?"
He scowled and Urbosa grinned, winking at him. "Now Ganondorf, don't make such a face. That's not a very princely look, is it?"
Recovering quickly, Ganondorf smiled. "Of course not, mother. I shall do my best to maintain my regal composure in preparation for our guests."
Urbosa's grin widened. "That's what I like to hear."
Ganondorf, sighed, putting his head in his hands. He was looking at Sheikah schematics and his mother's own notes of the mechanical monstrosity. He had analyzed every bit of text regarding the Divine Beast he could possibly find. And he was still sure it would be utterly unsatisfactory to the Hyrulian Princess.
Thunder boomed outside. Ganondorf looked up, feeling the residual electricity trickle through him. He looked back to Bulara, who glared at him from her spot at the door. He smiled and gave a little wave. She rolled her eyes and went back to sharpening her spear.
It played out pretty close to what Ganondorf expected. He wasn't exactly locked in his room, but leaving meant he had to get past Bulara and her spear. And Ganondorf wasn't about to get himself stabbed in order to amuse himself.
Ganondorf leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, listening to the howling winds. He felt the lightning arc across the sky and slam into the sands, scorching the rough earth. Ganondorf always has a strong connection to the storms. It was likely due to his mother's own power of lightning.
Lightning had always come easiest to him. When he was seven he shot electricity from his fingers that killed a Lizalfos. When he was nine he summoned a bolt of lightning that slayed a Moblin. When he was twelve he was just as proficient in lightning magic as his mother. She had taught him control and restraint, despite his growing abilities. But once she no longer had anything to teach him, Ganondorf began experimenting on his own.
When he was fourteen he stalked a Wizzro for a week. He watched it use fire magic to create fireballs and create a flock of fire-Keese. With some difficulty, Ganondorf was able to copy the Wizzro's abilities. When he was ready, he approached the Wizzro and killed it using only fire magic. Then he repeated the process with an ice Wizzro.
His mother didn't know about that though. She still thought he was only limited to lightning and storm magic. They practiced together outside the walls of Gerudo Town. They would spar together, spears of lightning arcing through the air at each other, the buzz of magic in the air. It was incredible.
One day Ganondorf accidentally created a storm that ravaged Kara Kara Bazaar. It left shops and houses in ruins, destroyed wares and ripped trees out of the ground. Surprisingly no one was hurt, but after that Urbosa stopped their sparring sessions. Instead she would have him work in tandem with her own lightning. Together they shattered mountains and slaughtered monsters. They were unstoppable. Two Gerudo warriors bending the skies to their will, hunting down enemies of their people and dealing with them swiftly and justly. It wasn't as taxing as sparring with his mother, but it was equally satisfying.
The door slammed open, sending sand flying into Ganondorf's red hair. Ganondorf turned to see Athena standing in the doorway, struggling against the wind to shut the door. Ganondorf waved a hand and the door slammed shut. Athena fell backward, landing with an oomph. Ganondorf laughed quietly and Athena glared at him.
Bulara stood and pointed her weapon at the girl. "Halt! What do you think you're doing in the Prince's room during a storm?" Bulara demanded as Athena got to her feet.
"Relax you old Sand Seal I'm just stopping in to take my book back. Unlike some people, I'm going to have to go out and find a husband for myself," Athena said, brushing away Bulara's weapon. Athena sauntered into Ganondorf's room and looked around appraisingly. She whistled, "Damn Prince, it pays to have a rich mother."
Ganondorf snorted. "Please. Don't give me the 'surprised you're not poor' act. I know you've been in here before. Despite what you think you're not that subtle."
Athena grinned. "That's only cause I wanted you to know I was here. Who knows what I could've done if I was really trying?"
"You're about as stealthy as a Molduga during the mating season. If you actually tried I'm sure one would come looking for you."
"And you're so much better Prince? I can stealth circles around your sorry ass."
Ganondorf rolled his eyes. It was well known that Ganondorf was quite sneaky despite his stature. When he was younger, Ganondorf was infamous amongst the women warriors that patrolled the walls for sneaking out and going missing for days at a time. Every time his mother would reprimand him for causing a mass panic but that never stopped him.
"Anyways, I want my book back. I know you're fascinated with the female anatomy but some of us have grades on the line," Athena remarked.
"And here I was thinking you'd be flattered by my interest," Ganondorf snapped back.
"As if. Just because you're the only male to be born in the Gerudo Tribe in a ten thousand years doesn't make you special."
"I'm pretty sure the line of suitors and pile of *ahem* 'love' letters would disagree with you."
"Yeah? Well maybe your love letters would like to go a few rounds with me in the sparring ring and see if we're on the same page then?"
"They seem inclined to think that's a reasonable agreement."
"Good. Have them meet me at dawn tomorrow and we'll settle it like vai. Hopefully they'll give me more of a challenge than you do, Princeling."
Athena was one of the few people besides his mother that regularly bested Ganondorf in the sparring ring. They've been close friends ever since they were children, causing mischief everywhere they went. Urbosa seemed to think they brought out the worst in each other, but Ganondorf knew it was the other way around. They pushed each other the way no one else did, thinking of exciting new ways to create trouble.
"Don't worry, I doubt they'll disappoint," Ganondorf replied, handing over the book Athena was looking for.
"Thank you Prince. I look forward to it," Athena said, striding out into the storm.
Once the door was once again barring him and Bulara from the sands, she turned to him, concern tugging at the edges of her eyes. "My Prince, are you sure that is wise? Especially since you are meeting the Princess of Hyrule later tomorrow. Shouldn't you keep a mannered composure? Especially after what happened...last time?"
That was a fair point. The last time the two had seen each other, it had resulted in a shouting match that scared the whole castle and required Urbosa and the King to drag them both away. Since then they haven't spoken to each other. They blatantly ignored each other whenever Ganondorf went to Hyrule Castle or Zelda came to Gerudo Town.
It had started when a Sheikah messenger came to inform Urbosa of the Fortune Teller's prophecy. Even at his young age, Ganondorf caught the messenger's nervous glances at him. When news of the Queen's death came soon afterwards, Ganondorf started noticing the women in Gerudo Town avoiding him. And when they went to Hyrule Castle for the Queen's funeral, he overheard people whispering about him. And it all reached a boiling point when Ganondorf and Zelda were forced to sit together after the Queen's funeral. Both children were tired and fed up with people's expectations of them. All it took was a quiet muttering from Ganondorf to escalate to a full on screaming episode for all of Hyrule to see. Because of this, Urbosa refused to take him to Hyrule Castle on her frequent visits.
Ganondorf looked back at Bulara and raised his notes in a toast. "Here's to hoping history doesn't repeat itself."