Where the Seas Meet the Sands

by a-salty-tol

While Ganondorf is busy as king of the Gerudo and Linebeck is often out at sea, they hardly manage to find time to spend together- but with the right timing and allowances, find time for a bit of desert exploration.

1. Ganondorf

This fic started off mostly for myself and then ended up being for myself and everyone else who ended up seeming interested in it.

So... here's a fic for a strange little pairing that's been stuck on my mind for a while!

There's some generally frequent cursing and very slight sexual themes, otherwise there isn't much to mention beforehand.

Enjoy!

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Ganondorf raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight as he stepped out onto the sand. He paused, looked back at the shadows cast by the canyon, then continued into the desert. Behind him, he heard a brief snicker, and shot the culprit a half-hearted glare. It wasn't his fault he hadn't been out of the Gerudo canyon in nearly a week; he'd been buried in paperwork. In response to his glare, Nabooru stuck her tongue out at him. He glared at his cousin for a moment longer, then sighed and turned his gaze back to the desert.

Ganondorf led the small group, Nabooru and Urbosa accompanying him out of the canyon settlement. He didn't hate their company- he and Nabooru got along well enough, and Urbosa was a close friend when her job as his bodyguard didn't get in the way. Instead, he hated how his mothers had refused to let him go alone, even though he'd proven that he was capable of taking care of himself.

He was the king of the Gerudo, and yet they still hardly let him do anything alone.

It had taken two weeks, five arguments, and multiple sleepless nights to get his foster mothers to agree, but Ganondorf was finally on his way to an expedition into the desert. Koume and Kotake had been hard to persuade, as they constantly argued that he was too busy, too important to just go and explore the desert, and that tensions were too high with Hyrule to be adventuring with some random Hylian, but they eventually relented.

Thankfully, they didn't ask the identity of his Hylian companion. Ganondorf doubted that he would be able to explain that. Linebeck's reputation wasn't the best, especially not to people who didn't know him personally.

Urbosa and Nabooru had been supportive, though quietly inquisitive, though he managed to promise them that he would be meeting with a trusted friend. Nabooru knew exactly who he was meeting with as well as the nature of their relationship; she'd seen the letters, and Ganondorf knew her to be the best at keeping a secret.

Urbosa was respectful of his privacy, but made him promise that his friend was trustworthy. Ganondorf had only shrugged and reminded her that the Gerudo Desert was dangerous for everyone, traveling partner or not. Besides, he could use magic and had been trained to fight since he was a child; he didn't need protection. He'd brought with him a bag of supplies, some of the contents being his weapons. Still, she had him review his skills and asked to properly meet his friend before they set off into the desert.

They both were both a few feet behind him as he trudged down the desert path, but it felt like they were both breathing down his neck.

That, or it was the feeling of the sun beating down on the back of his neck. He reached up and adjusted his ponytail, brushing his hair away from his skin.

Despite the oppressive heat and barren hills and monster nests, Ganondorf was looking forward to exploring the desert. He would have a chance to properly stretch his legs and get away from his duties and the prying eyes of others and just relax in the expansive sands.

As far as his mothers and his friends were concerned, he was on his way to an archeology trip with a friend. Only Nabooru knew that it was actually more like an extended date.

The Kara Kara Bazaar was the gateway into the desert. It was where he and Linebeck had agreed to meet, and from there, they would set off alone into the desert.

He was promised a few days with a friend. And those few days wouldn't start until they reached the Bazaar.

Clearing his throat, Ganondorf glanced back at his two escorts. He hesitated a moment, then said, "I'll be fine once we reach the Bazaar. I'll have no problem finding my friend."

Urbosa frowned at him. "The Bazaar is often crowded with people- on the contrary, I imagine it will be a bit difficult for you to find your friend. We'll help you look."

Ganondorf turned away before the others could see his scowl. "...Alright. I'll introduce him to you. Just promise me that you'll give him a chance."

He didn't speak to them again until they reached the Bazaar, but he could hear Urbosa and Nabooru murmuring to each other. With a nervous sigh, he murmured a quiet prayer for luck to the sand goddess.

The Kara Kara Bazaar was set where the roads from the Gerudo Canyon and the path to the rest of Hyrule converged. It was the farthest into the desert some outsiders had ever been. During a few of his past visits to the Bazaar, Ganondorf had the chance to meet many different Hylians, Zoras, Gorons, and Rito, though most of them he never caught the names of. Most of the people he actually kept in contact with he met outside of the desert. The ambassadors of the other races he met in their respective capitals.

On the other hand, he'd met Linebeck in some random port town and they played chess and Ganondorf lost badly enough that he decided this strange sailor was worth keeping in touch with.

In his bag, he'd brought a notebook and an archaeology book he'd managed to find in the palace library; Linebeck was more adventurous than him, so Ganondorf agreed to bring what they'd need for studying ruins so long as he brought whatever supplies they'd need on the trip.

Meeting at the Bazaar was a good choice as the general meeting place for a desert expedition, plus, if either of them forgot anything they'd need, they could pick it up before leaving. Ganondorf was almost certain that he'd prepared properly, but Linebeck was a little more prone to forgetting important tools.

Ganondorf, Nabooru, and Urbosa reached the Bazaar only half an hour after leaving the canyon, making good time. Despite her suspicions about Ganondorf's friend, Urbosa clearly didn't want to ruin his chance to take a break from near-constant work. He only hoped that she wouldn't get too bad of an impression from Linebeck.

Ganondorf led Nabooru and Urbosa into the Bazaar, already searching through the crowd. He paused to allow the two of them to catch up to him, and the three of them huddled in the shade of a market stall.

"So, what does your friend look like?" Urbosa asked, frowning at the crowd. "It's pretty busy today."

"Well, he looks Hylian," Ganondorf began. "I don't know if either of you have seen him before. He's about the same age as me, taller than most Hylians, though, but not as tall as us, and he's usually wearing a long blue coat."

Nabooru scoffed, squinting at the crowd. "A coat? In this heat? I'd believe a Gerudo doing that, but Hylians aren't great in the heat. They live in milder areas for a reason."

"He's, uh…" Ganondorf hesitated. There was a good chance that Urbosa had heard of Linebeck, and most rumors spread about him pictured him as a rogue, skilled but chaotic and with questionable morals. Ganondorf wasn't sure that Urbosa, fierce believer in honor that she was, would approve of the trip into the desert once she knew the identity of his friend. It would be best if she found out upon meeting Linebeck, so that both he and Ganondorf could explain themselves. "...He's a traveler and more used to hot weather than most other Hylains. He's of Gerudo descent, too, so he can handle it better than most other Hylians."

"Oh, he's half Gerudo!" Nabooru sounded surprised, and gave Ganondorf a questioning look. "I didn't know that."

"Well, you don't know him," Ganondorf quickly followed up. "Listen, he'll probably find us pretty quickly. We tend to stand out in a crowd, but how about we find the northern entrance? It's closer to the path to Hyrule, and he'll be coming from that direction."

The three of them made their way through the crowd, heading to the opposite end of the bazaar. For the most part, the crowd easily moved out of the way- Ganondorf was recognized by most people at the bazaar, after all. But there were clearly a few travelers that didn't know who he was, slowing their progress.

They were only halfway to the other entrance when Ganondorf heard someone call out his name. He looked around and spotted Linebeck waving at him across the crowd; his heart skipped a beat when he realized that Urbosa and Nabooru hadn't noticed yet. Slipping away into the crowd, Ganondorf made his way over to Linebeck, ducking slightly to hide among the people around him.

Linebeck was waiting by the bazaar's inn, leaning against one of its walls. He waved at Ganondorf again once he reached him. "Hey, Gan! Right on time. What's with the, uh, stealth?"

"I couldn't come alone," Ganondorf admitted, sitting on the ground next to Linebeck. "Nabooru and my bodyguard, Urbosa, had to come or else my mothers wouldn't let me leave." He sighed. "I'm the king of the Gerudo and I'm hardly even allowed to leave home alone. Listen, they are going to want to meet you before letting us go out into the desert, so we only get a little bit of time to prepare."

Now looking a bit worried, Linebeck tilted his head to the side. "...Prepare for… what? They're just going to meet me, right? What's there to prepare for?"

Ganondorf laughed humorlessly. "At the very least you ought to prepare a little script or something for them so that they let us off the hook."

With a frown, Linebeck slid down the wall to sit next to Ganondorf. As a Hylian, he was much smaller than Ganondorf, both a bit over a foot shorter and considerably thinner- though, by Hylian standards, Linebeck was especially thin and tall. Ganondorf, as a male Gerudo, couldn't compare his own appearance to many others', but he seemed par for the course when compared to other Gerudo his age. The only Gerudo traits most could notice in Linebeck were the darker tone of his skin and his height, though he and Ganondorf had discussed other traits. One thing the two of them shared was near-perfect eyesight.

Linebeck gently leaned against Ganondorf. "Should I be worried about your friends, then?"

"Yes, and I'll admit that it'll be safer for us to be more open only after they're gone." Linebeck hesitantly drew away from Ganondorf, who continued. "It's my cousin, Nabooru, and my bodyguard, Urbosa. Nabooru is aware of our relationship, Urbosa is not, and neither of them know that you're… you." He shrugged. "I know you've tried to change things, but your reputation precedes you, and we both know it's not all that good."

Linebeck scowled, then winced. "Shit. …Shit! Well, what should we do about that? I'm still not very good about… being honest!" He groaned aloud, nervously glaring at the crowd around them. "Well, what do you want me to do? What should I say?"

Ganondorf gently elbowed Linebeck in the side. "Look, just… be nice? Try not to make it obvious that we're dating or anything, but the whole point of this is to convince them to let us go into the desert. They're worried that it might not be safe for me to be alone with you." He gave the sailor a soft smile. "I'll back you up, don't worry about it."

With a nervous sigh, Linebeck stared up at the cloudless sky for a moment. "I brought some maps, some provisions, writing materials, whatever, but we can get extra stuff while we're here, right?."

"Yes, it'd be pointless to meet up in a bazaar and then not make use of it."

"I need a cloak and I didn't bring any money. You can pay for everything, yeah?"

Ganondorf eyed Linebeck suspiciously, then gave a brief laugh. "Of course I'll cover everything. I wasn't expecting you to bring any money, anyways. Why would I ever think that you will ever help me pay for things?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm and he crossed his arms and shut his eyes for added effect.

Linebeck scowled and gave him a half-hearted shove, then got to his feet. "Whatever. I think your friends are coming over. Pair of worried looking Gerudo women at 10 o'clock, heads-up."

Ganondorf quickly leapt to his feet and dusted himself off- he wasn't wearing anything fancy, just his more practical leather armor and adventuring clothes- but he at least wanted to look half-decent when he had to get interrogated about his friend. Nabooru and Urbosa spotted them and began hurrying over; just as Ganondorf was finished regaining his composure, Linebeck elbowed him and whispered, "What if we kissed while they were watching?"

"They'd probably kill you on the spot," Ganondorf muttered, trying to hide the amused grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Just- wait until they're gone. You're the only Hylian I know, which makes you my one connection to the Hylian kingdom, similar to how Medli is my connection to the Rito and Mipha is my connection to the Zora."

"I'm technically not even part of the kingdom," Linebeck muttered. "I'm only half Hylian, too. Piss-poor ambassador- oh, yeah! I don't even like the kingdom, either."

"Listen, you're all I've got, and probably all I'll have until the Hylian kingdom starts being more respectful! Seriously, if this goes bad, we probably won't be able to see each other again." Out of the corner of his eye, Ganondorf saw Linebeck nod slowly, relieved to see that he at least partially understood.

Urbosa and Nabooru rushed over, and Urbosa grabbed Ganondorf by his cloak. "Son of a- What the hell?"

"We thought you got taken or something," Nabooru snapped. "Gangs of bandits are known to hang out around here! Seriously, even with all of your magical skills and training, you're recognizable and if you get ambushed and outnumbered- who the hell is this?" Her eyes had snapped over to Linebeck, clearly suspicious. "Is this your friend? Did you ditch us to meet up with him? I thought you wanted us to meet him too."

Ganondorf quickly cleared his throat. "I forgot to tell you. It's been a while since I last saw him. So… This is my friend!" He nervously gestured to Linebeck, who smiled. "He and I met about a year ago, and we've been keeping in touch with letters and occasional meetings since."

Now looking a bit more nervous under Urbosa and Nabooru's inquisitive gazes, Linebeck stuffed his hands into his pockets just as they started shaking. "N-nice to meet you. Gan- Ganondorf told me about you two. You're… Nabooru and Urbosa, right? I'm Linebeck. Captain Linebeck to some." Ganondorf snuck a quick look at Linebeck and caught the fear in his eyes as he grasped for his next words. "...I'm a sailor." He nervously met Ganondorf's gaze for a split second. "He just came over to meet me; we were talking about what we're going to check out in the desert."

Hoping the anxiety wasn't clear on his face, Ganondorf dragged his view over to Nabooru. He could only pray that Linebeck's brief slip-up was subtle enough. Over the years Nabooru had jokingly come up with many nicknames for him, usually shortening his name. Though he'd disregarded most of them, he'd always admitted that he would only allow someone to use the nickname 'Gan' if they were romantically involved. If they were lucky, Linebeck's accidental usage of the nickname would just come off as a nervous stammer.

A few moments after Linebeck introduced himself, Urbosa held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, then, captain." Linebeck just blinked at the usage of the title. "I believe I've heard of you, but if Ganondorf trusts you, I may as well do the same."

Linebeck briefly glanced down at the sword at Urbosa's hip, then back up at her hand. It took him a few moments to realize that she wanted them to shake. He nervously took and shook her hand, making eye contact for less than a second before glancing away. Urbosa turned to Ganondorf next. "You two are free to go. Just be sure to be back before too long. I'd rather not have to send search parties for you."

"You won't have to," Ganondorf sighed. "We know what we're doing." He glanced over at Nabooru, finding that she was still staring at Linebeck. Urbosa seemed to have accepted him easily- surprising, but welcome. Part of him suspected that she had given him a hard time for her own amusement, but her continued seriousness suggested otherwise. "We'll get going after collecting some supplies, then. Thanks for escorting me."

"I'll have to ask Koume and Kotake to stop making us shadow you every time you leave the canyon," Urbosa sighed. "They must understand that this is a waste of time for all of us."

Ganondorf let out a sharp laugh. "They've told me that I'm one of the best magic users among the Gerudo and they scarcely give out any praise, but still hesitate to put me in any amount of danger, no matter how minor." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Linebeck slowly inch closer to him, away from Nabooru. "Maybe you'll have more luck with them than I ever do."

"I should hope so," Urbosa sighed. "I believe the reason they gave your cousin and I was that they were nervous about bandit gangs, but we haven't had many reports of those recently. Either way, you're our king, and they're making it hard for you to do things on your own. I will talk with them."

"Thank you," Ganondorf murmured, glancing over at Nabooru. "Will you be going as well, or are you going to hang around a bit longer?"

"I haven't introduced myself to your friend yet, though he seems scared of me."

Ganondorf peered down at Linebeck, who was staring apprehensively at Nabooru like a terrified cat. "I think he's nervous because you've been staring at him without introducing yourself up until now."

Nabooru rolled her eyes and thrust her hand out towards Linebeck. "Alright, then. Apologies. Nice to meet you, Linebeck. I'm Nabooru, Ganondorf's cousin."

Linebeck tentatively took her hand and shook it, and the two of them exchanged knowing looks. Urbosa didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. When Nabooru released Linebeck's hand, he withdrew it quickly and with a small nod.

"You can go on ahead, Urbosa. I'll get home fine on my own. There's some stuff in the bazaar I want to check out before heading back, if that's alright."

"Very well," Urbosa sighed. "If you're not back by nightfall, though-"

"Yes, yes, search parties, I know. Please don't worry about me." Nabooru playfully waved Urbosa away, waving until she disappeared into the crowd. Then, momentarily eyeing Linebeck, Nabooru turned to Ganondorf. Then, speaking in the Gerudo language, Nabooru hissed to Ganondorf, "This is the guy you've been dating? This scrawny rat? Seriously? You've got worse taste than I thought. He's basically a criminal in Hyrule; you're in love with this guy?"

Ganondorf stared at his cousin. He knew what Nabooru was doing; switching to their native language in order to exclude Linebeck. She wanted to discuss him in front of him without him knowing, and, in all fairness, he understood. However, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Linebeck with the expression of a curious cat, peering at Ganondorf in anticipation of his response.

Of course, Linebeck also being able to speak the Gerudo language was an obvious problem, but Nabooru didn't know that, and he trusted the sailor to keep his mouth shut.

Ganondorf cleared his throat. "Be nice. You don't have to talk to him much; I'm sure that even if my mothers knew about us they wouldn't let him into Gerudo Town unless we had a good reason. I am aware of his reputation, and he's been getting into less trouble recently. You have nothing to worry about."

"I have your reputation to worry about. If you're seen so much as hanging around with some rogue Hylian sailor you'll lose credibility among everyone who doesn't trust that kingdom. Things aren't good with Hyrule. We know you need a connection to Hyrule in order to better communicate, but this guy?"

"He doesn't like Hyrule that much either, and he's only half Hylian. I told you not ten minutes ago that he's half Gerudo. Please. Trust me. That's all I ask. Trust me and let me spend some time with him. I'm not going to justify myself to you. I'm the king of the Gerudo. I'll date Linebeck if I want. It's not causing problems." Ganondorf sighed, and, switching back to Hylian, finished with "We'll go now, alright? I'll see you in a few days."

Nabooru gave him a nasty look, gave Linebeck one more skeptical glance, then sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry. I hope you two have a good time. Don't get hurt too badly out there. I've heard the lizalfos situation is pretty bad the deeper into the desert you go."

"I know," Ganondorf replied. He tapped his pack. "I've brought my weapons, and you've seen my magic. We'll be alright."

Nabooru curtly nodded and turned and left them alone.

"I haven't heard you speak Gerudo very often," Linebeck mused after a moment. "Actually, I don't hear you speak Gerudo often even to your Gerudo guards or friends or anything. Do you guys not actually speak it much?"

Ganondorf watched Nabooru leave, then backed up and leaned against the inn wall. "We do use that language, but usually back at home. The Hylian language is pretty common across Hyrule, and since we Gerudo are fairly similar to the Hylians, it's easy for us to pick up as a second language." He glanced off at the horizon. "...Anyways, I apologize for what Nabooru said about you."

Linebeck shrugged. "...I get that stuff a lot. When do you want to get going?"

"You've got everything we'll need? Wait- you don't have a bag-"

"I stayed the night at the inn. It's in my room. I'll go get it."

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said you have no money. How'd you get a room?"

Linebeck shrugged nonchalantly, then smiled up at Ganondorf. "I found some money around the bazaar. People drop stuff all the time. They don't pay attention to their bags and pockets, either. I'll go grab my stuff! Won't take long at all." He punctuated his words with a small flourish and walked off around the side of the inn.

Ganondorf peered around the corner to watch him go. He then let out a sigh and slid down to the ground. Linebeck had promised in a past letter to tone down his disdain for the law, and that clearly wasn't going well. Ganondorf himself had had a few brushes with the law in the past and wasn't above breaking the law if he felt it was needed, but with tensions so high with the kingdom of Hyrule, he couldn't really afford to be caught committing even the smallest crime.

In the meantime, he slid his bag off his shoulder and opened it up, recounting his supplies. He had a pair of sheathed swords carefully packed inside, pressed into the cloth by the books he'd managed to grab before leaving.

Ganondorf could handle himself well enough with either magic or his swords, so he had no worries about himself. On the other hand, he wasn't certain if Linebeck brought any weapons, or even if he knew how to use any. He expected to need to protect Linebeck either way, since the sailor had told him upfront that he tended to run from fights rather than engage in them.

He closed his bag and sighed. A few days away from home. Away from his work. Away from his mothers. Away from the political mess between his people and the other kingdoms of Hyrule. His first time spending more than a few hours with Linebeck.

Linebeck returned before long, a bag slung over his shoulder, with, much to Ganondorf's surprise, an unstrung bow tied to the side.

"You… have a bow," Ganondorf stupidly managed to say. "You can use a bow?"

Linebeck glanced back at it. "It's helpful, but arrows are kind of expensive."

"Are you any good with it?"

Linebeck scoffed. "Of course I'm good with a bow! Come on, what do we need to grab before we go? There's too many people here."

They made note of their supplies and made their way through the crowded bazaar. Linebeck stuck close to Ganondorf, sometimes holding onto his cloak to avoid getting lost. They stopped at a few shops, picking up whatever they were missing. Linebeck was overly wary of thieves, but Ganondorf reassured him that only idiots would rob the king of the Gerudo. Still, Linebeck remained paranoid.

The sun slowly climbed higher in the sky and shone down directly above the desert by the time Ganondorf and Linebeck left the bazaar. They stopped under a palm tree just on the outskirts. Ganondorf surveyed the horizon while Linebeck checked everything they'd bought, then handed Ganondorf's bag up to him. "You've got most of the, uh, books and writing stuff and everything you'd need to write notes down. I've got all of the medical stuff and everything else. Since I had the most leftover space." Linebeck shouldered his own bag with a small smile. "Let's go. No point in hanging around here, unless you want to drag someone else along."

Ganondorf smiled faintly. "You're enough company. It's the hottest part of the day now, so you ought to at least put your cloak on."

They left the bazaar behind, finally trekking into the desert before them. They walked slowly at first, checking their equipment a second and third time. Linebeck fiddled with his cloak, awkwardly shrugging his bag off to properly put it on. "This is... to deal with the sun, right?"

"Of course." Ganondorf pulled his own hood over his head. "Don't want to get a sunburn."

"...We both have darker skin. I haven't had much trouble overseas, and you don't seem like you'd burn easily…. I don't think you'd burn after a whole day out. I could last a few hours."

Ganondorf chuckled. "Then you don't understand how this works. You spend half of your time overseas inside your ship, right?"

Linebeck frowned indignantly, almost stumbling over the uneven sand. He'd properly put his cloak on, but didn't wear the hood. "I mean, I've spent entire sunny days on islands, too, though."

"With clouds?" Ganondorf glanced back at Linebeck with a raised eyebrow. The sailor paused, and the two of them stopped in their tracks, only a few minutes away from the bazaar. They both looked up at the cloudless sky. "I imagine there are more clouds over the ocean," Ganondorf mused. He shrugged and continued walking. "But I've never been to the ocean, I wouldn't know. Maybe you've got a point and neither I nor you have to worry about too much sunlight on account of our darker skin. Maybe."

Linebeck kicked some sand at the back of Ganondorf's legs and threw his hood over his head. "Fine! Fine. I get your point. Let's go. I've never actually been in the desert very long! I'm just- I'm just making some guesses based on what I've actually experienced." He shifted his bag back on and shoved his hands into his coat pockets, huffing.

The two of them walked silently for a few minutes. Linebeck slowly adjusted to walking on the sand. Ganondorf slowed his pace in order to walk next to him and watch. He pursed his lips as Linebeck slipped awkwardly down loose sand hills and cursed to himself. "I should've gotten you some sandshoes. It makes this considerably easier." Linebeck peered skeptically up at him and Ganondorf gave him a gentle smile. "Even I have trouble on the sand at times."

Linebeck swerved over to Ganondrof and elbowed him in the side. "Well. I'll see how you handle the swaying of my ship when I take you out to sea at some point."

"I'm not looking forward to it." Linebeck just laughed as Ganondorf grimaced. "I fear I might get seasick. I've gotten motion sick on carriage rides into Hyrule."

That only made Linebeck cackle more, and he let out a long wheeze. "...Maybe I should reconsider taking you out, then? Unless you're willing to mop up any messes you make on my ship."

Ganondorf scowled. "I barely even know how to sweep sand off walkways. I've done a lot, but I get the feeling that spending time on your ship will have me doing a lot of things I've never done before." He paused, then glanced down at Linebeck. "Fishing included, though I am interested in that."

"If you don't want to go sailing yet, we can just go fishing in Lake Hylia or something. Maybe when you're on the way to one of those king's councils we could meet up for a few hours."

The king's 'councils'- officially nameless meetings between the rulers of each of Hyrule's kingdoms- happened four times a year, which Ganondorf decided was far too many times to see the Hylian king each year. He just nodded in response to Linebeck's suggestion. Taking some time before or after one of those meetings could clear his head. His travels to and from the meeting at Hyrule castle was one of the few excuses he had to explore beyond the desert and canyon. Hanging out with Linebeck around the time of a council would at least lighten his mood.

---

The bazaar was little more than a speck behind them when Linebeck suddenly stopped in his tracks. He began rummaging through his bag.

"What's wrong?" Ganondorf asked. He frowned and trudged over to Linebeck. "Did you forget something? It might be too late to head back-"

"Yes- well, actually no, now… Hang on, I'm getting it for you."

"For me?" At that point, Ganondorf peered into Linebeck's bag. "What are you…?"

Linebeck shuffled away kicking sand at Ganondorf. "Wait. Give me a moment. I can't remember where I put it- I have it through, I'm sure."

Skeptical but patient, Ganondorf folded his hands behind his back. He stared off to the east, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. They were certainly a few hours from their destination, discounting any stops they'd make for any reason.

"Ah! I found it." Linebeck withdrew something from his bag and hurried back over to Ganondorf. Whatever it was, it was small enough for him to hide in his hands. Ganondorf raised his eyebrows with clear interest, and Linebeck gave a sheepish grin. "It, uh, took me a while… a-and it's not great, I guess, 'cuz you keep loaning me expensive books and-"

"Just show it to me," Ganondorf gently said.

Linebeck hesitated, then thrust his hands up closer to Ganondorf's face and revealed what he held in his hands. There, sitting upright on his palm, was a crudely carved boar statuette. It was made of wood and comprised of rough angles, but painted carefully and still very accurately represented the animal it was clearly meant to. Ganondorf hesitated, then gently lifted it off of Linebeck's hands. He sat it up in his own hand and peered at it closer while Linebeck stood frozen in front of him.

As far as Ganondorf knew, Linebeck wasn't a skilled wood carver, but the little boar was recognizable and even a bit cute. It was painted with many different colors, each flat surface a different color across the boar's wooden pelt. Its little tusks were uneven and painted white and endearing.

In his room in the Gerudo canyon, Ganondorf already had a number of little boar figurines and even a few drawings, but not a single one that was specifically made for him. He had gifts from family and palace staff and the citizens he was responsible for, each of them well-crafted and nearly flawless. He was sure that all of those gifts had been made out of respect, but this little carved boar...

Ganondorf lowered the wooden boar and peered down at Linebeck. He smiled gently. "You made this? I didn't know you could do wood carvings."

Linebeck grinned, initially coming off as nonchalant. "Well, with all of the time I have on my ship, of course I've dabbled in a bit of wood carving. I've got plenty of skills, you know, so this was really… nothing…" He trailed off and sighed. "It took me ages and that's not even my first attempt. Took me a few days just to decide on what I wanted to do with the paint."

Ganondorf held the little boar up again. "I think it's wonderful. Thank you. It's very cute." He turned it over in his hands, looking at it from all angles while Linebeck shifted from foot to foot. "I've never had anyone make anything by hand for me. Well, nothing like this. No little gifts like this." He grinned at the carving. "No one has ever carved a small statue for me before."

Linebeck ducked his head. "Oh. Uh. You're welcome. It… took a while… was hard to find paint… and wood… and to figure out what knife to use…"

Ganondorf cradled the boar for a moment longer and gently found it a place in his bag. "When we get back, you can help me find a good place to put it in my room."

Linebeck shrugged sheepishly, then looked up. "Wait. I thought I couldn't go into Gerudo Town. Y'know, cuz of the whole no-men rule. Where you're the only exception."

As far as the rest of Hyrule knew, Gerudo Town was accessible only by Gerudo citizens and women, barring any men from the rest of the world. The only exception being the Gorons, a change decided after the creation of a close-knit partnership with them. Ganondorf hesitated a moment, look around, then said, "Well, there is a no-men rule, but there are ways for a man to be allowed in. We keep them a secret to most, but if I can get my mothers' permission as well as a few others, I can grant you access whenever you want by getting you a Gerudo token."

"Gerudo token," Linebeck repeated. "I feel like I've heard of it before."

"Your mother might have mentioned it," Ganondorf suggested. "If you enter Gerudo Town with it visible, people will know that you've been granted special access into the town. They're rare and valuable, since they are enchanted to glow red if worn by a person they were not specifically given to."

Linebeck nodded slowly, then glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Gerudo Town. "Huh. Are they like necklaces?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I think I might've seen one before. My mother probably did mention them around me. Why keep them a secret?"

"Well, it's mostly a secret in order to keep Hylians out," Ganondorf explained, setting off walking again and beckoning for Linebeck to follow. "We have a pretty bad history with them which has caused us to distrust them, and we're rather secretive in general. It's another way we've learned to survive in this desert without much help from the outside world."

Linebeck jogged to keep up with Ganondorf. He just nodded silently. He then stumbled over a dip in the sand and picked up speed to catch up with Ganondorf. "Is- is there quicksand out here?"

"It's the darker patches of sand, yes. I'll let you know if I see some." Shielding his eyes from the sun, Ganondorf squinted at the sand that lay before them. "I don't think we're far enough to be running into quicksand. Stuff like that and sandstorms don't show up close to the bazaar or the town."

"Because most of the settlements are built on foundations of rocks and sandstone?" Linebeck ventured.

"Exactly. A lot goes into the creation of our settlements due to the danger of the desert. It's rather similar to how I assume islands are settled," Ganondorf mused. "You need a stable base in order to withstand what may happen to the surrounding environment." He glanced over at Linebeck, waiting for affirmation.

"Well, yeah, yeah! Hang on, I brought some sea charts, let me show you…" Linebeck started rummaging around in his bag, slowing slightly. "I wanted to show you some new islands I checked out since we last met… almost forgot. Also, do you happen to have a map of the desert? I can never find any good ones in the other kingdoms."

Linebeck withdrew multiple rolled-up maps, all tied individually with different-colored strings. He sorted through them and hastily put a few of them back into his bag. One of them he handed to Ganondorf. "Hold on to that one. It's my map of Hyrule as a whole. Let me know how inaccurate the desert is." He opened and checked the last map left in his hands and nodded to himself. "Okay. Got it. This time around I didn't check any islands I'd been to, so there's a bunch of new stuff." He turned the map around and showed it to Ganondorf.

Despite being barely a mile away from the bazaar, Ganondorf and Linebeck stopped again. At this rate, they'd never make it to the midway point, but Ganondorf couldn't help but study the sea chart. He'd never seen a detailed sea chart before; the most he'd seen were the small maps of the ocean by the kingdoms' coasts, important for little more than trade planning and fishing. Therefore, most of those other maps had more land than sea shown on them.

On Linebeck's sea chart, the continent of Hyrule was hardly more than a speck in the middle. Surrounding it was water and countless little islands, all labeled with small names and individually numbered. Linebeck pointed to an island numbered #87. "That's the last one I checked out before heading over here. That's where I was when I got your last letter inviting me to hang out with you. It's mostly just got a forest and a little cave."

"Was there anything interesting in the cave?"

"Not really, I didn't actually go too deep in. Based on the shape of the island I think it might go deeper than I saw." Linebeck lowered the map to let himself get a good look at it. "You've only ever seen the ocean a few times, right? If you had the time and the interest, I could take you out to check out some new islands."

Ganondorf didn't answer right away. Instead, he stroked his beard thoughtfully. "...I never thought Hyrule was so… small."

"It's hardly anything in the grand scheme of things," Linebeck said, promptly rolling his map back up. "Holodrum and Labrynna are both a bit over a week ago with fair weather and calm seas. They're about the same size as Hyrule; I left my maps of those two continents on my ship." He slid the sea chart back into his bag, then gestured vaguely with his hand. "Take a look at the desert on my map of Hyrule, I doubt the Hylian salesman I got it from had it perfectly right.I didn't really give it a good look, either, so something's probably wrong. It's a bit harder to draw up a map for a landmass as large and complicated as Hyrule."

"Why not get a map from the Rito, then," Ganondorf gruffly asked, unrolling the map of Hyrule. It seemed to be good quality at first glance, then scowled as he noticed inaccuracies before his eyes even reached the desert. "The guy you got this from ripped you off."

"Fuck," Linebeck cursed, prompting Ganondorf to let out a short bark of a laugh. "That bastard charged me a lot for this- damn it, I can usually spot a scam like this… let me see the damn thing, I got it on the way here and I guess I should've been more careful." Linebeck snatched the map out of Ganondorf's hands and scowled at it.

"I assume you don't mind if I lend you some money to get a new one at Rito Village?"

"Are you kidding- of course not, and you might as well trash the store of that fucker who sold this thing to me- would it have killed me to check this thing over before buying it?" Linebeck started to tear the map in half, then stopped. "I could probably re-sell this to some sucker in Hyrule Castle Town."

"You could sell it to a high-ranking Hylian kingdom knight and I'd bet they'd believe it was flawless." Ganondorf leered down at the map over Linebeck's shoulder. "The rivers are a bit off and some towns are completely missing… the desert is very off… a lot of these changes would be hard to spot for someone who hasn't explored or studied the continent. You could sell this for a lot and get away with it if you got out of there before the buyer notices."

"I could," Linebeck grumbled. "Rito cartographers are better at this stuff?"

Ganondorf shrugged. "They can fly. Most of the maps of Hyrule that I have I bought from Rito salesmen, and they're both fairly priced and have accurate Gerudo Deserts. I will not be trashing anyone's store, though. I'm sure you can do that yourself. Just try not to add murder to your list of committed crimes."

Linebeck rolled his eyes. "With the contempt you hold for that kingdom, I'm surprised you're not egging me on." He rolled up and tossed the inaccurate map between his hands, then put it away. "I'll just steal some stuff to make up for this, I suppose." He gave Ganondorf a bright smile and elbowed him in the side, walking off. "We better get going. I can still hear the crowd at the bazaar when the wind blows our way."

Ganondorf shot a quick look at Linebeck's ears and merely nodded. "I suppose I can still hear faint talking." He adjusted his bag on his shoulders and gave a heavy sigh. "There's always some kind of sound going on in Gerudo Canyon. Blacksmiths, battle training, magical studies and practice, pottery, trade… my mothers have altered my room slightly to muffle that sound, but it's never perfect. I suppose I'm glad I don't have the hearing of a Hylian."

"It's hell sometimes," Linebeck mumbled. "'Course all of my senses are a bit better than most people's. I can hear people talking shit about me behind my back and if I say anything about it then it starts an argument." He waved a hand dismissively. "Good for eavesdropping, I guess. Hylians are so snobby about their ears, you know? Half of them claim that Hylians got their ears by being pious or whatever."

"I've heard that," Ganondorf grumbled. "Of course, that's nonsense when you look at how some Gerudo now have slightly pointed ears due to Hylian heritage. My own ears are slightly pointed- it's very slight, though. I believe at some point when us Gerudo still had to resort to thievery to survive, either the king at the time or some very bold noble suggested that we pray to Hylia or those three golden goddesses. As if we don't have our sand goddess and other deities of our own."

Linebeck kicked some sand up. He toyed with the hood of his cloak, then glanced over his shoulder. "You know, a few times I've had some uppity Hylians suggest I consider being more religious. There's a lot of stock put into prayer over in the Hylian kingdom. I've come into too many different kinds of religion and deities overseas to even bother with that stuff, though. I have no care for gods or goddesses."

"The ruins we're heading to were said to be a place of worship." Ganondorf slid his bag off his shoulder and began rummaging through it. "I have a map of my own, with our destination marked on it…" He paused, then took a look at their surroundings. "We may run into some monsters on the way to the ruins. Especially at night. I take it you're at least half decent at protecting yourself with your bow?"

"Yeah, sure, when I've got some distance between me and what's trying to hurt me." Linebeck looked up at the sky for a moment, then back down. "I have a knife, though, if it gets too close. My bow's been used more for hunting than battle, honestly." He took his own bag off and grabbed his bow, then held it up to Ganondorf. "It's simple but it works."

Ganondorf studied the bow, then held his own map over to Linebeck. "Let's trade. Let me see your bow and you can take a look at my map."

The items switched hands, and they kept walking as they looked over what the other had given them. Linebeck, after putting his bag back on, studied the map closely. It was a detailed drawing of the Gerudo desert and surrounding canyon and mountains, with settlements and paths clearly marked. He stared at it for long moments that turned into minutes as they walked, until Ganondorf had to grab his shoulder and yank him to the side.

Linebeck nearly dropped the map. "Hey- what?"

"You almost walked into some quicksand," Ganondorf muttered. "If you're going to look at it so closely, you might as well wait until we take a break."

Linebeck scoffed, then glanced back. "Yeah, yeah… wait, quick- quicksand?"

"You can't spot it just by looking, at least not without practice," Ganondorf said. "It's that slight dip there. Where the sand is slightly darker than what surrounds it." They both stopped, and Linebeck lowered the map. He squinted at the sand, then blinked. "You see it?" Linebeck just nodded. He rolled the map up and handed it to Ganondorf, exchanging it for his bow and giving it a quick look.

"I can take a closer look at the map when we stop," Linebeck mumbled. "How's my bow?"

They stared at each other for a long moment. Ganondorf shrugged. "I haven't given it a good look. Too busy making sure you don't walk into quicksand or a cactus."

His face reddening, Linebeck picked up his pace to walk faster. The bottom of his cloak fluttered from the sudden movement, and though his steps were unsteady on the sand, he moved quickly.

Ganondorf frowned, hastily putting the map of the desert away. The total time he'd spent with Linebeck since meeting him only amounted to a few days. He knew how temperamental and even volatile the strange sailor could be. "Did I say something wrong?" Linebeck didn't respond right away. Ganondorf frowned to himself. Even though they were dating, Linebeck was still very secretive, especially about his own deeper layers.

In the time they'd known each other, though, Ganondorf had managed to pick up little bits and pieces. He suspected and later got confirmation that Linebeck was autistic, and Ganondorf really couldn't blame him for keeping that a secret. Linebeck was quiet about any trauma he had, he was quiet about most of his past, and he was quiet about his own discomforts, unless complaining about them was the easy way out.

From what Ganondorf knew, Linebeck hated being treated like he was stupid, and hated feeling powerless and worthless.

He could empathize with that, Ganondorf supposed. He sighed to himself and caught up with Linebeck. "Sorry if I made you feel… I know you don't like being coddled."

"I can handle myself," Linebeck mumbled. "I don't need you watching me like I've never been outside before." He stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"...I just-" Ganondorf sighed. He felt on the verge of an excuse, but continued talking anyways. "I want to make sure you're safe. The desert may not look like much, but it's very dangerous if you don't pay enough attention to it. Quicksand is hard for anyone new to the desert to spot. I just…"

Linebeck had slowed his walk and stopped as Ganondorf trailed off. His head was tilted down and his hood covered his face; Ganondorf stopped next to him. Neither of them spoke. The bazaar was no longer visible on the horizon- they'd been walking for at least an hour, now. The sun was behind Ganondorf, starting its descent into the west. Ganondorf was only roughly a foot and a half taller than Linebeck, but his shadow completely covered him.

"...I haven't seen you in a while," Ganondorf finally sighed. "I mean, you're one of my only reliable and unbiased sources of information from outside the desert, and I really enjoy your company- I've been dying to finally take you out into the desert like this, and I don't want you getting hurt." After a moment of clear hesitation, Linebeck peered up at Ganondorf. Now feeling bold enough to try a joke, Ganondorf mused, "We can argue about it if you want, but you are still kind of fragile. It might be a bit embarrassing for you, considering your considerable experience in adventure, but I'm going to protect you while we're out here. I'm not trying to demean or distrust you, I just want to make sure this goes well and you stay safe."

Linebeck sighed heavily. For a moment, Ganondorf became worried. Then, Linebeck gave a wry smile. "Goddesses, first Link, now you, both of you hovering around me like I'm made of glass."

"...Link? That Hylian swordsman renowned for his skill? You know him?"

Linebeck half-heartedly kicked Ganondorf in the shin. "Hey. Stay on topic, Gan. I know him. Helped him do some quests a few years back and we hit it off. He's not that impressive up close, good guy, though." He set his jaw and glared stubbornly up at Ganondorf. "At least you're not treating me like a stupid kid who can't be left on his own about it. And if you're going to be overprotective, do it in battle. That's when it's fine. Just give me a vocal warning or something. Don't just…" Linebeck trailed off, then spat the next few words, "Don't just drag me to the side like that!"

Ganondorf gave a short bark of a laugh. "What am I meant to do if you're one step away from quicksand, then? A quick shout probably won't have you reacting in time; would you rather I altogether sweep you off your feet and carry you away from danger?"

To that, Linebeck's eyes lit up in an almost manic manner. "That's very fucking preferable, actually! Either let me figure it out on my own or make it somewhat enjoyable!"

They both stared at each other in the silence that followed, then broke into laughter. Linebeck kicked at the sand as his own laughter dissolved into harsh wheezing, and Ganondorf snorted amongst his own chuckles. Eventually, Ganondorf stopped laughing, and Linebeck's wheezes turned into coughs. Ganondorf gave Linebeck a strong slap on the back, causing him to stumble forward a step and halting his coughs. Linebeck cleared his throat. "Thanks. Goddesses."

"Have you looked into that? It doesn't seem normal."

"It's probably because I still smoke sometimes," Linebeck mumbled. He then added, "I think my laugh's been like that since I was a kid, anyways."

Ganondorf settled into a more relaxed posture. He watched Linebeck rub at his own chest, then set his hands on his hips. "You know, I can save you from monsters and quicksand, but I can't save you if your lungs collapse in on themselves when you laugh too hard. You really are fragile."

This time, Linebeck just scoffed and rolled his eyes. He shuffled a few steps closer to Ganondorf, looking up at him. "Thank the goddesses that you're not nearly as uptight as those other rulers across Hryule." The top of his head aligned with the top of Ganondorf's shoulders, but he didn't seem daunted by the difference in their heights. Linebeck had never been daunted by Ganondorf's appearance after really getting to know him.

While Linebeck was secretive, Ganondorf had no issue talking about himself. Partially because his life was public knowledge as one of the rulers of the Gerudo, partially because something about Linebeck made it easy to loosen up. He was snarky and oftentimes rude but never judged him the way other Hylians would. Linebeck loved freedom and offered to share it with the king of the Gerudo as if they were on the same standing, and so Ganondorf felt free to really express himself without restraint.

With Linebeck, there was no tangled politics, no handling of supply shortages, no schisms between the races of the continent, none of the things that bogged Ganondorf down and muddled his mind with various worries and snarled responsibilities. With this sailor, bound to little more than what he considered important, Ganondorf's ambitions felt focused and his emotions felt unfettered.

Linebeck reached up and wrapped his arms around Ganondorf's neck, gently tugging his head down, closer to his own. He ran his fingers through Ganondorf's hair, which cascaded down his back even while tied up in a high ponytail. Linebeck's own hair was left to fall behind or over his shoulders. Ganondorf had never seen him tie it back, and he vehemently opposed the idea of cutting it short. For a few moments, they stared at each other, Linebeck's gaze flicking around to every part of Ganondorf's face but his eyes. Ganondorf, on the other hand, was wholly entranced by Linebeck's eyes, by the deep green color that, while a trait shared by many Gerudo, managed to feel entirely unique to Linebeck.

Linebeck's eyes were exhausted and bloodshot and underlined by dark black circles, but that vibrant green never seemed worn out, bright and seeking adventure. Ganondorf slowly lifted his arms and wrapped them around Linebeck's waist, pulling him closer until the two of them were pressed against each other.

Ganondorf bent his knees slightly and Linebeck raised himself up onto his toes and for the briefest moment they halted again, both of them glancing out the corners of their eyes at the surrounding desert. They were alone; not a single person, monster, or animal was within sight.

Certain that no one was watching, Ganondorf and Linebeck kissed. They held each other closely for the first few moments, relishing the feeling of the other's lips against their own, then Linebeck leaned into Ganondorf, tilting his head further. Ganondorf sighed into the kiss, prompting Linebeck to respond with a questioning hum. Then, one of Ganondorf's arms slid lower, and he suddenly hoisted Linebeck up into his arms, abruptly breaking the kiss.

"WHOA, hey, what-" Linebeck grabbed onto Ganondorf's shoulders once he was lifted up to be eye level with him. "What gives?!"

"My neck was starting to hurt," Ganondorf replied. He wrapped an arm around Linebeck's shoulders and pulled him closer.

Linebeck rolled his eyes. He wriggled slightly, trying to get somewhat comfortable with his legs propped up on Ganondorf's other arm. "It's more comfortable to completely pick me up, then?"

"Hey, you said this was something you were interested in. You're not very heavy." Linebeck started to sharply respond, but cut himself off when Ganondorf pulled him even closer. "Lighten up a bit. Sorry for yanking you away like that earlier, and sorry if I've said or done anything to upset you."

Linebeck relaxed and sighed. "Fine, fine. I don't, uh, mind being carried by you," he mumbled, shifting as best as he could. "We're wasting time, though." He leaned in and kissed Ganondorf, though only for a moment before he backed away again. "We aren't going to get where we're going if we keep stopping like this."

Ganondorf set Linebeck back down, and he gave the sailor space as he rolled his shoulders. "...If you are going to pick me up, might as well let me know, too," Linebeck mused. "It's nice kissing you and all, but I don't like abrupt stuff like that."

"I'll keep that in mind, then."

"I don't like being touched all that much," Linebeck more quietly added. "But 'cuz I'm used to you now, smaller things are fine."

"You can tell me more about it on the way," Ganondorf suggested, taking a few slow steps away from him. "Like you said, we are wasting a bit of time, and it would be unwise to traverse the desert as it gets dark."

"Right. Right!" Linebeck jogged to catch up with Ganondorf, then muttered, "Actually, could you stop one more time? I'm going to take my coat off. It's a lot hotter out here than I really expected- and I don't want to get left behind."

With a fond sigh, Ganondorf turned around and stopped once more.

---

The sun was slowly nearing the edge of the horizon. The desert was still blazing hot, but Ganondorf warned that it could get horribly cold at night.

He and Linebeck stopped at some small stone ruins, hiding in the shade of its half-collapsed roof. They had initially stopped to eat some of the food they'd brought and drink some water. They went through the supply of dried fruit and some of the now-warm vegetables, and Ganondorf idly chewed the rest of the dried and salted fish he'd accepted from Linebeck. They'd barely spoken since settling down in the shade, and he didn't pay much attention to how Linebeck didn't touch any of their food, only taking some long drinks of water.

Linebeck took the map and Ganondorf took the bow and they inspected them as they rested in the shade.

Ganondorf sat against a pillar, and Linebeck lay a few feet away, his head propped up on his arms and his legs crossed. He hadn't moved since Ganondorf began inspecting his bow, and he laid with his hood covering his face. It had been a few hours since he removed his coat, and he'd since removed his vest and scarf and untucked his shirt.

"I'm not used to such dry heat," Linebeck finally drawled after long minutes of silence. Ganondorf only grunted in response. "These ruins are real nice, though. Remnants of old Gerudo settlements?"

Ganondorf nodded. "A not insignificant number of ruins near our current capital are just old fallen settlements. If you begin to come across a large number of ruins like this while wandering in the desert, then you are near a current Gerudo settlement."

"There are other Gerudo settlements?"

"Of course. There are many across the desert. Are they not noted on the map I gave you?" While Ganondorf gingerly ran his hands along the limbs of the bow, Linebeck reached for and grabbed the map that lay near his head. He moved his hood from over his eyes to look at it, and Ganondorf continued. "Of course, the settlement I live in, simply named 'Gerudo Town' within the similarly named 'Gerudo Canyon', is our capital and the largest of our settlements, a center for trade and the safest community, but there are some smaller towns within the desert. We communicate by having well-trained Gerudo cross the desert to pass messages along, but we use a few larger ruins to hold meetings. The ruins we're headed to are being considered as a new meeting place, actually, since it's fairly intact and large enough."

Linebeck traced a path on the map with a finger. Then, he frowned at it. "We're stopping at an oasis that's about half a mile off the best route?"

"Got any better ideas for a place to stop? It'll have water and perhaps some plants we could forage for food, plus monsters tend to avoid the oases." Ganondorf gently plucked the bow's string. "It's closer to our destination than these ruins we're at now. Besides, we get to do a little more exploring this way; isn't that something you're interested in?"

"I'm finding out that I don't like the desert a whole lot," Linebeck muttered. "The way it shifts when I walk on it makes my spine crawl almost as much as the way that shit feels on my skin. It's not this bad on islands 'cuz I guess the humidity keeps it all stuck together."

"I'm sure you could get used to it," Ganondorf optimistically ventured.

Linebeck let out a harsh, raspy laugh. "Oh, please. The texture of sand is pretty high up on my list of awful things that cause sensory overload. I'm scared to untuck my pants from inside my boots 'cuz there's probably a whole bunch of sand in there." Then, he spat angrily at the sand beyond the edges of the ruin, not unlike an irritated cat.

"I forgot about that. Those. Sensory overloads," Ganondorf mumbled.

"Eh, don't worry about it, Gan. I don't mention 'em much. How's my bow? Good as those Gerudo bows you guys use for horseback archery?"

The bows that the Gerudo used for horseback archery were typically on the smaller size and with a recurve style, made with materials that could withstand the archers' strength and serve them well in both hunting and battle. Linebeck's bow was made of sturdy wood and had longer limbs with less of a curve to them. If it were a bit longer, it could've been called a longbow, by Hylian standards. "It wouldn't be good for horseback archery, but this is a good bow; where did you get it?"

"Link gave it to me a while back," Linebeck replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "He picked it up in some dungeon and because he already had a bow and this one wasn't his style, he gave it to me." He pulled himself into an upright position. "I like it. Good for hunting and for battle, too, if I've got enough space between me and whatever I'm shooting at."

Ganondorf frowned and idly plucked on the bow's string. "...Link gives you gifts?"

At that, Linebeck burst out into laughter. Ganondorf flinched and felt his face grow hot. "What? Did I say something, what- Linebeck, what?"

It took Linebeck a few moments to calm down, and he finally said, voice hitching with small wheezes and coughs, "I… you can be… awfully jealous, you- you know that?" He gave himself a moment longer to cough and wheeze before his breathing returned to normal. "At least I figure that means you really value me, huh?"

The bow still gripped in his hand, Ganondorf shut his eyes and gently shook his head, unable to hide the smile on his face. When he next opened his eyes, Linebeck was leaning towards him, holding his hand out. "Give me my bow back. We should get going."

Ganondorf tossed it back to him. Linebeck caught it and began deftly un-stringing it, too focused to pay any attention to Ganondorf gathering their equipment together. "I've only got a few arrows right now, so I'm hoping that I can just scavenge any of the ones I end up using during this trip."

The most Ganondorf offered in response was a hum. They'd spotted a few gangs of bokoblins and lizalfos in the distance. Not a single monster had noticed them yet, but Ganondorf had less hope that they'd remain just as undetected even further into the desert. In the night, skeletal stal-monsters would appear, so reaching the oasis would be crucial.

He stared off at the desert horizon. They were still at least two hours from the oasis, so it would probably already be dark by the time they reached it. If they were lucky and fast, they would not have to deal with any monsters. But even if they did, Ganondorf was confident enough in his own magical prowess to figure the monsters wouldn't even be able to get close to them.

Linebeck gave him a mild slap on the shoulder and jerked him from his thoughts. Ganondorf glanced over at him and found that he was just grinning fondly at him. "We keep wasting time. Come on, you can daydream or whatever when we actually get to where we're going." Linebeck smacked Ganondorf on the shoulder once more and set off into the desert.

Ganondorf watched him walk for a moment. He hadn't touched any of their food. At least he'd had some water- Ganondorf resolved to make sure he ate something when they stopped for the night.

He sighed and shook his head. He gathered all of his stuff together and jogged after Linebeck. Ganondorf was the king of the Gerudo, one of his peoples' leaders and one of the people tasked with ensuring the well-being of many. Making sure that Linebeck considered his own health couldn't be as complicated as looking after an entire country.

---

The sun had just dipped down below the horizon when Ganondorf and Linebeck reached the oasis. They had luckily avoided any monster encounters, but Ganondorf did not relax until they spotted the greenery in the distance. Linebeck reached it first, running the last bit of distance and pausing at the edge of the bushes. He waited for Ganondorf to reach him, then asked, "So… what keeps the monsters from going into the oasis? You said they avoid them, and they're just- just level with the rest of the desert, so it's not like they can't reach it-"

"We aren't totally sure, but some Gerudo researchers and explorers suspect that the oases are under protection of the sand goddess. Or a similar benevolent desert deity." Ganondorf stepped through the bushes. "We believe that there are a few deities within the desert that helped us Gerudo learn how to survive and thrive in the desert. The monsters' avoidance of the oases prove that something is keeping these places sacred in some way."

"Oh, I've just heard of the sand goddess," Linebeck mumbled. "Do the other desert gods have names or titles?"

Ganondorf shrugged. "They do, and they're available to discover if you wish to search for them, but I'm not interested in gods. After all, the Gerudo hardly need their help now. We have gotten this far with minimal help, and I would rather we continue to thrive through our own efforts. We aren't like the Hylians, clinging to their cherished gods and goddesses when things get rough; we can take care of ourselves, and I prefer to own my own strength rather than owe it to another being. Relying on the power of gods and goddesses that no longer interact with this world does nothing but temporarily cover up your own weaknesses. Better to own up to your failings and then work to further improve yourself."

He stepped out of the bushes and onto the pale rock that surrounded the pure waters of the oasis. Ganondorf crossed his arms, surveying the desert around them. "If we hear the bushes rustling more than normal, then we know there's a problem. We can use some… sticks and maybe some strips of palm wood to start a fire. With how cold it will get tonight, a fire is necessary."

Linebeck passed him and crouched at the edge of the water. He dipped a hand in. "Warmer than I expected."

"Well, it is water in the middle of a desert. It's bound to get hot."

Linebeck pulled his hands out of the water. "So, uh… Shit. I didn't bring any tent stuff or anything like that. Do you have anything like that?"

"I'll check." Ganondorf pulled his bag off and dropped it on the ground. "Did you bring anything that could be helpful in staying the night?"

"I brought food and a lighter," he offered. Linebeck took his own bag off and began rummaging through it. "I mean, there's my clothes, some arrows, books, water, a compas, maps… Ah! I have a blanket, that could be helpful."

"That'll be good for the cold," Ganondorf decided. Linebeck beamed. "It looks like I did bring a tarp for a tent- Nabooru helped me pack, she might've tossed that in without my noticing." He pulled it out and started unfolding it on the ground. "You can take a look around while I set this up. Doesn't need to be too big, we'll take turns staying up to keep watch for monsters. Protected by the oasis or not, I still wouldn't say it's safe enough for the both of us to fall asleep."

Linebeck got up and started to walk off, but Ganondorf quickly added, "The waters here are clean enough to bathe in, too, if that's something you want to do. I know I might clean myself off while we're here."

"The waters are clean," Linebeck repeated, peering into the water. "Can I go first?"

"Go ahead. I'll set up camp."

The oasis was in a vaguely oval shape, and Ganondorf found a tree a fair distance from the water to pitch the tent against. He pinned one end of the tarp into the trunk, and set the other end up on a sturdy stick he found in the bushes, and glowered at the end product. It was far from perfect, but it would do, he supposed. The corners of the tarp that lay on the rock would need to be weighed down to avoid being picked up by the wind, but it was certainly something.

Ganondorf paced the perimeter of the water, picking up any sizable stones, intending to set up a stone circle before beginning a campfire. Across the water, he spotted Linebeck staring down at some bushes. "Need anything?" he called over, unable to hide the amused tone in his voice.

Linebeck peered back at him, and waited a moment for Ganondorf to be closer before replying. "...I'm not used to bathing with another person around."

"Well, when Link hangs out on your ship, what do you do?"

"There's a bathroom door on my ship! Best I got here is some fuckin' bushes."

Ganondorf stopped and crossed his arms, more in thought than irritated, then shrugged. "What if I went first, then? I'd like to clean myself off as well, and I should hope that might make you a little bit more comfortable, not having to go first."

A rather obvious blush appeared on Linebeck's face, but he stubbornly muttered, "It's not- I'm not comfortable being nude around anyone!"

"Then I won't watch you take off or put your clothes back on, and the water should cover up whatever you want to hide." Ganondorf tilted his head to the side. "I understand being a coward in fights, but I never figured you'd be a coward in this way, too."

The moment the words left his mouth, Ganondorf could instantly tell he'd hit one hell of a sensitive nerve. Now, Linebeck looked less stubborn and indignant and more hurt and almost betrayed. Ganondorf very quickly said, "I-I'm sorry. You haven't told me very much about your past, and I suppose it's not fair of me to make assumptions about you and the reasoning behind your modesty, and-"

Linebeck stared at Ganondorf. His eyes narrowed, and he seemed to take a deep breath, and Ganondorf opted to keep his mouth shut until Linebeck was done thinking. Then, Linebeck sighed and muttered, "It's- I really it owe it to you to tell you more about myself. Just- you go first, and I'll see if I can manage without getting too uncomfortable."

Relief washed over Ganondorf, and he relaxed. "Don't force yourself, that doesn't do any good for anyone." Linebeck just grunted in response, stepping into the bush. Ganondorf, on the other hand, returned to the shabby tent and undressed quickly, tossing aside his boots and the leather armor braced around his limbs, both of which were worn from years of use and repeated repair. The rest of his traveling clothes were thin and finely-crafted, and were tossed carelessly onto the rest of his clothes.

Across the oasis, Linebeck was still slowly taking his own clothes off. Ganondorf had enough time to wet his hair and begin combing it out with his fingers before Linebeck joined him in the water. Ganondorf gave him a small smile, but Linebeck just quickly lowered himself into the water to limit the amount of his body that was visible. Still, Ganondorf spotted more scars than he expected, including a nasty-looking one on his neck.

One skill that Ganondorf had not yet mastered in his time as king was discretion, so he asked, "How'd you get that scar on your neck?"

"Hey, cool it, Gan, I'm not spilling my past to you now that we're both naked."

"I have no problem telling you about my own scars," Ganondorf offered, straightening up and gesturing to a scar under his collarbone.

Linebeck splashed some water at Ganondorf. "I'll ask about it later, Gan," he spat, failing to uphold a serious demeanor as he grinned slightly. "I'm sure most of your scars are just from battle wounds or desert shit, anyways. I just want to get clean, alright? Don't need to talk about anything while I try to do that."

"Can I ask about why you have the same build as a redead, then?"

"...I keep forgetting that you're a king, you know." Linebeck straightened up and waded closer to Ganondorf. "You're awfully casual, at least outside of your duties."

"I don't usually get to relax. It's nice to be around you because you don't care much about politics and conduct." As Ganondorf spoke, Linebeck stopped near him. They both gazed at each other, and Ganondorf reached out and gently took Linebeck's chin in his hand and tilted his head back, leaning in slightly. Ganondorf took a single step towards Linebeck and bent so that their faces were only a few inches away now. He stared into Linebeck's eyes, feeling himself smile before getting startled by suddenly having a great deal of water flung into his face. Ganondorf violently flinched and sputtered while Linebeck deftly backed away, breathily cackling to himself.

"Y-you-! You're a sneaky little bastard," Ganondorf shouted, then gave a good-natured laugh. "I don't even think anyone else I know could catch me off guard like that, not without giving themselves away by moving their eyes-"

"Couldn't afford to move my eyes away from your face," Linebeck called back. "You're too tall for this water. If I looked any lower, I would've gotten distracted!" Ganondorf laughed more heartily, and Linebeck sent another splash his way, shouting, "Now let me fucking bathe!"

---

The campfire crackled quietly, and Ganondorf kept a close eye on the meat being roasted. Soon after washing himself, Linebeck had spotted a small, unaware bird at the edge of the oasis and killed it with a quick and well-aimed arrow. Now, it was being cooked at the fire to join the rest of their food supplies.

The fire was small. It had to be, otherwise it couldn't be so close to the tent. Night had properly fallen only half an hour ago, and the cold was already beginning to replace the day's heat. Linebeck idly poked the fire with a long stick he'd found. Neither of them had spoken for a few minutes, but Linebeck eventually cleared his throat. "You're busy now? Well, before you left?"

"Yes," Ganondorf sighed. "Politics, trade disputes, monster dealings and research and all kinds of papers and things that needed to be done and signed." He picked up a stick that a chunk of bird meat was being cooked on and inspected it, then put it back. "Honestly, my role as king of the Gerudo isn't as glamorous as I suppose the Hylian monarchy would make it out to be- I rule alongside my mothers, Koume and Kotake- also referred to as the Twinrova- as well as the current captain of the guard, Urbosa- you met her earlier- and Aveil, our out-of-country representative. I act as king in conversing with the other rulers of Hyrule and having say in what laws and movements may pass within the Gerudo, and I am currently my peoples' figurehead and one of our strongest warriors. It is tradition that my role is taken by a willing Gerudo male, as the others are open to anyone with the correct skills."

"And you were the Gerudo male this century," Linebeck mumbled, half to himself. Ganondorf blinked, then gave a short laugh. Linebeck frowned. "Is that not right?"

"The statistic of there being a single male born to the Gerudo has long been incorrect, and it seems that it remains an inaccurate Gerudo myth outside of our towns," Ganondorf sighed. "Sure, when our populations were smaller, it could be said that there would only be a single male each century, but we later found out that, in fact, Gerudo males just happen to be incredibly rare. Think of it like how calico cats work."

Linebeck tilted his head to the side. "Calico cats- ah! So you're just rare. And because there are more Gerudo now- or something- it's a little bit more common for there to be male Gerudo?"

"Exactly. There have been more than one at times in the past, but because our settlements used to communicate so rarely, we didn't fully understand that it was simply rare, not a once-in-a-century occurrence. Right now, there are four other male Gerudo living in the Gerudo canyon with me, and a handful more in the other desert settlements. And those are just the Gerudo men who were born that way- we do have a few Gerudo men who chose to become men, and the inverse exists, though obviously much rarer."

"Huh. You'd think I'd know more about the Gerudo, considering I'm half Gerudo and was raised by a Gerudo woman," Linebeck mumbled. He rested his chin on his palm and then scowled. "Figures. I never hear this stuff mentioned by other Hylians or anything. I guess my mother didn't bother telling me because I'm only half Gerudo and wouldn't have been let into any of your towns anyways." In an undertone, Linebeck added, "Plus, she died when I was still a kid, so I guess I'm lucky I learned as much of the language as I did from her."

"It is a shame that very little is known about the Gerudo beyond our borders," Ganondorf suddenly spat, surprising Linebeck. "We've been around as long as the Gorons, Rito, Zora, and Hylians, and yet it is hardest to find accurate information about us. The best you can get is from the mouth of a Gerudo, otherwise you're stuck with myths, rumors, and lies. My Gerudo sisters are partially to blame, I will admit- one of the drawbacks to being such an insulated community is that very little about us will be known to the world if we turn most outsiders away. I am glad that we still allow inside out towns other women and those who have earned the Gerudo token.

"Of course, the Hylians, particularly their cursed kings, seem so terrified of learning about us and our culture, and have been so slow in accepting us and not treating my innocent sisters as exotic dangers. We have warred with the Hylians in the past, yes; but it was to preserve our culture or to survive for a few more generations. We have learned much about how to thrive in the desert, but we did not get here without taking what we needed from the countries that neighbor us. I now take the brunt of the Hylian king's thinly veiled disdain, but that bastard of a king can only disrespect us for so long before he has to pay the price."

Linebeck raised his eyebrows in clear interest. He prodded at and overturned a piece of burning wood. "Pays the price, eh? I've heard that in the past, the Hylian kingdom had ambitions to become an empire- I take it that's why the Gerudo and the other races seem a bit wary to listen to the king's dealings."

"You've done your homework, then, captain," Ganondorf murmured, and Linebeck perked up at the sound of the title. "I find that it's the people the least loyal to the Hylian kingdom who have the most knowledge of what lies beyond it, as well as the more unsavory parts of its history." His eyes hardened, and he growled, "I did not want to have to think about what the Hylian monarchy has attempted in the past, but I suppose I might as well fill you in. If you intend to keep dating me, I suppose you ought to understand the context behind some of the dealings I have to do with them."

Setting his now-steely gaze on the desert horizon, Ganondorf mused, "The kingdom of Hyrule has long since decided that they should have the divine right of lording over this continent, all while us Gerudo, the Gorons, Zora, Rito, and all other groups may act as little more than its vassal states. They offer false hospitality and flimsy promises of protection while at the same time assimilating and attempting to wipe away our cultures as though we are little more than blights on their shining, perfect world. This continent may be named Hyrule, but I do not think the Hylian kingdom deserves the total control that it desires. In the past, they have lashed out against those who they fear hold power to rival theirs or those who refuse to bow, but thankfully, in these last generations, the other kingdoms have followed the example of us Gerudo and withdrawn from under the Hylians' heel. The current king still harasses us about our 'loyalty' and makes no effort to understand us on our own terms, but his daughter seems like she may be a much better ruler."

He paused with a long sigh. Linebeck had long since stopped poking at the fire and set his stick down. Ganondorf watched the flames for a moment before speaking again, this time more slowly. "The king of the Hylian kingdom and the kings before him desire to rule the world, it seems. He wants to hold all of the power in the world and to hold it over the rest of us with the justification that their dead goddess appointed that as their kingdom's duty. But despite this, I find myself envying that foul Hylian ruler. I envy the green hills and cool winds of Hyrule Field and all of the plentiful food and the respect they get from others- Every time I visit that damned castle I find myself wishing it were all mine instead of this… wasteland that's far too hot in the day and freezing cold in the night and hostile to whomever dares try to brave it." He scowled at the desert beyond the oasis they sat at. "Proud as I am to be Gerudo and to live among others who have learned to thrive in this desert, I want what the Hylians have done nothing to earn." Ganondorf set his jaw, then glanced over at Linebeck, who looked surprisingly attentive. "I've been thinking of attacking that damned kingdom for keeping us locked in the desert and refusing to offer any support unless we bow down at their feet. Theirs is not a hand that feeds; it's one that swats at us when we get too bold, and I'd like to see how it feels about being bitten for all it's done. I have half a mind to storm that cursed castle and take the throne as my own. My people and I have fought for our place and our prosperity and our power, and the Hylians have had it all handed to them and decided that they have the divine right to decide who is worthy of their 'protection' and respect. I want the power that they so carelessly flaunt. I… I will take it by force if necessary."

After his passionate words, Ganondorf nearly felt light-headed. By the end, the words had practically tumbled out; the only other people he'd admitted his ambitions to were his mothers and Nabooru, and then it was in shorter, more vague terms. He'd admitted his frustrations with the Hylian kingdom before, but never said anything about his desire to take it for himself. His phrasing had perhaps been hasty and uncertain, but he'd said it anyways, and it left him feeling strangely energized. Ganondorf clenched and unclenched his fists as he recalled his own words.

"I think you could take over the Hylian kingdom very easily," Linebeck declared, jolting Ganondorf from his somber rumination. "Hell, I'd help you do it."

Ganondorf blinked, then smiled fondly. "Nice to know that I'd have your support, then." And yet, despite Linebeck's faith in him and his own desires, Ganondorf felt his stomach twist as he considered carrying his still-uncertain plans out. He was unsure if the rest of his people felt the same about the Hylians' land, much less if they would even support him the same way Linebeck did. After all, despite their past, the Gerudo were certainly thriving in the desert, and would perhaps do just fine if Ganondorf chose to ignore the Hylian kingdom.

Linebeck's words, though reassuring, didn't do much to inform Ganondorf if his ambitions were even wise; Linebeck was practically an anarchist, only following rules that made sense to him and showing no respect to those who held power unless he personally found them worthy of respect or happened to be attracted to them. Ganondorf happened to be both of those.

Besides, if Ganondorf did truly end up storming the Hylian kingdom, Linebeck would most certainly end up getting dragged into the middle of it one way or another. He had a knack for getting into danger.

Ganondorf shook his head and shook his more disquieting thoughts away. He gathered up the now-cooked bird meat and handed half of it to Linebeck. "Well. That's a problem I can't deal with now, anyways. We still have yet to get to those ruins, and when I get home, I have to look over some monster information."

"You're studyin' monsters?"

"Me and some other Gerudo sorcerers have figured it may be useful to study and perhaps learn how we could find peace with monsters. They clearly seem to have little communities of their own, and we would both benefit from peace."

"Oh," Linebeck said, effectively ignoring the food he was handed, "so you're trying to talk to them."

"Precisely. Are you working on anything, or are long-term projects not your style?"

"Nah. I just head to an island that seems cool or I help Link with whatever quest he's been given. Closest to a long project I've really had has been checking out one or a few islands a few different times or taking up some rumors or jobs or whatever."

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "You take jobs?"

"I like to make money," Linebeck shortly replied. He regarded the roasted bird on one of the sticks for a moment, then took a slow bite after noticing Ganondorf watching him.

Ganondorf finished his bird first- it was bland and a bit dry, but worthwhile as desert food, since their options were limited aside from what they brought with them. He gestured towards Linebeck's bag, only getting a blank stare from the sailor. "...Can I have some of the other food?"

"Oh. Oh." Linebeck dug around in his bag and handed Ganondorf a small bag. "The bird is. Fine. Do you know what kind it is?"

"Can't remember what it looked like," Ganondorf offhandedly responded, accepting the bag and finding it to be full of salted nuts. "You should try to finish most of that. I didn't see you eat anything earlier."

"I'll be fine, I'm used to going without food-"

Ganondorf fixed him with a stern look. "You'll be doing the first night shift, and I'd feel a bit safer if I knew the person keeping an eye out for me had eaten something before the job."

Linebeck gave a short chuckle and stared at the bird before taking another bite. Ganondorf began setting himself up to sleep, but made sure to keep Linebeck from tossing the food away. He hadn't seen Linebeck eat much in the past, but he wasn't about to let the man toss away food that didn't even cost money. He wasn't about to let him skip a meal, either. It felt silly to have to keep an eye on Linebeck in such a way.

"Monsters probably won't attack in the night," Ganondorf said as he set up a makeshift bed. "With your bow, though, I don't think even some of the boldest monsters would be able to get within a stone's throw of us. The way you shot that bird earlier- you could've fooled me into thinking you'd been formally taught."

"Link did teach me a bit," Linebeck mumbled, slowly making his way through the second chunk of bird meat. "The rest was just mimicry and doing what felt right."

"Either way, I think you'll be fine until it's time for my shift. We'll switch at one in the morning, if that works for you."

"Sure."

"I made sure to pick up some herbs before I left Gerudo Town that should help you get some sleep after your shift, too. Be sure to remind me of that when you wake me up."

"Oh."

"You can take my cloak if you start to get too cold, as well. I recommend that you keep moving if you're not by the fire, too."

"Cool."

Ganondorf settled down in the entrance of the tent, his little bed set up behind him. He stared intently at Linebeck, whose eyes had become rather unfocused. He still hadn't touched the third chunk of bird meat, and didn't seem like he wanted to. Ganondorf reached out and gently tapped him on the shoulder, jerking him back to reality. "If things become too dangerous or you become too cold, don't worry about waking me up early. And please do finish the rest of that meat; I wouldn't want to waste it."

"Yeah." Linebeck stared down at it. Then, he glanced off at the desert. "Yeah. I'll… I'll keep you safe. And wake you up at one. And…" He paused, frowning. "And stay warm."

"Don't forget to take care of yourself," Ganondorf mused, backing into the shade of the tent. Before laying down, he reached into his bag and pulled out the little carved boar. He peered at it in the dark, then set it up next to his makeshift pillow.

The fire crackled just over a foot away from his feet as he pulled the blanket over himself. He didn't expect to fall asleep quickly. The 'bed'- his bag as a pillow and the two blankets they happened to have- wasn't the most comfortable, and it was chilly by his head, and he was worried about Linebeck. He watched him by the fire, staring off into the night, his demeanor having nearly completely changed from earlier.

It wasn't new, Linebeck's sudden change in attitude. Ganondorf was used to it; the more lighthearted shift from comical to indignant, serious to excited, even the concerning shift of lively to far too quiet. Linebeck knew much about Ganondorf, but Ganondorf didn't know as much about Linebeck, he just knew bits and pieces.

But as Ganondorf was getting comfortable, Linebeck peered into the tent and smiled at him. Genuinely. Half of the third bird was finished, and he'd straightened up. What had caused this newest shift was a mystery to Ganondorf, but many things about Linebeck were mysteries.

That was part of the fun, he supposed.