Part 2: Revelations

"Thank you, Master Auru, for accompanying us. Your knowledge of the Gerudo Desert is commendable."

"Only to the edge of the desert, Your Highness. I am getting too old to fight monsters."

"I understand completely."

They were currently traversing Hyrule Field on horseback, having left Hyrule Castle that morning. Zelda suspected they would reach the edge of the Desert in five days. If only they could just warp there, she thought, but it was difficult to warp to a place she had never been before, and even more so if she had to take other people with her. At least the weather was nice. It was warm and the sun shone brightly, and the grass of the rolling countryside was a vivid green. It had been so long since she had been able to leave the city. The travel had been easy so far; they had seen a few Bokoblins in the field, but the monsters had no interest in attacking such a large party. She had brought ten knights, including Randolph and Benny. She had tried to refuse their participation, telling them they had already done enough, but they were insistent on seeing the mission through.

"Still," Auru continued, lowering his voice slightly. "I wanted to come at least this far. I needed to see this companion of yours. A male Gerudo, huh?"

Zelda glanced back towards Ganondorf, who was currently bringing up the rear of their party, riding the largest horse the Hylian knights owned. She was a black mare with a reddish tint to her brown mane and Ganondorf had seemed almost delighted when he saw her, claiming she must have the blood of Gerudo horses in her. Zelda thought he looked quite regal, upon the majestic steed. When he saw her watching him, he inclined his head in a nod. She looked away.

"Yes," she said, responding to Auru's question.

"Very convenient, isn't it, that someone claiming to be Gerudo should appear just as you need to journey to the Gerudo Desert," he said dryly.

"You do not trust him."

He shrugged. "I will trust your judgement, Your Highness. I just implore that you be careful."

She smiled. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that, Master Auru. I do not trust him either."

She had to admit, however, that so far Ganondorf had not done anything objectionable after being released from the dungeons. She found his way of training the soldiers effective, albeit abrasive. He was not well liked, but he was listened to. Earlier in the day they had stopped for an hour-long break to eat and rest the horses, and he had made the knights run practice drills. This had certainly not earned him any favour.

Eventually the sun began to lower in the sky and Zelda decided it was time to stop for the night. They erected tents – Zelda, Ganondorf and Auru each had their own tents; the knights slept two to one – and had dinner and attended to the horses. They had decided to set up camp at the top of a small hill, thinking it would be easier to see any monsters that approach, and now Zelda was standing a short walk away from their camp, where the hill began to slope down again, watching the last of the sunset. After a short time, she heard footsteps as Ganondorf came to stand next to her.

"How are you?" she said, still looking out at Hyrule Field.

"Very glad to be out of the castle," he said.

She hummed in agreement. "I haven't been out of Castle Town since – " she cut herself off. Since I pelted you full of light arrows and Link killed you. "It has been a long time," she concluded lamely.

"It has," he said, and from the hardness in his voice she was sure he knew exactly what she was thinking about.

"Are you looking forward to returning to your homeland?" Zelda asked, wanting to change the subject.

He did not answer for a time. "I don't know," he said finally. She waited, but he did not elaborate. Turning her head to look at him, she saw him staring wistfully out at the green fields, his lips pressed together and his arms crossed.

"I remember visiting Hyrule for the first time," he said suddenly. "It was maybe a year before the unification war started; I was young, newly eighteen. I had just been crowned King of the Gerudo and was invited to meet the King of Hyrule and his newborn daughter."

"What was he like?"

Ganondorf scowled. "He was rude and dismissive. He wanted me to swear fealty to Hyrule but he treated me and my people like primitive barbarians. I refused, obviously." He stared out again at the rolling hills, face softening. "What I remember the most about the visit was this," he added, gesturing in front of him.

"Hyrule Field?"

"Everything is green. The winds are cool, not scorching. The nights are warm." He sighed deeply. "I suppose I was envious."

"Is the desert really so terrible?" Zelda asked. A part of her urged to touch his arm, to offer comfort, but she refrained.

"It was not…" he trailed off, bringing a hand to his chin. "My countrywomen did not dislike it as much as I," he said after a pause. He looked at her. "I do not know why I am telling you this."

"I like to hear about your past," she said. "After all, we are allies now, at least for a time."

This was evidently the wrong thing to say, for he tensed immediately. "We cannot be allies while you continue to shackle me," he said roughly.

Zelda frowned, opening her mouth but he cut her off. "It is getting late; I need to meet with the knights to set a watch rotation. Good night, Princess."

So on they continued, journeying towards the desert's edge. Eventually the large chasm dividing Hyrule Field from the Gerudo Desert became visible far in the distance.

"These chasms were not here in my time," said Ganondorf quietly, who was riding at the front of their party next to Zelda. "There was a river dividing our countries, which fed into Lake Hylia."

"Apparently the chasms began to appear about two hundred years ago," Zelda replied, remembering her history lessons. "No one knows why. Although, I have to wonder if they aren't because of you."

"Because of me?"

"Because of the Triforce of Power," Zelda clarified. "According to legends the Triforce contains the power of the goddesses, the same power that they used to create this land and hold it together. Din created the earth and the mountains – with her power removed from the light world, perhaps the earth has begun to pull itself apart."

"Interesting theory, Princess." His eyes widened slightly. "Remind me which of your goddesses created Courage, then."

"Farore," she said. "The creator of life."

"And now her piece is gone from this realm."

"Oh – er – well…" Zelda had forgotten that he believed Link to be in the Twilight Realm with Midna. "If there is an impact to that, it will likely not be seen for centuries."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You do not seem as concerned as you should be about this," he said.

"There is no use worrying over things you cannot do anything about," she said. "Anyway," she said, glancing behind her. "We should not talk about this in public. Knowledge of the Triforce at all is a secret of the royal family. Others cannot know of it."

He also glanced backwards at the knights who were clearly not paying the slightest attention to the two of them. He looked back at her, frowning. "If you are hiding something, I will find it out," he promised, but did not press her any more than that.

As they rode, the incoming chasm was getting closer. Soon they could see the long stone bridge that crossed it.

"We will reach the bridge today," Zelda said. "Across it, there is an old fortress that was abandoned ages ago. We can stop there for the night."

Ganondorf nodded absently.

Soon they decided to take another break before making the final stretch across the chasm and into the desert.

"I suppose this is where we part ways," Auru said. "Good luck, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Master Auru," she said, reaching out to grasp his hand. "I appreciate you coming this far."

He inclined his head. "Please be careful." The formality dropped from his tone as he squeezed her hand. "It would be a sad day for Hyrule – and for me – if anything were to happen to you."

"Everything will be alright," she reassured. "I have the power of the goddesses within me. And," she added, glancing at Ganondorf, who was checking his horse's shoes. "I may not trust him completely, but I do trust his strength and expertise, and he does have personal interest in ridding the Spirit Temple of monsters."

"Hmph." Auru also looked at Ganondorf, frowning. "That reminds me, I wished to speak with Lord Dragmire before I go. Please excuse me."

Zelda watched him approach Ganondorf with interest. She saw Ganondorf draw himself to his full height as Auru approached, but this did not appear to intimidate Auru. She could not hear what they were saying, but Ganondorf crossed his arms, glowering. Oh dear, she thought, covering her mouth to hide an amused smile. The conversation appeared to become heated, both men glaring at each other. Eventually Auru gave a satisfied nod and withdrew.

"That man was at the castle, with your hero." Ganondorf said to her later, after she had said her final goodbye to Auru. They were back on horseback and had begun to cross the long bridge across the chasm into the desert. "Who is he to you?"

"Auru is a member of the Resistance, the group that was aiding Link," Zelda explained. "He was also my tutor when I was a child. What did he want with you?"

Ganondorf huffed. "What do you think? If anything happens to the princess I will make you regret it." His voice took on a higher pitch as he imitated Auru. "As if he could do anything to me." He let out another annoyed breath. "You'd think I was a boy again, asking a mother for permission to take her daughter out."

Zelda laughed. "What did you say?"

"I told him he was welcome to kill the Molduga himself if he was so concerned."

"I imagine that went over well," Zelda said, rolling her eyes.

"His reaction entertained me. Then I told him that I've seen your magic and I trust in your abilities. That I vowed to you that I would protect you and that I always keep my vows. He seemed to like that better," he added after a pause.

"I wonder why," Zelda said flatly, but secretly she was pleased.

As they approached the end of the bridge, she saw Ganondorf straighten in his saddle out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see him looking ahead with a furrowed brow.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He blinked. "I'm fine. Princess, you said there is a fortress ahead?"

She nodded, repeating what she had said before they had reached the chasm. "Do you know it?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, voice low. "I did not recognize this area at first, with how the chasm has changed it… but this fortress must be my old home."

Ganondorf's thoughts were confirmed when the stone fortress became visible. It appeared to be one large, interconnected structure, nestled against the side of the valley they'd entered. If any of the multiple entrances had doors, they had long since rotted away, leaving behind only the weathered rock walls and simple holes for windows. The remnants of what was presumably a staircase led to a large opening near the center of the fortress, where Zelda could see a short horned figure slouched against the entrance way. A Bulblin, and surely not the only one.

"Again?!" Benny exclaimed when she alerted the group to the enemy's presence. "We only just removed them weeks ago."

"We could pass them by," Randolph said. "Although it would be safer not to sleep in the open if we don't need to."

"We kill them," Ganondorf commanded. "Good practice." His eyes were hard. "You knew you would have to fight, did you not?" he snapped, seeing the skeptical looks of some of the knights.

"I agree with Lord Ganondorf," Zelda said. She held her arm to her side, materializing her bow in her hands.

They left Benny and another knight to watch over the horses – Zelda had been especially reluctant to bring him on the journey at all after the horrors of his first mission, but the young man had been insistent – and went to clear out the fortress. Zelda shot the Bulblin at the entrance before it noticed them, earning her an approving look from Ganondorf.

The entrance opened into a hallway, which split into two possible pathways. The walls were all the same stone as the exterior, with some faded splashes of color indicating they may have been painted long ago.

"We should split up," Ganondorf said. "Check every room."

He took half of the soldiers and proceeded down the left hallway, Zelda taking the remainder down the right. The fortress was a maze of branching hallways that all looked very similar, making navigation difficult. Luckily, it appeared that the monsters had only just started to move back in, for they were few, and nothing more dangerous than Bulblins. After defeating them, Zelda sent a few knights to do a final sweep of the fortress and began making her way back to the entrance.

It was clear from the appearance of the fortress that no one had lived there in ages. The stone floors were worn and uneven, covered with dirt and sand that had blown in from the outside. In one room there were rows of stone benches facing a tall statue of a woman. She had her arms loosely outstretched with one palm facing the sky – the other hand must have broken off at some point – and had a snake coiled around her neck. Zelda thought it made her look somewhat sinister. She also passed a hallway that was connected to multiple smaller rooms, some of which had tarnished metal bars across their entrances. A jail, she supposed. Another room held a large hall with colored stones lining the floor, with patterns of what she recognized to be the Gerudo's crest from her textbooks. She realized it was the same pattern that adorned the back of Ganondorf's cape.

When she returned to the fortress entrance, the knights that had gone with Ganondorf were back, beginning to move their bedrolls and other supplies into the fortress. Ganondorf himself was absent. When she asked where he was she was met with a shrug.

"He said he wanted to check something and that we should bring everything inside and start preparing for dinner," a knight told her.

Zelda frowned. "I am going to look for him," she said. "Carry on."

She wandered the fortress hallways, apprehension growing with each moment she did not find him. Surely he wouldn't try something this early in their journey, would he? Or perhaps he had decided to run. No, he won't leave while his magic is still sealed. She thought so, at least. She wished she had gone with him when they had split up, what was she thinking –

Her nervous thoughts evaporated when she entered a large room and saw him in the corner, tracing the stone walls with his fingers. He stopped and turned when he heard her footsteps.

"What are you doing?" she said, the words coming out more aggressively than she had intended.

He gave her an irritated look. "Fear not, Princess. I am not doing anything nefarious."

"You would not be you if you were not scheming," she replied, smiling slightly. This earned her a scowl. "What, then?" she asked.

He watched her for a moment, lips pressed together. "I was… reminiscing, I suppose," he said finally, letting out a tired sigh. "I know hundreds of years have passed since I was last here. But I don't think I truly believed it until now." He gestured vaguely at the room, which was as empty and run down as the rest of the fortress.

"Because of this room?"

"Not this one specifically." Then, "This used to be my personal chambers."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "It was much grander, then."

"What did it look like?" she asked.

He glanced around the room, eyes shuttered. "There was a rug covering the floor. It was blue; I think it had a snake pattern. It is hard to remember..." He grimaced, then shook his head. "There was a table and chairs there," he said, gesturing at the room center. "I often met with my second here. Nabooru."

"Your second?"

He nodded. "In times where there is no king, the rule of the Gerudo is passed down through a certain family. Nabooru was the eldest daughter of that family, so she was my second." He chuckled softly. "She despised me."

"She was jealous of your position?"

"Not at all. But she did not approve of my views on Hyrule. It's a shame; she was formidable." He fell silent then, staring intently at the room center as though looking at something unseen. Then he continued, gesturing at a wall. "There was a shelf there, with books and jewels." He nodded at the adjacent wall. "On that there was was a tapestry, white, with the Gerudo crest." He paused, eyeing her suspiciously. Seemingly satisfied with whatever it was that he saw in her face, he said, "I was told it was made for me by my birth mother."

"Your birth mother," Zelda repeated. "Did she not raise you?"

Ganondorf shook his head. "She died in childbirth."

"I'm sorry," Zelda said. "And your father?"

He snorted. "No clue." At her surprised look, he laughed. "Princess, Gerudo do not care about paternity. Why would I want to know some random Hylian?"

"You were not curious?"

He waved his arm dismissively. "I am Gerudo; I take after my birth mother in all ways. She is the one who made me. My father is irrelevant."

Zelda bit the inside of her cheek. This viewpoint was so odd to her, who was only a princess because of who her father was. Somewhere in the past, there had been an ordinary Hylian man, completely unaware that his son was a powerful king. She was not sure if she found the image sad or amusing. She touched the wall where the tapestry had been, looking away from him.

"My mother also died in childbirth," she said. "I was meant to have a sibling, a little brother, but there were complications. I lost them both. I was six years old."

"Too young," he murmured.

"I cannot remember her well. I do remember that my father became somewhat distant after that. He loved her dearly." She turned back to him suddenly, clearing her mind of sad thoughts. "Ganondorf," she said. "Will you show me around? I'd like to hear more of what this place used to be."

He gazed at her skeptically, meeting her eyes. Then he stepped forward, taking her by the arm. "Come along then," he said.