Chapter 1: Peace For Our Time

Behind the doors to the Great Hall, the most important people in all the realm waited. Hundreds came from every corner of the kingdom, representatives from all the major houses, Gorons from the mountains, and Zora from the seas. Such a host had not visited Hyrule Castle in a hundred years, perhaps more.

It was the most important day of her life, and yet, Princess Zelda could not keep her eyes open. She stood before the doors waiting for the marshal of the court to announce her. Her head drooped, and her eyelids grew heavy.

She shook her head to clear away her weariness. For a moment it worked. She straightened herself and focused on her duties to the kingdom, ready to prove herself before all the land. But moments pass and as the marshal called name after name it became harder to stay upright. So many drawn-out titles of people she had not yet met. So many…

The dark cloud descended upon Hyrule.

Spreading.

Blotting out the light of the sun, moon, and stars.

Choking all within.

Howling the same words, over and over.

The same terrible screams.

A finger snapped before her face. Her eyes sprang open to see her father glaring down upon her. "Wake up."

"I was awake."

"No, you weren't."

"How could I be asleep, if I am standing?" She opened her eyes wide. Despite her efforts, she felt them grow even heavier.

He shook his head, making his grey-specked beard sway. "Perhaps eleven is too young for the affairs of state. I'll have Impa take you-"

"No. You will not send me away." Zelda straightened the front of her dress. The servants had spent the better part of the morning preparing her for the signing ceremony. But more important than that, this would be the most historic event in living memory. "I'll be perfect."

"You better be." He turned back to the door. Head held high, as regal as ever.

Zelda did her best to mirror him, back straight, head high, eyes open. It didn't matter how tired she felt, her first official appearance before her people would not be an embarrassment.

The horns blared within the hall. Two of the castle guards opened the doors, revealing all the greatest men and women in the entire kingdom. Her future subjects.

"His Majesty, King Regent Liotidos Beramus Hyrule!" The marshal called, and all within the hall stood to attention and looked to her father. "By the Grace of Hylia and the Blessings of the Three, Ruler of the Fields and Death Mountain, Protector of Her Lands and Seas, Commander of the Rivers, Lord Paramount of the Hylians, Gorons, Zora, and Sheikah."

Her father gave Zelda one final nod before he entered the hall. Was that meant to reassure me or warn me?

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda of Hyrule, Daughter of Her Majesty Queen Zelda the Nineteenth Hyrule, and Heir Apparent to the Throne!"

I must be perfect.

Zelda walked through the Great Hall while everyone stared at her. She focused on the steps that led to the throne. Steady and graceful, not a hair misplaced. At the front of the hall up several steps rested the five lord's chairs. Her father stood before the center chair, the throne, the largest of them and the one that she had seen most days of her life. But four new ones had been placed beside the throne, specifically prepared for this ceremony.

Once she reached the stairs, she curtsied to her father, then went up the steps to stand before the small chair to his right.

Made it. And I didn't make a fool of myself.

Her father sat, and the entire hall sat with him. Zelda rested her hands ladylike on her lap, perfect as a princess should be. Let everyone see and notice how regal I am. Let them know that when my time comes, I will be a worthy queen.

The marshal continued his announcements. "The Honorable Darunia, Chief of the Gorons, Defender of Death Mountain, Guardian of the Crown and its Treasures, Victor of the Battle of River Fires." Each step of the stoneman echoed through the hall. All Gorons were tall, strong, and barrel-chested, but Darunia was said to be the strongest of all. He had massive arms that hung near the floor and could crush boulders in their grip, thick skin the color of soil, and a mane of hair that had solidified as hard as the rest of him. Long before she was born Darunia had saved her father in battle, and ever after they swore an oath of brotherhood with each other.

He looked grim and pensive as he made his way to the throne. He bowed low to her father, then looked to her and winked. She smiled at him, almost breaking into a laugh just as she had when she was still a child, and he would toss her into the air and roll around for her entertainment.

Thankfully, she had been able to hold it in. Only…

No.

She could feel it coming from the back of her throat; a yawn. She clenched her jaws, but it did no good. Her mouth opened and a quiet sigh escaped her. Everyone must have noticed. Would her people see that as disrespectful? What if they believed she had already grown bored with them? This was terrible.

"Tired, goro?" Darunia said as he took his seat by her side, even reinforced with steel the chair creaked.

"I'm fine, uncle," she said though her face grew hot from embarrassment. "I couldn't sleep."

"Worried all night? Your father was much the same before he took his place at court."

"Yes, well, tired and I had a dream, for the last few nights. It always wakes me up. I couldn't fall back to sleep."

"What kind of dream?"

"Just a dream, I don't know if I should say."

"What else is there to do?"

"His Majesty De Bon the Fourteenth!" The marshal called. "King of the Zora, He Who Patrols the Rivers, Overseer of the Depths, Favored of Lord Jabu-Jabu, Patron of All That Holds Beauty."

"I should be watching them," Zelda said. The king of the Zora, Zelda knew less well, though he had the reputation of a wise man, or fishfolk, as it were. With silver-blue scales and a wide catfish face, complete with barbels that fell down his mouth as other men had mustaches.

"Bahh," Darunia said, "how many times can one watch people walk across a room?"

She glanced at her father, worried he may already disapprove of their whispering. But he focused entirely on the Zora King and his attendants. If Uncle Darunia encouraged her, did that make it right?

"I saw a shadow. It started small, but it grew until it covered all Hyrule. First the forests of the north, then your mountain, the domain of the Zora, and finally it rested on this castle. It choked the fields and blotted out the sun. All while it spoke, or, I suppose it was more of a chant." It did not sound so terrible when she spoke it aloud, and yet, thinking about it made a deep pit in her stomach.

"A talking shadow, eh? What did it say?"

"It was strange, it said two things over and over, back and forth. The first was 'It will all be worth it' and the second was 'Death'. Do you think that means anything?"

"Perhaps. Some dreams bring answers, others only questions."

"Brother," her father said without turning away from the procession of nobles. "This is not the time to fill my daughter's head with nonsense."

Again, Zelda felt her face flush. She straightened in her chair and refused to look at Darunia again.

The horns blared one last time as the final delegation arrived. Zelda's heart quickened as she saw the white flags of truce march into the room. Each carried by one of the tanned giantesses of the desert, the Gerudo.

"His Majesty, Ganondorf Dragmire, King of the Gerudo, Lord of the Sands, Victor of the Battle of the Three Spears, of Zirgo Mesa, and Sotari Pass, the Breaker of the Siege of Tarry, and Guardian of the West!"

The tallest man that Zelda had ever seen entered, followed by three women who would have looked tall beside anyone else. Long had she heard stories of him, his name whispered in fear by common folk and knights alike. And here he seemed all the conqueror the tales spun, he walked with a long gate, near bouncing on his feet. Every step seemed a challenge for anyone to even try to stand up to him. And judging by the fear in the eyes of the guards and knights that surrounded her, none would ever accept it.

He stopped at the stairs leading to her father's throne, looked once around the room with a leering grin before he and the Gerudo beside him knelt. "Long have we been at war. Too long. Started by vai and voe now a century beneath the sands."

Zelda's eyes widened as he spoke. She clutched at the armrest of her chair and gasped.

"What is wrong, goro?"

"That's the voice," Zelda managed to tell Darunia. "Uncle, that's the shadow of my dreams."

"Today," Ganondorf continued, "those years of conflict can finally end."

"Are you certain?" Darunia asked and took her hand, gentle in those stone-rough fingers.

"Yes."

Her father smiled at the Gerudo delegates. "It is my pleasure to-"

"One moment, brother," Darunia stood from his chair and Zelda's hand slipped out of his rough grip. "King Dragmire of the Gerudo, I have a question."

For the first time, the Gerudo king's smirk drooped. "Go on."

"Even atop my mountain, I hear stories of your prowess, each more daring than the last. You have earned a reputation, one of violence, yes, but also of upholding your word, your promises as well as your threats."

"Chief," King De Bon said, "that is not a question."

"Hmm, is it true, before your first battle you, when you appeared before your armies you promised them that you would bring ruin to all their enemies? You gave an oath, as I heard it."

"I did. Words of youth and passion, I was only fifteen."

"What assurance do we have that you will not seek the ruin you promised?"

Many in the crowd gasped. One of the Gerudo that knelt beside Ganondorf hissed and her face went red. But the Gerudo King's smile returned. "Are you suggesting that I offered the banner of peace just to… do what exactly?"

Zelda's father glared at Darunia. "What are you doing?"

Darunia glanced at Zelda before he continued. "I do not mean to offend. I merely wonder why now. Before you took command, your people were driven back to their desert but now your armies make camp in green fields. It is strange for one so successful in war to suddenly choose to end it."

King De Bon scoffed. "A ridiculous question, any man with a brain can see the value of peace."

"The Lord of the Zora has the right of things," Ganondorf said. "I won battles, but what has come of them? My people are no better off than the day I took command. I want the Gerudo to wander across those fields, not in war camps but safe beneath the cool sky. I want to walk the streets of Castle Town and see the walls of Hateno. I want open trade and the spread of knowledge my people lack. I want to take my rightful place among the rest of Greater Hyrule."

"Harrumph," Darunia grunted, looking between Zelda and Ganondorf, clearly without the words to continue the argument.

"A respectable answer," Zelda's father said. "If you are satisfied, my brother, then let us continue-"

"No," Zelda said before she could stop herself. Her father's eyes found hers and they were filled with rage.

"What did you say?"

She silently cursed her stupor. She should not have said anything, but now it was too late to stop. "Father, he just admitted to breaking an oath to his people. Why should we believe he'll keep to any accord we make today?"

One of the Gerudo warriors kneeling beside Ganondorf smashed her hand against the ground before standing up. "You dare insult our king, you-"

Ganondorf turned and said something in the Gerudo language that Zelda did not understand. Whatever it was, the Gerudo huffed and returned to her knee.

Her father rose from the throne. All along the hall people stood from their chairs, it would be most improper to sit while their king stood. Zelda tried to do the same, but before she could her father stepped before her and glared down at her, keeping her from moving. "I knew I shouldn't have brought you."

"Father, listen to what he is saying. He wishes to spread his people across our lands. He wants to bring our wealth to his desert, to gain entrance to our greatest cities and castles where he can discover their weaknesses."

"You will be silent."

"Father," she struggled to come up with something to say. Anything that would convince him, but little came to mind. "I… I dreamed-"

"Dreams mean nothing!" His voice reverberated over the crowds now staring at them in fearful silence. The king took a deep breath to calm himself before he turned back to the hall and the still kneeling barbarians. "My apologies, King Dragmire. My daughter has not yet learned to hold her tongue." He looked over his shoulder to glare at her. "I assure you, once our business is concluded she will be punished."

"There's no need," the big brute said. "The young say things they don't mean or completely understand. Her Royal Highness and Chief Darunia have shown I am guilty of the same foolishness. But if it will put her at ease, may I approach?"

Her father nodded, and Ganondorf stood and walked up the steps to her chair. As he drew closer, Zelda pressed herself as far back into the chair as she could, though it did little to help. He towered over her, with that awful grin etched on his ugly face. He knelt and took her hand. Her stomach churned, and her head grew heavy. She could hardly breathe as some foul presence radiated from him. Growing, pressing, as though it meant to swallow her.

"Before the Three Goddesses," his yellow eyes bore deep into hers. "I vow to take no vengeance against any here for the tragedies of the last one hundred years. I vow to loyally serve the Royal Family. I will cause no disruption to your laws and decrees, I will provide no refuge for any of my sisters that spread violence within the realm. If any should break the peace we make today, I will personally hunt them like the bandits they are. From this day to my last I will not break the united Hyrule."

He was lying. How could no one else see it? The way he smiled, the prideful gleam in his eyes the way he spun his deceptions. And that feeling, the painful oppressive weight that hung about him. She wanted to scream, to cry out, and demand how everyone could be so easily manipulated.

"I don't-"

"You will accept," her father hissed into her ear.

Turning from the Gerudo's battle-scarred features, she sought her uncle's guidance. But Darunia only shook his head. What else could she do? Even if she spoke out no one would listen. Who would believe a girl and her dreams?

She nodded.

"Rise, King Ganondorf Dragmire," her father said.

The barbarian released her hands, and Zelda shuddered with relief as the dark presence lifted from her.

"One hundred years is long enough to let grudges of the past control us!" Her father took the barbarian's hand and lifted it to the crowd. "By Noble Hylia and the Golden Three, on this day the Gerudo become my treasured subjects! They shall be treated fair as any Hylian, Sheikah, Goron, or Zora. I shall reward their loyalty and fidelity with my friendship and protection. Never again shall slights and hatred divide this great kingdom. Let us today celebrate the next hundred years of peace!"

The trumpets blared and the crowd cheered as her father led the barbarian king to the last of the ruler's chairs. The revelries of the crowd grew bolder and louder until Zelda could no longer hear her father and Ganondorf speaking though they were not ten feet from her. The barbarian loomed over the king as they talked, his shadow smothering her father. Yet no one could see it but her.

"There you are," Ganondorf said as he strolled onto the balcony overlooking the city of Castle Town. The castle was massive, so many places for people to hide. He'd lost track how many doors he opened before he found her behind this last pair. He closed the doors behind him, though it did little to muffle the revelries that had overtaken the peace talks.

"Can't a vai be left alone?" Nabooru asked in the Gerudo tongue, not bothering to look away from the horizon past the city walls.

"Just any vai?" He said as he stepped beside his oldest friend, leaning over the railing. "Of course. My right hand? No. Even these fools have noticed your absence. I don't want them to sic their pet Sheikah on you."

Nabs scoffed. "Let them try. I could use the exercise. How long until you're going to make me return?"

"We can take a moment." The celebration had spilled out onto the city. People danced before fires and sang loud and off-key. A gentle breeze blew across his face, warm and pleasant. It filled his nose with cooked meats and spices. "It's beautiful here, isn't it?"

"I don't like this. The Hylians cannot be trusted."

"Who says I trust them?"

"You just swore fealty to that fat old oaf and his brat daughter."

"I said some words." He closed his eyes and let himself enjoy that breeze, the soft touch on his skin. And for that simple moment, the black thoughts ever at the back of his mind quieted. They didn't disappear, they never disappeared. But in a place like this, with beautiful views and gentle winds, even the deepest worries could be calmed.

"You swore upon the Goddesses." He felt Nabooru move away from him. Gan sighed and opened his eyes to see his friend with her arms folded and glaring at him. She must not enjoy the scenery as much as he. "You can't brush aside a sacred vow as 'only words.'"

"But they were. How many agreements have the Hyrulian monarchs broken over the years? How many of our people have they rounded up? How many wells have they destroyed, leaving those who depended upon them to die slow? It's well past time we used their tricks against them."

"Then you dishonor yourself, and without reason! We could have won. The right way, with spear and bow facing them on the battlefield. Two or three more victories, that's all we needed and we could have broken them. We'd make that fool bow to you, kneel before you, beg you for peace."

"No, we could not. There was some truth spoken in there, one hundred years, Nabs. One hundred years and what has it brought us? The desert grows hotter. Our wells grow dry. The winds blow sandstorms that tear apart our homes. How many of our sisters have we lost to heat and thirst? Twice as many as we've lost in battle? Maybe more? Three times? Four? And what have the Hylians lost? They are as prosperous as ever. We can kill ten thousand of them and ten thousand more will be ready to take up arms against us. I could lead us to victory in a hundred more battles and it would not change."

"You don't know that," Nabooru prodded him in his chest. "We could have tried my plan. A season of raiding, pulling their armies away, and leaving a straight line to Castle Town open. It would have worked."

"Your plan was brilliant, but this is not about you. It takes more than winning battles to win a war."

"More 'wisdom' from those scrolls I take it?"

Gan shrugged. "No, that one came from my mothers."

Her lip curled back as though even the mention of them brought with it the stench of something foul. Nabooru made it clear she thought the time he spent poring over old scrolls was a pointless waste. But they were still higher in her esteem than the twin witches that raised him.

But she did not understand the knowledge and power that both provided him. How could she?

"Gan," she said, still frowning. "I will follow you. I will always follow you, you know that. But you're taking a great risk. Even if whatever you're planning works, it is not wise to anger the Goddesses."

"Let me worry about the Goddesses. I won't lose their favor, you'll see. Soon they will grant me power enough to change the world as I see fit."

"Ugh," she shook her head. "It's that kind of talk that makes our sisters call you mad."

Gan smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder just as he had when they were children. "I'm only mad if I'm wrong. And when have you ever known me to be wrong?"

"The monster of the pits."

"No, that doesn't count. I saw the red-eyed demon with the hands."

"Uh-huh. Keep telling me that for another ten years, I might believe you then."

Gan laughed. "I suppose I should make my way back. And you should as well once you're ready. The signing of the treaty will be soon. You should be there. And after we could all use some entertainment. I haven't seen you dance in years."

"Dance?" Nabs looked up at him. "Last time I danced you said I looked like a drunken camel."

"Exactly, like I said, we could all use some entertainment."

Nabooru wiggled out from under his arm and punched him in the shoulder. Ganondorf threw his head back in a deep laugh as his dearest friend scowled at him, but soon enough her mock glare broke and she laughed beside him.

Together they reentered the castle and headed toward the Great Hall. Everyone they passed gave them cheers and well wishes. Knight and squire, lord and peasant, all of them wished to toast his health and peace. The people japed and drank and made merry. They did not know. No one knew as much as he, no one beyond his mothers could discern his plans. And none would be able to stop him if they did.

What would it matter if it stained his honor if it forced him to deal in lies? Victory was all that mattered, the only way to save his home and his people. It will all be worth it.