Legend of Zelda Rise of Power

_Now, my child. you must do as I say. I may go by a different name in this age, but I am still the one, the same, the Demise of the world, the great dark lord Ganondorf of which holds the Triforce of Power and has held it for thousands of years. We have a lot to take care of before you come of age. We must work together._

Sheets rustled. Dark, crimson hair disappeared under the heavy sheets. A breeze blew through the room, stirring the scent of spices, dry sand, and smokey meat from that night's left over dinner. Through the clouds the moon shone brilliantly upon the desert, casting it in such a glow that at first glance it could have been snow.

The wind seemed to laugh. _Ignorant yet, but not completely dumb. You are a warrior, a chosen one, and one day you will rule this very land. It is a blessing that in this life you have been born a male, a true king! __I should have taken your place should I have no been trapped in this infernal form._Again the sheets rustled and the young Gerudo beneath it rolled over, gripping the edge of his pillowcase. Gold, innocent eyes fluttered open. Breath picked up and his chest tightened, for he felt a presence in his room. Tiny lips pressed together, a tan face hardened, his knuckles turned white from his grip on the pillow. Slowly, ever so slowly, he rolled over, but his eyes were met with darkness and the ever exhaling breath of their goddess caressed his pointed ears and his cheeks and drew him back to his bed. He settled against his pillow once more, breathing deep and slow to calm his beating heart. No one could get into the desert, no one could leave, no one except his own mother, who coincidentally happened to be the queen of the desert and Gerudo tribes. He was safe and the silvery glow of the moon lulled him back into sleep.

But someone had been in his room, and the child had been oblivious to its presence. It was but a wispy figure who now stepped out of the darkness, taking the boy's right hand in his own. _You will be of great use to me one day, __son__. Keep this for me until it is time. _And then a symbol began to glow. It pulsated on the man's hand and disappeared shortly after. Wind tore through the room and he disappeared in a cloud of darkness, but there on the back of the boy's hand was the familiar, triangle marking of the Triforce of Power. He noticed it not when he woke up, nor when he went to take a bath, nor at breakfast when his mother and her sisters gathered at the table and passed around warm bread.

On his sixteenth birthday nearly ten years later, the boy sat at the throne room, one leg crossed over the other. His red hair had been fixed with different gels, but nothing was strong enough to hold back the cowlick that curled over the right side of his forehead. Eight fingers were steeped together, both thumbs resting against his upper lip, his golden eyes staring intently at the heavy metal doors. Today was the first after many decades that the women of the tribe stepped aside and welcomed the other tribes of Hyrule into the desert. "I will not let them harm my baby boy," his mother always said while caressing him fondly or placing a kiss on his forehead. She always dropped the subject at that, but he knew otherwise. He knew that at any chance the other tribes would make a chance at testing him- seeing if he was truly the descendant of evil as all males of his tribe were destined to become. Some days he had eavesdropped on his mother and her assistant to learn of what was happening, and it was easy enough to get answers. Gerudo were all taught to be sneaky little rogues, leaving behind no trace. However, now he was to make his grand appearance after having been sheltered from the world since he was born. What excitement and celebration must have happened, he wondered, if the other tribes were excited and interested now, sixteen years later?

He exhaled through his nose.

"Is something wrong, child?"

"No, mother. I am fine." He could not help but roll his eyes, turning his head so as to make sure his mother would not see. "I am just tired of waiting, tired of hiding. I want to be with the other children, to laugh and play and practice my magic and sneak around to make sure my limbs are not rusty when they are actually needed."

"But we allow you to be outside every day and test your skills where it is safe. Please don't get too antsy, we are just trying to keep you safe. After all-"

"We were once nearly extinct and there has been no other king in centuries. I know the stories, you have told them to me since I was little. I know them all." He interlocked his fingers and pressed them to his lips. "I am just eager for this day to be over."

His mother let out a click and looked up from polishing her sword. "So immature and bitter even at this young age. Lighten up, you'll make a bad impression! We don't want them to hate you already."

He snorted. "That makes me feel better, mother," he huffed. One of his aunts came by with a tray of food and he leaned over, snatching a handful of the tasty crackers from the tray. He sniffed them, taking in their sweet aroma, only to yelp loudly as his mother backhanded him. He dropped them in his lap. "What was that for!"

"Don't be rude, ask if you are hungry, yeesh. Some prince you are!"

"But I am hungry. Surely the queen would let me eat."

"Don't whine, either. Though I suppose you may take some food, I have never seen a Gerudo , young or old, as lanky and thin as you. We will have lunch and celebrations soon, however, so don't eat too much."

Now he grumbled quietly to himself, his nimble fingers gripping the arm rests of the throne. He was a prince, yes, and he enjoyed it greatly, savoring it with every fiber of his being. It meant he could be in the cool shade of his home whenever he wished instead of the blistering heat of the outside world the women always worked in. But this had made him paler than most, almost as if he was sick, and now he was worried about the impression he would make on the other tribes. Gerudo had stronger genes than Hylian men so their tribe could remain as such, but he was a strange mix between Gerudo and Hylian, was even born with their pointed ears and had been taught by his mother that those with pointed ears could hear the voices of the goddesses. Blasphemy, he thought. The goddesses were not real; they were a figment of someone of whom had an active imagination. One could only trust what they could physically see, hear, and touch, yes?

He made note not to mention that to the other races. The Gorons shared the same goddess as them- Din, with her fiery arms- and would not take kindly to a spindly little Gerudo boy offending them. And Kokiri and Hylians, they were much more stuck to their beliefs that Farore controlled even their own destinies. He would not get started on the Zora and whatever other petty race worshiped Nayru. Too unbelievable, untrustworthy- the only person one could trust was themselves as far as he was concerned.

"Ganondorf, stop fidgeting! They are almost here."

"How many?"

"Many members from each of the tribes, my dear. Princess Zelda and her knights, the young Zora prince Klondi and his family, the..." She trailed off, looking up from her sword again as the doors were swung open. She shifted from sitting with her legs across the arm of the throne to sitting straight, power radiating from her very being as if there was a light switch between her more playful self and her queenly self.

First to stroll into the room was Princess Zelda, naturally, taking even strides across the bright red carpet. Even secluded far in the desert the prince knew she was assertive, cocky even. She let her dress fall back to her feet and gave a curt bow, her smile lighting up the room. Beside her were three knights- bodyguards, perhaps- that bowed after her. The prince narrowed his golden eyes, letting his hands rest in his lap. He was hardly entertained by the Gorons that rolled into the room, even less entertained by the tiny Kokiri children who had been sent by the Deku Tree, or his son, or...whatever the hell had happened to that tree. They all stepped to the side as another prince walked into the room, strutting as if the center of attention.

Zelda sneered, but turned away. The prince was coated in nothing but blue skin, lighter on his front side than his backside, with little to no clothes or decoration except the sapphire necklace shining in the light of sun. Fins on each of his wrists fanned out as he bowed, and he seemed to walk and bounce around with a happy, internal rhythm as if he danced along with a song only he could hear.

"You know, you don't look like a very good prince," the Zora said, tapping his fingers against his thigh. "So tiny and- ow, hey!" The taller of the two, the queen most like, back handed the prince again and took him by the shoulders, steering him away while the king apologize profusely.

Ganondorf sighed, resting his head in his propped up hand. "No matter. Continue."

For the next twenty minutes the queen and her prince were greeted by king and queens of smaller kingdoms and races. He greeted them all with hardly a smile and only a blank stare, enough to leave them intimidated, or at least wary of him. He did not like to talk. He did not like to socialize outside his own circle of friends and his own family. He was unsure what these 'celebrations' his mother talked about would entail and became quite cold the longer the day drew on. There were more introductions. When the last had entered the room and everyone stood, happily chatting with one another, he stood up.

The room grew quiet. Many of the nights around the room gripped their swords, but a sharp look from the prince frightened them into submission.

"Good afternoon," he said, stunning everyone. His voice was hardly more than a whisper! "Welcome to Gerudo Valley. We mean no harm and wish for you to enjoy your time here, I guess." Nervously he clasped his hands together, desperate to keep his intimidating appearance. "I am Ganondorf, preferably Ganon, as you all know. And it's really damn hot in here, usually there's more shade than this."

He threw his head up to stare at the women patching an enormous hole in the roof. They waved down at him with bright smiles and palette knives full of cement. The prince looked displeased, but turned back to his audience. "We're sorry about the terrible first impression. There was an accident earlier this morning while trying to repair the canons and there was no other place big enough- or shaded enough- for a meeting such as this."

Now his mother stood, resting her arm across her son's shoulder in a playful manner. These women had forgotten much of their old traditions. They were rather friendly and caring, but they still packed a punch in battle and were some of the strongest around. It had taken generations upon generations to rebuild their empire and their tribe, and they would not let it go again. If they had to be kind and kiss Hyrule's hand in order to stay alive, they would do it. "There have been many rooms in our palace cleared out for you to stay in, or you may leave tonight, or whenever you wish." Her face became hard. "If any of you even think of hurting my baby boy, I will slay you in your sleep."

Ganondorf smacked his forehead with the heel of his palm. His face turned a light shade of red and he had to use both hands to cover it. "Mother please, let's move on. We're not trying to kill them." The room held its breath.

"No, you're right. May the children of the royal families be blessed. My whole city is for you kids to play in until celebration starts this evening. Go on, Ganondorf, go make friends." She nudged him down the stairs and watched with maroon colored eyes as he sauntered out of the room followed by nearly twelve other kids.

Only three actually stayed with Ganondorf, and one was accompanied by her personal knight, some blond man who crawled out of his armor and threw it aside, nearly passing out before they even reached the outside. The prince stood nervously among these four people, but remained calm and set his face with a hard look. He noticed that by looking at many of them, he seemed to recognize them despite not having ever known them before. The blond man was an expert at sword fighting, as was the prince, and they had a go at it in the shaded, cool arena, perfectly matched against each other. Zelda had learned in secret how to use a bow and had bested Ganondorf in one try by hitting the bull's eye while it took him three tries. The Goron prince beat him in a race. The Zora, Klondi, did not even try to do anything, too busy lying in a corner and dumping water on his dry skin to pay attention to what was going on. It took both Ganondorf and Zelda's knight, Link, to lift the Zora and dump him into the cold waters of the bath house before he became a shriveled wreck.

Ironically, his whole family was sitting at the bottom of that pool as well.

But the entire time they were together, there was a tenseness in the air, like the humidity of the bath houses that stuck to Ganondorf's skin and weighed him down. "Perhaps we should see if there is any food set up?" Zelda suggested, smirking. "Ganondorf, you live here and you look absolutely dreadful."

"I am dreadful," he deadpanned, picking at his light red, cotton vest. "I often prefer to stay inside, I was not expecting to be kicked out of my own throne room. Why are you being so nice, anyway? Everyone knows the story of the Gerudo."

Link laughed. "That was thousands of years ago," he said, "You're different now. We trust you now." He was a bright young man, though Ganondorf learned he could be stern. "Come on, I'll duel you again at the arena, yeah?"

Ganondorf swallowed. "Yeah, let's do it."

Zelda, Klondi, and Promantu cheered the two on as they slashed, bashed, parried, and pierced. The sleeve of Link's tunic was sliced and Ganondorf received a cut on his bare upper arms, but he hardly felt it. Unlike the knight, he did not use a shield, protecting himself only with his agile moves and skillfully placed slashes. For as long as he could remember he fought this way, had been hailed as a prodigy as a child when he picked up a sword and learned it in half the time it took another Gerudo to learn. "He's the prince, of course he'll be good!" his mother had praised, awarding him with pieces of hard candy on jobs well done. He gritted his teeth and lunged. He knelt, going for Link's knees, and threw his sword up to dislodge his shield. It all happened so fast, the room was silence. He was slammed aside by the Goron, who sat on top of him.

He tried to sit up, but something was wrong. He grabbed the Goron and threw him aside, standing up with his sword gripped tightly in his hand. Link stood in a stance with his shield in front of him, sword poised to strike, Zelda and Klondi staring in absolute horror.

"What- Ganondorf, what is that on your hand?"

But he had not heard. Promantu gripped Ganondorf's arms in his huge, rocky hands, holding him back and forcing his sword to clatter onto the ground.

"I'm sorry," the prince said, his knees shaking. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm doing. Sometimes I just get really, really angry and- and I'm sorry, please don't hurt me, please."

A laugh resounded through the arena, but none seemed to have heard it. Ganondorf's golden eyes darkened as he looked at these people; they were so kind, even Klondi, who put up such a demeanor as to make himself look better among the people. Ganondorf knew he had just tried to kill Link- there was something there, something deep in his gut that told him to kill. Something kept telling him that this Link was a terrible man, but Ganondorf knew better. Link was courageous, willing to sacrifice his life and do anything to help Princess Zelda. He wanted to help everyone; he made sure Ganondorf felt confident around his friends, made sure Klondi was finding enough water, urged Promantu to come along and eat lunch with them before the celebrations. There was no reason to hate Link, yet it was there.

He tore from the Goron's grip and lunged at Link. The knight, who had knelt to collect his shield, threw his it out, bashing the prince in the chest and throwing him back. Ganondorf dug his fingers into his hair, rolling to the side, squeezing his golden eyes shut.

"Ganondorf? Are you okay?"

"Leave me alone," he snarled, digging his nails into his scalp. "Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me-"

He faintly saw Link nudging Zelda. She stayed beside him, trying to take his hands, as he ran out of the arena to fetch someone. From her throat emitted a pretty tune, hummed just loud enough for him to hear. His body visibly relaxed, but something pounded against his head, a darkness that he just could not shake.

"May I see your hand, Ganondorf?" Zelda asked, brushing her fingers along the boy's calloused knuckles. He said nothing, but he relaxed his fingers and she took his hand in hers. "There's something funny here- what's this, what are these triangles?"

The curtain at the entrance of the arena was nearly torn down as the queen stormed in, skidded to a halt near the railing of the battle ground, and dropped to her knees beside the prince. She nearly shoved Zelda away, refraining from doing so when she saw the glowing symbol on the top of his right hand. Her eyes darkened and she took his hand from Zelda's, studying it with a deflated look.

The prince was out, unable to tell what was going on. Darkness consumed his entire being, from the very nooks and crannies of his mind to the cracked skin on his fingertips. Stalfos. There were so many Stalfos and Poes and too many Skull Kids to bother counting. He wanted to stand and slam the Redead kneeling next to him right square in the face, but he held back. There were at least four Redeads around him, staring at him with cold, red eyes. The world seemed to spin, fading further and further into a black abyss. Even the monsters began to fade, though he could hear their roars and hordes of them grew closer and closer. He reached out, begging for his mother or his friends, desperate to find a way out of such a terrible place, when something appeared before him.

In the darkness was a single, golden triangle, radiating red with power. He narrowed his eyes and tried to lift his head, confused.

_Look, but do not touch, my son. The time has almost come, and soon I shall reveal the full extent the Triforce of Power can control. _

When he tried to reach closer, his finger tips were but millimeters away from the golden surface.

_This has been mine for thousands upon thousands of years. Mine. My family's. My tribe's. Don't you wish you could be in a world much better than that of the desert? With a constant supply of water and the sweet smell of flowers at bloom in the spring? This relic can grant that and anything you may ever wish to have._

"I...I want that. But I'm comfortable here, with my mother, my friends, my warm bed, spices only cultivated here." He felt weak. His body ached in much the same way it did when he exerted himself too much. Both his arms felt like jelly, his legs were numb and would not move. The top of his hand burned. "Let me go," he pleaded, "please let me go."

Darkness cluttered his mind again. The beautiful image of the triangle- no, the Triforce of Power- snapped out of sight, leaving its image burned in the prince's sight. He let out a staggered breath, pleading for relief from this feeling of his tight chest and hopelessness. If this was what the Triforce did, he wanted none of it. Go away, he chanted over and over in his head. Go away and let me be! But laughter filled his ears and the ground felt like it was rumbling. One last breath escaped his lips before everything stopped. Surely he must be dead.

* * *

**_Shinzu_: **Well I'll be damned how long has it been since I wrote anything for Legend of Zelda? Well, if you remember my old stories, I had Tunik and Zain. They are now Ganondorf and Areldia. I really hope you guys like this, I've grown so much since I last wrote anything for Legend of Zelda!


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