Fan Fiction ❯ Never My Destiny ❯ A Fateful Meeting ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Galaxy_Girl 
When did the two first see each other?
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.05.2004 | Pages: 7 | Words: 7.9K | Visits: 355 | Status: Completed
When did the two first see each other?
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.05.2004 | Pages: 7 | Words: 7.9K | Visits: 355 | Status: Completed
Never My Destiny
A Ganondorf/Impa Romance
by Galaxy Girl
A/N: I wanted to mention this in case anybody didn't pick up on it last chapter... Ganondorf is Nabooru's cousin in this story. His aunt is her mother. Just thought I'd mention that... ^^; Oh, and at the request/suggestion/demand (^^) of FireFairy, I've tried a different method of spacing on this chapter... Well, see what you think. Let's GO!
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CHAPTER TWO: A Fateful Meeting
*************************
"Why are you here so early, child?" cackled the old crone in red, taking a long drink of something smelly and steaming from a bottle.
"Something urgent bothering you?" chimed in the crone in blue, pouring the contents of an identical bottle into a small china teacup and holding it out. "Want some tea?"
"No thank you," Ganondorf mumbled, shaking his head. He was sitting in his great-great-great grandmothers' sitting room, in a wing of the sacred Gerudo temple in the Desert Colossus.
Early that morning, the morning he was set to leave for Hyrule Castle, Ganondorf had snuck out of his bedroom and, with the aid of a lantern, found his way to the Colossus to see Koume and Kotake Twinrova, his ancient grandmothers and surrogate mothers.
Very little was known about the past of the twins, but it was known that they were once powerful Gerudo sorceresses who married Ganondorf's great-great-great grandfather, fifth to the last male Gerudo. Back then, polygamy was legal in the Gerudo society. Through various spells and hexes the two had invented on their own, they'd managed to live on for almost 400 years, retaining the appearances of a pair of kindly old witches with buggy eyes and elaborate robes.
They lived in the Spirit Temple out in the Colossus, and the rest of the Gerudo revered them as prophets and wise woman... Though it was long-forgotten which one of them was actually the mother of Ganondorf's grandfather.
Koume, the Fire Sorceress, took another long sip of "tea". "Hee hee hee... anxious about visiting the castle, are you, child?"
"You could tell?" he asked, shuffling around on the cushion that had been provided for him to sit on. The room was stuffy and smelled like incense. It was making Ganondorf a little sleepy.
"We know everything, silly boy. We're your grandmothers," Kotake, the Ice Sorceress giggled.
"It's your duty, you know... As the male Gerudo," Koume reminded him crisply.
"Your grandfather and his grandfather before him had to go through with things they didn't like to do either," Kotake added, chortling. "Ho ho ho."
"I just don't think it's fair..." he murmured in frustration, staring down at the floor. "Ever since I was a child... I've had to do things that took away my freedom, and that I didn't want to do."
"Like what?" echoed Koume and Kotake together.
"Remember a few years ago... The Festival of the Sun?"
"What about it?" the twins echoed again.
Ganondorf dug into the stone floor with the toe of his boot. "That girl asked me to dance... And I said yes. And we had a great time."
"So?" Koume prodded.
"What about it?" Kotake finished.
Ganondorf turned a little bit crimson. "Her mother saw us and pulled her aside and yelled at her... After that she wouldn't speak to me."
"And...?" the twins urged.
"Her mother told her that if she were caught 'fraternizing' with me again, she would be severely beaten," Ganondorf mumbled in an annoyed tone.
Koume and Kotake glanced at each other. "Well, of course. You're the only male Gerudo. The others must respect and revere you as a king, to prepare for when you will be our king someday," exclaimed the latter.
"It's understandable that you'd not like it very much... but that's the way things are," the former nodded widely. "They've always been that way."
"Well, if I'm someday to be king, then why can't I change them?" Ganondorf retorted.
"Because there are some things that extend beyond the ruling power of a king, child," Kotake whispered mystically.
"Traditions. Laws of the earth and sky. The will of a woman," chuckled Koume. "Hee hee hee..."
"You'll understand, someday, child... Why things must be this way," Kotake said consolingly, waddling over and patting her grandson on the shoulder. "Ho ho ho..."
"But that's just it!" Ganondorf snapped angrily, pushing her ancient hand off of him. "I DON'T understand why things must be this way! The other races in Hyrule can do whatever they want and see whomever they want and love whomever they want... I seem to be the only one who can't!"
Kotake stepped back away from him, and Koume's eyes bugged out even more than usual, if possible.
He stood up, and stomped to the center of the room. "If I'm a king, then why can't I change things? If I'm a king, then why can't I control my own future? If my own destiny is out of my hands, then just what kind of power do I have?"
An awkward moment passed.
Koume and Kotake looked at each other, and shook their heads sadly. Ganondorf was glaring back at them, prepared to leave if he didn't hear what it was he wanted to hear.
"I wish we could tell you why that is, child..." Koume sighed.
"We don't understand everything either..." Kotake sighed as well.
"I'm not going to the castle," Ganondorf spat viciously, his voice growing more and more dangerous. "I'll never go. I'll die before I break the promise I made to my mother... And I'll die before I let them take away the rest of my life."
"Perhaps... if you do go..." Koume mused in a quiet voice, "You'll find the answer to whatever it is you're looking for..."
"I want a way out. I want to abdicate the Gerudo throne," Ganondorf said. "I'm supposed to be a king, not a god... They don't have to treat me like this!"
Kotake nodded wisely. "Perhaps... if you do go... You'll find a way to do that."
Ganondorf seemed to be thinking as he strolled back and forth across the room, the clicking of his boots the only sound. "And if I can't do that... Then I want more power."
"More power?" echoed the twins.
"Yes. More power," Ganondorf repeated, his yellow eyes glittering as though in a daydream. "I want the power to make things go my way... Live the way I want to, with whom I want to... I want the power to bring everyone together..."
"Under one king," Koume and Kotake whispered eerily.
That's what his mother had said...
"Yes. That's the sort of power I want," Ganondorf nodded curtly.
"Perhaps, if you go to the castle, you'll find the answer to that wish," Koume said.
"And perhaps, if you go to the castle, you'll find something else that you want desperately," Kotake giggled, a hint of mischief in her voice.
Ganondorf turned towards them, one eyebrow raised high up onto his forehead. "What are you saying...? If I go to the castle..."
"Perhaps it's a prophecy. Perhaps it's not," Koume riddled.
"Perhaps it's destiny. Perhaps it's not," Kotake added.
"Perhaps it's the way things were planned. Perhaps it was never meant to be," Koume persisted.
"Perhaps it's the answer to all your problems. Perhaps it's a curse," Kotake went on.
"But either way, this way or that way," Koume announced climactically.
"You'll never know unless you go and find out!" Kotake finished.
Somehow, those cryptic bits of wisdom made Ganondorf reconsider his defiance in his decision to go with the rest of his tribe to the castle...
He stood in thought for a moment, gazing back at his grandmothers, who were smiling mischievously as they sipped more tea from identical bottles.
"Maybe it is my destiny," Ganondorf sighed, as he turned towards the door.
"Good luck, child," Koume called, waving farewell.
"Keep your chin up, child..." Kotake added. "Things just might work out the way you want them to..."
*********************
It seemed to Impa that the entire population of the castle town had gathered her in the square to watch the arrival of the races. It was as though all the violence and terror caused by the Great War had never happened. Mothers and fathers, children, entire families were out on the streets, feasting on delicacies and enjoying goods only available at carnival time. There was the happy chorus of laughter wherever you went, and all through the streets, young children marched, chanting old stories and songs to welcome the leaders of the races to the great capital of Hyrule.
Impa was seated on the side of a fountain at the center of the square, leaning back and soaking up the rays of the sun. She watched the people enjoying the pleasures of the marketplace and the town guards moving things aside in preparation for the entrance of the leaders. Harkinian had graciously given her the day off, as a reward for serving so well in her first few weeks working at the castle.
Every morning at 6, as Impa was used to doing, she awoke, got dressed, and immediately headed into the Princess's room to bathe, dress and feed her. From then until noon, she spent her time catering to Zelda's needs: play, diapering, and the occasional morsel of mush from the kitchen.
Noon until three was Impa's scheduled break, as Zelda napped. Usually around three Zelda would awaken, and Impa would continue care until six o'clock, when she would put the princess to bed. The rest of the night was hers, unless, of course, Zelda needed something.
Never since Zelda's birth had the castle been so quiet. Harkinian often had to stop in the nursery to make sure that Zelda and Impa were still there.
But today, every precious second belonged to Impa to do as she pleased with. She'd never been to the marketplace during a carnival, and was quite pleased at all the things there were to see and do.
Of course, that large shadow still hung over her. There had been no clues leading to the discovery of the Sheikah's disappearance. She was still the last one, and all alone.
But Impa noticed that taking care of the princess seemed to comfort her. It was nice to know that she was needed for something in this world. And every time Impa thought about perhaps, trying to disappear as well, she would remember how lonely poor Zelda would be with no one to sing her to sleep.
After an hour or so of enjoying the sunshine, Impa finally grew hungry, and set off to a booth in the corner with the few Rupees of spending money that the king had allowed her. Lon-Lon, the ranch in the center of the field, was having a special: a cheese pastry and a bottle of Lon-Lon milk for only 5 Rupees.
The man running the cart, who appeared to be the ranch's owner, was holding a fussy baby girl with bright red hair. As he handed her her food, Impa couldn't help but make a suggestion.
"I think you have her wrapped up too tight in that blanket," she smiled cheerfully.
The ranch owner fumbled about with the blanket, and the girl immediately stopped fussing. As a reward, he handed Impa back her 5 Rupees, proclaiming that she deserved a free meal for her help.
As Impa made her way back to her spot by the fountain, a loud trumpet cadence blasted through the square. Everyone turned towards the great drawbridge, and cheered wildly as the first of the wagons carrying the leaders of Hyrule entered the walls of the castle.
Suddenly losing her appetite, Impa set down her meal and stood up. She'd never seen any of the other races, besides the Gorons and the Hylians... She stood up on her tiptoes to see over a very tall man standing nearly in front of her.
The first wagon must have belonged to the Gorons, Impa mused, as it was built completely of stone- wheels and all. She was proven correct as she spotted a hairy, muscular Goron up front, peddling a small wheel between his feet and stuffing his face with chunks of marble as he did. That must be Darunia, the new Big Brother of the Gorons... Inside the wagon was an entourage of other Gorons, powering the wagon by rolling in place on what looked like a crude conveyor belt.
Following closely behind the Gorons was a wagon that, to the delight of many of the children, was made completely of flowers and plants. Seated on it was a troupe of Deku Scrubs from the forest, and one Hylian, who had served as a diplomat to the Kokiri. Their leader, who was rumored to be a giant tree, had been unable to come, so Harkinian sent a representative to him instead.
Impa's eyes nearly popped out of her head as the Zora came next. She'd never seen something so strange! What looked like a half-man, half-fish was pulling the cart, his silver scales gleaming in the sun. Many of the Hylians oohed and aahed to see that the cart was a small, shallow pool on wheels. Gathered inside was a rather large Zora (the king, no doubt), some normal-looking ones, and one that looked like a child, riding on the king's lap.
But the wagon that came next, Impa found the most fascinating of all. It was built of shoddy wood, and led by a pair of handsome young stallions, one of them tan and one of them an ebony black. The wagon appeared normal, and it occupied by a group of tan-skinned women, all with bright red hair and wearing the outfits traditionally associated with genies or harem women, in all colors of the rainbow... But there were only women aboard. Not a single man was in sight.
"The Gerudo! Who invited them?" a large woman in front of Impa gasped.
"Everyone was invited, what did I tell you?" her husband, who was comically very skinny replied. "Look at that... Of all places... I've never seen a Gerudo in real life... I used to think they were made up. How could a tribe survive if only women were born?"
"That don't make no sense!" a new person, standing in front of the skinny man snapped. "How can that be?"
"Easy," A young woman next to the new man shrugged. "There are male Gerudo... But they're only born once every hundred years. And he's always the king. Always, always, always... they almost treat him like a god."
"Lucky bastard," whispered the skinny man. His wife replied by slugging him in the shoulder and almost knocking him down.
"So... if their king hasn't been born yet, why are they here?" asked the new man. "Who's gonna sign?"
"Oh, they have a king. Real young. I heard he's only sixteen," the young woman announced. "I think they're crazy, letting a kid like that lead them..."
"Lucky bastard... surrounded by all those women," the skinny man and the new man repeated together, eyes glazing over.
Impa had never heard anything so strange in all her life. A tribe made up of only women... One man born every hundred years? How on earth did they ever survive?
Everyone in the marketplace seemed to have heard about the Gerudo and their boy king, as well. An excited murmur swept across them as the Gerudo's cart reached the center of the square. People had begun climbing up on crates and planters to try and see into the wagon and have a good view of the Gerudo king.
Who'd ever heard of a male Gerudo? It was quite a wonder to them, and they all hoped to catch a momentary view of who would become the leader of the notorious gang of thieves.
Impa stood up on the fountain and headed to the right, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of him through the front of the wagon. She could still hear tidbits of people's conversations as she walked, carefully keeping her balance.
"I don't know why the king invited them... Bunch of no-good thieves, that's all they are."
"I heard that packs of them hunt down Hylian men in the night!"
"You're kidding! For what?"
"What else? PROCREATION..."
"EEEGGH!"
Reaching the end of the wall of the fountain, Impa stood up on her tiptoes to try one more time to see him...
And found herself successful, as an olive green hand protected by ornately decorated bracers reached out of the wagon and moved the cloth covering it aside to gaze out at the marketplace.
An anxious-looking face appeared. He was indeed very young. His hair was wild and red like the rest of his tribe's and his skin that same olive green tone. He had sharp yellow eyes that seemed to bore into everything he looked at, and a broad, prominent nose.
She had never seen anyone looking so uncomfortable before.
But there was something about him... Even though she could only see a little bit of his face... There was something different about him.
"See, young master? This isn't so bad," his aunt said cheerfully as she gently prodded the black stallion's side with a long riding crop. "Look at all the sights... Just listen to all the sounds! Yes, your mother and I scored some of our best raids here!"
"Why are they all trying to stare at me?" Ganondorf mumbled nervously, trying to watch the crowd through a rip in the fabric.
"I already told you, young master... A male Gerudo is something to be marveled at," Marya replied, sending hand signals to two of the guards in the back. She had ordered them to keep their eyes on the back of the wagon to watch for "sightseers" trying to sneak onboard.
A cheerful young Gerudo in pink was seated next to Ganondorf, leaning back against the cloth of the wagon. "Just ignore them, Ganny," Nabooru yawned, stretching. "They'll get over it..."
"Well I wish they'd stop soon," Ganondorf snapped. "I already feel like a freak. And they're not helping..."
What on earth were Koume and Kotake THINKING, telling him to come here? He wouldn't find the slightest shred of anything helpful here in his quest for freedom. All he'd seen so far were nosy, stupid Hylians who insisted on treating him like he was riding in a circus wagon instead of the royal coach of the Gerudo.
Ahead of them, the great castle of Hyrule rose up above the tiny buildings in the marketplace like a great mountain of marble. Even Ganondorf had to admit, it was pretty spectacular.
Perhaps when he was king, he would build a palace like that. Maybe he could invite people to live there with him, too, like the King of Hyrule did. And no Gerudo law, no matter how old or traditional would stop him.
For some reason, Ganondorf felt himself compelled to search the crowd. He didn't know why, or what he was expecting to find. Another male Gerudo? Not likely. Maybe he was looking for someone in the same situation as him...
His vision melted into a blur of Hylians. They all looked very different from one another, unlike the Gerudo, who all shared the trait of red hair. A rainbow of hair and skin colors, styles of clothing and sizes was scattered across the marketplace, in the forms of the Hylian people. And they all had those big, pointy, ridiculous-looking ears that Ganondorf had come to recognize and hate. One of these people... One of these varying people was responsible for his mother's death. No matter how innocent or happy they look, it's their fault...
The wagons briefly came to a stop while the guards opened the gates to the castle up ahead. Ganondorf continued spying out of the wagon, still looking all over the crowds.
"They all look so different," he murmured blankly.
"That's what happens when your gene pool is 20 times bigger than ours," one Gerudo in the back chuckled, shaking her head.
"It's ridiculous... How can you even tell who your family is, if you all look so different?" another one replied.
"I don't know about you all, but I feel blessed to have red hair," Nabooru laughed. "At least I know who I belong with, eh Ganny?"
Ganondorf didn't pay attention until she had slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Huh? Oh... yeah... Right."
"I mean... goodness! Look how confusing it'd get!" Nabooru whistled, gazing out the back of the wagon. "That girl there has yellow hair... So who is her family? Is that guy over there part of her family? He has yellow hair too... But she's standing near that guy with black hair. Is he her family? But how can that be? Yellow hair should stick with yellow hair, y'know?"
"You're not making much sense, dear," Marya called back to her daughter.
"It makes sense!" Nabooru called back. "Like I said, I'm glad I have red hair... It makes it easy to know who you belong with."
"I don't know," Ganondorf sighed.
"What do you mean?" his cousin replied.
"Well... I have red hair, don't I?"
"Yeah...?"
"Sometimes I don't know who I belong with," he mumbled forlornly, staring through a rip in the fabric.
Nabooru studied his face for a moment, and chuckled a little. "Don't be silly, Ganny. You belong with us."
"I don't feel like it sometimes," he shrugged. "Aren't all Gerudos female, after all?"
His cousin cocked her head, and sighed. "This AGAIN, cousin?"
"It's true, though. All the Gerudo ARE female," he argued.
Nabooru patted him on the shoulder. "But one of them is not. And it's you, Ganny. You're the king, remember?"
"Well then, when I'm king... Red hair won't have to stick with red hair," he said calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Red hair can marry yellow hair or black hair if he or she wants to."
Nabooru shook her head in disbelief. "You're crazy, Ganny."
"Maybe I am," he shrugged, as the wagon started to move again.
All the better, he thought. The sooner we get to the castle, the better.
Ganondorf was beginning to get sick of the Hylians. They all looked different from each other... But none of them really stood out. They were all just faces in the Hylian crowd, just another mindless member of the-
That's when his eyes turned towards the fountain.
She was standing on the wall of a fountain in Town Square. Ganondorf caught one look at her and slowly poked his head out of the front of the wagon to get a better look.
There were no other people who looked like her... What a strange-looking Hylian! Silvery white hair with tattoos below her red eyes, and body armor unlike any he'd ever seen the Hylian Guards wearing.
She was watching him with a curious glance, even as he tried to keep himself hidden from view. Her eyes were glittering with interest as she followed the Gerudo's wagon, slowly heading out of the marketplace and onto the castle ground.
What's she lookin' at? - Ganondorf thought smugly. She's as much of a freak as I am...
But his curiosity was getting the better of him. He couldn't keep his eyes off of that weird Hylian girl. Finally, he tapped his aunt on the shoulder and pointed at her.
"Who does she belong with?" he asked.
Marya strained her eyes to get a good look at her. "Who? The girl on the fountain?"
"She doesn't look like the other Hylians," Ganondorf repeated. "None of them have silver hair... Who does she belong with?"
Marya studied the girl's appearance for a moment, then leaned back to talk to her nephew. "Looks like a Sheikah, I think. Wow, who'd have thought?"
"What's that?" Ganondorf murmured. "A... Sheikah?"
"No one knows for sure... They're the Shadow Folk. They have watched over the Royal Family of Hyrule for centuries, and they used to live in a village called Kakariko, near the mountains," Marya explained. "But it's the weirdest thing... they all started disappearing a few weeks ago. I didn't think there were any left... But then again, in his proclamation about the treaty, ol' Harky did mention the last Sheikah signing..."
"She's the last one?" asked Ganondorf.
"Looks that way," Marya sighed. "Jeez, what's the holdup up there?! COME ON, YOU STUPID ZORA! PARK THE DAMN WAGON AND LET'S GO!"
Finally Marya spurred on the horses again, and the wagon was moving. But Ganondorf didn't let his eyes leave the lonely Sheikah girl standing by herself in the market...
The very last Sheikah, her family vanished into thin air...
She's different from everyone else... And she's all alone...
Impa kept her eyes on the Gerudo wagon until it had disappeared up the path to the castle gates. She hopped down from the fountain and began pushing through people, headed for a back-alley shortcut she knew that led back to the castle.
The only male Gerudo in a tribe of females...
He's different from everyone else... And he's all alone...
"Friends and allies, leaders of the races of Hyrule!" Harkinian bellowed, sweeping a long bow to everyone crammed into the wide Great Hall. "I bid you welcome to these sacred halls!"
There was a thunderous outburst of cheering from the hundreds of people lining the red carpet strewn across the floor. It was reminiscent of the bloodshed of the Great War, all-too-fresh in the people's memories.
So many had died for such a useless cause... And now, they gathered to pay homage to them by ensuring that it would never happen again.
Things were looking bright.
Ganondorf found himself surrounded by a group of Gerudo, pocketing him in a circle of shelter from the Hylians who kept trying to get closer to him. He could hardly see a thing, and it was starting to irritate him.
"Too long have our peoples been separated by the cold darkness of death and destruction. War has torn us apart, made us bitter over our differences, and made us forget what it is that makes us the same; Our love for this beautiful land we live in," Harkinian continued. "Our fathers before us could not bring peace to this land. But the future is now in our hands, and we hold the power to preserve Hyrule long into the future, forever in serenity and freedom."
"Aunt Marya, I can't see!" Ganondorf snapped, trying to shove aside a few of the Gerudo to get out front.
"There's nothing to see yet," his aunt hissed. "Keep quiet and wait. They'll call you forward in a few minutes."
"For the first time ever, our peoples will be united in the name of Hyrule. From the high peaks of Death Mountain to the waters of Lake Hylia... From the steamy sands of Gerudo Valley to the deepest forests of Kokiri, unity will tie us together and make us strong for the future," the king cried out.
More thunderous applause from all races echoed across the hall.
Ganondorf was disgusted at what he was hearing. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of Harkinian yet, but his words left a bad taste in his mouth.
How could this man talk about peace when it was his people who mercilessly executed a young Gerudo mother? He was a hypocrite of the worst sort.
Perhaps Harkinian hadn't had say in what his people did, Ganondorf briefly thought. But what sort of king doesn't have power over his own people? He was a useless bystander who sat on his throne of gold, helpless to control the actions of the people he was supposed to lead.
From deep within his chest, Ganondorf felt a twinge of utter loathing.
"Now, I ask of you, friends and brothers... Leaders of this new age, will you please step forward and let us know you?" the king pursued. "Let us all meet these new kings, who hold tomorrow at their fingertips."
A group of guards took their places at the huge wooden door at the far end of the room and lifted their spears in salute.
Impa was standing directly behind Harkinian, carefully guarding the sleeping princess in the cradle next to his throne. She watched with bated breath as the flags of the 6 races were unfurled on the walls, awaiting the entrance of the leaders.
The echoes of drums sounded through the hall, and an entourage of Gorons with percussion instruments of all sizes waddled in, hooting and singing.
Behind them walked the young muscular Goron that Impa had seen in the market. He was larger than the others, with a great beard on his chin and wild hair that stuck up like the peaks of the mountains he came from. He walked proudly along the red carpet, drawing awed stairs from the people lining it. He stopped in front of the throne and bowed proudly.
"Brother Harkinian," he announced, "I am Big Brother Darunia of the Gorons, taking my place in light of my father's passing in the last great battle of Death Mountain."
"I am honored to meet-" Harkinian had begun to say, but he was interrupted as Darunia swept him up in a great Goron hug, slapping him on the back hard enough to dislodge a few ribs.
"The honor is mine, Brother Harkinian! From this day forward, you are my Sworn Brother, and the Gorons and the Hylians will live peacefully beside each other!" Darunia howled spiritedly. He let out a warm chuckle, and released the flustered king, who looked about ready to call in his bodyguards.
Harkinian brushed the wrinkles out of his robe as best he could, and laughed as well. Darunia stepped to the side to greet the other leaders, and his entourage spread out into the crowd.
A chorus of whalebone guitars strumming the song of the Zora tribe entered next, followed by their rather large King Zora, pulled on a cart by some others.
The tiny princess, named Ruto, was seated on his lap, blinking curiously at all the people watching her father's approach.
King Zora bowed as best he could to Harkinian. "On behalf of the Zora, we extend the fins of peace to you and all your allies, your majesty."
"It is an honor to receive you, King Zora," Harkinian said nobly, nodding a greeting.
And so it continued. The races stepped forward and their leaders greeted the king, while the visitors who lined the Great Hall struggled to get a look at them.
At last, only two races remained.
King Harkinian cleared his throat, and waited for silence.
"As you all have heard by now... One of our beloved allies could not be here today. I can't explain why, and I believe that the only ones who can are the great goddesses... But the Sheikah seem to have taken their leave from this kingdom, leaving but one of them to sign our treaty of brotherhood today."
There was an excited chorus of murmurs across the hall, as Harkinian once again called for silence.
"I present to you today, Lady Impa of Kakariko."
Impa turned a brilliant shade of red as the audience clapped quietly. She couldn't help but notice how sparse the applause was... Most people didn't seem to know what to think about her.
She stepped forward and nodded quickly, jumping back to take her place beside Zelda again before anyone could say anything to her. Her efforts proved unsuccessful, however, as she felt a large smack on her back. Impa gasped and did a half-spin to see Darunia there, smiling warmly.
"How ya doin', kid?" he whispered. "The others told me about you..."
"Y-yes, sir." Impa mumbled.
"If there's anything you ever need, come on up to the city and ask me," he said with a wink, drawing Impa's lips up into a small smile.
Perhaps she wasn't all alone...
"And now, last, but certainly not least, I call forward the leader of the esteemed Gerudo, whoever she may be," Harkinian called out.
The audience immediately fell silent, a mixture of shock and awkwardness. Half of them had never even seen a Gerudo, and the other half lived in mortal fear of them. Indeed, their presence here at this conference for peace had been a surprise... Wasn't it the Gerudo who had started the terrible war they were now here to absolve?
After all, it was their fault that they lived under a system of values completely opposite from that of the Hylians...
Harkinian eyed the section of the audience where the Gerudo women were standing, waiting for one of them to step forward.
That's when their circle opened up, and someone hissed, "GO!"
An awkward teenage Gerudo boy stumbled out onto the red carpet, nearly falling over.
The audience let out a collective gasp. Even Harkinian was startled.
A MALE GERUDO!
But that had been just a rumor! All Gerudo were female, right?
Even Harkinian hadn't believed what they'd told him... Yes, he'd invited them on the grounds that he wanted to "meet their new king"... But an actual male Gerudo? Impossible!
For the first time since anyone had been alive, the Gerudo had a king... Unbelievable! But look! It was true!
Impa's eyes widened as she saw him clearly for the first time. He came stomping up the red carpet, looking ready to kill the first person who asked him if he was really a male Gerudo. A cape that appeared a little too large for him fluttered behind him, and jangling chains and head ornaments decorated his otherwise simple clothing.
Not a single pair of eyes left him as he made his way up to where the king stood.
Ganondorf scowled miserably, wishing that all these people would just disappear. He could feel the sting of people's glances on him. Was he really THAT strange?
He finally reached the front of the room, where Harkinian and the other leaders seemed to be studying him, lost for an answer.
Standing awkwardly for a moment, Ganondorf felt shame trickling into his heart as he realized what he was supposed to do next. Kneeling shakily, he lowered his head in a half-hearted bow.
"Your... majesty," he mumbled.
"G-greetings and welcome," Harkinian stuttered. It was difficult for him to address this boy as an equal. "What is your name, my friend?"
He spoke in a voice with just a detectable bit of loathing. "I am Ganondorf Dragmire of the Gerudo."
"Thank you for coming, Lord Ganondorf," Harkinian sighed, relieved for some reason. "I bid you welcome into Hyrule Castle, and I hope that with a new king in both our kingdoms, our bids for peace will finally come through."
Ganondorf rose quickly, hurrying over to stand near King Zora. He kept his eyes low to the ground, too ashamed to see what people's expressions towards him were.
"People of Hyrule... I give you, those who will lead us into a new era, one hopefully blessed with peace and prosperity!"
Thunderous applause broke out across the audience, though a few people seemed confused on just who it was they should be clapping for.
"And now, the dignitaries and I will proceed to the throne room for deliberation on the new treaties. We will meet again in two days, to announce to the world what we have decided. I hope you all enjoy yourselves, and take your time to see and experience the marketplace and the rest of the great city. To Hyrule!" Harkinian announced.
"To Hyrule!" the audience and dignitaries echoed.
Ganondorf watched out of the corner of his eye as his aunt and his tribe was ushered out of the door of the Great Hall. He couldn't help but be suspicious about the way the guards seemed to be watching them... Nabooru threw him a thumbs-up sign and a pleasant wink.
It was too late to turn back now.
He followed the great bulk of the Goron King through a small door to the right of the podium, and into a narrow hallway leading to the throne room. Ganondorf felt extremely uncomfortable with the other leaders watching him, pointing and whispering to each other.
Darunia's great girth blocked his view of exactly where in the castle they were going, but he dared not speak up. The last thing he needed was for the other races to dislike him any more than they probably already did.
From behind him he heard the wheels of King Zora's cart clicking down the stone hallway, and other than that it was silent. Everybody seemed to be pretty tense. The warm, festive mood of the great hall was gone, and now the tensions of the war and the suspicions of the enemy returned.
Ganondorf was ready to scream just to break the awkward silence, when he felt someone poking his shoulder.
He slowed down a little bit and turned around, a glare that could sour milk plastered on his face. "What?" he snapped.
His look softened when he saw the Sheikah girl from the marketplace standing there, looking stunned.
"Sorry..." he mumbled quickly. "I just don't feel real well right now."
"That makes two of us," she sighed, a small smile still on her face. "How old are you?"
Ganondorf was prepared for the question he knew was coming. "Sixteen," he groaned.
"Hey, me too," she giggled. "I don't feel so weird anymore... I thought it would be just me and a bunch of adults."
"Ditto," Ganondorf replied. He felt a tiny spark of relief to learn that he wasn't the only teenage ruler... Apparently, a young monarch ruled the Sheikah as well.
He and the girl were quiet for a moment as they continued down the long hallway.
Finally, she let out a small sigh. "This castle gets bigger and bigger every day... I've been living here three weeks, and I don't think I've seen even half of it."
"You live here?" Ganondorf murmured.
"I do now," she shrugged. "It's kind of cool... I like living in such a big place."
"When I'm king, I want a palace like this one," Ganondorf mused, stepping aside so his new acquaintance could come up beside him. She did so.
Ganondorf couldn't help but notice her eyes... He couldn't see them before, from the cart. They were blood red, a very deep shade of it. They were sort of cool... All the Gerudo had yellow eyes.
"I like your eyes," Ganondorf stated.
She threw him an odd look.
"I mean... they're a nice color. Red. I like red."
"Okay..." she giggled. "Well... I like... your skin."
He turned pink. "Really?"
"It's a nice color. Green. I like green."
"It's not green, it's OLIVE-TAN," he spouted, pretending to be angry.
"Oh. Well, then I like olive-tan," she laughed, extending a hand. "I'm Impa."
"Ganondorf," he replied, shaking it. "Nice to meetcha."
"So what brings you here, Ganondorf?" Impa asked curiously, leaning over to try and see past Darunia. It appeared that they were finally getting closer...
Ganondorf raised his eyebrows. "... The treaty."
"Oh right... you're the king, aren't you?"
He eyed her suspiciously. "So what?"
"I've never heard of a boy king before," Impa replied. "It's sort of neat."
"You think so?" Ganondorf responded sounding a little surprised.
"Yeah. I wish we Sheikah had some sort of neat quirk like that... We're just sort of normal, I guess."
So she didn't think he was strange? Maybe...
"Well... you wouldn't think it was so neat if you were the only one of your kind," Ganondorf replied, thrusting his hands in his pockets and staring at the floor. They were rapidly approaching the throne room.
"You're the only male Gerudo, huh?" Impa queried. "I think that's sort of neat, too..."
"Are you kidding?" Ganondorf gaped.
"No. Think about it... You really are one in a million," Impa smiled cheerfully.
She DIDN'T think he was strange!
"In fact, I think it's..." Impa had begun, when suddenly- "Whoops... better shut up now. Time for boring talk."
They were being ushered through the door of the throne room, where it was eerily quiet in preparation for the long hours of deliberation ahead of them.
"Wait..." Ganondorf stammered, stopping Impa from heading to her seat next to Harkinian's throne at the head of a long table.
"What?"
"Can we talk again later?" he mumbled nervously. Judging from his past experiences... they couldn't.
Impa paused. "I don't see why not..."
He let out a big sigh of relief. "Right, right... Okay. See ya," Ganondorf said, with as much cheer as he'd felt the last three days. "I mean... talk to you later."
Impa nodded and gave a small wave with her little finger before scampering off to her seat.
Ganondorf sunk into the chair under the Gerudo flag, unusually happy.
Maybe this conference wasn't going to be so bad after all...
**********************
That seems like a good place to end it... OKAY. Now our happy couple has finally met... How will I do when the actual ROMANCE comes around?! Next chapter, the treaty is signed, and the festivities start! INCLUDING THE DANCING! WAAGH! OO; The fateful tale of Ganondorf and Impa continues in the next chapter of "Never My Destiny", so stay tuned!
A Ganondorf/Impa Romance
by Galaxy Girl
A/N: I wanted to mention this in case anybody didn't pick up on it last chapter... Ganondorf is Nabooru's cousin in this story. His aunt is her mother. Just thought I'd mention that... ^^; Oh, and at the request/suggestion/demand (^^) of FireFairy, I've tried a different method of spacing on this chapter... Well, see what you think. Let's GO!
SUPPORT GISOA! (Ganondorf/Impa Shippers of America)
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http://www.angelfire.com/games4/gisoa
CHAPTER TWO: A Fateful Meeting
*************************
"Why are you here so early, child?" cackled the old crone in red, taking a long drink of something smelly and steaming from a bottle.
"Something urgent bothering you?" chimed in the crone in blue, pouring the contents of an identical bottle into a small china teacup and holding it out. "Want some tea?"
"No thank you," Ganondorf mumbled, shaking his head. He was sitting in his great-great-great grandmothers' sitting room, in a wing of the sacred Gerudo temple in the Desert Colossus.
Early that morning, the morning he was set to leave for Hyrule Castle, Ganondorf had snuck out of his bedroom and, with the aid of a lantern, found his way to the Colossus to see Koume and Kotake Twinrova, his ancient grandmothers and surrogate mothers.
Very little was known about the past of the twins, but it was known that they were once powerful Gerudo sorceresses who married Ganondorf's great-great-great grandfather, fifth to the last male Gerudo. Back then, polygamy was legal in the Gerudo society. Through various spells and hexes the two had invented on their own, they'd managed to live on for almost 400 years, retaining the appearances of a pair of kindly old witches with buggy eyes and elaborate robes.
They lived in the Spirit Temple out in the Colossus, and the rest of the Gerudo revered them as prophets and wise woman... Though it was long-forgotten which one of them was actually the mother of Ganondorf's grandfather.
Koume, the Fire Sorceress, took another long sip of "tea". "Hee hee hee... anxious about visiting the castle, are you, child?"
"You could tell?" he asked, shuffling around on the cushion that had been provided for him to sit on. The room was stuffy and smelled like incense. It was making Ganondorf a little sleepy.
"We know everything, silly boy. We're your grandmothers," Kotake, the Ice Sorceress giggled.
"It's your duty, you know... As the male Gerudo," Koume reminded him crisply.
"Your grandfather and his grandfather before him had to go through with things they didn't like to do either," Kotake added, chortling. "Ho ho ho."
"I just don't think it's fair..." he murmured in frustration, staring down at the floor. "Ever since I was a child... I've had to do things that took away my freedom, and that I didn't want to do."
"Like what?" echoed Koume and Kotake together.
"Remember a few years ago... The Festival of the Sun?"
"What about it?" the twins echoed again.
Ganondorf dug into the stone floor with the toe of his boot. "That girl asked me to dance... And I said yes. And we had a great time."
"So?" Koume prodded.
"What about it?" Kotake finished.
Ganondorf turned a little bit crimson. "Her mother saw us and pulled her aside and yelled at her... After that she wouldn't speak to me."
"And...?" the twins urged.
"Her mother told her that if she were caught 'fraternizing' with me again, she would be severely beaten," Ganondorf mumbled in an annoyed tone.
Koume and Kotake glanced at each other. "Well, of course. You're the only male Gerudo. The others must respect and revere you as a king, to prepare for when you will be our king someday," exclaimed the latter.
"It's understandable that you'd not like it very much... but that's the way things are," the former nodded widely. "They've always been that way."
"Well, if I'm someday to be king, then why can't I change them?" Ganondorf retorted.
"Because there are some things that extend beyond the ruling power of a king, child," Kotake whispered mystically.
"Traditions. Laws of the earth and sky. The will of a woman," chuckled Koume. "Hee hee hee..."
"You'll understand, someday, child... Why things must be this way," Kotake said consolingly, waddling over and patting her grandson on the shoulder. "Ho ho ho..."
"But that's just it!" Ganondorf snapped angrily, pushing her ancient hand off of him. "I DON'T understand why things must be this way! The other races in Hyrule can do whatever they want and see whomever they want and love whomever they want... I seem to be the only one who can't!"
Kotake stepped back away from him, and Koume's eyes bugged out even more than usual, if possible.
He stood up, and stomped to the center of the room. "If I'm a king, then why can't I change things? If I'm a king, then why can't I control my own future? If my own destiny is out of my hands, then just what kind of power do I have?"
An awkward moment passed.
Koume and Kotake looked at each other, and shook their heads sadly. Ganondorf was glaring back at them, prepared to leave if he didn't hear what it was he wanted to hear.
"I wish we could tell you why that is, child..." Koume sighed.
"We don't understand everything either..." Kotake sighed as well.
"I'm not going to the castle," Ganondorf spat viciously, his voice growing more and more dangerous. "I'll never go. I'll die before I break the promise I made to my mother... And I'll die before I let them take away the rest of my life."
"Perhaps... if you do go..." Koume mused in a quiet voice, "You'll find the answer to whatever it is you're looking for..."
"I want a way out. I want to abdicate the Gerudo throne," Ganondorf said. "I'm supposed to be a king, not a god... They don't have to treat me like this!"
Kotake nodded wisely. "Perhaps... if you do go... You'll find a way to do that."
Ganondorf seemed to be thinking as he strolled back and forth across the room, the clicking of his boots the only sound. "And if I can't do that... Then I want more power."
"More power?" echoed the twins.
"Yes. More power," Ganondorf repeated, his yellow eyes glittering as though in a daydream. "I want the power to make things go my way... Live the way I want to, with whom I want to... I want the power to bring everyone together..."
"Under one king," Koume and Kotake whispered eerily.
That's what his mother had said...
"Yes. That's the sort of power I want," Ganondorf nodded curtly.
"Perhaps, if you go to the castle, you'll find the answer to that wish," Koume said.
"And perhaps, if you go to the castle, you'll find something else that you want desperately," Kotake giggled, a hint of mischief in her voice.
Ganondorf turned towards them, one eyebrow raised high up onto his forehead. "What are you saying...? If I go to the castle..."
"Perhaps it's a prophecy. Perhaps it's not," Koume riddled.
"Perhaps it's destiny. Perhaps it's not," Kotake added.
"Perhaps it's the way things were planned. Perhaps it was never meant to be," Koume persisted.
"Perhaps it's the answer to all your problems. Perhaps it's a curse," Kotake went on.
"But either way, this way or that way," Koume announced climactically.
"You'll never know unless you go and find out!" Kotake finished.
Somehow, those cryptic bits of wisdom made Ganondorf reconsider his defiance in his decision to go with the rest of his tribe to the castle...
He stood in thought for a moment, gazing back at his grandmothers, who were smiling mischievously as they sipped more tea from identical bottles.
"Maybe it is my destiny," Ganondorf sighed, as he turned towards the door.
"Good luck, child," Koume called, waving farewell.
"Keep your chin up, child..." Kotake added. "Things just might work out the way you want them to..."
*********************
It seemed to Impa that the entire population of the castle town had gathered her in the square to watch the arrival of the races. It was as though all the violence and terror caused by the Great War had never happened. Mothers and fathers, children, entire families were out on the streets, feasting on delicacies and enjoying goods only available at carnival time. There was the happy chorus of laughter wherever you went, and all through the streets, young children marched, chanting old stories and songs to welcome the leaders of the races to the great capital of Hyrule.
Impa was seated on the side of a fountain at the center of the square, leaning back and soaking up the rays of the sun. She watched the people enjoying the pleasures of the marketplace and the town guards moving things aside in preparation for the entrance of the leaders. Harkinian had graciously given her the day off, as a reward for serving so well in her first few weeks working at the castle.
Every morning at 6, as Impa was used to doing, she awoke, got dressed, and immediately headed into the Princess's room to bathe, dress and feed her. From then until noon, she spent her time catering to Zelda's needs: play, diapering, and the occasional morsel of mush from the kitchen.
Noon until three was Impa's scheduled break, as Zelda napped. Usually around three Zelda would awaken, and Impa would continue care until six o'clock, when she would put the princess to bed. The rest of the night was hers, unless, of course, Zelda needed something.
Never since Zelda's birth had the castle been so quiet. Harkinian often had to stop in the nursery to make sure that Zelda and Impa were still there.
But today, every precious second belonged to Impa to do as she pleased with. She'd never been to the marketplace during a carnival, and was quite pleased at all the things there were to see and do.
Of course, that large shadow still hung over her. There had been no clues leading to the discovery of the Sheikah's disappearance. She was still the last one, and all alone.
But Impa noticed that taking care of the princess seemed to comfort her. It was nice to know that she was needed for something in this world. And every time Impa thought about perhaps, trying to disappear as well, she would remember how lonely poor Zelda would be with no one to sing her to sleep.
After an hour or so of enjoying the sunshine, Impa finally grew hungry, and set off to a booth in the corner with the few Rupees of spending money that the king had allowed her. Lon-Lon, the ranch in the center of the field, was having a special: a cheese pastry and a bottle of Lon-Lon milk for only 5 Rupees.
The man running the cart, who appeared to be the ranch's owner, was holding a fussy baby girl with bright red hair. As he handed her her food, Impa couldn't help but make a suggestion.
"I think you have her wrapped up too tight in that blanket," she smiled cheerfully.
The ranch owner fumbled about with the blanket, and the girl immediately stopped fussing. As a reward, he handed Impa back her 5 Rupees, proclaiming that she deserved a free meal for her help.
As Impa made her way back to her spot by the fountain, a loud trumpet cadence blasted through the square. Everyone turned towards the great drawbridge, and cheered wildly as the first of the wagons carrying the leaders of Hyrule entered the walls of the castle.
Suddenly losing her appetite, Impa set down her meal and stood up. She'd never seen any of the other races, besides the Gorons and the Hylians... She stood up on her tiptoes to see over a very tall man standing nearly in front of her.
The first wagon must have belonged to the Gorons, Impa mused, as it was built completely of stone- wheels and all. She was proven correct as she spotted a hairy, muscular Goron up front, peddling a small wheel between his feet and stuffing his face with chunks of marble as he did. That must be Darunia, the new Big Brother of the Gorons... Inside the wagon was an entourage of other Gorons, powering the wagon by rolling in place on what looked like a crude conveyor belt.
Following closely behind the Gorons was a wagon that, to the delight of many of the children, was made completely of flowers and plants. Seated on it was a troupe of Deku Scrubs from the forest, and one Hylian, who had served as a diplomat to the Kokiri. Their leader, who was rumored to be a giant tree, had been unable to come, so Harkinian sent a representative to him instead.
Impa's eyes nearly popped out of her head as the Zora came next. She'd never seen something so strange! What looked like a half-man, half-fish was pulling the cart, his silver scales gleaming in the sun. Many of the Hylians oohed and aahed to see that the cart was a small, shallow pool on wheels. Gathered inside was a rather large Zora (the king, no doubt), some normal-looking ones, and one that looked like a child, riding on the king's lap.
But the wagon that came next, Impa found the most fascinating of all. It was built of shoddy wood, and led by a pair of handsome young stallions, one of them tan and one of them an ebony black. The wagon appeared normal, and it occupied by a group of tan-skinned women, all with bright red hair and wearing the outfits traditionally associated with genies or harem women, in all colors of the rainbow... But there were only women aboard. Not a single man was in sight.
"The Gerudo! Who invited them?" a large woman in front of Impa gasped.
"Everyone was invited, what did I tell you?" her husband, who was comically very skinny replied. "Look at that... Of all places... I've never seen a Gerudo in real life... I used to think they were made up. How could a tribe survive if only women were born?"
"That don't make no sense!" a new person, standing in front of the skinny man snapped. "How can that be?"
"Easy," A young woman next to the new man shrugged. "There are male Gerudo... But they're only born once every hundred years. And he's always the king. Always, always, always... they almost treat him like a god."
"Lucky bastard," whispered the skinny man. His wife replied by slugging him in the shoulder and almost knocking him down.
"So... if their king hasn't been born yet, why are they here?" asked the new man. "Who's gonna sign?"
"Oh, they have a king. Real young. I heard he's only sixteen," the young woman announced. "I think they're crazy, letting a kid like that lead them..."
"Lucky bastard... surrounded by all those women," the skinny man and the new man repeated together, eyes glazing over.
Impa had never heard anything so strange in all her life. A tribe made up of only women... One man born every hundred years? How on earth did they ever survive?
Everyone in the marketplace seemed to have heard about the Gerudo and their boy king, as well. An excited murmur swept across them as the Gerudo's cart reached the center of the square. People had begun climbing up on crates and planters to try and see into the wagon and have a good view of the Gerudo king.
Who'd ever heard of a male Gerudo? It was quite a wonder to them, and they all hoped to catch a momentary view of who would become the leader of the notorious gang of thieves.
Impa stood up on the fountain and headed to the right, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of him through the front of the wagon. She could still hear tidbits of people's conversations as she walked, carefully keeping her balance.
"I don't know why the king invited them... Bunch of no-good thieves, that's all they are."
"I heard that packs of them hunt down Hylian men in the night!"
"You're kidding! For what?"
"What else? PROCREATION..."
"EEEGGH!"
Reaching the end of the wall of the fountain, Impa stood up on her tiptoes to try one more time to see him...
And found herself successful, as an olive green hand protected by ornately decorated bracers reached out of the wagon and moved the cloth covering it aside to gaze out at the marketplace.
An anxious-looking face appeared. He was indeed very young. His hair was wild and red like the rest of his tribe's and his skin that same olive green tone. He had sharp yellow eyes that seemed to bore into everything he looked at, and a broad, prominent nose.
She had never seen anyone looking so uncomfortable before.
But there was something about him... Even though she could only see a little bit of his face... There was something different about him.
"See, young master? This isn't so bad," his aunt said cheerfully as she gently prodded the black stallion's side with a long riding crop. "Look at all the sights... Just listen to all the sounds! Yes, your mother and I scored some of our best raids here!"
"Why are they all trying to stare at me?" Ganondorf mumbled nervously, trying to watch the crowd through a rip in the fabric.
"I already told you, young master... A male Gerudo is something to be marveled at," Marya replied, sending hand signals to two of the guards in the back. She had ordered them to keep their eyes on the back of the wagon to watch for "sightseers" trying to sneak onboard.
A cheerful young Gerudo in pink was seated next to Ganondorf, leaning back against the cloth of the wagon. "Just ignore them, Ganny," Nabooru yawned, stretching. "They'll get over it..."
"Well I wish they'd stop soon," Ganondorf snapped. "I already feel like a freak. And they're not helping..."
What on earth were Koume and Kotake THINKING, telling him to come here? He wouldn't find the slightest shred of anything helpful here in his quest for freedom. All he'd seen so far were nosy, stupid Hylians who insisted on treating him like he was riding in a circus wagon instead of the royal coach of the Gerudo.
Ahead of them, the great castle of Hyrule rose up above the tiny buildings in the marketplace like a great mountain of marble. Even Ganondorf had to admit, it was pretty spectacular.
Perhaps when he was king, he would build a palace like that. Maybe he could invite people to live there with him, too, like the King of Hyrule did. And no Gerudo law, no matter how old or traditional would stop him.
For some reason, Ganondorf felt himself compelled to search the crowd. He didn't know why, or what he was expecting to find. Another male Gerudo? Not likely. Maybe he was looking for someone in the same situation as him...
His vision melted into a blur of Hylians. They all looked very different from one another, unlike the Gerudo, who all shared the trait of red hair. A rainbow of hair and skin colors, styles of clothing and sizes was scattered across the marketplace, in the forms of the Hylian people. And they all had those big, pointy, ridiculous-looking ears that Ganondorf had come to recognize and hate. One of these people... One of these varying people was responsible for his mother's death. No matter how innocent or happy they look, it's their fault...
The wagons briefly came to a stop while the guards opened the gates to the castle up ahead. Ganondorf continued spying out of the wagon, still looking all over the crowds.
"They all look so different," he murmured blankly.
"That's what happens when your gene pool is 20 times bigger than ours," one Gerudo in the back chuckled, shaking her head.
"It's ridiculous... How can you even tell who your family is, if you all look so different?" another one replied.
"I don't know about you all, but I feel blessed to have red hair," Nabooru laughed. "At least I know who I belong with, eh Ganny?"
Ganondorf didn't pay attention until she had slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Huh? Oh... yeah... Right."
"I mean... goodness! Look how confusing it'd get!" Nabooru whistled, gazing out the back of the wagon. "That girl there has yellow hair... So who is her family? Is that guy over there part of her family? He has yellow hair too... But she's standing near that guy with black hair. Is he her family? But how can that be? Yellow hair should stick with yellow hair, y'know?"
"You're not making much sense, dear," Marya called back to her daughter.
"It makes sense!" Nabooru called back. "Like I said, I'm glad I have red hair... It makes it easy to know who you belong with."
"I don't know," Ganondorf sighed.
"What do you mean?" his cousin replied.
"Well... I have red hair, don't I?"
"Yeah...?"
"Sometimes I don't know who I belong with," he mumbled forlornly, staring through a rip in the fabric.
Nabooru studied his face for a moment, and chuckled a little. "Don't be silly, Ganny. You belong with us."
"I don't feel like it sometimes," he shrugged. "Aren't all Gerudos female, after all?"
His cousin cocked her head, and sighed. "This AGAIN, cousin?"
"It's true, though. All the Gerudo ARE female," he argued.
Nabooru patted him on the shoulder. "But one of them is not. And it's you, Ganny. You're the king, remember?"
"Well then, when I'm king... Red hair won't have to stick with red hair," he said calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Red hair can marry yellow hair or black hair if he or she wants to."
Nabooru shook her head in disbelief. "You're crazy, Ganny."
"Maybe I am," he shrugged, as the wagon started to move again.
All the better, he thought. The sooner we get to the castle, the better.
Ganondorf was beginning to get sick of the Hylians. They all looked different from each other... But none of them really stood out. They were all just faces in the Hylian crowd, just another mindless member of the-
That's when his eyes turned towards the fountain.
She was standing on the wall of a fountain in Town Square. Ganondorf caught one look at her and slowly poked his head out of the front of the wagon to get a better look.
There were no other people who looked like her... What a strange-looking Hylian! Silvery white hair with tattoos below her red eyes, and body armor unlike any he'd ever seen the Hylian Guards wearing.
She was watching him with a curious glance, even as he tried to keep himself hidden from view. Her eyes were glittering with interest as she followed the Gerudo's wagon, slowly heading out of the marketplace and onto the castle ground.
What's she lookin' at? - Ganondorf thought smugly. She's as much of a freak as I am...
But his curiosity was getting the better of him. He couldn't keep his eyes off of that weird Hylian girl. Finally, he tapped his aunt on the shoulder and pointed at her.
"Who does she belong with?" he asked.
Marya strained her eyes to get a good look at her. "Who? The girl on the fountain?"
"She doesn't look like the other Hylians," Ganondorf repeated. "None of them have silver hair... Who does she belong with?"
Marya studied the girl's appearance for a moment, then leaned back to talk to her nephew. "Looks like a Sheikah, I think. Wow, who'd have thought?"
"What's that?" Ganondorf murmured. "A... Sheikah?"
"No one knows for sure... They're the Shadow Folk. They have watched over the Royal Family of Hyrule for centuries, and they used to live in a village called Kakariko, near the mountains," Marya explained. "But it's the weirdest thing... they all started disappearing a few weeks ago. I didn't think there were any left... But then again, in his proclamation about the treaty, ol' Harky did mention the last Sheikah signing..."
"She's the last one?" asked Ganondorf.
"Looks that way," Marya sighed. "Jeez, what's the holdup up there?! COME ON, YOU STUPID ZORA! PARK THE DAMN WAGON AND LET'S GO!"
Finally Marya spurred on the horses again, and the wagon was moving. But Ganondorf didn't let his eyes leave the lonely Sheikah girl standing by herself in the market...
The very last Sheikah, her family vanished into thin air...
She's different from everyone else... And she's all alone...
Impa kept her eyes on the Gerudo wagon until it had disappeared up the path to the castle gates. She hopped down from the fountain and began pushing through people, headed for a back-alley shortcut she knew that led back to the castle.
The only male Gerudo in a tribe of females...
He's different from everyone else... And he's all alone...
"Friends and allies, leaders of the races of Hyrule!" Harkinian bellowed, sweeping a long bow to everyone crammed into the wide Great Hall. "I bid you welcome to these sacred halls!"
There was a thunderous outburst of cheering from the hundreds of people lining the red carpet strewn across the floor. It was reminiscent of the bloodshed of the Great War, all-too-fresh in the people's memories.
So many had died for such a useless cause... And now, they gathered to pay homage to them by ensuring that it would never happen again.
Things were looking bright.
Ganondorf found himself surrounded by a group of Gerudo, pocketing him in a circle of shelter from the Hylians who kept trying to get closer to him. He could hardly see a thing, and it was starting to irritate him.
"Too long have our peoples been separated by the cold darkness of death and destruction. War has torn us apart, made us bitter over our differences, and made us forget what it is that makes us the same; Our love for this beautiful land we live in," Harkinian continued. "Our fathers before us could not bring peace to this land. But the future is now in our hands, and we hold the power to preserve Hyrule long into the future, forever in serenity and freedom."
"Aunt Marya, I can't see!" Ganondorf snapped, trying to shove aside a few of the Gerudo to get out front.
"There's nothing to see yet," his aunt hissed. "Keep quiet and wait. They'll call you forward in a few minutes."
"For the first time ever, our peoples will be united in the name of Hyrule. From the high peaks of Death Mountain to the waters of Lake Hylia... From the steamy sands of Gerudo Valley to the deepest forests of Kokiri, unity will tie us together and make us strong for the future," the king cried out.
More thunderous applause from all races echoed across the hall.
Ganondorf was disgusted at what he was hearing. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of Harkinian yet, but his words left a bad taste in his mouth.
How could this man talk about peace when it was his people who mercilessly executed a young Gerudo mother? He was a hypocrite of the worst sort.
Perhaps Harkinian hadn't had say in what his people did, Ganondorf briefly thought. But what sort of king doesn't have power over his own people? He was a useless bystander who sat on his throne of gold, helpless to control the actions of the people he was supposed to lead.
From deep within his chest, Ganondorf felt a twinge of utter loathing.
"Now, I ask of you, friends and brothers... Leaders of this new age, will you please step forward and let us know you?" the king pursued. "Let us all meet these new kings, who hold tomorrow at their fingertips."
A group of guards took their places at the huge wooden door at the far end of the room and lifted their spears in salute.
Impa was standing directly behind Harkinian, carefully guarding the sleeping princess in the cradle next to his throne. She watched with bated breath as the flags of the 6 races were unfurled on the walls, awaiting the entrance of the leaders.
The echoes of drums sounded through the hall, and an entourage of Gorons with percussion instruments of all sizes waddled in, hooting and singing.
Behind them walked the young muscular Goron that Impa had seen in the market. He was larger than the others, with a great beard on his chin and wild hair that stuck up like the peaks of the mountains he came from. He walked proudly along the red carpet, drawing awed stairs from the people lining it. He stopped in front of the throne and bowed proudly.
"Brother Harkinian," he announced, "I am Big Brother Darunia of the Gorons, taking my place in light of my father's passing in the last great battle of Death Mountain."
"I am honored to meet-" Harkinian had begun to say, but he was interrupted as Darunia swept him up in a great Goron hug, slapping him on the back hard enough to dislodge a few ribs.
"The honor is mine, Brother Harkinian! From this day forward, you are my Sworn Brother, and the Gorons and the Hylians will live peacefully beside each other!" Darunia howled spiritedly. He let out a warm chuckle, and released the flustered king, who looked about ready to call in his bodyguards.
Harkinian brushed the wrinkles out of his robe as best he could, and laughed as well. Darunia stepped to the side to greet the other leaders, and his entourage spread out into the crowd.
A chorus of whalebone guitars strumming the song of the Zora tribe entered next, followed by their rather large King Zora, pulled on a cart by some others.
The tiny princess, named Ruto, was seated on his lap, blinking curiously at all the people watching her father's approach.
King Zora bowed as best he could to Harkinian. "On behalf of the Zora, we extend the fins of peace to you and all your allies, your majesty."
"It is an honor to receive you, King Zora," Harkinian said nobly, nodding a greeting.
And so it continued. The races stepped forward and their leaders greeted the king, while the visitors who lined the Great Hall struggled to get a look at them.
At last, only two races remained.
King Harkinian cleared his throat, and waited for silence.
"As you all have heard by now... One of our beloved allies could not be here today. I can't explain why, and I believe that the only ones who can are the great goddesses... But the Sheikah seem to have taken their leave from this kingdom, leaving but one of them to sign our treaty of brotherhood today."
There was an excited chorus of murmurs across the hall, as Harkinian once again called for silence.
"I present to you today, Lady Impa of Kakariko."
Impa turned a brilliant shade of red as the audience clapped quietly. She couldn't help but notice how sparse the applause was... Most people didn't seem to know what to think about her.
She stepped forward and nodded quickly, jumping back to take her place beside Zelda again before anyone could say anything to her. Her efforts proved unsuccessful, however, as she felt a large smack on her back. Impa gasped and did a half-spin to see Darunia there, smiling warmly.
"How ya doin', kid?" he whispered. "The others told me about you..."
"Y-yes, sir." Impa mumbled.
"If there's anything you ever need, come on up to the city and ask me," he said with a wink, drawing Impa's lips up into a small smile.
Perhaps she wasn't all alone...
"And now, last, but certainly not least, I call forward the leader of the esteemed Gerudo, whoever she may be," Harkinian called out.
The audience immediately fell silent, a mixture of shock and awkwardness. Half of them had never even seen a Gerudo, and the other half lived in mortal fear of them. Indeed, their presence here at this conference for peace had been a surprise... Wasn't it the Gerudo who had started the terrible war they were now here to absolve?
After all, it was their fault that they lived under a system of values completely opposite from that of the Hylians...
Harkinian eyed the section of the audience where the Gerudo women were standing, waiting for one of them to step forward.
That's when their circle opened up, and someone hissed, "GO!"
An awkward teenage Gerudo boy stumbled out onto the red carpet, nearly falling over.
The audience let out a collective gasp. Even Harkinian was startled.
A MALE GERUDO!
But that had been just a rumor! All Gerudo were female, right?
Even Harkinian hadn't believed what they'd told him... Yes, he'd invited them on the grounds that he wanted to "meet their new king"... But an actual male Gerudo? Impossible!
For the first time since anyone had been alive, the Gerudo had a king... Unbelievable! But look! It was true!
Impa's eyes widened as she saw him clearly for the first time. He came stomping up the red carpet, looking ready to kill the first person who asked him if he was really a male Gerudo. A cape that appeared a little too large for him fluttered behind him, and jangling chains and head ornaments decorated his otherwise simple clothing.
Not a single pair of eyes left him as he made his way up to where the king stood.
Ganondorf scowled miserably, wishing that all these people would just disappear. He could feel the sting of people's glances on him. Was he really THAT strange?
He finally reached the front of the room, where Harkinian and the other leaders seemed to be studying him, lost for an answer.
Standing awkwardly for a moment, Ganondorf felt shame trickling into his heart as he realized what he was supposed to do next. Kneeling shakily, he lowered his head in a half-hearted bow.
"Your... majesty," he mumbled.
"G-greetings and welcome," Harkinian stuttered. It was difficult for him to address this boy as an equal. "What is your name, my friend?"
He spoke in a voice with just a detectable bit of loathing. "I am Ganondorf Dragmire of the Gerudo."
"Thank you for coming, Lord Ganondorf," Harkinian sighed, relieved for some reason. "I bid you welcome into Hyrule Castle, and I hope that with a new king in both our kingdoms, our bids for peace will finally come through."
Ganondorf rose quickly, hurrying over to stand near King Zora. He kept his eyes low to the ground, too ashamed to see what people's expressions towards him were.
"People of Hyrule... I give you, those who will lead us into a new era, one hopefully blessed with peace and prosperity!"
Thunderous applause broke out across the audience, though a few people seemed confused on just who it was they should be clapping for.
"And now, the dignitaries and I will proceed to the throne room for deliberation on the new treaties. We will meet again in two days, to announce to the world what we have decided. I hope you all enjoy yourselves, and take your time to see and experience the marketplace and the rest of the great city. To Hyrule!" Harkinian announced.
"To Hyrule!" the audience and dignitaries echoed.
Ganondorf watched out of the corner of his eye as his aunt and his tribe was ushered out of the door of the Great Hall. He couldn't help but be suspicious about the way the guards seemed to be watching them... Nabooru threw him a thumbs-up sign and a pleasant wink.
It was too late to turn back now.
He followed the great bulk of the Goron King through a small door to the right of the podium, and into a narrow hallway leading to the throne room. Ganondorf felt extremely uncomfortable with the other leaders watching him, pointing and whispering to each other.
Darunia's great girth blocked his view of exactly where in the castle they were going, but he dared not speak up. The last thing he needed was for the other races to dislike him any more than they probably already did.
From behind him he heard the wheels of King Zora's cart clicking down the stone hallway, and other than that it was silent. Everybody seemed to be pretty tense. The warm, festive mood of the great hall was gone, and now the tensions of the war and the suspicions of the enemy returned.
Ganondorf was ready to scream just to break the awkward silence, when he felt someone poking his shoulder.
He slowed down a little bit and turned around, a glare that could sour milk plastered on his face. "What?" he snapped.
His look softened when he saw the Sheikah girl from the marketplace standing there, looking stunned.
"Sorry..." he mumbled quickly. "I just don't feel real well right now."
"That makes two of us," she sighed, a small smile still on her face. "How old are you?"
Ganondorf was prepared for the question he knew was coming. "Sixteen," he groaned.
"Hey, me too," she giggled. "I don't feel so weird anymore... I thought it would be just me and a bunch of adults."
"Ditto," Ganondorf replied. He felt a tiny spark of relief to learn that he wasn't the only teenage ruler... Apparently, a young monarch ruled the Sheikah as well.
He and the girl were quiet for a moment as they continued down the long hallway.
Finally, she let out a small sigh. "This castle gets bigger and bigger every day... I've been living here three weeks, and I don't think I've seen even half of it."
"You live here?" Ganondorf murmured.
"I do now," she shrugged. "It's kind of cool... I like living in such a big place."
"When I'm king, I want a palace like this one," Ganondorf mused, stepping aside so his new acquaintance could come up beside him. She did so.
Ganondorf couldn't help but notice her eyes... He couldn't see them before, from the cart. They were blood red, a very deep shade of it. They were sort of cool... All the Gerudo had yellow eyes.
"I like your eyes," Ganondorf stated.
She threw him an odd look.
"I mean... they're a nice color. Red. I like red."
"Okay..." she giggled. "Well... I like... your skin."
He turned pink. "Really?"
"It's a nice color. Green. I like green."
"It's not green, it's OLIVE-TAN," he spouted, pretending to be angry.
"Oh. Well, then I like olive-tan," she laughed, extending a hand. "I'm Impa."
"Ganondorf," he replied, shaking it. "Nice to meetcha."
"So what brings you here, Ganondorf?" Impa asked curiously, leaning over to try and see past Darunia. It appeared that they were finally getting closer...
Ganondorf raised his eyebrows. "... The treaty."
"Oh right... you're the king, aren't you?"
He eyed her suspiciously. "So what?"
"I've never heard of a boy king before," Impa replied. "It's sort of neat."
"You think so?" Ganondorf responded sounding a little surprised.
"Yeah. I wish we Sheikah had some sort of neat quirk like that... We're just sort of normal, I guess."
So she didn't think he was strange? Maybe...
"Well... you wouldn't think it was so neat if you were the only one of your kind," Ganondorf replied, thrusting his hands in his pockets and staring at the floor. They were rapidly approaching the throne room.
"You're the only male Gerudo, huh?" Impa queried. "I think that's sort of neat, too..."
"Are you kidding?" Ganondorf gaped.
"No. Think about it... You really are one in a million," Impa smiled cheerfully.
She DIDN'T think he was strange!
"In fact, I think it's..." Impa had begun, when suddenly- "Whoops... better shut up now. Time for boring talk."
They were being ushered through the door of the throne room, where it was eerily quiet in preparation for the long hours of deliberation ahead of them.
"Wait..." Ganondorf stammered, stopping Impa from heading to her seat next to Harkinian's throne at the head of a long table.
"What?"
"Can we talk again later?" he mumbled nervously. Judging from his past experiences... they couldn't.
Impa paused. "I don't see why not..."
He let out a big sigh of relief. "Right, right... Okay. See ya," Ganondorf said, with as much cheer as he'd felt the last three days. "I mean... talk to you later."
Impa nodded and gave a small wave with her little finger before scampering off to her seat.
Ganondorf sunk into the chair under the Gerudo flag, unusually happy.
Maybe this conference wasn't going to be so bad after all...
**********************
That seems like a good place to end it... OKAY. Now our happy couple has finally met... How will I do when the actual ROMANCE comes around?! Next chapter, the treaty is signed, and the festivities start! INCLUDING THE DANCING! WAAGH! OO; The fateful tale of Ganondorf and Impa continues in the next chapter of "Never My Destiny", so stay tuned!