Legend of Zelda: Ganondorf's heir

A/N: Yay! Chapter five! Ganondorf's a little more fatherly, Link is a little more active, Epona finally enters the story, and a well loved character makes a cameo appearance! You'll find out who it is at the end, so on with the chapter!

Chapter 5: Horses and Battles


“So he won’t speak to anyone?”
“He only seems to allow Lord Ganondorf to remain by his side; if he leaves, the boy screams until he returns.” Nabooru had glanced into the room from her discussion with the posted guard; Ganondorf had been aiding the medicine woman, Clera, in changing the bandages that covered the boy’s healing wounds. She sighed, shaking her head at the sight. Ganondorf was a fearsome warrior, not one to merely care for others unless they were of Gerudo blood. He seemed so fatherly to a mere Hylian, when he could easily father a daughter of his own with any of the women within their desert tribe. Obviously this was something she would have to deal with since having the boy in their midst was unsettling to her.


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Brushing back soft blond locks, he gently hummed an old tune that he recalled from his own childhood. His foster mothers, Koume and Kotake would sing it in order to calm him into slumber. Ganondorf knew that it was odd to care for someone who was his enemy; obviously the boy could withdraw the fated Master Sword, but he certainly couldn’t help but feel as though it was his duty to take care of the child.
“Honestly, Ganondorf...you don’t seem the type to have such a soft spot for children...”
He whipped his head around to see Nabooru leaning against the door, her scimitar at her side even though she was not on guard duty, nor was she going into battle or training at this hour. Golden eyes returned to watching the tiny sleeping child, ignoring his guest. “Looks can be deceiving, Nabooru...and why can’t I treat this boy as my son?”
“It’s against our way of life! Only one man is allowed within our midst every century and that is our king! If you wish to be a father, then father an actual Gerudo child with any of the women here. You’re angering the Goddesses by keeping him he-“
He quickly stood up, crossing the distance between the bedside and the doorway in a matter of moments; anger coursed through him, but he dare not strike his second-in-command. “The Goddesses brought me to the boy! Every time he has been harmed by others, I have been the one to find him and save him. It is obvious that the Goddesses wish for me to continue caring for him...”

Nabooru growled, glaring up at the taller man, “I will not have this boy within the fortress...you have until the full moon to get him out of here, before I rid this valley of him myself...”
When the Gerudo king was finally alone with the boy; he sat back at the child’s bedside, humming the song once more, even if it was more to calm himself than the boy.


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Link had woken up in the morning, noticing that he was alone; Ganondorf had obviously left in order to tend to things, he was a king after all. The young boy drew his knees up to his chest, thankful that he could finally move in such a way after being bedridden for nearly a week. He slid from the bed, quietly padding over to the window. Full moon and the pale light almost comforted him, as though it would protect him like Ganondorf had been. The door had slowly opened, giving forth to Nabooru with her sword in hand. She was obviously not there to be friendly with boy as she barked at him. “Let’s go. You’re not staying here anymore.”
“What...? But Ganondorf, he...”
“I said move, boy!” She grabbed him by the collar of the robe he had been given, dragging Link from the room. He tried struggling; her grip was iron and unrelenting. When they reached the cold air of the night, Nabooru continued to drag him along until they had reached the bridge that connected the Gerudo desert to the rest of Hyrule. “Leave...leave and never return. If you dare to return, you’ll receive punishment taken from your flesh.”
She tossed him onto the bridge, quickly turning on her heel to leave the child to his own demise. Fire flared up in front of her, keeping her from moving as the Gerudo king stepped forward from the shadows. Moonlight illuminated his features as he stood down the woman. “You knew not to try my patience, Nabooru. The boy remains here and now you must be punished for such actions against your king’s ruling...” He had drawn his sword, ready to strike down the woman. A small weight ran into his side; tiny arms doing their best to wrap around his waist to keep him from moving. “Don’t! Please don’t!”
Link was shivering, a few tears brimming in his eyes as he shook his head. “Please Ganondorf! Don’t hurt her! I’m not a Gerudo and she was only trying to protect her people, like you’ve been trying to protect me!”

Dropping the heavy broadsword, he knelt to wrap of his arms around the boy in order to comfort him. He kissed the top of the child’s blond head, thankful to at least have Link safe and in his arms. The boy merely wiped his eyes, looking up at the man who was adamant on keeping him around; his lips turned up into a frail smile before he buried his head against Ganondorf’s chest. Ore coloured eyes looked up at the scorned woman before Ganondorf stood to his full height once more. “Nabooru...you are an excellent warrior, and I see no reason to keep Link here. He will be treated like any other Gerudo and there will be no other complaints on the matter.”
“Understood, my king...” Nabooru stalked off, angered with the man for what he had said.


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He watched the blond Hylian running alongside the young girls being raised amongst the warriors; even Gerudo games such as “Tag the Stalafos” were training for when they became older. Of course archery and swordsmanship was also important so early on. The game had ended prematurely when one of the women had broken it up for the children to gather their blunted sword for training. Link was excelling in training since he had finally recovered physically, spending time with Ganondorf calmed him enough to heal some of the mental and emotional scars he was still suffering from. The small group lined up before the straw-filled targets, practising sword strikes to venerable parts of the body, until one voice complained. “This is boring...this isn’t going to help us learn unless we’re up against moving opponents.”
Everyone turned to see who had voiced such an opinion, which was the only male within the group. The guard who was training them merely grabbed her twin scimitars and motioning for Link to come closer. A ring of people surrounded them as Link was handed his small wooden shield that he had made while needing to remain in bed from previous injuries. He shouldered the shield before stepping a small bit closer to the older woman. Every movement she made was tracked with piercing blue eyes; feet in a flurry of steps that almost seemed like a dance. She kept striking, but her swords merely continued to cut into the wood that protected the boy from harm; until she tensed her body to prep a spinning jump against the boy. Just as the older woman leapt into the air towards him, Link side-stepped just far enough to be missed by the blade, bringing his own sword just up to her throat before she could get up; he smiled as he spoke the final words of the fight. “I win...”

He allowed the guard to get to her feet before she laughed and patted the boy on the shoulder. “Well then I guess you’re right! Everyone pair up with a partner and begin training!” Link had taken a step forward, before noticing that he was the odd number out in the group. The Hylian boy lowered his head and began to turn back to strike one of the targets, a heavy sword pushing him back before he looked up to see the Gerudo king’s smiling face.
“Ganondorf!” He wrapped his arms around the man’s waist in a hug, granted one in return by the older man.
“Link...since you’re obviously able to defeat my guards easily enough, how about I take you out riding?”
The blond child released his grip before he had glanced over at the corrals where the various horses were kept. Faedrunil was already saddled and waiting for his master, pawing at the soft sand under his hooves.
“But I don’t have a horse...”
Ganondorf merely laughed before picking the boy up and carrying him over to the corral in order to deposit him into the ebony stallion’s saddle before climbing up himself. The woman, who had been caring for the horses, opened the corral door into order to let them out. Once the gate was open, Faedrunil rushed out, heading out to the open fields of Hyrule. Link held tightly onto the horse’s neck, praying that he didn’t fall from the beast; Ganondorf’s arm held the boy’s waist as they rode, his other hand gripping the reins as his steed slowed to a trot over the wooden bridge over the canyon. As they reached the grassy plains of Hyrule, Ganondorf began steering the horse towards the high walls of the nearest ranch; Lon Lon Ranch.


Once they had entered the ranch, Link was lifted from Faedrunil saddle and placed upon the ground, allowing him to run off to the corral where the horses ran. Ganondorf watched the boy, hoping he would choose a horse best suited for the Hylian boy. Link had run over to the middle of the fenced area, seeing the rust coloured foal that he had met once before. Epona lifted her head before running off slightly, surprising the redhead close by to lift her head up to see who had come over. She smiled before wrapping Link in a hug. “Fairy boy!”
“Malon! How have things been?”
They sat down on the grass, Epona slowly trotting over once more to nuzzle Link’s hand. “Well things have been the same, other than the hardships in Hyrule; our little ranch hasn’t been touched.” She glanced over at the blond, still smiling, “what about you? How have things been with you?”
He sighed, still patting Epona’s head, “ever since Hyrule castle was attacked, bad things have happened, but I’m living in the Gerudo Valley now...it’s better living there than being out on my own, but I don’t know why Ganondorf wanted to stop here.”
“For you to get your own horse.” The voice startled both of the children, Epona running when they both looked up to see the Gerudo king. Link climbed to his feet, still confused by what the older man had said, but if he was to choose a horse, he knew one that he enjoyed being around. He had glanced back at Malon before withdrawing the Ocarina he had gotten from Zelda and playing the soft melody that the redhead always sang. The roan coated foal ran over, nuzzling Link’s side until he ran a hand through her mane. “Then is it okay if I take Epona, Malon? I promise to bring her back for visits as often as I can.”
“Its okay, Link! I know that Epona will be safe with you!” She gave the foal one last hug before Epona began following Link and Ganondorf over to Faedrunil.


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Link laughed as he raced Epona through the fields heading back to the Gerudo Valley, Faedrunil not far behind with Ganondorf. When they reached the bridge, the Hylian had slowed down, allowing the older man to pass before him. Both horses trotted over the wooden planks, Link holding onto Epona’s neck, keeping a firm grip on her mane due to riding the small foal bare back. She hadn’t been broken for riding, but she had no troubles accepting Link and carrying his weight. As they made their way into the grounds of the fortress, Ganondorf had looked down at Link and smiled. “In a short while, we’ll get you a saddle for your horse so you won’t have to ride bareback anymore.”
They closed the gate for the horses, Faedrunil staying close to Epona as though to watch over when Link couldn’t. He patted her nose gently, smiling at her as she snorted. “Be a good girl.”
Dusk was coming and Link merely looked out at the orange sky becoming darker with the sun setting upon the land. A heavy hand rested upon his shoulder as Ganondorf guided the boy inside. Blue eyes looked back at the high rocks near the entrance to the valley before turning back; he swore that he saw a shadow that had never been there before, but was probably nothing more than a trick of the light.

Crimson eyes watched the Hylian boy and the Gerudo king enter the stone encampment before blending back into the shadows. “I found you, Hero of Time...”