The Hero went out of the fortress but soon reentered holding the reins of a reddish-brown mare. The Gerudo stared already dismissing Epona as an unworthy horse. They assumed her performance will obviously be inferior to the wild horses they commonly use. Yet… they could not help but stare at the mare, noticing the muscles on her frame adjusting as she walked, her shiny reddish-brown coat, and her white mane that contrasted beautifully with her overall color.
Then there was a moment where the mare stomped her front feet deep on the ground, Link sighted knowing he would not be able to move her any further. So, he let go of her rein allowing her to explore around, and explore she did.
Epona even managed to get close to a few of the girls and smell them, even if they yelled at her, or were holding their traditional scimitars. Once the Gerudo noticed that Epona was not afraid of them, and did what she wanted to do like start nibling on the hair of one of them, even if that meant going against the Hero's command to stop. They absolutely loved her and approached to pet her. They saw Epona as the equine version of themselves.
When the mare was done, she got back to Link and allowed him to guide her to the Horse Back Archery Range. After paying, the Prince and Epona performed spectacularly scoring 2000 points; they hadn't been bothered by the loud whistles and cheers of the Gerudo girls. The Gerudo where obviously not cheering for Link's aim, they were cheering for their new equine friend's performance, since she had advanced to a pace that was still considered running, but slow enough to allow the rider ample margin to aim and shot precise arrows.
Raciel noticed the girl's fascination with his mare. So, after returning the bow he had borrowed when he paid for the opportunity to use the shooting range, he decided to leave Epona playing chase with them while he completed the Gerudo Training Ground. Epona neighed when she noticed Link walking away, so he petted her head to comfort her. One of the Gerudo approached him and offered to lend him her scimitars.
"I expect them back once you are done with them"
"Why are you lending me your weapons?"
"You will need them if you want to survive the Training Grounds or the fight with Tali…" she says diverting her gaze from his deep gray one "That horse of yours is really special. She may not obey you, but she cares about you a lot… and out of respect for her, I decided to make sure that if you die, it would not be without a fight"
Ziel smiled nodding at the Gerudo. Then headed to the Gerudo Training Grounds and paid to access it. He completed it all in 20 minutes since he remembered most of it.
LINK POV
Gosh, I hate Iron Knuckles. The fight with that thing is going to leave me sore a few days… and with some pretty bruises.
The guard that had entered first to inform Tali of the Prince's performance finally came out.
"She is waiting… do not enter with the scimitars drawn, wait until she signals the battle start" the Gerudo guard informed him.
"Who is going to watch the fight?"
The guard laughs "Why? Are you so scared that you need a referee?"
Link rolls his eyes "No, what I need is a witness, if I win, Tali could say that I didn't, and you all will believe her"
"You offend us… but it is true that we are lacking in moral values. I guess an audience is necessary. Give me 5 minutes to gather a group, and we all enter behind you" the guard said but runs off without waiting for an answer.
Soon Link enters flanked by an audience of 5 Gerudo.
Tali frowns at the sight and screams "WHAT IS THIS?"
"An audience for the match, you may consider me weak, but I am not stupid Tali. I don't want you lying when I win this" Link says smirking.
ZELDA POV
I think I like Agus … which I find odd because up to now, every single suitor that I have met sucks. They are too old, or too young, dress poorly, smell to either sweat or too much cologne... and let's not forget that their personality is revolting, and their morals and values are even worse.
But Agus… he dresses nice, smells nice, is only 3 years older than me and has a nice personality. By that I mean he is very shy, as if afraid to express himself, but he definitely does if pushed. He is also very respectful no matter if the other person is a noble, or a commoner.
And let's not forget that he, kind of, has a physical discipline, so he is not fat. Not an exercise discipline like mine, but he likes to hike, and given that his family attained nobility due to their success as merchants in Hateno Village. He gets a chance to hike very often selling his wares.
Zelda smiles as Agus kisses the back of her hand respectfully before walking away. The Princess giggles and reenters the castle. She then walks straight to the throne room, enters it and bows to the King.
"My lord, I would like to speak to my mother and she is currently tending to her garden, would you allow me?"
King Daphnes nods and stands to allow the Princess access to the door behind his throne.
The King clears his throat and asks "Is there something I should be worried about?"
Zelda shakes her head with a smile "Not at all dad, I just want to consult a few things with her… she will tell you all about it later today, I am sure"
The King nodded and just watched the Princess open the door to enter the Queen's secret garden.
Once in the garden, she looked around searching for Queen Claire. She finally found her clipping off some damaged leaves from the roses, the Princess approached smiling.
"Mom"
Claire gasped jumping a little in shock; she was not expecting Zelda to be there.
"You scared me girl… do you need anything from me?"
"Yes, I need to know why did you accepted to marry Daphnes? What gave you the impression that he could be a good husband and father?"
Claire smiles "You… When I was left behind by your father, I needed someone who would accept me and you, someone who could support and protect us. I was sure I had lost my shot after my poor choice with your father, so I had given up. But then Derrick heard about me, and showed interest. Of course I accepted, who better to support and protect us than the future King of Hyrule"
"You didn't love him then?"
"Not really, and neither did he loved me. But he could be a stellar provider, was good looking, and had a good moral ground… a lot better than mine" Claire chuckles and continues.
"And he must have thought that I was beautiful, not as time demanding as the other girls, and I had YOU… in a way he also chose me because of you. Time went by, like months if I am honest, and I was head over heels for him"
Wow… that kind of explains a lot. I was carrying the weight of the marriage at the beginning. I understand now why I started to misbehave. It was a childish protest to the circumstances I was thrown into. Doesn't justify my behavior later on, but I can now explain to myself why I acted with so much anger.
"I don't know how long it took him to idolize me, if you need to know, ask him. But why are you asking all this?"
Zelda crosses her arms smiling "I think I may have found someone, He is nice and very respectful, yet I don't love him. But he is got good morals and values that I respect him for… I just needed to know if that was enough"
The Queen smiles "It is. We are royalty, public servants in other words… that means we serve the people we rule over. And most times we sacrifice our personal life to do it. If you can at least tolerate the person you end up paired with, that is a win. This boy you found is someone with a high moral value that you respect. That is HUGE, don't lose track of him"
LINK POV
The Prince tried to look past the sand storm, trying to follow the flag posts that led the way back to the Gerudo Fortress. He eventually was able to see where the next flag post was, and the next.
Raziel had thought that crossing the Haunted Wasteland only wearing the Gerudo sirwal and cloak was a bad idea. But now he was grateful, the heat in the Wasteland was unbearable, and Desert Colossus was no better. But it all will be over soon, he was carrying water in a bottle, his proof of having bathed in the oasis west of the Spirit temple. The Prince chuckled a little remembering how he got on this venture and what it truly meant.
------------------Remembrance----------------------
Their blades clashed in a blur of steel, each swing singing against the other with a shriek of sparks. Tali moved lightly, her scimitar carving shallow arcs that tested Link's guard. He met her rhythm with steady precision, the curve of his blade sliding against hers, forcing her back step by step.
She lunged, a cut aimed at his ribs, but he twisted aside, steel flashing close to her cheek. Her strikes came quicker now, sharp and urgent, driving him to defend. He absorbed each blow, letting the curved blades glance away in harmless slides, until he suddenly shifted—his scimitar dropping low, hooking hers. With a swift wrench, he tore her weapon wide, leaving her chest open. Before she could recover, he stepped in, the point of his blade hovering at her throat. The fight was over.
Tali started yelling and punching the ground in exasperation.
"I will not accept this… surely the Sand Goddess will not approve of a meek Hylian joining our ranks"
Me joining the Gerudo ranks? I thought I was just attaining membership, not becoming one of them… wait.
Link smirks "How about we ask her? All of the Gerudo go bathe on an oasis west of the Spirit temple, to baptize as Gerudo and receive the blessing of the Sand Goddess… allow me to perform that ritual. Then you all will be assured that your Goddess approves of me"
Tali smiles evilly "Because if she doesn't, she won't even allow you to cross the wasteland" she stands with renewed energy "Yeah… let's do it, but you have to do it Gerudo style. That means, you have to be wearing our customary attire. In your case, it will only be a sirwal and a cloak to protect you from the sun"
"How do I prove I bathed on the oasis?"
Tali huffed and gave him a vial "IF you actually manage to get there alive, fill this with water and bring it back"
-------------------------------------------
Thinking back on this, I am grateful to whoever fucked up when getting the cloaks. They gave me the green one that none of them had ever wanted, yet they never got rid of it. It had been expensive and someday, someone may use it. They gave it to me thankful of finally being able to rid of it.
But turns out, I don't mind green at all, as Farore's chosen champion, green suits me. The years have made it lose its original bright tone, making it look green on the brownish side, but to me it still looks perfect. I am also glad that they allowed me to keep my boots and gloves.
*When you arrive, don't forget to look menacing, and don't allow any disrespect. Things have changed, and this time… they have to accommodate to you*
Naboru got back only to be told what had happened by the Gerudo guards, Tali was called imbecile and would have to endure 20 lashes as punishment the next day. Naboru was planning on how to notify the King if the Prince didn't manage to return.
The Gerudo leader knew that if the Prince didn't return, they will go to war with the Hylians. Her girls were extremely proficient in battle, but there is strength in numbers, and the Hylian army was baste. In fear, she began to pray, but soon heard the horn that was only played when someone was coming from the haunted wasteland to the fortress.
Naboru rushed out, hoping with all her heart that it was Raziel. If the Prince had received the Sand Goddess's blessing and found his way back to the fortress, then THAT solved EVERYTHING. As she was nearing the gate that led to the Wasteland, she was able to see a male sporting a green cloak through the sand storm. He was walking slowly, almost threateningly towards them. A vial filled with water strapped to his hip. Naboru recognized the man and the vial, and she knew there was no way Raziel could have filled it on the Haunted Wasteland, he must have reached the Dessert Colossus. The realization of what this meant for all of them made her smile.
"HEY!!! LANCES AND SIMITARS DOWN RIGHT NOW, AND BOW TO YOUR KING"
The Gerudo dropped their weapons puzzled, but bowed as ordered. Then the Hero entered shaking the vial. Naboru slowly raised herself from the deep bow and requested Link to follow her. She directed the Hero to a secluded area of the fortress, where the throne for the Gerudo King was.
"Please sit down and take your place my lord"
"Before I do, where is Tali?" Link asked.
"In the jail cell, over in that tall building" Naboru points were "She is to be whipped tomorrow my King, because her impulsive actions today could have led us to a war with the Hylians"
Raziel chuckles "I agree, but alas, what is happening right now is thanks to her"
Naboru rolls her eyes "I realize this, but still… her actions can't go unpunished. It was going to be 20 lashes; I will lower it to only 10"
Link chuckles "Ha ha, better. And why was I summoned for?"
"We are going extinct; our fertility is directly linked to our King. At first, some of us thought you had our King captured, but a year ago we stopped being able to get pregnant…"
Fuck, my choice of leaving Ganon trapped could have led to the extinction of the Gerudo…
"It was obvious that Ganandorf died. Surely, Tali just wanted to request help to search for his remains, so we could bury him and his soul could part from this life with dignity… But now we have you, a man recognized by the Sand Goddess as a Gerudo. That automatically makes you our King; this should fix the fertility issue. We no longer need anything anymore"
Link smiles as he looks at the throne, not as fancy as the Hyrule's King throne, but still a throne. He sits on it and positions his legs in a figure four lock.
"Naboru summon everyone, the way things normally run in this fortress is going to change and everyone must be aware"