Morribund - Chapter 2

What do you know of power...?

Chapter 2.

"You must remember… there is no going back."

Ganondorf sighed as he lay down on the altar. He was ready to become the king his people needed, but the drastic measures he would have to take were not desirable. Though he was considered their king he would only be remembered in Gerudo history as another male. Calling him a king was like mocking him. He was king over a barely surviving race, their population was five times less of that of Hyrule’s. They all starved and labored, waiting for the day they would wither away. In his youth he promised them life and they scorned him for it, but now he would prove to them that through all his stubbornness, he would keep true to his vow. Even with the misfortune of his infancy and the curse he carried because of it, he was determined to do some good in the world.

A chant began to fill his ears. He realized what had begun and he prepared himself for the ritual he had now began to think was his only chance of redemption.

Ganondorf inhaled deeply, his blood rushed through his veins, causing him to sweat. The pain that consumed his body was nearly unbearable, it had been something he only had felt once before, when he was young. It was a constant battle between staying alive and staying sane. If he could learn to balance them then perhaps he could be the king his people needed.

These thoughts plagued him and as an unearthly pressure seemed to collapse in on his chest. He gasped before fading into an unconscious state.

oOo

"I can't say exactly... but perhaps you can make the final decision." The twelve year old wrapped his fingers fiercely along the table.

"The Hylians seek allegiance with us during the war. They could save our people." He said quietly as he turned to the older women in his council.

"But Hylians have lied to us so many years. I think it unwise." One of the elders spoke up.

"Yet they have come to us seeking support and refuge! Perhaps if we joined forces our people-"

"Our people will suffer either way. The Hylians will rob us of everything now and pay it back when it is too late. If we refuse to join they will target us enemies. You must make the choice of which battle we can win." Nabooru replied as she walked down the center of the room. Ganondorf hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"But what if they do keep their promises? What if this was the beginning of something great?" He asked, a bit annoyed with himself.

"You hold our lives in your hands! You have to make the responsible decision!" Nabooru snapped. The elders frowned but agreed in silenced unison.

"Very well, we will join the Sheikah! They promise independence for all!" Ganondorf proclaimed.

“Can you trust the Sheikah? Do they not work as spies for Hyrule?” Another woman spoke up.

“They swore an oath to me that they will overthrow the Hylian King.” He insisted. Nabooru shook her head as she watched the women’s eyes light up. He had created a fire for freedom in the room. Everyone had waited to be liberated too long not to jump at this opportunity.

“Very well then…”

oOo

Ganondorf sat up, his head reeling with a sharp pain.

"You were lost again... You left our world." The ice witch growled as she handed him some ale, hoping to bring him to his senses.

"No...it was different this time... He reminded me of...never mind! It's not important!" Ganondorf sighed.

The fire witch cackled and handed him a wet rag. "You are a fool to not confide in us!" said in a shrill voice as she began lighting the torches around the room.

"Confiding in you is what made me a fool." He muttered as he hoisted himself of the altar.

"He can hear your thoughts, He can see your soul, He knows what you are feeling..." Koume stated as Ganondorf reached for the door. He turned, angry and confused.

"And what of it?! He has been doing that since my childhood!” He quipped, had she forgotten?

"But he can control them...if he uses his much needed energy..."

Ganondorf suddenly felt a sort of fear fall over him. Something he hadn't realized he could feel for almost a decade. He suddenly felt the weight of the burden he carried. He had not been prepared to begin to lose himself. In time, he would learn to control it again, he promised himself as he left. But even he doubted that was possible. Keep him at bay, maybe, but never fully control him.

oOo

Nabooru slowly closed the large wooden door. She had just finished making sure every child was accounted for in the chamber and sleeping. As Second in Command she was responsible not only for overseeing their training but also making sure each child was accounted for at night. Though most of the mothers did this job themselves if they were present, it gave Nabooru a chance to mother a child she knew she would most likely never have.

These duties of course, were rarely performed at Gerudo Town but at the fortress it seemed necessary. Most of the women at the fortress worked hard and the girls would learn to fight alongside them, but at the town they learned various other trades.

"Great Nabooru, you work yourself too hard. I will make sure that the guards are all in their proper places and that the vai are all here...except for the few on the raid tonight." An elder offered. Nabooru frowned.

"I never gave approval for a raid. What are they raiding for?" She asked harshly.

"We have become low on rations... Aveil was leading them so we assumed-"

"Aveil! Please tell me you aren't serious!"

The old woman sighed as she shook her head.

"She's headstrong, just like your mother. She's only following her heart, have compassion." She tried to persuade, but that only made the young woman more enraged.

"I do my best to take care of her and she still manages to get herself into-"

"Nabooru! Don't raise your voice at this elder!" Ganondorf bellowed as he rounded

the corner. Nabooru crossed her arms.

"Ah, praying for your people...you are more diligent about it than any voe before you." The old woman smiled as she bowed humbly.

"You know very well that my people come first." He replied calmly as he touched the woman's shoulder. Nabooru stared at him, studying him for a moment as he dismissed the old woman.

"You lied to her just then. Didn't you?" She interrogated as soon as she knew nobody was within earshot. He felt his face stiffen.

"What would make you think that?" He replied shortly.

"Why else would you go to the Colossus? You don't pray, you do something else, but what?" She asked as she attempted to read his face.

"If you must know, I clear my mind. I train and I do pray Nabooru. Though it is none of your concern what I do… it appears it is almost the midnight hour so I would appreciate it if you would let me retire."

Her eyes narrowed as she nodded. She knew it was best not to bother him about the raid tonight.

"Oh, and Nabooru, tomorrow you will explain why you were yelling at an elder. It's not like you." He finished as he walked down the hall.

Nabooru froze. What if she was right about him? The pain in her gut became tighter. Hatred perhaps? No, she would be glad to know she was wrong about him, after all, he was emotionless and uptight. Right? No.

She hated him. He was plotting something, hiding something, she knew it. And maybe she thought she could prevent it. But there was something about him she desperately despised too. Something he kept hidden from everyone. And while these feelings were sudden, she couldn’t help but think they were going to stay for a long time. It would be the cost of her suspicion.

oOo

Ganondorf stepped onto the balcony off of his chambers. The stars began to speckle the fading sky. A chill swept through the valley. He didn't mind the way the wind mocked him, not tonight. Tonight he felt alive. He was irritated that Nabooru wanted to talk about things he wished to ignore but he was also relieved.

"Din, if my prayer reaches you. Save us from this hell. Let the world realize that we are human too." He prayed softly. His smirk faded. He had prayed to Din twice now, as it seemed the goddess of sand had ignored him for so long. He began to even wonder if there were gods anymore. He realized at a young age that he was hated by everyone, even the heavens, but tried to ignore it. Nobody ever looked past their eyes or hair or noses or tans. Nobody cared for them. They were freaks, a circus sent to be abused by every other race.

He closed his eyes as he gripped the balcony's bar. His anger beginning to boil inside of him.

Why were his people doomed to suffer? They were women just like those of any other race. The only difference was their means of survival. Hylian women had everything handed to them. His people, however, fought for everything. They risked everything, even to the point of selling themselves for food or the chance for a child of their own. It wasn't fair that they suffered and he wouldn't stand it anymore. He walked inside and took a book off the table.

"The Legends of Hyrule..." He laughed to himself as he took the fairytale and sat down. His one pleasure, a children's book. It had always made him hopeful when he needed to find himself again and tonight he needed to more than ever. But as he read, only one name stood out to him. A name so familiar that he despised. The name of the Demon King…

oOo

Aveil stepped quietly into her room, trying not wake her sister. It was early morning and she had just arrived home. The candles were still lit, she noted. Nabooru and her Vaba never left the candles lit through the night.

“You moron!” Nabooru howled as she threw a pillow at Aveil. She yelped as she held the pillow close.

“Ganondorf is going to kill you if I don’t first!” She scolded as she smacked her angrily with another pillow.

“What would you have done, Nabooru? Starved?” Aveil hollered back, hitting her sister with the other pillow.

“I definitely would have asked permission! You know I would have said yes!” Nabooru fought back as she brought her sister to the floor.

“I couldn’t find you! Besides, you would have done the same!” Aveil replied bitterly, taking Nabooru with her.

“I would not have voluntarily made Ganondorf angry!”

“You do that every day! That’s your job, keese face!”

“Moblin brains!”

“Gibdo breath!”

“QUIET! You are behaving like vehvi!” Their vaba scolded as she walked to the fighting girls on the floor.

“Yes,Vaba.” They said in unison. The old woman smiled.

“I haven’t heard you two quarrel for quite some time… It relieves me to know you still love each other.” She laughed as she sat down in a nearby chair. Nabooru stood up, pushing her hair back into a neat ponytail once more.

“Nabooru...I won’t get in trouble will I? You will authorize it, won’t you?” Aveil whispered as she handed her sister a hand mirror.

“I can’t Aveil, you know the laws.” Nabooru replied sharply. Aveil frowned. Nabooru sighed as she hugged her sister.

“I promise I won’t let him completely kill you… Just, scare you... a lot.” She teased before walking away. Aveil felt her stomach turn.

“I’m going to inform Ganondorf that they have arrived. You better pray to the goddess he doesn’t find you before I can.” She said with a smirk before blowing a kiss to her grandmother and running out the door.

The older woman chuckled and turned to Aveil.

“Run.”

Aveil smiled before grabbing a fruit and following her sister out the door.