The First Encounter

I digress. You're still here, so you deserve to know the details about how it all began.

The first time I actually spoke with Ganondorf was the evening he skipped his history lesson. We were around thirteen, maybe? I can't remember, it's been generations!! Anyway, I had been in training for a while, and already building a reputation for myself. I had just started my nightly shift of fortress patrol when the older women ran toward me. They were frantic! They asked me if I'd seen the king, and I politely shook my head, even though he was holding his breath in the corner right behind them. His teachers believed me and ran off.

"What are you doing?" I asked, completely rude, ignoring the fact he was my king.

He didn't seem to mind. He was just tired of all the lectures, and the ridiculous demands. I felt bad, because just like the rest of us, he needed a break. I led him to my favorite hiding place, a small ledge off the top level of the fortress, shaded mostly from view by the moonlight.

I have no idea how long we sat there, maybe hours? He told me about Gerudo history, enchanted relics, the Triforce, his dream of greater power. I had thought he was just a stuck up king, who felt entitled because he happened to be born male. I was wrong. His dreams included the Gerudo rising to the top.

I remember my teeth started to chatter at some point. On my patrol route I would have normally deviated to my little room to grab a robe, but that was impossible. I refused to leave him. For the first time, someone was talking to me like I was more than dirt. My mother of course never neglected me, and Rayne was always getting in trouble. I wanted this moment of new friendship to last forever. He removed his cloak, and handed it to me, but made sure I knew he only did because my shivering was annoying.

"What about you?" he asked in an attempt to be nice, but he sounded condescending.

"What do you mean?"

"You aren't like everyone else. You aren't scared of me."

"Because my name is Ganondora."

He seemed pretty surprised to learn that, maybe even impressed. "Then I guess I already know all about you."

"What?"

It turned out I was infamous. The Gerudo, even his mentors, talked about me behind my back constantly. I took it as a compliment though, and so did he. He said, "If they talk about you that much, then they're intimidated, as they should be."

I just laughed, and told him the truth about myself. He already knew that we were born the same night. I complained, hopefully without whining, about the living conditions, the desert, the heat, the cold, the bitter wind, and about death always lurking around the corner. I told him about how the Gerudo treated each other, but he was not at all surprised.

I became the first person he revealed his big plan to, to reorganize the Gerudo, unite them rather than divide them like they were. He would conquer Hyrule by obtaining the Triforce, make the Gerudo powerful again, and make the Hylians pay for what they did to the Gerudo.

From that moment on, he earned my respect, admiration, and loyalty. My body, my blade, and my spirit was all devoted to his goal, and not just because the Goddess of the Sand demanded that from all the Gerudo.

Ganondorf admitted that he just wanted to be trained like everyone else, so I challenged him to a duel instantly.

As you probably expect, he won, but it was the most fun he'd ever had. So, he told his teachers he was dropping history and would spend time everyday training with his people. Not to brag, but he preferred to spar with me.

This little change made a difference in everyone.