#ganondorf takes a swing at the good ol' redemption arc

[skyloftian-nutcase]

UGH FINE I'm hesitantly excited so here, have the first chapter of Golden Mercy until I've figured out what to do with the rest of it

The Legend of Zelda: Golden Mercy

Hyrule Field lay in ruins.

Battle after battle had scarred the land, taking what was once beautiful and marring it into unrecognizable disorder. Trees were uprooted, earth scorched, statues and fountains and gardens fallen and dead and overgrown with what few weeds could feed off the carnage. Banners were torn, stone overturned, and debris from fallen warriors littered the field. The earth was torn with lacerations of great magnitude, scars of injuries from a war that had just finished unfolding.

The entrance to Castle Town was filled with people. Despite the large crowds, the air was silent, suffocated in the darkness of night. Grief weighed down like a sodden blanket, pushing on the hearts of everyone there, held at bay by candles in their hands, their little flames illuminating exhausted faces.

At the front of the group of mourners was a woman in a red gown, mostly hidden away in a black cloak. Her blonde hair and golden crown were hidden beneath the dark hood, eyes focused on her candle as its wick gave life to her burning grief. To her left was another woman, to her right a man, both dressed in somber cloaks that hid richer attire underneath.

The woman on the left stepped forward alongside the crowned woman. The princess led the ritual, holding her candle high above her, and everyone followed suit. The woman to her left twirled a hand, magic casting it aglow, and the candles all started to float out of their bearers’ hands, drifting into the sky.

The princess turned to face the crowd. “Tonight, we remember their sacrifice. Tonight, we honor those who fell to save Hyrule.”

Her gaze drifted to the man who had been beside her, and she added, “Tonight, we celebrate our victory with them.”

The Hero of Hyrule watched her, holding her gaze for a moment before his eyes dipped down to the ground.

Zelda felt her own gaze drift away as well. She watched her subjects, her soldiers, her people grieve. They looked to her for guidance.

They had to. Her father was dead. She was now the ruler of Hyrule.

What was left of it.

After a year of fighting Cia, they had finally destroyed her. It had taken everything they’d had, including the Master Sword and Triforce. But they had prevailed, as destiny always dictated. If Zelda could rely on anything, she could rely on the story woven throughout history, inscribed in the golden ink of the goddesses themselves.

In the end, they always won.

But at what cost? Her kingdom lay in ruins, nobles squabbling for power, commoners scrambling for resources, soldiers looking for closure.

This was her fault. She had premonitions that something terrible would happen. When it all fell apart, she had hidden.

It’s over, she reminded herself. Cia is dead. It’s time to rebuild.

Zelda’s eyes returned to the Hero of Hyrule once more. Yes. Rebuild. They had a destiny to fulfill. Lana knew it to be true. It was why she kept watching them, it was why she refused to stay once the war was over.

Link was Zelda’s. And he always would be. Together, they had to rebuild what Cia had destroyed.

As soon as the ceremony was done, Lana disappeared with little more than a goodbye, leaving both Zelda and Link a little hurt and saddened. They’d fought and bled alongside each other for a year, yet Zelda had a feeling she would never see Lana again.

Perhaps it was for the best.

Looking up, Zelda watched the enchanted candles continue to fly away into the night sky. She said a prayer for the fallen, a prayer for her father, a prayer for her people, and a prayer for herself. Then she turned and headed for the castle, people following her silently. She would come to power on a throne of bones and brokenness, ascending to rule a kingdom that could barely even be called so. But her people followed her nonetheless.

The crowds meandered towards the throne room while Zelda was allowed to take a detour. They could wait. She wandered the cavernous halls instead, memories of a warm childhood washed away by the cold, pale light of the moon cascading over the place like icy water that carried away any life with it. Chandeliers were halfway dismantled from the ceiling or outright shattered on the ground, royal family paintings half burnt or crooked from their places of honor.

Zelda paused before a large room of tapestries and paintings, her family history displayed before her. Centuries—millennia even—of descendants of Hylia stood before her, each having overcome their own trials. Some stood out notably, some had to take on the burden of destiny more than others. Princess Zelda, the Guardian of Time who guided the Hero of Time to save two different Hyrules, who created a new identity for herself as Sheik to keep herself and the Triforce safe while actively fighting evil. Princess Zelda, the Dawn’s Light who had given her life and soul to protect the Hero of Light and a princess of shadow. Princess Zelda, the Sacred Diplomat who had fought a war against Ganon and won, who had overcome everything and reunited Hyrule, who had sealed away pure evil and helped split his soul into shards to protect the world from ever enduring such destruction again.

Each of these princesses had faced evil incarnate and won. Yet here she was, unable to protect her people from a petty sorceress.

But you did, she reminded herself. The war is over.

The war was over.

Zelda strode towards the throne room, steeling herself for her new destiny, promising she would never let her people down again.

XXX

The cold of the desert held little comfort to it, but the night sky was usually a beautifully welcoming sight. When the constellations twinkled with more lights than possible, a tan-skinned woman squinted and watched as seeming stars floated in a large cluster higher and higher into the air.

Ah. The funeral.

“What is that?” someone asked.

The woman watched the sight, her freckled face somber and serene. She bowed her head in respect, braids spilling over her shoulders, and then said quietly, “The war is over. Hyrule is mourning their dead.”

“Is it really over?” another Gerudo questioned. “It’s been a year.”

“Well, there aren’t giant portals, so I’d say that’s a pretty big hint,” another one noted, sarcasm heavy in her tone.

“What difference does it make? It’s not as if it matters to us.”

“The monsters spiling out of portals mattered, genius.”

“Yes, and where was Hyrule’s army? Busy dealing with Hyrule’s own affairs. Nobody cared if monsters came into the desert.”

“They don’t care about the desert,” the woman interrupted. “And it’s better that way. They barely know of our existence anymore.”

“That happens when they wipe us out.”

“Lady Nabooru!”

The woman turned her attention away from the lights of the funeral, watching one of her warriors run her way. “What is it?”

“There’s—there’s something going on,” the warrior stammered to explain as the others looked at her as well. “A man has appeared in the desert.”

What? A man? What was this about? Had Hyrule sent someone out here to their forsaken land? Nabooru rose, grabbing her twin scimitars, and followed the warrior. She didn’t have to go far – they crossed a few dunes and found him by some ruins. He was staring at his hands, flexing them hesitantly, his face mostly hidden from view as red hair spilled over to hide it.

Red hair. Dark skin. Those clothes. This man… this man was a Gerudo.

Slowly, his gaze moved up to meet hers. The diadem on his head was immediately familiar to her. Nabooru’s eyes widened, her breath stolen away, the chill of the desert freezing her to her core.

Every Gerudo knew the story of Ganondorf. And Nabooru knew a dark power had been on the sorceress’ side in this war.

The man breathed slowly, measuredly, as if he were testing out his lungs, as if the gravity of the situation made him have to think about every breath he took. Then he stood, towering over all of them.

When he broke the silence, he asked, “Where is my daughter?”

#writing #good ganondorf #hyrule warriors #legend of zelda #loz au #ganondorf takes a swing at the good ol' redemption arc #we'll see if it works out for him #zelda is having a really rough time #hyrule warriors zelda #hw zelda #hyrule warriors link #hw link #hyrule warriors ganondorf #ganondorf #nabooru #lana