Chapter Text
"You are born evil, little Voe, you cannot change that. This means if you want to be good, you must prove yourself twice as much as any other. Do you understand?"
Throughout his time with her, his Vaba would tell this to Ganondorf, reminding him of a curse he did not understand, a role he was forced into. It was the reason why he stayed at their ramshackle home in the Farosh hills when his Vaba left to trade. A male Gerudo was an omen, and the royal family offered a reward to whomever could find and surrender him before he turned. He didn't blame them, but he wasn't going to become what they thought he was. His Vaba had left three days earlier, telling him that she would be taking the longer trip this time, going to stop by the great plateau and the temples to pray. On foot, this would take four days at best, if you don't travel at night. Sitting on the edge of the hillside, he could see the busy road going from Deya village to the plateau, all the little dots of people and their horses passing each other by. It gave him solace imagining one of them to be the old woman who cared for him, seeing her safely cross the bridge. The Gerudo's lips curved into a smile, his arms pushing against the ground to lift himself up. She would soon be home, and while he only had a few more tasks left to do, he still wanted the surprise to be done for her.
Turning back to his home, he walked back to his pile of logs, heaving one onto his shoulder as he moved it to the hole he dug before his break. Their house was made with the desert in mind, but this was not a desert. The hills were notorious for rain and thunder due to their proximity to the Faron woods. A few years ago, Vaba improved their shack by raising the floor, but as Ganon grew the supports began to wane in strength. So naturally, when Vaba said she was leaving for this trip, he got to work on improving it.
The log’s end sunk into the hole. The gerudo grimaced as he kept it held up straight, one hand pushing the dirt pile to the side back in and around the pillar. He packed it down before checking to see if the pillar would support itself long enough for him to grab the pile of wet clay he had made by the pond. Moving to the wet mound, he grabbed two large handfuls, even for himself. The Gerudo's ears twitched as the sound of grass crunching under feet started to arise. Trotting back over to the pillar as the wind started to wiggle it, he started to press and compact the clay around the base, making a pseudo concrete that would harden as the wind cooled it. He payed no attention to the sound. He assumed it was the fox that denned on the other side of the ponds. He moved to the logs to retrieve the second post, lifting it and turning around only to notice the small, blonde child standing on the edge of the homestead.
Ganon stopped for a moment, slowly blinking before he cautiously moved to his home again to continue his job. Mild panic surfaced, telling him to yell at the child or to hide, but reacting rashly would attract attention. If he acted like nothing was wrong, the child wouldn't suspect anything. For all the child knew, Ganon was just a tall, hooded man who lived with the Gerudo lady on the mountain. The child appeared no older than 7 or 8, and definitely Hylian. Their short blonde hair tied in a short ponytail, allowing their electric blue eyes to pierce the young gerudo as he carried the log. They never spoke a word, which... unnerved the man. They did not move as he carried the second pillar, and only once he had packed that one - including the extra trip for clay - did the child move. As Ganon carried the third log, the child sprinted over to the clay he had set up, startling the Gerudo for a moment before he finally spoke,
"...That's not a toy, I'm working,"
The child turned back around, clay cupped in their tiny hands as they hustled over to the shack. They stood next to the rightmost remaining hole, the spot Ganon was planning on putting the post he now held. It took Ganon a moment before he understood what the kid was trying to do, and he couldn't help but smile. Slowly beginning to move again, he placed the log in and started pushing in the dirt, the child slapping and trying their best to get the clay mixed in.
"I'll hold the pillar steady, so why don't you go run and get some more, hmm?"
The child nodded with a smile before scuffling to their feet and sprinting to the pile a few strides away. They had to be from Deya town, and from the looks of their dirty tunic, came from a family who was used to having to fix their own stuff. Why the child decided to go so far up the mountain was besides him, but the added help was appreciated... even if the child didn't explain himself. As soon as the clay started to harden on the third piece, the child immediately got up and ran to the clay pile. Ganon chuckled, getting up with a groan as he went to get the third and final log.
"You've done this before, haven't you?"
He asked, lifting the last log with a huff. Turning around, the child had already left a small pile by the last hole as they grabbed a second handful. Setting the log in with a groan, the child immediately pushing in dirt and mixing the clay. The child looked up at the young Gerudo before nodding with a small smile.
"Well, sa- thank you, kid"
The child nodded, packing the earth down around the pillars before Ganon let go of it. He stood back up and stepped back, looking over their work before moving on. The child watched as the man moved to the already partially raised floor of the shack, grabbing ropes and tying the pillars to the protruding end pierces of wood. Ganon looked up as he wrapped the rope around to secure the floor, choosing what words to say before he finally asked.
"You can’t talk, can you?"
The child looked up and nodded, pulling back their tunic collar to reveal large red and blue blotches going down their throat passed their collar bone. Ganon winced and he nodded in understanding; the blight. It was a disease infecting the rice fields for the last few years, and side effects that weren't instant death usually had effects on one’s voice. It was one of the many reasons Ganon and his Vaba haven't had rice meals for so long, but not all had that luxury.
"Heard it takes a lot of adults out, must be a pretty strong kid to get out alive, huh?"
He tried to change the subject around, more so for himself. The idea of one so young already at such a disadvantage... But the child seemed to really enjoy this comment, their lips parting as a dry honking sound came out. They slapped their chest, grinning as they stood tall and proud. The Gerudo couldn't help but laugh, smiling as well.
"Look at you, you can still laugh! Guess that's really all that's needed, eh?"
He reached a hand over and patted the child shoulder, something Vaba would do to him when she was proud. It was as his hand touched the Hylians shoulder, sparks flew off the both of them. The shower of greens and red light startled both of them, the child looking more confused at the terror the young man had on his face.
"... I... I gotta tie the rest together, okay? There's not much else you can help with..."
The child's expression dropped, looking more confused as the hooded man turned his back to him. Moving to the next pillars, the man avoided the child's gaze, their happy demeanor falling before the slowly turned to walk back down the hills. The Gerudo watched them leave from the corner of his eye, a wave of relief filling him. Could he not even touch another with causing harm? It never happened with his Vaba, but was this part of his curse? The Gerudo's thoughts soured as he moved to finish the added supports to the shack.
To think he had moved forward by something so little.