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The King of the Gerudo entered the hylian court with only one guard.
Urbosa was a formidable defender, and Link was well aware that she alone could hold off the entire royal guard for long enough to buy anyone an escape to safety. It was truly a blessing of Din that the Gerudo were inclined to peaceful negotiations.
Link was sure; he’d feel as safe as a baby swaddled in its crib if he was protected by a Gerudo. Especially if that Gerudo was Urbosa.
When he looked in the king's face (which he only did when felt like nobody else was looking) he saw not one ounce of safety. The King looked terrified ; Scared beyond all measures. That was not to say that the King had no good reason to be afraid. At 13 years old he was just at the cusp of boyhood, even in Gerudo culture, yet he was already carrying the burning gaze of an entire nation on his shoulders. The King of the desert had no Blessing of Bravery by Farore herself and was speculated to host a demon beyond any measure.
If anyone in the courtroom had a good reason to look positively terrified it would be the only Gerudo man ( boy , really) born in a hundred years. Many reasons to fear the world. Many reasons to walk too close to his elder sister and hide behind her.
But when they had stepped in front of the king of Hyrule there was nothing Urbosa could do for the child. She nudged him, gently like she always was with those she considered in need of her care and protection, to step out from her shadow and greet the older King.
Link’s eyes flicked off the Gerudo King in favor of staring forward with the most stoic expression he could muster. There was a burning urge to turn around and see King Rhoam. How his face would contort in unveiled distaste. But Link was standing behind the Princess, ever her loyal guard, and there was no chance he could catch a glimpse without getting reprimanded for it later on.
(nothing was ever worth the trouble of rousing Impa’s anger)
“The Desert King, Voe’oten and son of the sun, born of Din’s fire, greets you, King Hyrule, Father to the Greens and Lands,” the child declared, his voice rough and awkward. Link remembered his own puberty with sardonic mirth. Speaking almost not at all had its upsides, but it did not spare him the embarrassments of youth.
“Hyrule receives you,” Zelda’s father huffed, clearly unsure what to do with the child in front of him. It must be hard, Link mused, on that high horse King Rhoam had found himself on. The men and women that advised the old King had all agreed that the Desert King must be a horrible brute that must be confined and observed. 10 years now there had been tension, rising and building in the wake of a male Gerudo having been born. At first everyone had been royally pissed that the Gerudo dared to keep their son a secret, though the women denied that a babe was anything but vehue and there was no reason to announce that.
Zelda had explained to Link that the Gerudo considered children free of gender, and only once one has passed childhood did they become vai or voe .
Though, obviously, the latter was a much rarer occurrence.
Link risked one more glance to the Desert King. He was staring at the floor just before the King's feet, clearly torn apart by emotional distress. Again, Link couldn't help but pity the child.
"Thank you," the young voice spoke, before turning his body the slightest bit to his guard.
"As a sign of gratitude and goodwill we– I– uhm. Gifts! We prepared gifts!" The boy stuttered, turning his back completely to King Hyrule.
"Saffan! Bring it in!"
A beautiful Gerudo woman, maybe an inch smaller than Urbosa but a whole head taller than her king, stepped forward. She was holding a gilded chest made of beautiful wood and decorated with jewels brilliant enough to make it worth a fortune all by itself.
The vai herself wore much lighter and muted garb compared to the Desert King and his guard, yet Link knew that every vai of Gerudo Town ( Dindou've, a voice in his mind corrected, one that sounded suspiciously like the princess) was a warrior, no matter what what she wore or held.
"For you, King Hyrule, Father of the Greens and Lands, I apologize in advance for I've brought only one half of your present. The Gerut'hou wish to have a much closer relationship to our cousins from the lands where water flows and grass sprouts. But in the past as in the future we have been hindered by catastrophes, calamities and constrictions."
Saffan lowered her head and held up the chest to the King. There was a faint click and Link wished he could move a bit more to peek at the mysterious present.
"A wooden bowl," King Hyrule noted, somewhat unimpressed.
Meanwhile Zelda's nails dug into the plush of her chair.
"A scry," the princess corrected, eyes wide. Foreign magic thrilled her majesty beyond all reasonable doubt.
Ganondorf nodded, eyes sparkling like topaz.
"This is one of a pair, unique as they are made of two different trees sprouted from the same seedling, intertwined but separate. The other is within Dindou've. They require much magic to work over such a distance, but our families are gifted and we have great hopes that this will allow for a stronger bond. One befitting of cousins!"
Link's eyes flicked through the court, where nobody shared the young King's enthusiasm, and belatedly he also realized that that also included his own two servants.
Saffan's expression was innocuous. Pleasant even. But Link had seen maidservants wear that same expression just to later viciously gossip when squires and servants went to drink and eat.
Urbosa was much less subtle. The scornful expression she gave the old King was borderline offensive. Link could hear the gritty noise coming from behind King Hyrule, and no doubt every trained warrior could hear the sound of metal being shifted in the Royal Knights hands.
Links own hands were folded behind his back, where he gave them the signal to calm the fuck down. Urbosa alone could tear through their ranks, but there was also Saffan. For all intents and purposes they were outnumbered.
The noise ceased, the tension remained.
“Hyrule thanks you for your gift and foresight,” King Hyrule murmured, waving a hand so that a maidservant may take the chest off the Gerudo vai . Link winced when he saw Malon struggling under the immense weight of the chest and Saffan seemed a bit unsure if she should help or leave it.
Links attention was pulled away when the Young King tried to make a step forward, clearly intending to help the struggling maid, but was held back by Urbosa. The two glared at each other for a bit before she let him go.
Leaning down Link whispered, so that only the princess may hear.
“A kind soul.”
Zelda, clearly spooked by Link, but doing her best to not whirl around and bark out at him, gripped her chair a bit tighter.
“I noticed,” she hummed, her eyes drilling into the child’s forehead where his crown rested.
When the chest and scry were taken care of the Desert King exchanged an expression with Urbosa. Then he turned around again, this time to face the princess.
“Hyrule is beautiful, a blessed land by its goddess, Hylia. We would be remiss to not acknowledge Her, who carries the goddesses soul and her magick into the realm of the living,” the young King announced, clearly starting to get into the swing of things. Nervousness and stuttering are replaced by shining eyes and a wide smile.
“In the Dindou’ve it’s custom to gift all vehvi their gowu on the day they become vai . As a child I was not able to attend the no doubt splendid feast that was held in your honor the day you reached adulthood, so please accept this belated birthday gift.”
Somehow, and Link had no clue when that happened, the young King held a ball of fabric that he slowly unfurled to present to Princess Zelda. He had stepped forward a little, holding it up because of how the King and Princess were seated on a plateau a couple steps higher than the rest of the hall.
In his hands, atop the silken fabric, was something Link recognized vaguely as an arm bracer, but he saw no clasp or leather to allow anyone to wear it, and unless this one was made specifically with the Princesses hylian stature in mind, this was much to small for any Gerudo to wear.
Zelda leaned forward a little, inspecting the item with clear curiosity.
“How does one wear it?”
“It’s a hairpiece, meant to be worn in an updo,” the young king explained, nervously. Link noted that the Desert King himself wore a headpiece, although his was much more extravagant than he had ever seen on Urbosa or any other Gerudo for that matter.
“I thank you for your generous gift, Voe’oten, ” the princess said with a benevolent smile. Her eyes almost glowed.
Obvious relief flooded Ganondorf's body language. He had obviously been nervous about giving her the gift, perhaps worrying that she might not appreciate it or worse, reject it outright.
"You're welcome, your Highness," he said with a grin, bowing slightly. "I hope it pleases you."
The boyish behavior startled Link. Right. A 13 year old boy ruling a tribe of warriors was still but a 13 year old boy.
Zelda nodded, her eyes still fixed on the hairpiece. "It's beautiful," she murmured. "Truly a work of art."
Ganondorf beamed at the compliment.
Link watched the exchange with interest, suppressing a small smile at the corners of his mouth. He had never expected to see a King behave like this, so eager to please and so eager for approval. It was a side of the young king that helped diffuse the tense air, as if magic was working its power. Especially given the reputation that the Gerudo people had for being fierce and proud.
But then again, Ganondorf was not like any Gerudo that Link had ever met. He was softer, gentler, less loud declaration and more political suave.
With the gifts, presents and greetings exchanged the young bowed one last time, after which the princess and King Hyrule excused him. As he turned to leave, Link caught sight of those eye made of liquid gold, clearly curious about the knight at the princess' side. A soft smile graced his lips before Link’s face became a facade of stone one more.
(Ganondorf felt a surge of warmth in his chest. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had found that which had been calling for him all his life, and it was by the side of two people whom he’d come to respect and admire more than anyone else by the end of one short moment.)