LoZ: TotK - Meeting One's Match (Overall Story Summary) Part 2
TW: Mentions of past rape & child enslavement (though, it's only mentioned as past trauma & is acknowledged as disgusting); panic attack; mention of death of loved ones, multiple, both canon & non-canon; mentions of child abandonment; mention of concubines, both male & female; mild violence; intrusive thoughts & pseudo-possession; mentioned child sacrifice & implied torture of a minor, very bad, horrible stuff; possible others that I can't think of off the top of my head rn.
Just because they are in the story does not mean that I condone it.
And, I am very open to criticism so long as it is constructive in nature & presented politely. In fact, I encourage it!
MOM Part 1 & MOM Part 2.
I recommend that you read Part 1 first.
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Let's start back where we left off, shall we?
Anyway, where was I?
Oh, yes! Nemma was kidnapped!
---
Now, I think that I'm going to make Nemma's capture a result of Kōme & Kotake's attempts to be rid of her as they don't appreciate how "soft" Ganondorf is becoming because of her. As in, they heard Rauru's attempt to persuade Nemma & then later informed him of her routines, which enables one of his Sheikah Warriors to kidnap her.
I think I'll make it Nemma's father, Masashai, who steals her away, just to really drum up the drama. He's one of Rauru's best & he even offered to do it himself as she was his spawn. Which, the use of such a word to describe one's own offspring had caused Rauru's eyes to narrow as he'd never speak of his own daughter (now 3 years old) thusly. But he was nothing if not strategic, so he'd let it slide for now.
(The toddler princess was hidden far away, outside of the Demon King's reach for now. Rauru was doing this for her.)
Masashai saw Nemma's dalliances with his king's enemy & his queen's killer to be deeply shaming & he wished to correct the girl's behavior.
At the same time, Rauru would recognize in Nemma the complete absence of a desire for power that wasn't something that she, herself, had earned, as well as the qualities of a true & wise ruler & a noble, honorable warrior. As such, he wouldn't kill her, instead choosing to seal her away.
Though, before that, he'd try to convince her to his side once more.
I don't know how the conversation would go, but by the end, she needs to be sealed, so obviously not well.
Either way, Masashai had placed Fuda on her that sealed her magic away, devested her of her lockpicking tools, & had made sure that her forearms were bound as well. This kept Nemma from being able to escape.
Perhaps, Masashai is standing guard & utterly ignoring her. Nemma tries to ignore him in return, but at some point, she just can't believe how little he seems to care.
Then again, no matter what she'd say, I see Masashai as the sort to value his job & his duty to the Hyrule Royal Family far & above more than he could ever value her, so he'd simply ignore her as irrelevant.
Which Rauru would very much notice. At least if there was an aura of tensness about the Sheikah, it'd indicate that he in some way wished to address her but couldn't because of his duty. However, all Rauru could sense from him was stern, if relaxed & calm, resolve. Which did not bode well...
While the young lady was being difficult, she was still the man's daughter. The Zonai King loved his own precious daughter with all his heart, so seeing a man be so utterly & completely uninterested in his own offspring & unmoved by her plight, now confined in a cell.
Well, it made his hackles rise!
Despite being one of his best, he'd have to reevaluate the man's employment. Rauru wasn't sure he wanted someone who obviously didn't value his own flesh & blood near his little girl. As he couldn't be sure that he'd protect her to the bitter end. Or if he'd be terribly pragmatic & see the parent as more important than the child due to them being able to just make more. That was perfectly fine when it came to animals, but this was su preciosa hija & if his bebita died because of this man, destrozaría al bastardo, miembro por miembro! (He would rip the bastard apart, limb from limb!)
Oh, he'd give the Sheikah man the chance to explain himself, but he'd better be careful about what he says.
—
Anyway, upon realizing what happened, Ganondorf loses his absolute damn mind.
He keeps the Namikaze no Odori & Fa'gáron'jï Bojaqàr'è on him at all times.
It's the perfect chance to hammer it into the Gerudo King's head that while Rauru was arrogant for allowing Ganondorf close (& not heeding Zelda's warnings), Ganon was also arrogant for killing Sonia & not taking seriously the threat of retribution or that his insatiable thirst for power might come back to bite him in the ass.
—
In the beginning, all the vaien were with Ganondorf in his attempts to siege Hyrule to rescue their beloved queen. However, too many are killed. Ganondorf tries to rallies them again. Then again. But with each successive battle, they lose more & more. Until they refuse & mourn the loss of their queen.
Here, part of why he began to subjugate the Gerudo in the other Gerudo settlements was in a desperate bid to gain more warriors with which to fight Hyrule, hoping that with more firepower he could manage to save Qamàhfu (his beautiful moon). He would then use his dark magic to control them & make them fight. Which, to be honest, Nemma would likely not be okay with as it violates the promise he made to not enslave people, but he more so saw it as indentured servitude as he was only planning on keeping them under his sway until after he'd gotten his wife back. Slavery was meant for life. Servitude was simply paying back what was owed until it was no longer owed.
Anyway, some of the only ones who didn't back down was Nemma's guard friend, Tïsàla, Nīra, & Ayamay, who all ended up being a surprising source of comfort & support for the Gerudo King. Which Ganondorf finds himself very much appreciating. Nīra had even offered to fight too as Nemma had been teaching her Kiridō, including Kirijutsu, before the Sheikah had been kidnapped & Ayamay had continued to train her afterwards. She became the first Gerudo to really use knives in battle.
Admittedly, he'd been contemplating killing Tïsàla & Nīra, as he hadn't liked how much time the women were spending with his wife.
Now, he knew that there was absolutely nothing going on between them. Not only were they three very, extremely straight, but he'd often heard the guardswoman privately calling Nemma Vàlayàrï, or tiny sister. Which, the use of yàrï instead of yà specifically indicates an almost exclusively familial or platonic affection.
It was simply that he was a jealous person by nature.
But, the determination that the yaidja (guardswoman) & pàrmàgsta (cook or chef) showcased for rescuing his wife was admirable. So, he supposed that he would allow them to live. Besides, it'd make his beloved sad & after losing her now, he couldn't bear to be the one to cause any more distress even if she never learned of his involvement.
(The invasive thoughts had taken on a strange tone. One of possession that he was familiar with as he himself was quite possessive, but absent of the genuine love, care, worry, or affectionate frustration that often laced his own heart when discussing his wife. These whispers were that of someone who was angry that his favorite toy was taken from him & this made Ganondorf worry that this was how he secretly felt for his beloved moon. The idea of seeing her as nothing more than a prize or something to use for his own pleasure, something he owned, but that he wasn't owned by her in return. It sickened him. Reciprocal ownership was extremely important in Gerudo romantic relationships. Especially regarding ownership. He should be as much hers as she was his.)
Ganondorf was also surprised by Ayamay's fearsome continence in battle. He'd expected the woman to leave it all to the younger generation, but she'd stepped up, having appeared in a Sheikah battle suit with a coiled Jōhyō pinned to her hip & a look of absolute murder in her eyes.
While Ayamay never had anything personal against Rauru & she even sympathized with him for his loss, he also took her grandbaby & that's crossing a line with her.
She'd taken out quite a few of her fellow Sheikah.
"If there's one thing my grandbaby's right about. It's the erosion of our warrior culture. They've gotten too soft & too reliant upon the Zonai's technology."
Likewise, Ganondorf refused to let go & he became fueled by his own hatred that was amplified by Demise's curse, those very whispers that took over his mind more & more with each day that he went without removing the stone.
As well as the sound of Nemma's heartbeat through the Sheikah Stone hanging from his ear.
---
At some point, I want Ganondorf & Ayamay to become suspicious of how upbeat & unworried for Nemma his àdï'vàman (adoptive mothers) were. Ayamay begins to spy on them, using an old Gossip Stone infused with Recall magic to record their conversations.
It took some time before she finally heard them speak of their dealings with Rauru.
Ayamay was heartbroken for Ganondorf, but she couldn't say that she didn't expect it.
That night, she finally revealed the 2 witches' many attempts at her & Nemma's lives before playing what she recorded for him.
The man's face had gone blank. He very quietly told her to leave the stone with him & leave.
---
Ganondorf removed the Secret Stone once more, the mental effort with which to remove it this time being almost unbearable, & spent the rest of the night just processing everything.
In many ways, he was afraid of his vàman. They'd... he knew that they weren't... good to him... Knew that how they'd raised him wasn't... normal...
But, his whole life, they'd told him that they did those things to make him strong, a great king. Powerful. And he'd been so sure that they were right.
But, Nemma was nearly his equal & Ayamay had never done to her the things that his vàman did to him. If she'd been a Gerudo vai & still trained the same or had even simply taken on the blessing of Talthïrï to become a vae, she'd likely have beaten him soundly multiple times. Yet, despite this Nemma also never had to dally in black magic for the sake of her power either. She was powerful by her own merit, training, dedication, & perseverance & didn't need to be needlessly cruel to assert dominion over those around her. Even on him. Stern, but never needlessly cruel to those who didn't deserve it.
So, what had even been the point? Why did they-?
He always thought that they did these things for him. For his glory! For his destiny as king of all Hyrule! They had been the ones to tech him about Nīkôzeto'reqra! (An ancient Gerudo philosophy that is no longer practiced. It's basically China's 'Mandate of Heaven' philosophy or the idea of 'Might Makes Right.' Basically, it says that the one who is stronger, the one who wins, is right & correct & righteous. That they have a divine right to do whatever they so desire & treat those weaker than them however they wished. It is very much discouraged by the general Gerudo populous today, but Kōme & Kotake live & die by this philosophy, always have in every incarnation, & they made sure that Ganon lived & breathed it as well.)
If it were truly all about power, then why take from him the most powerful & loyal person in his life?! Why take away one that gave him such satisfaction & contentment?!?
Why did they betray him!?!?
For the first time since that night with the nightmare, Ganondorf cried. It was quiet & he didn't even realize it was happening as he trembled & panted out broken gasps of heartache.
A glint caught his eye & he saw the weapons he'd had specially made with his vàman'jï (mothers', as in belonging to them) names on them.
Then, his sorrow was replaced with bitterness & fury & hatred.
If they thought that they could give away that which was his, & only his, then they would rue having taught him no mercy!
Even without the Secret Stone in place, his eyes began to glow bloody red & black crept over his schlera like dark tendrils. As if on instinct, he reached for the stone once more.
---
When Ganondorf confronts his àdï'vàman, Ayamay, Nīra, & Tïsàla are there with him. He found it odd how their silent support comforted him even as he wore the stone.
I'm not entirely sure how this goes.
Though, I want Kōme & Kotake to assert their authority over him as his mothers. To say that he is as powerful as he is because of them. And yada yada.
But, at some point, I want Kōme to snap at him & call him voevï (boy) & he flinches away instinctively, but the presence of Ayamay's hand on his arm (even as her skin quietly sizzles at the contact) causes him to straighten & stand firm. (Since Nemma had been striken by his Miasma, Ayamay had been experimenting with ways to make clothes that could resist it. She is wearing a pair of gloves that do so in this scene. However, they are still not complete, so some is still getting through. She had done so using the odd clumps of dark mass that Nemma kept in a box covered with Fuda featuring strange Fūinjutsu that Ayamay couldn't comprehend.)
Like, I definitely think that Demise's curse influences Ganondorf to a degree, but I also think that he's as bad as he is as a result of both nature & nurture.
I still want Ganondorf to be a very bad man who does bad things of his own accord, but I also want it to be a complicated situation. That, yes, he's bad, even a monster, but it's partly because he was intentionally raised that way.
Either way, in the end of it all, Ganondorf has the witches marched out amongst the tents of the Gerudo settlement & announces to the Gerudo that Kōme & Kotake conspired with Rauru to take their Vàmàh Vai'àtta (Moon Queen) from them.
There was first stunned silence, then a deafening cocaphony of ragefilled shouts.
Ganondorf asked them what their punishment would be & their answer was a resounding "DEATH!"
His brow furrowed with minute sadness before scrunching with certainty & resolve.
The king handed out his Shōki (瘴気, Miasma) Weaponry to his subjects & basically said "have at them."
(Again, he's still awful. Still merciless.)
Despite everything they'd done, he couldn't bring himself to watch.
Then, in a moment of fury, they break free to become Twinrova & scream out that he would be nothing without them. A battle ensues & through it, they reveal quite a lot.
Did he think that he'd be anywhere near as powerful had he stayed with that weakling vai that birthed him?? She'd have made him soft! That he was lucky they'd been rid of her & her boy toy!
As they bellow, Ganondorf is striken silent for a moment, unable to process. Yes, he'd always known that, logically, they weren't his mothers by blood, but they'd told him that he'd been abandoned. That they'd found him alone in the desert.
But they'd lied. Just like they'd lied about everything else in his life.
The battle commences, but the results are the same. The women who raised him dead at his feet, the Fa'gáron'jï Bojaqàr'è, Namikaze no Odori, & the various Shōki Weaponry that he'd provided his subjects with, stained with their blood.
Once he'd returned to his room, as he took everything in, he suddenly couldn't breathe.
The tips of his fingers tingled & he felt nauseous. Why were his thoughts so loud, crowding his head? Was this a heart attack?! How could something like this happen?? Shouldn't his magic protect him from that!?
Panick sets in & he doesn't know what to do.
He eventually ends up passing out. His rest fitful.
---
Ganondorf later learns from Kotake's journal that they'd believed him to be the mortal vessel of their master. Which turned out to be some... ancient arch-demon named Demise who wrought havoc to the Hyrule of legend every myriennia or so. (A myriennia being a period of 10,000 years.)
They had actively sought him out to take him from his mother, a Gerudo from Ealiyah Town in the Highlands, & had killed both her & her Non-Pointed (those without pointed ears, so just regular humans) husband in the dead of night.
The Ealiyan Gerudo were known for allowing men into their settlement, many even living amongst them. He wondered how he would've turned out had they never stolen him away...
Further in, he learns that his parents had tried desperately to protect him, but were slain for their troubles. He also doesn't know what to think of how Kotake noted a small vaivï'jï (girl's) bed in the nursery & several toys too advanced for an infant. Though neither Kōme nor Kotake found a vaivï (girl) there, they suspected that one might be hiding. He could have a vàla (sister)?
He... doesn't know how to feel about all this... &... he's suddenly... very aware of the whisper in his ears... He becomes uncomfortable in his own skin. The whispers now sound less charming & more sinister in his own mind. It makes his skin crawl.
He begins to have full conversations in his head with it. It's slimy in countenance, trying to convince him to do things that, had he never met Nemma, he's sure he'd have done anyway, believing himself able to use these ideas to his advantage. Even now, he was sorely tempted by the whispers, but some odd sense of self-preservation seemed to kick in. Telling him that it would be unwise to trust whatever this thing was.
Vah Gela, was he going insane??
—
Ganondorf has Kōme & Kotake's names removed from his Shōki Weaponry & has them replaced with Nemma & Ayamay's names in the Gerudo script.
They've both become such important parts of his life in such a short time & in 2 completely different ways.
---
Rauru ends up interrogating Masashai, who is somewhat confused by the questions, but answers honestly, none-the-less. Yet, it was his own answers that doomed him in the end.
He was fired & he just... honestly didn't understand why. So, he asked & the answer had shocked him. Really & truly.
It'd be the first slap of reality that he'd get.
He returned home in a daze to his new Hylian wife, Amira, & his twin sons, Akiru & Masaru. Who had been born to him 10 years ago.
Yet, despite Masashai's hopes for them, he'd soon learn that neither boy had the heart of a warrior, but that of a chef & blacksmith respectively.
Akiru would later grow up to become an Itamae, or skilled master chef, & inherit Ayamay's old restaurant. Which, the restaurant & the recipes in the scroll that he eventually gets from his grandmother would both be passed down for many generations before being inherited by Koko & Clotta's mother, then will later be inhereted by Koko herself.
Masaru, however, learned as much as he could from his grandmother later, the few things she knew about blacksmithing, but ultimately had to figure most everything out himself. His line would eventually lead to Suma & Mura, who in the modern era, reside in the Masamuna Family Smithy in the Rikoka Hills.
In the end, Masashai won't recognize that he'd already had the warrior child that he'd wanted until near the end of his life, but that he'd been a fool in shunning her.
Which, he will survive to an old age, but will be miserable & alone in the end. And with age & experience will come wisdom. Not much, but enough to make him realize some things.
It'll only be on his deathbed that he'll finally open his daughter's letters & he'll find himself suddenly mourning the loss of someone that he never really knew due to his own idiocy.
---
I'll likely go over the final fight between Ganon, Rauru, & the Sages, but later.
I do know that he wouldn't be nearly so cocky, but he would be very volatile as the black had entirely consumed his schlera.
Ganondorf would be tense & angry & would say that Rauru knew why he was there & demand that his precious treasure be returned to him.
Which, Rauru would reply with "you don't deserve the favor."
Though, I don't think that Zelda or the other Sages would know what Rauru had done.
---
Anyway, the only thing that would keep Ganondorf sane for those 10 long millennia would be the sound of his wife's heartbeat through the Gossip Stone Earring.
And he'd only find her upon falling into the Depths at the beginning of the game. She'd be housed within a pale blue crystal casket with a luminous stone frame, glowing Zonai & Sheikah runes etched into the surface of the stone. It was beautiful & made her look otherworldly & he could almost pretend that she was just asleep, but he hated the separation with a passion.
Ganondorf would spend the rest of the game beside her body, trying to break the seal, but being unable to even touch her without burning. He wondered if this was how she'd felt being unable to touch him?
It was torture.
I also see him taking out his anger & resentment on Link by using his Zelda puppet. As if to try & make the other man understand his pain. It was cruel, but he'd always been thus.
---
Regardless, the seal on Nemma will only break when Zelda's husband (I will die on this hill, damnit) is at his most direst need. Which would correspond with Ganondorf being at his angriest & most bestial.
The idea was that Nemma would see Ganondorf for the monster he is, but in the end, Rauru would not have expected for Ganon's immediate reaction to be to drop everything upon seeing his wife alive, well, & conscious & rush to her side. Removing his Secret Stone immediately & apologizing profusely for not having been able to protect her & the millennia of unfettered isolation as he fussed over her.
(A lot of the ideas for Nemma getting kidnapped came from @karume-everything-else; the only thing I really added was the part where Rauru doesn't kidnap Nemma until after Ganondorf kills Sonia. Which I feel makes more sense given what we know of Rauru as a character.)
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I'm not sure how the battle would go, but I think I want Nemma to be confused as she takes in the situation, the blond man who she'd positively identify as a threat to her husband, then set aside her confusion to look at Ganon & ask, "what do you need?" Her eyes full of support & a readiness to help him however he needs her to within reason.
In that moment, she'd decide to fight at her husband's side. She doesn't need to know who Link is, just that her husband needs her. And Ganondorf would love her all the more for it, the relief unfurling in his chest almost enough to make him begin sobbing into her, but he restrains himself, recognizing that he needed to be strong for her.
Touched, he hands her Namikaze no Odori, which she then uses to cut her hair at around hip length (because her hair had continued growing all those years dormant), & the battle is intense. Their synergy is unmatched as they work in unison, aided by their dance lessons. And as they complement & support each other without words, everything suddenly clicks for Ganon. It feels right to fight side by side with this woman. It's then that he realizes that she is the person that he wants to spend the rest of his life with.
Like, he knew that he wanted to rule Hyrule with her as his queen, but it didn't really hit him until this exact moment that he wanted to grow old with her. He wanted to be weak & frail with her, having lived their lives together.
And, finally, if he must die, then he wanted it to be with her.
Which, he'd always expected to eventually begin using his black magic to make sacrifices of children (which the thought of sent shivers of revulsion down his spine) & remain alive for centuries more, but... he knew that she'd never be okay with what it'd entail. Knew he wouldn't be able to convince her to go through with it. It was her one line.
(The torture & sacrifice of children is generally how witches remain alive for so long. It is also how previous Kōmes & Kotakes have remained alive for so long. This Ganon would've only done so once as a young teen & hadn't done so again since as he was still considered to be in his prime. However, remaining alive passed what was normal would require periodic child sacrifices of torture proceeded by consuming their blood. The first time hadn't required such as it'd merely been a way to seal his pact with the dark being his vàman worshiped, but he knew & had even seen them do so with his own eyes & the images haunt him still. The idea of doing that himself had always chilled him to the bone, but his mothers' teachings had allowed him to subdue those feelings & Ganondorf had determined himself to do such to make them proud. However, after Nemma & seeing how highly she valued children, he likewise began to value them thusly. And now, he'd be unable to do it. He would be lying if he said that there wasn't deep-seated relief at the fact that he'd no longer need to go through with the ritual.)
So... one life would just have to do, he supposed.
Anyway, there are 4 different endings here. The first where Ganondorf & Nemma lose & Ganon decides against swallowing the Secret Stone, another where they win & kill Link, another where they win, but Nemma manages to convince him to spare Link & take him as their prisoner of war, & one where they lose, but Ganondorf decides to swallow it anyway. I'll talk about these other timelines in a different post. For now, let's focus on the one where they lose, but Ganondorf decides against swallowing the stone as I consider that to be the best outcome & the "canon" one.
In the first timeline mentioned, when it comes time for Ganon to swallow the stone, he pauses, realizing what he's getting ready to do & looks at his beloved wife.
She threads her fingers with his & her expression says that she'll support & love him whatever he chooses. She's ride or die for him.
And the Demon King realizes that she doesn't know what will happen to him if he does this. She doesn't realize that she'd lose him just as he'd lose both himself & her. And that's when it hit him, if he did this, he'd be leaving her entirely alone 10,000 years from the time she knew. With everyone she'd ever cared for or even known, all gone. She likely didn't even realize that she'd been sealed away for so long.
She'd be totally & completely isolated.
So, he had to choose in that moment. Victory & his lifelong dream of conquering Hyrule... or the love of his life & the future they could have together.
And he... he just... he couldn't do that to her... it wasn't worth it...
Ganondorf dropped the key to his victory, his expression boneweary. "I... I just want to go home... Let's just go home, Qamàhnï..." (My Beautiful Moon.)
---
Anyway, once they're alone, he turns to her, holding her face in his hands & looks into her blue-violet gaze, eyes having erubessed as she proceeded with optaining her tribe's birthright.
When he looked into her eyes in that moment, for the first time, he could see his future unfolding before him in a way he never had before.
The Gerudo King says, "A'nï màtushàqso..." (I love you passionately or I adore you.) It is a very emotionally charged expression, full of deep-seated vulnerability.
In response, she smiles that rare blindingly beautiful smile that Ganon knows is just for those she loves, eyes warm with affection, & repeats him.
And then we get the heartwarming music as they kiss & live happily ever after. Credits roll.
But wait! There's still the after credits scene!
---
As a peace offering, Link will give Ganondorf the Giant Horse obviously descended from Mira & Jawàrik. As well as the Giant White Stallion. Who, Ganondorf will be rediculously entertained by the fact that the Gerudo Horse had apparently been bred by a descendant of one of Rauru's prized white stallions. Possibly even a direct descendant of Mira & Old Cabrón.
That gift he gave Nemma just kept paying for itself in dividends!
---
As for Ayamay, she had the Sheikah who created the Sheikah Slate 100 years later record her messages for Nemma & Ganondorf. Which, I'm making it so that the Purah Pad had a lot of the information from the Sheikah Slate downloaded onto it, a few of those files having been the encrypted message from Ayamay.
She needed to tell Nemma that she was so, so proud of her & her grandpa had always been just as proud.
That she was the best granddaughter that she could ever have hoped for.
She also needed to tell Ganon that even though he brought Nemma's disappearance upon them (which would cause the man to deflate a bit in shame), he'd also taken responsibility for it & did everything in his power to make it right. That that was a large part of being a man; taking responsibility for one's mistakes & taking care of their loved ones. It'd been the sort of man that Takka was & she was glad to report that it was also the type of man that Ganondorf had become.
And in the end, he succeeded. He got her grandbaby back, safe & sound, just like he said he would.
He did that.
She was proud to call him her grandson-in-heart. Because he was just so good to her grandbaby & she knew in her heart that he'd be good to her great grandbabies too.
And it'll be the first time anyone had ever said they were proud of Ganon in his entire life. At least, in regards to he himself rather than what he could do for them. It'd actually been one of his driving motivations before Nemma, to make his adï'vàman (adoptive mothers) proud of him, but as he'd learned, they'd only be proud of him as long as he did what they told him to.
Which, finally having a mother's approval will just cause his heart to break at the knowledge of her death. It'll be an odd mix of joy, grief, & self-pride that'd fill his chest. She'd been something of a Shïchï'vàma to him, or "Spirit Mother." Which is sort of like a godmother, but it's something that the individual parts of the relationship choose for themselves.
There will not be a single dry eye in the room.
Anyway, before the recording ends, Ayamay will leave them a map to a location where she hid a small library full of journals (all infused to never fade) detailing everything that'd happened to her & their friends & their descendants from what she knew. As well as an infused chest filled with letters from Tïsàla & Nīra, all their cherished possessions, including the Hōchō-Kaku that Ganondorf made for Nemma & the important jewelry that they'd gifted to each other. The existence of Nemma's half-brothers will eventually lead to her learning of Koko, Clotta, Suma, & Mura as her living relatives through them. Even learning the fate of her father, though knowing that he died alone & miserable only caused a blip of remorse in Nemma.
Though, Nemma would take heart in the fact that her family's smithing line had continued, even if they had lost their techniques. As such, Nemma would request of her husband that they remain in Kakariko until she had imparted her family's legacy upon Suma & Mura.
She's actually very impressed with how much the family had figured out via trial & error, but the abysmal durability proved that they still needed guidance. Luckily, it was mostly just her correcting some things. Though she did decide to teach them her personal smithing techniques, but that'd have to wait till later.
She also taught them everything that Satoshi had taught her about the ancient & forgotten spiritual aspects of swords. Thus, reintroducing Shadow & Twilight magic, Sheishin Fūinjutsu, the Ken-e no Sain (Signing of the Sword) Ceremony, & Sheikaku to the Sheikah culture.
Nemma also took whatever time she could to teach Koko all the old Sheikah recipes she knew (luckily, her cooking journal wasn't taken from her before she was sealed). And during that time, Clotta even seemed to begin to idolize her ancient aunt to the point where she swore to become a Sheikah Warrior just like her. Which led to Nemma teaching the young girl a few things.
It took Nemma a month to impart enough that she felt comfortable leaving with her husband. She would need to teach Suma & Mura the Toketa Hōseki Shita-Kitae (Molten Gem-Folding) & Kaijū-Hone Yakin (Monster-Bone Metallurgy) techniques some other time. After settling down into a new home because the Queen Zelda & her King-Husband seemed to be getting uneasy the longer Nemma & Ganon remained within Hyrule's borders.
---
If nothing else, I believe that Tïsàla would've moved in with her boyfriend, who was from Lurelin, which I hc as not having been part of Hyrule at the time of Rauru's rule.
And it will be accompanied by a message from one of the Sheikah researchers informing Nemma that Ayamay had been buried beside her husband.
Which would lead to Nemma & Ganondorf paying their respects to the pair before going on their journey to find their new home.
Though, not until after Nemma had forged new weapons for herself as other than the Namikaze no Odori, her weapons were all lost to time. 2 being a pair of weapons that she devised that resemble a fusion of a scimitar & a Sheikatō, while the others were a pair of simple Kodachi, a Jōhyō Han Kote, & a bow. (Which, in itself, reintroduced the Jōhyō Han Kote to the Sheikah culture.)
She actually modified her design for the Namikaze no Odori's hilt to fit more with modern Hylian-style longswords as she found that she quite liked the use of a pommel. Not only is it useful as a makeshift bashing weapon, but it makes throw thrusting easier. It has an Aquamarine embedded in it.
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Something interesting to focus on would be Nemma & Ganondorf reacting to how not only the world at large, but specifically the Sheikah & Gerudo have changed.
In Nemma's case, sorrow at the loss of her grandmother, new Gerudo friends, & all her pets, but at least being thankful that she knew what'd happened to them.
As well as the fact that her fears were, indeed, founded as Kakariko has become little more than a sleepy little farming village with the most ambitious of them being more focused on technology than fighting. And the only warriors left being either long retired & too old to still fight or swiftly getting there. It'd break her heart. Like, she doesn't mind farmers & thinks they're very important for the stability of a country or kingdom, but it's tragic that her tribe has lost their warrior traditions.
In Ganondorf's case, the mixed reality that there are only 3 Gerudo settlements left (2 of which being Ealiyah Town & Talthïrï Village) whereas before there were multiple (of which he'd conquered & thus likely caused their destabilization himself, which he'll eventually have to face), but that the ones still around are strangely prosperous, their cultures thriving, & were still warriors. It felt good to see that the foundation that he'd left behind had been utilized well.
Now, they had a true home with houses & businesses & a constant source of water.
In a lot of ways, I think he'd be proud of them, though he might be a bit miffed that they were considered Hyrule's allies. (I never said that he wasn't racist.)
At the same time, he might feel betrayed at the fact that they'd turned it into a vaidina (a sexually segregated town where men are not allowed, which Ganon would get the inkling that it might've been, at least partially, his fault) & that even he wouldn't be allowed in, but the little hero was. These were his people! Why was he barred entry while that little twink could come & go as he pleased?? He really effing hated that little bastard!
It was lucky that Nemma convinced him to try to build a new home with her elsewhere. After all, why would he want subjects who wouldn't follow him? They'd be likely to betray him as Sàvàrï (Ancient Lightning Sage) did.
Honestly, Nemma is just internally ecstatic that the Gerudo are at a point where they don't need to rape men anymore.
At one point, Nemma visited the Gerudo Palace & discovered that the footprints of polish memorializing the first steps she took into her new home as Ganondorf's wife, had been removed. This caused a deep melancholy in the couple.
Nemma will have also purchased many seeds from all over Hyrule so that when they found this new home, they'd be able to provide for themselves. She actually didn't know much about farming, but she was a damn good gardener & was more than willing to learn & so was Ganon, though he's a bit nervous as he'd never been much for creating or nurturing things (& some distant part of him in the back of his mind worries that so many years being groomed into a destroyer might result in dooming them). Either way, Nemma was determined to find out which ones would grow in the desert.
(FYI: There are actually several crops that can easily grow in the desert, such as tomatoes, pumpkins, carrots, onions, radishes, wheat, grapes, beans, eggplants, squash, figs, dates, lettuce, yams, watermelons, ect. Many of the ones listed already having canon Hyrule equivalents. Ie. Hylian Tomatoes, Fortified & Sun Pumpkins, Swift & Endura Carrots, Stambulbs, Hearty & Big Hearty Radishes, Tabantha Wheat, &, of course, Hydromelons. Not to mention all the stuff that are canonically native to the desert or grow there well, including Voltfruit, Shock Fruit, Dazzlefruit, Spicy Peppers, Warm & Electric Safflina, Zapshrooms, & even Wildberries. That isn't even taking into account the things that grow in the nearby canyon, such as Swift Violets, Rushrooms, Ice Fruit, Splash Fruit, Fire Fruit, Sunshrooms, & so on, which would be pretty easy to gather. Hell, the Satori Tree there even has a naturally growing Endura Carrot, so the Gerudo have no excuse not to figure out a way to cultivate them! In fact, you could even argue that Sun Pumpkins might actually be more suited to a desert environment than Hateno as the description says that it grows with lovely sunlight. Sorry, tangent over.)
Ganon will never meet his possible sister, but he may well learn about her ancestors.
Also, knowing what'd happened to her loved ones will bring Nemma a measure of contentment, but I really don't think she'd care that much what'd happened to her father, more just being curious. And even if she ever, by some miracle, learned that he eventually regretted his actions, I get the feeling that her thoughts would be something along the lines of "too little, too late."
Nemma will likely go back to wearing more practical clothes after this.
Typically Sheikah in style with Gerudo influence in the patterns & colors.
She'll mainly wear a pair of sirwàl with sand boots, a burnùs, shemàgh, a pair of goggles, & a wool haori.
Though, now that I think of it, Nemma will need a new Keaton instructor...
I'll think of that later.
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Side-Note: The Yiga worship Nemma as "the Queen of Darkness" & the patron Goddess of the Yiga. The Yiga style of spellwork is actually modeled after her more traditional style of Sheikah spellwork. However, when Nemma finds out, she'll absolutely hate it. She just isn't an egotistical person by nature & will be very uncomfortable with the idea of being worshiped.
Though, Ganon would argue that they both deserve to be recognized in such a way, thus showing that he considers his wife to be his equal. Therefore, if he is worthy of worship (which, he believes that he is) then it's only logical in his mind, that so is she.
Funnily enough, in this au, a bunch of the Yiga tend to be hard-core romantics.
One of the stories that the Yiga recruiters use to tell to bring in new blood was generally the story of how the "wicked" King of Hyrule kidnapped the Demon King's beloved Queen & was sealed away with the help of a traitor to his people. It usually finished off on how the Demon King waited, "sealed away even now," to one day break free to find & save his bride, then to punish Hyrule for its sins against their love.
It's basically the Hyrule equivalent of Romeo & Juliet if it ended on a cliffhanger.
"Only you can help us bring them back together again!" And all that.
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Anyway, Ayamay has been reborn as a Gerudo woman from Ealiyah Town, Àrta, now old & with an elderly Non-Pointed human farmer for a husband, Aagnan. Who may or may not be Takka reborn too. He was from the Gerudo home continent of Baydaan, but more so from a Hindu-South Korean-like country that had been more lush with life & had spent the last several years learning how best to farm in the desert. He didn't have access to many seeds, but he was sure that with these nice young folks' help, they could nail down what all would thrive in such a harsh environment.
They will be a pair that Nemma & Ganondorf meet as they try to find a new home to build a new life for themselves & the elderly couple will offer them to stay a while, their children having long since left & had families of their own far away.
Either way, it'd be during their stay that Nemma & Ganondorf would discover that she was pregnant (with Jaqàrasïm from the ultimate angsty alternate timeline, being the next Centennial King. Also, since Ganon is still alive here, the Myriennial Tyrant would not need to be reborn. To see what happens in those alternate timelines, go here.)
Anyway, it will be Àrta who'd bring this to the pair's attention, as she was both a skilled maternity doctor & midwife. The old lady would then offer her services after having talked it over with her husband.
The reaction of the ex-king & queen to the news will be very sweet. Full of both excitement & worry. Just a warning, Ganon will make an absolute menace of himself doting on Nemma & being extra protective. He'll often annoy the tiny woman quite a bit. But she won't be able to bring herself to be angry at him because she knows that it's all from a place of love.
The elderly couple will be amongst the first members of the ex-Gerudo king & queen's new kingdom.
Said kingdom will likely be somewhere along the Gerudo Highland range, just further west than the map of BotW or TotK shows.
This would give them access to stone as well as the high quality metals of both the Highlands & the desert. Though, it'd also have to be somewhere where there was a consistent source of water, which might be difficult to find.
They would likely also come across Tïsàla & Nīra's reincarnation & their families as well, though I'm not sure about them. Either way, one of their husbands will probably be a shepherd who cares for Bighorn Sheep. Perhaps Tïsàla's reincarnation could be a builder/carpenter or stone mason?
Also, Àrta being skilled at sewing (being from Ealiyah, they tend to have a very strong textile culture with traditions surrounding such) will also take up teaching Nemma, who's main sewing knowledge involves mending & suturing. Which, while before, she didn't have much use for learning more, with no longer having a clothing shop or tailer to frequent, she figures that she'll need to be able to adjust clothes & make new ones on her own when the old ones get too old to just be mended. And with the baby coming, she wants to make their clothes with her own 2 hands.
Interestingly, she'll find that she has a talent for embroidery.
Ganondorf will eventually find that he quite enjoys farming.
Of course, he doesn't seem to have any real talent in it, but it is something that he gets a strange fulfillment from even though he seems to have to work a bit harder than others to get the same results.
The hard work helps him to sort out his thoughts.
(It's also possible that the Yiga would follow Ganon & Nemma in an attempt to become their loyal subjects.)
Anyway, the Ganemma Family will actually visit Kakariko every Fall for Sheikioku. They'll remain there the whole season & during that time, Nemma will teach the Sheikah about their ancient culture, which will infuse them more with that old fighting spirit.
Which will eventually lead to the reinstatement of the Shadow Warrior lifestyle & the reconstruction of the Kasuto Bieldcamp in Eldin.
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In the end, I don't want Ganondorf to be a good person or a hero. I just want to explore him as an actual person with actual feelings. A person raised into his role & never given the chance to choose for himself.
Like, he's still the bad guy, but whereas before, there were very few lines he wasn't willing to cross (except for pedophilia, necrophilia, beastiality, those were always gross-nasty to him), now he had very clear things that he just would not do. So, still ultimately the villain, just not as much of one as he was before. Though, at the same time, he's still not a Saturday morning cartoon villain either. So... maybe more of a Family Values Villain? And when he & Nemma have kids, he'll qualify as Bad Guys Want Good Kids. Just look them up on TV Tropes.
Anyway, I want him to question if any of his beliefs were even his own to begin with. Question if he even actually believes any of it.
Then, when he's at his most desperate, for him to actively make the best decision for both him & his wife regardless of how badly he hated & wanted to kill Link.
So, very much not reformed.
He will likely also continue as a conqueror even after finding this new home, because that's just who he is & how he was raised.
That isn't to say that Nemma is a pushover, so much as she just sees it as the way the world has always been. However, she will absolutely put her foot down on certain things & Ganon knows that she's stubborn about things she feels strongly for.
As such, in specific situations, they occasionally butt heads. But they always manage to find a compromise.
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