Champions of a Fallen Age

A Planned Detour

He had been born the only male to the Gerudo in the last century. As was their custom, he had been named their King, destined to inherit the throne since before his birth. Being a race that was almost exclusively comprised of women, he had always been treated as different, weaker than the women of his race. It had been difficult, being told he was supposed to lead while constantly being looked down upon.

To make an already difficult task that much more challenging, the twins that had taken it upon themselves to raise him were cruel and merciless. Every day, they brutally "taught" the necessary skills to be King. When he failed to meet their expectations, he was reminded of his shortcomings through pain. Though they were old and very near decrepit, they could light every nerve in his body on fire with a simple raising of their hand. And when physical pain failed to provide the required motivation, they resorted to attacking his psyche.

He may have broken, if not for his best and only friend. He had met Nabooru when she tried to lift his purse. Though he had spent hours honing his combat skills, a task which involved sharpening his senses like a razor's edge, he almost hadn't caught her. If he hadn't seen her reflection in a decorative shield, it was likely that she would have gotten away with his money. When he captured her, she had pled for mercy, a concept which had intrigued him as he had no experience with it. Something about the act was liberating, taking a weight from his shoulders.

Nabooru, taking his merciful approach to her as a good omen, began to stick close by him. The two were nearly inseparable when he wasn't busy learning from the women who claimed to care about his future. His friend often got away with some of her mischief because of her proximity to him, much to the frustration of the women of the tribe. To his benefit, she rewarded him by teaching the boy some of the tricks of her trade. Sleight of hand, distractions, and, most importantly, how to hide in plain sight.

His friend was the only light in his dark world, the only reason he dared to hope for a brighter future. It wasn't just because she provided fun distractions from the pain of the rest of his existence. For the first time, he felt as though someone genuinely cared about him. For once, he was a person, not a King, not failure of a student, just a boy that someone enjoyed spending time with.

The twins disapproved of Nabooru and did whatever they could to prevent him from meeting with her; however, he wasn't easily dissuaded. He had known from a young age that he had talents as a warlock, and so, he used his training and his own shrewdness to create a solution. After hours of tinkering, he developed a spell that allowed him to create phantoms of himself. The phantoms, along with the skills Nabooru had taught him, ensured that the twins could never be sure of his exact whereabouts.

The years passed slowly as he grew stronger and more adept, both with magic and blade. Eventually, he grew so powerful that none of the Gerudo's strongest warriors could stand against him. As such, he earned their respect, something that he had always hoped to achieve. He had also become immune to his mothers' torture. No matter what unholy spells they used, he shrugged it off, something that both angered and terrorized them. Once, he had even cracked his neck and taken a step towards them. Their panicked shrieks had brought snickers from him for hours.

The only thing that had ruined the moment was that Nabooru hadn't shared the sentiment, choosing instead to once again show her growing concern for him.

She had seen a darkness growing in him for years, something that troubled her greatly. Sensing his friend's disquiet, he did his best to tamp down the parts of himself that she didn't like. She was the person he cared for most, and so he would do his best to be the man she believed he could be. It was difficult at times, but seeing her smile made it all worth it in the end.

His mothers saw the effect that she had on him and tried to punish him all the more for it, but he refused to break. So, they resorted to more drastic measures. They summoned him to the throne room one day with a form of punishment that broke him.