The Gerudo didn't care much for the goings on of the Hylians, so long as it didn't affect them. The desert tribe had no quarells with the pale skinned race and saw no reason to get involved with their affairs. That had been their stance for several thousand years...

...Until the Hylians decided that the Gerudo were beneath them along with the other tribes inhabiting the world. That started a huge war that devastated the land and forced the gods to intervene. The sacred treasure the Hylians boasted to have been gifted from the gods was taken in an instant and sealed away out of their reach. A tense peace fell upon the kingdom and the other tribes, the Hylians losing trust with their neighbors for valid reasons and the fact that even the gods lost faith in them to uphold peace. The tribes flourished, each having a chosen sage that could hear the gods, while the Hylians became divided from losing their close connection to the divine.

Hylian villages bordering territories of the tribes of Hyrule began to mingle with the races, and slowly the inhabitants began to understand why they lost faith. The main city, however, refused to admit fault, and their king even went so far as to persecute the Gerudo for their difference in faith, levying huge taxes on Gerudo trade and even banning the study of the Gerudo's patron goddess. The city dwellers refused to acknowledge their own faults, even when they were struck with a terrible plague and were warned by their seers.

They could not see the evil they were feeding, and now were about to face their greatest calamity since the Breach of Demise.

The Desert Colossus was a marvelous display of Gerudo culture. It was their greatest pride, housing their history from the begining of their tribe to the current era. Kings were crowned here, children were taught the Gerudo ways, and the High Priestesses guarded the sacred chambers of worship and meditation.

In one of these meditations rooms, two children sat before an elderly Gerudo dressed in white silk and laden with golden jewelry, her silver hair pulled up into a pony tail with it still reaching down to the middle of her back. The two children wore simple red clothes fitting of their age, wore no jewelry, and their hair also pulled back. One child was a girl with long fiery red hair reaching her waist, the other a boy clearly not of Gerudo blood, yet they were addressed equally by the elder.

"Listen now, children," began the elder, "for this tale is the very reason why the Hylians despise our tribe.

"Soon after the world was made and before the ground was torn, light and dark met, and from this union emerged Keldassa, goddess of balance, justice, and war. Thinking her an abomination for her conception, the three Golden Goddesses caste Keldassa from the heavens and into the dessert, leaving the newly born goddess to die. There she was found by women casted aside by the Hylians, prostitutes, bastards, and innocent girls, and there she was healed and raised. Once Keldassa was fully grown, she granted the women who saved her darker skin to withstand the punishing sun, the cunning to survive, and the magic to live in her claimed domain. She named her newly formed family the Gerudo, the sand children. For years she and her newly formed tribe lived, thrived, and blissfully unaware of the turmoil her exile caused in the pantheon.

"Hylia mourned the loss of her child, and Demise's rage knew no bounds. His wrath tore the earth asunder, carved rivers of blood, and left only ash in his wake. Neither knew their child survived until they struck grievous blows against each other; Hylia taking sealing Demise away, and he landing a fatal blow to her. The Golden Three only then realized their grand mistake when the Hylians were sent to the sky and they saw Keldassa thriving in the dessert, her tribe untouched by the chaos and even settling disputes among the other tribes left behind.

"The three approached the desert queen and pleaded with her to put a stop to the madness left behind in her parents' wake. She agreed on the condition that the treasure they left behind in her mother's care be sealed away from the reach of mortal hands, for the temptation of power had bred corruption. They held their end, and the desert tribe went to war with the demonic forces plaguing the world, even going as far as to seal the Breach of Demise for good.

"However, when the Hylians returned to the world, Keldassa saw the sacred treasure in use by her mother's reincarnation and her chosen hero. She became enraged, but held back and pulled back her tribe, refusing to help the arrogant people as they resettled and built their kingdom. Again, she witnessed corruption take root, a terrible war soon broke out, more fierce and destructive than Demise's rage. She rallied the rest of the gods to take action, forcefully took the treasure, and sealed it away far out of the reach of mortals and the Golden Three. From then on, the Golden Three were forbidden from dealing with the power they left behind unless a mortal made a wish upon it, and then they would be forced to grant it, no matter the outcome, if it be the destruction of their creations or for eternal peace.

"And now, we come to this era of uncertainty. Our patron continues to guide and protect us, even when we are forced to steal supplies from greedy folk and unjust law keepers. We are her children - even you, Link - and every day we thank our patron for her protection and blessing."

"Granny, why do the Hylians hate Keldassa?" asked the girl. "You didn't say why."

"I did, young River. Her parentage and the fact that her exile was a colossal mistake. They do not like to think that their deities could be wrong on things and that Hylia wasn't a virgin goddess like they claim her to be."

"If Hylia was a virgin, then there wouldn't be a royal family," Link pointed out confused and getting frustrated at the blatant hypocrisy.

"Trust me, dear, they've been getting flake over that for centuries. Now, our lesson has come to an end today, little ones. Your father is waiting for you two outside."

"Thank you for the lesson, Elder Samara." the two children bowed to their teacher and quickly made their way through the temple.

"Hey, sis," said Link, keeping stride with River. "Bet'cha can't beat me to the entrance!"

"You're on, shrimp!"

The two sprinted down the corridors and into the harsh sunlight of the desert, nearly running into a robust man with long red hair like River.

"Hey you two!" he greeted them with a wide smile while scooping the two up in his arms with a chuckle.

"Papa!" Link giggled and River hugged the man in return.

"So, did the Prince and Princess of the sand behave?" he teased the two. "Ready to raid the dinning hall?"

"Like the bandits we are!" said River with much enthusiasm that caught the attention of passerby women that giggled at the sight.

"Yeah!"

"Alright, to the dining hall!" the man kept the two children on his shoulders as he walked away from the temple and to the main town just in front of the Desert Colossus.