I got the idea for this fic as I was trying to fall back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night. I wanted a story where Ganondorf is actually allowed to keep his relationship with Zelda, and that made me think. Why is it always Ganondorf who goes against his grain? Can't Zelda leave Hyrule behind for once?

My apologies to everyone who has been waiting for updates on my other works. I am still working on them, this one just kind of took over. When I get some time off, I will try and update what I can. :)

The Hylian empire and the Gerudo kingdom were at odds, ever since Hyrule gained its name. Gerudo legends told of a time when the two races were one, yet Hylian lore insisted the land was settled by and belonged to the royal family.

In the beginning, the two were content to ignore each other. The Gerudo territory became its own province, and the Hylians kept to Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru provinces. But as the years went by, the natural resources in the Gerudo territory dwindled. Before long, the harvests could no longer sustain the residents, and the Gerudo king had no choice but to ask the Hylians for help.

The Hylian king offered help, in return for access to the Gerudo mineral reserves. The Gerudo king balked at the request, for the Hylians had more riches than they knew what to do with and the Gerudo had so little.

The spat led to generations of war and unrest between the Gerudo and the Hylians. The Gerudo learned to live off what they had, though not without sacrifice. The drop in nutrition slowed population growth, and male children rarely made it through their first year. But the Gerudo people were resilient. Their bodies learned to reject male embryos, and spared them from carrying to term a child that would ultimately die. Gerudo biology evolved to the point where there was only one male born every generation, and any male who survived his first year of life was made king.

The Gerudo province was separated from the rest of Hyrule by the young Ordona province. Ordonia was the section of land where forest met desert, abandoned by the Hylian royals in favor of the sweeping plains. Pacifists from both sides used it as refuge, and while the province did not have as many resources as Hyrule proper, the land was fertile. Gerudo traded gems and tools to the Ordonians for water and crops, and promised not to fight on their land. In return the Ordonians became friendly with the Gerudo, and did not mind when they came around looking for mates.

After many generations of unrest, the Gerudo were growing tired and wanted to end their rivalry with the Hylians. The current king, Ganondorf, was a very powerful warlord. His strength and talent for magic far surpassed that of previous kings, and was a true threat to the king of Hyrule. However, Ganondorf had seen the carnage brought by centuries of war through his past lives. He still wanted power, but aimed to get it through means that would spare his kin. As part of his plan to form a truce with the king of Hyrule, Ganondorf ordered his generals off the offensive. He then marched on his own to Hyrule Castle.