The old legends of the desert depicted Ganondorf Dragmire as a cunning sovereign, a cult of personality, and a brilliant sorcerer. It was his infamy that kept the Gerudo away from him, the fear that they too would be entrapped by him and become like his ardent devotees of the past. Riju, who had once believed that notion was just another absurd Gerudo superstition, found herself inexplicably drawn to him. The realization inspired great fear within her head and heart. Had he truly cast a spell on her? Was it his design to beguile her? But the chieftain was stronger than her intrusive thoughts, and she was too proud to admit that her advisors may have been right. Her intention had been to treat him as human being, not as a beast or as the scourge of Hyrule, and she would continue to do so until he gave her a reason to treat him otherwise.
The unease that Ganondorf’s presence had brought upon the region could not be left to fester for much longer. Her people were left to wonder if he would be the ruin of Hyrule’s new, fragile peace. Everything from the age old scar of their initial downfall to the fresh wound of Calamity and the death of Lady Urbosa stung them in countless ways, evoking a broad spectrum of emotions, but above all else, fear. As their leader, she couldn’t ignore his destructive history, no matter how mellow and curiously paternal he was towards her in the present. As a whole the Gerudo deserved answers, however, Riju was the only one in the position to pose those questions to their former king.
She was almost certain that he was keenly aware of the change in her demeanor. The young chieftain had been only vaguely attentive during his archery coaching, for she had been abstracted by her obligations for the better part of the day. After some time, she gave up on pretending to be interested in the lesson altogether. Abruptly, she allowed her gilded bow to drop to the sand. Both her heavy sigh and distant gaze were telling of the burdens she had to bear. When she had finally worked up the mettle to voice her concerns, she turned away from the golden expanse laid out before them to peer up into his golden eyes.
❝I have something that I must ask you,❞ she began, quiet but firm in tone. Her expression was caught somewhere between resolve and uncertainty. ❝What is it that you aim to do here?❞ He had yet to speak of his purpose, and up until that moment no one had asked. They had only hoped that he harbored no ill will towards them, but hope was not enough to sate them.❝I’m sure you must know...my people are afraid. And we’ve only just gotten to know what it means to truly live in peace. Do you intend to change that?❞
