Queen of the Banished

Open your eyes…

Open your eyes.

“Open your eyes.” Rabia blinked, and squinted against the stark whiteness of her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that she'd awoken standing on an odd, springy surface. The second thing she noticed was that she was very high up, with nothing below her in sight but endless whiteness. She gulped and looked up, into the face of what could only be described as a very large woman, holding Rabia on her hand. A wave of vertigo crashed over her as the woman brought Rabia closer to her face. Rabia clutched onto her finger, trying to keep her balance.

The woman had ruby red hair, like a wild, living flame, tied back into a long ponytail. Her eyes were like molten gold as she stared down at Rabia, a curious smile on her full lips. Her rich chestnut skin had an ethereal glow to it.

“It is not yet your time, Rabia Mesovesto,” she said, in the desert dialect. Her voice was dry and harsh as the desert winds. “Your story doesn't end here. There's still work to be done.”

“Who are you?” Rabia asked. “What do you mean?” The woman laughed.

“Do you not recognize me? I am Din. We met in your past life, when you went by the name Angelique. You don’t remember?” she asked. Rabia shook her head. “A hundred years ago, the Gerudo people were led by a King and his wife, a great Gerudo Queen - your past-life, Angelique.

“Her beauty caught the eye of a rich Hylian merchant named Gideon. I warned her to stay away, but…” Din sighed. “She chose to toy with him instead, underestimating his love for infatuation. After she fell seriously ill, Gideon made his way to the Twilight Realm and sold his soul to the Demon King, Ganon, to save her life.

“After her recovery, Angelique saw what Gideon had done and finally put his hopes to rest. Gideon murdered her. Her husband, the King, banished Gideon back to the Twilight Realm and, in his depression, let the desert fall to ruin.” Din looked at Rabia. “I suppose you wouldn’t have any recollection of your past life…” Din trailed off. Rabia shrieked as the woman leaned down and pressed a kiss to her head. “Now do you remember?” A flood of memories flashed before Rabia’s eyes, hers but… not. She nodded.

“But… what does this have to do with me now?” Rabia asked.

“My sisters and I have seen this timeline play out over and over again,” Din said with a sigh. “Each one leads to death and ruin, especially for the Gerudo people, whom I care for deeply. Right now, Ganondorf is king. In every timeline, where Ganondorf goes, Ganon follows. I decided to… experiment. Perhaps reincarnating a strong, influential Gerudo queen might give Ganondorf and the Gerudo a chance to change their fates.

“Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf proved themselves worthy of their pieces of Triforce, as they always do, and with Ganondorf’s Triforce of Power, Ganon followed, as he always does. But this time, he couldn’t get as tight a grasp on Ganondorf, because Ganondorf had a reason to fight him. Now, Ganon is gone, and Ganondorf can wield the Triforce of Power without fear and continue leading the Gerudo to prosperity. A successful experiment, don’t you think?” She smiled.

“Well, I suppose…” Rabia said. Din shook her head.

“Don’t worry about that. You won’t remember most of this when you wake, anyway,” she said. “You just need to focus on your role. You’ve led your people before, and they’re going to need you to do it again.”

“How?” Rabia asked.

“You’ll know, when the time comes. I’ll be there to guide you.” The goddess raised her head, as if listening to something. “You must go, now. Your husband calls for you. Can’t you hear him?” she asked. Rabia strained her ears and heard him, distant but calling her name. “Follow his voice… and open your eyes.” Rabia’s eyes fluttered closed and she sunk back into the dark, and Ganondorf’s voice fell over her like a song.



Ganondorf sat at Rabia’s bedside, eyes red, exhaustion clouding his features. After Rabia’s heart had stopped on the battlefield, he had thought the worst. Then, Zelda looked up from her prayer and Rabia was enveloped in a strange, glowing golden light. Zelda didn’t say anything and gestured for Ganondorf to carry Rabia back into the castle, to her usual room. That’s where they’d been ever since, guards at every exit, while they waited.

Kamilah and Nabooru had joined them shortly after. They were both sitting on the window seat, where Nabooru was fast asleep and Kamilah rocked Zaide. She had retrieved him from Saul after bringing him news of Rabia. Zelda’s footsteps were silent on the stone floors as she entered the room. She sat across from Ganondorf on Rabia’s other side and took her friends hand.

“She’ll be fine, you know,” she broke the silence. Ganondorf finally looked away from Rabia’s face.

“You don’t know that,” he muttered. “I killed her.” Zelda paused, tilting her head.

“Din is looking out for her,” she said. “The wound is healed. She should be waking up soon.” Ganondorf snorted.

“Oh, and I suppose Din told you that?” he shook his head.

“Yes.” They stared at each other in silence. Zelda stood and gently pulled back the bandages on Rabia’s abdomen. All that remained was an angry, pink-red scar. “It should fade a bit over the next couple days but… that kind of magic will always leave a mark. She chose to bear it for you. You ought to think about what you’re going to bear for her,” Zelda said grimly. She stroked Rabia’s hair back from her face and headed for the door. She paused. “You should talk to Rabia. It’ll help her find her way back.” Zelda closed the door with a quiet click. Ganondorf let out a breath. Kamilah met his gaze, then looked away again, humming to the sleeping infant in her arms.

“Rabia? Rabia, sa soon, ha’as ti λæ umék,” (1) Ganondorf said. “Mítfa pas érozs, mewadala.” (2) Her eyelids fluttered open, and she blinked in confusion.

“Wh-what? What happened?” she met Ganondorf’s eyes and let out a tired sigh. “Oh.” Ganondorf clasped her hand.

“Everything’s alright,” he said gently. “We’re in the castle. It’s only been a day.”

“Zaide?” Rabia asked, starting to sit up. Ganondorf pushed her back.

“With your mother, by the window,” he gestured over his shoulder. Rabia peeked around him and, seeing them sitting quietly, relaxed into the pillows. She looked up at him and tilted her head.

“Have you slept?” she asked, after a moment. He shook his head.

“I couldn’t - not until you woke up.” Rabia scooted over in the bed and looked at him. He huffed out a laugh and climbed in beside her, wrapping her up in his arms.