Queen of the Banished

1234 words

By the end of the week, Rabia and Ganondorf were irritable and overwhelmed. Zelda had turned down every offer they gave or compromise they tried to make. Rabia wasn’t sure why Zelda kept meeting with them since she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with the trade deal. It seemed like she was stalling them from returning to the valley, and it was making Rabia nervous. The stalling, and the mysterious stomach bug Rabia had picked up shortly after their arrival, had made Ganondorf anxious enough that he decided to send Rabia back to the valley.

“Come on, Rabia, we have to pack up your things,” Ganondorf said as he placed a few items into her bag.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay a little longer?” Rabia asked him. Ganondorf paused his folding and turned to look at her.

“Of course I want you to stay,” he answered. “But I think I should take it from here. You need to go home and get some rest,” he said. “Besides, I’m worried Zelda is stalling us for a reason. I’d feel better if one of us was in the valley.”

“I think you’re right,” Rabia sighed. “I’ll miss you.” Ganondorf pulled her into a hug, which she returned wholeheartedly.

“I’ll be home soon. I’ll text you every day.” He kissed the top of her head. “Come on, the carriage is ready.” Ganondorf carried her bag outside where the carriage, minus Kerberos, was waiting. He set her bag inside and helped her up. “Text me when you get home, okay?” he leaned in to kiss her.

“Yeah, okay. Keep me updated?” she asked. He nodded.

“Of course. I’ll be home soon.” Rabia accepted the kiss and Ganondorf closed the carriage door behind her. He stood in the driveway and waited until she was out of sight.



Rabia was going stir crazy. Ganondorf was still in Castle Town trying to negotiate with Princess Zelda, though his progress updates indicated that his efforts were slow going. At this point, it was clear that Zelda had been trying to stall their return. Rabia was glad she returned to the valley when she did but she missed Ganondorf. especially since she had found out her illness was actually morning sickness. She hadn’t yet gotten the chance to tell him the good news. Though she tried to keep it secret, Kamilah, Aveil, Nabooru, and even Kabira had put two and two together. Once Kamilah found out she had decided to take it upon herself to care for Rabia in Ganondorf’ absence.

Rabia had been confined inside during the hottest hours of the day - which was most of the day - for almost a month. Despite Ganondorf’s expansive home in Gerudo Town, and the fortress in the valley, Rabia couldn’t help but feel stifled and bored from being cooped up for so long. Kamilah had good intentions - pregnancies were hard in the desert, especially during the summer months - but Rabia was becoming frustrated.

Kabira seemed to be enjoying Rabia’s confinement. Rabia’s duties fell to Nabooru when she was unable to complete them herself. However, when Kabira visited the valley, those duties fell to her instead. Kabira had been in the valley for three weeks under the guise of spending quality time with her stepmother. Instead, she avoided her even more, to the point that she sent Nabooru to Rabia with her reports.

After the seventh letter of failed negotiations, four weeks of confinement, and three weeks of Kabira-in-charge, it was clear Zelda wasn’t going to budge. Rabia was sick of waiting around. She wrote back to Ganondorf with some negotiation suggestions, then settled into the office and got to work. A couple hours of brainstorming and formal letters to foreign diplomats later, and Rabia had a solid plan in place. She summoned Aveil. As she entered, Aveil knelt and crossed her fist over her chest.

“Queen Rabia, what can I do for you?” she asked as she straightened up. Rabia gestured to the chair across her desk and waited for Aveil to sit.

“Aveil… do you think you could do something… big, for me?” Rabia asked. “It’s a secret surprise for Ganondorf but I need some help.”

“Sure! What do you need?”

“Well… Ganondorf has been stuck in Hyrule these past few weeks,” Rabia started. Aveil nodded. “He’s been trying to negotiate a trade deal with Zelda and has been sending me updates. This was his latest.” She took a paper from one of the piles on her desk and handed it to Aveil. “It’s not going well,” Rabia said, once Aveil had finished skimming the letter. “I don’t think Zelda has any intention of agreeing to this, so I want to set something up with Altea. I plan to send them the request before the week is out,” Rabia said.

“Altea?” Aveil asked. Rabia nodded.

“This is where you come in. To actually make this happen, we would need a way to ship goods to them. I need you to gather up a group of Gerudo that you trust, who will keep this project quiet, and then explore the desert to find exactly where it meets the ocean.” Aveil’s eyes widened.

“The ocean?! Rabia, that could take weeks. No one knows where it is or has ever dared to look,” Aveil said. Rabia nodded.

“That’s why I need you to find it and map the easiest route there. You’re the best navigator we have and it’s imperative that we have an alternate method of getting supplies. I’m afraid we may not be able to rely on Hyrule’s help much longer,” she said. Aveil nodded in deferment.

“I’ll gather a group and get ready. We’ll report to you before we leave,” Aveil said. She stood and crossed her fist over her chest again, then left the room.



“Kabira, thank you for joining me,” Rabia said. She set aside her papers and gestured to the chair opposite her.

“Of course,” Kabira droned. “What can I do for you?” Rabia hummed.

“Well, I’m a bit concerned,” she steepled her hands in front of herself. “You see, I keep getting your reports second-hand, from Nabooru. I wonder that some information is being left out, as Nabooru didn’t witness these accounts.” She looked at Kabira. “Would you care to explain why you can’t deliver these reports yourself?”

“Well, Bab'ya-latifa (1), it seemed to be in the best interest of our people, where you are not available yourself, to send someone in my place so that I may continue to keep an eye on valley proceedings,” Kabira answered. Rabia stared at her in disbelief.

“Do you think Nabooru is just a decoration? You understand that, as second-in-command, it’s her job to manage things when we cannot? Next time, you come deliver the reports yourself. I’m sure Nabooru can take care of the valley for a mere fifteen minutes,” she replied. Kabira rolled her eyes and Rabia’s eyes hardened. “Kabira, you may not like me as your step-mother or accept me as your Father’s wife,” she said sharply. “But I am your Queen and you will respect that. Do we have an understanding?”

“Of course, Rabia-lati,” (2) Kabira sneered. Rabia’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re dismissed.” Kabira bowed, then stormed out of the room. The door slammed with a heavy finality behind her. Rabia sighed to herself, then returned to her paperwork.