In the sun-drenched, fortress-city of Gerudo Town, a different kind of war was being waged. It was a war of attrition, fought not with scimitars, but with trade ledgers, territorial maps, and the endlessly droning voices of royal advisors. And Queen Riju was losing.
She sat in the council chamber, a room made stuffy by the heat and the heavy, sand-worn tapestries, her leg bouncing with a restless energy that betrayed her utter boredom. Before her, a senior advisor was pointing at a map of the northern trade routes, explaining the logistical nightmare of procuring enough fresh water for the escorts guarding their salt shipments.
"…and if we divert water from the eastern cistern, it will impact the city's own reserves by a projected seven percent, which is unacceptable during the dry season," the advisor droned on.
Riju stared at the map, but she did not see trade routes. She saw a glorious, open desert, a perfect place for a sand-seal race. She could feel the phantom weight of a scimitar in her hand, the memory of her victory in the Trial a far more potent and interesting reality than this. This was her prize for proving her strength: an eternity of meetings.
Suddenly, the deep, resonant boom of the city's great bronze gong echoed from the main gate. A single, powerful strike. It was not a call to arms, which was a series of rapid beats, but the signal for the arrival of an official envoy, an event so rare that the entire council chamber fell silent.
Buliara, the captain of her guard, entered the room, her face a mask of stern neutrality. "Your Majesty," she announced, her voice tight with suspicion. "A Royal Herald from Hyrule Castle has arrived at our gates. He claims to carry an urgent decree from the King himself and requests an immediate audience."
A murmur of shock and mistrust rippled through the assembled advisors. A Royal Herald had not set foot in Gerudo Town in over a generation.
Riju, her boredom instantly vanquished, sat up straighter on her cushioned seat. A Royal Decree? From the Hylian King? This was far more interesting than water rations. "Let them in," she commanded, a spark of her warrior's fire returning to her eyes. "Escort the Herald to the throne room. And assemble the honor guard."
An hour later, Riju sat upon the ornate, carved throne of the Gerudo, the heavy weight of her ceremonial armor a familiar comfort. The great throne room was lined with her finest warriors, their polished polearms held at a perfect, intimidating angle, their amber eyes watching the entrance with a predator's unwavering focus.
The Royal Herald was announced. He was a tall, proud Hylian man, his face pale from the desert sun, but his posture unbowed. He was flanked by two knights of the King's own Royal Guard, their armor a brilliant, almost blinding silver-and-white, a stark and alien sight in the earthy, red-and-gold tones of the Gerudo palace. The air in the room was thick with a tense, historical animosity.
The Herald strode to the center of the room, bowed stiffly, and produced a grand, heavy scroll, bound with a golden ribbon and sealed with the winged crest of the Royal Family of Hyrule.
"A summons, from His Royal Majesty, King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, to the esteemed Queen of the Gerudo," the Herald's voice rang out, clear and formal.
Riju gave a single, regal nod, granting him permission to proceed.
The Herald broke the seal and unrolled the scroll. The King's words, written in elegant, flowing script, were a masterpiece of desperate diplomacy. He spoke of a "shadow that lengthens over our blessed Hyrule," of "unnatural beasts that stalk the roads by night," and of a "quiet fear that falls upon the hearts of our people." He did not name the enemy. He did not confess the weakness and corruption within his own ranks. But for those who knew how to listen, the truth was clear: the King was afraid.
He invoked the ancient pacts, the bonds of old that had united the peoples of Hyrule in past ages against great evils. He spoke of the Gorons' strength and the Zoras' wisdom. Then, he came to the point.
"And so," the Herald read, his voice rising, "by Royal Decree, I, King Rhoam, do hereby summon the great leaders of this land to a council of unity, a gathering unseen in our history. The Goron Patriarch, the Zora Monarch, and the Gerudo Queen. You are summoned to Hyrule Castle on the dawn of the next full moon, so that we may meet as equals, rekindle the fires of our old alliances, and forge a single, unbreakable shield against the coming night."
The Herald finished, rolled the scroll, and stood in a defiant, waiting silence. The throne room was utterly still. A summons to the castle? To meet as equals? It was unprecedented. It was unthinkable. It was a sign that the world was breaking.
After the Herald and his escort had been led to guest quarters, the Gerudo council erupted.
"It is a trap!" one of the elder advisors declared. "The Hylians have coveted our lands and feared our strength for a thousand years. They have never seen us as equals. This is a trick to lure our Queen away from our walls!"
"Or it is a sign of their weakness," countered Teela, her hand resting on the hilt of her scimitar. "A threat that can make the great King of Hyrule beg for aid from his rivals is a threat to us all. To ignore this summons is to wait for the enemy to appear at our own gates."
Buliara was silent, her face a storm of conflicting duties. To protect her queen was to keep her here, safe, within the fortress. But to lead her people was to face their enemies, wherever they may be.
Riju sat on her throne, the Royal Summons resting in her lap. She was a twelve-year-old girl, being asked to make a decision that would shape the fate of her people for a generation. She felt a flicker of the same fear and inadequacy she had felt in the face of her royal duties. But then, she remembered the feeling of her scimitar in her hand, the roar of the crowd, the look of respect in Teela's eyes. She was not just a girl. She was their Queen. And her people were warriors.
She stood, and the council fell silent. Her voice, when she spoke, did not hold the fire of a hot-tempered child, but the cold, clear authority of a true ruler.
"The Gerudo," she declared, her voice ringing through the great hall, "do not hide from shadows. We meet them in the sun with steel in our hands. A weak Hylian King is a danger to our borders. A great shadow is a danger to our world. We will not wait for this threat to come to us. We will ride out and meet it. We will accept the King's summons."
A look of profound, surprised pride dawned on Buliara's face.
"Captain Teela," Riju commanded, "prepare my Royal Escort. We ride for Hyrule Castle at the end of the week." She then turned to an advisor, a sly, political glint in her amber eyes. "And send a messenger to the Goron ambassador. Tell him the tariff negotiations are on hold."
A slow, warrior's grin spread across her face. "It seems we have… more pressing matters to discuss with our mountain-dwelling friends. In person."