Let the World Smile
is a The Legend of Zelda fanfic by Selah Ex Animo. It is a Ganondorf/Zelda-themed story, albeit not a romantic one.
In order to avoid political troubles, King Harkinian of Hyrule marries his only child, sixteen year old Princess Zelda, to the Gerudo ruler Lord Ganondorf Dragmire. In a matter of days, Zelda's life is dramatically changed. She's forced to marry an older man she's never met and move to a desert she knows little about.
Let The World Smile explores the political and cultural elements of Hyrule. It's not set in one specific version of Hyrule, however it mixes various incarnations together. The fic began in 2004 and has had sparse updates since then. It was last updated in 2014.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- Altar Diplomacy: Zelda's father marries her to the Gerudo king, Ganondorf, as a way of easing political tensions.
- Canon Immigrant: King Harkinian was a character in the Zelda cartoon, the Valiant comics, and the CDI games, never appearing in official Zelda media.
- Dark Fic: Let The World Smile presents a darker version of Hyrule than in canon. A teenage Zelda is forced into a marriage without her consent and then made to leave her old life behind to live with her new king. Her word on matters isn't of much importance.
- Dead Fic: The last update was chapter 10 in March 2014.
- Death by Childbirth: Subverted with Zelda. She doesn't know much about her deceased mother, so she wonders if her mother died in childbirth, like what happens in stories. Her mother killed herself upon realizing her only child was a girl.
- Domestic Abuse: Ganondorf isn't physically abusive, however he's dominant and aggressive in a manner that isn't healthy.
- Driven to Suicide: Not soon after her birth, Zelda's mother jumped from a tower.
- Fantastic Racism: Hylians and Gerudo have a lot of animosity towards one another because the two have warred for centuries.
- Great White Hunter: The king of Hyrule is known for his love of hunting more-so than actually being a ruler.
- Heir Club for Men: The Hylian royal family is patriarchal in this story, rather than matriarchal than in canon. Zelda's aging mother was so ashamed that her firstborn, and likely only child, was female (and "good for nothing but the marrying off") that she killed herself.
- Henotheistic Society: Hylians worship three Goddesses, but the Hyrulian Royal Family prioritizes Din over the other two.
- Marital Rape License: Alluded to. Zelda will need to consummate her marriage whether she's ready or not, though all that's been shown thus far is Ganondorf kissing Zelda in a manner she dislikes.
- Missing Mom: Zelda's mother died when she was very young.
- Patchwork Fic: The story mixes together various Zelda games into its narrative and composites the characters, so they're not based on one specific incarnation.
- Parental Neglect: Zelda's father is very distant and more concerned with political matters. He's more her king than her father.
- Raised by Grandparents: Ganondorf was raised by his grandmothers.
- Related in the Adaptation: Koume and Kotake are Ganondorf's biological grandparents. However, nobody remembers which one is his grandmother, so he refers to them both as such.
- Ruling Family Massacre: The Gerudo killed the ruling families of both the Twili and Subrosian.
