The Hero, Link, takes a deep breath before the door of the throne room of the majestic Hyrule Castle. He stands proud, readying himself for the battle within for his foe, the evil Ganondorf, awaits him within. This time Link knows he will succeed. Ganondorf will fall, and peace will return to this land. Link places his hand on the door and it effortlessly glides open on silent hinges, revealing the dim chamber within.
The last light of the day filter in through the stained glass windows above, dimly illuminating the dust motes slowly drifting through the air, revealing an empty throne at the end of the chamber. Link takes a deafening step forward, echoing through the tomb-silent chamber. He felt as if he disturbed the sanctity of this hallowed chamber with his noise as he halted, standing stock still in case his feet should offend again. As he strained to listen for further sounds, he was rewarded with the sound of a grunt from behind the throne that echoed off the marbled stone around him.
“You’re here.” A gruff voice said, accented with a touch of Gerudo. With the sound of a chair scraping on stone, grating the ears, a large man with dark skin and a hawkish nose appeared from behind the throne. The possessor of the Triforce of Power stood before Link at the opposite end of the chamber, the evil Prince Ganon, in all his regalia… no. Link paused. Ganon had been depicted as wearing ancient armor in the Gerudo royal style but this man, this voe, wore a simple tunic and pants of the modern Hylian style, likely taken from within the castle. He would have passed as a normal Gerudo, only the mark of the Triforce of Power on the back of his hand revealed his true identity. Link shifted uncomfortably, hand ready on the hilt of the Master Sword on his hip as the Destined Villain set a wooden chair from behind him next to the ornate Hylian throne. “We need to talk” he said softly, apparently aware of the suffocating silence the throne room commanded as well as the Destined Hero did, before taking a seat on the simple piece of wooden furniture.
Link struggled to figured out Ganon’s plan. The formidable Gerudo wore no weapon, no armor, not even a crown. His posture was of complete ease, his right foot resting on his knee, his right elbow draped over the back of the wooden chair with his wrist drooping down, showing the mark of the Triforce on the back of his hand. He saw no obvious trap, no moblins or other minions hiding behind the stone columns on each side of the chamber, no sign of magic waiting to be unleashed. Ganon wanted to rule the world, did he not? And yet he eschewed the throne for a simple chair? Nothing seemed right to him. Even the few bokoblins that roamed the castle simply ran when Link approached. The castle was largely deserted. He glanced back to the door that he had entered, were they going to fill the hallway behind him in ambush? The door remained opened, the hall was dark and just as silent as the throne room. Ganon failed to stifle a chuckle as Link returned his gaze to the evil monster before him, a look of uncertain confusion on his face.
“We are alone Hero, only the lowly rats remain.” the Gerudo said. Link drew the magnificent Master Sword and took a bold step forward, a look of determination on his face but halted. Ganon barely shifted in his seat but the expression on his face changed. Was that… sadness? Disappointment? This was surely a trick.
Link swung the magical blade with a tremendous grunt at the demon before him, a bolt of white energy erupting forth. Ganon bolted upright with such quickness and force that his chair was knocked back several feet as he braced against the attack. Not even attempting to dodge or deflect it, he instead crossed his arms and took it full force. The sleeves on his Hylian tunic torn to shreds and his forearms singed from the blast. Link watched as Ganon stood there, bracing for another blow but doing nothing else. He looked around once more for signs of ambush but saw none. He looked back towards Ganon, who after realizing that another attack wasn’t coming had gone to retrieve his chair. When Ganon once again sat down on it, Link relaxed his weapon arm, letting the sword droop down to point at the ground, and stood up straight, more confused than ever.
“You can either hear me out or strike me down. Either way, I don’t care. Maybe your next reincarnation will be more… accommodating when I eventually return.” Ganon’s voice echoed through the chamber. This confused Link somewhat. Is the prophesied villain actually being reasonable? This is the famed Ganondorf right? The demon who wishes to destroy the world? Ganon watched Link’s face as the hero attempted to work through what he might have planned and smirked to himself. When no answer was forthcoming, Ganon quietly stood and went back behind the throne. Link readied his blade once again, preparing for an attack. Instead, Ganon returned with another wooden chair, identical to the one he had been sitting on, and slowly walked towards him. Link watched with tense anticipation as the renowned Gerudo approached him calmly. He stopped about halfway between Link and where he once sat, placed down the chair, then turned back to his own seat, exposing his back in full to Link. The Master Sword seemed to pull at Link’s hands towards Ganon, seemingly eager for the fight, but Link resisted. This was unexpected and confounding. Once Ganon returned to his chair he once again sat down, unconcerned that the destined hero who came to defeat him was mere sword lengths away.
Link cautiously approached the chair, looking up towards the ceiling in case something were set to fall on him at that spot. Failing to see anything, he picked up the chair in one hand and moved it several feet to the right anyway, just in case. Carefully he sat down, sword close in case he needed it. He looked at Ganon and nodded his head towards his foe as if to say “Go ahead. Say your words.”
Ganon nodded in agreement, “Ever the silent one it seems. Do you remember your past lives I wonder?” When it became evident to Link that Ganon was wait for an answer, he slowly shook his head. How could he remember such a thing? He was supposedly related to the past heroes that fought Ganon but just because they’re your ancestors doesn’t mean you get their memories.
“I certainly do, Link. You were all named Link. Minor differences in the face maybe, or how old you were when we would face off. But you were always the same soul. The same Hylian that would fight me time and time again. Sometimes I would win for a time but I would usually fail, repeating the cycle.” This surprised Link more than it should, the fact that it was the same Ganon each time as per the prophesies not so much, but hearing that it was the same soul that fought him? Should he trust his words?
“I will not deny the evil I had done. I fought for many reasons, to unite the world under strong leadership, for power.” He brought up his fist, showing link the mark of the Triforce of Power upon it. “At first I coveted this piece of the Triforce. I sacrificed everything for it, even my humanity. And once I got it, I wanted more. I felt its power grow within me. Change me. Now I wonder if it was all worth it.” Ganon grew silent and the last remnants of his words echoed through the chamber. He put his hand down then looked up at Link.
“How many times have we faced against each other hero? How many times have you driven me back only to return generations later?” He looked at Link expectantly. Link had no idea. He knew that it had been a cycle that happened for millennia but he had no idea how long. He shook his head again. “At least four, but I lost track. Something happened a few incarnations ago that… changed things. You were both a child and an adult as you are now. I’m… not sure who won really.” Ganon shook his head as if to dispel the thought. “It’s irrelevant now. The Sheika used me and I am forced to reevaluate my situation. I grow tired of this never-ending cycle. I wish I had never gotten my hands on this cursed Triforce.” The look of frustration on Ganon’s face surprised Link.
“That’s not all hero. I have been possessed. A voice in my head that urges me on to perpetuate the cycle. Demise. But whom does this cycle help? Huh?” Ganon raised his eyebrow towards Link as a rhetorical question, “Certainly not I.” the large Gerudo leaned back in his chair in frustration, letting his head and arms droop behind him.
Link pondered his foe’s words as he watched Ganon’s chest rise and fall with each breath. He remembered his sword. Ganon was exposed, it would be easy to plunge the blade into the Gerudo’s chest now… but Ganon’s words came back to him. It would just renew the cycle. Ganon would simply return in another thousand years and everything would happen again. The Master Sword seemed to vibrate in his palm, ready to strike. Then Link remembered, he had a piece of the Triforce as well. The Triforce of Courage. He took a glance at Ganon then closed his eyes, focusing on the power within him. He know what it meant to have courage to face a powerful enemy, to protect the people he loved. He fought countless fights where he surely could have died. He let the warm energy of the Triforce of Courage flow through him, through it he could vaguely sense the Triforce of Power resonating nearby, angry and… in anguish?
Link’s eyes shot wide, looking at Ganon in a new light. The Gerudo hadn’t moved from earlier but lifted his head to glance at Link when the hylian sat upright in his seat. He looked into Link’s determined eyes and could tell that his mind was made. They both smiled gently as Link stood up and strolled out of the room. Ganon could only guess what Link figured out, that courage is more than just fighting a strong enemy but to also do what is right even if others do not agree.
“Move quickly hero, I doubt I will be so cordial when we next meet,” Ganon spoke, his voice resonating in the chamber, “and good luck.”
World of Dezengarth 