Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Link’s mind was racing as he left the castle on his horse. Was that really her? She looked so… different to him, he almost didn’t recognize her. He was worried, well, more worried than usual anyways. Link knew he would have to tell HIM about it, but Link was also worried about how he would take the news. After all, he was the princesses protector.

Link reached the farm and unhitched the cart from his horse, Epona. After putting the cart away, he led Epona into the stables where Epona walked right into her stall. He closed the stall doors and gave a small wave to the farmer’s daughter who was out in the field feeding the cuccos. He went into the main house and gave the farmer the gold from the castle and after getting his share, he chatted with the farmer for a few minutes before heading out, grabbing his fishing gear and traveling down the woods to the lake. He loved these woods, how they seemed to be a maze for others but if you knew just the way to go, they opened up to a beautiful lake. Link froze when he saw the tall figure sitting at the edge of the lake, fishing line already in the water. The man turned his head towards Link and gave a smile and a wave.

“I was beginning to think the forest got you!” He said with a laugh.

“In these woods? It’s possible, but not likely.”

“You better get over here before I catch the entire lake.”

Link went over and sat next to his friend, his closest friend in fact. He could still remember how they met.

It was years ago and Link was a bit of a troublemaker. One day he decided to steal a mask from the town’s mask salesman, which was a bad idea altogether. After the salesman caught up to him, he felt his heart race and he heard two voices behind him.

“Hey, put the kid down.” came a feminine voice.

Surprisingly the man did put him down and kneeled down. A surprised Link turned around and was met with a blonde teen a few years older than him, a tall man by her side. Link’s eyes widened when he realized who this was. He was saved by the Princess.

“I sent him to get this mask for me.” She said, picking it up off the ground. “However, it seems my errand boy was in such a rush he forgot to take the gold with him.” She handed a small pouch to the mask salesman, who promptly left. Link breathed a sigh of relief before feeling a sting on his cheek. Did the Princess just slap him?

“Idiot! Everyone knows not to steal from the Happy Mask Salesman! That’s a death sentence! You’re really lucky we were here to stop him!”

“Sorry I’m… uh… not from in town.”

The Princess looked closer at him.

“Ah, you must be from the village not too far from here aren’t you?”

“Yeah, Kakariko village.”

“No wonder you made such a stupid mistake!”

The tall guy next to her chuckled. Link rubbed the back of his head, but when he put his hand down the Princess’ eyes widened and she grabbed his arm, almost yanking it out of its socket. The guy with her looked and his eyes also got wide. Link had a birthmark on his hand. He was used to getting looks but this was different. The two looked like they had discovered something they were looking for. They nodded at each other and showed Link their hands. They all had the same birthmark.

“This is…”

“The final piece.”

The Princess gave Link a smile.

“I’m Zelda, this is my bodyguard Ganondorf.”

Link was so lost in thought he didn’t even notice the fish bobber going under the water.

“Hey Link, you're gonna lose your fish!” Ganondorf yelled.

Link pulled and reeled the fish in, and it was huge; so huge that he and Ganondorf started skinning, deboning, and cooking it right there. Link started boiling a pot and putting the stew ingredients in as Ganondorf was making sure the fish was getting cooked all the way through. The sun was down by the time the two got around to eating, illuminated by the bonfire. Ganondorf noticed the worry on Link’s face.

“Something bothering you Link?”

Link looked at his friend’s eyes. How could he tell him what he saw, especially now? He tried to find something else to tell him, but fell short. He took a deep breath and decided just to say what he saw.

“I took some stock up to the castle today. I saw Zelda again.”

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow.
“She looked different. I mean, obviously becoming Queen would do that but she looked, I don’t know, like she wasn’t herself.”

Ganondorf leaned forward, listening carefully to every word Link said.

“She dyed her hair.” Link said, pointing to his own. “It was brown.”

Link could see Ganondorf’s mouth turn into a deep frown. He balled his hand into a fist and Link swore he saw it glow purple as he hit a rock, cracking it.

“Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have left.”

“You didn’t have a choice though, the valley…”

“Was fine. My father just thought I spent too much time at the castle.”

Link was quiet. He knew if anything happened to Zelda, Ganondorf would blame himself. He was her bodyguard and swore to protect her from anything; unfortunately, that anything didn’t quite include the passing of the king.

You couldn’t say the passing happened suddenly. The King was suffering from an illness for months before it happened. None of the physicians in the kingdom could agree on what the illness was. When the day came that the King passed and Zelda became Queen, it was a quiet day for all. After her coronation, Ganondorf was sent back to Gerudo Valley by his father, the ruler of the valley. Link had been worried for Zelda, but her handmaiden Impa assured him that Zelda would be fine. He had his doubts, but focused on helping the farmer that took him in named Talon. He only saw Zelda in small glances since Talon did the castle deliveries. Today though, Talon sent Link. He couldn’t get that look out of his mind. He also saw she wore a glove over her hand, which was curious.

Ganondorf got up and packed his things up, loading them onto his horse. Link was, once again, worried. He didn’t know what Ganondorf would do next, but he knew it wouldn’t be good. As he made his way back to the farm, he saw the farmer’s daughter, Malon, sitting on a fence, looking up at the sky. Link leaned his fishing rod against the fence and sat next to her.

“You seem worried today, Link.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Link sighed. “Well, no, it’s something. I’m worried about my friends.”

“Are they in danger?”

“I don’t know, I really don’t know. Everything just feels so… off, if that makes sense. Like, things just don’t feel like they make sense anymore…”

Suddenly Link’s head started pounding as he held his head, trying to get it to stop. As his head continued pounding he saw a dark castle, it looked almost like the Hyrule Castle. He was running into it and he saw Ganondorf, he was holding Zelda hostage. Link tried to yell, but no words came out. Suddenly, he saw Ganondorf fade away and turn into Zelda. He looked at the captured Zelda but instead, it was him. The vision faded away as he heard a voice.

“You’re different.”

His head felt like it was on fire, then the pain went away. He opened his eyes and saw he was laying on the ground, Talon and Malon both on each side. He looked down at his hand and saw his birthmark was glowing.

“What is happening?”

Chapter Text

The rain fell hard as Ganondorf raced towards the castle. He wiped the rain from his face as he raced towards the castle. After a moment of thinking, he pulled the reins to make his horse stop. Lightning lit the castle as Ganondorf looked onward at it. His breathing became heavy as he realized he couldn’t rush into this. There was a possibility that the princess he knew was gone, and that was a possibility he didn’t want to imagine. He turned around, taking another glance at the castle. “I’ll come back for you, I swear.”

Ganondorf decided to go back to Gerudo Valley for the time being. He would think of a way to save Zelda. He had to. While deep in thought, Ganondorf entered the small village connecting the valley to the rest of Hyrule. The rain had stopped and the smell of the wet grass combined with the lit lanterns hit Ganondorf. Ganondorf had always loved this small town, wanting to live there instead of the valley; however, due to his heritage, he was forced to stay in the valley. Upon reaching the Inn, Ganondorf hitched his horse to the stable post and made his way inside. The Innkeeper’s daughter smiled at him. “Hello Ganondorf, the same room as usual?” The Gerudo nodded and took out the gold pieces and slid them to the young woman. She handed him the key and he walked up the stairs towards his room.

The Keese Wing Inn had always been a comfort to Ganondorf. He would hide out here whenever he needed to get away from everything. Ganondorf hopped into the bath across the hall from his room and allowed himself the time to think. He thought back on what Link told him about Zelda and things didn’t add up to him. The Zelda he knew was kind and compassionate; she wasn’t someone who would have a cold look in her eyes. Even after her father’s death, Zelda would always put on a brave face for everyone.

Brave.

Suddenly, Ganondorf felt a burning pain on the back of his hand. He thought a bug had bitten him, but when he looked at his hand he saw his birthmark glowing. The main triangle had a faint glow to it; however, there was another triangle on the bottom right that shined brighter. As Ganondorf put his hand over it, the burning went away and the glow faded, but left behind the triangle that was within the original one. He stared at his hand for what felt like hours questioning what had happened. Ganondorf got out of the bath, dried himself off, and put on some more comfortable clothes. After changing, Ganondorf decided to take a walk around the town, giving the Innkeeper’s daughter a small nod and wave before heading out. The village was illuminated by lanterns and looked almost picturesque. The smell of spices from the nearby market wafted up his nose. He found a bench near a fountain and sat down on it, watching the water splash. He was so lost in thought, he didn’t hear the voice next to him.

“Hello?”

Ganondorf looked towards the direction of the voice. It was a young woman, maybe around Link’s age, with short blonde hair. “May I sit next to you?”. Ganondorf scooted over to make room for her, and she sat next to him. “I’m Ilia by the way. You’re from the valley aren’t you?” Ganondorf nodded. “You’re familiar with the valley?” he asked. Ilia smiled. “I’ve always wanted to visit, although it’s impossible for non-Gerudo to cross the border.”

“Yes, well, my father doesn’t think of non-Gerudo too fondly.”

“Yeah I mean… Wait… Your father?!”

Ganondorf gave a shrug.

“You’re the Gerudo prince?!”

“I don’t think of myself that way, I’d rather not have the responsibility of being a leader.”

Ilia let out a laugh. “A Gerudo prince who DOESN’T want to rule?! That’s hilarious.”

“I’m serious.”

Ilia looked at him shocked. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Ilia thought for a moment before getting up. “Well, it was nice meeting you! I work at the stables if you ever wanna stop by!”

She waved at him and disappeared into the small cluster of buildings. Ganondorf scratched his beard. His father kept much of the Gerudo history from him, just broad strokes facts here and there, so Ilia’s reaction was strange to him. He decided to take a stroll through the market to see what wares were being sold. After perusing the various spices and gemstones he spotted a painting in the art stall. It was of a beautiful woman with long, brunette hair and an elegant purple dress holding a sword in one hand, the other hand holding a decapitated head. A decapitated Boar head. He was captivated by the piece, in a morbid way.

“Ah, eyeing this piece are ya?”

Ganondorf looked at the art dealer. He had a face that reminded the Gerudo of a fox.

“Yes actually. Do you know where this piece is from?”

“Ah, It’s an old piece from centuries ago. They say it depicts the princess of the kingdom vanquishing an ancient evil.”

“An ancient evil?”

The art dealer raised an eyebrow. “Not well versed in history?”

The Gerudo let out a chuckle. “I’m afraid not, my friend.”

“It’s hard to believe someone would be unaware of Ganon.”

“I’m sorry but, did you say Ganon?”

“I did. Ganon has terrorized Hyrule for many millennia. The fact that he hasn’t been seen in centuries has been reassuring to most.”

.Ganondorf put on his bravest face and smiled. “Thank you very much, this conversation has been… informative.”

“Anytime, Ganondorf.”

Ganondorf’s eyes widened as the art dealer walked away. He had a lot to think about as he walked back to the inn. First, his father has clearly been hiding something from him. Second, he had to come to terms with the very real possibility that he was the reincarnation of a VERY evil demon. And third, that painting. The princess in the painting looked a lot like Zelda, but colder. Could this have something to do with what was happening to do with the queen? As Ganondorf walked into the inn, he noticed the front desk was empty. Had he really been out that late? He walked up to his room, but he noticed the door was slightly open. He walked over towards the door and listened carefully. He couldn’t hear anything but he prepared himself for anything. As he opened the door he spotted a Sheikah sitting in the chair by the bed. “Impa?”

The Sheikah pushed a silver bang out of her face and gave him a smile. “Took ya long enough to come back.”

“And to what do I owe the pleasure of his impromptu visit?”

“I’m sure Link has already told you about the queen.”

“He did inform me that she seemed different, yes.”

“It’s deeper than that, Ganondorf. Zelda has become cruel, wicked even. Not only do I fear for her, but the kingdom as well.”

“What would you have me do about it?” Ganondorf said with a look in his eyes that Impa had seen many years ago.

“Ganondorf, prince of the Gerudo at your service.” The young Gerudo bowed before the King.

“Ah, Sir Ganondorf, what brings you to Hyrule?”

“I have been sent here to learn about the kingdom, Sir.”

The king nodded, thoughtfully stroking his beard. “That being the case, how would you like to be my daughter’s personal bodyguard?”

Ganondorf found himself in front of the princess’ room. He knocked on the door and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Princess?” The door opened and he saw, to him, the most beautiful girl in the world. He found himself at a loss for words. Suddenly the Gerudo felt something sharp at his throat.

“Speak or your throat gets cut.”

“I’m Ganondorf, prince of the Gerudo. I’ve been assigned to be the Princess’ bodyguard.”

The object was removed and he turned his head to see a girl with silver hair looking at him, hand on her hip, the other holding a small knife. The blonde girl was smiling, hiding her smile with her hand. Ganondorf felt his face turn red, and he tried to put on his most serious face.

“Wait here for a second, Ganon. Impa, help me pick out a dress.”

“Yes M’lady.”

The silver haired girl followed Zelda into her room and turned towards Ganondorf, pointing her index and middle fingers to her eyes, then pointed them at Ganondorf. In a few minutes the princess came out in a lovely pink dress and asked him to escort her into the garden. Ganondorf looked at the flowers, the colors amazing him. He had never seen anything like this in the valley. Zelda sat on a bench and patted the area next to her. Ganondorf sat next to her and the two looked out at the rows of flowers, the sound of running water gently going through the air.

“So, Ganondorf. What brings you to Hyrule?”

“My father thought I needed to see the kingdom before I ruled over the valley, but truth be told I would rather serve in the Gerudo army than rule it.”

“You don’t want to rule?”

“Honestly, no I don’t.”

Ganondorf saw a light shine in Zelda’s eye.

“I do. I want to show Hyrule that I can bring peace to it.”

She raised a fist in the air triumphantly. Ganondorf smiled and let out a chuckle. He looked at her hand and saw a strange birthmark on her hand.

“Ah, that birthmark…”

“Oh, this one.” She pointed to the triangle. “I’ve always had it, I thought it was cool.”

Ganondorf raised his fist to show Zelda his matching one. Zelda gasped and put her hands over her mouth. She held his hand in her hands and looked at him in his eyes. Ganondorf turned his head away, knowing that if he stared too long he would turn more red than the Gerudo women’s hair.

“What do you think this means?”

Ganondorf cleared his throat. “Well, given the three points, I think there may be someone else out there with the same birthmark.”

Zelda nodded. “That’s what I thought too.”

As the two were conversing, Impa was watching from the roof of the castle. Ganondorf seemed genuine. However, she knew the history of Gerudo and the royal family. She had to be on alert. Over the years, Impa came to trust Ganondorf more than anyone else in the kingdom when it came to Zelda. She could tell that he really, truly, cared for Zelda, and she needed that now more than anything.

Ganondorf sat on his bed at the inn and looked at the Sheikah. Impa was deep in thought, though Ganondorf didn’t know what she was thinking about. Finally she spoke up.

“Give me some time to think of a plan, I’ll let you and Link both know when I have a plan. Until that time comes though, I need you to be alert.”

The Gerudo nodded and the Sheikah left through the window. Ganondorf took a small kettle out of his bag and made a small cup of tea. He sat in the chair by a small table and drank his tea while thinking. Afterwards, he decided to lie down on the bed and rest his head on the pillow, soon falling asleep.

The Queen looked at the night sky from the balcony of her castle. It still felt weird to her that this was her castle. Her hand was burning, although she had gotten used to the pain it was still there. She looked at the glowing triangle at the top of her birthmark and let out a sigh. A heavy weight was on her chest as she spent yet another restless night looking at the stars.

“The stars can’t save you from fate, your Highness.”

The Queen looked over at the beastly demon that had been haunting her since her fathers death. She looked back at her hand, damning the curse she was born with, forced to be the vessel for the demon king. The vessel for Ganon.

Chapter Text

“Hello, are you Link?”

Link was in a void, nothing but black as far as he could see, well, almost nothing. In front of him floated a girl, no more than 10, with green hair. Her voice was calming and oddly familiar to him. She smiled at him.

“I’ll take that silence as a yes. My name is Saria, and although you may not remember it, I assisted you in banishing Ganon many centuries ago.”

Link opened his mouth to speak, but nothing would come out.

“You’re probably confused. The Ganondorf that you know of is not who I speak of. Your Ganondorf has a pure heart, the triforce has guaranteed that. No, in my era Ganondorf had the Triforce of power and became controlled by the demon Ganon, much like how your Zelda is now. Please Link, you must help Ganondorf defeat Ganon!”

The girl started fading away as the word “please” echoed around Link. He opened his eyes and found himself back in his small room at the farm. He blinked his eyes a few times to make sure he was truly awake and got out of bed. After putting on his clothes for the day, green tunic over a cream colored long shirt and matching cream colored pants, Link went to the bathroom across the hall to splash water on his face. ‘Still awake’ he thought to himself as he made his way down the stairs to see Talon at the small table reading the Hyrule News while Malon was making breakfast food. Talon looked up from his paper, a smile on his face.

“Hey, look who finally woke up.”

Link looked puzzled, even more so when Malon turned, put her hand over her mouth in shock, then ran and almost crushed him in a hug. Link looked at Talon, confusion still on his face.

“You decided to stay asleep for a few days. We almost went over to the village to get a doctor.”

After Malon let him go, Link bowed to Talon.

“I apologize for any inconvenience I caused you Sir.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it boy.”

“What work needs to be done today Sir?”

“Well after you eat, I need you to go into the village and relax for the day.”

Link was about to object, but Talon put his hand up.

“My order, Link. After you bumped your noggin, I need to take a spell to rest and recover before I send you to do anything else.”

Link nodded, and after finishing his breakfast, went to prepare Epona to head into the village. After getting his saddle on and preparing some food and drink for while he was out, Link noticed he was being watched.

“Are you really ok?”

It was Malon. Next to Zelda and Ganondorf, Malon was Link’s closest friend. They had met in Kakariko Village and it was thanks to their friendship that Talon took him in after his parents had passed. Talon often joked that the two would be married by the time they hit adulthood and while it hadn’t happened yet, the two did have feelings for each other. In fact, Malon was the one who declared Link her boyfriend one day and Link just went along with it.

“When you fell, your hand started glowing. I don’t know much about falls but I don’t think that’s supposed to happen.”

“Yeah it’s weird for sure, but I actually feel fine.”

Malon raised an eyebrow

“I’m serious!”

She put a hand on her hip and pointed at him.

“Fine, but you better get your rest in the village today.”

“I will Malon. I will.”

He gave her a hug before heading off. The farm wasn’t too far away from Kakariko village, but it was still far enough that he didn’t want to walk all that way. Upon reaching the entrance to the village, Link heard a hoot and looked up to see an owl watching him from the sign. Link nodded to the owl as its eyes followed him as he trotted into the village. It was a small village, smaller than the one connecting to Gerudo Valley. It connected to both Death Mountain, home of the Gorons, and Zora’s Domain, home of the Zora; however, neither left their respective homes except for business in Castle Town so the town seldomly had traffic. Link looked up at the giant mountain looming over the village, a smoke ring circling the top. He sighed as he hitched Epona on a nearby post and walked through the town. It had changed some since he left, but not enough that Link couldn’t recognize it. He came across a hole in the mountainside and went inside.

This was the Kakariko hot springs, only known to those who had lived in the village. After paying a few coins to the owner, Link took his clothes off and sat in the heated water. Almost immediately, Link felt his tense muscles relax. As he spent some much needed rest time in the springs his mind wandered back to his friends. Ganondorf left so quickly, Link had no idea if he went to the castle or back to the valley; and Zelda, oh Zelda. Saria told him she was being influenced by Ganon, but how far did that go? How long had she been influenced? It was all confusing to him. Link climbed out of the bath and dried off. Putting his clothes back on, Link waved at the owner and left to look for the small restaurant he always stopped by.

As Link walked in, the owner gave him a nod and Link walked back to his usual spot; however, there was someone sitting there. He couldn’t tell who it was due to them wearing a cloud with a hood over their head, but they used their finger to beckon him to sit down. As Link sat down, the figure removed their hood and Link was glad to see a familiar face.

“Impa?!”

She put a finger on her lips to tell Link to be a bit more quiet, which Link picked up on quickly.

“What are you doing here?”

“I got done talking with Ganondorf a few nights ago. I’ve been waiting in this village for you.”

“Me?”

Impa nodded. “Yes. I need you and Ganondorf to be on alert. I’m going to come up with a plan to save The Queen.”

Link fell on his ass for what felt like the tenth time. He had dropped the wooden sword and shield he was practicing with, hands stinging. A silver haired woman stood over him, a scowl on her face.

“On your feet.”

Link hopped back up and readied himself. He shielded himself from the flurry of blows the woman was swinging at him. After dodging the swings, Link found an opening and took it, charging towards the woman with his shield, knocking her off balance. After seeing her fall, Link offered his hand to her to help her up; however, she smacked his hand with the practice sword she was using.

“Never let your guard down.”

“I didn’t know we were still training.”

“Of course we are, you need to know how to fight.”

Link sat on the edge of the castle wall, looking out at the view of Hyrule. Impa leaned on the area next to him. The two watched the sunset together, Link looking at the farm. Impa watched as Link stared at the farm.

“You wanna protect them, don’t you?”

Link looked at Impa.

“That’s why you’re training so hard. In case something happens, right?”

Link nodded

“That’s noble. Most people train for power or offense, but you train for defense. No wonder Zelda sent you to me…”

The two had several more practice bouts with Link getting better each time. Training with Impa became a regular part of his daily life. Sometimes Ganondorf would join in, sometimes Zelda would. Despite only being about 3 years older than him, Impa felt like a mother to Link. Which made him leaving the castle behind much harder.

Link would follow whatever plan Impa had no matter what and Impa knew this. The two shared a small meal at the restaurant, Link asking questions about what had happened since he had been gone. Impa told him about how Zelda had become recluse since the coronation, only talking to Impa. The day that Link delivered food from the farm was the first time anyone had seen Zelda in years. Impa believed that was part of Zelda’s plan to stop Ganon. She told Link about how she ordered Ganondorf to lay low for now, and that he did go back to Gerudo Valley for the meantime until she could devise a plan and how she wanted Link to do the same. Link nodded, understanding how important this was. Impa then left, promising Link that she would get in touch with him when she had a plan that she knew would work.

Link untied Epona from her post and hopped on her, riding her back to the farm. On the way back, he looked at the castle. It seemed so dark now, compared to when he first would visit Castle Town. When he visited while making his delivery, the people in town seemed more sullen and depressed. Link shook the thoughts out, focusing on getting back to the farm; however, his eyes turned to a forest. Link had passed by the forest hundreds of times, but for some reason the forest seemed to call to him. As he edged Epona closer to the entrance, she refused to go any farther. Link tied her to a nearby post and walked in deeper. Following a well walked path led him to a bridge. Crossing the bridge, Link felt like he had been here before, but he knew he hadn’t. It looked like it was once a small village, but it was long abandoned. Despite it being abandoned, Link could almost see the ghosts of the villagers going about their routines. A kid trying to lift a rock, a little girl sitting on a roof. Link found himself in front of a tree house. He climbed up the ladder and found himself inside a small house. There was a bed, a table, and a small sink. He found a name carved into the wall and nearly lost his breath when he read the name carved into it.

“Link?”

He jumped at the sound of his name and turned around to see who said it. He didn’t see a person but instead saw a glowing blue ball of light with wings. Link tilted his head, confused. He wanted to ask it questions but it flew off without saying another word. Suddenly Link felt a tear fall down his face, recalling something he didn’t know he remembered.

“...Navi?”

Chapter Text

Ganondorf sat in his favorite chair, looking out at the valley from his chambers. Hyrule castle was in the distance, still enveloped in shadows. He took a final sip of his wine from his chalice, threw on a cloak, and headed out of the palace into the valley. It wasn’t as glamorous as some of the other villages in Hyrule, but it was his home. He gave a nod to some fellow Gerudos as he lowered his head to not hit it on the entryway to the Gerudo bookstore. The shopkeeper got stiff with fear as he entered, which made Ganondorf shake his head slightly. He extended his hand and lowered it, telling the Shopkeep not to panic as he entered. The shopkeep let out a sigh of relief as she sat back down. Ganondorf browsed the books available, searching for books on Hyrule’s history. He came across a green book and pulled it out. The cover of the book had a circle and inside the circle, dead center, was the Triforce. There was a symbol on each side representing the elements of the triforce, the empty space between each element having an almost spider-web pattern to it. Ganondorf carried this book, along with a few others, to the shopkeep as he was ready to check out.

“Oh, don’t worry about payment, my prince, you way take as many books as you wish!”

Ganondorf shook his head. “Nonsense, as a resident of the valley I’m obligated to pay for my things as anyone else would.”

The shopkeep tapped her hand on her other hand in a nervous way, but eventually gave Ganondorf the total, which he gladly paid. With a smile and small nod Ganondorf left the bookstore and made his way into the market. As he looked through the various stalls, each owner would be frightened at first before letting their guards down, usually at Ganondorf’s request. His father ruled the Gerudo with fear, something Ganondorf wanted to avoid. He preferred to view his people as, well, people instead of just subjects and pawns as his father did.

His father.

Ganondorf paused for a moment, just outside one of the stalls as his thoughts lingered on his father. Ganondorf IV was a cruel man, but also very powerful. It was his actions that caused the Gerudo to be condemned to their desert valley. He had tried to stage a coup on Hyrule Castle, a plan that ultimately failed. The fact that King Harkinian trusted Ganondorf enough to be his daughter’s personal bodyguard was a surprise, but the more Ganondorf got to know him, the more clear The King’s actions were. The King could sense from his appearance at the castle that Ganondorf IV must have sent his son to spy on the royal family and so he placed Ganondorf V in a position where he would be heavily monitored. Luckily for the King, Ganondorf had no intentions of telling his father anything, especially not any secrets, which Ganondorf IV resented. When Ganondorf returned to the valley after the King’s death, Ganondorf IV was furious at his son for not divulging the secrets of Hyrule, especially since it would have been the perfect time to strike. Ganondorf wouldn’t do that to his Zelda.

His Zelda.

His thoughts drifted back to the Queen who stole his heart. If anyone could fend off a corrupting darkness it was her. Although it had been weeks since Link informed him of Zelda’s condition, Ganondorf still kept that hope within him. He had to. He hated to think of what the alternative would be. He hated that he couldn’t act to go and rescue Zelda, but it was hard to move quietly now that he was the temporary ruler of the Gerudo. His father had gotten ill since his visit with Impa in the village, the timing of which was impeccable. Ganondorf was reminded of King Harkinian’s illness and the similarities were similar, but not exact. He was sure that there must be some whispers that pointed accusations at him over the two illnesses, but he didn’t care. All Ganondorf wanted was for Zelda’s light to be restored.

After clearing his head, Ganondorf purchased some fruits and wines from the market and headed back to the palace. He waved at a few of the Gerudo he passed and entered the palace. He stopped by his father’s chambers, asking the nurse for any reports on his father, to which the nurse informed him that his father was not getting any better. Ganondorf nodded and put his hand on her shoulder, assuring her that she was doing a great job. Afterwards he went back to his chambers and placed his fruit on the table next to his chair. He popped open the wine bottle and poured some of it into his chalice. Taking the greenbook out of his bag he placed it on the table as well and removed his cloak, hanging it on a rack by his bed. He sat in his chair and let out a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment before taking a sip of his wine and grabbing the book off his table.

Upon opening the book, Ganondorf was shocked at the illustration within, which was a figure that looked quite a bit like Link fighting what looked to be a half-boar half-man. He looked closer at the boar, then turned his head to look at the painting of the brunette princess that he bought from the village a week ago, since he couldn’t get the image out of his mind. The head that the princess was holding and the boar in the book looked nearly identical. He continued reading the book, Learning more and more about Hyrule’s history. The names Link and Zelda came up many times in the text, Link being heralded as a hero every time. The writer of the book theorizing that each Link and Zelda were a reincarnation of the past one. Continuing into the book Ganondorf found a chapter on the Triforce. Reading the word made his hand itch and after giving it a quick scratch, he continued reading.

There are three parts of the Triforce, Wisdom, Power, and Courage. In the past, two parts always found themselves in legendary heroes, Courage going to the hero called Link, Wisdom going to the Princess named Zelda. Reading the word Courage caused Ganondorf’s hand to feel like it was burning, causing him to hold it until the burning feeling went away. Afterwards Ganondorf continued reading to learn about the third Triforce piece, the Triforce of Power. The Triforce of Power was often held by the demon king Ganon, who had taken many forms in the past, including the Gerudo king Ganondor-

Ganondorf closed the book and shut his eyes, refusing to believe what he had just read. He knew he came from a line of vicious kings, but his ancestor being the wielder of the Triforce of power? And the reincarnation of the Demon King? It was too much. He was about to toss the book across the room, but after taking a glance at his hand opened the book back to the page on the Triforce. The piece that was highlighted on his hand wasn’t the one for power, but the one for courage. Something clicked in his head as he quickly rushed for his bag, nearly tripping over his table in the process. After steading his table he opened his back and took out a small painting of Zelda that she gave him. Looking at her hand he saw the highlight and he froze. Zelda was cursed with the Triforce of Power.

Ganondorf looked toward the shadowed castle and grabbed the book off the table, skimming through it in hopes of finding a passage to help him, but to no avail. There was no precedent for the princess to have the Triforce of power. Ganondorf closed the book, and went to draw himself a bath to relax, after these revelations he felt as if he needed one. After the water heated up and filled the tub, Ganondorf stripped down and stepped into the tub, the pent up stress releasing from his body. Ganondorf closed his eyes to relax, slowly drifting off to sleep.

“Hey!”

Ganondorf grumbled and opened his eyes. His younger sister Riju was sitting in a chair next to him. Ganondorf rubbed his eyes, feeling the stress slowly return to him as he saw his sister holding the green book. “Yes, dear sister?”

“Perda told me that you bought some books from her store, what’s up with this one?”

“It’s a book on Hyrule’s history, it would do you good to learn some of its contents.”

“Yeah, I ain’t buying that. This is a book on the Triforce isn’t it?”

Ganondorf sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Yes, it is a book on the Triforce. I’ve been researching my birthmark. Anything else?”

“Maybe.”

“Well?”

“According to this book you have the Triforce of Courage, yeah?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re trying to save the Queen right?”

“Yes.”

“Why not look for the Master sword?”

“The what?”

Riju took out a blue book and skimmed the pages until she landed on a detailed illustration of a sword with a blue hilt. She showed the page to her brother. “See, it says that a hero with enough courage can wield this sword to banish the demon king. Don’t you think that fits your description to a tee?”

Ganondorf had never thought of himself as a hero given his position in life, however, He had been feeling antsy waiting around for a sign that Zelda was ready to be rescued. Ganondorf gave his sister a smile and a nod. Riju left the room as Ganondorf got up and wrapped a towel around himself. After entering his chambers, He put on his pants and a light tunic. After throwing on a cloak he lowered the hood and packed a bag full of bread, fruit, a couple potions, and the green and blue books. He attached his sword sheath to his belt and put his sword inside. After exiting the palace he went to the stables and hopped on his horse, leaving the valley and using the blue book as a map to find the master sword.

Clicking heels echoed throughout the empty castle. The Queen, or rather, the shell of the Queen moved throughout the castle. She had just seen the Gerudo prince leave the valley, headed straight for the Lost Woods. She knew where he was going, he was going to try and find the legendary sword. She could almost laugh at his meager attempt at chasing a fairytale. She paused, sensing another presence in the castle with her. “Oh Impa.” She condescending called out, voice distorted by the being possessing her. “I know you’re here.” Suddenly, the Sheikah appeared out of thin air, dropping her disguise. She stabbed the demon masquerading as a queen. The Queen looked at her hand and let out a laugh. A loud menacing laugh. “You’re the bravest Impa so far, but also the most foolish.” The queen takes the sword out of her hand and stabs the Sheikah through the chest with it. She carries the injured Sheikah to the dungeons and throws her in a cell, removing the sword from her chest and ordering a moblin to bandage the Sheikah, for she will be the perfect bait for the other two “heroes”. Deep inside, Zelda wept.

Chapter Text

Ganondorf, following the map shown in the book, approached the entrance to a forest. He looked up from the book and saw Epona, hitched to a post. He looked towards the forest and back at Epona. Link must have been here, he thought to himself. He tried getting his own horse to go ahead, but the horse refused. He found another post nearby and hitched his own horse to it before taking off the bag and throwing it over his shoulder. He patted his horse before heading into the forest. He came across a bridge and as he crossed it, he swore he saw a green haired girl out of the corner of his eye, but upon turning around he found himself alone on the bridge. He turned back towards the clearing ahead, giving one last look to the bridge before continuing deeper into the forest and coming upon an abandoned village. He walked through the village, looking at the dilapidated buildings as he passed them. He came to a tree house and looked up at it for a moment before continuing through another clearing, finding himself in front of a branching path.

Ganondorf opened the blue book and looked at the notes for any indication of which way to go. There weren’t any notes other than “Trust your instincts.” He made a small, irritated grunt and put the book away. He looked at the paths laid before him and took a deep breath before sitting on the ground and closing his eyes. The world around him went still as the smell of the forest trees surrounded him. He felt a small breeze around him and upon opening his eyes, he saw the green haired girl again. He got up and called out to her, but all she did was turn and run. He chased her through the woods for several minutes and upon reaching a clearing she disappeared, however, he saw a light reflecting a pedestal. He inched closer to the pedestal and saw a sword dug into it. He opened the green book and compared the drawing to the sword. It was the master sword. As he walked towards the sword, he could feel eyes on him, but he brushed that feeling aside as he gripped the sword and pulled up. The sword slid up with ease, much to Ganondorf’s surprise. He was breathless as he wielded the sword. It felt so natural, and yet so unnatural. Time felt still as he stood in place, suddenly a red orb flew towards him.

“This is very unusual, yes, unusual indeed!”

Ganondorf blinked at the fairy. He had read about the fairies, how they used to accompany the forest children centuries ago, however, once the children ceased to be, the fairies scattered around Hyrule and went into hiding. A fairy openly talking to someone, let alone a Gerudo prince, was unheard of. Ganondorf noticed the fairy moving side to side.

“Typically the hero is of Hyrulian descent… And this is a Gerudo… Hey! What’s your name?”

“It’s Ganondorf.”

The fairy bobbed up and down in a nod and continued talking to herself.

“Not just a Gerudo but a Ganondorf as well… Very unusual… Hey! Follow me!”

The fairy took off in a hurry and Ganondorf followed as fast as he could. Suddenly the two were in the village again and blew past all the buildings into another clearing. After following the fairy through a small path, he found himself in front of a great tree. The tree had a face on it that looked wise, for a tree that is. He looked around as if he were waiting for someone when suddenly he heard a voice.

“Hmmm, Not Hyrulian and yet, you wield the master sword. Curious.”

“That’s what I said! Great Deku Tree, sir, what’s going on?”

“A great question Gide. I assume out guest would also like an answer to that question would he not?”

Ganondorf nodded and he swore he heard a chuckle come from the tree.

“Very well then. I shall tell you the tale of the triforce.

The land of Hyrule was created by three goddesses.

Faror, Goddess of Courage.

Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom.

And Din, Goddess of Power.

Together, the three helped form the land of Hyrule out of the chaos that once existed. After creating the land, the three goddesses went back to their heavens, however, to help maintain the order they created they left the goddess Hylia with the Triforce, the combination of the three goddesses' power. To ensure the power would never be misused the triforce’s power would be split amongst three beings.

And so, the cycle began. Wisdom went to the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, Princess Zelda. Courage went to her champion, usually a Hylian named Link. Power would find itself in the hands of many villains over the years but prominently it would be used by the demon king Ganon.

That is how it always has been, until now.

Something has upset the balance of the Triforce and you, Ganondorf V are the wielder of the Triforce of Courage. Your friends Link and Zelda have Wisdom and Power, respectively.

You must find a way to fix this balance before it’s too late, Ganondorf.”

Ganondorf was silent. He took in the information he was told and was processing it all. He was meant to be the wielder of Power? He didn’t want to lead however, was his good nature the reason why everything messed up?

Would fixing this mess mean that he would become the villain once more?

Would becoming the villain save his Zelda?

His Zelda.

Ganondorf nodded at the tree. “I will do my best.”

He turned to walk away and heard the tree say one more thing.

“Do take Gide with you. She can be quite helpful, when she wants to be of course.”

The red orb floated towards him and was moving up and down.

“Hey! Let’s go save Hyrule!”

--

Link followed the blue orb into a cave. The cave was dim, but the lack of lighting made it easier to follow the fairy through the cave. He didn’t know how he was able to recall the name of the fairy, but once he remembered the name, he got warm inside. He reached a dead end to the cave and a light illuminated the walls. He saw drawings on the wall. Drawings that looked like him, fighting various enemies. His eyes went to a drawing that looked like he was fighting a Gerudo. He touched the drawing and suddenly his hand started burning. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes due to the pain. When he opened them again he was standing inside of a dark castle. A cold chill went down his spine as he made his way down a long, dark hallway. Dust made the air thick, so thick that Link could barely breathe. He found a door cracked open with light coming out of it. He rushed to the door and looked inside.

There was a Hylian in green fighting a Gerudo. The Hylian jumped back as the Gerudo swung his sword in a wide, horizontal slash. The Hylian then responded with a quick slash on his own, which was blocked by the Gerudo’s sword. The swords clashed, each block making a loud “clank” before, eventually, the Hylian managed to pierce the Gerudo’s skin. The Gerudo looked down at the wound, touching the wet, red liquid that started oozing out. He looked at the Hylian and snarled before clenching his fists and screaming in pain. The snapping of bones could be heard as the Gerudo’s body started becoming twisted and distorted before eventually showing the Gerudo’s true form. The Boar King Ganon. A snorting laughter could be heard from the king as he swung his giant sword at the Hylian. The Hylian barely managed to leap out of the way in time. The exhaustion from the battle was shown on his face as he looked up at the beast. The Hylian gritted his teeth and charged at the beast, only to be swatted away like a fly. The Hylian hit a wall with a loud “thud” and laid limply on the ground. The beast started making his way towards him before he was pierced through the heart by a beam of light. More beams followed as the beast turned his head towards the direction of the beams. A brunette woman in a purple dress was looking down from the balcony of the room, a bow in her hand. A frown was on her face as she watched the beast fall. She leapt off the balcony and went to check on the Hylian. He was dead. She cradled his lifeless body in her arms, a single tear falling down her face. Anger took over her as she silently grabbed the Hylian’s sword and went over to the beast. She took the sword and plunged it down into the beast’s neck. She sliced downwards, cutting through the cartilage and after a few cuts, decapitated the beast. She held his head in one hand, the sword in the other. She turned towards a door that led to the outside balcony and walked outside, lifting the beast’s head for the entire kingdom to see.

Link blinked and found himself back in the cave. He took his hand off the drawing and turned to face the fairy that was hovering near him. A tear was falling down his face. The fairy came close and wiped the tear from his cheek. He stood there, speechless. He was still comprehending what he had witnessed. A vision of the past? Or was it a warning for the future? As he stood there contemplating, the fairy spoke up.

“You are a Link, aren’t you?”

He nodded.

“Then you need to start acting like one. You need to jump into action and save her!”

“But that’s not me!” Link snapped back.

“I’m not the other Links I don’t… I don’t have the courage to just go on an adventure!”

“So you are not the hero of this era?”

“...I’m afraid not.”

“A shame, truly.”

The fairy flew out of the cave through the light opening. Link fell to the ground on his hands and knees. He balled his hand into a fist and slammed it into the ground. Tears started falling from his eyes. He felt as if he had already let everyone down. Zelda would be lost forever and Ganondorf would surely meet some unfortunate fate, all because he didn’t have the courage.

“You didn’t think I’d let you off that easily did you?”

Link looked up and saw the fairy floating in front of him.

“Pick yourself up, you can throw yourself a pity party after we help save the queen.”

Link nodded and got off the cave floor. He felt a surge of energy flow through him, as if he had found the confidence he was lacking. He followed the fairy out of the cave and through the village. As walked towards Epona, he noticed Ganondorf’s horse tied to a nearby post. Knowing that the two of them were working towards helping Zelda was reassuring. As he united Epona from the post he looked towards the morning sun rising. A smile went across his face as he rode Epona in the direction the fairy had told him to go.

“It’s good to have you back, Link.” Navi said quietly to herself.

--

The Queen sat on her bed, holding her hand. The demon had left her alone for the time being, no doubt as a way of torture as she was only left with the thoughts of how the demon had used her hands to harm ones she loved. The anguish she felt could crush anyone, but she wasn’t just anyone.

She was Queen Zelda.

She looked out of the window to her bedroom and saw a black horse with a large man on it racing across the fields of Hyrule. A small smile came across her face as she involuntarily let out a whisper.

“Please be safe, Ganondorf. I need you.”