Preface: This was my first Legend of Zelda story, originally written in 2005.  If you don’t recognize some of the characters or places, it is because this story takes place about fifty to sixty years following Ocarina of Time.  Some of the current sages are descendants of the sages of the Ocarina era.  The story was originally written in movie script format, but it has since been modified into normal book form.  Since I wasn’t as accomplished a writer when I wrote this story, the speech might not be what you expect of medieval Hyrule.  I modified some of the dialogue, but not to the point where the story would lose its raw character.  It is an emotionally charged account of war, alliances, and human interaction during time of physical and emotional strain.

 

 

 

Chapter 1: Ganondorf Returns at Sandtopolis

According to the legend passed down by the generations of peoples of Hyrule, there was a hero who always seemed to triumph over the evils of the realm. Never was this more true decades ago.  In the year 1998, a young boy named Link single-handedly destroyed the evil Ganon and restored peace to the land of Hyrule. Despite Link's leaving the land a few years later, the land of Hyrule entered a period of peace and prosperity unlike any other in its history. Well, until recently that is.  Within the last few years, the land of Hyrule had experienced numerous attacks at the hands of raiders, invaders, and other evildoers who were believed to be gerudos associated with the evil Ganondorf. The people of Hyrule believed that the hero would return before long.

”We’re cleaning house!” Ganondorf shouted.  “Natasia, round up the troops, we're going in!”

“Yes sir.” Natasia replied. 

Ganondorf had been waiting for this moment for a long time.  For fifty long years he had waited for the seal on the sacred realm to be broken.  A combination of dark magic from a wish and a reversal of ancient Hyrulian psychic energy had set him free.  He looked back toward Natasia, the sage of Spirit and his second in command.  She was strong-willed and stout as she barked orders to members of the Gerudo military.  Ganondorf was glad to have her, for the campaign was going well.  The Gerudos had been making guerilla-like attacks on various locations for about a year and a half. Everyone in Hyrule was getting worried a bit about Ganondorf's re-emergence. However, that was nothing compared to what the small town of Sandtopolis was about to feel. Located along the northwest banks of Lake Hylia at the mouth of Zora's River, Sandtopolis was the major port of Hyrule, but wasn't a huge city like Hyrule Castle Town. This made it a perfect target for the gerudo attackers.

The attack began on the morning of March 29, 2057. The gerudos cut off the river in a spot north of the river, making sure no reinforcement from the north would be able to re-supply the city. Then the gerudos headed into the city on horseback.  Very skilled in the ways of the horse, a gerudo on horseback meant bad news for anybody on the other side of the fight. The civilians of Sandtopolis, up and in the streets trading, buying things, etc, were caught off guard by the attack. Within minutes, many villagers were trampled, blood was flowing in the streets, and buildings were on fire. The gerudo archers supplementing the horseback attack did an especially nasty job, picking off citizens of Sandtopolis from long distances away with their bows and arrows. Most hit by these arrows collapsed in a heap, dead.  Once a sizeable amount of people were either dead or injured, Natasia declared the city to be in Gerudo possession and ordered the remainder of the citizens in the square to get on their knees and beg for mercy. This is when Ganondorf made his entrance into the town from the north gate. The people of Sandtopolis, certainly scared before, were absolutely stone-cold when Ganondorf became visible.

”Good job my gerudo warriors. Take them, all of them!” Ganondorf yelled.  “We need as many followers as we can! Go.”

Within the next few minutes, a mass enslavement began, as the gerudos swarmed the city, putting people into chains and dragging them out of the city north toward Gerudo Valley. Most of the people, given the demoralizing circumstances just gave up without a fight, not knowing what awaited them on the road ahead. They knew that massive trouble was present, and they could only pray for the hero's return.

 

 

 

Chapter 2: The Battle of Gerudo Valley

Back at Hyrule Castle, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule was enjoying his morning tea and milk.  He was about to be briefed by the royal family’s main attendant, Impa.

 

“What is the news from Sandtopolis?” the King asked.

Impa responded, “They've been taken out. The Gerudos have invaded the city, killed many and taken the men in the square into slavery sir.”

”So that's it. Send word to the Knights at Lon Lon Ranch, they are to attack Gerudo Valley and free the men taken at Sandtopolis.”

Impa begged the King to reconsider.  “There's more to it than that.”

“Get going!” the King yelled.

“But your majesty...”

Daphnes Hyrule gave Impa a look of pure anger. “I gave you an order, now go before I decide to take you into personal contempt!” 

Impa was resigned. “Yes, sir.”

What Impa was going to tell Daphnes Hyrule is that Ganondorf had returned and that an attack on Gerudo Valley would be a suicide mission and none would survive on the Gerudos’ home desert sand. It was a lose-lose situation, but he would not listen. Impa sent out the word to the Hylian Knights stationed at Lon Lon Ranch, who then promptly made a 2-day ride on horseback down the 50 mile road to Gerudo Valley. They would enter the Valley on April 2.

Driving through the narrow cliffhanging valley leading into the Zora's River area, the Knights looked perplexed, as there were no signs of Gerudos anywhere to be found. They did see the fortress beyond the bridge, and began to cross. But then the attack from the gerudos came, from all directions! They came in on horseback from the fortress in the west and by foot from the east down some steep canyon paths, sealing an airtight trap around the Knights. Within moments, the Knights were trying to scamper back off the bridge, but for some, it was too late, as the Gerudos on both sides of the bridge cut the ropes holding the bridge. Instantly, some 20 Hylian Knights fell some 200 feet down toward Zora's River and death. The remainder of the Knights got blasted, as the Gerudos were far more skilled on horseback than the Hylians. Not only that, but their swords were far more deadly.  They knocked knights down one by one. Once on the ground, the Knights were able to gain back a bit of ground as their armor was strong enough to withstand the sharp blades of the gerudo warriors. However, sheer numbers began to wear the Hylian force down.  Reinforcements began to arrive from Gerudo Fortress.  Seeing the prospect of having to fend off a force five times bigger than his own, the first in command for the Knights had no choice but to surrender.

Ganondorf, who savored the moment, appeared late in the battle to determine the surrender punishment. He looked down upon the Hylians, whom he thought were cowards for not fighting to the death.  He decreed that every single one of the remaining Knights would, one by one, jump off of the cliff to their death. If they refused, the gerudo soldiers were ordered to behead those individuals.  In other words, it was total victory for the Gerudos and Ganondorf.  With this act of savagery, he made it known that he was on the warpath, and anybody in his way would feel the pain.

Upon hearing the news of the loss in Gerudo Valley, Daphnes Hyrule knew that the land of Hyrule was in major peril, and something had to be done.

 

 

 

Chapter 3: Anarchy in Hyrule Castle Town

With the news of the defeat at Gerudo Valley and the reemergence of Ganondorf, the entire city of Hyrule Castle Town disintegrated into a frenzied mess on April 4. The city marketplace was swamped with angry and scared crowds of people.  Prices skyrocketed as store owners preyed on scared citizens, who feared that food and other goods would become scarce during a war.  Looters preyed on the outdoor shops and stores as well.

Upheaval and unrest was in the air everywhere. The Hylian Knights on duty were unable to stop the madness on their own, which carried on well into the night.  People demanded answers from the royal family.  An embarrassed Daphnes Hyrule was forced to call an emergency summit of the sages and the representatives of honor (the king's self-appointed body of hyrulian people).

The summit meeting took place on April 7 in the meeting room of Hyrule Castle.  Daphnes Hyrule welcomed everybody.  “Welcome everybody to the Summit of Emergency. As most of you know, the land of Hyrule has experienced two tragedies within the past week.  First, the city of Sandtopolis was taken by the Gerudos, and then the Hylian Knights of Lon Lon were destroyed at Gerudo Valley. Worse yet, Ganondorf has returned to the land, so what are we to do about this? I will give each and every one of you a chance to speak, but by the end of this day, April 7, 2057, we will reach a decision on what to do as a nation to combat this threat. Now who will speak?”

Impa, the daughter of Queen Zelda, stood up.  “I will, she said firmly.

“Step forward, sage of the Shiekahs.” The king said.

”As the last in the bloodline of the shiekah, I take great pride in what my mother was able to accomplish decades ago as the sage of shadow. She, along with Link, Zelda, and the other 5 sages, were able to defeat Ganondorf. Assembled here today are the reincarnations of those great legends, the new sages, and the new heroes of the triforce. I do not see why we cannot fight this threat to the fullest. When we come together as a group of people, we truly cannot be beaten.”

Daphnes Hyrule concurred.  “Okay, that is one option. Anybody else?”
Link, the fire sage of the Gorons, stood up. “I’ll speak.”

”Step forward, sage of the gorons.”

”It has been said that force can defeat Ganondorf. But without the hero among us today, I am doubtful that we can do it alone. Decades ago, when our people tried to beat Ganondorf by ourselves, we got near extinction at the hands of the dragon Volvagia. I think trying to beat Ganondorf like Impa says is going to end in failure, which is why I propose we hide away and wait for the coming of the hero. He will come again to save us, then, that's when we will have the strength to win.”

The King considered Link’s speech.  “Okay, that is the 2nd option. Anybody else?”

Malon, the sage of light and oldest of the sages, stood up.  “I will speak.”

”Step forward, old lady of wisdom.”

”Having associated with the hero myself a long time ago, I find it very doubtful that he will ever emerge again. A person like that is legendary, a being that we can never count on to do the things he has done in previous years again. And like Link the goron says, we do not have the strength to beat Ganondorf on our own without the hero. Therefore, Ganondorf will pillage and kill until there is nothing left. We should at least be able to keep our dignity as a people and a nation.”

The King was confused.  “And how do you suggest we do that?” he asked.

 

“Your majesty, I ask this of you, that you wish upon the gods that a torrent of ocean wash over this land forever, wiping away every last remnant of Ganon!”

A disquieting hush fell over the room.  People starting murmuring to themselves, and some were in disbelief at Malon’s proposal.  Then the Zora sage of water, Laruto, stood up to speak.  “She's right.  That is the only way to protect the land from Ganon now. Without the hero, we are doomed into oblivion.”

Link could not believe what he was hearing.  “Yeah, you say that because you are a Zora and you'll survive. Meanwhile, I get drowned and destroyed just like the rest of my people! That's rock-trash!”

Laruto stayed calm.  “Your plan is flawed. You cannot beat Ganondorf. Your people failed miserably years ago trying to do just that. You should accept your fate.”

”Why you little!!!”  The massive goron rolled across the room quickly and tried to flatten Laruto, who just barely dodged the attack.  He instead hit Fado, the forest sage of the Kokiri instead.  Fado was knocked out cold by the attack.  The crowd was up in arms and started shouting like crazy.  Daphnes Hyrule summoned the Knights in the room to take Goron Link away from the room.  It took about five of them to get Link under control and out of the quarters.  Medical staff quickly attended to Fado, who eventually regained consciousness after downing a bit of red potion.  The King pounded his blade against the marble floor of the room to get the crowd to settle down.

“It is time to put our proposals to a vote.  All in favor of wishing upon the Gods to drown the land raise hands.”

A slight majority raised their hands, roughly 55% of those assembled.  Almost all the Zoras were in favor, as were a majority of the Hylians.  The Gorons were solidly against the plan, and the Kokiris were mostly against it as well.

The King raised his hands.  “Okay then that is what we will do.” He said.

His daughter the Princess, who had not spoken all meeting long, suddenly stood up to speak.  “You’re all forgetting something though.” She said.

Daphnes Hyrule wondered. “What, my dear princess?”

”We need the power of the triforce to make such a wish.”

 

 

 

Chapter 4: The Gerudos Scheme

Back in Gerudo Valley, the Gerudos had to determine what to do following their successful defense of Gerudo Valley.  They agreed that going on the offensive was a must, but just how to do it was the point of contention.

”Ladies, please come in.” Ganondorf said as his advisers entered the meeting room of Gerudo Fortress.

Natasia spoke first.  “Master Ganondorf, the battle here was a complete success. We should follow up that success immediately and kick them while they are down.”

Dragmira, the head of the weaponry guild, spoke next. “Yes, but we do not want to go and try and take over Hyrule yet. “That plan of action will get us many battles with massive armies.”

Natasia pressed.  “Dragmira, if we allow them time to prepare their armies, it will not be to our advantage. We need to hit them and hit them as soon as possible.”

Ganondorf concurred. “Natasia, I like your thinking. I really think that a follow up attack is important right now. Where do you suggest we go?”

”I would go for the jugular, and go after Hyrule Castle right now. Finish this before it gets too nasty.”

Kotarika, head of the cavalry unit of the gerudo military, was opposed.  “NO WAY!” she shouted. “Why on earth would you do that without capturing a support base first?  That’s basic strategy. What if we lose and have to retreat?”

Natasia quickly responded. “We won't ever have to retreat, we're the gerudos!  We can fight all day and all night if we have to, but we will win.”

Ganondorf wasn’t so sure.  “Natasia, with all due respect, Kotarika has a point. We can't just go and put our heads into the lion's mouth like that. We should aim to ta---“

Natasia interrupted him.  “Oh you of all people. You're the king of let's go all out at any cost even if we get killed.”

Ganondorf slammed his sword onto the table.  “You don't EVER raise your voice to me! I'm the King of the Gerudos! You don't raise your voice to me, not ever. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!!!”

”Yes, Master Ganondorf.” Natasia responded, clearly humiliated.

”Kotarika, where do you think we should attack next?” Ganondorf asked.

”Well, I don't think it should be anywhere too close to Hyrule Castle, but somewhere not terribly far away, so we can use it as a support base for the coming invasion. It's got to be somewhere with a fairly good defensive system we can fall back on if necessary.”

Natasia continued to show her disgust.  “All this talk about defense is ridiculous. Where is your backbone?”

Ganondorf had seen enough.  “That will be enough out of you. Tajria, please escort Natasia out, she is no longer needed here.”

”Yes Master Ganondorf.”  Tajria led Natasia out of the meeting quarters.

“Now, Kotarika, continue please.”

”As I was saying, we need some place that will be difficult for the enemy to drive us out of in case we get into trouble battling for the castle. You know the Knights will be out for blood, and the Zoras are always tough going across their river of death. So I suggest that we move out to the east and capture Lon Lon Ranch.”

”Eww, no way I'm going near those smelly, disgusting animals!” Dragmira said.

”You're supposed to be a warrior!” he said. “What do you care if you get messy?”

Dragmira responded. “You do realize that you are the only male within a 20 mile radius right? Consequently, Master Ganondorf, you are the only one who doesn't care about their appearance. It happens to be quite important to me.”

”Fine then,” Ganondorf responded.  “You'll command the rear flank. Kotarika, how do we go about attacking Lon Lon Ranch?”

Kotarika laid out the plan “Well, we have a horseback unit ride at the front, and the first unit will carry bombs and bombchus. They will take down the west wall of Lon Lon. You know that bombchus are very effective going up walls like those in Lon Lon. Then, once the wall is down, you'll shoot an energy beam high into the sky, letting those inside know that they surrender or die. If they make any hostile moves toward us, then the horse unit will charge ahead and trample the opposition, followed by the sword infantry unit. They will take down any survivors. What do you think about that Master Ganondorf?”

”I must say, it sounds very, intriguing. BRILLIANT!! It's more evil than any plan I could have come up with myself. Only one problem though, once we break down the wall, how do we rebuild it once we take over Lon Lon.”

Dragmira responded.  “That's easy, use the power of the triforce.”

Ganondorf froze.

 

 

Chapter 5: Princess Tears and Zora Sapphires

While the Gerudos were thinking attack and waging war, the Hylians were plotting a scheme to take control of the triforce. According to Hyrulian lore, one who acquires the three spiritual stones; the Kokiri Emerald, the Goron Ruby, and the Zora Sapphire, and lays them at the front of the door of time can access the sacred realm by playing the Song of Time with the Ocarina of Time, a sacred instrument of the Hyrulian Royal Family.  This would open the Door of Time.  Beyond the Door of Time lay the master sword, the sword of evil’s bane.   The King’s daughter already had the Ocarina of Time in her possession; it was simply a case of obtaining the spiritual stones.

It was a beautiful spring day at Hyrule Castle.  The King and his daughter, Princess Zelda the 2^nd, discussed the triforce, the sacred triangles of Hyrule.  The one who possessed the triforce could wish for whatever he or she desired, and it would be granted.

Daphnes Hyrule spoke first.  “We need the triforce to wish upon the goddesses. Where is the triforce now?”

Zelda spoke.  “Well, after the hero left, the triforce of courage resonated and left him.  Nobody is quite sure of its whereabouts. Some claim that it has been passed down, but since there was nobody known to be in his bloodline, I doubt that happened. Our best bet is that it lies in the temple of light inside the sacred realm.”

”And the other two pieces?”

 

“The same spot. My grandmother (Princess Zelda the 1^st) selflessly gave up the triforce of wisdom piece upon her death, and restored it to the sacred realm. As for the triforce of power, in attempting to escape from the sacred realm 20 years ago, Ganondorf attempted to use the triforce to escape, a huge no-no inside the sacred realm. The power of wish reflected right back onto him, causing him to lose the triforce of power. That's what the legend says.”

Daphnes Hyrule was intrigued.”  So you are saying if we go into the Temple of Time, we should be able to pull the master sword and get the triforce?”

”Yes,” the Princess said.  “However, it is a very treacherous mission.”

”Yes it is,” the King replied.  “Your grandmother and the hero nearly doomed the entire land of Hyrule sixty years ago, because Ganondorf got inside the sacred realm when Link got sealed away by the master sword.”

 

According to Hyrulian legend, only a pure-hearted individual strong enough to confront Hyrule’s evils could wield the Master Sword.  The sword had judged the Hero of Time to be too young when he pulled the sword, so he was sealed away in the sacred realm until such time he was judged to be old enough to wield it.

”That's true, but that wasn't what I was going to say.” Zelda said.  “There's another problem.”

”What?” the King asked.

”Why do you want to destroy Hyrule and its people?”

There was an extremely long pause, lasting several minutes.  The King clearly wanted to duck the question, but Zelda’s curiosity made this impossible.  At last he came out with an answer.

”Because there's no hope for this land anymore.” He said.

Zelda was stunned. “You can't seriously mean that...”

”Without the hero, we're doomed.” The King said.

Zelda started to cry.  “Yes, I'm sure giving up and mass murdering all of our people is the way to go. How can you think of doing something so horrible?”  She ran from the room.

 
The King was speechless.

Another day passed.  The plan was to gather the three spiritual stones so they could open the temple of time and attempt to obtain the triforce, which was believed to have been reformed as three triangles by 2057. Daphnes and his royal entourage went first to Zora's Domain to engage in talks with the Zoras.  He started there because he figured that they would be the easiest sell, seeing as they would survive the drowning by the Great Sea anyway. Princess Zelda would not be accompanying him on the journey, as she was still upset at her father.

It was very warm and humid inside Zora’s Domain, a cavern of rock carved out by Zora’s Fountain, the source of Zora’s River.  The sage of water and leader of the Zoras, Laruto, welcomed the King and his men.  They started to talk, but before long Laruto jumped into the open waters of the domain with the other zoras, and instructed the king and his men to do the same.

”Do I really have to jump in Laruto?” the King asked.

Laruto responded.  “It's zora policy.  For any talks to be official, they must be conducted in the waters of the domain.”

Not wanting to disregard the traditions of his greatest ally, the King complied. He removed some of his heavier clothing and leaped into the water.  Many of the other hylians followed.

”Now, what is it that you want from us?” Laruto asked.

”We need the spiritual stone.” The King responded.

“Why?”

The King went into a protracted tirade about needing the triforce to make the wish to drown Hyrule, and thus needing to pull the master sword, and thus needing to obtain the spiritual stones.  It was virtually a re-hashing of the old Hyrulian legend, repeated during the Ocarina years.

Laruto understood completely.  “We're on your side all the way.  You can have it, but only if you'll promise us one thing.”

”What?”

You need to guarantee that once Hyrule is officially drowned, the Zoras will become the rulers of the new Great Sea order.” Laruto said.

The King did not object.  “That will be granted, and that is a promise from the King.”

”Well, then, the deal is done. I'll be back.”  Laruto climbed out and left the pool area.  Several minutes later she appeared atop the waterfall high above the pool.  She raised the Zora Sapphire above her head.  It gave off a shiny blue light that echoed throughout the domain.  Then she dove off the waterfall high above making a splashy entrance at the bottom. She gave the stone to the King.  “I wish you luck in obtaining the Goron Ruby. They did not seem too happy with our plan...”

The King agreed.  “I know. They are going to be a tough negotiation.  I won't hesitate to use force if the situation becomes critical.”

”Be careful if you do.” Laruto warned. “A goron fearing for his life will roll and roll like there's no tomorrow. There's no telling what it might do.”

 

 

 

Chapter 6: Lon Lon Ranch Falls

The gerudos did not realize it at the time, but they could have attacked Hyrule Castle on April 16, and they probably would have won and taken Hyrule Castle and taken control of the Hyrulian government without much of a fight.  There were two reasons for this.

1. Daphnes Hyrule was on his way to Goron City, and with him were about 400 Hylian Knights, about half of the remaining force of Knights in Hyrule.  The Knights were there because of concerns about a potential battle to come in Goron City for control of the Goron Ruby, the 2^nd spiritual stone. This left Hyrule Castle Town open to a large degree, despite the presence of about 400 more Hylian Knights and the Zora force guarding the entrance into town over Zora’s River.

2. The hero of legend was not there to stop them, and Princess Zelda was in charge of interim governing duties with the King out of town.  She could have been caught by such an invasion.

Alas, the gerudos had no way of knowing these things, and their plan for attacking Lon Lon Ranch was in full force, so they could not back out without an order from Ganondorf. He had no intention of giving such an order, so on the morning of April 16, the attack on Lon Lon Ranch began.

The Gerudos were crafty, they stayed the previous night camped out in Hyrule Field right up against the wall they were going to attack the next morning. They waited that morning until they heard a bunch of horse noises coming from beyond the wall at around 07:00. It was at this moment that they set off the bombchus, about 50 of them sent up and over the wall. With the massive explosions and horse screams that came about 30 seconds later, they started cracking their spears and blades, and bombs against the wall. It took a long while, but thanks to some of Ganondorf’s energy beams, the west wall eventually broke apart and crumbled. Ganondorf then threw a warning shot into the air as planned. But he was surprised to see no hylians anywhere in sight.

In fact, the ranch was completely abandoned with the exception of a few animals left behind.  Zelda, at Malon's urging, had the ranch evacuated on April 11, a week after the Hyrulian loss at Gerudo Valley.  She was afraid of a possible gerudo invasion into western and central Hyrule Field, which was exactly what happened. The fact that there were no hylians to be found irked Ganondorf a bit, but he also knew that the Hylians as a whole were afraid, very afraid. But, he was also concerned that they might be planning to set a trap of some sort, similar to the trap the Gerudos had set for the Hylians in the Battle of Gerudo Valley.  Northern Hyrule Field, between Hyrule Castle Town and Lon Lon Ranch particularly worried him.  There were many underground tunnels and secret passageways beneath the vast grassland that could be used as potential booby traps or secret hiding spots for Hylian troops. It was for this reason that Ganondorf halted the Gerudos inside the ranch and told everybody to rest up while they plotted their next course of action.

On that same exact day, April 16, Daphnes Hyrule and his entourage reached Goron City. They planned to meet with the Gorons and hopefully strike a deal by which they could get the Goron Ruby. Given their opposition to the drowning plan at the emergency summit on April 7, it was a long shot, but the King was confident.

Unbeknownst to Daphnes Hyrule, his daughter was not really back in Hyrule Castle Town conducting government tasks at all.  She was actually on her way, alone, across Hyrule Field to Kokiri Forest. Already sure that the Zoras would give up their spiritual stone, she set out to convince the more unsure Kokiris not to give up theirs. The King hardly knew it, but he was about to butt heads with his own daughter.

 

 

 

Chapter 7: Fire on Death Mountain

It was a cold, chilly spring day high up Death Mountain as Daphnes Hyrule and his band of soldiers and workers made their way into Goron City. They were to meet with Link and the Goron council inside the city on April 16, 2057, the same day as the Gerudo attack on Lon Lon Ranch.

”Welcome everybody to Goron City.” Link said.  “And now, let the meeting of the Hylians and Gorons commence. Daphnes Hyrule, King of the land of Hyrule, I bid you please.”  He beckoned to the King to sit in a well crafted chair made of rock.  Everything in the city was made of rock.  Heck, the gorons even ate rocks as their primary food.  They were a race of people directly tied into the volcanic landscape of Death Mountain.

”Thank you very much,” the King said.  “We have come with big news. We are on a search for the triforce. We must obtain the triforce in order to complete our task. But to obtain the triforce, we need your support.”

”What do you need from us?” Link asked.

”We need the Goron Ruby.”

Link was ready to dismiss the pleasantries.  “Uh, let’s see here, why would you need our sacred stone?  Oh yeah, to get inside the sacred realm to obtain the triforce. But what are you going to do with the triforce?”  This question was mostly in jest, for Link already knew the answer.

”That's what I have come to discuss with you,” the King responded.  “We have entered into a plan to destroy Ganondorf and his minions once and for all, by wishing upon the goddesses of Hyrule to drown this land in a giant ocean.  The Zoras are already on our side as they have presented us with the Zora Sapphire.  He showed Link the glowing blue spiritual stone.  Within seconds several gorons tried to grab it out of King’s hands, presumably to eat it, but Link’s security force dealt with the unruly gorons and escorted them out of the room.

Oblivious to the stupidity of his fellow gorons, Link beared down on the King.  “Are you out of your mind?!” he yelled.

”It sounds crazy on the surface. But just listen.” The King pleaded.

”No Buts!” Link yelled. “You know full well that Gorons cannot swim or breathe underwater.  You're going to kill every one of us! You can't do this!”  The room began to rumble as the other Gorons started to show their anger.

”Look, you must understand.” The King said. “The land of Hyrule is doomed. We have no chance without the hero…”

Link interrupted the King.  “What in the bloody heck are you talking about?! The hero will return. He always does, and when he does we will beat Ganondorf again.  You just wait, the hero has come before, and he’ll be back again!”

”We cannot make that assumption.” Daphnes Hyrule pleaded. “The last time your race tried to stop Ganondorf, you all almost got fed to the dragon Volvagia. The fact that you people would even try to face Ganondorf again, at a time when he has his mind on revenge, is ludicrous.”  Link became visibly red-faced as the King continued to speak. “You must realize that this is our only choice, and you must accept it.”

”I don't have to accept anything you say.” Link said.

”You're under my power as the King!”

”As the ruler of the Goron race and the Sage of Fire, I cannot allow our entire race to simply perish! You are trying to kill us all!” He rose from his throne.  “You're just like your father, the one who almost let us starve to death while Dodongo's Cavern was enclosed. What has the Royal Family ever done for us?! Nothing! You make me sick Daphnes Hyrule, absolutely sick! What you are doing will kill all of your own people too. Whose side are on you on?”

”The Hylians and Zoras have decided to freely accept their destiny!” The King yelled, his patience running thin.

”You've had those people in your back pocket since day 1.  The way you're trying to intimidate me, its no wonder why they're prepared to die!” Link screamed.

The King got up.  “You raise your voice to me again and I'll...”

”You'll what?” Link got right into the King’s face as hylians and gorons both ran toward the King and the Goron leader, worried that things might get physical.  The King said nothing, and Link spoke again.  “That's right you won't do anything. Now if you don't take your sorry butt out of my city before I count to 10, you're going to find out what a Goron Punch feels like. And if any one of your merry men decides to try and steal the Goron Ruby from my domain, I swear to Din, they will never see the light of day again. Do you understand me?”

”You're being ridicul---“

”DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!!!”
The King had seen enough.  “Knights, move out!”  He turned back around to Link.  “Goron Link, this is not over. You are as much a resident in this land, my land, as anybody else.  You will fit in with our plans, whether you decide to yourself or not.  It's either the easy way, or the hard way, and you just chose the hard way my friend. Hylians, move out!”

The King had to revert to plan B.  Meanwhile, another meeting was going on, deep in the green of Kokiri Forest...

 

Chapter 8, Zelda Schemes, Daphnes Sneaks

 

About 150 miles to the southeast of Death Mountain, it was a beautiful day in Kokiri Forest, a small village within the luscious green landscape of the Lost Woods.  Princess Zelda had traveled here on horseback in order to meet with Fado, the sage of Forest, and Saria, the leader of the Kokiri government.  The two acted essentially as King and Queen of Kokiri Forest.  Saria, along with Malon, was one of the few sages of the Ocarina years still living in 2057.  Due to the fact that members of the Kokiri race never age while inside Kokiri Forest, Saria still carried much the same appearance as she did sixty years earlier.  She met Zelda at the wooden bridge at the Hyrule Field-Kokiri Forest border.

”Princess Zelda, welcome, we have been expecting you.” Saria said.  “Fado is waiting in the Deku Tree Meadow.”

Zelda trotted into Kokiri Forest on her white horse, accompanied by a bunch of Kokiris. The Kokiri Forest village area was largely unchanged from the Ocarina years.  There were four houses on each side of the greenspace in the center, with a stream running down the center of the greenspace.  At the back end of the village was a narrow passageway that led to a wide open grassland where the Deku Tree stood tall.  In front of the dead Deku Tree was the smaller, yet livelier Deku Tree Sprout, the guardian spirit of Kokiri Forest.  Fado was sitting in the grass in front of the Sprout.  He stood up.

”Welcome Princess.” Fado said.  “Feel free to sit in the wood chair.”

”Thank you very much Fado.” Zelda said.

Fado spoke. “What brings you to Kokiri Forest?”

”There is tension brewing in the land.” Zelda said.

”Yes, with Ganondorf returning, its a very harsh time.” Fado nodded in agreement.

Zelda’s face was still concerned.  “Well, there's that, and then there's my father.”

”What about him?” Fado asked.

Zelda explained.  “He wants to destroy the land of Hyrule in order to stop Ganondorf.  This means killing off every living thing in the kingdom.  I think he's out of his mind and we have to stop him.”

Fado felt helpless.  “What are we supposed to do? I mean, us Kokiris, we're pretty isolated from everything here. Even Ganondorf really doesn't mind us too much.”

Saria chimed in.  “Back in the Ocarina area, he unleashed some of his minions into the forest, but that was because the Deku Tree had died years before and couldn't protect us. Now as you can see, the Deku Tree Sprout has grown quite massively. It will protect us.  Even though it has never had to do so in the past, I am confident in its abilities.

”Well Saria, I'm not sure about that.” Zelda said.  Didn’t Ganondorf inflict a deadly curse upon the Deku Tree that caused it to shrivel up and die?”

 

“We never really figured out why the Deku Tree died.  I cannot recall that happening.”

Fado spoke.  “I don’t think we are served well either by the King’s plan or by Ganondorf taking over the kingdom.  We’re stuck in the middle.”

 

“This is exactly my point.” Zelda said.  “The way to avoid a watery fate is to refuse to give up the Kokiri Emerald.  My father is attempting to make a wish to the goddesses of Hyrule that will drown the kingdom so that Ganondorf cannot rule it.  To wish to the goddesses, one needs to possess the triforce. As I'm sure both of you know, the triforce is found inside the Sacred Realm, which is only accessible from the Temple of Time. To get past the Door of Time, you need the three spiritual stones, one of which, the Kokiri Emerald, you possess.”

”That is true.” Fado said.

 

“My father is already searching around Hyrule for the spiritual stones. In all likelihood the Zoras have given theirs up.  The Gorons probably did not, but in case they did or my father took it by force, you must protect your spiritual stone.  If that means you must fight the King’s forces, then you must do so.  We must not let my father get the three spiritual stones and get his hands on the triforce, or we are doomed!”

 

“We cannot possibly fight.” Fado said.  “We’re too small and too peaceful.”

”Fado, she has a point.” Saria said.  “With our course of action, we either wait for the hero in our isolation and hope the Deku Tree Sprout protects us from Ganondorf, or we die with the King’s wish.  Zelda’s proposal gives us hope.  We could use our immortality within Kokiri Forest to fight off either Ganondorf’s forces or the King’s.”

”Well, our immortality will protect us either way.” Fado said.

”No Fado.” Saria said.  If the Deku Tree Sprout dies from the deluge of the coming flood, there goes our immortality. Besides, I don't think we would exist well in an ocean world.”

Zelda spoke quickly.  “Saria, trust me, I know what lies in your future if you accept the deluge from the gods.  Your body forms will morph. You don't want that.”

”I’ve heard enough.” Fado said.  “I agree that we should protect the Kokiri Emerald.”  Fado wanted to go on but stopped suddenly with concern.  Zelda was hunched over and had grabbed her head.  She was nearly into the fetal position.  “Zelda, are you okay?!” Fado said with concern.

”Ugh, my head is splintering!”  She let out an awful moan.

”She's experiencing a seizure!” Saria yelled.  “We have to get her to the know-it-all-brothers house.”

”No. Just gotta, get, through, the next, few, moments, aaaaaah”

”Are you okay?!” Fado asked again.  Zelda started to straighten up in her chair again.  She explained.  “I get these splitting headaches when bad things happen. You just saw one. Fado, Saria, something really bad has just happened. I don’t know exactly, but I feel  my father has gotten hold of the Goron Ruby. If so, he is coming to Kokiri Forest. Saria, where is the warp path to Goron City from here?  I have to know for sure.”

 

In Hyrule, there are three worm hole paths where people can warp themselves from one end of the country to another.  One connects Kokiri Forest with Zora’s Domain, the second connects Zora’s Domain with Lake Hylia, and the third runs between Goron City and the Lost Woods.  This is the path Zelda intended to take.

”Well, its in the lost woods, but Zelda...” Saria said.

Zelda interrupted her. “I have to get there now.”

”But if you go into the Lost Woods, you might turn into a Stalfos!” Saria exclaimed.

 

In Kokirish lore, it is said that anybody that goes into the Lost Woods and loses their way runs the risk of becoming a Stalfos, a skeleton-like demon creature.  The Kokiris themselves were protected from this occurring because of the power of the Deku Tree Sprout, but other races were not protected.  It was either you knew your way, or you suffered the consequences.

Zelda knew all about the legend.  “I know, I've heard the stories. But it is a risk I must take. If my father is coming down here with his men, we'll need the help of the Gorons, and that's the quickest way for them to get down here.”
Saria and Fado both nodded.  “Okay then, here's the directions.”

Zelda was dead on with her prophesy. Daphnes Hyrule's men had snuck back into Goron City at 03:00 the night of April 19. On that night, there were two Gorons that were supposed to be protecting the ruby high atop Goron City, but they both nodded off. Three men went onto the tightropes above the city, and undetected, they stole the Ruby from its perch. Within minutes, Daphnes Hyrule's men were heading down Death Mountain toward Kakariko Village, with only one stone left to obtain.  Kokiri Forest was their ultimate destination.

 

 

 

Chapter 9: Ganondorf and Daphnes Move South

The Gerudos were still plotting their next move.  They convened inside the main barn of Lon Lon Ranch early on the morning of April 20.

”Kotarika, what should we do now?” Ganondorf asked.

”Well, I need to hear what our spies have found out. Tajria?” Kotarika asked.

Tajria, the head of the Gerudo’s elite spy team, responded.  “We've had our spies inside Hyrule Castle Town for 3 days now, and they are reporting that both Daphnes Hyrule and Princess Zelda are away from the city.  They also report that city traffic is way down. Plus, with the Temple of Time firmly shut in, the city is of no use to us right now.  Really, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Hylians are shutting up and abandoning the city for either the underground or the country.  They are a bunch of scared cowards really.”

Ganondorf was mad.  “Dang!  I thought they’d man up and fight.  Apparently the enemy is trying to run from us.

”Boy, that leaves us in a predicament.” Kotarika said.

”We cannot just stand here forever.” Ganondorf said.  “Afraid or not, they will plan a counterattack at some point. We have to stay on offense. Natasia, who can we make a positive attack on right now, on April 20, 2057?”

Natasia answered.  “Well, we have several options. We can go after Kakariko Village, which is where Daphnes Hyrule is rumored to be right now. That would be difficult because of all the enemy troops in the area, not to mention the large Hylian population there. We can go after Zora's Domain and try to take over the Zoras and the Zora River Valley. This would be troublesome as well given our past performance against them.  They are exceptionally skilled at river and water warfare, certainly not our specialty. Or we can go after Kokiri Forest.  Our spies have reported that Princess Zelda was heading there a few days ago.”

 

Ganondorf responded.  “Daphnes Hyrule isn't a threat. We can deal with him when the time comes. Zelda though, she's a big threat. Unlike her father, she is smart and knows how to foil our plans. I say we go into Kokiri Forest and see if we can't capture her. Plus, if I could regain her piece of the triforce, I would become the most powerful man in Hyrule once again!”

Natasia briefed the others.  “Kokiri Forest won't be a difficult target because the Kokiris don't fight. As soon as we walk into the forest they'll be surrendering by the masses.”

”Exactly.” Ganondorf said.  “Kotarika, Dragmira, prepare your units to move out of Lon Lon Ranch at 14:00 this afternoon. We will take everybody. Blow out the east wall of the ranch now, it will make our exit easier.”

Meanwhile, the King’s forces were gathered in Kakariko Village, next to the well in the center of town.  Founded by the Shiekah clan and a small village for many years, Kakariko by this time was a bustling town, though still not quite as large as Hyrule Castle Town.  Located at the foot of Death Mountain, Kakariko was equidistant from Goron City in the north, Hyrule Castle Town in the west, and Zora’s Domain in the south.

”Well, did you get the Goron Ruby?” the King asked his servant.

”Does this look like a cucco to you?” the servant replied as he pulled out the ruby.

”YES!!” the King exclaimed. “Great work my loyal servant. We shall continue to move out then.”

The King’s men pushed out of Kakariko Village at around 17:00 on April 19, allowing them to get about almost a whole day’s head start on the Gerudos, who departed Lon Lon Ranch the next afternoon.

Meanwhile, inside Goron City, Princess Zelda was checking her body features, making sure she had not lost anything in the wormhole.  Everything appeared to be fine.  The whole story about the Stalfos and then the wormhole had made Zelda really nervous.  She started down a rocky passageway toward the main center of Goron City when a Goron named Babgoro noticed her.

”Hey! There's the intruder!”  He curled up and rolled at Zelda.  Not expecting an attack, Zelda just barely dodged his wild rolling attack.  Eventually other gorons saw her, and started chasing after her as well.  The chase continued around Goron City for roughly ten minutes, with some gorons running after her, others attempting to cut her off with their rolling attack. Eventually, one of the rowdier gorons tried to run her over. Zelda dodged the attack, but in doing so, fell down 15 feet to the next level. Luckily, Zelda landed on her feet, so no major injury occurred. However, that was not of consequence at that moment, as she got up and looked right into the face of Goron Link, who shoved her to the ground. Several other gorons surrounded her instantly.

Link stalked her.  “Well well, what do we have here? We have little miss princess coming into our city and performing daddy's dirty work. You think you can get away with stealing my people’s greatest treasure? Very well then, take her to the lava pit.”

Babgoro protested.  “We cannot do that to the princess.  This means war.”

”DO IT NOW!!” Goron Link screamed.

”NO! This is a huge mistake! I'm on your side I don't even have the ruby!” Zelda screamed frantically, finally realizing why the gorons were after her.

 

“If you don’t than who does?!” Link snapped.

”The King's servant snuck into your city last night, they have the stone and are on there way to Kokiri Forest, we have to stop them!!” Zelda screamed.

There was a long pause.  Link was a little surprised at Zelda’s saying that they had to stop the King.  It didn’t make sense.  He suspected she was lying.  The big goron got up to her and started searching through her dress for the Ruby.  Zelda was paranoid. “Hey, be careful with my dress, I don’t want it ruined!”

Link was sure that she did not have it on her, so he decided to talk.  “So you're saying, we have to stop your father?”

”Yes,” Zelda responded.  “He's trying to kill us all, and you Gorons have to help stop him. There's no time, we must go through the warp to the lost woods!”

Finally realizing that Zelda was indeed not aligned with her father, Link repented.  “I'm so sorry, I had no idea. Goron Guards, man up your units, we are going down to the Lost Woods right now. We must intercept Daphnes Hyrule's men before it is too late.  This is not a drill, let’s move!”

 

Chapter 10: All Eyes on the Forest

It was a situation that Hyrule thought it would never see, three different alliances from within the nation of Hyrule, unknowingly converging on the one place in the kingdom that knew nothing about conflict, war, bloodshed, or suffering. Even more interesting, the people in charge of the groups did not know what the other's intentions were, or in the case of Daphnes Hyrule, did not even know that his own daughter was leading the resistance to his “gather the triforce” movement. The stage was set for combustion.

On the morning of April 21, the Gerudos were held up in South Hyrule Field due to some bad navigation and a nasty attack by the peahats on the night of April 20. They were about 20 miles out of Kokiri Forest when morning broke. On the other hand, the Hylians led by Daphnes Hyrule were right outside the forest, ready to come in and negotiate with the Kokiris, and hopefully leave with the Kokiri Emerald. They did not expect resistance from an unlikely source.

Saria, like she had with Princess Zelda, greeted King Daphnes Hyrule at the wooden bridge leading into Kokiri Forest.  “Your majesty, welcome to Kokiri Forest. The sage of forest, the great Fado is awaiting all of you in the Deku Tree meadow.”

”O great Saria, thank you very much.” The King replied.

The Hylians moved into the Deku Tree meadow very nonchalantly, where a bunch of Kokiris were waiting for them. Standing at the front of the bunch of Kokiris was Fado.

”Welcome your majesty.” Fado said.

”Thank you much Fado. As I am sure you are aware, we are undertaking a great mission, and as such we must talk about the---“

Fado interrupted him immediately.  “We won't need to talk about anything.  We’ve already made our decision.”

”What are you talking about?”

Zelda entered the meadow from the backside of the Great Deku Tree Sprout, flanked by a bunch of Gorons, including Goron Link.  “We aren't letting you get this!” She said loudly as she held up the Kokiri Emerald for all to see.  Its green light glowed through the forest.

Daphnes Hyrule was flabbergasted.  “Z-Zelda?! What the heck are you doing?”

”Father, please forgive me.” Zelda said.

”I thought you were back at the Castle. How crazy are you to come down here alone, you could have been killed.”  The King said, concerned.

”You're going to kill me anyway, what does it matter?” Zelda asked.

”Don't tell me you are joining the resistance.” The King said, angrily.

Zelda spoke from the heart.  “Father, please forgive me. I cannot simply let you destroy this kingdom. We all live for so much, and just because an evil force has infiltrated our land does not give you the right to destroy it.  You are the supreme ruler of this kingdom, and by planning to wish upon the goddesses to drown the land you have turned your back on the land of Hyrule.  If you will not uphold your sacred duty to protect this kingdom from the powers of evil, then I will.”  Goron Link and the other gorons nodded.
 
Daphnes Hyrule was crushed.  “I cannot believe my ears. Zelda why are you doing this?! What happened to the princess, my daughter? She is gone.  She must be gone.”  He moved up close to Zelda. “You, you've changed. You're becoming a rebel right in front of my very eyes. Under my nose you have grown and developed into a being that I can no longer hope to control, even as the King of Hyrule. You've, become an enemy of the state. As much as it pains me to say it, you must be dealt with. Guards!”

Saria moved in from the right.  “If any of you make one move toward her, by the power of Farore you're going to pay.” She said.

There was a long pause as virtually everybody was surprised at Saria’s defiance.  She was the last person the King expected to rise against him.  Daphnes Hyrule shook his head.  “What the heck is going on here?!”

The king’s vizier stepped forward.  “Who are you to tell the King what he can and cannot do?” he asked Saria.  There was a lot of grumbling and noise in the Hylian delegation.  They wanted answers.

”Think for a minute.” Saria said reverently. “You are all going to drown this land and kill yourselves because you do not have the courage and the valor to fight and stand for your country?”  Saria walked toward the Hylian Knights.  “You call yourselves Knights? You're nothing but cowards! You are giving up right before the battle even starts! That goes against every code of chivalry ever established.  Do you think the Hero would surrender before the battle?  No he wouldn’t.  And neither should any of you.  Now, I don't know much about war. But I guarantee you this, if Kokiri Forest were invaded tomorrow, my people would not simply give up and run like you have decided to do.  We  Kokiri lived through invasion once, we’d do it again and live to tell about it!  And that is why I will never, ever give you the Kokiri Emerald. Me, Zelda, Link, the gorons and kokiris, we solemnly swear we will fight if you even try to take it.”

Upset, a Hylian regiment moved toward the Kokiri and Goron forces.  In response, Zelda shot out a nasty fire warning blast in the direction of the Hylian Knights.  Just then a massive energy explosion occurred in the sky to the west of Kokiri Forest.  Everybody suddenly turned around back to the west.

 

“Well, that can't be good.” Zelda said.

The clouds in the forest area, previously a yellow haze began to turn a deep black...

”Knights, remain at your station.” Daphnes Hyrule said.

”Gorons, about face, be ready to face enemy to west!” yelled Link.

Within a few minutes, a big regiment of gerudos, led by Ganondorf came rolling into Kokiri Forest. They were flanked by a bunch of gerudo cavalry units. Everyone else in the deku tree meadow tensed up on the inside, all except Princess Zelda, who perhaps stupidly, approached the Gerudo regiment.  She walked straight toward Ganondorf.

The King pleaded.  “Zelda! Don't do it! Have you gone mad?!”

”She has no fear.” Goron Link said as he turned to Fado.  He nodded in agreement.

”Well well, it seems we have made contact. Princess Zelda, a pleasure to meet again.” Ganondorf said.

”The pleasure is mine, Ganon.” Zelda said.

”Hah hah hah.” Ganondorf laughed.  “That's funny. Anyway, I figured you'd be hiding away somewhere since you weren't at the castle, but here you have the audacity to approach us.”  He shot a blast of energy at Zelda. 

Zelda dodged the shot, ducking under it.  “What, you can't take a woman with courage?”

This sentence got into Ganondorf's head a bit, as it suggested that she was courageous as much as she had wisdom, which was bad. Finally, he spoke again.

”Well, if you don't mind, we'll be taking over this village. But we'll be taking you first.”

”Over my dead body you are!” Zelda shouted.

Ganondorf was insulted.  He shot several more energy blasts at Zelda.

Zelda dodged most of the energy, but one glanced her left shoulder.  She was furious.   She moved in to engage Ganondorf.  Suddenly a lot of noise fills the meadow as everybody realizes that Zelda and Ganondorf are about to fight.  Everybody gathered in a circle to watch them in a huge circle in the center of Kokiri Forest.

Ganondorf got up close and punched her twice Zelda, then punched again, knocking her backward into a house.  Ganondorf then picked her up and throws her to the ground again.  By this time the Gerudos were going crazy and making tons of noise while the King’s men were screaming in horror, as were the Kokiris. Ganondorf moved to finish Zelda off with a warlock punch, but before he could land the attack, Zelda rolled behind Ganondorf and connected, low. Ganondorf hunched over clearly in pain.  Zelda took her shoes off and started raking his eyes with her heeled shoes. Then she used her Din's Fire spell a few times, causing Ganondorf to flee to the stream in the right of the circle.

Zelda charged toward Ganondorf with the Kokiri Emerald in hand, but he charged up an energy beam and nailed Zelda in the chest. Zelda fell down, and was in such pain that she could barely get up.  Ganondorf drew his sword and lowered it toward her neck.

”I could kill you now, but that would be too easy and not much fun.” He said.

Zelda looked into his eyes, knowing she cannot continue to fight, and whispered something into Ganondorf's ear. Then she fell over into a heap on the grass.

Daphnes Hyrule said out loud what most were thinking.  “What was that about?”

”Very well then.” Ganondorf said.  “Listen up, hylians, you miserable wretches of this miserable land. You have been spared today due the diligence of your dear princess. Thanks to her, you will not be dying in a flash of destruction. This emerald will be our key to success.”

Ganondorf and his minions left with Zelda and the Kokiri Emerald, leaving the other Hyruleans in their wake inside the forest.

 

 

 

Chapter 11: Let the Bickering Commence

Inside Kokiri Forest, it was April 22, 2057, the day after the Gerudo attack.  It was an intense day to say the least.

Daphnes Hyrule spoke first over Deku Nuts and Lon Lon Milk that morning.  “You see, this is why we cannot bear to fight the evil forces. My daughter has now been taken captive, all because you morons would not obey me. You are all guilty of treason, and you will be dealt with accordingly.”

Goron Link was astounded.  “Wait. You are using yesterday's attack to say that we cannot fight Ganondorf? Are you kidding?! Zelda had him down on his knees and was winning the fight! If we had swarmed onto him at that point, we would have won the fight right there. But no, you're too scared to even look like you want to fight. What were the gerudos going to do?  We had them outnumbered by 4 to 1! If there was ever a time to beat Ganondorf, its was right here yesterday!”

Fado agreed.  “Link has a point. Besides, it’s not like we can even wish to the goddesses now because they took the Kokiri Emerald. I am furious about that.  I want revenge.”

The King attempted to reason.  “Let me get this straight.” He said. “You people saw what happened yesterday, a true measure of Ganondorf's awesome power, and Zelda pays the price, and that makes you all want to go after him? You're all insane.”

Fado pressed.  “We aren't insane. You're the one that's insane. He beats your own daughter and takes her captive, and you aren't going to do anything about it? Shows your love for her.  You really know how to handle a crisis.”

”One more comment like that and I'll have your head!” the King shouted.

Saria had seen enough bickering.  “Enough!  Don't you all see?  This is where the hero returns. Zelda has been taken by Ganondorf, this is the spot in the legend where the hero is bound to return. This is what happened in the Ocarina years. With the hero on our side, nothing can stop us.”

”The hero is dead.” The King said.

”Don't you ever say something like that.” Saria said.  The hero never dies. He will come again to save Zelda and to rid Hyrule of Ganondorf.”

The King was exasperated, especially with Saria.  “I've had enough of this nonsense. Knights, I want you to attack them, all of them! Forward march!”

 

Link quickly yelled to the Gorons.  “Gorons! Get ready to engage!”

Saria was enraged.  “Stop in the name of Farore!” she yelled as loud as she could.  Everybody stopped dead in their tracks.  Fado handed Saria a brown staff of some kind, and he wielded one himself.  Saria continued.  “If any of you get hostile in this forest, by the power of the Deku Tree Sprout I will have you all turned into Stalfos! That's what happens when you attack a Kokiri on the homeland. Why do you think Ganondorf's men never attacked us in the Ocarina era? That's right, because he knew that he would suffer the same fate.

”You little maggot!” the King shouted.  “You dare circumvent my authority?!”

Fado stepped in.  “How dare you talk to the Queen Kokiri that way?  Your majesty, get out of our forest. Take your men, take them all out of here now. And don't ever come back. Saria, let’s do this.”  Saria and Fado take their staffs and put them together in the ground. Within seconds, green energy blasts shoot out of the combined staff into the sky.  A gleaming green barrier of aura energy covered the forest.  Fado spoke again.  “As of this moment forward, the lands of Kokiri Forest, the Lost Woods, and the Sacred Forest Meadow, are officially seceded from the realm of Hyrule. You no longer have any authority here. Now leave.”

The King moved toward Fado and Saria in a threatening manner.  But before he could get anywhere near either of them, Mido, the former boss of the Kokiri turned bodyguard, jumped out of the bushes and dropkicked Daphnes to the ground.”

“You miserable wretch!” Mido yelled.  “If you ever, EVER put your hands on either of them, I'll have you dead so fast you won't even have long enough to become a Stalfos!”

Daphnes Hyrule got up in a daze, and reluctantly told his men to move out of the forest. The retreat was swift.  By afternoon, Kokiri Forest is devoid of all Hylians.

 

While this was going on, several Gerudo officers talked to Zelda.  They were on their way back to Lon Lon Ranch.

Kotarika was first.  “Okay, so what were you thinking coming toward us anyway?”

“You people don't understand do you?” Zelda asked.  Her chest and back were still killing her from the battle against Ganondorf.  She was in enough pain that the Gerudos agreed to let her ride on horseback.

”No we don't understand.” Kotarika replied.

 
Zelda started.  “First of all, I don't have the triforce of wisdom, I tried to explain that to your brash leader over there but he attacked first. Secondly, we are all in big danger!”

Dragmira laughed.  “That’s easy for you to say.  You’re in danger, but we’re not.”

Zelda’s voice was stern.  “That's where you're wrong. My father has hatched a plan to drown the land of Hyrule, killing everything in the land, including you, your people, and everything you know.  You may not realize it now, but the Gerudos are in just as much trouble as the rest of Hyrule’s population.”

”You, surely you’re not serious.” Ganondorf said.

Zelda just looked at him coldly, as if she was trying to stare a hole right through him.

”We need to talk.” Ganondorf said.

 

 

 

Chapter 12: Zelda and Ganondorf, Partners?

The date was April 24.  It was a cold, and the wind whipped into the main barn of Lon Lon Ranch.  Several of the gerudo thieves were shivering from the chilly conditions.  Ganondorf and Zelda met near what were once the horse stables.

”Zelda, remember our deal.” Ganondorf said.  Zelda nodded, and Ganondorf continued.  “So, when you were going down, you whispered something to me, something about your father wanting to kill all of us. Now me, I could understand that, because I want to take over this land and depose him. But you, his own daughter, I don't understand.  Why would he want to kill one of his own?”

”If I tell you the reason behind this, you must promise me one thing.” Zelda said.

”What is that?” Ganondorf asked.

”You must agree to give me back the Kokiri Emerald.” Zelda said.

”Now why would I do that?  Give me one good reason why I should give it up.”

Zelda was again stern.  “Because what I am about to tell you involves the security of every man, woman, and child in this country.  This information is vital to the security and well-being of the Gerudo nation.”

Ganondorf wasn’t completely convinced, but he agreed anyway.  “Proceed.” He said.

”My father wants to destroy the land of Hyrule. He is going to do it because he is so afraid of you are your minions that he'd rather destroy both sides instead of fighting you. And you won't believe his plan to accomplish the goal.  He is planning on collecting the triforce to wish upon the goddesses to summon a giant tidal wave to fill up this land with water, drowning everything.”

Ganondorf was downright speechless.  His facial expression was that of shock, something that he hardly ever experienced.

Zelda continued awkwardly.  “Yes, it is really quite a problem, and for once, both of us can actually say we are on the same side of the dilemma.”

Ganondorf snapped out of his funk.  “Zelda, there is something I must have.  In accordance with our deal.”

Zelda smiled.  “I know.  You want the triforce of wisdom.  I hate to disappoint you, but after my grandmother got done sealing you away in the sacred realm she surrendered it to the gods.  It's no longer in my bloodline.

”You lie!” Ganondorf yelled.  He grabbed Zelda’s arm and looked at the back of her hand.  The triforce insignia was missing.  It was at this point that he realized that he had been tricked.  “Why you thief!  Do you think you can just play games with me?  Do you think this is funny?”

Zelda did not miss a beat.  “And let me guess, you lost the triforce of power trying to escape from the sacred realm, didn’t you?”  She pointed at the back of his hand, where the triforce insignia was missing.

 

“Zelda, you’re quite cunning, and your wisdom has apparently led to your adopting some decent thieving skills.  Let you hear this loud and clear. I don't trust you, and I don’t trust your bloodline.  I’ve been defeated by your kind in the past.  Since you lied to me about the triforce of wisdom, I am not giving you the Kokiri Emerald.  Furthermore, you're staying here under maximum security.  I'm not going to imprison you or anything, but if I even see you trying to escape, the details are hazy, but the punch line is you're dead.  I’ll have about twenty gerudo guards slice you into pieces.  Do you understand, princess?”

”You're smarter than I thought, Ganon. But you'll never be the King of this land.”

Meanwhile, back in East Hyrule Field, the Hylian force led by King Daphnes Hyrule was plotting revenge against the Kokiris and Gorons following their humiliating retreat.

”The Kokiri are going to pay. The Gorons too.  Men, beginning tomorrow morning, we begin a massive assault of Kokiri Forest. And nothing gets spared; we are going in to eliminate this silly resistance movement of theirs.”

One of the Knights objected.  “Why would you attack your own people like this? You've lost your way, you've become a tyrant!”

The King had no patience. Get him out of here. Knights, deal with the lost one.”  The Knight was taken away from the area.  The King continued.  “Now the plan is to go across the bridge and we get going with the attack. If the gorons engage us, drop back into a solid column, and avoid the rolling attacks.  If you engage them with their legs exposed, swing for the legs.  They’ll fall quickly if you do that.  As for the Kokiris, well, they won't do anything.”

Another knight spoke up.  “What about the Stalfos curse?”

The King responded.  “Kokiris can't turn people into Stalfos, that’s completely bogus.”

Daphnes Hyrule did not realize it, but seldom in Hyrulian history had more futility been expressed in one sentence. The Civil War was officially beginning, in the land of the goddess Farore, the Deku Tree, and the one place in Hyrule that knew no war.  That is, until April 26, 2057…

 

 

 

Chapter 13: The Battle of Kokiri Forest

In the town area of Kokiri Forest, Saria and Fado knew that there would be consequences for their actions.  They knew that by succeeding from Hyrule and the King’s rule that there would be pain and suffering ahead.  But they saw it as the only just means of dealing with a ruler that they saw as nothing more than a tyrant with bad intentions.  They were prepared for an invasion of their homeland.  Mido had rallied the small Kokiri militia, and although it was true that Kokiris were immortal within their homeland, they were still nervous.  They had taken a stand, and their friends and family were about to bear the brunt of their decision.

For the King, it was a matter of national unity and pride.  Had the masses of Hyrule not risen up and declared their intention of drowning the land through popular sovereignty?  What right did the minority have to devalue the thoughts and opinions of the majority?  In the end, these things did not even matter, for Hyrule was an absolute monarchy.  The power of the King exceeded the powers of any other being in the land.  It was time to show the rebellious ones the true nature of divine right. 

 

Daphnes Hyrule's army began to roll into the canyon leading into Kokiri Forest around 08:00 on April 26. They hoped to catch the enemy napping, but they failed. Quite the opposite, the Gorons pushed the action before the Hylians could move into their attack positions.  They charged right across the bridge and started rolling right at the Hylian squadron. A massively nasty and bloody conflict then ensued on the isthmus leading out into Hyrule Field just across the Kokiri border from the forest itself. The Gorons flailed at everything that moved, while the Hylians fought more conservatively, swinging their swords when the got a chance. Despite taking some losses, the Gorons had done a bunch of damage by 08:30.  Having achieved the objective without taking many losses, Link ordered a retreat back across the bridge. Worse yet for the Hylians, once most of the Gorons had gotten across the bridge, they goron pounded the bridge in several locations, destroying it.  Link thought that by doing this, the enemy would not be able to pass into the main section of Kokiri Forest.  But he was wrong.  The knights broke out a bunch of standard hookshots, and starting pulling themselves across the chasm by latching into tree bark on the other side. The first few knights were obliterated by gorons upon landing, but eventually, the Hylians began to take control of the bridge area. The advance was on.

The Kokiri unit led by Mido stood behind the Goron defensive line in western Kokiri Forest. They were determined not to let the Hylians reach the town area to the east. They awaited their chance to strike.

The Gorons did a number on the Hylians at the front lines, but they were beginning to lose the numbers battle, as they were outnumbered by about 4 to 1. A Hylian breakthrough was inevitable, and Goron Link wanted to issue a retreat, but Saria would not let him. She had a plan.  Goron Link knew in his mind, it had to be a good one, because by 11:00, the gorons were losing the battle. The Hylians were aiming their swords and spears at the stubby legs of the gorons, which was their undoubted weak spot. gorons started going down left and right, and eventually, the hylians broke through in the middle of the lines. A bunch of hylians came rushing right at the kokiri unit.

Saria and Fado took their combined staffs and aimed at the opening. A powerful green energy beam came out of their staff.  Total unprepared, many hylians were shoved back by the force of impact. Within minutes, their bodies were beginning to decay and solidify. These soldiers began to go insane and started hitting random people on both sides while they turned into Stalfos. Daphnes Hyrule could not believe his eyes. Saria, somebody who was docile as anybody in Hyrule, and somebody who had helped save Hyrule as a sage 60 years earlier, was now using sage magical powers on his men.  With Mido and his Kokiri unit closing in, he gave the signal for his secret weapon.

The Kokiris and Gorons thought they had the battle in their favor, but they did not account for an attack from the backside. With Daphnes' signal, a bunch of Zoras began to swim down the waterfall on the north end of town.  Within minutes they were into the streams of the central village, where they commenced attacking the Kokiri unit from behind. The Kokiris were not prepared in the least bit for this attack and were taken completely by surprise. The result was predictable, within minutes, the ground ran red with Kokiri blood.  Although they were not dead, the sharp fins of the Zora attackers were strong enough to knock most attack Kokiris out of the battle entirely.  Now it was Saria and Fado that were in complete shock. Why on earth were the Zoras attacking the Kokiris?  What business did they have in this conflict? What did the Kokiris ever do to the Zoras? It was a harsh and grim reality that they could not hope to comprehend.

By afternoon, the battle grinded toward a conclusion. The Gorons and Kokiris tried to hold on against the advancing Hylians and Zoras, but since they were forced to fight in both directions, the situation became desperate. With only one chance left, Saria and Fado tried turning their energy blasts from the Hylians to the Zoras, to see if they would work on their aquatic adversaries as well. They did not. With the town about to be pillaged and burned to the ground, the Kokiris and Gorons surrendered. The King had beaten the resistance, like he said he would do, but it came at a huge cost. Half of his Hylian unit was dead or injured, and he was vulnerable.

 

 

 

Chapter 14: The Death March

May 1 was a dark day in Hyrule.  The sun was shining brightly, but in no way was the weather representative of the situation across the land.  This was especially true in northern Hyrule Field, where Princess Zelda remained imprisoned by Ganondorf.

By this time, Zelda was miserable.  “Ganondorf where are we going?” she said glumly.

Ganondorf was flustered at her seemingly constant stream of questions.  “Zelda, we’ve been over this.  If you want to stop your father, and I certainly do, then we have to find him coming back from the forest.  He should be coming back any day now.”

”Actually, I do want to find my father.” Zelda said.  “But not with you.”

Ganondorf laughed.  “Well, you are quite the wise one, aren’t you?”  Zelda sighed.

Daphnes Hyrule and his men had advanced north through Hyrule Field after winning the Battle of Kokiri Forest. They were brutal in their treatment of the vanquished Kokiris and Gorons, making them walk on with their injuries virtually at spear point and sword point. Saria and Fado in particular were both hurting, mentally and physically. They knew that outside the forest, they were not immortal, and both of them, and most of their race were tired and about to drop. Worse yet, a wave of unusually warm weather hit Hyrule Field in the last days of April, boosting temperatures from the normal 60's and 70’s well up into the 80's and low 90's. The heat made the march almost unbearable to the Gorons, who were not used to such warm conditions. The result was that many Gorons collapsed on the grass.  In most cases, if they did not get up immediately they were stabbed and killed.  Upward of 20 gorons met such a fate by the night of April 30, along with several Kokiris.

 

Saria fell to the ground.  Her will was broken.  She no longer cared if they killed her on the grass.  But the King would not allow that.  “Knights!” he yelled.  “You have to keep the kokiri on her feet! We can't have her dying on us before the execution.”

Saria turned around and looked and the King incredulously.

 

“Oh yes, you and Fado both.” Daphnes Hyrule said.  “We are going to execute both of you in front of Hyrule Castle. All the people in the city will see your heads of the traitors chopped off!”

”It's not like its going matter, we're all going to die this way.” Saria said glumly.

It was the night of May 2, and just a few miles south of Hyrule Castle Town, Ganondorf and Zelda had spotted the brigade of Hylians, Kokiris and Gorons led by Daphnes Hyrule. Ganondorf shot off an energy beam that ended up just missing the army. Daphnes Hyrule sent out the word to the Knights to engage.  However, when he saw Ganondorf, a fall back order instantly came from the King, who was petrified, even after he saw Zelda.

”Zelda, use your Nayru spell!” Ganondorf commanded her.  The Princess gave out another deep sigh, then rose her arms into the air.  A blue ball of light rose above her hands, and then covered Zelda and Ganondorf, forming a protective aura barrier.  They advanced quickly toward the Hyrulian brigade. They stopped in front of Daphnes Hyrule at the front of the brigade.

Ganondorf clearly enjoyed himself at the sight of the king.  “Well, well now, what do we have here?” he said.  “The King of Hyrule I presume. And a whole bunch of people who look like they've been shot out of the fires of war. Care to explain yourself King?”

Daphnes Hyrule was insulted.  “I don't answer to you.” He said sternly.

”Well then, that's okay.  Besides, Zelda’s told me everything I need to know.  You don’t need to talk to me.”  Suddenly Ganondorf charged up an energy blast and hit the King in the face with it.  Horrified, Zelda ran behind Ganondorf and strangled him with her headscarf.  She pulled out a sword that she had stolen from a knight.  “Ganondorf, you excuse of a man!  You hurt my father, I will hurt you!”

What followed next was an akward silence.  Zelda stood there for a while, hoping for the knights to swarm in and kill Ganondorf. Another facet of the deal she made with Ganondorf in the forest was that since Ganondorf spared her life, Zelda would be obliged to spare his as well.  But by strangling him from behind, she hoped somebody would move to kill him. To her chagrin, nobody would move without an order from Daphnes Hyrule, and Ganondorf eventually got up and smacked Zelda backward about 10 feet. Then, perhaps even more baffling, after getting whacked in the face with an energy blast, Daphnes Hyrule ordered his troops to move out toward Hyrule Castle Town. 

 

 

 

Chapter 15: The Execution

The day was May 3, and it was cloudy and overcast.  The sun was nowhere in sight.  On the grass in front of Hyrule Castle, a whole bunch of Hylians were gathered in front of the King and some of the Knights.  In the center of the field was a guillotine-like contraption, and Saria and Fado sat next to it. Most of the other Kokiris and Gorons had already been locked deep inside the castle.  The lone exception was Mido, whom the King purposely had sitting in the front row.  He wanted him to see the deaths of his dearest friends personally.

The King welcomed the crowd.  “Ladies and gentlemen of the land of Hyrule, we are gathered here today to serve witness to an event seldom seen in our land, the execution of enemies of the state. These two, who most of you probably know of as the current and former Sages of Forest, are mistress Saria, and mister Fado. These two are great enemies of the land of Hyrule.”  There was some visible and audible disbelief in the crowd.  The head knight told the crowd to quiet down, and the King explained.  “These two did not go along with the plan agreed to at the summit on April 7, 2057.  They were roadblocks in the plan to acquire the triforce. They seceded their territory away from the land of Hyrule, and even went so far as to engage our Knights in battle down in the Kokiri realm.”  There were oohs and aahs in the crowd as the crowd came to grips with their misdeeds.  “As such, it is necessary to take the lives of those who perform such traitorous and treasonous acts against our kingdom. Now as a fair individual, I allowed the two to decide who was to die first, and it was decided that #1 was none other than Saria.

Several Knights lead Saria to the platform, where she looked down and away from The King. They placed her head into the cutting zone. She was completely emotionless.

”Do you care to have any last words, my lady of the forest?” Daphnes Hyrule asked.

Saria spoke in a monotone voice.  “I may die today, but realize this everyone. If this man you call King gets his hands on the triforce, my death will be merely a representation of what will happen to each and every one of you once the goddesses are wished upon. I am not satisfied with death, and suicide is a very gutless thing. I just hope that all of you gathered here today think about what you are about to experience as you see me die.

 

She looked down at the wood below.  The King told the head knight to ready the blade.  Just at that moment the King’s vizier came running from the back of the crowd, shouting for everybody to get down.  A humongous energy blast tore in from the south.  It went off in the skies just barely above the Hyrule Castle area.  The resulting shockwave knocked many people down and blew the guillotine flat off its moorings, freeing Saria and Fado.

Daphnes Hyrule was the first to come to his senses.  “What in the heck was that?!” he yelled.

Malon came out from the castle entranceway to proclaim the obvious.  “Your majesty, our city is under attack.”

 

“It’s Ganondorf and the Gerudos! They're here!” Mido shouted, trying to set up a diversion for his friends to escape.

”Oh no.” The King said.  “Knights, be prepared to fall back and defend the Castle at all costs!” he shouted.

The head knight was bewildered.  “You mean you don't want us to fight for the town?!”

”Let him have it, we are powerless to stop him.” Said the King.
Saria saw her opportunity.  “Attention everybody! This man you call King is doing nothing to protect all of you!” she shouted.

”Do not listen to the infidel!” the King shouted.

Fado spoke fast.  “He won't even rescue his own daughter! Princess Zelda was captured by Ganondorf inside Kokiri Forest and instead he turned around and attacked Kokiris!”

”Do not listen to them!” the King shouted again.  The crowd was getting restless.

Saria continued.  “Now he is going to let the town get ransacked because he is afraid of Ganondorf. Ganondorf stole the Kokiri Emerald from our forest. It is the last piece leading to the triforce, and he has Zelda, and the King still won’t attack. This man is unfit to be King of Hyrule. He is going to let all of you die!”

Daphnes Hyrule turned and punched Saria in the face.  Mido immediately rushed in to help her but the King grabbed his sword and slashed Mido in the neck.  Blood flowed as he fell to the ground.  By now the crowd was going crazy, some people were running around, while others were shouting extemporaneously.  The King moved to finish both Saria and Mido when out of nowhere, there was a sudden blinding flash from a deku nut.  The King fell down backward on the grass, knocked out cold.  Facing the King’s fallen body was the Sage of Shadow.

”Saria, I've heard everything.” Impa said to her.  She turned to the crowd.  “Ladies and gentlemen we must rise up together and defend this city, and do all we can to rid Ganondorf of this land!  Townspeople gathered here today, take refuge in the castle and be prepared to act when needed! Knights, move into the city now!”

 

 

 

Chapter 16: The Battle of Hyrule Castle Town

The Gerudos were stationed outside the city walls. Ganondorf had fired a giant energy blast toward the Hyrule Castle area.  Minutes afterward, the gerudos charged on their horses. They figured this would be the best course of action for getting across the bridge leading into town and bypassing the Zoras protecting the entranceway over Zora’s River.  However, they were crossed up when the Zoras started using their fins as boomerangs against their horses’ legs. Within minutes, lots of Gerudo's horses legs were sprained or broken.  The horses fell, and many Gerudos ate concrete. Some even fell into the river, where they were eliminated by the nasty Zora attackers. Before long though, much of the Gerudo force was across the river. Just as they had predicted, the Zoras did not pursue them onto dry land.

Once the gerudos were inside the city, all heck broke loose. People started running around in the streets, panic went through the roof, many buildings started burning, and blood ran red in the streets as the Gerudos resorted to swinging and shooting at just about anything that moved. But they had their fun early on with the townspeople, the counterattack would not be as fun.

About 1000 Hylian civilians and about 500 Knights moved into the center of the city from the castle to engage the Gerudos directly. The sheer numbers involved pretty much meant that the counterattack could not be stopped. Even though Ganondorf wanted the victory, he knew that it probably would not happen with all the villagers hitting them too.  The villagers were poor quality fighters, but again, their sheer numbers were wearing the gerudo attackers out. Then something weird began to happen. Other Hylians started appearing from the rear, and instead of attacking the gerudos, they started attacking the 100 or so Sheikah-ninja forces leading the attack at the front. Apparently, some of them had seen Impa attack Daphnes Hyrule and out of loyalty to the King, they wanted revenge against Impa’s Sheikah-trained forces. The Gerudos could not believe their good luck, the Hylians were attacking each other!!

Still outnumbered badly, Ganondorf and Natasia ordered a strategic retreat from the city. By the end of May 4 they were already back in Lon Lon Ranch. They had lost about 30 warriors and 40 horses in the Zora attack, and then had another 70 or so casualties when fighting for the city. Compared to the Hylian total, which was at least twice as big this was modest. Even better, Ganondorf now knew something very powerful, their adversaries were divided! And divided, they would certainly fall. He called for the retreat in the hopes that the Hylians would continue to fight each other and weaken themselves altogether.

Daphnes Hyrule, upon learning that he had been knocked out by Impa, asked her to meet with him inside the throne room of Hyrule Castle that night. It was there that 10 Knights snuck up behind Impa while they were talking and knocked her out with some nasty shots to the head with the dull sides of their swords. Then Daphnes got up, and in one motion, slashed off the head of the sage of Shadow.

”That's what happens to people who dare test my power.”

 

 

 

Chapter 17: The Goron Breakout

Deep inside the dungeon of Hyrule Castle, the gorons were upset with being imprisoned, and fashioned a plan to escape.  They thought of the only method they could, sheer force.  They put this plan into motion a few days after the Battle of Hyrule Castle Town, once they were sure things had quieted down a bit outside.  Two of Link’s greatest warriors, Bengoro and Sevegoro, were responsible for the plan.

”We're breaking out of this dump!” Sevegoro yelled.  Bengoro, give me a rock sirloin will you?”

”Here, hey wait don't throw it!” Bengoro yelled as he realized Sevegoro was throwing his latest meal through the metal bars.

Sevegoro's toss went through the bars and was thrown with such force that it destroyed the lock on the opposite cages’ door. Three gorons, including Link, came right out and let them out, and soon after, every goron down in the Castle dungeon was free, running up the stairs toward the main floor of the castle. The gorons powered past castle guards, who were powerless to stop the huge beasts.  Before long they reached the main throne room. They were lucky as Daphnes Hyrule was the only one still in the room, for the knights had left. Impa's dead body was still lying on the floor though.

”Halt!” shouted the King.

”We’re not listening to you,” Bengoro started.  But interrupting him was another shout from Goron Link.

 

“OH HOLY DIN!!!”

”What the heck is this?!” yelled Bengoro at the sight of Impa.

Goron Link stared incredulously at the King.  “Wow. Just wow.” He said in a brash voice that for once didn’t seem surprised.  “All she did was save you and your castle, not to mention the city that you did not even bother to protect, and how do you pay her back?”  He kneeled down next to the fallen Impa.  “You go ahead and kill her?! What kind of a man are you, are you INSANE?!”

”Her actions have doomed us all.” The King said.  “Ganondorf will surely lay waste to this kingdom now.”

”You have officially lost your mind.” Link said.  “We are on our way out of here now, no matter what you say or try to do. And we are going to Lon Lon Ranch.  Us Gorons are going to kick some Gerudo butt, and rescue your daughter from Ganondorf. It's something I thought you would have done, but you wouldn't even defend your city, and when somebody stepped up and did, you went and killed her! Gorons, ROLL OUT!!

The Gorons rolled into balls and rolled down the purple carpets of the castle floor, right out the windows at the front of the castle, shattering through the glass. They headed straight through Hyrule Castle Town, trampling a few innocent individuals in their rage.   The Gorons did not stop rolling either, they kept going all the way to the ranch, 25 miles south of Hyrule Castle Town. By the time they got there, it was the night of May 6. Under normal circumstances they would have never attempted a nighttime raid, but they felt it necessary now. The gorons decided to try and create a diversion on the west side of the ranch near the horse stables, thus getting Ganondorf and his minions to attack them there. Meanwhile the main support column led by Goron Link would reach into the houses in search of Princess Zelda. They believed she would be there because of the Gerudos’ codes of chivalry.  While they were a slippery race of thieves, the gerudo were never really a race to disrespect royalty.  Ganondorf was an exception, but even he given the circumstances of the whole war situation was in a pretty good mood.

The Gorons launched the raid around 01:00 on the night of May 7. Goron Link distributed some special bottles, with molten rock magma from Death Mountain inside.  They flung the magma through the air by hand.  The oozing molten rock was so hot that it set the stables on fire instantly, but the gorons were able to hold it without getting burnt because of their tough skin and their rock hard skeleton features. The result was devastating. Half of the ranch's buildings were on fire within minutes, and with tons of sleeping gerudos inside, the responding gerudos from the north end of the ranch were occupied with a rescue mission to get the gerudos housed inside out from the burning buildings. Natasia and Kotarika in particular were trapped by the sudden inferno, and that threw things off even more. Ganondorf, not thinking about Zelda at that particular moment, rushed to the scene in an attempt to save his most trusted officers. This meant that Zelda, who was bewildered by the entire scene, was standing right inside a room on the northeast side of the ranch when Goron Link and his stealth troop busted in.

”Fair princess of Hyrule, come with us. You need not stay in this place anymore.” Goron Link said.

”Wait!” Zelda yelled as she ran to the dresser drawers.  “I need the Kokiri Emerald!”

 

“Don’t worry about it, we don’t have time.” Link said.

But Zelda kept rummaging through the dresser.  Link was about to grab her but Zelda was able to grab it just in time.  “Got it.” She said.

”Okay, roll up into a ball. We're going to roll out of here through the window.”

”Really?” she asked, no doubt wondering if an escape rolling out a 2^nd floor window was a good idea.

”Just do it.  Please.” Goron Link said.  “Before they find us.”

Zelda rolled up, and Goron Link swamped over her as he launched into his roll attack, blasting out the 2nd floor of the building with the rest of his Goron stealth unit. That was the signal for the rest of the gorons to get while the going was good, and they did. The operation was a complete success, not only did they rescue Zelda, but they reaped enormous psychological damage on the Gerudos as well.

 

 

 

Chapter 18: The Gerudos Hit Rock Bottom

 

By the morning of May 7, Lon Lon Ranch was a barren wasteland of burned down buildings, ruined barns, shattered glass and splintered wood.  The Gerudo were left in a state of shock, misery, and anger over the surprise attack by the Gorons.

Ganondorf addressed the gerudos at 06:30.  “Ladies of the Gerudo race, last night was a night that will live forever in the shadows of Hyrulian history. Last night, we were ruthlessly and fearlessly attacked by members of the Goron race of Death Mountain. In an unprecedented strike, they burned down buildings in an attempt to murder us in cold blood.  Not only that, but they stole the Kokiri Emerald from our possession, and they got away with our number one priority, the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda. We are gathered here today, this day, May 7, 2057, to determine how we are going to destroy each and every one of these miscreants that performed this act of savagery upon us all. Is anybody going to speak?”

Kotarika and Natasia both began to speak but Ganondorf cut them off.

”Natasia and Kotarika, I know what you are going to say, just don't bother. We want to attack the gorons directly, right now, but we cannot because of the loss of the Kokiri Emerald. Ladies of the Gerudo tribe, we are in grave danger. I never thought I would say this, but our survival depends on one person right now, and that is Princess Zelda. The reason we did not kill her in the forest was, she was our ally in a civil conflict that is currently taking place in Hyrule.”

 

There was an air of bewilderment in the crowd of gerudo.  Ganondorf went on to explain.

”You see, the King of Hyrule, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, has embarked on a plan to kill us all. He is trying to collect the three spiritual stones to open the Door of Time, where he will pull the master sword and collect the Triforce. Upon doing this, he will make a wish to the goddesses of Hyrule to drown the land in a gigantic ocean!”  By this moment, several gerudos in the crowd were freaking out.  Others were drawing their blades and shouting obscenities.  Natasia and Dragmira told the crowd to settle down.  Ganondorf continue.  “He is so afraid of us, that he will commit mass suicide of his people instead of facing us head to head. At least this is what the Princess has told me.”

Dragmira wasn’t convinced.  “The Princess lies! They came out and fought us hard in the middle of town four days ago!  I don't believe any of that nonsense!”  There was more shouting and more obscenities coming from the angry gerudo crowd, which seemed more like a mob of misplaced femininity by this point.

 
Ganondorf kept his cool though.  “I understand your anger. But, think about this. Daphnes Hyrule was not even at the front for that battle against us in the city. It was a group of Sheikahs led by the Sage of Shadow that engaged us, not the King. Also, did any of you notice how a back squadron of Hylians engaged the Sheikahs at the front of the lines? Gerudo nation, the people of Hyrule are at war with each other!”  Ganondorf paused a moment before continuing.  “Do you know what this means? Back a week ago, the King of Hyrule led the Gorons and Kokiris of the south on a march into the Castle. The vanquished did not look good, they were bleeding, cut, bruised, etc. I overheard from one goron that many of them died on that trek from the forest.”

Dragmira interrupted Ganondorf.  “What does this have to do with anything?”

”SHUT UP!” Ganondorf bellowed.  “This means that the Gorons are fighting against the King and the Hylians, and the Kokiris are tagging along at their stubby little legs. As such, despite the attack on us last night, we will NOT be engaging the Gorons!  And that is final!”

Now the crowd really starts getting hostile.  Yelling and screaming has turned into random fights breaking out in the crowd, with many gerudos trying to get to Ganondorf, presumably trying to attack him.  Natasia, Kotarika, and the other gerudo military officers went down to stem the sudden violence in the assembly.  Ganondorf continued to talk while this was going on.

”We have a much bigger concern at the moment!  The King and the Princess seem to be at odds with each other.  However, if the two meet, it could be disastrous. We cannot allow the Princess to give the Emerald to the King. If this happens, he will obtain the Triforce, and we will all meet our watery graves. Ladies of the Gerudo Empire, this is not a time for disunity.  We must stay together to meet our true enemy.

 

Ganondorf paused for a moment as the crowd settled down a bit, before delivering his clinching statements.  “The time has come to take no prisoners. We must re-engage Hyrule Castle, and this time, there will be no retreating, there will be no stone left unturned, and there will be no civilian left standing. And most importantly, we will seek to stop Zelda and her father before they can get their hands on the triforce. Gerudos, we sought to take over this land once again. If you believe in that legend, that prophesy, now is the time.  We must defeat the Hylians.  We must overthrow the King and take over Hyrule Castle.  We must gain control of the Triforce!  Then, that is when we will have the true power to rule this nation with an iron fist.  The Goron attack last night won’t be even a part of the pain we will inflict upon them when we accomplish these goals. Now is the time for the Gerudos to rise again!  Tomorrow, we leave this ranch, and we take our rightful place in history!

The Gerudo crowd went absolutely wild with glee.

 

 

 

Chapter 19: Royal Collision

At the top of Hyrule Field, along the banks of Zora's River near entrance to Hyrule Castle Town, Zelda and Goron Link had their final farewell.

”You mean you gorons have to leave so soon? Can't you stay in town for awhile?” Zelda asked.

”No, we have to get back to Death Mountain.” Link said.  “Ganondorf is going to want revenge against us for the attack we put on them, and we must be ready. However, there is something I must tell you before I go.  It’s not good news.”

Zelda’s face turned to concern.  “What is it Link?” she asked.

 

“Your attendant was killed.” He said.

Zelda fell into sudden disbelief.  “Impa?! No!  How could she?”

”The gerudos attacked Hyrule Castle Town as you know, and it was the Sheikah unit led by Impa who riled up the townspeople to defend. They did, but she did this against the King's orders.  The King had ordered a retreat and rumor is that Impa knocked him unconscious and overruled him.  So the next day, your father had Impa killed on the floor of Hyrule Castle.”

Zelda shook her head.  “No, it can't be, my father would never do that!”

”Zelda, your father has changed.” Link said.  “He is now a very unscrupulous individual. I would be very careful around him, and above all else do not give him the Emerald!”

”I do not wish to give it up.  Besides, he will never be able to overcome my plans.”

”Plans?” Link asked.

Zelda tried not to cry.  “I don't think you have ever seen me scheme have you? When I dream of a prophesy, it usually comes true, and if what you tell me is true, my father will see my thinking in action very soon.”

”I wish you luck in your endeavor, whatever it is. We must leave now.” Link said.  “I hope you do not wish badly upon me for delivering such grim news.”

”No, Listen, I cannot express my deepest gratitude to you for rescuing me.  I’ll deal with my father later.” Zelda said.

”The pleasure is ours Princess.” Link said.

Goron Link and his goron companions left, and Zelda rode her white horse through the heart of the city. Everybody in the square stopped what they were doing and bowed down as Zelda rode by, as was the custom for members of the royal family. Zelda knew that her work was cut out for her as she was about to reunite with her father knowing that he had just killed her attendant.  She entered the Castle about fifteen minutes later after leading her horse into the stables just to the left of the castle entranceway.

Daphnes Hyrule met Zelda in the castle courtyard.  “Zelda! You're alive!”  The King and the Princess embraced each other.  To both, it was an awkward hug given what had happened, but now that they were back together, the King was willing to forgive and forget.  Zelda was too, at least for the time being.

”Yes, it was the gorons that rescued me from the ranch.” Zelda said.

”That is wonderful.”  “I've been worried sick. This whole conflict has had me worried since day 1.”

”I know.  I’ve felt the same way since the minute I was captured in the forest.” She said.

”I've been hopeful that everything would turn out okay.” He said.

”Well, it isn't over yet.” She said.

”Here, come to the table and sit, you must be tired.” The King said.

”Indeed, I've been up all night traveling out from the ranch.” Zelda responded.

”So how did the Gorons break you out?” the King asked.

”They set some buildings on fire to the west of my quarters.  This distracted the Gerudos, and they swooped in and got me.” Zelda said.

”That Link really knows how to work a plan.”  His tone was a bit sarcastic as he took a pause.  “Did the Gerudos give chase?”

”No,” Zelda replied.  “But I would be sure that they will attack very soon, either against the Gorons or they will attack here again.  I am not sure. They are very angered by this attack I am sure.

”If you don't mind my asking, in your escape were you able to grab the Kokiri Emerald from Ganondorf?” the King asked.

Zelda pauses for a moment, then she reached underneath the hem of her dress. After fumbling for a bit, she pulled out the green crystal and held it high.

”Yes! Zelda you’ve done it!  Vizier, grab the Ruby and the Sapphire please and bring them over here!”  He could hardly contain his excitement.

The vizier of the King grabbed the Goron Ruby and the Zora Sapphire from a nearby room inside the castle.  He placed them on the table in front of Daphnes Hyrule. The Kokiri Emerald sat in front of Zelda.

”My girl, Do you know what you have done?” the King asked her.

Zelda’s tone of voice changed from happiness to a subtle melancholy.  “Yes Father. The 3 stones of legend are here.” She said.

”You do not seem too happy.  Is something the matter?  Our troubles are almost over, if you would be so kind as to give me the Emerald.” He said.

Zelda paused, no doubt thinking about what she was about to do.  Finally Zelda, not really looking at her father, handed over the Emerald.

”Ah yes!” the King bellowed.  “At last, the 3 spiritual stones have converged. It is now time to go to the Temple of Time.”

”Yes, I will go with you.”  Zelda said with a sly grin on her face.

 

Chapter 20: Who is the Hero?

As the King and the Princess mounted their horses to head toward the Temple of Time, three successive energy blasts came in toward the city.  They exploded on the ground near the south outskirts of town.  They knew the gerudos would attack again, but they did not expect it to happen this soon.

”Zelda, we must hurry, the gerudos are attacking again!” Daphnes Hyrule bellowed.

Zelda kicked her horse, and they picked up the pace.  The King barked out orders to the Knights in the city as he rode through, ordering them to protect the town at all costs, particularly the east side of town where the Temple of Time was located.  Daphnes Hyrule and Princess Zelda rode quickly from the castle to the Temple of Time, telling people in the way to either run to the temple or get off the streets to a bunker underground. The twosome continued riding, picking up people as they traveled to the east.  When they arrived at the Temple of Time, there were a large crowd of Hylians from town awaiting their arrival. It turned out that the head knights did a pretty good job hoarding the people off the streets and toward the temple.  Of course, the opening of the sacred realm and the claiming of the Triforce was an event that did not happen often in the annals of Hyrulian history.  For that reason, many civilians of Hyrule Castle Town turned out to see the grand occasion despite the danger around them.

Zelda quickly addressed the crowd when she arrived.  “People of the great city of Hyrule Castle, we do not expect you to have to fight, but if the evil King comes after us here, it is your duty to protect the temple at all costs!

“Yes, do that...” the King said.

Daphnes Hyrule walked into the Temple of Time, alongside Princess Zelda they moved forward with the three spiritual stones. When they placed them onto the altar, the Triforce symbol above the Door of Time began to resonate. Without thinking, Zelda pulled out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Time. Within seconds, the symbol began to flash a bright yellow.  The Door of Time swung open. The crowd advanced toward the Door, but about 10-20 Knights were present to keep the crowd a good distance. saying that only the Princess and the King were to pass through.

They looked ahead to the pedestal of time, which stood up the three hexagonal steps.  The shapes of the six Hyrulian medallions were inscribed on the second stair at the six sides of the hexagon.  The Triforce was inscribed on the highest stair surrounding the Pedestal of Time.  Stuck inside the Pedestal of Time was the Master Sword, the sword of evil’s bane and the final key to the sacred realm where the Triforce lay.

 

“Well here we are.” The King said.  Suddenly, his tone changed.  “Wait, I forgot the most important thing.”

 

“What is that daddy?” Zelda asked.

”The hero.” The King said.  “We need somebody to pull the sword of evil's bane.  Only a true-hearted person with the strength to repel evil can wield it.”

Zelda pondered the situation.  “I wonder who would be strong enough and pure-hearted enough to pull the sword.  The master sword is only for those destined to destroy the evil power in the world and return peace to the land. It couldn't be you daddy, you're much too old for such a responsibility.  There's no telling what would happen to you.”

The King was not having any of Zelda’s warning.  “I don't care, I'm pulling it.” He said.

”Do you not remember what happened to the Hero 60 years ago?” Zelda asked. He pulled the sword at the direction of my grandmother. He was promptly sealed away for 7 years because of his inability to harbor the power at that young an age. Ganondorf swooped in and took the Triforce of Power.  Now father, you are unmistakably pure-hearted and strong in will, but if you pull the sword of evil’s bane, it might judge you to be too old to wield it.  If it does, you could be sealed away forever!   Furthermore, Ganondorf is very near to here right now. we cannot afford another mistake of letting him swoop in to touch the sacred triangles!”

The King was not totally convinced, but he was not about to act brashly toward a decision of such magnitude.  “Well then my daughter, since you seem to know everything about the legend of the master sword, what do you suggest?” he asked.

 

As he finished his sentence, another energy blast struck the ground nearby.

Zelda turned to the crowd.  “Is there anyone amongst you that is brave enough to pull the sword of evil's bane from the pedestal?”

Now the Hylians in the crowd had only come to see their royalty claim the golden triangles.  They had not indeed been asked to become the legendary hero, capable of warding off the evil Ganon and saving the kingdom from his power.  At the thought of becoming such an individual, or perhaps not trusting their own abilities, everybody in the crowd started backing up.  At first it was a slow movement, but before long people were dashing toward the back of the Temple of Time.

Another energy blast went off, this one dangerously close to the temple.  The King knew that time was running out.  “Do you have another plan?” he asked his daughter.

 

“You never know when or where the hero will reemerge.” Zelda said blankly.

”We are running out of options.” The King said.  “Somebody has got to pull that sword or we'll never get to the sacred realm.”

There was another brief pause before Zelda decided to put her life on the line.  “I'll pull it.” She said.

The King shrieked.  “No! It's way too much power than you can possibly control! You're only a girl for goodness sakes!”

Zelda turned back.  “If my grandmother could help save this land, than I can as well.” She said.  She started walking toward the Pedestal of Time.

”My daughter, stop!” The King screamed.  “Think about what you are about to do!”

Zelda reached the pedestal of time. She knelt down at the base of the pedestal as all the people in the crowd looked on in amazement. Then Zelda turned around to face the crowd and the King.

”A crisis this great calls for somebody to rise up and do something great.  Since the hero has not reappeared, somebody new must become the hero. Whether any of you believe it or not, the hero is going to be me.”

”You'll get sealed away!” The King yelled.

”That is fine, for I am not afraid.  Maybe I'll survive when everybody else dies in the watery tomb you'll send upon this land.”
”You’ve gone mad!” The King yelled.

Zelda stepped up to the Pedestal of Time, and pressed her hands on the handle.  With a big tug, she pulled the sword out from the Pedestal of Time.  A giant vacuum opened up inside the Temple of Time, sucking in both Zelda and Daphnes Hyrule.

 

 

 

Chapter 21: The Sacred Realm

Daphnes Hyrule passed through a portal of sorts. He was disoriented for a short while, and then regained his senses. He noticed that he was inside an area with tons of light surrounding him on all sides. In front of him stood a vast temple made of marble.

”It is the Temple of Light. I must go in.”  He thought to himself.  He looked around for Zelda, who was nowhere to be found.  “Yes, my daughter you have led me to my ultimate goal.” He said to nobody in particular.  He bellowed with laughter.

He walked inside the temple.  A large foyer with a giant chandelier-like thing awaited him.  The light was practically blinding it was so bright. Cutting through the light as best he could, the King noticed a locked door on the other side of the room. However, he could not find a way to open the door.  He walked toward the middle of the room for a better vantage point, but he ended up tripping over something. He fell down hard on his left hip, which due to his age was somewhat weak. He fought through the pain as he attempted get up from the fall. 

 

Luckily for him, he found that he has tripped over a switch of some kind.  He stepped on it and the door on the other side opened. Daphnes passed into the next room, and the light was even more blinding than in the first room. Again, there was a locked door on the other side of the room. The King thought again about how to get the door to open and went to the middle of the room in hopes that another switch would be there. There was not. He wandered around the room for what seemed like an eternity.  Eventually he began to get tired and frustrated. He decided to sit and rest along the wall for a while.  It was when he slunk down that he accidentally found a switch sticking out of the wall. He pushed this in and the door opened up to his grand satisfaction. He entered the next room, and in this third room the light was almost unbearable.  Very faintly, he could see an altar with the sacred triangles of the Triforce glowing overhead. As the King moved forward though, the light began to fade, and the room became much darker, despite the triforce's glow.

A chill ran down the King’s spine.  The sudden darkness in the room was a dark omen.  He started walking backward, toward the triforce but with his eyes fixed on the door where he came in.  Sure enough, he got about halfway there before Ganondorf came barging through.  The King Gerudo was calm, yet one could tell how angry he truly was on the inside.

 

“Ah, so it is the King, we meet again.” Ganondorf said with a smirk on his face.

”You!  How did you get here?” Daphnes demanded.

Ganondorf laughed.  “You obviously did not brush up on your Hyrulian history.”  Ganondorf walked toward the King in an intimidating fashion.  “I've done this before.  The last time your stupid royal family tried to get the triforce, the Hero led me to the sacred triangles.  Now your lovely princess daughter has done the same.  When she pulled the master sword, she opened up a portal which anybody could walk through. Hence, she unlocked the final key to the sacred realm.  In doing so she sealed herself away in this very sacred realm because you know as well as I do that a lady will NEVER have the strength and power hold the sword of evil's bane!  In wielding it, she betrayed you, and led me to the Triforce!”

”You lie!” The King yelled back.  “Zelda helped me get here to get the Triforce and drown the land so you could never rule over it. You’ll never rule our territory again!”

“You are naive. You cannot compete with my power.” Ganondorf said.

”I can if I touch it first!” The King said.

The two adversaries stared at each other for a brief moment, and then both took off in a mad dash to the Triforce. Neither Ganondorf nor Daphnes Hyrule had blazing speed, so the race was close.  Their big bodies jostled for position.  They were neck and neck, getting closer, closer to the sacred triangles. They got so close that they could feel them.  Finally, just as the two were about ten yards away, Zelda swooped down from out of nowhere and delivered a deadly double dropkick to both Ganondorf and Daphnes Hyrule.  Both men flew backward from the impact and landed on their backs. 

 

Zelda walked forward and held out the master sword in their direction.  Her dress was gone.  She was dressed in different garb, wearing a tunic not unlike one that the legendary Hero would wear.  The lone exception was the colors, they were the beautiful white and purple of the royal family instead of the traditional green.  Her purple cap fluttered in the dry air as she spoke.

”Both of you have proven to be unworthy. It is my destiny, and my destiny alone to save this land. It is my destiny to rule over all. It is my destiny, to take this land to new heights, whether you two like it or not.” She said.

Zelda walked backwards toward the triangles, her eyes fixed on her vanquished adversaries.  Then turned around and touched the Triforce.  A giant flash consumed all three of them as she did so.  A portal opened up and consumed all three.

 

 

 

Chapter 22: Aftermath of the Triforce Retrieval

Zelda found herself back outside the walls of Hyrule Castle, just as she predicted the power would take her. She figured that Ganondorf and Daphnes Hyrule would be sent back to the Temple of Time, which meant that she was pretty much trapped in the city. Making matters worse, there was a big battle between the Hylians and the Gerudos going on inside the city. Her instinct told her to fight and help out her Hylian brethren, but knowing that many hylians were not loyal to her resistance movement, that was too risky. So she pulled out her Ocarina and played Saria's Song. The song opened a communication link and Saria talked with Zelda through the Ocarina.

”Zelda, it’s me Saria.  What can I do for you Princess?  Saria said.

”What is that song that can warp me to the forest?” Zelda asked.

Within Hyrule, certain musical tunes had the power to instantly transport people to certain locations in the kingdom.  One such melody was the Minuet of Forest, a song composed by the Great Deku Tree.  By playing the minuet, a person had the option of traveling through the skies to the Sacred Forest Meadow.  Saria explained the song’s notes to Zelda, which didn’t take long since the melody is only fifteen notes long.

”Thank you Saria.” Zelda said.

”Zelda, I should at that I'm in the Sacred Forest Meadow right now.” Saria said.  “We rendezvoused with the Gorons in town and escaped just before the battle there started. They took us up to Death Mountain and we went through the warp to the forest. We're all in the forest meadow right now.”

”I thought they left and went back to Death Mountain.” Zelda said.  “Did Goron Link catch up to the rest of the gorons?”

Goron Link responded.  “We found a back way into the Castle grounds and were able to break the remaining Kokiris out of the castle prison.  We weren’t leaving them behind.”

Zelda was overjoyed.  “Great, we have to talk once I get to the forest meadow.”

Meanwhile, back inside the Temple of Time, Daphnes Hyrule and Ganondorf were shocked over their failure to grab the Triforce. The two blamed each other.

”Nice job you imbecile.” Ganondorf said.  “Now that your daughter has it, who knows what will happen.”

”Hey, you're the one that screwed everything up.” The King responded.  “I would have gotten it if not for you showing up.”

”I didn't want you to have it! You would have killed us both.”

”You're right about that.”

”Well then, I should kill you right now!”
”Not if I kill you first!”

The two continued to bicker.  A whole bunch of Hylians and Gerudos flooded into the temple.  Swords and blades clanged as the two sides brought the warfare from the streets into the innards of the sacred temple.  By this stage of the day, the battle was being fought in almost every section of the city, from house to house and business to business.  The city's streets were starting to run red with the blood of the vanquished.

The King could not bear to see his most sacred sanctuary overrun by savage warfare.  “Stop this madness! Everybody!” he yelled.

But the two sides ignored the King.  The battling continued.

Ganondorf chuckled.  “You see, you lack the competence to be ruler of this land.” He said.  “You have to be willing to actually use power to your advantage.”  Ganondorf powered up an energy blast and shot it into the crowd.  Just barely missing the spiritual stones on the altar ahead of him, the energy blast landed in the middle of the temple floor, injuring several warriors.  Everybody stopped dead in their tracks.

”Stop this madness, all of you and listen to me.”  Ganondorf bellowed.  “The Triforce has been claimed.”

Everybody was dead silent.  The Hylians in particular were trembling with fear.

“Ganondorf did not claim it.” The King said.  The Hylians in the temple went absolutely wild with cheers, while the Gerudos threw their weapons down and cursed in disgust.

Ganondorf stepped forward.  “Fortunately, neither did the King of Hyrule.”

Now it was the Gerudos who started to cheer.  The Hylians were struck with sudden bewilderment.  If their king did not possess the sacred triangles, then who did?

Ganondorf explained.  “We were both about to touch the triforce, when a treacherous individual kicked us down and touched it. This person, she robbed it from us. This person is the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda!”

The crowd stood in stunned bewilderment for a moment, then there was a bunch of shouting.  Some of the Hylians were cheering loudly, but a vast majority of them were clearly not pleased. 

”My own daughter tricked us all.”  The King said.  “She gave me the Kokiri Emerald, stolen from Ganondorf early this morning, with the intention of deceiving me and claiming the triforce for herself!  This is a traitorous act of the highest degree.  She is an enemy of the state and she must be captured.  The Triforce must be rightfully restored.”

Both sides of the crowd erupted in cheers for the most part, although that same minority of the Hylians that cheered seconds ago was now dismayed.  Many of these hylians started to run out of the temple.

”I want the power to rule this land.” Ganondorf said to the King.
”And I want it to drown this land beneath the waves.” The King said in response.

Ganondorf and Daphnes Hyrule looked back over the crowd of hylians and gerudos, then back at each other.  They entered the city as enemies, and apparently, they would leave it as allies.

 

 

 

Chapter 23: The Penultimate Hour

Zelda had a dream that night in Kokiri Forest, the night of May 8. The dream consisted of her and her dad Daphnes Hyrule talking, and him suddenly turning on her and trying to kill her. The dream ended with an image of him shaking hands with Ganondorf, and making their advance toward her. Then she woke up with a huge fit of headaches and migraines, a sure sign to her that something horrible had happened somewhere in Hyrule. She had to mention it to everybody in the forest before it was too late.  She walked across the central meadow of the Kokiri village to Saria’s house.  Saria and Fado greeted her.

”Come in.”  Saria said, looking over her new tunic.  “Wow Zelda, that's a nice change of clothing.  It looks like that of the hero's, girl style! I love the purple and white overlay.”

”Thank you Saria.  How I wish I could talk about fashion, but we have a very serious situation on our hands, much more so than before.” Zelda said.

Fado beckoned.  “Well, come in, sit down, and let's get this straightened out.”

Zelda spilled the beans.  “We are all in huge danger, and this place will not be safe for us. We know that from the battle fought here not too long ago.”

”What are you saying?” Fado asked.

”I also had another horrible prophesy, you won't believe this one.” Zelda said.

”Well, whenever you are ready to speak.” Saria said with empathy.

”Well, here goes.” Zelda sighed, the spoke crisply.  “The gorons, two nights ago, they broke me out of Lon Lon Ranch, and I stole the Kokiri Emerald from Ganondorf when his back was turned. I returned to Hyrule Castle to see my father. Upon talking with him, I gave him the Kokiri Emerald, thus allowing him to reach the Sacred Realm. However, it was all a plan I concocted, for I knew that he could not pull the sword of evil's bane. So I mockingly tried to get somebody from the crowd, where of course nobody came out. That's when I said I would do what I intended to do all along, pull the master sword.

”And were you able to wield it?”  Saria asked.

”Take a look at this.”  Zelda pulled out the gleaming blade from her sheath.

”Whoa.....Zelda, do you realize what you have done? You're the hero!” Fado said.

”Not only that....Take a look at this.”  She showed them the back of her hand, which had the Triforce’s insignia on it.

Saria and Fado looked at each other in shock.  They were blown away.  “Wow, that’s…I can’t believe it’s actually you.” Fado said.  “How did you get the triforce?” Saria asked.

”It was actually quite easy.” Zelda said.  “I entered into the Temple of Light from the north side, and got through a few rooms to reach the room with the Triforce. But just seconds after I got into that room, my father showed up inside, so I used Farore’s Wind [a Hyrulian magic spell used to warp short distances inside dungeons and temples] to hide up on a ledge above the Triforce.  At this point the light began to dim and turn dark, the sure sign that Ganondorf had broken into the temple.  My father and Ganondorf both rushed toward the sacred triangles, and I jumped down and kicked them back in midair. Then I showed them the master sword, and touched it.  The worst part about the whole situation is the fact that my father was clearly as power-thirsty as Ganondorf, which I never thought I would see. And even worse, I just had another one of those splitting headaches. It goes back to a dream I had last night.”

Fado concurred. “Well, you were tossing and turning all night, it must have been bad.”

”I came to the realization that my father has aligned with Ganondorf and is going to attempt to destroy me and take the Triforce.” She said.

”Why would he do that?” Saria asked. “The triforce is safe now. And why would he align with a person he is so afraid of that he would destroy the world before fighting him?”

”That I do not know. My father has turned into a slippery person.  He had my attendant killed because she went against him by sending out the troops to protect Hyrule Castle Town from invasion.  He tried to execute both of you on the castle grounds! You have to trust me.”

”Believe me, we trust you completely.” Fado said. 

”I have a feeling that their combined armies will try to attack us. If this happens, even with the power of the Triforce at my hands, we will be horribly outnumbered and the battle will be a difficult one. We would face all the Knights, a large Hylian militia, and the Gerudos’ entire army.  If the Zoras are involved in the attack as well, the results could be disastrous.

”I don’t know what the Zoras’ problem with us is.” Fado said.  “They attacked us without warning from behind in the battle for the forest.  I would go up there to try to settle things, but you have a better reputation than I do being of the royal family. You should try to see what the problem is and see if you could recruit them to our side, or at least persuade them not to ally themselves with the Gerudos.”

Zelda was determined.  ”It'll be a hard negotiation, and I'll have to be quick. Is there a warp to Zora's Domain from the forest.”

”Yes, you go into the lost woods.  It’s a room to the right from the warp to Goron City, its in a lake. You should find it fairly easy.”

Zelda stood up.  “Okay then. Saria, send word of my arrival to the Zoras with your ocarina.  I am going to try my best. We need them on our side this time.”

Zelda scurried off into the Lost Woods.  Saria and Fado walked out of the house to confer with several Gorons in the forest green.  With or without the Zoras, another battle was coming, and this time they could not afford to fail.

 

 

 

Chapter 24: The Zora Two-Step

Zelda went through the warp to Zora's Domain, not even bothering to take her dress off as she leapt into the water. Upon entering Zora’s Domain, she noticed that the Zoras were all facing the waterfall.  At the top of the waterfall was Malon, the Sage of Light.  Zelda did not know what was going on.  She swam over toward Laruto, who was treading water near the falls.

”Laruto!” Zelda shouted toward the Sage of Water.”

”Princess Zelda! Where did you come from?” Laruto asked.  Despite the question, her presence did not surprise the queen zora.

”I came from the forest, I had some important things to discuss with you.”

Laruto stopped her.  “Did you come to tell me about what the King has done?  I’ve heard everything.  Listen. Malon is giving a speech at the waterfall for the rest of my people.”

 

Zelda and Laruto turned their attention to Malon.

“So, members of the Zora nation.” She bellowed.  “You must not trust the King! He has turned into a deceptive and treacherous individual who must be stopped. His whole plan of making you rulers of the new Great Sea Order may have been all well and good on the surface, but his plan to get the triforce went awry. In that span of time he has committed many faults against his kingdom, which I will list for you now.”

”One.  He attempted to steal the Kokiri Emerald by force when the Kokiris refused to give it up. This resulted in the capture of Princess Zelda by the Gerudo nation.  Then, he proceeded to use force against Kokiri Forest in an attack helped by your kingdom on April 26, 2057.  Ladies and gentlemen, please understand that waging war against your own people for the sake of power is wrong.”

 

Malon paused a moment, not sure how this point would go over with the Zora crowd.  In contrast to the raucous Gerudos and Hylians, the Zoras did not rile themselves up.  Malon cleared her throat and continued.

”Two.  He attempted to publicly execute Saria, the Sage of Forest.  Execution of a sage is against all laws set forth by the divine goddesses of Hyrule. Saria luckily escaped.”

”Three.  When the city of Hyrule Castle Town was attacked by the gerudos on May 3, 2057, he ordered the Knights defending the city to not fight back and to basically surrender the town to the invaders. When he was deposed from action by the Sage of Shadow, Impa, she proceeded to lead the defense that ultimately saved the city.  The King turned around and beheaded her for treason. This was an act of outright savagery that should be taken seriously by everybody within this kingdom.”

”Four. Now, his daughter Zelda comes back and she hands over the Emerald. But, in a brilliant plan, the Princess pulls the Master Sword and takes the Triforce in an attempt to save this land.”  There were some oohs and aahs from the docile crowd after Malon revealed this information.  She continued.  “In response, Daphnes Hyrule has turned against her in an attempt to murder her and take the triforce away from her for treasonous behavior. In fact, there is a posted bounty on her in the streets of Hyrule Castle Town. The King has gone so far as to align with the evil King of the Gerudos, Ganondorf, to achieve this goal. I have seen this deadly alliance begin with my own eyes inside the Temple of Time during the night of May 7, 2057 and I swear it! I also swear that if he manages to kill the Princess, Ganondorf will simply kill the King and rule this land once again.  There will be nobody to stop him.”

 

The Zoras began to splash around the domain with restlessness.  It was clear that the message was getting through.

Zelda jumped into the pool, and everybody turned around to face her.  “So you see the King is a man that cannot be trusted. And there will be no order of the Great Sea because the King will never get to possess the Triforce. I will never surrender it, lest it fall into Ganon's evil clutches. Now, as the Princess of Hyrule and your sworn ally, the question I must ask all of you, Zora nation, is this.  Whose side are you on?  There will be a great battle forthcoming between the unholy alliance of Ganon’s minions and the King’s men and with my followers. The Army of the Princess consists of many Hylians loyal to the protection of Hyrule, and Kokiris and Gorons that you fought against at the Battle of Kokiri Forest.  I implore you to join me and my sworn brothers and sisters in the fight for freedom and independence from tyranny.  If the land of Hyrule lives for a thousand years, your descendants will all look back and say this was our finest hour.”

Zelda turned to Laruto. “I think you will have to do this.” She said.

Laruto turned around and faced her people.

”Zoras! We have a choice to make. Ruling the Great Sea Order would have been great, but now it is readily apparent that this land will not become an ocean at all.  If what Malon and Zelda say about the King is true, than I feel we have no choice but to defend this land and water from the evil of Ganondorf and all that he is aligned with.  Zoras, what say you?”

The Zoras’ decision was swift.  They instantly started cheering and splashing around the waters of the domain. “The Princess is our friend.  The Triforce is with us!” one of the Zoras shouted.  Many others cheered this.  Laruto turned it back over to Zelda.

”Well then, listen to what I have to say.” Zelda said.  “We must move quickly to put together a battle plan. The attackers will come from the north, and we must engage them in order to put the power of the Triforce to use. Any warriors among you must come to Kokiri Forest through the warp, where we will set out for Hyrule Field.  The time has come to be brave and to be strong!”

 

While the Zoras were completing their change of heart, the King and his strange new allies formed plans of their own.

”As much as it pains me to say it, my daughter is a traitor of the highest degree, stealing the triforce away from me as I was about to wish this land into the abyss. This act must be thoroughly punished to the fullest.” The King said.

”So what do you want us to do about it?” Natasia asked.

”I am not sure about this.  If I could make an observation, Ganondorf, if you touch the Triforce it will split apart into 3.  You’ll end up with the Triforce of Power, and the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage will end up in the hands of people chosen by destiny.”

Ganondorf didn’t offer any answer to Daphnes’ prophesies.

”And if I were to touch it.” The King continued.  “Then it would likely split apart and I would get the Triforce of Wisdom.”

”Well that’s obvious.” Ganondorf said.  “You don’t wield much power, even with your own subjects, and you haven’t got the courage of a fish.  In either case though, you would still have the necessary means to make the wish to drown the world.”

 

“There’s no way we will let that happen.” Natasia said pointedly.  “Despite my allegiances being where they are, I am also the Sage of Spirit.  Like my fellow brethren, I can not simply stand by while you wash us away.”

 

The King wanted to respond to Natasia, but Ganondorf cut him off.  “I don’t see why we should help you.  I could depose you of your throne and destroy your staunch supporters in the process.  Your traitorous daughter would be your only hope.  I say that we knock your block off right now unless one condition is met. If you want to get revenge on the Princess, I will help you do so.  However, in return, I will be the first to touch the Triforce once it is ripped from her hands!”

There was a long pause. Daphnes Hyrule knew full well that one way or another, Ganondorf was going to take over the kingdom now.  He had to decide whether to take his chances and hope that Zelda would return to save him from Ganondorf’s clutches.  In this moment, he really wished he hadn’t killed Impa.  With her dead, she would never forgive him.  It was more likely that she would eventually depose him from the throne and imprison him too.

His decision was made.  “Okay Ganondorf, you will be the first to touch the Triforce after Zelda is captured.  However, you should realize that when the triforce splits apart, I will likely receive the Triforce of Wisdom by fate anyway because after my daughter, I am the wisest person in this land.”

”That remains to be seen. All that matters is that once Zelda is captured, I will become the supreme ruler of this land once again!” Ganondorf bellowed.

The King held his head low.  “Yes.”

Ganondorf turned his attention to the gerudo and hylian forces gathered in front of them on the north Hyrulian plain.  “Gerudos, Hylians, listen to what I have to say.  The King and I have reached an understanding.  We are now allied together against the rebellion led by Princess Zelda.  Her capture and the restoration of the Triforce is our ultimate goal.”

 

Ganondorf nodded to Natasia, and she took over.  “Our combined armies will roll out of this city at 06:00 tomorrow morning. Our attack plans are being formulated right now by army strategists Kotarika and Dragmira of the Gerudo military. Their plan will involve engaging the army in East Hyrule Field, presumably with the higher ground of the central plateau. The enemy will be either inside Kokiri Forest, or they will move westward into East Hyrule Field. I think that they will come out because they know that getting bottled in the forest is death.  Hylians, you will engage the rebellion force at the main front lines. Once the main battle begins, we will send around a support of Gerudo warriors to the south to surround the Princess's forces and destroy them. Then,” she turned to the King, “You will get to do whatever you want to your little traitorous baby girl.”

”It shall be done.” The King said.

 

 

 

Chapter 25: The Battle of East Hyrule Field

And thus, the battle lines had been drawn. The final battle of the Hyrulian Civil War would happen in East Hyrule Field. The date would be Friday, May 13, 2057.

On one side lied the forces of Ganondorf and Daphnes Hyrule, consisting of the Hylian Loyalists (80% of the Hylians plus the Hylian Knights) and the Gerudos.

On the other side stood the forces of Princess Zelda, consisting of the Hylian Rebellion (20% of the Hylians plus the Sheikah Ninjas), the Kokiris, the Gorons, and the Zoras.

The stage was set for an incredible battle of the ages.  It would be fought on the plains of East Hyrule Field, northeast of Kokiri Forest and southeast of the easternmost banks of Zora's River.  The plan for Princess Zelda's army was simple, they had to bait Ganondorf into the middle of their front line.  This would bring him in toward Princess Zelda and the powers of the triforce. If this happened, then, with 5 of the 7 sages (Malon, Zelda, Fado, Laruto, and Goron Link) ready to act, Zelda could use the combined power of the sages and the Triforce to open a passageway into the sacred realm and seal Ganondorf away.  This would bring a quick end to the battle.  The plan did not take into account a potential sixth sage, Natasia, the Sage of Spirit fighting for the Gerudo army.  Her powers could be utilized against her will with a wish upon the Triforce. The whole plan involved aligning the forces of Zelda's army in a U-shape, with the Zoras on the north flank near Zora’s River and the Gorons on the south flank near the peahats, with the Hylians at the back.  The Kokiris would provide healing to the injured. The sages would wait in the back of the U in hope that Ganondorf would charge his army right into the bulge to try and break through the Princess’s force.

However Ganondorf, who had superiority in numbers, decided against this The Gerudos kept to their original plan and decided to attack the Gorons on the south flank of Zelda’s defensive line. While this was going on, the Hylian force led by Daphnes Hyrule would distract the Zoras on the north flank, so they would not be able to help out when the Goron line broke. Once this happened, Ganondorf would move to the east and take out the sages one by one.  Zelda would be then left all alone, and vulnerable.

At the beginning of the battle, it appeared that Zelda's plan would work as the King’s army group moved in between the Zoras and the Gorons. Zelda and the sages waited in the back, waiting for the force to get close enough. Under normal circumstances, Zelda would have ordered her forces to move forward and attack, but since they were outside Kokiri Forest, the Kokiris were useless except for healing purposes.  Furthermore, the Hylian force she had was ill-prepared for an offensive war situation.  However, she did send the Sheikah division forward to engage the Hylian Knights, just to present the impression of an offensive move. They eventually withdrew with very few casualties, and the Knights moved farther east toward her.  The Princess ordered the Zoras to move around to the southeast to encircle the Hylians and trap them on all sides.  Just as she thought things were going according to plan, Zelda got a distress run-in from Bengoro.

Bengoro huffed and puffed as he came out of his roll.  “Zelda! We have a big problem!”

”What?”
”The gerudos have moved their forces to the south and southwest, and they are concentrating their attack right on the Gorons from the outside!  We can’t retreat because the Hylian enemies are bottled up too close to the east! We won't hold up for long under this kind of attack!”

”Hold your ground.” Zelda said.  “You can hold the line. Concentrate your attacks on the horses and when they fall off, pound them before they can draw their blades. This is your time, you can hold them off.”

”Yes, Princess.” Bengoro said, and he rolled away to the west.

Zelda’s heart sank.  “We're in big trouble.” She said to nobody in particular. “They didn't take the bait. Ganondorf was smarter than I anticipated.”

Even though it was Kotarika's idea to attack the left flank, Ganondorf took it a step further and had the entire Gerudo army attack the Gorons in retaliation for their nighttime attack at Lon Lon Ranch a week earlier.  The results were deadly. The Gorons were overmatched, as the lighter and more agile Gerudos left their horses behind and fought the Gorons on foot. The Gorons tried to roll around to neutralize the Gerudos’ speed advantage, but even that didn't work, because the energy beams of Ganondorf knocked them out of their roll.  The blades of the Gerudos sliced and diced right through their thick skin.  Before long, the Gorons were forced to retreat, causing the whole Goron army to collapse backward and to the north toward the Hylians.  Combined with the Zora movement to the south, the Hylians were now surrounded by the rebellion forces.  But Ganondorf did not care about Daphnes Hyrule or any of his force.  The King had merely been a pawn in the plan. With the victory over the Gorons, Ganondorf was less than a mile away from Zelda and the Sages, and closing fast.

”I see them Kotarika. It's time to send out a big energy blast.” Ganondorf said.

”Go for it!” Kotarika screamed.

Ganondorf charged up a large ball of energy and threw it in the general direction of the Sages.

Laruto was injured.  She had been attacked from behind by a Knight during the Sheikah retreat earlier in the battle.  She stumbled over to Zelda.  “Laruto, how did your fin cut open like that?” Zelda said with concern.

”One of the Knights slashed me with a sword. He aimed for my head. It was scary.” Laruto said as she hunched over in pain.

”Fado! Bring your fairy power, I need Laruto in good health if we are to win the battle.”  She turned back to Malon, who was saddling up horses for the Hylian cavalry unit.

”No problem.” Fado said.  He brought a bottle with a fairy inside it.  “If you'll just take the powers of this forest fairy it will help you greatly. It’ll put the life back into your fin.”  Fado had some trouble getting the top off the bottle though, and it distracted him from the energy blast coming in.  In horror, Goron Link shouted to them.  “Fado! Laruto! LOOK OUT!!!”

Fado looked up, but it was too late.  The energy blast came down and the two sages took a direct hit.  There was a giant explosion. Fado and Laruto were tossed backward a great distance.  Having been occupied with the horses, Zelda saw it out of the corner of her eye.  Her and Malon ran over to where Fado and Laruto landed.

”Fado! Laruto!” Zelda shouted frantically.  “Are you okay? Oh my goodness! NO!”

 

Malon got down on the ground next to Fado.  She noticed that he was not breathing.  She quickly tried to revive him, but to no avail.

”Malon.” Zelda said with her hand on Laruto’s chest.  “There’s no pulse.  They’re dead.”

 

“NO! What are we going to do now?!” Malon screamed.

”I don't know.” Zelda said.

 

“You have to use the Triforce and save us!” Malon exclaimed.

Zelda shook her head.  “But that will leave us all dead!”

”Either that or we all get destroyed by Ganondorf!” Malon screamed.  “Do it now!”

”I'm not going to be a coward like my father!” Zelda yelled.

Ganondorf rushed into the area where Malon and Zelda were standing.  The Kokiris and Hylians under Zelda’s command started to run for their lives.

”The time of domination has come.” Ganondorf said.

”Malon! Get out of here!” Zelda yelled.  An incredulous Malon turned and mounted her horse as quick as she could.

Ganondorf charged up an energy blast and shot it at Malon, but Zelda drew the Master Sword and deflected the blast back at him.  Not expecting it to be deflected, Ganondorf took the blast right in the chest. Zelda, acting on instinct, ran after Ganondorf, but he recovered just before she can slash him and grabbed her arm. He tossed her to the ground.  Zelda landed on her neck and rolled backward twice before staggering to her feet.

”Your toys are too powerful for you to control. I order you to return them to me.”

Ganondorf, with a sorcerer’s rage, opened up a black-purplish tunnel between him and Zelda in an attempt to steal the Triforce.  Zelda resisted with all her might.  After about thirty seconds, Ganondorf hunched over in pain as the tunnel closed.  Despite all the energy expended, he failed to reclaim the Triforce.  Just as this happened, Daphnes Hyrule showed up from the rear.  Ganondorf pointed in his direction, as if to give him a sign to attack.

”You are an enemy of the kingdom.  You are too dangerous to be left alive.” The King said as he advanced toward Zelda on his horse.

Zelda immediately turned and ran away from both Ganondorf and Daphnes Hyrule toward her horse. She got on her white steed and rode away eastward.  The two gave chase.  A battle on horseback ensued.  Zelda shot arrows of light backward toward Ganondorf and Ganondorf shot energy blasts of darkness toward Zelda. This went on for about 20 minutes as they zoomed across eastern Hyrule Field toward Kokiri Forest. Once they get to the small canyon ithsmus leading into the forest, Zelda noticed that the bridge leading into the forest was still out.  She was running out of time and territory.  She looked for a spot to hide, but there was nowhere to hide. Her horse could not cross into the forest due to the bridge over the border canyon being out.  Now she was being cornered by Daphnes Hyrule and Ganondorf with only about a quarter mile of space left. Finally, Zelda stopped her horse and pulled out the back of her hand, showing the Triforce’s insignia. Ganondorf and Daphnes Hyrule stopped dead.

”If you get any closer, I'll wish and have you both killed.  Right now.”

Ganondorf smiled.  “Ah, that you could.  But then the evil power of the wish would consume you.”

Zelda’s heart sank again.  “Eh, didn't think about that.” She said.

”Face it, Princess, the game is over. We win.” The King said.

Zelda turned and ran again, this time on foot, toward the forest entrance.  Ganondorf shot an energy blast at her, which landed right behind her feet.  Not a direct hit, but enough to throw her forward through the air.  She landed hard on her right arm.  She turned around to see Ganondorf rushing forward to capture her.  Suddenly, he was hit out of nowhere by a light arrow.  From out of the Kokiri Forest tunnel stepped a young man dressed in a green tunic.  He carried a blue shield in his right hand and a sword in his left.

Daphnes Hyrule was nearly speechless.  “Is that…the Hero?!!! But, this cannot be! My eyes are decieving me.”

”Is it…truly him? Is that really the hero?” A wide-eyed Zelda said.

He said nothing at all.  He looked toward Zelda and bowed in her direction.  He then drew his sword and ran in Ganondorf’s direction.  The Gerudo King prepared for war.
He shot an energy beam at Link, which Link deflected right back at him. He then connected on several sword shots before Ganondorf could get back up. Ganondorf  changed strategies and pulled out his giant sword. Link responded with the Biggoron Sword, and the two began to scrap in a long bladed battle. The fighting became tough and harsh, but neither could gain the advantage. Link was unlucky enough to get hit by a peahat from behind, and sensing his good fortune, Ganondorf went for the kill while he was down.  Link rolled around just in time though, and parry attacked Ganondorf from behind. He slumped down to the ground with a big slash mark across his back.

While this was going on, The King and The Princess engaged in a final encounter of their own.  Daphnes Hyrule used a magic spell, which made it difficult for Zelda to see her father.  Nearly invisible, he knocked Zelda down about five times before drawing his sword when the magic ran out. He charged for an attack on Zelda, but Zelda used her Nayru's Love spell to reflect the attack back at her father. Daphnes Hyrule ended up hurting himself as the sword clanged off the blue force field and onto his forehead.  Blood began to flow from the resultant wound, and he staggered backward as Zelda connected with some hellacious kicks to the hip of the King.  Her hard boots practically broke through his damaged right hip.  In desperation, the King lashed his sword at her.  It slashed her on the arm just above her gloves and below the sleeves of her tunic. Zelda's arm was cut badly and started bleeding profusely. Luckily, it was her non-swinging arm, and she stepped back and drew the Master Sword.

Link and Ganondorf's battle raged on.  Neither could gain the advantage at close range, which resulted in a longer range battle between light arrows and energy blasts.  After a long while of dodging, Ganondorf managed to hit Link with an energy blast.  He tried to finish him with his long black sword, but from the ground Link pulled out his Megaton Hammer and slammed it into Ganondorf’s left knee.  He let out a shriek of pain.  Without thinking, Link took his bow and launched a light arrow right into Ganondorf’s heart. He followed this up with a bomb blast and another slam of the Megaton Hammer, this time to the chest of the Evil King. Ganondorf fell over collapsed on the grass, bleeding badly from the chest. Link left the site of victory with the Hammer's handle hanging sticking out of Ganondorf’s chest.

Princess Zelda and King Daphnes Hyrule got locked into a massive sword fight.  The elder King had been an expert swordsman for ages, but the young Princess was more than proving her mettle.  They gave no quarter, and neither conceded an inch.  With his stamina starting to fade a bit, the King tried to get into the head of the Princess.

”You know you cannot defeat me, you're just a little girl.” The King said.  He swung hard from the right toward Zelda’s torso.  She ducked underneath and counter-attacked toward his chest.

”I'm nobody's little girl anymore!” she said.

The two battled on.  Daphnes attempted to use his strength and pin Zelda to the ground with a flurry of leftward swings toward her should, but he faltered by leaving himself open his right. Zelda took a mighty swing and connected right underneath the King’s hand, knocking the sword from his unsuspecting fingers.  Zelda backed him up with the Master Sword and Daphnes Hyrule fell down on the ground.

”Please! Please don't kill me, please!” the King pleaded.

”Well, if you are a good person at heart, you shouldn’t be scared.” Zelda said.

”What?”

”The Master Sword is the sword of evil’s bane.  It does not affect good-hearted people.”

Zelda swung the sword toward the chest of her father. To her chagrin, the sword cut right through the chest of Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule.  His eyes rolled in the back of his head, then closed, never to open again.

Zelda’s eyes began to well with tears.  “Oh pitiful father.” She cried.

 

 

 

Epilogue: Link and Zelda's Wedding

About 3 months passed since the bloodshed at East Hyrule Field. The land of Hyrule, which would have fallen into chaos after the death of Daphnes Hyrule, was thankfully restored to peace thanks to a wish upon the Triforce by Princess Zelda. The people of Hyrule decided that a new ruler should be put into place as quickly as possible, and demanded that Zelda take the throne in honor of her incredible bravery in the face of the attackers. Zelda said that she would oblige, when she was ready mentally and emotionally. She had Malon take over as her regent while she basically sulked over things for the next month.

 

However, this gave her and Link a bunch of time to spend together, away from the castle, away from all the craziness of Hyrulian government and civil unrest.  Link did a very good job of comforting her through some difficult times.  Initially, Zelda did not think entering into a relationship with Link was a good idea, but she started to change her mind after she saw just how hard he was trying to make her happy.  He brought her flowers and other gifts from the forest and the Hyrulian countryside on an almost daily basis.   Finally, on July 31, Zelda decided it was time for them to enter into marriage.  Apparently, Link wasn’t thinking commitment so much as he was just trying to help make Zelda’s life a little bit easier in the wake of the war’s ending, because he was shocked when Zelda made the proposal.  He was flattered, and quickly said yes. 

The date was October 4, 2057.  The site was Hyrule Castle. It was a scorching hot day in Hyrule Castle Town, and the planned wedding ceremony, which was scheduled for that afternoon had to be pushed back to the evening because everybody's outfits would have been unbearably hot. For better or for worse this gave Zelda lots of time to think back on things.  It was the afternoon, and she hadn’t even gotten into her dress yet.  Link had to go see her in the castle courtyard just to make sure everything was okay.

”Oh pity me, these last few months.” Zelda said to nobody in particular.

“Zelda, are you talking to yourself again?” Link asked her.

”Yes Link, why I am.” She replied.

”This is supposed to be a happy day, not a day where we sulk on the past. You know that. It's to look to what the future holds, for us, for them, for Hyrule.” Link said.

”I know Link. It's just…”

”What is it Princess? Are you nervous?” Link asked.

 

“No, that's not it; I love you more than anybody else in the entire world.” Zelda said.

”Well then, tell me. Is it something you cannot reveal?” Link asked.

”It's the whole end of the battle.” Zelda said.  “I ran away because it was the only thing I could do, and I got into this one-on-one fight with my father. It was terrible, but at the time, I was only thinking about how to survive. But once I knocked the sword out from him, I decided to let the master sword decide if he was to die. Oh!” Zelda stops and starts to cry.  Link handed her a handkerchief.  “I shouldn't have done that. It was a terrible thing to do, I killed him! I killed him and I shouldn't have done that!”

”Zelda, I realize the pain that you are going through.” Link said.  “It is true that he was your father, and that is hard, but you have to realize that he put everybody in danger. He killed your attendant, he refused to even try and save you from Ganondorf, and he had a plot to destroy our entire world. There was no fault in what you did, he was a danger to our entire kingdom, much less you and me.”

Zelda was not convinced.  “Link, do you have any idea what it is like to kill one of your own blood?” she asked.

There was a bit of a pause here.  Link searched for the right words, then spoke.  “Thankfully, I do not.” He said.  “However, I do know what it is like to not have anybody to guide me, nobody to nourish me, nobody to raise me through the world. My parents were killed during the Imprisoning War, so its all emptiness to me.”

Zelda sighed.  “It is the worst feeling you can possibly imagine.”
”Zelda, look at me closely.” Link said.  Zelda got up really close to Link.  “There was nothing wrong in what you did to your father. You did not kill him in a fit of rage, which had I been in your situation would have done.  You did not even kill him in a spiteful manner. You let the master sword be the judge of his heart's desire. That is the noblest thing a warrior can do.  I myself have done that many times. In this case, it judged your father to be evil.”  Zelda started to cry again.  “You know as well as I do that the master sword is the beholder of reason in this kingdom, and it is the true decider of good and evil. You did nothing wrong in consulting it.

”You don't say...” Zelda started.

”I swear it.”  There was a pause as Link’s words hung in the air.

”Link, you have such a way with words.” Zelda said.

He was flattered.  “Thank you Princess.”

”Don't call me that anymore.” Zelda said.

”Why not?”

”Because then I would have to start calling you Prince all the time!” Zelda exclaimed.

There was a slight pause, mostly out of shock that Zelda cracked a joke.  Then they both laughed.  The wedding procession took place inside the Temple of Time that night, with a gigantic celebration in the square of Hyrule Castle Town after the ceremony itself. Practically every race of people in Hyrule had masses of people there.  Enemies on the battlefield just a short few months ago, Kokiris danced with Hylians.  Gorons ate rock sirloin and Zoras ate fish at the same table. It was a much needed celebration for a city and a land that badly needed healing after a bloody civil conflict. It was just what Zelda had wished for.

 

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