Rain drummed a melancholy beat on the roof of Hyrule Castle. Combined with the pitiful whistling of the wind through the midnight air, it weaved a sorrowful melody, perfectly capturing the tearfulness of all with good hearts on this horrible night. On the top floor, Princess Zelda, a prisoner in her own bedchambers, sat, a quivering mess enveloped in blankets. The visions. They came to her almost every night now, always the same, always equally disturbing, growing more potent each time. For most, that would simply be an unfortunate string of nightmares, perhaps a mental condition, but for Zelda, it was different. Her dreams were not simply her imagination, petty spectres of reality, childish illusions, no, they were predictions sent by the goddesses themselves!
She saw it yet again...
The dark, star-speckled sky stretched as far as the eye could see, colliding with the warm sand of the Gerudo desert at the far-off horizon. Pale moonlight shone ominously upon a tall and powerful man, only his back visible. He sported a long, red-orange velvet cape that was fluttering in the wind.
He turned around slowly, looking out into the distance. He was bare-chested, every muscle in his immense body defined. His skin was as dark as the night sky, his hair and beard the colour of blood. To Zelda, he was incredibly attractive. But he was Ganondorf. Dark Lord, the holder of the triforce of power, king of thieves, an evil, terrible man. The one whose failed execution triggered an onslaught of horrible events, the most recent one being Zant's rise to power, and his transformation of Hyrule into an extension of the Twilight Realm. But yet, he seemed so handsome in the light of the moon, so perfect...
"Zelda..." his deep, baritone voice rang out, as powerful and attractive as his manly, muscular body.
"You love me. You know it. You will join me as a sacrifice to save another's life. But when the time is right..."
He stopped, shuddering, his large form losing its physical prowess. He closed his eyes, becoming weak. He sunk to his knees, gasping for breath.
"... save me from the evil that has consumed me for all these years..."
The scene changed abruptly. Ganondorf, now in armor, had collapsed on his back to the ground, with the recognizable cliffs of Hyrule field looming in the background. Drops of cool perspiration slid off his forehead, moistening the grass below him. Link, the green-clad hero of Hyrule, stood over him, scowling and exhausted, ready to kill.
"Save me, Princess, and I will be yours. For love, for protection, for anything. Save me, please... before it's too late..." With that, Link drove his sword into Ganondorf's heart. Said Dark Lord screamed in pain, and blackness covered all.
Back in the real world, Princess Zelda cradled her blond-haired head in her pale hands, trying to rid herself of the prophetic nightmare. But to no avail, it clung to her mind, enveloping her soul, fresh as ever. How could it possibly be true? How could she love a monster like him?
But the most haunting and intriguing part of the prophecy was when Ganondorf begged her to 'save him from the evil that consumed him'. Could it be true that his villainous acts were actually caused by another force unknown to her?
Pushing those matters aside, she hauled herself out of her bed. Even though the sun had not yet graced the sky, the Princess was not in any way eager to resume a nightmare-plagued slumber. Although it might seem slightly oxymoronic, listening in silence to the never-ending clatter of raindrops outside her room was less sorrowful of an activity than sleeping.