The Sages stood before the fallen King of Evil.
"It's over," said Rauru.
"At long last," Impa agreed.
Saria, Darunia, and Nabooru said nothing.
Nabooru knelt beside the fallen man, her brother. Reaching out, she closed his lifeless eyes.
"I know I should feel something, but I don't. I feel nothing. Not joy, relief, not even a bit of sadness."
"You should be relieved," said Darunia, the Goron Sage of Fire.
The Sage of Spirits stood.
"Well, I'm not. I don't even feel any kind of sadness that my brother now lies dead."
Rauru, the Sage of Light, approached the Gerudo Sage.
"What happened, Nabooru? You were acting strange during Ganondorf's battle with the Hero of Light."
"I heard him call to me, but he was different. He was like he had been before he became corrupted. He begged me to help him,… to save him."
The other Sages pondering this for a few minutes.
Saria, the Kokiri Sage of the Forest, then spoke up.
"Perhaps we have been wrong about Ganondorf. Perhaps it was not his conscious choice to become what he did."
"How could it not be a conscious choice?"
Impa looked thoughtful.
"Power can be very corrupting, Darunia. Nabooru, when did he first begin to change?"
"When he began to train under Twinrova in the Dark Arts. Why?"
Rauru quickly caught on to Impa's train of thought.
"Perhaps it was their dark magic that first corrupted him."
"And the Triforce of Power fed the dark magic, allowing it to consume him until he became the monster we've been fighting," Nabooru finished.
The Sages of Light and Shadow nodded.
"Is there any way to bring him back but remove the Dark Arts from him?"
"You want to bring him back?"
Nabooru struck an idea.
"Wait, Darunia. Saria may be on to something. Without the Dark Arts to corrupt him, Ganondorf may be back to normal."
"And if not?"
"We seal him away again."
It was decided.
Ganondorf Dragmire first became aware of his entire body crying out in pain. He moaned and slowly opened his golden eyes. He was rewarded with the sight of the evening sky.
He blinked as his other sensed kicked in. He could hear and feel a gentle breeze. His body was weighed by his armor. He could smell grass and feel it under his fingers. His mouth and throat were dry, and he tried, unsuccessfully, to wet his dry, cracked lips.
He suddenly became away of voices coming towards him. Two were female, and one was male. As they became clearer, he recognized two of the voices; Link, Hero of Light, and Princess Zelda.
"Hey, how did the Master Sword get out of Ganondorf?" questioned Link.
The Hero approached, bent to pick up his sword, and jumped back with a yell.
"Link, what is it?" asked Zelda and the other woman.
"He moved!"
Ganondorf realized his body was twitching from being in one position for so long. He couldn't hide that he was alive anymore.
Link, Zelda, and Midna all nearly screamed when the King of Evil slowly sat up.
The Gerudo King inspected himself, appearing just as confused as they. They then noticed the changes in him.
His wound from his failed execution was gone, his skin was no longer a sickly shade of green but a healthy, deep tan, and his eyes were no longer crazed with madness and a lust for power. His face was relaxed though a little confused.
"How are you alive?" Midna finally demanded.
"I would like to know that myself."
His deep, gruff voice no longer held sarcasm and malice, only confusion and wonder.
"It was our doing."
All four turned to see the sages.
"Ganondorf Dragmire, you have been purged of your knowledge of the Dark Arts, which corrupted you centuries ago. We are giving you one chance to live in peace. If you revert back to your old ways, you will be sealed away once more, this time for eternity."
Link and the Princesses looked at their enemy, who looked even more confused than they did.
"Why? Why are you taking this risk with me, after all I've done?"
"Everyone deserves a second chance, even you."
The Gerudo stiffly got to his feet.
"Hero of Light, Princess Zelda, Princess Midna, you must watch Ganondorf to see how well he adapts and uses this opportunity. He is the last of his people and therefore has nowhere to go. You must assist him when he needs it."
They reluctantly agreed.
"You have one chance, Ganondorf. Use it wisely."