knowlee: Ah, I FINALLY am able to post this! Yay! I've been wanting to get this up for a while now but I had been deliberately holding off because I'm trying out this new way of writing where it will both keep up my motivation for writing this story and let you guys have regular updates in order to avoid having to stay in limbo waiting.

This is a story I've had for a while in my head and it took me about a few months or more to fine tune all the details, major plot points, characters and their roles and make it possible to where, if this was good enough, to make sure I left enough stuff in it to tie into a potential sequel. Not to mention I've got at least four (fourth is nearly finished) chapters of this story (including this prologue as part of the batch) written thus far and have planned to keep this going in order to keep this buffer. The reason for the buffer is that I have discovered about myself is that when I write a chapter for a story, my original impulse was to automatically publish it, but then I would feel stressed out to write the next one and in turn it would turn me off from writing (part of what happened with my AlttP fanfic; still plan on finishing that btw). So after taking some inspiration from another writer on here that I watch I decided to implement a system in which I would first write at least four or five chapters and then I would start publishing them, but on a two week updating system. This two week lag would allow me to simultaneously write the next chapter that comes after the buffer of chapters I've already written as well as deal with things that happen in my day-to-day life. I can be quite busy at times plus there are instances where I don't feel like writing and need a break, so this two week period would work perfect for me. Plus it'll ensure that I'll keep posting regularly.

Plus I want to mention that since this story (as its mentioned in its summary) takes place in Zelda Wii U's world that obviously there are going to be points (such as story, plot elements, characters, items, etc.) that will not appear in the actual game when it releases or when Nintendo decides to fill us in on what's going to happen in future trailers or when the game actually comes out. It is for this reason that I put in the summary that this is going to be an Alternate Universe version of Zelda Wii U. I will also be putting this disclaimer up in every chapter I post for this since I know that before/after the game comes out there will probably be people who will think this is an actual novelization of the game and I don't want to mislead them.

The only way that this will share elements with the game is (other than the world its placed it, certain items, enemies and characters that appears which is already present within this fanfic) that when the game is released it coincidentally happens to share some of them. (Although PS that would be kinda awesome though cause that means I totally CALLED IT! :D )

Also lastly since I know some of you guys are going to be wondering, the whole story takes place on the Child Timeline while the prologue takes place approximately 100 years after the events of Four Swords Adventures (FSA) and the main story takes place 200 years after the events of the prologue. Took me a while to figure this one out. (Yes, I'm THAT serious about fanfic writing...)

Anyway, I know some of you guys are wanting to hurry up and get on with the story, so I won't keep you any longer. Just wanted to clarify this just in case anyone was wondering.

Please read and review!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own The Legend of Zelda nor its characters, world, etc. They belong to Nintendo. Also since this fanfic was conceived before anything huge was known about Zelda Wii U, this fanfiction shall be considered an Alternate Universe version of the game. Only one major character, one enemy, the world it takes place in and a few items are currently shared between the two versions. If there is any story, character, plot resemblances that appear between the two after more information about the game is released those are to be considered purely coincidental.

A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction

Flames of Change

Prologue: Act of Desperation

By: knowlee

Lightning crashed and thunder rumbled all across the vast land of Hyrule. Every inch of the earth was being drenched by the heavens including that of the arid desert. An old, lone castle stood above the dunes of sand and in one of the upper rooms of the north end tower of the landmark was an old sorcerer clothed in auburn red robes. Ancient magical words spilled from the sorcerer's lips and echoed off the walls of the small room that he was standing in. On the ground before him was a magical rune painted in blood and lit candles surrounded its border. Inside the rune were bones; bones that were said to belong to the one man that all of Hyrule hated the most: Ganondorf, the King of Thieves.

Words continued to pour from the sorcerer's mouth and grew harsher as he was nearing the completion of his spell. It took him years of research to find the spell that was needed for this and he could feel that his hard work was about to pay off.

Once the final word was spoken, dark light burst from the borders of the circle and enveloped the bones lying in the middle. The sorcerer watched in shock as he watched a shadow within the dark light continue to grow until it became the size of a tall man. As soon as the shadow fell to the ground though, the light slowly dissipated until it was no more. What used to be bones lying in the center of the rune was now a man bearing red hair and dark armor.

The man looked up at him, his golden eyes gleaming in the candlelight.

The sorcerer smiled in glee to see that his spell worked and bowed deeply, "Lord Ganondorf."

As the man continued to show his reverence for the imposing figure before him, the figure in question slowly stood up in order to allow himself to adjust to having legs again after being dead for some time.

Once he had finally gotten to his feet, he looked down at the kneeling man and spoke, "Who are you and how is it that I'm alive?"

The sorcerer took that as permission to sit up from his position and looked up at the resurrected king. "Lord Ganondorf, I am but a humble dark sorcerer who has been working for many years to find a way to bring you back to the living. I became a follower of yours through my extensive research of your exploits. I felt disappointed that you were unable to attain your goals and because of that, I wanted to help you gain your revenge and take what you desire and deserve."

Ganondorf eyed the man with discernment. "You are certainly willing to give your devotion to someone whom you've never met before. How can you be so sure that I am deserving of what I want?"

The sorcerer replied with a frown as he remembered his reason. "Because I too have been seen as a menace by a vast majority of Hyrule and the reason behind their hatred was related to something I couldn't help. So naturally when I reached out to gain the recognition I deserved and wanted, I was pushed aside callously. It caused me to fall into darkness and when I heard of you, the King of the Gerudo and of Thieves, and discovered that our lives were similar I decided then and there that I would find a way to bring you back to life and that together we would take our revenge on those who harmed us and needlessly shunned us in our times of need."

The Gerudo King continued to look down on the man. He could understand his plight since he was correct in saying that the two were shunned by the denizens of Hyrule. The man obviously from what he could tell was due to his affinity for the dark arts and he, for being that a Gerudo. Although the Hylians had more of a reason to dislike him other than for his race. Many times he had tried to take over Hyrule in order to take their sacred relic as his own. His first attempt was to try and secure it for his people in order to bring them life and prosperity since their life in the desert was not a pleasant one. But he was thwarted before he could even attempt to do so. The second attempt was to try once more to take it for his people but once he arrived back in Hyrule, he was disgusted to learn that they were no longer anywhere to be found. That reason for the second attempt then shifted from one of gaining prosperity to one of gaining revenge against the people who had slaughtered his own for something they did not do. The punishment they dealt should have been given to him only.

Ganondorf frowned. Though that was not the only reason why he wasn't too sure about letting the man help him. He knew in the past he had one person who was willing to help him with his plans and that ultimately ended up in a failure. Not to mention the person in question ended up betraying him by bringing about his death after he had been impaled by the Master Sword that was wielded by that era's current Hero.

Speaking of that, how long had it been since he had last walked the earth? The place he once had inhabited before being resurrected didn't give him a good idea of how much time had passed since then. He would need to know how Hyrule had changed since then and what he would need to expect.

"How long have I been gone?" he asked.

The sorcerer was a little taken aback at his question, but got past his confusion quickly and began to sort out his thoughts. "It has been some time since your death. I'd say about approximately three centuries."

Ganondorf looked away in surprise. He didn't think it would take him this long to be resurrected. Regardless of how he had gotten beat, he always found a way around his failure. Although his death during the last time he was around would've been permanent if it had not been for the man kneeling before him. Nonetheless, he had no doubt that there would followers of his that would attempt to find a way to bring him back somehow. Apparently though it seemed that their existence was waning.

His eyesight focused back on the sorcerer. They weren't entirely extinct yet. "Has anyone else attempted to continue what I started?"

His golden eyes spotted a chair over to his right sitting against the wall. He could feel his newly created body's energy slowing leaving him. Since he had just been reborn this body wasn't used to doing much yet. He walked over to it.

The sorcerer spoke as he sat down. "There was one man who tried and he was born to the Gerudo race, such as yourself, and was given your namesake. He did attempt to take over Hyrule, but ultimately failed. That was at least 100 years ago. Since then there has been no one else."

Ganondorf was surprised and mildly glad to hear the name of his people. "Ah, so my race do live again I see. Last I recall they were wiped out by the Hylians when that wretched Kokiri boy warned the royals of my plot."

He loathed that child as well as the other one who came after him. He wondered if there was a connection between the two. Another thought appeared in the back of his mind as his wonderings continued.

"Yes, your race does live again. They weren't completely wiped out during that incident many years ago and they have -"

Ganondorf interrupted. "Who was it that thwarted the other 'Ganondorf's' plan?"

Taking no affront to the interruption, the sorcerer loyally answered. "All of the texts that I've read tend to speak of what he was wearing namely that of a green tunic. They also speak of other colors along with that one. Each account is slightly different, but the majority of the stories do agree that green was one of the primary colors of the cloth he wore. And according to the census, the name of that man from that era was 'Link'."

Ganondorf growled. It seemed that no matter what force came upon Hyrule some kid bearing that description always ended up stopping it. He was beginning to hate that color after personally seeing himself being stopped by two people who bore it.

"So I suppose its safe to say that no matter who it is that plans to oppose Hyrule, a 'kid' wearing green and called Link will always stop him."

"So it would seem." he nodded.

The Gerudo sighed in irritation. So no matter what he planned, he was doomed before he could even set his plan in motion. Yes, he could make excellent progress and have it appear as if were going along smoothly and that he was winning, but ultimately it would all be for naught. He laughed slightly when memories of his past attempts came to him. The people of Hyrule certainly had fate on their side.

Ganondorf continued to sit in the chair and began to get lost in his thoughts as he stared at the wall that was across from him. He was trying to come up with some kind of plan to finally gain what he so desired and to keep one step ahead of the opposition. It seemed impossible, but he definitely knew that he had never been the kind of person to give up so easily. He considered this to be a challenge. A challenge that he would surely find a solution for.

Then as if one of the lightning bolts flashing outside hit him suddenly, he came up with an idea. It was one that was a bit risky and relied mostly on chance but nonetheless it was a plan. He smiled. Perhaps he could tip the scales in his favor and away from Hyrule and its precious Hero.

He chuckled evilly. Yes, it could work. But, Ganondorf looked back over to the sorcerer, to ensure its success he would need some help. One part of the plan did involve a certain kind of magic and though he possessed magical skill and prowess, he was a bit lacking in that aspect of the mythical art. And as much as he was hesitant to have someone help him, especially in regards to what happened last time, he knew that in order to for it work, he needed this man.

"Can I trust you?" The sorcerer seemed surprised at the question coming from the Gerudo. "Last time I had a subordinate, they betrayed me in the end."

The sorcerer wasn't too sure of who he was talking about, but there was one thing he knew and that was that he could never dream of betraying him. The Gerudo reminded him far too much of himself and he knew that if he were to do such a thing that it would inevitably cause him to live in guilt for the rest of his life.

He bowed deeply to Ganondorf in order to show how much he was willing to follow him. "I am at your service, Lord Ganondorf. I understand that you are hesitant to work with me, but I can assure you that you can trust me fully. And in the event if I do ever betray you, which I promise will not happen, then you can do with me whatever it is that you wish."

Ganondorf in spite of himself was impressed. To offer up one's life already without hesitance surely had to say something. Nonetheless, he would still watch his back around the man. He didn't like the idea of being fooled twice.

"Very well. I shall allow you to help me." He stood up from the chair to walk towards the sorcerer. He motioned for the man to rise once he was standing before him.

He spoke again. "In order to assure my victory, I'll need to do a few things. One of these things you will do for me personally. It is essential to ensure that I will see this through to the end. The other two things are merely fail safes in the event that another failure comes about."

As the sorcerer finished rising from the ground to stand before his now leader he asked, "And what are those things, Master, if I may ask?"

Ganondorf smirked. "In due time I will tell you. First though I'll need you to bring me to my other followers, presuming that there are others left other than you."

A smile formed on the sorcerer's face. "Yes sir, there are many others."

The Gerudo nodded. "Excellent! I will see that they know that I have returned and will seek their assistance on the other part of my plan. Then I shall have you do your part to ensure my success. Then lastly..."

Ganondorf turned to look out a window located on his right to see the thunderstorm howling outside the tower as an excited grin appeared on his face, "...We shall start a war."

[A few months later…]

Ganondorf stared down the blood-stained fields of Hyrule where he watched as his many followers were waging war against the inhabitants of the land. Gorons, Zora, Gerudo, Hylians and Sheikah were fighting against his army of monsters and devoted followers who possessed powerful magic. He felt slightly disappointed that the Gerudo forces did not follow him, but at the same time he could not blame them for all that he had inadvertently put them through. In addition he knew that they were not the same tribe he grew up with and was close to so he did not feel guilty fighting them. The tribe now was completely different from the tribe then.

Nonetheless, he smirked as he watched the events unfold before him. It was all going according to plan. He didn't know or care if his army won this battle, but as long as it enabled him to get what he needed to finish the war, overall everything would fall into his favor.

Suddenly he sensed the presence of his faithful sorcerer appear next to him. Even though he still was guarded around the man, the loyalty and actions that he had shown during these past few months had proven that he was fully devoted to his cause. And as he had learned long ago that actions do speak louder than words.

"So, did you succeed?" He asked the sorcerer.

Ganondorf had given him a mission that consisted of him creating a potion that would allow one aspect of his plan to work. This aspect was a very important one and in order for the rest of it to succeed, it was vital that it worked.

The sorcerer nodded and produced a bottle containing a white liquid within it. "Once you drink this, you will gain that which you desire."

The Gerudo grabbed the bottle and pulled the top off to inspect its contents. He looked back at the sorcerer with a stern look. "You are sure this will work?"

The sorcerer nodded again. "I am quite sure. I triple checked the spell and ingredients to ensure that everything was correct. It will work."

Ganondorf looked back down at the container and raised it to his lips slowly. Although the sorcerer had proven his worth, he was still wary of him. Things could change that quickly. "It had better otherwise I will find a way to drag you down with me."

He downed the contents in one gulp and threw the container onto the ground where it shattered into pieces. He felt no different from before after drinking it, but there would be no way to know for certain until the moment came where he would need it.

Ganondorf searched the battleground again and this time he found the Princess herself leading Hylian reinforcements to try and help stem the tide against his army. He smirked. The moment he was waiting for was finally near. This also meant that he had to move quickly. If what he thought was correct, the princess was just a distraction to keep him occupied while the Hero made his move.

He quickly turned away from the battlefield and motioned for the sorcerer to follow. Before he completely walked away from the field though, he made sure to signal to the head Moblin to take charge of the battle in his absence.

The two had walked a good bit away when Ganondorf stopped suddenly and turned back to the sorcerer who stopped just as he did. He hoped that the sorcerer didn't ask too many questions otherwise he would miss his window of opportunity.

"I need you to take me to the Temple of Time."

The sorcerer's eyes widened at the demand. "The Temple of Time? But it's been in ruins for some time now, why would you wish to go there?"

Ganondorf groaned. He didn't want to deal with questions right now. He was short on time. He decided to answer anyway though, if only to hurry up and get on to his destination. "Do you know of the Sacred Realm and the Triforce?"

The other man's eyes widened further at what the Gerudo said, "I have heard of the legends, but I wasn't entirely sure of their authenticity. ...So it's real?"

Ganondorf nodded once, eager to get this history lesson over with. "Yes, it is real and because of it I need to get to the Temple of Time as soon as possible. If what I suspect is going to happen is correct, I will need to get there as soon as possible."

The sorcerer pulled out a piece of chalk that would be necessary to draw a rune for a teleportation spell, but he still found himself to be curious about Ganondorf's demand. "If you don't mind me asking, sire, what is it that you suspect is going to happen?"

The Gerudo groaned in annoyance. This was why he was hoping to avoid these unnecessary questions, every second he spent explaining was another second lost. But seeing as the man was now busy drawing a teleportation rune on the ground, he couldn't say that he was not doing something to hurry the request along.

"If you familiar with the legends as you claim, then you should know that there is a connection between the Sacred Realm and the Temple of Time. This connection is the reason why I must go there. The Sacred Realm has something that I need to complete my conquest." Ganondorf looked down at this right hand where the symbol of the Triforce used to lay but now it no longer did. "It was something that I once had but now I no longer have it within my possession. I must gain it back, but I cannot enter the Sacred Realm without the help of the Hero of this era. Only he can open the gateway. Then once it is open, I can enter freely."

"I see." The sorcerer finished adding the final touches to the rune he had been drawing. After finishing, he and Ganondorf stepped into the mark and he began to remember the words needed for the spell. "You seem to be certain of this. I take it that this has already happened before…?"

Ganondorf laughed as the sorcerer began chanting. "Not like this it hasn't, but I do know from my last encounter with the Hero is that he and the Temple of Time are connected in some way since the Master Sword, which he used last to slay me, lays within it. Our last confrontation ended with him wielding it, so I see no reason why it should be any different this time around. But this time though, it will be him who falls instead of me."

The two then disappeared from the field in a flash of bright light.

Once the light dissipated around them, the two beings found themselves surrounded by ruins of what Ganondorf presumed once formed the Temple of Time. He felt somewhat disappointed to find it in such a state. The last time he was in this same spot was many years ago back when he had attempted to find a way into the Sacred Realm only to find his way blocked by the Door of Time. Now though, he thought as he looked towards the location of where door once stood, it had crumbled away and left the entrance to the place where the legendary Master Sword slept wide open.

But even though the door was now removed from his list of obstacles, he still had to wait for the boy to appear and lift the sword from its pedestal. Only then would the gateway open.

"Master! I hear someone coming!" the sorcerer quickly whispered to him.

Sure enough he could hear the tell-tale sounds of footsteps approaching the two. The two quickly used their magic to hide their presence from whomever was getting closer. They watched with bated breath as the person who they sensed earlier entered the ruins.

It was none other than the Hero.

Ganondorf smirked in amusement as he noticed that not much had changed in this Hero's incarnation when compared to the previous ones he had encountered. He just looked just like his predecessors with the same green tunic and stupid greet hat. He also bore the same physical appearance as the previous two he met albeit a few things were different such as the hair color and other things, but overall everything looked the same. He would've thought that after all this time, the Goddesses would've been a bit more original in their design of the new incarnation of the Hero. Obviously creativity wasn't their strong point.

The two watched as the Hero quickly moved through the ruins of the temple to get to the area that housed the Master Sword. They followed behind him, being very careful to keep quiet lest they got caught before the opportune moment arose.

The smirk on Ganondorf's face grew into a smile. He was very close to getting back what once belonged to him. He could almost feel the familiar power coursing through his veins. The two stopped walking once the Hero reached the pedestal where the sword lay. The Hero laid his hands on the hilt of the blade and began to lift it.

It took some struggling, but with one final tug, the Hero managed to finally lift the blade from its pedestal. Ganondorf held his breath as he watched the sword lift completely from the stone and a blue glow began to form around the unsuspecting Hero. In his delight, an evil laughter erupted from his throat. The time had come…

The Hero quickly turned to find the source of the dark laughter and a mixture of shock and fear came over his face as he saw the now uncloaked man who started this war. He had no time to break himself from his stupor though for Ganondorf had quickly began to make his way to the portal that had opened. Ganondorf knew he had no time to waste for it would close soon.

He heard the sorcerer quickly cast a few spells at the young Hero to distract him from attempting to keep Ganondorf away from the portal. The spells did help though for he finally entered the bright light and found himself teleported to another plane of existence.

When the light went away, he was standing on a platform that had water flowing from an unknown source located in its center. On each corner of the platform were six symbols that he recognized to be the crests of the sages since he could recall seeing them on their cloaks when they had banished them to the Twilight Realm centuries ago.

And then, directly in its center, floating above the symbol that showed the other piece's companions in their combined form was the whole reason why he came here, the Triforce of Power. He smiled as he saw it. It felt like he was seeing an old friend again.

With his eyes set firmly on his goal, he began to make his way towards the sacred relic. Shortly after starting though, he stopped himself short for before him blocking his way to the Triforce piece was the sage that he had killed previously glaring at him in defiance. He huffed in irritation. Should've known that they wouldn't have made it easy for him.

The Gerudo took in the sight. "I thought I had killed you ages ago. Apparently I forgot to take into account your kind's immortal state."

The Sage of Water continued to glare at him as it spoke, "You only temporarily killed my physical form. I merely returned to this realm to heal from my wounds and work to regain back my form. I certainly never wanted to see you again. Last I recall, my brethren told me that they had sent you to the Twilight Realm but that you did find your way out sometime afterward. You are certainly too stubborn for your own good, Ganondorf."

He laughed. "Perhaps so, but at the same time, I've always been taught to never give up on something especially if it is something I desire."

The Water Sage gathered some water from the platform below them into their hands. "Sometimes though, we cannot always get what we want. Such is the case for you and the Triforce."

Ganondorf gathered his magic as well. "I don't see why you think you can fight me. I will take you down just as easily as I did last time."

The sage scoffed. "That's highly unlikely. You are not as powerful as you were back then, Ganondorf."

Ganondorf chucked. "We shall see..."

Before Ganondorf could send his first attack, the Water Sage made its move. It threw the water it had gathered in his hands towards the Gerudo. Ganondorf barely managed to dodge the attack and the water struck the spot where he was just standing moments before. He quickly retaliated by throwing the magic that he had gathered at the sage.

In response the sage quickly brought up a wall of water in front of it to protect itself from the oncoming attack. After defending itself, it quickly went back on the offense to prevent the Gerudo King from getting any closer to the Triforce piece. It grabbed more water from the platform and threw it once more at him, this time though instead of making it stay liquid it became solid ice.

Ganondorf dodged what icicles he could, but for those he knew that he could not, he used his magic to destroy them. He took a few of the icicles that remained after the onslaught and redirected them with his magic to go back towards the sage. During the time that the sage spent blocking the frozen water, Ganondorf quickly made his way to the Triforce piece.

The sage quickly saw what he was attempting to do, so it made a last ditch effort to prevent him from getting any closer by moving the water beneath them to form a giant wave and motioned it towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, Ganondorf saw this and quickly made a last minute decision to leap over the water.

This apparently was something that the sage didn't see coming for right after Ganondorf landed back onto the platform, it was unable to properly defend itself against the powerful ball of magic he threw immediately afterward to stop it from attacking again.

Ganondorf didn't take long to take in his victory for he knew that it was probably only a matter of time before someone else showed up. He turned to his right to find the glowing Triforce of Power and walked over to it. A smile formed on his face as he reached out his right hand towards the piece. Upon touching it, he felt it the power being to course through him and the piece slowly absorbed into his body. Upon seeing it fully disappear, he looked down at his hand to see the familiar symbol of the Triforce glowing. His smile grew bigger. Now he could finally finish what he had started.

He turned to look back at the fallen sage who was now kneeling on the platform trying to recover from Ganondorf's last attack. "Looks like I was able to take you down as easily as last time. And now," he brought up his right hand to show to the sage the golden symbol of the Triforce, "I have all the Power I need to continue my vengeance."

Ganondorf turned his right hand's palm towards the sage and began forming magical energy that was now augmented more with the Triforce of Power. He would end this sage permanently. Once the energy reached its zenith, he released it towards the defenseless Water Sage.

Before the magic could connect though, someone quickly ran up in front of the sage and blocked the attack. Ganondorf's eyes narrowed at the intruder and after the smoke from the blocked attack went away, he saw the familiar Hylian shield and immediately knew who it was. He smirked. He should've known.

"Ah, nice to see that you finally join us, Hero..."

Said man stood up from the position he used to protect the sage from the magical onslaught and stood up before him. The man was wearing the familiar tunic of green and had the same green hat atop his head. The Hylian Shield he held in his right hand and in his left, the blade of evil's bane: The Master Sword. The Hero glared at Ganondorf and pointed the tip of the blade towards him. "Your evil shall end today!"

Ganondorf laughed loudly. "How many times have I heard that one?"

He stopped his laughter and looked towards the man. Now he would be able to put his servant's potion to the test to see if it truly worked. He materialized a blade in his right hand and entered a fighting position. It was time to let the show begin.

The Hero made the first move. He lunged towards Ganondorf and began to make furious swipes with his blade which Ganondorf found quite easy to parry. He laughed. The Hero was losing his edge. From what he could tell from this Hero's fighting style was that he was cocky, arrogant even.

Granted yes, he was too, Ganondorf could admit, but after his last defeat at the hands of a Hero he learned that he couldn't rely on his Triforce for everything. It did help yes, hence why he came to reclaim his piece, but ultimately it came down to how one used it. It was a hard lesson that he had learned and it seemed that after the last two times the Hero had bested him, that the young man hadn't received this harsh lesson like he had.

Ganondorf smirked as he parried another blow from the young Hero. Well, he would certainly be glad to teach it to him. After blocking a few more hits from the boy's blade, Ganondorf made his move and began to attack with swipes of his own. His smirk grew wider as he saw how the boy was quickly getting overwhelmed by his strength and was struggling to find an opening.

The boy quickly dodged one of his last attacks by side stepping away from him and quickly moved in to strike. But Ganondorf followed his lead and side stepped his attack and swung back his sword to give him a fatal attack in his face. The Hero saw this coming though and managed to duck under the attack and roll out of the way at the last second.

Upon returning to a standing position, the Hero quickly turned around and thrust the Master Sword towards his opponent. Ganondorf's eyes widened once he turned around to face the Hero for he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge or parry this one. He cried out as he felt the sword plunge into his chest and out the other side to create a deep cut that would be fatal. His sword fell to the ground as he lost his grip on its handle.

Ganondorf saw the triumphant smirk grace the Hero's lips as he watched him sink to his knees in pain and to began to gasp to catch his breath. The Gerudo was surprised. Didn't the potion work? He could taste the blood on his tongue as he frowned in anger as he knew that know he would have to find that pathetic excuse for a sorcerer and make him pay for failing him.

He heard the Hero's footsteps grow closer to him and he could see in his peripheral vision that the boy was preparing his final attack. No, he couldn't fail here! Not when he was so close! He desperately tried to hang on to what little life he held within him.

But before the Hero could bring his sword down, Ganondorf felt himself experience a strange sensation. He glanced down at the hole in his chest and to his surprise and delight he saw it instantly heal itself and in just mere moments it appeared as if he had never received the wound!

Ganondorf smirked in triumph. Looks like the sorcerer wasn't lying about his concoction after all. He would need to find someway to repay him once he found a way out of the Sacred Realm, but first…

The Gerudo quickly reached to grasp his sword again and to the Hero and Sage's shock, he returned the favor by thrusting his sword through the young boy's stomach before the Master Sword had a chance to touch him. He pulled the sword out of the Hero roughly and watched as he fell to the floor, blood gushing out of his wound.

The Hero was struggling to breathe, "But...how?"

Ganondorf smiled. He should at least let his adversary know why he bested him. Although the boy annoyed him greatly, he did find him to be a worthy opponent. "Silly boy. It's simple, really. No Hero can defeat me!"

Ganondorf watched as the light slowly disappeared from the boy's eyes and his last breath passed through his lips. He felt slightly bittersweet about knowing that he had finally triumphed over the Hero. He was thrilled to have won the battle between the two, but he also felt disappointed that his rival had now passed onto the next world. Oh well, he was certain the two would cross paths again eventually.

Giving one last glance at the dead body of his adversary, he turned now to look back at the Water Sage who was still in shock over what had just transpired before it. As Ganondorf began to walk towards it though, it managed to come out of its stupor and quickly got to its feet.

"How did you-? What have you done, Ganondorf?!"

He threw his head back and laughed deeply. Then he looked back down at the sage, "It's just as I said to the boy earlier before he passed, 'No Hero can defeat me'." He pointed his blade at the sage. "Looks like I have finally bested you and the goddesses. Hmm, might need to be more original next time."

Ganondorf brought the arm holding his sword back and began to swing it at the defenseless sage before it had a chance to attack. Right before the sword could connect with the sage's essence though, a waterspout formed up and wrapped itself around his blade and then quickly encased it in ice. The ice continued to spread down the sword and before Ganondorf could pull his hand away from the hilt, the ice formed over his hand, preventing him from moving it.

Not wanting to give up so easily, Ganondorf quickly brought his other arm up to point his hand at the sage to attack it with magic, but before he could fully lift it another waterspout grabbed it and formed ice over that one as well.

"What the-?"

Before he could figure out his next move, the Gerudo saw colored orbs appear within the chamber and float over the colored platforms they corresponded with. Almost instantly he saw the five missing sages appear on top of their symbols. The Water Sage saw this as well and stepped backwards onto the symbol representing it.

"Though we cannot kill you, Ganondorf, we will make sure that you are unable to harm anyone again. You shall be sealed forever within the deepest parts of the Sacred Realm, where no one shall be able to find you. Nor shall there be a way for you to get out."

Each sage lifted up their arms to form their respective stances. Before them their magic pooled together to form a colored orb representing their power. Ganondorf watched in fear as he realized what was about to happen. He needed to do something quick. He tried to move his arms and budge the ice but it was to no avail. He quickly tried to think of something else.

Suddenly an idea came to him. It was definitely a long shot, but it was the only chance he had at this moment. He closed his eyes to concentrate. Once his eyes opened back up he smirked, it had worked.

At the same time, Ganondorf felt the sages' powers connect with his body and he felt the sensation of magic roping around him. The ice encased around his arms melted and the tendrils of magic pulled him down onto the platform below his feet. It began to drag him further down.

He laughed as he looked around to see the sages all glaring at him, eager to see him be gone forever. It was then that Ganondorf decided to use his last moments in this realm to give the sages a warning. Not one that would give away too much information, but one that would let them know that he wasn't so easily gotten rid of. It was something that they should've known by now after his many returns.

"It is true that you cannot kill me, but I promise you this sages. Even the one who you've come to rely on to destroy me cannot do this for you. You can see it for yourselves by gazing at his dead body. I am immortal. As long as the Triforce exists within this world and as long as there are men who share the same goals as me, I shall continue to rise. This prison you have erected for me will not hold me for too long. This you can be assured of." Ganondorf smiled. "You will see me again..."

The Gerudo continued to laugh as the rest of his body was pulled into the void deep within the Sacred Realm.

The six sages looked down at the spot where Ganondorf once was; five of them were puzzled by one of the statements he made. What did Ganondorf mean by, 'Even the one who you've come to rely on to destroy me cannot do this for you.'? They all looked up at the Water Sage.

The Forest Sage spoke, "What did he mean by that?"

The Water Sage responded by looking over at the body of the once proud Hero. Just like the others it too was confused by Ganondorf's words, but as it recalled the moments before his sealing, it had an idea of what he was hinting at. The sage walked off of its designated platform and began walking over to the Hero's body.

"During the battle, the Hero gave the Gerudo King a fatal blow. It was one that would have killed him after a short time. He was about to finish him off when I watched as the wound that Ganondorf had received heal almost instantly. Then he killed the Hero."

The Water Sage stood next to the body and watched as it began to glow. Then slowly the spirit containing the soul of the Hero began to float out of the body. Once it reached the Water Sage's waist it reached out with its hands to gently hold the fragile spirit. It found itself feeling sad to see another holder of the spirit die an early death. Very few Heroes ever found true joy in their lives after fulfilling their destiny and sadly this one never got the chance to even get that far.

The other sages were shocked to hear the words that came out of the Water Sage's mouth. The Spirit Sage spoke, "So you're saying that Ganondorf was unable to be killed?"

The Water Sage turned its attention from the glowing orb and looked at the sage. "Unfortunately yes. I don't know what Ganondorf did to prevent his own death, but whatever he did, this doesn't bode well for the future incarnation of the Hero when and if Ganondorf finds his way around the seal."

The Fire Sage spoke angrily as the full implication of what Ganondorf had done had been realized, "But if Ganondorf cannot be killed by the Hero, then that means..."

"...Hyrule is doomed." The Shadow Sage finished the others' thoughts. The other sages groaned and sighed in irritation as they racked their minds to find a solution to this huge problem. Now what was Hyrule going to do? With the only way of defeating Ganondorf now null and void, whenever the Gerudo King did find his way out of his prison, he would be free to do whatever he wanted. None of them even wished to think on that.

The Water Sage looked back down at the spirit. It thought back to the earlier battle to try and see if there were any clues that Ganondorf may have left behind that hinted to a way around this dilemma. It continued to ponder on this until a fleeting memory of what Ganondorf had said came to it. Surely it wasn't that simple, but…

It smiled as it continued to look at the glowing orb. Perhaps though, it could work. "The Hero cannot defeat him."

The other sages turned their attentions to the Water Sage. The Light Sage spoke while looking at Water, causing the Fire, Shadow, Spirit and Forest Sages to look over at Light, "Yes, we have established this already, Water. Unless… you have thought of something."

At this the remaining sages looked back at the Water Sage. Did it think of a solution? The Water Sage nodded and turned to look away from the Hero's Spirit and towards its comrades. "Ganondorf himself said, 'No Hero can defeat me.' Well, what if it wasn't a Hero who sent to defeat him the next time around?"

The other sages looked confused. What did the Water Sage mean? How can someone who wasn't a Hero defeat Ganondorf when only someone who possessed the Hero's Spirit could do so? Then the realization of what it was suggesting came to them suddenly.

"Wait, you don't mean-?" The Fire Sage spoke, voicing the thoughts that the others had crossing through their minds.

"But, its never been done before! How can we even be so sure that it could possibly work?" The Spirit Sage continued.

The Water Sage could agree that it certainly was a long shot, but it was a shot nonetheless. "The goddesses can surely set this in motion. We only need to pray and ask them for it. It may seem to be a far fetched idea, but as of right now, it is the only one we have."

The Light Sage nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I guess the only thing we can do now is pray that the Goddesses will answer our prayers for this. We also need to help get preparations in place for when the new Hero comes along. We need this one to be ready for anything that Ganondorf might have planned. But first though," it looked over at the former Hero and closed its eyes in sadness and reverence, "we need to inform the Princess of what occurred here and we need to give this young man a proper Hero's burial. He deserves that much."

The Fire, Forest, Spirit and Shadow Sages nodded and began to walk over to the Hero's body to help the Light Sage with the preparations. The Water Sage watched its companions for a few moments before turning its attentions back to the Hero's Spirit. It smiled wearily as it spoke. "Rest up while you can. You will have quite a journey ahead of you when you return to the living. Sleep tight, Hero. You have earned it."

And with that, the Water Sage let go of the spirit to allow it to move onto the afterlife. The sage could only hope that the next Hero would be blessed to be one of the few that would live on to have a joyous life after fulfilling its destiny. It would definitely pray that the next one would succeed in both endeavors.