Zero hearts remained.
Princess Zelda of Hyrule fell to her knees out of breath, out of strength, and out of drive. Despite all her precautions and planning her kingdom had been invaded. All the strategy she used leading her army to beat back the tide of darkness had failed. And when it came time to stand alone and duel in the name of her people she had been outmatched. No matter what she did fate seemed poised against her. Now it had come to kneeling before the very man intent on taking over Hyrule in her own throne room. That was hard enough for her to bear. But the worst part, the absolute worst, was the eerie sense of deja vu throughout the whole ordeal. Deep down inside, she felt like she had experienced this defeat hundreds of times before. And it nearly made her sick.
But she knew it was no time to show weakness. The fighting may have ruined her white and purple royal dress, broken her sword in two and ravaged her kingdom... but she had to stay brave. She tried to catch her breath as she looked up toward the man responsible for the invasion and steeled herself for what might happen next.
"Your resistance has been impressive, princess. I think this might be the hardest I've ever had to work to conquer your kingdom."
The man wore long black robes with emblems she recognized from the desert. Like her failure, he too seemed oddly familiar. His red hair and his odd skin only made the wicked grin on his face even worse. Then, as he sheathed his sword, a name rose up from depths of her mind.
"Ganon," she said, still out of breath.
"So you remember me?" He strolled over to Zelda's throne. "Or maybe my name? Either way, it matters little. You will come to know me well in time."
Zelda tried her hardest and climbed back to her feet. But the pain kept her off balance. She could barely stand up straight. Trying to move her arms made her wince, and she found it best to cradle her left arm. It was the arm she used to hold her sword during the duel and it had taken the most punishment.
"What do you want with Hyrule?" She demanded.
"Your kingdom does not interest me. I merely want the same thing I always want."
The Triforce. Zelda knew. Even if the sense of deja vu was not haunting her at the moment, it would have been her first guess. Many wars throughout time had been fought in the mere pursuit of the Triforce. Most of it had been boiled down into legend and no one knew where truth began and lies ended.
"A man like you would never be worthy of the Triforce." Zelda stated.
The man known as Ganon ran his hand along one of the throne's arm rest and laughed quietly. As he turned back to Zelda, he began to laugh louder until it had more in common with a roar. He held up the back of his hand and showed a glowing yellow triangle. To Zelda's surprise, she glanced down to find the same emblem glowing on the back of her hand. It was shocking... and familiar at the same time. The whole encounter had been like that. She found it nearly unbearable.
"I've been at this a long time." Ganon paused as if he tried to imagine how long. "A long, long time. And your reaction never fails to amuse me."
Zelda closed her eyes and put her hands up against her head.
"What is going on?" She wondered aloud. "I've never seen you before in my life, but I feel like I've known you forever."
"That's the consequence of being a slave to destiny." Ganon remarked.
Zelda opened her eyes and saw Ganon turned his back on her. She could not beat him in swordplay, but she still had magic. She lashed out with Din's Fire, sending a sphere of fire across the throne room. It caused stabbing pain her arms from the motion, but it was her best chance to turn her long string of failures around. Ganon looked over his shoulder as the sphere exploded into a firestorm. Smoke filled the room as Zelda waited with anticipation.
"Ah, you never learn."
A shadow loomed in the smoke as Ganon erupted forth from the smoke. He caught Zelda's arms and with a twist, overwhelmed her with pain. She resisted at first, holding in her need to scream, and refused to back down. But as her wounded arm was twisted more, she could keep it up no longer and let out a whimper while falling to the ground. Ganon let go, and loomed over her as she bent over in agony.
"Then again," he said. "You may look the same, but you're always different. Or maybe not. I can no longer tell, and I no longer care."
Zelda cradled her arm. She should have not resisted. Now the pain was worse than ever. It was almost impossible to keep a firm expression in the face of such a cruel man. All she wanted to do was give into the pain and collapse.
"Aaaah, I don't understand..." She suppressed a wince of pain.
"That's how it always works. You can't stand on your own, princess. You can never stand on your own. No matter what you do, you will always be powerless to protect your kingdom." Ganon told her. "I will always be able to defeat you."
A part of her believed him. It would explain why every measure she took to protect her kingdom had failed. But she couldn't trust such a man. Why believe anything from the man who had taken over her kingdom? The man who had threatened her people? She would not give him the satisfaction.
"I will never give in to a man like you." She exclaimed.
Ganon's smile went away. He began to pace in front of her. The expression on his face now was one of quiet rage.
"I forget that you never listen. Never. You are always the princess, and you always defy me. Every time," he said without looking at her. "Even though you and your kingdom are doomed to fall."
"Why? Why would I ever believe something like that?" Zelda asked earnestly.
"Because you a slave to destiny!" Ganon exploded into a rage. "You will always depend on him to save you! No matter how powerful you become, you will always wait on him!"
Zelda feared the worst. But as quickly as Ganon roared he became silent and turned away. Whoever he had spoke of brought a sense of hope to Zelda, a sense she was familiar with. For a second, she could almost picture someone by her side. It lingered for awhile, but she could not make out any other details.
"Who is he?" She asked carefully.
A smile returned to Ganon as he moved to Zelda's throne and sat down in it.
"A boy in green. Sometimes a man. My nemesis. The one who bears the Triforce of Courage. I imagine he is already on his way through some twist of fate. I will be ready for him."
Ganon did not sound convincing. Zelda sensed the tone of a man who was desperately trying to convince himself of something. And if the cycle he spoke of was true, she had the next question on her mind ready.
"Has he stopped you in the past?"
A long pause followed as Ganon leaned back in the throne and gripped the arm rests. Slowly, he grit his teeth together until it formed a snarl. He did not say anything. Zelda had her answer. For some reason, it gave her the courage to fight her aching body and stand back up.
"You say you've been at this for a long time. How many times have you succeeded?"
Ganon kept silent. She continued to push him against her better judgement.
"Why don't you stop?"
A shadow rolled over the room. The darkness was enough to make Zelda recoil from the oppressive aura. Ganon had begun to shake. His hands crushed the arm rests of the throne as he stood up and screamed toward the sky. A wave of dark purple magic rolled forward and threw Zelda back up against the wall. She cushioned the blow with a shield from Naryu's Love, but it took all of her strength to keep from blacking out. And before she could regain her senses, Ganon had somehow crossed the room fast enough to grab her by the throat and lift her off the ground.
"I can never stop or I will be a slave to destiny forever! I will be trapped in this legend with you two for the rest of eternity! Another time, another place, another world, I will play my part until it starts all over again. I must have the Triforce! I must end this!"
He dropped Zelda to the ground, letting her cough and sputter as he carried on.
"It seemed perfect to have this kind of power! And as many chances as I needed to get the other two pieces. Then I began realize this was a punishment from the Goddesses. This role is a curse! I want it to stop!"
Even Zelda could sense the desperation beneath Ganon's outrage. This man who had attacked her kingdom thought he could defy the Goddesses. If he was telling the truth and not lost in his delusions, it sounded like he was trapped in a prison no matter where he went.
"And you should want the same. Or you will be forever helpless!" He pointed.
"You will not gain any mercy by attacking others," she answered strongly.
Ganon's body bled shadow as he balled his fists and threw a punch. He pulverized the space of wall above Zelda's head and called in a pair of heavily armored knights. The clanking and heavy footsteps was enough to bring Zelda away from Ganon's ranting and remind her of the peril her kingdom was in.
"Take her away! Throw her in the dungeon! Get her out of my sight!" He continued to roar.
The knights brought out rope and were not gentle as they tied her up. She grunted in pain as they wrenched her sore arms to secure them behind her. A complicated loop was worked around her legs and ankles and she could hardly move. It seemed her only hope was a boy in green that Ganon spoke of. There was a lot on her mind as the knights led her to a prison cell. She wished that she could at least defend her kingdom on her own. After all, it was her burden to bear as Princess of Hyrule. Always the princess.