"What is it that keeps people in line?" asked Ganondorf as he looked over the barren, desolate land that had formerly been Castle Town.
"Fear, sir," answered Svikja.
Svikja was a rare breed of Hyrulian, one of the few who had chosen to remain in Castle Town and serve him rather than flee to the villages and towns beyond. For that Ganondorf had rewarded him with power, making him his closest advisor. Ganondorf never expected the people of Hyrule to serve him, only that they would flee like the weak cowards they were. Had they chosen to swear their fealty to him, as anyone with any wisdom would have done, then perhaps Castle Town would not be the empty shell of a city it had once been.
"Exactly," he answered. "Fear of my power, and fear of what shall worth of those who oppose me. If someone goes against me, I cut off his head and stick it atop a pike on the battlements for all to see. That's what keeps the people in line, and what keeps the order of things." Ganondorf reached over and picked up a golden goblet, encrusted with fine jewels. "Do you see this goblet, Svikja? I could place it in the middle of any town or village in Hyrule, and at the end of the day it would still be there. Why? Because they would be so afraid of the punishments I would inflict on them for taking it. Fear is what keeps them in line, and in all the world there is none more feared than I. That is why they call me the King of Evil. What is the greatest desire in a strong man's mind? The will to live? No, it is the will to power, the desire to dominate all others and have dominion over all others. That is what the old king never understood."
"That is why he fell to you, milord."
He smiled. "Yes, for he was weak and feeble, both of body and spirit. He was content to have Hyrule forever be some pathetic, insignificant corner of the world; a kingdom of slaves. But why, I asked, should we be content with that? Should we not have a ruler whose reign will take us to distant lands and shores, and who will bring the whole world under our might? The king was not such a man, and so I drowned him in his own blood. When I was young, there was time when I tried to steal from a Gerudo camp. I was caught, and as punishment they left me in the desert to die of thirst. But it was through my sheer force of will that survived, feeding on the beasts that roamed the wasteland and drinking their blood. When I came back I found those who had left me to die and slew them all. From that day forth I swore that I would never be dominated by any man or woman, and that no one would ever stand in the way of my right to rule over all."
"But some still resist you."
"Yes, and that is to be expected. But that will soon pass when they learn what I am capable of. Do you know the Gorons, Svikja?"
"Yes, sir."
"A most stupid and useless race if there ever was one. I shall feed them to the dragon of Death Mountain as a sign of my power. So many have died for my ambition; what is another race to strengthen my grip on this world?"
"That is well, sir, but I have heard the people speak of a hero, sir, and they say he'll rise against you."
Ganondorf laughed. "You mean the boy? Of course they would say that! But do you know, Svikja, what all hero myths have in common? That they are just myths. I know for certain that there is no one in this world with the strength or might to oppose me, though there is one person who has persistently eluded me all these years..."
"Princess Zelda."
"Yes, and she must be either very clever or very fortunate to have remained hidden this long."
Svikja stepped forward. "Sir, I believe she is most likely dead, or fled Hyrule long ago."
"No, she lives still; I can feel it. And I do not believe that she would flee her kingdom that easily; she takes far too much after her pathetic father."
"Then we shall find her, sir, and put her to death at once."
"Indeed, and I believe she is aiding that boy in secret, and that is how we will find her."
"Sir?"
"I know that there is great affection between them, and that is what shall be their downfall. A true warrior never loves, Svikja. He would never give his enemies that leverage over him, but that is precisely what Zelda and that boy have given us. Sooner or later she will not be able to resist revealing herself to him, and then we will take her right before his eyes. His love for her will then drive him to attack me blindly and then..." He paused, clenching his fist, "...and then I shall cut out his heart."
"He has defeated all manner of your servants, sir. Are you sure you are going to take him so lightly?"
"You know, Svikja, how long I have hungered for a worthy opponent. I hope that he is such a man, though I doubt very much that he is. He does have courage, though, which is more than can be said of the people of Hyrule. A shame he has been corrupted by that traitorous princess; he would have an excellent servant if he had joined me. If I have one regret it is not killing Zelda when she was a child."
"And what will you do when they are both dead, sir?"
He turned away. "I will find everyone who aided him or gave him comfort and have them put to death. But first I will see that boy punished for all the trouble he has caused me. I shall see him suffer long. I shall make him die a thousand deaths. And before that is done I will kill his beloved in front of him, so that her death is the last thing he lays eyes upon."
"You are the most powerful lord, sir. He shall fall."
"Yes!" he cried. "Why can that princess not see that the path of wisdom lies in submitting to me? It is I who reigns the masses, it is I who reflects the will, and it is I see who sees the great divide between lord and servant! It is I who has the power to rule this world; to force any light into wane. When Princess Zelda dies, the last of the old ways will be swept away, and then I shall stand unopposed."
"No one will be able to stand against you then, sir."
"No...," he said quietly, walking towards the balcony. He imagined all of Hyrule below living in fear of him, and a smile crept up his lips. But at the same time he felt a surge of anger that this pathetic boy had caused him no end of trouble and annoyance. How was it he had managed to stay alive all this long, when the greatest "warriors" of Hyrule had fallen so quickly?
The traitor Zelda...She had been working against him from the start; working to oppose his rightful destiny as the ruler of all things. Every time he seemed to be closing in on her she escaped his grasp despite his power. But he also knew she loved that boy, and it brought a smile back to his face to imagine killing her in front of him. He knew that love could bring people hope and strength, but love was something fragile and weak; something that could be trampled as easily as a flower underneath his foot. Fear, on the other hand, was never-ending. Fear never went away, and he knew that boy's courage would fail him, and he would die.
Then, he thought, all of the Triforce would be his, and at last his thirst for power could be slaked. He would become the god he was always destined to be, and his rule would extend far beyond the limited confines of this world, stretching out to the infinities of all space and time. There would be nowhere in existence where his will would not be felt, and no soul or living thing that would not be under his reign. That was why he hated the princess so much; she was the one who would not be bent to his will and refused to submit. But she would see the folly of such ways, and soon...
"How did he get into my fortress?" he growled, pounding his fist on the table in anger. "No matter, I have the princess in my captivity, and when the time comes I will kill her."
But Svikja bore a look of fear on his face. "But why wait, sir? Kill her now, while she is helpless! Her power is greater than you think it is!"
His rage seethed. "No! I want to see that boy suffer! He must! I'll let him come here and then kill his woman before him! I want to look in his eyes and see his horror and grief! I want to see him bend down and cry in despair! Before he dies I want him to see how his love brought him to his end!"
"Sir, there's two of them and one of you! If they fight together..."
But Ganondorf only laughed. "Then they shall die together!"
Svikja shook his head. "This is a foolish plan, and it will lead you to your death! I won't have any part of it."
"Then leave!" he roared. "Go be with the rest of those cowards and weaklings!"
As Svikja ran from his fortress, Ganondorf grasped his sword and clenched it tightly. His rage and fury was so great that he could barely stand still. I will see blood this day. I care not whose it is, there will be blood! His mind went over all the deaths he could lay out for that boy, thinking of which one he would feel the longest and would be the most miserable.
And when they are dead, I shall become a god! No one would be free to disagree or dispute his will, he would destroy all illusions and pathetic notions of morality or justice, and all the people of the world would realize that it was their fate to obey and serve him. All things would be broken, burned to ashes; the ending of civilization, and from there his new empire would be be born...
The boy stood before him now, and he smiled. His opponent, a mere child hardly of twenty years; how could this wretch possibly oppose him?
We do all things for our own sake. Everyone is selfish, there is no altruism. Those who do not realize that are doomed.
You pitiful fool standing there, I'll see your love torn asunder. From your grave shall a new age arise!
With that he let our a fearsome cry, and hurtled into battle...