As the sun began to set in Hyrule, the golden dunes of Gerudo Desert became sapphire. A dark figure shielded himself from the sands as he crossed the sandy hills, wary of the behavior of the desert; it seemed to have a life of its own, ever changing like the waves of the ocean or the flickering flames of a fire. Even the temple housed at the center of the desert was said to move like a spirit over the dunes. It was utterly impossible to navigate, unless the person traversing the sands already knew where he was going.
As the hooded figure trudged heavily through the rivers of sand, he stopped periodically to look up at the freshly appearing stars, occasionally changing his course. Finally he stepped down on flat, solid ground and he knew he had reached his destination. As he looked up before him, he smirked and began striding with purpose towards the great stone mausoleum that towered above him. As he barreled through the massive stone doors leading to the inner sanctum, an angry sneer wiped across his face. Time was short, and there was much to do. He stumbled like a darknut to the back of the massive structure, where there sat a pair of sarcophagi. Before one lay an eternal flame, waving and flickering like the heat of the desert at midday. Before the other lay a blue flame of ice, cold and still as the wasteland at midnight. The hooded figure approached the two coffins, letting a single tear fall down his strong cheek. He removed his hood, allowing it to fall lightly onto his broad, powerful shoulders. The strong profile of his nasal crown seemed to glow in the moonlight, yet his dark green skin blended with the darkness of night.
"Koume… Kotake… Mothers," he said as he bowed his head, his fiery red hair glowing in the light of the elegiac flame before him, "It is not right to see you like this. I will bring you back." He gazed down at the twin tombs with sadness and extended his right arm above his head. As he raised his arm, a bright yellow glow emitted from the back of his right hand - the Triforce of Power. Suddenly he stopped and spun around; something was not right here.
"As I live and breathe! You… live and breathe," a strange voice echoed through the halls of the mausoleum.
"You defile this sacred temple! Show yourself!"
"I heard you were supposed to be dead, Ganondorf. Or perhaps not, maybe I am simply confusing my stories. How many times HAVE you died, now, o demon king?"
"I said show yourself! I will not ask again!"
The voice moved in the shadows like a ghost. "Who are you to ask anything from me? Do you even have any idea who I am? I could be the Hero for all you know! Now, I will ask again: How many times have you died?"
"I do not answer to you. I am the Demon King, Demise incarnate!" The Triforce of Power began to glow violently upon the back of Ganondorf's hand. "Leave me before I destroy you!"
"Are you trying to raise those two old witches AGAIN? You are so predictable, Ganondorf. Is it any wonder you've been locked away repeatedly and killed… How many times, now?"
"Who are you that you -"
"Oh, shut up with the monologuing! That always gets you into trouble, at least, from what I've seen. I just asked you a simple question, and all you can do is bellow about how powerful you are… Blah blah blah, Triforce this, blah blah Essence of Din that… I only want to know one thing, and then I will leave you. So I will ask you once more: How many times have you died?"
"I have died once. I did not care for it. Now leave me."
"Thank you. Was that so hard? I will leave you to your work, then."
"Hmph."
"Oh, one last thing before I go, though. A matter of curiosity, if you will."
"What?"
"What do you plan to do with all that power on your hand?"
Ganondorf's sneer grew wider. "... Domination. I will dominate the kingdom of Hyrule. I will kill that princess who ensnared me. I will destroy that mewling whelp who weakened me. I will kill the sages that killed me. And when they are gone, I will dominate the kingdom of Hyrule and conquer the rest of the realm. It is mine to be controlled."
"Ah, so the story remains the same for you, then. Doesn't it get old after a while, doing the same things over and over again?"
"I grow tired of your chatter," Ganondorf snarled with fury. "Either leave me like you said you would, or face your destruction." He raised his right hand in the air, displaying the source of his power.
"Fine, fine. Don't get your sandy undies in a wad. Just… one last thing." The shadowy voice trailed off and the room suddenly went pitch dark. Even the fires lit at the feet of the twin tombs were snuffed out.
All at once the room exploded with light. The tombs behind Ganondorf cracked and vapors of blue and red swirled across the room. In a blast of ice and fire, the two witches, Koume and Kotake, materialized in the center of the room.
"Ganon, is that you?" said Koume.
"Of course it's him, you old crone," quipped Kotake. "Who else always ends up reviving us?"
"Oh, it's good to see you again, son!" exclaimed Koume.
"I was going to say that!"
"Well, you waited too long, like you always do! You've gotten slow in your old age and death!"
"I'm still young enough to show you what's what!"
As the two old witches bickered back and forth, a small figure stepped into the light. His demeanor looked unsettlingly kind, and he continued to speak with a soft but sharp voice as he addressed Ganondorf directly.
"You didn't think you were the only one with power in this realm, did you?"
"Ganon, dear, who is this boy? Do you want us to -"
Ganondorf slit his eyes in suspicion. There certainly was something unnatural about this unimposing person. Yet he had found Twinrova's Mausoleum in the midst of the Gerudo Desert; he had approached the demon king without fear; and he had just resurrected the witches with seemingly little effort. He dropped his shoulders and said softly to the witches, "No, that will not be necessary."
"Good man! I knew you would be willing to hear me out! Now, have I got a deal for you! You've always been a powerful man, Ganon...dorf… Wait, is it Ganon, or Ganondorf, I have never been able to figure that one out. Doesn't matter! What DOES matter is the fact that you have all this power, and yet it always seems to go sour for you, doesn't it?"
Ganondorf remained silent.
"I know it. It is embarrassing, trying so many times to take over the kingdom, and always getting foiled by this kid! Don't worry, though, because I've got it all figured out! See, Ganon...dorf… you've always been an agent of discord. You sow dissention! Think about it! Out of all the times you've successfully infiltrated the kingdom, how many times have you actually gotten people on your side? And I'm not talking about your skeletons or creepy mummy-zombie things, because those wretched little beasts send the WORST message. You end up having to do everything yourself, and you end up having to fight all these different kinds of people: Hylians, Zora, Gorons… Even Kokiri! Kokiri, Ganondorf… All of those put together are too much for any one man - or demon king - to handle! No, you need to get people on your side, and simply flexing your big green muscles are not going to do it. You need to show something else… And I have the answer." The small man smiled a great smile.
"And what is it, little man?"
"Ah. That's where things get a little bit complicated. See, with all the things I've seen and learned, probably the biggest thing I've learned is that you and your kind can't really be trusted all that well. I know that it'll only be a matter of time before you try to kill me for some reason or another, and then there will be this nasty falling out. You'll say things, I'll say things. The truth is, I'm not really into lover's quarrels, so here's what needs to happen: you need to agree to work for me, answer to me… basically do my bidding, and I will GIVE you Hyrule."
Ganondorf's face contorted into a raging grimace, and he took a step forward, his shadow eclipsing the small man before him, still smiling as he drew closer. He raised his right hand, Triforce of Power burning bright. "You want me to work for YOU?! I DO NOT WORK FOR ANYONE BUT MYSELF! I AM THE DEMON KING OF HYRULE, AND I WILL NOT KNEEL IN FEALTY BEFORE ANYONE! I WILL HAVE MY KINGDOM, AND YOU WILL DIE FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!"
The small man shook his head and sighed. "So angry! I had a feeling you might react this way, so I took the liberty of making sure I had a little leverage." The small man raised his left hand and flicked his wrist in a little circular motion. Suddenly the two old witches lurched toward the small man as if a large invisible hand had gripped them both and had them in its clutches. The small man sat down on the floor, placed his hands together by interlocking his fingers, and plopped them down onto his lap. The twin witches, Koume and Kotake, hovered just above his head, unable to move.
"Put me down, you little -"
"Just wait until we get out of here!"
"We will show you double trouble!"
"Double... Dynamite…"
"Ladies, ladies," the small man interrupted. "There's no need to get all bent out of shape. I simply want to present an opportunity to your beloved son here… if he will hear me out."
Ganondorf stopped and lowered his hand. Of all the rage in his heart, all the blackness in his soul, he could not bear to see his surrogate mothers hurt. They raised him, taught him to be king. They supported him in every conquest, even so much as to give their lives for him. He could not hate them as he did everyone else. He loved them. So he stopped, and crossed his arms in defiant defeat. "Speak."
"I knew you would be interested!" Suddenly the small man's smile disappeared. "Now, all I need you to do… is kneel… and serve me." His unblinking eyes met Ganondorf's gaze.
Ganondorf looked up at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity. He was a king; he did not bow. He was powerful and prideful, but this small man had an amount of power as well, but how much he could not say. He looked back down at the small man, then down at the floor. He felt as though he started to kneel, but his legs, and his upper lip, stiffened in pride.
The small man began nodding in acquiescence. "I know. This is tough for you. You're used to being a king over a large group of people. I'm being mean, aren't I? Holding these two dear old ladies hostage and asking you to capitulate to someone you could probably crush in those big meaty biceps of yours. I mean, these ladies have been like your eyes and ears for the last several years, haven't they? They see everything and report back to you, even going so far as to guard the temple of your people from interlopers. You couldn't ask for better guardians, in my opinion. I'll even bet they gave you all these little pearls of wisdom to help you become a better ruler to your people; little nuggets for you to remember. I know how important those relationships are! Why, my parents taught me so many lessons, I could never repay them! They always told me these little silly anecdotes, which I thought were banal at the time, but I came to appreciate the wisdom in what they told me. One of my favorites was this little proverb: 'In the land of the blind…'"
Ganondorf gasped and lurched forward. "NO!"
"... the one-eyed man is king." The small man lifted his left hand and flicked his wrist in a little circular motion. Suddenly, Koume let out a blood-curdling scream of terror and pain and exploded in an eruption of flame. Then she was gone, leaving only Kotake, her icy sister behind.
"Koume!"
"Mother!" Ganondorf dropped to his knees and dropped his head into his hands. He wept. Not many moments passed before he looked up between his fingers at the small man, rage in his eyes. He jumped up from the floor and lunged at the small man. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
The small man flicked his wrist and Ganondorf was magically stopped in his tracks. The small man stood, flicked his wrist again, and stood Ganondorf upright on the floor of the temple. He walked over to the demon king, and got right underneath his chin. Looking up at Ganondorf, the small man quietly spoke: "You have so much anger inside of you. It burns in you like fire. You need to let it go, Ganondorf, or it will destroy you. I have seen more than you can imagine. I have learned more than you can fathom. I have visited places even you wouldn't believe exist. I can help you… I can give you Hyrule... if you can let that fiery rage go and help me in return."
Nearly paralyzed, Ganondorf replied, "How can you promise such a thing even I have never been able to attain?"
"Ha, HA! I am SO glad you asked!" The small man took a step back, and with a great grin, immediately went right back under Ganondorf's chin. "You show me yours, and I'll show you mine."
The small man flicked his wrist yet again, and Ganondorf's Triforce of Power began glowing brightly on the back of his hand. It glowed so bright it began to burn Ganondorf's entire arm. He squirmed in a pain he had never felt before.
"Ah, there it is," said the small man. "The Triforce of Power, the Essence of Din herself. Don't worry, I'm not going to take your Triforce of Power; that's what makes you so special to me." The man grinned a wide grin.
"Besides, I already have some."
The small man raised both of his hands so that they were in front of Ganondorf's face. On the back of his hands, glowing brightly, were two complete Triforces: Wisdom, Courage, and Power. A full Triforce on each hand.
"Now kneel. Serve me. And win Hyrule."
Ganon was released from his hold. He looked up at Kotake, still held by an invisible force. He looked back down at the small man smiling up at Ganondorf with what seemed to be excited expectation. Ganondorf's shoulders once again dropped. He bowed his head, and he knelt before the small man.
"I will serve you, my lord. Now, what do you require of me?"
