Agahnim struggled, but finally managed to teleport himself to Hyrule Castle. He collapsed inside the throne room as he reappeared, letting out a miserable whine that drew Ganondorf from his study.

When Ganondorf saw the collapsed form of his second in command, he immediately let control over his dark magic slip, and the wave of energy emanating from him made the room fixtures shake. Agahnim felt it and turned his Master's way, letting Ganondorf see the extent of the Sheikah's condition.

"Agahnim..."

"Forgive me, Master... I've-"

"Quiet!" Ganondorf knelt down and covered his forehead, attempting to read Agahnim's thoughts. He was oddly silent as he stood, and used a spell to heal Agahnim's broken leg. But when Agahnim rose to his feet, Ganondorf suddenly lashed out and sent a blast of magic straight into the suits of armor lining the wall.

"Master..."

"HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING HER!"

Agahnim knelt and offered his sincerest apologies. "I had cast a preservation spell on her shortly after we left the castle, my lord. It was one of the strongest defensive spells I knew, that must have been why I didn't sense the creature approaching. The thing knocked me into the Shadow realm, I..."

"Enough about your failure," Ganondorf snapped. Before he realized what he was doing, he had marched off to Marin's room and found himself staring at her empty bed. He could have other children, but her? She had a unique spirit that fascinated him, and despite all the ways he wronged her, she continued to stand up to him. Her mixed Gerudo heritage was a bonus, and it made her very attractive next to the traditional Gerudo women of the Valley. Despite all the terrible things he did to her, though, he really did care about her.

Someone had to pay for this.

Agahnim remained on the floor of the throne room, taking the quiet time to rest and recharge his magic. About an hour later, he felt his Master's presence approaching and stood to greet him. "Master..."

Ganondorf strode into the hall, his face an expressionless mask yet his body radiating malicious energy. "You once told me that the Gorons defeated an ancient terror and sealed it into Death Mountain, is this correct?"

The Sheikah's eyes grew wide at the recollection. "The ancient fire demon Volvagia? You can't possibly be thinking of..."

"Is it truth or legend?" he barked, now bearing a scowl. "I can unheal your leg in an instant."

"Truth, truth!"

"Good." Ganondorf cracked his knuckles, and summoned his dark armor. "I think it's time Hyrule learned just what happens when you cross the Dark Lord Ganondorf."

I had recovered enough to lay on my side, and was watching Filimena as she wiggled and rolled on the blanket next to me. It had been three weeks since the carriage accident, and while I was still in no shape to move around, I could at least take care of my baby.

Filimena had beautiful red hair, a deeper shade than my own that was nearly ruby red in brilliance. It was a little brighter than Ganondorf's bloodfire red, fitting for a girl. She inherited his golden eyes and tan skin of course, and yet there were noticeable differences. Ganondorf had the male version of Gerudo skin, a warm bronze that took on dark greenish hues with age. Filimena had a golden copper skin tone, rosier than the regular Gerudo. Her eyes were just about the same as his, but they had a bit of a green ring around the pupil.

Just as I was laying there, Nana returned from her trip to get supplies. "Hey Nana, have you ever seen a Gerudo with green in her eyes?"

"There has never been a Gerudo like Filimena before," she said, before sitting down beside me and handing the baby a pacifier she brought from the Valley. "...I have some news."

"News?" I swaddled Filimena and gave Nana my full attention. "What's happened?"

"The High Priestess is concerned that the king may have gone off the deep end," Nana relayed. "I heard from one of the temple girls that he revived the fire dragon of Death Mountain, and that is why the skies above are always red with rage."

A fire dragon? "What happened to the Gorons who live in the mountain? Are they okay?"

She shook her head in doubt. "I can not say. But I have also heard that the ranch has been taken over, the lakefront settlement has been raided by moblins, and Castle Town has burned to the ground."

"Burned to the ground?!" My shout startled Filimena into a wail, but I managed to calm her down. "There were monsters roaming it before I left, but... burned?"

"It would seem that in the weeks since your assumed death, Ganondorf has lost all remaining compassion." Nana paused, and traced her finger along the baby's chin. "High Priestess Nabooru is loyal to him, but she is very put off by the way his wanton violence is affecting women and children. Gerudo are proud thieves, but we do not hurt the innocent."

"His divine gift must be corrupting him," I suggested, even though I had been on the receiving end of his usual temper. He didn't seem interested in ruling a wasteland when I was around him, so maybe he really was upset. Is... is all this violence really my fault?

"I know that look," Nana said, standing to fetch a changing rag for the baby. "You must put such thoughts out of your head, my child. You are absolutely correct that he has given in to his demons and let power corrupt his soul. He would have eventually crossed this line whether you were in his life or not, and you being there would have only delayed the inevitable. What horrors would Filimena been exposed to had she grown up by his side?"

...Nana is right. I would have only cursed myself and my baby had I remained in his grip. "Still, I can't believe he would do these things. What good is a kingdom gone to ruin?"

A/N: I'm trying to decide if I want to carry this story on through to the next half or not. This story is largely based on Ocarina of Time. The original story I based it on has a component that relies on A Link to the Past (I actually came up with the story before timeline theory was a thing, about 15 years ago) and would move the setting into the Dark World. I might still go that route, I just have to figure out how to get there without sounding cheesy.