Part I – A King is Born
Chapter X – Potential
The spirit temple towered over Ganondorf as he and the twin witches drew near. It had taken all night to make it to the temple's oasis but Koume had a strange warm aura that radiated off of her just like Kotake who had a cooler, almost cold air surrounding her. The temple was constructed like the compound on the face of a mountain. But, unlike the Gerudo home, the entrance was carved right into the rock face. An archway stood a few feet away from the entrance steps that led up to a hole carved into the stone. Atop the door was a massive statue of the top half of a woman with her arm going straight down from the shoulders and bending at the elbows out in front of her. Her hands were turned up as if accepting some gift from the heavens. The stone was chiseled with such skill that the details of the armor on her chest, shoulders, and arms could be made out. Long hair draped behind and parted at her shoulders, circling her neck and disappearing within her chest piece. Atop the woman's forehead was a large intricately chiseled pendant with a stone carved to look like a gem in the middle. The armor covering her upper body was cut off at the ribcage showing off a thin stomach complete with a navel in the middle. Below her waist looked to be the beginnings of crossed legs but the sculptor didn't finish below the knees and rough rock still covered the place where her feet should've been. Her eyes watched the desert unblinkingly as if waiting for someone.
"Come, come," Kotake beckoned, snapping Ganondorf out of his trance, "we will show you your new home."
"This is the spirit temple." Ganondorf observed with confusion, "The priestesses come here to offer prayers to the sand goddess and create arts and goods we then sell to the outside tribes. Why are we here?"
"It's our home, silly Ganny." "We did not agree on that Koume." "Oh don't be such a stick in the mud, you can call him Ganny too." "Koume," Kotake said in a calm serene voice, "why don't you do the honors and open the door for us?" Koume gasped with excitement, "Yay, house party!" and dashed in front of the archway to start circling around a darker patch of sand, leaving the other two to stare on in silence.
"Um, so…" Ganondorf started to break the quiet, "Is your sister always… so…" Ganondorf didn't know the word to describe Koume but the look that Kotake gave him immediately ceased his train of thought. When Ganondorf looked at the ground in shame, Kotake snickered and adopted a much warmer smile.
"No, not all the time. I think she does that just to annoy me. Live with someone for 300 years and you know just what buttons to press, in what order, and for how long."
"300 years?!" Ganondorf looked at Kotake in confusion and astonishment.
"DONE!" Koume shouted from the archway. Ganondorf looked in her direction and saw that the sand where she was circling over had become a completely black vortex that somehow wasn't pulling in all the sand around it. Kotake rejoined her twin and they dismounted their brooms in unison. They snapped their fingers and the brooms vanished into clouds of white smoke. The witches looked small atop their wooden sticks but now they looked downright diminutive; only coming up to Ganondorf's hip. The two turned to walk towards the swirling hole in the sand. They walked to the center and turned around to face Ganondorf. They joined hands and dropped straight down into the void as if the floor was pulled out from under them. Although it wasn't the most surprising thing to happen to him, it was by far the strangest.
He walked toward the swirling maelstrom of darkness cautiously. He stopped just shy of it and kicked sand towards the its spout. The swirling winds it was kicking up made the granules fly all around the darkness without a single speck landing inside its opening.
"Well," Ganondorf sighed, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Ganondorf placed his foot within the black darkness and found it to be surprisingly shallow, the darkness only coming up to his ankle. He fully stepped into the vortex and the cooling wind made his tattered clothes ripple around him. The boy breathed in and in the middle of his controlled exhale, the floor was pulled away from his feet. He closed his eyes as he was engulfed in darkness.
Ganondorf tumbled through a pitch black pit going head over heels as he fell. The boy then curled up into a ball in anticipation of the impact he would have with the floor. After a while falling in complete darkness, Ganondorf stopped. It felt as if a multitude of invisible hands grabbed him as he fell. He was slowly lowered and placed on a hard stone floor in his curled up position. The boy stood, regaining his orientation and bearings, and was disheartened by the darkness that still enveloped him. Then there was a sharp crash like pottery shattering and Ganondorf spun around to face the source of the sound while drawing his dagger from his waist. Even though he couldn't see, he still held the knife defensively in front of him. Then, when listening more closely, he heard two familiar voice bickering in hushed tones a ways in front of him.
"…more careful, Koume!" "But it's dark." "Well I told you we should've gotten into position before we shut the lights." "Well you should've had everything done by then." "Oh don't try to blame this on me." "I'm not blaming you, I'm blaming your raging stupidity!"
Ganondorf rolled his eyes with a smirk and sheathed his dagger. He coughed as convinsingly as he could and the witches hushed each other in preparation. Then Kotake spoke louidly.
"Welcome, Ganondorf" "to your new training area," "your new house," "your new home…" in unison "Casa Del Twinrova!"
A few dull pops around the room echoed out and the sound of flittering like falling feathers or paper littered the air around them. Ganondorf couldne help but snicker a bit from the anti-climactic moment.
"Koume," Kotake whispered urgently, "why didn't the lights come on?" "Umm… I may have left a few loopholes in the spells I used." "Great. Just great!" Kotake let the secrecy die in her voice, "Now the surprise is ruined!" "What do we do now?" "I'll fix it, just wait here." "No, no, no Kotake don't leave me here alone with the…" a poof cut Kotake off, "…Kid."
Koume sighed deeply and her footsteps came closer to Ganondorf. She lit a ball of fire in her hand and the glowing orb floated to the space between them. The light the fireball gave off was just enough for Ganondorf to make out Koume's face but kept the walls and floor as black as they had been. Koume shuffled next to Ganondorf and sat on the ground with a tired sigh. Ganondorf did the same.
"Well I was surprised." Ganondorf offered a pathetic grin.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, kid." Koume said in an uncharacteristically dismissive manner, "If anything, the surprise would've been if the spell had actually worked at all."
"So…" Ganondorf broke the unsettling silence that had fallen between them, "Your sister, Kotake, is she always so frantic?"
Koume snickered noisily, "Oh, you noticed that, hmm? Yes, Kotake is a bit of a… perfectionist. But that's just her nature." Then she added under her breath, "Especially after living with me for so long."
Before Ganondorf could inquire further a series of explosions rocked the area and pieces of the ceiling became were blown away letting the light of the desert sun chase away the overbearing darkness. The light revealed a large stone room encased by four stone walls but with no extra walls to separate individual habitats. In one corner there were two crudely made mattresses lain side-by-side with lumpy pillows neatly placed to one side. In the corner next to it was a bookcase with unlabeled books. The top half of the case looked charred but the books looked to be in pristine condition. Towards the middle of the room was a large cauldron big enough to hold ten people bubbling with what looked to be water but giving off an enchanting smell that made Ganondorf's mouth water and his stomach growl furiously. Behind Ganondorf was a newer yet still crudely made bed with an empty weapons rack at its foot. The room itself was about 100 feet wide and long with most of the space left completely empty. The ceiling was impossibly high and the holes in it that gave the room its light were perfectly round and placed in a staggered pattern. The floor was littered with small pieces of colored paper that must've made the flittering sound earlier. Koume stood and shuffled over to the center of the room where a large circular rug had been placed.
"Good talk, Ganny." She chuckled just as Kotake appeared next to her in a puff of white smoke. She sighed, "Well… Ta-da I guess." She snapped her fingers sadly and puffs of air around the room made some dull, sad pop sounds but did nothing else except disturb some of the confetti sprinkled around the floor.
"I'm sorry the spell didn't work Kotake." "Oh it's not your fault. I wouldn't have fared any better." "Thanks Kotake. That makes me feel better." "Should we give him the tour sister?" "Yes, that seems appropriate." "Will you do the honors?" "Oh I'd be delighted, my sister."
The twins turned toward the two mattresses and motioned for Ganondorf to join them. "This is where Kotake and I sleep. We've always found it easier to sleep when we are together." "Yes, as children we used to get such dreadful nightmares if we were apart." "Then they tried to separate us." "Oh, I didn't sleep for a month." "Me either sister."
"Who are…" Ganondorf tried to interject but the twins continued right over to the bookcase before Ganondorf could ask his question.
"But we digress, on with the tour!" they said in unison.
They turned toward the bookcase as Koume continued, "This is our diary collection." "We've catalogued every spell, potion, and enchantment we've mastered all the way to ones we have yet to understand." "The top row, in pristine condition, are my diaries. And the second row in… readable condition, are Kotake's."
"Readable?"
"What's next Koume?" the red witch excitedly shuffled over to the black cauldron and picked up a large wooden spoon that she smacked the side of the pot making a dull, muffled clang. "This is our cauldron." "We use it for all our potions and experiments. We also use it for food like stew or soup." Kotake leaned in close to Ganondorf but made no effort to render her whisper inaudible, "Be careful when Koume cooks, she doesn't always clean the pot right." "Come on Kotake, that's not funny." "Last time you cooked our tongues turned purple and our eyes glowed in the dark. Do you realize how hard it is to sleep with glow-in-the-dark eyes?" "Moving on!"
The twins shot past Ganondorf glaring nastily at each other before they reached the corner with the single bed. However, when the two looked at the bed and its amenities, the two seemed to take more compassionate stances and even stood closer together. They waited for Ganondorf to join them and Koume motioned for her sister to start.
"This, young Ganondorf, is where you will be sleeping." "We've given it everything a growing Gerudo warlock needs." "A weapon rack," "Bedside table," "A pillow to rest your-"
"What did you call me?" Ganondorf interrupted the twins this time.
"What?" they said in unison.
"What did you say before? 'A growing' what?"
Kotake instantly perked up, "Oh, a growing warlock."
Then her face was plastered with a sudden realization and she gasped loudly, "Oh, wait. Gerudo don't really have a term for that do they?" "Oh that's right Kotake. The closest they have is-" "Witch, yes… alright Ganondorf, first lesson. You know that women magic-wielders are called witches right?" Ganondorf nodded, "But you also know that there are men who can wield magic too, right?" again he nodded, "Well there is a term for a warrior who also wields magic." "They are called 'Warlocks' and they can be either man or woman." "And that is what we're training you to be." "But before we do that," "we must eat." "Come, come, we've made a delicious stew for you."
The twins led Ganondorf to the middle of the room where the large circular ring of golden patterns and symbols was partially covered with a square red rug in the middle. The rug had Gerudo symbols and letters emblazoned on the sides and corners, praising the sand goddess from what Ganondorf could make out. There were three pillows lain in a triangular fashion and Kotake sat at the farthest one. Ganondorf did the same, sitting at the one to her left. Koume went right past her pillow and made for the steaming cauldron. She raised her hand and whistled. Suddenly her broom flew overhead and stopped at her side. She got on and proceeded to grab the large wooden spoon and stir the stew. Then she scooped some up and seemed to pour it onto the floor behind the pot. Then Koume raised her hand and three steaming bowls made of, what looked like, brown stone rose and followed her in midair as she slowly floated back to the rug.
"No weapons at supper." Kotake abruptly said to Ganondorf.
"What?"
"Your weapons. Get rid of 'em." She pointed to the weapons rack at his bed, "Put them there, then you can eat."
Ganondorf eyed the twins suspiciously before turning to head back to the bed. He placed the dagger at his side on the rack and unbuckled the scimitar from his waist. He stood the sword in a perfectly sized opening and turned to walk back.
"All your weapons!" Kotake spoke from the rug.
Ganondorf groaned as he turned back, removed the dagger from his hidden leg sheath, placed it on the rack, and traced his steps back to the rug where he sat at the available cushion. Koume, who was happily spinning the bowls in midair, set the soup down in front of each person using her magic. Ganondorf lifted the bowl and inhaled the delectable aroma emanating from it. The broth was a slight green and when he lifted the metal spoon he stirred the mixture finding familiar vegetables and chunks of meat that were undoubtedly leever. The taste was even better than the smell and Ganondorf voraciously gobbled the soups ingredients. In a matter of seconds the entire bowl was empty with Ganondorf siping the last of the broth with the bowl to his lips. The twins, on the other hand, were sampling the stew sip-by-sip as if it were a fine wine.
"Mmm, Koume you've outdone yourself again." "Oh I try dear sister. But it could use a little more… umm…" "Salt." "Yes, yes salt. And maybe some of that heartflower that's been growing in the oasis as of late." "Oh my, Koume this leever is to die for. What did you do to it?" "It was easy, really. All I had to do was skin, brazen, dry, then revive it in the soup." "You're kidding, that easy?" "A little something I learned in the marketplace."
Ganondorf then abruptly coughed, "Umm… excuse me."
Kotake looked his way, half in annoyance and half in curiosity, "What is it child?"
"Not to sound rude, the food is delicious, but when will this 'training' start?"
Koume and Kotake both looked at each other then, with identical movements, placed their bowls down and set their spoons right next to them.
"NOW!" the two yelled in unison. They both sprung up into the air as a white smoke exploded from their place settings. When the smoke dissipated, the once cozy space had become something akin to the arena back in the desert. Scorch marks and pillars of ice riddled the space where the furniture had once occupied. The first thing Ganondorf noticed was that the weapons rack with his daggers and sword was completely gone. But the boy didn't have time to think of a new weapon or even think at all as a sharp spear of ice came hurtling towards him. With seconds to react, the boy jumped to the side, making the ice spear miss him by a hair. The frozen weapon flew past and shattered on the wall behind. Then the twins came into view and as soon as Ganondorf saw them they began to fly in different directions and fire attacks from every which direction. Ganondorf had been in situations like this before, it was a classic double attack pattern hat set out to confuse and eliminate a target with as minimal attacks as possible. But Ganondorf had been trained by the best and knew exactly how to counteract the strategy. By keeping the two witches somewhere in his vision, he was able to see attacks as they were thrown and was able to nimbly dodge each one with slight difficulty. Then suddenly the action stopped.
"Hmm… he has good reflexes Koume" "Yes, but not good enough." "Just what I was thinking." "He needs to anticipate" "predict" "prepare" "And then execute" "before the first strike."
"How?" Ganondorf interrupted the circling witches. Koume, in the blink of an eye, appeared behind Ganondorf and put her bony, ice cold hands over his eyes. Ganondorf felt a tiny pinch in his eyes and grabbed at the witches hands. However, when she finally did remove them, the room remained black. No matter how many times Ganondorf rubbed his eyes or blinked, his eyes seemed to have shut off.
"What did you do? Why can't I see?!" Ganondorf asked frantically. Koume and Kotake cackled somewhere to his left and Ganondorf spun in the direction swinging his fists wildly. His heart began to race and he heard his breathing get louder as he quickly entered a panicked state.
"Your eyes will deceive you." Koume's voice pierced the darkness, "Your eyes will fail you." "Your eyes will betray you." "Your eyes are weak," "And weakness," in unison, "Has no place here!"
Ganondorf's training as a Gerudo had involved blindfolded combat but this felt wrong. Being blind was disorienting and Ganondorf had no clue as to how he should stand. This was speedily rectified by the sound of a magical spell manifesting in the hand of one of the twins. Ganondorf heard the sound of fire spontaneously coming alight and jumped back as it was thrown in his direction. A ball of insanely hot energy flew just inches from his waist and Ganondorf waited for another flurry of attacks. Thanks to his keen hearing and superb echolocation, the Gerudo boy was able to dodge most of the attacks that were thrown at him, only few making contact with his skin. Then the attacks abruptly stopped again and Ganondorf, bolstering a few new bruises, stood ready for the nest onslaught.
"Hmm… he's done well Kotake." "Yes, too well." "Much too well." "I can fix that sister."
Koume poofed from one end of the room to behind the boy again. But this time, upon hearing the witch appear behind him, he sprung forward and rolled out of the way. When he stood, familiar icy hands cupped his ears and blocked all sounds from being heard. As soon as the hands were removed Ganondorf swung wildly behind him and yelled Koume's name. But he couldn't hear himself. He mouthed a few other words and phrases, some with colorful language, but not a single one was heard. Ganondorf could feel his mouth shape the words and the vibrations from his voice box confirmed that he was indeed speaking. His ears, much like his eyes, had been turned off.
Damnit Ganondorf thought, how am I going to dodge anything now?
Then a familiar pair of shrill voices spoke from within his mind. You are stronger than this Ganondorf. Kotake started.
You are the descendant of kings.
You are the son of a great race.
The heir to a great throne.
All you need to do,
Is feel the world around you.
That power you fear,
You hate,
You resent.
Use it as your ears.
Use it as your eyes.
Only then will you be strong enough.
Only then will you be able to protect
Only then,
In unison, Will you be king!
As the voices of the twins echoed out in his head, something hit square into Ganondorf's shoulder and he was thrown to the ground. The boy quickly got back up and tried to understand and use the information the twins had given him. He was able to dodge one more attack before a cold bar of ice shattered at his feet sending him crashing to the ground again. Staggering upright he was once more thrown to the ground by a blow to the spine.
That was when his rage began to build. It started in his chest and boiled up steadily just as it had done at the trials. It seemed so long since he had last felt anger begin to take over his body. Slowly, as each throw to the ground sent explosions of pain through his body, the anger in him used it as fuel for its flame. It crept from the deeper parts of his soul, feeding him evil thoughts and accusations.
You are no king. You are no warrior. You are no Gerudo. You left your family behind. You let them down and now, when you need to show strength, you instead cower in fear like a child.
Ganondorf seethed with anger both at himself and his attackers. He could feel the anger taking hold of him, twisting his thoughts and feelings until-
"NO!" Ganondorf yelled both internally and externally and everything stopped. His anger slithered back into his heart, the attacks stopped, and Gnondorf felt all alone in his fetal position on the floor. He could feel fresh tears stain his cheeks and each bruise and burn fed their discontent into his pain. Warm hands, equally bony, caressed the boy's head and when he opened his bloodshot eyes, Ganondorf was met with the disapproving glares of the sisters who floated a ways in front of him. His hearing slowly came back in the middle of the twins' conversation.
"-ot ready, Koume." "Yes. It is disappointing, I agree, but at least we have a starting point." "We were too early. The master said not to-" "Shh, he's coming to."
Ganondorf groaned in pain shambled his way into a sitting position.
Kotake started, "That was… disappointing Ganondorf." "You said that you could take us on." "Yet our weakest spells nearly killed you." "You have great potential, but a long ways to go before you protect anyone." "Starting tomorrow, your training begins anew." "We will supply you with new clothes and begin as early as we can." "For now, rest up. Regain your strength." "You will need it for the training to come."
Ganondorf picked himself up off the floor and the twins watched him as he made his way to the waiting mattress in the corner. He didn't even acknowledge that the room had changed back. When he collapsed upon the bed a sudden wash of relief flowed over his body. His muscles ached less and his numerous injuries fed less pain to his nervous system. It was just enough comfort for Ganondorf to close his eyes and fall very slowly to sleep.