The Queen of Evil's heart stopped at hearing the innocent voice of her son. "Volga, no!" she shouted to prevent his intervention. The barrier created by Dora that surrounded the princess was penetrated by the arrow of light fired by the Sheikah. Although the pure light was greatly diminished after passing through Dora's evil energy, Din shrieked as the light consumed her body, crippling her. Felious supported his wife with one arm, while pointing his sword threateningly at the Sheikah. Dora rested her hand directly on her daughter's wounded arm to expel the light from her body.
In the same instant, Volga barged into the room with his blue eyes targeted on the Sheikah man that injured his sister. He snatched the hilt of a sword from his back in a white-knuckled grip and clumsily yanked it straight up. Volga bravely darted forward and swung the sword like a club at the stunned Sheikah, fatally wounding him.
Ganondorf recognized the astonishment in the eyes of his enemies, and the reason why was evident.
Volga suddenly dropped the sword, the steel bouncing off the stone floor with a resounding clang. He clutched his left arm with his right hand. Dora hurried to him as he seethed and tears escaped his eyes. "What is the matter?" she wondered, until she caught the sword's features.
"I'm not sure," he whimpered. "I thought my arm was on fire."
It was only seconds before Dora comprehended the truth. Volga wielded the Master Sword to defend his sister, the Princess of Evil. The blade of evil's bane rejected the potential hero. Whether it was because of his act of vengeance, or because of the darkness brewing in his veins, was a debate for a later time. "You were instructed to stay at home," she scolded.
"But, Mom, I-," Volga started with an excuse.
Ganondorf furiously yelled, "I ordered you not to touch anything, boy!"
"I'm sorry, Father," Volga said weakly. "I just wanted to help."
"Stay behind me," Dora instructed her son, and he obeyed.
Din returned to her defensive stance with most of her natural energy returned. "Obviously, Volga does not wish to join you," she said to the Sheikah with a grin. "I will defend my little brother with my life!"
A new opponent appeared from beyond the wall and stood bravely before the royal family. Her gray eyes held superior pride and courage. "My name is Arya, the daughter of Paya, and leader of the Sheikah. Volga, please accept my humble apology for how you were frightened yesterday. We only wish to free you from the evil surrounding you."
"Why do you hate my family?" Volga demanded passionately.
His temperament surprised the Sheikah leader and she hesitated before her response. "We Sheikah have fought against the evil of Hyrule since Hylia sent her people to the sky to escape Demise. We served the true royal family of Hyrule, before these two killed Princess Zelda," Arya explained calmly. "Since his birth, Ganondorf has killed selfishly to satisfy his lust for power. Despite our most tiring efforts, he returned to terrorize Hyrule, just as he is doing now."
Dora dropped to one knee with one arm around Volga, and reassuringly gripped his shoulder. "I will not deny that my husband and I have committed heinous acts of evil, none of which I regret. Zelda and her ancestors were guilty of equally gross deeds," she reminded, glaring. "We do not hide from our past as the previous royal family did, and we will openly share that with Volga when the time comes."
"You cannot prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled," Arya said simply.
"Open your eyes," Felious remarked smugly. "Your precious Master Sword just proved you wrong."
"You are so naïve," Arya laughed. "It is that sword which will purify his soul."
"Mother, what are they talking about?" Volga whispered curiously.
"I promise, I will tell you later," Dora said in a hushed voice, but the Sheikah leader overheard and took advantage.
"Volga, do you ever wonder why you look so different from your current mother and father?" Arya asked.
"It doesn't matter," Volga insisted, his small voice filled with emotion. He balled his hands into fists. "This is the only family I've ever known, and I love them."
"The boy has decided his own fate," Ganondorf said abruptly to interrupt their less than desirable conversation with his deep tone. "I tire of your prattling. You have evaded your death sentence for treason against the royal family for too long. You die immediately."
The three Sheikah accompanying Arya leaped forward in unison to attack, choosing their opponents wisely. Dora evaded instantly when two more Sheikah dropped out of the ceiling. Volga obediently moved along with his mother as she guided him toward the exit of the research room. An enemy landed beside Dora suddenly with an Eightfold blade aimed at her heart. The Queen of Evil was faster when she slammed the head of the arrow she clutched into the side of her attacker's throat. She ripped it back and loaded the bloody arrow to fire rapidly at the Sheikah. Each arrow was swallowed by her dark magic before soaring from the bow to end her target's life.
A second wave, this time consisting of a dozen Sheikah, emerged through invisible walls or fell from the ceiling, causing the outnumbered Gerudo to fall back cautiously to the doorway. Din and Felious stood in front as the first line of defense to the King and Queen of Hyrule. Ganondorf quickly weighed his options and chose utter annihilation. He turned to Dora and asked, "Do you trust me?"
She rolled her eyes at his question, one he repeated several times over the course of their lives, even before their marriage. "Always," she answered.
He grinned deviously at her reply. "Allow none to escape," he ordered as the temple began to rumble.
"I will meet you on the bridge," Dora advised, understanding his goal. The vibrations of the floor caused her to focus on remaining stable, while she unbuckled the scabbard from Volga's torso. The Sheikah panicked, allowing them precious few moments to act. "Felious, retrieve the Master Sword," she ordered, tossing him the scabbard just before she grabbed Volga's hand and fled.
Din swung viciously with her sickle at a few Sheikah that recovered their balance and attempted to claim the Master Sword. They were forced to dodge instead, and avoided being sliced. Felious scooped the tip of the sacred sword into the scabbard without touching blade. He slid the sheath up and secured the weapon just in time to duck under the swing of a Sheikah. The trembling became more violent. Din snatched her husband's hand and tugged him out the door.
Before the Sheikah could pursue them, Ganondorf released a pent up wave of energy filled with hate and rage that knocked them off their feet. They struggled to defend or attack as that same burst of energy caused the ceiling to crumble.
Dora, Felious, and Din shared responsibility of ensuring Volga's safety and knocking out Sheikah as they ran. The queen never anticipated the number of Sheikah that remained alive and hidden in the Water Temple. She continuously drew arrows from the quiver bouncing on her lower back. She jumped in the air with a quick twist, aimed, and fired at the Sheikah in pursuit of her family. The arrow harmlessly flew by her adversaries, struck the floor at their feet, and exploded powerful lightning that dazed them.
Dora sprinted to catch up with her family, but a searing, sharp pain in her leg caused her to fall on her side. There was no apparent reason for her injury, leaving her only to assume that Ganondorf was hurt. She fought off her reckless desire to turn back by remembering to trust him, and scrambled to her feet to continue running.
The trembling transitioned to violent shaking. The temple's walls cracked in deep sporadic incisions spreading in all directions. At first, the disaster began with only a trickle, until the pressure was too great for the crumbling building to handle. Sections of the wall shattered and water gushed in like waterfalls. The royal family neared the top floor, but the water rose swiftly.
Felious was alarmed by the sound of crashing rocks directly above them. The royal family turned to see a portion of the high ceiling tumbled toward them and the Sheikah on their tail. Felious swung his Windcleaver with all his might, unleashing a powerful gale at the debris tumbling toward them. The ferocious wind knocked the chunks of stone into a course that smashed into the Sheikah. He sheathed his sword on his hip and hoisted Volga on his back to effortlessly climb the ladder. The boy held tightly to the Master Sword, sheathed safely in its scabbard, while clinging to his brother.
Dora was the last to climb the decrepit ladder. As she extended her arm to grab the next rung, her shoulder erupted with a fiery, stabbing sensation. Her muscles throbbed and her entire arm threatened to give way to send her plummeting into the deep water. Dora mustered all of her willpower to throw her other arm above, and grasp the final rung, to heave herself to the second floor. More aches and pains became apparent in her torso and legs while she rested on the floor to catch her breath. Another fleeting thought of concern for Ganondorf caused her panic. There was no time to rest. She promised to escape. Before she turned to catch up with her daughter, she kicked the ladder into the rising waters and confirmed no Sheikah followed.
Felious placed Volga on his feet when they exited the tunnel into the cave. Din was next, and lastly Dora. The echoes of the building being demolished were silenced when Felious removed the orb from its place in the pedestal and the door slid closed. Ganondorf was yet to appear, so Dora rushed out of the cave ahead of her children.
She only came to a halt upon reaching the Bridge of Hylia. She leaned on the side of the bridge, frantically scanning the waters surrounding the tilted Hylia Island. The water level was significantly lower and the waves on the surface were choppy and chaotic.
"Mom, where is he?" Din wondered fearfully, standing beside her mom.
Dora refused to answer and silently prayed for Ganondorf's safety.