A/n: Hopefully, this one will be longer and better content-wise. Thanks to all for reading, and reviews give me motivation to write this story; even the smallest review is greatly coveted, like global ownership.
Regarding religion of the goddesses ... what's the point of AU if I can't use creative liberties? If someone knows the official religion, please tell me so I don't look completely stupid.
Disclaimer: If I owned Legend of Zelda, Ghirahim would appear in more games; he's my favorite villain in the franchise.
The Goddesses were said to be kind, merciful beauties of great power. There were three of them: Din, Farore, and Nayru. Together, they created the universe. Din, the eldest, gave the gift of fire to the land so that living things could find warmth. Farore, the youngest, added winds to help cool off Din's fire and cool the organisms too. Nayru, the middle child, gifted water for the living to drink and for life to flourish.
Alongside the creation of the world came the creation of the Triforce. Each piece was a collection of power from the goddesses: an ultimate blessing. From the Triforce's existence, their creation was maintained without their interference.
As such, the three of them came to be known as the Golden Goddesses.
However, eternity with the same people became boring, even for such powerful dieties. So, they created two new beings to help ease their boredom: Hylia and Demise.
Hylia was the embodiment of light and goodness while her counterpart Demise was vile, greedy, and ruthless.
Hylia wanted to give purpose to the world her makers created, so she created life of her own: the Hylians.
Her brother Demise, seeing how the goddesses praised his sister for this act, grew jealous. He created his own race: the demons.
Unlike the Hylians who faithfully maintained the earth and made great works of art, the demons could only destroy and corrupt. Naturally, Demise and Hylia came to arms against each other, and their respective races waged war as well.
The demons, unsurprisingly, overpowered the Hylians with their superior physical prowess; war was their element. So, Hylia created a special Hylian- her greatest creation- a hero.
This hero fought valiantly against the demon hordes, and due to his vigilant efforts, the Hylians assembled on to their land as Hylia lifted them into the sky, away from the demons.
After her people were safe, Hylia and the Hero battled against Demise. Hylia cast away her godhood in order to seal him away.
Hylia is worshipped as an almighty being, a saint; she has no selfishness or prejudice in her being. She is worshipped as a true hero.
But, one must wonder if that is really the case.
Think about it. Hylia- the righteous saint- made a living being just to use him for her own benefit and then throw him away when he no longer had any use. Think: why does no one know of the hero- the normal man who was thrown into a fight between gods and left to fend for himself. Should not he be lauded too? But no, only the goddess.
And what of the Golden Goddesses? Din, Nayru, and Farore? They stood back as their children quarreled, destroying so many lives in the process. Did the fate of this world mean nothing to them? Or did they simply grow tired of our stupidity, of our imperfections that they created us with?
Everyone likes to focus on living that they forget the dead, the dying; nobody remembers the plains covered in gore or lakes filled with blood or the thick smell of carnage in the air. Nobody remembers those left behind, the poor souls too slow to make it who were eaten alive.
Everyone prefers to remember the cleaner version with faultless goddesses, clear-cut in black and white.
My very existence refutes that fact; if I am the reincarnated avatar of pure evil, why do I care about the darkness in the world? Why do I try to make it better? Why am I the only one who cares about the sacrificial pawns?
It seems I might never find the answers, not that it truly matters in the end; people will think what they think, and a few conversations isn't enough to rewrite millenniums of legends and culture.
But, I can do things now. I can make small differences.
The sun sets on the horizon; a wave of reds and pinks die down to a somber purple. I see a beam of light near where Eldin Volcano should be; it seems Link finished up going through the hoops Hylia set out for him.
If anyone here was a victim of the goddess, it's him; his very existence was conjured to satisfy their whims. He is a pawn of his fate, never realizing the strings that control him like a marionette.
I feel quite the same, only I am gifted with the ability to fight back, and he is not.
In all likelihood, he will be the one to finish off Demise in his current state; I'm not mad. If anything, I'm proud. He's strong; despite all he's been through, he's still strong. As strong as a god...
And, if the glowing on his hand is any indication, he's also a bearer of the Triforce like myself.
I'll meet him at the Sealed Temple. I'd like to see him grow. I already entered the Sealed Grounds.
... Ah, there he is now.
"Hey Link!"
"...Ganondorf? You were right: more glowing triangles appeared."
He showed the back of his hand. As he said, three golden triangles were there. The entire Triforce was there.
... What? The Triforce? All of it? So he was the original owner, eh? A piece of his power now resides within me. How did that come to be?
"You know what it is?"
"... The Triforce, right?"
"Yes. It is a great power. You truly are a brave person."
"It's what anyone would do in my position."
"No, it's not... You have the power to help your friend now; don't let this old man keep you."
"No, I enjoy your company. But, you're right. I need to go. See you later."
He entered the temple.
I'd rather have a more fulfilling goodbye, to be honest. I'll wait until he's done with that girl.
I'm not patient, not at all. But I can wait. It's an important exception.
... I never had a friend before. I've had acquaintances, comrades, even the occasional fling with my countrywomen. But never a friend.
No, I was too strange- the only male gerudo in 100 years; there were no boys my age to play with. No one to practice sword fighting with. No one to bond with over picking up girls. No one who truly understood me.
I was gawked at and pointed at by everyone, even my own people. No one would speak openly with me.
Now, I finally have a friend: Link. My first, and probably last friend. He died before I was born, but he doesn't judge. He doesn't care about my race or power; he treats me like a normal person.
That's better than most people treated me- like I was a monster or a sign from the Goddesses.
When you've been alienated your whole life, there's nothing you want more than to be normal. To have familiarity and relationships with people who treat you like another person.
And now, alas, it will all be over soon...
The ground vibrated suddenly. I looked up and saw that thing- this island- dropping from the sky.
What the fuck?
The island must have been part of Skyloft. I wonder why it fell. If it was raised by Hylia, only a greater power could sink it. Link must have done it using the power of the Triforce.
He killed Demise.
Good for him.
I sense the presence of that Ghirahim; he must not be done yet. If Demise is dead now, Ghirahim must be going to the past to fulfill his mission.
The fool. Doesn't he realize that my existence itself is proof of his ultimate failure. I guess not, if he still keeps trying.
Link must be going to confront him now. Stronger than a god indeed.
Perhaps I should go and gloat to the bitch Impa and that annoying bastard.
It's not like I had anything better to do.
"Don't worry Groose. Link will prevail; it is his destiny... You? What are you doing here!?"
"Oh hey, it's the old man!"
"Hello Impa, Groose. I see Link has gone into the past to save the girl. How very faithful of him. The Goddess chose well."
"Man, I can never get use to that fancy way of talking of yours."
"Why are you here? You have no stake in this."
"Nonsense. You're just trying to get me to leave, or is it to stop me from interfering?"
"Granny, what does he mean?"
"... It is my duty to allow the Goddess's will to come to pass. If you think about interfering, I will take action."
"Do you think you can?"
I do hate it when ants try to act tough. I wouldn't object to putting that bitch in her place. But...
"... As fun as that would be, I have no intention of joining the fight, so rest easy."
"Hmm..."
"Whoa! You're that strong?"
"I am quite a force to be reckoned with, if you must know."
We waited in silence for the rest of the fight, tension high in the air. Finally, the Gate of Time glowed, revealing eternally turning blue cogs.
From it came a short, dirty-blonde god-slayer wearing dark green, battle torn and worse for wear. With him, a delicate bright blond girl cloaked in all white yet somehow pristine, spared from all the wreckage. They both looked exhausted but had beaming smiles on their faces.
"We're back!"
"Hey, Link. Can't believe you actually did it! And.. uhh, Zelda...you look pretty... uh, I mean, glad to see you're alive."
"Your Grace, what do you plan to do now?"
"With Demise and Ghirahim gone, we can relocate back to the surface. It'll be safe for us to live here with these resources."
"Wow. We can all stay here?"
"Of course we can, Groose. It belonged to us first; it can belong to us again. We can settle near the Faron Woods. We'll need to build houses first. Then set down farms and barns for livestock."
"What about the others, Your Grace? Will they follow you?"
"They will listen. It'll all work out. Let's tell the others at Skyloft."
"Oh yeah! Let's do it!"
The red headed idiot and the old bat left; I made myself hidden.
"Link, thank you. You saved me."
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He turned redder than a tomato. How cute...
"Let's go, Link. Let's change the world."