(Seperating Line)
If Grindol had left any earlier, the King of Hyrule might have been more upset. As it stood, he was angered by the sorceror's sudden departure, but he could easily live without the aid of the decrepit old man. The use of his summoning magic had already passed, now that Link's power had been awakened. Now all he needed to do was demonize the young boy in the eyes of the Hylian public. The people already loved Ganondorf, and to finish his ultimate victory, he needed to turn them against the hero of the past.
It wouldn't be difficult. Not a word he said had been taken without cheers and applause by his subjects, and an announcement of a new enemy would be nothing new. Ganondorf had easily washed away all political rivals by claims of treason and the like, despite many accusations placed on his own shoulders of the same crime. His people were far more inclined to believe their trusted king than the words of a corrupt council member. That is why he had such obedience in his castle; If the king didn't trust someone, the entire land treated that unfortunate person as an outcast.
The darkly armored king paced back and forth in Grindol's chamber, waiting for a good oppurtunity to reveal Link's name and face to his guards. First he would let them know about the mysterious youth from his dreams, and from there the image would get clearer and he would reveal the identity to all his people. Yes; Let the people believe in his prophetic nature to sense all incoming evil. Some had even been murdered in the streets after a mere hint of foul play by their hand, as told by their omnipotent leader.
Ganondorf's rule was much stronger than his people believed. His word was enough to drive the peaceful inhabitants into a frenzy. The people of Hyrule in the past had been almost pacifist in nature, but with this new no-tolerance king at the head, they did not realize how brutal their society had become. While they thought they acted entirely of their own free will, even Ganondorf had impressed himself by the subtleties of his magic. They did not even realize that he had them almost entirely under his control. With Link gone, he would soon be able to take the final step and create an entire kingdom worth of soldiers to aid in his final assault on the Sacred Realm.
It was no longer about power. He already had enough power to rule the entire world...No, what he wanted now was revenge. Revenge against the boy whom had always appeared to put a halt to his reign. Revenge against the unseen forces residing in the Sacred Realm, which had always prevented his complete control of the Triforce. After eons of planning, the timeless demon of a man could finally see ultimate victory coming from the horizon. It was something he was eager to achieve, but with experience he knew better than to rush it.
Always defeated in the past due to carelessness on one part or another. He had always let that fool of a princess find some way to aid the boy in his quest. He never had the chance to fight with his own strength against the boy on equal terms. There was always some divine intervention...But now, with two portions of the Triforce, Ganondorf finally had the upper hand in that regard. An uncharacteristic wave of excitement passed over the armored figure as he turned out of Grindol's empty chamber, maintaining his divine image to the guards and choosing to hint at an unknown enemy that may be approaching the castle soon.
Even Ganondorf didn't know how right he was.
(To Link)
Another dream. Something that he couldn't understand. He knew one of the men locked in struggle to be Ganondorf. The other, however, he could not even imagine. His armor was red, much like blood, and his movements were incredibly precise, almost demonic in nature. Even with this seemingly otherworldly skill, the demon clad in red plate was making no ground on Link's sworn enemy, and the same was true the other way around. The hero wanted to act, perhaps putting an end to both of them, but found himself to be nothing more than an observer.
The two combatants leapt apart, putting a fair distance between each other. He saw Ganondorf hold up his hand, which held two bright triangles of the Triforce. His face looked as if he were bragging to the unsettling visage of the other, who had taken his helm off to reveal something that Link couldn't describe; Mostly because his sight could not comprehend it in his dream state. The mysterious man held up his own hand, showing the back of it to Ganondorf. As hard as Link tried, he could not gain a clear understanding of what was being shown, but Ganondorf looked almost angry; frustrated...Without further hesitation, the two began fighting again...
...And Link awoke. He looked around, noting that he had once again fallen asleep in Renaldo's basement. The shrine had been something of a comfort to him the last few days, acting as a home even after his own village had been erased. It was something that even the hardened warrior needed, thinking back on all the things he had left behind over his many lives. He sat up, still dressed in his tunic from the day before, and reflected on how small his victories in the past had truly been. He spoke aloud, if a bit softly. "Every time, there was suffering...Destruction...fear...It spread through the land each time the evil rose. There is no reversing those feelings of despair. Every time they ended, they came again, even if not in the same generation...This time, it needs to stop."
Link stood up, making a private declaration. "This time, Ganondorf, I will ensure lasting peace!" He had taken up a somewhat more determined attitude than he intended, and only then did he realize that he wasn't alone. Renaldo leaned against the wall, smirking at the confident youth. He stood straight, still taller than Link despite recent changes to the boy's mannerisms.
"You are strong, and you do have a sense of justice...Your countless good deeds in the past have earned you many titles. The Hero of Time, chief among them. I suppose that title holds true now, seeing as you've been the one to defend us over so many generations." He approached the somewhat embarassed Link with a soft chuckle, stopping a few steps away from him. "But there is something coming from the East, Hero of Time. It is something you may not be familiar with, due to an ancient pact between kingdoms. Unfortunately, the prophacy reveals details of this new force's role in the conflict." Renaldo's usually calm expression had been showing too much worry and doubt over the last few days.
The Shaman didn't like being so dire. He wanted to believe in peace just as much as the enthusiastic hero, but he knew how difficult the struggle would really be. Even the Great Fairy obviously hadn't mentioned the final part of the story of Link's destiny. While it was never said that the Hero of Time would be slain, it was made perfectly clear that evil would emerge victorious. Renaldo had figured out the true meaning of the prophacy, as had the Great Fairy. In his dreams, Renaldo's fears had been confirmed by the beautiful being so few had ever set eyes on.
She told him the nature of evil's victory. Righteousness would fade from the world, so it told, because Link would be turned from the light. In short, the great Hero of Time would become the ultimate evil that no living thing could defeat. For safety reasons, neither the powerful Shaman nor the incredibly wise Great Fairy had chosen to reveal his true destiny. To look at this boy making oaths to stop the evil once and for all was enough to give the man some confidence in their situation, but he couldn't deny the accuracy of the predictions so far.
Link looked into Renaldo's eyes for a good long while during his thoughts. The youth with more wisdom and power than the seemingly older shaman nodded once. "I'll be prepared Renaldo; You needn't worry about me. I can't be defeated like this...It goes beyond any question of arrogance. I cannot lose the fight against the evil forces opposing me." His expression was solid, determined. Renaldo saw the fires burning in Link's eyes as he stared back with a blank face.
The Shaman's thoughts were entirely his own. 'If such a thing is true, I hope there is someone who can defeat the evil no doubt already working within you...Anger at past losses, frustration at your inability to stop the evil once and for all...Shadows must always exist in the light, even in the form of shade. It seems harmless, even beneficial; However, even shade is darkness, and until you realize just how dark it truly is, it cannot be understood. I hope against hope that you will remain true to yourself, young Link.' He then spoke softly. "I believe you, Link...You certainly are a force to be reckoned with." With that, the somewhat dejected Shaman turned his attention to some sort of relic to clean.
Link maintained his hard stare for another moment, sensing doubt, wondering ow it was possible that Renaldo still doubted him. His power was absolute, and nothing could stand in his way. He knew how easy it would truly be to destroy Ganondorf once and for all; Why couldn't the Shaman understand that? He placed his sword and shield upon his back, and with a somewhat strained yet still respectful nod, he ascended the ladder to the main room of the shrine before leaving the building. 'Perhaps I've been too careful...Ganondorf will no doubt make another move if I sit idly by. He probably wouldn't expect me to come looking for him.'
He was pleased to find Epona waiting for him, the horse no doubt sensing his unrest. He mounted and turned toward the path leading out to the field. 'I will make them respect my strength...All of them will know why I am the Hero of Time...They'll understand my power, no matter how much they doubted me previously!' Another declaration, this time within his own head to avoid onlookers. He would destroy the evil, even if it were only for himself. Even his great wisdom and understanding of peace from the ages could not prevent his annoyance. He should be seen as an absolute savior, not a foolish boy who needs his hand held...
(To the Crimson King)
As always, the king's army had been far more efficient than even their impatient ruler had given them credit for. They were already prepared for the considerably long march toward Hyrule, given only a day's time to prepare. The king, who never removed his armor, was almost certainly smiling, though nobody would ever know. Any attempt to see his face resulted in death, whether he was sleeping or not. Rumors abound in this kingdom; one of which stated that the king never sleeped, only changed positions for traditional purposes.
Crimson armor flashed in the sunlight as he exited his elaborately reddened hall, making his way through the red grass of his courtyard toward the back gates of his castle town, cape trailing in the wind. His army was reportedly assembled outside of that gate, back from a fresh conquest of a distant land. While the king wasn't surprised by their speedy movements, his newly appointed advisor was obviously uneasy.
"Perhaps there is truth to the demonic nature of these warriors..." The already aged Grindol seemed to have added several years to his visage after just a day among the Crimson King and his court. Even Ganondorf had not shaken the elderly wizard so dramatically, and although he thought himself to be a hardened and cold-blooded dark magic specialist, he felt a strong pang of unease surge through him when he saw two of the armored warriors carrying forth a man dressed in a noble's cloth. He was struggling without reward.
Grindol could only assume that this newly captured man was the ruler of the land the Crimson Army recently ravaged. With that thought, he saw the king walk to the struggling form carried between his unearthly soldiers. The wizard-advisor had to turn his head after his king lifted his right hand and slowly inched it toward the futilely struggling ex-nobleman's chest.
Grindol's violet robes had been replaced by blood red fabric as a symbol of allegience to his new king. It was not his color, and the fabric was not as comfortable as his old magically enhanced garb, but he couldn't spare any disrespect for the king's wishes. His will to disobey was further weakened when a tremendous crack resounded through the air, followed by a blood curdling scream, followed by utter silence. He heard the Crimson King declare something in an unfamiliar language, and had a strong feeling he knew precisely what had happened.
The army beside the wizard let out a monstrous cheer of victory, and Grindol gave himself permission to gaze upon the king once more. The sight almost made the hardened wizard retch, seeing the fresh hole in the opposing land's former lord, along with the still softly beating heart held in the king's hand. Worse than both of those sights combined, however, was the feeling of dread flowing through the wizard when he gazed at the back of the king's hand; The one holding up the heart. What he saw there made him instantly regret enlisting such a man's aid. 'Gods save me, what have I done?' He managed to think before practically passing out from shock...
(Ending Line)
Alrighty, a bit more setup before some confrontation happens.