Chapter 37 Endless Love and Loyalty
Ganondorf obeyed his father and fled to Hylia. That afternoon when he arrived at the castle, he explained the situation to Creon and was granted permission to stay longer. The next morning after Ganondorf and Sabrina ate breakfast, Ganondorf was informed about the battle in his homeland. He asked many questions but received no answers; the news was too fresh. Instead of sitting around worrying all day about something out of his control, Ganondorf took Sabrina to Castle Town. Creon allowed Sabrina to play games and shop, but she and Ganondorf were not allowed to leave Castle Town while the Gorons and Gerudos were at war.
After playing every game and looking through every shop, Ganondorf led Sabrina to the Temple of Time. In the books that Ganondorf read, supposedly the Temple of Time was the hallowed gateway between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm. He couldn't wait to see the ancient structure... and ask Sabrina the question.
They entered the Temple of Time and observed the black and white interior that was constructed centuries ago. They crossed over the red carpet and the dais and stopped in front of the altar. "'Ye who owns three Spiritual Stones, stand with the Ocarina of Time and play the Song of Time.' That is what the inscription says," Sabrina read aloud. She looked at the closed door behind the altar. "Just beyond that door rests the legendary Master Sword that only the rumored Hero of Time can wield."
Ganondorf slowly reached behind his back where he hid the gift in a pouch. "Sabrina," he started as he took out the box from the pouch, "I took you here not only because I wanted to show you this place... I took you here because it represents my love for you."
Sabrina cocked her head.
"My love for you is timeless," he explained, kneeling. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to be my future queen." He presented the box in front of him and opened it, revealing a pearl choker that originally belonged to his mother. "Will you marry me?"
Sabrina gasped and covered her mouth. She wasn't expecting a marriage proposal so soon, not that she minded. "My answer to you is yes, but did you ask my father first?"
"Why would I do that?" he asked. "I'm not marrying your father," he laughed.
"But you must or else you can't marry me," she said.
Ganondorf stood and collected the choker. "Turn around," he instructed. Ganondorf moved Sabrina's blond, curly hair out of the way and helped her clasp the choker around her neck.
"You will ask my father soon, right?" she asked, turning around to face him.
Ganondorf lowered his head. "He'll never approve," said Ganondorf despairingly.
"You won't know for sure unless you try. Just keep in mind that we cannot get married until you do... or consummate our love," she finished with a wink, hoping it would motivate him to ask her father.
Ganondorf would rather fight all the monsters in the Spirit Temple at once than ask Creon if he could marry his daughter. The thought alone made him nauseated. He did not want to live with the mortification of rejection, but at the same time, Sabrina was right. If he wanted to be with Sabrina without restrictions then he would have to rise up to the challenge and face his fears.
Sabrina grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go eat lunch!"
Ganondorf smiled and followed her out of the temple.
...
Late afternoon came and more than half the already small Gerudo army was slaughtered. Rama couldn't believe that, one, his army committed treason, and two, they had the nerve to challenge the Gorons. The rock people were so strong that one Goron could best a group of Gerudos at once... and the Gorons did.
When Darunia challenged Rama, everyone stopped fighting to watch. Rama refused to fight, not because he was afraid, but because he did not want to kill his old friend's son. He still remembered the day when he first held Darunia in his arms. Rama surrendered and was forced to pay millions of rupees to the Gorons. The amount severely damaged the Gerudos' economy to the point of bankruptcy.
After the Gorons left Rama chastised his people about the crime they committed, but none of them cared. It was merely a matter of time before they executed him, according to Kotake and Koume.
Behind Rama's back the witches promised to give them a better life if they assisted in the King and Queen's execution. They promised the Gerudos wealth beyond measure and magical powers. The desperate people soaked up the offer like a sponge, not even questioning how Koume and Kotake were supposed to come up with the money. The witches were excellent speakers and could twist and bend a desperate mind to their will even without the use of magic.
During the battle, Kotake and Koume observed the soldiers to see which ones were actually able to slay more than one Goron. Excluding Rama and Durga there were five warriors. The first used a chakram, the next one wielded a naginata, the third used twin sais, the fourth warrior was a knife thrower, and the final warrior, who was Nabooru, wielded twin scimitars. They were chosen to kill Hylia's High Priestesses in order to become strong enough to kill the Gerudo King and Queen.
The witches told the warriors to gather their things and meet in the center of their tent neighborhood. Nabooru had to cross the Haunted Wasteland to get to the Spirit Temple, where she and her mother lived. Nabooru did not want to go with the witches and needed to ask her mother for advice. "You and I both know Kotake and Koume are evil. I would rather die than do their evil bidding," said Nabooru as she paced inside the Spirit Temple.
"Why don't you fake an injury or illness?" Lakshmi suggested.
"I don't want to be a lying coward," replied Nabooru.
Lakshmi crushed some herbs together in a bowl. "Why don't you drink Leever juice? That will make you sick."
Nabooru stopped pacing. "That's a good idea! I'll go outside and fight Leevers until I'm injured and then I'll drink their toxic juice."
Lakshmi nodded. "Sounds like a good plan," she said.
Nabooru took her scimitars and went into the Desert Colossus. Leevers were man-eating plants that never rested. When two were cut down, two more appeared in their places. Nabooru slashed a Leever to death and pulled it up the steps of the Spirit Temple, obtaining poisonous cuts from other Leevers in the process. Her skin surrounding the cuts became red and itchy, but the pain was too great for her to scratch. She took her scimitar and sliced off a chunk of the man-eating cactus and reluctantly popped the piece in her mouth. The poison took its toll. Her eyes watered and her breathing became shallow. The scorching desert heat suddenly felt frigid and her surroundings became blurry. Nabooru could tell she had a high fever. She picked up her scimitars and trudged lazily into the Spirit Temple.
On the other side of Gerudo territory, Koume and Kotake waited for Nabooru to return. After waiting for three hours they decided to make preparations for the second raid without her. Either Nabooru was consumed by Leevers or she decided not to return, which they would punish her for later. The witches introduced the warriors to Dion, who had recently left Hylia. Kotake and Koume told the warriors to follow Dion and obey his every command. Dion planned to take the warriors to Hylia on the night of the banquet, held at Antony's manor.