Seven years ago, Nabooru Town

"Up, Koume." The young girl gets up at her mother's stern call, picking up her sword and facing her opponent again. Eyeing the queen of her people, Nabooru flashes her eyes from her oldest daughter to her opponent, her brother three years her elder. He stares at her from the side of his head apathetically, seemingly without a care for going easy on his eight-year-old sister. He sighs and unsheathes his sword for the tenth time against Koume.

"Mother, this is useless," he says. "Let her face Aveil." Nabooru ignores her son's suggestion and throws her hand down, signalling the bout to begin. Koume charges her brother, who takes a step back from her attack. Swiftly she tries to sweep Ganondorf's legs, but he leaps up and back. Rising back up, Koume grinds her teeth in anger as she stares at her brother. He refuses to attack her, to fight her. That bastard!

All he's done is dodge and run, and when he's tired of that, he'll parry her to claim victory. At first, her own weakness was frustrating but now his lack of eagerness is on her nerves. "Fight me, Ganondorf!"

Ganondorf folds his arms and looks away. "I see no point to this. You are not good enough yet to fight me fairly. Mother, please-" Ganondorf pauses when a wave of heat brushes against his skin. Turning around, he barely blocks the burning blade of his sister. Her amber eyes slowly turn to fiery orange as she pushes her brother back and forces him to fend for himself. He looks to his mother for a moment, hoping she'll halt the bout in lieu of Koume's uncontrollable powers being present, yet she doesn't show a sign of concern. Only Aveil and the Gerudo guards show fear for the prince and princess, but without any command from the queen, the fight goes on.

For once, this triggers Ganondorf's pride. His eyes flashing bright yellow, he catches Koume's wrists and seizes it with a bone-breaking grip. She cries out and loses her power and her sword. Satisfied, Ganondorf throws her back, but to his surprise, she twists in flight and lands on her knees.

The heat returns, simmering hotter than earlier. "I am… I am… Better than you… Ha!" Koume unleashes a burst of fire at Ganondorf. He shields himself, but he underestimates the strength of the attack. His shield breaks and he kneels to recover, yet is mostly unharmed. However, he did not like that attack one bit. Raising his right arm in the direction of his sister, streaks of electricity crackle on the young boy's arm

Sensing her best friend's intent to react violently, Aveil throws herself in front of Ganondorf. "Hey, calm down. This is over." Seeing his friend, Ganondorf drops the arm, his eyes and aura returning to their natural state. They look to his mother, who nods to Aveil's sentiment. Sighing, Aveil helps Ganondorf to his feet while the stationed guards pick up the exhausted Koume. Folding her arms, Aveil looks up to Ganondorf in disappointment. "You could have just given her what she wanted, a fight."
"What good would it do? She isn't as skilled as I am, and she's still out of control with her powers. Maybe Mother should focus on that instead of meaningless sessions like that."

"These sessions are meant for something, Ganondorf. It isn't like me and you where we're just having a spar." Aveil looks to the departing queen and her guards, the princess in her arms. "You are right, her powers must be maintained, but the usual methods are not working. She's too headstrong, especially when it comes to you. The only way to help her is by doing the opposite of encouraging her. Like a wild animal being domesticated, you, and only you, must make her submit..."


Present

Midna takes her ear off the large wooden gate, nodding in self-confirmation about the state of the castle. "Amazingly, it is quiet."

Ganondorf frowns as he steps forward to push open the gate. "Too quiet. Should we warn the others?"

Zelda nods. "Already done so. I did a quick scan of the castle. There are only five beings in there, the strongest signals where that light came from. No one is where a dungeon is, which is where Oren's team is heading. I cannot fully tell who the others are, but I know which is Vaati."

"My sister is close by," Ganondorf says with certainty. "That, I can detect."

"How close?"

"Vaati's power is overshadowing everything. It is hard to get a real read on distance. But...she's close." Both hands on the doors, Ganondorf sighs and closes his eyes. "Zelda, I guess I've never told you that part of my story of Nabooru, huh? The part why Koume is pissed at me, at least."

Zelda shakes her head. "No. But what could it be that you never said?"

Ganondorf chuckles. "I've only recently figured it out. When I was with Din, she had me rewatch that day over and over again. The last time, I received an audience from Aveil. She helped me understand everything, even me. You see, I regret that I chose to continue fighting instead of leaving with the girls. If I had stayed, they would be safe. Auru and Midna could've found them and they'll be here now with us… Koume, she has always disliked me. She was the middle child, between my father's pride in his son and the younger twin sister liked by the people. She always tried to be my better, for she figured it was best to topple me than her own sister. Yet, I think it was her form of admiration for me. A sort of respect, maybe. So imagine seeing someone you respect, someone who should protect you, run away. Imagine seeing the girl I trusted fall in battle to the man that murdered your father. Imagine seeing her become a prisoner to that man while another couple takes you in as their own, and they foster your power that your own father ignored. I might've hated my father for my upbringing, but I respected him. Because of that, I was blind to how Koume and Kotake felt. Malladus is dead, so… I am the only outlet she has."

"Ganondorf…"

The prince sighs and pushes the doors open. Ganondorf holds it open for the women and allows it to shut behind them as they finally enter the castle grounds. Two towers connected by a bridge greets them, acting as an arch to the large courtyard between them and the large building to the east. Well-preserved buildings surround the outer perimeter of the courtyard, serving many functions. A shop for goods, a doctor's office, a place for games...the capital was the home of the nobility.

"Despite everything, it is beautiful," Midna says. "You would've loved it here, Zelda."

"I bet so. Look, those towers… Impa said that the Hero lived at the palace after saving Hyrule from Ganon. He lived in the southwest tower, to our right. My mother, the other one. I wonder how many adventures they went on, falling in love and getting in trouble in the process. Were they anything like me and Link at all-Ahh!" Before Zelda can reach, flames surround her body in the blink of an eye. She doesn't burn, but the flames don't cause the slightest physical harm.

"Ganondorf!" Midna's cry is snuff by a block of ice encasing her. She tries breaking out (as the ice isn't touching her) but her prison doesn't chip at all. Zelda, too, finds the fire around her immune to being extinguished.

"Ganondorf… Brother, you have come." Ganondorf faces ahead, now seeing just how close his sister is. She rises from a sitting position in the courtyard, her blades engulfed with her powers, her eyes fueled with hatred. With no harm coming to the girls, Ganondorf steps forward. She is just keeping them out the way, but she isn't letting them past beyond this point. Ganondorf doesn't even consider asking her to let them go. He would do the same.

He reaches for the gold trident of Ganon on his back, letting it crackle with electricity to threaten her. "Sister."

"No pleasantries? No begging?"

"Truly, I haven't decided what to do with you, but… No, no longer will I beg you to give up your ties to Vaati. If I cannot make you submit with words, then I'll make you submit the way our father and mother taught us. The way you've always needed to learn."

Koume dual-colored eyes flash orange and white as she smiles. "Excellent."


Hours ago

"Wait."

Ganondorf halts at the sound of a vaguely familiar voice. Turning around, he gasps as a second girl, younger than him and Aveil, comes from behind the latter. He doesn't need to see more than her bluish-white hair to know it to be his youngest sister, Kotake. She stops by Aveil side, keeping distance between her and her brother, and Ganondorf himself can't bring himself to close the gap either. "Kotake."

"Ganondorf… I'm… I'm so sorry for everything. I understand if you cannot forgive me, but... But you must stop Koume. Please, you must stop her."

Ganondorf steps forward, extending his arm out and patting his sister's hair. "Everything that happened is my fault. So no, Kotake, forgive me."

"I never… I don't remember much of this night, so I believed what Koume told me. Plus we always thought Aveil died, and she blamed you for it, so… I've done everything to protect her pride. For three years, at Mother's command, I hid my ability to control my powers from her so she wouldn't get jealous of me as she was of you. I 'lingered' behind, I let her perceive herself as the more powerful sibling, and when it counted for me to pull it off… I guess I had played the role so well I believed it to my end. But that's how you must win, Ganondorf. It is wrong, it will make you the very monster you hate, but...you must hurt her pride."


Ganondorf grabs Koume's wrist, sternly looking at her face while disarming her. This time, however, Koume doesn't cry loses the intensity of her power. She glares back, her rage as intense as the air around the both of them. Her other sword is interlocked with the prongs of Ganondorf's trident, trickling ice downward as it clashes with the lightning shooting up.

"Throw me like you always have, brother. Make me feel as worthless as you thought of me." With a frown, Ganondorf pushes his sister. As she regains her footing, she watches as Ganondorf raises his left arm and shoots several bolts of lightning at her. She holds her hands out, forming a shield of ice that barely holds against her brother's attack.

"Is that all you got, Koume? You've barely laid a scratch on me. If that is all you got, then you're not worthy of me wasting my time with you."

"Shut up!"

"Mother and Father thought the same of you. You believed Kotake was the weak one, but in truth, it was always you. They used our fights as a reason for me to humiliate you, but I didn't see much reason to do so. You are a humiliation anyway." With a shout, Koume breaks Ganondorf's attack, parting the stream of lightning and punching her brother in his chest. He grunts and leaps back, throwing his trident at Koume. It lands short of here, just as Ganondorf intends as a pulse wave emits from the impact it makes against the ground. Koume falls back and floats in the air whilst the trident returns to its master.

"I will not let you goad me."

"That's all fine, Koume. But know it to be true. But answer me; how long did it take for you to control your power?"

"Two years after our home was destroyed."

"How long do you think it took Kotake?"

Koume drops to the ground, picking up her discarded weapon. "Why do you ask?"

"Kotake had mental control of her power when she was nine. A whole three years before you."

Ganondorf gets the reaction he wanted. Koume's jaw drops, her eyes lose their shine. "Wh...What?"

"She told me herself. Nabooru had her hide it us until you had control of yourself. Only Aveil had knowledge of it. If she hid it for three more years, that means she was stronger than you. Had she not fallen to Midna, had you helped her, she would be here now. Midna might've hurt her, but you killed our sister, who in every way, was a better Princess of the Gerudo than you. At least she regrets everything."

Koume, her head bowed, speaks softly. "Does she now?"

"Yes. I do not know what you told her about that night, but she knows that Zant, not me, is responsible for everything. While I do regret making the choice I made, I do not regret the one I'm going to make now. Koume, I'm giving you one final chance to surrender. If not, I'll kill you without another thought."

Koume frowns as she continues to gaze at the ground. Then, surprising Ganondorf, she sheathes one of her swords, her powers vanish. Behind him, Zelda and Midna are freed from their elemental prisons, but keep their distance from the Gerudo remains. Raising her head, she throws her sword at Ganondorf's feet and utters a single phrase. "Bis einer von uns stirbt."

Ganondorf feels a stabbing chill down his spine, but externally, he keeps his composure. Putting his trident away, he picks up the sword and gives it a few swings. Done acquainting himself with the light weapon, he turns to Zelda and Midna, gesturing to the large building behind Koume. "You get there, to Vaati."

"Ganondorf," Midna says in confusion and concern, 'what is going on? What did she just say?"

Ganondorf ignores Midna's question and gazes at Zelda. "Princess...what is your wish?"

Zelda remains quiet for a moment as she steps up to Ganondorf. She stares him in the eye for a few seconds, whether in a silent plea for him to not do what he's about to do (she understands exactly what he's about to do) or to see if he's willing to go with it. Whichever one it is, it forces her to speak eventually. "I don't know."

Ganondorf nods. "Then chose the one that makes Hyrule happy. One...Link might've made if he could. But I have one too… Tell Riju to be the Gerudo Queen I know she can be." He looks up to Midna, relaxing his face. "Don't worry about me. Go."

"Each time you say that…"

"And each time, you make the choice that serves the greater good." Ganondorf faces away and points his sister's blade at her. He knows the risk he's putting himself in, no different from Link facing Ganon yesterday. He knew Koume wanted to kill him, but in this manner of ancient Gerudo tradition between royalty, an action not enacted in hundreds of years, Ganondorf is not prepared. He threatened to kill Koume, he didn't know if he would actually have to, but at the call of 'Bis einer von uns stirbt,' he has no choice in the matter.

No magic, no outside interference, only a man's blade and his skills. No surrender, no retreat, the battle ends at the death of one combatant. Ganondorf still hasn't shaken the cold feeling that he'll have to kill Koume. He could deny it, but it is an admission that the other wins, and that'll stain his pride. That aside, he has no reason to not accept it, but he must ensure the girls are safe. "If we do this, can they go?"

Koume nods. "They can go."

"You heard her." Ganondorf keeps his eyes on his sister, but in his peripheral, he sees the two girls pass by him and Koume. With them out the way, Ganondorf adjusts his stance, narrowing his eyes in total focus. Koume does the same. The chill spreads to Ganondorf's arms now, pricking its cold, deathly fingers along every hair as it seeks to grip and control him. "Koume… After everything I told you, do you still hate me?"

"Yes."

"Why? Why do you hate me so much that nothing I say can alleviate it? Why must we-" Ganondorf shuts his mouth at the quick speed of his sister's approach. The clash of their blades' echoes in the silent air as the siblings duel in what is to be their last battle. But with each swing, Ganondorf sees a single trail of ice down Koume's cheek. It distracts him from the battle momentarily, allowing Koume to elbow Ganondorf in his nose.

As her brother groans as blood seeps from his nose, Koume continues the fight. "You wonder why I hate you, Ganondorf? I just hate you. You got everything I wanted, and now I know that Kotake did as well…"

"Koume...that is no good reason."

"Hmmph...then I guess hatred runs in our blood." Koume thrusts forward, but Ganondorf slides out the way and puts space between them. He sighs and licks his bloodied upper lip.

"You are right. Hate runs in our veins. There are many people I hate. Our parents; to some degree. Vaati. Ganon. It is part of us, I guess… I cannot say anything against you. All you wanted was for me to be a caring brother, but I was everything but that. The moments I should have been there for you, I missed those. I did a lot of things wrong...if I could redo it all again, I would have never turned my back on you girls. I would have done what I should've done in our training sessions to make sure you and Kotake could take control of your power. And for Aveil… I should have considered her feelings. But I was a young boy, the agent of our father's dream, and I ignored everything else. To that end… I deserve your hatred. I don't deserve forgiveness. But Koume, there's only one way I can make this right." Ganondorf, for the first time, advances toward Koume. She meets him and each swings their blade. A moment later, Ganondorf grunts as blood seeps out his abdomen. Kneeling down, he turns to the young woman behind him, his blade through her chest.

She drops on her knees and falls on her back, gasping as life quickly leaves her. Reaching out, she takes hold of Ganondorf's hand, looking at him with fearful, sad eyes. "Brother...avenge…us."

Ganondorf bites his lip as his sister breathes her last breath. Tears flow down his face as the cold hand of death recedes from his sword arm, having performed its desired. "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry… I'm so…" Ganondorf suddenly feels a hand softly gripping his shoulder. Looking up, he sees the faces of Hilda, Oren, Nayru, and Ralph, the four of them finally arriving within the castle. Following Zelda's earlier example, he's suddenly reminded of the task before them and the two who went on ahead. Standing up, he wipes his face and turns to the castle.

His sorrow immediately turns to hatred. Vaati did all this. He has taken now almost everything Ganondorf loved, and while his sister's hatred has been long standing, if the attack on their hometown never happened, maybe that could've changed.

"Ganondorf!" Forgetting his injury, Ganondorf falls into Oren's arms. She helps him back to his feet as she proceeds to heal him. "There you go."

"Thanks, Oren." He glances at the group around him, then to his sister. Waving his hand over her, he sends her body to the ruins of their hometown, a more appropriate place for her to rest. With no more distractions in their way, he points to the residence of Vaati. "Zelda and Midna have gone ahead. No telling where they are, but we must catch up-"

Ralph suddenly draws his sword and parries a magic blast directed at Ganondorf. Looking back at the twin towers, the five rebels sees the powerful Imperial Queen standing on the bridge between the towers. "Veran," he greets her with a disgusted tone.

Nayru steps up beside her king, drawing her spear and getting into her stance. "You catch up to Zelda and Midna."

Ganondorf nods in understanding. Just as Koume was his fight, Veran is Ralph and Nayru's. As much as he'd like to "thank" Veran for the care of his sisters, he'll let it be.

"Ralph."

"Hm?"

"From three royals to another...if you die, die with your crown on your head."

"But if you win," Hilda continues, "no mercy for her."

Ralph nods. "Got it. Do not worry, we're right behind you, in life and in death." With that said, Ganondorf and Hilda race for the large building that Vaati resides. Oren lingers a moment behind, possibly fighting the urge to join her best friend, but eventually she follows the others, knowing that he would never let her do so.

As the final battle against Vaati approaches, the final battle between the King and Oracle of Labrynna versus the Sorceress of Shadows begins...