Chapter 12 - Common Cause
Zelda had only ever seen Hyrule Field from a distance when she'd traveled to the Temple of Time with Link so long ago. Back then, it'd been a lush, fertile countryside full of possibility.
Now? The desolate field that greeted her was nothing short of a wasteland.
Stretching out under a dark mass of clouds, the land was lifeless and barren, illuminated by several sporadic flashes of light coming from the turbulent sky above. Thunder accompanied the bursts along with gusting winds, though it wasn't raining and hadn't for quite some time if the dry, cracked state of the ground was any indication.
Frost dutifully carried her across the beaten path to the palace, a once busy road winding through several leafless trees from the teleportation stone before passing through the open field. As soon as she reached it, Zelda considered casting a barrier to protect herself from any monsters that might try to cause her harm.
Yet there seemed to be no need—not only were the fields devoid of life, they also appeared to be devoid of danger.
She could only wonder if Ganondorf had intentionally cleared the fields for her arrival. After all, he was invested in attaining her third of the Triforce, not to mention her powers as the Seventh Sage. So it was in his best interests to allow her to travel to the palace as quickly and safely possible.
Still, she found herself praying to the Goddesses for strength the moment the outer walls of the palace came into view. Rising up like sentinels around the royal dwelling, the cold gray granite comprising the structure wasn't at all inviting, and yet there was something almost inspiring in the sight of the towers reaching up as if to touch the clouds above.
Zelda had never been this close to her true home, regarding every inch with fervor. This was not the same palace she'd been taken from as a baby, and yet she could imagine its grandeur back then, the way the trees might've looked in full bloom and how the walls would've glinted against the light of a warm afternoon sun.
It must've been beautiful, and her heart ached to think she'd never have the chance to see it that way.
Her fingers gripped Frost's reins more tightly at the thought, determination rolling through her in a wave. The circumstances were dire, and yet there was still a chance to set this all right, a chance she would pursue no matter the odds.
Perhaps she couldn't do it alone—she and Link had fought tooth and nail to make it this far, and neither would've been able to advance in their quest without the other. But his support wasn't far behind her, and she intended to do everything within her power to stabilize the situation until he arrived.
So she wasted no time, digging the heel of her boots into Frost's hind flanks to take off at a swift gallop.
Proving the King of Evil was expecting her arrival, the drawbridge leading over the moat and into the palace yards was down, the gates wide open, allowing Frost to carry her across with ease. Either Ganondorf had no fear of intruders, or he didn't care for the protection of his present stronghold because there were no guards standing sentry. The yards were just as devoid of life as the fields had been, and Zelda directed her mount to a second gate which she discovered led to the courtyard.
With a large fountain standing before a wide set of stairs, the area was bereft of warmth with only traces of what it might've looked like under her parents' rule remaining. Yet Zelda ignored the desolation, drawing up on Frost's reins to stop him upon spying a portal of dark energy at the landing of the stairs.
Almost as soon as she saw it, Ganondorf's voice spoke to her as if magically projected from whatever location the mystical doorway connected to.
"You've had a long trip, my lady, so I thought you'd appreciate having a portal to use to come directly to the throne room instead of traversing so many stairs."
Zelda's lips pursed, her fists clenching as she took a deep breath. A strange mixture of fear and anger kept her frozen in place despite knowing she shouldn't keep him waiting if only because her parents' lives hung in the balance. So though she'd only ever seen them in dreams, she kept their image firmly in mind while dismounting Frost.
Taking only long enough to pat the animal's nose and whisper a thank you for his aid, she turned to face the portal and started toward it.
Putting one foot in front of the other, Zelda finally reached the magical doorway and closed her eyes before walking through it. The only sensation to be had in response was a brief gust of air, and when her lids cracked open again, she found herself standing upon a long red carpet leading to Hyrule's throne.
Standing at the head of a room lined with marble columns, granite walls, and vaulted ceilings, the hard angles of the royal seat worked in harmony with the rest of the chamber to give off an intimidating air. Every inch of her new surroundings seemed as unforgiving as she imagined the false king presiding over it must be, but though he'd summoned her to the palace, Ganondorf was nowhere to be found.
Or at least, he wasn't within her line of sight.
"Welcome, your majesty. I was beginning to worry you wouldn't make it on time."
With the portal fading behind her, Zelda took a deep breath as the King of Evil stepped around to her left, then turned to regard him for the first time. Just as suspected, his visage was unforgiving, from the sharp angles of his face to the dark armor he wore. His almost towering height did nothing to diminish his inexorable presence, making the fact that she was standing her ground seem miraculous—particularly with the way his ochre eyes regarded her so … curiously.
Ganondorf couldn't help himself. The true daughter of the King and Queen had been a curious mystery ever since he'd learned he wasn't their son—and she certainly resembled them. With the beauty of her mother, she likely possessed just as much grace, and yet the stern glint in her eyes was that of the King's.
Her harsh expression was what he appreciated the most, having feared he'd be greeted by a shrinking violet too preoccupied with fear to know what to do. But this Princess was standing her ground, obviously ready to commence with business, and he had no intentions of making her wait.
Waving a hand at the throne, he started by asking, "So what do you think of Hyrule's seat of power?"
Briefly, Zelda regarded it, then remarked plainly, "It doesn't look like much."
For some reason, her words curved his lips into a smirk, though Zelda found the expression partly distracting from the question of why. Instead, she recalled the fact that Ganondorf was actually close to her own age, and yet he somehow looked years older. Perhaps the evil brewing in his soul was the source, but whatever the case, she had no time to focus on the matter before he responded.
Turning his gaze to the throne, the false king observed, "You're right. It's nothing but an empty chair. When I still called him father, Hadinaru brought me to this room and asked the same question I just put to you, then taught me the most valuable lesson he ever bestowed."
Despite Zelda's enmity for the tyrant standing before her, she found herself too curious to know what her father might've said to let it go, asking cautiously, "What lesson was that?"
Without sparing her a glance, Ganondorf replied, "When I told him it was the seat where a king commanded his country, he asked if I thought the seat was necessary for such commands. It made me realize that the throne is just a symbol, as is a crown. Both stand for power, but are ultimately meaningless. Destroying them accomplishes nothing as the power they symbolize remains with the one who's taken it."
She was loathe to admit his words made any sense, but he was right. A monarch's power wasn't reliant upon the possession of a throne or crown—if it was, her fight with Link would've been much easier.
Zelda also questioned whether Ganondorf's conclusion was the lesson her father wanted to impart, but couldn't focus on the matter when he turned to her and added, "Perhaps ironically, your father's wisdom was the source of his own power. It's just a pity he couldn't use it to see through Dragmire's lies."
"A pity?" Zelda asked in retort. "You think anyone's wisdom could help them see through a fog of dark magics?"
With an irritatingly smug smirk curving his mouth, Ganondorf returned, "Perhaps not, but before he was placed under Dragmire's control?" Lifting a hand toward the throne, he inquired, "Shall I show you the fate Hadinaru could've avoided if he'd only been a bit more discerning from the start? I'm sure you'd like the chance to meet your parents at last in any event."
His mention of meeting them had Zelda's heart leaping into her throat despite the circumstances, preventing her from doing anything more than responding with a nod of her head. She knew the King and Queen were presently incapacitated, and knew seeing them in such a state would be heartbreaking.
But it didn't matter. The chance to see them was still overwhelming.
Her only hope was that she could hide her emotions well enough not to cry as Ganondorf would likely take such a display as weakness and use it to ridicule her.
Not that he seemed to care, responding to her nod with a casual, "Very well," before turning to approach the throne while adding, "follow me."
Lifting a leg to do as he'd asked, it felt as if her boots were made of lead. Each step taken was weighted and slow, but she somehow managed to keep up, climbing the stairs to the throne where she watched Ganondorf open a secret passageway in the brick wall behind it.
As the door opened on a low groan, he turned to face her with an arm outstretched to the newly revealed corridor and remarked, "After you."
Focusing on the darkened path, Zelda took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward, entering it with Ganondorf following behind. The corridor stretching out before them was lined with sconces casting multiple shadows thanks to the flickering firelight, an effect that caused the passageway to seem longer than it actually was.
As a result, Zelda felt as if she'd walked a mile by the time they made it to the end where a wall marked by an emblem of the Triforce awaited.
There, Ganondorf qualified, "This door will only open at the hand of one who carries a piece of the Triforce. So if you would do the honors."
Zelda straightened her shoulders, hesitating to open the door. Instead, she stepped aside and remarked, "You're the one who knows where to go, so use yours."
As if her highhandedness amused him, Ganondorf smirked and returned, "As you wish."
Lifting his left arm, he placed his hand upon the wall, causing the Triforce emblem on the back to glow. In response, the lock on the door opened, allowing them entry, and almost instantly, Zelda could detect the stale scent of mold and decay.
The sight awaiting her explained why. Inside, a single candle illuminated a chamber she could only describe as a study. Books littered the shelves along with vials of different shapes and sizes. Some of the tomes were stacked upon the floor around a circular table at the center of the room, and if the dust and cobwebs were any indication, no one had actively used the study in quite some time.
Proving her assessment correct, Ganondorf related, "This was my true father's private study. I haven't had much use for it in recent years, at least, not in traditional applications."
Zelda wasn't sure she knew—or wanted to know—what he meant, watching as he walked toward an archway at the back of the room where a dull blue light was emanating from whatever chamber waited beyond it.
Yet the thought of his true father prompted her to admit, "I'm curious. What happened to Dragmire? I've heard there's a chance he survived the confrontation with my parents ten years ago."
"He did," Ganondorf confirmed with ease, looking back from the archway to add, "but he eventually told me all I needed to know. So without further use, I ended his misery."
With his casual confession of patricide given, he crooked his fingers for her to follow, and Zelda knew in that moment that if she'd ever questioned whether Ganondorf possessed even a shred of decency, the answer was no. Dragmire was evil in his own right, and she couldn't say she felt any sympathy for him, but to meet his end at the hands of his own son? The son he'd fought so hard to empower?
The notion made it difficult to move. Truly, if Ganondorf could kill his own father, what was to say he hadn't already done the same to her parents?
Dread churned in the pit of her stomach as he entered the archway ahead of her the moment she took a step forward. Surely he was capable of doing so for any reason, or no reason at all, and as she accessed the archway to see a flight of steps awaiting, the fear of what she might find at the top nearly choked her.
Still, something deep down told her they were still alive. She'd had so many dreams of them beckoning to her for help, and why would they ask if she was meant to find them beyond saving?
Finding the thoughts logical enough to be convincing, she took a deep breath in preparation for whatever awaited at the top of the stairs, the dull blue glow coming from the archway ahead growing brighter with each step taken. Reaching the landing after what felt like an eternity, she realized the chamber Ganondorf had brought her to wasn't nearly as neglected as Dragmire's study.
With sleek granite walls and marble floors polished to a mirror shine, the blue light was coming from a few fixtures mounted on the walls housing bowls of blue flame such as they'd seen in Zora's Domain. At the center of the room upon the floor was a softly glowing light reminiscent of a portal, and a heady sense of recognition overwhelmed Zelda in response to her new surroundings.
She'd seen so many elements of the chamber in her dreams, though none captured her attention more than the sight awaiting her at the far wall.
Upraised upon a dais and contained in what resembled sphere shaped crystals was King Hadinaru and Queen Nissandra, slumbering side by side. The spheres containing them were translucent, glinting like jewels in the light, yet their faces were easy to make out, and despite the disagreeable situation, both looked peaceful.
Dressed in their royal finery of burgundy and gold, Nissandra's visage was graceful with most of her golden blonde hair pinned up around an elegant crown on her head while the rest hung past her shoulders in long curls. Conversely, Hadinaru's strong face gave off an air of pride, his hair a dark auburn with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache to match.
Tears gathered to stream down Zelda's cheeks as she regarded them, fingers grasping the amulet around her neck without thinking about it. At long last, she was in the presence of her very own parents, and though they were both unaware of her arrival, she knew she'd remember this moment for as long as she lived.
She also silently promised to do precisely as they'd asked in her dreams.
Save them.
Coming to stand at Zelda's side, Ganondorf related during her thoughts, "As I'd stated in the throne room, Hadinaru could've avoided this if only he'd tried a little harder. Still, Dragmire was practiced at deceit, and even I fell prey to his machinations, believing your parents were mine without question."
Zelda couldn't help but consider the truth in his words, observing, "Dragmire switched us without our knowledge, and then told you my parents would shun you if they ever learned the truth of your lineage."
At that, Ganondorf scoffed and shook his head. "That was a lie I never believed. I knew your parents wouldn't turn me away. They were much too compassionate to do such a thing."
Turning a questioning gaze on Ganondorf, Zelda inquired, "But you still aided Dragmire during their confrontation with him?"
The inquiry put a curious look on her enemy's face, as if he wasn't sure he fully understood her question. But after a brief moment of thought, he canted his head as if realizing something specific.
"You believe Dragmire manipulated me into turning on Hadinaru and Nissandra? That I only aided him out of fear of being turned away?"
Doubtfully, she asked, "Didn't you?"
Smiling in amusement, Ganondorf looked back up at her parents and remarked, "I've no personal hatred for Hadinaru or Nissandra. They treated me fairly and provided well. But I wanted something more, something I knew neither of them had the power to give, and even if they did, they wouldn't."
Meeting Zelda's gaze once again, he concluded, "But Dragmire could, and had already worked at attaining pieces of that which I sought. So no, when I turned on the King and Queen, it wasn't out of a misguided need for self preservation. I did it because I wanted to."
His words ended on such a dark note that Zelda almost took a step back, recalling the story Lyonel told in Roshala. He'd mentioned the way Dragmire's influence had likely twisted Ganondorf, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
Ganondorf's choices were his own, and he was simply interested in gaining as much power as possible with regard for nothing else.
Still, he hadn't gained every piece of power he desired, a fact proven when his gaze lifted to the incapacitated King and Queen once more and related, "Now, their lives are in my hands, though ironically, I do not yet possess the power to reverse the slumber Dragmire placed them in. For that, a force opposite in nature to the Dark Power he used is required."
Opposite? At the thought, Zelda looked down and quietly suggested, "Then they need Myriad's power to awaken."
"Yes," Ganondorf confirmed, quickly drawing her from her thoughts in adding, "though you didn't follow my directions, so it doesn't matter anyway."
"What?" she asked, turning to face him so swiftly her skirt swung around her legs. Still, she knew what his comment regarded despite her disbelief, her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach even as she insisted, "I came here alone within the allotted time and without alerting Link to the situation. That is precisely what you told me to do."
Of course, that wasn't the full truth—she'd inadvertently alerted Link to the situation through her actions, not that she'd confirmed his accurate assumptions. She also wasn't going to tell Ganondorf the truth of the matter now either, allowing him to reply without interrupting.
And she nearly flinched when his menacing ochre gaze centered on her.
"I can sense that the Light Guardians have been summoned, and only a Sage could rouse them. Only the Seventh Sage," he remarked on a tone sharp enough to cut.
Proving he had no interest in discussing the matter, Ganondorf lifted his hand while still holding her gaze, and a dark power began to fester in his palm. As it grew in strength, he turned it in her parents' direction, obviously intent on ending their lives.
Gasping, Zelda moved to counter him, lifting her hands to use magic that might protect her parents from harm by hopefully diverting his aim. But at the last moment, she found a massive fist clutching her throat in a tight grip that cut off her air supply.
Cringing, she grasped his wrist as her feet left the floor, Ganondorf lifting her without so much as batting an eyelash while continuing to threaten her parents' lives.
Struggling, Zelda attempted to teleport out of his grasp only to find his power holding her in place. The sensation was similar to her inability to remove her hand from the Myriad Stone in the Gerudo Valley, and as she fought against it, Ganondorf plainly offered advice.
"Don't exhaust yourself, my lady. There's an easier way to stop me, and I'd prefer if you took that route as I need you to remain strong for what's to come."
Zelda gripped his hand tightly, fighting to breathe as he inquired, "So will you behave?"
Somehow, she managed a nod despite the fist clutching her throat, prompting Ganondorf to state, "Good."
The word was punctuated by her thud against the floor as he carelessly dropped her and lowered his arm, paying no mind to the way she sputtered and coughed in an attempt to catch her breath.
Instead, he went on, "You've done as I asked, but I can't dismiss the fact that you took something along the way, something significant."
Still rasping for breath, Zelda had no compunctions returning, "What would you have had me do? Your own rules tied my hands. For as much as I'm sure you'd like to believe Link is ignorant, he's not, and refusing to awaken the Light Guardians would've proven something was amiss."
"Perhaps," Ganondorf conceded as she worked her way back to her feet. "Yet this infraction gives me the right to make a new demand, not that I wouldn't have from the start."
Unable to keep the resentment out of her voice, Zelda inquired, "What more do you want from me?"
His response was automatic, and given with force. Reaching over, he gripped her upper arm with enough strength to bruise and stated, "You will aid me by summoning the Sage powers I no longer have the capability to draw upon."
Cringing, she futilely attempted to pry his fingers from her arm while asking, "To do what?"
Instead of answering with words, Ganondorf turned and started to walk, jerking her along behind him. Gasping, Zelda struggled to keep up with his pace as pain shot through her arm from his vice-like grip, looking up in time to realize he was leading her toward the light on the floor between the spheres housing her parents.
She'd assumed the light was a portal of some type, and supposed she was about to find out where it led as Ganondorf dragged her to it.
Stepping into the light behind him, the room seemed to shimmer away as the glow rose up to encompass them for a moment. Once it faded and her vision refocused, Zelda found herself staring out at Hyrule's lands, several of its iconic locations visible in the distance. The fields stretched out for miles around, Death Mountain towering over the southeastern horizon while the top of the Temple of Time was visible above numerous trees to the east.
The wind whipped by as she regarded the sight, lifting her hair and the skirt of her gown while turning her gaze down at locations closer in, first spying the abandoned Hyrule Town before meeting the palace grounds. The sight proved she was standing upon the roof of Hyrule Palace, or one of its buildings in any case, their position high enough to make touching the turbulent clouds above seem possible.
Yet Zelda's eyes were focused down at the large platform she now stood upon, tracing a sizable pattern etched into its surface that she quickly recognized as the Triforce. Yet the three halves weren't golden as seen in traditional depictions, and instead, the top triangle was red with the bottom two blue and green on the left and right.
Each one was large, the full emblem spanning several meters across the surface of the platform, which seemed peculiar. So as the false king released her arm to take a few steps away, she asked quietly, "What is this?"
Stopping to turn and face her with his cape billowing in the gusting wind, Ganondorf didn't hesitate to explain, "It's a platform my father instructed me to build using the Sage Essences in addition to the dark powers he summoned forth so long ago, and it was meant to bind the three pieces of the Triforce back into one, merging their power together so that the Sacred Realm can be opened once more."
Regarding the structure, he continued, "Dragmire had sought a way to harness a fully assembled Triforce for years while I was still a child under the belief that your parents were mine. He obviously failed, and yet his studies led him to find that if there were three possessors present with a common cause, the Triforce pieces they carried could be evoked to rise up and assemble, granting their shared wish before breaking away again."
As he spoke, Zelda looked down at the symbol marking the platform in consideration. Three with a common cause? After all he'd described, it wasn't difficult to figure out what that was, as well as what was being asked of her without having to question it.
"We all share a desire to release Myriad from her prison," she started, summarizing, "and you need me to summon the powers of the Sages to assemble the Triforce pieces and accomplish the task."
Ganondorf's mouth slowly curved in a smile filled with what she could only describe as a mixture of malice and dark ambition.
"The Triforce of Wisdom indeed," he remarked, qualifying, "and yes. Once your precious champion arrives with his piece of the relic, the portal to the Sacred Realm will reopen and Myriad's power will be accessible once again, the last I need to possess before taking my place as the master of both realms."
Hearing his intentions, Zelda wasn't certain his lust for power was surprising, and yet it still seemed unbelievable. He wanted to overthrow both worlds with no regard for the needs of others, proving he'd never be the master of anything but evil itself.
At the thought, something deep within Zelda urged her to fight. She knew the chances of overcoming him alone were next to impossible, but she couldn't allow him to achieve his goals, balling her fists as she pointed out, "Myriad won't simply hand her power over."
Ganondorf seemed amused by the assertion, approaching her until he was only a few feet away. There, he lowered his head and countered on a tone as low and dark as the clouds above, "Myriad won't be able to stand up to the Triforce. She'll have no choice."
Zelda sneered, knowing he was right. She also knew an assembled Triforce would have no opposition. Once Link arrived and the relic was set into motion, there would be no one and nothing to stop it until their shared wish of freeing Myriad was granted.
Fortunately, that wish didn't involve Myriad handing her powers over to Ganondorf—they simply wanted to liberate her for differing reasons. Ganondorf wanted her power while Zelda needed her to awaken the King and Queen, not that she didn't want Myriad free from the start.
As for Link, Myriad was his mother, so his desire over the matter wasn't in question. Yet, without knowing the truth of their relationship, Ganondorf had probably assumed Link would wish to free Myriad simply due to his compassionate nature.
And Zelda could only wonder if the Sage of Light had any inkling that this was to come.
Indeed, once she was freed from the prison Dragmire left her in, she'd be forced to contend with a foe in possession of the Triforce of Power. Still, hope wasn't lost, and Zelda had no compunctions over pointing out why.
"No, Myriad wouldn't be able to withstand the Triforce of Power, at least not without the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage providing support."
Holding Ganondorf's gaze evenly, she noticed a spark of anger igniting in his yellow eyes. It was brief and barely noticeable, but it came with a flash of something decidedly akin to doubt. The sight of it reminded Zelda of Myriad's advice to them after their victory at the Temple of Fire to use doubt as a weapon against their enemy.
And Ganondorf's reaction proved she'd just landed a powerful blow.
Instantly, a sharp pain erupted in her right cheek when the back of his hand landed across it with enough force to topple her. Hitting the platform with her hair flying over her face, Zelda grimaced, reeling from the strike as Ganondorf leaned down and gripped the amulet around her neck.
Snapping it off before she had a chance to stop him or even respond, he stood straight with the item clutched in his fist and stated, "She'll need more than that if she hopes to successfully deny me."
Turning her gaze up to peer at him through the strands of hair covering her face, Zelda's eyes widened when a burst of dark magic erupted from his palm to shatter the amulet she'd been given so long ago.
Watching the pieces crumble down to land just before her, the blue stone that was once encased in the pendant clinked against the platform. It was the only piece left intact, and Zelda's heart broke to see it destroyed.
Immediately, memories of her childhood rose, of receiving the amulet from Alma and later giving it to Link to prove their friendship. She also recalled the day he returned to Kakariko with it still in his possession and how he'd given it back while promising that they were tied together no matter what.
Now, the only gift she'd ever received from her parents was broken, a silent message from the King of Evil that her life, her position, meant nothing.
And yet, as Ganondorf turned to walk a few steps away, the blue gem captured her full attention. There was something peculiar about it, as if an energy was present within the stone she hadn't sensed before, possibly a power contained by the pendant that once housed it. Whatever the case, it resonated with her, and as she took the stone in hand, something echoed out the moment her fingers folded around it.
Zelda couldn't be sure why, or what the source of the stone's power might be, but it was significant. She also had the feeling she could figure it out if given enough time, but that's when Ganondorf issued an ultimatum.
"Now, will you take your place upon the blue triangle, or force me to drag you there? Or perhaps you'd rather I return to your parents with murderous intent."
Unwilling to let go of the stone if only because of its sentimental value, Zelda slipped it into one of the cloth pouches Bessa had sewn into the belt of her mantel and stood again. Once she was on her feet, she turned her gaze to Ganondorf and responded, "That won't be necessary. I will do as you ask, but not without providing a warning."
As if curious, Ganondorf turned to face her and arched a single brow, inquiring, "What warning?"
Zelda didn't mince words, supplying, "In the end, my efforts will gain you nothing. You can reach for as many thrones as you like, but they'll always be empty, meaningless symbols providing no more power than what you've already been given."
A moment of silence passed between them, neither moving or speaking as her warning lingered. Zelda nearly expected him to have another outburst as well, bracing herself for a second attack.
Yet Ganondorf soon smirked, remarking, "Colorful words, Princess, and we'll soon see. So take your place, and I'll return once the time comes to commence."
Zelda held his gaze for a moment before looking down to see that she was currently standing upon the green triangle, her eyes following a path to the blue next to it. Taking a deep breath, she stepped toward it, eventually coming to a stop at the center. Initially, nothing happened, the only sensation being the wind whipping over her.
Yet the magic used to construct the platform soon beckoned, and a strange weariness fell over her.
Closing her eyes against the sensation, every muscle in her body went lax, a power rising from within that seemed to be the only thing keeping her standing. In turn, all of her emotions faded away, leaving nothing behind but pure logic and comprehension, intellect controlling her every whim and desire.
In short, Princess Zelda was now under the possession of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Finally, her eyes opened again, any trace of violet blue replaced by a stark white as she stood motionless upon the blue triangle. The sight drew a smile to Ganondorf's lips that widened with the knowledge that he'd soon be joining her.
Only one piece remained before the time came, and that piece wouldn't take long to arrive—it was just a simple matter of wearing him down first.