Labrynna
Ralph stood outside on the balcony of his bedroom, staring into the dark, calm waters of the Zora Sea. Though it was deactivated, the husk of Vah Ruta stood tall, a testament to the Imperial's goal of domination and Labrynna's will to defy them. It was a monument to the last of his parents' sovereignty, and the beginning of his. It was his last victory as prince, and his first as king.
Yet the young Ralph still couldn't shake the guilt of disappointing his parents' throughout the last three years. Fraternizing with castle maids (most that still work here) and noble girls, underperforming in his duties as heir, and then-against his mother's wishes-joining the then brewing war between the Resistance and the Imperials half a year ago. True, she sent him her, but to "gauge whether or not the Resistance is a viable opponent of the throne of Hyrule." But joining the war (and them involving the Air Force at Castle Town) was the last straw.
In many ways, the death of Queen Ambi and the attack on Labrynna was the result of Ralph. He knew it...and wished he was a better son and leader for it. All of this could have been avoided if he wasn't a whining child after his father denied him the right to openly court Nayru. Now, three years' later, he paid the ultimate price.
But with even all his faults, he knew by returning to Labrynna victorious was the first step to redemption. Next was Hyrule. Then...wherever life took him. He would honor his parents as king, and pay his dues for his actions as prince.
Ralph smiled to himself. He was sounding like Gan. He wondered if the Gerudo Prince thought the same way many times. Then there's the Princesses of Lorule and the Zora. All three lost their kingdoms, while Ralph saved his. Zelda fights to obtain hers. The Imperial King fights to keep his. But he has Labrynna.
He has a war to win, but Ralph doubted the Resistance could win cleanly. Even with their numbers, power still weighed on the Imperial's side. But the dark forces couldn't take down Labrynna, and so far, haven't retaliated yet. But one day, they will. In this moment of "peace," Ralph must take advantage and sway the chances of the Resistance. There was only one way he knew how.
"Ralph?" The light footsteps of the Oracle of Ages made its way to Ralph's balcony, her soft hands reaching out for him. "What troubles you?"
"Nayru, is Labrynna not the second most powerful kingdom?"
Nayru dropped her face, confused. "In a way, yes we are."
"We have beaten the stronger land, and I want to continue that. I owe that to the Resistance, and as the only ruler that's a part of it. It is time the other kingdoms do their part. I want the leaders of Holodrum, Hytopia, Calatia, the Phantom Isles, the Great Sea Alliance, Lokomo, I want them all at my table, whether in person or by magic, tomorrow morning." Ralph shuffled his robe, stepping into his room. "We must aid Hyrule, under one banner."
Nayru nodded, following her king. "I'll see to it."
"Thank you Nayru. And I want you there tomorrow."
"Of course I will be there. That's my duty as Oracle."
Ralph shook his head, turning to Nayru. "No, not in your seat… Tomorrow, I sit in my father's seat for the first time. My mother wouldn't dare sit there after he passed. Her seat should be filled as well."
Nayru was speechless for a moment, then sighed. "Ralph…"
"I am not asking you anything of that sort."
"Then you know why I cannot take her seat. I'm sorry." Before Ralph could respond, Nayru quickly left the room. Defeated, Ralph fell on his bed, sinking into the mattress. Distracted by his woes, he barely noticed another form lay beside him, falling just as gracefully as it would diving into the water. He turned his head, facing the beautiful, exotic Oren.
"Ralph… I will sit in your mother's seat."
"Thank you, Oren. But… Why?"
Oren shrugged. "I… I see a fire in you, one that burns to do what he thinks and feels is right. Sometimes, it is destructive, maybe raging, and the only way to put it out is with...moisture… Like right now."
Ralph chuckled, looking down to his "raging fire." "That's one way to put it."
"Yeah, but the other fire… The one dedicated to the greater good, that's the Ralph I consider my best friend. The fire to my water. As a wise warrior once told her friend, 'It is something that grows over time... a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time... The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go…'"
"'This song is dedicated to the power of the heart... Listen to the Bolero of Fire." Ralph reached over to grab Oren's hand. "Thank you, Oren. For everything concerning Labrynna. But you should make plans to return to Hyrule. They need their Sage of Water."
Oren, using her free hand, reached for the hanging blue and white pendant on her head, detaching it. She softly rubbed the surface before flipping it over to expose a decorated blue side, six petals arranged in a circle. She looked back at Ralph. "They'll need Fire too."
Ralph nodded. "Labrynna first…Then the other kingdoms. Then Hyrule…"
Oren nodded, then scooted herself over to Ralph. "Yes. But for now, I am here for you."
East Hyrule, Valley of Death
"C'mon, Link, c,mon! And you guys, freaking die!" Link fired a sword beam at the flying eyes known as Moas chasing. It vanquished one, but in the swarm Link picked up on his way up the Valley of Death, which was not as hard as Impa or Shade said. No, it wasn't hard.
It was hell at the highest temperature.
He had left Epona at the bottom of the valley, and had made it a good way upon the hot, lava-filled pathway before he met this swarm of Moas. Impa's advice on having the Cross helped; he could see the Moas thankfully. But he was barely holding off on the Moas he hadn't killed, and add the environment to the difficulty, Link was in over his head. If only Ravio was here, he could have someone here to help him.
"Link! There's a cave up ahead! I think it is the one on the map!" The help he had from Spryte was okay, but Link needed another combatant. He was getting tired from moving and fighting; he still had a mountain to climb and a palace to get to. Link did heed his fairy's words, and pushed himself toward the cave. Jumping over several rivulets of lava, Link fired another shot at the Moas before rushing into the cave, shooting another beam to blast the ceiling above the cave's entrance, sealing the way into the much cooler interior of Death Valley.
It was a moment before he realized he had sealed off his quickest exit. The other exit was on the other side of the cave, and if Ravio was coming (if the Poes from Old Kasuto hadn't sidetracked him enough) he wouldn't be able to join Link.
He doubted Ravio would come this far anyway,
Link sighed, sheathing the Master Sword. "Thank Farore it is cooler in here."
"Don't thank her yet, we still got company." Spryte pointed to the opposite of the crescent-shaped cave, the exit at the other end. Between him and the cave was a trio of Lizalfos, lead by a fourth, the much more dangerous Dinolfos. Link sighed as he walked up to the waiting group of reptiles, a trait he hadn't expected in them.
"Spryte, is this unusual?"
"Yes. They usually attack on sight… Unless they have a higher command."
Link stopped moving. He faced Spryte, folding his arms. "Could… Is the Imperial King watching us? Could he have ordered them to wait for me? The Moas are definitely rogue enemies, but the reptiles have members in his army. We saw that in Saria."
"Possibly...which means Ganondorf and Zelda are being watched as well. Oh well, let's give him a show… By that," Spryte zipped to Link's head, taking a seat, "I mean you killing his monsters."
"I'll make it a show worthy of His Majesty." Smiling and freeing himself of exhaustion, Link rushed towards the lizard group. With a wave of his head, the Dinolfos commanded the Lizalfos to charged at Link. The first leaped to make a jump strike with its blade, but Link twirled his body left and unsheathed the Blade of Evil's Bane, striking the Lizalfos before it could land with a mortal strike. The next completed his jump, but Link blocked it with the Hylian Shield with a shield bash, stunning the Lizalfos. Link flipped over the beast, finishing it off with the helm splitter, almost completely cutting the head in two. The final Lizalfos stopped himself after seeing his comrades fall, and decided to space himself and Link. The Hero and his fairy failed to notice the horn of the Lizalfos light up, allowing the lizard to emit an electric pulse around him.
"AHHHHH!" Link flew many yards back, landing too close for comfort to a lake of lava. Picking himself up and shaking off the aftereffects of being shocked to hell, the Hero reached for his sword. "Spryte, you with me?"
"...Owwww…"
"You're with me." Link ran forward again, this time hoping the Lizalfos would try the same move. The enemy did, charging again for another attack, which worked for the Hero. All he needed to be was faster… "Pegasus Boots!" His normal leather boots became lighter, allowing Link to increase his speed dramatically for a short while. It was enough to cut the horn off, followed by dividing the Lizalfos at the waist. As the body became smoke, Link looked to the Dinolfos, smiling challengingly. He didn't notice Spryte slide off his head, weak from the electric attack and nauseated by the use of the Pegasus Boots.
The Dinolfos snarled but didn't move. "Hisssssss. You won't make it to the Great Palaccccccccceeeeeee!"
"I swear all you bad guys say something like that. Hissssssssy wissssssssy." Enraged at Link's mock, the Dinolfos roared and charged at Link. Swords clashed, but Link used the length of his to push the monster back. Recovered, the Dinolfos charged again, but Link was quicker, rolling to the left of the Dinolfos, leaping up to hit a back slash. Some of the Dinolfos' armor fell off, fully exposing its torso. Link made a stab for it, but the lizard rolled away, causing Link's sword to get stuck in the rocky floor. Seeing this, the monster spun, flinging its spiked tail at Link, but the Hero ditched his sword for safety. Distanced from his weapon of choice, Link began to run ideas quickly through his head.
"Hammer."
"Hammer?" Link felt the little being he called his fairy land on his head before dodging another attack by the Dinolfos. It too had figured out a strategy; keep Link away from his powerful Master Sword.
"Hammer, you idiot. He has a helmet on his head." That was true. The Dinolfos was wearing a modified steel helm on his head, which, if hit with the hammer… KLUNK! Link's thinking had distracted him, allowing the Dinolfos to hit him with a shield bash right to the face. Crying out, Link grabbed his throbbing nose, feeling the blood rush out of it. Dropping a hand, he reached into his magic item pouch, desiring a new weapon.
"Hammer." Just as he felt the miniature version of the Hammer touch his finger, the Dinolfos charged forward, leaping into the air and swing his tail again. Link rolled out the way just in time, the tail indenting the ground. Stuck, the Dinolfos tried pulling his tail out, stopping to watch Link stand before him, hammer in hand.
"I hope your king is watching because I have a message to nail into his head. I'm coming for him." Link swung the hammer, impacting on the lizard's head and (even brutal for Link) crushing the body part beyond recognition. The Dinolfos fell limp on the ground, then vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving only its armor behind. Link turned away, discarding the hammer and picking up the Master Sword. "Good riddance."
"Good riddance indeed. Now let's go, Link. We're almost there." Link followed Spryte, exiting the cavern out the only accessible side. It led them to a valley higher up the mountain, the heat smacking them in his faces. But they kept going, heading down into the choke point before having to head back up. No monsters, rogue or Imperial, bothered them from the moment they left the first cave until they came across the entrance for the second, and none ambushed them within the second cavern. Spryte and Link were suspicious, but to them, it was better to not jinx it.
Many minutes after his battle with the Dinolfos, closing in at the stroke of midnight, Link and Spryte exited the second cave, coming upon the majestic yet treacherous Great Palace. Taking a breath, Link walked forward.
"Link." The Hero turned around, seeing his fairy float feet behind him.
"Spryte?"
"I probed the palace. There is nothing within it...except a singular darkness, a concoction of hatred, malice, and envy."
Link shrugged. "I can deal with that."
Spryte flew to Link, worrying overcoming her. "But the most daunting part of all of it is…This isn't just any type of monstrosity. What I can sense...is you."
Parapa Desert
"WAKE UP!"
Ganondorf shot himself up, reaching for his sword and pointing it forward. Despite feeling no signatures of intelligent life close by, he didn't drop his guard. Moving the covers of his makeshift bed, he got up and began walking towards the world outside his shared tent with Riju. He turned around, noticing she slept undisturbed. Maybe he was getting paranoid. They were in enemy territory, but if the Yiga knew they were here, they hadn't attacked them yet. Searching outside, he still found no one or thing in proximity to their camp. So what could have spoken that would've woken him yet not Riju?
Ganondorf closed his eyes, dropping his sword as he made the realization. "You." The form of Ganon fizzled into existence, Ganondorf turning around to meet him. This form was vastly different from the one Ganondorf met at Mido Town. This one was more human...more Gerudo. He was only a little taller than Ganondorf, with much more build to him than his successor. His eyes looked like deceit, his posture radiated power. Yet Ganondorf was not afraid, not of Ganon as a pig, and not of Ganon as a man. He matched the elder's posture, folding his arms while shifting weight to one leg.
The older Ganondorf smiled, turning his head to the barely visible Parapa Palace. "In my time, that was the Desert Colossus, the Spirit Temple, Temple of the Sand Goddess, whatever you felt like naming it. It is a disgrace to her, the Sand Goddess, that those traitors occupied our sands and her temple. I had temporarily displaced them when my minions held the palaces, but it wasn't enough to evict those fools."
"It will be enough when I step into their abode. I'll kill them all. It is the least they deserve."
Ganon nodded, then faced his descendant. "And afterwards, what do you plan on doing?"
Ganondorf turned to the southwest, where the spires of North Castle transcended the horizon. "Vengeance. The King must fall."
"And with the Triforce, you can easily fell him. Then make Hyrule yours."
"I have no desire to rule Hyrule." Ganondorf turned to a heating up Ganon, "I only have one desire, and that's the destruction of the Imperials. Whatever happens afterward is not of my care… But answer me this, Ganon. Will the Triforce of Power alone suffice against my enemy?"
"...No. But don't think upon that. I have watched you your entire life, Dragmire. You have what it takes to end that miserable voe. When I found you, I sensed raw, untamed power, worthy to bear my name, possibly even more. You've tasted that power five years ago protecting your home, in your fight against the spider, and against the traitor's sister. Your fight against the King was admirable but foolish. But with the Triforce… Not even the Princess and the Hero combined could defeat you. "
Ganondorf was afraid of that. He was hoping the Prince of Darkness would answer otherwise, so he wouldn't have conflict with his promise to Riju, but his vengeance topped it. As Ganon said, his own power wasn't enough. The full Triforce at his command was the only way. Sighing, he turned to his tent. "Then it shall be mine, all of it. Even if I have to go through them… It shall be mine."
If Ganondorf had looked to his ancestor, he would've seen the devil grin.
