"Ganondorf..."
Ganondorf turns swiftly at the sound of his name in the wind of the ruins of Nabooru. Scattered fires still light the darkened skies, but the monsters responsible are long gone. Ganondorf does know why he is here, Din's instructions were clear: to receive her blessing, he must confront his past head-on. His story began here and he ignored it the day before when he finally returned to Nabooru.
Now he was forced to relive it all, four times now. A thirteen-year-old Ganondorf, the twins, and Aveil watched from his room in the palace as his father and mother confronted Zant. Malladus and Zant have a discussion about the king swearing fealty to the throne, but Malladus refuses and turns to leave before Zant beheads him. Nabooru and the guards begin their attack while Ganondorf and the girls head for safety.
However, the situation turns dire quickly. Hoping to protect his sisters, Ganondorf sends them with Aveil and directs them to leave the town while he joins the fight. He later finds his mother at the other end of a Lynel's blade. He remembers the resulting anger and then...that's where his memories end. He'd wake up two years later, underneath Midna's caring hands. Given his present predicament, he theorizes that might've been his first brush with the power in his blood.
Four times he has rewatched this history, four times it ends with him getting mad, five times it has started again. Each time feels like torture and it gets worse. What does he hope to face?
"You shall be my champion, receive the power you so seek, but… The demon must be conquered first."
"What is this demon I must conquer?"
"Your greatest regret, doofus." That sweet voice laced with sour flavor...a tongue he hadn't heard spoken since they parted ways. Ganondorf slowly turns around, gasping as he gazes upon for the first time in five years his best friend and his betrothed queen of the Daemon Gerudo, Aveil Segunda. She smiles at him while leaning her weight on one foot and winking. She's older than he remembers, so this is how she looked before she died. Her reddish-orange hair tied in the traditional Gerudo ponytail, her clothes reminiscent of her usual attire; a red crop top and those puffy Gerudo pants, golden arm braces and leg braces, and to complete it all, a pair of swords on her waist. But what strikes him most is just how beautiful she became. She was always good looking and she never let Ganondorf forget it, whether they were together casually or training alone, he was always mesmerized by her looks. No other Gerudo, not even Riju then and now (who, he remembers, he chose over Aveil) and not even Midna have ever gained such a reaction towards him.
"Aveil…"
"You're still a drooling Molgera, huh?" She steps up to Ganondorf, throwing her arms around his taller form. Ganondorf, still taken by surprise, slowly raises his hands up, one to her back, the other to her hair. They both feel so...real. But Ganondorf doesn't fool himself; she's dead, his consciousness is in the realm of the goddesses. How they're meeting is only because of the divine. But it doesn't stop him from holding her tighter and letting wet tears fall down his face. And somehow, his shoulder is wet as well.
"Aveil… I missed you so much."
"I know, Gan, I know." She recedes from his body, raising her hands up to his face. "These last five years, there has never been a day in which I thought you to be dead. I believed to my dying breath you were alive and well, that you would come and save me from that bastard, but even if you didn't… I hoped you would find your sisters. I wish I could have protected them as you asked me to, and if I had, then maybe...maybe they wouldn't have turned out the way they did. Maybe...we would all be together now, but that is thinking of the past."
"The past…"
"Yes, Gan, it is the past. It is time...to let it go. Nabooru, what happened, me, we're your personal demon. It has held you back, haunt you like a dark shadow. True, you have tried to overcome it, and once, you did. You let it go, and exterminated the Yiga in vengeance for us."
Ganondorf shakes his head. "But then… I was under Ganon's influence."
"And it will be the only way you can win this war of yours. Ganon, Vaati...even Koume, if you hope to fight them, to win, let go of the past. Look to the future, Ganondorf. Don't let me hold you back or down anymore. You are the son of Malladus and Nabooru, brother to Koume and Kotake, the hope of not just the Gerudo but to the world. Discard your despair and weaknesses."
Ganondorf drops his gaze. "You're asking me...to become that again?" Aveil nods as she releases Ganondorf. Looking up to her, he watches as she turns her back and gazes up to the dark sky.
"But there is another way. I'm not asking you to discard your humanity again. This time, hold on to it, and you'll know the power I am asking you to find. It is the strongest one in the world. It was the only thing that kept me hoping for five years and is the only thing that separates you from Ganon. That power...use it to make a new Hyrule, and then maybe… Maybe you can let me see it with you. Will you do that for me, Gan?
"Of course, Aveil."
Aveil turns around a somber smile on her face. "Then go forth, my king. Save the world and redeem your bloodline. And...remember that I am always with you…"
"I...am...going...to kill you...Ganon!" Link leaps forward, empowering his helix-shaped blade with dark power and slamming it on Ganon. The demon simply sidesteps, unfazed by Link's new abilities. Though he retains his sense of self, rage is the main emotion in Link's mind, so just seeing Ganon cockily dodge his attacks angers the Hylian warrior. Engrossed in his new power, Link swings his blade in the air, creating a flurry of sword beams that slice towards Ganon.
It pisses him off more when Ganon stands in place and deflects each beam with the Trident of Power. That is until Link watches Ganon attend to his face, a thin but visible streak of red along the left side demon's snout. "A pitiful amount of blood. I almost felt that." Ganon holds his trident up as he parries Link's close-range barrage. Annoyed, Ganon strikes the ground, causing a shockwave that Link nearly loses footing in the resulting impact. Forced to create space between himself and Ganon, Link sighs and glances around at the enormous between the two enemies.
Ganon stands on the pillar in the center, looking at the area with an unreadable expression. "Look at this. We could have had a peaceful Hyrule, yet we are cursed to battle over and over again. That is why we exist. That is the sole purpose you, Zelda, and I were born. I once enjoyed such chaos, destruction, and death, but now it is like a restless dream, never-ending, no matter how much one wants it too. All I wish to do is die for good and for you two to die as failures."
Link frowns. "If you want to die, just stop fighting. I'll give it to you."
"Oh, it doesn't end there. I'm tied to Hyrule as a fish hooked to a rod. No matter if I am sealed away, killed, or even forgo reincarnation, I will return. It has happened all across time; the only way to stop it, to stop us, is to rid of Hyrule. It worked once, so I will make it so again. Your Zelda, if she is alive right now, wherever she is, is willing to destroy this world to create another. What makes her different from me? Nothing. We both seek to bring peace to a chaotic universe. Our methods may differ, but the desired result is the same. If I am evil in your eyes, then how is she better? If she is good, what makes me worse?"
"She is every bit better than you!" Link leaps across the chasm and attacks Ganon, pushing him off the pillar. Ganon takes flight, yet Link takes an incredible leap and knocks Ganon to the other side of the crater with a powerful punch. Landing on his feet, Ganon brushes off Link's attack and fires a volley of magic at the hero. Dropping down, Link deflects every single one with ease, then with supersonic speed unleashes a spinning kick to Ganon's torso. Stunned, Ganon rolls on the ground for a few feet, grunting as he comes to a stop and slowly rises up. Searching the nearby area for the Trident of Power, Ganon glances up as the empowered Link slowly approaches.
Chuckling, Ganon stays on his knees. "You wouldn't understand me. But Zelda, she does. That difference in us and you have been apparent in every battle we fought. Of course, this is lost upon you. Me and her, two sides of the same coin. We are born from gods and demons, so as the children of the divine, we can see this world must be destroyed. You, a man, are tied to the earth, have been so from the very beginning, so you, or your soul, would do anything to protect it. Unfortunately for you, Link, you men are powerless without your gods!"
Link swings the helix sword against the standing, unarmed Ganon, but the Demon King ducks under and grabs Link's arm again. Unable to prevent Ganon from disarming him, Link manages to break loose from the boar's grip before his arm is rebroken. The fight becoming more physical, Link and Ganon combat with their fists, rocking the air as two beings with the power of gods fight their old war. Link cries out as he spears Ganon, straddling the boar as he begins to furiously punch Ganon's face to a pulp. Blood cakes Ganon's head and Link's fists before the hero stops in fear. Ganon coughs up a laugh as he blasts Link's abdomen, launching the hero off of him. Link crashes through a nearby standing building and grunts as he lands in another.
Breathing in pained panic, Link yanks out a large wooden plank from his torso and quickly calls out the spell Mipha gifted him. Though his wounds heal in seconds, the pain doesn't go away. "Gahhhhh….Dammit!" Punching the ground, Link hisses as thoughts of the battle run amok in his head. Ganon...just how strong is he? Vaati, Link and Zelda, Link with the power of the mask, this powerful Fierce Deity...what is Link is supposed to do? Nothing, not even his brutal beating of the Prince of Darkness has slowed the demon down. They've drawn blood, they have made him kneel at their feet but they haven't stopped him from getting up.
Men are indeed powerless without gods, and men who rise to godhood are just as weak. His rage subsiding, Link sighs in defeat as desperation and despair overwhelm him. The only light in this is that Ganon pretty much said Zelda is out of the city. "Zelda… Where are you?" No answer comes. She has always answered him. "Zelda… I cannot do it. I cannot… I do not know how to win without you. The Master Sword is broken. I don't know how to make light arrows and don't know where the silver ones are. I...cannot be the hero you want me to be."
"Says who?" Link opens his eyes after hearing the mysterious voice that's oddly familiar. Looking up, he spots a familiar green tunic worn by a man he knows well. "Shade?"
Shade smiles as he helps Link to his feet. "Four lessons you were to learn before you faced Vaati, but since we had to expedite them, it is time you learn the last one now. The true meaning of being The Hero. But I am not your only teacher." Shade points behind Link, gesturing him to turn around. Link's jaw drops instantly. Twelve other men in green tunics, twelve other Links, face him. Link knows half of them must be from the history he knows, while others must span from other eras that Ganon spoke of. One of them, a hero with a fairy, steps up to Link alone.
"Being a hero does not require you to believe you are it. For two months, you've struggled to come to terms with your destiny and I can say we've all struggled with that. Some of us spent years to think about it, but most of us had the mantle thrust upon us without warning."
"But no matter what," a hero with feral blue eyes (almost wolf-like) says, "we rose to the occasion. I know that at times I lost faith, but it isn't your faith that you must rely on."
"The faith of others," a hero with a wand and hourglass in his hands speaks, "that is what truly matters. They look up to us, they give everything to aid us, and they put their faith in us to defeat evil."
"Believe me, in my four adventures," a hero with three recognizable pendants around his neck responds, "I know that faith is more powerful than any nightmare you can face."
"It links every world, big and small, together."
"And have faith in others too, for though you are The Hero, your friends that fight alongside you are heroes. Doesn't matter if it is one friend or three clones of yourself."
"Link," Shade finally speaks again, "Zelda, Ganondorf, and the world is putting their faith in you. It is a burden, yes, but now it is time to place your burden on others. Call to the Blade of Evil's Bane, and together end the terror of Ganon." Shade draws a sword and points it at Link, and the other heroes follow. "Link," they all chant, "save Hyrule from evil."
Link bites his lips then stretches out his arms. Seconds later, the golden hilt of the Four Sword and the broken halves of the Master Sword arrives. Link looks at the former with wide eyes, surprised that its former owner left it here. Pouching it for now, he grips the halves of the Master Sword and puts them together, then looks up to Shade and nods. "I will not fall in my resolve anymore. I promise that to you."
"Then continue fighting, Hero of the Resistance." The heroes of the past point their blades at the Master Sword halves, shooting a beam each that, together, begins to fuse the blade back together. As the blade is reforged, Link takes hold of the Master Sword, and in unison with the others, holds it skyward.
Link finds Ganon standing not far from where they separated. The Demon King glances in Link's direction as the Hero of the Resistance returns to him. Ganon doesn't seem surprised to see Link alive at all, but he might be amused to see Link is back in his normal look. "What happened to you? Where is your great power?"
"I do not need it anymore. I have something stronger than strength, spirit, and courage to keep me going against you."
"Oh, and what is that?"
"The faith of others in me."
Ganon snorts as his weapon flashes, send a crackling bolt towards Link. The Hero holds out his arms and forms the barrier Daruk gave him. It holds firm against Ganon's attack, but in mere seconds cracks appear. "Faith in your friends, huh? Your faith is unfounded in them!" The cracks in Daruk's shield grows larger and larger until the barrier shatters, disabling Link. Seeing an opportunity, Ganon hurls a ball of concentrated lightning at Link. Anticipating the pain, Link closes his eyes and braces himself.
Blinding light, a nearby explosion, and a booming cry catch Link off guard as he stumbles in his kneeling position. Noticing the ball did not strike him, he looks up to a long, brown, tattered cape that belongs to a redheaded male. Link smirks as his body recovers and he stands beside his ally. "Took you long enough."
"Hmmph." Ganondorf looks up as the glimmer in the sky dims. From it slowly lands the recovered Princess of Hyrule.
"Link, you're okay!"
Link nods. "So are you."
"Save the conversation for later. I don't want to bore this pig any longer," another feminine voice says. Beside Zelda appears Midna. She looks to the two young men and the young woman with a small smile, then joins them as they face Ganon together.
Rubbing his shoulder as a light arrow vanishes from the spot, Ganon eyes the three youths and growls in fury. "How dare you believe you can stand against me! You three have annoyed me for the last time! Who do you think you are?"
Ganondorf takes hold of his Sword of the Sages, Zelda raises her Bow of Light, Midna cascades herself in light and dark magic, and Link takes in his hands the Master Sword and the Four Sword, splitting himself into four versions of himself. The real Link glances to the Master Sword, calling to the spirit within. "Are the others ready, Fi?"
"Almost. They're getting into position now."
"Everyone," he shouts, not just to the three with him (six if you include his clones) but to seven scattered to the Divine Beasts, "our moment is near. One final push...and we end Ganon once and for all. I believe in each and every one of us and only together can we win. Not just me and Zelda, not just courage, wisdom, and power, but the nine of us, the nine youths chosen by the goddesses, we will return light to this land. Ganon, Vaati, they both go down today!"
