A/N: More fun with this chapter xD

Reviews are my lifeblood :)


Ganondorf stared at Naydra as the great dragon stared at him.

He thought about reaching for his swords but he knew Naydra could freeze him faster than he could draw his blades.

Naydra gave what appeared to be a smile, lowering her head so she and Ganondorf were eye level. "Calm yourself. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have made it this far. I've been awaiting your arrival."

Ganondorf blinked in surprise. "You….knew I would come?"

"I can foresee multiple futures. In one, I saw your arrival to this spring."

Ganondorf dropped his gaze at the statement. Multiple futures? Then….

"What about the others?"

"You forsook the Great Deku Tree's advice and passed the spring. As a result, you suffered greatly for it."

Ganondorf didn't want to ask about what sort of suffering it had been. He had a feeling that he knew.

"The future is malleable like clay, young one. I didn't wait here for you for I knew of the possibility of you not coming. I have recently arrived here, like you, once I saw that you would indeed arrive."

"Then what do you have to tell me?" Ganondorf stared up at the dragon seriously. "You have advice, I assume."

"Not advice. I wish to show you one of four possible futures I've seen concerning you. The others have below a 40% chance of coming to pass while this one is at 51%." Naydra lowered her head slightly. "While it can possibly change, perhaps it will not."

"Are you allowed to show me the future?" Ganondorf asked skeptically, crossing his arms. "Isn't that giving me an advantage?"

There was a rumbling chuckle from the dragon. "This future will be puzzle pieces. That way you don't know too much, but you're aware of what could possibly happen."

Naydra dropped her lower half to the ground, holding up one paw, a claw outstretched towards Ganondorf.

"Of course, you can always say no. Sometimes not knowing is better."

Ganondorf stared at the claw, debating on what he should do.

Seeing the future? Of course if he did, what if he tried to make it happen and instead fucked it up? Naydra said it would be puzzle pieces. Bits and pieces of the potential future? He didn't have to tell the others, either.

Gritting his teeth, Ganondorf took a step forward, grabbing the dragon's frozen claw and touching it to his forehead, closing his eyes.

The images he saw were blurred and rushed by too quickly to make out, but Ganondorf heard an animalistic roar, felt the heat of the desert on his skin, swore he heard the cry of a baby. Bells? Like a ceremony? Felt the weight of something on his head, like a crown. A crowd jeering.

Death to the False King!

Ganondorf jerked back, dropping Naydra's claw.

Naydra set her paw down. "Like I said, it may not come to pass. However, I have faith that with your endeavor of cleansing the sullied Triforce, you will see a fortuitous future."

Ganondorf stared at the spring's water and at his reflection, looking at the X-shaped scar on his forehead and the stubble steadily growing thicker down his cheeks and across his chin.

He swore he could see the Malice's eye staring back at him, but when he blinked it was gone.

"Young one," Naydra murmured, "if you worry too much about the future, you will never see what is in front of you in the present."

Ganondorf lifted his head to stare up at the dragon who gazed at him in an almost maternal way. He closed his eyes, breathing out slowly.

Naydra was right.

Focusing solely on the future and thirsting for a way to change it was where he got into trouble.

Ganondorf gave a bow. "Thank you for your generosity, wise Naydra. I will not disappoint."

"You needn't bow to me, ancient king. I am a humble servant to Nayru. And I have one more piece of advice for you."

Ganondorf glanced up at Naydra to see the dragon pulling a scale from her side before holding the scale out to him in a paw. He stepped closer and slowly took the scale that bit at his fingers with the cold of winter wind.

"Go to the temple buried in the Goddess's cut. There you will be given your answers to the scale's secrets."

Ganondorf stared down at the scale in his hands before he slipped it into his pocket with a nod. "Of course. Thank you."

Naydra gave a nod in return before she pushed off the ground and shot past Ganondorf, leaving a blast of chilling wind in her wake. "Good luck, Ganondorf Dragmire!"

Ganondorf stared after Naydra as she winded up into the bruising sky, the sun's orange rays glinting bright off her scales like sun reflecting off freshly fallen snow.

He sighed then stared at the Hylia statue for a few seconds before giving a small bow.

"Thank you for your guidance."

The mountain's chill returned full force and Ganondorf shivered, pulling his jacket around him. He headed back down Mt. Lanayru.


As he approached the alcove where the group had temporarily set up camp, Ganondorf could smell the food cooking and hear laughter. He looked around the corner to see Sidon sitting in the center of the group with Mipha beside him and Bazz and Zelda sitting in front of him. Link crouched by the pot, stirring the contents as he listened to whatever Sidon was saying.

The group hadn't noticed his arrival yet so Ganondorf leaned against the corner, arms crossed so he could let his hands continue to warm up.

"And an Octorok the size of Death Mountain itself—"

"Oh?" Mipha tittered while Bazz rolled his eyes in a gesture of I've heard this story a hundred times before. "Last time I heard this story, the Octorok was as big as Hebra Mountain."

Sidon elbowed her and she swatted his arm in retaliation.

"The Octorok terrorized the poor sea village people and of course, I couldn't stand by and let it continue to do as it pleased. So, I leapt into battle!"

"Did you kill it?" Zelda asked eagerly, completely enraptured by the story.

"After a long-fought battle, I managed to vanquish it. The people lauded me as a hero."

"You forgot the part where it ate you," Mipha pointed out.

Sidon hummed, rubbing his chin as his headtail flicked. "Ah, yes, it did do that, didn't it?"

"Having fun telling tall tales, are we?" Ganondorf asked, pushing of the wall as he made his way over to the group.

Zelda gasped and stood up. "You're back!"

"How did it go up on the mountain?" Bazz asked.

Link nodded, signing eagerly, Tell us everything!

Ganondorf thought about the vision he received and wondered if he should tell them. It was such a vague vision though. And adding unnecessary fear or apprehension over something that might not come to pass would only hinder their journey. Instead, he pulled out Naydra's scale.

"I think this is all you need to know."

"You have the spirit Naydra's scale!" Mipha gasped, clasping her hands together.

"You saw Naydra?" Zelda asked, slowly taking the scale to inspect it.

Ganondorf gave a nod. "She was awaiting my arrival."

"She knew you were coming?" Sidon asked. "Did she foresee the future?"

"That's what she told me."

Zelda rubbed the scale with her thumb, feeling like Ganondorf wasn't being entirely honest with his answers. "What else did she tell you?"

"What else matters? She gave me the scale and told me what we needed to do with them."

Link tilted his head as Zelda looked at Ganondorf.

"She said we need to go to the temple buried in the Goddess's cut."

"A temple in the Goddess's cut?" Bazz murmured. "I wonder what that means?"

Ganondorf sat close to the fire with a sigh, rubbing his hands before holding one out. "Can I see the map?"

"Ah." Sidon grabbed the rolled-up map from his side, holding it out to the redhead. "We marked a route to Lurelin. It would take us back through Kakariko Village though."

"I can see," Ganondorf grunted, spotting the black line snaking through the Sheikah village and down to Dueling Peaks Stable.

He glanced up at a weight settling on his head and spotted Astrid staring at the map as well. He went back to looking at all the landmarks. He noticed an unmarked spot and pointed at it. "What's this?"

Zelda knelt beside Ganondorf to see where he was pointing and saw a building-like structure at the far end of Tanagar Canyon. She hummed. "I….don't know. I never heard of a building in Tanagar Canyon."

Ganondorf tapped the spot. "This. We have to go here."

"That's all the way near Tabantha!" Sidon said in protest. "The complete opposite of where we're going!"

"Then we can part ways here," Ganondorf said, looking up at the Zora in exasperation. "You Zora can continue to Lurelin and we'll go to Tanagar Canyon."

Mipha frowned before she said, "Not to be rude, but it's best to stick together."

"Oh?" Ganondorf raised a challenging eyebrow as he looked at her. "How so?"

"You seem to be a magnet for trouble. If you get severely injured again, I won't be here to help you. And I've heard there are a lot of monsters in that area, so extra muscle would be helpful rather than a hindrance."

Ganondorf was about to protest when Zelda said, "What about your father? And the Sea Zora?"

"The Sea Zora don't arrive in Lurelin for at least another month. And, Bazz?"

Bazz instantly straightened. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Send word to our father of the change in plans. Tell him the Goddess's servant Naydra told us where to go so he knows that it was a divine wish. Not even Muzu can protest that."

Bazz stood up and saluted. "I will return by dawn, Your Highness!"

Ganondorf sighed as Bazz dove into the promenade's waters. He rolled the map up. "Fine. I suppose that means you're all still coming."

"Admit you like our company," Sidon said with a grin as he elbowed Ganondorf.

Ganondorf gave a grunt. "When Hebra melts."

Sidon just kept grinning as Link began to set the finished paella onto plates.

Ganondorf took his plate, glad to get warm food into his system. After being in the cold for so long, it felt like the chill remained deep into his bones. As he took a bite, he let his gaze wander up, searching for Skye. He couldn't see the dragon perched anywhere nearby. "Has anyone seen Skye?"

The group all looked around for any sign of the mechanical dragon.

"You know," Mipha murmured, "I don't think I've seen her since we left the Lost Woods."


Rhoam growled quietly as he glared at the map spread out on the desk, searching the landmarks for any answers. The X's covering nearly 1/4th of the map were mocking him.

Leaning his hands on his desk, Rhoam mumbled, "Where are you, demon?"

It had been nearly two weeks since Ganondorf had kidnapped his daughter. And in all that time, he hadn't stopped searching for either of them.

As usual, the wily Gerudo kept just out of his grasp. A rumor here, a report there. A tall, red-haired male traveling on a giant black horse with brimstone eyes.

That had to be him, but every time soldiers traveled to the place where the man was supposed to be, he mysteriously vanished.

There was knock on his door and Rhoam looked up.

"Enter."

Impa opened the door and stood at the threshold, hands behind her back. "Your Highness, Purah is back with her Scout Dragon."

Rhoam straightened immediately.

The dragon had been missing for nearly as long and it had been thought to be destroyed by Ganondorf.

"Take me to her."

With a nod, Impa turned on her heel and strode out, Rhoam right behind her.

She led the king to the meeting room which had the table shoved to the side wall to accommodate the dragon's size.

The two guards on either side of the door saluted as Rhoam passed into the room, the door shutting behind him.

Purah was tinkering with something in the dragon's chest, sparks coming from whatever she was doing.

Impa cleared her throat as she discreetly kicked her sister's foot to get Purah's attention.

Purah glanced at Impa then noticed Rhoam standing nearby and instantly stood up. "Your Highness! I have found my Scout Dragon after so long of its disappearance. It doesn't even look damaged, so I'm not sure where it had gone off to. Currently, I'm upgrading it's targeting system and adding—"

"Does it have any information on the demon's whereabouts?" Rhoam snapped, interrupting the Sheikah's rambling.

Purah flinched at the sharp tone. "Ah, yes. I can access its visual feeds and we can see what it saw. Getting into its memory banks should be easy enough—"

"Do it now."

With a rapid nod, Purah moved to the back of the dragon and opened a panel on the back of its head, attaching a wire. She attached the other end of the wire to a rectangular object which soon flashed and showed a wall, the direction of the dragon's gaze.

"When do you want the visual feeds to start from, Your Highness?" Purah asked, pushing a few buttons on the object she held.

"When it first disappeared. I want to know where it went to."

Purah nodded, pushing a few buttons on the slate until the image of the Zora's Domain appeared. She handed the slate to Rhoam after pressing another button.

"So, it did find him," Rhoam murmured as he watched the redhead deflect the dragon's beam with his swords.

Ganondorf touched the dragon after it had been stunned and errors popped up in the dragon's vision field, warning of a malignant program. Then everything returned to normal.

"He somehow managed to control the dragon remotely," Purah said. "I don't know how, but I reset the dragon with the slate."

"Interesting," Rhoam murmured as he watched through the dragon's eyes to see what it had seen.

It had followed them. Three Zora had joined the demon and the blond Hylian farmer and a Sheikah.

The Zora traveling with them were concerning.

The burning of the Zora's betrayal was sharp in Rhoam's mind. The Zora had always been close to the royal family, like the Sheikah. The thought of them turning on him set him on edge.

These three Zora were aiding and abetting a fugitive.

What was even more concerning was the Sheikah. Rhoam knew all Sheikah were loyal to him.

He pointed to the Sheikah and showed the visual feed to the two Sheikah with him.

"Recognize this Sheikah?"

Impa and Purah stared at the Sheikah for a while before they shook their heads simultaneously.

Rhoam gave a hum, narrowing his eyes at Impa. "Are your people betraying me, Impa? You know what happens to betrayers."

Impa shook her head again, quickly. "Of course not, Your Highness!"

"I thought you had influence on everyone in your village."

"I do, Your High—"

"Then who is this Sheikah traveling with the demon?!" Rhoam's voice raised as he shoved the slate at Impa. "He has to be one of your people!"

Impa stared at the Sheikah before pausing the feed and zooming in. She stared closely before saying, "Your Highness, this Sheikah has blond hair and blue eyes, our tribe has white har and brown eyes. This person is impersonating a Sheikah, possibly from a long ago era when our people had blond hair."

"Then who is it?" Rhoam asked quietly. "If a fake Sheikah is with him, then who are they really?"

Impa stared back at the picture, searching it for any clue that gave away the impersonator's identity, she spotted a small scar on the Sheikah's forehead, barely noticeable.

It could have been a coincidence, but she remembered Zelda getting a similar scar from falling out of a tree.

Impa bit her lip before looking at Rhoam. "I believe it may be Zelda, Your Highness."

"Nonsense!"
"The Sheikah has a scar similar to the one Zelda received when she was seven. The blond hair and blue eyes confirm the Sheikah as a Hylian."

Rhoam snatched the slate from Impa and stared at the scar closely. "Why would she dress up was a Sheikah?"

Impa exchanged a glanced with Purah but neither said anything.

Impa had an idea as to why Zelda felt the need to hide her identity but that would mean believing that her king had lied about Zelda being kidnapped.

Rhoam handed the slate back to Purah. "Find where they are."

Purah nodded, fiddling with the slate. After a few minutes she said, "Lanaryu Promenade."

"The promenade?"

"It appears that Ganondorf departed from the group and went towards Mt. Lanaryu."

"The Spring of Wisdom is there," Impa murmured. "Why go there?"

Rhoam barked a laugh. "Seeking help from the Goddess? The Goddess will not help his corrupted soul."

"It looks like while he was gone, the Zora and Zelda made a route to their next destination." Purah turned the slate around to show Rhoam a still photo of the map with the marked route shown. "Down to Dueling Peaks Stable."

"Dueling Peaks, hm?" Rhoam set his hands behind his back as he walked a few feet away from the Sheikah. He remained silent for a bit then looked over his shoulder.

"Purah."

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Send the dragon out again. Have it kill Ganondorf and capture Zelda as before."

"Of course." Purah gave a bow as Rhoam made his way to the door.

Rhoam paused with his hand on the doorknob. He looked back at Purah. "And, Purah."

"Yes."

"Order it to kill anyone that tries to prevent it from completing its task."

Purah started, surprised at the statement she gave a slow bow as Rhoam opened the door. "Yes…Your Highness…"

The door closed after Impa and Purah stared down at the slate once more, frozen on a picture of the Zora.

She knew who they were. The daughter and son of King Dorephan. King Rhoam knew that. He had to.

Ordering the dragon to kill anyone that tried to stop it meant that it would try to kill the Zora as well.

Purah was certain they wouldn't stand idly by while it tried to kill Ganondorf.

Sighing, Purah unhooked the wire from the dragon and closed the panel.

This was certain to start tension, and possibly a war, with the Zora.