Many ancient manuscripts speak of powerful mages who utilized magic with ease. This is particularly prevalent in those sources said to result from the Sheikah tribe.
Ecclesiastical scholars like Sage Sahasrahla take these manuscripts as truth and intuit that we ought to believe that magic was once a part of everyday life and that some cataclysmic event occurred (Sahasrahla theorizes the Imprisoning War) to rid the world of magic.
I would argue that time and translation render these sources unreliable at best. Taking archeological evidence and modern studies into account, it seems reasonable to assume that magic was always a fraudulent practice.
Despite the folk beliefs of the Rito, Gorons, and Zora; Recent Human and Hylian scholarship has found no evidence that magic is or was an authentic source of power.
Chapter 6 of A Treatise on the Arcane by Dr. Calip
Ganondorf grinned as he pulled a leather book from the worn bag. Ignoring Link's curious gaze he opened the book, humming as he examined it's contents.
"You've done well boy." He admitted, satisfaction rising within him.
A cursory glance of the book revealed it to be a ledger just as he had hoped.
"Glad to hear it." Link had taken a perch on the rough wooden dresser, one leg tucked to his chest. He seemed unbothered by the persistent chill in the room despite being clothed in only a dark ragged blue hood and thin tunic.
The room was only dimly lit forcing him to hold the ledger close to the room's lantern. It was written in a cramped meticulous hand, every sum and name scrawled out in stark black ink.
Link eyes lingered on the ledger. "Y'know I found that in a locked drawer under a false bottom. He must've really wanted it hidden." He said, his voice carefully neutral.
Ganondorf's grin widened. "I have no doubt of that." He gave a short barking laugh. "The minister has been taking substantial bribes and substantial amounts from Hyrule's coffers."
Link whistled. "That gets out and he'll swing with the common thieves." He mused.
Ganondorf nodded, the gears in his head whirring. To have the chancellor in his pocket was no small advantage. He was one step closer to his ultimate aim. Yet the chancellor was not enough, not for what he planned.
He took out a list from his pocket. "I want information on these men. I trust this is within your means."
Link grasped the list and looked it over. He raised an eyebrow. "More big names. I can do it, but it'll take a while and it'll cost you."
Ganondorf nodded sharply. He had expected the boy to demand more now that he'd been proven capable. It was irksome of course, but not enough to raise his ire.
"How much time will it take?" He asked. Time was a thornier cost than rupees. His plan required quick action, he had to move before his people grew desperate.
Link shrugged, "I ought to be able to have something worthwhile in three weeks, a week at least."
Ganondorf grit his teeth. "Very well." He bit out.
Link started to speak before pausing, his eyes snapping to the door. "Someone is listening." He said quietly.
Ganondorf scowled. Discovery at this early stage would prove disastrous. He moved in one quick stride to the door and gripped hard, the figure pressed with an ear to the door.
Pulling the figure back into his eyeline Ganondorf glared harshly at Nabooru. She had disguised her crimson hair and garb beneath a black cloak yet she was still easily recognizable.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded, glancing at Link who stared at Nabooru with unhidden curiosity.
Nabooru struggled in his grip, twisting in a vain attempt to free her wrist. "Let go of me."
Ganondorf tightened his grip. "I asked what you were doing here." He said his voice firm.
Nabooru scowled darkly. "I wanted a look at the thief you're staking our lives on." She hissed.
"Against my orders." He responded, his voice menacing.
"I'm not getting killed on account of your orders!" She gestured at Link with her free hand. "You trust a boy to do a Gerudo's job and trust a Hylian to keep your secrets." She shook her head disdainfully.
Link's gaze was on him. He was evaluating him just as Nabooru was. They were probing for weakness, prodding him to see if he bled.
Very well. He thought ruefully. He would show them the strength they desired. He smiled as he focused his gaze on Nabooru.
He called to the power within him, beckoned the power upwards. It rose in him, a molten flood, and from his hand golden fire flew.
Nabooru screamed and struggled fiercely in his fiery grip. He knew well that the pain was excruciating. The Twinrova had rebuked him with the spell on a few memorable occasions.
"I am your king," Ganondorf said calmly as Nabooru shrieked. "Obedience is my due. The next time you feel willful, recall this moment."
He looked to Link, curious to see the boy's reaction. His face was neutral but his palor and wide eyes belied his shock.
A surge of satisfaction spread through him as he slowly ceased the burning. The spell he used would leave no wounds, no visible burns, but the memories would remain.
After a few long moments, he released Nabooru's arm and she recoiled, cradling her forearm. " Bastard ." She spit.
He smiled sharply at her. "Watch your tongue Nabooru, I'd hate to see you lose it." He said with false geniality.
Nabooru glared at him but wisely kept silent. Ganondorf would have to watch her carefully, doubtless, she was conspiring with Urbosa and her crew, those who sought to usurp Ganondorf and seize power for themselves.
He turned back to Link. "Contact me when you have something worthwhile."
Link nodded mutely, his eyes flicking between himself and Nabooru.
"We have business at the palace." He said to Nabooru. "Come." He left the room, confident that she would follow.
"Lord Ganondorf." The princess said stiffly. Ganondorf took her gloved hand and gently pressed his lips to it, as was the Hylian custom. The glove was silk and finely embroidered. Useless for work and battle as was the whim of Hylian nobles.
They had met in a parlor room. Light from the tall arched windows spilled across gossamer tea cloths and satin sofas. Portraits lined the walls, old dead kings and vivid landscapes.
"Princess Zelda, I see the rumors of your radiance were true." He said, detesting the empty flattery as he spoke it.
The princess was beautiful, that was no lie. Her shining chestnut hair was unbound, falling past her waist. Her eyes were the light blue of mountain springs, crystalline and deceptively clear and they peered out from a pale delicate face. She had the fragrance of flowers, violets, and vanilla.
Yet he could sense the contempt beneath her poised indifference. Anger simmered low in his chest. The Hylian royal family was adept at hiding condescension between a mask of courtesy.
To them, he was nothing but a barbarian, his people nothing but thieves. That he must grovel at their feet, even temporarily, tore viciously at his pride.
"My father says that you come to seek aid for your people, is that so?" She asked coolly.
Ganondorf nodded. "It is. Rain falls more and more rarely," he paused; reluctant to reveal how desperate his circumstances had become. He forced himself to continue, knowing that the princess was likely already aware of their plight. "We save rainwater and bring barrels of snow from the mountains but it is not enough."
The princess adopted an expression of sympathy. "That is most troubling." She said gently. "I pray that you find some relief here."
Ganondorf barely kept himself from smiling. Oh, I will find my relief here; make no mistake little princess.
"I am sure that I will." He said, concealing his amusement.
The princess' eyes met his and she did not flinch away, as most fools did. Her gaze was sturdy and determined.
It seems the rumors have some truth to them after all. The princess had steel beneath the silk, it seemed. He would look forward to testing her mettle as he tore her kingdom from her.
He moved towards the window, gazing down at the verdant yard below. "Hyrule is a bountiful country, you must be proud."
Zelda cocked her head. "Our prosperity was hard-fought." She said, joining him at the window. "The war nearly destroyed us."
Ganondorf scoffed inwardly. Her country was blessed by the gods, given fertile soil and abundant rains and they had nearly squandered it all in a petty dispute. The royal family was unworthy of it's bounty, unworthy of Hyrule.
"Let us hope Hyrule remains at peace." He said, turning from the window.
Zelda remained at the window, her eyes distant. "The royal family will always fight to maintain peace." She said, her voice steady.
Ganondorf smiled coolly. "A noble pursuit."
Zelda hummed in response and took a polished wooden box from one of the glass cabinets and placed it on the tea table.
"Would you care for a game of chess?" She asked, daintily placing pieces on the board. "I can teach you, if you wish."
Ganondorf picked up the ivory queen, the pieces had been carved into lifelike statuettes. "Of course, princess." He sat opposite her on one of the plush satin chairs.
"I will play black." He said, dipping his head toward the ebony pieces. He had learned chess in his youth; picked it up from an old Gerudo vai who'd been gifted a set by her lover. He had been quite taken with the game, though he had found very few opponents.
"You know how to play then?" She sounded slightly surprised.
Ganondorf nodded. "I do." He said simply, quickly placing his pieces. Picking up the knight, he examined the piece. It was a young man with a pointed cap and a sword with a needle-like tip. The maker of the pieces had spared no detail, even the knight's face wore a look of grim determination.
As he finished he gazed at Zelda from across the board. She wore a look of absolute concentration as she moved forward a pawn.
Link looked at him curiously as Ganondorf set the board on the rickety table. Ganondorf had bought a wooden set from a peddler on his way to the Stockpot inn.
He had played the princess to a draw. She was a careful, measured player, a better opponent than any he had faced before.
He began setting the board. "Do you play, boy?"
"Fraid' not. I've never learned." Link said. He was perched on the dresser as he had been the day before. He was trying to affect a casual manner but his nervous flickering gaze belied his wariness. He was like a skittish animal, feigning indifference while preparing to retreat.
Ganondorf gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit down." He said firmly.
Link hesitated, his eyes flicking once again to the door.
"I don't bite. Now sit." Ganondorf repeated, putting a hint of menace in his voice.
"You don't bite, no, you just conjure fire from your hands." Link said, slowly moving towards the chair opposite Ganondorf.
"Ah, you speak of my powers." Ganondorf smiled, rolling the wooden knight between his fingers. "Tell me, do I frighten you?"
He settled in the chair, watching intently as Ganondorf set the board. "Frighten?" He shrugged carelessly. "No. I'm not afraid of you."
Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. Link showed no sign of lying but his earlier unease had been transparent.
Link smiled at him. "I'm not afraid, but I am wary. Tangling with kings and sorcerers gets you killed," he paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "Killed, or worse."
Ganondorf remained silent, lowering his gaze to Link's. Like the princess, the boy didn't blink.
His eyes were blue, though a different hue than the princess'. Zelda's eyes were the blue of clear water, whereas Link's were darker, the shade of bruised flesh and the night sky on the brink of dawn.
"Yet you agreed to come under my employ, knowing that I was, as you said, dangerous?" Ganondorf asked, amused by the boy's bluntness.
"I needed rupees. Life is cheap in Castletown but you put a good bargain on mine." He said, smiling crookedly.
Greed then. He was almost disappointed. Greed was a pedestrian motive. A simple lure for simple men. He had hoped his agent would prove more interesting.
"So what is it you intend to do with your riches?" He asked, marveling at his own curiosity. Link was nothing but a common thief yet still he found himself intrigued.
Link's smile wavered momentarily. "You know…girls, wine, all the finer things."
Ganondorf frowned, his irritation spiking. "You're lying." He said coolly. "Tell me the truth."
Link shook his head. "I'm telling the truth." A bolt of rage seared his insides. The boy had the cheeks to lie to him and further to deny his wrongdoing. He scowled, raising his arm and striking out, his hand collided with Link's face with a loud crack.
Had he put all his strength into the strike he might've well killed the boy. If Link was clever he would take the blow for the warning it was.
The boy's head snapped leftward and the chair wobbled. Link brought a hand to his reddening cheek, his face turned from Ganondorf.
After a long moment, Link raised his head, facing him. He grinned, licking his newly split lip. "No chance you could conjure some ice for this?" Link asked flippantly, gesturing at his face.
Ganondorf returned to setting the board. "I'll have the truth now."
Link's eyes were fixed on the chessboard, his smile gone. "I…I've got a friend who needs the rupees." He paused and looked warily at Ganondorf, before sighing. "Her grandmother is sick and doctors don't come cheap."
Surprise and incredulity warred within him. Thieves and Hylians were selfish beings, loath to risk their rupees let alone their lives for another. He knew that, yet the boy was not lying.
A soft-hearted thief could easily prove a liability. Compassion and kindness were as much an indulgence as wanton cruelty.
He considered killing Link. No one of any influence would notice nor care about the disappearance and another thief could be easily found. His death seemed to him, the pragmatic option. The boy knew too much for Ganondorf's comfort and now he needed to consider Link's conscience among the job's perils.
When he is finished with his tasks I will finish him. He decided. There was little point in killing him before he had expended his usefulness.
Link leaned his head against his hand, his face drawn. "Now you know."
"A virtuous thief. How droll." Ganondorf said dryly. Even Hyrule's criminals were self-righteous. He had finished setting the board, black pieces splayed before him. The game was ready to begin.
"I never claimed to be virtuous." Link murmured. A thin trickle of blood dripped from his lip and he wiped it away with his sleeve. "I'm no hero, I'm not a good man, not anything really." Link's smile returned, a bitter twitch of the lips. "But I've lost things before and I didn't want that for her."
"Noble." Ganondorf said softly. With a bemused jolt he realized he meant it. Link's answer did not sway his decision to remove him, but it did make him still more intriguing. He wanted to know what Link had lost, wanted to understand that bitterness that swam beneath his blithe facade.
Ganondorf laid a hand on the board. "Pay attention, boy. I'm going to teach you to play."
Link blinked. "Why?"
Why indeed? Ganondorf had no answer as to why Link interested him as anything more than a hireling. He had no rational reason to find pleasure in their meetings or to prolong their company further. Perhaps the boy had a few interesting qualities, his boldness, and a keen mind. But even so, he was merely a common street rat.
Ganondorf smirked. "I'm doing you a kindness. Those who don't know the game will always languish as pawns."
Link nodded slowly. "Alright." He said, leaning forward. "Let's play."