Two days later, Zelda woke up. She was in a dark, damp prison cell. Almost
no light. The princess groaned and sat up. Zelda recoiled when she saw the
space where her head had previously lay. A pool of dried blood.
The cell door slowly opened. Gannondorf stepped inside. He grinned as Zelda got to her feet.
"I see you have finally woken up," he laughed. "I caught Cliggot beating you up a bit--you know, after the blow to the head. No wonder it's taken you this long to recover. Anyhow, I have something I'd like to show you. Perhaps it will...change your mind about giving me the Triforce."
And perhaps not, Zelda thought to herself, following him out of the dungeon. They climbed a series of steps, and stopped at a mahogany colored door.
"Princess," Ganon said, opening the entrance. "Welcome to my torture chamber. A nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live here!" He cracked up.
Zelda might have rolled her eyes at this last remark, but they were busy staring at all of the pain-inflicting instruments.
"I see you are gaping at my many collectibles. Perhaps you'd be interested in seeing how some of them work." He said this as a statement, not a question. Gannondorf snapped his fingers, and the two head moblins appeared before him.
"You called for us, sire?" Gruretta asked.
"That's right, I did. The Princess Zelda here would like to see how some of these devices work. You know, watch somebody experience... being tortured." He raised his eyebrows.
The moblins exchanged glances. "Uh...would you like for one of us to go fetch some of the SkullKids of the forest?" Cliggot trembled.
"No, you insolent idiot! The Princess of Hyrule does not have that much patience! I'm going to show her Grace how these instruments work on you! AS IN NOW!"
That, of course, was what Gruretta and Cliggot had feared. They seemed unable to speak. Zelda stared in horror as Gannondorf picked up Cliggot by the collar of his shirt.
"How about we use this one?" Ganon laughed, tying the moblin down to a steel table with holes in it.
"What does it do?!" Cliggot shrieked fearfully.
"I don't know! Let's find out!"
Laughing, Gannondorf walked over to the wall. A rope hung from it. He pulled it, and immediately, Cliggot started screaming. Though trying her best, Zelda could not block out the blood-curdling sounds.
"Ganon, stop!" Zelda cried, over the loud noise of Cliggot's shrieking. "Please, stop!"
Smirking, Ganon pulled the rope again. Cliggot stopped screaming horribly, but was now moaning softly in agony. Zelda watched, transfixed, as Ganon walked over to the table.
"New toy," he explained. "Haven't gotten the chance to try it out yet. Well, let's see what prodigious damage has been to him, shall we?"
Gannondorf turned Cliggot's body over. The back of his shirt was completely gone--in it's place were tiny pin pricks, oozing blood. Curiously, the Gerudo King peered into one of the holes.
"Genius! Pure genius!" he laughed, gripping Gruretta's ear. "Red ants! Never would have thought of it myself. And now I get it! You pull the string, and the ants go flying onto the first thing they spot! Ingenious idea! Come along princess, there's still more to see."
Petrified, Zelda followed him, glancing back at Cliggot. She could barely imagine being tortured in such a way.
"Here we go!" Ganon said cheerfully. They stopped at a small wooden table. On top of it was a little jeweled box. "This is an old favorite."
"What're going to do?" Gruretta sniggered. "Hit me on the head with it?" He laughed.
"No," Ganon answered. He smacked him on the head with the box. "But that was a good idea. My dear, stupid moblin--you have no idea what the inside of this box is like."
Gruretta immediately stopped laughing. Ganon opened the small container. Inside lay a hammer and two nails. The King twirled his finger in a circle, implying for Gruretta to turn around. Fearfully, he did so.
"Goddesses, what are you going to do?!" Zelda whispered.
"Don't move," Ganon warned his henchman. He put a nail softly down bewtween Gruretta's neck and the start of his back. Then, he swung with the hammer--hitting the nail as hard as he could.
Zelda turned away, horrified at the torture she was witnessing.
"Don't look astray, princess!" Ganon laughed. Gruretta's screams were twice as loud and twice as horrid as Cliggot's. "Whoop, here we go again!" He gently placed another nail on Gruretta's head, and got prepared to swing hard.
Zelda clamped her eyes shut, just as the hammer hit the nail. The moblin's screams were just unbearable. Gradually, the noises got less horrible, and softer. When Zelda opened her eyes again, Gruretta was a heap on the floor. Dead.
Gannondorf casually put the hammer and extra nails back in the box. "So, what did you think of the exhibition, princess?"
Zelda slowly turned to face him. "You're the most disgusting, foul, inhumane creature I've ever met in my life!"
Laughing, Ganon bowed. "Thank you, princess, I take it as a grand compliment!" He straightened up. "But you forgot vile."
"Did you torture my mother?" Zelda asked.
"Yes. I torture everyone before I kill them. Kind of a tradition, you might say. Yes, I used the old hammer and nails on her. Sometimes, I can still hear her screams in these old passageways."
Zelda's eyes began to water as she imagined how her mother was killed. "You atrocious son of a b-"
"Tsk, tsk, Zelda!" Gannondorf interrupted, laughing. "Didn't your loving parents ever teach you manners? It's not polite to curse in the presence of a man, especially one of my status! But anyway; back to our buisiness. Will you give me the Triforce?"
"NO!"
"Yeah, I didn't think that would work. But I would hate to have to torture it out of you. But I may have to sink down to that level if you simply continue to refuse. Of course, if you'd just willingly hand it over, I would send you right on home, to your prince Martha, or whatever."
"I'd be handing over Hyrule if I gave you the Triforce!" Zelda spat. "You can torment me all you like, Ganon. You'll never get it from me!"
Ganon stared at her, and stroked his chin, pretending to be thinking hard. "You know, I think I have an idea. A compromise."
Zelda was unimpressed. She knew nothing Gannondorf gave her would equal the power of the Triforce.
The hologram of Queen Harkinian suddenly re-appeared. She stood only feet away from her daughter, staring at her pleadingly.
"If you give me the Triforce, I shall gladly bring your mother back to life. What do you say?"
Zelda turned away from her mother to Gannondorf. "I say I don't believe you! It is not possible to bring the dead to life again!"
"Yes it is!" her mother said.
"Shut up, you stupid hologram!" Zelda barked.
The Queen put her hands on her hips. "Well, just because I'm a hologram doesn't mean I'm stupid! I'm still your mother, you know! And I for one, am willing to believe that Gannondorf has this power."
"I still don't believe you, Gannondorf," Zelda said through her teeth. "Unless you can show me an example of this force."
"But of course."
Ganon bent over Gruretta's dead body. He bit his ear, and then whispered some words. Almost instantly, the moblin sprang back up and casually walked away.
Zelda stared after Gruretta in amazement. How was it possible? It simply couldn't happen...She was still suspicous.
Ganon stood up. "Well, there you go. I also have the strength to wipe out an entire nation, if I wished it be so."
"You can't have had this power long," the princess said darkly. "Or else you'd have used it by now on Hyrule."
"That's right; I haven't had it long. But you see, there's only one minor problem. I can only use this power in my realm. Without the Triforce, I would be unable to use it on Hyrule."
Zelda bit back on her lip. "But how could you bring my mother-"
"My dear princess--don't be under the false impression that I don't have your mother's body any more. I keep it well preserved, along with all my other royal carcasses. Look, I'll show you."
The Queen hologram, which had been staring into space, suddenly dropped to the floor. Zelda ran over to it, and knelt down. She stroked the cheek gently. It was solid. This was her mother.
"I told you," Gannondorf laughed. "Don't you think it's a fair trade? The people of Hyrule can be so greedy and annoying sometimes, can't they? They always just nag, nag, nag. If you give me the Triforce, your mother might be able to change all that."
Zelda's mind was thinking so many things at once, she thought she might faint. Gannondorf really did have the power to bring the dead back to life--and if her mother came back, everything would be the way it used to. Her father would be like he had been, and he'd be more approving of her relationship with Link.
"Come on, Zelda. It shouldn't be that difficult to decide. Your mother deserves another go at life."
Shivering, Zelda looked up at Ganon. But before anything else could happen, Link came flying out of nowhere, and landed right on top of the Gerudo King.
The cell door slowly opened. Gannondorf stepped inside. He grinned as Zelda got to her feet.
"I see you have finally woken up," he laughed. "I caught Cliggot beating you up a bit--you know, after the blow to the head. No wonder it's taken you this long to recover. Anyhow, I have something I'd like to show you. Perhaps it will...change your mind about giving me the Triforce."
And perhaps not, Zelda thought to herself, following him out of the dungeon. They climbed a series of steps, and stopped at a mahogany colored door.
"Princess," Ganon said, opening the entrance. "Welcome to my torture chamber. A nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live here!" He cracked up.
Zelda might have rolled her eyes at this last remark, but they were busy staring at all of the pain-inflicting instruments.
"I see you are gaping at my many collectibles. Perhaps you'd be interested in seeing how some of them work." He said this as a statement, not a question. Gannondorf snapped his fingers, and the two head moblins appeared before him.
"You called for us, sire?" Gruretta asked.
"That's right, I did. The Princess Zelda here would like to see how some of these devices work. You know, watch somebody experience... being tortured." He raised his eyebrows.
The moblins exchanged glances. "Uh...would you like for one of us to go fetch some of the SkullKids of the forest?" Cliggot trembled.
"No, you insolent idiot! The Princess of Hyrule does not have that much patience! I'm going to show her Grace how these instruments work on you! AS IN NOW!"
That, of course, was what Gruretta and Cliggot had feared. They seemed unable to speak. Zelda stared in horror as Gannondorf picked up Cliggot by the collar of his shirt.
"How about we use this one?" Ganon laughed, tying the moblin down to a steel table with holes in it.
"What does it do?!" Cliggot shrieked fearfully.
"I don't know! Let's find out!"
Laughing, Gannondorf walked over to the wall. A rope hung from it. He pulled it, and immediately, Cliggot started screaming. Though trying her best, Zelda could not block out the blood-curdling sounds.
"Ganon, stop!" Zelda cried, over the loud noise of Cliggot's shrieking. "Please, stop!"
Smirking, Ganon pulled the rope again. Cliggot stopped screaming horribly, but was now moaning softly in agony. Zelda watched, transfixed, as Ganon walked over to the table.
"New toy," he explained. "Haven't gotten the chance to try it out yet. Well, let's see what prodigious damage has been to him, shall we?"
Gannondorf turned Cliggot's body over. The back of his shirt was completely gone--in it's place were tiny pin pricks, oozing blood. Curiously, the Gerudo King peered into one of the holes.
"Genius! Pure genius!" he laughed, gripping Gruretta's ear. "Red ants! Never would have thought of it myself. And now I get it! You pull the string, and the ants go flying onto the first thing they spot! Ingenious idea! Come along princess, there's still more to see."
Petrified, Zelda followed him, glancing back at Cliggot. She could barely imagine being tortured in such a way.
"Here we go!" Ganon said cheerfully. They stopped at a small wooden table. On top of it was a little jeweled box. "This is an old favorite."
"What're going to do?" Gruretta sniggered. "Hit me on the head with it?" He laughed.
"No," Ganon answered. He smacked him on the head with the box. "But that was a good idea. My dear, stupid moblin--you have no idea what the inside of this box is like."
Gruretta immediately stopped laughing. Ganon opened the small container. Inside lay a hammer and two nails. The King twirled his finger in a circle, implying for Gruretta to turn around. Fearfully, he did so.
"Goddesses, what are you going to do?!" Zelda whispered.
"Don't move," Ganon warned his henchman. He put a nail softly down bewtween Gruretta's neck and the start of his back. Then, he swung with the hammer--hitting the nail as hard as he could.
Zelda turned away, horrified at the torture she was witnessing.
"Don't look astray, princess!" Ganon laughed. Gruretta's screams were twice as loud and twice as horrid as Cliggot's. "Whoop, here we go again!" He gently placed another nail on Gruretta's head, and got prepared to swing hard.
Zelda clamped her eyes shut, just as the hammer hit the nail. The moblin's screams were just unbearable. Gradually, the noises got less horrible, and softer. When Zelda opened her eyes again, Gruretta was a heap on the floor. Dead.
Gannondorf casually put the hammer and extra nails back in the box. "So, what did you think of the exhibition, princess?"
Zelda slowly turned to face him. "You're the most disgusting, foul, inhumane creature I've ever met in my life!"
Laughing, Ganon bowed. "Thank you, princess, I take it as a grand compliment!" He straightened up. "But you forgot vile."
"Did you torture my mother?" Zelda asked.
"Yes. I torture everyone before I kill them. Kind of a tradition, you might say. Yes, I used the old hammer and nails on her. Sometimes, I can still hear her screams in these old passageways."
Zelda's eyes began to water as she imagined how her mother was killed. "You atrocious son of a b-"
"Tsk, tsk, Zelda!" Gannondorf interrupted, laughing. "Didn't your loving parents ever teach you manners? It's not polite to curse in the presence of a man, especially one of my status! But anyway; back to our buisiness. Will you give me the Triforce?"
"NO!"
"Yeah, I didn't think that would work. But I would hate to have to torture it out of you. But I may have to sink down to that level if you simply continue to refuse. Of course, if you'd just willingly hand it over, I would send you right on home, to your prince Martha, or whatever."
"I'd be handing over Hyrule if I gave you the Triforce!" Zelda spat. "You can torment me all you like, Ganon. You'll never get it from me!"
Ganon stared at her, and stroked his chin, pretending to be thinking hard. "You know, I think I have an idea. A compromise."
Zelda was unimpressed. She knew nothing Gannondorf gave her would equal the power of the Triforce.
The hologram of Queen Harkinian suddenly re-appeared. She stood only feet away from her daughter, staring at her pleadingly.
"If you give me the Triforce, I shall gladly bring your mother back to life. What do you say?"
Zelda turned away from her mother to Gannondorf. "I say I don't believe you! It is not possible to bring the dead to life again!"
"Yes it is!" her mother said.
"Shut up, you stupid hologram!" Zelda barked.
The Queen put her hands on her hips. "Well, just because I'm a hologram doesn't mean I'm stupid! I'm still your mother, you know! And I for one, am willing to believe that Gannondorf has this power."
"I still don't believe you, Gannondorf," Zelda said through her teeth. "Unless you can show me an example of this force."
"But of course."
Ganon bent over Gruretta's dead body. He bit his ear, and then whispered some words. Almost instantly, the moblin sprang back up and casually walked away.
Zelda stared after Gruretta in amazement. How was it possible? It simply couldn't happen...She was still suspicous.
Ganon stood up. "Well, there you go. I also have the strength to wipe out an entire nation, if I wished it be so."
"You can't have had this power long," the princess said darkly. "Or else you'd have used it by now on Hyrule."
"That's right; I haven't had it long. But you see, there's only one minor problem. I can only use this power in my realm. Without the Triforce, I would be unable to use it on Hyrule."
Zelda bit back on her lip. "But how could you bring my mother-"
"My dear princess--don't be under the false impression that I don't have your mother's body any more. I keep it well preserved, along with all my other royal carcasses. Look, I'll show you."
The Queen hologram, which had been staring into space, suddenly dropped to the floor. Zelda ran over to it, and knelt down. She stroked the cheek gently. It was solid. This was her mother.
"I told you," Gannondorf laughed. "Don't you think it's a fair trade? The people of Hyrule can be so greedy and annoying sometimes, can't they? They always just nag, nag, nag. If you give me the Triforce, your mother might be able to change all that."
Zelda's mind was thinking so many things at once, she thought she might faint. Gannondorf really did have the power to bring the dead back to life--and if her mother came back, everything would be the way it used to. Her father would be like he had been, and he'd be more approving of her relationship with Link.
"Come on, Zelda. It shouldn't be that difficult to decide. Your mother deserves another go at life."
Shivering, Zelda looked up at Ganon. But before anything else could happen, Link came flying out of nowhere, and landed right on top of the Gerudo King.