The Blood Bucket
At the sound of the ominous scream, Link shuffled a few steps away from "The Blood Bucket." He couldn't imagine his mother entering this evil place. Although, hunting down Ganondorf must be a strong motivator. He shook his head remembering that his mother was known to do unpredictable things. The prince turned to his heroine beside him. She seemed slightly hesitant but not as frightened as he was.
"So..." Link murmured. "Ladies first?" Zelda rolled her eyes and stepped forward. Link had forgotten that their hands were still intertwined so as she stepped forward the prince was dragged along after the heroine. She marched up the steps and they slipped into the swinging doors of the casino.
Link blinked. His vision flooded with crimson light. The red lights reminded him eerily of the blood for which the casino was named. The circular room that the prince and heroine had stepped into was crammed with so many people that Link could swear it was more people than on the docks. Round tables with mismatched wood and cushioned chairs were occupied by men and women playing cards and other games of chance. A thick haze of smoke hung in the air over their heads.
Players exchanged livid glares over their cards. Impassive dealers shuffled and dealt cards, their hands moving rapidly and gracefully. Rupees clattered on the tables and ostentatious weapons were clipped onto everyone's belts. Everything in this room was circular themed. In the center of the room there was a circular bar with many bartenders handing out exotically colored drinks.
Link spied a fist fight at the far side of the room. There was shouting, cursing, and punching. Link averted his gaze before he had to see a man swing another fist into his opponent's cheek. It was quite bloody and disgusting to watch. To his surprise he didn't see many people watching the fight or apparently even noticing it. Most of the gamblers and drinkers continued their activities apparently unaware of or indifferent to what was happening around them.
"Prince Link!" Link heard a harsh whisper. The prince turned to see Zelda's face bathed in a crimson glow and drawn in a grimace as she glanced at the place around them. "Just stick with me. Things might get ugly fast." Link knew she was referencing the hostile aura surrounding them and the many weapons available to all the patrons.
Zelda's voice dropped even lower, and Link leaned in to hear her better "The Queen is in danger in a place like this. We have to find her first and convince her to move to a safer place before we confront Ganondorf." Link nodded understanding the mission though he frowned as his eyes swept over the casino.
Link knew his mother was not one to charge into situations alone. That error had happened already his family the night of his father death. Link had pieced the sequence of events from that night years ago by listening far more than he spoke in every corner of the castle. His mother had gotten herself into trouble, confronted it alone, and his father had gone to rescue her also alone. The result was his death. His mother had walked out of that night without a single scratch.
That better not happen a second time.
He became acutely aware that he and Zelda were still holding hands. Only when Zelda winced in pain did he realize that in his rage at his mother that was he crushing Zelda's right hand. "Sorry." Link whispered quickly before letting her comforting hand go.
"Its okay." Zelda whispered back to him. She looked down at their two detached hands. She glanced up at him, a flush rushing to her cheeks despite her efforts to suppress it. Her smooth hand linked them together once again. Zelda tried to keep her voice flat but her slight stammering gaze it away. "I-I think it may be best if we...keep holding hands...of course for the sake of not getting separated...in the crowd." Zelda motioned to the crowd which kept muscling past them at both sides. Link couldn't even see the floor of "The Blood Bucket" due to the large masses of people walking on it.
The prince wasn't complaining about this idea. The cold that had come from the brief lack of her touch was chilly. Now her warmth was coursed back through his palm straight to his heart. His world felt like it was flying without weight, a lightness in his step despite the danger as they both fought through the throng.
Link's steps turned to a shuffle as minutes passed in a fruitless search in the crowd. The horrid smell of unwashed bodies, fish and sweat began to cling to the prince's clean clothes. His ears were assaulted by the drunk incoherent shouts of gamblers. Mirthless crude chortles of laughter was all around. People crashed into the two of them on more than one occasion. No tall male Gerudo's came striding through "The Blood Bucket" at any point of their search. Nor did any proud arrogant queens strut through the masses of people.
Link sighed, "Where are they?" He huffed with annoyance as he looked over the crowd for the 99th time. "We are never going to find them," Link whined as he glanced at Zelda who was observing each person in the casino with great interest.
"Be patient. Something will happen." Zelda graced him with a single glance before returning her focus to the crowd. "I promise you." Zelda murmured under her breath though she herself seemed to be doubting it as well.
Where is my stupid mother when I need her!
A Sheikah waiter pushed his way through the crowd handing out sour colored drinks. Barely glancing at either Link or Zelda, he handed them two peridot-colored drinks. Link looked up confused at the waiter though he had already disappeared in the crowd. Had the waiter not noticed Link or Zelda's age? It was obvious that neither of them had reach the appropriate age of drinking since anyone could still see the innocence in their eyes as plain as day.
Zelda stared at the contents of the glass, scrutinizing it suspiciously. The young heroine sniffed it and grimaced at its smell. She raised the glass delicately to her lips but didn't take a sip then she placed it unobtrusively on the counter beside her. Link still held the strong-smelling drink in his hand it. Zelda hissed in his ear. "Don't drink it." Link frowned at that remark.
I can judge things for myself.
Impulsively, Link took a large sip of the sour liquid. The second the liquid touched his tongue, it exploded with a bitter taste. It may have been the worst thing Link ever tasted. The foolish prince sputtered loudly, spitting out as much of the vile liquid as he could. It was like drinking medical alcohol, like the liquid that nurses used to sanitize things in a hospital.
"Ugh..." Link sputtered. "That's disgusting." Link set the glass on the counter beside Zelda's untouched glass. The prince realized that the heads of the gamblers and drinkers in his immediate vicinity seemed amused at his embarrassing reaction. Red flushed his cheeks and his head felt hazy at the many eyes trained upon him. To his relief they quickly turned away smirking.
Link had tasted alcohol before since after all he was an esteemed prince that had gone to esteemed banquets, parties such and such and such. At those events he drank it in small glasses and the exquisite palace mead was quite tame. This liquid in the underworld was quite strong for a 17-year-old boy like him. "I told you." Zelda hissed under her breath. Link grit his teeth and bit back an angry retort. She leaned in and whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "Stop messing around. We've got to find the Queen." She added uncertainly, "Hopefully she hasn't found Ganondorf yet. Come on." Zelda pulled him along through the crowd once more.
Link realized that his mother could easily blend into this crowd without any effort which unnerved him. The possibilities of finding her were seemed lower and lower each second. His spirts lifted slightly when he reflected that an 8-foot Gerudo known famously as a dark lord would certainly stand out in a crowd. Since his mother was seeking Ganondorf, finding him may lead to her.
They reached the edge of the room where a crowd of people examined sketches hung on the wooden wall of the ship. Some were pointing at the sketches, laughing so hard their drink spurted out of their noses. The board had sketches of grimy looking people ranging from young to old, rich and poor, pretty or ugly pinned on the board. A sign hung above their pictures in a messy eerie crimson font: "BANNED from the premises. If seen, ready 'The Toss'". Link stopped in midstride as his eyes landed on sketches of two extremely familiar people.
A shaggy haired boy with a pair of shifty eyes was next to a sketch of another who had an unrepentant grin and a signature coat with a large array of pockets. Under those sketches were the names "Arnen" and "Misko". Below the board was an explanation that seemed almost like a wanted poster: "If any of these individuals enter "The Blood Bucket" report this information to a staff member so they may be given "The Toss" which they escaped at their previous visit." The handwriting was surprisingly elegant on the sign. He was also surprised that "The Blood Bucket" owners had had well...he didn't want to think lowly of them, but their grammar was quite advanced for a scummy casino.
"What in Hylia does "The Toss" mean?" Link thought aloud. Zelda tugged at his hand and stared impatiently. Her eyes followed his gaze and she stopped in her tracks. Zelda squinted at the names, then she realized who was on the board.
"I guess that's why Misko didn't want to come. But what does "The Toss" mean?" Link shrugged. Perhaps "The Toss" was just being thrown out of the casino. That didn't sound so bad but...why was Misko so fearful of it?
A Zora waitress approached them with a tray of drinks. The waitress smoothly offered Link a turquoise drink. He put his hands firmly to his side to avoid being handed the drink. Link took this opportunity to ask her about "The Toss" board. "What is "The Toss" board?" he inquired.
The waitress glanced back at the board and laughed while shaking her head. "I suppose you're new around these parts?" she purred with a wink at Link. She handed a drink to a rowdy sailor beside them then turned back to Link.
Zelda cut in, straightening her posture. "Yes. We are. Now, can you answer the question?" Zelda demanded brusquely. Zelda pointed at Arnen and Misko's names. "Do you have any idea why they ended up on "The Toss" board?"
"Oh, yes. Them. I don't think anyone will ever forget what they did." She leaned in closer to Link and breathed in his ear, "To be honest. I think their story is better left unsaid. It makes me squirm thinking about it."
"Well...at least tell us what "The Toss" is." Link pressed as he glanced around nervously at the crowd. Time was running out. There is after all a famous saying called "curiosity killed the cat". It may come true if he kept distracting himself by trivial things like this.
"Erm..." the waitress mumbled, hesitantly and glanced around before answering. "I can tell you one thing...it's an unpleasant job for us workers who have to clean up after the mess." She was hailed from a few feet away by a Sheikah requesting a drink. "Maybe I'll see you around later," she cooed at Link. Then the waitress blew Link a kiss and sauntered off to her customer leaving the heroine and the prince more befuddled than before.
"Well, that was a waste of time," Zelda snorted. Zelda turned back to Link rolling her eyes, "For someone who works in a seedy casino she sure doesn't want to talk about disturbing things." Within seconds the waitress was consumed by the crowd.
"What did she mean disturbing things? "The Toss" is probably just that they get thrown out of the bar. Though that wouldn't scare Misko so badly. Do you think they kill people? It better not. If it did include murder or something like that...its illegal! It's not allowed in Hyrule" Link crossed his arms, turning his nose up in the air.
"Well...whatever "The Toss" is I hope we don't have to endure it." Zelda nodded at Link before pushing through the crowd once again. Reminding himself of their true quest, Link tried to divert his focus from the two bandits and the mysterious "Toss".
Link realized he had no idea how long he'd been in the casino. He still did not see his mother's piercing gaze in the crowd nor Ganondorf's looming stature. He'd heard the same sounds since he had entered the casino. Over and over again, laughing, snorting, slaps. He saw fists thrown, cards dealt and people taking sips from their drinks. The rowdiness and loudness of "The Blood Bucket" roared to the high heavens. Then, everything stopped.
The clinking of rupees ceased, the gulping of bitter liquid ended, the chatter died, the fists were suspended in midair. Everyone turned slowly to the swinging doors of "The Blood Bucket." Then the whispering began.
"Its Lord Ganondorf." A Hylian man sitting on a stool with an ebony scarf covering his face whispered to a Gerudo woman next to him who wore a belt full of daggers and an expressionless face. Link stood on his tip toes trying to see over the crowd though his height made it a difficultly. The dagger wielding woman scoffed at the man's observation before snorting, "You don't think I noticed?"
The Gerudo's impassive gaze wavered as she peered through the gaps between the crowd, wanting to get a better look at the scene unfolding at the door. "Hmph, it seems our dear Ganondorf is a bit less brave today. I thought traveling in groups wasn't his style." She turned back to the man, "I suppose he's avoiding fans like you. He wouldn't want to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of boot lickers like you." The man's mouth dropped open, and he leaned forward to shoot an insult back at her. Link didn't stay to hear the man's defense since he was trying to push to the front of the throng.
"Prince Link!" Zelda harshly whispered "We need to get the Queen first. We can't just confront Ganondorf yet." Zelda urged Link to stay back though he continued to slip under the arms of onlookers. Link was not proud of his short height though it came in handy at times like this when he could slip through a crowd unnoticed.
"If Ganondorf is there then my mother is probably nearby." Link replied without bothering to look at Zelda as he continued to focus on the maze of people blocking his way. It was a valid supposition. If his mother was here to defeat Ganondorf, wouldn't she also be trying to get to the front as well? Finally, he broke through the crowd.
The wickedest man of all time stood before Link in the flesh. To Link's amusement, the tall Gerudo was stooped over as the ceiling was a bit low for someone of his great height which somehow degraded the dark lord slightly. Despite that, the rest of him was as intimidating as could be.
Link was shocked when he realized this was the man he saw in the Lockup. In this light, without the darkness of the lockup, he could fully see the Gerudo's appearance clearly. He had the usual characteristics of a Gerudo: long red hair, imposing stature, a solid build, dressed in turquoise. As the women of the Gerudo were beautiful this man was handsome. The appealing appearance did nothing to waver Link's impression of this man, he was evil and that was it. Link could see the deceitfulness behind the Gerudo's orange eyes. This was the man that had almost killed Link, and this was the man that Link was about to kill.
Link's chest flared in searing anger. It filled his heart, mind, toes, fingertips, veins, nerves, and everything within his body. He remembered Ganondorf's fingers closing around his neck. Link could feel it now, the helplessness he had once felt at the hands of this Gerudo. That was all about to change.
Despite Link's short height he was just about to lunge at him when the Gerudo met Link's gaze. Link blinked and stumbled back, surprised at what he saw behind the eyes. He thought he would see rage, venom, and violence. Instead, when Ganondorf's orange eyes met Link's bright blue ones, Link saw nothing. No flicker of recognition, no fire behind them, just nothingness. The Gerudo didn't even acknowledge Link's existence. Ganondorf turned from Link with apparent indifference. The Gerudo walked on not paying any mind to the prince, his entourage of followers falling in his step and the crowd made way for Ganondorf's path.
What in Hyrule just happened?
Link felt his legs give away. Zelda was right behind to catch him. Link watched Ganondorf move farther and farther away. "What in Hyrule just happened?" Link repeated, this time aloud. He looked up at Zelda who also had a puzzled expression. How did Ganondorf not notice him? How could he not notice the prince of Hyrule, him!
Zelda tore her gaze away from Ganondorf and looked down at Link. "Get up. We're about to find out." The crowd trailed after Ganondorf. All the dealers, sailors, thieves, bandits, criminals, crooks, staff members and every other person there had followed the Gerudo further into the casino. Link wasn't the only one who pushed forward to get a look at Ganondorf. The struggle for a closer look at Ganondorf began in the crowd once more, with pushing and shoving and everything else in between.
"Watch it!" a Rito mercenary with a scar running through his eye scolded Link as he bumped into him almost spilling his sour smelling drink. Link nodded in apology though he continued with Zelda close behind him. Slipping under arms, squeezing in between people was a disgusting but effective process since he had to get the full foul whiff of the people due to the close contact. Link eventually made it to the front again with Zelda by his side.
To the heroine and prince's misfortune the Gerudo was already heading down one of the secluded hallways branching off from the main room. As Link tried to slip into the hall, a large Goron with a bushy beard stepped in his way. "The Blood Bucket" symbol of a bucket of blood was stitched proudly onto his white shirt, a staff member shirt. The large Goron gave Link a stern look before commanding with a brash voice. "No one's allowed down here. Now get lost, kid."
Link frowned at the man. He knew Zelda could probably fight the guy to get past him but the uproar it would cause was not worth it and besides, the man looked dangerous. Link stepped off to the side with Zelda. They needed to get to Ganondorf to find his mother. Speaking of his mother, why hadn't his mother shown up yet? If Ganondorf was here, where was she?
Link scratched the back of his neck thinking to himself. Maybe his mother was already in the hallway Ganondorf had just gone down. Link knew that he had to enter that hallway somehow. Though the question remained. How would that happen?
As if their minds were in sync, Zelda murmured to herself. "I have a feeling that our key may be getting into that hallway. Though, with the man there that may be difficult..." the heroine pondered to herself. It seemed impossible because usually hallways were a one-way route with no other ways to enter except from the rooms lining the hall.
Link looked at the circular shape of the room. The room was circular, the bar was circular and even the tables were as well. Link's eyes shifted to another hallway. Darkness leered at him from its entrance. Link grabbed Zelda's arm and whispered to her, "I have an idea." Before Zelda could reply, Link zipped forward, dragging her along with him hand in hand towards the nearest hallway.
As they reached the entrance of the second hall, a slender green-feathered Rito confronted them as they were about to enter. He squinted at them suspiciously, "Excuse me but this hall is off limits to ordinary customers." He motioned to their plain turquoise clothing which they had intentionally chosen for this trip, especially to blend in. "Take your leave, if you know what's good for you."
"Um...well. Sir, I thought this was the way to the bathroom. My apologizes, could you point me in the right direction, please?" The staff member looked taken aback at Link's politeness and pointed them to another hallway that branched off the main room. "Thank you." Link forced a smile before sweeping away. He hated talking to lowly people in an elegant way. It felt wrong to him.
"I guess this is it." Zelda turned to Link stepping into the darkness of the hallway which led to the bathroom. Through the darkness Link could only a faint glow of her luminous green eyes which were narrowed into what he supposed was a focused gaze, "What exactly is the plan?" she inquired.
Link dropped his voice not knowing if anyone or anything lurked in the darkness. "You know how the theme of this place is a circular structure like a bucket? I think the hallways are like that too. Maybe, we can get to that hallway that way." Link counted on his fingers which proved difficult since there was little to no light in this darkness, "We are 2 hallways away from the hallway he entered so...lets start from there."
The two of them walked on until they saw a little flicker of a candle in the distance. As they walked closer, they realized it was the bathrooms which were labeled with a crude picture of a man and woman painted on both wooden doors. The stench leaking out of the bathrooms were unbelievable. Link's nose could barely take it, so he scrunched up his shirt over his nose to keep out the horrid smell. Zelda followed suit with a sour face as she stared at the bathrooms with disgust.
"Yup, we are definitely not going in there." Zelda gagged. As Link had predicated, indeed the hallway of this place led into another hallway which must have circled around the whole main room. With no intention of exploring the bathrooms Link and Zelda turned to the left, walking towards the hallway which they desired. As they moved down the hallway, the sounds of the casino faded, and they were soon in relative silence.
Wooden planks groaned loudly underneath them unnerving Link. It sounded as though this hall hadn't been walked in a long time and loud sounds were sure to attract attention. The hall was lined with doors though he didn't bother to explore them. When the two of them reached the hallway which they were denied access originally, sweat beaded his brow as his inner tension grew. A whole bunch of people out there could see anything happening at the end of this hallway and the burly Goron was standing there alert as ever.
Link's hands felt slippery, and his heart pounded. He feared that someone would glance down at the wrong moment and see them. Link gulped as he realized what could possibly happen...the punishment of getting "The Toss" could be a likely possibility. However, that was only if they were caught. "Prince Link it's now or never. We have to go, Ganondorf will be leaving soon." Zelda whispered.
"Okay. Okay." Link took a deep breath in. He looked down the hall to confirm that the coast was clear. It was clear... no eyes to see, no mouths to talk. He grabbed Zelda's hand and sprinted across the narrow opening of the hallway as if his life depended on it, which it perhaps did. The crimson light of the casino faded and then was gone. The darkness was calming. The darkness was a place no one could see them and at this moment it was Link's haven. The hall stretched on for what seemed like forever. When they finally reached what Link expected to be the opening for the hall that Ganondorf went down, he saw a door...with a lock. Link sighed heavily as he examined the lock.
"Great." Zelda's arms flung up. Sarcasm evident in her voice. Link touched the cool steel of the metal door, feeling the shape of the lock. Without a key this was a dead end.
Link looked down to a certain special item clipped to his belt. "The Sheikah Slate." Link murmured to himself as he unclipped the sacred item. It was a handy device that he had made even more valuable with little tweaks and upgrades. The prince observed the lock one more time before activating the mystery slate. He clicked through the options available: Making an ice block, freezing an object, creating a bomb. None of those would work with this problem.
Then he clicked on a powerful metallic ability which he had been working to refine and hoped he had progressed far enough to be useful now. He knew Zelda's patience and their time was running out. After a few agonizing moments of manipulating the lock with the metallic power a satisfying click rang through the hall. Link grinned in pride and pulled open the door.
The hall was empty, devoid of life except for a sparkle of light in the distance which Link suspected was a candle. The heroine and the prince found themselves in the hallway which they were previously denied entrance and scooted through it quickly without being detected. Link's heart quickened. He could almost feel the presence of evil lingering in the air. His eyes never diverted from the burning candle in the distance. As the prince grew closer, he saw two people bathing in its warm glow.
There stood Ganondorf himself and a nondescript follower with brown hair and dark eyes. Ganondorf leaned against the wooden wall which made the planks creak. His brows were furrowed, and his lips were drawn into a grimace. He flung his arms in the air and looked straight up to the wooden ceiling in exasperation "When is this guy going to show up? I've been waiting for a while now!" Ganondorf straightened his posture staring his meek follower in the eye.
"Master, I would suggest you don't show up looking like that," the follower said in a grim voice, looking up at Ganondorf with what seemed to be stern gaze. Link felt confusion swelling inside him. Why did everything about Ganondorf today seem so odd? Especially this conversation.
"What?" Ganondorf glared at his follower and rolled his eyes. To Link's horror, the Gerudo began to flex his muscles like a 15-year-old boy. "I just feel so manly. Trust me, he'll never know. Its probably going to be another hour or something." Ganondorf seemed unconcerned at his minion's concerns. Everything about this seemed somehow wrong. Link couldn't explain how or why. But it was.
I don't understand. Why?
"If you wish to die feeling manly, so be it, Master," the follower replied dryly. The Gerudo kept marveling at himself and murmuring great things about himself like an egotistical maniac. Link had never imagined that the evilest man in Hyrule would behave like this, but here he was witnessing it firsthand.
"Don't be negative, Sooga. Focus on the positive side of life!" Ganondorf stared down at his follower, Sooga. "He's not showing up anytime soon." Sooga looked over his master's shoulder, his eyes suddenly wide with fear.
"He's arrived, Master."
A voice cut through the warm atmosphere like a knife, "Kohga. You must know it is not polite to impersonate your superior." A looming figure leered out of the darkness. Two flaming orange eyes sparked out of the darkness staring at the now horrified Ganondorf. Ganondorf's mouth was agape in pure shock, as his straight posture wavered.
Ganondorf shrieked before his body exploded into a thousand crimson cards. Replacing the tall, brawny Ganondorf was a squat, fat man. The short man wore a pure white mask with an inverted eye on it and a large ridiculously patterned collar around his neck. His black hair was bunched up into a bun that went straight up into the air. His crimson outfit was looped with a belt around his waist. This was the oddest man that Link had ever seen. When Link finally figured out who it was, Link had to stifle a giggle.
It was none other than the famous Master Kohga, leader of the Yiga Clan. Many claimed he was simply a goofy figure head of the Clan while his right-hand man Sooga carried the real responsibility. The Leader was more a joke to Hyrule than anything else despite the Yiga's sinister purpose.
Link realized what had happened. The Yiga Clan had the ability to take on the form of any person, so Kohga had decided to impersonate Ganondorf. This action was not looking too good for the Yiga Leader now that the real Ganondorf had appeared. Link supposed that the Yiga had been scheduled to meet the real Ganondorf in the first place and for some reason decided to make a splashy entrance.
A second explosion of red cards revealed the follower now turned into the infamous Sooga who wore a less ludicrous outfit that his Master. His was a simple crimson outfit. He wore many weapons. The most notable were two long blades at that hung on the sides of his belt. His black hair was split at the top formed into an 'M.' He wore a pure white mask with an inverted eye though a scar was cut through it. Compared to his master he was much taller, more muscular, and looked as though he was likely better in combat.
"Oh...sorry! Lord Ganondorf! My deepest apologizes, Lord! I was...just...you know practicing if I should pose as the bait to the heroes or something! I-" Master Kohga stumbled over his words as the real Ganondorf stepped into the light. Unlike when Kohga was posing as Ganondorf the true Ganondorf's gaze held malice and hate within it.
Ganondorf lifted his hand, silencing the babbling Yiga Leader. "Do not hide what you were doing Kohga. I am quite flattered though I do not want a measly man like you to be posing as me. It's an utter embarrassment." Link swore he saw Kohga's mask's turn slightly pink at that remark. Link couldn't help but feel slightly bad for Kohga. Then Ganondorf leaned in with a frightening flare in his eyes "Though...if I catch you doing such activities again there will be more to pay than just a warning." Link blinked. Was Ganondorf really going to let Kohga get off Scot free?
Wait, I should be fighting him now, shouldn't I?
Link began to move towards Ganondorf, but Zelda grabbed his arm before he could do anything. She put a finger to her lips before turning back to the conversation. Link stared at her, puzzled. What could they possible gain by staring at these people talk?
Link and Zelda heard the floorboards groan behind them. Link turned around in horror to see a person in a cloak sweeping towards them. Link and Zelda quickly and silently scooted to the wall out of the way of the passerby. Was this person a staff member or someone? Would they catch them? His heartbeat quickened once more then quickly plummeted as the cloaked person swept pass them without a glance. The cloaked figure seemed intent on the three men ahead.
The three men, Ganondorf, Kohga, and Sooga turned as the new figure entered. Ganondorf addressed the guest with a dismissive voice. "Get out of here. This is not your place, wanderer." The wanderer did not budge and remained standing, staring at the three.
"I believe it is exactly where I need to be," The cloaked person responded. They pulled back their hood revealing Link's mother. Her face was drawn into a fierce scowl he had never seen before. Seeing her facing Ganondorf face to face stirred something within Link. The Queen did not smile, nor did she wince. She articulated assertively, "I don't believe we have officially met, Ganondorf, although I will be ending you shortly."
"The Queen herself, hmm? What an honor." Ganondorf rolled his eyes at her bold statement. He obviously did not take her seriously. "End me? I have heard those words too many times to count, Zelda." The Queen's eyes flashed in anger at her name, furious at being spoken in such a casual manner. To address a monarch by their first name was a rude and a disrespectful thing to do. Link was afraid to step in but felt he had to. If Ganondorf got her temper up...her decision making would no doubt to become impaired.
"How dare you!" the Queen threw a flaming ball of light at Ganondorf who easily evaded it by moving slightly to the side. It flew past him into the dark abyss of the hall charring the wooden doorframe as it exited.
"I suppose you've found out already, haven't you? Come to finish the job by yourself so nobody will ever know?" Ganondorf scoffed. "You've come to erase what Eris could not? You and I both know the truth and an inconvenient truth it is. For you." Ganondorf smirked, at the Queen, "I can tell you this, the history will come out one way or the other whether you like it or not."
"It will not." The Queen smiled. It wasn't a sweet smile. It was a grim, vicious smile. One that Link had never seen before. "Because you and I are the only ones who know, and you'll be dead."