The Downfall Timeline
Book 1
Chapter 10: The Ritual

Evening, August 20, 609 GK, The War of Imprisonment, Day 35

Hyrule Castle, Central Hyrule

Several days had passed since the raid upon the Forbidden Forest. The Gerudo host, which had feigned an attack on Kakariko Village and diverted the Hylian reinforcements away from the true target, quickly returned to the damaged capitol city to celebrate their success.

Under the dark cloud which hung over the town, they were granted leave to explore and plunder as they wished. The great tribe of female warriors now selfishly ate, drank, and showered themselves in the riches of the Hylian people.

Nabooru, greatest of the women and Gannondorf's lieutenant, now draped herself lazily over the throne of Hyrule, drinking a large goblet of the King's wine. Agahnim entered the throne-room and cast a disapproving eye upon her.

The wizard had appeared within the Gerudo's desert fortress only a day after their Chieftain was supposed to spring his trap. Upon first sight, they threatened to kill the trespasser and place his head on a pike for daring to intrude where no man - save only Gannondorf - was permitted to be.

But the wizard was crafty, and easily dodged about the room with his magic when the guards attempted to take him. He explained that he was a loyal servant of "Lord Gannondorf" and had been sent to bring the Gerudo with all speed back to their new castle.

"All the lands of Hyrule will be laid open for your taking! But you must hurry! The Hylian survivors will be quick to recover and counter-attack! We need you at the castle." He promised.

Their matron was wary of the stranger, but what he promised was too tempting to overlook.

As quickly as they could manage, the Gerudo Fortress was emptied of all arms, stores, and inhabitants and the entire Gerudo tribe set out for the western pass that led into Hyrule. The great host stretched for several miles, but moved at an impressive speed.

Within two days, the ruined Citadel of Aryn came and passed, and soon they were marching onto soft green pastures. The elder Gerudo and veterans of the Hylian War still remembered the fertile farmlands of western Hyrule, but the young children had never seen such lush beauty.

They laughed and played - rolling in the soft grass - as the host marched forward. None, not even Nabooru, seemed to realize that they were marching their own people to their doom.

Now drunk, fat, and overconfident with their easy victory, the Gerudo sat complacent in the Hylian's former homes. The war was won! Their Chieftain had delivered the kingdom to them just as he promised - but where was the Great Thief?

In all of their time at the capitol, only Agahnim ever claimed to have met with Gannondorf and Nabooru was becoming rather curious about where he was hiding.

"Tell me wizard," she began, with a slurred voice, "where is our Great Lord? He has not come down to celebrate with his tribe!"

Agahnim stepped up to the throne and firmly pushed Nabooru's leg off of the armrest.

"You should show your lord's throne more respect, woman!" he hissed.

The warrioress narrowed her eyes, but smiled broadly up at him with a feminine sigh.

"So... you have noticed that I am a woman! Ha ha... I could have sworn you were dead under there wizard." she said as she gestured toward his scarf and robes.

Indeed, Agahnim could see that she was an incredibly beautiful woman - barely clothed by Hylian standards - but she was right, he no longer felt the desires of Hylian men. His only wish was to serve his God without hesitation.

"Our Lord is rather busy with his affairs. He will rejoin the tribe when he sees fit." he answered coldly.

Nabooru let out a soft little whimper as she traced a small circle with her fingernail at the top of her chest, "I hope he returns soon." she mused at the wizard.

But the wizard, immune to her distractions, continued, "I have a mission for you to perform tomorrow. We need to take control of the large ranch just behind the Hylian lines."

Frustrated at his refusal to play her game, she sat upright on the throne and waved her hand at him.

"I'll send a raiding party to destroy it in the morning."

"No!" snapped the wizard, "Our Lord commands that the ranch be taken... peaceably and intact."

Nabooru wrinkled her nose and glared suspiciously at him, "What are you suggesting?" she asked.

"There is a man there... a rather broken man. Who could be quite useful in delivering the ranch to us without incident." He answered with a sly smile, "Lord Gannondorf commands that you... 'encourage' this man to join with us."

The woman made a disgusted face as she stood and pushed him aside, stepping toward the doorway of the throne room.

"I am the greatest of the Gerudo thieves, not some whore that massages Hylian men for their money!" she snapped as she passed the wizard.

Agahnim's eyes narrowed, "You would dare to deny the command of our Lord?!" he hissed venomously, bringing her to a halt.

She despised the wizard; He was arrogant, devious, and seemed to be completely immune to her charms and persuasions. But worst of all: he was not even a Gerudo. She didn't know what he was precisely, but she knew that he was not one of them.

However, he was her only link to their lord, and he had delivered on every promise made so far. She would have to continue to obey him if she ever wanted to be close to Gannondorf again.

The Matron of Thieves turned and looked over her shoulder at the wizard.

"A broken man you say? Broken men are easy to... 'encourage.'" she answered with false enthusiasm.

Agahnim's expression relaxed, but his voice remained arrogant and commanding, "Be sure that you are thorough. We want full commitment on his part! No matter what we ask him to do!"

After their meeting in the throne room, he instructed her to gather the tribe and bring them to the ruined Temple of Time.

"Our Lord wishes to address all of you." he said with a wicked smile.

Once Nabooru and the other Gerudo gathered where the ruined sanctuary once stood, whispers darted back and forth about the reason for the meeting and whether or not Gannondorf would truly come.

The white marble stones of the Temple's floor were now blackened and blood-stained. Every wall, gate, and supporting column were missing entirely, save for the archway of stone that held the door of time. Here, a dense blackness swirled and rippled menacingly at the gathered women.

As the uneasy Gerudo stared up at it, Agahnim, Koume, and Kotake stepped to the front of the gathering and turned back to face their audience.

"We have come!" Agahnim cried out, raising his hands above his head, "To offer our obedience, our lives, our very souls, to our Great Lord Gannondorf! May the Dark Lord look upon us with favor and grant us purpose in his great plan!"

As he spoke, the sorcerer and the twin elders, slowly turned to face the swirling blackness behind them. Several of the Gerudo covered their faces with their hands and struggled to contain their laughter - the wizard's theatrics were unexpected.

After a dramatic pause, he cried out again, "Command us oh Lord! Bend us to your will! We stand ready to obey!"

Many women now were snorting and coughing with open laughter as Nabooru stared on in disbelief at the man she had been following for the past few weeks.

"He's completely mad." she muttered to herself as the dark portal began to shift and ripple differently.

"You have called..." came a deep and thunderous voice, "and I have heard, faithful servant..."

All now gasped as the swirling cloud cleared and the portal became as the surface of a lake at night, clear but dark. Beyond its surface, a great and menacing form stood holding a silver trident, with two burning red eyes.

"Speak and your god will hear." the voice finished.

Agahnim threw himself to the ground and prostrated himself before the dark figure. Koume and Kotake bowed so low, their noses nearly touched the stones at their feet.

"My Lord!" cried the wizard, "As you have commanded, I have gathered the mighty tribe of the Gerudo. They await only your bidding!"

Ganon drew a deep breath, "You have done well, my faithful servant. Your master is pleased."

His servant lowered his face to the stone and shook with joy.

"My children," Ganon began to the gathered women, "You have endured much. But your pain and suffering shall be rewarded one hundred fold. Behold! I am your chieftain, Gannondorf, reborn with the golden power. You may now know me as... Ganon, Guardian and Master of Creation!"

Every woman, save Koume and Kotake, stood horrified at what they saw. Their chieftain had become some kind of monster and his lieutenant had led them to this ruined city, far from their homes and familiar lands.

The beast, sensing their unease, began again, "My children, do not fear. I will create a new realm for the Gerudo. A paradise of peace and endless joy. I wish for all of you to share in this and to escape the cruel world of the Hylians."

Even in their desert, the Gerudo had heard tales of the Hylian's mythical 'Sacred Realm' and all now believed that Ganon was going to deliver it to them. As he spoke, a calming warmth seemed to seep into their minds and cloud their judgment.

"Ganon is my God... Ganon will care for me..." was a repeating thought amongst the women - even Nabooru.

"My Lord!" cried Agahnim once again, "What is thy command?"

"Send twenty of your young and strong through the doorway to join me. Together, we will build this new paradise for all of my faithful." Ganon answered, his eyes burning brighter.

A sudden and fierce desire to join him in the dark world flooded over all of them. They began to murmur and whisper, "Pick me, my lord... Pick me!"

The wizard slowly rose, then turned to walk amongst the tribe, selecting the youngest -and most beautiful- women and directed them to stand before the portal.

Nabooru watched the women pass with bitter jealousy. She had been Gannondorf's consort before the surrender to the Hylians. Why was she not summoned to join him?

Once the twenty were chosen, Agahnim waved his hands over the girls and recited several incantations and strange spells that the Gerudo did not understand.

"Now, rid yourselves of all earthly possessions! For you cannot defile the Lord's new realm with the impurities of this world!" he commanded.

Jewelry and weapons fell to the ground but when the wizard continued to wait, Koume and Kotake drew small daggers and began to cut the clothing from the women's bodies.

"You must be absolutely pure to be in the presence of our Lord!" he mused.

They felt no shame and made no attempt to conceal themselves as the power rippling from the dark world grew in intensity. Slowly, one by one, the women stepped toward the gateway. Agahnim poured a deep red liquid over their hair as they passed him and entered the dark world.

Tears of happiness began streaming down Nabooru's face, "I am so happy for them! They are truly the luckiest among us!" she thought as the final woman passed through.

But as the tanned flesh of her back disappeared, the sound of a distant scream echoed back from within. For a moment, the hazy warmth seemed to shake from her mind.

"What was that? Did she..." the Gerudo wondered, but the stupefying haze returned and she smiled blissfully for the women that were now serving their god.