She had always seen the Tower from a distance, but never from the inside.
Ever since she had fled the Castle as a young girl, ever since she had taken on another name and pretended to be a boy, ever since Hyrule Castle had been torn apart by Monsters, she had looked upon the Tower with a sense of dread. The man who had brought the entire world to ruin was there.
She had always imagined the Tower itself to be teeming with wealth and possessions, seized by the population. She had imagined there to be rooms full of treasure, dungeons filled with prisoners that had opposed his reign, and creatures that she could scarcely imagine lurking behind every corner.
There was only an Organ.
Now, it was a very Grand Organ to be sure, bigger than any she had ever seen in her life. Surrounded by stained glass windows, the room struck her as very impressive. What surprised her was that there was nothing else. Other than the large door, which she could see just ahead, there were only three things in this room. Herself, Ganondorf, and the Organ.
He was a very good player.
His hands moved deftly over the keys. A haunting, eerie melody had enveloped the entire room ever since he had sat down. He had not moved at all since she had been brought in, encased by this crystal prison. He had not spoken to her when she had been brought in. He had only played. It was a very melancholic melody, one that filled with unease and a sense of dread.
He was a very good player.
They were both awaiting the same thing, she knew. The arrival of the Third. Courage. Link. She could feel the Triforce of Wisdom on her hand resonating- the time was very near. In a matter of moments, Ganondorf may have everything he ever wanted.
She reflected on the past seven years. The visions she had had as a very young child. The opportunity she saw in Link, that boy from the Forest. How hopeful she had felt when Impa had informed him that he had collected both Spiritual Stones and was on his way back. The horror she had felt when Ganondorf made his move, slaughtering her Father and conquering the castle, forcing her into hiding. The despair she had felt when opening the Temple of Time had only made things worse. And the determination she had felt when preparing for the Hero's return… seven long years of planning…under her hope that someday she would liberate Hyrule from this tyrant.
And she had seen it happen. Over the past month she had watched as the Hero had fought his way through Temple after Temple, liberating her subjugated people time after time again. He had destroyed the monsters in Kokiri Forest, saved the Gorons from being devoured, released the Zora King from his prison, and eliminated the Shadow that had hovered over Kakariko Village before she was even born.
And now, he was in his way here. She could feel it. She placed her free hand over the Triforce mark and bent her head She could feel it resonating. The music around her seemed to bloat and swell, overtaking all of her senses.
He was a very good player.
She had known about Ganondorf ever since she was a very small girl. He had been a major part as to why the Gerudo did not take part during the Civil War before her birth. Although he had not been allied with her Father, it would have been well within his interest to ravage the vulnerable Hyrule countryside. His decision not to do so at such a critical time had won him favor with the King, and he had been invited into his court.
She had grown up watching them both. She had been afraid of Ganondorf for as long as she could remember, shirking behind Impa whenever he came near. The King had laughed off her unusual timidness on Ganondorf's build. He had been tall, far taller than the average Hylian, and far more well built. The harshness of the desert had given him a rugged, intimidating appearance. It had not been uncommon for the ladies of the court to be terrified of him, until speaking to him once and falling head over heels for him.
The King had imagined that she would be much the same way. Once she was a little bit older, a little bit wiser, she too would see Ganondorf for what he was. A strong, capable leader who had seized control of the unruly Gerudo and was working tirelessly to improve their culture, way of life, and relations with other nations.
He was a Very Good Player.
She never did. A part of her felt that deep down she had always known what he was, what he was planning to do. She had seen through him from the start, but as a child lacked the means to have him done away with. None listened to her, not even her own Father. Impa had, she felt, only listened to her out of a sense of obligation. But as she was proven right, time and time again, she had slowly starting believing her words. By the time the boy from the forest arrived, Impa had known what needed to be done.
Her Father never had. Up until he had been betrayed and killed, he had nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Ganondorf. He had thought of him as more than an ally. He had been a confidant, and a friend. So much so, in fact, that when news of Ganondorf's assault on the Royal Family had reached him, he had not believed it. So much so that he had run straight to Ganondorf upon seeing him, expecting a different explanation.
The music stopped. Ganondorf raised his head.
"Your Hero is coming." He said. His voice a deep, ominous rumble. He turned his head downward and continued playing. Zelda stared at him, rather than at the single giant door. It had just occurred to her that this was how he was choosing to spend what could very easily be his last moments.
He was a very good player. She felt a strong compulsion to ask, to understand him.
"Why did seize the Triforce?" She asked, her voice choking in her throat. "What was your wish?"
It was a question that she had never been offered a true explanation for, even after all these years. Ganondorf had never made his intentions publicly known. Most of the citizens of Hyrule weren't even aware he had seized a piece of the Triforce. She had known more about him than anyone else in the world, and yet…
She still lacked an idea of what exactly Ganondorf would actually do once he assembled the Triforce. He had already conquered Hyrule, by far the most powerful united nation in the world, and subjugated all of its people. If he truly wanted to conquer the world, it would be a simple matter of building an enemy out of his defeated enemies and lead an onslaught against other Kingdoms near and far.
But he had done nothing of the sort. He had, as far as she was aware, only secured critical locations to Hyrule, guarding them with his most fiercesome monsters while he sat in this Tower, playing his Organ.
He was a very good player.
"Want?" Ganondorf asked. "I want for nothing." His voice, deep and booming, easily reached her ears in spite of the grand music coming from the organ. "I desire it."
Zelda suddenly couldn't breathe. She felt naesous, her head ached.
"No, no." she said. "You wouldn't do this simply because you… desired it. You would want to make a Wish. To have whatever your heart desires."
"I already have everything I ever wanted." Ganondorf said.
"But then why did you take the Triforce?" Zelda screamed at him. She felt water welling up in her eyes. "Why did you enter the Sacred Realm?"
The music never stopped.
"Because." Ganondorf said. "I could."
Zelda broke. She fell to her knees, hands over her chest. She had overestimated Ganondorf, it seemed. She had thought, all of these years, that he had some grand purpose, some master plan, some divine purpose as to why he did what he had done. She had imagined he had been trying to help his people. She had imagined he had sought revenge against her Kingdom for their transgressions. She had thought he had some kind of warped, noble purpose.
He had none. His purpose in conquering Hyrule, in murdering her father and subjugating her people was nothing to him. He had no ideals, he had no philosophy. He cared nothing for the lives and culture of the people around him.
Everything he had done, was done simply because it had come naturally to him.
The door slid open. The music swelled.
He was a very good player.