He had been born the only male to the Gerudo in the last century. As was their custom, he had been named their King, destined to inherit the throne since before his birth. Being a race that was almost exclusively comprised of women, he had always been treated as different, weaker than the women of his race. It had been difficult, being told he was supposed to lead while constantly being looked down upon.

To make an already difficult task that much more challenging, the twins that had taken it upon themselves to raise him were cruel and merciless. Every day, they brutally "taught" the necessary skills to be King. When he failed to meet their expectations, he was reminded of his shortcomings through pain. Though they were old and very near decrepit, they could light every nerve in his body on fire with a simple raising of their hand. And when physical pain failed to provide the required motivation, they resorted to attacking his psyche.

He may have broken, if not for his best and only friend. He had met Nabooru when she tried to lift his purse. Though he had spent hours honing his combat skills, a task which involved sharpening his senses like a razor's edge, he almost hadn't caught her. If he hadn't seen her reflection in a decorative shield, it was likely that she would have gotten away with his money. When he captured her, she had pled for mercy, a concept which had intrigued him as he had no experience with it. Something about the act was liberating, taking a weight from his shoulders.

Nabooru, taking his merciful approach to her as a good omen, began to stick close by him. The two were nearly inseparable when he wasn't busy learning from the women who claimed to care about his future. His friend often got away with some of her mischief because of her proximity to him, much to the frustration of the women of the tribe. To his benefit, she rewarded him by teaching the boy some of the tricks of her trade. Sleight of hand, distractions, and, most importantly, how to hide in plain sight.

His friend was the only light in his dark world, the only reason he dared to hope for a brighter future. It wasn't just because she provided fun distractions from the pain of the rest of his existence. For the first time, he felt as though someone genuinely cared about him. For once, he was a person, not a King, not failure of a student, just a boy that someone enjoyed spending time with.

The twins disapproved of Nabooru and did whatever they could to prevent him from meeting with her; however, he wasn't easily dissuaded. He had known from a young age that he had talents as a warlock, and so, he used his training and his own shrewdness to create a solution. After hours of tinkering, he developed a spell that allowed him to create phantoms of himself. The phantoms, along with the skills Nabooru had taught him, ensured that the twins could never be sure of his exact whereabouts.

The years passed slowly as he grew stronger and more adept, both with magic and blade. Eventually, he grew so powerful that none of the Gerudo's strongest warriors could stand against him. As such, he earned their respect, something that he had always hoped to achieve. He had also become immune to his mothers' torture. No matter what unholy spells they used, he shrugged it off, something that both angered and terrorized them. Once, he had even cracked his neck and taken a step towards them. Their panicked shrieks had brought snickers from him for hours.

The only thing that had ruined the moment was that Nabooru hadn't shared the sentiment, choosing instead to once again show her growing concern for him.

She had seen a darkness growing in him for years, something that troubled her greatly. Sensing his friend's disquiet, he did his best to tamp down the parts of himself that she didn't like. She was the person he cared for most, and so he would do his best to be the man she believed he could be. It was difficult at times, but seeing her smile made it all worth it in the end.

His mothers saw the effect that she had on him and tried to punish him all the more for it, but he refused to break. So, they resorted to more drastic measures. They summoned him to the throne room one day with a form of punishment that broke him.

It was Nabooru's screams that caused something in him to snap. Watching her suffer the same form of torture he had been forced to endure for as long as he could remember was the tipping point. He rushed the twins and nearly slaughtered the women who raised him. It would be the last time they ever dared to cross him, yet it had done what they had been unable to do his entire life. They had killed the light within him.

Though his friend suffered no lasting effects from the twin's wrath, he still couldn't look her in the eyes. The fact that something had been allowed to hurt the only good he'd ever seen in the world was unacceptable to him. It being his fault was something he was unable to reconcile himself with. And so, he avoided her, terrified that he would only bring her more suffering.

After the incident, he saw the world's imperfection more clearly. The pain and suffering were things he could no longer tolerate, and so he set to bring a new age to the world; however, he knew it was foolish to attempt to create a new world on the foundations of the old. So, he would raze it, burn everything to the ground, and on the dust and ashes of the old order, he would create anew. Only then could he rest easy, knowing Nabooru was safe.

He was not so foolish as to believe it was something he could accomplish with his power alone, great as it was. He spent hours, studying ancient myths and legends that offered any insight into realizing his goals. It was in a dusty tome that he found the answer he sought. In the neighboring Kingdom of Hyrule, there was supposedly a relic that held great power. The relic, comprised of three sacred triangles representing three different virtues, would grant the wish of any who touched it. The warlock, determined to create his new world regardless of cost, turned his gaze to Hyrule. It would be there that his conquest started, and there that his ambitions would reach fruition.

"Do you see now?" Ganon asked as the images slowly bled away. Though he had shown Zelda the answers she sought, the Princess of Hyrule still could not understand his desire.

"Do you truly believe you are doing right?"

"Are we still discussing what is Good and Evil. Have we not already established my view on this matter?"

"Let me phrase it differently; do you think you did right by her? What she would have wanted?"

"In the end, she turned against me. She could not see that what I was doing was for her."

"That wasn't the problem," Zelda replied quietly.

"Oh? And you think you know why she betrayed me? Keep in mind that you didn't even see the entirety of the story."

"I saw enough. You let the those two vile… things… get in your head. When they succeeded, Nabooru lost you."

"What are you rambling about? I was still there, colder and more determined, but it was still me."

"You really didn't see it, did you?" she asked. To her, it was obvious why Nabooru had left. Why she had chosen to stand against him when the time came. Even in her brief bout wading through Ganon's memories, she had watched as the light that had once been in his eyes slowly faded until all that was left was a shadow of the man that could have been. She knew that she would have done the same thing if Link had turned out like that.

"Enough speaking in riddles! Say what it is you mean."

"She lost you that day."

"I understand that I wasn't able to protect her then- "

"That had nothing to do with it! The parts of you that she loved died that day! You became someone else entirely! She grieved your loss as she watched you descend into whatever you are now!"

"So, she mourned my growing stronger?"

"You're an idiot," Zelda sighed. She paused for a moment after that, then she began laughing. It was a laugh that went on for longer than she cared to admit. Finally, the laugh reduced itself to mere chuckles.

"Care to share what you found to be so humorous?"

"I was always warned about the 'Great Calamity' that would destroy the entire world if I failed. I had the fear of you instilled in me so that there was nothing more I dreaded than your return."

"…And?"

"And I just called you, the Scourge of Hyrule, an idiot," she replied, chuckles still wracking her body.

"So juvenile," Ganon sighed. He began to withdraw again, but she wasn't quite done with him yet.

"Before you go," Zelda said, her humor now gone entirely, "I think you should know that I understand why you chose this path… but you're still wrong."

"… You're different," Ganon decided, "your predecessors seemed to think they could impress me with their refusal to budge, content to stare at me coldly the entire time. But you… you have a fire in those eyes. I like that," he murmured. Ganon began laughing suddenly much the same as she had. "To think I would ever come to hold respect for one of your line. Impressive."

"And to think I would ever see you as anything more than a monster."

"A strange world indeed." Zelda thought it was a shame that Ganon had become what he was. She thought that, had things been different, he may have been someone whose company she could enjoy. Unlike most of the people she had met, he wasn't content to agree with her because of her station. Instead, he was more than willing to share his perspective once she had spoken to him for a time. It reminded her greatly of someone else she knew.

By the time her musings had ended, Ganon was already gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts once again. Though she had learned much while Ganon shared his memories, there was something more pressing to her than reflecting on what she had learned. Now free to do as she would once again, the Princess returned her ever watchful gaze to her friends.

"You okay, Big Guy?" Urbosa asked as she joined him on the hill where he sat, staring back at the Mountain that was his home.

"I think so," he replied as he scratched his beard.

"Mipha was pretty worried about you. She said you were distracted when you asked her about Vah Ruta."

"Yeah. Rudania's been a little off, so I thought I'd ask her if hers has been actin'… acting- " he corrected, "- up too."

"And?"

"She thinks Ruta has grown a mind of her own, like the last century of continued activity somehow gave her a will."

"I think I prefer the simpler things," Urbosa muttered as she drew a hand across her forehead.

"Yeah…" Daruk chuckled as he continued staring towards the Mountain.

"So, what else is bothering you?"

"Am I really that easy to read?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"I'm glad that the village is doin'- doing- " he corrected again with a small irritable huff, "- well, and I'm glad Yunobo is steppin- " he cut himself off again as he went to correct himself.

"Stop that," Urbosa interrupted, "there is no reason you need to talk like the rest of us as long as we know what you mean."

"…I plan ta talk ta Revali later, so I figured I try ta talk like normal."

"I think this is your normal now." She found his new old way of speaking rather endearing. It suited him more than the way he had talked before going up the mountain.

"Hmm," Daruk hummed as he nodded.

"So, back to what's botherin' ya." As she expected, the Goron gave her a dirty look in response to her prod. It was nice to know that no matter how much his speech degraded, he would always be the same lovable Goron.

"Yer impossible."

"What else is new?" she asked with a raised brow. She grinned when he just shook his head. "So, back to the question at hand."

"Like I was sayin," he muttered, this time content to not correct himself, "I'm glad that the village is gonna be okay, and I'm glad my grandson is steppin' up, but…" The Goron was quiet for a long time, even so, Urbosa didn't prod, choosing instead to wait for him to continue on his own. "There's a part of me, and I know this sounds awful, but there's a part of me that's… not so happy that things are goin' okay."

"What's so awful about that?" She knew him as well as she knew the others. Though she rarely pulled her punches when she teased them, she understood them well. Daruk took pleasure in his abilities, not just his strength but his talents as a leader as well. To see that his home no longer had need of those talents was likely crushing for him.

"I should feel better, but…"

"It feels bittersweet, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," he sighed as he scratched at his beard. "It makes me think about what's gonna happen after all this. Will there be any place in Hyrule fer me when Ganon is gone?"

"Sending Ganon back to whatever pit he crawled out of is only the start," Urbosa said.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, Hyrule is in shambles. We have a crumbling infrastructure, no standing army, in fact, there's barely any unity between the five races as far as I can tell. Zelda's going to need all the help she can get if she's to rebuild."

"That's a good point," Daruk responded, his former confidence beginning to break through. "Ya said there's no army… Maybe I could whip some Hylians inta shape!"

"Why Hylians?"

"I dunno why but for some reason, Hylians these days seem so weak. The Little Guy's the only one who seems to have any stones at all. They're gonna need some serious training if we have any hope of having a halfway decent army, though," he continued as he stroked his facial hair thoughtfully, "I betcha I could get the other races in shape too."

"I'm sure you can. Shall I leave you to develop your training regimen?"

"Nah. I think it's time Revali and I had a chat."

Urbosa was relieved to hear it. That morning, just a few short hours after Link and Daruk had returned, Revali had returned from his isolation. What interested her more than his timely return was his pattern of behavior. He would only act out when the Goron Champion was paying attention, and when he wasn't, Revali would sulk quietly, not even having any quips for Link. "Glad to hear it."

"Before I go, you should tell me what happened with Dinraal."

"I don't know why, but neither of us could do anything. Revali's attacks did nothing. It was all I could do to drive him away before he killed him."

"So, he's takin' the loss pretty hard?"

"That would be the understatement of the century."

"Ya sure about that one?"

"He asked Kass if he'd still have a home with the rest of the Rito."

"Understatement of the century then," Daruk agreed with a sigh. She nodded, for once taking the matter completely seriously. She had no doubts that if Revali suffered anymore stress, he would abandon them to do something horrendously reckless. "So, Revali's problem aside, we gotta find a way to free Dinraal."

"I may have an idea about that," Urbosa mused. She had spent a great deal of time thinking about the particular problem they had faced. The infection had progressed to the point where ordinary attacks couldn't do a thing. To her, that just meant that they didn't have the right tools for the job. "Do you remember the sword that Rhoam mentioned back on the Plateau?"

"Uh… no."

"He called it the Blade of Evil's Bane. Being able to wield it was apparently a part of why Link was named Champion."

"So, you think this sword might be able to do the trick?"

"With a name like that, I can't imagine it wouldn't be able to."

"Fair point. I should probably refrain from letting Revali know," Daruk muttered as he stood up and turned back towards the camp. "By the way," he said as he stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, "thanks for listenin' to me ramble."

"Just returning the favor," she replied with a smile. She nodded to the Goron as he made his way back down to the others. She remained where she was; however, her gaze was fixated on the castle, where her little bird remained caged.

Though she knew that what she said to Daruk earlier had been the truth, it was something she was having trouble accepting herself. Ideally, she and Daruk had a number of years left before their time came, but even so, they were still quickly becoming a part of Hyrule's past. There would come a time where the two would have no choice but to pass on the torch.

Knowing was a thing, accepting and even promoting it was a much different, much harder thing. A part of her argued that she would always need to be around because they would always need her, but she knew that wasn't true. One day, she would be more of a hindrance than anything.

She shook herself, dispelling her doubts for the time being. It would do her no good to worry about it now.

"Lady Urbosa, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Ah, just the bard I was looking for," Urbosa replied as Kass joined her.

"You were looking for me?"

"About to. Were your ears burning?"

"What? Is that a saying among the Gerudo?"

"Never mind," she muttered. "What did you need?"

"My question is not very important, so perhaps it sh- "

"Mine is about the Blade of Evil's Bane. I've got a feeling that will take a while, so why don't you start?" She had a feeling that once she proposed her idea, there would be little room for Kass' question.

"The Master Sword? Ah… my question was not so pertinent." She responded by raising a brow and motioning for him to continue. "I know this is not really any of my concern, but may I ask about the relationship between Lady Mipha and Master Link?"

"I think you already know," she replied with a pointed look.

"I just needed to confirm it."

"And what is it to you?"

"My teacher… he used to tell me about how the Princess of Hyrule only had eyes for her knight. I just worry that Lady Mipha may be hurt when he remembers that."

"How do you know that the feeling was mutual?"

"I suppose I always just assumed that it was. I hope that no one gets hurt. Wounds of the heart always heal slowly," he said with a downcast face.

"That they do, but I don't think Mipha is the one you should worry about," she murmured quietly.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I've seen how he interacts with other women," she replied. The Hylian Champion had a draw to him that attracted women like flowers did bees. Whenever they entered a town or stable, it wouldn't be long before she noticed the women around him were sending him secretive glances. Some even worked up the nerve to come speak to him, but no matter what method they used to draw his attention, he never noticed.

Mipha, on the other hand, could tell him where to sit, and he would do so with minimal protest. He also was hyper-aware of her needs, striving to keep them near water sources and keeping her well supplied with materials for her elixirs. He went out of his way to care for them all, but Mipha very clearly received more of his effort than any of the rest of them. "Is that all you had to ask?"

"It is. So, what was it that you wanted to know about the Master Sword?"

"Do you think it would help us fight Dinraal?"

"Yes, I believe so, but finding it is going to be a challenge all its own. I can only guess where the Princess placed it after Link fell. I believe it to be in the… "

Neither the Gerudo Champion nor the Bard was aware of the pair of eyes that watched and listened from afar.

"Revali!" Daruk called as he wandered into Revali's makeshift camp. He scratched his chin discontentedly as he looked around. Urbosa had told him that the Rito Champion had been isolating himself, but a completely different camp was a bit extreme.

"What do you want?" Revali snapped as he landed, rustling the nearby plants with the breeze he had created.

"Where were ya?"

"Am I now required to inform you of my whereabouts at all times?"

Daruk frowned as he sized up the Rito Champion. He knew Revali had been upset, but his hand trailing on his bow was a bit extreme. "I just wanted ta talk. You're clearly havin' a rough few days."

"And why do you care? Just worried I won't be able to keep up during a fight?"

"Nah. I know you're more than able ta –"

"Because I can assure you that nothing, not even one of you, stands a chance against me." Daruk frowned at being cut off. Though he was no stranger to consistently interrupting or being interrupted, there had been unspoken rules stating when and when it was not okay to do so. Even the Rito Champion, haughty as he was, had respected those rules.

"Good thing we won't have –"

"Furthermore, if any of you try to- "

Revali yelped as Daruk gave him a controlled slap on the back. "Quit interruptin' me," he rumbled as the Rito shot him a death glare. "Do ya really think we're gonna try and attack ya or somethin'?"

"I wouldn't put it past any of you," he growled.

"Stop," Daruk muttered as he began scratching his chin. "You and I both know that if we were gonna do anything to ya, it woulda been back on the Plateau. The fact that we still think of ya as one of us –" he raised his hand again warningly as Revali tried to interrupt him again, "- should tell ya that we're not even gonna leave ya behind."

"And how do I know I can believe that?"

"I'm here right now aren't I?"

"Your point?"

"Would I be here if I didn't care about ya?" Daruk asked. He wasn't quite sure where the disconnect was. He had left the main camp to find Revali's own personal camp that was further away than he was comfortable with. The Rito might be able to close the gap quickly, but he and the others would be hard pressed to get to him if anything happened.

"I think you care about what you've always cared about: making sure that each and every one of us acts like good little soldiers that do whatever you tell us to."

"What gave ya that idea?"

"Oh, don't pretend I haven't already figured it out," Revali said bitterly. "All you want is someone to carry your little Hylian pet up to Dinraal when he finally gets his hands on that fancy sword."

Daruk's eyes widened at the mention of the Master Sword. He had been planning on leaving that bit out of the conversation. "That's not important right now. What's important is that you stop being so hard on yerself."

"Hard on myself?!"

"Yeah. You act like one loss is the end of everything, but it's not. You'll get a second shot at Dinraal, and when ya do, I know you'll crush him!"

"If I choose to fight Dinraal again," Revali muttered as he turned his back to the Goron.

"Whaddya mean?"

"I'm tired of being the solution to every little problem you all have. Every time that idiot boy overextends himself, I'm just expected to come to his rescue. Whenever Mipha doesn't have the ingredients she needs, who has to go and get them?"

The Goron Champion refrained from reminding the agitated Rito that Link was usually the one that had to go bug hunting for the Zora Princess. Mipha had only made the mistake of asking Revali once, and he had made such a fuss about it that the Zora Princess had never asked him for help again.

"What? No answer?"

"I think that yer overthinkin' here. Each of us has a part to play," Daruk reminded him. "Sometimes that means yer gonna have to do more than the rest, but ya also have ta remember that there have been times where we had to carry ya around."

"You can go now."

"We're not finishe –"

Revali propelled himself in the air, leaving Daruk to call after him. No matter how loudly he called, the Rito Champion wouldn't come back down, choosing instead to stay in the sky above where no else could reach him.

"Well that coulda gone better," he sighed as he watched Revali circle above.

"So, what were you two up to?" Urbosa asked as Link and Mipha returned to the camp.

"W-we were practicing our swimming," Mipha replied quickly, hoping the answer would deflect any further questioning. She had a feeling though that Urbosa wouldn't be deterred. Her smile was a little too knowing for that.

It had indeed started as practice, more for Link's sake than anything else. While he was an exceptional swimmer by Hylian standards, his ability to move through the water was like a muscle. It had to be consistently worked in order to remain strong. So, she had genuinely been trying to work with him to help him keep in shape, or she had been until Link had tapped her and informed her in no uncertain terms that she was it. The end result had been a very one-sided game of tag.

Though Link was a strong swimmer, he was still only a Hylian. He hadn't stood a chance as she indulged him in his little game, swimming circles around him nearly the entire time. She had of course been a gracious participant and had let him get in a few "lucky shots." Even so, Link had clearly been outmatched, but if he cared, he hadn't shown it.

"Practicing your swimming, you say?"

"Yep," Link answered.

"Yes… I'm sure you two weren't messing around at all, were you?"

Mipha hung her head, disappointed in herself for slacking off, even if it was only for a moment.

"Oh stop. We all need to let off steam somehow. I'm sure you two were just taking a break from the constant stress by flirting in the water."

"I hate to interrupt, but should we tell them about what we discussed earlier," Kass murmured. The Bard looked extraordinarily uncomfortable for some reason.

"Right," Urbosa muttered, giving him a sharp look. "Before we go to the Rito Village, we're going to make a brief stop."

"A stop?"

"Yes. Kass believes there's something we need in the Great Hyrule Forest."

"Yes. I believe it is- " the Bard stopped short as Urbosa made a quick gesture, "- where we'll find what we're looking for," he finished awkwardly.

Mipha sent a quick glance between the two, not really sure what was going on.

"I think we should start picking up the pace," Urbosa continued, "I don't know how much time we have left before Zelda's power will fade away, and we still have weeks of traveling left, and that's not including freeing Dinraal and Farosh."

Link and Mipha both nodded to the Gerudo Champion.

"So, that means that you're going to have to reduce the time you guys are… 'training,' understand?"

Mipha sighed again. Trying to worm her way out of Urbosa's teasing was a surefire way to make it much, much worse. It was far better to take it and keep her head down. Eventually, the Gerudo Champion would become distracted by someone else.

"Oh, don't look so glum," Urbosa said with a grin. "We're not going anywhere until tomorrow, so you two have the rest of the day to continue… what did they call it?" she asked as she gave Kass a mock, questioning gaze. "Oh, right. Training."

The Gerudo Champion chuckled as she and Kass left to find Daruk.

"Sometimes, I wish she would… Link, are you all right?" The Hylian Champion had sat down on a log and was rubbing his head, his face pinched tight in concentration.

"The Great Hyrule Forest," he muttered, "why does that mean something?"

"Maybe you've been there before."

"Maybe."

"Well, maybe we should just worry about it when we get there," she murmured as she set a hand on his shoulder.

"You're right," he murmured as his hand moved to cover hers. She stared at his hand, unsure of what to make of the unusual response. His eyes turned to meet hers, staring deep into her with his bright, blue orbs. "There's something I think you should know," he said slowly.

"Yes?" she asked nervously.

"When we left off, I was it," he continued as he gave her hand a brief pat with his own, "you're it," he said.

With no warning, the Hylian leaped to his feet and raced away, spurring Midna into a mad dash after him. Mipha blinked repeatedly, trying to process what had just happened. She wondered what had happened up on Death Mountain that would have caused Link to behave the way he was, but she could come up with nothing. So, she set her concerns aside as she began her chase. She was at a small disadvantage on land and giving him the opportunity to cross half of Hyrule would certainly not help her chances.

A/N: "My only regret is that the unknown presence and Ganon showing Zelda something are plot points that we'll have to wait and see..."

Sure would be a shame if you didn't have to wait and see. Oh... fun endings are fun, aren't they?

Guest Reviews:

GSC1: One of the villains you named is correct, but wrong motive. It honsetly concerns me that you be able to see where I'm going from like forty miles away.

Guest: I'm not sure where the chapter came from and yes the Rito Village is next, though there is a brief pit stop.