Nobooru's eyes opened slowly, her mind groggily registering the fact that she was blissfully comfortable as it slogged it's way back to awareness. Finally opening her eyes fully she looked around. She was layed on a massive bed, the chamber around her was lit by flickering torches, and she could see bookshelves, tables, and many other displays along the room's wall.

Oh, right... Dragmire. She groaned as she moved to get up, her body not wanting to leave the blissful comfort of the enormous bed that currently held her. Finally though, she was up and moving. She found the door, which lead out onto the second tier of Ganondorf's hidden library.

The man himself was seated on the ground floor, another book in his hands and a platter of food on the table before him. "Good morning Nobooru." He said without looking up from his book, "How are you feeling?"

She groaned, leaning against the railing and watching him for a few moments. "Like there's a Goron rolling around in my fucking head."

He chuckled, leaning forward and plucking some fruit from the patter, "Well you were up late, learning several languages worth of reading material." He tossed the fruit into his mouth, "I'd have been a little unnerved if you had said that you were 'fine'."

"So, when did I end up in the bed?"

"Hmm?" He finally looked up from his book, "Oh, uhh... about five hours ago. Give or take. I haven't exactly been paying much attention."

She laughed, wincing a bit as her headache instantly made her regret it, "Why am I not surprised..." She vaulted the railing, landing nimbly beside him and claiming several pieces of fruit. "You know, if we've really been gone that long, Mistress Lussana is going to wonder where we are. As will the others."

Ganondorf sighed, setting his book aside. "I suppose..." He grumbled, standing and picking up the food platter. "I didn't exactly ask if I could take this food when I went and took it from the store rooms... So they'll probably be noticing that it's missing soon enough." He made his way towards the ancient throne room that hid the entrance of his personal chambers. "Well come on, let's go make sure they haven't sent out any search parties."

The fortress was silent as Ganondorf and Nobooru emerged from the hidden passageway to his throne room. "Huh. Guess they're in the assembly hall." Nobooru said, looking around.

"Then let's go." Ganondorf grinned mischievously, "Let's see if they even notice us come in."

The two snuck silently through the fortress, making their way into the crowded assembly hall. The other Gerudo were all seated, listening to Lussana speak, and no one seemed to notice the pair enter and take their seats beside Missan. Nobooru was just beginning to suspect that her friend had done something to mask their appearance when her sister let out a surprised squeak.

"What the... Where the hell did you two come from?" Missan managed to keep her voice at a whisper, "I've been looking for you all day Nobooru!"

"What are you talking about Missan?" Ganondorf asked with a small, easy smile. "We were up at the archery range all morning. Nobooru was giving me some tips, although I don't think I can use the standard Gerudo bows. I kinda broke a couple..." He scratched his head sheepishly.

Nobooru glanced at Ganondorf, momentarily impressed by how smoothly he had lied to her older sister. "It's true." She sighed quietly, "We're going to need to have a custom bow made specifically for this giant." She lightly rapped her knuckles against his shoulder, "On the bright side, I can't wait to see just how much damage he'll do with the right bow."

Missan's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she eventually nodded and said nothing more. The three then turned their attention towards the raised dias on which Lussana stood. The elder was going over various assignments for several groups. "Lisali, I am sending you and your sisters out to the Crossroads. Now that Nobooru has finally come home, we have no one stationed there at the moment. Ga'nee, You and Shiva are to make your way to Lon-Lon town. I want eyes on the Hyleans without risking another Castle City incident." The indicated women all nodded, rose and left swiftly. Lussana then turned her gaze on Ganondorf. "Ganondorf, I will not be assigning you anywhere yet. Not until I am certain that you are trained to Gerudo standards. Until then, you will remain in the valley, is that understood?" Ganondorf smiled and nodded. "Good. Nobooru and Missan will oversee your assessments."

The rest of the meeting dragged by as one by one, groups and teams of women were given assignments and sent off to the far corners of the Hyrule kingdom. Finally though, Lussana dismissed those who remained with a small nod and a gesture. Ganondorf was immediately on his feet, making his way outside. "Godessess... I didn't realise that would take so long." He groaned as he stretched.

"Hmph." Missan snorted, appearing behind him, "Well aren't you just a little bundle of energy?" She grinned wickedly, looking him up and down. "Anyways. Mistress Lussana has made my sister and I responsible for getting you up to snuff. So let's start with the basics."

Missan led Ganondorf and Nobooru across the compound to a large building. The markings above it's entrance identified it as the training hall, Ganondorf smiled fondly as he remembered the ancient traps and puzzles that had occupied it in ages passed. "This should be fun." He chuckled to himself.

Nobooru grinned, knowing the reason behind the man's words. Missan however raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Confident are you? That's good, but don't let it get too overblown." They entered the structure, taking a few moments to allow their eyes to adjust to the gloom within.

Even given his memories, many of which had been crafted by his own hands, Ganondorf couldn't help but let out a low whistle at the sight that greeted him. The ancient training hall had evolved somewhat drastically since his last incarnation. The large, trap loaded, cage maze was still present, but it was now suspended ingeniously above an enormous, sand floored coliseum. The massive arena was almost a hundred feet deep, and close to that in width, and was currently populated by several pairs of Gerudo who were engaged in vicious looking sparring matches.

"Yeah." Nobooru chuckled, seeing his expression. "That's a common reaction."

Ganondorf nodded, watching a Gerudo below deliver a brutal kick to her opponent's stomach. "Either I haven't been reincarnated in an extremely long time," He said quietly enough for only Nobooru to hear, "Or someone got really creative in the past few centuries."

Missan grinned over to the young man, "Alright Dragmire. Time to see just how good you are." She turned and indicated the maze, "You're going to need to navigate the cage maze to make it down to the arena, the only entrance is at the center. If you would like, Nobooru or I could go first, show you how it's... Hey!"

As she had been speaking, Ganondorf had stepped forward, passing through the first gate. As he crossed the threshold, an enchantment in the gate locked it behind him. Immediately, a pair of massive spinning scythe-like contraptions, each with four blades dropped from the ceiling and swung towards him, one at his neck level, and the other coming in the opposite direction at his knee height. The blades were long enough that the only two spots in the room that were safe were right in front of either gate, and they moved fast enough that even at his fastest, Ganondorf would not have been able to move behind one blade, and stayed ahead of the next.

"What the hell!?" Missan hissed through the cage, "These traps are designed to be lethal, you idiot! If you aren't prepared..."

Her words were interupted by the touch of her sister's hand on her shoulder. "Trust me Missan. I think he's more prepared for this maze than most." Nobooru grinned, nodding to Ganondorf. "If you want, we can place bets."

"Put me down for thirty rupees." The young man chuckled through the metal bars of the cage. "I'm good for it."

With that, he winked at Missan, placed a foot against the gate and lunged with all his strength. His momentum threw him through the small gap between the spinning blades, tucking into a roll and bringing him up directly in front of the exit gate.

As he calmly stepped through the gate into the next chamber, Missan couldn't help but stare in impressed shock. "Who the hell is this man...?"

"He's the future king of the Gerudo," Nobooru laughed, pushing her own way into the maze. "Also he's a professional thief. And possibly a bit of an idiot." The younger sister continued laughing as she slithered down, crawling along the floor as if she were a lizard, popping up in front of the exit gate. However, even Nobooru, knowing Ganondorf's secret, and the advantage that he held, was shocked when she looked through the bars into the next chamber.

Dragmire had utterly vanished. There was no trace of him in the chamber, or the one after that. It wasn't until she looked three rooms further, that she saw him, practically dancing around an enormous gout of flame. Goddesses... She thought, He's better than even I thought...

Twenty minutes later, Ganondorf found himself laughing heartily on the sands of the arena watching Missan stagger down the stairs. "Come now Missan, surely you're not that tired?"

Missan and Nobooru both glared daggers at him. "Just what the fuck are you made of?" The elder sister asked, "Gorons?"

"Not at all!" He laughed, "It's just that my aunt taught me using pretty similar methods, so I was ready for a lot of those traps."

"Fine." Missan pouted, "Then get ready. Time to see just how well that talent translates to combat." As she spoke, she had moved slightly closer to him. Then, without letting her body betray any hint, she brought her leg scything up in a vicious kick to the side of his head.

Nobooru was shocked by the suddenness of her sister's attack, and was about to let loose an angry shout at Missan, when she noticed the small smile on Ganondorf's features. He shifted back just enough for the strike to whistle harmlessly past his face, before snapping his hand up and closing around her ankle in a locked grip, and spun, hurling the woman across the arena.

As Missan came to a rolling halt, the other groups of Gerudo all stopped their respective matches and turned to watch, whispering amongst themselves. "You're even faster than I thought." She said, pushing herself back up to stand, and glaring across the arena, "And strong too. That's good. But I've been ordered to make sure you're up to true Gerudo standards, so just that won't be enough to make the cut."

Ganondrof's smile widened as he stepped forward towards the center of the arena floor. "Of course." He chuckled, opening his arms in an almost welcoming gesture. "I look forward to working with you."

Nobooru watched from the side intently. This is bad... She thought as she noticed the gleam in her sister's eyes, Missan is genuinely serious... Even I can't beat her when she's this fired up... Turning her gaze back to Ganondorf, she froze.

There seemed to be a massive shadow gathered around him and slowly reaching across the sands. The other Gerudo watching all apparently saw it as well, as they began inching backwards, unsure of what it was that they were witnessing.

Missan paused, blinking at the sight before her. That smile... She thought, He's not just confident... There's something dangerous behind that mask.

"What's the matter?" Ganondorf's voice rang out clearly through the suddenly quiet arena, causing Missan to flinch slightly, raising her guard. "Not coming?" He grinned, shifting his feet ever so slightly, "Then I suppose I'll start."

Missan felt herself tense up, preparing for the man's attack, she knew that she had the advantage of experience in this fight; Ganondorf was no older than twenty, and she at twenty five had been fighting since she was a young child. I can take this. Even if he's the King, I can... what the?!

With a simple exhalation of breath, Ganondorf's gaze hardened, and he was suddenly right in front of her, his fist colliding into her side with the force of a boulder. The elder Gerudo was hurled away, coming to a rolling, crashing halt at the far wall. Missan felt herself cough painfully as she struggled to stand, What the fuck?! She looked across the arena towards her opponent, I couldn't even follow that! How the fuck can anyone move that fast She winced, clutching at her side in pain, Nevermind his speed... That punch felt like it came from a Biggoron... Fuck that hurt.

Ganondorf stood calmly, watching the young woman rise to her feet. That's a relief. He thought letting out a breath as she locked eyes with him, I was worried that I hadn't been able to pull back on that punch in time... Nobooru and the others wouldn't forgive me if I actually killed their Sister in a training match. Glancing back towards Nobooru, he paused, catching sight of the fearful look on her face. An expression that was mirrored on the features of every other Gerudo present. Shit... He thought, You fucking idiot Dragmire. What the fuck are you doing?! Going full power against a normal person... There's only one person you do that against.

What the fuck was that...? Nobooru felt her entire body freeze in fear as Ganondorf had hit her sister hard enough to kill a normal person. I've never seen that kind of strength come out of him... was he holding back that whole time we were traveling together? As she stood there, worrying about her sister and wondering just what she had done by bringing Ganondorf to this valley, she, and every Gerudo present, Missan included, blinked in shocked surprise when the young man actually punched himself in the jaw.

"I'm sorry about that Missan." He said, bowing his head towards the Gerudo guard captain. "I was worried I wouldn't be a good enough opponent for you, so I kind of used a spell my aunt taught me to increase my strength. I didn't realize that it would be quite so powerful."

Missan panted, wincing in pain slightly as she stood up to her full height. "You're a magician too?" He nodded silently. "I see... That certainly explains it. No normal person can hit that hard. No one." She walked forward, her expression still suspicious, closing the distance between them slightly slower than normal. "But this is a test of your actual skill. Not how good you are at making yourself stronger with magic. No more spells on these sands. Got it?"

"Of course." He nodded again. "Here." He held up his arm, exposing his chest and side. "Give me a would in the same spot as you. That way it'll be a fair match again."

Missan blinked in surprise, but managed to recover swiftly enough. "You're sure?" At his nod, she sighed, took a deep breath, and snapped her leg up and into the spot where she had been hit, delivering three kicks in such a swift succession that to all eyes but Ganondorf's they seemed like a single strike.

Ganondorf let out a hacking cough as the strikes connected, but otherwise made no reaction, his eyes locked with her's. When she lowered her foot back to the sand, he smiled slightly, "Now we're even again." He hid it well, but the strain in his voice from the pain that Missan had just caused him was there, effectively setting the others watching at ease somewhat. "Shall we continue?" He eased himself back down into a steady fighters stance.

Doing the same, Missan nodded and lashed out with another brutal kick.

The fortress was abuzz with talk as the sun set over the valley. Word had spread quickly when Ganondorf and Missan had begun their fight, and now, after almost six continuous hours of combat, there was still no decided victor between them. The rumors of Ganondorf's magical opening strike also spread like wildfire. Some insisted that he had cheated intentionally, while others, usually siting his refusal to fight without the same wound as Missan, swore that it had been the honest accident that he had called it.

Nobooru lay on her bed, waiting for the sun to fully set, lost in thought. Thinking back to the moment of Ganondorf's first attack, she could have sworn that it wasn't him that had made the attack. As if something... else... had momentarily taken his place, something terrifying.

As the sky outside darkened, she let out a frustrated growl and leaped out of bed. Within ten minutes she found herself walking angrily down the hidden hallway towards Ganondorf's throne room. "Ganondorf!" She shouted as she entered the massive chamber, "You owe me an explanation!"

He sat slumped on the throne, his shirt and armor thrown to the side and a mass of bandages pulled across his chest. As she shouted, he winced painfully, holding a hand to his head. "About what Nobooru?" He grumbled with a shaky voice.

"What in the HELLS was that today?" Her eyes flared dangerously, "You didn't just cast some magic to make yourself stronger did you? You used something to turn yourself into some kind of demon!"

He froze, his eyes widening as he seemed to look at her for the first time. "What...did you say?" His voice shook with something so unexpected that it actually caused her to pause; fear. He was afraid. "What kind of demon?"

"I..." She paused, trying to remember what she had seen. His unexpected reaction had caught her off guard, but eventually she was able to form the image in her mind again. "It was about twice your height, It's fists looked like boulders carved into hands, and it had this long mane of fire where it's hair should be." As she spoke, she watched him curiously. The more detail about what she had seen was revealed, the paler his face grew.

"I see..." He slumped forward, clasping his head in his hands. "How could I have forgotten about that... thing?" Nobooru didn't move, her gaze locked onto him with an expectant look in her eyes. "I told you last night that I am the reincarnation of Ganon," He said, a strange effort in his voice as he spoke. "But there is more to the story than that." He rose to his feet, making his way unsteadily towards his library, "Come with me... It'll be easier to just show you."

They entered the library, and walked up the stairs in the far wall to the higher tiers. "There is a reason why Ganon was the 'King of Demons'." He explained as they climbed, making their way up, towards the highest tier Nobooru realized. "That is because he himself is an avatar."

"A what?" They reached the highest level, and Ganondorf made his way to a shelf, pulling down a truly ancient tome. It was old enough that Nobooru could actually feel the ages that it had survived as she looked at it.

He opened the book, slowly leafing through the pages, "An avatar. An embodiment of something, created for a single purpose." He finally stopped, shivering as he looked at something within the book, "Here." He offered it to her, "This is what you saw, yes?"

Nobooru took the tome in her hands, her eyes widening as she looked once more upon the being she had seen that morning. The picture within the tome seemed to have been hand drawn, and depicted the demon standing over a young man armed with a sword and shield, it's fists raised as though to deliver a powerful blow. She nodded quietly.

"That is Demise. The original Demon King." Ganondorf made his way over to a chair that sat in one corner of the tier, slumping down into it, and wincing in pain. "Demise was the original. It is because of his hatred that I exist." He sighed, gently massaging his temples. "At the beginning of this endless cycle of hatred and death that Link, Zelda and I are caught in, Zelda, who is herself the mortal reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia, was targeted by Demise. He wanted to use her power to control the world. However Link stopped him. In his final moments, Demise laid a curse upon the two whom he hated more than anything else. He swore that an avatar of his hatred would haunt their descendants for the rest of time. That hatred took the form of Ganon, the Demon King."

Nobooru's hand's were trembling as she closed the book, setting it back on the shelf. "So... What I saw today..."

"I don't know..." He admitted. "I've never had anyone tell me that they've seen me turn into Demise before. It would have been bad enough if you had seen Ganon, but Demise?! I... I don't know what is happening."

The young man sat, hands covering his face. His body shivered in what Nobooru could easily tell was fear. Something about the sight hammered home that for all of his memories, for all the past lives he may have lived, he was, at his core just a twenty one year old boy. With a sigh, she stepped over too him, kneeling before him and cupping his face in her hands. "Then we'll just have to find out together won't we?"

His golden eyes were soft and grateful. "Ok." He said, taking her hand in his and holding it tightly, as though he was afraid she would change her mind, "Partners."

"Partners." She confirmed with a smile of her own.

The comeback continues with a new chapter of A Twist in the Cycle!

For those of you who keep up with my other fics, you'll likely have already seen my apology that I wrote out in my Rise of the Hollow King chapter. For those of you who don't, I shall reiterate. I am SO sorry that I haven't updated in so long! I hope to get more writing done over the course of this year, (school's almost done, so that'll probably help a bit.)

Anyways, thank you all for your continued support, it is what makes this gig worthwhile.