The very next day, I found myself riding with Zelda, Link, Impa, Nabooru, Darunia, and a large troop of Allied cavalry across the plains. It was finally time to take the fight to Ganon and bring him down once and for all - or at least, I hoped so; I didn't really have a clue how sealing someone worked here. Once Ganon was gone, I could face whatever path lay before me, whether it lay with Zelda in Hyrule, or with all of my old friends in Oregon (at this point, I was fine with either).

We all knew this final confrontation wouldn't be easy, though. Hence, the large cavalry force at our backs. The Hylian knights were with us, of course, as were my horse archers. A few Gerudo warriors had also taken up bows and swords and ridded with us. The large force was meant to clear away any remainder of Ganon's forces and thus leave the way open for Zelda, Link, and I to make our way to Ganon.

Sure enough, as we approached the entrance to the western valley (which I had learned recently was called the Gerudo Valley), we could make out a respectable number of fell creatures issuing from it. But they were nowhere near the number that had participated in the battle for Kakariko, and, as I had seen so many times, their greatest strength lay not in their skill, but in their numbers. Sure, they still had our force outnumbered, but we could pretty much count on wiping them out.

As we neared them, I lowered the long lance I had been handed and spurred Dagda on to a charging pace, followed by the rest of our cavalcade. As our mounted, armored column made contact with the pitiful monsters, I could feel every impact of the lance in my upper arm. Each body pierced by the lance sent a jolt up my arm, a feeling of the raw power behind the horse and the lance. As the front of the column entered the valley, the horse archers at the rear were firing lethal shots from their bows, keeping the enemy from even attempting to impede our progress.

I didn't see if any monsters were left after that devastating charge, but there were, there couldn't be that many. At any rate, we made it into the valley without a single death on our side and proceeded to ride hard for the Gerudo people's fortress, where we were sure Ganon was holed up.

It seemed that every time I had gone through the valley to that fortress, I had taken less and less time on each occasion. This time was certainly no exception. Even I was surprised at how quickly our force rode into the courtyard of the fortress.

It was a desolate place. As we all reined in our mounts, the first thing that stuck out was the utter silence of the place. Our mounted battalion were the only living things we could see, at least on the outside. I turned over to Link and asked quietly, "Should we look inside?" He promptly nodded to this. So we all dismounted and proceeded through the various doors to search for Ganon.

It was somewhat anti-climactic when he couldn't be found anywhere in the fortress. There were no traces of his presence either, not even of the monsters that he had once stationed there. It was if everything that had lived in the fortress since the Gerudo had been driven out had simply vanished off the face of the world.

After the last room had been checked, we all met back in the courtyard, where Zelda, Link, the Sages we had, and I circled up and held a quick conference.

"Where do you suppose he could be?" Zelda asked.

"He sure isn't here," Nabooru answered rather tersely.

"We get that," broke in Darunia, somewhat annoyed.

"Is there anywhere else he could be?" I inquired. "The Castle, maybe? The Ranch?"

But Impa was already shaking her head. "You and Zelda would've had your Triforce pieces resonating when we passed those two places."

Zelda smirked at that. "Even more than they already are when it's just the two of us?" she asked.

Impa was about to make reply when Link cut in. "I'll bet you he's gone to the Spirit Temple," he said.

We were all silent at that. Then, one by one, Zelda and the other Sages (the ones that were actually there) nodded in affirmation that the Temple of Spirit was a probable location for the King of Evil.

Then Zelda said something rather strange. "Only Brian, Link, and I need to go. Everyone else should stay here. I don't want any unnecessary casualties from facing Ganon himself."

Nabooru and Darunia seemed displeased at the thought of staying behind, and Nabooru even opened her mouth, likely to protest. But Zelda cut her off with a raised eyebrow. That caused her to back off from whatever she'd been about to say and concede to the fair-haired queen.

As the three of us prepared to leave, the rest of the force proceeded to prepare a camp at the fortress. A rider was sent back to Kakariko to send for the rest of the army - just in case Ganon did beat the three of us. Epona and Dagda were stabled in one of the front chambers on the fortress' ground floor. The gate to the desert beyond was opened, and Link, Zelda, and I exited the fortress.

The trek there didn't take nearly as long as it had when Zelda and I had led the mission to rescue Link from there. That may have been because we didn't have Impa, Ruto, and ten crossbowmen with us. So it took me by surprise when we came so soon upon the sizeable monolith with the statue carved into it that marked the entrance to the Temple of Spirit.

As we ventured into the basin that held the temple, I could feel my hand buzzing like never before. That could mean only one thing.

"He's definitely in there somewhere," Zelda said gravely.

"Waiting for us to come and clobber him," Link continued.

We all stopped on the half-buried patio of the Temple. I turned to the others and said, "Well, I guess this'll be what decides it."

Link and Zelda nodded at that. "Let's hope we survive this one," Link said.

Now it was my turn to nod in acknowledgement. As we stood there on that patio, I made a quick, silent prayer to the Lord for success. Almost immediately, I heard Kaylee's voice in my head, constantly repeating, Go get 'em, Brian, among a host of other optimistic things my housemate had said to me over my time at the Onyx House. Then I drew the handed-down longsword and turned back to face the entrance to the temple. Link pulled the Master Sword from its case, and I could hear Zelda readying her bow. Then the three of us walked through the entrance together.

We came into the same large room that had previously been Link's prison. But this time, a different sight greeted us, causing Zelda and Link to gasp softly, and me to step back, intimidated.

For at the back of the room, in front of the statue there, stood one of the most physically imposing men I had ever seen. Standing easily seven feet tall, and built like a tank, he wore a thick cuirass made of some dark metal, long, heavy boots, and tan clothes underneath various other pieces of armor. He had no helm on his head, so we could see his flaming red hair and the deep olive skin of his face. His deep-set, amber eyes fixed us with a look of complete confidence, complete with a smug grin.

Seeing our reactions to his presence, he gave a deep, booming laugh that unnerved me immensely. Then, in a deep, resonant voice that exuded power and authority, he spoke: "At last, you have arrived. I have been awaiting you, Link and Zelda." Then he turned his eyes on me and continued: "And you. I have not encountered you before, but I trust you know who I am."

And I certainly did. This was the former Gerudo king, Ganondorf. Or, as we had all come to know him, Ganon.

...

Since this story is getting close to its conclusion, there is one thing I feel I must ask you, my dear readers. I am considering the idea of writing about what went on behind the scenes and the things that had shaped this story. I would like to know if you, my readers, would prefer I put it after the end of this story, or if it would be better to post it on my profile. Please leave a review with your preference. Once again, I thoroughly appreciate any and all reviews in general. And, finally, thank you all, my dear readers and reviewers, for showing me this great kindness in reading this work.