He was five years old. Ganondorf had just finished his first caravan raid and they were heading home laden heavily with spoils. Then an alarm had been sounded.
"KNIGHTS!"
They broke into a run, drawing their daggers as they did. As they ran, Ganondorf glanced back, and caught sight of one of the mounted metal warriors. It proved to be a grave mistake. He tripped over a stone and before he could move, the knight was upon him, the cold metal of a sword at his back. The other Gerudo skidded to a halt, daggers ready.
The knight who held the sword yelled at the Gerudo "IF YOU MOVE I'LL KILL HIM!"
All the women stopped dead in their tracks, no doubt in anyone's mind that the knight would carry out his threat.
The hylian knight nodded in approval. "I don't want any trouble, just give back what you have stolen and I'll let you go free."
The Gerudo were motionless for a moment, and then they began to come forward one at a time to put their treasures on the ground. Ganondorf cringed as he saw the valuables that they were giving up.
The knight slowly dismounted so he could get a better angle with his sword on Ganondorf's neck. He looked at his prisoner for the first time. His face showed surprise so completely that Ganondorf would have laughed if his life hadn't been in the man's hands.
"Well well! I never thought I would catch one of the rare male Gerudo under my sword! It's quite an honor."
Ganondorf glared at him, and the knight smiled.
"These treasures aren't your's, it's a pity the Gerudo resort to thievery. Your skills could be put to a good cause. I've always wanted to establish a treaty with the Gerudo, but I don't have the authority."
It was Ganondorf's turn to be surprised, and the knight laughed. Suddenly he seemed to have an idea.
"Would you consider becoming my apprentice? It would be a wonderful start to a peace between our people. Though I must warn you many of the knights will hate you for being a Gerudo, so it will be dangerous."
Ganondorf was silent for a moment then he looked the knight strait in the eye "A Gerudo is not afraid of danger. I will ask our leaders to consider your offer."
He already knew that, as the Gerudo prince, his request would not be denied.
The knight's smile turned ecstatic "That- that's wonderful! Just tell the gaurds that Sir Giffard sent you."
Ganondorf stared at the forever closed door to the twilight realm. His face remained expressionless but he gave a barely noticeable shuttered as he saw the stain of his blood on the stone. Link walked up to the metal stand where the mirror of twilight had once stood and ran his fingers over it, as he always did when he visited the Arbiter's Grounds.
"Am I suppose to guess at what happened since your too simple to talk?"
Link shrugged.
Ganondorf's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He reminded himself, for the thousandth time, that if Muerte needed the triforce seal to lock him away he would probably kill everyone, even a fellow agent of evil, as well as ridding him of Link.
"Well Zant said that the mirror was the only door to the twilight realm. You said that the twilight princess is now the wielder of the triforce of wisdom. I see no mirror so there is no way to get to her. Except that you wouldn't bother finding me, much less bringing me here, if the triforce seal couldn't be completed." He paused "And while I'm sure the wise Midna could regularly figure out what you wanted her to know my attribute is power, not wisdom, power that I will soon use to strangle you if you don't tell me how we get to her!"
Link was silent for a moment longer.
"The triforce calls out to itself. We might be able to bring Midna back if we activated ours."
"Let me guess, you have no idea how to activate them, but I know how to so I'm suppose to use mine instead."
Link nodded.
Ganondorf rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth so hard that it was a wonder they didn't shatter "Wonderful idea, except mine is too busy keeping me from dying from the hole in my chest."
Link took a deep breath and counted to ten, it was amazing how fast he had started to hate Ganondorf "One triforce should be sufficient, just tell me how to do it."
Ganondorf smiled, glad to have knowledge Link didn't "You just concentrate on it, or is that too hard for you wolf boy?"
"I'd rather be a wolf than a pig." Link thought as he held his left hand towards the black stone. He stared at the symbol on the back of his hand, willing it to call Midna.
He felt something pulsing, like a second heart. The symbol began to glow, his senses sharpened.
And he turned into a wolf.
Ganondorf burst out laughing "You really don't know how to use it do you! That's just pitiful!"
Link examined his wolf form quietly, actually a little pleased with the new development. He had only ever transformed before when he came in contact with dark magic. It was quite useful to transform by just concentrating.
But it still didn't solve the problem of calling Midna. He stared at the stone, trying to figure out what to do. Then he began to howl. It was a bit of a sad song, but it was one that Midna had hummed from time to time.
Five beams of light shot from the pillars around the chamber, each one a different color; the only color missing was yellow. Ganondorf looked up, no longer laughing, and saw the five living sages on their pillars, their masks glowing with light. The marks of the triforce on both Link and Ganondorf's hands glowed and shot out their own light, landing in the center of the mirror. All seven of the lights faded, leaving the mirror of twilight in their place.
The runes on the mirror began to shine once again, and they projected their light onto the black stone. The stone seemed to give way, revealing the path to the twilight realm.