Chapter Two: Consolidation

Ganondorf remained in the king's throne for several minutes, looking down at his adversary, even as the stench grew progressively worse. The hole he'd blasted in the throne room's roof would need repairing too, once Ganondorf moved in completely and set up living quarters… but all were matters to be attended to in the near future. This moment of triumph was his first true victory over the boy, and he would savor every moment.

On his right hand he bore the crest of the Triforce of Power. On his left, he held half the Triforce of Courage, alongside the Master Sword. With the bearer of the other half dead, Ganondorf waited to see what would happen. Would he receive the remaining pieces of the Triforce, or would it reconstitute itself elsewhere? Without its human host, it would either bind itself to the hero's blood running in Ganondorf or would reform –even shattered and incomplete- elsewhere. Ganondorf was already planning to pursue Princess Zelda to claim the Triforce of Wisdom, so he wouldn't object to searching further; he had no reason to rush, and nothing to fear anymore.

As he waited, he felt the arrival of his minions, walking in through the castle doors. He had expected them to answer his call, and many more would join them once Ganondorf regained all of his strength and used his powers to revive his deadliest allies.

The Moblins and the Lizalfos came first, led by King Gramlin and Havoc, their strongest members and patriarchs. These creatures had always been Ganondorf's allies- and such perpetual loyalty was truly a rare thing. Though initially they followed Ganondorf simply because he was the strongest of men and had wowed them with his power, over generations of defeats their confidence had never wavered. Unlike the Gorons and the Zoras, who allied with the King of Hyrule through thick and thin, the Moblins and Lizalfos had always remained hunted and persecuted. Ganondorf was the only one who acknowledged them and promised them territories of their own to rule uncontested. He was not merely their leader, he was their savior.

Onox and Veran followed, accompanied by their soldiers and apprentices. Onox led an army of dissatisfied Hylian soldiers, willing to defect from the dull duties their former king imposed to satisfy their bloodthirsty natures. Veran was a leader of sorcerers, blessed with magical powers well beyond her years (though she may have been much older than she appeared).

The Dark Interlopers arrived last, dressed in their somber black cloaks. Only a handful of their secret society remained, and only three of them had come to meet their new king. Accompanied by the reanimated corpses commonly referred to as 'ReDeads', they joined their allies in standing before Ganondorf, and celebrating the sight of the fallen hero before him.

Their leader, who referred to himself as 'Scourge', stood before his two underlings. Ganondorf adjusted his sight carefully and saw that even now he was on the defensive; standing directly behind Scourge was the doppelganger, the same dark creature that had led to his restoration.

Despite the fact the Dark Interlopers had restored him to life, Ganondorf was wary of them. Their motivations were not the same as his; they sought destruction and chaos. While this made them useful allies when directed against the might of Hyrule's loyal forces, it made them less useful now than Ganondorf had seized the castle. Ganondorf sought to rule over Hyrule, and to preserve the beauty he had coveted.

Worse still, the doppelganger was a shadow of the original Hero of Time, something Ganondorf himself had not created. He possessed some remnant, some small essence of that lineage, and thus continued to endure so long as his descendants lived. With the blood of one such descendant now running through Ganondorf's veins, so too would the 'Dark Link' endure. This shadow existed only to destroy, and his every primitive thought was one of hatred. He had been born from the Hero of Time's doubts, fears, and frustrations… and now he was nothing but raw anger, under the careful guidance of the Interlopers. Even if the shadow was an ally, it was one beyond Ganondorf's control, and one that could theoretically wield the Blade of Evil's Bane…

"Mandrag Ganon," began Scourge, bringing Ganondorf's wandering thoughts back into focus. "We commend you on your success. Shall we begin the division of the kingdom?"

"Straight to business," Onox grunted.

"We all joined this alliance because we would benefit," Veran pointed out. "Now is a fitting time to take our just rewards."

Ganondorf snorted. His power had attracted ambitious, greedy souls… and he was rarely in a giving mood. Unlike the Moblins or the Lizalfos, these Hylians did not suffer persecution, and only sought personal gain. He understood that to some extent, but found them ungrateful, and at times, even despicable. As the last surviving member of the Gerudo, Ganondorf now found he had no people to call his own, and no true equals worthy of sharing in his glory.

Some of them he felt sympathetic towards, and others he simply used as his pawns. Now that victory had finally been obtained, it was time to cut the chaff from the wheat.

Ganondorf lifted himself from his throne and raised his arm, displaying the Triforce of Power. The Lizalfos, Moblins, and defected Hylian soldiers cheered. The Dark Interlopers remained silent.

"This castle shall be my only keep," Ganondorf said. "Though I shall have dominion over the entire world… you may make your own kingdoms wherever you please."

Veran exchanged glances with Scourge. The Lizalfos and the Moblins were congregating, discussing amongst themselves where best to start their settlements.

"However, you are not the only ones who shall decide," Ganondorf continued. "When I spread my magic once more, I shall revive our fallen brethren, and grant them the same promise."

"Once they awaken, you are sure to quarrel," Ganondorf added. "I shall have the final say. Whatever towns we allow to exist may keep their mayors, but always shall the first rights belong to those who followed me."

"Dark Lord," Havoc hissed, "There are many settlements in your kingdom. How many do you intend to spare?"

Ganondorf paused to consider. Hyrule Field was no longer as expansive as it had been in his memory; many new towns had been built on the green landscape, sitting alongside the ancient structures of their forerunners. There was a true, unified kingdom beyond the castle's walls, one that would require a long, dedicated campaign to subdue and command loyalty from.

And of course, Ganondorf would need to strike a delicate balance and keep a few of those towns intact, lest the entire population rebel against him. Though not unwilling to bring devastation to the citizens, Ganondorf was reluctant to damage Hyrule more than necessary.

And some of his allies intended to do the exact opposite…

"Return to your camps for now," Ganondorf ordered. "Tomorrow we shall march on the field and destroy all remnants of resistance. When their princess kneels before me, the Hylians will obey my every order."

And, while you slumber, I shall revive my closest advisors… and see who among you I must dispose of.

Ganondorf departed from the throne, but paused to look at the remains of the hero.

"Hang him from the castle's highest tower," Ganondorf instructed King Gramlin, and the bloodthirsty king happily followed the order.

As Ganondorf passed the three Interlopers, Scourge briefly examined Ganondorf's left hand. Still he possessed only half of the crest; his Triforce of Courage remained incomplete.

Exactly as Scourge had planned.

"We take our leave," he said aloud, bowing to the King of Evil and heading away with his minions. The shadow remained, briefly looking at Ganondorf with his hollow, sunken black eyes before following the Interlopers to the exit.

The Lizalfos and the Moblins continued to celebrate, planning a feast for the evening to celebrate the victory.

Veran and her small band of sorcerers began to peruse the castle's library and records, while Onox and his men raided the armories in pursuit of better weaponry to add to their arsenal.

Ganondorf himself ascended to one of the castle's highest towers and looked out over the kingdom. Fires burned in the distance, where his minions had fought the Hylian army and militias, sacrificing themselves so he could reside in the castle and await the boy who would be his final challenge.

Now, he'd need only find the Princess and return to the Sacred Realm, and retrieve the pieces of the Triforce that had eluded him. He would finally be able to make his wish.

To rule Hyrule forever…

However, there was much work to be done. The Princess had eluded him many times, in many different incarnations… it would take time.

Yet, now, it seemed, he had all the time in the world. Save a few troublesome flies.

Once he put his house in order, he would attend to Zelda…

-

Zelda herself had fled with the remnants of the castle guards, soldiers, and a few inhabitants of the town surrounding her castle. She had gone in the direction of old Kakariko, at the northwest corner of Hyrule beneath Death Mountain, she took refuge in the destroyed remnants of the old windmill, avoiding the homes of the citizens for now; she wouldn't want anyone to let slip she had fled here, lest Ganondorf find her only more quickly.

The soldiers were already debating possible ways of retaking the castle, but Zelda knew it to be pointless. Ganondorf now held the only weapon that could harm him.. the only weapon save the powers of light, powers unique to sages and Zelda herself.

But her powers were weak and rudimentary… she would need to develop them further before she could utilize them in any way such as to harm the evil king. That was a gift the Triforce of Wisdom had imbued within her, and yet now…

Now, when she slept, she did not dream. She did not see the future as she had every day before the hero's arrival, and wondered why her precognition had faded now.

As she sat there, in that destroyed windmill, and saw storm clouds forming above her, she wondered why she could not have predicted an age of such terrible darkness. She found a crate and a bale of hay and rested, curling up for warmth as she felt droplets of rain fall from the withered stone structure.

She had not foreseen this… her short tenure as matriarch of this kingdom, after years of cursed slumber, had quickly wrought ruin, and there was surely more to come.

Her ancestors had faced similar trials, and bravely resisted Ganondorf until a hero could rise to challenge him, fulfilling a destiny preordained by his bloodline.

Yet now, no such hero could arise, with Link dead… with the Master Sword in Ganondorf's hand…

Zelda opened her eyes and looked down, running a hand across her stomach. She felt nothing there, but wondered…

…or could he?

-

Scourge led the hero's shadow into a dark, overrun woods. "This is where Hyrule Castle town once stood," Scourge told him. "Do you remember that?"

The shadow could not speak. Whatever memories he possessed were fragmented, contorted by his desire for destruction.

"This is where the Temple of Time existed, where the entrance to the Sacred Realm was violated," Scourge explained, leading the doppelganger to the simple, empty pedestal, surrounded by mist.

The hero's shadow looked down at the empty stone, his recollection slowly returning… as Scourge carefully guided his thoughts, manipulating his simple, one dimensional mind.

"The blade of evil's bane was stolen from you," Scourge told him. "It is your destiny to wield it."

The sword strapped to the doppelganger's back was nothing but a construct of the magic that had birthed him. It could not compare to the genuine article.

That jealousy compounded with his rage, exactly as Scourge had predicted.

"Patience," Scourge suggested, sensing the apparition's wrath. "I will help you regain your birthright."

Dark Link's hollow, sunken black eyes betrayed no emotion. No loyalty. Nonetheless, Scourge knew the doppelganger was curious.

"I shall take you further, to the other end of these Lost Woods," Scourge promised. "And to the other place your soul visited…"

And, Scourge thought privately, to the place where Ganondorf will be unable to reach you… at least until the time is right.