Nabooru snorted in her sleep as a cold breeze swept across her back, disturbing what had been a peaceful rest so far. Groaning in annoyance, she blindly grabbed for the blanket, wrapping its soft wool about herself snuggly. With a sigh of content, she settled herself into the pillows, her eyes closing firmly as she attempted to continue her sleep before it had been so rudely interrupted by the unruly elements of a cold desert night. It was only a moment later that her eyes snapped open in realization, noting that she had a bit more blanket to herself than she should have normally possessed given that two people were supposed to be sleeping in this bed. Yawning, she pushed herself up on one arm, her gaze flitting to her side as she confirmed what she had suspected; Ganondorf was not in bed yet again.
"At this rate, he is going to collapse from sleep deprivation," Nabooru grumbled under her breath as she stood up, draping the blanket across her shoulders. Without much thought, her bare feet pattered across the room and into the hallway of the Gerudo Fortress, taking her to the rooftop. That was where he had been sitting for the past few nights, after all. As she ascended the stairs Ganondorf came into view, his back to her as he sat cross legged with a very distinctive sword held still in his hand. Nabooru made a sucking sound with her teeth, alerting Ganondorf of her presence. He turned his head, his eyes meeting the disgruntled and tired face of his Second and his best friend.
"Seriously, what is your problem? You can't keep losing sleep over this." Nabooru said, voice laced with annoyance as she came to stand beside his seated form. His gaze had returned to the sword in his hand, deep in thought. The Gerudo did not miss the dark rings forming under her King's eyes from his lack of adequate rest. Sighing, she plopped herself down beside him. Perhaps she was letting her irritation get in the way of good judgement. After all, Ganondorf was amongst the most unique kings the Gerudo had ever been blessed with, being the son of the Hero. In fact, despite his young age, he already had several notable accomplishments under his belt due to the spirit he had inherited from his father. He was renown throughout Hyrule as the "Hero King" for this very reason, having finally portrayed the Gerudo tribe as a whole in a good light for the first time in Hylian history. At face value, Ganondorf should have been rather proud of all he had done so far during his reign. Yet, Nabooru knew, there were other problems that laid beneath the surface that her King internally struggled with on a daily basis.
"Alright Ganondorf," Nabooru began as she turned to look at him, "let's try and air out your concerns. First and foremost, why do you feel that you are unworthy of wielding the Master Sword?" Her eyes glanced over to the blade he held in his hand, noting its distinctive features. "It's pretty clear that your father left it to you because he knew deserved it. If I'm not mistaken, only those truly possessing the Spirit of the Hero can actually wield it." Nabooru watched as her King exhaled loudly, his shoulders sagging as his grip tightened on the hilt of the holy blade.
"It's not so much about wielding the blade itself than the connotations that come along with it Nabs," he said quietly as he finally turned his head. His sharp blue gaze met hers, uncertainty wavering in their depths. Nabooru chose to remain silent as she stared right back at him, silently beckoning him to continue.
"In all of my past lives, I was the Demon King," he began as his eyes turned to the sky. "I can almost see every memory clearly, and can feel the hatred that ran though my bones at those moments in time." He closed his eyes, as if he were viewing the very images in his head as he spoke. "However, I can also see that in those lives, I did not set about my ways of destruction for no reason. There was always something, a trigger…" His eyes fluttered open as his gaze fell on the full moon that hung on the sky, having gone silent .It was the gentle hand that laid itself upon his own that snapped him out of his thoughts.
"In those lives, you set out for Hyrule because of the suffering the Gerudo had to endure," Nabooru said softly, "though of course, being the bearer of Power, the sole ability to conquer and rise above all must have also been very appealing." Ganondorf frowned as he listened to his Second. Ever since his memories as Demon King had returned, the urge to crush all those that stood before him brimmed beneath his skin. While he could argue in the past that he had a reason to act on this urge, such reasons were largely absent in this life. Zelda had been born long before him in this lifetime, and had taken the steps to ensure an ever strengthening relationship between the Gerudo and the Hylians. Couple that with his feats as a Hero in his own right, and he was arguably in the most comfortable situation he had ever been in his existence in regards to his people. There was no reason for him to feel this way.
"Even though everything is well in this lifetime, I still have this urge inside of me to conquer Hyrule. The conditions are all in my favour after all," he said quietly as he stared accusingly at the blade before him. "How could I, the man destined to be Demon King, be suddenly saddled with the Spirit of the Hero? What were the Goddesses thinking, allowing me to be born to the Hero of all people!?" Frustration took hold of his form as he dropped the sword by his side, his hands grabbing onto his hair. "In the day, I take up my blade to ward off monsters from this land and bring hope to the people, while I lay down at night thinking of how simple it would be to resurrect my armies and march onto Hyrule Castle. The Queen is advanced in age and my father is not there to stop me." His grip on his hair tightened as the two conflicting spirits, that of the Hero and that of the Demon King, fought brutally for control within his mind. He was certain he would go insane one day. Perhaps taking up both the Master Sword and the Demon King's blade had been a horrid idea. How could he hope to master two roles that were absolutely contradictory in nature? He had certainly not thought this through properly.
Two hands came to rest upon his own, gently prying his hands away from the painful grip he had on his own head. Nabooru smoothed out the errant hairs on his head, before cupping his face in her hands. She turned his head until they were face to face, his expression distraught and his eyes weary. She gazed at him for a while, her eyes silently telling him to calm down and clear his mind. Ganondorf blinked a couple of times before he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he tried to put himself at ease.
"I'm not an expert at this destiny stuff," Nabooru began as she ran her thumb soothingly along his cheek, "but even I would think that mastering both roles would be impossible, just based on the principle of the whole matter." Ganondorf sighed as his eyes fell on his lap, his fists clenching at his side. His Second had basically confirmed what he had already dreadfully concluded, and that did not comfort him at all in regards to his fate. Noticing that was growing tense once more, Nabooru coaxed him to look at her again.
"Let me finish before you get your panties in a wad Gan," Nabooru interjected before he could say anything. Ganondorf could not help but grin; he could always count on Nabooru to throw in sarcastic remarks, no matter how dire the situation. "Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that maybe the Goddesses didn't intend for you to master both, or pick one even. Picking one would be pretty unfair to the other side if you ask me, in fact. A Hero without the Demon King or a Demon King without the Hero is pretty much a free pass for whichever side you choose, and I really doubt the Goddesses operate that way." The Gerudo King could not help but laugh at the final remark; it sounded rather similar to the arguments they would have when they would play games as children. Apparently, any side the little hero prince was on was unfair to the other team back then. However, as he thought on the matter, as rudimentary as it sounded, he wondered if Nabooru had a point. His eyes went back to the blade that rested beside him; it was true that only one hero could wield it, and he was wielding it, wasn't he?
"Maybe…" Ganondorf started as he took the blade into his hand, Nabooru releasing him in the process. He could see his reflection in the blade, his own eyes, his father's eyes, staring right back at him. He could also feel the spirit of the Demon King bristle within him; those eyes had once been those of his enemy in lives long past. The Demon King's blade was safely stashed in his room, its blade much more comfortable in his hand without a doubt after wielding it so many times over so many lives. However, he had spent his youth tempering the hero's spirit within him, and it was something that he also closely identified with now.
"Maybe the Goddesses intend to take Hyrule's future in a different direction…" the Gerudo King murmured as he observed his reflection. Nabooru chuckled as she patted his shoulder in a friendly gesture.
"Maybe they're ready to just let you be Ganondorf for once, instead of forcing you into some role or another," she suggested with a grin on her face. The Gerudo King chuckled at her response, his heart feeling significantly lighter after their conversation. Nabooru had been raised along with him, having trained and learned the duties of the King as she took charge of ruling the Gerudo when he was away. He should have known she would be the one to help ease his mind instead of losing sleep over his thoughts for all these nights. Ganondorf was truly grateful that he had such a trustworthy companion by his side, one he could trust with his life if need be.
Perhaps Nabooru was right. Perhaps the Goddesses wanted him to build a new identity, free of the constraints of the Hero and the Demon King, free of this relentless cycle of destruction.
"I suppose we should head to bed Nabs," Ganondorf declared as he found himself on his feet, the Master Sword in his hand. He offered his free hand to her, which she graciously accepted. Back on her feet, she wrapped her blanket tighter around her as she let out a sigh of relief.
"About time! Since you've missed out on so much sleep, you'll probably sleep in even later than usual," Nabooru commented as she made her way towards the stairs. Ganondorf's grin widened as he followed behind her; once he was tired enough to sleep, he certainly did enjoy getting as much of it as possible. He supposed he inherited that little trait from his father. It had always been difficult for Link to get out of bed on time, and Ganondorf was no different in that regard.
As he found himself in his bed, Nabooru already snoring by his side, he could not help but feel somewhat optimistic. He turned his head, his eyes falling on the Master Sword and the Demon King's blade hanging on his wall side by side. Perhaps this is where the everlasting war between the three bearers would finally end, with the line of the Demon King and the Hero permanently merged into one. As his eyes fell shut, he could feel the familiar hum of the Spirit of the Hero reverberating through his being, calling him. A smirk quirked at his lips as he turned onto his side; the timing could not have been mere coincidence, he was convinced.
Maybe this next journey would finally yield the answers to all his questions.