"Who goes there?" the guard at the drawbridge demanded, trying his hardest to look as if he was in charge. Before him stood a tall man of a kind he had never seen before, who was nearly twice his girth, atop a black horse that snorted in fiery impatience.
"I am Ganondorf Dragmire, King of the Gerudo," the tall man answered, staring down at the guard with fierce amber eyes, as if speaking to a mere bug. "I wish to have an audience with your King."
"Ah." The guard considered for a moment, then decided there was nothing wrong with one King wishing to visit another. And there was really nothing he'd be able to do to stop him, anyway. "Very well, you may proceed."
The giant hooves of the massive beast clicked past, and the guard let out a sigh of relief.
As the Gerudo King's steed entered the town square, the entire populace stopped what they were doing and stared. A girl chasing a cucco stopped short and let it flap past the horse's nose. A young couple standing in the middle of the road slowly backed away. An old carpenter watched with his mouth open, not noticing that the food on his fork had fallen into his lap.
Ganondorf stared right back. He had never seen such a place. Once he got over the greenery, the tall buildings of stone, he realized that all this finery was what probably made them so weak. A fire-scorpion had a hard, beautiful shell, but underneath it was soft, boneless flesh.
He glanced around the town, searching for something that resembled the mark on his hand. If it were a Hylian symbol, and had as much written about it as it did, it should show up fairly prominently in their own town. Yet he could not see any sign of it anywhere.
He pulled the horse's reins over toward a tall building, an obvious place of worship. Squinting up at the building's double doors, he noticed that an ornament over the entrance had been plastered over, no sign of its design visible.
Frowning, he turned to the little knot of people that had been following him, as if he were a one-man circus. "Which way to the castle?"
They stood silent for a brief moment, then collectively pointed to his right. He rode past them without speaking another word.
-&-
Perhaps an hour or so later, Link rode into town. He, however, got the exact opposite reaction. Upon reaching the guard at the gate, the man simply waved him onward. The crowd of townspeople barely noticed him, except to point and laugh.
Link brought his horse into the stables of an inn. Upon finding the innkeeper and requesting some bread and water (the cheapest thing the inn would serve), he asked one of the waitresses, "Excuse me, but does this mean anything to you?"
He took off his glove. The young girl's eyes widened, and she turned pale as a ghost. "No, sir," she replied immediately, her voice trembling. She turned around and ran into the kitchen.
Link stared after her. Obviously she was lying, but he couldn't figure out why. Even if the mark had some bad association with it, he hardly looked threatening. Still, it wouldn't hurt to be more careful about who he asked.
Turning to the innkeeper, he said, "I've come from Kando looking for relatives. Do you know where I could find a genealogy?"
"You could ask one of the scholars at the castle," the big man said doubtfully. "But they only keep track of nobles and heroes. You know, important people."
Link nodded. "Yeah, I know."
He paid his bill, and left the inn. As he walked toward the castle, he saw the waitress that had run away from him talking to one of the guards. She pointed in his direction, and the guard began walking toward him. Mystified, Link kept going, hoping that if he could duck into the crowd he could get to the castle without more trouble.
No good. The guard hailed two others overseeing the path to the castle, and the one on the left frowned down at him. "Where are you off to, son?"
Link took a deep breath, trying to appear as calm as possible. "The innkeeper over there said I should go to the castle, and speak to the scholars. I'm looking for relatives. My parents are from here, but I was born in Kando."
The second guard snorted. "What makes you think that any of your relatives would have a genealogy?"
"Take a look at his hand," the guard from the inn stated, catching up to them. The other two stared in confusion, until he grasped Link's arm and ripped off his glove.
Horrified gasps arose from the three men. Suddenly they pinned the bemused boy's hands behind his back, drawing their swords. A little group of people swarmed around to watch the ruckus. "All right, boy. You're under arrest."
"What on earth for?" Link demanded. "I haven't done anything!"
"Silence," the guard ordered. "I don't know what someone like you is doing with that mark, but there's no way we're going to allow you to cause any trouble."
-&-
Princess Zelda.
Zelda's head jerked up from her book, searching around for the source of the voice. "Who's there?"
Hear me, Princess. The time is nigh. The people of Hyrule have abandoned us, but we have not abandoned you. I am Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom.
The mark on her hand glowed bright, and Zelda's heart skipped a beat. "Goddess? The same Goddess who cursed this country?"
You have been fed lies, child. I know you can feel it in your heart, even though it goes against everything you have been taught. The Triforce, the holy relic, rests within you, as it did your ancestor.
"And what am I supposed to do with it?" Zelda demanded of the unseen speaker. "Locked up here in this castle?"
You know there are ways out, child. I know you have stayed here not for lack of knowledge or courage, but lack of a path to follow. The two other Bearers have arrived.
"Bearers?"
Ones with marks like yours. Your uncle will try to destroy them, but you must not let this happen. The Triforce is Hyrule's power. Without it, Hyrule will eventually disappear.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Zelda demanded, her face set in determination.
Go find Courage and Power. They are your compliments, your companions. Release them from the dungeons before they are taken to the Shadow Temple!
-&-
Ganondorf kneeled before the dais, trying – very unsuccessfully – to look non-threatening. The lords and ladies of the court kept their distance, and the King – a sour-looking man with a gaunt face and thinning hair – stared upon him with a mixture of fear and contempt. Somehow Ganondorf sensed that this did not necessarily have to do with his appearance, or the fact that he was Gerudo.
He had seen many, many defaced walls, and upon closer inspection had discovered that the symbol on his hand had once been repeated ceaselessly around the castle. Now only a spread-eagle stood, and sometimes not even that. He wondered at several points if he should just turn around and leave, but then he would not have an answer to his question.
From the guards he had gleaned some vital information. The current King, Thalius, had not been the heir to the throne. He had gained it upon convincing the people that the previous king's daughter had some kind of evil power within her, and she now lived hidden somewhere in the castle. Thalius had wanted to kill her outright, but the Queen – who sat next to Thalius with a face of stone, would not permit her daughter to be harmed. The previous king, her first husband, had died under mysterious circumstances.
"Who are you?" Thalius demanded, speaking as if a mere peasant kneeled before him instead of another King.
Ganondorf bit back a sharp retort and said, with measured politeness, "I am Ganondorf Dragmire of the Gerudo. We have lived on the outskirts of your kingdom for many years, and yet we have never met."
A nervous titter began among the audience. Both rulers eyed Ganondorf with suspicion, and the King waved his hand impatiently as he might to a dullard servant. "There is no need to ask anything of us. We have no need of the desert. You may live there as you like."
Ganondorf hid his confusion, wondering why this man seemed so eager to get rid of him. "Sire, I have but a small request, a mere question that I am sure you can answer."
Thalius shifted uneasily, but said, "Well, go on, then."
Pulling off his glove, he presented the back of his hand and asked, "What is the meaning of this mark?"
He was completely unprepared for their reaction.
"Guards, seize him!" the King yelped, leaping to his feet. Several people screamed. Ganondorf stood and wavered slightly in confusion, wondering just what he had done.
"Enough!" he shouted in a voice that echoed throughout the great hall. "I mean you no harm. Just tell me what is going on!"
"As if you don't know," the captain of the guard snarled, his soldiers pointing a forest of spears and swords at him. "Do you take us for fools? Surrender, or die!"
Ganondorf could have easily blasted them with magic, then set about them with his own sword. But he realized he would never figure out what was going on that way, and this strange mystery – whatever it was – was much bigger than him.
Better to let them believe he had no power. In time he could figure out what led to this outburst of suspicion and fear. No way to find out if he killed them all, or scared them away. He allowed them to lead him away, knowing they had no idea how futile iron bars could be in holding him.