Chapter 25: A Mortal's Power
Was Link staying loyal to him?
It was a strange thought, but it would not leave Ganon's mind. Or rather, his descendant had somehow woken up enough that his thoughts were more noticeable and they kept circling around the hero in ways that Ganon had never considered. When he questioned that of someone, it was because of actual betrayal or backstabbing in a greedy grab at power. It was never because of petty love games that didn't matter.
Though, he would like Link's lustful attentions on him solely, not drifting off to more worthless people. And he would like to dismiss the other in his mind entirely. Normally that wasn't an issue, but this one kept struggling to remain. He should realize the futilely of such desires; Ganon had been sure before that he'd accepted the inevitable. This person's name had been wiped out of history, he should be completely gone and forgotten. More likely, he should have not allowed him to use that name for the letters.
But checking up on Link should quiet the other for a bit. By examining the magic of the envelope bound to them, Ganon was able to locate Link. He was far to the south, in Laverre City at another inn. It wasn't an important place, so he only summoned a few dozen monsters to distract the guards while he warped into the shadows of the inn. As it was near the bay, he noticed something: the dragon Twin Fang was no longer there. That was annoying, since it penned these people in to keep them from escaping this land and disrupted their lives. Still, he could replace that monster and its whirlpool soon.
He got into the room Link was staying him and found that he was in the shower. For a moment, he entertained the notion of going directly in there to surprise him. But humans tended to take that kind of surprise when they were unclothed and particularly vulnerable as as a bad thing. Ganon refrained and opted to take some flowers and set up the area in a way that would be considered romantic. That kind of surprise should go over better.
When Link came out, he noticed immediately and stared across the room. Ganon smiled at him. "Nice that I could catch you alone tonight," he said.
He smiled back, looking aside bashfully before looking back. "I thought you might come." He closed his eyes and stifled a yawn. "I'm glad you did. But, I'm sorry, I'm tired tonight and I just want to get to sleep now."
"After I took all this effort to prepare for you?" he asked, coming up to embrace him. It shouldn't be hard to convince hm, even with him being tired.
"I'm really sorry about that," Link said, taking up the offer and leaning into him. His exhaustion was enough that he'd drop on the floor if Ganon slipped his support away. "Last night was really good, but I woke up early and I've been doing so much today."
"I hope you weren't up to anything with that idiot from last night," he said. The other was thinking that he really should let Link sleep now.
"Nmm hmm," Link mumbled, shaking his head slightly. "He was hiding some wounds that he got sick from and was out with fever all this morning. That was partly why he was coming on to me, I think. And the Prism Dragon was affecting him in trying to overtake him, that too. I took care of it earlier, and Twin Fang not long ago. Sorry, I know you said to slow down, but I couldn't let it continue."
The other thought something, so Ganon voiced it. "No wonder you're tired. But still, I come here and you don't want to spend the evening with me? I could pretend to force you if that's what gets you."
He laughed a little, but even that lacked energy. "No, please, we're not what others are expecting us to be when we're alone like this, right?" Link took hold of his shoulder and added softly, "Though I would like it if you spend the night and be here by me when I wake up."
"I don't sleep, so I'd end up just watching you sleep the whole time," he said.
"You could try it tonight, even if you just close your eyes and let your mind drift. It's really refreshing to nap that way, though it's been a while since I had the chance."
"Still, we wouldn't be doing anything, just lying in bed together. That seems silly." Though 'silly' was a light way to explain it; it was more like wasteful, even if what he'd be doing otherwise was just waiting for the important moment that was fast approaching.
"Please? You might like it." After a moment in which Ganon was searching for some way to convince him, Link buried his face in his neck. "Gale? I… I don't like being alone."
"I'm with you just about every night lately," he said.
"But you're not there when I wake up." He gripped on tighter, trembling for some reason. "I know what's bound to happen. I've been feeling the binds of fate tighten recently. And these nights have become strange, like some dream escaping reality. When I wake up without you, it's a painful reminder that we're not a normal couple. You've been right, we don't have much time left because of what I've done. Still, would you stay with me through this one night? If it does end up our last, I, I want to believe it's not."
Link was strong for a human, but he was still a human with all the weaknesses that entailed. He was willing to accept an illusion for some brief happiness, all to escape a self-defeating loneliness. Accepting one illusion would lead into accepting many others. "Very well, I'll indulge you this once and stay to morning, even if you end up sleeping through it."
"Thank you," he said, pulling back a little to look at him eye to eye for a moment. His smile was a brink of insanity or despair if his words were any indication.
Apparently to help himself sleep, Link hummed a song unfamiliar to Ganon. It was peculiar in how it made him feel, like there was something he should know but it kept slipping his mind. It had a feeling similar to a healing spell somehow. Or it could just be a song Link found soothing and so his humming came out that way. So he could close his eyes and left his mind drift. The song did encourage that.
There was something pleasant about this that wasn't like the other pleasures he'd found in this relationship. Maybe that was why humans clung to each other like this? It was incomprehensible, but he'd given his word so he may as well play along.
You had to fight to gain power; you had to keep fighting to maintain power. But the battles were dwindling in this colorless world of death. He had conquered all, even destroyed the gods. With the earth rendered infertile to prove his power, there was no one left to challenge him. No being could rise to even half his level. They held him in too much awe and knew they would be crushed if they even tried.
He still yearned for more. In battle, he had learned what it meant to live. The struggle was when his heart soared; the brief gasps of when others tried to fight him did not thrill him for long. Was it worth it to hold back, to guide someone else in a rise to power that would bring joy back to him? These long dusty days of nothing dulled his spirit in maddening ways. But to bring himself so low was humiliation, admitting to a fault of boredom that others would take advantage of. That was not something he could bring himself to do.
The life force of this world was dead, shriveled to a worthless husk and stomped into dust by his own foot. There was one thing that he regretted: not stealing the power of life from the gods. If he could shape the world to his desires such as they did, he could create a world where conflict never died. Even just struggling to attain that power in a world with a strong life force would be better than remaining here as the one who could not be conquered.
And those that followed him would see it as him exerting his power to conquer even more. That was no weakness. There had to be a world out there where he could steal control over the force of life itself.
There had to be a world…
You could call them the legends of Zelda for how much they centered on the princess, even if only a portion of the stories had her in any active role. But some of them centered exclusively on the actions of the Hylian hero outside of his homeland. And none of them would have happened without some action from the villain. No matter what name he went by, nor what any of them were called, nor what reasons they had, they would be drawn into a battle where the fate of the world was decided. Supposedly.
And his role in all this was merely as a vessel for the force of evil to act through.
Gale found himself in a memory of a strange world where demons ruled. It was a stagnation of death, never changing. But all too similar to the world he'd been born into, full of life and yet just as stagnant if you pulled back far enough away. It was just more obvious here that Demise's power was everywhere.
Being here reminded Gale of the many days and nights he spent reading up on the legends and studying magic. Demise had first appeared to him in the castle library when he'd been sixteen. He could see it now; he was hiding among the books so no one saw how angry he had gotten because of King Albertos' humiliations and restrictions. As the lighting changed to the flickering of demonic flames, a powerful man appeared before him. "I can give you everything you need to utterly squash that fool. You are of my lineage; all you need to do is call on me."
He was a king with no authority, beloved and admired without being allowed to be close to anyone. Yet Gale knew the legends. He knew the kind of power this demon could bestow. "No. I'll find a way myself."
Demise's eye twitched, but otherwise he smiled with cold confidence. "I'm afraid you don't understand. You are of my lineage. You will accept this power." He tauntingly tapped Gale's nose, pulled his hand back, then thrust it right into his chest and strangled his heart. "You are mine and have always been so. You may use my power but in the end, I will get what I want out of you."
No… his mind jerked away and Gale was standing in the barren world again. He'd searched all the knowledge at his disposal to find a way out. He studied to no avail, trained but was never able to draw out his own power. Nothing, nothing, he was powerless. Desperate, he wrote out an idea that quickly dug into his mind. If this was his fate, if there really was nothing he could do, he at least wanted to experience having someone in love with him. It would be someone who cared enough to see his suffering and agree to end it so that others would not suffer as well.
"No, I want to save you," Link said, appearing at his side and taking his hand. The vibrant green of his clothes looked painfully out of place in this world. "I'll be your hero."
"That's not possible," he said, though his grip tightened instead of letting go. "I've studied the legends, I've studied magic and demons and everything. Not even the Triforce can stop him entirely. He's within my soul, there's nothing we can do about it."
"Not even here, within your soul?"
Wasn't this a dream? He was pretty sure it was, though it was surprising that anyone had managed to get Demise to willingly sleep. "Wha...how? Are you really here?"
Link shook his head, then leaned closer and said, "I sent a message through song." He hummed the same song from before, the healing one that he'd put himself to sleep by.
It brought a new breath of life to this dead world, breaking up the cursed land with green wilds. This wasn't Demise's world, but their's. This was his land of Sudai, the grassy hills looking out over the flowering marshes. As the song sank in, he recalled the hopes that had driven him to search out his own path. Could Link have found something he'd missed?
"I will have to do some strange and risky things to guide Demise into doing what I want," Link said to him. "No matter what happens tomorrow, have faith in me. Don't give up on being free to live beyond the legend. I swear that I will do all I can to let you decide your own future. Even if you decide to go your own way, I will still love you and be satisfied with your freedom."
He sounded too final about that. "What do you mean by that? You're the hero doing all this work, you should..."
Link put his finger on Gale's lips. "If this is our last night together…"
Gale shook his head.
"Your life is precious to me," he said. Then he turned into a seagull and flew away into the blue sky.
"Link!" He watched the small point in the sky until he could no longer. "If anyone is sacrificed in this, it should be me."
He didn't come back. But, he had turned into a seagull. Maybe he would have flown to the sea. Hoping there was still a chance at catching him and turning him back, Gale headed off to find the sea. Perhaps he could even find the island where dreams came to life and became seagulls upon dawn.
Dawn spread over the ashes of Hyrule Castle Town, some small corners still smoldering out of spite. Hyrule Castle stood beyond the ruins, its pristine surfaces seeming to mock the fallen town at its feet. While nothing drastic had changed, little things hard. Peaks seemed sharper, the shadows scattered differently, and the national crest had been turned upside down. Returning home never seemed so ominous.
Of course, they were keeping Zelda out of the main force. Joachim wasn't even here with her, as he'd stayed behind to take full command in case something went wrong today. She prayed for those who were fighting in the city. Unearthly howls and screams could be heard on occasion. But did her prayers have any power now that the Triforce had abandoned her?
She'd given some thought to that, although this mission had taken up much of her time in planning and organizing. It was necessary, though. They had to remove the source of corruption, even if the best they could manage right now was sealing Ganon temporarily while they worked out more permanent solutions. As for Link… he could have been fooled innocently. This failure would damage him badly, but he could be allowed a chance to redeem his mistakes. This situation could still be salvaged.
Or, perhaps their generation was simply doomed to fail and evil would overtake the land completely? It was an awful possibility, but a strong one since the traditional powers weren't helping them. The goddesses might have abandoned them now; they could have been sick of their inability to stop this insane cycle. There were an awful lot of people who acted like divine powers and the laws of the world meant nothing. Someone had even stolen the Master Sword.
But Zelda believed in the goddesses. She believed in the laws, in fairness, and in justice. She'd made a few mistakes, but she could improve herself. She could save Hyrule.
"My queen?" Velken approached her and bowed. "I have a report."
"Go ahead," she said, keeping her hands together in prayer.
"I cannot locate Ganon within the castle," he said. "No one else reports any signs of his presence here currently. The monsters we are engaging are not as disciplined as we expected. Due to this, we've got a foothold into the castle already. I have a group set on clearing the way to the chapel and making sure it's safe to move you there. Unless Ganon reappears here, that should be soon."
"Good, thank you for your efforts," she said.
"It'd be nice if we could find out where he actually is and what he's up to," Rosso said. "We could end up surprised with something nasty."
Zelda had an idea of what Ganon might be up to, but she didn't want to think about him and Link right now. Things could be sorted out when the bigger dangers were out of the picture.
Before he realized it, day had come again. Someone was nudging his arm gently. "Gale?"
"Mm, what?" A late thought came in that he should blast them for being so casual in that.
When he opened his eyes, Link was sitting by him on the bed. He was dressed in his green tunic today, with a fond smile on his face. "I didn't want to wake you because it seemed wonderful to have you here so peacefully. But I have to check out of this room soon and I can't just leave you here."
"What, was I actually asleep?" he asked, sitting up. His clothes from yesterday were still draped over the table.
Link chuckled and beamed with some soft happiness that couldn't be real. He must have been falling for his own lies. "Yes, with not a peep out of you. Good morning. How are you feeling?"
"A little foggy," he admitted. This would not do. He had to get back in gear quick.
"That's normal, give it a little bit to clear out," he said. Some insecurity crossed his eyes and he tried to pull him closer. "We could get something to eat if you want, if you can make everyone ignore you again. And, if it's okay with you, could we go somewhere else more secluded? Not a town or somewhere with people, somewhere we wouldn't be interrupted. I could give you what you were looking for last night."
So staying overnight was a good ploy. Ganon smiled and rubbed Link's back. "Even if I meant to chain you up again?"
"If you really want that," Link said, embarrassed but still happy.
But such talk had to be held off as they left the inn and looked for somewhere to eat. Laverre City didn't seem afraid. Its citizens were busily getting back to their normal lives now that the dragon in the bay was gone. While there were many around the streets, he didn't hear much talk about the monsters he summoned yesterday. Were they already taken care of? Or was it simply a matter of them being on the other side of the city and not enough to worry these fools?
Ganon was considering if he should do something when Link got his attention. "What do you like to eat?"
"It doesn't really matter," he said.
"Are you sure about that?" he asked, smiling like he was having fun with this somehow.
It really didn't matter, since eating was just a mundane necessity. Still, he should keep up the act until there was no doubt Link was his. And for this question, having the other self awake helped a bit. "Though if you have to know, spicier is better."
"Sure, and they might even had some fresh fish now," Link said, glancing around at signs before pointing one out. "That place might work."
Link was talkative today, surprisingly so. It was mostly matters of little consequence. Still there could be something useful to glean from it all, another string to control him with. One notable thing was that he was deliberately avoiding talk about his quest, Zelda, or any other major thing going on in the world. He really wanted this illusion of normalcy to be real. Ganon found himself smiling at a few points, watching him build his own snare.
"Where do you want to go now?" Ganon asked once they were done with the meal.
"Anywhere that someone won't come across us," he said. "Nearly everyone is sticking to cities and towns to be safe. Is there anywhere you like?" He didn't seem like he'd pick any place without some guidance from him, like with lunch just now.
"There's a place outside of Sudai Castle I like," he said without thinking of it too much. "Not in the town, though we'd be able to see them without them seeing us."
"Alright, you can take me there," he said.
When they got there by teleporting, Ganon realized that his other self had chosen this location. It meant nothing to him. He was trying to take back control, which would not do. But bringing Link under his control would be a blow against him too. A little more information was needed… there. "This is somewhere I used to come to be alone, because I'd get easily disrupted if I stayed inside."
Link nodded as he looked over the grounds below them. The castle had been built on higher grounds so that it didn't get affected by spring flooding in the marshes. But to the north, there was an even higher rise that led to rougher lands and mountains. The slope down was kept cleared of trees so there was plenty of warning in case of invaders from this direction. Even so, the two of them should go unnoticed up here.
"It is a nice view over the lands you ruled," Link said, then looked over at him. "You really cared about your people."
"That's just what a leader has to do," Ganon said, seeing a way through this. He took Link's arm. "But now I just want to be taking care of you."
He chuckled for a moment like he didn't care about anything else. However, his look changed into one of concern as he put his hand on his chest. "What's happening to you?"
A silver glow was coming though his clothes. Now that he noticed, he recognized it instantly as chains being formed on his soul. "Some group is trying to seal me out of this world," Ganon said, a growl coming to his throat. He should have really noticed it well before the chains became visible… wait. "Is this your doing?" he snapped at Link, tightening his grip painfully.
"No, I had no idea," he said fearfully. But not afraid of him. That was something he'd seen in other lives, a fear of losing someone dear.
Certain that Link would come after him, Ganon pushed him away. "You better be honest about that. I'm going to show those fools what it means to tangle with me."
And he knew where Zelda and the sages would be now: the chapel in Hyrule Castle.
Sealing Ganon away without the support of the Triforce of Wisdom meant that Zelda had to tap into the power of her bloodline to make it work. It fully absorbed her attention and filled her with a power like brilliant sunlight. No other thought or feeling could take hold. Weave these chains to bind the manifestation of true evil…
A powerful pain struck as all her weight suddenly fell on her right shoulder. Her trance of magic broke and she found herself hanging by Ganon's grip. How had he gotten in here? What happened to the people outside? Her mind floundered for any answers, difficult to find with his enraged golden eyes staring through her.
"It seems I should have done away with you far sooner," Ganon said, hatred burned into every word. "You're not going to succeed this time."
Then he grabbed her left hand with his. Zelda wondered for a moment if this was all going to be over soon. While she had tried, Hyrule would enter an extended age of darkness. The sight of the Triforce of Power on the back of his hand mocked her.
With a face of disgust, he threw her several feet onto the floor. "You don't even have Wisdom anymore! Ugh, you're completely worthless now." Near her, Rosso summoned out a Zora fin-style blade, willing to fight even handicapped against Ganon. The evil king merely summoned up a smokey black barrier that surrounded the seven of them. "But I'm not going to kill you right away, no. I'm going to stay here and watch as you fools slowly suffocate within there."
Even with that threat, one of the sages came by and knelt at her side. Loraine was Impa's daughter, bearing the tribal markings of a Shiekah even though they were supposedly wiped out centuries ago. "Are you all right?" she asked softly.
"For now," Zelda whispered back. It was a lie, since her shoulder still felt like it was on fire and the rest of her body ached from hitting the stone floor hard. If she was Impa, she'd probably know the lie immediately. Loraine didn't seem so sure but helped her sit up and stayed by her all the same
"And I will be letting everyone know about this just like I let everyone know the truth about your father," Ganon said. Behind him, someone wearing a green tunic and hat slipped in through the large doors he'd left open. The appearance of the hero in a situation like this should be cause for hope. This time, she couldn't tell what was going to happen. "It's about time that Hyrule dies completely. And believe me, I will spare no follower of yours, no matter how much they beg, plead, or fight for their lives."
"No one at all?" Zelda asked defiantly. That had to wake Link up.
Unfortunately, Ganon's head shifted as he noticed Link was there. "If they support you or Hyrule, they're not going to see tomorrow," he said, then turned back to Link. "You got here quickly."
Link didn't respond, still walking over to meet with them.
"Did you know because you were working with them or because it was obvious where they'd be?" Ganon asked.
Zelda felt guilty about that. But without the Triforce, this was one of the few places they could seal Ganon away. "I wasn't working with him," she said, not wanting to admit how pitiful this was.
"I asked you to keep out of this," Link said, stopping near Ganon and looking down at her. But he didn't sound angry or hateful about it, nor worried. If he was feeling anything, he kept it tightly behind a mask of nothing. "Since you didn't give me enough time, this is how things are going to end. I hope we can accept this."
"You can't blame this on me," Zelda said, leaning froward. She wanted to stand, but felt like it wouldn't be a dignified action when she hurt like this. "You've turned your back to Hyrule and I don't see how you can have that sword on your back."
Link didn't reply right off, just kept looking at her impassively. But Ganon was pleased with this, smiling darkly. "That's right, he belongs to me. And it's less like he turned his back on Hyrule and more like he turned his back on you. I don't blame him since you've become quite an unpleasant person, also like your father." He looked over at Link and started to reach for him. "And it's about time we made our true alliances known."
Link looked down at that. His eye twitched a bit in the struggle to keep as he was.
"Link?" Ganon asked, uncertain in a way that didn't belong.
"You've been Ganon all along," Link said. The hush of the room was the only thing that made it audible. Loraine took Zelda's hand; Rosso glanced over at Gregio. The other sages seemed equally uneasy. Whatever was deadly about this shield didn't seem as stifling as that, not yet anyways.
"Yes, but I meant my words when I said I'd take care of you," Ganon said. "You can stay by my side now and nothing else will harm you."
"You can't believe him," Zelda said to Link. "He can't love you as a person, he'll destroy you."
Ganon glanced back at her briefly. "You're not important any more, keep out of this. You might not have been important at all. With that clear, it's time..."
"I was happy with you," Link said. Oddly enough, Ganon stopped immediately and showed no anger at the interruption. "Today seemed so promising up until this happened. I might have left everything behind just to stay with you."
"You still can," Ganon said.
"No." Link stepped away to face him, drawing the sword at his hip. There was no magic to that blade, no blessing from the goddesses. "I don't want to do this, but it seems this is our fate after all. I love you, but," he held his sword up to Ganon, getting a stare of shock in response, "I can't forget why I accepted being a hero. If you're going to threaten the children I promised to protect, I will stop you."
Zelda put her hands to her mouth, trembling in disbelief. "No, that's the wrong sword," she whispered to herself. Was he trying to lose? Why would he do that?
Outside the shield, Ganon snapped out of his shock and became more furious than he had at her. "What are you doing? How… how dare you turn on me with an ordinary blade?! This is not how things are meant to be!"
Link didn't give him words for a reply, instead lunging at him. Ganon knocked the sword aside with his bare hands, snarling like a feral beast. No, not like. His robes tore as his body changed, sprouting fangs from his jaws and a short tail from his waist. Link had to block a flurry of dark fireballs before getting out of the way of a reckless charge. How could Link expect to win against that with a normal weapon? He'd die trying to do the impossible.
In the deadly shield with her, one of the other women went over and fiddled with the magic. "He's not paying attention, so making this less dangerous should be simple," she said. "I could use some help with breaking it and getting all of us out."
"There's an escape passage not too far from us," Gregio said, pointing out a plain looking door to the side.
She got a flask out of the bag on her belt. "I've got a potion to dissolve through magical barriers, but I wasn't about to use it when he was facing us head on and when it might kill us."
"We could get the seal finished while they're fighting," Zelda said, starting to get to her feet now. As she thought, her legs weren't steady.
"You're in no shape to be doing that," Loraine said, keeping hold of her.
"But we can't just leave, not now," she said.
"No, that's our best option," Rosso said, keeping his sword out. "I'm willing to fight when I must, but Link's the only physically able fighter here. Loraine's style won't be good in a straight face-to face battle; Ganon can only mimic a swordsman through his magic. Even if these ladies are master sorceresses themselves, they can't compare. We should break the shield and get out of here, as otherwise we could get caught in the crossfire of this duel."
"Right, we'll get out and try again when conditions are better," Loraine said.
She didn't want to agree with that. But it was the sensible thing to do. If they got away now, they'd get another chance. But what would happen with Link? He'd just decided to fight and they were leaving him behind. The two sorceresses were quietly working out how to break out of the bubble safely, so she watched the battle.
She soon felt that something was peculiar about it. Ganon had flew into a rage at the start, filling the chapel with his magic. But he seemed to be calming down? Or at least not throwing everything he had into the duel. Link blocked him easily, which could be a testament to his skill. While he attacked occasionally, he was being more defensive and swinging like he wasn't going to hurt Ganon. Was this some kind of act? But why? It'd be bizarre if this was all staged, with no obvious point to it.
Somehow, the battle got even stranger: Ganon was pushed back by one of Link's attacks and changed yet again. The fangs and tail melted away, returning him to a more human form. While he summoned out his two spellblades, they were easily parried by Link's ordinary blade. "What is going on with them?" Zelda asked.
"It is strange," Gregio agreed. "Ganon is losing the will to fight."
"Or he's conflicted, so his full effort isn't going into those attacks," Rosso said.
The older swordsman nodded. "Link's holding back too. They really don't want to fight each other."
There had to be some trickery going on. It got to the point where Link was able to push back with his shield to break the spellblades and knock Ganon into the barrier, breaking it as well. As the rest of them scattered back, Link came forward and put his sword in front of Ganon's face. Still emotionless, he looked down and asked, "Do you surrender to me?"
Clenching her fists, Zelda nearly frowned. There was no way that someone like Ganon would surrender, not without it being a trick. He hesitated, keeping his hands on the ground where he could push back onto his feet quickly. Then he bowed his head. "Yes, I surrender," he answered in a humble tone.
It made no sense. Before she could demand answers, a golden shine appeared on Ganon's left hand. The Triforce of Power appeared and, just as Wisdom had done to her, peeled away to leave him. As Link pulled his sword back, the marking of the Triforce appeared on his left hand. Power didn't go far, simply transferring over to Link in recognition that he'd overpowered its previous bearer. It looked as though Wisdom and Courage were still missing.
Something wasn't right. But this time, the feeling was different. There was no anger to it, nor a sense of frustration. It was a feeling that something that appeared innocent was actually dangerous. Ganon cringed, staying seated where he was. And something changed about Link. There was an arrogance that had never been in him before. His eyes were dismissive as he looked at his opponent.
"How disappointing," Link said. "A villain should not surrender; you don't have a pride worthy of your lineage."
"What did you do to him?" Ganon asked in concern. No, that wasn't Ganon. There was something different about him.
And there was something very different about Link. He smirked. "What did I do? You were the one who thought to corrupt the hero. Well guess what? You succeeded."