Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil, the Prince of Darkness, did not falter easily.

And not without reason—this realm, a world of tournaments, and fighting, created by that Master Hand, bestowed upon him all the powers he gained when he claimed the Triforce. He could lay waste to any fool with fancies of heroism that dared challenge him or stand in his way. (But never that kid, for some reason. He didn't like to think about it for too long.)

But today, as he stood at the opposite end of the stage and saw his opponent, for the first time in a long time, Ganondorf hesitated.

No. Scratch that. Ganondorf did not hesitate. With the Triforce of Power in his hand, he had nothing to fear. He was… perplexed to see this boy, shield in one hand and sword in the other—a sword that he'd never seen before, but was still irritatingly familiar to him.

This boy—Erdrick, he had heard—was a newcomer to the tournament, an extra challenger invited after the fact. He was one of four, all under the name "Hero", from a realm of nobody castaways banding together to save their world from evil. The King of Evil would have dismissed his origins as a mere child's fantasy, had he not experienced such events on the losing end firsthand.

But what startled—perplexed—Ganondorf the most was the look in his eyes. Eyebrows furrowed, lips tightened, dark eyes narrowed but shining with nauseating trifles like kindness and courage and—ugh—justice. It all reminded him far too much of that kid.

For a brief moment, the light hit this boy's shield just so, and the bird engraved upon it changed shape, and the runes above were replaced by three golden triangles. Instead of a circlet surrounding dark, spiky hair, there was a green floppy cap with shining blond hair.

But Ganondorf had no time to ponder such things, for the match had started. Time to put this boy—this fool—in his place.

The two crossed swords right out of the gate, Ganondorf charging at the boy with all the power stolen from the Triforce, and Erdrick staying a few paces away, never coming too close and taking quick, careful swipes at the King of Evil with his sword.

Ganondorf frowned as he dodged another slash, his opponent moving too quickly for him to counterattack. This boy was frustratingly familiar, but familiar nonetheless. And the Great King of Evil knew how to deal with uppity so-called heroes. What made this boy any different?

A great deal, he noted with a scowl, as the boy summoned a tornado to lift him back to the main platform.

This boy had a completely different fighting style from him. He carried no quiver of arrows or boomerang, and no bag of bombs rested at his hip. In place of physical equipment was powerful magic, magic that that kid could only ever dream of having. Every fireball Ganondorf took to the face felt like Din had slapped him herself, and every bolt of lightning summoned from above he could have sworn took the shape of an arrow of light.

(And vexingly, he noticed, they stung like light arrows, too.)

Eventually, Ganondorf grew tired, while Erdrick was still fighting fit. Because of course he was. Of course he would be. Miserable little whelp. Evidently, either Master Hand or the goddesses themselves had a sick sense of humor.

But it wasn't like he was any different, he noted wryly as he took yet another slash to the chest. An eye for an eye, as it were.

Ganondorf's hand twitched, the Triforce of Power clawing from under his skin. There was no time for second-guessing, no time for hesitation. He took out his claymore, glinting wickedly in the sun. His heart was racing. (Solely because he was very close to losing. Certainly not because this boy reminded him of him.) It was time to end this now.

He swung it down, waiting for the crunch of bone or even the screech of metal as he hit his shield and—

—nothing but air.

Erdrick was already behind him.

(Link was behind him, angling to strike—)

The last thing Ganondorf felt was the terrific blow of a holy sword slashing into his back, and he sailed like the wind. Another defeat for the books, all because he underestimated some snot-nosed little hero and his blasted holy sword. It wasn't the first time he'd suffered such a defeat, but it was all the more infuriating for the fact.

All because Ganondorf hesitated, all because he was afraid, all because of that stupid, wretched hero who followed him here—

"Game!"

…

Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil, the Prince of Darkness, did not falter often.

"What's eating you?"

Ganondorf blinked. It was sunset. He was out on the patio. A half-eaten taquito was in his hand. The King of the Koopas was staring at him, a single eyebrow raised.

The King of Evil turned away sharply. "I'm fine," he huffed.

"No, you're not," said Bowser nonchalantly. "You're mad about something."

There was a flash of irritation in Ganondorf's core. That usually came about when someone said something that annoyed him greatly, or (very rarely, in his youth) when a servant correctly guessed something about himself. In this case, Bowser managed both at once. "I'm not mad," Ganondorf lied.

"Yeah, you are," said Bowser. When Ganondorf opened his mouth to argue, Bowser held up a claw to stop him. "I'm not stupid, Ganondorf. Those two—" he gestured at the large crocodile and dragon sitting to the side— "might not know you well enough to tell when something's bugging you, but I do. So, what is it?"

Heat crept up Ganondorf's neck. He willed it away. "I told you, Koopa, I'm fine. You'd be wise to drop the subject."

Bowser did not drop the subject. "Is it your standing on the leaderboards?"

Ganondorf scowled. "No."

"Kirby ate your stuff again?"

"No."

"Oho! Are we playing a guessing game?" The Kremling Commander sauntered up to the table, broad grin plain on his face. "If you'll allow me: is it perhaps because someone took all the good milk for your coffee?"

Ganondorf's scowl deepened. One oaf prodding into his personal life was bad enough, but two? At least the dragon chose to mind his own business. "No, K. Rool."

"You gotta go home?" suggested Bowser.

"No," said Ganondorf.

"Your wife is leaving you?" asked King K. Rool.

Ganondorf's eye twitched. He could practically hear K. Rool's horrible, crooked grin grow even wider. "I suggest you pick your next words very carefully if you wish this conversation to continue. Unless you want to become a handbag with matching boots."

K. Rool just laughed. Stupid creature.

"So, what the heck is it?" asked Bowser. "Did someone steal something of yours? Kawasaki cut off your favorite food? You took a real bad loss in a match or something?"

This time, the heat flared over Ganondorf's skin and he bristled, exhaling a sharp breath through his nose. Bowser's eyebrow raised again, and K. Rool's smile faded.

"Alright." Bowser sat back and knitted his fingers over his chest. "Who was it?"

"Was it Sonic?" asked K. Rool, resting his head on his fist, an elbow propped on the table. "If it was that no-hoper, I can hardly blame you."

It took all of Ganondorf's effort not to groan aloud. He was getting quite sick of these guessing games. "No," he said, covering his face with a hand.

"That Ness kid?" said Bowser. "Was it the fire again? Everyone loses to him eventually. Don't worry about it."

"It wasn't him."

"Then who? If it was Little Mac, then that's honestly a you problem—"

"Erdrick, perhaps?"

Ganondorf flinched, partially because the speaker hadn't said anything throughout the entire discussion, and partially because they were spot on. Just hearing the boy's name made his hackles raise and his jaw tick in irritation. He swallowed the scowl that came to his face. "What about Erdrick?"

"Ah, so I got it right then," said Ridley, turning his head to face Ganondorf. His eyes were fully trained on the man, but he didn't move. Not yet, at least. "I watched that match, you know. He practically tore you to shreds. I know that it was your first battle with a new fighter, but that…"

"Oh, yeah, I remember that," said Bowser with a snap of his claws. "That was rough. Like you just didn't know what to do."

"Wouldn't be the first time," sniffed K. Rool. "Remember when he had to fight that Joker brat? 'Twas a massacre."

Ridley smiled, which certainly didn't come from a place of sympathy. "We've all lost our fair share of matches here." He paused, and his smile stretched into a nasty smirk. "Well… you've lost enough to cover all of us, haven't you, Ganon?" he cackled.

Briefly, Ganondorf pondered just how brittle Ridley's bones were, and how much force it would take for them to shatter. Not much, presumably. "Get to the point," he growled.

"My point is," said Ridley, flashing his fangs, "what caused you to falter like that? You had plenty of opportunities to strike, yet you did not. Were you caught off-guard? Or is it something deeper?" The dragon turned his head so that a single eye was laser focused on him. "Have you seen this Erdrick before?"

This time, Ganondorf failed to bite back the snarl that rose from his throat. It was bad enough that someone read him like a book twice in one day, but the way Ridley's chin lifted in a small triumph made it even worse. "Cunning God of Death" indeed.

"It was… it was him," Ganondorf ground out through gritted teeth.

"Him?" Bowser echoed. "Him who?"

"The—" By the goddesses, it hurt to admit the truth. "The hero." Then, to quell the inevitable wiseacre comment that was already from on K. Rool's snout, he added. "The Hero of Time."

The other three simply stared at him. "What're you talking about?" said Bowser after a moment. "That Link hasn't shown up since three tournaments ago."

Ganondorf sighed raggedly. "You say that, but… he was there. In spirit. I saw it in the boy's eyes. His sword, and that shield, and the way he stared at me… It was him, but somehow not him at the same time. As if… as if a phantom of the hero, from another world. I know all that spirit business with Galeem and Dharkon is behind us, but… it's… it's him. I know it's him. Come to haunt me, to humiliate me, to mock me for my failure."

Bowser, King K. Rool and Ridley simply stared at Ganondorf for a long time, long enough for him to feel heat creeping up his neck. Eventually, K. Rool said, "I think you're crazy."

Ganondorf huffed. As inappropriate as the phrase felt, it really was pearls before swine with him. "Well, of course I wouldn't expect you to understand," he snapped. "The biggest threat to your plans is a mere ape."

"Now you look here!" thundered K. Rool, rising and stomping towards Ganondorf. "Loath as I am to admit it, there's nothing mere about Donkey Kong!"

"Oh, I'm sure it must be very difficult for you," Ganondorf sneered right back, "your great ambitions of stealing fruit reduced to nothing by a gorilla with weapons made of wood—"

"Okay, that's enough," interrupted Bowser, positioning himself between the two. After a few seconds, K. Rool turned away sharply, with Ganondorf doing the same a moment later. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ridley snickering at the sight. Again, the thought of how brittle his bones were came to mind. Another time, perhaps.

Bowser turned back to Ganondorf. "I'm gonna be honest with you, I think you're getting worked up over nothing. He's a guy with a sword. Those guys are a dime a dozen."

Ganondorf sneered. "A dime a dozen, you say? Have you ever been stabbed in the face by some so-called 'ally of justice'? I imagine you'd quickly change your tune."

Bowser let out a dry bark of laughter. "Ha! I'd like to see one of those clowns try!" He cleared his throat and fixed Ganondorf with a look. "But seriously, though, it's probably nothing. Maybe try taking your mind off him for a while."

The Koopa king's eyebrows were raised in that not-entirely-confident way—it's worth a shot. Ganondorf's own, however, were lowered in a decidedly unamused manner. "I think," he said slowly, "I shall sort this out myself."

Ganondorf turned sharply on his heel and began to stalk away, barely catching Bowser shrugging lightly. He pointedly ignored both K. Rool's whispering behind him, and Ridley's eyes on his back as he walked. The Triforce of Power tingled under his skin.

It was time to have a little chinwag with this Erdrick.

After ten or so minutes of searching, Ganondorf had learned from the white-haired tactician whose name he couldn't be bothered to remember that Erdrick was somewhere in the courtyard. Perfect. There, he could get as much information as he could without any uppity heroes spying on him, or worse, trying to interfere.

He heard Erdrick's voice before he saw him, the peaks of his dark, spiky hair coming into view around the corner. That was strange, because according to that tactician, Erdrick was not much of a talker. (Another similarity he shared with the Hero of Time. Ugh.)

But what made Ganondorf come to a full stop was the fact that not only was Erdrick speaking, he was speaking to someone else. From the sound of it, it sounded like it was a girl, voice clear and refined, but hiding a will of iron. Based on what Ganondorf knew, it was most likely the tactician's blue-haired friend, the one with the butterfly mask. After her, the second most likely was—

"So they purposefully get into encounters with travelers and try to see who can survive the longest? How intriguing!"

Ganondorf froze on the spot, feeling his eye twitch and his fists clench.

It had to be Zelda. Of course. Of course.

"And this one, a Mimic… Is it a monster that hides in a treasure chest, or is it the chest itself?"

"Oh, no, it's the chest itself," came Erdrick's voice. "Verily, many adventurers have found themselves mangled on their murderous maws."

Zelda giggled, a sound that made Ganondorf's stomach turn. "Fascinating. Much worse than the Like-Likes in Hyrule, I assume. At least they only eat shields!"

It took all of Ganondorf's energy not to groan aloud. It was bad enough that Erdrick reminded him of the Hero of Time, now he'd befriended Zelda too? Maybe some higher power really did have a sick sense of humor. Something had to be done, and quickly.

"Who knew," Zelda continued, her smile near audible, "that our worlds had so much in common?"

"I should ask the same thing," said Ganondorf, at last coming around the corner.

Right away, both the boy and the princess got up from where they were sitting, the princess dropping a book, and the boy's shield at the ready. Ganondorf was neither surprised nor intimidated. "Forgive me for my interruption," he began, amusement flashing in his eyes. "Had I known the two of you were on a little rendezvous, I would have knocked."

That made them flush, made far more noticeable by the way Erdrick's eyes flicked towards the ground. Zelda, for her part, maintained eye contact. "What do you want?" she asked.

Ganondorf snorted. "At this moment, it is no concern of yours, princess. It depends on what he—" his eyes focused on the boy— "has to say to me."

Erdrick's eyes narrowed, and his hand flew to the sword still sheathed on his back. He really did look like the Hero of Time when he did that. It was no less repulsive than the first time. "What do you want with him?" came Zelda's voice.

Ganondorf ignored her. Voice low and dangerous, he asked, "Who are you?"

Erdrick blinked. He swallowed, cleared his throat, and said, "I am Erdrick. Who are you?"

The King of Evil narrowed his eyes. "Who are you, really?"

The boy's hand fell away from his sword. "I am Erdrick, son of Ortega—"

Ganondorf took a step forward. Erdrick's hand curled into a fist. To the side, Zelda bristled. "Do not hurt him," she said.

Again, Ganondorf ignored her. He had no intention of doing so. Never any trust with him, it seemed. "Do you think me a fool, boy?" he said, taking another step forward. "I've seen others try to disguise themselves to hide from me. Do you really think you could deceive me?"

Another step forward. Zelda marched over and stood right beside the boy. "Ganondorf, I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice even, "but I swear to Nayru, if you hurt him—!"

Ganondorf reached out. He could almost touch Erdrick's shield, raised higher to protect him. The Triforce of Power danced and clawed at him from under his hand. Zelda took a step forward. He could practically hear her magic dancing on her fingertips. He needed to know.

The sun bore down on the three of them, and the light hit this boy's shield just so.

In that momentary flash, Ganondorf saw the boy again—he saw him again, but in a different time, a different place. The green cap was there, but the hair was a dirtier blonde, almost pinkish in the light. And to his surprise, the boy wasn't alone. Zelda was there, too, nearly unrecognizable, with blue hair and a staff, standing beside two other people who he'd never seen before.

He looked down, and in that moment, Ganondorf faltered.

Instead of his black armor, there were orange robes, a golden skull hanging from a chain around his neck. What little he could see of his skin was a stark, ice-cold blue. In the blurred, faint reflection of the citadel floors, his own face was skeletal, fangs protruding from his gums, a single unblinking eye staring back at him.

The Hero of Time—Erdrick—the Hero—whoever it was—stood there, a ball of light in their arms raising it high. It was so, very cold.

Ganondorf opened his eyes, and nearly stumbled over. Zelda was leaning against a nearby tree, taking deep, steadying breaths. Erdrick's eyes were wide as dinner plates, having jumped back so far he'd nearly fallen into the nearby pond. Ganondorf clutched at his own chest, trying to keep his own heart in its place. No, it couldn't possibly—could they have…?

A sick sense of humor, indeed…

"What in blazes was that?" asked Erdrick.

"I don't… I don't know…" Zelda pushed off the tree, confident enough to walk without wobbling. "It was… It was one of my—someone else's memories, but… the details were all wrong…"

"You… you saw that too?" asked Erdrick, his shield hand dropping to his side. "I was… I was fighting the Master Archfiend in his citadel, but… he was a pig for some reason? And he was after the—"

"The Triforce?" supplied Zelda and Ganondorf simultaneously. At Erdrick's confused blink, Zelda explained, "It's an ancient relic in my—our world, left behind by the Golden Goddesses, divided into three pieces: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. I possess the Triforce of Wisdom, Link has the Triforce of Courage, and Ganondorf claims the Triforce of Power."

"The source of ultimate power," continued Ganondorf, nodding along. "Whoever touches it shall have their greatest heart's desire come true."

"I… I see." Erdrick rubbed his chin in thought. "Then why would the Archfiend be—"

"That's just it," interrupted Zelda. "I don't think he did. The vision we just saw was just that—a vision of what once was, distorted by… something, brought about by the three of us coming together."

Erdrick glanced sideways at Zelda. "How can you be certain?"

"Coming together, you say?" Erdrick and Zelda turned in unison at the sound of Ganondorf's voice, meeting his wide stare. The man blinked, and said, "In my world—our world, when the other two bearers of the Triforce came to me, the pieces resonated. But they never gave me, or any of us, visions, however false."

At Ganondorf's words, Zelda's eyes lit up as she pounded her fist into her palm. "Do you remember what we were talking about just an hour ago, Erdrick? That feeling of deja vu? This might sound silly, but… I believe that vision might have been brought about by your presence. I told you that you had a lot in common with Link. Since you don't have any of the Triforce pieces like us, you might have distorted our memories, as well as your own."

"Deja vu?" repeated Ganondorf. "You mean you, too, feel like you've seen him before?"

"Y—yes," answered Zelda, drawing the word out. "Have you—?"

"It's why I came here to begin with," said Ganondorf. "When I fought him a few days ago, I saw… I saw the Hero of Time, in his eyes. The destined Hero that would inevitably strike me down. And just now, I saw myself as—"

"Zoma," finished Erdrick. "The Master Archfiend who I had to strike down."

Zelda hummed in thought. "It seems you have much more in common with Link than I thought."

Don't I know it, thought Ganondorf.

"Oh," Erdrick said, scratching the side of his head. "I… I see."

A profound silence bore down on the three of them. As the seconds ticked by, it grew increasingly disturbing. That entire explanation had gone a lot deeper than any of them had expected.

(But, in the end, Ganondorf noted with not-entirely-inappropriate satisfaction, he had been right. And that was what really mattered in the end.)

"So…" Ganondorf began, "what were you saying about these… Mimics of yours?"

"…Oh! They're monsters found in Alefgard. That's the world Erdrick is from." Zelda bent down to pick up the book. "It's a bestiary of monsters found in Alefgard! Would you like to read through it?"

Ganondorf blinked, confused and a bit astonished. "Not ten minutes ago, I was… interrogating your little friend, and now you wish to rifle through a book with me?"

"Yes," said Zelda, refusing to break eye contact. Erdrick did the same. A spitting image, indeed.

Ganondorf let his suppressed smirk blossom. "Heh heh… Such daring, I see. Very well." He sat down on the grass with a heavy whump. "Go on. Enlighten me on these Mimics."

Erdrick and Zelda shared a glance, nodded, and sat down across from Ganondorf. "Alright, so where were we? Ah, yes. 'Those who weather the storm of these bedeviled boxes' Chilly Breath still have to worry about Whack and desperate attacks…'"

Author's Notes: Well, it started out as a voice actor joke, I noticed there were actually a lot of similarities between Dragon Quest and Zelda, and things just kinda... spiraled from there.

But otherwise, I think Erdrick and Zelda make a nice duo!