The ritual began with three Gerudo women in (revealing) black, thick robes bringing forth three bowls. One had an ornately decorated ruby, one a sapphire, and the last one an emerald. Each woman also carried a pitcher.
The three bowls were set on altars, and as they did so, I saw the face of one.
"Rose!" I mouthed.
She smiled at me, and I saw Danny's head poke out of her sleeve. I smiled back. Rose's gaze drifted to Armondorf, who smirked. Rose self-consciously adjusted her robe to more cover her bosom.
Each Gerudo woman poured their pitcher into their bowl. Onto the emerald, leaves and twigs, the former of which danced in the air. Onto the ruby, oil, which lit instantly. Onto the sapphire, water, which leapt and splashed in the bowl.
Ganondorf pushed me into the center of the Triforce symbol on the floor, and the altars were placed on the triangles around me. I looked up. The moon was now visible in the edge of the hole.
Ganondorf gripped my hand and unsheathed a knife on his belt. He cut my hand and squeezed the blood onto my Wisdom Medallion, which I realized, had my Wisdom Gem in it. Ganondorf put the medallion around my neck.
"To signify oneness with the elements of the world," Ganondorf said, gesturing to the altars, "The spiritual stones!
"To signify wisdom in blood, the blood on the medallion!
"To signify royalty, the Royal Lullaby!" Ganondorf motioned to Link, who was unbound and given his Ocarina. He put the mouthpiece to his lips and played. I swayed gently in time with the music. At the end of the song, I looked up. The moon had almost filled the hole.
"And . . ." Ganondorf got out the tiny bell from his cape. "To signify her transformation from what she is now to something much more . . . the bell!" I looked up at the moon. Just one more second . . .
Ganondorf rang the bell just as the moon filled the hole. I expected a tiny TING, not a BONG! But that is exactly the sound that filled my ears. As soon as the bell was rung, the fire died out, the water became still, and the leaves dropped into the bowl. I felt . . . no different.
"Maybe it didn't work," I started to say, but then I screamed in agony. My left hand was searing with pain. I looked at it and saw that the Triforce was glowing. I began convulsing. I dropped to the ground. I thought my vision was failing, but then I FELT it . . . the ground and air was rippling! I closed my eyes and groaned. My voice was echoing strangely. Then I found I couldn't move. I was enveloped in a strange, blue light . . .
"Rebecca!"
I opened my eyes. I was hovering in midair. I saw strange things—they must have been fairies—surrounding me. They were floating and flitting around my head. I was still in the domed room, staring into Link's scared eyes.
Link, I thought, why are you so scared? It's me!
Link was staring directly at my eyes. "Rebecca, your eyes . . . your skin . . . you . . . oh!"
Wordlessly, Rose brought a six-foot-long mirror in front of me.
Well, my eyes and skin certainly were different. My eyes were red—no, the irises weren't red, I had red whites and black pupils. My skin was white, with red markings on my face, and blue spots that faded in with the white. My hair was pure white. I was wearing a white dress with red and light blue markings on it.
Gah! I thought. What am I?
"You are now at your fullest power. You are what is called a deity."