A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reading, and especially reviewing! I'd like to thank Lord Darth Yoda for giving me the idea of the Spirit Temple, although I did tweak it a bit. I hope you all enjoy the last chapter of the Reawakening :P
GANONDORF STOOD BEFORE the Spirit Temple, fists clenched in determination. The large stone sculpture, carved into the wall of the mountainous exterior of the temple, depicted the Goddess of Sand, also known as the Mother of the Gerudo. The prince didn't take much time to admire her, mainly because he saw the statue nearly every day during his training at the Fortress. Although the temple was many lengths away from the Fortress, a small oasis between the two, the colossal statue was large enough to be admired by the few sentries and warriors who worshipped the goddess.
Ganondorf saw no beauty in a goddess that confined him to the Desert. He loved his home, but this goddess was already dying in the eyes of even her children, with only few real worshippers left. But the temple was still a significant place for the Gerudo, if more for tradition than anything else. The eager prince saw new opportunity in the sandy old temple, seeing as it now stood as his gateway to becoming king.
Now, only months after his time in Castle Town, Prince Ganondorf stood before the Spirit Temple entrance with nearly the entire Gerudo city surrounding him. Koume and Kotake stood directly behind, along with an attendant holding a folded, heavy black and red cape with a large golden circlet resting on top in her arms. The four of them stood on a platform before the temple, while the citizens of the Gerudo crowded around in eagerness.
Before Ganondorf stood a decorative table, on which sat a shield. Koume stepped forward in front of her son and lifted the shield. She held it up to her citizens revealing its mirrored surface with the Spirit sigil in the center.
"Today, I pass onto you all a new beacon of hope," she said, projecting her voice so that each citizen could hear. But only her sister and only true confidante heard the anxiety in her voice. "My son Ganondorf will be the first king we have seen in one hundred years!"
The crowd let out a cheer and Ganondorf smiled to himself. Koume walked back toward her son, lowering the shield. "In order to pass the test of the Goddess of Sand," she said, voice still raised, "you must return the Mirror Shield to its rightful place within the Spirit Temple." Ganondorf took the shield in his hands, Koume still holding it at the top. "Once the shield has been placed, you will be crowned King of the Gerudo. May the Goddesses light your way." She let go of the shield, and the citizens cheered. But Koume's smile was sad as she said to Ganondorf, voice lowered, "You are still young. And although I am glad to see you taking responsibility for your people, know that I will always be your worried mother."
Ganondorf chuckled, sandy breeze billowing his shoulder-length red hair. "I will be fine." He turned and raised the Mirror Shield above his head, eliciting a loud cheer of excitement from his people. And with that, he turned to face the temple. Two guards hauled the doors open and Ganondorf stepped inside confidently, the shield resting on his left arm.
At that moment, in a square in Castle Town in the district of Falden, a small human girl with dark features and a dirtied face walked up to a storefront. One of the shopkeepers, a young human with light skin and brown hair, was sweeping the porch of dust when he saw the girl. She was watching him with wide brown eyes, lingering around one of the wooden posts supporting the store's awning. The Hylian stopped mid-sweep, watching her with equally curious eyes.
Eventually the girl's eyes went to the apples and Deku pears stacked beneath the window, each for five rupees. The shopkeeper hesitated before leaning his broom against the wall. "Would you like to buy some fruit?" he said. The girl didn't say anything, but stared between him and the fruit. "Would you like an apple?" The girl nodded, and the shopkeeper pointed to the sign. "It's five rupees."
When the girl didn't say anything the Hylian sighed. "I can't give one to you." She stared. "You'll take a lot for…your family…" He heard his own words and let out another sigh. "Okay, okay." He stole a glance in the shop's window before reaching over and grabbing an apple. He handed it to the girl. "Now go."
But the girl put the apple in a small bag she had and stayed where she was.
"I can't give you more," said the shopkeeper.
"Hey!"
The two of them looked up as the store owner stepped out of the entrance. She was a plump older Hylian, wearing an apron similar to the shopkeeper's. "What do you think you're doing?" She swatted aimlessly at the girl.
"Stop," said the shopkeeper. "She's just a girl, let her have an apple."
"That's not your apple to give away, son," said the woman. She grabbed the girl's bag, who let out a shrill cry of panic. The shopkeeper stepped in front of her, pushing her away from the girl.
"Leave her alone."
The store owner gave him a stern look. "You get your hands off me."
The shopkeeper clenched a fist, breathing heavily. Before he could think, he grabbed a handful of apples and put them in the girl's bag. "Go and take those to your family."
The woman let out a shout of anger before shoving the human into a wooden post as the girl scurried away. "I let you work for me, and this is how you thank me?"
The shopkeeper said nothing as a group of armored Hylian guards approached the shop. "Is everything okay?" asked one sturdy-looking man.
"This little snitch thinks it's all fine to hand my good produce to the homeless brats," said the Hylian woman.
"They're starving," said the human. "And isn't it remarkably interesting how none of them are Hylian?"
One of the guards grabbed the man's arm. "We'll take care of this."
"How is feeding a starving child wrong?" said an onlooker, who had stopped shopping when the guards arrived. He was Hylian.
"You a Dinerat too then?" spat one of the guards.
Ganondorf walked up the steps, lighting the torches with a snap of his fingers. The temple had been much longer and darker than he had anticipated, but he had finally made it. Before him, engraved into the stone wall, were the words:
Here the Mirror's frame shall lay
In light reflect the night and day
To seal the years of rulers past
And bring a new dawn to us at last.
Beneath the script was a carved out section of stone where the Mirror Shield seemed to fit perfectly. He lifted it from his arm and turned it so the reflective surface faced outward. As he pushed it into its place in the wall, he glanced at his reflection in the flickering torchlight. To his utter horror, the image he saw was not of himself, but of a dark snarling beast with red eyes and a flaming mane. Ganondorf stumbled backward in shock, nearly knocking over a torch stand. His chest began aching.
But he couldn't stop now. The Mirror Shield was in place. Besides, it was probably the dim lighting and mild dehydration getting to his head. He set his jaw in determination and turned to leave the temple.
In a blurred frenzy, Falden Square filled with people chanting various phrases at no one in particular. The shopkeeper had been rushed away by the guards, and more were sent to calm the unruly crowd. But they were outnumbered, seeing as Falden was one of the poorest districts in the city. The citizens, mostly humans and hybrids, had formed an impromptu protest, and a wall of Hylian guards barricaded their way to Hyrule Castle.
The Hylian store owner fled. She no longer cared about a few apples. The crowds were getting dense and a few people had already been lost under their feet. Many non-Hylians left as soon as possible too, but they were only a fraction of the disgruntled citizens of Falden.
Ganondorf banged three times with his fist on the Spirit Temple's doors from within, tradition for the crowning ceremony. They were soon opened and the bright sunlight nearly blinded him. The ache in his chest had settled into a strange sort of pressure, not so painful, but not ignorable. He stepped into the rising daylight, hearing the joyful cheers of the Gerudo people.
"Prince Ganondorf has placed the Mirror Shield!" cried Kotake, eliciting more cheers. Ganondorf's brow furrowed momentarily, wondering what would have stopped him from placing the shield on the floor of the entrance hall and waiting a few hours.
"I'm so proud of you," said Koume softly, holding her son's face in her hands. She kissed his forehead lovingly.
The crowd quieted as the palace's high priest, a tall woman with darker skin and hair, lifted the golden circlet from the attendant's arms. She stepped over to where Ganondorf now got on one knee, head bowed.
"Ganondorf," said the priest, "I, a Priest of the Goddess of Sand, officially crown you King of the Gerudo." She placed the circlet on his head, a bright red jewel dangling on top of his forehead. She backed away for the new king to stand.
Kotake, smiling widely, cried, "I present to you you're new King!"
The Gerudo people cheered immensely, clapping their hands in the air and jumping out of excitement. A king was so rare in the Valley that even the small children understood the weight of such a day.
Ganondorf smiled, watching his people applaud his success. The attendant unfolded the cape she had been holding and walked behind the King, fastening it to his torso piece. When she stepped away, he cast the cape behind his right shoulder and grinned.
"My people," he called happily, "I will not disappoint you!"
At that very moment, in the frazzled chaos of Falden Square amidst the line of Hylian guards, a human girl dropped dead.