Chapter 43: The Fruits of War
It had taken two days, but the Gorons said that the work was almost done. Ganondorf stood before the entrance of the Crown. Behind him his honor guard along with some of the greatest of his warriors. Brodni and some of the best of Goron warriors were to Ganondorf's side.
When the Crown opens, Brodni would lead the Goron's inside first and Ganondorf would follow. The Gorons had insisted that they be the first to enter the Crown to save their Chief, and Gan had been eager to let them. In a way he was thankful for the two days of rest. It slowed Gan down, but it also gave him time to keep the dark voice under control.
He still wanted to slaughter King Dodongo, having his sword be the one to finally put in end to that beast would be satisfying. But it did not need to be him. He could step back, let others do the work for him, take the greater risk. So long as the lizard died, it did not matter who's hand slew him.
One of the Gorons that stood atop the collapsed entrance waved to the warriors below him. "It is coming! Watch yourself, goro!"
At his side, Nabooru stretched her arms and drew her swords. She gave Gan a wild smirk. "Oh, I have been waiting for this."
Ganondorf held out his hand, and his great black blade appeared. "Gerudo! Make ready!"
His warriors gave a loud trilling cry for battle. Several Gorons pulled at the stones at the collapsed entrance. The rocks shifted, the top of the pile shook. The Gorons rolled away as the sheet of stone crashed behind them. A gray cloud of dust rolled forward, stinging at Ganondorf's eyes and filling his nostrils. A chorus of coughs surrounded him.
As the dust settled Gan spat and wiped his eyes clean. The entrance before him was not smooth by any means. The stones still covered the ground, the smaller pebbles still rolling, some clattering against his boots followed by an intense heat.
But the Crown was open.
"For Darunia!" Brodni shouted as the Gorons sprang forward, their massive bodies rolling over the stones and crushing some beneath their weight.
Once they had disappeared into the darkness Ganondorf yelled "Forward!"
The rubble was difficult to climb, it shifted about underfoot. He used his hand to steady himself against the rocks and keep himself upright and moving. Some were not as fortunate. Behind him, rocks scraped against each other, followed by the sound of Gerudo cursing and falling.
If an enemy had been there to defend the entrance, it would have been a deadly slog to gain entrance. King Dodongo's flames could have driven them back if done at the proper time. But there was no one but the dead inside.
Corpses, torn and burned littered the ground. There was a heat that filled the Crown, one that reminded Gan of his home at its harshest. Every step brought him deeper into the mountain, and the heat grew greater and greater.
His entire life he had heard the Crown was impregnable. Atop the tallest mountain, surrounded by blackened stone too strong for even a Dodongo to dig through. A home formed by the whims of a dragon long dead, but with the power of that creature still pervasive in its walls.
And now it was ruined, and he was marching an army through it. The splendor and majesty that it once had was destroyed. All that remained were scratches on the floor, burned and collapsed walls, and treasure that had been melted down.
Such ends all great things. That is why he fought, that is why he plotted. When he forged the Gerudo Kingdom it would be a millennia before such a tragedy could befall his people.
It was not until he traveled a thousand more steps until he found some sign of life. Dead Gorons were dragged into rows, shrouds placed over their heads. Stone mounds placed at their feet. So there was some people still alive in this place. But whoever they were, they had the mind to hide when the armies marched through.
Eventually he found others, Gorons with haunted expressions on their face. Standing aside, or nodding with respect as the Gerudo passed. Holding each other tight or protecting what little they had that survived the destruction that crashed through their home.
At the end, they came upon a wall that was knocked down by the great bulk of King Dodongo revealing the deepest vault of the Crown.
It was enormous. Large enough that the building where the Council of Matrons sat could fit inside it with room to spare. Statues as tall as towers leaned against the walls or were toppled over, scattering gold and gems where they landed. Destroying greater wealth than could be found in most of the desert.
But at the center of it all, lay a massive dead Dodongo. It's body ravaged with dents and marks, blackened with flame, and the one who must have slew it sat upon its snout.
Darunia had his hands on his knees. Brodni and the other Goron warriors all bowed before him. The chief looked weary and it was no small wonder why. There were other dead Gorons in the room, and they had been brought into the corner and wrapped in shrouds like those Ganondorf had passed along the way.
Five Gorons who must have been in the Crown stood around him, none of them looked to be warriors. All of them equally exhausted. Was that it? Was that all the survivors?
"Think nothing of it," Darunia said, with a forced looking smile and laugh. "You have done well Brodni. No chief could ask for a better guard. Besides, in the end I proved a match for the beast." He slammed his fist on the dead lizard's snout, making its head and neck shake.
A part of Ganondorf howled in rage. The lizard had betrayed him, and now it was out of his reach.
THE LIZARD IS NOT THE ONLY ONE. DARUNIA BETRAYED US. DARUNIA DESERVES DEATH AS WELL
Ganondorf growled, low in his throat so only Nabooru seemed to hear him. I thought I had you under control. She gave him a concerned look, but Ganondorf waved her off and sent his sword away. He forced himself to smile as he approached the Goron leader. "Mighty Darunia."
"Cunning Dragmire," Darunia pushed himself off the monster and moved to stand before Ganondorf. One of the few creatures in the land who stood eye to eye with him.
The two leaders stared at each other a moment, both smiling, and somehow Ganondorf knew both of their expressions were equally forced.
The moment broke when Darunia held out his hand. "I saw you, goro. Leading our armies together to save the Crown. A commander unlike any seen before in this world."
Ganondorf took hold of it. "And it was impossible to miss you, battling the great beast alone. Letting both our armies retreat to safety. A warrior that will inspire generations." He nodded his head toward the corpse. "I see that fight you finished it."
"I did," the smile fell from the chief's face. "But not fast enough. I have spent the last day searching through the ruins for survivors. There are… few." Darunia still stood tall, but as his eyes moved over the destruction of the room it was clear even in his stony face just how sad he was. It was almost enough for Ganondorf to pity him. Almost.
This whole situation was his fault. What madness had made him try to change the battle plans before the fight started? The only way it made sense was if Darunia had specifically decided to mess with him, for no reason. Unless he was actually telling the truth, that this was about the personal honor of being the first of the armies to defend the Crown.
What kind of fool would put an entire battle in jeopardy for such a reason?
A Goron, obviously.
"You will have to tell me about this duel," Ganondorf said. "It sounds like a battle worthy of song."
"It was," Darunia said. "But I fear that song will be a lamentation. Many things were lost. From the innocents who dwelt here, to the great treasures lost or destroyed."
"We will mourn the dead together. But now there is some business that must be dealt with." He nodded to Bodni.
"I am sorry, dear chief," the guard said. "But in order to keep the Gerudo in the fight, we offered Ganondorf a boon."
Darunia's brow furrowed in some great confusion. "What boon?"
"There is a stone among your treasures here in the Crown. A simple thing, a Ruby encased in gold it should be-"
"The Heart of the Mountain?" Darunia said. "I know of the stone you speak. And I am sorry, but it is quite impossible to give you this boon."
The dark voice thundered in Ganondorf's skull again. Begging for the chief to be slaughtered. "Your advisors agreed to the gift, speaking with your voice in your absence. You cannot go back on their word. Not after all my people sacrificed for you."
"Do not get me wrong, goro. I would give you any treasure within my land you desire. But this is strange." The chief waved toward a toppled statue. It once must have been a Goron, with its arm outstretched. But the arm had smashed into the ground, and shattered apart. Stones spewn about, with the ground around it cracked apart. "The monster also seemed drawn to that Ruby. But in its rampage it destroyed the statue that held it. When the Heart of the Mountain crashed to the ground the statue that held it smashed through the stones. The Ruby is lost beneath the earth my friend."
"What?"
"But do not worry, goro. I will honor any agreement my advisors gave you, I shall double their offer. Name any two other treasures and they shall be yours." The chief smiled. "Anything you want. There is not much that has survived unblemished from the lizard's assault, but whatever is here you may take. With my deepest thanks."
It was lost.
The Ruby was gone.
His heart started pounding, more than it had in any battle he had fought in. The black part of him was screaming, its rage filled his mind.
"Is something wrong, King Dragmire?"
"No," he said. Too sharp, his fury was slipping out. It needed to be controlled. "I am only sorry that I could not help in this fight. You must tell me everything." There was a chance. A slim chance, but all Ganondorf's hopes rested upon it.
"Ahh," Darunia shook his head. "There is not much to say. The monster slaughtered his way down into the Vault. I slowed it down as best I could. It hurts my pride, but the dodongo seemed more interested in reaching the Heart of the Mountain than fighting me. That was its great mistake. I used the last of my bombs upon it. When the statue toppled over we both chased after the Ruby before it fell beneath the earth. I managed to throw my last bomb into its mouth, and that is the result." He pointed toward the bulbous disfigured neck of the monster.
"You can tell a story better than that," Ganondorf forced himself to smile. "When you spoke of your ancestor's heroism you gave greater detail than the fight you fought in yourself! Come my friend, tell me did you grapple over the stone? Did you tear it out of the monster's jaws?"
The Goron shook his head. "I am sorry, King Dragmire, I fought until my body ached, but I cannot think through the details. It is all a blur of fire and claws and death."
IT LIES! IT LIES! KILL HIM! KILL THEM ALL!
His fingers twitched. He could call the sword again and slaughter every Goron in the room. It was Darunia's madness that brought the monster inside. It was his disastrous decisions that saw so many Gorons killed, and Gerudo as well. Mulli was scalded, who knows how many others wounded beyond or dying. And now he lost the Ruby? He must be punished. It was all his fault!
It is his fault, but not as much as it is mine.
"Well, this won't do. This is a great victory, we need something a little better." Ganondorf moved to the side of the dead beast and raised his hand high. The sword appeared pointed toward the sky.
A THOUSAND DEATHS AND DESECRATIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH!
Witch-flame erupted around the blade as he swung it down with all his strength. It caught the monster in the base of the skull. The scales were tough, clinging together even as force and magic tried to separate them. But in the end Ganondorf won, as he knew hew would. And the lizard's head separated from the body.
Blood spilled out from the stump, and the dark part of Ganondorf laughed at the destruction.
Some of the Gorons stepped back, shock on their faces. Darunia seemed more puzzled. "Was that necessary?"
"Yes." Ganondorf sent his sword away and grabbed the head with both his hands and hoisted it into the air. By the sands it was heavy. He could lift it, but barely. Never mind trying to walk with the thing. "Most of our armies still wait on the mountainside. They will need to see that you were victorious." He worked hard to keep the strain from his voice. "Take this, and carry it outside. Raise it above your head and announce your victory. Your people will love you for it."
"Hmm," the Goron grabbed the gargantuan head and plucked it from Ganondorf's fingers as though it were nothing but a feather. By the Goddesses these Gorons were strong. "Thank you, King Dragmire. You are truly an honorable and loyal friend. Whatever you want from the Vault it is yours."
The Goron left, his retinue behind him. As the chief traveled back up and out of the Crown the soldiers he passed cheered.
Ganondorf did not follow him. For a moment he stood in the center of the Vault of Stone and Flame. There were dead Gorons in a corner, covered with a shroud. There were a dozen cracks on the floor, some still opened, the air that came from them shimmering from the heat. Others looked as if the land split apart and smashed together, creating ridges of uneven earth. King Dodongo's footprints were easy enough to see, as were the blackened marks where his breath set the world aflame or where chunks were taken from the ground or walls from the Goron's bombs.
But for all the destruction, all the death, there was no Ruby.
Someone moved to his side. "Give us some space." Nabooru said, around them Gan's Honor Guard backed away leaving him alone with his dearest friend.
He waited for her to say something, but Nabooru remained silent. But her eyes never left his face. "It can't be gone," his voice was low, barely a whisper when he broke the silence. "It can't be."
"What if it is?"
Above ground a chorus of cheers and shouts erupted. The hollering carried on for some time as the two armies celebrated their victory.
A victory, even his own people thought of this as a victory. If they only knew that they had lost more today than they had in entire Civil War. They lost a hope for a future.
"Gan."
"I don't know." All around him was only death and destruction. A place that was once beautiful torn to pieces.
"Gan," Nabs said, wrapping her arm around his side. "Gan, do you remember the graveyard?"
"No," Ganondorf pulled away from her. "No. Not yet. It's not over yet. Darunia. He's lying. I know he's lying. It has to be somewhere. They were forged by the Goddesses themselves, they can't just disappear. They can't simply be destroyed. The gods would not allow it."
Nabooru clenched her jaw. "Even you can't say what the Goddesses will or will not allow."
"I will not just abandon the dream."
"You promised me, Gan."
She had never thought he would accomplish this. Not once. All those jokes about him being insane. His closest friend, and all she was trying to do was stop him. He raised his hand, as he did he could see his guard watching on all freezing in fear. As if he would ever hurt Nabs.
But Nabooru didn't flinch. She met his gaze as he jutted a finger at her. "I- I-" His hand curled back up, he pressed it against his forehead a moment before letting his arm fall to his side.
"This is me. You promised me."
"It's not over yet." Ganondorf turned from Nabooru and made his way toward the exit, passing through the rest of his guard as he went. Most of them, stepping aside, worry on their faces. He had promised them the world. What would they think of him if he gave them nothing? If he started this war and all he brought to his people was more death.
"What about your prizes?" Desqueza said. "Pity to take nothing after all that's happened."
"Find the two things that look the most expensive, sell them, and give the money to the families of the fallen." Ganondorf shouted over his shoulder as he left the tomb.
The candle lit up the tent. Not his tent, or at least not his usual one. That had been destroyed in the fighting. The servants had found one for his uses, he did not know if someone gave up their tent for him or if it had once been used by the dead.
However it happened, it was too small for him. It was a pain to simply get inside, and whenever he tried to sleep his head and feet pressed up against the edge. Still it was better than nothing, especially now that he needed to be alone.
Hunched over he opened up his chest. There was no fairy to beg him for her life, which was both a welcome absence and an unneeded reminder of how far his plans had failed him. How did it all fall apart like this? After all my work, everything I've done.
There's still a chance. I can still win. I can still make my perfect world.
He pulled out the map and the demon-bone top. There was no room for a desk, and the ground was uneven. The best he could find to place his map was by fiddling with his bedroll until it resembled a flat surface. He'd done more with less.
"That which I have marked, I call to you. Reveal yourself to me." It had been a difficult spell. Marking one creature was simple, setting up the spell so that it would transfer to a specific target when touched was a bit more difficult, but he could do it. It's how he could track the Emerald after his mother's spider touched it. But he had never cast a marking spell that went three layers deep. He knew the mark on One-Arm worked, and he had used the mark on King Dodongo during the battle.
But would it still reach the Ruby? What if the monster never touched it?
He released the top, and watched it spin across the map. It circled about the page, unfocused, as if the spell was searching throughout the world for its target. That's normal, it often takes time to find a new target. It's fine. It can still work.
The top moved toward the mountain, and Ganondorf held his breath. If it could just give him a section to look. A hint toward where it was buried, or if Chief Darunia had hidden it. Something he could work with and plan around.
Please.
The top spun around the mountain. Once. Twice. Where was it?
Then it spun off north and fell from the page.
"No," Ganondorf plucked the top from the ground and spun it again. "Reveal yourself to me! Reveal yourself!"
He must not have spun the top well, it bounced where it touched the map, flipping too far to the side, when it landed it rolled into a fall and skid along the paper.
KILL!
Ganondorf roared in rage. He smashed his fist down on the page. Witch-fire erupted around his hand.
"No!" He lifted his hand as fast as he could. But it was too late. The map caught the black and purple flame, burning a hole through the center. He crumpled the map and smothered the flames.
Voices from long ago, from his childhood filled his ears.
"Pathetic," said Kotake.
"Disappointing," agreed Koume.
"In four hundred years has there ever been a prince so weak?"
"Without the will to do what must be done."
"Perhaps we leave this one to the sands, dear sister."
"Yes, yes. Try again. In another century, maybe we will get a worthy king."
They were right. After all he'd done, all that he tried to do. What good was any of it if it came to nothing? He brought the Gerudo peace, but not one that could last. It would be a miracle if the peace between Hyrule and the Gerudo lasted his lifetime. But if it lasted longer it would be even crueler. Just long enough for his people to grow weak from peace, dependent on the aqueduct and Hylian water.
The tent flap behind him rustled. Gan spun around to see Bethe stooped low, half entering the tent.
"My king," she said. "I heard something." She stopped, her eyes found the flames that still danced around his hand, then met his eyes. "Is it happening again?"
"I need," Ganondorf hissed. "To get out of here."
His commander nodded. "I shall clear a way." She spun out of the tent and shouted. "Clear a way. All this noise is disturbing the king! Clear a way!"
Ganondorf fled from his tent. Bethe had done her duty as well as anyone could expect, but there were still those who had stayed too close.
"My king!" said one warrior, raising a drinking horn to him as he passed. He knew her, a warrior from the Storm-Watcher Clan, a veteran who fought beside him during the Civil War. She drew close to him before she stopped. The horn slipping through her fingers and spilling out to the ground. "By the Goddesses, your eyes."
Ganondorf turned away from her and fled. Rushing out of the campsite. He did not know how long he ran. Two miles? Three? It was dark, and the uneven ground of the mountainside made it difficult for him to know. But he did not stop until the fires of the camp were far behind him. All the while as he ran, his mother's chastisements rang in his ears and a lifetime of fruitless victories playing over and over again in his mind.
And the voice. The most terrible thing of all. That dark part of his soul screaming at him one word over and over again.
KILL! KILL! KILL!
As he walked he felt his boots sink into the snow of the mountain, melting from the heat that was radiating off of him. Black flames rolled down his arms and sprung from his footsteps.
KILL! KILL! KILL!
He could not hold it back any more, he screamed. The terrible noise sounded more like a monster, like a demon of old than from a man. He fell to his knees and howled as the witch-fire consumed everything around him.
Author's Note: An apology. After some time trying to work out the next section, I realized I could not continue without changing three sentences from the Chapter 40: Within the Crown. I'm sorry, and I will not make a habit of this.