Link, Nabooru, and Princess Zelda had a surprisingly easy time making it past the crowds into the castle courtyard. No one had taken up residence in the abandoned castle, giving them a brief respite from the anxiety of traveling amongst such trepidatious conditions. Half-broken walls and parapets leaning heavily to one side were all that remained standing of the formerly impregnable castle. The space was very eerie, embodying the feeling of abandonment that Princess Zelda felt from the absence of her family. It brought her to tears initially, and Link and Nabooru sat down with her.
As Zelda collected herself, the group heard some echoes from further into the castle ruins. As they approached the furthest area, in what would have been the Royal Court, they quietly found themselves surrounded by several Gerudo guards. The guards had moved almost silently, and Link was both angry with himself at not having noticed and amazed again with the Gerudo guards' capability. At length, a figure emerged from a cave made from ceilings collapsing onto underground passageways. He was much thinner than before, and his eyes seemed to have a glaze over them. The hair had thinned considerably. The skin was still dark, but much paler than before. He was still recognizable, in a distorted sort of way. In an alternate timeline, he would have still been King of the Gerudo and would have been helping culture the desert-ready species gifted from Kokiri forest, in the dodongo manure from the Gorons and increased water allotment from the Zoras. But that was not this timeline. He had lost everything in this world. He didn't even address the group, just nodded his head.
Link spoke first. "King Ganondorf, time has not done you well. I would like to pretend you look ok, but your appearance betrays how much you've given up so far. What has happened?"
Impa and Zelda looked forlornly on him. Zelda spoke in a hushed tone. "When we saw you over two years ago leading the mixed Hylian and Gerudo group, we thought you would bring stability to the area. It had seemed you had a blank slate, and with all of your planning around Gerudo Valley it seemed you had the intelligence to handle a situation like this."
He lowered his gaze and did not raise it while he spoke. "You speak as if I wasn't broken already, before I even got here. Don't you remember? I was expelled by my own Matriarchs. Never in Gerudo history has a king been expelled in such a fashion. I'm not upset for myself, but of course I'm upset about how this turned out for the Gerudo, both in the Valley and those living in distant lands like Castle Town and Kakariko Village. I have failed my people as King, and will be remembered correctly for those failures. Again, my ego is controlled enough to not be ashamed of that for myself. The shame I bear is what is given by those who reside out in the shanty towns around me. The Gerudo women who can barely eat and feed their children. The ones who left Gerudo Valley in search of a better life and settled in Castle Town, only to have everything literally crumble around them. I am broken because they are broken."
Link spoke again, continuing in the quiet tone to match the mood. "It hasn't ended yet though. We are not at the beginning, but also not at the end. You still have life to live, and power to bring stability to your Gerudo people. Well, soon you'll have that power. Princess Zelda has been developing a political solution. We will have a Council of Sages. You've already met most of them in your efforts to improve the Gerudo position before the catastrophe. All we are missing is one of the most politically honest yet savvy leaders I know: you." Link let that sink in, slowly gauging the response. He looked for any sort of strong emotion, either positive or negative. Ganondorf kept his gaze lowered and only moved with the slight shuddering breath he must have developed in the past few months since living in this apocalyptic landscape. Link could not tell where this was going.
In the end, it didn't go anywhere. Ganondorf waved the guards back to his side, and bid them a good night. The sky had darkened enough for Link, Princess Zelda and Impa to need to rush back to the camp with the other Sages to spend the night safely. They were all targets in this area, and needed to protect themselves as such.