Chapter 11: Home

"There's not even a blood moon going on. Who summoned us?" Kotake announced as she appeared above the obsidian altar in the throne room.

"Ladies, Goddesses, whatever you prefer." I held up the vial with Link's blood in it. Link's body had been dragged outside to show to the Hylian host, sending terror through their Invasion Force, even as relentless rounds of mortar fire rained down upon them. As we continued with our rite, the Hylians retreated.

"The Earth boy actually did it, Kotake!" Koume shouted.

"I can see that. I'm right here." Kotake retorted.

The earlier experience in the Dark Realm had an effect on me, I think. It was always clear to me that the Gerudos are simply on the wrong side of a biased story, but I wasn't 100% on resurrecting Ganon. But now, I felt this internal tug at me. "We must revive Ganon." I found myself thinking. "It would be wrong not to."

"James, I'm calling it a day. Lead the rite." Blind said as Gerudos continued bandaging his wounds.

"Lead?"I asked.

"Just read this and pour the vial onto the altar as you do so." A robed Gerudo said to me as she handed me a Hylian-language book called Secrets of the Dark by Agahnim the Wizard.

I walked up to the altar with the vial in hand. Kotake watched and said ,"Don't worry, you can't really do it wrong."

Koume said, "The incantation is actually unnecessary, but we like it so read it anyway."

To this, Kotake whispered loudly, "HEY! Don't tell them that."

Koume responded, "Does it matter?"

Ignoring them, I continued to the altar. I read over the passage several times, and I said aloud, "False Goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore. We, the assembled, reject your claim to this universe, and we do not serve you. We, the assembled, pay homage to the Elder Gods who existed before Creation and still rightfully rule all of its Spaces. We speak of Null, of Void, and of Nether, the True Triad. We cry out to their champion, Ganon. He is the Emperor of the Dark, the Voice of Demise, and the end of your reign." I poured a third of the vile onto the altar, letting it dab back and forth over the length of the altar twice.

The building began to shake. I looked over at Blind for a minute, who was hurting, but smiling. I continued reciting the incantation, "Ganon come forth! Lead us into battle toward the cause of true Justice. We seek your face, oh God!" I looked toward the crowd for them to say their part.

"We seek your face!" The robed Gerudo shouted. Itchy blurted out the same a second later after realizing it was a 'crowd chant' moment. I held back a snicker.

I could see the face of the beast Ganon materializing before me. I knelt, partly out of the influence of whatever changes were going on inside of me, but partly out of fear. I didn't see it because I was looking down, but he transformed back into Ganondorf.

Blind hobbled off the throne. "You're back."

"I am." Ganondorf and Blind hugged, surprising everyone.

"You could have been King of the Gerudo, Blind." Ganondorf said. "You were under no obligation to bring me back."

"But then my big brother would still be dead." Blind said, failing to hold back tears. "It's been twenty years."

"And who is this person who led the incantation?" Ganondorf asked, looking at me. "Do we have a peace with the Hylians now?"

"That is James, a sort of historian." Blind responded.

"James, I am Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo. Rise, all of you, rise." I stood up and beheld the Evil King.

"We have repelled a Hylian invasion. But with Link's death and your revival, it's likely that the full Hyrulean host will come now."

"Link is dead?" Ganondorf asked. "And who is the person who killed him?"

Itchy was hiding behind the robed Gerudo. "I-I am, sir."

"The Gerudo people owe you a debt of gratitude, young Bokoblin. You've stood where entire armies fell."

"I shot him with my 'gun' that James helped me build, but it was a team effort. Everyone attacked him."

"But don't downplay your role, Itchy!" I said. "We would have all been killed by Link if you hadn't been here."

"Yes, when time permits, Itchy, I shall reward you properly."

But then a blue light permeated the room. Zelda floated in. She caused Link's body to float into one of those crystals you see in A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. "Servants of Darkness, you will spend all of eternity lamenting your crime against Hyrule, against her lands, and against me. I am Zelda, the voice of Hylia on Hyrule, and I damn you now and forever."

"Darkness has triumphed, Zelda. I reign once again. And I ask you once again, can there be a peace between our peoples? I have no ill toward Hyrule or her peoples. I only wished and still only wish that the land surrounding the Zora River be returned to the Gerudos. There is no need to escalate, no need to call upon your Gods and doom us to more destruction." Ganondorf extended his hand for a handshake.

"You think that there will be peace after killing Link!?" Zelda shouted as she slapped his hand down and held back tears. "You will all die horribly in the depths of the Castle Town dungeon!"

"I'll give you time to mourn the loss of a loved one, but for Hyrule's sake, Zelda, let us work together to establish a lasting peace. Please." Ganondorf pled.

"Not a chance. Enjoy your brief moment of life, Ganondorf. For the weapons this outsider has given you are mere sticks and stones before the power of the Goddesses!"

"Zelda, reconsider." Ganondorf continued. "You bear the Triforce of Wisdom. Listen to it."

"I did. Nayru appeared before me directly and said to bring all of my armies to kill you Ganondorf, you, Blind" and she turned to me, eyes nearly popping out of her head with tears and pure hatred. "and most especially you. What is wrong with you to not only give weapons to Bokoblins, to not only foster rebellion among the Gerudo, but to also revive Ganon himself!? Evil is not good!"

"You're not so good, either, Queen Colonialist the 1st." I quipped, more than a little afraid that either the Goddesses or Zelda were about to strike me dead.

"What? I've never heard such insolence. No matter. I only came for Link's body. I hope that someone comes for all of yours we're done. Believe this prophecy: Not one stone will be standing in Gerudo Town when the full might of Hyrule bears down upon it." And she floated off with Link's body in tow.

"That was a good start." Blind said to Ganondorf. "I'm sure she'll come around!"

"It is unlikely." Ganondorf stretched his regenerated body. "But I've never backed down from a challenge. Let me see my people!"

"People say we're grumpy and ornery." Kotake interjected. "Now Zelda is grumpy and ornery!"

Ganondorf was paraded on the backs of Gerudos through the town square. Itchy was given a Gerudo Medal of Cunning, which it seems is the highest honor that a Gerudo King can give a citizen.

That evening, Ganondorf used his powers to open a portal back to my house in Earth. And what I saw was sobering. My wife had moved on from my death – which was only three months ago now - and my kids were calling a new guy 'dad'."At least she managed to keep the house!"I said with a moment of resignation. I thought about jumping through. I wanted to, but it seems the gods were at least right about letting my past life die.

Lasella gave me a hug. "After all this, you don't have anywhere to return to James. What will you do?"

"I guess I'll stay here. Besides, I've helped create quite a mess here in Hyrule. We need to clean this Hyrulean Invasion Force up once and for all. Glory to Ganondorf, Lasella."

"Glory to Ganondorf, James. I'll get my 'broom'." as she did open-air quotes with her fingers as she said broom, pointing to her scimitar. We went back to my hotel room for the evening. Itchy and I played checkers while Lasella read fantasy novels and drank some of gamer-fuel Hydromelon cocktails.

I hadn't exactly found my true home here in Hyrule, but I found some friends!