Before they departed Faron, Zelda decided to stop back in the Deku Village in order to stock up on smoothies. Ganon did not protest this detour, as he sensed she was still quite shaken from Null's ambush, and thought it would help her relax. He waited outside the smoothie shop, keeping watch in case Null tried to attack again.

When Zelda returned from inside the shop, it was with a small grin on her face.

"The Business Scrub making the smoothies told me to be careful," she said to him. "Because supposedly there is a terrible monster around these wetlands that has been terrorizing everyone."

"Is that so?"

Zelda nodded. "The rumours say he even stole a Hylian right out of the prison in this town. And ate her."

"How terrible," Ganon said dryly. He let out an annoyed breath. "Why do they all think I'm going to eat them?"

Zelda shrugged. "Do pigs eat meat?"

"Are Deku Scrubs really meat? And if you call me a pig one more time I will eat you."

"You can try," she said, then rifled through her bag to hand him a mango smoothie. He accepted it happily.

They made their way towards Castle Town, so that Zelda could ask her father about Farore's instructions. Ganon would have liked to infiltrate the castle again, if only to visit Zelda's cat, but decided it would be easier if he waited outside while Zelda consulted with the king. So he found himself leaning against one of the stone walls that protected the city, while Tri floated next to his head, waiting.

"Ganon," they said. "I have been thinking."

Oh dear, thought Ganon.

"I have been thinking," Tri repeated. "And I have realized that I am frightened."

"Well, we were just ambushed," Ganon said, with a tone he hoped imparted that he had not be frightened by Null's attack in the slightest. This was possibly a lie.

"That is not what's frightened me," Tri said. Their eyes narrowed as they thought. "Soon," they said eventually, "Null will be destroyed. Zelda's quest will be successful, and the goddesses' will done."

"This doesn't please you?"

"It does," said Tri. "But when Null is gone, there will be no more rifts."

Ganon thought Tri seemed nearly distraught at the thought.

"I don't see the problem," he said.

"I mend rifts. That is why the goddesses made me. When there are no more rifts, then… there is no point in me." They paused, then said, more quietly, "Zelda will not need my help anymore. And that… frightens me."

"Why?"

"When Null is defeated, there is no reason for me to be here. But Zelda has taught me many things, and shown me many places. When I think about leaving her, I feel… sad." Tri blinked. "I have never felt like this before."

"I think that Zelda would say that you do not need a reason to spend time with your friend."

"Friend…" Tri murmured. "Zelda has called me this. Ganon, what is a friend?"

Ganon crossed his arms. "Aren't the other Tris your friends? Shouldn't you know this?"

"They are my friends because they are Tri, and they repair rifts. But I don't think that is what Zelda means when she calls me her friend. So I want to know what you think is a friend, Ganon."

Ganon exhaled. He thought of Zelda and her bright smile, then of how that smile would fade when she realized he was intending to steal the Prime Energy from her. To protect my memories! She would have to understand, wouldn't she?

He said, "I think that is something I am still trying to remember."

Tri blinked, but did not say any more. It did not take long for Zelda to reappear, breathing heavily as though she had sprinted all the way from Hyrule Castle's throne room to them – which, Ganon thought, she probably did.

"I talked to my Father," she said. "He and Impa think that Farore was referring to Eternal Forest."

"Eternal Forest," Tri repeated.

"It is a huge forest to the north-west of Castle Town. But hardly anyone ever goes there, because it is said to be very dangerous."

"What's so dangerous about it?" Ganon asked.

"Supposedly it is home to a horrible beast."

"Sounds fun," said Ganon. Zelda's mouth twitched.

"I thought you might say that," she said. "But that it only one of the dangers. Eternal Forest is nearly impossible to navigate. Legends say there is a sanctuary deep within the forest, but nobody has found it. Some have even perished looking for it, getting so lost within the woods."

A forested maze, Ganon thought. "Did they try following the music?"

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"I – " Ganon blinked. "I have no idea."

As quickly as they could, they made their way through Hyrule Field, wishing to reach Eternal Forest before Null decided to attack them again. It was not long before he could see a line of large trees in the distance, which started so suddenly it looked unnatural, though Zelda claimed the forest was untouched by man.

"Should we not be heading towards it?"

She shook her head. "There is a path that leads into the forest. We'll be less likely to get lost if we enter that way."

So they continued down their current route until it wound its way into the forest. Zelda took a deep breath as they crossed the threshold into Eternal Forest.

"Nervous?"

Zelda shrugged. "I can't believe Null will let us take the Prime Energy without a fight."

"If Null wants a fight then I will give it one," said Ganon.

She nodded, though he thought she still seemed uncertain. He frowned – this fear did not suit her – and after a moment, pulled out the golden sash she had given him. It seemed like so long ago now.

"Will you put this on me?" he asked. "For luck."

To his satisfaction, she smiled. As she tied it around his neck, she murmured, "I kept the purple one. In case you wanted it back."

"I do," Ganon said truthfully.

The trees of the Eternal Forest were thick enough to reduce the sunlight coming through considerably, and as they ventured deeper into the woods, a thick fog settled around them. It gave the place a very eery atmosphere – not that Ganon was nervous. When the path ended, and they had to walk through the forest unguided, he wished he had something to leave behind to help them find their way out.

"Shall I leave a trail of grapes?" Zelda asked.

"Animals would eat them."

"I remember exactly where we came from," Tri said. "Do not worry, Ganon."

"I'm not –"

"Look," breathed Zelda, stopping suddenly. She crouched, looking at something on the ground. Ganon bent to see what that something was, and was greeted by the imprint of a massive hoof on the forest floor.

Had a horse gotten lost in the woods? He did not think he'd seen a horse with feet that large before.

"There's another one." Zelda pointed in front of them, then farther back, where there was a third hoofprint. She stood and turned to him, eyes alight with determination. "We should follow them."

"You think they'll lead us to the sacred tree?"

"I don't know," she said. "But I want to know what made these prints."

"Aren't we meant to be in a hurry?" Ganon grumbled, but he too, was curious.

Following the tracks was a challenge; much of the forest floor was covered with fallen leaves and other detritus, which did not preserve the hoofprints well. Zelda seemed to be adept at spotting them, however, and they steadily moved through the forest, following the tracks around corners and over fallen trees and in so many loops that if Ganon was not lost before, he certainly was now (though Tri claimed to still know exactly where they were).

Eventually they were led by the tracks into a clearing. Zelda looked around the ground as they entered it.

"I don't see any more," she said. "I think this is where it ends."

Ganon looked into the trees on the sides of the clearing. He had started to get a very bad feeling.

"A shame," Zelda sighed. "I really wanted to – do you hear that?"

For a low growl had just sounded from within the trees.

Ganon placed a hand on his trident. Zelda squinted into the trees, trying to see what had made the sound.

There was another growl, and then she did not need to squint anymore, because the creature emerged. Ganon's grip on his trident tightened.

It was a horse. Or at least, its body was, with powerful limbs and hooves so large Ganon knew they had found the source of its footprints. Where the horse's neck would be, this creature – this monster – had a torso like a man's (a very muscular man, Ganon thought with apprehension), with a bow slung across its back and a sword in its hand. Its face was that of a lion, with a wild mane.

"Lynel," Ganon muttered. Why can't anything just be easy?

Zelda took a step towards the monster. "Hello," she said. (Fool girl, thought Ganon.) "We're looking for a sacred tree. Do you know where we could find it?"

The Lynel stared at her as though thinking. Its eyes flicked to Ganon, who bared his teeth in response. The monster blinked; it seemed almost confused. Then it readied its sword and charged.

Ganon rushed in front of Zelda to meet the Lynel's sword with his trident. He braced himself to stop himself from getting knocked back by the strength of the blow. He could remember that Lynels were ferocious – but he would not allow this horse-lion-thing to best him. Behind him he heard Zelda summoning echoes to her (including another electric Wizzrobe; she really could be vicious, couldn't she?). The Lynel snarled at Ganon, before pulling back to charge at Zelda again.

Fight me, you beast! Ganon prepared to lunge at it again, to protect her, but found he did not need to. Zelda had gotten herself above the Lynel, out of the range of its sword, by jumping leaping across clouds. As she danced across the clouds, she summoned a large pot. She then dropped this onto the monster's head.

The Lynel let out a roar of rage, before tossing its sword to the side. It reached for the bow strapped over its back. Ganon threw his trident at it; the Lynel dodged out of the way at the last moment, but continued attempting to shoot Zelda.

He was not sure why the monster was so fixated on her – or was it that it did not want to attack him? – but it gave him and Zelda's echoes many openings to get attacks in, and soon the defeated Lynel lay on the ground at his feet. Zelda jumped down next to him.

"That one's rather useful," he murmured, nodding towards the cloud that had nearly faded.

"It really is," she said. "Unfortunately, I think you'd be too heavy."

He rolled his eyes. She knelt beside the fallen Lynel, and held her staff over it. The Tri Rod glowed briefly, then Zelda stood with a triumphant look in her eyes. She waved the staff, and Ganon found himself looking at an exact replica of the Lynel they had just fought.

"Oh wow," Zelda breathed. She stepped close to her new echo, an excited smile on her face. She ran a finger over the length of the Lynel's sword, then bent down to look at its hoofed feet. She patted its flank. As Ganon watched her fawn over the monster, he found himself becoming rather irritated.

"Do you think I'd be able to ride its back?" she asked.

He grunted.

"This has to be one of the strongest monsters I've ever seen," Zelda said dreamily.

"Not that strong," Ganon muttered. "We beat it easily."

"Still," Zelda said. "I can't wait to see what it can do." She touched the echo's arm as she stepped closer to look at the bow strapped across its back.

"You don't need this monster – you saw it fight. I'm much better."

"I think you could complement each other well," Zelda mused. "You can get in close with your trident, while it shoots from afar with its bow."

"I can shoot a bow," Ganon said churlishly.

Zelda turned to look at him, bemused. "Ganon," she said, starting to smile. "Are you jealous?"

"What - No!"

Her smile did not diminish. "Oh, don't worry, Ganon," she said, stepping away from the Lynel – finally – and towards him. "You know you'll always be the number one monster in my heart."

"You're absurd," he said shortly.

She giggled, then patted his arm before dismissing the Lynel echo.

"Come on," she said. "We have a tree to find."

"Easier said then done," he muttered, looking at all the trees surrounding them.

They continued to wander aimlessly through the forest (Tri still claimed to know the way back to the entrance, though Ganon was not sure if he believed them). They came across several things as they walked – monsters of all kinds, though thankfully no more Lynels, and multiple strange pillars that held large stone balls – but they did not come across anything that appeared to be the sacred tree Farore had told them to find.

And then they came across a chasm of purple.

"A rift," Zelda murmured.

"Here?"

"We need to find somewhere for Tri to make an entrance," Zelda said.

They followed along the edge of the rift. It could not be a coincidence that a rift had appeared here, could it? No, Ganon thought. This was Null's response to Zelda's evasion of its earlier attack. There was a building wariness in his chest as the rift widened; they were getting closer to its centre.

They were led to a clearing, which housed the largest tree Ganon had ever seen. It had been cut clean in half by the rift, which looked very strange. What was even stranger, however, was the fact that the half of the tree that was not absorbed by the rift had a face: a wooden nose, eyebrows and mustache protruded from the trunk, and eyes and lips appeared to be carved into the tree's side.

Then the tree's eyes opened, and a rasping voice emerged from within those wooden lips.

"Priestess of Wisdom," he said. "I am the Deku Tree."

"Hello," said Zelda. She looked to the massive rift that consumed part of him. "Er… are you alright?"

"I am… lucky, I suppose," the Deku Tree said. "That I can still speak to you."

"What has happened here?" Zelda asked.

The Deku Tree cleared his throat (did he even have a throat? Ganon thought this was even stranger than the Deku Scrubs).

"Would that I could tell you the Prime Energy is ahead. But we are too late. Null has learned of our plans."

Zelda inhaled sharply. "Null has stolen the Prime Energy?"

"Do not fear – Null is unable to use the Prime Energy's power as it is now. By overtaking this area, it has taken the Prime Energy into the Still World."

"Then I must find it," said Zelda.

"Null knows that you are coming. It will do anything in its power to stop you. You must be brave, Priestess."

Zelda nodded; Ganon could almost feel the determination radiating from her.

"There is someone in the Still World who will be a great aid to you," the Deku Tree continued. "You must meet him."

"Link," Zelda said. Ganon shivered.

"Go now, Zelda, and know that the goddesses believe in you." The Deku Tree paused, wooden eyebrows furrowing. "And be careful of this one, Priestess. His presence… makes me wary."

"Don't worry, Deku Tree," Zelda said, though she looked at Ganon. "I trust him."

Ganon's throat suddenly felt dry.

"Then go," the Deku Tree said. "The fate of Hyrule rests with you."

He closed his eyes, and did not speak again.

"Thank you," Zelda said with a slight bow. She straightened, then turned her attention to the large rift behind the Deku Tree.

"I can make an entrance here," said Tri.

Ganon felt a tightness in his stomach. The final rift; soon it would all be over. It would end with the return of his memories; he would not allow it to end any other way. And then… and then what? He thought that he would always think back to this time fondly. Would Zelda even want him around her after what he was intending to do? This is not the time for these thoughts.

Zelda inhaled deeply. "Well? Shall we?"

He swallowed. "Yes," he said.

She took him by the hand and they stepped into the rift.