Chapter 84: Sorrow, Destruction, and Despair

The skull stared at him through its empty sockets. The bone greyed and glistened through whatever means the Gorons took to preserve it. Its teeth were longer than spears and its horns were greater still and sharp as a sword fresh from a whetstone. When alive, it must have been large enough to devour a dozen Gorons in a single bite.

The mightiest of the guardians, and the first to fall. There was a lesson in that, perhaps. The powerful can still be toppled. But it had taken a hero of legends to do so. The Goron that slew Volvagia secured his legacy so completely that his line still ruled the mountain. Even if that line brought about ones as pathetic as Darunia, it did not diminish the achievement.

He slew one guardian, but I have now taken two. But neither had been known for their power. How would I have fared against such a person?

YOU WOULD HAVE CRACKED HIM OPEN.

TORN DRAGON AND GORON BOTH ASUNDER.

Still, what it would have been to see such grandeur in person. The true ruler of Death Mountain; far greater than any of these current pretenders and the one that laid him low.

Someone shouted and others screamed in return. Gan sighed as the sound tore him from his thoughts and brought him back to the people surrounding him. If he could even call any of them people. On one side of the room stood Darunia and his stonemen, on the other Lizalfos and Dodongo from the six most powerful clutches, each growling and grunting at each other as much as they were the Gorons. Behind him stood his guard, armored and weapons gleaming. Tagoma paced along behind the Lizalfos, occasionally giving orders for them to settle down.

There was only one thing that all the lizards agreed upon. "Retribution, yes," one of them hissed. "We will eat."

"We have already agreed that my hunters will provide meat at a rate that the mountain can bear," Darunia said.

"No! No less! We feast on Goron if we must! Your children have meat, soft and tender."

A roar of approval came from the gathered lizards. Just as loud the bellows of refusal from the Gorons.

"This is a peace agreement," Darunia said. "If the cost of peace is the blood of Goron children, then we shall have no agreement and no peace."

"You will not be eating Goron children," Gan said. Why did he even need to state such terms?

"Their old, then," another of the Lizalfos said. "Their infirm. Their weak. Their useless. We feast!"

A Dodongo grunted and stomped his foot. A Lizalfos interpreter spoke. "Mighty Glombiter says, the hide may chip our teeth, but the Goron meat will suffice." The Dodongo looked at the ancient Dembugi and snapped his jaws. The Goron scowled and leaned heavily on his twisted metal cane.

"The Gorons shall not offer our wisest and most revered any more than our children."

"You must give up something!" Another of the Lizalfos hissed, at the head of a group of lizards all with a black stripe of scales down their backs. "For your tricks, for the way you fight. A whole clutched swallowed below the earth."

"We defended ourselves when the Poisonfangs rushed into our tunnels. That is war."

"A coward's war. Vengeance for the Poisonfangs!" No others took up the call. Whatever this lizard thought of the Poisonfangs, whoever they had been, the rest of the company did not seem to care. It would have been better served bringing up meat again, as dull as that would have been.

"There will be no more talk of vengeance or retribution," Gan said. "This meeting is to discuss how the mountain will be governed. The war ends. The killing ends. That is my decree."

"But they killed the Poisonfangs!" The Lizalfos squawked.

"I do not care." He once more looked up at the dragon skull that hung from the far wall. Why had Darunia picked this place for the meeting? There were other halls large enough to house all those gathered. The Crown once held all the treasures and relics of the mountain, but many were destroyed in King Dodongo's rampage seven years ago, and what survived was pillaged by the lizards. Bones and ancient useless stone weapons were all that remained of the once vast treasure vaults of the Gorons.

Perhaps that was why Darunia chose this hall. The last remnants of their once glorious culture, the symbol of the power they once held. Or perhaps it was some unsubtle hint to their enemies what his heritage did to tyrannical lizards? If that was his aim, Gan doubted the Lizalfos or Dodongo would ever recognize the threat. A skull, to them, was only a bone without meat.

What would the great dragon have done? Burned them all, most like. Feasted on these petty creatures with their ridiculous demands. That would have bound them in peace, fast. Peace through violence and fear. The only way to forge it.

These creatures do not fear me enough.

"If we are done debating murdering my people, then I think it is time to discuss who will control the mountain. I know none but my own people wish me to step into the role of leader. But whoever becomes the new ruler, let it not be Glombiter nor a member of the Blackscales."

The Dodongo roared and stomped his feet.

"Mighty Glombiter demands to know why you refuse him. Mighty Glombiter is strongest upon the mountain. Mighty Glombiter deserves to rule. Speak fast and explain this offense or Mighty Glombiter will not contain his wrath any longer."

"Mighty he might be, but Glombiter is also ravenous. He eats his own kind. What guarantee could he give that he would not eat my people?"

"Mighty Glombiter need not give any guarantees. Mighty Glombiter will devour who he chooses."

"As I said, not him."

"And why not us?" a Lizalfos hissed. "The Blackscales are numerous, and we fight well. When all the mountain turned to war, we defeated the Skritchnax Clutch and Resreet's Clutch."

"The Blackscales will try to get vengeance for their sister clutch," Darunia said. "Even if you deny it, we will not believe you."

"Vengeance for the Poisonfangs!" One of the lizards screeched from the back. The call once more failed to spread to anyone without a black stripe.

How many more days of this could any sane man take? It almost made Gan miss One-Arm. Say what you will for Rithfus, he was a traitorous opportunistic coward, but he kept the Gorons in check and the bickering of lizards away from him. Death Mountain had been the most stable province, while he ruled.

Dembugi tapped his cane against the carved stone floor. The sound rang through the chamber and silenced the Blackscales. "If I may. The mountain must have a leader, or else there will only be chaos."

"You wish to make your chief ruler!" A Lizalfos who had not yet spoken screamed.

"No, that we all know will never be agreed upon."

"Then you wish to make yourself ruler."

Dembugi laughed. "I am no chief. Our leader must be a Lizalfos or a Dodongo. But I say this, of all the clutches, only one has shown the Gorons no true hatred, while still being powerful enough to keep the mountain secure. I put forth the Skarclaw Clutch and their leader Ersgrethliss as the obvious choice."

"Yes," one Lizalfos hissed. That one must be Ersgrethliss. "We can rule. Yes. All mountain ours!"

Three of the gathered Dodongo growled and stomped.

"Mighty Glombiter will never allow a Skarclaw as leader."

"Dogon the Fiery Death calls for the Skarclaw Clutch to return to their proper place, crushed beneath a Dodongo's claw."

"My master will not allow these pests to ever speak for a Dodongo."

"The Skarclaw chew on Dodongo bones!" The Lizalfos howled. "We bite Dodongo tails! We claw out Dodongo-"

Glombiter roared. His jaws opened wide and flames flickered out the corners of his mouth. Every member of the Skarclaws shrieked a response and drew weapons. Before Gan could think to speak, they attacked. Like insects, they crawled around Glombiter's hide as the Dodongo roared and bit and struck.

"Enough," Gan shouted.

But they did not listen to anything but the call for blood. More entered the fray, not only to join Glombiter or the Skarclaws but to settle their own scores. Dodongo belched their flames while Lizalfos screeched and flung themselves at each other and every other creature within the room. The Blackscales charged at the Gorons. Some fool lizards even tried their chance against his Gerudo.

Jocqueline stepped before him and hacked apart one Lizalfos that came too close. Just as Brodni and the other Gorons placed themselves before their chief, though neither need have bothered. Gan was in no danger from these pests, and Darunia acquitted himself well. He grabbed one of the Blackscales and squeezed. That was all it took.

As the fighting grew, the light of Dodongo flames fell upon the skull. Its wide jaws seemed to laugh with joy at the slaughter.

"Enough!"

Black fire swirled about the room. Those it struck yelped and cowered, even those the flames did not touch froze. With a thought, Gan dispersed it and rose to his feet. "Out. All of you. I thought you could be treated as more than beasts, but I see now I was wrong. Out!"

The lizards retreated, first the scurrying Lizalfos then the bounding Dodongo. Now they had a reason to fear. Even these low creatures knew of his witch-fire and the destruction he could cause. Let them flee before him, perhaps they will be better behaved should he choose to have another meeting.

For their part, the Gorons did not flee nor cower. Instead, they stood close to their chief, their fists covered in grit and gristle.

"I warned you, king," Darunia said. "It is the Lizards who brought us to this path. Did you see how they turned upon each other?"

"I saw only what chaos your voe there caused." He nodded to Dembugi, who stood at the back of the crowd.

Dembugi limped through the phalanx of Gorons until he stood before Ganondorf. Then he lowered himself to his knee. "Violence in our holy places is not what I intended. But whatever damage I caused I humbly apologize. I will face any punishment you deem correct for my error in judgment. I truly meant what I said. The Skarclaws seemed the most disciplined, their leader the most reasonable. I did not know the hatred the Dodongo bore for them."

"I count twelve Lizalfos now dead."

"I see two Gorons as well," Dembugi said. "I mourn their loss."

"Worse, you have further delayed me. I should have your head for this."

He lowered his eyes. "If that would assuage you, my king."

Darunia put his hand on the old voe's shoulder. "My friend, stand up. The king does not mean to kill you."

"I say what I mean. No one else. Take him away, I'll think of what punishment he deserves."

The halfwit Brodni looked as though he was going to make some protest. But Darunia silenced him before he had a chance to speak. The Gorons stepped aside, allowing Jocqueline and three other guards to close upon Dembugi. When Darunia approached, they pointed their spears at him.

"At least let me help him stand. He deserves that dignity at least."

Jocqueline looked to Gan. He nodded. Punished the Goron would be, but Gan was still no monster. Whatever these stonemen think of him, or the Hylians whisper when they think no one hears. No matter what their accusing eyes silently condemn him of, he was just. He was fair. He was righting the wrongs of the world.

They would be grateful, in the end. No matter how filthy his hands became in the process, they would all be grateful.

Darunia stooped low as he helped his advisor to his feet.

"Thank you, goro."

"It is I who should thank you." Darunia bowed his head as the guards led the Goron away. Then he turned to Gan and knelt. "If there is nothing else, my king. I would retire, see my family, prepare for another council tomorrow."

Gan waved him away, before turning his gaze back to the skull. The Gorons' heavy steps rumbled, their echoes remaining in the chamber long after they had gone. The dark part of him howled in Gan's mind, as he thought of all the suitable punishments for the Gorons. But even if he put Darunia to the sword, what then? The mountain would have no peace, and his work would remain delayed. How many days had he wasted on this mountain already? He'd lost count of how long it took to get the warring lizards to the table. They'd dug themselves in burrows all over the mountain fighting each other and the Gorons. He should have known then they were no longer fit to lead. None of them had risen to replace One-Arm. The closest to gaining dominance was Glombiter, and the thought of trusting that creature to keep the mines running was a fool one by any standard.

Power without wisdom. The flaw shared by everyone on this mountain.

Gan looked once more over the skull and sighed. How much simpler the world must have been in those days.

By the door, a Gerudo arrived and spoke to Jocqueline. She departed with a salute before Jocqueline sauntered to Gan. "Word from your pet."

"Oh?"

"She's arrived. Do you want to see her here or-"

"No, we'll meet her in the camps." No reason to give the lizards or Gorons any hint of her importance.

His guards led him through the twisting path of the Crown and out the great doors. The new ones did not have the splendor of the old. They were still made of thick steel, but they bore none of the symbols of the Gorons, nor did they have that coloring that made the old look so distinctive. Centuries of use had darkened them, but it never looked tarnished or poorly maintained. Instead, they looked ancient and mighty, steel sentinels protecting all the Gorons held dear. The current ones already had splashes of dirt and mud that no one had bothered to clean. Why would they? The doors no longer guarded anything of importance, an empty shrine to a dying culture.

The mountainside had more life to it. Thousands of camps from three separate armies spread as far as the eye could see. The sound of multitudes echoed over the grass and snow, never loud enough to disorient but ever-present. An army. Home.

The Gorons and Lizards made their camps far away from each other, while the center was held by his united Hyrulean army. Hylian and Gerudo guards patrolled the entrances, each giving their bow or salute as he passed.

Within the encampment every line was orderly and each tent was in the appropriate place. The Hylians had their positions near the borders and by the cattle and pigs that the army fed upon while on the march. Further away the Gerudo mixed with some of the Hylian lords that travelled with them. But the center was for his most loyal subjects alone, only his personal guard and the greatest of the Gerudo could place their tents close to his. Their banners raised higher than any other.

And his banner flew highest of all. His tent grand enough to house not just himself but several servants and a personal cook. When he entered, he ordered them all to leave. He did not wait long alone before Sidaj slipped into the tent.

"Where have you been?"

"Here and there, doing as you asked." She gave a playful grin. "You could have warned me that you were planning on trekking all the way to the Crown while I was needling about. You have any idea how cold this mountain gets when you are traveling alone? You didn't even leave me a horse."

"Tell me what you learned."

"Straight to business, then. The usual opposing stories. Whatever happened, the Gorons cleaned their tracks well. I found no Lizalfos who were present during Rithfus' death. None who even worked in his little castle."

"So the Gorons are hiding something."

"Obviously, but that's not unusual. They threw a coup; you'd have to be the greatest fools in the world to do so in broad daylight and leave witnesses behind. You don't want anyone telling stories you don't want told. But you can never squash them all, but it did mean I had to work off rumors rather than anything of substance."

"And what did the rumors say?"

"Oh, the usual things you'd find from those who were not present: It was all Darunia's master plot, everything was Rithfus' fault, the will of the Goddesses freed Darunia from his prison, Rithfus was actually killed by his own guard for being too greedy. That sort of thing."

"What do you make of them?"

"Most of them mean little to nothing. The common fools will always think the rulers of their time are smarter, or dumber, or viler than they were. Their accomplishments and failings expand with retellings. There is, however, one that I was able to unearth that has the ring of some truth to it. The details change with the telling, but many say that Darunia spoke with some Hylian before he was captured. Some say it was a man, others a woman. They were either a rancher from the foot of the mountain, a knight Darunia knew from the old regime, or a merchant. They shared a meal, commiserated on old times, or toasted Rithfus' demise."

"Is there a point? You are bringing me nothing."

"Oh, Dragmire, I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"All you've told me is that Darunia lived on the mountain and he may have talked to someone. It is nothing."

"The person matters little, you don't get answers from listening to what people are saying, but from what the picture points to. In this case, where it points is obvious."

"You're growing tiresome, Sidaj."

She stuck out her lip in a fake pout. "And I thought we were growing to be such close friends. Someone appeared on the mountain, someone important enough for Darunia to refuse to meet with Rithfus. Someone who everyone knows of but no one can say what they look like, who they were, why they came. And within a day of their arrival, Darunia pulled off a successful coup. Who do you know has the skills to do something like that?"

"They were a Needle."

"There's that mind of yours. I feared you'd fallen asleep."

"Are you certain?"

"One can never be certain until one has proof, and I'm unlikely to find any after all this time. It is always possible that it was a simple friendly rancher that Darunia knew and everything that came after was a coincidence. But one should never trust coincidences."

"I don't. I have no further need for Sidaj."

Her eyes went wide and fearful, as they did each time he suppressed her. Sorrow twisted her expression, just like Godfrey had after every one of their lessons together all those years ago. Their brief moment of being something close to themselves ended. She may have cried if she had the time. But her eyes closed and when they reopened a servant girl saw through them.

"Is there anything else you have need of, my king?" She spoke in Gerudo.

"No, carry on with your duties around the camp."

She saluted and left his tent to cook or clean or whatever trivialities consumed her time until he called for her again.

The Gorons and the Sheikah together. But to what purpose? There were hardly two forces in all of Greater Hyrule more opposite. But they could be fearsome when combined together. Imagine what chaos the Sheikah could inflict if they had access to the Goron's weapons. Or a battlefield with an army of implacable soldiers to distract from the blades that appear behind you.

They could have given his rule a cause for alarm, but only if Darunia had succeeded in his bid for control. Say one thing for the violence that erupted on the mountain, it may be little more than a distraction, but it would act as such for Darunia as well. Even with the lizards all fighting each other, he had not been able to establish himself. He was contained for now, but the Sheikah would always be the true enemy.

Once he wiped out Arlan he should march straight to Kakariko and burn it to the ground. That would be a legacy worth having. For the next thousand years, people would sing his praises for destroying those honorless backstabbing horrors.

He stayed in his tent alone for some hours, thinking on the morrow's council. He would need to make an example of those who caused the chaos. Glombiter and the leader of the Skarclaws for certain, Ersgrethliss. Or had he already died? Several of the clan perished when they attacked the Dodongo. He thought Ersgrethliss was among them. And Jocqueline slew the one that attacked him.

If he punished Glombiter he'd need to punish a Skarclaw as well. Whoever they name the new clutch leader would suffice. The punishment must be fair, a Goron, a Lizalfos, and a Dodongo. Enough to get everyone on track and focused.

Outside the tent, he heard some muffled voices speaking. Then Jocqueline entered, holding two scrolls. "Messages for you."

"From anyone important?" He asked as he stood to take them from her.

"Dessi and Bethe."

"Has Nabs already started cracking heads? Thank you, Jocqueline."

He unrolled Dessi's first.

Sav'aaq Gan,

I made contact with Konoru and Blynne. The Hylian's been accommodating, even after that last battle wiped out most of his knights. So far, I have not seen any sign of Arlan, except for some minor skirmishes. My scouts met his scouts. He's learned from the wars; he attacks and retreats almost like a Gerudo.

He has taken to raiding caravans for supplies. Mostly merchants. And he has been distributing food to the peasants where he travels. The fields are more loyal to him than their lords.

However, merchants aren't all that he's now attacked. A caravan from Death Mountain was also taken. The stones meant for construction were thrown into the river, and they will likely not be able to be retrieved. More pressing, the shipment also held the Goron powder. I've been told it was meant to blast through some hills. That should have been guarded with a regiment at least.

The Hylians and Konoru who have not yet seen what it can do are unperturbed. But I doubt castle walls will hold well against those explosions. Our initial plan of layers of defense and converging wherever Arlan strikes may no longer work. If he can breach the walls before we can even respond this plan will see our allies knocked over one by one.

I am doubling my reconnaissance, and hoping to get more information where he has hidden. I know you ordered me not to directly engage, but I see few alternatives.

Awaiting any further instruction,

Dessi

That was their plan, then. The Sheikah coordinated messages between Arlan and Darunia. The Gorons probably rolled their caravans directly into the bandit's camp. Forget punishing Dembugi, that pawn. Nothing could save Darunia now. This treason could only be answered with death.

He'd need the lizards to protect the shipments south, which required one of their kind to step up as a leader. How did I find Rithfus in the first place? Perhaps I should go looking among their wounded for any who had his fire.

Gan set aside the first scroll to pick up the second. "Please have some good news." He muttered, though he doubted it. Bethe wasn't the kind to bother him when everything was well.

Great King Dragmire, Ruler and Protector of all Hyrule,

I must apologize for my failure. You have left me in charge of the castle and city's defenses in your absence. But you had not been gone for a fortnight before both were infiltrated.

I do not know by whom, I suspect a Needle, but cannot know for certain. All I can say is that they knew of the Sheikah Paths, and used one I thought closed from the garden. I have taken it upon myself to more permanently block up the passage by filling it with dirt.

The infiltrator then stole away to your chambers and took the three stones that were instrumental in your ascension. These too I had thought protected by spells both your own and Twinrova's. They must have been weakened with your absence.

Upon discovery of the theft, I have set patrols at the temple and your bedroom. But I fear I was too late as there is evidence of a fire in the ruins.

I accept full responsibility for this breach and whatever punishment you deem necessary. If you wish to relieve me of my position, I have left instructions for my successor locked in the top drawer of my desk.

Your faithful servant,

Captain of the Guard, Bethmasse the Dread Spear, daughter of the Three Gates Tribe

Gan's fists clenched, rumpling the scroll. Fire burst from his hand turning the paper to cinders. "The princess."

She lived.

He closed his eyes and with a thought sent his eye far and wide. His hand grew warm as he drew upon the power of the Three. The hills did not hide her, nor did the trees, or long roads. He searched the confines of cities and the crypts of castles. Nowhere he looked held the faintest trace of her magic. She did not exist. And yet, it could be no one else.

Only the Great Deku Tree had ever masked something from his search. But this felt different. The Guardian's shroud hid the Emerald and the child that carried it, yet Gan had always known of its existence. The demon bone had been able to find them, and when he placed his own mark on the boy, he'd broken the shroud. Now that he held the power of gods, he doubted he'd even need to mark his target.

This was not the work of the Deku Tree. The princess simply was not present in the world. How? What magic could subvert his own?

The only answer was Lord Jabu-Jabu. Had the princess reached the leviathan? Sometime before the Zora revolt, before he slew the silent wisdom for good and all. Even dead the guardians still caused him trouble. They never understood what he had been trying to accomplish. The tree and the whale had been too stuck in their old ways, too concerned with the safety and security of their homes. They were not willing to leave their comfort behind to create something new, something better.

They did not understand the needs of power and the violence inherent in creating change. But then, how could they? That was not their aspect.

"Mothers," Gan said. "I do not have the sand from your door, nor do I hold your emblems. I do not need them. I command you attend me."

The burning wind of the desert swirled within his tent. It stung at his eyes and scratched his face. The gale made the canvas of the tent ripple and nearly pulled the pegs from the ground.

"Command, does he?"

"Is that how you treat us?"

"Your poor mothers."

The winds howled and grew wild until Gan shielded his face from the onslaught. Then it stopped. The lamps within the tent burned out. From the dark, a gem of red and a gem of blue glowed as Koume and Kotake appeared.

"Rude child."

"We were working."

"This is more important than your work."

"You do not know what we are attempting," they said in unison.

"I need one of your spellbooks. Let me look upon it, and I will release you to your schemes."

"To our schemes, he says."

"With such disdain."

"As though he did not learn all he knows from us."

"As though he does not scheme himself."

"Will you give me the books?"

"That depends."

"Which book?"

"Which spell?"

When Gan told them, their eyes went wide before they cackled.

"Dangerous."

"Dangerous enough? I wonder."

"It might be, dear sister, it might be."

The glow of their gems dimmed, and when they brightened again, they held a book between them. He had not seen it since he was a child when his mothers taught him words and spells from its pages.

"Does our son remember the first time he brought forth black fire?"

"Of course, I do." And of course, they bring it up.

"You failed."

"You burned."

You gave me a spell meant for a master when I was eight. He wanted to yell at them, but instead he said, "I will not fail this time."

"We'll see," they cackled.

Ganondorf sat in silence. Servants had done their best to clean the signs of violence from the hall, but he could still smell the acrid blood and stinging smoke. He closed his eyes and waited as the captives were dragged before him and the skull. The screeches of the Lizalfos came to him first. It nipped at the hands and tails of those who carried it before being dumped at Gan's feet.

"What have I done, my king? Nothing!"

"The Skarclaws brought violence to my council."

"Ersgrethliss did! Not I. I did nothing!"

"You did not fight?" In truth Gan didn't know, nor did he care. He needed a Lizalfos and this one would suit as well as any other.

"Only to defend myself. I never attacked the Dodongo! If it pleases you, I will bring peace between my clutch and the Dodongo. I swear it."

"I'm certain your replacement will be just as successful as you would have been."

Then came Glombiter. Gerudo, Lizalfos, and Dodongo dragged him in on his back, by pulling heavy chains. Iron shackles bound his legs and wrapped around his snout. Still, the beast thrashed and flames burst from the sides of his muzzle. At least Gan would not have to listen to this one beg and whine.

"Where is Darunia?"

Tagoma shook her head. "Wasn't in his tent. We searched but couldn't find him anywhere."

"We questioned the Gorons nearby but no one saw the chief," Jocqueline added. "Must have gotten spooked."

"Who alerted him?"

"Could have been anyone, your orders weren't exactly subtle." Jocqueline chuckled. "By the sands, I almost fled when your tent started to sound like a sandstorm."

"What do you want us to do?" Tagoma said. "I fear the Goron fled deeper into the tunnels, it may take some time to root him out."

"Forget him, one stoneman will serve as well as another. Bring the prisoner." Soon it would not matter what Darunia attempted. This mountain would never be his again.

They brought Dembugi in without draping him in chains or laying hands on him. The Gerudo who surrounded him did not even have their weapons readied. Gan frowned, this one was no threat to anyone. The least powerful of Gorons, would the ritual work with one such as him?

"My king," Dembugi leaned heavy on his staff as he lowered himself to his knees. "How may I be of service?"

"You know."

"I do." He looked to the whining Lizalfos and struggling Dodongo. "One of each so you can pretend to be fair. No one ever said you lacked for cunning."

"I'm glad I have your approval, old man."

"No," Dembugi shook his head. "That you'll never have. Not if you live until the mountain crumbles and darkness consumes all knowledge of stone and steel."

"I am not creating darkness. Your sacrifice will create a better world."

"When you have reshaped the lands to your desire, ask the corpses if they approve. Their silence will be your answer."

Gan smiled. "Small people always underestimate me, even after all I have accomplished. You'll never know how wrong you are. Before I'm done, even the dead will answer me."

He closed his eyes and sent his vision to a far-off land where sages once sought to rewrite the world themselves. The room where they cast their spells was dark but alive with ancient magic. How old had these mages been? He knew of no history that mentioned them. Even his mothers did not know all the details and they had found their spellbook and discovered this lost chamber.

Gan opened the portal, letting the light of the Crown flow into the Room of Rites.

"Sands take me," Tagoma muttered as she gripped her halberd tight. Behind her the Lizalfos' screeches grew louder and more flames licked up Glombiter's head through the small gaps in his muzzle.

Three unlit marble braziers stood in the room. At the front of each, the mages had carved their hooded faces into the stone. Their empty eyes a warning to those who sought to light them.

Gan opened his mother's book and found the incantation. "Sorrow we offer. Sorrow for those torn from Hylia's embrace."

Jocqueline threw the squirmy Lizalfos at Gan's feet. The creature hissed and spit and clawed at anything that it could.

When Gan reached down to him, he tried to pull his head away. His eyes were wide, the fear almost human. It whimpered like a wounded dog. "I didn't mean to offend you. I am loyal. I will serve." His whine turned into a shriek as the witch-fire consumed him.

In the room, one of the flames came alive. But weak. So small that a whisper of a wind would blow it out. The spell demanded the power of the fires be unbridled. Gan drew the power from himself and forced it into the pyre until it grew, crackling with a deep blue flame. The light left flickering streaks like tears down the face on the pyre.

"Destruction we offer. Destruction -"

Steel cracked behind him. Gan turned to see Glombiter's muzzle glow red and split open. The Dodongo roared as the metal fell from his maw, revealing blisters where he had burned his own flesh to escape. His head lurched forward to bite the chains around his legs. Soon his fire burned through those as well.

The Dodongo that dragged him in tried to pin Glombiter down, but the prisoner chomped on their exposed neck. The smaller Dodongo reeled back, dying as flames poured through the hole in its throat. Lizalfos and Gerudo guards moved to stop Glombiter as he lurched to his feet.

"Destruction we offer!" Gan continued the spell as he called his sword to hand. "Destruction for it is demanded by the Nameless One."

Glombiter roared as Ganondorf approached him. The beast charged, dragging chains and soldiers behind him. He screamed in pain and madness as his flame burst from his jaws.

With a wave of Gan's hand black fire smothered the red. The Sword of Kings struck and cleaved deep into the hard Dodongo scales. Blood spilled over the stone floor and splashed onto Gan's boots. The beast collapsed but was not yet dead. Gan walked before him and smiled into the hate of the creature's eyes. When he reached out his hand to touch Glombiter's snout, the Dodongo made one last attempt to bite him.

He burned just as the Skarclaw. His final roar ending with a gurgle.

A red and orange flame sparked. But if anything, it was even weaker than the last. Gan grit his teeth and once more poured power into it. On his hand, the symbol of the Goddesses came alive. Scalding and brilliant it glowed as the flame drank deep, until the pyre shown as bright as the sacred Triforce. The flame cast dark shadows over the chamber, and on the brazier's face, it looked as though blood had spattered upon it.

"Despair we offer," Gan started before his legs almost gave out.

"Gan!" Tagoma said, but Jocqueline reached him first. She held him up and he leaned his weight onto her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it is just more than I thought." He took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. His limbs shook as though he'd fought an entire battle single-handed.

"Should we try something else?"

"No." He took one last breath to steady himself before he stood free of Jocqueline's support. "Tagoma" He pointed toward the last sacrifice.

She nodded and reached down to help the Goron up.

Dembugi pulled his arm free of her and waved for her to step back. He moved slowly, using his hands to force himself to his feet. He limped toward Ganondorf, a flicker of a grimace with every step. It took a few paces before Gan realized why the Goron's gait looked so strange. Dembugi had left his cane behind.

"There's no need to make this difficult for yourself." Gan signaled for Tagoma to fetch his cane. But Dembugi refused it when offered. "No one will speak of how you faced your end. You can be comfortable."

"I do not need others to know. I know." He stopped and stood tall, of equal height to Ganondorf, perhaps a bit taller and towering over all others present.

"Kneel."

"I will stand, thank you."

"The king gave an order." Jocqueline raised her sword.

"Leave him," Gan said, though the dark voice within him howled in outrage. "It doesn't matter."

"For you," the Goron said. "For me, it's all that matters now."

Gan placed his hand upon the prisoner's head.

"For my chief," Dembugi muttered as he shut his eyes. "For my home. For my people."

He did not scream when the flames consumed him. He made no sound at all.

"Despair we offer," Gan said once Dembugi fell. "Despair for the Goddesses whose commandments we break."

Nothing happened. There was not even a candle's flame in the brazier. Had he done something wrong? He reached out his will and searched for any trace of magic. Where the others had been a spark, Ganondorf now found little more than an ember. Had the fire already gone out?

Raising his hand, he beckoned all the power of the Goddesses and forced it into the ember. It grew, but it did not blaze like the others. Still so close to snuffing out. More. It needed more. His shoulders burned and his arm shook. How much could one flame take? It swallowed all Gan had to offer and still demanded more. It would consume everything he had; all that the Goddesses gifted him and leave him nothing.

Had he done something wrong? He lowered his am to sever the connection, but the spell did not die. At last the fire grew, faster and more ravenous than the others. A flame he recognized well. It was black and instead of spreading light it swallowed everything around it. It pulled from Sorrow and Destruction and turned it all to nothing. Darkness fell upon the marble faces covering their eyes and mouth, giving each a twisting wail.

The smokeless flame, the lightless fire, reached toward him.

"Gan!" Jocqueline screamed.

Hands tried to hold him, but the flames spread fast and would not let any draw close. Witch-fire burning. Everything burning.

"Run," Gan tried to say. But he did not know if anyone could hear.

KILL.

KILL!

LET ALL BECOME KINDLING!

"Run." He fell to his knees. The ground buckled and stone split. Dark flame and light spread to the bodies beside him, charred though they were, Lizalfos, Dodongo, and Goron were lit anew. Through the dark, he saw lizards scurrying away. Then some of his own guards.

Tagoma, her hands burned, screamed as Jocqueline dragged her out of the room. Their weapons abandoned; their clothes marked with flame.

Get out. Run. Please run.

His body twisted. His jaw burst and split wide, his teeth piercing into the skin of his lips. He screamed in pain, but instead a wild roar escaped his throat.

GIVE IN.

No.

KILL THEM ALL.

My kingdom. My sisters.

LET EVERYTHING BURN.

"No!" He raised his hand again and commanded silence. Let the spell feed on him if it pleased. He was Ganondorf Dragmire, Chosen of Goddesses, King of Hyrule. And he was greater than any long-dead mage. No one had ever held power like him. No one ever would again.

He pushed himself to his feet. "Flame of Sorrow. Flame of Destruction. Flame of Despair. The order of life and death has been broken. The Nameless One has been appeased. Release a soul from Hylia's embrace!"

The mountain shook. The three flames burned brighter than the sun. So bright they burned to look upon, yet Gan could not close his eyes nor look away. Like lightning they streaked up to the heavens. Thunder cracked, or was that the sound of the stones overhead bursting? The lights went out. Yet when Gan closed his eyes, he could still see them. Dust and debris fell about him as the Crown split apart. Stones fell, but none dared touch him.

When he opened his eyes, he feared the flames had ruined his vision, for he still saw light. Only when he looked up did he see that it was sunlight that breached the mountain.

Something large squirmed through the hole, casting the Crown in shadow again. When the light returned, Ganondorf saw a flash of red scales and for the first time in centuries, Death Mountain heard a dragon's roar.