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The Hour of Doom

In the moonlight's shadow, a dark castle stood. Hyrule Castle, once it was a mighty stronghold

and a majestic palace. Its beauty and grandeur reflected the family that called its stone halls

home. It had been a symbol of the kingdom and all the virtues and values they once held dear.

Now it was a dark and twisted thing. Gates of carved wood replaced by gates of tungsten and

iron, stained glass replaced with bars, once white marble now stained dark with years worth of

soot and grime, belched up from the furnaces deep underground whence weapons of war were

mass produced. Its dark towers rose high towards the sky, a terrible shadow that stretched forth

like a hand against the sun and the stars. The lonely castle of Hyrule had become a symbol of

the wickedness that lived in the hearts of the empire.

Within its highest tower the emperor of Hyrule, Emperor Clodovicus resided. He was

admiring his appearance within the mirror hanging on his wall. He flashed a bright, charming

smile that held a green light in his eyes. He strode out of his room with a flourish of his scarlet

cape. Swiftly he carries himself to the tower across from his own. Not bothering to knock, he

confidently barges into the room and makes way towards the silent occupant of these chambers.

Sitting in front of a vanity, scantily clad, was his empress, Empress Veran. Clodovicus

confidently marched towards her and snaked his arms around her waist.

A serpentine smile crossed Veran's face. 'Husband,' she said in a husky voice, 'it's rude to

barge into a lady's room unannounced. You've caught me in a state of undress. And it is not yet

time for the party. You are here early.' She smiled voluptuously. 'Are you that hungry, my dear?'

He leaned in and kissed her on the neck. 'I've been thinking about tonight for weeks.

Forgive me if I'm feeling impatient.' He slid his left hand up and groped her breast.

Veran bit her lip to silence her pleasure. 'How naughty of you,' she laughed. 'However,

you'll have to wait a little bit longer before the fun can begin. She rose from her vanity and to a

small side door that opened into a walk in closet. She sauntered over to it and, looking back over

her shoulder, said, 'patience, my Lord, patience.'

He turned his back to the door, not out of any sense of chivalry, but because he wanted to

be surprised. After not too long a time, Veran emerged, and the sight of her was pleasing to her

king. She wore a short, dark blue, silk robe which was translucent, and through which

Clodovicus could see her purple underwear.

'You look... delicious,' he growled.

'I know. Shall we?' She offered him her arm.

'We shall,' he agreed, and grabbed elsewhere than her arm. 'Let the party commence.'

The dining hall was lavishly decorated with colourful banners and streamers hanging from the

ceilings and columns. Thirty long tables had been set up in the hall, and each was piled high with

food and drink. Aside from a single stone hearth, Candles were the only source of light and

warmth there, for the windows were small, and dark curtains were drawn over them. A map of

the empire hung above the the walls were painted murals depicting men and women in

lewd acts, and at the far end of the hall upon a raised stage were statues of the demon lords.

Amongst them was a statue of the emperor.

Hundreds of guests were seated at the tables. All the nobility of the empire had came

from near and far for the emperor and empress' seasonal party. They piled their plates high and

gorged themselves on the food. The food was rich and fatty, flavoured with spices and sugar.

From roasted hog to pie, there was more than enough food to feed the entire population of

Hyrule during The Era of the Calamity three times over. When supper had started, it was the

nineteenth hour.

When they were deep in their drink and had eaten their share (and thrown up more than

half of it), the emperor rose from his seat at his table and raised a goblet of wine.

'My honourable lords and ladies, it brings me great pleasure to welcome you all to our

seasonal party. Now that we have all dined heartily, the moment we have all been waiting for is

about to begin.'

There was a round of laughter and cheer at this.

'But before we can, I would first like to give a toast to the demon kings.' And he raised

his glass towards the statues behind him. 'We drink to Demise!'

'Praise to Demise!' they roared.

'To Ganondorf the undying!'

'Praise to Ganondorf! All hail him!'

'And to Medulas! someone else shouted.

'And to Lord Ghirahim!' added another.

'And Vaati, and Majora!'

'And Demise! Demise!' the emperor echoed as if in a trance of sorts. There was a distant,

wild look in his eyes.

Suddenly, several cries of fear cut through the hall. A ghostly image of three golden

triangles appeared above the tables. A great tremor shook the castle, and the statues of the

demons and the emperor fell over and shattered. Not a moment later, the map of Greater Hyrule,

which hung above the hearth, burst into flames. It burned, but the fire did not consume the

whole, rather it flowed like winding rivers, dividing the map into portions. As quickly as the

flames had appeared, they died down and went out. A hole had been burnt in the map over

Central Hyrule, and the rest of the map was burnt in such a way that the regions and lands were

divided. No one said a word. Everyone quacked with fear. It was the twenty-second hour.

Clodovicus sounded an alarm and ordered his guards to bring to him all the seers,

sorcerers, magicians, mediums, fortune tellers, and prophets whom they could find. He refused to

let any of his guests leave in the meantime. The guards left in great haste and searched as far as

Tarry Town, Hateno Village, Lurelin Village, and the settlement in Tabantha. They brought back

all whom they could find: magicians, prophets, etc., and presented them to the emperor. It was

the third hour of the new day.

'Explain these signs to me!' he ordered.

But try as they might, no one could interpret the signs for him. 'The gods are silent,' they

told him.

The kings anger burned, and in his rage he took a knife and killed one of his court mages.

'Is there no one here who can explain this to me?' Then he turned to the captain of his guards and

asked, 'did you truly bring to me every seer within Hyrule?'

The captain lowered his head and responded in a quiet voice, 'Actually, there is one other

whom we did not bring, for we know he does not hold your favour and we feared his presence

would only enrage you further, my Lord.'

The emperor's gaze narrowed at this. He clenched his fists at his side, resisting the urge to

execute his own captain. 'Who?' he inquired.

'My Lord,... S-S-Sahasrahla.'

'HIM!' roared Clodovicus. 'Why him! That man is a thorn in side, he never says anything

good about me! If I could have my way, I would have executed him long ago, but the people

claim he's a sage! Executing him may anger them into rebellion!'

Veran leaned towards him and clasped his arm. 'My Lord,' she whispered into his ear,

'summon him anyways. You may not like what he has to say, but all other magic users have

proved useless. If you don't like what he has to say, imprison him, and I will form a scheme that

will make his death look like the work of someone else, and therefore find you blameless in the

eyes of the people.'

Clodovicus liked his wife's council. So, he ordered his guards to go and bring him

Sahasrahla. By the time they came back with him, the fourth hour had already sounded.

The emperor glared coldly at the sage, not even trying to restrain his contempt for the

man. 'Sahasrahla, as loath as I am to have you here, you are, unfortunately, the only one I can

turn to for help. All other magicians have proved powerless. Read these signs and tell me what

they mean!'

Sahasrahla met the emperor's gaze evenly. 'I am a servant of the golden ones, and the

white, not your lap dog. I can only tell you whatever the goddesses reveal to me. So, listen and

be content with whatever answer you receive.'

Clodovicus growled, but otherwise did nothing. Sahasrahla stared long and hard at the

map and at the shattered statues. Then he closed his eyes, and for several minutes did nothing but

stand there as if he were listening for something. Then his eyes snapped open and a bright light

shined within. He turned upon the emperor and pointed a gnarled finger at him.

'Woe to you, Clodovicus! The hands of the goddesses have moved against you! Long

have they suffered the sins of your fathers, for Hylia's sake, but now all their harboured wrath is

being poured unto you for your acts of blasphemy! You have turned your back on them

completely, and worshipped the demon kings of old, the very enemies of this kingdom and her

people! You had torn down the goddess statues and set statues of the demons in their places. You

worship them with sex and blood, having these grand parties that end with an orgy in their

names, and offering them child sacrifices. You have sacrificed innocent children to demons,

including your own son! You have caused great grief among the Gorons, Zora, and Rito by

stealing their children away from them and murdering them upon altars, tarnishing sights that

were once places of holy worship with the spilling of innocent blood! And now you've gone so

far as to raise statues of yourself among the demon kings, deifying yourself. Have you forgotten

you are only human? That you will suffer the same fate as all mortals and die?

'For all these crimes and more, the goddesses have cast doom upon you. Even as I speak,

Ganondorf IV, King of the Gerudo, is marching thither with an army. Yes, the Gerudo. You have

been foolish to forget them, for they have not forgotten you nor all the suffering that was done

unto them by your ancestors. And allied with them are the Rito, Gorons, and Zora. You are now

surrounded with enemies on all sides, and no power in the Heavens nor on this earth will be able

to rescue you. They will be here at the stroke of dawn!' Panic spread across the room, and many

tried to run for the door.

'Fleeing will not save you!' yelled Sahasrahla over the chaos. Everyone froze at the sound

of his voice. 'The doom of the goddesses is upon everyone in this room. None of you are safe

from it. No matter how far you run, you cannot escape it! Death! That is your fate. Death! and

the ending of your houses.'

Then he focused on the emperor again and said, 'Your empire shall be divided. All from

Tenegar Canyon to the River Regencia, and the Rauru Hillside will be given to the Gerudo;

Tabantha, Hebra, and Mount Drena will be given to the Rito; Eldin, Akkala, and the Typhlo

Ruins will be given to the Gorons; the Zora will be free to rule Lanayru once more, and all the

water systems that are connected to theirs by the River Hylia will be under their control. All the

land of Central Hyrule, Necluda, and the Faron province will be burned to ashes and left as a

barren wasteland. For a time, and another time and a half the Hylians shall be subjugated to the

other races. They shall be the slaves of all as they had made themselves the masters of all. The

Shiekah shall return to the shadows.

'As for the rest of your empire, it shall be fought over and divided by your generals, and

some among them shall establish dynasties of their own that will last for centuries. But the

House of Indomitus shall be cut off! You, your children, and all your relations will be purged!

None shall survive. Not just your house, but the entire bloodline of Hylia has been doomed by

the Golden Goddesses. Every man, woman, and child who carries the blood of the goddess Hylia

in their veins will be dead by the end of this year.'

He then turned his fierce eyes onto the empress. 'As for you Veran, your punishment will not be swift but

slow. Since it was you who introduced demon worship to Hyrule, and thus sealed the kingdoms

fate, a terrible fate awaits you. You will be dragged into the city square where you will be

tortured and mutulated until you are begging for death. When you finally find death, no grave

will there be for you. You'll be left to be devoured by the dogs! and no one will mourn you.'

Then he turned back to address all the guests. 'But where there is doom, there is also

hope. Two flames shall appear: the flame of wisdom and the flame of courage. They will be

guiding lights for the nations, and bring them back to an age of prosperity and peace. Together

they will bring forth restoration to the land. But before the people can taste the healing flames of

wisdom and courage, they must first taste the purging, devastating flame of power. Only after the

old has been burned away will the kingdom be able to be renewed. This is the what the

goddesses have told me.'

A long pause dragged out. All faces with in the room were pale. But Clodovicus seethed

with rage. He growled, roared, and slammed his fists on the table.

'What did I tell you?' he said to no one in particular. 'He never says anything good about

me. Guards! Sieze him!'

The guards hesitate, but fearing the emperor's wrath, they move in to capture him. Before

they could, Sahasrahla struck the ground with his staff, and a bright flash of light ent up. When

everyone could see again, Sahasrahla was gone.

Before Clodovicus could gather his wits, the clock struck five. Dawn had come. When

the bells silenced, a horn blared in the distance, and that was when everyone knew that the hour

of doom had arrived.

Just as Sahasrahla had said, the Gerudo and their allies stormed Hyrule Castle. Using

giant canons that they had built in secret, the Gorons used themselves as live amunition and fired

themselves into the stone walls, blasting giant holes through them. What soldiers were stationed

on the walls were taken out by Rito archers. While everyone's attention was being drawn to the

front gate, the Zora entered through a small cave behind the castle, which could only be accessed

by the moat, and trapped everyone in the dinning hall. The Gerudo simply walked through the

front door. Whatever guards or soldiers crossed their path was easily killed.

The nobles were slaughtered where they stood. It was a massacre. They were all

unarmed, and the magicians there were useless, for the goddesses had blocked their magic. But

the royal family, they were dragged out to the City square and publicly executed. Ganondorf

himself cut off Clodovicus' head.

As for Veran, they cut off her hands, her feet, cut out her tongue, stabbed out her eyes,

shaved her head bald, and carved out her breasts. Their work was excruciatingly slow. She

begged and pleaded for mercy but was denied. Only after their gruesome work was done did they

behead her. Then they hacked her body to pieces and fed her to the strays in the streets.

With the king and his family dead, chaos broke out throughout the empire. The fighting

went on for months as men of all sorts tried to fill in the power vacuum. And so, the wrath of the

goddesses came to fruition. No one with the blood of Hylia was left alive.

Except for one. One was spared, for Hylia's sake. The one the goddesses judged to be the

least corrupt of them all. A little girl in the forests of Holodrum, who was unaware of her

heritage. From her and her descendants would come Hyrule's hope. But for now, and for

centuries after, the royal family of Hyrule was no more.