Breaking Free
A heavy downpour obscured the heavens, hammering everything in sight with its ice cold deluge. Thunder cracked amidst the forlorn sky, jumping forth from the dark crimson clouds that were gathered around an imposing tower in order to strike against its ebony black walls with thunderous explosions. The midnight black structure withstood the assault of the furious storm with impunity, rising high into the sky as if in defiance to the very heavens themselves.
It was an imposing sight, the large stone structure all but radiating a dark sense of malevolence, a looming threat to all who happened to gaze upon it, as if it were an evil colossus of old standing ready to strike down anyone who would dare to defy it.
And deep within its walls, waiting inside the last room of the highest floor, the master of this menacing stronghold waited with barely contained excitement. Sitting with his back to the large room’s only door, there was a content grin firm upon his imposing features as the heavy foreboding song of an organ filled the air.
He was a large man with dark brown skin, standing nearly nine feet tall and sporting impressive muscles, which allowed him to carry the heavy armor he was wearing with ease. Its dark red highlights set upon the midnight black plate mail contrasted sharply with his crimson hair, a golden headdress with a blood red ruby set upon its center resting amidst the crimson locks.
His was a truly imposing sight, one that demanded respect and all but radiated danger. The feeling was only compounded by the massive double edged claymore that was strapped at his back, almost as long as he was tall, the dark metal that composed the gigantic blade seeming to drink out all light that touched it, making it look like as if the sword had been carved out of a piece of the starless void itself.
The threatening figure was known by many names and titles, earned and bestowed through countless lives and due to innumerable deeds: The Black Rider; Lord of Darkness; The Great Evil; King of Thieves; The Great Calamity; Demon King; and many more. But chiefly amongst them was what he had always considered to be his only true name, Ganondorf.
As his fingers deftly pressed the keys of the metal instrument that occupied the wall before him, skillfully weaving the next notes of the song into the building harmony that he was creating, he allowed his grin to grow into a satisfied smile. He knew it wouldn’t be long now.
The song he was playing had no proper name, no music sheet to immortalize it, being nothing more than his current emotions given form. And yet, as he listened to the vibrant defiance and powerful unyielding undertones contained within it’s every chord, he felt that it fit the momentous event that was swiftly approaching far better than any other masterwork he had ever heard before.
After decades of careful preparation, after centuries of meticulous planning, the moment he had been searching for for so long was finally upon him, nearly within his reach, so close that he could almost taste it. It would be but a matter of moments now before it was finally time.
“You shall not succeed, Ganondorf! No matter what you do, you shall not prevail!” A musical, aristocratic voice sounded from his side, each word filled to the brim with grim certainty and unbreakable resolve. And yet despite the harsh words, hearing them only seemed to make his smile grow even larger.
After a few more chords he stopped playing his organ in order to turn and look at his current guest, the last reverberating notes of the unnamed song echoing for a moment before only the sound of the storm raging outside remained.
The owner of the aristocratic voice was a graceful, blonde haired woman wearing a white and light purple dress with yellow designs, her golden locks falling to the middle of her back in a complex braid and contrasting with her pale white skin. Her beautiful features glared at him in defiance without an ounce of fear, despite the fact she was currently trapped within a large blue crystal floating two feet above the ground, her right hand grasping the hilt of a thin, elegant rapier strapped at her waist.
“Regardless of whatever traps and obstacles you may have laid out, despite any foul creatures you may throw against him, and no matter what dark powers you may call upon to aid you, you shall not triumph this day! Link shall see that it’s so!” she proclaimed with unwavering certainty, as if simply stating an immutable fact, a long forgone conclusion.
“Perhaps you may be right Princess, after all the track record of your Hero speaks for itself,” Ganondorf calmly replied in a conversational tone of voice, not a single trace of anger to be found in his words. “After all, nine times out of ten he seems to be able to defeat me in the end, doesn’t he?
“Pulling out victory from the jaws of defeat despite all odds being set against him, truly his resolve and determination are commendable.” He genuinely praised the lad while rising from his seat with an amused chuckle, Zelda’s surprised expression clearly showed that the Wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom hadn’t expect this kind of response from him. “Though I have to admit, his sheer persistence can be somewhat irritating at times.”
Staring at her long time foe in slight bewilderment, Princess Zelda searched his face for any signs of lies or deceit, seeking for the trap the Lord of Darkness had to be preparing in order to defeat both her and Link in the approaching clash... only to find nothing of the sort, only an anticipating and slightly amused expression showing itself upon his usually harsh features.
"You seem...rather philosophical about the possibility of your eventual defeat," she finally pointed out, trying to understand what was happening and why Ganondorf was acting so carefree at the eve of the final battle.
"Refreshing, isn't it?" he joked, giving her a roguish smile. “After all, it’s not as if this battle could change anything in the end. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that it no longer holds any meaning.”
Sensing that something had truly changed in regards to her foe, that he truly didn’t seem to care about the coming battle, Zelda decided to try something she hadn’t attempted in several lifetimes, having long since come to believe it to be an futile effort, to try and avert the battle altogether through diplomacy.
“Ganondorf, if that’s the case, why are you doing this?” she earnestly enquired, clear blue eyes staring straight into his golden orbs. “Stop all this madness so peace may reign once again! You don't have to do this-"
"But yes I do, Princess," he calmly replied while cutting her off with a sharp gesture, a small tinge of sadness flickering through his eye for a brief moment. "For no matter either of our feelings about it, the story has to be allowed to unfold to the end. I conquer the world and cover it in darkness, the hero appears to defy me, you aid and guide him through his quest, and either through my victory or defeat the stage is set for the next tale.
“This is how it has always been, and if left up to the gods, it’s how it always will be,” he explained in a somber tone of voice, calmly walking away from her prison. “A story to be told time and again, nothing more and nothing less. Isn’t that right, Link?”
He finished his question while turning towards the large, ornate double doors at the far side of the room precisely as they opened with a threatening groaning sound, allowing in the final member of their trio.
He was a blond haired man garbed in forest green clothes, chain mail peeking from beneath his garb and a green cap perched upon his hair. His piercing blue eyes stared straight at Ganondorf defiantly, his left hand grasping the hilt of a long, double edged sword that seemed to radiate light and power and his right holding firm to a mirror polished shield depicting the starry sky.
“I see you have made it here with little trouble, not that I had doubted such a result even for a moment,” Ganondorf calmly commented as he started to walk away from both the Princess and the Hero with unhurried steps, Link’s sword pointing straight at him and tracking his every movement. “Nonetheless, I’m glad to see you here, old friend, and I welcome you to my humble abode. Here at the final climax to our cumbersome little tale.”
“What are you playing at, Ganondorf?” the Wielder of the Triforce of Courage asked with a stern tone of voice, narrow eyes fixed upon his ancient foe even as he questioned the complete lack of aggression he could see coming from the Dark Lord.
“It’s quite simple my old friends, I have grown tired of the games of the gods,” he explained staring first at Zelda and then at Link with a rueful smile, never breaking his calm unhurried stride. “Let’s say that we did battle as we always do and I emerged victorious, unleashing a new age of darkness and conquering the whole world. All that would result would be that both of you would be reincarnated before long and rise to defy me once again.
“Likewise, should the two of you strike me down and claim victory for yourselves, unleashing a new golden age of peace and prosperity, all that would arise from such actions would be for me to be reincarnated, gather my power once again and once more lay siege to your fair kingdom.
“And again, and again, and again, unto time immemorial!” he spat out the last part, disgust clear in his tone of voice as his golden orbs stared straight at his greatest foes, his oldest opponents, his eternal nemeseis, but also the only two people he knew could truly understand his plight, the only ones whom he maybe could call friends. “Answer me this, the both of you. How many times have we done this? How many times have we watched this story unfold?
“Tell me, oh, Princess of Wisdom, answer me, oh, Hero of Courage! What is the point?” he fervently asked, stopping at a side of the room in such a way that the three of them were each at the points of an equidistant triangle, the exact same distance separating each of them from the other, arms open wide as if clamoring for a blow to hit his chest. “What is the point of this futile struggle that the gods force down upon us without rest or respite?! Of this eternal battle which we pointlessly wage against each other time and time again?!”
“Ganondorf…” Zelda muttered in sadness from within her prison, a hint of understanding entering her words.
“We are but playthings at the hands of the gods, actors on a stage, living a play for nothing more than their cruel amusement,” The Lord of Darkness continued with a sharp dismissive gesture, a rueful smile on his face.
“All our actions, all our struggles and achievements, all our sacrifices and victories, all of them are utterly meaningless in the end. For no matter the outcome, it will never last, it will never endure,” he continued in a forlorn tone of voice as Link slowly lowered his sword and stared at his eternal foe with a hint of sadness. “Nothing but characters in a story, that’s all we are in the end, no more and no less.”
A heavy oppressive silence filled the air for a long moment, both Zelda and Link staying perfectly still as they stared at Ganondorf's equally still form, only the sound of the raging storm outside breaking the complete stillness that had taken hold of the room.
“We have been nothing but marionettes playing at the end of the strings of fate for eons untold, nothing but pawns at the hands of the gods…” he forlornly stated, head bowed low and arms slowly falling to his sides.
“But no longer!” he suddenly all but roared, defiance permeating his very being as Zelda’s prison shattered at the same time as a massive runic array came to life, covering the entirety of the room and entrapping all three of them where they stood.
“I refuse to let others decide my fate any longer, to allow them to choose my destiny as they see fit!” he fiercely declared to the heavens, head held high and arms raised in defiance, the golden symbol of the Triforce marking his right hand glowing with otherworldly power as if answering its master’s call. “No one shall control me ever again, for I am the master of my own fate! That I most solemnly swear!”
“Ganondorf, what’re you doing?!” Zelda exclaimed in distress, attempting in vain to dispel the runic circle upon which she was trapped, her own Triforce mark shining with power upon the back of her hand, Link’s form at the other side of the room mirrored her own situation.
“Breaking free of the chains of fate that bind us, Princess! Shattering the loathsome destiny the gods cursed us with!” he bellowed in near manic glee as golden light permeated the entire room, as the vast magical array he had spent centuries perfecting greedily drank from the power of the three pieces of the Triforce each of them carried within them, growing closer and closer to completion with each second that passed. “No more shall we be forced to act their pathetic play! For henceforth, we shall be free!”
“How troublesome...” Link muttered with a small sigh, sheathing his blade after confirming that he could not break free from the circle with it, stoically waiting to see what exactly Ganondorf was trying to do as the golden light filled the room to nearly blinding levels.
“Almighty, Triforce! Hear the plea of one who has borne your burden for countless eons!” he shouted to the heavens, a manic smile firm upon his features even as the tower started to shake upon its very foundations, as if unable to withstand the sheer power now coursing through it. “Hear my wish! For too long have we been slaves to the gods, too long have we served them in bondage!”
“Ganondorf!” Zelda shouted in warning, distress clear upon her eyes as her keen magical senses alerted her to a massive buildup of power coming straight towards the tower, as if the gods themselves were attempting to stop the ritual from completing.
“Grant us freedom!” he bellowed his defiance, pure power filling the room to the brim and nearly overloading for a moment the array he had so painstakingly constructed.
And then, with a blinding flash of light that turned night into day for a moment, they were no more. Nothing remained within the room but a burnt and faded magical array placed upon the now cracked and shattered stone floor.
The very next moment a wall of pure energy fell upon the mighty tower, crushing it into nothing but debris in a vain attempt to stop the ritual that had just been completed a fraction of a second earlier.
The sky and the earth themselves seemed to tremble in fury for a moment as the gods realized what had happened, that three of their most important pawns had slipped their leashes.
That the Wielders of the Triforce had left Hyrule.
He was floating amidst an infinite void. Nothing but darkness filled his vision as far as his eyes could see, his limbs refused his commands to move and feeling slowly left his body behind.
Despite it all Ganondorf could not help but smile.
Even if this was to be his end, even if his plan hadn’t fully worked as he had intended and instead resulted in his true death, he had no regrets. For he still had done it, he had defied his fate, dared to seize his own destiny with his own two hands.
And if that simply resulted in his permanent death, in his very soul being erased away from the cycle of reincarnation, then so be it. He still would have no regrets.
For in those precious few moments that would precede his end, he would be free.
Coldness permeating his entire being, he closed his eyes for what he believe may be the very last time, a small content smile firm upon his features. Not a single trace of fear or apprehension was present upon him as he waited for it all to end.
Only for a feeling of warmth and safety to replace the growing cold, as two gentle hands carefully wrapped themselves around his chest from behind him.
Opening his eyes and turning his head to the side he stared at the one holding him, a small self deprecating smile slowly surfacing on his lips.
“Even here you still follow me,” he half stated and half joked, a rueful chuckle escaping his lips. “Of all of them, you and your sisters are perhaps the only ones I never came to despise, Din.”
She had the figure of a woman of immense beauty, with long waist length hair and dainty graceful limbs. But the fact her whole naked body was a vibrant red color and the fierce glow that seemed to emanate from her very being showed what she truly was.
Din, Goddess of Power, one of the three divine goddesses, which alongside her sisters Nayru and Farore, had forsaken it all, sacrificing their very divine essence in order to create the Triforce in order to safeguard the world they had once created from destruction.
“I guess I’m glad to see you one last time before the end, but I fear you will have to find yourself a new wielder from now on,” he said, knowing that he would not return no matter what, that even should she attempt to do so he would refuse. There was simply no turning back now.
The Goddess of Power simply smiled at him, a motherly expression appearing upon her beautiful features, as if showing him her understanding and her respect regarding his decision.
“Thank you,” he spoke truthfully, the growing tension in his body that had started the moment he had seen the goddess now leaving him as he confirmed she would not force him to go back.
This was one of the reasons why amidst all the gods, the three sisters who formed the Triforce were the only ones he did not despise. For despite all their power, they refused to control the lives of mortals, letting them decide for themselves what they desired, how to act or what to do. Granting them nothing more than the power they had asked in order to complete their self imposed tasks, no more and no less.
He started to close his eyes one more time, intending to bask upon the peaceful warmth one last time before the end, only for a fiercely glowing light to force him to open them once again.
Din’s overpowering red glow was now filling the formless void, a beacon of defiance lighting up the eternal darkness. And far in the distance two other beacons of light answered in kind, one a gentle patient blue and the other an unyielding resolute green.
Looking at the Goddess of Power with the intention of asking what she thought she was doing, Ganondorf couldn’t help but blink in befuddlement as she lowered her head in order to place a gentle kiss upon his forehead, as if a mother to her child.
And as the glow of the three Goddesses grew to the point of blinding him from anything else, filling the entirety of the void with their power, he felt her arms tightening around him in a gentle hug, while for the first time in all of his lives he heard the voice of the Goddess who had always accompanied him. An unbelievably strong and yet undeniably kind voice, speaking words that were not words straight into his mind the very moment before he lost consciousness.
“Be free.”
Groaning in pain Ganondorf kept his eyes tightly shut in a vain attempt of protecting them from the harsh sunlight that was currently falling upon his face, his hazy mind trying to make sense of what he was currently feeling and how he had reached said condition.
Ears folded against the top of his head in an endeavor to try and drown out the cheerful singing of birds that was assaulting his, currently far too sensitive, hearing organs, he stayed there, lying upon the ground a few moments longer while gathering his bearings.
Finally forcing his eyes open he took in his surroundings. He was in the middle of a verdant forest, sunlight peeking in through the various gaps between the trees and allowing for a thick and healthy underbrush to thrive, several colorful birds happily singing upon the branches and even a squirrel swiftly climbing a faraway trunk completing the picture.
Attempting to stand upright made him immediately lose his balance, forcing him to fall back to the ground upon his four limbs with a soft clopping sound... bringing to the forefront of his now swiftly awakening mind the fact that his limbs were now both shorter and thicker than they used to be, not to mention covered in dark brown fur instead of bare skin and ending in four hooves instead of feet and hands.
“Guess I’m a quadruped now,” he mused to himself, carefully analyzing his new appendages, checking their overall strength and range of motion. Meanwhile he noted there was a long crimson mane falling to the side of his head, having apparently replaced his usual hair.
Continuing his examination, he confirmed that he was indeed some kind of dark brown equine, with a crimson mane and an equally crimson tail flickering behind him. He also noted, with some bemusement, that his Triforce mark had apparently migrated from its former spot at the back of his hand and into his flank.
He knew that there was a chance the transition could affect and alter his body in unpredictable and unknown ways. After all, in order to escape the far reaching grasp of the gods of Hyrule he had purposefully aimed his spell towards the farthest habitable dimension he could possibly find, which in turn could easily mean that his destination may not even recognize what a human even was, and as such attempt to change him into a more natural form in regards to its own natural laws.
Checking out the short fur covered muzzle that was protruding from his face, and the two pointy ears resting atop his head, while inwardly sighing in relief at the fact his fore hooves seemed to have an even larger range of motion than his original arms, he concluded that, regarding a blind jump between dimensions, it could have been infinitely worse.
At the very least this was not his first time walking upon four legs, so that would be one less problem and would prevent some humiliating falls. Though the fact he was now sporting hooves instead of claws probably meant it would take some practice before he could safely trust exactly how much traction he could put upon them, especially while turning or moving at speed.
A massive grin started to spread across his new face as the truth that his plan had actually worked started to truly sink in. And so he simply threw his head back and laughed, all the while silently thanking Din for her aid.
He had done it! He had escaped the meddlesome grasp of the gods of his home reality! Crushed through the chains of his fate and claimed his destiny for himself! He had succeeded!
His joyful celebration regarding the absolute success of centuries of careful planning was regrettably soon cut short, as he heard a feminine aristocratic voice yelling at him from very close by, an extremely familiar feminine aristocratic voice.
“What’s the meaning of this?! Ganondorf, what in the name of Nayru did you do?!” he heard Zelda shout in a near panic from very close by, a shout that was soon followed by a far more calm, but equally familiar, curious voice.
“Well… this is new,” he heard Link calmly speak, apparently having managed to remain far more collected than the Princess in their new situation.
Chuckling in amusement upon receiving confirmation that the other two had come along with him, something he had calculated had a reasonably high chance of happening but in the end regarded as an acceptable risk, he started trotting through the trees towards the source of the voices, a spring in his step as he acknowledged a very rewarding truth.
He was free.