An Enlightening Conversation

Ganondorf was sulking on the way back to the fortress after that confrontation. This time, I could feel the waves of his frustration, and it made me afraid to speak.  As upset as I was about recent events at home, involving Nabooru, I couldn't stand to see him so angry. "Zelda certainly was interesting to meet. You responded to her accusation well. I know the king does not believe her."

"It is who she will find to believe her that concerns me."

That started turning the wheels in my head a little more smoothly, even if it was just to come up with a topic to converse about and lighten his mood. "I remember you once told me of the goddess Hylia, and her charge to protect Hyrule, as well as the hero chosen to defend her. Are you afraid a hero might be guided to her?"

"A hero will come, and when we meet in battle, I will be ready to destroy him."

OK, so I didn't know if I was making things better or worse, because now his mind was on some hero I knew nothing about. I had to do something to help put him in a better mood, so I said, "You keep saying you're going to take the Triforce. How will the Triforce help you?"

"I have told you about the Triforce before," he said, like it should have been obvious.

"Yes, but does it really contain such omnipotent power that you'll be able to take over Hyrule? Where did the Triforce come from?"

He kind of rolled his eyes. "The next generation of Gerudo need to be taught that reading is just as important as sharpening their skill with a sword. Were you taught about Hyrule's creation?" I shook my head again, and tried not to laugh as he grunted in further disappointment.

"I want to learn though," I begged. "Please teach me."

And he was happy to oblige. "Din, the goddess of power, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of courage. They created Hyrule, beginning with the earth you walk on, then the spirit of law, and finally life to uphold that law. When they returned to the heavens, all they left behind was their essence, the Triforce, the balance of power, wisdom, and courage. It's resting place is the Sacred Realm, but you need three spiritual stones, the Ocarina of Time, and the soul of a hero to pull the Master Sword, to unlock the Sacred Realm. Once you accomplish that, you can claim the Triforce and it will grant your deepest desires."

I eagerly ate up every bit of information he gave me, and then pointed out, "But you do not possess a balance of those three traits, nor are you a hero."

He glared at me, as if I insulted his intelligence. Maybe I interrupted him. He went on to say, "The Spiritual Stones are guarded by the Kokiri, the Goron, and the Zora. The Royal Family protects the Ocarina of Time. I already have a plan to force the Master Sword from its pedestal. And, if the Triforce is claimed by one who does not possess a balance of power, wisdom, and courage, it will split, and leave me with the Triforce of Power. I will have to hunt for the other two, though I have a good idea who the Triforce of Wisdom will go to."

Feeling pretty smart, I said, "Zelda."

I was excited, and couldn't wait to help him achieve his rightful place as King of Hyrule. My mind wandered though, and so I finally asked the question that haunted me for weeks. "What would you have done, had it been your queen the King of Hyrule wanted to take away from you?"

He grinned, as if he already thought of the best response to that question since he first told me the tale. It was like he knew I was going to ask, and was just biding his time until I finally did.

Instead of answering me, he responded with a question! "Were you the queen in that story, how would you handle it?"

It was a good question though. How would I handle it? I hadn't thought about it, though the answer was simple. But why did it matter if I was never going to be queen? Was he trying to tell me something? My mind went into overdrive. I gave him a suspicious look and said, "I would play along, so that I could become close enough to kill the Hylian king, so that my husband, the King of Gerudo, could also claim the title of King of Hyrule." Ganondorf laughed so wickedly I shivered, and it made me blush. I wished I could have made him laugh like that all the time. "I guess that was the right answer?" I wondered.

"It was the answer I expected. It shows your loyalty and your ferocity.  If I were presented with the ultimatum of sacrificing my queen for peace or going to war for refusing such a ridiculous demand, you would never suffer. I would kill any man with my bare hands for even thinking about laying their hands on my wife." As he said it, he clenched his fist in the air, as if he were strangling an invisible person right then and there.

I wanted to take flight right out of my saddle. My hands began to sweat, and I grinned like a fool. His answer was so perfect that if he asked me to marry him that minute I would have said yes. "That's very honorable, your majesty, and proves any woman would be fortunate to be chosen as your queen. Hypothetically speaking, I would say you were taking away all my fun, if it were me."

He laughed sincerely again, and it turned my belly to mush. He chuckled, and said, "Of course you would."