The Final Offer

There was one creature in particular that I was quite fond of: the legendary dragon who tormented Death Mountain. Of course, I allowed myself to become attached to other beasts also, like Helmaroc King. I suppose you could say that is a flaw of mine, to unconditionally love the things that could never be loved, only to lose them.

I not only witnessed Volvagia's glorious rebirth, I played an integral part in the ritual.

"The Gorons refuse to bow to my power," Ganondorf explained, after he summoned me to the throne room of his new castle. I stood with my hands folded behind my back, and watched him pace thoughtfully in front of his throne. "I always planned to revive and control Volvagia, to terrorize Death Mountain, except with the Goron's cooperation. Now, we do it your way," he said with a grin, and held out a parchment to me.

I approached him and accepted it from his outstretched hand. Excitement jolted through my nerves. I nearly jumped with brand new energy. What he meant was I got to be a little reckless. "You mean I get to feed the Gorons to Volvagia once he is revived?" Ganondorf nodded, and I grinned.

"You will take a team of Gerudo to Goron City and offer them one last chance to surrender. When they refuse, imprison them in the temple of Volvagia and revive him. This scroll contains all the magic you need to bring the dragon to life. All you need do is unravel it and speak the words. I hold no doubt this is a beast you will admire."

I had already successfully completed the corruption of the temple hidden within the Forest Haven, which caused monsters to grow in the once tranquil village of the Kokiri. They hid in their tree houses, too afraid to emerge for any reason. With the Deku Tree already dead from Ganondorf's magic, the temple was actually simple to fill with the King of Evil's power.

The first step to force the Zora to surrender was draining the lake of its precious water. No matter how the river flowed, the level of water never rose. The temple beneath the land seemed to swallow it. I was sad to see the water go, but it was for the best. I figured it would be only a matter of time before King Zora admitted defeat and swore fealty to Ganondorf. They proved just as resilient as the Goron. What else should I have expected?

"It will be an honor," I said to acknowledge his command, and bowed.

He handed a brown leather bag to me with a rope holding it closed tightly. "And you need this."

"What is it?" I wondered.

"Volvagia's remains that I collected from Death Mountain," he explained plainly.

"How did you manage that?" I asked in shock. Considering it would have been trespassing and stealing from the heart of Goron territory, such a feat seemed impossible, even for me.

He grinned, satisfied that his accomplishment amazed me. "I have been preparing for the subjugation of Hyrule since I was born. You will do well to remember that."

"As eager and excited as I am to be the one you've chosen to fulfill these tasks, should you not be the one to complete the ritual since it is what you have worked so hard for?" I asked kindly.

He shook his head, but offered no explanation. Let's just say, I figured out later, it was all a damn test. "Waste no more time," he ordered.

I bowed, and exited.

Of course, I always remembered to include Rayne on my excursions to the temples, as long as she promised not to cause any problems. I figured she would be helpful in rounding up the Gorons. I led her and eight other Gerudo to the Goron City.

In a time of war, it was not uncommon for scouts to be positioned to warn others of the approach of the enemy. They lacked any kind of battle training or experience, but they had a unique system. With the mountain on their side, their early signals came from near the mouth of the volcano, down to the city. Most people would have believed they were foolish. They were wrong.

By the time we reached the front door of the Goron City, I wasn't surprised to find it was barricaded by heavily armed, and well defended, elite Gorons. My warriors were prepared to take their lives if necessary.

"I come to make one last demand of your leader, to bow to the great King of Evil," I shouted fiercely for all to hear. "Bend your knee to the mighty Ganondorf, or suffer the end of the Goron race," I declared proudly.

None of the big brown beasts in front of me answered. They stepped forward, swords and spears pointed at us to defend their people with their lives. I admired that, but my king was more frightening than theirs, and my people more important. I was ready to give the order, until Darunia made an order first. I held out my hand to stop my warriors.

"If Ganondorf wants to make threats on my people, why isn't he here himself?" the giant Goron asked. He was as wide as a boulder and not quite as tall as me. His skin was rough, and it was well known their backs were practically built of rock.

"The great Ganondorf has better things to do than deal with miserable, weak scum like you," I said with a scowl. Rayne, ever at my side, laughed.

Darunia puffed out his chest like a fish, and growled. "We will not be made to look like fools by a group of worthless thieves!"

"Then, what about dinner?" I asked, resting my hand on my hip when I played my trump card. I grinned at his confusion.

"Dinner? Do you really believe we would accept an invitation to dine with the King of Evil?"

I chuckled cruelly at his thick skull. "Not quite. I plan to make dinner out of you, your children, and all of your families. You'll be the main course for Volvagia, the feared dragon and eater of Gorons!"

Several of the Goron fighters behind Darunia gasped. "How could that be possible?" - "It's not, they can't really do that." - "Volvagia is dead." But, by the look on Darunia's face, he took my words with more sincerity than anyone else. He said, "My father killed that dragon years ago, and made sure it would never come back."

"You underestimate my king then. You have one choice to make. Surrender, or become the first snack for my new pet," I threatened.

We all know they chose to resist, but Volvagia's great rebirth is coming up next.