The Cycle is Broken

[Ganondorf]

Searing pain, a blazing white light…

Ganondorf fell.

His body plummeted like a stone. Crimson and black energies bled from his skin, thinning as he descended. Barely clinging to consciousness, his body chilled as immense power abandoned him. Though it was tempting to drift into the black, he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. The reasons were formless and foggy, but rage coursed through his mind, relentless, in spite of his agony.

He hit something, both hard and soft at the same time, and his descent slowed. Cold and wet suffused his skin.

He opened his eyes. The descent ended as his body gently settled in the dirt. A fish darted through the leaves of wavy green weed nearby.

Even as he lay drowning and exhausted, his lungs screaming for relief, he would not succumb to the fatigue ensconcing him. Letting the unknown hatred take the reins, Ganondorf drew on it and instinctively unleashed a writhing column of red and black magic at the watery floor. The spell exploded, propelling the Gerudo towards the surface, a thick stream of bubbles chasing after him. He burst free from the river’s stranglehold and crashed heavily on his back onto the riverbed, his feet dunking into the water.

Despite everything, he couldn’t bring himself to move. His meaty chest rose and fell as he sucked in deep, desperate breaths. His body needed rest, and now that it wasn’t going to inhale water, it demanded it there and then.

As he panted for air, his mind calmed, finding stillness in the respite afforded to him.

And the memories flooded back.

He brought two fingers to his forehead. The intricate lattice work of gold still clung there, but in its centre, he pressed down and found no jewel. No Secret Stone. Only a throbbing, tender wound where once a holy sword had stabbed.

Ganondorf inhaled furiously through gritted teeth. It was gone. And all of the unstoppable power that made him the Demon King. All ruined by that Hylian.

Link.

Clawed fingers dug into the fertile riverbank soil and hoisted the Gerudo to a sitting position. Immediately it struck him that the surrounding area was foreign to him. A river ran past, its source much further upstream, seemingly emanating from a walled city on the horizon. Boats dotted the water, some fishing while others appeared to be transporting goods. Harsh sunlight beat at his sodden clothes and skin. Where in Hyrule was this?

His body had finally caught up and Ganondorf summoned the strength to stand. Looking up, he failed to see the alabaster scaled dragon that helped Link best him. He spun about, unable to spot the floating Hyrule Castle, nor any of the other islands he had thrust aloft.

Where was he? This was still Hyrule, wasn’t it? Or had Link sent him to some afterlife he knew nothing about?

“Hey! Hey!” A passing merchant waved from his boat. “I saw you fall! Are you OK?”

“Tell me where I am,” Ganondorf called back.

“What? We’re just a little bit outside Karim,” the man shouted as his boat drifted away. “Maybe get yourself checked out!”

Ganondorf screwed up his face. Karim? There was no such place in Hyrule. What was this infernal riddle?

There was much he had to learn. Stifling his anger, the Gerudo King marched upstream, heading towards Karim and the answers he sought.

 

[Ganondorf]

Ganondorf sneered. His eyes jumped between each of his footfalls along the path towards Karim, the oasis settlement couched behind enormous white sandstone walls, but his mind retreated within. Despite the harsh sun reflecting off the sand, all he could see was that insolent Hylian swordsman blocking his strikes, dodging his slashes and returning his own volley of blows. Even though Ganondorf obliterated his holy sword and festooned his dominant arm in Gloom, somehow he recovered both and made a mockery of the Gerudo King and his vast reservoirs of power.

How?! How could such an inexperienced whelp not only survive but defeat the great Demon King?

Even swallowing the Secret Stone, sacrificing his body and mind to the draconic flame, couldn’t end that wretched ‘hero’s life. After sitting in stasis for eons, that was how he was brought low?

Ganondorf fired a jet of air out of his nostrils as he reached Karim’s expansive open gates. Guards of every creed lined the top of the walls, their silver tipped spears glinting in the desert sunlight. Even from outside the settlement, an abundant fountain of water pierced high into the air, cascading down a thin blanket of water vapour. How could such a source of water be so plentiful in a land like this, that they could be so blasé about it by launching it hundreds of feet into the sky?

If such a significant hydrological resource existed in the Gerudo Desert, it would not be treated like that.

People filtered in and out of Karim’s gates with impunity. Two guards stood either side of the town’s entrance, curved scimitars hanging from their belts and spears in hand, eyeing each person, but there was no process of approval to enter or leave.

Weak-spined fools, Ganondorf thought. Such lax borders will surely see this place fall in time.

Ganondorf strode in, his clothes almost dried from the relentless beating of the desert heat. Both guards glanced at him. Though his anger drew him to something resembling paranoia, he knew he captured stares wherever he went if only for his tall stature and regal composure. There was little chance they knew him or his true nature. Their questing eyes soon moved on, and so did he.

Immediately upon entering Karim, he found himself in an outdoor market. People sold all sorts of goods, though much of the stalls peddled fruits, nuts and other locally sourced produce, or clothing and equipment to brave the deadly desert climate. He brushed through the crowds, his irritation building as the ignorant insects failed to give way and bow down to the mighty Gerudo king.

And still, he could not banish the thought of Link striking him down and sending him to this gods forsaken land.

Drawn to the decadence of a vital resource treated as decoration, Ganondorf found himself before the fountain. A towering and lavish structure. Aqueducts surrounded it on all sides, accepting the water it flung so carelessly upwards. One aspect that surprised the Gerudo King was the lack of thirst crazed villagers scrambling for their meagre pittance of water. Indeed, everyone walked past it as if it barely existed. No guards protected it specifically. They found no need to repel constant raids of the precious liquid?

Every moment he stood in that place intensified his anger. Karim and its wonder should have been reserved for royalty, but instead these cockroaches scuttled about it instead, leaving their stinking footprints everywhere and barely appreciating the undeserved boon they all received so freely.

And that image of Link descending on his draconic snout, lifting the Master Sword and thrusting it down into his forehead…

Ganondorf’s balled fist shook. He had to get in control of himself. Planning his next move required a calm head and a smooth-

From the corner of his eye, he noticed someone. A guard walking past the fountain. Her naturally tan skin offset the bright red of her segmented ponytail that flowed down to the small of her back. Her eyes scanned the crowd – green like emeralds. Her clothing covered only enough of her torso to retain modesty, while her pants were long and billowy. She wielded the spear leaning on her shoulder with the casual poise of a seasoned warrior.

A Gerudo! Was she a guard here?

Regardless, she fell under the Gerudo King’s authority. Sensing a chance to come to grips with his new surroundings, Ganondorf left the fountain and made a beeline for his subject.

 

[Ganondorf]

As soon as he was within earshot, he called out to her. A familiar face put the Gerudo King at ease after all he had suffered. If he encountered one of his people, then truly he must be somewhere in Hyrule.

“You! Gerudo woman! Where in Hyrule are we?”

The woman glared at him, concern settling in her eyes as she looked over the towering king. “What did you say?”

“A simple question,” Ganondorf said, reaching her. “This Karim. Where is it situated in Hyrule? I have never heard of it.”

“I don’t know what ‘Hyrule’ is,” the Gerudo guard replied. “You must be new to the Crossroads.”

Ganondorf eyed her. “I’m not sure what sort of game you’re playing. Perhaps you should remember that I am your king, and I demand answers. Not evasive nonsense.”

“King?” The concern in her expression melted away and was quickly replaced by annoyance. “I think you better know your place here, new blood. I have no ruler except Riju. You got that?”

Ganondorf clenched his fist so fast that the cracking of his knuckles sounded like twigs snapping. He lifted his upper lip in a sneer, his eyes sharpening with fury. Would the insults to his power and honour never end? Even with his own people? The rage and frustration of his defeat and all he had suffered since burst through the surface.

“How… dare you speak to me like some common peasant!” he roared, spittle flying from his lips. “To your king!”

The Gerudo woman took a step back, taking her spear in both hands. “You need to calm down right now, or you will be leaving Karim.”

The Gerudo King closed his eyes, his fists quaking, as he attempted to hold back his righteous anger. A stoic disposition was required to-

Ah, to hell with it! Enough was enough! Wound after stinging wound laced his soul – the defeat at the hands of that impudent swordsman, the loss of his imbued magic, the undignified landing at this Karim place, and now his own subjects rebuked and disowned him. This would not stand!

Reopening his amber eyes, Ganondorf sucked in a deep breath, expanding his chest and cutting an even more imposing figure, looming over his disloyal subject. Then, surprising himself, he started laughing. At first a little chuckle snuck out of his lips, but it soon became a booming, raucous sound. The swirling fury within him ensconced him like a blanket, and he sank back into it once more. No more reacting to ridiculous, inane situations. It no longer bridled him, but instead served him. It was time to seize control, as he always had. Link’s victory had been miraculous, and Ganondorf realised such an event would never transpire again.

The Gerudo guard leveled the silver tip of her spear at Ganondorf, his unhinged mirth at her threats obviously affecting her. She could see the raging terror of the Gerudo King. Perhaps too late.

“You truly don’t know who I am, do you?” he said, moving his head as if inspecting an object of curiosity. “Do you not see the resemblance of my clothes, my jewelry? Do you not see my striking features mirrored in your own?”

“What are you getting at?” she said.

“I don’t know who this Riju person is, nor what they’ve taught you,” Ganondorf continued, his manner confident. “But you can clearly see that I am Gerudo. You are Gerudo. And even in this remote corner of Hyrule, you must know of our traditions and customs. Thus, you must know what it means to be standing before a male Gerudo.”

The Gerudo guard took out a silver whistle from a satchel hanging from her belt and blew it. In moments, an assortment of guards took position around Ganondorf, forming a perimeter around him. There were several more Gerudo among them, though plenty of them were not.

Ganondorf spread his arms, smiling. “Am I a threat to you? What have I done to warrant such an aggressive response?”

“You’ve done nothing but taunt and intimidate a guard of Karim,” the Gerudo woman said. “Such actions are not tolerated.”

Ganondorf displayed his palms. “Indeed, you are correct. I apologise for my brutish behaviour. It is simply the shock of arriving in this place – the Crossroads, I think you called it, so suddenly and without fanfare. I have been rattled. I have calmed myself and will comport myself in a much more dignified manner.”

The circle of guards exchanged glances.

“Please! I implore you to search me,” Ganondorf said, lifting his meaty arms. “I have no weapons on my person. I simply wish to meet the one who leads my – our – people.”

The Gerudo woman nodded towards Ganondorf and one of the other guards patted him down. The search was thorough and lacking timidity.

“He’s clean,” the guard said.

The Gerudo woman lowered her spear and the others did the same. “You claim you’re a Gerudo?”

Ganondorf bowed his head. “Indeed I do.”

“I suppose Riju would want to know about you regardless,” she said. "But make sure you keep a lid on that temper of yours. Riju might decide to cut you down where you stand."

"I understand," he said, repressing a smirk.

She pointed to three of her number. “Help me escort this man.”

Riju, Ganondorf thought to himself as the guards flanked him, walking through the streets of Karim. We will see what kind of usurper challenges the might of the Gerudo King.