20: Ganondorf’s Tower

Zelda couldn’t help but pause upon reaching the center of Hyrule Castle Town square, taking in how its vibrancy had been reduced to shambles. The many familiar landmarks she’d once passed on her strolls as a child had been obliterated, now nothing more than crumbling walls and scattered debris. It looked more as if seven decades had passed rather than years. 

Nature would have already begun to salvage this husk of a civilization were it not for Ganondorf’s magic tainting the very air any living plant would dare breathe. Yet, by some miracle, among all the desolation, the Temple of Time remained largely unscathed, and Zelda took it as a sign that Ganondorf still felt he had use for it. 

She hugged herself as rain finally accompanied the bubbling and churning of the storm clouds above. Ganondorf’s tower loomed in the distance, a dark sentinel that was barely visible between flashes of lightning. Zelda shuddered as what was once a light shower quickly became a torrential downpour that made the air thick with the acrid scent of decay.

Yet still, a flicker of determination ignited her heart. Despite all she had endured, she would not allow the sacrifices of her people, including those she’d left behind to face Ganondorf’s army, to be in vain. 

Every step she took seemed to echo limitlessly, as if she could be heard from any corner of the world racing toward her final battle. By now, her lungs should have been burning not only from the previous fighting but keeping her stores of magic from bursting from every part of her body. 

Though she no longer needed to completely conceal herself, she would not dare exhaust too much of her magic. Every ounce she could spare must be saved for the mad sorcerer king, and she had no doubt every ounce would be used as well.

She wasn’t sure what led her to the ruins of the Happy Mask Shop, a shiver rushing down her spine at the sight. What was once a place of joy and wonder, filled with colorful masks and cheerful displays, was a disturbingly grim spectacle now. 

Yet, she stepped inside, continuing to shield herself from the downpour that fell upon her through the now-roofless shop. Everything had been immolated beyond recognition, and she could see no traces of any of its wares. 

She remembered the eccentric shopkeeper who would greet customers and invite them inside to peruse his vast collection of masks. Back then, the children her age had been obsessed with the Keaton mask, though Zelda had always been drawn to the Mask of Truth, which resembled the many Gossip Stones scattered all across Hyrule. 

Like the others, she wondered what had become of the strange shopkeeper. Where could he have fled to? She could still recall his face clearly, that seemingly-permanent grin that stretched from ear to ear. She’d always thought him to be kind, if a little odd, though she knew others described him using much less flattering terms. 

Zelda then thought of her earlier conversation with Impa and shuddered. He was peculiar. Had that peculiarity also invited danger?

She didn’t feel the nearby lightning strike so much as she felt how it burned through the very rain itself, the shockwave sending her sprawling to the ground. She managed to recover quickly, but not before she saw a figure now standing in the open doorway, watching her. Before she could take a step forward, it flickered out of sight. 

It was already here.

She darted out of the shop before racing toward Ganondor’s tower. The wind had grown into a howl that tore at her face, heavy sheets of rain threatening to blind her completely. Another flash of lightning revealed the Shadow once again, this time waiting for her several feet ahead. 

Like before, it vanished just as her eyes had begun to focus on it. Zelda was then certain it wasn’t just following her; it was guiding her along, asking her, in its twisted way, to seek it out. 

Once she was out of the town square, she could feel it. The lightning seemed to grow more ravenous, the gap between each strike shrinking more with each passing second. A bolt fell from the sky right in front of Zelda, and she instinctually jumped back to dodge it, gritting her teeth against the warm sting of magic that accompanied it. The Shadow was beckoning her to pursue it, while the Evil King was taunting her from his wretched post.

Yet, by now, she was close enough to see the tower clearly, the perfect portrait of sinister beauty, its spiraling, iridescent form clawing at the heavens. 

A bubbling, noxious moat surrounded the tower, preventing direct entry. It resembled Death Mountain’s rivers of fire, but the heat it gave off was unnatural, clearly created by dark magic. The shimmering air above the moat thrummed with an almost tangible malevolence, a constant reminder of the dark sorcery that had constructed it. 

She raised her foot to take a step forward when a voice called out to her.

“You are out of time.”

When Zelda stepped down, she felt that familiar yet haunting sensation of water splashing up against her leg as the world dissolved all around her, transporting her to the Chamber of Sages. The Six Sages were now all gathered, each perched atop their respective medallions.

“They are here,” Rauru’s voice was solemn, though his posture remained as rigid as ever.

“W-we are all too late!” Abnar shivered, his cane trembling in his hands. “The Sheikari will be powerful enough to fully anchor themselves to this world!”

“Oh, you two!” Mison puffed up his cheeks as if the other two Sages were two young children trying to scare each other around a fire. “Such doom and gloom! It hasn’t all ended yet!”

“Mison, you rarely take anything seriously…” Grig shook his head, his expression ever-stern behind his great, bushy beard. “Ganondorf’s forces still hold strong against the princess’ army, and it is only a matter of time before the Shadows take the field.”

“Then perhaps we simply leave it to the Goddesses,” Nove mused, his vibrant green eyes withering as despair seemed to take hold of him. “We must allow Hyrule to reclaim itself now as it has before.”

“I will not leave it up to anyone but myself.”

The other Sages turned to look at Zelda.

“Ganondorf’s tower is right before me,” she clenched her fists. “My people fight hordes of his monsters as we speak. I will not let him win!”

“And yet you believe you’re prepared to face him?” Rauru’s question was meant to pierce Zelda, but there was nothing that would break her resolve now, not when she was this close.

“I am not as helpless as you might believe,”  she drew her sword. “My people fight because they believe in me. I cannot give up now.”

“Have you learned nothing?” Nove’s reedy voice was harsh. “We thought ourselves mighty and were nearly destroyed! In the end, it all falls as it should!”

“She is still naive,” Grig shook his head as he gazed into the pool of water, perhaps hoping there might be an answer in it. “She does not understand the weight of her actions.”

“I understand more than you think!” Zelda snapped, still clutching her kodachi. “And I will not be deterred!”

“You are all fools…” Odan sat cross-legged on the symbol of Shadow, his expression unreadable. “We are at the final hour of Hyrule’s fate, and you squabble like children.”

“Odan, stop being so sullen!” Mison wagged a finger at him. “The princess says she’s got it all worked out, after all!”

“And what of the Triforce?” Odan ignored Mison, instead turning his attention to Rauru. “Don’t tell me you think this Ganondorf is the only one who seeks it.”

“It remains out of his reach,” Rauru sighed, though clearly there was no relief in it. “He cannot enter the Door of Time without the spiritual stones and the Ocarina of Time.”

“For now…” Odan’s gaze sank back into the water.

Zelda’s calmness would have disturbed her were it not for the fact that there simply wasn’t time for any more despair. “I must make it to the top of the tower. There, I will face Ganondorf and defeat him. The moment I do, you must all go back to sleep!”

All six Sages looked as though they wanted to speak at once, but it was Mison who finally broke the silence.

“You must hurry!” his voice contained that absurd, gentle playfulness she found even more disturbing now than she had before. “I heard their nocturne, when they tried to claim you in the darkness. Yet you withstood them. You are more powerful than you realize, princess, but you must remember all that we have told you. All that we have entrusted in you.”

The Chambers of Sages faded back to the desolate landscape of what was once Hyrule Castle. Zelda was alone again, too many emotions swirling around in her than she could possibly contain. She’d wanted to scream at them, to hurl them into the very depths they’d helped create, but there would be time to reckon with the old men later. For now, there was a greater task at hand.

“Lend me your power,” Zelda whispered. “Provide me with a bridge to his infernal throne room.”

It was as if night had warped to midday as a pillar of light engulfed her, and she felt herself being pulled forward. At first, she planted her feet, resisting its call, certain she would be cast into the molten pit. 

She then looked down at her feet, noticing a bright, rainbow-colored path creeping forward and stretching out before her, sloping upwards towards Ganondorf’s tower like a celestial vine. Her eyes trailed its distance, and she could make out a small, open window. There was no time to delay.

She began her ascent along the rainbow bridge, a glowing spot of light appearing beneath her feet with each step. The closer she got to the tower, the more the darkness seemed to press in on her, and she paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She thought of Impa, Ruto, Darunia, and the Gerudo, all fighting for her, for the kingdom.

She then broke into a run, no longer feeling the need to restrain her magic. Ganondorf would fall today.

He had to.