-Majora's Mountain-

When Zelda had heard of the Majora as a mountain tribe, her expectations were for a loose collection of huts amidst unforgiving landscape, rocks and rocky soil, and weeds and tangled shrubbery. Instead, as they walked the narrow path around the edge of the towering mountain, Zelda's eyes landed on an isolated paradise with wonders of its own.

The Majora's village was not a mere collection of shabby huts, but an organized and carved puzzle of rock buildings carved out of the side of the mountain, enough of which to compete with any large city of Qin in volume. It had the technology of pulleys and bridges to traverse the levels, not only vertically, but between nearby mountains at the points where the two peaks were closest. A river seemed to defy the laws of the universe by flowing down from an elusive point down towards a valley nestled in the curve of Majora's mountain. Within this river and valley was a well thought out combination of dams, river canals, a water-run treadmill, and farmland. It was limited so far as the size of farms goes, but it was fed richly by the mountain river. Zelda followed the river with her eyes and found it seemed to start from a very distant set of snow mountains far in the distance, and the water was directed this way with some sort of bridge. One building in the village stood out as being larger than the others, as large as any noble estate house in Kanyou, and looked to be furnished richly in strong wood painted red and bronze.

The Majora was no mere tribe of barbarians, they were a small nation as advanced as any other and were nestled into a natural fortress. Any fortress of Qin would pay dearly for a natural defense like what this mountain offered, and the Majora not only possessed it... they utilized it well.

Zelda was caught off guard by all she saw. Politely, her armed escort stopped and let her take in the sight. It was scary, and a little humbling, to think a miniature nation so advanced and strong would exist within the borders of Qin.

The escort led her to the largest building.

It looked to be a public eating place from the long tables. On all sides sitting at the tables were Majora. The head table before her had a wooden throne. At the head, were two elderly women, and at the center was a man. Just beneath the tables were an assortment of tame wolves, with the largest sitting next to Majora's king.

The king wore a fur cloak with the head of a large bear still on it. Under this cloak was a set of leather armor, but most striking were his metal gauntlets. They shone like gold and ended in sharp claws. Like all Majora, he wore a mask.

Zelda sat on her knees in a gesture of humility. "I am the 41st ruler of Qin, Heir Apparent Zelda."

"I am Ganondorf Dragmire, king of Majora." His voice was grated and unnaturally sinister.

'The mask is doing something to his voice.' Zelda thought.

There was silence for a time. The greeting of kings was little more than empty formality while the two measured each other up.

"Tell me, king of Qin." Ganondorf started in the language of Qin, "Why do you call yourself 'Heir Apparent'? Are you not king?"

Zelda answered, "I do not know how you have it established, but in Qin, each leader is king. Their children are princes and princesses, the first being male and the latter female. One who can be eligible for the throne is the 'heir', and the highest heir that will be chosen for the throne in the case there are multiple heirs is 'heir apparent'."

"So you are a leader without a throne."

"Correct. I will fully come into possession of the throne when I am old enough. Until then, I am a leader, but can be legally replaced if one proves himself or herself to be more worthy."

"And what proves you worthy at this time?"

"The will of the former king and my bloodline as his firstborn."

Zelda knew to be so honest was damaging, but she felt compelled to be so. She could speak in double-tongues and hidden words to evade the answers, but she refused to do so because he was an equal. Technically, she could assume him to be lesser since he held much less land than her, but to go into this from the perspective of being arrogantly superior would damage her objective far more. To her, this was perhaps the greatest respect she could offer.

The dark-skinned man tapped a finger on the table. Zelda met the mask's gaze unflinchingly.

"Heir Apparent Zelda of Qin," Ganondorf said. "A woman with no power, whose little brother has taken her throne with no reliable retainers to call her own has stepped into this mountain country to meet me. I cannot help but wonder: Why?"

"I came to borrow your strength," Zelda answered.

The warriors around her laughed.

Ganondorf said, "Then I am afraid you have wasted your time coming here. You have not been brought here to bargain or deal, but to be judged."

"Judged? May I know what for?" Zelda wondered.

Immediately one of the old women next to Ganondorf started babbling something in their tongue and pointing a shaky finger at her. She sounded very angry. The other old woman joined in, and even one or two Majora seemed to be emotionally vested in the answer as they joined in.

Ganondorf barked a word in Majora's tongue, and the group quieted. He had a short, heated dialogue with the first of the old woman by his side, and from how she cowered, he had placated her.

Ganondorf Dragmire returned his attention to Zelda. "In the days of King Shorlin of Qin, we were joined into an alliance with Qin, with Fae, with Sheikah, and with so many others he united. Our ancestors held him as a friend, and there was hope for a bright future. Into the alliance, we gave blood and our strength. We taught the Sheikah to have masks. We were the first on every battlefield and the last to walk away. In turn, our people, and our children, were promised a place beyond the mountains.

He continued after a brief pause, "At first the alliance held but in the years following King Shorlin's death it was revealed to be an illusion. His son, King Aou, purged us from his land. The Majora numbered nine tribes before and fled here with two. You can imagine what happened with the rest."

It wasn't hard for Zelda to grasp. "Seven tribes were killed."

Ganondorf gave a short nod. As he spoke, Zelda sensed the anger and tension in the room grow. "We were isolated, scattered amongst a nation we trusted, and slaughtered as little more than cattle. Even the two tribes to flee were chased with horse and bow. Now you are here before me as a gift from Din to be sacrificed."

Ganondorf removed one of his swords from his side and placed it on the table. It was jagged and hooked all along its surface and was large enough to be a broadsword. It briefly alarmed Zelda that he could lift it with one hand.

"To appease the ancestors, I must sever your head. I apologize for your birth, but as you were born to be king of Qin, that is the price," Ganondorf said nothing for a moment, allowing the dialogue to be grasped. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Zelda closed her eyes. Majora chuckled around her. No doubt they expected anything she had to say to be merely a formality. What could she say in her defense?

Zelda was well aware of this burden being placed on her shoulders once more. This was exactly like Chouhei. Once more the burden of the dead, of the past, was on her. Sins from before her birth were now hers to bear. What could she say to this? To the Majora? To the Zhao who suffered from Chouhei?

"We are the ones at fault," Zelda opened her eyes and looked into the holes of the man's mask. Through it, she could see red eyes like burning coals. Zelda took a deep breath. "As a representative of the country of Qin, I sincerely apologize for our past foolishness but that is not enough of a reason to take my head."

Ganondorf turned his head slightly to the side and leaned forward. "Oh? Why is that?"

"In the years since King Shorlin, and in the years prior, countries, people, culture, faith, though different things have been exchanged, can you say that not one drop of blood has been spilled? Have the grudges that have built up disappeared from people's hearts? Is there an understanding between the former races and states of Hyrule or is there only discrimination and scorn? If you look at history since the fall of Hyrule you'll soon understand why getting rid of these things is nearly impossible. To think that the appearance of one person, namely King Shorlin, would make hundreds of years of separation between Majora and the flatlands disappear is naïve."

The first old woman jumped up so hard from her seat that it fell back. She yelled something vehement at Zelda. A few warriors in anger drew weapons. They did not strike at her but threatened and yelled angrily.

Ganondorf hissed, "You... You label our ancestors who sought peace and were betrayed as fools?!"

"That is not what I say. What I am saying is that the problem is too deeply ingrained. Cutting off my head will not resolve it."

"So we should not kill you because it will not solve anything? So we should just forgive the murders, torture, and tears?"

"There are many things that should come before revenge."

Ganondorf chuckled. He reclined in his seat and sighed. "You are quite good at acting the virtuous king. So impertinent. Yet, you do not seem to have even a rough understanding of the people's pain. The pain of a tribe being hunted by their friends."

Ganondorf stood and motioned. Some warriors in the back bowed and left the building. The king of Majora walked around the table to Zelda wielding one of his massive swords. He said, "I shall teach you this pain."

Zelda gazed up without flinching. She wondered if this was it, if her blunt honesty had gone a bit far. She was prepared to die, but still worried since she did not understand what he was alluding to. The answer came in the form of a bag being dragged in kicking and screaming. The contents were dumped beside her.

Link.

Zelda could only stare. Of all the impudence and stupidity, it had to be him. Of course, this imbecile tried coming and, of course, he got caught! She was flattered that he came this far even against her wishes, but he was tied up. He could only crawl on the ground like a worm.

Zelda sighed, "Honestly, what are you doing? Calling you a monkey may have more truth than I thought."

"Shaddup! I just messed up a little!" He squirmed around.

"A little...?" Zelda wondered.

"This man of Qin was found sneaking in. Trying to," Ganondorf said. A few among the group laughed and Link's ears turned red in embarrassment. "He was told to me to be from your group. He went against my command to turn back."

"I apologize on his behalf," Zelda said.

"Hey! There is no need for-"

Zelda cut Link off, "As he is my sword, I bear responsibility for his actions. I may not have ordered him to follow, but I did choose him as part of my entourage."

Link was momentarily flattered. That was perhaps the most respectful way of referring to him she had done. It wasn't insulting or demeaning or cold. The moment didn't last with him as Ganondorf snapped his fingers and two Majora grabbed Link and forced him onto his knees and bent him over. Ganondorf lifted his blade above Link's neck. Zelda closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. Link screamed in protest, but he could do nothing as a child against two strong men.

The sword came down at the same time the floor flew up. Two hands formed out of the floor and flew up to grab the sword as it descended, and locked it in its grip. Stunned by this, Ganon did not evade when a pillar of stone shot out of the ground to hit him in the chest. Ganon flew into the air and landed against the edge of the head table. The table toppled under the impact before resting on its legs again.

Majora all around pulled out weapons, the two old woman's hands became bathed in shadow and fire. The stone pillar formed itself into the shape of a man with glowing green eyes. The Fae that had hidden fearfully in Zelda's robe disappeared into the ground and formed a second man of stone like the first.

Zelda did not leave her seated position and Link was quivering from the rush. He thought he was dead for a moment there. He whispered, "I'm alive?"

Ganondorf barked something loudly that made everyone stop. The mask he wore was broken, and one eye was revealed. Zelda could see his eye had burning anger akin to fire. She had never seen such red eyes.

Ganon stood on shaky legs, strengthened his stance, and stepped forward. The Majora warriors stepped back as Ganon stood face to face with the Fae Elder. Ganon's eyes flashed angrily. "When Qin betrayed us you gave us refuge. You gave us this paradise. Now you would betray us too?!"

"No, I am here preventing you from making a mistake," Elder said. "To allow you to kill them without second thought would be betrayal through inaction. Look at their hands. Look at your own."

Zelda raised an eyebrow curiously. Elder had mentioned the print on her hand was significant, but she hardly understood how it was relevant to this. None of the less, she removed the gloves from her hands to consent.

Link wore no gloves and in his execution position, his hands were fully visible.

Ganon did not bother removing his gauntlets. Zelda saw him glance between her hand and Link's hand. Now that Zelda had removed her glove, she saw it had grown to form three triangles. It was the same on Link's hand.

"You may not understand it, but you do see a shadow of destiny," Elder said to the dark-skinned man. "Since I remember one babe that bore the same symbol."

"Your point is?"

"You owe me," Elder said. "I will not call on that debt, but I will stand and offer advice as a friend."

Ganon placed his sword back on his table. The burning ember of anger simmered in his eyes to a lump of warm coal. "I'm listening."

"Then listen to her. Hear her out. Killing her would do you no good. It wouldn't stand as an example to the future, and it wouldn't sate the past's pain. Whether you accept her proposal or no, it is your right as king, and I am not calling on any debt to force your hand either way. I only ask, out of the old friendship between us, that you listen."

Ganon kept his gaze locked with the Fae. "And the boy?"

"Foolishness is part of youth, I'm afraid. He would hardly learn if he is dead."

"But I still have the right to kill them if I wish?"

Elder hesitated. On one hand, he had accepted Zelda's proposal and recognized her as one of destiny, but to restrain Ganon against his wishes would damage the friendship between Fae and Majora. He also understood Ganondorf well. To try to force him would only cause the man to bite back and resist irrationally when right now the Elder Fae recognized there was a power far greater at work here. There was destiny being woven, and it required care.

"It is alright, Elder," Zelda said. She stood to her feet. "If he wants to kill me, then let him. I will no longer have anyone protect me or stop what destiny has in store for me. I have had people die for me, shield me, and do all the work for me for a long time. This is my turn. Let me do this last part alone."

Elder nodded, "Farore bless you, princess."

The Fae both took steps away from them. Link situated himself into a more comfortable position but wasn't allowed to leave the center of the room. Ganondorf sat on the edge of the scewed table. Zelda stood to gather her thoughts.

"You speak of your ancestor's pain, King Ganondorf. Of the burden of the past, of the dead's demand for justice and revenge. You think I am ignorant of it but I am already well aware of that pain. It is my birthright! Mountain King! If a king is driven by malice and contentment to pick up a sword, his kingdom will be destroyed by hatred! A king should pick up a sword for the reason of preserving life and defense, only. It is in this way a king provides security and peace. It is because the people of the country of Qin and the mountain people are divided that strife is created, but that happened so long ago that it has become as though it is natural. This is not an isolated situation. It is the same all over Hyrule. Between the seven nations, the hundreds of tribes and clans and states within them, and the numerous races, there is only strife. From their perspectives even though we are all of Hyrule, we only exist to kill each other. The violence has brought about strong borders to prevent us from learning of each other, of understanding, and ensuring that the definition of who is friend and enemy is defined so strongly as to become natural."

Zelda took a breath, "It is true that a leader like King Shorlin leads in rare generations, but in the end, he brought only temporary stability and growth to Qin."

Ganondorf questioned, "You think yourself so great as to say such demeaning things of him? He united and conquered until Qin was many times its previous size."

"I do not think myself so great at this moment," Zelda replied. "But I do see where the ultimate culmination of his vision lies. Since the collapse of Hyrule, the times have been moving without fail in a single direction. A single kingdom crumbles into thousands. The thousands are united and conquered into hundreds. The hundreds are united and conquered into seven. His generation was a natural progression in this."

Ganondorf questioned, "Yet is there not more stability amongst seven then thousands? What could be better?"

"The abolishment of all of Hyrule's borders." Zelda declared.

A wind swept through the room. A storm raged outside, but neither Zelda nor Ganon noticed. The Majora struggled to shut the door while Ganon's attention was solely on the girl before him. He was silent for a moment. Not because what she said was hard to understand, but because it amazed him. She did not hesitate in her answer and the strength at which she gave it, the lack of any doubt, the resolve. The passion!

For a moment he felt his heart quiver. There was more to this young girl than met the eye.

Ganon said, "Look around you. Do you think there is even one country that would accept such an idea?"

"If they won't, we'll use force until they do. Since in the absence of understanding to allow room for diplomacy, force is the language these generations understand."

"That's the polar opposite of preserving life is it not?"

"NO!" Zelda yelled. She slammed her fist on a wooden table to emphasize her words. "There has been nothing but pain, strife, and constant war for the five hundred years since Hyrule! In this ceaseless spiral, it may continue for another five hundred! I'm here to prevent there from being victims of another five hundred year war!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute!" Link inserted himself. "What about your throne? Your little brother? Aren't we just here to take the throne back?!"

"The throne is just the first step," Zelda replied. "I will abolish all of Hyrule's borders! That is my ambition. That is why I am here. I will unite all of Hyrule!"