The Wind Waker

XXII

THE FORSAKEN fortress loomed above him, stretching towards the darkening sky.

And it was empty.

No monsters guarded the walls, and the searchlights were unlit. Ragged banners flapping in the wind were the only sign of movement.

"This is not right," Link said. "Something strange is going on."

"I agree," the King of Red Lions said. "Be on your guard Link. Ganondorf is a cunning man. He will not be easily defeated. Many have fought him, and have only been able to contain him."

"What can I do though?" Link asked. "I don't have someone to help me seal him in a dark realm - even then, he will still come back."

"Ganondorf has weakened," the King of Red Lions said. "As the centuries have dragged on, he's lost more and more personal strength, and with it, more and more of his grip on the triforce of power."

"So you think that if he can be separated from the triforce..."
"He will become mortal one again," the King affirmed. "And then he would not return ever again."

"How do I do that?" Link asked.

"I do not know, but the goddesses do. Look to them for guidance. Trust in them, and they will provide the answers when you need them."

Link was quiet. He took at the wind waker. One of the many symbols of the goddesses, and the aid they had given him.

"King of Red Lions?" Link asked.

"Yes?"

"I found something in the castle," Link said. "A journal, detailing what happened when Hyrule began to flood."

The figurehead turned around to face him. Its mouth did not open.

"It sounded devastating," Link went on. "It sounded like many people died."

"They were given ample opportunities to save themselves," the figurehead said, "do not worry yourself with the poor choices of others."

"I know," Link said, "but I just couldn't help wondering - why didn't the goddesses just send another hero? Why did they have to let there be so much destruction?"

The boat sighed.

"I regret to tell you Link, that we do not know everything in this mortal sphere. We do not know why the goddesses do certain things. One could rightly ask why they allowed Ganondorf to come to power at all - and I do not know the answer to that either."

"I'm sorry," Link said, "I know that it is wrong to doubt the goddesses, but..."

"It is not wrong to have concerns," the King said, "but do not let those worries distract you from remembering the great things the goddesses have done for this people. We do not know what Ganondorf would've done had the flood not occurred. We do know that the Hylian people have been preserved, as well as the other races in the land."

Link still felt slight shame for admitting his doubt.

"It is as great a challenge to work through concerns such as this," the King said, "as to fight physical battles. Continue to walk forward, even when you do not know what lies ahead. This too, is a sign of courage."

Link uneasily placed his concern to the side for now, and reminded himself of the good that had happened in his life, and the good that had happened in Hyrule. The goddesses had helped him do the impossible.

He steeled himself, and put on a confident face. He was not going to let anything distract him from what he was going to do. He was going to save his sister, and the other prisoners, at any cost.