Link ran against the crowd, like a salmon swimming upriver. The crowd held an array of terrified faces, so similar that they blurred into a single face of fear, unified under one goal: to evacuate the city.
There was another crowd... a crowd behind them... unified under the goal of dominance, and brutal assertion through helpless submission. These faces bore the heavy makeup so familiar to Link. A band of Gerudo women came galloping down the main street on a stampede of horses. Link immediately turned and ducked into an alleyway, as he watched them ride fervently by, zealously driving out the Hylians with their torches ablaze.
"You were right, kid..."
Startled, Link spun around. There, propped up against the wall, was a city guard...the very one Link tried to warn about the impending doom.
"Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves..." he croaked, "what an appropriate name!"
Link was speechless. He was still a bit frustrated by this man taking his word with a grain of salt, and not even that. But the man in uniform armor was dying, with a gash wound slashed across the side of his ribs, oozing the maroon of coagulated blood into a puddle on the cobblestones. The last thing he wanted was to remind this man of his decision to abstain.
"I was wrong about him... I was wrong about those wretched savages!" he spat. "They truly are Gerudo Thieves, urchin scum sucking on the kingdom and its good people... and now they've taken the kingdom itself from us."
"No..." Link spoke up, "they may have destroyed the capital city, and maybe even the castle, but the kingdom is still rightfully the Royal Family's!"
"Kid," the guard groaned, "there's only two ways to have a throne: you either inherit it... or take it."
"What are you saying?" Link asked, fearing the answer.
"Ganondorf betrayed our king..." he panted, "the worst way one can be betrayed."
"He's dead, then... the king?" Link asked monotonically.
To that, the guard moved his head in small nods, which quickly grew smaller, until there was no movement in his head.
Link could not fully process what he had just witnessed. What he did next was really a blur to him. There were flashes of fire, glances of bodies strewn in rubble, and an image of a castle with only one tower standing.
The next thing he knew, he was standing before a cathedral-like building, untouched, in a part of the city that seemed somehow... sheltered... peaceful even. There was a garden in front of it, consisting of simple rows of marigolds along lines of fountain streams, much like the courtyard where he met Zelda.
Zelda... did she successfully evade the clutches of Ganondorf? His eyes began to tear up as he recalled the encounter. This was no dream. There were no more dreams... just reality, and the reality of it was, that she could be captured... or worse, and he did nothing to prevent it.
But that moment... was that moment. He stood before the historical structure that was the Temple of Time, its towering façade casting its shadow down onto him. All he could do at that moment... was do what he set out to do: open the Door of Time... unlock the divine artifact that would halt Ganondorf's endeavors, putting an end to his wrath and the suffering he caused... maybe even reverse it. After all, Zelda did say that the one who claims the Triforce with a pure heart will bring peace and prosperity to Hyrule. That was what he would do... that was all he could do... in that moment.
He finally pushed open the great oaken doors into the temple. The nave boasted a stellar white of marble, once again matching the hills about the city. Grand columns lined the aisles, supporting an airy clerestory full of daylight, which spilled down onto the floor. The floor was an arrangement of stone tiles in a checkerboard pattern, which was adorned by a hexagonal centerpiece engraved with what looked like a depiction of the sun, and a regal red carpet leading down the center to the front. At the front was an altar, carved intricately from the white stone, accented by a handsome ebony surface with this inscription:
"Ye who holds the Goddesses' blessings,
Stand before the gate to the Sacred Realm,
And sing praises to the Goddess of Time."
It sounded like a psalm of praise, perhaps intended to be just that to a common follower of the faith. But Link could see the hidden literal meaning; his quest has revolved around it.
The 'Goddesses' blessings' were the Spiritual Stones he now clutched in his hand. Their shapes were carved into the ebony... the Spiritual Stones of Forest, Fire, and Water. One by one, he proceeded to place them in their spots.
"Din, the Goddess of Power..." Link said as he placed the Goron Ruby in the center hollow, "with her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth.
"Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom..." Link said as he placed the Zora Sapphire in the right hollow, "poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world."
Link paused, admiring the curious spiral pattern that started it all.
"Farore, the Goddess of Courage..." Link said as he placed the Kokiri Emerald in the left and final hollow, "with her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law."
The 'Gate to the Sacred Realm' was a literal gate, an entryway that one could take into the Sacred Realm, as explained by Zelda. It was the Door of Time. To open this portal, he needed to 'sing praises to the Goddess of Time.' He looked at the Ocarina of Time he held in his hand. It must have been named after this goddess's namesake, so to play it must be to sing her praises... The song was still echoing in his mind: A D, F A D, F. The whistled notes of the Ocarina of Time echoed off the temple walls as he played it, but nothing was happening...
All of a sudden, there was a quake. The ornate wall in front of the altar, decorated with a carving of the Triforce emanating rays of light, began glowing with real light. It began to shift, and move to the side.
"Is this..." Link started, "the Door of Time? The Sacred Realm is..."
"Not right through there," Navi interjected, "the vessel to the Sacred Realm is..."
As the Door of Time slid open, a tall apse-like chamber revealed itself, filled with even more light from massive stained-glass windows. In the center of the circular room, a stone pedestal stood, elevated on a series of stone steps. Sticking from the pedestal was a shining silver blade, with a glimmering blue hilt.
"It's the legendary blade... the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Sword that Seals the Darkness," Navi continued, "the Master Sword!"
Link approached the so-called legendary blade. It was a double-edged moderate-width sword equipped with a slide guard on the hilt. A shimmering Triforce of amber was inset on the end of the handle. It was a beautiful weapon, sealed away for eons.
"By removing this from its pedestal, the magic imbued in it will transport you to the Sacred Realm," Navi told Link, focused on its majestic radiance.
Link knew what he had to do. That Triforce was as good as his. It was all he could do... He stepped up to the pedestal. The handle went up to his neck. He carefully grasped it with both hands, feeling the grip on his fingers. Finally, he gave a tug, and he was suddenly flying through a mystical blue tunnel... faster and faster, until there was just white... nothing but white everywhere.
"Geh heh-heh!"
The ghastly cackling gave Link a start. The source of the maniacal laughter slowly came into view, as if appearing from a fog.
"Excellent work, kid!"
It was Ganondorf...
"As I thought," he said, "you held all the keys to the Door of Time."
Link was utterly shocked. His mouth hung open, speechless... in numb disbelief.
"That's right," he teased, "you have led me to the gates of the Sacred Realm! Now there will be no limit to my reign! Why stop at conquering the worldly realm when you can conquer otherworldly realms!? My power will not only be felt throughout Hyrule, but this Sacred Realm, too... and I owe it all to you, kid!"
As Ganondorf savored his victory with diabolical laughter, Link felt a fleeting feeling of guilt, overcome by a subdued disbelief... numbing him... fading him into nothingness...