As they approach the Forsaken Fortress, The King of Red Lions warns Link that Ganon’s probably already aware they’re there. And he’s quickly proven right, with Phantom Ganon showing up in the first courtyard. The game’s art style works very well with him. Anyway, the fight is the familiar second phase of his fight from Ocarina of Time, only without the bizarre timing issues I had with the rounds of whacking energy balls back and forth. Sure, sometimes I’d swing too early or too late and they’d hit Link, but if Link hit the ball, it went back to Ganon rather than off into the wild. After Link gets enough hits on Ganon, the phantom disappears. A treasure chest appears and Link gains the Skull Hammer, which he wields as Bugs Bunny might. It’s a lot of fun to use.
Even with more and tougher enemies than Link faced during his last visit to the Fortress, Link’s armed this time so it’s an easier trip. I got all the exploration out of the way last time, so all there is after grabbing the hammer is Link working his way up the fortress to the room where the girls are being held. Link’s a little more cautious entering the room, not wanting to repeat last time, but the bird’s nowhere to be seen. Still, Link can’t open the cell, but Tetra and her crew show up at that moment, taking credit for drawing the bird off. She notes that Link’s upgraded his sword, but there’s no time for that. The pirates take the girls to return them home, leaving Link to take care of Ganon.
As they leave, the room starts to fill with water as the bird – the Helmaroc King – swoops in for the fight. The first phase of the fight is climbing the stairs and platforms that wind around the room while the Helmaroc King smashes the wooden parts behind Link. Once Link reaches the top of the room, the Helmaroc King sits full in his view. Fortunately, he’s patient while Link pauses the fight to pull out his pictograph box and take a picture. Then Link takes out his hammer and smashes the bird in the face, causing it to fall into the water below. Link finishes his climb to a large flat surface and waits for the Helmaroc King to join him. The rest of the battle consists of waiting for the bird to try to peck at Link, then smashing it with the hammer. After a few shots, the bird’s mask breaks and Link can use his sword. After a few more shots, the Helmaroc King dies, and Link’s free to continue on.
At the top of the tower, Link comes face-to-face with Ganon. Ganon knocks Link around, and reveals to him two things: First, when Link pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal, it released a seal blocking Ganon from returning to his full power. Second, the Master Sword itself has been depowered. So, Link’s kind of hopeless here. Tetra bursts in, and Ganon grabs her, and the Triforce of Power reacts to her presence. Ganon knows what that means – and Tetra’s clueless. Before anything more than dropping the name Zelda can come of it, though, Quill and Komali swoop in to rescue Link and Tetra, and Valoo sets the tower on fire to cover their escape.
Link and Tetra are set on the King of Red Lions, and Link is assured that Tetra and Aryll are both fine. The King thanks Valoo for his help and returns to Hyrule Castle. When Tetra wakes up, she’s confused about where she is, and even more so when someone begins speaking to Link through the stone she gave him. He asks Link to bring Tetra to the basement, where all will be revealed. In the basement, Link and Tetra find a man who reveals that the stone is similar to the Gossip Stones of the Hero of Time’s era, and he made it. They’re in Hyrule, and he was Hyrule’s last king, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule – the King of Red Lions. He explains that when the Hero failed to appear after Ganon broke his seal, the gods flooded Hyrule to seal it away, but some of its people took refuge on the mountaintops – which become the islands of the Great Sea.
As for Tetra, she has a golden V-shaped heirloom pendant, and when Daphnes adds a golden triangle, the two bond together to form the Triforce of Wisdom, and Tetra is transformed into Princess Zelda. (The music over this bit is a remix of the title screen of A Link to the Past, then Zelda’s theme kicks in.) Then he turns to Link, saying they have to return to the surface to restore the Master Sword, but Tetra should remain in Hyrule Castle, where she’ll be protected. He poofs out, and as Link follows Daphnes, Tetra apologizes for everything that’s happened to him because of her, and tells him to be careful.
That was a great cutscene, to the point where even if it were the only good thing about the game (and it’s not), the game would be worth playing for that moment of revelation.
Next: He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.
