"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."
Finding Princess Zelda was easy. She hid for far too long, but I found her in the Triforce Shrine. I found her kneeling, praying to the goddesses.
"You are beyond the help of the goddesses, princess," I said upon entering the shrine.
Zelda slowly stood and turned to face me. Her face was grim, calm, unsurprised, and hardened by the long war.
"Yes. Hyrule is beyond their help," she said.
"Then why do you pray to them?" I asked, walking closer to her.
She did not back away. She did not seem afraid.
"I pray because they need to know I am still here. They need hope as much as I do. I pray for their sake, not for my own."
I stopped, a distance of five steps between us, and asked, "They cannot see the destruction their folly as wrought?"
"The folly was not theirs that brought the World-Eater to us," Zelda said calmly, "The World-Eater is older. His fate is a different wheel, and Hyrule will fall to him."
"If I do not make it fall first," I said.
"Yes. That is why you are here."
"You have the Triforces of Wisdom and Emotion. They are the final pieces I need. Lorule fell easily."
Zelda closed her eyes. "A shadow fades in the dark, but the object that casts it will not fade."
"You do not hide well in the dark. I found you."
Zelda opened her eyes and peered into mine, her gaze piercing and unrelenting. "I let you find me. This is where it ends."
"This is a fitting battlefield. The shrine of the Triforce itself. Do you realize how easy it will be for me to crush you and take the Triforce for myself?"
"The Shrine is a place of wishes. You have your wish, and I have mine."
"You wish me dead, surely. You wish to eliminate a source of pain and destruction. My death would save you."
"I do not disagree. Your absence would relieve Hyrule of some strife, but at this point in time, the inevitable would come more slowly without you. The World-Eater is responsible for more suffering, and he is our common enemy."
I laughed, "Do you think I would join you?"
"No, but I hope."
"Yours is an empty hope!" I bellowed, my words echoing through the shrine.
Zelda was undaunted and said, "I wish you'd find the lost in you."
"You cannot fool me, princess. You cannot make me follow you or your kind. I truly hate you all!"
Zelda calmly walked closer to me and pleaded, "Turn from the hate. Turn from the smoke. I see the parchment of your soul: the notes, the song join your voice."
"Why would you want me on your side? My destiny is one of death, power and hate," I said.
"Power can be separated from death and hate. If it were Link or I who was blessed by Din, our battle across time would have had little difference in the end."
"Stop speaking in riddles, princess. Din did not bless you. She cursed me!"
"It was not Din who cursed you. Din loves you and she weeps for you. Power is not the source of your pain."
"I am a reincarnation of hate and pain. I am cursed to fight you. I am the darkness that balances your light. I know nothing but hate. I have to hate. I have to kill."
"I forgive you."
The shrine was silent.
"You lie," I growled.
"I do not lie. I forgive you."
Silence.
"I killed thousands of your people, including your mother and father. I killed your counterpart. I have hunted you for years, for eons across time. I am the source of your pain! I destroyed your kingdom!"
"I am grateful for the pain. It proves we're alive," Zelda said, and after a pause, "Can you feel it?"
"No. I never do."
"Death is inevitable, Ganon. You took lives prematurely, but as you say, that is your destiny. I cannot stop you from killing no more than I can stop a tornado."
"Then you forfeit. You cannot win."
"I cannot stop a tornado, but I can seek shelter."
"I tire of this charade, princess. You are trying to confuse me, to break me with words because you have no power."
Zelda backed away and drew her sword. An ethereal shield glimmered into being on her forearm.
I laughed and drew my swords. "Let it begin, then. The Triforce of Emotion will be mine."
"If you want it," Zelda said, raising her shield and readying her sword, "come and claim it."
I lunged at her, and the Long Battle began.
We fought with swords, with she dodging my attacks and I blocking hers. I disarmed her shield after hundreds of attempts, which made her even quicker, and freed her hand for spell-casting. I withstood a battery of spells before dropping a sword and turning to use magic myself. She reflected my spells countless times, and several times we volleyed a bolt back and forth before one of us dodged it. I was fortunate to disarm her sword with one of these volleys, which made her focus entirely on magic.
The fight waged for hours, and the room grew hot. After yet another volley, I reflected the spell to her abdomen and stunned her. I seized my chance and grabbed her by the neck, holding her with one hand. I choked the Triforce of Wisdom and Triforce of Emotion from her and threw her to the ground.
The sigils emerged from me and joined to form the Twin Triforces. An infinity of possibilities flooded my mind and I was in awe of the grandeur of the Gifts of the Gods. With their power I could have Hyrule and destroy the World-Eater. Hyrule would never die. Hyrule would be eternal under my rule, with beings sustained by my power, courage, wisdom, will, knowledge, and emotion. Tears streamed down my grinning face. My dream was within my grasp. Gods of the Triforce. Hear that which I desire...I slowly reached out to touch the Golden Hylian Triforce, but saw something in my periphery.
I looked down to see Zelda lying on the ground. Bruised. Weeping. Her gloved hand outstretched and touching the black Lolian Triforce. Her eyes were locked on mine. I could feel her staring into my very soul.
"Gods of the Triforce," she coughed, blood dripping from her mouth, "Gods of the Triforce! Hear that which I desire! Let Hyrule die. Let Hyrule die, and shatter the Triforces once more, so they may never be used to harm Hyrule ever again. Let us die and wash away this ancient land of Hyrule! Let a ray of hope shine on the future of the world! Let us die, for a full life thoroughly finished and forgotten is better than one stretched beyond its natural end." Her hand dropped and the Triforces began to shake. I reached out to touch the Hylian Triforce, but it burned my hand.
"What have you done?" I choked.
"You will have an eternity to realize, Ganon," Zelda wheezed, no longer having the strength to lift her head. She closed her eyes. "It is the end. But the moment has been prepared for."
I saw the world around me crumble. The Triforces exploded and roared. Forty-eight shards of gold and black flew into the white void. I saw white. Endless white. Blinding white! Searing heat, then blackness. No sound. I felt nothing, saw nothing, and heard nothing.
Until I heard his voice.
Notes[]
Wisdom, Power, and Emotion depicts the final moments of the Last Great War of Hyrule from Ganon's perspective. Ganon focuses on the violence of the event, but given the detail with which he presents his dialogue with Zelda, one may assume that Wisdom, Power, and Emotion is a recollection of true events. The argument can be made that Ganon did not recall Zelda's words exactly, and recorded ideas that were less coherent. It is unclear whether Zelda was attempting to confuse Ganon, as he claimed, or if she meant what she said.
Zelda is in possession of the Triforce of Emotion when Ganon arrives, but she is stoic. When he obtains it, he becomes overwhelmed with pride. The Triforce of Emotion essentially became Zelda's greatest weapon in her fight against Ganon, as it made her more attuned to both her emotions and his, and he was overwhelmed with emotion he had never felt, giving Zelda her chance to wish upon the Triforce.
The fact that Zelda touches the Lolian Triforce is symbolic of her acceptance of the darkness that had consumed Hyrule.
Zelda's plea to "wash away this ancient land of Hyrule," echoes words said by the King of Hyrule in another timeline. This, with her assurance that "the moment has been prepared for" may indicate that Zelda was aware of the involvement of the Hero of Winds in the Last Great War of Hyrule, and serves as foreshadowing for the lore introduced in version 6.5.
Background and Inspiration[]
Wisdom, Power, and Emotion quotes heavily from the song "Yours Is an Empty Hope" by Nightwish. The lines "Yours is an empty hope," "I wish you'd find the lost in you," "Turn from the hate. Turn from the smoke. I see the parchment of your soul: the notes, the song join your voice," "I am grateful for the pain. It proves we're alive. Can you feel it?" are all from the song in question.
The book references "Slaying the Dreamer" by Nightwish with the line "I truly hate you all!" as well as "Higher than Hope," with the line "My death would save you," which reverses the perspective of a line from the song.
The book also quotes The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien as well as the film adaptations directed by Peter Jackson. The opening quote comes from The Two Towers, and "if you want it, come and claim it," paraphrases a line from the film adaptation of The Fellowship of The Ring.
Zelda echoes the plea of the King of Hyrule in The Wind Waker with her wish to the Triforce.
The book quotes Doctor Who with Zelda's last words. She shares these words with the Fourth Doctor, spoken in the episode Logopolis.
Wisdom, Power, and Emotion was included with Ganon's Tomb in version 6.2. It was included to enrich the lore of the mod, and to provide context for the tomb itself. It also explains the final events of the Last Great War of Hyrule in detail, as well as the shattering of the Triforce, and Zelda's hand in ending the war. The book is JKalenad's favorite lore book.