Ganondorf’s preordained right to rule the Gerudo, his training by their master thieves and powerful witches, and his conditioning by the harsh and unrelenting desert land he lives in have all given him the knowledge and skills required to set his schemes into motion. But there is something more that carries him to victory. Something unseeable, even to Ganondorf, but nevertheless unspeakably evil. He can feel what he is, deep inside. It doesn’t matter much to him though, as long as he reaches the precipice of his glory.
How he learned of the Sacred Realm and the Triforce, no one can truly be sure. Did Koume and Kotake teach him of the sacred relic, or did the legends of the treasure spread as far as the desert? Or did he have some subconscious understanding of its existence? It is unclear. All that matters is that it can be found and claimed.
These early days of the impetuous king of thieves were what conditioned him for his inevitable fall into utter darkness. From his birth, Ganondorf was filled with the desire to conquer and control. He was also filled with hatred. He had no idea where this hatred stemmed from, but it was a source of power. It constantly reminded him that he hated the fact that the world was not his. It gave him the strength to fix that problem.
There are just a few pathetic people and minor obstacles in the way of him reaching his golden goal. The first step is to gain the royal family’s trust. A simple task, as the King of Hyrule is far too confident in his authority. Ganondorf has always been able to make good use of his convincing tongue, and he is never so proud as to ignore the value of playing the part of a humble and loyal servant to the “mightier” king. The young princess clearly does not trust him, but it matters not. She has an important part to play in Ganondorf’s plan, and she is going to play it soon enough.
His next step is to find the three Spiritual Stones. This means visiting the far corners of Hyrule to press each region’s inhabitants for the locations of the stones. If they would not comply, he would give them a reason to. Whether through curses, risks of famine, or the threat of losing a local deity, Ganondorf would get what he wanted without outright laying waste to their lands, which would cost him his close contact with the king of Hyrule.
The last problem will be the most bothersome. The Spiritual Stones will open the Door of Time for him, but beyond that door was one final barrier: the Master Sword. Ganondorf must figure out a way to remove the barrier from the equation. He could always try to pull the sword himself, but he has a less risky plan in store for the situation.
Whatever that plan is, Ganondorf doesn’t need to enact it. As luck would have it, a small boy from the forest has been pacing behind Ganondorf’s efforts, succeeding where the Gerudo King failed by obtaining the Spiritual Stones. This will work. He will let this boy do the grunt work. Then, he’ll steal the last key, the Ocarina of Time, from Zelda, force the boy to open the door and pull the sword, and enter the sacred realm. It was all coming together.
It comes together, albeit not in the exact way Ganondorf planned. He stages his coup against the royal family and deals with the king in a swift and merciless fashion, but he underestimates Impa, Zelda’s guardian, who manages to escape with the princess. Ganondorf, of course, gives chase. It is here though that a surprise encounter occurs, as he comes face-to-face with the boy while following Zelda and Impa out of Castle Town. He shows the child no significant consideration, however, and continues chasing Zelda. Ganondorf has no idea that Zelda had tricked him by making sure that the boy will be able to find the ocarina.
Ganondorf, whether by deduction or some magic sense, is aware that the boy has figured out how to open the Door of Time. He hurries back to Castle Town and the Temple of Time with all haste and arrives in time to watch as the boy is pulled into the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf, all he can do is laugh. He intended for the boy to open the door for him, but it was even easier than he expected. Now, with no one to stop him, Ganondorf is free to take his fated steps into the Sacred Realm. He finds it, the Triforce. With a sense of satisfaction that he believes comes from his resolution of providence, Ganondorf reaches out and places his hand on the Golden Power.
Ganondorf had done great and wicked things to achieve what he had, and his moment of victory was a point of no return. The world was his to shroud in darkness. Most of us know what happened to Ganondorf after he reached the sacred triangles, but it is better to tell that tale at a later time. He, in a sense, became a new man. The King of Thieves was no more. He was usurped by his new self: the King of Evil.
