-Later-

Malon was still asleep, but having soaked a cloth in the Fae waters, they cleaned her up as best they could and freed her of the slime. She stopped stirring and seemed to sleep peacefully. Ganon took her on his back and they departed the valley. The pillar of fire was an enigma to them, being seen only by Ganon, but with his instance they followed it. The pillar of fire moved at a walks pace across the ground a few strides ahead of them. It burned nothing in its path, and the path it took was different from the one they had used in coming this far. None of them knew the path the pillar took.

They rested for the night. Malon awoke with the morning, screaming and crying, having the attack in fresh memory. She was assured all was well, and of how the battle over her went, though not a word was said of Ganon's final transformation. Ganon's clothing was largely torn and burned, so whether she came to a conclusion of her own was unsaid. She found the dragon marvelous and made high-pitched squealing sounds that hurt Ganon and Link's ears upon seeing it and wanting to touch it, much to the dragon's annoyance. It tightened its coil around Ganon's arm tighter and tucked its head between its own body and Ganon's arm.

They continued on for the second day and into the third before the pillar of fire led them out of the forest. They had seen no Fae nor protected races along the way, but as they left the forest they saw a great many peoples.

Before them were multiple armies.

In the center stood a small army of ten-thousand Soran and other clansmen. Towards the north stood a larger army of Majora and other clansmen. To the east stood ten-thousand bearing the armor and flag of Qin. To the west were the small gathering of red-haired Dragmire and just in front of the Dragmire, encircled on all sides, were a single line of Fae in their weaponized shells.

The armies had not come to blows, but they were ready to.

"What the Farore did we miss?" Link gasped.

Ganon gulped, "I think I might know. This must be handled delicately."

They walked towards the Dragmire first, and Malon ran into the midst of them and embraced her mother. Along with the Dragmire were two Qin and three Majora.

"What is happening?" Ganondorf asked them.

The Majora stepped forward and bowed, "Beta! It is good you have returned! The Majora have largely settled the civil dispute between us, but the Soran gathered all they have to march and slay your people, the Dragmire! They call for blood and revenge and say that to let the Dragmire go free is to set demons on us all!"

"I understand," Ganon replied. He put a hand on the Majora's shoulder and had him rise. "That is how we felt towards the Qin as well, and there is some truth to the Soran's claim. I am what I am, but I hope to fix that and transform the Dragmire into something different." Ganon looked to the Qin and asked what they were doing there.

The Qin saluted and said, "Lord Dragmire, Commander Matsubi would send his regards were he to know you are here. We have seen the unrest and come this way to make his stance stance known. If the Soran are to attack your clan, then they will face the retribution of Qin as much as Majora."

"Even though that means tampering in our affairs?" Ganon questioned.

"Please, my lord, do not think ill of us. Matsubi wishes what is best for both of our peoples. I have been in his council and Matsubi knows he is breaking the promise to stay apart, but he cannot, in good conscious, watch as friends and allies tear themselves apart. He would rather face the dishonor and support you without permission from the Qin state than to have done nothing! If you must think so, then consider this Matsubi's stance rather than Qins, but Matsubi does this believing it to be what the high princess would want."

It was rather assuming of Matsubi to claim to know the mind of Heir Apparent Zelda, but then again Matsubi had been alongside her and him for some time. Matsubi was there when Zelda and Ganon retook Qin from her brother, and he was there when Ganon fought alongside Qin against Zhao, and he was even there when Ganon fought against another Dragmire. Perhaps the man does have some idea of what they would want.

Link said, "We have left one battle for another it seems."

Ganon looked back to Link. His companion sweated and staggered where he stood. His complexion was pale and his body was covered in scratches, bruises, and burns. Fighting both Ghiradrim, the creation of the monster, and then a demon had taken a toll on him. Not to mention they had spent much of the last several days running with little rest. Ganon was exhausted from the battles and wondered how the teenager was still standing as well.

"No, we will not fight." Ganon replied. "We have fought enough, and if I can avoid it, there will not be another today." He looked to the Majora. "Where is Nabooru? Does she lead the army?"

"She does."

"Tell her I wish to speak and to come." The Majora found the request an odd one, but bowed and left to hurry along the message. Later, about an hour's time, Nabooru came riding on a horse and stopped before him to fall from it and stand.

"Ganon! It-" Her eyes briefly shot up to his hair, her eyebrows clenched in confusion, but she returned her focus to him. "It is good to see you, and your clan is well, but this is a troubling time without our army being led. I am still speaking with the Soran, trying to get them to see reason, but this interruption will not help."

"I am sorry for dragging you away, but I think I can solve it now." Ganon explained.

Nabooru raised an eyebrow, "Oh? You have something to say to Soran?"

"Of sorts, come." Ganon then searched the Dragmire for their elders and asked, "Who leads you?"

They said, "No one. The woman you left with us has been loud, and the clan listens to our council, but there is no leader among us."

"Then I will lead you."

Nabooru stared at Ganon, shocked, and the elders were displeased with the thought.

Nabooru asked, "But you have always rejected leadership. What changed?"

"Everything." Ganon shrugged, "Nothing. I just know this is right and what I want to do. The Dragmire are my people, my blood, and my clan. I respect and honor the Majora for taking me in, but you cannot deny there has always been a distance between us. My ambitions and desires are not Majora's. But I find my ambitions and desires are a Dragmire's. I do not desire leadership in managing, but I wish to take a journey and I wish for my clan to follow, as I believe the journey will do for them as much as it would do for me."

"And where is it you wish to go? Where shall you take us?" The Dragmire elders questioned him.

"I would have us return to what we were as nomads," Ganon answered. He put out his hand and revealed the dragon to coil itself around his arm. Those present gasped in awe. "I think this to be a sign. I do not know where we will go, but it does not pass my attention that we once worshipped Din and one of Din's children has found us and is drawn to my fire. It would be my vision that we return to what we once were. That we seek our origins and restore what it means to be a Dragmire before Harken and his generation cursed us. We will chase the sun and see where Din takes us."

-Later-

The Dragmire accepted Ganondorf Dragmire as their lord, and they immediately headed east away from Majora lands and into Qin. With the threat of the Dragmire gone, the Soran submitted and would not fight. The Soran were given great repercussions as a clan, and those leading the rebellion were executed as an example, but the clan as a whole were spared. Majora returned home. Link and Matsubi escorted the Dragmire as far as Genyuu Pass.

Ganon looked up at the great wall. He had seen it twice and it hadn't lost its awe. He thought the mountains were a giant cage, but they were nothing to this. He had followed the pillar of fire here, and it seemed they would be going beyond.

"It looks like this is where we part ways," Matsubi observed. "I should return to the palace and give my report."

"Yes, something is happening." Ganon answered. Their attention was also on the capital, as there was a great gathering outside of the city. Festivities and celebration filled the land. "Is there a Qin holiday?"

"Not that I know of." Matsubi said, equally confused.

"Ah, well, then it makes me all the more curious. Pity, I would like to greet the princess and witness the celebrations."

"Nah, you just want to eat the food." Link teased.

Ganon smiled, "Guilty as charged. A celebration like this must have a great many delicacies I have not tried."

Matsubi offered, "Then I shall see what is there and remember it, so that the next time we meet in good fortune, I can find a way to have it made for you." Ganon chuckled at the thought. "But are you sure you cannot come and see?"

Ganon looked to the pillar of fire. "No. I should stay on the path. If Din wanted me there, she would have led my feet there."

The Qin looked between each other, confused. They could not see it. The Dragmire could not either, but they had at least believed him when he claimed of what he saw.

Ganon finished with saying, "The path may take us out of Qin, and so I ask that you tell Zelda not to think ill of me for doing this. I do not know when I shall return, but I can promise this much: When I return, the Dragmire shall be reborn, and we will seek to join Qin as a nomadic house to respect our alliance."

With that said, the Dragmire, led by Ganon, left through Genyuu Pass.

Link, Solitare, and Matsubi entered the city. Matsubi wished his friends well and made his way to the palace to report, while Link and Kyou Kai looked for the source of the celebrations.

"This is so exciting!" Link exclaimed. "I wonder what they are having as food and drink."

"We have been to two feasts and now you want a third?" She questioned.

"Yeah, why not! It'll be just the send off I need to march east with that crazy Duke bastard. If I am going to die with my ears bursting, I'm going to die knowing I had more feasts in as many days as I have ever had!"

"But-"

"Just an hour, please." Link pleaded. "I want to see what is happening, wish Zelda well, and then we can go on."

Soli giggled but all the same followed him in. Everywhere they looked the capital was bursting with positive energy and color. Guards stood at every corner adorned in presages colors that, while impractical, helped provide both a sense of security and awe to the day. Several Fae took to larger clearings and added to the occasion by forming large stone statues that slowly melted and molded from one shape to another over time, mesmerizing their audience. Magicians and poets and bards and dancers pranced about drawing crowds one way to another and streamers were drawn on sticks by children and kites filled the sky. People wore masks of animals and heros and demons and everyone had thrown on their best clothing, and amazingly enough those who did not have clothing worthy of celebrating were provided for at the outer palace gates by many merchants so they might have at least one set of a bright color. Scents filled the air and the merchants were making a killing on desserts and hard drink. Horns blew and noisemakers cranked and people sang and drank and in all of it was a joyous, intoxicating, loud, and contagious madness that smothered every sense imaginable.

Ultimately it wasn't hard to learn what was happening and why, though it was so baffling as to be unbelievable.

They ran to the church, where only a few were allowed to enter because of the sheer number involved and the rest filled the streets outside for blocks until the two had to struggle to get through. The guards recognized Link from the palace and allowed the two in.

They entered the building and gaped at what they saw. Everything was red. At first Link thought the church had been painted with blood, but they blinked and realized the furnishings and drapes were all deeply red. Everyone wore dresses, including the men, and there were firework stands set up around the edge of the complex. At the end of the church, below the statue of the Triple Goddess was a red pedestal with customary crowns, though not kingly or princely crowns, and a single small tea set. On both sides of it sat a man and woman in even more decorated dresses than all the others, as if that was possible, and they sat with their backs turned to one another. The girl had her head covered by a cloth-veiled, wide hat and the young man wore a smaller hat with a veil of beads. They sat in silence. All around them was chaos and servants rushed and worked to finish setting up the event.

In the midst of the chaos Link saw Ryo standing to the side and Impa looking particularly perturbed with him.

A wedding.

The Royal Family was getting married.

"I had just left! How much did I miss?!" Link exclaimed quietly. "Who's she marrying?!"