She awoke to the smell of smoke and the sight of his face. He was shaking her violently and looking over his shoulder, a pained look on his face. His green tunic was singed at the edges and the triangle on the back of his hand glowed a dull gold color. The baby that clung to his mother's breast began to wail, joining the voices making their way into the tent from outside.
"Is it him?' she asked, rising and reaching for a worn traveling cloak on the ground next to her. She placed the baby on the bundle of straw they used for a pillow and hurriedly pulled it on. The man nodded.
"The Demon Thief, in person." The triangle on his hand shone brighter, as though agitated by the mention of this other man.
She picked up the baby and bundled him in a small blanket and rocked him back and forth, attempting to quiet him. "How long-?"
"Mere moments," he said. "He isn't the most patient of men. You know what must be done."
"You're coming with us." A declaration, not a question. He shook his head, blond hair spilling out of his green cap. She looked at him for a moment, stricken. "Why-?"
"Zel. He's going to need to find somebody. He's come for us," he pointed at the baby. "For him. He won't die, not for me. And neither will you. Now leave, before he arrives here. I'll keep him away as long as I can." He drew a sword. It bore the cresst of his family, two crescents around a circle. The symbol of the goddess, Farore.
Zel looked down at the baby. A newborn, still unnamed. "We could all escape," she said, knowing the argument was futile. "We could find a place, alone. We could wait until the war is over, until Hyrule is safe, and he could-"
"No. We've wasted enough time. Take him into the forest, but stay along the border until you find a path. The Kokiri will care for you." He kissed her forehead and turned to leave.
"Link," she said. He turned. "...Goodbye."
He opened his mouth, but only found the strength to nod. He turned toward the door and left into the burning town, sword at the ready.
The battle had ended quickly, after only two strikes the man had found himself on the end of Ganon's sword. Dying, but still alive.
"And to think," Ganon said, his voice softer than Link would have ever imagined. "You were the one given the power of the Triforce of Courage. A weak, stupid boy from Castletown. I will never understand it."
"It was... The will of the Goddesses." The dying man said between deep, shallow breaths.
"Then I suppose this was their will as well?" Ganon said, gesturing at the burning ruins around them. "Their champion's blood watering the ground, their followers dead and dying, their nation, their precious Hyrule, tearing itself apart in a civil war? Two thirds of the Triforce in the hands of their greatest foe? Was this what your 'goddesses' intended?"
Link's vision was dimming. Retaining consciousness was becoming a struggle. The Triforce on his hand began to flicker uncontrollably. He smiled, thinking of Zel and the baby. Despite what the Gerudo thief may have said, the goddesses had been kind to him. What he needed to do became clear at once, and he accepted it without question.
"Only... One...Third."
The Hero of Courage grasped his own sword, and with his remaining strength stabbed it through his neck. The Triforce on his hand vanished, and he was no more.
A triangle, in the same position as the one on Link's hand, shone on the baby's forehead. There was only one possible explanation for that, but Zel had to ignore it for the time being. She buried her grief in the back of her mind and continued to move forward. Her ability to walk was lessening by the moment, and she knew that her end was near.
The archer had been hiding in the trees near the village, sent to shoot at anyone who tried to leave the village. Zel had been hit twice, once in the upper leg and once in the chest, before making her way into the forest. Nobody had pursued her. They had either assumed she was dead or dying and gone after other targets.
The baby was quiet, adding to the strange atmosphere of the forest. She had meant to stay near the border, but had gotten lost after fleeing from the archer. Now, surrounded by mist and trees that seemed identical, she had no idea where to go. She swore and began to move forward, when a tinkling sound from behind her caught her attention. She spun and saw a blue ball of light among the mist and darkness. As she walked toward it, it moved farther away. She tried to run after it, but was forced to stop after several steps, clutching her chest. Removing the arrow meant immediate death, and that was not an option. Breathing heavily, she began to walk after the light, leaning against trees and leaving bloody handprints behind as she went.
After several minutes of walking, Zel arrived at a massive clearing surrounding a tree. The tree, she hoped. It had been a last resort plan to plead with the Deku Tree for help, but this was a desparate time and it called for desparate actions. Bleeding more freely, having removed the arrow in her leg in order to chase after the light faster, Zel made her way to the tree and placed the baby down in front of it.
"Please, shield him from whatever harm may come from him..." she said, her voice losing strength.
She was met with silence, a long silence. It was a thoughtful silence, she thought, as bizarre as it sounded. After several moments, a voice reverberated through her mind, deep and ancient, a voice that sounded like time itself.
"The boy... His destiny is intertwined with that of Hyrule itself... I cannot protect him from all harm... For one such as himself, that would be impossible... But I can ensure that he is raised away from this war... And that when the time for him to claim his destiny comes... He shall be prepared."
Zel felt tears of relief stream down her face. She fell to the ground, the fatigue of the journey and the pain of her injuries catching up to her. She felt serene, somehow. Like she had been performing a role in something larger than herself, and it had come to an end. Perhaps, she thought, she would see Link again. She looked to the baby, wishing that she could stay with him, see his destiny unfold, but knew that it was not to be.
"The boy's name... What is he to be called?"
Zel stared into the forest's canopy, the green reminding her of her husband's tunic. With her final breath, she responded.
"Link... His name is... Link."