She crouched next to him in the mud, cradling his broken body. He raised a hand to caress her cheek, leaving a trail of dark blood. Tears ran down her face, carving tracks in the grime that covered it. His breathing was labored and each intake of air caused his body to tremble. They both knew he was beyond saving. She had tried every spell of healing she knew, but the wounds inflicted by that cursed blade responded to nothing.
"I love you," she murmured through her tears. "You can't leave me, not when I need you most."
He smiled up at her weakly, the light in his deep blue eyes not yet extinguished. "Take heart," he said taking another shuddering breath. "A love like ours can never be lost. I will always love you, and never will I cease to. In another life, I will find you, I will love you, and if I must, I will give my life for you again."
She cried out and drew him closer to her, burying her face in his neck. "Don't leave me, please don't leave me," she pleaded.
"Hylia." It was barely a whisper spoken into her ear. She drew back a few inches, just enough to gaze into his eyes. "Please, take my sword, re-forge it. This battle is not yet won and our enemy has not been defeated. He is doomed to be felled by this blade, though it may not be wielded by me. Please."
His eyes were full of pain and searching for an answer.
She drew him back to her side, unable to see him so full of anguish. "How could I refuse you, my hero?" she whispered against his skin.
He drew another slow, shuddery breath and said, "I will find you again, my love." As he spoke these words his voice seemed for a moment to return to what it once was, full of strength but also tenderness.
And then, he went still in her arms.
"No!" she cried out. "Don't leave me here alone! You can't leave me." But he was gone. The flame in his eyes had gone out, leaving the once brilliant orbs cold and dark. She pressed her lips to his. They were still warm, just like they once were, but now she tasted blood instead of him. "No," she moaned to the sky, but was met with silence.
. . .
This land was once nothing but darkness. There was no land or water or sky. It was merely an infinite void. Until three lights shone into the darkness. Three goddesses from a heaven unknown entered into the void. Din, the goddess of power. Nayru, the goddess of wisdom. And Farore, the goddess of courage.
Using the flaming power that dwelled in her, Din burned away the darkness, leaving the red earth and sky in its place. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth, and water appeared, balancing the dry earth and creating order in this new world. Farore offered her rich spirit to this new creation, and green plants spread across the new land. Next, taking Din's rich earth, Nayru's vast ocean, and the endless sky, she made the three one, giving it the form of a hulking leviathan. This beast was blessed by the goddesses with the ability to swim through sea and air, and was called Levias.
Next, she traveled to the eastern land. There, she took the strength of the ocean and the richness of the land and bound them together, fastening them in a vessel made from a storm cloud. Thus the wise dragon Lanayru was crafted.
Next, she traveled to the eastern forest. She took the serenity of the trees and the grace of the river, entwining the two to form the dragon Faron.
At last, she traveled to the northern volcano. There she took the power of the mountains and the ever changing flicker of flame and created the dragon Eldin.
And from hollows and caves in the land, creatures were born from the power of the goddesses. Fish appeared in the lakes and oceans, beasts burrowed from the depths of the earth, creatures made of stone appeared from caves and mountains, and small timid things were born in the forests.
And finally, she fashioned man from the cool earth, imbuing their form with Din's strength, filled them with Nayru's wisdom, and breathed her own spirit into them, giving the clay vessel life. And thus the final race was born.
Their work finished, the three returned to the center of the land to rule their creation. The dragons presided over each of their realms, worshiping the goddesses and maintaining order. Man and beast lived in harmony and peace filled the land. Thus the age of the golden goddesses began.
But soon, the time of the goddesses had passed. The sacred three withdrew back to the heavens, but left a final gift to mankind. Three sacred triangles, each bearing the power of a goddess, and together holding the ability to shape reality, were left in the center of the land. Knowing the power if their gift, each of the goddesses appointed a guardian from the human race, giving them incredible power and immortality, so as to protect their gift for all eternity. And thus, their time complete, the goddesses left our world, returning to their home in the heavens.