Alternate Ocarina of Time ending where Zelda isn't holding the Idiot Ball and sends Link back in time. The Sages take Ganon and send him to the Hylian equivalent of the Chamber of Wonders. You might think Zelda is a little out of character, but the woman's been hiding from Ganon as a male martial artist and mage for seven years. I really doubt the princess training and decorum has held up very well. A lot of the supporting characters are fleshed out as well. You'll also notice Talon got a very large upgrade in the brains department.
I always held that while Link was "asleep" for seven years, he was in a sort of Matrixy-type training ground, where he was conscious and aware of what was going on- but he had to be kept safe from Ganondorf, some place where he wouldn't be discovered. As a general rule, people don't wake up from seven year comas with the muscle mass to stand under their own power, let alone swing swords. What would that have been like?
So basically I tweaked stuff so I could more easily make Zelink happen, in order to appease the ravenous plot bunny that took hold. Blame my stepkids, they made me get them a Wii and I got to play the video game that WAS my childhood again.
Link walked to Ganon and shoved with all his might. As he fell to the ground, he grabbed Link's tunic with a snarl.
"This isn't over, boy."
Link grabbed his sword and, stepping on Ganon's neck, pulled it out.
"Yes it is," Link spat. Ganon reached for him when the room exploded in light and Link fell back, stunned. He heard Raru's voice- Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru... and then he heard Ganondorf's scream and the ground seemed to fall away beneath him.
When he awoke, he was lying in Hyrule's Castle courtyard. He struggled to his feet and saw his Princess walking towards him on his horse.
"Are you okay?" he asked once he reached her.
"Compared to you, I'm fine," Zelda answered, dismounting. "You're limping."
"I wonder why," Link muttered. Epona walked up and nuzzled his hand. Link leaned gratefully against her strong, warm neck and tried to ignore his throbbing shoulder and various other gashes.
"So now what do we do?"
"We sleep," Link replied, tugging on Epona's reins so she'd go down to her knees. She obeyed, and held onto her mane as he hauled himself into her saddle. "And then we eat." He offered his good arm to Zelda to help her up and she just grabbed the saddle and hauled herself up in front of him, taking the reins. "And then we sleep some more. There might be baths somewhere in there. If we're lucky."
"Right. Sounds like a plan. And... where, exactly, are we doing this sleeping and eating and possibly bathing?"
"Some place flat, some place cheap, and some place warm."
"And, given that my castle was just leveled to the ground and the town's deserted, those places would be...?"
"I have no idea. Possibly in my imagination. I don't care. Very soon, I am going to pass out and you can figure it out. Wake me up when you get to the part with the food." In normal circumstances he'd be more appreciative of the fact that he had his arms wrapped around Zelda and that her clothing wasn't entirely whole. It was a colossal testament to how exhausted he was that he was more grateful that she was steering and he wasn't than either of those facts. He swayed with the motion of the horse's gait and closed his eyes, resting his head on her shoulder.
"The ranch?"
"Sure. Why not."
"Are you going to make it or am I going to have to tie you to the saddle?"
"I'll be fine. Epona won't let me fall. Just steer, and- for the love of Light!-" he bit off the curse, gritting his teeth "-don't go faster."
She turned to look at him and demanded, "How badly hurt are you?"
"Zelda, I-"
"How badly."
He sighed. "It hurts. I've had worse. I wasn't set on fire or electrocuted this time, for example. Just... go slow. I'll be fine. All things considered. It's not far."
She nudged Epona forward as much as she dared, trying not to think of Link's hands on her waist and the way he was nuzzling her neck. The fact that the nuzzling wasn't intentional wasn't helping in the slightest.
"Princess! You're alive!" Malon cried, rushing up as soon as she saw the sorrel mare. "You could see the fight from here- The lightning! We saw the castle fall- Is that-?!"
"Help me get him down," she commanded before the girl could get herself too worked up. She took Link's arm and slung it over her shoulder like a newborn calf and carried him into the house.
"Did you do it? Did it work?" Talon demanded once they were inside.
"Yes. To both," Zelda said, dismounting herself and following them into the house. Talon gently laid him down and gathered bandages and salve. Her throat closed with fear- Link wasn't moving...
"So Ganondorf has been vanquished?"
"If by vanquished you mean had a sword put through his chest after he kidnapped me, tried to steal the Triforce and had the collective power of the Seven Sages throw him into Outer Darkness, then yes." Zelda collapsed into the nearest chair with a very unroyal thump.
"Why did you come here?" Malon asked, handing Zelda a flask of water as Talon cut through Link's tunic and shirt, seeing to his wounds. Zelda didn't answer, her eyes locked on his chest and the numerous deep gashes she saw there, and the even more numerous scars...
"Zelda? Are you all right?" Malon asked. She shook her head and tried to remember the girl's question. "Surely there are others... a healer- anywhere..."
"Kakariko Village still hasn't been rebuilt after the monster of the Shadow Temple was unleashed. You were the closest... it was either this or try for that potion maker in Lake Hylia... I didn't think he'd make it that far." It took entirely too long to say that, but she couldn't seem to get words to form properly.
"You were right to bring him here," Talon said, standing. "The others aren't anything besides very painful, but this very nearly missed the artery in his arm. I'll need to fetch a healer, but it's cleaned and bound now. It can wait until I get back."
"There's an extra cot in the loft," Malon said, standing. "You can sleep upstairs. I'm sorry we don't have better-"
"It's fine," Zelda said. "I've been living as a Sheikah underground for eight years. A cot would be a dream right now."
"When I get back," Talon said, "I want to hear this story."
Zelda smiled wryly. "Bring back some drink then." Talon smiled and followed Malon out.
Zelda stood and walked to Link's side, kneeling beside him. She smoothed his sweat-soaked hair from his forehead and winced when she saw there was blood there as well. She unlaced his gauntlets, slipping them off, and then took his boots off for him. He stirred as she was easing his bloody tunic off.
"Sleep, my Hero," she whispered. "Sleep until you're ready to wake up." She stood, but he grabbed her wrist with surprising speed and strength for someone who had recently lost a large amount of blood.
"Don't go," he slurred out.
"I won't. I'm here." She hesitated, then hummed her lullaby. His eyes closed again and his breathing slowed.
"Princess? Princess. Zelda."
Zelda shrieked and leaped to her feet, groping under her pillow for the dagger she always kept there, her heart pounding.
"You're safe! It's Malon. It's okay. You're at the ranch. You brought Link here."
Zelda's chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. "Link," she repeated, shaking her head to clear it. "Link! Is he-"
"He's fine. The healer's been and gone. He's awake and he's eaten, which you should think about doing."
Zelda shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"
"Past supper. You've been asleep for over a day."
"A day?"
"Yeah. Apparently defeating evil and saving the known world is tiresome."
Zelda stood and shook her skirts out. She ran her hands through her hair and cracked her knuckles, a bad habit she'd picked up from Impa. It was amazing the kind of bad habits a girl could pick up once presented with the opportunity. She took a deep breath and headed down the stairs to face Link -a fully conscious Link, anyway- as herself, as Zelda, for the first time in eight years...
Did he feel the same way? Did the friendship he'd cultivated over these long, hard months with Sheik apply to her? Did he think of her, of the promise he had made so long ago, as he made his way through those haunted, cursed temples, each more horrible than the last? Did he think about why he was doing this- that he did it because, at ten years old, he'd taken her word that he was supposed to save the world? She smiled to herself, shaking her head. Only two kids could have come up with such a reckless plan. She'd been convinced that nothing could harm her once she held the Triforce- that nothing could hold back the righteous Princess of Hyrule with the power of the Sacred Realm behind her. Nevermind that she was only ten. Nevermind that she'd sent Link on this quest.
Her reverie was over when she saw Link's face, or more to the point, the expression on it. She didn't have the time to focus on it before Link swept her into his arms and held her tightly.
"You're safe," he whispered once he released her, his hands still on her shoulders, as if he wasn't sure she'd disappear if he took them away.
"Yes, well, fortunately, not many dangers lurk under Malon's cot," she said, smiling. Maybe she wasn't the only one. Maybe there...
He smiled back. "It's just... I didn't know. I didn't know if you were safe, if you were alive. When I saw he had you..." he trailed off as Zelda's eyes filled with tears and she looked away.
"It's okay," she told him once she'd gathered herself. "It's over now. We'll stay here for a few days, and then... Then we figure it out from there."
"We'll get the word out," Talon said. "That Ganondorf's reign is over and that you're safe. You still have loyal servants in Hyrule, Princess." Link finally released her, and they sat at the table. Zelda didn't miss the limp, nor the way he favored his arm. "It won't take long for the tale of the Hero of Time to grow into legend."
Link groaned and Malon smiled. "What did you expect? We started hearing songs about you as soon as you defeated the Fire Temple. If anyone who entered the forest ever came out again, I'm relatively sure they would have started with the Forest Temple."
"Exactly what I ididn't/i want," Link muttered.
"I can send you back," Zelda said quietly, staring at her hands. Everyone fell silent and looked to her. "In time, I mean. To before this happened. Before Ganondorf."
"But then won't this happen all over again?" Malon asked.
"No," Link said, crossing his arms. "He's been sealed by the power of the Sages- even if we go back, he'll still be trapped there." He was peering at her most intently. She couldn't fathom the look on his face.
"We would be safe," Zelda assured them.
"Would..." Link trailed off and swallowed hard. "Would Saria be there?"
Zelda bit her lip, wishing she wasn't suddenly, immensely jealous. "No. She's the Sage of the Forest- none of the Sages could... could come back." She hated herself for being relieved with his face fell.
"You could have it back," Zelda forced herself to say after silence fell again. "Your childhood... the life that... that I took from you. You could have that again."
Link snorted. "The childhood that I spent as an orphan, being teased for not having a fairy and without the only friend I ever had, growing up while the rest of my people don't. Sounds marvelous."
"You shouldn't have had to do this, any of this!"
"And you shouldn't have had to," Link said harshly. She looked up into his blazing blue eyes and found she couldn't speak. "We were kids, Zelda. Two little kids, who were supposed to save the world. It was my destiny and yours to fulfill, and that's exactly what we did. I shouldn't have had to go through this, and neither should you, but Ganondorf decided to act, and we had to do something." He walked around the table and knelt before her. "This was not your fault. YOU didn't take anything from me."
"Do you want to stay?" Zelda asked Link, not looking at him.
"Do you want me to?" he countered.
She found she couldn't answer. It would make her feel better to send him back, but would it truly serve him? Did he deserve to regain those lost years, or did he deserve to live out his life as the venerated Hero of Time?
"Yes," she whispered finally.
"Then I'm not sure what the problem is here, exactly," Malon said. "This seems pretty straightforward, if you ask me. You stay here until Link heals up while we gather support and we rebuild the castle. Easy as lyin'." She stood up and pulled Zelda to her feet. "Come help me with the horses." It was a request, but she towed the princess out by her elbow.
"Oh, are YOU in trouble," Malon told her once they were safely inside the stable.
"As opposed to the leisurely life I'm accustomed to, you mean?" Zelda snapped. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to listen to me. I don't know why you're so keen on sending Link back to where he came from, but I know it's a foolish idea."
"How do you know?" Zelda demanded. "Do you have any idea what's he's been through? What's he been through because of me? Because of what I asked him to do?"
"Yes," Malon said simply. "I have. Where do you think he came to rest after he defeated the curse on Death Mountain? Where he came between temples? Where do you think he came when he needed a friend?"
"You aren't his only friend," Zelda told her.
"No, just the only friend who didn't hide from him for two years," Malon retorted.
"What was I supposed to do?" Zelda hissed, staring Malon down. "I had to hide. I had to keep my cover-"
"I know you did. That doesn't mean he didn't spend the past two years worried sick about you."
Zelda stopped dead. "What?"
"Oh, for Heaven's sake. Haven't you seen the way that he looks at you? You're his Princess, he's your Hero, he's fought and bled and, if what the fairies say is true, even died for a couple of times for you."
"He didn't do that for me."
"The hell he didn't! He did it for you, for me, for his Kokiri, for the Gorons, for all of us. But he did it for you, because you helped him."
"How in the world have I helped him?" Zelda choked out, talking around the lump in her throat. "What have I ever given him, when he's given me and this land everything?"
"Someone to fight for," Link said simply from the door. Zelda leapt up and whirled to face him, her heart pounding. He walked to her and took her hand, as Malon quietly slipped out.
"Someone to fight for," Zelda repeated. "And that made it worth it?" she asked bitterly. "All of this? All the battles, all the wounds, the fighting, the curses, the-"
"Yes," Link cut her off. "All of it." His blue eyes met hers and they were so... so different from the eyes he'd had as a child. Could he even be happy, if she sent him back? Would she be doing little more than assuaging her own guilt?