Author's Note: This story is my lighthearted attempt at filling in gaps left by Breath of the Wild's story. As I've played BotW for the past few weeks, I often found myself asking questions that remained unanswered by the game's story progression. I will humbly attempt to create a story that respects each character's individual traits and personalities, but as an author I will also take creative liberties—especially regarding the game's ending. I hope that you enjoy this fanfic, and please feel free to leave your comments and suggestions.

Best,

Helena Mariel

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda and all rights belong to Nintendo.

Chapter One: Kakariko

"Standing before you is a path that transcends the flow of time.

It is a portal to the past… to the very place where Zelda now waits.

Go bravely, Link. If everything is as I suspect, the reunion with Zelda you've fought so hard for lies beyond this gate."

-Impa, Skyward Sword

xxx

Strong gusts of wind rustled the dense treetops, sending off hundreds of diminutive red and yellow leaves flying into the air. The tiny leaves littered the sidewalks and, despite Maiko's best efforts to collect the leaves into orderly piles, a light breeze was sure to come and blow the leaves away in a flurry of colors and textures that added depth to the otherwise quiet mountain village. Zelda had been watching the gardener fret over the leave piles for several hours now; that is, whenever she could afford to take a break from the bouts of anxious pacing and fastidious fretting that occasionally overcame her. She was currently walking in circles around the wooden deck, her slender hands tightly coiled into fists that hung weakly by her sides. She could see the sun slowly setting down behind the grassy green hilltops towards the West. Her emerald eyes caught glimpse of a family of ducks flying in a v-shaped formation, likely in a rush to make it back home before it became dark. They did not have a lot of time left. The hour of twilight was upon them all; it cast shadows of deep purples and plum hues across the quaint village while the setting sun adorned the evening sky with fleeting orange and ruby rays of light.

An overwhelming sense of melancholy suddenly overcame Zelda. The familiarity of the scene brought forth a long-forgotten memory from a life she had lived long, long ago. 'The land of Hyrule had once been swallowed whole by twilight,' Zelda recalled. The passing memory triggered a wave of involuntary spasms across her body. That time, it had been Ganondorf, the Gerudo thief, who had desired to plunge Hyrule into eternal darkness. Judged for his treacherous crimes against the Royal Family and the kingdom of Hyrule, he was sentenced to death. And yet, in a cruel twist of fate, the Sages were forced to banish him to the Twilight Realm when he proved to be the wielder of the Triforce of Power. Ganondorf had been too powerful to be destroyed by their power alone. The Gerudo's thirst for vengeance had sought to destroy their realm, and yet despite his cursed power, he had proved to be no match against the Hero of Time.

Time after time, good had always triumphed over evil. The Hero of Time would always destroy the Calamity. It was the way it had been foretold by the three benevolent, Sacred Goddesses—Din, Farore, and Nayru—since the dawn of Hyrule.

'Link... you are the light... our light... that must shine upon Hyrule once again!'

Engaged in profound thoughts from the past, Zelda lost all notion of time. The murmur of the nearby brook in the background slowly lulled the princess into a hazy stupor. After all, she had been fighting Calamity Ganon for a century, without reprieve or warmth, without beauty or kindness or love. She was so tired… Her eyelids suddenly grew heavy, and despite her best efforts to keep them open, Zelda knew her exhaustion was stronger than her desire to remain awake and alert. Struggling not to plummet down on the floor all at once, she slowly made her down to the cold wooden planks. The princess of Hyrule dozed off to the melody of a waterfall cascading not far off from where she sat and the sound of the evening birds calling out for one another.

xxx

Despite her weary state, sleep did not come easy for Zelda, who continuously drifted in and out of consciousness, often being pulled into slumber by happy memories of her appointed knight. Zelda remembered the grassy meadows where they had spent hours hunting for items such as toads and mushrooms to aid her research. She recalled huddling next to him beneath a large oak tree while torrential rains fell upon them from the Heavens. She remembered his icy blue eyes, silent, fierce, and determined—like those of a proud wolf—peering directly into her soul. She could hear his muted footsteps loyally following hers wherever she went. The sound of his elusive laughter rung in her ears, its rarity arousing.

However, her mind was also cruel and it would force her to remember their savage battle against the Calamity. Becoming fused to Ganon's primal form had constituted a desolate act of sacrifice that had drained out every ounce of happiness from her heart and her mind; only the thought of being reunited with Link and avenging the deaths of her father and the Champions kept Zelda sane for so many decades.

In her dream, she was transported against her will back to Hyrule Castle. She heard the screams of agony from the guards and her citizens as the corrupted Guardians turned against their rightful masters. 'Father?' Zelda called out desperately, and yet she received no reply. He was dead—they were all dead. Urbosa, Daruk, Revali, and Mipha... and Link... No! Link was alive; she had seen him defeat Calamity Ganon! 'I need to get out of here!' Zelda knew that they were not safe, not even in her dreams. She needed to go back and wake up, before it was too late and he was taken away from her for good.

Zelda had lost him once, long ago. She had waited a century for him to come back to her. The wait had nearly broken her spirit that time; she could not afford to lose her Hero again.

xxx

"Zelda," a voice gently called out to her from afar. 'Is that you, Link?' she wondered, evoking the smiling face of a child who, clad in green, had saved Hyrule from evil with the sword that glowed in the dark...

"Zelda, my child, wake up!"

Zelda awoke with a distraught gasp. The world spun around her, sending her into a dizzy spell that momentarily took away her eyesight. She was fearful and disoriented; she slowly realized that night had crept unexpectedly on her and had brought on the cold mountain air. Impa stood by her side, a concerned look tainting her otherwise gentle elderly expression. "My child, how long have you been out here? You're as cold as white chu jelly. Guard!"

A guard immediately ran over to them and knelt in reverence on one knee. "Master Impa, how can I be of service?"

"Take the young one inside—quickly! Place her in my chambers. And please summon Paya."

"As you wish, oh wise one," the guard answered and scooped up Zelda's slender body into his arms. "Impa, this is unnecessary!" Zelda objected as they went inside Impa's dwelling. The gust of warm air emanating from the hearth helped Zelda realize just how cold it had actually been outside, and the very real danger she had placed herself in. "I must insist that you put me down right this second. I am not helpless, you know," Zelda pleaded, evoking a profound sigh from Impa. "Put the princess down, then," the older woman unhappily conceded.

"Thank you," the princess said gently, smiling at the guard who bowed respectfully and quietly exited the main hall. She leaned down and reached for Impa's hand, which the Sheikah elder responded to by gently wrapping her bony fingers around the young woman's hand. "I have missed you, my child..." Impa whispered, cupping Zelda's chin and examining her closely. "Not a day over seventeen on the outside; you're as lovely as the last time I laid my eyes on you... and yet, the flow of time has been cruel to your soul as well as to my body." Zelda shook her head emphatically. "No, Impa. The goddesses have not—and will never—hand us anything that we are not prepared to properly confront and conquer valiantly. We have complied with our duty, and now Calamity Ganon is gone. We have been given a second chance; the flow of time is not cruel... it is merciful, for it has allowed us to be together once more," Zelda replied, brushing a stray tear from Impa's cheek.

Paya entered the room soon after, her arms full of linen sheets and towels. "Grandmother, I have the supplies for Princess Zelda's room," she informed, her skittish eyes jumping back and forth between the two women. "Thank you, dear. Please bring those upstairs, and ready some hot water for my tea. This old lady's bones are certainly aching tonight."

Zelda turned her head to the shoji screen farthest from them, towards the southernmost point of the building. She could not bring herself to ask Impa about him; guilt and an indescribable sadness threatened to consume her whole. "Go to him, Zelda. He has been waiting for you too, you know." Zelda swallowed with great difficulty; her throat constricted tightly as she did her best to pull back the tears that had threatened to escape ever since they had made it out of the castle. He had been unconscious then, and although Zelda had tried to wake him, he had remained unresponsive. Thankfully, Impa had foreseen the moment the battle would take place in and had sent a squadron of Sheikah guards ahead of time to search for them and bring them back safely to Kakariko.

"I'm... afraid," she hesitated, her stomach twisting into nervous knots. "I wonder... will he remember me?"

Impa smiled. "Of course he will, child. Like I said... he has been waiting for you. Go," Impa said encouragingly, and Zelda obeyed.

xxx

Zelda knelt by the futon where Link lay, motionless. Nervously, she adjusted the soft, fur-lined covers over his broad shoulders, her hands trembling violently. She chided herself for being so weak and so utterly insecure whenever it came to the Chosen Hero. His face remained still, his lips parted slightly, with his mused hair encasing his head like a bronze halo of silk. If his eyes were to part open for just one moment, emerald would meet icy blue. Her teenage heart desired only to melt the ice that surrounded his heavily guarded soul, to break the chains that bound him to his duty, to throw caution to the wind and press her eager lips against his...

She loved him. She had loved him for over one hundred years. She'd known, of course, of her true feelings for him; and yet, she had not allowed herself to delight in and openly experience her love for him. For duty, honor, her role as the princess of Hyrule and the goddess Hylia reborn—as well as his role as her Champion and knight—impeded her from ever permitting herself to even fantasize about a world where they could be together.

His death had changed everything, however.

Losing Link had been the key to unlocking her sealing power. It was then, as she held his corpse in her arms, that she realized that her love for the Hero did not weaken her. It was quite the opposite: it made her stronger. And although she had never had the opportunity to tell him how she truly felt before the Shrine of Resurrection took his memories away in exchange for his life, in her heart Zelda held on to the hope that he felt the same.

Zelda would pray tonight, and continue to pray for as long as it was necessary. She would pray for Link and ask the Goddesses to heal his wounds. "Oh, Hylia..." Zelda murmured, her trembling fingers softly tracing the hollows of his cheeks. "Please aid your Champion in his time of need. Allow his physical wounds to heal, those received in battle as he fought to save your earthly realm..."

"For, if I can help him remember," Zelda whispered as she gently brushed a strand of hair from Link's face, "I will, after all of these years, be able to tell him how I truly feel."