Fulfilling Your Duty
Hyrule Field, Fight with Dark Beast Ganon
"Link" Zelda's voice exclaimed, "The very core of Ganon has appeared, do what you must to finish it."
As Link was riding his horse outside of the underbelly of Ganon, Ganon a made a sharp right turn. Link's horse ran into the Malice, dying on the spot.
"Crap" Link thought as he got up to his feet. Just as he was in front of Ganon, Ganon fired his beam. Acting quickly, he use Revali's Gale to race against the beam. Link immediately fired a light arrow into the core, but not before the laser slammed into his body.
"Uhh!" Link screamed as he plummeted to the ground.
"Link!" Zelda shouted as she burst from the monstrosity. Refocusing on the task at hand, Zelda used her remaining power to seal away Ganon. Once the light and Ganon faded, she immediately ran to where Link had fallen.
"Link!" Zelda ran only to find his mangled body, near eternal death.
"Zelda..." he whispered before collapsing.
"No, don't die on me again" Zelda wallowed. She cradled his body as she sense his physical form fade.
"No...I am now alone" Zelda muttered as the winds blew over her, "I'm alone to rebuild this Kingdom."
"No, no you're not" a voice said. A voice that was alive just minutes ago. Zelda stood up and turned around, facing the Spirit of Link. Along side him appeared the other champions.
"While the victory is bittersweet, you still have plenty of people alive today who care about you...some who knew you way back then" Link reminded.
"And, even though we must depart from the living world we will always watch over you" Mipha spoke.
"Little Bird" Urbosa spoke up, "Just like your mother, your bravery, wisdom, and strength are unwavering. You must move forward, for yours and everyone's sake."
"This is also the ample time to forge new relationships and bonds" Daruk rubbed his chin with a smile.
"And" Revali interjected, "those new bonds will help create a future generation that is prepared adequately for Ganon's return."
"My Daughter" Rhoam spoke finally, "Even though I failed you as your father, you couldn't make me more proud after all your accomplishments."
"It's time for us to go" Link softly spoke, "But you will always have us in your heart." With that, the five champions and her father vanished. She looked back to where Link's body was and found the Master Sword lying in the dirt.
"I shall take you back to your pedestal" Zelda whispered, "Until a new Hero emerges to face Ganon." Putting the sword on her back, she made the journey to Korok Forest.
Spirit Realm
The six souls were welcomed into the Spirit Realm, home of the Goddesses. While Rhoam decided to meet up with his ancestors and men, the five champions decided to convene at Nayru's Lake.
"Well, that wasn't fully expected" Daruk broke the ice.
"You did say we would need everything we got to take down Ganon" Link recalled, "I guess that included our very lives."
"To be fair, your death could've easily been avoided had you used my gale from the side" Revali waved off.
"Revali" Urbosa sneered, "We all made mistakes, hence why we are here now."
"Yes" Mipha quietly agreed, "It's not fair to single out Link. Had I brought my trident, then taking out Waterblight Ganon would've been doable."
"I didn't bring Boulder Breaker" Daruk admitted, "Didn't expect I would need it."
"That seems to be the case with everyone" Urbosa sighed, "You used Revali's bow to defeat Thunderblight Ganon."
"Tsk" Revali turned his head. He didn't want to admit it, but he was careless back then. If he had the foresight to bring his bow, then he could've easily dispatched Windblight Ganon.
"I did" Link recalled, "Although Thunderblight wasn't that fair, since I had use magnesis to stun him."
"None of the blights were fair" Revali replied, "They were designed to mock us."
"We shouldn't dwell on the past" Urbosa stated, "What is done is done." There was a moment of silence before Mipha spoke up.
"So...what now?" Mipha gently asked.
"Rest?" Daruk responded, "I mean, that's what the dead do, right?"
"Is it that simple?" Link countered. Everyone turned to the Hylian Champion.
"What do you mean?" Revali questioned. Link got up on his feet.
"What I mean is rest the only thing that this place offers?" Link answered, "This place is vast and seems to have many things to do."
"I think I understand" Mipha nodded, "Link is suggesting that 'Resting in Peace' is more nuanced than just going into an eternal slumber."
"Then" Urbosa summarized, "We will have to discover our own eternal resting?"
"Yes" Link confirmed.
"But...what would a mighty warrior such as myself consider as 'resting'?" Revali raised his feathered hand to his chin. That was a good question for everyone but Mipha, who considered herself more as a healer than warrior despite her skill with a spear.
"Well...I guess we will have to forge our own afterlife" Daruk laughed. The rest shared that sentiment. Unnoticed by Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk, Mipha discreetly tapped Link's forearm.
"Link" she whispered, "May I speak with you privately?"
"Sure" Link smiled, "Hey, Mipha and I are going to explore a bit okay?" The other three just turned to each other, before giving the two a smile.
"Alright" Urbosa spoke for the group, "Tell us if you see anything...special." She laughed as she walked off to discover her own 'rest', as did Revali and Daruk. Mipha's face was flushed, wondering if Urbosa read her like a book.
"So, what is you want to ask me?" Link pondered.
"Oh!" Mipha gasped, "It's well, ummm...I've been meaning to ask you..."
"How I felt back then?" Link finished. Mipha's eyes went wide before she turned her head.
"I suppose..." Mipha mumbled.
"Mipha" Link whispered, "I think you and I both know what our rest is." Mipha turned to Link, her eyes lit with hope.
"So..that means?" Mipha struggled to say.
"Yes, I wanted nothing more to be with you after we were released from our duties" Link admitted, "We can now, even if it's now in the afterlife."
"This makes me so happy" Mipha smiled, "Although I don't where to start.."
"I do" Link smiled as he embraced her in a hug. He moved to kiss her, which she met with grace.
They didn't know how long they stayed there as the sun never sets in the spirit realm
Ceremonial Grounds, 5 months later
It had been 5 months since Ganon's defeat, and Zelda swiftly made moves to restore Hyrule. One of the first things she restored was the Sacred Ceremonial Grounds, where she appointed Link as her knight. Around the platform stood 5 copper statues of the champions. The pedestals were made of a clear rock, which encased their respective weapons. A replica of the Master Sword was used for Link's monument. Finally, there was an engravement that honored each champion, written in their native tongue.
Zelda stood on the platform, wearing her champion/scholar attire.
"Hello my dear Champions" Zelda began to go into a monologue, "I've come here to pay respects as well update you on the progress we've made. To begin, all of you should know that each of the Divine Beasts will always have a Champion at the ready. Currently they are Gaddison for the Zora, Teba for the Rito, Yunobo for the Goron, and Riju for the Gerudo. Secondly, a few villages that were lost 100 years ago that slowly returned. Work on Castle Town is underway as we speak." Zelda took a deep before facing Daruk's statue.
"Daruk...I want you to know the Gorons are going strong and your descendant Yunobo is growing into a fine champion. The Northern Mine has produced more ore, so the Gorons are excavating the area once more." She said. Moving to Urbosa's statue, she looked down solemnly before facing the monument.
"Urbosa, you were always like a mother to me" Zelda confessed, "It's through you I gained the courage and strength to push even when things looked hopeless. While Riju is a young chieftain and champion, she has as much spirit as you once did. And...she is your great-granddaughter. The future of the Gerudo is positive." She then moved to Revali.
"Revali, while I found your attitude...grating occasionally, I did enjoy the perspective you had on things. While you left no descendants, Teba has become a fine beacon for the Rito people. He told me he wishes his son to be as strong and talented as you" Zelda told. When she turned to Mipha's statue, a knot went to her stomach. She forced herself to let it go, as she knew the truth.
"Mipha...I knew you were in love with Link. And...even though he didn't show back then...I...I knew he loved you too" Zelda paused for a moment before reaffirming herself, "Anyway, your father and brother are doing well. The prince is starting to be groomed to take over Zora's Domain, as King Dorephan is quite old. In addition, Sidon personally appointed Gaddison to be the Zora champion after she proved her worth. To be honest, I think the prince has a crush on her.,,but that is not my business."
Finally, Zelda turned to Link's statue. "Link...I..." she broke down in tears, letting herself run dry before bringing herself to continue, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being harsh to you out of my own insecurities. You've always meant well and I just shunned you. I hope you forgive me one day."
She collapsed on her knees, not knowing what else to say, Unlike the other champions, Link didn't have anyone to past down the sword. It was the sword that decided who was the Hero and the current was gone. It will select another one when Ganon shows up again...likely after she had passes on. Eventually, she got to the strength to stand on her own feet and making her final farewells.
"I do hope to see you all one day, when my time is over" Zelda bowed before leaving the ceremonial grounds.
A/N: And another plot bunny popped into my head...I swear, Breath of the Wild is my favorite Zelda game of all time. Anyway, I will add more of these loosely connected one-shots when I think of something new and not trying to get my other stories updated.