The final form of Ganon charged forward. Link, high in the air, lifted the Bow of Light and shot the last arrow into the one true eye of Malice. Zelda extended her hand, the Triforce on the back of it shone with power, and light emerged from it.
In the light, Ganon's bestial form could no longer hold its shape. It twisted and roared under Zelda's brilliant power. Tendrils of Malice split from the beast, streaking through the light to escape. The light ate away at the tendrils, crumbling their darkness into flakes, which fluttered away to dwindle into the light. This process grew rapidly, and Ganon's form burst in all directions. What was its body was no longer whole, as it split into mere hogs of its former self. Three boars made of Malice darted in opposing directions, their forms flaking and crumbling as they stumbled away from each other.
Two of the boars struggled against the purification of their bodies, melting out of hog form to a mere mass that bled out purplish-black ichor in a radius around them. Unable to move, these forms broke down further until the last of their physicality crumbled and flaked into the light and nothing remained of their energy.
The third's eyes were sharp, and, squinting, saw the faintest of silhouettes. It knew it only had one chance, and sprinted across the grass. Its tail crumbled, its ribs flaked, and its hooves cracked under its weight. There was a time limit to holding this form; it was running out.
With the last of its strength, the boar leapt into the air towards the figure. Its front hooves crumbled off in midair, disintegrating. Unable to hold the form, the boar burst into a flurry of purple and black energy. The flurry rushed toward the figure - its salvation - and engulfed the head. It poured itself into the open mouth and eyes of the person who frantically struggled against it, screaming.
The light vanished. Link stood with the Bow of Light in hand, his gaze on Zelda and his throat quiet and sore. A second later, his vision split in two, and it was too much. As fast as the light vanished, so did the rest of the world.
The light faded, as did the Triforce on Zelda's hand. The champion's body lay collapsed in the grassy field. Fear in her heart, the princess dashed to her knight's side. She cradled him in her arms and held her hand over his heart. She dared not breathe; was he alive? Under her hand, his heart beat once.
The wind blew yellow strands of hair from Link's face. His expression was pained, despite his unconscious state. His heart beat a second time, much later than the first. An unusual mass quivered within his chest, underneath Zelda's hand. How long until the third heartbeat? She counted the seconds between each one.
Her hand glowed faintly in time to each of his heartbeats. Slowly, they grew further apart. Her power waned as Link's heart faltered. Truly, their fates were tied. What could she do? She was so used to failing, but she didn't think she could deal with this. Not after a century of watching him from afar, a distant guide, unable to do anything but hold Ganon at bay.
Ganon - that was it. This was due to the battle they were engaged in only a moment ago. Link grimaced and sweat dripped from his forehead down the side of his face. In a fit of pain, he cried out and his eyes opened.
But they weren't the eyes of Link.
Instead, Zelda stared into the eyeballs of Malice. Black sclera, burning irises, and slit pupils bore into her from the face of her most trusted champion. Hatred etched itself onto his expression, and she felt a chilling terror that settled into her bones beyond any she felt prior.
A heartbeat. The Triforce's light shone from her hand, and she felt it. Her power swirled in thepit of her stomach, curling and bubbling within her, ready to be unleashed. She knew this was her moment, her chance before the Malice killed him from within.
His body writhed in her arms, and she could no longer hold him. She let go, and he flopped to the ground, twisting in the grass. The Sword that Seals the Darkness shone from within its sheath, reacting to the Malicious presence near it. Zelda straddled Link's hips as he writhed, drew the Master Sword, and used its broad side in her off hand to hold his collar bone down. Her palm was on Link's heart.
"Now or never," she whispered. His heartbeats had grown so far apart, but it couldn't be any more than a moment or two longer before...
Light burst forth from the Triforce on her hand in time with Link's heavy heartbeat. Underneath her, Link convulsed, and from his mouth, an inhuman shriek split the air. Streams of light flew from the symbol on her hand to surround his torso and then the rest of his body. The Malice contained within Link darted its frenzied gaze back and forth, overwhelmed by the blinding light as Zelda struggled to hold Link's body down. It screamed Link's voice hoarse as the power overtook it. The light converged with itself, forming an auric seal around the Champion.
Lightning struck in the distance, and droplets of rain began to fall onto the pair. The symbol on the back of Zelda's hand imbibed the light seal, sucking it back from whence it came. Link fell limp and still.
Heat emanated from Zelda's palm, bright and burning as the Triforce on her hand continued to shine. She gasped at the sensation, and her fingers twitched, but she kept her hand on his heart despite the pain. She needed to do this. For Hyrule, and for Link, despite any of her own suffering. The rain pelted her as it reached its full force, drenching her ceremonial dress. Water droplets fell from her nose onto her hand, and the boy beneath her.
The light from her hand grew dull. The Triforce vanished, and the pain was gone. She breathed out her relief and, while quivering, sheathed the Master Sword. But before she could rest, she needed to make sure. Her fingers pried open his eyelids. White sclera, blue irises, circular pupils. With that comfort, Zelda collapsed onto Link, and listened to the regular beating of his heart. The pair lay in the field, drenched in the rain.
Link awoke to the feeling of being crushed under an immense weight. When his eyes opened, however, he saw round ceiling beams held high and nothing but a blanket cast over him to hold him down. Sweat dripped down his neck; he felt the wetness of an uneasy night's rest make his tunic cling to his skin. His muscles shook as he brought himself up to a sitting position.
He knew where he was as soon as he took the time to notice: a vertical red flag with simple geometric symbols on it hung right in front of his bed. To his left, a bedside table with a small budded plant and a glowing lantern with similar symbols to the flag. The floor also bore such symbols, and the walls were sparsely decorated with circular, round designs. But what truly gave it away was the door. He saw it at a sharp angle, but he saw it all the same. The symbol of the Sheikah in harsh, angular shapes. The Shuteye Inn in Kakariko Village. He felt along the mattress to feel the Cucco feathers inside, and knew he was on the soft bed, rather than the regular one. Would he have to pay for it?
A memory came back to him, and he remained still on the bed for a moment to recall it. He had fought Ganon with Zelda… But what after that? His legs swept out from underneath the covers, and he stood up to stretch. He lifted his arms up and back, and felt a sharp pain in his chest as he did so. His hand flew to his sternum, where he felt a strange…
"A-ah, Link. Finally, you're awake."
It was Ollie, the Innkeeper, who spoke to him from behind the front desk. From Link's recollection, the man had always struggled to stay awake. Even now, his eyes drooped and he was breathing deeply, as though resting.
Link walked up to the desk to meet him, curious to hear if he could offer him any insights into what had happened.
Ollie said, "You are quite a sleeper, you know… Worrying Lady Impa like that is something only those of legendary… Um… thoughtlessness could do."
Thoughtlessness? Link knew himself to sometimes be reckless, but thoughtless seemed a bit too far.
Ollie went on, "Perhaps that was too harsh… Sorry… I only say that because I worried about you, too… It's been a whole week since you were first brought here."
A week?! Link's eyes widened and he took a half step backwards. That long to be asleep? Just what had happened?
"And I hear the princess has been asleep just as long… You'd better hurry to Lady Impa's… But before you do… You were on the soft bed for about a week…"
Link cringed. Forty rupees a night for seven nights… That was almost three hundred rupees. But that meant he had kept the bed from being rented by other travelers for that long, as well. He dug into his pouch to grab what he owed.
But Ollie shook his head. "No… I couldn't accept money from the hero of Hyrule when he's in dire peril. Yes… it was a long time, but… Consider this on me. Just… don't expect it too much in the future."
Uncertain as to how to accept such generosity, Link nodded his thanks. And then he bowed, like he had seen the Sheikah do before. Ollie blinked at him, and seemed just as uncertain how to accept Link's act of respect. Instead of dwelling on it, though, Link just walked out the door.
The night sky shone over him as he trotted down the steps of the Inn. Lanterns lit the grassy road that ran through the village, and across it Link saw Steen at his usual nightly training routine with a branch, swinging at nothing in front of High Spirits Produce. Instead of greeting the man, however, Link jogged down the road. Steen called out as he passed, "It's good to see you awake, Link!"
A line of five frog statues stood to the left side of the road, each holding an apple save the one in the middle. A tree spirit hovered above them, its leafy propeller spinning nonstop. Instead of a face, this spirit wore a large leaf mask with holes poked in it. Link was glad to see the Korok hovering above the statues, as he recalled it as one of the first ones he'd encountered.
He stopped to greet it.
"Twee hee?" it asked, waving at him.
It was unusual for a Korok to sound so uncertain, but he didn't mind. Instead, he smiled, and walked to the entrance to Impa's house.
Garbed in traditional Sheikah attire, Cado stood outside of the gate. A happy but somber smile graced his thin, aged face.
"So you're awake at last. It is good to see you. As this is the middle of the night, Lady Impa is sleeping. Normally, I would recommend waiting until tomorrow to seek counsel with her. Instead, I will say, please do not disturb her slumber. Princess Zelda is upstairs, resting as you were." Cado nodded to Link as he spoke, "I know Paya will be happy to see you. She has been upset with worry for you. If you can offer her any sort of comfort, please do."
Link nodded in return, and dashed up the stairway. The moonlight illuminated the double doors of Impa's home. Link pushed them both open at the same time to reveal what was always there to greet him: Impa, sitting atop a pile of cushions, with her head held low. She slept in this position, and so he decided not to rouse her. Instead, he crouched down to quietly make his way up the stairs on her right to the upstairs.
From his angle, he saw that Paya was within her room, sitting on the floor at her desk. She was writing something within what he assumed was her diary, something he had read long ago. He stood as he climbed the last of the stairs that led into the room.
"M-M-Master Link!" Paya exclaimed, slamming the book shut. She covered her mouth after the words escaped her, and sent a glance back towards her bed, where the Princess Zelda lay soundly.
Paya lowered her voice, whispering, "I-I am relieved to see you awake, but… This is my private bedroom… I understand your concern for the princess, but you should not be here!"
Despite Cado's words, Link had no idea how to comfort Paya.
No idea, huh? Certainly he had some idea…
The thought surprised him. Now that he thought about it, strange images began to flash in his mind about what could be. Him and Paya, sitting close together at her desk. She blushed, and he leaned in to close the distance between their faces…
What was he thinking? He had never thought of such things before. In fact, he recalled his own resignation to turning her down. Had he done it? No, not yet, but it had only been a matter of time…
And yet, he found himself sitting next to her, just as he pictured in his mind. Paya seemed beside herself with bashfulness, as she placed both of her hands in her lap and sent her gaze anywhere but to him.
"P-Please, Master Link, this is the c-cruelest of torture… I can not fathom this, especially not w-while the princess sleeps only a step away…"
Paya had the wrong idea. This wasn't what it looked like. And yet, despite his certainty, he found his face drawing closer to hers. When she finally looked up, she gasped at his proximity, and then shut her eyes, her lips quivering.
Just as he was about to bridge the gap fully, his lips inches from hers, he felt a heavy heartbeat.
Link recoiled, and his hand gripped at his chest. What was this pain? For a moment, his mind cleared, and he stared at Paya's beat red face with clarity. He had been about to kiss her. She knew it, too. He searched her face for confirmation. Yes, she knew it, for her lips were slightly parted and her eyes still closed. Her face was closer to him than the rest of her.
But Link did not want to kiss Paya. Comfort her, yes, but kiss her? And this pain in his chest… What was happening to him?
Instead of saying any of this, of speaking true to this girl who would do anything for him, he simply stood.
"Master Link?" Paya's voice was forlorn, betraying how she truly felt. "You… are you leaving? T-That would be right."
He did not answer her. Instead, he walked over to the bed and hovered over Zelda's sleeping form.
There was a hesitancy in what Paya said next, "I… have been watching over her. Grandmother said it was important that it was me to watch over her." Link watched Zelda's sleeping face as Paya spoke.
She went on, "T-Truthfully, I asked to watch over you instead. I know it was selfish of me, and so I accepted Grandmother's answer when she said no."
"And yet…" she spoke softer than before, as she stood and moved next to Link as they both overlooked the sleeping princess. "I have found my time watching over her to be fulfilling, despite her state."
Zelda's fingers were interlaced atop her stomach, a picturesque unconscious maiden. Paya must have posed her in such a way. The Sheikah placed her hand atop Zelda's entwined ones.
"Caring for our savior is perhaps the greatest gift I can give to this world. The person I am now… I couldn't live with myself if I betrayed her." Link lifted his eyes to meet Paya's, and felt the intensity of her stare. It was the longest they had ever kept eye contact.
"T-That's why…" Paya breathed in and out, but remained focused on him. "I must ask you to never do that again!"
Her face was red. From anger or love, Link had a hard time discerning. Still, he felt properly scolded, despite not understanding what had come over him. So he took her words to heart, and gave her a stern nod.
"Y-Y-You see… I don't trust myself to…" she stuttered, drawing down into a murmur, "… pull away. It is good that you did…" Her eyes drifted down to the girl that lay on her bed. "I only wish to see the princess happy, and you as well. Those are my true feelings."
The words rang in Link's mind as he watched Paya perform a traditional prayer over the princess. He had sat back down on the cushion before her desk, his back to the books that lay on it. Wooden beams supported the walls of the room, as well as the ceiling. It was in a pattern similar to that of the Inn's, although these walls were a deep brown instead of an off-white. From inside this room, there was no telling what time of night it was.
His curiosity piqued, Link carefully crawled out of the room. His pointed ears still picked up on the prayer Paya spoke, but her words were muffled. Inch by inch, he continued down the stairs, careful to keep quiet. Once he reached the floor, he felt it was safe to stand.
"Awake now, are we?"
Link jolted, spinning in place to gape at Impa, the Sheikah elder. She sat upon three pillows in front of the tapestry that depicted the ancient history he and Zelda shared with Calamity Ganon. Impa had a devilish smile on her face beneath the monk hat whose brim extended a foot beyond the diameter of her entire body. The expression was an unusual sight for one so somber.
"Forgive me. I spotted the rare opportunity, and took it." Impa's face returned to her usual sober expression. "I sense you are concerned for the princess's health. Fear not, for the worst is over. Both she and you fought valiantly, and fulfilled your destiny. What I have been waiting all this time… It has finally come to pass."
The wrinkles in Impa's face were heavy and creased. Link moved to stand before her, as he had done many times before.
Impa's eyes closed, but she remained awake as she said, "Just a little longer… Princess Zelda will surely awaken. And when she does, under her rule and leadership, Hyrule will be born anew with her as its queen."
Upon Impa opening her eyes again, there was a sharpness to them, a pointedness that bore into Link's. His mind recalled the empty castle… Link was Zelda's sole knight, and the last of the royal soldiers. The kingdom was in a state of uncertainty. Calamity Ganon was gone. Without the Calamity to maintain the danger of the area around the castle, and as long as Zelda was unconscious, there was no one to step up into a centralized position of power. While Link was not a political expert, he understood the implications.
There was no way to know how long it would take Zelda to awaken, especially after a century of keeping Ganon at bay. Link, with his greater destiny satisfied, still had a duty to fulfill to his kingdom. His days of gathering herbs and hunting birds were over. But how to help prepare for when she did wake up? Recruit soldiers? Hire handmaidens? Fight off anyone who attempted to take up the castle for themselves? All of those things seemed useful.
And yet, he felt it pertinent not to leave Zelda's side. Paya was a trustworthy caretaker, but as a defender… The rest of the villagers held promise, but the Yiga Clan had just as much prowess, if not more. If they made an assassination attempt while he wasn't here, and they succeeded, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
Impa couldn't have known everything he had been thinking about, but there was a studiousness in her gaze as she watched him contemplate. When he looked back up at her, she spoke again, "It seems you've made up your mind."
His nod was firm and swift; Impa bowed her head in return.
Link ascended back up the stairs, but paused on the central landing. Instead of returning to Paya's room, he stood on the steps outside of it and faced out. He gripped the Master Sword's hilt, and angled the sheathed sword blade down to rest on the step below his. His hands remained on the hilt to keep it in place. It was a familiar stance, one he had taken many times when he had accompanied Zelda on her pilgrimage to the shrines.
The sword was glowing. It wasn't obvious while sheathed, but Link knew it to be true. To him, it didn't make sense. Why glow when there were no monsters to vanquish? Why react when Ganon was gone?
As the minutes turned to hours, and the hours turned to days, the Master Sword did not calm. Paya blushed every time she squeezed past him on the stairwell, and every so often she would update him on any change in the princess. There were few of them. Fresh and warm meals were brought up to him as he stood watch. All the while, his mind wandered to the strategies in which he could amass a fraction of Zelda's army while she was asleep.