Link awoke to Mipha's face. It was upside down and Link blinked his eyes in confusion. It took him a second to realize he must be lying down and she was crouched over him.
She moved her head closer, blotting the unbearably bright sun out of Link's sore eyes. He smiled weakly as his gaze met hers. She smiled brightly at his recognition and looked up at the others, "he's awake!"
Zelda was the next person he saw. She helped him sit up along with Mipha. He coughed and noticed a spot of blood or two appear on the hand he used to cover his mouth. Mipha gasped and instantly started her healing ability over his chest again saying, "I didn't know how extensive the internal damage could have been, I'll have to keep an eye on him."
A voice spoke from behind Mipha as Link looked back up. It was Urbosa as she strode forward directly in front of Link. He saw that they were beside the main archway that served as an entrance to the Spring of Wisdom. He was lying on one of the gentle slopes beside it as Urbosa strode towards him with her usual air of confidence.
She crouched down in front of him and smiled warmly. She passed something to Link saying, "I see exactly why you were chosen for this blade." Link looked down and saw she was offering the hilt of his beloved sword. He gladly took a hold of it and rested it on his legs—Urbosa had taken the liberty of sheathing it beforehand.
Daruk stood easily above her asking in disbelief, "that's it? The kid just fought off an army consisting of horseman, archers, Bokoblins, Moblins and even a Yiga member!" Daruk smiled brightly as he praised Link.
Revali intruded on the compliments saying, "Moblin. Singular." Mipha hissed at him as he degraded the praise Daruk gave Link. The oversized chicken visibly jumped in surprise at the sudden hostility from the demure girl. Mipha looked back to Link with an expression of awe on her face.
Link rested back and said calmly, "does this mean I can get that vacation now?" He said it casually with a weak grin on his face. Zelda grabbed one of his hands saying, "You can have however long a vacation you want after that. You saved my life out there, and you risked your own."
Daruk posed bracing both his arms in front of him in a large X formation, much similar as to how Link had done when defending against the Moblin. Daruk exclaimed, "That's determination if I've ever seen it! That'll be a story that children will try to re-enact little guy." Link blinked his eyes and looked around at the others. He looked at Mipha last and held her gaze for a little longer. He gently grabbed her hand, stopping the last part of her healing process.
He was sure he was fine now, but she was just trying to be sure. Link pushed himself up and felt a touch of pain in his right hip as he applied pressure to it. He hissed at himself defiantly and stood up looking at everyone. His eyes dared someone to force him back down as he struggled to his feet. He strapped the sheath onto his back saying, "just doing my job. We're all Champions here."
There was a silence as they all looked at Link in amazement. Even though he was right, they had witnessed something they'd never see again, a magnificent display of prowess to protect someone against impossible odds. Even Revali felt that Link couldn't have done it better. But it was Mipha that emphasized it in her own mind, and eventually her own stories to young Zora children.
Zelda stood up saying with a frown, "Link, you shouldn't be standing. We've got to let you rest for a couple minutes at least."
Link waved it off saying, "there's no need. We should continue our preparation for Ganon." He took a step to go up the hill but winced and grabbed the side of his abdomen as pain flashed through it. Mipha grabbed him and forced him back down slowly saying, "But you can't hurt yourself more after such a recent fight! Your princess gave you an order."
Zelda didn't give orders to Link often. There usually was no need and they were good enough friends where he'd listen reasonably most of the time. Zelda frowned in annoyance. Yeah, most of the time.
The Hylian princess stammered saying, "it was an ord...? oh uh, yes Link, I order you to take a breather. Make sure you're okay before we leave. Link looked softly at Mipha as she gently held him and prevented him from taking another step. Deep down he enjoyed having her arms around him but he wanted to be moving. But once he saw the concern on the other champions faces he acquiesced and sat back down onto the grass covered hill. Mipha immediately started using her healing ability again but placed her hands closer to his abdomen. He was amazed at how she always knew where he was in pain.
Zelda stood up and dusted off her clothes and looked back at the battlefield behind them. What had started as a trial to see if she could find her powers led to disappointment and one of the worst battles she'd seen.
"Rest easy little guy. There's no need to prove yourself," Daruk nodded to Link as he turned around towards Zelda.
Urbosa uttered under her breath as she glanced to the young soldier, "He already did."
They all turned to Zelda, and she stepped closer to the Champions—and away from Link. She didn't want him to try anything while they were talking. But she wasn't too worried; she knew how Mipha wouldn't let anyone get hurt while under her supervision.
She looked up to Daruk and he asked, "So... as to what happened before that bloodbath…" At the word bloodbath, Zelda's eyes flashed up to Link and his prominently red clothing. She shuddered at the sight because she knew it was supposed to be green and blue.
Her eyes flicked back sadly to the Champions and she looked down disappointedly. She shook her head miserably. Urbosa sighed and Daruk looked down in a deep grievance.
Revali stood motionless and his face was emotionless. He was like a statue when it came to feeling bad for others. He spoke saying, "so you didn't feel anything? No power at all?"
Zelda held her own hands in front of her as she felt suddenly inferior. She mumbled miserably, "I'm sorry, no."
Revali sighed heavily, "that big fight all for nothing." He stepped away before Zelda could reply.
Urbosa interrupted and stopped Zelda from moving while voicing her opinion, "Then let's move on. We can try again some other day, but for now, you've done all you could. After all, it's not like your last shot was up there on Mt. Lanaryu. Anything can spark the power to seal Ganon away."
At those words, Mipha looked over and she stopped healing Link for a moment. She saw Zelda standing there helplessly. Mipha felt bad for her and how she couldn't use her powers. A metaphoric switch clicked in her head as she realized something that might work for Zelda.
Mipha looked back quickly to Link and said timidly, "I will only be a moment." She stepped down towards the group gracefully with her arms held out to the side delicately. Link thought it to be a majestic movement, even for her.
Zelda looked crestfallen as she thought about Urbosa's comment. Maybe it wasn't her last shot, maybe it was. Zelda was on the verge of giving up on everything she had worked up to. She looked up in despair to Urbosa saying, "That's kind, thank you."
Mipha stepped lightly in front of Zelda saying, "if I may..." Zelda looked over hopefully at the Zora, "I thought you... Well, I'm not sure how to put this into words... I'm actually quite embarrassed to say it. But I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing, about what goes through my mind. It helps when I think- when I think about..." she stopped and her gaze drifted off towards Link.
He was lying on his back on the grass, looking up at the sky which seemed darker to him than it should be. He noticed that the conversation stopped and looked down, catching Mipha's glance only for a second before she looked hurriedly back to the others.
She tried to pick up from where she left off, "...it helps to think about the person you care about most." Zelda looked up fully into Mipha's eyes at that. She knew that she never had any real conviction or faith in herself, but if she believed that she was protecting the person she loved most, then it might just work. She looked hopefully up at Mipha and opened her mouth to speak. But before she said anything it suddenly struck her exactly what Mipha meant.
Zelda closed her mouth and her teeth clicked audibly. She raised an eyebrow at Mipha as her pale face began to flush red. Zelda remembered in the field when the Yiga member was about to swing his sickle at her and Link how Link had killed him so swiftly. She remembered his words and realized now that he wasn't speaking about herself, but of the Zoran princess, the clan member had threatened. Zelda prominently remembered the threat being his last words. Now she understood why Link was filled with fury back in the field.
She also recalled the hiss that Mipha made towards Revali as he tried to take some fame away from Link. Or how she had chosen to stay with Link and looked over him the entire time he was unconscious. Zelda let a light smile touch her lips as she realized fully how Mipha felt.
She spoke reassuringly, "I'll try that, thank you." Mipha curtseyed politely and was about to take a step towards Link when the ground beneath them began to shake.
They all stumbled and waved their arms to keep their balance. Revali took to the skies immediately to see what was going on. The rush of air around his clawed feet as he flapped swiftly upwards almost swept Mipha's feet from under. Daruk was unaffected by the wind and just stared into the distance with a blank expression. As they could all begin to see, calamity Ganon was beginning to wrestle control for Hyrule castle. To their surprise, they saw the automatic firing of lasers from the guardians at the mass heap of shadow that enshrouded the castle and sky. The guardians slowed Ganon down and weakened him, but they couldn't do it alone.
Revali touched back onto the ground as Urbosa said, "It's here."
"This is it then," Daruk spoke as he cracked his knuckles.
Link stood up and slid down the hill and stopped between Zelda and Mipha, subconsciously stepping closer to Mipha.
Mipha spoke now asking, "are you sure?"
Revali responded, "Positive."
Zelda held onto her necklace with a quivering hand and said, "It's awake. "
Zelda took a step or two back in fright. Link stopped her and she looked back up, slightly reassured.
Daruk turned back and started his pep talk, "we're gonna need everything we've got if we are going to take that thing down! Now champions! To your divine beasts! Show Ganon how real warriors fight! Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a coordinated assault!"
Revali looked at Daruk spoke as if Link were still unconscious, "is he really ready to face this after such a battle?"
Link frowned angrily at the Rito. He never did like Revali and he knew that the feeling was mutual. Link raised his hand up to the hilt of the Master Sword and acted out of pure spite. He stepped forward and casually pulled out the pristine blade. It glowed brighter than it ever had before and Revali's gaze was riveted on it for a second. Link re-sheathed it and nodded to Revali. The Rito nodded saying, "then you'd better get to Hyrule castle, one last fight and this thing is done for." He gestured toward the swirling mass around Hyrule castle.
Mipha nodded saying, "you can count on us for support."
Daruk confidently chipped in, "she's right about that. But you've got to be the one to pound Ganon into oblivion!"
Urbosa took Zelda's shoulders in her hands and said, "come, we need to get you someplace safe."
Zelda felt useless as Urbosa said that. She was tired of not being any help to anyone. She worked for hours on end praying to the goddess Hylia but with no payout. She was fed up with being shoved into a corner for protection-she was going to stand up for herself. No more putting others in the crossfire for her own safety. She defiantly spoke out, "no! I may not be useful on the battlefield but there must be some way I can help!" Link wanted to say something reassuring but found that his tongue had suddenly gotten very dry. He was terrified of the fight that was coming and kept his lips tightly pressed together. Instead of speaking, she stepped towards Zelda and tapped on her gold necklace that draped around her neck purposefully.
Zelda stopped at Link's gesture. She felt a spark of hope, but that was all it was. She had a spark of hope without any kindling. How was she supposed to light the fire that would be the furnace to her powers?
She looked up miserably but then she saw Mipha's hopefully glance at Link and then to Zelda. She met her gaze and saw the slightest nod, to the point where she didn't even know if it was even a nod. She also saw Mipha's hands spark a magnificent blue, a signal of her powers. Zelda realized that the feelings Mipha felt in her powers weren't just a contributing factor, it was almost purely how she made it work.
Zelda stood up straight as she realized what she'd been missing this entire time. A tiny gold spark ignited in her eyes. She stood fast and looked at Calamity Ganon. "It's time to end this."
The next 24 hours went down as the largest turning point against evil in Hyrule legend. It is the day that the princess and the legendary swordsman, along with the divine beasts and guardians, had taken down Ganon. The last swing came from the swordsman himself, with the sword that sealed the darkness. It forcibly sent Ganon into exile into oblivion indefinitely.
Unknown to the heroes themselves, Ganon had not been able to achieve his true form of wrath. The guardians and divine beasts had weakened him too much. Therefore he was confined in the castle where Link met him head-on before he was able to unleash pure destruction and havoc on the kingdom.
Stories passed from kingdom to kingdom, from elders to children. Each iteration of the story became more and more deformed and the nuances forgotten about. Eventually, the fight would be limited to how "the hero"-whose name had been long forgotten- struck Ganon down in one powerful stroke.
In reality, it was a gruelling fight between Link, Zelda and Ganon. The divine beasts had injured him. Without them, Ganon would not have been imprisoned in oblivion quite as easily. But with the ultimatum given for those who serve the darkness, Ganon was sealed away yet again. Eventually, he may come back, maybe even stronger than before. But they all would have time to prepare, to muster even greater defences. Ganon would never stand a chance of regaining control of Hyrule as long as the princess and Champions lived.
There was no chance that the great evil would be able to come back himself, but many of his creatures still lived. But since Ganon was sealed, no new creatures of darkness were able to appear. Once they died, they never came back.
The Yiga clan was the prominent danger in the new golden age. They were able to pose as travellers and strike caravans at their own will. Such a large-scale destructive force that once had to wait for commands was set loose on the countryside. Many of the members were being hunted down, tracked by professionals and arrested for the capital crime of treason.
The monsters attacked at a manageable rate, and it's been decreasing ever since that day. Some say there are still camps for the strongest of those creatures—waiting for the day Ganon came back. Without instruction, they just meandered about with no objective in mind. Other groups of people say that there are camps that have not yet been discovered. But Ganon himself will eventually fall into legend, one that will always speak of the legendary swordsman, the valiant princess and the skilled Champions of the five nations. It was a day of unification and gratification that came from a common enemy. Link was the one that sealed the link between the five races on that day.
Three days after the major battle, when most of the repairs had been finished, the King held a feast in Hyrule. Everyone from anywhere was invited; even the poorest farmers were allowed inside the castle keep and given as much food as they could eat. All of the Champions came and enjoyed themselves. Races from all over came to see the spectacle that was Hyrule Castle. The giant pillars that had risen out of the ground attracted scientists like Robbie and Purah. They spent their entire time digging around for information or literally digging into the pillars.
Tables were lined with food, the art galleries filled with guests and the throne room was imbued with praise. All the Champions rejoiced in their victory, boasting themselves but mostly each other. Except for Revali that is—he still despised Link.
King Rhoame was, and has always been, an avid storyteller. He would always find him selves in amongst groups of small children as he spoke about the legendary figures of Hyrule. He playfully re-enacted moments of monstrous battles from before, and during, the Calamity. He purposefully left out the part where he had been unceremoniously shoved into a closet by his guards to hide from patrols of Bokoblins during the whole incident.
After an entire day of rejoicing, the four Champions announced that they'd be having feasts of their own in their homelands. The Calamity was an event so huge; the entire region of Hyrule had to celebrate. With a large caravan of royalty and peasants intermixed, the roads to the four other kingdoms became ridden with footprints.
Link ventured around the land of Hyrule with the King and Zelda to all the kingdoms of every victorious and eager Champion.
First were the Rito's and their spectacular dazzling flight patterns. A group of the acrobats were dressed in all white and even called themselves the 'snowbirds'. It was an amazing celebration, and the food and drink provided were worthy of any champion. The large divine beast was perched overhead and most people wouldn't stop staring at the mechanical genius of it. Of course, Purah and Robbie argued that the mass of the bird would never allow it to fly. But like a bee, it decided to fly anyways.
Secondly was the Gerudos who had a large beach-like party at Kara Kara Bazaar. They avoided the city as only half of the population would be allowed inside. But the hot spring was a much better choice for the overnight party that was planned. It was a relaxing time to spend in the hot springs after so many gruelling moments of danger. Although, Daruk wasn't able to enter the water as he risked never getting out again or drowning due to his weight. Nonetheless, he found joy in seeing everyone else rejoice in the Gerudo fashion. Urbosa danced with the other slim dancers in their own rituals and songs that went long into the night. The undulating hips of the dancers captivated their viewers for hours in their graceful movement. Mipha felt a pang of jealousy as Link watched along with everyone else.
Thirdly was the Gorons, whose main attraction and celebration were strength contests to an extreme magnitude. They would fire large cannons, toss boulders and even toss each other. Of course, they weren't able to go into Goron city due to the extreme heat. Most people couldn't get very close and they had an area set up in a milder climate beforehand. It was in a large crater that had been formed by an asteroid long ago. Even though they weren't in the hottest areas of the mountain, it didn't stop everyone from sweating like pigs. Link's cloth shirt even lit aflame at one point and had to be put out by the Gorons. But to do so, they all decided to pat out the flames; nearly breaking Link's frail back in the act of helping him.
Link couldn't help himself when the race came around. Almost every Goron set themselves up at a racetrack, including Daruk. It spiralled around the mountain and circled a couple of times around the crater everyone resided in. Link had collected a fair amount of rupees on his adventures and service to the king. He had trouble controlling his spending as he bet on race after race, losing almost every single time. The dust from the start line dissipated slower than Link's wallet emptied. Zelda had to forcibly stop him when his rupee purse was effectively halved by his spending.
Lastly, and Link's favourite, was the Zora's feast. There were long tables lined with hundreds of different types of fish, all cooked in different ways-some weren't even cooked. There were also other foods supplied, but Zora's were generally perceived as carnivores. Which no one blamed or criticized them for, fish was a commodity within easy reach for them and it was in bountiful supply in Zora's domain. Link was never really picky about what kind of foods he ate; he often ate the foods he found out the wilderness. Zelda often tried to get him to eat the most absurd things. She reminisced as she pat her full stomach on the time she had convinced him to eat a frog. She leaned to the side and held her mouth in hopes her dinner didn't come back up as she remembered he actually ate the frog.
The Zora's were avid swimmers and prominently showed off their skill similar to how the Rito's did. There were routines and exercises that they performed. The practices all required hours of training and repetition that allowed everything to be carried out flawlessly. However, people were more amazed to see formations of Zora able to swim up waterfalls at will. It was something completely unique to the fish people that everyone seemed to adore.
Zora's Domain sat above a large lake with a magnificent spire underneath the main structure. The tower went directly down into the water with a small platform at the bottom which allowed quick access upwards. Either that or a Zora could just take one of the many waterfalls to the main platform everyone stood upon.
The caravan had to travel across a large number of bridges to get here. Zelda was amazed that they had the resources to construct so many even though the Zora's never used them—it was only ever used by travellers.
The Zora's were magnificent hosts and complied easily to any of the guests' requests. Everyone slowly began to wish that they had all come to Zora's Domain first instead of the Rito's kingdom. It was a quiet place when it needed to be quiet. It also became a very loud party when everyone celebrated Ganon's defeat. This marking of victory went down in Hyrule history as the last of the celebratory meetings for the foiling of Ganon's plans. But in Zoran history, the festival was more than just a commemoration of victory, it was the start of a golden age. That day, was the day that Mipha chose her Champion—a Hylian warrior that she looked up to for years beforehand.