Chapter 12 - Reclaiming Hyrule
Summary: Calamity Ganon is sealed away, and Link is reunited with Zelda. Link tells Zelda of his relationship with Mipha and, if Mipha will later agree, offers a possible way to fulfill his Royal Guard duty to Zelda while honoring his promise to be with Mipha. However, Zelda has another idea.
Link awoke in the Castle Bell Tower after a full night's rest and gazed at the view of Hyrule that stretched out before him. The scene outside the windows looked the same as the day before, the perpetual light in the sky illuminating the surroundings. Looking at the beautiful land of Hyrule made him eager to fulfill his duty to it. Hyrule was his land, the land he had traveled from one corner to the other, and had grown to love every part of. And all of it was his responsibility now. It was a humbling thought. Everyone he knew and the countless more he would never know were all depending on him now to set things right for them, to give them a chance at a future. If he failed, so would Hyrule. He could not afford to fail, and that is what had driven him to the point of obsession with his training to be the best at combat in all the land. Hyrule had suffered so much thanks to the evil that remained just below him. But now his moment had finally arrived. It was his job to help destroy that evil.
He double checked that all the Divine Beasts were still targeting the Castle, and they were. Everything was in order, and it was time. He ate a meal of Mighty Bananas he had carried with him for just this occasion, and he felt full of power and energy. He put away the Zora armor and put on his Champion tunic as more befitting for the occasion since he was fulfilling his role as one of the Champions now. He climbed down the outside ladder to the throne room entrance. Then he took a deep breath, said a final prayer to Hylia, and strode into the room.
He looked up and could see a large purple sack suspended from the ceiling, which must be where Princess Zelda had sealed Ganon. And as Link looked up he saw a brilliant glow emerge from the purple mass and heard a familiar voice, a voice he had not heard since he had fallen in Ash Swamp.
"Link! You are finally here! If you are ready, I will release my hold on Ganon. Are you ready, Link?" said the voice of Zelda.
Link nodded, and the sack containing Ganon ruptured and Ganon fell with a loud thud to the floor. Then it gathered itself up with a swipe of the huge fiery ax it wielded. Ganon was a hideous mix of ancient technology and purple slime and looked like a giant insect with all its appendages. It held a variety of ancient Sheikah weapons as well as a Guardian style laser cannon. This was an enemy like no other with great power for evil. It could revive dead monsters and bring horrible stal creatues to life at night, it could create menacing phantom beings like itself to do its bidding, and it could even reach beyond the death of its adversaries to imprison their spirits.
Ganon turned to position itself to face Link as its two eyes glowed reddish orange beneath its thick red hair, a remnant perhaps of its ancient Gerudo heritage. Ganon defiantly swiped its fiery ax through the air once again, then stood to its full height and let out an ear-rending screech.
Link stood facing it, ready to engage in battle when something else suddenly happened.
As soon as Ganon emerged, the Divine Beasts sensed its presence and alerted their pilots. The spirits of Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa were ready, as was Mipha. One by one they commanded Medoh, Ruta, Rudania, and Naboris to attack Ganon with a concentrated beam of ancient blue energy. The four beams converged and struck the throne room, filling it with brilliant pulses of blue energy that showered down upon Ganon as it screamed in pain, unable to avoid contact with them. When the energy beams ceased with a cloud of blue smoke, Ganon lay on the floor, badly hurt.
Hurt but not yet defeated. Ganon struggled to rise, and finally did so, and with another angry screech, glared at Link. Link stood before Ganon now and drew the sword that seals the darkness. The sword shone a brilliant white as it confronted the enemy it was made for.
Ganon stared at Link for a moment and recognized his adversary for what he was from the blade he wielded. He knew that blade well, an ancient gift to the Hylians by the cursed Goddess they worshipped. He hated her most of all, but she was beyond his reach. It would please him instead to at least destroy her followers, the people she loved. And she had a particular affection for the Hylian who stood before him now. It had been ages since the one time he had defeated the hero of that era. But if it happened once, it could happen again.
Ganon attempted the first strike, a sweeping attack with its fiery ax. But Link timed his backflip perfectly and was able to land seven quick blows with his blade, then backed away as Ganon slammed itself down. Ganon followed up with two vertical strikes with its fire ax, but Link was able to sidestep each of them and landed another seven quick strikes after each of Ganon's misses. Ganon followed up with another side swipe and vertical swipe, both with the same result. The blade was starting to take its toll, and Ganon was weakening.
Then Ganon first briefly formed an impenetrable orange sphere around itself, then turned orange itself and targeted Link with its laser cannon. Link deflected the beam with his shield, knocking Ganon to the floor, stunned, and landed another series of blows from his sword. Ganon backed off again and climbed and maneuvered along the wall. Two more times it fired its laser, and Link successfully deflected it both times, again knocking Ganon to the floor from its own blast and allowing Link to attack with another flurry of sword strikes. Ganon's last attempt to harm Link was another horizontal swipe at Link with its ax, but again Link avoided it with a perfectly timed backflip, and after several more strikes of his sword, Ganon collapsed, defeated.
Purple fluid gushed from its body as it screeched and contorted and finally burst apart. Link heard growling as it dissolved into a purple cloud that flowed out of the throne room. Link thought the battle was over, as it had been for similar enemies he had encountered in the Divine Beasts. But Ganon was not quite finished.
Under Zelda's control, Link dematerialized in a sparkle of golden light and materialized in Windvane Meadow. Ganon was already there and had taken the appearance of a monstrous four-legged beast that looked like a horned pig with hooves, covered in a flaming purple substance Zelda told him was called 'malice.'
Link noticed Epona was right beside him now. Somehow Epona always managed to be where she needed to be. She was indeed a smart horse! And all around them glowed a wall of golden light Zelda had created to contain Ganon and prevent his escape.
He heard Zelda's voice briefly describe what Ganon had turned into, and then she said she would bestow upon him a weapon to fight evil, the Bow of Light with a quiver of Light Arrows. Link mounted Epona, and Epona reared up twice, then Link urged her forward, picking up the Bow of Light that had descended from Zelda somehow. Riding Epona, Link then circled Ganon, avoiding damage from it, while awaiting the glowing points Zelda had described to appear. He shot three glowing points on each side of the beast with Light Arrows, another one on its belly, and then, riding an updraft of wind on his paraglider, a final shot to the horrid looking eye on its forehead. That did it!
Zelda emerged from Ganon in the golden spirit-like form Link had briefly seen at Ash Swamp, and gracefully descended in front of it. She was otherworldly now as if she dwelled in both Hyrule and the spirit realm. Ganon raged but was powerless now. Zelda raised her right hand and invoked her power to seal Ganon away into a point of nothingness that vanished in the sky. It was finally over!
Link looked up as the purple clouds that had filled the sky overhead during his battle disappeared, and a clean blue sky with fluffy white clouds emerged. In the distance, he could see the giant columns near Hyrule Castle that had housed the underground Guardians now shone blue as well.
When Link turned back, Zelda had returned to Hylian form again, clad in the mud covered plain white dress she had worn as they both fled from Ganon's attack. She smiled at him, and he rushed over to her.
"Link, we did it!" said Zelda. "Ganon is gone!"
"Yes, Princess," said Link. "We have the victory at last."
It was a joyous moment, tainted by the memory of all that had been lost in achieving it.
"I followed you as you fought to recover each of the Divine Beasts," said Zelda. "Sensing your progress gave me the hope and strength to persevere. And your battle with Ganon was impeccable! You are truly the hero of Hyrule."
"And you fulfilled your duty as a descendant of the Goddess," said Link. "I have prayed to Her each day for our success."
"Sadly, too late to save my father, the brave Champions, and so many innocent lives," said Zelda. "I must live with that. But I have you to thank for awakening my power. All the time we were in danger, you never left my side and were ready to die for me. I could not let that happen! I felt this surge of emotion for you and an overwhelming need to protect you, the person who had always protected me. And along with my feelings for you, I sensed new strength. It all happened so quickly, but I knew then I had the power we needed for victory. I felt the strength to hold Ganon back and keep its power in check, at least for a time, until you could defeat it in battle."
Link realized now that what Zelda had been able to perceive of Hyrule while inside Ganon had been limited, and had not afforded her the knowledge that Mipha had survived.
"Princess, one Champion did survive," said Link. "Princess Mipha did not board Ruta at first, and so was not killed in Ganon's attack."
"What? Mipha survived ?" said Zelda in surprise. "That is wonderful news!"
Zelda paused for a moment.
"Mipha amazes me sometimes," said Zelda. "I always felt she was the weakest of the Champions, so shy and quiet. Yet she was the first to master her Divine Beast and now is the only Champion to somehow survive. She seems able to gain whatever she wishes, and I feel ashamed for underestimating her. But walk with me to the Castle. I would like to say a prayer there."
It was a long walk across the open fields past the ruins of the Hyrule Garrison and then Mabe Village. As Zelda looked about, Link could see from her expression how sadly she felt for all the destruction and the loss of so many lives. They stopped just before the Hyrule Castle entrance.
Zelda stared at the heavily damaged castle, all that remained of her once beautiful home. She had lived there her whole life, and it was where she had shared her all too brief time with her mother, and then her father. Zelda prayed for her father who had died when Ganon's attack surprised everyone. They had their differences, but they had both loved each other. And she added a prayer for her mother, praying that she could rest in peace now knowing her daughter had finally learned all that she would have taught her. She prayed for all those who had been hurt or lost their lives in Ganon's attack. And finally, she gave thanks to Hylia for their victory and asked for Her help and guidance in the months and years ahead. Zelda was an orphan now at seventeen and about to inherit the responsibility for restoring a kingdom. Then Zelda turned away, and Link followed her.
"I need to freshen up and change my clothes," said Zelda looking down at her mud-stained dress. "I must look terrible to you like this."
Link wondered if this was the time to tell her about his relationship with Mipha. He wanted her to know, but somehow it felt too soon now, and too sudden. He would wait for a better moment.
"Oh, yes, that reminds me," said Link. "I spotted your horse wandering near Safula Hill. It's being boarded at Woodland Stable now and should be carrying a change of clothing for you. Shall we go there first?"
"Yes, but it's a long walk to Woodland Stable. We should go at once," said Zelda.
It felt good to be back in Link's company again, Zelda thought. They had grown very close during the time they spent together, willing to die for each other in fact. But she noticed a change in Link's manner now as if he felt ill at ease with her. She had expected a different answer to how she looked. Perhaps nothing more than a simple assurance that she did not look so terrible, or maybe even a joke about how much she did. But he had ignored her question entirely and started talking about her horse. Of course, it was always hard to tell with Link, he was so quiet and reserved. You could never really be sure what he was thinking.
Epona walked alongside Zelda and Link as they made their way through Hyrule Forest Park and then across the Helmhead Bridge. Whatever Guardians they saw were dormant now, no longer under Ganon's control.
"I always wished we could have learned more about the Guardians and ancient Sheikah technology," said Zelda. "Speaking of which, I hope you found my Sheikah Slate useful."
"Very useful indeed, even essential," said Link. "It finally allowed me to enter those shrines we saw and I acquired some powerful runes as a result. But the Great Fairy said we have barely scratched the surface of all they once knew and have much more to learn. Do you wish the Sheikah Slate back now?"
"When we reach the stable and I have my riding clothes back," said Zelda. "That will be time enough."
"Princess, may I ask what your plans are now?" said Link.
"First I would like to collect my horse, and then we should travel to Kakariko Village to check in on Impa. After that, we should travel to Zora's Domain so we can thank Mipha for her aid and seek the help of her father in our restoration efforts. They Zora's are famous for their fine architects. Then perhaps we should journey to the other three major towns as well to pay our respects and ask for their help. The Gorons, for example, are excellent at breaking ground and demolishing damaged structures. Beyond that, I have not had time to consider what to do. There will be so much work for all of us to undo the terrible damage Ganon has caused," said Zelda.
"Yes, of course," said Link. "That makes sense."
Link's lack of encouragement and enthusiasm surprised her. He really was not like his old self.
Meanwhile, Link was considering how best to handle matters, which as usual were more complicated than he had anticipated. He didn't mind stopping at Kakariko Village since it was almost on the way back to Zora's Domain. But he wanted to be with Mipha now, to celebrate with her, to hold her hand and kiss her, and to begin his life with her. On the other hand, he had an essential obligation to Princess Zelda. She was actually the Queen of Hyrule now, though not officially crowned yet. He owed her his allegiance as a Captain of the Hyrule Royal Guard. In fact, after the attack on the castle, he was likely the only living member of the Hyrule Royal Guard, which made him pretty essential at the moment. It was therefore still his duty to protect Zelda. In any case, he needed to find the time and place to tell Zelda about Mipha before they reached the domain. And he was not entirely sure what her reaction would be.
When they arrived at Woodland Stable, it was already late afternoon.
Link made arrangements to take out Zelda's horse, and Brena brought it to where Link and Zelda were standing. Then she stopped in surprise. Brena knew to whom the horse belonged and was mildly familiar with how the Princess of Hyrule looked. She put two and two together as she stared at the woman in the muddy white dress.
"Your Highness?" said Brena.
"Yes?" said Zelda.
"Oh thank Hylia! It is you, and you are well," said Brena dropping to one knee. "Your knight said to not give up hope, Your Highness, and he was right."
"Please, do not kneel," said Zelda. "And thank you. But I need your help now to rebuild our land. Please do anything you can."
"I will, Your Highness," said Brena rising.
"Now I need to freshen up and change my clothes," said Zelda as she collected her riding outfit from her horse.
Zelda was able to bathe in private at Pico Pond and then change into her riding outfit.
"This feels much better!" said Zelda to Link as she returned to where Link awaited her at the stable. "Shall we go? "
They mounted their horses and were underway. Zelda wanted to enter Kakariko Village through the western road which would entail passing by Crenel Peak and stopping at Wetland Stable for the night. Link was quiet as they rode together.
"I am so happy you found my horse," said Zelda as she gave her steed a gentle pat on the neck.
"Yes, that was very fortunate. It was with Epona," said Link. "They must have wandered there together after we never returned for them. Luckily both were unharmed."
They rode further, and Zelda thought Link was even quieter than usual. As Link looked down the road toward Wetland Stable, he could see Ruta perched serenely atop the mountain, its targeting beam no longer active. It reminded him of Mipha.
When they reached Wetland Stable, it was evening, and they needed to stay there for the night. The proprietor did not recognize Zelda and so made no fuss about her, which was a relief to both of them.
"May I cook a meal for you, Your Highness," said Link. "You should have a banquet to celebrate today instead of a simple meal with me."
"Someday we will celebrate this date," said Zelda. "But it's not time yet."
"And yes, please cook me something, as long as you promise not to make one of your experimental dishes that turn out so horribly," laughed Zelda. "And please call me Zelda when we are alone like this."
Link cooked a dish of meat, vegetables, and rice for both of them and they sat together and ate. Zelda agreed it was tasty.
Afterward, they sat together by the fire, and it reminded him of the times he had traveled with her as her appointed knight. But so much had happened since then. And somehow it felt different now. The stars were out now, and the sky was clear. A gentle breeze rustled the nearby trees, and the noise of crickets filled the air. Zelda turned to Link.
"Link, something is on your mind," said Zelda. "I know you well enough to see that. Tell me what it is."
It was time to tell her. Link stared at the fire as he spoke.
"Yes, I wanted to tell you this, Zelda, and didn't know when was the right time," said Link. "I am in love with Mipha, and just learned that Mipha is in love with me. I never dreamed that could ever happen. But it did, and we are engaged to be married."
Link looked up at Zelda, awaiting her reaction. She stared at him with a surprised look, her mouth open as if she had just taken a deep breath. She was quiet for a moment.
"I see," said Zelda finally. "Well, I have to admit that is a shock! I knew you two were longtime friends but never thought it went beyond that."
Zelda paused for a moment, staring into the fire and lost in thought.
"But I guess the signs were there, at least from Mipha, and I failed to see them. Perhaps because I didn't want to. I wondered why Mipha reacted so oddly at the top of Veiled Falls when I told her you were to be one of the Champions. And then there was that group picture of us she asked to have taken after glancing over at you, the one Daruk crushed us all together. I guess she really wanted a picture of you and her together. Well, thank you for telling me, Link. And congratulations! I hope you two will be happy. Mipha really is amazing, isn't she?"
"She is amazing," said Link. "But, if I may speak plainly, so are you. You will forever be special to me for who you are and what we did together. You have my undying loyalty. The word 'friend' does not come close to describing my feelings for you, Zelda. But I will use it for lack of a better one, and say that you will always have my love as the dearest of friends."
"And you have my love as well, Link," said Zelda as she smiled at him. "Forgive me for not reacting more graciously at first, but I was surprised by your news. And now that I know, I expect an invitation to your wedding and for you and Mipha to visit me whenever you can so we can keep our friendship alive. I never want to lose that, Link."
"I promise you we never will, Zelda," said Link.
"But now I cannot in good conscience ask you to accompany me on my visits to the other towns," said Zelda. "It is not fair to you or Mipha to keep you two apart like that. You need to be with the person you love, Link, and you certainly deserve to be. I can manage on my own. I used to always tell you I could."
"I don't want you to travel alone, Zelda," said Link. "I don't know if this will be possible, but I have an idea as to how I can fulfill my duty to you as a member of your Royal Guard and still be with Mipha. I will ask Mipha if she is willing to accompany us on your visits to the other towns. Then you would not feel you were keeping us apart, and I would know that you were safe. Would you consider that?"
Zelda thought for a moment.
"If Mipha is truly willing I would be most grateful for both of your company," said Zelda. "It would also give me the chance to get to know Mipha better. But please let it be Mipha's decision, Link. I do not want any hard feelings to come between the three of us. And I do not want her to feel I am pressuring you to do this. If she feels uncomfortable or unwilling, then I will handle things on my own."
"I will ask her when we reach the domain," said Link. "And I promise it will be entirely up to her."
They said goodnight and retired to bed.
Zelda felt like crying but told herself she needed to be strong right now. It's just that she suddenly felt so empty, so all alone! She had hoped Link would stay with her and perhaps they would grow closer over time. She never realized he was already in love with someone else. You could certainly never tell that from anything Link said or did. She would miss him! But expecting his company now was unfair. He had already done so much for her and for Hyrule. He deserved a chance to be happy and to be with the one he loved. And for that matter, so did Mipha. Mipha had done everything asked of her for Hyrule's sake. As Princess of Hyrule, she had been trained as a leader and to deal with adversity. She could, and she would get over this.
But this turn of events had taught her something else. It made her realize that she had been living in a dream world. She was no longer the princess, forever wandering Hyrule with her guardian knight. Life had to change for her now. She was the ruler of Hyrule. She needed to work on restoring a functioning Hyrule, and she needed to have a base of operations for that until Hyrule Castle could be restored. The Sheikah were loyal servants of the Hyrule Royal Family, and would also protect her. She would work with Impa to set up a temporary residence in Kakariko Village. And she would ask the Sheikah to accompany her from now on as her guards until the official Hyrule Royal Guard could be restored. That might be something Link could help with, as well as help her to rebuild the Hyrule army so she could protect her people from danger and root out the monsters that still troubled them.
So, her days with Link as her sole guardian were coming to an end. Tomorrow she would let him know he would be free to leave once they reached Kakariko Village. But she knew she could always count on him. She hoped it would never come to it, but she knew Link would put duty before love. He would always put her first if it really mattered to Hyrule. And there was some comfort in knowing that. She was exhausted now, though, physically and emotionally. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep.
Link also tossed and turned a bit. He hoped he had handled the situation as graciously as possible. He hated for anyone to be hurt, especially someone as dear to him as Zelda, and he hoped she wasn't. And though no one noted it yet, he realized the reign of Queen Zelda had begun. He prayed her reign would be long and prosperous. He owed Zelda his life and his loyalty and would never forget that. But then his thoughts turned to Mipha, and he could not wait to hold her in his arms again. Another day or two and he would be home with her. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
And in Zora's Domain, Mipha was also falling asleep, thinking about how soon her love would return to her. Mipha had realized Link was victorious and Ganon had been destroyed. A view of the castle was all it took to see that. She had left Ruta then and returned to share the good news with her father and her people. And then there was shouting and rejoicing by everyone as the news spread. Soon there would be some official celebration. But that would not happen until Link was home with her to share it. Link must be with Zelda now. She wondered how Link would tell Zelda about the two of them. Anyway, she hoped Link was making his way back to his new home with her, and they could be together soon. She fell asleep.
