Translated to English by MissQuestions-LaAmazingNabo.

Next will be the epilogue, but there will be a bonus chapter left.

Thank you for your favorites, follows and reviews, they are really appreciated. I don't have a beta reader for this story, so if you find mistakes, please, contact me.

See you soon!

The Legend of Zelda series and its characters are property of Nintendo.

Chapter 14
The Triforce of the goddesses and the princess' betrothed

His breathing was fast and heavy, his heart thumped quickly. Link gave a few steps back, until his legs couldn't support him any longer and he fell on the floor, sitting, exhausted. Zelda ran to him and lunged, hugging him.

"Careful!" Link said with a chuckle.

"Sorry," Zelda apologized, moving away a bit. "Are you okay?"

"A bit sore and with a few scratches. Otherwise everything's fine."

Zelda hugged him again and this time he also wrapped one of his arms around her as he held his sword with the other hand, staying that way for several minutes.

"I've been so scared," Zelda said, hiding her face against his chest. "I thought he would kill you."

With his free hand, Link caressed Zelda's soft cheek, who looked up, and gave her a calming smile.

They stood up and observed their fallen enemy. Although they had defeated Ganondorf, the fight was not over yet, war still ravaged the border with the desert. Link faced Zelda and took her hand, his left one with her right.

"I need you to do me a favor, Zelda," he told her, supplicating. "I need you to loan me your fragment of the Triforce."

Zelda looked at him confusedly, she didn't understand well why he wanted it, but either way she nodded. She didn't know what she had to do to give him her fragment but she tried anyway. Still holding hands, they closed their eyes and concentrated on the marks on their hands. These started to shine, from Zelda's a fragment emerged, and from Link two.

Before them, the three fragments joined, forming the Triforce. The Triforce remained there, floating a few inches above the ground. It seemed to be made out of pure gold and it was much taller than them. Link let go of Zelda's hand and approached the sacred object. He raised his hand and touched it.

"Goddesses of the Triforce, hear my wish!" he begged. "Return peace to Hyrule. Make the war end."

The Triforce shone intensely and vanished.

"What happened?" he asked, alarmed. "Where has it gone?"

"Once the wish is granted, the Triforce returns to where it must rest, the Sacred Realm."

Link sighed in relief, for a moment he thought that it had disappeared without granting his wish. Zelda approached him and took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. Link looked at her and smiled, she returned it.

"It's over," he said.

"Yes," Zelda nodded. "Thanks to you, Link. You've been magnificent."

"It was nothing; besides I didn't do it by myself," he replied, shrugging it off. "Anyone could have done the same."

Zelda shook her head.

"No, Link. In this world, there are few people with a pure enough heart as to not use the Triforce for their own benefit."

"Truth is that I was tempted for an instant. I would have liked to ask it for me to stay at your side, but it wouldn't have been okay. I prefer to fight for you by my own means."

Zelda smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. She tugged at him, pulling him closer, and kissed him. Link didn't waste time returning it and soon they melted into a deep and passionate kiss. They pulled away just as they heard a din of footsteps that approached from the passageway, though they kept hugging.

Quickly, a great number of guards arrived at the room and surrounded them, pointing at them with their lances.

"Release the princess immediately!" one of the guards said in a threating tone.

"Identify yourself!" another exclaimed.

Link clenched his sword with one hand and Zelda with the other.

"Lower your weapons!" a voice coming from the passageway ordered.

King Gustav of Hyrule entered the room followed by Impa. Seeing him, although bewildered, the guards hurried to obey their king's order and to move out of his way.

"I am glad to see that you are well," Gustav said with relief. "When I saw the destroyed entrance, I feared the worst."

His gaze moved from them towards Ganondorf's prone body.

"Ganondorf!" he said surprised. "Is he…?"

"Yes, father, he is dead," Zelda answered, releasing Link. "Link finished him."

The king looked at the boy from top to bottom and smiled.

"Majesty," Impa called.

Gustav turned towards her direction and saw that she was pointing at something with her head, he turned again and saw what she was pointing at, the sword that Link was holding in his hand. His eyes soon went to the center of the room, towards the Master Sword's resting place. But it wasn't there, it was indeed in Link's hands. His eyes widened in awe, but that only meant one thing, that the chosen hero had returned. His smile widened more.

"Clean this place," he ordered his guards. "You Impa, take them to rest."

"Yes, Majesty."

Zelda and Link followed Impa to Zelda's room. Impa opened the door and moved aside, letting them in.

"Rest," she suggested. "I'll be back in a while."

She left, closing the door behind her.

"Do you mind?" Link asked, pointing at Zelda's bed.

She shook her head. Without wasting a minute, Link let himself fall over the bed, facedown. He was completely exhausted. Zelda's bed was very soft and comfortable, he couldn't remember the last time he had laid on something so comfortable. He felt how the mattress sank at his left. He looked and saw Zelda laying besides him, looking at him with a small smile on her lips. She extended her arm towards him and brushed his bangs from his face, softly stroking his forehead.

"You look like the hero of old, dressed in green and with the Master Sword in your hand," she said, motioning to the sword in his hand.

He hadn't noticed that he was still wielding it. The sword fit so well in his hand, as if it were an extension of his arm, as if holding it was natural to him.

Link reached towards Zelda with his hand, but stopped before touching her. He saw that his hands were covered in blood, Ganondorf's blood. He felt a knot tying in his throat.

"I better wash my hands," he said, standing up.

He walked towards the other side of the room, where there was a washbowl and a pitcher with water to fill it. He left his sword aside, took off his gloves, and submerged his hands in the water, he rubbed hard and insistently until not a single drop was left. He looked at his reflection in the mirror before him. There were also bloodstains on his face as well as his tunic. He took water on both hands and towards his face, washing it.

His hands began to shake. Until that moment, he hadn't been fully conscious of everything that happened. He had fought Ganondorf and killed him. That had been his duty. Since the moment he drew the Master Sword, he knew that only he could do it. But he had ended the life of a person, evil and perverse, yes, but a person after all. He wanted to end that man for so long, but now that his hands had been stained with blood, he wished not having to do it.

He felt something on his shoulder. He turned and saw Zelda next to him with a towel in her hand. He took it and dried his hands and face with it.

"Link," Zelda said, almost in a whisper. "You've done well, Link. It had to be done, otherwise Ganondorf wouldn't have stopped until getting his purpose."

He looked at her in the eyes. There was sincerity in her eyes as well as her voice. He knew all that, but it didn't make it any easier to stand.

He tried to place his hand on her cheek, but stopped himself at the last minute, hesitating. Zelda took his hand and pressed it against her cheek.

"You're a good person, Link. You're sweet and kind, don't let what happened today affect you."

Zelda grabbed Link's hand and kissed its palm. He looked at her fixedly. He didn't know how she did it, but just with that gesture, Zelda managed to vanish those negative feelings in an instant. He held her face with both hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips. When they pulled away, he smiled.

There was a knock on the door. The king and Impa entered. They looked tired, but there was still much to do. King Gustav approached Link and Zelda with a smile.

"You have done a great job, Link," he said, offering a hand. "My kingdom will be eternally grateful for that."

Link bowed his head slightly and shook the king's hand.

"I was just doing my duty, Majesty."

The king let out a cackle and gave him a few hard pats on the shoulder, unbalancing him for an instant.

"No need to be so modest, boy," he said in between chuckles. "Now, I would like you to tell me everything that happened."

The four of them sat on the couch and armchairs and Zelda told them what happened from when they arrived at the underground room until Ganondorf had fallen. Gustav and Impa listened without missing any detail of the tale and, when it ended, the king gave a long sigh and leaned back on the chair.

"Can I see it?" he asked Link.

Link nodded and held the Master Sword with both hands, one on the handle and the other on the blade, showing it. Mysteriously, Ganondorf's blood had disappeared from its blade. Gustav outstretched his hands, asking for it to be passed over, and Link handed it to him. He wielded it with his right and observed it carefully.

"What a magnificent sword," he said, amazedly. "Despite the years it has been down there, it does not have one stain of rust, even after a hard fight like today's, not one nick tarnishes its blade. It looks new, recently forged."

After glancing at it once more, he returned the sword to Link.

"It is like the legend says," the king said thoughtfully. "When evil arises again, the hero will rise once more and wielding the sacred sword, which brightness dispels all evil, he will bring peace again to these lands," he recited.

Zelda found similarities in her father's words with what she found written on the stone tablets from the Temple of Time.

Silence settled for a few minutes.

"What has been of those who attacked the city?" Zelda asked, breaking it.

"Just as I imagined, they were a group of gerudo," Impa replied. "Ganondorf ordered them to create a diversion. In fact, this whole war was a distraction to infiltrate the castle."

Impa told them all the information they had managed to obtain. It seemed, from the beginning, that Ganondorf's objective had been Zelda, or better said, her fragment of the Triforce. Taking advantage that most of the army was busy defending the border and that Castle Town was practically unprotected, he sneaked in with a handful of gerudo without anyone noticing. The gerudo had divided themselves in two groups, one had created the diversion in Castle Town and the others had gotten into the castle, that way Ganondorf had been able to go unimpeded. After a long and arduous battle, they had managed to reduce and seize them.

Once the fight was finished, they told the gerudo about Ganondorf's death, but, instead of being furious for their king's death, they seemed to be grateful. Apparently, many in the tribe didn't share the same ambitions as him, but he was their king, so they had no choice but to obey his commands.

"They have offered us a peace treaty in exchange of their freedom," the king explained. "For being a people of thieves, they are very strange."

"Despite their occupation, the gerudo are a pacific people and with honor; if not bothered, they will leave you alone," Impa said. "They are prideful and would never put a hand on someone defenseless and weak."

"They also offered to mediate to reach peace with the other tribes Ganondorf governed, but they do not assure us anything."

"You freed them?" Zelda asked.

"That is right," the king said. "We let all of them leave except their leader, who wanted to stay as a show of good will until all of this is over. She also wants to personally thank what you've done, Link."

"Me?"

"As I said, they were not very happy with Ganondorf."

"Then the wish has been granted, hasn't it?" Zelda said, looking at Link.

"What wish?" the king asked, confused.

"Link used the Triforce to ask for the war to end," Zelda informed, showing the back of her hand, where the mark had vanished.

King Gustav sighed and gave a little smile.

"There is no doubt that I am in debt with you, Link," he said. "I will have to reward you."

"It is not necessary, Majesty."

"Of course it is," he insisted. "Think of something you want for the next days, I will do anything in my hand to grant it."

"Thank you," Link said with a bow.

Once the events of that night were explained and cleared, the king and Impa left, not without suggesting them to sleep and rest.

Zelda went behind a folding screen where she changed her clothes and put on a nightgown. When she came out, Link had also changed. He had the clothes he brought from the forest on, and was lying on the couch.

"Link," she called, he glanced at her without moving. "Get in bed."

Link's eyes widened inordinately and his cheeks flushed red.

"I don't plan to leave you to sleep there in the couch, you deserve to sleep in a more comfortable spot."

"But…"

"No buts," she insisted, taking his arm and tugging it. "Let's go."

Link finally got up and followed her. Without delay, Zelda got in bed and laid to a side, leaving space for him. Link remained standing, thoughtful. Finally, he turned off the lamps and got under the sheets, keeping certain distance with the princess. Zelda giggled and snuggled besides him.

"Zelda," he said with reproach, becoming tense. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, come on, don't be shy now. I'm just looking for warmth. When we returned from the manor, you would stick close to me."

"The situation was different, and I was in my wolf form."

Zelda surrounded him with her arms and pressed closer.

"I don't want to leave you tonight, Link. Let me sleep next to you."

Link sighed, relaxed and hugged her too. Soon, they both fell asleep.

When Zelda woke up the following morning, the morning's light filtered through a small cranny of the curtain. She was still hugging Link, it seemed like neither of them had moved the entire night. She observed him carefully. Every time that she'd seen him sleep, it had been as a wolf, so this sight was new to her. It was also the first time that she woke up in the morning and he had kept his appearance. She studied the features of his face, the shape of his jaw, his straight nose, his long blond lashes, his fine lips that tempted her to kiss them… He was so beautiful… Her heart began to beat quickly. She wanted to kiss him. She placed her hand over his cheek and leaned in closer. As her lips brushed with his, she heard a scream followed by a clatter.

She looked over Link's shoulder and saw one of her handmaidens standing by the door, she seemed surprised, frightened even. Link woke up and looked at Zelda confusedly before turning towards the noise's direction.

"A man in the princess's bed!" the maiden said.

Impa entered in that moment, she had heard the noise and had hurried to go to its origin.

"What's happening here?" she asked.

But she didn't need an answer, the events spoke for themselves. She sighed and dismissed the maid, not before warning her not to tell anyone what she saw first. The handmaiden picked up the tray that had fallen and left, running.

"You know she won't listen to you, right?" Zelda said.

"I had to try."

Link was confused, he had just woken up and still didn't understand what was happening.

Impa glanced at them and turned to leave.

"Hurry up and dress," she said from the doorway. "His Majesty is waiting for you at the dining room."

She left and closed the door again. Link was even more confused, she hadn't scolded or reproach them for sleeping together.

In the castle's dining room, the king was waiting for them sitting in at the head of a large table. He motioned them to some seats so that they could sit and a few servants hurried to serve them breakfast. Zelda sat at her father's right, in front of Impa, and Link next to her.

Zelda observed how the servants looked at her without being able to hide a smile. Just as she had supposed, the handmaiden hadn't kept her mouth shut.

"Did you sleep well?" the king asked in a casual manner.

"I think they slept too well," Impa replied with reproach.

Gustav looked at her, confused, and Zelda blushed. Since they weren't alone, Impa went to the king's ear to explain the situation. When she pulled away, Gustav gave out a chuckle.

"How nice to be young!" he said, still laughing.

Now Link was completely lost.

"It looks like Castle Town has recovered its usual calmness," Gustav informed. "Why don't you take a walk? It will do you good to go out and take in some air after yesterday. It is not necessary for you to take an escort, I think that as long as you're with Link, you will not be in danger."

"That's a great idea, father," Zelda said with a grin.

"Later, when you come back, met me in my study, we have things to discuss."

Zelda nodded.

Once they finished breakfast, Zelda and Link excused themselves and made to leave.

"Have you thought what you are going to ask me, Link?" king Gustav said just as they were at the door, Link nodded. "Perfect then."

As they walked through the hallways, Zelda could see how servants and guards looked at them and murmured among themselves. If she paid attention, she could hear words like lovers, sleep, bed, kissing, and other, more explicit words. She was embarrassed, these rumors about them were spreading like gunpowder.

Link did not notice the comments and rumors as they left the castle nor did he when they returned, he was too distracted thinking of other things. The moment the king told him he would reward him with what he asked, he knew what he wanted, but he doubted the king would really accept his petition.

"We will be giving a party in five days," Gustav informed them. "We will be celebrating Ganondorf's defeat and the end of the war."

Just as he had asked them, after returning from Castle Town, they went to his study. They had a pleasant walk, visiting different market booths and had also sat by the fountain in the central square to enjoy of the day. Link had expressed how happy he was to have recovered his real appearance definitively. Zelda was also glad of that, though part of her would miss that magnificent wolf.

Even though people still seemed confused by the events of the night prior, news of Ganondorf's, the Desert King, death, had traveled throughout the city and the people were happy, the end of the war was near.

"Isn't a bit soon to be celebrating?" Zelda asked.

"No, it is good this way," the king replied. "After all of the worries and tension suffered, the people need something to lift their spirits and make them forget, even for a moment, all this suffering."

For a long while, he'd been explaining his ideas for the party to them. Everyone in Castle Town and its surroundings would be invited, so the castle's grand room and gardens would be prepared to house such an event. A great amount of delicacies would be handed out and an orchestra would brighten the atmosphere with its music.

Link wasn't convinced of the idea. After many years of living in solitude, he didn't feel too comfortable having to attend an event with so many people. To make matters worse, king Gustav wanted to announce before the whole crowd that it was him who had defeated Ganondorf. Just thinking about all those looks focused on him made his stomach turn.

"You said before that you already had your petition," the king said.

Link nodded. For a few moments, he kept silent. He didn't know how to word this and he was nervous, he didn't know how the king of Hyrule would react to his petition.

"Your Majesty, I would like your permission to court your daughter." Silence settled. Link's nervousness was increasing by the monarch's lack of answer.

"I know I am just a commoner and that only nobles can, but I beg you to make an exception. I love your daughter and I will do anything to be worthy of her and make her happy."

Despite his nervousness, he remained serious and firm.

"That will not be possible," Gustav said, throwing all his hopes away.

He bowed his head, saddened, he had hoped to be given a chance at least. He felt how Zelda grabbed his hand, he looked at her and saw that she was smiling. Why was she smiling?

"Let me tell you a story, Link," the king went on. "A few years ago, I had a great friend, a friend whom I trusted completely. He was the captain of the castle's guards and an honest and honorable man. He had a son, a precious boy of barely a year old. Such was the friendship that we had, that we decided to join his son and my Zelda in engagement when she was born. It was perfect, I had the intention that the two of them would begin to know each other since young, that they establish a friendship, maybe even fall in love. It was the best option, that way Zelda wouldn't have to marry a stranger. As long as that boy were half of what his father was, I could consider myself satisfied, it would be everything I wanted for my daughter. But a couple of years later, without giving me a reason— reason which until recently I hadn't been able to see— he and his wife decided to leave Castle Town, not without promising me to return when the boy turned nine years of age first, so that that way he and Zelda could meet. That was the last time I saw them."

Link partially knew that story, Zelda had already told him some time ago.

"Years passed in which I only communicated with him through sporadic letters, but one day I received one that said that they were returning soon. Days after receiving that letter, terrible news came to me, he and his entire family had perished. They had been murdered. I was distraught by that news. But it didn't end there, I had to make a great decision, I had to choose a new husband for Zelda, that's why I decided to arrange interviews with the sons of nobles who were most suitable for the position they aspired to. Unfortunately, Zelda liked none of them."

Zelda giggled.

"But the story does not end here, for the goddesses seem to smile at me again. I recently discovered that he was alive, my best friend's son had survived. His body was never found, but everyone left him for dead, since not a trace of him could be found. But he's alive and he's back, so suitors are not necessary anymore."

Link clenched his teeth, his deepest wish wouldn't be granted. He felt Zelda's hand squeeze his tightly, trying to comfort him.

"He's a magnificent boy, not only is he everything I expected of him, he's surpassed all of my expectations as well. He is a good, strong, brave, and intelligent young man, just as Líon, his father."

Link's heart churned. That name wasn't unknown to him. It was his father's name. He looked at the king first and then at Zelda, whose smile had widened.

"You knew, didn't you?" he said in a recriminating tone.

Zelda nodded.

"For three days," she replied in a guilty tone. "Father asked me not to tell you, that it was better to wait for you not to turn into a wolf. I'm sorry."

She lowered her head, ashamed. She would have liked to tell him right away, but it was true that while Link continued being a wolf it wasn't adequate.

Link gave a tiny smile. He was incapable of being angry at her and less so when she looked at him with that cute embarrassed expression. He took her face with both hands and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Seeing him smile, she smiled also.

There was a part of him that still couldn't believe this, they were engaged, he and Zelda were engaged since they were children. His father never talked to him about that, not even about being friends with Hyrule's king, in truth, he didn't remember his father telling him of when they lived in Castle Town.

"Why didn't my father tell me?" he asked.

"I suppose he was waiting for you to be of age to understand it," replied the king.

Yes, it was possible. In that time, Link had been a rather carefree and naive boy, the concept of engagement would have been difficult for him to understand. Having in mind that they wanted to move back to Castle Town when he reached nine years of age, it was possible that his father was waiting for that moment to tell him. Even though it made sense, there was still a detail that he couldn't quite grasp.

"There's something I don't understand," he told the king. "As good friends as the both of you were, he was a simple commoner, how was it possible that you agreed to betroth your daughter, the princess, with the son of commoners?"

The king chuckled.

"It is true that your mother was middle-class, a commoner," he replied with a smile. "But not your father. He was the son of count Wald, a noble with great influence in court."

"My father was a noble," Link murmured, surprised. "I had no idea."

"It was logical, your father saw himself forced to leave his family when he was young," the king explained. "Being the youngest of three brothers, there was nothing left for your father to inherit, everything would be taken by his brothers. The norm in these cases was for the youngest to stay with the eldest, helping them and working for them, but Líon did not get along with his brothers, and with how prideful he was, he did not want to ask them for anything. Knowing this, his father gave him two options, to marry the daughter of some other nobleman and into their family, or to serve the crown as a soldier. He did not have to think twice. At that time, he and I were good friends, so I pulled some strings to have him posted here, at the castle. That way he did not have to marry a woman he barely knew."

"Even so, it's strange," Zelda said. "As much as he was a noble's son, he left his family, lost all his titles. Didn't the rest of the nobles complained when you announced the engagement?"

She was also curious about that story, when her father told her that Link was her betrothed, she had been so happy that she hadn't thought of those details. It hadn't dawned on her that he wasn't a noble.

"Of course they did, they made a great fuss, but, as I said before, count Wald was a very influential man and managed to silence any type of complaint. On the other hand, Líon had shown himself to be a trusty man and had managed to climb up the military ladder with astonishing speed, he has been the youngest captain of the castle's guard in all history. I insisted them that that feat had to be rewarded."

Link smiled. He had always admired his father; his childhood dream had always been to be like him. Hearing how another person praised him in that manner made him swell with pride.

"When your father and I agreed to the engagement, he made me promise him something," the king continued. "He made me promise that if any of you did not agree, it would be canceled. Zelda is more than okay with this, if you are also, we will go on with it."

The answer was obvious, minutes before, when Link asked him permission to court Zelda, he had been clear with his intentions towards her. He looked her. How was he going to say no when she returned his gaze with those eyes full of adoration? He knew it wasn't okay to do so in front of her father, but he couldn't resist. Softly placing his hand on her cheek, he gave her a brief kiss on her lips.

"Of course I am."