The peace talks were quiet. Any nobles who wanted Neshir back were quickly bullied into silence by the others. Most agreed that peace was in their better interests anyway, but there were always those few dissenters.
Slowly, Hyrule came back. The waters of Zora's River flowed freely, miners were once again able to go up Death Mountain and work in tandem with the Gorons. Trade opened again, and gradually, the people came to rest easy again.
And the land was blessed with a royal wedding.
"Link?"
Link pretended to not hear Zelda just yet, sitting by a pond in the royal gardens, playing his ocarina quietly. Guards wandered in their patrols, leaving Link be. Finally, when Zelda called his name again, he put down his ocarina and turned, looking back at her. "Shouldn't you be resting?" he asked.
"Only if you are," she said, sitting down on the ground next to him. "You're restless."
"I'm not used to being stationary anymore," he admitted. "But I don't want to go traveling again. I like it here." He looked over at her, smiling at the way her face lit up when he said that.
"Good," she said. "I don't want you to leave again. But you seem more interested in the gardens than helping me rule Hyrule. Some king you are."
Link made a rude noise. "I'm just a simple forest kid," he said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you proposed and made me go through a royal wedding and all that nonsense, but ruling probably isn't a good idea for me to do. I don't know the first thing about it."
"You're very good at keeping the peace and keeping me calm," she said.
"The peace thing is the Triforce," he protested. "It feels like a cheap trick, wishing peace and automatically getting it, whether it was wanted or not by the rest of the country."
She shook her head, resting a hand on her swollen belly. She was due any day now. "No, Link, that is your talent. You've always been able to get people to like you easily, and my temper's not the best after too many years with Neshir and Ganondorf controlling things. You keep me calm, you ease hostile hearts. That's you doing that, not the Triforce. The country wants peace, don't think you're forcing it on us."
Link studied the golden mark on his left hand. It was still surreal, still hard to deal with, all that power at his fingertips. He could ruin or save the country with a thought. It was a frightening responsibility to be burdened with.
As if hearing his thoughts, Zelda wrapped her arms around his. "You are the right person to hold that," she said. "Don't be afraid, you are a good man, that's all you need to be."
With a smile, he freed his arm from hers and wrapped it around her shoulders. "If you say so, dear."
"I do say so," she said, leaning against him and closing her eyes.
He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Zelda. Thanks for waiting for me. Not many women would."
"I am not most women," she said. "I have always been yours."
He looked down at their reflection in the water, Zelda very pregnant with their child, eyes closed and looking serene, and him, getting to hold the most beautiful woman in the world.
It was nice to be home.