Thanks for sticking around for over two years! I've been playing Breath of the Wild too much this past week (about 100 hours so far) and it is amazing. Can't wait to write some Zelink fanfiction for it!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda

Chapter 25 – Epilogue

When we were little, Fenn and I would huddle around the fire pit with the other orphans our age and listen to stories of adventure and romance, wizards and demons, magic and myth. We knew we grew up in a world where such things were possible, but it was a world where such things were also rather unlikely. None of us ever witnessed magic or had the opportunity to meet a wizard, so we all hoped that one day we could set out on our own adventures, find true love, and live happily ever after.

I know that if I told seven-year-old me the things I would go through, he would have been thrilled. He would have jumped at the chance to set out into the world and explore everything for himself, to fight off evil and save the day, regardless of the terrible prices he would have to pay. But the former me was foolish, young, and obsessed with leaving a comfortable, predictable life. The me of the present knew all too well the dangers they presented.

It had been a little over fifteen years since I woke up from my nearly four-year slumber. My leg never returned to normal, dashing my dreams of training the greatest army Hyrule had ever seen. But I had Regas by my side, and he gladly took hand-to-hand combat under his wing, ensuring each new generation would be ready when the time would inevitably come to stand up and fight for Hyrule once again.

Besides, I was still pretty useful on a horse, so I spent my spare time from training soldiers on horseback to teaching younger children how to ride. I had several horses since I lost Epona during the fight with Ganondorf, yet none of them understood me quite the same as she did. They were either too excitable, too timid, or downright disobedient. Lola had been almost a stranger to me, and she was a million times better than any of the horses I came across in Hyrule. So every few months I rotated between the horses in the stables, never quite settling, but always keeping things interesting.

I had been riding a light brown stallion the past few weeks and we had become rather well acquainted. He liked to set his own pace and didn't always respond to the nudges and prods I gave him, but he was acceptable nonetheless. He was fine enough for my duty of touring the rebuilt Castle Town and I always welcomed the company.

As I trotted through the town, passersby nodded and bowed, all to which I nodded respectfully. I still hadn't gotten used to the reverence the people of Hyrule paid me, but I respected it nonetheless. My wife was descended from royalty after all, and it was me whom she oddly picked as her husband.

I made my way through the renovated Castle Town, one that had risen, fallen, and risen again among the ashes and rebirth of the land of Hyrule. Some of the buildings were brand new, towering above the others and painted in bright, albeit odd, colors. Others were older, patched versions of buildings that used to be, ones from the days when I would patrol the city as a junior soldier. Paint colors didn't match, wood from the reconstructed sections stood out from the rotted and burned sections of old, but it gave them character. They served as a reminder to those of us still around of what had happened and what there was left to save in this world.

But there was something else to save in this world. I trotted gently up behind the small crowd that had gathered in the center of town. A young girl, only 14 years old, was standing on a wooden crate, an elegant long dress draping in every direction. She tucked a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear as she cleared her throat and continued speaking.

"And that's why it's important for all of us to be mindful of how we treat one another, and how we treat those less fortunate than us." She smiled brightly as the crowded clapped and shook hands with one another. She turned then, her smile plastered about her face as she turned to her mother, who could not have been prouder. But the whinny of my stallion turned her attention towards me, to which her eyebrows raised and her smile only grew.

"Papa!" she cried as her violet eyes locked with mine. She leapt off the box she was standing on, nearly tripping in the process. But I jumped off my horse and grabbed her by the wrists, straightening her before any damage was done.

The crowd around us parted as I swung her around in a large embrace. Her mother walked casually between the sea that had parted before us, to which she only smirked in my direction, that familiar twinkle in her bright blue eyes.

"We didn't expect you for another week, at least!" she exclaimed, but was nonetheless pleased. I set her down, her lilac dress settling despite the breeze. She seemed taller and wiser than the last time I saw her.

"Well, Lila ," I began, trying not to laugh, "you know your father, convincing and unrelenting in political negotiations." I held my jaw tightly as I awaited a snide response.

"Convincing and unrelenting?" she repeated, her hands now upon her hips. "You were meeting with the Labrynnians again, father. You hardly need to do either to appease them." She was staring at me now, but I could feel the joviality in her voice. She was right, after all. She always was. Since the little adventure I had in Labrynna years ago, they've given almost no resistance to any negotiations Zelda nor I have put forth.

Zelda was next to me now, her warmth glowing radiantly at my side. I wanted nothing more than to hug her and kiss her after being gone for nearly a month, but I knew my bounds. I had been the King of Hyrule for over fifteen years now and I learned quite well when to keep my emotions in check. So, instead, I looked over to her and nodded my head deeply, as a huge smile tried to break through my stoic façade. "My Queen," I quietly addressed to her, to which she always blushed for some odd reason.

I offered Zelda my hand and my arm to my daughter. We always preferred to take a leisurely walk back to the castle – it gave us more opportunities to meet with the people of Castle Town. But by the time we would make it outside the town gates, a collective sigh of relief would exhale from the three of us and the formalities would be gone with the wind. This time, I talked of my travels to Labrynna and back, who I met, and where I went.

Lila always had a million questions about the world beyond Hyrule. She was still a couple years away from joining us on any long journeys (even though I felt sixteen was still much too young), so the stories we would tell her tided her over for the time being, though I could feel her patience thinning and her heart yearning for more. This time, I told her of the Gerudo in the desert. These women always fascinated her – such strong, independent women who could fight and provide for themselves. I guess they reminded her of her mother.

But Lila had spotted Marco at the castle gate up ahead and she immediately grew quiet. Raised by Malon and Regas, he had become quite the soldier over the past few years, but had undeniably attained a closeness with my daughter I was not sure I approved of. He was over four years older than her and had experienced so much more of the world than she had so far. But I knew the look he gave her and the look she returned him. I glanced at my wife with a sigh as Lila trotted off the hill to meet him.

"Do you think about Fenn often?" Zelda said suddenly, quietly. I could tell Marco brought thoughts of our two friends back to her, as he did to me. I watched Lila run up to Marco in the distance, his spear in one hand and the other hand nervously upon the back of his neck. He reminded me so much of Fenn, but he looked so much like Mari. Maybe that's why I felt so protective of them both – my daughter was the one physical thing I truly shared with Zelda and Marco was the only thing left of Fenn and Mari in this world.

"Of course," I finally replied, still keeping a wary eye on Lila and Marco. They were mere feet away from one another as they talked. My hands were clenching and unclenching as I did my best to remain calm and not whisk Lila away.

"Link… you're doing it again." I turned to my wife to see her giving me an exasperated look.

I glanced back to my daughter and Marco. "I can't help it, Zelda. She's my only child. I'm bound to be a little protective of her." Zelda sighed amusedly and grabbed my arm lightly.

"She's young, Link, but she's smart. Let her be a teenager for once." She began to nudge me in the direction of the Great Hall, away from Lila and Marco.

I gave them one last look before turning away. "She takes after me too much, Zelda. Her acting like a teenager is what scares me." Zelda let out a very unladylike snort of a laugh and continued to pull me up the hill, my bum leg doing its best to keep up with my queen.

Thank you all for reading! Look for more (most likely shorter) Zelink stories from yours truly in the near future!

-brigette (KnT)