Chapter 25: A new start

Link heard someone calling his name and turned to see Zelda, Malon, the other sages, even Ardos and Impa cheering for him.

"You did it, Link!" Zelda congratulated.

"You defeated the Fierce Deity!" Darunia shouted as he noogied Link with his large fist, which was rather painful.

"You're a much better hero than I thought, Link." Nabooru said with a sly grin.

Then, Impa walked up to him and this was a little surprising for Link. His fear for her vanished when she put a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a warm voice. Her voice indicated that she wasn't angry anymore, she seemed very happy.

"I'm sorry for what I did, Link. I should have controlled my anger. If an apology isn't enough, I know this will be. Because you did a deed like that, you're name is cleared. Welcome back to Hyrule."

"It's good to be back, Impa." Link said as he hugged her for the first time.

"Hey! How come they get a hug and I don't?" Ruto asked, tapping her foot.

Link sighed and reluctantly hugged the zora princess. It didn't last too long and Link pulled away before Ruto could try anything else.

"You not only saved Hyrule, but you saved the lives of millions. I'm very proud of you, Link." Saria complimented as she embraced him tightly.

"Thank you." Link said.

Strangely, Ardos didn't say anything to Link. Instead, the Kokiri went off to the forest without a word. Saria tried to go after him, but Link held her shoulder.

"No, Saria. Let him go. This is his problem, so he has to deal with it." Link advised, having gone through it a few days ago.

Just when Link thought he had everyone's compliments, Malon embraced him so tightly, Link thought his ribs would break.

"Oh, Link, I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused. I...killed a man and almost killed you just to see my mother and get revenge." Malon wept.

Link put a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, it's not your fault. Vaati tricked you, but you must heed what I say now. Your mother will always be with you. I'll bet she's in the heavens right now, looking down at you." Link said calmly.

Malon felt a little better, but one last thing was still in her mind.

"Listen, about what I said about Zelda a few weeks ago...I didn't mean it. I-I didn't mean to sound jealous and I don't want her dead either."

Before Malon could continue, Link silenced her and spoke in the warmest voice Malon ever heard him speak.

"Malon, no matter how much I love Zelda, you'll always be special to me. Who knows? Maybe there's someone out there for you."

After a good group hug, the spirit of Chakashi appeared in front of everybody. It almost looked like Chakashi had come back from the dead, but he had a glowing white outline.

"Congratulations, Link. You really are a true hero. You destroyed evil and found the strength of your heart." He congratulated, "As a reward, I'll give you all a fresh start on what happened in the past few weeks."

"You'd do that?" Link asked.

"I may not come back, but I will give you a chance to make up for what you did in the past. Those of you who helped save Hyrule, you will always remember. But for everyone else, this event is best forgotten." Chakashi told them.

He hovered into the air, raised his hands above his head, and a blinding white light appeared. The light began to spread around Hyrule Field like water and the group of friends could've sworn they were lifted right off their feet. The light engulfed everything and then it all vanished.

When the light cleared, Link was on his back gazing at the sky of Hyrule. Epona started nuzzling him and Link chuckled. He gave his horse a carrot and then remembered everything. Link had to make sure it wasn't just a dream and reached into his sack. He felt some things in there and pulled out the Goron's Armor, the Dragon Mask, the Eagle's eye, and the Magic gills. Then he felt something else. It was small and made of wood from Deku wood. He pulled it out and saw that it was a lifelike, wooden carving of himself. It had Link carved into it and it had the words "The hero who saved Hyrule" written into it.

"Chakashi." Link said in realization, "I'll never forget you."

He held the wooden block close and made a necklace out of it later. He decided to go get some milk from Lon-Lon ranch for his breakfast. He went to the ranch and found Malon working peacefully and did the things he meant to do. He got his welcome, milk, and hugs from the farm girl and got back to his daily schedule. It was good to see that she wasn't trying to kill him anymore.

Link knew that Vaati was still out there and wasn't destroyed or wiped of memory. Link had to concentrate on the now. If danger would come, he'd be ready for it.

Link spent the rest of the day spending time with his close friends- A Goron, a Zora, a Gerudo, a Sheikah, a Kokiri, and the princess of his dreams. He spent the rest of the few weeks he wasted with a good start on a good life.

Suddenly, Link saw something move in a bush, but it moved too quickly for him to see. He did manage to make out silver hair and purple clothing. He knew, however, that it wasn't Vaati. Upon inspection of the bush, there was nobody there. He then decided it was nothing and continued with his otherwise happy life. Link would continue to have great adventures, but that's another story.

THE END!

And that's a wrap, folks. I hope you stick around for more. I'll just take a little break to re-fuel my imagination tanks and I'll be right with ya.

Dimensiondude.