PREVIOUSLY: By revisiting memories, Link learned of the dark spirit that was released after he touched the Master Sword. Instead of defeating it immediately, he had avoided it, allowing the spirit to grow in strength over the years until it was able to inhabit his father's corpse. It's torment or challenging of Link ended at Blatchery Plain as Link faced off against his darker self, but in his weakened state, Link fell as he defended Zelda. In the present, he took her a field of Silent Princess flowers as proof of her awesome power and strength, and in the end, she said she felt ready to face the Zoras.
SPOILER WARNING: This chapter contains references to Memory 18 "The Master Sword"
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Title: It All Must Start With Us
Chapter 21: What Happens Next
Author: Sailor Song
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"That went better than I expected," Zelda stated as she looked back to the Inogo Bridge and gave a little wave. Link turned to see Prince Sidon still waving excitedly. "It was nice of him to escort us this far," she added.
"I think that was more for his benefit than ours," Link replied, waving to the Zora before turning back to his companion. "So, the talks with the Zoras went well overall?"
"They were... lively," she said cautiously. "The king and prince were kind, but Muzu… It went better than the Hylians anyway. Did you enjoy swimming up waterfalls?"
After their initial introductions, or reintroductions in many cases, Link had spent much of his time in Zora's Domain securing the perimeter by defeating monsters that had been sent there to terrorize the Zoras into not assisting him. Sidon had wanted to help, but Dorephan had held his son back to learn the workings of political negotiations.
"Oh yes," he said as he stretched his bruised arm. "You know what I really enjoyed? The waterbed."
"Hmm... Did you now?"
He grinned at her. She knew well enough that he did. Aside from their inspection of Vah Ruta, the only time they had together was when they spent the night in the chambers reserved for the Hylian royal family visits.
They continued on to there next destination in relative peace, but not far from the Woodland Stable, Link felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand up. Something was wrong; it was far too quiet, especially for an area filled with travelers. He drew his sword and nodded for Zelda to do the same. Then, the ominous sound of deep laughter filled the air, and in a flash of red and black, a Yiga blademaster appeared. Instead of attacking, however, it waited with its sword at the ready.
"Impossible," Zelda whispered to Link. "The Gerudo have the surviving members in captivity."
He must have overheard her because he said, "Stupid girl, the Yiga are many, and we will not be stopped in our mission to resurrect Ganon."
"Calamity Ganon has been sealed," Link yelled. "Your tribe has failed, but you can change your ways. You can have a new life; you don't have to throw everything away."
Despite Link's words, the Yiga raised his Windcleaver sword, making it clear where he stood before adding, "Our king will return."
Link let out an unhappy grunt, instructing Zelda, "Stay on your guard," before walking forward. There was not time to transport to a different location, and while the stasis rune would make his fight easier, he felt better keeping it with her.
The fight began simply, although Link held back to give the Yiga one last opportunity to switch allegiances. A mistake he soon realized, as a coordinated effort was soon revealed when a second Yiga blademaster joined his fight and a Yiga footsoldier took Zelda hostage with a Vicious Sickle.
The first Yiga laughed. "Your kindness will be her downfall," it said to him.
Link ran the Master Sword through the chest of the second blademaster, and turned to the first. "Underestimating her strength will be yours."
In that moment, Zelda stomped her foot down on top of the footsoldier, and once it was stunned, she snapped her elbow back, connecting with the face beneath the white and red mask. As she escaped its clutches, it reached out to grab her, only managing to catch a handful of her hair to keep her in range. Without a second thought, Zelda swung around with her sword, and drove the rapier into the chest of the enemy.
Seeing she was safe, Link turned back to his own fight and made quick work of his opponent. He knelt down as his foe took his dying breaths and removed the Yiga mask, revealing a young man who looked very much like any one of Link's Sheikah friends with his red eyes and silver-white hair. Link said kindly to him, "I'm sorry it had to come to this."
"The seal will be broken," he said. "Ganon will-" His remaining words were cut off by blood entering his mouth, and with a cough, he rattled out his final breath and died.
Link sighed at the loss of life as he cleaned his sword He looked for Zelda, who he found over at Pico Pond, and before he joined her, he shot a couple of fire arrows at the bodies, which quickly ignited and turned the corpses to ash. It had easier back when the Blood Moon reanimated the dead so they only disappeared temporarily, but he definitely preferred having to take this extra step.
He found Zelda kneeling at the water's edge, staring at her reflection while still clutching her sword. As she turned to look at him, he could see that part of her hair had been cut at a diagonal slant from the move she had made to free herself from the Yiga.
"Did you get hurt?" she asked, indicating his stomach. He pulled his tunic to see splotches of blood.
"Oh, no, it was the Yiga…" he tried to explain, but couldn't finish. He walked to the water and quickly wiped it clean before glancing back at her, his eyes focused on her odd hair. "Zelda, I'm sorry. I should have known there would be more-"
"How could you?" she asked, her voice much calmer than he had expected. "I never told you all of the details of what happened to the Yiga after we freed you. I was trying to protect you."
He reached out and touched the part of her that had been severed in the fight. "It'll grow back," he said, trying to come up with some way to be reassuring.
"Yes," she said, reaching for him. She was reaching dangerously close to his *AHEM* sword, but before he realized what she was doing, she pulled away with his short dagger in her hand. "Yes, it will," she said as she grabbed her hair below the neck, and with her other hand, made one swift motion, slashing the blonde locks off from bottom to top.
She looked down in the pond, fixing little flyaways and uneven spots, before turning to him. Her eyes showed her uncertainty as she asked him, "Well?"
He held out his hand, running his fingers through the shorter hair before replying, "It's beautiful, Zelda. I love it!"
"You do? So do I!" she said, and then surprised him by jumping into his arms, knocking them both into the water with a loud splash, leading to an impromptu swim.
… … …
After the Yiga attack, they decided to just transport directly to the shrine in the middle of the Great Hyrule Forest. They didn't want to give in to the terrorist group by taking the shortcut, but not knowing how many more might be out there or what the Yiga's endgame was, they decided that fast travel was the better option.
They were greeted by their old friend, who listened intently as they filled him in on everything that had happened since Zelda had sought refuge for her broken hero in the Lost Woods.
"Well done, the both of you," the Great Deku Tree said after the pair recounted all of their recent adventures. "Much has changed since I last laid my ancient eyes upon you."
"We should have visited sooner," Zelda said, who looked to Link.
He gave a nod. "The memory recall has been time consuming, although I'm not sure what more I have to gain from this last one." He turned to Zelda, and added, "I assume you've already told me what you meant to say?"
She blushed a little and said, "I thought that was clear."
The Deku Tree, in his wise voice, said, "Love is always more powerful than anything, Princess. You proved that for one hundred years with unwavering devotion and faith in Link. And you, Hero, are well-matched. Whatever happens next, your greatest strength and advantage is each other."
They thanked him for all of his assistance and looked to their destination. This memory, the last memory, was a large, golden circle of light that completely surrounded the triangular pedestal where Link first found the Master Sword. Hand in hand with his princess, he wondered what this last memory could possibly reveal. They stepped into the light together, as they had countless times before, but this time nothing happened. At least, nothing happened right away. The golden light began pulsating, moving in and out, in and out, until it came to rest inside of the sword's resting place.
Link gave a jerk as the realization dawned on him what he needed to do.
"I have to surrender it," he told her. "The sword."
"I suppose it is over after all," Zelda replied.
He pulled the Master Sword from its scabbard, and held it out. Placing it in the pedestal seemed… wrong. This just didn't feel like the end, but like Zelda, he had not heard its playful chime in some time. Maybe it was time for the sword to sleep.
Zelda must have sensed his reservations, because she gently placed her hand over his. "When you're ready, we'll do it together."
He nodded, and turning the blade downwards, they both slid it down into its resting place. When it came to rest with a *clank*, everything around them went dark, and they could hear Zelda's voice say, "Your master will come for you. Until then, you shall rest safely here."
The scene began to develop, but they were no longer in the Deku Tree's grove of the Great Hyrule Forest. Instead, they were in the middle of the Zonai ruins of the Faron Region, except that the ruins were more like functional structures of a living society of people.
Standing outside of the gaping jaws of a stone dragon, a pair of soldiers in Hyrulian livery appeared to be grossly out of place amidst the jungle and stone structures. Just beyond them, kneeling in a pool of water, a young girl with long blonde hair had her head bowed and her eyes closed in prayer.
"Wait, that's not you," Link said suddenly.
"No…" Zelda said staring. "I think it is the princess we met at the Temple of Time. She's just slightly younger."
The girl stood and looked up with a gasp, whispering, "Who is there?" For a second, the pair thought she was seeing and talking to them, until they heard a noise from up above. Turning, they found a shadow high above. It lowered itself down a vine and landed silently in the water, and in the light they could see it was in fact a young man dressed in barbarian garb. "You came back!"
He lifted his head, causing his red mane blowing slightly which allowed hints of blond locks underneath to become visible. His eyes, startling green-blue orbs, pierced through the skull helmet as he looked at the golden princess. "Hear story. More please?"
She smiled at him, and after pulling him up to the platform where the goddess statue stood, she began to tell a story of a past princess and her hero using golden magic to create images. As she told the tale, he watched it all in awe, especially when…
"This is the legendary sword I spoke of before," she said after she had created a vision of a hero pulling what looked to be the Master Sword from a pedestal. "Link, you told me you were adopted by a Zonai family. I think you are a Hylian, and I think it is possible that you might be the reincarnation of the Hero of Legend."
"I… I no Hylian, no hero," he replied. "I a Zonai."
"I know," she said to him, pressing her hand against his chest. "But here, in your heart, I think you have a destiny to fight alongside me to defeat a terrible evil that will destroy everything and everyone: Hylians, Sheikah, Gerudos, Zoras, Gorons, Ritos, and Zonais."
He thought this through before finally asking, "How know?"
She let out a breath and gave a sad smile. "Let your eyes just fall upon the Sword that Seals the Darkness. If I'm wrong about you, then nothing will happen and you can return here to your people."
"You still visit me?"
This time, her smile was pure. "Yes, of course. No matter what happens, I will still come to visit you, Link."
He was quiet again, turning his head to look up at the statue of the Goddess. "Show me sword."
…
The next scene opened on a slightly older Link, no longer wearing his barbarian armor, having traded it for a green tunic similar to those once worn by the heroes of legend. He had finished a training session, and having soundly beaten a whole squad of knights, he sat amidst the lot of them, cleaning his sword.
"Link!"
He looked up, eyes bright with excitement, to see the princess standing on the ramparts overlooking the training yard. With only a few leaps, he quickly closed the gap between them, and sat on the wall beside her.
"Good morning, Princess Zelda," he greeted. "Are you ready to travel?" Though he was no longer using broken Hylian, there was still a small hint of an accent when he spoke.
"I am," she said with a glance around him to the soldiers who were groaning in the courtyard. "Are you sure you are up to it?"
"Oh yes," he replied looking down. "That was just a little warm up." There was nothing boastful about his response. He was as genuine and excitable as a Hylian Retriever.
"Wonderful. Then let us go. The Sheikah are expecting us."
Link scrunched up his face in dissatisfaction. "It feels wrong. These mechanenes they are building seem unnatural."
"Machines," she corrected, "and I thought you would be happy for the assistance."
"My people use powerful magicks, not science and technology," he replied. Zelda seemed a little hurt by his words, and he picked up on it instantly. "Apologies. Hylians are my people. You… are my people."
At this, she gave him a smile, and with her hands clasped behind her back, she said in a sing-songy way, "They said they are working on a special Divine Beast for you."
"Will it be a dragon?" he asked in awe, but she only shook her head and laughed. "Whatever it is, I hope it roars."
…
The next few segments of memories from the past showed the battle between Link, Zelda, the Guardians, and the Divine Beasts. It seemed to rage on, and yet, it ended all too quickly. They saw the Guardians disappear with the incarnation of Ganon, they watched the princess falling ill as her spirit had described before, and they watched as the hero placed his Zelda in the Shrine of Resurrection. They saw him travel around, trying to solve the mystery of the Triforce. They watched as he broke down when he was informed that his princess would still be asleep long after his death.
The visions finally slowed, and the pair found themselves in the Forgotten Temple, standing behind a dirty man who was busy carving a pictorial record into the stone walls.
"-nk. Link. LINK!"
He jerked, his attention pulled away by a Sheikah woman stood behind him impatiently with crossed arms.
"What?" he asked gruffly as he turned back to his task.
"We need you," she replied. "Hyrule needs you."
He gave a huff. "Busy."
"Fine. Then we need the sword."
He mumbled something, and when she asked him to clarify, he yelled, "I DON'T HAVE IT!" There was a silence as large as the cavernous temple they stood in before he spoke again. "I don't have it. The sword rejected me, so I put it back."
"That is unfortunate," she told him. "We would still benefit from your assistance. Your presence would raise the spirits of the troops."
He turned back to his work. "You don't need me."
"She needs you," the Sheikah said, causing him to stop what he was doing. She sat down next to him. "I've been betrayed. There is a secret order within my people that has been trying to resurrect Ganon. If they succeed, they will have all of the secrets of the Sheikah including-"
"The Shrine of Resurrection."
She nodded, confirming his suspicion. "Think it over. Because your little art project may not mean very much if we fail to stop his return."
…
The battle raged on in Hyrule Field. On one side stood Gerudos, Yiga, Moblins, Bokoblins, Lynels, Lizalfoes, and Hinoxes, while on the other were Hylians, Sheikah, Zoras, Gorons, and Ritos along with a few of the Guardians. The latter side was clearly outmatched, and as they began to fall back to the castle, their leader turned when a loud noise was heard coming from the trees.
"What is that?" a Goron asked.
The Sheikah woman from the temple turned and peered. Emerging from the forest's edge, she could see a line of barbarian-clad warriors moving towards them.
"He came," she replied with a smile. "WARRIORS, TURN BACK! Reinforcements have arrived!"
As the combatants met the monsters on the rear, the battle-worn races of Hyrule clashed once more in heated combat. This time, however, the newcomers each seemed to fight with the strength of ten men as they used a mix of crude weaponry with magical charms. One in particular was especially effective, dual-wielding with broadswords to take down foe after foe with ease. He wore fur boots and gauntlets, a loin cloth and vest, a skull with flowing red hair, and body paint decorating much of his exposed, chiseled frame.
The Sheikah woman fought her way to him, casually saying mid-combat, "You're late."
He looked to her, his blue-green eyes flashing wildly. "I needed to finish my 'art project,'" he replied.
As the battle wore on, Link turned to Zelda. "I thought he wrote he was an old man when he created those images in the temple."
Zelda looked at him sadly. "He lied. I think he knew he was going to his death."
The ground began to shake, and a large, black horse with a vibrant, orange mane thundered towards the center of the fray. Upon its giant back sat a rider clad in dark armor. The man, a Gerudo, had long, fiery, red hair and in his hand, a black trident with which he plowed through the fighters of all types as though they were nothing.
Although they'd never seen anything like him before, both Link and Zelda knew his name. "Ganondorf."
"Ganondorf," Link's past counterpart growled, giving his swords a twirl with a flick of his wrists. "He's mine."
He rushed forward towards his target, and once spotted, the rider steered his monstrous horse towards him, dismounting in a quick motion, landing with a thunderous pound that shook the earth.
"Hero!" the huge man called out. "I told you I would return."
"H-how?" Link asked. "I stabbed you through the chest with the Master Sword. Princess Zelda sealed you away."
"Yes, where is she? Your Zelda?" When Link didn't answer, the dark king continued on. "I already know. I'll be paying her a visit after I finish with you, if you'd like me to bring you along. Or, at least your corpse."
At this, the hero lunged at the villain while yelling angrily in a language neither Link nor Zelda understood. While they watched the pair clashed in battle, the memory vision did them a favor by pushing forward to show that as the sun began to set, the fight continued on.
The warring all around had ended, and now, the leaders of the great races of Hyrule watched their hero losing ground to the King of Evil.
"We have to do something. He can't keep this up forever," the Sheikah woman from before told the others. "He doesn't have the sword, and there is no Triforce. There is only one possible outcome: Link will die and Ganondorf will end."
"Let's join the fight," the Goron interjected, punching its fist into its palm.
"I agree," a Hylian male spoke. "The six of us can help the hero like the sages did in the legends."
All of them agreed one by one. First the Sheikah, then the Goron, the Hylian, the Zora, and the Rito. They all looked to the last of their group, the Gerudo, whose reservation was evident.
"Ganondorf is the king of my people," she argued. "If we fail… you don't understand the vengeance he will enact upon them."
"We have to try," the Rito argued.
"She's right," the Sheikah woman begrudgingly admitted. "Whatever we do, we must succeed."
The Gerudo came around. As they started to strategize, a small, yet powerful voice interrupted them. "I help." They all turned to find a small Zonai girl, adorned with golden jewelry in the style of her people.
"Princess, you are the last ruler of your people. We could not ask-"
The tiny princess put up her hand. "Hyrule need help. Link need help. I help."
They agreed, but only that she stay back until the last moment, and they positioned themselves around the dueling duo. As they lifted their hands in prayer to the goddesses of old, light shone down upon them in different colors. Red, green, gold, orange, purple, or blue beamed down on each of the six, and Link, sensing something had changed, charged forward and knocked his foe on his back. As the Gerudo began to regain his feet, Link, clearly exhausted, charged forward with his last sword, but his momentum was stopped by the evil king's spear penetrating the hero's chest.
"Now!" the Sheikah woman yelled to the Zonai princess, but she needed to no signal as she was already dashing forward to join her brother in arms. As Link spat up blood, he, the Zonai girl, and the six warriors began to glow a haunting green as they chanted two words over and over in their own languages. Two words, spoken over and over as a prayer on the wind, caused the King of Evil let out a horrified scream.
… … …
The memory ended suddenly, confounding Link as he adjusted to being back in his time. Zelda too seemed confused by it all, putting her arm around his waist as she sought the warmth of her husband.
"What did you see?" the Great Deku Tree asked of them. After they explained the story to the best of their ability, it replied, "Oh, yes. I was but a sapling in those days. That battle marked the beginning of the end for the Zonai tribe and the start of renewed relations between Gerudo and the other peoples of Hyrule."
"Do you know what happened next?" Link asked. "Why show us this?"
It was at that moment that the Sheikah Slate rang that there was an update.
** Mysterious Voice - Sacred Grounds **
You and Princess Zelda have relived memories of your past so that you might create a record to guide Hyrule in the future so that future generations might avoid your missteps.
If you are up for a new, much more difficult challenge, I task you with trying to pull the Master Sword once again. If you are worthy and the princess is willing, you both will travel to the ruins of Thyphlo. There, I will reveal to you that which I know.
Complete
** Memories revisited: 19/19 **
"What do you want to do?" Zelda asked after they had read it together a few times.
Link shook his head. "I don't know," he said, repeating it again. "I don't know. We just got our lives back, but if that man, Ganon, Ganondorf, whatever, if he returns… Hyrule just can't handle it right now."
"Maybe," Zelda said, taking him by the hand, "maybe we just start with the sword and see what happens next."
… … …
Both Zelda and Link bore a torch as they walked through the darkness. Though Link had been here before, this time there was something even more eerie about the Thyphlo Ruins. After making quick work of the Hinox, thanks in part to the Master Sword, they doused the light of their torches and allowed their eyes to adjust to the light coming from the green glow of a few Luminous Stones scattered about the area. A flicker of green pulled first Zelda's attention and then his own.
"You came." The voice of the spirit was not at first recognizable until he neared, and all at once, Link knew exactly who it was.
"Dad?"
The ghost gave a nod. "You freed me when you destroyed your darkness one hundred years ago, but I could not appear to you before your near death. When you awoke, I worried that your memories of me might not make sense, derailing you from your mission. That's why I waited until you had the princess by your side, so she could offer you some context and support for what you would see."
At this, Zelda spoke up. "I should have told you, Link. I should have-"
"No, no," Link said, putting his hands on her face, gently cupping her jaw. "If I had known more, it might have altered my understanding of what we went through. It all played out exactly as it should, and I wouldn't change it. No regrets."
"You mean it?"
"I'll take the pain every time." With one last reassuring smile to her, he turned back to his father. "So tell me father, why are you still here? I'm grateful for the reunion, but all of the others have passed on. Do you have some unfinished business I, uh, we can help you with?"
"Yes, but it's not all my unfinished business," he said, turning his attention to Zelda. "Princess, did Nack tell you about the texts he tried to have you give to Link?"
"Not really."
"I thought not. Although my body had been fully possessed at that point by Dark Link, my consciousness, this spirit you see now, was along for the ride. There was only one time I was able to break through, and it was to tell Colonel Nack to take the books to Link. The problem was, I hadn't realized that the trust between us all had been so corroded that he would be afraid to deliver them directly to you, Link."
Link scratched his fingers through his hair. "What were they about?"
"Information about the past hero. I had told you I would research the sword for you, and I did. Before my death, I found those books hidden deep in the records. They spoke of the secrets in a forgotten temple and here in Thyphlo Ruins. I wanted to help you on your mission, but since I didn't know where the temple was, I led a mission to investigate the ruins. Before we could get there, the squad I was with was set upon, and, well, you know the rest."
There was a rumble, causing both Link and Zelda to look at one another, and they turned to see the nearby shrine go dark. After Link quickly lit their torches, they watched as it began to sink into the ground. Little did they know, across the land of Hyrule all of the towers, pillars, shrines, and Divine Beasts began to disappear from sight. It did not take long before every single Sheikah creation that had once dotted the landscape was now gone.
"It's already in motion," his father said, and Link noticed for the first time that the spirit was beginning to fade. "Quickly, you must start by digging up the area at the center of the six dragons. Below it you will find a map and an item you will need."
"Dad, wait. Can't you stay?"
"I'm sorry, son, my time is up. I have no unfinished business left." He embraced his son, and as he pulled away, said, "I'm so proud of you. Both of you," he said, turning to Zelda before giving a bow. "This next obstacle will test your relationship more than ever before. Stay strong," he said as he disappeared. "I believe in you."
After some searching, Link and Zelda succeeded in finding the circular dragon sculptures. In the center of them was a Luminous Stone ore, but as they dug further down, they found a stone chest. It was different from all others, set with a variety of gems. Inside they indeed found a map and a few other objects they couldn't quite discern in the darkness.
"Where do we go next?" Link asked, giving the Sheikah Slate a smack. "It looks like fast travel is no longer an option."
"That's a pity," Zelda replied, looking it over. "We could head to the castle, I suppose. That way we can research and collect supplies. And we could…"
… … …
CENTURIES UPON CENTURIES LATER:
In a long distant Hyrule, a young boy with blue eyes was handed a book containing stories of the Hero of Legend. Like any energetic, easily distractible child, he tossed it on his bed and ran outside to play with his wooden sword. A few years later, right after he had a dream of a beautiful woman in white, his home was destroyed by a monster attack. As he scavenged for anything worth selling, he found a dusty old book that had fallen under his bed years before. Opening it, he found a greeting that seemed to be addressed to him:
"Hero of Hyrule,
"If you can read this message, you have been called to serve a purpose greater than yourself. Seek out one called Zelda, for she is your destiny. You must trust each other, and have faith in one another's abilities, even if the rest of Hyrule doubts you. You must also trust in yourself and your own instincts.
"It is within you to save the kingdom from evil, something which you will not face without aide. Many clues and gifts were left for your return, and most important of all, the Sword that Seals the Darkness awaits you, longing to be held by its master's hand once more. Face all obstacles as they arise, and remember that courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten.
"Blessing of the Goddess Hylia to your in your quest,
"The Hero of the Wild"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I had actually considered cutting Zelda's hair a while ago, and the trailer sealed the deal. Also, I had to pay homage to Howl's Moving Castle with the haircut dialogue. BOTW was very inspired by Studio Ghibli, and while many have made comments about Princess Mononoke and Castle in the Sky, there are several other easter eggs, including Sophie in Hateno's Vestest Clothing Boutique. She is absolutely a reference to the main character of Howl's Moving Castle, one of my favorite books of all time! :)
As for the rest… well, what do you think?
One entry (an epilogue) to go!