Chapter 25: The Seeds of Tomorrow

"You leaving Slone?" Link asked as he held out a hand. The King of Cairebre looked at Link's outstretched hand and grasped it firmly, shaking it. He was no longer dressed in armor but clothes fitted for a King that was away from his country.

"Yeah, now that our duel is settled and the War officially called off I need to go home and turn Cairebre back into the peaceful country it was before but better." He said taking his hand back.

"I guess that was the deal then. It'll be a shame Slone. It looks like you'll be busy for the coming years." Link said with a smile, but deep down he was disappointed that he won't be seeing his new friend for a long time.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going to be able to come visit anytime soon. So instead I want you to have something; the armor I fought you in." he said handing a heavy wooden box to Link. He looked inside to see everything; the armor, helmet, shield, and even the sword.

"You sure? I told you I'm done being a warrior. I am officially retired now." Link said trying to offer the gift back; however Slone pushed it back into Link gently.

"I'm sure. I have no need of it; but I do think you're going to need it someday, Link. You are a hero, and a hero always has a duty to perform. You will need this to perform that final duty." The King said with a smile, forcing back tears. Link reluctantly accepted the gift. "So Good-Bye everyone." Slone said as he left, leaving Link to look down upon the armor.

Several months later…

Hyrulian Calendar: Early 425 A.H.

"Are you sure about this Link? You can continue to live in the castle." Zelda asked as she nervously rubbed her elbows with her hands. It was a cold day in this particular early part of winter had just recently ended. Link looked at the Queen of Hyrule, her daughter Aryll and his son; Raldo. He had decided to stay at the castle with Zelda and Aryll. It was already obvious there was some chemistry forming between him and Aryll. Link, Romani and Zelda all knew this; they could see it in the young people's eyes; they were in love even though they hadn't caught that glitter in each other's eyes yet. Link nodded to Zelda's question.

"Yes; we're sure Zelda. Your hospitality has been generous beyond the words 'Thank You' but I can't stand this hero worship in town. And it's not like we don't know where we're going." He said with a smile.

"You mean you're going to look for Kokiri Forest? You know they probably left the forest, right?" Zelda said.

"No; I know they are probably gone and even if they are there I'm sure they wouldn't accept us or even believe I'm the Link they all knew from so many years ago. I was an outcast when I was living there anyway. The area that Lon Lon Ranch moved to have apparently cleared out since there was gorge and it made transportation to town difficult. But thankfully the bridge that we ordered to be made by the carpenters is almost finished, so we're going to move in now."

"I know that Link. But you could wait till the bridge is done." She said annoyed.

"We talked about that Your Highness." Marin interrupted. "But we want to already start settling and I want to look into the area's unusual spring."

"Oh yes; you told me about that spring. Didn't you say that you suspect there is a powerful spirit residing there?"

"Yeah, I've found there are several other springs like it throughout Hyrule. I'm wondering if they are connected in some way. So I want to inspect it further plus Dad doesn't like the city." She said briefly looking at her father.

"What of your singing career, honey? You're just going to give that up for this?" Romani asked her daughter.

"Mom; its okay! I'm not giving that up. I'll still be doing touring through Hyrule but I want to look into that spring more closely." Marin explained. Romani gave her daughter a skeptical look and sighed in frustration and defeat. Link stepped forward and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"It's alright. I'm sure both our children have a secure future ahead of them." He said reassuringly as he looked to his family and friends. He then looked to Zelda and nodded in thanks. "Well, we'll be seeing you around!" he said as he, Romani, and Marin walked away and towards their carriage.

The End

Author's Note: Very short "last chapter" that concludes this story. However there is one more for the story; the Epilouge!