Welcome to Chapter 28 of Before the Wild. This...didn't go as planned. Originally, I was going to have Zelda and Link take the time to celebrate her birthday, but...as I wrote, it became clear to me that Zelda's character in the story isn't one to take such a break when she thinks the world is ending soon. So the filler I wanted to apply here is now actual plot, but...I think the last chapter was good enough. So we're keeping to the story, and as you can tell based on the title, shit gets real.

But before you get to that part, you will encounter the last moment of peace between Link and Zelda. I hope you enjoy it, and I'll see you guys for Chaptetr 29.


Zelda

Zelda didn't remember much of her first five birthdays, but she was sure they were royally extravagant for the young sole heir of the Hyrule line. She might have started the day opening gifts from the various nobles of Castle Town, the Hylian provincial leaders, the non-human races, and from her parents. She might have had a huge dinner in her name with her favorite foods before a monstrous cake just for her day was brought out. She might have made a wish before blowing out the candles. Her wishes those days might have been simple. "I wish for a unicorn." "I wish for Impa to get married to Sheik." "I wish to be a wise queen like my mother."

Those days were gone the moment she turned six. Queen Tetra had passed, and no matter what the servants did that rainy day, nothing could cheer the grieving princess. The seventh was much like the first five, but without Queen Tetra, it wasn't the same. The ninth, the tenth, to the sixteenth, Zelda had all but celebrated her own birthday. It was the only day her father allowed her to not worry about training and prayer, but her own work never ceased. She researched, she trained with Impa, she treated it like any other day of the year. There was no time to waste when the fate of Hyrule was in question. For nine birthdays, she treated it as if Calamity Ganon could show up on the same day.

It was minutes after she was born that Rhoam was made aware of Calamity Ganon. It would be poetic justice for Hyrule's doomsday to be the same day.

It was 2:34 am, according to the Sheikah Slate. The Princess had snuck away from Link's home and walked through the slumbering town of Hateno up to a hilltop overlooking the bay and the town, with a decrepit lighthouse at its cliff. Zelda found a spot leading up to the lighthouse, sitting on the edge as she gazed at the peak of Mount Lanayru. Her thoughts on the matter were bothering her, that at any moment Calamity Ganon could return, and she had a bad feeling it could be today of all days. But if she could make it to the peak, pray for a few hours, and possibly receive the power she needs, she might feel better. Link would be against it, as he thinks she needs to relax on her birthday, but...ever since her dream, Zelda couldn't do just that.

Her hero was going to be pissed that she left, but she left a note explaining that she had to do this, even if it was just a precaution. But it had to be done. She had a plan to get to the peak and had packed accordingly to keep herself safe and warm. To move quickly, she would warp her way from her current position to a pine tree on the mountain, and use Farore's Wind to move to the next landmark until she was within walking distance of the fountain.

Standing to her feet, she checked herself one more time, then faced the distant tree, imagining herself beside it. However, her magic detected another presence nearby, one so familiar and one she wanted to avoid. She immediately stopped what she was doing, thinking he was going to stop her. Instead, a warm hand slipped into hers. Zelda opened her eyes, turning to the blue-eyed warrior in confusion. "Link?"

"I'm coming with. Can't let you freeze your ass alone, can I?"

"But...why aren't you stopping me?"

"You aren't the only one who feels uneasy. You fear Calamity Ganon as much as I do, but what I fear more is that you… So if there's needs to be another way, I want to help find it." Link turned to Mount Lanayru, biting his lips apprehensively. "The Triforce...could it...save us if we find it?"

Zelda frowned, processing what Link stated. All these years, Zelda and Rhoam had depended on her power that no one thought to seek the ultimate power. But if it did even exist, where would they begin to look? "I...never considered the Triforce. But do we have time?"

Link shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, we've been losing time for the last seventeen years." Zelda sighed, looking back to the pine tree. Whether or not they could find the Triforce, Zelda knew that the Spring of Wisdom was just across the mountain. She tightened her grip on Link's hand and focused on bringing them closer to the tree.

No matter what it took, she had to get to the spring. "Ready?"

"Ready."


Minutes Later, Third Person

Link stood beside Zelda as she walked to the edge of the Spring of Wisdom. The large statue of Hylia greeted the hero and princess, standing over them patiently for her descendant to dip into her waters. He looked to his princess, seeing her hesitation to begin the ritual. "It is not too late to return to Hateno."

"No. We must do this now. I've already contacted the Champions to meet us at the East Gate of the Lanayru Promenade. I… I must do this." Link nodded, then made a motion to step back and turn away. Zelda quickly grabbed his arm, but she didn't turn to face him. "Link...if I fail...I'm sorry."

"Zelda-"

"I'm sorry that I have...used you as a way to vent my frustrations. I'm sorry that I have mistreated you when you have done no wrong. I'm sorry that your destiny was ever tied to mine."

"Zelda."

"I'm sorry...that I am sending you alone to fight Ganon...and..." Zelda's face was wet with tears now, Link fully turned to face her, raising her head up to him by her chin. She managed to look at him, her grieving eyes failing to hold back her emotions. "If...you...if you fight Ganon and fail...I'm sending you-"

"I will not die."

"You will die, even if you do weaken Ganon, he's immortal. We're not. Without my power, we're all dead. You know that."

"We have the Guardian army. We can fight back for as long as it'll take to find your power."

"I'm sending my own people to die, Link!" Zelda stepped back, her fists tightly coiled, her eyes hard on him. "My father! My friends! Your family! Your friends! My subjects! The Gorons! The Zoras! The Rito! The Koroks! They all will suffer because of me! And yet…" Zelda uncoiled her fingers, her face downcasting but relaxing but still hurt as her tone lowered almost inaudibly. "I could live with my father dying. He's the king, and as king, he will defend his country to his dying breath. Impa, Purah, Robbie, they're Sheikah, dedicated to protecting the realm. I can live with them dying. Urbosa, who is a second mother to me, I could live if she dies. You can call it cruel, but though it will hurt me that they're gone, I can live. I will be fine. But Link, there's one person I can't live without," Zelda looked up to Link, no tears falling, "and that's you Link. I would rather die in your place than live to see your grave."

Link felt his windpipe nearly collapse on itself. He wanted to reach out for her, to tell her to stop saying such ridiculous things, but he couldn't move. He wanted to say the same thing, that he couldn't live without her, but the air was trapped in his lungs. She had said the thing he dreamed of hearing for months without even saying it at all. Or was he misinterpreting her words? Did she love him as a friend, or as more?

"Say something, Link."

The trapped bubble in his lungs finally burst. "I… What are you saying, Zelda?"

Zelda dropped her head again, her hands playing with her necklace. "I...know how you feel about me, Link. How you truly feel. And with that knowledge, I have done you wrong the past week. I noticed after the Spring of Power how you kept distance, so I know that I have done some wrong. But that was because I was confused about what I felt. Now, I know how I feel. Ever since I was eight I never celebrated my birthday in lieu of my destiny, but in this moment when our destiny quickly approaches, you try to stand up to it to give me a birthday a girl deserves. And if destiny wasn't quickly arriving, I would accept it. We would not be here, on this cold mountain. We would be in Hateno, with your family eating a cake, or maybe we could slip away to the beach and take a stroll, or sit on the hill with the lighthouse and gaze at the great sea, wondering just what lies beyond, or look to the sky, wonder what lies above the clouds, or look to the ground, and hypothesize if life is possible underneath. Maybe on that stroll or that sitting this conversation would be better, happier...more romantic." Zelda was now facing the spring, more specifically her ancestor. "But...with everything at hand, I feel this is the last moment of peace I will have with you, so if this is our last moment, then you should know that I do lo-"

"Don't." Link stepped in front of her, one hand caressing her hair, the other in his pocket. "Don't say those until after we beat Ganon. That way, we'll have one thing to smile about in the aftermath. And, if today is to be our 'calm before the storm,' at least let me give this to you." Link took out a small black box from his pocket, handing them to Zelda. "Happy seventeenth birthday, Princess Zelda Nohansen Hyrule."

"Oh, Link…"

"Oh, don't open it now. Save it for later. I think you've procrastinated enough." Zelda nodded, then put the box away. Before Link could leave her side, she reached out for Link, pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you, Link."

"You're welcome, Zelda."


Eleven hours later, Link

Link said nothing as Zelda roused him from his sleep seven hours after she began praying. He said nothing as he gathered their belongings. He said nothing as they spent three hours in the morning fighting the cold to walk down the mountain. He said nothing as they came to the Naydra Snowfield and seeing the four Champions gathered at the East Gate. He said nothing because he knew everything.

Daruk, however, didn't know Zelda as he did, so when they joined their comrades, he asked the question Link couldn't. "Well? Don't keep us in suspense. How'd everything go up there on the mountain?"

Zelda, like Link, hadn't said a word for hours, and Link watched as she continued her silence, only stopping her feet and shaking her head to answer Daruk.

"So you didn't feel anything? No power at all?" Revali said.

"I'm sorry, no."

"Then let's move on," the commanding voice of Urbosa said. "You've done all you could. Feeling sorry for yourself won't be of any help. After all, it's not like your last shot was up there on Mount Lanayru. Anything could finally spark the power to seal Ganon away. We just have to keep looking for that...thing."

"The Triforce...could it...save us if we find it?" That was the only thing Link could come up with as an alternative.

"That's kind of you."

"If I may…" Link's eyes went to his soft-spoken friend, Princess Mipha. Zelda slowly raised her head to meet the other princess, silently granting her unnecessary permission to speak. "I thought you… Well, I'm not sure how to put this into words… I'm actually quite embarrassed to say it. But I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing. You know, what usually goes through my mind… It helps when I think-when I think about-"

The world began to shake, and the six Champions fought to retain their balance. Link, ever mindful of his duty, reach out to Zelda. Revali, the only one who could be balance elsewhere other than land, flapped his wings and took flight. Link, from his position, couldn't truly see the Rito's face, but based on what he could, it didn't look well. He turned to Zelda, and her own face told the story they all knew.

"It's here." Urbosa.

"This is it, then.." Daruk.

"Are you sure?" Mipha.

"Positive." Revali.

"It's awake. Ganon!" Zelda.

"It is time." Link.

They all fearfully stepped back as dark clouds darted across the skies, purple lightning streaking and thunder booming. Being the rock of the group, Daruk turned to Zelda and the rest of the group. "Let's stop wasting time! We're gonna need everything we got to take that thing down! Now Champions! To your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss! Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault! Little guy! You get to Hyrule Castle. You can count on us for support. But it's up to you to pound Ganon to oblivion!"

Link nodded. "I won't fail you. All of you."

Urbosa stepped to Zelda's side, placing her hands on the Hylian's shoulder. "Come. We should go. We need to get you someplace safe."

Zelda shook her head. "No! I'm not a child anymore. I may be much use on the battlefield. There must… There must be something I can do to help!" She turned to Link, hoping he would agree with her. "I can fight with you, Link. It's dangerous to go alone."

Link looked up to the approaching cloud. He should send Zelda elsewhere, to protect her, but...he would need the help, and only Zelda could assist. And maybe, just maybe, her power will come to her on the battlefield. He looked down to her his eyes serious for the first time today. "You stay with me, at all times. Understand?"

"Understood."

"Then we will head to Hyrule Castle...together."

"Together." Link and Zelda shared a nod, then together began to depart from the other Champions. They knew they were rushing headlong into danger, to a fight no one was expecting, to a warzone Hyrule spent seventeen birthdays of Zelda preparing. What they didn't know was that no amount of courage would save them. No display of power would sway the enemy. But wisdom as their final weapon would buy them time, a hundred years' worth of time.

That wisdom, unknown to Zelda the past three hours, was already granted to Zelda.