Finally got this chapter out. It's a long one by normal standards, and...I didn't think this would be hard to write. But once I got close to the end, the feels almost hit... I will say this for the hundredth time, THIS should have been Breath of the Wild's story. Even if it ended with us beating Ganon or Ganon winning and it set the stage for a sequel, the story of 100 years prior should have been the original story. It would make a stronger game than what we played (BOTW is an 8/10, imho.)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. The next one, Despair, will take place just a few hours later and it will be kinda short since Zelda's Awakening is immediately after, and I plan to merge the events of that memory, The Master Sword, and however I do end it into one chapter. Fall Break is coming for me so expect an update in two or three weeks.

There are some revelations to be made. Link's gift to Zelda will be revealed at the end of the story, but at the beginning of this part of the story I hinted that I was giving Zelda her power in a way different from what the game did. I really didn't hide the hints, but in this chapter, it shall be revealed somewhat.

As "Sacredstar Mentor" said in the reviews, prepare for the feels.


Rhoam

"Oh Tetra… Forgive me for what I have done to our child."

Seventeen years ago, Zelda Nohansen Hyrule was born. He remembered every detail of Zelda's birth; the moment Queen Tetra went into labor, the many hours he had to bear her screams, the final pushes she made to expel their child, and the first moment he laid eyes on their heir. He also remembered the first words he said, and now that he reminiscent that moment, it reminded him of another king in Hyrulean history, one who divorced one wife and beheaded another due to his lack of a son, but were given daughters instead.

"I always wanted a son."

An hour later, he knew just why Zelda was born. For the last decade, he did his best to prepare her and Hyrule for Ganon. The Divine Beasts, the Guardians, the Champions, all to prevent his kingdom's destruction. But in his duty as king to protect his world, at the same time he had neglected his duty as a father to protect his daughter. Hard days were all she had known growing up ever since her mother died, but Rhoam didn't know what to do. Tetra was supposed to teach Zelda, guide her, but the damned Yiga… Curse them traitors.

He doesn't remember once where he was anything but commanding of Zelda. She truly had done everything he had asked for her for ten years, slaving for the divine power that was her birthright, yet it evades her all the same. He had put Link at her side, hoping the Hero of Hyrule would inspire and assist, yet that had not only backfired in the beginning, not even their current friendship had any effect. Now, as she made the journey on this day up Mount Lanayru (unaware of Link's previous plan), Rhoam sat in his study alone, praying to every god, goddess, and his wife for forgiveness as he wrote in his journal.

"I have been told my Zelda went to the Spring of Wisdom... This will likely be her last chance. If she is unable to awaken her power at Lanayru, all hope is truly lost. If she comes back without success, then I shall speak kindly with her. Scolding is pointless now. I forced 10 years of training on her... and after all that, it seems her power will stubbornly awaken some other way. Perhaps I should encourage her to keep researching her beloved relics. They may just lead her to answers I can't provide. For now, I sit anxiously, more a father than a king in this moment. I sit and await my daughter's return."

As soon as pen lifted from paper, Rhoam's world was broken.


Rusl

The young recruits assembled around and within the Akkala Citadel, enjoying freedom the afternoon before they are to knighted. At the citadel's top, Rusl stood alone, his eyes on the men and women who in less in a day will join the defense of Hyrule. Next year, had the king not called him up, would have been Link's knighting ceremony. Instead, his son was at home in Hateno with his family and the Princess, while he was here in the shadow of Death Mountain. Rusl didn't think heroes got time off, but when your boss is just as willing to slack off…

"Sir." Rusl turned around, finding himself joined by Lady Ashei, the former personal knight of Queen Tetra, now the leader of the king's special forces. He nodded his head in greeting as she walked up to join him. "You know, I think without the king you're a lonely bastard. Your son left you. You don't visit your family as much. You just...look out to the castle."

"My life has always been at the king's side, ever since he married the then-Princess Tetra and succeeded her father. It would be hard to imagine it without Rhoam. Sure you thought the same with Tetra."

"Yes, Hylia bless her soul."

"If only she was with us now, maybe Zelda would have her power."

"You think the mountain will give us a final answer."

"The goddesses wouldn't abandon us to our demise, would they?"

"We have your son, the Champions, the Divine Beasts, the Guardians. Maybe we don't need Zelda."

"But if we do?"

"...If we somehow win with heavy losses, prepare to live your life without the king, yeah?"

Rusl sighed. Ashei was blunter than she needed to be. He turned his head to the nearly visible peaks of the castle, and almost immediately his feet began to wobble, his vision became shaky, and the sight of a purple haze shooting in the air with a thunderous roar sent a cold, sharp sword into the knight's spine. Panic ensued in the courtyard as the tremors stopped, but the two royal knights still had their eyes pasted on the incoming doom.

"Thy kingdom cometh."


Impa

"Hylia watch over us." The thundering skies that originated from Hyrule Castle now blanketed the skies over Kakariko Village. Within the village, the Sheikah Clan suited up for the day that they had been preparing for seventeen years. On the outside, the trained warriors were calm and determined, but Impa could say that beneath that facade was fear.

She herself was scared. Her sister was to the north, still within her research lab. Her husband was at Hyrule Castle, along with King Rhoam. Zelda and Link were Hylia knows where, as they never arrived last night as they should have. Her hope was that they found themselves at Mount Lanayru in any case and the gods have finally blessed the princess.

"Impa, are you ready?"

Impa turned her head from the castle to the village elder and her mother, Fanadi. "Yes, I am, Mother."

"Good. You will go with the Princess." At this, Impa turned around, in time to see her missing Hero and Princess show up out of the forest. The Princess was in her ceremonial dress and the pair had come from the direction of the Lanayru Promenade, which meant that somehow they had indeed been to the Spring of Wisdom. Relieved to see them safe, Impa stepped up to the horse-riding teenagers.

"Princess, Hero, tell me there's good news." Silence for both Zelda and Link answered her question, to which Impa sighed. The gods had damned them all, or so it seemed. Maybe it wasn't too late but in the meantime… "You ride to Hyrule Castle?"

Link nodded. "Yes. You will join us?"

"Yes."

"Then make it quick, Impa," Zelda commanded. "We must aid the king and the civilians of Castle Town. Link and I must confront Ganon."

Zelda must do what? "Princess, in your condition, there is no way that-"

For the first time in her life, at least when talking to Impa, Zelda's tone became commanding. "I. Will. Confront. Ganon. With. Link. Is that understood?"

For the first time in Zelda's life, Impa (with regret) submitted easily. "Very well, Your Highness."

Zelda looked to Fanadi now. "What are your plans, Lady Fanadi?"

"To join the defense at Fort Hateno, of course."

"Good. Leave some of your warriors here, and send some to the village of Hateno."


6 hours later, Link

"MOVE OUT THE WAY! HER HIGHNESS HAS ARRIVED!" The Knights of Hyrule moved aside the evacuating civilians of Castle Town, making the entrance to the city clear for the Princess, Hero, and Sheikah Guardian. The east gate, according to knights at the Wetland Stable, was the only cleared gate for evacuation; the North and West Gates were already under attack from monsters. The battlefield wasn't quiet either, for Link, Impa and Zelda could see and hear the lasers of the Guardians firing and the resulting explosions that scarred the central field in the darkened land. Impa told the pair that after the test a week ago, Robbie has shipped all available Guardians to Castle Town. Thank Hylia, Link thought as the trio passed the Hyrule Cathedral, that Robbie thought ahead.

Within the city, it was as chaotic as Link could expect. Families were hurriedly shuffled by the Knights of Hyrule towards the eastern gate (in a respectful manner, of course) but some people, particularly of the noble standing, tried their best to get out as quick as possible. The knights, however, didn't discriminate between peasant and noble; LInk knew the procedure for the evacuation as much as any high standing knight that resided in the city, that all civilians of Castle Town were to be treated equally in the evacuation.

Minutes later, Link, Zelda, and Impa were at the junction between the city and the castle. Several knights in armor and Guardians were standing in order, while their leader, dressed with the elaborate decorations of a general, addressed them. "Men, we are at our moment of truth. You know the king's plan as well as I do, that the hero and the princess will confront that swirling swine that caused this hell. Our job is to make sure the way is cleared when they arrive. Some of our brothers and sisters are fighting inside and outside the castle right now, and we must aid them as well! NOW LET'S SHOW THIS MONSTERS WHO THE KNIGHTS OF HYRULE ARE!"

"General Viscen."

The general, Viscen, jumped as Zelda snuck up on him. Link almost cracked a smile at Viscen's surprise, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Your Highness!"

"Where's my father?"

"According to what I have heard, he's making his way to the Sanctum." As he got off Epona to join Zelda, Link looked to the castle, the throne room at the highest position. "Your Majesty, are you going...to confront Ganon? That's not the plan."

"...There should be more Guardians. Those pillars around the castle...they should be releasing reserve Guardians."

"You mean those flying Guardians and the turret Guardians that set themselves up around the castle? They weren't around until those pillars showed up."

Zelda shook her head. "Those are new, but my research...it suggests that there should be a greater number of the machines. But that's beside the point, we have to get to my father. Impa."

"Your Highness."

"Link and I will confront Ganon. I need you to go as I discussed on the way here."

Impa frowned with uncertainty. Link didn't know what Zelda had discussed with Impa, but it was enough to have the powerful Sheikah warrior to leave the battlefield. However, the Sheikah did not argue; instead, she bowed to the Princess. "I will do as I must, but I must ask of you to find him."

Zelda nodded. "We will."

Impa turned to Link, her face hardening. "Hero, you know the task set upon you. Any moment now the Divine Beasts will attack. You must meet Ganon head on, and… Zelda, you must do all you can to seal him away." Impa knew just as well as Link did that Zelda did not have her sealing power, but she was smart enough to not say that in front of Viscen and the soldiers. Zelda was wise enough to only nod back, before placing her left pointing and middle fingers underneath her eye.

"May the shadows protect us."

Impa mimicked the gesture. "And may the truth be that we see each other again." The two women rubbed the fingers downward from the eye, signifying a teardrop before Impa turned and vanished in a flash of light. Now with their minds on defending the castle, Zelda and Link turned to Viscen.

"General, are your soldiers ready?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Good. Sir Link and I will lead, but the Guardians are the main attack force. We will only fight if forced to. Now let's get to our king."


Rhoam, Sanctum

The Sanctum, where 22 years ago Rhoam first sat on the throne beside Tetra as the male sovereign of Hyrule, where any day now Zelda and her king will sit and rule the land. It was the highest point in Central Hyrule, and nearly every high point in Hyrule could pinpoint this exact location of the castle. But today, it wasn't occupied for a royal meeting or a procession, but for a battle between man and beast, light and darkness, a hero and a demon.

Before that can take place, Rhoam must meet with Calamity Ganon.

Rhoam sat on his throne, his large claymore resting between his legs. He stared up to the ceiling of the Sanctum, where a similar smoke-like substance circled. He wondered just where Ganon was, what he was up to, what he was truly planning. Did he really give up on reincarnation as the stories said?

Rhoam, tired of waiting, stood up. "Ganon! Show yourself!"

The smoke fell into a fine line to the floor on the lower level of the Sanctum. As more of it fell, it began to take form. That form was nowhere close to human; Rhoam had heard stories that Ganon used to be a Gerudo man before becoming a monstrosity, and it was that monstrosity that appeared before him. It was pig-like, with tusks protruding from its mouth; he stood on two hooves, his other limbs shaped as large hands. Staring back at Rhoam was a pair of molten gold eyes.

And he could speak. "So you are the latest fool in Daphne's lineage."

Daphne Hyrule, the Unification King in the Era of Time. "I am he. You must be Ganon."

"One of my many names. Ganon. Ganondorf. Calamity Ganon. Prince of Thieves. King of Evil. Demon King. Demise. Whatever favors you." Rhoam joined the demon on his level, sword in his hands. He had no confidence he could actually fight Ganon, but he could see the amusement on his adversary's face. "You raise your blade against me?"

"I do."

"Why?"

"I must understand why you so desire to destroy the world."

Ganon snorted. "You wish to understand me? To understand that after centuries of reincarnation, centuries of an endless cycle of death and destruction, you want to know why I wish to end it all? It is simple. It is because I hate them. I hate the divine bloodline and unbreakable warriors. I hate her and I hate him. I wish to destroy all they love, all that they cherish, all that they know… I am Hatred and Malice, and you can blame that on your precious Hero and Princess. For as long as I am around, there will be a Zelda and a Link, and to destroy the world destroys them. That is why I do as I must…. So… Where are they?"

"They'll be here soon enough, and they will beat you...as they have again and again."

Ganon smiled, then chuckled. "Heh heh heh heh… Ha heh heh heh… Wa heh ha ha… Ha ha heh ha..." He raised his hand, in which a more solid purple substance formed in his hand. It shaped into a trident. "WA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HEH HEH HEH HA HA HA HA! YEHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HEH HA HA HA!" As quick as lightning, Rhoam watched Ganon move from where he stood to his face. Pain seared his left side, and the king groaned while Ganon crackled. "This is foolishness. You think I am going to fall the same way I did 10,000 years ago? The trap is set, but I don't think you will be around to see your precious Hyrule fall." Ganon turned to the entrance of the Sanctum, grinning. "Ah, and they come closer." Ganon yanked the trident from Rhoam, allowing the large Hylian to collapse on the floor. "Say your goodbyes to your daughter...and farewell King Hyrule."


Third Person, Path to the Sanctum

The last cry of a Blue Moblin died out as Link removed his sacred blade, stepping over the decaying carcass along the path to the throne room of Hyrule Castle. He was joined by other knights of Hyrule, the Sheikah (led formerly by Sheik who joined partially along the way), and the Guardians fighting through the dark army of Calamity Ganon to get the Hero and Princess to the evil one as soon as possible. Behind Link, Zelda wielded her bow, piercing her enemy with accurate shots. Her white dress, formerly white as the snow in Hebra was now caked with dirt and blood from battle. Link himself was dirtied as well as the Master Sword, yet the holy blade hadn't lost its ethereal glow.

It had been nearly an hour since the attack (if what Zelda and her soldiers are doing qualifies as an attack, not a defense) and the enemy was ruthless in their defense. One would think the Bokoblins, Lizalfos, and Moblins they came across were the true inhabitants of Hyrule. The path the soldiers took was the main road that stretched from the castle gate to the Sanctum itself. At varying points along the road, General Viscen would send soldiers inside the castle, hoping that it would aid on the interior's defense.

Viscen's words were true: new Guardians had been deployed. Guardian Turrets fired from their perched positions across the castle, while Stalkers and Skywatchers scoured the battlefield on land and air. It made progressing through the castle grounds easier than it could have been without the Guardians.

Now they were near the top, and General Viscen was ordering the soldiers to form up on the road, Shiek's Sheikah joined the Knights of Hyrule and the Guardians, leaving Zelda and Link alone. Zelda lead the way to the Sanctum but stopped halfway there as she turned to see Link standing between her and their personal army. His body faced her, but his head faced the soldiers. "Link, c'mon! We must get to my father!"

Link so wanted to follow Zelda into the Sanctum, but a part of him wanted to fight alongside his fellow brothers and sisters in arms, and that part of him was winning. "Zelda…"

Zelda walked back to Link. "Link, they have their job, we have ours. We must confront Ganon."

"The monsters will keep coming. The Guardians have done well so far, but there's no telling how long the battle will be. And-"

"And even if you win, I don't have my power. We still have a fighting chance, Link, and every moment we spend talking is another moment that chance falls."

"Hey! You, Hero! What are you doing?"

Link and Zelda turned around to see a knight much taller than them both walk to them. Zelda herself thought she recognized the voice, while Link was clueless to the helmeted fighter. "I… I can't let you guys stand here and fight alone! I can help!"

The soldier took off his helm, revealing slightly tanned head underneath a bright red pompadour. Golden eyes looked down on Link critically before punching the hero in his face. "That's not what the boy I bullied for years would do. He knows we're risking our lives out here as much as anyone. And if you're worried about defeating Ganon...Link, we're counting on you! It'll take time for that bacon grease to regain its power completely! If you can take him down before we get pulverized out here, we might still have a chance! I...I know you can do it! So...yeah! You've gotta do this! You're all Zelda's got! You've got to make this happen!"

Link stood, rubbing his throbbing jaw. He looked to the Guardian standing behind the knight. The Hylians and the Sheikah could take care of themselves, but with the Guardians… Yes, Link didn't need to worry. "Okay...but you better be alive when I return!"

"You better bring Her Highness back alive or Grannie is gonna skin ya!" Link laughed as he sprinted to Zelda, who was impatiently waiting for her appointed knight. No words were traded as they began to run together across the bridge that connected the road to the sanctum of Hyrule Castle, and as they came halfway across the bridge, they both believed that everything would be alright. As they stepped closer to the steps that formed the entrance to the throne room, Zelda gasped as she spotted a large, wounded man limped towards them, a large red stain on his lower left torso. He slumped down to the stone ground, breathing heavily as he tried to formulate words.

"Father!" Zelda raced to her father's side, removing his ornate cloak to inspect his wound. She placed a hand over it, using her power to tend the wound. "Hold on, Father. I can heal you!"

"Zelda." Even with his grave injury, the king's voice was just as stern as ever. Zelda looked up to her father, trying her best to hold back her tears. "Do you...do you have the power?"

Zelda dropped her head, and the first stream of water released from her eyes. "I'm so sorry! I have failed you, Father. I...tried everything, but...I have nothing to show for it. I...am not fit to be a queen, a princess, or even your daughter."

"No." The king raised his daughter's head, and for the first time in her memory, he was crying as well. "I have failed you. For seventeen years, I was your king, but only for the first six, I was your father. I pressured you to fulfill your destiny, without a care for your wellbeing. I remember the day you fainted at the Sacred Grounds when you was nine, and Impa had to convince me to let you take a break. Do you know what she told me?"

"No."

"That you hadn't slept since your mother died." Rhoam grunted in pain, holding his wound. "So this is how the gods will punish me, for all I have done against you. I cursed you at your birth, cursed you for ten years of labor...how coincidental I am cursed on this day. So my Zelda, it is not you who is the disappointment. It is I. I may deserve to be your king, but I am wholly unworthy to be your father. Forgive me for my sins."

Zelda shook her head. "We both have our sins against each other. But let me heal you, so you can keep on living." Zelda once more placed her hand on the wound, but Rhoam pushed it away. "Father?"

"You have a duty to your kingdom first. Both of you." For the first time in the conversation, Rhoam looked up to Link. "Link, the son of my dearest friend, may I ask one final favor of you?"

Link knelt down beside Zelda. "Your Majesty, this will not be your last moment. Let the Princess-"

"Call her by her true name."

"...let Zelda heal you.'

Rhoam took a deep breath and smiled. "Without question, you did it. The bond between you two is strong. Tell me Link, is what I heard from your father recently true?"

Link didn't need much thought to understand what his king referred to, though he was surprised that his father had mentioned it in the last four days. "Yes, sir."

"That's...what I want to ask of you. When you beat Ganon, Hyrule will need to rebuild. Zelda will need allies to help her through the times. Watch over her, protect her, guide her, then…" The king removed a small ring from his finger, encrusted with three stones: sapphire, emerald, and ruby. "...when the time comes, join her in my seat."

Link held in the surprise, but he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rhoam had given Link his permission to court Zelda. He took the ring from Rhoam and slipped it on his own ring finger. Link stood up, and with his right fist, he placed his on his heart in salute. "I shall do as you ask."

"Link, my boy… Thank you…" Rhoam slowly closed his eyes, which caused Zelda to begin to panic.

"Father! Please don't go!" For the third time Zelda tried to heal her father, and for the third time, he stopped her. "Your Majesty, you know I am not ready. Hyrule will need you."

"Zelda...let me see...the back of your right hand." He chuckled, though it was barely heard. Zelda reached out, facing the back of her hand to her father. He opened his eyes with some struggle, but as he glanced at her hand, he barely breathed out a chuckle. Unbeknownst to Link and Zelda, he finally saw what he wished to see seventeen years ago when he originally checked her hand. Unbeknownst to his Princess and his Hero, the gods had blessed him with the sight to see the hope of his world. Unbeknownst to his daughter, he was the first witness to her power. He smiled through his tears. She had done it. Zelda had her power, those three sacred triangles. "...Ah, but child… After the Calamity, this will not be my Hyrule….It will be your Hyrule..."

Zelda waited for more words from her father, but after several seconds of silence, she realized what had happened. She bowed her head, saying a silent prayer before standing to her feet. "Vale Rex Hyrule." She stood up, facing the inside of the Sanctum. "Link… Let's finish this fight."

"Indeed."

BOOM! A thundering explosion from somewhere beneath the Sanctum knocked Link and Zelda off their feet. Rolling to his belly, Link's ears began to ring from the noise as he searched for Zelda. "Zelda!"

"Link!" Link faced behind him, where Zelda laid on her back, pointing up to the sky. "Ganon!" Link faced where Zelda pointed and saw the ghostly form of Calamity Ganon encircle the Castle. At one point it stopped, and if Link placed a bet, he would wager the golden eyes of the beast was drawn upon the hero and the princess.

"Is it just me or…"

"No, he's looking at us. It… It is like he knows us."

Zelda wouldn't be far off. Ganon had been pushed back multiple times in history by a boy wielding the Master Sword and a girl of untold magical powers. A boy with an unbreakable spirit and a girl of royal and divine blood. A boy bred with courage and a girl gifted with wisdom. "Oh shit."

"Oh shit indeed."

As Link and Zelda attempted to get on their feet, Ganon's roar pushed them back on their butts. Link was glad the beast didn't produce saliva, or the situation would be a lot messier than it currently was. Ganon's roar proceeded to shake the sky as it reared its head back. Link turned to Zelda, whose face was full of fear. "Zel? Is he taunting us?"

"Link… I feel his power rising tremendously… It is like… NO!" More vibrations rocked the castle, dark purple plumes rocketing skyward. Four big ones escaped to the far corners, while smaller ones scattered near and far. They followed one as it came over their heads, landing on one of the Guardians behind them. The substance had a slimy look to it as it seeped into the interior of the Guardian as the others were immediately covered by the essence as well. Everyone watched as the Guardians shut down, falling on their bottoms. Panic began to ensue with the soldiers, confused as to just what happened.

"Link, get up."

"What the hell happened?"

"What did he do?"

"Get those Guardians working again!"

"You two, get inside and fight that thing!"

Link helped Zelda to her feet as they watched the plumes scatter across the land. "Where do you think the big ones went if the little ones hit these Guardians?"

"There was four of them, going to each corner of the land… The Divine Beasts, it had to be them. We probably got some time!" Link led the run towards the sanctum as Zelda reached out telepathically to each Champion, hoping to give them the much-awaited upon command. "Urbosa, Revali, Daruk, and Mipha. It is time to...NO!" Link stopped and turned to Zelda, who began to shake as she kneeled on the stone walkway. "No no no no!"

"Zelda?"

"I can't… I can't feel their presence… I can't feel their presence… What does that… They can't be-"

"WHAT THE HELL!"

BOOM! Link and Zelda turned back to the fighting force behind them, seeing an explosion throw bodies around the ground and off the cliffs. More screams and explosions followed, and one stray shot whizzed past Link and Zelda, the force of impact knocking them down again. They gasped as they recognized what it was; a blue laser produced only from a Guardian.

It didn't take much more thought to realize that the Guardians had been compromised. Ganon had played them all.

"No, everything is going wrong! How could..." Zelda closed her mouth as a Guardian stepped up to Link and Zelda, its red targeting beam locking on to them before it fired.

"Zelda!" Link grabbed the Princess, in time to save from the laser but not from the force of it. They fell from the path, plummeting into the dark waters below.

And from his perch, Ganon watched it all.


The title of this chapter and what Zelda says after Rhoam passes, in Latin, means "Goodbye King of Hyrule." Too fitting for what happened.