From the Dust

by zestycrouton

The long-awaited sequel to Hit List. A year has passed since the Ordon High Massacre, and what was meant as a harmless class trip results in a horrifying struggle for the fate of mankind and the secrets kept so long in the dark. "History cries, as one from the dust, raising a silent voice of warning... There is much we could learn, if we would but listen." AU

37. Epilogue

Oh, my sweet, summer children…

You're all probably like, 'Zesty, what the French toast?! This was supposed to be up a month ago!'

But, like, come on guys. You know month-long waits between chapters is just the ZESTY WAY. I can't very well end a story out of character, can I?

…Ok, fine, the edits took way longer than I expected. Who cares. Read the daggum epilogue.

---

Epilogue

Three Months Later

"Liiiiiiink!"

Link let out a groan, rolling onto his stomach and burying his face beneath the velvety softness of his comforter where it was safe. He recognized his little sister's squawking anywhere. Why did she always feel the need to ruin his peaceful morning snoozing? Hopefully, she'd think he was asleep and leave her alone.

Right. Because that had stopped her before.

With a resounding crash, Aryll kicked the door in.

"Link!" She snapped, sounding distinctly harassed. "Get up! Someone wants to talk to you!"

He considered playing opossum, but cast the thought aside almost immediately. Knowing Aryll, she'd probably throw herself on top of him in order to wake him up, and he really didn't feel like getting a fractured spine or ruptured spleen so early in the morning.

Instead, Link rolled back over, tugging down the edge of his blanket and blinking owlishly at his little sister. His peaceful, sleepy morning had officially been ruined. What good was summer if no one was willing to let you relax?

"What kind of sick monster wakes a man up at the crack of dawn to talk?" He mumbled, trying to sound cross and instead coming across as petulant. Well, whatever; he had the right to whine.

"Who do you think?" She retorted, chucking something sleek and flat towards him where it plopped on his mattress with a heavy thud. "And it's not dawn, it's almost eleven. If you don't get up soon, we're going to be late."

And on that sanctimonious note, Link's little sister turned to stalk off down the hallway, but Link's attention had already focused in on the object she'd chucked onto his bed. He recognized it; it was her tablet. Well, technically it was the 'family tablet', but only Aryll ever used it. Granny claimed newfangled touchscreen technology wasn't designed for knobbly old lady hands like hers, and Link just preferred old-fashioned physical keyboards over the alternative. That, and Aryll never gave the thing up anyway. Except for under very special circumstances. Like right now.

Link groaned, forcing himself upright only long enough to snatch up the discarded tablet from the edge of his bed before flopping back into his pillows, making sure to pull his most exhausted face so that his caller understood exactly what kind of inconvenience this was for him. Not that they would care. He didn't even have to bother wondering who it was, either; of all the people who were known to disrupt Link's sleepy time without qualm (and the list was a lot longer than he'd like it to be), only one of them chose to do so via video chat.

As soon as his face registered on the screen, his caller let out a derisive snort and muttered, "Wow. Someone needs some more beauty sleep."

"Shut up." He mumbled, rubbing at his eye with the hand not holding the tablet in front of his face. "What do you want, Tatl? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"No?" She replied, and Link noted the distinct lack of apology in her tone. She looked the same as she always did; blonde hair back in a ponytail, a few loose bangs dangling in front of her wide brown eyes, set beneath the suggestion of a scowl. She always tried to keep up her angry look for their video chats and always failed. "Aren't you in a different time zone?"

"No. We're in the same time zone."

"Oh. Wait, that means it's like eleven! Why are you still asleep?!"

"Because I'm a free man! And free men get to sleep in over the summer!"

She sniggered. "More like you're a fat man. I didn't know the Hero of Time was allowed to be so lazy."

As she said this, a figure passed by behind her and he tensed subconsciously; sure, it's not like some random stranger overhearing their conversation would actually believe that Link was the Hero of Time, but that didn't stop him from getting anxious whenever the topic came up. The figure wound up being Leaf, who poked his head up beside Tatl's and sent Link an energetic wave before being rather rudely shoved away by the blonde girl, who sent him a fierce warning glare and jealously hoarded the screen to herself.

Link laughed in spite of himself.

"So why are you calling me so early?" he asked, stretching out lazily on his bed, feeling his joints start to crack. His body still wasn't ready to get up yet.

Tatl shrugged. "I dunno. I was bored. I thought annoying you would be a fun way to pass the time."

Link rolled his eyes. Hardly a day had gone by since the events at the Museum of National History that she hadn't come up with some random excuse to call him.

"Well, here I am. You having fun yet?"

"No. You're boring to talk to. When are you going to come and see me again?"

He snorted in exasperation. "Tatl, I was just up there two weeks ago with Zelda for orientation-"

"Yeah, two weeks! Two whole weeks! That's like, forever! Charlo won't let us go anywhere fun anymore after what happened at the museum and I can feel my brain melting into pudding! You need to come save me from my brother and the other dumb kids before I lose my mind!"

Link rolled his eyes; she could be really melodramatic at times. "Well hey, school's about to start and then me and Zelda will be living in the same city as you and I can come see you all the time, alright?"

He'd repeated this to her countless times since he and Zelda got their acceptance letters to CoC (the College of Castleton; the anagram had an unfortunate pronunciation that Sheik still hadn't been able to let slide), but she still needed almost constant reassurance. He supposed this probably had something to do with abandonment issues; he actually had no idea if Tatle and Tael had been abandoned, or if their parents had died, or what. Whatever had happened was clearly affecting her in some negative ways, but she didn't seem ready to talk about that just yet. That was ok. He'd wait.

"When is that again?"

"August-"

"August?!"

"Tatl, that's only two weeks away-"

"Yeah, two weeks! An eternity, remember?! I literally just said that!"

He chuckled again, this time in earnest. Sure, she was prone to overreacting, but it was still fun to watch sometimes.

"Yeah, but when we come, me and Zelda will be there to stay. And Aryll and Granny will be there for a little while too. Maybe Charlo will let us take you and Tael somewhere fun for the day."

Technically speaking, he didn't think Charlo was allowed to do that, but he seemed rather fond of Link and his friends after everything that had happened. And he didn't even understand the whole of what 'everything that had happened' entailed.

Tatl made a face.

"If Zelda's there, then Navi's gonna want to come."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing… Zelda's ok, I guess…"

Link grinned. Tatl still wasn't particularly accepting of Link's girlfriend. Zelda and Aryll both insisted that it was because she was jealous, although the thought made Link feel distinctly uncomfortable. He was convinced she'd come to like Zelda after they spent some time together; Tatl was just slow to open up.

Glancing around, Tatl changed the subject.

"Your grandma scares me."

"My grandma scares everyone."

"Yeah… she's still cool though."

"She'll be glad to hear it."

Another figure walked by in the background, and a moment later the pudgy face of Tatl's younger brother Tael popped onto the screen.

"Hey, is that Link? Hi Link!"

"Hi, Tael!" Link called back, smiling at the younger boy, but a moment later Tatl was pushing him out of the frame like she'd done with Leaf.

"Yeah, hi, whatever. Well I have to go now. Say bye to Aryll for me."

"O-"

Before he could finish, the screen went black. She'd hung up on him. She did that a lot too.

"…kay?"

Punk.

With a sigh, Link tossed Aryll's tablet down onto his mattress and adjusted himself so he was lying more comfortably against his pillows. Tatl could be a handful, but he was fully confident that with a little help she'd be able to pull her head out of the sand and engage more productively with her peers.

She'd been practically inconsolable when they'd first been separated, but with everything that had been happening, he hadn't really noticed at the time. The overwhelming strangeness that followed Zelda's Triforce wish had sort of consumed his attention, and he'd let his concerns for the little orphan girl sort of fall to the wayside. He didn't exactly blame himself for it; everything had happened so quickly, it had been impossible to process until the bus ride home, but he still felt somewhat responsible.

The moment the front doors of the museum had been kicked open, Link had thrown his hands into the air, prepared to be tackled to the floor and arrested as the escaped convict he was. Only… that hadn't happened.

Police officers, EMTs and a swath of other first responders had washed over them like the tide, snatching them all up and dragging them out into the fading afternoon sunlight almost before anyone could react to what had happened. Outside, they were met with a roar of cheers from a crowd of onlookers, and a baffled Link was bustled not towards an awaiting police car, but rather to one of several ambulances. Reporters and camera crews were screaming questions from beyond the perimeter, kept back by a line of burly looking police officers, but Link and his friends were quickly loaded up and rushed to the local hospital faster than he had time to blink.

It wasn't until he was halfway to there that Link realized he didn't have the Master Sword with him. The Triforce had mysteriously vanished right after Zelda's wish, but Link knew his friends were still in possession of a number of museum curios and historical artifacts, and no doubt they were going to have a hard time trying to explain why they had them and what exactly had been going on with that invisible barrier. Link wished they'd had some time to discuss what they were going to tell everyone before they'd been separated, but there hadn't been any time for that. The Goddesses apparently had left them to sink or swim on their own.

The EMTs, thankfully, had seemed completely disinterested in magic or the weird happenings at the Museum of National History and had instead focused entirely on cleaning and bandaging Link's injuries, of which there were many though thankfully none of them were life-threatening. All he needed was something to eat, a hot shower, and a long nap. They'd laughed as though he'd told a funny joke, and informed him that he'd have to wait until he was seen by a doctor before he got any of those things.

He'd had to wait longer than that, as it turned out. The hospital was in a frenzy when Link and his friends arrived. Twenty-three new patients arriving simultaneously was a big deal for just about anyone, though thankfully most of them only needed minor bandaging and stiches. The orphans were wholly unharmed (although the boy in the skull t-shirt was taken into emergency care), and the Sages only had minor scrapes and abrasions. Aryll was taken into surgery, however, as was Midna, and it was hours before Link saw Kafei or Ralph again. By the time Link had been checked out, sewn up, sponge-bathed and fed, night had fallen over Castleton, and to his immense confusion, nobody had come to arrest him yet.

An explanation of sorts came a few hours later, when (after being denied the right to see his sister or his friends and being basically held prisoner in his room, for all that the door was unlocked and the nurses were rather friendlier than guards), the door was opened and he was allowed a small huddle of visitors.

It was Auru, along with Medli, Makar, Chief Rusl Smith, and a man that Link didn't recognize. A man who looked serious and authoritative. A man with a government-issued suit and haircut. A man who marched right over to Link without any preamble and towered over him, his fists on his hips, his expression dour.

"Link Hero," he began, looking stern and professional before cracking a grin that made his whole face light up, "I'm Eagus, from the FBI. It's an honor to meet you, son."

Link could only gape, accepting the man's proffered hand and giving him the most pathetic limp fish handshake of all time.

"Boy, I'll tell ya," Eagus continued, ignoring Link's dumbfounded expression; he got the distinct feeling the man liked to hear himself speak, "when I heard that the kids trapped in the museum were the same kids from that nasty incident in Ordon last year, I just couldn't believe it. What were the chances? With everyone pitching in to clear the rubble and help you all evacuate, it was the perfect opportunity to throw a little weight around so I could meet a minor celebrity. Still, it's hard to believe this all just happened, isn't it? And on the anniversary and everything. You must feel like you have the worst luck."

The man's distinct lack of tact was almost as jarring as the volume of his voice; did he not realize they were in a hospital? And why was he here? If it was to arrest him, why wasn't he handcuffed to the bed? Why weren't there hospital security guards around him? Why was Eagus just shooting the breeze, and why were the other four with him? None of this was adding up.

He shot a quizzical glance at Auru over Eagus's shoulder only to find the man subtly shaking his head, looking thoroughly bemused. He clearly had no idea what was going on either.

Why wasn't Eagus asking him about his break out? Or about the Master Sword? Majora's Mask? The magic barrier that had surrounded the museum? Granted, Link didn't want to be asked about these things, because he didn't want to have to be put on the spot to try and come up with some sort of plausible excuse, but he also didn't like being toyed with. If Eagus was here to interrogate him or take him in, then he should just get it over with already. And if not, then he needed to get out so Link could get some much-needed sleep.

Eagus was still talking, but something he'd said earlier stood out in Link's mind. 'Clear the rubble…' What rubble? There hadn't been any rubble.

When Link finally interrupted to ask, Eagus blinked in surprise.

"Why, the rubble from the gas explosion. That was the whole reason you were trapped in the museum in the first place. Which goes back to what I said about you being unlucky; I mean, to think that that gas explosion would just happen to occur on the night of the museum's academic slumber party. It almost strains credulity."

Gas explosion? Academic slumber party? What…? Link felt like he'd just stumbled into the twilight zone. What on earth was he…? Wait, was that what Zelda had wished for? Some way to explain away their being in the museum without magic? But then, why was no one talking about the magical barrier? And what rubble?! There hadn't been any rubble around the museum when Link and his friends had been taken out! None of this was making sense!

And on top of that, who was buying this gas explosion story?! The only time people ever talked about gas explosions was in movies about aliens, where gas explosions were cover-ups for supernatural phenomenon- which, he realized, was sort of like what was happening right now. How would a gas explosions trap them in a museum for a full day anyway? And what was this business about an 'academic slumber party'? What kind of museum let a gaggle of random teens and orphans spend the night, particularly when said museum was filled with priceless historical artifacts? This story was so stupid, it was making Link's head hurt. But if he could see how dumb it was, completely exhausted as he was… didn't that mean everyone else could as well?

Apparently not. It seemed like any and all memory of the events surrounding Demise's return and the Museum of National History had been all but erased from the minds of the populace. Other than the people who'd been inside the museum, the only ones who knew that anything weird was going on were Auru, Medli, Makar, and Anju, although why she was included on that list, Link had no idea.

Eagus had left not long after, to Link's relief. Rusl stayed only a little longer, to check up on Link and remind him to call his Grandmother before stepping out to return to his son. That left him with Auru, Medli, and Makar. The outburst of questions was instantaneous.

Though exhausted beyond all reason, Link explained as succinctly as he could; truth be told, he only knew bits and pieces. What Zelda and the others had been through before he'd arrived at the museum was largely a mystery to him, but he was able to explain all about Ghirahim, the masked boy and Majora, Dark Link, the resurrection of Demise, and the return of Ganondorf. He ended with Zelda's wish on the Triforce.

"Wow…" Medli whispered, looking completely awe-struck; they'd been a brilliant audience, gasping at all the right places and looking thoroughly enraptured by Link's story telling. Link merely shrugged. Sure, when you hear about everything they'd done over the last day, it sounded really impressive. But when you were the one who lived it, talking about it just made you remember how tired you were. He really wanted to sleep. He could deal with Zelda's wish and the weirdness surrounding it later when his brain was fully functional again.

His friends seemed to sense his need to sleep and bowed themselves out not long after, promising to return in the morning, but before he left the room, Auru turned back and asked, almost off-handedly, "Link, what happened to the Master Sword?"

Link opened his mouth to answer, and stopped, sudden guilt welling up inside of him.

He'd left it in the museum. He'd left it lying on the floor tiles where he'd tossed it aside after pulling it from Zelda's corpse. He had no idea where it was now; whether it'd been left lying there, or if somebody had stumbled across it and taken it away. Regardless, there was basically no chance of Link returning for it. Not that he could have realistically taken it from the museum anyway, not with everyone watching, wondering where he'd gotten it, and it's not like he could've kept it with him in the hospital anyway. Still, he felt guilty; Fi might have been irritating at times, but she was still his friend, his ally. His other half. The thought of never seeing her again filled him with inexpressible sorrow. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten all about her…

Seeing his obvious distress, Auru had tried to impart some teacher-ly words of comfort, but they were lost on Link. When he finally left, Link allowed himself to settle back on his pillows, too tired to call Granny, too tired to do much of anything else. When his eyes had fluttered closed, he'd dreamed. Dreamed of a proud, verdant woman, a field of eternal green, and the promise of peace. Then the dream changed, and a familiar red-haired figure was standing in his bedroom, a too-wide grin on his face and a long, thin bundle in his arms. He stooped down and slid it under his bed.

"It will need a better hiding place, I think." The man said, turning to Link and offering him a short bow. "Somewhere it won't be found again until it's needed. I trust you'll find somewhere that fits."

"Link!"

Link opened his eyes, glancing over towards his open doorway where his sister was currently standing, hands on her hips, looking furious.

"Seriously, get out of bed right now or we'll leave without you!"

Link gave a contemptuous snort, but pushed himself upright anyway, letting his legs swing off the bed so his bare feet settled on the carpet below him. He could feel the bundle that was still hidden under his bed pressed up against his heel.

"Oh please. This trip is pointless without me anyway."

"That's not what Zelda says." Aryll replied in that obnoxious, superior tone she put on whenever she was lecturing him. "Zelda says the Sages can move it without you, and you know that she'll do it too. So if you want to be there, then I suggest you get your fat butt out of bed."

Link grimaced. She was right; Zelda totally would do this without him. She had no patience for his laziness. Why did no one respect the Hero's need to sleep in?!

With a beleaguered sigh, Link finally pushed himself to his feet. This day was going to start with our without him. He might as well be a part of it.

---

"Zelda, what do you think?"

Zelda frowned at herself critically in the mirror, holding up the seafoam green sleeveless dress one more time so she could examine how the color worked with her hair and skin tone. She'd literally just tried it on, but she still couldn't quite agree with it. Honestly, it was a pretty dress, and it fit just fine, but… Zelda wasn't the biggest fan of the colors Anju had picked out. Still, what Anju wanted was what Anju was going to get- it was her wedding, after all. Zelda really ought to be more honored that she'd been chosen as a bridesmaid, but with all the work she had found herself putting in to help Anju and Kafei get the event organized, she'd found some of Midna's natural cynicism rubbing off on her. That's what she gets for volunteering to help plan a last-minute rushed wedding, she mused.

"Zel?" the voice called again, and Zelda jumped in surprise.

"Oh, what? Sorry! I got distracted."

"So?"

"It's fine. I mean I'm not one-hundred percent sold, but it'll do."

"Fantastic." Midna's voiced drawled sarcastically through the cloth partition from where she was waiting on the outside of the dressing room. "Now hurry it up, we have to go pick up Link and Aryll soon or we won't make it on time. I'm gonna go join Sheik in the food court, ok? Make sure he hasn't wandered off."

"Alright." Zelda replied absently, not really listening as she hung the dress back on its hanger and set about putting her clothes back on. A moment later, Midna was gone.

As Zelda dressed, unhurried, her thoughts drifted inevitably towards the event that had been sucking up so much of her free time as of late; Kafei and Anju's impending wedding.

As she'd learned in the hours and days after the events in the museum, Kafei's mysterious disappearance from the hotel that had driven Anju to such hysterics that she'd fled to Zelda for help in the middle of the night had all been because he'd been secretly trying to work up the nerve to propose. After everything that had happened, however, and with a renewed sense of his own mortality fresh in his mind to spur him on, Kafei hadn't wasted much time after leaving the hospital to pop the question. Originally, she'd learned, he'd meant to use something called the 'Couple's Mask' in place of a ring, as some old Terminian tradition that Anju was particularly fond of, but in Kafei's own words, 'after all that craziness with masks, I never wanted to see another one again.' Instead, he took the Moon's Pearl he'd obtained in one of his trials that he'd managed to sneak out of the museum in his pocket and had a jeweler craft it into a special ring, which he presented to his practically hyperventilating girlfriend. She'd said yes before he could even get the question out.

Normal engagements last several months, but with school ending and the prospect of all their friends separating after summer, Kafei and Anju had decided not to wait; thus, they'd opted to hold the ceremony in Kafei's father's backyard on the last weekend before everyone went off to school, much to their harassed parents' chagrin, to ensure that all of their friends could be there. As sweet and romantic as that was, rush weddings required a lot of work, and Anju had been desperate for help. Zelda had been the first to volunteer (after Cremia, the Maid of Honor, that is), and she'd dragged Link, Midna, Sheik, and Aryll into helping out too. It was stressful, but a lot of fun, and Zelda honestly couldn't wait until next weekend. It would be the happiest moment of the summer, but also the saddest; it would be the last time her friends would all be together.

The thought made Zelda hesitate in the act of pulling her shirt over her head, and she frowned at herself in the mirror. School was over now, and their lives were about to begin… but whenever she thought of the future, she had a hard time feeling anything other than apprehension. After all, magic was back now… The world hadn't realized it yet, largely thanks to the Triforce wish she'd made and the help of Hylia's older sisters, but that didn't mean they never would. Inevitably, the realization that magic was a very real and active force on the world was going to be discovered by somebody. And once word got out… once mankind realized what they could do with it…

The potential fall-out could be catastrophic.

Graduation had been an odd affair. People make out your high school graduation to be this big deal, like successfully completing twelve years of standardized public education was this incredible feat. And sure, maybe if Zelda was a normal girl, she might have let herself be drawn in to the spectacle. Only Zelda wasn't a normal girl. What did finishing her education matter compared to the defeat of Ganondorf and Demise? What did overpriced ceremonies mean when, at any moment, their world could come crashing down around them?

Depressing thoughts, sure, but Zelda knew that she wasn't the only one walking across the stage that day wondering why she was wasting her time with something so small. She had a duty to perform, a future to safeguard, a country to watch over from the comforting and somewhat frustrating obscurity of her place as just another ordinary citizen. She wanted to move on to the next stage of her life right then, not parade around on a stage in an over-priced robe for a crowd of strangers.

Graduation was still something of a bittersweet moment, regardless of how pointless she saw it all now. Being done with high school meant never seeing Ordon High again, which was awesome, but it also meant separating and leaving her friends, and that was decidedly less than awesome.

Link, of course, had let her know in no uncertain terms that he wasn't ever leaving her side. Her father and sister had cautioned Zelda about clinging to her 'high school romance' once college began, but they still saw her as a little girl who had yet to have her eyes opened by the big, wide world. Zelda was wiser than they gave her credit for, and Link was anything but a high school crush. She didn't argue with Link about it, or pretend like she wanted him to consider his future; not that she wanted him to be a bum or anything, but what did career plans matter in the face of destiny? Whether they were rich or poor, as long as they were together, Princess and Hero, anything could be faced. She wasn't worried. They would work things out as they went.

So Link and Zelda were going to the College of Castleton; it was a good school, but not as good as her father had hoped she'd get into. Truth be told, Zelda probably could have done better, but she felt in her heart that Castleton was where she needed to be. It was the heart of Hyrule, her home, and with the dangers of the potential rediscovery of magic looming over them, she wanted to be sure she could be where the action was. When she'd told Link her pick, he'd just shrugged like he'd expected no less and had sent off his own application right after her. And that was that.

Though she was keeping Link, she was losing just about everything else. Leaving her father was sad, of course, but he traveled to Castleton all the time, so that wasn't really a big deal, and she could always visit Ordon whenever she wanted. It was leaving her friends that was really tearing her apart.

Sheik and Midna were going to Kakariko University, where Kafei and Anju were already attending. Just like with Zelda, it was duty more than anything that had made their choice for them. As the Sage of Shadow, Sheik had been told by his mother that he had a duty to his ancestry to find and revitalize the culture of the Sheikah. Before the events of the museum, doing anything of the sort would have been completely anathema to Sheik, but he had been changed by his call just as Link and Zelda had been. He was taking this seriously; he had a duty, just like they did, to his people and his country, and he would do what must be done to protect their future.

Midna had decided to tag along in large part because she didn't want to leave Sheik, but also because she wanted to help him in studying the Shadowfolk. As it turned out, where everyone else had been forced to return their magical artifacts to the museum (with much gratitude on the museum's part for how they'd managed to 'save' so many of them from the 'gas explosion', though how no one had noticed that they were magical yet was lost on Zelda; she supposed it was because nobody was allowed to touch them), Midna had somehow managed to sneak the Book of Mudora out in her handbag, along with the stone Link had used to transform into a wolf. She said she was determined to help Zelda study magic up until they found some way to magically travel across enormous distances like they did in books, so they could still hang out all the time.

Many of their friends, like Aryll, Colin, and Ralph, were underclassman, and thus were staying behind in Ordon for one more year of high school, but there were still a few others who were heading on their way.

Darunia and Ruto would both be attending a community college in Faron. It was close, but still far enough away to be considered 'leaving' for all intents and purposes. Though largely still the same jock and cheerleader they'd always been, there was a weight behind their words when they spoke nowadays, and Ruto had confided to Zelda that the two of them were considering moving across the country to the mountains to be closer to their 'ancestral homes'. Clearly, Sheik had inspired them in some way.

Nabooru was doing the same. She'd shocked Principal Oshus and the rest of the school when she'd announced her intentions to move back west to the Gerudo Desert. She never said aloud what her reasoning was, but Zelda thought she could guess fairly accurately.

Marin had already applied to and been accepted by a school back in Koholint before she'd been forced to move to Ordon for her father's job (who was, apparently, a notable mycologist). This had been a heavy blow for the group, who had grown particularly close to the airheaded girl in the past couple months; the distances between Ordon and Kakariko and Castleton were big, but at least they were still in the same country. Koholint was across the sea! Still, it was what she wanted. She had apparently been given her own duty during their adventures in the museum, and she had sworn to them that her quest to spread the teachings of the Composer Brothers would bring her back to Hyrule before long.

Groose, Zelda had been surprised and delighted to learn, had apparently fallen head over heels for the red-haired girl, completely forgetting his one-time infatuation with Zelda to her tremendous relief, and was understandably torn up upon the revelation that Marin was leaving the country. He'd confided privately to Midna (which, if Zelda were being honest, was probably the most bizarre of all the friendships to have spawned out of the museum incident) that he'd been searching for the guts to ask her out right before she'd announced her plans, and now he didn't see any point in it anymore. Midna had given him one of her classic lectures laden with insults and sarcastic quips that had sort-of managed to put some fire back in the hulking Gerudo boy, but as the weeks went by, he still hadn't made his move. Just as Zelda was beginning to question if he'd ever get around to it, it happened.

They'd been having a party for no discernible reason over at Groose's house. In all honesty, they'd taken to holding big get-togethers with all of their friends at random intervals during the week and labeling them 'parties' just because. Groose and his father had apparently just finished construction on a greenhouse in their backyard, something for Groose's mom who loved gardening, and before she actually got to work planting Groose had convinced his parents to let him throw a 'graduation party' inside of it.

The actual reason of the party didn't become apparent until Zelda had shown up; Groose was apparently making good on a promise, and before his friends' eyes, Groose pulled an old set of wooden reeds out of his shirt and played a short song, summoning a rather badly burned talking scarecrow out of the ground.

His name was Pierre, and as she soon learned, Groose had apparently promised to summon him to somewhere nice and peaceful after he got out of the museum. Pierre had to swear not to dance around or talk when anyone other than them were around, particularly Groose's parents, if he was to live there, but he hadn't seemed to mind once the party had started. 'Party' is perhaps too strong of a word; they basically just hung out, eating food and laughing while Groose and Marin and some of the others got to work repairing Pierre's damaged body, providing him with a new hat and vest and cleaning up some of the charring, painting him a new face. Marin summoned a scarecrow as well, named Bonaroo, though this one wasn't all charred up. When Kafei turned on the music, the scarecrows showed them all up with their surprisingly intense dance moves. All in all, it was a good night.

At some point, someone had been talking to Marin about her move back to Koholint, and she had said something along the lines of, "Yeah, and I mean, it's gonna be really hard… I mean, I'll be leaving all of you guys, my dad, and then there's my boyfriend-" which is about the time that Groose snapped.

"Huh?!" He squawked, materializing out of the crowd like a wraith, which was impressive for a guy of his size, and all but shoving himself into the conversation. "Whaddya mean, 'boyfriend'?!"

Marin's eyes grew wide with surprise, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, as everyone else began not-so-discretely averting their gazes in obvious discomfort.

"I, uh… Groose! Where did you-?"

"How long have you had a boyfriend for?!" He continued, practically bowling her over, his loud, brash voice tinged with poorly-hidden dismay.

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Um…"

"Who is he?! What's his name?!"

Zelda, in an effort to hide how distinctly uncomfortable she felt, shot a quiet, questioning glance at Link, as though maybe he could explain what was going on here. He shrugged, then looked at Midna, who looked at Aryll, who looked at Kafei, who looked at Pierre, who said in a loud voice, "Hey, don't look at me- she's not my type!"

Marin's cheeks had only grown redder, but her eyes had taken on a hard, emotional cast.

"What do you mean, 'what is his name?!'" she shot back, her eyes flashing with surprising unshed tears. "How can you ask that?!"

Groose could only gawk. The hurt in her voice was clearly palpable, and suddenly Groose was on the defensive. "I… but… I just meant…"

"Seriously, the one person you think you wouldn't have to tell!" She continued, talking to no one in particular, and this time the baffled look on Groose's face was reflected by literally everyone else.

Before he could ask for clarification, she continued, "I mean, does Link have to tell Zelda that they're dating? Does Midna have to tell Sheik?! No! They just know! And I shouldn't have to tell my own boyfriend that I'm dating him either!"

You could practically see the gears working in everyone's heads as they struggled to make sense of Marin's perplexing comment. When the only logical conclusion was reached by everybody, their reactions were pretty diverse.

Kafei let out an exasperated snort and buried his face in his cup. Aryll tried and failed to stifle her frenetic giggles in her fist. Zelda had to struggle to fight back the groan that threatened to escape from her lips. Seriously, she loved the girl, but Marin could be a complete ditz sometimes.

Midna was the only one who didn't at least pretend to hide how she felt about the situation.

"Oh gawds," she drawled, rolling her eyes with exaggerated sarcasm. "Seriously, it would have to be you two. No one else but you two could ever be so… Y'know what, never mind. I'm out." And with that, she stood up and walked away.

For their part, Groose and Marin had seemed to have forgotten all about the crowd around them.

Groose's face had grown slack, his cheeks pink, his eyes wide with wonder and apprehension.

"W-wait a minute," he stammered, not sounding at all like the arrogant, confident jock Zelda knew him to be. "Are you sayin' what I think you're sayin'?"

"Well I don't know," she shot back, her expression fiery, "I guess that depends on what it is you think I'm saying."

"D'you think we're goin' out?"

His voice sounded so small and hopeful, Zelda couldn't help but grin.

If anything, the hurt in Marin's eyes grew even more pronounced.

"I thought we were!" She practically shouted, gesticulating wildly with her hands. "I thought I'd made it pretty obvious how I felt about you! But apparently, I was wrong!"

"Wait up," Groose babbled frantically, his hands clamped down on the sides of his head, giving him a maddening look. "Since when were we dating?!"

Marin's mouth opened and closed a few times as she searched for an answer.

"I… we… I don't know! For awhile now!"

"When did you ask me out?!"

"What? I didn't!"

"Well, I didn't ask you out neither!"

"So?! What does that have to do with anything?!"

"If neither of us asked the other out, then how on earth were we dating?!"

Rare were the moments that Groose was making the most sense, Zelda mused lightly to herself while Marin scrambled to come up with a response. Everyone else was now watching enraptured as though this were some bizarre sort of spectator sport.

"We just were!" She finally blurted out, sounding exasperated. "I mean, after everything we've been through… A-and all the time we spend alone together, I mean, of course we're dating! How could we not be dating?!"

"Because we're not!" Groose shot back, throwing his hands into the air. "You can't just arbitrarily decide that you're dating someone! You gotta ask, or make it official, or… I dunno, make it more obvious to the person you think you're dating, otherwise we wind up in situations like this!"

"So then how was I supposed to 'make it obvious'?!" She exploded, practically beside herself with anger.

"Like this!"

And with that, Groose seized her by the arm, jerked her forward, and proceeded to kiss her.

Aryll let out a scandalized laugh, Kafei wolf-whistled loudly, and everyone else in the vicinity immediately began cheering and clapping as Groose and Marin proceeded to make out with exceeding gusto right there in the middle of the room. Zelda couldn't help the grin that had plastered itself across her face; she wondered if she and Link had been that obvious before she'd kissed him last year. It was sweet, getting to see something similar happen to two of your friends, seeing it all go down from an outside-perspective.

After the cheering and catcalls had died down, however, it soon became apparent that Groose and Marin were showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Their ardent kissing was becoming increasingly sloppy and energetic, and an awkward pall quickly fell over the group gathered in the green house.

"Um, maybe we should…?" Someone offered from across the room, when Groose and Marin's hands began roaming.

"Retreat!" Kafei bellowed, half-scandalized, half-beside himself with laughter, and the gaggle of gathered teens quickly rushed out of the greenhouse to give Groose and Marin a little privacy, all the while Pierre's voice could be heard over the stampede of footsteps, shouting, "Yeah, baby! Get some! Get funky! Do the dance of love!"

And that was basically why nobody would ever go out on a double-date with Groose and Marin from that moment onward.

Still, their relationship was new, and there was a lot of talk among the group about whether they'd survive the separation; Marin heading off to Koholint and Groose staying in Ordon to help out with his father's carpentry business. Zelda honestly wasn't sure; she wanted to believe they could do it, but the time and distance was nothing to sneeze at. In Groose's own words, however, they would just have to face every day as it came. She wished them the best.

Something buzzed in her purse. Stooping over, Zelda fished her phone out of her bag. There was a text from Sheik.

'Hurry up or we're leaving you'

Zelda scowled. Brat.

Wasting no more time on thoughts, Zelda hastily threw the rest of her clothes on and rushed out of the dressing room, heading towards the check-out. She was going to kick Sheik when she saw him next.

---

By the time Zelda, Sheik, and Midna had pulled up in front of the Hero household, it was already past noon. They were running late, in large part thanks to how long it took to ring up Zelda's purchase and pull Sheik away from his fast food fetish; they would need to do some speeding if they were going to arrive on time.

Link and Aryll were waiting on the porch when they pulled up, Aryll looking as cheery as ever with her twin pigtails and neon track shoes. Link was carrying a long, thin cloth bundle that he had to shove in between his knees when he and his sister clambered into the backseat of Midna's mother's Subaru. Strictly speaking, they didn't have permission to use this particular car, but as Midna's parents were out of town and Midna was about to leave for college anyway, she'd decided she didn't care. She kept telling them all during the ride how she'd committed 'grand theft auto', though borrowing your mother's car while she was away hardly fit the definition. Still, whatever made the excitable girl happy.

For all that it was the Twili family's vehicle, Sheik was the one who was driving. Midna, the smallest of the group, had somehow snagged the passenger seat, leaving Zelda, Link, and Aryll to crowd together in the back seat. Despite Link obviously being the bigger of the three, they made him sit in the middle so that, if either girl decided to nod-off during the trip, they could use him as a pillow. He let out a few petulant grumbles about how unfair that was at the start of the trip, but nobody paid him any attention, and he soon let it go.

The trip was only supposed to last a few hours, so nobody had brought any snacks or anything. They figured if they got hungry on the way back, they'd stop at a restaurant along the way. Midna had brought a book to pass the time, but it ultimately wound up forgotten as the five friends passed the hours of their trip laughing and teasing one another, reveling in what remained of their time together, singing along to Midna's joke playlist of terrible boyband songs which Link and Sheik still somehow knew all the words to. The afternoon flew by in a blur.

The prospect of a road trip with her friends had her inevitably thinking back to the last time the lot of them had crowded together in a vehicle for hours at a time; their return to Ordon from Castleton after they'd been released from the hospital.

Auru and Nabooru had told the other chaperones to load up the rest of the kids on the bus they'd originally rented and take the kids back Sunday morning and had opted to remain with Zelda, Link and the others until they were officially discharged, which wound up being later that afternoon.

Zelda's father had offered to come up and get her, as had several of the other's parents, but every one of them had declined, opting instead to take the new, smaller bus that had been provided for them so that they could all return home together. All of them who would be returning to Ordon, that was; they had to leave behind the orphans, as well as Kafei, Anju, Rauru, and Linebeck. To say their farewells were emotional is a bit of an understatement, but before they knew what had happened, they'd all loaded up onto the bus and were pulling onto the freeway, headed back home.

It was a quiet bus ride.

The only people on board who hadn't been in the museum were Auru, Medli, Makar, and the bus driver, but they seemed to sense the air of general exhaustion that had gripped the rest of the group, and the trip passed in relative silence.

Zelda and Link had claimed the back seat, and she'd spent a majority of the hours resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder while he slept, letting her eyes sweep up and down the aisle, taking in her friends tired, content expressions.

Sheik and Midna were both asleep in the seat next to them, Midna snoring for all she was worth, practically laying on top of her boyfriend whose face was pressed up against the dirty bus window. Her arm was encased in a thick cast which was already littered in signatures from all of her friends. Darunia and Ruto were in front of them, for once not making out, then Medli and Makar, Auru and Nabooru.

Then, on the other side, there was Groose and Marin, who spent the entire first-half of the bus ride chatting incessantly, laughing and teasing and generally enjoying each other's company while everyone else was asleep.

Behind them sat Aryll, Saria, Colin, and Ralph. Aryll and Colin's relationship seemed to have improved drastically at some point during their stint in the museum, and a part of her wondered if they'd sit together. They didn't; Aryll had eased herself into the seat directly in front of Link and Zelda, angling her crutches up against the window, and Saria had plopped herself down beside her friend almost immediately afterward. The Sage of Forest had been able to work a little more healing magic on Aryll, managing to save her from needing a cast, but the girl was still weak, almost unable to walk on her own.

Colin and Ralph had sat themselves in front of the other girls, and to Zelda's surprise, the four had engaged in a warm, light-hearted conversation after they'd awoken from their respective naps, and it carried them through most of the bus ride. Any and all of the tenseness that had been the hallmark of Aryll and Colin's relationship over the past year seemed to have completely evaporated, the two lightly ribbing one another to Saria's general amusement. Colin looked happy again. Zelda was glad.

Before anyone knew it, they were pulling into the student parking lot at Ordon High.

At some point over the end of the school year and the start of summer, Colin had started dating again. Only, he wasn't dating Aryll. Zelda could still remember the surprise that had flooded through her when Colin had arrived at one of their little group get-togethers hand-in-hand with Saria. Apparently, something had changed between the two after the museum. Though Colin swore up and down that his friendship with her since their kindergarten days had been entirely platonic, a certain glint in Saria's eye hinted to Zelda that maybe the shorter girl had been hiding feelings for him all along.

Aryll seemed openly supportive of the relationship. She was met with shock by the revelation, just like everyone else, but rather than erupt in anger like Zelda had expected of Link's emotional younger sibling, Aryll merely smiled and wished them luck. Still, there was a certain tightness about her eyes, a plastic-quality to her smile; though she hadn't pressed the issue, Zelda was convinced that Aryll was hiding her hurt inside. The one-eighty her and Colin's relationship had pulled after the museum and Aryll's renewed eagerness to spend time with him had sort of clued Zelda in on the fact that maybe Aryll wasn't as over her ex-boyfriend as she was trying to let on, and the sight of him dating one of her best friends can't have been easy. But then, maybe she felt like she had no right to be upset after everything that had happened between them, especially now that Colin was finally moving on. He certainly looked happy; happier than Zelda had ever seen him. Though she didn't know how serious his and Saria's relationship was, she wished them luck all the same.

A large part of Colin's newfound happiness almost certainly stemmed from the newest addition to his family. Somehow, impossibly, Colin had actually made good on his promise and had managed to finagle his parents into adopting Neri. Zelda had no idea how he did it, or what a person had to do to convince their parents to adopt another kid, especially since Uli, Colin's mom, had a new baby already. But at some point before leaving Castleton's hospital, he'd introduced Neri to his father, and when his mom had flown up to check on him early Sunday morning, he'd practically dragged her down to meet her too. According to Colin, his mom had fallen in love with her the moment she laid eyes on her, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Neri wasn't the only lucky little orphan to have found a surprise adoption waiting for them in the wake of the Museum incident. The little boy in the skull t-shirt, the one who'd donned Majora's Mask, the one whose name Zelda had never learned, had apparently already been in the process of being adopted before Ghirahim had decided to use him for his plans. This was part of why he'd been being such a brat to Tatl and the others; a combination of bragging that he was getting out of that orphanage and an inability to express his sorrow over leaving his friends. Zelda didn't know who had adopted him, but she hoped his future would be happy.

The other little kid to get adopted was Ciela, the toothless five-year-old with the adorable lisp, and, perhaps most surprising of all, the person who'd adopted her was Linebeck.

Apparently, at some point during his trip through the museum, Linebeck had come to terms with some personal business that had prevented him from ever wanting children, and after a long talk with his girlfriend Jolene, they'd decided to take that step. According to Linebeck, he hated the adoption process, because it felt like shopping for children, but in the end Ciela had found a new home, so she supposed it couldn't be all bad.

Linebeck had also surprised them with the news that he was quitting his job at the museum, and he, Jolene, and Ciela were all going to move back to the Phantom Isles, where he and Jolene would restart Linebeck's old ferry business, shipping tourists around the islands. It wouldn't pay much, and it wasn't glamorous, but it was something he loved, something that made him happy, and it would be enough to support three hungry bellies. Zelda had been surprised at how sad that news made her, that yet another of her friends was leaving the country, but Linebeck had promised them free ferry rides if they ever visited, making it clear in his Linebeck way that he did in fact want them to visit. Marin had been particularly excited to hear this news, since Koholint and the Phantom Isles were fairly close together, and she'd promised to drop by and visit whenever she could.

Tatl, Tael, Navi, and Leaf were all still at the orphanage, and at least for the moment it didn't seem like anyone was rushing to take them in. Finding someone who wanted to adopt a pair of siblings was hard, particularly when one of them had such a sour disposition. Navi was a little too old for most people, and Leaf, with his ADHD, generally scared most people away. But that wasn't to say that life hadn't improved for them as well.

Kafei had gotten his father to make a rather generous donation to the Westroad Orphanage, which, when coupled with the numerous other donations and charity drives that went up in the wake of the museum incident (an event which pushed the orphanage into the public eye, what with all of the news coverage), provided Charlo with the funds he needed to buy new clothes and furniture, redo the floors, and generally make the orphanage a much-less shabby place to live. Zelda and the others had teamed up to donate a bunch of computers as well, providing Navi and the others with a way to keep in contact. Some of them, like Tatl, abused this privilege almost daily, but Navi was known to call Zelda and Sheik at least once a week to check in on them, and Zelda knew that Leaf called Ralph as well.

Ralph, for his part, was about the same as ever, though he'd finally forgone his ridiculous blue jacket and had toned down his attitude a bit, making it easier to deal with him. He was actually pretty nice once you got past his ego. He'd apparently decided to drop his pursuit of Aryll for all that Aryll was single, and he'd confided to Link and Zelda not too long ago that he had plans to visit Labrynna after graduation.

"Not to live there, mind," he'd clarified hastily once he met their incredulous gazes. "I may be of Labrynnian descent, but Hyrule is still my home. Regardless… I think I'd like to get to know the lands my parents loved so much. Maybe it will give me a deeper appreciation for my own home."

My own home…

Zelda smiled out the window, taking in the trees as they sped past. Her home was an entire country, from the metropolis of Castleton to rural Ordon, from the peaks of Death Mountain to the shores of Lake Hylia and the vast, arid stretches of the Gerudo Desert. She loved her home. She loved it dearly. She always had. She always would.

Ordon's pastoral countryside gave way before long to the dense foliage of the Lost Woods. The trees outside dimmed the afternoon sun, casting the roadway into shadow, but Sheik drove on without hesitation. Though magic had vanished from the word, legends remained of what happened to those who went wandering into the Lost Woods and never found their way out. Nowadays, there were roads to help you cut through the forest, and park rangers to find anyone who lost their way, but though the threat was mostly gone, the mystery remained. This forest was old beyond old, and Zelda knew that, even now, many ancient secrets probably lay buried behind a sea of endless trees. After today, it would add one more to its collection.

After several turns and winding paths, they eventually pulled on to an old dirt road, the gate for which had been just recently unlatched, the dirt disturbed with signs of new tire tracks. The others had gotten there before them.

Several minutes of slow, bumpy travel later, they pulled into a small clearing populated by a handful of other vehicles and about a dozen people, all standing around and talking. They waved when they saw Sheik pull in, crowding around as Zelda, Link and the others exited the car, stretching their sore limbs and taking in their first breaths of fresh forest air.

"Took you guys long enough." Colin laughed as he approached, his newfound little sister Neri on his shoulders, Saria tagging along beside him. Aryll beamed at them politely before excusing herself to talk to some of the others.

"Yeah, sorry. Somebody had to take forever trying on pretty dresses-"

Sheik cut off with a curse as Zelda swatted him on the arm.

"We lost track of time." She filled in sweetly as Sheik scowled in her direction. Colin and Saria laughed.

"You guys ready?" Kafei called out from across the clearing where he was talking to Anju, Groose, and Marin. "I'm sick of standing around, let's get a move on!"

The crowd let out a murmur of agreement, and then without pausing to see if Zelda or Link were following, they began heading off deeper into the woods, following an old, overgrown path.

Zelda stepped forward, then paused when she noticed Link wasn't following. She hesitated long enough to cast Link a searching look. He had the bundle in his arms, but his face looked uncertain. She knew he wasn't looking forward to this, but he'd put it off long enough as it was. It was time. Time to end it. Next week was Kafei and Anju's wedding, and then they'd all be leaving for school. It was now or never.

"Are you ok?" She asked, soft enough so only he heard.

Link swallowed thickly, then nodded. He didn't speak, however.

Nodding her head in understanding, Zelda tangled her fingers in his free hand and pulled him along gently behind her.

This portion of the woods was old and unused. Private property of the Dotour family, something the mayor had purchased once several years ago with the thought of maybe building a cabin out in the woods for him and his family to enjoy, only he'd realized after the fact that he and his wife hated nature, so the woods went unused. Kafei had been the one to offer it up for Link's services, promising that it was an area that no one ever went to, someplace where it could be hidden without fear of it being found out. Link had agreed initially, but had then put off his visit for months, coming up with excuse after excuse for why it wasn't time yet.

Zelda had been the one to put her foot down. Their summer was over, the time to move on had come, and after next week the Sages would all be gone. If they were going to do this, it had to be now, while everyone was still together. Naturally, upon hearing about the trip and understanding how important it was, everyone had wanted to tag along, and it had turned into this entire ordeal. What was originally just supposed to be Link, Zelda, and the Sages (and Kafei, since he had the key to the gate) turned in to everyone who knew anything about what was taking place tagging along.

There was Sheik and Midna, Aryll, Colin, Neri and Saria, Groose and Marin, Kafei and Anju, Linebeck who'd flown down with Rauru (though he left Ciela with Jolene), Nabooru, Darunia and Ruto, Ralph, Medli and Makar, and Auru. They made quite the procession, trampling their way through the woods, talking and laughing and generally enjoying themselves. But as the minutes dragged on, Link's melancholy seemed to seep its way into all of them. The trees around them grew more dense, the sky overhead began to darken, and all had grown quiet.

Glancing back, Zelda tugged on Link's hand to get his attention and raised a solitary eyebrow.

He nodded, understanding her unvoiced question, and cleared his throat loud enough to get everyone else's attention.

"I, uh…" he began, looking uncertain as his eyes raked the trees. A bit of land rose up over to their right, a rocky outcropping jutting out of the fertile earth, barely visible from the path. He gestured towards it with his bundle. "Over there should do."

"Finally…" Zelda thought she heard Sheik grumble, but they ignored him. Trying to silently project strength into her despondent boyfriend, Zelda led the way through the trees.

The rocks stuck up straight out of the ground, like a stone cast aside by a giant, a miniature mountain in a forest of trees. It wasn't very large, maybe the size of a school bus, but the end tapered off into a jagged point almost fifteen feet above their heads, and beneath that was a hollow sort of depression that sank into the rock. It was almost cave-like, except that it wasn't nearly big enough to be called a cave, the space inside hardly more than five feet deep. It was tall enough to stand under, however, and honestly, something about the setting had a sort of presence. The rocky shelf above would protect from rain or snow or prying eyes, unless they approached from just the right angle.

It was almost… too perfect a spot. If Zelda hadn't know better, she'd have said this location had been prepared just for this moment.

They got to work immediately. No words were spoken, almost as if the solemnity of the moment had caused a hush to fall over them. No words were needed, regardless; they'd discussed at length beforehand what needed to be done, and so without any encouragement, Groose and Darunia set about immediately finding a large enough rock to suit their purposes, choosing one that was particularly round and moss-covered, setting it just under the rocky shelf.

Groose stepped aside, wiping his hands on his jeans, but Darunia stayed in place. He was joined by Ruto, Sheik, Nabooru, Rauru, and Saria. Zelda joined last, linking her hands with her friends and fellow Sages. With an encouraging nod, she closed her eyes and focused, feeling more than seeing the others do the same around her.

The world was dark, but not at the same time. Magic surged through her, bright and distinct. The power of the Sage of Time coursed down into the ground, merging with the magic sent from the other Sages, blending together in a tapestry of colors, converging inward on the stone Groose and Darunia had placed on the ground. Something changed in the air around them.

From behind, she heard several people gasp.

When she finally opened her eyes again, the clearing around them seemed different somehow. The light still cast shadows throughout the trees, but the sun seemed… brighter, somehow. The shadows were darker. The trees seemed to stand a little taller, their greens greener and browns browner. Color just seemed more vibrant here. The very earth seemed to vibrate with newfound weight. The wind danced, and the leaves trembled, causing the light to flicker, casting dappled shadows across the landscape.

They had transformed this land. From this moment on, and for an indeterminate amount of time moving forward, this tiny, hidden parcel of the Lost Woods would become the new Sacred Grove.

The other Sages stepped back, joining the hushed crowd, but Zelda remained. The rock Groose and Darunia had chosen had changed as well. No longer was it a lumpy, rotund, moss-covered thing. Now, cemented on the ground as though it had grown naturally from the earth, sat a distinctive pedestal. The moss was gone; instead, on its face, the Triforce stood out in sharp relief. A small indentation could be seen on the top. Newly-born, the pedestal awaited.

Turning her head, Zelda watched as Link slowly unwrapped his bundle.

The Master Sword glowed beneath the soft afternoon sun.

Link's hesitation seemed to have vanished. His courage, he had once told her, reacted to her. With the Master Sword in hand once more, emboldened by the sight of her waiting for him, Link stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

The time was now.

Repositioning the blade so that the tip pointed downward, he prepared himself to strike the sword into the stone, and met Zelda's gaze one last time. She smiled sadly. She knew how hard this was for him… But it had to be done.

A figure exploded out of the pommel of his sword in a salvo of light particles, manifesting in the form of a young woman seemingly made entirely from blue gemstones.

"Master," the figure began in a monotone greeting, "before you place me within that stone, may I have a moment to speak?"

Link blinked in surprise, but nodded nonetheless. Zelda had half-expected this, for Fi to take this moment to bid farewell to Link, but found herself starting when the Spirit of the Master Sword turned her pupil-less gaze on her instead.

"Your Grace," Fi began, completely emotionless, "permit me to say that it is a relief to see you standing here before me. I must offer my sincerest apologies; that I was the blade that pierced your flesh and stole your life away shames me to my absolute core. You created me for the purpose of helping Link in protecting this world, and instead I have failed you. No words will ever be sufficient in obtaining your forgiveness, but I have hope that, in the future, I might one day repay my debt to you."

"Fi, stop." Zelda cut in, stepping closer, lowering her voice. She didn't really care if the others heard or not, but she meant these words implicitly for her and Link alone. "I don't blame you for what happened. I never blamed you. It's not your fault, so don't let yourself dwell on it. I don't blame Link either, and honestly… I don't even blame that nameless god who drove Link mad. All of us, everyone who was there that day, knew what was at stake. I risked my life because I knew that what we were fighting for was worth it, and that meant that I was prepared to die to see it happen. I still am. I always will be, in this or in any lifetime.

"That I ultimately did die is tragic, yes, but I'm alive now, so let it go." Granted, she was only alive because of a total fluke, but whatever. She hadn't given Tingle near enough credit. Before they'd left Castleton, she and Kafei had gone off to try and find him, to thank him for all that he'd done for them, only… he was nowhere to be found. Tingle the Hobo… No, Tingle the Hero. He'd saved her life, and she'd never be able to thank him. "You don't need my forgiveness, Fi. For all that you've done for Link and for Hyrule, I am just as indebted to you as you are to me. So rest easy, ok? Just like I'll rest easy, always knowing that Link will have you to rely on."

Fi smiled, the first emotion she'd ever seen her express.

"I am glad to have the chance to have seen you again, Your Grace."

"Me too, Fi." Zelda replied, smiling sadly.

Fi turned her attention back to Link.

"Master Link… the time has come for me to return to my endless slumber."

Link smiled, but Zelda saw the way his shoulders sagged.

"I knew you were going to say that." He replied, and his voice sounded uncharacteristically gruff. "You're not planning on waking up again, are you? The next time I draw you, you'll just be a sword."

Fi nodded, but said nothing.

Link looked down, the Master Sword trembling in his grip.

"Will… Will I never see you again?"

Fi was quiet, and Zelda thought for a moment that her silence was supposed to be her answer, but then after a pause, she spoke.

"Master… After our first life together, when you purified me in the flames of the Old Gods, when we struck down Demise and saved the Spirit Maiden, I told you that, after I went to sleep, that I would never awaken. That was supposed to be the end of it. Never had I considered the possibility that I might one day be given a second chance to speak with you. The probability of me waking again was less than .001 percent. That continues to be true now. However, you defied my expectations once before. Who is to say what might happen again in the future? I told you once before that I hoped we would meet again in another life… and we have. Perhaps the Goddesses will permit us the same again."

Link nodded, sniffling slightly, unshed tears flooding his eyes.

"They will, Fi. I know it. I don't know how long it will be, but I know it."

"Then until then, Master Link." Fi replied, nodding warmly. A moment later, she was gone.

Link closed his eyes and lowered his head, struggling to contain himself. Zelda stepped forward, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. She could feel his pain; leaving her sisters behind, not knowing if she'd ever see them again, or if she'd even remember them in her next life, had nearly torn her in two.

The first night after the museum, when Link and the others were still at the hospital, Zelda had taken the completed Triforce, which she'd still held on the back of her hand, and traveled in secret to the Temple of Time (magically, of course). At that time of night, the building was closed, and nobody was around. She'd opened a portal to the Sacred Realm and there, hidden away the Triforce for future generations. But before she left, there had been a moment of delicious temptation, where she considered what would happen if she laid her hand across those sacred triangles and wished herself a Goddess again. She could have her sisters back. She could have anything.

But that was not the way of things. She couldn't remember much, but she remembered that. A selfish wish like that was a sure sign of an unbalanced heart. The Triforce would split again. Regardless, her sisters had told her that the possibility of her returning to them was greater than zero. Borderline impossible still, but greater than zero. Just as was the possibility of Fi and Link reuniting. She would fight on for her dream, just as Link would fight on for his. Any hope, no matter how small, was enough.

Link cleared his throat and shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Stepping forward, he walked around the pedestal so he was standing behind it, facing Zelda and their gathered friends. Without meeting their eyes, he raised the Master Sword high into the air, and, with a short grunt, drove the blade point-first into the hallowed stone.

The space beneath the boulder rang like a bell. The air died. The birds grew silent. Everything in that moment was still...

And then that moment passed.

It was done.

One by one, their friends turned and began walking silently through the trees. Eventually, there was no one left but her and Link.

After an indeterminate amount of time, she broke the silence.

"Are you ok?"

He laughed, a short, humorless bark, but the look he sent her was warm.

"No. But I will be."

"You will." She agreed, stepping closer, slipping her hand into his once more, leaning her forehead against his shoulder. "We all will."

He sighed, running his free-hand through his hair.

"Y'know… I… I almost don't want to say this, like it'll jinx us or something, but… Zelda, I… I think it's over. At least… for us. Or, for this us."

She laughed softly as he stumbled over his explanation, but she knew what he meant. For them, in this life time, destiny had had its fill of them. They were free to live out the rest of their lives in peace.

"I think you're right." She replied, lifting her head to meet his gaze. A small smile tugged its way across her lips. "Now we just have the rest of our lives to worry about."

"Oh, is that all?" he laughed, finally stepping away from the pedestal and tugging her behind him. Together, they began making their way back through the trees to the path that led to where they'd parked.

"Mmm." Zelda replied, allowing herself to enjoy this last moment of peaceful tranquility, just the two of them alone in the new Sacred Grove. When they entered the car, it would be the normal and mundane from here on out. A normal life… somehow, that thought was almost scary.

"But we'll face it together, right?" She asked, noticing the way his eyes flicked back one last time to catch a glimpse of the sword in its pedestal before it was lost behind the line of trees.

"Of course." He replied, giving her hand a squeeze and flashing a roguish grin. "Just you, me… and all of our other obnoxious companions."

"Where would we be without them?" Zelda replied, an engaging smile on her face.

"Somewhere with fewer migraines, probably."

Up ahead, they could hear Sheik laying on the car horn, shouting for them to hurry up.

They met eachother's eyes and laughed.

"Y'know," Zelda said quickly as they picked up their pace, "just because some of us leave, that doesn't mean we'll never see eachother again."

She was talking about their friends, yes, but she was also talking about Fi. And she was also talking about Hylia's sisters.

Link seemed to get the memo, because he replied, somewhat softly, "I know, Zel. All of us… we're connected by more than just bonds of friendship. Our lives are tied together. And maybe, some of us may never meet again in this life. And maybe we won't meet in the next life, either. But one day, in one life, we'll find each other again, and those bonds we forged will bring us together. We just have to be patient, and trust in each other."

Zelda smiled, enjoying the simple truth of his words.

"You're awfully poetic today."

"Oh, shut up…"

Zelda laughed, dodging the hand that dived down to tickle her ribs, and a moment later the two teens were racing through the woods, their laughter echoing through the trees, the entirety of their uncertain futures in front of them.

Behind, alone in the grove, the Master Sword slept on.

---

And there we have it, you narcoleptic dolphins. From the Dust is officially -officially!- done. Wow. Can you believe that I sunk 3 years of my life into this bad boy? Yeeeesh… I loved it though. What a great experience. And what a relief to not have this hanging over my head anymore.

Before I go into some last-minute explanations about things in this story and the potential quasi-sequel-whatever, let me take a moment to thank some super studdly peeps.

To Leva114, Lycanthrope11, TwilitRapier068, and whoever else I may have suckered into being my BETA at one point or another- thanks for putting up with me. I know that all of you only held out for a few chapters, but I don't blame you in the slightest- I know I'm tough to work with, and I tended to go weeks if not months without a word and then drop titanic 40+ page chapters on you outta the blue. I'm awful, but you all were great, and I'm so grateful for all that you did to help FtD become what it is.

To (and in no particular order), RandomButLoved, Mugen Kagemaru, Lord Darth Yoda, Ynot364, Shaveza, Zelda-Princess-of-Time, Revenge of the Red Pen, R. Recollect, Topaz Tsubasa, TwilightWakerofTime, LuisAM21, Poltergust 5000, MrSnowmanJoe, AUMaker, BadRomComWrites, ChangelingRin, Ricorum Scaevola, RaineyDais, and… uh… oh geez… I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting some people, but you'll have to forgive me. There's a lot of you. Anywho, these are the people who helped support this story through frequent/semi-frequent or impactful reviews (or else just had names that stand out to me and I think you're cool. Ha.) Anyway, thanks so much for your input, feedback, and support. I'm sorry I'm not so great at responding to reviews, but I'm a total airhead who forgets pretty much everything, so… uh… well, that's not really an excuse, but whatever. You all rock my socks, particularly those of you who've been reviewing since HL (and I know there's a few of you, you studs). Y'all get the Zesty mark of approval. It looks like a crouton, but tastes like a month long hiatus. Sorry.

To ThisIsANiceName, for her un-friggin-believable fan illustrations of some of the characters from FtD. I tried to link them on my profile when she made them, but I guess links don't work on FF anymore? I dunno, but they just redirect to my page, so if you wanna see 'em, they're on deviantart under the name dattebayo34, so go shower her with love and praise.

Ok, so, final thoughts before I bow out of here:

About FtD specifically:

A number of people commented on how I didn't kill anyone in this story, and how, in a couple of places, it strained disbelief. And I'll give it to you- you're absolutely right. When the story was planned, nobody was supposed to die, but when I got to the last-third, there were several instances where I seriously considered killing a few characters (Linebeck, Ralph, Aryll, and Sheik specifically, although everyone got some level of consideration... except for Groose and Tatl, because I love them). I ultimately decided against it, because I firmly believe that a character's death needs to serve a purpose outside of 'just because'. As things went, nobody had been planned to die, and I was going to use some of them for specific reasons later on. This a large part of why I started planning 'In A World All Our Own', because I wanted to craft a story in which character death served multiple purposes; not just to show realism, but also to provide instances of character and plot development. So be prepared for that if/when I get there.

Another thing: I know I probably sounded a little negative a few times in the past when I criticized my writing or certain chapters/character plots, and while I do feel that way about them, I want you all to know that I am still incredibly proud of this story. It's got its flaws, sure, but I think it's lightyears ahead of HL in terms of depth and writing quality. Just like with HL, writing FtD was a massive learning experience for me, but I think what I walked away from the most with this story is an understanding that length doesn't trump concision. Not that long is bad- it's not. But if I can say something in one paragraph instead of three pages, I should probably go with the former. And if I master that, imagine how much content I could pack in a story of this length? There are many parts of this story that dragged on for too long, I feel, that could have been shortened, and even parts that could have been removed. I think, ultimately, I may have tried to do too much with this one story. I bit off more than I could chew, I guess. But I still really like how it turned out, flaws and all. So hey. I had fun.

Finally, for why this took so long to get out to you- honestly, it was the chapter edits. I mentioned how I was gonna go through and fix typos/inconsistencies/poorly worded sentences, etc., and then split up some of the chapters so that they were easier to read. I expected this to take me a couple days, max. It wound up taking me seven. Seven straight days of doing only this, combing every line, struggling to make sure they sounded ok… and I think I went insane. By the time I finished, I didn't even want to look at this story anymore. And then school started. Blech. Well it's done now, so yay, but the sad thing is, y'all probably wouldn't even notice I changed anything if you went back, and I STILL probably missed typos everywhere because seriously, this story is a half-million words long. D'you know how long that is? Take a gander at War and Peace for a moment. 587,000, more or less. Now take a gander at how long this thing is. What kind of sick freak does that?! Me, that's who! What is wrong with me?!

Thoughts about the epilogue:

So, yeah. I flip-flopped a lot about how I wanted this to go down, and decided to stick with exposition mainly, to kind of set it apart from the rest of the story. I wanted to give it a wistful, far-away kind of feel too. I think I accomplished that. I'm pretty sure I answered all the questions… but knowing me, I forgot something, so if you're confused about anything, feel free to ask.

Yes. Hiding the MS in the Lost Woods is a potential plot set-up for IAWAOO. As is Zelda returning the Triforce to the Sacred Realm.

I was going to have Marin give Groose a pet bird to reference the late Helmaroc King, and I was also going to have Colin give Neri a blue stuffed bear to reference how Moosh was her hero, but they wound up getting chopped out in revision, so… background details? Yeah, sure. That's what they are now.

Oh, and Groose and Marin's little 'confession' scene? That wasn't supposed to be in here. I was just going to mention offhandedly that they got together, but a certain reviewer who shall not be named expressed hearty dissatisfaction with my lack of on-screen Grarin/Moose lovin', so… PillsburyDB11, this is for you. But you're still being unnamed.

Finally... Zelda's Triforce Wish. Yeah, I left that more or less vague. You can probably guess at what it was, but the actual wording I left up in the air for two reasons- first, because I'm lazy. Ha. But no, I actually did it because I'm uncertain yet how or even if I wanted it to relate to IAWAOO. So, in order to prevent backing me into a corner or anything... yeah. I left it vague.

Thoughts on 'In A World All Our Own':

Yeah, I still really wanna do it, but I also still have no idea what direction to take it. The first half of the story is really great, and I think you'll love it. Post-magical-apocalyptic Hyrule, Link was a soldier who gets knocked out in a skirmish and wakes to find that everyone in the world is gone. (or… mostly). I'd give you more of the plot synopsis, but that would be like a… spoiler? A spoiler through, like, chapter 3 I guess. Not really, since it should be pretty obvious, but again, if anyone's interested in a more in-depth explanation of what it's about, lemme know and I'll tell you.

I kinda wish I could just start writing it now, but without being certain where I'm gonna end, I run the risk of screwing up the pacing. I've decided to wait until BotW comes out and hope it gives me some inspiration. I'm hoping I can start it before this year ends, but we'll see. For now, I'm gonna focus more on writing one-shots, to see if I can't improve my concision a bit. I have a one-shot that's just about done called 'The Mime' that should be published soon-ish. It's Kingdom Hearts though, so… The rest should be Zelda themed, however. So I guess... follow me if you want to read more from me? Or... whatever.

Ummm….. and I think that's it. Wow. Ok. Well hey, thanks for all of your support through these 3 long years. I wish I could be one of those FF writers who can throw up a chapter a day, but….. well, I'm not. I do the best I can, though, and I hope it was worth it for you all in the end.

Leave me a review and tell me how you liked it!

And now, for the last time… (in FtD, at least. Ha.)

Keep it Zesty, y'all.

ZC