Chapter Thirty-Six: A Blade Laid to Rest

Link sat quietly for a half an hour—breathing multiple sighs of relief—before he heard someone enter the room behind him. "You're the boy that the Princess speaks so highly of, Link," said a voice that he had never heard before. He turned around and saw a Hylian knight standing in the halfway-crumbled doorway. He did not respond, so the knight introduced himself. "I am Formead, Captain of the Hylian Militia. I'm looking for the King. The battle has been won and I'm sure he would like to hear the news."

The Hero of Time sighed. "The King is dead. Ganondorf murdered him before I was able to intercede."

"Oh no," gasped Formead. "We had men protecting the entrance to the Castle. I guess it wasn't enough."

"A whole army couldn't have stopped Ganondorf let alone a few men, not when he had the Triforce of Power."

"I'm afraid to ask of the Princess as she was here too."

"Yes. She is dead too," replied Link, his voice shaky as he tried to hold back tears. "They were both already dead when I arrived."

"Then where is Ganondorf?"

"He is gone."

"Dead?"

"No. Just gone."

"What do you mean?"

"He has been transported thirty years into the future."

"Then what's to stop him from wreaking havoc then, in the future I mean."

"The Princess had a dream that someone thirty years from now would have the power to slay Ganondorf."

"How could she be so sure? What if she's wrong?"

"I've wondered that myself. There is no way to be sure. The fate of Hyrule lies in the hands of the gods now."

"How can you say that? You're supposed to be a hero, or so said the King and the Princess. I can't imagine what kind of a hero would sit back and do nothing after all that's happened."

Link was taken aback by Formead's statement. "Well, I, I-. There's nothing I can do. Everyone that I've talked to agrees. It's out of my hands now."

"You're despicable. You wield the Master Sword and yet you do nothing. If I were you, with your gifts, I would do something, anything, to help. I would prepare myself for Ganondorf's return thirty years from now. I would be ready. Now, if you'll excuse me hero," he scorned. "I'm off to find the only remaining child of the king, Daphnes, if he's managed to survive all this. I don't know how he's going to cope with this. He'll be the king of Hyrule at fourteen years old. But what choice do we have?" Formead then turned and left the room.

When he left the room, Navi fluttered onto Link's shoulder. "Don't listen to him Link. He's just upset about the King and Princess's death. He didn't mean it."

"But he's right Navi. How can I sit by and trust this to the gods? What if thirty years pass, Ganondorf returns, and then there's nobody to slay him? I can't let that happen."

"But Link. You can't slay him. You need the Triforce of Courage."

"I don't think I do though. I think if I train enough, I'll be ready for him. I'm still young Navi. With the proper training, I may be able to defeat Ganondorf, even without a piece of the Triforce."

"I beg of you Link. Listen to yourself. This is foolish. Mark my words. If you challenge Ganondorf again, he will defeat you. You'll just have to have a little faith. The gods won't let Ganondorf go undefeated. They will bestow the Triforce of Courage upon the next worthy candidate."

"But you don't understand…"

"What's this really about? Are you thinking of Hyrule right now or yourself? Because it sure sounds like the latter."

"How can you say that? Of course I'm thinking of Hyrule right now."

"Well, it seems to me that you're a little jealous that you won't be Hyrule's hero anymore."

Link sighed. "Maybe you're right. Oh, who am I kidding? You are right Navi. It's just hard to accept that I'm going to be replaced. And I still have this feeling of doubt. This feeling that I have to do something. I can't just sit idly by and watch. It's too hard."

"You can help in other ways. You can give the new hero advice when he does come forth. You know Ganondorf better than any other Hylian. You can tell the hero about Ganondorf's weaknesses and help him prepare. But do you know what the first thing you're going to have to do for him is Link?"

"What?"

"You need to leave the Master Sword for him. You need to return the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time. He'll need it to defeat Ganondorf. And we have to make sure that it's there for him when he's ready for it."

"Return the Master Sword?"

"Yes Link. He'll need it more than you do."

"I don't know Nav-"

"You know Link," the fairy interrupted. "This is starting to get out of hand. I'm starting to think that you're going to be nothing but a hindrance to the battle against Ganondorf now."

"The last thing I want to be is a hindrance."

"Then leave the Master Sword behind. I know it's hard to move on Link, but you have no choice. If you don't move on, the next hero and then Hyrule will fall." The Hero of Time sighed and then reluctantly agreed. "I'm glad you've finally come to your senses. Now, let's get to the Temple of Time."

They were hurrying through the Hyrule Castle Town Marketplace towards the Temple of Time when they ran into Formead and a teenaged boy. "I was just looking for you Link. I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."

"That's all right. Don't worry about it."

"Thank you. So where are you going?" asked Formead, too distracted to remember to introduce Link to the young prince next to him.

"To the Temple of Time, to return the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time."

"Do you really think this is the time to do that? I've been talking to young Daphnes here and we've agreed that we will have his coronation tomorrow in the Temple of Time. Maybe you can lay the Master Sword to rest during that ceremony. I think it would be appropriate for such an event."

"Um, I suppose it'll be all right to wait another day. What time is the coronation?"

"Noon."

"I'll be there then." After seeing the tears building up in the soon-to-be king's eyes, Link said, "And I'm so sorry about your sister and father Daphnes. Their deaths hit me hard too." The boy nodded and Link made his way south. He had decided that he would spend the night alone in the Kokiri Forest. A couple of hours later he was at the foot of the ladder in front of his house. He was about to climb it when a girl called out his name. He turned around and saw Saria running to him.

"I'm so proud of you!" she cried as she embraced him. "You did it!"

"Thanks," responded Link, his cheeks glowing red.

"Are you okay? I know about the Princess and Kaepora."

"Kaepora?"

"Oh, you didn't know," she said, biting her lip tentatively. "He was killed."

"How?" he asked in shock.

"I don't know. But I felt a wave of darkness pass over my field of vision and knew that he had been slain. It was the same color as that strange bubble that's now lying over Hyrule Field."

"It was Nylania," sighed the Hero of Time.

"Who?"

"It's a long story." He paused and said, "I can't believe he's dead too. It seems as if everyone's dying now. All because of Ganondorf. Zelda's dead, indirectly because of Ganondorf. The Great Deku Tree's dead, directly because of Ganondorf. Kaepora Gaebora, killed by Nylania, who wouldn't have been here if not for Ganondorf and Astralose. And then the king of Hyrule, murdered by Ganondorf. I can't let him get away with this. I just can't," said Link through gritted teeth. Saria?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad you came to see if I'm all right, but I would kind of like to be alone right now. I have a lot to think about."

"Oh really?" she asked, taken aback. "Okay then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Probably not. I'll be going to Daphnes's coronation."

"Oh, okay then. Well, I'll see you soon either way. I mean, we'll have plenty of time to spend together now that you've come home to settle down."

"Um, yeah," he said hesitantly

"What Link? You're coming home for good, right?"

"I don't know Saria. I really don't know." Seeing the look on her face, he said, "I'm sorry Saria. I just have a lot of thinking to do tonight. We'll talk about it later. Good night."

"Good night Link."

The Hero of Time turned around and climbed up the ladder. Just before he entered the only home that he had ever known, Navi buzzed in his ear. "Hey! What do you mean you don't know if you're coming home for good? You'd better know! I thought I'd already talked you out of trying anything stupid."

"I heard you the first time Navi, but I have a decision to make. Don't worry. I'll weigh your advice. I just need some time alone to think about things. Could you leave me alone please?"

"Oh fine. After all we've been through, you're going to just send me away now."

"It's not like that Navi."

"Uh-huh," she replied, clearly offended. "I'll leave you to your precious thinking time Link. I'll see you at the coronation." She wheeled around and then glided away.

Link sighed. "Why can't anyone understand?" He then turned back to the doorway of his house and walked through it.

The next morning, Link arrived late to the coronation ceremony. His blonde hair was ruffled and his eyelids were dark. It was clear that he had slept little the night before. When he walked into the Temple of Time, a crowd of a hundred people stood in front of him. He made his way through the multitude of Hylians, Gorons, and Zoras until he was at the front. Daphnes was already crowned and standing in the empty doorway that had once held the Door of Time. Formead—who was standing next to the newly crowned king—saw Link and said, "Ah, here he is at last. The Hero of Time!" The people began to clap and Link trudged up to Formead's side, his head slumped humbly.

"I'm here to lay the Master Sword to rest," he whispered to the Captain of the Hylian Militia.

"Of course you are Link. Everyone remain silent as the Hero of Time restores the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time."

Link walked past King Daphnes and Formead and up to the Pedestal of Time. Removing the sheathed blade from his side, he lowered it into the slot before him unceremoniously. "It's done," he whispered.

Formead cleared his throat and proclaimed for all to hear, "Now that the Master Sword has been laid to rest, it will remain here for thirty years until the next hero—who will have to prove his worth—claims it. There will be a guard in front of the Temple of time at all times to protect the sacred blade from anyone unworthy. Let's commend the Hero of Time once more for all he's done."

Surrounded by thunderous applause, Link hurried out of the Temple of Time without another word. The crowd quickly stopped clapping from their surprise at their hero's quick departure. As the young Hylian hurried out of Hyrule Castle Town, he knew that this chapter of his life was now done, but nobody beside himself realized that it was only the beginning of another, even more important chapter.