Malice
By: dontwaitupxx
Epilogue
Zelda breathed in the cool, Kakariko Village air, and sighed. It had been a long time since she felt calmed by the simple, mundane task of breathing. Now, though, following their final fight with Ganon on the Hyrule Fields nearly two weeks ago, she finally felt that she was at peace again.
That being said, following that final battle, the recovery for both her and Link had not been easy. The malice had been like a poison: oozing and burning, and it took a while for Zelda to gain the energy to be able to make it downstairs on her own without needing to rest. The recovery was still slow and steady, as she sat on the stairs to Impa's home, soaking in the sunlight on her veranda before night fell once again.
She took those first few days to really enjoy the simplicity of the little village. She listened as the Sheikah rose before the dawn and went about their day. She laughed as the kids ran and played, chasing each other up the hills that led towards the Great Fairy Fountain. She lost herself in the sounds of the roaring waterfalls from behind Impa's home. She breathed it all in, and she smiled.
Link took a week before he finally woke next to her, on a bedroll hastily made as to not separate them. His blood loss had been severe, and Prince Sidon had made a comment about how he didn't know how the young hero had still been standing on his own two feet. When he woke, he was only conscious for a few minutes before he fell back into a quiet sleep, and Zelda had to wonder if it had less to do with his injuries and more to do with his pure exhaustion.
They had fought a demon, for the second time in their young lives, and lived to tell the tale. They had earned a bit of rest.
In the first few minutes of Link's alertness, Zelda had wrapped her arms around him. In the joy of seeing him awake and alive, with those blue orbs staring back at her longingly, she did not take into consideration any still healing injuries he may have still had as she crushed him to her chest.
Though, if he felt any aches or pains, he didn't voice them, as he held her just as fiercely before he stumbled back to sleep.
Over the course of the next few days, they spoke and planned out their next move following their recovery. It came as no surprise to either of them that both of them believed that their first course of action should be to make their way back to Hateno Village once they were well enough to travel. It was their home, and their peace that they had there prior to Ganon's resurrection was short lived. It was about time they continued where they had left off.
The various leaders from Hyrule had escorted them from the Hyrule Fields to Kakariko Village following the final battle. Their company was short lived as all of them had to handle the aftermath of the final battle. Casualties had not been merciful for any of the races, and they had to deal with their wounded and bury their dead. They had to offer condolences and aid to their families, and they had to carry on, in this post-Calamity world, for the second time.
However, all of the races had made it perfectly clear to Zelda and Impa prior to their departure that they were interested in discussing the next steps as Hyrule moved forward: what it meant for the races and what it meant for Zelda in particular. There was not a sense of animosity regarding Zelda coming to power, but perhaps they could sense that Zelda did not desire the throne.
The Royal Family was long since dead, and any semblance of a monarchy had been destroyed and forgotten about for over a century. Most of the citizens of Hyrule had been born into a world without a ruling monarchy. Instead, they had grown long accustomed to the governing bodies that ruled each hold. Still, the Hylians were left scattered, with only the majors and elders of each surviving settlement managing each village. There was no leader present to unify them.
That being said, Zelda was keeping herself busy while Link recovered devising plans for their new Hyrule. While she held no desire to rule over her country, she still wanted to help on a smaller scale. Perhaps instead of a ruling government overseeing the smaller providences, each province could continue to self govern and the Hylians would be no exception. What the Hylians really needed was a leader amongst them. With the threat eliminated once and for all, trade routes could be reestablished, and each of the individual providences could flourish.
She devised plans for infrastructure, based on the crumbling bridges and towns she had seen in her travels with Link. Certainly, she wished to see those bridges rebuilt, and to see those towns inhabited once again. It would take a long time: the Hylians had taken the largest hit in the Great Calamity a century prior, and it would take time for their populations to grow once again to be able to inhabit the long lost villages of Central Hyrule. But if anything, it just showed their resilience, and proved that the Hylians of her country would be able to once again rise from the ashes. She knew, though, that those things took time, but that was fine with Zelda: she knew how to wait and be patient from her battle with the Calamity.
She thought back to the little village in Akkala that Link had mentioned to her so long ago. This village was built from the ground up, and had villagers from every province in Hyrule. Each race had an equal say in legislation, and the town had since grown prosperous in its culture and civilization. She wanted to use Tarrey Town as a template for future villages throughout Central Hyrule. She wanted to create metropolitan cities from every walk of life.
It was an ambitious goal, she knew, but one that she felt that her citizens would embrace over the next few years to come. Though she had no plans to rule over them, she still felt the urge and ownership of them, calling them hers in her country. She felt a certain sense of pride over the lands that she fought so hard to save. The unprecedented peace her citizens faced was well earned and deserved.
The morning of their departure, as Link was finally well enough for the trip to Hateno, Impa motioned Zelda towards her, a knowing look on her face, "You've had time to think about what the other province leaders said to you?"
Zelda nodded, "I have. I've had a lot to think about over the last couple of weeks about how the future of Hyrule might look."
"So then I would be correct in assuming that you will not assume the throne."
It was not a question, but a factual statement. Even still, with her skin long since withered and her eyes dulled with age, Impa was nothing if not observant. Zelda could not help but smile as she looked into the long since wrinkled eyes of her oldest friend, "It is not mine to take," she admitted, "and it is not the life that I foresee for myself any longer. I remember speaking to you before, after Ganon's initial defeat, and I said I wanted to establish the monarchy and rebuild the kingdom… while the former isn't true any longer, the latter certainly still is."
"Princess, you've always been one for tinkering and rebuilding," Impa said, a light in her eye, "As much as I do wish to see the Royal Family ruling over Hyrule once again, even an old hag such as myself must understand that the world we live in today is vastly different from the world one hundred years ago."
"It is," Zelda said, softly, "It's still a bit of a shock, sometimes, seeing places that I remember once thriving now overgrown and mere rubble. However, it has gotten easier."
Impa nodded, the corners of her lips turning upwards, "Indeed, it does get easier. So, you are to head to Hateno Village once again with your knight today. What do you plan to do after that?"
"I have plans for the crumbling infrastructure throughout Hyrule. I plan to speak with each of the leaders of the provinces and Hylian villages to work out plans to reconstruct the bridges and roads throughout Hyrule," Zelda said, "It may be difficult, given that there isn't an overruling body to delegate these projects, but I think that with a bit of convincing that the threat is gone for good, and that trade routes can now be reestablished, each of the leaders will want these bridges and their roads to be fixed."
"Indeed, I think they will," Impa said, "But keep in mind, even these things take time, and even with the leaders wanting to get these things done, they may lack the manpower required to get them done. The Calamity one hundred years ago wiped out many Hylians who would have done the job, and the final battle against Ganon two weeks ago caused each of the races hardships as well. It may take some time."
"I can live with that," Zelda whispered, "I've learned a strong lesson in patience over the years," at the, Impa barked out a laugh, "I think I can wait a few more to see things come together."
"That's going to leave a lot of down time then, for you and your knight," Impa said, her tone dry but her eyebrows lifting oh so slightly, "I swear, if I hear from Purah of little fair haired babies crawling about in the next year –"
"Impa!" Zelda's face heated up, as she looked around the small room, mortified.
"Oh hush," Impa carried on, cackling, "I was going to say you had better bring them to Kakariko for a visit! Might be a good time then to get to work on fixing up the Kakariko Bridge. It still stands, but it could use some renovations. And speaking of my sister – you give her a good slap on the wrist for me regarding that anti aging rune."
"I hear she's figured out a way to reverse that once more."
"Well good – she looked ridiculous, and hardly acted her age."
"Well, that's because she wasn't –"
"You ready to go?"
Link was by her side then, having materialized out of thin air. How long had he been there? Surely he hadn't heard Impa's mortifying comment.
Zelda nodded, lifting herself onto her feet and giving a nod towards the Sheikah Elder, "Thank you, once again, for your everlasting hospitality, Impa."
"The pleasure is all mine, your majesty," Impa replied back, "Now, you remember what I said! If I get word from Purah in a year that – "
"Yeah, yeah, understood, Impa!" Zelda said, swiftly grabbing Link's hand and her bag from him as she rushed him out the front door of Impa's house, before her knight could catch wind of Impa's sly comments.
"What was that all about?" Link asked, catching her waist as they descended down the stairs of Impa's home.
"Oh, nothing," Zelda said, "Just a senile old lady spouting nonsense. I swear, she's acting more and more like Purah in her old age."
"I heard that!" Came the muffled response from behind the closed door of Impa's home. Zelda squeaked and tugged Link the rest of the way down the stairs, her face turning bright red.
"If you say so," Link said smartly, his eyes flickering towards the elder's home.
"How are you feeling?" Zelda asked, her eyes venturing down towards his leg, where she knew his biggest injury was.
"Today is good," Link replied, stretching out his arms above his head, "I feel less sore than I did yesterday. I think today is a good day to make our way towards Hateno."
"I'm ready to get back."
"Me too," he smiled, stealing a quick kiss, "If you wait here, I'll go fetch the horses."
Zelda nodded, and Link took her bag from her and headed towards the stables. Since their arrival back to Kakariko two weeks prior, a couple of the Sheikah had ventured out west towards the Serenne Stable to fetch their horses, which Link had stabled there indefinitely. Now, they were back within Kakariko, and upon seeing Link for the first time in weeks, both horses nickered and shoved their great faces into his chest. Even his horses could not help but love him.
Zelda smiled, before she found herself wandering off towards Tetla Lake, and as she rounded the corner, the remains of Hyrule Castle came into view.
Free from Ganon's hold, the ancient Zonai city had lowered back into the ground, bringing Hyrule Castle back to ground level. However, both the rising and the lowering of the castle had wrought immense damage to the architecture. Though Zelda hadn't seen it from any closer than just outside of Castle Town, she was certain that their was irreversible damage caused to the castle foundations. She knew that if she, or if anyone ever wanted to try and rebuild the castle, they would do better to start over entirely, perhaps on an entirely new piece of land. She couldn't help but wonder where might be a good place for a castle should a future Zelda ever decide to reinstate the monarchy. Would this new ruling family even need a castle? Or would it simply be symbolic more than anything?
Regardless, all of those questions would be left for another Zelda in another life, though the researcher in her could not help but speculate at potential areas for a new castle. The most prominent area that came to mind for her was up on the Great Plateau, near the edge, just off to the left of the Temple of Time. There was a large area of open land there, just beside the ruins of the Eastern Abbey. Perhaps a future Zelda could begin there…
And with it, perhaps the restoration of the Temple of Time would be in order. Indeed, she thought back to visits with her mother and father to the temple as a child, with its high vaulting ceilings and its incredible Goddess Statue deep within. She knew even as a small child that it was a holy place, and holy still – and deserved to be brought back to its former glory.
She heard footsteps from behind her and looked around. As always, her knight was there, and as always, he smiled.
"The horses are ready, Zel," Link said, "Are you?"
Wasn't that the question of the century.
Zelda nodded, "Yes, I'm ready."
Together, then, they walked back into Kakariko proper and climbed onto their horses. The familiar horse nickered beneath her, and Zelda could not help it as a smile blossomed on her face. Finally – some normalcy after the chaos.
They exited Kakariko with a wave and a promise to visit soon, and headed out the southern entrance, along the cliffs near Lake Siela. They took the trip slow – they were in no rush – and simply took the time to enjoy the brisk air amid the sunshine. At the pace they were going at, they would make it to Hateno by nightfall. But that was fine.
Zelda knew to mentally brace herself for the trip through Fort Hateno. One of her missions moving forward was also to disband and destroy any remnants of the Guardians. Though, she knew that it was easier said than done. It would be many years before all of them were gone, and many years before she would have the help required to move and destroy them. Her people were still wary and scarred from the Guardians, and she didn't blame them: she was too. But she knew that even if they were still active, they were not malicious at their core: that was Ganon's doing.
As they crossed the Kakariko Bridge and the first Guardian remains came in sight, however, Zelda was shocked to find that her heart did not begin racing as fast as she thought – nor did she find herself short of breath as her vision tunneled. No, as she looked onwards at the destroyed fort and the littered remains, she found almost a peace within herself.
The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and for whatever reason, the Guardians blended in well with the scenery. It was almost like the ground was engulfing them, as the grass grew high and moss covered the ancient Sheikah metals. The Guardians were one of many things long extinct: a relic from the age of the Calamity. However, it was something that could no longer haunt and trouble her.
In fact, she had hardly even noticed that they had passed through the gates of Fort Hateno, had it not been for the Cliffs of Quince blocking out the setting sun. The fort was behind her, and the next time she passed through, it would be to dismantle them.
She felt a sort of giddiness bubble up in her at the thought of finally – finally being able to take apart these machines piece by piece, to see how they had once functioned. Prior to the Calamity, such a thing was unheard of: they needed every last one of them in working order. That being said, she had no intention of getting them back to working order – that was something she was happy to never have to revisit – but for academic purposes, she was ecstatic to find out how the ancient Sheikah had made these work so flawlessly – and for over ten thousand years, as well.
"You're thinking about dismantling a Guardian, aren't you?"
Zelda looked up from her daydream to find Link smirking at her from his horse beside her.
"Who, me?"
"No, I was talking to that tree over there."
"Oh hush," Zelda admonished, "What makes you think that I was thinking about dismantling a Guardian?"
"You got that light in your eye whenever you get excited."
"So?"
"And you kept looking behind you towards the fort twiddling your fingers."
"That doesn't prove anything."
"But am I wrong?"
Zelda's response was to stick her tongue out, and Link laughed.
"Perhaps I was," Zelda mused, "But anyways I'm excited to get back to the house. It feels like an age since we've been back there."
"It has," Link agreed, his eyes flickering towards the right. They were beginning to pass by Lake Jarrah, "Our last day here in Hateno, we were just over there," Link pointed, "Having lunch on that cool, autumn day. That was the day you kissed me."
"I seem to remember it the other way around. You kissed me."
"Either way, you somehow found it in you that day to love a man like me."
"A foolish mistake on my part, really," Zelda laughed, leaning in to steal a kiss on his cheek, "That was also the day that I had cut my hair."
"I seem to remember it the other way around," Link shot right back, "You didn't cut your hair – I did."
"Because you insisted I would mess it up."
"Better than to take that chance! Either way, it turned out nice."
"Yes, it did," Zelda said, grasping at the ends of her hair, "It's grown a bit since that day. I might want to cut it again soon."
"You don't want to grow it out?"
"I don't think so," Zelda said, tossing it back, "It gets in the way too much. Easier to manage shorter."
"Well, that's convenient for me," Link said, "I like it short."
They made their way into Hateno Village just as night fell. Zelda could not help but smile at the twinkling lights coming from their sweet little village. This felt like home to her – the little village with their little people. If any had fled the village upon Ganon's return, it would seem that most had returned. She could smell the scents of supper cooking over the fire, and hear the sounds of chatter and the sounds of children giggling. Link took the lead as they rounded towards the right, heading across the bridge leading to their little Hateno home.
Their little home was just as they had left it before their journey across Hyrule. Link helped Zelda down from her horse, and as he went to go stable them, he handed her the key to the front door.
Gingerly, she opened the front door, and it swung open on its hinges with a creek. Inside, it was all the same, albeit there was a fine layer of dust covering the floors and table. But that was okay – dust could always be managed. The moonlight poured in from the front door, casting the room in blue shadows. From the back of the room, the Champion's weapons shined magnificently from where they hung. Zelda could practically feel the Champions around her, holding her steady with their one final goodbye.
Then Link was there, his arm just on her lower back. He was staring too – he must have felt the same energy that she had felt. It was over – it was all over – and though the fight had not been without losses, it paved the way for a new generation to move forward.
Zelda pulled Link in close, and he responded back just as desperately, pulling her tight against him and tucking her head under his chin. Zelda breathed him in – feeling his skin next to hers and his heartbeat steady under her cheek.
"We won," Zelda whispered against his skin, and she felt his arms tighten around her waist.
"Yeah," he whispered back, placing his lips against her temple, "We won."
The worst of winter was past them now, though it was still cold in their little village beneath the peaks of Lanayru. Link went about the house, lighting candles and setting up a long overdue fire in the fireplace. The villagers would certainly notice that the little house across the bridge was alight once more, and people would talk and say how coincidental it was that Link and that blonde haired Hylian girl had left just as the towers and shrines had sunk into the ground, but then returned as Hyrule Castle finally lowered back to the ground. But, they would leave it at that, saying that while it was interesting to say the least, at least the world was at peace once more – and trade routes were open and those Bokoblins down by the beach were gone.
They would know to give Link and that Hylian girl a few days to settle in before they crossed the bridge to welcome them back home and ask them how their trip was. They wouldn't pry – of course. Well, the gossips in town might – but they knew that Link would just laugh it off and ask them about something else. And they knew that more likely than not, Link and that Hylian girl would be off on some new adventure as soon as they were settled in and feeling restless. That boy could hardly sit still, and if he had somehow roped that girl into his adventures, she was likely the same way.
Then that little house across the bridge would grow dark once more for a couple of weeks – and then they would return once more – their smiles lighting up the place once more.
And Zelda was more than happy to just be that 'Hylian girl'.
They slept that night huddled together in the loft, and she woke to find that the sun had long since breached the horizon, wrapped up in Link's arms, as he continued to sleep without a care in the world.
Zelda realized in that moment that none of it had been a dream.
They had finally done it.
Their struggle had spanned from over a century prior, when the fortuneteller had predicted the return of Calamity Ganon. But now, finally – finally – after everything they had been through, she could finally say that the battle was won, and she had her hero with her after everything she had been through.
Zelda breathed in the cool, Hateno Village air, and sighed. After a century of fighting, and then finally winning, Zelda finally felt like she had won.
fin.