The room he opened the door to did not contain the Triforce, yet Link's curiosity pulled him inwards nonetheless.

If there was a floor, he would not know, it completely blackened like the walls and the ceiling. The room could have just as easily extended for miles for all he knew.

Yet the room contained more than one marvel.

At his feet was a narrow bridge of water, off its edges liquid falling into the dark abyss.

Link took a cautious step forward, looking down and placing weight as if to test its integrity. He took another when he didn't fall, his building confidence in the odd bridge making him look up to the door on the other side of it.

As he walked along the bridge slowly, Link figured the room had quite the width, there being multiple pedestals similar to the bridge, yet of hexagonal shape.

His speechless awe remained until he reached the door, giving one last look at the room. He wondered at its purpose, an odd feeling within him that it was quite important.

Link shook his head and opened the door, it barely ajar before he squinted his eyes and placed his arm defensively before them.

He only needed the red spots he saw on the inside of his eyelids to know what he inched towards. Link came closer and closer to the glowing Triforce as his eyes drifted open, getting used to the brightness. He lowered his arm slowly until he breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"It's here," he said. "It's safe."

Link didn't realize he hadn't closed the door behind him until it latched close, looking behind him to see the tall woman in green.

"I would wager this is all quite confusing for a mortal like you," she said with a smile.

Link shrugged.

"I've seen some pretty crazy stuff, but…yeah confused is a word I would use."

Adorning the same smile, the goddess moved to stand beside him. Link tracked her with his eyes until she met her destination, them both looking at the Triforce.

"As you can see," she started. "You need not be concerned. The Triforce is safe inside our realm. You thought well in bringing it here."

"It's such a relief," Link said with a sigh. "But…"

"Something troubles you?" Asked the woman.

"I…I just…" he said, gaining his courage. She had asked, after all. No matter how intimidated he felt, he had to bring it up. "Even you said I don't belong here. Now that I know the Triforce is secure…"

Link looked to her profile.

"Can I go back?" He asked. "To my realm? The Master Sword isn't here. Is there a different way back?"

The woman didn't reply, maintaining her stoicism. Link felt his heart drop as his fears overcame him.

"It…it's a one-way trip, isn't it?"

He winced waiting for the answer, the slow, anticipated answer. If it was an easy no, it would have been much quicker.

"It doesn't have to be," she said with an echoing wisdom, still looking at the Triforce.

Link furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean?" Link asked. "Are you saying I can go back?"

He studied her profile in her silence, eventually having his gaze go to where hers was.

The Triforce.

"No," he said with shakes of his head. "No, I…I can't."

Link was silent, feeling the decision wrestle within him. He couldn't deny that he was tempted, that he could be there for his wife, his unborn child, that he could return to everything he thought would be his future.

But that was selfish, incredibly selfish. He would have depended on the Triforce's might, he would have fallen to temptation, and he may not get up from it. Every decision from then on, every wrong thing he wanted to make right he would fall deeper into it. He would obsess over using it just "one last time". And, before he knew it, he would become someone he wouldn't even recognize.

And he wouldn't even realize it was happening.

This is what Indigo was talking about.

Link released a tear, bowing his head and breathing a heavy exhale, as if releasing himself from the inward struggle.

"No," he said. "That wouldn't be right…I…wouldn't feel right about that. That was the whole point of hiding it here, so that my kind wouldn't be tempted to use it for selfish reasons. Hylia wanted me to use it once. If I used it again to get home, the guilt would eat at me the rest of my life. My only option is to do the next right thing, which is to stay here."

Link kept his gaze on the floor at his feet, eyeing the watery texture on his skin and clothes as he brought his hand to his eye-line.

His wedding ring was still there, Link spinning it around his finger as he thought of her. He gave a sigh, stopping the swirling of his ring to instead study the etchings made on it.

They were leaves, curling leaves that encircled the ring in its' entirety.

He remembered Zelda had flowers on hers, he remembered putting it on her finger after they said their vows. He remembered her lips, her touch, her smile, her laugh, her eyes. He remembered so many things that, in this infinite torture, he was likely to forget.

"So that's just it, isn't it," Link said, looking back up at the Triforce. "My consciousness for the protection of the Triforce, to prevent its' misuse…for…them…my life for theirs…I suppose that's a trade I can make…"

His eyes clamped shut as more tears fell, Link breathing a shaky exhale. Not forgetting where he was, he tried to wipe away his tears, to subdue his sadness for this moment. He likely had many others beyond.

"I'm sorry, I don't normally cry in front of strangers."

"I had hoped you would say that," the woman said.

"What," Link said, trying to compose himself. "That I'm crying?"

"No," she said in reply. "I had hoped that you would reject the Triforce's power."

"Why?" He retorted. "You said I didn't belong here. Why would you want me to stay?"

"I don't," she said simply.

Link looked to her quickly, not understanding.

"Then…?"

Link sorted through everything in his mind, what she could possibly be talking about until it occurred to him suddenly.

"You…you were testing me?" Link asked.

She nodded.

"Why?" He asked.

"If you took the Triforce for selfish intentions," the woman started to explain. "The world would become a vile place. The Triforce would be truly split into three among its' owners and Hyrule would fall to darkness. Because no satisfaction can be met along that path, the punishment is hewn within it, leading to a life of pain and suffering. I wouldn't need to punish you for your immorality. It was an easy lesson for you to learn, at least from my perspective."

"In choosing not to, however," she continued, Link listening attentively. "You have proven yourself as selfless, with a true heart that is strong, strong in your determination to be unlike your kind. Because of this, I will grant what you seek…"

Link let out a smile, a chuckle of disbelief. He could barely contain his happiness, yet he tried anyway.

"…as it is not your fate to be here in this place. I have elected to send you back to where you come from, to reunite your consciousness with your mortal body."

She turned to him completely, towering over the small man.

"Although this is a favor to your heroism, I must apologize for the discrepancy that will occur. This realm, although parallel to Hyrule, is a realm of the goddesses and, as such, has measures to prevent any more deified entanglements. The displacement you will experience is up for you to discover, yet I still apologize for it. In short, our time is not yours. Living mortals are not meant to visit our realm and we have separated ourselves from yours for good reason. Our involvement curbed your development, so we chose to disconnect, to view our people from a considerable temporal distance in light of our careless error. With the Triforce out of mortal grasp, perhaps the mistake of leaving such a relic will be alleviated."

"You have returned the Triforce to safety," she continued with a smile. "I thank you for your moral tact, your resistance to temptation, and your prudence. You really are a worthy hero, a paragon of your kind. I could accolade you even further, a consequence of my own pride, but I gather you would like to return as soon as possible."

Link nodded quickly, the woman closing her eyes.

"By the power within me as the goddess Farore…"

Link's eyes widened considerably as he felt his breath escape him.

"I return you to your body and to your time."

"I-I'm sorry, you…you're…"

Just as Link exhaled to continue he felt an energy surround him, lifting him up.

It felt as if the world was spinning around him, changing. It dizzied him, meddled with his thoughts, his feelings, his focus.

Link closed his eyes.

Link imagined opening them to Zelda's, or to the hilt of the sword and looking behind him to her and Groose. They would share smiles and laughter, they would be relieved. The Triforce was secure and Link was free from the realm that now sealed it. They could all go home, live their lives in peace. Him and Zelda would anticipate greatly over the next six months the name, the gender, the face of their baby until it fell into place as if they always knew. They would live in a Hyrule without the temptation of the Triforce.

Or, at least, that's what he thought.