Chapter 29: The Final Piece

Zelda woke up in an unfamiliar room, though she was certain it was one from the palace. She shifted around, and only then did she fully remember last night. Link's arm was firmly around her waist, holding her up against him while he slept.

She debated trying to worm her way out without waking him, or just staying comfortably in the soft bed with him, but she never had to make the decision.

A knock on the door had Link shooting straight up, his hold on Zelda tightening. He looked at her, as if forgetting that she was in his arms. The look on his face said that he was almost convinced last night had been a dream or a vision.

"Link," said the voice at the door. "It's Impa. We need to speak."

Link grabbed Zelda's hand and looked at it, verifying that the Triforce was still there. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up. "What do you want to do?" he whispered.

She knew she shouldn't be there, but with Impa, she didn't care. "I've got it," she said, fixing her hair quickly before opening the door.

Impa couldn't hide the surprise on her face. "Princess? I… didn't expect to see you in Link's room this early."

"I didn't expect to come here, but circumstances demanded it," she said, holding up her hand.

With wide eyes, Impa quickly hurried into the room and closed the door behind her, grabbing Zelda by the hand, staring at the symbol on her hand. "You've awakened it. I knew you would at some point. Then, finally, it's time."

Impa made several quick motions with her hands and the room turned to darkness.

Link was the first to open his eyes. He looked around, stunned. They were in the Chamber of Sages. Zelda was beside him, looking around in awe, memorizing every detail. But Link stepped forward and looked around the room that was once again filled.

Rauru, Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Nabooru, and Impa stood in a large circle, each spread across the room on their own pedestal.

"Impa?" Link gasped. "The Shadow Sage."

She nodded and bowed slightly before the two of them. "I did not mean to deceive either of you, Hero, Princess. I have been guarding the reincarnated spirits of the Goddess for many centuries now. This is how I best accomplish that."

"Centuries?" Zelda said, unsure how to process everything. "Impa, what's happening?"

Instead, it was Rauru who answered her. "Princess, welcome to the Chamber of Sages. Link has told you about it here, has he not?"

Zelda glanced at Link and nodded.

Rauru continued. "Impa is a Sage, like I am, like Ruto, Nabooru, and Darunia, all of whom you helped awaken and free. However, Impa, like myself, has been a Sage for many years. She survived the initial attack on the Temples and successfully closed off the Shadow Temple from Ganondorf. However, as bearer of the Triforce and one of the Goddesses' servants, he is also attuned to visions of his past. He learned who Impa truly was and kept trying to kill her. He decided that should be done by getting to you first, unaware of the role you play. To take measures to protect you both, we suppressed your ability to access the Triforce. You have finally surpassed our abilities and awakened it."

Zelda was struggling, forcing herself to understand. "Link? Did you know about this?" she asked finally.

He shook his head. "I never knew who the Shadow Sage was. They told me I knew her, and I thought it could even be you, but it was never a real thought, just an idea."

"Princess, Link," Impa said, "The final piece of the Triforce is awakened. It is time to put an end to Ganondorf, or die trying. I am afraid, once again, the fate of Hyrule is in your hands."

Zelda raised her hand up and stared at it. "This… this is it, then."

An incredible force rocked through the Sacred Realm. Impa and Rauru ran forward, each grabbing onto Link and Zelda.

Rauru turned to Link. "The Temple of Time is being attacked. It's the bridge to the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf is trying to destroy it!"

Impa looked from Rauru to Zelda and placed her hand over Zelda's cheek. "I have taught you everything you can learn. The rest is inside you."

"We will do what we can, but you must face Ganondorf. Do what must be done, no matter the cost. We will hold the Sacred Realm as long as we can."

"Go!" Impa yelled.

Link and Zelda woke again in Link's room. They sprang to their feet and took off down the hallway, rushing as fast as they could to the other side of the castle that faced the Temple of Time. Smoke and flames were rising, floating toward the window with the steady breeze.

"Come on," Zelda said, racing downstairs and into the armory. "Hurry!"

Zelda kept her formal dress on, and without many other options, pulled on a pair of boots that fit and a female soldier's breastplate. Link grabbed chainmail and threw it over him, sliding into a full uniform, complete with a green tunic over the top. He slid on his gloves and tightened the Master Sword and his shield to his back.

With a look to Zelda for approval, she nodded and grabbed his hand. "This might make you a little dizzy."

Throwing down a Deku Nut, the world changed in a flash of light, instantly moving from the armory to just outside the Temple of Time.

She wasn't wrong. Link bent over, his hands on his knees to stop himself from falling over before he shook it off and followed the princess into the Temple of Time.

Ganondorf stood before the Spiritual Stones, his arms raised out to the side. Dark purple energy swirled above his palms. He could hear them enter, but didn't turn around.

"You're too late. The entrance to the Sacred Realm is nearly destroyed."

He stopped and gasped as the symbol on his hand began to glow. Turning around, he smirked. "So, it was you after all."

Zelda and Link could feel their hands burning, glowing, reaching out for its other two pieces to make itself whole.

"Princess, get out of here. He can't have all three."

Though she wanted to protest, she hadn't expected the pull of the Triforce to be so strong. Turning to leave, she felt something stopping her as a blue light filled her vision. She spun around, realizing she was trapped inside a crystal. Banging on it was no use, and Link even tried shattering it with the Master Sword to no avail.

Ganondorf prowled toward the two of them, slowly, deliberately, and without any fear. Link held out his sword and stood between the princess and Ganondorf.

Ganondorf sniggered. "You're just as stupid as you were seven years ago, kid. This could have been easier if you'd stayed in your cell. Your Zelda might never have found her missing spirit. You see, you are born with Power. It's in you from the beginning, and as you nurture it, it grows and gains strength. Courage is stupidity facing down darkness. You've always been brave, kid, I'll give you that. When your fear is at its height, Courage emerges in the act of facing the dark despite the lack of light. We both know this. We've held our Triforces for years.

"Wisdom," he continued, knocking Link back with ease. "Wisdom is not simply knowledge. *There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart.* The Goddess requires a mastery of both to bear the Triforce. In that way, you were the reason I will be able to succeed, kid."

Link ran for Ganondorf again, but Ganondorf held Link by the hair, disarming him.

"You see," he said, barely making an effort to hold Link. "When one is able to master all three, Power, Courage, and Wisdom, he is a fitting recipient of all three pieces. I know what my heart desires…"

He extended his hand and the Triforce seemed to lift from his skin, as did Link's and Zelda's. They floated in the air for a moment before racing together, snapping into place with a loud crack until the one whole Triforce was one again.

With a sigh, Ganondorf hurled Link towards the wall and touched the Triforce, laughing as the world descended into darkness.

"Link," Zelda's voice whispered as she shook him. "Wake up."

He was sore, but unharmed. What surprised him most was the soft bed beneath him, the pillows, the blankets.

With a start, he sat up, only to be held back by Zelda's gentle hands. He pulled her hand from his chest and looked on the back. The Triforce was still there, as was his own.

"Was that all a dream?" he asked her, as if she'd know.

She shook her head and looked behind her. Impa stood above them. "It was a vision of the future, should you fail. One that Rauru and I thought was the best to explain. Ganondorf will make his move on the Temple soon. We will only be able to hold the Sacred Realm open for a short time after that. You cannot allow him to get the Triforce. The three of you together offers him the upper hand. As controller of the Triforce of Power, he knows how to harness that power best. The three of you creates one great surge of power."

"So," Link said, still slightly groggy, "You are the Sage? All of what we saw was true?"

"Yes."

Link pushed the blankets off of him and went to his closet. The armor from his vision was already waiting for him. He ducked into the small closet and began to change. "What do we do?"

Zelda's voice answered him, but it was shaky, more frightened than he'd expected. "Ganondorf isn't there yet. We should go to the Temple of Time."

"Why?" Link asked.

"Princess…" Impa whispered, a plea.

"Yes, we should go. I believe that's the proper course of action."

Link emerged shortly after, ready and in his full armor. "I suppose so. Together though? Isn't that unwise, given what we just saw?"

"No," Zelda sighed. "It'll be safe."

They walked to the Temple of Time, Zelda insisting that they should enjoy everything in case they failed. Link couldn't be more confused by the lack of urgency as she strolled through the gardens, running her hands along every flower they passed. Impa had tried to stop Zelda, also unenthused by the princess' plan, but in the end, she did not stop her.

Link tried to pick up the pace, but Zelda wouldn't. Finally, Link couldn't take anymore. "Princess? What's happening?"

Zelda looked up at the back of the Temple of Time, nearly there. "In many lifetimes, Link, I've fallen in love with you. I can still feel it, residual from the spirits of my past. I feel it now, a current love. I suppose that there's no better time to say it, and no reason to continue to hide it."

Her boldness shocked him. She didn't turn red, didn't look away. She just continued walking toward the Temple of Time. He caught up to her. "Princess… I… I feel the same, and I would love to hear you say that again if you didn't sound like we were walking to our immediate deaths. Why are you telling me this?"

She smiled sadly, refusing to look at him as she climbed the steps and pushed the door open. The room was empty, and her words echoed. "I have nothing to lose, Link."

"You're about to be the queen. You're coming back from this. What isn't there to lose?"

Taking his hand, she stepped towards him and brushed her lips against his, light as a feather, but rich with passion and a sad longing. When she stepped away from him, he felt that he shouldn't let go of her hand.

"The Goddesses showed me another vision. You have to kill Ganondorf, there is no question about that. But my role in this is not to fight by your side. I was meant to bring you here. Ganondorf will follow quickly when I'm through, and you'll want to strike him down when he is at his weakest."

He narrowed his eyes at her, tightening his hold on her, refusing to let her take another step. "Tell me what's happening."

"By sacrificing myself here—"

"No."

She sighed and made a face at Link. "By sacrificing myself here, Ganondorf will have no chance of retrieving the full Triforce. My spirit will move into the Sacred Realm, waiting for my next successor, and it will strengthen the Realm itself. From there, I can help seal away Ganondorf once you've weakened him. It will be stronger, it will hold his spirit for centuries, millennia, not just decades. This is the final piece of the puzzle. This is how I use my Goddess-Given powers."

"No," Link said again. "There are other ways to do this."

"The Goddesses showed this to me. They want this."

"I'm not letting you go."

Zelda smiled, her eyes welling up. "It's what's best for Hyrule, Link. We've been seeing our past, the sacrifices we've made. It's our turn. I have to sacrifice myself, and you have to let me."

"Damn the Goddesses," he said. "We can defeat him another way. Your kingdom will have no leader. How is that what's best?"

She squeezed his hand, placing her other over his. "It won't seem like it, but if the Goddesses want it, we have to trust in their wisdom."

And it hit Link. This was what Rauru had warned him about. The Goddesses themselves were telling Zelda that this was the right path, but he couldn't let her go. She was too important to him now. He was ready to put her before the fate of Hyrule. There had to be a way.

Link moved so he was standing between her and the altar at the end of the room. "I can't let you. I love you. Zelda, I love you."

She was sobbing as tears streamed from her cheeks. He looked so scared, and not because he was baring his soul or ready to doom the world.

He'd called her Zelda.

"Move, Link," she pleaded one last time.

Shaking his head, he planted his feet.

Zelda's teeth bit down on her lip, trying to control her tears as she reached out to the air off to her right. A long but thin sword appeared from nowhere, fitting easily in her hand. "Move," she said again, pointing it in Link's direction. "Your Queen commands it."

Link stepped into the tip of her blade, wincing as blood started to drip down. Zelda gasped, her hand shaking violently. But she held it firmly. Link pushed into it, letting more blood fall. "I'll accept the punishment for disobedience. You'll have to kill me."

With her other hand, she wiped the tears from her face. "I won't kill you. The world needs you. And I need you to live. But I will not let you stop. My duty, since the day I was born, has been to serve my people. I vowed to live and die for them. I intend to fulfil my vows."

Link tried to laugh, to make her hear him. There was another way. A harder way, but they'd find it. "I don't think that was meant to be taken so literally, Zelda."

Zelda's hand shook again as she fought for control over her emotions. "Stop calling me that."

"You've been asking me to call you by your name since we were children. I finally start, and you tell me to stop." He took another step forward, bracing himself as he let the blade really push through his skin. "Make up your mind."

With another sob, she withdrew the blade. When she saw Link soften, she swung it at his right arm and spun around him. Link managed to reach the Master Sword just in time to knock the blade away from him.

This time, he held his sword out, blocking her way forward. "Don't."

She brought hers back up and swung at it several times in quick succession, almost disarming Link. Link was more than surprised to see that she had actual skill with the blade, having never seen her use one before.

For that moment's distraction, Zelda reached into her pouch and grabbed something, holding it tightly in her hand. Link could see the small Deku Nut, and pulled her to the ground, causing her to drop it with a loud crack.

Zelda groaned against Link's heavy body and she knew she wouldn't be able to push him off. "You saw what he's going to do, Link! We can't let him."

"Then let me sacrifice myself. It doesn't have to be you."

"I cannot defeat him. Only you can. It has to be me."

She leaned up and kissed him, catching him off guard. It wasn't like their earlier kiss; it was more desperate than that. Link tried to pull away. Were they still fighting? Had she given up, or was this her final goodbye?

Zelda could sense his confusion and let him leave her. She ran a hand along his neck, sitting up as Link eased off of her.

"I love you," she whispered before disappearing in a blinding flash.

Link spun around to face the altar, seeing her standing there with the sword in her hands, aimed at her chest. She was whispering a final prayer.

"Zelda!" he called, but she didn't open her eyes.

Instead, she drove the sword towards her chest.

A/N: *Stolen quote! This time, I stole the line from Charles Dickens, not LOZ. The line "There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart" was not said by Ganon, but Charles Dickens. Due credit to the man himself. It just felt pretty perfect for that moment.