Three years after the Twilight Invasion…
The lush countryside flashed before my eyes through the carriage window. A storm had given fresh life to the greenery of Hyrule, and now the sun was shining in all of its glory.
It felt so good to be in the light. Three years had passed since our world was covered by Twilight, but I still found myself unsettled in the dusk and darkness.
Across from me sat a blue-eyed young man, golden Triforce on his left hand and sword at his right. We sat quietly as the carriage swayed back and forth on the bumpy road.
In my hand, I clutched a letter with a message that was rather out of the ordinary. Several days before I had received a message from a notorious horse breeder, requesting that I come visit him, for he had something of interest to show me.
The Twilight had changed me into a suspicious person and I no longer took any chances with my safety—or the safety of others.
More likely than not, my visit to the horse breeder was innocent, but I wanted to protect myself just in case. Link happened to be visiting me when the letter came and he agreed to accompany me on my visit.
It was not unusual for the Hero of Light to accompany the Princess of Hyrule. Our friendship had grown over the course of three years and we became like brother and sister to one another.
"He most likely wants to sell me one of his finest horses," I pondered aloud. "Or perhaps he wants one of my own mares for his purposes?"
"I couldn't say." Link looked back at me and shrugged. Then his eyes sparkled mischievously and a smile crept over his face. "At least it's not another one of your advisors bothering you about finding a husband, right?"
"Oh, I can't deny that! This is much better," I exclaimed, laughing at Link's statement.
He could not have been more right; my council had been pestering me about marriage for the better part of two years and I had grown quite weary of the topic.
Link had been a patient and steadfast sounding board for all my frustrations—even when my advisors started to suggest that the two Triforce bearers come together in holy matrimony.
That one suggestion usually brought out a good laugh between us when we reminded each other of the absurdity of it.
It was only a few hour's journey to the breeder's estate, but we arrived late in the evening. There were hills with tall grass, dotted with peacefully grazing horses surrounding us. The colors of the setting sun were especially lovely; the sun was a soft golden glow, brushing the remaining clouds with shades of pink and red. The gentle sky looked down on us as we pulled up to the lovely estate.
It was a place that I had been before, and I usually enjoyed my visits to this peaceful haven. The breeder, a short man by the name of Leigh with a temperate manner, greeted us. He was the perfect sort of man to acquaint himself with horses, as they required a calm master. A pang of guilt struck me that I had suspected him of any wrongdoing, but the nature of his letter was so unusual.
He greeted us warmly and led us to the stables. "I apologize for asking you here so unexpectedly, your Highness. I am certain that my letter was rather vague, but I wanted to surprise you…" he explained as we followed him into the stables.
We passed stall after stall of beautiful mares and stallions until we reached the end of the stable, where a large stall was home to a rather large horse.
Leigh stopped in front of this stall and gazed proudly at the beast within.
"After you, your Highness," he murmured as he undid the latch to the gate. Curious, I stepped inside the stall with the stallion.
He was a rich brown color, almost black, and had a white blaze running down his broad nose. White, feathery fur covered massive hooves. This stallion was nearly seventeen hands tall, from what I could tell, and he was thick and muscled.
"What have you got here?" I asked, more than curious now. The stallion ambled towards me and I held out my hand to touch his soft neck. A black mane fell over his neck. He leaned into my touch and I could see that he was relaxed.
"He's a gentle one…" I whispered, remembering a gentle giant much like this one. Leigh and Link watched as I made friends with the placid stallion.
"Aye. He may look like a beast, but he is as gentle as any old mare that I've met. My own little ones can ride him as easily as they can a pony," Leigh replied, patting the horse on his rump. "He's bred just for you, your Highness. It took us a while to get it right, but here he is."
"For me?" I asked, surprised. "I appreciate your offer, but I did not request a new horse… what has inspired your generosity?"
Leigh shrugged his shoulders and an amused grin passed over his face. "I heard that you once had a horse you loved, one like this that was big and gentle. He was your favorite. I tried to make one just like him."
My stomach turned nervously. My face must have paled for Link came to me, his face full of concern.
"Zelda?" He asked with a shade of worry in his voice. "Are you alright?"
My heart beat rapidly in my chest and my mind was frantically trying to figure out how in the world this breeder knew of the old horse. A scant few knew of him and most of them were servants at my castle. There was one other who knew, but it was impossible—
"How did you know?" I stammered. "How did you come up with that idea?"
Leigh shuffled uncomfortably."Well, your Majesty. It wasn't my idea, honestly."
"Whose idea was it?" I blurted, forgetting my manners. It did not matter to me to be dignified now. This was a matter of the heart.
"A hired hand of mine. He came to me just after the Twilight Invasion ended. He had this wild idea to breed just the perfect horse for the Princess. All the work… all the breeding… it was all him. He was very keen on creating just the right horse for you." Leigh explained, though he looked as if he were afraid that I would order his head chopped off at any second." Is everything alright, your Majesty?"
My heart was bursting inside my chest. It could not be! Who else could it be?
"Where is this man now?" I demanded, desperation in my voice.
"He's over yonder, on the hills, tending to the herd," he pointed towards the stable doors. His brow was pulled into a frown and his mouth twitched with worry. "Have we done something wrong, your Majesty?"
The words had hardly left his mouth before I was rushing down the path, going to the door as fast I could. Footsteps followed me and a hand grabbed my arm.
"Zelda?" I heard Link behind me. "Is everything alright?"
I turned around and clutched Link's hand.
"You needn't follow me, Link." I answered. I could hardly contain myself. "There is no time to explain but…" I remembered the careful protection of the Darknut; the way he let me talk to him, the times he stood beneath my prone form, how he stopped Ganondorf's assault. If my suspicions were right, then—
"I will be safe," I assured my friend. Link raised his brows at me, but he willingly let me go.
I followed the direction where Leigh had pointed. I marched past the stables and paddocks and into the fields beyond.
There on the golden horizon was a hill. The tall grass swayed in the soft evening breeze as I climbed the knoll. Below me was the estate and endless green sea of rolling hills and grass. When I reached the top, I saw that I was not alone. A man, impossibly tall and broad, was leading a horse through the grass. The sunset was at his back, so his face was cast in shadow.
He must have caught sight of me, illuminated by the painted sky, for he stopped and stood still.
"Who are you," I cried out, my voice shaking. I would feel like such a silly fool if I were wrong, but in my heart I knew that I had to be right. Nobody else knew the things that he did. Who else would want to replicate my dear horse from my childhood?
Only he knew.
The shadowy figure did not make a sound. The silence that he answered me with was enough to confirm.
Silence was his way.
I rushed to him. He dropped the lead, letting the horse go free. As I came to him, the shadow over his face lifted. Kind brown eyes gazed down at me. I raised my arms to embrace him, but he clasped my hands in his own.
"You're alive?" I breathed.
His face was not the gaunt, ashen façade I had seen before. It was full of life and vitality. A faint smile hid underneath his beard and he squeezed my fingers. How different he looked, no longer burdened by heavy, bulky armor. He wore a simple peasant shirt and breeches, looking so much like any other man. It was a pleasant sight. I could see strength in his arms and his chest.
My skin tingled as I felt a telling blush creeping over my cheeks. A full smile lit up his face as he saw me flushing.
My voice shook as I ventured the obvious question.
"How are you alive?"
"The goddesses were kind," he replied with a solemn gratitude. "They restored me."
My memory came to life as I let myself go back to the field, moments after Ganondorf's Light Spirits restoring my castle and Midna…
Surely, their hearts must have been swayed to show mercy on the servant of our enemy? Did they know his true nature as I did? Did they spare his soul because of my connection to him? Did they trust what I trusted?
A thousand questions danced on the tip of my tongue, but I found that in this moment, it did not matter the answer. That would come in time. We would speak of it later. Those burning questions would be quenched and the answers would make their way to me.
In this moment, all that did matter was that my Twilight friend had come back to me.
His hand, no longer cold, but warm and gentle cupped my face and he drew me closer to him. This time I could feel the warmth of his breath, his lips so close to my own.
"What is my name, Zelda?" He asked in a rich voice. Even the tones of his voice were melodic and vibrant, no longer belonging to a cursed man. "I long ago gave you the honor of giving me a new name for my new life…"
"You mean to tell me that you went for three years without a name? What did Leigh call you all this time?" I titled my head slightly beneath his hands as I stared up at him. He let out a laugh, somewhat sheepish, and shook his head as if he himself couldn't believe that he had been nameless for so long.
"I am fortunate that Leigh is a trusting soul who knows that sometimes men have good hearts but a need for secrecy."
He patiently awaited my answer while I gazed at him, still amazed to see him living. There was only one name that came to mind. It was probably silly and sentimental, but it fit him perfectly. No other name would do.
"Beren," I whispered shyly. His rugged face broke into a handsome smile, the first smile I had seen on him that finally made him look truly and fully alive. My shyness deepened and I smiled back at him. His fingertips moved my face ever so closer to his.
"To kiss your sweet lips and know what it means to be alive…" he murmured lovingly as he brought his lips to mine.
His fingers tangled softly into my hair. My own hands had somehow made their way around his waist, resting on the small of his back.
My entire body froze as his kiss lingered on my lips. I was certain that he could hear my heart as it beat wildly within me. Seconds passed in delighted shock before my mind was demanding that I move my muscles and kiss him back before he became discouraged and pulled away.
So I pulled myself closer to him until not a breath of air flowed between us. My lips moved to return the kiss; the movements coming as naturally to me as breathing. He ran his hands through my hair until he cupped the back of my head. I felt him deepen the kiss and I gave into him.
We stood there in this embrace, basking under the rosy glow of dusk and the world around us forgotten to each other. After an eternity, we pulled away, breathless and me blushing furiously.
He sighed, content, and rested his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes and allowed a ghost of a smile on my lips.
No words were exchanged. We simply enjoyed one another's presence, the heated silence speaking our hearts for us.
Finally, he broke the spell and murmured gently, his mouth still hovering over mine.
"I will follow you with all my life, if you will let me…"
I did not grant him with a reply. That ghost of a smile grew into a mischievous grin. How many countless times had I spoken to him with absolutely no word from him. Instead, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into an embrace. Instantly his strong arms returned the entrance, holding me close against him.
I trusted that he knew what my response would be.
Whatever the future held for us, I wanted him there. I refused to lose him again.
My Twilight friend.
Beren.