Ok folks, another really fast update, but again, I'm on a schedule! I have until July 7 to get this story done and it seems as though that's a deadline I will meet! Yay! Now here we have a chapter that made me cry tears of joy because of the sheer beauty of it! Oh the fluff in this chapter is just too freaking much and I love it! Believe me, it was really weird for me to write something that wasn't super depressing! Hahaha... Anyway, onto the reviews (and I'm happy to say that I DID reach 300! Thanks so much guys! You all are the best readers EVER! :D)
Guest: Well, you're partially right. There isn't much of a connection with Ganondorf, but there is a connection between Veress and Midna! Let's just say that Veress and her followers are the ancestors of Midna and her people, the Twili, who were banished to the Twilight Realm. Hope that cleared things up!
Pandora151: Yeah, it was pretty dark, wasn't it? But the fluff did help! XD And yes, Veress's quote from TP does connect to both Wisdom and Courage and Light and Shadow (though more specifically light and shadow!) For the sake of spoilers though, I won't say anything else here ;D But nah, there isn't much of a connection between Veress and Ganondorf, I just thought that quote worked perfectly for my intents and purposes :D
Nikrael: Ooooo... chilling :O
CupcakePride101: Yeah, I teared up a little during Fi's second farewell... And I hope its not a spoiler that I tell you the baby is a girl (the goddesses did mention it a few chapters ago) and that she finally makes her appearance in this chapter and she is nothing less than ADORABLE! XD And yes I did quote TP, of course! As for the orphan, that baby is actually Veress's. Perhaps I should have made this a bit clearer, but the end of the last chapter took place about nine months after the climax (around the same time Zelda would be having her baby, so basically the time in which this chapter takes place). Unbeknownst to even her, Veress was actually a few weeks pregnant at the time of chapters 36-32 (by one of her followers, but don't ask me who lol) and she gave birth only about a day or so before her suicide, leaving her newborn infant all alone. So yeah, quite a sad, tragic story, but I hope that cleared things up!
Coola13: Well, its a bit of a tale, but here goes. At the time of the battle, Veress was actually only about one or two weeks pregnant, and she didn't even know that she was with child. The father is one of her followers (didn't bother thinking of a persona for him so meh, they probably just did it out of passion instead of anything actually emotional), and they had intercourse before the remainder of her followers defected. The end of the last chapter took place around the same time this chapter takes place, but I didn't want to put it in this chapter, since I wanted Link and Zelda's baby being born to be the focus of it. So yeah, I hope that helped explain things!
Kai2: Yes she did and if you'd like a more thorough explanation, look up ^ cause I'm tired of writing it all out lol
LooneyCat55: Here's another short wait between chapters! :D Yes, I did throw in the Hyrule Warriors's scarf! I simply couldn't resist! :D Yeah, you just gotta have conflicting feelings towards Veress, even if she is evil and crazy :P And as I was writing the scene where Fi said goodbye to Link, I was actually listening to Fi's Farewell and Fi's Gratitude on repeat to help the writing process along! And yeah, it is kinda weird that they only just announced the release date for book 3, but I'm happy all the same. The trailer for it looks awesome and I can't wait for more epic Avatar action! :D
TheJediAvenger: Beginning: BABY! XD Middle: Fi :,( Ending: Yeah... pretty much... lol And yes this chapter is about the BABY! And it is so CUTE! And congrats on being 300, even if I know how you did it :P
Jarvis R. Yeriel: Yeah, I couldn't resist throwing that Frozen reference in (as well as the Hyrule Warriors reference I made as well with the scarf ;) I'm more of a fan of Let it Go myself, but I don't mind For the First Time in Forever that much... :) And never more will that quote from TP ring true in the latter books of the Bound Destinies Trilogy, especially Light and Shadow (which was pretty much named for that quote). And as far as the past fading away and being forgotten, the end of this chapter might just calm you worries about that :)
GO ZeldaXLink: Yes, Veress had a child and if you'd like a more proper explanation, look at a few of the other review replies to see how it happened. And yes! The scarf that Link was wearing was totally a reference to Hyrule Warriors and I simply cannot wait for it to come out either! XD
Legionary Prime: Well, its a little hard to explain, but I shall try. You see, the Link and Zelda in this story (as well as their children) are the beginning of the Hylian royal family. According to my headcanon, the amount of time between Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time (and by extension B&S and W&S) is about 1000 years or so I would say. The Zelda in W&C is a direct descendant from them, as she is a part of the Hylian royal family and bears the Blood of the Goddess, which is passed down directly through the royal blood line. However, (and don't take this in a weird way), the Link in W&C is actually ALSO descended from them, but in a way that would make it so that him and Zelda are so loosely related that they basically wouldn't be by the time W&C rolls about. Take into account splits and divisions in the family heritage, and assume that the line of the royal family goes straight from B&S Zelda to W&C Zelda without any blemishes in the bloodline. However, for W&C Link, imagine that he comes from a bloodline intermingled with outside marriages, class mixes and stuff like that. To simplify, imagine that B&S Link and Zelda are kinda like the Adam and Eve of Hyrule, and that all future generation of princesses and heroes are descended from them, ensuring that the shipping between Link and Zelda can still happen without inscest in each age, since their lineages are so distant they are basically not even related anymore until they marry... So yeah... That's basically it, even if it is a little confusing... :P
RandomButLoved: Yes! Someone else caught the reference to Hyrule Warriors as well as Twilight Princess! Hahah :D
Nintendoman01: Yeah, Veress went totally off the wall... :( And yeah, this chapter is also pretty angstless, which is a nice change... :D
Ok, so with all that out of the way, let's get started!
Chapter 39: A New Era
"When I first felt her stirring inside of me, I was consumed with a terror that felt as old as life itself. Only the joy of holding her in my arms could tame it."
-Katniss, Mockingjay
Four months later…
Winter had passed. It had been cold, but not too brutal, and in time, its brisk, short days began to give way to longer, warmer ones. Spring had dawned upon the surface in a fresh flourish. The trees gained their new coats of green leaves and flowers, the birds and animals that had departed for the winter gradually began to return and the snow had all melted away, revealing the vast green fields of the land once more. As much as the snows of winter had helped to wipe away all of the blood that had been shed during the violent summer of the Interloper War, the bright sunshine of springtime gave new life to the land. Indeed, spring was the season of new beginnings, of birth and rebirth, in more ways than one.
The former residents of Skyloft had grown quite used to their new way of life upon the surface. With the help of the Sheikah, their newfound community had grown from a small, frail settlement to a bustling, active town. They had easily lasted through the winter; in fact, they had even thrived as they began cultivating the fertile earth around them. Most of them had learned to ride horses courtesy of the Sheikah, but of course, their Loftwings were still an important part of their culture. While guardian birds still dwelled above the clouds, they no longer had qualms about descending to the surface whenever their riders called upon them, though they would quickly retreat back into the heavens when they were no longer needed. Indeed, it seemed as though Skyloft had finally been rebuilt upon the surface, where Hylia had always intended for it to be.
As time went by, so too did any lingering pain left over from the Interloper War. The land had long since been restored to its former beauty and splendor, and while the memory of their former leader was still well-respected, the Sheikah had chosen a new matriarch who promised to follow in Sheik's footsteps. With the Triforce secreted away, the great temptation that the promise of its power had posed was also gone and in time, the knowledge of its existence would fade into legend. Once more, the land could know peace; the presence of evil had finally faded from the surface, giving way to light and goodness. And while the memory of what had happened over the course of the past summer would most likely never fade from anyone's minds, the time had finally come to move on, to take the lessons learned in the past and look into the bright future. Something new was dawning on the surface and everyone could sense it. With the warmth of this new springtime and this new way of life came a time of hope and renewal. It was a time of great potential. It was a time in which anything could happen.
But most of all, it was a time of new beginnings.
Though it was still unnamed, the human village in the northern fields was certainly a sight to see. It was composed of twenty or so sturdy stone dwellings, as well as a busy open-air market place to replace Skyloft's bazaar. Plans were in the making for building a new knight academy, but since the land was at peace, it was something that could wait. The entire town stood before a tall stone watchtower that the people had decided to build in order to protect their village from incoming threats in the future, but for now, it was largely being used as something of a lighthouse, guiding people back home if ever they were away from it at night.
As their new society rose up, new ideas for additions to their community came to light as well. The watchtower was the first of these, but as a result of these ideas came a windmill, much like the one in Kakariko Village, a well, which was something that had not been needed in Skyloft, where the fresh lake had supplied all of the people's needs for water, a moat that surrounded the entire village, and an infirmary to treat the wounds and sicknesses of all who came to its doors. And it was inside those very doors that another new beginning was underway.
Despite the fact that the sun shined bright and warm in the mid-morning spring sky, the hero frowned anxiously as he briefly looked out the nearest window towards it before resuming the steady pacing he had been doing for the past hour or so. At least once a minute, Link would glance towards the nearby doors that Zelda was behind, waiting for one of the midwives to come out and deliver some sort of news, but for the past several hours there had been no report whatsoever, which only made him worry more.
In truth, both of them felt as though they had been waiting for this day for what felt like forever, but when it had finally begun late last night, it had completely taken them both by surprise. When the girl had awoken crying and screaming in pain from contractions, the hero had not hesitated to gently carry her from their new house within the human village, in the dark of the night, to the infirmary, where all of the nurses and doctors who worked there confirmed to the expecting young couple that it was finally time. For the first several hours of labor, Link had refused to leave Zelda's side, even as she screamed in the most intense agony she had ever felt in her life. The deadly chest wound she had received at the hands of her corrupted hero had felt like a mere scratch when compared to the immense pain of childbirth. And it was for that reason that, after watching her suffer for hours on end, the hero hesitantly found that he could no longer watch her go through such anguish willingly. Simply seeing the woman he loved so much go through such pain made him feel as though a knife was being wrenched into his own heart and, as selfish and cowardly as he knew it was, he eventually stepped out of the room to get some fresh air and to clear his head, but not without sending all of his love and support to his wife before he left.
Link had been waiting outside of the birthing room for at least an hour and a half by now, simply trying to find the courage to go back inside. He scolded himself silently for what he knew was weakness; after all, he had faced all of the horrors of corruption and survived, and yet he couldn't even stand by his wife as she gave birth to their first child. And even though Zelda, in all of her pain, had told him between labored breaths that she understood why he was leaving and that she was not angry with him for it, the hero still felt ashamed and guilty for missing out on something so important. It was at moments like this that he craved Sheik's presence, for he knew that she certainly wouldn't have taken any excuses as to him leaving and she would have forced him to return to the girl, always keeping a level head even when he wasn't. And yet, Link was able to take solace in the fact that certainly, the Sheikah leader was watching them from the Golden Realm, and that if she was there with him, she would most likely be just as excited and as nervous as he was.
And yet, as anxious as the hero was about what was unfolding behind the doors in front of him, his mind was somehow able to wander to something else, something that he had been thinking about quite a lot lately. Even though it had been almost nine months ago, the curse that the Interloper leader had cast upon him and the girl, as well as their descendants, still rung out just as loudly and ominously. "Our kind will ever follow after yours, all of those born both the breed of the goddess and the hero, bound to them for as long as time remains. We will haunt you and your descendants in every age and, in time, we shall wipe both the sacred blood of the goddess and the unbreakable spirit of the hero from the face of the earth and forever claim this land as our own!" Even though Link knew that the chances of Veress and her followers returning from their prison any time soon was nigh impossible, the curse still worried him nonetheless. It reminded him just how susceptible and vulnerable his and Zelda's children would be, not just to the threat of the descendants of the Interlopers, but to the evil that still lurked in the world at large. Even if the surface was at peace for now, it wouldn't always be that way. In time, the harmony that they had fought so hard for would certainly fade, giving way to destruction and war once more, things that, as the goddesses had said, their descendants would be tasked with driving back. It seemed that the cruel hand of fate was already upon their children, just as it had always been upon them, before they were even born. And as much as the hero wanted to change it, he knew that there was nothing he could do to alter the density of their lineage to something that would not put their lives in mortal danger with each passing age.
However, as Link was pondering over this, a sudden, shrill scream, far more intense and agonized than any other of the other ones that had come before it, sounded out from inside of the birthing room and the hero immediately recognized it to be Zelda's. Without even thinking about his former anxiety and nervousness, he immediately raced for the door as the sound of his wife's pained cries echoed throughout the building, knowing that he had to be by her side to help her through this. Zelda, in all the immense pain she was feeling, barely even noticed as Link burst into the room and stood in the door for a moment, watching with wide eyes of both worry and fear and hoping that nothing was wrong with either the girl or the baby. The midwives, who were working calmly in the midst of the panicking couple, paid the hero no mind as he slowly moved to stand beside his wife's bedside and take her hand in his, allowing her to squeeze it as tightly as she needed to in order to cope with the pain. Neither of them said anything to each other, nor did their eyes even meet, but they both knew that they were together for this moment, and that was all that mattered.
After a few minutes, one of the midwives called out to both of them that the baby was finally on its way, but neither of them really registered it. Zelda was still desperately trying to rid herself of the inescapable anguish she was enduring, while Link was lost among the many thoughts racing through his mind as he tried to make sense of them all. But in the end, both of their minds were rendered completely blank when it finally happened. As the girl's earsplitting screams of absolute misery finally died out, they were replaced with an all new sound entirely.
The sound of a newborn baby crying.
Slowly, Link and Zelda locked eyes upon hearing this, both of their expressions weary and exhausted. But they could do nothing else but smile warmly at each other in both excitement and relief, knowing that their many long months of waiting and wondering had finally come to an end.
Quickly yet carefully, one of the midwives cleaned the infant and wrapped it in a warm blanket, before holding the child out to its parents. "It's a girl," the older woman said with a huge smile on her face, one that all of the midwives in the room shared. The couple exchanged another brief glance before the girl, who was already beginning to recover from the pain of the past several hours, smiled softly and nodded to the hero, silently telling him to take the baby. Link frowned at her with uncertainly, but Zelda simply nodded insistently once more as she let out a small laugh at his hesitation. Yet even despite that, the hero soon relented and sat down at the girl's side as the midwife handed him the bundled infant, which he took in his arms slowly and gently. Zelda couldn't help but softly laugh once more upon noticing Link's awestruck expression, as well as the fact that his hands were slightly trembling, most likely from both nerves and excitement.
Both of them, however, where completely silent as they got a better look at their child, who had just stopped crying and now cooed softly as she laid in her father's arms. The little girl was perhaps the most beautiful sight that either of her parents had ever seen, and they found that no matter how hard they tried, they could not take their eyes off her. She was no doubt healthy and strong, about six or seven pounds, with a soft, warm, almost glowing pink complexion. Even though she was only a few minutes old, it was plain to see that she physically took after her father as they both shared the same honey golden hair and eye shape, even if she did have the deep, dark azure eye color of her mother. Her little lips were full and pink, and as she looked up at the hero, who smiled down at her with the greatest pride he had ever felt in his life, her own lips gave way to the smallest hint of a smile as well before her fresh blue eyes began to droop off into sleep.
For what seemed like ages, neither Link or Zelda said anything, as they could think of absolutely nothing to say in this completely blissful moment. There had been a time, months ago, when the surface had been encompassed in the grips of a violent and steady war and it seemed as though their love was going to be forever torn asunder by corruption, that neither of them thought they would ever reach such a moment. Even still, now that it had somehow come, it was hard to believe that it was all real and yet it was. The war was over, the struggle had reached its end and they had finally made it to this beautiful moment, one that was nothing less than incredible in every sense of the word. Both of their hearts were full of love and hope as they finally looked away from their child and exchanged a glance, and they found that they had no words to describe the immense joy they were both feeling and the love that they were already pouring upon the small life they had created together.
Long after all of the midwives had left, the hero and the girl remained in the same spot, both of them taking turns holding the baby, even though they still hadn't spoken a single word since its birth. The child had long since drifted off into a peaceful slumber in the tender care of both of its parents, and in the midst of this peace, Zelda finally broke the silence as she uttered one single thing: the baby's name. "Zelda…" she whispered carefully, as if her own name was hallowed and sacred, which, in a way, it was. The goddesses had asked the couple that their firstborn daughter would bear the girl's name and without any hesitation, they had both agreed to this decree, knowing that no matter what her name could have been, they couldn't have loved the child any less.
The steady, yet contented silence resumed between them for quite some time, until it was broken once again, this time by Link. "She's so perfect…" the hero said in soft wonderment as he placed the sleeping baby's petite hand in his own.
Zelda smiled warmly as she held the infant even closer to her heart. "I know…" she said with a peaceful sigh. "She was worth it all, wasn't she?"
"She certainly was…" Link said, looking up to his wife with a slight jovial smile. "You know, before she was born, I didn't think I could ever love someone as much as I love you… I guess I was wrong…"
The girl laughed lightly at this, tears of joy filling her eyes. "Oh, Link…" she said with complete contentment as she leaned in closer to him. "I love you so much…"
"I love you too, Zelda…" the hero said, still smiling softly as he also moved closer to his wife. And, as they both held onto their precious, beloved newborn child, their lips met softly and tenderly as they kissed in both celebration and joy over what was, without a doubt, the happiest day of both of their lives, one that they never thought they would get to have, but one that, beyond all expectations, had miraculously came all the same.
Night had peacefully fallen upon the human village, just as it always did, and with it came the full, bright silver moon and the endless array of twinkling stars dotting the heavens. In the warmth of the early evening, the lights of the village shined even from afar as the watchtower provided a burning beacon of light that shined out across the field for miles, guiding any wayward traveler home. On top of the watchtower was a platform from which anyone who wanted to could stand atop and look out across the land in its entire natural splendor. And, on the night of their child's birth, both the hero and the girl stood together atop the tower with their newborn infant, looking out on the land they had both struggled and toiled so much to protect.
Within the first few hours after her birth, the couple had taken to jokingly calling the baby "Zelda 2" to avoid confusion, which was accurate since she was named after her mother. Of course, they had plans to come up with a more permanent nickname to differentiate between mother and daughter, but they had both agreed that it would work for now. As Link and Zelda stood looking out across the vast surface that stretched out before them, the baby lay sleeping soundly in her mother's arms, bundled up tightly to protect her against the slight chill of the spring evening as the girl hummed her lullaby to the infant softly.
The couple stood close together, their hands entwined as the surveyed the land before them as the glowing moon shined down upon it, illuminating its wide fields in a soft light. Both of them silently marveled once again at how far the surface went on for; from their vantage point, they were only barely able to make out the tree line of the forest many miles to the south. Indeed, the surface was vast and now, finally peaceful, but as they had both noted upon seeing the open fields for the first time, it was still so empty, even despite the new human village. Most likely, there were still parts of it that were unexplored until its far-off borders were finally reached, but with the humans now living upon the surface once again, they would certainly be found eventually. The surface was still opening up its wonders to its new inhabitants, and with each one discovered, the more the people were taking a liking to their new home. Hylia's will for her people had been true: this was where they were always meant to be.
"I love this land so much…" Zelda said with a warm smile as she gazed out across the lush, rolling green plains. "I know I've said it a thousand times before, but that's because it's true. It's still just as beautiful as it was when Hylia ruled over it thousands of years ago…"
Link nodded in agreement as he also scanned the peaceful expanse that lay before them. "I think everything that we've been through to save the surface was worth it," he said with respectful sincerity. "Now, she'll get to grow up here in peace, just like we always wanted." With a contented smile, the hero leaned over and gave his sleeping daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead, one that didn't disrupt her steady slumber in the slightest.
"Yeah…" the girl said as she glanced down at the baby resting her arms, though her smile was beginning to fade. "But… I don't think we can call it just the 'surface' anymore now that we all live down here… I think it's time we finally give this place a proper name, don't you think?"
The hero smiled and nodded as they both turned their attention back to the land that sprawled out towards the horizon. "So, what should we call it?" he asked.
"Hm…" Zelda mused thoughtfully. "I don't really know… In the days before Skyloft, the people who lived here simply called it the Land of Hylia's Rule… But I don't think that will really work anymore. The era of Hylia is over; she told that me herself. We're at the start of a new era, and so, this land needs a new name…"
"But, even if the era of Hylia is over, that doesn't mean it should be forgotten," Link said as he looked over at his wife. "After all, you're still here and you basically are Hylia, right?"
"Yeah…" the girl said, raising an eyebrow at him in curiosity to see where he was going with this. "Why?"
"Well, the way I see it, the past should be remembered even as we move ahead into the future," the hero explained. "And that's what the surface's new name should represent: a combination of both the past and the future."
"Oh…" Zelda said with a coy grin, understanding what he meant. "So, do you have anything in mind?"
Link was silent for a moment as he thought this over, looking out across the land once more. "You said this place used to be called the Land of Hylia's Rule before Skyloft was made, right?" he asked, still not turning to look at her.
"Yes," the girl nodded, biting her lip in anticipation to see what he would come up with.
The hero closed his eyes in deep thought for a minute or two as he tried to formulate a name for the land that would embody both its rich history and its blank future. And, after several failed attempts at this, he finally came to one name that seemed to stand out above all the others, one that seemed perfectly fitting for the land they had both done everything in their power to successfully protect. "Hyrule…" he said softly, testing out how the word sounded out loud.
"Hyrule?" Zelda repeated, having just barely heard him.
Link smiled with confidence as he turned to face her, knowing that this name was the one. "Yes," he nodded with certainty. "Hyrule: short for 'Hylia's rule'. It's a new name, but it has an old meaning. Do you like it?"
"Hyrule…" the girl said once more, taking in the word for herself and smiling as she did so. "Yes… I do like it… I like it very much…"
"So, Hyrule it is then?" the hero asked, knowing that it was ultimately her choice since she was the goddess reborn.
"Hyrule it is…" Zelda said with a satisfied smile as she leaned her head against Link's shoulder, holding the baby even closer to her as the couple stood reveling in both the beginning of their little family and the beginning of the new country that they had fought so hard for.
It was true that the era of Hylia was over, but even so, it was not forgotten. The past and the future were both intertwined and they forever would be, and, as the hero had explained, the name Hyrule symbolized that eternal bond. A new era was dawning, one that would combine the best of what both the past and the future had to offer. And, as the moon and stars shined brightly upon the land they both loved so much and as they stood together with their beloved newborn child, both the goddess and the hero knew that one thing was very clear.
The era of Hyrule had begun.
Ok, I am trying so hard to get emotional but I just listened to every single version of Zelda's Lullaby out there as I wrote this chapter and the "Peace Excerpt" from Avatar: The Last Airbender's soundtrack (Go look it up and listen to it, even if you aren't a fan of Avatar cause it is BEAUTIFUL!) and then I relized that this is the second to last chapter of Blood and Spirit, not to mention the baby and Hyrule and OMG No just NO the FEELS are too STRONG man!
...Anyway, with my little fit out of the way, let's take one last look at what's around the bend, shall we? In the next chapter, we get more of what we had here: fluff, family, romance, sweetness, joy, contentment, good feelings all around and some deep stuff as we look back on the story and reflect on it all... Sigh... You know, I've been putting my heart and soul into this story for nearly a year now and I think that its really grown with me over the past year... I'm just so proud of it... I mean, in my own opinion, Blood and Spirit is my magnum opus, the best thing I've ever written and its so sad to see it almost over... :,) But I can take solace in the fact that the epic saga of Light and Shadow is about to begin in its wake! :D And so... for one last time...
Epilogue: Blood and Spirit
Afterword
Ok my beautiful people, that's about it for this time. Don't forget to give me your REVIEWS and I just want to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported me as I wrote this story. Love you all so much! I'll thank you all properly in the Afterword, but for now, Until Next Time!