Link and Zelda made their way out of the catacombs and began to walk north towards the sanctuary, where Zelda promised that there would be people who can help them. She held onto Link as she guided them through the ever increasing viciousness of the storm. Finally the two spotted the small abbey located within Hyrule cemetery. They sprinted to the wooden door before finally falling into the extravagant sanctuary. Link leaned against a wall, sliding down it until they were sitting on the floor. Still trying to catch her breath, Zelda walked over to them, her hair still dripping wet from the rain.
"Are you alright, Link?"
Link's eyes became heavy as the adrenaline coursing through their body finally gave way, causing a wave of exhaustion to overcome them.
"Mmmhmm….just tired".
"Come on, let's get you somewhere more comfortable".
Zelda lifted Link up by the arm and began to lead them to the pews. She helped them sit down on the cushioned seat, eventually sitting down next to them. Link rested their head on Zelda's shoulder, their eyes still struggling to remain open despite the overwhelming fatigue.
"Zelda...what's going on?" Link asked in a tired voice.
"It's ok, Link, you can rest now".
Quickly, Link once again drifted off into the twilight between awake and asleep as the priest of the church ran over to the two.
"Link! Wake up! My name is Navi, the Great Deku Tree has an important mission for you!"
Link yawned and stretched as they met eyes with the glowing fairy floating above their head. Link looked down at their body. It was strange, they seemed a lot smaller. Looking around they noticed that they suddenly weren't in the church, it looked like some sort of tree house. Before Link could say anything else, there was a sudden flash as lightning cracked in the distance. They were no longer in the wooden shack, they were now outside the gate to Hyrule Castle Town. It was pouring rain, almost as hard it it had been earlier. The drawbridge began to lower ominously. Rushing through the gate, Link could see what looked like a woman and a young girl riding a horse. The girl stared at Link as she rode past them, a fearful look on her childish face. The girl then tossed something at them. Before Link could see what it was, another horse approached them. But this time, they recognized the rider. Staring into their soul with those bright yellow eyes was the man they had so many nightmares about, Ganondorf. Ganondorf raised out his palm as it too began to glow increasingly brighter with a yellow energy. He smirked as he prepared to end Link's life.
Link groaned as they came to consciousness. They were laying down in the church pews, surrounded by the echoing ambiance of the old building. Yet through the peaceful drone of the abbey, Link heard what sounded like someone crying. Link sat up and looked behind them to see Zelda with her head in her hands, weeping as softly as possible, clearly trying her best to not alert anybody. This was a feeling that Link felt all too well.
As Link gathered their thoughts, the strangeness of this whole situation began to dawn on them. They hadn't seen Zelda in years, but the two had been the closest of friends when they were young. Since Link's parents were personal guards to the royal family, the two got to spend a lot of time together in the castle. But after Link's parents died, there was no longer a reason for them to be there, and Link was far too passive and shy to ask if they could go to Hyrule Castle to play with the Princess. Years went by, and Link had no so much as heard from Zelda, figuring that she must've forgotten about her childhood best friend. But suddenly, she came back into their life, and in a big way.
Just hours earlier, Link could only see what remained the same about Zelda. But now as the gravity of the situation began to fully weigh down on them, Link could now see the truth. Zelda was not the same girl they played with as a kid, and Link was not the same either. In fact, they were both now completely different people than they had been just yesterday.
Link slowly began to walk over to Zelda, trying to make as little sound as possible as to not startle her. This backfired, however, as when Link tried to comfort Zelda by placing their hand on her shoulder, Zelda jolted up and let out a short shriek.
"Ack! I'm so sorry!"
Zelda panted as she wiped the tears from her face.
"Oh nonono, you're fine, I'm fine, everything is fine".
Link sat down next to the Princess.
"It's...um...it's been quite a while, hasn't it?" Link asked.
"Yes, I guess it has".
The two sat in an awkward silence for a few seconds.
"...You were crying" Link said "but you're not anymore".
Zelda nervously nodded.
"Are you ok?" Link asked.
"That's not important right now. Are you ok, Link? I noticed that you were carrying your uncle's sword. Does that mean that he's…?"
Link's eyes dropped to the floor. Zelda knew that this could only mean one thing. She placed her hand on Link's shoulder in an attempt to comfort them.
"I'm so sorry, Link".
At this time, another person entered the room. It was the priest, Mother Impa.
"Excuse me, Link, can I have a word with you privately?" the older Shiekah woman asked.
Link's eyes jolted up as soon as they were addressed. They looked back at Zelda as if to ask permission to do as Impa said. She nodded and took her hand off of them. Impa led Link away to the corner of the church, next to the statue of the Three Goddesses.
"So, Link, I'm assuming that you have a lot of questions as to the circumstances that brought you here"
Link nervously nodded.
"Well then, allow me to explain. There's no easy way to say this but Hurule is in grave danger. Aganihm, the long time trusted advisor to the royal family has betrayed us. Unbeknownst to us, Aganihm's true intentions were to sacrifice Princess Zelda in order to resurrect Ganon"
Link had heard the name Ganon many times, but the only thing they knew about it was that they were supposed to be afraid of it.
"What exactly is Ganon?" Link asked.
"Ganon is a demonic being that threatens all life in Hyrule. Generations ago, a Gerudo man named Ganondorf attempted to gain the full Triforce to rule over Hyrule. He had already obtained the Triforce of Power, The Triforce of Wisdom was appropriated from the princess of the time, and the Triforce of Courage was taken from the corpse of…"
Link interrupted.
"The Hero of Time"
Impa's eyes widened as Link said this.
"How...how do you know about the Hero of Time? Only members of the royal family and myself are to know about this"
Link's face suddenly became hot as Impa raised her voice.
"Um...Zelda told be about it when we were kids. I don't think that she knew to keep in secret. But she told me that the Hero of Time defeated Ganondorf"
"Yes, they fought valiantly, but Ganondorf was much too powerful. He assembled the full Triforce and became the demon we know now as Ganon. However, the princess was able to gather seven wise men who sealed Ganon into the Sacred Realm where the Triforce had originally been found. It was a weak seal, but it was all that could be done at the time. And now, Aganihm seeks to break the seal and release Ganon on Hyrule once again"
"So, what do I have to do with this?"
"There is one artifact that may stand a chance against Aganihm's magic, the blade used by the Hero of Time, The Master Sword. Link, many were called telepathically to assist the princess, but only you made it. The fate of Hyrule now rests upon your shoulders".
A huge weight began pressing down on Link's chest. They had hoped that saving Zelda would've been the end of this, but it was only the beginning.
"Wh-where is the Master Sword now?" Link asked, their voice cracking as they stumbled with their words.
"The Master Sword rests in the Lost Woods, but first you must gather the three spiritual pendants located in temples across Hyrule".
Link pondered the whole situation. They thought that there must've been some kind of mistake. They weren't a knight or a Sheikah warrior or a master spell caster, they were just some kid who happened to be friends with the Princess.
'The Princess!' Link realized that she was still here, still crying alone in the pews. She was alone. Link figured that the King and Queen should be here somewhere. But other than themselves, Impa, and Zelda, the church was empty.
"What happened to the King and Queen?" Link asked while looking back at Zelda.
Impa sighed as she prepared her response.
"Aganihm set out to eliminate anything standing between him and The Princess, and unfortunately, this included the King and Queen…"
Link stood in silence, contemplating this destiny. His thoughts soon turned to sympathy for their childhood friend. After their own parents died, Link wanted nothing more than for their friend to be there, if only to listen. Link remembered the cold emptiness that filled their heart becoming impossible to ignore, yet necessary to avoid. It was as if there was something missing from their very being, a nothingness that weighed a ton.
"I...need to have a word with Zelda" Link said in a dull tone.
Impa nodded slowly as Link began to walk back over to Zelda. They sat down next to her and put their arm around their shoulder, this time showing to hesitation. Zelda tried in vain to calm herself down, but it was no use.
"Zelda, it's ok, I'm here for you" Link whispered softly, "You can cry if you need to".
"No, I have to be strong, I'm going to be queen, I can't show weakness, that's how he wins!" She replied frantically.
"Zelda, I know it hurts, but it's going to hurt more if you don't do anything about it. I'm sorry that you have to go through this but...I'm here for you, and I always will be. I'll get the pendants and stop Aganihm, you have my word".
Zelda looked up at Link, her eyes quivering and face turning red. She began to burst into tears as she buried her face into Link's chest and started to weep.
"It's just sniff it's so much pressure! I don't think I can handle it alone!" cried Zelda.
"That's why I'm here"
"I...I...I...I don't know what I'm going to do without them"
Link patted her on the back.
"I know it's hard, but you can get through this. We can get through this...Zelda, it's ok to need help"
After several moments of Link comforting Zelda through this trying moment, her sounds of distress began to quiet. Eventually, she lifted her head up and met eyes with Link's.
"Sniff When Aganihm's army was storming the castle, my mother told me to think of all of the strongest, bravest people in Hyrule. There were many I could think of, your Uncle included. But as I was sending out the message to all the heroes in Hyrule, I thought of who I wanted to see the most, my hero, the one who had endured so much pain and yet kept going. Link, that was you. And now you're here. Thank you, Link, thank you so much"
Link started to chuckle, smiling for the first time in a very long while.
"I'm your hero?" they said in a sarcastic yet playful tone.
Slowly, the edges of Zelda's lips began to curl upwards.
"Well of course, you've been fighting imaginary monsters since we were kids. What's a few real ones compared to that".
"Oh yeah, well what about 'Oh Link, your hair is so soft and pink. You're like a little bunny rabbit. I just wanna take you home and doll you up in all sorts of pretty outfits'" Link replied, lightheartedly mocking Zelda's posh accent.
Zelda wiped the tears from her eyes before roughing up Link's hair.
"Well, I mean look at this! How could anyone not find this adorable. And it's not my fault that you're a huge softie".
Link laughed.
"Says the girl who brought a baby wolf home into Hyrule Castle"
"Hey! She was cold and it was raining".
The two went on like this for the rest of the night, laughing and reminiscing. Catching up on all those lost years, joking about the different people that they knew, playing silly games they hadn't played in years. Pain and suffering brought them together, yet in this world of darkness, their combined light would become a beacon of hope to all those living in Hyrule. And though most couldn't see it, their bright smiling faces warmed the land. Through the darkness and through the cold, Link and Zelda's platonic love for each other would forever be the light in the dark, the warmth in the cold, the link between worlds.