Author's Notes: Final excerpt is by Zelda. Now, I decided that because she was the princess, she deserved a slightly different approach. Rather than "think" her thoughts, Zelda is going to write them down in a eulogy.
Warnings: Angst, mention of death.
Archive: Just ask.
Obligatory Disclaimer: I own no part of Zelda or of the characters in Ocarina of Time.
Wise in Our Own Ways Zelda: A Royal Eulogy
Dear inhabitants of Hyrule,
It has come to my attention that a great tragedy has befallen we people of Hyrule: our savior and Hero of Time, Link, has died, and by the coroner's reports, by his own hand.
Now my friends and loyal subjects, we shall not curse the gods for this passing nor shall we trespass upon the memory that was our Hero of Time. Instead, we will mourn the loss of an honorable and loyal man. The next two weeks in which in the winter solstice festival was scheduled will now become two weeks of official bereavement. Members of the community that makes Hyrule the land that it is are invited to partake in this sorrowful event. Link's death is a passing that will be remembered by all.
In terrible times such as these, often we cannot help but ask the question of why. Why did our strongest, most admirable warrior choose to take his own life rather than live among us, loved by the throngs and those close to him? It is a question that none of us can possibly answer, but we must keep in mind that Link's choice was, I am sure, supported by whatever justification he chose.
My people, I fully empathize with your suffering and pain. Today is a time that few will ever forget; its events are forever inscribed in our bare memories. Hear me people of Hyrule when I say that Link's death will not go forgotten.
Link was a kind and loving individual, the type of man who sacrificed everything for the cause of his country and people. It is because of him that I stand before you now, dressed in the royal cloth and holding the coveted throne. He freed our country from the iniquity that was Ganondorf and his minions. He has helped the poor rebuild, given our children hope for the future, and encouraged an empire to rise from the ruins that remained of it. He gave so much to us all, but most importantly, he gave us hope.
There is still hope.
We will move on, people of Hyrule, I swear it! We will rise again from the ashes that he has left us in, and we will move on with his spirit watching over us. He must have surely justified his own end for our good, so we must justify our desire to move on. We will never forget him, but we will not be consumed by the sorrow and anger at losing him.
Trust me, people of Hyrule. We have seen heaven and hell, chaos and serenity, war and peace, and now we must face the most difficult tribulation of all: loving and leaving the memory of our brave Hero of Time.
May we all pray for his souls and our own.
Your ruler,
Pricess Zelda
I drop my feather pen in the inkwell as I finish up the formal public notice of your death. After all, many have suspected the truth already, and I can only imagine the rumors that must be flying across the lands to even distant places like the Gerudo Desert. Not to mention the fact that we do, after all, have to bury you. I mean…you're gone.
Personally, I really don't know what to say Link. I want to comfort my people, yet your death has left empty and dull. I can hardly stand to ink your name across my page. Not out of disgust but of pain. Of fear. Of sorrow.
Oh Link, I feel so alone without you by my side, helping me write my speeches as to prevent any unfortunate misunderstandings between the people and I. You always used to sit right by my window on the left, watching the sun peek out from behind Death Mountain as the dawn broke over all Hyrule, bringing the land to life and animation once more. We always did end up spending all night working on those speeches. Well, not so much the speeches; more often than not, we were working on learning more about each other, getting to know what we had lost during our short time together during your other life. You always were so eager to learn…
Then again, you stopped helping me with documentaries years ago, right before you stopped visiting all together. I never did understand why you left. The one time I did get a chance to question you on the subjects, you simply gazed at me with sad, dreary eyes that seemed far too old for the youthful body they were in and muttered something about changing times and lost cause.
Link, when did your descent into disillusion begin? Was it after the fire that ravaged the Kokiri village a few years ago? What about Maron's death? Or did it start long before either of those events, back when Ganondorf was still in charge?
I'm…sorry. Sorry for all you've had to go through. Sorry that you had to lose everyone you loved, and sorry that you had reason to find justification of your own means when greeting death.
It's hard, going on without you. My hands tremble as I sign the formalities and documents needed to clear the responses on your death. The rest of the sages have taken your body for burial. Someplace in the forest, I believe, where you belonged. After all, Saria claimed that's where you were happiest.
Oh gods…if I have all the infinite wisdom at my beck and call, then why can't I understand why you did this? Why Link? Why did you leave me all alone in this castle with only the cold walls to echo the happy memories of the past? And why can't I find my own justification for living anymore?
Everywhere I turn, I expect to see your smiling face gazing out my window, fixing the flowers, polishing your sword, or sitting on my bed, laughing heartily at some comment or misinterpretation on my part. That's how I want to remember you with me. Laughing and smiling. Because the last time I saw you, it wasn't a smile adorning your face.
I feel so helpless, so useless. Oh gods…Despite my brave words in the speech, I don't know if I'll be able to move on myself. I think…I think…Oh Link, I think I was…in love with you.
Yes, that's it. I loved you. Not, not loved, love. I love you. And I think, years ago, when we first parted in the realms as I asked for the ocarina back and our hands met hesitantly, warmth meeting warmth, that you loved me too. Even if the moment was fleeting, there was something more than friendship in your eyes.
But you're gone now, and you never did love me in return. It was Maron who eventually won your heart and not my own. I don't hate her nor begrudge you for choosing her over me, but sometimes, at night, I wish…
I wish that I could hug you now, kiss your cheek and tell you everything's going to be all right. I want to hold in you my arms and pretend, just for an instant, that fairy tale endings do exist and that those feelings of long ago were more than a fleeting glimpse in your blue eyes. I want to see you again, not as a corpse, but as a living, breathing man filled only with love and hope and joy, who knows nothing of sorrow and who can still look towards each day with shining eyes.
When I give my speech today, I'm going to picture you smiling and laughing. Because the last time we met, you weren't smiling, and that's now how I want to remember you. And even I can justify that.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*takes deep breath* All right everyone! Only the epilogue to go! We're almost finished!
Epilogue: Final Words of Wisdom