Epilogue—Morning

Link still frequently comes up to the castle to practice on our training grounds. He's perfectly welcome to any time, so much so that he has his own key to the grounds so that he can come even when I'm not home. Usually he visits when I am at the castle, though, because he knows I like to watch and live vicariously through him. The martial arts are, after all, an activity even more inappropriate for a queen than making a bed.

Today, he's training with his Fairy Bow. His sword is on his back, because he says it throws him off to be without it, and he's wearing his Zora Tunic, because Malon says blue is his best colour; "It brings out his eyes." He wears his Zora Tunic a lot.

All that's really changed about his hero appearance, besides the fact that I formalized it by knighting him and putting him in change of the military, is that he's grown into it. He doesn't look like a ten-year-old in a seventeen-year-old's body anymore. Instead of just being cultivated for destiny, he's worked for those muscles. Plus, he's added a tattoo of the red bird insignia of the Hylian Royal Family on his right arm. He told me that he got it to symbolize and stand as a reminder of everything he values; I think it's to add to the tough guy image he started with the earrings, so that no one can see what a softie he is underneath all the weapons.

He's never without his hat, even though he doesn't need it as a home for Navi anymore, because he's used to it. That's what he says, anyway, but I know it's because he misses having a fairy partner. Malon still calls him Fairy Boy. I still sometimes call him Hero; he's adopted as a last name now, because it just makes sense.

Link calls me Zel; he only uses my full name if he's annoyed, and he absolutely never calls me "Your Majesty." Everyone else calls me by some title or another. Even the Sages do, because I'm their leader. Only Impa has a nickname for me, and even that's a title: Princess. Sometimes, but only in telepathy, she or Link will call me Sheik. Most of Hyrule has either forgotten Sheik or accepted his disappearance. It fits in with his persona, after all. We've all decided it's for the best that no one learn the truth. Besides, I don't think anyone would believe Sheik is sitting here in a light green satin dress and heels, golden hair streaming down his back and topped with a golden crown. A perfect lady.

"Hey, Zel!" Link calls, snapping me out of my reflection. "C'mere!"

No one else would dare speak to a queen in such a direct manner, but that's why I like Link. I approaching, asking, "What is it?"

He glances furtively around, then holds out the bow to me. "For old time's sake?"

"Oh, thanks, but I can't."

"Yeah? Who's gonna stop you?"

"No, I mean I don't know how."

Link's face goes blank with incredulity, then he snorts disbelievingly. "Next you'll be telling me you don't know how to ride a wild stallion bareback."

I laugh slightly. "Sorry, Link, but it's true," I shrug. "I don't know how to shoot a bow."

He narrows his eyes suspiciously and thinks at me, ::Sheik doesn't know how?::

I shake my head. ::Archery is not one of the arts of the Sheikah.::

"Well, then, you'll learn. Here." He presses the bow into my hands. I open my mouth to protest…but why should I?

"Sure," I agree with a devious smile. "Let's see how I do without Hero's help."

I've seen him do it enough times. I try to copy his sharp, strong actions; my first shot hits the target, satisfyingly close to the bull's eye. Smirking, I turn proudly to see Link's reaction.

"Impressive," he says, nodding. "But you'd probably be better…"

"If?"

"If you weren't shooting left-handed."

Shoving him playfully, I laugh, "No criticizing the queen!" and swipe another arrow from his quiver. I reverse my actions this time, and the arrow lands even closer to the mark. Link ducks away as I reach for more arrows.

"Get your own, Queenie! I shouldn't have introduced you to this!" He tries to keep the quiver on his back out of my reach.

"Shouldn't have, but did. Too late. Gimme!"

"What happened to 'please'? I thought you were raised at court to have manners!"

"I though you were raised in the forest not to care!"

We chase each other around the grounds, laughing. We're still kids, after all, making up for seven years of lost time. But we know we have all the time in the world—because there's hope as long as the goddesses reign.

And I hear them saying

You'll never change things

And no matter what you do

It's still the same thing

But it's not the world that I am changing

I do this so

This world we know

Never changes me…

What I do is so

This world will know

That it will not change me…