A/N: Auuggghhh... sorry this is late. My computer got infected with viruses again and I almost lost everything, including the last few weeks of work I did on this fic. But we got it fixed and they managed to save everything, yay! This chapter is short and I apologize, but that's the way it just turned out. I think the next few are rather long.

The Fate of Hyrule

I would have rather died than attend my mother's funeral. But, of course, I had no choice. What would people think if the Queen's own son didn't show up at her funeral? Their suspicions about me would be confirmed. I was my father's son; an unworthy scoundrel not to be trusted.

I awoke that morning to dark, violent-looking skies. A thunderstorm raged outside, making the castle shudder with every thunderclap. I imagined the Goddesses looking down at me with accusing eyes, and I found myself wishing that they would strike me down then and there with a bolt of lightning.

The fact that my mother was dead had not completely registered in my mind quite yet. No matter how many times I screamed in my head that she was gone, I couldn't come to accept it. Ganondorf had not spoken since yesterday, nor had he made his presence known in any other way. I kept listening for his evil laughter, waiting so that I could condemn him for what he had made me do. However, I admit with more difficulty that I was also waiting for him to assure me that I had done the right thing; that he was proud of me, and that our mission was one step closer to being complete.

Ashamed of these thoughts, I pushed them to the back of my mind as I solemnly boarded the carriage with Link, Impa, and little Leora. Without any exchanges of words, we headed for the funeral ceremony, which was to be held in the Temple of Time.

The news of their queen's death hit the people of Hyrule quite hard and unexpectedly. The truth behind her death was kept a secret among Link, the Sages, and me. To cover her sudden death up, everyone else was told that she had merely become ill from a rare fatal disease that had ravaged her body almost before she even realized she was sick.

To this day, the one image that haunts me is that of my poor little sister, Leora, when she first heard the news. Being only six years old, she didn't quite understand at first, until Link painfully explained to her that Mother was gone and was never coming back.

"No! Mommy!" she had screamed, pounding her tiny fists on the ground as tears stained her face. Link gathered her in his arms and held on to her tightly, and her muffled cries gradually began to quiet down. Unable to watch any longer, I pivoted and ran out of the room, heading for my bedchambers where I could temporarily hide from the world.

Thousands of mourners crowded around the Temple and poured out into the center square of town. I was suddenly taken aback as I realized the impact my mother had had on Hyrule. I had always known that she was a great and just ruler, but I had never taken the time to think about it and appreciate all she had done for the country she devoted her life to. The Hylians, the Gorons, the Zora… everyone had loved her. Well, with the exception of my father, I thought grimly.

Link, Leora, and I stood before my mother's casket. My little sister sobbed beside me as Link and I each held stoic but solemn faces. Rauru ran the entire funeral service. For much of the time, he ritualistically chanted in ancient Hylian, half of which I didn't understand, despite my lessons in learning the old language.

At the appropriate time, Link stepped forward and knelt before the casket. With him gone, Leora reached for my hand and buried her face into it. Cringing, I quickly glanced back at Link, who whispered a quick prayer and then proceeded to kiss the top of the casket. To this day, I cannot fathom how I ever managed to force myself through the next hour or so of the funeral service. Yet somehow I ended up in my bedchambers, wrapped tightly in my blankets and thankful to bu shut away from the world.

I rarely encountered Link for nearly an entire week after the funeral, and it wasn't until then that I realized that Hyrule had absolutely no ruler. I decided that I had to go see him and ask him what he was going to do. After all, he was technically the King of Hyrule now. I cringed when I thought of that; Link had no diplomatic training whatsoever.

I found him in the library, bent over a desk atop which lay papers strewn about. I cleared my throat nervously, and he slowly lifted his head. His eyes met mine and for an instant I could have sworn that they were full of nothing but hatred for me. But he quickly shifted his eyes downward, and muttered darkly, "Come in."

I timidly approached the desk, wringing my hands nervously as I spoke. "I, uh… I figured you would need help ruling Hyrule. I have an idea; you… you could conjure a council of noblemen to help you make decisions and…"

"No, no Kiran," Link interjected, staring at me through tired eyes. "I'm not the ruler of Hyrule. Zelda had her will written merely a day before she passed away, and she did not leave the kingdom to me."

I stared at him, confused. "Then… whom did she leave it to?" I asked curiously.

He paused, still staring at me, looking a bit confused him self. I fidgeted under his hard stare as I waited for his answer. And then I slowly realized why he was staring at me so.

"She left it to you," he replied. "She left it all… to you." He sighed and gestured at the document lying before him on the desk as a confirmation.

I clenched my fists, wishing that this was just a dream and I would wake up and laugh about how ridiculous it was. But it was real.

"Hyrule is yours," Link reiterated.

Yes, Ganondorf spoke up for the first time since my mother's death. Hyrule is ours.

 Ganondorf spoke up for the first time since my mother's death.