This is the last book of the Fragmented Hero series. Please read the previous books if you haven't to catch up with the storyline.

Zelda's boots thumped softly on the wooden boards as she climbed the loft of Link's house. Sunlight filtered through the square panes of the window, stretching out into rectangles on the floor. The poignant smell of herbs permeated the air, nearly overwhelming the musty scent of wood and browning parchment. The loft was cleaner than the lower floor, where her books and research materials were splayed out on the dining table. The whole house was kept clean and well-maintained, despite its owner missing for months.

The princess' delicate footsteps stopped by the bedside. The mattress dipped down at the added weight as she sat down and reached out to its occupant. Her fingers that were once taken care of meticulously a century ago are now riddled with small scars as they brush away the stray strands of honey-blond hair. The color of her patient's skin has gotten better in the past three days, but it did nothing to alleviate the worry that gripped the princess' heart. The blood-stained bandages that nearly wrapped her best friend's entire body showed more than enough proof that her concern was not unfounded. More so were the days spent bedridden and whimpering in unwakeable nightmares.

"Link…"

Zelda did not know what had happened after Link decided to disappear. The only significant news she had heard was two weeks ago when Teba and some Rito warriors met eight strangers on the Great Plateau. The current Rito Champion told her about how a blue portal swallowed Link when he fell off the cliffs. He tried to follow him but failed, and the strangers, who were the only ones capable of passing through the portal, promised him to bring back the Hylian Champion. All nine disappeared, and since then, no news had reached their ears of their whereabouts. That is…until three days ago.

The memory was still vivid in the princess' mind - Link, her best friend, lay beaten-up and unconscious in the arms of Dorian. A stablehand from the nearest stable was patrolling the now-relatively safe area and had happened to stumble upon the hero. He was brought in for initial treatment while the stable sent one of their men to inform Kakariko Village. The news reached Zelda a day later, and it was decided that it would be better to bring Link back to Hateno Village, where he could wake up to a familiar and comfortable place. They are fortunate that the Sheikah Slate is functioning and just needed a few tweaks to make teleportation easier for a weak body.

Still, Zelda was riddled with questions about what happened for Link to be in such a state. Where did Link go? Who are those eight strangers that came after him? What happened during the past two weeks? The Sheikah Slate held the answers, and she was surprised with the things she found. Items she had never seen or had just read in history books filled the inventory of the tool. She found recipes of food she had not seen Link make before and photos of unfamiliar people and places. The princess theorized that the eight new faces were the strangers that Teba spoke about, but why? Why were they looking for Link? What do they need from him?

Zelda wanted answers, but the only one that could provide her is currently bedridden. She picked up the towel from Link's forehead and soaked it in a basin she placed on the bedside drawer. A few knocks were on the door below, and a voice called out.

"Princess, are you home?"

"Yes, I'm here," Zelda called back. "Please come in, Purah."

The door creaked open, and the de-aged Sheikah scientist entered with her assistant. Symin shut the door close behind him as Purah headed straight to the loft. The Hateno Ancient Tech Lab director bowed as she greeted the princess - a habit Zelda hoped they would stop doing - and peered at the unconscious hero.

"How's Linky?"

Zelda twisted the towel to drain the excess water and turned to Purah. She shook her head. "He's gotten better, it seems, but he has yet to wake up." She folded the towel and placed it on the hero's head. "I'm getting more worried the longer he stays like this."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Purah reassured as she hopped on Link's bedside. "Linky's not the type to stay down for long. Who knows? He might be out to the world again by tomorrow."

"I hope so," Zelda bit her lip. "I… I'm not used to seeing him like this. It isn't like him." She sat down beside Link and laced her fingers around Link's hand. "I know he isn't the same person he was one hundred years ago. He is given a chance to start fresh and truly live his life to the fullest. He's happier and freer now…unlike when he was still my appointed knight."

"But?" The not-so-young girl prodded.

"I'm still concerned about his memories," Zelda confessed. "He had insisted so many times that he isn't the Link that I know. That he's of a different soul." Her grip tightened. "We don't know the extent of damage the Slumber of Restoration had done to his mind, but if it continues like this…."

The princess looked up at the de-aged Sheikah. "Purah, I don't know what to do anymore. We already tried looking through your ancestors' texts regarding the Shrine of Resurrection for a way to reverse the effects to no avail. Even the surviving books in the castle had given us nothing." The princess sighed. "I just wish…he didn't have to bear this burden in the first place."

Purah scooted closer and wrapped her hands around their entwined hands. "The princess is the same. I'm sure Linky wishes the same for you. All of us do. We want you and Linky to be happy."

"Purah…"

"Snap! So, don't be sad, Princess!" Purah cheered. "Linky would worry if he sees you like this when he wakes up. Isn't that right, Symin?"

Her assistant nodded with a smile as he set down a basket of fruits atop the armoire. "Absolutely. Link cares a lot about the princess. Seeing you right and foremost once he wakes up would help him recover faster."

"Right, right!" Purah agreed. She clapped her hands and gestured to Symin. "On that note, let's leave the gloomy side of things and get to something more lighthearted."

The other Sheikah produced a clothed bundle and carefully passed it to the not-so-young girl. Purah unwrapped it and presented the Sheikah Slate to the princess. "We cleaned it and inspected its contents as you ordered, Princess. There's nothing dangerous with the items, but some clearly no longer exist in our time based on our remaining records. We also checked its components and found nothing unusual. Well, except for a lapse on some of its functions."

"A lapse?" Zelda frowned as she switched the screen on. The artificial light illuminated her skin in light blue. "What do you mean?"

"The Sheikah Slate completely lost connection with the towers and shrines for a certain amount of time. That made some of its crucial features, like the map, inaccessible for use. Teleportation too." Purah explained. "We estimated that it started the day Linky fell into a portal, as the Rito Champion reported. The same day the towers and shrines suddenly returned to their dormant state prior activation."

"Fortunately," Symin chimed in. "The director and I checked on the Hateno Tower and found that it activated again the moment the Slate reestablished communication. It seemed that there'll be no need to climb and initiate all towers to get them working again."

"How about the Divine Beasts?"

"Same thing, Princess. The towers, the shrines, and the Divine Beasts…everything that had come in contact with the Sheikah Slate started up. However, we're unsure if they had completely returned to the state they were in before they lost communication with the Slate. We'll have to investigate this matter in the coming days closely."

The princess shook her head. "I hope everything's alright. I doubt Link would be pleased to do all one hundred and thirty-six Sheikah shrines the second time."

Symin gave her a sympathetic smile. "Let's hope our ancestors didn't program them to reset in such a situation." Then, he lowered his voice as if to be not heard by anyone other than the four of them. "Especially that the princess had felt something wicked rising from beneath the castle."

Zelda's jaw tightened, and she pulled Link's hand close to her chest. The dreams that had been plaguing her lately - the abandoned cave system underneath the castle, the corpse of a Gerudo man, a glowing green hand, her falling, and Link desperately trying to reach her - flashed in her mind's eye. She is certain those are not just any dreams - they are glimpses of the future…and warnings. The princess does not know when, but she has a feeling it will be soon.

"I'll arrange to meet the Champions tomorrow," Zelda told them. "It may be sudden, but there are things to be done. We still have to find the eight men that Teba spoke about and learn their intentions. Have there been any changes on the Yiga's movements?"

Symin produced a scroll and offered it to the princess, who accepted it gratefully. Zelda unfurled the parchment and read as Purah's assistant spoke up. "Lady Impa asked us to pass this message to you, Princess. It seems that they're starting to make their move again. There has been news that the clan had gathered their remaining ranks and was seen moving northeast from their hideout. The Sheikah and the Gerudo are working together to uncover their plans, and once they do, they promised to inform us the soonest they can."

"I see…" Zelda nodded as she rolled the parchment and set it down on the bedside drawer. "I'll visit the stables too. I'll talk to the people there and ask if they noticed anything odd these days. They've been a great help to us, so I'm hoping to find a way to show my thanks as well."

"I'm sure everyone appreciates everything you have done since a century ago, Princess. There's no need to push yourself too hard."

Zelda smiled softly. "Thank you, Symin, but I'm doing this in my own volition. No one's forcing me to. I want to show everyone how grateful I am for looking after me since my return. It's the least I could do."

"Princess…"

"Snap!" Purah clapped her hands as excitement shone in her eyes. "Now, I remember! Princess, the two variants for the Guardian Flail we had developed are nearly done. We also discovered that the Master Cycle Zero has some hidden features while we're inspecting the Sheikah Slate. We just need to run a few more diagnostics and see if we could unlock them for Linky to try once he's good to go. Would you like to see them before then?"

The business-like atmosphere dissolved as Zelda mirrored the Sheikah's enthusiasm. "Of course. I'd wager you'll need the Sheikah Slate?"

"Yes, yes! We'll borrow it if the Princess doesn't mind."

Zelda shook her head as she passed the Sheikah Slate back to Purah. "It isn't mine." She corrected. "Not anymore, at least. Link found it more useful than I do. It's his the moment he woke up from the Shrine of Resurrection."

Purah barely hid a smile as she exchanged knowing glances with her assistant. "Of course. You and Linky share the same things like an old married couple. It's quite sweet if I'm being honest."

Red bloomed furiously on Zelda's cheeks. "W-What? No… that's not - Purah!"

"Princess, if I may." Purah grinned at her teasingly. "You should tell Linky what you feel. It wouldn't be good if someone else snags him from under your nose, right Symin?"

Symin nodded sagely. "Miss Purah is correct." He said. "Link is quite popular to the people, especially the women. Why! Just the other day, I heard the women of the village say that -"

"Stop, stop!" Zelda waved her hands frantically as she grew redder still. "I get it! But I think you're mistaking things. It's nothing like that. I - Purah! Stop grinning at me like that! I told you it's not like what you think."

Purah giggled as she hopped off the bed. "If the Princess said so." She singsonged and skipped towards the top of the stairs with cheerful steps. "We'll inform the Princess immediately once everything is set for trial. I'll ask Impa to send someone to look after Linky when you leave tomorrow."

The princess let out a breath of relief at the quick subject change. She does not think she could survive Purah's insistent teasing alone. "I see. Thank you, Purah, Symin. I appreciate your help."

Purah raised her fingers in front of her face in a 'V' shape. "Snappity snap! Of course, Princess. For you and Linky, we'll do our absolute best!"

The de-aged Sheikah waved her goodbyes and bounded down the stairs. Symin bowed lightly at the princess and followed the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab director. Zelda watched the door shut with a quiet CLICK! and settled down on Link's bedside. She reached out to caress his scarred cheek and leaned down to press her forehead against his. The princess closed her eyes as she felt the hero's warm skin and listened to his steady breathing.

"Link…" Zelda whispered in a voice like a prayer. "Please open your eyes…."

...Please wake up, Link.