Chapter 1: All This Time
Zelda's POV
I heard Link's voice as he made the final blow on Calamity Ganon, I reached out to him, hoping he could pull me out of this hell that I was trapped in, although, I'm sure of it that he couldn't have seen me, but soon after he struck the beast, I felt a release, I had been yanked out of my prison finding myself in the center of Hyrule Field…after 100 years…no time to think about that now…he's depending on me. After all this time, after all the sacrifices that were made to get to this moment right now, it was up to me. I stared into the soulless eyes of Calamity Ganon with fury in mine. I feel my power coursing through me, though it has been after all this time, it's as if I'm having a second wind. I raise my hand, seeing the glow of the Triforce on my hand glow brightly. I can do this.
My power grows as it engulfs everything around me, and sealing the beast. "Ganon…I will seal you away with everything I have…all the pain you have put upon the land of Hyrule, all of the death…I will never forgive you for this. Disappear…forever…"
I hear the ear shattering sound of the beast, as it screeches in resistance to my power…what an ungodly sound. The sound rests in my mind for a moment until everything starts to fade away, slowly echoing away into the wind. The sky slowly fades back to normal, as Ganon's malice disperses throughout the sky and within Hyrule castle. It felt as though the land of Hyrule itself had been purified from a long borne curse. For the first time in 100 years, I feel the warm rays of the sun beaming down onto me, and take in the fresh air. I no longer see the Calamity, nor any trace of it. My hand slowly falls down, and I look longingly at it, the sign of the Triforce, what was moments ago burning brightly in its godly power, now slowly fading away on my hand. I then remember, he's here. Link. I hear his voice, he sounds like he is trying to regain his senses. Followed by the sound of his soft footsteps that I know all too well, creeping closer and closer to me. I freeze, what do I say…? When there's so many things I want to say at once. I feel myself choking up as I foolishly wait for him to say something first… I wonder…what is he thinking? If I look at him now, I will surely lose my composure. I must fight the tears of…everything that I am feeling right now…the relief, the loss…the uncertainty. I…I have to face him.
"I-I've...been keeping watch over you all of this time...I've witnessed your struggles to return to us as well as your trials in battle," his footsteps stop, I can feel his eyes on me, carefully taking in my voice.
"I always thought…no, I always believed that you would find a way to defeat Ganon. I never lost faith in you over these many years…" I keep my head lowered, as I slowly turn to face him, keeping my eyes onto my intertwined hands, I hold them close to my chest, like a cork for a wine bottle, keeping my feelings in. Even if he doesn't know me anymore, or doesn't care, I still have to show my gratitude. At this moment, I am…so happy…just to see him again.
"Thank you Link…the hero of Hyrule," finally finding the courage to slowly pick my gaze up to him, looking into his ocean eyes, I can't help but give him a faint smile. I feel my chest tightening up, my eyes beginning to sting, looking at him like this, asking him…is harder than I thought. "May I ask...", I take a deep breath and prepare myself to articulate the words that I don't know if I want to know the answer too.
"Do you…really remember me?" A soft breeze gently flows through my hair and my dirtied sacred dress. I am enamored by his now ruffled honey blonde hair gently blowing softly with his eyes never leaving my gaze, he…looks the same…after all this time. If…if he doesn't remember me…then what? Will this be the last time we ever see each other? After all the loss we have endured together…it's…it's probably best if he weren't to remember me. All of the burdens, all of the pain…but I…I don't want to accept it, I know I am selfish for thinking so but…if Link were to go…then I would truly be alone. The stinging in my eyes begins to become unbearable, waiting on Links answer, I cannot control the overflow of tears pushing through my eyes, they won't stop running down my face, I must look so ridiculous, I try to maintain my smile, but I can feel it slowly crumbling, please…just say something…
Through my now foggy vision I see the corners of his mouth creep up slowly, he opens his mouth, like he wants to say something, I…I can never tell what he is thinking. What will he say to me…? I close my eyes and turn my head to the side, thinking that it will make things easier. Whether I want to accept it or not, I must respect Link's memories. I must…
"I–it's okay if you don't…it's probably for the best…" I choke up.
I suddenly hear a faint thud, followed by quick footsteps, I look up to him again and see the Master Sword on the ground, rarely disconnected from its Master. I then see Link running towards me with open arms, wearing a huge grin on his face, hearing his rare, infectious laugh. "Link—!" I barely get in saying, before he puts his whole body on me and wraps his arms around me, squeezing me tightly, shocked for a moment by the joyful outburst, I then naturally wrap my arms around his back, I feel his palm softly rest on my head, letting me bury my face into his chest letting the tears soak into his torn, dirtied, bloodied Champions Tunic. I feel his head nestled into my hair, I feel his warm breath land on my ears, the sensation is enough for my cheeks to burn. I hear him whisper to me softly.
"I'm so sorry that I took so long," His smile still lingers on as he slowly pulls away, with his arms still around me, I regrettably pull away from him as well, still clinging to his tunic. I'm so happy that I don't know what I can put into words at this moment. I look into his eyes once again, I can see them glossing over, with small tears slowly seeping out his eyes, "Thank you…for waiting for me…" he says as cool as he can. I can tell he's happy too…he slowly cusps his hand on my cheek and places his forehead on mine. Letting out a gleeful laugh, I joined in, "I'm sorry I just needed to know if this was real," he smiled gently. It is. It really is, isn't it? My jaw starts to ache as I hopelessly try to hold back my tears, more starts to rain down on my cheeks. We are here, but everyone else…I pull Link closer to me, burying my head into his chest once more, digging my fingers into his tunic, letting out a pained cry, I tug on Link's tunic as the memories of everyone else…my father…the Champions…and countless others lives…come to me, their lives are lost, because of me. This wave of sadness, quickly over took my feelings of joy I was feeling mere moments ago. It all became too much. I feel Link gently hold me in comfort.
We had returned to the outskirts of Hyrule Castle, to investigate if it really had been purified of Ganon's malice. Or if anything else remained. The castle, and the nearby Guardians, that once were the castle's most valuable weapon, turned the most feared enemy beside the Calamity itself for the citizens of Hyrule, were hollow. Link remained close, but his expression remained vigilant, scanning for any sign of life. Nothing. Nothing remained here for us. What was there to go back too? We both looked at each other, and began to slowly turn away from the castle. There was no telling if we were ever going back to the castle. I can't stand the sight of it now though. For 100 years, it was my prison, and I just wanted to get as far away from it as possible. As our backs were fully turned, I felt a presence. And turned around quickly, Link could feel it too, as he instinctively turned around to see what it was, all that we could see were faint turquoise colored lights slowly fading away from this world. The light of the spirits…perhaps…my Father and the Champions were sending us off…at least, that's what I'd like to believe. The sun began to slowly set, and I felt the wind blow softly once again, raining flower petals…the war was finally over. We begin walking away from the castle, and Link clears his throat, catching me slightly off guard, asking softly, "So…where to next?" It appears I'm still not used to his presence, or hearing his voice. I suppose it would be natural, after all I've been all alone for 100 years. I give a moment to think about his question, and the most obvious answer comes to my mind,
"We should make our way to Kakariko, we have to tell Impa the good news!" Link smiles gently at my answer and nods slightly. In the distance, outside of the castle grounds, I see his horse waiting patiently for us nibbling on the luscious overgrown grass. We continue walking, but I feel…faint. Like all of my strength has left my body, I push myself forward until I can no longer hold my own weight any more, and feel my knees start to buckle and I fall forward. My mind is going blank, and my vision going in and out, I feel Link catch me before my face meets the ground…I begin to worry. I have been trapped for so long, was it the magic of the Triforce that made my body not age as the years went by? Now that I'm free, will I die? Right here in Link's arms? Will I fade away into dust, and be cast into oblivion…my eyes close, and the last thing I see is Link calling to me, but…I can't hear a thing he is saying…I feel like I'm falling, it's dark around me, I see nothing but a blanket of darkness. I curl into a ball, how selfish can I be? Do I even deserve to live anyways…? Everyone is gone…because of me…because I could not harness this curse, disguised as a divine birthright. There was nothing now that I could do to fix or reverse this mistake.
"You are an heir to a throne of nothing…"
"You are an heir to a throne of nothing…"
"You are an heir to a throne of nothing…"
I hear Fathers last words to me that echoed in the abyss, the words consuming me as I continued falling deeper and deeper into this void. How could I ever hope to begin rebuilding what I helped destroy?
Links POV
Seeing Zelda fall forwards, I leapt forward catching her just in time. She's unconscious. Please open your eyes Zelda. I hold her closely to my chest, taking note of her heavy breathing. Is she having a nightmare? I whistle for Epona, hoping she'll hear my plea at such a distance. I shouldn't have had her walk around so much, after 100 years, her body finally gave way in defeat in exhaustion, I hope all she needs is rest. The thought of her dying crosses my mind, but I quickly shake it out of my head. I can't think that; she's stronger than this. I need to get help. Before I give way too. Epona alerts me that she's near. I pick up Zelda and hoist her up on Epona, positioning her to be first so she can be secure on the long journey ahead. She slumps over slightly, nestling her head in Epona's mane. I ensure her safety, by tying her close to me. and with a slight click of my heel, Epona begins trotting. The trotting becomes a fast gallop, as I am more confident in keeping Zelda secure. Through the wind, I can still hear her struggling to breathe, she whispers out a few words, making my ears slightly twitch at the faint sound of her voice.
"I don't want to go…" she says quietly, and a small tear rolls down her cheek. I face away from the road ahead of me to look at her for a moment. I place my hand on face, wiping away her tears, even if she can't feel me, I hope that maybe…it would bring her just a little bit of comfort. I feel myself becoming weak. The battle with the Calamity took more of a toll on me than I first thought. We've come this far, I won't let her go when I just got her back. And I'm not going anywhere.
We were halfway there, and of course it started raining. I can barely see what's ahead of me, Epona doesn't like this either, I hear her huff in annoyance. "We're almost there girl, just a little bit longer…" I say to her softly, petting her mane. The rain is beating down on us hard, lightning striking around us, the drops of rain feel like bullets on my body. Every impact affecting me more and more. I'm feeling dizzy, tired, and hungry. When was the last time I've slept or eaten? It felt like time had just stopped while making my way to the inner sanctum of the castle. It doesn't matter, I've gotta get Zelda to Impa, I know she'll be taken care of there. We race past incoming monster camps, and I continue hearing the sound of that annoying boko horn, it grates on my ears, and I take note of the ones on horseback. They're aiming at us, it looks like they're breaking apart to encircle us. Do I try to outrun them? No, I need to face them, with this rain, if I use a shock arrow, I'm sure I'll have better range. I hold out my bow, struggling to find a good position with Zelda as my passenger, I pull back my shock arrow, finding difficulty in taking aim with my vision being blurry. The weight of the draw makes my shoulders and chest tighten and it feels like they're on fire, I bite down holding in the pain, and take the shot, one down, there's two left and they're closing in on us, but I have a clear shot for both of them. I ignore the pain once again and am able to knock both blue bokoblins over. I sigh in relief, that was too close for small fry. Gotta get to Kakariko…when I hear Epona suddenly neighing in excitement. It wasn't until I started to notice the Sheikah talismans that guard the outside of the village, we're here. The mountains surrounding us don't give us any relief from the onslaught of rain, but the villagers notice my entrance and take note of me racing towards Impa's manor. When I finally arrive in front, Dorian and Cado rush over to me with looks of concern painted on their faces.
"Master Link! Is this…?" Dorian asks with a hint of excitement. I nod towards him, and slide off Epona, gently lifting Zelda off Epona, and carrying her over to Dorian. He looked surprised at my request to take her off my hands, but he quickly took her out of my arms and looked up at me with concern. "Master Link…you look…pale…" he said, do I? I've been solely focused on getting us here safely…I'm losing my balance, my whole world is spinning, I think I'm about to crash. I can't, not just yet. I need to make sure she gets to Impa. Why is it so hard to speak?
"Take her…to Impa…" I manage to say, falling back, and everything goes black. I hear the faint cries of Cottla and Koko, are they trying to nudge me awake? What's going on? Is this some kind of sick joke? Are we going to die after everything we've done to save Hyrule…? Voices…as my consciousness quickly fades, all I hear are voices of the nearby Sheikah now…
"Daddy! Is Link dead?!"
"Not if we can help it, Cado! Don't just stand there! Go get Lady Impa!"
"Is that…the princess?"
"He just rode in with that girl…"
"Does that mean that the Calamity is…?"
"Master Link!"
"Lady Paya! It's Master Link and he brought the princess! They succeeded!"
"Daddy! Are they going to leave like mommy?"
"Look! It's Lady Impa!"
"G-Grandma i-it's M-Master Link and the…"
…
…
…
"Well, well, well…you know how to make quite the entrance…Link,"
Finally…she's safe.
