A Link to the Heart Chapter 25

Night had come and with it the songs of victory and tears of grief. Soldiers sat around campfires, sharing jugs of ale as they boasted of their deeds. Elsewhere widows quieted children's tears as they held back their own, trying not to think of how they would survive tomorrow. The healer's tents were busy as they tended to the wounded, the soft glow of magic casting a warm aura of strength into the dark night. Meanwhile the King was meeting with his vassal lords, planning the next phase of their campaign.

Link however saw none of it. He was sitting in his tent, chewing on a dried bit of fish. He had stacked his amour in a corner and sat on his bedroll with his boots off. The tent was lit by a small crystal lamp, energised by a whiff of his magic. The air lacked chill, for it was a balmy summer night, wrapping everybody in pleasant warmth. On such a night he would have liked to stroll under the stars, taking in the magnificent sky and wondering at the vast expanse above. Some nights on his travels he would try to guess where among the heavens the Golden Goddesses had gone and wonder if they still looked upon the world they had made or if they had forgotten Hyrule and their creations. Unfortunately right now he was stuck in this tent with Malon.

The ranch girl was sitting at the far end of the tent, cross-legged as she ate her bread. Link's welcome had been frigid, Malon barely looking at him. From this he guessed she had heard the rumours of Zelda kissing him on the battlefield and was not pleased. Actually it was hard to tell, since she seemed to be giving him the silent treatment, icily handing him rations without comment. Link would have preferred yelling, he would have even have been comfortable with tears, some sign that Malon was engaging with him. Instead she left him in silence, not saying a word. Link's infrequent encounters with girls on his travels informed him this was worse than yelling, much worse.

He sat glumly on his bed roll and tried to think of something to say, but came up short. Everything he thought to say sounded ridiculous in his ears. How could he apologise to her? He didn't know where to start and after the first hour had begun to wonder why he had to apologise at all. The more he thought about this the more perturbed he became. He'd never promised Malon anything and never returned her affections. The fact that she'd latched onto him was her own decision, not his. He hadn't made any gesture to indicate he felt anything for her other than friendship and it was her own fault she was upset.

Link finally decided enough was enough, "We should get an early night, we have to set out in the morning."

Malon's eyes narrowed as she hissed, "Talking to me now are you?!"

Link blinked in surprise, "You were the one who wasn't talking to me."

"No I wasn't," Malon spat, "You were ignoring me."

Link was stumped by this reversal. Why did conversations with girls always leave him feeling like a complete idiot, he wondered. This wasn't how he'd wanted things to go and he dragged the conversation back on track, "We have a long way to travel, we should sleep."

Malon glanced daggers at him, "Why don't you go journey with your Princess?!"

Link's patience snapped and he threw up his arms to exclaim, "She kissed me!"

"And I bet you liked it!" Malon barked angrily, "You're just another wandering soldier, playing with maid's hearts. I should have let the boys of the nearby village's chase me, instead of holding out hope you'd come back."

Link protested, "I never made you any promises before I left."

Malon snapped back, "Don't fob me off, you're pinning for that cold fishwife Zelda. You always have been!"

Link shook his head, "You're getting this all wrong. It's not like I have a choice in the matter."

Malon frowned as she questioned, "What's that supposed to mean."

Link realised he'd said too much and demurred, "I… oh nothing."

Unfortunately Malon didn't seem to like that answer and her temper snapped as she threw a crust of bread at his head, yelling, "Oh no, you don't get to drop something like that and leave me hanging!"

Link rubbed his ear, where the crust had bounced off and barked, "That's what you want?! Very well then, I was trying to let you down gently but if you want to be a cow I will say it. Zelda can see the future; apparently she and I are destined for each other. It's fated."

"She…" Malon gasped then unexpectedly chuckled and let loose a laugh of derision, "And you believed her? By the Triforce you're a gullible fool, fairy boy. "

"I'm serious," Link muttered, "I've seen prophecy play out first-hand. I was destined to defeat Ganondorf and I did so, twice. Fate is real, you can't fight it. What she dreams will come to pass."

Malon snorted, "And I once dreamt I would win the cheesemaker's trophy at the autumn fair… it didn't happen."

Link was trying to come up with a good response but was distracted as his hand started to glow. He glanced down and saw his Triforce mark shimmering. He hastily pulled his vambrace down to cover the sign but he was too slow. Malon saw the glow and muttered, "She's coming, isn't she?" Link could only jump to his feet as he heard a soft step outside. A moment later the tent flap parted as a hooded figure slipped inside. It was Princess Zelda, she had exchanged her elaborate gown for a soft jacket and a pair of breeches but her golden hair spilled down her back as she lowered her hood and exclaimed, "I cannot linger, the guards think I'm sleeping."

Link nodded as he welcomed her, "Zelda, I was starting to think you wouldn't come."

Malon muttered, "Princess, I barely recognised you without your ballgown."

Zelda frowned slightly as she spied Malon and retorted, "What's she doing here?"

"She lives here," Malon growled, "We don't all have a castle to go back to."

Link hastily stepped in to say, "Malon is under my protection and I think she needs to see what you have to show me."

Zelda sighed reluctantly, "As you wish, but she must tell no one of what I reveal to you."

"The future?" Malon sneered.

"Yes," Zelda stated firmly, "Be quiet so I can concentrate."

Zelda pressed her hands together and from them came a radiant glow. Link saw her eyes glimmer with power and then a strange whiteness enveloped everything. The tent and its contents disappeared, replaced with a billowing aura, that swelled and retracted like fog. He knew it was only an illusion but it felt utterly real, as if they had been snatched away and warped to another place and time. Link was impressed, for this was a potent display of magic, beyond anything he could conjure. Zelda's power had grown enormously in the last ten years; she was as mighty a sorceress as any he had ever seen.

Suddenly the mist parted and Link found himself standing in the Temple of Time. It remained the same but everything was slightly out of focus, like he had just woken up and his eyes refused to settle. The temple was filled with people, rich men in black robes and woman in solemn attire. They didn't look at him, eyes fixed front as if he was invisible.

Malon waved a hand up and down before a ghostly figure and asked, "Why can't they see us?"

"They are illusions," Link explained, "We are still standing in the tent."

Yet Zelda corrected, "Much more than illusions, these are the shades of things yet to be. Come and see."

Link walked to the front of the temple and saw something troubling. King Delphna; laid out in state, his dead body cooling on a slab. The king was a little thinner than Link remembered, his face a little more creased. He was older but only by a few years and Link understood this day wasn't too far in the future. Yet what drew his eye were two figures standing by the head of the slab. The first was Princess Zelda, no, Queen Zelda. She wore a royal crown of authority and her face was sad but not weeping as she presided over the funeral. Yet her belly was obviously swollen in pregnancy, nearly to full term. Standing by her side was a scarred warrior in elaborate armour. His face was grim and it was marred by a long scar, running through the milky white orb that had been his right eye. It took Link a moment to recognise his own face and he gasped, "That's me!"

Zelda nodded sadly, "Yes, the Hero of Time. Prince Consort of Hyrule, Champion of the common folk and defender of the realm. Hailed as the great warrior who slew Twinrova and ended the war."

Link swallowed as he asked, "What happened to my eye?"

"A battle," Zelda sighed, "Don't worry though, I think it makes you look more handsome. You still stand strong by my side at my father's funeral."

Malon was staring at the queen Zelda and remarked, "You don't look very upset."

Zelda sighed, "The first time I foresaw this I wept for a week, knowing my father was not long for this world, but I came to terms with it. I looked beyond this day and saw my reign: prosperous, peaceful and happy. Hyrule shall grow strong under our protection."

Malon snapped, "Huh, you make pretty pictures but I'm not impressed. This doesn't convince me."

"I could show you your funeral," Zelda snapped testily, "But no… I am not that cruel. Perhaps you need to understand the wider picture. You have stumbled into matters beyond your horizons. Wheels of destiny are turning. Behold."

Zelda clapped again and the Temple of Time disappeared. Link was lost in swirling mists and he could not see anything, then the mist parted and he found himself face to face with a warrior. He was thinner than Link and his ears were pointed but shorter than any Hylian's, shorter even than Rauru's, like he lived in a time when the trait was only a minor feature. He wore a pale tunic and white breeches but his hair was the same shade of blond as Link's and his face was Link's too. No, not exactly, he was Link but a Link who looked haggard and worn, like he had grown up in an age of woe and lived a harrowing life.

Link stepped back in shock and said, "Who is this?!"

Zelda came to his side and said, "He was the original Chosen Hero, the first blessed by the Gods. He wielded the Master Sword against the Demon Demise and saved the world."

"Why does he have Link's face?" Malon asked in concern.

"Because he is Link," Zelda said, "Or rather our Link is him, a reincarnation of his spirit. So valiant was he that the Goddesses proclaimed his spirit would eternally reincarnate, so there would always be a Hero to defend Hyrule."

Link's head was spinning as he gasped, "This makes no sense."

Zelda smiled faintly as she explained, "I know it's hard to grasp, but the pattern is always the same. Whenever the land of Hyrule is threatened by darkness the Golden Goddesses send forth a Chosen Hero. Born into humble origins but destined to take up the Master Sword and drive out evil. Many Chosen Heroes have lived, and many more shall live in days to come, but they are all Link. You are the everlasting Hero, reborn whenever the world is in peril."

"There's more?!" Link gasped.

"Behold!" Zelda cried.

From the mist stepped many more figures, each one different in subtle ways but each one was Link. Faces scarred and youthful, happy and sullen, wild and stern, but each born from the same stock. Each wore different attire but all wore hues of green and boasted blonde hair. Zelda looked upon them and said, "The Heroes of Hyrule, all champions and all one. He was the First Hero. You are the Hero of Time; this was the Skyward Hero. This one was the Minish Hero and he the Four Swords Hero. See the Twilight Hero, the Hero of Winds, the Hero of the Wild and Hero of Light. Here is the Hero of Legend, the Track's Hero and more."

"So many," Link breathed, "I… I can hardly believe it."

"Believe it you must," Zelda said, "You see now why you are destined to save Hyrule, because you always have and you always will. Each incarnation of your spirit defeated the darkness… then married his great love."

From the mists stepped hundreds of women, each one a thin maiden with long blonde hair and a faint smile. They took up a place next to each hero and all had Zelda's face. Link's jaw dropped as he beheld the hundreds of couples and he breathed, "You reincarnate too."

Zelda nodded, "You and I are bound together Link, two souls entwined through history. Reincarnating over and over and finding each other again in life. Our everlasting incarnations form a pattern, one that endlessly repeats and cannot be denied."

There was a soft gasp and Link turned to see Malon pressing her hands to her mouth. She turned and ran from the illusion, fleeing the tent with tears in her eyes. "Malon, wait!" Link called but it was too late, she was gone.

Zelda lowered her hands and let the illusion dissipate as she sighed, "Let her go, she needs to come to terms with this."

"I should explain…" Link murmured.

Zelda shook her head and said, "It is for the best, she tried to interfere with fate's wheels but none can change the river of time. Her fate lays with a common soldier, a deserter no less. She dies in childbirth, bringing another mewling brat into the world to add to their litter."

"Zelda!" Link snapped irately.

"Sorry," Zelda said with a wince, "I didn't mean to be cruel. I try not to tell people how they die, it upsets folk. But it was better her fantasy was discarded sooner rather than later."

Link sighed, "I should at least see her to safety, I swore to her father to protect her."

Zelda smiled faintly, "Always acting the Hero, as is proper. Go forth my love and release your burden, then come back to me. None can bar your return; even my father cannot stop you. We shall be together and you shall be at my side as I rule Hyrule."

With that Zelda leaned up and pecked him on the cheek, then slipped out and was gone. Link was left with his stunning revelation. He had held no idea of how important his life was, how vast and timeless his spirit had become. He felt like the world was spinning under his feet and the top of his head had been lifted off. He knew now he was indeed fated to save Hyrule and be with Zelda, but oddly none of that knowledge made him smile.