Chapter 44: Beginnings and Ends
When Link and the others were transported back to the Light World, they crashed on the ground and slipped down the pit –down to the shattered remains of the Phantom Hourglass. Link was able to stand for just a moment, see the faces all around him, and glance over to his three companions –motionless in a pile, but then collapsed to the ground in a relieved sleep.
Upon awaking, he felt the comforting warmth of a soft, cotton bed. He turned on his side and immediately saw the Oracle hovering above him, a smile of recognition across her face.
Maple was the next to wake up, and she quickly slipped out of bed and left the hospital unnoticed. She shifted past Elsa, Link, and Farore downstairs, and quietly left.
Oh, but she was coming back. She knew it now. The people who had brought her back from Death Mountain had treated her like the others: as a hero. They did not think her a witch –an enemy- or surely she would have been left to die along with the Phantom.
As she flew up the mountain cliffs once again, Maple gratified the care Elsa had taken in healing her. Her wounds had been cleaned and dressed, and it seemed that neither the Phantom's nor Ganon's attacks would injure her eternally.
When she made it to the peak of Death Mountain, the first thing she saw was the empty frame of the Phantom Hourglass. Without the sand and glass that made it what it was, the Hourglass was deemed powerless.
At the top of the pit, Maple found the Phantom's body just as she had seen it last: the red eyes wide open, the body swimming in a pool of blood. She bent low and forced herself to stare into his eyes –stare into the eyes of the enemy.
"So you were human after all," Maple whispered. "I thought you changed me. I thought…I became you. But no. There was hope left after all. You did not get your wish, Phantom. I am one of them." She reached into her pocket and withdrew her wand. "And this tool of destruction you have given me, I have used aware of its curse. But I used it to bring an evil down, and for that I will be forgiven. And now that the evil is cast down, I have no use for it anymore." She placed the wand down on the Phantom's bloody chest. "Here," she said. "Take it. Let it be yours once more, and let me be cleaned of your wickedness." Then she arose and turned away, her black hair flying wildly in the wind. She jumped on her broom and made her way back to the village, making sure not to look back –making sure those cold, dead eyes would never gaze upon her again.
Later that day, after Link and the others had sufficient time to rest and heal, Farore called the entire village to meet in the town square. There she stood on a stage in the center, beside Link, Maple, Tetra, and Wade, raising a hand to silence the thunderous crowd. Everyone had been cheering, for word had gotten out that Link and his companions had not only slain the Phantom, but confronted a new villain, Ganon, in the Dark World, and succeeded. But just as Farore began to move her arm in the gesture, their voices softened into silence.
"My people!" she shouted, "It is over! You need not be afraid of the Phantom and his army of Poes any longer! The war is over, and the battle is won!" She paused for a moment, allowing the crowd to bask in their victory, but then continued: "I called you all here today to explain to you what happened atop Death Mountain this morning. You see, with the help of his friends, and the strength of his heart, Link completed the prophecy and finally destroyed the Phantom. But it was not over then, I'm afraid. You see, another universe thrives parallel to ours, and it is called the Dark World. It is there where the Phantom and his army of Poes originated from. The Phantom wished to connect the two worlds once more, allowing a multitude of beasts and monsters to step through and destroy us all forever.
"But that is not what happened, my people! Link shattered the Phantom Hourglass with the mighty Master Sword, eradicating the time limit that was about to end. But this action caused a slight fissure in the universes, and for a split second it opened up just enough for Link and his three friends to walk through. There, he was faced with his greatest challenge yet: Ganon, lord of the underworld.
"It was Ganon's hope to claim the Triforce for himself and make his wish, and that is exactly what happened. But Ganon's words were faulty. He wished to conquer the world, but he did not specify which world he wished to claim. Thus, he gained his wish, but not what he wanted: he claimed what he had already won.
"With the help of the Goddesses, Din and Nayru, Link traveled back to our world, saving his friends. That is the story of Link, the legend of the Triforce, and Ganon's wish. May you pass it down from generation to generation for all eternity.
"And now I wish speak of the future, for that is where we are headed. Our city is truly fortunate to survive this day. But next time the enemy may be better prepared, and so we must be ready. Our soldiers must be trained, and our walls expanded. It is for this reason that I request the construction of a mighty castle. The castle shall be a great symbol of what we will become. Our city shall be named after all this time, and it shall be called Hyrule, after the kingdom that once was, for we are all children of that lost kingdom. And with our new king, Link, we will surely pave the way for a better future –a future where we will be proud to call ourselves the citizens of Hyrule! Unfortunately, I cannot be with you when that time comes, for this is not my home –this is not where I belong. But you will be led, my people, and you will be led well. Give praise to your new king, and long live Hyrule!"
She stepped down from the stage, and the city cheered and cheered, until the sun came down and met the horizon. It was as if just a simple name –Hyrule- had aroused a new sense of pride in the people –confidence that their future was assured.
Farore requested a meeting with Link and the others inside Elsa's hospital, and they met her when the night came, wondering what she was going to say.
"Thank you for coming," Farore said once they were settled.
"Is something the matter?" Link asked, noticing that the Oracle was not so full of glee like the townspeople.
"I'm afraid, yes," she answered. "I lied today. Well, technically not, but I did not tell the whole truth. I did not say what should have been said, and that is that Ganon will one day return. Not for a long time, but eventually he will. When you broke the Phantom Hourglass, Link, you did not sever the seal between the two worlds. Rather, you brought them closer together. The fact that you were delivered to the Dark World is proof of this. The seal is closed now, but it will open again in many years."
"I see," Link said, disheartened.
"Do not worry," Farore assured. "All will turn out well, just as I told you. You have done everything you were destined to do, Link. A new Hero will be needed then to destroy Ganon forever. It was your duty to defeat the Phantom, just as it was the Hermit's to defeat Wirlin."
"Where is he?" Link asked. "You still haven't told us."
"He is home, and he is happy. The Hermit has returned to his forest with the Minish, and there he will remain."
"The Minish?" Wade repeated in disbelief. "I knew they existed!"
"Indeed. His duty is done, as is yours. The last of the Twilight is trapped within the chest I created, the Four Sword trapping him inside, and I plan to bring that chest to Hyrule Castle once it is built, and lock it within."
"So that's it then," Maple broke in. "We are done –finished. Even you can rest now, Oracle."
Farore smiled in spite of herself. "No, my quest -my purpose- will never be finished," she said, "for evil is omnipresent. Within a time I must travel to two other worlds: Holodrum and Labrynna, where my sisters have already gone. But you need not worry of this, for your concern is Hyrule now. You, Maple, have finally woven your way back into society. You, Wade, have become part of a legend -part of history. You, Tetra, have awoken from your slumber, and aided Link when he needed you. And you, Link, I need not lecture you on what you have become, for you are now king. Now go, people of Hyrule, and lead this new kingdom to salvation. Your children will pick up the torch from there, in this endless cycle of war and peace, good and evil, Power and Courage."
Down in the darkest depths of the ocean, where whales echoed their aesthetic songs through the water, and the sand beds stretched across the ocean floor in motionless wavy dunes, the ancient land of Hyrule sank farther into darkness.
But that was exactly what Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule wanted for his forgotten kingdom. That was exactly his wish upon the Triforce those many days ago: for a future for Zelda and Link; for the ancient land of Hyrule to be washed away, and that the King and Ganondorf's destinies finally be fulfilled, leagues under the Great Sea.
When he was sure that it was over and Link had won, the King of Red Lions wept in sheer bliss. So many times he had thought it was over, and he had failed. In his mind he had viewed this as a game of chess, he the player and the others the pieces. Locked under the ocean –separated from the rest of the world- that had been his place. He had watched carefully for a time, restraining his actions. Then he had thought he found the perfect move, and shifted his rook into a check position. But doing so exposed his prized possession: the king. And so when he had released the only weapon Link could possibly use to defeat the Phantom, he had also unleashed a great threat: Ganondorf.
But everything turned out all right in the end, not because of his doing, but because of the Gods, and because of Link. The rollercoaster of events was over now, and the King of Red Lions was finally able to rest, knowing that Link and Tetra had founded the next Hyrule, just as he had beseeched them to do.
With Hyrule's replacement showing promise, the King allowed the hibernating kingdom to face reality. The ocean cascaded down onto the kingdom, and it was all washed away. The waters rushed through the castle, breaking glass and filling the entire citadel to burst, and yet the King's smile did not wade. Finally his wish upon the Triforce was about to fully complete itself. Ganondorf was already dead, one of the only two men of the ancient land left alive.
And now only one life remained of the kingdom of old.
The King turned to see the white waters rip through the hallway, and he opened his arms in a gesture of embracement. The King closed his eyes, thinking of Link and Tetra, and the happy life they would have together.
And then the Great Sea blasted through him, and the last relic of the land under the sea faded into legend.
The End
So ends the story of "The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass." I thank anyone who has read this, and urge you to give a review. Keep on the lookout in the coming weeks for three posts here entitled, "How this relates to the Zelda universe," the "List of common themes, symbols, and elements in the story," and "My self-evaluation." Once again, thank you all. This has been quite enjoyable to write, and I hope you liked it.
