A/N: Here is where this story really earns its M-rating so here's your warning. Yes, it is THAT PART, but there's nothing too explicit. There is only one more update after this, which will be the epilogue. It's the longest chapter I've ever written I believe so editing was a beast, but I'm very proud of it.
Thin shafts of pure light broke through the barrier of Malice, illuminating the night sky above Hyrule Castle and shattering the odious obstruction in one captivating flash.
Slowly, a vast and thunderous clamor carried through the night air outside the gates of Castle Town. The shouts and cries of triumph of all those gathered to oppose Calamity Ganon from every race in Hyrule grew indistinguishable from one another, breaking up the calm but restless atmosphere that had settled over the field moments before—and after the last remnants of the monster hoards had been defeated.
The light that had enveloped the castle disturbed even the spirit of the Calamity, the beast writhing and twisting as the ethereal rays tore through its spectral form. And for a moment, it looked as though the spirit might plummet. It opened and closed its maw in a show of rage and distress as it fought the light, though faltering—its body, a cloud of Malice, sinking slowly from the castle's highest point.
A light like that could only be from the one who bore the blood of the Goddess. Their princess was alive and subduing the beast single-handedly.
Link and Impa pressed their way through the throngs of warriors and the corpses of slain monsters, finally able to pass where once there had been an impenetrable wall of Malice, while the Champions fell back to their Divine Beasts.
oOo
Standing outside the second gatehouse, Zelda's gaze remained fixed on the Harbinger, her hand still raised to strike the machine down with her light once again if it didn't fall right then and there.
The Harbinger's mutated body wept embers of Malice as it jerked and seized, its form shifting and reverting back into its original egg-shaped form, almost as battered and broken as its twin who had fallen to the Hollows in Korok Forest. It twitched, releasing two final rusty notes before it fell still.
Something had happened. The machine had done something to trigger the full extent of her wrath, but what was it? She looked on now in uneasy satisfaction. This was, after all, the Terrako that belonged to this branch in time. The Terrako she held vague memories of. The one who comforted her those lonely nights after her mother's passing. The one her father had taken away shortly after her seventh birthday in a bid to get her to focus on her training.
…and now forced to annihilate it…
Grief should have crushed her…would have eleven years ago. She wanted to mourn the fate of the toy had loved so dearly as a child but felt only hate for all the suffering and cruelty Calamity Ganon had caused.
Forgive me, Terrako…
She watched as Malice departed the small broken Guardian, drifting up and up to join the porcine spirit, though this joining did not seem to give the beast strength. Ganon loomed above them now in a manner that was listless though threatening in its closeness.
She froze. Something deep in her gut twisted.
Something was wrong. She knew this. Something was very wrong—and it was more important than an old broken toy…
She had unleashed her full fury on the once cherished companion because….
And she peered past the little Guardian, finally allowing her gaze to fall on Astor...
Not a piece of artificial intelligence or a childhood toy she'd so easily forgotten, but the one for whom Hylia had upended fate and the flow of time itself to intertwine the threads of their fates…The one she really loved…lay on the brick path motionless.
Zelda carried herself on shaking legs toward him, falling to her knees and gathering him in her arms, her posture hunched and wretched as she held him. A strangled sound escaped her, unbidden, no tears left to cry.
Blood stood out vividly against the gold trim of his robe where the Harbinger had pierced his shoulder.
Her fingertips trailed his temples and the hollows of his cheeks. She no longer heard the roar of Calamity Ganon above. A deafening silence had filled her head, save for the gentle trickle of the moat surrounding the gatehouse and the waterfall nearby.
The barrier of Malice was no more. She imagined Link and Impa and perhaps anyone else who accompanied them, finding her here with Astor's lifeless body still in her arms.
She thought of him, his tired smile and the ardent tones of his voice as they had struggled to withhold their laughter and tears at the words Hylia had proclaimed to him. If she could just go back and live in that moment forever…
A failure… I'm such a failure, the Goddess must have realized her mistake and changed her mind.
A single stream of moisture ran from her nose, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand and exhaled a shuddering breath, hearing her own desolation in it.
With an unbearable hollowness growing within her, she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. And then she felt his eyelash brush her cheek. Drawing back with a sharp inhale, she saw his eyes were open, staring up at her in confusion. He blinked a few times, furrowing his eyebrows, creasing the space between.
"Will you cease wiping your snot on me… Wretched girl…" he mumbled disjointedly and then stopped as he took her in, the light in his eyes refracting. "Calamity Ganon never revealed to me how beautiful you are..."
And then she did cry. Tears of relief consumed her, prolific gasping sobs from the very bottom of her lungs. She thought she had lost him, although she wasn't certain that she still wouldn't.
She waited with him as he started to come around.
His ochre eyes regarded her seriously. "Zelda…the prophecy…I hope it's not too late for us…"
Her heart fluttered within her chest combating the knot in her stomach.
"I won't lose you…" she said with as much determination as she could muster, though an ache of hopelessness edged into her voice.
Debris blocked the path forward and Zelda knew there was no way she would continue with Astor in his current state. He had been right earlier. Now she had to get to safety for his sake.
If they turned back would her bedroom still be accessible? Could it even provide adequate shelter? She could not be certain. There was a strong possibility that Guardians had reduced the room to nothing but a pile of masonry and crushed furniture like so many other areas of the castle.
She helped him stand, slinging his uninjured arm over her shoulder though that did little to prevent him from crying out.
"My shoulder…" Astor winced.
"The barrier is gone now." She soothed. "I'll get Mipha… We are fortunate to have a healer among the Champions."
Astor glanced back at the remains of the little black Guardian as Zelda led him back the way they had come.
They backtracked through the gatehouse. This time she supported him, though in a weary and weakened state herself.
They followed a brick path that branched off the main one. The path inclined subtly downward, and they crossed a small bridge. There were three flights of stairs ahead of them and Zelda steadied her grip on Astor.
She took each step one at a time as she carefully navigated their way up, struggling to keep her feet from tangling with his. On the second landing, that imposing tower—jutting off the castle via an outdoor walkway—that housed her study above her chambers came into view and she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her. They were close to what she prayed was a respite.
"Come… Just a little further now." She reassured him.
Finally, at the top of the stairs, her heart initially sank at what she saw. Across the courtyard, a broken-down Guardian Stalker blocked the narrow path ahead.
Undeterred, she moved closer, seeing a space to squeeze by behind the Guardian.
"Piece of shit…" Zelda muttered under her breath, long past the threshold of maintaining her decorum.
"Piece of shit…" Astor echoed, woozy and smiling through the pain.
She ushered Astor through the tight space between the Guardian and a wall, stepping over broken debris.
There was another exterior staircase leading up to her bedroom to navigate and Astor was flagging. What normally would have been a short walk had become a strenuous endeavor as she supported more and more of his weight as his consciousness began to drift. She had to hurry.
They crossed the threshold into her chambers and Zelda let her gaze fall over its state of disarray. Books lay scattered over the stone floor. The bedroom appeared as though ransacked by monsters, though—unlike other areas of the castle—free of Malice. Mercifully, her canopy bed, with its sturdy wooden frame and red curtains, remained undisturbed and she led Astor across the palatial room.
She helped him to settle on the edge of the bed and hurriedly helped him remove his robe and boots.
Removing the robe, she saw his high collared tunic beneath was even more saturated with blood.
Astor waited no time to let himself sink back upon the bed as if all strength had finally left him.
"Goddess…" Zelda murmured in desperation.
She unfastened his tunic. Helping him pull the fabric away from the deep wound, Astor winced again. She knew it wasn't immediately life-threatening so long as it did not become infected, though she was concerned about the trauma his body might have sustained as a result of the devastating impact, fearing he was suffering from a bad concussion or unseen internal injuries.
"...never slept in a bed as comfortable as this one." He mumbled vaguely, his voice soft and fading.
She opened her mouth to beg him to hold on. That Mipha would be there soon… But Astor had gone eerily still, even tranquil.
Her heart leapt into her throat
"Astor..?" She reached out to him, and her voice went up an octave. "Astor..?"
Placing her hand to his chest she found the steady flutter of his heartbeat deep within, and the tightness that had risen in her own chest released—though only a little. He had drifted off to sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow and Zelda dreaded his sleep might be eternal.
Lost in those anxious, awful thoughts, she forgot herself—until four immense torrents of energy coalesced high above. The sound was deafening, and her dreary chambers flooded with brilliant blue light.
She threw herself forward, using her body to cover Astor's as the castle shook. An ear-piercing bestial shriek cried out from above. The books that remained on the shelf on the far side of the room toppled down onto the floor as the room shuddered. It felt as though a shockwave had engulfed a section of the castle further up.
And then she realized what had happened.
The Divine Beasts…
Slowly, Zelda lifted her head, scarcely believing they hadn't been obliterated in the blast. All was as it should be, and the castle was still again. Astor hadn't stirred, and the knot in her stomach tightened.
But the Champions had acted, and the time was now. Calamity Ganon would be at its weakest.
This is it then… Now I must act… Ganon will pay for what he's done… What he has tried to take from me… or perhaps succeeded…
She pressed her lips to his forehead and then shakily forced herself away from the bedside. She crossed the room, pausing at the base of her spiral staircase to look back at him. It took every bit of her sense of duty to tear her gaze away and proceed up and onward.
She emerged at the top onto a narrow walkway overlooking the courtyard they had just crossed. Ganon loomed directly overhead, struggling to maintain its hold on the castle. The beast stared into her very soul, its beady eyes looking every bit as feeble as she felt. She couldn't say if she would be victorious, but she was prepared to fight until there was nothing left of her.
Shutting her eyes and bringing her hands to her chest, light radiated all around her as her feet left the walkway.
oOo
Impa and Link exited the first gatehouse only for their eyes to be drawn to the light in the sky high above.
At the center of that light levitated Princess Zelda, so distant she might have been mistaken for a little bird if not for the light that haloed her. The princess faced off against the Calamity, deep red and purple Malice swirling around her.
There were moments where the beast obscured her light with its Malice, and Impa held her breath waiting, fearing that Zelda would be overtaken at any moment.
They raced to get higher, following the staircases up to the courtyard. As they ascended, Impa felt as though she was witnessing the Goddess Hylia herself—save for the black dress marred by Malice that billowed out around the princess in her divine trance.
The hereditary power of the Goddess intensified, imparting a sustained ethereal and holy light that not even the darkness could penetrate.
Ganon gave the light a wide berth, this action enfeebling the beast even more.
Link raced ahead, crossing the courtyard and up the series of stone steps to get closer, though it was not readily apparent how he could assist in the fight.
Reaching the very top of the stairs and not far from the Sanctum's exterior, he stared up. The moments passed and even the hero stood in wonder at the battle that played out so high above.
Caught up in the stillness of the moment, he raised the Master Sword skyward in solidarity.
The blade radiated its own light, glowing as it had when he'd pulled the sword in Korok Forest. Its faint blue aura contrasted with the golden light that blazed around Zelda. And suddenly she stopped and gazed down upon him.
She regarded him, smiling from on high. He could not see it from his distance, but if he had, that smile would have reminded him of the sun rising at dawn.
You're just the one I've been waiting for, her voice gently intoned within the recesses of his mind, radiating warmth and their shared destiny.
Unknown to Link, Zelda could hear a voice from within the sacred blade he held high. After ten thousand years, the spirit within stirred, coming to the aid of her master and the one who carried the blood of Her Grace.
The blue light of the Master Sword shot up and up, rending the Malice that formed the Beast. Its shattering roar of agony carried across Hyrule Field.
High above, Zelda lifted her right hand. The beast stared back at her, dread dulling its beady scarlet eyes. A transcendent and clarion reverberation rang out within her gravity, growing in intensity as the spirit of Calamity Ganon closed in on her. With the last of its energy, the beast struck out, circling her. It opened its snout as if to swallow her whole.
Her splayed fingers tensed and that ancient and unworldly power exuding from her palm flexed and wavered, exploding outward into a great orb that engulfed the beast. The same mark on the back of her hand appeared before her—the symbol of the ultimate power the Goddess had once watched over countless ages before. Three triangles connected to form a larger whole—the Triforce.
The orb of light kept expanding ever outward. There was nowhere for Calamity Ganon to escape as the radiance took it over.
The earth quaked beneath the feet of those in Hyrule field as the sphere of light suddenly reversed itself, becoming like a tiny black hole, its edges still glowing with the light of the Goddess. And just like that, Calamity Ganon was sealed; as if it had never been.
The redness of the sky faded, leaving dark clouds. Slowly, they parted to reveal a breathtaking and bright full moon.
From their place at the top of the stairs, Link and Impa watched as Zelda drifted serenely down, coming to rest on the walkway above her chambers.
Link and Impa were already off, eager to be reunited with their princess, but she had already disappeared down the spiral staircase.
And the night was silent with neither the gurgling of Malice nor the rumbling of the Calamity.
oOo
Impa bounded down the multitude of stone steps, her legs pumping as she crossed the courtyard.
"Princess!"
The inert Guardian Stalker that left little room to pass did not hinder the lithe and swift Sheikah warrior. She bounded past it and arriving through the courtyard entrance into Zelda's chambers, Impa was about to call out when her words caught in her throat and fell away.
Zelda was perched beside Astor on her canopy bed. Astor's dark, collarbone-length hair laid limply over luxuriant white pillows. His face was ashen, but he opened his eyes and Zelda leaned in to whisper to him.
Still shaken, Impa could only stop and stare. The princess kissed him so tenderly, and Impa found herself transfixed by the scene, forgetting herself, before realizing she had walked in on something she probably wasn't supposed to see.
Better give them their privacy…
She was preparing to back out of Zelda's chambers when Link cleared his throat causing Impa to startle.
Link..! she nearly cried out. She hadn't realized he'd been standing directly behind her.
Zelda turned to them from the bed, appearing a little startled herself.
"Get Mipha. Hurry," She urged.
oOo
Mipha was ushered in a short time later, and though the Zora Champion was inwardly exhausted from healing the countless injured in the battle for Hyrule Field, she stepped into the room with an effortless grace that might have made Zelda's heart flare with envy in days past.
"Can he be healed?" Zelda maintained her position on the bed at Astor's side. "He was tossed quite violently against a wall, and I barely got him back here…"
Mipha's gaze fell over Astor's broken form and the deep puncture to his shoulder.
"Of course, Princess. It is an honor," Mipha said with the sweetest most knowing smile, without a trace of contempt, and Zelda nearly broke down once more.
The coming days, weeks, months, and even years would be a war of their own for more reasons than one. And she knew she could not expect the same kindness or understanding from her court.
Mipha approached the canopy bed and laid her hand on the raw and open wound, a blue aura flowing forth.
Zelda watched as his wound slowly began to close itself, flesh knitting itself back together, leaving no sign that any injury had occurred.
Mipha's hands hovered over his form, searching for any internal injuries, coming to rest at his temples as she held his head between her hands. Astor redirected his gaze, and Zelda thought he appeared unnerved, almost recoiling at her touch.
Mipha stepped back finally with an expectant nod.
Astor pulled himself up. "The pain is…gone…"
Zelda reached to trace her fingers over his shoulder, marveling at Mipha's work and he wrapped his hand over hers.
"It's finally over… Calamity Ganon is sealed. No more training… I… We are free…" The words spilled forth as Zelda embraced him tightly, pressing her face against his neck, overcome.
"You see… You have nothing to worry about, Princess. I wish you both the best." Zelda heard Mipha say, already fading back to join the others.
Zelda lifted her head, exhaling the tension she'd been holding in. Unable to find the words to express her gratitude, she could only shakily nod her head.
"The castle is in rough shape…" Impa began. "Repairs will take some time. Your Highness, you are always welcome in Kakariko Village. Astor is welcome to stay as well."
Zelda paused, looking to Astor, although already knowing what she'd see there. She wanted to be alone with only him. Needed it. They had been surrounded by the company of others for days. And the near-constant battles while grieving the death of her father had taken their toll.
The voice of the Goddess was in her ear. Her sacred power was still at its height—for the moment. Soon it would begin to wane.
"Thank you, but this is my home and I intend to remain here and oversee reconstruction as soon as possible."
"Understood. I'll leave you both to rest and regather your strength for what tomorrow brings."
"It will take a great effort and time to rebuild… Castle Town and nearby villages have been decimated by Guardian and monster attacks. So many have been displaced… And many may fault me…because I could not prevent Calamity Ganon's resurrection…" Zelda spoke in a low, soft voice.
"No one can say you didn't try, Your Highness…" Impa said gently.
"Your position as Royal Advisor is always secure here, Impa…if you wish to remain…And just the same for you, Link."
Link nodded his assent, as did Impa.
"Of course, Your Highness… Always..."
"Thank you, Impa."
They bid their farewells and Impa, Link, and Mipha showed themselves out into the night.
Zelda watched them go, their footfalls fading from her hearing.
Moonlight filtered down through the spiral stairwell, casting its light on the stone floor in strange patterns. The room was now lit with a pale and iridescent glow.
"Here we are… At last…" Astor purred, breaking the silence. The cool and soothing tones of his voice lifted her from the loathsome feeling she'd had just moments before—those five simple words exactly what she needed to hear.
"Yes… Here we are…" Her smile was tired but eager as her eyes searched his, and a yearning heat rose within her at the promise that awaited her there.
His smile broadened. "Shall we?"
"Yes, of course. Have we both not fought for this moment?"
Wanting his touch to take away the painful memories of the awful night they'd endured and survived, she took his hand in hers and guided it to dip into the bust of her gown. The swell of her breast fit within his grasp perfectly.
"Impatient, are we, Your Highness?" He grinned. "Spoiled royal girl…" He squeezed roughly and a soft hum of approval escaped her, and no longer able to hold back she seized his lips with hers.
Breaking the kiss to lay back, her eyes never leaving his as he lifted the hem of her gown little by little. Maintaining that gaze, she became lost as he dipped his head to lay kisses along her inner thighs. He reached further still to hook a finger into the side of her lace undergarments and guided them down past her shapely legs, before throwing them aside with a flourish.
She giggled and rose on one elbow to pull him down with a possessive hand on the back of his neck, nestling her lips against his, savoring him
The room was filled with their laughter between kisses, a reflection of every eager glance and lingering touch that had led them to this moment. Knowing their love would soon create something tangible.
They pulled at what remained of each other's clothes, groping their way under the fine linen sheets.
She would always remember the way he descended on her smoothly, sensually. How their bodies moved together, the sensations feeling like sweet altered fate unfurling in delirious and exquisite pleasure rising and crashing through her. Her sighs and his shuddering and rapturous exhales.
And after, they fell asleep much the same way they had in that ethereal glade of the Lost Woods.
As Zelda and Astor slept, the people of Hyrule rose to a new day. The world was calm and still. All Malice had dissipated, and now countless Guardians stood derelict, littering the fields and villages of Hyrule.
The spires of Hyrule Castle were surrounded by nothing but a clear blue sky, no longer haunted and marred by the spirit that had once lingered there.
oOo
Zelda crossed the room to her wardrobe, letting the light pouring through her high windows warm her. She looked back over her shoulder to see Astor toss in his sleep. When she was dressed, she went off to search the castle for men's garments that might fit him.
She returned a short time later with a neat pile of clothes. Astor was awake and sitting up in bed, running his fingers through his hair.
"These look about your size. They belonged to an ancestor of mine… A prince."
Astor stared down at the rich blue fabric, the ornate and detailed gold accents.
"Go on… Try it." Zelda chirruped
The fit was perfect.
"I miss my rags," Astor said, feigning annoyance.
"Well, your rags are…rags, and what's more they have blood all over them." Zelda teased.
His braids were askew, and she offered to rebraid them for him.
Astor couldn't stop gawking at himself in Zelda's full-length mirror. And neither could she, admiring the sight of him. He really did look the part of royalty.
They set out for Hyrule Cathedral, surveying the damage to Castle Town as they traversed those empty streets, hearing the masonry of shops and homes still crumbling in the distance on their otherwise silent walk. But in the light of that day, Zelda put her lingering doubts to rest.
The Darkness had been sealed. She was not a failure. And the whispers of the heir to a throne of nothing would be put to rest. Perhaps the kingdom could even flourish beyond her imaginings.
She lifted her chin to see him squinting against the sunlight, and she smiled. He was alive, saved from his fated destruction and Calamity Ganon's oblivion
The love she held for him had carried her through so much and even if it had never been requited, it would have been enough. But he had, and the journey they had shared allowed her to at last awaken to her power even when she gave up the last of her hope long ago. Even if all of Hyrule would begrudge her she would rest on this unshakable peace.
They reached Hyrule Cathedral and she led him down the aisle. The stone interior was still and silent, dust motes drifting in shafts of light that poured through the windows.
There would be no well-wishers, nor would the petals of Silent Princesses rain down on them on this day. It was only the two of them standing before the statue of the Goddess.
Something recursive resonated within herself, coming from the very depths of her being. A vow meant for him.
And there, face to face she related the words the Goddess Hylia spoke so long ago at the edge of time.