Castle Town was not on fire, but the malice permeating every ruined road and building made it feel like a city covered in flames. Link lived here once. He wasn't sure where or when exactly, but it logically made sense. He was a soldier once, then a member of the royal guard, and then the Princess's personal knight. He must have had a home in the town by the castle, in the town that was covered in the red goop that stung when it touched his skin and made the sword throb in his hand.

The ruins themselves were sparse and in exceedingly poor shape, but they nonetheless made for decent cover from the guardians that roamed about. The Master Sword would cut right through them like no other weapon could. Stealth, however, was Link's foremost priority. He did not wish to take on a dozen stalkers at once and die again. Impa warned him that all of the castle's defenses would be turned against him. Remain hidden until you are ready to strike.

Eventually Link made it to the Castle Underground. There was no more morning sunlight, but the Sheikah Slate would let him track the hours he'd spend inside. It was in the lockup where the Hylian Shield lay, defended by a grisly stalnox whose eye resembled that of an electric keese. The docks provided a shrine that could serve as a useful waypoint on Link's map. Between the two were stone passages with minecarts that Link could pilot with the help of the Magnesis rune. Throughout it all, the Master Sword irradiated its signature blue light.

Of course, there were plenty of monsters as well. The castle halls were only vaguely familiar to Link, but he still felt disgusted by the beasts' presence on the tile floors and royal carpets. Had he been here before? It was a question he asked himself numerous times in numerous rooms. Yes, he reminded himself. I am a knight. I am a knight.

The library was still full of legible books despite the century of direct exposure to malice. Link couldn't remember which ones he had read, if any at all. Zelda liked books. He uncovered King Rhoam's private study behind a hefty metal door, but could not bring himself to read the late king's diary. It felt wrong, and Link didn't like to do things that felt wrong. That was true since he woke up, and he was sure it was true even before then.

By the time Link reached the dining hall, he was physically and mentally exhausted. The entire castle was an assault on his body and senses. Bomb arrows and the whining of the guardians made his head pound and his ears ring. The smoke of the malice made the air thick enough to choke him. Above all, Link's memory was overflowing. Every statue, every arch, and every tattered painting on the wall was a miniature portal to the castle as it were one hundred years prior. The malice eyes stared at him in the same way the castle staff did when he first pulled the sword. The creaks and rasps in the walls were whispers from the nobles about the princess who had failed to unlock her powers, an embarrassment to the throne and to the nation.

It only took a moment for Link to clear the dining hall of monsters and prepare a few energizing elixirs. They weren't perfect—he would likely crash later—but they would give him enough stamina to last through his inevitable clash with Calamity Ganon. The Master Sword pulsed on his back as if to urge him, go on. Now was not the time to call it quits.

A guardian skywatcher patrolled the bridge between the princess's room and her study. Link wondered how many days it spent looking over this one area. He wondered how many days he spent in the same place, waiting for the princess to finish her research and emerge from that makeshift laboratory. Inside the study was her favorite flower, the silent princess. He rememberedthat. It was a tiny speck of purity and beauty within a castle overwhelmed by evil, that only blossomed after no one was around to see it. Zelda would say that something like this could be a metaphor. Link was never good with metaphors.

Guardian skywatchers, as dangerous as they could be, were easy to avoid for someone as nimble as the Hylian Champion. He could climb the spires of the princess's room with only a little effort thanks to those elixirs from earlier, and the Cryonis rune was a great way to cross the river that separated him from the upper parts of the castle. The guardian turrets were large and dumb; it was almost trivial to sneak past unseen. The sword was hot on his back—every step closer made it shine brighter. It remembered Ganon, and thus Link did too. They could not forget the countless struggles between good and evil, Courage and Power.

The sanctum was right before him now. He could feel Ganon. And he could feel Zelda. He sent out a silent prayer that the other champions and Divine Beasts would fire true; he needed all the help he could get.

Link drew the Master Sword and stepped forward.

…

Revali didn't like Link, but he didn't hate the Hylian either. They were never friends, and they never would be—mutual respect was the only thing that kept their taunting from becoming active fighting. Whatever. It mattered no longer.

"Brace yourself, Ganon, for the sting of my revenge!"

...

It was nice to see Link for the brief time that she could. Mipha knew that she had a role to play and a duty to fulfill, and that didn't give her much time to speak with the boy, both before the Calamity and one hundred years later when he worked to free her and Vah Ruta. Perhaps they would see each other once again. Mipha hoped.

"We will not fail!"

…

It felt good to have a job at last! A century of being cooped up in a mechanical lizard on Death Mountain was not the most pleasant of experiences, and Daruk had Link to thank for ending that scourge once, and hopefully, for all. He was a good kid, and that's what mattered.

"Now! Open up wide, Ganon!"

…

So Link was finally making the moves to beat Ganon and save her Little Bird. Urbosa would miss them both. She loved to tease Link and Zelda endlessly and took pride in the fact that she helped end their silly squabbling. The fate of Hyrule rested on their shoulders; there was no duo Urbosa trusted more to get the job done.

"Hold on, Princess. Our moment has arrived!"

…

Deep within Hyrule Castle, Link charged forward.

The End

Endnote:

Thank you for reading if you made it this far!

The sequel (and true ending) to this fic is also completed and released! Check it out on my profile. It is called Meeting Link, Again. Head on over if you'd like to see what happens after Ganon is finally vanquished.