HEY! I know it's late but I had literally NO time on lunch so I wrote it In like an hour and a half (but i swear it's good) so here you go! Final chapter of Essence *cries*
Oh and also, I'd suggest listening to "Perfect" by Ed sheeran during *THAT* scene *winks* y'all will know the one. It was literally written while binge-listening to it after all, and it even has a line from it! Okay I'm done rambling, go read, lovelies
Zelda cracked her eyes open, squinting against the light. It had to have been only just past midday, judging by the sun. She sat up, groaning a little at the soreness in her muscles. It was quiet around her but for the murmuring of dozens of people, and she rubbed her legs a bit mindlessly, watching the bustle around her. Slowly the events of the last day came back to her.
She wasn't quite sure how to feel about it all. The tribes--at least, Haze of Shadows, Running Wind, Black Moon Pack, and Gold Leaf Pride--were all there in the field, cleaning, resting or healing, and the leaders sat beneath the same tree as before. It was calm, and the crush of fear didn't hover over Zelda's shoulders anymore.
But something wasn't right. Somehow, it didn't feel over. And as a scent wafted over her, she realized with dread why.
She stood, wavering a little, and there was Sunset, who looked at her with grave golden eyes. Then Mania, Trouble and Link--Howler, she corrected herself--had arrived, the leaders not too far behind them.
"The virus is still here," Black Sage said, without preamble. Last King and Blazing Sun exchanged a look, but before they could speak, the fox--who Zelda assumed to be Shadow Sight--spoke. He wore a hood, and it obscured all but a pale face and golden eyes that shifted between gold, amber, and almost white.
"They are coming," he said, and a look at Black Sage made the wolf matriarch's face pale.
"No," she whispered.
"What?" Link--Howler, damn it--demanded, looking between them. "Who's coming?"
"They who give, and they who take," Blazing Sun boomed, turning his face skyward. And as his words sank in, Zelda felt the blood drain from her face.
Howler noticed, as he always did. "What's wrong?" he murmured, taking her hand. Zelda tried to ignore the way her soul, the bond within, shivered at his contact. She swallowed. "I feel them," she managed.
And it was true. By now the earth itself was shaking, the skies darkening, the winds picking up. Though it was miles away, they could hear the ocean crashing against the shore. As the light faded from the midday skies and the wind picked up, Zelda clenched Howler's hand, and turned her face skyward.
At this point, it had become obvious to their group what was happening. Around them, the tribes had stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion--then alarm. Some shouted as a branch was whipped off its tree, as the sparks from the thought-to-be-dead fire flew. Golden flashes in the grass made Zelda think, for a heart-stopping moment, that a bigger, much deadlier fire was about to begin, and fear flooded her chest--along with despair.
Have we not done enough? She wondered, begged, as she turned her face to the sky once more. Have we not done as you commanded? We destroyed the virus--we worked together to do it! What more do you want?
And another fear pushed at her mind, a darker one. Have they come to fulfill their promise?
Have they come to destroy us?
As the thought crossed her mind, a light shot through the clouds, parting them, and Zelda had to shield her eyes from the great searing brilliance that emerged from the break. She heard over the wind Howler grunt, felt Sunset's hand around her arm tighten, smelled a crisp, clean scent take over the smell of the virus.
And suddenly the wind was gone, and the brilliance faded just slightly, just enough for them to look without burning their corneas.
Zelda thought she might be dead, seeing what was before her. It was impossible.
And yet there they were, in all their glory. Prayers and talers had not done them justice, she firmly decided, and felt it seconded by the wolf at her side, as his awestruck curse reached her ears.
Part of her, the part that wasn't staring at the beasts in front of her, wanted to laugh. Of course--only Howler would have the gall to swear in the presence of gods.
Zelda swallowed, trying to take a deep breath and failing. The gods, the very progenitor of anima, lowered so they only towered a little bit above them, and Zelda realized she ought to have been bowing, or prostrating herself, or something--
As she rushed to do just that, the one at the head--the snake--shok its massive head. Zelda thought it might have been an insult to the god, to call it simply a snake: it was massive, and pure white, with golden swirls etched into its body, and a giant glowing orb was held between its jaws. Beside it, its compatriots--the cornerstones of Zelda's world, her being--floated.
The monkey, representing the anima of the ground. He clutched his orb close to his chest, his tail wrapping around his body in an arc.
The bird, its wings fanning out wide to either side, its orb clutched in its talons. Glowing gold spirals added to its brilliance.
Call them what you would. The Holy Three. The Light Spirits of old. The ancient gods. The protectors of Hyrule, the cornerstones of all life. One for the sea dwellers, one for the land dwellers, one for the sky dwellers. One name united them, however, one name that ensured they were known by all:
The Anima Triumvae.
Zelda felt something in her, something deeper than her soul, than her bond, tremble in their presence. And as they spoke, with the voices of every anima who had ever lived, she felt more at peace than ever.
"You have done well, young ones," they said. Sunset let out a tiny breath. "But it is not over yet. The virus still lives. It festers, corrupting Hyrule."
They looked at each of Zelda's group in turn. As their gazes settled on Zelda, she swore she saw the monkey--the God of the Land--cock his head at her, and she felt her breathing hitch. Then it passed over her.
Before she could speak, to ask what they meant, what they wanted her to do, their orbs flared, so bright Zelda had to shield her gaze, and sent a wave of energy across the field. Turning her head, she followed it as it swept over the trees, shaking them, and if she squinted, she could see dust from the quivering mountaintops in the distance.
She turned back to the Anima Triumvae. "Hyrule has been cleansed. The virus is no more."
Zelda had to take a moment to take that in. She wavered on her feet, and was unable to stop Howler from taking a step forward. An aggressive step.
And the Triumvae knew it.
"Why didn't you do that before?" he demanded, his voice rough. Zelda stared at him, feeling the blood leave her face. "If you had this power all along, why didn't you just get rid of the virus before everyone died? Why--why did you let Tatl die?"
His voice broke on the last word, and Zelda swallowed, closing her eyes against her tears.
The Triumvae were not offended by Link's aggressive motion--if anything, they seemed to expect it. Of course they were, she realized stupidly. They're literal gods. Of course they knew.
"We did not stop it, young one, because it needed to happen. Had the virus simply disappeared, the tribes would not have learned what survival truly means. The virus was a lesson, one that we have yet to see if you have learned."
Howler stared up at them, anger and frustration clear in his gaze. "I don't understand," he finally said.
"Ganondorf was of the tribes' making," the God of the Seas said, at the left. "He was banished from each of your territories, chased, cursed to forever wander, looking for a home. If you had simply given him a chance, perhaps he would not have taken revenge on you."
"We can't just carve out a piece of territory for a random group of anima," Mania said, but it lacked conviction, and the Triumvae knew it.
"Why?" the God of the Skies asked, batting his wings. His voice rose with every word until it boomed over the field, a cannon firing in silence. "Is that not how each of you made your own territory? By taking it? Your violent history is what created the virus--Ganondorf was simply the outlet!"
"You have until the night's end to learn this lesson," the God of the Land said, his voice calm, but no less commanding. "You have come this far; do not fail where it is most important."
They flared up, searing a bright white, until they simply . . . vanished. Zelda stared at nothing, at the spot where they used to be, trying to process their words. The sheer shock of even seeing them had her sitting without realizing she'd taken a seat, and suddenly Sunset's voice was in her ear.
"You need to eat."
The next few minutes were a blur; food was produced, from where she had no idea, but she ate it anyway. Her arm rose and lowered mechanically, her brain focusing all her body's spare energy to thinking over the Anima Triumvae's words, puzzling out their command.
It took only a few minutes, but someone beat her to it.
"It's obvious what they want," Howler was insisting. At some point, he'd sat between Sunset on her right and Zelda's father. "We need to stop with this border bullshit."
"What?" Blazing Sun boomed. "You think you can so easily speak for the gods, boy? You are just a pup--"
"Yeah," Link sneered. "Just a pup who saved your ass, may I remind you. I think I'm more connected to the gods than you've ever been."
"Link, stop," Black Sage said, just as Last King spoke over a roaring Blazing Sun. "That's enough, Gaepora."
The lion stiffened, even as Zelda shared a shocked glance with Mania. The pride patriarch glared daggers at Last King, then at Howler, who looked like a cat with a mouth full of fish.
"Besides," Link continued, glancing at Zelda with a smile that melted her insides, "look at what we've accomplished. Without borders."
There was a moment of silence as the group looked at one another. Zelda and Mania shared a smile, Sunset gripped her hand with a knowing look, Link and Trouble bumped fists, grinning. And they didn't have to say a word between them to know what they had to do.
"We started off rough, but now look at us," Zelda said softly, but not weakly. "We saved Hyrule, and we did it together. Just the five of us. Imagine what all our tribes could do, if we only worked together."
"We could be great," Mania said, his eyes on Blazing Sun.
"We could change the world," Sunset implored Shadow Sight, who lifted his head.
"We can do better," Link said, his gaze only for Zelda. "We can change ourselves."
He shifted his eyes to the rest of the circle. "I think I speak for all of us when I say I'm not the same anima who went to Eventide Island," he began. "I used to mock the plains tribes. I was arrogant, and hardheaded. I'm still those things. But now I know what you guys are really like."
Howler looked at Zelda now, she felt her bond grow warm from his gaze. "I know how stubborn you lot can be, how brave, and selfless, and feeling. I've seen real courage, and real love."
Zelda felt her eyes burn and blinked several times. Link caught her reaction and let a smile curl his lips before continuing. "And I've also seen what borders did. Several times, Spitfire here almost left us because of borders. She was torn up inside, I could feel it. All the time."
He pressed a hand to his chest, his eyes so golden, so bright. "And I know that if she had left because of borders, I would have died a dozen times over. I know we would never have gotten so far without her."
"We don't need them," Link said, his voice soft, imploring. "Not anymore. We're stronger than that. We're stronger together."
He met each leader's gaze in turn before going back to Zelda. She caught his meaning and wiped her eyes, then stood, pulling Sunset with her. The fox needed no urging and stood, nodding to Trouble on Link's right. Across the circle, Mania rose to his feet with a grin, running a hand through his pompadour.
The leaders watched them, watched the easy camaraderie between them, the friendship, and shared glances.
The silence was deafening, worse than having the Anima Triumvae bear down on them, worse than staring a dried out husk in the face--well, perhaps not worse than that. But it was tense, and Zelda could only watch Link, could only watch his eyes crinkle at the corners like they did when he smiled, like he was doing now, could only watch his lips form the words that sent a flare of heat straight down her spine, that made her stomach twist up in the best way.
Zelda couldn't stop a laugh, nor could she stop the tears that fell down her cheeks. And though they knew some things would not change, though they knew the tribes, in the delicate balance they had entered, would never accept an inter-tribe mating, they knew this was a start.
They knew they had each other, and perhaps it could be enough.
It would have to be.
Black Sage was the first to speak. "I don't have any objections. It won't be too different from how we live in the forest, anyway."
Shadow Sight let out a hoarse laugh. "Indeed. My foxes will be most pleased about this, I'm sure."
Even Last King sported a tiny smile. "I suppose change is . . . good. We will welcome it with dignity."
As one, they looked at Blazing Sun, whose face held the warmth of stone. Mania bounced on his feet impatiently and bumped the lion's shoulder. "Come on," he cajoled.
Blazing Sun didn't budge. Link and Zelda shared a concerned glance, but before they could speak, Black Sage said, "Oh, just say yes, you stubborn bastard."
The lion's face twitched, right before he sighed, his shoulders hunching ever so slightly. Mania let out a whoop loud enough to make Blazing Sun scowl, and Zelda and Sunset cheered, hugging tightly, unaware they'd wanted it as badly as they had until that very moment.
But they did, and now they had it. The tribes were changing--and though they didn't appear this time, they were heard, loud and clear, across the field.
Lesson learned.
That earned another round of whooping, as Link, Mania and Trouble let loose on an obnoxious chant, pumping their arms up and down. Zelda and Sunset laughed, watching them, feeling the joy in every one of their veins. Zelda's face began hurting, she was smiling so hard. And though she knew she couldn't have him, not in the way she wanted him, at least she had this. His friendship, his allyship. His love.
At least she had this.
It took hours to tell the tribes about it, but once they had, there were . . . mixed reactions. Some cheetahs were unsure about the new laws, being called the Accords, and how they would affect hunting and territory. The details were being hammered out between the four strongest tribes, and for a while, the nightmare of the virus and all the damage it had caused was forgotten.
The sun was setting when the talks were finally settled--for the day, anyway--and the party started. Once the initial shock wore off, most anima were relieved to not have to worry about borders anymore. Most had friends outside of their tribes, no matter how strict their tribes were, and the knowledge that they could freely engage was liberating, to say the least.
Bonfires were started, food was hunted down--literally--and the tribes were already settling into the new laws. Borders had been entirely forgotten as lions and wolves sat amongst each other, chattering and eating as if like old friends. At some point, the rest of the tribes had arrived on the field, out of both curiosity and suspicion, but soon it was forgotten in the wake of the Accords.
Zelda had just finished a game of tag between herself, Sirela's cubs, and a couple young lions when she felt the bond twitch, and she looked up. Link leaned against a tree, clad in a new hoodie, his arms crossed on his chest. He was smiling softly at her, his hair tousled, the light dancing in his eyes in a way that ensnared Zelda completely.
She stood, never looking away, and made her way over to him. Once within a few feet, he said gently, "Follow me."
She took his hand and let him lead her into the woods. They were silent, and the fireflies had come out, surrounded by the sounds of the forest. Link brought her to a small clearing, not unlike the one she'd healed his wound in, and pulled her close. She recognized the hand placement and smiled, her fingers curling over his shoulder.
Her bond shivered as his bare skin tingled with the contact, and they shared a secret smile. He moved, and she followed, letting him take the lead.
It was dark within the trees, with only the fireflies to light their faces, illuminating the gold of their eyes, the twitch of her lips as he twirled her. And as she came back into the circle of his arms, her fingers tangled in his, she realized belatedly what she must look like.
"I look a mess," she murmured, unwilling to raise her voice further.
Link spun her again, and she barely caught his words.
"You look perfect."
She came back to him, swallowing, wanting, needing--and he saw it, and let his lips curl.
She leaned in, meeting him halfway, and it was just as perfect as she remembered, and as his hand curled around her neck, gentle as a breath, the tinkle of glass reached her, and she opened her eyes to see fairies drifting out of the trees, illuminating their clearing with their soft light.
Zelda looked back at Link, then pressed her face to his shoulder, closing her eyes, wanting to remember this moment, to memorize every single part of it.
The fairies, drifting in and out. Link's heartbeat beneath her cheek. His fingers tangled with hers. The cool grass between her toes. The smell of the forest, the sounds of it, so much like Link himself, so strong that it brought tears to her eyes.
Link. Zelda raised her lips to his, but instead of meeting him, she whispered against his mouth, and felt his breathing hitch.
"Zelda."
She returned her face to his shoulder, and closed her eyes, letting the warmth fall down her face.
Link didn't speak, didn't comfort her. He simply held her tighter, as if he could keep her there forever. He knew there was no comfort to give her, or himself.
When they stepped away, and walked to the edge of the forest, they found the tribes waiting. With a breath, feeling an iron vise around her chest, Zelda turned to Link, and found everything she felt mirrored in his gaze. All the love, and all the pain. She swallowed, her vision blurring, and pressed her forehead to his.
She whispered the words to him, felt the ghost of his breath as he said them back, and stepped back, ignoring the way her bond screamed in defiance, ignoring the way she could hear her heart crack.
It will be enough, she told herself. His friendship. His allyship. His love.
It will have to be enough.
Two years later.
"Zelda? Are you ready?"
"What?"
Zelda looked up from the papers in front of her, finding Tetra looking at her with a crooked brow. "It's time for the meeting, Zel," her cousin said, turning away. "And you don't want to be late."
"Right." Zelda rolled her eyes. "With the way everyone's been saying that for the last four months, I'm starting to dread it."
"Oh, darling." Tetra chuckled, laying a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "Come on. Your father is waiting."
Zelda raised a brow at the weird reaction, but brushed it off. A brief thought crossed her mind as she ran over the meeting, and a flare of pain accompanied it.
He's not coming, she told herself sternly. He hasn't come the last two years. It won't change now.
She took a breath, and though it did nothing to soothe the ache on her bond, she pretended she couldn't feel it and followed her cousin to the field. It had worked so far; she just had to . . . distract herself.
Zelda decided to fill her head with all the boringness of the meeting to come--mostly just a routine check up with the other leaders, to see how the tribes were doing.
After the virus had gone, the Accords set, and the tribes traveled back to their territories, they'd decided it was prudent to set up a monthly meeting to see how well each tribe was faring with the new rules. Adjustment was hard for some, in the first few months. Hiccups were everywhere, despite the willingness. Prey stolen, favorite hunting spots taken, possessive anima defending what was "theirs".
More than once, Zelda had been sent to drag Spots away from the old border, where he, and many others, fell into old habits. She and Mania had swiftly fallen into the role of peacekeeper, and after a meeting Sunset had attended with Shadow Sight, they learned she'd doen much the same.
They hadn't spoken of Howler.
His continued absence at the meetings said enough, anyway.
Eventually, the meetings had slowed down to only one every few months, and then every six months. Plenty of time for more issues to arise.
So here Zelda was now, at a fast trot toward the center of the field. As she neared it, she kept her eyes trained firmly away from the edge of the forest, doing her best to block out the memory of the last time she'd been there. With him.
She shifted, taking a deep breath, but it didn't help. All she could smell was him.
Growling a little, Zelda followed Tetra to where the cushions were being set, and wandered over to the refreshment table. After two years, they'd fallen into a sort of pattern. At first, the food had been offerings--of peace, of diplomacy, of truce. First, it had just been one tribe, and only a few pieces. Prey was still recovering from the virus, after all.
Then another tribe had arrived with offerings. Then another. Soon, it had become a sort of tailgate, and at the end of each meeting, sticks were drawn to see who would provide next time.
Zelda did the math in her head. This time it was . . .
Black Moon Pack.
She took a deep breath, ignoring the bond in her soul, and nibbled on a meat kebab. Her brows were drawn, though, and she could smell him. But he didn't come to these meetings--she knew for a fact, through Sunset, that he didn't like coming.
They're too boring for him, Sunset had said, rolling her eyes. Zelda couldn't understand it. He'd been part of the group that had sparked this change; had been the one to really convince the leaders to join them. He was integral. Why would he secluded himself now?
Though Sunset had faked nonchalance, Zelda could see her eyes tracking her for the rest of the meeting thereafter, biting her lip. Trouble had appeared at her side, his eyes on Zelda.
Zelda had ignored them, as she ignored the whispers of the wolves a few feet away, and she definitely ignored the giggles that followed as she left the damned table.
What she missed, however, was Black Sage coming up behind the young wolves, and whacking them with a spoon. "He'll kill you both if you ruin the surprise, so shut it," she muttered, ignoring their yelps, her shifty red eyes on Zelda's retreating back, shoulders hunched.
Black Sage felt her own shoulders lower. "Don't worry, young cub," she murmured. "It will be all right soon."
Zelda forced herself to stop running her mind in circles and focus on what the leaders were saying. The meeting hadn't begun yet, but she wanted--needed--a distraction. Thankfully--or was it unfortunately?--one appeared before her.
"Spitfire!"
Sunset wrapped her in a tight embrace, catching on immediately to the forced smile on her friend's face. "You look like you ate a rotten apple," she commented, raising a brow, playing dumb. "I always tell Talo he picks the wrong ones, but he never listens."
Talo. Zelda remembered him. He was one of the cousins, one of the pups who had harassed Zelda when she arrived in the pack's home with--
Distraction! She cleared her throat. "I've just got a, uh, stomachache," she said, trying to make her smile look like a smile and not a grimace. From Sunset and Trouble's raised brows, it didn't work.
Fortunately, Sunset was anything if not prudent. "Well, don't worry about that too much. I'm sure you'll feel better soon."
Zelda nodded, unconvinced, and wandered away, wondering why in the nine hells it took so long for the meeting to get underway. And she was so mired in her thoughts that she missed Sunset's mischievous giggle.
Twenty minutes later, the meeting had finally started and Zelda was no closer to distracting herself than she'd been when she'd arrived. She riffled through the papers she'd brought with her, finding the schedule for the meeting. As the other attendees sat on their pillows, she felt their gazes on her, but when she looked up, they were all pointedly not looking at her.
She crooked a brow, her mouth pulling to the side. "Okaaaayyy," she muttered, pulling at her hair self-consciously. She wasn't wearing anything risque by the tribes' standards, her hair was washed, her face scrubbed, so what? Did she have something in her teeth?
"All right, let's get this started," Last King called, and Zelda forced herself to focus. But it was hard, because Howler's scent was everywhere, and she--
She ground her teeth, half-hearing her father's words--at least until he said something that had the others shifting in nervous excitement, and Zelda raising her head, her heart slamming into her chest.
She stared at her father as he continued, and he met her gaze. "It's been two years in the making, and today, I believe we can finally make this a formal addition to the Accords," he said, smiling at her.
Zelda couldn't breathe, not as that scent suddenly spiked, becoming stronger, and she rose onto her knees, searching the circle.
Black Sage was speaking. "After all, it's rather clear the old laws have only been hurting us--some more than others," she added, to a roll of laughter. "At this point, we've advanced far enough to recognize when change is necessary."
"As if a visit from the gods wasn't enough," Mania called out cheekily. The gathering laughed again, muted to Zelda's ringing ears. She swallowed, hard, and forced herself to focus.
They were all looking at her now. Black Sage was smiling, Mania was grinning like a cat with a mouthful of feathers, Sunset was positively giddy.
"Then let us make the formal announcement," Blazing Sun boomed. "On this day of the Lunar Scale, August 25th, we declare that henceforth, inter-tribe mating will be officially legalized in all regions of Hyrule, between all tribes. For even law," he added, looking right at Zelda, "cannot stand in the way of love."
"Evidently," someone said cheekily, and the group laughed in good nature.
But it was lost on Zelda, as she saw someone leaning against the tent pole, the owner of that cheeky voice, his hoodie standing out bright green in the sun, his golden hair like wheat. He pushed off the pole and approached the gathering, his smirk like a balm to Zelda's fractured bond.
He was speaking. "You know how long it took everyone to come around? Like, two years," he griped, feigning irritation, though it was ruined by the wide smile on his face. "It sucked--and how many of these assholes tried to bite my face off! You would have been offended."
"Oh, boo-hoo," Zelda cry-laughed, rising unsteadily to her feet, wiping her face. "It must have been so hard."
"You're right." He smirked, stopping just in front of her. "You know, it was really hard. I--I think I . . . I might just--collapse--!"
He pretended to faint, and fell right into Zelda, knocking them both to the ground, but she didn't care, because she was laughing, and he was laughing, and suddenly everything was possible. Everything she'd denied herself, everything she'd tried and failed to leave behind that day two years ago, it was all here, in her arms, looking up at her with such beautiful golden eyes it stole her breath, and she couldn't breathe, she was laughing so hard. She was struck with the sheer joy, and even the smartass comments from above couldn't ruin the mood.
Link grinned up at her, his hand sweeping her tears from her cheeks. She bit her lip, but her smile broke through anyway, and his grew. "Does this mean you still love me?" he murmured.
Zelda scoffed, sniffing. "As if you could get rid of me that easily. Besides, who will heal your stupid ass when you get injured if I'm not there?"
Link laughed, and the sound of it was so pure, so perfect, that Zelda couldn't wait any longer. She kissed him, her lips crashing down to his, and he pulled her down on top of him amid all the catcalls and laughing above them, and she whispered the words to him again.
He smiled against her lips, and with him in her arms, his lips on hers--his friendship, his allyship, his love . . . she had it. She finally, finally, had it. She had him.
And it was so much more than enough.
sniff* there we are!
You know how much of this chapter I had planned out? The dance in the forest and the Anima Triumvae's appearance. That's it. No wonder it's late -_-
SOOO
review replies!
To StJames1: YEESSSS
I should work in the deli, lets be real here. Thank you, thank you *bows*
To Queen Emily the Diligent: mmm, yes. That's good advice. Thanks! I'll def work on foreshadowing and world building haha. I think I'm a bit used to having more time to work with haha *war flashbacks to plotting Empire*
Ahhh thanks! I've seen your reviews on some of my faveeee stories so I'm so glad you enjoyed my stuff ~ ~
Okay, I'll see you guys soon! I'll be posting on insta at some point for my new projects (mainly From Your Time) while I plot it and all that good stuff. See you all soon (hopefully *my job laughs in the distance*) and thanks for reading! *social distancing hugs*