Link was floating in the sky, free and weightless. Blue sky stretched on and on around him, blending seamlessly into the glass horizon. Only a few fluffy clouds broke its perfect smoothness.

Zelda was there with him. She looked ethereal, Link thought. Like a celestial being in the clouds.

He thought next that he was in a dream. Everything was brighter, more colourful. Her hair was so gold, her eyes the colour forest leaves under moonlight. He realized there were tears in her eyes.

"Link...thank you. Ganondorf has been sealed in the Sacred Realm," she told him. "Thanks to you."

They simply stared at each other for a long moment, sharing their relief and joy that their ordeal was over at last. She shocked him with her next words.

"It's time to return the Master Sword to its resting place and close the path to the Sacred Realm," Zelda murmured. "We need to close the link between your time and this one and make everything right again."

Link gaped at her. "What?"

"I need to make up for my mistakes." Her gaze pleaded with him to understand. "I dragged you into Hyrule's mess a long time ago. I was too young to understand the consequences, and as a result, Ganondorf used you to steal the Triforce. It was my responsibility to protect the Triforce and Hyrule."

"It was mine, too," Link protested. "As the Hero of Time."

Fresh tears dropped down her cheeks. "And you've done your duty admirably."

Link curled his fingers over hers. "It was more than duty," he said, holding her gaze with his.

Zelda brushed aside her tears with her other hand, taking on the mask of duty and determination. "Link, I can return you to your own time. I can give you back the years that were lost when your spirit was held in the Sacred Realm."

Shocked, Link stared at their joined hands. It was possible to go back? He'd traveled through time once before, but it had never occurred to him the journey could be permanent.

"I can send you back, and all of this will be undone," Zelda was saying. "Ganondorf's evil will never taint Hyrule if we stop him before he has a chance to take the Triforce."

"Is it really possible?" he asked, uncertainty worming its way in.

"Yes, Link."

His attention snapped back to her. "What about you?" he asked.

The sadness she tried to hide gave him his answer. "I need to stay here," she said quietly. "Hyrule needs me more than ever."

"No," he said immediately. "I can't go back without you. I need you."

"You'll see me again," she promised him. "In the past. We will meet as we did before."

"But you won't remember me."

Zelda's hands cupped his face, her eyes overflowing with tears now. Her voice was strong despite the tremor in her hands. "Link...it is our shared destiny to be whatever Hyrule needs in her time of suffering. Now that peace has returned to Hyrule, it is time for us to say goodbye. You can save countless lives by returning to your own time and foretelling us of the danger."

Link shut his eyes when he felt the hot prick of his own tears. "I promised you I would always do what was best for Hyrule," he said, "But I don't know if I can."

"You belong there, Link," she said. "Let me give something back that was taken from you."

Link lifted her hands, pressed his lips to her skin. "I have everything I need. I can stay and rebuild Hyrule with you."

Her shoulders shook, her lips trembled. She gently pulled her hands free from his. "If you don't go back, Link," she warned him. "I fear what may happen. If the events of the last seven years are not erased and rewritten, Ganon's evil may return once more." She swallowed hard. "It is much easier to defeat a man than a demon. Ganondorf needs to be stopped before he gains the power of the gods."

Link's shoulders slumped. "Unless I stop those events from happening, all of this might have been for nothing?" he asked.

Anguish shone in her eyes. "It's possible. The only way to be sure is to change the past. Please, Link, undo my mistakes and be where you are supposed to be. Be who you are meant to be."

Link's heart broke at the sight. She held out her palm. "The ocarina...Link."

Numbly, Link reached for the instrument, feeling its polished surface. He placed it in her hand, keeping his hand atop it. He lifted his head and met her eyes.

"I will do as you ask," he vowed. "I'll ensure Ganondorf is stopped."

"Thank you, Li—"

Her words were lost when he leaned in and caught her in a kiss. The ocarina held in her left hand, she fisted her right in Link's tunic and yanked him closer. He slid his arms around her, keeping her as close as possible for the eternal moment of their embrace.

As they pulled away, Link tried to catch his breath. "I'll do as you ask," he said. "But I won't tell you goodbye."

Zelda's eyes softened. Her fingers traced his face. "I'll see you again." Lifting onto her toes, she kissed him a final time.

Turning the Ocarina of Time, she raised it to her lips. The song she played was not quite a lullaby—mysterious and harmonious. Each note possessed its own power; a presence in the air between them.

Now familiar blue light surrounded Link, separating the two of them. Ancient magic reached out to him, caught him in its tide. He let it guide him, lead him where he needed to be.

Slowly, he was lifted into the air, away from Zelda. She'd stopped playing, but the concordant music echoed. Link looked back at her as long as he could, until the pull of the past dragged him away.

Back inside the Master Sword's chamber, Link watched the pale blue light fade away again.

Back in its pedestal, the Master Sword gleamed in the partial light, awaiting the next time the Hero came to claim it. The seal between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm was restored. The power of the gods was safe.

Link glanced up at the tall windows, up near the ceiling of the circular antechamber. Weak sunlight cascaded down.

The familiar bell sound of Navi's wings drew his attention. She was strangely quiet.

Navi hovered near Link's shoulder, as always, the glow of her wings fading in and out. Slowly, she began to fly upwards, passing over the Master Sword and higher towards the ceiling.

"Navi?"

Navi continued until she reached the decorative windows high above. Without a sound, she passed through the empty panes and into the sunlight.

Grief clenched Link's heart. He knew Navi wouldn't be back. She'd fulfilled her promise to his guardian.

Link forced himself to turn away from the Master Sword and walked back into the main temple. To his surprise, the altar where he'd placed the three Spiritual Stones was empty. The stones were missing.

Behind him, the great stone door rumbled to a shut at his exit. The Ocarina of Time hadn't left him in the exact spot when he'd taken the Master Sword from its pedestal. Puzzled, Link hurried outside.

It was a sunny morning, and the Temple of Time's gardens were quiet and serene as ever.

Navigating his way to Castle Town's marketplace by memory, Link was even more confounded to find it was exactly as he recalled. The earliest risers were getting out of bed, tending to chores or setting up their stalls for the morning rush.

Wracking his memory, Link tried to picture his first forays into Castle Town, his first meeting with Zelda. What day was it?

He didn't know the exact date he'd first arrived in Castle Town, so there was no help there. Scanning the shops and stalls, his gaze landed on a familiar sign. The Happy Mask Shop's door was closed, but the sign outside cheerily proclaimed its official opening would happen the following week.

If the shop wasn't yet open, perhaps it was the very day Link had arrived.

"That guard was really cross with me again!" a man's voice complained.

"Stop trying to sneak into the castle, then, Bomberd," his companion wisely advised.

The first man huffed. "I only wanted a glimpse. They've posted more soldiers around the castle grounds lately."

Link turned, seeing two mustached men, brothers, by their similar looks, strolling through the square. Seeing an opportunity to fish for information, Link ran up to them.

"Why have they posted more guards at the castle?"

The two men looked down their noses at him. "Why do you think, kid?" the second man asked. "The Gerudo tribe's leader is arriving tomorrow. They need to be ready in case something happens, you know."

Link watched as the two men carried on their way, then glanced north. The pale outline of the castle's spires was visible just above the peaked roofs of Castle Town.

If Ganondorf hadn't yet arrived in Castle Town, perhaps it was sooner than he'd first thought.

Wasting no more time, Link turned and headed for the castle.

The little interior courtyard was just as remembered it.

Returning to this place, Link experienced the oddest sensation of both memory and trepidation. Skirting the castle guards had been a cinch. Now he would have to face Zelda.

Will she remember me?

Despite the doubts stirring in Link's chest, he fervently hoped so. She stood in front of the stained-glass window at the top of the steps, her back to him. Just as before.

If today was the day he believed it to be, this Zelda hadn't yet met him outside the Temple of Time. All of their history hadn't yet happened and might never. Their friendship was erased from time.

Gathering his courage, Link approached the bottom step.

"Zelda?"

Her head turned at the sound of his voice. In a whirl of skirts, she faced him. Those familiar turquoise eyes landed on Link. They stared at each other. Disappointment dropped into his stomach. She didn't remember.

A smile spread across her face. Recognition lit her eyes

"Link."

Her expression brightened with joy and she rushed down the steps to meet him.