Chapter 49

Dear Princess

The area surrounding me was replaced with a lightly colored void, where tiny slivers of light shot down all around me and below. I stayed there, hovering and feeling light next to the Triforce of Courage that still gave off a golden glow that was reflecting off of the air in the void.

I didn't remain in this strange universe for very long though, and just like how the chamber smudged and faded, Castle Town formed around me as a distortion. I felt as if something went horribly wrong with my eyesight, and it bothered me to even continue to look.

I was being gently lowered until my boots clicked down on the hard, solid ground. A light and refreshing breeze brushed against my skin and carried with it a million scents. Wildflower was mixed with the smell of warm baked bread that was prepared in a fire. I heard many voices chattering and blending together, they mingled with the bubbling of water, perhaps from the center fountain. I opened my eyes and saw, from what felt like forever, the lovely Castle Town. The sun was bright and warm, shining between the few clouds in the light blue sky. The pavement was a brilliant white when I usually saw it as a light gray, and the center fountain seemed to relish the light of the sun as well. It leaped up in the air repeatedly like it was trying to catch it. The sun's beam mingled with the water and made it look like tiny crystals were caught in the water's current.

The Triforce was hovering just in front of me, and I snatched it up in my cloak before there was too much attention. Then I headed for the castle, though it quickly turned into a dash across town. My legs ached like I ran a thousand miles, and I couldn't remember when I slept last, but I was hardly aware of it at the time. I was just too excited to be home again.

There was a guard on either side of the castle gate, and they looked to me anxiously when I came to them. "Master Link!" One called and took an awkward step forward. "Have you...?"

I couldn't hide the smile from my face as I pulled back the cloak, revealing the glow of the Triforce of Courage. One glance at the Goddesses' gift sent the soldiers into action. "He has it!" The first one gasped and called to the other. "Go to Lady Impa at once, and tell her Link has arrived and he has the Triforce of Courage!" But the other soldier was already running off into the castle before he even finished. "Tell her," The guard continued to yell after him. "To gather the other Triforce pieces and meet us in the princess's chamber!" He then turned to me and beckoned me to go on, but a voice caught me off guard.

"Do you want an escort?"

Tog emerged from the side of the gate, though something about him was different. His face was beaming, and he was dressed in the armor of the royal guard.

"Tog!" I was surprised to see him here when there were so many people, not to mention his unique attire. "What happened to you?" I asked, holding my arms out on either side of me, gesturing his outfit.

He glanced down at it and shrugged. "The people of Darunia were so grateful to me after I brought home the lost children, they thought I was the one who saved them. And after a while, I heard word spreading that the prince of Hyrule wanted to see me. When I came home, His Highness wanted to reward me as a hero of the kingdom." He smiled a toothy grin again. "I couldn't decline, it meant too much to me. The hylians aren't too bothered by it either."

I was genuinely happy for him, he was so worried he wouldn't be accepted by either the hylians or his own kin, but it looks like he already found a new home. His eyes widened. "Why are we still standing here? We have business to attend to!" Then he dashed into the castle, the royal coat of arms flapping on the cape behind him. I followed close behind.

We ran through the familiar halls and corridors until we came to Zelda's room. Tog reached it first, and he opened it wide, allowing me through first. "I just knew you'll come home with it one of these days!" The prince exclaimed, clapping me on the shoulder. "And I see you found Sir Tog." He remarked proudly, shaking the moblin's hand.

There were other people here too, Impa stood by some other high ranking guards at the side of the room. Two of which came to me holding something wrapped in cloth. I knew they were the other pieces of the Triforce. After I carefully took them, the prince gestured me to approach the bed, and he and Tog moved to stand by the others.

Zelda was just where I left her, sleeping ever soundly on the soft bed. As I moved to stand before the side of it, I began unwrapping the golden triangles. Once they were all free, they floated away from my grasp, gracefully shining the brightest they ever were before and slowly dancing around each other before they were positioned whole. The relics by themselves were so breathtaking a gift already, but here, they finally seemed complete. I've never seen it complete before, but now I wouldn't expect it any other way. It was perfect.

And now it waited patiently. It waited to hear my wish, all that I had to do was touch it. I reached out slowly, once again, I was paralyzed by its presence, though this time, the Triforce was whole and had limitless power. It could easily grant any wish, anything at all, and it was waiting for me.

I have only one wish, I thought silently once my hand brushed against its surface again. Nothing else seems to matter, I wouldn't have gone this far if it wasn't for the strength she had given to me. Because of her, I risked my life like I never had before, and I faced fears I would have rathered buried. Because of her, I was a new man. Please, I can't bear to see her like this any longer, I just needed her back.

The light began to shimmer all the brighter, and it was followed by a shrill, but quiet and calm, reverberation as the light filled the room. Once again, I found myself so drawn to mystical magic that when the light and shine quieted, I almost didn't notice that Zelda started to stir.

She inhaled as she started to wake from her long sleep, and I came closer to her side. She still looked very peaceful, but when her eyes flickered open, my breath was taken away. My memory of her throughout this quest didn't come close to how beautiful she was in person. Her deep sapphire eyes angled on me and she furrowed her brow in confusion. "Link?" She asked, her voice quiet but sweet. She moved to sit up. "What happened to me?"

"Princess," Impa started as she crept closer to us, her eyes were heavy with tears. "You were under a spell."

Zelda looked down and seemed to think silently to herself, probably trying to remember. "Yes," She looked back up. "The sorcerer... He... He threatened me..." Her eyes slowly wandered about the room and fell on the whole Triforce. She nearly fell over then in surprise, her breath was caught in her throat.

"It was powerful magic." Impa continued. "The only way to break it was to collect the last piece of the Triforce. Link scoured the kingdom for you, Princess. He went on a dangerous journey through temples with powerful beasts and traps to find it. He saved you."

She was still speechless, but her eyes were filled with gratitude when they met mine. She looked like she wanted to say something, but her voice betrayed her. She looked about the room, somewhere between amazement and lingering confusion.

Then, she noticed her brother, the prince, and she froze like she was nervous. His face immediately dropped like he was ashamed. After all, he was the one who hired the Sorcerer to cast that spell on her in the first place. I'm sure he was struggling internally then. But then, to everyone's amazement, he tightened his fist and approached the bed.

"Zelda," He knelt down to her level. "I have something I was to say." He began, giving a short pause as he glanced nervously about the room. "Nothing I ever say or do can justify or fix the trouble I caused, but I've regretted nothing more than this. I was drawn by the power of the Triforce, and felt that I should have it because I was to be King. But I never should have pursued it as I did, and ultimately, I should have never brought in that sorcerer. Please believe me when I say I only wanted him to scare you, I never actually wanted him to cast anything." He sighed and shook his head. "If he didn't die after casting that, I would have killed him myself."

It seemed as if Zelda didn't know how to respond because she remained silent for a long time. I could only imagine how she felt about this. She stared at him with an expression now that was blank and didn't reveal any feelings. "Please forgive me." The prince carried on. "I have learned a valuable lesson through this, and I don't even want the Triforce anymore. I'm just glad Link was able to break that curse." He choked for just a second before he composed himself again. "I'm telling the truth, but I'll understand if you don't want anything to do with me."

He's been practicing this speech for weeks, I'm sure of it. Ever since we left the castle at the start, he's been obsessing over what he did, and for a long time, he despised himself because of it. I couldn't blame him, I would have done the same thing if I did something like this. "He's right." I spoke up, bringing eyes to me. "Zelda, this has been our quest, he accompanied me during all this. He's truly sorry and gave everything to ensure this would succeed."

There was a moment of silence where no one moved or said a thing. But Zelda, ever gentle, sighed and stood up with her brother. "You have made a mistake, it happens. But this curse was never going to be broken, the only reason it was is because the complete Triforce can grant any wish, it has that kind of power. You should be grateful we had such power resting in our kingdom."

His Highness could do nothing but nod, and once again, his gaze fell to the floor. But then, after she let that sit for a second, she lifted his face back up. "But you are my brother, and I will always forgive you." And she wrapped her arms around him and closed him in a tight hug. The room exploded into commotion then. The soldiers that still stood back in the room began to clap, cheer, and shout, and there wasn't one person who didn't have a wide smile on their faces.

Impa cried tears of joy as well and she placed a loving hand on the princess's shoulder. "Thank you, Princess, you are very kind." And then she turned to the cheering soldiers as the siblings released each other. "Go tell the kingdom that the princess is awake and well! Everyone needs to know the good news!"

"Wait," Zelda asked, then walked around the guards and to the Triforce, where with just one touch, the Golden Pyramid obeyed and hovered free from each other. "Take the three pieces of the Triforce with you." She bade one of the soldiers as they were moving for the door. "Such power needs to be protected in a safe and locked place." The soldier nodded and asked two other men to help him carry the pieces out of the room. Tog followed behind them, leaving only me, the prince and princess, and Impa in the room.

Zelda smiled sweetly. "It is good to be back. I don't feel like I've slept for very long, but I feel like it's been a long time since I've seen any of you."

"We're really glad to have you back too, Princess," Impa added, wiping tears away as she embraced her.

Then she came to me, shy and slow. My breath was trapped in my chest as she wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you." She whispered.

"I missed you." I managed to return. "We all missed you."

But she didn't pull away, instead, she locked her lips on mine. I was suddenly paralyzed in place, the sound of my heart beating took away any other sound that took place around me, and my face grew hot. My mind was blank, I wouldn't even be able to dream this moment, though it was surreal to me. It lasted forever, and her sweet scent engulfed me. It made everything worth it, at that moment, I would have gladly done everything over again. I would have faced Ganon a hundred times if I needed to.

When finally, her soft lips left mine, I was aware once more that the Lady Impa and Zelda's brother, the prince, where still in the room. Impa had her hand against her chest and was beginning to cackle, and the prince merely smiled knowingly, scratching the back of his head. Embarrassment took over, he already knew I liked her, but I don't think either one of us was expecting this.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Tog poked his face in. "Princess, they're all wanting to see you returned."

Zelda looked with awe from the moblin in royal armor to her brother, who shrugged. "I made him a high ranking officer." He replied simply after a minute. "He deserved it."

Finally, Zelda agreed and Tog disappeared behind the door again. After she slipped her hand in mine, she called excitedly and dashed out the room.

She took me down a long hallway to a large door at the end and the guard there saw us coming and pulled back on the knob and held the frame open for us.

We were now outside, standing on a grand, royal balcony that overlooked the training fields. And as soon as we stepped out on the stone surface, we were all overwhelmed with roaring and cheering! Everywhere to stand in the training field was taken up by soldiers! I couldn't even see the grass below their feet and the sun reflected on highly bright metal armors. It was like the sun itself shone off the guards and made the field seem much more bright than it was, and I could not even see well enough to count just how many soldiers were in the field. Zelda, still holding onto me, strolled royally up to the end of the balcony and calmly waved with her free hand. The sight of the princess brought the crowd cheering and raising their weapons all the higher and louder.

Then, the prince, Lady Impa, and Sir Tog finally caught up and stood with us, watching the crowd cheer. A strong but gentle breeze carried the smell of flowers from the nearby gardens, and brushed by us, leaving a cool refreshment behind.

I watched the field silently. Since my last quest, I've done nothing but travel and explore, like I was trapped in that time, with only pride to hang onto. I was never home for more than a few weeks or days at a time. But now, I have never been so glad to be back home. There was something peaceful about it. I looked back to Zelda and was just so overjoyed to have her back. Yes, maybe I was done with saving the world and seeking adventures. It was time for this hero to retire, at least, until she needed me again, which I hoped was a long time from now.

I was finally, after nearly a decade, at peace and without fear. The nightmares I had since I left quickly disappeared entirely, and I was never afraid of the threats of Ganon, or any of his minions again. Zelda still maintained a tight bond with her brother, and later that month, he became the finest king Hyrule ever had. Tog became a great leader and never went too far from the king's side. And Impa continued being a close adviser and friend to the Royal Family, never shy from offering her wisdom. It was good to be home.

The end!