Author's Note: Well, this has certainly been too long for me! Thank-you to everyone for the wonderful reviews and the lovely birthday wishes; I had a lovely birthday! My holiday was great, but I am happy to be back with another action-packed chapter for you all. Still, let's get the reviews and whatnots out of the way first (because there's a lot of them) and then you can read the chapter! :3

Reviews: ShadowNinja1011: I'm really glad that you liked that, because I did too. I hope they will, and thank-you! :3

MiniJen: Thank-you! I'm really glad that it was all right, because I saw mistakes in it after which I couldn't really change. I'm such a hardcore Zelink shipper, so I'm glad that I lived up to that shipping's expectations. I really hope that you like this chapter, because I really did like writing it on holiday! Can't wait for Light And Shadow! :3

Daisy Bokoblin: I'm happy that it wasn't as sad as the other chapters, because I wouldn't be able to deal with it otherwise! Glad you saw the references too! X3

TDDolphin: It was quite short, but I do want to make the next battle a lot longer – but not too long, of course. It really is good about Zelda, and it was your review that got me to get everyone back down onto the Surface to help – so thank... yourself, I guess. I'm happy that I wrote Link as good as I could, because I was a little worried about that and all the references! Glad you got them! That has made my day, and I really can't wait to see what you think of this chapter! :3

G01denUnicorn11: Glad that you're back! I loved writing that part, and I'm happy that the battle wasn't too long for you – but the next one will probably be a little longer than that one.

CupcakePride101: Thank-you! And she really did, which was great for me! I'm really happy that you liked the chapter, and I really wanted to have them in the past too honestly; but you are right. It was scary for me to write, because I didn't think that part was written so well – so it's nice to know that it was good, and the ending too. And my holiday was amazing, thank-you :3

destinyschild02: I'm so glad that this chapter was good, because I had my doubts about many parts in it! I'll try my best, and thank-you for the wonderful support! :3

Favourites & Follows: Thank-you to "unravelingdreams12" for favouriting this FanFiction and "Daisy Bokoblin" for following this FanFiction too!

"We grow fearless when we do the things we fear."

~Robin Sharma~

Ancient Roots

A Skyward Sword FanFiction

Chapter 36: Levias

I inspect the murals on the walls of the great pit outside the Sealed Temple, pressing my hand over one design of Hylia. The drawings seem to have been put here by survivors of the Great War and tell of its events to the next generations. From their depiction of the Goddess, they believe that she did the right thing by sending her people to the sky—but I'm still not sure.

She sacrificed her own immortality to save us, however it has yet to help me in my cause with the Triforce hidden away in an unknown place.

Glancing away, I wonder how long it'll take before someone finds me down here. I came down here not long after I returned to the present and explained what I had been told by Link in the past—that the Triforce was our only hope in saving the world against Demise.

But when my friends asked me why Link wasn't with me, I had to lie to them—to my own friends. I couldn't face telling them that Link had been sleeping for thousands of years and slowing exhausting himself to protect us all. All I could say instead was that he had important things to do in the past, and it wouldn't be good to visit him.

I sigh deeply as I suddenly hear footsteps behind me, knowing that I've finally been caught, only turning when the voice says, "I thought you'd be here."

Turning to Pipit, I force a smile. "I just needed some space, that's all." He opens his arms, though I don't rush into his embrace like I would have a few days ago. I force myself to be more reserved as I hug him tightly, making sure that my emotions are in check.

"We're always here if you need to talk, Zelda."

"I know," I mumble back as I pull away. As we start to make our way back towards the Temple, I remark, "How's Mallara?"

He scratches the back of his head. "She's… getting better. They're saying her condition isn't stable, but they're hopeful."

"Are you sure you want to stay down here with her condition?"

"There's nothing I can do for her up there," he says after a moment. "She's barely awake enough to see me, and there's enough people up there to help look after Skyloft. I just… I just need some space from it all, and helping down here will make me useful enough." He pauses for a moment, then, "When will we be able to see him again?"

I swallow thickly. "I don't know," I say honestly. "Whenever my battle comes to an end, I suppose."

"Your battle?" Pipit parrots with a raised brow. "Don't you mean our battle?"

Shaking my head, I clarify, "Your battle is to protect the Sealed Temple from The Imprisoned. I…" I avoid his eyes. "My battle is to protect Link and destroy The Imprisoned once and for all, but that is a fight that only I can fight. I can't thank you all enough for your help over the past few weeks, but this fight is mine now and no one else's."

Pipit opens his mouth to respond, only to fall silent himself as we continue towards the Sealed Temple. I can feel his partial frustration at wanting to fight alongside me and protect his loved ones—he refuses to let me burden the pain on my own. But I can also feel his understanding. He knows that it is my destiny to fight this battle alone, and he can't change that.

Some walks you just have to take alone…

It isn't much longer before we finally return to the Sealed Temple, and the weight of my task falls right back onto my shoulders once again. Karane, who was talking to the priestess, snaps her head up towards us and smiles gently. "You're back… we were worried you'd left without saying goodbye."

I smile back and shake my head silently.

"Your Grace," Impaz says after a brief silence. "There will be one in Skyloft who will have some knowledge on the whereabouts of the Triforce. Seek them, and your path shall open before you." I nod, only for the priestess to catch my wrist when I go to collect my things. "Return as soon as you can. I can sense Demise's Seal is wavering greatly."

Swallowing thickly, I nod firmly again before going to collect my things. Even though I only just sealed away Demise, the battle was so short that he's already recovered from it and is back to fighting against his Seal. The thought of it terrifies me as I bid farewell to my friends, realising just how much pressure is on my shoulders.

One thing at a time, I remind myself. First the Triforce, then Demise…

Every time I return to Skyloft, I can't help but think about how bright and lively it used to be.

Take the morning of the Wing Ceremony, for instance. Nayru had cleared away the clouds to bring us a cheerful day and good flying conditions, everyone was hastily rushing about the town to finish up their remaining errands before the race, and some of those who were free were helping the children to hang up lanterns for the evening festivities.

The sun was shining, the Loftwings were singing, and I was humming the Ballad of the Goddess as I made my way towards the Statue of the Goddess to practise my song one final time as I waited for Link to finally wake up.

But a sudden wind tears me away from my reverie, and the skies in reality are still dark and murky. My heart sinks as I make my way towards the Knight Academy, hoping that I can find who I need to.

During the flight back to Skyloft, I thought back to the book Fledge was reading that helped me to reach the Isle of Songs so long ago. Maybe, just maybe, that book holds a few more secrets that could help me. The existence of the Triforce has been lost to the ages, but anything could be helpful in guiding me to its location.

The Knight Academy, now surrounded with scaffolding due to its weakened structure, stands tall over the entire island with the Statue of the Goddess like a beacon of hope. As I make my way inside, I'm glad to see far less beds in here and most people up and about who weren't the last time I was here.

As I walk down the corridor, I catch the eyes of Natalie—another graduate and Pipit's cousin—as she takes a break from her work around the island. Her chestnut her is slightly matted, and her deep blue tunic is dirtied from all of the dust and ash on the island.

She smiles and rests her head against the wall as I cross over to her. "It's been a while, Zelda," Natalie greets. "How are you holding up?"

"Better," I say truthfully. "I'm glad to be away from here every now and again." She reaches over to squeeze my shoulder gently, and I force her a smile as the pain of being back here seeps back into my system. "I, um, came here to speak to Fledge. Have you seen him?"

"He's just in his room the last I saw," she replies simply.

Thanking her, I move in that direction, softly knocking on Fledge's door. To my relief, Natalie was correct and Fledge lets me inside. I take his seat beside his desk whilst he sits on the edge of his bed. "What did you need me for, Zelda?" Fledge asks timidly. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is getting better. I was just wondering if I could have another look at that journal that your Aunt and Uncle were working on," I explain. His eyes light up at the sound of my interest and immediately plucks it from the shelf next to me, practically beaming as he passes it to me. "Did they ever say anything about a relic left behind by the Goddess?" I ask, refraining from using the term Goddesses. "Something called the Triforce?"

He muses as I flip through the pages, intrigued at the amount of research they conducted together. There's so much on flora and fauna in the Sky Realm, as well as old languages and their research into the relics on the island itself like the "whirling sails" mentioned in the Ballad of the Goddess. When Fledge speaks up, he asks for the journal for a moment.

My heart starts to pound in anticipation as he finds the page he needs and places it on the desk behind me so we can both see. The page he needed was a map of the Sky Realm drawn over two pages, various research notes and images drawn onto the map.

And, in particular, the spots where the Columns of Light are have been connected together to create a large triangle in the middle—the Triforce drawn in the top right corner of the map.

"W-What is this?" I breathe.

"My Aunt and Uncle did a lot of work with the Headmaster about a relic in the Ancient Texts called the "Triforce," but it was a project that they never finished," he says. "No one knew what it was other than a relic from long ago, but they were determined to find it. They were tracking wind levels in the Sky Realm and found fluctuations in these three points."

He points to the three X marks where the Columns are now. "What did they conclude?"

Pointing to the Triforce drawing, he continues, "There was only one drawing of what they assumed was the Triforce, and with these lines between the three points of fluctuation they decided that the Triforce must be hidden somewhere on the island. And because Skyloft was the chunk of earth that the Goddess sent to the sky, it only proved their theory."

My lips part in awe, "Did they ever look for it?"

"They were going to start digging for clues," he says, then, "But my Uncle died before they could and my Aunt didn't have the heart to carry on without him."

I smile sadly at him before casting my eyes back to the journal, running my fingers over the lines between the three Columns of Light.

It could be somewhere on the island, I think to myself. Generations have lived here for so long with the Ultimate Power possibly beneath their feet. And—

Then suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, the ground begins to shake.

"Sisters," I breathe, immediately rising from my seat and rushing out of Fledge's room.

"Sisters?" Fledge calls out from behind as he runs after me. People are already making their way towards the Statue of the Goddess out of fear, unsure what is going on but worried for the worst. Making my way towards the Plaza, I swallow thickly as the clouds start to merge together and twist around each other in a sickly grey hue.

Whatever it is, this can't be good.

I draw the Master Sword as I run, a tiny smile creeping onto my face as its blade is dazzled in a beautiful sapphire light thanks to the blessing that Link gave it. Feeling comforted by his presence, I skid into a stop at the edge of the diving platform and look out into the sea of darkness—waiting for whatever evil awaits out there to show itself.

And after enough time, it finally does.

With a groan of thunder and a flash of lightning, the clouds creating the ginormous Thunderhead in the distance are torn apart, and out of it comes the Sky Spirit Levias—a large fish-like creature soaring through the air and straight towards Skyloft. For such a kind and gentle creature, to show such a display of anger terrifies us all.

According to the lore within the Ancient Texts, Levias is the Great Spirit of the Skies and was chosen by Hylia to carry the Souls of the dead to their salvation. And since Levias has never attacked anyone in such a way, the islanders begin to panic over his intentions.

"Levias has come to claim us in his anger!"

As Levias makes his way towards Skyloft, I sigh in relief when the shield I erected around the island keeps him at bay. "Be calm!" Instructor Owlan shouts over the din. "The Goddess herself is protecting us from his wrath!"

A smile creeps onto my face for a moment.

Then the hilt of the Master Sword glows softly and Fi's voice echoes in my mind. "From my analysis, Mistress, the Sky Spirit Levias seems to be infected and has been for numerous months," she explains, and when I mention the strange shadows across his body she adds, "I believe that those appendages are a reflection of the parasite that is attempting to claim him—by destroying them, you may be able to destroy the infection."

My stomach twists as Levias flies towards the Lumpy Pumpkin—where most of our supplies and food are after the attack—and I know that I have to act fast. I ready myself to call for Crimson, only for fast approaching footsteps from behind me stop me. I turn to find Instructor Horwell making his way towards me.

"You cannot fight the Great Sky Spirit, Zelda," he pleads. "If someone offers Levias some Pumpkin Soup, he may return to the Thunderhead without hurting anyway."

I shake my head. "Something's wrong with him, and I know how to help him." Horwell doesn't seem too convinced, so I add, "Let me try, Instructor Horwell. Just… trust me."

His shoulders slump. "Alright, but at least take some Knights with you. Fighting alone against Levias is foolish at best."

"The presence of extra archers will increase the chances of victory by sixty percent, Dominae," Fi chimes in my mind with perfect timing.

I sigh deeply, knowing that they're both right. But after all that's happened, I just can't let myself put others in danger like this. But it isn't my choice to make, I think to myself. The Knights of Skyloft have a duty to protect the island, and if they want to do this, then I can't stop them from their duty.

"Alright," I give in.

Instructor Horwell places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "The Headmaster would be so proud of you, Zelda."

I say nothing in response, trying my best to keep my composure as Horwell leaves to help calm the islanders. Less than a minute later does four Knights appear—Natalie, Megan, Groose's cousin, Beau, Goselle's step daughter, and Greg, Rusta and Henya's grandson. Each of them are well known for their archery, and I can't help but feel comforted by their presence.

"Thank you for all stepping forward," I praise. "Levias has been infected by a parasite, and the only way to destroy it is to cut off those appendages on the outside of his body." They all nod silently, a mixture of determination and worry seeping out of them. "Let's go."

We all leap off of the diving platform and whistle for our Loftwings. Pulling out my bow, I nock an arrow as we make our way towards Levias—swiftly catching his attention. As one unit, we soar around the Sky Spirit in an attempt to draw him away from the Lumpy Pumpkin and back towards Thunderhead—the clouds forming it now having returned.

Now that we are close enough, I can finally see the damage that the infection has caused for myself. Levias's eyes have been tainted by a sickly pink, his fins twitching violently in pain. Five red appendages attached to various parts of his body sway in the wind and seem to be causing him severe pain from his moans of agony. Connected to the appendages are bright blue eyes that watch our every movement.

Once we manage to lure Levias away from the Lumpy Pumpkin and Skyloft, we each assign ourselves to an appendage and begin to shoot at the eyes. Catching on to what we are doing, Levias starts to flail about mid-flight to try and keep us away, though his movements are slow enough that they don't cause anyone to fall from their birds.

As I pull Crimson's neck away from one of Levias's fins, Beau's voice calls over the din, "Why don't we just shoot it in the mouth and put it out of its misery? It's a monster!"

"What would the Goddess think if we let the Spirit of the Sky die without helping him?" Greg calls back. "We have to do—Beau, watch out!"

We all snap our heads over to Beau just as Levias decides to swing is large tail back and forth, catching Beau before she can even react. Memories of the Black Tornado shoot through my mind as she tumbles from her pale pink Loftwing and down into the sea of clouds beneath us.

"I've got her!" Natalie's voice calls out before any of us react, her and her yellow Loftwing diving down to get Beau—thankfully catching her before she falls too far to be saved. With Beau unconscious, I barely catch Natalie as she takes Beau back to Skyloft—knowing that she won't be able to recover quickly enough to continue fighting.

Within a few moments, we've lost two fighters.

Megan is the first to shoot an eye, causing the eye to explode and its appendage to shrivel up and break away from Levias; tumbling into the cloud barrier below. I scrunch my nose in disgust at the sight, only for relief to flood into my system when I realise that Fi's assumption, as usual, was correct.

We can cure him, I think to myself, only for a dark voice at the back of my mind to sneer, unlike Father…

By the time we manage to shoot down three more eyes, Skyloft is but a speck in the distance. But as Megan takes care of another eye, she also falls victim to Levias's tail and is thrown from her Loftwing.

"Go!" I call to Greg. "I can finish this!"

He thankfully doesn't argue, immediately going to Megan's aid and leaving me alone against the Great Sky Spirit. Taking a deep breath, I pull out another arrow and draw back, keeping my body tense as I allow Hylia to take over and help me with my aim. Slipping one eye shut, I force myself to stay calm as my first arrow misses, only for the second one to find its target.

Levias groans in pain as the final eye is destroyed, taking its appendage with it. However, before I can think that the infection has been destroyed, a strange creature breaks free from Levias's head—finding me near instantly and hissing violently.

It's not over yet…

Without giving myself time to hesitate, I start shooting at the creature's large eye, only for it to hide away when I do so. Noticing how flat and stable Levias's back is, I pat Crimson's neck and make my way towards the Sky Spirit's head, landing with a thud. I draw the Master Sword as I rise, its holy blue light a stark contrast to the dark skies around us.

The creature pokes its head back out, rising further out from Levias's head with the appendage it's attached to. Two sickly yellow wings open out from either side of its head as it screams at me, green saliva dripping out from its mouth.

"Fi… what is this?"

"This is Bilocyte, a species of ocular parasite which has infected the Great Sky Spirit," Fi clarifies from within the Master Sword, the creature merely waiting for me to attack. "This life-form utterly controls the mind and body of its host. Based on the creature's anatomy, it is probable that this monster's weakness is its central eye. However, I can confirm that while the fins on the sides of its head are extended, any attack on the eye will be quite ineffective."

Nodding, Fi goes quiet and Bilocyte begins to attack, impatience getting the better of it.

The parasite lunges at me in an attempt to knock me off of Levias, and I barely roll out of the way of the attack, grunting as I push myself back onto my feet. It rears back up to its full height, opening its mouth to send a ball of what I can only assume is saliva towards me. I raise the Master Sword instinctively, flinching when the ball ends up hitting the flat side of the blade and sends saliva splattering everywhere.

But when I open my eyes, I realise that the ball has hit Bilocyte's left wing—destroying it.

I have no time to revel in my small victory before Bilocyte lunges at me again, knocking me to the ground with its speed. The Master Sword slips out of my grasp, though I scamper towards it to reclaim it before the sword falls into the clouds below. I take a moment to catch my breath, holding the blade close to me until I hear Bilocyte spewing another ball at me.

Recalling what happened last time, I angle the Master Sword as I get back onto my feet, batting away the ball but missing its right wing. However, Bilocyte is quick to rapidly send three balls of slims in my direction. I manage to slice two of them before the third smashes into my front, slightly burning up the material on my dress from whatever the balls are made up of as well as saliva.

I grit my teeth at the vile stench, readying myself for another attack. I almost lose my balance when Levias changes his direction suddenly, dodging one of the slime balls and knocking the other one into Bilocyte's other wing. I breathe a sigh of relief as Bilocyte cries out in pain, and I pull out my bow to shoot down the eye like Fi mentioned.

Using Hylia's aid, I let my first arrow fly, only for that one and the next few arrows to either miss or for Bilocyte to shut its eye at the last moment. Irritation courses through my veins as I dodge another few slime balls, trying my best to ignore the smell as I instinctively hold up the Master Sword to protect myself from another attack.

But this time it's different.

Bilocyte is too distracted to notice the slime ball until its too late, screeching in pain as it tumbles to the floor. With the parasite stunned, I swap my bow out for the Master Sword and rush towards Bilocyte, holding the holy blade above its eye. It watches me in fear, and for a moment I hesitate, but when I realise what it's done to the Sky Spirit I plunge the blade into its eye.

As I remove the sword, Bilocyte screams and rears up. It tries to attack me one last time, but its strength has finally dwindled, and it bursts into a cloud of darkness—blood spattering over Levias's back as he is finally purged of the infection.

The Great Sky Spirit, weak from the illness, begins to fall towards the cloud barrier. I leap from him and whistle for Crimson, glad for his presence as Levias manages to recover quickly enough to save himself from hitting the barrier.

"Oh ho!" Levias remarks as he faces Skyloft. "Do not fear, people of the Sky Realm, for I have awakened from my corrupted slumber!"

I smile as cheers begin to erupt from Skyloft, the chuckles of the Sky Spirit a welcome sound to Hylia. I guide myself around to fly before Levias, calling out to him, "Great Spirit of the Skies, I was aided in freeing you from your infection and welcome you back to reality." Placing a hand on my chest, I bow to him.

"How I have longed to see you again, Your Grace," he says. "You may be in a different body, but your smile is the same. Now hop onto my head and allow your Guardian Bird to rest." I do as he asks and leap onto his head, allowing Hylia to take over as we converse. "Words cannot thank you for saving me, Your Grace. I only wish I could have battled the infection myself and protected Skyloft in its hour of need."

"What infected you was powerful," I say simply, then, "You need not blame yourself for what happened."

He hums deeply. "Your wisdom has not escaped you either. When we last spoke, you mentioned your plans to enter the body of a mortal and make a wish on the Triforce, correct?"

"Yes," I confirm. "I must find the Triforce, however this body has no memory of its location. Do you know where it is or have anything that could help me?"

"You told no one of its exact location, only that it was safe with your people in the sky," he explains. "However, you did leave behind a song with secrets to its location woven into it: the Song of the Hero, I believe."

Deep inside, Hylia loses her composure momentarily.

"The Song of the Hero was split into four parts and was entrusted to each Dragon on the land beneath the clouds. You told me that once each part had been found, I could then complete the melody with my own verse," he says, and my stomach sinks.

Why is the Goddess's Mission full of tests for me to prove myself? Of course, I will never feel worthy of the title "Goddess Reborn," but why would they give me so many tests to prove myself? Surely they would just give that title to another who was worthy without so many tests.

Keep fighting for a little bit longer, sleepyhead. I'll find the Triforce as fast as I can…

"Thank you, Levias. I shall return with the parts of the song that you require," I say simply, ready to return to Skyloft so I can rest and start my journey again in the morning.

However, before I can, Levias stops me with a mere, "Just one moment, Your Grace."

"You may call me Hylia, Levias. I do not prefer to be called by my many titles."

He chuckles deeply. "My memory is not what it was, but you have certainly not changed." I smile slightly. "Now, long ago I was entrusted with a gift from the Goddesses. They wanted me to give it to the Goddess Reborn when she came to see me as a sign of how much they care for their Sister."

'We hate to see our Sister suffer,' a trio of voices whisper in my mind. 'Take this as a symbol of our love for you…'

In a flash of light, a necklace appears before me, hovering until I reach out and take it. It's a simple necklace with a bright blue stone wrapped numerous times in a thin piece of silver. The stone itself seems to be a Timeshift Stone and has the Hylian Crest engraved on it—I can feel its power radiating out from it.

Placing the necklace around my head, I feel nothing for a moment.

'This Stone transcends time itself,' the voices continue. 'You may speak with those from across time. Simply think what you wish to say, and those words shall reach them…'

My head snaps up in realisation.

'Link…?'

There's nothing for a moment.

Then, 'Zelda…?'

'Link…' I fall to my knees, tears instantly running down my cheeks. 'Is that really you?'

'It's me,' he says. 'I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm here.'

'It's a gift from the Goddesses—a Timeshift Stone that allows me to speak with you.' Wiping my tears, I force myself to speak up. "Please thank the Goddesses for their gift, Levias. It is truly perfect."

'That it is…'

"It should be I thanking you for everything that you have done for this world," praises Levias. "Without you, this world would have been doomed centuries ago."

I scan the skies around me, realising that Din has begun to dye the clouds beneath me a soft orange, the skies above shifting as we speak from a bright blue to a mix of orange, pink, and a thin line of purple at the bottom—thankfully different to the constant dark skies we've had after the attack on Skyloft.

Bidding farewell to Levias, I leap from his head and whistle sharply for Crimson and make my way back towards Skyloft, clutching the necklace tightly in my hand.

'You said the gift was a Timeshift Stone, right?' Link wonders. When I hum in agreement, still too emotional about hearing his voice again to reply properly, he continues, 'I remember Impa giving me something not long after we went through the Gate of Time. She said something about it being her duty to give it to me. I'd forgotten all about it until now.'

I smile. 'I guess it's Hylia's way of apologising to me for passing her spirit into my body.' Link says nothing, confused. 'When I realised who I was, I watched Hylia pass her spirit into mine—and when she did, she said how sorry she was for doing it. She regrets so much, but she had no choice.'

'It's up to us now to prove that her sacrifices weren't in vain,' Link adds, to which I hum again.

Upon my return to Skyloft, I'm greeted by many of the islanders thanking me for helping to protect the island. I smile and wave them off, reminding them about the other Knights who risked their lives too. As I make my way towards the Knight Academy, I realise just how powerful the stone is—it's almost as if Link is next to me, and that alone is enough to make my eyes warm.

I find Natalie, Beau, Greg, and Megan back at the Academy; glad to see that they're all alright with only minor injuries. Fatigue gnaws at the edges of my vision, and I can feel myself moving slower as I make my way towards Link's room—still not wanting to sleep in my room after all that has happened. Dropping off my things, I quickly bathe and scrub away all of the grime from the battle against Bilocyte before returning to Link's room for the evening—too tired to eat.

'Are you alright?' Link asks after a while, and I suddenly realise that I've been sitting on the edge of his bed staring at nothing for a long time.

'I'm fine, I just…' I trail off. 'I hate sleeping now.'

I can feel his concern when he says nothing, and as the moon begins to rise into the night sky I change into my tunic that I left in here from my journey to the Fire Sanctuary and start fixing up the tears and stains on my white dress—hoping that it will make me feel somewhat renewed when I wear it next, like a clean slate.

When I wake up tomorrow, I'll be searching for the Triforce; the Ultimate Power created by the Goddesses themselves. After all that I've been through, every day keeps getting more and more incredible than the last. When I first arrived on the Surface so long ago, I was young, naïve, and had barely been in a fight. Now I've grown up, I've matured, and I've experienced and suffered so much.

When will it end?

When I prick myself with the needle again from tiredness, I realise that it's time to go to sleep, but I simply sit there for a while and watch a few beads of blood trail down my finger. "Can you feel it? The Thread of Fate is starting to be soaked with your blood, Your Grace."

You will pay for what you've done…

Wiping away the blood, I change into my nightdress and place all my necklaces on the desk except for the one I received today—too comforted by Link's presence to lose it again. As I lay in bed, I trace my finger down the cord, feelings its power coursing through the rope.

'I'm going to save you, Link,' I say after a long time.

'I know,' he says.

'I'll give you the peace you deserve.'

'And I'll help you to get the peace that you deserve too, Zelda.' I smile but say nothing, my hand clasped tightly around the stone as I begin to drift off. The last thing I hear before I finally fall asleep is Link whispering, 'We're going to have a happy ending, Zelda. I promise.'

Author's Note: And there it is, over 5,000+ words for you! I want to update The Seventh Silence and Shards of Time after this, however, and school is starting next week so there will be less updates then there has been in these holidays. Anyway, please drop a rate and review if you haven't already. And enjoy the rest of your holidays, if you have them, and I hope that you are safe and well in the future.

*The gift from the Goddesses was inspired by the Gossip Stone that Link and Tetra use in Wind Waker, just as a reference.

~RandomButLoved~