Zelda was so stunned by the turn of events that she didn't even notice when herself and Link were teleported. Only the sensation of rain starting to fall on her shoulders alerted her to the change of scenery.
They were now situated on a circular platform with three, large bracket like structures around it's edge, floating high in the sky presumably above the Shrine of Resurrection. She didn't remember ever seeing such a structure before but here they were; herself, looking down from a ledge extended out from one of the brackets, and Link, directly below her as he eyed this new arena warily. There was a small flutter of pride as she saw him change from his Hero garb into his Champion's Tunic, obviously feeling that it was the better choice for this new challenge.
The architecture around them was obviously Sheikah in origin. The odd mixture of geometric and spiralling designs all over the arena floor could belong to no other culture and the darkened central circle on the platform was encircled by glowing, orange ancient symbols, similar to those decorating the brackets. Unfortunately, her mind was still lagging with shock to make any further observations.
Desperately trying to catch up with the situation, Zelda could only watch as Maz Koshia materialised to stand opposite Link. The sky darkened and the downpour started to fall even harder. The Monk's withered hands were surrounded in a blue aura, illuminating the sheets of rain in a chaotic haze, as he raised them up into a battle ready stance. The Sheikah eye obscuring his face burned a bright orange and Maz Koshia's voice rang out through the air.
Let us begin...
The Monks movements were fast and erratic, rushing Link immediately before darting away and then disappearing in a cloud of smoke and blue talismans. Link was having difficulty gauging which direction he would strike from, or what his next attack would be. He'd never had to fight a Sheikah Monk before.
He skidded across the wet stone floor as he dodged an attack from above when Maz Koshia reappeared, feeling the tremor of the impact rumble through the arena. Glancing over his shoulder, however, Link could see that the Monk appeared unscathed. Zelda's voice was calling to him from across the arena, willing him to focus, but another downward strike from Maz Koshia forced him to roll out of the way and bring up his shield – Urbosa's Daybreaker. He deflected the Guardian Sword wielded by the ancient Sheikah and followed the parry with several slashes with the Master Sword.
A grunt alerted the Hylian Champion that he had managed to land a couple of strikes in quick succession and the Monk retreated. Distributing his weight across the floor evenly, raised slightly on the balls of his feet ready to move, Link had not expected the Monk to return with blinding speed, form blurred as he zig-zagged towards him.
But that's Thunderbli-
A swipe across Link's stomach cut his thoughts short, winding him as he dropped to the floor. The enchantments on his Champion's tunic were stronger than any other piece of armour he owned, and while it prevented the Guardian Sword from being buried into his internal organs he still felt the blunt force behind the strike.
That's gonna bruise, he thought dimly, coughing as he scrambled back to his feet before Maz Koshia could zip back across the arena to strike him again. Focus, come on.
Zelda's voice had stopped, no doubt too anxious about the battle to try and interrupt, but Link hoped she wasn't about to witness his complete and utter defeat. Maybe she was just analysing the fight, or trying to find a pattern in Maz Koshia's movements. Unfortunately, even if she did find something she wouldn't be able to tell him because that would be 'interfering'.
Another dash from the Monk made Link dodge, back flipping over the segmented blade that completed a perfect, slow arc below him, trailing a streak of blue light behind it.
There!
Link landed back on his feet, nimble as a cat, and swung the Master Sword at Maz Koshia's exposed shoulder while the ancient Sheikah was still caught in the momentum of his dash. The sword carved into withered and aged flesh, spinning the Monk off course and Link followed it up with another attack against the Monk's chest, pushing him back across the slippery floor.
Confidence surged through him and Link gave the Master Sword a little spin in his hand.
The Monk was now eyeing him curiously from a distance. At least, Link assumed that's what he was doing, he couldn't actually see his face.
Instead of rushing him again Maz Koshia disappeared from sight, reforming once again in the lotus position hovering above the arena floor. Just as Link was considering his options on how best to fight him in the air, an intimidating aura surrounded the Monk and a circle of runic symbols appeared behind him. A wheel of magic.
A cry of shock and outrage echoed from Zelda's position as the single figure of Maz Koshia became eight, all floating in a line, perfectly identical.
"That's not fair!" She shouted, even as a memory of Link telling her that most battles were never fair floated back into conscious memory. 'A fight is never fair and never expected to be one-on-one. That's a duel, which has rules. A fight has no rules.'
It didn't stop her from being upset as she watched Link get ganged up on by Maz Koshia's various clones, all armed with jagged Guardian Swords and boasting speeds just as fast as the original. A couple of clones vanished into smoke as Link struck them, illusions broken, but he was forced to leap out of the way of a barrage of ice arrows that sprouted frozen shards upon impact with the floor.
There has to be a way to find the real one, Zelda considered, trying to find one clone that was different than the others, but there was no odd one out.
More inhumanely fast reactions from Link indicated that he was slowing time again, swerving away from a successive line of attacks from the copies, and another puff of smoke brought Maz Koshia's numbers down to five. Still too many in Zelda's opinion. More smoke had Link's opponents down to four, but it was at this point that he momentarily succumbed to exhaustion. His foot slipped.
Excessive use of time manipulation drained Link of energy rapidly and combined with the rain slick floor he struggled to regain his balance after his misstep, shield dipping.
It was all Maz Koshia needed.
A glowing sword was brought screaming into Link's personal space and his now lowered gait placed his neck directly at the end of the blades path. Magical enchantments from his armour or no, even blunt force trauma to his throat from this opponent would do fatal damage.
He had slipped, that was all. The floor was wet and he had been tired, too light-headed to correct his footing before his stance skidded away from him. Mipha's Grace was a passive, slower ability now. It wouldn't save him from a fractured neck.
Just as Link remembered that he still had Daruk's protection, a scream tore through the air and a shock wave of light blasted the rain apart, along with all of Maz Koshia's clones. Including the one at Link's throat.
The real Maz Koshia stood a few feet off to Link's left but the Monk was no longer watching him, head turned upward instead.
Following his gaze, Link saw a furiously glowing Zelda, her expression from this distance looked a mixture of outrage and panic with her right hand extended out towards the arena. Once she noticed that she had accumulated both of their attentions the glow started to fade and she lowered her arm. In light of her outburst, she now appeared rather sheepish but Link could do little more than stare, his jaw slack in amazement.
Despite my warnings that you not be involved with the Trials
you stood beside the Hero throughout.
Influencing his actions and aiding his progress.
Maz Koshia's voice rumbled like thunder between the two Hylians and they both flinched. A hand shrouded in blue once more rose into the air and Zelda's body disintegrated into streams of light.
Immobilised for an instant, Link was caught between a moment of blinding panic and a need to do something, anything. But before he could come to a decision, Zelda re-materialised directly in front of him looking extremely confused.
You will both face me as one.
The Monk shuddered in place before splitting himself into clones once more and the meaning of his words suddenly became startlingly clear. There was no time to feel apprehensive about this new situation as all eight versions of Maz Koshia brandished their glowing weapons.
Seizing a hold of Zelda's arm, Link pulled her around to one side, dodging a strike from a copy that appeared from above. Her sudden involvement with the fight seemed to have motivated him again, finding a sudden burst of energy as his instinctual need to protect took over. A shining, crystalline shield covered him like a bubble as he stood in the way of the clones and Zelda. The amber sheen of Daruk's Protection shimmered with the impact of fire arrows that ricocheted off of it's surface in a shower of sparks.
"Link was supposed to fight you on his own?!" Zelda shrieked, indignant as she lunged to retrieve a bow from the Slate on Link's hip.
Side-stepping out from behind him, she nocked an arrow and aimed at one of the copies furthest from her, watching the projectile soar through the illusion as it puffed out of existence. The squeak of Link's feet sliding against the floor made her ear twitch back as she listened to him brace for a sprint into battle.
"I've had worse odds but a Monk is new. Keep alert!"
With that he dashed forward, crashing into the copy directly a head of him and Zelda released another shot over Link's head as he passed her. Both he and her arrow sailed straight through the copies of Maz Koshia where they burst into plumes of smoke before vanishing.
Link had to quickly apply the brakes and make a pivot turn once he came to the edge of the arena. It was a stomach clenching drop over the side and the ground far below was obscured by the heavy rainfall. Falling off was ill advised.
Link brought up his shield reflexively to defend against a strike he heard heading for his back, but as he went to make a retaliatory swipe, his blade passed through nothing but fog. Momentarily stunned, he gracefully dodged another attack without attempting to return fire. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Zelda systematically targetting each remaining clone, pulling arrows out from a bunch she had shoved into her belt.
If only everyone could have seen her like this.
A grunt was heard a few yards to Link's right indicating that Zelda had found the real Maz Koshia. Launching himself in the direction of the sound, Link became slightly frustrated when the ancient Sheikah simply teleported away from him before he could make contact. The Monk reappeared next to Zelda, far too close for her to bring up her bow and draw back for a shot, but definitely close enough for her to just hit him with the bow. A sharp jab to the Monks skull with the arch of the Royal Bow caused him to recoil backwards into the oncoming strike of the Master Sword as Link swung the blade into the Monk's back. Besieged on both sides, Maz Koshia retreated to the other end of the platform and split into copies once again. They were armed with lightning arrows this time.
"Zelda! Remember, it's raining!"
There was no need for him to explain any further.
Going on the offensive once again, Zelda took it upon herself to take care of long range attacks, while Link took the role of close combatant. Still, the frequency with which the clones teleported in order to dodge their attacks and then reappear in their blind spots meant that whittling down their numbers took time.
A swipe here and a glancing blow there, both of Hylians were now sporting their fair share of injuries. While the cuts and scrapes could be considered annoying rather than debilitating, it was clear that a more efficient strategy was needed.
They now stood back to back, in order to limit the vulnerable areas Maz Koshia could attack from, and Zelda called to Link over her shoulder.
"Link, I need the Slate!"
He ripped it off of his belt and tossed it back to her, keeping his eyes forward on the copies in his line of sight. Zelda raised the Slate with the camera function selected in order to take a picture of the Monk and see what information it's database could provide. However, as she tried to focus on a single clone she realised that the Slate didn't seem to recognise it. But it did zero in on a figure keeping his distance to her left.
"Link! Behind on your right!" Zelda yelled, snapping a picture of the assailant, highlighted as Maz Koshia, and skim reading the entry.
The satisfying noise of a shield crashing into something solid resounded across the platform and she looked up to see the Monk was again being pushed back by Link's ruthless and fast paced attacks. According to the Slate, Maz Koshia was the final test entrusted by the Goddess Hylia to determine a Hero's worthiness – read competence – to master a Divine Beast. This Zelda already knew, so she was a little frustrated that the Slate had no other information to add at this time. Something she would need to remedy in the near future.
A lightning arrow went sparking past her hip and she jumped forward to avoid the dome of crackling energy that bloomed from the impact.
All at once the clones vanished and Maz Koshia reappeared in the air, centre stage. Instead of splitting himself into more illusions, the tell-tale streams of Sheikah magic coalesced around him, transforming him into a burning silhouette. Gradually, the Monk's shape began to increase, getting larger and larger until the gigantic form of Maz Koshia loomed above them, releasing a burst of energy as he roared.
The Sheikah Eye painted in front of the Monks face began to glow even more fiercely and at it's centre appeared a red focal point.
The rhythmic ticking sound was very recognisable to both Link and Zelda and a target sight alighted on Link's chest. Raising his prosthetic arm, he poured energy into his limb to charge and release an attack which blasted into Maz Koshia's face. A direct hit, but the ticking continued and blue light began to gather around the Sheikah Eye like a budding whirlpool.
Bracing behind his shield at the last second, Link was able to deflect the laser beam off to the side of the arena but as he did so he felt the metal of the Daybreaker buckle and groan. It didn't have many hits left in it.
Zelda tried to hit the still floating Monk with some attacks of her own, using each type of arrow in her possession to try and find a weakness. However, each projectile simply ricocheted off of his gigantic form, leaving no signs of damage what so ever.
At a loss of what to do, Link waited for another laser sight to appear, gearing himself up to reflect it straight back at Maz Koshia this time in an attempt to knock him out of the sky. If he could get him onto the ground he could use the strongest weapon in his arsenal to lay into him. Except, the Monk clearly had other ideas and decided to throw them another curveball. Several of them.
The ominous rune circle reappeared behind Maz Koshia, indicating that he was about to use powerful magic once again, and summoned eight, big, spiked metal balls to surround him on both sides. Each glared down at them with a blue Sheikah eye.
"Oh no," Link murmured, already backing up to stand beside Zelda again, stashing his sword and shield away.
"What is he...?" Zelda inquired out of the side of her mouth, not taking her eyes off of Maz Koshia.
"He's gonna throw them."
"He's going to what?"
As if to demonstrate Link's predication, the enlarged Monk threw one of the vicious looking projectiles directly at them. Link and Zelda pushed off from each other to dodge the attack, only to run back again as the rest of the spiked balls were sent after the first. Each sizeable sphere hit the arena floor with a reverberating clang, rolling across the floor like so many threatening, oversized marbles.
Marbles with foot long spikes attached.
"Magnesis!" Link yelled, swerving this way and that across the platform as the objects rolled around erratically and Zelda looked down to the Slate still clasped in her hands.
Angling the view finder into position, she cast the magnetic rune at the nearest metallic ball, watching a stream of magic connect it to the Sheikah Slate. Just as she went to lift the ball into the air, a spike grazed down her back from a rogue sphere and she flinched away from it with a shriek, breaking the connection.
The cry of pain drilled through Link's head as if one of the metal spikes had stabbed him in the ear.
"Zelda!"
He skidded over to assess the damage, running a shaking hand gently over her back while she winced at the shock. Seeing that her enhanced explorers jacket had taken the brunt of the attack he breathed a sigh of relief, but through the perforated material he could see there was a clear cut straight through her skin, pink and raised at the edges. Blood was already beginning to bead to the surface against her freckled shoulder blade.
He was about to assure her that the damage wasn't too bad when he noticed that she had already recaptured the spiked ball in the hold of magnesis again, keeping it aloft.
"Now what?" Zelda asked.
Instead of answering verbally, Link put his hands at her sides and swivelled her around to face Maz Koshia's hulking form, aligning the metal sphere directly next to the ancient Monk. He kept himself plastered to her back, protecting her from any more wayward objects just as the entire arena started to tilt.
The dingy skyline around them started to disappear beneath the platform edge as one side rose up and behind them the high rise of Mount Hylia peeked into view. Their feet slowly started to slide across the floor.
Maintaining his hold on Zelda while she kept the Slate steady, Link braced himself against the sudden shift in balance. Stamping a foot down behind him, mindful of the slippery floor, he pushed his weight forward into Zelda's back to keep them both upright. It was a good thing he had maintained training with his core muscles as all the untethered spiked balls rolled across the tipping arena, falling off the edge and out of sight, while they remained perfectly stationary.
Their centre of gravity shifted again as the platform levelled out and then dipped down in another direction, causing Link to throw his weight back and grind his heels against the floor to prevent the pair of them falling forward.
Zelda kept the captured metal object suspended beside the Monk throughout, undulating her spine with the push and pull of Link's weight, utterly trusting his ability to keep them rooted to the spot despite the constant tipping.
If the current situation hadn't been so fraught with tension, they would have found their position rather pleasant.
The arena eventually righted itself and stayed that way, allowing Link to loosen his grip on Zelda's hips. He stepped away to regain his more fluid stance when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Looking up he saw that the metal ball was starting to spark as was the very top of Maz Koshia's hat, reflecting off individual droplets of rain as they fell.
Green eyes shifted from the metal ball up to Maz Koshia and then back again, putting two and two together instantly and Zelda rammed the captured sphere into the Monk's side just as lightning was summoned from above. The white hot flash of light illuminated the entire arena, causing both herself and Link to shut their eyes against the glare.
A heavy thud heralded Maz Koshia falling from the sky and Link became a blur of motion as he swapped out the Master Sword for a brutal looking blade, almost half the size of Link himself. He then zoomed past Zelda and hurtled towards the ancient Sheikah's prone form, whose increased size now became a hindrance as his previous speed and dexterity was lost.
Bringing the weapon around in a wide arc, Link repeatedly drove the Savage Lynel Blade into the Monk's legs, causing the wizened Sheikah to grunt in pain under the onslaught. An explosion forced the Monk's head to snap back suddenly only to be hit again against his chest as Zelda approached, firing bomb arrows in quick succession to keep him down. For her, such a large target was impossible to miss, even with adrenaline and fury coursing through her veins.
Maz Koshia did not get a chance to attack again.
With a bellowing wail the Monk keeled over backwards, unravelling into blue glowing threads as he went. The threads surged towards the edge of the arena where they reconvened and condensed down to reveal the ancient Sheikah, back to his original size, floating above the floor.
The storms clouds finally broke to reveal a gradually lightening sky, as if the sun were about to rise to start a new day. The rains had passed.
It was over.
You faced that challenge with
great courage.
You have erased all doubt from my mind.
This kingdom is in safe hands.
Zelda had to kneel down to get her legs to stop shaking, returning her bow to the Slate as she gripped her hands together. We've done it. We don't have to do this any more. We're done!
Link was only still vertical because his muscles ached too much to move them and locking his legs into place where he stood was easier.
As such, the true Hero was destined to take hold
of this ancient masterpiece...
That caused Link to perk up a bit. The fifth Divine Beast that Kass had told them about in his song, back when they had visited the Great Plateau for the initial challenges. Hard to believe that was little over a month ago...
Maz Koshia raised his arms up and both Hylians swivelled in place as the platform began to rumble. A deep, turbulent vibration rattled through them as the entire layout of the arena began to change. The patterns and carvings across the stone floor revealed themselves to actually be the joints between different segments that comprised the arena, which were now rising and rotating in one coordinated motion to transform their place of battle into some sort of stage. Each section of the floor rose in increments with the central section of floor, where Link and Zelda were situated, rising the highest. The darkened circle at the very centre of the arena, now highlighted in blue symbols, split into three parts and opened up to expose a deep hole soon filled with the sounds of machinery. Gears began to crunch with a millennia of disuse before picking up speed and rotating with a deep whine.
Something was coming up.
Zelda wasn't sure whether they should be preparing for another enemy that might attack them, picking herself up from the floor, but a quick glance toward Link found him leaning towards the opening. Curious more than any thing else. Clearly, his bizarre sixth sense for danger was not ringing at this time.
The echoing grind continued in volume as a shape started to rise up out of the dark. A bizarre looking contraption, supported by a podium akin to the tops of the Sheikah Towers, rotated into view. A horn, a head, and two wheels could be made out before the whole thing came to a stop, facing them side on as it purred to life with a burst of orange detail.
Oh, sweet Hylia no... Zelda despaired, dragging her hands down the sides of her head, while Link was grinning wider and wider looking almost manic as he chanted, yes, yes, yes, YES!
The fifth Divine Beast was a horse.
"That's it?" Zelda asked, a little underwhelmed, but she caught sight of Link's face out of the corner of her eye. Predictably, he was enamoured, eyes sparkling with joy.
"Isn't it great?!" He exclaimed, obviously starstruck. She waited a beat before answering.
"I was expecting an actual … you know, Beast?"
"Well, I've already got the Master Sword and you said that the Slate was a tool for the Hero to use," Link pointed out, not disappointed in the least that his 'Divine Beast' was fashioned after a horse. He thought it was rather fitting.
"And?" Zelda prompted.
"A full Divine Beast like the others would be a bit overkill all for me, don't you think? Meanwhile, what do you get?"
"I do have the holy power of the Goddess on my side... still after all this time surprisingly," she admitted, looking at the back of her hand in wonder.
"Still awesome by the way, but where's your kick-ass beasty? Your personal bit of Sheikah tech?"
"I'm not sure who is more affronted on my behalf; myself or you?"
They both looked back at the newly revealed machine and simultaneously cocked their heads to one side. It seemed to be a type of transportation, if the wheels were any indication, and there was a space on the back that looked like a saddle. Still, there was something off about it.
"It's a bit..." Link started.
"Big," Zelda finished. She spotted a Sheikah Slate pedestal under the support structure and pointed to it, "I think we need to use that."
Placing the Slate into it's designed space, the pedestal rotated round and chimed.
'Sheikah Slate authenticated, distilling rune.'
The guidance sound didn't light up immediately and leaning back to see around the edge of the supports both Hylians could see the horse themed contraption dissolve into light. It seemed to melt through the roof and collect into the guidance stone, translated into lines of code that dripped down to become absorbed by the Sheikah Slate.
'Rune extracted.'
They leaned forward as one to see what the Slate had to say. The screen displayed all of the runes that had been collected and unlocked but now a new icon appeared.
"Master Cycle Zero," Zelda whispered, reading through each line of new information under her breath. "Insert materials into the tank to convert into fuel … you can freely call upon this item … but not in certain areas."
She pondered this for a moment before her eyes roamed over to Link and she pursed her lips. He must have felt the budding intensity of her gaze because he looked away from the screen quickly.
"I'm going to say this now," Zelda warned, "but I already have a lot of things I want to examine with this and test."
Link made a warbling sort of noise, glancing from her eager face to the Slate which had just popped out of the pedestal, now containing his 'Master Cycle Zero'.
"Can I at least try out first?" He asked, voice oddly high-pitch.
That which you have obtained...
is a masterpiece of innovation
created for the one true Hero.
At the words 'masterpiece of innovation' Zelda had become even more excited – completely ignoring the specification of ownership - and Link patted her on the shoulder with a nod, careful to disturb her injury. Like I could keep it from her, even if it is meant for me. What is mine is hers.
He couldn't wait to find out how it worked, something he looked forward to discovering alongside Zelda. His hand drifted down from her shoulder, along her arm before slotting comfortably into her palm.
She gave his hand a squeeze back.
May the Goddess smile upon you.
The recognisable sensation of weightlessness overtook them both as they dissipated into ribbons of blue light, carried along by the wind to reform elsewhere. Maz Koshia's parting words followed them as they drifted away.
I can now rest in peace
knowing the kingdom is in your capable hands.
But know, should you ever wish to test your strength
return to this place and you may challenge me again.
Fare well, Heroes.
Walking out of the Shrine of Resurrection felt as if they were leaving a part of their life behind. Closing the book on a final chapter, but there was still much for them to do. But that would be for the years ahead of them.
They walked hand in hand out into the sunshine, not an hour seemed to have passed by since they entered the Shrine, and they were welcomed by the harmonious sounds of an accordion.
Kass, his bulky frame outlined by the bright blue sky as he stood overlooking the plateau, continued to aimlessly produce a tune. Serenading the local insects and birds while he seemed to ponder some internal thoughts.
Or maybe he had been waiting for them.
The feathers around his neck puffed up in alert as he heard their footfalls approach and he turned around to greet them.
"Ah! You are here, I was hoping you would be. I felt the winds pulling me back here and so I followed," Kass explained, taking in Link and Zelda's state of exhaustion but also the shared look of accomplishment. "You seem to have been through an ordeal, but no doubt you rose to the occasion magnificently!"
The Hylians shared a bashful look between them which the Rito Bard took as confirmation.
"You know, I have a song for people as esteemed as you. I would love to sing it for you. My teacher's unfinished song... the one I told you about … I finally completed the key verses! I'm sure it's setting will ring a chord with you both; one hundred years ago the Champions were inaugurated and began their journey. If you would, I would like to play you this song; The Champion's Ballad."
Zelda gestured eagerly for Kass to proceed, curious to see how the Sheikah poet she had known from her time in court had chosen to carry on the legacy of the Champions in the end.
Meanwhile, Link, who still could not quite place those events with clarity, brought up his hands to sign [take it away, Kass]
And so, Kass' music wove a tale from a century ago, when all of the Champions were gathered together and bestowed with the great honour and duty of being Hyrule's defenders in the coming Calamity. Urbosa of the Gerudo, Revali of the Rito, Daruk of the Gorons, Mipha of the Zora, and Link of the Hylians. Bound together by Zelda, the bearer of Hylia's blessing who would lead them through the darkness.
That Link did recall, but what he had forgotten was the delicate moment in time that came after. When they had all converged under a small gazebo to talk and get to know one another. At least, they had talked while he had kept quiet, content to listen to their conversation as they inspected the Sheikah Slate.
It was then that Mipha had asked for a favour. A picture of all of them together.
It had been a fairly stiff assemblage until the very last second before Purah snapped the shot when Daruk had suddenly shoved them all together. He remembered the feeling of panic as he came suddenly much closer to Zelda then he had any intention to be at the time. It was rather funny in hindsight, given their relationship now, but back then he had genuinely feared that he would be in trouble if he touched her. Whether from her father or from the Princess directly he was unsure.
Link came back to himself just as Kass was procuring a physical copy of the taken picture from his pack. He offered it to them to take and there it was; the captured moment that had marked the start of their journey.
"Link!" Zelda howled, "you look like I'm about to bite your head off!"
"Well... there was the possibility..." Link mumbled, but Kass heard him anyway, tittering through his beak.
"Was I honestly that intimidating?" Zelda asked, chuckling to hide her concern.
"I knew you were not fond of my presence, also you were the Princess. I'm pretty sure touching you was on the long list of things not to do as your Knight."
She raised the picture up to her face, covering her mouth with it as she whispered, "and when did you start disregarding that self-imposed rule."
Link made an odd sort of choking noise, still taken a back by her boldness even after all this time, ears flattening back against his hair. Kass, thankfully, missed the spectacle as he was looking up at the sky, watching a flock of birds fly over the Plateau.
He hummed and ruffled his feathers in thought before speaking up.
"It's been wonderful seeing you both again," the Rito said, switching his gaze from the sky back down to the two Hylians, "but I must return home. I have finally finished my teacher's song and imparted his final message to you. I am unsure what I will sing about now, but I'm looking forward to finding that out. So, I wish you a fond farewell. May the light illuminate your path, my friends."
He bowed low, extending his wings as Link and Zelda also bid him safe travels, and he took off, swooping low over the Forest of Spirits before flying off into the sky towards Hebra. They watched him get smaller and smaller in the sky before they too took their leave.
Walking down the overgrown cobble steps from the Shrine entrance, they passed by a cave and an old fire which filled Link with nostalgia. The old pieces of tinder and wood had crumbled to the ground, allowing grass and daisies to grow in between the sticks of charcoal. The Old Man's lantern was propped up against the back wall. He smiled softly at it as they walked past, turning away and not giving it a second thought.
Zelda's eyes lingered on the sight for a moment longer, barely glimpsing a slight teal flicker of flame igniting within the lantern before quickly snuffing itself out. A frown formed across her brows as she debated whether it had been a trick of the light or not, but she was long since past dismissing such small details as figments of her imagination.
She knew what she had seen.
"Hey Zelda, do you want to look at the Master Cycle now or later? … Master Cycle … doesn't sound right, it needs to be 'Vah' something, but I can't think … Zelda?" Link trailed off once he realised that his partner's eyes were focused up on a point at the top of the stairs leading into the Temple of Time. He rubbed a thumb over the back of her hand to draw her attention, "Zel?"
She turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were shiny.
"I just want to check out the Temple for a minute, ok? You play with your new toy," she smirked, backing away towards the path that would take her towards the stairs. "I'll be right back ok, just something I remembered. It won't take me long."
"Oh … ok," Link hesitantly agreed, confused about her sudden desire to see the Temple but he had no reason to worry. Plus, he did want to inspect his new bit of tech. "I'll wait here and play with my new highly sophisticated piece of machinery while you do your thing."
Zelda blinked for a moment before snorting and sending a wave over her shoulder as she left his side. The rumbling purr of the materialised machine could be heard behind her as she followed the path, heart light as Link's sounds of glee followed after.
The trip up the many sets of stairs brought back memories of all the ceremonies she had attended at the Temple – as Hylia's vessel – and all of the disappointed and questioning looks she had received from the acolytes within when she showed no signs of her birth right. No wonder she'd had moments when she'd considered that she might have been misplaced as a baby. Perhaps she hadn't been of the Royal line, had not been an inheritor of Hylia's blood.
Subsequent events had seen to those moments of doubt, but the price had been high. Far too high.
The sound of her boots tapping against stone as she came to stand in the massive open doorway of the Temple echoed in the vast empty space. She had only ever come here in her prayer dress before, sandals soft on the floor.
The stone walls reclaimed by nature made the place look even more beautiful in the light of day, but the broken windows and cracked architecture spoke of the destruction that came from hubris and the passage of time. Ironic for the setting.
Still, the statue of Hylia at the far end remained, smiling down benignly at a patch of flowers growing by the ends of her robes. The sunlight beaming down through the tattered roof made the air sparkle around the statue and Zelda could almost imagine such a sign being the promise of the Goddess' presence. But she knew better.
The Goddesses could not tread here, not yet.
Unsure of what she was waiting for, or really why she had come up here, she sat down on the steps below Hylia and dusted off her leggings. Odd, they were not damp from the rain.
"I hoped you would come here, I wasn't sure you would."
Looking up from her knees, Zelda raised her eyes to meet those of her father's, ghostly green as they were. Somehow, she didn't feel all that surprised. A slight twinge in her heart reminded her of the last time she had seen him; angry with her continued desire to help in any way she could for she was unable to do that which she destined for. His own penned words after the fact did little to squash the sting of his parting words to her. Still, she didn't want to carry this resentment around with her everywhere, this was a chance for a better parting of ways. Then she could leave all this behind and start her life alongside Link.
"In truth, I didn't know what I was coming here for, but I saw the signs. So," Zelda stood to meet her father, hands clasped behind her back, ignoring the sting at her shoulder, "what is it that you wish to say to me."
The King looked at her sadly and suddenly Zelda was looking at the man that had once been her father, her real father, from when she was a child. Gone were the robes and pieces of regalia, his beard was shorter and his body slightly slimmer, harking back to his days connected to the military. Rhoam.
"My child, my Zelda, I am so sorry. I was a fool, but such a claim is easy to make once you look at your life from the other side," he admitted, looking away in shame, but Zelda was not ready to be swayed so easily.
"Hindsight can make fools of us all," she replied, "but there were times when you questioned yourself, yet you still did it anyway."
"You found my diary?" He huffed in weak amusement, "you always were an inquisitive one, even as a little girl. I should never have tried to smother that. My duty as King forced me to make decisions that weighed the One against the Many. You've no idea how much I wished I were not in that position, you don't know how much I wish that the One was not my own daughter."
"You're right, I don't know, and I will never find out."
"I see," Rhoam said, in a tone of finality as a sigh escaped him. A sigh of relief. "You have chosen to do that which you love for the betterment of this Kingdom. I am glad, I pray that you manage to make it work where I could not."
Zelda knew a sincere sentiment when she heard one and was not so petty that she would spit it back in his face. No matter how much a vindictive part of her would delight in doing so. "Thank you."
"I truly am sorry, Zelda," he implored, desperate for her to understand before he faded away. For good this time. "I was blinded by panic and I could not see what the stress and expectations were doing to you. Or perhaps I chose not to see, I chose to see a daughter who was coping. But that was wrong of me, you shouldn't have had to cope."
"No, I shouldn't. Though, I suppose I should thank you for one thing you did for me," Zelda considered.
"What would that be, my daughter?"
"For giving me Link," she said simply. "You set him as my Knight not only to physically protect me, but to support me should I need it. My reluctance to his presence frustrated you because it prevented him from doing just that. I see it now, but it didn't really make up for the fact that I had lost my father."
Zelda refused to cry, she refused to on principle, but it didn't stop the heartbreak she had suppressed for years beginning to surface. She had not known the comfort of a parent for a very long time. She didn't know how Link did it, waking one day to realise that he had lost his whole family so suddenly.
"I am sorry for making you feel that way," was all Rhoam could say to that.
He stood there in silence, unsure of how to proceed, before deciding to follow on from what Zelda had told him. "I take it you and Link are getting along much better now then? He is still with you?"
A sudden explosive laugh from Zelda caught Rhoam by surprise, but the sound pleased him none-the-less. It was a sad state of affairs when he couldn't place the last time he had heard her laugh so unrestrained.
"Let's put it this way," she said, "if he doesn't pop the question, I will."
Rhoam raised his eyebrows, "I see. You're … getting along well then."
She snorted.
"Not going to tell me that I shouldn't be after such a thing? That you don't approve?" Zelda asked, shrewdly.
"I think I have dictated enough of your life," Rhoam digressed, "besides, it could hardly be said that I would disapprove."
Zelda stared up at him in disbelief, feeling faint hope begin to creep up her throat as an old part of her clung to his words. In reality, his opinion did not matter and yet it would still soothe her to know that he had met her decision with approval, even after all this time.
"That young man had no idea where he was or where he was going, but as soon as I told him that you were trapped in the Castle he nearly made a beeline straight for the place. I had to advise him against such a hasty decision, but his determination to reach you was only contained enough that he did not attempt to scale down the sides of the Plateua."
Rhoam sighed in mild despair, remembering how Link's patience began to tire of the 'games' he had set in place to prepare the young man for his Quest. Still, this outcome had been unexpected, pleasing but unexpected.
"He is a good man, with an honest heart, he will take good care of you. Not that you seem to need it these days!"
His jubilant voice rang loud within the confines of the Temple and Zelda recalled a time when she had heard that voice every day, as she sat beside her mother.
"He has always tried to do what was best for me, whenever I would let him. We take care of each other," she explained and already she could feel tension she had not been aware she still carried begin to ebb away.
"I am glad," he said, voice quiet once more, "and I am glad that I got this chance to see you. If not to make amends, then just to see you one last time, to say how sorry I was, and how proud I am. Proud, not for awakening your powers but for becoming the young woman who stands here before me. To say good bye, Zelda."
"I will not mourn for the last King of Hyrule," Zelda spoke clearly, keeping her eyes on his face as it sagged a little in resignation, "but I will mourn for my father, who is now finally at peace. Goodbye, father. Rest well."
She wondered if this is what it felt like to draw poison from a wound. To feel years worth of resentment and heartache lift away from her as she let all of it go. The teal flames dancing around Rhoam began to sputter and fade, his body dissolving into specks of light like fireflies that winked out of existence in the sunlight. The last part of him to leave was his face, relaxed in an expression of contentment, free of this final regret.
It would be a lie to say that Zelda did not immediately crumple to the floor, releasing all of her emotions against the aged stone floor. With only a few dragonflies and sparrows to witness a Hylian Scholar express herself to a Temple ravaged by time.
Link had been humming to himself as he worked out how to refuel the Master Cycle, watching as yet more apples degraded from his arms to flow into the heart of the Divine Beast. In the time Zelda had been away he had renamed the machine 'Vah Epona', after the ever loyal horse that had travelled alongside Heroes of the past. He'd been a little disappointed all those years ago to discover that there was no Epona for him in this Era, but the beast breathing before him still managed to feel like a friend.
Zelda had said that the Divine Beasts were so psychically bound to their pilots it bordered on a spiritual connection.
Thinking of her made him look up towards the Temple and his heart rose when he saw her walking down the final set of steps away from the building. Coming back to him.
"Are you alright?" Link asked as she reached him. Her nose was pink and her eyes looked a little wider than usual but she tucked her hand into his and gave her shoulders a small shrug as she nestled into his side.
"I'm good, found what I was looking for," was all she said. She would tell him later, but right now she wanted to think of something else. "I see you've made some progress with the Master Cycle."
"Oh, yeah, I have. You're going to love how it's powered. Also I've decided to rename it Vah Epona."
The name was not lost on Zelda and she grinned with her response, "do you want me to try and change it in the Sheikah Slate?"
"Maybe later, I really want to try this out but I was waiting for you to get back."
"Well then," she gave his arm a tug, "let's go for a ride."
After teleporting to a Shrine below the Great Plateau, they mounted Vah Epona and began to tear across Hyrule Field. The speed and manoeuvrability was leagues above the other Divine Beasts, but it's smaller size lent it that advantage. There didn't appear to be any weapon systems on board, but as Link pointed out, shouting over the rush of the wind and the roar of the engine, he had his own weapons system attached to him.
Zelda sat behind him in the saddle, arms wrapped around his middle as he yelled in delight at this new found freedom. If she could convince him to make the engine quieter this would be a pretty good way to travel everywhere. Snuggled into his back, letting her hair fly along behind her, and feeling the exhilaration that came with riding a bit too fast to be considered 'safe'.
She felt no fear here.
They kept riding around the fields, staying clear of the pathways as to avoid scaring passing travellers and their horses. Many a stop was made to investigate a stationary Guardian when they found one; legs tucked up at it's side, it's singular eye dull as the machine had settled where it stood and shut down. No longer controlled. Once Zelda had recorded her observations they were off again, and the hours continued to pass by.
Eventually, they came to a stop and flopped down onto the side of a hill, full of wild flowers and chattering insects. Pollinators buzzed from one source of nectar to another, busy with their own little missions. Unlike Link and Zelda, who watched wispy clouds pass across the sky, no longer burdened by Quests or Trials.
It was an odd moment, enjoying the peace that came with the knowledge of not having a looming deadline or another goal to complete. The clouds continued to cross the sky.
Link turned his head against the grass tickling his ears to see Zelda twisting a flower around in her hand. Admiring it's petals or identifying it's species he was unsure, but it reminded him of something he carried. Something he had yet to do.
"Hey," he nudged her side gently to get her attention, "walk with me?"
No doubt she was confused by the request but she sat up and brushed leaves from her back as she stood, watching as he scrambled up to meet her. He stood there, hesitating for a second before taking her hand to lead her across the hillside.
They said nothing to each other, just walked, swinging their arms occasionally. Zelda could almost see Link debating something within himself as minute facial expressions passed over his face in quick succession. But she had learnt that if given time he would come to a decision at his own pace.
The sun was heading towards the horizon, casting a bright band of light across the fields and catching every blade of grass as the hillsides bristled against the wind.
Link finally came to a stop and Zelda halted beside him. He was staring at their hands, expressionless, before his sights moved up across her body, over her neck, and finally alighted on her face. Blue eyes reflected the orange hue of the waning sun.
"Zelda, going through all these Trials I realised something. I realised that... I just can't keep doing this any more," Link waved a hand vaguely up towards the Great Plateau and the patch of sky where they had done battle. "I enjoyed the challenges and travelling across Hyrule again, but the thing that I loved most about it was being able to go everywhere with you. I want to keep doing that. I want to help you with your research, go with you when you explore, and really start to live in our house. Together."
Link knelt down amongst the flowers and retrieved a small pouch from his pack. Zelda's mind turned to static, all tangible thought brushed away by the breeze teasing through her hair.
"Zelda, will you marry me?"
In the palm of his hand was a ring. He held it up to her, awaiting her answer.
She had started nodding even before the static had stopped, hands clasped over her mouth as her eyes watered before eagerly holding out a shaking hand for him to put the ring on her finger. As soon as it settled into place, she dropped to the floor too, wrapping him up into a bone crushing embrace as she admired the ring now adorning her left hand perfectly.
At first glance it looked like a simple bronze band with a blue gem inset at the centre, but Zelda's keen eyes caught the details immediately. The blue gem was a perfectly round drop at the heart of a flower, the petals of which curled over the band. A very recognisable flower. The band itself had a mixture of curling and geometric patterns embossed into the metal; the hallmark of all Ancient Sheikah creations. Only, the Silent Princess held no significance within Sheikah culture.
This ring had been made to fit her. In every way.
"Link, this is beautiful."
"I hoped you'd like it," she heard Link mumble into her shoulder, "it glows in the dark too."
She drew back so she could kiss him, raking her hands through his hair, and then sat back on her ankles to marvel over the ring some more. Cupping a hand over the blue gem she saw that it did indeed glow. Just like a real Silent Princess.
He had just proposed. She had said yes.
"Ohhhh, sweet Hylia, no, I made you cry," Link fretted, cupping her face in his hands but the wide grin on her face was at odds with her tears.
"I'm so happy!" Zelda cried, and she felt him shake with a chuckle through the palms still held against her skin.
"I'm glad," he said, pressing his lips against her forehead before murmuring against her skin, "I have something else ... It's not a gift really, but... Here."
Zelda was handed a small vial of faintly purple liquid. There was no label and the amount in the vial was only enough for a single mouthful. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's an elixir I've been trying make. It took me a while to find all the ingredients. It's made from Stoneseed root, Thistle, Smartweed, Neem, Silphium..."
Link trailed off into silence as his ears started to burn but Zelda recognised that selection of plants. She'd read about them before in one of the books they had taken from the Castle. Medicinal uses … but those are used in...
"Oh!"
A contraceptive.
Link shuffled where he sat before saying, "you know, if you want. I just didn't feel comfortable going forward with anything unless we were completely ready, and we're too young for anything more at the moment – or ever! - so I just wanted to-"
His nervous rambling was interrupted as Zelda launched herself at him, to pin him down against the ground, holding the vial safely in her hand against his chest. The wild flowers outlined Link's body and the blades of grass cushioned his back as he settled against the hillside. It was very comfortable to lie back in the wilds, with Zelda's thighs framing his hips as she lay across his front.
They were so close their noses almost touched.
"Thank you," she said and she leaned down to close the gap between them.
After indulging in many breathless kisses, and a bit of a tumble down the hill where Zelda still managed to land on top of him to continue their lip lock, they decided this would be best continued at home. On a bed. Their bed.
There was a brief intermission before they actually made it into the house where Link had Zelda up against the door, but she eventually managed to work the door handle to let them both in.
Clothes lay in a pile on the floor as both Hylians thoroughly explored each others skin, ghosting over new bruises and grazes from the fight earlier that day. Forgotten until now. A bottle of Hearty elixir was produced and they both meticulously smoothed the red potion over all of the visible injuries, massaging it into the skin gently before following up the action with a kiss.
Despite everything they had already done together, and even considering what they were about to do, it was possibly one of the most intimate moments they would ever experience.
Once all of their wounds had been tended to, Link propped himself up between Zelda's legs and looked down at her. She looked very relaxed, whereas he was starting to get jittery with nerves, but he couldn't place why. He wanted this, so he took a deep breath and released it slowly before speaking.
"I want this to be pleasant for you, but lets be honest, neither of us have done this before … I doubt I'll last very long. So, I want you to come first," he blushed at the unintentional double entendre while Zelda giggled. He cleared his throat, "do you still have that vial I gave you?"
She opened her mouth to tell him where she had put it before freezing.
"Zelda?" Link asked, backing off slightly as she flushed.
"I... I left it on the hill..." She covered her face with her hands and groaned.
The mattress dipped on one side as Link leaned over to the bedside table, and she could hear him chuckling under his breath. A hand pried hers away from her face and she saw two more vials being jingled in her face.
"I didn't just make the one."
She breathed a sigh of relief and reached a hand out for them, but was surprised when she was only handed the one while Link uncorked the other for himself.
"They're for both of us," he explained, downing it quickly.
Sitting up, she mirrored the motion, appreciating the fact that it didn't taste horrendous. As soon as she had placed the now empty vial back onto the table, Link was instantly at her neck, layering kisses upon her skin and nibbling at her jawline. She fell back to the bed laughing, curling her body around his as he tickled her mercilessly with his lips and teeth. He gradually moved his way down, giving every inch of skin he passed by the same treatment until Zelda had to weave her fingers through his loose hair and hold on for dear life.
Once she had crested her high and filled the house with her gasps, Link nuzzled at her thighs before working his way back up to her face as she came back down. He held his weight above her where she lay on her back against the bed covers, seen only by the light of the rising moon through their window.
After a minute of no further touching, Zelda opened her eyes to see Link looking thoughtful. Perhaps even concerned. A small flicker of disappointment started to well within her, but she stamped down on it in favour of reaching out to him.
"Link, if you don't want to do this - if you've changed your mind - it's ok," she assured, but he shook his head still looking lost in thought.
"No, its not that. This just doesn't ... hmm."
Unable to articulate himself any better he went quiet. Zelda started to rub comforting circles into his shoulders, unsure if she should try to touch him any more intimately than that. A look of realisation overtook Link's facial features and in one fluid motion he grabbed a hold of Zelda's hips and shifted his weight, forcing them both to roll and flip their positions.
Now, she was looking down at Link, who looked much happier about the situation, keeping her body held above his.
"That's better," he said.
"Are you sure?"
Link hummed, "I didn't like looming over you. Now you're more in control, you're free to try anything you like."
"To experiment?" She asked with a considering expression, tentatively sitting back on his stomach just above his hips. His hands came up to grip her thighs automatically, the texture of his prosthetic sending a pleasant thrill across her skin.
"Sure. We can see what we like and don't like as we go."
"So, trial and error, then?"
"Isn't that all we ever do?" Link said and Zelda bent down to claim his mouth with her own.
At first, their touches were fleeting, suddenly shy despite the fact that neither of them were unfamiliar with each other's bodies. But after the initial wave of anxiety that came with trying something new passed, the rush of discovery gripped them both, urging them on to find new ways that would make the other tick.
Dexterous hands ghosting over his throat, rough hands kneading flesh at the tops of her hips, his hair tugged back by an insistent hand against the pillows, and teeth latching onto tanned skin around her collar bone.
Each breakthrough was rewarded with vocal praise, a back arching against the bed or a head tilted back to cry towards the ceiling, and then followed up by a feverish kiss.
Once Zelda finally moved her hips back to take Link completely, her body was already buzzing all over again, muscles vibrating with tension against his skin. It was a good thing their house was so far way from anyone else's as they began to move against each other. The new sensation quickly had Zelda soaring and as her whole body seized around him, Link surged up to hold her in his arms tightly as he reached his own high. His cries were muffled into her shoulder as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, distantly feeling the lazy kisses placed against the tips of his ear.
Hearts slowed and bodies relaxed but they stayed as they were; Zelda still seated in his lap, tracing the relief patterns of the technology beneath his skin while Link breathed in and out slowly, happy to just hold her and feel her.
A brush of a hand against the back of his head brought his face up so that they could look each other in the eye. Zelda smiled and Link gave her a kiss.
"I love you."
"Would be a shame if you didn't," Zelda said, cheekily, wiggling the fingers of her left hand to show off her ring. She had kept it on, "because I love you too."
Pulling away from him carefully, she rolled onto the bed and then meandered her way downstairs to clean up in the bathroom, with Link following close behind. When they returned back to the loft space Zelda lay across the bed with a sigh, grumbling a little when Link tried to unearth the bed covers from beneath her. Once he had managed to convince her to sleep under the blankets and not on top of them, they settled themselves beside each other and locked their ankles together.
A final peck was placed on her nose and they closed their eyes to sleep, wondering what the days ahead of them would bring.
Realising when one is in a dream can be a hard skill to obtain, but it was one Zelda had been learning to cultivate for a century. While she was not acutely aware of the passage of time, she had still been able to master the art of dream walking during her confinement. It was one of the reasons she had such trouble adjusting to reality after she was free of the Castle. As such, finding herself standing on a gigantic lily-pad looking up at an ancient and gnarled tree that grew out of a lake that spanned all around her, Zelda knew instantly that this could not be real.
But it was real, once. Now how did she know that?
"Because I once came here every day, and I am connected to all of my progeny."
Zelda spun around with such force she nearly teetered straight off of the lily-pad, but a pale hand gently grasped her wrist, a stark contrast against her tanned skin. Tracing her eyes along the hand that had a hold of her and up the arm loosely covered by flowing sleeves of white fabric, she finally reached the face of a silver haired woman who wore a circlet with tear drop jewels along her forehead. She had a kind face but was also surrounded by a powerful aura that demanded respect. Respect that Zelda found herself giving almost instinctively.
"Hello Zelda, I am the Goddess Hylia."
Within seconds that respect vanished and true anger exploded within Zelda, but she kept it tightly locked behind her facade of mild interest. Those lessons in patience and discipline with Link were paying off now. Unfortunately, Hylia was a Deity, and Deities did not need to have sentiments vocally expressed to be able to hear them.
"I am so sorry, I wanted to help you," Hylia explained, looking so genuinely sad that Zelda felt her resentful rage start to dissipate. "I wanted to so much, but you see, as ironic as it sounds, you would only have heard me once you awoke your powers."
Zelda stared, mouth falling open ever so slightly, unsure if this actually made her feel worse or better. "Incredible."
"You have been told already of how this world has been steadily losing it's ties to the Goddesses and the holy resting place of the Sacred Realm. Across the ages, the Deities over this world interfered less and less which prompted mortals to be more self sufficient and produce the technology you have become so familiar with once again. But you are one of my descendants," Hylia cupped Zelda's face in her hands with a look of pure fondness, "you are a bridge to the skies."
"So," Zelda said, softly, "all those years I spent on altars, kneeling before statues … feeling like I just wasn't good enough. It meant nothing."
"Oh, sweetheart."
Hylia wrapped her arms around the blonde and settled them both down to sit, legs tucked up beside them. The Goddess brushed aside stray strands of gold out of her descendant's face while the young girl came to terms with the wasted years of her life. A spark of righteous fury ignited within Zelda, and Hylia leaned away slightly as the girls anger grew, illuminating the sacred symbol on the back of her right hand. The symbol flickered a couple of times before shining brightly as light exploded out of Zelda, consuming her in a white glare. The light burned for a minute or two, a deep hum resonating through the air which created large, sweeping ripples in the water around them. All the while, Hylia watched.
Eventually, Zelda felt her anger disperse as acceptance took it's place and the light returned to her hand, the fire a gentle ember now. Hylia stroked her hair, feeling deep sorrow for this daughter of hers and her inability to take that pain away from her. Thankfully, no other daughter of her line would have to suffer again, all because of what this one had done in this Era.
"At least now I know it wasn't because I was broken, that I wasn't good enough."
"Never believe that about yourself, I am so very proud of you, how far you've come, how much you've had to endure. There was nothing you could have done to change what fate had in store for you. Although, I'm not sure if that is a comfort or not."
"I think it is," Zelda replied, taking a deep breath. "Though I would dearly love to know who it was that started me down such a pointless path. Honestly, so much time wasted, and the stress!"
"Hmm, yes. I'm not sure who it was who told you that prayer was the key. Prayers from my daughters seems awfully... superfluous. True power and magic comes from cultivating yourself. From in here..." Hylia set her fingers to hover over Zelda's chest, directly above her beating heart.
"I'm still not sure what it was in the end that awoke my powers. I dare not put such an emphasis on it being an act of 'love' but..." She sighed, "I can't think of any other decent explanation."
"That sounds about right," Hylia encouraged, "or perhaps it was the catalyst. For you to awaken your birthright, you needed to embody the Three Aspects. As it was, you needed your Power, you were born into Wisdom, and you had Courage in that final moment to act."
"No," Zelda said, suddenly having a realisation, "it was Courage I wished to keep. It had been with me the whole time."
"I quite like that explanation actually, but it is also true that Nayru, your patron Goddess, gifted a past Hero with a protective ability that was called Nayru's Love. The ability to place himself and those he loved inside a crystalline barrier to protect them from harm, as I'm sure you wished to do for him. However, speaking of Courage," Hylia suddenly looked a little bit guilty, it was an intriguing sight. "I may have interfered a little, about the only thing I was able to influence."
"How so?"
"Those … machines, Guardians you called them? One malfunctioned didn't it?"
"Yes, it went wild during a test exercise and Link... you woke it up!"
"I had thought that once Link made himself known at the Castle you two would have been paired up. But you were not. So, I … well."
"You made it so he would become my Appointed Knight. A display of his skills. Then, I would have him with me."
"I admit, I only sought to have him by your side so that you could support one another, as his many incarnations and my daughters have done so before. I did not expect you two to become quite so involved with each other."
"Oh … is- is that bad?" Zelda asked, suddenly fearing the Goddess's judgement on her relationship with who was still technically Hylia's Chosen.
"I would be a bit of a hypocrite if I said it was."
It took Zelda a second but then a startling realisation dawned on her. "OH!"
Hylia gave her a guilty sort of smile in response, like a child had been found out in a secret.
"They all come from that same fire that drew me in in the beginning, that same spirit, but they are each their own person. As such, they rest in the Sacred Realm as the individuals they were, my own Hero included."
The admission set a piece of Zelda's heart to rights and she let out a breath of relief.
"Now, it is time for you to wake up," she gave a short giggle, "oh this is backwards. I still remember when I was the one having to wake him up."
As Zelda felt her body start to become heavier and awareness started to drown out the landscape around her, she knew that her slumber was coming to an end. Yet, she held onto it for just a moment longer, burning with questions.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, I've been hearing you talk to Link more and more these days, it seems Hyrule is healing. I find it rather pleasing that you wish to build, what is essentially, an Academy for all of those within the Kingdom. It brings back fond memories."
It wasn't an answer to Zelda's question but her mind was drifting away and there was nothing she could do about it. She managed to catch Hylia's last words before she disappeared entirely.
"After all, that was where I found my Chosen Hero again... us Sky Children."
And with that, Zelda's eyes opened to a blurry world, which soon focused down to become the loft space of her and Link's home in Hateno. She blinked to clear her vision still further and made the effort to push herself up in bed. The sun was already up beyond the scope of the window that allowed light to spill onto the bed covers. The bed was empty, save for herself clad in only a loose night shirt, but she could hear footsteps on the level below, moving to and fro across the hardwood floor.
It had been a week since their fight with Maz Koshia and life still felt weird to them. Toast was following Link around the kitchen, her claws tapping against the wood floor as she milled about under his feet. The picture of themselves with the rest of the Champions had been affixed to a blank space of wall at the end of their bed and news of their engagement had already spread throughout the village.
Pushing the thin covers away from her, Zelda swivelled herself around to sit on the edge of the bed, repeating the words she had heard from the Goddess herself in her mind. Slowly turning her sights to take in her surroundings, she spotted her current journal on the desk that stood against the railing. Pushing herself up, she hastily walked over and sat herself down, taking a pen in hand and opening her Journal to a fresh, empty page.
"Zelda?" Link's voice called from the kitchen below, having heard movement from above.
"Hmm?" She responded, still concentrating hard on the conversation she had just had with Hylia.
Her pen paused as that thought was allowed to finally sink in and in the time it took for her to start writing again a pair of bright blue eyes had appeared through the railing by the stairs.
"You're up … what are you writing?"
"Dream. Give me a second." She said, still focusing on her journal but she titled her head towards the stairs where she had heard Links voice and held up a finger, asking for patience.
Link travelled the rest of the way up the stairs and came to stand behind her. He didn't lean over her shoulder to read what she was writing but instead waited for her to finish, occasionally working out bed-head tangles from her hair. Zelda finished her mad scribbling with a satisfied sigh and placed her pen into its holder at the top of her desk. She leaned back in her chair so she could tilt her head back and see Link upside down.
"Morning … afternoon," he corrected, looking off to the side for a quick second. "What did you dream about that forced you out of bed?"
"Had a talk with Hylia," she replied, casually, beaming up at him as he trailed his fingers through her hair again.
"Huh, well that's... what?"
The hair stroking stopped abruptly and the sheer look of bewilderment on his face was enough to send Zelda into a fit of laughter, curling over her desk as her shoulders shook. But she had to agree, as she became more and more aware of the situation, it was just so incredibly surreal. Her past self would have burst into tears of pure joy, whereas now, after everything herself and Link had experienced, she had only managed to muster slight curiosity and resentment. A literal Goddess, her direct ancestor, had come to her in a dream to have a chat. No warnings of evil, or heralding some other catastrophe, she had just come to check that Zelda was doing well and to always be true to herself. She snorted against the desk as her giggles died down.
Straightening up in her chair again she came to be embraced by Links arms winding around her shoulders and chest.
"What did she have to say after all this time?" He kept his voice measured but he almost sounded like a disappointed parent with an air of 'what do you have to say for yourself?'.
"She came to apologise actually, even though she hadn't done anything wrong. Turns out neither had I."
Zelda recounted her conversation with Hylia, explaining how the power of prayer was in fact complete bullshit and that she felt even more justified in following her own path. Link had come to lean against the desk so he could see her properly, hand gestures and all, pleased that she had at least gotten some closure. Her tale petered off once she got to the part where her ancestor had inferred that she had personally known Link at some point in their history. Or at least, she had known her Link.
The comments only added to the other hints that she had collected from various sources during the Trials. All of them seemed to indicate that Link wasn't just chosen as a hero, he was the Hero. The same Hero that had appeared to defend Hyrule in every age, alongside her ancestors. It wasn't just that he was worthy of the sword, the sword was his and would answer to no other. She had to wonder, however, if Link felt any affinity for these old legends or if he was left blissfully unaware of his past deeds.
"Link, when you got your memories back from before the Calamity, did you … do you remember anything that doesn't fit?" She winced with her phrasing and tried again, "do you feel like there are things you are familiar with but you have no memories to indicate why?"
"Like what?"
"I'm not sure what specifically," Zelda sighed, before a phrase rang out in her head. "How … What do you feel if I say Sky Children?"
The effect of the word was subtle but instantaneous. Link's eyes became unfocused, his gaze drifted away from her face ever so slightly, before they refocused and darted to the window revealing the open blue sky outside. His sights settled there for a few moments before he returned to face Zelda, still sat at her desk.
"Flying. I get the sensation of flying. But I've never flown before; it feels different than being carried by Teba." He frowned for a second and looked at the floor, contemplatively, "and red. There's a lot of red too. A nice red."
Zelda cocked her head to the side, a warm smile on her face, "a 'nice' red?"
Link huffed a laugh and looked back up at her again, "I don't know. For me red can mean something bad, like blood or the Calamity," a pained expression bloomed across Zelda features for a second. "But this red is more like Mipha or Sidon. An old friend. Safe. Home."
She considered his answer for a minute before deciding to share with him what she had learned.
"I've told you of past Queens that had the Gift of the Goddess, that saw Eras that the Master Sword has weathered. One such time includes a land in the Sky. If the Master Sword truly is your sword and will accept no other as it's wielder... then I can only assume that they are times that you have weathered too."
Link sighed and tilted his head back with a pained expression, "as if my lifetime wasn't complicated enough. 'Do you remember your past life?' Which one?"
Zelda placed a hand in front of her mouth to smother the bark of laughter that followed his high-pitch voice imitation of some nosy inquisitor into his personal life. Thank fully, he didn't get many and nobody had dared ask about his life prior to the Calamity, but it was true. Her theory following the information she had been given by the Monks had been confirmed by Hylia herself, which meant that Link had many lives behind him. Still, it didn't change how she felt about him, or how she perceived him. He was still his own person, and always would be, he just carried the same drive and spirit as all those before him. But surely, with the death of Ganon – Demise – now without any reincarnation ability to call on, that meant that this was Link's last life to live.
Another thought came to her.
"This would mean you were there ten thousand years ago too..."
Link snapped his head back down to look at her with an intrigued expression, "maybe that's why I like Vah Epona so much!"
"You and that ridiculous horse, honestly!" Zelda cried out, exasperated. She stood from her chair and started shoving him towards the stairs, "go and make me food. You're good at that."
"Yes, your Grace!" he answered in a cheery voice, placing his fist over his heart even as his spine curved with her shoves. She poked him in the side and he jumped away, fleeing down the stairs to continue making lunch.
Zelda turned back to look at her open journal. I should add the discussion I've had with Link. Those instinctual memories might help us piece together old legends, but... She paused in her thoughts, casting her gaze down to where Link was humming to himself and chopping up some radishes with Toast sat neatly at his feet. Looking back at the journal waiting on her desk, and the last strokes of ink still drying on its pages, she figured her discoveries could wait for a bit.
"Hey Link, any chance I can help you with that. It'll get done faster with two pairs of hands, no?"
"Sure, I think your skills with a blade can carry over to a simple cutting knife."
As Zelda got dressed and tied back her hair on her way down the stairs to assist Link in dicing vegetables and fussing their dog, she had a thought that filled her with such a feeling of contentment.
Whatever we find, it won't really change anything for us. I think our legend is over and done now and there won't be anyone to follow on after us. But something new may rise to threaten this Kingdom and the Goddesses will see fit to call upon him once more. Perhaps the words I write down will make it easier for him.
Imagine that.
The End.
The main story is now all done!
I'll be doing a single chapter epilogue (Full Circle) that will look at the years following for Zelda and Link in this AU and then its on to my new botw zelink project.
Thank you to all those who read, commented, and supported this series, you made writing this so rewarding and I hope this was a satisfying ending for you. All parts put together, the Ironic Technology series ended at over 200k words which staggers me tbh. I hope to see you all again for future works, as my next will be another BotW zelink (zelinkpha) fic~
