Epilogue

Zelda woke up, still feeling the strong arms wrapped around her from behind. She gasped, turning around in bed. There was no one there. She pulled at the collar of her neck, choking on how real it had felt. It wasn't the first time she'd woken like that.

She slid off the bed and grabbed her clothes off the window seat, changing into her finest blue dress. She knew that her ladies would be upset that she'd dressed without their help again, but she cared very little for them helping her dress anyway. She fixed her straight hair in the mirror and placed the low circlet in place, shaking her head around to ensure it didn't fall off. When she was satisfied, she rushed to the library, hoping to enjoy a few moments of peace before she had to attend the ceremony later that morning.

The large room was empty, silent, just the way she liked it. Running her fingers along the spines of the books, she thought of which she's like to read next. Her nail caught in a groove and she winced, pulling away. She glared at the book. "A History of Hyrule."

With a sudden thought, she grabbed the book and sat at the nearest table. She skipped past the creation of the world. She knew that story well. The first princess Zelda was something she'd never need to read about again. She could recount that as if she'd lived it herself. Flipping the pages furiously, she knew what she was looking for. It was just a matter of finding it.

The Tale of the Hero.

Zelda puckered her lips and squinted at the words on the page. It detailed the rise of the King of Evil's incarnation, something she knew too well. Skipping past that, she almost wished she didn't read as often as she did. Almost. The histories were all familiar to her. She wanted to know what happened at the end. She needed to know the details.

Skimming over the page, she found herself reading out loud.

"Though history could not determine the manner in which the Sages were re-awakened, it is widely believed that it was the Hero himself who entered each temple and allowed the Spirits of the Sages to return to their rightful places. He, himself, dodged the subject often in his lifetime, but records indicate that he had the help of another. Though speculation believed it to be Queen Zelda, many of the time claimed he traveled with a companion who did not match the description of the Queen. She claimed her only role was in the defeat of Ganondorf himself."

Zelda sighed, searching the pages for more. Instead, it offered more history. She shouldn't have been surprised, given the name of the book, but it was frustrating.

Returning the book to its place, she quickly hurried into the restricted section of the library. It wasn't restricted to her, but something about being there made her feel like she'd done something wrong.

Scanning the shelf again, she picked up the leather-bound book, sealed by magic, and returned to her table. Carefully, she unsealed it and began to read.

"I believe Link took my last book with him. I had to send him out to the desert again, but with Father's recent death, I cannot go with him. It was hard, to watch Father die, but it was easier knowing that it wasn't because of Ganondorf.

"Link and I were able to say our goodbyes to him. What I didn't expect was for him to give us his blessing. Not for marriage, of course. There was no way he'd ever allow that, even on his deathbed, but he finally accepted that fate wanted us together, that we wanted that. He'd become the father I never knew after Link's wish brought him back. I don't intend to waste this chance."

Zelda huffed and sealed it again. As interesting as the diary was, the book was too late in the Queen's life. She needed something earlier. Something to confirm her dreams.

Returning once again, she unsealed the book and flipped to the middle.

"—and then brought me to the Sacred Realm. I have never felt so confused, or out of body as I was while there. Link seemed at home. It was the first time I really sensed a change in him. It was also the first day that we kissed."

Zelda laughed as she looked around the page. Small hearts were drawn several times, and in a different hand, the words 'Zelda and Link' were scribbled several times. Closing her eyes, Zelda could almost see them… until she truly could.

Link sat on the desk while the princess wrote in the diary. He was eating an apple and placed it down, moving behind her and peering over her shoulder.

"Can I help you?"

"What are you writing, Princess?"

Princess Zelda smiled at him. "It's private."

He kissed her hair and made a face. "I think we've gone way beyond the whole modest thing. Are you writing about me? Is that why?"

"I might be," she admitted.

Link snatched the ink pen from her hand and scooted beside her in the seat. She held on to him so she wouldn't fall off the chair, though she noticed he was almost entirely supporting himself on his foot.

Link covered the page with his hand and began to write and write. He didn't stop. Zelda looked on, curious about what he could possibly be writing. She moved his hand and scoffed before laughing. "Give me that pen back!" Shoving his hand, the mark smeared across the page.

Standing up, Link wrapped his arms around the princess and carried her across the room to the bed. "I was just adding your thoughts to the page."

Opening her eyes, Zelda found herself sitting in the library again, staring at the smeared mark on the worn page in front of her. She could still feel his hands around her, the ghostly sensation of his lips in her hair.

Returning the book, she ran back through the castle, needing to clear her head. It was real; it was all so real.

The ceremony was soon, and Father would be getting ready. There would be no time to ask him anything. She stood on the balcony and watched the sun float in the sky. On her lap was the Sheikah Slate, and she stared at it, realizing the symbol on the back was the same as the one that she wore… the other Zelda… when she was Sheik.

"It's time, Princess Zelda," said one of her ladies as she crept into the room. Zelda nodded and left the slate on her bed, hurrying down to the throne room.

She slid into her throne, much smaller than her father's. He entered the room shortly after, and the voice of the herald boomed. "King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule and the Princess Zelda presiding!"

Her father cleared his throat and stroked his long, thick white beard. "The first matter on today's agenda is one that is of great importance to me. As the Calamity nears, my daughter, Zelda, prepares to do her sworn duty to protect Hyrule, as her predecessors have done. To aid her in her endeavor, I have chosen a new appointed knight to watch over my daughter. The Champion of Hyrule, Link."

Zelda's head shot up. She hadn't known this Champion's name, nor anything about him except his great accomplishments and that he was the Goddesses' chosen one. He knelt at the bottom of the steps, the Master Sword in his hands. When he looked up at her with his blue eyes, Zelda gasped. Though they were not identical, she could tell. Just as the Princess Zelda in her visions had not been the exact same as her, she knew it was still a past life she'd lived. And as she looked down at the knight before her, she knew.

It was him.


Final A/N: WOOOOO I FINISHED A FIC! LOOK AT MY HISTORY: IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE! I just wrote this whole thing in 20 days; 165 pages in MS Word. I'm honestly so proud of this that I could cry because, even if it actually sucks, it's my first full fic and I'm so happy I finished one.

Okay, outburst out of the way! I had so much fun writing this and it actually came out better than I expected! I don't normally write fanfics, so this was a bit of an experiment. (Hey you, person reading this! Leave a review!). I'm not the best at endings, so let me know what you thought of that or anything overall! I wanted to leave the epilogue open for me to write another and it turns out I immediately opened a word doc and whipped out a chapter. It's already up (in-progress) and follows Zelda from this epilogue.

Anyway! You guys who reviewed the story with are my new favorite people ever! Thanks for your feedback! And at the beginning with that weird formatting thing, thank you for catching that because I didn't know what on earth I was doing and the entire thing would have probably been posted like that hot mess was.

Thank you for reading!