It was another week and a half before the civilian refugees started to return to Hyrule. Zelda, Link, and I spent that entire time recovering from our ordeal with Ganon. Mostly we were resting, but Link had been hit by an energy ball when he had taken on the King of Evil; he needed to recover physically from that. Impa's palisade, which had never been finished, was quickly torn down, and the drawbridge of Hyrule Castle was repaired in preparation for the masses of returning civilians.
Of course, I did not witness much of this preparation, as I was bedridden during most of it. After the last battle, we had been whisked away to a room within Hyrule Castle in order to recuperate. This gave me a great deal of time to think. I was having a tougher time each day deciding whether or not to stay in Hyrule. I had long since exhausted all the reasons to favor either course of action, and as I lay in Hyrule Castle with the two best friends I had made on either side of me, replaying every possible reason to stay or leave in my mind became almost more tedious than actually staying in the bed.
Sometimes, Zelda tried to start conversations with Link and me. But we'd gotten through so much hardship, and it was still so soon afterward that we could never bring ourselves to talk about much. So most of what we did during that time was sleeping.
A notable exception to this routine was some days in, when we were all three invited to attend a wedding in the castle courtyard. As the refugees hadn't yet started to come in, we all wondered who could possibly be getting married in the very heart of Hyrule at that time.
The answer became readily apparent when we arrived at the wedding. It was being held for the young Hylian horse archer and his former Gerudo trainer; their names were Taryn and Evei, respectively. As the only people in Hyrule at the time were those who had fought in the war, the wedding ended up with a slightly martial twist: the happy couple walked up to the altar under a tunnel of raised swords. After that, I got to witness a wedding in the style of that world as Zelda performed the ceremony (for lack of anyone else to do it). The festivities afterward were splendid, in their own way. There was a great feast laid out in the open air of the courtyard, and afterwards, a few among the ranks who possessed musical instruments struck up tunes, to which the guests danced. At one point, a group of Gerudo picked up instruments of their own and played what I guessed must have been a lively folk song. Many of us laughed heartily as Evei taught her new husband a dynamic, swirling dance, which must have been traditional for her people; Taryn took to it pretty quickly, while the rest of the Hylian soldiers danced jigs beside them. Feeling light-hearted, I even borrowed a frame drum from one of the musicians and played it for a couple songs, to the laughter of everyone who knew me well, except for Link, who borrowed Zelda's ocarina and played right along with us.
All in all, we had much to celebrate during that week and a half.
…
Finally, the first people began flooding into Hyrule. The group that had gone through the Lost Woods were the first to arrive, with Saria and Ruto at their head. Zelda, Link, and I were all pretty much healed up when they arrived, and Link, nowhere near able to contain himself, launched himself out of the castle gates as fast as his legs could carry him. Everyone in the line of returning civilians got to see his tearful reunion with Ruto. Although, from what I heard from Link later that day, Saria also had given him the biggest hug she'd ever given him, relieved at his survival.
Mido had rushed out to welcome back Saria and the other Kokiri, and had apparently gotten a lecture from Saria about running off, but only before being surprised by an embrace by his long-time friend.
Malon, Rauru, and the group of refugees that had gone south with them returned a couple days later, and another round of reunions commenced. Zelda and I were present for the occasion this time, though.
In almost no time at all, Hyrule was back to its peaceful, vibrant state.
…
I stood nervously in the Temple of Time with Link, Zelda, and the Sages not too long afterward. The victory celebration had lasted for three solid days, and had taken my mind off of where I would go from there. But now, as I stood in the place where I had first arrived in Hyrule, clad once again in my Oregon street clothes and carrying my backpack, I fretted over the choice I now had to make.
The moment of truth was delayed for a few minutes as Link and I ventured into the back room to replace the Master Sword into its pedestal. Link had personally invited me to do it with him, as I had wielded the weapon, if only for a few seconds before throwing it at Ganon. So, each of us holding the hilt, we slowly lowered the Blade of Evil's Bane into the marble pedestal, the long steel blade sliding in as if it were a block of cheese.
After the two of us returned to the main room, Zelda had Link and I step before her in the middle of the room. "Link and Brian," she said, an official note to her voice, "the two of you have, on multiple occasions, gone into battle against some of the fiercest enemies Hyrule as ever faced and prevailed. As such, it is necessary to recognize both of you for your services to this realm." As she said this, Rauru stepped forward and handed her a long, narrow, elegant sword with a blunted tip.
Link and I both registered what was going on instantly; we each got down on one knee before the queen. Slowly and ceremoniously, Zelda lightly touched our heads and each of our shoulders with the flat of the blade before pronouncing, "Rise, Link and Brian, Knights of Hyrule."
The Sages applauded as we both got back on our feet. Then Zelda turned to me and stated, "Brian, I am sure you know what happens next."
I nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. This was the moment I had been dreading for some time now. It took me a few seconds to find my voice. When I finally did, I slightly stumbled over my words: "Well, I'm...I'm not, well...I don't really know how...er...whether to stay here or...uh...leave, if I think about it."
One corner of Zelda's mouth shot up in a wry grin, or perhaps a laugh. My predicament must have been absolutely pitiful. But Zelda made no comment on that. Instead, she replied, "Well, I think I have an idea. Do you remember when I told you about when I sent Link back to his childhood?"
Suddenly, realization dawned on me. I couldn't help but grin widely at that. "I like this idea," I answered.
After a silent agreement between her and I, I spent the next minute and a half embracing Link, Zelda, and the other Sages as if in farewell. I don't think any of them knew what Zelda had planned, and I wondered just how surprised they would be when they found out. Then I stood, once again, before Queen Zelda as she pulled her ocarina out from the folds of her dress. She played upon it a soft, sweet melody, the same one she had played to get us to Hyrule in the first place. A familiar blue crystal surrounded me and I rose into the air, losing sight of the Temple of Time very quickly as everything fade to white.
When everything faded back into focus, I found myself standing on a rocky outcrop, part of a wide ridge that formed the summit of a high hill. I immediately recognized my new surroundings: Spencer Butte, just to the south of Eugene. A crisp mid-autumn breeze blew over the ridge, filling my nostrils and lungs with the familiar, comforting feeling of home. There were quite a few people at the summit of the butte that day, though none seemed to have noticed my sudden appearance, a fact for which I was glad.
Without hesitation, I whipped out my cell phone and dialed a number on it. As I stood there, a familiar and oh-so-welcome voice came over the earpiece. "Hey Brian," Kaylee said over the phone. "You're back!"
I smiled as I replied, "Yeah, I'm back. Have I missed anything?"
I was pleasantly surprised when Kaylee's voice returned, "Not at all. Where are you right now?"
"On top of Spencer Butte," I answered.
I heard Kaylee's laugh as she said, "Great! I'll drive over there right now. You should be just in time for dinner KP."
"Awesome," I responded. "I'll see you in a few."
"Yeah. Bye."
I stared at my cell phone for fifteen seconds before hanging it up. Then, taking a deep breath, I took a step off the outcrop and proceeded to hike down Spencer Butte.
