It took us time to clean up.
Ganondorf's body was burned, according to Gerudo custom. Because our ceremony was entirely of his country's custom, our marriage was never officially recognized by Hyrule, and it was absolved effortlessly. I found my rings during clean up, and threw them onto the fire when we burned his body. I watched the shining metal melt, my face hard. When all that remained were ashes, they were collected into an elaborate vase, and presented to the woman leader of the Gerudo. She did not take kindly to his murder, but appreciated that he was cremated to their customs. We struck an uneasy truce when they found out the extent of his insanity.
My doctor and my tailor from the dark days in his castle became officially appointed to my court. The guard that had provided me with a ray of hope in a dark time was knighted, and placed in my new elite guard. The priest was returned, unharmed, to Gerudo. I could not say the same for the bridesmaids who knew the extent of my tortures and did nothing to help, or the farmer that betrayed us. They were executed.
The flow of the ocean shifted, and the Zora began a slow recovery. Ruto married a Zora king from a neighboring kingdom, and I stood as her maid of honor at the wedding. Well, floated.
The colony of Dodongo moved away from Death Mountain, albeit many had to be slaughtered first. Though we never again saw the Kokiri, I would see wolves prowling the outskirts of the forest now and again, or a white, shimmering form with massive antlers, hiding amongst the trees.
Link's parents were never found. We held a funeral for them, under a massive tree near his home.
My castle was rebuilt, smaller this time, but with better foundation, and larger windows and gardens. I wanted to see as much of the sun as I could. We rebuilt the Temple of Time, with stronger doors, and a different method of opening the door to the Master Sword pedestal. Link went to replace the Master Sword, but it would no longer fit in the pedestal. "The goddesses must have a plan," I murmured the day we tried it. We gave the keys to our allies; Ruto, Darunia, and the leader of the Kokiri. "Keep it safe, and hand it down to only the new leader, and only to an ally of the Royal Family," I decreed to each of them. They swore to keep the agreement. We planted the Master Sword in the garden in a special-made pedestal, with priests murmuring incantations and prayers over it so that only a chosen descendant could take it up again.
When the castle was being rebuilt, I found my diary and the tiny scroll of paper, and burned them. Slowly, I rebuilt my court. Spring came, and the sun warmed the ground, bringing grass and trees growing again. Wild animals and people began to traverse the large area again, and the market slowly pieced itself back together inside the castle walls.
I told a trusted lady's-maid, who had survived the period of horror, what Ganondorf had done. Embarrassed, I cried in front of her nearly every night. She was an older woman, like a mother figure, and she stroked my hair and comforted me. The only advice she offered was that I needed to tell Link, if I still hoped to marry him. But I couldn't do it. He and I spoke little after the battle. At first, it was under the excuse that we were both busy putting the country back together, but after that, it was obvious we were avoiding each other.
One night, I managed to pin him in the gardens. I was walking with my guards, but I dismissed them when I caught Link sitting alone on a bench, whistling a song to a large bird that had settled on his shoulder. The bird flew off, and I approached him. "Room for one more?" I asked quietly.
"Oh, your majesty, I was just leaving." He rose off the bench, and I clenched my hands into fists.
"Sit, Link." He hesitated, but did as asked. I sat next to him, reaching over and taking his hand. At first, his grip was lax, but then he squeezed my hand tight, and I turned towards him. "Link, I need to tell you what happened to me."
"I know what happened, your majesty. You were held against your will, and-
But he was not meeting my eyes.
"We need you to know what happened!" I shouted. Link hunched up, finally turning and looking at me. He looked like a trapped predator. I took both his hands in mine, holding them tight. "Link. I did not know that it was your child until after…"
He swallowed, and lowered his gaze. I sucked in a deep breath, shuddering. "Link… I was … raped. Repeatedly. By him, and, when I fell pregnant, I thought…" The tears were already starting up again, and I closed my eyes tight. "I felt… like I was being punished by the Goddesses for not saving Hyrule sooner, for abandoning it in the first place."
Link opened his mouth to argue. "That wasn't your fault at all, it-
I shook my head to stop him. "I… When I found out I was pregnant, the only thing I thought was that it was Ganondorf's, and that it would turn out to be evil, just like him. I had already failed my country once, the last thing I wanted to do was fail it again by allowing such an evil to be born."
Link held my hands tight, nodding. "I understand."
I sobbed, and he used his sleeve to wipe away my tears. "But it was our child, and I am sorry. He would have tainted it any way he could have, and I could not risk that happening to us again so soon. I want… I love you, Link, I've loved you since we met, and I want to… I want to be your queen. I want us to rule together, to bring Hyrule to a new age, and… even if I'm damaged, even if I'm… ruined, and filthy, I hope that you… would do me the honor of being my king."
Link let go of my hands and cupped my face in my hands, kissing my forehead. "My lady, my queen, my beloved. You're not tarnished. You're pure, and you're a good person." I smiled through my tears, looking into his eyes. "I want to face the future with you. I want to be by your side. And we are young, we can always have more children." I curled against his chest, shuddering with my sobs. I did feel better after telling him, and knowing that he still loved me, that he still accepted me, and had forgiven me.
We made love that night, taking it slow. It was on a new bed, in a redesigned room, with clean sheets. But I had to undress myself, and Link had to lay passively on the bed, letting me be in control. I trembled as I kissed him, touching his face, his hair, his hands, toying with the light, soft curls of hair growing on his chest. He watched me with his predator's eyes, patient and gentle. His fingers traced the scar on my side, and then his lips followed their path. I lost myself to the light touches of his hands, the wetness of his mouth on mine, his fingers gently tracing my bony hips. I'd lost so much weight, and struggled with eating, even though the food no longer tasted spicy. ("A simple aphrodesiac herb, probably," the doctor noted, when I told him of what I'd tasted and how I'd reacted. "He was drugging you to arousal.")
Link did not need tricks to make me want him. He only touched me where I asked, slow and hesitant, watching my face for the slightest flicker of fear. I moaned with my release, Link's hand doing all the work. "I love you," he murmured to my neck, carefully pressing his erection against me. I flinched and moved away. "I'm sorry," I gasped, closing my eyes. "No, no, it's okay," he whispered, laying down next to me and hugging me close. "I will wait as long as you need me to."
We married in the summer, in a discreet ceremony. I smiled with tears in my eyes as we put our rings on each other's fingers. The country had still not recovered, and the temples remained, though their doors were now sealed with keys that we entrusted only to the leaders of the nearest town to the temple. But the wedding helped in a big way, I think, to unite the people of Hyrule, and to band us together against the future perils we would face.
Because Ganondorf was waiting, and he would return. But we would be ready.