She traced the instrument again and again, feeling how smooth the wood was against her fingers. There were little rivets and dips from where it had been held too often; from where it had been held by him too often. After the battle and defeat of Ganadorf she had sent him back to his own time…to his old home. The Link that had saved her and led Hyrule out of the Shadow Realm was no more, not really.
With slow languor she removed one white glove from off of her arm, pulling it slowly by one finger. It slid off easily and she tossed it upon her desk that she was sitting at. On the back of her hand was the triforce, the same as the one of legend. The bottom left was darker and shown when she concentrated on it. The princess traced the bottom right triangle three times in sequence. The Link of old and mostly likely, though unknowing, the Link of now would have this piece: courage. He had been so courageous to leave behind all he had known and delve into the complex evils of the alternate future. She, by comparison, with all her wisdom, had hid and waited. The Zelda she knew was a coward; that would never change.
The princess slid the glove back onto her arm. She stood up from her wooden desk and gazed out the glass window. She could see the castle and Castletown spread out before her. Beyond that was a large and grassy Hyrule field and beyond that was the forest in which he would live. Link. She opened the latch on the window and let a cool breeze flow into the room. Her subjects were giddy and joyous in the sunlight today; they were happy. She should be happy as well, but as of now Zelda could not even manage a small smile. With slow steps, she walked back to her desk and grabbed the ocarina, cradling it in her warm hands.
Zelda stood once again near the window, ocarina in hand. She played out the notes softly and slowly as she had so many times before. Dum da dum, dum da dum, dum da da da dum. Such was the melody of her own hymn and such was the rhythm she had used to send her hero home. The sad notes echoed out into the wind over and over. Finally, with a heavy heart, the princess went back to work.
Somewhere deep in the green forest a small blonde child was playing in the grass. He pricked up his pointy ears suddenly for he heard a small strange tune in the wind. It seemed melancholy somehow, forlorn. In his heart of hearts he recognized this tune, but his mind could not think of how he knew. He hummed the tune once, then again, then once more before falling asleep in the long grass. The triforce on his hand glowed, then faded, but his eyes were already full of sleep.