REVIEW ANSWERIN' time is leaving and applying for a job as a movie critic. He says watching Rocky Horror Picture Show 57 times makes him overqualified, though.
TwilightMonster27: You are just too kind, dude. I'm honored you had all these nice words for me. I'm almost overwhelmed, in fact. Fun fact: as I wrote chapter 18, I kept second-guessing myself as to Tetra's characterization. I thought it over and then realized: This character's evolved so much, it's almost indistinguishable from the pirate girl reluctant to let Link on her ship back on TWW. This surprised even me. As for the scenes... it helped that I planned those scenes for a while until I thought they were great, and if I was excited as I wrote the scenes myself, I knew that, at least, it was something special. I dunno if I'd call this a "masterpiece", but at least it's the one story I've worked on the hardest yet, and I think it shows. I mean, I bought Spirit Tracks near launch JUST for research on this story (It's a great game on its own, though). That has to count for something. So if you want to try writing, go right ahead. You might write some stinkers early on (I know I did), but if you keep at it, you'll find your niche.
u00dfrady: Ok, ok. I guess I'll have to wait for your full comments later on. Considering you've been my toughest reviewer, I commend you for sticking with it. Believe me, after the tragedy that was Wizzrobe King (K&K was a joke boss fight), I wanted to go wild with this final battle. Besides, why should final boss fights have to be easy? (TP's Ganondorf was like the Energizer Bunny, for example.) No, the Pirates were never intended to become sages, nor were they always meant to die in Ch. 16. I just couldn't write my way out of a "lost at sea" plot point. Go me. Oh, and before I forget: Sappy birt... eh... HAPPY birthday to you, I mean.
Hoosier: Worded awkwardly... There's the curse of not being an English major, or English not being one's main language. I tried, though. And considering I devoted 15 pages to the fight, keeping it fresh, exciting and suspenseful was a challenge. Yes the gloves were great for that, but I'm surprised nobody said a thing about the Mirror Shield. It was the sole reason I wrote the mirror puzzle in Ch. 9. (I cut three rooms in that chapter, just so you know.) As for that one scene... to think I almost ruined it, going as far back as Ch. 8. Glad I stuck to my plan. And yes, I squee'd at the scene at well. At my own story. Make of that what you will. Thanks for your comments, and you can bet that, while this is the end for ZOoL, it's not the end of me as a writer.
The Legend of Zelda:
Overlord of the Land
EPILOGUE: A Kingdom Reborn
Rain poured heavily. Thunder and lightning struck all over. Oceans grew and rivers raged with ever increasing intensity. Hyrule Castle began succumbing to the pressure of thousands of millions of gallons of water, ruining and destroying anything that might have been of value in the past. Villages were decimated, windmills broke apart, and lighthouses became worthless. Hyrule was dying due to a massive flood, which was the fulfilling of the wish to the Triforce, and currently, only a tall tower remained with two youths and an elderly man standing on its very top.
"My children... Listen to me." Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule spoke in a grim and repentant tone of voice. "I have lived regretting the past, and I have faced those regrets. If only I could do things over again... Not a day of my life has gone by without my thoughts turning to my kingdom of old. But you... I want you to live for the future."
Link and Tetra, holding on to each other to avoid falling down due to tiredness, listened intently on the ancient king's final lament.
"There may be nothing left for you..." Daphnes continued, his elderly voice beginning to break. "But despite that, you must look forward and walk a path of hope, trusting that it will sustain you when darkness comes." Just then, the king lowered his head in shame. He had known the circumstances behind Hyrule's flood, and still he had not the courage to do something in time. Now, he was paying the final price.
"Farewell..." Daphnes spoke in almost a whisper, his voice broken. "This is the only world that your ancestors were able to leave you. Please... forgive us."
Tetra looked very sad at the unexpectedly bitter turn of events and its end result. She lowered her head, deep in thought, and tried to come up with a possible solution to the situation. Then, an ingenious idea occurred to her. "W... Wait!" She said, raising her head and smiling with newfound hope. "You could... you could come with us!" Link turned his face at Tetra curiously, wondering what she was thinking, while Daphnes merely raised his head calmly. "Yes, of course... we have a ship! We can find it. We WILL find it! The land that will be the next Hyrule!" Daphnes' stoic look lowered Tetra's overall enthusiasm, but still she did not want to lose this one. Not like this. "So..."
"..." Daphnes broke his stoic look and gave the duo a large but sad smile. He knew full well he was still bound to the destroyed Hyrule, and he could not just leave. "Ah, but child... that land... will not be the Hyrule of old." He then took one final look at the children's hopeful faces, their eyes expecting a happy ending at the end of the road. He never felt sorrier to disappoint.
"It will be your land!"
...
...
... That... was over two years ago.
It has been six months since Hyrule was reborn. It's been a rough six months, but the incredible strength of the people has made this so much easier than we all thought it would be. Thanks to their good will and cooperative nature, the people of Hyrule have been able to build houses, open stores, plant fields with fruits and vegetable, breed animals, and so much more in this short time. I decided to not make myself a stranger to my people, and I have done frequent visits to the Castle Town and other villages and settlements, overseeing their work and helping them whenever I could. That stuff was not in the Ancient Hyrulian Book, a book that spoke of my precursors in the Ancient Hyrule, but I decided that, being the first in this new Hyrule, I had a responsibility with those living under my wing, and I'm not just about to leave them. Also, I could write it down somewhere so my descendants follow on this as well.
I still remember the words that were spoken to me by the last king of the Ancient Hyrule. "Live for the future. Look forward and walk a path of hope, trusting that it will sustain you when darkness comes." I never truly understood the meaning of those words... at least, not until I undertook the journey that changed my life. Those words echoed on my mind whenever the darkest moments of my life arrived. Sometimes, I was wondering if it was all worth it, if anything I was doing would have its desired effect. After seeing how this kingdom is progressing, and how the people are genuinely happier than before, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that, yes, everything was worth the trouble. If the King of old were able to see what we have managed to do, I am sure he would give us a broad smile of happiness.
I'm also glad that the people that were with me through the journey that shaped my new life have found things and have become capable of adapting to this life. Gonzo, for example, has been working on finding a way to use the Spirit Tracks for faster transport. Even though he's officially the Hylian Army's General, he decided to help people in another way. Whenever Anjean visits and sees this, she merely winks and smiles, which makes me think she knows more than she's letting on. Mako's on the castle and decided to use his knowledge to good use as the Royal Historian and Scribe. Senza's Captain of the First Batallion the Hylian army, with Zuko as his second-in-command. Nudge's the Chief in charge of the Hyrule Reconstruction Project, which is still going strong. And Niko? He's my personal consultant. Who would've thunk it would work like that? But to my amazement, he's really good at it.
If any of you are wondering... no, I am not missing one person. There IS another guy who was with me through thick and thin, who held me up when I couldn't stand on my own, who gave me headaches, troubles, unexpected surprises... and so much help and support. However, as I write this, he is not with us. His whereabouts are unknown. All I know is that he took to the sea one day about five months ago and hasn't returned...
FLASHBACK
"Are you sure of this, Link?"
"Yes. Of course I am. I know what I'm doing."
"You... don't have to go right now, you know."
"I'm sorry. I can't delay this any longer. It's been already two years. I'm sure they're worried sick for me."
"I understand. But then... Then, I'm going with you!"
"You can't. You have to stay here. These people need you right now. They're only just rebuilding their lives, and they need you."
"N... no! No, they don't! I can assign someone else to oversee things! I can afford to not be here right now."
"You have to stay. These people are counting on you. You are their leader, their source of hope. If you are not there in this crucial time, then they will feel abandoned."
"But what about me? I'm already feeling abandoned! I need you! What if you don't come back? What will I do then?"
"..."
"Link?"
"..."
"ANSWER ME!"
"... I will return. I promise."
"Are... how can you even be sure?"
"Trust me. I will return to you. No matter what happens, no matter how long it takes, I WILL return."
"You... [sob] promise?"
"Cross my heart."
"Well... you better be back, 'cause... [sob] 'cause I'll be waiting for you. I'll wait all my life if I need to."
And it was with a heavy heart that boy and girl parted ways. Link, the young man clad in green, boarded his red ship and sailed to deep waters, seeking to find his way to the place of his childhood. Tetra, the Princess of the new kingdom, stood behind on the docks, her face streaming with tears as she saw the red ship retreat from land and disappear into the horizon, her arms clutching Link's sword as a memento of his promise. And there she stood, until the sun descended and slumbered.
END FLASHBACK
... What became of that person? Not a single person currently in Hyrule knows. All that I have to go on is a promise that he will return... someday.
"Chief? Are you ready?"
Tetra heard the voice of her consultant and set her writing quill down. She then turned around to see Niko: still the same short man with the same buck tooth, still the same hairstyle, but dressed in a fancy blue vest with a white shirt and cravat. Quite the departure of his raggedy pirate clothes from not too long ago.
"Just... give me a minute." Tetra answered. She closed her diary and, after taking a fond look at the sword Link left with her, she picked up her tiara and set in on her head. "All right. Let's go."
Then, Tetra and Niko walked out of her chambers and climbed down the stairs. Niko read through some papers, summarizing the things they were set to do that day. Tetra, however, was not really hearing him. For some reason, that day her mind was not on the same plane as the rest of the world, she was distracted, but she couldn't exactly pinpoint what was distracting her.
Both princess and consultant made their way to the Throne Room, a tall, fancy room furnished with red carpets branded with the Hyrule Royal Family crest, a large and comfy throne in the back center point, and a stained glass window that had the Triforce symbol on it. Tetra decided to sit on the throne for a moment and, hoping she could get her head on straight, she rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes.
"Headache, you highness?"
Tetra quickly opened her eyes and raised her head after she heard the voice. It was not a voice she had heard anytime in the recent past, so she had every right to be cautious. She and Niko looked around the room to find the source of the noise, and eventually, in the far corner of the room they found... a child. This blond-haired girl didn't look a day over eleven, and though Tetra understood she was no threat, she still wondered what she was doing there.
"How did you find your way in here, little girl?" Tetra asked, sounding as calm and friendly as possible.
"What? Do you not recognize me?" The girl wondered, like it was an everyday thing.
"Eh... should I know you?" Tetra asked again, starting to feel confused.
"Oh, I guess it's been so long already." The girl figured. She then walked out of the shade of the corner and let the light filtering through the stained glass window shine upon her. "I'm not good at this royal thing, so... Well, my name is Aryll."
"Aryll..." Tetra repeated, turning her eyes as she tried to jog her memory. "Now, why does that name sound familiar to me?"
"In case you don't remember, I once rode on your ship." Aryll explained. "Your crew rescued me and two other girls from that dank prison and that giant bird. I remember you told the guys to go on without you, and you went to help my brother."
Tetra's eyes opened wide after hearing this. "Your... brother?" She said, almost in a whisper. Even Niko was aware of what the girl was talking about, and couldn't help but wonder what she was implying. "Just one question... Does your brother... have a tendency of wearing green?"
"See? You DO remember." Aryll said happily. "About those green clothes... I can't believe he still wears them. I wouldn't wear those things. They look so uncomfortably warm, and..."
Tetra then stood up from the throne in a hurry. She started walking towards Aryll, her face beginning to turn desperate. "Your brother... is he here? Is he nearby?"
"Oh, yeah." Aryll answered nonchalantly. "He told me to go ahead and find you while he helped Grandma down the ship. I reckon they should be near here at this time, so..."
Tetra did not wait for Aryll to finish. The princess bolted out of the Throne Room, past the young girl, making her way out of the castle. As soon as Tetra left the room, Aryll turned her view to Niko, who was unsure what he should do right then. "So? What are you waiting for?" Aryll questioned Niko's indecisiveness. "Go on! Greet 'im, man!" That invitation was just enough for him. Niko jumped in joy and ran right out of the front door, almost falling down the stairs leading to the ground floor.
At the gates of Hyrule Castle Town, the villagers stopped their usual labors to watch as several new people arrived. Two old men, one tall and skinny and the other short and big-headed, surveyed the place with great interest, and were not shy to ask people where could one find good knowledge or good training. A family of a slim man, a bulgy woman and two boys wandered in, making incessant comments of where were they going to settle and raise the mother of all pigs. A recently married couple walked along, looking forward to what they called the perfect honeymoon retreat, followed behind by the woman's sister, reminding them that this move was pretty much permanent. Then, behind those people and some more, a short, elderly, silver haired woman was being assisted by a young man wearing a green tunic and matching cap into the town.
"... And don't you worry, Grandma, I have the perfect place where your new home will be." Link finished.
"Oh, I hope so, dearie." Grandma said. "I agreed to come with you because I missed you and because I wanted to see what you've accomplished, and I hope you understand that I can appreciate these things better when I'm sitting comfortably on the porch."
"Heh, heh... I know, Grandma." Link responded.
Then, the sound of rushing footsteps made the general public turn around. Link stopped when he noticed the footsteps as well and faced directly toward the source of the sound. Then, as the people started putting two and two together, they stepped aside and let Link see the one person dying to greet him: Tetra, recovering from the fatigue of running like mad all the way there, still looked straight at the person she had not seen for over five months.
"Eh... this way, Grandma." Aryll said, guiding Grandma outside of Link's vicinity. "I found these things over there, and they're delicious..."
Link stared right at Tetra with the fondest of eyes. He stepped forward and shrugged apologetically, knowing full well how worried he must have made her feel. At that moment, for the first time since Link's departure, Tetra let her tears roll freely... only this time, they were not sad, bitter tears, instead being happy, relieved and overjoyed tears.
"Sorry, I got held back." Link said softly as an apology.
"You're late." Tetra said playfully, talking through her cracked voice. Despite this, two more words were spoken in complete sincerity:
"Welcome back."
END
FINAL WORDS: I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, SO happy to finally reach my ending for ZOoL. This project was a great learning experience for this aspiring writer (who, of course, has a lot to improve still) and it was also a way to finally let out at least one of my many ideas to roam out of my mind and into the unsuspecting vict... eh... awesome people who read through the whole thing. I know I had highs and lows, and I know not every part of the story shines in the same sheen (heck, you ask me, I still say "this crappy story of mine"), but overall, I am happy with the end result... which is more of what I can say for my previous works, both finished and not.
This story may be a stretch, but considering how little we have to go by on canon to tie things together, I'd say this could be a pretty interesting theory of how New Hyrule was founded and how Tetra finally found the willpower and courage to take on her most difficult role ever: ruler of a nation. In a way, I have to say I grew as Tetra and Link grew in the story. For some odd reason, situations I wrote in the story began to reflect themselves in my life. No, it was not "Experience then write" but "Write then experience". For example, when the crew was hounded by Mendoza, I was also hounded by someone. Whenever I wrote Dante's parts, There was a real-life obstacle to my life goals. Whenever a solution was found in-story, one was also set to me in a similar fashion. Life imitating art much? Despite this uncanny coincidence, I can say that, even if only a bit, I have become more mature and more capable of facing those things I have been trying to hide from. I have said I have a real-life time limit to finishing this story, and it's true. I probably won't be able to return here after a while, but for the time being, do expect some one-shots based on this story.
I cannot finish speaking to you without thanking everyone who read this crappy story of mine.(See?) I had readers from the US, Canada, Mexico, Norway, the UK, Australia, Poland, the Netherlands, China, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Ireland, Finland, Germany, Peru, Spain, Austria, Panama, Sweden, Turks and Caicos Islands, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Italy, Singapore, Denmark, Belgium, Vietnam and Chile. I am humbled and honored to be able to say that people from, say, Sweden were reading my story. To those that left comments, reviews and recommendations, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your comments gave me the drive to continue and the tools to try and improve as much as I could. REVIEW ANSWERIN' time says "good riddance", though. (BTW, if anybody wants an answer to your comments, be sure to leave a signed review so I can e-mail you back with it.)
To think, this story was initially going to be much different. The infamous book was never supposed to be a big thing, characters like Cyclos, Venus and Makar were not supposed to appear, the story was never supposed to have such a dramatic shift/push, the final boss was rebooted several times before settling on Twinrova, Mendoza was supposed to be the one who saves the day in the end instead of Linebeck... and the fact that I started before Spirit Tracks was released should speak volumes of how big my presumptions of the new world were. Waarheid and Dante were always supposed to be there, though, and the whole Link & Tetra tag-team dynamic was always planned. Regardless of original plans, I am glad how it eventually turned out.
I would share the first pic I ever made for ZOoL (before I decided to write it and all), but my scanner broke, so you will just have to imagine it. It was the part where Link and Tetra, beaten and battered, were holding hands, their backs to the viewer and looking up to the mouth-like cave entrance to the final confrontation (see chapter 17. Also, I totally did not rip off the bit from the Spirit Tracks ending). I was not a big TeLink shipper back then (Weird, no? I preferred Link/Marin.), but that pic alone gave me the drive to begin writing, and to go 16 chapters strong just to get to that point and to find out if they were going to be ok. Weird... but that's how I am: weird and full of ideas. (Dangerous mix, to be sure.)
To any aspiring writers reading this: Never give up. Your ideas are your own, and with the proper dedication and time, you can imagine new worlds and new characters. Never let anybody tell you that you can't, because you can. It's all up to you.
There are so many things I could tell you about the story behind the story of ZOoL, but I simply can't go on here. But to shorten things: doing this was so awesome, it was worth doing what was once an experiment to "continue the story of TWW/PH", as I thought in the beginning. And who knows? Maybe someone will recommend this fic on TV tropes or something... (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
And now... the real reason I wrote such a long final word:
The Super Secret Final 100% Completion Ending!
(Well, not so secret if you've been watching the scroll bar...)
Somewhere, in a strange and pure-white area, two squat, green-skinned elderly women appeared, sporting a halo on each head.
"Wh... what's that on your head, sister?" Kotake wondered as she looked at the halo on her sister's head.
"I don't know... but you have one as well." Koume pointed out after looking at Kotake's head.
Both sisters thought of the implications of the halos on their heads for a moment. Then it hit them: they were wearing the signals of their death. Again. Nedless to say, they were furious.
"Ack! This can't be! I can't be dead again!" Koume yelled while thrashing about in rage.
"And we were so close to our goal, too! It's unfair!" Kotake screamed as she shook her head with her hands in rage.
"And I was just 600 years old!" Koume lamented.
"And I was just 595 years old!" Kotake lamented as well.
Koume stopped thrashing about and stared at her sister with an annoyed face. "What? We're twins. How can you be younger?"
"Oh, don't be so insensitive, Koume!" Kotake retorted.
"Insensitive?" Koume asked, her rage filling anew. "Watch your mouth! You can't speak to me that way! I'm your older sister!"
"Older?" Kotake questioned with an incredulous face. "We're twins! You can't be older!"
"You can be so heartless!" Koume shouted. "If you weren't already dead, I'd give you such a wallop, you heartless..."
"Don't let that stop you..." Kotake responder, putting up her dukes. "... you insensitive..."
"HEY!"
A sudden manly voice stopped the twin witches' bickering. When Koume and Kotake turned, they saw Dante sitting at a table with some cards on his hand and playing with Mesaballeon, Wizzrobe King and the Hinox Twins. All of them were wearing halos. "Would you mind to quiet down? You're messing up my game."
Koume and Kotake stared incredulously at the shameful spectacle in front of them. They slowly walked away from the card-playing group and hung their heads, sighing in defeat.
"This is going to be a loooong afterlife, won't it, Kotake?" Koume said gloolily.
"Tell me about it." Kotake responded.
Meanwhile, in the land of the living. Specifically, in the kingdom of Hyrule:
Everything was settling down. Anybody who needed their own house already had a ceiling over their heads. Economy was booming overall. People were already settling themselves in areas other than Castle Town after Gonzo had perfected the handcart ("Nice construction! Good... to begin with." Anjean said), showing that, despite the happiness they had found, they were no longer depending so much on the Princess constantly being there. They all looked for places they were more comfortable in through the north,south, east and west. Aryll and Grandma in particular wanted a place in which they felt was more their style, so they moved south to the newly founded village of Aboda.
And because everything was shifting to normalcy, things around Hyrule Castle began to take a turn for the boring. This was the third straight day in which Tetra had nothing particularly important or interesting in agenda. She mostly paced around the castle, overseeing some military drills, looking at the scenery, reading a book recommended by Mako and playing some board games with Niko. Even he wasn't too excited about it. In the afternoon, she was on her chambers, writing on her diary as usual, though her entry was turning out to be extraordinarily short due to the lack of excitement of the day.
"It's in times like these that I wish I could just do something else." Tetra wrote down. "But I have a responsibility to my people. Besides... I have no clue what sort of thing I could do."
As she was writing, though, Tetra could feel an odd presence right behind her. She turned around quickly, only to see Link, a sly smile drawn on his face, reading her diary intently. "Wh... what are you doing?" Tetra shouted, closing her diary quickly, looking positively flustered over such intrusion. Her surprise was so great that she picked up the first thing she could find with the intention to throw at him.
"What are you doing with the Phantom Hourglass?" Link asked as he stepped back, keeping his sly smile.
"Eh... I dunno." She admitted. Her thought's quickly returned to what just happened. "What are you thinking?" Tetra asked, her face turning rather apprehensive. Link didn't say a word. "Link... don't creep me out like that. You're planning something, so just say it."
Then, Link produced an old rolled parchment from within his tunic. He opened the parchment and set in on Tetra's table, showing the map that was drawn on it, and a small note that was written on the bottom that said 'Property of Emperor Dante'.
Tetra could see what Link was trying to suggest. Still, she felt this was something she could just not go along with. "No, Link, no. I have my duties, and I can't shirk them just to go off on some adventure."
"Hmm... Allow me to suggest a broken logic." Link began, waving his hands about. "Everything's settling down. You have trusted advisors that could take the helm in case you couldn't... for example, if you were sick... The people have outgrown their initial dependence on you. You deserve this for all you've gone through." Tetra was still undecided on whether she should truly take Link up on his offer. "My ship's ready to sail, in any case."
Tetra's gaze turned to her closet. Amongst the myriad of dresses and other fancy clothing, one could barely see her old captain's clothes, which she had sent to mend up, but never used again after that fateful day. That blue coat and white pair of pants were of great nostalgic value, but were certainly unfit for almost everything she was to do as Princess. This opportunity, however...
Tetra then turned to Link, and the hero in green was surprised when she gave him a mischievous smile and wink in a way she had not done in a long time.
"Chief? You there?" Niko called towards the Princess' chambers. Hearing no answer, he braved to enter. "Chief? I just wanted to tell you that your laundry is done, and... what happened here?"
Niko took a long look at the room, which was unusually messy. Dresses were thrown to the floor, the chair and some papers were strewn about, and the carpet was pushed out of its position. When Niko searched to see if there was a clue to what happened there, he found a note hastily fastened to a stone. It read:
Dear Niko:
You and Mako know how to run things here now, so take over in my absence. I'll be gone for a short while, and I'll return soon, so don't worry about me or Link.
Sincerely
Z.T.H.
Niko couldn't help but laugh after reading the note. "Those two must be the craziest couple I have ever met."
The sky was clear, the sun was shining brightly and the sea was calm. The seagulls cawed happily and the fish hopped along the wakes formed by a certain red ship. The air was as fresh as it could be and carried a unique fragrance that only the sea air could bring. In this perfect day, Link and Tetra sailed away into the horizon, searching for a new adventure to conquer, seeking hidden treasures to unearth and new places to explore. The wind rustling around their hair was enticing enough, and the healthy chugging of the ship's steam engine was like a driving force behind it all. For Link and Tetra, this was truly the perfect day to begin a new adventure...
... one which they sealed with a kiss.
(Now for reals)
The Legend of Zelda:
Overlord of the Land
THE END
(Finished Monday, May 31 2010 at 1:17 am)
(DISCLAIMER: "The Legend of Zelda", and all related characters, settings, music, mythology, story, etc. is property of Nintendo Company Ltd., Nintendo of America and all other respective parties. Any other non-original characters and music are copyright of their respective owners. Any original story, settings and characters are of Ninkobra/Lightweight.)