The last rays of the setting sun painted the landscape of Hyrule in a warm, golden glow. Link, now standing at the edge of Great Sky Island, took a deep breath. His heart was heavy, for the day of his final confrontation with Ganondorf was approaching. The breeze rustled his tunic, and he felt the weight of the Master Sword and Hylian Shield against his back. He looked down at the bundle he carried - a carefully wrapped meal he had prepared himself.

With a determined nod, he leaped off the edge and spread his paraglider. His destination was not below, in the vast lands he calls home. Instead, he was aiming higher, beyond the reach of mortals, to a lonely figure that glided in the celestial ocean.

Catching the updraft created by the great being, he drew close to the massive form of Zelda, her body now that of the Light Dragon. Her scales shimmered like diamonds under the twilight glow, and her once vibrant eyes were now vacant.

Gently, he guided his paraglider to land atop her head, his old, worn boots landing softly on her ethereal mane. The dragon, enormous and majestic, barely registered his arrival. He knelt, placing a hand on her fur. It was warm to the touch, radiating a comforting, familiar energy. Zelda always felt warm around him, partly due to her powers but primarily because of his love for her. The warmth was rarely this strong, however. It had been like this only when she had saved him in the distant past.

Tears began to sting at his eyes as he knelt upon the remnants of the woman he loved. The woman who saved him time and time again. She gave his life purpose, even when they hated each other and their respective roles. Then, when they finally started to trust and care for each other, she gave her freedom for 100 years while he slept, unknowing of the grand sacrifice she made for his and the world's sake. And then, when he finally got her back and remembered everything, he lost her again. Another self-sacrificial play that all but guaranteed Link's victory, given his skill with a blade.

Perhaps it's the fates playing a twisted game with him or the goddess testing him, but Link couldn't help but feel guilty for these constant sacrifices that Zelda saw fit to play. She was his charge, the person he would give his life to protect. Even now, after the kingdom his oath came from was long gone, he took a protective role when they worked. He was her knight, but twice he failed to protect her. Twice, she lost herself to save and give him a second chance.

Choking back the tears, Link took a deep, shaky breath.

"Oh...Zelda," he whispered, unable to say more without losing his discipline. "Why do you keep doing this?" His hand tensed, pulling at a bit of her fur. He swallowed hard, pushing down the lump in his throat. "It should have been me."

With a curt sigh, Link unwrapped the meal he had brought. The aroma of silent shrooms and silent princesses wafted up to him. He decided to make something out of what she liked in a knowingly vain attempt to help her remember.

"I brought you something," he crawled forward, careful not to fall or hurt her eyes next to him, and leaned over her snout, offering her the meal. "I got some silent princesses since they're much more common now and made some food with it." Link watched as she sniffed the object before her and slightly opened her mouth. He leaned forward, placing the food at the entrance of her mouth. She closed her mouth and seemed to happily eat the gift. A slight grin found its way onto his face as he retreated, resting his back against her hair.

Gazing out at the horizon, he sat for a long while, content to bask in her presence.

"I woke up not too long after you fell. I met Rauru, and he guided me. Even gave me his own hand, if you can believe it. I went around all of Hyrule and found the help you asked the sages to give. It was nice seeing them all again... Riju has grown so much. You know, she lets me into Gerudo town now? I might just be the only non-Gerudo man to be given explicit permission to come and go from their city."

"Oh, and Sidon is next in line for the Zora throne, and he's even engaged now. He's shown a lot of growth too. Taking the throne isn't an easy task, as I'm sure you're well aware. Yunobo's doing pretty well for himself too. Oh, and Tulin made himself to be quite the warrior, taking the sage role instead of his father, rather unexpectedly."

His hand traced her fur absentmindedly as he spoke. "It's incredible, seeing everyone come together to support me. Yet, even with them, it all feels... empty." His hand stopped. "I've missed you. A lot. More than I can express. I need your strength now more than ever, Zelda. The same strength you've used to endure 100 years of imprisonment and 10,000 years of isolation. A part of me hates you for making that choice, but the truth is that I am so, so proud of you, Zelda. You've endured more than I could ever imagine suffering through."

His words trailed off, and he lay back, staring at the slowly darkening sky, Zelda's horns slowly becoming the brightest thing in the sky. "I know I can defeat Ganondorf. I have the strength, the weapons, the knowledge. But," he paused, swallowing hard, "part of me doesn't care enough to fight with my all, or if I die trying to win. Even if I lose. Because the reality is, Zelda, I don't think... I can brave a world without you at my side." Tears began falling freely from his eyes. "And every day, it hurts! It hurts so bad that you're gone because I was too slow!" Link bowed his head and sobbed. "I was too slow... I'm so sorry, Zelda."

Silence fell again, punctuated only by Link's quiet sobbing. The Master Sword hummed against his back, pulling him from his lamentations. Zelda's last words flooded his mind. Link breathed in and out, gathering himself.

"Even now... I am your knight. Regardless of my fears and mistakes, I will carry out your order with all the strength I can muster. I will protect them to the end. I will kill Ganondorf. And after that..."

Link looked out to the sky, now covered in stars. Zelda's hair and horns glew with impossible power. The emotional outburst he just went through and the warmth of his love underneath him lulled him toward deep sleep.

"I will get you back. Even if it kills me." Link's eyes grew heavy as he fell into a restful sleep.

"I love you, Zelda."