Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

Let's get to it.

Chapter 4- The Fall

Night has fallen over the lands of Hyrule. It's been only hours since the Calamity Ganon had awoken. And unfortunately, the effort to stop it had not gone according to plan.

Just north-west of the Dueling Peaks, on the Blatchery Plain, chaos has fallen. In the midst of multiple fires and wrecked guardians, Link forces himself to jump over a fallen Guardian and uses the Master Sword to cut the leg off one coming at him. As the Guardian struggles to recover from the loss of it's leg, Link unleashes a flurry of slashes, breaking the armor of the machine and disabling it. Link then stumbles away, his strength rapidly failing.

Things could not have gone worse for Link and the other Champions. Ganon had awoken with a plan to neutralize their advantages. As he burst up from beneath Hyrule Castle, he had apparently sent out a storm of missiles of pure Malice throughout the kingdom. The four largest had made their way to the Divine Beasts and seized control of them. The rest had poisoned the Guardians with Malice, which overrode their programming and turned them against Hyrule.

Link and Zelda had discovered this when they reached Castle Town. The Guardians had already overrun the town, and some were in pursuit of soldier that were fleeing towards Akkala Citadel. Castle Town, along with the Castle itself, were in ruins and burning, with most inhabitants already dead. The two were separated from their horses in the chaos, and were forced to flee on foot. Realizing that with no help from the Divine Beasts meant that the Champions had either never reached the Beasts or been killed by Ganon once they reached them, they knew they could not hope to defeat Ganon now. They were forced to flee along the western river down in the direction of the Dueling Peaks. Link had argued that if they got to Kakariko Village, they might be safe temporarily. Zelda did not wish to just give up on her kingdom, but Link insisted they had no choice, and forced her to flee with him.

They had finally reached the Dueling Peaks a few hours before sunrise was due, where they passed through the passage between the mountains and reached the Blatchery Plain between Fort Hateno and Kakariko Village. But their retreat at last availed them nought, as the pursuing Guardians finally caught up to them.

The battle for Fort Hateno had then begun. A portion of the force of Guardians had begun attacking the fort and the soldiers of Hyrule stationed there, while the rest tried to attack Link.

Zelda had hidden herself amidst the trees as Link battled Guardian after Guardian, destroying each one he faced. But Link was not invincible, and near misses from the Guardians' lasers could still harm him. He had suffered multiple wounds, but continued to fight, desperate to protect Zelda. Yet, the horde of Guardians never seemed to stop.

Now, the stream of Guardians through the pass of the Dueling Peaks finally seemed to be slowing down, but that was of no comfort to Link. He had almost no strength left, and could not keep going for much longer. He was not going to give up.

Link sees a Guardian walking towards Zelda's location. Link pushes himself as much as he can, and manages to draw the Guardian's attention. As he sees the Guardian start targeting him, he spots the body of a fallen soldier up ahead, and their shield lying beside the body. Link picks up the shield and whips back around to face the Guardian. He is just able to position himself before the Guardian fires its laser. Link is able to deflect the laser back its eye, disabling the Guardian for good. However, the shield is already so badly damaged that the act of deflecting the laser shatters the shield, knocking Link tumbling back for almost 10 feet.

Zelda, who had been hiding behind a tree at Link's request, feels like her heart turns to ice as she sees Link thrown back by the explosion. Forgetting her own safety, she races out towards Link. Although she is not wounded at all, her dress is smeared with mud and soot in a few spots, and there's even a little on her cheeks.

Zelda races up to Link, who is now on his knees, resting himself on the battered Master Sword, his breath extremely heavy and labored.

"Link! Link!" Zelda cries out as she reaches her husband. She looks him over and is terrified as she realizes the extent of Link's wounds.

Glancing up, Zelda sees one of the Guardians heading towards Fort Hateno has spotted them. Link has also noticed the Guardian, and Zelda notices this. Fear grips Zelda as she realizes Link intends to continue fighting. She knows she cannot stand against the Guardians, but she cannot bear the thought of losing her new husband.

"Please, Link, go! Leave! I'll be alright! Please, save yourself!" Zelda begs Link, not wanting to see him die.

But Link silently refuses to do so. Even as her chosen knight, it was his duty to protect her life with his own. But now that he and Zelda are married, he will not allow any harm to come to her, no matter the personal cost. Summoning every ounce of strength he has left in his body, he grips the hilt of the Master Sword tighter and uses the sword to force himself to his feet. He is stumbling around a bit as he gets on his feet. He is holding the sword almost limply at his side. The sword is badly damaged, and he has almost no strength to even hold the sword, let alone swing it. But he is determined to protect his wife. Zelda looks at him pleadingly behind his back, but he doesn't even look back, knowing looking at her might weaken his resolve.

The Guardian that had spotted them scrambles over the field and climbs on top of two fallen Guardians in front of the pair. The Guardian looks down at them for a moment, and then its eye turns red as it locks onto Link, and a targeting laser springs from its eye, centering on Link's forehead as the machine readies itself to fire on Link.

Fear surges through Zelda. She knows Link does not have the strength to resist the Guardian, let alone to destroy it. Her fear immediately shifts into desperation, and Zelda rushes in front of Link. "NO!" she screams, desperate to protect her husband with her life if she has to. She raises her hand against the Guardian: not necessarily because she thinks it will actually do anything to protect Link, but mostly out of reflex.

However, as she does, something extremely unexpected happens. Zelda feels a rush within her, and then, on the back of her hand appears an image of three triangles of light arranged in a larger triangle. Then, her palm begins to glow with an intently bright light. A second later, light seems to explode out of her hand, washing over their surroundings and racing out in all directions across the field before finally dispersing.

As the light disperses, Zelda watches in shock as the Guardian in front of them seems to shake a bit, and then it's legs collapse and its head sags before all lights go out and purple clouds seem to come out of the machine's head. Then, across the field, other Guardians across the field similarly begin to short out and collapse, purple clouds of Malice flying out of them.

Zelda stands there, shocked at what just happened. She slowly looks down at her hand and just stares at it for a moment. "Was that…the power…?" she whispers to herself, everything else temporarily forgotten. She had spent so long trying to unlock her power. Now, it's just suddenly awakened. Could it be?

A thud and a grunt behind her quickly draws her back to reality. Zelda turns around to see Link has collapsed to the ground completely. With no Guardians left around them, he can no longer bring himself to stand any longer. All the adrenaline that has been carrying him along is gone.

Icy cold fear surges through Zelda, and she runs to his side. "Link! No!" she screams, dropping to her knees beside him. Tears are streaming down her face as she cries, "Link! Get up!"

Link coughs several times as he struggles to sit up with Zelda's help. Zelda tries to hold him up as he struggles. Despite the fear rushing through her, she tries to sound calm and encouraging as she tells Link, "You're going to be just fine. We are going to get out of here, and live our lives together."

Link coughs several more times and looks up at Zelda. He can feel the last of his strength fading away, and if he is to die, he wants the last thing he sees to be Zelda. He looks at her in silence for a moment before he says, in a whisper so strained it terrifies Zelda, "I love you." And then, his eyes close and he slumps back into her arms.

Zelda's eyes widen as her mind refuses to accept it for a second. However, that denial does not last, and she cries, "Link! Please, no!" She plants a kiss on his lips, hoping against hope that it will rouse him. But he does not move.

Zelda breaks down, slumping forward and burying her face in Link's chest. She had tried so hard to do her part in fighting Ganon. But she had failed, and now she had lost everything and everyone that ever mattered to her. Her father, her friends in the court, Urbosa, the other Champions, the kingdom, and now her husband. She had barely been able to cope with all the other losses, especially that of her father. It had hurt her especially hard that he had died before they were able to reconcile the differences they had had for so long. And now, she had lost her husband and the love of her life, only the day after they had been married. She truly felt broken, that she had nothing else left in life.

Zelda holds on to Link tightly, sobbing into his chest, all of the sorrow and heartbreak she has felt for so long bursting out all at once. The tears will not stop coming, and Zelda feels like she will never be able to stop. And right now, she doesn't care. Without Link, she feels she truly has nothing left to live for.

Then, Zelda hears something. Almost a whistle. For some reason, this sound touches deep into her soul. Zelda manages to lift her head and open her eyes a bit, looking up at where the battered Master Sword is lying next to Link. As she watches, it briefly glows, and suddenly she hears something. A soft but powerful voice in her head. The voice of the Master Sword.

Zelda is frozen, motionless, as the words of the Master Sword echoing in her mind. "The Master Sword…so he…he can still be saved?" Zelda speaks out loud, hope beginning to surge within her. Hope that all may not be lost after all.

"Princess!"

Zelda looks up, looking around for the source of that cry. A second later, she spots two figures leaping over the fallen Guardians as they move closer. A second later, two Sheikah men race up. Zelda is barely able to recognize them as the two men who had opened the doors into the elder's house at her wedding. She can barely recognize them, as instead of their white everyday outfits, they are now wearing traditional Sheikah stealth armor, which covers the lower face of their face. They are also armed, carrying Sheikah swords and bows on their backs. The two men race up to Zelda and crouch down beside her and the fallen Link. "Princess. Are you alright?" one of the men asks.

Zelda is quiet for a second, her mind still wrestling with her grief. Then, she finally forces herself to realize that all is not lost. There is still a glimmer of hope for Hyrule. But more than that, she realizes there is yet hope to save Link. She looks at the two men with iron determination and orders in a very firm voice, "Take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection! If you don't get him there quickly, we are going to lose him forever! Protect him with your lives until you get him there. Is that clear?!"

The two men nod firmly, showing they understand and confirming they will follow her orders. Having been at the wedding, they know how important this is to Zelda. "Then take him now, and go! His life is now in your hands!"

The two men move forward and pick up Link to take him away. Zelda gives them the Sheikah Slate, knowing they will need it to activate the Shrine, and that Link will need it when he awakens. As they take Link's body away to begin the journey to the Shrine, Zelda watches them go, and the tears begin to flow once again. Although she knows he can still be saved, and may one day return, she feels such a sense of failure. As his wife, she feels that somehow, she has failed to honor her wedding vows by allowing him to almost die. But more than that, she knows that there is a good chance that when Link awakens from the Slumber of Restoration, he will have lost his memories. And the thought of Link waking up not remembering her, let alone remembering their love and their marriage, is heartbreaking for Zelda to accept. Fear begins to take hold of her, wondering if he will never remember their marriage when he wakes up. But, after a moment, she forces herself to come to terms with it. She would rather Link get another chance at life than for him to lose his life.

Zelda then looks down at the Master Sword where it rests, battered almost beyond use. Now, she knows what she must do. Zelda carefully takes up the sword, and then sets off for Kakariko Village, where she intends to obtain a horse and ride to her next destination.

Zelda looks up at the Great Deku Tree. She had come to the Korok Forest to entrust the Master Sword to the Great Deku Tree, knowing that the power of the tree and the forest would be able to restore the sword by the time Link returned for it. But, she did not intend to stay. She knew her job was not done. Now that her power was awake, it was time to fulfill her destiny.

Zelda moves to pick up the sword and place it within its stone, but pauses and looks back up at the Great Deku Tree. "Great Deku Tree, I ask of you, when he returns, can you please relay this message…" she begins to ask of the ancient tree.

"Now then, words intended for him would sound much better in the tones of your voice, don't you think?" the Great Deku Tree interrupts her with some humor.

Zelda smiles a bit and says, "Yes." She pauses, then says, "But I must give to you something. Something that you must return to him if the worst should happen."

Zelda looks down at her hand where her wedding ring lies. This is the first time she has looked at the ring since she and Link had left the Lanayru Promenade to travel to Hyrule Castle to confront Ganon. As she looks down at the beautiful ring, which she had learned on their trip up Lanayru had been been picked out and designed specifically by Link, and was not just a random ring the Sheikah possessed and gave to them for their wedding. As she looks down at the ring, her mind is flooded with the memories of their wedding. Tears again being to flow down her cheeks as she allows herself a moment to replay these memories in her mind. Then, she slowly removes the ring from her hand. She also pulls out a small box she had gotten in Kakariko Village when she retrieved the horse she had ridden here. She carefully opens it and then sets the ring gently inside the tiny box. And next to the ring is a small, tiny note she had prepared in the village after she obtained the box. The note, written by herself, contains just 5 words, "I will always love you." And below that, she signed her name, so that if the worst should happen, he would always be able to look at this, and see her name, and the ring that had signified their marriage.

She holds out the box after closing its lid. "Please, Great Deku Tree. I entrust this to you. Should I not return, and he does, please see that he receives this," she says.

There is a moment of silence before the Great Deku Tree speaks and says, "Very well, Princess. But I look forward to the day that the two of you return together to reclaim this." A Korok then flies forward using its rotating leaf and picks up the box from Zelda's hand, flying it up towards the Great Deku Tree's face. At the tree's command, some of the knots of its lower trunk part slightly to reveal a small cavity. The Korok places the box within it, and the tree then seals the opening back up.

"I will protect this, my princess," the Great Deku Tree says.

"Thank you," Zelda says. She pauses, then says, "Until next we meet." She then turns, and strides out of the Korok Forest, ready to make her stand against Ganon. But even as she begins her journey towards the great enemy she is destined to fight, her thoughts lie far off. Despite the imminent battle, her thoughts lie with her husband, and wondering what the future will bring for the two of them.

As she mounts her borrowed horse, Zelda looks up to the sky and speaks aloud, "Please. I beg of you, Goddess Hylia. Please…bring him back to me."

And, I'll end the chapter there. Hope this was a good one.

So, yes, I decided to go with Link falling and being sent to the Shrine of Resurrection. So, the next chapter will pick up in Breath of the Wild's events. Now, I'm obviously not going to write out the entire storyline of Breath of the Wild. But I will be writing short scenes from different parts of the story to hint at the events of the first 4 chapters of this story and help set the stage for Link and Zelda's reunion. I won't say whether or not Link will recover his memories of Zelda and their marriage, so you'll have to wait and see.

Alright. Next chapter will be up soon. Until it is up, please leave a review and stay tuned!