Letter from Link to his uncle

30 days after Ganon's Defeat

Dear Uncle,

The ceremony went well. Her Royal Highness was as graceful as ever. She knighted me herself, and I'm embarrassed to admit that it took me a while to realize she was done and to rise again. The others are still ribbing me about it, but if I'm being honest, I'm rather glad for my mistake: it made her smile. What does it matter that the guys are laughing? She smiled.

You're probably wondering why I didn't rise at the right time. You know they make us practice, and you know I've seen the ceremony several times.

I'm not sure I can. Not in a way that makes sense. I heard her voice, but when it stopped, I found myself simply waiting for it to continue. She said the phrase. "Rise, Knight of Hyrule."

I heard it. I understood it. And yet I was just waiting for her to speak to me again. I have no excuse.

Except that I must be losing my mind.

Please don't mock me for the confession I feel I must make now. Surely you remember how excited I was three years ago when you introduced me with the other knights in training? I was already in love with the Princess then, before even meeting her, just from knowing of her and sometimes catching a glimpse of her in the distance.

The feeling became even stronger when I did meet her that day, three years ago. It barely counts as a meeting, doesn't it? The trainees weren't allowed to speak, we were all just to stay at attention as the King thanked us for our devotion to Hyrule and the Princess walked with him and smiled at us. Just a ceremony she attended along with her Father the King. But when she smiled, when she smiled at ME, my heart started hammering.

I'm sure you're thinking it was nothing but a kid's crush. I can't say whether you're right or wrong, but I can say that when I heard her call to me for help, and after everything that followed, the thought of her sustained me through what I can only describe as a long nightmare.

What I'm saying is that I am hopelessly in love with our Princess, and I feel like I have been all my life, and that every encounter makes me fall deeper in love.

And, Uncle, she must NEVER know. It has been expressed to me in no uncertain terms that I had the Kingdom's undying gratitude and that anything I wished for would be mine. I cannot possibly let anyone know what my heart longs for. I don't wish to entrap her. I don't wish for her to think for one moment that she needs to try and make me happy.

I am trusting you with this secret because I am leaving Hyrule, and I felt you had a right to know why. I can't stay here and have any hope of not eventually letting the Princess know that my entire being wants nothing more than her love. I must leave.

I will write, please don't worry for me.

Thank you for everything, and fare well.

Your loving nephew, Link.

Letter to Link from his Uncle, the same day

Dear Link,

That is quite the love declaration, boy. Save some for the next girl!

Joking aside, as much as I wish I would prefer to know you safe and at home, I understand your motivation. Find yourself a girl that's actually available and come back to me and to Hyrule. You took our best knight away from us when you left, and the King seems concerned as of late, although he won't say why.

I wish you hadn't left without giving me a chance to beat some sense into you. Foolish lovesick child... it IS a child's crush, Link. You merely neglected to grow out of it.

Be well, Link. For my sake and that of Hyrule, be well. Find what you need and come back.

Your loving uncle.

Letter to Link from his Uncle, the next day

Link,

I've just been informed that you left without leave. You absolute fool, you left without leave.

You must return immediately. The King is in great distress over your departure. Link, the KING knows you've run off and has personally requested your return.

I can't believe that you left without leave. Come back home to Hyrule right this instant.

A Monkey's Uncle, apparently

Letter to Link from his Uncle, 3 days later

Link,

Did you not receive my last letter? I will repeat the gist of it for you.

GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE IMMEDIATELY. You left without leave. Just knighted, and you left without leave! And it was the worst thing you could possibly do right now. Drop everything and hurry back NOW.

The uncle who will definitely kick your heroic ass as soon as you're back

Letter to Link from his Uncle, 2 days later

Link,

Where ARE you?

I have enclosed a personal missive from His Majesty the King, addressed to YOU. You are ordered to return immediately. I don't know where you are, but please, please respond. I fear the worst from your silence.

Enclosed letter from King Hyrule to Sir Link

Esteemed Hero,

It is our wish to see you return to Hyrule. Our knowledge of your character does not allow Us to believe your departure was malicious or selfish, and further knowledge acquired recently dictates now Our actions for the sake of Our dearest daughter. You will return to Hyrule immediately and report to the palace.

Signed, The King of Hyrule

Letter from Link to his Uncle, 10 days later

Dear Uncle,

I have found myself trapped on a Dream Island, and just now freed the trapped sleeper and by extension, myself.

The island was populated by a variety of people and I don't know what became of most of them... I only saw one escape. I'm not sure I did the right thing, but the dreamer was locked in sleep and innocent, and the people who did it were most certainly not.

But the people were alive, or seemed to be, and now... I don't know. I might have murdered them all. And there was no choice. I don't know what to do, I don't know what to feel.

I wish I had the Princess' Wisdom to guide me. I feel as if I am but one part of something that should be whole, I feel broken. Maybe it wouldn't change anything… there was no other option. But I would believe her if she said so, more than I believe myself. I would believe her if she said I was not a murderer.

I have not heard from you – any letter you might have sent must have gotten lost.

I'm coming back. I still cannot confess to her Royal Highness, but being so far from her light is driving me to madness. Or perhaps I just need the same balm she provided before, perhaps I just need to know she's alive and well, and to know there is always a chance of catching a glimpse of her, in order to be able to face what I must.

Your loving nephew, Link

Letter from Her Royal Highness Princess Zelda to her Father the King, the same day

Dear Father,

I write to you for fear of being unable to contain my emotions were I to attempt to talk to you in person. I have heard of your efforts to make Sir Link return, and I beseech you to grant him his freedom. I know why you wish him to come back, but it is not necessary. I would rather die unhappy than see him forced into a life he does not want.

Please, father, for my sake if not for that of the Hero who saved us all, allow him his freedom.

Zelda

Letter from his Uncle to Link, the next day

Dear Link,

How did you even manage to wind up on a Dream Island? I looked into it and they are incredibly rare. The Windfish is only the third victim we know of. I've researched the spells needed to create such a thing, and you'll be happy to read that inhabitants used to populate such dreams are victims as well for the most part, fetched from their own dreams and dropped into another one, and locked in sleep until the spell is dissolved. The one inhabitant you saw escape must have been one of the known exceptions, either someone who died in their magically enforced sleep, or a creation of the sleeper's mind.

May this information lighten your heart.

And stop with the love declarations for goodness sake. I'm hardly the one who needs to read them.

You said you were coming back. Good. The letters you missed were ordering you to do so because you cannot leave without permission. You know better, I know you do. I still can't believe you did this. Hurry home.

Your uncle

Letter to Link from his Uncle, three days later

Link,

Where are you? COME BACK NOW. I told the King you were on your way back, and he's nearly as anxious for you as I am. Don't you dare delay your return.

Your Uncle

Letter from the King to his Daughter

Dear Zelda,

I will borrow from your own trick to communicate as clearly as I can.

I am not being cruel to Link by asking him to return. Your attendant has informed my valet of your feelings, it's true, and those feelings are indeed why I want to see our Wandering Knight returned home, but you are missing a vital piece of this puzzle.

I won't go into the details of how I came by this information, but Link left to hide deep feelings of devoted affection for you, afraid you'd feel obligated to indulge them.

I swear to Hylia, teenagers in love are the worst.

Signed,

Your loving father

Letter from Link to his Uncle, three weeks later

Dear Uncle,

I'm sorry for the delay coming back, I hope you were not too worried, but I found myself completely cut off and unable to write. I seem to have a gift for finding people who need me, I've spent the last few weeks saving two of the three Oracles.

Please believe the delay hurt me as much as it might have hurt you. I still feel as though I left my very soul at home. This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous, but I long to see the Princess, even from a distance, even if she doesn't see me.

I should be home by tomorrow and I'm only writing this just in case I'm delayed again. I'm very much looking forward to seeing you again.

Your loving nephew

Letter from Zelda to the King

Dear Father,

I thank you for your candor and will not waste your time by attempting to deny what you know to be true. Since you've been avoiding me, I find myself writing again.

I will not condemn Link to a life as… I cannot even write it.

I am aware that three of the neighboring Kingdoms have requested an alliance by marriage. I am also aware of my duty as a Princess. I will not put Link through a life shaped by my marriage to another.

Please stop trying to bring him back home. I do not wish this. As much as it breaks my heart to deny myself the comfort of his company, I would not have him live his entire life with an obligation to hide who we are to each other. The only solution is for us to be nothing to each other. It hurts to write it, and it will hurt to live it, but it is for the best.

Please set Link free.

Signed,

Your loving daughter.

Letter from the King to Zelda

Dear child,

Do I seem like a romantic fool to you, keen to play matchmaker with my own flesh and blood in blatant disregard of the Kingdom's needs?

You are incorrect. There are NOT three Kingdoms seeking your hand. There are FIVE. I wish for an alliance with exactly none of them and even if I did, accepting one would mean rejecting the other four and insulting them. Accepting none would insult all five of them instead.

Unless! Unless I had an overwhelming reason to do so. And you two ridiculous lovebirds are providing me with exactly that.

Have you heard that the only reason Link is not home yet is that he's managed to save the Windfish from a Dreaming Spell and to then proceed to save both the Oracle of Seasons and the Oracle of Ages? I expect we'll start receiving requests for HIS hand very soon. And throughout, each time he writes to his poor uncle, he complains of the pain that is not being in the same Kingdom as you.

I've been dreading the moment I'd order you to get engaged since the day you were born, and consider myself lucky that the command is not nearly as difficult to issue as I feared it would be.

Dear daughter, for the sake of your Kingdom, I wish for you to be betrothed to the boy nobody can deny deserves the honor, not even jealous princes. As soon as you are both old enough, Goddess willing you don't change your mind in the meantime, I wish for you two to be married.

Signed,

Your loving father

Letter from Link to his Uncle, 3 days later

Dear Uncle,

I have just arrived and received all your letters.

I am so sorry for what I've put you through. There is a royal escort here taking me to the palace, I think they'll get to kick my butt before you have a turn, sorry.

I need to cut this short, they are not being patient.

I find myself wondering if I'll be in the same dungeon I saved the Princess from. I know I'm being ridiculous, but it would be some comfort as it would allow me wild imaginings where she'd visit me, just the one time, to pay me back for my rescuing her before I betrayed Hyrule by running away and not answering summons back.

The Windfish's dream seemed so real. Perhaps if I try very hard, I can make mine seem real too.

Your loving nephew,

Link

Proclamation from the King, 5 days later

To All Citizens of Hyrule

Tomorrow is to be a Holiday throughout the Kingdom in celebration of the engagement of Her Royal Highness Princess Zelda to Sir Link, Knight of Hyrule and Hero worthy of legends.

The Palace Grounds will be opened to all for day long festivities.

Letter to Her Royal Highness Princess Zelda from Link, the following night

My beloved,

This day has been the happiest of my life. There aren't enough words to tell you how much I love you. I look forward to declaring loud and clear to the Goddesses and all of Hyrule that this love is eternal, as soon as you and I are old enough to marry under Hylia.

I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.

My uncle insists I go to sleep. I will love you more tomorrow.

Yours for all time,

Link

Letter to Link, from Princess Zelda, the same night

My love,

I have never felt such happiness, I have never felt so blessed, as I did today. I've been so afraid of a future without you, and now I am bursting with joy that these dire imaginings will not come to pass, and that we shall be together forevermore.

I know Hylia will not recognize our marriage until we are both of age, but I believe even Her Grace must know this delay means nothing. I am already yours just like I know you are mine.

I hope to see you tomorrow. A day without you is much worse than a day without sun.

Your Zelda.