Summary: Hylia has found a way for Zelda to aid the fallen Hero and still be able to contain Ganon within the castle grounds, but at what price? Zelda and Hylia are no longer one being, but itwo:/i a divine Goddess trapped with the Calamity and a mortal woman who must escape the castle before it's too late.

He's awake. She can sense him somewhere deep within the chambers of her soul, or maybe, it's not her soul at all.

She could never quite put words to the feeling, that feeling of knowing something just isn't her. Zelda; daughter of King Rhoam Bosphoramus the Third, the last Princess of Hyrule, has always been the vessel to Hylia's divine might, the Goddess's sealing power. Some say Zelda is the Goddess herself, part of a Royal bloodline carried down through the ages, reborn and reappearing when a first born daughter is graced onto the monarchy, but Zelda has never felt that way. She's always felt so distant from Hylia—calling out to her in dreams before the Calamity, even praying for hours in icy waters to the point she would collapse—but then it was too little too late when she finally became the vessel Zelda was born to be.

Since her confinement in this castle, she replays her final memories over and over, the consequential moments before she entered the Royal Castle and her fate was sealed in darkness. That moment when she rose her hand to the heavens and was consumed by the very evil that destroyed everything she ever knew. It's the only thing she can hold onto besides the shackles that threaten to suffocate her every second of every moment to every part of her being. And so she has one task; contain the vile of Calamity Ganon to these decrepit ruins with the aid of Hylia's sealing power until the Hero rises once again.

And that moment has finally come.

Link's spell of time has broken and new hope flourishes within her. She's never stopped believing he would rise one day, would come for her and help her defeat this creature. She's been calling out to him all this time, has he finally heard her? Maybe it was Zelda's crying pleas across the expanse of subconsciousness that coaxed him out of his dream spell, she's not really sure. All she knows is Hylia told her that he's awake.

The Goddess speaks to her sometimes, in an eerily familiar voice, trying to soothe her when the blood moons rise. How many has there been now? She tries to keep track but keeps slipping. Zelda can foresee the blood moons when the blinding darkness starts to bleed and her chains grip tighter, stronger, strangling her with even more pain than before, until it's so unbearable Zelda would fear it would finally break and consume her, but she hasn't allowed it to just yet.

Sometimes, the crimson nights feel like they approach one right after the other, other times there is peace—a scarce, measly significance in the middle of such corruption. Still, she doesn't break, doesn't let go. She wouldn't, couldn't, if there's any chance of rescuing this world at all.

Even so, with this sudden change—this new hope that Link has granted her—it comes with so many unraveling questions. Will he know what to do now that he's awake? Will he be strong enough? Will he even be the same?

He is weakened, she feels the Goddess say. He will surely fall if he does not receive the proper guidance for his journey.

Fear rushes into Zelda's being, pushing aside all that new found hope. Link is her last chance—Hyrule's last chance. He cannot fail. She tries her best to conjure strategies of how to help in her current state but logically, mathematically, physiologically, there is nothing. All she can do is pray as he journeys, try to watch over him through the blinding malice, hope her voice can reach him somehow—but then what? What if he falls off a cliff and dies? What if he is bludgeoned by a lynel or killed by the corruption infesting the Divine Beasts? How far could he truly get until he reaches his inevitable fate? A failure she has set him up to be once again.

It's possible he could even wake up and decide he doesn't want this destiny anymore.

When she first entrusted the Sheikah warriors to place Link in the Shrine of Resurrection, Zelda hoped the process would be simple—instantaneous even. No one alive knew what would happen, not even the sword told her that one. Zelda spoke to Impa on the day of the Calamity, expressing her hopes that Link could recover fast enough to perhaps see his family again, if they survived the Calamity. She told Impa that it wouldn't take long, secretly hoping that if she spoke the words aloud, they would come true, that he'd recover in days, a couple weeks at best. He could head straight for the Master Sword, then onward to defeat Ganon.

But she knows far more time has been lost than that. Her count is up to at least 400 blood moons by now and it would be terrifying if each turn of the moon consisted of one. If they were a monthly occurrence, with her count, that would make it thirty years since the Calamity. Did a blood moon truly appear once in a lunar cycle, or was it longer; quarterly, biannually, or...yearly? In her state of perpetual darkness, she couldn't even tell.

You must go to him.

The Goddess within her speaks again and Zelda could have sworn she understood her wrong. Hylia's spirit had always been faint to her, but since she connected with the sealing power, since she was consumed by darkness, Zelda has been able to hear her better. Even still, if Zelda tries to move, Ganon stirs, and if she tries to go to Link, the source of all evil will be released and complete demolition of what is left of Hyrule will surely follow. Obviously, she'd go to him in a heartbeat, she would have never left his side, but she holds the Goddess's divine power, and she must play her part.

Then Hylia speaks again.

Although he may understand what must be done, he will fail without your assistance. I have spoken with the Three and it is agreed. I will hold this power, as you have held me. You must guide the hero on his journey.

Was this even an option? Were they even able to separate Goddess from mere mortal woman? Zelda assumes if a divine being was able to be passed on through a Hylian bloodline, then they were also able to separate themselves if need be. But…why now? Why couldn't they have done this when the Calamity struck and maybe all of this could have been avoided?

Then Zelda reminds herself she couldn't access her sealing power until she stepped in front of Link to save him. He had to die for me to connect with Hylia—to awaken her.

If Hylia calculated the odds correctly, that Link will fail, then they have no choice... but is Zelda ready? Is she ready to witness the aftermath of her father's kingdom, the destruction that followed all of her failures? Would Link be the same man that protected her and… and loved her until his last breath? She's been sealed away as long as Link has—except hers is a prison, a torture chamber, a violent endless horror that she'd do almost anything to be released from, but at this cost? To have someone take her place, even a Goddess, it would still be excruciating, painful, and terrifying. She wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Before she's able to question further, Zelda is interrupted by the slightest of quivers. The castle begins to vibrate and she can feel the tension around her rising exponentially. Then the Goddess speaks.

The time has come to separate, dear child. The Hero has activated the first tower and any moment it will send a quake across the land. This burst of energy will be what we need to drift apart. It is our only chance as Ganon will surely begin to stir.

Before Zelda could even protest, slowly, and then all at once she feels every fiber of her soul being ripped in all directions. Every particle that was a part of them begins to divide amongst omnipotent Goddess and mortal woman, then thrown across the vastness of time and back again, and although it's nearly seconds of separation, the pain feels like 10,000 lifetimes.

She tries to scream out in agony only to feel she has no throat to scream out of, no body to tremble in fear. She is nothing. For the briefest of moments, she finds peace in this empty vacuum, this shadowed void of nonexistence, until she starts to feel herself collecting again. Her skin, her organs, her senses are all returning back to her, rearranging into the familiar feeling of mortality, only it's different—something is gone. She tries searching for Hylia in the depths of her soul, but can only feel a pit of emptiness burrowing further and further within her.

And then suddenly, she's falling.

Falling for how long and where, it's unclear to her, until she hits a hard surface and the room begins to visualize. Zelda blinks instinctively, trying to get her brain to react, to process what she's seeing. Eventually, her vision clears but the sights around her are terrifying and devastating and sadly familiar. This is the Sanctum, only it isn't how she remembers it. It's crumbling and falling away to rubble and ash, covered in malice of purple scorn and ruin—a dullness in the colors that once were royal blues, crimsons, and golds. She gasps by this comprehension, this extreme change, only to realize she's already choking on the putrid air. There's only dust and demolition left in this haunted room and it's infiltrating her lungs and she can do nothing but cough violently as she lays on the glass covered floor.

Searching for some kind of answer, she looks down at her trembling hands. They're covered in the filth and mud of what befallen them at Fort Hateno, and it dawns on her that the cloth draped over her bodice is the same priestess garb she used to wear, but it's torn and disheveled and incomplete. Then Zelda looks to where she feels a presence.

"H-Hylia…?" She tries to speak, but the word gets lost somewhere in her throat.

Hylia is above her, a bright white light glimmering in the ashes. A mortal being no longer contains Her. Her light is beautiful, powerful, and ancient, but somehow partial and lacking. The Goddess Hylia had just been separated from Zelda in a final effort to aid the weakened hero.

Then the Goddess speaks, soft but true.

He will not remember you and it would be wise to not provoke him. You must let his memory return on it's own volition. Soon he will be directed to head towards the Dueling Peaks, you shall wait for him somewhere before then. Make haste, dear Princess, as his trials on the Plateau may take only days to complete. I will be able to hold Ganon until he pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal. Afterwards, you must guide him here straight away.

Her mind is racing with questions, her body so weak she doesn't think she can even stand, but then the Goddess speaks in one final breath.

Do not let him fall, for if he falls, so does Hyrule. Now go.

Of the Goddess's last words, Zelda feels all the strength return to her body. If she had been immobile for years, surely her physical abilities would be weak, frail, and minuscule—but she isn't. It feels as if a breath from the Goddess has revitalized her, that Zelda had been gifted with strength, focus, and power, to carry on her way.

Rising from her scraped knees and bloody hands, Zelda starts running. She heads towards a hidden tunnel that has been used to escort royalty throughout the castle, unseen and undetected although in her time, she used it quite often to sneak in and out of the castle after curfew. Perhaps her father had even used the very same system to escape the castle on that dreadful day. Either way, if these connected tunnels were still standing it would be her best shot at a stealthy exit so that she can escape this malice-ridden place. Even without knowledge of the world as it is now, she knows the castle will be the most concentrated place of evil since she's the one that's been containing it here this entire time.

Unhitching the dusty wooden door, Zelda descends down the staircase, determined to leave as fast as possible, but she has to stop somewhere first. She runs down the winding staircase as fast as her feet could carry her until she hears movement on the other side of the crumbling stone walls, indicating what she already assumed; monsters possessed by malice litter these once majestic halls.

Zelda waits for one of them to grunt and then she moves, taking one step at a time as she passes the wall of their camp and is far enough away where she can pick up her pace again. Her sounds are barely audible, not much louder than a whisper, when she sees the familiar intersection of tunnels. She takes the right one facing west and follows through the darkness, her hands grazing the rough stone until she hits the end she's been searching for.

Pressing her ear against it gently, she listens if there's movement on the other side. When it's clear the room is empty, she presses hard against the stone and it gives way, revealing the room she sought after.

If she is to assist the fallen hero, then Zelda will need to change from her priestess garb and collect any items that could help her transform into someone else; a person without a Royal title, without a legend supporting her stance nor burdened on her shoulders. She'll need new clothes, travel bags, and weapons—and her bedroom is the first place she'd need to stop.

» . «

She gazes at her old bedroom, or what was left of it anyway.

Her bed is now a pile of broken lumber and sawdust. Rugs burnt and windows shattered and the floor is littered with dried leaves, cobwebs, and debris, leaving no trace of the comfort it once provided. Her eyes trail along the stone and she looks through the huge hole in the wall that used to be the stairs that led up to her study. The sky is gray beyond, but memories of long past resurface as she envisions the countless times she's climbed that staircase, spending sleepless nights researching.

Ever since her mother passed away, Zelda remembers having trouble sleeping. Her dreams would plague her with mysteries, unknown feminine voices, faces of mockery or ridicule, and they would only amplify her father's disappointment in her. Before she started traveling with Link to the Divine Beasts and Sacred Springs, she had the smallest of comforts to ascend that ruined staircase; spending the twilight hours escaping into books and research. She'd probably smile if it isn't for the fact that all that time she spent inevitably was all for nothing. All that research and it got us nowhere, she thinks.

Eventually, her gaze rests on the desk in the corner of the room where she had kept her books, sketches, and many, many research notes on ancient technology. It had always been the messiest part of her bedroom and always held the most clutter—which she found endearing and comforting in a way. Walking over to is, Zelda picks up one book in particular and places it on the burned wooden table. It's her diary. A memoir containing all her past worries, anxieties, and frustrations leading up to their apocalyptic downfall.

She flips to the page of the day she had met with all the Champions. She remembers being bored and only vaguely going through the motions of what was expected of her—her thoughts transfixed on ancient research and the fortune-teller's prophecy repeating over and over in her mind. The power to defeat Ganon lies dormant beneath the ground. Back then, it was a time when tensions were high for everyone, but because she was too preoccupied with her own worries, she failed to notice it.

Then his face appears in her mind and it feels like her heart just ripped in half. One part of it stuck in the past, watching him fall limp in her arms in the rain and fire, and the other part a jumble of hope and fear, desire and anxiety just to see him again.

Before any tears threaten to fall, she hears the unmistakable mechanic swirling of a Guardian outside the hole in her room. A skywatcher. Knowing time is scarce, she quickly runs over to her wardrobe—thank Goddess it's not destroyed. A cloud of dust swirls around her face as she opens its furnished and polished doors, and she can see her belongings have gone untouched. No one has been in this room since the last time she had. Wasting no time, Zelda scavenges through her abandoned items and finds a couple travel bags, stuffing several undergarments and random pieces of neutral colored clothing into it. As long as it isn't royal blue, she packs them.

Quickly, she changes outfits, trading the priestess garb for a white blouse with sleeves that fall just past her elbows. It has a squared, open neckline that would be way too revealing for a princess, but she's no longer one and it wouldn't hurt to get Link's attention somehow. This used to be her typical outfit of choice when she would sneak into Castle Town to mingle amongst the commoners, until she had to discard of this outfit and her adventures altogether when the Hero had been found and their duties consumed her. She tries to push the memory away as she laces a brown leather hunting corset with light tan etchings on the trim over the blouse and pulls on her black riding pants, then slips into her knee high travel boots. Comfortable, alluring, yet neutral. It should do.

When she finishes changing, she grabs for her dark hooded cloak, exits her room, and doesn't look back.

It isn't until after she escapes the castle grounds does Zelda remember she had left her diary, opened and abandoned on her research desk.

» . «

Zelda is able to maneuver her way throughout the castle unseen, mostly thanks to the Royal tunnels. After all, the castle had been her home and she's able to remember every single nook and cranny, even if it's now in ruin.

Within the tunnel, she almost stumbles over several Royal Guard shields and swords that had possibly been left over from soldiers quickly retreating to defend the Citadel. Nevertheless, she thinks it wise to take one of each, just in case she'd have to battle any enemies lurking within the tunnels. Thankfully, the tunnels have stayed secret from this world, only allowing entrance for the critters who welcome the dust and decay; spiders and bugs and the occasional rat. Only once did she sneak out of the shadows to grab a bow and quiver right underneath the nose of a sleeping lizalfo. It had stirred, but she was fast and stealthy. Zelda had years of experience sneaking around guards, noble folk, and her own father, and it has made her a natural rogue at heart.

Soon she finds the proper tunnel that leads to the entrance of Castle Town, or what is left of it. The rusty latched door breaks open with several hard pounds against her shoulder when she finally becomes faced with this new reality. It's eerily silent, gray and raining, but the rain isn't what has kept this place such a dreary sight. It's the churning purple plasma speckled across burnt houses and crumbling structures, the faint buzzing sounds of possessed technology and tree sized cobwebs with piercing evil eyes. All the families, all the merchants, and travelers who once called this place their home, it was now their graves. She would have wept where she stood if it wasn't for the fear of being spotted by a stalking guardian.

The rain and darkness keep her footsteps unnoticed as she creeps along the crumbling stone wall. She follows the road heading southeast, making her way towards Lon Lon Ranch though she wouldn't dare investigate the site now. She can only assume that it's littered with monster camps and endless smolder, and it would just be adding more tears to her already bloodshot eyes.

It isn't until she comes to a fork in the road that she finally breaks down, letting all emotions rupture like lava pouring down Death Mountain. Her kingdom is diminished to rubble, her father long past, friends all but grief-stricken memories, and now the one thing she had worked so hard to connect to had separated from her, leaving Zelda with nothing but an emptiness in the pit of her being. Would she ever be fixed or cured? Would she one day reconnect with the Goddess, or was this her fate now? Was the entire Royal bloodline tarnished because of this schism? Because she still has to right all her failures?

She can't even decide which is worse; witnessing the world crumble to its present state or discovering the ruined fate of it all. Either way, she's there to see it now and it just about tears her apart all over again.

—But she has to remember that hope is not completely gone, not all of it. He is still here, alive, and she's on her way to help him.

» . «

She's unsure just how long the traveler had been watching her. Eventually, Zelda feels a presence and snaps her head up to see a figure in a gray hooded cloak. Peeking out from beneath his hood, the man looks worried by the state of her, hesitant to approach her, and she feels the same way about him.

This is the first person she's seen since the Calamity

There are still people, she thinks. There's still travelers. Perhaps not much has changed, she tells herself, but she knows it's far from the truth.

Swiftly and gracefully, she does her best to collect her bearings, tries to remember the years she trained as a princess to conceal and compose oneself, but it does no good. She's not even close to the woman she once was. She's still in shock; breath heavy, movements manic and unhinged, crying fiercely, and overall just desperate to… to know.

"Please," Zelda says in between her gasping breaths, "how long has it been?"

Apprehensively, the older man steps closer, and she realizes he's more scared of her than she is of him.

"Beg your pardon, miss, how long has what been?" The old man asks, blinking curiously.

"The Calamity. Wh-when did it happen?"

"Oh dear, well let's see," he rubs his chin. "It must be at least… at least one hundred years by now."

One hundred years.

One hundred years.

Her calculations were off by seventy years. They didn't occur monthly, they occurred quarterly. Any trace of the Kingdom that may have survived after the Calamity would all be dust in the wind, forgotten memories now. An entire generation of Hylians have never known the world she was once a part of and she can't quite consider if that's necessarily a bad thing.

What are people like now? Did they trust one another, still collect in villages and communities, or were people aggressive and maniacal? The old man standing in front of her seems innocent enough.

She muffles out a thank you and he smiles weakly at her.

"Are you alright, child? It's easy to get lost in a rain like this," he pulls at the hood protecting his head, the action shaking droplets around him.

Lost. That's certainly what she felt like.

"I'll be okay," she replies, trying to convince herself as well.

The old man exchanges pleasantries with her—he's eager to explain that he's a vendor who sells meats and goat's butter by traveling to stables across Hyrule. It's from him that she learns about the humble horse stables. They're one of the last remaining trade systems left and she feels a little relief that some form of society has remained.

As it turns out, the elderly merchant is extremely interested in the sword and shield on her back. He doesn't seem to care how she had the pieces, only buying them. As it turns out, he's a collector of Royal antiques and makes an offer to purchase them at what Zelda believes is a hefty price; 500 rupees each which she easily agrees to. She has no use for them anyways, doesn't know how to wield them.

Soon after, he informs her of the stable nearby, just beyond the Whistling Hill, and it's then he mentions the Calamity again.

"It's funny that you should ask about the Calamity. Just yesterday evening all of Hyrule seemed to tremble. Some say Ganon was seen slithering around while others say they witnessed strange glowing towers rise from the ground." He glosses over the shine of the shield with his palm. "I'm sure there are more rumors to follow such odd occurrences, but do you know what I think?"

She shakes her head.

"The Princess is back!" He winks at her and immediately her heart starts to pound.

How did he know? Could he tell? If it's been one hundred years since her last appearance, have the common people been waiting for her return? She did not expect anyone to remember what she looked like, but maybe her face has been passed down in stories and songs. Gods she hopes not, that'd be so embarrassing, and just the thought makes her ears grow hot.

"Yepper," the merchant chirps, "she's been hiding out in the Great Hyrule Forest, building an army of woodland spirits to fight against Calamity Ganon!" He nods in contentment, wholeheartedly believing in his statement. "Only a matter of time now before we see her siege charging out of the Lost Woods."

In response, Zelda could only give the weakest of smiles.

They part ways and she heads for the Riverside Stable. The large tent is the most welcoming sight she'd seen in a century and it makes her heart nearly burst from her chest. It's homey, strung with beautiful lit lanterns and decorated cloths and there's a small system of livestock which she has to force herself not to ask about—her scholarly brain getting the best of her attention as it returns back to her. Although the stable is nothing compared to the sturdy structures and buildings of her past, the residents seem genuinely relaxed here. Perhaps the stables were protected by someone, something, and whatever it is, she's thankful for it.

With money now in her pocket, she decides to stay there overnight as she's soaked from the rain and cold from the storm and it doesn't seem to be letting up for the evening. Besides, she feels a little nervous about venturing in the night with nothing but a few arrows and a steel bow, especially if it starts to thunderstorm and she doesn't know this world anymore. Not how she used to. Instead, she makes small talk with others and learns that there is another stable just on the other side of the Dueling Peaks which is an absolute relief. If she misses Link, she could try and find him there.

After a few odd glances in her direction, she begins to monitor her nerves when she talks to others because so many emotions flow through her like a heavy tide. Bursts of excitement to explore this brand new world, but then to learn what it has belittled to. Even the simplicity of speaking to another person again—Gods she's not alone anymore—but then seeing the nightmares lurk behind her heavy eyelids whenever she blinks. It's a sensation overload and it's almost too much to handle.

When she tries to sleep, Zelda startles everyone in the tent by her screams. So instead, she stays awake all night, watching the travelers come and go as the rain patters violently against the rooftop.

Zelda manages to purchase a horse from the stable and the previous owner throws in a complete set of riding gear, just for her. The horse she buys is a large black beauty with a gray mane and gentle eyes that goes by the name Jassa and Zelda adores him instantly. With a small amount of rupees burning a hole in her pocket, Zelda buys arrows, some snacks, and an empty journal from a vendor with a bug-like rucksack and lanky legs. She meets a medicine man passing through on his way to Rito village and decides it wise to buy as many supplies from him that he's willing to sell, jotting down a few recipes for healing elixirs that he's polite enough to share with her. Making a mental note to herself, Zelda presumes it's probably a good idea to continue researching healing medicine, assuming it'll be a top priority since her only responsibility now is to keep the hero alive.

That is, if she ever finds him.

She also manages to find a small skinning knife lying around the campfire and snatches it without asking if it was anyones. Always one to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.

» . «

Her and Jassa make their way along Hylia River, maneuvering only a few times to distance themselves from monster camps along its sandy bank. They soon take a short break so Jassa can drink from the water and Zelda can enjoy an apple she'd collected from a nearby tree.

Sitting atop a large boulder along the river's edge, Zelda rolls the apple over and over in her palm as she takes in the land around her, elbows on knees and vision lost in the distance. It's not a sunny day; partly cloudy and windy, but it's better than the rain she experienced the day before and at least she can see farther than merely a few steps in front of her. Hyrule is still vast like she remembers, but it's desolate now. No carriages or wagons full of families, no parades of soldiers or royal banners decorating the blue sky as they trot to and from the royal castle. After a hundred years of ruin, Hyrule has succumbed to an empty vessel—kind of like how she feels now.

Although she was dropped into this new world alone and afraid, she can't help but feel a small bit of relief in her heartbreak. This land is nothing like the peaceful one her father once ruled, but it is a different kind of peaceful. It's not loud, gritty, or violent, it's quiet now. Lonely. Immobile enough for the birds and foxes to roam freely. Nature took control while Zelda was away and this reality soothes a bit of her nerves. At least someone was here, watching over what is left.

She closes her eyes and feels the breeze against her cheeks and nose. With a deep breath, she realizes she can no longer smell the metallic rust and acid, but can smell the fresh air after a cleansing rain. It's the smell of healthy trees and wild grass that remind her so vividly of him, the sleeping hero. A fox squeaks behind her and the birds chirp above and it makes the corners of her lips tilt upwards, but that's when she realizes her eyes are full of tears.

So she allows herself to cry, but it's different from the day before. She sobs for the world she once knew, was once a part of. It had been one hundred years since she gazed upon its hills and mountains, rivers and streams, but it's still so beautiful even now. She cries for the things she doesn't quite understand; the force that freed her from her containment and why the Goddess had been so adamant about separating because she aches for the divinity that used to reside within her, her soul panging for that lost connection, and she wonders if things will ever be the same. She's nothing but a common Hylian now, no special abilities or divine birthright, all the cursed gifts she once prayed for—it's just an empty hole filled with trauma and heartbreak.

The only thing keeping her from shattering entirely is knowing that Link is awake and he needs her. His only chance of survival lies with Zelda and her guidance to all the corrupted Divine Beasts and she's grateful to feel needed somewhere, somehow, but why her?

Hylia's words come whispering into her mind; Link will be told to head towards the Dueling Peaks, but directed by whom? Who was up there protecting the hero and watching over him while he slept? Perhaps there's a network of Sheikah informed by Impa to guard him? Or maybe a spirit was sent to watch over the Shrine until he woke. It could be anything.

Hylia had also informed her that the hero's memory is gone and that she shouldn't trigger it. Thankfully, this world had forgotten her face, no one at the stable batted an eye at her unless she was bumbling like a mad woman, asking questions about the stable system or screaming in her sleep….but would he remember her? The slightest memory provoked too early may spiral into a mental breakdown, collapse, or post trauma and that's exactly what the hero should not be dealing with when there's much more important matters at hand.

No, this isn't about reuniting with her hero; it's about helping him—and she should remain forgotten until he's ready to remember her.

Eventually, Zelda has no more tears to shed. Now completely numb, she thinks maybe it's better to feel this way. Through blurry vision, Zelda drops her head and stares down at the skinning knife strapped to her belt and watches as strands of her golden hair drift softly in the breeze, draping around her entire body like a curtain. Her hair was once deemed as beautiful as a smile from the Goddess herself. She's always felt like it got in her way.

With the last of her tears collecting in the corners of her eyes, she reaches for the knife as she takes her other hand and clasps her hair around the nape of her neck. The heart in her chest pounding, breath in her throat steadying, she's determined and nervous, but willing to do what she's always wanted though was never allowed of her. She takes a shaky inhale through her nose and holds it.

On her exhale, the blade slices through her hair in one smooth action and the ends of Zelda's hair fall simply a few inches below her ears and along her jawline. Messy and untamable, simple yet new and thrilling. She can feel the wind on her neck and it soothes her.

Birds chirp above flying in pairs, and her newest companion munches on the tall grass beside her as Zelda moves to the river's edge. Sitting on her shins, she places her abandoned hair onto the water's calm surface and watches it float peacefully along until it begins to separate, strand by strand, and drifts out of sight. Another piece of her past has been removed, lost to the gentle waves of Hylia river, and now she's finally ready to step into the present—ready to be a part of it.

She's no longer recognizable as Princess Zelda, daughter of King Rhoam Bosphoramus the Third, the woman who seals the darkness and future monarch of Hyrule. She's now just another nameless traveler, roaming the wild.