Moving On Epilogue

"Thank you for earlier, it really meant a lot."

"You already thanked me hehe."

"Hah! I know, but I feel like I haven't enough, really I can't tell you how helpful you were." A warm smile adorned Link's face as he spoke, one Riju returned when he finished.

"Of course. You've done so much for us after all, and you are a close friend." She said, care clear in her voice, he could also tell there was something else there. He hadn't forgotten that attempted kiss, it hadn't been that long since then despite how it felt. He knew she wanted, or was at least interested in him, and now he was starting to come to terms with his own reciprocation of those feelings. He'd spent most of the day trying to be at peace with them, humming that song as he recounted to himself the wisdom that shade passed on to him, along with his own thoughts on how Mipha would above all want him to be happy.

"Riju..."

"Hm?"

He'd chosen happiness and had asked to talk to Riju privately shortly after Princess Zelda's departure.

"I wanted to talk to you about... that time at the inn." He wasn't good with words, his rare use of them made them akin to a second language, action and most prominently battle being his first, and his inexperience with words was showing now more than ever.

"Oh, yes, I'm so sorry about that. The last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable, so please lets both forget it happened and move on." His poor wording was giving her the wrong idea, that wasn't at all what he wanted to say, maybe he hadn't continued quick enough, but he wasn't even sure what to say.

"No, it's not, I just-" He gave up on talking after fruitless attempts and finally spoke through his primary language. Link grabbed hold of Riju and pulled her close, his lips finally returning to hers after he'd taken them away in his own misguided guilt. It felt magical, he hadn't felt this way in so long, he could barely even remember the last time he did, though even then he was of course suppressing such a memory at the moment as to not let the feeling of guilt overcome him yet again.


Riju was immensely shocked, she had been telling herself such a thing would never happen so as to not burden herself with impossible what-ifs. But there he was, holding her, his lips upon hers. She remembered hearing from other vai how it felt to be accepted by the one you loved. It was far more beautiful than anything they could ever describe. She welcomed his advances, kissing him back and wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, for helping me through my darkest hour. I love you." Link spoke through both words and actions as he brought her in for a tight hug. She heard in his voice he was coming to tears and hugged him back tight.

"I love you too."


For a while they kept their relationship secret, not that they didn't trust their friends or that Riju didn't trust her people, they just didn't want to be too quick with everything. Despite taking that first step, Link was still healing, and still had bouts of anxiety and guilt from time to time, something he couldn't help. Buliara was first to find out, though she suspected them ever since finding them together in Riju's bed. She was heavily concerned about the Princess' reception to eventually finding out and was shocked when Zelda outright hugged Riju and thanked her once they finally told her 3 months later, she was the second person to find out. After that the cat was out of the bag and it didn't take long for news to spread all over Hyrule, though Riju wasn't too pleased with their relationship being a thing talked about all over the land, it couldn't really be helped when she was courting a man such as the hero of Hyrule. Her people were very receptive to the idea of Link being her partner, some were against the idea of keeping a voe in Gerudo town for the long-term, though such opinions were surprisingly rare. She supposed that's what happened when said voe spent weeks at a time helping each and every vai in town with any problem they had, a habit he never really got out of, not that she complained, she had happier people who were of course much more accepting of their relationship because of it.

About a year later, Link finally managed to convince Riju to come with him to Hyrule for a few days, leaving some duties to Buliara while she was briefly gone. He rode her to Hateno village where he'd previously lived, her reaction to riding horseback was hilarious, she said it was like someone had kicked her throne down a ridge with her on it. She eventually got used to it, though she held onto Link firmly the entire time and refused to let go. They met Zelda at her home in Hateno, chatting and staying briefly.

Zelda told Riju how Link had once parried a guardian beam with a pot lid... then how he once cooked a rock into his stew because Daruk told him it'd be tasty, multiple times. Link almost spat out his tea when she said that, his red face earning an outburst of laughter from the two. When he was able to talk again he retorted by asking who exactly spent most of their day reading books in a "secret well." Which had Zelda go silent. Before they left, Zelda gave him the picture of the champions he'd hung on the wall when he bought the house. She wanted him to keep it since it upset her to look at. Link was grateful and took the picture with him, later he'd hang it up in Riju's room where he'd sometimes gaze at it longingly. It was Riju's first time seeing all the champions, sometimes he'd tell her about one of them, though of course she was most interested in what Urbosa was like. Link also took a minute to discuss something privately with Zelda shortly before they left, from what she gathered he was asking her about some historical figure, maybe a hero like him?

Before they left Hateno, Link said a quick hello to the village children, Riju could barely believe when he told her he'd once taught them at the local school. They made a brief visit to Kakariko, Impa had since returned from her Geoglyph quest and was helping guide Paya in her role as chief, Riju recognized a part of herself in her, a position of power thrust onto her from nowhere, though the circumstances for Paya were luckily far better than her own. Paya was pleasant to talk to as well, recognizing their similarities and even admitting she looked up to her ever since she'd heard of her. Everyone in the village said hello to Link as they passed through, from the children to the elderly. Their last stop was Lurelin village in Faron, Link took a shortcut through the wild to save time. Riju was enamored by the rainforest, it was like the total opposite of the desert. The beach too, took her aback, even the sand here was different, and so much water as far as the eye could see... Link chuckled at her astonishment and joked "If only we could drink it." Everyone here knew Link as well, in fact she quickly found out that Link had saved the village from Pirates, restored it and built a whole new attraction for them. It was unthinkable how much he'd done, how so many people knew him, Riju was gaining a new appreciation for Link's capabilities thanks to this trip. This one voe had somehow solved the problems of all Hyrule single-handedly. He really was the perfect voe. She was glad to have him.

They returned to Gerudo desert afterwards, it rained on their way back and Link put a cloak on that Riju hid under as well, it felt so strange having water fall from the sky, she couldn't imagine this being a common occurrence. Link bid farewell to his horse, Epona, when they reached Gerudo valley, according to him it was the name of his father's horse. On their way back to town, Link stopped at the great rift of the desert, brought about by the Upheaval. He walked in until he found some sort of inscription upon the rock. He kneeled down and took something from his pack, some sort of stone helmet, and placed it carefully before the wall.

"I know this probably isn't the real thing, but it's all I can possibly do for you, I hope this brings you a measure of peace." He said, facing the rock. A grave then. The Master sword glowed slightly in its sheathe as he knelt there. He spent a moment praying before moving on, Riju wasn't sure who he was praying for, but if it was someone important to him then she would put her prayers forth for their spirit too. She later asked who it was on their way through the desert, he told her he didn't know for sure, but he had a feeling it was his predecessor.

A few weeks after their return to Gerudo town, Riju proposed to him in her throne room with an emerald circlet, one she had carefully crafted by Isha specifically for this occasion. He gratefully accepted it, and from then on, they were married. A great festival was held the following evening, once again most of her people were more than happy with him staying. He wasn't to be declared "King" but instead, Chieftan, while Riju still held the title of Chief. They would rule over the desert together.

Link from then on wore his emerald circlet proudly, his hair no longer tied up, but instead flowing freely, adorned by gold and emerald trinkets similarly to Riju's. Link had Isha craft her a sapphire circlet, it matched his in every way save for the gem. Riju often remarked that his golden hair was like the sands of the desert, warm, welcoming of her people, and beautiful. Link wasn't able to come up with any way to top that and usually just got flustered when she said such a thing, getting a laugh from her. He still mourned Mipha's loss, as he did with all the champions, but his wounds were much better, and soon he felt he would be fully healed, with only scars remaining.

A\N Thank you for reading!