AUTHOR'S NOTE: quick note that the Epilogue spoils major plot points of TotK.

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Title: Hyrule Castle Survey Team

Chapter 5: The Morning After & Epilogue

Author: Sailor Song

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"...a?"

"...ink? Princess?"

"Linky, where are you?"

Link's eyes fluttered open. Disoriented and alone, he sat up suddenly, confused about where he was. He was completely naked, although his lower half was covered by the velvety blue of his princess's royal gown. Where was its owner? And where were his clothes?

He heard soft footsteps approaching, and in the dim light, he saw his princess, fully dressed in her travel clothing.

"Our friends are here. They're looking for us," she whispered, tossing a set of clothing his way.

Quick as he could, he dressed, noticing it was his normal trousers and Champion's tunic. "What happened to the other clothes I was wearing?" he asked as he looked around.

She shrugged as she collected the pieces of her dress and stuffed it in her bag. "Maybe a ghost took them."

He narrowed his eyes as he pulled his tunic over his head, noticing in the dim light that it had gained a few new holes in recent years. While the damage caused during his near fatal wound one hundred years ago had been lovingly stitched up and later enhanced by fairy magic, the fight with the Calamity, as well as Zelda constantly stealing it to sleep in, had begun pulling at threads that were impossible to repair.

"Did you… sleep through the night?" he asked.

She nodded. "No nightmares this time. I only just woke up a bit ago."

That wasn't quite true, at least not the part about when she woke up. In reality, she had been awake a tad bit longer, setting up an elaborate new game for him to play in future. The part about her not having nightmares was true, and she suspected that had something to do with the pair of them being connected through the night.

"They're almost here," he said as he tugged the final strap of his baldric into place. "Before they find us…" He didn't finish, just reached for her, kissing her lips passionately, knowing it would be a while before they had another chance.

"Hi," she said after they broke apart. "Did you have fun surveying the castle with me?"

He rubbed his hands up and down his sleepy face, a smile emerging on his features. "I did. Hopefully it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be."

She shook her head. "It was better than any time here I can remember."

"Good," he said. "We should go meet them before they figure out what we have been up to."

She looked around at the books and papers scattered about. Shrugging, she suggested, "We could just blame this mess on the Calamity."

He chuckled as he picked up their bags and slung them over his shoulder. "Ready?"

"No, wait," she said, her hand grasping his free one. She deposited something inside wordlessly and looked in his eyes.

He looked at it, the tiny vial of a potion that he knew all too well, before looking back at her and handing it to her. "Your choice," he said at last, kissing her on the cheek. "It's always your choice. I'll support you either way."

She squeezed the cool glass bottle gently, unconsciously letting her free hand touch her lower stomach.

A child would certainly change things, but there was no way to know if the potion was even necessary. For all of her plans and efforts, she'd learned long ago that the goddesses had their own designs for hers and Link's fates. Their destinies had been chiseled into stone long ago, so why not leave this up to destiny as well?

Deciding to leave it to chance, she slipped the full vial into her travel pouch before taking him by the hand. Together, the pair climbed the stairs to greet the dawn and their worried friends.

What they didn't notice as they ascended the stairs, were the thin wisps of reddish-black miasma that seeped up through the smallest of cracks in the stone floor. Too weak to exist in the light of day, the gaseous form of the sludge retreated back into the depths of the castle, waiting to feed off of the energy of others as it had for countless millennia, although it especially longed for the familiar golden-haired princess. It wouldn't be long now, it would assure when it rejoined its master. A little while more… he was patient.

He was inevitable.

Epilogue

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Title: Hyrule Castle Survey Team

Chapter:

Author: Sailor Song

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"Link… I am waiting…" she taunted yet again. "Waiting… waiting for you…"

He had chased rumors and visions of Zelda all over Hyrule, but now he seemed to be closing in on her. Or whatever this creature really is, he thought as he drew the Master Sword from its scabbard.

He knew the truth, but he couldn't accept it. Not right now. He had a mission, but his number one objective had always been to protect her and keep her safe. If he let his mind explore the likelihood that that was no longer possible, he couldn't be certain of what he would do in response. So for now, he followed this aberration around their former home, slaying monsters that appeared in the bowels of the castle.

The last place she led him seemed not surprising; it was unoriginal and ironically convenient considering what he needed to retrieve here in the Sanctum. But first thing was first, he needed to deal with the immediate threat.

He took his final steps towards the entrance of the Sanctum, seeing her standing under the balcony with her Zonai gown and vacant eyes. The second he walked in the room, she vanished in golden light, and he clenched onto the grip of the Master Sword as he anticipated another round of monsters to begin their attack. This time, it seemed, the game had changed.

"At last… I have been waiting for you to arrive." She appeared now on the great balcony, standing before the rotting throne of the last king of Hyrule. "Now, Link… there is something here I want to show you."

With the wave of her hands, a golden light spilled forth, and in an instant, the Sanctum transformed before his very eyes.

Suddenly, the room had reverted back into the first place they had met, back when they were young children attending the funeral of the queen, her mother; the place where he had handed her a white flower with a blue center, and he had wished in his heart for the ability to keep her from ever feeling sadness again. It was the room where he had been brought before the king as a tired and dirty thirteen-year-old, clutching a sword that looked to be too large for a boy his size to wield. He caught a glimpse of her golden hair and green eyes peeking out from behind the empty throne, ignoring everything else happening as the king proclaimed him the kingdom's savior. The room where he'd been appointed her knight, and swore to give his life to protect her from harm. It was where she had been trapped for a century, holding back a monster to give him time to heal and regain his strength and sword.

She giggled in a way that sent a shiver down his spine. Suddenly, she appeared to his left as she descended the staircase. "What do you think?" Reaching the bottom, she kept her distance as she surveyed her work. "Hyrule Castle. Perfect and glorious."

His Zelda wouldn't say that.

In the blink of an eye, she was gone, appearing now closer and to his right. "Does it awaken memories?"

Her voice. Although he knew something was wrong about it, he couldn't help but be lulled into the mesmerizing tones. How long had it been since they descended below the castle and discovered the mummy? How long had it been since he lost his arm and sword to the gloom, since he failed to grasp her hand as she fell into the void?

"Memories of our time here?" He spun around to find she appeared behind him this time. At that moment, he gave in to his weakness and loneliness, lowering his sword and permitting her the space to approach. He had tried to not think about their last time in the castle, the sensuality and intimacy they shared, but how could he not. It had been far too long since she had touched him, and he found it hard to take care of himself given his dominant hand was no longer his own. He closed his eyes, ready to let whatever this thing was have its way with him.

"Well really take in every detail…" he heard her voice say from a direction opposite what he expected. He opened his eyes and found her somewhere else, oblivious to how easy it could have been to take him out just then. "After all, this place…" she began, now standing on the opposite side of the circle bearing the great seal of Hyrule. She continued, but now with a voice corrupted and full of malice, "...will be the last thing you ever see."

Of course, he thought. He had known it wasn't her, but as the mummy's apparition appeared above Zelda, he remembered the dragon's tear vision of the Puppet Zelda who had lured Queen Sonia into a trap the night she was murdered.

Nothing else the monster said now mattered as he watched her form vanish for the last time into red and black swirls of gloom. It had lost its chance to take a willing victim, and now, he was angry. Angry with the demon for existing, angry that she had been forced to sacrifice herself, but most of all, he was angry with himself for not being strong enough. The others had had it right long ago when they told him he was beneath her.

Link… protect them all.

Somehow, her voice entered his ears. Her call to action, her belief in him that he would not fail to save Hyrule. He gripped the sword tighter as he rushed toward the phantom. He would not fail her again.

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As the last of the gloom sank back into the floor and the castle was restored to ruins, a cheer erupted from the Gerudo, Rito, Goron, and Zora. With the threat neutralized, the sages agreed to meet back at Lookout Landing. He nodded and promised to join shortly, but ignored the sympathetic glances they gave him as they tried to catch his attention. He didn't want pity right now, not from them, not from anyone.

Now alone in the crumbling Sanctum, he looked up to the balcony, wondering if he would ever see her again. Hold her again…

He pushed the thoughts down. His main objective was to stop Ganondorf, everything else would have to wait.

Slowly, he climbed the steps to the Sanctum's balcony. Zelda's diary had given him more than enough information to locate and solve the puzzle to retrieve an item he greatly needed. It was simple enough that it made him wonder exactly how she had originally intended to get him here. Knowing their last visit here together, she probably would have turned this into a sex game as well.

He opened the hidden chest to see the blue Champion's armor, new and improved to replace the one he had lost to the gloom that had decimated his arm. As he pulled it from its hiding place, a piece of paper enveloped inside fluttered to the floor. Picking it up, he read her words to him.

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My Dearest Link,

On the occasion of your 25th, well 125th birthday to be precise, I have two gifts for you. The first you have found after you used your cleverness to solve my puzzle. While wearing your old tunic during the great crepe mishap, I discovered some holes that seemed beyond repair. While I appreciate your sentimentality in keeping the relic, I want you to be safe, so I have commissioned this new tunic and armor to protect my valiant knight.

The second gift is a treasure hunt of sorts. You noticed that your Royal Guard armor went missing after our castle survey, and I will confess to you now that I was indeed the one responsible for that. I have another game for you, a scavenger hunt if you will. I have hidden treasure chests containing the pieces of your armor around the castle in the very locations where we very recently spent time together. There is no trick to finding them, the armor is yours and shall be returned to you… you need only to recover them, perhaps spending a moment basking in the pleasure you gave and received in each room.

However, I have one final proposition for you.

I love you, Link. You are my best friend and truest companion, and I could not imagine spending the rest of my life standing beside anyone else. Impa tells me that I should be the one to propose, but I would never ask you to marry me if I thought it would bring harm to our relationship. If you come to me wearing the full Royal Guard set, I shall know it as a sign that everything is okay. If not, I will never approach the subject and everything will continue as before. Whatever you decide, know that I will always love you with all my heart.

Yours,

Zelda

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He wasn't sure when he started crying. He didn't even know he was until a tear fell onto her letter. The pain hit him like the full force of a lynel - she was gone. She had loved him, she had wanted to marry him, to forever share her life with him, but she was gone.

As he clutched the armor to his chest, he screamed with pain and frustration that welled up from the depths of his soul. Vision blurring, he collapsed to the ground, ignoring his sword as it released gentle chimes from its scabbard.

It may have been minutes, hours, or even days, but what provoked him from his stupor was a dragon's roar that seemed to echo the very guttural cry he had made. She had answered him and was now flying close enough to the castle for him to reach her again. Without a second's thought, he ascended as high as he could through the castle before leaping off the tallest tower and sailing over to land on her golden mane.

He would join the others later; they didn't need to see him like this. Ganondorf's puppet may not have beat him, but seeing her like that again, so close that he could almost touch her, had damaged him more than the Demon King would ever realize. Being with her high in the skies above Hyrule, in this beautiful, monstrous form, if only for a little while, was what he needed to attempt to heal enough to right himself and return to his mission.

So just for now, with her, he would stay, he would sleep, he would heal, and above all, he would send up his prayers to the goddesses that he might somehow find the way to undo her forbidden sacrifice and bring his love back home to him.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for joining me! I'm not sure what my next story will be; I have several started, but I can't commit to working on just one. Hopefully work will calm down a bit and I can get back into it!