Chapter 43: After
Golden evening light swept over Akkala, shining through the crimson and amber leaves of its unique trees and painting the fields in shades of sunny yellow. Cheering and laughter echoed off the cliffsides surrounding the town, as the sweet, clear peals of the Unity Bell rang out over Lake Akkala's clear waters far below. Flower petals floated down from above, tossed in handfuls by Robbie and Impa from a hot air balloon hovering over the main square.
The square was filled nearly to bursting with those who had been invited. Stable hands and managers from across Hyrule, muck and hay carefully scraped from their boots, which had been tediously polished before their arrival. The old man Lester had been asked to watch over Ember during the proceedings, to ensure the eventual getaway horse was behaving himself. Soldiers and officers of the monster control unit, with armor and weapons gleaming in the sunlight, entirely clean from the corrosion Ganondorf had wrought upon them. Members of the Zonai Survey Team, who had been told multiple times that showing up in underwear was strictly prohibited, and that the dress code rules would be enforced by an angry Purah wielding – for whatever reason – a recorder.
The four sages stood closer to the Unity Bell, along with a few of their family members and friends. Tulin stuck close to his father, trying not to sneak shy glances at Kheel as they watched the proceedings – Kass's daughters had come along, too. Yunobo and Bludo stood with several of the workers for Hudson Construction; they had been talking energetically before the ceremony began, and had big plans to continue their conversation afterwards. Riju and Buliara sat next to Rhondson and little Mattison; Riju had brought along several of her old sand seal toys for Mattison to play with, to help her keep quiet during the event.
Yona stood next to her attendants in the crowd, for Sidon stood beneath the Unity Bell, serving as the officiator. Penn perched nearby, tasked with bearing the rings for the couple beneath the bell.
Link had eyes only for Zelda, wearing a flowing white dress with a long train and sleeves that flared out around her wrists, and a veil draped over her head. She truly looked like a goddess, he thought.
Link himself had found the formal white boots he had once worn as part of his Royal Guard's uniform. Rhondson and Zelda had worked together to tailor the rest of his attire, similar to his old uniform in design, but all in white.
They stood facing each other before the statue of the Goddess Hylia beneath the Unity Bell, hands clasped, and Link's heart fluttered as Zelda smiled at him, her gaze soft and warm.
Sidon finished his opening remarks and looked up from the book he had been reading from, grinning widely. "My friends," he called out, throwing his arms wide. "Today is a day of great rejoicing, for we are gathered here to join Link and Zelda in matrimony, that they may face the rest of their lives as one, weathering every challenge together, hand in hand! Penn, good sir – the rings!"
Penn stepped forward with a broad smile, holding out the pillow bearing two rings. One silver, with a wrought silent princess flower on its back, studded with luminous stones polished to a perfect teal. Link had first presented it to Zelda some weeks prior, as they watched the sun set over the ocean and rosy fairy lights glittered over a heart-shaped pond with clear waters and lilies in full bloom. The other ring Zelda had commissioned for him from a rising Goron artisan greatly inspired by the wonders of Ancient Gorondia. It was a simple band of gold, engraved with two symbols – the crest of the Sage of Time, and the crest of the Sage of Light, each respectively born in the maws of two dragons winding together around the circumference. It was, quite literally, a dragon ring.
"Link, my friend," Sidon continued happily. "Before the eyes of these witnesses, and before those of Goddess Hylia, do you take Zelda to be your wife, to have and to hold, in good times and in bad?"
"I do," Link murmured, gazing deep into Zelda's eyes – when he noticed the glitter of tears, he felt his own eyes begin to sting as well.
"And Zelda, my dear friend as well," Sidon went on. "Before the eyes of these witnesses, and before those of Goddess Hylia, do you take Link as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in good times and in bad?"
"I do," Zelda smiled with a slight laugh of pure joy, blinking tears from her eyes.
She took the golden dragon ring and slid it onto his hand, and Link took the silver silent princess ring and tenderly placed it on Zelda's hand, his spirits soaring within him.
"By my authority as King of the Zora, I pronounce you wed," Sidon beamed. "Beloved friends from across Hyrule, I present to you this newly married couple!"
The cheer that rose up from the crowd could have reached the dragons' realm in the skies. Link hardly heard it at all, as his arms wrapped firmly around Zelda, and hers around him, and their lips met in a passionate, loving kiss.
Some weeks later, a far larger crowd gathered at Lookout Landing, the fortress that had survived the Vanquishing War against the Demon King, that stood against hordes of enemy forces and protected Hyrule from their insatiable wrath. In many ways it had become a symbol of Hyrule's strength, and of its unity in the face of danger. Where the seat of power of the old kingdom had been overthrown and destroyed, in the very place where the forces of evil fought to overturn Hyrule's peace and prosperity, the new kingdom was established.
The crown belonging to Hyrule's most recent king had been lost in the Calamity a century ago. But the Zonai Survey Team had found carvings of the crown of previous kings of Hyrule, closer in time to Rauru and Sonia than to Rhoam. Those 'crowns' were far more similar to circlets crafted to resemble laurel leaves, with a gemstone or a crest in the center. Two were crafted.
On this day at Lookout Landing, they were presented to Link and Zelda by the four sages themselves. As Link knelt on the crest of Hyrule on the northern end of the fortress, Tulin carefully placed the crown upon his head, as beside him Riju placed the matching crown on Zelda's brow.
Yunobo cleared his throat, glancing briefly at his hands for the words Sidon had helped him prepare. "Here follow the days of the King and Queen of Hyrule!" he called, and smiled in relief when he was done.
"May they be blessed by the Goddesses!" Sidon added, resting an encouraging hand on Yunobo's shoulder.
Hand in hand, Link and Zelda rose to their feet and turned to face the people of Hyrule who had gathered. A great cheer roared up from the assembly, and as Link gazed out over the crowd he wasn't particularly surprised to find that he recognized most, if not all, of the faces below, though he did not know all of them by name.
When the cheers had faded, Link stepped forward, the words he had prepared swimming in his mind and threatening to jumble out of order. He inhaled deeply.
"Long ago, at the initial founding of the kingdom of Hyrule," he began, "a Zonai from the heavens married a Hylian priestess from the surface. They did not demand obedience or praise, nor did they rule with a heavy hand over their subjects. Instead, the people followed them because they were leaders worth following, who cared for their people and wanted nothing more than their protection and peace.
"When an evil man rose up and threatened that peace, King Rauru unified Hyrule – not through military conquests or threats or displays of his own power," Link went on. "Instead, he shared his power with the other leaders across Hyrule – leaders who, like him, wanted to keep their people safe. They forged a bond, and called themselves sages. They used the powers of the Zonai to oppose the Demon King, and return peace to their lands.
"As Zelda and I stand before you, we swear to uphold the legacy of King Rauru and Queen Sonia," Link said somberly, bowing his head. "We exist not to elevate ourselves up above you, but to serve you – to protect you, and fight for your peace, as the founders of this kingdom did. We vow this day to lead the sages of our era to defend Hyrule from any threat, to preserve our peace, to lay the foundation for that peace to last for generations to come, as is the duty of any leader."
"King Rauru, Queen Sonia, and the ancient sages," Zelda said, giving his hand a light squeeze. "They wished not only to save Hyrule from the Demon King, but for it to see eternal peace." She smiled out over the gathering, with all of the warmth, wisdom, and kindness that had filled Sonia's own gaze. "We dedicate ourselves to that goal. Now, and for all time. My friends… with all of your strength, stand with us!"
The four sages took their places behind Link and Zelda, and as their ancestors had done generations ago, recited ancient words as one. "Those of us, gathered here, swear on our lives to support King Link and Queen Zelda, and safeguard the land of Hyrule."
And the people of Hyrule gathered below joined their voices as one, shouting in celebration, enthusiastically welcoming in what they prayed would be an era of lasting peace and prosperity.
After it all, the King and Queen of Hyrule did not retreat to a new, ornate palace from which they could direct each and every affair of the people. No – the peoples of Hyrule had learned how to govern their own regions well enough since the Calamity. And now they had learned unity – how to come together, joined by bonds stronger than locale. Besides, Lookout Landing served well enough as a central gathering place for Hyrule's many leaders to counsel together. And they did, often, sharing tales with one another, maintaining relationships, laying out plans to support one another in this new era.
When the King and Queen of Hyrule were not meeting with the other leaders of Hyrule, very few knew where to find them. The sages, and select others, held the secret close to their heart, allowing wild rumors to spread among their people – that the King and Queen spent their days traveling and exploring ancient ruins, that they dwelt somewhere in the sky, that they were breeding Dondons in Faron…
But on the outskirts of Tarrey Town, in the highlands to the north, a humble cottage stood with smoke curling from the chimney, more often than not smelling of delicious meals. Two horses roamed the pasture around the house, one black as coal and rather small, and the other graceful and elegant, with a striking golden coat. Many a cold, weary traveler passed along the tales of the two residents of the cottage, the warm meals that were shared, the respite from whatever storm or trial waited outside.
It felt like home, they said. It felt like family.
Thank you so much to everyone who came along on this journey with me! Special thank you to those of you who shared your thoughts; it's always so much fun for me to see what you have to say!
A little note about my writing going forward... after writing Requiem, my husband and I both felt that this is my most polished, cleanly written story to date. It's the first story I've ever written that, after writing, I've felt, "I would actually want to read this!" That, ultimately, has always been my goal as a writer. I was a truly voracious reader as a kid, but eventually I reached the point where I felt like I'd read all the good books there were. Now, to be fair, I have some pretty specific preferences, and I'm a pretty picky reader when it comes to certain things. At that point, my goal was to write the stories that I felt were worth reading, and if those stories happened to be what other people wanted to read, that was just as well! I wrote a few OC's that were pretty obviously the work of a kid, and then I got into writing fanfiction and dabbled around with that again.
At this point, I feel that things have come full circle. I think that my writing skills have developed enough for me to try my hand at original content again. So, for the foreseeable future, I will be taking a hiatus from writing fanfiction to focus on my current OC. I hope you enjoy the stories I've come up with on here, and I wish all of you the very best!