POV Zelda

Completely stunned, I can't find any words after hearing Tauro's news. After all these years, he's back, as suddenly as he fled. And at the worst possible time. Tauro looks at me with concern, the hidden tension in his eyes unbearable.

"How are you feeling?" is his first question. Despite knowing what Link's return might mean, his priority is still my well-being. My stomach churns.

"I don't know," I reply honestly. "I didn't think he'd come back… ever."

Tauro nods sympathetically.

"Zelda, I…" he begins, but cuts himself off and sighs sadly.

I have a bad feeling but gesture for him to continue.

"I loved the past few weeks. You're amazing. When we're talking, the hours fly by like minutes. But I… I don't have the time or energy for a love triangle."

I'm speechless for a few seconds.

"What do you mean by that?"

Tauro runs a hand over his neck, uncomfortable, but continues, looking me in the eyes as he speaks.

"You clearly haven't gotten over him, Zelda. And when it was just his ghost between us, I thought we could handle it. But now he's here, and even after years, you're torn. And I want to be with someone who's 100% committed to me. I'm sorry for that."

Even though what he says is completely understandable and reasonable, I feel betrayed—he knew the story before choosing to get involved with me.

"You're breaking up with me?"

"I am," he says simply.

"But… I don't understand. Is it because of yesterday?" I blurt out, hurt.

I see desperation in his eyes at my accusation.

"Of course not, Zelda! If it were just a physical thing, I'd wait years, without a second thought. But it's clear as day that your heart is still with Link. You might think it's not, but I saw how your face lit up at the news—even beneath the initial shock. And I won't… I don't want to compete with that."

Completely stunned, I stand up. Tauro does too and moves closer to me.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way. But I deserve a whole relationship. We all do."

I nod, unsure what to say. He steps closer, pulls me into a hug, and plants a gentle kiss on top of my head.

"I really hope you two work things out," he says softly, pulling back a little to look at my face. "And if it doesn't work out and you manage to move on, maybe we could try again?" Tauro laughs.

I am furious. It's been four days since my world was turned upside down again. Just when everything seemed to be falling into place, that DAMNED man comes back and wrecks it all over again. I grab my pillow, press it to my face, and scream, pouring all my rage into it. My fury is so intense that it leaves scorched marks where my hands grip the fabric.

Someone knocks on the door. I look out the window and see it's around noon. After Tauro broke up with me, I came straight to the chalet and have stayed here since—let my rage destroy the furniture instead of some unsuspecting person.

"Z?" Purah's voice comes from outside. "We're all worried; it's been days since you left the house."

"GO AWAY," I shout, sulking.

The door opens, and Purah walks in, ignoring my command.

"Honestly, Zelda, haven't we outgrown tantrums?"

"I have the right!" I scream, unable to stop freaking out. "Everything was going so well! Why did he come back, Purah? WHY?!"

"Going well, Zelda?" her expression is incredulous. "You spent almost five years wandering the kingdom like a zombie. Alright, to be fair, you worked a lot too; we made significant progress in dismantling the Sheikah structures and guardians, we're attracting many tourists to the kingdom, boosting the economy. But on a personal level, you're a wreck. I thought Tauro might help you snap out of it, but the poor guy almost sank along with you! It's a good thing he had the sense to step back."

"You're saying no one deserves the burden of being with me?" I retort.

"I'm saying it's high time you stopped outsourcing your happiness to someone else."

I sit on the bed. Purah climbs the stairs, sits next to me, and holds my hands.

"I know it's hard, Zelda. But it's up to you how you handle everything life throws at you. Link's back, and like it or not, you'll have to deal with him. He made some discoveries that need to be discussed with you as well."

My foolish heart races at the thought of meeting him again.

"But let's keep it professional and civil, okay? First, figure out who you are before jumping back into a relationship with him."

I huff, frustrated.

"I'm trying to figure it out! The memories aren't coming, Purah."

She gives an enigmatic smile.

"I think that's about to change."

"What do you mean?"

"Just a theory I'm working on based on what I've observed."

Before I can ask for more information, she concludes:

"I'm going back to the lab. Finish pulling yourself together today. I'll stop by tomorrow morning to go to Kakariko. We all need to gather to discuss what's going on."

Resigned and silent, I watch her descend the stairs and leave the chalet. Exhausted, I lie down on the bed and get lost in thoughts. Before I know it, I fall asleep.

"Why are you so bothered by this, Hylia?" a voice says as I float desperately back and forth.

"He'll destroy everything, Nayru!" I exclaim, frustrated.

I'm inside the Sacred Realm, and the Triforce floats, ethereal, in the background. Nayru, like me, doesn't present herself in material form here and appears more like a ball of energy; she glows in a bluish hue, and I in golden.

"And what's the problem, Hylia?" Din questions; her energy, reddish. "This is just one of the many worlds we've created in different dimensions. If he destroys it, we'll make another."

"You don't understand," I plead. "Of all the worlds you've created, this one is the most harmonious. None of the others have prospered so much!"

"Look at the courage to lie," retorts Farore, green. "Prosperity, my foot, it's all because of that Hylian who follows you like a pet."

I falter at the thought of him but quickly regain my composure.

"Of course not! I love that place and don't want to see that demon destroy everything I've built with the people over so many millennia!"

"Things end, Hylia. This has happened millions of times and will keep happening. It's the natural cycle of worlds. We create, they prosper; as a byproduct, destructive energy arises, it decays and ends. And we repeat. It's simple and natural," Nayru reinforces with all her unbearable wisdom.

"I KNOW THAT. But not yet, Nayru! This world is still very young, only a few millennia old! And it's evolved so much in such a short time. It would be a waste!"

"Hylia, you know that when that Hylian dies, you'll never see him again, right? His essence will return to the fabric of the universe, as it should. What's the point of putting so much energy just to prevent this for a few more decades?" Din asks, genuinely curious.

"And another thing: we were actually thinking of materializing a new race we're developing. They're like Hylians but hybrid with dragons!" Farore announces, excited. "We thought we'd have to wait a few more millennia until this kingdom decayed and made way for them to descend. But if everything is destroyed now, it will release energy so we can create a new world and debut them!"

How can they even think about this?

"Not yet," I declare, irritated. A plan begins to form in my mind. My light energy hasn't had any effect when it hits Demise from the outside—his shell is too hard and thick. But if I could strike him from within…

Concentrated, I start creating a sword out of pure light. Its blade is imbued with my power. It's not very large; I don't have enough strength to summon so many material particles charged with divine energy. If the other goddesses helped me, we could create something much better. But clearly, they don't want to get involved in this. This fight is mine.

Satisfied, I watch the sword finish taking shape. It's not much… but I believe it will be enough. How powerful can this demon be, after all?

I wake up startled, my heart racing. I look outside and see, by the height of the moon, that it's the middle of the night. I try to understand the dream, which seemed more like a memory. But I witnessed everything from Hylia's point of view, and that would mean that…

I shake my head, dispelling the insane idea. That wouldn't make any sense.

I focus on other aspects of the dream. The voice I heard, besides the other goddesses', was the same that spoke to me at the Spring in Faron, confirming that it was Hylia who contacted me there. Perhaps she tried to show me one of her memories.

I also recognized the sword. It was the same one I saw when I was talking to Fi inside the Master Sword. The same turquoise hilt, the same white blade with beautiful engravings.

I decide to write all this down so I don't forget the details. When I finish, it's already dawn. My stomach twists at the memory of Purah's promise that we would all meet in Kakariko today. It seems he will be there too. Suddenly, I get up and start getting ready. I put on my riding pants and the worn white and blue blouse I always wear when I'm in the field. I fix my hair, which I've kept short—it's really much easier to manage—and braid it into a crown. Impulsively, I dab on a perfume I bought in Gerudo.

Not knowing what to do next, I put my notebook in my bag and decide to go to Purah's house. However, as soon as I open the chalet door, I see she's already waiting for me, finishing saddling my horse.

"Up early today, aren't we?" she says with a suggestive smile. "What's that smell? Is it the pheromone perfume the Gerudo use to attract defenseless Hylians?"

My cheeks burn, and I become defensive.

"I like the smell of vanilla and wanted to support the local commerce."

"Yes, local commerce, sure," Purah rolls her eyes. Then she gets serious. "Just try not to forget what we talked about yesterday, Z. You'll have more energy for romance later, after you sort yourself out."

I sigh, knowing she's right. I decide to change the subject.

"I think I accessed a new memory early this morning."

Satisfied, I see her face light up.

"I knew this would happen!" she chirps, clapping her hands. "Now we're making progress! Tell me everything! Or better yet, don't say anything! I want to discover it together with the rest of the team in Kakariko. Now I'm eager to get there, let's go, let's go, let's go," she urges, pushing me towards my horse.

We arrive in Kakariko just before noon. Purah didn't stop talking for a minute during the entire journey, unraveling the new discoveries she had made together with Tauro regarding ancient technologies. Curiously, hearing her talk about him doesn't cause any reaction in me. Maybe he's right; our connection is probably purely one of good friends.

"We're close to understanding how teleportation worked between the ancient towers and the Sheikah Slate. I think we'll be able to replicate it for the Purah Pad. It seems the secret was in the pedestal at the towers, not in the crystal as we thought before," she informs me. "It appears it was only used to scan the area and feed the map. We need to think of a solution for how we'll load the map on the Purah Pad now, but that's a problem for the next stage."

I nod in agreement, unable to pay much attention to what she's saying. We're standing in front of the stairs to Impa's house, after dismounting our horses. I see that Epona, the mare that used to belong to Link, is already tied to the fence at the foot of the stairs. My heart races immediately, my palms get sweaty in seconds, and my breathing becomes erratic.

"Zelda, it'll be alright," Purah assures me, comforting.

"I know. Go ahead, Purah. I'll calm down first. I'll come in soon."

"Okay. We'll be waiting to start."

I watch as she climbs the stairs and enters the residence without looking back. Since it's lunchtime, Dorian and Cado aren't on duty. It's been many years since we had any Yiga attacks, so the surveillance here is lighter, and they have their lunch at the same time.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself and gather the courage to climb up to Impa's house—and meet Link again. But, obviously, nothing can ever go as I plan. Then I hear his voice, so familiar, coming from somewhere behind me.

"Zelda?" he says, and my heart skips a beat. I turn slowly, trying to keep my composure, as if this moment means absolutely nothing to me.

I have to hold myself back when my eyes meet his. Immediately, the air is charged with energy, with unspoken words, with hurt and expectations—and, I realize frustratingly, desire.

Link hasn't changed at all, and yet he's changed so much. His face is that of an adult now, no longer a teenager's. I see there's a shadow on his jaw where a beard must grow, which he seems to keep trimmed.

We stand there for a few seconds, staring at each other.

"You're back," I say, stating the obvious.

He nods hesitantly.

"I am."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" I ask, surprised by the bitterness in my voice. I watch him run a hand through his hair, flustered. It's comforting to see he hasn't lost that little habit.

"A bit, yes. I spent years without making much progress… and when I did, I realized I had to come back because the answers lie in me… and in you," he concludes, embarrassed.

"So I'm just a tool for you to finish your journey?" I snap, irritated.

"No, Zelda, I… I think this is all much bigger than us," he says, gesturing exasperatedly. "And I think we'll need both sides of the story to understand everything."

I roll my eyes, resentful.

"Shall we go in?" he asks, carefully.

"You go first. I need to think a bit before revealing what I've discovered so far."