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Link had decided very early on in life, well the one that he remembered anyway, that climbing mountains was an effective way of transport. Not only was jumping off things fun, but the perspective really helped him to pick out interesting things to investigate further. Half of the time he was distracted enough to just go for it, the other half ended up in a pile of stamps across the Sheikah Slate that he, uh, well. He’d get to them at some point.
Right now, Link was paragliding across the Eldin mountain range, after having discovered the abandoned mine and the shrine hidden in the structure that looked like a crab on the map. He spotted this western range from there and had made his way across, appreciating how he could run up, jump off and paraglide down between the peaks. He was speeding between two halves of Hyrule almost. There was the pervasive grey mist over the Great Hyrule Forest, and from this vantage he could even make out the pink leaves of the Deku Tree. He’d already completed most of that though. He continued on a little further, just to see what was at the map’s edge.
And he spotted an unusually dark blot on Hyrule’s surface in the far north.
It screamed shrine, but it was a fair distance away. Also, he was running low on supplies. Plus… it was very dark. He didn’t have a torch right now, and the only wooden weapon he had to hand was a bokoblin boko bat that probably would fizzle out much too quickly to be of any use. After Eventide, Link had come to realise seemingly isolated spots on the map would probably challenge him in some way, and that darkness seemed pretty intense and unforgiving.
This, it appeared, would have to be one of the things he’d come back for. Once he had better supplies anyway.
And so the dark blob in the far north was forgotten, as he got swamped with the build up to finally facing his destiny 100 years later, completing his quest to free all four divine beasts and finally helping Zelda finish her century long battle.
And then he got caught up with her, in their memories, first old, but that quickly gave way to new ones. They begun to travel through the land, reacquainting Zelda with the current age, the people and their stories, and sorting things out along the way.
He was initially going to go on a solo final-clear-all-monsters-fight, but he quickly realised that Zelda was proficient with the Light bow; she'd regularly used it during her century-long fight to quell the Calamity. So, it was now something they’d taken to doing together. He never realised how useful having a long range fighter alongside his preferred method of up close combat would be, it was certainly much quicker and more efficient than doing both himself.
Aside from that, they also took to completing things that remained on his… extensive to do list. And because she was Zelda, overachiever and keen to help all, several more got added.
For example, at Kakariko, Zelda helped Cado set up a cuckoo enclosure separate from his house, with an archery stall just next to it, extending into the natural hole in the mountain enclosure. Rola was appeased, Cado was delighted, and they rekindled their relationship. Together Zelda and him played with Cottla a game that was common in a century ago but less so now: Ring of Roses. Zelda also crafted a spice rack and a cutlery board for Koko, alongside a promise to find and document the range of culinary arts across Hyrule for her to try.
In Hateno, he trekked down the hill to the beach, early one morning whilst Zelda took a well deserved lie in, permanently clearing out the monster camp that distrubed Koyin and her sheep. With Purah, Zelda started to burrow beneath the ancient furnace. The idea was to investigate what could drive an eternal flame, and to try to replicate it as a source of sustainable fuel in Hyrule. Whilst excavations were done there, both of them replastered and painted his- no- their house, clearing out the spare piles of things that had simply been shoved under the stairs. A to dothing that he was meant to have sorted before bringing the princess home but… he couldn’t deny that it was cute, seeing her with paint splotches across her face and hands, and that little bandeau she put to keep her hair out of her face when cleaning was very endearing.
Together, they opened the dusty boxes, revealing his family’s mementos and belongings from 100 years ago.
There was a striped kite that he suddenly remembered Aryll and him had flown over Hateno’s fields, one that repeatedly got stuck in the tree by the pond. A loop with a half embroidered scene of saffilina flowers in a field of green… probably was his mother’s. Zelda had gasped at the intricacy. And he remembered she was the one to stitch his tunic right? Maybe… maybe she could finish it? She delicately smoothed her fingertips over the thread that somehow, hadn’t faded with age, and promised to try. There was a quick shotbow that lit up a distant memory of himself, young, barely four, which was the first weapon he had received from his father. The contraption was still intact, still functioning. He put it in the slate, swallowing the hard lump in his throat.
Perhaps, what was most surprising were the journals and letters stowed in an ornate casket, some of which were from himself. The paper was faded yellow with age, the ink barely legible, even as they held it under the sun. It felt strange, seeing words from Stone Link 100 years ago, to his family here informing them of his well being. Zelda had a right laugh at how he discretely informed them of his woes with his charge constantly running away, all the way to asking them if he could bring her over to dinner after a trip to the spring. Stone Link’s face may not have been the most expressive, but his letters had a certain charm to them. In them he could see, perhaps, a glimmer of what led to Zelda ultimately standing in front of him that day on Blachery Plain.
They discovered his sister, Aryll, had left a number of letters for him, every 5 years or so, stacked in a pile. In each, she detailed what she had since accomplished, ranging from trips around Hyrule with Epona, clearing out monster camps and setting up explosive barrels so villagers could just repeatedly bomb the camps down every blood moon. She’d travelled to Gerudo Town, became an expert in Gerudo spice and cooking, plus, she became a sand seal champion. (Link secretly envied her record. She’d beaten him by two minutes. Damn it.) Eventually, she came back to Hateno, settled down, and had lived the rest of her life tending to the fields their family had.
The last one, detailing a trip to the top of the hill for the view over Hateno, fresh and bright, was from a decade ago, with nothing after that.
Link’s fingers ghosted over the fine loops and swirls, the only remnant he really had of her. It felt doubly worse that she had never forgotten him, always holding onto the hope he’d come back in time and yet…
He’d cried in Zelda’s arms that night, for the family he’d lost, for the memories no longer his, only quieting when she gently told him that Aryll wouldn’t have wanted him upset over something he had no control over, and she would have wanted him to continue onwards, happy, knowing she had lived a fulfilling life, despite it all.
That moment was perhaps the first, clear-cut division where Link truly felt he, who he was now, not-Stone-Link, had fallen in love with Zelda. Her soul soothed his, so softly, so warmly, how could he not?
Summer soon arrived, bringing with it longer days that shouted out the sadness, and time passed even faster with a trip to the Rito highlands. Zelda was delighted with Kass’s five daughters, and she sang with them, whilst Kass played his accordion and Link recorded the whole thing on the slate. They also met up with Tulin and Teba, still at the Flight Range, and Zelda took to trying out Tulin’s challenge with a swallow bow Teba gifted her. And then Tulin wanted to see them in action together- how many of the targets they could hit. Link was pleased to find they could do them all, instinctively following up on each other and taking over individual sections but teaming up when necessary. Truly, she was the best partner he’d ever had. There was a fluidity to combat with Zelda that didn’t feel like it was something they’d developed over the past few months alone. And so he slipped down the slippery slope some more.
When they landed back on the platform, he’d desperately wanted to kiss her, and she leaned in to reach for his hand- but Tulin had jumped up between them, squealing that he’d never seen anyone clear them all, even as a duo.
That moment passed, and they moved onto bigger quests. Zelda had questions on how Rito Village could expand, seeing as it was effectively built around a narrowing spiral of rock. Perhaps… they could set metal bases in and that would help further expansion?
To sort out whether that would be possible, it was time for a trip to Eldin, to visit the Gorons and their mining facilities. He brought Zelda to the Abandoned North Mine, finally wiping out all the monsters involved, and allowing the Gorons to harvest the rock and gems here again. He ended up taking her on that tour around the mountain ridge, laughing as they raced each other up and down the little hills.
This was so much more fun than what he’d done before.
And then they both caught sight of the black mass in the distance.
It didn’t take much to set the movable teleport button thing to where they were, and paraglide down, swirling around each other, to hit the next little ridge. He stopped there, at the elevated portion, because he didn’t want any stalkoblins to come after them.
They set up camp for the night, and now he relaxed into the double-sized sleeping bag she’d constructed for them to share. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she somehow snuggled closer. He twisted to his side and pulled her closer still, her head on his left arm with his right tight around her waist.
Someday he’d have the courage to kiss her properly.
Some day.
They were at the edge of the smaller ridge, overlooking the murky black of Typhlo ruins. He watched as her gaze flicked between the slate, what she saw in front of her, and to an old book on her lap featuring a… he hovered closer, oh, it was another map. It was pretty much the same except… ah. There were no ruins on this one. It was Kolomo Garrison. Akkala Citadel. Mabe Village. Castle Town. No ruins accompanied their name as it was on the slate.
And with the absence of Tarry Town, Link understood this was a map of Hyrule 100 years ago. Where had she even gotten it- wait- he bent awkwardly to look at the front page. It looked familiar. Hang on. “Is that from our house?”
She startled, as though she suddenly remembered he was there. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Yes. Yes, it’s from Aryll’s collection actually. You know the book on maps she made- after her travels? Well, she ended up making a pocket-sized edition of maps showing how Hyrule changed… especially after the Age of the…” Her breath caught and sunk down to a whisper, guilt and shame seeping through, “Burning Fields.”
He wouldn’t have any of that. “It’s not your fault, Zelda. If it’s yours, then it’s equally mine. No, scratch that. It’s all the Calamity’s fault.”
“Thank you Link. I know that but… old habits die hard.”
“One day I’ll slap Rhoam.”
“LINK!” But she was laughing now, because he was teasing her, really. He wasn’t entirely sure what to feel about the old man. His diary… it had made Link realise perhaps he’d been over judgemental, gunning hot with hate after witnessing the scene by the balcony. It truly was the Calamity’s fault. Without it… Rhoam wouldn’t have pushed Zelda so hard, and for so long. And yet, personally for Link, his regret… it was just… too late. If Rhoam had cherished and nurtured Zelda, even just a little, perhaps it would have made all the difference.
He was pulled out of his thoughts as Zelda stood, “We’re first going to walk around the island of black. Perhaps it’ll give us clues we can use…”
An hour later, her decision proved to be correct when they found a bridge connecting the ruins to the main land mass on the west facing side.
And shortly after that, they crossed through, and the monk started to speak. This was Zelda’s first time in a shrine quest, and she startled as the baritone voice rang out throughout.
"Travellers from beyond these woods, you are now faced with a trial... Find the shrine hidden in these dark ruins..."
It was pitch black, and Link leaned in, swiping up the torch by the weird statue.
“What is this animal Link?! We haven’t seen these before. I do not remember coming across them in the fauna textbooks of Hyrule during my studies but perhaps those are outdated now…”
“I haven’t seen anything like it in the wild either.”
“Oh… Extinct maybe? Hm. It looks a little like Medoh, just with smaller wings. And their beaks are facing opposite directions. How strange. It’s different from the first pair we saw at the start of the bridge. Both of those were facing forward…”
She lit a torch and together they sweeped their arms across the expanse, trying to make out more. “It really is quite dark.”
He looked across to her and realised he couldn’t make out much of her form. And if she accidentally slipped away, as she was wont to do when they were exploring, he might actually lose her. An idea struck him. “Wait, hold my torch.”
He reached into the slate, and pulled out a bunch of Silent Princess flowers. He began by weaving several into her hair, behind her ear, the soft glow lighting up her face a pale blue. He decorated her tunic with the stems, across her belts, and a few down the pockets in her trousers.
In the end, she was incandescent, the teal hue that surrounded her now accentuated with the flower in her name. His heart stumbled a little when she smiled, offered him his torch again, and he was slow on the uptake, too busy admiring her.
It was yet another strike on the now fairly lengthy list of moments where Link realised he was hopelessly in love.
“That’s a good idea! Wait let me- ” She reached for the flowers and did the same for him.
They were a pair adorned in Silent Princess flowers, no longer rare and extinct, but thriving in the wild.
Now that they couldn’t lose sight of each other, they redistributed the torches and slowly progressed forward, swinging the torch in gentle wide circles to capture everything. He’d warned Zelda before, these shrines tended to have hidden threats. He wouldn’t be surprised if there was some kind of monster ambush waiting for them inside.
They reached the entrance of the hollow black, swinging the torch forward into the recess to light up the surroundings in an artificial burnt orange. In front of them loomed two blocks of… stone? He hovered closer to illuminate the swirls decorating the structure, watching as Zelda activated the camera rune and started snapping pictures.
“It’s Zonai. Definitely.”
He shifted an arm, pressing a hand into the swirl. Zelda followed him, fingers just touching his and —
Everything was bathed in a blue green light, akin to that of a luminous stone, the grey rock by their side no longer crumbling and ruined with time, no longer horizontal but huge vertical towers loomed behind them. The swirls were a deeper magenta, fresh and whole, artwork bold and impressionistic imprinted on the sides.
“RUN! Run Link, they’re coming! It’s too soon! I- they- they didn’t say! They’re coming and we won’t- we won’t-”
Blackness surrounded them again, the burnt amber slicing through the vivacious green of seconds prior.
“Did you-”
“Was that-”
“You go first, Zelda.”
“That… It was an iteration of me and you.”
“I had red hair. And a… glowing… green arm.”
“It was… rather strange, I’ll give you that. No chance it could be anyone else though, because I did call you Link. And you had the Master Sword in the opposing arm. Perhaps one of the past Heroes was Zonian.”
True enough, he supposed. Funny, that the sword never showed him memories of a redhead. Maybe he lived too many lives to show them all. “There was… light and…” his fingers traced the swirl again, “this place was still… intact.”
“I wonder how the darkness came to be… equally as important, what do you think we were running from? It didn’t sound… good.”
“These shrine quests all have hidden lessons. In Eventide, it was a question of survival whilst stranded, and scavenging when you are most desperate. I wonder if more memories will crop up… and if the lesson is hidden therein.”
She nodded. “Right. We best get started. There’s a whole island to go through. First, I believe we should go all the way around the edge, and map out our way as we go along.”
She set off on the right, moving straight down to the brown sludge surround the island, and he followed. Huge columns loomed in front of them, the light from the torch too weak to show the tips.
It was strange, the direct opposite of what the vision had shown them. Once, this was a grand building, each column decorated with a monolith of luminous stones at the pinnacle, with more engraved in a spiral down, that somehow seemed to interconnect, thus giving the illusion of a glowing column. Huge swathes of fern-tinged cloth swung from the columns, interconnected and with a soft blue glow from the lights. And now… now only the stark columns remained.
It was a testament to the Zonai that they even survived and yet, Link couldn't stop picturing the grandeur of what it once was and what it was reduced too now. “Oh that’s an interesting point to note Link. There are 2 extra columns on the right, compared to the left…”
They drifted off their course a little, to count them. Zelda stood on one, he jumped through and laid a luminous stone on top of each, reminiscent of how it once was, so it would be easier to make out. His heart lurched in his throat, once he’d left the security of the torches’ light. It truly was disconcerting wandering out in blackness.
At the end, he slowly made his way back to her, and they admired it. “I wonder how the lighting worked…”
“I’ve never seen anything like that in the wild. The closest is maybe the electric rod when you swing it. Even then, that’s green, not the turquoise we saw. And my arm… it seemed to mimic that same process.”
She nodded, and made a gesture that they should continue on. They dropped one torch, and Zelda followed it down, before he dropped his next to hers and clambered to meet her. At the bottom, they walked up through the columns on the ground and —
Red armoured Sheikah, almost reminiscent of the Yiga, merged in the shadows of the building. They were a close band, only twenty or so, no more.
“Do you think the Zonai will protect us? Yes, the Hero is one of them but… but he’s in love with her. Can he betray her family for us? Do you think he’ll do that? It is what is right, of course, but at what cost?”
The huge stone doors pushed open, Redhead Link shoving one, Zelda in a gorgeous silk purple gown pushing the other, with panic mirrored on their faces —
And they stumbled, Zelda gasped, and he had to grip the wall. “Link. Link that’s… that’s what the Sheikah wore before the Yiga. There’s art, of the world 10,000 years ago, before the Sheikah-Yiga split. That… That was the original Sheikah tribe, united.”
Suddenly, Link remembered, “In Impa’s tapestry- the one from 10,000 years ago. That Hero had red hair. He… he must have been the same guy we just saw.”
“Okay, so it’s definitely the world of Hyrule circa the first Calamity. I’m assuming they’re talking about how you were in love with me?”
He wanted to cry or scream or shout or maybe sink into the black shadows not to emerge again. He wasn’t in love with her in the past! It was true for now too! BUT HE HADN’T SAID ANYTHING YET- “Fair assumption. He was definitely Zonian then. And probably, some kind of lead figure. Not sure why he would be betraying you by helping the Sheikah though.”
“Link… There were so few of them. The way they were speaking made it seem like… something had already happened. What if- what if it was the Royal Family who’d done something to them?”
He turned to face the ocean of noir ahead of them. Murky depths that had answers hidden inside. “There’s only one way to find out,” and he gestured to the expanse ahead.
They resumed their trek around the island itself, and on the south of the island, they came across a bridge of sorts, to a small isolated land mass in the centre. It had a lone campfire in the middle, and Link lit it, before suggesting they sit and take a break.
As soon as they sat —
“Are we going up to the skies today, Link?”
“You just want an excuse to be in my arms again.”
She bopped his nose with her finger. “And so what if I was? You wouldn’t deny your Princess?”
He pulled her legs toward him, causing her to squeal as she slipped to the ground, and he tumbled beside her, wrapping himself around her. “Your Hero is tired. Tomorrow I’ll bring you. Or maybe after a nap in your arms.”
“Aw, is he that tired now? The court proved too much for you?”
He nuzzled closer, his nose lost in her hair as he took a deep breath in. “I don’t understand the hypocrisy. We value honesty, courage, and trustworthiness. We do not entertain rumours. I do not understand their double meanings and how everyone assumes everything.”
She kissed him. “Thank you for putting up with it. Only for a little longer I promise. And then we’ll leave, rule from here and not… deal with them anymore.”
“You forget- there’s the Calamity first, Zelda.”
“Oh yes that.”
Their laughter rang out, before the Hero kissed the Princess.
Link sighed. When would he get to kiss his Princess? “Well, this doesn’t exactly match the timeline.”
“No. This was pre-calamity. I’m not sure if you noticed Link, in this memory she was wearing blue? As it stands, unmarried Princesses in the Royal Family wear blue. Once married, you change your colours to something that pays homage to your husbands. She was wearing purple in the previous memory. Likely… a mix of her blue and his red in the Zonian culture. So… they were married by then. Probably post-calamity.”
He nodded, and an awkward silence descended on them. It was strange, sitting on the very spot where their predecessors of 10,000 years had… um… made out.
He pulled open the slate for something to do that didn’t involve staring at Zelda and wishing he possessed an ounce of that red-head’s courage. “Hey, you know it’s technically 8 pm?”
She stared into the darkness. “For once the light matches. Dinner?”
Link pulled out one of his premade dinner boxes (today was rice triangles and a meat skewer), and they theorised a little more about this place. Had the ruins happened due to time or something else? What had happened to that Link and Zelda? Why didn’t the sword have any memories of them?
So they were running to the Sheikah, but why? What was wrong? What were the Sheikah even doing here?
Time passed, and he yawned. She noticed. “Shall we sleep here then? Seems safe.”
They stared at the campfire and the awkwardness of earlier returned. Link understood, from conversations with Zelda, that 100 years ago, their relationship had never really progressed beyond a simple hand hold. Yes, it was deep affection, but it was affection at a distance. Now… well, Link was pretty sure they were past friendship, hell, he wanted to kiss her at least once every 12 hours, and he was certain she felt the same way. The only reason they hadn’t particularly progressed was because of their journey and the sheer number of things going on. Somehow, setting up their little camp today, opening their bedroll, felt awkward suddenly. Maybe because of what they’d seen happen here.
Zelda broke the silence. “Just because they made out doesn’t change anything for us.”
“Right.” He wasn’t quite happy with that statement (he was jealous of Redhead Link; he could admit that freely) but it wasn’t right to do anything about that now. So, he decided for some levity. “Well, most of the time you end up half sprawled across me anyway, so I don't see this as being too different.”
“HEY! You’re the one that wraps me up in your arms!”
“Not like you fight it though.”
“I-You- Just you wait!” And with that, she pulled him to the ground, tackling him supposedly, and he laughed, letting her win. She had become stronger, compared to when he’d first brought her out into the wild.
The fire in her gaze, the way her legs rubbed against his, the strength she had… yeah okay. He had to go to bed now, or he might just kiss her.
He reluctantly pulled her off, and she sighed. “One day I’ll be stronger.”
He was already hers. He would let her win endlessly if he could. “One day.”
The next morning, waking up to complete blackness disorientated them both, and they quickly packed up, lighting the campfire before a quick breakfast of omelette, and setting off again, continuing on their trek around the perimeter.
They came across a strange dragon-like structure, with two luminous stones as eyes. Next was a pile of dried leaves crawling around a seemingly standing dragon head. Link torched the leaves, and it lit up one of those animal things at the top.
“Want to climb up?”
She nodded, and so he held the torches first, handing her them once she was secured on top. He reached, they touched the animal and —
“You see, Zelda, everything on Typhlo has meaning.” Link’s hand draped across her shoulder, his fingers stroking the blue silk, “We have these structures- the owl, a sign of guidance, to show us our way. Even if the Island was covered in the blackness, like it had during our trial, we may yet find our way following the direction it’s beak points us too.”
“You mean to say Typhlo could be covered in black again?”
“One never knows when the cover of darkness might prove useful.”
“You… you really think something will go wrong?”
“Like I’ve said… I don’t understand them, Zelda. I don’t trust them. And neither should you.”
Goddesses this was never going to stop feeling weird. “Pre-calamity again then.”
“And they’ve completed the shrine clearly. But something was already amiss…”
“It really is disconcerting Zelda. I feel like we’ve had conversations like this before. But it’s not me and it’s not you.”
“I know. Was it like this with the sword?”
“Not quite. That was more of a… feeling kinda thing? Like moments in time that left an impression on that Hero, so much that the sword remembered it. It wasn’t anything this cohesive, certainly.”
“I guess now we know what to follow though, once we’ve outlined the edges. Owls… I wonder what caused their extinction.”
“Maybe it was the same thing that ruined this place.”
She shrugged, and they continued on.
Towards the north, several swarms of Keese and a number of Stalkoblins later, they happened across a raised platform with a firerod on its surface, with two small columns each topped with a luminous stone. “I can sense a memory here Zelda.”
She held his hand as they kneeled —
“I need to prepare the spell Zelda. If they can’t see us then they can’t attack.”
“But then we won’t see them either!”
“It’s a risk we’ll have to take. We used the Sheikah’s prowess when we needed them. They saved the entire world from the Calamity. You and I both know we wouldn’t have survived without the beasts. It bought us the time we needed for your powers to arise.”
A heavy sigh escaped her. “I know. I know that. I want the best for them too. I can’t believe all that's happened in the brief time we were embroiled in the castle’s labyrinth. I just- you sure you can teleport us all to the skies? It will be a huge strain on you.”
“There is no other choice. We trap the soldiers here, blanket this place in black, and then make our way to the Great Hyrule Forest. No one will dare enter the mists there.”
“Yes. Okay.” She gripped his hands, leaned her forehead on his as they knelt in an altar with billowing beige and green drapes, sand-coloured tiles and soft greenery surrounding them. “How has it come to this Link?”
“Hubris and greed.”
“I never imagined Father would…”
“He is but a pawn to the council. And the court. And people distrust what they cannot understand.” He kissed her tears away, before pulling her into a tight hug. “Come now. We need to start preparations.”
“They were the ones to cast the spell?!” Zelda stood, tugging him up. “Goddesses. What did the King do? It must be to do with the Sheikah. Did he order them to be imprisoned or-or-”
“It was probably something worse. Especially if there were only twenty or so… left.”
Zelda’s face was as white as a sheet. “Do you think they made it?”
“Some Sheikah must have… and I imagine the split happened then.”
“Yes. Half of them sided with the Princess and Hero who saved them. The other half against the Hylians who’d… murdered them in the first place.”
“Why didn’t they act sooner?”
“There must be some reason. I lived in the castle and I have no idea what these labyrinths are. Who knows. Either way, it wasn’t very long but…”
The silence between them stretched, the weight of what happened 10,000 years ago pressed heavily on them. He reached into the satchel, put some wood down and lit the pile with the torch, thus creating a campfire. He then put his torch down, allowing it’s light to dim, and pulled Zelda into a hug. She had already dealt with the grief of a thousand lifetimes. And that hidden message- the beasts buying the previous Hero and Princess time- he was sure she hadn’t missed it.
Her arms wrapped around him, tight. “Hey. Do you want to take a break? We can always come back, you know. It’s… not going anywhere.”
She shook her head. “I must know Link. I must try to remedy the wrongs here. That’s what we’re doing, isn’t it? We’re going around and remedying the faults that occurred 100 years ago. I can’t fix all of them but I will try. I do not… I cannot blame the Yiga for what they’ve done if this… if what we think happened actually occurred. We must make amends, Link.”
“Zelda… we-”
She stiffened suddenly. “Goddesses. She saved you in time. I’m sorry I didn’t. I really-” She crumpled to the ground and he swiftly followed, pulling her into his lap.
Goddesses! What?! No, he had to stay calm. Stay calm or it wouldn’t go in. “Zelda, it really… it really wasn’t your fault. I know, I know it seems that way. I know objectively, it seems like if you’d accessed them just a minute earlier, then I wouldn’t have died, and wouldn’t have needed to go into the Shrine, and we could have saved countless lives by taking Ganon out.”
Wide green eyes stared at him, mouth open, but he edged in faster. “In reality, that is not what would have happened. I was at death’s door either way. I would have needed a solid… two, maybe three, weeks minimum to recover minimal strength and capacity. Not to mention the sword was well and truly brittle so who knows if it would have even worked.”
She sniffed, and he continued on. “Plus, by that point, the Guardians would have already ransacked the land and those lives would have been lost anyway. Did you hear what the previous Hero said? They only managed because the beasts bought them time. We didn’t know the beasts would be corrupted Zelda. Every step we made, Calamity Ganon was ten steps in front.”
She was crying properly now, into his tunic, and he could only stroke her hair slowly, the weight of it all sinking in. Link realised then, that Zelda hadn’t yet cried after it all. She hadn’t yet had a chance to process it. She focussed on him, on his memories, on healing him. And when he was happy and whole, she immediately began to push herself to try to fix what she thought she’d broken. In helping others, she ignored her own pain and grief, submerging herself in a sea akin to the blackness surrounding them.
Link felt incredibly stupid for having realised this so late.
He could only hold her, only reassure her in quiet soothing words that he was here. It wasn’t her fault. It never was.
Hours or minutes passed and eventually she quietened. “Thank you. Thank you for staying. I’m sorry-”
“No. We’re not apologising anymore. That’s it. You’ve burdened yourself with guilt for so long. You’re going to stop right there.”
She took a shuddering breath. “Okay.”
When she calmed a little he decided it was time. He’d suppressed this for so long, and for what? Life was short. Just because they were breathing now meant nothing for tomorrow. He of all people should have known that.
“You know, Zelda…I don’t know why the Goddesses choose to test our souls so much. We might think those two had an easier time, but look at what happened to the Sheikah. I don’t, I don’t quite think any of our lives are easy Zelda. But… but you know what they had that we also have?”
She stared at him, wide eyes reflecting auburn in the fire’s glow. “We have each other. I should have told you this from ages ago. I knew it for certain from that night you held me when I cried about my family.”
He stumbled a little. Goddesses he really was about to do this. Deep breath. Courage. Have courage. As Zelda herself had told him, courage didn't need to be remembered... for it was never forgotten. “I love you, Zelda. Your smile is what drove me to kill the Calamity. Not… not destiny, or putting the world at peace.” He stroked her cheekbone, wiped off the fresh tears, “I wanted to be with you again. I wanted you by my side. Like we always have been. And like we always will be.”
She wrapped her arms around him tighter, heaved herself up a little so she could wrap her arms around his neck and burrow down into him. He hugged her back just as strongly, finally feeling lighter after confessing what had been on his chest for months. “I love you too, Link.” A breath later, “there’s no one else I’d rather have with me in destiny’s path.”
Eventually, they stood, held hands, and trekked across the rest of the island. They discovered another chest with a ruby offshore, and several more chests inland when they reached the end of the circumference and began to follow the beaks.
No more memories cropped up, and eventually, they found themselves in a weird enclosure of sorts. It had three sets of the dried leaves, leading up to some kind of face that was hard to hard out in the dark. Link and Zelda split briefly, each lighting one on the edge before coming together to the middle.
As soon as that burnt through, they were sent on another memory —
Shouts echoed, an army’s screams. “Hero! Don’t think you can steal our Princess! We will take her back! Hylia made a mistake choosing you, for Hylia never would have protected-”
Link and Zelda were in the middle of the dragon’s hold, Link was panting hard and heavy. “They’re almost here.”
“But you’re not ready yet! You haven’t regained your stamina-”
“I told you, let me take you up first.”
“And I said I wouldn’t leave you. We’ve faced the Calamity together. We can face a few soldiers.”
“Zelda. Zelda I won’t have the strength to do the spell. It’s either the spell or… our escape. I have to protect my people’s heritage. I need to protect our temples. I can’t just allow them in!”
“Then…” She hesitated. “Wait. I can do the spell. I have a reserve. Start it and then- I’ll try. My light… surely I can…”
Link’s hands simmered black, and it spread to Zelda’s. She began to glow, with a blackness that shrunk out the light. She churned up a huge ball, before unleashing it in a hemisphere not unlike the one Zelda had done in Blachery Field. It spread all around, a blanket of dark sealing them in. Link grabbed her, and using his hand, reached for the sky, whilst the soldier’s raged outside, lost and confused as pandemonium broke out.
“So they did make it.”
He kissed her forehead. “We always do.”
“Do you think I can try to… reverse the spell? We could better commemorate the Zonai and what remains of them that way…”
“We haven’t found the shrine yet. Let’s finish it. Maybe there is one more memory that awaits us.”
Soon enough, they reached the pedestal with the gaping hole and realised it was guarded by a hinox. Why was it always a hinox? Still, a hinox was better than a lynel, he supposed. They lit a stream of campfires around, trying to be as quiet as possible, but it awoke, as Link accidentally snapped a twig.
Zelda immediately aimed at it’s glowing eye, and he swarmed in, using the Master Sword to pummel it’s legs repeatedly. It went down fairly quickly, with Zelda constantly aiming and Link attacking up front. Finally, they moved the orb into the pedestal, watching the shrine arise.
It was only what Link termed a “collecting” shrine, and upon their reassention, they were surprised to find the island was still inky blank.
Before they could move—
Know the crimes committed here
Remember the victims and those who tried to help
Remember the secrets the darkness hides
And know who amongst you are loyal, and with whom hypocrisy is prevalent.
Typhlo will stand as an emblem. Dark in the honour of the souls lost to time.
They stood, head down, hands tight in each other’s grasp.
They wouldn’t forget.
“I think… I think Link, we should bring the Sheikah and… and the Yiga here. I think they ought to know what happened.”
He pressed a kiss to her hair. “Yes. Yes, we should. But first… I think we need to take a break.”
They didn’t teleport out, instead walking back through the darkened alleyways.
Link made a promise to himself as he left. He would help Zelda confront her demons. He would love her just as much as this Hero loved his Princess. And he would do his best to protect all the inhabitants of Hyrule. Just as much as they had once done. Perhaps the wrongs done here couldn’t be righted, the time in between and divisions torn too deep and too festered to truly cure. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t try.
And try he would.
He knew this better than all: everyone deserves a second chance.