Fan Fiction ❯ The Mirror Tells All ❯ Eighth ( Chapter 8 )

You Wish! Productions presents...

The Mirror Tells All

A Legend of Zelda Fan Fiction

By: Blue Taboo

Proud member of Darkscribes.org

This fan fiction is ungodly long for eight chapters...did you know that?

It was hard for Link to believe that he'd been living in Hyrule Castle for an entire week when he woke up on a particularly sunny morning, or rather, was woken up violently by Vesta yet again. As he groggily returned to the world beyond his dreams, he remembered why it was that he was in this big stone room, and not lying on some forest floor. Hyrule was in need of his help again, as was Zelda.

The week had gone by fast, and Damen had been correct enough in telling Link that he would almost never have any free time on his hands. Whenever he wasn't learning the ways of the Knights, rather by sword or books from Cortain and the library, he was either at one of four places. He was usually either eating or sleeping, but occasionally, he was off to do better things.

Every morning she could find at least an hour of time, Zelda would call for him as early as possible. He had only seen her three mornings since the first. One of those decided that Link knew his religious history, but nearly nothing of the history of Hyrule as a nation. Another was spent mostly with his words, telling her about where he had been and what he had done in the past seven years, though greatly abbreviated due to the amount of time it would take to tell her everything. The latest morning was spent going over people that Link should familiarize himself with. Other nobles and soldiers it would pay to know, as well as where one could find them and what their role was inside the castle walls.

There was one thing, though, that Link wished to talk to the Princess about more than anything else. He had been keeping questions to himself about that quest of which they only shared a memory of for many years, and as he readied himself for the day, Link realized that he was due to see her again that morning, and might just get some things answered, for once.

However little he saw her during the day, Zelda always made it a point to have Link take her to and from dinner. Even the naive hero could see that she was playing a jealousy trick on Terinae, and it was obvious to Link at that point that the Emperor was indeed seeking Zelda's affections and probably had been for quite some time. However, it was also obvious that he had never found anything, and Zelda choosing of her 'old friend' as an escort when she had never had one before, was even more proof that his seeking was in vain. Terinae responded to this, though, by ending Link's, as well as the Old Knight's, short stay at the high table, and in turn, put them back to the second table, where the old men informed Link was their normal place. This surely didn't stop Zelda, and the nobles who sat down with Link asked him over and over again why it was that the Princess was always on his arm.

His explanation was always the same. "She delights in my company as much as she did when we were children. Our late fathers were always good friends, and we are as well."

Damen had told him to say that.

There was a change, though, since Link had first stepped into the Great Hall to dine with Hyrule's finest. After he took Zelda straight back to her chambers, he was to report to the Knight's Den, where he was to talk with the Old Knights and continue his learning, until the old men felt the need to sleep. He could tell Wrasten didn't care for the Princess' actions, since he was always in a foul mood when Link came to them in the evenings. Banon, however, came alive during these nighttime sessions. He loved hearing Link's stories of distant lands and adventures, which made up most of the time they spent in the Den. Damen himself had requested that they hear of their fake Squire's real life, and so Link began to give them the detailed version of his life, over the course of many evenings, and emitting a certain, less believable quest...

The other place that Link would go in his free time, though, was the stables, where he would talk with Chasel, the boy who had taken responsibility for Epona, and exercise his horse. Epona was glad to see her master in the few moments he could take to spend with her, often offering her a few carrots or an apple now that he knew his way to the kitchens, but it wasn't ever a very long stay. Link, now wondering why any sane young man would aspire to be a Squire, was too busy to attend to the things that had once made up most of his days.

After a morning spent either talking to Zelda or learning Hylian history for old Sir Cortain, who spent his days amassing knowledge from Hyrule Castle's extensive library, Link would go for a long walk with Damen, on which they would talk about the House of red Lions and about the war that had taken so much of Hyrule's old glory. Link learned that the Gerudo had only recently become a part of Hyrule, and for a great deal of time beforehand, they had been the mortal enemies of the peaceful citizens of Hyrule, often raiding and stealing from the outlying villages when Hylian troops were scarce.

In fact, the war from which Link knew he'd been born was between the Gerudo Nation, and Hyrule itself. At that time, Ganondorf was ordering his thieves not only to steal, but rather to kill and destroy all that they could when they raided in Hyrule. The problem grew worse and worse, until one day, the Gerudo burned the village closest to their border to the ground, and left only five survivors from a healthy community of nearly one hundred people. King Harkinian had had enough, and he ordered a full scale assault on the desert thieves, intending to bring them under his power, in hopes of stopping the destruction that Ganondorf had ordered them to cause.

In the end, the Gerudo's put up an incredible fight, one that was greatly underestimated by the people of Hyrule. Even as the Sheikah, Gorons, and Zoras joined ranks with the Hylian troops, both sides suffered innumerable losses. Nearly all the outlying villages of Hyrule were either burned down or abandoned.

"The ruins of some can still be seen today in the form of stone circles, which used to be the foundations of houses, and the broken fences that once marked their perimeters," Damen had said.

A great deal of the people of Hyrule were lost as well, in this conflict that spanned nearly ten years. Once a strong and populous kingdom of over five thousand, Hyrule was barely at a thousand citizens now, and that was even after they'd had nearly twenty years to recover from the brunt of the war.

However, King Harkinian did managed to conquer to Gerudos, even at the expense of nearly all of his Knights and soldiers. They finally submitted and gave a tentative allegiance to him, and even when Harkinian died, the Gerudos, now with their King mysteriously gone for many years, still remained loyal to the throne, even if it was a confusing place at the moment.

Link had always wondered what had happened in that war. From the sound of it, the war against the Gerudo even rivaled the Imprisoning War itself, however, Damen wouldn't know about such a thing. Even if he could tell the Old Knight, Link would refuse. He could see that it hurt Damen to think of the sacrifice Hyrule had made, as well as his own family. All of his brothers had been taken from him, as well as their children, and their wives...none were spared.

"They knew that it would happen, though," Damen said solemnly one morning. "A Knight is not a Knight just for show, or for the title. He accepts a tremendous responsibility when he takes up his sword, as do all of his loved ones. It is part of the life, and in turn, the death."

"Then it is deserving of all the admiration in the world," Link offered in response, mostly to comfort his new friend. Even though Link himself was proof enough that the war was long past, he knew exactly how memories could haunt the warrior that lived through it all.

Lunch was then taken with the soldiers in the castle kitchens. Here and there, Link picked up the names and friendships of a few guards. They answered another question he hadn't bothered to ask one day, while the Old Knights, their Squire, and the common soldiers dined on some stew that one of the kind old cooks had ready for them.

"Has anyone here heard word from Karkariko lately?" one guard asked the lot of them.

Another responded, "I hear that the Emperor's legions are still keeping a strict hold on the village. They won't let too many people in or out at all, but a friend of mine--"

"Oh come now!" a third exclaimed, "It can't be that bad! True enough, it seems strange for the Emperor to keep his troops a town over, but there's no room for a legion in Castle Town! There's plenty of houses to commandeer in Karkariko, as well as plenty of open space for tents. Just seems practical, if you ask me."

That, of course, was why Link hadn't seen too many of the Emperor's men. He could always tell those type of foreigners by the fact that they had strange, rounded ears. Even if they were out of uniform, they were easy to spot among the pointy-eared Hylian population.

Link's afternoons were spent with Banon in the little courtyard, either showing the rotund weapon's expert his stranger items, or learning discipline and form with the sword. All in all, Link looked forward to those few hours he got to spend sweating out in the sun each day. He felt at home there, fighting with another skilled swordsman.

Some times, sword lessons were cut early so that Link could join Wrasten in the Den and learn more about propriety and manners, and also what all the strange gestures meant. It was a lot to remember, but Link had a well-trained mind for that sort of thing, thanks to all the dungeons he'd been through in his relatively short life.

The evenings were dominated by dinner, of which Link was beginning to grow sick of. It made him want to run to the stables, saddle up Epona, ride off into the night, bow in hand, and shoot his own game, then cook it over his own fire, like he used to do. Of course, he couldn't do such a thing, but it was a nice image to put into one's head when the dinner conversation was lacking.

On that new day, however, as the sun shined into his bright stone room, Link decided to go with the blue outfit, complete with another matching hat, and changed quickly, so that Vesta wouldn't have to wait outside with his breakfast.

He had gotten the little girl to be a bit more honest with him, and even persuaded her to drop the 'Master' whenever there wasn't anyone around to hear her.

"I hear that enough when I talk to everyone else in this castle," he had told her, "So it would be a welcome change not to have to hear it from you as well, don't you think?"

He opened the door, still feeling grateful for the tailor's gift with making his hats, and saw Vesta coming down the hall, followed closely by Wrasten's man, of whom Link didn't know the name of, yet. He rarely saw the Old Knights up in their nearly abandoned hall, and out of all four of them, he had only seen the inside of Damen's chambers when the green-eyed Knight had invited him in once.

Link was actually surprised to find them almost completely bare, but he knew that Damen probably used him small set of rooms for nothing more than sleeping, and probably didn't feel the need to make them more homey. He was just that kind of man.

So the Squire chatted with his own servant as he ate, becoming a little more accustomed to her presence with each passing morning. She was intrigued by all the things Link had set out on his shelves, even though they were actually the more common of all of his bizarre collection of items. He explained them all to her in those early mornings, still being careful to leave out all the details he had to leave out. She didn't even know of the stuff that still sat in the saddle bags that Link now kept in his chest, nor would she. Those were the things of a more magical nature, and not what Link wanted to show just anyone, even as much as he did trust his honest little servant.

Vesta left with his tray like she did every morning, and bid him goodbye until he needed to get ready for dinner.

Only when she had left the room and he couldn't hear her shuffling down the hall, did Link give his reflection a scrutinizing look in the Mirror Shield. The blue outfit wasn't his favorite Kokiri green, but it would have to do. It did, however, bear quite a bit of resemblance to his old clothes, though, and he always felt more comfortable in it. The tunic was a plain dark blue, though made out of an obviously expensive fabric, and the shit he wore underneath it was both white and tight on him. It was meant to go with either white or blue trousers, both of which Link now had, but he preferred white. The hat, of course, matched the tunic and was solid blue as well. Link also liked it because he could wear his gauntlets easily with this outfit, and he knew well enough to keep his hands covered as much as possible. At dinner, he had seen a few people recognize the mark on his hand, but they had never questioned him about it...thankfully.

He supposed, though, that he looked well enough to visit the Princess, and without further ado, started off on the short trek to her door.

As always, Zelda's lady in waiting, the quiet Calandra let him in and instructed him to wait in the front room of what Link could only assume were the Princess' spacious quarters. She never kept him waiting too long, which was good. He never felt quite comfortable, just standing there.

A light, "Good morning, Link," roused him from the staring contest he was having with his own boots.

The hero looked up to find the Princess entering the room, clad in a simple, but elegant off white gown. To him, and probably to most men, Zelda looked good in anything, but there were few noble women that could pull off a dress like that. In fact, Link noted that most of them were old and on the heavy side. It seemed to him that young blood was a rarity in Hyrule Castle. It was another thing he'd have to think about...later.

"Good morning, Zelda," he replied with a little bit of a bow. It had only been on his second visit that Zelda had urged him to speak freely around the ever-present Calandra. It was true that the quiet girl was no mere servant, but instead the daughter of a Count that had volunteered to wait on the Princess when they were both quite young, so Link didn't fear any kitchen gossip slipping from her tight lips, but it took some getting used to. Zelda had obviously grown accustomed to her long ago, but Link was still edgy about the fact the he too had someone waiting on him, let alone the idea that nearly everyone else did.

"It's been a few days since we've really had time to talk," she informed him as she invited him to sit at the little table that their morning talks dominated. "What with all the Knights are putting you through."

"I don't really mind all that much," Link affirmed as he waited for her to sit down first. "I mean, it would be nice if I had some more time to myself, but then I wouldn't know what to do with it. I'm learning a lot, though."

"That's good to hear. Anything of particular interest to you?" Zelda inquired.

Link surmised that he would have to get past the chit chat in order to ask what he wanted to ask of her, and also, as his eyes shot to the door where Calandra kept exiting and entering from, he was still wary of the quiet lady in waiting. "Damen's been telling me about the Unifying War and its effects on Hyrule. I know that I was born, as were you, during that time, but I never knew much about it, nor the Hyrule that came before it. I understand that things were a lot different before the war than they are now."

Zelda nodded a little. "Yes, there were a lot more people, and a lot more Knights. I find it all dreadful, really, that so many people lost their lives in just under ten years, and now, almost eighteen years later, we are still limping towards a full recovery. I wish that my father could have found some other way to get control of the Gerudos, but he did what he thought was best. It's funny, though, because he agreed to the Gerudo's terms of surrender whole-heartedly, and one of those terms was that he would let Ganondorf remain King of the Gerudo, and that his life would be spared..."

"How could he have known about the other war that would lead to?" Link protested, seeing Zelda's demeanor drop. "No one knew. We stopped it, though, didn't we?"

"I suppose you're right, Link." Her eyes were cast down at her gloved hands that lay folded on the small table. "But I still can't help but feel like neither of those wars should have happened, if you know what I mean."

A moment of silence pervaded the sunlit chamber, and Link leaned back in his chair, realizing that he felt the same way. That was the past though, strange enough as it was to say, and only those that remembered it were to ever experience the pain it brought.

He knew then that if there was any time to ask, it was that particular moment. "Zelda," he began softly.

"Yes?"

"There's something I've wondered about for a very long time," he told her as they once again made eye contact, his piercing blue eyes against hers of a darker, more violet blue, "But I don't want your lady to think that either I'm crazy for asking such a thing, or that you're crazy for being able to answer, if you know what I mean..."

"If you're talking about something that happened in, well, that other time, then you needn't worry. I've told Calandra a few things about it, and besides, didn't I explain to you that what is said in these rooms stays in these rooms?" she repeated to put him at ease, obviously curious as to what he was about to ask and looking a little...nervous?

"I...I just wanted to be sure," he affirmed, feeling rather nervous himself, hoping that he would get some kind of answer.

"You can be sure of it. What is it that you want to know, Link?"

He swallowed, wondering why this topic made the Triforce of Courage abandon him. "In all those seven years that I was sleeping, sealed away in the Sacred Realm...what happened to you?"

(PSYCHE! I WIN!)

Zelda sighed, looking both troubled and relieved. "I'm afraid that's a very long story, Link."

"Did you have anything important you wanted to tell me today, because, if that's so, you can tell me about it later, if you want, that is, but if not..."

"I didn't really have anything in mind, so I guess sooner is better than later, right?" she interrupted him, a strange look in her royal blue eyes.

Link was slightly dumbfounded. "Sure..." was all he could manage to say in reply.

"You remember that Ganon entered the Sacred Realm just after you did, and that he split the Triforce just after you were taken by the Master Sword, right?" Zelda started off slowly.

Link nodded.

"Well, by that time, Impa had taken me to Karkariko, where she hid me in the Shadow Temple so that Ganon couldn't find me, but neither of us knew what was going to happen that day. In fact, we waited for three days inside the Temple, just to be safe, and then Impa left to see what had happened. Word of Ganon hadn't reached Karkariko yet at that time, only that something strange was going on in the Castle Town, but the villagers didn't pay it much heed. I really don't blame them, since Karkariko was such a small town, and they had enough to worry about themselves."

"Impa rode off for Castle Town and promised to return by sunset, but she told me that if she did not return by midnight, that I should get someone to take me up Death Mountain so that I could ask the Great Fairy for her help. I waited for her all day, and I started getting scared when I saw no sign of her around sunset. She did arrive, though, as I'm sure you guessed, but she came late, as well as injured and stricken with terror. As I helped her dress her wounds, she told me that Ganondorf had become incredibly powerful. He had obliterated Hyrule Castle, and as we spoke, his army of monsters was tearing apart Castle Town, and the citizens that survived were fleeing to Karkariko."

"I knew then that my father was dead, and that Ganondorf had taken effectively taken over Hyrule, even before Impa had the chance to say it. I was so afraid..."

Zelda noticed Link's compassionate, earnest face twitch a little at the mention of her fear of Ganondorf. In his calming eyes, she could see a twinge of hatred flare up, a hatred that spanned centuries longer than either of them could imagine.

"Impa told me then that Ganondorf had somehow done this without the aid of the Triforce, since, he had gotten his wish, his takeover would have been instantaneous, rather than a sudden swell of power that allowed him to destroy the castle and its city. Only then did I remember a legend I had read in one of my father's books only just about a year before. I told Impa about the legend that told of the Triforce's ability to split into three parts, and then my own Triforce mark started to glow...which, looking back on it, was almost funny, as if it was trying to confirm my belief like it was part of the conversation."

Link had known the Triforce to do that, on occasion...

"Once Impa understood that I held part of what Ganon was eventually going to be looking for in order to complete his goal of taking over Hyrule, and the world itself, she knew that I would have to go into a kind of hiding that would assure that he could never find me, at least, until he could be defeated. It would still be some time before we even knew what became of you, and I'll admit, I was afraid that you had fallen victim to Ganon as well..."

In a way, Link thought, he did. He couldn't help anyone, let alone Zelda, for all those seven years...

"Impa was unsure of what to do, but decided to gather all the remaining Sheikah together at the Shadow Temple to help her come up with a way to save me from Ganon before he finished with Castle Town and descended upon Karkariko, which we both knew was inevitable. Then, as they are now, Sheikah are in very short supply, as I told you when you first emerged from the Temple of Time. I lied about being the lone survivor, as I also lied about even being a Sheikah in the first place, but you know as well as I do that it was necessary..."

Link nodded slowly, recalling his memories of Sheik, who was about to be unmasked to him, and not as she had before.

"Anyway, the dozen or so Sheikah that gathered with their leader said that I should be disguised as someone Ganon would never suspect to be the Princess Zelda."

Of course, Link thought, who would suspect a Sheikah boy to be a Hylian Princess...not even the Hero of Time himself...

"I learned Impa was the Sage of Shadow then, and I had never known her to even have magical abilities until she created a masking spell for me. Ever since I could remember, I always had the aptitude for magic, and once Impa taught me the spell, the Triforce of Wisdom made it even stronger, and, well, from then on, I was called Sheik. Impa and I then went into to town, bought some more supplies and another horse, and rode around Hyrule for nearly a year, always staying one step ahead of Ganon and his minions."

"It was then that I learned all those songs I taught you, Link," Zelda recalled to him, the fingers of her right hand moving with an odd grace, mimicking the way they used to play upon harp strings in another time forgotten to all of Hyrule. "I even went into the Lost Woods, but no further than the bridge. I didn't need to risk going any further, because the Kokiri girl that was standing there told me things...and taught me the Minuet of the Forest...that is, when I mentioned your name, Link."

"Saria?!" was as much of a question as he could form.

"Yes, the Sage of the Forest herself, even. She was sad to hear that I had no news of what had happened to you, and it was strange, because she could see right through my disguise. She wouldn't stop talking about you, though. You and her must have been very good friends, I take it?"

"Saria was...my only friend back in the forest..." Link admitted.

"You'll have to tell me your whole story some time, Link," she requested, "But I suppose you'll want me to finish mine first..."

Link simply nodded, then added after a moment. "I can't believe you met Saria..."

"I knew all the Sages before you woke up, Link. I even encountered Nabooru once, but that's much later in the story."

Well, he thought, that would make sense enough...

"We went all over, though, really. Ganon didn't so much destruction that year, only enough to prove to people why he was now their ruling tyrant and that they all should fear him, rather than respect him. Most people just tried to go on with their daily lives, and then, when that year was over, Ganon started his armies on building that hideous tower of his where the castle used to be, and left Hyrule to much of its own devices. I ended up living with the Sheikah for a good deal of time after that, in and about their various hideouts in Karkariko. Impa taught me many things then, mostly how to defend myself and how to use the Sheikah magic she could teach me."

"However, all that changed about a year before you woke up. We had also been conducting research into the old legends during that time too, in order to see if we could find out more about what exactly had happened to Hyrule, and that one mystery Triforce that, again, we didn't know you held. One day, we stumbled upon an old scroll in a tomb that spoke of the Master Sword. It didn't say much, but it led me to believe that I should go and see what had happened to the legendary blade, if anything at all, just to see if I could get a clue or two about the grand scheme of things."

"Impa told me that it would be too dangerous to venture anywhere near the Evil King's Tower, but I knew that someone had to do it, and so long as I didn't alert any monsters to my presence, I would be fine. I felt bad about it, but one night, when Impa was asleep, I rode to the gates of Castle Town and ventured in, using my Sheikah magic to go undetected by the ReDeads that had claimed the city. I got to the Temple of Time pretty easily, and found that no evil had pervaded its walls, which I took as a good sign. I saw the Spiritual Stones on the altar and they still looked like they had just been put there only moments ago, even though I knew you had to have done it years before. Then I entered to room that was sealed off by the Door of Time and I saw that the Master Sword was gone."

Link suddenly felt too light. He had never wielded a finer blade in his life, and he had to admit that he missed the weight of the Master Sword on his back and in his hand.

"Suddenly, I knew there was hope for Hyrule yet, and then the Sage of Light spoke to me from where he guarded your sleeping form in the Sacred Realm."

"He said, and I remember it clearly: 'You who are chosen to carry the Triforce of Wisdom, destined to be the Seventh Sage and leader of them all, your hope is not in vain. I am watching over the Hero of Time, who you are destined to guide and aid in the quest to restore your Kingdom and rid this world of the evil Ganon.'"

"Naturally, I was frightened at first, but Rauru explained himself and made everything clear to me. He didn't even have to tell me who the 'sleeping hero, too young for his Courage,' was. I knew it had to be you, Link."

He smiled, slightly bashful. What Zelda didn't know about the awkwardness he felt in his suddenly adult body when he first emerged wouldn't hurt her...Some hero he was at that time, who had to concentrate very hard to walk correctly, but could then instantly draw his sword with ease on what would become a friend.

"When I returned from the Temple, Impa wasn't surprised to see that I had gone, but she was surprised to hear what I had to tell her. Rauru had told me that Ganon would grow tired of his limited rule very soon, and he would seek out the other Triforce parts in a vicious rage. While he had little hope of finding the two of us, he would end up causing chaos in Hyrule and even greater ruin. I had to avoid this, as well as keep the other Sages safe from it. Once it grew to a point where I could no longer help, I was to wait for your return in the Temple of Time and leave my fellow Sages to hold off Ganon long enough for you to save them."

Link then thought back on the darkened world he had entered into with those awkward steps. Everything had changed, but not just with time, rather, with evil as well.

"Impa didn't like the idea, but she knew that we had to go along with it, simply because it was destiny. It was then that Ganon and his armies marched on Hyrule once again, but this time they demanded the whereabouts of the Princess. He didn't know about your Triforce either, only that it was somewhere out there. Once again, I evaded him, but this time on my own, since Impa had to stand and help defend Karkariko from any major damage. She also had to tell Ganon that I was dead, in order to discourage him a little. I mostly stayed behind him that time, though. I cleaned up the mess after he left, and that's when I saved Ruto from under the ice. I even ventured into Gerudo territory and managed to find the Spirit Temple. I tried to free Nabooru from the witches control when I saw that she was different from the rest of the Iron Knuckles, but I knew she was beyond my help."

"Ganon then proceeded to kill off all the Sheikah and force Impa into hiding. He threatened to do the same to the Gorons, who refused to forge weapons for his army of monsters and fiends. He knew to steer clear of the Lost Woods, but sent in plenty of his underlings to terrorize the poor Kokiri and force Saria into hiding as well. I couldn't help her either. It was then that I had no choice but to go to the Temple of Time, and pray that you would come soon. The rest, well, is your part of the story, I guess," she concluded.

"Just one more question, if I may, Zelda?" Link requested after he let it all sink in.

"What is it?"

"How long did you have to wait for me?" he asked, hoping that she didn't end up having to spend too much time in fear that he would never come to save them all.

"I waited for a week. It turns out that you were in the Sacred Realm for seven years and seven days exactly..." A pained expression was on her face, and she had given up any hope of looking him in the eye. He could see the guilt, the fear, and the pain she had suffered in all of that time, while he lay naive and sleeping dreamlessly, but safe. He was so sorry that she too couldn't have been given the gift of innocence that he had. There was no way to express it though, what he felt. A simple apology was inappropriate and understated. He was no simply sorry. It was so much more than that.

"I'll tell you what shouldn't have happened," Link said. "All of that should never have happened to you, and I guess, that in a way, it didn't, but so long as you have the memory of it, its all true and it was all real. Destiny sure didn't make it easy for you like it did for me, and I only wish that there was some way--"

"Link," she cut him off, now staring intently at him, focused and determined. "Weren't you just saying that what happened happened? We saved Hyrule, Link! There was no other way and I know that I am better for it, as are you. There is nothing to pity ourselves or one another over. We have to concentrate on what we achieved, rather than what he suffered. It is the right way to go about it, especially when we are the only ones that can remember it..."

Link looked down at his left hand, knowing what lay under the thick leather of the gauntlets. "You're right, but..." Link reached into the one pouch on his belt that never left his protection. "I think we still have a right to remember all that was sacrificed, and all who were sacrificed, even if we restored them." He pulled out the Kokiri's Emerald from where it was stored with the other two Spiritual Stones Link himself had removed from the altar when he close the Door of Time and sealed Ganon away for eternity. He laid in on the sunlit table, the light mingling with its perfect facets. "Farore created life, but all life comes from the forest, did you know that Zelda? Almost like a green light, parting the dark clouds...so long as there's life...there's hope. They taught me that in the forest, but I didn't know it until we defeated Ganon..."

And then, without the ceremony he had learned in the past few days, the dances of respect and etiquette, he got up and let himself out. He had given her all the respect he had, just to know that she had as much courage as he did and that she had fought just as hard. He left her all his admiration, all of his loyalty, and all of his love in the form of a stone from the forest, that lay in front of her shock-widened eyes, gleaming in the sun. It was the only stone that he really felt was his to give, and, not being completely sure as why, he gave it. . It was the only way he could say what he had to, but couldn't...

Link felt remorseful for what had happened to Zelda, but he was proud of what she had become.

/_\ /_\

/_\ /_\ Blue Taboo /_\ /_\