Hero's Struggle With the Present, Past and Future

When Link defeated Ganondorf, he became the biggest name in all of Hyrule aside from Princess Zelda.

It got so bad that the castle was the only place he could have any freedom. There the Princess—soon-to-be Queen—assured his privacy within the walls. Much of the time he spent training with the newly-reformed Hyrulean Army (who seemed to show some actually courage, what with the man who saved Hyrule among them) or spending time with the Princess herself.

He didn't want to complain. But after the adventure that took him from his humble home of Ordon to the castle itself, he felt… restless. He'd try to find some kind of adventure to ease himself, but he found no such rest. He once returned to the castle in the middle of the night and was nearly arrested after injuring a guard. He considered himself lucky that the guard escaped with only bruises. The Princess was obviously unhappy with his behavior.

But looking at him looking out the castle windows and heaving several deep sighs, she understood what was going through his mind. He certainly had a reason to feel so low. Midna, in all likelihood, was never coming back, what with the Mirror of Twilight shattered into a million shards. Repairing it would be impossible. It was also his sense of adventure, which she (correctly) guessed was making his depression worse.

But today that wasn't on his mind. Instead, he was driving a cart which carried his four young friends from Ordon, half of which were quiet, one behaving as mature as possible (while trying to hide her excitement) and the last one behaving quite rambunctiously.

"WE'RE GONNA MEET THE PRINCESS!" Talo shouted in the back.

"You said that five times already," said Malo.

"Will you quit acting like a baby?" said Beth. "Tell him, Colin."

"Um, no thanks," Colin replied timidly.

"Hmph! Kids!"

"Now Beth, don't be too hard on them," said Link. "Look, we're at the town already!" The gates of Castle Town rose before them as they jumped out of the cart.

Their trek in a crowded Castle Town took several detours, one of which was a trip by Malo to check on his franchise here. Business was good, up 30% from last month. Talo on the other hand, wanted to have his fortune told, but Link didn't really want to do that and he dragged the poor kid out of the fortune teller's house and back into the snowy streets.

"So when will Zelda become Queen?" Beth asked as they approached the castle gates.

"I'm not sure," said Link. "She'd been meaning to this year, but I guess she was too busy with the rebuilding."

"Oh man, I can't believe we're gonna meet the Princess!" Talo repeated, barely able to contain his excitement. They entered easily as the guard recognized Link's credentials (even though it was the same guard he injured).

It was the first time the kids had seen Hyrule Castle up close and they all shared the same mouth wide-open looks on their face at how big the castle was. As they came closer, the sheer size of the structure nearly overwhelmed them. Link chuckled. "I felt the same way the first time I saw this place," he said.

"You did?" asked Talo. Link nodded.

The massive doors of Hyrule Castle creaked open, revealing two rows of guards. He nodded to the guards when he noticed a familiar figure descending the stairs.

"Greetings, I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. I was expecting you."

"It is my pleasure," Link said, taking a bow before her. The kids took a moment from staring at her with gaping mouths to quickly bow. Zelda chuckled.

"Please, there is no need for formality," she said. "I understand you must be overwhelmed to be in my presence. But I assure you, any friend of Link's is a friend of mine."

"Oh wow, the Princess is so cool!" Talo nearly screeched.

"I understand that you are Talo," she said. "Link was right; you are an enthusiastic young man. And you are Malo, correct? I must say, your shop is my favorite. If you wanted a high-ranking endorsement, you have one right here."

"Of course," said Malo.

"Um, hello Your Majesty," said Beth. "I'm sorry about these kids."

Zelda laughed again. "I have certainly heard of you," said Zelda. "And you must be Colin." Colin looked away shyly. However, the Princess placed his hand on his shoulder and smiled at him warmly. "Do not be afraid. Link told me about your bravery. I do believe you have the courage to match Link's." Colin felt his cheeks pulling on his mouth and he let it grow as wide as it could and his cheeks turned red.

"Th-thank you," he said.

"So long as you are here, you are free to explore the castle," she said. Then she turned stern. "But the guards will tell you which areas you must stay out of. Do I make myself clear?" The kids nodded and Zelda smiled again. "Come now, do not be intimidated!"

"Um, Your Majesty—"

"Please, there is no need for such formality," said the Princess. "Just call me 'Zelda'."

"Um, Zelda, can you help Link?" said Beth. "I think he's kind of sad."

"Yes, I've known," said Zelda. "But why don't you four run off, I'm sure the staff will have something for you to do." The kids did just that and ran off. Zelda stood up and turned to Link, who was taking off his cloak. "Link, what is it this time?"

"I don't know," he said.

"I know you've been restless ever since the Twilight Incident," she said. "But you must not suffer in silence." She laid her hand on his shoulder, causing a sensation to shoot up his spine. "All of us, myself included, do not want you to suffer."

"Thank you, Zelda," he said. She smiled at him, earning a smile back from him.

"How long will you be here for?"

"A few days," he replied.

"Well then, we have some time," she said. "Now then, take your mind off your troubles and have some fun! The children look ready to go outside."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

With a smile on his face, Link followed the Princess (dressed warmly) outside to go and play with the kids. They spent hours outside building snowmen and having snowball fights. Link was especially surprised to see that the Princess was skilled at making and throwing snowballs. She and the kids (except for Colin) joined forces against Link.

"The coast is clear!" Colin said, scanning a deserted courtyard. Link checked and gave Colin a little shove.

"Go!" Colin bolted out of their hiding spot across the courtyard. Link looked around and followed suit. His panting breath hung in the cold air. But he'd run farther distances during his adventure last year. This was nothing!

"AMBUSH!"

Oh, damn.

The kids popped out and started assaulting him with snowballs. Link's instincts kicked in and he dodged the snowballs like arrows. They were coming from both sides and extremely well-thrown—are those guards throwing at him?

"Come on, Link!" Colin urged. Link was almost there, he was going to make it to the safe zone. He had it within his grasp, just a few more meters—

SPLAT!

"Sorry, Link!" he heard Beth call out. Link wiped the remnants of a snowball off his face. He looked over at Beth doubled over and rolling on the ground laughing. He suspected it wasn't Beth who threw the snowball, but the Princess who was laughing just as hard as her.

"Sorry Link," said Colin. Link couldn't blame the kid, he didn't know. The courtyard did look deserted, after all. Instead, he wiped his cloak off and started thinking of an excellent counter attack.

About 10 minutes later, he and Link were waiting for Zelda's team in another part of the courtyard behind some big stones. They were part of the castle's reconstruction, but now they served a greater purpose. And that purpose was to serve as a hiding place for a genius snowball ambush.

Link poked his head over the stones and noticed that their trap had been set. Zelda and the kids were wandering into the courtyard, following some signs that Colin had set up himself. Link winked at his friend and prepared his arsenal. Just a little more… "ATTACK!"

Link and Colin leapt up, pelting their enemies with snowballs. "WE SURRENDER!" Talo shouted, earning a knock upside the head by Beth.

"Well played, hero," said the Princess. "You've learned the art of combat well."

"That's what you get," he replied. He smiled at her in a cheeky manner.

"Well, unless no one wants to stop, I suggest we go inside," said Zelda.

"I want to go inside!" said Beth. "I don't want to deal with these babies anymore."

"That's because you lost!" Colin shouted back. Link laughed.

"I don't mind going inside," said Link. "Is there any reason you want to, Zelda?"

"I do have some paperwork to do," she said. "I am truly sorry I cannot play with you much longer."

"It's okay," said Beth. So it was decided they'd go back inside the castle.

Zelda went up to her office, leaving everyone to explore the castle. The kids ran off on their own, leaving Link on his own. Sighing in disappointment, he decided to go and see the castle. He liked doing it when he wasn't A) storming the place or B) uninvited.

"Race you to the top!" Talo shouted to the others as they gave chase in their race. "Last one up has to fight Zant!"

Okay, so perhaps he had to make sure they didn't get into any trouble. "Hey, wait for me!" he called out in preparation to pursue them. Once he turned the nearest corner he realized he'd lost them. Oh, well, they could take care of themselves. If Colin could save Beth's life, he could certainly find his way around the castle.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

So Link went back to his impromptu exploration. He'd not had the real chance to explore the castle ever since he stormed it on his own last summer. It was much more peaceful to do it when he was not being chased by guards or Darknuts around the halls.

Portraits of past members of the royal families lined the halls. Underneath them, suits of armors so realistic he swore they were Darknuts stood in an eternal vigil. As he continued down the halls, he could see the armor beginning to change until he found a mannequin wearing a familiar get-up; a tunic, green, which resembled the visage of a figure who assisted him during his travels.

It was then a blue glow began to fill the hall. He looked to his left and saw a figure, dressed like him, only not him. He'd met him after a difficult time during his journey. He'd been kicked out of a town called Grooseton and was filled with despair until he showed up and gave him the encouragement he needed before returning to the afterlife.

He was the first one to be called "Link", the one who rode a Loftwing and fought the Demon King Demise. "I didn't know you were here," said the present Link.

"I wanted to see you again," said the ghost Link. "I understand you're… troubled." The present Link nodded. "I felt the same way after I defeated Demise. But Zelda and I had a world to build. You…"

"Don't," said the present Link.

The ghost Link sighed, walking over to the window to look out over the snow. "I never got to see our land become like this," he said. "Hyrule's changing all the time and I can't keep up."

"Well, you're dead, so…"

"True," said the ghost Link. "What are you going to do? Are you going to settle down in Ordon and marry Ilia?"

"I don't think Ilia's the right one for me," said the living Link. "She's more like a sister."

"And when did you realize that?"

"Last month," said the present Link. He let out a deep sigh again and walked over to the window. "I desperately want to go on another adventure."

"So did the Hero of Time," said the ghost Link. "Look how well that did him."

The Hero's Shade. Link sighed, remembering his encounters with the bitter ghost of a past hero. "Be careful what you wish for, Link," said the ghost Link. "I want you to see something, by the way."

"What?" the Present Link asked.

"Follow me." The ghost turned and walked away. Link followed, but soon found the ghost's pace to be quick for him. He called out to the ghost, only for him to be ignored. He hated when that happened.

The ghost stopped outside a nondescript double door. He gestured to the door and faded away. "Thanks for the help," Link snarked to himself. He opened the door and went in.

To his surprise, the room itself was far from nondescript. He'd found the castle's library. Rows upon rows of books, all of them well-kept and not rotting and covered in cobwebs were in front of him. The only thing he could say right now was a muted "wow". He'd never seen this many books before. He really should have gone to the Castle Town Library more often, to be honest…

Speaking of which, yes, Link did know how to read. Mayor Bo taught him to, saying that even a goatherder could learn how to read. It was his civic duty, not just as an Ordonian, but as a subject of the Kingdom of Hyrule that he learned how to read! Well, that was how Mayor Bo put it. Rusl just said that he would be better off in so many ways if he did know how to read.

Getting back to our plot, Link looked around. The ghost only had the courtesy to bring him here, not—he saw the ghost again, this time off to the left side. Link followed the ghost over to a bookshelf with some very old books. One of the books fell out of the shelf, presumably knocked out by the ghost.

The ghost was nowhere to be found. Even though he was still unsure, Link picked the book up off the floor and opened it up. Because he didn't know what he was supposed to be looking for, he flipped through the pages. Oh, he could read. He just didn't know what the ghost wanted him to find. A little help would be nice!

But then a couple words caught his eye.

The founders of the first Hyrulean kingdom had VERY familiar names: Link and Zelda.

This wasn't world-shaking revelation, nor was it a surprise. Oh, he knew he was like some reincarnation or something of an ancient warrior named Link. And there was also the time he was visited by the ghost of the first Link. If anything, it confirmed some suspicions he had about that Link, that he had indeed married Zelda. And so he put two and two together and figure out that Zelda was descended from those two.

Now it was a surprise. All sorts of questions popped in his head, none of which made a lick of sense. It was easier to wrangle an Ordon goat than figure out what the ghost was telling him.

"Hello, Link."

He dropped the book and reached for his sword before remembering he didn't have it. But Zelda walked up to him, keeping her hands up calmly. "I apologize for startling you," she said.

"It's alright," he said in his light Ordonian drawl.

"What were you reading?" she gently asked.

'A book' wasn't going to be a sufficient answer, because it was so obvious sarcasm and would make her think he didn't feel comfortable around her. He is in a library. "A history book," he said.

"What kind of history book?" she asked with equal amounts of sarcasm.

"I… am not sure," he said. This time he was sincere. "But, I believe it has something to do with our past lives."

"So you figured that out," she said. "Come with me."

So he did. He followed her through the castle's many hallways, nooks and crannies until they reached a spot he didn't see when he stormed the castle to take down Ganondorf. But from the way it was kept up, he knew that it wasn't a secret room. In fact, the welcoming decorations around the door told him otherwise.

"In case you are wondering, this is not a forbidden part of the castle," she said. "And in fact, I have been meaning to show this to you, but I have been so busy helping the reconstruction."

"What is it?"

"Come in," she said.

So he did. When he stepped inside, he was not awestruck, but curiosity-struck. The Hero walked around, twisting and craning his neck so he could see the portraits of the heroes that came before him.

And in one corner, he came across a woodblock painting of two people; one dressed in green, the other in white, holding their hands out to each other. Driven by something like instinct, he placed his hands on the wooden painting, ran his hand over it and seemed to go through… something. He wasn't entirely sure. "This is you and me," he said.

"Of course," said Zelda.

"I learned who I was from a past life," he said. "Are we just players in a never-ending feud?"

The Princess suddenly seemed guilty about it. Closing her eyes, she cast her head downward and shrugged. But soon the Hero also felt the pangs of guilt wrack him, as the Princess struggled to contain the tears building up in her eyes. Her efforts were fruitless. The quiet room wasn't as quiet as the soon-to-be Queen openly wept. She had to sit down.

"Princess!" he gasped. "W-what's wrong!?"

"It is true, is it not?" she asked. "You and I will be caught up in an eternal struggle with the reincarnations of a hateful demon king. There is no end in sight. I myself, the living vessel of the Goddess Hylia, will never find peace."

"Princess, what are you—"

"I have seen them," she continued, shaking, "I have seen past lives, future lives, and lives across other timelines. I have seen ourselves in so many lives. Ganondorf was right when he said the future will be written in blood—OUR blood.

"And perhaps worse, perhaps not, I feel as if my feelings for you are only because of our shared destinies."

"Wha—feelings?"

"I confess that somewhere along the line, I came to admire your courage," she said. "I believe it was your selflessness in defending Hyrule. There was so much about you that I… when I joined with Midna, I felt myself admiring your courage first-hand."

"Princess?"

"And yet, as I have seen 21 summers and you 18, I felt uncomfortable," she continued. "But that was nothing compared to what I knew was coming—"

"What, what do you mean!?"

"I am afraid that I have developed romantic feelings for you," she said.

"… What?"

"I said, I have romantic feelings for you," she said calmly.

"… Excuse me?"

Zelda looked back up at Link with tears trickling down her cheeks from her wide, just-as-surprised eyes. "Oh dear Goddesses," she whispered. "Link, I am SO sorry. I did not want to burden you any further—"

Link had already reach out and pulled her closer to him. "Shut up," he said. Zelda's eyes widened and she gasped. First off, this was surely against protocol; a commoner telling the Queen-to-be to shut up?

"... What?"

"I—I'm sorry," he said. Clearly stunned by his own words, he turned around and staggered out of the library, carrying the book she had given him.

She watched him go, albeit with a bittersweet expression on her face and eyes.

Out of respect, she neither followed him nor tried to find him. Instead, she went back to work, occasionally serenaded by the Ordon kids singing about blunting knives and bending forks (because that's what Mistress Impa hates).

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Hours passed.

The paperwork on Zelda's desk began to accumulate and pile up the longer she seemed to work. The only times she took a break to stop were to eat and use the facilities, because it seemed or felt like she endlessly worked for the rest of the day. And yet they were all she could do to keep her mind off of Link. But with small bits of concern, including that last sentence for example, it didn't work out like she hoped.

In the end, one of her advisors came into her office and removed the paperwork. "You need to rest," she said. "Please, for your own health." Zelda would have protested, but she was in no mood to do so.

Upon leaving her office, she found herself face-to-face with Link. She reached out for him, but stopped when she realized he looked different. For one thing, his pants were wider, but the subtle differences in his attire told her that this was not the Link she knew. She couldn't come to any conclusion until she noticed the moonlight (had it really been that long?) shining through his body.

She quietly gasped, but the sight of Link, and perhaps some odd, strange sense of familiarity kept her calm.

"You remind me of my Zelda," he said. "But I have to ask; are your feelings for Link genuine?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you love your Link because of your history or out of genuine love?"

"I grew to love him before I truly knew of our history," she replied, her voice soft, yet firm and defiant. "He is brave, kind, selfless, handsome, strong, determined… there are many words I want to use to describe him, but all you need to know is, those feelings are for MY Link; the one whom I can see living by my side for our entire lives. And yet, if he does not want to, I will not stop him. But whatever is making him restless, I want to help."

The ghost hesitated for a moment, perhaps out of surprise at her response. Just by looking at him, she could tell that this ghost helped the current Link at least once before, or was at least concerned about his future's sake.

To her surprise, he didn't say anything, but his spectral form shrank into a ball of light that slowly moved away.

She wordlessly followed the ghost light. And it led her through the castle for several minutes. She never said anything, for fear of what might happen if she did. But she just wanted to get this over with, and it helped make the time move faster than it really was.

Before long, she found him reading a book in the parlour, next to a nice fire. She waited a few moments before clearing her throat. He did not answer. She cleared her throat again. Either he was ignoring her, he was so engrossed in the book that the outside world was unknown to him, or he could not hear her. Or a combination of at least two, or all three.

"Link!" she finally called.

He jumped in and out of his seat, reaching for his back as if to reach for his sword. Thankfully, he noticed her, and her reassuring visage. "It is alright," she gently said. "I only wanted to talk."

"About what?"

"Your friend Link appeared before me," she said. "Yes, him." She told him everything. "Link, please, I want to help. And I mean it when I tell you I have feelings for you. I am so sorry to make you feel like this, and I WANT you to be happy.

"What is wrong?"

"Ever since I defeated Ganondorf, I just… what do I do now?"

"That is all I need," she said. "This is something you must learn for yourself. And I want to help you. But a brand new adventure? How exciting!

"But please, whether up close or afar, let me love and help you. And I have seen the pain over the centuries. I do not want to lose you!"

She was crying. Seeing this, Link moved towards her. She reflexively moved towards him as well, and their arms were tightly around each other. Zelda kept repeating several words at once, and Link couldn't think of a single way to comfort her, he just stared off towards the door. But he held her tightly. She did the same. And he looked around, his eyes darting from one spot to another until they landed on an orb of light.

The orb twinkled as if it was winking or something. Then, the apparition of the first Link appeared, winked and vanished.

Link eased his grip. For a moment, after they backed away, Zelda appeared to be the slightest bit heartbroken. But once she got a look at him, her expression changed. His hand shaking, he moved it up to her neck, gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb and pulled her in to kiss. Zelda heartily answered his gesture, but with more passion.

True, this was only the beginning of their romance, but as the first Link's apparition smiled and knew, this Link wouldn't have to handle his problems alone.

Now he just had to leave these two alone.