She
was gone.
She’d
left him without reason. He didn’t know why, but his whole world fell apart as
she flew away.
When
he’d returned to Zelda, she greeted him with a cheerful smile, recalling
everything they’d been through. When he gazed at her with that empty, hollow
look in his eyes, the smile slipped from her face as quickly as it had come.
They’d
sealed away the King of Evil, bound him in the Sacred Realm, a prison for the
foul deeds he’d committed, for causing the deaths of many innocent people. The Kingdom of Hyrule would begin to rebuild, allowing
for everyone in Hyrule to regain lost happiness.
Well,
not everyone.
The
Hero of Time could feel a gap in his heart that could not be filled with
festivals or celebrations, a gap that could not be filled by false shouts of
victory. To some, it may have seemed to be a victory, but to one man, it was a
loss.
The
Goddesses had deemed it necessary for him to stay in the future while another
copy of him was sent back to the past to take his place, preventing his
attempts to replace the Master Sword in its pedestal. He couldn’t even see his
friends again.
Zelda thought he’d fallen in love with her
that, they were meant to be, that it was his duty to the kingdom. She didn’t
understand what he’d lost because of her and his duty “to the kingdom”. No, it
was what she thought was best for him. She was trying to decide his destiny
again, something that had become a habit for her.
She’d
made him promise to come back after he found who he lost. He had no intention
of coming back if he found who he was looking for. If he found her, he didn’t
need anyone else.
As
he worked his way through the Woods of the Lost, he looked desperately for any
sign of her, any hint that she’d been there. For many days, he found none.
Finally,
exhausted, he stumbled into the fountain of the Great Fairy, thoughts of
suicide crossing his mind, threatening to rob him of his drive. It was in Fountain,
that he found her.
She
didn’t notice him at first, hovering in a meditation position near the fountain
itself, somehow the size of a human. As he approached her, his foot came down
in a small puddle, filling the chamber with a light splashing sound.
They
Fairy immediately turned around and stared at him, shocked to see him so far from
his home, standing in her presence. No greeting was necessary for them; they
could see how the other felt.
Neither
of them said anything for a moment. The look of sadness on Link’s face turned
to that of quiet enthusiasm as he took a cautious step towards her, a movement
that she copied. Seconds later, they were in each other’s arms, sharing a
tender hug.
Her
human form was only temporary, something she was granted in the fountain as a
reward for her dedication to Link. She would use it selfishly for that one
night with her lover.
To
truly be together with him for one night was all she wanted, for what she truly
wished for would come soon enough…if she had the patience to wait.
In
the shadows, the Great Fairy looked down upon them wisely. She knew of the
events to come. She knew the fate that awaited the two. How it would test their
love for each other and their determination against all odds.
What
she was unable to see, was how the Hero would be pushed to his limit by one who
he thought was an ally, one who he had decided to leave behind when he went to
search for the one he loved.