After the Master Sword II

by tir-synni

 

A/N: The last of this trilogy.  Will Link and Sheik ever be reunited?  Will it even matter?  While this trilogy was pretty short, the next series, the ending series, will be pretty long.  I hope everyone likes.  As always, review!

 

After Majora

 

            Epona neighed quietly under Link, and absently, he patted her slender neck.  Behind him, the sun set on the land of Termina.  It set on the town, on Skull kid, on Tatl.  It set on yet another chapter of Link’s life, and he never turned around to watch it darken.  Link stroked Epona’s neck tenderly, and he tapped his heels on her strong flank, riding silently into the clock tower.

            It was time to return to Hyrule.

            A strange contentment lightened Link’s heart as he rode through the tunnel.  In the hours he had to wait before the battle with Majora, he had warped to and defeated the bosses, freeing the respective temples.  He had hurried through multiple tasks, all the while Tatl screaming in his ear about the pointlessness of his actions.  Still, Link had fought, a fire burning in him that had been absent since his arrival in Termina.  With each person he had aided, with each faery he had freed, he felt better about himself.  He understood, and that was all he needed to keep going.

            Now, Link journeyed back to Hyrule, the Ocarina of Time weighing heavily in his pocket.  He was the Legendary Hero of Time.  Not once in the title was Hyrule specifically mentioned.  Countless places such as Termina needed protecting, and as the Hero, he would raise his sword in their defense.

            Sheik....Sheik would understand.  He had understood when Link had to return to the past, even when Link himself had truly not.

            Quietly, Link began to hum to himself.  Over and over, he hummed the Song of Time to himself.  For some reason, it seemed oddly fitting.

~~~~~

            “Link!” Princess Zelda exclaimed, leaping to her feet.  “You weren’t gone long.  Did you succeed in your quest already?”

            Again, Link had found the princess in the garden, and again, he had found it painfully easy to slip past her guards.  It was beginning to embarrass him.  He did not even have to try anymore.

            Link smiled slightly at her comment.  In truth, he had only been gone for a week, though it had felt much longer.  It was strange.  He had repeated the same three days over and over again, but he could still tell how many days had actually passed.  Link did not put too much thought into it.

            “My duty as the Hero of Time is more important than any personal quest I might have,” Link murmured softly.  “Someone taught me this.”  Familiar faces flashed through his mind: Lulu, Anju, the Skull kid.  While he could not save Mikau, at least he was able to save Lulu’s eggs and provide her final knowledge of Mikau.  He had been able to reunite Anju and Kafei, and with Majora’s defeat, the spell on Kafei had been broken.  The Skull kid had been freed from Majora’s grasp, and he had been reunited with his friends, Tatl and Tael.  They were but few of the people he had encountered in the land of Termina.

            The happy grin on the young princess’s face faded.  “What have you decided?”  The look in her bright blue eyes was no longer that of a delighted friend.  Link spied the difference instantly.

            Link sucked in a deep breath and handed the Ocarina of Time to her.  Deja vu swept over him, strong and harsh, as Zelda hesitantly placed her small hand over his own gloved one.  Such an action had marked the beginning of one destiny.  He believed it was marking the beginning of another, now.

            “I am going to travel,” Link declared.  “More lands than simply Hyrule need protection.  As the Hero of Time, it is my responsibility to do so.”  He raised his head proudly, his free hand clenched tightly at his waist.  Zelda’s hand rested still over his, and over the Ocarina of Time.

            Zelda closed her eyes momentarily.  Quietly, she gripped the Ocarina, then released it.  “The Hero of Time will need the Ocarina of Time.”

            Link stared solemnly at her.  “Thank you.”

            The princess smiled sadly back at him.  “Will you return to Hyrule someday?”

            He heard the second question in that whispered inquiry.  Will you look for Sheik?  The question made Link swallow thickly.  When he had returned to the past, that had been all Link could think about.  But now he recalled what had sent him to the future in the first place, the destiny that had inspired him to pull the Master Sword from its sacred pedestal.  The love of an older man pulsed in Link’s heart.  To the Hero of Time, time did not dissipate tender memories, even if they did not truly exist.  He could still remember the scent of Sheik’s skin, the deep velvet of his voice.  It aroused not the child as it did the man, but it still sent a wave of love through his small body.

            But he did not believe it was a coincidence that he had stumbled upon Majora when he did.  It was his destiny to be a warrior, not a lover.  To another, such thoughts would be strange coming from a ten-year-old child, but to Hero and Sage, it was another factor of their lives.

            “I will go where I must,” Link replied quietly.  “But I’ll come back sometimes.  To make sure Hyrule is safe.”

            Zelda nodded shakily, but did not relax her dignified stance.  “Then keep the Ocarina by your side.  Go, not as a warrior of Hyrule, nor as a child from the Kokiri Forest, but as the Hero of Time.”

            Link offered her a solemn nod and a small bow, then turned sharply on one heel.  Zelda watched him go.  Her soft lips compressed in a stiff line.  Only when he was long gone did she speak.

            “Farewell...my hero.”

~~~~~

            Link met Epona outside of the castle walls.  She neighed cheerfully at him, coaxing forth a small smile.  He patted her muscled flank before hopping on her back.

            “When I was younger, I always wondered what was beyond the forest,” Link confided.  “I suppose I’ll find out now.”

            With a small click of his tongue and a tapping of his heels, Link led Epona towards the Kokiri Forest.  Like it had been when he had left Termina, like it would be with many other places, Link kept his chin up and never looked back.

            “Throughout time's passing, destiny entwines the lifestrands of mortals to form true love, soulmates.  It doesn't matter if the weaves change, for the pattern that balances the heart will always be the same.  If it is our fate to truly love one another, if our lives our thus intertwined, in your heart of hearts, you shall remember me this way.”

            Through love, through loss, through time itself, Link would always remain the Hero of Time.

            “Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

            “Yes.  Always.”

            As Lulu and Mikau understood...

            As Anju and Kafei understood...

            Link understood.

            And he knew Sheik would understand, too.