The Silent Princess

The end is only the beginning

Zelda slowly opened her tired eyes, and stared up at the vast sea of sky. Its never ending size showed no limitations. They say the sky's the limit, but Zelda only felt that it was the start. There were so many endless possibilities hanging up there, and she was just craving to reach them.

"Good morning!"

Zelda turned her head to a pair of blue eyes staring at her fondly.

"Good morning." She smiled back.

Link tightened his arms around her, and kissed her on the forehead. It would take some time for him to get used to this freedom of showing his love for Zelda.

"Did you sleep well?" Asked Link.

Zelda dug her head into his chest, and a sighed dreamily.

"Probably the best." She replied.

"Better than your four poster bed with silk sheets and plumped pillows." He smirked.

She smacked him in the chest- which slightly hurt her hand, but wasn't going to admit it- and twisted around so she was lying on her stomach.

"I think that's a close second." Zelda laughed.

She propped her elbows on the ground, and rested her chin on her hands, and was smiling at Link, for reasons she didn't know. Then again, what was the reason not to smile at him.

"Now what?" He asked.

"Well, we get up and eat breakfast, silly." She said.

"No, I mean after that, what do we do next?"

Zelda had been thinking about this overnight, but she wasn't exactly sure about what to do next.

"I suppose its time," She sighed, and looked over at the castle, "Time to do it."

Link placed a gentle hand on her arm, and gave her a reassuring smile. The smile that gave Zelda the confidence she lacked.

"It'll be ok," He said softly, "We'll do it together, and before you know it, Hyrule will be back to how it used to be."

That was when Zelda realised it. Realised that he may not fully remember the old Hyrule, his old life, his old personality.

"Do you... Remember?" She asked cautiously.

Fragments of memories floated around in Link's mind. Some of them were easier to piece together; others seemed near impossible.

"I remember the bar..." He started.

Zelda laughed. There was nothing better for a knight than to go to the bar after a long day, and drink like there's no tomorrow.

"Of course you remember the bar!" She exclaimed, "But do you remember what happened whilst you went there?"

Judging by her tone, Link guessed it was something he wouldn't be proud of.

"No." He replied bluntly, "And I'd rather not know."

Zelda shrugged, and searched for more memories they shared.

"How about the Sunday market?" She prompted.

A hand eagerly dragging him through the various market stall flashed in his mind. He tried to see it again, and a clear scene came through.

They had just come back from one of the springs, and as always, nothing had awoken Zelda's dormant powers. She headed back to the castle, dejected, and her sprit broken. Link wanted to cheer her up, but couldn't think of anyway to do so. That was until he heard the distant calls from the market, urging people to check out their goods. He'd often been on the receiving end of Zelda going on about the market, about how wonderful it was. So with all the courage he could muster, Link suggested a detour through the market place. Her face immediately lit up at the suggestion, dispelling all thoughts of her failure at the spring. Zelda jumped off her horse, and pulled Link off Epona, and dragged him through the market. She showed him various products, and was particularly enthusiastic about the different types of plants. She'd excitedly recited facts from her book to Link, who suppressed a fond laugh. When Zelda was distracted from her duties, she pieced up to be the free young girl she should've been.

"Yeah, I guess I do." He smiled.

Zelda was relieved, maybe recovering his memory wasn't going to be hopeless after all. She shuffled herself out of the sleeping bag,  and went over to the other side of the hill, and gazed at the castle.

"Its going to be a lot of work." Zelda sighed.

Link swiftly followed her, and stood by her side.

"Yeah, but it'll be worth it in the end." He reassured.

**************

They both walked through the desolate ruins of castle town, inspecting the remains of the barbaric massacre of the Calamity. Zelda chocked back tears as she stared at the houses, completely destroyed. The people wouldn't have even had a chance to realise what was happening, before the guardian laser shot them into oblivion. The innocent lives that were lost that day. Zelda couldn't help but feel like this was all her fault somehow.

"Don't beat yourself up about it."

Link was looking at her, concerned, as if he read Zelda's mind.

"There was nothing you could've done." He said.

"If only I realised the true secret to unlocking my power sooner..." She whispered.

Link stared sheepishly at the ground, choosing his next words very carefully.

"How... How did you unlock them, in the end?" He asked.

Zelda smiled sadly at a burned up sign, the words completely illegible.

"Urbosa said I needed to find something," She started, "Or someone, who could help to unlock them."

She walked over to Link, and interlocked her fingers with his.

"And I guess I did." She smiled.

It took Link a moment to realise what she said. She used her powers when he was fighting off the guardians, when one of them was pointing their laser at him and he had no strength left in him to fight back. When he was on the verge of death.

"Well you know... People often find me as the source to help solve their problems." He said cheekily.

Zelda playfully hit him on the arm, and directed her eyes to the castle that stood proud before them, willing to be restored to its former glory. They slowly made their way to around the fountain, and to the metal gates. Link heaved the gates open, and it revealed a winding path that led then to the castle.

"Ready?"  Asked Link.

Zelda took a deep breath.

"Ready!"

The sequel to The Silent Princess has now been published