The Legend of Zelda: Zelda's Honor

Epilogue - New Beginnings

They found him days later, delusional and wandering aimlessly at the bottom of the new caldera that was Lake Hylia. He was raving mad and quick to anger and vowed to kill them all if they got any closer. It took the better part of a day to subdue him and hike him back up the steep cliffs of Lake Hylia. Many men lost their lives that day just to bring in one man, Ganondorf. They promptly placed him in a makeshift cell garnered from the prisoner cages that still stood in the aftermath of the Nevachrean camp's destruction.

They sent the dragons back to their home deep in the Xaagar Mountains to be with their alpha male. Their job complete, there was no need to hold them to any pact. Many Zoras, Gorons, Nevachreans and more stayed to help clean up the battlefield and establish a raging bonfire with which to burn the remaining bodies that were not turned to ash. A great mourning rose up amongst the people that day.

At Zelda's insistence, they had Veraca take Ruto back to their homeland prior to the burial. She decided it best to not have her together in the same place as Malon, too much bad blood there. It would be many orbits before they heard anything of the Zoran kingdom due to the turmoil within the royal line. The Zoras had to reestablish their reigning monarchy.

They buried Link a few days later. They placed him deep in the woods beside the dead Deku Tree where his mother was laid to rest. Cayla established a gossip stone beside the first to mark Link's eternal home, for he was part Sheikah as well. Darunia had ordered a grand set of armor to be made that would adorn Link's body in his coffin. It was a striking suit of armor with forward curving horns on the helmet and a terrifying visage ornamenting the front breastplate. It was armor befitting a great hero in Darunia's mind.

With Saria's guidance, they refound the temple they had stayed at on their travels to the Xaagar Mountains and proceeded to place the Master Sword there. Zelda reverently removed the sword from its sheathe and traveled to the inner chambers of the blown out structure. She approached the platform and spied the pedestal with the unique indentation where a sword would go.

No sooner had she slipped the Master Sword into place, a small jingling giggle diverted her attention to the treetops. A rather scrawny figure, looking to be made up of little else but fabric and straw was gazing down upon her with its creepy red eyes. It reminded her of a scarecrow come to life. It twisted its head this way and that. Memory returned to her of Link's stories, of a land called Termina and a skull kid he had befriended. Could this be the very one?

She called out calmly to him, "Are you a friend of Link?" A minute passed in silence before Zelda wondered if he even heard her at all. At length he finally nodded. "Will you do me a favor in honoring him? Please defend this place and this sword. See that only the true heir comes back to claim it."

The skull kid blinked at her before disappearing into the trees with a rustle. Zelda sighed before returning to the others by the Deku Tree to begin the ceremony of interment. Many of Link's friends and acquaintances he had met during his lifetime were there to remember him and mourn his loss. Zelda lingered behind to escort Malon back to Epona for the lengthy journey home long after everyone else had left the forest.

The rebuilding process had been extensive and arduous. Multitudes of people ranging from Zoras, to Gorons, to Nevachreans and even people from surrounding countries pitched in to help out Hyrule's resconstruction. Each race had their role to play in renovating the capital city. Zelda took a legion of scholars from the pool of helpers and scoured the remaining books of the library for any and all information regarding the Gerudo.

Due to Ganondorf's deceit, treachery and willingness to commit or enable mass genocide for the sake of his own people, he was unanimously sentenced to death for his crimes. However, she stayed the hand of fate, feeling a swift death was far too good for him. She spoke to Saria and Malon at length about their experiences with the Gerudo and learned of a parallel world similar to their own, the home of the Twili; the source of their abnormal magick.