Power of the Triforce: Sequel to The Princess and Her Knight

I: Reawakening

...

...link

...Link.

Wake up, Link.

Link was tormented. That's what he heard every night since he last visited Zelda's grave. Long nights he stayed awake, trying to find the source of the voice, trying to make sense of it all in his head, trying but to no avail. He became so frustrated from not knowing what to do that when Zelda woke him, he would often curse and throw his shield across his bedroom, waking Evangeline. It had nearly been a week since he began hearing Zelda's voice. It was exactly as it was when he awoke in the Shrine of Resurrection years ago, and he was equally as lost and confused now as he was then.

He wondered why the moment he was ready to move on and serve Hyrule, Zelda revealed herself to him. However, the voice he heard at Zelda's grave was not her own. This puzzled Link as well.

Link would pace back and forth through the halls of Hyrule at night, looking at his hand that burned bright with the triforce a week prior. His wife, Evangeline, would lay asleep in their bedroom without him. Link huffed with his hand on his chin, walking up and down walkways trying to think. 

"What does it mean?" Link would mumble under his breath, talking to himself. He would continue to pace.

One night, Link had the idea to check in Zelda's late father's old study. He thought that this happening was no coincidence, but it was related to Link and Zelda's fate that bound them together. He thought he could find some clue in the Hyrulian history books or the legends of Hylia and the Triforce. He stayed awake throughout the night, flipping through dense books hoping for an answer. His efforts were repeatedly fruitless. Link swiped everything off the study's desk and slammed his fist into the wood, cursing loudly. 

When he thought about Zelda, he became angry. His hands would shake and he would throw his fists into walls. Slowly, the anger would dissolve into sadness... This was nothing Link had ever felt before. He felt like he was being tortured.

As the days passed, Evangeline noticed his absence. She gradually grew angry, wondering why Link's mind was always somewhere else. He unintentionally ignored her, entering his bedroom only to grab things without acknowledging his wife. 

On the 8th day since visiting Zelda's grave, Evangeline had enough.

Link walked through the halls of the castle with sleep-deprived eyes and tired limbs. He was headed towards the study. When he opened the door, he found the room in complete disarray- much worse than he had left it. He entered the room and looked around, paper torn and books scattered all over the floor. Suddenly, the door shut behind him. Evangeline was inside waiting for him.

"What is this?" she stammered angrily. 

"What did you do, Evangeline?" Link asked, frustration and shock residing in his expression. "Did you make this mess?"

"I'm looking for whatever you're so obsessed with. It's truly ridiculous, Link. How many times do I have to bring it up?" Evangeline sighed. "Is it too much to ask to simply be loved and acknowledged by my own husband?"

"Why would you do this?" Link exclaimed, nearly shouting. He sighed. "Evangeline, I'm sorry but... I-I'm busy. I don't really care to say much more about it. We can talk tonight at dinner."

"I was expecting that you wouldn't show up," she scoffed. "I gave the cook the night off."

Link sighed in relief.

"Feel my stomach," Evangeline insisted. She grabbed Link's hand and pressed it against her lower belly. "That's your son in there. Don't neglect us, Link."

Link kissed her on the forehead disingenuously. He did feel a little bit of guilt for how he treated her. He was always slightly dishonest and insincere, which was unlike his former self. However, he felt that he couldn't help it.

"Will you come to bed tonight?" Evangeline asked, melancholy lacing her tone of voice. 

"Yes," Link responded.

"Promise?" Evangeline asked.

"Mhmm."

The hero kept promises and cared for people, but he was so encapsulated by the idea of reviving Zelda that he was unable to think of anything else. Zelda completely consumed his mind; he was all in for her.

He didn't go to his room that night. Not on purpose... he just completely forgot. He had been searching through the castle library for days, hoping to find anything that would point him in the direction of Zelda. However, he found nothing. In a desperate last attempt for information, Link packed his bags before Evangeline came back and he headed for Zora's domain. Years ago, he remembered a Zora who asked him to help him find all the Zora monuments. He thought maybe those monuments had some information that could help him.