The Hero, the Princess, and the Cursed King

Chapter 35: The Beauty in the Broken

[Zelda]

Zelda held her heels in one hand and, with the other, lifted her skirts in an attempt to stop them from tripping her. The setting sun in front of them cast the world in warm, orangy light, and Zelda couldn't stop smiling. With the sand between her toes, the wind in her hair, and Link and Ganondorf by her side, there was no reason not to be happy.

"I think I see it!" Ganondorf pointed to the right, where a familiar cluster of palm trees stretched toward the sky.

"That's gotta be it," Link agreed, and they veered their course slightly, running even faster now. In a matter of moments, they stood before the hideout, faces flushed and out of breath. A kind of reverence hung in the air, and no one spoke.

Considering that the hideout had been left unattended for three, almost four, years, it didn't look in too bad of shape. The palm trees and oasis looked the same, but they had always been there, and even decades from now, they might remain untouched by the sands of time and the desert's harsh winds. It was their tent--the actual hideout itself--that had fallen into disrepair.

A side had collapsed, and the sun-bleached fabric had torn in several places, its fringed edges swaying softly in the breeze. Pillows, training swords, and other odds and ends were scattered about. Some were half-buried in the sand, while others had disappeared entirely. The hideout was in shambles--nearly destroyed, broken, weather-worn, and tattered--but it was still standing. That alone brought tears to Zelda's eyes, for she felt like the hideout in many ways.

The past few years had been harsh and unforgiving, but here she was--here they all were--bruised and covered in scars but still standing.

"We did it," Zelda whispered. "We made it back here, after everything." She sniffed. "That silly pinky promise we made the night the scouts returned with news of war actually held true. I can't. . ." Her voice caught. "I can't believe it."

Link nodded. "Who knew pinky promises could be so powerful?"

"Come on," Ganondorf stepped forward. "If I remember that pinky promise right, you said it would be 'like good old times,' and I think the hideout needs some attention to restore it to its former glory."

They worked fast, picking up scattered and torn pillows, swiping sand away from where it didn't belong, and even managing to prop back up the side of the tent that had collapsed. They'd used a few wooden swords tied together with strips of fabric to accomplish that feat.

At last, they sat under the hideout, staring out at the desert. Their efforts had undoubtedly improved the hideout's appearance, but there was only so much they could do, so it still looked rather pitiful. Zelda didn't mind; she quite enjoyed the charm. Besides, there was something beautiful about broken things. She was a little broken herself; they all were.

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you guys about," Zelda said, and the others turned to her expectant. "It's about the Triforce and what happened. . . what happened that day." There was a subtle shift in the atmosphere, but they'd all known they'd have to talk about it eventually. "I've been doing a lot of reading in the Book of Sealing, and judging from that, and what I experienced that day, I think," Zelda paused, her throat dry. "I think we're the last."

"The last what?" Link asked.

"The last Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf." The confused look on his face told Zelda he still didn't understand. "Demise's curse didn't only affect the Triforce of Power; it also affected the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage. In that passage, I showed you Link--I'll have to show it to you too, Ganondorf, once we get back--a previous Zelda hypothesized that by breaking the curse, we would also break the reincarnation cycle."