The Hero Of Hyrule

The End of the Silent Princess

"Please Link, your are Hyrule's final hope. And thank you. For protecting me all this time." From there on until he reached the village, everything seemed to go slower. He continued signaling to his horse to go faster but it didn't seem to go any faster. His heartbeat however, was racing. Perhaps faster than the horse. No, definitely faster. All he could think about was himself really, and how he had just failed the only thing he had to do in life. Here was Link. The Hero of Hyrule, holding the unconscious princess in his arms. He didn't want to think about how he couldn't feel her breath on his arm or how limp she was. At one point he let go of the reigns and shakily pulled out some fairy tonic to try to desperately make the limp princess drink it in hopes of it working.

It didn't.

Racing into the village, Link paid no attention to the villagers or the travelers as they jumped out of the speeding horse's way. He paid no attention to them as he leaped off the horse with the Princess in his arms and ran up the stairs to Impa's home. The only thing he did pay attention to was how Impa had apparently instructed Paya to prepare a bed right under the painting of the battle ground where the guardians rested. The second Link laid Zelda down Paya hesitantly shooed Link out of the house as Impa slowly stood up and walked to where the princess was laying. When he was locked out the house he was mobbed by a crowd of villagers who asked Link to clarify who the girl with blonde hair and a dirty white dress was. He didn't speak however (not like he ever did), he just stood there and stared at the door. Eventually the crowd disbanded and Link still stood there. The Korok that usually hung around the small statues waddled over and brought him an apple at one point and Link accepted it however he couldn't exactly eat it. He squished the poor fruit, leaving him with apple juice all over his hands and an extremely disfigured apple in his fist. Finally, after what felt like an eternity Paya opened the door and allowed the Hylian in.

Zelda was still laying there. Her hair was combed and a flower crown made entirely of silent princesses decorated her head. Impa sat in her usual place and beckoned Link forward.

"I'm sure you know what I'm about to say, Link." He nodded slowly, his hands clenching into tight fists. It was difficult not looking over to the princess and it was difficult to resist the urge to burst into tears but he did resist and stayed as stoic as ever. "Now don't beat yourself up over it. You did everything you could. And judging by the way her mouth was tinted pink you still tried to do more. Her death had nothing to do with you. Spending one hundred years constantly using a godly power depleted her life span, but she hung on long enough to...," the old woman sighed, "to fulfill her true duty."

Out of the corner of his eye Link could see Paya cover the princess's body with a golden sheet before heading upstairs.

"Link," Impa stood up and walked over to the knight, "before I go any further just know that I think you will be a fine ruler to Hyrule." Link blinked and looked at the woman in slight confusion. She smiled warmly, yet there was a hint of sadness there, and responded, "a hundred years ago when it was you on your death bed, Zelda sent a message to me saying that if she did happen to perish at any point and you did awaken from your slumber that you were to be the next ruler. I can only assume that she told you this before she took her place among the Goddesses."

Paya walked back downstairs, a bag strapped onto her back. Impa walked over to her granddaughter. They spoke for a moment before Paya hesitantly walked over to Link, hugged him briefly, and quickly ran out the house. Impa returned to her seat.

"I just sent her out to the Dueling Peaks Stable. She'll return shortly, she's only going to hire a couple of the stable workers to ride around the kingdom and deliver messages to the smaller towns...to prepare for the Princess's funeral. Now your task is similar. Only you will visit the Divine Beast's homes and notify them." Link nodded though the look of discomfort on his face was quite obvious. "I understand. You believe I am going a bit too fast and not exactly allowing you to mourn for Zelda before already making preparations for her funeral, correct?" Link nodded a bit. "Again, I understand, but we must...we must start now. I don't enjoy saying this but planning this will be both a distraction and help us deal with the fact that one of the survivors of the Calamity is now gone. It will be good for the kingdom and it will be good for you. It may not seem like it now but believe in me when I say it is." Another nod from the knight and Impa patted his arm. "That may have sounded harsh just plain unemphatic but please, put some faith in me."

Link stood silently and waited as Impa slowly made her way upstairs and back downstairs. She returned with a small, light bag. She explained that inside of it were just some letters explaining the current situation. Link was to deliver the messages and answer any questions if he could. Of course he wasn't obliged to, Impa clearly explained in her letters that the poor boy just had the princess die in his very arms and he shouldn't be pushed to answer any sort of question if it made him uncomfortable. The old woman smiled and handed Link a small covered pot which contained some nice meaty stew. It wasn't anything fancy but Link smiled and hugged her, grateful for the gift.

"Go on now," Impa led him slowly to the doors, "I will wait for your return but for now I will say goodbye and I'm sorry." She hugged Link tightly, the gesture making Link tear up just a bit before letting go, smiling warmly, and closing the doors behind him.