Seven years later…
Over the course of seven long, but busy years, the kingdom of Hyrule had expanded from the sparse human settlement it had once been into a nation that spread across the entire land. Under the diplomacy of the fledgling land's young king and queen, all of the other races and tribes of the land were starting to unite under the banner of Hyrule, in respect to the goddess who ruled over the surface still. The kingdom had known mostly peace for the past several years, though there had been the occasional natural disaster and, on one occasion, even an unexpected invasion from beyond the western boarders of the desert a few years ago, but the people of Hyrule were resilient and strong. With the help of the Sheikahs, the Hylians, as the former residents of Skyloft now called themselves, had handled the intruders to their new home decisively and, in time, even their assailants, a tribe of mostly female warriors known as the Gerudo, soon raised a treaty of peace and wished to join the kingdom of Hyrule as well. And so it was, that even though the early nation had its share of struggles as it got its feet off the ground, the kingdom was established on a firm foundation, one that would not crumble so easily.
And, as the people of Hyrule continued to build their new kingdom, so too, did they begin to create a new culture for it. The people had all come to embrace the name that the goddess and the hero had created for the surface years ago, and what it symbolized: both a hearkening to the past and the start of the new beginning. And in the same way, the people of the new land gradually formed its culture with a combination of both old and new ideas. Many of the same staples of Skyloftian culture remained in place; the Hylians still often called up to the skies for their Loftwings, and the very image of the guardian birds themselves had become the royal crest of the new kingdom, as well as the effigy of the Triforce. When the humans used to dwell in the sky, most of them did not know the legends of the golden goddesses or even the story of Hylia, but they had all been told of all these ancient tales by the Sheikah, who had worked closely with them over the past seven years in helping them develop their new kingdom. And, as much as the Hylians were starting to embrace the history of the land they now called home, in many ways, they had started to incorporate new elements into their way of life as well.
As expected, the population of Hyrule had grown from beyond the original group of Skyloftian settlers who had come down after the Interloper's destruction of the city in the sky. The number of humans living in the land had grown well into the hundreds over the past seven years, and as such, the town they had built needed to expand. New homes were built to accommodate growing families and a few Hylians had even taken to going out from beyond the borders of the city and going out into the land to build new communities villages of their own, ones that would still be connected to the budding capital of the kingdom. Even the city itself had earned a name of its own over the past few years, one that was self explanatory, but fitting nonetheless: Hyrule Castle Town, in honor of the rising structure already towering over the town, one that was growing everyday as construction on it continued along at a steady pace.
Though the castle itself was still a work in progress, the plans created for it by both the Hylians and the Sheikahs were ambitious and grand indeed. After all, it had to be a fitting dwelling place not only for the members of the newly established royal family, but also for the goddess and the hero, who had saved the land from eternal darkness not only once, but twice. While the Sheikah still served under the direction of a matriarch, the Hylians were a different case. In Skyloft, the people had not really known any recognized form of government, but throughout the years it had come to be widely accepted that the headmaster of the knight academy also acted as something of an unofficial leader amongst the people. However, as human society began anew upon the surface, the knight academy was one of the old facets of Skyloftian culture that did not survive the transition as a new method of recruiting and training the protectors of Hyrule was developed in its stead. And so, as Gaepora stepped down from his position and retired about a year after the Interloper War, the mantle of leadership was passed onto his daughter. At first Zelda, still being the young mother that she was, had no idea how to exercise the authority that had been given to her, even with Link's help. But it was around that time that the young couple had remembered what the goddesses had asked of them: to create the royal family of the land, so it would have its roots in both the Blood of the Goddess and the Spirit of the Hero. And, despite neither the hero nor the girl knowing how they were ever going to get the people of the land to accept them as their king and queen, they somehow did. The people of the new kingdom all knew that it was a time of change, and, in light of all that Link and Zelda had done to protect the surface and its inhabitants and how they had basically founded Hyrule itself, both the Hylians, the Sheikahs, and all the other races of the land alike were quick to swear fealty to this new monarchy and the young couple who had somehow found themselves at the head of it.
And yet, over the course of the past several years, the hero and the girl had grown into their positions as king and queen of Hyrule well enough. At first, both of them had been admittedly anxious due to their lack of leadership experience and knowledge of politics. After all, they had both only been eighteen upon being appointed the rulers of the new land, and being revered by the people was something that had taken some getting used to. But from the very start, Link and Zelda had both agreed that they were not going to let their newfound power change who they were; they still wanted what was best for the kingdom and its people and they vowed that they always would. And from this devotion to their land came a peaceful and prosperous rule. Even despite their relatively young age and little experience, the people soon all came to adore their kind monarchs and thrived under their fair and just leadership. And in return for all of the good that the king and queen had done for them, the people had decided to build them a castle in tribute to their service and gracious rulers, even if both Link and Zelda had been hesitant about excepting such an extravagant gift. But it was as the young queen conceived her second child and their family began to grow that they decided to move into the finished part of the castle, along with a few of the people who had devoted themselves in service to the royal family.
And so it was that, under the care and protection of its new royal family, that Hyrule had come to grow and enter into an era of prosperity, even if there was not always the guarantee of peace. And yet, with each obstacle overcome, the kingdom grew stronger and, as all of its people hoped, it would last for years and years to come.
The warm, summer's afternoon sun hung high in the perfect blue skies above Hyrule Castle, its reflection sparkling in the pure, fresh stream that flowed through its lush green yard. A pristine stone fountain flowed in the center of the yard and on the edge of it sat the twenty-four year old queen of Hyrule as she tended to her four year old son.
"Hold still…" Zelda said patiently as she carefully pulled the small splinter out of the young prince's thumb. The boy yelped in pain for a moment until his mother smiled at him and showed him the tiny piece of tree wood that had been lodged into his skin. "See?" she said warmly. "It was just a little one, Daphnes; nothing to worry about. Does it still hurt?"
The child shook his head, though he did let out a small sniffle as he curled up into his mother's open arms. "Thanks, mommy," he said somewhat timidly before his face brightened up with a smile once more. The queen couldn't help but laugh as she noticed how quickly he bounced back, just like she did. And that wasn't the only way her young son bore semblance to her; as much as their older daughter took after Link's appearance, Daphnes bore an uncanny resemblance to Zelda. He had short hair that was the same sunshine gold as his mother's, as well as boyish features that reflected her own, though he had his father's sky blue eye color. The queen smiled softly as she looked upon the boy, knowing that it had taken some time for him to come into the world. Upon having their first child, Link and Zelda had immediately wanted another one, but it had taken over two years for the girl to finally conceive and the young couple couldn't have been happier when she did, even in the midst of all their newfound royal responsibilities. Despite the duties that had been thrust upon them in presiding over the budding kingdom, the king and queen always made sure they had time for their children, knowing that there had been a time when neither of them thought they would get the pleasure of raising them together.
"When's baby sister coming?" Daphnes asked with a wide smile of childish innocence as he placed both hands on his mother's rounded stomach.
Zelda also smiled as she placed a hand upon her large womb, where their third child rested, almost ready to come into the world. "Any day now," she said with excitement in her tone, knowing that the new baby could be born at basically any time. "And do you know what her name is going to be?" she asked, already knowing the gender of the child thanks to Terminus's ability in foresight. Daphnes shook his head as he looked to the queen in curiosity as a somewhat sad look appeared on her face. "Sheik…" she said, remembering how her and Link had come to the agreement that they would name their second daughter after the deceased Sheikah leader as a respectful homage to her.
"Like the Sheikah?" the prince asked, proud with himself over how he had just recently learned how to pronounce the name of the guardian tribe that dutifully watched over the royal family from the shadows.
"Not quite," Zelda said with a sigh. "Sheik was an old friend to your father and me… I'll tell you all about her when you get a little older, okay?"
"Okay!" Daphnes said brightly, not sensing his mother's melancholy or the bitter memories that filled her mind as she looked off into the distance, lost in thought of the war long past. Her thoughts were quickly broken apart however upon their sound of cheerful laughter, coupled with the trampling of horse hooves, began to fill the yard. The prince's light blue eyes lit up with excitement as he looked up to the queen, who grinned and nodded as they both turned their attention to the road that lead to the castle from town.
"It looks like your father and sister are on their way back," Zelda said as she rose to stand up from the side of the fountain, the boy giddily leaping down to stand beside her. They both watched expectantly as the king and princess rode into view, both of them laughing in enjoyment all the while as they raced to see who could get there first. Though the seven year old girl was pushing her small foal the hardest she could, the hero managed to win nonetheless as Epona sped past both her identical daughter and the princess who rode upon her. They both brought their horses to a stop as they neared Zelda and Daphnes as the queen scooped the small boy up into her arms and grinned with amusement at her husband and daughter.
"No fair, daddy!" the girl pouted to her father as she gracefully dismounted from her pony and marched up to him boldly and crossed her arms. "You always beat me!"
Link smiled down triumphantly at his feisty daughter, as he slid off his own horse much to their girl's aggravation. "Don't worry, Tetra," the hero said jokingly, referring to the princess with the nickname that her parents had come up with for her when she was four, a name that differentiated her from her mother and helped avoid confusion between the two. The nickname came from the word tetrahedron, which, according to what Terminus had once told them, was what the physical shape of the overall Triforce was, and so, in a way, it helped to serve as a reminder of what the girl's parents had strived to protect with every fiber of their being. "With a little more practice, you might actually come close to beating me in a few years."
Tetra glared playfully at her father, clenching her hands into fists as a sudden idea came to her. "Or, I could just beat you now!" she proclaimed with a mischievous grin as she barreled into the unprepared king, knocking him to the ground as she began to wrestle with him. Of course, Link made sure to go easy on his headstrong daughter as not to hurt her, and soon enough, he allowed her to get the upper hand in their play scuffle. "Take that, evil monster!" the young princess declared bravely as she drew her wooden toy sword and pretended to stab her father as he tried to slip out from under her. "I will defeat you in the name of Hyrule, for I am the goddess's chosen hero!"
Zelda couldn't help but laugh as she watched Tetra reenact her father's escapades and as Link played along by dramatically pretending to meet his end at the end of her fake blade. It was uncanny just how much the princess was like her father, both in appearance and personality; like the hero, the seven year old had honey blonde hair, which was always unruly and tangled and always ran down her back in a high ponytail as she let her thick bangs fall in front of her dark blue eyes. Tetra was certainly an adventurous tomboy; even though she was a princess, she refused to wear dresses, much to her mother's annoyance. Instead, she often wore a light blue tunic and pants, in the same style as what the king still always wore, despite his royal standing. It was plain to see just how much Tetra idolized Link as well, always seeking to be just like him in every way, from learning swordplay from him at a very young age, to acting just like him in many ways, often showing his brave, but impulsive, reckless behavior, which worried Zelda to no end as she constantly feared that she was going to hurt herself, just as she still constantly worried for her husband as well.
Daphnes, not knowing that Link and Tetra were simply playing, gasped in fear upon seeing this and cried to his mother to let him down as he ran to his father's side and shook him by the arm, desperately trying to rouse him. "Daddy! Wake up!" the prince cried out worriedly as the princess merely rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Daphnes, I didn't hurt him!" Tetra said as she leaped off of the hero and crossed her arms impatiently. At the same time, the king took the opportunity to take his young son by surprise and pull him into a sudden hug as he picked himself up off the ground.
"She's right, son," Link said with a warm laugh as he set the boy down beside his sister. "I'm fine. See?"
Daphnes sighed in relief as Tetra teasingly stuck her tongue out at her little brother, making fun of his careful, cautious nature as she often did. Upon seeing this, Zelda frowned as she stepped forward as quickly as she could considering her large stomach in order to end any conflict between the siblings it started. "Alright, that's enough," she said firmly, though she was smiling in amusement nonetheless as she placed a hand on both of her children's shoulders. "Why don't you two go play for a while, ok? But don't get in too much trouble!"
"We won't!" Tetra called out with a wry grin as she took her brother by the hand and led him off to go play a game of tag.
Once they were finally alone, Link and Zelda smiled at each other as they wrapped their arms around each other in a fond embrace. "How's the kingdom?" the queen asked, referring to the rest of the land outside of the town, from which the king and the princess had just gotten back from exploring.
"As beautiful as ever," the hero said with a somewhat flirtatious smile as he placed a gentle hand upon his pregnant wife's full stomach, excited for the new baby just as much as she was. "Just like you."
Zelda couldn't help but giggle as he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. For a long moment, both of them were silent as they watched their young children play, reveling in the peaceful sight. "They're getting so big…" the queen said wistfully, remembering when they were both still infants. "It's hard to believe it's been almost eight years since… well, you know…"
Link's smile faded as Zelda trailed off, knowing well what she was referring to. In a few days, it would be the eight year anniversary of what had been perhaps the most painful day in both of their lives. On that day, which would forever linger in their memories, they had both lost and found so much; the hero had fallen into the grips of corruption after fighting against it for so long, but in the end, both him and the girl had lost their lives at each other's hands. And though they had been miraculously revived by the goddesses, they had still ended up losing their greatest ally and friend all the same. Not a day went by without Link wishing that Sheik was still alive, wishing that she had survived and had been able to be in the lives of his children. But it was not to be; the only way the Sheikah leader could be known to them now was in the realms of the stories that their parents would tell them when they were older, when they would tell them of how she had nobly given her life to save the hero and how much her loyalty and friendship had meant to him from the very start.
But for now, both Tetra and Daphnes were still blissfully innocent about the terror that their parents had to go through. About the war, the corruption, and the pain of losing everything, even each other at one point. But even so, the children were already starting to learn; after all, the rest of the world had not forgotten about the Interloper War and they had heard a few things about the struggle on their own. The questions were just beginning and most of them were asked by the inquisitive young princess, who knew that her parents had played a role in the conflict. "What are the Dark Interlopers?" was the first one, and even hearing those words had brought up so many painful memories for both Link and Zelda. And while they had told the girl that they would explain it all when she was older, the questions still came nonetheless: "Who was Veress?", "Why isn't the Triforce in Hyrule anymore?", "What's a Fused Shadow?" Thankfully, the one thing that the king and queen had been able to hide from both of them was the corruption, as, aside from Sheik, Fi, Terminus and Veress, they were the only ones who had really known about it, but soon enough they would have to tell their children about that too and how it had almost brought an end to their family before it even began.
And yet, as Link and Zelda looked to their young and happy children once more and watched them play, they both were thinking the same thing. While they both already knew of the hero's quest to defeat Demise and safe the surface the first time, those stories had been told to them as if they were grand fairy tales, ones that both Tetra and Daphnes had clung onto with wide eyes as their admiration for their courageous father grew. And yet, the violent nature of the Interloper War was so much different. How could they tell their son and daughter about those many weeks, in which hope had run dry and everything was falling apart at the seams, without frightening them to death? What could they possibly say to ease all of the horror and dread that had filled their hearts and minds as they faced complete and total obliteration and how they had managed to overcome it all? How could they explain the nightmares they still often suffered from, of a time that was still so painful to both of them, even almost eight years later? How could they shatter the innocent world that their children lived in like that? Their children, who fell asleep each night to the lullaby that their mother had created to comfort their once captive, almost-corrupted father. Their children, who looked upon their parents and saw a brave king and a devoted queen, not a crumbling hero and a terrified girl. Their children, who did not know they played on what was once a blood-stained battlefield.
Both Link and Zelda knew that they would have to tell them eventually, and when they did, they would do so in a careful way, a way that would make them both stronger, smarter and braver. They would tell them about the Dark Interlopers, about Veress and the Fused Shadow, they would tell them about Sheik and her tragic, yet heroic death, they would tell them about Majora and the corruption and they would tell them about how they had both met their ends at each other's hands, and how the goddesses had allowed them to live and love for another day. And, they would tell them how they survived it, how they found ways to take their minds off of it, how they were able to find happiness even in the quiet moments of each and every day.
"Eight years…" the hero finally repeated in slight disbelief after a long silence, wondering where all that time had gone to. With a frown, the queen turned to look at him, noticing his thoughtful expression.
"Link?" Zelda said softly, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"
This was a question she often asked him and each time his answer varied. On some days, he would simply sigh and shake his head as he relived the pain and terror of corruption inside his mind, plagued with dreadful thoughts of how he had almost lost everything to it, including his wife. Other times, he wouldn't answer at all as he thought of Sheik and the great sacrifice she had made for him. But sometimes, on days like today when he watched his beloved children play and looked upon his beautiful wife and the flourishing kingdom they both ruled over, he was reminded of just how fortunate he was to have all these things. There had been so many times over the course of his corruption, that Majora had told him that there had never been any other life for him than being corrupted into a soulless servant, but the demon had been wrong and Link was so grateful for that. The hero couldn't have taken any of what he had for granted even if he tried, for he knew how close he had once been to not having any of it. Of course, there were still times that he thought back on it all with anguish and remorse, but in those moments, he found solace in the present and all the joy it could bring. He had Zelda, Tetra, Daphnes and soon, a new child, and as long as he had them, he'd have what he needed to weather even the worst storms that his dark memories could put him through. Which was why the king was able to smile warmly to his wife and draw her in even closer, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead as he did so.
"Yes," Link said quietly and sincerely as he held onto Zelda, who leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly. "I'll be ok… As long as I'm with you…"
Their lips met for a brief moment, before the queen looked into her king's sky blue eyes and smiled contently, knowing how close she had been to losing him forever and rejoicing in the fact that, at least for now, they could be together and live the life they had always wanted to lead. "I'll always be ok…" she said softly as their faces drew near once more. "As long as we have each other…"
Once more, the king and queen of Hyrule kissed passionately, ignoring their young children as they paused they game to watch their parents and laugh at how they were not afraid to show their affection for one another. Lazily, Zelda draped her arms on Link's shoulders and laced her fingers together behind his neck while he enclosed his arms around her waist and held on tight, their bodies close together as if they were one being instead of two. Their lips stayed pressed together as they blissfully reveled in their love for one another, something that had not faded at all over the years. Even though they had kissed many times throughout the past eight years, each one still filled them with as much warm and joy as their very first one had years ago high above the surface, on that glorious night that they had first proclaimed their love to one another.
When they told their children how they had survived through all of the pain, Link and Zelda knew that they would tell them. They would tell them there was a bond between the two of them that could not be broken, a bond that would last for as long as time remained. They would tell them that their blood and spirit was united together through the ages and that their destinies were forever bound. They would tell them that all of the danger they had once faced was destined to repeat itself again in the future, but that they were confident that the future incarnations of the Blood of the Goddess and the Spirit of the Hero would be able to overcome the darkness and usher peace into the land once more. They would tell them that whenever they remembered the struggles they had been through, they also remembered the one thing that had been constant through all the pain, all the heartache and all the misery. They would tell them how they had sustained each other even when the world seemed to crumbling all around them and even when all hope had seemed lost. They would tell them what had seen them through the darkest of nights and their fiercest of foes. When their children would ask what had kept them from falling apart when doom seemed inevitable and when all had seemed lost, the reincarnation of the goddess and the Hero of the Skies would tell them one thing and one thing alone:
They had always been together… and they always would be.
End of Book 1
AN: Ok folks, so Blood and Spirit has finally reached its end, but I do intend on posting the afterword for the story on here as well, so look forward to it and please, dont forget to comment! :D Thanks so much for reading!