THIS IS IT.
Well, not technically. But as to the actual story, THIS IS IT.
Thank yous will be posted at the end of the alternate endings, because I said so. They'll be posted every once and a while, when I get around to them, because my gears are already shifting to my next big project. I can't help it, I'm SO excited. It's pretty much the exact opposite of this story, which may or may not be good news for you, if you're sick of all the doom and gloom like I am X)
But even if you're not into the romance thing, give the new story a chance. Dare I say it, I think in terms of plot and character development, it just might be…gasp…BETTER than this one! After finishing this, I think we all need a healthy dose of ZeLink. The preface is up on my profile now, so go check it out if you're looking for something new to read!
And if you think THIS is gushy, just wait until the GOOD alternate ending.

Hope you guys love it.
~Alyssa

ox(O)xo

But then it was white.

Whiteness like I had never seen in my existence, all around and enveloping me. I closed my eyes, shocked by the sudden blindness, the brilliant, beautiful light. Was this what the Sacred Realm really was? Just an endless expanse of nothing, of wandering forever until the Goddesses found time to recreate your soul, or—

"Link?" An achingly familiar voice asked, calling my attention impatiently, completely interrupting whatever train of thought I was on, though I couldn't have cared less. I whirled around, desperate to find her.

And sure enough, there she stood just a few feet away, her arms crossed over her chest. She was just as I remembered, with her long white and violet gown and gloves, her golden hair pinned back at the temples and a spray of cinnamon colored freckles across her nose, the light pink of her mouth set into a dissatisfied line.

Our eyes met.

And they were still that vivid, beautiful sapphire blue, deep as the ocean and endless as they sky.

She smiled, then, a smile so wide that it stirred the dead heart in my chest. "Took you long enough," she said, and that was all it took.

I all but jumped the short distance between us, pulling her into my arms and crushing her to my chest. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tucked her face into the crook of my shoulder, and in that moment I would have been content to never move ever again.

It was almost as if she had never left.

"I'm sorry." I murmured, at the same time that she said, "So does this mean you've forgiven me?"

"Forgiven you?" I asked, and she pulled away to look at me. Or tried to, anyway. I refused to let any distance between us, and she was happy enough to relent after a moment.

"I thought you hated me." Her brow furrowed. "You said that my loving you wasn't enough."

I squeezed her tighter, if that was possible. "I was angry." I admitted, and she snorted.

"That's an understatement, I think."

Chuckling lightly, I buried my face into her hair, breathing in as deeply as I could. She still smelled the same, still felt the same, still was the same girl that I had left before the flow of time so violently ripped us apart.

For a long time, we were both content to just stay where we were. It could have been months, years, centuries for all I cared. All that mattered was that she was here, and that I was here with her.

But the afterlife was a long time, or so I had heard.

"What now?" I asked, pulling away a bit so I could see her face. She was beautiful, so beautiful. I had lived for too long without it.

"The evil will come back to Hyrule." Her smile wavered, her eyes filling with an ancient sadness, so much more profound than I could ever hope to comprehend. "And we get reborn again."

Ice filled my chest.

Reborn?

That wasn't part of the deal. I fulfilled my side of the bargain: I saved Hyrule. I killed Ganondorf. Hyrule was at peace, and now I could rest. I deserved more than my share of the afterlife, but I would be reborn again back into a world of evil without as much as a thought?

And Zelda. I just got her back; I couldn't lose her. We couldn't be reborn again, separated again, made to claw our way back into each other's lives again!

I was dead, and so was she, and we were in the afterlife together, but how long would it be until she was torn from me again?

"I don't want to lose you."

"Don't worry." She reached a hand up and rested it on my cheek, filling my heart with a warmth that chased away the ice. "We always end up finding each other."

I drew comfort in the words. Of course we do. Didn't I find her here? There was nowhere in the world, and the Sacred Realm, for that matter, where she could go that I wouldn't be able to reach her.

"Maybe I'll do better next time." I smiled, reaching up and placing my hand on top of hers, my thumb caressing the skin of the back of her hand.

She laughed, the sound of it the sweetest thing I had ever heard. "Maybe." She agreed, even though we both knew that I would do better. I would, because she would never make such a horrible mistake again and neither would I. Finally, we were together. We would be together for as long as we could. And it was comforting to know that even if we were separated, it would only be a matter of time before we found each other again.

Because that is what Zelda and Link do. They find each other, in each lifetime, over and over until the end of time. That would never change, and this was no exception.

Link loves Zelda, and Zelda loves Link.

It was a simple a fact as the sun rising in the morning, that people need air to breathe. We belonged together, and after fifteen years and two lifetimes of fighting, of waiting, of wanting, she was here, and I would be damned if I ever let go of her again.

"Are you ready?" She asked me, and I smiled. Of course I was ready. I had been ready for this, to be able to spend all of eternity with her, forever.

Though maybe when I thought it, I didn't mean it like this, it worked out just as well.

I'm not crazy. Not like they thought I was.

I am not a monster, nor a callous, heartless demon. I never ravaged a village or sacrificed a child on an alter, never raped or pillaged or plundered.

But I am a murderer.

I've killed more creatures than I can count: Moblins, Lizalfos, and Redeads by the hundreds, swarms of Keese that suffocate you and turn the world around you black, Stalfos that you could keep hitting for ages and never die.

And exactly two people.

One was a Bandit King, ruler over the Gerudo, the race of thieves. He almost took Hyrule for his own, claiming the Triforce of Power and taking thousands of lives as he conquered the land with his army of terrible, monstrous creatures. For seven years he laid waste to the kingdom I called home, destroying everything in his path on a conquest to the crown, showing no mercy to any man, woman, or child that stood in his way. It was I who had the responsibility of saving my home from this monster, and after an adventure of great trials and tribulation, I ended him.

But this was in another life.

The other was a Princess, destined to regain the throne after this time of great peril. Bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, she stood by me on this journey, healing my wounds and mending my heart. Everything I knew about the world around me, I owed it to her. She sent me back in time, though, just before I could tell her that I loved her. In the new life I built, she wasn't in it. But I did have a family; parents and brothers and a sister, friends and loves alike. I made memories I never would have otherwise, of rolling on the floor laughing with the boy that was my best friend, of picking mud out of the hair of a spunky little girl with eyes as green as the grass of Hylia field, of being lulled to sleep by the greatest man I had ever known on his pipes. I learned to appreciate what I had, that even someone who thought they had nothing could have everything without even knowing it. I loved this Princess. I loved her more than I can say. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever known. My heart was hers before I was even aware it could be taken.

I killed her, and somehow it ended up being the best decision I ever made, in both my lifetimes.

It's almost funny, how things can work out like that.

"I love you," I told her, because it occurred to me that I hadn't yet. I didn't know what passed for time in this place, but I would be damned if another day passed without me saying it to her ever again.

Her smile widened so much that the corners of her eyes crinkled, reaching up on the tips of her toes to kiss me on the cheek. "I love you, too." She answered, as easily as breathing, and I was finally whole.

"The best things are worth waiting for." I had told her all those years ago when she cried into my chest after she helped me from the Shadow Temple, when we were both convinced I was going to die in a matter of weeks. At the time, they were empty words meant only to comfort. I didn't realize at the time what wisdom those words held. I didn't realize that I could ever feel the way that I did now, that after so many years of waiting to hear those four words back they could bring tears of happiness to my eyes and make me breathless with bliss.

But you know what?

It's always nice to be right.

Link loves Zelda, and Zelda loves Link.

It would be my new mantra, my oath, my anthem. It would fill my mind every second of my existence with her, until the day when fate pulled us apart once again.

But I wasn't so worried about that. If I lived for fifteen years without her, anything would be easy in comparison. But I would face that when it came. For now, I would only focus on loving her with every ounce that I possessed, from now until the end of time.

That, I would have no problem doing.

"I'm ready," I said, and she nodded once, pointing towards the shining whiteness. It called out to me, a shimmering warmth enveloping me, welcoming me into its embrace.

And with her hand in mine, we walked toward the light together.

The End

ox(O)xo

Superos, non utique vis movebo.

...

I didn't want to move Heaven, anyway.

ox(O)xo

Leave a word or I'll take it back. ;)

I love you guys.