Slowly, the world returned to its normal state.

The Smash Mansion was one of the first things to be rebuilt. With Master Hand's help, the whole Mansion was restored in a matter of weeks. Shortly after that, reconstruction efforts began in Smashville, those who had fled in the face of Tabuu's reign trickling back into town. Shops reopened, houses were rebuilt, and on the whole, life was normal.

Shortly after the reconstruction of Smashville was mostly finished, the end of the fourth Super Smash Brothers tournament was announced. There was a small party – subdued as it never had been before – and then the Smashers were sent home.

Ganondorf and Peach never exchanged a word as they walked through their portals.

Ganondorf languished in the Sacred Realm.

He cursed the Goddesses that he couldn't be there with her – that he hadn't said anything – that he'd walked away and allowed her to think what she would about the situation. Somehow, he just knew she was blaming herself.

He cursed the Goddesses for their punishment. What had he done that was so horrible that it warranted taking an innocent life?

"How dare you?!" he bellowed. "How could you take our child from me... from her?!"

There was no answer, but that only enraged him more.

"Answer me!"

"What do you want me to say?" came a bored voice. A woman with dark skin and flaming red hair appeard before him, arms crossed over her chest. "This wasn't our doing. If there's anyone you should blame, it's the being you destroyed."

"I do. But –"

"No buts. Everything that happens in that world is all the work of those Hands or that weird Tabuu guy. We have nothing to do with that." Her face softened. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that that happened."

"You can't fix it."

"No. Even I can't bring back the dead."

"I understand."

He turned away, expecting Din to disappear.

"You know, I might be able to help you fix it."

He whipped around to face her. "What? What do you mean?"

"I might be able to persuade my sisters to help you out. See, I can't get you out of this realm on my own – it takes all three of us to open a portal like that. What I might be able to do is persuade them that you've been stuck in here for long enough, and that it's time to let you out so you can redeem yourself."

"Redeem myself?" He snorted. "They'll never let me out."

"Okay, so maybe they won't let you into Hyrule. But maybe they can be persuaded to let you out into the Mushroom Kingdom instead."

He hesitated. "There must be some kind of a catch."

"Of course there is. You'll have to give up your piece of the Triforce, probably. And you won't be able to come back to Hyrule. Your descendants might be able to, though. But that should be it."

Ganondorf weighed his options, but in the end, there was only one choice he could live with making.

"If you can do it, do it."

Din winked. "I'll be back soon."

Sure enough, she reappeared within moments, along with her two sisters.

"I say we should let him go. At this point, there's no reason not to."

"Farore, he's a danger to any world he lives in, Triforce or not. He needs to remain here in the Sacred Realm, where we can at least watch him."

"My lady, may I ask when I've been a danger to any other world?"

Nayru didn't even spare him a glance. "You destroyed an ancient being in the Smash world."

"That being has attempted to destroy or at least subjugate that world in the past. If anything, I was doing that world a favour." He grimaced at the idea.

"Regardless, you still destroyed a being while under the terms of a peace treaty. And you changed yourself into Ganon without using the power of the Triforce."

"It was more in self-defense than anything else. He killed my child."

Finally, Nayru looked at him. "I see. That is a pity. Regardless, you remain a danger."

"How about a trial period? Give him six months in the Mushroom Kingdom, and if you don't like his behaviour, we can bring him back."

Nayru rolled her eyes at Din. "You know we can't watch over other worlds like that. How will we know how he behaves?"

"The Mushroom Kingdom has deities. If we talk to them, they might be willing to help us out."

Nayru considered this. "Very well. We can talk to the deities of the Mushroom World and see if they will aid us."

Nayru and Farore disappeared. Din winked at Ganondorf, then followed suit.

They returned with company.

"So thou art the one who I must watch over?" the strange deity said. "I see. I am Grambi. These three tell me that thou art wooing the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"I am."

"That is wonderful. She is a fine woman." He turned to the other three. "I will watch over this man while he is in mine world. Rest assured that any misdemeanours will be reported."

"Thank you, Grambi," Din said. She turned to her sisters. "Shall we?"

The three clasped hands and concentrated, and a portal materialized. Grambi led the way though it. Ganondorf grinned, bowed to his Goddesses, and followed him.

I'm coming, my love.

Peach was inconsolable.

For two weeks after the Smash Tournament had ended, she refused to leave her bed. She barely ate, and matters of state requiring her attention were put on hold, as she wouldn't even try to deal with them.

The only thing running through her mind was the loss of the two things she loved the most.

He never even said anything to me... He must blame me for all this. Our child...

The thought brought on another bout of sobbing. She clutched a pillow tight to her chest, wishing it could grow a set of arms and hold her in return. Wishing it was Ganondorf holding her.

Mario and Luigi had come to visit her once or twice in the time since the Tournament, telling her how sorry they were about what had happened. They offered her their ears in case she wanted to talk about anything. Throughout the visits, she was silent, not even offering a word to her two best friends.

She felt bad for it, but there was no way she could face anyone after what had happened.

She rolled over in her bed to face the window, hoping a view of her beautiful gardens would help to cheer her up. It brought back her memories of the day she and Ganondorf had conquered the hedge maze at Smash Mansion, which made her sob again.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light through the window. Peach stood and rushed over to it, staring down into the courtyard, where a portal had appeared. As she watched, Grambi came through it, and then a figure that made her heart stop.

"Ganondorf..." she whispered. She bolted for the door.

She ran down to the courtyard as fast as she could, dodging servants along her path. She pushed out of the massive double doors that stood between her and her objective, and froze at the top of the stairs.

It really was him!

He turned at the sound of the doors opening, and grinned at the sight of her. He opened his arms slightly, and she threw herself down the stairs and into his arms.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "It's good to see you again."

"I'm so glad you're here." She raised her head to look at him, suddenly anxious. "You don't..."

"I don't what?"

"Blame me for what happened?"

"The only one to blame is Tabuu," he said firmly, kissing her forehead. "And I destroyed him. Of course I don't blame you."

Her mouth opened as if to speak, but she couldn't summon up any words. Instead, she smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. She pressed her face into his chest, and he held her tight for a while.

"Princess! What was that – Oh my!"

The pair turned to see Toadsworth coming down the stairs towards them. They shared a look of exasperation before they both smiled at Toadsworth.

Life went on in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Peach and Ganondorf returned to their previous comfort level around the other. Soon enough, they were practically inseparable; he could always be found in the back of the room when she was handling matters of state.

Their rooms were in opposite wings of the castle, though, which was something both privately swore at Toadsworth for.

About three months after Ganondorf made his way into the Mushroom Kingdom, he could be seen frequenting jewellery stores around the kingdom. Shortly thereafter, he made a formal proposal of marriage to Princess Peach, who happily accepted.

For the five months their engagement lasted – mostly because the actual wedding planning was being tied up in red tape, courtesy of Toadsworth – Peach would show her ring to anyone who was around, even if they'd already seen it.

They were married in a ceremony that was far too grand for either of their tastes. Practically everyone from the Kingdom was in attendance, packing the Great Hall of the castle with noise and life. The reception was much smaller but no less celebratory.

Nine months later, Peach gave birth to a healthy baby girl. There was no question from either of her parents as to what to name her.

Her name was Rose.