Here's a few things before we get goin': Link is taller than Zelda in this (just by a few inches) and the boi has fangs and wolf markings from his beast friend inside, he's also a year older than Zelda, he also has the Stone of Twilight Zant struck into his head as a necklace to help transform into his wolf form whenever he wishes to


It was finally over after long months of suffering. The Twilight War had finally ended and all was well. Ganon was destroyed, and Zant no longer threatened both the Realm of Twilight and Hyrule. They were all at peace. The World was at peace and slowly but surely—the monsters around the Kingdom began disappearing as well as the portals in the skies.

But that didn't mean the damage caused by Zant and Ganon suddenly disappeared, no.

The castle was destroyed. Well, most of it was. Castle Town had been impacted as well, but not as badly as the castle was. The town could be fixed up in a matter of weeks if they were on track but the castle would take much longer—much, much longer than the town would take.

Some walls of the castle didn't exist anymore. Zelda's study was wrecked, the throne room had a few minor things to fix (like the statues that hung above the throne), the guards barracks were destroyed and needed to be fixed up, the stables were gone due to the fire but Link could remember seeing the King Goblin walking out of the area peacefully, giving up on his attempts to slay him. The kitchen was in need of repair and a few other rooms but Zelda mainly noticed how the gardens were destroyed and felt her heart smashing into any pieces before shaking her head to check out the rest of the castle.

Thankfully most of the guards were unharmed, some had died and would get their needed funerals, placed to rest in the graveyard. Their families would receive their uniforms and whatnot as a token of thanks for their service until the very end and as well as a few gold coins as the deceased guard's final payments. The rest of the staff had a few injuries but those could be looked at before they were healed up, requiring to be on leave until they could return to their duties.

For the most part when Zelda and Link returned to the castle, everyone was still shaken up until they were recognized by a few citizens and then they were crowded with hundreds of people.

Link cringed. He wasn't used to people crowding him despite being the newly proclaimed Hero of Twilight. Those who crowded him were thanking him for his successful job at defeating Ganon and saving Hyrule. Some commented on his newly fangs and markings he had from his wolf. Some even commented on the necklace he had with the stone of Twilight had helped him transform into the wolf. But it was mainly thanking him for saving the Kingdom.

He felt like running away back to Ordon, where he belonged. He was never suppose to have become the Hero of Twilight. All he was meant to do that day was deliver a sword Rusl had made for the Royal Family as a gift but he ended up getting so much more when the monsters attacked. But he had done it. He had saved the Kingdom of Hyrule and Princess Zelda. True, he had gotten much more out of it by gaining a whole new part of him—his wolf. His animal side proved to be more useful than he could never imagine and if he was honest, Link loved it. It was fun to give a good scare to a few people who annoyed him but it got him around faster when Epona wasn't there—even more so when he could teleport.

Yet that didn't help his awkwardness on being crowded.

But the wolf inside refused to let him walk away from this because he knew he once longed to be recognized. The Village of Ordon was no stranger to the Hero of Time's legacy and it was Link's favorite story growing up. Before he knew it, the Hero of Time became his idol and he longed to be recognized like him—he just never expected it to actually happen.

The first person to recognize him was the Hero of Time. His deceased idol had recognized him before anyone else and had trained him. Link could remember seeing the Hero's Shade as the golden wolf, how his jaw had dropped when he had introduced himself as the Hero of Time, passing on the title of Hero to him as he mastered all the hidden skills.

Now he was recognized by all like the Hero of Time said he would be. He didn't know how to feel about it but when his eyes met with those of Zelda's, he flashed her a smile before deciding; he quite liked it.

And now there they were, standing with thousands of people behind them as they looked at the destroyed castle grounds. Link heard Zelda suck in a sharp breath before turning to face her subjects. She clasped her hands together and looked out at thousands of expectant eyes, awaiting her word on what they should do next and Link, himself, had the honor of standing next to her.

He watched as she stood tall with confidence, not a smile on her face, and her eyes were almost icy as she stared out at them as the guards tempted to get everyone quiet so she could speak out.

When the silence took over, Zelda waited a few more moments before speaking out to all her subjects and guards. Her voice filled with firmness and confidence anyone could be jealous about. No one would doubt the serenity of her words.

"I ask for able hands to help rebuild what we have lost. The more help we can get, the faster the rebuild will go. Soon enough, the castle will once be what it was. Perhaps even better and stronger than what it once was. So, I ask you all now, who will help repair it?"

Link thought back to all throughout his adventure. When they first met, Zelda seemed so sure about her decision in allowing Zant and Ganon to take over, knowing he would soon arrive and take back what was once theirs. She had given up her powers to heal a dying Midna, and was placed over the throne in the Triforce symbol, her body used by Ganon to defeat them both. She had helped him in the final battle by shooting the arrows of light at the demon. Link knew she did more than anyone else could've possibly done to help him and Midna.

He couldn't and wouldn't let her do this alone.

"I will." he said, stepping forward and in an instant, Zelda's eyes were on him. He flashed her a smile before bowing respectfully. "I shall help you rebuild the castle, my lady." He knew very well he should be resting after his adventure, getting over the loss of Midna (his best friend) but he wanted to help rebuild what she had lost and he could also train the new recruits if she so desired of him.

There was a moment of silence and for a split second, he thought she was going to turn him away before she spoke again.

"Thank you, Hero of Twilight. The repairs start early in the morning. I expect you to be here bright and early."

"Of course, my lady."

Within an instant, many others began volunteering and inwardly, Link knew it was because he was helping—they had thought it would give them a chance to speak with him, to be able to finally say they knew the Hero of Twilight personally. Zelda didn't seem to mind as she nodded her head, giving her approval before turning to speak with her adviser, who had also survived the War.

Her ladies-in-waiting were there, and Link sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair before an idea clicked in his mind and he moved to catch up with her, placing his hand on her shoulder despite the glare from Zelda's adviser. He couldn't care about that old coot. All he wanted was to present his idea to the princess and hope she would approve of it.

"My lady, I was thinking, perhaps we could have Ordon help? I know many of them would love to help rebuild the castle grounds. I know for a fact Rusl would be more than happy to provide the help." Link said, biting his lip softly as Zelda looked him over and he knew he must be looking like a wreck.

Another moment of silence passed before she nodded in agreement.

"Of course. The more help, the better. But now, if you must excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere at the moment." Zelda replied before following her ladies and Link nodded wordlessly, watching her go.

Link ran a hand through his hair, revealing some of his wolf's marking to the adviser who had stayed a bit longer. He knew his new features added a bit of fear—anyone could say that to him and he would understand because at times he didn't know how to feel about his fangs or markings. He also wore some wolf fur on his back, draping over his shoulders a tad bit, taking off his green hat because he thought it made him look better and it set him apart from his idol.

The adviser looked him up and down as a scowled form and Link was tempted to flip the man off. If he was going to insult him, then he had to be ready to face the beast within because his wolf did not like to be insulted, and those who did, never got away so easily.

"Keep your mouth shut." Link advised and the older man stepped back in shock at his tone, as there was a slight growl. "Insult me, and you shall see why my enemies fear me."

"Do you think it is wise to insult me, lowlife?" questioned the adviser, arching an eyebrow. "Her majesty would not put up with such in—"

"Bite me." Link snarled, flipping him off. "Here's a little insight to me. I've got no room for patience when it comes to insulting elderly folk who think they know everything. They say to respect the elders, and I shall—but that gives them no right to judge the younger generation. I don't think Princess Zelda would like to know you're insulting the Hero of Twilight who just saved your behinds."

The adviser stuttered, opening and shutting his jaw before storming away with a huff and Link couldn't help but laugh as he turned around. Then he stopped. He would have to place the Master Sword back into its' seal. He sighed heavily when he realized it would prove to be a challenge without Midna, but he would have to attempt it by himself at one point or another.

But then again, what was another month or two going to do if he kept it?

Link shook his head, no. He'd have to return it before working on the repairs. Yeah, that seemed like a good plan. He'd head off to return the sword before making a quick stop in Ordon to let them know they needed help in restoring the town and castle to its usual glory.

Maybe he would even stop to hunt along the way.

Yes, he thought. That sounded like a very good plan indeed.


The trip to Ordon went as smoothly as possible. Like he suspected, everyone agreed, including the children. Link had smiled brightly, ruffling Colin's hair before climbing onto Epona, saying he needed to do something else before heading back home for some sleep for tomorrow.

Epona trotted until she couldn't go any further and he patted her back, saying to head back home and he smiled when she turned around, trotting right back to her usual place outside of his house. He loved that horse with all his heart and soul, before breathing deeply as he turned to head through the deeper part of the forest, taking out his lantern, lighting up his path as his eyes darted back and forth, watching out for any remaining enemies.

He licked his lips as he continued onward, passing by the shop owned by the bird, before he stopped still at the edge where Rusl once stood with the golden chicken. He knew it would be his ticket. His eyes darted around before it landed on the golden bird and he smiled, putting away the lantern before slowly moving towards the bird before tackling it.

It moved in his arms, trying to get away from him but he held on tightly as he took a running jump into the air, watching the ground below him get further and further away as the chicken took him towards the first landing point.

The hero shivered. Even after all this time, he still didn't like heights all that much. It always made his stomach turn. During his adventure, Midna always advised him to look upwards, never allowing his eyes to look downwards to activate his fear.

Eventually, he found himself at the entrance of the Sacred Grove. He walked a few inches before the Skull Kid jumped down in front of him with his tiny horn and Link couldn't help but smirk at him, giving him a wave as his wolfish grin widened. His fangs easily showing off.

"Hey kiddo." Link chuckled as he walked past the Skull Kid, knowing he would be following him. "I thought you would've gone off to rest by now."

A chuckle came from the Skull Kid.

"Ah." Link clicked his tongue. "You still have the duty in guarding the Grove, eh? Well, I'm just here to return the Master Sword."

A chuckle.

"I know, I know." Link nodded his head. "I don't have to return it right now. But I rather get it down and over with, yeah? I'll be able to sleep easier tonight knowing the sword is back where it belongs—for the next Hero if one is needed."

A chuckle.

"No worries. I'll get out of here soon enough. Then you can go back to sleep. I promise."

Another chuckle, and this one made Link smile.

"Yes, I promise I'll make sure everything is in order when I leave."

Another chuckle, this time the final one.

"See ya, Skull Kid."

Link couldn't help but shake his head after the Skull Kid left him alone as he neared the entrance to the Master Sword's resting place. The kid was protective of the resting place and he could understand it—it protected the most powerful blade on Earth.

The first Hero's blade.

But never mind that now. He had to focus on getting to the castle early in the morning, fully awake to help repair the damage and if he was being honest, he couldn't wait to see Zelda again.