I don't own anything to do with Zelda.
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"Psh, what a mess…" a red haired woman said as she peered into a spring of boiling water. "Hyrule is to be washed away, but what to do about those two?"
"We let them go," a soft voice said matter of factly. The kneeling woman stood, turning to face her sister. The two could not have been more different; one was the embodiment of fire and power, the other of water and cool knowledge. They were the goddesses Din and Nayru.
Din had fiery red hair that was a deep red at the roots and gradually became a fiery orange at the tips. She wore it up in a high ponytail, and it came down to her waist. In contrast to her sister, Din wore loose fitting pants that clasped just above the ankles and rode low on her hips. They were a dusky reddish brown, complementing her dark skin. Her top was a simple bodice, baring her belly. Gold bracelets adorned her wrists and arm bands clasped her upper arms. Her red eyes flashed, and her full lips were pursed as she looked at her sister, her sharp nose held high.
"And how do we do that, since the seal isn't complete?" she demanded. Nayru smiled, and shook her head.
"It will be swept away soon. How will Ganon be able to spill the blood of the Ancients on a seal that has been swept away?"
Nayru pushed her long blue hair behind her ear as she smiled at Din, her soft brown eyes sparkling. She let her hair fall loose, and it reached her knees. She wore a flowing dress with an over robe. The dress was a pale blue, the colour of shallow polar water. The over robe with its billowing sleeves was a deep blue, the colour of deep tropical waters. It had two large pockets on either side; one held a pair of reading glasses and an assortment of bookmarks, and the other held a small, but fat, book.
Din snorted when she saw the glasses. "Why do you even keep those around? It's not like you need them."
Laughing, Nayru beckoned her sister to follow her as she turned. "They make me look smart, so why not? I am supposed to be the goddess of wisdom, no? Come, Farore has managed to get Time to come and see us, so we need to speak to her about this." Din scowled; she never liked it when Time came. The fourth goddess had always unnerved her.
Time had no face; at least, if she did, no one ever saw it. The tall woman, if that was her gender, covered her head and face with a series of shawls, one on top of the other. The only thing that was visible under the shawls was her hair, which fell to the ground and dragged behind her, like a train. It was white, without even the hint of silver that people gained as they aged. Her shawls were all different colours, but all were grayish. Her robes, layered like her shawls, were the same, and it was very rare that her pale hands would ever extract themselves from the various layers of fabric. Time, more than the three sisters could ever be, was unnatural. She had been around when the three had come to the land, and Din had no doubt that if Ganon was to win someday and dispose of them, that Time would remain. She doubted that Ganon could win against Time.
Farore looked up at her sisters when they entered the gardens where she waited with Time. Farore dressed plainly, and her hair alone of her sister's was short. With her flat chest, Din had often teased the green haired goddess that she could pass off as a man if she so chose. Farore had not been amused.
"Time says that if we are to release Link and Zelda, now is the time." Nayru nodded, and Din frowned.
"Will the seal stay up long enough? Ganon won't be able to break through once we let them out, will he?" As much as the hero and princess annoyed her, Din did not want Ganon to get out and make all their sacrifices worthless.
"Their powers will stay in the seal," Time whispered. "That will keep Ganon in check until the seal has been completely washed away. Then they can live a normal lifespan, die and stop being a strain on the time stream. They've given me more grey hairs than any other race combined." Farore raised an eyebrow at Time's comment.
"You've hid them well," she remarked dryly. Time gave her a withering look, but due to the shawls, it was ineffective.
"Then we will tell Epona and Taliesin to take them back," Nayru cut in quickly. "Their bodies will be returned to them when they reenter the world of the living."
"They will be their correct age, too," Time added in. "I am tired of having to patch up the tears these two create."
"What about your gift?" Din asked, referring to the Ocarina of Time. When the peoples of Hyrule were first created, each goddess had made a gift. Time's was the Ocarina; Nayru's was the Harp of Ages. Din gave the Master Sword, and Farore sent the Wind Waker.
"It will no longer be able to move time," the grey goddess said, "But it can still work other magic. I believe the Hero gave it to his son when he sent the two up." The three sisters nodded, and Time said good-bye and left.
"I wonder what will happen, now that they will return," Nayru whispered after they had told Epona and Taliesin what to do. Farore shrugged.
"They'll find their children and live life out," she said, "That's been on Link's mind ever since his son and daughter were sent to the world of the living."
"I hope they do," Nayru sighed, "I've been able to forget every other look that has been thrown my way by mortals except for the one he gave me when the children left. I could not even look at Zelda."
Din snorted, "That's because you're a bleeding heart. The two will do what they'll do, and they can't blame us for it anymore. What I want to see is what they do now that they have no evil king or an imp in a mask to fight. This is going to be fun to watch."
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A man in a tattered green tunic pushed himself up on a beach, spitting out sand as he did. His hat was long gone, and his graying blonde hair stuck to his face. His leather boots were ruined from the salt water, but he did not care. The mere fact that they were able to be ruined was enough to make him smile.
He was in the world of the living once again.
A woman in breeches and a large shirt rolled over on a beach, cursing under her breath as sand fell into her eyes. Groaning, she pushed herself up, and silver-blonde locks of hair, matted with sand, fell over her shoulders. Looking at them in disgust, she pushed them over her shoulders, tying her hair up with strip ripped from the bottom of her shirt. Standing, she surveyed the land around her. In the distance she could see an island with a large mountain rising from it; it was not too far from the small island she was currently on. A sudden whoop caused her to jump, and she looked around, shocked.
She was suddenly lifted from behind and swung around. Looking down at the hands around her waist, she relaxed as she recognised them and laughed. When she was set down, she turned to look at the man behind her. His blue eyes smiled back at her, and she was shocked to see the crow's feet around them.
"We're back, Zel, we've returned," Link laughed, "And we're old, which means this is the time that the kids are in." Her breath caught in her throat, Zelda stared at Link. When his smile did not fade, she began to breathe again and grinned in return. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned forward and kissed him.
"We're finally home," Link whispered, his forehead resting on hers, "We're home."
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A/N: Story's done! There'll be a sequel, but I'm going to try and get at least mostly finished with "High King" first. Thanks for reading and for reviewing, it's been greatly appreciated!
Parselmaster: Glad you like my connecting of the games. Thanks!
Blazestarre: Yeap, Epona's back and incorrigible. Thanks!
Justin Time: I need to go watch Star Wars now that you said that… hehe. Thanks!
The Fiercesomest Dragon Ever: Hehe, thanks.
Astryel: I like that. Thanks.
Dragon's Hitokiri: The sequel will be in the WW time. Thanks!
Tizamiki: If you look on my author's page, there are three others, and there'll be a sequel to this sometime. Thanks.