-Chapter 11-
Always

The ride back to the Hyrule market was somber and quiet. Link held the reins tightly as he navigated Epona through the field, careful to make the ride delicate for Zelda who was sitting behind him. Her arms were wrapped around his waist, and her hair was blowing back in the wind.

There were many thoughts going on through Link's mind as each step took him closer to the Temple of Time. No doubt he would have to return the sword and reverse time. However, the consequences were what bothered him. Would he be able to live a normal life? Would he ever find the need to draw the Master Sword from its resting place once again? Would Hyrule never know eternal peace? Link sighed. He would probably never know the answers, and it scared him.

He turned his head and caught a glimpse of Zelda. Smiling widely to hide his concern, it made him feel a bit better knowing he wasn't alone in this journey. Zelda had been there from the very beginning. In fact, it was her request to gather all three stones that started this whole ordeal.

"What's wrong, Link?" Zelda asked as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Link straightened his back, surprised that the girl had read him so easily. Dismissing his thoughts, he waved his hand. "It's nothing. I'm just tired from fighting, that's all."

Zelda forced a tiny smile. She had known Link for years, and he was definitely lying. "Link. I know something is bothering you."

The boy gritted his teeth as he tried to play it off. He chuckled a few times then grew absolutely silent.

"I know you're lying." Zelda delivered a shot to his ribs, and Link whelped.

"Okay, okay," the teen flinched. "Stop before I fall off."

"That depends," she said sweetly. "Will you tell me?" She batted her eyebrows and rested her head on Link's back.

Link lowered his head and faintly smiled. This girl really knew how to push his buttons. It was apparent that the princess had his number, and she was persuasive in her dealings. Whether it was an innocent plea or a flirtatious suggestion, she knew how to get what she wanted.

"I was just thinking about something," he said.

"About what?"

"About what would happen later…"

"What do you mean?" the girl asked. "What's going to happen?"

"Probably nothing, but…"

"Link, you're talking in riddles, and I hate that. Get to the point already."

"I just want to know what's going to happen to us, okay?" Link let out. "I don't know what's going on anymore. I hate this!"

At that moment, he could no longer feel Zelda's head on his back, and her grip had loosened from his waist. He wished he could retract his words, feeling his outbreak had hurt the girl.

"Link," Zelda said. Her voice was sharp and low. "Listen to me. Nothing is going to happen. I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be with you."

"Zelda…"

"It's going to be alright, I promise." She rested her head on his back once again and closed her eyes.

Link smiled faintly as he replayed the girl's words in his mind. It shocked him at how strong-willed the girl was. Though he possessed the Triforce of Courage, it was nothing compared to the faith and hope the girl emitted. Zelda was a lot stronger than she let on. She had a lot more hanging in the balance: her life, her home, her kingdom. However it never seemed to dampen the girl's spirits. Link let out a breath, he truly admired her. Her courage was commendable, and he realized he drew strength from it.

Link gently patted Epona's neck, signaling her to stop. They had reached the marketplace, and the rubble made it impossible for the horse to continue. Instead, he led Epona to the moat so she could drink and tied her to the gate. Reaching up, he helped Zelda down.

Zelda felt a wave of sadness overtake her. Her home was in shambles, just like before. "It's horrible."

Link nodded. "It is. I think it's a lot worse now. Come on, we have to get to the temple." He took Zelda's hand and carefully led her through the destroyed marketplace. They reached the temple, and Link forced the door open. Stepping inside, they approached the Pedestal of Time.

"Go ahead, Link," Zelda said. "You must put the sword back."

"What, no goodbye speech like last time? No floating on a cloud in the sky? No romantic ocarina music?"

Zelda smiled, shaking her head. "Not this time. It's not goodbye, remember? I'll be with you forever, so stop being so sentimental. I swear you're acting like a girl again."

"I told you, it's purely a comfort thing! How many guys do you know who look good in a skirt?"

"Just you," the girl laughed.

"That's right!" Link proclaimed. "And don't ever forget it."

Then there was silence.

Link reached for Zelda's hand. He held it tightly as his gaze fell on the girl's face.

"Link..."

"I just wanted to thank you," he suddenly said, "for everything."

"You know, you're making this harder than it's supposed to be." Zelda's words trailed off as she looked down at the ground. Heat was rising to cheeks, and she managed a tiny smile.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't get to say anything before." Link sighed. "I just wanted to tell you that you were right. This adventure really turned out to be something special. I... I don't regret it, not one bit."

"I'm glad, and you know what? I don't regret it either. I was worried that I'd never see you again, but I did. I'm really grateful that I was able to see you again, Link, because we're connected now."

Link smiled as he embraced the girl. Zelda fought hard to stop the tears that she felt were coming. She thought back to the first time on the cloud. A simple "thank you" and "give me back the ocarina" was all she could muster. She had so much more to say to him. Now, the words were escaping her. There was nothing more she could say to him. Words would never be enough to express her gratitude and love for him.

Zelda rose to her tiptoes and placed a small kiss on Link's cheek. The tears were flowing now, but she didn't care. It had been a long time coming.

They soon parted and Link brushed a strand of hair from Zelda's forehead. He smiled softly then pulled the sword from its sheath. It glowed in the light. He held it in one hand and turned his wrist as if he was weighing the sword. Stepping to the pedestal, he held the weapon over his head and inserted it back into the stone.

A blue beam of light swallowed him, and he found himself back in the Sacred Realm.

"Well done, Hero of Time," Rauru greeted. "Once again your courage and strength have saved Hyrule from destruction." He turned to the princess. "It's a pleasure to see you again, my dear."

Zelda bowed. "The honor is all mine, Ancient Sage. I take it that everything now is back to normal."

"Indeed."

"Link," the sage said. "Your time has been restored, and you will be in the past 7 years younger. I wish I could say that your adventure is over, but alas, it is not. You are bound by destiny, and I am sure you know that nothing can change that."

"I know," the teen said. "I think I've finally come to terms with it." He glanced at Zelda. Yeah, it definitely wasn't such a bad thing.

"Good. I am glad. Now we must get you back home."

There was another flash of bright white light. Then Link opened his eyes. He was standing beside the Master Sword. He looked around. The towering ceiling indicated that he was back in the past, and his legs were feeling awfully cold.

"We're back," the girl said.

Link nodded. Turning, he followed the princess out of the old temple and into the market streets.

There was a hustle and bustle around, he sensed. The people looked more distressed than usual. Alarmed, Link reached back and felt for his knife. He could hear horse hooves close by, and he followed the sound.

There were a couple white horses posted by the armory shop. Soldiers were standing around, discussing amongst themselves.

"Link, what's going on?" Zelda wondered.

Immediately a soldier approached them and lifted his visor. Link recognized him as the guard posted at Death Mountain.

"Princess, thank goodness we have found you. Your father has been very worried. I think it's best to return to the castle now."

"Just give me a moment." She then turned to Link. "I guess this is it, huh?"

"Yeah."

She smiled. "I had a great time, Link. We should do it again sometime."

Link opened his mouth to speak, but recanted the thought. Instead there was something else he wanted to say. "I don't know, Zelda. Every time we're together something bad always happens. I think you have bad luck following you."

"But you like being around me, right?"

Link shrugged his shoulders. "You're alright."

Zelda huffed as she grabbed Link by the collar and pulled him down. "That's not what you said earlier."

"I know." He smiled widely.

"You're lucky you're the Hero of Time or I would've kicked you in the balls. But you have to admit that it was kinda fun."

Link forced a smile as he recalled everything that had happened. Somehow the bad overshadowed the good. Still, it had all worked out in the end. "I guess so," he concluded.

"Good, cause we're doing it all again tomorrow," the girl winked as the soldiers ushered her into a carriage. She poked her head out the window to say one final thing. "Meet me back at the flower garden, and don't be late."

The driver whipped the horses that were pulling the carriage, and a cloud of dust ascended into the air. With that Zelda was gone.

Link frowned as he turned around and started his way back home. His life was never going to be normal anymore, he thought. He had befriended fishes, golems, ageless children, and an adventure loving princess. Taking out his ocarina he played Epona's Song only to remember he couldn't ride her. Groaning in disbelief, he picked up his feet and started rolling. It was getting dark soon.

END

That's that. This ends my first multi-fic Legend of Zelda story ever. Woot! It's been a blast, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing and reminiscing about the greatest game on the N64. Anyways, I mentioned this in the first chapter, but I originally don't write for the Zelda fandom. That's why I wanted to thank all of you for making this transition from one fandom to the next easy. I normally write Kingdom Hearts stuff which was why in the second chapter I goofed and put the name Sora instead of Link. Deathfang17, good eye. I don't know if I'll ever write another Legend of Zelda story. As for now I'm working on a Kingdom Hearts story, a sequel actually to Peaches. I don't know if anyone here is familiar with the game or read any fics on it, but yeah. I'll be finishing that up.

Anyways, I have a ton of people to thank. First of all, thank you sailorsweetart. You have been my most consistent reviewer. Week in and week out, I always hear from you. You're even good about replying back to messages. And you still have one of the more unique names I ever came across. I know you've been on my tail about how short the story is. I wish I could write more, but I'm probably the most terse author on this site. Trust me the longer the story goes, the more off topic I get. She works hard for the money, so hard for it honey. She works hard for the money so you better treat BrambleAkria101 right. I want to thank you, too. I know you're always working, but thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to read and review. Don't work too hard now. To my favorite "odd" reviewer: InkWoven. You still haven't turned on your private messaging, buddy. haha. I purposely ended this story on the eleventh chapter so I could hear from you again. Actually, I just ran out of ideas. xD But don't tell anyone. IsThisYourCard, I always wanted to ask you if you were a magician or something. You have one of those usernames that indicate a hobby. I'm just wondering. Sanguinary Toxicity, Rose Starglen, perennials, Amethyst 269, HerGoldenWings, Deathfang17, written1by1, and James Birdsong thank you! I think I got everyone.

To everyone who favorited and alerted this story, thank you also. I appreciate it dearly.

You have all made my first experiences in writing a Legend of Zelda story so amazing. It was a breath of fresh air to write something new. Now it's time for some ice cream. =D

Rock out, party hard, live hardcore