Finally! It took so long, but here it is. I wonder though, my explanations are always vague and blurry because I always wanted to leave it to the reader's imagination. Which explanation suits you most, how you interpreted it and stuff. Just like in RoalS, haha. If there are questions though, I'll gladly answer them!

To the reviews!
Dark White Fang - I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you'll enjoy the rather happy ending!
ShadowNinja1011 - I don't know. Hahaha, thank you for accompanying me through TLS till now!
Guest - Thank you! The development of characters is always so important and I'm always afraid I'm too fast or too slow with it. (not to forget the too complicated or too simple card) It is a huge relief that you found it good the way it was! I'm really happy that you enjoyed the story!
Adorablehedgi12 - I'm sorry! But there is a happy ending! Seriously, haha.
TheSoundofMusic - I'm glad you liked the final! And the story itself! Now where I look back, I can finally see improvement as well and it makes me so excited that all of you've helped me to come this far. Thank you for bearing with good old me, haha. I hope you will enjoy the epilog!
Perdu - Who knows! That was a terrible cliffhanger, and imagine - I actually wanted to let the story end there, hahaha. That would have been evil. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
grandshadowseal - The epilog will reveal it! Thank you for reading the story.
Sorceress of Shadows - I'm evil, aren't I? And the parallels were really fun to write, hehe. It was the whole twist of the story after all, Dark Link the hero! And yes, yes. The ending where everything was bathed in light was a huge parallel/reference to RoalS. I just loved the familiar everything vanishes in light, but you don't know whether that's good or bad. Oh and I didn't know that! I will try to master this rule just like the word 'muster', hahaha. Thank you for staying with me through the whole story!
Avril555 - You're such a poet, I'm flabbergasted here, haha. I hope this little epilog will save your heart!
Nathanel - Glad to hear that! And thank god! The actions scenes, always a struggle, haha. Thank you for reading my story!

Phew, that's it! Thank you for all the reviews and the encouragements and for staying with me until the end!

I hope you have enjoyed 'The Last Song'!

"Amidst the Ruins of Destiny"

"There is nothing, your majesty."

Zelda rubbed her arms, standing in the safe distance of it all. She overlooked the muddy puddles, the debris and boulders of the citadel which had once stood proud and tall on that very spot. The terrible storm and...chaos...hadn't left much behind. Only ruins and dirt hinted to what had been here not long ago.

The woman could remember clearly the darkness she had seen. The shadows and flames which had engulfed the town at her castle's feet...so many people were missing by now. Soldiers and residents. And they still were, although there was hardly any hope for them anymore. She knew that after what she had witnessed. In her eyes the end had been near. She had failed. Her kingdom had been doomed.

And then the sun rose once more, the rain stopped and the storm ceased.

Zelda's fingers bore into her arms, tensing as she looked back towards the soldier who stood amidst the ruins of the sacred temple.

"Keep on searching."

The young man was silent for a moment, observing her slender figure until he turned back towards the dirt and debris at his feet. Together with a handful of other soldiers who had abandoned their weapons just like he had, he started to continue digging through the rocks and gravel.

"Yes, your majesty."

The blond haired woman sighed shakily, averting her gaze from the scene.

'Who's the monster now?'

Zelda wasn't able to let go of the shadow's words. His appearance had been so confusing. Yes, she had heard the rumors about a man who resembled Link in the outskirts of Hyrule. But that it had been the hero's shadow who was still alive after all those years...it had been terrifying in a way. It was hard to believe. Everything was. And now she stood here, in her broken town, awaiting the news of the find she dreaded with every fiber of her being.

No one would have survived the sudden collapse of the citadel.

Not even a sage...

"Your majesty..." Slowly she glanced at the elderly man who stepped to her side. It was her advisor who had even worked for her father as he had still been alive, but his wrinkled face sunk as he frowned ever so slightly into her direction. "...what has happened? Who has saved us?"

Zelda bit her tongue from replying right away.

No one knew about her conversation with the young Kokiri. No one knew about the girl's concerns, the knowledge that she wouldn't be able to keep Ganondorf at bay all by herself. And how she had been swallowed by the darkness, disappearing in the burning abyss all alone...until a single man had followed her...

"Woah!"

Both heads quickly turned to the ruins in front of them. Two soldiers quickly stumbled away as a huge pile of debris collapsed. The men had apparently pulled at a certain broad rock, forcing the whole construction to fall which whirled a huge wave of dust and sand into the air. A chorus of coughs and sneezes filled the silence before one of the older guards forced his eyes open anyway. He stared curiously back towards the spot where the pile had been, and quickly he lost his posture. Gasping and pointing as he backed away.

"Look!"

The other men followed his example, stepping further and further away from what they had discovered. And Zelda's hand rose to her mouth to hide her parted lips.

"Is that...?"

"But..."

The queen's advisor gaped at the found just as shocked, his raspy voice ringing in the woman's ears at his side.

"Ganondorf..."

But the evil king didn't react. His body seemed to be glued to a black colored boulder, the skin grey and lifeless just like everything else. If the surface wouldn't be so smooth, you'd think he was nothing more but another rock. But the way he looked now, reminded you of a fine sculpture. Looking so real and grand. A true sadistic masterpiece with his arms outstretched. His fingers cramped as if he had been holding onto something or someone and the face torn in a terrible outraged grimace.

The only thing which didn't resemble a crafted figure was the sword which was embedded in his chest.

"But how is that possible?" The old man beside Zelda mumbled. "The Hero of Time is gone...he had left Hyrule long ago..."

'I'll take back what is mine.'

Zelda choked on something, she believed, her hand still pressing against her lips to keep any sound inside. It wasn't possible, was it? It couldn't be. Would a selfish creature like him really go that far?

"Your majesty!" A solider shouted, waving his arm to get her attention. "There is not a single body around here anymore. We've searched everything."

That was all impossible, wasn't it...?

Zelda stared at the ruins in front of her. Frozen on the spot while the men were all still uncertain how to act around the perfect sculpture of the monster who had killed so many of their people. And that in a single night. Only as the queen felt a cautious hand petting her arm, she flinched and turned towards her advisor. The grey haired man who had looked after her so often as she had been a child.

"...your majesty?"

"It's nothing." Zelda breathed. "It was Saria's sacrifice which saved us all...only her...her alone..."

He observed her slightly trembling form. His light frown easing into a soothing smile, in his age he was too patient to question her rather harsh reaction. And if she deemed it necessary, then there was probably a good reason for it in his eyes. Although in truth, the queen could just hardly accept the fact that a creature of the darkness had been the savior of her land. A shadow who had havocked chaos years ago.

A man who had killed his own former king for a little girl.

"Here, sir."

The chubby man handed the stranger a loaf of bread, his round brown eyes blinking curiously into the hooded face of his customer. But he could hardly see anything thanks to the heavy shadows which were hiding the visage. There was even less to spot as the man tilted his head away, a subtle move to escape any possible eye contact which could be shared.

"A traveler, yes?" The man tried to smile. "We have those often here in Holodrum. Even more after that terrible storm a few weeks ago, it certainly caused some trouble in the east, didn't it?"

The stranger halted. His head moving ever so carefully to the side as he decided to look at the salesman for the first time, but it still revealed nothing to the simple baker. Merely the knowing feeling of a pair of eyes which was observing him for a few seconds and after two rupees were laid onto the counter of the table - he turned away immediately.

It wasn't like he wasn't used to quiet men which came to the small piece of land here. Hardly a few columns had settled down a few years ago. A lot of people came and went; a trade route through their small village was slowly getting more and more well-known.

But people like him were still a curiosity.

The baker looked after the stranger whose cloak drifted from side to side with every single step he took. Quietly he moved through the thin crowd which conquered the square. Not bumping into anyone around him until suddenly something tackled his side. A person, obviously. But as quick as it had come - the stranger had reacted.

His right arm rose, lifting the long cloak into the air until the cloth seemed to swallow the small figure. Hiding it from anyone's gaze in the safety of his garments, the only thing the baker was able to catch was a glimpse of something green. Fresh and light like the grass in the field. It was the rim of a long fabric which in the end got devoured by the endless black of the stranger. His head fell forward, indicating that he was looking at whoever had disappeared in his long cloak.

But the baker only furrowed his brow; his upper body leaning over the many loafs of bread he was selling that day. His eyes blinked as his curiosity only grew - it was after all a very unusual traveler. But as quick as he had been trying to get a better look, he was already leaning back onto his soles. Shying away from the sudden twist of the stranger's head who stared back towards his stall. The older man had been certain he had made no sound. The noise of the other people around him should have easily smothered his creaking table - and that thought alone was enough to make the baker look away.

It took him a few seconds to recover from the mixed feeling he felt. Embarrassed because he had been caught staring. Openly gaping at strangers was rude, even though that traveler certainly looked weird clad in nothing but black. It stood out in their little village; there weren't many people living here and those who did tend to choose colorful colors to match their lively surroundings. So it was no wonder that his curiosity grew yet again, urging the baker to look once more at his previous customer on the market's square.

The completely black figure was gone though.

And with his wide eyes, the older man could only stand and stare at the empty spot.

Not aware that the stranger had already ventured out of their marketplace. Skillfully avoiding any further attention until he reached the outskirts of Holodrum, other people had always been fools in his opinion. Too simple-minded to realize the easiest tricks...

"There were so many people." A voice laughed. "And no one spared me any glance!"

His cloak swished to the side as a figure rushed forward, skipping a few steps ahead.

"I told you not to stray too far."

His reply sounded like half-hearted complaining, something she only greeted with a warm knowing smile. Her slender figure came to a halt, her feet circling around until she was facing him once more.

"I didn't."

The young man closed his eyes as he chuckled beneath his breath. Smoothly he ripped the bread in his hands in half, chugging half of it to the girl in front of him who caught it with ease. Her hands were still cluttered with scratches. Just like her legs and arms. Fading scars he tried to ignore. Just like his ones which probably still glowed in a fresh pink in the sunlight. But those hardly mattered. To him anyway.

The green haired girl bit into the freshly baked bread, cherishing the softness and warmth of the texture.

Something so simple had never tasted better. She was certain.

"Sensed something by now?"

At his question she looked up. Blinking at him through her eyelashes before she slowly shook her head.

"It's all gone. I can't hear them anymore."

She could feel him smiling darkly, even if she couldn't clearly see it.

"Good."

His humor wasn't quite light. But it was something she had gotten used to already, she thought. And in that moment she shared his opinion. Selfishly feeling relieved that it all was gone that had chained her to her past. How exactly it had happened, she didn't know. There had been burning pain. There had been light and the faint whisper of something in the far distance...and then it had been all over...

The next time she had opened her eyes, she had seen the stars above her head and his face looming over hers.

"What about you?" She mused, chewing on her last piece of their snack.

The former shadow was quiet for a moment, slowly lifting his hands to shove the hood back. He still wasn't all that fond of the piercing sun, but the warmth made it slowly unbearable beneath the woven fabric. To him her seemingly innocent question made him pause for a second, his mind was recalling his cold body that day...the sore joints and whisper that had pushed him to move in the end...

"Nothing."

The young girl smiled up at him, completely content with the unanswered questions in between them. There was still so much in front of them. With no chains to bind her anymore. No destiny to fulfill or rules to follow. If she had learned anything, then it was to reach for the freedom and grasp it with all her strength. Even if it meant leaving loved ones behind...

Christo walked past her, continuing their little travel while he started to eat his own portion of the bread. The Kokiri however, stayed back. For a single moment she just stared into the direction they had come from, mesmerized by the roofs in the distance of the buildings.

Freedom wasn't all fine and dandy.

To be free meant to run sometimes.

She could only wonder how Zelda was doing. Feeling guilty for disappearing just like that on the one hand, and being relieved on the other that there was no one to come and get her. Hyrule didn't need her anymore. And even if, the girl was no longer certain if she'd rush back to the familiar proud castle once again...not after she had seen the wide fields. The unknown woods and new regions...she had barely scratched the surface of a whole new world.

To be free...meant to be selfish, too.

And for that she had found the best teacher.

"Saria."

Her head perked up as she turned around to her tall companion. The familiar face which had earned a place on its own in her mind...the bloody red of his eyes resembled more of a copper in the bright sunlight. But the color was pretty nonetheless in her opinion.

Quickly she rushed after him, reaching for his hand because he had become her anchor in this unknown yet beautiful world.

"...have you finally found the reason you were looking for?" Saria wondered out loud. "The reason why you kept coming to me."

Christo glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his lips spreading into an awfully familiar grin.

"I may have. 'Though you might be too young yet to understand it as well."

The green-head opened her mouth, ready to complain because she surely had learned that she was actually far older than other Hylians were. But the former shadow merely shook his head, tugging her closer as he aimed for the next path. Further and further away from Hyrule. That was what mattered.

"You will in time." He assured her teasingly. "I don't intent to return what I steal after all."

Thank you for reading TLS!

My endings had always been a bit vague, so only for those who really want to know a few details they have maybe missed or I hadn't made them clear to leave it up to your imagination. I will point them out now.

Only for those who want to! If your imagination is awesome enough on its own, don't mind me, haha.

1. Navi the fairy had been the sacrifice for Dark's soul instead of Saria in this story. However, he never learned the emotion love on his journey, merely companionship.
2. The Master Sword actually accepted Dark as its master because it could sense that Link wouldn't return. (no hero era coming)
3. In the final it was a close call, Saria singing her last song to kill herself together with Ganondorf and Dark who fought against him to kill him - Saria and Dark raced unknowingly against each other. Dark realized it in the end while Saria didn't.
4. Technically, chapter 19 offers you to decide after the ending. Did they make it or not? Either way worked. Both alive. Saria dead, Dark alive. Both dead.
5. In theory, Dark was indeed dead as Saria arrived. The whispers who told him 'She will cease to exist' were the three goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore who chose to give him another chance. They breathed life into him once more in order to defeat Ganondorf and maybe safe Saria's life in process. If all had failed - it would have moved towards the great flood ending, leading towards Wind Waker era.
6. In the end, Saria's song broke off any connection she had to the other sages. She was supposed to die - but through Dark's intervention, she didn't. Which technically means all the energy of living for fifteen years in Hyrule exploded into nothingness, and in my personal plotting leads to her growing out those fifteen years now...so, she grows to the twenty age stage and stays there 'cause of her Kokiri/sage roots. She can't contact the sages anymore though - who assume she died.
7. Zelda believes Saria and Dark have died in the battle. But she doesn't want to believe that Dark had become a hero. Creature of darkness, Link's shadow, Ganondorf's former soldier, tried to kill stuff and people and so on. She continues to rule but feels guilty for the rest of her life because in her eyes Saria is dead. Which she isn't. I'm an ass.

End of fun facts! Sorry for that huge chunk of text, haha. But some stuff just didn't fit into the story. Or I would have been forced to write it so blatantly that it would lose its meaning in my opinion, haha.

Thank you once more for reading 'The Last Song'!