The Spirit of the Hero; a LoZ Hylia x Fierce Deity fic

Epilogue

AN: song above is "The Call" from Narnia by Regina Spektor. AKA my favorite song. I kid you not, the very first song I learned on my own when I started guitar lessons as an 11 year old.

I tagged this as Zelink, didn't I? Well, have some "Zelink" ;) I was grinning like an i d i o t when I wrote this.

Over time, rumors circulated that the gods had gone silent. People had never felt more detached from their patron goddess than they did during the years after Kakariko's burning. Some believed the goddess had died there—that they were doomed. Others believed that she was preparing behind the scenes.

None could guess the real reason why she had quieted.

The goddess wandered from village to village, desperate to find an appropriate vessel for her beloved Hero's spirit. She no longer attended blessings or funerals and found little time to pray alongside her people. Instead, she wordlessly listened. She watched invisibly. And she waited.

One night, she found herself in an outer farming village. It was there that she heard a distinct prayer.

"Hylia?" a man's voice whispered. She could always hear prayers, if she focused hard enough. This one was nearby, she could tell. Something stirred her to follow the voice, and soon, she stood before a quaint cottage with a main floor and a loft. The voice was coming from the roof. She teleported up and saw a young man laid back, arms propped behind his head, staring at the moon. He wore a sleeveless tunic, displaying many scars up and down his muscular arms. From the sword at his hip, she could tell he was a soldier. His scruffy hair was chestnut colored and his eyes a deep blue. He was most likely in his mid-twenties.

Hylia decided to sit next to him on the slanted roof.

"I know a lotta folk don' believe in ya no more," he muttered to the stars. His thick accent coaxed a smile to her lips. "An' I guess, 'ts a lil hard ta believe in someone who don' speak." He sighed. "When' I was a boy, you were ever'where. I could never see ya, but I could feel ya—ever'one knew ya were there. Bu' now? Now, things are... diff'rent." He scratched his head and Hylia bit her lip.

"I s'ppose it don' matter much," he continued. "Tonigh', I'm prayin'... on behalf o' my wife, Zelda." He sighed, long and tired. "Bless 'er, she don' believe in ya at all no more. Ya gotta forgive 'er—she's... she's been through some 'ard stuff. An' she's frustrated—we both are—'cause we wanna have a baby." A sad smile formed on his lips. "Hylia, we wanna have a baby so bad. I pr'mise we'll try our best to be good parents. Pr'mise. We jus'... need the chance."

Before she could stop it, a tear trickled from Hylia's golden eye. She gasped softly as she felt a tickle on the back of her neck. Out came her companion, a bright green orb of light, that emerged from its hiding spot behind her hair and brushed across her face. Somehow, it dried the tear. Hylia closed her eyes and sighed, almost able to imagine that he was there, his hand covered in rough leather, but gentle when it touched her.

"You think this is the place?" she whispered as another tear fell. The orb brushed against her cheek again, tickling and warming. "I suppose... it's time I let you go, isn't it?" She watched as the spirit flitted like a fairy over to the man. It waited as the man raised himself up, then followed when he climbed back up through the loft window. Hylia was close behind.

The loft was small, consisting of a nightstand, a wardrobe, and a cozy bed. Buried in the bed was a tangle of blankets, limbs, long, strawberry-blond hair, and soft snores—Zelda, she assumed. The man undid the clip holding his sword at his waist and set it by the nightstand, then sat on the bed to remove his boots. Hylia watched with a smile as he laid back and got under the covers with his beloved, who awoke.

"Link?" a feminine, sluggish voice asked.

"Yeah, 'm back," he replied with a sigh, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. Hylia felt a deep ache in her chest, alongside... a familiar warmth.

The orb of green light moved to hover over the bed, waiting for Hylia. She silently approached and knelt as tears stung her eyes again. "You're sure?" she whispered to the light, which only dropped nearer to the couple. Hylia chuckled and wiped a stray tear. "Excited too, I guess."

She reached out her hand and guided the spirit down towards the blanket covering the two figures. With a deep breath, she pushed it towards the belly of the woman, Zelda. What a pretty name, Hylia mused. The green light glowed a bit brighter, then sunk beyond the layers to find its new home—and in a few months, what would become its vessel.

The goddess smiled despite the tears that dripped down her face as she said a temporary goodbye to her Hero.

Zelda had been hanging up the laundry in the warm, spring sunlight when she felt it. She gasped once, choppy and short, then brought her hand to her slightly swollen belly. She had been pregnant for a few months now, just barely showing. A giddy grin came to her lips as she experienced the sensation again.

The laundry dropped from her hands as she ran towards the wheat fields as quickly as her pregnant body would let her. "Link!" she cried, giggling and breathless. "Link!"

Her husband stood up from his work and froze when he saw her at the edge of the field, immediately dropping his tools and bolting to her. He covered the distance in seconds. "Zelda! Wha'? Wha' is it?"

She laughed at his panicked expression. "Nothing is wrong!" she promised, grabbing his hand. "Just feel." She placed his hand flat against her lower belly.

They waited a few seconds...

Kick.

Link gasped and laughed all at once, eyes wide and excited. The baby did it again and the couple grinned wildly at each other.

Suddenly, Link held his wife's head and lurched forward to kiss her passionately. She made a noise of surprise that quickly melted away, but he pulled back before she could lose herself to the feeling of him. "Tha's a happy, healthy baby righ' there, Zel!" Link chuckled.

She beamed brighter than the sun. "He's certainly a strong one," she giggled. "Maybe he'll grow up to be a hero, like his father." She kissed her husband on the nose, then the cheek, then the forehead.

"He?" Link questioned.

Zelda smiled slightly and nodded. "She—Hylia, I mean—she... told me, last night. In a dream."

Link's dark blue eyes lit up as he drank in her words. "R-Really?"

"I'm sure." Zelda took a deep breath and briefly looked away. "I suppose that, after all this time, She's been watching out for us."

Link took his wife's face in his hands and smiled sweeter than she had seen in months. "Yes, she 'as been," he promised, kissing her once. Then his eyes darted back down to her belly and he moved his left hand back down to feel. "I s'ppose this tike's gonna need a name. What d'ya say we star' makin' a list?"

Zelda grinned bashfully and shrugged. "I was thinking we could name him... Link?"

Her husband blinked once. Twice. "M-M-My name? I-I dunno, Zel, 'ts kinda a weird name and no' real traditional or nothin'..." Zelda wanted to kiss away the worry on his lips.

"I think it's a strong name—just like you're a strong man."

A smile slowly crept its way back to Link's face and he sighed affectionately. "Ya know flattery always works on me."

She laughed heartily. "Flattery and food."

"Oh swee' Hylia, bless this baby ta no' inherit my appetite."

They held each other and giggled under golden sunbeams.

End

AN: that's it! Please like and comment. It fuels my car.

In case any of you are confused about this here ending, these are Zelda and Link dopplegangers. They do not have the spirits of Zelda and Link. They are just the origins of the names. I thought it would be fun! Also we stan country Link.

Thank you so much! Hope you check out my other stories! <3