The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 39: A New Era

Four months later…

Winter had passed. It had been cold, but not too brutal, and in time, its brisk, short days began to give way to longer, warmer ones. Spring had dawned upon the surface in a fresh flourish. The trees gained their new coats of green leaves and flowers, the birds and animals that had departed for the winter gradually began to return and the snow had all melted away, revealing the vast green fields of the land once more. As much as the snows of winter had helped to wipe away all of the blood that had been shed during the violent summer of the Interloper War, the bright sunshine of springtime gave new life to the land. Indeed, spring was the season of new beginnings, of birth and rebirth, in more ways than one.

The former residents of Skyloft had grown quite used to their new way of life upon the surface. With the help of the Sheikah, their newfound community had grown from a small, frail settlement to a bustling, active town. They had easily lasted through the winter; in fact, they had even thrived as they began cultivating the fertile earth around them. Most of them had learned to ride horses courtesy of the Sheikah, but of course, their Loftwings were still an important part of their culture. While guardian birds still dwelled above the clouds, they no longer had qualms about descending to the surface whenever their riders called upon them, though they would quickly retreat back into the heavens when they were no longer needed. Indeed, it seemed as though Skyloft had finally been rebuilt upon the surface, where Hylia had always intended for it to be.

As time went by, so too did any lingering pain left over from the Interloper War. The land had long since been restored to its former beauty and splendor, and while the memory of their former leader was still well-respected, the Sheikah had chosen a new matriarch who promised to follow in Sheik's footsteps. With the Triforce secreted away, the great temptation that the promise of its power had posed was also gone and in time, the knowledge of its existence would fade into legend. Once more, the land could know peace; the presence of evil had finally faded from the surface, giving way to light and goodness. And while the memory of what had happened over the course of the past summer would most likely never fade from anyone's minds, the time had finally come to move on, to take the lessons learned in the past and look into the bright future. Something new was dawning on the surface and everyone could sense it. With the warmth of this new springtime and this new way of life came a time of hope and renewal. It was a time of great potential. It was a time in which anything could happen.

But most of all, it was a time of new beginnings.

Though it was still unnamed, the human village in the northern fields was certainly a sight to see. It was composed of twenty or so sturdy stone dwellings, as well as a busy open-air market place to replace Skyloft's bazaar. Plans were in the making for building a new knight academy, but since the land was at peace, it was something that could wait. The entire town stood before a tall stone watchtower that the people had decided to build in order to protect their village from incoming threats in the future, but for now, it was largely being used as something of a lighthouse, guiding people back home if ever they were away from it at night.

As their new society rose up, new ideas for additions to their community came to light as well. The watchtower was the first of these, but as a result of these ideas came a windmill, much like the one in Kakariko Village, a well, which was something that had not been needed in Skyloft, where the fresh lake had supplied all of the people's needs for water, a moat that surrounded the entire village, and an infirmary to treat the wounds and sicknesses of all who came to its doors. And it was inside those very doors that another new beginning was underway.

Despite the fact that the sun shined bright and warm in the mid-morning spring sky, the hero frowned anxiously as he briefly looked out the nearest window towards it before resuming the steady pacing he had been doing for the past hour or so. At least once a minute, Link would glance towards the nearby doors that Zelda was behind, waiting for one of the midwives to come out and deliver some sort of news, but for the past several hours there had been no report whatsoever, which only made him worry more.