A Princess's Problem.

A New Age.

Zelda looked up at the castle, to the place she once called home. It seemed so different. There was no noise. It was empty.

The once bustling streets of Castle Town were barren and destroyed. The castle halls were full of monsters and most has huge chunks missing from the walls.

The two stood outside the gates, side by side in silence. What was there to say? No one could have done anything more to stop the Calamity from returning. The Champions knew the risks when they agreed to defend Hyrule. Zelda had done all she could. Link had literally died saving her and Hyrule.

And then there was silence. For a hundred years, silence has seemed deadly to the citizens of Hyrule. It usually signaled an ambush of a Bokoblin tribe or worse. Now, for the first time in a hundred years, the silence seems calm and peaceful.

Zelda looked to her side, to Link after looking down at the ground. Slowly, she turned around, putting the Castle behind her. Link followed suit.

The two were being watched. Five spirits floated in mid air over the castle. Each of them watched as the two walked off. Each wanted to say their farewells to the princess but they thought it best not to speak. Zelda still felt guilty, so they stayed silent. Somethings are just left unsaid.

Mipha. Mipha wanted to tell Zelda that she didn't mind. There would be no hard feelings about their shared feelings for Link. Mipha just wanted the princess to be happy.

Revali. Revali wanted Zelda to know how much he respected her. True, he did not respect Link as much as he should have done, but he knew that if Zelda respected him, he would have grown to do so as well.

Daruk. Daruk wanted Zelda to stay strong. She had saved his people from themselves when the Dodongo had rampaged through Goron City. He wished she could have the same strength as she had back then.

Urbosa. Urbosa was somewhat disappointed. Though she was technically not Zelda's mother, she had practically taken up that position. She had wanted to see her little bird leave the nest and life a fulfilling life. She had hoped that 'leaving the nest' wasn't because the Calamity had forced her to do so, but that would do. She wanted Zelda to know that she was free. Free to live. Free to explore. Free to love.

King Roahm... He felt ashamed. Ashamed at the way he had treated his daughter. She had done everything he had asked. She had done more than he had asked. Why did he push her. Looking back, the King realised that Zelda had an unusual childhood. She was always studying, never playing. She was always training, never making friends. He felt ashamed. At least, she now had the chance to explore her life as more than a princess.

The four Champions disappeared in a puff of bluish smoke, leaving the world of the living for good. The King however, stayed a moment longer.

Zelda and Link heard a poof sound. The princess turned and saw the blue glow of her father's spirit for a fraction of a second in the corner of her eye. By the time she had fully turned around, it was gone.

She stared at the place she had seen the spirit and stood there for what seemed like hours before Link took her hand and led her to Epona.

***

The next few days were a haze. They didn't know where they were going. Link told Zelda of his adventures and of how Epona had come back to him.

They came to a nearby stable and Link made the staff fetch Zelda's horse. It's main was pearly white, just like Aspen. In fact, it was the ancestor of Zelda's old horse.

The staff at the stables were overjoyed upon seeing the princess, they couldn't believe their eyes! The Princess of Hyrule had returned!

That wasn't the only thing that the stable staff talked of. That night, while Zelda was sleeping, Link overheard some men outside talking about the princess. Something slipped through the conversation.

The Hero of Hyrule.

***

"We'll make our way home Zora's Domain." Link was snapped back to reality by Zelda.

They had been wandering around those last few days and found themselves in a field, overlooking the castle. Before they had left, Link had pulled Zelda's traveling gear out of the rubble, now she stood proud, Sheikah Slate in hand.

"Divine Beast Vah Ruta... Looks like it stopped working." She looked at the screen of the Sheikah Slate, concentrating on the map where the Divine Beast stood.

"Let's investigate the situation." Link heard that glee in Zelda's voice that he always heard when she talked about a puzzle.

"Mipha's father..." She lowered the Sheikah Slate, guilt evident in her eyes, "I believe he would like to know more about her. The least we can do is visit him and offer him some closure."

She looked off into the distance. The castle looked so beautiful though it stood in ruins.

"Although Ganon is gone for now, there is still so much more for us to do." Link looked out across the land, "And so many painful memories that we must bear."

She started to walk forward, "I believe in my heart, that if all of us work together...we can restore Hyrule to its former glory."

"Perhaps...even beyond." She walked forward, her back to Link.

"But it all must start with us." Her mind started to buzz with ideas, "Let's be off." She had a new spring in her step as she walked towards the horses.

She slowed and stopped, her back to Link, "I can no longer hear the voice inside the sword. I suppose it would make sense if my power had dwindled over the past 100 years..." A hint of sadness could he heard in her voice.

She turned around and stared into Link's blue eyes a soft smile on her face. Suddenly, her smile widened as her sadness disappeared.

"I'm surprised to admit it..." The glee in her voice evident, "But I can accept that."

Then something happened that Link thought he would never live to see happen. She had smiled before but never like this. This was a goofy smile, one only a child would make. Zelda had no more rules to hold her back now. She smiled a child's smile, finally  letting herself explore what would have been if she had not been born a princess.

Link came running up to her side, they started to laugh as they walked towards the horses together. Throughout their journey, Link had taken his place behind Zelda, always as her Knight and never allowed to be anything more. Now, he could travel besides her.