The war across the ages was over. Hyrule was at peace once again.

At the castle, the effort was directed towards cleaning up the ruins of the final battle with Ganondorf. After all, the demon king had temporarily transformed it into a nightmarish realm, summoned monstrous dragons, and changed himself into a massive boar monster, raining lightning down on the battlefield. As a result, chunks of brick were gone from nearly every single wall, holes were punched through around the castle, dark burns lined many surfaces, and even corpses of various monsters still remained around the castle. It would take a great deal of effort before Hyrule Castle could look like its old self once again.

Link, ever the selfless, had offered his own hands to aid in the recovery effort. The Master Sword had been returned to its resting place, but Link was still more than just another soldier in the army. Zelda had seen to it that he be promoted to second-in-command, directly under General Impa, a title he'd humbly accepted. Even so, he was willing to help drag broken stone and slain monsters across the grass alongside the others, instead of milking his title to get out of responsibilities. It was something that other soldiers respected in the man, seeing him as more than some mythical hero who just did his job and left. Not to be outdone, Impa was helping as well.

At the moment, Link and the general were currently moving a deceased moblin off to the already large pile of monster bodies, where they would be collectively burned in a safe place to avoid starting a continuous blaze. Impa held the legs, while Link dragged the bloated beast by the arms, and with a mighty heave, the two tossed the moblin into the pile.

"Okay, everybody take a break!" yelled Impa, much to the relief of all.

Link relaxed at Impa's order, moving to a clear spot on the grass to sit down. He popped open a small bottle and drank the water inside, refreshing his dry mouth. His work was a pleasant change of pace, not to be rushing off to the next battle at top speed, and instead engaging in comparatively easy manual labor. Link was happy to be free of the high speed intensity of war, however temporarily, and free from the never-ending shocks. The last thing that'd caught him off guard was that Linkle girl who'd shown up while he and Zelda were gone, claiming to be the legendary hero. Boy, that was awkward.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," said Impa, as she sat down beside him, "You know it won't be this easy for long, right?"

"Of course," Link replied, "But compared to fighting a war against the demon king, how hard can helping run an army be?"

"You'd be surprised," answered Impa. She looked thoughtfully off into the distance.

"That reminds me," Link suddenly brought up, "Have you seen where Lana went? I was hoping to talk to her before she departed for the Valley."

"I think she was still gathering up her things up in the armory," replied Impa, pointing over to it, "Are you sure you want to, though? You know she-"

"Yes, yes, I'm well aware," replied Link, nervously. He'd spent quite a long time plucking up the courage to do this, he couldn't let himself back out now. He got to his feet, dusting off his tunic. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

As Impa described, Link found the white sorceress sitting quietly in the castle armory, finishing up the last of her packing before she returned to the Valley of Seers. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to call upon all of his courage before he went in and did what he was about to do. All things considered, if he were offered a choice between this and another round with Ganon, he wasn't sure which one he'd prefer. It was a pain that he couldn't just run up and stab the problem to death like any other monster, that was what he was best at.

"Hey, Lana," he finally said.

The sorceress turned on her heel, finding the hero looking at her. Link couldn't help but notice how she flinched ever so slightly at the sight of him, and guilt hit him again in the depths of his heart. He steeled himself internally.

"O-oh, hey, Link," Lana stuttered, turning a little red, "D-did you need something before I left?"

"Lana," Link answered, serious, "Look, I know you've been avoiding me as much as you can, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why. You're the other half of Cia, after all, and part of the reason she went bad was that she had such intense feelings for me, and they weren't returned..." He awkwardly rubbed his boot against the floor. Lana looked down, clutching her tome with hands that were clearly sweating. Evidently, she wasn't enjoying this anymore than he.

"Look, the point is, are you gonna be okay?" Link asked, "I just don't want you to have to-"

"I'm sorry, Link," said Lana, sitting down, and finally looking him in the eye, "I know this must be a difficult process for you. First Cia starts this stupid war over you, then you meet me, and then that leads to Ganondorf's return..."

"Hey, it's not like any of that was your fault," Link insisted, "You had nothing to do with it. Besides, you helped us stop it."

"Thanks," Lana said, with a small smile, "And I appreciate you finding me like this. And yeah, I admit it, I have the same feelings Cia had about you." She somberly glanced at the floor again. "I...can't say it's pleasant. It was a honor to be your friend, and fight beside you, but I still have those longings."

Link wasn't sure what to say. Any comforts he came up with in his head sounded hollow to him. He opened and closed his mouth several times, no proper words coming. Fortunately for him, Lana didn't notice.

"I know, there probably isn't much of a chance, but I can't help myself. Are you absolutely sure...there's nothing between us?" Lana looked Link in the eye, the faintest traces of hope glimmering in there.

Link sighed to himself. He'd been afraid of this, and he hated what he was about to do, but it would be crueler to lie.

"Lana, I...I like you, but I just...don't feel that way," he finally said, shaking his head, "I'm sorry."

Lana's expression didn't change much, reverting to the same sad smile she wore. She got up from her seat, packing her magical tome away in her bag.

"I know," she replied, and Link was happy to note the absence of bitterness in her voice, "I know you love her." There was no need to elaborate on who she meant. "Don't worry about me, I'll move on. I promise."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Link asked again, worried, "I know you'll be all by yourself in the Valley of Seers again, and I know that depresses you, and-"

Lana cut him off, putting her arms over his body and resting her head on his shoulder. Link blinked a couple of times, before returning the hug.

"I'll be fine," she promised again, "At least this time, I actually have friends I can call on when I need them."

"I'm glad you realize that," Link answered, feeling more at peace.

"Take care of yourself," Lana replied, and with that, she turned on her heel, walking out the door.

After finishing the cleaning of the battlefield for the day, the Hylian army retreated to the barracks. Except for Link, who found himself sitting the the great hall of Hyrule Castle, alongside Hyrule's queen. Zelda had invited him to dine with her that night, along with Impa, and though the Sheikah refused, the two of them were getting along just fine. Link found himself remarkably comfortable with Zelda, which was especially surprising as they hadn't known each other that long. They talked as they ate, with topics ranging from the Triforce, to how the country would be restored from the war, with Link taking an interest in Zelda's plans for cleaning up other areas of Hyrule that'd suffered from Cia's invasion.

"Recovery will take time," she noted, "But it's not inconceivable. Hyrule will be restored to its former glory."

"I'm glad," Link replied, "I hope that you won't be afraid to ask for my services again should you need them. I may not be good for much besides swinging a sword, but hopefully, I can still serve you."

"You underestimate yourself, Link," said Zelda, "Impa told me what you did today. You're a good man."

Link shrugged, easily aware of what she referred to. "I wish I felt that good about it," he muttered, "Then again, what kind of a person would I be if breaking Lana's heart brought me pleasure?"

"You didn't break her heart," Zelda assured him, "You just gave her closure. Told her what she needed to hear. Lying just to make her feel better in the moment would've only done more damage in the long run. It takes a special courage to reject someone when you care about them anyway. And now she'll be able to move on with her life, and recover from that endless yearning for you."

Link gave her a sad smile in response. "I hope you're right," he admitted, "I didn't feel that way about her, but I still consider Lana a friend. She deserves better than the life she got."

"True," replied Zelda, "But still, you did the right thing. And that's something I admire in you."

She leaned closer to him, and Link suddenly became aware of just how close they were sitting next to each other. Zelda pressed her lips to his cheek, and Link felt his face flush red. He felt a surge of gratitude that Proxi wasn't here, or else the fairy would be mercilessly teasing him over how much he was blushing. Zelda, all too soon, backed away from him, and finally discovered the state he was in. She couldn't help but giggle a little, which only made Link turn even redder.

"I'm sorry," she finally said, "But I...you know I care about you, right?"

"I...I..." Link stuttered, unable to find the words. Part of him was screaming at him to take an action he knew he shouldn't, but it was so tempting. Zelda was beginning to turn red a little, too, though in her case, it was probably from sheer embarrassment.

"That was way too forward of me, wasn't it?" she asked, "Oh, Goddess, Link, I'm so sorry. I should've thought that through more, I should've-"

She was cut off, as Link's will finally faltered. He suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling Zelda towards him and kissing her full on the mouth. Zelda flushed with surprise for a couple of seconds, before relaxing and letting herself fall into the kiss. Link's hands gently stroked her golden hair, as Zelda's ran across the length of his back. It was the most passionate moment either of them had experienced thus far in their lives.

When they finally had to release each other, gasping for air, Link immediately began mentally berating himself. What had he been thinking? He felt certain that Zelda was going to let loose on him for doing that, until he realized she was looking at him with the most serene smile on her face.

"That was...overdue," she breathed, as though exhausted.

Link found himself blushing again, but this time, the feeling was warm and comforting, instead of awkward and confusing. "Yeah," he finally answered.

Finding themselves at an agreement, the two leaned forward into another kiss, this time with no hesitation. As they parted, Zelda moved to rest her head on his shoulder, Link holding her close.

"It won't be easy," he stated, a bit somber, "I mean, even if I am the second-in-command of the army, I'm still a commoner. There's no real law against it, but they won't like you in a relationship with me-"

He was cut off by Zelda pressing her lips to his again. "Stop ruining the moment," she chuckled once she released him, "Just enjoy it."

"But these are serious concerns!" Link protested, "And I think we need to work out a plan-Stop stopping me from talking by kissing me, I should be above that."

"No, you're not."

"Okay, maybe not."

"It doesn't matter," Zelda proclaimed, "Because I love you, and you love me. And anyone who argues with that has no leg to stand on."

Link smiled. Zelda's optimism was infectious at this point. No matter the obstacles, they'd work through them. Because that was what they'd do for love.