Sorry about the double upload... Even if I use copy/paste, sometimes all this code comes and messes up my chapter!

Anyways - here we are! I know it might feel like an abrupt ending but I didn't want to drag too many of my own concepts into this fic... and I felt it may have dragged on too far. Better to have it short and sweet. If you have any questions or want anything more, hit me up on my tumblr (link in my bio) and you can also read what I've got there already as well. I'm also going to start the process of posting my one-shots here, at least the SFW ones!

I want to say thank you for all the reviews as well. I read every single one as I get the e-mail notifications, and it means a lot. I've answered a few questions at the bottom of the fic, so please read those in case I didn't get to your question before.

Lots of love, guys.

Ganon was roaring. Link was floating midair - Horse was below him, flaming after being hit by violet white fire, neighing in agony as he burned alive. Zelda was shining within Ganon, but her light was fading, and Link yelled her name but no sound came out as he watched the beast crunch down on her. As she disappeared, so too did Hyrule, until the world had been swallowed up in a blanket of darkness and Link was left falling into it, floating, floating, helplessly, in an abyss. A target lit on his chest, and far too quickly, a Guardian struck, drilling a hole into him, though Link felt no pain. The Master Sword left him, floating up into the air as Link lost his grip on the parasail, and free-fell downwards. No- no - no -

"No, no, no, Zelda - no -"

Reality hit Link like a ton of bricks. Zelda had her hands gripped tight on his shoulders, having shaken him awake; her face was etched with tears and fear, but she quickly sighed in relief and pulled him close, holding the back of his head and not letting go. Link didn't realise until he pressed his cheek against her neck that he had been crying, and even as she held him, tears continued to escape through his eyelashes and paint trails down his chest and onto her shoulders.

"I'm here, Link. It's okay. Everything is okay."

Her voice was just a whisper in his ear, and she began to stroke the back of his head slowly, fingers drifting through his hair. Link let out a long breath as he relaxed, his heartbeat finally slowing. A breeze washed in from outside, warm even as autumn tightened its hold on Hyrule and the leaves begun to change colour. He tentatively pulled his arms around Zelda and gave her a grateful squeeze before pulling away, wiping at his cheeks with the back of his hand.

"Thanks. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," she replied, shaking her head a little and then stifling a yawn. Link let out a weak laugh.

"I hope I didn't wake you up."

"It's morning anyways," she shrugged, and Link followed her gaze to the window where the sun had begun to rise, casting shadows through tree branches that danced against the tweed curtains. He still felt bad. It was too early to be awake after what they had gone through the day before.

"Where are we?" he asked suddenly, realising he didn't recognize the wooden house they were in.

"An abandoned house in Hateno," she said, almost apologetically. "It was so late by the time we got back last night, I didn't have it in me to wake the innkeepers, but your horse brought us here."

"How are you feeling, by the way? I made you a compress," Zelda added, and Link was surprised to see embarrassment flush on her cheeks. He looked down at his chest, surprised to find himself stripped down to his underwear, with cold leaves and hyrule herb pressed against his wound. Gingerly, he peeled it away, only to find a faded scar beneath it.

"Wow, that really worked," he said in surprise, removing the rest of the herbs and leaves.

"I'm glad," Zelda said with a smile. Their eyes met, blue on green, and the realisation of how close they were lit a fire in Link's chest. They leaned forward at the same time, slowly and then all at once, lips pressing together in a moment of desperate, long-awaited passion. Link felt all of his worries sink away at once, lifted his hand through Zelda's blonde hair, cupped her cheek and pulled her closer. Their kisses were short, sweet - he could taste her breath between each one, and finally he pulled apart from her, pressing his face into her neck.

"I love you," he mumbled, and felt her hug him tighter in response.

"I love you, too."

They were woken quite abruptly by the sound of men trying to demolish the house. A group of contractors, Bolson, Karson, and Hudson, were in charge of taking down the building since no one had forked up the rupees for it. When Link told them he would buy it, the price was steep, but he was willing to fork it over if it meant a safe place to stay. After all, the castle wasn't fit for living in, not yet. They were happy to have a new project, and after spending a couple nights at the Hateno Inn, the house was ready, complete with furniture and a garden out front. It was all they needed, at least for now.

Days passed, slumbering, sleepy, messy, lazy. Both of them had to readjust completely. There had never been any time to process Ganon's return, and now his defeat, and Link found himself staring out the window with his mind empty more than a few times. Living this sort of life - a normal life - felt bizarre. He had a bed every night. He wasn't climbing mountains and fighting monsters constantly, could eat normal food, and… he had company, after so much time alone.

At first they did nothing but talk. They would stay up until nearly sunrise, catching up, telling stories, laughing, crying, making love, until they fell asleep in each other's arms and slept until noon the next day. Rinse, repeat.

They both knew they had to get to work on fixing Hyrule. They could see it in each other's eyes, hear it in the voices of the locals, even as they said "get some rest, it's fine!" Because it wasn't. Not yet. There was still much to do. Thankfully, Bolson and his crew had a job for them - help Hudson, another one of the builders, create a new town of his own, dubbed Tarrey Town, in Akkala province. He needed help putting it together, and Link and Zelda were more than willing to help. It also gave them good reason to adventure together, and in the process they met with the chiefs of each other land, reaffirming their promises and expectations for what was to come.

With the help of the three construction workers, they began to recruit more and more people to help build Castle Town and Hyrule Castle, as well. No one knew better than Link and Zelda that it would take time, and neither of them was willing to step up and lead Hyrule at the moment, though in general the people had already accepted Zelda as the commander-in-charge.

They spent most of their time split between Hyrule Castle and Hateno. It took years before Castle Town and Hyrule Castle looked legitimate, and even longer before they had found enough people to repopulate it. The end result was better than they could have expected - the city was filled with Goron, Rito, Zora, Gerudo, and Hylians. It quickly became the biggest and most diverse city in the land, and it was among a crowd of friends, old and new, that Zelda and Link held their wedding - and coronation.

Kapson, a Zora particularly passionate about weddings, took care of the official proceedings. The Zora was nearly jumping out of his scales at the idea of officiating the wedding for the new King and Queen, but the entire ordeal was not as fancy, or regal, as it may have been in the past. The couple spent their honeymoon in Lurelin Village, a quick but romantic five days on the beach before returning to work. There was much to be done, and it didn't go without noticing that as they worked, blue and white flowers had begun to spring up all over Hyrule field. During the day, they sparkled among the golden fields, and at night they glowed, lighting the countryside in a soft blue light. Now and again, Zelda still found time to go out into the field for the purpose of studying different plants and creepy crawlies. Link found himself roped into heading the new knight training program.

Their new life didn't come without challenges, but among all the troubles they faced, they always found solace in each other. Link and Zelda, King and Queen, were still each other's best friends, through the rebuilding of Castle Town, raising their little girl - named Zelda, of course - and growing old together. Somehow, they knew - and the people of Hyrule knew - that they would always be together, and always be there to protect them, as they had in the past.

All was well.

Z: I completed all the shrines in game and it was fun! I think Link finish the shrines after he's got Zelda, due to the urgency of the situation, haha. But she would absolutely bug him about it until they were all done. And of course, the Forgotten Temple wouldn't be so terrifying once all the Guardians are inactive... so yes, he would get the legendary reward, but he would never wear it. Those shorts are just so bad. Even Zelda knows it. The Yiga Clan continues - Ganon is always there anyways, right? They're much less of a problem than they previously were though, and many of their people defect to become good denizens in Castle Town. Link becomes King, as per what I've written here, and spends most of his time training knights and teaching cooking classes on the side. ;)

Guest: I have been filming a Let's Play of Skyward Sword that you can find on my channel Juls Plays. It's inspiring me once again - such a good game! - so I feel like yes, I will probably finish that fic. It's just been so long that it's hard to jump right back into it.

Guest Re: Divine Beast Order: No, I did the divine beasts and memories in a different order. I went Zora - Gerudo - Rito - Goron in my game, but I feel like I wrote this the way it's 'meant' to be played - (Zora, Goron, Rito, Gerudo). Vah Naboris also felt like the most difficult dungeon, not to mention the most difficult dungeon boss! I found my memories as I played, so it's definitely a different order than what Link finds in this fic, though I can't remember exactly how they differ.

Ur Fan: There's enough 'mature themes' in this that I wanted to play it safe and rate it M. Link also dies and I like writing about blood n stuff. If you'd like to read the nsfw they're on my tumblr and will also be up on ao3 in time too.