As I appear at the gates of Gerudo Town, Zel’s voice fills my ears.

“Linka… Linka…Linka… Thanks to you, all of the Divine Beasts have returned to us and the spirits of the Champions are free. We will all be awaiting your clash with Ganon at Hyrule Castle.”

I swallow. It’s almost time…

I head to speak with Lady Riju before I leave. If she doesn’t know yet, then I can report that Naboris is back in our hands once again. As I approach, she leans forward in her great seat.

“Oh, you’re back?! I’m glad you’re okay… truly, I am…Naboris is no longer a threat to the town… I’m still worried about the larger threat to Hyrule, but at least my people won’t be threatened by Naboris anymore. I want to offer you these as thanks for your help. I trust you’ll accept them. These pieces of equipment are priceless treasures of the Gerudo people. They were once wielded by Lady Urbosa. Since you and Lady Urbosa were friends, it’s only right that you should bear them.”

I smile, and curtsey, thanking the young chief. Within the chests, I find the Scimitar of the Seven, the blade Urbosa wielded at all times. It’s as beautiful and elegant as she was. And, in the other, her shield, Daybreaker, an ornate round disk of immaculate craftsmanship.

I bear the equipment of my friends, my fellow Champions, now.

 Revali’s Gale and his Great Eagle bow.

 Daruk’s Protection and his Boulder Breaker.

Mipha’s Grace and her Lightscale Trident.

 Urbosa’s Fury and the Scimitar of the Seven and the Daybreaker.

 

With my friends alongside me, I’ll travel to Hyrule Castle, enter the premises, and I will destroy the Calamity Ganon. The longer we wait, the less likely we’ll be able to triumph.

 

 

 

 

My path takes me to Hyrule Field. The ruins of Castle Town lie before me, and I take a deep breath. I’m stronger than I was a century ago. My memories are back, and I remember my father’s name, too. Sir Ewan, Knight-Defender of Hyrule And Her People. A senior knight with years of loyal service to Hyrule and the royal family.

I murmur, bowing my head. “Father… I’m here. I wish you could see me now… would you be proud of me? I know I’m not the son you ever expected to have, but… I’m still your child. Would you accept me as your daughter? I wish I’d been able to tell you… I know I should have, but… I was always scared that you’d be… disappointed in me…”

Someone stops in front of me. When I look up, I see a man. He’s dressed in plate armour, his helmet under one arm, a sword at his side. He smiles, and salutes me.

“Hey, kiddo. I don’t have long, since I shouldn’t even be here. But, someone up there-” he gestures towards the sky “-gave me a moment with you. I’ve seen everything, and I couldn’t be more proud of you. And… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so pushy about you becoming a knight. Can you forgive… your old man?”

I stare. “D-dad…?”

He chuckles. “What, are you THAT surprised to see me? Well, I can’t blame you. But listen, I need to tell you. I can’t begin to say how sorry I am that I never got to see you as the beautiful, amazing daughter I have. Gotta go, sweetie. But you do one thing for your dad, okay? You go, you win the fight against that monster, and you live your life, your way. Okay?”

I try to fling my arms around him, but I can’t touch him. He is a ghost, after all. It doesn’t stop me from trying, though, and he chuckles again.

“You take care of yourself, and never forget that your old man‘s always watching over his little girl. You look beautiful, by the way.  Just like your mother, you know that? Good luck out there, my daughter…”

 

I sniffle, saluting, as my father’s spirit fades from sight. “Thank you, dad…”

I wipe my face, exhaling. “Okay, I’m ready… you showed your fangs one hundred years ago, Ganon. Now let me show you MINE…”

I begin sprinting over the field, towards the boundaries of Castle Town, shield up and the Master Sword in my hand, my shoulder-length hair streaming out behind me, much like the long back of my skirt, the blue and white fabric shimmering in the sun.

Two Guardians skitter over the ruptured stonework towards me, and I destroy them mercilessly, my blade flashing as I pirouette over a slamming, pistoning leg. More Guardians swarm as I fight my way through Castle Town, adapting moves from Revali, Mipha, Urbosa and Daruk into my own attacks, every step I take bringing me closer to my fated rematch with the Calamity Ganon. Guardian lasers rain down on me, and I’m forced to block, Daruk’s Protection shielding me and sending the beams straight back to their origin, two of the Guardians exploding into fragments as they destroy themselves.

The moment I reach the Gatehouse, I realise that I’m really going to have to step it up a notch, as a massive silver Lynel charges. I bring my sword to bear, and, a quick, brutal fight later, I stand victorious over the beastman, adjusting my skirt and catching my breath.

“About halfway there… I’m counting on you all…” I murmur, running my hand through my hair. More Guardians try and bring me down, and my sword leaves them in pieces. The last few hundred feet are nothing but a brutal, destructive slog, up towards the Sanctuary, Guardian after Guardian falling before me. Finally, I stand at the pinnacle of the castle, drawing in a deep breath. The time has come to finish this… I stride forwards into the centre of the room.

As I enter the Sanctuary, I look up. Something that looks almost like a heart is shifting and pulsing, attached to the ceiling of the chamber. Deep crimson light roils within. With the final step, I stand before the strange thing, looking up. Golden light shines from within, weaker than the red. Zel’s voice calls out to me.

“Linka…Linka… Linka… I’m sorry… but my power isn’t strong enough… I can’t hold him…”

The golden light dims, almost vanishing, as a beam of brilliant blue lashes out, carving wildly through the walls and floor of the Sanctuary. Then, the heart-like object ruptures, thick, noxious sludge pouring down. I hop back, not wanting my clothes to get ruined by that slime.

The floor cracks, as something misshapen and warped, a twisted amalgamation of everything nightmarish, crashes to earth. Then, the floor gives way, the laser beams having cut deep enough to weaken the structure. I Paraglide down, deploying at the last second, arriving in some kind of subterranean chamber, glowing with amber and ruby light. A cloud of dust surrounds the impact point of the entity, and I get a good look at it as the dust settles. A foul and awful representation of a spider, a dozen legs, both Guardian and  monstrous, stamp and shift, as the creature’s front end swings around, an eerily human skull for a head, deep red hair, almost a mane, dripping wetly. It rears, and I realise that this… thing… is Ganon.

Glowing, Guardian weapons, the axe and harpoon that slew Daruk and Mipha, a giant pair of shears, claws, and blades, erupt into blazing blue life, as I ready myself.

“For Mipha!” I hold a hand to the Sheikah Slate, Mipha’s Lightscale Trident appearing in my hand, as I take a stance, eyes focussed on my nemesis.

 

 

Across the world, Vah Medoh stands, Champion Revali at its shoulder.

“Now, my moment has finally come. Brace yourself, Ganon, for the sting of my revenge!”

He sweeps a great wing forwards. Medoh’s tracking beam vanishes an instant before a dark ray of light splits the sky.

 

 

Just south of Zora’s Domain, Vah Ruta’s Champion, princess Mipha, clasps her hands.

“This will be our final opportunity. We will not fail!”

She forms a triangle with her fingers, and Ruta unleashes a blinding lance of pure energy.

 

Atop the peak of Death Mountain, Daruk pounds his fists together.

“Let’s go, little lady! Now! Open up wide, Ganon!”

The splayed-open head of Vah Rudania becomes a cauldron of boiling light that leaps forth in a beam of furious radiance, scorching across the sky.

 

 Atop Spectacle Rock, Urbosa stands proud, arms folded.

“A hundred years in the making… Hold on, princess. Our moment has arrived!”

She extends an arm and snaps her fingers. Vah Naboris shudders as luminosity coagulates at its head, before a stream of darklight tears the sky asunder.

 

As I raise the Lightscale Trident, I have to cover my eyes, and, from four directions at once, the beams cascade into Hyrule Castle, descending from on high like the wrath of Hylia Herself. Ganon looks up, before the wave of Sacred energy immolates him where he stands. The radiance comes apart in bolts, raining down and pummelling the warped, demonic form into the stone.

It doesn’t finish him off in one go, but, from how difficult the creature’s movements are, I can tell it’s taken serious punishment. I can do this, thanks to my friends!

Daruk’s Protection to block the first blow, then Urbosa’s Fury to counter. Revali’s Gale to gain altitude for a barrage of arrows. On the way down, I wield Daruk’s Boulder Breaker, calling out, “For Daruk!” as I slam the immense blade down on the top of Ganon’s head.

Darting away, I draw the Daybreaker shield and the Scimitar of the Seven. “For Urbosa!”

 I dance in to slash in rapid, flowing motions. As I keep pushing, Ganon flails, driving me back, as red energy courses over him. I fire my bow, once belonging to the Rito Champion. “For Revali!” and watch as the arrows simply… bounce off. I clench my fist, and then snap my fingers. Lightning courses through the monster, and the red energy dissipates, leaving him vulnerable once more, as I send a hail of arrows at him.

Finally, I draw the Master Sword. “For Zelda, for me, and for my father!” I plunge it into the skeletal face. Ganon writhes, lurching, as the repulsive slurry gushes from the wounds I’ve put in it. The monstrous abomination crawls towards me, as magenta light shines out in rays from within.

A cloud of foul darkness, suffused with motes of magenta, starts swirling from the spot the beast once was after it exploded, rising back up the way we came to get down here.

“Dammit, get back here!” I shout up. I can’t have come so close, only to be stuck in a pit! Golden light surrounds me as I cry out in desperate fury. The next thing I know, I’m standing on grass, in the centre of Hyrule Field. A huge, hooved beast, made from shadow and dark energy.

 

Zel’s voice, weary beyond belief, fills my mind once again.

“Ganon… Ganon… Ganon was born out of a dark past. He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again… he has given up on reincarnation and assumed his pure, enraged form… If set free upon our world, the destruction will be unlike anything ever seen before.”

The massive, boar-like monster roars, rearing up as if to trample me.

“I entrust you with the Bow of Light- a powerful weapon in the face of evil. Linka… you may not be at a point where you have recovered all of your power, or your memories… but courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten…”

In my hands, a bow that looks like a crescent moon of purest silver, laced about with gold and strung with platinum thread forms, and I reach out, an arrow with a crescent tip appears. I nock it and hold my aim, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

The dark beast roars, and a beam of radiant magenta energy courses from it, scarrign the land anew.

 “That energy covering Ganon’s body is called Malice. None of your attacks will get through as he now is…I will hold the Malice back as much as I can, but my power is waning! Attack any glowing points that you see! May you be victorious!”

I nod, holding my shot as I manoeuvre, watching for any chance I can take. “By your command, Zel…” I murmur.

As I run, I spot three glowing marks appear on Ganon’s left flank and side.  Zel’s voice breaks through again.

“I’m holding back the Malice! Hurry, please!”

I can hear the strain in her voice, her energy must be at rock bottom, and still she’s fighting with all she has. I’m so close… I CAN’T fail her now!

More glowing points appear on the opposite side of the rampaging beast.

“Ganon’s power is weakening!  We’re so close!”

More arrows, each one a bolt of golden light, fly from my bow as I weave through grass and bushes, staying close enough to make each shot. Finally, as I watch, Zel calls out.

“Look up there!”

 

I look, and, right in the centre of the porcine forehead… is a glowing golden mark. It splits open into a massive eye.

“That’s the very core of Ganon’s being! Do what you must!”

I sprint forward, straight at the beast, head-on, as wind swirls and billows around me. “Revali’s Gale!”

I launch myself into the air, and draw an arrow back, time seeming to slow around me.

“Now, Linka!”

I let fly, and the massive behemoth reels, bellowing, as a glowing, golden object rises from the point of impact. Zel, still in the clothes she wore that day, a hundred years ago.

She gently descends as the mammoth boar focuses in on her. As it collapses, making one, final attempt to close its jaws on her, to kill her for sure this time, the light emanating from my princess intensifies. She emits a bursting wave of energy, causing the dark beast to fall back and start reforming into a more gaseous state: that of the serpentine shadow-boar that had enshrouded the castle. It lunges, maw gaping, as Zel raises a hand. A miniature sun shone on the plains of Hyrule that day, as Zelda destroys the spectre with the purest sacred energy imaginable.

I stare, slowly approaching, as Zelda keeps her back to me.

“I’ve been keeping watch over you, all this time…I’ve witnessed your struggles to return to us as well as your trials in battle. I always thought-no, I always believed- that you would find a way to defeat Ganon. I never lost faith in you over these many years...”

She turns and I can see tears beginning to form in her emerald eyes.

“Thank you, Linka…the Heroine of Hyrule.”

She smiles shyly, hands clasped at her chest. “May I ask… do you really remember me?”

She gets her answer, as I rush forward, embracing her gently, and my lips find hers, warm, soft, and sweeter than Courser Bee honey. I break the kiss, too soon, to ask. “Does that answer your question… Zel?”

She bursts into tears, and I hold her, stroking her back, cradling her as she weeps. Finally, she sits back, and I brush her tears away.

“Hello, Zel. I’m… I’m home.”

She chokes back a giggle, and I smile. “So… what do we do now-?”

A groan comes from nearby, and I whirl, drawing the Master Sword. A young woman sits up, holding her head. “Nnngh… what happened? Where… am I?”

She’s tall, with red hair and dark skin, wearing form-fitting armour. I ask, warily, “Who… who are you?”

She blinks, lowering her head. “Oh, my name is Ganondora. Do you… “Wait! You’re the Hylian Champion, right?! I know that sword!”

I start back. “Uh…”

She scrambles onto her feet, and bows.

“Sav’aaq! I came from Gerudo Town to ask if the Hylian Champion would be willing to spar with me, but… this isn’t Castle Town! Why am I in a field, when I was in Castle Town just a minute ago?!”

I look at Zel, and she just stares back. I turn to the Gerudo woman.

“Uh, look, miss Ganondora? I don’t know what year you think it is, but… I think you’ve been missing for about a hundred. Hyrule no longer exists. Calamity Ganon destroyed everything, almost down to the last of the kingdom’s people.”

She stares, and then bursts out laughing. “Oh, this is a Hylian joke, right?”

I simply point at the nearby ruins, the desolate shell of Hyrule Castle, unmistakable despite the years. She turns, and lets out a strangled squeak. “What-how-who-when-”

I sheathe the Master Sword, and relax. “I have a question, miss. Would you, by any chance… be descended from the Gerudo king?”

Ganondora pauses in her sputtering. “Y-yes. How did you…?”

I bite my lip. “I think I have a theory about you, then.  I think, when you arrived in Castle Town, the Calamity Ganon sensed your bloodline connection to the King of Evil and used you as a host. You’ve been trapped inside it, just like the princess here.”

She sits down heavily. “You mean… that… that all the devastation you talked about… was MY fault?!”

I shake my head. “I don’t think you were to blame. No-one ever suspected or thought something like that was possible that I know of. Even without you, I feel like Calamity Ganon would’ve been free sooner rather than later…”

I sit down nearby, keeping Zel close. “So… why were you looking to spar with me?”

The Gerudo snaps out of her understandable funk. “Oh, I was hoping to match blades against you to see how good you were. No point now, I guess…”

I smile. “I don’t mind. After we eat and unwind a bit, I’ll spar with you. If you still want to, that is?”

Ganondora’s eyes sparkle as she bolts to her feet like an excited child. “Yes! Oh Hylia, yes! I’d love to!” I smile and help Zel up. “Let’s get you a bath, a meal, and then we can make a plan…”

Accompanied by Ganondora, Zel and I make our way to Kakariko Village, arriving just before dark. While Zel soaks, I cook, with the Gerudo helping. She asks, “There is something I have to ask, though. Were you… always a vai? I could have sworn the Hylian Champion was…”

I smile. “Thanks to Zel and my friends, I realised that I hadn’t been a man at all. Just… trapped pretending to be one. I’m much happier as the woman I was meant to be.” She goes silent for a minute, and then smiles. “Well, if you’re happy, then I see nothing wrong with it! Good for you!”

I can’t help but snrrk a little, finding the forthright Ganondora surprisingly easy to talk to. Having been so quiet, I can’t help but enjoy the freedom I have to express myself now. When dinner is ready, I speak to Impa about doing something. with her permission, I set up a monument in the Kakariko Village graveyard, and, carefully using the tip of the Master Sword, carve out the Hylian letters E, W, A, and N.

 

 The next morning, Ganondora and I head out early, to find a good spot. “I won’t go all out unless I’m sure you can handle it. I don’t want to hurt you, but, if you can show me that you’re as tough as you look, then I’ll fight you without restraint.”

“Alright, Hylian vai! I’ll be sure to make you go all out against me!” the Gerudo draws a scimitar and a teardrop-shaped shield, clearly Gerudo-made, and settles into a well-practiced and expert stance. I draw the Master Sword.  “Hyahp!”

 

The sound of steel clashing on steel brings a small crowd shortly, as a couple of the Kakariko Village guards, and then a few spectators show up, cheering on one or even both of us.  Zelda, to my surprise, is among them, calling my name. I swing and thrust, Ganondora’s blows fast and precise. She really is a natural with the blade, and I’ll definitely have to step it up…

By lunchtime, Ganondora and I have finally battled to a draw. I sigh, drinking from a bucket of water, handing it to her as she slakes the thirst she’s worked up.  I smile at her. “Hey… I was given these by the current chief of the Gerudo, but… I think you should have them.”

I hand her a circular shield, and a scimitar. “These… belonged to Urbosa, a woman I’m proud to call my big sister. Her Daybreaker shield, and her Scimitar of the Seven. Bear them with pride, and never be afraid to tread the path you believe in.”

I turn to head back and start preparing lunch, with Ganondora tailing me, staring in awe at the weapons I’ve gifted to her. She’s better than I am with that style of blade, it’d be a shame for me to let it gather dust. And, I think my big sister would approve…

 

THREE WEEKS LATER.

 

“We’ll make our way to Zora’s Domain. It looks like Divine Beast Vah Ruta suddenly… stopped working. Let’s investigate the situation.” Zel holds the Sheikah Slate, fiddling with it. Her royal blue tunic and dark leather pants make her look a lot more relaxed than her formal white gown. Ganondora stands beside us, her Daybreaker and Scimitar of the Seven on her back.

Zelda looks up slowly from the Sheikah Slate. I’d returned it to her. She’s always been better with the thing than I have.  “Mipha’s father… I believe he would like to hear more about her. The least we can do is visit him and offer him some closure.”

I take her hand and interlace my fingers with hers. She rests her head on my shoulder.

“Although Ganon is gone for now, there is still so much more for us to do…  and so many painful memories that we must bear. I believe in my heart, that, if all of us work together, we can restore Hyrule to its former glory. Perhaps… even beyond. But it all must start with us.”

I smile and lean in for a quick kiss, pressing my lips against Zel’s. I murmur, “Let’s be off…”  

As she moves forward, she stops. “I… can no longer hear the voice inside the sword… I suppose it would make sense if my power had dwindled over the past one hundred years. I’m surprised to admit it…”

She turns, and the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen crosses her face.

“But I can accept that.”

I step towards her, taking her hand as we join Ganondora on the ridge overlooking Hyrule Field. A strong summer breeze sets our hair streaming back, and I muse, “You know, I don’t remember where I heard this, but I've heard people call a breeze like this… the Breath of the Wild…”