Chapter Text
Inside of the crystal, the goddess reborn as a mortal stood still in her protective shell, her eyes closed and yet watching a reality of their own. Colors spiraled together and folded into an envelope of pictures, giving each other stamps of fond memories for the young woman to watch in curious interest. She saw the colorful pictures turning and flipping underneath her eyelids, watching the smiles of the people she grew up with flashing at her. Feathers fluttering around and varying from the highs of pinks to the low colors of blue. Delicacies, flowers, more smiles, all the memories of her past and present welcomed her with a certain warmth that she craved throughout her journey.
To say that she missed her simple life would be an understatement, but Zelda knew that she couldn’t escape from destiny’s greedy hands. Those that she would call friends would never see her again, not if she were to sleep for the next thousand years. She might have broken their promises of another friendly ride in the skies or a spar with the younger knights, but little did they know that she made a promise to them and all of the goddesses’ creations: she will protect them until her strength was no more, until generations upon generations will be the ones to see her eyes open from her long slumber.
She inwardly laughed at the thought. Normally she was an early riser, always ready to greet the sun’s peaking face near the horizon. She was the one who woke others, but now another had taken that role, another who gave her a promise of his own. A familiar set of blue eyes danced through the pictures of memories and she felt a smile grace her lips. The young hero, the spirit that fought for her in her ancient past, and now the one who will call her sleepyhead. She remembered the determination in his voice from the two simple words of ‘I promise’ and how he kept his hands on the crystal in hopes of it shattering from his touch just so that he could comfort her with his embrace. She also remembered the tears that escaped from his eyes right before she closed her own…
Another face, another smile, another tear rolling down Link’s cheek. If memories of her lives will keep her company, then she will welcome the long sleep while she watched the slideshow of images. She would hope for the day where she’ll see his gentle smile, knowing that victory was in his hands thanks to the spirit she was already familiar with. A spirit that fought for her for two lives now… it was interesting to think of how carefully destiny played its cards out and shuffled its deck for the next life to come.
Another life with another promise, but would it be fulfilled?
Ah, she knew that it will be. Perhaps the pictures reassured her, or the hope reached the courageous spirit, but once she felt the crystal’s warmth cease and the air under her feet for a few moments before standing on the cold ground again, her eyes opened to see the familiar blue eyes shining at her. Eyes that followed the gentle smile she saw countless times in her slumber and eyes that said ‘I kept my promise.’
“Perhaps destiny had a way of keeping promises after all,” she thought to herself as she buried her head into Link’s chest, grasping the feeling of reality that was once on the other side of her closed eyes.