Chapter Text
It was a cool morning high in the clouds above Hyrule. As Link used his paraglider to reach the Light Dragon, his mind was all over the place. Just the previous day, he had learned the awful, awful, truth: the Light Dragon was, in fact, Zelda herself, having swallowed her Secret Stone and undergone the forbidden act of Draconification to repair the Master Sword and bring it to him in the present day.
As he watched the memory, his mind was screaming at her to stop, to not go through with it. But his pleas were futile as he watched the woman he loved sacrifice her mind and humanity in order to stop the Demon King. After it ended, he found himself in a field of Silent Princesses. Then, off in the distance, he saw the Light Dragon curling in the sky, letting out a haunting cry. And with that, he fell to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. But he couldn’t give up: Zelda had essentially condemned herself to a fate worse than death to help him, and to falter now would be an insult to her.
After he landed on Zelda’s-no the Light Dragon’s-back, he began making his way towards her head. He had always found the majestic beast to be a very comforting presence. Now, he learned just why that was. She had been watching over him ever since he’d awoken on the Great Sky Island. And now, it was time to find the weapon she had dutifully protected for millenia.
Eventually, he reached the spot where the Master Sword was. It was stuck right in her forehead, her blonde mane tangling around its blade. But before he pulled it out, he got on his knees, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. “Zelda…my beloved…I don’t know if you can hear me…or even recognize me…but I am so, so, sorry. It was my weakness that led to you falling into the past. If I had just been faster, if I had just a little more reach, I could’ve saved you. And now, you’re stuck like this forever. I swear, I will make that bastard Ganondorf pay for all that he’s done to us.” he said in a heartbroken voice. In response, the Light Dragon let out a sound that Link believed was a roar of sorrow
Getting to his feet, he turned to the Master Sword and put his hands around the hilt. He then began to pull with all his might. As he was doing so however, the Light Dragon began roaring in pain and thrashing her head around. The sudden movement caused Link to lose his grip and nearly fall off the dragon’s head entirely.
After getting his bearings back, Link noticed something strange. Typically, the Light Dragon flew in a set path through the sky. This time, she was flying towards a nearby sky island. And after making it there, she actually landed. Was she…trying to help him pull the sword out? Shaking his head clear, Link tried again.
This time, while the dragon was clearly hissing in pain, she wasn’t moving much. Link’s heart ached over the fact that he was hurting his beloved Zelda. Eventually, the sword finally came loose and he hoisted it over his head.
Link looked at the sword with a bittersweet expression on his face. He’d finally reunited with Zelda…just not in the way he expected or wanted. And now, he had the responsibility of making sure her sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain. “Thank you, Zelda. You’ve always been a great help…even when it feels like I didn’t deserve it…” he said in a mournful voice.
Then, suddenly, the Master Sword shined before a familiar voice echoed in his mind. “Don’t sell yourself short, dear.”
Link’s eyes went wide as soon as he heard the voice, and he began looking around him. “Zelda!? Was that you!?”
“Wait…you can understand me!?” Zelda’s voice said, also shocked.
It was then that Link realized what had happened. Somehow, by pulling the Master Sword, he could actually hear Zelda’s thoughts, even as a dragon! He then looked down at the Light Dragon. “Is that you, Zelda!?” he desperately called out.
“Indeed it is, Link! I can hear you, loud and clear!” Zelda replied.
Link was overjoyed to finally see that Zelda wasn’t gone forever. But that joy was short-lived, as the implications became obvious. With a look of horror and sadness, he got off Zelda’s head and turned towards her. “Zelda, for the love of Hylia, do not tell me you were awake the entire time.” he said in a pleading voice.
Zelda then shook her head from side to side. “Thankfully, no. Initially, when I transformed, I assumed it was the same as dying. After all, Mineru said that one loses all memories and sense of self by doing so. But as soon as I opened my eyes, I found myself in this new form. I then began to panic, knowing that I’d have to wait an agonizingly long time to reach you. In fact, I feared that by the time we’d finally meet again, I’d have completely lost myself to the monotony and boredom.”
“Then how’d you stay sane!? 100 years as Calamity Ganon’s seal is one thing, but you were like this for millenia!” Link shouted in despair.
“Well, I had a little help in that regard. Do you remember the spirit said to live inside the Master Sword?” Zelda asked.
“Yeah? What about her?” Link asked in response, looking down at the sword in his hand.
“As I was panicking over having to wait that long to see you again, I heard a voice calling out to me, telling me to calm down. I had no idea where the voice was coming from until she clarified that she was the spirit in the sword. Her name is Fi, and she has served as an assistant to all heroes who have wielded the Blade of Evil's Bane. She kept me company in our long voyage together, and even taught me a special meditation technique that allowed me to unfocus my mind and let the years pass me by. One time, I had been in a trance for so long that 500 years had passed by the time I woke up!” Zelda said, happiness in her voice.
Link then began smiling at the Master Sword. “Thank you, Fi. You helped protect the woman I love, and I can’t thank you enough for that.” he said, tears beginning to come out once more.
The Master Sword then shined again before Zelda began talking. “And that’s not all, either. She allowed me to pick her brain about all the different heroes and princesses that came before us. It was quite an enriching experience!”
Link gave a chuckle in response to this. Even as a dragon, Zelda still retained her scholarly nature and love of learning. But he then became saddened and looked her in the eyes. “So…what do you do now?” he asked. “From what I know, this is irreversible. And I don’t want you to suffer this loneliness even more…”
Zelda then narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t say that. Fi told me something about all those that came before us: even when seemingly impossible obstacles stood in his way, the hero would always save the princess. And I have nothing but faith in you. If anybody can find a way to undo draconification, it would be you, dear.”
Link was stunned by this. But he then felt a fire in his chest. He nodded in affirmation. “Yeah. I don’t care how much pain it brings me. I will get you back to normal, Zelda.” he said before he walked up to Zelda’s head and hugged her.
Zelda closed her eyes in contentment. Link was never a man to break a promise, and she knew that he could do anything he set his mind too. And this would be no different.