My Silent Knight

Hyrule Castle

Link's POV

The journey to Castle Town was tiring. Neither of us spoke much and Zelda was completely on edge the whole time. She consistently checked her surroundings and made sure my horse was always right beside hers. She never told me about what scared her that night in the tent. I figured it was a nightmare, but the sound of her prayers still ring in my head, making me know it was more than a bad dream. She refused to tell me though, saying it was better if she forgot it. I respected her privacy and haven't asked about it since, but I can tell it still weighs her down. I was ready to be at Castle Town and see the progress of the castle itself.

The town was rebuilt almost completely when we left it last, with few buildings and other various areas to be finished and all sorts of folk started claiming their homes in the beautiful town that surrounded the castle. Though the reasoning of our return wasn't under the best circumstances, I was excited to see it and I could tell she was too.

As we began to close in on the newly built Castle Town, I saw her eyes go from sorrow to delight within a few short seconds. Her smile widened as she eyed the giant stone wall with the large metal gates, and newly appointed guards watching over the entrances. We heard the various sounds of the busy villagers and construction happening all around to finish the beautiful town. She looked at me and gave me a huge smile of excitement as we neared the gate. At first, the guards readied themselves for our presence until they instantly recognized who we were. They swiftly opened the large metal gate, allowing us entry. It was even more amazing than I imagined.

Stone and wood building lined the new stone roads, flowers planted on ever corner along with metal lamp posts with small candles inside to light our way, flags waved all over showing the symbol of Hyrule, the villagers were proud once again of their kingdom, of their princess. The horses trotted further inside revealing more and more of the beautiful scenery around us. Zelda jumped off her horse so she could walk through the streets herself. I slid off of Epona and held the reins of both horses, following behind her.

She was so beautiful. She twirled and soaked in the atmosphere around her, the sun glowing off her golden hair and creating sparkles in her emerald eyes. I wasn't the only one who noticed her beauty, various villagers near noticed her presence and soon joined in on her excitement. They saw her prancing around and began whispering to each other and pointing, smiles grew when they discovered their princess has returned once again. They kept their distance from her, some being intimidated by my presence and the Master Sword on my back, but they would wave with joy. After a few more moments, she turned back to face me, her smile was glowing. We both paused as we stared into each others eyes, everything felt as if it froze around us. Her smile grew even larger as she looked at me and within another moment, she ran to me, throwing herself into my arms. She knew eyes were on us, but I could tell she had not a care in the world. And neither did I, let them stare. I hugged her back as she tightened her arms around my back.

"Oh Link, it's so beautiful I truly cannot believe it! After so many years of destruction and ruin, Hyrule still stands and is becoming more beautiful than ever." She announced to me with excitement as she continued holding on. She pressed her lips against my cheek before quickly leaning back to face me, extending her arms so she wouldn't loose her grip on me.

"We must make haste to the castle, Link! Oh I was already so overjoyed with Castle Town, I forgot about the castle itself!" She unwrapped her arms and swiftly moved a her hand down my arm, taking my hand in hers.

Once we located the new stables to place the horses in, we continued our way through the new streets of the town. It truly was amazing. Though I don't remember much of how it use to look, I could tell from the pure glow radiating off of Zelda, that it was even better than before. We made our way up to the castle's gates and the guards allowed us entry, opening another set of iron gates, whose bars twisted to form Hyrule's symbol. Still holding my hand, we walked inside as a few other guards began to follow, but I looked back to them and nodded them off, she didn't need to be followed by anyone else. When we almost entered the castle's massive doors, she squeezed my hand tighter and took it in both of her hands.