The Stages of Grief

Shock

Link recoiled away from the puddle at his feet. The puddle that he now knew was formed from the tears of a dragon. From the tears of Princess Zelda. Silent princesses suddenly sprouted from the ground, surrounding the immediate area. Link kneeled down, gently plucking one of the flowers from the ground. Its petals were soft under his calloused fingers.

Blue eyes darted around the newly formed field of flowers. His breathing felt heavy and ragged, like his lungs were collapsing and his throat was going to explode. Is this what it felt like to truly panic? Link had experienced fear many times during his time as Zelda's personal protector, but he had never felt something quite like this. It was like all courage left his body and his limbs went numb. Many emotions and thoughts were wracking his brain but none made sense. Link didn't understand what was happening to him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. He. Couldn't. Breathe.

Denial

During the calamity that wreaked havoc on Hyrule in the not-so-distant past, Zelda had been trapped in the castle. She stayed there for a hundred years, holding back the calamity and keeping her people safe until Link was able to return. Perhaps Zelda is trapped in Hyrule Castle once again, preventing Ganondorf from reaching his true potential, and all of the tears that Link has found are some sort of cruel trick. Link knows his princess. He knows how strong and capable Zelda is. There's no way that she's gone forever. Why would Zelda sacrifice herself just to restore the master sword? Zelda wouldn't sacrifice herself and leave him to pick up the pieces of his broken heart. Right?

Yet, Link knew what he saw. He knew the Zelda in those memories acted exactly like his Zelda. She was noble, selfless, and cared more about saving her people than herself. Link knew that the Zelda spotted around Hyrule was acting strangely and putting innocent people in danger. But maybe, just maybe, that is his Zelda and she's acting that way for a reason. After all, there's no way that Princess Zelda could actually be gone forever. Hylia intends for them to be together: princess and knight, protecting Hyrule until their last breath.

Bargaining

Just one more stable. Surely if Link could finish investigating the rumors about Princess Zelda at just one more stable, he would be able to find her. And if not at that stable, then the next one. Sleep evaded the Hylian as he traversed the kingdom. Whether it was 3 am or 9 pm, it didn't matter. Link wouldn't rest until he found out the truth about Zelda's disappearance. If he worked hard enough, Hylia would reward him. If he completed enough shrines, if he prayed hard enough, Zelda would come back to him. It didn't matter how bloody or bruised each trial would leave him. It didn't matter how many times he fell into traps set by the Yiga Clan and felt their eightfold blades slash against his skin. If Link just worked hard enough, if Link begged enough, the universe would give his love back to him.

Depression

Link retrieved the Master Sword. It was wrapped in the hair of a beautiful dragon. The very dragon that he had watched Zelda transform into when he found the last tear. His hard work, his begging, his pleading, his pain, none of it mattered. The tears weren't a cruel trick and Zelda won't be coming back to him. Link couldn't help but wonder if his life even mattered anymore.

He was her personal protector. The one who was supposed to keep her safe. But he was weak. He lost his arm, his sword was destroyed, and he couldn't protect her. Zelda gave up her humanity and sacrificed it all to restore Link's sword in hopes of Hyrule being saved from the Demon King. But how could Link prevent the downfall of an entire kingdom if he couldn't even protect his dearest loved one?

Did Link even want to save Hyrule? He wasn't sure anymore. His life felt like nothing but a series of traumatic events with sparse glimpses of happiness in between. The darkness was returning, pulling Link underwater and leaving him to drown. Why shouldn't the world drown with him? Eternal darkness didn't seem so bad after all.

Anger

Fuck being sad. Link was tired of feeling sad, tired of feeling like he was stuck in the dark. Link was pissed and he would be making it Ganondorf's problem. With his trusty sword sheathed on his back, Link slammed back a gloom resistance potion and made his way into the depths. Fighting through the hoard of monsters was no problem for Link. He is Hyrule's best soldier, after all. Ganon's puppets made no difference to him. Link would mow them all down to get his revenge.

Coming face-to-face with the Demon King only fueled Link's anger. Knowing his friends, the five sages, were only a room away dealing with the temple bosses had his blood rushing in his ears. He couldn't afford to lose. Link couldn't afford to let any more of his friends fall victim to Ganondorf. Despite the pure anger coursing through his veins, Link watched the Demon King's movements carefully. He memorized the way his foe moves, pinpointing his weak spots, finding opportunities to unleash fury attacks, to parry, to bring the Demon King to his knees.

None of Ganon's antics would be enough to stop Link. Even when clones of the Demon King circled the room, coming at Link and the sages who stood by his side from every direction, even when Link felt battered and bruised, the Hylian hero knew that vengeance would be his. Nothing would stop Link from bringing an end to the Demon King. And when Ganondorf swallowed the sacred stone, when his body transformed into a dragon and swooped Link into the skies above Hyrule, Link knew that the end was near.

Each time Zelda would catch Link as he plummeted toward the earth, the hatred in Link's heart seemed to dull, only to reignite each time his blade made contact with the flesh of the Demon Dragon. Attack, be caught by Zelda, jump off, repeat. The cycle was tiring. Link's muscles ached, his tunic stuck to his body from sweat, and each breath burned as if his lungs couldn't take in enough air. Yet, his determination was steadfast. This relentless cycle of attacking, of losing his friends, all of it ended now.

Link touched his forehead to Zelda's mane and jumped off her back one last time. Landing on the Demon Dragon's snout, the swordsman's jaw clenched. His grip around his sword tightened. All of his pain, his frustration, his anger, it had all been leading up to this moment. "I'll rip that stone out of your head and send you plummeting to your demise, Ganondorf!"

Acceptance

It's over. Everything is finally over. And Zelda, sweet princess Zelda, she's right in front of him. Not a dragon, but a living, breathing, Hylian. Tears pricked the back of Link's eyes as he reached forward with unsteady hands, gingerly cupping Zelda's cheeks. Anxiety swirled in the back of his mind, worried that his princess might disappear at any moment, or that she might fade away under his touch like an illusion.

"Link... How are you...? But I was... This isn't a dream is it?" Zelda leaned into Link's touch, his thumbs rubbing her skin in an attempt to reassure himself that this is real and to bring comfort to the princess after everything she has gone through during this whole ordeal. "You did it, Link. You really did it. The Demon King is gone, you found the sword... Oh, Link. I'm home."

Zelda threw her arms around her knight's shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. Link could feel the stress leaving his body, his shoulders were relaxing for the first time in ages, and his heart felt light. A shaky laugh left his lips as he pressed his forehead to Zelda's, one hand leaving her cheek to hold the back of her head. "My princess, my Zelda, you're finally home." At long last, Link knew that he could heal, that Hyrule could heal. Together, he and Zelda would work to rebuild the kingdom, heal from their trauma, and live the lives they were meant to live, happy and well at each other's side.