Destiny of the Kingdom

Chapter 4: Personal Choices

Several days had passed since the extraordinary events that took place reshaping Hyrule. The debris from the sky islands cleared, the chasms into the Depths closed, ruins from the Calamity vanished, and most profoundly, Hyrule Castle, at the center of the old kingdom, disappeared. The failures of the old kingdom and its destruction, literally, vanished from existence. Zelda had truly given Hyrule what it needed: a reset, to build anew from a blank slate. But where does Hyrule go from here? It was a question on the minds of all those who witnessed what became known as The Reset.

Zelda, no longer the princess of Hyrule, isolated in solitude in a private room in the Sheikah structure at Lookout Landing, now known as the Lookout Landing Tech Lab. She had not eaten or drank during this time; she only laid on the bed of the small room with a blank stare at the wall. She had refused any company, including Link, who had attempted to enter and comfort her numerous times.

Everyone at the Landing was concerned about her, but mostly for her emotional and mental state. So much had transpired in the days prior. Link, Purah, and Robbie all agreed she was both, emotionally and mentally, processing the events, both in her heart and mind.

"By tomorrow, if she does not consume food and drink, we will need to intervene, for her own well being," Purah said, as Link and Robbie stood nearby inside the lab. Both men nodded their heads in agreement.

Over the past several days, while those who cared for Zelda most waited for her to process the events, Purah decided to more formalize the status of the Landing, especially since Hyrule Castle was no more. Lookout Landing was now considered the main operational center of Hyrule. The main Sheikah structure received its now prominent name of Tech Lab, the research area down below received the name Ancient Research Lab, focused on research of ancient devices and artifacts, and the Emergency Shelter received a rename to Hyrule Central Command, focusing as a central command center for all Hyrule. All other structures and areas of the Landing remained named the same.

While everyone was deeply concerned for Zelda's health, no one was more concerned than Link. Having been by her side for so long, he naturally wanted to do everything in his power to help her, any way he could. Normally, through his natural talent at pretty much everything, he would devise a solution and act on it. Zelda always welcomed and accepted his solutions to any problem he could solve. This time was different; she did not want his help, nor anyone's for that matter. He was powerless to help her. The only remedy was time, something Link knew all too well.

The gray clouds that covered the sky darkened and turned black as night fell. The dark clouds blocked the light of the full, white moon that was predicted to appear that night. The sparse forests that usually were filled with night time creatures were quiet. The usual sounds of nightly insects playing their tunes were deaf on this night. It was almost as if the land was reacting to the state of its now former princess, portraying her emotions through its natural settings now occurring.

Link's weariness grew with each passing day. Now on the third night since Zelda's self-imposed solitude, his weariness was visible to those around him. His eyes were heavy, with dark bags beneath them, as if anchors were weighing them down. They were also bloodshot from lack of sleep, due to his constant worry, over the last three days. He had eaten very little, so naturally, the glutton former knight was hungry.

On this third night, Purah herself took notice of his weariness, "Link. I know you are worried about Zelda, everyone is. But you are doing the same thing to yourself."

"Purah" Link said, "I am worried about her. I have seen her in bad times but not like this."

"Link, she is processing everything that has transpired. To her, she awoke days ago to a completely changed world and then to a flood of emotions she could not control. Her mental state is degraded. She needs time to make sense of everything, including her recent decisions. They are life changing decisions that affect not just her, but all of us. She did not make them lightly and would not have made them before considering the impact they would have on everyone she cares for." Purah said.