Fictober 2023: The Legend of Zelda Oneshots

Forever, but Not Alone Pt2: When Forever Ends

It wasn't better than being human. It wasn't worse. He felt as if he was half asleep all the time, like he was watching his life through a screen. Dissociation, he was pretty sure it was called. For people, at least. As a dragon, he wasn't sure if it had a different name.

The dragon of the wild flew beside the light dragon. He was a little smaller, but she flew slowly enough for their heads to always be close together. Sometimes they would bump against each other on purpose, nuzzling their manes. They didn't quite remember who they were or who they used to be, but they remembered they loved each other.

The dragon of the wild had had to search for the light dragon for years. She wasn't easy to find when the skies were so vast, or when one was trapped in their mind, barely conscious. He wasn't sure what he was seeking, but he knew it was more important than anything else in the world.

When he saw her, he immediately knew she was what he had been searching for. He had let out a scream and flew toward her as fast as he could. She had heard him and had flown toward him even faster.

It had been in the news, that Link had begun flying by Zelda's side. That they had finally found each other again, finally reunited. Neither dragon knew they were in all the newspapers, nor did they know there were people in Hyrule that missed them so dearly. They only knew they were together, and they knew that was enough.

Sometimes they would land on the great sky island and sleep side-by-side. Sometimes there were offerings left there for them. Silent princesses, art, fruitcake, meaty rice bowls, gems, the occasional rock roast.

Sometimes they would knock into each other if they sensed a loose spike chafing against them, to knock it off and keep their companion as comfortable as possible.

But mostly, they flew together in silence, their souls content to be together, despite not knowing exactly who they were.

It was odd to the pair of dragons, seeing the world below them change little by little. Seeing Hyrule castle being rebuilt, seeing towns rise and fall, seeing the sky islands become populated again.

It was odd. The dragons of wild and light felt a sort of ache in their hearts upon seeing the world change, as if they were sad they weren't part of the world below. It was the sort of ache all dragons had. But at least the pair had each other. They had melancholy in their minds, but love in their hearts, and they had each other, and to them, that was enough.

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A burst of light flashed before Link's eyes. His mind felt clear. The last thousands of years began to fade into a blur. He felt he soon wouldn't remember much of them.

He looked at his hands. His hands. He had hands, not talons. They weren't wrinkly like they had been when he became a dragon. They looked like his hands had when Zelda had first fallen back through time.

Who would undo this? Who could undo this? It had been so long, who would remember them? Zora lived hundreds of years, but even the Zora he had known would have died by now. The gorons? They lived even longer, but they'd be gone by now, too.

He didn't think about it any more than that. His thoughts were directed immediately toward Zelda. Where was she? Was she still flying beside him?

She was falling, far lower than him. His instincts took over as he fell, twisting himself into a dive to fall faster.

If he was going to fall to his death, he was going to die with his princess.

He stretched out his hand to try to reach her. He was almost close enough. Shots of memories flashed in his mind. He remembered this happening before, in reverse. She fell underground, into the past. Now they both fell in the sky, into the future. He hadn't caught her in time thousands of years ago. He would catch her this time. He would not fail her again.

He dove until he was beside her, grabbed her hand, and held her tight. He looked down for a place to land that wouldn't kill them. It was unbelievably lucky that there was a large lake mere hundreds of feet away from where they would land. Link swung his and Zelda's bodies in the direction of the lake. Closer... closer... they crashed into the water, sinking to the bottom.

The bottom of the lake was cool and dark. Link had missed the dark. He knew in his heart that Zelda did, too. Some dragons went to the depths, but they never did, content to circle the skies.

But they couldn't stay underwater much longer. Zelda was still unconscious, and she needed air. Link pushed his feet against the lake's floor and shot the two of them up. They popped out in the middle of the water. Though his legs ached with exhaustion, he swam them to the shore.

Standing there by the shore were a boy and a girl. The boy was dressed in green, with a long hat and blond hair. He looked about 12 years old. The girl was a similar age. She looked a little like Link's oldest daughter had.

"We... we did it? We did it!" The girl jumped onto the boy with a hug. She kissed his cheek. "We did it, Link! It worked."

The boy grinned and blushed. He rubbed the back of his head. "Heh. Yeah. We did it. You were right. The triforce wish worked. The Great Deku Tree is gonna flip out."

"In a good way this time."

"Wait... if I'm that guy's reincarnation, does that make two of me? And if that lady's your past self, then are there two of you?"

"Don't overthink it. Just be happy."

"Yes, Your Highness." He gave a salute.

She playfully smacked him, then hugged him again. "We did it!"

Link wasn't paying attention to them. He was holding Zelda against his chest, sobbing. "Princess... princess... you're okay."

Zelda didn't stir for a moment, then opened her eyes. "Link? Is that you?"

Link let go of her, but took her hand. "It is."

"What happened? Are you... am I... is this real?"

He nodded. "My queen... it's okay. We're okay. Zelda... my princess... Zelda, we're home."