Chapter Text
"Well? How... do I look?"
Link smiles, straightening the sky blue sash Sidon is wearing. It brings Mipha to mind, the blue against the red; she gives herself a moment to reflect and remember, then looks up.
"Beautiful. Like a senator."
It's not quite the same as the cloths the Champions wore. The cloth is a brighter, warmer colour, tinted more towards the purples; the crest on it is the new one designed for a unified Hyrule, one incorporating the symbols of all the peoples that live in it.
All the senators have the same. They are not separate; they are unified.
"Right! Right. And you say all the others are good people too?"
"Of course." Link squeezes his hand reassuringly. "I don't know Traysi very well, but she knows Hyrule like the back of her hand, she's good with people, everything. Yunobo and Vilia helped me out so much last year - Vilia was the one who taught me what 'vara'vai' meant -" Sidon nods in sudden understanding - "And Kass is lovely. Paya is a bit shy and Hestu can be a little oblivious, but they're both really nice, too."
It's a good combination they have.
Perhaps hearing his name, Yunobo ambles over. "Hey, sister!" he beams as he adjusts his sash. "I look like Grandpa Daruk, goro!"
"You do!" she grins back. "I'm positive you'll do him proud, brother. Hey, have you seen Zelda anywhere?"
Sidon has the height advantage; he scans the crowd. "Over there, near the fountain. Talking with Miss Paya, it seems."
(Unexpectedly, Yunobo blushes - Link hadn't even known that Gorons could blush - and Link and Sidon swap identical surprised smiles.)
They make their way over, stopping to say hello to Kass (chatting with Vilia; Kheel takes the opportunity to latch on to Link's leg, and it takes a few tries to detach her), pausing by the buffet that Link has helped prepare. "Your culinary lessons look like they're going well," Sidon murmurs around a pastry.
"Would you have chosen a different path?"
It had been a lifetime ago that Zelda had asked, and now Link was saying yes. She had completed her appointed task, and now she was going to choose the next path, wherever that would take her.
Zelda and Paya glance up as they approach; Zelda has the Slate in hand, screen open to the Compendium she's been slowly filling out and adding to. (Zelda has taken to science like Link has taken to cooking; they have shaken off 'Hero' and 'Princess', have started working on becoming Link and Zelda instead.)
"Paya, Yunobo." Sidon sketches an elegant bow; he's smiling. "May Link and I borrow Zelda for a moment? We shall not be very long!"
Yunobo hunches a little inside himself and Paya shuffles nervously, tugging at her blue sash. "O-of course." She glances at Yunobo, then smiles in a way that Link suspects is meant to be reassuring but mostly looks anxious; Zelda glances back at the two then follows Link and Sidon away.
She starts giggling as soon as they're out of earshot. "Oh dear," she murmurs, "They're both so shy I'm not sure who will get started first. I assume that was what you were doing, Sidon?"
"Guilty as charged!"
Link shakes her head bemusedly. "They're both brave when they need to be. Paya is a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for. And, you know, Yunobo was willing to be thrown directly at Rudania..." She laughs. "Still, a pretty girl may be one obstacle too many."
Sidon snickers. "I'm not entirely sure you have much room to talk, my dear, given how you both reacted when you saw each other again!"
"Th-that was different!"
It's light, gentle. They remain together, a comfortable trio, until it's time for Sidon to prepare for the ceremony; Impa is leading them in it, and she is a hard taskmaster. Link and Zelda hike a little way up the hill, settle amongst the sea of green grass and blue flowers, wait and watch.
"Your hair is coming out," Zelda murmurs, and moves behind Link to fix her braid. Link closes her eyes and lets herself smile unabashedly, enjoying the feeling of Zelda's fingers in her hair.
"It's the little bits on the side, they're not quite long enough yet. They'll get there."
Zelda ties the end of the braid off, pops a Silent Princess blossom in the end; Link tucks another behind Zelda's ear. "We match," she murmurs, and Zelda touches the petals and smiles.
Two girls sitting on a hill, green and blue around them.
"Is it strange, not being involved in it?" Link asks, watching the activity below. The senators have been lead out of public view for now, but the crowd is still whirling and busy. No one notes their absence, no one searches for them.
"Mm. But in a nice way." Zelda leans against her shoulder. "I grew up in the public eye. I think that's enough public ceremony for anyone. It's refreshing, I think - not being recognised."
The three Sheikah elders, some of the Zora. The Great Deku Tree, content in his forest. So much of the past is gone, so many people who would see Zelda as the Princess first and herself second.
"I wouldn't know," Link teases gently. "Remember that little girl the other week?"
"The one who wanted her wooden sword signed by the Heroine of Hyrule?" Zelda grins. "You've certainly become quite the celebrity!"
"Goddess forbid. I don't know if chefs can become celebrities."
Zelda chuckles. "Mm. You'll just have to settle for being a chef and a role model to legions of little girls. Face it, love - you're inspiring."
Link ducks her head, but smiles.
It's not so bad.
The breeze is light. The scent of summer grass and flowers is rich in the air. Zelda and Link eventually rise, brush grass from their dresses, make their way hand in hand back down the hill. The ceremony is soon to start.
Hyrule prepares to take its next step into the future. Link watches, knowing that she's helped get it there, knowing that her task is now done. And above them, the sun shines.
The End