Chapter Text
Hylia was tired, and afraid, and sad, but mostly she was thinking.
The sounds of camp being set up around her carefully arranged tent were as discordant as ever, and the soft firelight was met with the light of Wisdom from the back of her hand. She remembered how she used to offer to help with the camp, no matter how many times her guards insisted it was “below her station.” She couldn’t remember when she had stopped offering. The rest of the war party was cheerful, almost ecstatic, but they kept their feelings to whispers and low voices. She wondered if they had grown numb to the violence, or just never cared in the first place?
Her scrying magic had found the final Triforce wielder today: a boy who was young enough to have missing teeth, with the mark of Courage on his right hand. It had been easier when she found the wielder of Power - he, at least, had attacked the war party as soon as they came into view, wounding several of her soldiers, so their violence in return had been… justified. But the boy was polite, and curious, and had parents who were respectful at first. Emphasis on had. Their mission was secret, she had been told again, and they could not afford to have witnesses and could afford extra mouths even less.
The wielder of Courage and the wielder of Power knew each other. They greeted each other by name, and Power hugged Courage with his remaining arm. Power glared at them over Courage’s hair, and Courage sobbed into his chest. She just had to touch both of them, and the Triforce would unite and reform, and they could finally end the war. That was the moment she had been looking forward to for years!
…But Power looked at her like she was a demon, and she lied and said she had to pray to the Golden Goddesses, and as Courage was torn from his arm and they were tied up again he cried out in fear, and now she was thinking.
The war was to find and unite the Triforce, to protect it from those who would use it against the Kingdom. Her father had told her that’s why he had started it, and he believed in it at least enough to die in battle. But all of the protecting she had seen hadn’t been from their side.
Her scrying magic combined with the Wisdom piece of the Triforce was what let her find the other wielders, and she imagined she had seen most of the war by this point. And what she had seen, time and time again, was slaughter. A war of protection shouldn’t involve this much invading, or really any invading at all.
So she made a resolution to herself. Her very first wish was going to be a test. Hopefully, nothing would change, and she would rest easy. And if things did change, well, that would solve the problem too.
She opened the gilded flaps of her tent, and was greeted with cheers from the soldiers near her. She paused for a moment, nodded to her guards, and walked calmly to where Power and Courage were being kept. She had to make a few detours around soldiers who were carrying supplies, and she walked the long way around to avoid the stream where they had cleaned blood off their swords earlier in the day, but she walked calmly and steadily and hoped no one noticed that she felt like she was breaking apart.
As she got closer, she could hear a rising clamor in the air as the news spread that she was out of her tent. She recognized an old hymn being sung, and hummed along. She turned a corner and saw the tent where they were being kept, guarded by her loyal priest, Impa.
Impa stepped forward, bowed, rose, and spoke: “Your highness, they were somewhat unruly after you left, and had to be sedated. I apologize deeply if this interferes with the uniting of the Triforce, but we could not disturb your prayer.”
Hylia was inwardly relieved, but kept up her stoic facade. “Thank you, Impa,” she said, “I don't believe it will interfere, and it might actually be helpful.” Hylia shuffled a bit, and a slight grimace twisted her face. “Would you mind giving me privacy for this? I’m not sure I’d like soldiers to be peeking in-”
“Say no more, your highness. I will guard the tent to ensure none enter until you leave.”
Hylia nodded, opened the flaps of the tent, and stepped inside.
They were peaceful in sleep, lying on their backs next to each other. Power’s face seemed less, well, powerful, and more elegant. Courage looked even younger. Hylia took a deep breath, and before she could talk herself out of it, knelt down and touched both of their hands.
From outside the tent, the mass of soldiers gathered could see a golden light streaming through and could hear soft chimes. A hush fell over them, as they waited to see their princess with the ultimate symbol of their victory. Inside, Hylia held the Triforce, united once more. It was glowing, rotating above her cupped hands, and she could hear a song that pulled at a place deep inside of her. It was mesmerizing.
She closed her eyes, and wished with all her heart-
I wish that all the atrocities my father and my people committed in this war were worth it. I wish that we are justified in this war, and that we are on the right side.
And the golden light grew blinding, and the music swelled, and the world changed.