A/N:

My goodness, I didn't mean to leave you guys hanging for nearly a year. Don't kill me when I say that I actually already had this chapter written? *Wince*
That being said, this story is not abandoned. I may not have any real idea of where it's going yet, but it's far from being put on the shelf of dust. We're just a couple of chapters away from LU (I mean it! It won't be like Hero's Spirit this time, I swear!!), and I'm going to clarify a few things.

Wild is dying because the strain of being revived in the Shrine broke his soul. Using Mipha's Grace again and again certainly didn't help, so his soul is actually shattered and breaking apart. His physical symptoms are there only because his body doesn't know how to handle the pain he's in, so that's why his symptoms are all over the place.
Not only that, but since Fi's linked her life-force with his, she's dying too—which she's fine with, she's old and worn and ready for her final rest. But Wild? Neither of them know what'll happen to him because it's not his BODY that's dying, it's his SOUL. Wild won't admit it (not even to himself yet), but he's scared of what that'll mean for him. Since the two of them are connected like this, they now share a life force. When one dies, so will the other. That's also why she's able to speak with him now, when she couldn't before.

The reason why the symptoms of his shattered soul only showed up after Ganon's defeat is because in the final battle with Calamity Ganon, the Cycle shattered. (Yes, I know that the Japanese version apparently contradicts this, but this is fanfiction and I'm going for an angst angle here). That cycle was basically a sort of soul-glue, if you will, that held his soul together despite the extreme trauma of death/revival that he'd been through *more than once*.

Again, since Wild's soul is dying (quite painfully, might I add), it's killing his body too. Purah has no way to fix this, and any magic from the other games that MIGHT have been able to remedy this have been lost in the last 10k+ years. His symptoms are a bit all over the place because his body can't identify what's wrong—what it needs to fight. Is it logical? Maybe, maybe not. I'm no medical expert, I'm just a story writer. So please enjoy this without nitpicking the smaller details, okay? :)

◊◊◊

Perhaps it was because he and Fi were finally able to regularly communicate. Perhaps it was because their life-force was now intrinsically tied to one another. It could've even been because they both wanted to end their final journey together, but Link and Fi were inseparable. He refused to so much as sleep without her, and Link refused to fight with any other blade—something Fi had agreed with wholeheartedly.

Purah had once suggested that setting her back in her pedestal in the Lost Woods would help lengthen their lifespan, but Link didn't even need Fi to tell him that it would do nothing more than let them each die alone. Fi had been alone for ten thousand years before he'd picked her up a century ago, and he would rather fight Ganon all over again than let her fade away without someone by her side.

It was fine if nobody understood. They didn't need to understand. Fi understood, and that was enough.

Though Link no longer sought after fights as he had before, he wouldn't run from them either. Link and Fi would tackle the monsters of their homeland just as they always had. Across lifetimes... ages... even time itself.

"Does it hurt you to fight?" He asked her as they sat beside the river. They'd just taken care of an infestation of bokoblins.

"No more than it hurts you. You are shattering yourself. I will shatter alongside you. Your pain is my pain, and though I am old and battered, I will do all I can to protect you. I will not fail you twice."

"Don't be an idiot, Fi." Link smiled softly as he gently wiped the bokoblin blood from her, taking care to clean every crack and chip. "You didn't fail me." He paused for a long moment, catching a reflection of himself in her worn blade. He could barely make out the tiny hairline fractures that she tried so desperately to hide from any eyes but his. "And I didn't fail either. We gave it our all, and that's all anyone could ask of us."

"I will fight beside you until our final breath. Please... wield no other blade but me until that time."

Link caressed her hilt lovingly. "I would have it no other way. You are the only sword I will wield."

Fi gave a thoughtful and grateful chime as the wind blew about them, carrying the distant essence of Farore. He idly wondered if the goddess was nearby. "This reminds me of something... from so very long ago..." Images flashed across their shared mental link. Many voices, layered atop one another, blurred faces mostly framed by blond hair of various shades, a warm fondness. There was a familiarity. "It has been so long... I can hardly recall it. I think I once went on a journey with you..."

"With me? You mean the me a century ago?" Link tilted his head.

"No, with the you you are now." Fi warmed beneath his touch. "It was so very long ago. I believe I was still newly forged at the time."

"Then how could I have been there?" Link idly wondered as he turned his gaze skyward. Fi did not answer his question. Perhaps she didn't know either. "Hey, Fi? Can I ask you to stop calling me Master?" An almost horrified chime sounded from her, and he quickly amended his words. "Not like that! It's just... Call me by my name. Not Master Link, just... Link."

She mulled it over. "Why?"

"We're in this together, Fi. More than master or hero, blade and wielder. We're closer than that."

"You're right... Link."

He smiled.

◊◊◊

Link smiled as he warped into the blistering heat of Death Mountain. Zelda had uncovered some old blacksmithing books that Link thought Rohan might enjoy. He made sure to greet everyone that he saw, pausing when he saw an unfamiliar young Goron.

"Link!" Yunobo came up beside him with a grin. "How've you been? I haven't seen you in forever!" He gave Link a hardy thump on the back. Despite the way it made his body scream in agony, he smiled for his friend.

"I've been good." It wasn't a total lie. Aside from the massive bruise he just gained from the greeting, he'd had nothing but good days for a week. "Who's that?" He gestured to the pebble of a goron.

"Oh, he's a new carvling. Just born two weeks ago." Yunobo beamed. "His name's Mikkoro! Kanburo and Kish carved him!" The terms flew over Link's head, but he understood enough to know that Mikkoro's parents were Kanburo and Kish. How, he had no idea, but he thought he once heard something about Gorons reproducing by carving their kids out of a special kind of ore.

"I'll have to congratulate them." Link smiled. "I'll make a nice rare rock roast to celebrate."

"YES!" Yunobo beamed. Apparently Link's cooking skills transferred over to cooking rocks as well, because the Gorons adored Link's roasts.

"Is Rohan busy? I've got a few things for him."

"I think he's taking a small break up the mountain a bit. You've come at a good time—he finished a new sword just this morning."

"Thanks!" Link whacked Yunobo on the back as hard as he could, and was pleased to find the young Goron stumble a little. It was a friendly game they had. Link, a hylian, could normally smack a Goron all day without making them wobble. But he enjoyed challenges, and Yunobo's grin showed that he'd been doing well.

"Keep eatin' that gravel, Link! You'll be bowling me over in no time!" Yunobo laughed.

"Yeah!" Link beamed as he headed up to Rohan's house. The schematics would hopefully allow Hyrule to start producing sharp light-weight weapons instead of cobble crushers and the like.

When he pushed open the door, it was to see the smith sound asleep. He felt a fond smile cross his lips as he set the books down and started on a few roasts. They could speak when he woke up. For now, he'd enjoy the peace and quiet of a life he'd soon leave behind. He'd miss this, he decided, comforted by the soft chime at his back. They both would.

◊◊◊

Zelda sighed as she pushed the textbook away. She'd finally finished cleaning out the majority of the castle, thanks to the help of several of Link's friends. The rebuilding efforts were going well, but the Blood Moons made things difficult. Thankfully, they didn't affect the Guardians, so that was one plus.

Even still, that meant the castle had to be cleaned out every month. This wasn't a feasible long-term plan—she knew this—but she needed the books in the library. She mentally thanked whoever decided the castle's library needed spells to protect the books from the wears of weather and time.

"Zel!" Link called out as he entered the room. She couldn't get over how different he was. She knew he had no memories, but he was like an entirely different person. It wasn't bad, either. She rather liked the controlled chaos he carried around with him. The way he could laugh so freely and his delectable meals. He was always eager to explore, and never afraid to show her all the interesting things he'd found.

It was like she had a best friend for the first time in her life. This was why she found herself bothered by the recent changes in Link. He didn't come around to bother her as much as he used to, and whenever he did it was always to do stuff she wanted to do. He didn't drag her off to try shield surfing anymore, nor did he attempt to take her gliding off some insanely tall structure.

He was starting to calm down, and though she should be happy about that, the sudden maturity felt wrong somehow. "In the library!" She called out.

The once-knight poked his head in with a large, silly grin. She took a moment to stare at his outfit. He was dressed in the traditional Gerudo Vai clothing, complete with makeup. If she didn't know Link, she would've thought he was a she herself!

"C'mon!" Link beamed beneath the veil. "We're going to Gerudo Town! You need a break!"

"But Link—"

"No buts! We're going to order a couple of Noble Pursuits and shop around for stuff! Isha and Cara got in some new designs and I really want to see them!"

How could she argue with that? "All right. Let me get ready, then." She smiled fondly as Link cheered.

Not half an hour later had them warping to the Shrine right outside Gerudo Cit—town. It was Gerudo Town now. Link grinned beneath his veil as he waved to the two guards. His voice was always a bit soft, but he seemed to make it even softer when he visited Gerudo Town. It really sounded like a woman's, if one took the scarring into consideration.

"Dorrah! Merina!" Link beamed. "How's your shift going?"

"Link! And Princess Zelda." The two nodded their heads in respect. "It's always good to see you."

"Is Buliara making you pull double time again?" Link frowned.

"Ah. Perhaps a little." Dorrah admitted.

"I'll bring you two some Noble Pursuits!"

"Ah, you're a doll." Merina beamed. "Give Furosa our regards."

"Come on." Link turned to Zelda with an excited grin.

Once again, she was taken aback by Link's change. He was so comfortable and confident here, even as they strolled around the town, picking up orders and greeting people that Zelda couldn't name. Link seemed to know everybody. He asked after families and friends, talked about things that seemed to genuinely interest the individual, and even took the time to help feed the sandseals for rent.

She watched with slight envy as he greeted the current Gerudo Chieftess—Riju. She was a young child, and some selfish part of Zelda wanted nothing more than to shove that girl off Urbosa's throne. She missed her terribly.

Link treated Riju so gently, like an older brother would his sister. He spoke half-jokingly about stealing her away for a ride on the sands, and even whispered that he'd try to figure out how to pilot a Divine Beast to give her a ride—something both Link and Zelda knew he wouldn't achieve, but made the young girl laugh nonetheless.

He knew so many people. He'd built himself a life here. He wasn't haunted by the echoes of what should have been like she was. He was able to live his life freely—drifting from one race to the next.

He could talk to the chiefs of each race like an equal, knew the faces and names and families of every citizen. Link had a place in this strange new world. He understood how it worked and how to survive. And here she was still trying to bring back the past. Did this land even need a ruler anymore? Were things actually okay the way they were now?

The more she watched the man she once called knight, the more displaced she felt. How could she become part of this world like he was? She wanted it. Wanted to share in the fireside campouts and share stories under the stars with travelers. She wanted to walk into a town and greet everyone by name, and have them know her as more than some princess of a bygone era.

She didn't want to be Princess Zelda anymore. Link wasn't Hero General Link in this era... he was simply Link. Zelda wanted that. That freedom; that anonymity.

"Link..." She asked when they'd sat down with their Noble Pursuits under the desert night sky. "How do you do it?"

"Hm?" He turned with a raised eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Live here." She took another swig of her drink. "I want to live like you do—freely. I don't want to be... who I was. How do I let go of it? Of her?"

She could see the understanding flickering in his gaze, shadowed by a spark of something she couldn't name. "Well, the amnesia helps." He chuckled as she gently shoved his shoulder.

"I'm asking a serious question, here!" She huffed.

"I know." He rubbed his shoulder as he gazed at the sky. "I think a big part of it is just... letting the wind guide you. Don't worry about what people say or think. Do your own thing. You spend so much time worrying about things that don't matter. Like your hair or clothes. People don't care about that anymore. What matters is how you live. If you want something, go for it. Climb the peaks of Hebra, soar with the Rito, swim with the Zora. Go out of your way to talk to someone you don't know. Ask them about what they like, and show an interest in it, even if you don't want to. And most importantly, look for those that need a helping hand, and reach out to them."

"You make it sound so easy." She swirled the ice around her drink. "I miss them."

Link gave her a sad smile. "I miss them too. But we'll see them again one day. Isn't it best to take this time and create fun stories to share with them when we meet again? I'm sure Urbosa wouldn't want you to wallow your days away in grief."

"I know." She whispered. "It's just... so hard when her ghost is everywhere."

The Sword that Seals the Darkness chimed softly upon the hero's back. "Fi's right. The ghosts of the past... Rather, the time we have now with the people around us. Isn't this better? One day, the people with us right now will be gone. Shouldn't we spend the time we have enjoying their company?" There was a pause. "This moment... the present. This is sacred; we'll never get it back again. Don't mourn the ones long past. Honor their memories by living a life you won't regret."

Something about Link's tone bothered her. Like he desperately wanted her to understand what he was saying. Though she didn't fully grasp his message, she locked his words away in her heart. "Okay." She took a breath. "Okay, I'll... I'll do what I can. You're right. Urbosa wouldn't want to watch me sit here and cry." She could almost imagine Urbosa's proud grin as she stood up and grabbed Link's hand. There was a small festival going on in the center of the city. "Let's dance!"

Link grinned, abandoning his drink as well. The moon was high and the stars were bright. For the first time since the battle with Ganon, Zelda thought that maybe things would turn out okay. After all, she had Link by her side to help keep her head on.