Chapter Text
A/N: Welcome everyone to the final chapter of A Hero’s Spirit, book 1. It has been one hell of a wild ride. Did you know this was originally 7 chapters worth? All 140k words were initially only 14k. Link took this and ran. XD
I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for all you’ve done. For reading, giving me kudos, all the comments. I appreciate every :) you give me and all the incoherent screeching. I appreciate the ghost readers who leave nothing more than a kudos behind them.
It’s because of you that we’ve finally managed to bring this story to a close, and together we shall open the doors to a new journey. To commemorate this final sendoff of the first book, I am dropping the link to a playlist that I created for this story. I’m also uploading some fanart I’ve received over the course of this journey.
I want to thank the LU Discord for keeping me motivated and on track.
I want to thank my three amazing beta readers, Byrony, Quasar/Kastaborous and Sylph for being incredible.
And I want to thank you, for staying with me this far, even when I took months or longer to update.
Spotify Playlist Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4GpADt1x0ppzXjcMMBtaGB?si=38c3205cb06e4a98
After a year and a half of hard work, I am PROUD to present to you, the entirety of my story. I give you the final chapter of...
A Hero’s Spirit.
Cover Artwork by Kastaborous/Quasar:
Fanart by Kastaborous/Quasar:
Fanart from Typos:
New Flag of Hyrule:
Link laughed as he leapt from the New Castletown Tower, soaring over his growing city. People called up towards him with greetings and fond roars. He nearly startled when something flew up beside him. “Since when did you get a paraglider?”
Yatir grinned as he shakily steered to glide alongside Link. The royal blue sail of his paraglider looked to be modeled after the new flag of Hyrule. “I can’t keep letting you soar away from me, you know. How am I supposed to keep you out of trouble if all you have to do to escape me is summon Revali’s Gale and fly away?”
Link shot him a devilish smirk. “You may have your wings, but can you use them ?”
Yatir blinked at the Rito in confusion before Link took a sharp turn, laughing when he heard his knight scrambling behind him, trying to figure out how to maneuver his paraglider.
“You’re horrible.” Revali snickered.
“You say that like you haven’t done the same thing to me a million times.” Link shook his head. “Half my aerial maneuvers were taught to me by you .”
“Well with that feather hanging off your ear, you are flock.” Revali grinned. “Can’t have you floundering about in the skies like a hatchling, now can I?”
“Ha!” Yatir’s cheer had his ears twitching as he glanced behind him to see his knight had finally figured out how to turn. Albeit sloppily. “I think I understand what you mean by ‘floundering about in the skies’.” Link deadpanned.
“Are you going to help him?” Revali asked, amused.
“Do I have a choice?” Link snorted. “Can’t very well let my knight join us as a ghost because I didn’t teach him how to properly use that paraglider of his.” With a practiced motion, he steered himself until he was gliding gracefully beside the Sheikah. “Need a hand?”
“Oh, now you decide to help me.” Yatir huffed.
“I don’t have to, you know?” Link shot him a playful grin.
“I’m sure Teba would teach me.”
“I’m hurt .” Link placed one hand over his chest, watching in amusement when Yatir’s eyes went wide.
“BOTH HANDS, LINK! I swear, if you re-kill yourself, I’ll come after you and drag you back from the hands of Hylia myself !”
“Relax, Revali won’t let me hit the ground.”
“No, but I might let you fall for a bit if you’re being stupid.” Revali clicked his beak.
“Angle it down gently, yeah like that! And then bend your knees a tad… perfect. Now as you get closer to the ground, angle the tail of your paraglider up slightly to break your speed— perfect —and get ready to run, because you’ll keep that momentum…”
Link circled above Yatir as he neared the ground, breaking just like Link had taught him. He stumbled a tad when he hit the ground, but he didn’t fall. It wasn’t graceful, but it was pretty good for his first landing. Better than Link’s first landing, that’s for sure. He was very glad Revali didn’t see that one.
Link himself landed gracefully beside his panting knight. “Not bad for your first go!” He slapped him on the back—a habit he was starting to pick up from Daruk, he noticed.
“Please don’t Goron pat me.” Yatir rubbed his back. “Your strength is too monstrous for that, I’ll break! ”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic.” Link snorted as the rest of his spirits flamed to his side. “Besides, we’ve got somewhere to be, don’t we?” He let his gaze drift towards the Shrine they’d been flying towards.
“Right… Those two leave today, don’t they?”
“Three.” Link idly corrected. “They’ve got a ghost companion too, remember? Don’t leave out poor Rune, he’s forgotten enough as it is.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.” Yatir scratched his head. “We taking the Shrine over, then?”
“Would you rather listen to them complain for two weeks as we hoof it through the wilds, or listen to them complain for ten minutes about the discomfort of teleportation?”
The Sheikah considered this for a moment. “That’s fair.”
Arkon, Rune and Jackie were waiting by the Shrine. The two corporeal foreigners had bags stuffed with all kinds of goods from Hyrule. “Link!” Arkon beamed. “I was starting to wonder if you’d gone off to explore again.”
“I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t leave us for too long.” Jackie hummed. “Then again, this is Link.”
“I’m not that bad.” Link huffed.
“Anymore.” Zelda corrected. “Even you must admit. I mean, you spent how long exploring Hyrule?”
“Only three years.”
“ Only .” Rune shook his head. “Come visit Minori sometime, would ya? I’m sure you’d love our forests! We’re known for them!”
“If he does come visit, you realize you’d only see him for a few days at a time before he’s off again, right?” Mipha smothered her laughter.
“Everyone ready?” Link pulled out his Slate with a wide grin, ignoring Arkon’s groan.
“Would it matter if we said no?” The prince shrugged.
“Not really.” Yatir chuckled as he grabbed Link’s shoulder. Once everyone was in physical contact with one another, he tapped the icon, teleporting the group across the land.
Arkon, Jackie and Rune all stumbled when they rematerialized, looking vaguely ill. Link was the first to step out and give a shrill whistle. Yatir did the same beside him. At once, two horses ran into the clearing.
“Hello Echo.” Link rested his forehead against his steed’s in greeting, taking comfort in the warmth that greeted him. His friend gave a low nicker and an irritated snort. “I know, I’m sorry. Things have been hectic lately, so we haven’t been able to ride for a while. We’ll go exploring soon enough.” He promised.
“Whisper!” Yatir reprimanded when his mare tried to bite him. “You bite me, I bite you back.” The Sheikah’s ears twitched backwards, mirroring his horse’s. Link snorted in amusement. Whisper was beautiful—a pure white mare with a snowy mane and tail—the exact inversion of Echo’s coloration. And where Echo was stubborn and wild at times, he was warm and calm towards Link. Whisper, on the other hand, was ornery and wild and only listened to him and Yatir.
“And… our horses?” Arkon asked with a raised eyebrow.
“They’ll be here in a moment.” Link reassured them just as the two royals’ horses emerged from the foliage, led by a page. “I told them that when Echo and Whisper ran off, they should bring these two as well.”
“Thanks.” Arkon took his horse’s reins from the page. He and Jackie each mounted their steeds, Rune opting to ride with the princess. Link and Echo led them along the path as they idly chatted.
“You know… I’ll never get used to how beautiful your lands are.” Arkon admitted. “I can feel the magic here. It’s something straight out of a fairytale.”
“My father won’t believe me when I tell him about the Mythos.” Jackie laughed. “But I’ve got the goods to prove it!”
“Did you smuggle chocolate?!” Rune looked towards Jackie in disbelief.
“It’s not smuggling if the ruler says I can take it!” She huffed.
“So, did we pass this little inspection?” Link smirked.
“With flying colors.” Arkon smirked. “My father will be livid, I can’t wait to see the face he’ll make when I announce it.”
“Don’t worry about the Mythos.” Jackie grinned. “Arkon and I will handle that explanation for you. Between the two of us, we should be able to calm their nerves regarding that. If anything, you may find yourselves dealing with more travelers looking to interact with the Mythos.”
“We’d welcome them.” Link grinned back. “The more people realize the Mythos aren’t mindless monsters, the more Mythos will have a chance to find their place in the world. One day, we might even have more places like New Castletown.”
“That would be something.” Daruk beamed. “I’ll look forward to it, Little Guy!”
“There’s the bridge.” Rune pointed. There seemed to already be a group waiting on the other side. The moment the foreigners saw their small party, they started making their way across. The two met in the middle.
“Princess Jacklyn.” One of the Caravanthian knights bowed. “We are relieved to see you in good health. Please allow us to escort you home.”
“Of course, Captain Nathaniel.” She answered cordially.
“Allow me to take your bag, My Lady.” Another knight held out his hand, but Jackie only tightened her grip. Link held back a snicker when he realized she had no intentions of parting with her precious chocolate.
“That is quite all right, Sir Han. There are precious one of a kind items only found in Hyrule in here. I would very much like to carry it myself.” The knights gave her an odd look but didn’t dare argue against their princess.
“Prince Arkon.” The knight from Thybrig gave a stiff bow. “I have been sent to escort you back to the castle.”
Arkon’s eye twitched but he didn’t let his expression falter. “Very well.” He then turned towards Link and gave him a wide grin. “It was an absolute joy to visit Hyrule. I’ll come again when time permits. Keep an eye out for my messenger hawk, will you?” He stretched out a hand towards Link—an offer of friendship between the prince of one kingdom and the ruler of another.
The knights from Thybrig seemed somewhat startled at their prince’s sudden change. Link idly wondered if he’d rarely expressed happiness back home. Of course, they also were likely surprised by the extended hand.
Link met Arkon’s grin with one of his own, clasping his hand. “We will welcome you so long as there isn’t an army at your back.” The two laughed over that for a moment, each one knowing that such a thing would be utterly ridiculous because even an army wouldn’t make a dent in Hyrule’s defenses.
“As if we’d make the same mistake twice.” Arkon shook his head.
“I had a lot of fun here.” Jackie grinned from her saddle. “Do come visit Caravanth sometime! I expect this year’s Gala will still be held in my kingdom. You still don’t have the room for something of that scale.”
“True.” Link nodded. “I’ll work on that. But I want everyone to get used to my people first.” He didn’t think Hyrule would host the yearly Gala for a few years yet. Not only did he need to build a place that could host something of that size, but he didn’t want all those foreign leaders walking into New Castletown without fully understanding the difference between a Mythos and a monster.
The Thybriggian knight cleared his throat, and the prince sighed. “Take care of yourself, Link. You as well, Yatir.” He waved as they turned and started heading out.
“Oh, and I’m going to talk to my father about importing this chocolate you gave me!” Jackie called back. “I’ll send you a hawk so keep an eye out.”
“What she really means is that she wants you to send her more before she runs out.” Rune laughed, knowing she couldn’t retaliate with so many eyes around.
Link grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ll have Kirga make you more sweets.” He promised, watching as the princess’s eyes lit up, much to the confusion of her knights. “I’ll see you in the winter.” He waved.
“Not looking forward to that Gala thing again.” Yatir winced once they were out of earshot.
“Neither am I, but if I have to go you’re coming with me.” Link shot him a look.
Yatir snorted. “As if you could ever shake my presence.”
“I’m sure I can figure something out.” Link grinned as they started walking back across the bridge. With a mischievous smirk he tapped his Slate, teleporting himself back to the Great Plateau. In the moment before he turned to wisps of blue, he felt someone grab his arm. The Sheikah stumbled when they rematerialized, shooting Link a dirty look.
“Can you warn a guy before you teleport?!” Yatir shook his head. “And no, you can’t shake me that easily.” He seemed victorious.
Link’s smirk only grew. “Oh? Well let’s see how much you’ve improved.” With a loud bark of laughter, Link leapt from the tower, deploying his paraglider once more as he heard the Champions’ muffled laughter.
Yatir took to the skies after him, Revali flying over them both with a fond shake of his head. “I swear, it’s like I’m babysitting all over again. Except there’s two of them and only one knows how to fly.”
Link couldn’t really rebut him on that one. Yatir kept up fairly well, chasing after him through dives and spins, though he was fairly sure he lost him as they went through the trees—Revali keeping them both aloft with his Gales.
Finally, Link landed at one of the cliffs of the Plateau, breathless with laughter. Yatir’s landing was much smoother this time, but it still left room for improvement. “See?” Yatir panted with a wide grin of his own. “Can’t shake me.”
“All right, all right. You’ve proven your point.” Link flopped back in the grass and gazed up at the sky as the Champions joined them.
It was hard to believe that this time a year ago, he’d only just sealed Ganon. Back then, he’d been struggling with so much and now… Now he felt like he’d finally found his place. He tilted his head back to stare at his ghostly companions.
“What’s with that nostalgic look?” Urbosa hummed as she sat cross legged in the grass and rested her hand on her fist.
“Nothing, just… Thinking about how far we’ve come.” He sat up and let his gaze drift towards New Castletown. “It’s hard to believe we’ve come so far in such a short time.”
“I know.” Zelda smiled. “It’s all thanks to you.”
“Me?” Link shook his head as he stood, offering a hand to Zelda to help her back on her feet. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you all.”
“You would’ve found a way.” Mipha smiled softly. “You’ve always been able to do that… find your way even in the darkest of situations.”
Link let her words hover about him as he glanced out over the cliff. It was the same side of the Plateau he’d glided down from when he’d first gotten his paraglider. It was nostalgic, but he could already see the differences in the landscape. Roads, travelers . It made him feel warm inside.
“We certainly have come a long way.” Revali folded his wings behind him as he stood beside Link, sending him a fond smile. “And Hyrule is thriving now.”
“It is.” Link agreed as a breeze ruffled his hair. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you all. Your teachings and… this family.” The words were whispered so quietly, that he was almost certain they didn’t hear him. But some part of him knew they had.
“I hope you’re including me in this.” Yatir grinned as he stood on Link’s other side.
“Of course.”
“We’ll be with you no matter what.” Urbosa promised.
Link’s laughter was carried upon the wind. “Then let’s go.” He whirled about, heel tipping off the edge of the plateau as he gave them all a wide grin. “We’ve got a future to build.” He let himself freefall for a moment before tapping his Slate and vanishing into tendrils of blue upon Nayru’s winds.