Hope Never Dies

Written by: Pinguicha

A/N: Lil' ol' Ping is back to finish this story. So, yes, I dignified myself to descend to my lair in the depths of the lazy authors' realm and finish this to ya'll who reviwed. I wuv ya all!

Chapter 16: Forever

Giant's Realm

"You suprised us, Princess." The fourth and last Giant said to Zelda's tiny figue standing in front of him "When we all expected you to kill Zeldius, you showed her what her heart refused to see. You showed her what her anger was blinding her from. We're most thankful for that."

"What happens now?" Zelda asked, unsure. The Giant chuckled and instead of replying, Zelda saw the previous reagents appearing in front of her – The Holy Water, the Mountain's Snow, the Sea Water and, there was the last one. A blood red, glowing substance.

"The fourth reagent is the blood of a loved one. The blood of someone the person who had to drink the Blessed Elixir cared about, a person that'd mean everything to the one in danger." All reagents collapsed together and a single flask took place. A flask full of a glowing, white liquid. Zelda took it and examined it carefully. It seemed hot, and if it weren't for the layer of glass separating the liquid and Zelda, she knew it's burn her hand.

"Remember, Princess..." the Giant started "Cherish your life while you can and don't be mad at it when something bad happens, for there's always a way out. Zeldius' doom was to think she was alone again. Don't let that be your doom." And with that, she was back again in Termina.

"You know, I think the dimentions are becoming one." Link said and Zelda turned her eyes to him. He was looking at the Clock Tower. But there was somthing else there. Hyrule Castle. Link turned himself to her, his deep blue eyes filled with sorrow. Why is he sad?, Zelda asked herself and she looked at the Blessed Elixir. Her hand was fiercely closed around it. She noticed Link was bleedng from one of his wrists.

The blood.

It was Link's blood. She loved him, truly. More tan anything else, more than life itself. And hse was glad she had told him. It felt like... there was a huge stone in her heart before, but now, it was gone. But why was he sad? Now that she could be with him, now that she could return to the Castle and... There was the marriage. She didn't want to marry now. Not after what had happened.

"Zelda, you should drink that before it's too late." Link whispered but Zelda could only look at his bleeding wrist. He noticed that. He had cut himself, just like the Giant had asked. The Giant didn't tell him to what it was, he simply said Zelda would explain it. He took a step towards her and held her hand. The one with the Blessed Elixir. "You know, you'll disappear of you don't drink this."

"Who says I want to stay now?" Zelda said, which made Link's jaw drop. After all that work, she didn't want to stay? How come? And without any advice, Link took the white liquid from her hands, and held her close to him. He opened the flask and a strong smell filled the air between them.

"Drink it, Zel. I don't want to see you die." He whispered and brought the flask to Zelda's tightly closed lips. She parted them slightly and drank the liquid slowly. She didn't feel any different after drinking it. But she felt different when she had felt Link's arms around her, pulling her close to him. Hadn't he realized? Hadn't he realized about her marriage and all that stuff. About their future together, which was unexistant now? Her light blue eys met Link's dark ones and she understoon once again that without those eyes and the person who owned them, her life would be empty. Her life would only be "bear children" here, "royal duties" there... And that perpective didn't look so good anymore. Before what had happened in these past days, she could've had a life like that. Now she couldn't. Not now that she had found Link once again.

"I know, Zelda..." Link whispered "There's your marriage." Zelda noticed hint of sadeness on his voice. He pulled her close and his arms closed around her waist and her head rested on his shoulder now. He forced her to drink that damned elixir when she didn't want to. She didn't want to live because she and the person she loved the most would be certainly apart.

Don't give up your hopes, Princess..., a voice whispered inside her head. Zelda knew that voice. But the last time she had heard it, the voice was icy and cruel, not loving and warm as it was now. But it was Zeldius' voice. There was the same eternal sadeness on her voice tone, but the sadeness was kida of... disappearing. But there'd always be sadeness on her voice. Then, Zelda saw a ghost of her ancestor, right in front of her. Link didn't notice anything, his back turned to Zeldius' ghost. The First One lifted a gloved hand and caressed Zelda's head softly It's all a matter of not losing hope, my dear Princess... she said in her mind You know there's a way out, but your heart is so desperately thinking about how you'd be if you and him are apart that it can't find the last remain of Hope that it has. And when you find that last drop of Hope, you'll find a way. There's always a way to be with your loved ones, my Princess. And sometimes we refuse to believe there's a way out. That was my mistake. Don't do the same things I did, for they will only lead your soul to a path of anger and pain. Find Hope, my dear. I know you will. Ypi're not like me and you still have your loved one., with that, Zeldius' ghost disappeared. Find hope, she had said? But where was hope now? A single, fat tear escaped Zelda's sky blue eyes and in that moment, she realized what her ancestor meant.

"Link, let's get the hell out of here." Zelda said and Link looked at her. Would she be willing to give her royal life away just to be with him? He smiled softly.

"You don't want to return to the Castle, Zel?" he asked and she kissed him in response.

"A life of riches is nothing compared to a life with you, my love." she said. Link smiled and called Epona. There was a future for them. Away from the Castle and away from everyone. And as Epona rode away from the Canyon, Zelda looked at the Clock Tower and at the Castle beside it. Everyone would think both she and Link were dead. But she didn't care about that. She'd be with him and he'd be with her. And her heart had found Hope among all despair.

Thank you, Zeldius, she thought, Thank you.

The End

A/N: Argh, sappy. Well, anyways, please R/R!