Prompt: "It's not your fault."

Link didn't want to live forever. He had already lived to be an old man. His children had been raised to love the light dragon. She was kind, and smart, and brave. She saved the world. She was amazing. She was their mother. If she had changed back, he and she would have raised the children together.

He had spent decades rebuilding Hyrule. Decades trying to bring back his sweet, selfless princess.

He turned Mineru's secret stone around in his hand. His secret stone, now. The stone he had been guarding for decades, ever since he had gotten it.

He had told his children what he was going to do. "It's not your fault," he had told them. "I'm so proud of the people you've become, and I love you more than anything. Please... promise me you'll take care of her."

They had promised. He had raised them well. He had learned from Zelda's father's mistakes, and his children had inherited Zelda's powers young, even without a blood relation. Hylia must have been able to tell they were her children regardless.

Link had told his plan to the great deku tree, too. He hadn't told anyone else. No one would understand. Maybe Impa would have, back when she was alive. But no, no one else could truly understand how much he was hurting. How much hurt his life had had. How he had devoted his entire being to bringing her back.

How he had failed.

They would know soon enough, anyway.

He had spread the word across the world. The light dragon was the goddess reincarnate, and she must be taken care of forever.

Sidon had had statues carved around the Domain telling of her sacrifice. The Rito wrote a song to be told through the ages. The Goron formed her likeness in the side of Death Mountain, and promised to teach their children and their children's children about the light dragon, and to never forget her. The Gerudo made a shrine to her, next to Hylia's statue, and sometimes children could be seen making wishes by it, to please bring back Chief Riju's best friend, the goddess-princess.

The great Deku tree had sworn to Link that he would tell the next hero about Zelda, tell him the story and what he must do. Tell the next hundred heroes what they had to do. The next thousand. Every hero to ever be born again. Protect the light dragon. Keep her safe and happy. At all costs.

Link didn't like the idea of living forever. But the alternative was worse; Zelda living forever, roaming the skies all alone.

He took a deep breath. He swallowed the stone.