Summary: The twenty-fifth victory celebration is held at Hyrule Castle, briefly reuniting the original Champions. Young Link starts to decide on his career.

Hyrule Castle never looked grander. Long blue banners, the same color as the Champion's outfits, hung from many of the castle walls. Each banner was divided into four sections, and each section contained the symbol of one of the four Divine Beasts outlined in white. Pennants of the same color flew in the breeze attached to the castle turrets. Flowers decorated parts of the grounds, primarily of the Silent Princess variety that Zelda loved so much. They were all part of the twenty-fifth-anniversary victory celebration decorations.

Castle Town merchants had stocked up on souvenirs and extra goods to sell to the visitors who had come from all over Hyrule for the occasion. Restaurants had been paid to help supply the food and drink that would be available for free during the festivities. A crowd had been gathering from early morning until the castle grounds had swelled with visitors.

Inside the castle dining hall, a group of famous people was gathered. Older folks knew who they were from personal knowledge, and younger ones had studied them in history. Daruk, Link, Mipha, Revali, Urbosa, and Queen Zelda were all gathered there for a light buffet lunch before the official start of the ceremonies. Most had arrived earlier that morning, but Revali had just flown in. They were all sitting around the table now.

"So, we're all together again," said Revali. "I hope people appreciate the trouble we all go through in coming here."

"Why are you complaining, Revali?" said Daruk. "You have the least trouble of all of us. You just flew straight here."

"Some things never change," laughed Urbosa. "It's good to see all of you again. We should enjoy this time together. We may never have another."

"It seems not that long ago we were celebrating twenty years," said Zelda. "The years are going by faster and faster."

"Except for Mipha here, we're all getting old," said Daruk. "But everyone can still wear their Champion outfit, and that's good to see. Is anyone speaking besides you, Zelda?"

"Zelda insisted I say something," said Link. "Probably because she knows how much I hate public speaking."

"I told you it doesn't have to be a long talk, Link," laughed Zelda. "I'm sure you'll do fine. You always rise to the occasion. As usual, I set aside a private dinner this evening for all of us to chat. This afternoon our families can join us. But I think it's time now for the ceremony. Is everyone ready?"

The six of them made their way to a temporary stage by the castle entrance, and the crowd applauded. Each of the Champions waved, acknowledging the recognition. Many in the audience were using their Tabs to take pictures.

There was a VIP guest seating area close to the stage reserved for family and other distinguished guests, which included Prince Rudin, Princess Zelda, Sidon, Mila, Midon, young Link, Lapha, Purah, Robbie, Impa, Faray, Tila, Laray, and several others. King Dorephan had elected not to attend saying one of his family needed to stay behind.

There were seats on the stage facing the audience for all of the Champions, and everyone but Zelda sat down. Zelda stood and signaled for the crowd to quiet down. Then she spoke.

Welcome to the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest moments in Hyrule history, our triumph over a great evil that threatened our kingdom. Some of us remember that day very well; many of you do not. Our victory was thanks to the people you see on the stage here with me, and today we honor them for what they did. I know you have come here to party, to enjoy yourselves, not listen to speeches. So, only two of us will briefly speak, the hero of Hyrule, and then myself. Given how few speeches there are, I ask you to please give us the courtesy of your attention for that short time. So, without further ado, I am pleased to introduce my loyal appointed knight, a Captain of the Royal Guards, and most importantly, the hero of Hyrule, Lnk, I mean Link.

Link burst out laughing at Zelda's inside joke. He grinned at her as he rose to speak, and the crowd welcomed him with applause. Link asked for quiet, then began.

Thank you for your warm welcome and I promise my remarks will be brief. But to begin with, I want all of you to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with Her Majesty's memory. Her memory is all too good. She is making fun of me, recalling the time we first met almost thirty years ago now. I was a young knight who had just won the swordsmanship competition, and when an equally young Princess was about to award me a medal, I was so nervous that I couldn't even say my name right. But it is appropriate that I recall that moment because it changed my life and taught me two lessons. First, once I knew what I was chosen to do, I trained as hard as I could to succeed. I was relentless every day making sure my skills would be equal to the task. When you have a goal, you should pursue it with your whole heart and give it all of your efforts. And the second lesson I learned, which goes along with the first, is that you need to have love. You need to love what you are doing, love why you are doing it, and love who you are doing it for. I was not chosen to wield Hylia's sword as some honor for myself, but because my love of Hyrule compelled me to finish my task, no matter what the cost. And so, 25 years ago to this very day and in this very place, I drew the sword that seals the darkness and stood facing a terrible foe. I had trained my best for the battle and felt ready. But what gave me the will to give it my all was love, my love for all of you, the great people of Hyrule. May the blessings of Hylia be with you. Thank you.

The crowd applauded, and Link acknowledged it with a wave and then took his seat as Zelda rose to speak.

Thank you, Link. You know Link's bravery is legendary. He has willingly battled the strongest enemies in the land. But he is terrified of public speaking, so his appearance today only goes to show how fearless he is.

There was a small murmur of laughter from the crowd.

Now for any of you who may not know them, let me give a brief introduction to each of the other Champions. Revali was the pilot of Divine Beast Vah Medoh and excels at aerial combat. I have never seen another archer with his skill. He teaches now at a flight training school near Rito Village. Urbosa was the pilot of Divine Beast Vah Naboris and is the Chief of the Gerudo. She is a highly skilled warrior and is a good family friend. Daruk was the pilot of Divine Beast Vah Rudania. He is legendary among the Gorons for his combat skills and is fearless before any foe. Well, any enemy but a dog, but that's another story. He is also a good friend. Mipha is the daughter of Zora King Dorephan and pilot of Divine Beast Vah Ruta. She is highly skilled in both healing and combat. She is also the one who captured the heart of my appointed knight, and she and Link will celebrate 25 years of marriage in one month. Please let us honor all of them with a round of applause.

The crowd applauded, and when they quieted down, Zelda resumed.

Now I would like to strike a serious note for a moment. While I said this occasion is to honor those who made it happen, it also has another purpose. This celebration is also to remind us that what happened once will happen again. We hope it is not for many, many years, beyond any of our lifetimes and our children's lifetimes. But we all know the history of Hyrule. We can destroy the evil that attacks us, but it always returns. As Queen, it is my duty to keep Hyrule safe. So, I never want us to forget what happened, to grow complacent, to let our guard down. Ganon will return; it is only a question of when. I have asked my daughter to continue this tradition, that she ask her child to do the same. If all of you will promise to pass down the memory of this event to your children and your children's children, I can rest in peace. But now that I have made my point let us all celebrate. I command all of you to have a wonderful time and enjoy yourselves!

The crowd applauded and began dispersing to get some food and drink, while Zelda and the Champions returned to the castle and made their way to the throne room. The VIP guests would be joining them shortly.

"Well, that was short and sweet," said Revali. "You did look a little nervous Link."

"I was," said Link. "Zelda wasn't kidding."

The VIP guests entered the room now, and soon the air was filled with conversation. Mila and her siblings approached where Mipha and Link were standing.

"Mom and Dad, I speak for all of us when I say we are so proud of you," said Mila. "I think we were all touched, Dad, when you spoke of your love of Hyrule. That both our parents are Champions is truly humbling. We all love you very much."

"Thank you," said Mipha. "Your love means more to both of us than all the praise in Hyrule."

"If you'll excuse me," said Lapha. "I want to take this opportunity to ask Dr. Purah about something. I see she is free at the moment."

"We'll mingle with the other guests now and give you a chance to speak with others," said Mila.

A few moments later Faray, Tila and Laray approached.

"Congratulations," said Faray. "It's nice to see you honored for all you did. And both of you saved my kingdom in a way as well, for which you have our thanks."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Link. "Hello, Princess Tila and Ambassador Laray. I was happy I could help your kingdom, though as you know our daughter, Mila, played a major role. You also know I want only lasting and trusting relations between us."

"And that is my wish as well," said Faray.

"Excuse me," said Tila. "But I need to speak with the younger Link. I see him over there with Mila now. Congratulations again Mistress Mipha and Master Link."

"I see others are waiting to speak with you, so we will move along," said Faray. "Come see me in North Hyrule when you have a chance, Link. We can speak further about the trust issues Laray tells me are on your mind."

"I would like to do that, Your Majesty," said Link.

Zelda, Rudin and Princess Zelda walked over to Mipha and Link.

"If either of you does anything but call me Zelda I'll be very upset," said Zelda. "Congratulations! It's good to see you both again. Mipha you remain the envy of us all. You look as young as ever."

"Thank you, Zelda," said Mipha.

"Mipha, whenever you and Link are here I am reminded of all the fun we used to have teasing poor Link," laughed Zelda. "He was so gullible back then."

"I could never tell when you two were serious," laughed Link.

"Cousin," said Rudin shaking Link's hand. "It's nice to see you when we're not battling evil."

"Yes, indeed," laughed Link. "Is your sister Lara well and is she here?"

"She's well but not here," said Rudin. "She doesn't like visiting here. Perhaps someday you could join me for a visit to her at her home, a family reunion of sorts."

"By the way, thank you, Princess, for your hospitality to our son Link during his stay here," said Mipha to Princess Zelda. "He said he had a wonderful time."

"It was my pleasure, Princess Mipha," said Princess Zelda. "We had fun, and I hope he can visit again sometime."

"Well, we're going to make the rounds," said Zelda. "I'll see you both tonight."

There were drinks and light snacks available, and people formed in small groups, busy talking with each other.

"We should mingle too," said Link to Mipha.

"Yes, but just remember we weren't actually here for the twentieth though people think we were, so try to avoid discussion of that," said Mipha. "Let's start with Daruk. That must be his son Darno with him."

After making their way over to Daruk, they finally had a chance to meet his son. There was a strong family resemblance, but as Daruk had pointed out, Darno was not quite as large.

"I'm glad we finally got to meet you, Darno," said Link. "We missed you on our visit to Goron City."

"I feel like I already know you, Link, my Dad's told me so much about you," said Darno. "And Princess Mipha, of course, I know about you as well."

"Hey guys," said Daruk. "Yeah, Darno and I made it here together this time. Darno's in charge of Rudania now, and I'm very proud of him."

"And well you should be, Daruk," said Link. "Mastering a Divine Beast is no easy task."

"You're telling me!" laughed Daruk.

People continued to wander around the throne room and chat. Tila had caught up with Mila, Midon and young Link.

"That was a nice speech your father gave," said Tila.

"Yes, and he hates public speaking," said Mila. "Queen Zelda wasn't kidding."

"Excuse me," said Tila. "Link, I wonder if you could give me a short tour of the castle? I know you spent most of your vacation here and I have only been here once before when Princess Zelda showed me around."

"Of course, Tila," said Link. "Just follow me."

When they reached the corridor outside the throne room, they found a secluded spot away from view and then wrapped their arms around each other and began kissing.

"I wonder what kind of tour our little brother is giving your friend?" said Midon.

"Probably the same kind of tour you would be giving Larena if she were here," said Mila. "But they'll be fine. Tila has a security guard if she leaves the castle, and we can always reach our brother by Tab if we need to. Did you try the snails? They're a bit dry but not too bad."

Lapha had caught up with Dr. Purah and got straight to the point.

"Dr. Purah, the anti-aging rune, does it work at the genetic material level or a higher cellular level?" said Lapha.

"Excuse me, who are you and how do you know anything about that?" said Purah.

"I am Lapha, Link's and Mipha's daughter, and I know about it by thinking about it," said Lapha.

"Indeed," said Purah. "I can see you must be the smart one in the family, though your brother Prince Midon is not bad at coding. Well, Princess Lapha, I don't like to discuss that rune as it is still experimental. But since you asked an intelligent question, I will answer you. It works at the level of one's genetic material. That is one reason why I have only been able to make it work for Hylians and Sheikah so far."

"Thank you, Dr. Purah," said Lapha. "That is helpful to know. I will think some more about that."

Lapha walked away, and Purah looked after her. Lapha reminded her of herself at a young age, and she was clearly someone worth investing time educating. She would speak with the Zora's Domain Sheikah technology instructor about her.

Outside the castle, everyone was enjoying the free food and drink, and it was like a giant picnic. Toy models of the Divine Beasts were on sale again, as typically happened at anniversary celebrations. And there were souvenir pennants and banners as well.

Inside the castle people mingled and renewed acquaintances as the afternoon wore on. Then, as it grew close to sunset, Zelda and the Champions withdrew to a private room overlooking where the fireworks display would be held and to enjoy dinner. This was the part of the day's events that Zelda loved most, a chance for just the six of them to be together and reminisce.

But first, they all posed for a group picture in the same arrangement as the Champions Inauguration picture of 25 years earlier.

"Try to control your flair for the dramatic this time, Daruk," said Revali. "We're all a bit too old now for such theatrics."

"You know I just thought it might be fun to do it over again," laughed Daruk. "But, yeah, I hear you. It would look silly for us old-timers."

The picture was taken then they all sat down to dinner.

"If no one objects, I would like to do what we did last time," said Zelda. "Let's go around the table and recall what each of us remembers best about 25 years ago, good or bad."

"I'll go first," said Revali. "I remember fondly the time I took perfecting my special updraft skill. It was way beyond the ability of any ordinary Rito, but as you might expect, I mastered it fairly quickly. I also remember a lot of unnecessary speeches about your appointed knight, Zelda, but that's neither here nor there now. And of course, I recall my splendid victory over Windblight Ganon. That thing expected to surprise me inside Medoh but wound up being surprised by me instead. I hit it with bomb arrow after bomb arrow. It was a glorious battle!"

"Yes, I probably overdid it with the ceremony," said Zelda. "At the time it seemed right. But of course, we should all remember it was thanks to Link we were not surprised by the phantom creatures."

"Yes, I'll admit Link did play a part," said Revali. "Though I was never convinced I could not have handled matters on my own without his warning."

"Well, that's neither here nor there now, either, is it Revali?" said Urbosa. "Anyway, I will go next. I remember my battle with Thunderblight Ganon. Thanks to Link's warning I came prepared and wore the Thunder Helm. It helped me withstand that thing's electric attacks, and I ended up giving it a taste of its own medicine. I am fully willing to give Link credit for his help. Had I gone straight to Naboris I could well have been killed. I guess the other thing I remember was helping Link sneak into Gerudo Town. You made quite a cute little Hylian Vai, Link."

"It was all thanks to me, I know," said Zelda. "I was stupid enough back then to try escaping from my loyal knight."

"I'll go next," said Mipha. "What I remember most of all was how shocked I was to learn Link was not the same person I knew. Well, you know what I mean. I felt I had just lost someone very dear to me. It took time for me to get over that."

"I know that must have been hard for you, Mipha," said Zelda. "It was hard for me at first to believe anything Link said, especially since he couldn't remember much. My first instinct was to think you were delusional, Link. Who came up with the idea of quoting from our diaries? That was a brilliant thought, a true stroke of genius."

"It was actually you, Zelda," laughed Link. "Well, the version of you that existed at that time."

"I don't think you ever told me that," laughed Zelda. "Otherwise I would have been a bit more restrained in praise for myself. But oh Hylia, Link, I thought Mipha would never forgive you for quoting her diary in front of all of us."

"Thanks for bringing that up again, Zelda," said Link looking at Mipha.

"I eventually got over it, sweetheart," said Mipha.

"I guess it's my turn," said Daruk. "Well, it's hard for me to pick out anything in particular. I too had a nice battle with Fireblight Ganon, and it was much easier since I was ready for it. Whatever that Purah person from the future came up with to keep it from entering Rudania made it easy for me to blast it to bits once I boarded it. So I'm willing to give Link credit for his warning. I guess the other thing I remember was the celebration we had in Goron City. I'm sorry you didn't get to see it, Link. You would have loved some of the delectable rocks."

"I was busy in Zora's Domain at the time, Daruk," said Link. "But I'm sure you had some tasty rocks to celebrate."

"What about you, Link?" said Zelda. "What do you remember best?"