Summary: Link updates his journal with a short but sad chapter. After a farewell visit by Queen Zelda, Lady Urbosa passes on, the first of the legendary Champions who saved Hyrule to do so. The funeral service in Gerudo Town happens too soon for Zelda and the Champions to attend, so Zelda holds a small memorial service at Hyrule Castle.

Urbosa lay in bed in Gerudo Town as she and Zelda spent the past hour reminiscing. Zelda had received a troubling message from the new Gerudo Chief, Baleria, that Urbosa's illness had taken a turn for the worse, and Zelda had hastened to Gerudo Town to be with her dear friend. Zelda found Urbosa bedridden, too weak to do much. And as Zelda tried to cheer her up, she found herself fighting back the tears through most of their conversation. It was heartbreaking to see the once-mighty Gerudo warrior in such a weakened state.

"I still remember you going with me to the sacred spring and pulling me from the cold water," said Zelda. "You were always looking out for me whenever we were together."

"Yes, I remember, I thought you were going to freeze to death," said Urbosa. "And where would Hyrule be then? But you were always so earnest in your efforts, Zelda. Whatever you did, you put your whole heart into it. You loved the pursuit of knowledge, and you were tireless in your devotion and dedication to prayer. I was blessed to see you grow from a young girl to a beautiful young woman and then the most capable ruler Hyrule could ever want. And you have two beautiful daughters of your own now. I am so proud of you and so grateful to have been a part of your life."

"You've been an enormous part of my life, Urbosa," said Zelda. "You've done so much for me. I am the one who is grateful to you."

"I'm sorry, I'm growing tired," said Urbosa. "I usually can't talk as long as we have, but being able to spend time with you gave me an extra burst of energy. But now I have a request, and apologies if this sounds harsh. I don't want to see the others, the other Champions. Or rather, I don't want them to see me. Give them my love and tell them how proud I am to have been a part of our group, saving Hyrule together. But let's remember each other as we once were, not laying in our sick beds. I hope you understand and respect my wishes, Zelda."

"I understand," said Zelda who kept having to dry her eyes. "I won't tell them if that is your wish."

"Thank you. Now please don't be sad for me, Little Bird," said Urbosa as she gently touched Zelda on the cheek. "We all believe in a spirit realm, and soon I shall be reunited with my dear friend, your mother, whom I have missed for many years. I have often thought of her and even prayed to her on occasion. And if she doesn't already know, I will happily tell her what a wonderful person you've grown to become. I always believed in you, from the time you were just a little girl, and I was so right."

"I wish there were something I could do," said Zelda as she took Urbosa's hand. Urbosa squeezed it and smiled.

"I am so glad we had this time together, Zelda, time for such a nice long chat," said Urbosa. "It makes me happy to have shared some memories with you, to reminisce about the wonderful life we've both lived. But there is nothing you or anyone can do at this point. The doctors have examined me, and tell me it's only a matter of time. Remember me and pray for my spirit, that's all I ask. Now you should go as I need to rest. I love you, my dearest Zelda. Be well!"

"I love you too," said Zelda as she leaned down, kissed Urbosa on the forehead and squeezed her hand. Then Zelda left the room and burst into tears. It felt like she was losing her mother all over again.

It was a few days later that news of Urbosa's passing reached everyone, an announcement by Gerudo Chief Baleria. Urbosa had died peacefully in her sleep.

"Link, did you get the notice about Urbosa?" said Mipha holding her Tab.

"Yes, I just did," said Link. "She must have been sicker than I imagined. I'm sorry we were too late to see her. I would have liked to say farewell."

As was the Gerudo custom in their hot climate, the funeral service and burial took place immediately, right after Urbosa's death, which made it impossible for Zelda and the surviving Champions to reach there in time to attend. So, Queen Zelda arranged for a separate memorial service at Hyrule Castle which she presided over.

Mipha, Link, Daruk, and Revali joined Queen Zelda at the castle for the service. When he and Mipha arrived, Link took a moment to speak with Zelda, and as he approached her, Zelda reached out, and they hugged.

"I know this is hardest for you," said Link as he held her and tried to comfort her. "She meant a lot to all of us, but she always had a special place in her heart for you. All I can say is how sorry I am."

"Thank you, Link," said Zelda. "I know you understand better than anyone. But now that we're all here, it's time to start and for me to speak with everyone."

Zelda asked for quiet, and everyone stopped to listen.

"I need to clear up something at the outset," said Zelda. "I know all of you would have liked to say farewell to our dear friend. I visited her a few days before the end, and she expressly asked that you not be invited. She sent you her love but wanted you to remember her as the proud warrior she once was, not someone laying sick in bed. And I respected her wishes, so I hope you understand. Now I would like to hold a brief service for her. After a moment of silent prayer, each of you is welcome to speak if you wish, but you are under no obligation. When all of you finish, I will say a final few words."

They all bowed their heads and said a prayer to Hylia for Urbosa's spirit. After a few moments, Revali spoke up.

"I will speak first," said Revali. "I am sure many of us will say the same thing about Urbosa. She was a marvelous warrior and a proud leader but also had a great understanding of people. She properly put me in my place more than once, something I realized later I well deserved. And she is right, we all want to be remembered the way we were in our prime. So, all I can say is farewell, dear friend, may your spirit soar to the spirit realm and find peace."

"I'll go next," said Daruk. "As Revali said, we all feel pretty much the same. She was a dear friend and colleague, loved and admired by her people and all of us. I too am sorry I did not get to say farewell, but if her spirit can hear me now, she knows how I feel. Rest in peace, dear Urbosa."

"I will take a turn as well," said Mipha. "I greatly admired her and her willingness to stick up for those who needed defending. I learned what it means to be a leader by watching her in action, and I will never forget her. May her spirit float to the spirit realm and find happiness there. Rest in peace, Urbosa."

"That leaves only me," said Link. "I probably had more to do with Urbosa than the rest of you from the times I journeyed with Zelda to the Gerudo Desert. And some of us also came to her aid and helped defend Gerudo Town from the Yiga Clan. As some of you said, she was an awesome warrior. But she was also a kind and caring person. She impressed upon me the importance of my duty, and she helped me come to terms with my relationship with Zelda. She explained how Zelda felt about me back then and why, and it helped us to open up to each other and become lifelong friends. I will miss her laugh, her joyful enthusiasm, and her quiet confidence. Rest in peace, dear friend."

"Thank you, all of you," said Zelda. "And now I will add a few of my thoughts to the kind words all of you have spoken. How can I explain how close I was to Urbosa? She was a dear friend of my mother, and she tried to make up for her loss as much as she could. She used to visit me from time-to-time to see how I was, and she accompanied me on journeys before I had an appointed knight to look out for me. To me, she was my family from a very young age. And I could always turn to her for guidance whenever I felt I needed some. I pray her spirit is once again sharing a laugh with her dear friend, my mother. May she rest in peace. I love you, Urbosa."

Then Zelda stopped and wiped her eyes again.

"So, as Urbosa predicted, our twenty-fifth-anniversary reunion was our last," said Revali. "Time is passing all of us by. I think Mipha here will outlive all of us."

"If that comes to pass, it is not something I look forward to," said Mipha. "None of us knows what our fate may be."

"I hear you," said Daruk. "Thank you, Zelda, for organizing this."

"Thank you all for coming," said Zelda. "You are welcome to stay as long as you like. There is a buffet meal next door."

They all adjourned to the room next door for some food and drink, but the mood of the group was somber and conversation limited. The unspoken thought was of their mortality as they faced the new reality that the legendary six Champions were down to five now. Revali excused himself first and left for Rito Village.

"I get the sense Revali is lonely," said Link to Mipha after Revali left. "He doesn't like to socialize much at our gatherings and is always anxious to leave. But what is he so anxious to return to? He doesn't have any family as far as I know."

"I don't know," said Mipha. "I wish he would mellow out a bit. He still has a superiority complex of sorts, but it doesn't play well at this point in his life. I doubt he will ever change. But he doesn't seem unhappy, so perhaps he has made peace with the life that he has. And that's fine."

"I suppose you're right," said Link. "Who are we to judge?"

Just then, Daruk came over and interrupted them.

"You two look as good as ever," said Daruk. "I still mean to make it to the Domain one of these days while I can still do some serious rolling. I hope you still have all those delicious Luminous Stones in the highlands. And hey, I heard about your son Link and the beautiful Zora princess from North Hyrule. Congratulations! The kids are really growing up, aren't they? "

"Yes, they certainly are, and you are very welcome, Daruk," said Mipha. "I assure you there are still plenty of stones to quell your appetite."

"That's good to know. Well, I guess I should get going too," said Daruk. "It's not that I need to hurry back, it's just that I don't really know what else to say to Zelda, and sometimes I think whatever I say only brings back a painful memory for her. So, you two take care."

"You too," said Link. "And we do hope to see you again soon in the Domain."

It remained to say goodbye to Zelda.

"Thanks for coming," said Zelda. "I know it wasn't a happy meeting, but I felt it was needed."

"No, it was the right thing to do," said Link. "We all need to honor and remember her. Be well, Zelda. And again, I am very sorry."

She hugged Link then turned to Mipha and hugged her as well.

"Take care, Zelda," said Mipha. "And you know you can always call upon us if you need any help."

"I know that," said Zelda. "You two have been good friends for longer than I care to admit. Until we meet again."

Then they departed for home.

Later that evening, Link was sitting in their study finishing work on today's section of his journal.

"It's nice you still do that," said Mipha as she looked over at him. "The younger generation think it's quaint to keep a written journal, not one on your Tab."

"Yes, I know, I've been teased about it more than once," said Link. "Lapha and Midon think I'm a disgrace to technology. But I've never gotten used to writing notes on my Tab, even with voice dictation. What I've written is a sad chapter, and I don't have the heart or enthusiasm to write as much as I usually do. I want to finish it and move on to the next one."

"Yes, I understand," said Mipha. "It is a sad chapter, and you don't need to write much. You should finish it and move on. It's what we must all do when life hands us a tragedy."

Mipha came over to where Link sat and put her arm around his shoulder.

"The world may think you're a tough warrior, and you are," said Mipha. "But those of us who know you, your family, understand you are quite emotional and take these things very much to heart. Come, hold me and let me try to comfort you."

Link stood up and held Mipha close. She was right, of course. But what she didn't realize was, having lived through Urbosa's and the other Champions' deaths once before in his original timeline, Urbosa's death was bringing back those other memories, including memories of Mipha's death. He shivered involuntarily, and Mipha sensed it.

"What is it, sweetheart?" said Mipha. "What's bothering you?"

"Sorry," said Link. "Ghosts of my original Hyrule life are tugging at my heart. Urbosa's death just reminded me of all the deaths that didn't happen, that in reality were just deferred."

Mipha pulled him closer and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"How can you say 'just'?" said Mipha. "That 'just' is our whole married life together. You need to snap out of your melancholy. Eventually, we all die, but I refuse to spend my time thinking about it, and I refuse to let you do that either."

"You're right as usual," said Link as he smiled at her.

"That's better," said Mipha. "Tila and our son are visiting this coming weekend, and nobody wants to see a long face."

Link leaned forward, and they kissed.

"How was I so lucky to marry you?" said Link. "You always know what to say. It's just that this kind of thing makes me feel the time is catching up with us."

"Only if we let it," said Mipha. "We need to out swim it. More than ever, you need to stay young at heart, sweetheart, and remember what will always be true: you have me, and I have you."

"Yes, that's very true," said Link. "How about a swim to clear my mind?"

"You even have to ask?" said Mipha as she took his hand. "A good swim will help, and tomorrow will be a new day. I love you."

"I love you, too," said Link as they left the house and headed for Mikau Lake and the waterfall there.

"Last one to the top of the waterfall catches dinner," said Mipha as she ran laughing to the water.

"You're on," said Link as he raced after her.

He knew he didn't have a chance. But maybe one of these days she would get complacent and he would beat her. And then she would never hear the end of it. Life with her was so much fun!