Link looked out at the fiery sunrise with nonchalance, dull eyes watching the flourish of the light. It wasn't different than any other day. Sure, the light reflected a different way every time, but it was always a splash of bloody gold on the horizon, nothing else. And even if it was beautiful, it couldn't distract him from the fact that Ganon was breathing down his neck, ready to swallow Hyrule whole. But that wasn't new either. Really though- he'd already heard the goriest, darkest pictures a normal person couldn't even dream of uttered out of skeletal jaws, hissed from dying, scaled lips at him. Infuriated voices explaining what would happen when he inevitably would fail, the smile stretching the face as they neared killing him as they painted the image, Link getting away in the nick of time. It wouldn't be much different from what he already saw as a second image now, day after day.
Waking up at the start of the end of the world,
But it's feeling just like every other morning before,
Really. What would change. He already saw everything differently, visiting Kokiri, the nightmare version would slip over the real, dead expressions of friends pasting over their living form. Panic the boy, before he snapped back into reality and saw the now. But it would happen, and he knew it. He couldn't do it on his own.
Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone,
Kakariko was already destroyed, lives upturned and uprooted. They would be able to resettle. And the town beneath the castle… it was gone, eradicated. He couldn't even walk through there without the lost souls trying to latch onto their betrayer.
And I started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbye
He would disappoint everyone if he failed, when he failed- not an if. It was a losing
battle, that Link was sure of, despite everyone's false lies. He was just… a failure. Now the real dilemma was the disappointment that would follow him to death if he died on them. A good fake was in order. That was why he stood on the bridge over the river to Lake Hylia, looking at the sunrise.
Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?
I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out
The trick, he thought, was to make it look like a misfortune. Thought as the sword drove into his back. Link choked, a scream dying on his lips before it ran its course, dying into a smile. How could he forget all those who already wanted him dead- he could just wait five seconds to be done away with without dirtying his own hands. And now his dead body wouldn't even have to lie, he thought dimly as his body was shoved off of the blade, off the bridge. Spinning in the air, he looked up at the darkening sky. Maybe… There had been more to live for. But it's too late now.
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I believe it all is coming to an end
Sheik and the others tried to explain it over Link's body, not realizing he was still barely there. Even in death, his body couldn't just die. He must have been tired, he hadn't heard the monster's approach… Link smiled inwardly at this, vision already gone and limbs unresponding. All that was left was his blind hearing. Let them think that.
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,
Let's see how far we've come
Sheik was the last one at the grave, standing tearlessly over the raw stone marker. "…You mark the death of Hyrule… and I don't think it was a mistake."
Let's see how far we've come
AC;;; The song lyrics is How Far We've Come by Matchbox Twenty. I own none of the song, or Zelda. /3