Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda.
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I am out of breath. Air comes in short, shallow gasps. But I must finish this battle. Gannon cannot be allowed to live! I may die in the attempt, but so be it, as long as I take him with me.
He is slowing as much as I am. He raises his hand, glowing energy gathering in his palm. There is blood running down his face and into one eye. I am sure it is obscuring his aim, the angle at which he holds his hand enforcing the thought. Then I see it. The opening I need.
I lunge toward him, blade shimmering. In the instant before I run him through, the orb of energy is released and I realize there is absolutely nothing wrong with his aim. As life fades from his still-grinning eyes, I hear Zelda scream, the gut wrenching sound ending in a pained gasp.
Gannon's body thumps when it hits the floor; the clatter of my sword is cacophonous in the silence that follows. I am deaf to it. All I hear is Zelda's unsteady breathing.
In moments I am by her side, holding her gently. She smiles, and it is heart-breaking. "Hello, my Hero." Her voice is hoarse.
"Don't speak; save your strength." My throat is tight.
"I am past that point." And still she smiles. "I love you. I could never tell you that as a princess, but a dying woman is free to speak as she pleases. I love you, my Hero." She sighs softly, then grows still in my arms.
An eternity passes before the first thought enters my numb mind: She's dead.
Zelda died because she came with me, because I was too weak to kill Gannon by myself.
She died because of me.
The thought is too terrifying to entertain, too true to dismiss. I realize I am shaking. The heat is smothering, yet still I shiver.
She died because I was the Hero. If someone else, someone stronger had been chosen, she would still be alive right now.
I never wanted this. I never wanted to be the Hero, never wanted to have my destiny planned out for me.
Why did it have to be me? Why, out of all the residents of Hyrule, was I chosen? I am nothing more than an orphan from the woods. I am weak.
Zelda's body is growing pale. Even in death, she is beautiful.
I can't go on living like this. I can't live knowing that I am the reason she is dead.
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I am myself again. I saved my village, and was rewarded with the garb of the Hero. And it all came back to me. All the details of my previous life, including the end of it. My battle with Gannon, my triumph and Zelda's death. And my suicide following it.
The kingdom is once again in peril. It seems that the Hero of Time is eternally reborn in times of strife.
Now the only question is whether the same is true of the princess the Hero loves.
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Um, so this is my first fic with character death. It's also the most angsty fic I've written to date. I hope you liked it! O_O Please review! ChiCho out.