To be honest, I had a lot of difficulty even writing this first chapter. It has been a long time since I've written anything- or even studied- and my English is a bit rusty.
I do have a rough idea of what I want to do with this story, but personally, I feel that I'm not really getting the 'flow' of the story very well right now. I might edit in the future, but I need to write a bit more first to get back that...skill? I don't know. In the past, I've always managed to write my chapters smoothly, and the flow of the story- to me- was always okay without me having to reread the chapters and mull over it for days.
Nevertheless, I'm still going to try to push on with this new story( and actually complete it) since I really do like Breath of the Wild ALOT, especially Zelda and Link. I find the idea of a hundred year calamity very interesting to build the characters upon, and I do hope I manage to catch the feelings and emotions they will face when they finally start to actually interact with the World and think about their future, instead of being completely preoccupied with the thought of defeating Calamity Ganon.
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And if you do have any helpful remarks, please let it be known to me :)
~Kuntakintae
Loneliness. Fear. Despair.
They churned inside her- eating at her from the inside out. Her chest constricted, her breathing laboured.
Eyes shut, head bowed, her clasped hands tightened as prayers continued to flow out of her mouth like a never-ending stream.
"You've lost," A whisper floated through her ears.
"He won't wake up in time."
"You've failed yet again."
"You've failed your champions, your father, your kingdom, HIM."
Her breathing became more erratic, and her body trembled. The power within her was diminishing- she could feel it. The thin film of light that separated her from the hatred and malice was beginning to fade.
Calamity Ganon was winning.
As she weakened, so did the hope that she held on to. She tried to ignore it, but the doubts she had decided to bury, the uncertainties she had decided to cast away deep into the recesses of her mind and heart began to emerge- like a flood, unstoppable and unrelenting.
The frequency of words that flowed out of her mouth increased, and she desperately tried to squeeze out every last drop of the ebbing sealing power within her.
It wasn't working.
The despair strengthened. The fear grew. And the loneliness- the loneliness inside her was overwhelming. It started to consume her, to rage like a tempest as her mind started to think back- to her friends, to her family, to-
"Please," She pleaded quietly, even as the film of light started to fade. "Please, please, please wake up."
She tried to connect to his slumbering mind, she tried to plead him into awakening.
It was hopeless. He didn't stir, and the feeling of failure and loneliness that had haunted her even before Calamity Ganon had awakened thickened inside her.
A sob escaped her, and her voice broke. A tear escaped, which only lead to more tears. She could hear the mocking laughter of the malice incarnated from all around her.
She had held on. She had tried her best. She thought she could redeem herself, to hold Ganon back for as long as it took for Link to awaken and kill it. She thought that- for once in her life, she could escape from being a failure.
It was all for naught.
The thin barrier finally faded, and the malice and hatred that had been slowly whittling her sanity and power away for the past hundred years quickly filled up the space that had previously been kept pure by her power.
Black substance quickly seeped into her every pore, defiling her. All she could feel was pain. Unimaginable, excruciating pain that burned-
With a loud gasp, her body shot up from the ground, trembling and shaking all over. Her white, maiden's dress was completely soaked through with sweat and her hair stuck to her face- moist with a mixture of sweat and tears that flowed like a gentle stream.
It was night- though she did not know how far into it. A cool breeze blew by, causing her already trembling body to quiver like a leaf as a dreary cold seeped into the pores of her body, making the loneliness and grief all the more real. The pathetically thin fabric of her maiden's gown did nothing to help.
Heaving deep breaths, trying to stop the sobs that escaped her mouth, she wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes, trying desperately to calm her palpitating heart, and her roaring mind.
Link had arrived. She had not failed in the end. The malice had not gotten to her- she had held out long enough.
Her dream wasn't real.
"Princess?" A soft, concerned, familiar voice floated through the air. She felt a blanket fall upon her shivering shoulders, causing the biting cold to relent just a little.
She lifted her head, her eyes desperately seeking comfort, seeking solace, seeking a confirmation that what she had experienced wasn't real.
Seeking him.
What met her eyes were another set of eyes- and warmth coursed through her body as she saw the concern that raged like a storm within those blue irises.
"Princess," He repeated himself, concern lacing his voice, and his normally calm face now wearing a worried frown as he kneeled a meter in front of her. "Are you alright?"
His voice was like sweet music to her ears, and his very presence was like a soothing balm on her troubled soul. Slowly, her heart rate began to slow, and the terrifying roars of doubts and fears in her mind quietened down.
It was astounding- a small part of her noted- that even after a hundred years, the effect of his presence, of him on her was as strong as ever. Or perhaps even more so.
Not to mention that the only thing she had for accompany for a hundred years were the mocking whispers of the Malice, trapped deep within the darkness of Calamity Ganon.
When she had first heard his voice- merely half a day ago- and when she had stepped into his presence, exhilaration had coursed through her body, followed by a deep sense of relief and warmth.
"It- it was a nightmare," She croaked softly after a minute or so, her voice shaky and unsteady. She could still hear the echo of haunting whispers, could still feel terror of being surrounded by such hatred and madness and an unending darkness that never seemed to end-
"I-I'm sorry," She stuttered, and winced at how utterly weak she sounded, and took a moment to steady her breathing, though the shivering of her body couldn't be controlled. "Did I wake you?"
Link shook his head, his eyes drifting across her body, studying her. She shifted awkwardly, and tried to stop the trembling, and then cursed herself for not being able to.
"You're cold," He stated, and then got up. "Wait here."
Her eyes followed him as he walked towards his horse, and gratefulness filled her as she saw him take out a pile of firewood as well as chunk of flint from the saddlebags. A strong sense of nostalgia hit her as she took in the familiar yet unfamiliar sight.
It truly had been a long time.
Forcing her eyes away from him, she took the time to observe the surroundings- dimly lit only by the soft glow of the full moon hanging above their heads. Bright, twinkling stars filled the night sky- no longer did they have a hint of red, courtesy to Calamity Ganon and the blood moon.
They had been making their way to Kakariko village, where they both agreed was probably the most suitable place for them to rest and recover from the weariness of the long battle. A century was a long time, and she could think of no better place to rest her tired body and mind than the haven of her most trusted people in the past.
At that current moment, they were camping beneath an apple tree along the plains of Hyrule- a short distance away from the ruins of what was once called Mabe Village. They could have gone faster, but Zelda had been so entranced, so lost in being able to finally see again with her own eyes, to smell again, to feel again-
Safe to say, their journey had been a slow one. By the time she realised that the reason for the slow journey was her, the sun had already begun to set. She had felt no small amount of guilt at holding them both back, and apologized profusely to Link.
His reply, however, was simply to shake his head and give her a small smile. "I understand, Princess," He had replied. "Please don't apologize."
Nevertheless, she had felt guilty, and had tried to speed up the travelling speed so that they could make it to the Wetland Stable in time. Evidently, however, she had failed. She had apologized one last time when they stopped for the day, to which Link gave her a rare stern look which immediately caused her to stop spouting apologies from her mouth like a torrent of water.
"Thank you," She said as he started a fire a meter away from her. The soft, orange glow brought about by the flame started to beat away the darkness that surrounded them, and the warmth of the fire steadily overwhelmed the cold. Slowly- thankfully-, her body trembled less and less, before it stopped entirely.
An awkward silence descended upon them as they sat around the fire. One that- she noted sadly- would not be present if it had been a hundred years ago.
They had been close then, and while they had a bad start, she had found a close friend in him, and likewise, he in her.
Perhaps even more-
But that was all in the past, and now, an invisible wall had erected between them- a wall of lost memories and fuzzy recollections, a wall so hard to break that she didn't even know if it will ever be surmounted.
It saddened her to the point where she could feel the stinging of tears in her eyes once again, to know that she might never share that kind of friendship she had with him ever again.
She had won, hadn't she? She had held out for a hundred years- long, dreadful, lonely years- keeping Ganon at bay, keeping Hyrule safe-
Yet, why did she feel like she had lost?
"If I may, princess," She jumped at the sound of Link's voice, escaping from the dark thoughts that continuously plagued her mind. Her eyes shifted from the dancing flame to him, shooting a questioning glance, holding back the tears that had threatened to fall. "What worries you?"
She could see that he genuinely cared- despite the incomplete recollections of their time together, despite the lost memories that may stay lost forever- and a small ray of hope broke through the dark that encompassed her heart, broke through the guilt and grief that had enshrouded her soul.
It touched her to know that Link- with all that had happened,- still managed to retain the very core qualities that made him who he was.
The quiet kindness, the steady calm, the hidden courage- he still had all of them, and it brought her hope.
She bit the bottom of her lip- a habit that had stuck with her even through a century- as she hesitated. Her eyes returned their focus to the dancing of the flames, and the fingers that held the blanket around her tightened their grip as she contemplated on how to respond.
Oh, how much she wanted to just pour her heart out to him, to just release the floodgates of the emotions and feelings that she held back and hid deep within her.
But she couldn't. Not when he hadn't even fully recovered all of his memories. Not when she didn't even know where she stood in his life.
She did not know how Link thought of her with the current memories he had regained, and she certainly did not want to do or say anything that would put whatever fragile relationship they had between them at risk.
"Nothing of note," She finally replied, her eyes drifting away from him- unable to directly look at him as she lied- and focused them on the sky, ignoring the feeling of his eyes staring right at her. To her surprise, it seemed to be lightening up.
The sight of the sun rising lazily along the horizon took her breath away, and she couldn't help but stare, drinking in the sight and committing as much of it as she can to memory.
As the warm rays of sunshine pushed away the darkness, and as the warmth brought about by the sun beat away the cold that pervaded the land, so did the wonder and amazement that assaulted her conquer the bleak and sombre emotions and thoughts that had been brewing within.
She closed her eyes, basking in the comfortable heat and the warm breeze that had not touched her skin for the longest time.
It was her first sunrise since a hundred years ago.
A peace settled upon her, and a small smile graced her lips.
After a few minutes, she finally opened her eyes, surprisingly feeling much better than she had just an hour ago. Her raging emotions had calmed, and she could no longer feel the cold nor hear the whispers- at least for the current moment.
It was then her stomach growled. Loudly. And she inwardly cursed her stomach as a tint of red graced her cheeks. She had not needed food during her imprisonment within Ganon, and had forgotten the feeling of hunger.
"Hungry?" Link's voice floated through the air, and while it sounded as calm and tranquil as his usual tone, she- knowing him well- could sense the underlying amusement that was well hidden. She shot him a small glare which quickly melted away to the sight of the slight, upward curve of his lips.
With the backdrop of the rising sun, along with the gentle breeze that caused the loose strands of his hair to sway along with it as well as the small, yet amused smile on his usually emotionless face, he looked stunning.
Not for the first time, she cursed her lack of self-control as yet another hint of red tinted her cheeks.
"You find this amusing," She squinted at him, her voice accusatory. Her heart fluttered as she managed to spot the miniscule, almost undetectable widening of his smile.
She was glad to know that while Link had not recovered all his memories, he still found it comfortable enough to tease- albeit slightly only.
It was a far cry from how they interacted in the past, but it signified hope- that their fractured friendship was not lost cause, that the bridge that connected them could still be rebuilt.
"We should make a move. Wetland stable will have food," He ignored her remark as he picked himself up from the ground, the amused smile gone from his face- though she could still see a hint of amusement in his eyes.
She nodded in agreement, and was about to get up when a calloused hand entered her sight. Her body stilled, and flashbacks of the same sight that had happened so many times long ago appeared in her mind. Again, nostalgia struck, and it took her all her willpower to hold back a tear from escaping her eye.
Slowly, she raised her hand and placed it in his- the very first human contact she had ever since she regained her freedom. Her heart fluttered, and a tremble ran through her being- though Link didn't seem to notice it.
With a strength that she knew well, he gently pulled her to her feet and then helped her up his horse before climbing onto it, positioning himself in front of her as he took the reins.
"Are you comfortable, Princess?" He turned his head to the side, glancing behind to see if she was well-positioned. Mutely, she nodded her head as her arms wrapped around his waist. She was immediately thankful that Link was facing in front, as she knew with utmost certainty that her face was burning red at that current moment.
"We're moving off," Link gave a short warning before flicking the reins and coaxing the horse to take off- which it did without hesitation.
As the wind buffeted her body, as the sun shone its warm rays upon her, as the birds flew overhead with loud chirps and the leaves rustled along with the gentle breeze, and with a certain someone in front of her, Zelda finally stopped hearing the nagging voice at the back of her- worries that she had not yet dare to even think about, of her future, of Link's, of Hyrule's-, and smiled.
