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❛eternal thoughts❜

• • •

The passing breeze caressed Zelda's pale skin as she stood proudly atop the Goddess' cemented palms. Her direction was pulled in three ways at once. Her eyes focused on Groose and his lackeys mounting their loftwings underneath the statue's shadow. Her pointy ears listened to the gentle plucking of harp strings emanating from the harp that calloused hands of The Surface's hero held. And her heart, the part of her body she depended and trusted most, was solely attentive to her best friend; her hero. Except he wasn't hers. He was a hero to every soul that existed on The Surface. He saved the entire population of every race known to the land. Yet it all came with a price that she placed upon him with the fate her counterpart installed eons ago.

Lowering her hands, Zelda ran her fingers over the sacred bracelet she had been gifted only weeks ago by Impa. A soft smile played at her lips, reminiscing in old memories that were not hers but the Goddess' that had instilled herself in Zelda long before she was conceived. It was all apart of fate, Zelda reminded herself. Only good could come from this unexpected journey. Thoughts of Fi, Impa, Demise, and her savior devoured her mind, covering every inch with a positive time they coincided with. With those times came dark, overbearing experiences, but she pushed those thoughts as best she could to the back of her mind. There was no use to sink deeper into those thoughts for they would only bring out the worst of her. What she needed was to reach the light at the end of the tunnel - for that was the only way she would be able to rebuild the former kingdom of The Surface.

Zelda spotted her new friends below the statue begin to lift off the ground with their feathered steeds. Her eyes sparkled with joy to see them with kind, irregular smiles and deep laughter. Such happiness did not even exist hours before now, with the importance of Demise's eradication weighing heavily on minds of the people involved in the dire situation. The repetitive tune that filled both hers and the hero's sharp ears stilled with an abrupt end. The trio of Groose, Cawlin, and Strich floated by the Statue of The Goddess and waved what felt like a final goodbye. Zelda waved in return, hoping this would not be the last time she ever saw the boys as they disappeared into the white clouds she had looked down on her whole life.

Gusts of gentle wind blew through strands of her matted, gold hair. Her skin felt refreshed and the scent of trees and soil was inhaled by her nostrils. It was a beautiful feeling, wind and scent combining to heighten her love for the land she happened to fall on as she had only begun her wild expedition. It was something that the clouds of Sky could not provide. Something that only The Surface could create. The craving for this feeling let her heart finally decide the answer to the question she had been asking herself since the defeat of Demise and his minions.

Her precious, glowing metal hair bands landed harshly on her collarbone as she turned to face the person she had grown to care for and adore. All hesitation she held within vanished in milliseconds. Zelda was ready. She was ready to tell him what she desired… and what she hoped would come with it.

"Look around us!" Zelda exclaimed with delight. "As a child, I always dreamed of a world below. I wanted to see the surface and feel the land's warm breeze against my skin." She twirled in her place with a small smile, embracing the rays of the sun beating on the two of them. She came to a stop and gazed at him once more with a warm gaze. "I… I think I want to live here. I always want to feel solid ground beneath my feet, see the clouds above my head, and watch over the Triforce."

"What about you, Link?" She asked sweetly, giving him an adoring smile filled with happiness and love. "What will you do now?"

The various expressions displayed on his face gave her no clue as to what he would say. Or how he would respond. First came the bright smile with his familiar chuckle, then the look of pure sadness and frustration. It confused Zelda. She couldn't tell what he was pondering at the time. The feeling that wind and scent created was replaced with nervous anticipation. She could only will herself to whisper a few more words to Link in fear she would speak a word that would cause uneasiness between them.

"Will you stay with me, my hero?" She uttered desperately, opening her arms and wishing not to scare him away.

Silence filled the small distance between them. The only audible sound was of the wind whistling against her ears. All tension was washed by the breeze, leaving an unusual ease between the two best friends. She awaited his answer with open arms and a hesitant expression. She chewed on her bottom lip, praying to the gods of old for him to say something she wanted to hear, as selfish as it sounded.

Link took a step forward with a placid face. The twine of anxiety grew stronger in her stomach. Her hair continued to partner with the wind in a wild dance as the distance between them became nonexistent. The hero extended his finger and thumb, gripping a strand of Zelda's hair and sliding it behind her ear. His face slid closer until she could feel his hot breath against her cheek, replicating the feeling of the breeze she always wished to feel against her skin.

"I…" He began, pressing the side of his face against her temple, breathing hot words into her ear. She had not heard his intoxicating voice in weeks. It drove her mad as she felt her cheeks and the tips of her ears become ruddy. It was deep, soothing. A tone you would not expect from someone of his typical nature. It was plain torture to restrain herself from smashing her lips against his.

But the world did not seem to agree with what she wished for. The statue's palms rumbled beneath them. They seperated, attempting to balance themselves as the stone crumbled. The Triforce's glow dulled immediately, turning to a shade of pitch black. The pieces of the magnificent treasure fell apart, shattering as it collided with the cemented floor.

"No!" Zelda shouted. Her eyes grew moist with incoming tears. All that Link had worked for - gone. The gift left to her to protect - broken. The promise she made to keep The Surface safe - torn.

Her surroundings grew dark with purple fog. The sky turned as red as blood, the sun disappeared as did her friends minutes ago. The Statue fell, crumbling to a pile of ashes. Zelda squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to accept hers and Link's fate. But she did not fall. She could not feel the treacherous wind whip against her face or any part of her body at all. She dared to open her eyes. All air left her lungs at the sight of the monster before her.

The Imprisoned awoke once more, seeking to consume the broken Triforce and Statue of The Goddess. "Zelda!" She heard her hero shout and her eyes scavenged for him amid the collapsation of the seal of Statue and the release of Demise. Rapid thoughts and questions raced through her mind. 'It should have worked.' 'Why is he back?' 'What have I done wrong?'

Link shouted for her once more. She finally spotted him, falling farther from her into the open jaws of The Imprisoned. Zelda screamed in agony, watching her friend fall into the hideous creature's mouth and as the world around her disappeared into a deserted wasteland.

• • •

She awoke with a cry. Her knuckles were white from gripping the sheets of her sweat-drenched mattress and her hair was a matted mess, resembling the style she had worn on that day. But on that day, there had been no release of Demise's seal. There had only been heartbreak. That day, loneliness and depression had ensued a piece of her heart for its own dislikable reasons and buried her in a deep state of sadness.

A cold breeze passed through her open window. Zelda shivered and reached for the spot next to her on the mattress. It was empty.

She hated that empty space, and the breeze she thought she had loved. For it reminded her of 'The Day'. Not the day where Demise was sealed away. Not the day the Master Sword and its soul was placed into eternal sleep. Not the day where Impa vanished before her eyes.

But the day when he left her on the statue without a word, seven, long years ago.

• • •

hello, welcome to "Eternity". i'm so glad you were interested in this fanfiction enough to click on it and read. i suppose this part is a bit confusing, but i promise to shed more light on this later on in the story. in a time, it will all make sense. thanks for reading. (expect slow updates ;-; - also, sorry for the short chapter, was rushing to get this out before school started) enjoy your day

-sky