He stared in silence. Always silence.
"I'm sorry..." I murmured.
Silence.
I lowered my gaze to the ground. "Please don't blame yourself."
Silence.
"She probably felt like she had to do it. Our duty binds us." I looked at him again.
He shook his head ever-so-slightly, and drew a deep, shaking breath. I couldn't see his face, but by the way his breath caught, I thought he might be crying.
I took a step forward and put my hand on his shoulder. I wanted him to know that I was here for him.
He slowly raised his hand and rested his fingers on mine so gently that I could barely feel it through the material of my gloves. He breathed a deeper, more calming breath that raised his shoulders, and that was when I noticed how tense he was, how worked up, how utterly broken.
"You shouldn't worry. I think... I know that she had strong feelings for you. She did it for your benefit as much as she did hers."
The wind that whistled through the pillars of the structure where we stood gave one last mournful howl before dropping into a silent breeze. The moonless sky was home to only billions of clusters of stars that stared down at us, offering no support, no warmth. The light had left with her, and left the solitude of shadows behind.
We both stared at the emptiness before us. A cold, solid rock that would not now yield if either of us tried to go through it. We stared in silence.
His hand slipped from mine and his eyes fell to the floor. I didn't move my hand, but I did watch him for a moment.
"The pain you are feeling right now... It's entirely normal. It will fade." His head lifted slightly and I heard a small gasp come from him. "I don't mean that the memory will fade, if you choose to keep it alive." I hastily added.
Silence.
Our breaths were so light that we couldn't hear them, the wind had dropped entirely, and no creature moved. It was dead silence. I willed myself to say something, to break the silence, to ensure I was not deaf. But I couldn't think of anything to say.
He turned, and my hand dropped from his shoulder. I stared into his eyes, my gaze flicking from one to the other. He stared back, his eyes pits of sorrow with a hint of betrayal.
"Come on, Link. Hyrule is safe. We should go back to the castle." I took a step back and waited for him to follow me.
He turned to look at the stand of the mirror for a moment, unwilling to believe what had happened. He stared for a long moment, and I let him. Eventually, he sighed and turned.
We walked back to the entrance of the chamber, and he paused to look back. It was the first time I had ever heard his voice. It was deeper than I expected, no louder than a whisper, and laced with an inexplicable sadness that made my heart ache for him.
"See you later..." His voice was hoarse.
I did not mention the fact that he had spoken, nor did I question the tears that fell from him eyes. I simply let him be alone with his memories. I only broke my vigil of respect to utter one thing, finish her sentence, perhaps too quietly to hear. "Link... I... love you."
Silence.