The reason, Why!
- a Zelda story-
by Hihana
Genre: Angst, Adventure, Self-contemplation
Rating: T for mentioned violence and gore
Summary
Link muses on his reasons for fighting and why he is still on his quest to save Hyrule.
Author's note
Well this my first Zelda story, I wrote it for the fanfiction contest at legendofzeldaseries com, sadly I didn't win, but I still enjoyed writing it. Please review.
On with the show.. enjoy
The day was almost over, the sun had begun it's descend from it's peak and would soon be vanishing behind the mountains in the western part of Hyrule, dyeing the world golden while doing so. Watching the evening red Link appreciated that Midna had suggested that they stop early and for once he had not protested or argued with the furry imp.
He felt tired and exhaustion had seeped into his body long ago. Their task hadn't become any easier as he undertook a journey set by the fates itself. He had left Ordon, had entered an unknown world and done what had been asked of him without one word of complaint, he felt wary and old. Link had yet to see his eighteenth summer.
Walking countless steps through wastelands, woods, mountains and fields and all for nothing? It certainly seemed that way.
He had given the spirits their light back, had searched temples, mines and dungeons to get the tool that would help Midna obliterate Zant and yet they weren't strong enough.
Barely three weeks ago they had been confronted with Zant in Lanaryu's cave and both he and Midna had barely escaped with their lives. Midna in a less than healthy state than he himself. If it hadn't been for the interference of Lanaryu they wouldn't have left his dwelling alive and it was only thanks to princess Zelda's sacrifice that Midna had survived at all.
And now? A new quest already awaited him: To find the mirror of twilight.
Midna was certain that it still existed in Hyrule and talked about it most of the time. Though he noticed that she always danced around it's use. He was sure it wasn't pretty, otherwise the blunt shadow creature would have told him by now.
Shaking his head his eyes rested on the small fire he had lightened an hour ago. With the sky darkening the fields cooled rather quickly and he had nothing that would warm him, save for Midna. The odd looking shadow being was pressed against his right hip, having manifested as the light had withdrawn from the land. Her tiny body wasn't exactly the best source of warmth but every little bit helped and Link wasn't about to complain. He rarely did even though there had been more than enough occasions.
But he stayed quiet and accepted what he couldn't change.
He had set out to find the persons he held dearly in his heart after the debacle at Epona's spring and what had he gotten?
The task of saving Hyrule from eternal darkness.
By no means a small feat and he struggled with acceptance even now, months after everything had been set in motion. If someone had told him five months ago that Rusl, the village guards was in reality a rebel trying to fight against the spreading darkness he would have suggested an appointment with a mind healer.
Before this had started he had never set a foot outside of the woods that surrounded the small village he called home. His days had been quiet and calm filled with working on the ranch. The occasional spar with Rusl had always been some sort of highlight for him, to test his skill against someone else. Only one thing had ever mattered to Link and that was the dream of being the mayor of Ordon one day.
The world outside of the woods had never interested him, despite the knowledge that he hadn't been born in Ordon or that his parents might still be out there waiting for him to find them. For him his parents were nothing more than flimsy faceless shadows, a past he had no memory off, having been too young to remember them. The only parents he knew were Rusl and Uli with Colin resembling a younger brother. And along with the rest of the village who had taken an orphan in and raised it as their own.
Because of this his wish to become mayor had been born, he wanted to look after the people he considered family just like they had looked after him when he had been young. And he knew that raising him hadn't been an easy task. Rusl and Uli often teased him, mentioning what a wild fang he had been. And what a wild fang he had been.
Exploring the woods and hunting had been two of his favourite pastimes, Rusl had brought him along once and Link had taken to it like a fish to water. While he was by no means a violent or dangerous person, he had soon realised that he was most content when a blade was in his hands. He couldn't remember when Rusl had first shown him how to handle a sword but it had been early and he had to haven been very young because on the very edges of his memory were still fragmented pictures of a huge arguments. Uli had been against the notion of teaching him sword fight he knew and had never changed her mind as he grew older.
And now she had been left behind in Ordon, alone and with child. Link didn't know whether to be angry with Rusl or grateful. He appreciated his mentor's help. But leaving a pregnant wife behind was unacceptable. Her stomach had shown as this journey had begun and that was months ago. The birth of her son or daughter had to be imminent, would Rusl be there to see it? He dearly hoped so, all of them should be there to congratulate Uli and welcome the newborn into the world. He would make sure they would.
He had to.. otherwise what good would have it done to fight. If not to save the ones he loved and ensure their continued happiness.
Viewing it from this angle Link supposed he was glad that he had entered the twilight and met Midna. He had by no means been blind to the fact that she used him as means to an end. But he had continued to follow her in hopes of finding his missing friends and he realised with a start that she had kept her word in a twisted roundabout way. He had indeed met up with Beth, Colin and the others and after more tasks he had found Ilia, though he would never have imagined that he encounter them in wolf form first.
The thought of the young blonde woman without memories still send shivers down his spine, although he knew that she was in good hands and save from further harm by king Bublin and his entourage.
In all the time he had travelled through Hyrule be it on paws or in a saddle the fear for his friends' safety had never left his mind. It had been the incentive to try to complete the enormous task the goddesses had set for him. Be it during the first conversation with the guardian of light in the spring near Ordon, as he returned to human form and heard about his destiny for the first time or the confrontation with Zant in Lanaryu's cave.
They had kept him going as days had turned into weeks, as calloused hands transformed into paws once more, as his muscles grew stronger than they had ever been, as his body adapted to changes he couldn't have foreseen and as his behaviour sometimes lost it's rational aspects. Instead being replaced by a feral and animalistic side as his jaw opened and he tore through hides and flesh of monsters with teeth far sharper than most blades. As blood stained his clothes and refused to be washed out no matter how often the green tunic was thrown into a river.
Time had passed with nothing more than a manipulative and quite vindictive imp at his side and no hylian soul near by.
But he could not give up, not when they all depended on him. Malo, Talo, Beth and Colin, who waited patiently for his return. Telma, Rusl and the rest of the resistance, who hoped that he would find a way into Hyrule castle to save the princess. Then there was Ilia, who didn't remember him but still had wished him luck. Midna, who had been forced from her home and had been ready to lay her life down, if it meant giving him a way to defeat Zant.
And then there was Zelda, the young princess locked away in her own castle. While Link had always been wary of the small shadow imp the reassurance given by princess had soothed his worries. He hadn't understood what she had talked about, but she had sacrificed her power to cure Midna and ultimately to help them continue their quest.
A quest that was far from finished. With a sigh he regarded the sword in his hand. The master blade, forged by sages eons ago. Who would have thought that the weapon in his hands was not only capable of slaying even the darkest beasts but also of lifting curses. It was really amazing.
On cue the shard containing Zant's malicious power throbbed inside his chest, close to his heart where it resided, now that he had control over the transformation from Hylian to beast. Shaking his head in a not entirely hylian manner he suppressed a feral growl. Thoughts of Zant usually invoked this kind of reaction in him, especially since he had nearly killed them weeks ago. Both of them still felt the effects the twilight king had left on them. Aching muscles and a far more animalistic behaviour than normal marked the last weeks while Midna.. well wasn't really Midna. At least not the furred sarcastic creature he had been used to in the last months.
They hadn't teleported since Midna was, despite being healed, still weaker than normal and she would need more time to regain her lost power.
Despite her inability to transport them in a matter of seconds they were steadily gaining ground and in no time they would reach Hyrule once more. Link wanted to talk with Rusl and the others about the latest development concerning Zant and what the historian had found out about the mirror. After all the hylian folk most likely didn't know that their princess was gone and as he and Midna hadn't stayed around to see the reaction of Zant he supposed he wanted reassurance that the tyrant had not demolished the castle in a fit of rage. He had needed Zelda's cooperation to rule Hyrule and with her gone it would only be a matter of time until the first rebellions broke out.
Another reason for travelling in the direction of the castle. They had already planned to enter the desert at their earliest convenience. The little imp had stated that there had been the original resting place and it was the most logical place to search first. With any luck the mirror was still were it had been used, but Link wasn't betting his rupees on it.
Grabbing the rag from where he had dropped it only moments ago, he continued to clean the holy blade. Bloodstains coming off with a bit more force and he only stopped as the weapon was as clean as it had been the day he had pulled it from the stone it had rested in. Sheathing the holy weapon, he put the rag aside and placed the bedroll he used as a pillow on the ground. Throwing another branch of dried wood into the fire he laid down.
Tomorrow would be another strenuous day on their journey and maybe one step closer to the mirror and Zant's defeat. He couldn't give up, the mirror was their last connection and even if he had to turn every stone in Hyrule over, he would find it. His friends depended on him to find it and make everything alright again. He couldn't disappoint them, he wouldn't. With one last glance at Midna Link closed his eyes.
After all they were his reason for fighting.
End