Less than one year. It had been less than one year since the signs of the return of the Calamity Ganon had begun to appear, and already it was drawing closer and closer. Already signs of destruction and pestilence plagued the once marvelous kingdom. She had been trying, doing nothing but trying, to find the sealing power resting within her, and she had still failed over and over again. Link could not even begin to imagine the stress, the turmoil.
Everything had seemed so distant, so far off. They had plenty of time, he kept telling himself, all of the champions had told themselves. "It's not like he's going to return today," Revali had rolled his eyes at Zelda on one occasion. Goddesses Link had never wanted to hit him more than in that moment. "Relax a little. Lighten up. Maybe that's your problem."
They had visited the Spring of Courage and the Spring of Power. Only the Spring of Wisdom, resting atop Mount Lanayru, remained, and there they would head the following day, on the princess's seventeenth birthday. It was too late to continue traveling, though, and so they set up camp at the base of the mountain. Link was relieved that, at least for the time being, no monsters seemed to sit in the vicinity. After weeks of traveling with no reward, he was exhausted. He was not entirely sure he could handle a bokoblin, let alone the lynels known to patrol near mountains.
"This has to work," he heard Zelda say, though he knew he was not meant to. She had always confided in him, but not in the same way she had been able to confide in Urbosa or even Mipha, though he always sensed some hostility whenever the Zora and Hylian princesses were around one another. "I have done everything I can think of."
"It will work," Urbosa's deep, powerful voice responded, though her tone had taken on an almost motherly quality to it, something Link knew Zelda needed. The death of her mother had devastated her, she had confided in him. The death of her mother at such an early age could have very well doomed the kingdom as well.
"Women," Revali's sharp voice cut through the comfortable silence Link and Daruk had been sharing together. Ignoring him, Link focused on starting the fire, on preparing something to eat for the group. They would not be saving Hyrule on empty stomachs, and he was the best cook of the bunch of them.
They ate in silence, though not the comfortable silence they usually enjoyed. They were running out of time, and they all knew it. Link watched as Zelda picked at her food, not really eating, but no doubt wanting the others to believe she was. He sighed deeply and stared into the fire, wishing he could say something, do something to help, though he knew he could not. He did not have Daruk's strength, Urbosa's ferocity, Mipha's calm demeanor, or Revali's nerve. He did not belong with them, and they all knew it.
No, it was not the time for self-doubt, not when they had so much to lose. "Get some rest, little guy," Daruk patted Link on the back, causing the knight to jump, more in surprise than anything else. "You and the Princess have a long day ahead of you."
Link nodded and retired to his tent. He dropped his sword and shield and lay on the ground, staring at the canvas above him. Each moment he slept he did nothing, and each moment brought them closer to the return of Calamity Ganon. Still, they were doing everything they could. He knew that. He had seen the legions of Guardians taking up post throughout the kingdom. They had uncovered the Divine Beasts, and the four champions were more than ready to pilot them.
And still he was afraid, afraid for the kingdom, for Zelda's life, even for his own. He had always been viewed as stoic, fearless, though he knew the fearlessness was an act. He was just as nervous as the others were over Zelda's inability to harness the power that would seal Ganon away. He just didn't vocalize it. And why should he? It would not have done any good. He could see how Revali's snide comments got to Zelda. Urbosa had even snapped at him on one occasion.
He jumped and shot awake when he saw the fabric covering the entrance to his tent slide open, knowing Revali preferred to sleep outdoors and Daruk would be taking the first watch. He reached for his sword, but relaxed his hand when he saw it was Zelda standing before him. "I am sorry," she spoke, her voice soft, almost childlike. "I did not mean to startle you."
He shook his head and sat up, covering himself with a blanket as he moved. "It's all right," he assured. "What's wrong?"
"I just…" she trailed off and stared down at the ground. "I needed to see you. To know that you were fine." Link nodded, but said nothing, wondering what had brought it on. She had seen him enter his tent, had seen that he was fine, or at least that he had kept his guarded demeanor on around them. He could never falter, not once. The group needed someone to be strong enough for all of them, and he was more than willing to provide that necessity. It was much easier to ignore his emotions and feelings than to embrace them. "I just… I feel as though something terrible is going to happen tomorrow."
"I won't let it," he replied, though he knew it was a promise he could not keep. Prepared as they were, he knew they were not prepared enough to face the Calamity head-on. He knew the stories, had read the legends. It had taken a miracle for Hyrule to survive the last disaster. They would need all the luck they could get if they were to survive this time around. "I will never let anything terrible happen to you."
"I know," she nodded and sat down next to him. Not for the first time, he wondered if he had allowed their relationship to become too close, too familiar. He wondered what the ladies of her court would have said had they seen them sharing such a confined space, what her father would say. They were not present though. No, it was just her, him, and the four champions. They all needed each other; they needed to be close to one another, to trust one another. "But I still worry."
"I know," he sighed and tensed when she leaned into his side. She had hated him at first, or at least hated that her father insisted she be guarded at all times, but they had grown close in just a few short months, closer than a princess and her appointed knight should have ever been. It was improper. Yet, as the world was preparing to collapse in around them, it somehow seemed less important to be proper, and so he draped his arm around her.
"I just want all of this to be over, to be some horrible nightmare," she spoke softly and buried her face in his shoulder. He sighed and kept holding her, unsure of what else to do, unsure if he should have even been doing as he was doing.
"Oh great Hylian champion," Revali's sharp voice cut through the silence Link and the princess had been enjoying. Zelda moved away from Link as the Rito champion poked his head into the tent, something Link would be eternally grateful for. He did not think he could handle the ridicule his fellow champion would have been sure to bring upon them. "You've got second watch. I need my beauty rest."
Link nodded and looked apologetically at Zelda, once such a confident young woman so sure of herself, now appearing as nothing more than a scared little girl. He supposed she was, though. They were all terrified, and he knew that, even if no one would admit it. He had no doubts Urbosa and Revali would sooner die than admit to it. Only when she nodded did he exit the tent to relieve Daruk, who greeted him with a smile. "Thanks, little guy," he patted Link on the back once more. Without a word, Link nodded and sat before the fire, watching the mercifully empty scenery around them. "She's going to find that power tomorrow," the Goron, who had not left Link's side, spoke. "I can feel it. Before we know it, it'll be like this whole thing never happened."
"I hope you're right," Link responded and pulled a knee to his chest, knowing he had a long few hours before him. Daruk patted him on the back once more before retiring to their tent. Link sighed and stared into the fire, watching the amber flames dance in the dark night. He did not know what the next day would bring, but he hoped beyond all hope that Zelda would be granted the power to seal Ganon away. Still, he knew there was no point in dwelling in the future. Only the Goddess knew what it would bring, and sometimes he even doubted that.
"Is she all right?" Mipha's soft voice asked from behind him. He turned slightly and nodded, knowing no further words would be needed for her. They had always been able to communicate without words, something he had always been grateful for. How could he put into words the stress he felt, that they all felt? "Good," she smiled and sat beside him. "I like to think that, if something were to happen soon, that we'll all remember each other like this, just looking out for each other no matter what." He nodded and did not pull his hand back when she took it, and hoped that he would remember the happy times along with the bad that were sure to come.
He never wanted to forget a moment he had spent with his friends.