Hey guys, hope you liked the last chapter (although very short and disheartening)
I've been planning on doing this fic for a while, but I have no idea what made me do it now .-.
...So yeah. Link dies. (I might be kidding) :3 read the story now.
Here goes:
~"I cannot say, and I will not say
That he is dead. He is just away.
With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand,
He has wandered into an unknown land
And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be, since he lingers there.
And you—oh you, who the wildest yearn
For an old-time step, and the glad return,
Think of him faring on, as dear
In the love of There as the love of Here.
Think of him still as the same. I say,
He is not dead—he is just away." ~
-James Whitcomb Riley
Zelda never understood that quote, the one from a book in the library, until just now. She rode on her pale horse, with Epona behind, being led by a guard. Her master's limp body lay along the frame of her back. The red horse whinnied, like she knew something was wrong.
A small sympathetic frown was etched in Zelda's porcelain face. Now she understood what it meant. She'd never felt so desperate for anything in her entire life.
"Still alive, Princess." The guard informed after checking the hero's pulse. She nodded. "Thank you, Aldain." The guard flushed, as if he hadn't expected his patron to know his name.
The gates opened, allowing them into the back of the stoneyard, for she knew people would be alarmed at the sight of him. Link went straight to the infirmary, and Zelda went straight to her room. Normally, she would have gone here to cry, to break down and cry herself to sleep, but there was no use for it. She took a canteen of golden liquid from her nightstand and rushed to the infirmary.
The healers looked at her strangely, then bowed her heads in respect. "Princess, what brings yo-"
"Fool!" Another hissed. "She is obviously here for Him." She gestured to the form laying in a cot. Zelda could tell some of them were fighting back giggles. A few blushed. Apparently they saw no situation of dire need. She cleared her throat. "I would like to offer my healing abilities."
The girls' faces were blank. "Er.. I dont know if that's-"
Zelda held up a hand and summoned a vout of magic that swirled around her fingers.
"Perhaps I wasn't clear," The princess challenged them to argue, her cyan eyes sparked with anger. The girls nodded. "Yes, your majesty."
Zelda approached the cot and sat down. His dirty blonde hair was everywhere, a sleeping mass of Hylian hero. "Hey." She whispered. No reply. He was closer to death than she even thought possible for anyone to withstand. She poured the golden chu jelly on some of the wounds, and added some of Nayru's powers into the gut stab. She'd never tried to use healing capabilities, but it seemed to be working okay. The healers scurried about, breaking the arrow from his leg and pressing herbs into his wounds.
Link-
The strangest experience he had ever had was occurring before him, and that's saying a looot, considering the seriously messed up stuff he faces every day.
He saw the end, could feel it. Could graze his hand along the membrane of the other world, but did not enter. He decided to dream, to pass time.
He sat in Hyrule fields, next to a pond by the small bridge. His fingers were working swiftly at marking their path. A form emerged from his shadow.
"Hurry it up, wolf boy." Midna yawned. "It's gonna be dark soon, and that'll give us some unneeded trouble."
He only smiled. "Okay. First I need to write a few letters, then we can set up." She yawned again. "Alright, but I'll sleep till then." Her form was cradled in his lap now, her shallow breaths blending with the sounds of night. The hero smiled fondly down at her. "Goodnight, Midna."
Then it shifted, the memory fading to another, this time only sounds. The five words that would never stop replaying in his head.
"Link, I….. See you later." Link's head screamed with pain, his gut wrenched and he felt like vomiting up his insides.
"No!" He had screamed. "No!" As the broken shards fell. As he cut his hands and grasped at the pieces that fell.
The one shard he secretly kept. One piece of her to keep.
Link blinked his eyes. He could no longer feel the blood on him, and he was wearing a long white tunic, trimmed with gold. The sunlight landed on his lashes. He smiled and pushed the covers away with his good arm, (seeing as though the other was in a sling) and tried to sit up. Pain shot through him, and he winced.
A murmur from across the room indicated he wasn't alone. He shifted his gaze towards the being. Zelda was asleep in the corner, leaned back in a chair. His expression softened. He moved slowly towards her, swallowing the pain. Link sat on the foot rest by her knees. "Hey, Zel." He whispered. "Now I'm awake and you aren't." His hand traced her jaw-line softly, and he brushed a strand of brown hair from her face. The hero decided to lie down until she woke, so he made his excruciating trip back to his cot. Propping himself up on some pillows, he allowed himself brief rest.
It wasn't too long before he heard her wake. She stood as he opened his eyes. "Link!" The princess went to him swiftly. "Hey." He grinned. "It'll take a few more wars to total me." A look of relief passed his patron's face. "Oh Goddesses, everyone will be so happy to know you're awake!" She cleared her throat, gaining her poise. "I missed you." She said, her voice not trembling like it had when he lay dying. The strong ruler of Hyrule was back to her normal self. "Well, how long was I out?" She took a moment before responding. "Two days." Link was surprised by this, but nodded anyways. "Missed you too." Zelda looked at his abdomen, where the major stab wound had been. "How is the pain?" She asked. Link shrugged. "Eh. Still hellfire, but not enough to kill me." His patron laughed. "I should hope not." He studied her then, the dark bags under her eyes, the traces of fatigue in her voice. "What happened?" He inquired.
"I used magic to try and heal you, and I've been awake for a few days, coming in here often to oversee your injuries." The princess answered sheepishly. Link knew that was something a ruler would worry about, because if he fell, Hyrule might fall behind him. But then… there was something else there, beyond her duties as monarch. She cared about him, he knew this, but how strong was it?
He tried to fight the smug smile that clawed it's way onto his face. His hand ran sheepishly through his hair, and remained at the back of his neck. "Eh… Thanks, Zel." She blushed a little and looked away to hide it.
Awe yay awkward relationship stuff 3