Chapter 9: In the Shadow of a Broken Knight
He traveled far. At first, he trekked all throughout Hyrule again. On his own, finding his way through the pain that haunted him. During that time, he kept himself busy, always working for something, always trying to help someone. Always trying to help her somehow, even from far away.
He took care of every monster he found or was told of. Knowing that without a blood moon they'd never return, he saw it fit to rid the lad of them. To make the paths safe for her. For everyone. As he did that, he also hunted every last member of the Yiga that was left, destroying not only their primary hideout, but also the second one they'd hidden in after the Calamity. He blew it all up, in her name. He'd left her unprotected, which was his greatest sin, one he'd never be able to forgive himself. But he'd had to, so he would continue protecting her in his own way.
He helped her in other manners too. What he enjoyed the most was taking his time with talented Hyruleans and training them in basic combat. Most of the people he came across were already proficient at wielding weapons. After all, they'd had to learn to protect themselves to survive the ever-infested-by-monsters land. But he'd make sure to help them perfect their skills, and then send them on their way to the Castle with strict instructions of not talking about who sent them there, hoping they'd be picked as knights or soldiers eventually and therefore extending the range of his protection over her.
When he'd seen every corner of the Kingdom, he traveled further. Exploring lands he'd only heard of, happy to be in a different place, where no one could recognize him by face, where no one would ask questions.
Questions. Those were the worst.
Not a day in Hyrule passed in which he wasn't asked about her. Everyone had expected him to arrive with her. To be joined at the hip like newlyweds, even though they were never married. When the news spread of their relationship either being a rumor or coming to an unfaithful end, the questions got worse. They all wanted to know why. Why would such a perfect couple part? They all acted as if they were the heartbroken ones.
They had become a beacon of hope to them all. They had seen their union as an impossible thing that somehow came true, as a story that told you could become anything and overcome everything, as a powerful couple that would guide Hyrule to peace together forevermore. If only real life worked that way. The questions weren't the worst part, however. Everywhere he went he heard them. Those dreadful songs.
The songs about them slowly turned sadder, pathetic. They became mocks of a love that never happened. Or jabs at the Hero of Hyrule not holding his own, unable to enamor the Princess. Those that remained romantic, took a different tone. No longer were they telling the story of their love; now they told it as a legend. As a wish from the people to see them unite. As encouragement for the Knight to pursue his deepest wish.
He stopped listening to their lyrics the more time passed.
He had been gone a few months when he decided to travel to Holodrum. It had been a long trek, he'd had to cross the entirety of the Gerudo Desert on foot, which was way vaster than he'd originally thought, and then had to cross the desert that intersected with it on the way to the neighboring country. Holodrum's Samasa Desert was even bigger than Gerudo. He'd made it, though there definitely needed to be a better way for that journey.
During his stay at Holodrum, he met another Hylian. A young girl of 18 named Yolant. He had been quite pleased of his anonymity until she'd come around. She'd made his quiet stay at the City very annoying, pointing out how he should've hidden his obvious Master Sword if he truly wanted to remain anonymous. She was being rather forward and needy, too.
The day they met, somehow she'd managed to skillfully follow him without him noticing. He had been walking to the inn he stayed at one very late night, after helping the villagers with some monster problems they had. The streets were mostly deserted, and the night very chilly. Suddenly, as he walked down an alley he took often as a shortcut, he was tackled by her.
Instinctively, he pulled out the Master Sword, rolling skillfully to pin the body that had tried doing the same to him. She put up quite the fight, but soon gave up when the sword pressed firmly against her neck. Instead of panicking or begging for her life as his enemies usually would, the girl laughed.
"You're losing your touch, Hero. I should be dead already!" She continued laughing, not afraid of the press of his sword to her throat. Not even when it cut a little.
He pulled back somewhat, confused, coming to the conclusion that the girl wasn't a Yiga, or a threat really. She squirmed seductively under him, rubbing her legs against his groin. He stood up uncomfortably, briefly considering taking her life after all.
"You're as handsome as the tales say, although quite a bit shorter," she continued the mockery. Standing up, she dusted her clothes. "My name's Yolant. I've been watching you for a few days," she said, extending her hand for him to shake. He ignored it. "Not going to say anything? Alright then, I like them quiet," She winked with a smile, and he couldn't stop himself from thinking she was very beautiful for a moment.
Her hair, long and dark, rained down to the middle of her back. It was slightly curly, and the bangs around her face framed it nicely. She was very short, and very pale in the face, with bright brown eyes and a blush to her cheeks. "Well as I said, I've been watching you. Helping people and whatnot. I need help too, and I need someone strong. You seem like you could do. Will you help me?"
That's how he'd found himself escorting some random girl through the vast deserts back to Hyrule. At first he hadn't wanted to aid her at all, but the thought of her going through that horrible journey he'd endured on her own convinced him, especially not being sure if he'd exterminated the monsters of the desert. After a few days in her company, he began regretting his decision to escort her less.
Yolant spoke a lot. There was no moment of silence between them, as she always had more stories to tell about her travels. According to her, she'd toured all over the world, visiting not only Holodrum, but also Labrynna and other adjacent countries, like Ordona. She told him she'd been staying at Holodrum for about a year now, after a near death experience with a pack of Moblins in the Gerudo Desert. That had been the reason why she'd wanted to be escorted back. He let her know there weren't many monsters anymore. She was ecstatic about that, but still was afraid of making the long journey alone.
He liked her company, as being alone was one of the things that dragged him down under faster. When he was alone, all he could think about was her. It was slowly destroying him, he knew it wouldn't take him much longer to crawl back to her feet and beg forgiveness. Yolant's presence halted that, somewhat.
She was a nice girl, but she had a fatal flaw. It wasn't a defect, truly, but around him it definitely was. She was very… touchy. She was always touching him. Holding on to his shoulder as they walked, holding on to his tunic as he lead the way, or holding on to his arm. When they camped and sat to eat, she would sit very close to him, and would pointedly stare at his lips with apparent longing every time he chose to speak.
He didn't want to be rude, but he'd tried his best to keep the distance between them. Her touch often made him cringe. It wasn't wanted, even though he probably should just let her. He had to complete his duty after all. But he just couldn't.
Things began getting more complicated when she'd begun actively trying to seduce him. She told him often how she missed being touched by a man, and would point out how lovely his rough hands must feel on her skin. He couldn't deny her attractiveness. Something about the paleness of her skin, the curve of her hips and sleazy smile drew him in, if only slightly. She could make his duty easy, a one night thing maybe. He wouldn't have to stay by her, since that wasn't was she was looking for in him after all.
With that in mind, he tried to give in once, but that didn't go quite well. They'd had an argument that night, and the event didn't occur again in the few days that remained of desert travel. She had been exceptionally put off by his reactions, or lack thereof. How much he missed the teleporting abilities of the Sheikah Slate then.
She remained being a pain in the rear, though. When they finally arrived in Gerudo, where they'd agreed to part ways, she'd insisted he stay. Having nothing better to do, he did, and proceeded to have one of the most uncomfortable nights of his life. He hadn't noticed how thin the walls of the Kara Kara Bazaar where until he heard the sounds of his neighbor touching herself, his name crossing the thin division between them constantly.
"You really won't come over here and give me a hand?" He'd heard her say, followed by a giggle and a mutter of how he surely must not be into women.
He ignored all of it, and covered his head with a pillow to drown out the continuing sounds and be able to fall asleep. In his sleep, he was assaulted by more sounds, more moaning, more whispers of his name. But from a voice he loved, from a voice he longed to hear again. Her voice. Zelda.
He dreamt of her every night he was able to sleep. In his dreams, he often replayed their last nights together, focusing on her smile, on the flush of her skin, on the taste of her, how her pupils dilated as she looked him in the eyes. His dreams would remind him of every detail of her he'd memorized, every bit of her he treasured. Sometimes they showed him more.
He'd wake up confused at times, having had strange visions of himself and his Princess. They came slowly, and far between, so it was hard to put anything together. After months of that, he stopped paying attention, not really caring about some silly dreams anyway. Seeing things like that only caused him more harm, and he didn't need any more of that.
By now, he thought he'd be alright. He had successfully distracted himself for a long time, and believed he'd be able to keep on doing the same. All of that changed on his second day in Gerudo Town. The news were very controversial among the townspeople, considering the suddenness. When he heard of her engagement, nearly a year since he'd left, whatever was left of his heart shattered. He should have been happy. That was exactly what he'd wanted all along, for her to find someone and complete her duties. For her to find at least some modicum of happiness, to have a content life. He knew she would never be happy, not truly, much like him. But he hoped. He hoped so much.
His heart was in such a state of sorrow that he spent most of his time locked up in a room, alone, sleeping. Or staring at the ceiling. Whichever his body decided to do that day. Yolant had stuck around, having thought of Link as some sort of friend even though what she desired most was to get under his trousers. She tried helping him, but nothing would aid him. She eventually resorted to just accompanying him in his loneliness, talking to him endlessly to fill in the constant silence around him. He appreciated that, but he truly just wanted to be left alone, and he'd told her.
He regretted that when she gave up. The loneliness only hurt him more and the dreams he'd chosen to avoid merely opened up further. He saw her, over and over again. Scolding him, smiling at him, helping him, pushing him playfully, loving him. Always with him. Except she never looked the same. But he knew it was her. It could only be her. He didn't really understand what it was he was seeing, but he thanked the Goddess regardless for those imaginings. Even though they didn't show him much.
He knew they were more than dreams. They had to be. Perhaps they were the confirmation of the legends, that him and his Princess always met again, life after life. Perhaps they were visions to their pasts. Or to their futures. They filed him with false hopes, showing him only the good, skipping on the bad. Tempting him, as if a punishment. Showing him how good they were and will be together, time and time again, making him wish he'd remained by her. He should have. He should return to where he belonged. Even if for a day.
He had to see her again. He needed to see her again. He had to make sure that she was in good hands. He wanted to see that she had good protection around her, that she had faithful people by her side, that she had a good man to accompany her until the end. He had to make sure she was okay, healthy, happy. He had to verify she didn't need him anymore, before he completely disappeared from her life. He had to ensure she had moved on. That there was no more hope for him. No more space in her heart for his. So he could move on too.
So he went.
Yolant followed him as he traveled to the Castle, not asking many questions, but coming to her own conclusions about what was going on. Hyruleans had countless rumors, and countless versions of the story about the Hero and the Princess, but enough of them were true or close enough to it for her to piece things together. She had noticed that his sudden shift had come after hearing of the Princess's engagement, and with that she had discovered why Link had been so against her advances. She admired the man for that, and wanted to help him with his grief. And so she followed, silently for once, only offering him company. He thanked her, on the second night of their travel, and she didn't have to ask why.
On the third day, they arrived at a newly bustling town. Yolant kept praising the Princess and whoever helped her rebuild, constantly gasping and awing as her eyes explored the place, but Link didn't even pay attention. His eyes traveled from face to face, searching, scanning, noticing surprise in some as they recognized him. If they called out his name, he didn't hear. He kept walking through Central Square, taking the most direct path to the Castle.
He was nervous, his hands slightly shaking as he made his way to his goal. He ignored his companion, who insisted he shouldn't just walk in there. She was right, he knew, but he wasn't thinking straight. His thoughts were clouded by the need to see her again, by the irresistible pull of the earth around him, guiding him forward, where he knew he'd see her because the universe always guided them towards each other. He could practically feel her as he took several more steps, leaving the fountain behind him as he continued walking, keeping his eyes locked ahead, towards the bridge that connected the Castle to the town.
And he saw her, where he knew he would. Standing gloriously on that bridge, looking as radiant as ever, as beautiful as she's always looked. The same, yet not. She looked stronger, wiser. As if she'd lived a thousand lives, her walk strong and confident, like she'd walked that way since the beginning of time, having years and years to perfect her steps, to calculate the weight on her heels to make her seem weightless. As if she floated, like the Goddess she descended from. She stood tall, like the world belonged to her, and yet so sweet and humble, as if she belonged to it instead. Like she was above all and yet bellow it. Unexplainable. Just her. The essence of everything, of him. His existence, his love, his everything.
His heart beat faster, his breath hitched. And then blue met green.
\/\/\/
Hello!
Hope you enjoy this insight into what Link's been doing. I just love how he sees his Princess. I'd say how they value each other is the strongest part of their relationship. It's so cute.
To all those who've made it this far, thank you! I hope you continue until the end. We're not so far from there now...
I'll see you in the next one!
With love, WishfulInfatuation~
