...I want to say it but I know you guys are probably sick of hearing it by now, nonetheless, I will say it once more: I AM SO SORRY. I am not even going to bore you guys with a long explanation this time, but if you're wondering the reason why this took so long it's pretty much two reasons:
1. I was busy so I couldn't write. This was when there was still a bunch of things going on at the end of the school year. So once summer started, I thought I could finally write the chapter and please you guys. That's when I was greeted by the second reason.
2. Writer's block. I am so sorry, I just had no idea how to end this. This is the final chapter so I wanted to make it as exciting as possible, and I really wanted to make sure that it wasn't a lame ending. But that's how I got stuck and I was just braindead with no ideas. Finally after what felt like forever, something hit me and I was able to resume this story. I'm still kind of scared that I won't have met your expectations once you finish reading this chapter, but...I sure hope I did...
I understand if you can't forgive me, or if you have a horrible image of me in your mind now. If you think, "This author always takes forever to update, she sucks," then I would have to agree, because I do take decades to update and I feel horrible about that.
With that aside though, I really put a lot of work into this chapter and worked really hard to make it the best I could possibly write, so I hope you enjoy the long awaited chapter, and please don't hate me if you don't like it! I tried!
Also, warning: This is a VERY long chapter, so that's just a heads up. It's almost 7000 words, so that's another reason why it took so long...
As usual though, before I start, I have to take my last chance to thank the amazing reviewers:
Nike- I'm gonna miss it, too, but all I hope for is that the ending is satisfying. :) Thanks for your awesome review.
CupcakePride101- Yep, Link got to a point of desperation. XD And I know, Groose is definitely in trouble. Thank you for the great review.
Ganon lover- Hmm...your theory is interesting, and I don't think it's crazy. I think you're pretty awesome for thinking so deeply about it and coming up with that, and who knows, it could be true. I tend to just look at it simply and see Ganondorf as the bad guy. I'm not too complex minded. XD But I'm not holding anything against you, and I totally respect you for your theory. Thank you for sharing and reviewing. :)
StraightedgeWingZero- I'll address your question at the end, below. And yes, I tried really hard to make Link vs. Groose good just like you asked. I hope you'll like it. Thanks for your review. :)
ShadowNinja1011- Haha, yeah, no problem. ;) Thanks for reviewing.
Clashing Swords- Hahaha, I'm really excited to find out what's going to happen in Probably The Only Story Ever Written In Reviews! :D I know my last chapter was short, and I'm sorry, but hey, this is one is about 7000 words, so I hope that makes up for it. :) And, okay, I feel really really guilty, because you said to please not make the wait too long, and yet I did. So if I haven't said it enough above, I'm truly sorry. I hope I'm forgiven...Anyway, thank you for your great review.
Legionary Prime- Oh, cool! I'm glad you like the story and hope you enjoy this final chapter! Thanks so much! :)
Groose panicked. He looked at Zelda quickly, then over at Link, who had a deadly look on his face and his sword in his hand, and then at Karane and Pipit who had disappointed glares on their faces.
"No, it's not over," He said. "Not over at all." With his cocky smirk back, he ran out of the cabin, dragging Zelda along with him.
"Shoot!" Link said. "Follow him!"
Link ran out exactly the same way Groose had, with Karane and Pipit quickly following behind him. They were now outside, but unfortunately, Groose was already flying away on his Loftwing.
"Pipit! Get your Loftwing! Fast!" Link shouted.
Pipit hurried over to his Loftwing and mounted it. "Hurry up, guys!"
Karane went on hers as well, and Link climbed onto Pipit's. Pipit immediately started flying as fast as he could. Karane followed along at the same speed. Unluckily, Groose was not getting any slower. Yet, at the same time, he didn't seem to be in a hurry either.
"He seems to be totally calm," Pipit noted to Link. "As if he doesn't have a single worry in the world."
"Yeah, what could he possibly be planning now? He's as good as dead."
"Doesn't seem like it. Looks like there's still something up his sleeve. And I'm honestly scared to find out what it is this time," Pipit said, as he gave his Loftwing another push.
"Why? It's just Groose, the coward we've always known. He's just pretending to be superior to us, right?" Link asked, though he was starting to doubt that himself.
"No, not anymore. Things have changed, Link. From all the emotions Groose has experienced up until now, it's safe to say that he's on a psychotic break. He doesn't know what he's doing anymore, and he could be really dangerous. We have to be very careful, because he may even hurt Zelda without meaning to. Groose is not the same anymore, and his actions are extremely unpredictable right now."
"Great," Link said sarcastically. "So what's our plan then?"
"Zelda's life is on the line right now. It's best not to make him too angry. Link, I know you'd like to rage on him and beat him to shreds, but that could result in him...killing Zelda if it goes too far. The best thing to do at the moment would be to just follow him."
It was getting very cloudy and foggy. They could barely see. "Great, we're losing him!" Pipit shouted in frustration. "I can barely see a thing through all this fog!"
"He must be trying to lose us," Link gritted. "And he must know this area pretty well, too. This is just so-"
"Shh!" Pipit cut him off.
"What is it?" Link whispered.
"Do you hear that?"
There was a silence for a while, until Link heard what Pipit had been referring to. Wails, cries for help. Followed by curses and snarls. It was Zelda and Groose.
"HELP! PLEASE HELP! SAVE ME!" Zelda's voice screamed.
"SHUT UP!" That was Groose. "Stop making so much noise!"
Zelda didn't listen, her voice could still be heard clearly.
"Quick! Follow her voice!" Link whispered to Pipit. They couldn't see Karane, but they could only hope that she had gotten the same idea as they had.
They heard a loud slapping noise. And an "OW!" following it. Link grimaced. He knew what Groose had just done, and really wanted Groose to pay for all this. Zelda was strong though, and he knew that, because no matter what Groose did to her, she kept calling for help.
'Good job, Zelda. You're really helping us out here. Don't worry, you'll be out of this soon enough.' Link thought.
Finally, the fog cleared and Groose landed his Loftwing. He ran off quickly with Zelda.
Pipit, Link, and Karane all landed as well. They followed Groose as he ran, but Groose had a head start so they were falling behind. They could see Groose running, and then it all turned weird. He had a key for something, he went up ahead and there was a cage in front of him. What was in there stopped them for a second. There were Link and Zelda's Loftwings, tied up. But why had Groose led them here? What was there to gain by leading them here?
They were getting closer, if they could just catch up before he got to do whatever his plan was...but it was too late. Groose opened the cage and quickly went inside...along with Zelda...He locked the cage again so that no one else would be able to get in. And the keys were inside the cage with him.
Link, Pipit, and Karane stood in front of the cage.
"What are you doing, Groose?! What is the meaning of all this?" Link asked, trying to hide his anger. He was trying to follow Pipit's advice, about not getting Groose too angry. This was an incredibly dangerous and risky situation.
Groose had a serious look on his face, but then laughed psychotically. It was scaring everyone, even the Loftwings.
"Didn't everyone always talk about how your bond with your Loftwing was so very special? And how amazing it was that you got such a rare Loftwing?" Every word Groose spoke sounded tight and crisp.
Link unfortunately saw where this was going. "No, Groose, don't do it."
Groose picked up a knife. He held it to the Crimson Loftwing's throat. "I will. Oh, I will, Link. You deserve to pay. Look at how perfect your life is and always has been. You've gotten the perfect Loftwing, everyone likes you, you always get to be the hero, you get the amazing girl. How is this fair?! You have everything anyone could possibly ask for! Well, now it's time that you get a little taste of my life!" His tone sounded envious. He was spitting the words out angrily.
"Groose, you can't just blame it all on life! What happened to you was based on your actions! You could have made the best of it! You could have gotten a good life, but you were a bully, and now you're a criminal! You let jealousy get the best of you. You wouldn't be in this mess if you had just made the right choices!" Link tried to reason with Groose, to stop this.
"SHUT UP! I NEVER DID ANYTHING! I DON'T DESERVE ANY OF THIS!" The knife neared even closer to Link's Loftwing. Zelda was whimpering.
"Groose," Karane started. "Look at your life. Your actions. Cawlin saw how bad of a person you are. He knew you weren't doing the right thing. So he helped me escape, and let me free. Cawlin is dead now, because of you!" Tears started to swell up in her eyes, but she kept going. "Your Remlit killed him. You kidnapped my best friend, and you've been forcing her to do stuff against her will. And then you had the nerve to try and make Cawlin just like you, so you kidnapped me as well. The list of horrible things you've done goes on and on and on. And I can never ever forgive you."
Pipit and Link were surprised because of what had happened to Karane. What Groose did, and that Cawlin was dead. It all came as a huge giant shock to them and so suddenly, too.
"I don't care about your forgiveness! I don't care about Cawlin! He didn't even mean that much to me anyways. Especially now. After all I've done for him, he went and betrayed me." Groose's grip tightened around the knife.
Karane pursed her lips tightly. "He didn't betray you. He did the right thing. And you didn't do anything for him. You treated him like a slave. Someone disposable. I can't believe you."
Karane turned away in disgust. Groose was steaming mad, making him even more likely to kill the Loftwing now, not only to hurt Link, but because he needed an outlet to put his anger in, and right now, that would be killing something.
Pipit leaned over and whispered something to Karane. "Go to Skyloft and speak to the authorities. Get them to come here. Hurry, please. We don't have much time."
Karane nodded and flew away on her Loftwing. That got Groose's attention away from the Loftwing.
"Where is she going?" He asked bitterly.
"She was so disappointed in you that she gave up. She didn't want any more to do with this," Pipit lied.
Groose ignored that. His hand shook from how angry he was.
Link tried to be calm again. "Groose, please put the knife down. We can resolve this some other way."
"No, Link!" Groose yelled. "I won't let you be the hero this time! You will fail, you will be depressed in life! Because that's what you deserve! Your life is not going to be perfect anymore! And Zelda, Zelda, will watch her 'hero' fail at saving her. She'll see that you really can't always save the day. And you will fail her. She will be ashamed of you for the rest of her life, because I took her and you weren't able to do anything about it. And then, she'll be with me forever. She will give me everything I want and I'll be the one with the perfect life." Groose cackled maniacally. Zelda was crying now.
Link was about to try again, but Groose was fed up and ready to do this.
"Oh, and if you think that killing your little Loftwing is all I have in mind, then that is a very naïve thing to think. This is only the beginning, Link." And with that, Groose slashed at the Loftwing's throat. The Crimson Loftwing squawked in pain. Link stood there in horror, gaping at what Groose had just done. Groose smiled evilly and opened the cage, leaving quickly with Zelda again.
"Follow me to your doom!" He said as they flew away.
Link was so sad. But he had no time to stay and mourn, because now Zelda was in danger, too. Pipit got on the Loftwing and gave Link a sad look. Link angrily mounted the Loftwing and Pipit started to follow Groose again.
The ride was silent. Link's hate for Groose was growing stronger and stronger. In the midst of Link's thoughts, something odd happened.
"He's going into the Forest Region..." Pipit announced as they followed him to the glowing green beam of light.
"Why would he be going there?" Link wondered out loud.
Groose dropped down and landed in the forest. Pipit and Link did the same shortly after, chasing Groose through the woods on foot now.
'He's heading to where we live...' Link thought, wondering what Groose had in store.
After a little more running, Groose stopped, satisfied with his location. The statue of the goddess. Link was about to run up and charge at Groose, but Groose quickly stopped him from doing that. He gripped Zelda tightly, clenching her forcefully. Zelda was struggling and screaming in protest. Groose locked his arm around her throat.
"YOU COME ANY CLOSER AND I'LL KILL HER! I SWEAR TO YOU, I WILL!" Groose shouted.
"No, you wouldn't!" Link shouted back. "You claim to love her. If you truly loved her you wouldn't kill her."
"I don't care anymore!" Groose screamed. "Now I just want to see you suffer! I'll win either way. If you surrender, I get Zelda for myself. If you try to get her back, I'll kill her and I get to watch my enemy lose the most important thing in his life!" Groose started to laugh maniacally again.
"You're going to regret this, Groose! Don't do it!" Link said.
"No I won't! And the best part," Groose continued. "Is that this is the place where you two got married. This is a place filled with happy memories for you. And now, I'll kill her here. I'll turn this place into something devastating to you instead!"
Link was stuck. He didn't know what to do. If he tried to save Zelda, Groose would kill her. And if he left it alone, Groose would still have Zelda and Link may lose her forever.
Link and Pipit exchanged worried glances. Zelda was so scared, that she was just whimpering and tears were streaming down her cheeks. She knew any sudden movement could get her killed, so she tried to stay as still as possible.
"Groose, look, I know that you're hurt," Pipit started, trying to rationalize with him. "And I know you're only doing this because you want happiness. But you can get happiness in other ways, this is wrong. The best thing to do is to just let go and accept the way things are-"
"NO!" Groose snapped in a raging tone. He was really losing it. "Why are you even here, Pipit?! This is between me and Link only! So get out of here!"
Pipit was silent for a while, then he finally spoke, very quietly. "Okay," he said. "I'll leave."
Link looked at him in disbelief. Pipit noticed, but just gave him a solemn look in return.
"I'll let you two sort this out by yourselves," Pipit said, as he slowly backed away.
"Good," Groose snarled. "Just get out."
Pipit walked away until he was out of sight. Link felt confused and angry. How could Pipit do that? How could he just leave his friend like that? Pipit wasn't that type, and everyone knew that. He was trustworthy and dependable. So what had just happened?
"So, Link, what do you choose now?" Groose asked with a grin on his face, as he held the knife closer to Zelda's throat. She whimpered again.
"Why are you doing this?" Link croaked out. "Don't you have a heart?"
"ENOUGH WITH THE NEGOTIATING! If you keep talking, I'm just gonna kill her. So make up your mind quickly!"
Pipit knew he couldn't go find help now. It was too risky. Time was running short. He had to act impulsively. He ran to Link and Zelda's house as fast as he could, and scavenged through their bedroom. He rummaged through Link's drawer and finally found what he was looking for. A bow and arrow.
Pipit equipped it on his back and ran stealthily back to the goddess statue. He made sure he was very careful and sneaky, as to not get noticed. He walked slowly now, and controlled his breathing so that he wouldn't be too loud. Somehow, he succeeded and was now a few metres behind Groose.
Luckily, Groose was way too distracted with Zelda and the situation with Link, that he still hadn't turned around. Link's eyes widened as he saw his friend in the back, behind Groose, but Pipit quickly put a finger up to his mouth, gesturing for him to stay quiet. Link nodded ever so slightly that it was barely noticeable, and went back to talking to Groose, stalling, and trying to distract him for longer.
Pipit had no idea how to shoot an arrow. He had never done it before, and knew this plan was so ridiculous and likely to fail. But he had hope, and he knew that he had to try, at least, and do the best he could do, because there was a chance. He readied the bow, and aimed the arrow towards Groose's back, already hesitant and doubtful, but continued on anyway. He focused and concentrated deeply on the shot, then finally fired it.
I think everyone would like to hear that Pipit got incredibly lucky, and had a natural talent for archery, therefore, he hit Groose with a perfect shot and defeated him, saving Zelda. But unfortunately, that's not what happened.
The arrow failed to even hit Groose anywhere, but instead just weakly landed on the ground right beside him, catching Groose's attention. He turned around to see where the arrow had come from, and in that short time, Pipit took another shot, impulsively. He muttered his prayers quickly and shot his second arrow at Groose.
Miraculously, he actually succeeded that time, but only by a mere centimetre. The arrow flew and penetrated Groose's leg, just barely though. Groose was caught off guard from how quick it had happened. He screamed in pain and fell to the floor, no longer being able to stand.
Zelda took this chance to run away from Groose. She ran straight into Link's arms, sobbing from her trauma. Link stroked her hair and wiped her tears away.
"Shh," he said softly, as he rubbed her back. "You're okay, you're safe. It's over now."
She nodded but continued to weep, while Link comforted her. Pipit caught up with them again. "Come on guys, let's go."
Link nodded and they started to set off. "Thanks so much, Pipit. I can't even express my gratitude to you for doing that."
Pipit shook his head, brushing it off. "Don't mention it."
Everything seemed perfect, but little did they know that while they were having their little reunion, Groose had managed to squirm a bottle out of his pocket, filled with red potion. He'd stacked up on red potion just in case he might have needed it, and now, this was the time. He gulped down the potion, finishing the bottle, then pulled the arrow out of his leg, but was perfectly fine thanks to the drink. Now being able to stand, he picked up the knife, got up and stealthily snuck up behind them.
As the four of them were talking, Zelda felt a weird presence. Following her instincts, she looked behind her and saw Groose right behind Link, looking like he was about to stab him.
Zelda screamed instantaneously, causing Link to instinctively take out his sword and turn around, greeted by Groose. One second late and he would've gotten stabbed. Link blocked the attack with his shield, his heart pumping rapidly from the life threatening situation. Pipit stepped in front of Zelda, to cover and protect her.
Groose snarled. "This isn't quite over yet."
"Yes, it is, Groose! How are you even able to walk anyway?!" Link answered.
"You can't finish me off that easily, Link. I can't be defeated by a measly arrow," Groose replied, while glaring at Pipit. Pipit just glared right back.
Groose looked ready to charge and attack. Link looked at Pipit and Zelda.
"You guys stay back, I can do this myself," Link said to them with a nod, while his eyes were still carefully on Groose.
"You sure?" Pipit asked.
Link nodded again. "Yeah."
They understood and ran off so Groose wouldn't try to hurt Zelda again.
"Fight me, Groose," Link challenged. "Fight me before you try to do anything else."
Groose laughed arrogantly. "You're just asking to get killed, aren't you? Fine, I'll just get rid of you and then go and get my prize," he said, referring to Zelda.
Link looked at him with eyes full of anger, refusing to say another word to him. Instead, he attempted at the first attack. Link plunged towards Groose with the sword, but Groose moved to the side before it could touch him.
"It's not gonna be that easy, Link," He taunted, although deep inside, he knew that Link could beat him any day. The arrogant side of him ignored it though.
Link didn't respond, but tried attacking again, to no avail. Groose aimed for Link's chest, but Link blocked it with his shield again.
Link had no intention or desire to kill. That's how it's always been. Sure, he'd killed monsters before. But never a human being. He always thought it was morally wrong, and frowned upon it. But this time, he had no choice, a fact which he absolutely despised.
Groose had been intending to kill, without a doubt. So when the fight was nearing its end, just as he was about to deliver his finishing blow, the one that would kill Link, straight to the heart, Link caught on. Link didn't have much time to think, otherwise he would have died. So without a thought, as Groose was just about to kill him, Link stabbed him in the stomach with a shaky hand.
The wound was deep. Shaky and hesitant, but effective. Groose groaned and fell back, bleeding heavily.
"Curse you, Link," Groose croaked. The final words.
Link stood there, not believing what he had just done. Groose surely couldn't be...dead...at the hands of...Link, could he? Link was a hero, he didn't kill people! What had he done?!
Groose slowly bled to death, and suffered terribly from the pain of the sword. Link felt like he was on the verge of a breakdown. Once Groose closed his eyes and his pulse stopped, Link knew it was over for good, but didn't feel any better. He killed a man, and that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Pipit and Zelda approached Link when it was all over. They had seen it all from afar, the whole thing.
"Link," Zelda said quietly. "Are you okay...?"
Link shook his head violently and hugged her. She patted his back, tears trailing down her cheeks. "Link, I know this whole thing has been so crazy and difficult for all of us but thank you for finally ending this," She whispered, while sniffling.
Link was too traumatized to utter out any words, so he just nodded and buried himself deeper in the embrace. After they let go, Pipit gave him a meek comforting smile and patted his shoulder.
"You did well," Pipit said. Everything seemed surreal. It all happened so fast and so many things happened, it felt like it was all a dream. They were mostly quiet, because they had no words after what they just experienced. How would they ever forget this?
The sun gleamed in through the windows. The birds chirped sweetly, as Zelda shook Link's shoulder.
"Link, wake up. It's time to start packing. We're leaving today," she said.
Link slowly stirred and got up from the bed. It had been a few days since that horrible showdown. They were all still thinking about it, none of them fully recovered yet. The good news was that Link's Loftwing ended up surviving. It turned out the cut wasn't fatally deep for it to die right away and the authorities were able to save it in time. They just told Link that he should let his Loftwing rest for a while before he flies it again, but otherwise, it was going to be fine.
Each of them were having their own personal issues. Pipit couldn't stop thinking about what happened, he couldn't ever get it off his mind. He wondered if it would always be like this, and how much time it would take for them all to recover. He still couldn't believe that such an intense thing had happened to them, and one little turn in events, if one thing had gone differently, by luck or just a slight decision, things could've ended horribly. Pipit was relieved since it all turned out to be okay and none of them got hurt, but was still shocked by the danger factor and how close they were to dying or losing someone they loved.
Karane was still struggling with her experience of getting kidnapped, watching Cawlin die right in front of her, and seeing the people she loved almost getting doomed for life. Sometimes she would relive the experiences through flashbacks, and they could be very intense at times. She even shared that while she was having the flashbacks, she could feel the exact same emotions she was having at that time again. The fear, the anxiousness, the sadness, even the senses she was going through like hearing or smelling, etc. Karane said the experience whenever it happened was frightening and she couldn't tell that it wasn't actually happening until it was over.
But it was the worst for Link and Zelda. Zelda was constantly having nightmares that would vividly replay the events she went through: the kidnapping, being kissed and touched against her will, being ripped apart from Link, almost dying, everything. The nightmares made her feel all the helplessness, the horror, the anger, and so on. She'd often wake up in cold sweat, then realize it was just a dream, and so she would remind herself that it was over and Groose couldn't hurt her now. She'd look at Link and tell herself that she could continue spending her life with him now and no one could stop them.
Other times, it was worse. She would get nightmares where it would go the other way. Where no one would ever save her, and she had to stay with Groose forever. Those made her wake up and start to sob in the middle of the night, for it felt so real in her mind and it was extremely scary. In return, Link would hear her crying and wake up to comfort her as she wept.
It was tough, and that wasn't it for her. The nightmares were just the beginning, because the nightmares actually led Zelda to stop sleeping. Zelda started suffering from insomnia. The nightmares were so alarming that they caused her to become scared to fall asleep. And even when she was immensely tired, it was difficult for her to sleep, for her frightening thoughts kept getting in the way. She stayed up more than she should, and barely slept. It would just be long endless nights of fear and frustration.
And Link, Link was having a really hard time getting through this as well. He was greatly affected from the fear of almost losing Zelda, and if that wasn't enough, he couldn't get over his guilt from killing Groose. Zelda tried talking to him and telling him it was okay because it was only for self-defence, but it continued to haunt him even so. Sometimes, Link experienced sudden feelings of panic and horror that seemed to come out of nowhere.
These worried Zelda, but she couldn't say much, because she was having her own difficulties, too. Other times, there were things that trigged this response, like seeing a sword. Link had cast his sword and shield aside for the time being, because seeing it would remind him of the killing. The image stuck in his head, Groose's blood on that sword. Groose falling back, with that sword stuck in him. Link just couldn't handle his guilt and a lot of times, it really felt like the world was ending from all these negative feelings.
But the weird things was that it was the exact opposite. With all they had been through, life still went on and functioned normally. The sun rose in the morning, it set in the evening. The children continued to buzz as they played all afternoon in the sun. It seemed like nothing was wrong, except for how the four of them felt inside.
After the incident, Link and Zelda decided to stay a bit longer in Skyloft. They didn't feel ready to go back down to the Surface, where everything had happened, and they wanted to be surrounded with the people they loved, people who could help them and give them care and support.
Now it was the day where they were going to go back, and Zelda woke him up early so they could start packing. Link looked at her and noticed the dark bags under her eyes.
"You didn't sleep last night, did you?" He asked.
Zelda just shook her head slowly. Link sighed. When would they stop being so affected by this? He hoped it would be soon, because he couldn't take this for much longer.
"Well, let's get started," he said dully.
They worked on gathering all their things, and putting it in their suitcases, and neither of them talked much. Occasionally, Zelda would try to start up a conversation, but Link would answer with something incredibly simple, such as one word answers, to cut off any form of discussion. He tried busying himself with the work, so that he could be distracted and not think much. This caused him to feel empty and numb, like a robot with no feelings. And it caused him to not be overwhelmed but it also made him feel dead on the inside. He was detaching himself and basically shutting himself down.
This behaviour wasn't very compatible with Zelda, who felt like talking it out at times and letting her emotions out by discussing them. Everyone reacted differently, but Zelda was getting fed up with Link being so distant and closed off. She tossed a shirt down on the floor angrily while they were packing, catching his attention.
"Something wrong?" He asked with not much tone to his voice.
"Yes, Link! You're not being yourself! You're extreme, I mean, either your emotions are intensely coming out through your sudden responses to what happened, or you're absolutely closed off from all of us and detaching yourself from the people you love! I thought we agreed that we would talk about it to each other if something was bothering us! And whenever I try to do that with you, you just cut me off!" Zelda's eyes teared up and she put a hand to her head frustratedly.
"I'm sorry, Zelda. I just don't want to think about it," He answered. Another simple reply.
"No, Link! That's the thing! You're harming yourself by trying to push the thoughts away! The harder you try not to think about it, the more it just comes out by itself, like those horrible panic attacks you keep getting! You need to let it out! And I don't care if it's to me or to someone with professional expertise on this area! I just want you to feel better, and I need someone to be there for me, too!"
"Look, Zelda," He seemed to be softening up a little. "It's just hard for me to talk about this. And I don't know if I can."
"Well, you can't just keep it bottled up inside. I know you can do this, Link. You're strong." A tear rolled down her cheek. "Please, Link, for me. All I want is to make this better, to fix things. I want things to be the way they were before. And I know it's not going to happen right away, but I'm willing to do whatever we need to and spend as much time as we need to fix it. I'll listen to any advice we can get to help us, and I'll be patient and take as long as it has to take. I understand it won't get better in a day, but we have to at least try to make this work, because I don't want us to live in this depression for the rest of our lives."
And with that said, she left the room and went outside to get some fresh air and clear her mind, leaving Link by himself thinking about what she said to him.
Later that day, they finished up on their packing, which they did in silence. The only interaction they had was this:
"So did you think about what I said?" Zelda asked.
"Yes," Link said with an unreadable expression.
"And what have you decided?"
"I don't know," was all he said back, causing Zelda to sigh in irritation.
After they finished packing, Link spoke up.
"I'm gonna go take a walk," he said, again, with no way to tell how he was feeling.
"Okay," Zelda replied, her head down, looking at floor, sitting sulkily on the bed.
He felt bad, but went out. On his walk, he had an encounter he wasn't expecting. On a bench, he saw Headmaster Gaepora, who also seemed to notice him, for he waved at Link and beckoned for him to come over.
Link walked over to the bench, and Gaepora patted the seat next to him, gesturing for him to sit down. So Link sat down beside him.
"Ah, Link, haven't seen you around much. I hear you're not taking things too well," Gaepora said, his eyes straight ahead.
"How did you know that?" Link knit his eyebrows.
"Zelda told me, of course! Who else did she have to vent to when her own husband wasn't even opening up to her?" He said, but he didn't seem that angry, just casual.
"Oh...so she told you about that..." Link said looking down at his feet guiltily.
"Yes, she told me everything. Even I've noticed how closed off you've been acting. But here is not the place to talk about this. Come to my office." Gaepora stood up and waited for Link to do the same. Link reluctantly got up and started walking with the headmaster back to his office.
When they reached the spacious room, Gaepora sat down at his desk, and told Link to sit down in front of him. After Link did that, he started to speak.
"So, I heard you've been having a hard time dealing with what you did," Gaepora started off.
Link nodded, his eyes shifting to the side.
"Look, I know it must be horrible to think about, but I just want you to focus on this: You did what you had to do, first off. And if you hadn't done it, Zelda might not even be alive right now. Also, if you hadn't done that, you would have been the one who died, and if that happened, I bet you couldn't even imagine the pain Zelda would be going through right now. You saved her by doing what you did. Zelda is innocent, while Groose wasn't, so you helped the innocent while getting rid of the evil."
"I know that saving Zelda was the right thing to do, but, I killed a man. And that's wrong, how do I deal with that? I don't even know if I'm a good person anymore." Link said glumly.
Gaepora sighed. "You are a good person, and there's no doubt about it. Link, there's something called the lesser in two evils. Sometimes you have no choice but to do something evil. But out of the two evil choices, there's one that's less evil than the other. It's horrible that you were forced to be in a position where you had to commit an evil act, but as twisted as this sounds, you did the right thing. Not everyone can do what you did. It takes a lot of courage, and even though you may not fully believe it, you were the hero in that situation."
Link stayed silent, debating to himself how he feels in his mind.
"One more thing..." This caused Link to lift his head and focus on the headmaster. "I just want you to know...that I'm proud of you."
Link smiled just slightly. "Thank you, Gaepora."
"It's the truth. Don't be too hard on yourself, okay? And if I were you, I'd listen to what Zelda's telling you."
Link nodded, feeling as if his eyes have finally been opened. "Thank you so much, Gaepora. You've helped a lot."
"Not a problem, son. I hope all goes well."
Link smiled in return and left the office. When he returned to Zelda, he kissed her.
Zelda kissed him back but then pulled away after a moment. "What was that for?" She asked.
"I've decided to listen to what you suggested, and do whatever we can to make things okay again." Link smiled a little, to tell her he was ready to try this.
Zelda smiled in return. "Oh, I'm glad. Thank you, Link." She hugged him. "I can never stop thinking about it, but maybe now that problem will go away soon."
Link rubbed her back. "Yes, I hope so."
2 years later...
The sun shone through on that beautiful sunny day as Zelda set the table. Link walked into the dining room dressed pretty nicely and sniffed the air.
He walked over to Zelda and kissed her. "Smells amazing, Zel. I can't wait to...can I just-" He reached over for a piece of chicken.
Zelda slapped his hand away but was also laughing at him. "No, not yet! We have to wait for them!"
Link pouted, "Fine." Zelda giggled and kissed his cheek. They were waiting for Pipit and Karane, who they had made plans for lunch with.
Things were going pretty well over the last two years. At first it was really hard, but eventually they started to heal and recover quicker. It took a lot of therapy and deep discussions, but talking to each other helped them get their feelings out and release some of the negative feelings stored inside them.
Sometimes they met up with Pipit and Karane to talk about it, like a support group. And that might have been the best thing they did to recover, because it certainly made it easier.
Slowly, the trauma began to fade, but it never disappeared. They still thought about Groose sometimes, but not as much anymore. Life was finally starting to get brighter for them.
They heard wails from another room. Link sighed, "I'll take care of it." He left the room and came back a few minutes later with a baby. Link smiled brightly.
"She needed a diaper change," he explained.
Zelda went over to him and took their daughter from his arms, smiling down at the little baby. "Wow, Link, and you did it all by yourself, too," she teased.
He laughed and was about to say something until they heard a knock on the door. They opened the door and saw the cheerful faces of their two friends. "Hey!" They greeted.
"Hey! How are you guys?" Zelda asked excitedly.
"We're good, and how is this little cutie doing?" Karane asked happily as she looked at Zelda cradling her baby.
Zelda chuckled, "Aryll is great and healthy as ever."
"Can I hold her?" Karane asked.
"Of course, of course!" Zelda said as she gently handed her the child.
"Hello, Aryll," Karane said softly, with a sweet smile on her face. Aryll yawned and fell asleep quickly. Karane smiled again and looked up at Zelda and Link. "How old is she now?" She said quietly, so she wouldn't wake her up.
"Just a few months," Link answered. "Come in, I'll go put her to bed."
Karane and Pipit stepped into the house, and Karane handed Aryll to Link. He left to go put her in her crib. Karane was twirling the ring on her finger and looking down at it. Zelda noticed and smiled.
"Not used to it yet?" She asked.
Karane knit her eyebrows for a second but then realized what Zelda meant. She laughed a little. "Yeah. I still can't believe I'm married," she said as she looked at Pipit.
Pipit smiled and wrapped an arm around her. "It's a nice feeling though," he added warmly.
Zelda grinned. "It is," she agreed. "I'm so happy for you guys."
"Thank you," Karane said. "And same for you and Link. Aryll is the cutest little thing I've ever seen."
"Aw, thanks."
Link came back to the room. "Who's hungry? I know I am!"
Zelda laughed, rolling her eyes. "Excuse my husband. But yeah, are you guys ready to eat?"
"I'd love to," Pipit said with a nod of agreement from Karane.
"Let's eat then!" Zelda said. They all went over to the table and sat down. Zelda poured some wine for everyone and they began to eat.
"It's delicious, Zelda," Karane said after her first bite.
"Yeah, really," Pipit agreed.
"Told you." Link winked at Zelda.
She rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep from smiling. "Thanks guys. I hope we can have more times like these."
They all nodded and continued to eat, conversing happily and talking about what was going on in their lives. All the drama and conflict was finally over, and fortunately, never would be coming back.
The End.
Well...that was it. I can't believe this story is...over...*speechless* As I said in the beginning A/N, I REALLY hope you liked this chapter. Hope you didn't think it was lame or not exciting enough, or too easy. I just hope I met the expectations you guys had, that's all I wish. This chapter was really hard to write for some reason, and I struggled a lot, but I hope it was worth it.
I'm still really scared you guys hate the ending, and I know I keep repeating myself, so sorry about that. I guess I'll just have to see in the reviews, but bear with me, please.
Now, one of the reviewers asked what stories I'm planning to write next. And that's something else I've been having trouble with. For now, I'm just going to go back to writing my other story which I haven't finished yet, The Escape. It's an X-over, and I still have to get that done before I start something new.
So I'll be working on that, but once I finish it, I'm back to nothing. I'm just going to tell you guys the truth. I have no future ideas. Nothing comes to my mind, and I really don't know what I'll write next. And I'm sorry if this news upsets you guys. Let's just say I'll be going on a hiatus. And in that time, I'll surely think about it. If I get an idea, then no doubt, I'll start up a new fanfic, but if I don't...then I don't know. My answer is indefinite. Also, even if I do get an idea, it might not be for a Zelda story. It might be for another fandom.
If you decide to stick with me, then I guess you could just check up on me from time to time and see if I have anything new. I'll probably have something on my profile that tells you guys what's going on. And if you decide not to stick with me, that's fine. I guess I'll just have to start fresh again, because I don't have anything specific in mind right now.
I hope this news isn't too saddening , but I think it's better like this. I don't want to write a garbage quality story that barely ever gets updated just for the sake of having a story to make you guys happy, because I know that might frustrate you guys and I want to make sure I have something good if I decide to write anything.
So that's all for now, I want to say thank you to everyone who read, followed, favourited, and/or reviewed this story. Thank you so much for all the love and support I've been given. It's really been a great experience I'll never forget.
As for the reviews for this chapter (if you guys decide to review), I won't be able to respond to them the way I have been doing for the other 9 chapters. So, if you review, and you have an account, then I will PM you my thanks, and if you're not comfortable with that, then just say so in your review and I won't.
And if you review, but you don't have an account, then just know that I really do appreciate it and I'm saying thanks a lot for that. :)
Well, goodbye for now. I might come back, I might not. But I'll try to come back soon with something good in store. Just don't expect it, because I don't want people to get their hopes up if I end up not having anything in the future. So, goodbye and thank you for everything!
~Zeldalover272