A/N: This chapter was revised as of 10/31/2018 - Polished, minor errors and typos fixed.
This chapter was revised as of 1/7/2019 - Dialogue altered, enhanced by readers' criticisms.
When Heroes Fall
By: Selphie Kinneas 175
Chapter 10: The Bird or the Cage
.:.
When the moon rose over the horizon and a solemn darkness filled the sky, the hero would fight sleep as he always did.
It was also a battle he always lost.
He had tried to stay at the queen's side, but with Renado frequently checking on both her and her daughter he felt that he was in the way. He couldn't find it within himself to speak to Ren yet, and Colin spent his time catching up with Talo and Luda. So, he had simply decided to retire to his chambers for the night.
He sat awake, staring at the ceiling for as long as his mind would allow. If he closed his eyes and listened close enough he could hear her voice. If he held his breath and focused hard enough he could feel her presence. He smiled as he pictured her, hovering beside him on the bed, chastising him for anything and everything, pointing her finger in his face, planting her hands on her hips. He laughed and opened his eyes. His happy expression faded – she wasn't there, and nothing he'd imagined was real. It never was. He frowned, and in his state of malcontent his eyelids grew heavy. His body still recovering, his mind still piecing itself together, sleep won the battle yet again.
He found more rest in these two nights in Kakariko than he had in his entire stay in the desert, much to his dismay. The night prior had proved to be gentle on his weary spirit. This night, however, took no pity on him.
He felt his body contort and his muscles twist in excruciating agony. He was reduced to all fours, he had no voice and no control. He saw fur and fangs and claws. He felt a ferocity he yielded to, a viciousness he was subject to, a savageness he served with all of himself. He saw orbs hovering where people once stood. He saw an endless dusk, sunlight never returning to fill the sky. The devil was out to kill him. Its yellow eyes were penetrating, their intensity piercing clean through his soul. Its laugh was deep, its power reverberating off of the walls of his chest. It rattled him to the core, and he tumbled to the ground. He saw death made real, its dark clutches reaching out to him. Blood dripped from its eager eyes, its mouth hung open as it groaned eerily. It reached and reached, and his heartbeat raced and raced. He backed up as far and as fast as he could, but he hit a dead end. There was nowhere left to run. He dreamt of never waking up again, of death grabbing him and whisking him away. The figure was shrouded in a black mist that coiled and enveloped it. It swirled around it like smoke at a campfire. It covered and uncovered its bloody face, but the acute glow from its empty eye sockets never waned. It reached out to him, and he recoiled in fear. Death was taken aback, and in an instant it released a shrill screech that would have put the skeletons from the prison grounds to shame. It lunged at him with boney fingers and gangly arms, fear a physical entity that froze Link's heart in his chest.
He screamed and leapt up in bed. He saw Colin, half-standing beside a knocked over chair with hands held up in defense. Clearly he had jumped from his seat at the rude awakening. The hero breathed hard, his shoulders heaving and his eyes wide as saucers. In the ensuing moments of silence, Colin calmed himself and tried to do the same for Link.
"You okay?" he asked.
Link looked at him, breaths still ragged and his chest caving and inflating rapidly.
Colin stepped a bit closer, but at that the hero shuddered. The boy didn't know what to say; he hadn't seen his brother like this. The kids' parents had always done a good job back in the day of keeping them from seeing the darker aspects. He was sure Renado would have said something like, 'you'll be okay,' 'you're safe,' or 'everything is alright,' but he didn't feel like any of those were very helpful to him anymore.
Instead, he decided to try and relate, "I had mornings as a kid where I woke up like that."
Link looked at him, his breathing starting to slow down.
Colin returned the chair he had been occupying at his brother's bedside to its upright position and sat down, "I had terrible nightmares of those green monsters attacking us in the middle of the night, or of being trapped and being unable to get back to my parents," he shook his head, "They're mostly gone now though, luckily."
Link sighed and stared out the window, bringing himself back to reality after enduring that imaginary hell. The sun was high, signaling that it was late morning and he had slept through the night. He blinked sluggishly, concentrating solely on composing himself and reminding himself that none of it was real, that he was okay.
Colin watched him, and he felt bad for him. He'd missed his brother like he never knew he could miss someone, and now that he sat before him he almost felt like he missed him more. Now, more than ever, he wanted to help him, he wanted to chip away his painful exterior and release the carefree young man from his childhood. The one that ran barefoot through the grass and herded goats in the first sparkles of sunlight. The one that played with the children like it was his job and protected them like it was his oath.
He didn't want him to hurt anymore. He didn't want him to suffer. At the same time, he had questions. He looked at him, and he said something he'd wanted to say for the past fifteen years.
"Why did you leave without saying goodbye?"
Link breathed deep and closed his eyes. It was a question he'd been anticipating since the moment he left, but he still wasn't prepared for it. He could have said something that was a stretch of the truth. He could have painted himself more the hero than he had been in that moment of weakness all those years ago. He could have embellished the story, he could have tweaked the details, he could have outright lied about it altogether. Instead, he turned to look at him, and gave him the truth.
"It was easier," he answered bluntly, giving a moment of thought before continuing, "Explaining it to you guys when you were kids would've been too hard. Leaving on a whim was easy, and at that point in my life, right after my time as hero was done, I looked for the easy way out of whatever came my way. I'd spent so long doing what was right and taking the path least traveled – I just didn't have it in me anymore."
They stared for an unknown amount of time. Colin was contemplative, Link was relieved.
He saw his little brother's downtrodden look and added, "I'm sorry."
Colin gazed at him for several heartbeats before nodding in acceptance, "I'm not a kid anymore. I thought I would have to convince you to be honest with me because you still just see me as a little kid," he smirked, "I'm glad I was wrong."
"Well, I do still see you as a kid, just a big kid," Link smiled in return.
Colin chuckled, "That's fair. That's all I feel like to be honest."
Link swung his legs over the bed, making it easier to face his sibling while they spoke, "I heard you've been quite the uncle for Ren. I'm not sure I can ever thank you enough."
"You don't have to. I love Ren; it's been a pleasure for me to be an important part of his life."
Link gave his signature crooked grin and ruffled the boy's hair, "I always knew you'd grow up to be something amazing."
Colin shrugged him off with a chuckle, "When I was little, I always wanted to grow up to be just like you. I still do."
The hero frowned, looking away momentarily, "You shouldn't. I'm not good."
"You are," Colin corrected, but said no more.
Link looked at him, and he appreciated that. He smiled, and Colin smiled back.
A sudden scream rang deafeningly in their ears and jumpstarted their hearts. Link leapt from the bed and to his feet, darting out of his chambers in a flash with Colin at his heels. It was coming from the room the queen and princess occupied. He stormed through the door and stopped in his tracks as he took in the sight before him.
Renado and Zelda were holding down Emeline's arms as she thrashed on the bed in hysterics. Tears carved rivers down her face and she was yelling at the top of her lungs.
"I CAN'T SEE! I CAN'T SEE!"
She clawed at her eyes in a desperate attempt to awaken her vision that she had come to without. She wailed and kicked and cried in misery and confusion. The shaman and the girl's mother tried to console her, tried whispering to her that everything was okay, but everything wasn't okay. She knew that, Link knew that, everyone knew that. Her eyes, drowning in tears, were as gray as storm clouds.
"I can't see! Mother! Mother! Where are you! I can't see!"
"Shh... I'm here, I'm here. You're okay, you're okay."
Zelda's voice was shaking as she tried to calm her daughter despite the fact that she, herself, was not calm. Her hands trembled as she held one to Emeline's arm and placed the other on her hot cheek. Tears streamed down the queen's face, warming up her cold skin. She looked over her shoulder as she heard Link enter, and he saw on her an expression he never thought he would witness. She was defeated... completely and utterly defeated.
Her daughter, young enough to be deprived of the world and old enough to never forget, was now blind because of the malicious acts of her husband.
Link's heart sank into his stomach. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. He hung his head, the weight of the guilt crippling him. He had to leave, the pain of his failure overpowering him. As he turned around, he saw the others gathering in the hall at the commotion. He saw Talo and Luda, their faces somber and perturbed. Then he saw Ren, and as he looked at him he saw unbridled resentment and despondence. He could tell in that moment that Emeline meant something to his son, and to see her fate... it broke him.
He saw the wetness pool up in his boy's eyes, and all he could do was place a hand on his shoulder. He said nothing. Ren said nothing. They looked at each other, and that acceptance in that moment was all that was necessary. Link stepped past his friends and out into the hall where he felt like he could breathe. He could still hear her screaming, could still hear the creaking of the bed as she thrashed in confusion. It was his fault. She was only put in danger because of his endeavor to open the twilight portal. He ran his hands through his hair and rested his elbows on the banister. He wanted to scream just the same. He wanted to thrash and kick and yell just as she did. He was furious. Why could he do nothing right? Why did every action he made result in someone else's pain and suffering? Why did the goddesses continue to toy with him?
When only five minutes passed that felt like five thousand, the princess began to calm down. Link heard her whimper, asking her mother what was going on. She told her she was scared, and at that the queen told her she was too. The hero rested his forehead in the palms of his hands, supporting himself against the railing and looking over the loft into the entryway down below. He stared at the little girls at the desk, at a random guest seated in the lobby, and at an elderly patron emerging from the dining area. All heard the noise and appeared concerned, but it was still distant enough to them that it did not affect their lives. He stared at the fire in the hearth, at the dirty footprints at the door, at the bright blue sky through the window. All were just as they were before, all were just how they looked before. She would never be able to see them again.
He sighed heavily, and a hand on his shoulder caught his attention.
He glanced behind him and saw Renado. He said nothing, and neither did anyone else. All eyes were unsure where to look. Everyone stood awkwardly, no one knowing what to say or if they should even say anything. They glanced around, all trying to ignore the quiet sobbing coming from the opposite side of the now-closed door for fear of their hearts entirely breaking. When the silence went on long enough, the shaman spoke up.
"Her vision is permanently lost... I am afraid. She... could not overcome the poison."
Link turned away and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe what he had allowed to happen – there was no redemption for this.
The atmosphere was tense as everyone breathed deep, and Luda fought back the tears. Talo rubbed his wife's back, and Colin simply hung his head. Ren, however, was lost. He liked the princess, that much was obvious, but his heart ached for her like it had never ached for someone else. She was so young... had seen so little of the world... It made him furious.
"She is, otherwise, recovering well," Renado tried to alleviate the discomfort if only a bit.
Ren's anger overtook him, and he suddenly went for the door. He was eager to just talk to her, to tell her he wanted nothing more than to fix it himself, but Renado held him back.
"Give them some time, my boy. Let them have this moment to themselves."
Ren clenched his fists at his sides, his mother's temper getting the best of him at the worst of times. Heat rose up his cheeks and his ears, and he looked as if he was about to implode.
"There's nothing you can do?" he asked, fury just a tickle in his voice as he tried to keep himself together.
Renado looked at him, the Ordonian's indignation obvious to everyone despite how hard he was trying to contain it, "I am afraid not."
Ren returned his namesake's gaze. His response irritated him – the fewer the words the lesser it made it feel like he cared. At least, in the boy's mind.
"That's it?" he muttered through clenched teeth.
The shaman studied him quizzically, and Link looked over his shoulder at him.
"That's it?" he repeated, his voice steadily rising.
"Hey," Colin interjected, "I get you're upset, we all are, but taking it out on us isn't the way to go about fixing anything."
Ren was silent. His uncle was right, and he knew it, but he didn't know what to do with his emotions that were so viciously boiling over. It was like a box full of toys in which the box was too small and the toys were too many. They were spilling over and there was nowhere else to place them.
He turned on a dime and flew down the stairs. He burst through the door and ran outside, grabbing his sword on the way. Link flinched, fear gripping him for what his son may do in his state of anger.
Colin noticed this. He knew his nephew very well and had witnessed many of his breakdowns in his young life, "He just needs to blow off some steam... He'll be fine."
"Poor boy has had it rough," Luda whispered, turning to her husband who nodded in reply.
"Wish we could help him somehow," Talo mumbled. He glanced around at his brothers and his father-in-law, all of whom remained silent and appeared beaten down. He sighed, grabbed his wife's hand, and with an agreeing look they went back downstairs to their daughters.
Colin watched them go, and he, too, glanced between Link and Renado. Neither one looked as if they were about to speak anytime soon, and in the discomfort of the situation he felt uneasy. All that could have been done was already done, and all that could have been said – or not said – was already spoken. Everyone simply... needed time to cope with their feelings in their own way. He decided his way was to ensure Ren's way wasn't destructive – just to double check he was right.
The blond young man took his leave and left Link and Renado to themselves. The healer knew Link blamed himself. No matter what circumstance would have led to the very same outcome he would have always blamed himself. It was one of his biggest downfalls.
"Her fate is not your guilt to bear," Renado stated at last after the bitter quiet had drawn on long enough.
"It is," Link responded instantly, "But I appreciate the sentiment."
He didn't want to hear the rebuttal, so he wouldn't even give him the chance to begin it. There was no changing his mind on the matter, no fancy words or motivational clauses that would alter his state of regret, so he would just leave and save both of their time and energy. He went to his room and shut the door, leaving the shaman to stand alone in the hallway. Renado clasped his hands in front of him and breathed deep. His heart hurt for the little girl, his heart hurt for her mother and for the hero. More than anything, he hurt because he longed so desperately to be able to do more than he could ever be able. With a sigh, he went to find solace in his granddaughters who could always manage to lift his spirits no matter how low they had fallen.
Link sat in silence for hours. His mind ran, his heart pulsed harshly, and his fingers twitched. He sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees and his fingers laced before him. His head was hung low to his chest as images danced behind closed lids. Condescending visions of his failures tormented him, his own inner demons the culprits for so much of his agony. They told him it was all his fault, and he was easily convinced. Had he never longed to assemble a portal to the twilight, Emeline would still have her sight. Had he never whisked Zelda away and involved the royal family, Emeline wouldn't have to live the rest of her life in darkness.
He exhaled slowly, the heat from his breath warming his cool skin. He had no concept of how much of the day had passed before a gentle knocking on his door withdrew him from his comatose state. He looked up as the door knob turned and the tired face of the queen peeked through the threshold.
"May I come in?" she asked, her voice shaky.
"Of course," he answered without thought.
She stepped in and closed the door quietly behind her. As she turned to face him she briefly lost her balance. The hero was on his feet and grabbing her with steady hands in a second flat.
"You're weak on your feet, princess. You should still be in bed resting."
It took a moment, but she stood tall, "I will be fine."
She conjured up a powerfulness in her voice that shocked the hero, but it shouldn't have. She was upset from the whirlwind of events, she was feeble from the physical tolls on her body, yet in a snap she was able to put on a tough front. It was what she had trained all her life to do, after all.
She made it clear that she didn't want the help, so Link removed his hands and she made her way over to sit on the edge of the bed. He merely watched her for a moment before sitting beside her.
"I am sorry to intrude, but I simply needed your company," she whispered after an age of silence.
"There is no need to apologize. I am here whenever you should need me."
Her face was stone when she looked up and met his gaze, "Viscen must pay for what he has done."
His expression went tense just the same, "He will, Your Highness."
She reached over and grabbed his hand, a look of resolute urgency on her pretty face that made his heart skip a beat, "If I ask nothing of you ever again, let this be my last request: make him pay for his actions."
Link was taken aback at her uncharacteristically vicious demeanor. Zelda spotted this the second he felt it.
"I see your concern. When it comes to my daughter, I am not the queen. I am not a descendant of bearers of the great triforce or the goddess-forsaken princess of destiny. When it comes to my daughter I am simply a mother, her mother whose priority in this world is keeping her safe. I have failed at my most important duty, and I want the man whose fault it is to pay for his crimes."
Her eyes were focused, her hand on his was tight, her stare was intense – she meant this like she had yet to mean anything. Link could feel her vigor, her undeniable will to make her husband suffer in ways far worse than her gentle mind had ever imagined before. She stared at him with such malignance that it shook Link straight to his core. Her cheeks were stained with tears cried for hours, her eyes were bloodshot and dried out with nothing left to give, but their stunning shade of blue and the imploring tenacity behind them told Link she needed this. Needed his affirmation, his promise.
"He will pay, princess," he gripped her hand firmer, "I promise."
An amount of time indiscernible was lost to them then, their eyes locked in an ethereal depth that anyone else would have been perplexed by. Their bond was something beyond even them, something that ascended to the height of the goddesses and the greater workings of the universe that they could never fully comprehend. All they knew was that it was there. It allowed Link to feel her lust for vengeance like it was his own. It permeated through him as if the emotion originated within himself. He wanted nothing more than to give her the revenge she longed for, the justice of her little girl denied something so precious. It allowed Zelda to feel his disdain for himself and for the twisted king as if it belonged to her. It sank into her spirit and weighed her down just as it did him. She longed to assure him the guilt should not lie with him, but she knew no words would sway his judgment.
"None of this is your fault," she said, at last forcing Link to break their stare.
He gazed off, not agreeing in the slightest but also not desiring an argument. He looked back at her, "None of it would have happened if it weren't for me."
She placed a chilled hand to her hero's cheek, "The outcome would have been much worse if it weren't for you."
He scoffed, "Quite the point to make when the circumstance wouldn't have even arisen if it wasn't for my own selfish agenda."
She dropped her hand with a sigh, "I knew there would be no convincing you, so I see no need in pressing it. Just know that you are the only one that places the blame upon your shoulders. We all know that it was because of you that we even survived. There are many things I am eternally grateful to you for, hero," she smiled, "You only continue to add to the list."
He looked at her, and her cheerful smile amidst such a bleak situation forced him to reciprocate, no matter how much he wanted not to.
His smile faded as he had to ask what had been on his mind, "My eyes were open in that water much longer than Emeline's. Why should I be saved from such a fate yet she is subject to it?"
Zelda glanced down at her hands, "For some things there simply are no logical answers. Perhaps it was partly your physical resilience built up from years of survival. Perhaps it was partly her fragile demeanor raised from years inside glass walls. Perhaps... the goddesses know something we do not."
Link looked away – he was sick of hearing that as an answer. It seemed as if everyone played off every misfortune as a will of the goddesses. It made him nauseous. What purpose would it serve to deprive a young girl of her ability to see? Why should he be saved from such an outcome? He - who was not worthy of any blessing - would be guarded against a doom so foul, yet a child would receive no mercy? Some deities, he thought, who would not take pity on a little girl.
"I wish our fates were reversed," he muttered.
She leaned forward in order to better garner his attention, "Do not wish such a thing. Every outcome has a purpose. Every twist and turn that is thrown at us serves a greater meaning. I truly believe that."
He looked into her eyes, and he felt her words radiate from within. She genuinely believed every word she said, and maybe she was right. She was the bearer of the triforce of wisdom, after all. Her tired eyes sparkled as she smiled, and for now, that would be enough.
Meanwhile, Ren had been hacking and swinging his sword for hours at a bale of hay at the edge of town after his uncle had checked on him. It relieved the anger, it dulled the frustration. Having a physical entity to focus his temper calmed him over time. It helped him clear his muggy head and steady his rapid heart. Besides, he wanted to learn to wield a blade, and focusing on learning something helped distract him - somewhat.
It just didn't feel fair – that Emeline should suffer such a fate. He wanted to talk to her, needed to talk to her. It was running him ragged. Surely they had had enough of their own 'moment' - as Renado put it - by now, right? He heaved a heavy sigh and dropped his sword to the dusty ground. He wiped the back of his hand across his sweaty brow and decided that enough time had passed. He wanted to talk to the princess, and that was what he was going to do.
He ran inside, keeping his head down as he passed by just about everyone in the front room of the inn. Colin and Luda were sat at one of the tables chatting quietly with Renado in a comfy chair not far behind, and Talo was playing with his little ones. They all noticed Ren walk through awkwardly but no one said a word – it was obvious where he was going and that he wanted to go unnoticed, so they allowed him to think it was just that.
He hustled up the stairs and stood before her door for a moment. He heard quiet voices coming from Link's room that sounded like his father and the queen. He sighed inwardly in relief, glad that he would have some time to talk to the princess uninterrupted. He turned the doorknob slowly and just barely peeked inside. She was sat upright on her bed with legs crossed beneath her. Her hands were folded in her lap and her eyes were closed. Before Ren had even made so much as a peep, her gentle voice graced his ears.
"Hello, Ren."
It was quiet and charming, like the softest lullaby or the sweetest poem; it sent a shiver down the boy's spine.
He entered silently and shut the door behind him with care to be as noiseless as possible. He turned to look at her. Still standing unsure at the door, he suddenly felt uncomfortable, like this was a different girl than the one he talked to before. He didn't know what he should do or say, or even if he should do or say anything.
"I've been waiting for you to come. Would it... be impolite of me to ask you to sit with me?"
He gulped hard, "N-Not at all."
He sat on the edge of the bed opposite of her, the one her mother had previous occupied. He watched her in awed silence. She sat still, having not moved a single muscle since he entered. He had so much he wanted to say, so many well-constructed sentences and phrases he had woven over the past few hours relieving his anger outside. Now, as he sat here, he couldn't remember any of them.
Luckily, she saved him from having that feeling of discomfort for too long.
"I can... still be myself around you?" she asked, her voice small.
Ren remembered their first conversation, how he told her she could be herself around him. The memory dared to tug up the corner of his lips, but he refrained. He answered simply, "Of course."
She breathed deep, almost relieved to hear his reply, "For the first time in my life... I feel I do not have to be the princess first. I can... truly be myself."
Ren smiled, but her next words hit hard.
"But I do not know who that is."
The boy frowned, and they sat in silence. At length, she spoke again.
"I am afraid," she whispered at last, "I have sat in darkness for just short of a day but I have already forgotten the light. I cannot recall what it looks like... Will you describe it to me?"
His lips parted, but he struggled to find the words. He glanced around the room, her voice echoing in his mind and her plea chilling his heart.
"Light?" he finally asked, but she said nothing.
He caught sight of the window across the room, the last spots of sun disappearing over the horizon but its rays still just reaching them. He stared out at the mountain in the distance and the trees near and far and the people down below.
"It's bright..." he began, "It reaches far and wide and covers the land in a blanket. It warms and protects all that it touches and it reminds us that we're never alone. It's always there, even in the darkest places there's always somehow a spot of light."
He stopped, and she smiled. He looked at her and saw a single tear roll down her cheek.
Before he could open his mouth to say something, she said, "I'm not sad... I was sad, and mad, and everything else you would imagine. But, I think... there's a reason."
He furrowed his brow, "A reason? For you to be blind? What could that possibly be?"
She remained ever still as stone, "I do not know. It's just a feeling I have deep in my heart. The goddesses always have plan."
That made him think for a moment, contemplate it, maybe even agree with it. But in an instant it was gone and he was irritated she would even think it.
"I don't see any reason for this," he started, keeping his voice calm for her sake despite his words dripping with venom, "There was so much you never got to see, so much I wanted to get to show you someday. Now it's been taken from you... It isn't fair, Emmy."
"'Emmy'?" she perked up for the first time.
His cheeks flushed, "S-Sorry, it just kinda came out."
She smiled just barely again, and it warmed his heart, "No, I like it. I have never had a nickname before. It was always too... informal."
He smiled, too, but she couldn't see it, and that thought made him frown again.
She breathed in deep and exhaled slowly, "But, yes... I understand. I feel... like a bird, having lived all my life in a cage, dreaming of the day I would be set free. Now that I am... I find myself in a different cage. As if... I am that bird that has been released, only to find that I cannot fly."
Ren looked away at that moment, a stutter in his heart making him uneasy. His mother had used the same analogy in trying to make him understand his father the night before she died. He swallowed hard, the familiar knot in his stomach forcing him to squirm in discomfort. He ignored it as best he could, wanting nothing more than the unpleasant feelings to see themselves out.
"I have yearned every day of my life to see the world beyond the castle walls. I wanted to see mountains, oceans, villages, animals, people... Now, I stand amongst those very things and am unable to see them."
The princess paused for a moment, and Ren bit the inside of his lip to help him fight back the sadness at her words.
"I could not lie to you and tell you that I have already accepted my fate; my mind still does not quite understand the darkness and my heart longs to look into another's eyes again. My biggest fear... is that I will forget the faces of the people I love."
Her voice just barely trembled then, but she swallowed hard and was strong again.
"But..." she began with an optimism in her voice, and she opened her eyes, "These eyes are not the only things one sees with."
Ren went wide-eyed. He stared, jaw hung open and breath caught in his throat into her irises. They were gray and clouded. The dazzling sapphire that stopped his heart the first time they met was gone.
She could feel him gawking, so she closed her eyes again.
"I can see feelings... I can feel sights. Since I woke this morning... after the realization set in and my emotions relaxed... I have noticed things in the dark. There are sparks of misty colors where strong emotions lie. I feel what is around me to a magnitude I never thought possible," she pursed her lips, honing in on something, "I can see your fondness for me just as I can feel your stare on me."
Ren immediately looked away and fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat.
At that, she giggled, and it melted him.
Her smile lingered, "I believe... if I try hard enough... I can see the light that you described to me."
He leaned in close as she spoke quietly, eager to hear her every word.
"I see it swirling around you now," she trailed off, her head just barely turning and moving as if she was looking around but her eyes remained shut tight. She outstretched her hands as if to touch something, "I see it enveloping you... I see it empowering you... If I focus... I can almost see your face."
He wiped away a stray tear he wouldn't dare let her know managed to escape. He was still so upset, and yet, she seemed so strong. He wanted to be able to look into her eyes and see her looking back into his, and the fact that that had been taken from them made his blood run cold. Still, she was just so... calm about the whole thing. When they had met, she was timid and cautious. Always being proper and maintaining the royal appearance was of the utmost importance. Now... she was free, in more ways than one. It shifted her personality, made her more bold, more outgoing. It was as if... not being able to physically see the people around her helped her to be more comfortable and confident.
He reached out and grabbed her open hands in his.
"Ahh..." she sighed in contentment, "I remember this."
She ran her fingers across his hand, then up his arm. She was slow and her touch was a feather; it raised goosebumps on his skin. She reached his face, tracing gently across his forehead, down his temple, and lastly cupping his cheek. She breathed in and out deeply through her nose, and every muscle in Ren's body that had been tense completely released. He felt as if he sank into the floor, as if he dissolved into her touch. Tingles raced up and down his back, and every hair on his body stood tall.
"I remember your face," she whispered, "I remember... thinking you were quite handsome."
He blushed. She saw it.
"But I never would have said it before... I was too afraid. Now I can see that fear only holds us back..." she trailed off, visibly deep in thought.
Ren's heart was pounding a mile a minute - he hoped she couldn't feel it, or... see it. He had instantly fallen for the princess that day, that much was obvious to him, but he thought he had played it cool. He wasn't so sure he was now, however.
Her hand still on his cheek, she softly rubbed her thumb back and forth, "I remember watching you speak to me... You hung on my every word and cared more about what I had to say than anyone other than my mother ever had. I remember..." she paused, a light flush rising across her face, "wanting..." but she stopped.
Ren's breath halted, "Wanting what?"
She inhaled deeply, but averted the question, "My years in solitude, gazing out at the people far below from the confines of my balcony... All I ever dreamt of was a heroic knight whisking me from the castle and taking me wherever I longed to go. I imagined a fairytale like the ones in my storybooks... dancing under the moonlight and gazing up at the stars. They were the only things I ever had to keep me company. When you showed up... I had hoped you would be that knight, if only to take me far away," her beautiful face went solemn then, "In a way, though... it seems you were."
He was still, and he couldn't remember how to breathe. His body completely forgot how to function, and so he simply sat, allowing her to continue.
"You did whisk me away. In a sense, it was because of your arrival that I, at last, have been able to escape the prison of my father's creation..." her words became wispy, breathy.
Ren swallowed hard, "I don't think I did anything good for you, Emeline. If anything, it's my fault this happened to you."
"I liked 'Emmy' better..." she murmured, "And there is no fault to lie with any one person. Perhaps my father... but I do believe, while I am frightened for what awaits me, that it will serve a purpose. I..."
Her quiet voice tapered off until there was no more sound. He looked at her. She no longer appeared calm and peaceful. Her brow was suddenly tense and her eyelids were tight.
"Is everything okay?"
She took a moment to reply, "I... see something."
"Wha-"
"Something bad," her voice went low and ominous. She backed away, sitting straight and wrinkling her brow as she concentrated.
He watched her worriedly. Her face scrunched as she focused intensely on something behind her lids that Ren was oblivious to. He let her ponder aloud for as long as it took.
"I see swirls of darkness engulfing something... or someone. I see shrouds of fear... of worry... I see dim colors, obscuring and fading around people... I see an omen of black... I see..." she suddenly went rigid, catching her breath and holding it, "Something is happening now, outside. Get the hero."
Ren looked no less confused but all the more concerned, "What do you-"
"Get. The. Hero."
The stark contrast from light-hearted to dead-serious that her demeanor took on told Ren this was no joke. He nodded even though she could not see it and bolted out the door. He ran down the hall to his father's room and burst through the threshold without knocking.
The two on the bed startled at the intrusion. Zelda only by moving a hand to her heart while Link jumped to his feet.
"Ren, what in the wor-"
"Emeline says something is going on. You have to come!" Ren shouted through exasperated breaths.
Zelda stood, "What? Is she okay?"
"She's fine, just come on! Quick!" he pressed urgently.
Link and Zelda exchanged glances but wasted no more time. As they started down the hall, Emeline's voice halted them before her door.
"Only the hero," she demanded.
They stopped and stared at her, her face down as she sat still cross-legged on top of her mattress.
"What's going on?" Zelda asked, moving closer to her daughter.
"I can see darkness outside. Loved ones in peril. The hero must go," she explained cryptically.
Zelda turned to Link who looked worried and bewildered, but determination was the emotion that surfaced most visibly.
"Luda... Talo..." she whispered before shooting her stormy eyes open and exclaiming, "Go now!"
It took not another word. He sprinted down the stairs, skipping a step in each bound. He had none of his effects, no sword, no shield, no elaborate arsenal or protective hero's getup, adorned in only his ivory undershirt and tan trousers. He had only himself, and it would have to be enough.
Link heard Ren following closely behind him and shouted sternly, "Stay inside!"
The boy screeched to a halt as the front door slammed in front of him. He looked around anxiously, seeing the queen upstairs at her daughter's door, and Colin and Renado seated at the table. Unbridled concern flashed across their faces as the two before him got to their feet in worry. An abrupt, "only the hero," could be heard demanding from upstairs, and with dumbfounded expressions they stayed put.
Only minutes earlier, Talo and Luda had followed their little ones outside as they longed to get some playtime in the sun before it made way for the night. Kina and Orielle ran in circles chasing one another, making 'whoosh' sounds as they pretended to be birds and fish and whatever else their youthful minds could conjure up. Talo wrapped his arm over his wife's shoulders as they stood at the banister on the patio overlooking the dusty village. They watched their girls with a smile, the wind in their hair and the carefree looks they once had on their adolescent faces.
"I remember feeling like that," Talo smiled as he watched Orielle tumble to the ground with an ecstatic giggle.
"It seems so distant now," Luda replied, "I'm afraid of what lies in wait... of what the king has planned."
Talo sighed, "I never like when you get realistic on me. Can't we just pretend it doesn't exist and be a happy family? The castle is so far away, it's like it isn't even real."
Luda looked at him with an optimistic sadness, "If only it were that easy."
He smiled anyway, her beauty never ceasing to tickle his heart. He placed a hand on his wife's belly, grinning so bright he lit up the whole of the village on his own. He felt his newest little one moving gently and it burst a level of excitement in his chest that he always managed to forget was as amazing as it was.
"Well, all that crap can wait until this little guy shows up."
"You still don't know for sure it's a boy," she teased.
"Oh, he'll be a boy alright. As tough as me! I can't wait to teach him guy stuff. Have a boy to rough house with and get dirty with! I love my girls, but I wanna go out and punch stuff and roll around in the mud with my son for no good reason."
She giggled happily, his enthusiasm warming the entirety of her spirit. She placed her hand on top of his, "I hope you're right."
There was a quiet sound of hoofbeats getting steadily closer from the north side of town. They turned to look where it was coming from, and in a matter of seconds a troupe of soldiers on horseback galloped into the clearing. In the middle of the pack sat a man of high stature, his ivory steed ornately decorated and his plum cape billowing behind him. His cleft chin was pointed towards the heavens and an extravagant crown lay atop dark hair.
"Is that..." Talo trailed off.
It was the king.
The few townsfolk that were out and about ducked into their homes or the nearest building with hushed murmurings. The denizens of Castle Town were entirely fooled that the king of Hyrule was benevolent, but the inhabitants of the outlying villages had heard plenty of rumors to make them more than skeptical. Especially those in Kakariko, having heard horrible tales from the gorons about the king's so-called Unification Movement that left several of the gentle creatures without homes, and worse. Rumors were enough cause for these people to avoid him whenever they could.
Talo looked to his daughters, just barely becoming aware of the new presence approaching them. He motioned to them nervously, "Girls, why don't you head inside."
They looked at him forlornly and Orielle whined, "But, daddy, we-"
"I said inside. Now," he demanded. His voice got low and powerful as it did when the rare occasion should arise that he needed to be strict with his children.
They got serious in an instant and did as their father requested. They reached the balcony just as the visitors brought their mounts to a halt in front of the inn.
"What's the matter?" the king began, his voice booming as he stared down his long nose at the family, "Do your children not play nice with others?"
"Get inside," Talo whispered, and they obliged with haste.
The couple glared at Viscen, and he was strangely... laughing. It started quiet and then burst into all out hysterics. Even his guards and soldiers amongst him looked terrified.
"Ahh..." he stopped at last, dismounting his stallion and approaching the parents on the patio. "You know what irritates me the most in this world?" he asked with a sly smirk, growing ever nearer as he ascended the short steps.
Talo stood protectively in front of his wife, fear in his eyes but determination in his heart.
"Children that do not have manners..." he continued, at last standing right in front of them. Talo trembled, and the king noticed. His evil grin turned upside down just seconds before he backhanded Talo across the face with such force that the Ordonian stumbled backward. Luda gasped and knelt to steady him.
"Parents that do not teach manners disgust me!"
Talo stood tall to meet him again, a cut across his cheek and a terrible quake in his voice, "What is wrong with you? What does my family have to do with any-"
Viscen went to slap him again, but Talo lifted his arm to block the blow. He struggled against the king's strength, lifting both arms to combat Viscen's one. Luda's heart stood still in fear – everything was happening so fast she didn't know what to do. Talo at last was able to push down the vile king's arm, but just as he thought he'd won a small victory, Viscen struck him with the opposite hand. He punched the side of the young man's head so hard he fell to the ground incapacitated.
Luda gasped, turning only briefly to check on her husband. Viscen grinned the cockiest grin she had ever seen, and in that moment an anger and protectiveness overtook her. She balled up her fist and struck the king with all her might. He reeled back and stayed there for a moment, the shock making him furious and he wouldn't dare let her see that she got to him. He turned back to her slowly, a look of utter madness on his face that made Luda's heart beat faster and faster. In a second flat Viscen reached his arm out and thrust it around the woman's neck. She yelped at the sudden force, trying with all her might to pry his hand off of her.
"How dare you strike me – your KING!" he bellowed, his voice shivering the mountains and making the clouds retreat in fear.
She wriggled and writhed beneath his clutches, and he relished in watching her struggle. A grin crept onto his face and his soldiers grew visibly more uncomfortable. One such gentleman dared to speak up.
"S-Sire..." he stuttered, "She is with child... Perhaps you should ease u-"
Viscen lifted his free arm and signaled with a fist. The man's voice stopped short in his throat as an arrow pierced his chest. He fell to the ground lifeless, a different man with a bow shaking at his deed.
The king sneered, and he turned back to the woman whose life was very much in his hands. The color was draining from her face and she was losing air, but she gave one last ditch effort to free herself. She thrust her leg upward and kicked her assailant as hard as she could in the groin. He stumbled and grimaced at the impact, but it only made him angrier.
He clutched her tighter, "Where is the hero!"
She whimpered and shook her head, refusing to tell him even if she could.
"WHERE IS HE!" he shook her violently, and her eyes began to roll back.
He had heard no approach, had felt no new presence, had seen no one coming. Yet, suddenly, a much stronger hand than his own wrapped around the king's neck just the same as he clutched the girl's. He heard his soldiers grab their weapons and he turned and saw fierce blue eyes staring him down.
"How do you like it?" the hero asked through gritted teeth, watching the king struggle to appear strong when he wasn't. "Let her go."
He surrendered, and Luda tumbled to the ground unconscious. Link released to which Viscen gasped and rubbed at his own neck. The hero knelt down, checking on his loved ones with deep concern. With only a touch Talo began to rouse, but Luda was not well.
"Talo, get her inside," Link instructed.
Talo rubbed at his bruised face, shaking his head to awaken his senses. His eyes went wide as saucers as he took in the sight of his wife.
"Luda!" he cried in panic, "What-"
"Just get her inside, quickly. To Mister Renado," he demanded urgently, standing up to face the king again.
Talo gulped down the overwhelming worry and scooped her up into his arms before running inside.
Link stared him down, fury radiating off of him like cheap cologne. He said nothing as he watched Viscen's every move, calculating and studying his every nuance as he did with any monster he faced.
"Ah," the king exhaled, straightening his robes and collecting himself, "How glorious it is for the hero to grace us with his presence," he mock bowed, "Have I given you ample time to mourn the loss of our fair queen and princess?"
A wave of surprise sparked across Link's face, but he tucked it away and hid it in a second. Viscen thought they were dead... this could work in their favor.
The king removed his crown and held it to his heart, "My beloved family... lost to this beautiful land. May they slumber with the goddesses in the sacred realm for eternity."
Link scoffed, but only on the inside.
After a moment of silence, he placed his crown back atop his head and studied his counterpart, "You do not appear to be in too much distress."
"Oh, I am, Your Highness," Link began, "It distresses me greatly that a man of significant status and praise would put his wife and daughter at such risk."
"Hah!" Viscen laughed, turning and looking at the confused faces of his soldiers before returning to the hero, "It is quite dishonorable to try and slander the name of your king."
"And if my king has done that himself?" he pressed, and Viscen was very visibly becoming agitated.
The king's lip snarled and his voice reduced to a growl, "You know why I have come."
Link said nothing. Viscen wandered back to his steed as he spoke, his hands clasped behind his back. He stared at the young man, and his lack of reply raised his heart rate.
"I said, you know why I have come."
"Do I?"
He did.
Viscen gripped his own wrist tighter, this boy's ability to get under his skin steadily descending him further into madness. "Yes," he seethed, "The sword. It will not yield to me."
Link smirked, but only ever so slightly.
Viscen saw it, miniscule as it was, and he turned to him red-faced, "You knew this!"
"It is the Master Sword. It only allows one in a lifetime to wield it."
Viscen's jaw clenched, "You knew. You knew none but you could lift it! You played me for a fool!"
"And if my king has done that himself?" he repeated, a brashness rising in him as he so clearly had the king up in arms.
In a flash, Viscen was inches from the hero's face, "You will not make a mockery of me, boy."
"I would say that my king has done that himself, but three times would perhaps be too many," he whispered. The king's poisonous breath on his face and his rage dipped irises did not shake the hero in the slightest. He'd been face to face with monsters and demons and the very manifestation of evil itself – this self-entitled king didn't scare him.
However, when the king's expression went from enraged to devilishly sly, he had to admit his heart skipped a beat.
Viscen stood up straight and smirked, "Well, it appears our hero needs a helping hand to be cooperative." He turned to his soldiers behind him and proclaimed, "Bring him out."
Link furrowed his brow, watching in uncertainty. One of the men brought forward a captive with a brown sack placed over their head. Their hands were bound behind them and they stumbled as they were forced to walk forward. Viscen approached the figure and watched Link with a sinister look as he removed the bag.
It was Shad.
Link took a step forward with a sharp inhale.
"Ah!" Viscen stopped him from advancing with an outstretched arm. He turned to one of his men who handed him a sword. He pressed it to his victim's throat, "Come any closer and he dies."
Link bit his tongue as his blood started to boil. He stared at Shad who looked frightened, but more than anything just confused. His face was bruised and he had a few scrapes as he was clearly abducted with force. His glasses were muggy and Link was convinced he could barely even see, but still the scholar looked at him with confidence in him.
Viscen laughed whole-heartedly, "How easy it is to toy with you! Your loved ones are your weakness, hero. They are a burden – they only cripple you."
Link just watched on in silence, it was all he could do. But Viscen wanted a reaction, so he pressed the blade just a little bit harder.
Shad grimaced, and the hero winced as he saw the tiny beads of blood forming under his jaw.
"Say you will come and lift the sword for me and I will not hurt your friend," Viscen bartered.
"And how am I supposed to take you word? Last time I gave you all that you asked for and still you endangered both Ze-"
"DO NOT LIE ABOUT YOUR KING!" he screamed, pressing harder as Shad squirmed in fear. Viscen breathed hard, "And you did not give me what I asked for! I asked for your sword and you gave it knowing I could not use it!"
"You simply asked for it, I gave it to you," he reasoned, but Viscen would not yield.
"Do not. Test me," he spat through gritted teeth as he pressed just a little harder, "If he dies, it will be your fault."
And those words were the hero's downfall. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he watched Shad struggling, scared and tense, a silent plea in his eyes. He couldn't be the reason for any more pain and suffering for anyone. He refused, and so, he gave in.
"I will go with you. But you will release him first."
The king smiled, and he obliged. He lowered his sword and shoved the red-haired man forward. His hands still tied at his back, Shad fell face first to the dirt. As he fell, his glasses came off and hit the ground. He grunted as he strained to pick his head up and attempted to get to his feet. Link went to him, but as he reached for the scholar's glasses, a far-too pristine slipper stomped down on them, crushing them to pieces.
From the ground beside Shad, Link stared up at the malicious king. He smirked as he twisted his foot in the ground, further destroying what was left of the man's spectacles. Viscen leaned forward, leaving mere inches between his face and the hero's.
"Good choice," he hissed.
Link scowled at him, but turned back to his friend. He took a sword from the scabbard of the nearest soldier, all the rest grabbing for their weapons in defense. He ignored them, used it to cut Shad's bonds, and handed the blade back to its owner who eyed him confusedly. The men all thought he would take the opportunity to kill the king, or maybe even some of them, but he returned the weapon. The fact that he did so so nonchalantly perhaps made them all the more uneasy – as if, killing them would be but a trivial task for him, and he just saw that now was not the time.
He extended a hand to his dear friend and helped him get to his feet. He gave him a sad smile as the scholar rubbed at his glossy eyes. What a reunion, he thought.
"I'm so sorry for this," Link whispered.
Shad looked far more serious than the hero had ever seen, "Just be safe and come back to us, dear boy."
He nodded with fierce determination. He motioned for Shad to head inside, and he did so without words. He placed a weak hand on the hero's shoulder and gave a meager smile. He slowly made his way to the inn with a hand to his neck.
Link turned back to the king with a look of pure disdain. Viscen stared at the hero with a look of utter victory.
"How wonderful!" he began, outstretching his arms in delight, "That the king and the hero should become comrades."
Link said nothing, he did nothing, but he felt everything.
Viscen extended a hand towards him, motioning for him to come nearer. Link's eyes narrowed but he did so reluctantly. He felt something then, and his instincts kicked in.
He whirled around, grabbing the forearm of a soldier attempting to bash him upside the head with the pommel of his sword. He twisted the man's arm around and held the sword to the man's own neck. He grunted and strained against the unnatural twist in his arm, the hero holding it much too strongly for him to break free. Link glared at Viscen who was doing his best not to appear rattled, but he was. It was all too obvious that the king had instructed his guard to knock out the hero in order to bring him with them, but Link had been too quick.
"I said I will come with you, and I will do so. Your men will not attack me – do you understand?" Link declared, his voice intimidating, the soldier groaning all the while.
Viscen closed his barely-slack jaw and regained his appearance of superiority, "Why, of course! They would never strike the beloved hero of their land, would they?" He looked out across his men, each one terrified of what they should say. They were loyal to him out of sheer fear, each one doing what they must to survive. After glancing between one another for assurance, they nodded in agreement.
"See? You will be safe with us!" he exclaimed happily, "However, it appears we may not be safe with you."
He nodded for one of his soldiers, and they approached with a rope in their hands. Link saw it and knew what was coming.
"I simply am unsure if my men could muster the courage to travel alongside a dangerous killer without him properly restrained. Surely you understand?" he smirked.
Link released the soldier he had pinned, and the man staggered away grasping his arm in pain. He wasn't a dangerous killer, but he knew it wasn't his men that feared him, it was Viscen. Viscen was terrified that if he left Link unbound and free to do as he wished that he might run a blade through his heart when he least expected it. Having his hands tied didn't worry Link anyway – he could come up with a hundred different ways to free himself at any given moment.
He extended his hands to the man and he wrapped his wrists tight. Viscen watched with a smile, demanding that he bind them tighter. Link's eyes never left the king's face, always watching, always studying.
At last satisfied, Viscen said, "Won't you lead the way?"
He stood tall, his hands bound before him and his loved ones behind him. He could feel Zelda watching, could sense her eyes on his back like a guardian angel. He didn't know what would happen, or exactly what he would do. But, he had the entirety of the trek to Zora's Domain to figure it out, he supposed.
He took point on foot as they mounted their horses, each step an integral web he would weave.
"As you wish."
Which will you be? And will you know when you become it?
A big thank you to the following for helping me get this chapter out there!
SonadowKokoro100, Chloe Rose, Debora, Lotus Eater, Ivalee, Lee Glerum, Gabby-J
You guys are amazing!