It was only a few moments before Link came to. His vision was blurred and his wet hair plastered to his face. The world was full of chaos as he tried to focus his mind, taking in his senses one by one. Thunder rumbled loudly. There was the strange, unfamiliar sound of metal on metal. Something that sounded mechanical. And the distinct sound of crackling flames. He could smell smoke. Burning rubber. He felt wet and warm. He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and just barely held back the urge to vomit. And then he heard it; a sound he would likely hear many more times through this forsaken war. A sound that made his heart drop and snapped his mind into gear. He scrambled to his feet, looking up and meeting one of the Guardians face on as it prepared its deadly blast.

"Fuck," he muttered. The Guardian locked on and Link seized the opportunity to jump out of the path of the blast, rolling into the nearby brush. He scanned the area quickly, picking out Zelda's familiar blonde hair as she lay motionless on the ground, and his heart dropped. For the moment, the Guardians were oblivious to her presence, just on the other side of the burning car.

She started to stir and groan. Her voice was weak as she called to Link, but it was enough to jump start Link's heart and he snapped into focus.

"Don't move," he hissed to her.

But she did not seem to hear him. She pushed herself up and her hands flew to her head. She winced in pain, then opened her eyes. She blinked at the burning vehicle, then looked up at the Guardian that was searching for Link.

"Link?" Her eyes widened with worry, her face pale.

Link darted through the trees, running low, but the Guardian was quick to spot him.

"Come on," he growled as he ran to her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to her feet. Zelda wavered for a moment, then caught her balance and fell into a sprint behind Link. He stopped suddenly as something else came to mind.

The sword.

"Go," he shouted to Zelda, pushing her forward. "Don't stop. I'll catch up."

She hesitated for a moment, then continued to run through the trees as Link turned back to the car. He sprinted towards it, dodging the legs of the Guardians as he ran, narrowly missing blast after blast. He threw himself into the burning vehicle, searching for the Master Sword frantically and ignoring the searing pain of the flames that burned his skin. Fortunately, he was able to reach through the broken windows and retrieve the sword, which had fallen onto the roof when the car flipped over.

He backed quickly out of the car, shattered glass tearing at him as he pulled away and hurried to his feet. He dodged another blast with sword in hand and sprinted through the woods once more, but now, Zelda was nowhere to be seen. He pushed himself faster as he ran through the rain until a hand grabbed at him and pulled him into the protection of an oversized rotted log. Zelda pressed him against the wood and let a finger rest against his lips.

They waited with held breaths as the Guardians marched through, neared their hiding spot, and continued onward in search of their prey. Only then did they dare to breathe once more.

"Shit," Zelda spat. "Fuck."

"Are you okay?" Link looked her over quickly. There was a good sized cut on her head, but it didn't look life threatening.

"Probably better than you," Zelda said, pulling his arm towards her. To his surprise, it was burned, bloodied, and muddy. He couldn't tell where one cut ended and the other began.

And hell, did it hurt. His whole body screamed in pain. His head most of all.

Link pulled his arm away and peered outside, trying desperately to ignore his wounds. The Guardians were out of sight, and he assumed they had returned to the battle.

"What do we do?" Zelda breathed, the adrenaline still pumping through her body. It was all she had to distract her from her own pain.

Kakariko wasn't far, but it also wasn't protected like Hateno was. Link was starting to come to the conclusion that Kakariko shared a similar fate as the other towns had. Impa would have known that, and chances are, she would have gone to the protection of Hateno with the Sheikah. Fort Hateno was a strong built fort and was enough to protect the town of Hateno. That's where they would head. That's where Zelda would be safe.

"We're going to Hateno," Link said. "It's the safest place with the protection of the fort. And I have a feeling Impa will be there."

Zelda nodded, too overwhelmed to be able to think rationally on her own. Link knew what he was doing. Link would keep her safe.

Link turned back and met Zelda's gaze. "Listen," he started. "Whatever happens out there, do whatever you have to do to get to Hateno, okay?"

"Link…"

Link pulled at her arm, his gaze hard on hers. "Promise me."

She nodded wordlessly and swallowed back her tears.

Link pulled her out of the protection of the log and they dashed through the trees once more, their feet splashing in the muddy puddles. They ran as far from the battle as they could and didn't stop until Link lost his grip on Zelda's wrist and she fell to her knees. Link hurried to her as she sobbed to the ground, the realization of the situation hitting her harder than anything in her life.

"How… How did it come to this?"

Link got to his knees before her, hesitant. He watched Zelda as she started to unravel and in that moment, his own grief settled in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"The Divine Beasts, the Guardians… They've all turned against us. It was Ganon. He turned them all against us!" Zelda looked up and met his gaze with tears in her eyes. "And everyone - Mipha, Urbosa, Revali and Daruk - they're all trapped inside those things. It's all my fault!" She buried her face into her hands and sobbed. "Our only hope for defeating Ganon is lost all because I couldn't find this damned power! Everything - everything I've done up until now… It was all for nothing. So I really am just a failure! All my friends, the entire kingdom, my father most of all. I tried, and I failed them all." Her voice softened. "I've left them all to die."

Zelda fell into Link's arms, sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her and let his head rest against hers as she cried into his chest. His heart ached at the truth behind her words. His friends were gone. He and Zelda were the only ones left.

"You're not a failure," he forced out, pulling her closer to him. "Nothing we could have done would have prevented this."

"Without my power, Ganon will destroy all of Hyrule. The fight has only just begun, and we've already lost."

Link pushed Zelda away and took her chin in his hands. He gazed deep into her eyes, his brows knit together. "It's not over. We haven't lost. We will defeat him. I won't rest until we do."

Zelda hesitated as her eyes moved over his body. His burned arms, the blood that continued to seep through his clothes.

"How?" She met Link's gaze once more, feeling hopeless and defeated. "There's nothing left we can do. We can't keep running from those Guardians. They'll kill you."

"I have to." His voice was fierce, but he, too, had started to notice his own wounds. He forced himself not to think about the pain, for it would only hinder him further. "I'll do anything to keep you safe."

"You're no good to me dead!" she barked at him.

"It's gonna take a lot more than a couple of Guardians to kill me," Link said as he got to his feet. He pulled Zelda up with him and held her in his arms. "You will be safe with Impa," he continued, pressing his forehead against hers. "She will be able to help you find your power."

"You're not leaving me there," Zelda muttered, pulling away from him and meeting his gaze. "We have to do this together."

"I need you to be safe, Zelda. You can't help me without your power, so you need to be safe until you find it."

"What about you?" Zelda begged. "I can't do anything without you. You can't - you can't go off and die on me! I need you, Link."

Link hesitated but did not take his eyes off her. There was no use arguing with her. Not in that moment. They were still exposed and it wouldn't be long before the Guardians found them. He had to get her safely to Hateno. If there was a chance left for them, it was there.

"I can't stay with you," Link said, his voice soft. He took her hands in his. "But I swear on my life I will find you and I will protect you. No matter what happens, I will come for you. Just promise me you will do this. Promise me you will be safe."

Zelda nodded, her breath caught in her throat. "Promise me," she said, forcing the words out as her throat tightened. Her vision blurred quickly as the tears pooled in her eyes. "Promise me that you will come back for me."

Link pulled her to him and pressed his lips against hers. Zelda did not hesitate to return his kiss, pressing herself as close to him as she could. Her body felt so small and fragile against him, and he tightened his arms around her. They stayed like that for what seemed like a long moment until Link pulled away slightly and let his forehead rest against hers. He hesitated, biting his lower lip, his mind racing. He let his fingers brush wet strands of hair out of her face and met her gaze. His heart pulled in his chest for her. How he would do anything for her.

"I will always come back for you," he said. "I promise."