Chapter Twenty-six: Comatose
She never looked back.
She ran vigilantly through the deserted courtyards with nothing more than her bag over her shoulder and her hopes and prayers clutched dearly to her heart. But no matter how fast she ran she still felt as if she was barely moving at all; it was like one of those horrible nightmares where you desperately tried to reach out and grab something but no matter how hard you exerted yourself you were always a fingertip from reaching it… She would always wake up distraught and tangled in a constricting mess of sheets, but she would never reach it; never. She had long come to accept that her life had taken on the role of one of her nightmares, there was no reason left for her to doubt that fact; but as horrible and as twisted in never-ending pain as this nightmare was, it was still real… she didn't have the comfort of knowing that she would wake up and everything would be all right. She would now give anything for it to just be another one of her dreams; just one of her mind's cruel games derived to mock her in her sleep.
But she refused to dwell in self-pity; not when there was still a chance; as infinitesimal and as bleak as it was… it was still all she had. There was plenty of time for pity when she found Link and realised she was way too late… No- if, she tried to encourage herself, if… I still might have a chance…
Like a fugitive on the run, she glanced hesitantly over her shoulder- fearing that with her bad luck Ash would be one step behind her- as she passed through a rose vine-covered arch and into the large expanse of grassy field. She saw Saria mounted on her grey stallion by the stables, fidgeting anxiously with the leather saddle straps before looking up and catching sight of the princess; a relieved but still far from at ease expression appeared on her face as she steered her horse around in one quick movement and dug her heels into its side as she galloped across the field to meet her half way.
"I was beginning to get worried", she frowned in an 'if I wasn't worried enough' tone of voice as she hastily extended her hand out to the breathless princess. Zelda gave Saria her hand which she then used to heave her up onto the horse with strength unnatural for a ten year-old. It took Zelda a moment longer than it should have to realise why this was strange.
She subconsciously clenched her hand, trying to dispel the burning sensation left pulsing through her limb where her excessively warm skin had touched hers. But before she even had time to think, they were galloping full speed along the field and towards the nearest unguarded exit in sight; she practically had to grab hold of the young girl's waist to prevent herself from being thrown off the impetuous animal.
She couldn't believe what she was doing; she couldn't believe this was actually happening; she still wasn't entirely convinced that the last few months of her life weren't just a dream. It would be so much easier to accept it if it were; she didn't think she would be able to handle another failure. She looked back over her shoulder as they passed swiftly over an old wooden drawbridge and into the periphery of Hyrule Field. If luck was on her side then this would be the final time she would ever cast a glance at her castle home; she let one tiny, distant part of her mind wallow in the fact that she would never walk the blossoming courtyards again, or spend hours pent up inside the libraries reading books, or even enjoying the long summer days watching soldiers train from under the shade of distant trees, envying what she would never be allowed to do. She would never see her loyal caretaker again; she wished she could have at least said goodbye to her. And then there was her father; knowing that he too she would never again see caused a saddening feeling of regret to consume her- he had done wrong over the years but he had always loved her. She closed her eyes in order to control the few tears she spared for the memories of her childhood; the memories she would never forget, but still memories she never wanted to experience again. If she were to then it would mean that she had failed.
She tried to block out every persistent thought within her mind; at this moment there was nothing she could do about any of them. She just had to focus on staying in one piece. She couldn't let hypothetical situations and currently forbidden memories break through the control she was trying to maintain. She watched with a forced interest as the seemingly endless expanse of Hyrule Field reeled by them; she tried counting in her head the trees as they flashed past her vision but she quickly stopped when she realised it sounded like the counting of seconds as they too flashed by. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to will away the image of the trees which continued to play behind her eyelids.
It was just then that she realised that she didn't really know where they were going. In her blinding haste to get to Link her mind had blocked out the entire situation, instead focussing all of her thoughts on the essentials. She quickly reviewed the conversation she had earlier with Saria; she had told her that Link was staying within her village and that it was near a forest… but the only village within Hyrule was Kakariko and it was nowhere near the forest. But the flipside was as equally perplexing; the forest bordering the south-western margin of Hyrule was uninhabited; it was practically a wasteland of infinite greenery; no one even tried to trek through the hostile land let alone attempt to set up a sustainable settlement of any sort.
She opened her eyes to question Saria but stopped as soon as she noticed the sudden change in surroundings. It was just then that she realised she must have had her eyes closed longer than she thought… much longer. The sun was no longer directly above them in the sky, blaring down the full force of its harsh intensity; it was now beginning to fall towards the western horizon. The brightness had dulled from the cloudless sky and the shadows cast by any three-dimensional objects were now elongated along the grassy field. She sat in open-mouthed shock as she tried to fathom how the time had eluded her. But everything around her just pointed to the fact that time was still functioning the way it had since the beginning of existence and that this seemingly discrepant situation was just the result of one of her mind's useful abilities to distort reality. Her shoulder ached from carrying the weight of her bag which was just further proof to support this idea.
She felt a shiver roll down her spine. It took her a while for her mind to construe what her body was trying to tell her and when she did the thought just made another concentrated shiver flash through her body- by now Ash would have the entire Royal Army out searching for her; there would be guards within every town within every region of the land put on lookout for her appearance. She suddenly felt intimidated by the vast extents of the situation she had wound herself into; there is no turning back from this; her life will never be what it once was… never.
She squinted her eyes to try and make out the distant blur of earthy colours appearing from behind the narrow peak in the land; the sun lowering behind it. As they continued on, the land began to smooth out and lower causing the blur of colour along the horizon to appear to grow and ascend into the sky. The closer they approached the more it began to elucidate and form into something identifiable; her previous thoughts began to flood through her mind once more; her confusion spiking as she realised that what they were riding towards actually was the forest which she previously rebuffed as being ludicrous. She placed her hand on the young girl's shoulder to claim her attention.
"Saria, why are we heading towards the forest?" she asked slowly, her tone was incomprehensive.
She turned her head sideways to engage with the princess but kept her eyes fixed straight ahead. "Our village lies within the heart of this forest", she said. "It is unheard of to those who do not belong there and it has remained that way for thousands of years"
Zelda looked ahead at the wild forest before them and wondered not only how a village could survive within the natural and unforgiving labyrinth, but also how something could remain hidden for so long.
"Lucky for us it is also the most secure place you could possibly be right now", she said with a tone of thankfulness, "even if someone knows you are within the forest they will never be able to find you"
Zelda narrowed her eyes in confusion as she tried to mentally put together this jigsaw of information in which nothing seemed to fit. "Why is that?" she asked, slightly relieved but still utterly confused after finally giving up.
"Have you ever been able to find your way through our forest?" she asked in what seemed like an attempt to answer her question.
"No", she said shaking her head despite the fact that she knew Saria could not see her. It wasn't really a strong case using her as an example because she really hasn't been anywhere in Hyrule besides the castle, Kakariko and Lake Hylia.
"Well, anyone can enter the forest but whether or not you make it through to our village depends on if you are welcomed in or not" The princess' silence was a cue for her to continue with her explanation. "Our village is found only by those who are welcomed in by one of us", she said, referring to the villagers. "If no one in our village wants you in then you will never be able to find it and will probably wither away the rest of your days within the forest trying to find it. Link is the only foreigner ever to walk amongst us… until you of course", she added. There was something unusual about the way she called Link a foreigner; was their village so elusive that not even another Hylian was permitted on their soil, and if so, then what made Link so different?
She suddenly felt a chill run through her spine more painfully than before and her stomach turn with enough force that it had the potential to make her sick; how could she be thinking- let alone talking- so candidly about Link? She forced her eyes shut as reality crashed down on her. Was she too late? She didn't want to think about Plan B; she refused to even acknowledge that there was such a thing for if she did then she would just be giving in to the fact that there was no hope left. But if worst came to worst she had long ago decided that a life without Link is a life not worth living; her backup plan was set in stone… either way she would make sure they were together.
Without even the hint of slowing down they broke through the forest fringe and into the shaded tangle of ancient wilderness. At first it seemed like the forest was becoming thicker and any hope she had of it thinning out were as lost as what they appeared to be amongst the vegetation. But as quickly as her hopes had sunk they were again raised; in nothing more than a blink of the eye she saw the trees begin to slowly tame and diverge into a narrow grassy path, and before she could even think of gasping, the path was leading them through a network of hollow, toppled tree trucks almost as wide as small huts. The further they went the more unbelievable the sights around her became; trees thinned from the overgrown and intimidating forest she witnessed upon entry, instead smaller majestical foliage sprouted from the moist, mossy ground. Plump, red toadstools, better fitting descriptions in children's story books were scattered along the ground and between damp fallen tree trunks. The atmosphere was misty and humid and tiny, fuzzy, glowing bugs floated around serenely; but she was moving so fast that they appeared nothing more than dancing lights.
The rhythmic sound of hooves on hollow wood resounded for a few seconds as they passed through another tree trunk before exiting the temporary darkness and heading into a clearing. They passed over a small, wooden rope-strung bridge before heading through another opening. It was only then that they began to slow down, and it was only then that she realised the magnitude of the village. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in awe as she took in the sight laid out majestically before her. When Saria had said 'village' she definitely wasn't expecting this. Everything with in the forest haven was carved, built, grown from, or supplied by the trees around them. The houses they lived in were either built from the same dark wood of the forest trees or were just carved straight from the tree itself. Ladders ascended up to the leafy canopy where further huts and other edifices were constructed; a network of pathways- either built from planks or carved from the large branches- linked each tree to the other. Everything was in perfect symmetry and fit together flawlessly. If something else hadn't suddenly caught her eye she probably would have continued to marvel mindlessly. She practically had to double take before her mind would fully acknowledge what she was seeing. Dozens of young children who practically blended in with their natural surroundings began to hesitantly step out from the undergrowth as they made their way curiously towards the stranger; some a little more confident than others. A few even came up to the two of them; their unnaturally beautiful faces holding expressions of both shock and glee.
"Has anyone seen Link this morning?" Saria quickly asked the crowd of young children; her tone was desperate but still in control; she was obviously their leader. A few shook their heads; others narrowed their eyes in confusion; the rest looked around silently, searching for a person who could answer that question with a yes.
Zelda could actually feel her heart beating aggressively in her chest, threatening to burst through at any second now; the dreaded sinking feeling in her stomach was so strong that she swore she weighed twice she normally did. She could feel her breath catch in her throat; she was too late; she knew it. She could feel that unsettling sensation spread through her every limb; that same awareness she felt whenever her deepest hopes were crashed before her; but this time it was worse, it was so painful that she felt like closing her eyes and just letting go of everything. She was surprised she could not feel her tears threatening to manifest, but maybe she had finally become immune to any feeling… this was enough to make her truly numb.
Without dismounting, Saria turned around slightly to face the princess; her face was wary and barely pulling off the hopeful expression she was pretending for her sake. "You'll have to go, Zelda", she whispered. She turned and pointed to an intricately carved house about ten meters off the ground. She didn't say anything more; she didn't need to. Zelda squeezed her eyes shut as she mentally prepared herself; please, she begged the goddesses, please…
She dismounted quickly and let her bag fall to the ground with a soft thud. She didn't realise it at the time but she began to run as if she thought it would make a difference. But she was barely even aware of her surroundings; she could not feel the ground underneath her feet; she could not feel the damp moisture of the air around her; she could not hear the soft rustling of the wind through the ancient trees. She did not feel the ache in her arms as she pulled her exhausted body up the wooden ladder or the pain in her hands as she clutched onto the rungs with white knuckles. She didn't even remember climbing the whole ladder; she practically blinked and there she was standing before his door ready to push it open and welcome fate in what ever form it decided to present itself in.
She took a deep breath and held it, then pushed open the door.
It took her too long for her eyes to adjust to the dimly lit house; she blinked her eyes a few times; she could feel her heart beat pulsing erratically through her chest and within her throat as she glanced frantically around the room she had entered. Clothes were tossed askew amongst the room, hanging unceremoniously off furniture or just lying lifelessly on the floor. She made her way determinedly through the vacant room towards an open door. As she stumbled hastily through, she followed down the narrow hall, pushing open doors along the way; tears had begun to drip down her face as she stumbled hopelessly throughout the house.
Something in the corner of her blurred vision caught her attention; she was about to reach over and pick it up when she noticed more of the same thing scattered arbitrarily throughout the rest of the hall before disappearing into the last room at the end of the hallway. She clasped her hand to her mouth to stop herself from crying when she recognised what it all was and stumbled back against the cool wooden wall. Her whole body shook as she stared down in agony at the torn and crumpled white pages of a book she knew all too well. She covered her face with her shaking hands; she didn't want to see anymore. She could feel it in her shattering bones and fracturing heart, she was too late.
She wanted to fall to her knees and drown in her own tears; she had never felt so hopeless in her entire life. Her eyes wide with dread, she glanced forward at the door at the end of the hall; it stood slightly ajar with nothing but darkness seeping out. Darkness… how fitting.
She practically had to push her weak body off the wall to get herself to move forward; her mind kept pleading with her body to give up… it was way too late. She didn't want to see what was behind that door. But her heart pushed her forward; she was clinging to prayers… not even hopes were left for her to salvage; she prayed for a miracle.
Her hand shook as she pushed the wooden door open into the darkness. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust and when they did she felt her soul shatter.
She fell to her knees.
No
No
"No", she moaned in pain, forcing her eyes closed as her body began to shut down. "No, no, no, no…" her strained voice was shaking with helplessness and regret and anguish and grief and sorrow and anger and hysteria and obstinate denial. She was too late. She felt pain stronger than she had ever felt before crash through her aching body as her tears overwhelmed what very little there was left of her crumpling mentality. Even through her eyelids she could see her husband's limp body sprawled on his side on the ground, motionless and flaccid… lifeless. His face was painfully thin and his skin was ashen almost to the point that it appeared almost translucent under what little light made it into the morbidly dark room. His eyes- closed in defeat- were bruised with what she initially assumed were ghastly shadows but very soon came to realise were dark rings, the same dark rings which tainted her own face, except she knew that his had nothing to do with sleep deprivation and stress. His handsome face was stained with anguish, the last expression it contained before he took his life. She let out a strained sob through her shaking hands as the morose entirety of the situation crashed down on her.
She was too late.
She had failed.
She had failed him!
Zelda dragged her defeated body forward towards what was left of her husband; her sobs and gasps and blinding tears were stopping her from reaching him; they were tearing down her mind; battering her already broken spirit; defeating her and forcing her body to just give up. But she wanted to be with him; she wanted to embrace him one last time; to be beside him… where she should be.
Where she should be.
"Link", she choked on her sob as the word left her lips; her body shaking as she fought to just stay conscious, "Link, I am so sorry… it wasn't suppose to be like this" She closed her eyes as tears once again began to flood and overpower them. "I am so sorry", she moaned. She placed her head down on the cool wood floor below her in defeat. They had won and she had lost; no one could possibly hurt her any more.
She listlessly lolled her head to one side so her eyes looked back at Link's pale, lifeless complexion. Her gaze invoked by somewhere between sheer desperation, blinding disbelief and masochistic self-punishment- she had done this to him and she alone. She would not comfort herself with letting this image fade away beyond closed eyelids.
She reached out to him with her shaking hand and placed it gently on his soft, inert cheek. She was about to scream and curse the goddesses to the most ghastly infernal depths of the underworld when she suddenly stopped mid-breath. She felt her heartbeat cease in her chest and her breath involuntarily catch in her raw throat. Link opened his eyes.
At that exact moment she knew she was dreaming; only her mind could now give her what she desperately wanted; only her imagination could return her husband to her. She stared at Link speechlessly, not breathing, not moving, afraid to even blink just in case her mind revoked this image from her. It made no sense. He had looked so… dead. He was. He was. He must be. There was no other way to describe it. But this felt so real; it couldn't just be the work of her disintegrating mind, could it? His face was so warm; his eyes were so beautiful; it felt so damn real…
It must be real, it must.
But then she felt a new strain of pain contort through her chest, tightening her ribs around her organs like a malignant vice slowly and painfully cutting off her lungs and heart from functioning anywhere near effectively. She stared down through burning eyes as her dream suddenly turned into a nightmare. Link narrowed his eyes and stared back at her coldly; his expression was suddenly indifferent and uncaring, but at the same time he looked like he was expecting to see her. He shook his head slowly back and forth as if he was silently begging for something.
"Link…?" she stammered. Her voice was so quiet that she didn't even hear her dubious words leave her lips, but she was sure he had heard it for when she spoke he seemed to recoil slightly to the apparent sound of her inaudible (or so she thought) voice. She was too shocked to properly compose any other emotion than blatant shock on her face or within her voice; all she could do was whisper his name in disbelieving, strenuous breaths. She put her other hand to his face as her heart and body tried to convince her mind that what she was experiencing was real. But as soon as she touched her other hand to his cheek he just shook her off as if she had suddenly electrocuted him with her bare touch; his expression became torn and tormented. She felt her weak heart stutter and sink as she watched him glare back at her with his firm and unforgiving eyes. She didn't understand.
"Link, I…" she tried to say something… anything.
"Why are you here Zelda?" he breathed callously. Zelda had to put her hand to her mouth to stop herself from crying. "No, don't tell me… you came here to mock me, didn't you", he stated with a bitter, mirthless, and almost guarded smirk. His words acted like a blunt knife to Zelda, piercing through her shielding flesh.
"What?" she whispered. "Link what are you talking about? I came here for you", her voice was shaking as much as her hands as she tried to stop herself from reaching out and comforting him. If there was any despondent emotion left yet for her to sample she was sure it would have tainted her expression at the thought of her sudden urge- her husband was staring daggers at her right now and all she wanted more than anything else in the world to do was to comfort him. She couldn't stand being on the receiving end of his uncharacteristically reproaching glares; she wanted them to dissipate and leave her with the warm, receiving smile she had once woken up to each morning. It seemed like almost a lifetime ago now…
"I am so sorry, Zelda", he repented, his tone capriciously taking a complete turn; his voice was so quiet that she though maybe she just imagined his words, but then he continued to apologise. "You have no idea how sorry I am for what I have done to you"
"Link…" she begged hopelessly.
Link squeezed his eyes shut. "I was right there; I was right in front of you", he whispered, "I could have reached out and touched you, but I didn't… I let you run away", he began to slowly shake his head again; his subtle movements seemed to require most of what little energy he had. "I am so sorry Zelda"
"No Link", she begged, "please don't say that, please…" her tears continued to stream down her cheeks; she didn't understand why he was reacting to her like this.
"Its ok", he comforted with a forced smile, "I will see you soon", he spoke before slowly turning his back to her.
"Link… please don't do this", she sobbed. She wanted to wrap her arms around her husband and never let him go but he didn't want her to touch him; she didn't blame him.
"Link, please don't do this… please… look at me Link", she crawled around to face him. "I love you Link", she breathed desperately. Zelda watched as his expression became pained; it was as if her words were physically doing this to him. He rolled onto his back and placed his hands over his face as if he wanted to hide from her; either that or he just didn't want her to see how her words made him react.
After a moment of motionless silence he removed his hands, letting them fall limply down beside him again and just stared up at the ceiling. "Why?" he muttered slowly; his tone was cynical. "After everything I have done to her, how could she possibly think that?"
Zelda could not understand what he was saying; why was he talking to her in third person?
"Link you haven't done anything to me", she tried to convince him but his dubious expression stayed obstinately on his handsome but torn face, "I am right here… I am here for you Link", she spoke with such force; she wanted to grab him and shake him into understanding that. He had to understand her feelings; how could he not? But the next thing he did took her off guard.
He laughed.
He glanced back at her; his eyes were bitter; his laugh was humourless. "Just like you have been the past two months", he stated simply. At first she thought he was being sarcastic but she could not detect a trace of it in his voice.
"Link… I don't understand what you are talking about", her incomprehension just caused her tears to fall with more fervour. She could tell her anguish was causing him pain, but still he didn't try to comfort her; not even with his expression; it remained solemn, hard and emotionless.
"Please Zelda… please just leave me alone", he spoke with a tone of forlorn finality. He closed his eyes. He never saw the effect his words had on the princess; they crippled her with more intensity than she had ever imagined possible; tearing down what little countenance she had left and stabbing the final blade through her weak body. After everything that had happened… this was how it was to end.
"Link… please…" she wept. She refused to give up on him so easily despite what her pained soul was begging her to do.
"No!" he demanded vehemently, sitting up to look directly at her, but despite this his appearance illustrated the highly likely possibility that he was just about to break down again. "I can't do this anymore… I can't stand seeing you when I close my eyes, I can't stand hearing your voice in my head", he was rapidly losing control of what little he initially had, "you drive me crazy each and every night and I know that its my own fault but I just can not take it anymore", he drawled, clutching his hands to his forehead as if trying to soothe a painful headache.
His tone suddenly placated- whether out of a sudden bout of regret and compassion or just because he had lost all remaining energy to his sudden outburst of raw emotion. But all preceding thoughts were disregarded when he began to plead. "I will see you soon Zelda, I promise… just please-" he begged, "-please just let me wake up"
Zelda sat there silently. The only thing she could hear was the rapid beating of her heart as she tried to come to terms with what he had just asked of her. She watched his torn face; she could see her reflection in his glassy eyes and could understand that she was somehow hurting him… but she didn't understand how or why. He didn't want her here; he didn't want her anywhere ne-
Her miserable thoughts were cut short when she realised something about what he had said was so blatantly ludicrous…
Or was it?
His words fluttered back through her barely conscious mind; each syllable slowly reforming from the monotonous drone and into something she could understand… and when she did it crashed down on her with so much force that she almost choked. She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and a veil removed from before her vision as everything became so much clearer. Why didn't she realise this earlier… he thought he was dreaming.
Her breathing began to accelerate exponentially as everything became so unbelievably surreal to her. He thought he was dreaming. He thought he was asleep and the woman before him was just a spectre come to mock him. It couldn't be that simple…
Could it?
She reached out her hand to touch his face but he refused to be hurt by what he believed his mind was making up to taunt him with. He quickly and precariously got to his feet and went to leave the room but Zelda followed after him, grabbing his hand and pushing him back against the wall; her hands holding onto his arms, restraining him with her new-found strength; a strength Link was blatantly still without. Her tears were still falling but this time not because she was feeling so hopeless… this time there was more than just hope to keep her going; her tears were a symbol of her wordless bliss.
"Link, open your eyes and look at me", she demanded; she could barely keep the elation from her voice. Link opened his eyes reluctantly but looked away from her as if he thought her eyes would find a way to tear him down; he still didn't realise how real everything around him was.
"Can you feel my hands, Link?" she whispered. She fought back a sudden uncontrollable urge gnawing at the back of her mind, forcing her limbs to comply. Her heightened senses weren't helping her restraint. She didn't want to scare him. Just like a sleepwalker, he too had to be 'woken' carefully.
She felt rather than saw Link sigh in defeat; his warm breath fanning her bare shoulder. It wasn't until she felt the sudden warmth against her skin that she realised how unnaturally cold her limbs were.
"Yes", he replied finally.
"Can you see my eyes?"
He tried to pull free from her grip but she refused to let go of him. He eventually gave up and looked at her as if silently questioning how she could be doing this to him. His eyes lingered on hers for a moment before grudgingly communicating an unspoken 'yes'.
"And you can hear my voice?" As she spoke the words, her voice shook. She had no idea which emotion was overruling the rest anymore. It didn't matter. All that mattered- all that had ever mattered- was right in front of her.
"Yes", he breathed, closing his eyes again.
"Can you smell my skin?" she asked softly, putting her hand tenderly to his cheek. His face turned into her wrist almost subconsciously. When his eyes fell back to hers they were no longer detached and despondent; she saw for the first time that evening an emotion she had not witnessed for an eternity. She saw hope. No matter how dubious and tenuous the emotion was… there was still a slight trace of it undeniably there. He was beginning to realise.
She could feel her tears continue to drip down her cheeks as she pressed her forehead gingerly to his. He felt so warm; just like she remembered. She was expecting him to recoil or at least tense from her sudden close contact, but he didn't. It felt almost natural. It felt almost normal.
Normal, she mused to herself and smiled inwardly.
She could feel his fingertips move along her arms tentatively as he tried to convince himself the seemingly impossible. His hands stopped at her shoulders where he carefully and gently grasped hold of; it was as if he was expecting her to disappear.
She closed the fraction of a gap between their faces and brushed her lips lightly against his.
"Can you taste my lips?" Her words came in nothing stronger than a breath as she pulled slowly away from him to read his strangely tempestuous yet serene eyes. Link didn't answer her straight away; he just stared at her speechlessly; the only inch of his motionless body giving away any emotion was his eyes, and they solely told her more than anything else could. Zelda watched him watch her; his deep eyes swept over every inch of her face as he silently tried to come to an understanding which had completely eluded him. And his mercurial eyes told her that he desperately wanted to believe. He took her face gently within his hands and began to shake his head slowly, never removing his eyes from hers.
"No… I can't", he breathed softly. But before Zelda could bring any kind of despondent expression to her face she felt Link pull her closer to his warm body, a motion she had not expected but one which she welcomed with every aching fibre in her body nonetheless. She clung desperately onto her husband; her arms finding their way instinctively around his neck. It was at that exact moment that she promised herself that she would never let him go again.
Never.
She felt like burying her face into his chest and just succumbing to the feelings his sheer presence was giving to her, but his hands held onto her face.
The expression she saw suddenly cross his face made Zelda think that he was about to breakdown; she didn't realise it was the manifestation of every emotion his sudden realisation had triggered. And before she could do or say or even think anything further, Link pulled her even closer and pressed his warm, sensual lips to hers. In that exact instant the whole world seemed to cease; everything became blurred; time and space were no more; the laws governing the universe seemed to crash down around them. She felt like her whole body was burning and she never wanted it to stop; his lips were so sweet; his touch was so soft and tentative… it was almost as if he thought his touch would hurt her, but it had the absolute opposite effect on her- she felt utterly safe and protected in his arms. She felt her senses explode with feelings and emotions which had seemed so lost to her that it was almost as if she was experiencing them for the first time… This was their first kiss… their first touch… their first smile; she felt like she had truly opened her eyes for the first time; she was seeing the colour return to the world; no longer was everything limited to the darkness cast behind her eyelids. His touch did not make her stop breathing nor make her heart cease beating and she definitely didn't feel like she was about to fall to her knees. His kiss surpassed her weaknesses and gave to her something she had not felt for months… life. It was as if he was healing her body from the inside out; curing the lingering woes from her heart, removing the fears and uncertainties from her emaciated mind and reviving the inertness of her soul… he was breathing life back into her.
She felt him move his warm fingers gently along her cheeks as he re-familiarised himself with her body. His hands trailed down her neck; his soft touch was enough to soothe the tenderness of her swollen skin. Her true husband's hands now tended to the wounds which only a few hours ago were inflicted by her pseudo husband. His touch did more to soothe her than any potion or crème or cure… but then if a placebo has an effect, is it any less real than the real thing?
She felt him slowly pull away from her lips but the feelings he gave her didn't leave; they lingered blissfully with her like an aura she couldn't and definitely didn't want to escape. He pressed his forehead against hers; she could hear his soft but uneven breaths; she could feel it against her face.
"Now I can taste your lips", he whispered. His voice was so sweet. She had no idea how she had ever lived for so long without hearing it.
"Talk to me Link", she begged; she could feel his lips lingering so close to hers, the thought made her soft voice shake. It felt like so long since the last time she had truly heard his voice so devoid of anger or misery or pain. She could almost taste the warmth of his words now.
She never wanted to lose that taste.
"I… I don't understand Zelda… I thought…" she heard him sigh painfully as he was forced to relive thoughts he would prefer to forget. Even in his visibly blatant disbelief that this situation could be more than a figment, he couldn't help but let himself be dragged down by remorse.
"No… it was just a mistake Link… a terrible misunderstanding… I am so sorry…"
"But you wrote to me… you told me-"
Zelda buried her face against her husband's warm chest to stop her tears from manifesting. "I'm sorry Link", her words came out muffled and strained. She felt his hands move from on her back to her head as he tried to comfort her distress with care and extreme gentleness.
"I shouldn't have left you", he spoke with regret, "none of this would have happened if I didn't leave", he inhaled a shaky breath as he tried to come to terms with just how much he had put his wife through because of his absence, "I thought this was what was best or you, I thought-"
"Shhhh…" she pressed her fingers gently to his lips. She could see how much this was tormenting him. "Link I understand… you thought you were doing what was best for me", she closed her eyes, "but you don't realise that what is best for me is being with you… there is nothing Ash could do to me which would change that fact… nothing" She smiled back up at her husband; even though her cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes were blotchy and had dark circles underneath them from sleep deprivation and stress she honestly had never experienced a situation more worthy of a smile than she did now; the expression felt almost foreign on her face but by no means was it unpleasant; she had forgotten how truly wonderful smiling felt… and she was glad she was reminded because she was beginning to think the frown was going to be permanently imprinted on her face. "You are just too noble", she whispered. Her warm smile was just enough to soften the look of remorse on Link's pale face, but it didn't entirely disappear… Zelda knew it probably never would. She knew her husband better than he thought; he would blame himself for this for the rest of his life; every time he would see her frown or cry or sigh he would find a way to punish himself for it… and if anything, that was more than enough in itself to make her cry. She had experienced and witnessed enough of pain in the past few months for it to last a lifetime; they both needed time to heal and move on.
Link suddenly loosened the grip he had on her; his eyes widened and an expression of dread became plastered to his face. "Oh no Zelda", he breathed as his eyes swept her body; noticing her wounds for the first time. "What did he do to you?" he was horror-struck.
His fingers touched the tourniquet around her arm gingerly. But as his saddened eyes moved back to hers he noticed the bruises around her neck. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "This wasn't supposed to happen", he whispered, "he told me he would not hurt you…"
"He won't hurt me any more", she breathed, determined to leave those haunting memories in the past, along with the callous man causing them- where they both should be. Zelda took his hand in hers and pressed his fingers gently against her neck; closing her eyes she let his touch soothe her. She placed her head against the crook of his neck and breathed in the scent of his sweet skin. She could feel his heart beat gently in his chest; she never realised that something so simple could appear so beautiful to her. It was something she had once taken for granted.
Link's arms closed around her frail body protectively, drawing her in as close as he could to himself, and for the first time in her life Zelda knew they were finally free.
She couldn't help but smile.
R+R!! Also, if you havn't heard the song Comatose by Skillet, you should. It is an amazing song. It also seems to fit in PERFECTLY with this chapter. Hope you liked it : )