Ohhhhhhh no... Its been like 4 or 5 months since I updated this, and I feel incredibly guilty for it. If you've read the update, then you know why I took a prolonged break, but now that break is over, so we can finally get back to all the drama! And the angst, cause this chapter is a total angst fest, which kinda made it annoying to write. But oh well. Now since the last chapter was an update, I won't bother really replying to reviews for it. So thanks for following/favoriting (you know who you are) and with that out of the way, we might as well finally get started!
Chapter 25: Corrupted Courage
"There's so many things that I wish I had known,
When I started to walk on my own."
-Never Let Me Go, Santigo Laserna
Verona held onto her scepter with an iron grip, her crimson lips turned down into a very displeased glower as she glared down at the unconscious hero lying at her feet. Despite her previous moments of emotional softness for him, the Queen of Shadows had now reached the realization that she was growing quite tired of having to come to his rescue every time he fell, both literally and figuratively. Though she had been quite tempted to leave him out in the cold after the encounter she had secretly observed between Link and her much-abhorred cousin, she begrudgingly came to his aid as soon as she was sure Midna had left the perimeter. She did still need him alive after all, and him getting even sicker than he had been would do neither of them any good.
"Foolish child…" Verona whispered with contempt, more to herself than to Link, who was still completely out of it in the aftermath of the blow Midna had deflected back at him. "You don't even know that you are but a mere vessel for something far greater… But don't worry; I'll relieve you of that burden soon enough…"
With a bitter sneer still crossing her features, the Queen of Shadows, held the tip of her scepter towards the listless hero, watching disinterestedly as the violet glow surrounding its orb transferred to him. Verona unceremoniously raised her staff, her magic levitating Link's prone form into the air in time with the movement. For a moment, she simply held him up close to her eye level, stoically taking note of his expression, which seemed to be racked with a type of pain that was more than physical. She guessed from his stillness that he was not dreaming for once, and though she wanted to steal away another sliver of his spirit, she knew that there was a good chance she could end up prematurely killing him if she do so again so soon. And so instead, she opted for merely teleporting them both back inside the castle, where there was less of a chance for any prying eyes.
Verona had been anticipating that she would have to endure another long bout of waiting before Link awakened, but surprisingly, he began to stir the moment she gently deposited him upon his bed after they materialized back inside. The Queen of Shadows stood apace in the darkness of the room as she watched the hero slowly sit up, trying to gingerly coax away his splitting headache as his bleary vision cleared.
Weakness washed over Link in a slow wave as he groaned softly, still trying to place what had happened before he had been knocked out until it all came rushing back to him, filling him with several conflicting feelings at once. "Midna…" he whispered almost inaudibly, though Verona caught onto it nonetheless as she clenched her hands in tight anger at her sides. As the hero gathered his bearings however, he realized that he was somehow back inside the castle, and, much to both his relief and dismay, the Twilight Princess was nowhere to be found.
"Verona?" Link ventured a bit apprehensively, not seeing the Queen of Shadows anywhere in the immediate vicinity thanks to her intentional hiding in the shadows. Verona took in a deep, somewhat aggravated breath as she took a step forward into the dim candlelight of the room, doing her best to put on an amicable face as she addressed him.
"It's good to see you recovered so quickly, Link," Verona said evenly enough. "I found you lying unconscious in the square not too long ago."
The hero hesitated in responding, not entirely sure how to explain that he had been knocked out only after encountering Midna. "O-oh?" he asked lamely. "Well… Thanks for bringing me back here," he said, mustering a small, grateful smile as he rose to stand, though before he could escape any further conversation, Verona positioned herself between him and the door.
"You're quite welcome," the Queen of Shadows said smoothly. "Although… I am curious… Why did you happen to be lying unconscious down there? It seemed rather… worrisome…" Of course, Verona already knew how the hero had been knocked out, but she wanted to hear it from him. After all, if she could meld this into an opportunity to finally turn him against her cousin once and for all, then she would gladly take it.
Link's eyes widened as his mind raced for any believable explanation he could find that didn't involve the Twilight Princess. He knew full well that there was really nothing he could say to the Queen of Shadows about her cousin that would change how she felt about her, and so he wouldn't even bother trying. And even though he was very much at ends with Midna now, the last thing Link wanted was for Verona to hurt her because of him. "Uh… I must have… blacked out," he began, hoping that she'd buy his on-the-spot explanation. "Yeah, I guess I'm still feeling a little lightheaded after being sick. But I'm fine now."
He tried for the door once more, but Verona was quick to gracefully shut it as she towered over him, the shadows of the room darkening her sharp, mysterious features somewhat. "Now, Link…" she said, her tone admonishing to the point that it set the hero on edge as he unconsciously backed away from her a bit. "I believe I have been very honest with you thus far," she said, even if she knew that in and of itself was a blatant lie. "I would appreciate it greatly if you were honest with me."
Link drew in an anxious breath as he found himself backing up until he reached the bed. He curled the blankets into his fingers tightly as he slowly shook his head, his mouth dry as he futilely searched for something to say. While he did owe much to Verona, Midna had been there for him first, and he refused to sell her out to anyone, no matter what. "I… I can't tell you…" he choked, unable to place the reason why he suddenly felt so afraid and why the winds were slowly starting to swirl around him in his fear.
"Why not?" Verona asked, her tone still calm as she drew closer to him, glowering down at him firmly.
The hero could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he tried his best to control this unexplainable fear, the wind subtly growing stronger with each passing second. He knew that whether or not he told her, something bad was going to happen, but exactly what, he had no idea. "I just… I can't…" he said slowly as he tried to convince himself that Verona wouldn't hold his silence against him. After all, she had been exceedingly patient with him thus far; certainly she would let this rather insignificant matter go if he was persistent.
Much to his relief, the Queen of Shadows simply 'tisked' as she moved back a bit, shaking her head in disappointment as she looked away from him. "I don't know why you insist on protecting her so much, Link…" she said rather tiredly. "I would have thought that you had learned not to cling onto such empty attachments after what happened with Zelda…"
Link froze upon hearing this, confusion mingled with an unexplainable burst of anger filling him as his fear abruptly melted away. "What?" he asked rather softly, though the slight edge in his tone was clear.
"Honestly, Link, I don't know how you'd think I didn't know about your little 'meeting' with Midna," Verona said somewhat crossly. "What I find to be even more disappointing than you lying about it is that you actually let her go."
"What?!" the hero asked harshly, ignoring the sudden rush of warmth building up in his hands.
"Then again, it's not like I really expected you to try and capture her," the Queen of Shadows went on, ignoring Link's growing anger. "Beyond all logic, you still seem to harbor some shred of affection for that treacherous, traitorous shrew."
Verona's eyes widened a bit as Link threw his hand back, flames exploding from it and engulfing the bed behind him entirely. The hero didn't even seem to care however as he was seething with rage by this point, at both the callous remarks the Queen of Shadows was making about the Twilight Princess, and about something else entirely. "How did you even know that I talked to Midna!?" he nearly shouted in obvious frustration. "You weren't even—" Link cut himself off as a sudden realization struck him, one that he should have been privy to all along but was only now coming to believe. "You… Have you been… spying on me?!"
"I wouldn't call it 'spying'," Verona said, as level-headed as ever despite the fact that the hero was flying off the handle once more. "I would merely think of it as… surveillance… To ensure your safety and security. After all, Link, if I'm not there to look out for you, then who else would?"
"I don't need you or anyone else looking out for me!" Link insisted bitterly. "I can take care of myself!"
"Yes, clearly," the Queen of Shadows said sarcastically as she crossed her arms. "Because me having to come to your rescue on more than one occasion definitely proves that."
"But you said we were equals! Which means you have no right to spy on me without me knowing!" the hero argued, hating that even in all of the 'freedom' Verona claimed he now had, she was denying him that very freedom herself.
"Oh, I don't?" Verona asked darkly, rather taken aback by his boldness. "Might I remind you who it was that took you in when you had nowhere else to go? When you were on the run from Zelda's soldiers and weren't even welcome in your own hometown? Who taught you how to control your powers when you thought it was nigh impossible? Who helped you achieve vengeance against those who had hurt you most? Who has promised you greatness and power beyond your wildest dreams?"
Link was silent for a moment as he set his jaw, still glaring coldly at the Queen of Shadows. There was no denying that she had done much for him, but he still couldn't stand the fact that she had been keeping such an intrusive secret from him. He had placed his trust in her and she had been betraying it all along by watching his every move through her magic. Regardless of her motives, spying was still spying, and the hero refused to let it go on any longer. "I would have been just fine without your help," he said crossly, his fists clenched tightly at his sides to keep flames from bursting from them.
"Do you really believe that?" Verona asked with a haughty scoff, growing increasingly frustrated with his impertinence. "Then you're a fool. If it were not for me, then Zelda's guards would have certainly apprehended you and dragged you back here! Only instead of living in the lap of luxury like you get the privilege of doing so with me, you would be rotting away in the dungeons, left at the mercy of a tyrant who would never have been dethroned! I have been nothing but generous to you, Link, and yet this is how you repay me?! With insolence and ungratefulness! Face it, child! You owe me everything!"
The hero was unable to hold the pent up flames back upon hearing this as he lashed out thoughtlessly, letting out an enraged shout as he threw his hand forward, letting the fire fly at Verona without calculation. Of course, the Queen of Shadows saw this attack from a mile away as she used her magic to easily block it, though it took all of her patience to keep herself from launching an attack back at him out of retaliation. So instead, she merely glared at Link, who stood with a flame hovering above each palm, his breathing tense as he took up an offensive pose. "I owe you nothing," he practically whispered, his tone deadly serious and filled with just as much venom as his silver gaze was. Verona said nothing as Link stormed towards the door, and she did not stop him from leaving the room this time as she instead moved out of the way, despite the fact that she kept her glaring gaze on him tightly until he left the room.
The hero did not slow his pace for a moment as he continued down the hall, not even entirely sure where he was going. All he knew was that he needed to get away, away from Verona's watchful eye, from her suffocating 'protection'. He needed space, a chance to breathe on his own terms once more after having been restrained for so long, a chance to clear his head after everything that had happened. He needed to be alone.
Though her keeping tabs on him had been what originated their argument in the first place, Verona stood before the window and watched Link stoically as he retreated from the castle, riding across the bridge into town on his steed. She noted his hasty pace as he headed out of town and into the empty fields, and even after he was out of sight, she continued to keep an eye on him using her magic, just as she had been doing all along and just as she would continue to do, regardless of his opinion of it.
"He'll be back," she said to herself calmly, reminding herself of her reasoning for letting him leave to herself once more. "He'll be back…"
It felt like it had been ages since Link had simply just ridden through Hyrule Field, without running from someone or to somewhere. In a simple way, it was cathartic, almost nostalgic even. To be out on the wide open fields with no one but the always-loyal Epona to keep him company was a refreshing change from being cooped up in cold stone walls under the watch of someone whom he was starting to doubt had his best interest in mind. The hero figured that the Queen of Shadows was watching him even still, but at the moment, he could have cared less. Even if he had no idea where he even wanted to go, just being out in the peaceful silence of the snow-covered fields without having to think about any of his pressing burdens was beyond refreshing. He smiled to himself slightly as he prepared to call out to the Twilight Princess hidden in his shadow and recall a fond memory with her before he bitterly remembered that he couldn't. That bridge had been burnt.
Link fully believed that Midna, unlike Zelda, did still care for him, though probably much less now after their last encounter. Which was why it pained him so much to think that she might never forgive him for what he had done. And while a part of him felt heavily guilty over that, another part of him, one that he figured had somehow been influenced by Verona's cold statements, felt completely apathetic about the whole thing.
And then, of course, there was Verona herself. Link found his grip on Epona's reigns tightening the slightest bit as he cast a bitter glare back towards the towers of the castle now miles behind him. It wasn't even the fact that she had been secretly spying on him all this time that enraged him; it was the fact that she had done so deceptively, all while claiming he had more freedom than ever before when it had all been a lie that had brought on his outrage. He couldn't help but remember what Verona had told him earlier, something that seemed to increase his anger even more: "I make it my business to keep an eye on my prisoners." Of course, she had said this in regards to Zelda, but Link couldn't help but think that, after what he had just discovered, she had meant that about him too. Was that really how she saw him? As a prisoner instead of an equal? Even if the Queen of Shadows has helped him by teaching him how to control his powers, the hero refused to be disrespected like that by anyone, including the woman whom he had thought was his benefactor. His confidence in Verona was quickly beginning to falter into doubt, to the point that he really had no idea what he should do in the long run. But what he did know as that if it really came right down to it, Link would rather go off on his own than be treated like the child, or prisoner, Verona seemed to think he was.
Wanting to clear his head from thoughts of both his falling out with Midna and Verona's betrayal, Link turned his attention back to the direction Epona was heading. He didn't particularly care about where they were going, which was why he had let his horse have free reign over wherever she wanted to go. However, in doing so, the hero had failed to think about the fact that Epona's instinctual drive would end up guiding them back to their old home and the very last place that Link wanted to return to, aside from the castle: Ordon Village.
Upon seeing that they were entering Faron Woods, the hero brought his horse to a slow stop for a moment, anxiously gazing into the dark depths of the woods that would eventually lead the way to Ordon. He could feel his heartbeat begin to steadily pick up, but thankfully his powers did not respond to his dread for once. It was strange though; on his initial journey, Link had always used to look forward to returning home whenever possible. He used to get excited about seeing all of the villagers' friendly faces again, sleeping in his own bed in his own home, and breathing in the fresh, familiar air of the forest. And yet, he knew that if he were to return now, none of those nostalgic sensations would await him. Now, he villagers certainly all feared him, his home was most likely a fading pile of ashes, and the same aching darkness that floated on the wind across all of Hyrule filled the air even in the depths of its dead, wintery forests.
Link knew that even stepping foot near Ordon now would be a huge risk. True, he was no longer on the lamb as he had been the last time he had been there, but he still didn't really want to be confronted by any of the villagers. And yet, he could not deny that he did want to check on the village, just to make sure that his former was alright in the aftermath of all of the upheaval that was going on in the rest of the kingdom. Besides, he was fairly certain it was late at night by now, though it was hard to tell since this night had been going on for weeks now. If he hurried in and out and kept tucked away out of sight, then certainly no one would ever need to know he had been there at all. Right?
Against his better judgement, Link relented and let Epona head exactly where she wanted ago. Though he knew he should have felt apprehensive about this, he couldn't help but feel somewhat relaxed instead as he passed through the woods. For a brief moment, it was almost as though he was just heading home after a long journey. A small, wistful smile crossed his features as he imagined what it would be like upon his return; Ilia would be anxiously waiting for him at the spring, and for the duration of his time there she would not leave his side as she smiled and laughed with him warmly. The kids would all run out to greet him, filling him in on stories of their latest mischievous escapades as they looked up to their longtime hero with stars in their eyes. He would happily go work a shift at the ranch with Fado and exchange stories of his own daring feats with Rusl. Even if it would only be for a while, things would go back to the way they used to be. Life would at last return to normal. He would be home.
And yet, that fantasy was instantly and brutally shattered the moment he opened his eyes to see that he had arrived in the clearing where his home stood. Or where it had at least once stood. Now, only the charred remains of the dwelling remained, piles of ash accumulated around the solemn scene, though it no longer smoldered since it had been days since the fire that had destroyed it and instead a thin layer of snow covered the charred remains. Link didn't even have to dismount Epona to see that none of his possessions had survived, not that he really cared too much about that now anyway. The only thing that seeing the ruins of his home did was remind the hero of all of the pain he had endured, pain that he had hoped he had risen above by now, but still lingered all the same.
Link was soon distracted by the soft sound of Epona whickering nervously, most likely in response to the eeriness of the entire area. The hero let out a sigh as he gave his steed a comforting pat on the side, shaking his head as he looked towards the entrance to the village in both remorse and regret. "I know, girl…" he said quietly and morosely, having been reminded of the truth of it all. Ordon was no longer his home. And as much as he might wish otherwise, it never could be again. "I don't know why we came back here either…"
All at once, his desire to check on the village vanished. He wasn't sure where to go from there, but he knew that this was too close for comfort. And so, he turned Epona away from the village entrance and gently nudged her onward. The horse didn't protest against her master's command as she somberly trudged out of the clearing, and the hero didn't once look back. After all, this was just another bridge his own flames had ultimately burnt.
Of course, despite the fact that Link wanted nothing more than to leave the Ordon province entirely, Epona seemed to be a bit more hesitant, especially as they passed by the light spirit's spring. The horse began instinctually pressing her way towards the small body of water, but the hero was quick to get a tighter grip on her reigns to discourage her against it. "Epona, no," Link said tiredly, not wanting to stay in the area for much longer, lest someone discover him. "Let's just go." For once, Epona resisted his command however as she continued to work against him, persisting on going to the familiar spring in order to quench her thirst. And though Link didn't really want to, he soon gave in, knowing that he couldn't deny his steed something as simple as a drink.
However, as Link dismounted Epona and guided her into the spring, a sudden, unexplainable pain began to swell up in his chest, one that seemed to intensify the closer he got to the shallow water. The hero stopped short just before reaching the water, letting go of his horse's reigns and allowing her to wade into the shallows and generously drink from the pure spring. Clutching his chest tightly to try and suppress the nearly crippling ache now coursing through his entire body, Link glanced down at the water amidst his heavy breathing, taking in his reflection with concern. The teal Twili markings on his face had both increased and brightened, almost seeming to glow to the point that they illuminated the entire area as he stood before the spring. However, what startled him even more was that, for the first time, he was able to see that a few locks of his hair had somehow turned completely white, contrasting starkly with his natural dark blonde. Regardless though, the ache in his chest did not go away, but instead, it only seemed to get worse with each passing second, especially as a soft, subtle, warning whisper began to echo through the spring from an unseen position.
"Hero of Shadows…" the voice, which sounded inconspicuously like the light spirit Ordona, which was whom the hero assumed was speaking to him, though he couldn't figure out the clear malice in its tone as it spoke to him. "The darkness of your heart has claimed you… A corrupted soul such as yours is not permitted in a pure spring of light like this… You have become a creature of darkness, and as such you are no longer welcome here… Leave immediately or face dire consequences…"
Link didn't respond as he was finding that even breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. He let out a soft groan as the world began to spin around him, and he was struggling to keep his balance as the pain in his chest surged greatly. He had no idea what the light spirit was trying to do to him, but he found that he was too immobilized to escape it, even as the waters of the spring began to sparkle with dim light. And of course, just when the hero didn't think his current situation could get any worse, it did.
"Link?!" a familiar voice gasped in surprise from directly behind the hero, causing him to spin around in shock. However, as he did so, he completely forgot about his own lightheadedness, and he was only able to see Ilia standing a few feet away from him for a moment before he at last lost his footing. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Link fell backwards towards the spring, the pain in his chest spiking to the point that it felt as though he had been stabbed straight through. And though Ilia attempted to reach out to him to catch him, she was ultimately too late. The hero landed in the shallow, shining water with a splash, and the moment his skin made contact with it, he felt as though he had fallen into a pool of boiling lava instead. He was unable to hold back a scream of raw agony as the water somehow began to burn his skin, though his clothes were left unaffected.
Ilia gasped in horror as she numbly watched the hero suffer for a moment, having no idea why the actually rather frigid spring water appeared to be burning him or why the strange markings on his face were glowing a crimson red, but after her initial shock wore off, she didn't hesitate to rush into the shallows to help him. Interestingly, the glowing water didn't have anything close to the same effect on Ilia as it was having on Link, as the girl was completely unphased by it as she grabbed the hero, who was thrashing about wildly in an attempt to escape the pool as he continued to cry out raggedly. Even though Link was instinctually resisting against her hold as he tried to scramble out of the spring on his own, Ilia insistently used all of her strength to pull him out of the water, ignoring the fact that Epona was rearing in a panic nearby, completely spooked by the whole ordeal.
As soon as he was free from the spring, its sacred water ceased to have its burning effect on Link, even if the pain still lingered heavily as Ilia propped him up against the stone walls of the area, giving him some space to catch his breath as she rushed over to Epona to calm her down. As the hero slowly recovered from what had just happened to him, he cast a glare over at the spring, its waters no longer softly glowing as they returned to their usual, peaceful setting. Gingerly, he took off his gloves to see that his hands had been savagely burnt, the skin on them red and raw. He figured that he suffered from many other similar burns across his body as he could feel the painful stinging sensation all over, though thankfully he had managed to keep his head above the water, which spared his face from enduring such agony. Even if he wasn't sure it would help, Link focused his efforts into conjuring a small shard of ice, which he compressed tightly in his hands in an attempt to cool them down as his mind raced with questions, none of which he had the answers to.
After a moment or two, Ilia turned to face the recovering hero, who had quickly turned his focus back to the ice in his hands after the brief moment their eyes met. On one hand, Link was glad that it was just Ilia and no one else; after all, she was the only one from Ordon whom he had really confided in about everything that had happened, which meant that she would most likely show the least of outright fear towards him. On the other hand, seeing her again only served as a reminder that he had to ultimately let her go, even if it was for her own good and safety and even if she, much like Midna, was one of the only people he still cared genuinely cared about.
"Link…" Ilia said softly as she approached him cautiously. The hero noticed that she didn't get too close to him as she kneeled down next to him, glancing over the burns on his hands with a bewildered frown. "What…" she began to ask, but she quickly pushed the obvious question away to say something else. "You're back…"
"I was just leaving," Link said succinctly, his voice a bit hoarse from his bout of painful screaming moments ago. He glanced away from the girl with the most emotionless expression he could muster as he prepared to pick himself up off the ground, only to find that the fresh burns on his legs brought him too much pain to even do that.
"Careful…" Ilia cautioned, helping to ease him back down to a sitting position. "I… I'm not sure why the spring burned you like that but it looked like it hurt pretty badly…"
"I'm fine," the hero said resiliently, trying not to think about the clear concern for him in her gentle tone. He was lying though, and he knew it; not only did the burns sting immensely, but he was still bothered by what the light spirit had said and the fact that the waters of its spring had hurt him in such a way at all. The spirit had mentioned something about his soul being corrupted, but he wasn't sure what that meant. Not that he had much time to ponder it however as Ilia quickly broke through his train of thought.
"So… you're not staying?" she asked somewhat morosely.
"Ilia… You know I can't," Link said with a resolute sigh.
"Then why'd you come back at all?" Ilia asked a bit harshly. "Where have you even been all this time anyway? After you ran off, everyone thought that you actually ended up getting captured after all, but here you are. What happened?"
The hero couldn't help but feel the slightest bit relieved that she didn't mention the fire in Castle Town, meaning that she most likely hadn't heard about it and therefore she didn't know of his involvement in it. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of Ilia finding out about him single-handedly destroying an entire city didn't sit very well with him. "I escaped," Link said rather vaguely, not particularly wanting to go into much detail. "And that's about it. I've just been… wandering around since then. Nothing else has really happened. I only came back here to check on things."
"Oh…" Ilia said in disappointment. "I see… So you just don't care about Ordon anymore, then?"
Link set his jaw upon hearing this, knowing that Ilia loved to twist his words and intentions around far too often. She was guilty of doing this ever since they were little, and he wasn't about to let it stand now. "Stop it," he said in controlled frustration, in no mood to get in an argument with her.
"Stop what?" Ilia asked pryingly. "Worrying about you? Well, I'm sorry, Link, but you know I've never been very good at that."
The hero didn't immediately reply as he averted her intent gaze, instead casting a glare towards the spring once more. A small part of him really did want to indulge her by staying, by releasing all of his pent up apprehension and going back to the good old days, long before all these problems and complications had crept their way into his life. And yet, in reality, he couldn't; nothing was the same as it had once been, and chances were they could never be the same again.
Gaging his lack of a reaction, the girl pressed him once more, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as she changed her tone to a tender, gentle one. "Link…" she began, her expression downcast and tentative. "I… I know you've been through a lot… I know that you've been hurt by Zelda and Hyrule… and maybe even by all of us. But you need to know that no matter what has happened, no matter what might happen… I… I still want to be here for you…"
"Ilia, no," Link said firmly, not even needing a moment to think over her selfless offer.
"Why not?" Ilia retorted before the hero could properly explain himself. "You're my… best friend, Link. You always have been, ever since I can remember. I'm not asking you to open yourself up to the world, just to me. Why can't you just trust me and let me do this for you?"
"Because you don't understand!" Link exclaimed rather harshly. "You don't understand any of what I've been through or what I'm going through!"
"But that's just it! I want to understand! I want to know!" the girl argued, desperation leaking into her tone as she threw caution to the wind and gripped the hero by his shoulder a bit more tightly, ignoring his hiss of pain in reactions to the still burns upon it. "If you would finally just tell me, then I maybe I could-"
"You don't get it!" the hero said, trying his best to keep the flames that wanted to burst over his hands under control. "There's nothing you can do, Ilia! There's nothing anyone can do about this! I'm just not like you anymore!"
"Yes, you are! Nothing's changed!"
"Everything's changed!" Link exclaimed in exasperation. "I'm so tired of hearing everyone tell me that!"
"Link, you know very well that these… these powers of yours aren't you!" Ilia said, trying her best to rationalize a situation that she, in all honesty, didn't really understand much about.
"This is about more than just my powers," the hero said, shaking his head stubbornly. "And this is more than about what happened with Zelda. It's like… it's like the ground was taken right out from under me. Everything just sort of fell apart all around me at once and… and I wasn't prepared to deal with it…"
"Then you could have come to me…" Ilia said, her tone softening upon hearing the sheer vulnerability that had entered the hero's voice. "You know you can tell me anything…"
Link shook his head once more, struggling to fight back tears now as the last thing he wanted to do was actually break down in front of Ilia. "You still don't get it, do you?" he asked, his tone uneven and somewhat shaky with raw emotion. "Then again, how could you? You've hardly ever been out of Ordon before. You didn't have some huge destiny thrust upon you that you never wanted or asked for. You haven't nearly died several times. You don't have chaotic powers that can barely be controlled. You haven't been branded as a traitor by someone you thought you loved. You… I… I just…" He finally trailed off as a stray tear did escape him at last, something that certainly did not go unnoticed by the girl as her heart moved with pity for him, as well as something else.
Ilia was silent for a long time as she took all of this in, knowing that he had never been willing to speak so openly about all of this before. But as much as his pain brought her grief, she couldn't help but draw a bit closer to him, and for once he did not resist, even as she moved her lips close to his. "Link…" she whispered, tears also on the verge of her tone as she gingerly placed a hand on the side of his face, unceremoniously brushing his tear away with her thumb. "I… I love you…" With the message that she had been dreaming of relaying to him for years now finally delivered, she pushed herself in towards him even closer, her heart pounding as she closed her eyes before she could even see his reaction to what she had just said. And yet, before she could finally kiss him, his fingers gently pressed themselves against her anxious lips, ultimately killing the kiss before it could even be born.
The girl opened her eyes just a moment later as the hero slowly pushed her away, his startlingly silver eyes still wet with oncoming tears as they bore into her light green ones. "Link-" Ilia began to say as she pulled herself away from his hand, fear and confusion filling her, though she quickly noticed that those very same things filled his expression as he quickly cut her off.
"Ilia, no," he said morosely, his voice but a small, almost broken whisper as ice began to slowly spread out on the ground around him. "You can't."
Not knowing how else to react to hearing what had all but shattered the hope filling her heart, the girl simply laughed nervously as she asked the most obvious question. "Why not?"
"Because you just can't," Link said with a sigh, knowing that love had been what had led him to the miserable state he was in now. "I just can't do this again, not even with you. I've been burnt too many times before…" he said with the best apathetic shrug he could manage, thinking of not only the love he had lost with Zelda, but also the close friendship he had ruined with Midna, and the trust that had been betrayed by Verona. He couldn't handle having someone else who was as important to him as Ilia was being ripped out of his life because the disaster that seemed to follow him around wherever he went.
"Link, I would never, ever even think of hurting you like Zelda did," Ilia said with clear distain in her tone for the Hylian queen. "You know that."
"I do," the hero said, even if he didn't really. After all, he had thought that Zelda herself would have never betrayed him, but she had, in the most vicious way possible. And while he didn't think Ilia would ever intentionally do anything nearly as bad, he didn't want to take any chances. He didn't want to be injured by love ever again. "But it's not you hurting me that I'm worried about. It's me hurting you."
"Oh, come on," the girl scoffed, trying her best to keep her emotions from rushing forth. "I know you would never hurt me, Link."
"No, you don't!" Link argued, knowing that Midna had said the same exact thing right before he ended up burning her. "Everyone I get close to either ends up turning against me or getting hurt! I've already lost so much… If I lost you, then…" He sighed as he ran a hand through his whitening blonde hair, wishing that it was easier for him to express things like this, even if he had never really been very good at it.
Ilia finally glanced away from him as she stood, stilling the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes as she felt the chill that had fallen over the area. "Then can you at least tell me this," she began, not even caring about their chances of actually being together now as much as she wanted to know if her feelings were reciprocated. "Do you love me?"
The hero's first instinct was to tell her yes, even if the way he felt affection for her was different than the love she wanted from him. He loved her more like a sister or a friend, to the point that he really could imagine ever really being in a serious relationship with her. But in all honesty, Link doubted if he was really able to feel genuine love for anything or anyone after what Zelda had done to him. He had fallen apart the last time he had worn his heart on his sleeve. Which was why he had tightly locked it away from the world to avoid ever having it crushed again. "Ilia… I…" he began, completely unsure of what to say. And so, instead of having to answer such an uncomfortable question, he simply decided to avoid it altogether. "I should go," he said succinctly, his pain finally diminished enough that he used the stony wall he was sitting against to support himself in standing, albeit with some still lingering pain all over his body.
"Link, wait," Ilia said in sudden annoyance as she attempted to help him steady himself, though he quickly put up a hand to decline her offer. "Please, just… just tell me, ok? I don't even need for you to stay… I just… I need to know…"
Link frowned as he turned to face her, knowing exactly what she wanted to hear. And as much as he could easily tell her that, he knew just as much as she would that it wouldn't be sincere. And at the same time, there was so much that he wanted to tell her, even if he didn't know how he would say it all. He wanted to tell her to just forget about him. That she would be safer and happier if she moved on from him and onto a simpler, more comfortable life. After all, being with him, loving him, would only ever bring her pain and heartache, and nothing more. He had been forced to trudge down a bloodstained, dangerous path, one that he could probably never stray away from. And it was for the best if he walked down that path alone.
"I… I can't…" he finally said softly, unsure of what else there was to add. After all, trying to explain himself to her at this point would be like talking to the wind. And yet, instead of exploding, Ilia took this rather calmly, even if tears finally began to slip down her cheeks.
"Why can't you?" she asked once more, even though she knew she probably wouldn't get any substantial answer from him.
"Because I… I just can't, ok?" he said tiredly, not wanting to elaborate any more than that. "I'm sorry."
"So am I…" Ilia muttered as she cast her gaze downward, stepping away from him so he could get to his horse. Neither of them said anything as Link mounted Epona, ignoring the lingering sting of his burns. Though he was more than ready to leave Ordon once and for all and never return, he couldn't help but cast one final glance over at Ilia, whose tearful gaze was still focused on the ground beneath her. Guilt filled the hero as he realized he had done the last thing he had ever wanted to; he had hurt her, in the exact same way Zelda had hurt him.
"Ilia…" he began to say, trying to find some way to console her, though she was quick to interrupt him.
"Just… just go, Link…" Ilia said with clear bitterness in her heartbroken tone. "You've made it very clear: this is goodbye…"
The hero felt his heart sink upon hearing this, as much as he knew it was true. He certainly didn't belong in Ordon anymore; both him and Ilia had at last come to accept that fact. He had no reason to return here anymore, which meant he probably wouldn't. And yet, as much as he wanted to dismount and embrace the distraught girl, his once-closest childhood friend, the girl who loved him unrequitedly, he found that he couldn't even bring himself to do that. So instead, he gently nudged Epona towards the exit of the spring, his face warm with oncoming tears as he finally looked away from Ilia, and softly uttered his own final farewell to her. "Yeah… This is goodbye…" he said with guilt, shame, and grief as he pushed his steed onward out of the spring and into the darkness of the forest, not looking back once to see the girl who stood alone, endlessly and futilely pining after a love that did not exist. And as much as the hero knew it was wrong, he tried to suppress all of his remorse and sorrow away, even if the tears still came heavy and plentiful all the same.
After all, he had just burnt his last bridge.
For what seemed like ages, Link simply rode around Hyrule Field aimlessly, heedless of the constant flurries of snow that seemed to never stop falling from the darkened skies. His eyes had scarcely been dry in the hours after he had left Ordon, even though he was scolding himself internally for such foolish weakness all the while. He couldn't help it though; he had no idea where to go or what to do now. He had no home, no refuge, no place which would ever dare accept him willingly. He hadn't felt this lost and alone since he had initially fled Ordon. Now he truly had nowhere to go or no one to turn to. Unless…
The lofty towers of Hyrule Castle were but a silhouette afar in the distance as Link slowly turned towards them, his nerves getting the better of him as he realized he only really had one choice left. The last thing he wanted to do was relent and return to Verona, who would certainly only goad over the fact that she had been right and continue to hover over him with her distrustful watch regardless of his disdain for it. And yet, at this juncture, he had no idea where else he could really go. Of course, he could try to make it on his own, wandering around Hyrule with no real purpose or destination in mind, but he knew that his chances would be drastically decreased since it was the dead of winter and food and suitable shelter were so scarce. As much as he hated to admit it, once again, the hero found that the only one he could turn to in his despair and desperation was the Queen of Shadows, even if it was against his better judgement. Despite their bitter falling out, most of the anger between them had only really been on Link's side of things. Chances were that Verona would be willing to overlook their argument and take him under her wing once more. Relenting and returning to her would be a complete contradiction of his prior independent stance, but it wasn't like he really had any other options now.
The ride back to Castle Town was uneventful; Link was hardly paying any attention as he guided Epona through the ashen, deadly silent streets of the abandoned city, nor did he really put much thought into riding over the long bridge back to the castle. As it had been before, the main hall of the castle was completely empty and devoid of light as he went inside, his every footstep echoing across the hall as he walked at a rather slow, aimless pace, not really caring where he was going. He knew that Verona liked to linger in the throne room, and since he didn't particularly want to face her right now, he decided to simply meander about the castle for the time being, even if he knew he'd encounter the Queen of Shadows eventually.
Link did his best to distance himself from his thoughts as he wandered through the castle's mazelike corridors, not wanting to revert to his former despair. And so, he replaced it with the same emptiness that he had taken on in trying to control his emotion-based powers in the past, hoping that he could just ultimately forget about what had happened with Ilia and move on, even if it seemed impossible.
Eventually, the hero found himself in a part of the castle he was unfamiliar with, even after he had initially explored it months ago. The hallway he was in seemed much more residential than the usual ornate passageways that normally led to meeting halls and offices, as could be told from the countless portraits of whom Link assumed to be past rulers of Hyrule. There was only really one actual door in this hallway, all the way at the end of it, and since the hero didn't figure that the Queen of Shadows was roaming about in a place like this, he decided to see what was inside, lighting a small flame above his palm so he could see better.
Immediately upon entering inside and taking a cursory look, Link knew exactly where he was, for he had been here before. He had just used the window to enter the first time instead of the door. But he could tell from the elegant bed and the spacious refinery that this was none other than Zelda's bedroom. Upon only stepping inside, the hero was more than ready to leave immediately, knowing that being here would only remind him of the lies that the Hylian queen had led him on with and the pain that she had caused him. And yet, only one thing caused him to linger a bit longer and wander in closer: the painting hanging above the mantle of the fireplace.
Zelda had told him about this painting and a bit of its history. Painted by the Hylian queen's ancestor, it depicted past generations of Hyrule's princesses and heroes, themselves included. He didn't exactly remember what its supposed purpose was, outside of Zelda mentioning that it signified some sort of "bond" that apparently existed between them. Of course, Link didn't believe that such a bond even existed after how she had treated him so harshly. As far as the hero was concerned, the only way in which they were connected to the queen now was through the fact that they both held pieces of the Triforce and that alone. There was nothing else that they shared, not even mutual respect or intentions. The fact that Zelda had even tried to claim that they were tied by destiny or fate offended Link. It was just another one of her callous lies, told to flatter him and manipulate him so she could ultimately break his heart.
Anger swelled up inside of the hero as he remembered that exact moment when she had looked him dead in the eyes and declared that she felt nothing for him. The flame over his hand grew gradually larger as he glared at the painting, specifically at the image of Zelda herself, who looked so pure and virtuous as she stood alongside him, her bow poised to shoot an unseen threat. But Link knew better. He knew that the Hylian queen was anything but pure; she was treacherous, uncaring, and heartless. She had ruined him in so many different ways: his reputation, his emotions, even his relationships with Midna and Ilia had been damaged indirectly because of her. She was to blame for all of this. She was the one who had ruined his life. And, he remembered, she deserved to pay.
Rage running through his veins, the hero raised his hand, flames curling around it as he took his aim at the painting. He really had no other reason for destroying it other than spite, but that was a good enough reason for him, considering how Zelda had spited him in several ways. However, before he could launch his flames at the portrait, he stilled his hand upon meeting eyes with the painting's version of the Hylian queen.
"I cannot imagine going back to a life where I do not have you beside me…" she had said, the vulnerability and desperation in her voice undeniable as they stood together in the peace of a snowy night. "Your presence comforts and reassures me; you make me feel secure and content… I have never felt this way before… but I know that I desperately do not want this feeling I have right now to ever end…"
She had asked him to stay with him; and he had said yes. He had agreed to stay with her… for as long as she needed him.
"I must admit… I cannot think of a time in which I was ever happier than this moment right now. I wish that it could last forever…" she had sent, and he had felt the very same.
Then they kissed, and for the first time in a long time, everything had finally felt perfect.
And then everything fell apart at the seams.
"I do not love you…"
The fireball crashed into the wall just above the painting, not igniting the image itself as it almost immediately burned itself out. A broken sob escaped from the hero as he slowly collapsed against the stone wall, unable to hold it all in any longer. He had been trying to be so strong and stoic for so long now, to forget all he had been through, all the pain he had felt, and replace it with brash anger and unyielding self-confidence. But in the end, those things only provided temporary relief to the underlying grief and loneliness that had been plaguing him for far too long now. He had thought he had let all this immense pain go through his rage and hatred, but he still carried it inside, and it was clearly showing itself now as his tears fell uncontrollably now.
He had loved Zelda. Deeply and truly. He had wanted things to work out between them. He had wanted them to be together. He had wanted them to be in love, to stay with her, to have her and for her to have him. He hadn't cared whether or not anything would have worked out between them; he just wanted to know that she had felt the same. He had wanted her love so desperately, that when it had been denied of him, if felt as though he had lost a piece of himself with her rejection. And unfortunately, it was a piece of himself that he knew he would never be able to find again.
Ice steadily crawled along the ground as the distraught hero sat against the wall, his head buried in his arms as he sobbed inconsolably. He was so incredibly tired of feeling like this, so weak and empty. It was no way to live and he hated that there was really nothing he could do to free himself from this state of constant agony. Even hatred and anger could not free him from it; nothing could. Regardless of whether or not this was brought on by Zelda's rejection or not, he was consumed in this pain, to the point that he could not deny he was quickly drowning in it. And now, it had at long last torn him apart completely.
Link wasn't sure how much time had passed as he continued to simply sit there alone and let his grief pour out, but in time, the silence that was only occupied by his sobbing was suddenly, yet softly interrupted. "Link?" Verona asked quietly, yet curiously as she entered the room, only to turn and see the grieving hero, who did not life his head or even acknowledge her presence at all.
The Queen of Shadows stood at the entryway of the room for a moment or two, admittedly taken aback to see that the hero was actually crying so openly and heavily. She had not used her magic to track him for once, her confidence in his eventual return keeping her mind at ease. And though she had not expected him to come back so soon, he had, and she had known about it from the moment he entered the castle. What she didn't know, however, was what might have happened to him while he was away, and as she watched him pour out his sorrows, she felt something strange, foreign even, stir inside of her. It admittedly confused her and somehow disturbed her, and for once it stilled her endless calculating thoughts and almost instinctually guided her over to him. Her movements were slow and ever graceful as she actually lowered herself to his level, taking a seat against the wall beside him, ignoring the ice that covered the floor entirely. For the longest time, she said nothing as she simply observed him, and though he still didn't respond to her arrival, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu as she watched him. For a brief moment, she did not see the hero who was both her protégé and her target; she saw herself, on her knees on the outer edges of the Twilight Realm, pouring out her own immeasurable grief over lost love that could never be reclaimed.
And all at once, she understood.
"Link…" Verona began, her voice but a soft, almost fragile whisper as she placed a gentle, consoling hand upon his shoulder, feeling his entire body shake with his sobs as she tried to piece her thoughts together. "I… I am sorry… for earlier… You were right… I had no right to spy on you. I shall refrain from doing so in the future. You deserve your independence…"
Link had barely heard anything she had said, and at the moment, he couldn't have cared less. Their entire argument had more or less been long forgotten, replaced with regret and remorse over everything that had happened with Ilia, with Midna, with Zelda.
"But of course…" the Queen of Shadows continued, her voice still uncharacteristically tender as she kept her gaze carefully on him. "That is not why you are here weeping… is it?" She waited a beat, not expecting him to say anything and he did not, so she decided to go on, comfortingly running her hand over his shoulder in a soothing motion. "You do not have to tell me what happened. I believe that I… adequately understand what you are going through…"
Upon hearing this, Link finally responded, though not in words. He slowly lifted his head and turned to her with a look of sedated confusion, tears still streaming down his face as he tried to decipher what she had just said. But nonetheless, Verona explained. "You have been through so much," she said with what sounded like actual pity in her tone as she held him in a gentle, sympathetic gaze. "Waves upon waves of bereavement have struck you, to the point that it seems your suffering never seems to end. We all like to pretend that we are as strong as iron in the face of adversity, but we all have our breaking points. I don't know what has specifically happened to push you to this breaking point now… but I do understand what if feels like to reach it. I felt the same way after my banishment… like I had lost everything I had ever loved… to the point that love in and of itself became… obsolete…"
That point in and of itself resonated very much with Link, to the point that he wondered if Verona was reading his mind. But the sincerity in her tone and the underlying pain etched into her expression told him that she truly did know, she did understand. She had been there before.
"I… I don't know what to do," the hero finally choked in a somewhat broken whisper, another whimper escaping him. "I… I just… I feel…"
"How do you feel?" Verona urged after he had trailed off, knowing that the best way to confront this was to approach it head on.
"Hopeless…" Link said, finding that it was somehow infinitely easier for him to admit his emotional fragility to the Queen of Shadows than it had been to Ilia. "And… lost… and confused… and… just… absolutely miserable… And the worst part is that it feels like it will never end…"
"But it will," Verona said with a hint of encouragement in her tone. "The pain that you are now feeling will all someday pass and you will come out of it stronger and more confident than you have ever been before… It just takes a little time and patience…"
Link sighed despondently upon hearing this, knowing that based on what the Queen of Shadows was telling him, he would have to continue carrying this burden of grief inside of him into the foreseeable future. Verona took notice of his continued melancholy, even if his tears had finally come to an end, and a sudden idea came to her. The wheels in her mind turned from their former genuine sympathy as they began to turn in calculation once more. She could use this to her advantage; she could make use of this present moment and benefit from it greatly. And the best part was, she saw no chance that the hero would decline the offer that she was about to make with him.
"I can tell that you are still upset…" she mused, making sure her tone remained as benevolent as before. "But perhaps I could be of some assistance in expediting your recovery…"
"What do you mean?" Link asked with measurable uncertainty.
"Link, after all you've gone through, it's only fair that you deserve every luxury and honor available to you…" Verona said, her crafty way with words working well for her. "I have been thinking about this for a while now, but it seems as though now is as good of a time as any to present this idea to you. While both the Twilight Realm and Hyrule are under our shared authority, I find that presiding over both kingdoms simultaneously might become… tedious… Which is why I have decided to bequeath the land of Hyrule solely into your hands."
"W-what?!" Link exclaimed in surprise as he sat up a bit, his attention fully captured as he tried to make sense of what the Queen of Shadows had just said.
"You heard me," Verona said with a small, amused laugh. "It only makes sense, since this land is your native home, that you claim it as your own in place of Zelda. And it's only fair considering how much stronger you are than her. And so I figured that while I continue to rule over the Twilight Realm, you rise to the position of prince, no, king of Hyrule!"
"King?" the hero asked, his former despair replaced with bewilderment at the very thought. What Verona was offering him was, while in many ways tantalizing, but at the same time, it was also quite startling. After all, he was in no way of noble blood and he certainly knew nothing of running an entire kingdom on his own. And besides, the vast majority of the people of Hyrule saw him as a wanted criminal. The only way he could possibly hope convince them to follow his lead was through force and oppression. Then again, after the torture they had put him through, perhaps that was exactly what they deserved. If they wanted to follow a tyrant like Zelda, then he could be just as much of a tyrant too, perhaps even moreso.
The Queen of Shadows grinned confidently as she watched her manipulation begin to work, noticing the confidence in his expression begin to grow as he started to accept the new position she had suddenly thrust upon him. However, the deal was not sealed just yet. "However, Link, before I give Hyrule to you, I would like to ask one… favor of you first…" she said leadingly.
"What is it?" the hero asked, completely ready to do it.
"All I ask is that you do one simple thing for me…" Verona said with a rather sinister smile, knowing that once more, all of the pieces of her plan were fitting together perfectly. "Kill Zelda…"
Link was silent for a moment upon hearing this, his eyes subtly shifting to the Hylian queen's image in the painting once more. Of course, he wanted her to suffer, for her to know all of the pain she had put him through and then some, for her to lose everything she once held dear, just as he had. But the thought of actually killing Zelda with his own hands had never really crossed his mind before. And for some reason, it was a thought that didn't sit well with him. As he tried picturing murdering the Hylian Queen in his mind, he found that he couldn't. He could see himself hurting her, both physically and emotionally, but actually, willingly putting an end to her life? Sure, he had killed before, but those had always been nameless faces of soldiers or people he didn't know or care about. But Zelda… he had known her, he had been somewhat intimate with her, he had, at one point, genuinely cared about her. And regardless of whether or not she ever reciprocated that devotion, the thought of killing her as Verona had asked of him filled him with immense conflict. Which was why he surprised himself when he turned to the Queen of Shadows once more and slowly nodded in agreement with this plan. "I'll do it," he said, though there was no finality or assurance in his tone. In fact, the words had come out rather hallow and empty, but Verona had thankfully taken no notice as she grinned in satisfaction.
"Very good," she said as she rose to stand before reaching out a hand to help Link do the same. The Queen of Shadows took silent victory in knowing that she was only a step away from ripping the bond between the Blood of the Goddess and the Spirit of the Hero apart forever. And then, once that bond was no more, it would only be a matter of time before that spirit became hers in its entirety as well. "Now, come, Link. We have much planning to do. After all, the sooner Zelda is disposed of, the sooner you can rise to your proper place as king."
"Yeah…" Link said halfheartedly as he began to follow Verona out of the room. "King…" he muttered with uncertainty, especially as he stopped for a brief moment in the doorway to turn towards the painting one last time. He stared at the depiction of both of them this time, both of them standing strong and together in the pursuit of peace and justice. Certainly, at the time of the painting's creation, this had only been a premonition of what the future would be like. And of course, it was a premonition that had failed to come true. The hero and the queen could not have been on two different ends of the spectrum when it came to their beliefs and goals. But a small part of the hero couldn't help but wonder if this painted prophecy would have come to pass if things had been different. If Zelda had been genuine, if he had been more perceptive… Maybe things could have been different. And maybe if things had been different… then he wouldn't have to face the task of slaughtering the woman he had once, and quite possibly still, loved.
K, so like I said, somewhat of an angst fest, so if that's not your thing, I understand. But fortunately, we will at LONG last be seeing some action in the next chapter (this story has barely had any of that), so it will be a nice change! Now I'm not sure when it will be coming, since I do plan on working on Universe Falls (my Steven Universe/Gravity Falls crossover, go check it out if that's your thing!) and Hyrule Warriors before moving onto the next chapter. But I am about to go on Christmas break, which means more time for writing so it might happen! But as for now, this story is finally off hiatus! Hooray! So, please REVIEW if you can (some of you who reviewed the update might have issues doin this, so please feel free to leave an anonymous review if you'd still like to make a comment on this!) Thank you everyone who has been patiently waiting! I promise not to make you guys wait for another 4 months again! Until next time!