Chapter: 49
Theme: 91. Make it go away
Game: Twilight Princess
Setting: Postgame
Rating: T


Agony wasn't a strong enough word for what he was feeling now. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, and he could feel nothing but the endless tendrils of pain wrapping him in their unrelenting grip. It was a crushing debilitating pain that would make the strongest of people cry, and Link wasn't the strongest.

Yes he may have been the chosen hero of his time, but that didn't make him less human. The only thing Link was conscious of, besides the pain, was begging. He was begging whomever was around him to make it stop, make it go away, because he couldn't stand the torture any more. He would take death over this. His job was done, the war won, so he could die, right? His friends would be upset, but they could go on without him. Again he screamed for them, he was sure there were several people around him, to make it go away, to kill him if necessary. For the briefest of seconds he heard a voice crying very near him begging him to stop asking that.

Before he could concentrate on who it was the pain blocked out his senses again. He was positive there were tears in his eyes as he wished for this all to end. Didn't he deserve that at least? Didn't he deserve the peace death would bring after all he'd been through? Yes there was probably still a lot left for him to live for, but in this moment he couldn't think of any reasons beyond the pain. Truly he didn't care what happened so long as they made it go away, made all of it go away so he didn't have to think on it any longer. There was just so much from the pain raking over his body and stealing his breath to the constant torment from the images his mind forced him to relive whether he was sleeping or awake.

His mind's eye was clouded with scenes from the final battles as the blood and wounds from those fights was still fresh. The never ending climb to the top of the palace, seeing his friends destroyed, her sacrifice, the enraged beast, and then the final battle. Trapped in a duel to the death as the heavens mirrored the struggle between the Hero of Light and the King of Darkness. The battle had been beyond anything he'd experienced before, and he'd only kept going, pushing past the pain, because he had something to fight for. Though now he couldn't remember what that something was. Then more memories surfaced to add to his torment. The children and Ilia taken, their haunted expressions when he finally found them, the vague look in Ilia's eyes, and telling their parents he'd found them but could not bring them home.

Perhaps yes he'd found them, but not in time. Not nearly in time he remembered sorrowfully. The beasts who'd taken them had forced them to witness acts most adults could never fathom, especially the residents in little Ordon. He had failed to keep them safe, failed to protect them, and that pain was every bit as encompassing as the physical pain. It was his fault, all his fault, and he could not make that feeling go away.

The memories and the pain continued to scorch him, devouring his body and mind until reason was but a vague notion. All he could see were the continued list of his failures, and all he could feel was the pain he'd ignored for so long while in the midst of battle. There was something happening now changing his thoughts and the pain he felt. His mind was hazing, and at last the pain was dulling. He didn't know what this was, but at least finally someone had made it go away. And in this moment that was all he cared about.

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Rusl felt his heart tear through his chest as they frantically raced to get the hero to help. The young man in his arms was still conscious, and though it told the aged blacksmith Link was still alive it also meant he was aware of all his injuries. Every time the young battered man cried out for them to make it go away, to make it stop, his heart broke further.

They should've been there more, should've helped him from the beginning, but they all failed him. Though he was only a boy he took up the fight, took up arms to push back the evil that threatened their land, and what had anyone else done? The knights had fled, the people cowered, and the resistance had simply contemplated. Sure they'd given information here and there, but nothing was substantial and never once did they really provide any help. Rusl felt sure Link could have figured it out with or without them. Even when they did finally get off their carcasses to go fight nearly all the monsters had been cleared out by Link already. They'd only managed to take out those few that had been attacking him when they arrived, a feat Link surely could've handled on his own.

The guilt racked at him as he watched the ruby life essence leak from the many wounds prevalent on the young savior. How many times had he been wounded? And how many of those times was he alone and forced to tend to them himself? He wished he could find some way to make it go away, make the crushing guilt leave him, but there was nothing to appease his conscious nor his heart.

They had all used various excuses of age, old injuries, treacherous conditions, or ineptitude to explain why they could not be of more help on the journey. But in the end that was all they were, excuses. Truthfully the resistance members were little better than the cowardly knights that had fled. Instead they had left it all up to one lone boy not even out of his teens yet…well no…one lone man for even before all this Link could have hardly been called a boy.

Before all of this Link had been strong, courageous, and independent to no end. He was always helping in the village, but never once had Rusl heard him ask for help. The only thing Rusl had ever heard Link ask for until now was a place in their village when he turned up there with Epona at the age of thirteen. Even when it came to building his home Link had done the work himself, never once asking for help from any, and even worse they had never offered. No one knew what mysteries lay in Link's past, he never spoke of them, only listened to others.

Now though Rusl was hearing Link ask for something…well more like begging. Begging for death, begging for all the pain to end, and there was not a soul who could hear such pleading and not be moved. Ilia nearly collapsed as she too begged Link not to say such things when she heard him cry out as they brought him to Renado.

It seemed the preparations to treat Link took an eternity, an eternity Rusl knew the young man didn't have. He was so near death when they'd picked him up from the field that Rusl felt sure he would die before he could get him to help. At last though they were able to grant Link's desperate pleas to make it go away as a drug soaked rag was placed over his nose and mouth. Slowly the youth slipped away from the harsh realities of this world, for a short time at least.


A/N: Oh wow this turned out nothing like I thought it would, but I do have to say I love the backstory that was building here. I hadn't intended on it and it just sort of came out of its own accord, I only wish I had a story to go with it and do it justice. Originally I was going to leave which game this was ambiguous so it could be any game, but I found I just couldn't. I love Twilight Princess and it seemed so fitting for it. Now there was a bit of inspiration for this one in a song by Walker McGuire "They Call Me Doc". It's a great song by a couple of up and coming artists. Here's a link to their video if you like, just remove the spaces. www. youtube watch?v=h-KXXIhgPxY#t=12. Thanks to my two Guest reviewers. Next week is thinking and the bonus excerpt from His Choice is below. Thank you for all your support and for reading this. ~Later


It seemed to Zelda and Ghirahim that they had barely closed their eyes when quiet noises could be heard coming from the kitchen area and both squinted open their eyes as they were met with a harsh light of the early morning coming from the window, they had forgotten to close the curtains. As the fog of sleep left their minds they could now make out more hushed giggles and words though it was all too low for them to be more than noise. They both looked distinctly disheveled after having slept in the same clothes they were wearing yesterday and only getting a scant few hours of sleep in the first place. Zelda had bags under her eyes, her hair was knotted, and the ribbons she usually wore to keep it in place had entangled themselves in the blonde strands at some point during the night. Ghirahim's look was little better. They both winced when they looked at the other assuming, correctly, that they looked just as bad as the other. Knowing things weren't going to get any better until they both had access to water, hair brushes, and fresh clothes Zelda took a deep breath and opened the door ready to face whatever was happening on the other side.

The sight that met them when they opened the door was a rather funny one. Both Haruto and Eudora were standing on two of Zelda's four chairs. Haruto was stirring something in a bowl while Eudora seemed to be taking what looked like potatoes and running them up and down a grater. Zelda didn't even know she had one of those. Amazingly Link had somehow or another gotten himself into the kitchen as well. He was sitting at the table carefully chopping what appeared to be some vegetables. Haruto looked up from the bowl he had been determinedly concentrating on turning it towards Link and almost spilling its runny yellowish contents. "Is this how it should be daddy," he asked a large smile on his face. Link nodded then motioned towards something they couldn't see but apparently Haruto understood because he put down the bowl, got off the chair, and disappeared from view. Eudora tapped him slightly on the arm and gestured towards her pile of grated potatoes to which Link nodded and patted her head affectionately. It was really a sight to see them interact together, though little was said they understood each other. They really were a family. Haruto returned then carrying a large baking dish. What were they making? Before they could puzzle it out Haruto looked up with a beaming smile turned towards them allowing Link to notice the pair. The little boy quite literally skipped towards them with a wide smile plastered across his face showing every pearly white tooth. "Miz Zedwa Mizter Gweawaham we are making bweakfast fow you since you hewped us and daddy." With that he grabbed both Ghirahim's and Zelda's hands pulling them toward the kitchen area.