With much concentration, Zelda moved the Triforce just in front of where they stood, its bright light casting a shadow of the Master Sword near it.
"There," she said diffusing her magic and letting it float on its' own. "Now we should be able to tell if it worked."
She looked to Link, who was dismantling his weapons and laying them on the floor. Her concern grew.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" She asked.
"Yeah," he said, not looking at her and placing down his sword in its' sheath. "I told you, there's nothing to worry about."
"But Link…" she said, approaching him as he turned to face her. "What if…"
"Everything will be fine," Link interrupted as his hands placed themselves on her arms. They slid down to take her hands.
Zelda let out a chuckle, trying to find some levity in the situation.
"Usually it's me reassuring you. Now I'm the anxious one."
"Zel, I promise I'll be back in no time," Link said. "Your magic will protect me, remember? And even if it doesn't, no time passed in reality when I was doing the Silent Realms, I'm sure this is the same. It will be like I never left. I'll go to the Sacred Realm and be right back here, holding you. Then we can live the rest of our lives."
Zelda nodded, Link starting to tear up, his gaze going down.
With a gentle hand on her stomach, he let out an exhale, stepping forward so that their foreheads met. He tried to take in everything about this moment, her lavender dress, the way her skin was soft, the way she always smelled like flowers.
"Link, are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Zelda asked.
"Yes," Link replied, looking up. "I…just love you, that's all."
"I love you too," she said with a smile.
Link's smile was sad before he captured her lips with his, his hand on the back of her head and his eyes clamped shut.
It was desperate and dramatic, Groose rolling his eyes and wondering why he even came.
Link sniffled his nose, withdrawing slowly and opening his eyes to hers. Knowing that they could drown in each other's gaze, Link turned to the sword and Zelda backed away slightly, creating a line with Groose and Indigo.
Link approached the sword with fearful eyes.
He stepped right before it, studied it, the purple hue and all the familiarity that came with it.
"Fi," he said, kneeling down. "I hope you don't mind."
Link placed his hands on the hilt, wrapping his fingers around, but not pulling.
Zelda closed her eyes and held out her hand, golden magic emanating onto Link. Her hand shook with the effort it took.
She released a smile.
"I…I can feel it," she said. "The Sacred Realm…it has a presence here like nowhere else."
Suddenly the Triforce blipped out of existence, Groose beaming a great big smile.
"Zelda, we did it," he said excitedly. "It worked!"
Zelda kept her eyes closed and nodded with a smile that matched his. She kept her magic on Link, him glowing golden where he still knelt.
"He should be coming out of it," Zelda asked. "The gateway opened, the Triforce is there, in the Sacred Realm…the gate is closing."
"Well, get him out of it!" Groose exclaimed.
"I'm trying," Zelda said in her concentration, her magic wavering until it strengthened again, Link frozen in that position. She tried and she tried, her magic brightening as her hand shook more.
Indigo didn't say a word, only looking at Link with pity.
"It's closed," Zelda said with a sigh of relief, opening her eyes and stopping her magic. "He made it without being transported with the Triforce."
But Zelda's heart stopped when Link completely collapsed to the floor.
"Link!" She exclaimed, rushing to his side and flipping him to rest on her lap. "Link! Wake up! We did it!"
Groose came around the other side quickly, holding Link's wrist and waiting for a pulse.
"There…there's something wrong…" Zelda said, petting his cheek desperately. "Link!"
Groose shook his head.
"There's no pulse," he said, looking up at Zelda.
With closing eyes, her tears fell quickly, her head falling down into his chest.
Groose was in shock, his eyes wide, doubting what he knew as the truth.
"How?" He started to ask with shakes of his head before looking up to Indigo. "How could this have happened?"
But Groose saw something in Indigo, the pity and the wisdom in her eyes. He stood up quickly and angrily, rushing to her. With aggression in his eyes, his arm penned her against the nearest wall.
"What happened?!" He exclaimed. "You know, don't you?!"
Indigo was hesitant, making Groose shake his arm to prompt the information out of her.
"My best friend has no pulse!" He exclaimed. "Either you tell me why or I'll make sure you don't have one either!"
"The possibility of him merely opening the gate was low," Indigo started, her voice strained with Groose's arm at her neck. Zelda looked up in attention to her words. "I had a feeling his consciousness would be transported, with your magic only protecting his body, and I informed him of that. He knew the risk. He was aware of the consequences when he went in, he accepted them bravely and silently, knowing you would object. He knew it was possible it may not work quickly, although his hope foolishly insisted he would. He knew he may be stuck for a long period of time and knew he may never emerge. That is, in fact, what he neglected to tell you. He didn't want you to stop him."
Groose, still seething with anger, rewarded her honesty by letting her go.
"Is he dead?" Groose asked with heavy breaths.
"Check his hand," Indigo said, massaging her neck.
Zelda did so almost immediately, flipping it over for a sigh of relief to come from her lungs.
"He's alive," she said, kissing the single pulsing triangle on the back of his hand. "He's trapped, but he's alive."
"So, he's trapped inside the Sacred Realm," Groose said. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Zelda said. "That he has to find a way out. His consciousness…is locked in."
End of Part I
Author's Note: Whew, it's done. Well, part one at least. Still more to come but I'm going to take advantage of this cliffhanger and go on a small hiatus, not just because I need a break for mental health reasons but also because I'll be going to my cousin's wedding. I'll perfect Part 2 and also try to relax as best as I can during that time and see you all in a couple weeks!