A/N: Welcome back, friends! I hope you enjoy :)
When Heroes Fall
By: Selphie Kinneas 175
Chapter 29: The Rise and Fall
.:.
Ren hung on Midna's every word.
Her account of his father's days of heroism made him feel like he was there. She recalled it all in painstaking detail, and she left nothing out. Ren remarked how she could remember so much from so long ago, and she had simply said that some things were impossible to forget, no matter how hard you tried to forget them. That, Ren understood.
They talked well into dusk, and when Midna saw the moon begin to rise, she realized Link had still not returned. Her heart skipped a beat and she turned to look in the direction he had left. Ren saw her panic.
"What is it?"
Midna got to her feet, "It's nothing. Why don't you go inside? I'm sure you're tired."
"It's my dad, isn't it?" Ren asked.
Midna sighed, "Yes. He's been gone a long time and I'm worried. I need to go check on him."
"I understand," Ren muttered, "I'll... think about going inside."
"If you're not ready, wait for me and we'll go in together, okay?" Midna smiled.
Ren nodded and gave a meager smile in reply, "Okay."
Midna turned and left, following the footsteps Link left behind hours ago. Ren watched her go with a knot in his stomach – he had a lot to think about.
Midna went to the edge of the village where the loose dirt of Kakariko turned into the lush grass of Hyrule Field. Quiet, labored breaths came softly from behind a nearby camphor tree. She knew her hero's pain when she heard it. She approached with light footsteps, Link coming into view as she rounded the thick tree trunk. He sat with his back against the bark, elbows rested atop lifted knees, and his face buried in his hands. Midna reached out to him with a gentle touch on his shoulder.
Link turned to her with a startled jump. Midna looked confused.
"Um, I'm sorry. I didn't think I would scare you."
Link exhaled deeply and settled back against the tree. Midna furrowed her brow in concern. Link was always aware of his surroundings. He heard and sensed things often minutes before Midna even had a passing thought something may be wrong. He had that keen survival instinct that kept him on his toes at all times, even while at rest. Nothing got the jump on him, not since he fully realized his heroism years ago, not until now.
Midna sat beside him in the grass and just watched him in silence. He was a mess. In his solitude he had not cared to appear strong; for the first time there was no one to appear strong to. His red face streamed with tears and his body shook with each ragged breath. She had never seen him this low. Not before Ganondorf, and not even after. He still always retained that fight in his eyes, that indomitable will, the unkillable flame. It was all gone now.
He didn't speak despite knowing he now had company. Midna gave him time to catch his breath. She looked off to the horizon as the last rays of the sun disappeared and the stars started to twinkle. She thought of home as dusk evaporated into night, a thing she spent so long never seeing. Then she thought of something Link had told her what felt like eons ago. It had been burned into her memory, one of those things she could never forget.
'You're my home. No matter where I am, if I'm with you, I'm home.'
She looked back at him, wanting to smile, but her heart only ached. He was her home just the same. Not the twilight she once cared so much for nor the people who barely liked her. Wherever he was was where she wanted to be, where she would be.
His breath did not calm. She inched closer to him and grabbed his hand.
"I came because I was worried about you."
Link did not say anything. He kept his head down and his eyes closed. She gave him a moment of silence to respond, but he did not take it.
"We don't have to talk. I'll just sit with you."
Midna leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt him breathe in deep and steady and release it, drinking her in. Her presence calmed him. He felt that no matter what he faced, with her, it would always be easier.
In just enough time for the clouds to move across the moon, his breath evened and his hand squeezed around hers. He lifted his head and looked at her. Their eyes lingered a moment. His were puffy with pain and buried beneath layers of heartbreak. Hers were dripped in concern and laced with fear for her hero, for his unstable mindset, his wavering tenacity.
She at last parted her lips to speak but he beat her to it.
"There's nothing left in me... Midna," his voice was light footsteps on loose gravel. A wounded bird fallen from its nest. Defeat wrapped in barbed wire.
"I can't do it anymore."
Midna stared at him and he stared back. Wetness framed his tired eyes. That deep blue held smothering failure and dejected resignation with arms full. Midna felt him surrender. Felt it in his tired movements, his slurred words, his dull eyes. Her heart ached in her chest like a festered wound that never quite healed.
She looked at him with sincerity, "Then don't."
He looked confused, but somehow relieved, as if the simple prospect of having a break took a thousand pounds off his shoulders.
He thought about it a moment, let himself feel that reprieve, then shook his head.
"Don't do that to me."
"What?"
"Give me hope."
She pulled back, getting a better look at him. He was stagnated agony personified.
"I wouldn't offer it to you if you couldn't take it. Haven't you done enough?"
Link looked contemplative.
"You've put your neck on the line countless times and what has it gotten you? Nothing but mourning your loved ones in solitude."
Link hung his head, "I should have been able to protect Colin."
"You did all you could."
"I should have stopped Viscen on my own."
"You know why you couldn't do that."
"I should have been there for Ren."
Midna paused, "Yeah, you should've. What does beating yourself up over it accomplish?"
Link wiped his hands down his face and sniffled. The silence lingered until the sounds of beasts in the far distance reached their ears.
Midna perked up but Link eased her back down.
"They're far enough away to not concern us. Monsters are everywhere again, since Viscen took your power."
Midna's lip snarled but she pushed the anger away.
"Good. It's not your responsibility to take care of them anyway."
"Then whose is it?" Link looked to her seriously.
She shrugged, "Not yours, so why does it matter?"
"It is mine," he said, "I don't have the luxury of resting."
"You said you can't do it anymore, and you're right. You shouldn't have to. You've lost so many people you've loved. What's wrong with finally being selfish and throwing in the towel?"
Link turned to her in frustration, "Because I can't, Midna. If I did that back during the twilight, Ganondorf would have taken over. If I do that now, Viscen takes over. He has your power. He's capable of more than we initially thought. Ren is counting on me to make it right. They all are. I have to do right by Colin. I can't let him down."
Midna smiled. Link stopped to catch his breath and noticed her coy expression. He smiled back.
"I see what you did."
Midna tilted her head playfully, "Oh? Did I do something?"
"Don't act innocent," Link chuckled, "You got me to come to it on my own."
"Hmm," she tapped her chin, "Sounds like something I might do."
Link smiled, but grief wormed itself back in. He looked down in sadness, then back up at her.
"I still failed, Midna," he shook his head, "I failed all of them. How do I tell Uli and Calie?"
Midna frowned, "I don't know..."
"I swore I would protect them. I can't..." he paused as his voice cracked, "I can't believe Colin is gone."
Midna looked away, the pain on his face too much to bear. He took a moment and steadied himself again.
"It's my fault he's dead."
Midna grabbed his hand tighter, "No. Don't say that. What did you tell Ren when he said that exact same thing?"
Link sighed but couldn't bring himself to say it.
"You told Ren it was Viscen's fault, not his. I'm telling you the same."
"It's different."
"How?"
"I'm supposed to be this important title. This stupid nonsense of 'hero.' I have to live up to that, Midna. I have to be what they all expect of me. I have to protect them all. It's my responsibility to keep everyone safe and put an end to evil, whatever form it comes in. Ren's just a kid."
"You were just a kid, too."
Link froze. He tried to say something, but no words surfaced that made sense.
"The expectations put on you have always been too high. Both from yourself and from everyone else. Just because you've always been able to meet them doesn't mean you should always have to. You're human, too. Sometimes you need to be the one saved, the one protected. Sometimes you need someone else to rise up so you can fall back. You need help sometimes, too."
Link was silent. He stared off at the night sky but didn't really look at it, but rather, past it. His eyes glazed over as he thought on what she said.
"I know you're right, but if I don't stand, people are left defenseless."
"Sounds like you already made up your mind."
Link looked at her with sincere sadness, "I feel I haven't made up my own mind since I was seventeen."
Midna stopped then, staring back at his tired face with no words making their way to her lips. She knew the point he was about to make, and she knew it was accurate.
"I'm not sure why I'm sitting here even entertaining the idea that I may have a choice, that I maybe could fall back," he shook his head, "I don't have any power over my fate. I never have."
Midna furrowed her brow, but he looked away before he could see it. She watched him a moment, the moon highlighting his handsome face. She grabbed his hand again, and with it, his attention.
"You may not have any power over your fate, but you do make the conscious decision to walk it. Saying you've never had a choice takes away every selfless action you've ever made, strips you of what makes you the hero, what makes you you."
He was silent, his weary eyes burrowing into hers for comfort.
"You have made every decision to keep going," she continued, "Even though you're right, the task always unfairly falls to you, you accept it. You've always accepted it. That's exactly why you have the title you so detest. When everyone else backs down you step up. You're just as afraid as everyone else is, but you still stand."
Link stared for a long time. She did not release their gaze; she could feel that he needed it. The certainty, the resolute companionship, the unyielding loyalty, the simple fact that she was there with him, and she wasn't going anywhere.
When the silent heartbeats that passed reached the dozens, Link began rummaging in the pouch at his waist. He pulled something out and held it discreetly in the palm of his hand. Midna looked at him confusedly.
"What are you doing?"
Link looked down at his closed palm, then up at her.
"I haven't worn this in years, and I still don't want to," he opened his palm and held it out to her, "Will you hold onto it for me? Give it back when I've earned the right to wear it again."
Midna looked down at what he held. It was his green cap. Her eyes flicked back up to him.
"Link, don't be dumb. You've always had the right to wear this. It's yours."
He shook his head, "I haven't been the man who wore that cap in over a decade. You know him better than I do," Link placed the cap into her palm and closed her fingers over it, "If you see that man again, the one unburdened, light, selfless... Then you can return it."
Her mind wanted to protest, but her heart understood. She opened her palm and looked down at it fondly. It looked dull, worn, aged. It carried with it a lifetime of troubles and triumphs. It matched her hero in every imaginable way.
Midna looked back up at him in understanding. She pulled back the front of her cloak and tucked the cap in, accepting without words.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
She simply nodded, and that was enough.
Midna let the silence carry on a while longer. All that filled the air were the sounds of lesser monsters in the far distance. No chirping crickets or hooting owls, no gentle breeze or babbling of the river nearby. Everything was silent. Everything was still. She felt somehow like it was a deep breath, that last gulp of air when you're unsure when you'll get to breathe another one. Everything, she felt, was on the edge of its seat, awaiting a grand show that would define fate.
She remembered this feeling before they faced Ganondorf, too.
Link felt her shift and knew she noticed the tension in the air. He got to his feet and dusted himself off.
"I've wasted too much time. I need to check on the others."
Midna stood, "I'm not even sure I've fully checked on you. Link, you can take more time. You've only had a matter of weeks to deal with the deaths of two people who are extremely important to you and temporarily losing your son to evil."
Link sighed, "I know, Midna, but I can't take that time yet. Viscen could be planning something at any moment. I've already let my guard down too long."
Midna had to look away – it was a worry she'd had in the back of her mind the past few days as well. It was too opportune a time for him to not try something. She turned back to Link with a look of understanding. He nodded, and she followed him to the village.
As they entered the sleeping village, they saw Ren still seated at the spirit's spring. His and Link's eyes met and Link knew he couldn't avoid him. He approached Ren with an outstretched hand.
"Let's get inside. It's not safe out here anymore."
Ren got to his feet nervously. He looked up at Link's serious face, then past him at Midna's supportive one.
"I know, I was just waiting so we could go in together."
Link looked confused, so Ren continued.
"I have something I need to say to everyone... and I wanted you two to be there for it."
Link glanced over his shoulder at Midna, who he was surprised to see looked not the slightest bit confused. He turned back to Ren.
"In that case, lead the way."
Kakariko was quiet, only the wisp of a breeze just big enough to kick up dust whistled through the canyon at infrequent intervals. No one was outside, and all the exterior torches were extinguished, save the one at the entrance to the inn. The inn was just as dark and quiet. A blanket had been strung up over the window Link dove through as a wolf, and through the other, only one small lamp could be seen lit inside. Ren felt uneasy. To Link, this was how he remembered Kakariko.
Ren opened the door to Elde Inn with a creak. While the evening was late, the night was young, and most were still awake. Renado turned at the sound of the door opening, and Ashei hastened to her feet clutching the hilt of her sword, feeling the pressure of being the only one capable of defending them all in a pinch. She eased at the sight of her friends but said not a word.
Zelda looked over from her seat at the table, Luda beside her. Shad set down his book from the corner of the room and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Link was the last to enter, and he closed the door behind him. All stared at them, and they stared back. No one made a sound.
Ren, at last, stepped forward.
"I have something I need to say, and I want everyone to hear it. Where's Grandpa Rusl and Uncle Talo?"
No one wanted to be the one to speak up, so silence lingered until Shad cleared his throat.
"Rusl is sick, dear boy, and Talo refuses to leave his side, I'm afraid."
Ren glanced at Luda for confirmation.
"Talo is... left with immense guilt upon Colin's passing. He is taking Rusl's care very seriously," Luda said solemnly, "The girls are asleep upstairs. Everyone who can be here is here. Say what you need to say, little brother."
Ren's heart hitched. No one but Calie had ever called him that. He thought of her, and how he would have to tell her how her brother died. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing and reminded himself that that was not the obstacle in this moment; he would come to that, but not yet.
Ren looked up and met a dozen eyes staring at him, awaiting something grand that might take their pain away. He knew he did not have that power, but he did have the power to lighten the burden on his spirit, and hopefully, theirs along with it.
He swallowed and stood up straighter. He made eye contact in turns, and when he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was powerful and confident.
"I'm sorry. I have singlehandedly caused so much suffering. I know that I alone am to blame, and I'm taking responsibility for it. I'm sorry…"
He let his words hover in the air a moment, let them sink in. Before he could continue, Renado spoke up.
"My boy, we all know you have suffered just the same. You do not have to apologize to us."
"Yes, I do," Ren replied bluntly, "You don't have to coddle me anymore. I have no desire to be that kid who blames his struggles on someone else. I created this mess, and I'm going to clean it up."
Midna glanced at Link as Ren spoke, but Link looked away. Zelda reached out her hand to Ren and he stepped closer to take it.
"None of us is entirely without blame. I bear my own guilt for the part I have played in this unnecessary chaos. Acknowledging your errors is admirable, Ren. We are all behind you. We harbor no ill will."
Ren smiled and nodded, releasing her hand as he scanned the faces of his friends. None had a look of protest, but, somehow, it didn't make him feel better.
"I'm truly sorry for what has happened… I'm going to Ordon in the morning to give my family the news, and I'm going alone."
Some furrowed their brows in uncertainty while others looked understanding.
"Rusl said he wanted to tell them himself," Ashei stated.
"That's not his burden to bear, and it wouldn't be fair of me to let him bear it," Ren replied, "It's my own bad news. I should be the one to deliver it."
"I understand your need to take this path for your own recovery, but I wish you would not go alone," Renado said worriedly.
"I refuse to involve anyone in my own mess," Ren shook his head, "I went to Viscen on my own. I made the decision to lead him to the portal on my own. Because of that, Colin is gone. The least I can do is show up on my own, make amends on my own. I can't be that kid anymore. I have to make it right."
The room fell silent. Ren glanced between the faces of his friends, hoping for a positive response. Moments later, Luda stood from the table and approached him. She held his hands and kissed his cheek before whispering, "You look so much like her."
Ren gave a sad smile and Luda embraced him. She held tight and he reciprocated. She said, "We're proud of you. I know Colin is, too."
Luda pulled back and wiped away the tears with a smile. Ren's heart felt sore, like an overworked muscle. He looked around at the agreeing faces around him, but none brought him peace or satisfaction.
He turned lastly to his father, the one from whom he wanted to witness an expression of acceptance the most. He found no such thing. Link looked removed, as if he was entirely dissociated from the conversation, the room, the whole village. He stood, eyes unseeing and ears unhearing, an empty husk. Ren felt in that moment that no manner of righting his wrongs would right those between him and his father.
Ren looked at Midna who did naught but watch her hero with sadness in her sunset eyes. She glanced at Ren, and they shared a silent moment of understanding.
Renado took notice of Link's vacant expression and said to him, "My boy, why don't you head upstairs for some well-deserved rest?"
Link snapped back to reality, but no words came to him. He felt his brain malfunction, as if it simply refused to work past its limit a second longer.
"Agreed, old chap," Shad said with a stretch, "You are looking positively dreadful. Take some time to recoup. We should be just fine waiting-"
Shad's voice cut short as a terrible crash sounded outside. Ashei rushed to the window as shrill screeches reached their ears. She pulled back the blanket covering the broken glass and saw a horde of beasts flooding the village. She ducked back inside just as an arrow flew past her face and pierced the windowsill.
Ashei drew her sword, "Monsters. Lots of them."
Ren went for his own hilt but was swiftly reminded that he had none of his things. He looked down at himself, inwardly cursing the fancy and entirely unprotective clothing the king had put him in.
Link made no move. Zelda stood and gave orders in his place.
"Renado, you and Luda stay safe upstairs with Rusl, Talo, and the little ones. We have both Rusl's and Colin's swords to make use of. Ren, take up one, and the other is for whoever will make better use of it," she said the last eyeing Midna and Shad.
Shad pulled his trusty dagger from his waist that Ashei had seen to reuniting him with, "I still claim to be no fighter, but I can defend if it comes to it."
Zelda looked at Midna.
Midna stared at the sword in the corner. She glanced at Link before returning to Zelda's stern expression.
"I don't know how to use it."
"You are otherwise unarmed," Zelda said, "A weapon in an unskilled hand is of better use than it is on the ground. Take it."
Ren grabbed Colin's sword, barely a scratch on it, and held it firmly in his hand. He smiled as he remembered the day he and Colin got their swords from the castle, and his uncle's face flooded his mind's eye. A thousand memories poured in, but he could not indulge them right now. He lifted Rusl's sword, old, withered, used, and held it out to Midna.
"I don't really know how to use mine either," Ren said with a smile, "But... I'll do my best to have your back if you'll have mine."
Midna looked contemplatively at the sword, but she knew it was her only option.
She smirked and took it, "Your dad makes it look easy enough. How hard could it be?"
It was heavy in her right hand. She went for a spin to get a feel for it as she had often seen Link do, but she nearly dropped it on the way down. They shared a laugh, but the moment did not linger.
Ashei went for the door, slapping Link on the shoulder as she went, "Don't give up on us now, yeah?"
Shad followed close at her heels, keeping reassuring eye contact with Link as he passed by, and a nod just as he went out of view.
Talo ran downstairs, frantically asking what was going on. Renado calmed him as he and Luda persuaded him back up to the room with Rusl where Renado joined him. Luda sat at the foot of her daughter's beds in the room adjacent as they slept, praying for the safety of her friends outside.
Ren trailed behind Shad, fear masked by determination on his young face. He passed his father, saw his glassy eyes and his trembling hands. He felt to blame for much of his father's pain, for his lack of rest, for his mental turmoil. He frowned as Link still did not acknowledge him.
Ren whispered, "I'm sorry," and entered the fray.
Ren didn't see Link's eyes follow him on the way out.
Midna and Zelda exchanged glances. Zelda made for the door next, knowing it would be best to leave the two companions alone at the last.
Zelda had no physical weapons since she departed the castle, but she had some tricks up her sleeve, and she prayed the goddesses would assist her in other ways. She placed a gentle hand on Link's cheek and smiled.
"We still need you," Zelda said, and she left.
Midna stood in front of Link and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it hard.
"I know you're tired. I know you're barely holding it together. You're worn down, sick of fighting, just... tired. You're just tired," she stammered, "I know."
Link turned to her, weariness a cloud that hung over him, constantly smothering him in its rain. Weak eyes stared back at her, and she hated that she had to ask this of him, knowing how much he wanted to give up, knowing how little he had left.
At last, his dry lips parted for his graveled voice, "I have nothing in me, Midna."
He was desperate for her to understand, for them all to understand. He felt as if he was begging, pleading, screaming for someone to help, but his calls went unanswered.
Her chest felt too heavy for her to carry. She hated seeing her hero like this. Never before had she had to coax him into battle, into defending his loved ones. She had always been the one trying to talk him out of charging into every battle. Never before would he hesitate, would he admit such weakness, would he let it overpower him.
She knew what he meant when he gave her his cap.
"You have just enough," she said, "You always do."
Link looked at her, unsure if he believed her words. Midna reached for the hilt of the Master Sword at his back. It released with ease and was light as a feather in her palm. She stared at the steel. Decades old with her hero, centuries old with countless more, yet still it shone like new. She smiled and extended it to him.
"I thought you couldn't lift it last time," Link said with a meager smirk.
Midna scrunched her face, "We have a love-hate relationship."
Link stared at it a moment, breathing deep. Midna did not relent.
"The sword knows best," Midna grinned, pushing it toward him.
Link chuckled weakly and took it. He gave it a quick spin.
"Show-off."
Link tightened his effects and glanced down at Rusl's sword in her hand, "Be careful with that."
"You were supposed to teach me," she sassed.
"I haven't exactly had the opportunity."
She smiled playfully and said, "I'll make sure Ren is safe," and she ran out to him.
Link watched Ren greet her with a smile on his face. Link wasn't sure what he missed, but it warmed his heart to see Midna forming a bond where he still was unable. He was glad Ren had someone to temporarily fill that void, but he wasn't sure he would ever be able to take his rightful place there.
Link stood on the landing attempting to survey the situation, but all he saw was Shad and Ashei far to his right fighting a group of shadow beasts before he was attacked by one himself. He raised his blade at the monster just before it could pummel him to the ground. He struggled against its strong arms, staring up at its flat face. It was just as grotesque as he remembered from all those years ago.
He looked past the monster bearing on top of him at Ren and Midna far to his left. They were surrounded by shadow Bulblins wielding clubs, and some with bows and arrows sat perched on the outskirts of the battle.
Did this mean Viscen was turning innocent people into twilit monsters just as Zant had? And turning the now-friendly Bulblins as well? He tried not to think about it; that part wasn't important right now.
He was exhausted. He was distracted. He was losing already. The monster came down harder and Link's boots slipped back. He was being overpowered; Zelda saw it.
A blinding light cast the beast off the top of him. It tumbled some yards away and staggered back to its feet, but it gave Link the time to compose himself. He gave the queen a nod in appreciation, and she approached him with haste.
"Lend me your bow," she said urgently.
He did as she asked without question; he wouldn't make her admit that the goddesses were useless. She took his bow and quiver of arrows and quickly felled a shadow Bulblin preparing a shot. She nodded to signal she was alright, and Link leapt after his beast. Before he got there, he saw Ashei defeat hers, and for a moment he thought these ones were different, that maybe they didn't have to all be killed at the same time…
He was wrong. Those remaining screeched into the night sky, and their fallen comrades rose again. The others covered their ears. Link froze, paralyzed by the overwhelming feeling of going nowhere in all these years. Hearing their screams was like nothing ever changed. He was back in the twilight, young and naïve, and nothing he'd done in all that time made any difference. He was perpetually stuck in this loop. Battling until his days were done. He was so tired.
Shad looked to Link for guidance, "What in heaven's name are we to do with these?"
Link couldn't find his voice.
Midna called out in his lack of answer, "They have to all go down at once!"
"At once!" Ashei yelled, "How the hell are we supposed to do that? There's too many!"
Just then, a massive shadow beast three times the size of the rest stomped into the village from the north. Tiny pebbles at Link's feet shook with each great step the monster took. He stared up at the beast peering down at him like he was a helpless mouse caught in a trap.
"Well that's an exciting twist," Shad deadpanned.
"Maybe if we kill the big one, the little ones will follow?" Ren suggested.
"It's worth a shot, yeah?" Ashei said.
But they continued to fight their own battles. Link knew they meant this task for him. Usually surmountable, it now seemed impossible. Still, he heard 'hero' in the back of his mind and knew the choice was made for him long ago. He breathed in deep, released, and dove at the demon.
Ren was no more skilled with a blade than Midna was, but he had had a fraction more practice. He felled the lesser shadow Bulblins as they came at him, albeit sloppily. He sliced and cut wildly, leaving them to messy, slow deaths. He stood back-to-back with Midna, the two keeping each other safe.
Midna had never used a sword. She grasped the heavy blade with two hands, mostly using it to protect herself like a shield against any shadows that dared get too close. She clumsily impaled one Bulblin through the stomach as it ran at her, and it had been far more gruesome than she had ever guessed. Feeling the crunch of flesh and muscle beneath the weapon in her own hands was drastically different than watching someone else do it.
Zelda stayed beside the inn, a last line of defense for their friends huddled inside for safety. She kept the Bulblin archers in check with Link's bow and kept a keen eye on the battlefield.
Ashei and Shad also stood back-to-back, protecting one another. They dealt with the next most worrisome foe: the shadow beasts. More than a dozen of them flocked in from the north, and it cost all their energy and capacity just to keep them at bay without outright killing them.
Link drove the steel of the Master Sword into the giant shadow beast's front leg. It wailed in agony and swat at the hero, but he raised his shield to block the attack. The monster raised its other arm to strike him, but Link ducked and sliced its appendage as it sailed overhead. The beast shrieked and pounced on the hero, pinning him to the ground. Link wrestled for his freedom, bringing his sword down across the side of the monster's head. It jolted back and Link got to his feet.
He huffed. He felt heavy. His reactions were slow. His legs were lead weights, his arms were anchors. The beast came back sooner than Link's weary brain anticipated. In one quick swipe it grabbed him in its strong hand, and Link remembered the first time this had happened. He was transported back to all those years ago when he was first dragged into the twilight. His brain forgot what was real and what was memory. He did not struggle against the monster's grip.
He started to go pale. Zelda noticed. She aimed at the beast's neck and let loose an arrow. The shadow creature recoiled and dropped Link to the ground. He hit the dirt hard and grabbed at his aching throat with a flurry of coughs. Link staggered back to a weak stance just in time for the monster to come down upon him again.
Link held up the Master Sword at the last second to bear the brunt of the beast's strength. His boots slid in the loose dirt and he pushed back with all he had. A feeble attempt. The monster knew it had him bested.
The shadow beast faked a swing and moved instead to grip the hero in its hands again. The monster squeezed and Link squirmed. Zelda fired an arrow, but it did not care. The beast slammed the hero onto the ground like it was squishing a bug. Link groaned and the monster picked him up and smashed him down again. Zelda fired another arrow, but still, it did not care.
Midna felt the tug in her gut and looked over for her hero. She saw him being bested, and fear fluttered in her chest.
"Link!" she cried, but only the sounds of battle responded.
Ren downed a Bulblin and followed her line of sight. He saw Link get pummeled to the ground and not get up. His heart fell into his stomach. He watched the queen fire arrow after arrow at the massive beast, but nothing seemed to faze it. Ashei and Shad were quickly being overwhelmed by the lesser shadow beasts, and without Zelda focusing the archers, they were starting to take aim.
Midna was far too concerned with Link. She moved to run to him, but a shadow Bulblin with a club swung at her. Ren blocked the swing and pushed the creature back. Midna noticed him just before an arrow rushed past his ear. Everything had gotten out of hand. They lost control. They were going to be swiftly overwhelmed.
Midna began to run towards her hero, not caring for the fiends in her path or the archers taking aim. Ren cared. He saw the shadow Bulblin who'd only just narrowly missed knocking another arrow. It pulled back the string and took aim at Midna. Ren ran for her as fast as he could muster.
"Midna!" he screamed.
She turned just as he plowed into her, sending them both to the ground and kicking dust up around them. She slammed her eyes shut as she heard the arrow pierce flesh. She sat up in a frenzy, looking down at herself frantically. Then she saw Ren before her, an arrow in his back.
"You idiot!" she yelled, "You stupid, stupid idiot!"
Zelda turned at the sound and quickly killed the Bulblin that was already preparing another shot.
"We're overrun!" Zelda called, "We need to fall back!"
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Ashei said, swiping at the beasts before her to slow their advancement as she backed away.
"Link!" Shad yelled as he backed up to the inn alongside his wife, "What shall we do? We can't leave the old boy!"
Midna held Ren on her lap, careful that the arrow wasn't touched.
"We need to get you inside," she said, knowing Link would never forgive her if she let anything happen to him.
"No," Ren demanded, pushing himself up off her lap, "I have to help him."
Link lay squished beneath the heavy hand of the biggest shadow beast he had ever seen. He had no space to fill his lungs, no space to move. Zelda did not stop firing until she ran out of arrows, the shield-like exoskeleton of the monster's face positioned in such a way to protect itself. The rest of the shadow beasts circled in on Ashei and Shad as they fell back. Dozens of them now surrounded the inn, and the shadow Bulblins were quickly closing in on Ren and Midna.
The searing agony in Ren's back went ignored in the heat of the moment. He only knew his unbridled fear of watching his father die just as his mother and uncle had. His emotions began to rise.
Link managed to worm the Master Sword up through the beast's palm and pierce it, giving him a moment's reprieve to get to his feet as the monster recoiled, but he couldn't. He was entirely too heavy. He told his limbs to move but they refused him. He had nothing left. He breathed and he focused on it. The in, the out, the beating of his heart. The in, the out, the beating of his heart. The in, the out, the beating of his heart.
The beast came back and scooped him up off the floor. It held him close to its face and it screeched. Link's ears rang long after it ended. It squeezed him tighter, and tighter, and tighter.
"Your Majesty!" Ashei yelled, "What do we do? We have to do something fast, yeah?"
Zelda held out both hands and closed her eyes. A white-hot beam of light scathed from her fingertips and pierced the dark creature. It staggered back, dropping the hero as it wailed. Link lay awake, but unmoving. The others were surrounded; none could get to him.
"Link! Get up!" Midna screamed.
"Old boy, this is not your end!" Shad called.
Link's head was underwater. They all sounded so distant that his mind told him they weren't really there. He was in the water temple, drowning, drowning, drowning forever.
Zelda's attack was devastating, rendering the beast incapable of movement for several moments, plenty of time for Link to get up and make his escape, but no such thing happened. The rest of the monsters got much too close to the inn. Zelda used the last of her strength to erect a barrier of protection in front of the inn, and she, Ashei, and Shad hurried just within it. Zelda fell to her knees and Shad dropped to stabilize her. Ashei ran inside to find more arrows, frantic to help however she could.
Ren watched the shadow beasts encroach on their safe haven. They screeched and beat on the thin wall Zelda constructed, and it rapidly began to crack. He heard the shadow Bulblins pulling back bowstrings behind him and a couple loosed arrows narrowly miss. He saw the giant monster that was Link's adversary recover from the queen's attack. It balled a fist and wound up, preparing to bring it crashing down upon the hero. Link watched with half-lidded eyes and a depleted body that refused to obey him.
Ren's fear and determination reached its peak. He felt the Fused Shadow creep into his brain. He heard its evil words whisper in his ear, felt the itch of fire beneath his skin, the ache of power begging to be released. He stood, unable to hold it in any longer. His fingers sparked and Midna's heart skipped a beat.
"Little wolf, don't-"
Ren threw his hands back and screamed a guttural scream. From his very core poured forth mountains of energy that he could not control. A blast of black nothingness exploded from him like cannon fire. It spread in an instantaneous flash of unbridled power. Midna ducked down low and covered her head. The windows of every building shattered. The monsters all around them poofed out of existence. Link was thrown against the far canyon wall. The others shielded their eyes but were untouched behind the now-broken barrier.
Ren's voice silenced and he crumbled to his knees. The black void dissolved into ashes littered across the ground. There were no more shadow beasts; they were safe for now.
Ashei and Shad ran out to Link. Midna stared at Ren long and hard but said nothing. He understood her silence. Zelda approached Ren with an outstretched hand, but she, too, said nothing, and she helped him to the inn. Knowing Ren was safe, Midna ran to Link's side.
Ashei sat beside Link, shaking him gently, while Shad stood behind her. Midna approached and sat opposite of Ashei. Midna placed the back of her hand to Link's clammy cheek.
Ashei looked over at Midna, "That wasn't at all like him. He's... really been struggling, hasn't he?"
Midna nodded but said nothing. She turned her hand over and cupped Link's cheek, rubbing her thumb back and forth soothingly. It took him a long while to come to, but his friends waited by his side. At last, Link's heavy eyelids fluttered, and he looked up at them through dazed slits.
"Hey," Ashei smiled, "Doin' okay?"
Link was barely cognizant, so he said nothing.
"Old boy, I do say, I believe you could have positively annihilated that foul beast in your sleep," Shad speculated, "Yet, we ask too much of you."
Link blinked between each of them, dull irises barely visible.
"Tch, easily," Ashei added, "That thing stands no chance against the hero on a normal day, yeah? But, uh... This isn't a normal day. You need to rest – preferably not here, but in a bed."
Link made no attempt to move or speak. Midna leaned in closer.
"Your boy saved the day," she said with a smile, "Not on purpose, but still."
Link looked at her, and he started to piece together what had happened in his mind. He tried to sit up, but his body simply didn't want to. He grunted against his own weight and relaxed down with a sigh.
He looked to Midna and rasped, "Is he okay?"
"Ren?" Midna said, "He took a hit. Turns out he's a big dummy just like you. Renado will make sure he's just fine."
Link jolted back up, "He's hurt?"
Midna nodded, "An archer got him, but Renado has him now. Link, he's okay."
Link struggled clumsily to sit up, ignoring their attempts at slowing him down. He got to his feet with a stumble and a pained grimace and went for the inn as fast as his aching body allowed him.
"Link, take it easy," Midna said at his side, "Ren's not going anywhere."
He ignored her and picked up the pace. He threw open the front door and staggered up the stairs, ignoring those in the foyer. The invisible anchor around his feet tripped him up and he stumbled to his knees, but he quickly picked himself back up. He passed by Rusl's quiet room, then Luda's, then he came to an open door. He stopped frozen at the threshold.
Ren lay on his stomach on the bed with Renado cleaning the freshly bleeding wound on his upper back. Link blinked and he saw himself. Young, naïve, light. More responsibility and pain than men twice his age. Hurt yet again, just trying to get by. He blinked again and Ren lay with eyes closed and deep, stable breaths.
Renado looked up to see Link standing paralyzed in the doorway.
"He merely sleeps," Renado said with a comforting smile, "I gave him some medicine to help him fall asleep quickly, though he did not really need it."
Link didn't say anything. Midna felt him tense and she placed a hand on his back. Ashei and Shad muttered that they would leave them to their privacy. Midna nodded her thanks.
Midna leaned in close to Link's ear and whispered, "See? Ren's okay."
Link stared blankly, unable to make sense of his thoughts. He saw the tool used to extract arrows along with a bloody arrowhead on the table beside the shaman. Link's stomach twisted into knots as he remembered that feeling. Renado could see clearly that he was not convinced on Ren's condition.
"The arrow was quite shallow, and it pierced only muscle. I assure you, rest is all the boy needs," Renado explained, "He will be just fine."
Link at last remembered to breathe. His head grew light and he wavered, but Midna steadied him. He looked back at her confusedly, as if he momentarily forgot where he was and who was around him. His mind and body were ready to give out. He stumbled to the sofa just inside Ren's room and collapsed onto it.
His cheek against the rough cushion, he watched Ren's serene face. As exhaustion overpowered him, as his sore muscles throbbed and ached, as his weary body melted into the sofa, he fought his eyelids to stay open, to keep Ren in sight. He worried for his son more than he could ever say out loud. It did not matter that everyone said Ren was fine; Link could not lose him before making things right. He still had no idea how to fix it, if he even could.
He remembered what Midna told him about her father dying before they had the chance to mend their relationship.
He didn't think he had it in him to make it right yet, but he refused to miss the opportunity.
When one falls back, the other rises up.
A/N: Let me know your thoughts. I love so much to hear from you guys. Don't forget that patrons help me to keep writing, and in return get chapters early as well as other exclusive goodies. Patrons' support makes a huge difference, so thank you guys!
I love you all, even you, silent reader. I see you :)
See you next time!
A big thank you to the following for helping me get this chapter out there!
Big Jake, Fez, Lee Glerum, Cynfall, Jacob Peachey, Anonymouse, Gabby-J, InnerEnigma, Ivalee, Jessie H, Kevin Pham, Lotus Eater, Paul Linfor, Robert California, Rocket Man, Siren World, Yami no Nokutan, emmydog1, Amber Milligan, Emily Zuber, Julianna Reed, Mandelbrot, MurderedbySweets, wingdesire, Rob Walters, Sabine, Silvia Delgado, Tyli Ariegh, Mel
You guys are amazing!