Why now?
On the brink of death; something that seemed inevitable, why now was he having these thoughts?
It's been almost a year since I've returned. A month and a half since Zelda and I reunited. I was content with having things remain as they are, but...
He chuckled.
Of all the times to be having these thoughts, it would have to be now. When it's completely insignificant.
Well, he wasn't going anywhere any time soon, not in this state. He had some time.
There's an odd sort of tension between us. Understandable, considering where we've ended up so far. We've fought on more than one occasion, and we've never really opened up to each other all that much. On the other hand, we're together all the time, and we've done things that could be considered going past the boundaries of friendship.
When I look at her, and think about the future. I can't help feeling that I want to play a bigger role in her life, and for her to play a bigger role in mine as well.
Maybe, I haven't been entirely honest with myself. Or maybe, I didn't want to realize the truth. Either way, it took me losing her thrice to realize that.
He let out a hoarse laugh.
Pathetic. If this is what it takes for me to open up to myself, then I don't deserve to entertain such thoughts.
However...
Link tried to heave himself up, shouting out in pain as his entire body was telling him to stop moving.
There isn't any point in dwelling on such things. I'm not going to lose her a third time.
He clutched his chest.
I don't want to experience that again.
About halfway from returning to his feet, his legs gave out. There wasn't any way he could support his own weight, let alone the weight of another. Link's only chance was to burrow through the 3ft deep snow to reach the cliff.
It was a slow process. Agonizingly slow. Not to mention that he couldn't tell where he was going. His entire body was begging him to stop. The frostbite and hypothermia were now reaching critical levels. Something that his blackened palms could attest to.
All that matters is getting her to safety. As long as she's safe, I don't care what happens to me.
His vision was starting to become blurry, and to make matters worse, he was beginning to cough up blood.
After thinking he may never reach the end, the snow began to recede. Indicating that the end was near.
Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out some rope to tie Zelda around his waist. A contingency he felt was necessary considering the circumstances.
There's no way I can get a running start, but the wind seems to be holding strong. We still should be able to make it.
"Should" being the key word.
After making sure everything was in order, he took a glance back at the woman resting on his back.
Don't give up on me yet. Hang in there a little longer.
When he opened the paraglider, he could feel something pop out of place. Fortunately for him, the pain was numbed due to how far the frostbite had spread.
Once they maintained a steady glide, he checked on Zelda once again.
She's holding up okay. Good. The Snowquill armour would've prevented her from getting anything serious from the cold.
His thoughts then trailed back to earlier.
I made a bad call. I never should've thought the risk was worth the time save by going through the highlands. Not to mention, that it was a complete fluke that Zelda survived the gold Lynel attack. I risked her life unnecessarily, and that's something unforgivable.
It raised an important question.
Is it such an unforgivable act that she wouldn't want to remain at my side?
The thought ate away at him.
What would Link do if she couldn't forgive him? Go back to a quiet life in Hateno? He didn't think that he could return to that sort of life after finally getting Zelda back. Even if he didn't know her the way he once did, she was still the reason why he was living in the here and now. Take her out of the equation, and he was left wondering what his life meant without her. Everything he did up to this point was for her after all.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that she had always been his priority. When facing Ganon, all Link was concerned about was freeing Zelda from the 100 years of torture she put herself through for his sake. Of course he wanted to free the land as well, but it was an afterthought in retrospect. The only reason why he was dangling off his paraglider on the verge of death in the first place, was that he wanted to be there for her when she embarked on this quest to unite the provinces. He couldn't stand thinking of letting her struggle by herself while he stood by and watched.
I don't think I could ever truly accept not being with her anymore. I hadn't realized how many roots she's planted within me.
He smirked.
I'm not sure how long it's been like this, but it's too late now.
They now entered the final part of their descent. The stable was in sight, or at least what looked like the stable. Link was struggling to maintain consciousness at this point.
As they were touching down, he lost the last of his strength. They fell the last 15ft with Link coming to skidding halt via face-plant.
As the dust settled, Link could hear the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Save... her..." he muttered.
He didn't know if the words got out. Nor did he know if he was saying it to his saviours, or the ones that would finish him off, but he said it anyways.
Save her...
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When Link awoke, he found himself in a familiar place.
Did I end up dying after all?
"No, you're not dead."
He remembered hearing that coquettish voice once before.
"Oh, so you do remember me. I did try leaving a lasting impression."
"What did you do to me?"
"You don't remember what we did? I'm hurt. You were so passionate, so aggressive... Just thinking about it gets me excited!"
"What?"
She laughed, "I'm afraid that a repeat performance will have to wait. Now, isn't the time to show myself. Hang in there until then, my wonderful hero. I'll be sure to pay you back double time!"
"Wait!"
It was too late, her presence was gone.
Link didn't have time to process what happened though, as a bright golden light appeared mere moments later.
"..."
The light shined brighter.
"...Link..."
It couldn't be...
"Link."
Zelda...
"Wake up, Link."
It was a similar picture to when he woke in the Shrine of Resurrection. The golden light was glowing brighter the more Zelda called to him.
"Open your eyes..."
The destructive wake of light came roaring towards him.
"Wake up, Link."
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When he did wake, the setting wasn't much different than last time.
Nothing changed?
The sniffling coming from his right said otherwise.
"Please wake up, Link. Don't leave me. Don't leave me again."
He couldn't see her, but he knew who it was.
She's shaking uncontrollably. How long has she been like that? How long have I been out? Where are we?
Her sudden heaving forced his attention back to her.
She shouldn't be crying over me. I got myself into this mess.
He tried opening his eyes, but they felt like they were glued shut.
"Please, say something, anything. Let me know that you're here, that you're okay!"
"I'm here, Zelda."
Was what he tried to say, but his voice never came.
He tried calling to her again, but his voice betrayed him.
Why... can't... I...
It appeared that Link expended too much energy, and thus, fell back into his deep slumber...
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"How is he today?"
Zelda?
"The same as he was yesterday," said another voice, one unfamiliar to him.
"No changes then..."
"Fear not, Princess. While he may not wake today, he is still with us. Take comfort in that."
"There's nothing comfortable about this situation at all!" she snapped.
"Of course. My apologies."
He tried opening his eyes again, and despite the strain it caused he managed to open them, barely, and only for a few seconds. But, in those few seconds, he managed to catch a glimpse of her.
"Isn't there anything else we can do?"
"As I've stated before, many, many times. We have done everything we could. The rest is up to him."
"There must be something we missed. I'm sure if I look over my notes again, surely-"
"I truly am sorry, Princess. Like I said, the rest is up to him."
"But..." her voice shook.
"I know this must be hard. It's clear that-" his voice suddenly cut off.
Not again...
"Y-You don't have to point that out!"
He heard faint laughter from the far side of the room.
"... Lucky... Hopefully... Wish..."
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This noise... It sounds, familiar...
He tried to move, but felt something weighing him down.
"Link?"
She sounds tired.
He was hit with a sudden pang of guilt, knowing that he was the reason for her exhaustion.
"Zelda..." his voice was barely above a whisper, but it was better than not being able to speak.
Her eyes shot open, "Link?! Goddesses, Link, you're awake!"
She was suddenly bouncing up and down, squealing with excitement. Something that his body, and ears didn't agree with.
Amidst all the ruckus she was causing, he could hear approaching footsteps.
"Did I hear that correctly? He's awake?!"
Tears were now streaming down her cheeks, "Yes! He's awake!"
"I'll send word immediately."
Link finally managed to open his eyes, and the first thing he seen was a pair of glistening verdants.
She cupped his cheeks, "I'm so happy right now! It's been so long since you were last awake."
He could feel himself breaking into a cold sweat. Just how long has he been sleeping?
"It's been five long months, but I've stayed by your side-"
Her voice was drowning out, and she was becoming more blurry with each passing second.
Her excitement quickly turned into concern, "Link?"
Breathing was starting to become a major chore as the reality of what Zelda said set in.
Five months?! I've been sleeping for five months?!
She cupped his cheeks, hovering over him when she spoke, "Stay with me, Link!"
They were mere inches apart, but he couldn't tell anymore. His heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest it was beating so hard.
Can't... hold on...
Link wasn't able to stop the panic from settling in, nor was he able to stop the screaming wanting to escape him.
"LINK!"
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How many times has it been now?
He slowly opened his eyes.
After taking time to adjust to the light, he scanned his surroundings.
Rito Village, huh? Explains a few things.
Link strained himself upright in his bed, noticing that Zelda wasn't there this time around.
"Link?"
He was quick to recognize who it was, "Hey, Amali."
"I'll go get Zelda right away. She'll be pleased to see that you're awake."
"Wait."
"What is it?"
"Can you help me up?"
"Are you sure? It's been almost six months since you left that bed, and I'm sure Zelda would be happy to-"
The pleading look he gave her, caused her to shake her head and sigh, "Well, how can I say no when you look at me like that."
She then offered her wing.
He managed to make it to the edge of the bed alright, but his legs buckled from under him after he got to his feet.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly.
"It's completely understandable. Take your time."
After a few minutes of struggling to maintain himself upright, he then asked if they could make their way to the platform where Kass usually practiced.
"That's a little ways away. Are you sure you're up for it?"
He was sweating profusely, and breathing real hard. Despite this, he nodded. He had to get out of that bed.
It didn't take them very long to reach the platform.
"You did good, Link. You'll be back to your old self again in no time."
"I'm glad you're confident about that..." he took a moment to collect his breath. "Thank you, for heeding my request."
"It seems that I have a soft spot for you. Anyways, shall I fetch the princess?"
"Thanks."
Once Amali left, Link had time to be alone with his thoughts.
It looks like there won't be any new scars to add to the collection. Still...
It dawned on Link that he had been lying in a bed, comatose for nearly six months. What had happened in all that time? What had Zelda been up to? Did she manage to unite all the provinces? How far along was the repair of Hyrule?
It's good to know that she's alive, but it doesn't change what I've done. I only hope that she can forgive me.
"Link."
He looked back at her. She was a bit of a mess, and out of breath, but that didn't stop her from rushing to his side and hugging him.
"I rushed here as soon as I heard the news. I'm so glad to see that you're awake. I'm t-truly..." her voice trailed off, soon turning into sniffles.
"I'm glad to see you too."
Her grip tightened.
"What happened after we left the highlands?"
"The Rito found us lying in some field, and took us here. Thanks to you, I only managed to get a few minor injuries," she began to fidget. "You on the other hand, they said it was a miracle that you were still alive."
"I see..."
"Unfortunately, the injuries you sustained caused you to go into a state of comatose. I-I did everything I could, b-but..." her voice was starting to fail her. Seeing Link finally up and out of that bed was sending waves of emotions through her.
It's been so long. I can't even put into words how happy I am to see him.
He patted her on the back, "I'm sure you did, Zelda. Now, what about after that?"
"Well... I..." she looked away from him, suddenly feeling distressed.
"What is it?"
Her voice was low, laced with shame, "I did everything I could to bring you back, and that meant keeping you here, too."
"What do you mean?"
"Medical costs, rent, food, etc. The money I had didn't last long, and they couldn't keep you here for free forever. Even with everything you did for them. So, I had to do something to make sure that the worst didn't happen. I-I didn't want to lose you, Link! So, I did what I had to!"
Link's world began to spin as the thoughts about what she could've been implying went wild inside him.
He needed to change the subject.
"What about your goal to unite the provinces? Bring Hyrule together?"
She shook her head, "I had to put that on hold. There wasn't any time once I needed to make money."
How did she have no time?
He cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze, and the look on it said all that was needed.
I had to do many things I wasn't comfortable with. Being inexperienced didn't help either. Regardless of how much research I've done or how many times I've seen it, putting it into practice is a different story.
It's been hard, real hard to stay strong. I haven't seen Link in weeks. In fact, I've barely had the time to visit him the last few months I've been so busy with work. I feel absolutely terrible for leaving him like that, but... but what other choice did I have?
Her entire body was shaking, "I-I'm so sorry. I-"
He stilled her lips with his index finger, "You don't need to say anymore. I'm going to make this right."
Link struggled to his feet, using the railing to help pull himself up.
"Link? What are you doing?"
"I'm going to make this right, and this is the only way."
"LINK!" Zelda screamed out in terror.
He was now free falling to the bottom of Lake Totori. Zelda's screams growing more faint with each passing second.
In the end, I couldn't stop myself from losing her a third time.
The water grew closer.
After listening to what she said... This has to be a punishment. I tried so hard to avoid dealing with that nightmare in Gerudo again, but I was too late. I'm always too late...
And closer.
There's no other choice. I never- I never wanted her to go through all of that for my sake. If death is the only way I can set things right...
And closer.
So be it...