What do I do?
She heard a small murmur of noise come from Link.
"Link? Please tell me what to do in this situation. I'm scared and-"
"... me..." his voice was barely above a whisper.
Zelda leaned in closer.
"Kill... me..."
She gasped, "W-Why would you... ask me to do that?"
Unfortunately, no response would come forth as Link passed out from the severe amount of blood loss.
She brought her forehead to his chest.
We promised to be there for each other, we made a commitment to one another... I've waited so long for you, and I'm not going to let you throw your life away again! I know what I'm about to ask is selfish of me, and I know I have no right to, but please... hang in there. Fight to stay alive, love. Things won't be easy I know. And, I honestly have no idea how we're going to move forward from this, but... as long as I'm with you, I can find the strength to keep pushing forward. Because without you I... I might as well be dead too!
And it seemed that was about to be the case. Even though the Gold Lynel did say that the monsters couldn't rape her, he didn't say that they couldn't kill her.
"Someone... please..." she muttered out as the monsters closed in.
The Moblin raised his club.
"Someone!" she closed her eyes, waiting for the club to deliver the killing blow.
Or so she thought...
When Zelda opened her eyes, she was surprised to see that the group of monsters had all been cut to pieces.
And standing in front of her.
"Check it! You think I'd let the princess die in a place like this?"
"Purah?!" Zelda rushed over to the little girl and hugged her. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" she said with glistening eyes.
"Yes... While it may appear that I am but a mere child. I still am the same woman that has lived for over 100 years. Just with drawbacks, really, really, REALLY annoying drawbacks. Enough of that! Now, we must get Linky to the lab at once, or else we'll lose him for real. The Shrine of Resurrection may be powerful, but who knows what'll happen if we put him in there for a second time."
"I... don't want to put him in there again, my heart won't be able to take it."
She nodded, "Agreed. Symin, carry Linky back to the lab. I'll escort the princess back myself."
Symin gave a slight nod before rushing back to the lab with Link over his shoulders. Purah, pulled out her notepad and began scribbling in it, murmuring what she was writing the entire time.
"Wh-"
"Come," cut off Purah. "Linky doesn't have a lot of time, and there's much work to do. I'll need your help if we're to save him."
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When they got inside, Link was on the table ready for operation.
"Nice, Symin!" cheered Purah. "Now, let's get a good look at what we're dealing with."
"What do you need me to do?" asked Zelda.
"I've prepared a bath up the stairs for you, and a change of clothes."
Her expression turned quizzical, "But... didn't you say you needed me to save Link?"
"Yes, after we're done here, it'll be up to you to save him."
"From what?"
She looked up from her notebook, "Himself."
Zelda's lips started to quiver as her eyes went downcast. The words of the Lynel ringing like bells in her ears.
How long? How long will it be before I-
The sound of small footsteps broke her from her thoughts.
"Not here. Things may look bleak now, but it'll all work out. Linky's a tough customer, and he'll need the support of a certain someone to get back to where he once was," She winked at her. "It won't be easy, but this isn't something that you two can't overcome."
Zelda nodded sheepishly, "H-How long will it take?"
Purah looked back over at Link, then back at her, "You have some time, don't feel the need to rush."
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Once Zelda made it to the bathroom, she first checked the water's temperature. Satisfied with where it was at, she then took off her sullied clothes.
She immediately became disgusted with herself.
Many times Zelda had dealt with people that liked to yell at her, try to intimidate her, and occasionally kill her. None of those times did she ever soil herself; even against Calamity Ganon. Yet, she was so terrified against that Lynel that she couldn't control herself. The shame and humiliation she felt...
I was ready to give up everything just like that. I-I never felt so weak before. So useless...
Tossing the clothes aside, she brought the shampoo bottle over to the tub and hopped in.
When Link needed me most I crumbled under the pressure. Even when I told him to lean on me more, when he did, I couldn't support him. What kind of spouse am I if I can't even be there for him?
She smacked the water, letting herself drift under the surface.
A horrible one.
I'm a horrible spouse. If only I had listened... maybe Link wouldn't have-
Just reliving that moment nearly made her vomit; and she very well might have if she hadn't already done so, so many times today.
How is this going to affect our relationship going forward?
The thought sent her emotions into a downward spiral.
I really messed up. Was it because I couldn't trust him to win that I went against what he asked? Did I fear becoming a useless fool who couldn't do anything to help even one person in their time of need that much? Did I really think I could be anything more than a liability on the battlefield?
But the big question was...
Will Link forgive me?
It was a question that only he could answer, and Zelda was never good at handling things that were out of her control.
Emerging to the surface, she then started washing her hair.
Still... even if he rejects me, even if he can't forgive me, I owe it to him to continue to stand by his side. I promised him that when I accepted this ring, and even before that.
Things are going to be tough, unbearable at times, depsite that I'll put up with anything to stay by his side. I... there's no way I can live without him. I have to make this work. I have to...
Rinsing and drying herself off, Zelda looked around for the change of clothes.
Here they are. Though, they're a little... small.
Leave it to Purah to think ahead, but then forget the obvious.
The pants ended up turning into shorts that ended around the mid thigh, and the shirt didn't even make it to her belly button. Although it was embarrassing for her to show so much skin, it wasn't like there was any better alternative. Combing out the rest of her hair, Zelda was now at least looked like she was okay. Even though in her head there were a million things running through it.
There wasn't any point in waiting around, she had to see how things were going down there.
And so, Zelda made her way back to where Link was being operated on.
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"Ah, you're back," said Purah without looking over her shoulder.
"Well?" she asked while stepping towards the table hesitantly.
"Just making... some final adjustments and... there!"
Zelda clasped her hands to her mouth and gasped when she managed to get a good look at Link.
"It's not much, but at least he won't be without an arm."
Zelda tried to speak, but the words just wouldn't formulate she was so shocked.
"Thanks to some advances in ancient technology made by Robbie, and my application of medicine. We were able to combine are efforts and further push the field of medicine using ancient tech!
"The result? A state of the art arm constructed from Guardian parts! Genius I know. I'll spare you the technicalities, all you need to know is that it functions and feels very similar to how a normal arm would be. There's a few minor things, like loss of sensation, and whatnot... But let's not stress the small stuff!"
"T-Truly? It'll be as you said?"
"Well, as close as it can possibly be to the real thing."
She was on the cusp of tears. Maybe things weren't as horrible as they seemed after all.
"As for the eyes... We cleaned them up, but as of now there's nothing we can do for them. They're a much more delicate matter to deal with that we haven't to figure out yet. Meaning-"
"He's blind..."
"That's correct. Though, due to his enhanced senses, I feel that he'll have a relatively easy time adjusting. That being said, he still won't be able to see. That's something that many take for granted, and no matter which way you look at it... Not being able to see anymore is a major life altering thing. We'll do what we can from our end to try and figure out a way to return his vision. But until that time, it'll be up to you to guide him, make up for what he can't do anymore. Think you can do that?"
"Of... Of course! It goes without saying..."
"I thought as much," she looked back at Link, then back at Zelda. "It'll still be a while before he wakes, how about we get some fresh air? I can't stand the smell in here anymore, something that I hope my assistant does something about!"
"Yes, yes. It'll be done right away," waved off Symin.
"Excellent! Now, Princess, I have a question to ask. What will you do now?"
"What do you mean?"
They made it to the large telescope partway up the stairs before taking a seat that veered out into what was left of Hateno Village.
"You obviously can't go back to your home now. You're welcome to stay here as long as you two like, but I'm sure you'll get tired of being with little ol' me eventually."
It was still fresh for her, losing their home. But, she knew that Purah was right. They couldn't stay here, they'd have to build a new one somewhere. The question was, where?
"I don't think it's something I can decide for on my own. After all, it's our home. Not just mine."
"But you must have SOME idea of where you want to live, right?"
She thought about it for a moment, and oddly enough, a spot did come to mind.
Giving her a smile small, Zelda said, "Actually, I know where we're going to go next. I'm going to need your help though to get all the logistics sorted."
"Oh? And where is that?"
"A place very dear to both of us. I... It's something that'll take some time to adjust to no doubt, but it's something I know he'll appreciate just as much as I do. Or at least I hope so."
Purah squinted her eyes at her, but seemed satisfied with the answer for now, "When you're ready to spill the beans, I'll have Symin take care of that stuff. Next question, what of this quest you've embarked on? You can't call it quits after coming this far. You still have a commitment to see through."
"You're right. However, it's going to have to wait until Link can at least function on his own. I can't just leave him like that, that's too much to ask. The people are just going to have to-"
The sudden outburst of laugher cut her off, before Purah finally said, "You've changed..."
"Eh?"
Her expression turned sincere, "Usually, you'd just nod without as much as a peep. You're not the same girl that came on excavations with me a little over 100 years ago. You used to lack conviction, emotion, motivation. At times I wondered if you were all there some days. Sure you enjoyed research, but it was clear that you used it as an escape route for your problems. Terrible idea by the way. And even a few months ago when you first came to me, it was clear that while much has changed, you were still more or less the same. Someone that lacks in the qualities to be taken seriously.
"You still got a ways to go, but you've grown so much since I last saw you. Though, it's not like I haven't been keeping an eye on you."
"Purah..."
"I suppose we have our Linky to thank for that now don't we?"
Zelda's cheeks flushed as she hid her face from Purah, "Y-Yeah... you can say that."
Purah then moved uncomfortably close to her, giving her a look that spelled mischievous, "Well?"
"Well what?" she could feel her face burning hotter by the second.
She gave her a wicked grin, "Nothing, I have my answer." Then stormed off down the stairs.
"Wait! What do you-"
She's gone.
Zelda huddled her knees to her chest.
Maybe it's best that I didn't find out what she was thinking. Not after she made it that awkward.
She looked down at the village.
Looks like most of the fires have gone out, and it looks like the remaining monsters are gone now too, along with whatever they plundered.
Her mind flashed back to the chaos that she somehow managed to survive.
So much has been lost, so many things taken away. It reminds of back then. I had hoped that I'd never have to experience this sort of thing again, but it seems that the world doesn't work that way. It's been doing everything it can to make my life a living hell! What else do I have to give to live the life I want with Link?
Why does it feel like there's something trying to force us apart?
Zelda couldn't quite understand the feeling herself, but she was almost certain.
Something or someone was trying to tear her away from Link.
A/N: This chapter is to focus on Zelda, and what she went through following the immediate aftermath of what transpired. I didn't want to clutter it with extras, nor have it drown out with content that's best left separated entirely. As I feel this is an especially important piece to the story.
See you guys in the next chapter.