Alright, so I knew I couldn't keep you guys waiting too terribly long after the bombshell ending the last chapter had, so here is another fast coming chapter! Let me just say that I went into spiraling depression while writing this the beginning of this chapter. Seriously, its like the saddest thing I've every written. So sad that I ended up crying. So I chased it away by listening to cheerful Christmas music! Yay! So anyway, thank you x102reddragon for following and favoriting! Now onto the reviews, and I've gotta say... you guys were kinda going justifiably crazy with the last chapter... I love it!
Nikrael-Um... sorry I don't really get the reference lol... Maybe I should get out more and do other things aside from playing Zelda games and writing about them ;D Hahaha
Spotty-Chan-Yep that was some stark cliffhanger... Kinda cruel of me to end like that though... Mwahahaha
TheJediAvenger-Hahaha yeah... we already talked about this so... XD
Vivi-ntvg-Yes! Thank you for being the 100th review! It makes me so happy to finally reach such success! XD And I figured that i still wanted there to be some tension between Link and Sheik, hence the arguing/apologizing. Plus it was a lot of fun to write! And as for whether or not its true or wrong... well... we'll see in this chapter... ;)
Nintendoman01-Yes I am well aware that it was crazy. But then again, I'm crazy, so it makes sense in retrospect. But don't worry, this chapter will hopefully give you a little more confidence in my sanity...
So, without further adieu, let us begin!
Chapter 21: Never Again
"I dreamed a dream of time gone by...
When hope was high and life worth living...
I dreamed that love would never die...
I dreamed that God would be forgiving...
But the tigers come at night...
With their voices soft as thunder...
As they tear your hope apart...
As they turn your dreams to shame..."
-I Dreamed a Dream, Les Miserables
Zelda's grief-ridden and heartbroken scream tore throughout the skies the moment the words left the sword spirit's mouth. Link, her hero and husband, who mere moments ago had been standing strong, firm and full of life, was now dead. The girl was hardly able to process this news; she refused to believe it was true and as uncontrollable sobs started to overtake her, she told herself with every fiber of her being that it wasn't. But as she placed her head against his still chest, desperately searching for a heartbeat that never came, she came to the bitter realization that it was. And upon reaching this realization, the girl let out another tearful cry as she buried her face into his lifeless chest and let out her inconsolable sobs of sorrow. Never again would Link take her in his arms and kiss her. Never again would the two of them laugh and love together. Never again would she see his warm smile or hear his comforting voice. Her worst nightmares had come true: she had lost her hero, in a manner quite similar to how Hylia had lost hers. But for Zelda, the pain was so much worse. In a matter of seconds, her entire world had come crashing down around her and there was no chance that it could ever be rebuilt again.
As the girl poured out her immense grief with tears, the sword spirit simply took in an uneven sigh of great sadness over her fallen master, before returning to her vessel to grieve in her own private way. At the same time, the Sheikah leader simply sat on the other side of the hero, frozen with horror and misery as she stared into his paled face with disbelief. His eyes were shut but his mouth was slightly parted as if he was trying to breathe, though Sheik knew that he'd never take in another breath of air again. Somehow, he looked years younger, like a young, peacefully sleeping boy rather than a freshly murdered hero. She still grasped onto limp hand, which was as cold and unmoving as ice. She gave it a tight squeeze, wishing that she would somehow return the life that he had lost to him. But she knew that she couldn't; it was useless to even try. Sheik knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Link was dead, but instead of letting her pressing tears fall over his cold, still body as Zelda was, the Sheikah leader's thoughts turned from grief to anger. She let out several heavy, shaky breaths as she forced herself to look away from the hero and to the one who had mercilessly slaughtered him right before their very eyes.
"Veress…" Sheik muttered under her breath, sheer hatred coursing through her tone as she slowly rose to her feet and clenched her fists at her sides, giving the rebel leader a glare sharper than a thousand knives. Veress simply grinned triumphantly, reaping the rewards that the aftershock of the perfect execution of her perfect plan had to offer.
As soon as Sheik had moved to stand between the girl and the hero and the rebel leader, she could contain her burning fury no longer. "You killed him!" she shouted at Veress with so much contempt that it made Zelda look up and glance away from Link for a slight second to watch as Sheik started to make her way towards Veress, her face still soaked with abundant tears. "You murdered him without a second thought! You… you…" Unable to find any other words to say, Sheik let a scream of mangled frustration out through her teeth, wanting nothing more than to rip her former best friend to shreds for what she had done to the hero.
"Oh please," Veress said calmly, a cruel, sadistic grin still claiming her face. "I did him a favor, Sheik. Don't you see? From what I understood, he was going to die anyway, so I merely put him out of his misery early. If anything, you should both be thanking me for helping him find an escape from more pain."
Upon hearing these cold, evil words, Zelda broke down into another round of loud sobs, remembering that death, or something worse than it, would have been Link's ultimate fate no matter what. But she had not wanted him to be taken away from her so soon, and definitely not in such a devastating way as this.
"An escape?!" Sheik scoffed incredulously, holding back her own tears of sorrow. "You're a murderer, Veress! You killed him in cold blood! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do the same thing to you right here!"
"Because you won't," Veress said, calling her bluff once more. "I know you, Sheik. You don't have what it takes to kill me."
"Wanna bet?" the Sheikah leader spat viciously as she drew her knife and poised it to strike.
The rebel leader simply laughed callously at this challenge, crossing her arms and smiling smugly. "Goddesses Sheik, you sure are taking his death personally," she said mockingly. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I might even say that you…" She trailed off upon noticing the expression on the still-loyal Sheikah's face, one that was a mix of rage and heartbreak. And as she saw this, a dark grin crossed Veress's face, one of pleased realization. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" she said in a slightly quieter voice, taking a step closer to Sheik, who still had her blade poised to attack. "You… and the goddess's chosen hero?"
Sheik's eyes widened as she took a quick glance back to Zelda, who was still engrossed in mourning over Link. "Veress," she whispered cautiously, knowing that there was no way the girl could find out about her hidden feelings for her hero. "How in the world did you-"
"You're not that hard to read, Sheik," Veress said, her cocky grin widening. "What I'm wondering is how in the world you possibly could have thought that you could have ever had a chance with him? You speak of me being a traitor, but what would our people, or should I say your people say if they knew that their honored leader was breaking one of their most sacred principles? What would the goddess say if she knew that you were secretly lusting after her hero even though the two of them are married? Or should I say… were…"
"Shut up," Sheik hissed sharply, grasping onto her knife even tighter as Veress let out an evil chuckle. "I mean it, Veress. I'm not joking around this time. I will kill you."
Veress ignored her threat as she continued to taunt cruelly. "Then again, I guess it doesn't matter now…" she said with a shrug. "After all, it's not like he'll ever find out now!" She broke out into gales of perverse laughter, enjoying the entire scene of anger and grief that was playing out before her. But at the same time, Sheik could take it no longer. As Veress was reveling in her victory, the Sheikah leader raced forwards and shoved her to the ground hard, pinning her down firmly and positioning her knife directly on her throat so she could end her life in mere seconds if she wanted to.
Veress's amused manner did not fade, even as she glanced down at Sheik's knife on her throat. "You're not serious," she laughed calmly, not showing so much as a single sign of fear or struggle. "I know you won't kill me, Sheik. You're too 'good' for that…"
Sheik's hand began to shake slightly for a moment as she briefly remembered all of the years of close knit friendship that she had shared with Veress, who had now become her greatest adversary. In truth, part of her didn't want to kill her, but another part remembered what she had just done to Link and that thought alone made all of those distant, fond memories fade away instantly. "No," the Sheikah leader said darkly, all mercy and fear vanishing as she pressed her knife closer against the rebel leader's voice. "I'm not. Not anymore."
Veress's casual grin slowly faded as she realized just how serious Sheik was this time. And so she remained silent to see just what the loyal Sheikah leader was going to do. However, as the two of them were having this exchange of hate-filled words, they both paid little mind to the girl, who still clung onto her lifeless hero, her heart shattered into a million pieces as she took both of his hands into hers, giving them a tender kiss to give them some semblance of warmth. Had it really been just a little more than a week ago that they had been united in marriage, in a union that was now broken by death? Had it really been just yesterday that they had spent the warm hours of the day together, encompassed in nothing but each other's company? Had it really been just this morning that they had laid in each other's arms, basking in the glow of the early morning sun and the love that bound them together? All of these happy moments started to fade into memory as Zelda brushed some of Link's whitened hair out of his face to give him a small kiss on the forehead, her hot tears dripping off of her cheeks and onto his. "I loved you…" she whispered almost inaudibly to him, hoping that he would be able to hear her in whatever came after death. "And I still do. I always will... You died too soon… Too early… But… at least we got to get married like I had always hoped we would… And last night… At least we were both happy together for a little while…" The girl choked out her last words to him in a sob, rife with deep sadness and emotional turmoil. "Link… I… I'm going to miss you so much… You meant more to me than anyone else… I've never loved someone as much as I loved you… and I'll never love someone as much as I loved you ever again… I hope…No, I… I know that we'll meet again… somehow… someday… But until then…" Wiping her face somewhat dry, Zelda leaned in and gave her fallen hero one final kiss, pining for him to kiss her back, even though she knew he wouldn't. "I'll try and go on like you wanted me to…For you…" she said with finality as she parted with him for the last time, though she did not relinquish her grip on his hands as she closed her eyes and offered up a prayer to the goddesses for him so they could guide his soul to peace and rest until the two of them could meet in another life.
However as she sat there with him, letting her final tears of remorse and grief fall, she didn't notice as vital signs slowly started to return to Link, though he didn't know it himself. But Zelda felt it the moment she felt the small, almost unnoticeable movement of his hands clenching slightly. She gasped and opened her eyes wide upon recognizing this as a sign of life, though the hero still did not open his eyes and his body was still as cold as it had been since Veress shocked him. Her breaths coming in short, tense gasps, Zelda waited and watched Link carefully, trying to see if she could find any other signs that might lead to the possibility that he was still alive, and praying that she wasn't just imagining it in the depths of her sorrow. As she stared into his face however, she watched with confusion and apprehension as the red and blue markings on his face started to glow faintly, though they intensified with each passing second. With slow, almost guided movements, Link slipped his hands out of her grasp and the girl bit her lip, her heart starting to pound in worry as she started to slide away from him cautiously. Her gaze did not move away from him however, until his eyes suddenly opened, not sky blue or even crimson red as they should have been, but completely pure white, lacking pupils and color completely, just as the Fierce Deity's had.
Zelda let out a fearful scream as she saw this and scrambled to her feet, watching with her jaw dropped as her supposedly dead hero rose to his feet, his expression cold and blank. It took her less than a second to figure out that he was being corrupted once more, though she wasn't so sure that anything would be able to break him out of it this time.
Upon hearing the girl's frightened cry, Sheik took her gaze off of Veress and whipped her head back to see the seemingly resurrected hero already starting to make his approach on Zelda as he drew his sword. The girl backed away in fear, her eyes not moving away from Link for a moment as her expression was one of sheer horror and dread. Sheik let out a sharp gasp and glanced between Link and Zelda and Veress, trying to figure out what to do at this impasse. If she were to get rid of the Interloper leader right here and now, it would end this conflict once and for all. But she couldn't possibly let Link kill Zelda, especially since it was her task to protect the goddess first and foremost, even against the hero himself. And so, though she knew that she probably wouldn't get this opportunity again, she released her grip on Veress and rushed towards the girl and the hero, hoping she could make it too them before it was too late.
The Interloper leader rose from the ground and glared with intense anger and hatred towards the hero, knowing that somehow, her flawless plan had failed. Something had brought him back to life, even though she was certain she had killed him. And as Veress watched Link make his slow approach on Zelda with the intent to kill her, her frustrated glare turned into a sly, cunning grin as she realized that there was a way she could use this to her advantage. All she had to do was adapt to this new situation and create a new strategy. She could win this game yet.
With light feet, Sheik dashed towards the girl and the hero, both of them on the opposite side of the plaza, near the light tower. She already had her staff drawn and ready to defend, though she had no idea what she intended on doing to stop Link altogether. Granted, her mind was in too much of a frenzy to make sense of what was happening in the first place, nor was she giving the slightest thought as to what had brought the hero back from death's cold grip. All she cared about was putting a stop to this before something terrible happened.
Lost in shock and terror, Zelda kept her wide-eyed gaze locked solidly on her hero as he continued to approach her with slow, detached, soldier-like movements. All of her tears had already been spent on grieving, and therefore she had none to spare for her current fear. Her mind was totally blank, unable to form any sort of plan or words whatsoever. It was only as she stumbled backwards into the side of the light tower and found herself cornered that she let out a gasp of dread and tension. Link was almost upon her, the Master Sword poised in his hand to end her life within a matter of seconds.
Before the girl could even think to try and escape him though, the hero raised his blade high into the air to strike her down. She closed her eyes and looked away, preparing to meet her end at the hands of her lost hero, but instead of the cold metal blade meeting her flesh, it met something else instead. Upon hearing the clash of metal against wood, Zelda glanced up to see that Sheik had leapt in between her and Link at just the right time. The Sheikah leader stood firm against the corrupted hero, using her staff to block his sword and this time, she didn't flinch at all. She knew that she wouldn't be able to hold him off forever though; he seemed stronger than he used to be and in time, he would wear her down for sure. And so, Sheik decided to resort to some of the most complex techniques she knew, ones that she hadn't even shown the hero, as they were among the advanced moves that Impa had taught her.
While still pressing her might against his, she threw her leg up high and gave him a hard kick in the side, breaking the tension between the two of them immediately. Link naturally recoiled for a just moment, and Sheik used that moment to her advantage as she drew her knife and, without thinking about who she was fighting, threw it at his sword hand. The small blade hit its mark with precision, digging deep into the back of the hero's hand and drawing white blood almost immediately. The only flinch he made was that of dropping his sword, but otherwise, he seemed completely unphased as he pulled the knife out of his hand and dropped it as well. Sheik watched breathlessly as her only real weapon clattered to the ground out of her reach and she briefly cast a glance back to Zelda, whose eyes had not moved from the hero this entire time. But it was as the Sheikah leader was checking on the girl that she failed to see Link reach out, still not bothering to reclaim his blade even though it was right at his feet. Sheik gasped in surprise and pain as the hero gripped her left arm tightly, refusing to let go no matter how much she struggled. She cried out in agony as he bent her arm back in an unnatural way, and she was unable to suppress a scream as she heard and felt one of the bones in her arm snap as if it were just a twig for him to break. In painful desperation, the Sheikah leader clawed at him with her still working arm, wanting nothing more than for him to let her go, but of course, he didn't. Instead, Link lifted her up easily by her broken arm, which caused her unbelievable amounts of pain, turned and threw her away from him and the girl with so much force that, as Sheik hit the ground several feet away, she was knocked into full unconsciousness immediately.
Zelda gasped in fear as Link started to turn towards her once more. Now there was nothing that stood between her and the hero who was being forced to kill her. Nothing that is, except for the Bow of Light that was hanging from her back. Without thinking, the girl took the shimmering weapon and crafted a light arrow, aiming it at her hero and hoping with all of her heart that she wouldn't have to fire it. But she knew that if it came right down to it, she would have to let the arrow fly right into his heart, which was currently trapped by the corruption that was holding onto him so tightly, she wasn't sure if it would ever let him go.
As Link turned around fully to face her, Zelda caught onto his hesitation almost immediately. Though his expression was still blank and stoic, he didn't so much as move to attack her as he had a moment ago. The girl hoped that perhaps he was fighting the demon's presence back once more and that this terror was almost over, but that wasn't so. It was true that Link was finally being released from this intense spell of corruption, but not because he had been fighting for control of himself once more. Rather, it was because the demon realized that it had reached a stalemate with the girl, and so long as she held the purifying Bow of Light within her grasp, it wouldn't be able to command its servant to slay her. And so Majora reluctantly relinquished its strong grip on the hero, but as Link started to regain the sense of being that he had lost upon being killed by Veress, the demon's cold words were the first thing he heard ringing out inside his mind.
"Foolish hero…" Majora growled angrily, upset that it had to give up its control over Link once more. "If you thought that death would be an escape for you, then you were wrong. I will not lose my servant to something as simple as death or fatal injury. Take solace in the fact that no matter how many times you fall, I will bring you back, again and again, until your spirit is finally mine for all time… You should be grateful for your newfound immortality… Consider it a gift…"
The demon let out a wicked, fading laugh as the hero regained full control. He let out a sharp gasp, as if he was breathing for the first time ever, and blinked multiple times, his eyes returning from their vacant pallor to their usual focused red. He was so weak, physically and mentally, from facing both death and corruption that he was unable to remain standing any longer. Zelda gasped as she realized that he was free once more, but she could only think about that for a moment as Link started to sway, his eyes closing as he entered semi-consciousness. The girl barely managed to catch him, though they both ended up collapsing against the light tower together. She sat on her knees as she held him against her, both of them breathing heavily; the girl out of both shock and relief as she felt his strong, though fast-paced heartbeat once more, and the hero out of sheer exhaustion and a need to reclaim lost air. They remained like this for several long, thoughtless moments, encompassed in nothing but the sound of the whistling sky winds.
This peaceful silence was brought to an end as Link let out a soft, tired moan in the midst of easing himself back into full consciousness. His head was pounding and his heart was still racing, but nonetheless, he worked up the strength to glance up into the girl's face as she looked at him with concern. "Z-Zelda…?" he muttered weakly, still trying to focus his eyes onto her face.
"Yes," she whispered with a small smile, overjoyed to have her hero back once more as she held onto him tighter, tears of relief streaming down her cheeks. "I'm right here. I won't leave you… You're alright now…"
A small wave of contentment and peace washed over the hero as he relished her warm, comforting hold on him. "Are… are you… alright…?" he struggled to ask, as with every breath he was simply trying to get as much air as he could, knowing that if he didn't get it, he'd suffocate from the tight feeling lingering in his chest.
"You should worry more about yourself," Zelda said with sincerity, though she was touched that even after what had just happened to him, his first and only concern was her. "You… You were dead…"
"I know," Link said as the girl helped him into a sitting position. His hand was still bleeding from where Sheik's knife had pierced it, but he had hardly noticed it since it wasn't causing him too much pain. "I… I didn't hurt you… did I?" he asked, suddenly worried, as he also knew that he had been trapped under a prolonged spell of corruption that he had been powerless to stop.
"No," Zelda said, understanding his concern. "I told you, Link. I'm fine. I'm just so happy to have you back… I thought I had lost you forever…" The girl suppressed her warm tears as she started to lean in to kiss him. However, they were interrupted by the sound of a low moan coming from several feet away from them. They both glanced in that direction to find that Sheik, who had still been unconscious up until this point, was finally starting to stir.
"Sheik!" Link exclaimed with worry for the Sheikah leader as he quickly rose to his feet, though he stumbled back down to his hands and knees from the dizziness and weakness he was feeling. Zelda knelt down beside him and put a supporting arm around him as she helped him stand slower and kept her arm around him so the two of them could walk towards Sheik and aid her. "What happened to her?" the hero asked the girl, not remembering what he had done to her while he was under the demon's influence. "Was it Veress?"
Zelda bit her lip nervously, not wanting to tell him who had really injured Sheik. "No…" she said, averting his questioning gaze.
"Then who was it?" he asked in confusion, knowing that aside from the three of them, the Interloper leader was the only one who had been present. Upon not getting a response from the girl, he raised an eyebrow at her and tried again. "Zelda?" he asked, lightly skimming her arm with his hand as he started to propose the question once more.
"Link…" Zelda cut him off hesitantly, though she knew she had to be honest with him. "It was… you…"
"What?" the hero asked in a quiet, almost frightened voice filled with shock and horror. "I did this?" The girl simply nodded solemnly as she looked away from him with pity once more as he looked over at the injured Sheikah leader in disbelief. He could tell just by looking at her as she tried to pull herself off the ground, her left arm hanging totally limp at her side, that she was badly hurt but he was bewildered and disturbed by the thought that he himself had inflicted such pain upon one of his closest allies and friends. Though he had been completely unaware of his actions at the time, he felt utterly ashamed and disgraced at what he had done. And as Sheik cast a brief glance towards Link, he quickly avoided it, refusing to meet her concerned eye contact even as Zelda helped her rise to her feet.
"How is it?" the girl asked the Sheikah leader, referring to her injured arm.
"It's just broken," Sheik said with a lack of concern, directing the statement more to Link than Zelda as she cradled her arm with her other hand, trying to make light of the sharp, crippling pain that was still shooting through it for his sake. "We should probably get back down to the surface though, before anything else happens."
The girl and the hero nodded, though they both took a moment to linger as they looked upon their former home with remorse. Skyloft laid before them in smoldering shambles, the glory, comfort and peace of their childhood dwelling destroyed in mere moments and they had been unable to stop it. What would they tell their friends and family, those who no longer had a home to return to? All the same, it was now clear to all three of them that the Dark Interlopers were capable of performing such great acts of destruction with relative ease. It had only taken them a matter of minutes to burn Skyloft to ash. What was really stopping them from doing the same to the surface?
No one said another word as the trio prepared to leave what was left of Skyloft and return to the surface. Zelda was the first to head down on her Loftwing, but instead of following immediately after her, Link and Sheik lingered behind for a moment, finally meeting eye contact with each other for a long, densely silent moment. They both had much to say to each other after everything that had just happened, but neither one of them really knew where to start. But ultimately the hero, burdened by feelings of guilt and remorse, was the first to break the silence.
"Sheik-" Link started, before his apology was cut off by the Sheikah leader.
"Link, its fine," Sheik said succinctly and emotionlessly. She certainly wasn't upset with him for what had happened, and more than anything else, she was glad that he was alive once more and alright for the moment. But she knew that, at a moment like this, he wouldn't want to hear that, especially after what he had done.
"No, it's not," the hero said, letting out a small sigh of frustration with himself. "I hurt you and don't try to say that I didn't. I'm…" He trailed off upon noticing the lone figure that stood off in the distance behind Sheik and his look of guilt turned to one of anger. The leader of the Dark Interlopers stood near the windmill on Skyloft's eastern side, staring right at him with a smug, challenging grin. Link only locked eyes with Veress for a moment though before turning his attention back to Sheik so she wouldn't catch on. The Sheikah leader was already injured; she didn't need to get to get hurt any more. And besides, the hero had a matter that he needed to settle the rebel leader, one that he needed to settle alone.
"Stay here," Link said to Sheik firmly, starting to head towards the bridge that led to the eastern side of town as Veress tucked herself out of view so the loyal Sheikah leader could not see her.
"Where are you going?" Sheik asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
The hero sighed in slight aggravation, knowing how stubborn she was. "Please, Sheik," he said, glancing back at her somewhat tiredly. "Stay here."
"No," the Sheikah leader said defiantly. She held her ground by glaring at him, but only until he looked back at her with a much harsher expression, one filled with both frustration and weariness. She retracted timidly upon meeting his crimson gaze, and bit her lip anxiously as she walked over to the edge of the plaza to wait for him to return from wherever he was going.
However, Sheik had never been one who was content to simply wait without getting answers. And so, as soon as Link had left the immediate area, she started to follow him at a distance, stealthily looming in the shadows so he wouldn't see her. She found a good place to hide in the ruins of a crumbling building as the hero made it to the windmill, and Sheik barely managed to suppress a surprised gasp of rage when she saw Veress slip out of the shadows of the windmill to meet him. She wanted to leap forward and fight the rebel leader, but she knew that it would do no good with her useless arm. So instead, she sat silently, watching both the hero and the Interloper leader closely to see what was about to unfold.
Upon seeing the wicked woman who had managed to unsuccessfully kill him face-to-face, Link didn't hesitate to draw his sword and take up an offensive pose. He had every intention of ending this conflict here and now, by getting rid of the rebel leader who had torn a rift between him and Zelda twice now. However, Veress simply laughed callously upon seeing Link take up a position of opposition against her, not even bothering to draw either of her knives.
"How amusing," the rebel leader grinned wickedly, shaking her head at the hero as she placed her hands on her hips. "You just died and yet here you are, trying to pick a fight with me even though you've been significantly weakened. Perhaps I overestimated your intelligence, hero…"
Veress let out a teasing laugh as Link set his jaw, tightening his grip on the Master Sword as he glared at her relentlessly. "You must not be that smart either if you want to challenge me all by yourself," he said with confidence, hoping that his remark would sting and unletter her in some way.
The rebel leader simply shook her head once more as her grin deepened. "Please," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "I didn't come here to fight you. You see, I have a problem that I don't think head-on violence is going to solve anymore. And that problem… is you, Link."
"What are you talking about?" the hero asked cautiously, still gripping his sword as the rebel leader started to saunter closer to him, still bereft of her weapons.
"It's quite simple really," Veress said, placing her hands behind her back. "Ever since this war began, it's been my personal intention to kill you, thereby destroying any last shred of hope your little goddess has left. But for some reason, my plans to end your life somehow failed… And so, I've devised a new strategy to deal with you hero. One that I'm sure will benefit us both."
"How could you trying to kill me possibly benefit me?" Link asked stiffly, giving her a distrusting look.
"It will when you realize just what's at stake for you," Veress said with an air of superiority. "And when you imagine just how much you could stand to lose."
"And what should I imagine?" the hero asked, hiding his growing worry well.
The rebel leader's evil smile grew, taking on a whole new level of cruelty as her eyes reflected her bloodlust. "Imagine all of this destruction you see around you amplified a thousand fold upon the surface," she said darkly, motioning to the ruined city that lay before them both. "Imagine the surface that you and your goddess cherish so much burned to an irrecoverable crisp, its clear skies enshrouded in permanent shadows. Imagine all of your people dead, the sky folk and the Sheikah all slaughtered indiscriminately. But most of all," Veress positioned herself behind Link as she placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to whisper her final statement in his ear. "I want you to imagine Zelda, your delicate little goddess and your beloved little wife, killed slowly and torturously before your very eyes. Do I make myself perfectly clear, hero?"
She stepped away from the hero so her cold words could sink in. Link knew that this was no hollow threat. If Veress had the power and ambition to kill him without a second thought, then she was certainly capable slaughtering hundreds of innocents, including Zelda. And the hero wouldn't be able to handle so much blood on his hands if he didn't comply with whatever terms the Interloper leader was about to spell out to him. "What do you want then?" he asked resolutely, taking in a deep breath and knowing that whatever she desired, it wouldn't end well for him.
Veress grinned triumphantly, knowing she had him right where she wanted him. "Not much," she said casually, turning her back to him. "I simply want to make a deal with you, hero. All of that destruction and death can be avoided. You can stop all of this before it even begins… You can save them all so easily… And all you need to do is one little thing… Give yourself to us…"
"What?" Link asked, somewhat confused as to what she meant, though the very implication filled him with dread.
"You heard me," Veress said with a shrug. "You've proved to be too much of an obstacle for my followers to overcome, so instead of sending them to capture you just to fail again, I've decided to extend the offer to you myself. Consider it an… invitation. It's the very same deal I made with your goddess: your freedom for all of those innocent lives. It's not that hard of a choice, is it?"
"What do you want with me?" the hero asked warily, not wanting to go into this situation without knowing all of the details.
The rebel leader smirked once more. "So full of questions," she said mockingly, rolling her eyes at him once more. "Maybe I'll let you know after you relinquish yourself to us. But for now, listen carefully to what you have to do. I know it's an awfully big decision, so that's why I'm going to give you some time to think it over. If your answer is yes, then come to the valley behind Kakariko Village at midnight tonight, alone and unarmed. If your answer is no… then you might as well kiss your surface, your people and your goddess goodbye. I trust you'll do the right thing, Link. After all, you are a hero…" Veress let out one last cold laugh as she used some of her magic to vanish right before the hero's eyes, leaving him alone to ponder her ominous offer.
Sheik could barely contain her worry as she watched the rebel leader make her exit. She kept her eyes trained on Link for a long moment, as he stood still, thinking about everything he had just been told. The Sheikah leader sincerely hoped that he wasn't planning on taking Veress up on her offer, but she knew him too well. But she also knew that now was not the time to confront him about it, so she simply slipped back to the plaza quickly and silently to wait for him to return, praying that he would let his mind make this choice for him rather than his emotions.
Link remained still for several moments as he stared at the place Veress had stood with dread, trying to wrap his head around everything she had said to him. It was a lot to take in, especially in light of everything that had already happened just that morning alone. He had died, only to be restored to life by the very force that was still working, now harder than ever, to shatter his spirit and steal who he was. And while he was helplessly trapped within that bout of corruption, he had nearly killed Zelda and had injured Sheik. He felt weak, plagued by guilt and doubt. He was fighting in two wars, both of which seemed like he would never win. And now, in the midst of it all, Veress was threatening to destroy everything he held dear, just as Majora was. The hero knew he would never be able to stop them both, if either of them. After all, he was just one young man, fighting against both an external evil seeking the lives of innocents and an internal evil that was slowly tearing him apart. If the surface and all those upon it, including Zelda, weren't going to be destroyed by one of those evils evil, then the other evil was bound to destroy it instead, no matter how hard Link could try to stop it. It was all starting to become a futile effort to even try, but what the rebel leader had just proposed to him was an offer that he knew was hard to refuse: "You can stop this all before it even begins…" Veress had said and he knew it was true. Even in this small way, he had the power to put an end to the complete destruction of the world below and all who lived there. "You can save them all so easily…" He could save Zelda and Sheik and everyone else who was important to him, those who saw him as a hero, those who depended on him to keep them safe. "All you have to do is one little thing…" In retrospect, it wasn't so much that had been asked of him. It was a simple matter of what he valued more: his own life or the lives of all those he cared about.
"Give yourself to us…"
Link glanced around the ruins of Skyloft, the place that he and Zelda had always known before they descended to the surface for the first time, and he knew that he couldn't let something like this happen on the surface. He had been unable to stop this round of destruction, but he was determined to stop it from happening again. Never again would the Interlopers take something important from him. Never again would he hurt those he cared about with his own hands. Never again would he put Zelda's life in danger because of his own weakness.
The hero closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as he realized that he only had two options now. He could stand by and watch helplessly as the surface burned to ashes and as all of those who cared about, including the girl he loved more than anyone else, were all mercilessly slaughtered , one by one. Or, he would relinquish his freedom to the Interlopers, enter into a captivity of torture and pain that would probably never end, and save Zelda and all of those innocent lives, putting an end to this devastating war.
"I know you'll do the right thing, Link. After all, you are a hero…" He was a hero. A hero who was depended on and needed by so many. A hero who had saved the surface once and knew he had to do it again. A hero who was fighting with every fiber of his being to keep control of himself. A hero who wouldn't be able to keep this fight up forever. A hero who would always strive to do the right thing, even if it was impossibly hard.
He had let them destroy his home and take away the girl he loved once. But so long as he could stand to protect everything he cared about and everything he held dear, Link would never let it happen again.
This chapter was INTENSE was it not?! Grief, hurt/comfort, action, foreshadowing, tension, angst and everything else! I seriously think that its one of the best chapters in this story so far, but that's just my opinion. As for the next chapter, its going to be mostly angsty, a little romance and maybe a few other things. And halleluia, tomorrow i have my last final and then I'll be on VACATION, which means plenty of free time to WRITE! Yay! its my favorite past time after all! So anyway, PLEASE REVIEW! If you do, since its almost Christmas, I'll give you a present! So, until next time!