Ok, so sorry if this seemed to take a while. I've been way busy lately plus I haven't had access to the internet for the past two days, for various reasons. But I'm back with another chapter, and this one is another long one, though its mostly angsty romance and junk like that, so if you like that, then yay! Before I begin, I'd like to give a shout out to Litts. E Lock, who has been helping me develop ideas for this story, a few of which may appear in the near future... Anyway, thanks to Litts. E Lock, Celeste Fox, and HeroofTime9891 for following and favoriting! Now onto the reviews!
TheJediAvenger: Yeah, getting you to feel sorry for Veress was kinda the point, considering some things that are going to happen later on... ;D
Litts. E Lock: We've already talked (PMed... whatever), so I'll keep this short here. Thanks again and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Nikrael: Thanks! hahaha... My muse is a wanderer, sometimes its with me, others its not so... anyway, thanks for the really sweet review (blushes) lol jk
Vivi-ntvg-yeah... I guess i do have a little ways to go before the end... But if I had to guess, we're finally entering the third act of the story now, so that's good i guess. As for Zelda confronting Sheik, well the first bit of this chapter might make you happy then! :D And Sheik is one of my favorite characters in this story as well, and I'm happy to say that I already have an upcoming chapter that's pretty much entirely about her! so yay! :D
ShadowNinja1011-Yep, but I kinda have a thing for making things a little better, then making them worse, then better, then worse, then so on and so on... hahaha ;D
And with all that out of the way, let's get started!
Chapter 27: Worth Fighting For
"Your love is like an ocean,
That always takes me home.
Whispering wind is blowing,
Telling me I'm not alone."
-What I Wouldn't Do, Serena Ryder
Zelda took in a deep breath of fresh air as she stepped out of the Healing House back in Kakariko Village and into the dusk outside. Despite the fact that the sun had been shining bright most of the day, dark clouds were appearing on the horizon, most likely bringing a storm with them. The girl cast her worried gaze in that direction as a million thoughts flooded her mind at once. Just inside the Healing House was her hero, who had been unconscious for the past several hours as the Sheikah healers, under Sheik's direction, rushed to treat his many wounds. They were bewildered at the fact that he was still even alive after all of the abuse his body had gone through at the hands of the Interlopers, but the Sheikah leader only gave them a brief, vague explanation as to how he survived. As the physicians worked on cleaning and stitching Link's wounds up, Fi had solemnly reported to Zelda and Sheik that, during his captivity in the Interlopers' fortress, his corruption levels had risen to 70% and she estimated that he only had a little over a week or two left before he succumbed to it completely. Neither of them gave much of a reaction to this grim news, but they were both largely thinking the same thing when they heard it: the hero had so little time left and neither of them could bear to lose him. Zelda was admittedly too worn out from the events of the past two days to outpour her emotions in tears like she normally would have, so she simply decided to leave Link in the capable care of the Sheikah healers while she stepped outside to clear her head.
As she was musing over all of this, Zelda hardly noticed as Sheik stepped out of the Healing House and joined her in watching the setting sun. The two girls exchanged a brief glance before entering in a prolonged, somewhat awkward silence. Not surprisingly, Sheik was the first one to speak up.
"He'll be fine, you know," she said encouragingly as she looked towards the girl. "Our physicians are the best around. They know what they're doing. They say that once they fix him up, all he'll need is to get his rest so he can fully recover."
Zelda sighed, lowering her head and closing her eyes. "You and I both know that he'll never really be fine again," she said quietly, her tone calm, yet saddened. "You heard Fi: he only has a few days left to live and then he'll be gone forever… All we did was save him from more torture…"
Sheik tried to think of something to reassure the girl, but she ultimately found truth in her bitter words. Despite the fact that they had freed the hero from the Interlopers' grasp, there was still nothing they could do to free him from corruption. And so, she sighed as well as she leaned against the side of the Healing House and fiddled with the tip of her braid as the two girls resumed their silence once more.
As the two of them stood side by side however, Zelda was suddenly reminded of the conversation she had heard that morning and her curiosity was immediately aroused. "Is it true?" she asked Sheik, breaking through the silence without thinking about how she planned on addressing this touchy subject.
"Is what true?" the Sheikah leader asked, looking over at her in confusion.
"I heard you and Fi talking this morning," the girl said somewhat hesitantly. "Is it true that you… you love him too?"
Sheik's eyes grew wide upon hearing this as a sudden unnamable fear ran through her. The last thing she wanted was for the goddess to be angry with her because she admired her hero from afar. She had half a mind to deny it, but since she had basically confessed it to the sword spirit earlier, she sighed and lowered herself to the ground in a humble bow before the girl, inclining her head in respect before she began. Zelda started to protest to this, feeling uncomfortable about this show of reverence towards her, but Sheik interrupted her before she could.
"Your grace, I… I am truly sorry…" the Sheikah leader said with regret. "I have wronged you and for that, I have great shame. I will not lie to you. It is true that I… I harbor a hidden… affection for your hero, even though I know that he does not reciprocate it and even though I know the two of you are married. I realize that in my misguided affections, I have not only desecrated the sacred traditions of my tribe, but I have also proved disloyal to the goddess that I vowed to serve. You may punish me as you see fit, your grace. I deserve it."
Zelda wasn't sure how to react to this confession of guilt. She still wasn't really angry at Sheik over this; after all, she wasn't the jealous type and there was clearly nothing going on between the Sheikah leader and the hero that would give her any reason to be. She could tell that Sheik truly was ashamed for her feelings, but the girl knew it was not her place to punish her for them, even if she was the reincarnation of the goddess. "Sheik, stand up," she said with a frown. The Sheikah leader looked up at her and shook her head, refusing to show anything other than respect to the girl in exchange to the dishonor she had caused her. Zelda sighed, but continued nonetheless. "You don't have to be so ashamed about this. It's not that big of a deal."
"But it is, your grace," Sheik said as she lowered her head once more, resolving to tell the truth and nothing less than it. "Because… because I kissed him…"
"What?" Zelda asked, her eyes widening. "When?"
"Right before he surrendered to the Interlopers," the Sheikah leader admitted, feeling guiltier than ever. "I thought that I was never going to see him again and so… I… I just… kissed him, without even thinking… I am so sorry your grace. I never meant to be disloyal to you or your hero. I accept any judgment you may pass upon me."
The girl was silent for a long moment as she tried to think all of this through. The fact that the Sheikah leader kissed Link, even though she knew the two of them were married, caused a brief spring of jealousy and anger to run through Zelda. Of course, the hero probably had not consented to it beforehand, but all the same, the situation was immensely awkward. "Sheik… I don't really know what to say…" she said, biting her lip. "I'm not going to punish you for this though. That's not my job. I… I guess…" The girl sighed, deciding that in the grand scheme of things, one small kiss didn't really matter, especially considering the fact that the Sheikah leader was such a faithful ally. "I forgive you. Don't worry about it and don't feel bad about it either. I understand why you feel this way. After all, I love him too."
Zelda gave Sheik a small smile as she reached out a hand to help her to her feet. The Sheikah leader looked at her in shock as she rose to stand up, surprised that she was taking this so well. If their roles were reversed, Sheik knew that she would react with fury rather than acceptance. But that was the difference between the girl and the Sheikah leader: where Sheik was brash and hotheaded, Zelda was calm and collected. And perhaps, between the two of them, the two girls who loved the hero more than anyone else might be able to find a way to give him a little more time.
The moment Link opened his eyes and realized that he was back in the Interlopers' torture chamber, his heart sank. He had seen and endured so many terrible things in this room, things that had driven him to the very brink of corruption. This was a place of nightmares for him, and he wanted nothing more than to be free from it once and for all.
The hero wasn't all too surprised that he wasn't hanging by the chains as he normally was, but he was standing towards the front half of the empty room instead. The vague, fuzzy memory of seeing Zelda again and defending her from Veress rushed through his mind for a moment, but he quickly passed it off as nothing more than a dream. Certainly, the girl was still dead and he was still trapped in this torturous captivity for the remainder of however long he had left.
However, this belief was quickly shattered when Link suddenly heard the sound of a soft, gentle, yet also pained voice calling out his name from behind. His eyes widened as he recognized this voice immediately and he slowly turned to see something that made him gasp in complete shock. Zelda herself hung from the exact same chains that used to bind him, her clothes tattered and bloodied and her normally vibrant dark blue eyes dull and hopeless as she cast an exhausted gaze towards her hero. Link's first instinct was to run to her and do anything he could to help her, but he found that he was unexplainably frozen in place and all of the words he wanted to say to just wouldn't come as he stared at her marred beauty in woe, unable to do anything else.
Since the hero was speechless, the girl was the first to speak up, her voice strained and miserable. "Well?" she asked him, the slightest hint of bitterness in her tired tone. "Get it over with. Kill me. It's all you've ever wanted anyway."
Instead of reacting with panic as he did the last time he was faced with a vision such as this, this time Link set his jaw and gave a firm, unrelenting gaze to the apparition of Zelda in front of him. Despite the fact that he had already lost her, he refused to show any more weakness to his enemies because of it. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he said calmly to the demon and the Interloper leader who were no doubt watching him rather than the girl herself. "I won't kill her. And besides… I… I can't… She's already… dead…" The hero sighed as he hung his head in shame, forcing himself to look away from the girl whom he would do anything to get back.
Zelda said nothing as she continued to give him a blank stare. Upon hearing Link's resistant declaration however, Majora was quick to begin its corrupting work on him once more. The conflicting sensations of hot and cold coursed through the hero once again as his chest wound began to pound in pain. He closed his eyes to try and force the oncoming agony away, but it was to no avail as he quickly began to lose control of himself once more.
"You are such a fool, hero…" the demon hissed tauntingly. "Don't you see? Your beloved goddess isn't dead! The Interloper leader only told you that in order to break your spirit, but clearly, it didn't work…"
The hero's eyes widened upon hearing this in the midst of his failing struggle against corruption. For once, he didn't doubt that Majora was actually telling him the truth. He didn't put it past Veress to lie to him about killing Zelda in order to destroy his resolve to fight and push him over the edge. But now that Link knew the full truth, he could hardly contain his anger at the two ruthless evil forces that viewed him as weak and nothing more. Even though the crippling pain he was experiencing prevented him from forming coherent words, he let out a powerful shout of raw fury as he tightly clenched his fists at his sides and tried to push the corruption away harder than ever.
"Do you think that fighting this is going to ultimately stop it in the end?" the demon asked with a cruel laugh. "Your continued resistance means nothing, hero. Your will may be strong, but it won't be enough to save you. Nothing will! You were doomed to be my eternal servant from the moment your life began. Contrary to what your lying little goddess may have told you, you never had any other destiny than this! You might as well accept it and embrace it, for it is all you will ever be!"
As he listened to Majora's heartless speech, Link's desire to fight back only grew, despite the fact that the only part of him that was free from corruption's grip was his mind. The demon growled in fury at his firm resistance, but it refused to relinquish its hold upon him as it pressed its influence on him even harder. The hero let out a tight cry of agony as the demon finally started forcing its wicked will upon his thoughts, until the only thing he could focus on at all were Majora's cold words.
"Come to me, hero," it beckoned to him as his resistance began to waver. "Fall to my power once and for all. End your suffering and rise to glory beyond your wildest dreams. You will live forever, wielding god-like strength and no mortal will be able to stand in your way! Your destiny awaits you… All you have to do is finally take it…"
Link knew that he didn't want any of what the demon was offering him, but he found that he was unable to resist its temptation this time. His free will slowly faded away as Majora finally succeeded in taking control of his mind, pushing everything else, including his thoughts and memories, away. "Yes, hero…" it cooed triumphantly, knowing that the hero's consciousness was nearly gone. "Or perhaps I should call you my slave now… You are almost mine… Only one thing remains… I command you, my loyal servant, to finally slay the goddess whom you love so much… That is what will drive you over the edge once and for all…"
Majora laughed wickedly as it started to guide Link towards Zelda, who still hung listlessly from her shackles. She said nothing as she saw him move towards her and draw the sword that had suddenly appeared on his back, but rather she continued to give him a dull, empty stare, one that was quite uncharacteristic of her. The hero was unable to stop himself before he stopped just a few feet away from her and raised his blade high into the air, poising it to strike. However, right before he could stab it into her chest and end her life, a brief, unexplainable rush of free will returned to him as he remembered how much he loved the girl that he was about to thoughtlessly murder. However, it came one fatal moment too late. For as he finally regained the sense to fight against the corruption once more, Majora forced him to plunge the sword down into the middle of her chest. The girl let out a painful scream as tears started to pour from her eyes, from which the life was quickly fading out of. And it was that shrill scream that broke Link out of corruption to see what he had done. When he saw the blade running through Zelda's body, he felt like it was being plunged through his own body instead. His chest tightened in grief and guilt as his eyes started to grow wet with tears. Unable to find any words to say to her, he panicked instead and quickly pulled the blade from her deep wound, causing it to bleed even more. The girl heaved in a broken sigh of pain as she began to drift off into death, but not before giving the hero one more blank gaze. That cold gaze haunted him as he gently took her face into his hands, looking into her dim, almost lifeless eyes with heartbreak and remorse, wishing that he could take her place in death instead, since he knew he was more deserving of it.
"L-Link…" the girl said in a soft, sad voice that was little more than a whisper. "I… I…" Her voice faded away as she closed her eyes and let her head droop. Her final breath came out slow and almost silently, but the hero caught onto its sound nonetheless as he let out a suppressed sob of misery.
"Zelda?!" Link cried out to her in a desperate attempt to rouse her, but it was to no avail. Her body was already starting to grow cold and limp and it was clear that she would never awaken again, but the hero persisted nonetheless, knowing that there was nothing else he could do. "Zelda! Please! I… I can't lose you again! I love you! I… I…" His words faded away as he looked into her lifeless face once more, still wet with tears and realized that there would be no saving her. His wife, the one person he loved more than anyone or anything in the world, was dead, and she had been killed by his own two hands. The hero lowered his head in shame and regret as he let go of the only thing he had always been willing to fight for, knowing he would never get her back now. "Zelda…" he muttered in absolute broken grief. "I'm so sorry…"
Zelda jolted awake when she heard Link shouting in his sleep. She had never known him to say or do much of anything while he slumbered, since he was usually such a sound, heavy sleeper, but now she watched with worry while he tossed back and forth restlessly and muttered in incoherent pain and grief. She had been sitting by his bedside ever since the Sheikah healers had declared that they were finished working on him. The girl had immediately rushed to his side to stay with him until the sleep-inducing medicines the physicians had administered to him so they could treat his wounds wore off. She wanted to be the first face he would see upon waking up, since she wanted nothing more than to embrace him and kiss him again after being apart for so long.
"Link?" Zelda whispered nervously as she watched him thrash and groan in his sleep, no doubt because of a nightmare he was having. She rose from her chair and leaned in close to him, taking one of his clenched hands and giving it a small squeeze as she looked into his pained face. "Link, wake up…"
At the same time, the hero continued to stand before the body of his dead wife, mourning the loss of her life with despondent, silent tears. The guilt he was feeling for what he had done was momentous and it threatened to tear him apart, for he knew that even though he had done it under the influence of corruption, he had still done something he vowed he would never do: he had killed the girl he loved with his own two hands. He had been too weak to fight it, and because of that, the love of his life was gone forever.
However, as Link grieved, he failed to notice the new figure that was standing several feet behind him until they let out a cold, wicked laugh. The hero slowly looked up and turned to see Veress standing there, giving him a mocking grin as she placed her hands on her hips and shook her head at him. "I can't thank you enough, hero…" she said maliciously, intentionally preying on the immense sorrow he was feeling only to make him feel worse. "By killing the goddess for us, you've aided our cause exponentially. With her out of the way, both the Triforce and the surface will be ours for the taking! And it's all thanks to you, hero…"
The hero's grief quickly turned to rage upon hearing this as he clenched his fists and turned to face the Interloper leader fully. He glared at her relentlessly, knowing that he couldn't let all of Zelda's struggles to keep the surface safe be for nothing. Even if she was gone, he knew that he was the only one left who could protect it from the great danger the Dark Interlopers put it in. It was the least he owed her for all the pain he had put her through. "This land will never be yours," he said with rigid determination as he stood strong and firm, showing no more signs of weakness or sorrow. "I'll make sure of it."
Veress's dark grin vanished upon hearing this, replaced by a look of intense hatred for him. "Go ahead and try to stop us then," she said crossly. "But just remember this: You were the one who ultimately killed her, not us." Her voice lowered into a quiet whisper as her evil smile returned. "Her blood is on your hands…And it always will be. Now and forevermore…"
"Link, wake up," Zelda said a little more loudly, though she was afraid to touch him in the midst of his nightmare, least wake him in a state of panic. She could tell from the way he muttered her name in his sleep that whatever dream he was having must have been about her, which was why she wanted for him to wake up and see that she was alright.
The girl looked into her hero's sleeping face once more and bit her lip, not knowing what horrors he might have been facing within the realms of his dreams. He had stopped struggling for a moment, which gave her hope that maybe he was about to awaken. And so, with a tentative hand, she reached out and gently placed her palm against his face, hoping to ease him back into consciousness. However, the moment she touched him, he reached out and grasped her arm tightly, despite the fact that he was still out of it, still trapped in his nightmares and unaware of reality. Zelda let out a shriek of fright as she tried to free herself from his grip, but it was no use. Link rose out of bed with her in his grasp and thrust her roughly against the nearest wall several times until the edges of her vision started growing dark from the pain in her head. From there, he wrapped both of his hands around her neck, holding on tightly as he began to strangle her. The girl desperately gasped out for air as she tried to break free from his iron grip, only taking a moment to notice that while his eyes were open, they were white, empty and glazed over as they always were when he was trapped within a spell of corruption.
Little did Zelda know that back within his nightmare, Link thought he was choking Veress instead of the girl. He held onto the Interloper leader tightly, this time, fully provoked and prepared to end her life. He had no intentions of letting her live this time; she had taken too much from him that it was only fair that she had something taken from her in exchange. He had trapped Veress in his grasp so quickly that she had no time to react, however, unlike the last time he had did this, she actually put up some resistance this time by thrashing her legs and clawing at his hands, clamoring for air as she gave him a look of genuine fear. The hero put his morality aside for just this once as he held her up in the air and thrust her against the stone wall once more, hating her for all she had done to him and his wife.
Zelda felt herself growing weak and lightheaded from a lack of air, but she continued to struggle against her husband anyway as she worked up enough energy to cry out. "Help!" she screamed as loudly as she could, despite the fact that her voice was small and horse. "Help! Someone!"
Much to her fortune, Sheik had been walking down the nearby hall to check up on both Link and Zelda, despite the fact that it was rather late at night. However, when she heard the girl's scream, she didn't hesitate to rush to the room that both the girl and the hero were in, knowing that something was definitely wrong. Her scarlet eyes widened in shock when she saw the reason why Zelda had called out for help in the first place: Link had her firmly by the neck, and because of his tight hold, she was on the verge of unconsciousness. The Sheikah leader did her best not to panic as she raced towards the couple and tried to pry the hero's hands off of the girl, but it was to no avail; his grip was too strong.
"Zelda!" Sheik said to the girl as her lungs cried out for air that wouldn't come. "You have to call out to him. If you can break through to him, maybe he'll wake up!"
Zelda nodded between broken gasps as she worked up enough strength to plead to her hero, praying and hoping he would hear her. "Link!" she shouted as loudly as she could, though her voice was almost as quiet as a whisper. "Link! Please! Wake up! Please…"
Link loosened his grip around Veress's neck only slightly when he heard Zelda's strained voice come out of her mouth. He figured it was just another one of the Interloper leader's last-ditch tricks, but nonetheless it unlettered him. But even so, he didn't dare let go, for he knew for a fact that the girl hung dead behind him, and nothing could change that fact now.
"I-It's… it's not…" Zelda's words to Sheik drifted off as she closed her eyes and stopped struggling as much as she had before. The Sheikah leader finally began to panic as she realized that if something didn't happen soon, the girl could very well die at the hands of her own hero. And that was something that Sheik had no intention of allowing to happen.
"Link!" Sheik shouted firmly as she stood beside the hero and raised her hand up into the air. "Wake up!" With a rush of air, the Sheikah leader brought her hand down and it collided with his face roughly, causing him to close his eyes and stumble back. Somehow, the sheer force of the blow that Sheik had delivered to him managed to finally free Link from his nightmare and returned him to reality once more. As he opened his eyes, he found that, much to his horror, it was not Veress whom he had been strangling all along, but rather Zelda. He didn't hesitate to relinquish his hold on her immediately as he hurriedly backed away from her, staring at her with wide eyes of shock and guilt. Sheik knelt down beside Zelda as she helped her regain her lost air, before casting a sympathetic glance at Link, who would not look away from the girl as he caught his breath, trying to decide if this was actually real, or another deception on the part of the demon or the Interloper leader.
No one said a single word as Zelda recovered over the next several minutes. By the time she was able to breathe easily again, her throat was still sore and bruised in the places that Link had been holding onto her from, but for the most part, she was fine. As she finally looked up at the hero, who stood stiffly on the other side of the room, his back against the wall and his crimson eyes still wide in shock, she didn't say a word, but rather tried to convey simply by looking at him that she was not upset with him, nor did she just blame him for what he had just done. She figured that it was just another spell of corruption that had brought such violence and aggression on, and more than anything else she wanted to run into his arms and be near him once again, but even that seemed impossible now.
At the same time, Link finally met Zelda's eyes and he could tell from their attentive, expressive blue that there was no way he could be looking at a mere apparition of her this time. With relief he realized that she truly was alive, and that he hadn't slayed her like he had within his dream. However, he had gotten very close to doing just that in real life. In fact, if Sheik hadn't intervened when she did, he probably would have succeeded. He had let his rage towards the Interloper leader get to him and because of it, he had almost unintentionally killed the girl, without even being dragged into corruption this time. But all the same, at that moment Link remembered one of the main reasons why he had given up his freedom to the Interlopers in the first place: to keep Zelda safe from any harm that he could possibly bring upon her himself. He knew that the chance that he could hurt or kill her was just too high, especially now after everything that he had just been through. The two of them even being anywhere near each other was considerably dangerous and the hero refused to let himself be driven into hurting the girl again. And so, before she could even say a single word of protest to him, he looked away from her and hurried out of the room, hoping that she wouldn't want to follow after him, but knowing that she would.
Zelda gasped as she watched Link run away from her once more and this time, she refused to just sit back and let him slip out of her grasp. Despite the fact that she was still feeling rather lightheaded, she scrambled to her feet and rushed after him, calling out his name in a futile attempt to stop him in his tracks. Sheik remained sitting alone within the now empty room, sighing and lowering her head as she offered up a prayer for the hero she loved, the goddess she vowed to serve, and their love that seemed to be destined to end in tragedy.
Link burst out of the Healing House and into the empty night air of Kakariko Village, stopping for a brief moment as he tried to figure out where to go. He wanted to find a place where no one, especially not Zelda, would be able to ever find him, a place where he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone ever again because of the corruption that was completely out of his control. And so, he planned on simply running off into some unknown part of the surface that neither him nor the girl had ever been to before and spend the rest of his days in complete solitude until he finally fell into corruption. From there, he could only hope that he had run so far away from anyone he could possibly hurt that the demon would never be able to guide him back.
The hero started running again as he heard the girl call out for him from behind, only to realize that, despite the care the Sheikah healers had taken in treating his wounds, his body still ached significantly. Even though all of his many cuts and bruises had been cleaned and bandaged, the pain from them, while dull, still remained, specifically the cuts that Veress had inflicted to his abdomen, legs, chest and the long gash she had torn across his back. He still felt weak from being beaten, stabbed and starved for so long and a hot pain shot through him with almost every step he took. Though he tried to run as fast as he could so she would not catch up with him and try to stop him, he could tell that he was going much slower than he normally could.
At the same time, Zelda ran faster than she ever had before, determined to not lose Link again this time. She didn't care about any excuses he planned on giving her; she wasn't going to let him effortlessly struggle on his own any longer. She followed after him as he headed down the dark, winding alleyways of the village, noticing that he wasn't going that fast, most likely because his wounds were still hindering him. Because of this, she was able to quickly catch up with him, and even though he tried to sprint away from her, she reached forward and grasped onto his wrist, holding on tightly with both hands until she stopped him in his tracks, despite the fact that he tried to pull his arm away from her.
"Link, stop," the girl said firmly as she clung onto him relentlessly. The two of them had somehow ended up within the same empty square in which the hero had proposed to her weeks ago, only instead of warmth and joy as it had been back then, not if felt cold and dark, seeming to reflect the distant turn the couple's relationship had taken since then.
"Let go," Link said as he finally ripped his arm out of her grip. He was tempted to run away from her once more, but the resonating ache that was pounding throughout his body kept him in place, for he knew he wouldn't be able to flee from her forever.
Zelda let out a deep breath as she frowned at him, knowing that the two of them had so much to talk about in the aftermath of everything that had happened over the past few days. "We need to talk," she said with sincerity, looking him right in the eyes. "Now. You can't keep running away like this."
"Who said I was running away?" the hero asked somewhat guiltily, knowing that was exactly what he had been doing.
"Oh, so what do you call just walking right into the hands of our greatest enemies then?" Zelda asked with a hint of accusation in her tone. "Because I think that was you just running away from what the problem really is here."
"And what exactly is the problem, Zelda?" Link asked as he started to grow frustrated with her. "Because I don't think you really understood why I did that."
"I think the problem is that we're all in this together, but you refuse to admit it," she said as she crossed her arms. "You always want to put the weight of the world solely on your own shoulders, even when you're surrounded by people who are willing to help you, people who don't want to see you get hurt. But I guess you're right, I don't understand why you decided to walk headfirst into danger like that. Why don't you explain it to me, Link? Just to prove to you how much sense it doesn't make."
The hero clenched his fists at his sides, refusing to let her make light all he had gone through for her sake this time. "They were going to kill you!" he protested angrily. "They were going to destroy the surface! It was the only thing I could do to stop them! And if I remember correctly, you did the exact same thing weeks ago to save my life, even if I never asked you to!"
"Well maybe I never asked you to kill yourself to save my life either!" the girl said bitterly. "You act like I'm too weak to take care of myself, like I need you to constantly put yourself in harm's way to protect me, but I don't! In fact, that's the last thing I need! I just want to keep you from getting hurt anymore, but how can I do that if you don't even care about your own safety at all?!"
"I don't need you to protect me," Link said a little too crossly. "Both of us know it's useless anyway. I have so little time left that I'm not even worth trying to save."
Zelda was silent for a moment when she heard this. There had been no self-pity or remorse in his statement; rather, he had said it with harshness and anger instead, as if it had just been another part of their argument, but the girl knew that in a way, it had been him accepting the fate that she couldn't stand to see him fall into. "You are worth it," she said softly as she stepped closer to him. "Because I still love you. No matter what." She reached out to take his hand, but he was quick to retract it, knowing that the last time he touched her, he had nearly killed her.
"Don't touch me," he said defensively, backing away from her slightly. He was about to explain why until he saw the look of confusion on the girl's face and he realized that he couldn't tell her the reason why the two of them couldn't be close to each other. He harbored too much shame over it to let her know, lest he appear weak to her, the one person that he absolutely couldn't be weak around.
"Link, what's wrong?" Zelda asked as she tried to take his hand again, but this time, he placed his hands on his arms so she couldn't grasp them.
"Zelda, just… just stop it, ok?" Link asked in exasperation, turning his back to her as he let out a deep breath and closed his eyes, hating that the corruption had made it dangerous for him to even share physical contact with his own wife.
"No," the girl said as she shook her head, noticing that he wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Link, we're married now. We can't keep secrets from each other anymore, especially not now. If you tell me, then maybe I could help you. Please, stop shutting me out. I'm here for you, no matter what."
The hero sighed, purposefully avoiding her questioning gaze. "Zelda… I can't…" he said anxiously, trying to sound calm and collected, but failing.
"You can't what?" she asked softly, picking up on the subtle hint of rare fear in his voice. She bit her lip as she finally realized what he was hiding from her, but she hesitated asking him. "Link…?" she asked as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are… are you afraid?"
The hero pulled his shoulder away from her roughly and closed his eyes, knowing that she was already catching on but refusing to tell her. The girl frowned when she received no response from him, but she persisted nonetheless, determined to know the truth this time. "What is it?" she asked softly, a hint of pleading in her tone. "You know you can tell me anything. I just want to help you. So, please just let me know. What are you afraid of?"
Link sighed as he glanced back at Zelda, knowing that she would start to view him differently if she knew how he really felt. "Zelda…" he started in exasperation, but she cut him off before he could defuse her.
"Is it Veress and the Interlopers? Is it because of what they did to you when you were down there?" she asked worriedly.
"No," he said succinctly. "It's not them."
"Is it the corruption? Because I've told you before that no matter what happens, I'll still-"
"No," the hero cut her off in exasperation, quickly growing frustrated with her once again. "Zelda, please. Just stop already."
"I can't, Link," the girl said firmly as she became irate herself. "I need to know why my own husband won't let me touch him; why you won't let me hug you and let me tell you that everything is going to be alright. I need to know why you're being so distant and why you're acting so nervous. What are you so afraid of?"
"I'm afraid of hurting you, ok?!" Link said harshly, though he hadn't meant for the truth to slip out like that, but she had provoked him with aggravation. But all the same, he briefly thought back to his most recent nightmare and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the complete truth. "I've almost killed you several times now. I can't even imagine what would happen if I actually did…"
Zelda was silent for a long moment as she took this revelation in. To think that her hero's greatest fear was centered around a desperate desire to keep her protected from the unintentional harm that he posed to her because of the corruption plaguing him that he was powerless to stop made her realize exactly why he was resisting her so much. He knew that there was a chance, no matter how small, that any little amount of contact between the two of them could prove to be fatally dangerous if it were to happen at the wrong moment. "I… I think I understand…" she said sympathetically, resisting the urge to reach out and take his hands, knowing that he would just pull them away from her. "But… this is something that you don't have to go through alone. I'm here for you and I always will be. Running away isn't going to solve this problem."
"It's the only solution I can see for it," the hero said resolutely as he turned away from her once more, trying his hardest to hide his shame. "Every second we spend together, I'm putting your life in danger and I won't allow myself to be the cause of your death. That's why I can't stay here anymore. Your life isn't mine to risk."
"But where will you go?" the girl asked with a frown, desperate not to see him leave her alone again.
"I don't know," he said as he looked up into the late night skies. "But I'll find a place. Somewhere where I can't hurt anyone ever again."
"You're not some kind of monster, Link," Zelda said with sincerity, completely contradicting what the hero had heard her heartlessly accuse him of in his nightmares before. "And don't think for a second that you are."
Link let out a small, grim laugh as he shook his head, not really believing her. "Then what am I, Zelda?" he asked hollowly, showing no signs of self-pity in his tone, but rather shame. "Because I certainly feel like a monster."
"Well you're not," the girl said firmly, her tone serious and resolved. "You're my hero. But you're so much more than that. You're my husband, my first and only love, and my best friend. You mean everything to me and you're someone who I know is worth fighting for, right up to the very end. And nothing, absolutely nothing, could ever change that."
"I know," the hero said as he closed his eyes and lowered his head, struggling to really believe what she had just told him was true. "But I still can't stay. I have too many things that I could lose because of this. That's really why I surrendered to the Interlopers in the first place: so I wouldn't be able to hurt you myself."
A long moment of silence lasted between the two of them as Zelda pondered something. She knew that there was probably little she could say to convince Link to stay now, but even if he went, there was something she needed to know first. "Link, do you love me?" she asked quietly, looking into his crimson eyes and seeing his great inner conflict there.
"Zelda, you know what you are to me," he said, feeling guilty for something he knew he could not change now. "But ever since any of this began, the only thing I can think about is how desperate I am to keep you alive and safe. And if the only way I can do that is to put as much distance between the two of us as I can and spend the rest of my life alone, then so be it. I'm sorry."
The girl finally let a few of her suppressed tears finally fall as she realized that he was leaving her again, and she knew that there was nothing she could do to stop him. Her heart shattered as she realized that she would never see him again after he left; he was leaving her on his own accord and this time, there would be no getting him back. "I'll miss you…" she whispered, wanting nothing more than to run into his arms and embrace him, though she knew he wouldn't allow it.
"I'll miss you too," the hero sighed sadly, hating that fate was tearing them apart like this. "If it was up to me, then I'd stay here with you for as long as I could, but I can't. But I need you to know that I do love you. That's something that will never change."
Zelda closed her eyes as she nodded, bitterly accepting this. She looked to her husband and hero one last time as she realized that this was the last time she would ever have the privilege of seeing him. "So, I guess this is goodbye then?" she asked morosely, unable to think of anything else to say at this moment.
"Yeah," Link said as he turned away from her once more, wishing more than anything else that he didn't have to part ways with his wife for the purpose of keeping her safe, but knowing that he had no other choice. "This is goodbye…"
Sheik stood in the shadows and watched with solemn silence as Link and Zelda walked side by side in silence to the exit of the village. She had eavesdropped on their entire conversation, and while she pitied both the hero and the girl greatly, she understood that there was no stopping what was about to happen. And so, with a heavy heart, she had crept away to the stables and got Epona prepared, so Link would have a method of travel when he left the village once and for all. She said nothing as she slipped the horse's reigns into his hands when he passed by, but instead she gave him a saddened look of parting, one that he returned with a wordless nod of gratitude in exchange for all she had done to help them both.
The couple stopped right as they made it to the exit of the village, which opened up to the vastness of the field. They both remained silent as they stood feet apart from each other, staring into each other's eyes for perhaps the last time and taking in this final moment they had together. In truth, they both wanted to enjoy one last kiss, but the hero had made it clear that even any small amount of contact between the two of them was too much of a risk. And so, they simply exchanged one final nod, a nod that couldn't possibly say all of the words that they both wanted and needed to say to each other at that moment. The girl watched in sadness as her husband mounted the horse and prepared to leave her once and for all, bereft of everything but the clothes on his back. They met eyes one last time, but they still said nothing. And it was on that resolute note that Link and Zelda parted ways once and for all, the hero riding off into the unknown as the girl stayed behind and watched him until he disappeared into the distance, never to return.
It was long past midnight and the stars and moon were covered with storm clouds just ready to burst as Link rode Epona through the field, not even bothering to keep track of how far he traveled or what direction he was going. He had been riding for at least an hour now, and at first it was easy going, but the longer he kept the horse galloping for, the more of a strain it put on his own wounds, none of which were properly healed yet. With each mile that Epona carried him, the ache that had been almost non-existent when the hero had still been in the village spread throughout his body and intensified with every passing moment. He still felt excessively weak from the great physical abuse he had recently endured and because of the hindrance that his injuries were causing him, he knew that he wouldn't be able to go for much longer. And so, feeling weighed down by both guilt and exhaustion, Link slowed Epona down to a steady walk and let out a sigh of despair as he let go of the horse's reigns and let himself listlessly slide off her back and fall onto the grassy ground, resigning to remain there until corruption finally overtook him. In truth, he had wanted to go further away from Kakariko, but he was too tired and too hurt to go on any further. And so, as Epona wandered nearby to graze, Link stayed lying on the ground and stared up into the dark skies above, not even moving as it began to storm.
The hero sighed and closed his eyes as he felt the warm sheets of torrential rain fall upon him, wishing that it could wash away all of the guilt and remorse he was feeling. The corruption had made him fall so far and had changed him so much in ways that he hated and feared what he was quickly becoming. The demon had been right when it had said that he never had a chance at being anything but a soulless slave to a great evil for all eternity. Link detested that it was going to be his ultimate fate, but he knew that there was nothing else for him because of the corruption. This one thing had adversely affected his life so much in the short weeks since it started and in the end it was going to destroy him. He had been foolish to ever think that he had a chance at stopping its spread; he was too weak, in both will and spirit, despite what he had been told about having an unbreakable spirit. It was only through some sort of miracle that he had been able to withstand it so long, and even then he had only fought against it for Zelda's sake. At the very least, Link had been able to keep her safe from dying at his own hands and now that he was certain she would remain safe, he didn't care about being corrupted anymore at all.
However, as the hero looked up into the starless skies once more, he let his mind wander to what his future could have been like if he had never had to face corruption at all. Perhaps the Interlopers still would have attacked, but Link was certain that he wouldn't have been too weak to protect Zelda from them if there had never been any corruption. The couple could have defeated Veress and the rebels together, most likely with Sheik's help, and the three of them could have ushered in an age of peace and prosperity to the surface. Skyloft would not be lying in ruins and the Triforce never would have been at risk to lose. And most of all, the hero and the girl would have been able to marry in peace. They would have been able to create a true family together. They would have been able to have children and build a home for them on the surface. And, neither of them would have ever had to fear that they would ever lose each other.
Link found some comfort in this imaginary future that could never be as he envisioned it, wishing that it could happen, but knowing that it wouldn't. But as he thought of it, he started to realize something important: perhaps he truly was being selfish, as Sheik had accused him of earlier. In his own fear of hurting Zelda, he had left her alone and heartbroken, in the midst of a war that he didn't want her fighting all by herself. And yet, even though she knew the risks of him staying, the girl had been desperate not to see him leave her. She had been willing to stand by his side, no matter what happened, because she loved him. The hero suddenly felt even more ashamed when he realized that perhaps she was being even more courageous than he was in this situation. She had resolved to support him, and all he had done was flee from her to escape his own guilt. The heartfelt words she had said to him before he left rang out inside his mind clearer than ever: "You mean everything to me and you're someone who I know is worth fighting for, right up to the very end."
Despite the fact that he was soaking wet from the pouring rain, Link sat up and turned towards the direction of the village miles away in the distance behind him and he realized that he had been wrong all along. His choice to run and hide had not been the solution to his corruption, for there was no solution to it. All he had succeeded in doing was tearing a rift between him and his wife, his best friend and the love of his life. The hero knew that he was fighting in a war that he would never be able to win, but at the very least he could still help the girl win hers. She had dedicated herself to standing by him and now he was going to do the very same for her. Determination and hope filled him as he rose to stand, knowing what he had to do. He had left her to fight all alone twice now, but he was never going to do it again. He was going to stay with her, even though the darkest of nights and the most raging of storms. He was going to be her hero, just as he always had been and would always strive to be. And no matter what happened, he was going to fight for the one person that he knew would always be worth fighting for.
Even though it was very late, Zelda stood right outside of the shelter of the porch to the house as she let the pouring rain fall upon her, drenching her in its thick warmth. The rain hid the tears that were falling from her eyes well as she stood and looked out into the empty hills, wondering if her hero was now hiding among them and knowing that he would never come back to her. She craved his presence and his touch, but she knew that those were two things that she would never get the privilege of having again for the rest of her life. She wouldn't get to be with him in his last moments; instead he would be completely alone as he slipped off into corruption once and for all, which made his terrible fate all the more cruel.
The girl let out a deep breath as she tried to come to terms with the fact that Link was gone, but she simply couldn't. They had already been apart for so long and now they had entered into a separation that would never end. She lamented the fact that fate was being so unkind to both of them and their love, which seemed like it was destined to be torn apart no matter how hard they tried to salvage it.
In the midst of her tears, she was startled by the sudden sound of the back door to the house bursting open. She spun around and gasped in shock, her dark blue eyes wide with newfound hope when she saw who had returned.
"Link…" she said quietly, just loud enough to be heard over the falling rain. She studied him, noticing that he was just as wet as she was and that he seemed very winded and out of breath, which he was from traveling such a long distance over such a short amount of time. He had rushed back to the village without stopping, ignoring the pain his wounds caused him completely as he kept his thoughts and one thing and one thing alone: returning to his wife. However, both Link and Zelda were silent for a moment as their gazes locked, their hearts both filling with love once more. "You came back…" the girl said as a small, tearful smile crossed her face.
The hero shook his head as he stood within the doorway, letting his last few regrets and reservations go completely. "I came home," he said as he returned her warm smile. And, without any more hesitation, he ran out into the rain and rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She let out a joyous laugh as he picked her up and spun her around, not even needing words to affirm his love for her. He didn't care if being near her was dangerous anymore; as long as he could savor what little time he had left to love her, he would be content.
"Oh, Link…" Zelda said, her voice light and lofty as he held her close. "I love you…"
"I love you too, Zelda," Link said as he pulled her in even closer, realizing just how much he missed her warm embrace. "And I always will." Both of them smiled as they let the rain fall upon them freely, washing away all of the grief and heartbreak they had been feeling and replacing it with a new beginning, one that was full of love and hope. And, as they embraced this new beginning together, their lips met and the kissed in comforting triumph, knowing that even if they wouldn't have each other forever, they had each other for this one beautiful moment and that was enough.
Aww... the romance... I love the romance! hahaha... So anyway, what did you all think about this intensely angsty chapter. I do seem to have a thing for it, don't i? This chapter had a ton of scenes though, which is why it was so long i think. The next chapter will hopefully be shorter and almost entirely devoted to plot development as we bring in some important lore-related aspects (such as the light spirits and such). Plus, who else is missing Terminus? I know I have! Anyway, that's just about it for this chapter, but before i go, I want to cite one of my big inspirations for this chapter, one of my new favorite movies: Frozen! My gosh it is such a great movie... I seriously haven't loved a Disney movie this much since... I don't know when! But if you look carefully you can see some references in this chapter to it... ;) So, don't forget to REVIEW! Until next time!
PS: Do you wanna build a snowman? ;D