Linktober. Prompt: Desert.
Link doesn't pretend to know what Hell is, but he's pretty sure that this is close.
He's hot. He stinks. The sun is high in the sky and beats down like an angry flame. Vultures circle above, waiting for him to pass out so they can feast on whatever's left.
Madness, thinks Link. Just his luck. Should've known the moment he'd awoken to the Princess whispering things into his ear, that shit like this would happen. Not angry, he tells himself. It's just heat exhaustion. He's all for doing his divine duty and saving Hyrule (whatever).
But this is nearly where he draws the line.
"All for a damn pendant," he murmurs, picking his way carefully across the blistering wastes. The wind is high and sand batters his face pink and raw. Link swelters in his head covering, and he nearly rips it off, despite knowing that it's necessary.
As a kid, Link venerated his parents and their knightly work, lavishing them with loving praise. Tell them how proud he was. As he got older, though, he saw the toll such work took. He eventually asked.
His mother's words were kind but truthful. "It's hard work, Link," she'd said, ruffling his hair, "Saving the realm. And oftentimes I want to quit."
Link didn't get it as a child, the mere thought of such a thing incomprehensible. He gets it now, grunting when his boot sinks a foot deep into the sand, and he spends a little too long dislodging it.
Sahasrahla and the Eastern Palace. The Pegasus Boots and The Book of Mudora— which he definitely shouldn't be able to read (he can, how wild). It's all a little bit too much and definitely tiring.
But, that's part of playing a Hero, he supposes. It isn't all fun and games, and things definitely don't always go his way. And, even if he remembers those fated words Mother once said, there's the rest of the conversation that cannot be overlooked.
"Then why do you keep doing it?" asked Link, barely old enough to reach her chest.
His mother sighed a soft little chuckle and a crooked grin found her face. He remembers the exact way she'd reach out and ruffled his hair. "Because it's worth it," she said quietly. "Despite all the trouble, all the pain and annoyance, it's always worth it in the end."
Part of Link hates that she was right. Even as he stands here now, slowly sinking into this sandy hell, he knows that all his efforts, in the end, will bring about good. Being a Hero will be worth it, he'll make sure of it.
Otherwise, all he's done is waste time.
Link sighs, looking at the clear sky once more, and how the sun hangs there unmoving. Watches as a vulture swoops in low, a glint in its keen eye.
"On to the next," he says in a soft mutter.
Even if this is Hell, it isn't the worst one there is. That's the thought that keeps him moving. One foot in front of the other. Even if it's slow going, he's still moving. Just have to take that first step.