I know I'm a bit late (was dealing with some IRL stuff today) but here's one of the last few chapters of Malicious Intent! I'm thinking perhaps one more chapter after this, then an epilogue? Whatever the case, I appreciate you guys sticking with me this long, and I hope you enjoy these last couple of chapters!

Thanks so much to Alice-Ann Wonderland (Her triumphant return!) and NerdAngel410 (Thank you! Yunobo's a big sweetheart, he deserves some time to shine and be brave :) for reviewing! I'm glad you've been enjoying so far!

And now, on with the chapter!

~ Chapter 24 ~

When Zelda had broken off her connection with Link, the rate at which her pool of magic was replenishing itself had certainly sped up. Even then, however, the speed was still somewhat disappointing. She had been hoping for some sort of surge, like she had felt one hundred years ago when a Guardian had almost shot Link right between the eyes at point-blank range. But even though her heart still pounded with urgency and her mind screamed at her to hurry for Link's sake, her power had still been stubbornly slow for the past several minutes.

Then, a thought had crossed her mind. Extending her vision to watch something from afar did not use up much power. What if she took a moment to check on what was happening back in Hateno? A moment would be all she would need to confirm that everything was still alright and that she still had plenty of time to summon the rest of her magic forward.

At least, that was the optimistic lie she had told herself.

In her heart, she'd known that whatever she'd been about to see would not be comforting in the slightest. She'd known that she was about to look in on a scene soaked with Malice, fear, and blood. A part of her was revolted by the thought.

Yet she also knew that it was exactly what she needed to see.

The moment she had focused her sight in on Link was the moment he had smashed his way through the wall of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. Behind him, Teba and Sidon were sprawled out on the floor, both bleeding from slash wounds that her possessed knight had surely inflicted. And even worse, Link's burning obsidian eyes were fixated on the Sheikah and Riju, his intent for further destruction clear.

Zelda's stomach had turned at the sight of the Malice eyes slowly forming across Link's skin as the magenta and black sludge oozed over him. Tears had sprung to her eyes when she watched him stagger out of the lab, the evil within him forcing him forward even when it was obvious that his body couldn't take much more strain. She had screamed when Yunobo had trapped Link in his shield, the young Goron risking his own life to buy the others and Zelda herself just a bit more time.

Yunobo had lost his hold on Link, allowing the cursed Hylian Champion to reclaim his weapon. The Goron had called out to him, invoking Zelda's name, and Link had hesitated. Just when Zelda had begun to hope that he would take back control, however, he attacked, his brilliant blade coming mere inches from plunging into Yunobo's chest.

Then, her vision had been flooded with golden light.

It was just as it had been on that night, one hundred years ago. The night she had lost her kingdom, her father, her friends, and very nearly her knight, all in one fell swoop.

She screamed her anguish as magic surged from somewhere deep within her, all the way out to her fingertips. For a moment, her body was awash with gold. The next second, her body wasn't there at all. It faded to ribbons of light that formed a silhouette of her form only briefly before coalescing into a single radiant sphere. The light that was Zelda poured out of the cave and into the snowy sky, then rocketed down to where she knew Hateno Village lay.

It all happened in an instant. Her light exploded upon reaching the tech lab, radiating in waves across the hilltop. She was vaguely aware of the startled cries of Paya and Riju as they stumbled backward and shielded their eyes. She paid little attention to Yunobo's shield dropping as he fell back with a yelp, the Master Sword swinging just shy of his neck. She only passively noticed Purah rushing back to the door of the lab to witness what was happening, cursing loudly.

Her focus was on her knight.

He was screaming as her light washed over him. His sword dropped to the grass with a light thud, followed soon by Link's body as he convulsed on the ground. The Malice was trying to retreat, but so much of it had poured out of him that it could no longer hide away from her glow.

The spreading light coalesced once again into its spherical form, then dissolved into the light ribbons that made up a silhouette of her body. She didn't dare fully return to flesh just yet, however. What she was about to do could only be accomplished with raw magical power.

The ethereal princess drifted towards her knight, her light-formed arm outstretched towards him. He screamed louder as she approached - louder and more anguished than she had ever heard his voice become. The viscous sludge clung to his body, tiny eyes and all, searing his skin as viciously as it could manage, but as Zelda drew closer, it too began to smolder away and reveal the burn scars beneath it.

Her rage drove her forward. She poured her power into every step her spectral form took, tearing at the evil that defiled her beloved knight. Her heart ached as she listened to Link's desperate cries of pain, but she knew that a far worse fate awaited him if she stopped and allowed the Malice to continue festering.

His entire body shaking, Link attempted to push himself to his feet, but only made it as far as his hands and knees. He bared his teeth like a wild animal, glaring at her with those awful, flaming black eyes. His sword had fallen out of his reach, but he looked about ready to tear her apart with his bare hands, if such a thing had been possible to do to someone currently lacking a physical form.

The light ribbons that were Zelda shifted once she reached him, and she knelt down to his level. His glare was unblinking, though his breaths came in ragged, seething bursts.

The Malice knew it was outmatched. And Zelda knew that, if it was to be banished, it would do everything within its power to snuff out Link's life in the process.

She was not about to let that happen.

Zelda raised her silhouetted hands, gently cupping Link's face in her invisible palms. The sludge that covered his cheeks burned away to nothing at her touch, leaving only the six tearstain scars marring his skin. Her lips did not move, but she gently guided her voice directly into his mind.

"It's alright, Link...this nightmare is about to end."

Link tensed at the sound, struggling to pull away, but his injured body was far too weak. He could do nothing but stare at her as a low, raspy growl rose in his throat.

She ignored his final attempts to resist. The princess lowered her translucent head until their foreheads touched, her featherlight magic brushing softly against his sweat-soaked skin.

"Stay with me," she whispered without truly speaking. "Everything is going to be alright...I won't lose you again."

Her light shone brighter, thoroughly engulfing the two of them. Link released one last tortured scream as her magic surged into his body, seeking out and destroying every last globule of Malice within him. The vile substance was purged from his blood, his bones, his skin. It flowed from his mouth as he doubled over and retched, but Zelda refused to let go of him. The tiny eyes dotting his afflicted skin shriveled and fell, turning to dust before they hit the ground.

Within twenty seconds, it was done.

At last, the discarded Master Sword went dark, and Zelda's own power confirmed that no more Malice resided in Link's system. The glow of her pure magic form faded, and she found herself gradually reverting to normal, drawing in a long, slow breath as her flesh and blood body returned to her.

The moment she was fully solid once again, Link pitched forward and collapsed in her arms.

Memories of one hundred years ago cut into her like knives. Images of a burned and bloodied Link falling on the battlefield flashed through her mind. She remembered the exact horror she had felt as she watched him heave a final, rattling breath before falling limp and lifeless in her grasp.

Shaking, she lowered her head and pressed her ear to his scarred chest.

No heartbeat.

Tears sprang to her eyes. She strained her ears, desperately listening for the gentle thudding that would confirm that her knight had not left her, but it was no use. His heart was still and his chest did not rise and fall with breath.

Despite Zelda's best efforts, the Malice had taken a greater toll on his body in such a short amount of time than she had ever expected. For all she knew, Link's body could have died minutes ago, and only continued to move as a puppet completely controlled by Malice. Whatever the case, her gamble had not paid off. She had been too late.

She had failed.

Zelda heard a scream, and it took her several seconds to realize that it was coming from her own throat. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and clung to him, sobbing into his motionless chest.

"N-Not...not again…" she whimpered, trembling as the horrors of one hundred years ago surged back into her mind with a vengeance. "L-Link...Link, don't you dare do this to me again! I-I...I swore that I w-wouldn't let you die! Please! Don't...d-don't go…"

She knew that everyone else had gathered to watch her as she wept, but she didn't care. All she wanted was for Link to be alright. She wanted him to breathe in deeply, to sit up in her arms, to laugh lightly, tease her for worrying about him, and kiss her cheek, even if it was in front of everyone. She wanted him to look at her once more with those eyes that were so blue it was unfair - blue as the sky, blue as sapphires, blue as the light currently trying to force its way through her eyelids -

Zelda stopped, her thoughts grinding to a halt. She slowly lifted her head, blinking her tears away as she stared at the glowing blue sphere currently hovering above Link's chest. Through her watery eyes, she could just make out a white symbol on the side of the sphere - a stylized elephant.

Her eyes widened.

The blue orb drifted backwards, blurring and changing shape until it had taken the form of a petite female Zora kneeling at Link's other side, awash in an ethereal greenish light. The small part of Princess Mipha's spirit that had been left behind within Link smiled gently at Zelda.

"It is my pleasure," Mipha murmured.

Zelda was certain she heard Sidon's sharp gasp coming from the direction of the lab, but her attention was solely focused on the late Zora princess before her. Mipha extended her hands over Link, a watery light forming over his body. As Zelda stared, the severity of his burn wounds lessened, fading into healed scars. His skin gradually regained a bit of color and warmth returned to his previously cooling body.

Then, little by little, his heart was coaxed back into a rhythm and slow, steady breath returned to his lungs.

Mipha's Grace had brought him back from the brink.

Tears once again flowed from Zelda's eyes, though this time, they were tears of relief rather than anguish. She stared once more at Mipha's spirit, a shaky smile spreading across her lips.

"Thank you..." Zelda breathed, her voice nearly shattering with emotion. "Th-Thank you so much, Mipha…"

Mipha gave a soft smile and nodded. Without another word, her translucent form dissolved, gathering itself once again into the tiny blue orb, which then floated back into Link's chest to recharge its power once again to save his life another day.

When the light vanished into his body, Link twitched. He made a few unintelligible sounds as his head shifted to lean up against Zelda's arm. Drowsily, his eyes - his beautiful, sky blue eyes - cracked open to gaze up at her in dazed confusion.

Though her entire body still shook, her smile shone like the sun. "W...Welcome back, Link…" she whispered.

Then, she leaned down and kissed him hard, entirely heedless of the crowd of people watching.