CHAPTER 18: A VITAL OPTION

Zelda sat in a chair next to Link's cot. It was around midnight, and it was very dark in the tent. The only source of light was the moonlight dripping through the thin material of the tent.

She had been there by his bedside since he returned. She was practically hysterical when she first saw him. He looked so ill that it was terrifying.

Link had been asleep since he got back. Zelda figured that he was exhausted, especially in his condition of health. She watched him sleep peacefully in his cot. No matter how much sleep she needed, she couldn't bring herself to leave him by himself.

Zelda listened intently to Link's ragged breaths. They came out slow, or almost even forced. It was like he was struggling to breathe. If Link took too long to take another breath, Zelda would immediately panic. Her heart would race and she would begin to believe he was dead. However, her worries never came true. He was still alive, but he was struggling. He was clinging onto his very last string of life. He was dying.

The thought of Link dying made Zelda's stomach twist in knots. She couldn't believe that one arrow had brought him this far to the brink of death. Link was strong, but he wasn't invincible. He was only human, and no human was invincible to poison.

Zelda slowly reached over to Link's head and softly brushed his bangs out of his eyes. Her hand lingered in his bangs for a minute before she moved it down to his cheek. She stroked her thumb gently over his skin, and over the long scar that dragged down his face.

She wondered where those two massive scars came from. She remembered asking him, but he seemed to quickly brush off the topic. Curiosity burned inside of her, but she didn't want to push it.

Link's eyes began to softly flutter open at the contact of someone's hand. He studied the figure sitting near him and realized that it was Zelda herself. He didn't move away from the contact, however. It was soothing. He watched her calmly as she continued to stroke his face. She hadn't even realized that he was awake.

She looked at Link's eyes and realized that he was watching her, now fully awake. She immediately retracted her hand, but Link reached up and weakly grasped her wrist. He gently tugged her wrist and brought her hand back to his face.

"It's fine," he murmured softly.

"I—okay," Zelda mumbled awkwardly. She let her hand rest on his cheek again.

They both sat there in silence for a few moments. Zelda was now looking at the walls of the tent, not looking at Link at all. He was obviously staring at her.

Unable to take the silence anymore, Zelda spoke up.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

Link just weakly shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"I mean…I could be better…" he replied softly. He began to laugh, but it only started him into a coughing fit.

"I'll get you some water," Zelda said, retracting her hand from his face and getting up from her chair. She grabbed a glass of water near the water bucket and handed it back to him.

"Thanks," he said. He took a large sip of the water, but didn't finish the whole glass.

"Your welcome," Zelda replied, sitting back down in her chair.

Link smiled weakly at her. They fell back into another awkward silence, with just the crickets outside to break the silent air. Zelda continued to stare at the tent walls, not looking at Link anymore.

"Zelda?" Link suddenly spoke up.

Zelda turned towards Link to face him.

"Yes?"

"It's so late. Why are you still here?"

Zelda went silent for a moment, thinking of what to even say to that. She didn't think she even knew the answer to that question herself.

"I…don't know," she replied after a few seconds of silence.

Link studied her face before speaking up again.

"You should get some rest," he recommended. "I don't want you to be tired."

Zelda waved him off and faced towards the tent walls again.

"It's fine. I'll stay put."

A small smile appeared on Link's face.

"Thank you," he said softly, almost inaudibly.

Zelda continued to stare at the tent. She could feel his eyes on the side of her face, but she refused to look at him. Suddenly, Link spoke up again.

"I-I'm so sorry."

Zelda turned to face him with a look of confusion on her face.

"What? Why?"

"You know why."

Zelda quickly turned away and sighed. She seriously didn't want to talk about this right now.

"Link, I don't really want to-"

"No, Zelda," Link interrupted. "Please."

Zelda shook her head and exhaled quickly, still facing the tent walls.

"I'm afraid I don't have much time left, unless we have some miracle that will happen," Link began. "So I just want to say I'm sorry. For leaving you. I shouldn't have-"

"Link, please," Zelda interrupted, her voice cracking with emotion.

Link sighed but continued to talk.

"I-I shouldn't have left you. I should have been there for you and worked things out. Or at least just stayed in this kingdom and shouldn't have completely ditched my family. I left you and Jack in the dark, and look where that got us."

Zelda quickly wiped away a tear from running down her cheek.

"I wish I stayed with you," he continued, causing more tears to spill out of Zelda's eyes. "I have never regretted something more in my life. I wish I came back earlier but I was too much of a selfish coward to face you. I ruined your life and Jack's. I wasn't thinking about how it could affect you. I only thought about myself. I'm sorry."

Tears were now streaming down Zelda's face uncontrollably.

"…Y-you don't need to apologize," Zelda choked out.

Link shook his head in disagreement.

"I do. I've wanted to say this for so long. Even before I came back to the castle."

Zelda continued to cry, still not looking at his face. Link reached over a weakly grabbed her hand, trying to get her to face him.

"Please look at me."

Zelda slowly turned her head towards him. She sniffed quietly and attempted to wipe the tears off her face.

"There's something else I've wanted to say for a while," Link began. His blue eyes sparkled, even in his poor condition of health.

Zelda tried to look away again, but Link gently tugged at her hand to keep her from facing away.

"I still love you," he confessed. "I never stopped loving you. Or thinking about you. There wasn't a day that went by where you didn't cross my mind. I still love you, no matter what has happened. Just like I said in my letter."

Zelda's tears were falling very freely. She wondered why he was even sorry after all this time. She wondered how he could even love her after all the things she had done and said to him. She thought it wasn't even possible.

"H-how?" Zelda choked out.

A look of confusion flashed across Link's face.

"What do you mean-"

"How can you even love me?" she interrupted. "After everything I've done to you?"

Link's eyes softened, his blue eyes swirling with compassion.

"Zelda, you've done nothing wrong-"

"How can you say that?" Zelda choked out, with tears streaming down her face. "That I've done nothing wrong? I cheated on you for an entire year and lied to your face about it!"

Link immediately shook his head.

"That doesn't matter now-"

"Yes, it does!" Zelda blurted, now almost yelling. "I ruined our marriage, and I ruined Jack! And I had to audacity to blame you for neglecting Jack, when it was me the entire time!"

Link silently stared at Zelda, his eyes full of sorrow and compassion.

"So, please." Zelda wiped the tears off her face. "Don't apologize. It wasn't you. It was never you. It was me."

Moments of intense silence passed between the two. Link continued to stare at her until he reached out and gently grabbed Zelda's other hand. Zelda's breath hitched in her throat as his hand made contact with her own.

Link's mind replayed of his interaction with Damien last month. He thought of what he said, analyzing his words deeply. Damien was right. There was something he could fix that could make his present better. And it was sitting right in front of him.

"We all make mistakes," Link began softly. "It's what we do with ourselves after that determines if they can be forgivable or not. If we truly regret them, then that proves that we can do better the next time."

Zelda stared back at him with glossy eyes. She felt her heart practically shatter with emotion.

"We both made mistakes," he went on, his eyes sparkling with emotion. "It wasn't just one person. We both did things that were wrong. However, that doesn't matter, especially not now. These were mistakes that were a long time ago. You think we would do the same things we did back then right now?"

Zelda averted her gaze from Link and stared at the ground in thought. After a few moments of silence, she shook her head slightly.

"Exactly," Link said with a small smile of his face. "Mistakes don't taint my view of someone. That is why I never stopped loving you. I never left because I stopped loving you. I left because I was too hurt to even face you."

Tears began to spill out of Zelda's eyes again. So many emotions were rushing back to her. Facing her own feelings was like facing her past again. Painful events flashed through her mind rapidly.

Link slowly reached up to her face and gently wiped a stray tear from her cheek. His hand lingered there for a moment, before he gently cupped the side of her face.

"Don't cry," Link whispered softly, stroking his thumb over her cheek.

Zelda's tears began to fall more freely. She reached up and grasped his hand that was cupping her face. She stared into his bright pools of blue, becoming lost in them immediately.

They stayed like that for a few moments, locking eyes with each other intensely. Suddenly, Zelda snapped out of her emotional daze and abruptly got up from her seat. She removed her hands from Link's own hands and took a step back.

"I…we shouldn't…I have to go," Zelda stammered out. "I-I'll be back at my tent."

Link just stared at her with sad eyes, obviously not wanting her to leave. She ignored his stare and left the tent, leaving him all alone in the night.

Hagen sat in his bed, staring at the ceiling in frustration. Close to a month ago, he realized that the kind servant woman in the castle was his own daughter. It came as a complete shock to him, and it was hard for him to even process it sometimes.

He still hadn't told her that he was her father. He figured that there was a reason why Francine had lied to Jessica and told her that he walked out on them. She probably didn't want Jessica to know that her own father was a criminal, doomed to rot in the dungeons for eternity.

Hagen still had no idea how to even tell her. They had been talking for weeks, striking up a conversation every morning when Jessica brought him breakfast. They had become acquainted quickly, and got along very easily. Hagen didn't want to ruin that.

He also wanted to get to know his daughter better before he even mustered up the courage to tell her. He was beginning to realize certain traits about her, like how she would get really wide-eyed and excited if she talked about her mom. Or how much she cared for the Queen and her well-being. Or how kind and positive she was, despite the terrible situation she was in.

Hagen realized that his wife had done a wonderful job of raising Jessica. She had grown up to be a wonderful young lady, and she reminded him so much of Francine. He missed Francine deeply and was upset that she had passed, but he was extremely grateful that he still had his daughter.

Suddenly, a knock came from outside Hagen's door. A huge smile crept across his face as he lifted his head slightly off the bed.

"Come in."

The door slowly creaked open, revealing Jessica holding a plate of eggs and bacon in her left hand.

"Morning!" she chirped happily. A genuine smile grew across her face as she walked towards the older man sitting in front of her.

"Hi Jessica," Hagen greeted kindly. He took the plate of food from her hands and began to eat.

"How's the food?" she asked curiously, craning her neck to see the food on the plate. "Any good?"

Hagen nodded enthusiastically with a mouthful of food.

"Delicious!" Hagen sputtered, still with a mouthful of food. "Best food I've ever had! Gosh, where do they get these eggs?"

Jessica chuckled under her breath. Hagen's lack of manners never bothered her. Once he had told her that he used to be in prison, she figured that was why he lacked proper etiquette. And besides, he was a kind man. Lack of manners didn't matter to her.

"That's great to hear," she said sweetly, slightly amused by Hagen's strong enthusiasm towards such a simple breakfast.

Hagen swallowed his food and looked up at Jessica, placing his fork to the side.

"So," he began, wiping some food off his mouth with the back of his hand. "How's Jack been?"

Jessica immediately rolled her eyes.

"Same old, same old," she replied unenthusiastically. "Still…intimidating. And very strange."

"Ah," Hagen said, nodding. "And he hasn't asked you to dinner, or anything else?"

Jessica shook her head.

"Nope. Not since a few weeks ago. I'm not complaining, however. It's quite a relief."

Jessica and Hagen both laughed quietly at that statement.

"Well," Hagen started. "If you ever feel unsafe, please let me know. I can help."

Jessica immediately shook her head in disagreement.

"No, I can't let you try and help me," she argued. "It's too dangerous. He's very unpredictable."

Hagen shrugged his shoulders a bit.

"I suppose so. But I'm not just going to sit back and do nothing if you ever feel like you're in danger."

Jessica's heart warmed a bit. This kind old man, who she had only known for about three weeks, was willing to risk his own life to keep her safe. She was so grateful that she had someone on her side in the castle.

"Well," Jessica began, smiling a bit. "I appreciate your concern very much. It's nice to know that someone is an ally."

Hagen smiled back at her, his crooked teeth showing through the smile. Jessica then turned around and began to walk to the exit of his bedroom.

"Alright, I have to go," Jessica said, placing her hand on the doorknob. "I have to serve Jack and Aiden their breakfast."

Hagen nodded in understanding. He noticed how tense Jessica had become. Her shoulders were slightly shaking and her mouth was now pursed in a line across her face.

"You'll be okay," he said softly, noticing her unease. "It's just like any other morning. Nothing to worry about."

Jessica nodded bravely and walked out the door, feeling a little better with Hagen's reassurance. She softly shut the door behind her and began to walk down the hall towards the dining hall.

Jessica had dealt with the constant tension every morning she brought them both down to breakfast. No matter how many times she dealt with it, she could never get used to it. It still scared her just as much as it did the first day Volagio had taken over.

As she began to approach the dining hall, her heart rate began to quicken. She saw that Jack was only sitting at the table, and not Aiden. This made her even more nervous.

Jack turned around at the sound of her footsteps. As soon as he noticed her, a sly smirk grew across his face.

"Good morning, Jessica."

The way he said her name sent unpleasant chills down her spine. Her heart practically pumped out of her chest.

"G-Good morning, your highness" Jessica greeted nervously. She plastered an extremely fake smile on her face. "What would you like for breakfast?"

Jack shrugged innocently.

"Whatever is fine."

Jessica nodded quickly and began to walk away. However, Jack's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Why don't you eat breakfast with me?"

Jessica's stomach immediately dropped. She swallowed nervously and turned back around to face him.

"I-I don't want to intrude," she stammered out.

Jack raised a suspicious eyebrow at her poor excuse.

"There's nothing to intrude on," he argued. A smile grew across his face, showing off his perfectly straight teeth. "After you get the food, come sit."

Jessica couldn't argue. There was no possible way. There was too much at risk, and Jessica was quite frankly completely terrified of Jack. She didn't even know how to say no.

"I-I…um…" Jessica began to panic. She just wanted to be left alone, and not pursued by possibly the most evil man she's ever met. Why couldn't she just catch a break?

"I…that's fine…" Jessica finally said.

A small smirk grew across Jack's face.

"Wonderful."

Jessica quickly turned around and went to grab Jack his breakfast. She was internally panicking, with her heart racing at the speed of light. She suppressed the urge to cry and went back to the dining hall as soon as she grabbed the plate of food. She plastered another fake smile on her face as she handed the plate to Jack.

"Here you go," she chirped, trying her best not to look visibly nervous. "Cucco eggs, toast, and some bacon."

Jack wordlessly took the plate from her hands and immediately began to dig in. Unsure of what to do, Jessica stood there awkwardly, not knowing if she was allowed to sit down.

"You may sit," Jack informed her, motioning his hands towards the empty seat in front of him. She quickly nodded and sat in the seat in front of him.

Jack looked up from his plate and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You don't want anything to eat?" he asked curiously.

Jessica nervously averted her gaze from him and looked down at her lap. She had pretty much lost her appetite as soon as he invited her to eat with him.

"I don't have much of an appetite," Jessica replied, fumbling with the strings on her maiden's dress.

Jack nodded and continued to eat. Jessica was still staring at her lap, but she could feel his gaze lingering over her body. Her face turned hot with embarrassment, but she still continued to look at her lap.

"You know, we haven't talked much since we had dinner a few weeks ago."

Jessica snapped her head up at the sound of Jack's voice. She made eye contact with him, staring into his dark eyes.

"You remember what I told you?" Jack asked her.

Jessica's heart rate began to quicken. His question completely threw her off guard. Of course she remembered. It was all she could think about.

Jessica didn't really know what to say to that question. She felt that she needed to say something soon, because he was staring at her so intensely that it scared her a bit.

"I-I mean…well…it's kind of hard to forget," she replied, laughing nervously.

Jack continued to stare at her with an emotionless expression on his face. His dark eyes were blank, and his mouth was in a straight line.

"I can still tell you where he is," Jack began. A sly smirk grew on his face.

Alarm bells were going off in Jessica's head immediately. She knew he was up to no good. She could see it in his face. However, curiosity burned inside of her.

"Y-you can?" she asked curiously, leaning forward a bit. "Would you?"

Jack's sly smirk grew even wider at her curiosity. He had her.

"I can…" he replied slyly. "…on one condition."

Jessica's breath hitched in her throat. She should've known that there would be a condition to this. What did she expect?

"W-what conditions?" Jessica replied nervously. Her heart beat rapidly, and she began to sweat nervously.

"If you come to my bedroom one night, I will tell you where your father is."

Jessica's eyes widened, her eyes almost popping out of her head. She had to refrain herself from hanging her mouth open in shock. She couldn't even believe that he could propose something so vile. So repulsive.

Moments of extremely uncomfortable silence passed between the two. Jack continued to stare at her with that sly smirk on his face, like he was amused by her state of shock.

"I…I…" Jessica finally choked out after a few moments of unbearable silence. "…I have to go."

Jessica shot out of her seat and began to almost sprint out of there. Her mind was screaming at her to stop, so she could maybe get some answers. However, she refused to slow down. She was too shocked and repulsed to even be able to answer that question.

Suddenly, a strong hand clasped around her wrist. She gasped as she was forcefully whirled around to face whoever had grabbed her. Her bright green eyes were met with the dark eyes of the man she was so afraid of.

"You don't want to know?" Jack asked calmly. Although he appeared calm, his firm grip around Jessica's wrist said otherwise. They were both now in a hallway, with nobody around.

Jessica was completely panicking now. She was so afraid that she thought she might pass out. Alarm bells were practically screaming in her head, warning her to get away.

"I…I…"

"Is that a yes or a no?" Jack interrupted. He was dangerously close to her face, his breath fanning on her cheek. His grip tightened around her wrist, causing her to cringe in pain.

"Let go!" Jessica suddenly shouted. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and turned around to make an escape.

However, Jack firmly grasped her arm and yanked her back to where they were standing.

"You're not going anywhere-"

Jessica impulsively smacked Jack square across the face, causing his head to whip to the side from the blow.

Just as soon as she slapped him, Jack came back and hit her even harder across the face. She toppled to the ground from the harsh blow, clutching the side of her face in pain.

Her vision became blurry, causing the hallway to spin around her. Her heart was now practically leaping out of her throat in fear.

Suddenly, the collar of her dress was clutched tightly by both of Jack's hands. He yanked her up to a standing position, bringing her close to his body again.

Jessica stared up in fear at Jack. His eyes were unbelievably dark. She had never seen him look so angry in her entire life. He had a death grip around the collar of her dress, refusing to let her go.

"If you ever do that again, there will be consequences," Jack growled in her face. His grip on her dress grew even tighter, causing Jessica to panic helplessly.

"You will come to my chambers, whether you like it or not," he threatened. "If you don't come in three days, I will go and find you myself."

Jack released his death grip on her dress, the anger in his face suddenly washing away. A sly smirk grew across his face.

"Good day, then," Jack stated sarcastically, like he hadn't threatened her just moments ago. He brushed past her and walked away, leaving her alone in the hallway.

Zelda sat in her bed in her own tent, staring down at her lap blankly. There were so many emotions rushing through her. Guilt, anger, sorrow, regret. She felt that she was experiencing every human emotion at once.

It was morning time, and Zelda had barely gotten any sleep the night before. Even after leaving Link's tent, she couldn't go to sleep. His words couldn't seem to leave her mind.

His confession of love indeed shocked her. But what was even more shocking was the reason why he did it. He believed he didn't have much time left, and he felt that he needed to confess how he felt before he died.

Zelda couldn't even bear to think of this. The thought itself brought such incredible sadness that she couldn't even explain. She had finally gotten him back, but he was going to leave her again. This time not by choice.

Suddenly, the flap to Zelda's tent flipped up. Impa walked through the flap, entering the tent.

"How is he doing?" Impa immediately asked as soon as she stepped into the tent. "You saw him last night, correct?"

Zelda continued to stare at her lap. Her mind was a bit foggy after the events of the night before. He was so sick that it was horrible to even think of. He was going to die, and she knew it.

"I…well…if I'm being honest…not so good," Zelda replied after a few moments of silence.

Sadness passed across Impa's typically hardened features. Her eyes softened a bit, studying Zelda's face intently.

"He'll be alright," Impa attempted to soothe. However, that was an empty promise, and they both knew very well of that.

Zelda felt tears begin to prick at her eyes. A large lump formed in her throat, causing even more tears to form. She forcefully swallowed the lump down and blinked her tears away. She had to be strong.

"Thank you," Zelda said sweetly, smiling up at Impa. "You've been so kind throughout this whole entire thing. I appreciate your help so much."

Impa smiled warmly back to her.

"Of course."

A few moments of silence passed between the two, until Zelda began to speak up again.

"What exactly is that blue potion that you gave him?" Zelda asked curiously.

Impa looked towards Zelda with a look of confusion on her face.

"You don't know what that is?" she asked.

Zelda shook her head.

"Well," Impa began. "It's a painkilling potion. It also slightly stunts the spread of the poison throughout his body. Some would say it's a healing potion also. Without it, he'd probably be dead by now. I used it so it could give us some extra time to get him to Faron Woods."

Zelda nodded her head in understanding.

"Do you think we could give him one more and bring him back to Faron Woods?" Zelda asked hopelessly.

Impa immediately shook her head.

"Faron Woods is now swarming with soldiers. It would be too risky to bring him there now. We would have to wait another week or so to go back when there isn't as many troops there. However, Link doesn't really have that time anymore."

Zelda began to feel tears prick at her eyes again. A dreadful feeling of hopelessness spread throughout her body. There was really nothing anyone could do.

"And besides," Impa continued, noticing Zelda's saddened expression. "The potion wouldn't have done much anyways. The poison has spread too much throughout his body for it to have a lasting affect anymore."

Zelda felt her stomach drop. She felt horrible. Hopeless. However, she wasn't just going to let Impa tell her that there was nothing they could do.

"And you've tried every healing potion?" Zelda asked.

Impa sighed. She could practically hear the hopelessness in the Queen's voice.

"Yes," Impa replied, her eyes softening a bit. "Every potion that is proven to heal has been used on Link. They all have had the same affect as the blue potion we frequently use on him."

Zelda sighed. She was now beginning to grow frustrated. There must be something that they could do.

"So there's no other healing potion that you can try on him?" Zelda asked, the frustration clear in her voice.

Impa shook her head sadly.

"I'm afraid not," she replied, rubbing the side of her face in stress. "Unless you know of a healing potion that might work. But I don't think that's possible. We know every potion that exists out there."

Zelda was silent, thinking hard on what other options there could be. She had no clue of any other potions that could be affective. She was no expert in medics.

The thought of medics made her think of her own son. She missed when he was so passionate about it. Ever since his father left, Jack slowly ditched the dream of ever becoming a doctor.

Suddenly, a thought struck Zelda as she thought about her son. Hope flooded through her body, causing a genuine smile to cross her face. She faced Impa with a bright look on her face.

"I know something that might work."

Hey everybody. I haven't updated this story in a long time. I've just been caught up with my own life and haven't been able to work on this story that much, but I'm super happy to continue updating. I will try to update every few days or so from now on, I PROMISE. Christmas break has also given me some time to work on this chapter of the story.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and will have a wonderful New Year. I'm excited to bring you guys new chapters in 2022. I've been doing a lot of brainstorming and I think I've really got the entire plot of this story down, so I'm super excited to keep updating for you guys.

I also hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's a bit of a downer, but yet again, this ENTIRE story is a downer. Yeah...sorry about that. I can promise you all that my next story that I will write up is much more lighthearted than this.

Anyways, thanks for all the support you guys have given me throughout this story! I've now officially hit fifty reviews, which is so insane to me. I cannot thank you guys enough.

Okay, I'm out. See you guys (hopefully) in a few days!