The next day, Zelda woke up in her bed. Apparently, Impa had found her on
the stairs and brought her to her bed. The princess quickly got up and
changed before charging down the staircase.
Impa met her at the foot of the steps, wearing a very solemn expression. Zelda's smile vanished. "Impa, what is it?"
"I'm afraid I have some rather...bad news," Impa choked, trying not to cry. Zelda noticed that her nursemaid was fiddling with a bracelet on her left wrist.
"Quick, what is it? Tell me!"
Impa looked up at her. "Zelda, Meryl has died. Saria told me what happened last night. All with getting thrown into the wall and everything. She recieved a sharp collision in the head with the stone wall."
Zelda stared at Impa, not believing her. "No, Impa. You're wrong." She even laughed. "For once in your life, you are WRONG!! Meryl isn't dead, she can't have gone, she's-"
"Zelda, please," Impa sighed, not losing her seriousness. "You're only making things worse. Meryl is gone, and you will just have to face it."
The princess' eyes were shining, as they had gotten wet. Impa's voice shook as she spoke again. "And Link..."
Zelda grabbed Impa's shoulders roughly. "Oh Goddesses, NO... Impa, what in Din's name has happened to him?!"
"He is alive," Impa whispered, several tears escaping her eyes. "But in his fight with Marth, he got stabbed with a dagger. We know he has not long to live."
"NO!" Letting go of Impa forcefully, Zelda bolted to her father's throne room. He looked up at her.
"Two rooms down," he said, before she could open her mouth. Without thanking him, she ran down the hallway.
Zelda wrenched the door open, and saw Link inside, alone. He was propped up on a bed, his chest covered completely in bandages. There were two large bruises on his forehead. He did not smile as usual when Zelda sat on the bed next to him.
"They...they said," he choked, coughing blood onto her incidentally. "Sorry...they told m-me...I w-won't be around...much l-longer." For the first time ever, Zelda saw tears fall down Link's cheeks.
"Link if you cry, you're going to make me cry too," Zelda complained, although her eyes had already been watering up.
"I-I'm...sorry," Link croaked, as if gasping for air. His voice was not cracked only because of the blood he was coughing up, but because of the emotion he felt.
"Oh, Link...if there's any way I can do it without...without hurting you..." Zelda started, stroking hair out of his eyes. He nodded.
The blood didn't matter. Zelda pressed her lips against Link, as if it were her own life that depended on it. She could taste salty water run into her mouth, from her and Link's tears. Zelda didn't care, just so long as he was still kissing her.
Impa walked by the room, whose door was wide open. Instead of laughing as she might've in another situation, she silently closed the doors.
"Please..." Zelda whispered into Link's ear, kissing it softly. "Please don't leave me. I won't be able to live without you here."
"Yes, you can," Link said back to her. "I know you can." He reached up and stroked Zelda's face, which was no more than an inch away from his own. "But...there's...there is something I would like to ask of you before I...I go." He spoke as if he were only about to go home from a friendly visit.
"Anything," Zelda said, in a voice so quiet that only Link could hear her. He grasped her hand tightly.
"As you c-can see...I have n-not the strength to get down on one knee," Link whispered, not drifiting his gaze away from Zelda. Her eyes filled up with new tears, wondering if what he was about to say was at all what she hoped it was. "Princess Z-Zelda...I w-would be very honored, a-and very grateful if y-you would..." His eyes started to water again. "If you w- would please...marry me."
Letting out a strangled cry, Zelda desperately began kissing Link again. "Yes!" she sobbed, trying not to hurt him. "I will, I will!" She caressed his back gently, not wanting him to leave her. She kissed his neck.
Zelda thought she heard a sigh of relief come from Link's lips, and started kissing them as well. "I will," she whispered. "For ever."
Link managed a smile at her, blood trickling out of his mouth. He rested an arm on Zelda's shoulder.
"L-Link? I..." Zelda stared into Link's eyes. They seemed so blank. No. It couldn't be true. "Link?"
The princess lifted his arm off her shoulder, and it dropped back onto the bed. Lifelessly. He was gone.
Frightened, Zelda recoiled. Tears came silently falling out of her eyes like rain. "N-no...Link...no..." She leapt to her feet, pulling at the roots of her hair. "NO! LINK, YOU AREN'T DEAD! WAKE UP, LINK! SPEAK TO ME, PLEASE!"
He of course, did not respond. Zelda lifted his arm again and again, only to see it fall without the smallest hesitation. It was now confirmed. Link was dead.
"N-NO!" Zelda shouted. She ran out of the room, and right into her nursemaid and father. "IMPA! IMPA, HE'S DEAD! LINK IS DEAD!" Coughing on her tears miserably, Zelda sobbed into Impa's shoulder. A few drops of water were silently falling out of the Sheikah woman's eyes, as she glanced at King Harkinian. "HE'S GONE! FOREVER!"
"Zelda, please," Impa whispered, pulling herself away. Suddenly, Zelda saw Marth and King Lowell walking out of the castle.
"STOP!" the princess yelled at Marth, running after him. He came to a small halt, not sure as to whether or not Zelda was addressing him. "I HATE YOU!" she shouted, punching his face wildly. "I HATE YOU!! YOU ARE THE MOST ROTTEN, UNDESERVING PIECE OF DIRT EVER TO SET FOOT ON THE PLANET!! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!!"
"Please Zelda, stop!" Impa cried in vain, as she and King Harkinian both grabbed the princess' arms to hold her back. "I suggest you two idiots run for it now, as fast as you can!"
The two Alteans did as Impa told them. Zelda never saw them again. Still crying hysterically, Zelda collapsed to the floor.
"She's going mad," Impa muttered seriously.
"I AM NOT MAD!" Zelda yelled. "BUT LINK IS DEAD! AND MARTH KILLED HIM!!"
Impa muffled Zelda's shouts by hugging her tightly. "I know, and I'm sorry, Zelda. There is nothing we can do! Crying never helps!"
After several more minutes of this antagonized crying and shouting, Zelda seemed to have fainted. Her dress was soaked in both blood and tears, as was her face.
Standing Zelda up with her, Impa faced King Harkinian. "I say that we should have a funeral."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Impa met her at the foot of the steps, wearing a very solemn expression. Zelda's smile vanished. "Impa, what is it?"
"I'm afraid I have some rather...bad news," Impa choked, trying not to cry. Zelda noticed that her nursemaid was fiddling with a bracelet on her left wrist.
"Quick, what is it? Tell me!"
Impa looked up at her. "Zelda, Meryl has died. Saria told me what happened last night. All with getting thrown into the wall and everything. She recieved a sharp collision in the head with the stone wall."
Zelda stared at Impa, not believing her. "No, Impa. You're wrong." She even laughed. "For once in your life, you are WRONG!! Meryl isn't dead, she can't have gone, she's-"
"Zelda, please," Impa sighed, not losing her seriousness. "You're only making things worse. Meryl is gone, and you will just have to face it."
The princess' eyes were shining, as they had gotten wet. Impa's voice shook as she spoke again. "And Link..."
Zelda grabbed Impa's shoulders roughly. "Oh Goddesses, NO... Impa, what in Din's name has happened to him?!"
"He is alive," Impa whispered, several tears escaping her eyes. "But in his fight with Marth, he got stabbed with a dagger. We know he has not long to live."
"NO!" Letting go of Impa forcefully, Zelda bolted to her father's throne room. He looked up at her.
"Two rooms down," he said, before she could open her mouth. Without thanking him, she ran down the hallway.
Zelda wrenched the door open, and saw Link inside, alone. He was propped up on a bed, his chest covered completely in bandages. There were two large bruises on his forehead. He did not smile as usual when Zelda sat on the bed next to him.
"They...they said," he choked, coughing blood onto her incidentally. "Sorry...they told m-me...I w-won't be around...much l-longer." For the first time ever, Zelda saw tears fall down Link's cheeks.
"Link if you cry, you're going to make me cry too," Zelda complained, although her eyes had already been watering up.
"I-I'm...sorry," Link croaked, as if gasping for air. His voice was not cracked only because of the blood he was coughing up, but because of the emotion he felt.
"Oh, Link...if there's any way I can do it without...without hurting you..." Zelda started, stroking hair out of his eyes. He nodded.
The blood didn't matter. Zelda pressed her lips against Link, as if it were her own life that depended on it. She could taste salty water run into her mouth, from her and Link's tears. Zelda didn't care, just so long as he was still kissing her.
Impa walked by the room, whose door was wide open. Instead of laughing as she might've in another situation, she silently closed the doors.
"Please..." Zelda whispered into Link's ear, kissing it softly. "Please don't leave me. I won't be able to live without you here."
"Yes, you can," Link said back to her. "I know you can." He reached up and stroked Zelda's face, which was no more than an inch away from his own. "But...there's...there is something I would like to ask of you before I...I go." He spoke as if he were only about to go home from a friendly visit.
"Anything," Zelda said, in a voice so quiet that only Link could hear her. He grasped her hand tightly.
"As you c-can see...I have n-not the strength to get down on one knee," Link whispered, not drifiting his gaze away from Zelda. Her eyes filled up with new tears, wondering if what he was about to say was at all what she hoped it was. "Princess Z-Zelda...I w-would be very honored, a-and very grateful if y-you would..." His eyes started to water again. "If you w- would please...marry me."
Letting out a strangled cry, Zelda desperately began kissing Link again. "Yes!" she sobbed, trying not to hurt him. "I will, I will!" She caressed his back gently, not wanting him to leave her. She kissed his neck.
Zelda thought she heard a sigh of relief come from Link's lips, and started kissing them as well. "I will," she whispered. "For ever."
Link managed a smile at her, blood trickling out of his mouth. He rested an arm on Zelda's shoulder.
"L-Link? I..." Zelda stared into Link's eyes. They seemed so blank. No. It couldn't be true. "Link?"
The princess lifted his arm off her shoulder, and it dropped back onto the bed. Lifelessly. He was gone.
Frightened, Zelda recoiled. Tears came silently falling out of her eyes like rain. "N-no...Link...no..." She leapt to her feet, pulling at the roots of her hair. "NO! LINK, YOU AREN'T DEAD! WAKE UP, LINK! SPEAK TO ME, PLEASE!"
He of course, did not respond. Zelda lifted his arm again and again, only to see it fall without the smallest hesitation. It was now confirmed. Link was dead.
"N-NO!" Zelda shouted. She ran out of the room, and right into her nursemaid and father. "IMPA! IMPA, HE'S DEAD! LINK IS DEAD!" Coughing on her tears miserably, Zelda sobbed into Impa's shoulder. A few drops of water were silently falling out of the Sheikah woman's eyes, as she glanced at King Harkinian. "HE'S GONE! FOREVER!"
"Zelda, please," Impa whispered, pulling herself away. Suddenly, Zelda saw Marth and King Lowell walking out of the castle.
"STOP!" the princess yelled at Marth, running after him. He came to a small halt, not sure as to whether or not Zelda was addressing him. "I HATE YOU!" she shouted, punching his face wildly. "I HATE YOU!! YOU ARE THE MOST ROTTEN, UNDESERVING PIECE OF DIRT EVER TO SET FOOT ON THE PLANET!! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!!"
"Please Zelda, stop!" Impa cried in vain, as she and King Harkinian both grabbed the princess' arms to hold her back. "I suggest you two idiots run for it now, as fast as you can!"
The two Alteans did as Impa told them. Zelda never saw them again. Still crying hysterically, Zelda collapsed to the floor.
"She's going mad," Impa muttered seriously.
"I AM NOT MAD!" Zelda yelled. "BUT LINK IS DEAD! AND MARTH KILLED HIM!!"
Impa muffled Zelda's shouts by hugging her tightly. "I know, and I'm sorry, Zelda. There is nothing we can do! Crying never helps!"
After several more minutes of this antagonized crying and shouting, Zelda seemed to have fainted. Her dress was soaked in both blood and tears, as was her face.
Standing Zelda up with her, Impa faced King Harkinian. "I say that we should have a funeral."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~