Chapter 33: A Light in the Dark
"Next time, if you are off-balanced, lean into the direction you are falling. And keep as straight and tight as a plank of wood as you can." Gruve smiled.
The diving Zora's advice came immediately into Zelda's memory, her mind transforming into survival mode. In the 3.08 seconds she had before hitting the churning water, she tilted face down, flung her arms over her head in a semi-straight v-shape, and tightened her legs together. With the last millisecond, Zelda closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath–
BAM.
It felt like being whacked in the head with a club. Absolute coldness enveloped her, sucking her down, down, down. The shock of it offset the needles digging into her limbs from the impact. The cold forced her mouth open for a gasp, panic ensuing as Zelda began choking underwater.
She was going to sink forever. There was no bottom. Zelda opened her eyes to darkness, suffocating darkness.
Bubbles spurted out as Zelda exhaled the water, desperately needing air. The bubbles floated in the direction of the surface.
Kicking madly, Zelda swam after the air pockets. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do. The current was strong, pulling her horizontally even as she fought to go vertically. She had closed her mouth once more in an attempt to save the last dregs of oxygen. It wasn't much. Her lungs were burning, burning, burning, her clothes were heavy, heavy, heavy on her limbs, and her mind was flailing flailing flailing with the desperate thought of almost, almost, ALMOST–
Zelda burst through the surface, gasping and coughing.
Run, run, run, the river chanted as it raced along, pulling her with it. Rain immediately hit her skin, but she couldn't feel it. She only vaguely knew that the precipitation was drop into the lake had removed most of the feeling from her body.
Even on the surface, light was minimal through the heavy downpour. The rain fed into the wild waters, urging the river to rise, to buck, to move. And Zelda was completely at its mercy.
She bobbed, twisting as she searched for an escape. A choppy wave surged into her face, leaving her sputtering out water. Heavy. I'm too heavy. While one arm buoyed her body up, Zelda's fingers fumbled at her boots. But the waves were throwing her around too much.
It rushed along, leaping on her, sending waves into her ears, nose, eyes, blurring her vision and keeping her prisoner. Zelda struggled. She struggled to propel herself higher than the waves when they came, to avoid being slogged, but there were always more, shooting up her nose, barely allowing her to take sips of air between attacks.
Alive. Just stay alive.
But it was getting harder and harder to do that.
The river butted her back into a rock jutting from the middle of the river, pain spreading from her lower spine where it made contact. Madly, her fingers scrabbled for purchase on the rock, but the rain had made the stone too slippery and her grip slid uselessly off. No, no, no, Zelda panicked.
The water tossed her roughly, propelling her under the water. Operating only for survival, Zelda worked her way back to the surface.
She was getting tired. She could feel it in the way her arms moved sluggishly to push her upwards for air. Her legs kicking out automatically, feeling like weights slowing her motion.
Alive. Just stay alive.
But it was hard. So so hard to find the reason to keep fighting. The current dragged her along, the river mocking her futile attempts at escape, and Zelda was losing zeal. There was no hope in sight, no savior to save the savior. She was going to die.
Alive. Just. Stay. Alive…
Back under the water Zelda went, the current rushing past her face.
Why…am I trying? She tried to summon a Hyrule in chaos, a land in darkness, people running and screaming. For them. For them. For–
One among the people met her gaze. He picked up his sword. He ran towards the castle. Towards Calamity Ganon. All alone. For him.
Forcefully, Zelda flung her numb body upwards, breaking the surface for air. The waters around her rushed by faster, but the waves were disappearing. She took several needed deep breaths. A respite finally.
Over the pounding of the rain, her hearing picked up something ahead. A faint roaring. What the–
The water dropped away from her, Zelda falling through air before falling into a plunge pool, the base of the waterfall shoving her under. Hard. The descent was so unexpected, there was no time to prepare for the transition, mouth open, water shooting down her nose, her throat, filling her lungs. Her head smacked against the bottom of the river, vision going dark.
I guess there is a bottom after all.
Zelda's brain grew foggy, the underwater turning green at the edges.
She was mindless, floating in a river in her body and in her head. Not one thought stayed for long. And for some reason, her survival instincts couldn't force her senseless appendages to move anymore. She drifted along with the current speeding her further down the channel, feeling the thudding of her heart grow fainter and fainter. A burning in her chest was the only way Zelda knew she was still alive. But the burning was lowering into a softer heat, her lungs realizing it was futile.
So this is how I end, came one thought.
Another thought unbidden and random: what's that around my body? It's slippery like an eel and it won't let go…Zelda squirmed. Floating along in the current was so peaceful, but this anchor wanted to drag her roughly through it. The binds tightened around Zelda.
No matter.
There went that thought.
Something buzzed in Zelda's ear. Princess!
An annoyance. What was that?
Water sloshed in her ears.
Nothing…I don't care.
Her senses were fading, and she was fading into the darkness until she felt and heard no more.
Zelda opened her eyes.
Darkness.
But a different darkness than the water.
She looked down at herself. She was dry and clean and breathing. But she was wearing her ceremonial dress.
Where am I?
Her thoughts echoed all around her.
The darkness shifted, moving.
The hair on Zelda's arms went up, goosebumps erupting over her skin. The darkness was alive.
She felt its hunger.
She felt its rage.
Where am I? She asked more fervently, desperately.
Soft light spread underneath Zelda's feet, piercing the darkness. Turning, Zelda held a hand up, squinting against the brightness. Slowly, her eyes adjusted, and Zelda lowered her hand in astonishment.
The darkness was still everywhere, but amidst it all, was a white, glowing figure.
A lone woman haloed in light.
Zelda looked on in wonder.
The woman was beautiful. She was the most beautiful woman Zelda had ever laid eyes on. Everything about her was white, but underneath the light, were features like Zelda's own, colorless eyes staring back at Zelda, full lips parted.
She is not of this world, came the sudden thought.
Behind the woman, the darkness roiled, tossing and turning. Zelda could feel it circling them, winding around and around like a serpent around prey.
The woman's lips moved. Zelda's brow furrowed.
What? What are you saying? Zelda tried to say. Her voice was useless, only emptiness coming out. What is it?
The woman moved farther away. Or wait, was Zelda moving away from the woman? The unearthly woman watched with knowing, ancient eyes as Zelda kept sliding back and back from her.
Wait! Please! Zelda yelled soundlessly. What are you trying to tell me?
The darkness snarled, winding around Zelda's legs, tugging at her hands. Let go! Let go of me! Zelda screamed.
The woman watched on, her mouth opening once more. Zelda.
The voice didn't match what she imagined the woman sounding like. In fact, this voice sounded more like a boy's voice. It sounded at once, familiar and foreign. It was a voice she felt instinctively drawn to, warmth promised by the giver. But as her name was repeated once more, Zelda frowned. The voice sounded…anxious. Frightened. ZELDA.
With one last bellow of rage, the darkness pulled Zelda away from the woman in light. Thrusting her upwards.
Pain. Oh, the pain in her lungs. Zelda coughed, trying to rid herself of the pain. Sharp jabs pricked into her head. She flinched inwardly.
"I'm trying. I'm trying so hard, Link." The voice, female, on the edge of tears. "I–I don't know what's wrong with her. It's as if she is fighting against me."
Eyes. I have eyes. Zelda fought to open them, pain lancing through her skull, the slitted vision she got, blurry.
Two figures. Two figures above her.
Lying down, she thought drowsily. I'm lying on my back. The hard surface of a rock confirmed that. But her legs floated as if trailing in water, moving with the flow.
Something pressed down on her chest.
Knife. A memory came slicing through the fog. Gryllikh. Luto's Crossing. There's a knife pressing into my chest. Zelda struggled to lift her arms, to push the knife away, but her arms were made of lead. She couldn't move them. She couldn't move anything. And her eyes were slowly losing the power to stay open any longer.
"Princess? Princess," came the female's frantic voice. "I can't heal her. She won't let me." The female's voice broke on a sob. A name came to Zelda's bleary mind. Mipha. "I can feel her fading away."
The darkness from before was back, snarling behind Zelda. She couldn't fight it anymore. She didn't have the energy to. And her eyelids were oh, so heavy. Her eyes began to slip closed.
A sharp inhale sounded nearby. Zelda focused on the sound, eyes sliding to one of the figures, trying to remember how she knew him.
Blue. Eyes so blue.
And rain, like tears dripping down his face.
Something tugged softly in Zelda. She hurt. But it hurt more to see him like that. His expression. So…shattered. The darkness roared, pulling her under. Zelda's eyes shut.
Even without her vision, even in the darkness with the rumbling monster, Zelda was faintly aware of what was happening around her.
Warm arms slid under her numb body, lifting her up. She felt the limpness of her limbs, how they dangled uselessly.
And then she was moving. Because she was in the darkness, she didn't know where, but she felt the hurried steps, the pounding of someone's racing heart, and heard the quick breathing of panting.
It was that way for what felt like only moments. Voices, worried, surrounded her, but the arms around Zelda didn't retract. If anything, hands tightened against her soaking clothes as they vaulted upwards. One hand let go, but now she felt something bumpy beneath her bottom. Their pace sped up. They were flying, if rather jauntily along. A horse snorted.
Zelda's mind turned to the darkness. It was there, and if Zelda focused hard enough, an outline could be seen. The darkness wasn't as black as she thought it was. There were streaks of purple and low-level pink running through the darkness's mane. The creature was darkness, but it was also something else. Twin horns sprouted from where two glowing yellow eyes seethed at her.
She was afraid. But somewhere she knew it wasn't real. She hoped it wasn't real.
The horse stopped. A sharp descent down, but the drop was cushioned. Both arms around her again.
Zelda wanted to see. She wanted to see who those arms belonged to, whose heart she felt beating wildly against her chest. They belong to him. Her head sagged on his shoulder and the arms hugged her closer.
Wild brush and Chickaloo tree nuts.
The scent calmed Zelda despite the monster skulking near, just out of reach.
A huff of breath tickled her scalp. It felt warm against her wet hair.
Stay with me, Zelda wanted to say.
The quiet enclosing her and this person broke as other voices clamored around them. One sounded young, girlish."What's wrong with her?"
Another, older, wiser. "Put her on the bed."
The arms gently lowered Zelda onto something soft and giving beneath her. She wanted to reach out, pulling the arms back. But she was still so, so tired to move and her fight with the darkness had left her drained.
A kind, crackly voice murmured soothingly. "Drink this, Your Highness. All will be well."
The liquid running past Zelda's lips felt warm and thick. She swallowed automatically, feeling a warmth spread through her limbs. The monster in the darkness slithered away, snapping angrily as it disappeared into the recesses of her subconscious. Zelda sighed involuntarily, letting the warmth lull her into a warm, pleasant place.