A/N: I listened to "Memories" by Within Temptation while writing a portion of this chapter. That part is indicated by four asterisks. Feel free to pull up the song on YouTube and listen as you read along when you see "****"
Zelda and Impa found themselves in a vast desert. The sand appeared blood red in the light of the setting sun. A cold, harsh wind blew, whipping the sand up into their eyes. Zelda didn't seem to notice as she was lost in thought, plagued by dozens of unanswered questions in a nearly trance-like state. How long had Link been on the surface? Was he alone? Did Ghirahim know about him? How did he find her, and would be he able to find her again? If he did, could they finally be reunited, or would she have to deny him a second time?
Was he okay?
She was so absorbed in thought that she failed to hear Impa calling for her until the older woman was close to shouting to get her attention.
"Your Grace!"
Zelda's hazy eyes finally met Impa's.
"I see a cave nearby," Impa said. We can rest there for the night."
They shared a meal in silence by a small fire. Zelda had collected some plump mushrooms back in Faron Woods. Cooked on the open flame with a sprinkle of rock salt, they were deliciously chewy, reminding Zelda of a finely dried meat. Impa had also gathered a large, red fruit that grew on the tops of the nearby cacti. It had a sweet, floral aroma, and its juicy flesh almost melted in their mouths. As satisfying as the meal was, Zelda found it difficult to choke down each bite. Her stomach felt hollow and sick with worry for her friend. Impa left briefly to ensure the area was safe. She returned to find Zelda still sulking. Impa sat down on the other side of the fire, opposite Zelda, and sighed.
"Your grace," she began in a sad tone, "you must understand. The Goddess needs to know if you are fully committed to her. You are an important part of securing this world against the evil that threatens it. As such, you can no longer chase after your mortal desires."
Zelda's cheeks grew warm with frustration.
"I'm not following my mortal desires," she protested. "I'm following my heart."
"Your heart is mortal," Impa countered coldly.
Zelda felt her anger welling up, though she managed to keep it subdued.
"I just don't understand," she admitted. "Is Link part of Hylia's plan too? Why didn't she tell me?"
"For this very reason, I believe," Impa replied.
"What do you mean?"
"You saw him for only a moment, and he's all you've thought about since," Impa stated plainly. "He is a distraction to you."
"I think he came to rescue me, after the whirlwind."
"But he didn't rescue you, Your Grace. He was too far behind, and judging by his silence, I think he knows it."
The way Impa spoke gave Zelda pause. Until now, she had not known that Impa had confronted Link. Now, as she reflected back on her tragic exit from the Earth Temple spring, she remembered that Impa had taken some time to follow her through the portal. She could now deduce why. Zelda rose to her feet. Her expression toward Impa changed considerably.
"You said something to him, didn't you?" She asked pointedly.
"I told him the truth," Impa said matter-of-factly. Seeing that Zelda's demeanor had changed, she joined her in standing and looked her in the eye. "Did you see the sword he was wielding?"
The image of it sheathed behind his back flashed in her mind, along with the look of confusion and hurt on his face.
"Yes, I saw it," she replied, choking back tears.
"That was the Goddess Sword. I'm certain of it. It was forged by Hylia herself, and it contains the power to seal away all darkness. Only the Goddess' chosen hero can wield that blade."
Zelda felt her breath catch in her throat upon hearing this. Link, her dearest friend, was Hylia's destined hero? She felt a mixture of gladness and fear. Gladness for Link to be appointed by Hylia, as he was most deserving, and fear that this would put him in ongoing danger, and she could do nothing to help him. Impa continued.
"I told Link that he failed to protect you. Ghirahim would have taken you had I not arrived when I did, and yet Link was not even close. That is the truth, and that is what I told him."
Zelda's brow furrowed, and her lips pursed tightly. Her deep blue eyes welled with tears of searing anger. Each breath felt bitingly hot in her lungs as she suppressed a bitter cry.
"Link has always protected me! He would throw himself into any danger for me, and I would do the same for him. You had no right to talk to him that way!"
Zelda moved further away and sat down on the floor. She took several deep breaths to recompose herself, knowing that any more from Impa would likely set her off.
"And don't you dare take his silence as weakness," Zelda said in a low and slow tone. "You may be very wise, Impa, but you don't know him like I do."
(( **** Start soundtrack "Memories" by Within Temptation here **** ))
She laid down on the ground and turned away from Impa, not wanting her to see the tears which now rolled down her cheeks freely. How could she speak so cruelly about him? And now that Zelda knew Link was on the surface, it was all the more torturous to be separated from him. Thinking of how badly he must have been hurting was the hardest part of it all, and she inflicted that pain. The look of confusion and sadness on his face stuck vividly in her mind. She replayed the small waver in his voice again and again, and it cut through her each time like a knife. And now knowing he endured a scathing lecture from Impa to top it off was too much for Zelda to take. She stifled a loud, bitter cry.
"Zelda..." Impa beckoned.
"I need you to not speak to me right now," she replied strictly.
Impa obliged and laid down, her back towards Zelda. As Zelda laid on the hard cave floor, she tried to soothe herself by reflecting on her friendship with Link, recalling some of her fondest memories until she finally succumbed to sleep.
Zelda had just turned eight years old. Link was nine, and the two were practically inseparable. In the mornings, they shared breakfast, usually comprised of toasted bread with sweet goat butter and thick, tangy blueberry jam, their choice of fresh fruit, and a bowl of warm, spiced oats in milk, which Link enjoyed particularly well, often gesturing for seconds. Occasionally there would be a side of meat that popped as it cooked in oil, sprinkled with spices and always leaving one desiring more. Link often guzzled multiple cups of creamy and cold milk while Zelda enjoyed freshly squeezed fruit juice. After breakfast, they would complete their early schooling (mostly reading and writing) and their respective chores. Zelda would wash the morning dishes while Link dried them. One morning, Zelda cut her hand on a broken plate. Link was quick to come to her aid and bandaged her hand with great care and concern. Link would bring in logs for the stove while Zelda swept the floors, and together they would feed the Loftwings housed at the academy. They spent most afternoons climbing trees, chasing bugs, or pretending to be knights. They would run around riding on sticks, which they pretended were Loftwings (Link was almost of age to finally meet one of his very own).
Link had never uttered a word to anyone on Skyloft, yet that did nothing to hinder their friendship. It allowed them to develop their own shared way of communicating. One summer afternoon, they played near the waterfall, racing to see who could gather the most dandelions. The flowers were in full bloom and their sweet, delicious scent was flowing in the wind, which was blowing heavily that day. Link was the more cautious child, while Zelda could be naïve or even careless at times. While gathering dandelions, she wandered nearer and nearer to the island's edge and seemed to not notice.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind burst forth. Link hunched down to keep himself steady against the brutal wind. Zelda, however, lost her footing, and slipped off of the plateau. Link saw her vanish before his eyes. His heart began pounding in his chest. He ran as quickly as his legs could carry him to the edge of the plateau. To his amazement, Zelda was still there, hanging onto a chunk of protruding earth that she had grabbed onto, but her grip was waning. Zelda wanted to scream and cry, yet subdued it to conserve every bit of energy she had. She looked down, and for the first time ever, the clouds below appeared to her as a threat, ready to swallow her whole into unknown nothingness. She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks as she prayed for a miracle. That is when she heard something she never expected.
"Give me your hand!"
Through her teary, hazy vision, she saw Link leaning over the edge and extending his hand to her. She couldn't believe it. Was that his voice? It couldn't be... could it? She was so shocked to hear him speak that she almost forgot about her plight.
"Give me your hand, Zelda!" he repeated, desperately.
With as much strength as she could muster, she flung her arm upward and was relieved to feel the firm grasp of his hand wrap around hers. He strained as he fought to rise to his feet, pulling her up with him. Then, taking her by both hands, he pulled her the rest of the way to safety. Zelda laid on the ground while Link crouched with his hands on his knees, both trying to catch their breath and recover from the shock of what just happened.
"You- you saved me," Zelda said breathlessly.
Link nodded his head.
"And you- you spoke!" she exclaimed. She sprang up and drew closer to him, her blue eyes wide in wonder. "Father told me that you couldn't speak... but you really can."
Then, as any awestruck eight-year-old would, she asked a daring question.
"Why haven't you?"
Having never heard him speak until now, Zelda had learned to read and understand Link very well through his expressions and body language. Sometimes all she needed to do was look at his eyes to know what he wanted to communicate. She could see in his eyes now that he was wrestling with how (or perhaps if) to respond. His eyes darted this way and that. He bit down on his lower lip as his muscles tensed up. He looked as though he wanted to run away. Seeing this, Zelda pulled back.
"I'm sorry," she began quietly, "that was unfair of me to ask." She gave him a moment to process. "Just know, you can talk to me any time you want, but I will still be your friend, even if you choose not to.
She could see his breathing slowing, and his eyes ceased to dart about. She finally caught and held his gaze.
"... And I won't tell anyone."
