A Link to the Heart Chapter 13

It was a sad and dishevelled convoy that wended its way down the hills. A line of horse-drawn carts and trudging men and women, slogging down the road with heads bowed low by grief. They were sooty and haggard, with staring gazes and shocked expressions. They did not see the sun in the sky or the many columns of smoke rising from across Hyrule Fields. They looked like people who had seen their whole world torn apart and now had no other ideas than to flee. So they put their backs to the burned ruins of Lon Lon Ranch and walked away, never to return.

In the carts lay the injured and burned survivors, those too weak to walk packed among the bags of belongings, all that could be saved. These people knew they would not be coming back and so took everything they could carry, all the food and tools they would need to survive the foreseeable future. Each and every one of them had buried loved ones and friends, leaving them in shallow graves with flimsy wooden markers. Soon even those would pass and any future passerby would find only a few crumbling stones set upon each other and some rotten fences to indicate that there had ever been a ranch here. The past was dead and now they had only a bleak future to look forward to.

In a cart Link sat holding the reins, as the wooden board jostled under him. Before the cart Epona clopped along, hooves striking the packed gravel of the road. It was a poor use of a valiant warhorse but the survivors hadn't found enough horses to pull the carts so all they found had been pressed into service. Of the rest there had been no sign, fled into the night or stolen by the Gerudo, it made no difference. The survivors had no recourse but to round up what they could find and set off. By unspoken agreement they were heading for Hyrule Castle, the centre of Hylian authority and the biggest city in the land. If shelter was to be found anywhere, it was there.

Link looked to the sky and was dismayed by how bright and sunny it was. It wasn't right, a tragedy like they had experienced merited stormy skies and lashing rain. The sky should be weeping with sorrow for the lost while howling winds sang laments for the dead. This cheery morning was a mockery of the grief wrought in the night and the casual indifference of the weather was a knife to the heart. The world didn't care for the fates of men, people were born lived and died and the skies didn't even notice. The world carried on as it always had, and would probably continue to do so if every sentient soul vanished overnight.

There was a soft sigh beside him and Link glanced to where Malon was sitting. The girl had been very quiet while they worked. Merely helping shift supplies and carry the wounded onto the carts. She had ripped up blankets for bandages and set broken bones with barely a word, labouring to keep the wounded among the living with whatever strength she had left. She looked tired, pale and gaunt and her customary smile was missing, replaced with a forlorn look. Link recognised the signs of someone who was moving without thought, keeping busy so they didn't have to think of anything. He had been racking his brains trying to think of something to say, looking for some words to make it all better. Sadly he was coming up short, everything he thought of seemed trite or blunt. Truthfully he had never stuck around long enough to comfort the grieving, he'd usually defeated whatever monster was causing trouble then left afterwards. His experience with this sort of thing was scant.

There was a slow intake of breath beside him then Malon asked, "Where did you learn magic?"

Link was startled by the odd question and he replied, "From the Great Fairies."

Malon stared thoughtfully into the distance, "Could you teach me?"

Link frowned, "I'm not sure… maybe, but it's not like learning to ride a horse. It's more of a knack than a skill, not everybody has the talent for it."

"But you said we all have magic inside us," Malon pointed out.

"But not everybody can access it," Link countered, "Why do you want to know?"

Malon sighed, "Maybe if I'd known magic I could have done something…"

Link realised she was thinking about her father, wondering if she could have known some mighty spell to avert the tragic death of Talon. He drew in a breath and said, "There's nothing more you could have done, you did everything you possibly could."

Malon growled, "If I'd spent my life learning to swing a sword instead of lugging milk pails I could have fought those fiends off. I could have saved everybody."

Link only shook his head, "It wouldn't have made a difference."

"You did," Malon pointed out.

"One sword can't turn a battle," Link sadly told her, "Nobody's that good, not even me. I picked off a few and kept the Gerduo distracted while Ingo rallied the hands. Forget the minstrel's tales of heroes turning back armies single-handed, the hard reality is if one man goes up against fifty, he dies. The only thing that could have prevented the Gerudo attack was a score of Hylian Knights, armed and armoured for battle."

Malon's face was growing angry as she hissed, "What about magic?!"

Link could only sigh, "Perhaps some mighty sorcerer could have done something, but I'm not on that level. I can't reach out to tap the magic in the world, I only have as much power as my body can hold. I can cast a few hedge spells but that's it."

Malon frowned thoughtfully as she mused, "What if you had more, what if someone else gave you the magic from their body?"

"I…" Link murmured, "I've never thought about that. I suppose it's possible, but I wouldn't know how to start."

Malon breathed, "Maybe we can learn together and create a spell to bring Talon back."

"No," Link stated flatly, "It doesn't work like that. Magic can heal and mend, but it can't reverse death, nothing can."

"Why not?!" Malon snapped angrily.

"Life and death are not to be toyed with," Link explained, "Not even Gods can do that. Those who try to hold on to the world become ghosts and shades, not living creatures anymore. Talon wasn't like that, he let go, his spirit has passed on. Don't try to think there's some way of bringing him back, that way lays only pain. You have to accept it and move on. I know you're hurting…"

Malon's face crinkled as she spat, "Don't tell me how I feel!"

Link started in surprise, "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"No... I'm sorry for snapping at you," Malon breathed as the anger drained from her face, "I know you're trying to help, I shouldn't have shouted. Without you nobody would have lived through the attack. I'm glad you're here."

Link had no idea how to respond, her emotions seemed to be all over the place. Thankfully it was then that Ingo jogged up beside the cart and looked up saying, "Link, Malon, we need help. Mrs Bersa's leg is going grey; I think she's getting worse."

The lady in question had been run over by a horse in the fight and had a broken leg. She was lucky to be alive but was reduced to being flung into a cart like a sack of flour. Malon nodded once and turned to Link asking, "Any Lesser Fairies left?"

Link reach over the backboard into the piled bags of items the refugees had gathered and said, "Only one, it's the last though. Are you sure you want to use it?"

Malon replied, "Little Tor Bersa's lost his father, I won't let him lose his mother too."

"Use it quickly then," Link stated, "It can only heal while her fate remains uncertain. If she's bleeding internally and death becomes inevitable, no magic can help her."

Malon grabbed the bottle and sprang off the cart, jogging back along the column. Link sighed as he set his eyes forward, surveying the land. Across the horizon columns of smoke arose, signs that Gerudo war parties had struck across the length and breadth of Hyrule. This was no lone raid or random attack, it had been coordinated and brutally effective. The Gerudo had struck dozens of towns and farms in a single night, maybe more than Link could count, and the scale of the calamity could not be measured.

He spied small dots moving along other roads and knew many thousands of refugees would be streaming towards Hyrule Castle, the people running for the protection of their king. He only hoped the Royal Family would act swiftly, moving to punish the invaders and drive them from the land. Link was determined to be a part of it. The Gerudo were worse than monsters, those horrors were ferocious and vile but they acted with randomness. This attack had been planned with malice of forethought, it had been ruthless and methodical in its destruction. The Gerudo had to be stopped and Link knew he would be the one to do it.

Suddenly there was a soft thump as Tarren and Jortan came alongside and climbed into the cart. Link squeezed up to make room and asked, "Any sign of where they went?"

The pair had been scouting for tracks of the Gerudo and replied, "None, they outpaced us on horseback. They are long gone."

Link muttered, "Better keep a wary eye out, they might come back. We're vulnerable like this, we need to set a watch at nights."

Tarren sighed, "Would that I had thought of that earlier. I could have saved many lives."

Link looked at the Knight with concern, "You can't blame yourself."

"There's no way to deny it," Tarren lamented, "We knew the Gerudo were spoiling for war, we knew what they were capable of. I should have warned Talon the first night we arrived, told him to set watches above the bluffs and have every man sleep with a pitchfork by his side."

Link shook his head and argued, "You aren't alone. I didn't think of it either, I assumed we were so deep in Hyrule that nothing could reach us. I thought we were safe. I should have known better."

"No," Tarren growled, "I'm the senior Knight, it was my duty. You saw the lay of the land, a half-dozen lads on the bluffs with bows could have rained down arrows on anyone trying to climb that road. I could have averted all of this, if I hadn't been seduced by a hot meal and jug of cider."

Link knew the man was right, they had all lowered their guard. He hadn't even bothered to set any wards, an unforgivable lapse. Still he didn't want Tarren wallowing in sorrow and said, "We can't dwell on the past, we have to look forward."

Jortan spoke up then, "Is that what you said to make Malon shout at you?"

Link sighed, "She wanted to know if there was magic to resurrect the dead. I told her no, I told her she had to let go."

Tarren agreed, "Aye, every soldier wonders that at some point. It's a hard idea to let go of. Still there's some strength in that girl, lost her father less than a day ago and is already looking after everyone else."

Link agreed, "She's made of stern stuff."

Jortan however frowned, "That's not a good sign. Sometimes you gotta cry before you can heal, bottling up tears is no good."

Link lifted an eyebrow and remarked, "Odd attitude for a Knight."

Jortan merely shrugged, "I've never been one of those loudmouths, claiming nothing can hurt me. I've seen those braggarts swaggering around the taverns, claiming nothing affects them, then after a battle they're usually the ones bawling their eyes out over their dead friends. Hollow jugs ring the loudest."

Tarren agreed, "In life crap happens and you gotta let it play out, then pick up the pieces afterwards."

Link drew in a slow breath and said, "I keep trying to think of something to say to make it all better. To find the words to ease her grief."

Jortan exhaled wearily, "I'll tell you a secret, it's better not to try."

Link glanced at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

Jortan explained, "People grieving aren't looking for answers, they're looking for a shoulder to lean on. There's no words you can say to make it better, all you can do is be there to listen. That's what Malon needs, to know you'll be there when she's ready to let it all out. The Goddesses gave you two ears and one mouth, so listening is twice as better as speaking."

Link chewed on this for a moment then said, "You're a wise man."

"Ain't just a pretty face," Jortan replied sadly.

Tarren interrupted, "How long to Hyrule castle?"

Link glanced at the convoy and mused, "At this speed, four or five days."

Tarren looked over the horizon and said, "We won't be first to arrive then. Place will be heaving with refugees by the time we get there."

Jortan growled, "King will have to act when he sees this. These people will be baying for Gerudo blood and if the King don't promise it to them, there will be riots."

Link agreed, "Don't worry, Hyrule will respond. Justice will be done, we can count on it, and we will all be there to see it."

And with that the convoy rolled on, taking Link on a road that would lead to blood and peril in equal measure.