A/N: Well hello there! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)


When Heroes Fall

By: Selphie Kinneas 175

Chapter 30: Blind

.:.

The sunlight pierced Ren's closed eyes.

He tried to shut them tighter, to refuse the curt alertness, but his body wouldn't allow it. He squinted at the light streaming in through the window. He tried to turn over only to feel a sharp pain race up his back.

"Agh!" he groaned much louder than he intended. He went rigid, eager to not elicit that feeling again. He slowly, carefully, looked over his shoulder, trying to see the damage and remember what caused it. Attempting to look only hurt more, and that was enough to jog his memory.

Staying on his stomach, he turned his head away from the window with a huff, but on the other side of the room he saw something he did not expect. Link lay asleep on the sofa with Midna sat at his feet. She was awake, and she greeted him with a smile.

"Morning, little wolf."

Ren stared confusedly, "Morning..."

"Renado left you something for the pain," Midna said, nodding to a red drink on his bedside table.

He glanced at it but was too taken by surprise to care.

"He's been there all night?" Ren asked, looking at Link.

Midna glanced at her hero and nodded, "He refused to believe any of us that you were okay. Had to see for himself."

Ren was speechless. Midna was sad to see how much something as simple as his father's voluntary presence shocked him.

"Have you not slept?" Ren asked at length.

"I got a bit," Midna shrugged, "Wanted to make sure you both were okay."

Ren smiled, but Midna continued before he could say anything.

"Take that medicine."

Ren nodded and reached for it with a grimace. He sat up on his elbows and uncorked the bottle. Midna watched him with something itching at her mind that she had to voice.

"You took that arrow for me."

Ren froze to look at her. Her expression was stern as stone. He wasn't sure if she was thanking him or angry with him.

"Don't do that ever again," Midna said seriously.

Ren was taken aback, "I- Um... Sorry, I was just trying to stop you from getting hit, didn't exactly mean to take it myself."

"My life is not worth yours," her voice lowered, "Don't do it again."

Ren furrowed his brow, eager to protest, but she cut him off again.

"Take that medicine."

He gulped it down without a word. His nose scrunched in disgust and he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. He set the bottle back down and the room was awkwardly silent.

"Sorry, I'm not mad at you, just..." she shook her head, "Can't have you doing that for me again, okay?"

Ren didn't understand, but he felt her need.

He nodded, "Okay."

When Link awoke sometime later, he was no less heavy.

Well past sunrise, he was frantic when he finally came to and realized how much time he had wasted. Midna and Ren were gone; he was alone in the room. He sat up abruptly, causing his head to spin. He stumbled to the hall and straightened with a grimace. Everything was sore and throbbed with a dull aching. Once he gained his bearings, he was able to support himself. He made his way downstairs, where he heard the others talking.

They all fell silent as Link entered. Midna met him at the bottom of the stairs for support. Most of them sat around the main table, clearly discussing strategy. Talo and Rusl were still absent, and Luda sat at the table with Orielle on her lap while Kina sat at the check-in desk. Beside Luda sat Zelda, then Ashei, Shad, and Renado. Ren lay on the sofa in the corner of the room, still recovering but adamant to be part of the discussion.

Link locked eyes with his son, noticing a thick gauze wrapped around his chest and sweat thick at his brow.

"Are you okay?" Link blurted the first thought that came to his mind, staring worriedly at Ren.

Ren sat up with a poorly disguised frown, "It hurts but I'm okay. Are you okay?"

Link shrugged it off like it was a stupid question, "I'm fine."

They were surrounded by awkward silence for a moment. Everyone knew he was anything but fine, but they also knew they had no choice but to send him back out there to finish his task. No one wanted to be the one to say it.

Instead, they delayed it, and continued their previous conversation.

"So, was this Viscen's doing?" Luda asked.

"Of course it was," Ashei answered.

"I know he made the monsters," Luda said, "I just mean, did he send them here or were they wanderers?"

"He must have sent them here," Renado said, "The timing was simply too perfect."

"Yes..." Zelda spoke up, "He aims to strike when we are at our lowest, to ensure we do not regain our stamina. I imagine everything is going according to his plan."

The room fell silent again.

Shad cleared his throat and cut right to the chase, "Where do we stand on gathering allies, old chap? We are very clearly out of time."

"I am leaving for the desert today," Link said.

Ashei cocked a brow, "The desert?"

"The Bulblins live there now," Link answered.

"Are you sure we can trust them?" Renado asked.

"Yes," Link nodded, "King Bulblin is an ally."

Some of their faces showed that they considered protesting, but their desperation stopped them from voicing it.

"Well, fair enough," Shad said with a nod, "We trust your judgment."

"How much longer is it exactly until we face the king?" Luda asked.

"Nine days," Shad answered.

"Can we even count on him to stick to the agreement at this stage in the game?" Ashei pointed out, "Not like he's exactly trustworthy, yeah?"

"He has gained the upper hand. He knows this," Zelda said, "He has put us in a vulnerable position and intends to keep us there. Time is on his side now; he has no reason to rush. I believe he will still wait to meet us in battle himself until our agreed upon day, but will continue the random attacks to keep us from properly recuperating."

"So, the answer is both yes and no," Shad elaborated.

"I believe so, yes," Zelda said.

The queen turned to Ren when something crossed her mind.

"I have not heard Emeline's voice since the day you returned. Have you?"

"No, I haven't," Ren replied solemnly, "I still feel her keeping balance against the Fused Shadow in me, like a light that never goes out... But I haven't heard her."

Zelda turned to Link for an answer.

Link shook his head, "I haven't heard her either."

Zelda pursed her lips, "I worry for her."

Renado reached across the table for her hand, "She is strong and capable. She will be alright."

Zelda smiled, and for a moment there was silence again.

Ren squirmed in his seat, growing exponentially restless at the mention of Emeline. His back was red-hot with pain and his head felt woozy, but he was determined to stick to his plan. He got to his feet and the room spun once, then grounded itself.

"I'm going to Ordon to give the news to my family," Ren declared.

Renado stood to protest, "I really must advise you to take another day to rest."

Ren shook his head, "We don't have a lot of time left. I need to make it there and back with time to spare. Besides, maybe there will be people there who want to help us fight."

"I don't think the people of Ordon are much of fighters, yeah?" Ashei said.

"Neither are most of us, but here we are," Ren stated confidently.

Midna smirked in pride.

Link didn't want to say anything, but his heart got the better of him, "You shouldn't go alone."

Ren looked at him in surprise.

"It's not safe," Link added.

"I appreciate that," Ren said, "But who would go with me? You have your task, and we can't leave the village completely unprotected."

Link's face read that he was displeased with the validity of Ren's reply.

"Then it should wait," Link argued, "Your safety is nonnegotiable."

Ren couldn't help but smile. Surface-level and strained as Link's display was, it was concern, it was care.

"It can't wait," Ren said matter-of-factly, "With all due respect... My mind is made up."

Link froze. The others were silent. Ren caught Midna's pleased smirk, but he tucked his own away so Link wouldn't see.

"If that's what you need to do..." Link nodded slowly in resignation, "It's a day and a half ride if you're not running your horse. Don't take the beaten path and don't stop to rest. Rebandage your wound every few hours."

"I know, I know," Ren interjected, "I got it. I'll be alright."

Link stopped and sighed.

Ren turned to Renado, "Pack me some of that red medicine and I'll be just fine," then he looked again to his father, "I promise."

Renado glanced between them, waiting to see if Link had further protest. When no one spoke up, he said sternly, "You will take it easy."

"I will."

Renado smiled, "Alright, my boy. Give our friends back in Ordon our regards."

Ren nodded, grabbed his things, and headed for the door. Midna grabbed him firmly by the wrist as he passed and she leaned in close.

"Watch your emotions," she spoke low and serious, "When you come back, we're reining in those powers. Hold out until then, got it?"

"Got it," Ren said confidently, though it made him nervous.

Ren paused one last time before Link with a smile, giving him the opportunity to say something before he left. Link looked at him. Words swelled up in his throat, floated around on his tongue, begged to be released. None were brave enough to step forward. Ren's hopeful smile faded to one of understanding, and with a nod, he left the inn. Ren hitched Colin's sword to his faithful friend, Ilari, eager to return the orphaned horse back home. He mounted Mila, and with Ilari trailing behind, he left Kakariko for Ordon.

Link closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. Midna placed a discreet hand on his back. The others began to disperse, Luda and the girls back upstairs, Ashei and Shad to the kitchen, and Zelda to the sofa in the corner. Just as Link and Midna turned to leave, a voice from the stairwell stopped them.

"Did Ren leave?"

Link turned to see Rusl on the landing, Talo keeping a watchful eye from the top banister.

"Yes," Link hesitated, but did not elaborate.

Rusl nodded. With labored footsteps he approached his son.

"Do take it easy, friend," Renado cautioned, but Rusl ignored him.

Rusl looked at Link, exhaustion deeply rooted in his expression, "I'd like to talk with you before you leave."

"I'd like that, too," Link replied. He motioned for Midna to stay inside and he helped Rusl out to the front porch.

Rusl leaned against the railing for support, and Link stood beside him. Rusl breathed deep the fresh air, though tinged with ash and sweat as it was.

"Are you well?" Rusl asked at length.

"As well as I can be," Link said, "It's you I've been worried about."

"Yes, well... Life carries on, doesn't it?"

Link paused, "Yeah... it does."

Rusl looked down at his clammy hands, then up at the bright blue sky, "Times when it gets so hard you think you could not possibly go on another moment, you do just that. The body goes on, even when the heart suffers."

Link fell silent. He gazed at the older man, the man so important to him he could call him father. The man selfless enough to take up a son that was not his and raise him. The man just as tired as he was, for some different reasons, and for some the very same.

"I'm sorry," Link said, guilt welling up in his chest.

Rusl turned to him, "Whatever for?"

"I swore I would protect those kids for the rest of my life. I swore I would protect Colin. I failed. All of this is my fault. My abandoning Ren led to Colin's death. Apologizing isn't enough... but I don't know what else to do," Link said.

Rusl stared at him a moment. Stared at the man he remembered as a frightened boy, afraid of being alone. The man burdened with a weight no one but him could ever truly comprehend. The man he considered his son just as much as Colin, and he smiled.

"Do you remember how this all started?" Rusl asked.

Link furrowed his brow, "How what all started?"

"All of it," Rusl said, "I tasked you with going to the castle to deliver Ordon's gifts to the royal family, the sword and shield. Do you remember?"

Link looked far off in memory, "I do."

"Perhaps then, by that same measure, I am to blame," Rusl spoke sincerely, gazing out across the village, "Maybe things would have been entirely different."

Link stared out with him, hanging on his every word.

"Perhaps..." Rusl thought aloud, "If I had never put so much responsibility on you, you would have never been burdened with so much of it. Maybe you could have avoided all the strife you have endured as hero and otherwise. Perhaps you could have had a simple life."

Link's eyes narrowed, "I know what you're trying to get at, but that's not the same."

"Isn't it?" Rusl said, turning to him, "I am blaming myself for setting years' worth of events into motion, just as you are."

"That was... That was a lifetime ago," Link argued, "The action and the outcome don't correlate."

"Exactly," Rusl said, "There is no use telling yourself if you did things differently years ago when you were a different person you would have a different life today. Not only do we have no way to ever truly know that, but without all the events that bring us to today, we are not the people we know, the people we love are not the same people. Everything changes."

Link sighed, "I can agree that you're right, but it doesn't relieve my guilt. It doesn't make me feel better."

"Sometimes nothing can. Sometimes we just have to feel our pain," Rusl said.

"I'm just so sorry he's gone, Rusl," Link spoke weakly, "I hope you feel no ill will toward Ren."

Rusl paused, "He went to give the news to Uli and Calie, didn't he?"

"Yes," Link replied.

Rusl said nothing,

"Are you angry?" Link asked, "I know you wanted to be there for them."

Rusl shook his head, "No. It will be a pivotal moment that will determine whether or not Ren will be able to forgive himself. He needs no one else's forgiveness, for he already has it. He has to earn his own."

Link paused. He knew Rusl intended him to absorb that same message. Rusl gave him a moment to grapple with that before continuing.

"I could never feel ill will toward Ren. Though Ren's hand drove the blade, it was not his heart or mind. Ren loved Colin dearly..." Rusl's voice faded and he shook his head, "No... Feeling anger toward Ren would serve no purpose."

Link took a breath and what was really bothering him surfaced, "I have no idea how to be a father to him."

Rusl turned to him, an expression of an eagerness to listen on his worn features.

Though embarrassed, Rusl elicited such a strong feeling of comfort that Link didn't hesitate to go on, "I'm smothered by my guilt every time I look at him. I think of Ilia, of what she had to go through alone, of how she died. I think of all of Ren's life that I've missed, and I feel like there's just no way I can make up for all that lost time, all that suffering."

"Well," Rusl said after a staccato of silence, "I cannot help your guilt over Ilia, as I share that with you... But, when you think of the time you've missed with Ren, about coming into his life late, remember that I came into your life late just the same, yet still I call you son."

Link was frozen a moment, Rusl's words striking deep. Then, he simply smiled and said, "Thank you."

Rusl smiled, too, though his felt much too forced.

Silence befell them, and in it Link felt Rusl's pain like a suffocating cloud. Before he could say anything, Rusl's voice returned as a quivering whisper.

"Does it get easier, my boy?"

Link furrowed his brow, "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Loss," Rusl turned to him with wet lashes, "The smothering grief of it. You have lost so many... Does it get easier?"

Link waited, thought on it, took a breath. He stared into Rusl's imploring eyes, and the answer came easily.

"Yes and no," Link spoke with a soothing, quiet voice, "The initial pain feels like your world is caving in around you, like you could never possibly learn to breathe again without them. Your heart weighs so heavy in your chest you swear it alone feels strong enough to kill you. But... it doesn't. Over time, it lightens, the days become easier and the pain more manageable. You learn to go on, but you never forget them. The waves of sorrow come less often, but sometimes strike you just as hard when you aren't expecting. Each day gives grief a new face. One day you feel content, happy to have known them, then the next you want nothing more than to hear their voice just one more time, and that wave pulls you under. All it takes is an emptiness where they should be, the chair where they used to sit, a belonging they held close, their favorite flower. Most days, I am at peace with my parents' deaths, but other days I want their advice, I want them to meet Ren, I want to hold them in my arms one last time."

Link paused, the emotions wrapping tight spirals around his throat. The losses of Ilia and Colin were still so fresh, he felt his composure slipping away. When he looked at the face of the man he considered his father, the pain so evident in his tired eyes, he crumbled. Link dug his fingertips into his closed eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry," Link shook his head, "I'm supposed to be comforting you, but I-"

Link's voice stopped short when Rusl suddenly pulled him in for a hug. Neither spoke, for nothing needed to be said. They held each other and remained there as long as it took for the warmth to sink in. Link closed his eyes and breathed deep, and Rusl did the same, letting his tears fall without care. At length, they pulled away, Rusl's hands still on Link's shoulders.

"Everything will be alright... in time," Rusl said with a smile, "For all of us."

Link smiled, too. He nodded and wiped the wetness from his cheeks.

Rusl gave Link's shoulders a final pat before releasing him.

"I should get back inside before I worry Renado too much."

"I'll see you off," Link replied, following Rusl inside the inn.

Renado stood to meet them, taking Rusl's arm into his with a smile and escorting his friend back upstairs. As Link turned again to leave, Midna stopped him.

"Will everyone be safe here while we're away?" Midna asked, "Sounds like they expect more attacks."

Link paused, looking concerned, "I don't kn-"

"Do not worry about that," Zelda spoke from the sofa in the corner of the room, "I will take care of it."

Link and Midna shared a glance.

"All due respect but... how?" Midna asked with a cocked brow.

Zelda took in a deep breath and crossed her legs beneath her. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands before her heart. After a moment, they felt the earth rumble, and Zelda began to glow. They heard a strange noise outside, and Link ran to the window. Rising from the ground came a golden barrier. Link watched it climb and climb until it fully enclosed overhead, encasing all of Kakariko in a bright dome of protection.

Link turned back to Zelda in a flash, "Princess, you can't-"

Midna placed a hand to his chest to stop him, "Her mind's made up and we don't exactly have any other options."

Link looked past Midna at the queen. She sat elegantly, appearing as if she were in a trance. Link felt her weariness, their connection to one another never failing. He felt her slowing pulse as his own, heard her consciousness drip from her like water. She had not the strength to expend such energy for long.

"She can't keep that up forever," Link whispered.

"We don't need forever," Midna smirked, "Let's go."

Link looked at her with confident determination and nodded. Getting to and traversing the desert would take up most of the remainder of their days. They wasted not another minute. Taking only what they needed to survive, they mounted Epona and made haste for Gerudo Desert.

Those in Hyrule Castle felt much less need for haste.

In fact, they bided their time. Good food, drink, and company kept the king as busy as he needed to be, knowing he had already won.

"Tell me again how great their suffering is," Viscen said with a swig of wine.

Emeline sat opposite her father, hands bound in her lap and ankles bound to her chair. She avoided his eyes but knew it best to answer his questions.

"Immensely great... father," she said.

Viscen smiled, "Yes... but I want details, my beautiful daughter. Tell me just how immensely great their suffering is. I want to feel it."

Emeline swallowed, her throat like sandpaper, attempting to fill her growling stomach with what saliva she could muster to trick the hunger pangs away. It didn't work. She felt his eyes on her, so she shut hers tight to show him she was searching for the answers he wanted. Truthfully, she did not have to expend much energy to search out the feelings of her friends, though far away as they were. Their collective pain was strong enough that she felt it without having to seek it out, but seek it out she did. When she felt what they felt, she cried.

"They all mourn Colin dreadfully. Talo and Luda mourn their son. Ren is-"

Viscen waved her words away, "Enough with the names, they mean nothing to me. I have no idea who they belong to."

Emeline's skin crawled and she did not push aside her anger, "Talo and Luda are the parents of the unborn child you killed, Colin is the man you had Ren kill, and Ren is the boy you nearly destroyed. You killed them. The least you could do is remember their names."

Without warning, Viscen backhanded Emeline across the face. The strike knocked her and the chair she was tied to over onto the floor. She hit the ground with a wince and looked up at her father. He was unfazed, his wine glass in his other hand and an unamused look on his face.

"Do not speak to me like that again," Viscen said, then he snapped his fingers at the servants, "Get her up."

Two handmaidens rushed to Emeline's side, hefted her up, and positioned her and the chair to the king's liking. One of them began dabbing at the fresh cut on Emeline's cheek, but Viscen barked at them to leave it, so they backed away quickly. Emeline avoided her father's eyes, but she felt him stare at her face marred by bloodied scratches at various levels of healing.

"You would be so beautiful if only you did not go and get yourself hurt like that," Viscen said.

Emeline swallowed down the retort she wanted to say and said instead, "Yes, father."

"You remember what happened last time we had a misunderstanding," Viscen spoke with mock concern, "We don't want that to happen again, do we?"

Emeline knew to what he was referring. The morning after she helped Ren escape, Viscen came to the room high in the tower where she was locked away. He asked her to tell him what happened, and she lied to protect her friends. He saw through her lies, and he hurt her. His reliance on the Fused Shadow's magic made it stronger. With it, he hurled her up into the air and suspended her upside down as he berated her for betraying him. He hit her until she thought she lost consciousness, then he released the magic holding her and she hit the stone floor.

Emeline shook her head, "No... we don't."

Viscen nodded, "Good, good. You remember our chat after that, I am sure? I know you wouldn't dare forget it."

After he released her that day, his mood shifted. He realized her releasing Ren could work in his favor, and that she could be his eye into his enemy's plans. He told her she would be his ally and tell him all that the hero was planning or he would kill them all. She had no choice but to agree. He had kept her here since, deprived of rest and sustenance.

"Yes, I remember," Emeline said.

Viscen smiled, "Wonderful, I knew you would not let me down."

She did not say anything. He observed her in the silence that lingered as long as he desired it to.

"Now, my sweet, let's try this again," Viscen cleared his throat, "Tell me how great their suffering is."

Emeline kept her head down, refusing to look at him.

"They... grieve, father. They are... vulnerable."

"Yes... go on."

She breathed through the tightness in her throat. She could see her friends' bleakness, their defeat, their agony. She felt their pain like an arrow to the heart, but she also saw their perseverance. She saw their intent to fight back, saw the hero's determination to gather allies, saw her mother's fortitude in protecting her people. Their suffering she could tell her father about as much as he wished to hear it, but their relentless resolve would be their secret.

"They are nearly spent," Emeline cried, turning up the emotion to sell it, "They have given up to wallow in their suffering."

Viscen stroked his beard, "Is that so? I can expect no masterful plan from the pathetic, loathsome hero?"

Emeline knew she couldn't make them seem entirely defeated or he would not believe her. She had to tread the line between admitting they had some fight left in them, without leading him to believe they still had a chance.

"The hero will still fight when you should meet him, but that is all they are capable of. Mother has erected a barrier to protect the village, and they tremble beneath it."

Viscen's lips curled into a slow smile. It lingered a moment, and Emeline could see the wheels in his mind turning. Then his grin erupted into laughter, and she saw his heart swell with prideful arrogance. He finished his wine in a final gulp and leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh.

"How marvelous. At last, they cower in the gutter like the rats they are. We will see to it that they stay there. I will honor our agreement and meet them in nine days' time, but they will find no rest. Monsters will not leave their door. They will meet me on their hands and knees begging for mercy," Viscen smirked devilishly, "And they will find none. Let us see if their gods listen to their prayers now."

Viscen stood and turned for the door, but he heard Emeline's nearly inaudible sigh of relief. He whirled around and grasped her by the collar of her dress. She gasped as he breathed fury hot on her cheeks.

"I know you still aim to help them. For all my attempts at raising a powerful queen you choose to be a craven witch. You will face the same torment as the hero and allies you so covet: you will not rest. You will not leave this chair. You will be too weak to help them. You will not use your pitiful excuse for power to communicate with them. It will not help you. Am I understood?"

Emeline nodded, but he was not pleased with such a lackluster response. He grabbed her tighter and pulled her closer to him. She yelped and felt the chambermaids look away.

"You will answer me when I speak to you," his voice was low and grating, and Emeline found it to be a thousand times more frightening then when he yelled, "I said, am I understood?"

Emeline sat up straight and spoke with confidence, "Yes, father."

He did not smile. He released her, stood up straight, and motioned for two servants to stay with her as he left. He had no parting words, no final quip to reaffirm his power. His cloak flowed behind him out the door and his footsteps were gone shortly after. Emeline felt her heart truly drop for the first time. She had not been afraid of her position before, knowing he would not kill her, being able to see potential outcomes and what he might do. When she looked at him now, all she saw was a shroud of smoke and nothingness.

She could not see his intentions.


We go blindly on.


A big thank you to the following for helping me get this chapter out there!

Big Jake, Fez, Lee Glerum, Cynfall, Jacob Peachey, Gabby-J, InnerEnigma, Ivalee, Jessie H, Kevin Pham, KingRoxim, Lotus Eater, Paul Linfor, Robert California, Rocket Man, Siren World, XYukiNoHanaX, emmydog1, Amber Milligan, Emily Zuber, Julianna Reed, Mandelbrot, MurderedbySweets, Rob Walters, Sabine, Silvia Delgado, Tyli Ariegh, Mel

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