A/N: I'm so excited for this chapter! I had so much fun & emotional trauma while writing it! And I did introduce an OC in this chapter. I will post his appearance reference soon! :3 I hope you enjoy, and read & review? Thanks guys!
Link remained silent as Zelda led the horses back to the stables. His hands stayed tight around Epona's mane and his face strained; his eyes looked like those of a child that had just witnessed murder. Zelda sighed as she dismounted her horse; she reached for her reins and brought them over her horse's head. She tied them to a nearby fencepost. She walked over to Epona's side to help Link dismount, but he appeared unresponsive to her. He was in all consciousness, but his face was blank: his eyes glassy, his mouth parted slightly, and the ghostly pale shade of his skin. The betwixt amount of fear and anger that flooded the boy's was easily noticed by Zelda. She presumed it was a flashback, but it wasn't certain. Zelda felt bad for Link, he was going through a lot of emotional trauma for an eighteen year old boy. But, she was the princess, soon to be queen, and she faced a lot of trauma by all the stress of the title. He wasn't alone in his feelings of hopelessness.
Link prevailed in his frozen state for several minutes, before subliminally beginning to dismount to his left. It was habit for him to dismount to the left – it was how he was taught to ride. But, when his foot touched the stirrup and his weight shifted to his ankle, he yelped and slid back in the saddle. He cursed underneath his breath before noticing Zelda standing at the shoulder of his horse. Once he made eye contact with her, his face filled with a bright pink hue.
Link's lips quivered as the words tumbled out. "I-I'm sorry, Zelda. I didn't realize you were standing before me." He stared down at his horse's withers, his face growing paler and sterner. Link couldn't keep looking at Zelda; he felt guilt bubble up inside him for his faulty actions. The tips of his ears felt hot but numb; he must've offended her, he was sure of it. Link wanted to hide his face from her; he closed his eyes and covered his hot face with his hands. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, the words were muffled from under his hands.
A small chuckle. Link's ears perked, his brows raised, and his eyes shot wide open. He slowly pulled his hands from his face, simultaneously turning to face Zelda. A small smile warmed her face, welcoming Link. His expression only made it visible to Zelda his growing confusion. She could only smile at Link, though. "It's fine." She blinked at him, looking him directly in the eye. "I don't mind, really. I consider you equal to me, as I am equal to you." Link furrowed his eyebrows and parted his mouth in a slight frown.
"But," the words fell from his lips. "I am not of royalty, as you are." Link turned in his saddle to face Zelda as she reached behind him to untie the crutches. Zelda shook her head at him and continued to reach onto the mare's back. She was getting slightly annoyed at Link's little act, pretending to be so innocent – acting he was nothing more than one of her followers. Zelda pursed her lips and removed the crutches from the saddle. She strutted around the rear of the horse – to help Link dismount to the right.
Zelda dragged a stool up to Epona's side, and reached her hands up and helped Link slide off the saddle and onto his good foot. She brought him the crutches and helped situate them under his arms. She began to lead their horses into their stalls respectively. Link followed slowly, watching Zelda's every move with his horse. As she removed the tack from her horse, Link placed himself on a bale of hay lying near the stalls. Zelda began to unbuckle Epona's bridle, removing the bit from the mare's mouth. "I don't know if you care anymore, but you saved my life at one point." She wiped the bit off with a cloth before hanging the bridle next to the horse's stall. "I owe you, Link." She then bent down to unbuckle the girth from the saddle, then lifting the saddle and girth off the mare. "I don't care who you think you've become. I know who you were, and you did miraculous things that I could never repay you for." Zelda laid the saddle just outside the stall door before heading back in with a curry and brush. "You and I have a connection that cannot be broken. I don't feel above you in any way." She poked her head outside the stall for a moment to see Link sitting on the bale, fumbling with his thumbs. "I think of you as a friend."
Link's face gaped. He slowly craned his neck to look back at Zelda, who was exiting the stall, locking the door behind her. She went over to Link and grabbed a pile of hay from the bale he was on, and split it between the two horses. Zelda returned to Link; she looked down at him, placing her hand on his head and removing the bangs from his eyes. Link looked at Zelda like a lost puppy. She offered her hand to him. "Let's go get you cozy inside. I don't want you getting any sicker than you already are." She smiled at the dirty blonde and he took her hand. Zelda helped pull Link to his feet as he firmly grasped his crutches. They began to head to the castles from the stables.
Zelda opened the door to the castle for Link, but from the corner of her eye she saw a sly figure dash through her peripheral vision. She formed an under bite of her jaw, and growled in her throat. Zelda shooed Link into the castle, closing the door behind them. She excused herself for a moment, and entered into the guards' lounge. Zelda scanned the faces of each of the men, and then saw who she was looking for. She scurried to his side and tapped on his shoulder.
The young man slowly turned to face her, and his freckled face flushed red. Zelda spoke. "I acquire your assistance," the words flowed from her lips like a river, while her face remained stern. The guard remained speechless in shock. "Sir, please come with me. I will override your duties for now." The guard shook from his state of utter shock as Zelda turned on the balls of her feet and began to strut back to where Link was. She looked over her shoulder and gesticulated for the guard to follow. He jumped and immediately caught up with Zelda.
The young guard walked side by side with Zelda until she stopped by Link, who was leaning up against the wall. Link gazed up and down at the man next to Zelda, his uniform was clean and free of dishevelment. His record was clean and so was his face. Zelda had made mental notes of Link's and the guard's resemblance by the structures of their faces. However, the guard was much taller than Link, his cheeks were freckled, his hair was dark gingery red, and his voice hummed at a slightly deeper pitch. Link's lips only rose in a small sneer at the young man – the guard responded with turned a dark crimson and facing his feet. Quickly, the disgust left Link's face, and he turned to Zelda: his eye begged, his bottom lip puckered out more than usual, and his brows scrunched close. She only shook her head to the boy – he sighed.
"Link, this is Eric. Eric, this is Link." Zelda made a motion with her hands to cue that the two should shake hands and introduce themselves.
The guard listened, holding out his right hand to Link and grinning. "Nice to meet you – as Zelda introduced me, I'm Eric. Eric Koriku." Link only scowled at Eric's offer. The guard, ashamed, pulled his hand back in a bashful manner.
"Why are you so fucking tall?" Link muttered at the young man who stood before him. His nose was scrunched up and a small frown traced his mouth. Eric's face was flushed with hurt and embarrassment. He had muttered something to himself before expunging his craven expression. Zelda only stood between the two men with wide eyes.
But then her pupils narrowed. She glared at Link, grabbing the boy's bag of belongings and shoving it in Eric's arms. "Please escort Link to his room and watch him until I come up." Zelda was looking at Eric directly in the eye; her voice stolid, dour, and impervious to the repeated glances from Link. "I need to attend to an issue quickly. I shouldn't be more than half an hour. Please try to get alone for the time being." Zelda specifically glared at Link with her last few words. Link just shrugged and looked away from her.
Eric slung the small bag of Link's belongings over his left shoulder and Link over the other. The blonde's face flashed red; it was obvious he didn't like his "special treatment" for being injured. Zelda smirked at Link, giggling at his diffident expression, and then turned and exited out the castle doors. She patted down the skirt of her gown, freeing it from any snags and allowing it to flow loosely over her feet. She pulled any last strands of stray hair from her face. Zelda's expression remained grim and serious. "Impa. Please come out."
The sly figure swiftly weaved from ledge to ledge, and then landing directly in front of Zelda. The princess didn't have a reaction; she didn't even flinch. The hooded woman turned to Zelda, lowering her hood from her head, exposing her bleach blonde tendril of hair. A smirk filled her cheeks. "So you were right about him, eh?" A small chuckle. Impa began to undo her cloak.
Zelda shook her head. "Partially." Impa had paused while unbuttoning her cloak, and raised one brow at Zelda, cuing an explanation. She sighed, "His mentality remains, but it is unstable. It appears that shortly after returning home he fell down the ladder to his basement, breaking his ankle. Also, one of his war wounds had gotten infected. It was right on his spine, he was quite sickly for a few days. He was finally well enough for me to take him here." Zelda stared at the cobblestone path under her feet. "I have an uncanny fear that things will decline. Not necessarily in physical state, but mental. He's gotten a bit wordy."
Impa smirked, laying a hand on Zelda's shoulder, causing her to look up at the tan woman. "Zelda, he's going to be fine. He's the goddesses' chosen hero. They wouldn't let anything go wrong for him; especially after all they put him through. Practically, they used him like they used you and I." The words stung Zelda with unfeigned truth; Impa's words were bitter and harsh, but they were reality. The goddesses' altruistic messenger wouldn't lie to her.
"So what are you going to be doing for him here?" Impa questioned the princess. Zelda gulped and her face flushed a faint pink. She didn't know; she didn't have a plan; she just wanted him to be out of harm's way until he was stable again. The small smirk left Impa's face and it transformed into a small frown. "You don't have a clue, do you, my grace?" Zelda could only shake her head in response. Although Impa remained chivalrous, Zelda knew she was looking down on her.
Impa sighed, closing her eyelids and shoving her hands into her pockets. A small breeze picked up in the small castle road. Impa's tendril and Zelda's braid began to float in the breeze as the two women stood in silence. A small rumble from the sky called Impa to open her eyes. The sun was still visible, but it was overcast and thick and heavy clouds were pouring in from the north. Impa reached for her cloak, slipping it over her shoulders and fumbling with the buttons. Zelda held her hands together at the front of her gown as she remained speechless.
"I better be off." Impa tapped the princess on the shoulder. Zelda jumped from her slumber of deep thought by the woman's touch. Impa was analyzing the castle walls, looking for the best place to jump. Zelda followed the tan woman around the walls as she readied herself. Impa faced Zelda and pointed to the dark clouds of the north. "It's going to storm soon. I need to get to my lodging before the weather becomes inclement. I suggest you head inside, too, your grace. Catch up with your little hero." She winked at Zelda, who parted her mouth slightly. Before the first truculent crack of lightning echoed in the distance, Impa had sprung into action and got over the castle walls with ease. Zelda stood, unable to form words, and slightly grinned. She didn't understand what about Impa that made her feel so happy, the woman just did.
The young guard laid the fail boy on his cot. The dirty blonde's arms were tight; his face cross and flushed pink; his teeth were clenched. He watched warily as Eric too his possessions from the sack and placing them on the nightstand and dresser. Link sighed, reaching for his crutches. He slipped them under his arms and hauled himself to a standing position, despite the pain they caused. Link began the slow walk to the balcony, the echo of clop clop clop following him with each step he'd make. Eric raised his head when he heard the beating of the crutches on the floor, and then the creaking of the balcony door. He placed the sack of Link's items next to the cot, stood, and followed Link to the balcony. He saw Link stand there looking out over Hyrule field; leaning against the railing in a slouch, his crutches set aside, his left ankle being babied held up in the air. Eric sighed and frowned, walking out to the balcony with the boy.
Link heard the taller man's heavy footsteps on the stone balcony. He sneered and rolled his eyes. "Go away," Link muttered from under his breath, his voice was hoarse and raspy. Eric took note of the puffy, pink skin around Link's eyes and the visible layer of tears forming over his eyes. The young guard placed a hand on the thin boy's shoulder, only for it to be brushed away. Eric's grew in depth.
"No," he grumbled. "I won't. Now, Link, call me by my name. Zelda told you my name was Eric Koriku; I prefer to just be known as Eric. I will address you by your name, so please return the favor to me. It would be greatly appreciated." The shorter of the two men snorted and mumbled several inaudible words. Eric sighed, reaching into the small satchel on his upper belt, pulling out a cigar and match. He held the wad of tobacco in his teeth as he lit the other end of the cigar. Link watched carefully as Eric pulled in a breath and blew a puff of smoke out his nostrils; he sneered at the guard. Eric caught the glares of the younger from the corners of his eyes. "I hope you don't mind that I smoke." He shrugged his shoulders. "Zelda forbids it in the castle, and I find it a stress reliever. And guarding the princess and castle is tiring and nerve-wracking, y'know?"
Link's face was full of disgust. He watched as Eric breathed through the burning tobacco several times before sighing, his face showing full defeat. He fell for temptation. "Damn it, give me one." Link didn't look up at the man with the cigar. He just hung his head over the railing and watched the storm clouds coming from up near the Zora's Domain. His face was hot; he felt guilty, at the same time he didn't. Eric smirked, reaching into his small bag, pulling out a second cigar and match, laying them in Link's palm. The boy's eyes widened, his gaze flickering up towards Eric.
"T-thank you." Link looked as his feet, and then back up at Eric. "I really didn't think you'd give me one." He rubbed the nape of his neck with his empty hand, smiling and blushing at the taller guard. Eric returned the look with reposed grin. Link took the cigar in his teeth, lighting the match up against the stone wall, taking the small flame to the end of his cigar. When the rolled tobacco caught flame, Link put out the match, then took the cigar between his index and middle fingers. He sucked in a breath through the cigar, but immediately pulled it from his mouth and doubled over in a fit of coughing. Eric smirked, and patted the boy's back. Embarrassed by his failure, Link's face gradated into a crimson red: he shot up back into his standing position and took the cigar back in his teeth.
Eric smiled at Link. The younger boy smirked back. Link pulled in a small breath, and released a puff of smoke through his nostrils. He coughed slightly into his shoulder, but he returned his face to the guard. "Sorry that I've been an annoying mess up." He gazed down the railing; he saw Zelda and another woman conversing. "Things haven't been going well, I'm sure you can tell, and I've had a hot temper." Link returned to looking Eric in the eye. "I hope you can forgive me for being an ass, although we've only known each other for maybe fifteen minutes." He offered his hand to Eric, who took it firmly in a shake.
"I think I can understand in ways," Eric spoke in an unfeigned manner to Link, releasing a puff of smoke from his lips at the same time. He shrugged, facing the boy. "I know for sure I haven't been through all the stuff you have, heck, you saved Hyrule from doom." Eric smirked at the boy, who remained blank in emotion. "But, I have a vague conceptualization of your feelings." He flicked some of the ash from his cigar over the railing, then to return it to his lips. Eric bit his lip, mentally debated, and then opened his mouth. "If you don't mind, what happened?"
Link sighed, his face drained of color. He gulped, blowing out a ring of smoke, and stood tall. "I love her." His gaze was unfocused and his lips quivered, he put the cigar back to his lips and sucked it in. "She left. I'm alone. I can't see her gain, either." She didn't want to leave, but she had to." Droplets formed in his eyes and overflowed down his cheeks. Link cursed under his breath. He turned away from Eric and rubbed his eyes with his sleeves. "Damn it."
Eric placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "You don't have to hide," he sighed. "Your reaction says it all." He grinned at the shorter boy, taking the cigar back in his mouth. Eric had realized Link wasn't even of legal age to even smoke with him, but he shrugged it off. He needed it. His stresses were obviously straining him. Link raised his head back up to look at Eric, his face neutralized: his frown disappeared and was replaced with the cigar between his lips. Link's eyes flickered down to the small pathway below them where Zelda had been; she was gone.
Eric watched the sky as heavy clouds rolled in from the mountains, he frowned. "We should go inside. Zelda wouldn't want you out here in the rain." He nudged his shoulders up to the sky; Link followed their direction, and shrugged. Eric reached his arms around the younger and held him tight to his chest. The boy wrapped his skinny arms around the guard, held them tight, and whispered words of thanks. Eric then released the boy from his grasp, helping him situate his crutches underneath his arms. Once Link could stand on his own, Eric let go of him and held open the balcony doors. Link slowly plodded in. The boy sat himself on his small cot, leaning his crutches up against the wall nearby. Eric smiled at him; Link just shrugged and smirked. Eric reached into the smack satchel on his belt and pulled out a handful of cigars and matches. He opened Link's palm and placed him in his hands. He winked at the boy. "For when you need them." He patted Link's shoulder, and turned to the door. Eric reached for the doorknob when somebody on the other side opened it for him.
Eric stared blankly at Zelda as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Smoking again, I see." Her lips were pursed; she reached a hand forward and snatched the lit cigar from the guard's lips. She threw the wadded tobacco on the floor and crushed it under the ball of her foot. Eric gulped, uneasily grinned, and rubbed the nape of his neck with his hand. "No smoking on castle grounds, do you hear me? Do it outside on your free time. I don't want my castle to smell like that horrid smoke." Zelda walked right past Eric, as he stood frozen in the doorway. He broke his trance, hung his head, and walked out the door, looking back at Link warily.
Zelda looked around the room and scrunched her nose at the icky odor. She had just put Eric's cigar out, but the smell of smoke lingered. Zelda shook her head in disgust and turned to face Link in his bed. She only could gape at the sight. The boy was leant up against the wall, a lit cigar in his fingers, occasionally being brought to his mouth for a puff of smoke. Zelda's face turned hot; she clenched her fists; gritted her teeth; and glared at the young hero. "What in goddesses' name are you doing?"
Link raised his head to Zelda's voice, and waved at her. "I'm taking a break." He shrugged, waving the lit cigar in his hands. "Relieving some stress, obviously." He pulled the cigar to his lips and blew some from his lips immediately afterward. He turned back to the princess with a dumb grin plastered on his face. He was only met with a furious and stern glare. Link raised a brow at her. Before he could even speak again, a hand was raised and sent across his face with tremendous force, causing the cigar to fly from his lips and onto the floor. Link took his hand to his burning cheek; Zelda's hand had been spitting with fire as his face was flooded with pungent pain.
"What the hell was that?" Link raised his eyes at her. His hands still clasped around his bright red cheek. He watched as Zelda walked over to his cigar on the floor, uttered words of disgust under her breath, and then crushed it with her foot like she had done to Eric's cigar. Link sighed as she turned away from the pile of broken ash on the floor and knelt next to him on his bed.
"That was you being stupid." Her eyes were not dearth of seriousness as she glared at Link. "You're only eighteen. You still have your whole life ahead of you. I'm not going to allow you to ruin it with this crap." She waved her hand back to the pile of ash. Link didn't look at her, or what she was gesturing to; he already knew. Zelda grabbed his ear, which resulted in his face flushing pink and a squeal of protest, to force him to look at her.
Link's lower lip was slightly puckered out as his eyebrows were scrunched. "Are you sure I have my whole life?" He was raising his voice at her, although they were face to face. "Because as far as I'm concerned, my life feels pretty empty."
"You shouldn't be so pessimistic, Link. Think about all the things you have yet to do! Thank about all that can be done!" Zelda's voice began to rise to a shout. "You still have so much potential – you can become whatever you want. You shouldn't waste that potential with a stupid cigar."
"How is a cigar going to get in the way?" He snapped at Zelda. "Besides, the only thing I ever wanted to do is literally impossible now! I can't even see Midna again, how do you think I feel?"
"Don't be so doubtful!" Zelda stood from the bed and stared down at the boy with intensity.
"How would I do it though?" Link shouted at Zelda. He waved his arms along with his anger as tears bubbled up in the corners of his eyes. "The last time I checked, Midna shattered the Mirror of Twilight. And according to what she told me, if it's broken, it won't work!" Link's fists were tight, allowing a pale white hue to bleed around his knuckles.
"Calm down!" Zelda looked down at the boy. "Stop fretting over the past!" She was trying to reassure Link, but she was failing. She let her opinions slip. "What happened has happened, there's no changing it. You should just forget the whole thing and continue to live the rest of your life! It's been a while since it happened – get over it."
Link's face turned a ghostly shade. His expression was blank, but filled with hurt. "This only happened only two damned weeks ago." Link's voice was quiet, but the tension was building in his tone. It was growing louder as he spoke. "But, you know what? It's still affecting me now!" He practically screamed as tears flooded down his cheeks. Link's eyes were splitting a fiery frustration, yet, they still contained sadness to them.
Zelda gawked at the boy. He looked like he was dying, pleading his last wish to her. But, it was Zelda who wanted to persuade him. "Just try your best to forget her. There are other plenty of other girls like Ilia!"
"You're wrong." Link's eyes were stone set on Zelda. They were hurt. They were angry. They were saddened. They were troubled. "You wouldn't know!" Link's eyes were shut tight, despite the tears that still continued to flow down his cheeks. His jaw was clenched shut. That was when their scream fest ended on a tense silence. Zelda stood awkwardly as Link climbed under the covers of his bed. He wrapped himself up into a fetal position, despite the pain it caused. Zelda sighed, reaching into her side satchel, and pulled out a small, translucent, shard of glass. It was from the mirror. She saw her frown in the small reflection it gave of her.
"Take mine." The boy mumbled from under the sheets. Zelda noticed the shard, all wrapped up in a cloth, lying on his night stand. She picked it up, analyzing its shape; it was larger than hers – it was from more towards the center of the mirror. It had the complete emblem of the triforce in the center, and faint markings of the other pattern on the edges. Zelda sighed, looking at the mound underneath the covers. She slowly made her way to Link's door. As she was about to blow his candle out, a truculent bolt of lightning struck, shortly followed by a thunderous boom that echoed through the castle that rattled the floor. Zelda decided to allow the candle to go out on its own. She opened the door, and walked out into the hallway, slowly shutting the door behind her.
Zelda entered the hallway to find Eric leaning up against the wall, his head staring at his feet. She held both shards of the mirror in her hands. Eric caught eye of the shining shards and nodded. Zelda stood there, debating whether to go through with her plans. Now, she was almost sure it was necessary to go ahead with her idea. It would be very beneficial to Link's health. Zelda stood on her toes, tapping Eric on the shoulder. He looked over at her, brushing his gingery bangs from his face.
"Tomorrow, we will implement it."