A/N: Here is the new chapter! I found all your answers on last week's chapter question well thought out and interesting, and today, like I promised, you shall see how it relates. I hope you all are having awesome weeks!
ArianandXaia: I am so sorry to hear that D: It is terrible news D: You're welcome, and I am glad that I could be of some help. Thank you.
silverheartlugia2000: I agree, and don't worry Zelda will be on it! Thanks!
Generala: Too true, but it stinks that we learn most things like that the hard way. That was awesomely in depth and I agree totally. It is like the difference between logic and feelings, sometimes you can't have them both in a hard decision. Thank you!
Naruto Sakura Uzumaki: I totally agree! Thank you!
Arison Nakaru: I find that a lot of victories tend to be that way, unfortunately. You might win that bet XP I wonder indeed XP Thanks for the review!
Yami no Nokutan: Aww really! Blushes thank you, that is so awesome to hear :3 Maybe they have a right, but there is prudence to consider too XP. Only obvious indeed XP She may get to reveal her feelings a bit in this chapter. I like your logic! Thank you so much for the review!
staticblast1: XD I like that theory, and you are right about the grudges. Thank you!
CupcakePride101: Thank you so much for the review, it made my day to read. I think she made the right choice too.
QuoVeridis: It may or may not happen sometime in the near future. Thank you for the in-depth review and the compliment it brightens my day to read them. I thought it would be terrible just to write a shallow battle, and the truth about war is that it hurts, it would be a tad silly to leave that bit out XP Thanks again and thanks for the well-wishing. :D
LovelyKiridia: Yay! I am glad I made sense XP I am also glad you like my OC, I am usually not big on writing them myself, and so I thought that if I did I should at least try to do it right. Rhydd and Zelda might make a good couple indeed. Yeah I was pretty much like "What?!" when she did it, but it was the right choice I believe. An alliance would have been awesome. Actually I was thinking of writing a trilogy for this and I already have the most of an idea mapped out for a last hurrah. It might be a few months though before I get it out. I also have a TP 3 or 4 shot planned and various other Zelda shorts. Your welcome and thank you for your review and kind words, they warmed my heart to hear. :D
Scarlet Curls: I don't think I can take RuLink seriously either XP Thanks for the grammar notes and I will fix them up as soon as possible. Wow Fannie can actually be pretty deep when she sets her mind to it XD Thank you for your epic feedback it was a joy to read XP I agree, fangrils are very complex creatures XP
The Cost of Victory
Zelda lightly brushed her fingertips through Link's blond hair, gently straitening it as he lay sleeping. She sat at a small camp in the woods that surrounded Ganondorf's former fortress. It was late in the afternoon and she had spent nearly all day in this hollow, right on the edge of the rebel's camp. She looked down at the face of her sleeping friend. It was still pale but not nearly as bad as it had been in Ganon's layer. His closed eyes were shadowed and heavy. After the battle he had been so exhausted that she almost had to carry him back to their camp.
All the army doctors and healers were completely occupied with the seriously wounded. So those like her who bore no serious injury were left to look after themselves. Link had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had lay down, so she had looked after his minor injuries as well as her own. She was just glad that he was not seriously hurt and she was positive that after a bit of rest he would be back to normal. As far as she could tell, Ganon's magic would leave no residual damage. She felt her heart sink a little; he had not gotten off so physically unscathed the day she had let him down. She tried to shake her head free of those thoughts. She herself had slept most of the day away. Weeks of traveling on light rations and not getting enough sleep had taken its toll on her as well.
She still could not seem to take in the fact that she had actually been successful and her mission was completed. It was because she had expected to feel different than she had when she set out. She had taken this mission to save her friend, but it was more than that. She wanted to prove she was more than a helpless fool; she wanted redeem herself, and set things right.
She did not know how redemption was actually supposed to feel. She had risked everything to save him this time but it still did not change what she had done before. It did not change the fact that, earlier this very year, in exchange for his sacrifice loyalty and courage, she had turned her back on him and did nothing when he was branded a traitor to the crown, hurt, banished, and hunted through the kingdom like a deer. Even though she had done the right thing for him this time, did that really amend what she had done before? 'Was there really actually such a thing as redemption? Could a right ever nullify a wrong?' she wondered as Link shivered and rolled onto his side.
She spread her wool cloak over him and sat back with a sigh. At least she still had her friend, so many people had lost someone they cared about and it was all because of one man's power lust and greed. 'How could someone be so heartlessly selfish?'
Link shuddered in his sleep and his breath caught and became shaky as if he were in the grip of a nightmare. She lay a calming hand on his shoulder and whispered softly until he quieted.
"You love him don't you?" Aveil's voce cut through her contemplations, "I can see why, he is different and is actually quite likeable, for a man that is."
Zelda jumped at her stealthy approach. Her cheeks flushed at the boldness of Aveil's question. "I do wish you would stop sneaking up on me like that. I don't like it." She replied with a smile, pointedly ignoring her friend's insensitive query.
Aveil rolled her eyes and sat down beside her with a grin. Her left arm was heavily bandaged and was in a sling.
"Why don't you tell him you like him?" she advised cheekily.
"Why don't you?" Zelda countered childishly.
Aveil laughed, "I don't love any man. They're all too stupid, self-absorbed, and obsessed with their manliness to be of any interest to me." She said haughtily. "Although Link is one of the better ones," she finished with a smile.
Zelda shook her head returning Aveil's smile.
"Anyway," Aveil said, "some of the rebels have made some soup for a late lunch and I wanted to see if you were hungry. They are going to make a victory feast of the supplies in Ganon's storehouse later tonight, but since you probably have not eaten all day I thought you might want something before then. Also, I wanted to give you these," she smiled handing Zelda an armful of things that she recognized immediately as Link's gear, and weapons.
"You can give them to Link when he wakes up. I saw them in Ganondorf's throne room when I went back there this afternoon. I had a hunch that they belonged to him so I lifted them.
Zelda smiled at Aveil as she lay the weapons aside. She stood and followed her friend towards the cook fire where several women labored over a large caldron. Zelda got in line behind Aveil and waited for her turn. Rhydd stood lounging by the food and when she came forward for her turn he smiled at her.
"Hello fair warrior maiden, you are looking stunning this afternoon." He turned to the serving woman. "Make sure she gets a double portion for her friend, he saved my life twice in the battle."
"As you wish milord, Rhydd," the woman replied.
"You are taking on your full title now?" Zelda asked in surprise.
"The usurper has been cast out and my kingdom is free. I think I have now earned the right to claim it back," he said softly. "I have learned from the mistakes of the past and would set things right in my land."
"I am sure you will make a wise king," Zelda said quietly, wondering if anyone in her own kingdom thought the same of her despite her two great failures.
Rhydd looked pleased. As Zelda took her bowl of soup and turned to leave, Rhydd caught sight of Aveil. Zelda caught the look in his eye as he headed towards the beautiful russet haired thief and she rolled her eyes. Rhydd may make a good king but he was also a shameless flatterer.
The sun had sunk fairly low in the sky when she reached her camping spot. She was surprised to see her cloak folded neatly and placed carefully on a tree stump. Link was nowhere in sight. She placed the food on the tree stump and covered it with the cloak. She grabbed the bundle of Link's gear and the satchel that contained the sleeping Jade before she went out in search of him.
She had a vague idea where he might be and headed towards the fringe of the woodlands. As she reached the devastated valley, where the castle stood, she paused. The castle itself was in smoldering ruins and the sun was setting behind it as if to symbolize the falling of Ganondorf's power. Jade popped her head out of the satchel with a yawn and looked up at Zelda. Then her yellowish green eyes surveyed the defeated castle where the rebel's emblem flew proudly.
"Beautiful sight, yes?" Jade piped.
"Very beautiful yet sad at the same time," she answered, scratching Jade behind her back plates. "How is your leg and shoulder doing?"
"Bit better now I think," Jade said giving her leg an experimental stretch, "still hurting little." Her catlike eyes focused on something far off. "Your Yink sit far there?" she asked.
"So he does," Zelda smiled and headed over to him. He was sitting with his back against a tree and his knees pulled up to his chest. His eyes were riveted on the castle and the sunset. There was an odd expression on his face.
She could tell that he knew she was coming by a slight change in his body language. She had no idea how he did that, her approach had been almost a silent as Aveil walked. Without taking his eyes from the ruined castle, he smiled as she sat next to him. His smile seemed strangely hollow, his eyes sad.
"You thinking?" she asked him in an absent manner, despite the fact she was worried, after what he had just been through she knew that he would probably need a friend.
"Would it be possible for you to give a proper funeral for King Bulbo?" he asked hurriedly.
"The ogre bulbin that was in league with Ganondorf last time?" she asked incredulously puzzled at his odd response to her query.
"He died trying to rescue me from Ganondorf's ambush," he explained, noting her dubious expression.
"Of course," she told him softly. There was a brief silence between them before Zelda spoke again. "Link," she began hesitantly, "If there is every anything that burdens you or anything you wish to say, know that you can say it to me. I will always be willing to listen."
"Thank you," he murmured, conflict suddenly making its presence known upon his fair features. He was silent for a moment and he shifted awkwardly.
"If you hadn't come to save me I would have been helping Ganon to destroy the country, not only ours but the kingdom of Twilight and this kingdom too. Ganondorf had ambitions to re-create the mirror of twilight and actually had gotten pretty far in doing so. There is, right now, a partially remade mirror in the second dungeon of the castle. By using my strength, triforce, and life-force he was able to build it, but not fully, so I do not think you have to worry about it," he added hastily as he saw her expression. He reached down idly with one hand to grab a palm-full of the mica rich soil at that was prevalent on the edge of the ruined field. He let the grains run through his fingers before he mustered up the strength to speak again.
"I tried to fight him and keep him from steeling power but, every time I did, it… well I don't know how much longer I would have been able to hold him off before he would have been able to reach full strength. Midna destroyed that mirror so that both her and our kingdoms could live in peace and I could not render all that we worked for and went through useless by letting Ganondorf secede. Though what she did hurt, it was the right thing to do and knowing that somehow made things bearable." Link murmured.
His face was twisted and he did not even raise his eyes to look at her, and she was glad. His voice and expression were marked by such raw emotion and hesitation. She knew he was sharing something so personal that it grated against even her senses. She would not cheapen his honesty or feelings by making him feel uncomfortable now. She said nothing when he stopped speaking and waited patiently for him to be ready on his own time.
"It hurt to fight against him as physically as it did mentally, knowing I could have the chance to see her, and…" he trailed slowly and finally looked up at her. His eyes were wide and pleading as if asking something of her, and she understood.
"You did the right thing, Link," she assured him, trying to convey her gratefulness in him for showing her a bit of his heart. It seemed a precious and fragile gift, especially coming from him.
"I was coping rather well with the shattering of the mirror of twilight before because I knew there was no way to change what had happened but, when there was actually a chance to change that, it brought me back a little." A wan smile spread across his face and he scoffed slightly. "It was not as if that was ever a real choice though. I would never be able to forgive myself if anyone had been hurt because of me not being able to stop Ganondorf." his voice trailed off into a whisper. All Zelda could do was stare silently at him. She could think of nothing to say.
"It was even worse than that," he continued, his tone still hushed, "He very nearly got me to question my own loyalty. I realized that I am a lot more prideful than I thought I was. I felt that I was entitled because of what I had done and Ganondorf somehow knew it and played on my pride. But the worst part of all is that this entire catastrophe was my fault to begin with," his voice seemed forced and strained. "It was inadvertently due to my actions that Ganondorf was able to return and hurt these people."
It sounded almost as if he was on the verge of weeping but his face showed no trace of tears.
"You can't blame yourself for this. You had no way of knowing what the Empress was planning. Also, there is a difference between nearly questioning your loyalty and actually questioning it. As for the people, they gave their lives willingly for freedom and they did not die in vain. That is the only thing that offers me any consolation and keeps me from turning into a weeping wreck right on the spot," she admitted quietly.
He smiled as he turned his expressive blue eyes on her. "I know you're right but I still can't help but feel responsible. It is a tragedy that freedom and justice must be brought at such a heavy price."
"I know what you mean," she said sighing and looking away.
Hearing all his regrets and pain had brought hers flooding back into the forefront of her mind. His regrets and mistakes seemed almost paltry in comparison to hers, and perhaps that was why it seemed so hard for her to voice her own. She envied his ability and wisdom to speak plainly rather than hold in his agony until it destroyed him from the inside out. Many people considered letting others know their pain to be a weakness, but Zelda could see now that it was the opposite. It was strength that let him speak so. It was strength, but it was also trust. She felt her stomach twist guilty as she wondered what she had ever done to earn such trust. The memory of what had happened during the Empresses reign was still as fresh in her mind as it was the day she had let it happen. Redemption, the word seemed to taunt her in her mind.
She bit her lip and then blurted, "Link, I am so sorry for what I put you through. I am sorry I tuned my back on you."
She looked at him pleadingly. Those thoughts had tormented her for so long and she could no longer hold them back from being voiced allowed. She had apologized before, but his admission of forgiveness had seemed too soon, too willing, and she still felt wrong. She had hoped the words 'I forgive you' would ease the guilt she felt, but it hadn't and she wondered now if it ever would.
He looked completely stunned for a moment before his handsome features broke into a broad grin as he guessed at her sudden subject change.
"If risking your life, chasing me all around the world, and facing Ganondorf were examples of you turning your back, then I am afraid of what your devotion is like, it must be insanely intense." He shook his head gently, the smile still present on his face.
She pursed her lips at his teasing; she knew that he knew perfectly well what she meant and knew that the root of her guilt had nothing to do with Ganondorf and his recent actions.
"Zelda," he said serious, "I have already told you that I bear no resentment towards you over that whole mess. It really was not your fault. I had my hand in it just as much as you. Don't forget that I nearly led a rebellion against you."
"That is different. I was under the control of evil. I was proud that you were defending the people I could not. It is different for me. What I did was inexcusable; I had to make a choice and I chose-"she started but he interrupted.
"You were forced into that, and that was no choice. That was no more a choice than my decision to stop Ganondorf from fully recreating the mirror of Twilight. I would have been angry if you had chosen me over the life of the people of Hyrule, wouldn't you?"
She nodded slowly.
"The only thing that matters to me is that you risked everything to come after me this time. I can never thank you enough for what you did. I would still be Ganon's puppet slave were it not for you."
Zelda blushed at his compliment. "You would have done the same for me, and in fact you have, several times. I thank you for your compliment but I am no courageous Hero of Twilight. I don't think I have ever been as scared in my entire life as I was on this… adventure."
"He looked her right in the eyes as he spoke with that quirky grin of his, "Over the course of my lifetime I have learned that courage is being as scared as cucoo but braving the cooking fire anyway. If it was simply a matter of being fearless this triforce piece of mine would probably be adorning the hand of someone more suitable, like a rock for instance."
Zelda coughed lightly in surprise at his ridiculously phrased comment. Zelda felt her own face break into an uncharacteristic grin.
"Maybe you should have been born with the triforce of wisdom instead of courage, Link. We should turn that directly into a proverb just as soon as we get back." she teased.
Acting upon a foolish impulse, she reached a hand out and lightly touched his cheek. He turned his head to look fully at her, his face reflecting the surprise that she felt at her own boldness. She gazed quietly into his intense azure eyes and, without even fully realizing what she was doing, she leaned towards him even as he leaned closer to her.
All the sudden Jade popped out of her bag and stuck her little head directly in between their two faces. Zelda blushed as the full realization of what she had been about to do hit her. Link cleared his throat awkwardly and pulled back.
"Zelda," Jade said with her head coked confusedly to the side, "what you do?"
Zelda found herself at a loss for words and merely shook her head at the tiny reptile. She needed a drastic subject change and quickly, she thought, before her face caught on fire in its embarrassment.
"Oh, Link," she said suddenly, remembering something to help her plight. "I have a present for you." She handed him the sack filled with his weapons and gear and belt. He smiled gratefully as he took the sack.
"Now you can stop wearing my silk colors as a belt," she told him in feigned disapproval.
"I thought the purple made me look rather dashing," he said his face a picture of mock injured dignity.
She chuckled. "You also seemed to have lost your hat again," she said as he handed it to him.
"Thanks, I thought I lost it for good this time."
Jade stuck her head out from the bag. "You have present for me too?" she asked hopefully.
"Well I don't have anything for you now but I can give you a kiss," Zelda said hopefully.
"Ewe no, yucky, that terrible present of badness. I not want ewish kiss," Jade said huffily. "I know, what if your Yink trade with me. I get nice weapons and he gets ewish kiss."
Zelda felt herself blush and then she started chuckling. She and Link were still sharing their mirth when Aviel found them
"There you two are. We're about to start the feast. You two better hurry if you want to eat. Come on," she beckoned for them to follow her.
"Did somebody mention food?" Link asked with a huge grin, licking his lips, "I am starving."
Zelda shook her head and playfully nudged him.
"Well I am," he protested indignantly.
"Link," Aveil said urgently as if she had just remembered something important as soon as they caught up to her. "I have been meaning to tell you, while I was imprisoned, I heard that Ganondorf sent a bunch of his soldiers to dig out the valley and find the power source. We should probably stop them before they find it."
"They won't find it. The power source is not buried in the avalanche. It is in a deep knothole in the middle of a two toped ponderosa on the edge of the valley. I hid it there as a sort of failsafe," he said with a roguish grin.
"Clever," Aveil smiled before turning furiously to Zelda, "Thank you, Serhild, for leaving me alone with that Rhydd." She said sarcastically as she bent down to give Link and hand up for he was still pretty weak. "It took me forever to get away from him."
"You mean you did not enjoy his company?" Zelda asked mockingly, smiling. "How did you manage to escape?"
"I threatened to punch him in the face," Aveil replied haughtily.
A/N: So a bit of a slower chapter but I needed a bit of a chance to breathe before I begin to draw this tale to a close. I foresee about three maybe four more chapters to go before we reach the end. Thank you all for your support and for reading! You are all epically amazing! *side note* though making excuses is a lame practice I try my best to refrain from, I would like to apologize in advance for any typos. I have been sick and extra busy this week and did not have the time or energy I would really have wanted for editing properly. Although I edited the best I could, there is quite a chance I missed something in my tiredness. I will go through again later when my eyes are fresh and try to fix anything off. Thanks for your patience :D
Question: Out of all the Link's, which one do you think is the most emotionally mature?