Chapter Sixteen
He had lost track of time itself, as the dungeon was constantly dark.
Link knew that no more than two days could have passed, yet the dreary bleakness of his cell was taunting him, as were his frequent, never ending thoughts concerning the duel.
The duel, that is, with the pregnant princess.
The one he was planning to purposely forfeit.
And yet, even though he believed that he had finalized his choice, Link was still uncertain of this outcome. He would succumb and die by Zelda's hand, a fate that did not appear redeeming for the Hero of Time. She would never have her proper closure, or perhaps this would allow her to. Whole heartedly, Link was confused.
He didn't want to hurt her; he knew that this duel was potentially dangerous for the child. Yet, Zelda had presented the method of dropping their blades as the losing disposition, making this battle now one of skill and concentration.
It had always been difficult for Link to be the only one with such vivid memories of another time, another place, another life. Navi was the sole other individual who had experienced the madness with him, and without a word, she vanished.
Within, he still felt like that lost child, searching for his fairy. He was not a hero here; his name was not known throughout Hyrule, and no stories would be told of him.
Except for his violation of the princess.
He was not the one to violate her, they both were aware of that. She had been violated by countless men at Gerudo Valley, and yet they had not torn her heart as Link had. She gave him herself, and he took her mercilessly. His lust and infatuation had led him to her that night. He had convinced himself that he loved her, because of one memory. One single, plaguing memory.
Now it is time for me to make up for my mistakes...You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time...
A sudden, fierce pain shooting at his chest, Link moaned aggressively, the sad, delicate tone of Zelda's distant voice echoing in his mind.
However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed...
Tears stung his eyes, but he refused to release them, instead closing them compactly.
Now, go home, Link. Regain your lost time! Home...where you are supposed to be...the way you are supposed to be...
Instantly, almost painfully, the image of the princess taking the ocarina to her mouth took over his mind, consuming his thoughts. Link could see nothing else but that picture, that memory. Even his sight was blinded when he forced his eyes open once more, and could only see Princess Zelda.
Why did this hurt him? Why had it pierced his heart? Why couldn't he breathe now, as he pressed his palms against the freezing floors with exasperation, tears streaming down his cheeks furiously, passionately?
He couldn't control it now, could not stop the flow of countless memories, reminiscing with a fever to his forehead, a heaviness to his breath.
He had put the sword back in the stone. He was young again, a child again. And his emotions returned with him, confusing him, bewildering his mind. And that compelled him to see her, to see her immediately. He didn't know why, couldn't understand, but he felt it, deep within him. He needed to see her.
She turned around when she sensed him, and never had she looked more relieved.
You are already leaving this land of Hyrule, aren't you?
Even though it was only a short time, I feel like I've known you forever.
I'll never forget the days we spent together in Hyrule... And I believe in my heart that a day will come when I shall meet you again... Until that day comes, please...
Take this...
She had presented him the Ocarina of Time, and there lurked a sadness in her eyes as she did so, a tremble to her hand as she held the instrument to her lips.
I am praying...I am praying that your journey be a safe one.
If something should happen to you, remember this song...
And there she taught him the Song of Time, a melody he swore he would always remember her by.
He left her that day, seven years ago, after warning her and the king of Ganondorf, after he believed he had set matters right in Hyrule. He left to look for Navi, and he was absent for a while, searching, trying to make sense of his existence now that he was not the hero that Hyrule needed. He left to find himself, and when he failed at this mission, he came running back to her.
It had always been about the Princess, everything. Link never truly realized it, never understood why he felt at home in Hyrule, why he was so comfortable sneaking illegally into the castle to see her as much as he could, why trying to make himself a hero did not seem as such a priority to him whenever he was around her.
Perhaps, however, he had grown too comfortable. For, as he grew, he came to see her less, and spent more time living a reckless, passionate life. Link had always found himself searching for trouble, calling it adventure.
His only meaningful tale was his search for Navi. And now, his quest for himself.
When Zelda had been absent for that year to train with the Gerudo, Link began to spend more time with Malon at her father's ranch. They had always been close friends, and she was delighted to hear of his adventurous exploits. He didn't know how it happened, how he had first kissed her, held her, professed a desire for a relationship that was more than friendly. It happened all while Zelda was gone. His loneliness had played a part. He didn't realize how much he missed her.
And it had hit him with a strong, fervent feeling when he saw her again. And every time he did look at her, the boy would see two different portraits of the girl. She was the princess- the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. Yet, here, she seemed unaware of it. She was also a skilled fighter: in one place, a practitioner of the Sheikan style, and here, the Gerudo. To him, it seemed she was this Zelda and that Zelda, and he wasn't sure which one he was in love with.
However, she was still Zelda.
One had sent him back. The other was perhaps going to kill him.
One was rebuilding Hyrule without him, the other was going to raise his child on her own.
And yet, they both loved him.
She was one entity, only one. He forced himself to believe it. He knew she loved him, was at last aware of all the pain he had caused. And now, through his painful, bloodcurdling memories, he knew how he truly felt towards her, what propelled him to act so foolishly, selfishly.
Young love was untamed, unpredictable, and dangerous.
His heart was a weapon, to others and towards himself.
She hated him, she loved him. She wanted her pain to end. And for the first time in his life, he felt cowardly, afraid to face not his feelings, but hers. Both girls'.
How would the duel end? He wasn't quite sure if the outcome was up entirely to him.
"Get up, young man. The princess has summoned you."
Lady Impa had arrived for him, repeating her procedure of tying his wrists once more, as she led the boy out of the dungeons. At last, Link was able to perceive that it was, in fact, daylight, and by the sound of the birds above them chirping, he estimated that it was perhaps mid-morning.
Impa was uncannily stiff and silent as she led him to the courtyard outside the castle, now accompanied by several guards marching behind them. There was a slight increase to the tempo of the beating of his heart, as he witnessed the large, circular open space of grasses, encircled by guards, while a multitude of people had gathered around, some standing, others seated as an audience. All have come to watch the princess duel her lover.
Hadn't she wanted to keep this matter private? To not shame herself, or the child? It seemed that there was no point to the idea anymore, anyway. Link had refused her hand in a political marriage of convenience, and any child of theirs would now be declared a bastard.
The child. His child.
Link only fell deeper into his trap of guilt and fear as the guards had taken him personally, Impa departing from his side. He watched her walk away from him steadily, observed her figure begin to disappear in the distance. He didn't know what to think, could not process every frantic thought running wild in his head. Harshly, one of the armed man had taken his wrists, slashing the rope there. He when then handed a sword, rather aggressively, and the blade felt suddenly very heavy and stiff to him.
"The princess has allowed you time to practice, if you find it necessary."
At the guard's words, Link held up the blade in the sunlight, a nervous twitch to his lip as he gandered at the intimidating gloss of the weapon. He took in one, careful breath.
"No...it is alright. I do not need it."
And with that testimony, he was taken once more, a guard grappling each of his shoulders, now being led towards the center of the open field, until at last they pushed him to his designated spot, leaving his side, allowing him to stand alone.
The crowd was loud, anxious. Timidly, Link glanced around the area, a sweat forming at his forehead, slowly traveling down his face. His muscles tensing, body trembling, he faced forward carefully, and there he saw her approach him, and this somehow terrified him in ways unexpected.
Nabooru was with her, and it seemed Impa's intended station was to be by the princess's side. They walked with the girl, speaking to her, and Nabooru had at one point stopped the young fighter and placed her hands on her shoulders delicately, her lips moving, but to Link, making no sounds. At was at this time when Impa handed the princess a blade identical to his, and with a respectable bow, the older women left the lady's side.
It was the two of them left in the capacious fighting area now, and Zelda had turned her body to face him, the grip on her sword fierce and quivering.
Her hair had been tied up now, again in the style of the Gerudo, with even a large jewel placed in the ribbon. Oddly, the girl wore tight breeches, once more revealing the full shape of her legs, as well as her drastic curves. Slim, blacks boots were adorned on her feet, as her torso was plated with metal, an apparent means to protect her stomach.
With a dark, bloody red painted on her lips, Zelda's eyes widened as she stared at Link, her grasp on the hilt of the blade tightening, a fierce crimson overcoming her cheeks. He didn't know what to make of her expression, how to interpret the gleam in her eyes. Link had never seen her like this before: so unreadable. She was concealing her emotions from him effectively now, forcing herself to be indifferent, and it frightened him how she was thus far succeeding.
He had become lost in her presence, unable to look away, unsure of how to feel. He was vaguely aware of when the duel began, and he would have not noticed if the princess hadn't begun immediately charging towards him.
Even with the Hylian sword, she appeared as a Gerudo in action, a barbaric trait to her method as she lifted her blade with both hands, aiming for his own.
With a leap, Link was suddenly brought back into this reality, realizing where he was, swiftly raising his rapier and blocking her attack with the fuller of his sword.
There, they both struggled for a moment. With all her strength, Zelda pushed her blade against his, causing him to now hold the grip of his with both hands, trying to balance her force. He noticed her body shaking madly, a grunt leave her throat.
A part of him urged Link to lessen his resistance, to go along with his plan and allow Zelda to win. And yet, it was then when their eyes locked, as she raised her face to meet his gaze, and there he saw her release the emotion in her visage, her pupils glittering, her jaw clenched in pain.
She pulled back with a jump, now lifting the blade over her head.
Again, she charged at him, and he swiftly dodged her, his capability to breathing leaving him.
The girl was all over the place, and many times Link was successful in blocking her swings, but yet he held himself back, refused to strike her in return, continuing to leap and dodge, block and run.
Over and over, Zelda repeatedly clashed at his blade, several times attempting to hit the cross-guard of his sword, yet pulling back before she could actually do it. There was a viciousness about her he had never seen until now, even during their last encounter. As much as she wanted to hit him, to take her rapier and smash it against his to the point where it flew from his grasp -as it seemed that he was giving her that chance- she did not.
And now, she jumped away from him, running backwards, creating a distance between them.
Defensively, Zelda held her sword, her body positioned in a charging stance, her chest rising and falling dramatically, while her eyes narrowed and lips parted in his direction.
He watched her stare him down, his heart pounding furiously, a sudden lightheaded feeling over-taking him. With a gulp, he as well lifted his blade, seeing his reflection in the fuller, the sight of his own nervous expression fretting him.
Yet, to her anticipation, he did not charge at her. Instead, he simply waited, lingered for her to come to him, to hit his sword mightily, and claim her victory.
And at this, the young girl roared, running to him frantically, and instead of striking him, she kicked her foot at his waist, sending him on his back, pinning him down.
It was a move no one expected. A delicate gasp arose in the crowd, as Zelda sat herself atop of the fallen young man, locking her knees at his hips, holding the grip of her sword with a trembling fist. The boy's weapon remained in his possession, as he weakly clutched the hilt with his left hand, his arms extended, appearing to drop it at any given moment.
And they both stared at each other, directly, and Zelda would not allow him to turn away from her.
"You are holding back from me!" she bellowed into his face, her teeth chattering.
Remaining silent, however, Link's eyes glistened as he merely gazed at her.
At his stillness, a furious grunt escaped the girl's throat, in which she slammed her left fists into his chest.
"You coward! You damn coward! You are going to get up, and you will face me!"
Howbeit, he spoke nothing, and at that she crossed her arm to hold his left hand, making sure the blade remained in his grasp.
"The battle is not over yet! It is not done!"
She seemed desperate now, shaking her head violently, a quaver in her discord. "I will not let you claim your own defeat! Compose yourself! Oh, why won't you speak?"
Flinching beneath her weight, Link groaned gently, allowing his body to remain perfectly motionless, a delicate sigh leaving his mouth.
"I am quiet, because I am thinking of the Song of Time."
At his careful words, her lips parted in a mixture of shock and disgust, intrigue and anguish. Heavier she pushed herself on him, her light weight not seeming to hurt him, yet she continued to squeeze her knees more firmly at his torso, a tremble to her exhale.
The princess could not respond to his statement, unknowing of what to say, how to react. At her silence, he continued now, to tell her everything that plagued his mind, to confess to her what truly rested within his heart.
"The Song of Time...whenever I hear it, think of it, imagine it, I am reminded of you."
Pressing her lips together firmly, there was a flare to her nostrils, her grasp on his hand tightening, making sure he would not release his blade.
"I remember when you taught it to me...Do you remember, Zelda?"
Slowly, several languid tears fell down her cheeks, her eyes glistening as he spoke, yet her whole body tensing at his words, her face filled with anguish.
"You taught me, and I never forgot it. I could never allow myself to. Your image is entrapped within the melody...and I'm thinking of it now...to, to remember."
His voice quavered as he testified, a sadness to his tone. It hurt her to hear him speak, his account aching her heart, suffocating her.
"Goddesses, Zelda, I have never experienced sudden a maddening passion like this, with anyone but you."
She shook her head, however, angrily.
"Stop! Just stop it!"
Even at her order, he persisted, unable to stop himself from confessing, saying everything he felt he needed for her to here at that moment.
"I would leave you, Zelda. Like a selfish, foolish child. And when I would fail, I came back to you. I always found myself coming back to you. And I only went to Malon because, because you weren't there for me to, me to..."
Trailing off, Link could not find the voice to carry on, choking back his own sobs, trying to maintain any level of calmness he was clinging onto.
Zelda's tears streamed down her face like a raging river, her brows arched, lips moving with uncertainty. As he spoke, she continuously shook her head, wanting to doubt him, praying he was lying to her. But, she had taken the young man in his weakest, most vulnerable moment. He was crying now, softly, and this only made the frail princess wail more.
"I don't...I don't believe you!"
As she looked down at him, a tender pout overcame his bottom lip. Releasing his hand, Zelda gripped at the collar of his white shirt within his tunic, lifting his neck slightly off the ground. Their faces were dangerously close, each of their breaths hitting the others' face passionately.
"I know you don't believe me," he then said to her, a tear tickling his cheek. "But I wanted to tell you of this memory that has been inwardly plaguing me for years. That I do not have many memories, or ones that I keep sacred. But my thoughts of you, and that song, they are everything to me. And curse me to have not comprehended this sooner."
It was at that moment when his fingers loosened at the grip, and immediately Zelda panicked, grabbing his hand, while lifting her sword-wielding right hand and bringing the edge of her blade to the flesh of his neck.
Time seemed to stop all of a sudden. The multitude of frightened gasps that arose from her sudden move only faded into a dull background, and now all that existed was Link and Zelda, her teeth clenched as she held him at her mercy now, the blade feeling icily cold on his skin.
Their breaths were heavy and loud, an uncanny stillness between them. With every breath, the princess's shoulders moved in rhythm, her gaze focused upon his, their eyes locked.
Unable to even blink, Link glared at the princess with wide, trembling eyes, feeling the sword slightly slice his neck, squinting at the delicate pain.
It was difficult for him to maintain his breathing, yet he found the strength within him to speak, his words coarse as they left his mouth.
"You win. You...You are free to do as you please with me."
Though, her face soaked in her own sorrow, Zelda shook her head violently, her ponytail swinging behind her.
"Shut up! I will kill you right now! I swear I will!"
Yet, his stare at her was gentle, his lips curved downwards.
"You...You have every right."
She roared at his remark, gnashing her teeth with fervor. "You are a fool, a coward! I hate you, Link! I hate you with the depth of my soul!"
The words were poison to her lips as she said them, causing her to sob louder, harder, more unbearably. With madly trembling arms, she kept the blade at his throat, and still his expression towards her had not changed. Why was he doing this? Why would he no longer fight for his freedom?
Pressing the surface of the rapier down on his neck, she heard him gasp softly, noticing the thin line of blood appearing on his throat. She glared into his eyes, fiercely, viciously. She wanted to break him, but ultimately, she broke herself.
And I believe in my heart that a day will come when I shall meet you again...
There was a twitch to her shoulder suddenly, her eyes squinting in from the brief reminiscence.
He came back to her. Always, he came to her.
And now he would die for her, by her.
Even though it was only a short time, I feel like I've known you forever.
I'll never forget the days we spent together in Hyrule...
In the back of her mind, she could hear it, the Song of Time, the melody playing harmoniously, haunting her soul.
Closing her eyes harshly, Zelda bit down on her bottom lip, and she could taste her own blood now, tears streaming down her face, the blade still pressed to the boy's throat.
She remembered now, more vividly, painfully. She recalled a young boy in a tunic, giving him the Ocarina of Time, how happy she was to see him, and how desperate he seemed to see her.
Remember this song...
And at last, a fierce cry escaped her throat, tasting the salty tears as they fell into her mouth. And with all the strength and might she could maneuver, Zelda removed the blade from his neck, holding it up for a moment, staring helplessly at the sparkle it created under the sunlight.
And then, with one final sweep, she harshly threw the sword to the ground.
And a moment later, Link released his.
Before he could take a moment to process what had just occurred, Zelda plummeted herself completely on top of him, burying her face into his chest, bawling against him.
She appeared fragile and defenseless in his embrace, as he had carefully lifted his arms to hold her gently, lying with her on the grasses, as she feverishly cried against him, her small hands grappling his tunic.
At that moment, she was no longer a fierce Gerudo warrior, a girl playing Queen, or a woman out for vengeance.
For, in the tenderness of this moment, she was Zelda -the innocent nine year old girl who had given him the ocarina, who was stripped of her dignity from various men...including himself.
There the two swords lied beside them, the princess's the first to have dropped.
And with that action, she had given him his freedom.