Does anyone happen to have any tissues I could borrow?
Because between this and the next chapter I've already gone through all of mine.
I can't deal with this anymore.
/screams and flails
~Alyssa
ox(O)xo
In the end, I only held her.
We sat in the shadow of a barren old tree, watching the sun rise over the dunes of the Colossus. She leaned up against me, her head resting in the crook of my shoulder, breathing me in like any second I would be gone.
And the harsh reality was, I very well might.
I had all six medallions. I had the Master Sword. I had everything I needed to storm the Castle, to take back what was hers and to end the menace that plagued the kingdom. There would be no time for goodbyes, no time for lamenting, no time for nothing but this, but her. We had spent the night simply sitting as we were, with her in my arms and the future the hovering monster of death waiting for me to succumb. In the morning, we would ride for Castle Town, and the fight would begin.
And dawn had come.
I stood up first, stretching my stiff legs and offering her a hand up. We stood face to face, and I squeezed her hand gently. "This is it." I exhaled slowly, trying to come to terms with the fact myself.
Her face crumpled.
"Be brave," she choked out, and I smiled for her sake, caressing her cheek with the back of my hand, letting the soft glow of the Triforce of Courage warm her skin.
"That's what I do," I said, and she flung her arms around my neck, holding me tight for what could be the last time.
"I'll be waiting." She whispered in my ear. Letting go, she started towards the Temple, but I grabbed her hand, forcing her back to me. "Wait," I said. "There's something I have to do."
She opened her mouth to speak, but I silenced her with a finger. "Just listen," I pleaded. "This is hard enough already."
I took a deep breath.
Our eyes met.
Endless, beautiful, violet blue.
My resolve was suddenly steel.
"I know you don't want me to say it." I said, never once breaking her gaze. "And I won't, because I promised you I wouldn't. But you know I do."
She bit down on her lip, knowing where this was going, but I knew if I stopped I would never get the courage to do this again. And I'd be damned if I let it slip me by. Not before the end.
Before it was too late.
"It's been hard, these last few months. It's been hard on both of us. There's so much gone, so much that I've lost these seven years…but that's all worth it, Zelda, because I found you. I would give it up again in a heartbeat. Sometimes it feels like it wasn't enough. It feels like I don't deserve you…"
"Link…" she whispered, but I shook my head, and she fell into silence again.
"But I just want you to know. I would go through this complete Hell all over again for you. The only reason I agreed to do it the first time was because, even then, I realized that I lo—"
I choked on my words, glancing up at her face. Blank, empty of all emotion, her eyes glued to the ground.
"I've made my promises." I said again, my tone growing softer. "And all I ask is for you to make me one in return."
I put a gentle hand underneath her chin, lifting it up to where I could see.
"Tomorrow I will go to Castle Town, and I will fight until I die." She inhaled sharply, her lips pursing into a thin line, but didn't interrupt, didn't dispute the fact that we both knew was true. Two would walk onto the battlefield in the morning, but only one would step off, and chances were, it wouldn't be me. "But I couldn't go without trying at least once."
And I fell to my knees in the shadow of the Spirit Temple, drinking in the blue of her eyes, begging, pleading with all my heart.
"Marry me."
"Link." She whispered, and she let go of my hands, her gaze dropping, a tear falling from her cheek and landing in the sand at my feet. "Don't do this. Please. Not now."
"That's not an answer." I breathed, "Zelda, please. Before I go, do this for me. I need to know. Please."
"No."
Though my heart dropped to my stomach at the outright rejection, I hadn't really ever expected her to say yes.
There were so many complications, so many things just completely wrongabout our relationship, not even taking into account the blatant issue of the ultimate evil threatening to destroy everything we knew and love hovering over our heads.
I was a peasant boy who just so happened to be able to wield a sword, with no land or money or family to my name. The people would never approve of me, despite what I did for their kingdom.
I didn't know the first thing about ruling a country.
She was betrothed.
Though she had dismissed each of these problems at least several times, I wasn't foolish enough to think her approval was the only one that mattered.
But that didn't mean I liked it.
"Dammit, Zelda!" I stood up, grabbing her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at me. "Why the Hell not?"
"Let go of me!" she snapped, pushing hard against my chest with both hands, her eyes burning with anger. "I said no, and I meant it!"
"Fine," My arms immediately fell at their sides, rejection coursing through me, cold and heavy. "Fine. Don't. And when I die today, spend the rest of your life knowing that you wouldn't give me this."
The words stung like acid coming from my lips, as I knew they hurt her, but I didn't care. What did I have to lose, after all? If, after all this, she wouldn't have me, what was there left?
"Link." It was her turn to grab my arms, to cradle me gently between her hands. "You know why. You know why I can't say yes. We've been over this. I have a duty to—"
I wrenched away from her grasp. "Do you think I give a damnabout your duty, Zelda? Do you think I care what everyone else thinks? I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of doubting." I grabbed her face, forcing her head up, forcing her eyes to meet mine. "I love you, dammit. I love you, and there's no way in Hell I'm going to die without you hearing that."
And all of a sudden, she burst into tears.
At the same time, my heart shattered into pieces.
"Link," she choked, her arms wrapped around herself, a feeble attempt to keep her from falling apart. "I can't. I just can't."
"Zelda, please." I begged, and I felt like the most abhorrent human being alive for asking it of her again.
"I can't lose you!" she sobbed, "I can't, Link! You love me, and now you're going to die, too!"
"Zelda," I drew her close, fighting as she tried to pull away, until she was crushed against my chest.
"I'm sorry." She whimpered. "I'm sosorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for." I said gently, running a hand down her hair. "This doesn't change anything. Nothing at all."
And she pulled away, so she could look at me.
"You…you'll still fight for me?" She asked, her voice as scared and vulnerable as I had ever heard it, her beautiful blue eyes watering.
What kind of idiotic question was that?
"You stupid, naïve girl…" I took my hands and cradled her face, shaking my head all the while. "Of course I'll fight for you."
She let loose a sob, flinging herself into my chest as she let the tears flow freely, all her worry and pain and fear finally coming to the surface after weeks of repressing.
And despite myself, I began to cry, too.
Not for myself, for the life that I was willingly giving up, but for her.
I cried for her tears, for the man she was being forced to marry, for the life, the family we would never have together, regardless of who won this fight.
But she was strong. And so was I. No matter what, we would get through it. I would win this battle, and save her kingdom, and I would go to my grave knowing with all my heart that I loved her until my last breath, indisputably and irrevocably.
And that would be enough for me.
I smiled into her hair as she clung to me, pressing a gentle kiss on the crown of her head.
This girl, frail and vulnerable and doubting and beautiful, stripped away of her titles and duties, just Zelda, just mine…I loved her. Tomorrow, after Ganondorf was dead, I would get down in front of the world and ask her again. Tomorrow, when the battle was over, she would say yes.
She wasn't ready to yet, and I was fine with that.
I could wait until tomorrow.
"I'll fight for you forever."