A/N: Apologies for the wait! Patrons got this update a few months ago, and I've just been so busy that I lost track of FFnet. I graduated in November and life has been super hectic. Good news for those of you only on FFnet though: getting this update so late means you won't have to wait long for the next chapter - it's almost done! I hope you enjoy! :)

When Heroes Fall

By: Selphie Kinneas 175

Chapter 34: Fate

.:.

Zelda rested that day. Though she protested, Link insisted, and he did not back down until she at last gave in.

He returned to the others awaiting his lessons outside. They all looked terrified, anxious, doubtful. He couldn't blame them; he felt much of the same. He could not yet find the words that would soothe them, and he did not try to fake it. He grabbed his sword and motioned for the others to follow suit, and he began lessons without a word.

Ren spent much of the morning with Midna, and he felt over their time together that he had gained a deeper understanding of his curse. She taught him how to hone her power burrowed in his veins, how to use it to his advantage, to protect himself and to fight with it. However, Ren knew there was more he needed to learn. He knew who to ask, but he was nervous.

They joined the others around midday, garnering a strained look from Link. Ren picked up his sword and approached his father.

"Can you teach me?" Ren asked with a smile.

Link glanced at Midna behind Ren. She stood with arms folded across her chest and a confident look on her face. She gave Link courage, but his inner demons were still so strong.

Link swallowed down the desire to turn him away and said, "Yes."

Ren nodded and assumed a fighting stance. Link dove for an attack that Ren weakly blocked. Link struck again and Ren tumbled backward.

"Get up," Link said flatly.

Ren looked up at him, the others starting to watch as well.

"Get up," Link said again, "An enemy would not give you such luxury."

Ren hustled to his feet and stood proudly. He felt the tension thick in the air, felt everyone holding their breath, their wariness of Link's behavior.

Link swung with his full power, and Ren rose his blade to block it. He grimaced at the loud clang of the steel inches from his face. He grunted as he struggled against his father's strength. Link circled their blades around and swung just at Ren's neck, stopping barely short of the killing blow. Ren gasped. Link stared at him firmly.

"Again," Link said, ignoring Midna's expression out of the corner of his eye.

Ren breathed hard and assumed his stance, this time laced with uncertainty and doubt in himself.

Link watched him, and all he could see was Ilia. He felt her pain, heard her voice, saw her brilliant eyes. He remembered their youth, her love for him, his abuse of that love. It consumed him every time he had to interact with Ren. His guilt and shame became towering demons the size of worlds – they were so strong.

Link tried to remember Ilia's voice from his dream, the one that told him it was okay, that Ren needed him. He tried, and he tried, it was just so much quieter than the one telling him he couldn't stomach the sight of his son.

Ren took initiative in his father's lack of action. Ren brought his sword down upon him and Link met it with the ease of swatting a fly. Link's counter knocked Ren's blade straight out of his hands, and it slid across the dirt. Ren looked back at Link; everyone else watched with bated breath.

Link saw Ren's desire for a heartfelt reaction, words of encouragement, anything that would show the faintest hint of affection. A lump the size of a boulder sat in Link's throat. He tried to swallow it down, tried to speak around it, but his shame was an iron fist around his neck. The two simply stared in silence long enough for Ren to realize he would get nothing from his father in this moment. He gave a sad nod in understanding and took his leave. Link sighed in defeat and looked at Midna. Her expression spoke volumes. He knew what he needed to do.

He sheathed the Master Sword and glanced over his shoulder at everyone's concerned expressions.

"Keep sparring," Link said, and he followed after Ren. Midna would stand and watch.

Ren sat by the spring with legs crossed beneath him. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, and he tossed the little pebbles at his feet into the water.

Link took a deep breath as he approached. He closed his eyes and heard her voice. 'All he's wanted his whole life is to know you.' It echoed in his mind like a song. He didn't have the strength to have this conversation, but he would find it along the way.

"Mind if I sit here?" Link asked.

Ren gazed up at him in shock, "Um... Yeah, go ahead."

For a while, Link stared ahead at the waterfall. He would never magically know what to say, how to fix this relationship, but all he could do was try. He had to try. He had put it off for far too long.

He caught Ren's gaze out of the corner of his eye. His heart beat hard and he heard what Ilia told him again. 'Go be the father to him that you always wanted to be.' Now was the time to try.

"Are you feeling nervous?" Link asked.

Ren looked at him strangely. He felt a tightness in his chest and an anxious fluttering in his stomach. He had only ever wanted this opportunity to speak with his father, but he couldn't shake the fear that it would go wrong as it had every other time before.

"Y-Yes..." Ren said at length.

"I am, too," Link said.

Ren's brows arched in surprise, "You are?"

Link nodded, "Yes."

Ren blinked and shook his head confusedly, "How? I-I mean, why? I didn't think you got nervous," his voice trailed off, "You can do anything."

"I'm nervous for what's to come. I'm nervous because everyone depends on me, trusts me. I convinced all free races of Hyrule to ride for my cause. I am afraid of failing them," Link said.

Ren suspended his disbelief. His father sounded so... human. He didn't know what to say.

In the silence, Link looked to Ren with a gentleness in his eyes he had never seen, "What makes you feel nervous?"

"Oh, u-um..." Ren's voice caught in his throat. He rubbed the back of his neck and avoided eye contact. "I'm... afraid of losing control. I'm afraid of hurting someone again..."

Link nodded in understanding, though it was hollow. It was the response he had expected, and one he could not really combat. He gazed back at the waterfall, searching for the right words to say. Ren fidgeted anxiously, knowing there was one thing that scared him more than anything else. In the silence that followed, Ren found the space to admit it.

"More than anything... I'm afraid of disappointing you."

Link turned to him in surprise. His brow furrowed and his lips just parted, but he found no voice there. Ren held his gaze as neither spoke. Link breathed deep and returned his eyes to the waterfall as he knew what he had to say, and he finally found the strength to give the words life.

"I'm sorry, Ren," he said.

Ren stared down at his fidgeting hands. He felt his own guilt well up inside his chest just the same.

"I'm so sorry..." Ren whispered, "I caused everything. So much is my fault. I-I killed-"

Link turned to face his son, grabbing his attention with a hand on his shoulder.

"Look at me," Link said, and Ren obliged. They held one another's gaze for a moment that felt like an eternity. So much baggage sat between them, so much unspoken grief, so much suppressed love. Link saw Ilia as clear as day in Ren's face, but for the first time it did not hinder him, it pushed him.

"I failed you, Ren. More than once. I failed you at every step of the way, through every stage of your life. I recognize that failure, and I would understand if you never found it within you to forgive me. Whether or not you do..." Link paused, "I am so sorry, Ren. Truly."

Ren could no longer remain strong. Part of him wanted to be angry, wanted to ask why it took him so long, but hearing those words was all he ever wanted. He caved. He cried and the words spilled straight from his heart without his permission.

"I forgive you. I love you, dad."

Link's heart hitched, though he tried to hide it. He didn't know how long it would take to get used to hearing it, but he would never stop trying.

"I love you, too," Link reciprocated through a tight jaw.

Ren dove into him. He wrapped trembling arms around his father's neck and wept openly, burying into him. Link melted into the embrace, and it felt all at once as if it were something he had never gone a day without. It felt right, overdue, like the final two pieces of the puzzle that matched perfectly. Link swore he heard Ilia's voice on the wind, a sigh of contentment, of peace. Midna smiled from her distance.

After time lost all meaning and their hearts felt at ease, they released. Ren wiped the back of his hand across his runny nose, and Link wiped his son's tears away with his thumb. Ren beamed from ear to ear.

"This is all I ever wanted," Ren spoke breathily, "I just wish mom could see this."

Link looked up at the sky and smiled, "She can."

Ren followed his line of sight and the tears started anew. Ren folded forward and held his face in his hands. Link rubbed his back as he cried. At length, Ren sat back up.

"And Colin?" Ren whispered, "You think Colin knows we're okay now?"

"I do," Link said.

Ren nodded in sad understanding. He sniffled and composed himself with a deep breath. His eyes bore into his father's.

"How am I supposed to ever forgive myself for his death?" Ren asked through quivering breaths, "I'm so heartbroken and mad and I just wish he hadn't tried to save me."

"That's how he always was," Link answered simply, "He would do it again were he here to make such a choice, if it meant the possibility of saving someone he loved."

"It's not heroic to die. It leaves your friends and family behind, forces them to cope with pain that never goes away. I just..." Ren shook his head, "I wish no one had to die. Death isn't fair."

"Death doesn't act by what is fair. Death comes when it is called, nothing more, nothing less," Link said.

Ren furrowed his brow, "You talk about death like it's a physical thing. A person, even. I don't understand how you can be so okay with it."

"That's because it is a physical thing. He and I have met a lot; we understand one another. I've learned to bargain with him," Link paused to contemplate, "He's given me more chances than I probably deserve, and, in turn, he has taken a great deal from me."

Ren's eyes fell to the shoreline. Deep in thought and reflection, he knew not what to say, so Link continued.

"It's not that I'm okay with it. I simply... learn to live with it. There is no other choice."

After a time, Ren returned to him, "I... understand. I just try not to think about any of it. It's the only way I get by."

Link nodded, "That's all we can do. You've... been through a lot. I'm proud of you."

Ren smiled, "Thank you... I'm just... happy to have you after losing so much. Sometimes I wish mom was still around just to lecture me, to set me straight. I've done so many stupid things, messed up so many times. I'd love to hear her yell at me one more time, if only to learn where to go from here."

"You want me to be a father to you now? To fill that void?" Link asked.

"Yes," Ren said without hesitation.

Link turned to face him with seriousness in his eyes. Being a father did not yet come naturally to him, but caring for loved ones did.

"You're right, you have done stupid things, you have messed up. But so have I. Only you can make better of those wrongdoings, just as only I can mend the error of my own ways," Link explained.

Ren simply took in the words in silence. They felt like a salve, soothing to the places no other balm but his father's voice could reach. Link said no more, allowing the silence to do its job in letting the words settle, the tumult ease, the suffering at last go quiet. It would not go mute, not yet, for now only time could bear such a burden. It would, however, begin to still.

With the slow but steady pacifying of the storm, the sun could at last begin to come out of hiding.

Ren looked at his father, and Link returned his gaze. Ren smiled brightly. Link paused, holding the moment, cherishing it, committing this image to memory. He felt a warm tingling behind his eyes that he welcomed. He smiled back.

The sound of not-so-distant hooves drew their attention. They looked to the edge of the village to see Calie riding to meet them atop Ilari. She held Colin's sword at the ready, strong and confident, determination thick across her brow. Link gave Ren a nervous glance which Ren reciprocated. They got to their feet and met her halfway.

"Brother," Calie's voice came powerfully from atop her steed, her eyes burrowing into Link's. She placed a fist to her heart, her head lowered only minutely in respect. "I come as representative of Ordon to pledge myself to the war. Do you accept me as one of your warriors?"

Ren bit his lip, the seriousness of his usually lighthearted sister giving him chills. He had never seen her like this, dressed for battle with scorn in her seafoam eyes. There was no levity in her tone, no brightness in how she held herself. Colin's death filled her with vengeance and brought out a tenacious side of her he never knew existed.

Link was not surprised – he had witnessed too many times what the death of a loved one can do to someone, how it can change them. Instead, he met her where she was.

"I'm honored to have your pledge, though you require no permission from me," Link said.

The tiniest crack formed in Calie's resolve when she saw her father out of the corner of her eye. Word had already made it to Rusl that his only daughter was here, geared for war. Though he had regained much strength in the past days, he was still a bit weak on his feet. Calie's eyes did not leave her father as he approached, breathing deep and reminding herself to stay strong.

Link and Ren glanced between Calie and Rusl. Rusl had an anger on his pained features, bounding up to his daughter with purpose in his every heavy step. Calie remained confident, her chin held high.

When at last Rusl closed the gap between them, his voice came sternly, "What are you doing here?"

"I come to lend my strength to the fight," Calie said with conviction, a newfound power in her eyes.

Rusl shook his head, "I forbid it."

Calie took a deep breath and swallowed hard, seeming as if she had been prepared for that exact statement. "Respectfully, father, I do not ask your permission."

Rusl looked taken aback. He glanced at Link and Ren each in turn, then back to his daughter. He, too, breathed deep, though it was utter fear he swallowed down.

"Calie… I understand your desire to help, but there are other ways—"

"You would not say this to any of my brothers," Calie replied levelly, coolly, entirely in control. "I can fight, father, so I will."

Rusl sighed and hung his head. At length, he lifted his gaze again to his daughter. She looked powerful atop Colin's horse, his sword in her hand, fire behind her eyes. He was sure his wife protested this as much as he desired to, but he imagined, in the end, his daughter's will was just too great, and he knew that was something he should be proud of, rather than deny.

"I…" Rusl stammered, his voice weak, "I just can't lose you, too…"

Calie at last hopped down from the saddle, meeting her father eye to eye.

"You won't, father, because my family raised me to be strong," she said with a gentle smile.

Rusl looked at her long and hard. He saw himself, he saw his wife, and he saw her brother, clear as day. His heart ached for Colin, a pain he never before could have fathomed. He could let that pain consume him, let it dictate his relationship with his daughter and shatter it, or he could use it as fuel, allowing their relationship to burn ever brighter and rival the sun.

At a length that felt comfortable, Rusl gave her a nod. Though he knew she did not need it, he gave it for himself, a sign of relinquishing, of understanding. He pulled her into a tight embrace, and she reciprocated.

They pulled apart with smiles, though with different undertones to them. Calie's was one of dedication, of a triumph she was determined to realize, of an impending justice for her brother. Rusl's was one of a deep, burrowing sadness to live through such times where he would have to watch his children put their lives on the line day after day. He prayed that, after this, his family would at last know peace.

Link couldn't deny that Calie's presence pained him, but only for the same reason Colin's involvement had pained him, as well as Ren's. Talo, Luda, Malo, all of them. He couldn't stand to see them suffer, to know how they hurt, that they felt no other choice but to fight when it had never been in their nature. He looked over to where Midna had been standing, eager for the comfort of her watchful gaze, but she was gone.

Link turned back just as Calie approached him for a hug. He smiled and took her small frame into his arms. She squeezed tight and whispered into his hair, "Thank you."

They pulled apart, and Link smiled, "Colin would be proud."

Calie felt a tightness in her throat and a tingling behind her eyes. She forced a smile and nodded her appreciation.

She turned then to her little brother. They held each other long enough to feel one another's heartbeats. Her warmth against him gave him peace, reminded him of home, of simpler times. When they pulled apart, there was nothing more to say, and so nothing more was said.

Rusl escorted Calie to the inn after hitching up Colin's horse. She reunited with some old friends and made some new ones. Ren accompanied her and helped her settle into an empty room where she could rest from her travels. A few of the others continued to spar with Ashei. Link, however, sought Midna.

She was where he expected her, sitting before Colin's grave. Link had avoided this place, desiring to give himself space until everything with the king was concluded and he could at last allow himself to properly grieve. There was no avoiding it now, as Midna sat before the humble stone, her knees brought up to her chest.

Link sat beside her without a word, and for a long time, there was nothing but the sounds of the birds in the trees and the howling wind through the valley.

Midna turned to him at length, "You and Ren had a nice talk?"

Link smiled, remembering it, "We did."

"I'm proud of you," she said sincerely, "I know it wasn't easy."

"No, but…" his gaze fell back to the stone, "I've been avoiding the hard things for a long time. This was… long overdue."

Midna said nothing, the silence her solemn understanding.

After another immeasurable time of stillness, Link's voice came at last as a whisper.

"Do you think they'll all keep their word?"

Midna turned to him, knowing he meant their allies, "I do."

"You think they'll all come?"

Midna nodded, "Yeah, I do."

Link closed his eyes, "I think I fear that more."

Midna had no response, for she understood. She felt the same thing when she led her people time and again to an ill fate. There was pain in leadership, the weight of lives inconceivable.

"Do you think the people still think I'm guilty after everything that happened in the square?" Link asked.

Midna paused to contemplate it, "I'm sure some of them still do, yeah. Some people are just… committed to not opening their eyes."

Link nodded just once slowly, a reflective agreement.

"I sometimes think I'm not meant to live a normal life, like…" Link swallowed, the words thick in his throat, "Like I was supposed to die in battle with Ganondorf, and everything since then was never meant to happen. Like I'm fighting fate."

"So what if you are?" Midna spoke earnestly, "If it's fate you're fighting, you're winning every single day. Link…" she turned to face him straight on, grabbing his hands in hers, "There is a reason you're still standing."

Link held her gaze, their locked eyes speaking words their tongues could never utter. When Link found no reply worthy of her, she took the initiative.

"I wish I could make it easy," she whispered.

"You do," Link replied with hesitation, "I only wish this wasn't always my fate… to fight forever."

"This isn't like last time," she squeezed his hands tighter, "You aren't alone."

Link's eyes were frozen into hers for longer than he realized. Then he smiled, and his gaze returned to the stone with Colin's name etched into it. It was a jagged knife every time he saw his face in his mind's eye, but he was drawn instead to thoughts of his son.

"You've been training him," Link said. Not a question, but rather, an invitation.

"Yeah," Midna replied with a proud smirk, "He's gotten pretty good at handling my power."

"Enough to combat Viscen's hold on him?" Link asked.

Midna frowned, "I'm… not sure."

Link nodded in understanding, "We'll be ready either way."

They fell silent then, nerves getting the better of them as they anticipated what should transpire.

Link then looked back at her with a genuine gratefulness in his sapphire eyes, "Thank you for being there for him when I couldn't."

"Of course. Link, he's part of you. I love him with my whole heart," her voice was soft and earnest, a hand pressed to her heart as she spoke.

Link smiled, and he felt a magnetism toward her that he could hardly control. He looked at her lips, and he felt her doing the same. His heart was a rapidly pounding drum in his chest, a reminder of how much this girl meant to him, how much she held his very heart in the palm of her hands. Several inches between them became only one, until…

A voice interrupted them. They pulled apart upon sight of Ashei.

"Uh, sorry to intrude, but there's a, uh… yeti man… here to see you," Ashei said anxiously.

Link cast Midna a nervous glance and hurried to his feet.

"Thank you, Ashei," Link said with a nod, following her out of the graveyard.

Midna gave one last look at the tombstone. She gave Colin a sad smile and whispered, "Watch over Ren, please…" She closed her eyes and held her hand delicately on the stone until the time felt suitable. She then left to catch up with Link.

Yeto stood beside the inn, positively towering over everyone and everything and looking monstrously out of place. Link greeted him with a grin, but Yeto spoke before he could fully approach.

"It take long time to walk from snow mountain to puny fire mountain, uh. Yeto not want to be late," Yeto said, scratching the back of his head.

"Thank you, Yeto. I'm glad to see you," Link replied.

Yeto beamed from ear to ear as he pulled out a massive tree branch from behind his back, "Tiny green human said we do battle, so Yeto find big stick to beat back bad humans with. This good, uh?"

Link chuckled, but Midna felt Link's fear for the gentle giant's safety like a thick fog falling over him.

"Yes, that's good, Yeto. Why don't we get you settled in somewhere you can rest from your long journey?" Link said, looking at a few of the others who had crowded around to see a real-live yeti.

Their eyes all seemed to fall on Talo, "O-Oh, uh, uh… I'll grab a bunch of blankets and pillows for you!"

Talo darted inside and Link troubleshooted the remainder. "You can rest beside the spring. Hopefully the cool breeze off the water can help to keep you at a colder temperature I'm sure you prefer."

Yeto grinned and nodded, "Whatever small human say, Yeto do," Yeto turned to Ashei and nudged her shoulder, "Small human save wife, you know! Small human save home. Yeto indebted to small human, uh. Yeto help small human."

Ashei chuckled nervously, the sheer size of the beast intimidating her. Shad laughed from the window of the inn, also in awe of what he was seeing.

"Thank you, Yeto," Link said again, and Talo returned with enough spare bedding for ten families. He stumbled out of the inn with small giggles from his daughters inside, and with the help of Luda, they ensured Yeto was comfortable.

They resumed lessons for any who desired to participate until dusk began to fall. Though some wanted to continue, Link urged them that proper rest was now far more important. Everyone retired, and Link checked on Zelda one final time. The queen was still out cold, the lightest sweat at her hairline. Link pressed his knuckles to her cheek and closed his eyes, concentrating. He felt her there, still somehow so strong amongst the curtain of weakness that surrounded her. She was no longer in such immediate peril that would give him cause to worry, but she did need more time to recover than they had. He felt her sleeping spirit reach out to his, and where their bonds met, he gave her what strength he could. He opened his eyes, taking one lasting glance at her pretty, sleeping face, and left her to rest.

He joined Midna who had already gotten into bed, but he struggled to find sleep. For most of the night he stared at the ceiling, his mind conjuring an endless array of possibilities for what tomorrow held. He feared what the morning may bring, and longed for the silence of this night to carry on as long as it could. There were no sounds of crickets, no crackling of fires, no breeze through the windows. The village was holding its collective breath, anticipating the plunge.

Far across the world, Viscen prepared for war in different ways. His servants brought him all manner of clothing and armor choices, fuzzy cloaks and extravagant gold jewelry. He said a king must look the part, even in battle. They kept his wine glass full, and he sipped periodically as his chamberlains saw to his every whim. His armorer fashioned him a new sword with jewels at the hilt and intricate carvings up the steel depicting a rising sun. The hilt matched, as did the iron chest piece he decided upon. He had an even more ornate crown made for the occasion, and when his manservants at last threw together a stunning combination of mulberry silk and tawny furs, it was settled.

"At last…" the king's voice sounded like triumph. Predetermined victory. Self-aggrandizing glory. It boomed with strength that rivaled the seas. It rumbled with the might of earthquakes.

His words echoed with no thought for his daughter, his people, his kingdom. It resounded only with dripping malice, poison etched into every syllable. The very sound was a curse upon all who bore witness. It slipped through the pores of the skin, seeped into the deepest recesses of the soul.

It permeated existence and demanded that it be truth.

"Tomorrow, Hyrule is mine."

A/N: Oooh, how are we feeling? Let me know your thoughts! As I mentioned above, the next chapter will be a much shorter wait.

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I love you all to the moon and back! I hope you all have a beautiful holiday season and a happy new year!

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

Cynfall, InnerEnigma, Ivalee, Jessie H, KingRoxim, Lee Glerum, Lotus Eater, Owen Reilly, Siren World, emmydog1, Amber Milligan, Big Jake, Emily Zuber, Fez, Mandelbrot, Nebelfaenger, Sabine, Silvia Delgado, Tyli Ariegh

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