Link and Zelda have access to their own hut—a small uninhabited home in the heart of the village. They sit before the firepit, Zelda with her arms wrapped around Link's naked waist as he pokes mindlessly at the embers. She rests her blonde head against his stomach, letting him pointlessly poke away.

"Do you ever wonder what everyone thought when the Calamity hit?" The woman suddenly asks, her eyes focused solely on the burning remains. "How they reacted? Where their thought process took them in that very moment?"

She continues as Link stays quiet, a hollow tint within her voice. "Did the citizens fight? Did our soldiers run away in fear?"

"What ails you?" Link finds his voice gentle and measured as he focuses away from the pit and at the top of her head. "What's bringing about this line of thought?"

"If what you've said about Ganon's return is true, then I'm… afraid." Zelda looks up at him, her lips tight and pursed. "For everything we've tried to build. For our people." Finally, her eyebrows twitch and furrow as her eyes well with tears. "For you."

"Oh, Zelda," He sighs, dropping his poker with a thud and running his hand through her hair. "Do not fear for me. I've beaten him before, and I can do it again. I'm stronger than I've ever been."

"That's not what I fear," She shakes her head. "You aren't alone anymore, and I worry you still see yourself as solitary. Sidon, Teba, Riju, Yunobo. They all stand ready to face whatever aims to destroy us. You have an army—One with absolute loyalty toward you."

"They are loyal to you." Link tries, but Zelda cuts that away immediately.

"No. You trained every single soldier yourself. Every captain, every squire. You lead them through respect, not fear—something even the military of old couldn't do. They adore you, Link." Her smile is dull but not out of jealousy. His lady is terrified for him. "You are King in everything but title. If you were to fall, it would not just be me who suffers your loss."

"I won't fall," He squeezes her close, turning his body to grip her tightly to his chest. "I will never fail you again."

"You didn't fail me," she starts, her sadness replaced by heat. "You died. How could you consider that failure?"

Immediately, his mouth is clamped shut.

"Link," Zelda sits up, staring straight into his eyes with a wave of burning anger. "Don't think you can worm yourself out of this one by putting on your 'Silent Knight' act."

No words vie to escape his lips, so she continues on for him. "You dare to believe that I would consider you dying for my protection a failure and then deign to remain silent? You foolish, muscle-brained… man!"

He wishes he could explain. He could say it's not Zelda that he believes would deem it a failure, but himself, his father, and King Bosphoramus. Sure, the Old Man he met on the Great Plateau made it clear that he performed his duty correctly and to the measure of any great knight before him, but the point still stands. He died under the Oath of Protection.

He is an Oathbreaker.

That is the greatest misdeed imaginable. Zelda was never a Knight. She can't understand his feelings on the matter. Before the Calamity, she never stood in attendance at the executions of the Ones Who Break—after all, only the King, the General, and his Knights were allowed to view them. She never drew the Sword of Excellence and gazed upon its blunted tip designed for beheading. Link remembers the feeling of the blade leaving its sheathe, the weight of taking an Oathbreaker's life. Every Knight of the Loftwing has—had—to carry the burden of wielding the Blade of Excellence—Every Knight has to kill an Oathbreaker.

It was chosen at random, a raffle the Knight-Commander would lead. Even Aganok's name was in the draw.

It is the reason why he refuses Kingship. If he could break that Oath, who's to say he wouldn't break the most tremendous Oath conceived—Becoming King of Hyrule?

No one alive can perform the Execution. He can't even execute himself. The Goddesses are truly torturous beings, forcing him to remain after the crimes he committed. The fact of which will stay with him to his grave.

A moment of recollection is all he needs to steel himself against the raging tirade of his Lady before him. She's still ranting about his inanity and the lack of proper understanding he has. Goddess, does he love her.

"I am sorry, Zelda." he apologizes sincerely. "I regret making you feel like I thought my sacrifice was a failure."

She scowls at him, picking apart his attempt to change the subject with Wisdom and wit only she can ever have. "You cannot trick me into believing that is a true apology, but we can agree to disagree. Kiss me, fool; I don't wish to go to bed angry at you."

That forces out a chuckle from deep in Link's chest. "As you wish."

He's never been one to say no to her anyway.

"If we have a daughter, I'd like to name her Aryll," Zelda says suddenly, breaking the silence that has encompassed the air for at least an hour.

They're alone, riding Epona and Shiny—Zelda's nomenclature towards her mount never ceases to amaze him—across Hyrule Field on an expedition they decided to partake in together as the Leaders of Hyrule. Zelda mentioned wanting to explore the field for any more signs of the Fog Link saw and hoping to reach its source to seal away whatever remnant is causing it forever.

That is the explanation for their new location, back to the matter at hand.

Link coughs, covering his mouth with his light blue Champion's Tunic sleeve as he choked on his spit from the rapid gasp her statement forced out of him at random. He switched outfits, as he would be off-duty during this trip. "W-what?!"

"A daughter," She continues, oblivious to his panic. "I believe Aryll would be a great name. After your mother and sister, of course."

"A-and if they were a boy?" He asks as if his hands aren't shaking at the thought of bringing a child into the world.

Another being he would be terrified of failing.

"Mm," Zelda ponders his question momentarily, resting her finger against her cheek as she lets her golden horse find his way. "I haven't a clue. Best to leave the naming of a boy to his father, don't you think?"

Sweat forms on his brow as Link tries to get his breathing under control. Finally, he musters up his courage and poses a question that is eating away at his psychological stability. "A-are… are you pregnant?"

"Oh—Ha!" She breaks out in a fit of laughter, completely disregarding his fear as she spooks the horses with the volume. "No! No, at least, I don't think so." She wipes her eye, her body still shaking with the remnants of laughter. When he doesn't respond, her demeanour shifts to teasing as she leans closer to him as she can in her saddle. "I mean, after last night, who could be certain?"

Link turns away, the embarrassment at her reaction turning the tips of his ears crimson as he refuses to look at her or answer.

"Oh, Link!" Zelda giggles again. "Don't pout! It was funny!"

It's been a week since they left Kakariko together. Zelda was unhappy that; "You all only let me travel alone when Link comes along! It's not fair!" But he knows she's just as happy to be in his presence as he is to be in hers. After a year apart, it's been… well, it feels like they're both teenagers again, trying to hide their burgeoning love from prying eyes.

Without the prying eyes, but love to spare.

"Link?" He hears her call but avoids her gaze like a petulant child. She asked for this. "Link, I'm serious. Look at the road."

"Whatever it is, I'm not eating it, Zelda," he grunts, his voice gruff and taught as he turns to see whatever she's pointing attention to. "I don't care about the benefits—oh, Goddess."

A young boy lies on the trail—barely seven from Link's judgment. Around him are the familiar wisps of red and purple. The child isn't breathing.

"Stay on your horse. Prepare to run at a moment's notice." Link orders, pointing at her as he jumps off Epona and sprints to the boy. Zelda takes him at his word, and before he runs, he catches her tightening her grip on the reins and standing on her stirrup.

Link praises the Goddesses daily that she respects him enough to listen. Zelda is a stubborn one. With his hand on his sword, the man leans down at the unmoving form of the young one. A grimace sparks along his jowls, not seeing his chest rise or fall.

A strangled gasp leaves the child's lips, and that is all Link needs. He picks him up as gently as he can—noticing briefly that the Fog escapes his nose and mouth—and runs back to Epona.

"And? I-Is he okay?" Zelda asks, worry dripping from her voice.

"He coughed," Link answers. "I don't feel him breathing, though."

Against his wishes, she jumps from Shiny and hustles to his side. He wants to chastise her for not listening, but the weight of the situation freezes his tongue. Zelda places a hand atop his head, feeling for a fever and then checks his pulse—a whisper of something he can't make out flashes along her face.

"What?" He asks.

"He's cursed," Zelda answers with a glazed look. "Blighted by the Fog. A whole… Gloom has taken over his body."

"Don't touch him!" Link reacts, pulling the child like he's stigmatic and will burn her Royal hands. "We don't know if it's contagious!"

She immediately glares at the fearful Hero. "I am the reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia. Whatever curses him will have no effect on me. I will heal him."

"Zelda—"
"No. You cannot fight me on this." Her stare is fire, melting the ice in his soul. "I will heal him."

A sigh escapes his lips as he turns back to her, the child held out for her to set to work. Immediately, the Princess begins to glow, channelling her inner Light and focusing it into her hands. She holds them out, palms first. The Triforce makes its familiar appearance like it always does when she uses her magic.

It takes a second before Link feels the child steadily start taking breaths.

"There," Zelda exhales, the Light dissipating as quickly as it appeared. Her previously magic-doused hands reach out once more to run her hands through the boy's sweaty hair. "All fixed. Poor darling must be terribly frightened."

"How do you feel? Would you like to sit?" He asks. "Water? Food?"

"Link, I'm fine." She breathily laughs as she waves off his concern, purely focused on the child rather than her wellbeing. "But let us rest a moment. He should wake up soon."

With one last lingering look at his wife-to-be, he whistles for the horses and leads them and Zelda off the trail, far away from that malignancy upon Hyrule's beautiful visage of a Fog. They walk into the Wild, away from anywhere prying eyes would see them as prey.

Zelda finds the perfect spot, a small outcrop of peat beneath a patch of ancient trees covered by vines like varicose veins and brush.

To not aggravate the boy's already strained body, Link places him atop a bedroll the Princess lays out before the fire pit she's already finished making.

"Watch his breathing," Link grunts, staring at the child. "I'm going to scout around and find some firewood." He reaches into his bag, bottomless from Hestu's Blessing, and retrieves an ornate bow glowing with power. "Do not hesitate."

He holds it out to the Princess, knowing her skill with the weapon is enough to keep him comfortable while he leaves her alone.

"Of course, love." Zelda nods, taking it from his hands; as soon as it touches her fingers, an arrow of light forms between her index and middle. "Leave it to me."

Zelda watches him go, disappearing into the overgrown wilderness in the wilds of Hyrule. She knows he's in his element when the open sky is at his back, the wind caressing his face. Knowing he has handled the crucial parts of setting up camp, she tends to the child, her hand still twined in the bowstring.

His breathing is steady, and he mumbles in sleep incoherently. A faint smile stretches along her lips, and she feels contentment; She knows a life was saved because of her.

"I hope you wake up soon," she whispers to him, knelt low and placing the back of her free hand on his cheek. "I want to know what brought you such a terrible fate."

The bushes nearby rustle—opposite to the ones Link exited—and Zelda reacts under trained instinct, and her bow is drawn taut with an arrow pointing downrange to where she spies the movement. Her eyes, previously kind emeralds, shift to a poisonous viper. She will protect this child with her life.

"They went—o-oh my…!" A frail-looking man steps out from the brush, his clothes tattered, revealing old wounds and bruises. The man raises his hands to show he's unarmed as he catches sight of the woman aiming her bow at him.

"Tolan? Why are you—" another man speaks; Zelda pulls back tighter on her draw.

"Hold, Miko!" The one she aims at hisses. The new man pokes his head out, paling at the sight of the bow and woman. "We mean no harm, I swear it."

"What do you think of bananas?" She grounds out forcefully.

The men share a look of confusion and shake their heads to be sure they heard her correctly. "P-pardon?"

"Bananas are foul, wouldn't you agree?"

"I don't think I'm understanding—"

"Answer," Zelda aims an arrowhead between the frail man's eyes as he moves to step closer. "The question."

"I personally hold no notions towards whether they're foul or not," the frontman answers quickly. "Never been to Faron, haven't had one."

"Mm." Zelda hums, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "And you?" She shifts targets to the younger lad. "Your thoughts?"

"I-I find their stench odorous, b-but I enjoy the taste?"

"Hmm." She hums again, eyeing them both like a hawk to prey. The men shake in their boots, knowing that one wrong move could be their last. Suddenly, however, her demeanour shifts. The bow in her hands drops as quickly as she raises it, and she smiles broadly at them both. "Satisfactory. Come hither. My husband will be back with wood for the fire."

"H-husband?" The younger man asks, looking over at his friend as they hesitantly walk over. "He as scary as you?"

"Oh, no," Zelda waves them off as they reach the overhang she was protecting. The men both sigh in relief. But they don't realize that Zelda isn't finished. "He's much scarier. Frankly, he'd have tried to gut you both without asking the question—I wouldn't have let him, of course. He's much too jaded nowadays."

"Right," The older man mutters as he steps past the hill Zelda had made her stand. When he enters the camp, his eyes rest upon the child, and they widen. "It's Jek! Miko, she saved Jek!"

The young man immediately runs over, desperate as he nearly trips over the underbrush and roots. He pauses once he takes in the sight of the boy, his eyes welling with tears. "J-Jek… my boy! He's okay!"

The man wails, rushing to the child's side and falling to his knees before him. His hands hover above the boy, afraid his touch would shatter him like glass.

Throughout the heartfelt scene, Zelda stands off to the side and watches. She wasn't expecting any of this, especially since the men would know this child.

"You were looking for him?" She asks.

"Yes," the older man replies, raising his gaze from the boy and man. "Jek is my grandson. We lost him earlier, and with everything happening in the village, we were beside ourselves with worry."

Before Zelda can question him further about the village, he seems to realize something and smacks his forehead. "Where are my manners?! I am Tolan of Mabe Village. The lad is my daughter's husband, Miko."

"A pleasure," Zelda curtsies out of a thoroughly ingrained habit. "I am Zelda, but that's not important. I would like to know what's plaguing your village. Perhaps I can assist you?"

"The Princess?" Tolan's eyes widen before he falls to his knees in a bow. "M-my sincerest apologies! Forgive my insolence, your Highness!"

"No, no," Zelda holds out her hands. "I'm simply Zelda at the moment. No need to bow. Tell me about Mabe Village, please."

She recognizes the name; how could she not? It was Link's home before The Calamity. His father was Lord of Mabe, Earl of Hyrule Field. If not for the destruction of Hyrule, he would have been Lord, as well. Zelda is beside herself with her uncharacteristic obliviousness about how she could have forgotten where they are.

Link must be reliving such terrible memories in this area. But she hides her worry well. The men need not know her woes.

"Well," Tolan rubs the back of his balding head. "We've been struck by a… Fog? Gas? I-I don't rightly know. It's been eviscerating our home. People are falling ill, and children are passing out in the streets. We have no idea what's happening."

"You're facing it as well," Zelda mutters. "Let us wait for my husband; then, we will see what we can do for your home."

The older man looks relieved like a weight is lifted off his shoulders. He sits beside the fire pit, taking his first rest in what seems to be days. She decides to join him, allowing Miko to sit next to his son as they await Link and the boy's awakening. She waits, gets to know the two, and learns about her people and their lives. Zelda loves listening to them, anyone, honestly. She likes to hear where she could improve and how she can make their lives easier.

"Zelda." Link makes his sudden reappearance. She looks over, catching sight of her new companions jumping at his voice. Link is standing above them, atop the outcropping, eyeing the men with the eyes of a wolf and arms filled to the brim with dry wood. He flicks them back and forth between her and them. She nods at him, and he sighs, dropping his load and jumping to the ground. "I'm Link. You've met her. Names?"

"Hylia," Tolan holds his chest. "Y'scared the bones outta me, General."

"Name." Link demands. Apparently, he has just as much a reputation as Zelda does.

"T-Tolan, sir." The man stands, suddenly more reserved the minute her husband speaks.

"Pleasure." Link eyes him. "You served?"

Zelda's eyebrows raise as she watches the interaction. Of course, Link would pick up on that.

"Yes. Hebra Militia—back when there was one." Tolan's back straightens.

"Mm," The General nods appreciably. "I've heard about that—Such a tragedy. Thank you for your service."

Tolan salutes, which Link returns immediately. The older man recites some sort of saying, one Zelda doesn't understand. "If not us, then who?"

"Damn few, and they're all dead." Link answers with conviction before ending the salute with a stomp.

What a strange scene. Zelda will never understand militarism.

"I'm Miko," The father sparks up from his child's bedside. "This is my boy, Jek. Lady Zelda told us you helped save him. Thank you."

"She did the hard work," Link nods at him, then looks at the two with kinder eyes. The hackles he had raised fell into his usual demeanour. "What brings you here? Can we help?"

There's the Hero she knows and loves.

"Hylia," Link mutters, his gaze taken by the village they enter. Pouring out from dilapidated windows is the Fog, or Gloom, as Zelda has come to call it. The dirt street lined with repaired houses and buildings that look startlingly like they did before the Calamity is filled with men, women and children moaning in pain, holding their stomachs or throats.

Thankfully, every one of them appears to be breathing. Jek must have gotten a nasty hit.

"Are you alright?" Zelda grabs his free arm, the one not leading both of their horses by their reins. He's jerked out of his memory before patting her hand with an appreciative touch.

"Sorry. Just… it looks like it did before." He pushes out his words, trying his darndest to communicate his feelings. "I feel like I just walked into my father's grave."

She grimaces before offering a loving grip on his forearm. "I felt the same within Hyrule Castle. I am here, love."

Emboldened by her words, Link takes a deep breath before pushing forward. He will brave this storm, his guiding light is beside him. The four, plus the still unconscious Jek, stride through town, the sound of moaning and wailing overriding all other senses. Zelda's eyes trail from side to side, taking in each curse-ridden citizen, her heart breaking with every sight.

"Close your heart to it," Link grunts from her left, his hand tight against the reins. "You cannot save them all."

Zelda knows he isn't calling her weak. He's simply stating a fact. There has to be at least fifty of them, and her stamina would not last—she would give out from exhaustion. Indignation sparks within her chest, regardless.

"Maybe not," She growls. "But I can certainly try."

She stomps forward, and Link doesn't even try to stop her. He simply sighs, as this is exactly what he was expecting. He follows closely behind, clicking for the horses to speed up. The men they met also move to join.

"Hello," Zelda drawls with a smile to a small woman knelt on her doorstep. She looks up at her weakly, trying to return her greeting, but no words come out. "Not to worry! I am here to help. I can heal you."

Hope replaces the resignation across her face. Link watches from a short distance, noticing from the corner of his eye that some of the more resilient Cursed looks over in shock, watching closely at the interaction like Vultures.

Link's hackles rise again, his fingers twitching for the Master Sword.

"That's… Hale. My wife," Miko swallows wetly. "She took the brunt—was fine before we left. Please heal her, Princess."

Tolan looks on with a desperate gleam in his eye. Zelda offers a resolute look, but Link spies the predatory haze overtaking even their stare. His hand raises to the Master Sword's pommel. "Zelda…"

She doesn't hear him, her ministrations of magic already commencing, stealing every ounce of her attention and focus.

The minute her light appears, the wailing villagers cease and look over, the same gleam in those close enough to hear sparkling with something… disconcerting.

Link turns, hand still holding his sword, and takes a defensive stance in front of his wife. Slowly, the Cursed shamble to their feet like Stalfos, ambling with crooked legs and holding out their hungry hands. "Zelda!" He shouts, pushing back Tolan and Miko—who dropped Jek in his haze.

Red blood leaks from the boy's skull. Link doesn't see him move. A large rock is stuck in the dirt where he fell. The Goddesses never cease to amaze him with their cruelty...

Surprised by his shout, the Princess looks over and gasps at the sight of the surrounding villagers. A monstrous growl sounds off behind her. The woman she'd been tending to jumps atop her, gnashing her teeth for the flesh in Zelda's neck.

She had been so sickly, barely able to stand. Zelda struggles against her newfound beastly strength, crying out in fear.

A sword leaves its sheath with a metallic twang; Link lets out a subtle exhale of exertion, and the woman Zelda had been trying to save falls limp atop her, her head lopped from her shoulders. It takes her a second to breathe, and in that second, all she hears is the death cries of the previously sick men, women and children she had wanted to save.

She tries to push off the corpse, her hands slick in her bluish-red blood. It keeps slipping. She can't breathe.

All she hears is death—Link dancing like the Reaper between each crying soul she had wanted—needed to save.

It's not his fault. He's protecting her.

Zelda tries again to push off the corpse, grunting with exertion, panting at the force she's trying to move. Sweat leaks from her eyes—no, tears. She only just realizes she's been crying.

"G-get off!" She shouts at the motionless corpse, a pretty woman she used to be. A mother—wife, just like Zelda. "Get off of me!"

Like the world's weight leaving her body, it flies off her, and she's engulfed in warmth. Strong arms wrap around her, shaking just like she is.

"It's okay," Link whispers to her or himself. She can't tell. His face is buried in her hair, his chest heaving, and his heart pounding against her. "I had to. I had to. They were going to kill her. I had to."

To himself. Oh, Hylia.

"L-Link." She sniffs, struggling to find herself but knowing he needs her. "Link, I-It's alright."

"I had to," he repeats like a mantra. "I had to."

Thunder rolls in the sky, and the coming rain drips atop her nose. Link doesn't move, aside from his incessant shaking. Another sniff escapes her, and she brings her hands around his broad back, rubbing circles into it. She sees him gripping the Master Sword like a lifeline, dripping in the purple blood of the village.

Mabe Village is gone again-Slain by its would-be lord. Goddess, what more must she take from Zelda's poor husband?

What more must Ganon take from them?

Lightning flashes and more thunder echoes in the sky. The wind howls, and Link refuses to move, repeating his mantra.

She will stay here forever if she has to, rubbing soothing circles into his back, telling him she loves him and will never stop.


Yo, rough, huh?

This one's shorter than the rest. I'm sure you understand why. lemme know your thoughts.

I'm having a blast writing this. I think this is the first time I've uploaded twice a week. Huh.