⠀he has arrived.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀the words replayed again and again, echoing within her skull. link was here. he'd save her, just like he had before, and they'd escape together unharmed...
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀..right?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀her eyes trailed down to her midriff for a fraction of a second, the crusted remains of dried blood remaining as a cruel reminder of what had occurred. she winced at the sight, pulling her eyes away. instead, she kept them glued towards the entrance; searching. link had already played the role of messiah in their story, but how much longer could they replay these familiar events before their luck ran out? she felt her anxiety pick up with the thought, increasing steadily as the seconds passed—
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀until she saw him.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀while their circumstances remained as grim as ever, her internal worries seemed to quiet as her eyes met with his for a passing glance. that is, until his eyes trailed off, soon fixating on her lop-sided hair, before locking onto her scarred, unclad stomach. it was a quick survey, nothing more than a glance at the damage done— yet it was all it took. his expression immediately hardened, the relief of seeing her alive dissolved before morphing into what zelda could only describe as incandescent with rage. he was seething.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀the yiga seemed to wait for link to take in the scene, relishing in his reaction. zelda had to resist the urge to crumple underneath his gaze. she was unable to cover herself, or her newfound disfigurements, in any fashion— leaving her bare and humiliated. she saw the way he had focused on the assaults inflicted upon her. her formerly unblemished, milky skin, and golden hair was now thoroughly lacerated— tarnished with a mixture of dirt and blood. she could only imagine how pathetic she looked. would he be able to view her in the same light after this? she knew the thought itself was irrational, but the thick clouds of anger wafting off of link made her doubt herself. she had never seen him wear such a harsh expression, and his foreign countenance sent a chill down her spine.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀time seemed to slow for her; she continued to observe him from her mildly distressing location. she soon realized, after examining the rest of him thoroughly, that he had no gear. none. not his infamous darkness sealing sword, not a bag of potions for emergencies, nor a bow and shield— he didn't even have one of the boomerangs he always insisted on bringing everywhere because they "came in handy".
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀he must've been disarmed, she figured. yet, he still looked as if he'd recklessly jump up and lay siege to the yiga within any second— with or without weapons.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀however, the chance of him doing that was soon dismissed— the surrounding yiga roughly directed him to the pair of chains sitting idly on the wall behind them. they continued to bark orders and threats that zelda could hardly make out, but soon enough link had begrudgingly succumbed to the cuffs; facing zelda head-on.
Oracle of Hylia, aubreylovesthegames, and LINDINI200, thank you so much for leaving reviews! Here's your update, sorry if it's a lil short ;;