Chapter 15

Zelda

The trial of Wisdom had been quite simple. Really, the only hard part had been reaching the peak of the mountain. Luckily Mori had been there to help her - Zelda wasn't sure she would have been able to reach the Spring without his help.

"Hello, Zelda," Wisdom said gently. "You have proven yourself worthy of the Emblem - not that I ever doubted. But first, I wish to speak with you."

"Alright. But can we hurry? We need to get back to Link, and that Hunter guy is still after us."

"Of course. As I said before, you must go to the past to understand certain things, and now that you'll have the Emblem, you may do so. Go to the Temple of Time on the Great Plateau once you retrieve the Hero and the Master Sword, and the path will then be clear."

"I'll do it. A few quick questions before I go: What did you mean by Link being cursed? Who's the Hunter? Which goddess am I supposed to be a reincarnation of? What will we do about the Spirit of Power?"

Wisdom smiled wanly. "These are not simple questions, though the Hero can answer the first two. I will try, however, to answer the rest quickly.

"To begin, your bloodline belongs to that of the goddess of Time, Hylia." Zelda's mouth dropped open.

What? She was Hylia? The goddess she and so many others had been worshipping for years? Light, this a lot to take in, she thought.

"Second, now that you and the hero are taking away the few bindings left on Power, the Evil One will become more powerful than ever. Follow the path laid before you, dear one, and you shall succeed."

Wisdom paused. "One last thing... the Emblems are powerful, and sometimes, if their power goes unchecked, they can... change you. I don't believe the Hero has been informed of this, so please, tell him to-"

Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise shot through her ears, and the light of the mountain scene flickered. Wisdom found Zelda's gaze. "The Hunter is here. Your friends are in danger. Take the emblem, and protect Hyrule."

A perfectly round, blue stone floated in front of her. She touched it, and light scoured her very being, collating at the dip in her collarbone, fusing with the owl charm that Link had given her. The golden bird wrapped its talons and wings around the stone, and suddenly, she was falling, the air grew cold-

WHOOMPH!

As she landed, a shockwave of light shot out in all directions, blasting various monsters off the mountain to their deaths. Oh, now my powers are working. Was that Hylia or Wisdom? With a huff, Zelda got up, but instantly felt colder than the moment before. Link was lying in front of her, blood trickling from his mouth. "Link! Get up!" She shook him until his eyes opened. "Oh, thank the skies. I thought for a moment..." she trailed off, then hugged him tight.

She felt his arms move to hold her, but a second later, something ripped him out of her grip. She opened her mouth, extended her hand to throw the attacker off the mountain with her untrained power-

But in front of her wasn't Link and another person. It was two Links. They wrestled fiercely, trying to stop each other from drawing weapons. One of them snarled ferally, and she almost aimed her magic at him, but remembered the protective roars that her friend had been releasing recently. What if she harmed the wrong one?

"Stop!" Zelda shouted. They both turned to look at her, panting heavily. "Which of you is real?!"

"It's me," they said in unison before glaring and growling at each other.

"J-just tell me something that my Link would know!"

A jumble of words came from the both of them. Zelda eyed them both, looking at their faces. One was streaked with tears, eyes red from crying. She saw a glint in there that made her heart lurch in her chest. He was slightly translucent. She knew it was him.

Zelda made a show of looking the other over. His eyes were dark and malicious, and that only reinforced her knowledge that this was the copy. She had a plan to get rid of him, but... This is a terrible idea.

Activating her power, she bound her Link with magic and forced him to the ground. The heartbroken sob and look he gave almost made her switch her plan, but Zelda stood steadfast, staring at the imposter with the gaze she reserved for Link, tender and caring - dare she say it...? Loving.

She placed a hand on his cheek, dragging her thumb across the bone. The imposter was a good actor too, leaning into her touch with a blush. Zelda raised her other hand and placed it over his heart. As the copy's hands reached for hers, she shot as much power as she could gather into his chest, shooting him into the sky, a trail of light and smoke following him. Zelda stuck her tongue out childishly, a deep frown on her face.

With a shaky sigh, she turned to Link, releasing his bonds with a wave of her hand. "I'm sorry about that, Link. I didn't want to accidentally harm you; I'm just learning to use this magic." No response. "Link?"

He was crawling for the arched trial she had opened. Looking up, she saw it - or rather, him. Mori. Upright against the pillar.

A sword shoved through his abdomen.

Blood and writhing organs spilling and marring the perfectly white snow that capped the mountain.

"Uncle..." Link cried, voice slurred and weak. "Uncle..." He curled up and shivered, holding onto his uncle's leg and sobbing.

Zelda couldn't move. She had known Mori well. He was like a second father to Link, his own often away, fighting for Union's safety. He had been the first to coach him through fencing and archery. He had shown them to a ranch where they were able to ride like they had always wished. He took Aryll to Hateno beach, where she found her love for the ocean and seagulls. He had helped her and Link through this crazy mission.

He was gone. Dead.

"Link, you impatient-" Impa huffed but instantly cut off, staring at the scene before her. "Oh no. Oh dear." She looked to Zelda. "We need to go back to the village. I'll keep Mori... preserved until you get Link's body back. Don't worry, I'll get Arista and Telan for the... funeral."

"I... thank you. Link and I should leave immediately. The enemy is moving far too quickly." Zelda approached him carefully, like one would a spooked animal. "Link, we've got to go. We still have to save Aryll," she said softly.

He turned his empty gaze to her, breathy sobs still slipping from his throat. His trembling arm reached for her, and she gently pulled him up. They walked down the mountain, arms hooked, Link leaning on her heavily. Impa carried Mori's body, his dead limbs swaying with her gait.

When they reached the bottom, Link whistled feebly, a horse neighing in response. The mare slid to a stop in front of them, and they jumped up. Link curled over on himself and pushed his face into the her mane. "Go to the Lost Woods, Epona," he whispered. His breath hitched again, and tears trickled down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Uncle..." she heard him whisper.

_/|||\_

Epona could gallop faster than nearly anything else - horse or vehicle. In a shockingly short amount of time, they passed through Minshi Woods, Zelda's heart clenching as they passed the cabin. Close to the entrance to the Lost Woods, they dismounted - though it hadn't been long, her rear felt awfully sore. Link whispered to and petted the horse. She huffed and turned her tail to them.

Their hands - physical ghost and living human - gripped each other as they went through the Woods. Link seemed to instinctively know every turn they should make. How, she had no idea; everything looked the same to her.

Stepping into the cave of the Deku Tree, he dropped the lantern and the other physical items he had gathered and walked into his frozen body. The amber prison began to glow on and off, cracks appearing as the vines crawled away. With a brilliant flash, the crystal broke, sending Link tumbling to the ground, unconscious, but chest rising and falling.

Zelda choked back a sob of relief. He's alive, thank goodness. He's alive, oh thank you, Hylia - wait, can I thank myself?

Then she saw the blood pouring from his side, where the boar's tusk had pinned him to a tree. No! I just got you back, you can't die! She reached out and while putting pressure on the wound, shouted for the Koroks to come help. They came barreling in, leaves and instruments in their stubby arms.

She snatched the leaves from them and pushed hard, blushing slightly under the feel of Link's solid stomach. Zelda winced as blood bubbled from his mouth as he took in gurgling, hasty breaths. "Please, please, please, be okay; I can't lose anyone else, Link!" She only relaxed slightly as the Koroks began to do their song, the flesh beneath her hands shifting and healing.

She let out a sigh of relief as Link began to breathe normally before moving so his head was in her lap. Zelda stroked his messy bangs away from his face, ignoring the blood covering her hands and his body. Pale lightning-like scars spread up his neck and jaw, connecting with the knife scar on the left side of his face. Remembering her nightmare, she lifted his shirt to see how close the Malice had gotten to his heart.

It appeared mere hairs away from killing him.

Letting out a shaky breath, Zelda lowered his shirt again. She placed a gentle kiss on the place where the scars on his face met and waited for him to wake. Link moaned quietly, making her heart lurch oddly. Blinking awake, he stared at her for a moment. "Hey," he said, voice rough and warm.

A sob escaped her throat, and she pulled him into a tight hug, letting go quickly when he grunted in pain. "Oh, Light, I'm sorry, Link! I didn't mean to hurt-"

"It's alright," Link said, smiling, so wide that his eyes crinkled, then looking away with a blush reaching his ears. With a grunt, he sat up, sorrow taking his gaze again.

"Uncle," he breathed.

Zelda's heart clenched. "B-before we go to Kakariko for the funeral-"

"N-no. He... didn't want to be b-buried in the ground. He wanted to be cremated then let out at Hateno Beach, near his hometown." He paused, then buried his face in his hands. "Uncle is gone, a-and Aryll won't even b-be here to sa-ay goodbye... It's all my fault!"

"What happened?" she asked. I don't think I'll be able to convince him that this isn't because of him...

"I... tr-tried to sneak up on tha-at copy of me, while he was talking a-at Uncle. J-just before my sword reached him, he t-took it and threw it at him. He died because I was too reckless and impatient!"

"But wouldn't the copy have killed your Uncle anyways?" she pressed. "If he wanted to get to me or Wisdom, he would've had no problem killing Mori."

Link blinked at her, as though he hadn't even considered the possibility that he wasn't at fault. "I... oh. I g-guess you're right..."

Zelda tried not to act surprised. He had accepted that he wasn't at fault far more easily than he ever had before. "Um, so about your doppelgänger... is he the Hunter?"

"...I thi-ink so. Right after m-my body got stuck, I had a... dr-dream. The M-malice that had attacked us to-ook my blood... a-and... W-well, there were a bunch of people there. They kinda l-looked like Yiga, but different. This... g-guy the others called "Master" did s-some sort of spell... and then there was this mirror image of myself, but it was so wrong. It was a monster. The "Master" told it to... capture you a-and... kill me."

"That's... wow." Link chuckled a little at her confused remark. "A-and, I have another question... a few times now, I've heard of a curse on you. What... is it? Can I help?" she asked.

Link froze. He swallowed thickly, biting his lip, while his ears pointed down. "Oh! I'm sorry, Link. I didn't mean to push you," she said apologetically.

"N-no, it's just... U-um. When Ghirahim... caught me all those years ago, he... used some-something made of M-malice to hurt me. It... cursed me. It's wh-why I've... had such big problems for so long... well, it's at le-east part of the reason."

"Oh, Link..." her eyes welled up. "Is there any way I can help?"

"I dunno. Courage's emblem co-ouldn't remove it. She said I... would have to f-figure this out on my own."

Zelda sniffed. "I'll help you. I swear, we'll get everything figured out." Her breath hitched a little when Link reached out and brushed tears from her face. He was being so bold - not that she minded; quite the opposite, in fact.

"Sorry," he mumbled, turning away again. "I-I just don't li-ike to see you cry."

"It's okay. I... kinda like that you're opening up, being more confident." Link's ears turned red again. He shakily tried to stand but collapsed instantly. "Link! Oh, I'm so stupid! Your body needs to replenish the blood you lost! Sit right here, I'll get you some water!"

She ran off to a small spring that she remembered from last time, a bottle in her hand. Zelda came back to find Link slumped at the Deku Tree's base, breathing heavily. "Link!" His eyes shifted aimlessly, like he wasn't seeing anything. She gently lifted his head and poured water into his mouth, and he swallowed reflexively.

"Sh-she's calling me..." he mumbled.

"Who is?" she asked, thinking him somewhat delirious.

"Fi..." he said softly. "Fi, Fi, Fi..."

"Who?" she said rather tersely, confused.

"The swa-ord, Ze-ellie."

"You can do that when you've regained your strength. Let's go sleep now." His eyes were tired and glazed over.

"Mkay... Zellie... see ya... t'morrow..."

His breathing quickly evened out, though she was rather shocked at how exhausted he was - he was fine when he woke up, after all. She kissed his brow, still reeling from everything that had happened.

"Goodnight, my Link."