Chapter 12: Descent

-Link-

In his sleep, Link became familiar with sensation once again. Somehow, he was warm and comfortable. A pale red light surrounded his vision. With each passing second, he felt sensations come back to him. He felt he was resting on something wonderful. Wonderful enough that he felt regret at becoming more aware of things. He felt like himself.

Confusion entered his mind. Wasn't he hurt...again? As control of his body came to him once again, he dared to move his limbs a little.
He was relieved when it didn't hurt. Then he slowly opened his eyes.

Soft golden light flooded his vision, making him wince a little. The air was clean and still here. It looked so peaceful. Link stared aimlessly for a moment, whilst the rest of his senses came back to him.

Soon enough, he got to his feet. He tried to take in what little he could understand. He seemed to be on a placid pond in some isolated and unknown place. The water was clear and flowed over an unseen edge. This was the sacred realm, just a bit different. Link let his mind wander briefly over the possibilities. As he turned his head, something caught his eye.

There was something golden, on a beautiful marble plinth in the middle of the large pond.
Looking around once more and seeing nobody else, he walked to it. His apprehension slowed him.

As he came to the plinth, he knew without any doubt that this was one part of the Triforce of Power.
It sat suspended in the air above the plinth. Even broken, the mere sight of it suffused Link with a sense that he was seeing something godly. His fears and anxieties washed away in the mere presence of the holy relic.

He held a breath and dared to touch the fragment. The moment he did, his hand appeared to turn into solid gold as a dazzling light seeped from the Triforce piece and into the symbol emblazoned on his hand.
The light shone fiercely for a while longer and began to dim.
As the light cleared, Link noticed he felt different. Strangely so.

He felt utterly revitalised. His muscles brimmed with energy, his vision seemed sharper and his mind was utterly clear. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so ready for anything that could be thrown in his path.

Then, the world seemed to slowly and steadily grow darker. He did not feel any fear or uncertainty. Rather that something else was going to come next. Before his vision got too dark to see, the old Hero appeared behind the plinth.
Without saying a word, he smiled widely at Link and nodded once in approval. As soon as the old hero turned, his vision went completely dark.

Though he felt cold suddenly, he did not even ache. Nor did he feel as if he needed to lay down. He sat bolt upright. Zelda let out a yelp in surprise from the movement as she leaned back, narrowly avoiding a headbutt.

"Uh...I'm sorry…" he stammered.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Link wondered why tension leaving the body started with slumping the shoulders.

A moment later, Zelda spoke.

"It is quite all right. I am unharmed. Though I am certain I would not want to experience an intentional headbutt from you"

He managed a shy smile.

"I got it. The piece of the Triforce of power we wanted!"

Zelda became alert in an instant. Her eyes widening briefly. He could tell that she had questions, but she paused, wanting to hear the details from him.

"Whilst I was wounded, I found myself in the Sacred Realm again. I saw the fragment before me, touched it and it… went into my hand". He showed her the back of his hand, a small fragment of the Triforce showing itself through his nearly destroyed gauntlet.
He thought about telling her how much sharper he felt. The details on farther walls in the cave were more apparent to him. The dim light seemed somewhat brighter to him. He silenced the thought though. More than anything, he wanted to sleep in a soft bed as soon as possible.

Zelda seemed to sense his hesitation but did not press the issue which Link felt immense gratitude for.
She looked over the gruesome cave calmly.

"Yet again, you have done something utterly remarkable Link. I thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Link's heart skipped a beat as he felt his face turn red.

"It's fine! I have the skill set and tools for these things after all." he rushed.

He paused for a moment. What would his life have been like if he wasn't the one chosen? Link tried to imagine his life in the village. Maybe he would have settled and married Ilia? Perhaps he could have worked the farm or become a hunter?
But not one idea coalesced. They all seemed like idle daydreams flitting by.
A pang of longing struck him briefly, as he tried to further imagine another life. He did realise something though. All of the people of the village deserved to live their lives freely and to determine their own paths.
If his lot in life was to risk death, harm and everything in between, then so be it.

It took a moment for him to process the thought. But he was satisfied.
"Though maybe a break at some point would be nice…" he wondered aloud.

She offered a simple smile in response. As she stood, she offered a hand to Link. He took it, surprised that she didn't stumble as she helped him stand.

Links' newly heightened senses showed their downside as the vile smells of the cave and the unnamed creature assaulted his nose.
Somehow, it was far worse than before. He could swear he could smell bones.

Then, his thoughts drifted to Midna once more. In his wolf form, his sense of smell was far stronger. Strangely, the smell of gore had never bothered him then.
Midna had occasionally reacted to some smells more than he did. He wondered what her favourite smells were. Would she have loved the smell of fresh bread over flowers?
His heart clenched. Thinking about her was impossible to ignore, even now.

Link shook his head and rolled his shoulders, the manual work breaking his melancholy somewhat.

"I've had enough of this place… can we go, please?" he said, itching to be on the move again and distracting his intrusive idle thoughts.

"Of course! This was a terrible holiday after all" she said with a slightly impish grin.

Link couldn't suppress himself. As a little giddiness took over him, he laughed.

They both began to check their equipment, adjusted their packs and began the long walk back.

It took them two hours to navigate the cave and climb the large circular staircase that led to the top of the mountain once more. As they neared the top, beads of sweat-soaked their clothing. Link was not looking forward to the cold mountain air.

He lit a torch from his pack and tried his best to dry out his clothing. He offered it to Zelda, who did the same. Feeling a little more optimistic, an idea formed in his mind.

"Alright… what I'm about to suggest will be a little...unusual, but it will mean we can make it down the mountain far faster". At the mention of the idea, he felt a small rush of excitement.

Surprised, he marvelled at the sensation. He hadn't felt anything like this in a long time. Midna had been out of his life for a while now and his emotional range had been stunted for just as long.
How long had it been exactly? A genuine thrill!

Sensing his excitement, Zelda waited patiently with a raised eyebrow.

"Want the long or short version?" he asked, all the more eager.

"Authors choice" Zelda replied politely.

"We find a frozen leaf, you sit on my shoulders, and I ride the frozen leaf down the mountain. We get to the bottom within five minutes or so".
On some level, he knew suggesting this to royalty was an incredible gamble, but his instincts didn't lie to him.

Zelda could not contain her disbelief.

"I… do not think I have ever been asked something so bold in my life…"

The spark of excitement in Link dulled significantly. But not entirely.

"I... suppose it would indeed be faster...and I do not doubt your skill…" she said, with her chin in her hand.

A moment of silence passed. Link's excitement kept building at the prospect.

"There's no pressure. We can find alternatives…"

Zelda looked to him, awaiting the inevitable follow-up.

"...but that way would honestly be faster."

She sighed softly.

"Very well. I shall trust you once again Link." she said, looking vacantly into the distance. "I do not think I was ready for today."

Link smiled. Neither was he.

They both spent some time walking around the peak. Link looked for a good slope whilst Zelda looked for the trees that bore large frozen leaves. The sun was setting, casting all of Hyrule in a soft golden glow. He stared in wonder for some time as the sky continued to darken, marvelling at the natural wonder.

It didn't take Zelda too long to find one of the large leaves. Carrying it carefully, she laid it before Link.
It looked as if it could support both of their weights. The thick leaf, granted sturdiness through being frozen, sparkled in the twilight sky.

Link had spent some time plotting a route. One slope looked quite promising, with a fairly gentle descent over a fresh snowfield. A few trees dotted the landscape, some jutting rocks spaced far enough apart that they could probably be avoided easily. Judging by the fading light, they probably had enough time to reach the end of the slope and end up close to the forest where they lost Zelda's horse.

He tested the frozen leaf with his weight. Tentatively, he strapped on one of his iron boots and gently pressed it into the leaf. To his relief, no cracks formed. The boot alone was heavier than he was, so he felt somewhat more relieved.
Spending a few more minutes explaining what he was going to be doing, he also instructed Zelda to remain calm even if something happened. Any shifts from her would likely throw him off balance, posing a far greater danger to them both.

As she absorbed every detail, she steeled her nerves. Then Link placed his feet evenly apart on the leaf and crouched low, using a hand to steady himself on the ground. Zelda climbed over Link's shoulders, centred her weight and held firmly.

"Alright….we're ready. Right?" he asked.

"Yes…" she said flatly.

Ignoring it, Link bent his knees slightly and pushed off the snow. Immediately, the two gained speed and he had to adjust for Zelda on his shoulders.
It was more awkward than he had thought. Slight deviations in the slope had more noticeable changes in their centre of gravity.
He was careful to adjust as the frozen leaf sped up. The leaf carried them for a short distance down the slope, until Link noticed two alarming things.

The snow was frozen over, a thin layer of ice had turned the snow into an oversized thin glass pane.
The other thing that caused him more concern was a small ridge ahead. It would cause him to impact the thin ice sheet as he would drop from the ridge. It was only a few feet to the ground from the ridge, but this could have huge consequences if he did nothing.

"Zelda… there's a problem…" he said, over the sound of rushing wind. "There's a small drop coming up...but with both of us on this…"

He said no more as he felt Zelda tense up on his shoulders. He knew what was likely going to happen and his stomach knotted in tension. Still, it was too late to abandon the idea. If he was to dismount, both he and Zelda would be thrown down the slope. The ice bound to the snow was enough to ensure neither of them would have stable footing.

So, he kept his balance. The stinging winds made his eyes water. Zelda managed to remain composed and kept her balance well as she kept as low as she could. The rise came and lifted them off the ground. The frozen leaf carried them through the air as Link felt weightless for a moment. Bracing himself for the impact, he felt Zelda tighten her grip.

The moment their combined weight hit the frozen snow, it happened exactly as Link was worried it would.
With a loud crack, the thin ice split apart and with light snow underneath providing little resistance, the crack spread quickly.
He had regained his balance and leaned forward as far as he could to build up speed. They would need it.
Barely a moment later, they had made it a short distance when a resounding crack signified the final crack in the ice.
Link felt a lurch beneath his feet as the snow under the ice began to move. The mass of snow behind him began to overwhelm itself and started an avalanche.

Paying little attention behind him, the frozen leaf built up more momentum. The entire mountaintop echoed with the snowstorm rolling behind him. As a straight section of slope appeared before him, he dared to look back and immediately wished that he hadn't.

A monumental wall of rolling snow was only a few feet behind him. It seemed to be catching up to them both too.
Feeling sick with the knot in his stomach, he raced through options in his mind. It was too difficult to focus…
He didn't need to look back. The spray of snow appeared in the corners of his vision and it was a lot darker suddenly…

"Link! Give me a bomb!" Zelda shouted from his shoulders. She knew he carried a lot of equipment, he had outright told her of them after all.

Grateful for another course of action, he obliged and withdrew a bomb, just about keeping his balance,
As he passed it up, Zelda managed to light the fuse with a small ember of fire she summoned.

The second she did, she almost shouted in his ear over the din.

"Ride the shockwave!"

The knot in his stomach loosened as he understood what she was planning.
With perfect timing, she threw to lit bomb behind her. It detonated just as it fell into the rolling snow.
The loud blast almost burst both of their eardrums, but it had the intended effect.

As a bright flash burst from the bomb, the avalanche was halted briefly by the explosion. Then, the air itself blasted into the back of Link. Though sharp and painful, it was enough to push him forward faster. The momentary lull allowed them precious extra seconds.

Hurtling down the side of the mountain, the wind grew bitterly cold. Links eyes and nose were streaming. Managing to support Zelda, he steered the leaf gently as the avalanche began its unrelenting pursuit again. Even with the burst of speed from the bomb, the gap was closing rapidly.
Crouching as low as he could to inch a little more speed out of the frozen leaf, Link didn't need to see the rolling thunderous avalanche. He heard the cacophony of noise get louder.
As his options wore even thinner, he spied a cliff edge overhanging a sheet of frozen snow beneath him and then the idea formed quickly.

"Zelda, hold on and keep your mouth covered!" he shouted.

Without giving her time to respond, he leaned hard to his right, touching the icy snow with his fingertips. Zelda's grip on him tightened even more. He silently prayed for her to be calm as he prepared his manoeuvrer.
He would only have one chance.

Powdery clumps of snow were tumbling over his shoulders and the wave of snow behind him pushed cold air straight into his back.
As the overhanging edge raced closer, he withdrew an ice axe he was given back in Hyrule castle. Swinging it hard into the ground, he felt his momentum grind to a halt as the avalanche smashed into his back, pushing Zelda off of his shoulders and sending the frozen leaf off into the distance.
Rolling with the colossal blow, he grabbed her arm with his other free one as the ice axe remained rooted in place, on the edge of the natural balcony,

As Zelda began to fall, she let out a terrified yelp, but Link's plan had worked. Dangling over the edge of the jutting cliff, the thundering avalanche roared over their heads as it blotted out all light.
Waves of dense and fine powdery snow sprayed in every direction over them. The avalanche continued relentlessly, with a small safe pocket for them both to wait out the disaster.

Zelda had no choice but to hold on as the snow billowed overhead, breathing hard from the sudden shock. Link did his best to hold on as his arms burned in protest. As the light faded behind the wall of snow, an errant rolling boulder struck the ice axe buried into the top of the cliff edge, knocking it clean out of its perch.

Zelda and Link both screamed helplessly as gravity pulled them back to the ground, some thirty feet below.