Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda game series or the characters.
Hello everyone! Thanks again for reading! :DDDD
I'd like to give a shout-out to TwilliCuckoo and MadLink007 for posting reviews! Thank you so much!
Where we last left off, the shard gathering went very well for Link and Marcus, perhaps a little too well...and Link was able to change back into a human! Yay! XD But unfortunately Link and Marucs had a run in with the same mysterious monster that broke the shadow crystal in the first place, and Marcus is now seriously wounded! Will Marcus be okay? Read on to find out!
Chapter 9: The Heartbreak
I carried Marcus over to Sally's house and then set him down gently to knock on the front door. I heard someone coming and prepared to convey the reason for my presence. When the door opened I saw Eleanor for maybe a millisecond, and just as I opened my mouth to speak the door was slammed in my face. Suddenly I heard a squeal come from her from the other side of the door. "Great! Not!"
"I can't believe it! Mother! Mother!" She screamed. "My man has come for me! My dreams are coming true!"
"Excuse me?" I hollered. "Can someone please answer the door? It's kind of important…"
"Certainly! Anything for you!" Eleanor said. She came over to the door and opened it once again. She had a pitiful smile on her face, her eyes glistening with intense admiration. "What brings you to this humble abode, hero?" She batted her eyelashes.
"I need inside. Now." I said bluntly.
"On one condition." She said while twisting her hair around one of her fingers.
I huffed. "What?"
"You must kiss the kind lady who answered the door." She puckered her lips.
"Gross! I would never want to kiss her!" I hesitated. "Allow me to prepare." I said.
"I can wait forever…" She said dreamily, her stupid love-struck expression still on her face. She sighed as I hastily took out the Hawkeye and pressed the beak to her lips. "Your lips aren't as soft as I'd imagined they'd be…" She said with her eyes still closed.
I quickly put the Hawkeye away. "There. I kissed you. May I please come in now?"
"Are you not going to express your feelings for me, hero?" She giggled annoyingly.
"No. I'm not here for that." I said with a sigh. "I need to speak to Sally."
"What?!" She said with shock, her mouth turning down into a frown. "Why do you want to talk to her?!"
"I need to talk to her. I don't have time to explain." I said. "Please let me inside."
She stamped her foot on the floor out of frustration. "Fine." She said while pouting. "Sally! Someone is here to speak with you!" She rolled her eyes as she stepped away from the front door.
I took Marcus in my arms and waited for Sally to come to the door. A minute later I saw her from the hallway. She hadn't seen me or Marcus yet, but as soon as she turned towards the doorway her face turned pale. "Marcus…" She said softly as she ran over to let me in. She looked at me and choked on her words. "C-come on in." She led me to a bedroom to set him down in and then went to get some medical supplies.
"I've already compressed his wounds and bandaged him, so you don't need to do that, Sally." I said as she came back into the bedroom.
She set the first aid kit on an end table next to the bed and looked at me. "Ok…How do you know my name?"
"I'm the wolf. Well, the hero…" I said quietly.
"Oh." She said as she felt Marcus' forehead. She shook her head. "He has a high temp…" She took out some medicine and tapped his cheek. "Can you wake up for me?"
He opened his eyes. "S-Sally…" He mumbled.
She put her finger to his lips. "Shhhh. Don't speak…" He nodded as she had him drink the medicine.
"What can I do to help?" I asked her.
"Can you get him some water and a cold compress?" She requested.
"Yes." I stood up and started to leave.
"Wait…" She said. I turned around and looked at her sad eyes that were beginning to well up with tears. "…Thank you…"
I nodded and went to get the cold compress and water. I came back and put the cold compress on his forehead. Sally helped him sit up slightly to take a drink of water. A few minutes later a doctor arrived to check his condition. He checked Marcus' breathing; which was awfully sporadic, his wounds, his heart rate, his temperature; everything one could think of. When the doctor was finished his only reaction was a cold shake of his head. Sally and I looked at him as he said, "I'd give him two to three hours left. I'm terribly sorry." And with that and a sorrowful façade he left the house.
I watched Sally kneel down next to Marcus and hold his hand, struggling to keep her composure. "You can cry if you need to, Sally…" Marcus mumbled breathily. She looked at him. "You…you don't have to be strong for me…"
She frowned as the tears started to flow from her cheeks. She buried her face into the side of the bed and started bawling as he stroked her hair. I left the room to leave the two of them alone. I felt horrible…just horrible. I felt like the worst piece of scum on the planet…
Sally's POV
I didn't know what to do. I felt so taken by surprise by the sudden decline in Marcus' health. I kneeled by his side and cried like an idiot while he was trying to console me. He should have been the one falling apart; he's the one that's in dire stakes! But no, he was the strong one. Why was I acting so childish, so weak? Thanks to the doctor we all knew what was happening. Marcus was dying, and there was nothing I or anyone else in this world could do about it. All that I can do is make the best of the time I have left with my dearest friend. I continued to cry as he stroked my hair softly, rubbing my scalp with his fingertips. "I'm sorry for crying…" I said to him. My sobbing was making me sound like I was gasping for air.
"Don't be sorry for crying." He said. "I should be sorry. I broke my promise to you…"
He looked like he felt guilty, so I smiled and kissed him gently on the lips. "Don't be sorry for that." I said as I pressed my forehead to his. "What matters is that we're together now to support each other."
He grinned weakly. "I…"
I shushed him. "Don't speak…"
"Shut up!" He said with a rasp in his voice. "This is important!" He and I laughed as he brushed his hand against my cheek. "I love you."
The tears continued to fall down my cheeks and drip from my nose, tracing little streaks on his hand. "I love you too." I kissed his hand that was resting on my cheek and then held it in my hands. I looked at him. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you…" I closed my eyes.
"I will always be with you." He said. I opened my eyes and looked as he pointed to his heart. "In here."
"I just feel bad because we didn't have much time together as a couple..." I stroked the back of his hand with my thumb.
He smiled. "I think that we've been more than friends for a while. We may not have dated, but we both had feelings for one another." He kissed my hand. "We may not have had much time as a couple, but I've cherished all the moments I've had with you."
"Me too." I smiled back at him.
He looked at me more seriously now. "You've always been very special to me."
"You've always been very special to me too." I said as I leaned towards him and kissed him on the lips.
"I hope…" He took a deep breath, his eyes getting misty. "I hope that you find someone who will see you the way I did, as a special lady meant to be loved."
"But no one could ever replace you." I gave him a hug, his arm resting on my back. I cried into his shoulder as he rubbed my back.
"I want you to find someone to love." He said almost in a whisper. "Promise me you'll do that."
"I'll try…" I muffled into his shoulder.
"I know you will." He said while smiling bitter sweetly. I looked at him once more as he closed his eyes slowly.
"Please, don't leave me!" I said desperately, gripping his arm and shaking it lightly.
"I love you…" He said breathily.
"I love you too…" I said, the steady flow of tears blurring my sight.
He took a final breath and then stopped breathing. I checked his pulse and realized that he had passed. I put the blanket over his face and cried into the side of the bed again, this time wailing and letting it all out. I couldn't believe it. I didn't get much time with him, and now he's gone…I tried lightly tapping his cheek with my hand, kissing him on the forehead; anything I could do to get him to wake up, but he wouldn't budge. He was as dead as dead could be, the luster in his face gone.
Link's POV
About 10-15 minutes after leaving Marcus and Sally alone I heard Sally sobbing very loudly. I knew at that point Marcus was gone. I felt physically and emotionally numb, unable to move from my spot. It made me feel uneasy to hear Sally go through so much pain and sadness. I felt responsible for it, like I had done something wrong. I jumped upon hearing someone shout suddenly. "SALLY! COME GET YOUR CHORES DONE!" Eleanor shouted.
Sally was still crying from inside of the bedroom. Eleanor came up to the entrance to the bedroom only to see me. I looked at her as she yelled for Sally again. "Give her a break." I said bluntly.
She looked at me with surprise. "Whatever do you mean?" She acted innocently, playing with her hair once more. (I've dubbed it as her "go-to" for hiding guilt.)
"You heard me." I said as I looked sternly at her. "She's been through a lot today. Give her a break."
"You don't understand." She giggled. "She has responsibilities. She is not meant to be as privileged as me." She sighed. "I would have thought that a man with a status as high as yours would under—"
"Shut up." I broke her off. She looked at me with alarm, apparently offended. "A lot of you people don't seem to realize that before I became 'the hero' I was nothing but a ranch hand. I know what it's like to work, and I prefer to be respectful to everyone, not just those who are 'privileged' as you say."
"Oh, don't be so modest!" She laughed nervously, waving her hand in a 'kidding around' manner. "You're just saying that because you have to keep your humble reputation!"
"Trust me; I'm not just being humble." I said seriously. "I really was only a ranch hand. I have done all of the work that Sally has done. I know how labor-intensive it can be. And to top it all off she has to wait on you and your mother hand and foot every day. That isn't fair."
She looked at me, unable to come up with the words to say. She finally spoke. "But—"
I broke her off again. "And what's with this talk of her being inferior to you?" "She is not inferior to you. She is human just like you are." I shook my head. "Based on the way that you treat her, I'd say that you're inferior to her."
I could tell how pissed off she was. Her left eye and the corresponding brow twitched. She then smiled and closed her eyes to try and regain composure. No such luck, her anger started to escalate. "Why, you! UGH!" She grunted. "THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! HOW DARE YOU CALL HER BETTER THAN ME!?" She stomped her feet and threw a tantrum. "We were supposed to be together!" She began to sound hysterical. "We were supposed to fall in love and get married! You and me! I deserve you! I am the perfect woman for you! Don't you see?!"
"What…the…hell…?" I whispered.
She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. "WHY!? WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?!"
"I'm sorry, but you're crazy!" I shouted while waving my hands side to side. "I barely even know you!"
"I'm not crazy! I'm the one for you!" She cried. "All of these bad things you've heard; they're lies! Honest!"
"No, they aren't lies!" I glared at her. "I know who you really are, and I'm not impressed! Not one bit!"
She scowled and went past me, banging on the bedroom door. "SALLY! GET THESE CHORES DONE!"
Sally opened the door and stepped out slowly. Her eyes were beet red and swollen from her tears. "I will get those done right away, Eleanor." She said almost robotically as she walked past Eleanor.
She tried to walk past me, but I grabbed her hand. She looked up at me in alarm. "Don't listen to her." I said, my hand still holding onto hers. "You can make the choice, and right now you need to grieve, not clean up after this snob." I pointed at Eleanor, who let out a grunt of distaste. I then let go of her hand.
Sally nodded and whispered, "Thank you." She went back towards the bedroom and went through the doorway.
"Excuse me?!" Eleanor argued. "Sally! Don't listen to him! You know that you have to do the chores!" Sally shut the door and completely ignored Eleanor.
I smiled. "Good job, Sally."
Eleanor started pounding the door with her fist again. "SALLY! YOU KNOW MOTHER WON'T LIKE THIS!" She grinned with pride, thinking that she would get Sally to obey.
Sally opened the door and smirked. "I don't care!" She slammed the door in Eleanor's face.
Eleanor shrieked and stomped her feet again. She looked at me. "Those chores aren't going to get done by themselves!" I snickered. "Why don't you go do them?" She walked away and didn't say another word.