Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda series or the characters.

Hello, folks! Thank you so much for continuing to read my stories! Thank you for your reviews! Keep them coming! ^^ This has been the hardest chapter to write so far, and I hope you all enjoy it! :DDDDDDDD Here's chapter 29!

Chapter 29: Depression

Tilanya's POV

After that day Sally was never the same. The little light that had remained in her heart, to make her believe that life was worth living, had been blown out. Her confidence and passion for all things she held dear shattered before my eyes. She didn't really talk, and if she had to it was brief, lacking the warmth normally found in her voice.
After talking to Curtis, I had learned that the monster was no longer an issue. He and Rusl worked together to fight it and Rusl finished the beast off as Curtis came to Link and Sally's aid. According to Curtis it was already pretty weak when they ran into it, withered from malnutrition and fatigue. It wasn't as difficult to fight as when Link and Marcus had originally fought it. After Sally's stepmother and stepsister were taken into custody the monsters disappeared, due to restrictions on Sally's stepmother's magical capabilities set by Hyrulean prison guards.
Sally wasn't ever hard to find. Everyday, as if it was a ritual, she'd come to the hospital and visit Link. She'd kneel by his bedside for hours, her hand almost always lying on his. She'd be silent, unable to really speak, just...mourn...as if he was already dead, but he wasn't. He was just in a coma, and was likely to die in that coma. The news of his predicament reached the public, and people are still shocked by it. No one wants to believe that they could lose their hero. Sally, she'd be losing more than just a hero. She'd be losing the one she loves.
Today was no different. I came to the hospital to help Sally in any way that I could, even if it meant I would be talking to a wall. I gave her a hug and she knelt by Link's side, holding his hand and staring blankly into space.
"I'm going to go get some tea downstairs. Would you like some?"
"No thank you." She said without even looking at me.
I went downstairs and got myself some tea, holding the cup carefully as I walked back up the stairs and came back into the room. I sat down in a chair nearby and took in the silence of the room. I swear she never took her eyes off him. She was always watching him, this bittersweetly hopeful look on her face, anticipating that he might just wake up. She wouldn't eat or sleep until she had to leave and go home. At the hospital she'd rather fast if it meant she could be by his side when he wakes up. He's been like this for a couple of weeks now, but I just couldn't find it in my heart to tell her he was gone. Even he is mortal...
One day while at the hospital with Sally I grew tired of the same routine. She held his hand and knelt by his bedside. I decided that I was tired of her being depressed and that she needed something to take her mind off of this. I took a deep breath. "...Sally?"
"Yes?" She said almost robotically.
"Why don't we take a little break? Go on a walk?" I smiled. "I think it would do you good."
"I...I don't want to leave Link..." She looked concerned.
"You wouldn't be leaving him...we'd just go on a walk and then come back, that is all." I walked over and pat her on the back. "He needs his rest."
She stood up and looked at me, and then looked back at Link. I could tell she was torn. She walked towards me, but then immediately turned around and reached out with her hand towards Link, as if he were standing right in front of her. She stopped and jerked her hand back in and turned away from him, but her head was down...she didn't want to look directly at me. "Okay. You're right. He needs to rest." She was silent. "Let's go."
We both walked out of the hospital, her head still down. It was as if she was afraid of looking at the world around her. "It's okay, Sally." I finally managed to tell her. "Look up. No one's going to judge you."
She lifted her head up and just stared into the distance while we walked. We finally went to the fountain and sat down on its edge. "I'm sorry, Tilanya...I just...nothing feels right anymore...I don't even know what to feel."
"Don't apologize...this is a difficult time for us all." I put my hand on hers and gave her an encouraging squeeze. "I thought you would feel better if we left the hospital for a bit of time, to take our minds off of this situation." I let go of her hand and faced her. She turned to face me as well. "I'm worried about you, girl...you're not eating much, certainly not sleeping much, and you look like you're on the verge of tears everyday." I sighed. "I understand why, but I would be kicking myself if I didn't try what I could to cheer you up."
"Thank you, Tilanya..." Her eyes began to get misty, so she turned away from me. "Link lied to me..." Her voice broke. "...I am a baby..." She couldn't hold it in any longer and started to sob. I rubbed her back and didn't say a word. "...He shouldn't have been so nice to me, I didn't deserve it..."
"Don't say that! And girl, you are not a baby! Quit telling yourself that you are!" I said sternly, but then backed off, realizing that my tone wasn't that forgiving.
A newsboy walked by us while holding up one of Hyrule's newspapers. "EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!" He yelled. "DOCTOR'S REPORT THAT THE HERO'S FUTURE LOOKS GRIM!" He paused and took a deep breath, repeating the same sentence to the public.
Sally buried her face in her hands. "I did not need to hear that right now..." Her muffled sobs and the newsboy yelling was all I could really hear at that moment. The footsteps of the townspeople and the indistinct chatter filling the air didn't seem to register. I felt too wrapped-up in the moment. My friend is devastated, and I don't know what to do.
To make matters even worse Martha and a couple of her friends were walking by and stopped when they recognized us. Martha giggled. "Oh! If it isn't Tilanya and Sally!" She said sarcastically. "What a sight for sore eyes!" She walked over to us and stared at Sally, who covered her face, both in sorrow and shame. "Lemme see your face." She smirked.
Sally moved her hands from her face and set them on her lap. "There. You happy?"
She gasped. "Oh, how dreadful! Your eyes are so puffy and red! You look like you've been crying!" She shrugged and snickered. "I wonder whatever for?"
"Shut up, Martha!" I hissed.
She got in Sally's face. "It's just life's way of telling you that you weren't meant to be with Link, or anyone for that matter. You're too frumpy and naive, and that will never change. He never loved you, he pitied you." Sally didn't say anything. "Hmph! Give up! He's gone, did you ever think you'd really be loved? I mean, come on! Love isn't wasted on people like you!"
I finally had it. "Martha, you're such a bitch!" I stood up and poked her in the shoulder. "Admit it! You're jealous of what they have! They love each other, is that such a crime?!"
"They don't love each other!" She rolled her eyes.
"You obviously don't know the truth!" I hollered while pointing at her. "They continued to date each other secretly because Sally's father found out and didn't accept it! They never stopped dating! Their relationship became stronger, even though everyone else thought they were no longer together!"
She covered her ears. "LIES! THEY'RE ALL LIES!"
"No, Martha..." Sally said quietly, but intensely. "...They're not...I'd gladly give my life for him, and he'd do the same for me..." Tears started to stream down her cheeks and she started to shout. "...I love him, and it's because of me that his health is failing him! It didn't matter what I tried to do; he was determined to protect me! He's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I can't bear the thought of losing him! I don't want to lose him! Do you know how it feels to hate yourself for putting that sort of burden on someone, and yet feeling blessed that that someone cares that deeply about you?! It's a pain unlike any other!"
"...No..." Martha clutched her head, visibly troubled by what she was hearing. "...It can't be...no, I won't accept it!"
"Give it a rest, Martha! You're not always right!" Sally glared at her. "I'm tired of you treating me like shit! I'm tired of all the people who treated me like shit! Link showed me that I deserve better, and that I need to stand up for myself! Leave me alone and go torment someone else! I won't take it laying down anymore! From this day forth I'll stand up and put up a fight!"
Martha's friend never said anything...she just watched in silence. Martha gave up, realizing that she wasn't going to win against Sally anymore. I was proud of my best friend...she finally understands why she deserves love. Martha and her friend walked away without uttering another word as Sally and I hugged and she bawled her eyes out.

Sally's POV

Over the next few days I began to slowly come to terms with reality, that Link may not wake up from his coma. I wanted to hate myself for putting him through all of this pain and misery, and possibly death...but I knew he wouldn't want me to think so poorly of myself...
I continued to visit him every day, hanging onto that little glimmer of hope that he'd live. Occasionally at night I would dream of him waking up and miraculously living despite all of his injuries. Only in my dreams did I feel at peace, because we were together again. In one dream we even got married...but I'd always wake up, and reality would hit me like a whip, draining me of my happiness. I came to believe that my dreams were only there to torture me...
When I'd go up to visit Link alone and sit in silence as he slept, I couldn't help but reminisce about everything we've been through and all the people and creatures I've been able to meet because of him. Ilia, Colin and his little sister Amy, Talo, Malo, and Beth held a special place in my heart. Not only because they think highly of Link, just as I do, but because ever since the day I met them they have been so welcoming to me and accepting of the relationship Link and I have...from when it was just a friendship, all the way up until now. Colin, especially. He yearns to follow in Link's footsteps and they spend a lot of time together training and bonding like brothers. When I came into the picture Colin saw us both as great friends, he would often tell me how much he liked spending time with not just Link, but Link and me. Being the age of 13 he also vaguely understood what a relationship was, and eventually caught on to the fact that Link and I were becoming more than friends. He didn't just accept it, he embraced it. One day the three of us were in Ordon Village and Fado had asked Link for some assistance around the barn, so Colin and I hung out for a while in the field talking. I remember that conversation very clearly.
"You and Link really like each other, don't you?" He smiled at me.
I laughed. "Yes, we do."
He looked out towards the barn where Link was helping Fado with some hay bales. "Call me crazy, but I can tell just by how you two look at one another...you both share a very special bond...kind of the same bond that my parents share." He winked.
I blushed. "What do you mean?"
"Just that sense of caring for one another unconditionally is all...like something would be missing in your lives if you didn't have each other." He paused. "I know Link is very happy to have you in his life, he's so much happier than he used to be..."
I gave him a noogie. "You're just saying that!" We both giggled.
"Believe what you want, but it's the truth!" He looked back in Link's direction as he was lifting the last hay bale onto a wagon and then talking to Fado as they both walked back towards us.

That day Colin helped me understand just how significant the bond between Link and I was. I started to notice how much happier he was than when I first met him. There's no way he could be satisfied with possibly dying for my sake, could he? May he be content with that because he protected what he held dear, which is a trait that runs deep in his family's blood? If that's so, would he perhaps...give in and allow himself to die, understanding that he did all he could and being happy with making the ultimate sacrifice? No, he wouldn't do that! That's not the Link I know! If the goddesses intended for him to die for me, then there is nothing else I can do; I'd just have to let nature take its course. But I don't believe that is what the goddesses intended, otherwise they certainly wouldn't have prolonged his fleeing health like they have, they would have just let his death happen. I smiled and started to cry. I got up from the chair I was sitting in ad kneeled by his bedside again, holding his hand and listening to him breathe. He's still fighting for me! He's fighting to live for me! "Please wake up..." Was all I managed to whisper. I let go of his hand and buried my face into the side of the bed, crying until my eyes felt swollen, and then finally falling asleep from trying to keep them open.
While I was asleep I had a terrible nightmare. In my dream Link never woke up from his coma and ended up dying. I could see myself mourning and getting hysterical. I shook his dead body and shouted, "DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T LEAVE ME! GODDESSES, DON'T TAKE HIM FROM ME!" I kept on repeating until my dream disappeared and was no more. I had another dream that Link did live. It was a few months after all of this happened, and we got into a fight. I was lying on my bed crying and he came into my room and knelt by my side, apologizing profusely and stroking my hair. Despite it being a dream, it felt real...it was so strange...I could actually feel his fingertips rubbing against my scalp. The dream went away and I started to come to terms with reality...and yet I still felt like he was rubbing my scalp. Is it him?! No! It can't be!
I opened my eyes to see the bedsheet, feeling something stroking my hair. I looked up to see him laying there, his eyes open and a weak smile on his face. I blinked twice to make sure my eyes weren't decieving me, seeing him move his hand off my head. "Morning, sleepy-head..." He mumbled.
I lost it at that point. "LINK!" I practically screamed, climbing up in the bed and on top of him. He let out a groan of pain. "I'm sorry!" I tried to get off of him, but he wrapped his arms around me as I laughed and cried at the same time. We kissed and nuzzled noses. He still looked like he was in a lot of pain. "I think I should probably get off." I knelt by the bed again and we held hands. "I'm so happy you're alive! I thought I was going to lose you!"
"I didn't think I'd ever wake up." He answered with a grin. "I'm relieved I did, I wanted to see you again."
"I love you." I smiled.
"I love you." He put his hand on top of mine.

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