Tears of my Beloved (ZeLink) ch 6
My last chapter was hot garbage laziness and I hate it with the fiery passion of ten million suns. I’m going to go back and delete half of it in about ten minutes of me typing this. I didn’t take any real time writing it.I have an infant daughter, so writing this chapter was agonizing for me. I had to give myself breaks. TW: Contains major angst.Also contains sexually suggestive dialogue/ sexual situations.…………………………………"Zelda, my love. Come here," the Queen of Hyrule said that evening to her young daughter. She’d just entered Zelda's chamber to sit upon her bed, when the small golden haired child looked up from the book that lay in front of her on the desk. It was a book her father had gifted her that morning for her sixth birthday. It was about goddesses and other deities, and had an array of illustrations.She stood and the chair behind her scraped. The wide eyed girl scurried over to the bed and into her mother's outstretched arms for affection. "My sweet girl, I've been waiting to share with you the story of how your father and I met each other. Would you like to hear it?"Zelda nodded. "Where is father, anyways?""He was in a council meeting most of the day, and went to rest. A growing number of beings who call themselves "Yiga" have been making a nuisance all across the kingdom. It's nothing you need to know or worry about. He told me I tell this story better than him anyways. Do you remember the name of the village I grew up in?""You were born in Deya Village, right?" The young Zelda said."That's right. Someday soon, we'll go there together. When I was young, I loved books more than anything. I would always hide away to avoid farm work, and finish whatever new thing I was studying at that time. I was a teenager when I eventually came into service for the royal family. I wanted to be an academic like one of the sheikah. Your father was just a prince back then. His mother, the queen of that time…was bemused by the idea of her son falling in love with a commoner, but she was gracious towards me. Your father and I worked alongside each other for a long time researching ancient technology. He always told me he loved my mind before he loved my beauty…but who knows if that's really true." The queen and Zelda both giggled, but her demeanor suddenly changed, and Zelda could immediately sense it."I wanted…so desperately… to wait longer to tell you this next part. Your father was going to make something bigger of it, but I insisted it would be better for you, to hear it all coming from me. You see…Your father and I have a duty to this kingdom, and it is our responsibility to teach you and help you understand your divine duty to our people. I knew if I ever bore a daughter, that this destiny would befall her…and I welcomed the idea, because I knew that your father and I were capable of raising you to be the strong willed, and powerful ruler you are to become." The queen swallowed back tears and continued. "Your grandmother ruled for many years alone, and she was truly a remarkable and gifted person. She was kind and noble, and dedicated to this kingdom and its people. The thing about her that really was the most incredible however, was the magic she possessed within herself. It's a power that now exists within you too. The power to dispel darkness and evil.""Father…has always told me our blood is special. I know I'm supposed to protect people when I'm older."Queen Seraphine hugged her daughter tightly to her chest. "The women from your bloodline over the last ten millennia have had the task of maintaining a very important, magical seal that protects this kingdom from threat… every queen has been entrusted with this task, as well as guarding the hiding place of the legendary master sword…""T-the what…?""A divine blade that will one day awaken, and call out for the god's chosen hero. As the stories tell us…it's been nearly ten thousand years since a hero has been called upon. But one day, a princess will hear the spirit of the sword speak… and that's when everyone will know…the land is in danger once again."Zelda's eyes were anxious, but she was trying to listen intently."Your grandmother kept this evil threat at bay her entire life… Its name is Ganon. It's never been clear what form this evil will take on if it's ever unleashed. Your grandmother's final act before her untimely death, was to lay her final binding seal. A seal that will weaken over time. It's impossibly difficult for me, telling you all of this, but every day you grow older and time cannot be wasted. I wish your father would ease up on you, but I know sometimes even I can be hard on you. Your burden is heavy, but I know your potential is limitless. You're brilliant, and brave. You're my sweet girl…I know, with our guidance, you can do anything. We haven't needed a hero in ten thousand years. We'll ensure your reign will be peaceful. I'll help you through every step."Zelda's eyes were brimming with tears as her mother rocked her. "Don't cry, my love. We have to show everyone our strength. I love you with all of my heart.""I love you too," Zelda whispered. She held the tears back until they dried before the brim.. . . . . . . . . The sunlight spilling inside the cottage windows finally made it to Zelda's closed eyelids."G'morning. Happy birthday," Link uttered sleepily when she finally opened them to look at him. "I deliberately didn't mention it to you, yet you still knew," she said before yawning behind her palm. "What kind of partner would I be if I'd forgotten…My girl is twenty. One twenty, sorry. I sort of have a gift for you that I've been sitting on for a while." He rolled over and stuck his hand between the mattress and wall, pulling out a long thin box that was beneath where he quite literally sat. He'd apparently only woken moments before her. He was still rubbing his eyes clear and stretching out. "Found these, then went to the lady in Gerudo town who, um…" He cleared his throat from the embarrassment and handed her the box as she sat up.She hadn't opened it yet when she said with a laugh, "When did you have time to run to Gerudo town?""Remember that trip you made to Kakariko after the festival?""But I was gone less than a week, how did you even manage that?""Used wild horses to get there the entire time. I traded them out when they were tired, and pretty much didn't sleep. Changed into the Siwal in the middle of my walk towards Gerudo town in the sweltering heat."Zelda shook her head, “Your sleeping habits are horrendous,” she giggled then added, “I'm still waiting to see you in that, by the way.""So you can laugh at me.""I wouldn't!" Zelda insisted. "Open your gift already."She lifted the lid, and her eyes fell on the jewelry, adorning dozens of tiny faceted rubies haloing around the diamond in the center."Oh Link…" She said quietly, lifting the necklace into her palm to observe even closer. She set the box on the floor. He rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face against the cushion."Are you really being bashful right now?" Zelda asked with delight. She hugged him and kissed his neck before saying, "Thank you so much for the gift. You remedied my mood the moment I awoke."Link turned his head towards the wall away from her and muttered, “I kinda realized one day that I wasn't acting enough like a…uh, boyfriend.” "You're much more than that," she said when she lifted herself again to fasten it around her neck. "Um, right, sorry…life partner?""That's better," she said. He chuckled and rolled back over, pulling her down to lay beside him. "Have any desire to talk about the dream? You said you were upset," he murmured."I'm realizing how cryptic I probably said that…I'm sorry…I so rarely dream about my mother. My memories of her are so vague. The dream was a birthday related memory so of course…" She trailed off.He was tracing her arm aimlessly with his fingers and allowing her time to continue. "I never did tell you why I insisted we travel through Kakariko on our way home from investigating the divine beasts. When you told me…traveling past Deya Village ruins…would be the quickest way to Hateno…it made my heart sink."He could remember this clearly, but when he pressed her at the time, she closed up. "My mother was from Deya Village. She had friends who worked in service to the royal family. They told her stories of the sheikah, and the shrines and guardians they were unearthing and tirelessly studying, and it inspired her to make the move to castle town to join in their efforts. She was so clever, and strong willed… I still miss her desperately.""Clever and strong willed…sounds like someone I know…" He said. "I'm sorry you lost your mother so young. I remember when it happened and how it affected you. I was younger than you when I lost mine, but I still understand."She realized she was holding back tears. She let them fall. "I never allowed myself to cry in front of anyone. No one else has lifted so much pressure off of me the way that you have. You don't have this expectation of me to always be strong. I don't have to smile and bear it when you're here. I can just…be." She buried her face down. He sighed deeply and said, "I'm always here to protect you." He could feel her tears running down his skin.She was choking back a sob when she said, "I didn't just lose my parents or our friends though, because when the calamity struck, the rest of my family still lived in Deya Village. I had…two cousins, and an aunt. I had a living grandmother. When the guardians were possessed, they were merciless."Link was sitting in silence but she knew he was listening. "Deya was a fishing and farming village that sat in the center of a valley. No one knew the attack was coming until it was too late…they couldn't see them, but they could hear them. The only weapons close enough on hand for most of the villagers were farming tools, but it didn't matter. Hundreds of guardians circled that valley from all sides and pointed their beams. The village was utterly decimated…All the people who lived there perished."She was trying so hard not to hyperventilate. Her hold on his shirt was tight, and he was gripping her to his body with the same tenacity. He didn't know what else he could do to console her. "Hylia only grants me the visions she wishes me to see, but I'm never given the full picture. This time…I saw nearly all of it. I was screaming in my head for it to stop but she wouldn't let me go. It was cruel of her, forcing me to watch that. Maybe she foresaw how much I would grow to despise her, and now she wants me to suffer as a result. All these trials and tests she leaves behind for you and I to decipher…I always say 'her,' because she is a version of me I do not recognize.""She did what was necessary to keep everyone safe. Perhaps…she gave you that vision so you wouldn't sit and wonder the rest of your life on what their final moments were like," he said."I hate her more than words can even express. In all of the memories she allowed me to receive of you and I together…I always felt the same level of grief when I came to realize the fate I cursed you with. It shouldn't have been a surprise to me that you wanted to remain as my protector this time too. You always…forgive me…every time.""I want to be your hero. I want to keep everyone safe," he said simply."Your heart has always been kind. It gives me enough strength…to get myself up every day, even if I sometimes wish that I could lay here forever." "I feel as though I've soured this whole day by making you relive that dream.""No, I'm glad you asked. I want to know all of you, and I want you to know me too." She turned her face back into the pillow and nestled against his skin. He realized this was probably turning into one of those days where she secretly wanted to stay in bed all day, so he decided he needed to do something."I have one more gift for you, but I need you to close your eyes," he said. She sat up a bit and blinked at him. Her eyes were puffy and red. "You should just let me suffer right now, she wanted her lessons to stick…" The tear flow was ceaseless as it ran down her face."What point is there in that? I'm not gonna let it happen. I need you to close your eyes Zelda."He climbed over her when she rolled back down. She could hear him rummaging through a drawer a moment, then she heard the sound of fabric falling to the floor. "Mkay. You can look." She took in the sight of him, and felt a small uplift in her mood. The Gerudo outfit really did suit him well."You're so pretty," she said, smiling through her tears.“Yeah…um, after I beat Barta in that festival game, she called me a damn 'vashnai' under her breath. Riju said it basically means 'twink' in Gerudo. "I'm not sure I even know what the translation means," she said. "Don't worry about it," He said as he went back over to sit beside her. "I can definitely see how you were mistaken for a female, though a very toned one at that."He pulled the veil to his chin and chuckled. "Thanks."Zelda sighed, so he continued."This is probably the only opportunity for me to admit this without cringing, but do you even know how many times I've been called ma'am by someone approaching from behind, even without this outfit on? Entirely too many times.""You barely tend to the length of your hair, and honestly, right now is the longest I've ever seen it," she said. He grabbed a strand that was draping well past his shoulder and muttered, "Should I cut it? It does kinda get in the way.""Why are you so lazy with it," she asked. He shrugged. "I fix it sometimes. It depends on what I'm wearing. The easiest thing for me is tying it back as it grows… I thought you liked it long, anyway."She sat up and dried her eyes on her sleeve. "Well, many have called you the hero of the wilds…a wild boy with wild hair…it kinda suits you.""Imagine if I had a beard to match that title too," he said humorously. "I only grow vague stubble. Makes me look like a drifter." She giggled while removing his veil and laying it aside. She guided him down to her lap to comb his hair with her fingers."Goodness sakes, Link. You have a million knots. If you're really going to be so apathetic towards your hair, I'm going to have to just start fixing it for you more often.""Sounds good to me," he murmured. His eyes shut as she began running her actual brush through his tangles. "What's the plan today," he asked."I'm giving you some small braids off to the side," she hummed."No, I mean, is there anything we're supposed to do today, cuz, I think we should borrow the pad again and go look around Hebra if not. Heard from Symin that the Hudson Construction Company is at Lookout Landing right now. We might get the chance to hire him before he goes all the way back to Tarrey Town.""I think that sounds wonderful. After I'm done with this, we'll go talk to Purah."Zelda's nose was still a bit stopped up, and occasionally she had to dab her eyes as she fixed his hair, but his efforts really had put a smile back on her face. She could see the necklace against her chest while she was looking down at him."My mother and father both knew Ganon was getting stronger well before my birth. The first blood moon in ten millennia…occurred right after my grandmother's passing. I remember my mother telling me that Ganon wouldn't awaken during my reign, because she truly believed in me and my potential. These circular thoughts never leave my head. I let…everyone down."Her face was upside down but he could still see she was calm this time. He reached behind her head and pulled her face briefly down to his. She was breathing unevenly but still keeping it together when he kissed her. "The sword called for me, because it knew you needed me. It knew how strong this evil had become. It doesn't matter who you once were, because you're only human now, and can only try your best with what you're given. You dedicated your life to your purpose, you are not the one to blame for the attack."Her eyes were far away, so he added, "Get out of your head and talk to me.""I just miss them all.""I do too, but I know they're at peace. Bonds can transcend lifetimes, you're the one who made me realize that. We'll see them all again."Zelda fell to pieces. He sat up quickly to try and comfort her again. "Do you remember the first time we saw each other?" He asked while pulling her in tightly.She could faintly remember when she was the little girl behind that fountain. Every castle worker had gone through the strenuous effort of hiding her mother's illness from her, but she could still sense something was wrong. That day, she'd managed to sneak by them all up to her parent's chamber, where her mother was resting. "Zelda…come here, my sweet girl," the queen said with a joyous smile. Zelda ran towards the enormous bed, and into her mother's waiting arms."Mother, I promise I've studied and prayed every single moment this week, but I missed you, and no one will tell me why you can't come to help me like we talked about.""We all know how important it is for you to focus on your training, and I didn't want to distract you while I recover from this silly flu."Zelda could feel her mother trembling. She looked up and saw her repressing a sob. "It's okay, mama. I'm okay," Zelda said with a reassuring smile. "You deserve to have days to yourself…to just be a child. I want you to have happiness and joy in a lifetime with so much impending despair."Queen Seraphine looked towards the door and said, "Go and find a hiding spot somewhere. They'll undoubtedly be in here soon, and I don't want them finding you."Zelda giggled, and climbed off the bed to hide beneath it.When they arrived and asked, the queen responded, "She was here, but she's gone to the garden."They were quickly gone thereafter. "Zelda, my love." Zelda was scrambling her way back up and beaming her semi toothless grin at her mother. The queen smiled hugely and said, "Go now, I want you to run as fast as you can to the castle town. Have fun, find other children your age, maybe you'll make new friends. Today, you're not the princess, you're just Zelda, okay?"Zelda was hugging her mother with all her strength when she said, "Thank you mama.""Zelda?"Link's eyes snapped her back, and she realized he was still waiting on her response."I do remember. I saw another kid like me, and I went to hide behind the fountain." She returned the smile he gave her."That night, I told my father I wanted to go with him the next time he had a meeting with the king, though I just wanted to see if I'd catch sight of you again. We went a few times, but you were always being rushed away somewhere. Then the funeral came. You didn't look away from the casket once, and that look on your face... I knew that exact same despair. Visiting the castle became a regular occurrence for me. I wanted to see you smile again, but I was anxious about overstepping and didn't approach you for the longest time after that. You were never unaccompanied. I did small things to see if you'd look my way as you passed, but you rarely did. I'm sorry…I didn't do better with that.""I'm sorry I didn't pay attention. I didn't want to get close to anyone, I just wanted to fulfill my duty."He smiled hugely at her and said, "Glad you pay attention now. Really, you pay all your attention to me now. Braiding my hair for me and everything."Her expression was soft. "Let me finish it for you.". . . . . . . . ."You got her a necklace, not a ring?" Purah laughed. He blinked and his expression went entirely blank. He looked at Zelda anxiously, with the desire and intent to apologize, but she interrupted."Purah, that was so incredibly uncalled for and rude."“I'm sorry, it was a genuinely innocent question. Interesting braids by the way, Linky. Anyways, you guys couldn't have timed this better, because Robbie and his new apprentice will be teleporting over in about thirty minutes. He's been tinkering with my pad for a while. I told him you guys were moving to the Hebra region so we all decided the next circle we're going to finish is the Pikida Stonegrove location.""So you guys need to head to Rospro too, oh that's so exciting! I haven't helped out in a while, I'm looking forward to brushing up on this," Zelda said enthusiastically. The girls threw themselves into Purah’s development plans, while Link sat at the table with his head in his palm, snacking on nuts.At the thirty minute mark as promised, Robbie had finally arrived with his wife, his new apprentice, and her father. They were all adorning winter attire, though the young girl was by far the most padded of them all. Her coat was bright red."Link will be able to protect us then, this is fantastic!" Robbie proclaimed when Purah caught him up. Zelda heard Link audibly sigh as he gave Robbie a single nod of confirmation."It is so amazing to meet you guys! I'm Josha!" The young Sheikah said. She couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen years old, Zelda realized. She went to them both quickly and awkwardly shook their hands."Josha is a prodigy. Truly, the brightest up and coming researcher I've ever gotten to know. Much more detail oriented than Purah by far," Robbie bragged."Do you want to fight?" Purah asked him. "Mnngg…" Robbie just grumbled, before continuing. “I hired carriages to take us straight to the Pikida Stonegrove circle. Traveling on foot would certainly take us five days at the speed I walk, and I've no patience for it.”The rest of them sighed internally with their own relief. “I also had entirely too many supplies I needed transported over and not nearly enough arms to carry it all! One of the coachmen will be meeting us about an hour or two out to pick us up. We'll be at the location for at least five days.”Everyone agreed with the plans, then crammed together to put their hands on the pad so Robbie could teleport them to Rospro Pass. Link muttered beside Zelda’s ear that he was in charge of her warmth elixirs this time around. The last thing he wanted was her getting sick again. Purah was in the lead along with Josha and her father. Robbie and his wife were behind them, and Link and Zelda were last. Josha was having a difficult time with Purah's sporadic questioning, but the young girl was able to continuously answer everything correctly to Purah's reluctant amazement.“Zelda, please.”"Honestly Link! I'm fine! Today is a much warmer day. If you don't stop worrying about me, I'm going to start running ahead of all of you," Zelda insisted to him after he offered her another scarf."Guess we're both running then," he muttered dully.Jerrin and Robbie were chuckling at the banter."So when's the wedding?" Robbie asked them over his shoulder. The same look returned on his face when he said, "You're the second person to make a comment like that today."He shot her another glance and she was relaxed and rolling her eyes. "Oh hush, Robbie. It's really no secret who I love. Let us just live as we are" she said.He was still looking at her funny when she reached over to give him a reassuring squeeze on his hand. “Forgive my husband's intrusion. It's just nice for us all, seeing you both happy,” Jerrin said back to them.Zelda laughed. “There's nothing to apologize for.” Link was in his head and his expression was unreadable as he carried on beside her. She took his hand again and he gave her a vague smile. Keese were the only threat they came across, and the hero handled everything they saw with his bow. A rocktorok in the distance shot a cannonball of fire in their direction without warning. Link immediately ran forward, though several profanities flew out under his breath as he did so.He forcefully pushed through everyone, knocking several of them to the snowy ground. He deflected what he could with his shield, protecting the front of the group. "Get down," he yelled over his shoulder right before the creature resurfaced and shot another. He was struck hard, and knocked back a few feet, but able to pierce the monster with an arrow right before the impact. Part of his clothes had caught fire when he landed in the compacting snow. He quickly patted it out, and in seconds Zelda was beside him and scanning him over anxiously."I swear I remember you saying you planned this journey without us, so please excuse me for assuming at least one of you guys had something to protect yourselves with. Someone could have asked me to lead," Link directed at Purah in annoyance.“Sellswords are a thing now, dummy. We knew it was her birthday today and had no expectations from you. You could have thought of it yourself, by the way. Thanks for saving us, now drop the attitude,” Purah snapped back. “Okay." Was his only reply as he stood back up with her."Drink this immediately," Zelda said, thrusting a red health elixir at him she'd procured from her satchel. "Um. No thanks. Would rather wait until we can make some food," he said.The irate expression that overcame her made him backtrack. “Oh. Um…”“I'm not asking you, I'm telling you.” Zelda said, holding it out for him again. “Yes ma'am.” He replied with deeper tinted cheeks.Everyone assessed themselves quickly. Robbie was unable to lift back up without Jerrin's help, so she simply offered to carry her husband in her arms for a while after that, to Purah's wicked amusement. Link took the potion like a shot, then motioned with his hand for everyone to continue along as he did. The remaining distance to the meet-up was made with Link and Zelda in the lead."You okay?" Zelda asked him when no one was listening."I don't mind protecting everyone…but I'm still annoyed. I only wanted to travel with you."She gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm glad I'm not completely useless with a sword anymore. Though I doubt you'll need any assistance, I'll help in any way I can."He chuckled. "I'm glad we packed our tent. We'll still have time to ourselves tonight."She smiled and nodded.A small tug on the back of Link's coat made his head whip around. Josha was looking at him timidly but sweetly and with a smile, when she matched his pace to stand between them and say, “Thank you. My dad would have been hit the hardest if you hadn't pushed him aside.”“Oh. Uh, no problem. I'm glad no one was hurt.” He smiled.Josha smiled back hugely at him and then at Zelda who was listening in rapt adoration to the sweet girl's expression of gratitude. Josha was still walking along with them, but looking ahead once more when she addressed them both. “I can't believe you guys are…well…real. I’m almost too intimidated to talk. I really hope I'm not bothering you right now…”Zelda laughed and replied, “I’d be happy to talk with you, Josha. Please don't feel intimidated.” The girl nodded.“My dad grew up hearing about you both. Everyone in Kakariko did. You were asleep for such a long time… what was it like when you both woke up? How much did you remember?”Josha looked at Link and he repressed a sigh. She was a high energy kid and he could already feel his social battery draining at a rapid pace. Zelda answered first. Link noticed the group behind them was no longer talking amongst themselves. “I'm not sure if anyone has ever asked us this question so directly. This may sound strange but…for me, it was like…a knowing presence overcame me. The white light behind my eyelids began to fade, and the…realization…began to set it. I awoke and surrounding me at every angle was Ganon’s malice. I held steady with my binding seal, and the knowledge Link was out there, and fully healed from his mortal afflictions held me together. I knew it was time to wake him up, and so…I called out to him.”“I have goosebumps,” Josha uttered.The excitable girl looked at him again expectantly. “I dunno.” Link shook his head vaguely, and began again. “I didn't recognize Zelda’s voice when I woke up. It was disorienting climbing out of the cave. My muscles were really weak. There was so much I had to be retaught. It was like being a child again. Pretty sure Zelda saw a lot of the ridiculous things I did.”“I caught pieces of your journey, but I was never given a full picture. I never perceived any part of your learning process as ridiculous.”Link couldn't reply. He was cringing at the memory of all the battering he took learning the fighting style of all the monsters. The bee stings. The horse kicks. Running from that Lynel on the great plateau. The burns and falls. The social awkwardness. The fortunate thing was he was a quick learner.“Josha, no more questions,” her father Jino said after Link's extended pause.“I…I'll ask more questions later. Thank you guys,” Josha said. She retreated to her father's side.Zelda giggled and mouthed the words, ‘I love you’ to the stiffened posture that was Link's now walking frame. Everyone was quiet for a few minutes as they walked. Purah broke the silence with a jab at her colleague, and the journey continued on.By the time they'd finally reached the carriage, it was nearly 3 p.m. and Robbie was fully winded.Link assisted Zelda up, and before he could protest it, Purah, and everyone else was also using his help. There was no space to sit beside Zelda, with Josha and Purah on either side of her. “What? There are still spots, silly!” Purah said cheerfully.Zelda stifled a laugh when Link just stared at Purah. She stared back, but eventually rolled her eyes and got up to sit beside Jino.“I'm not the rude one…” He muttered under his breath. Zelda giggled.“She’s not doing anything to you on purpose,” Zelda said in her friend’s quick defense.“No, I was being ornery. I’m still kinda miffed from earlier,” Purah said.Link directed his attention away and simply held Zelda’s hand in stone silence when the carriage finally made its departure.Robbie was already having an animated discussion with the Sheikan man he'd hired, that the three were paying no mind to. Purah was still looking at Link with amusement.“Hey, want me to cook tonight? There are several tents and a cooking pot set up there already,” Purah directed at him.His annoyance with her died immediately. “Yes please,” he said.She managed to draw him and Zelda both into a conversation at least for a little while after that. . . . . . . . .It was eight p.m. when their destination came into close view. Link gently shook Zelda awake from her place on his shoulder. Her sleepy smile that greeted him was irresistibly cute, and he had to sternly remind himself not to kiss her right there in front of everyone. Josha was the first one to the tents after the carriage finally stopped. She was the only one in the mood to run with all of her luggage. Her father Jino was close behind, along with Robbie and Jerrin.Link and Zelda made their way over to the cooking pot where Purah was already warming herself up at, and rummaging through her pack for ingredients.“Whatever you make, please make a lot.”“Starving, Linky?” Purah chuckled then said, “Have any energy left to maybe go hunt down something fresh?”He gave her a thumbs up before quickly rising to his feet. The girls waved as he disappeared.“Dump your food stash, I'm missing half the things I need,” Purah eventually said after a few more minutes of rummaging. Zelda handed it over instead.“Purah you really are a disorganized mess,” Zelda said with a sigh when the scholar poured all of their food out onto the ground in front of her. Purah just scoffed indignantly at her, then plucked several things from the pile. “I'm making a triple batch of meat stew. I'm sure our food connoisseur will deem that acceptable,” Purah said with a head shake. “He sure was eager to let you make dinner…he never lets me prepare food.”“Aw princess, don't be offended by that… He just wants to take care of you the way you're used to.”“No…he just thinks I'm hopeless at it.”“Well…” Purah said with a knowing grin while pulling a small slicing knife from her bag to cut carrots into the pot, “…pay attention to what I do…and if he seems to enjoy it, try to make it later on your own WITHOUT straying from the recipe.”Zelda scowled but had to nod.Link's clothing had a considerable amount of blood spatter when he finally returned with the freshly butchered meat. The rest of the group aside from Robbie, had made their way to the cooking pot by this point and they were horrified by the sight of him.“I was in a hurry. Forgot to bring…most of my supplies. Here,” Link muttered as he quickly unwrapped it and tossed it in the pot. He grabbed a pack that was sitting beside Zelda and began to jog away. Purah barely had the chance to call after him. “Quit being so vague! What did you just put in there?!”He stopped a second and called back, “Moose. We're here for a week right? Plenty to stay fed.” He started running off this time. He needed to get the blood off and find somewhere close and flat to camp out.“He's such a dummy,” Purah sighed while adding some salt to the pot.Zelda gave her friend an extremely offended look. “He has a million things he constantly worries about. Do forgive his occasional forgetfulness,” Zelda said sarcastically.“I'm sorry for upsetting you, I'm just teasing.”“I find his clumsiness endearing,” Zelda muttered.“I wouldn't call it clumsiness, Princess…” Robbie said and laughed. “Sometimes... you have to spell things out for him. He's a simple thing, really.”“Why do you keep picking on him?! Leave him be!” Zelda yelled at the giggling two.Link was a relative distance away at this point, but he could hear her shouting at them. He broke out in a smile and continued to remove his ruined clothes.. . . . . . . ."There are several unoccupied tents, you know! Where are you two even going?" Robbie said when the couple began wandering back out into the darkness away from everyone. The fire was illuminating them enough for him to still see them. Zelda called back, "Our tent isn't far from here. We'll still get up with everyone else, I promise!”She laughed awkwardly and waved before they went. Everyone knew they just wanted privacy. Link had packed four thick blankets to lay beneath their giant bed roll inside of the cozy tent. The fire she'd stoked was warm and it was providing some light for them inside. They were finally settling in.He was on his face, on his makeshift pillow with an arm over his head as Zelda sat beside him, playing with his hair like she had that morning. He turned and muttered, "Am I even allowed to marry the princess of Hyrule? I feel so wildly inferior in my title. I was only a knight, I don't come from nobility. I didn't even go to a formal school, everything I learned was taught to me by my father."She sighed and finished the small braid she was on before replying, "The title comment was ridiculous. My mother was a researcher when my father fell in love with her.”“I just want to make you happy,” he said without looking at her.“I am happy. Right now…a special ceremony drawing a lot of attention to us simply isn't necessary. We know we love each other even without all of that.”He was quiet for several minutes."Would you wear a ring if I gave you one," he asked her quietly. His expression was reserved when he glanced over, the braid falling from her grasp and unraveling as he did. “Of course I would,” she sighed. She leaned down to kiss him. . . . . . . . . .“Princess Zelda, please slow down your pace,” the knight commander urged the young girl anxiously.“I apologize, Commander Gallion. I'm just eager to return so we can begin my birthday festivities,” Zelda lied when she stopped to allow the remaining knights to catch up. In truth, Zelda was anxious to finish this as quickly as possible so she could escape this horrible place. She had been dreading this moment for ten years.The path through the lost woods to the Master Sword’s resting place was a secret the Royal family had kept their whole reign. Zelda had been passed down the knowledge several weeks prior to this moment, in preparation for her sixteenth birthday. She was informed that she'd be accompanied on this trip by the twelve bravest knights in their ranks, who would all be informed of the purpose of the journey, as well as the significance of the sword and the legends behind it.Her father had requested to travel alongside her for this monumental task and she'd vehemently refused. His presence brought her very little comfort.“Is everyone accounted for?” Zelda said solemnly. Her eyes scanned over the ten knights who were just now catching up. Her torch was providing just enough visibility in the thick fog that she was able to quickly scan them over. The previous knight commander’s son, the blonde boy she recognized from her childhood, was there amongst them. Remembering how much time had passed before she even became aware of his father's growing illness brought an immense wave of guilt when their eyes briefly met. He was the only other knight that had been able to keep up with her brisk stride.“This archway up ahead is where we're going. The sword is close,” the princess said calmly despite the panic she felt rising up.Her departure was abrupt. The knight commander matched her stride, with the rest of them close behind. “W-what are those things?!” One of the knights sputtered and pointed. They all paused for a moment and Zelda giggled.“I'm delighted that you all can see them. They're called koroks and they're harmless, I promise. Their appearance must mean we're here,” Zelda told them.Zelda handed her torch over to the knight commander, with her eyes trained ahead as the fog slowly lifted. The sword was sitting inside of the pedestal before her, just as her father had described it would be. Wildflowers with blue petals of her favorite shade were peeking out of the tall grass and foliage surrounding it, but she was unable to focus her attention on them.The sword was glowing faintly. No one had mentioned glowing to her. The twelve knights stood behind her as she looked up towards the sky. A timid smile spread as she called out, “Thank you for protecting the sword, Great Deku tree. My name is Princess Zelda, and it is an honor to meet you at last.”A few of the knights were glancing at each other like she was crazy, but jumped when the tree responded back in a booming voice, “It is an honor and privilege to meet you as well, Princess. It always amazes me how much each Zelda I meet resembles the Queen Zelda before them. Your grandmother was a gifted person, and a very dear friend of mine. She was always taking care of my koroks.”“I wish I could have met her. I look forward to befriending your koroks, and fulfilling that role now that I'm finally able,” Zelda told him sweetly. “I apologize for reminiscing. You're here to do something important, and I won't hold you any further,” the Deku Tree rumbled. Zelda glanced back at her knights who were standing in line, then her eyes took in the forest and silent princess flowers surrounding them, and the koroks peeking over at them curiously. She nodded to herself, then took a couple more steps towards the pedestal. The words Zelda had been taught to say in this moment were entirely memorized. It became a chant in her head. “Spirit of this divine blade, I am the next descendant of the goddess. I pray to you now and ask you for your guidance, as do the people of this land. Do you choose to awaken?”The white glow was beginning to fade, a sign which Zelda took to be positive. She grasped the sword’s pommel, and her blood instantly ran cold. All of the knights behind her could see her posture stiffen. Curious sounds were coming from the peeking koroks who were watching. The several moments that passed were wordless and tense.‘Why him?’“Your majesty?” The knight commander worriedly asked. She looked frightened when she turned to face them. Her eyes landed on the blonde knight, who stiffened up under her gaze.All Zelda could finally say was, “Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but is your name Link?”He was surprised to be addressed so directly, and blinked a few times before muttering, “Yes ma'am.”“Sir Link. Please step forward,” Princess Zelda directed.It was Link's turn to feel anxious. They'd been taught the legend of the Master Sword one day calling out for its chosen hero. It had sounded pretty unbelievable to most of the knights as well as him. What was unfolding before him took a few moments to register. Zelda could see the shift in his expression as he complied with her order. She went to face him as he stood before the pedestal.Zelda's voice was at a volume only Link could hear now. “The spirit of the blade has…one question to ask of you.”He simply nodded, not knowing what to say. “She told me she could sense your fearless and unbreakable spirit upon our approach, and knew you were the one she's waited all these thousands of years for. The implication of this is enormous, and I know you likely recognize it. The people of this kingdom…are in terrible danger. She…asks you now… do you have the courage to pull the legendary blade from its resting place and accept the heavy burden it carries?”He held her gaze and nodded once more. She masked her distress, and gestured to the sword before taking a step back. He refused to allude to his own feelings as he gripped the handle with both fists. There was definitely some resistance, but the sword began to lift the more he pulled. They both held their breath in the final moment.All of the knights were giving each other looks of worry and fear. The impending threat was now dawning on the rest of them. The sword was resting carefully in his palms now as he held Zelda's gaze in expectant silence. She cleared her throat.The rest of the group was able to hear her voice again when she said, “Sir Link…I've witnessed your exceptional swordsmanship firsthand. Your abilities and strength have been recognized by the gods. Our kingdom has been without a chosen hero for nearly ten thousand years, but now the sword calls for you to serve as its master. For this reason, you are to be…my new protector, as well as the protector of this kingdom, should the threat truly arise.”“To the best of my abilities, I will dedicate myself to fulfilling this duty,” he swore. He was unwilling to turn around and face the sudden spotlight. He could feel their eyes even without looking. He took a moment to observe the sword more closely and collect himself before the princess spoke again. “There is much for us both to do now, and no time to hesitate. My father needs to know about this at once,” Zelda eventually said, taking the blade carefully from his hold to wrap in a shawl retrieved from her satchel. “A special sheath will need to be made as soon as possible….” she said.She was avoiding eye contact with all of them now, especially Link. “Do keep up this time,” She told the rest of the knights as she took back her torch, and quickly passed with the wrapped sword in hand. It was a hurried, quiet journey back to Hyrule Castle.. . . . . . . . . It was still dark when Zelda awoke that morning shivering. Link was sitting up against the bed cushions and clearly deep in thought.“Come back over and tell me what's troubling you. I'm cold," Zelda whispered to him. She lifted the fur covers and he wordlessly pulled into her trembling frame beneath them.“I’m sorry… I couldn’t sleep,” Link murmured. “It’s a half past five, before you ask.”“I would have talked to you…tried to help you calm your thoughts if you’d only woken me up. I’m too tired to show how upset I am that you didn’t.”The freezing girl was wrapping herself around her beloved tight, but he wasn’t that much warmer, and the contact was making him shiver like her.“My thoughts are disorganized, but I’ll try to explain myself,” his teeth slightly chattered.“I won’t interrupt.” She threw the covers over their heads and kissed him for a moment in the darkness. It was already feeling warmer beneath like this.“Been thinking about my father a lot lately, though not really on purpose. He was on my mind while you were falling asleep. Yesterday morning brought back some forgotten memories for me of your sixteenth birthday. The sword chose me three months after he passed, and I remember… how much I really needed his guidance that day. Bearing all of that pressure without his support was difficult. I still can't…remember everything from our lives before. I forgot a lot of things about him up until recently, and so much of it is coming back all at once. He's been gone well over a century, but right now…it just kinda feels like…it's like…” Link trailed off. “You just lost him,” she completed the sentence for him. Her thumb searched for moisture from his eyes in the darkness and found none. She caressed it down his cheek and felt his smile before he kissed her.“I'll be okay. I wish I could tell him about you. I was thinking that after Purah made the ring comment.”Zelda felt like crying on his behalf.“I was so…unjustifiably angry with you that day, when you accepted your role as the chosen hero without any hesitation. It was that easy for you, you were already so skilled at what you do. I was hurting and not taking any of yours into consideration at all…like a child throwing a fit. My immaturity towards you in the beginning of our relationship was inexcusable and I'm sorry. I'm sorry about your father and I'm sorry you're hurting. Thank you for talking to me about it.”His simple response was a series of loving kisses. She poured her heart into the ones she continued it along with. They both needed this affection right now.. . . . . . . . . It was later that morning when Purah finally made her way towards the couple's tent. She was taking a sip from her coffee mug upon her approach, when she began hearing noises.Zelda's hushed voice squeaked, "Ow! Don't bite me there!"Uncharacteristic giggles were heard in a male voice that had to be Link's. She didn't even realize he knew how to laugh. 'You have got to be kidding me right now,’ Purah thought to herself. She briskly turned around and headed back towards camp. In truth, nothing lewd was taking place when Purah approached. Link had playfully nipped the tip of Zelda's nose in the middle of kissing. They were too distracted beneath the covers to hear the crunching snow.Josha was still rubbing her eyes when she finally shuffled up the steps to the table where Robbie Jerrin, and the now returning Purah were all meeting up to have coffee and review their plans. Her father Jino was sitting at the lit cooking pot, drinking coffee and reading.She knew her father didn't really understand this stuff, and he was just trying not to get in their way. She loved him and all the support he provided, especially when he backed off."Where are Link and Princess Zelda?" Josha asked Purah."Wasting time,” Purah muttered simply. Robbie shot his affiliate a glance and she just nodded at him before he busted up laughing.. . . . . . . .They were running fifteen minutes late when they'd finally dressed. Zelda ran ahead of Link towards the stairs and pedestal everyone was gathered on top of.Purah looked up at Zelda from the plans in front of her and said, “I didn't think I was gonna see you today.”Zelda's words were rushed. “I apologize. I overslept.”“Mmhmm…” Purah murmured and smirked.Zelda was blushing deep crimson and wondering to herself if everyone had heard the makeout session they'd just had. She glanced around but none of them seemed aware of the embarrassing exchange, they were all too involved in their own notes and tinkering.Purah was already hunched back over the table when Link finally appeared at Zelda's side. She murmured low and to his ear, “No more getting distracted this week, we came here to help.”His voice was at a normal volume when he responded, “No, you came here to help. I came here to explore and hopefully find the place we're building our new home. I just came over to tell you goodbye.” “I came here to help with that too,” Zelda suddenly remembered.“Come with me tomorrow. I know you've been eager to work on this project.”“Please be careful,” She whispered, and hugged him tight.“I will.” Their kiss was brief and unnoticed by everyone but the scholar at the table before them. Zelda shuffled her way next to her and began looking over the formulas in her immediate attempt to focus. She caught one last glance at Link before he disappeared from sight. Zelda sighed deeply and said, “Your math here is incorrect.” She pointed down at the page and Purah immediately went to erase it. “Glad you caught that…”Zelda smiled hugely and raised the volume of her voice, “I bet we can get this circle operational before our five days are up. What do you guys think? Let's push for it!”The rest of the group collectively sighed, aside from Josha who excitedly responded, “Let's do it, Princess Zelda!”Link was well enough away from the site as his eyes scanned for any wild horses he could use. He had a direction and location already in mind and hoped it was as he remembered it. It was far though. He began to run and didn't stop moving until he eventually made his way back to their tent late that night.Zelda was tucked away and fast asleep. He went quietly inside, and undressed to his undergarments before slipping beneath and curling up against her backside.“How long has it been since we practiced with the sword?” Link murmured beside her ear. She stirred a bit, then sleepily replied, “Was that an innuendo…”“No,” he chuckled quietly. “We haven’t been keeping up with your training. Maybe at some point during our journey tomorrow, we’ll do that. I found a spot.”Zelda met his face and whispered, “You did? How far away?”“From here on foot, about five hours give or take. I searched tirelessly for a horse, but it’s honestly as though every single one from this region has disappeared.”“We’ll search again tomorrow,” She said and yawned. He was starting to give her affection across her neck and shoulder so she added, “We can’t…participate while we’re here, everyone will hear us.”“Not if we keep our voices down,” He said humorously. Her no was made clear when she simply ignored the question and rolled back over, pulling his arm around her torso as she did. “I’m sorry,” He muttered and quietly laughed again.She kissed his hand. “We won’t be out here for very long, be patient.”“It’s difficult,” He muttered after a moment.She didn’t respond. She was already asleep again.. . . . . . . ."Princess Zelda, I am approaching your tent! I made omelets!" Purah yelled at them the following morning all the way from the campsite.Zelda's eyes were bleary when she came to. She yawned and said, "Ugh. Why is she yelling like that?""She thinks we're having sex," he replied, though his eyes were still shut."Oh my goodness," she whispered, then called out, "Yes Purah, we'll come to breakfast in a moment!""’Kay!" Was Purah's call back.Link was quicker out of the tent, from the lure of food, as well as Zelda’s mortification and unwillingness to face Purah after that.He was, unsurprisingly, the first to finish eating as well. He dashed his way past her when she finally made the trek up the hill.After their tent and supplies had all been repacked, he waved over in her direction from afar. Zelda quickly told the engineering team goodbye.“Wait a minute, could you guys bring back some flint and wood?” Robbie said.“Of course!”She was running Link’s way with a huge smile on her face. He took her in his arms and said, “Ready, my love?”“I’m ready and eager. Let’s go.”. . . . . . . . . Water droplets from melting snow could be heard pit-patting against the slick ice below, as could the heavy breathing of their undergoing training session echoing through the valley. Link wasn’t holding back with his speed, although he still made a strict effort not to allow harm from either side as the swords swung each other’s way. Zelda was adept with her shield, and he was confident in her ability to deflect or dodge him quickly, but he still prioritized her safety. At the point of exhaustion, he dropped his weapon abruptly, before ducking below her incoming strike and swiftly disarming her. The look of agitation that overcame her made him grin wolfishly at her.Zelda tackled him to the ground.. . . .“Hey, uh. Is this really the right direction? I haven't seen anyone else for hours," said the shivering man."Benny, I swear upon every deity that if you ask me that question one more time, I'll kick your ass and leave you out here," said Stefihn."Master Kohga didn't give the surfacers clear directions. Everything is so disorganized right now and I hate the new guy. Also, it's cold, and my face hurts, so kiss my ass," Benny muttered. "It's really not my problem if you didn't pack an–""Wait!" Benny whispered urgently, jutting out his arm to stop his affiliate. He pointed his finger.Off in the distance a male and female Hylian were in the midst of a sword fight. The blue scarf on the female made it easier for Stefihn to spot them. "…please tell me I'm crazy, but isn't that…?"Stefihn and Benny just looked at each other for a moment in utter bewilderment. “We're dead men. What do we do? If you don't-” Benny began.“Shut your damn mouth,” Stefihn bit at him under his breath.They both slipped behind a cliff wall out of sight. The larger clansmen took a deep breath and muttered, “I might be able to sneak up on them if I toss this, and strike him, maybe–”“It's Jorynn...and um… Kodith and Mysin,” Benny interrupted again, pointing his finger off in a diagonal direction from where they came, at the discretely dressed specks. Stefihn wondered vaguely if his travel partner had hawk-like vision or something. He didn't miss anything.Benny was waving them over and making a general annoyance of himself without making actual noise, waving his red uniform like a flag, as Stefihn peeked around the corner to confirm that the hero and princess were indeed still there and fully immersed. After they’d all finally gathered together, the yiga group quickly formed a plan of attack.“The hero doesn't kill people, only monsters. That's something we'll need to take advantage of,” Stefihn muttered.“I-if he doesn't kill people, what happened to the guys who lost to him?” Said Mysin.“… many of them lost a lot of blood…and some limbs.”They were all quiet for a moment as Kodith quickly peeked around and back. “Guys…they’re…making out.” The rest of them threw their heads around the corner to see.Jorynn muttered, “Guys, if they’re about to do what it looks like, we need to wait a minute until we attack.”“Alright,” Stefihn began, “... you guys better not eff this up.”They all nodded anxiously at each other.. . . .“Link…” Zelda kissed against his lips. “No. Not out here.”He gave her a mischievous smile when he broke it. His body was pressed firmly against hers, with his arms caged around her. There were enough reasons for them to be warm enough not to feel any chill from the snow beneath them. The elixirs definitely helped the most.“Yes ma'am.” He didn't lift off. He observed her flustered expression hungrily. His heart was still racing from the sparring session, and the adrenaline had him feeling high. She knew he was extremely wound up, and not thinking too clearly. Despite her own arousal, she simply couldn't do something so private out in the open like this. It just wasn't appropriate. She needed him to see this.“What if we're attacked while we're preoccupied,” she whispered, trying to pull him out of his haze. He glanced behind them lazily and said, “Monsters are never quiet. I would have more than enough time to react…we could be quick. You don’t have to undress, just pull it down a little. Give me ten minutes...I know I’ll make you come…” He knew it embarrassed her beyond belief when he spoke like that. Her reactions were always wonderful.Zelda blushed and hid her face behind her hands, but he pulled them aside and pressed his lips to hers again. “As tempting as that sounds…” She said in between their moments of contact. “...we can’t.”“As you wish,” he sighed and smiled. The sound of a single crunch from behind made his expression immediately die and his head jerked up.Something flew in Link and Zelda’s direction, and an explosion of smoke filled the area surrounding them. A rush of movement was heard from all sides and he jumped up. Two men dressed in red were charging them from the front, and he dove for the abandoned weapons a few meters away. Solid metal struck the back of Link’s head, and everything went black. . . . . . . . . . .“Link, please wake up,” came Zelda's urgent voice in his ear. Link was positive the back of his head was bleeding onto the ice it was resting against. His ears were ringing when Zelda's anxious face began to come into focus.They were both tied up, though relatively poorly from what he could tell. He was already jiggling his wrists behind his back. A crowd of voices were echoing all around them.“... disorganized mess!…the directions don't make sense!…when will Kohga return?!” Was what Link could make out amongst the agitated voices. “Kohga again? He fell…” He uttered in dazed confusion. He couldn't concentrate. There were bright blooms everywhere and it was blinding. “You were struck on the head so hard…I felt so helpless. I wonder why they let us live…” she whispered. “‘Let us live…’” he scoffed. “I let my guard down. I let my fucking guard down. I wasn't paying attention when I should have been, and we would have died.” Link's eyes were squeezed tight as he tried to calm down.When he struggled to sit up, all she could do was helplessly watch. That's when he realized he knew exactly where they'd been taken. He and Zelda were against the cave wall at the furthest point from the exit, and before them stood the enormous gathering of Yiga beneath the Hebra great skeleton. “Explains why I couldn’t find one…” he muttered under his breath.“Find what?”He gestured to the horses and carriages on the furthest corner from where they sat. “I don't care why they brought us here, I'll find a way to get us out.”A particularly large one, the apparent guard, was standing closely in front of them. He was fully unaware of the conversation taking place right behind him.“That's the guy who struck you,” She whispered, nodding her head towards the enormous man. Zelda slid her arms beneath herself and around to the front to pull at the rope with her teeth. When Link's wrists finally broke free after a few more moments of scowling effort, he quickly untied the rest for her.“Are you well enough to stand?” She asked him seriously. “…help me up. We have to knock this guy out.”If he needed her help for this, their situation was grave. “Please give yourself a moment. You just awoke with a serious head wound, and I don't want you injuring yourself further,” she whispered.At that point the enemy's voices were hushing down, while one carried above them all.“Listen to me you incompetent–” the loudest man boomed. “Shilb, you're a damn moron!” A random voice in the crowd shouted at the apparent stand in leader who was trying to shut everyone up.Some snickers went around before a final hush fell. “I realize it was confusing for many of you on how to get here. I will address this by saying it is entirely a competency issue and most of you simply cannot read a map.” The tall angry man took a deep breath then said, “I realize it was confusing for many of you on why we had to travel alone or in small groups! Did you idiots want all of Hyrule to know this meeting was taking place? No? SO SHUT UP! Any other concerns that need to be addressed before we continue?” He said the last part in a sweet, sarcastic voice.Zelda was tearing fabric off her undershirt to press against the bleeding on Link's head. The Yiga were still fully unaware that the two had broken free of their bindings.“Yeah!” One man called out.”Why here of all places, I mean for Demon Lord sake, we’ve only been residing in the desert for over a hundred years undisturbed…”The man apparently known as Shilb replied, “With the fall of the calamity and the guardians deactivated, people have gotten bold. Many of you are still unaware of the attacks that have befallen our comrades recently, but my brother was nearly killed when a group of Hylian sellswords caught wind of his allegiance and ambushed him. They were looking for a way into our hideout, so I made contact with Kohga. He said a relocation…at least for the time being, was necessary.”The same man from before said, “I already know that much, moron, we were all there when you returned all red faced and soaking with sweat. Why here?”The stand in was quiet for several seconds then muttered something indiscernible. A few members in the back called over, ‘What?’ So someone answered, ‘He thought this place would be badass.” They were all yelling again.Link was in such a daze that he didn’t notice Zelda was poised behind their guard until she was swiftly plucking the blade from the man’s hip. The burly looking buffoon was still unaware anything behind him was transpiring.Link had to pull himself up despite the double vision so he could stop her sneak strike attempt. He took a hold of her wrist just in time, and gave her a stern look and head shake. He took it from her grasp and promptly knocked the man unconscious.They both stared at the ogre’s crumpled form for a moment, then checked for exposure, but the idiots arguing before them still hadn’t noticed a thing.“There’s too many of them to fight,” Link told her honestly. “We need a plan. We need to be out of sight.”There weren’t any options for hiding, other than a few stacked crates. Zelda tugged Link along and behind them. “I want to hear more of what they’re planning…” She whispered.Shilb had already silenced the room once more. Zelda’s hand was back to applying pressure against Link’s wound with torn cloth.“Alright, I’m done. Straight to the point now, guys,” Shilb said. “Kohga and I are enacting an ancient ritual our first leader performed nearly 125 years ago. It involves the blood of the goddess, and the resurrection of the blood moon.”The voices became a buzz of excitement. Shilb continued, “The blood moons disappeared when the calamity ended, because our King was stripped of his power. We knew the hero and princess were coming to this region soon, and it was through pure dumb luck that five of our members managed to catch them both. Now that we have them, the ritual can begin again, and our King can find the strength once more to return to us, and plunge this world into darkness!”“I have more questions,” a random voice called out, then said, “If we only need her blood, why did we keep him alive? What exactly are we doing with her?”“Kohga wants the hero to suffer as revenge. As for her… we only need to cut up her body…just a little bit…with this ritualistic blade our clan has protected all this time.” Shilb held it high for everyone to see, and Link had to pull Zelda’s form back behind the crates. “It’s been told that the queen of that era fell victim to its malice after the first organized attack our group launched against the royal family.”“Link. I know what we have to do,” Zelda whispered to him. “It is time for history to repeat itself once more,” Shilb’s voice went on.“Those puff mushrooms they used to ambush us…do you see them over there?” Zelda asked.Link was getting dizzy again. The pressure wasn’t alleviating the blood pour, nor the coinciding head throb. He could see spots dancing across his vision when he attempted to peek in the direction she indicated. There definitely was an overflow of mushrooms peeking over the rim of the crate behind the stand in. He sat down dizzily, and Zelda grabbed his hand to squeeze tight.“Wh-what the hell?” A voice shrieked. Their disappearance had finally been noticed.“I know this will be difficult, but here in a moment, I really need you to stand up with me and run,” She said with a tremble. She grabbed a handful of rocks and pebbles, and took immediate aim and fire towards the crate. The sound of heads being pelted, and surprised cries were echoing. Zelda glanced around frantically, at the moment the smoke clouds began billowing in every direction. She yanked on Link hard, and he clumsily rose along with her to begin the mad dash. Zelda couldn’t see any of the bodies anymore, the smoke was thick and filling every space available around them. Zelda kept them close to the wall, but knew they were going the right way towards the exit. She could feel him dragging his pace. She pulled him along harder, ignoring the screams of chaos and confusion from behind. The harsh, icy air stung their faces well before hitting the cave exit. By the time the snow was beneath their boots, the swordsman could no longer go on. “Link I beg of you, please don't close your eyes, you have a concussion and I need you to wake up!”His posture was beginning to sag more, which was forcing her to slow down. It didn't sound like crunching footsteps were following behind, but she kept her eyes trained down the hill in the direction they sprinted from. It was nightfall, but the entrance was still visibly bright. He was just on the brink of collapse, and both of her arms were holding him up now. “Let me just lay against something for a minute. I'm fine,” he muttered.“You aren't fine, your head is still actively bleeding. Open your eyes!” She yelled at him. He let go entirely and fell against the freshly fallen snow. She dropped beside him, ignoring the freezing powder that was getting into her boots. No matter how much she shook his shoulders or pleaded with him, he wouldn't wake back up. The situation was dire and she had to get him somewhere safe. Their supplies had all been left behind, including anything with a healing effect. With a head injury like his, they needed something other than food or an elixir, though. Something stronger, like a fairy, though none had been uncovered in quite some time.Zelda wanted to scream up at the sky.Golden movement in the distance up the hill caught her eye, and her heart jumped in her chest.It was the unique horse they had spotted a few weeks prior, right before she’d gotten sick. It was looking in their direction curiously, and slowing its trot. She immediately jumped to her feet, with an arm outstretched towards it. She wanted to try the non threatening approach but had no food to offer. She was desperate enough to still try. “Hello there, sweet thing,” She cooed. “I need your help…” It took a bit of effort climbing up the hill to reach it. She was ignoring the bite of the wind hitting her cheeks as she did. The golden steed was snorting, and bowing its head as it watched her approach, but it wasn’t fleeing. Link was still in the snow down below, undoubtedly catching the first symptoms of frostbite. She was trying not to spook away their life preserver, but she was growing impatient with her pace.The echo of voices finally came, and Zelda realized she was out of time. Link was still closer to her than the horse. She abandoned what she was doing, and sprinted down the hill in his direction. The voices were getting louder, as were the echoes of running footsteps. She dove down to his side, pulling his body up with all of her strength, and sudden rhythmic pounding of snow that came from behind alerted Zelda to the fact that the horse had chased her down.It was almost beckoning her with its head gestures as she dragged Link’s limp form over to drape across its back. There were sprinting bodies at the cave exit now. Zelda threw herself over next, and held on to Link’s body tight as the horse darted them around. It was impossibly strenuous holding on while stabilizing him, but the horse didn’t need her direction to know to take them away from the income of projectiles. The animal was whinnying with distress and sprinting quickly around the bend, just narrowly avoiding two more blades that were thrown their way.Zelda caught one last look at all the shouting forms disappearing behind them from sight, and allowed herself a moment to let out a hysterical cry of disbelief. “Link, we got away!”He was still unresponsive, and her heart constricted painfully.“Please hang on a little bit longer,” Zelda begged him softly. Her grip around him tightened as their saving grace took them further and further from harm.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canonically, Link is kinda dumb. If you take forever to figure out the gimmick of each blight Ganon, the spirits explain to the player exactly what they're supposed to do in plain words (after giving several cryptic hints before this point). I make him well spoken at the very least, but sometimes things that are common sense, aren't always to him. I could imagine him screaming in frustration during Fire Blight like “Why the fuck won't my arrows reach it??” And Daruk is like, “Hey buddy, try throwing a bomb when it sucks in air.”“Oh, I guess that would work.”If Daruk had to really explain the gimmick to him, he's a dummy. I was a dummy too, Link. I didn't understand the gimmick either and I relate, sweet pea.Sometimes when I write about Link and Zelda ‘participating’ I involuntarily think of Mipha in the afterlife sobbing while watching them like, “I’m in hell.” I love Mipha so much and don’t even mention her in this story really, her tragic love kills mePurah being ornery while calling everyone else rude is my head canon.Every time Zelda references Hylia and how much she hates her, who she's really talking about is daddy Nintendo. Why do you torture them like this daddy Nintendo? I kinda tortured them in this chapter myself. Zelda is incredibly depressed and has a million reasons to be. A lot of us can relate to this, including myself.When thinking of names for pathetic or bad characters, I use the names of people I hate irl but slightly altered. Benjamin go fuck yourselfThe word omelet exists in the Zelda universe which implies to me that there's a Zelda language based on French …which is my explanation for Purah's use of the word connoisseur lolWill Hylia's special boy be alright? Stay tuned folks.
squishMuffin23
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