Can't Be Without You ~ Zelink BotW

Richard

~*Back to Zelda's point of view*~

     I tossed and turned in my bed restlessly, as beads of perspiration dripped from my body. You failed. You weren't good enough. My brain began to taunt me, as I moaned in my sleep. You didn't work hard enough. That's why your power didn't come sooner. You let them all get killed.

"N-No..." My voice croaked in my stirring. And you were selfish enough to leave Link behind to deal with his burdens alone.

"Link- I... I'm-"  Apologizing won't do anything. You failed again. You haven't learned. You failed your people. You failed your friends. You failed your father. And now you're failing Link. Again.

"Link..." You're so useless. A failure. That's all you'll ever be-

"No!" I screamed, sitting up in my bed.

     I gasped for air, as my heart raced in my chest, feeling it's throbbing all the way up in my head.

"Where am I?" I asked aloud, beginning to rub at my eyes that hadn't adjusted to the light, as I looked around frantically. As my vision cleared, I made out the room I was in. My dorm. I let out a weary sigh, as I let go of my tight grip on my sheets.

"At it again for the seventh night in a row! You're literally the worst roommate I could've ever possibly received."

     I looked up to see my dorm partner tying on a pair of dirty traveling shoes to his foot.

"Good morning to you too..." I huffed, beginning to finger through the tangles in my long golden messy hair.

"You do realize what time it is... Right?" He asked me holding in a laugh, with a smug look across his face, as he began pulling on his other shoe.

"Oh no! I forgot today was my first day of school. This is not happening! Did I sleep in?" I asked in a panic, springing up to my feet, running to find my uniform I'd left hanging up neatly in my dresser.

"Um- I wouldn't just say you 'slept in'..." He paused, grabbing his bag to fling over his bulky shoulder.

"What do you mean?" I asked, stopping with what I was doing.

"You've slept through a whole half day of school. We're on lunch break as of right now, dearie." He laughed, shaking his head at me.

"Oh... Goddesses help me-" I exclaimed in distress, shoving my face in my hands helplessly.

     "Good luck for your excuse as to why you're so late! 'I was dreaming of lovely boy named Link Ma'am! May I please be excused?'" He mocked me, trying to impersonate my voice. I felt my cheeks flush red in surprise, and frustration at his words.

"I do not sound like that! And how do you know about Link!?" I demanded, getting on my tip-toes to look him clear in the eyes. He only smirked back at me devilishly.

"Maybe because you say his name in your sleep all of the time? Why do you care if I know about this Link guy anyway?" He asked, pushing me aside to grab a jacket off of it's knob on the wall beside the door.

"I- I do?" I asked, my eyes widening in surprise.

"Excessively..." He moaned, shoving a hand through one of his arm holes. I placed both of my hands on my cheeks to try and hide the redness radiating off of them, as I felt my insides flip flop inside of me.

     "And may, where I ask, are you going? Why aren't you attending lunch with the others?" I quickly asked, in the hopes to change the subject.

"I work at a nearby stable. My shifts there are at lunch, so I take my break from school to get about two hours in on the weekdays." He explained, resituating his jacket comfortably on him.

"Oh..." I replied quietly.

"You better get you tardy butt to the next class on time, or that's what's going to be kicked when you get thrown out of here like my last roommate." He chuckled, turning the doorknob with his hand to open the door.

"What do you mean?-" I asked, grabbing his arm before he walked away.

"Theodore. He was my first roommate, a lot like you actually. He had high hopes and dreams of becoming a scholar, but failed practically all of his classes. He was kicked out about a month in at this place. I'm predicting you'll last around that same time." He grinned, beginning to walk away.

     That is it!  I thought, feeling every inch of my body burn with anger.

"Richard! Get back here you-"

"Calm down now dearie. Sometimes the truth hurts, now doesn't it?" He cut me off, turning back around giving me a shrug.

"Do not call me that! And you're audacity to compare me to other people when you don't even know me is rather foolish!" I began raising my voice, holding myself back from lunging at him.

"I don't have to get to know you to tell the difference apart from you two. It's the first day of school, and you're half a day late." He laughed, continuing walking again. I scoffed before following after him.

"I don't see why you have such a big problem with me. I've done nothing to you!" I exclaimed, trying to keep up with his fast pace.

"I find you very suspicious. You act and talk as though you're from one hundred years ago or something. And is your name really Zella? Why don't I believe you?" He questioned, turning to me, looking for any clues.

"Then I guess it's your problem then. Yes, my name is Zella, and I'll take 'talking like someone from one hundred years ago' as a compliment!" I answered him back smoothly, squeezing my way safely through his questioning.

"Whatever," He sighed, continuing his gaze forward.

     "I don't see why you want to cause a riff between us. Don't you want staying in your dorm to be pleasant? I can be good company, I'll let you know." I told him, in hopes to somehow make peace between us both. I knew staying in this position would only cause us both grief, and trouble in our stay here.

"Because I know you'll be thrown out of here sooner or later. By looking at you, I can already tell you don't have what it takes. You're not good enough." 

     I tried not to let his cold remarks get to me, but they were rather powerful. I swallowed at a lump that began to appear in my throat as he continued.

"I can see failure oozing off of you. Bad at decision making, tardy, and not very dedicated to your hard work. I wouldn't put pass comparing you to the well known, failure of a princess, Zelda of Hyrule. Heh, allowed everyone of her loved ones get killed due to her lack of effort to gain her powers. Imagine that. I'm so glad I am not a Hylian!" He said shaking his head again with another devilish chuckle.

     I felt my whole body freeze at his words, as I stopped in my tracks. They pierced right into my very soul, sharper than any sword I knew of. My legs grew limp, as I held in a sob from coming out. He's right... My brain added to my pain, as I watched him walk along as if nothing had happened, or as if nothing he said was wrong or hurtful. It seems that's what I am known for... I really am just the biggest failure, aren't I?

~*Credit for the artist: haruunai*~