Blood Moon: A Story Before the Calamity

Twelve

Zelda's POV

     I was free.

     Free.

     I had Link in my arms. My skin touched his, actually touched his. It was so warm. I had forgotten how human skin felt like.

     I had also forgotten just how blue his eyes were.

     His head lolled back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, pouring from his various cuts, making my hands sticky. But he was here. Right here.

     As much as I wanted to stand there forever, letting the sun wash over our skin, simply taste the feeling of victory, but I knew I couldn't. We needed to get to Kakariko Village.

     Trudging through the ruined Hyrule with Link slowly bleeding to death and trying not to pass out was daunting. I gently slid the Sheikah Slate from Link's belt and saw the completed map of Hyrule unfold before my eyes. I squinted at the symbols for a moment, gauging their meaning, and then pressed a certain glowing blue one. Immediately, my body and Link's dissolved into blue tendrils, fast traveling to Kakariko Village.

     We reformed right in front of the village Shrine. I staggered underneath Link's weight, barely able to hold my own. Step by step I made it towards Impa, collapsing right in front of the door. Link fell with a thump on the floor, completely unconscious.

     I hardly had the energy to stand back up, but fortunately Paya noticed our noise, and hurried towards the door, letting us in. 

     I didn't let go of Link's hand even when I had to force myself just to move one muscle. Impa rushed towards us, calling Paya to take Link to the spare upstairs bedroom as she supported me to the one next to it, settling me in bed.

     She was speaking, but I couldn't hear her. My world was tilting, my head pounding. I craved the refuge of the bed, safe. 

     I was safe. I never would have to worry about waking up to the onslaught of Ganon again.

     I woke crying. I hated the feel of tears as they ran down my face. I wiped them detachedly.

     To sleep in a real bed, in a real house, had been so strange. I already couldn't remember clearly the little, human things that I took for granted before the Calamity.

     I slowly walked over to the bathroom and gazed at myself in the mirror. My hair was dirty and matted, dirt and blood smeared all over my skin, my dress torn and falling apart. I washed my hands, my face, my hair. Clean. Another alien concept.

     I wanted to go see Link. But sense told me to speak with Impa first. I wasn't sure if I could still control myself after seeing his face.

     I descended the stairs, conscious of how dirty my sandals were. 

     "Princess Zelda!" Impa brightened when she saw me, coming over to help me down the last of the stairs. "How was your sleep?"

     "Fine." I didn't recognize my voice. It was mechanical, robotic.

     "Good, good..." She took my hands in her warm, wrinkled ones. "Princess, you have done something extraordinary. Did you know that?"

     Extraordinary? That was Link, not me. I nodded all the same. "Thank you."

     We sat there for a moment.

     "Your father... The King would have been proud."

     I had let him down, not made him proud. All the work that he had done to preserve the peace was in tatters.