Blinding Darkness - Zelda X Ganondorf

Chapter 14

     A few days passed with Zelda hardly ever seen away from Aria's bedside whenever she had any scrap of spare time, sometimes muttering on and off and trying to work as much of her magic as possible, sometimes just sitting there holding her tiny hand.

     Of course, Ganondorf had to know about this. However, she passed it off as she was just violently sick. If Ganondorf turned on her right now, then she would break.

     But he, being Ganondorf, probably saw right through it. She thought dully as she sat at yet another day of shuffling paperwork back and forth, despising herself more and more every second she spent away from Aria.

     These few days had completely shifted Zelda's entire persona. It was as though energy had seeped out of her, leaving behind a cracked shell of a person. Dark circles dusted under her eyes from nights of little sleep, and her cheeks were forever pale, her usually well-rounded face hollowed out by grief and power exertion. But what no amount of makeup could cover was the fact that her eyes were soulless, as dead as the girl probably would be soon. 

     But in this time, instead of moping and neglecting her duties, she worked harder than ever. Was she trying to prove something? Prove what?

     Zelda didn't quite know herself. 

     Maybe because she had made such a terrible mistake by letting this Link into the Castle, and too many people would be paying for the consequences of her moment of rash deciding.

     She jerked her head irritably and tried to refocus.

     What was in the past was in the past. 

     This was a fact that Zelda could never learn to accept.

     The moment everything in her work was settled, all the questions answered, all the doubts soothed, all the smaller problems solved, she snatched the papers and tried to walk, instead of sprint, to the Infirmary, ignoring the concerned glances that were being thrown in her direction. 

     No change. Aria was still as lifeless as ever. Was it just Zelda's imagination, or did her fever rise by a few degrees?

     Taking a breath, she pulled up a chair and sat by her side. Then, as normal, she summoned her power and closed her eyes. 

     She whispered in a tongue older than memory stretched, that spoke of magic deeper than the Three. Hope in the dark. Hope, what Zelda herself needed desperately.

     Aria exhaled and her pained expression softened slightly.

     Zelda fell back into her chair, sinking down.

     Was she making it worse, somehow? 

     She didn't know. She didn't know.

     Taking Aria's too-warm hand in her ice cold ones, she hung her head and sat silent vigil by her slowly dying body.

     Zelda didn't mean to fall asleep, but when she started, pulled out of a hazy, half-sleep, afternoon light was already streaming through the bright windows.

     She looked at Aria one more time and was about to get up and leave, but suddenly froze.

     Somebody was sitting with his back to her, perched at the other edge of Aria's bed.

     He turned around, a soft smile lighting up his face, and Zelda could only stare at him with wide eyes.

     Link. 

     Not the Link that had principally murdered Aria, the traditional Hero that Zelda knew all too well, with the green tunic, the Master Sword strapped onto his back.