Blinding Darkness - Zelda X Ganondorf

Chapter 19

     "I'm leaving." Aria announced to Zelda, sitting in her study, a few days later, having finally made up her mind. 

     Instead of looking surprised, she bowed her head gravely. "I had a feeling you would leave soon. Very well. The Master Sword, huh?"

     "Yeah."

     They spent a moment in silence.

     "You can't put too many men there." Aria said quietly, placing a slender finger on one of the battlefields. "The Gerudo are formidable enemies, and they have the advantage of being close to reinforcements that we don't have. It's not a battle we can win by brute force, so we need to use the pincer formation to cut them off from the desert, and many men makes that difficult."

     "You're right." Zelda scratched out the lines of tiny writing next to the bright red dot. "I think about one thousand would be sufficient."

     Aria nodded. "If I don't come back from the Lost Woods, don't send anyone and just look out for the next hero. Maybe it'll be a two year old this time."

     Zelda wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. 

     For all she knew, that could be true. The reason why there was such a huge age gap between her and Aria was because of the failed Link.

     Yet, if Aria never came back, if she was forever swallowed by the swirling mist of the Forest...

     If Zelda lost her, then how could she go on?

     "Be careful." She hated how that was all she had to offer. "You must. Must return."

     "I will." She laughed lightly and got nimbly to her feet. "What can they throw at me that I can't defeat?"

     She dropped her cheerful grin as she turned her back on Zelda and left the room to prepare herself as well as she would.

     Whatever she had told Zelda, she knew different. The trials were not to be taken lightly.

     But Aria was a survivor of the impossible. She had fought through everything placed on her shoulders and emerged victorious. This was just another table she could turn.

     (All right, why does this line remind me so much of Blood Moon?)

     She swiped an acceptably well-balanced sword from the Knight's Barracks, a shield, and a travelling cloak that hid her face, not answering any of the questions aimed at her, dodging out of the gaze of anyone congregating at the Barracks, throwing a bland grin at any questioning glances. 

     When she came back -- when, not if -- they would never belittle her again, never deny her another battle, another opportunity. She would have proved herself.

     Aria should have been happy, happy to let go.

     Strapping the sword onto her back and tightening the straps on the shield, she looked out the window one last time. The sun was slowly climbing the horizon, ever nearing the zenith, which meant that she had to hurry.

     Taking a breath, she checked out a horse from the stables and brought down the reins. Responding easily to her experienced touch, the horse set off, leaving behind a trail of dust, taking Aria as she was away forever, whether she survived or not.

     So she felt the wind on her face, running through her hair, as she shed her old life, left it behind with the Castle, shrinking away into the distance.

     As Aria neared the Lost Woods, she dismounted gracefully and stroked the horse. It galloped off to a nearby field, and she turned back to the woods, towering over her tiny figure.