Across the Wild | A Zelink Story

Chapter 2: Zelda

           "Link! Liiiiiiiiiiink!" I scream, tears running from my eyes as the Blademaster mercilessly beats Link with his sword and fists. I run to the edge of Ruta, and jump toward the cliff, which is much closer now. Even so, I barely catch the edge with my hands, and pure adrenaline is the only thing that gets me over the edge.

As I near the Blademaster, I run through all my options. Obviously I'm not strong enough to just kill it with my bare hands, and the nearest weapon is a longbow laying a few feet away. Even if I could pick it up, it'd take too long to find an arrow, nock it, and fire it through the Blademaster's skull. And then I remember that I do have an arrow.

The ancient arrow!

I trip on a rock, regain my balance, and pull the arrow from my pouch. It's just the blade, but it'll be enough to send the Blademaster to hell.

With a savage cry and a splash of gore, the ancient blade sinks into the Blademaster's back, and he disappears in a flash of blue light.

"Link! Are you alright?" I ask worriedly. He groans. Sits up. Coughs. And I remember a time long ago, a place far from here...

I look at my hand. "Was that..." A thump. I look behind me as Link falls to the ground. I run to him, and kneel down beside him. Link opens his eyes, coughs blood onto my face, and sits up. I put a supporting hand behind a bloody head. He looks at me once, then his broken body goes limp.

Link wipes blood from his face. "Yeah. I think so. Zelda..."

"Link!" Mipha shouts. "Use my healing power!" Link nods.

"Zelda, hold my hands on the cut. Otherwise, I'll flinch and make it worse," Link tells me.

"Okay, Link." I take Link's hands and place them on the bloody gash. He exhales harshly. "Link, does it hurt too much?"

"Yes, but don't let go." Blue-green light begins emanating from under his blood-soaked hands, and after a minute, he tells me to let go. All that's left is a faint scar, and a lot of blood.

We stand, and Link retrieves the blood-soaked Master Sword. Then we walk back to Vah Ruta, and Mipha has us on our way back to Zora's Domain before long. Link rasps a thanks to Mipha, to which she replies with the typical, "It was my pleasure."

When we arrive back at the Domain, we are greeted by Sidon and a few other Zora. I take Link to the inn, and get him some roasted fish. He nods his thanks, and begins eating. I walk out to talk with the Zora, and tell them what happened. Link walks out about five minutes later.

"Link, take some time to get better, okay? You just were in a damn battle. Get some sleep. I'll be alright," I tell him quietly.

"I'll be fine, Zelda," Link replies softly.

Before I can continue arguing my point, Muzu walks over, hands clasped behind his back. "Link, Zelda. King Dorephan requests that you come to his throne room at your nearest convenience."

Link and I exchanged a look. We would have talked with Dorephan earlier, but we'd been extremely busy and unfortunately hadn't had a chance yet. Also, we both felt...anxious...about what we would have to say.

I answer Muzu. "Take us there now. We are ready." Muzu leads us up the stairs to King Dorephan's Throne Room.

The large bluish king awaited us, and seeing us said, "Hello, Link, Zelda. It's been a while. Congratulations on slaying Ganon. Now, I have several questions for you. First, what was the monster situation coming in?"

"It was fairly bad—" I start.

"But we took care of it," Link finishes.

"'We' being you and Zelda?" Dorephan asks.

"Yes, along with Mipha," I tell him. "King, Mipha is an amazing Zora. She fights with just as much ferocity now as before, and her actions saved us. She also bestowed her her healing grace upon Link, who I know has used it many times."

"Yes, it is always wonderful to fight at her side," Link says. "And her power has saved me more than I can count."

"So is she...still alive?" Dorephan sounded like he didn't want to believe it.

"Only as her spirit piloting Ruta. But all who wish to talk to her can if they go aboard her Divine Beast," I tell him. His eyes fill with loving euphoria and he sits up and begins moving quickly for the exit. We watch him go,and his guards follow. Soon, it's just Link and me in the throne room. I think that we both acutely realize this, but decide to stay in awkward silence instead of saying something. Link goes to a bench, sits down, and begins eating an apple.

"Link, tell me the truth. Are you alright?" I asked him a similar question before the Calamity, and he responded with what he was really feeling.

"Yeah, Zelda. I'm fine." Clearly, he's not in the mood for sharing.

"Link, you seem...off your game. I don't know why I think that, but I get a sense of unease from you. Something's wrong."

Link looks me dead in the eye, and they are slightly unfocused. "Zelda," he says. "I don't feel well." Suddenly, he clutches his stomach, and pain clouds his face. He doubles over, coughing hard. Drops of blood drip from his mouth, spotting the blue floor with crimson. He collapses, and I rush to his side. Link feebly reaches for me, and I take his hand in mine, tears dripping from my eyes as blood trickles from his cracked-open mouth.

And Yiga Clan appears.

Four Blademasters and twenty footsoldiers poof into the throne room, uttering curses and growls of hate from their traitorous mouths, hidden by their identical masks. I spring up, drawing my ancient dagger, and fixing the leading Blademaster a hateful glare as the daggers blade snaps into existence, igniting in a flash of blue.

There are too many.

The fight is over in thirty seconds. I kill three or four, but in the end, my neck is being crushed on a Blademaster's forearm. The last thing I hear is, "You could have made this easy, princess. But everything is difficult when it comes to you. Nothing's ever easy."

And the last thing I see is Link, crimson blood trickling from his mouth onto the floor.