A Hero's mourning (ZELINK)

Prologue: A lullaby (Age 6)

"I can't..."

"Yes, you can."

The warm fireplace illuminated the patched, red couch. The flickering light gave the cozy room a warm glow and the snow piled up outside. A beautiful woman sat on that couch, her hair was an attractive golden colour and her eyes were hazelnut-brown. Her cheeks were red with the heat from the fire and her eyes were gentle. 

"..."

The child sitting next to her buried his face in her arms, his arms hugging her tight. The woman softly sighed, a soft smile atop her cherry, red lips. "You can do anything you want, there will always be a place for you." she rubbed soothing circles on the boy's back and planted a kiss on his equally golden head. 

"But..." the boy's voice had a tremor in it "I don't want to leave you..." The woman gave a laugh, feeling a sudden warmth for her son. She pulled him away from her, so she could look him in the eye "I will never be far from you, my dear child." she trucked a stray strand of his hair behind his ear 

"You will always be welcome here, Link. Always."

"But-" "Now tell me, why are you so sad?" the woman interrupted. Link's cerulean eyes teared up once more "The other kids have wooden swords... and I only have a stick." he sighed, casting his eyes down.

"Link," his mother smiled at him, sadly "You know we only want the best for you, but we can't always afford it. Especially with my condition," she pet her belly.

Link's eyes glowed "Is it gonna be a boy?" he exclaimed "Then we can go to the forest together!" Link jumped off the couch and imitated knight stances, his chest puffed out and his back straight. 

His mother giggled "I personally hope it's a girl." Link wrinkled his nose "A girl?" "A girl." his mother repeated, amused "I hope she'll keep you out of trouble." Link grinned.

The woman's expression turned serious, she pulled her son towards her, looking at his arm "Link? Who did this to you?" there was a scrape covered in dried blood on his wrist, Link looked around, nervously.

"Answer me."

"Uh, we were just... playing."

"Come here, let me clean it."

A new voice interrupted them "Medilia! If you keep babying him, how will Link ever learn to be a man?" the light from the hall cast a shadowy silhouette of a stocky man, a knight. Link's father.

"Can't you see he's hurt?!" Medilia gave her husband a stern glare, the silhouette disappeared "At this rate, he'll never be a knight! He can't just let the other kids walk all over him!" his father said, leaving.

The words burnt Link, as if someone had poured acid over his wound. He sighed, no matter what he did- his father was never proud. And Link doubted he would ever be.

"Don't pay him any mind, my little hero,"

And sweet humming filled Link's ears, as his vision faded.

He would never be a hero.