The Silence Between Them | ✔

20) Calamity

⚔ In which Link tries to get Zelda to safety ⚔ 

Link

When we reach Castle Town, it appears we're already too late.

Fire erupts from homes and stores, Guardians shooting laser beams at people and things, and soldiers and guards trying desperately to evacuate. The closer we got to the castle, the labs, anywhere there were previously Guardians under control, they now glow pink and will shoot anything that moves.

Adrenaline pounds through my veins, turning on survival mode instantly. But I'm not very worried about my survival.

It's Zelda I have to worry about. It's her I must protect. And I'll do every goddamn thing I can to do it.

We get off our horses, and I go up to a guard. Zelda quickly follows. She takes my hand, and it's shaking harshly. I squeeze it, comforting.

"Sir!" I shout, getting the man's attention.

"Sir Link?" he asks when he sees me. He looks behind me and sees Zelda and his eyes go wide. "Princess!"

"Not now!" I shout. He shakes his head, setting his face. "Tell me what the hell is going on."

"Everything's gone to shit, Sir," he says.

I roll my eyes. "We don't have fucking time for this!"

He purses his lips. "We don't have orders. Sources have reported the Guardians have gone 'rouge' shooting at anything and anyone they can. They're ruthless. Someone else came and – uh – said the king fell. Fighting inside the castle."

Zelda sobbed loud enough behind me for me to turn around. But she just looks at the guard. "And what of the Divine Beasts?" she asks, breathless.

"They've got the same pink glow as the Guardians. Some say they're rouge, too."

Zelda sobs again, and tears smudge through the dirt on her face. I turn from her to the guard. "Thank you, sir. Do what you can here. Tell civilians to head to the country. Hateno and Kakariko, maybe even Zora's Domain." The guard nods and is quick to run off, hopefully do help the civilians trying to evacuate. I hope he survives, although I don't have the time to worry about it for long. I turn back to Zelda, who wipes furiously at her cheeks, smudging dirt and tears.

"We have to get out of here. It's not safe," I say.

She nods. "I agree," she says quickly.

We run back the way we came, but our horses are long gone. I hope someone else finds them, uses them to escape this hell hole.

We duck out of the street into a collapsed alleyway, out of the range of Guardians roaming the ground. I take a moment to breathe. Zelda breathes more heavily, but her face is set, determined. I try and visualize a map. Somewhere that could be safe. The first place that comes to mind is Hateno. It's so far in the country that it would be a while before Guardians got there, if they can get there at all. And since we're kind of right in the line of fire, I don't have time to come up with another option. If we need it, I'll come up with a plan B on the road.

I turn to Zelda, who looks at me. "We're going to Fort Hateno. They always have tons of guards. It'll be safe there."

She nods sternly, and grabs my hand. We run from the little alley and into the open and now unfamiliar street, even though I've probably walked down it a million times before. We run until we leave the gates of Castle Town, fleeing with the others. They don't pay us any mind as we run around them, trying to get out as fast as our feet can carry us.