Not A Damsel

Chapter 1: Death is Not the End

A/N: Well hello everyone! I hope you're excited for this new story because it's been a brainchild of mine for over a year now. As some of you may know, I give each of my unique Wilds (Wild being Breath of the Wild Link) a nickname. Aetherius is Soul of Steel, Arcadius is Hero's Spirit, Prince is Gem of the Desert, Soli is Alone We Fight, and so on and so forth. (I call Age of Calamity Link Aegis, by the way). In this story, Link is Phoenix. And yes, Phoenix is a Link who once was Zelda.

She's strong—both in spirit and fighting prowess—and a complete gremlin. You thought Soli was bad? Wait till Phoenix truly comes into her freedom.

So please enjoy and let me know what you think! Also, if you didn't know, there's a Linked Universe Discord channel that's super awesome! :D

~~~

The rain fell in sheets. It was icy and frigid and Zelda was numb. Her emotions were running so wild that she hardly knew what to feel at this point. Fear. Panic. Pain. Despair. Everything was for naught. Link was giving his all—his life—to defend her. To get her to safety.

All because she had failed her only duty—to unlock her powers. Tears swelled from her eyes and mixed with the rain. This, her seventeenth birthday, was supposed to be when she finally unlocked her powers. Not the day her kingdom fell into ruin. She had to do something. She couldn't just stand there and let her knight give his life for her.

A stray laser hit Link's hand, and the Sword that Seals the Darkness clattered to the ground at her feet. Zelda didn't hesitate. Though she'd never wielded a sword in her life, she picked up the sacred blade and ran out past Link, parrying a laser by pure luck.

He stared at her in horrified awe for a moment before something hit her from behind. "No!" It was the first time she'd ever heard Link's voice. It was soft, broken, and sounded so pained in desperation. The agony was blinding, but she managed to stay on her feet.

"Link." She looked him in the eye, holding the blade out to him. "Go. Seal the darkness in the castle. I will be fine." It was a lie. They both knew it was a lie. But she couldn't let his life end here. "Ganon cannot be defeated without the Hero. The princess has always been nothing more than an accessory." She gave a bitter smile. "Leave me. That's an order."

Link shook his head, mouth opening and closing like he wanted to speak, but the words caught in his throat.

"Purah is on her way." Zelda assured him. "Impa will be with her. Please, Link." She ignored the tears as she picked up another sword that lay at her feet. She didn't wish to know the poor soul that'd died to gift her with this blade. "Please go. Save Hyrule." The hero had defeated this darkness time and again on his own. Link would be no different. He would do it. She had faith in him.

He clenched the Sword that Seals the Darkness so tightly that Zelda heard the sacred blade's handle crack. A fire solidified in his eyes and he nodded. She let out a sigh of relief as he ran back towards the castle. She held the sword up before her like she'd seen Link do a thousand times.

She wasn't going to survive this night. She knew that. But Link would. He would survive to face Ganon, and if he did that, all this death and destruction would come to an end. If she had to die to secure a peaceful future for her kingdom, then perhaps her father would finally be proud of her for something.

A bitter smile crossed her lips as she swung her blade, narrowly dodging another laser. It cracked the eye of the machine, but it didn't do more than that. A cry of pain left her lips as another laser hit her left side. Ringing was all she could hear in her left ear, and she struggled not to slip in the quickly growing pool of blood.

She had no idea how long it'd been since Link had left. It could've been minutes, it could've been days. The exhaustion and icy rain had her trembling from head to toe, and her palms were screaming at her as every swing tore them open just a little more. Her body was rippling in a mixture of numbness and pain and she was quite certain that she was a horrible disaster.

Regardless, Zelda tightened her grip on the sword. She refused to go down without a fight. All her life, she'd struggled and clawed and screamed and begged. She had never once given up, even in the wake of the despair of this calamity. Even amidst the screams and acrid smell of burning flesh, she would stand tall. For her ancestors. Her people. For Link.

She swayed dangerously on her feet and forced her body to move. With the help of the slick grass, she slid beneath the Guardian and stabbed upwards with all her might. The blade pierced the softer underbelly of the machine. She felt gears grinding against the metal of the blade and was forced to abandon her sword to scramble out from beneath it before it exploded.

Debris and heat accosted her, and she closed her eyes for only a moment, only to be struck in the side yet again by another laser. This time, she didn't have the strength to get back up. The Guardian loomed over her, and she felt herself sigh. So this was how she'd go. Killed by the very creations she'd been so passionate about. It was truly ironic. But at least Link was safe. This time, the princess had defended the hero. She hoped that history would remember her that way—courageous and headstrong. Not weak and pitiful like she felt.

The beeping slowed to a stop and she braced herself, but an explosion had her opening her eyes once more. "Zelda!" Impa ran to her side, concern and horror painting the young Sheikah's face.

"Impa..." Her breathing was labored and she tasted iron on her tongue. She didn't have long now. "You'll get wrinkles if you make that face."

"Where's Linky?" Purah asked urgently, looking around.

"I sent him to the castle." Zelda explained. "I ordered him to go."

"But..." Impa's eyes were wide.

"What good... would it do if we both died?" She tried to laugh, but it came out as a wet hacking cough. "Let the Hero be. Link will defeat Ganon. I have faith in him."

"Zelda... please stay with us." Impa begged.

"Impa." Purah's voice was sharp. "What about the Shrine?"

"You mean the one on the Plateau?" Impa startled.

"It's her only chance." Purah nodded. "Robbie and I'll cover you."

Zelda found their voices were quickly fading. They were going through so much trouble for her. She truly was a fool. Her final thought, before she felt her final breath leave her lungs, was of Link. She hoped that he had made it to the castle in time. And then, Zelda knew no more.