Endless War

XX

"Survival is a form of death."

-Praxis Dattea, a veteran of the Red War

Although the King had strongly recommended against it, Princess Zelda traveled to Lorule for the funeral of Team Metal and, in absentia, Joseph Turner. She took her two smelly guards as usual, though it was an unnecessary precaution. Nobody troubled them, most likely because the trip was kept secret from the public.

The weather was cloudy and gloomy on the funeral day, perfect for the mood. Most of Team Metal had no family, so it was mainly their brothers and sisters-in-arms who were attending, as well as a few outside friends. It was probably for the best, as they would never have received the bodies if there had been family members. There weren't enough forces to recover the bodies from the collapsed mine, so the coffins were kept partly open.

It was only a symbol.

The funeral wasn't until sundown, as per the custom of the Lorulean forces. This gave time for Link to brood on his mistakes. He was doing this over the limp body of Yuri, who had been severely injured and was stuck recuperating in the infirmary.

I can't do it. I've already lost five men in not even two months. I'm holding the hand of another one who nearly lost his life. Morale is dropping lower.

Sandman, Grinch, Truck, and Frost were not assets. They were human beings just like anybody else. They had no family, not that I know, but they were fighting for a better world. Such a goal makes them look like numbers on paper, but I know more than that. I wish I could do more.

I wonder...will I even live long enough to face the Calamity? The Yiga are constantly attacking, sufficient to send me to a foreign land without initial permission to be here. There are too many of them. There's only one of me. Strike me out of the equation, and everything is lost.

If I die, maybe somebody else can wield the sword. Zelda will be okay. If the Calamity does return in who knows how many years, then that part will be assured. I hope Fi can choose somebody else should I pass on.

And if I do depart this material plane, would Zelda still be safe? Would she remember me? Would she miss me as I miss her?

And slowly, his walls broke down, and a single tear fell. Another followed him. And another.

....................................................................................................

Upon her arrival, Zelda was immediately greeted by the castle guards, who escorted her, Gaz, and Griggs to Princess Hilda, who was waiting for them.

Both princesses stared at each other. They had each heard of how similar they resembled their counterpart, but this was the first time they saw each other in the flesh. Strip off their clothes, put them in matching outfits, dye their hair the other's color, send Hilda to Hyrule, keep Zelda in Lorule, and nobody would be the wiser. Well, excluding Link and his father, the only two who paid attention to the Hyrulean princess.

The two maintained eye contact before Zelda remembered her lessons in formality and her endless ceremonies with knighting soldiers and commissioning officers since the age of twelve. Her posture was ramrod straight, and because she was in her travel outfit and not her royal blue dress, she bowed to the monarch before straightening back up.

"Princess Hilda. It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"The same to you, Princess Zelda. I appreciate your time to come to my kingdom for my soldiers' funeral."

She bowed ever so slightly. "The pleasure was mine."

After more bureaucratese, a language both were skilled in, Hilda dismissed her guards and requested that Zelda accompany her to her private quarters. The guest obliged.

Once the door was shut behind them, Hilda got straight to the point.

"When this is all over, Link will stay in Lorule."

"What?! No! I won't allow that! He belongs in Hyrule, not Lorule. My country needs him!"

Hilda tried her fiercest look, though she couldn't quite get it down after Shepherd's hellfire look at her a few days ago. "Remember that your country invaded mine. I demand something - or someone - in return."

"Hardly an invasion-"

"Silence! I know that you always think you are on the side of right, but this time you are not. Even after your stuck-up father tried negotiating with me, you had to send elite soldiers here!"

"It wasn't my-"

"Let me talk for once! As I said, I don't need your help, Zelda. I don't need your soldiers in my country, either. And the price for that is that Link must stay here, where he can watch his kingdom burn when the Calamity returns."

The Hylian's usually angelic face twisted into a sneer. "Are you sure you just don't want to sleep with him? It seems like you have an unhealthy obsession with him. A woman with your personality probably doesn't seduce many men. Maybe Link is your only chance at losing your maidenhead."

Did I say that...? Yes, I did. And I don't regret it.

Oh, I'm so sorry, Link. I didn't mean to say that you were promiscuous.

The other princess merely laughed. "Princess, little princess. You honestly don't know? It's he who has an obsession with you. At night, he constantly mutters your name. He walks through the halls of this very castle, crying out for you in his sleep. He worries about your health and safety, even if he doesn't say it under the sun. I have to carry him back to his barracks, and he clings to me, thinking I'm you, whimpering and begging me not to leave. Oh, it's adorable!

"So, yes, the best way to avenge my country is to rob Hyrule of its hero and then further demoralize you, so there's no way you can stop the Calamity. And with Hyrule removed, Lorule will regain its seat of power."

A tingling sensation suddenly grew into a roaring rage - a fiery passion. And even though Zelda had never, not even once, got into a fight, she lunged at her counterpart.

"I. WILL. NOT. ALLOW. YOU. TO. KEEP. HIM. FROM. ME!"

Zelda had no training but was determined to shred that stupid princess. The monster within her unleashed itself, and her heart raced. Her blood ran cold; her heart seemed to stop; her brain suddenly suffered from a headache. Nausea attacked in double force, and the feeling of possession returned.

All she knew was that everything must die.

She dug her nails into her target's back before growling like a feral animal. She could smell her opponent's fear; she relished it. She moved her hands to Hilda's neck and began to squeeze.

And then, abruptly, the feeling passed, leaving both of them on the ground gasping for air.

What...what just happened?

Hilda was the first to get up. Shakily, she said, "Your aggression doesn't change anything. Link is still saying with me. I expect you at the funeral tonight."