Fall Into The Wild; BOTW Fanfiction

Chapter 137

"Link, I don't hate you." I reassured, taking a step toward him. He didn't walk backwards to maintain distance, neither did he close the distance. He stayed where he was, making direct eye contact. Though the moment felt like it took hours to transpire, it was swift, and it barely took Link to retaliate.

"But you told me you did." A moment of prolonged silence. I felt my heart drop in my stomach. A feeling of self-loathing and hatred bubbled in me, however, my heart jumped over anger and straight into depression. His face was stern, just as stern as the last time we were here. He was completely serious. His tone was sharp, and his eyes were as hard as diamond. His willpower was nothing to scoff at. "Your Switch. Your desire to find it. When you said you wouldn't fail anyone ever again. When you said you weren't going to leave me all alone. When you said that I wasn't in this fight alone anymore."

"I made a mistake. A huge one. You remember the rest of the memory don't you?" He nodded, before I pulled up my sleeves to show him my scars, "I was scared that I was going to get hurt. I was scared that I was going to die, Link. And I'll admit that I was being selfish. I tried to leave Hyrule in the most cowardly way possible, leaving you and Zelda to fend off for yourselves. As consequence, I bare these scars that don't show strength. They showcase my fear and cowardice. My selfishness and my sins." Pulling down my sleeves, I continued, "I went to Akkala to escape. Robbie put me into the ancient furnace. He warned me that it wasn't going to work, and well... you know the rest." He seemed unfazed by my words, not willing to process what I was telling him. I wasn't getting through and all I could feel was impending sorrow. "The past doesn't matter anymore. One hundred years ago, I was a completely different person. I was cowardly, scared, selfish, and anything else you may refer to me right now. However, even if you believe me or not, I have changed. I no longer want to leave Hyrule. I want to save it. Especially with you, Link." He finally broke eye contact, as I approached him. Taking his chapped hands in my own, I caressed his knuckles fondly. "Won't you forgive me, Link?"

He leaned forward slowly, continuously staring back into my eyes as he did so. Something was on his mind, however, all questioning of what it could possibly be vanished, when his lips pressed against my forehead. Warmth had returned in my heart as a soothing feeling of ease rested on my shoulders, once more. Link really had a way of driving me insane, however, he was my partner at the end of the day and I have grown fond of him.

From Link's point of view, he really was hurting. Not only did he remember the image, but he remembered the heartache he endured for that short twenty-four hours. Feelings of loneliness and rejection encapsulated everything that had created him. He didn't wish to be lonely. It felt like I was the only one who ever understood him, his goals, his personality, his fears, and his strengths. I was that only one that ever attempted to grasp it. I pulled his character apart from the seams, dissecting all of his little eccentricities. 'It's sweet that you want me to stay, but this world isn't my own. I still have to look for my Switch, so I can return to my world. My home.'

Link, despite anyone that says different, was human. He was just a teenager with a huge weight draped over his shoulders. No one could understand his real self. Beneath a blank expression, false confidence, and his prodigal strength, was a small child, scared for his life and for every expectation that an entire kingdom depended on. Link was just as scared as I was, but he handled it by becoming stronger, while I ran away from my problems.

Wrapping my arms around him, he reciprocated the embrace calmly. The last thing I would ever want to do was hurt Link. This was on his mind at the very same time. No matter how differing our ideologies, emotional states, or basic principles, the last thing either of us wanted to do was hurt each other. That warm feeling returned in my chest, growing as fast as my heart could beat. Oh, my heart was beating so fast, that I imagined it passing out from exhaustion. No matter how much I felt that way, I didn't want the feeling to end. Ending would mean the complete halt of something I craved ever so dearly.