Candlelight | A Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom ZeLink Modern AU

Chapter 19 : The wise words from a father who failed

Rhoam Bosphoramus' POV.

It was late in the night when I finally closed my suitcase. Too late to come home.

But it didn't matter.

My Zelda, my precious daughter was spending her last night at home before her departure to Athens.

I couldn't believe she was about to leave the Mansion and be in a foreign country for ten days. Ten days alone, in a country where no one spoke her language, where the alphabet was different, where she would be awake when I would be asleep.

I didn't know why Link didn't want to go with her. I didn't understand, to be honest.

He showed me how Zelda's protection was his priority more than once, not only during that night when he gave his life to her, but also during those nights where I heard her cries during a nightmare. Because, if I could hear her desperate pleads, I could also hear his reassuring words and how he could quickly calm her down.

I'm glad she chose a boy like him, despite what we agreed at the beginning of the year.

I sighed.

She didn't agree with these rules. I obliged her to follow them.

Whatever. She stood against me, and, gladly, she ended up with a gentle man. Very gentle.

Did I like him ?

Well, if I omitted his pierced ears, long hair and the fact that he was majoring in sports and not in a useful major such as law school or business, I could say that he was nice boy. A nice boy who deliberately lied to me when we met for the first time, a nice boy who argued with me during our first dinner, a nice boy who took her away from me.

A nice boy who loves her.

I sighed again. Maybe it was the most important thing in this story, despite how painful it was for me. Because, every time my eyes landed on her, it reminded me how I lost her during that terrible october night.

The terrible night when another boy abused her. The terrible night where my anger overrode my principles. The terrible night where I chose to chase her instead of taking care of her.

I remembered how the rain was pouring and the storm was illuminating the sky in a loud roar. I remembered how I desperately tried to avoid her to leave our home. I remembered how she escaped nevertheless, the bad weather and loneliness didn't tame her urge to leave. And I remembered how heartbroken I was when I realised she wasn't there with me, when I realised she rathered be alone in the streets than under my roof.

I didn't sleep that night. How could I ? My only daughter, the apple of my eyes was somewhere in Hyrule, with Hylia knew who, all alone and terrified.

I called everyone I could – the Kari's, of course, Urbosa, but also Prima and Hino – before I did the same with the hospitals, temples and police stations. But no one saw her. My only daughter was missing, if not gone.

The idea of him and her, the idea of how terrorized she'd been didn't leave my mind since the day she admitted he kissed her against her will. And if it was only a kiss... Only Hylia knew how far this twisted man went.

But my biggest fear was the possibility that she went back to his arms. To the man who kissed her, to the man who made her break our promise. To the man who sullied her.

Happily, Prima told me she had her on the phone the next morning and I asked Pr. Gaepora to inform me if she was in HU. And, after endless hours without answers, he finally told me she was there. But, how could I contact her ? How could I let her know I was sorry, I was ready to listen to her and I wanted to see her home once more ?