Noble by Nature

Chapter 36

Link woke with a start. For a moment he was all confused and groggy, not knowing where he was. Then he remembered.
They had talked to the Deku Tree.
After he had made his statement to Zelda he had told them to spend the night. They would have to return in the morning, to see the progress made on the Master Sword.
'Go inside,' the tree had said. 'Find Pepp. He will have a bed ready for you. Surely you won't mind sharing?' He had winked at that, but the joke was lost on Zelda.
She had gone pale, staring out into the distance.
Link knew the Deku Tree's words had hit her hard, but he let her have the time to process. So he gently guided her inside with him, where they were excitedly tended to by multiple Koroks at once.
In the end the princess hadn't spoken much anymore, and Link just lay beside her on the bed of leaves, waiting for her to be ready.
Unfortunately, his day had been eventful and tiring, and he was exhausted from having used Mipha's Grace. It didn't take very long for him to fall asleep, no matter how hard he tried to stay awake.
Now he had rested enough to be clear-headed again, but night had truly fallen. It was dark and quiet around them.
He debated waking Zelda up to make her talk to him. She had been shutting him out of the things that bothered her, and he was sick of it. If she were to talk to him, he might be able to help.
He took a moment to listen to her breathing, not really wanting to wake her from a deep sleep.
But he didn't hear it at all.

Frowning in confusion he searched the bed with his hands, finding nothing but leaves. She wasn't there.
In an instant he was wide awake, his heart pounding in his chest.
He was quite certain she wouldn't be in any real danger. No monster would dare attack them in the middle of Korok Forest, protected as it was. But it still left him uneasy to realize he hadn't noticed her take off.
Without making a sound, trying not to wake any Koroks, he carefully made his way outside.
It was a little chilly in the night air, making him wrap his arms around himself. A few lights glowed faintly in the dark, reflected in pools of water, as the sound of crickets filled the air. Link couldn't help but find it peaceful.
He looked around, trying to determine where the princess had gone, when suddenly a Korok drifted down from between the trees.
'She is up there, Mr. Hero,' he said, pointing his tiny hand upwards. 'I thought you would go looking for her. Of course you would. You're the hero!'
Link smiled and nodded in thanks, craning his neck to see the top of the Deku Tree. He didn't see any sign of her, but he didn't see why the Korok would be wrong.
So he slowly started to make his way up, using giant roots and branches to climb along the massive tree trunk.

When eventually he rolled over the edge on top of the Great Deku Tree, he immediately noticed her.
Zelda was sitting on her knees, her back to him and her head bent over the hands in her lap, folded together tightly.
She wore one of Link's undershirts. It was too big on her, pooling around her knees like a dress. It closely resembled an outfit Link remembered from a long time ago, one that gave him both good and bad memories.
She looked like she was praying.
Link didn't want to disturb her, so he just stood there a moment, trying to decide if he should leave her to it and go back down.
But then her voice sounded, soft but lovely over the sound of crickets.
'It's alright,' she said, never moving a muscle. 'You can come closer.'
Link did as he was told, moving around and sitting down across from her. He folded his legs under him and watched her face, illuminated by the light of the moon.
Her eyes were closed, her face relaxed so that it wasn't showing any hint of emotion.
'Are you alright?' He whispered, hardly daring to disturb the silence.
She opened her eyes, looking straight into his. The bright green instantly took his breath away.
'I think you know the answer to that, Link.'
Pain shot through his heart. He hated seeing her like this. He hated that he wasn't able to give her back her happiness.
He tried hard not to show it on his face, though, and carefully reached out for her hands. They were cold.
'Talk to me, Zelda,' he said. 'Please.'
She sighed. 'I don't know what to tell you.'
     Link frowned. 'How about what you're feeling? The Deku Tree said...'
     She shook her head decidedly. 'I know what he said.' She shrugged. 'There's no point.'
     Suddenly Link felt anger rise in the pit of his stomach. He was so tired of feeling this useless. Of being pushed away. He didn't understand why she couldn't talk to him.
     'Cut it out, Zelda,' he snapped. He dropped her hands and got to his feet, pacing away to try and control his feelings. 'Just stop pushing me away! I am here for you, don't you see that?' At the sound of his voice the crickets seemed to quiet down, startled by the sudden noise.
     The princess looked up at him in shock, seeming so vulnerable in her white shirt.
     But Link had finally let go, and now he had to push through.
     'I know you have been dealing with a lot, I do,' he said a little calmer. 'But I am here for you. We're in this together.' He raised his hands in exasperation. 'But you are trying very hard to do this alone.'
     'I'm not...' she started weakly, slowly scrambling to her feet.
     'Yes! You are!' He snapped. 'You try to send me away at every turn. You don't talk to me. You seem to think you don't need me for this.' He shook his head. 'Don't you understand what that feels like? Do you think I'm not hurting just as much?' His voice caught at the last words, but he let the anger push it away.
     Zelda's eyes grew big, clearly showing the way they fogged over with tears.
     'You've only been thinking about yourself, Zelda.' He said it quietly, but the pain he felt was obvious enough.
     To his surprise Zelda's entire expression changed at that. She clenched her jaw and frowned, looking at him angrily.
     'That's not fair, Link,' she said, her voice cold. 'I am always thinking of everyone. I am the princess, I don't get to be selfish.' She stepped closer, pointing her finger at his chest. 'I sent you to Gerudo Town because I wasn't thinking of myself. Do you really believe I wanted you gone?' She threw both her arms up. 'It nearly killed me, Link! I needed you more than you will ever know. But I was thinking of the kingdom, of you. I saw no other way to make sure you were okay. I feared you might die!'
     Link looked at her in shock, completely taken aback by the fierceness of her anger.
     'You said you understood,' she went on, an accusatory look on her face. 'You told me it was okay, once we were back together. How do we keep getting back to this?'
     'I guess it's not okay, then,' he grunted. 'It hurt. I could live with having to go to Gerudo Town, because you were right. But after I came back you seemed to have cut me off. I couldn't reach you.' He shrugged. 'You tried to leave me again. How was that supposed to make me feel?'
     Zelda frowned. 'When?'
     'You don't even know?' He scoffed.
     She slowly shook her head, seemingly deep in thought. 'When I wanted to come here?' She asked.
     Link just nodded, his arms crossed over his chest.
     'I was trying to think of the kingdom, Link!' She stared at him incredulously. 'We're fighting a war! I don't have the luxury of taking you with me everywhere I want, simply because I don't want to be without you.' She stepped closer again, but he kept standing where he was, his arms crossed between them. 'By the Goddess, Link, I love you more than anything. Do you really believe I would want to leave you in the middle of a war?'
     He shook his head, keeping a hard expression on his face. 'You seem to try very hard.'
     She sighed in exasperation, turning and walking a few steps away from him.
     'It's not just that you want us to separate,' he said gruffly. 'It's the fact that when I am there, you don't talk to me.'
     The princess sent him a look, but didn't comment.
     'You're in pain, Zelda,' he continued. 'I want to help you. But every time I ask about it you say it's nothing.'
     'That's not true.'
     'You just did, when I asked about what the Deku Tree meant.'
     She shook her head. 'I told you there's no point. I never said it was nothing.'
     Link threw up his arms, looking up at the night sky as if to ask for the Goddess' help. 'What's the difference?! You won't tell me either way.'
     'Because I don't know what to tell you!'
     'Why not?' He hated seeing her this distressed, but his anger was still coursing through him. He finally wanted some answers. So he didn't relent.
     'You heard what he said,' she answered in a weak voice. 'I am blocking my own Sealing Power. It's all my fault. Again!'
     Link shook his head. 'I don't think...' But Zelda cut him off with a raise of her hand.
     'He said I have to forgive myself. But how am I supposed to do that? It's my fault Ganondorf revived. It's my fault our child died. I failed the kingdom before, and I keep failing it.' She looked away, but Link could still see the tears glistening in her eyes. 'I'm a failure, Link. I don't deserve to be a princess. Why do you think I never accepted the position of queen?'
     Slowly all anger seemed to evaporate from him, taken over by a deep sadness. He hated nothing more than seeing her like this. So sad, so broken.
     He stepped closer, trying to wrap his arms around her, but she shrugged him off, quickly stepping away.
'You don't deserve to have to go through this,' she said. 'There's just no way I'll ever truly forgive myself for all of it.'
Link shook his head, frustrated all over again by her dismissing it so easily. 'You have to try. I want to help you.'
'There's nothing you can do!' She called out, spreading out her arms. 'These aren't some monsters you can kill!'
'You won't even let me try!' Link retorted, shouting louder than he had meant to. 'Talk to me, Zelda, for Hylia's sake.'
The princess shook her head stubbornly. 'What more do you want me to tell you?'
'I want you to tell me what's on your mind. Why you can't sleep. Why you feel like you're responsible for it all.' He grit his teeth, trying his hardest to contain his anger. 'You used to tell me anything that was bothering you. I want to know what changed.'
Zelda shook her head. Her hair swung into her eyes, but she refused to look at him.
     Link sighed, turning away and looking out over the forest. It felt pointless. He was only getting more frustrated.
     'I failed,' Zelda's voice sounded from behind him, thick with emotion. 'And I will keep failing, until everyone I've ever cared about is dead. Because that is what happens to the people I love.'
     Link turned to look at her in confusion, wanting to tell her how wrong she was, but she wasn't looking at him.
     She was staring at the moon, her arms clasped around herself. 'You deserve better than to be with me. Eventually it will get you killed.' The princess decidedly turned away, walking as far away as possible in the limited space.
     'That's not...' he started, but he was again cut off by an abrupt raise of her hand.
     'Save it, Link.' Her voice was full of sorrow, her shoulders dropping. 'It's no use. Just go back to bed. Leave me alone.' She hugged herself tighter, but didn't turn to look at him.
     Link's heart seemed to shatter into a million pieces, but he didn't know what to do anymore. He just stood there, silently watching her hair glint in the moonlight.
     His anger was long gone, replaced by a deep sense of helplessness. If only there was a way to make her see how he saw her.
     In his eyes she was perfect. She would always fight for what was right, to protect her people. She would put everybody's need before her own. She had saved them again and again.
     Link couldn't even remember how often she had saved his own life. If not for her he would be dead many times over. How could she possibly have forgotten all of that?
     In the end he walked up to her, silently sitting down, his back against the bark of the tree.
     Zelda didn't acknowledge his presence, but she didn't send him away again either.
     So they just sat there as the crickets continued their nightly song and the moon slowly crawled across the horizon.