The courage to find me - The fate of us: Part I

Chapter 7: Farewells

POV Zelda

Still numb from the news I've just received, I sit on the ground and lean against the tree near the chalet. After excruciating weeks of anticipation, Link has finally made his decision and will embark on a mission with Kass to lands beyond Hyrule. My heart shatters into millions of tiny pieces, tearing me apart from the inside, and the terror of solitude begins to freeze me.

While my soul is in turmoil and anguish invades me, my exterior remains apathetic. Paradoxically, I feel everything and nothing at the same time. The pain is so intense and excruciating that it feels like I am observing someone else suffering, not myself. And at the same time, the pain is everything, and I am it, and my mind can't focus on anything else.

I hear Link leaving the chalet and closing the door behind him. He must have finished packing his bags. He walks over to me and sits down quietly by my side. I close my eyes because seeing him makes my heart ache even more.

"I'm sorry," he says simply.

There are no explanations needed. We both know exactly why he's making this decision. And I don't blame him. I blame fate, the universe, Hylia, timing, circumstances, the unfairness of life. But even amidst the most visceral fury, drowned in revolt and sorrow, I can't blame him for, for the first time in his life, making a decision that puts himself first.

"Don't apologize," I say, still with my eyes closed. "You have no other choice but to go."

"I hate this," he says in a rare moment of vulnerability. "I wish I didn't feel this need, this restlessness. I wish that this..." I open my eyes and see him gesturing to the landscape around us, then looking deeply into my eyes. He looks away to the ground, and after a pause laden with guilt and frustration, he finishes in a whisper. "That this was enough."

I can't hold back the tear that runs down my cheek. I remind myself that it's not his intention to hurt me. But it destroys me to hear that none of this... including me... is enough for him.

When he notices I'm crying, he raises his hand to wipe the tear, and his touch on my face makes my heart race. It's the first time Link has touched me like this. He keeps his hand there, and I allow myself to rest my head on it. A sigh escapes my body.

"I hate being the one who makes you cry. I swore to protect you, and I'm breaking my word by leaving."

"I can protect myself," I repeat. "Besides, there are other people who can help me... Paya is an excellent fighter, having learned and perfected everything Impa knows. And Purah is working with Robbie to fix her age, and she should soon no longer be a child either. I'll be fine. Don't carry this guilt with you."

"I know that. It doesn't make it easier," he says, taking a deep breath. "I really wish I could stay here, with you. But it's not fair to expect you to complete me. I need to find myself before I can be with anyone."

As much as each word hurts, I know he's right. And I know that even if I could leave the kingdom again—which I can't—and accompany him, this is a journey he needs to undertake alone. I know that the supposed "mission" with Kass was just a pretext, an opportunity he used to leave. Their paths will probably separate soon too.

I can't resist asking the question that keeps hammering in my mind.

"Will you ever come back?"

He looks at me, and I see only pain in his eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe no... Please, Zelda... Don't wait for me. I can't leave with that expectation weighing on me. I need to start this new chapter unbound by the past," he pleads, distressed. "We're still so young... even though I feel like I'm thousands of years old."