The Blade of the Yiga

Love is blind

I really do need a distraction. It's bad enough that the guy I'm in love with has dumped me. He's also missing from school and from his beloved sword-fighting training – which is just extremely worrying.

When he doesn't come to school on Wednesday either, I can't take it any more. I write to him:

"Hey, are you alright? Why aren't you coming to school?"

I delete the second question. It sounds like control. Instead I write:

"I'm worried..."

I write this message in the morning, halfway through the Hylian double lesson. When I take my usual seat in the library after class, he still hasn't replied. I leave the phone next to my open biology books and stare at the small black screen much too often instead of devoting myself to the exam material.

Why can't he just answer me? I can see the two bloody check marks. He read my message! Does he have to ignore me completely now?

"Zelda? Are you okay?"

I flinch as Mipha suddenly sits down next to me. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't even notice her sitting down next to me.

"Oh, hi! Um... yeah, I'm fine. I was just... I was just thinking about something."

Her worried look tells me that I wasn't convincing. There is a compassionate warmth in her big amber eyes, and when I meet her gaze, it feels like my mask is crumbling. As if she has the power to tear down the wall I have built around my feelings. Perhaps that is Mipha's superpower.

"You look so sad."

When I look up at her from my phone screen, my eyes are already filled with tears. I quickly pull the sleeve of my sweater over my hand and press it to my face.

Mipha puts a hand on my shoulder and remains silent. She gives me the moment I need to catch myself.

"It's just... it's just a bit of heartache," I finally manage to say through the knot in my throat.

"Yeah, I know. It will pass, believe me. No matter how painful it is at first." Her voice doesn't sound cheerful and optimistic like Impa's, but compassionate. As if she had said these words of comfort to herself many times before.

"How long did it take for you? After you broke up with Link?" I ask her. Mipha gives me a surprised look. She hadn't told me about Link herself, I only heard about it from Revali. But it's not really a secret. Actually, the whole school knows, and now it's gotten around to the new girl. Since Mipha doesn't protest my question, she seems to accept that I know that much of her private life.

"Most of the time it's fine. After all, it was my decision to break up. But there are moments when I don't feel good."

Of course she does. It's only been six months. And now another girl is sitting next to her, suffering because of the same guy. My guilty conscience kicks in immediately.

"I feel sorry for you, Mipha. But... why did you break up with him in the first place? ... If I may ask."

Mipha's expression darkens and she stares down at her lap for a moment before answering me.

"You see... Link took a path that I just couldn't follow. I struggled with myself for a long time before I took the step to leave him. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

Unfortunately, I know exactly what she means. But for my naive heart, Links's little job is no reason to stop being in love with him. Mipha is much more sensible than me. Or smarter.

I lower my voice to a whisper as I continue: "You mean his work for the Yiga clan?"

Now she is really shocked. She looks as if I slapped her. "You know about it? Why? How?"