(Zelink) The Legend of Zelda and the Last knight- Swords and Roses

Why we failed One hundred years ago pt. 33

Chapter

Why we failed pt. 33

The Light that Remains

A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed at the back of Link's skull as the world staggered into focus. The night pressed heavy and wet, rain still falling in relentless sheets. The stone beneath him was cold, biting through his ceremonial garb. Distant fires flickered at the edges of the ruined celebration, casting ghostly silhouettes that danced like specters across the alley walls. Somewhere not far, steel clashed with steel. Screams, once thunderous, had faded into the background like a dying storm.

"Link—Link!" a voice cut through the murk, familiar and frantic.

Hands gripped his shoulders, rough and insistent. He blinked, vision swimming. Sven's rain-streaked face hovered above him, pale with worry. Behind him loomed Orin, his cloak sodden and torn, spear still clenched in one hand.

"He's waking up," Orin muttered. "Thank the goddess."

Link sat up abruptly, ignoring the spinning in his head. "Where is she?" he rasped, eyes wild. "Where's she?"

Sven tried to steady him, but Link shoved him aside and scrambled to his feet, boots slipping on the slick stones.

"They took her!" Link shouted. "The Yiga—they've taken her—I have to find her, I have to get her back!"

"Wait, who? Who did they take?" Orin demanded, catching Link by the arm.

"Who do you think?!" Link snapped, chest heaving. "The princess!"

Orin's expression fell. "Goddesses..."

Sven stepped in front of him, arms out. "Link, even if that's true, even if they took her—you don't know where they went. You can't just run into the dark blindly. You're lucky we found you alive at all."

Link hesitated, chest still heaving as rain matted his hair to his face. His eyes darted between the dark alley mouth and the distant ruins of the festival, as if Zelda might reappear from either direction if he looked hard enough.

"How long?" he demanded suddenly. "How long was I out?"

Orin blinked. "What?"

"Here. On the ground. How long?"

Orin glanced toward Sven, then back. "Maybe... fifteen minutes? That's when everything happened at once. That's when we got separated."

"There's still fighting at the castle," Sven added. "That's where we're headed."

Link froze mid-step. "The castle? But we were headed there—before they took her. I thought it was safe!"

Sven's voice was grim. "Safe? Who told you that? The castle's under siege. Fires in the city were just distractions—diversions to split what's left of the watch and the guard. The real battle's behind the walls. The fires there were all just a farce."

The words hit Link like a blow to the gut—no blade, no fist, just a sickening weight of truth that made his breath catch.

Jun... Were you ever our friends? Or just planning this from the start? Was it all a lie? How could I have been so blind... so stupid...

His voice came out unsteady, uncertain. "But... the city?" he asked, almost to himself. "That's where the explosions were. I thought—"

Orin shook his head, cutting him off with grim clarity.