The Legend of Zelda: Transient (third book in the Timeless series)

Chapter 9

He put a hand on his forehead, shielding his  exhausted eyes from the fiery heat that consumed the land they slowly made their way through. The vastness of the world still shocked him, even after months of exploring it. His filthy hair was stuck to his forehead, and dirt had begun clinging to the beads as salty as tears that covered his body. It took quite a bit of effort to get his mind on other things, desperate to ease the stiffness and discomfort. 

He filled his conscious thoughts with who he was doing this for. She appeared behind his closed eyes. Soft waves, the color of burnt caramel, pooling on his chest as the angel before him slept quietly. Her smile, rare but mesmerizing, especially when it was directed towards him. Even the way she whispered his name made him go crazy. He loved her, and that love created something he now loved just as much. 

Still, with all of the images going through his mind, reminders of his current condition kept peeking through the light that these thoughts gave him. The beast beneath him that couldn't seem to take a step without knocking him around was about to drive him insane. Jolts of pain shot through his body when the boar would move a certain way, and it made him hope Zelda wouldn't want another child, because the farther they went, the slimmer chance it seemed to have. The voices would also break through his fog of reminiscence every so often. The soldiers that surrounded him had clearly never been forced into such extreme conditions, and made it their job to make it known to everyone in the surrounding area just how much they didn't enjoy it,

"Why are we even doing this?" a man complained, followed by speaking things that would get his mouth scrubbed with soap by his mother, even as a grown man. Link snapped out of the thoughts and sent him a glare,

"I swear, if you don't shut your trap, the tip of my blade will shut it for you. Got it?" He said, which shut him up instantly. It seemed they sometimes forgot who he was and what he was capable of, but they were reminded then.

They had left their pitiful camp before the sun's beams had even thought about lighting the land the day before, and they had been going ever since. It was an understatement to say that everyone was a bit tense. For the others, it might have been because they were wimps when it came to conditions that might not be considered perfect, but Link had long gotten over that. What frustrated him was that they wouldn't keep quiet about it. At least on his quest he didn't have to endure endless complaining, unless Midna was in a mood. 

Thinking about her sparked curiosity.  The band on his wrist had long disappeared, to which he couldn't figure out why. It wasn't like he needed it often, but it's constant presence had somehow comforted him as a reminder that she was still okay. With its absence brought worry, and suddenly he reached out to her, not really caring that he was in the middle of a large group,

Midna? I know it's been quite awhile since I've talked to you, and I'm sorry about that. He thought, hoping she wouldn't give him too much of a lecture for it.

The deafening sound of silence was his only reply. 

He tried once more, with no type of answer again, before he gave up for the time being. She must be pretty annoyed with him to give him the silent treatment. He tried to nudge his beast forward a bit quicker without pissing it off and making it bolt. It did as told after a moment, but only slightly. Still, he eventually caught up to the captain,

"Do you have an estimate about how much longer this will take?" he asked. The man thought for a few moments before shrugging,

"At this pace, much too long. The good news is, though, that not all of the trip will consist of desert. We've passed Hyrule's borders, so eventually we'll reach grasslands again. I've heard there's a plentiful amount of wild horses there. Do  you think it will be possible to tame them? I've heard you are quite the wrangler." He replied, chuckling. Link  simply shrugged,

"I can get a horse, but I won't do it for all of you. You all are completely able-bodied. It's time you figured out how to do things." Link responded, expressionless. The captain started to object, but something about Link's face must have convinced him it was pointless,

"Yes, sir." He said instead. Link immediately slowed the boar, all to eager to ease some of that damn bouncing. It didn't help much, though, and he grit his teeth, trying to go back to his own little world. 

It wasn't much longer after that that they decided to stop to regroup and stretch. Apparently others were as sore and exhausted as he was. That was all it took for him to stop and hop off as soon as he could. That was ridiculous. Those slow beasts were going to take forever, unless someone irritated one, and he doubted anyone else would be able to handle the ride. Link himself could barely hang on. They all gathered to find something to eat and get a drink. He took the chance to try to contact Midna again. He walked a bit away from the group, trying not to sink too much into the sand as he walked. This was something he had been trying to not have to do, but this was going much too slow, and at that rate they would run out of supplies before they could get anywhere. If he was to make sure they all got to the destination, he had to go ahead and get horses and more supplies.  He reached out to her several times, but heard nothing in response. He sighed, finally giving up for the time being and turning back to the group,

"Link..." He heard behind him, barely enough to be a whisper. He froze, not sure if he had really even heard it. He slowly turned back around. 

Midna stood before him in her true form, smiling slightly. He smiled, before his eyes widened, looking back at the other men,

"Midna, what?-" He began, but he then noticed her appearance seemed a bit hazy. It appeared like there were beams of light being cast over only her. His eyes widened slightly,

"Link, it's useless to call out to me anymore. I have moved on, even if it was not what I wanted." She said, her voice slightly airy. Link looked down, shaking his head,

"No. No, you're lying," He whispered,

"I'm not. The demon behind this whole mess was too strong for me. I don't regret my actions though, Link. Even if I was killed in the process, he was weakened by my hand. Now, it's up to you." She said, walking closer to him, "I've been watching over you and your family, and I can already see that your children will do great things. I will also give you back the ability to transform, since it has already proven to be useful countless times. I will try to help you to the best of my ability from where I am now, but this is your destiny. I hope the best for you, Link." She said with a small smile, "So don't let me down, lover boy." She added with a chuckle,

"Midna, I...I'm sorry. For everything. You..you're gone because of me. " He said, and suddenly the weight of the world was too much. His knees his the sand, and he covered his face with his hands. He felt a cool presence on his shoulder,

"This isn't goodbye, Link. Don't think of it like that. I'm sure we'll see each other again. See you later," She said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. Then, her presence faded away, and he forced himself to get up and walk back to the others like everything was fine.