After the Calamity

Indignation

Link could not have been more anxious to leave Kakariko. He was not proud of what he had done-- Paya was a very nice girl but everything had felt so wrong.

And no matter how he tried to distract himself, he could not get the princess out of his head. He wanted to erase her from his mind, but he could not. It was almost as if there was something that was just out of reach, so close yet impossible to grasp. Whatever it was, he did not want to find out. That would only make it worse.

Meanwhile, Zelda had lost another part of herself. He'd hurt her again, and she was finding it more and more difficult to recover. For the remainder of her stay in the village, she hardly ate, slept, or spoke to anyone. She could not erase the mental image of him and the Shiekah girl kissing, and it affected her greatly.

After a few days, the two of them were headed to Rito Village to inspect Vah Medo.

The two of them traveled in complete silence. The princess had given up even attempting to speak with her knight. It was clear to her that there was no point in trying to get through to him. However, she still could not let go.

Link was feeling more and more confused and angry at himself as the days went on. The vacuum that Zelda had created suddenly left the space around them empty and cold. Though the sound of her voice hurt him, he sometimes wished for a distraction. There was nowhere to run, no way to escape his thoughts and memories.

After a painful few days, the two of them arrived in Rito Village. Zelda felt a wave of pain as she recalled a far off memory; her and Link staying at the stable the first time they traveled together. She pushed it back down as she walked across the bridge leading them to the strange pillar shaped landform.

As the two of them ascended to the top, the Champion Revali was the subject of both of their thoughts. Both Link and Zelda felt guilty, even for the proud Rito.

Voices echoed in the princess's head; voices telling her that she had failed. She did her best to ignore them, focusing on what she was there to do.

She reached the top, and was greeted by the elder of Rito Village.

The conversation between the two of them was brief, especially since Zelda did not have much to say. She quickly thanked the elder for allowing her to help, then hurried off. She accessed the Travel Gate and shortly found herself aboard Vah Medoh, perched atop the peak of the giant rock that was Rito Village.

At the very least, she was distracted for a long time. The work that she did filled her head, thoughts and ideas whirring in her brain. This preoccupation shoved the other painful thoughts aside and made her feel okay for a while, as if she were coming up to breathe after being underwater. She only wished she could feel like that permanently. Instead, she was always forced to come back to reality.

And that night, she found herself sleepless and lonely as she laid in bed. She could see the stars outside, shining brightly against the dark canvas of the night sky. Zelda wondered if her and Link's destinies were truly written in the stars. Did the hero and the princess really have a unique tie between them? She felt it. She remembered, long ago, how she felt about him. They may have been young and acted foolish sometimes, but she knew that he was special. It were almost as if she had been with him across many lifetimes, and this was merely another.

So she often asked herself, how am I supposed to do this alone?

Sighing, she stood up, wrapping a coat around her cold arms. The princess didn't know exactly where she was going; just that she wanted to get away for a moment. She kept going down the stairs, until she was outside of Rito Village and looking at the glimmering, clear water of the small pond just at the base of the bridge. She paused, realizing that somebody was sitting there, staring into the water. He wore warm clothes as well, and his hair was not tied back as it usually was. She frowned, wondering what Link would be doing out here at this time. Then, a million words came to mind. All of the things she had been trying to say were suddenly there.

What was the point of holding back any longer?

"Link." He turned to look at who it was, startled. When he recognized the princess, he looked down to the water and his pitiful reflection stared back up at him. "Why... Why are you still here?" She questioned, her voice soft and laced with sadness. "You could have run off a thousand times by now. I thought that was what you wanted. You are free. So why not go?"

Her words hit him intensely, yet he did not show it.

"Because, you know, having you with me hasn't done either of us very much good. "

"You think I don't know that." She paused for a second, her heart skipping a beat at the unexpected sound of his voice.

"I thought... I thought it would be different once all of that was over. And I have tried, but my efforts have been useless."He kept his eyes fixed on the still water. "Everything has fallen apart... my life has been miserable. I have nobody at a time when I need somebody most. I want things to go back to the way they were-- you and I-"

"I don't even know what you mean by that!" He had raised his voice. "I hardly remember any of the way things were! I have no reason to believe you." Tears slipped down her stinging cheeks, rosy from the cold.

"Why would I lie to you?" He did not answer. "Back then, I loved you. And I'd... I'd like to believe you loved me too. And perhaps that person you used to be is still deep within you, but I'm getting tired of waiting. I don't even know you anymore!" The knight finally stood up, turning around to face her. Even in the pale moonlight, she could see his grim expression, the dark circles under his eyes.

"I don't know who I am either! Imagine waking up with no memory of any of your life. Then, you find out that you once had friends and a family, but they are all long dead!" He paused, looking anywhere but at her. "I can hardly remember any of it. I want to figure out who I am, but each new memory brings so much pain. And every time... every time I look at you, I see the past. I relive those moments where everything fell apart. I can't escape it. Seeing you reminds me that both of us failed and this is the consequence." Zelda stared at him, tears rolling down her face but she remained silent. Each word of his hurt her more. "I wish you had just let me die there instead of meddling with fate. Look what's become of me."

"Please, stop..." She told him quietly.

"Even if you were in love with me then, just get over it. He's gone now."

"Stop it!" She demanded. "I can help you! Just, please, be patient with me!"

"Just give up already!" He snapped. "There's nothing you can do. Just stop trying to fix things and leave me alone! I don't care how lonely you are, I don't want anything to do with you!" She cried harder, emotions welling up inside her. Anger and sadness mixed as her breaths became shorter and she felt a fire within.

"Fine!" She yelled. "I'm done trying to help you, then! And you can spend the rest of your days being a miserable, self-pitying shell of a man! Perhaps this was all a waste of time!"

He blinked, realizing that she had actually given up. Her words hurt him, and part of him actually cared that they did. He watched as she turned on her heel and left. Link slumped back down to the ground, his back against a tree. He buried his face in his hands, wondering if he had made an awful mistake.

~

Zelda could not stop her tears as she ran up the stairs and back to her bed. She climbed in immediately, desperate for the comfort of the warm blankets and pillows. She sobbed into the cushion below her head, trying to muffle the sounds of her lamenting. Everything hurt and she felt utterly lost. And as she laid there, trying to fall asleep, she wondered, 'is it really time to give up?'

~

A/N : hi everyone hope y'all liked that nice fun happy chapter.

also I'm sorry looooooool