Tears of a Broken Kingdom

Chapter Nine ~ Slipped through her fingers

Zelda fought tears the entire journey home. The funeral had proceeded quietly after she laid down his tombstone, she spoke somberly about Link, she hid the sobs in her voice.

Darunia and Saria went up too, and then soon afterwards everyone wished Zelda and Ashton their condolences and then everyone went home.

Just before she left she had glanced back over at the stone, feeling an ache in her heart.

I'm so sorry I couldn't give you a proper funeral... I-i love you.

On the way out of the forest Zelda had sidetracked over to his childhood home. Ashton trailed after his mom, he looked lost.

She had looked at his house with sad eyes, she saw a drawing of a hero fighting a dragon, he must've drawn it himself.

He had no idea of what he ended up doing, he had become so much more than the boy without a fairy.

She and Ashton had went back over to
Impa and the guards and began the trip back to Castle Town.

>*<

It was early evening by the time they arrived home, the sky had darkened to a dark grey almost blue, stars twinkled into existence in the great expanse of the sky.

The air had gotten chillier without the sun, and Zelda bundled into her cloak.

Castle Town appeared before them, moments before the bridge would be pulled up for curfew. Zelda urged her horse on faster, she didn't want to hold up the guards. She had already been a nuisance to them in recent times.

Castle Town was once again deserted, except for the night patrol, all of whom looked impossibly bored. Maybe it was just their resting faces, since Zelda noted how they always seemed to look uninterested. At least... all of them but Link.

He had been a knight at the castle, he had told her once it was the only thing he had felt he could do. He had said that if he couldn't be a hero he'd be a knight and do the same job, protecting people. He had sounded so sure of it, and she remembered his dedication.

Link had always taken on the extra work, she guessed he had done so to keep his mind from dark thoughts.

She should bury herself into more work. Maybe then she could push aside her feelings in a more effective manner. Zelda knew she had been neglecting work, her son's well being was more important to her. She could focus on that then.

The ride up to the castle was quiet, the only sounds being the rustling of the leaves and the sound of the hooves as they hit the dirt path.

The castle was barely illuminated by sconces on the stone walls, the flames flickered against the wall from the breeze.

Zelda had always loved the ambience around the castle at night, it was quiet and serene, the wind and the rustling of the grass and the leaves, the soft cricket chirps and the owls.

But now it had this sort of new darkness to it, the shadows leaped out from the grass, sharp as knives. the flames that flickered sent her mind reeling back to that night. She felt her breath hitch and her body shudder involuntarily. It was too much to handle.

The sky seemed to become darker, the stars burnt out. The dark seemed to swallow her up.

Zelda didn't know what was happening to her.