Tears of a Broken Kingdom

Chapter Twenty-one ~ Bound by Fate

Zelda managed to achieve a somewhat normal countenance, willing her tears away.

She let them travel that night, carrying one of their packs on her shoulders, it was lightweight. They hadn't brought much, didn't want to be under too much of a load.

Zelda's neck was still agitated, but she made sure to keep it under the hood, away from the sun, and since there was no ice to be found it was left to time to heal her injury.

She was surprised Link hadn't brought up his cloak, she wore it continuously and refused to take it off. Showing him the bruise would only make more secrets and lies and questions between them, and Zelda didn't want to burden her husband any further. The thing was slowly getting had out, dirty and stained in some places with sweat. She didn't want to part with it though.

Reasons of why they'd come to the desert came back to her, they'd been largely forgotten in her grief- it hadn't seemed to matter in the immediate aftermath.

Back when there'd first been reports of trouble nothing had been expected. If the future had been know, would they have prepared differently? Zelda knew that for a fact. Her father would've sent a battalion instead, and he would have never let her go. In a time of supposed peace there had been no trouble letting her go but that was because the illusion of peace had been believed. There was no hiding the betrayal to the peace after the murder.

But no war had broken out, the Gerudo kept to themselves and Zelda became too preoccupied with grief and her son to care. Now that she was thinking about it again, it did seem weird for them to isolate themselves further after an act like that. It was almost like they were waiting for something. But what?

She shook off the thought. There'd be time for that later.

It was a moonless night. The clouds of sand covered the sky, a thick haze from another sandstorm. Those seemed to have no end, as if the desert itself was alive and never at rest- kicking up sandstorms in a perpetual loop. It was almost too dark to see anything, but they continued to work through the dunes.

A clock seemed to have taken up residence in Zelda's head, counting down the hours till they'd be dragged off to the Spirit Temple. The anxiety grew as time wore down, and it took her digging her nails into her palm to keep it together.

It was silent, neither of the two attempted a conversation. No amount of small talk would ease the dread that had come over them.

Link would come and hold her hand every once in awhile, and Zelda hoped he wouldn't notice the shaking or the clamminess of her palm. She knew he was trying to make her feel better but it just added to the emotional mess in her mind.

Zelda was left to her thoughts, and the inane hope still held on. It was stubborn and she knew she would hold onto it, for whatever reason. Maybe she could save him.

>*<

Time ticked down and Zelda felt sick with nerves.

It would happen any moment now, just as the sun began to flood our over the horizon, spilling orange light across the sand.

The best thing she could do was warn him. Give him the sword she still had in her bag. Maybe even try and get herself taken and tortured first. Surely they'd do that... right? There had to be a reason the Gerudo had taken her. It could've just been for the emotional trauma of seeing it happen to Link, but they could've killed her next. Of course, that never came to pass, but it could've happened.

Lin deserved to live more than her. She'd sacrifice herself. She should've done that from the beginning. It pained her to think of her son without a mother but he'd have his father to take care of him. Everything would be okay.