Tears of a Broken Kingdom

Chapter Twenty-five ~ Left to ashes

"It was madness, your Highness. Complete chaos. It was fortunate I got out when I did. Nobody knows what caused it, but it erupted all right. Things started catching pretty quick, buildings, houses. I don't think the lava's made it yet, or has it?"

"About to. That trail's a perfect path for the lava, if you think about it." The Goron, replied, a dismal chuckle accompanied his words.

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

There didn't seem to be anything else to say.

"Nothing yet. But thank you for the gesture your Highness, I can speak for all of us when I say this, we're all grateful you lived. When I heard how the King was kille-."

The man's voice sputtered out, his eyes cast down to the ground. Zelda felt her eyes widen of their own accord. So that's what had happened. Killed. Gone. Her father. It even made sense... killing the monarch set an example for everyone else, death was inevitable if their leader had been killed.

Maybe he deserved it. But no... not like this. He hadn't been there for her when she needed somebody, but she had done the same to her son. Zelda was no better.

And yet now she was the last remnant of hope for the people. Heir to this kingdom. That's what the people had looked at her with, that reverent gaze. She was already Queen to them.

"I'm sorry, your Highness."

"No... it's okay. I needed to know." As she spoke Zelda let herself put on that mask of composure, let it become her again.

As the seconds ticked by Zelda went back over to her son. Ashton looked exhausted, fighting to stay awake.

"You can sleep, it's okay sweetheart," She said in a calm voice, sensing his unease.

"Mom.."

The hurt in his voice stung her, and she saw the way his arms and neck were taut in an attempt to stay up.

"You're exhausted... nothing is going to happen to you, I promise."

I'll make sure of it.

"...okay."

He lowered his body down to the ground, huddled up in a ball. Zelda guided his head down onto her lap, glad she'd convinced him to rest.

The cloth was doing much better than her pant material would've done, so far there wasn't any blood visible at the back of his head. In the light of day she'd examine it more carefully. She'd examine her wounds too, but that mattered less to her.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow she'd have to face the horrors in the light. What was she going to do? What was anyone going to do? Survive was the only answer that came to mind. Wait out the destruction, perhaps. It had to end... right?

Somewhere down the line, wherever it went, whoever it affected, it had to lose momentum. That's what Zelda hoped for. How long that would take was beyond her knowledge. In the still of the night she let herself think, let all the worries she'd pushed away come back to her like the tide. Let it come over her again.

She'd failed. She was an orphan. Somehow she'd created this destruction. Her husband was dead and he was never coming back. Whatever that thing had been... it wasn't Link. It was clear now. But what was it? What had Hylia said again? Were those clues to figure out this convoluted mess? One she was to blame for?

Maybe it was better to forget and move on. The only good the enigmas did was confound her. But... despite that, maybe it was better to know. It was a part of her, to be in the pursuit of knowledge. To move towards understanding. If she knew what had happened... would she be able to better lead the remainder of the population?

Zelda found herself running a hand through her son's hair. It was ruffled up from the bandage, the back clumped with dried blood.

Would she ever tell him? Wouldn't it just pain him more? The bruise must've been disguised in the night but it was still a tint of black-blue. He'd see it in the light. What would he even suspect? Nothing about his father for sure.

She didn't want to tell him yet, not when there was so much that had happened, not when she didn't even have it figured out herself. Zelda wasn't ready yet.

>*<

As the night wore on, a few stragglers had been found, stuck under rubble, severely burned.

There wasn't much good that could be done in terms of helping those injured, but yet no one gave up. Zelda gravitated over to them, trying to take on the position she had now. A leader.

While she wasn't the most experienced in first-aid, Zelda felt she had to help, in some way. It was easier than dealing with her own injuries, which were largely unseen.

It was a nice distraction, nice to worry about something else. But she couldn't feel more guilty. Had she caused all this? The answer burned in her head, melting her waxy insides.

The whole of what she'd done ignited into an unquenchable flame and she felt her ability to speak get sucked away as they continued to put cold water on the burns and try to bind them up. Someone recognized a plant that alleviated burns and that was rubbed on too. And then it was over. Not everyone could be saved, not everything salvaged.

Thin grey tendrils of sunlight had begun to creep across the sky as dawn came.

Was she ready to face it?

No. Not really. But she didn't have a choice. It was another chance to be strong though, and Zelda didn't want to let him down. But that was the least of her worries now.

Ash was still asleep on the ground and Zelda went back near her son.

It was so quiet in the early morning, everything muted. The surviving Gorons had since evacuated the village as well, finding no other survivors, Hylian or Goron. The lava should be no problem for now, they'd blockaded the entrance up to Kakariko. The town was left to burn, the lava had already arrived and fire had already began to catch there, the dry air fueling the flames.

Although she hadn't been told one way or the other, Zelda knew Darunia hadn't made it. Another one dead. Other than being Sage of Fire, she knew the bond Darunia'd had with Link. It was almost like their friendship had already existed somehow, in another world, those two just clicked as friends, or Sworn Brothers, she'd forgotten which.

Would life ever come to claim her like it'd done to others? Impa had to be dead, or she would've been here. Zelda wished she'd been more open. She regretted a lot of things she'd done. Her father. Link. Darunia too. When was it going to happen to her? Or had she been spared?

Spared to lead a broken kingdom. Left in this purgatory of destruction and agony. Left in this forsaken land to lead. But where? How? Lead them to nothing? Nothing but inevitable death?

Her thoughts spiraled put down into a pit with no end.

What was she doing? What was she supposed to do?