Champions of a Fallen Age

All That's Left

She had no idea how long she had been cradling Link's lifeless body. She wasn't even sure how much time had passed since her tears had stopped. Her grief hadn't subsided in the slightest, she just didn't have any more tears left in her. She had tried healing him, but it had no effect on the corpse in her arms. All she could do was hold what remained of the broken Hylian.

Mipha wasn't really sure where she was. She had vague memories of traversing an arid, sand filled landscape, but she didn't have the first clue where it was or how she had come to be where she currently was. Occasionally, Link's body would fade away and give way to crystal blue surroundings. These brief bouts brought some relief because she could almost convince herself that everything proceeding it was in her head and not reality. If she were to look up during these episodes, she would notice a large orange face that gazed at her worriedly, but before she could process anything, it was all yanked away.

All she was left with was the corpse of her most beloved companion.

Knowing there was no use, she set her hand on him, watching dully as her hand refused to glow. With nothing else left for her to do, she set the crest of her head against his forehead and closed her eyes. Though there was next to nothing left, she wanted to cling to the little bit of the Hylian that remained.

She was startled when she lurched forward, her head crashing through the space that was supposed to be occupied by Link's. Her eyes snapped open, finding that Link was nowhere in sight. Instead, she was close to the bottom of an unfamiliar body of water. Though she was in her element, the Zora felt her chest constricting as she tried to catch her bearings. Feeling claustrophobic, she quickly swam towards the surface and hauled herself onto the edge.

She stood, trying to make sense of what she saw. Stone buildings, brightly colored tents, and strange combinations of green and gold. Feeling very small and very alone, she sat down, dipping her feet in the water. She searched and searched, trying to find some meaning in the world around her. Unfortunately, no answers made themselves known.

A massive weight on her back caused her to flinch violently. After a moment of panicked breathing, she found that it was the weight of Daruk's hand she was feeling. The Goron didn't say anything, only sparing her a sad glance before gazing upward at the night sky.

Following his gaze, Mipha finally noticed the stars above her. Under different circumstances, she might have found them beautiful, but the black background they were set against reminded her too much of the darkness in which she had been holding Link.

Her gaze shifted down before she could drift too far down that stream of thought.

Mipha felt Daruk's rocky hand move up and down across her back in a vain attempt to comfort her. Maybe he didn't know what to say. Maybe he knew that his words wouldn't really matter. Maybe he just wanted her to know that he was there.

She didn't know why he sat there so quietly with her. In fact, she wasn't even entirely sure he was really there. With how reality kept shifting around her, she couldn't be sure if what she was experiencing was real, or just fragments of her shattered psyche trying to make sense of everything. She couldn't decide which one frightened her more, not that she had dedicated too much thought to the matter at all.

She closed her eyes but quickly opened them again as the emptiness served as another reminder.

It seemed that whether this was real or not, there would be no respite. No matter where she looked, there was a reminder of the images that had been plaguing her relentlessly.

Though she made no indication that she was even aware of him, the Goron Champion remained beside her. His hand continued moving up and down her back rhythmically as the distraught Zora made every effort to stop thinking altogether.