Written in Blood

XXXI . Onto the mature and the morbid

I know that look.

It's a bossy and also mildly annoyed expression I used to always procure from her after getting in another fist fight with Mido. But it feels completely unwarranted this time.

"I'm going whether you like it or not, okay? Geez... I'm an adult for Farore's sake and there's things I need to do."

There's a sharp intake of breath from Saria's direction and I can see the annoyance on her face deepen.

She's too irritated at me to say anything so she resigns to glaring at me.

I don't care if she doesn't want me to leave. I am. Sure, it's only been around a day since they found me lying in a puddle of blood under a tree. But still. I'm leaving.

"I'm not that hurt." I retort, I can almost hear her thoughts as she glances at my bloody tunic, the only one I have, that has lovely rips where you can see the bandages. I feel like a freaking Gibdo.

Her glare becomes more sinister as she deadpans me, "You know Mido said the same thing after he tried to kill a wolfos."

Oh sweet merciful Din, why is she bringing that up again? Especially when she's comparing him to me.

It was long before I'd ever left the woods, and Mido was over-confident and arrogant... he hasn't changed a bit, so of course his brain was clouded with delusional visions of grandeur and faux bravado. Mido thought it was a great idea to go and provoke a gang of wolfos, talking about how he'd show everyone he was a hero or whatever. We all trudged into the woods after him, with his confident strut and a wooden sword he'd made himself. I just went for the laughs since these jaunts were always at least mildly entertaining. Watching Mido make a fool of himself was one of highlights of my childhood with the kokiri. At that moment, there was some camaraderie between me and the other kokiris, not just Saria like usual. We were all united in our making-fun of Mido. It didn't matter that I didn't have a fairy like everyone else or that I was the local outcast.

Anyway, Mido got the ever-loving crap beaten out of him, and it was hilarious. If I remember correctly, I laughed until I cried. He had to take it easy for a good week or two, playing a perfect victim and bossing around his cronies from his bed. And yet, even as he was being a big baby about the whole ordeal, he still claimed he wasn't hurt. Liar.

I can feel a scowl form on my face, "I'm acting nothing like him. He was being a twerp. You already know he's delusional."

"I am not!" Mido's voice is barely heard, he's up on the top of the broken stairs leading to the Forest Temple with his cronies, tempting danger as usual. There's more wolfos in there after all, his weakness.

"Link..."

Oh great, now she's trying to pull the concerned card. I'm sick and tired of getting other people's pity.

"What?" I say too aggressively, seeing her shrink away from me, I sigh, "Look, I understand you don't want me to leave, but I have to. They took her and for all I know they're giving her the beating of a lifetime. And not only that... I have to see who lived and..."

There's so much on my shoulders again, even though I had promised myself I'd never have to carry the weight of the world again. There's nothing really holding me to this place, there's no real obligation that I need to help save Hyrule again. Why am I still being pulled back into this mess?

I know why. It's because I failed her. I was supposed to protect the princess and yet she's now been taken by the Gerudo. I can't let her die from my stupidity. I don't know what she is to me anymore, maybe I do love her. But I need to get her out of their hands anyway. We can't have her spilling the secrets or dying. Because I know Zelda is too stubborn to cave that easily.