Free to Love - A Zelda x Link Fanfiction

LXX: Saving Light

Link's Perspective:

I heard Zelda squeal behind me, slipping in the mud, hand clumsily grabbing for my bicep. "Stay behind me!" I shouted, yanking myself from her grip. The blue eyes focused on me, red lasers focusing on my chest. Adrenaline coursed through my body and I sidestepped, hoping to pull their focus from Zelda. I managed to clumsily slide my blade under the shelling of the first one's leg, cutting through the wires hastily. The leg burst off, sparks flying. I stumbled back, wiping the mud from my face.

The second and third stepped back, encircling me and trapping me between them. I reached for my bow, hitting one in the eye and diving behind its body. The second one fired at the body of the first guardian, sending it flying backward. I heard Zelda shout behind me, but I tried to tune her out.

The very guardian, the one with one less leg had hobbled up, crawling towards me. I slid in the mud, narrowly avoiding another laser aimed at me. I could feel the heat and burn on my skin from where it narrowly avoided me. I hissed in pain, ducking forward and aiming a slice at the second machine's leg. To my surprise, it reared up, leg stomping down and narrowly avoiding my chest. Its leg was promptly sucked into the mud and I scrambled, ducking another firey beam, shouting as I drove my blade into its leg. I could feel shrapnel and fire against my back from the explosion that had just avoided me.

As more adrenaline coursed through me, I found it harder to control my movements. I managed to cut off several legs of the first guardian, beating against the shelling until it gave and allowed me to sever the wires. I finally managed to take one down, using its body as a shield against the first guardian, stabbing it in the eye when its head swiveled towards me. The machine went limp, flopping over. I was so relieved that I managed to forget about the other guardian.

I barely managed to dive behind the corpse of the machine, letting the laser hit it. The explosion was too close for comfort and burning hot. It sent shrapnel flying. I closed my eyes, shouting out at the sudden pain in my arm. I could blearily make out the shrapnel piercing my skin through the rain. There were several small pieces, ones that I couldn't dig out now, but three larger chunks. I tried to focus on anything but the pain, collapsing, and sliding under the body of the dead guardian to nurse my wound. 

I didn't have long. The guardian would find me quickly. I growled, clenching my teeth, my eyes burning as I began to pull out the largest piece. As quickly as I tried to pull it out, the piece was covered in my blood and it barely managed to slide halfway out before slipping from my grasp. I shouted again in pain.

"Link!" I heard Zelda shout. I had to get up. For the kingdom. For her! I rolled out from the machine, shouting in pain and managing to slice my sword across the unsuspecting leg of the nearest guardian. It whirred angrily, pulling back. Shit, it wasn't deep enough to cut the wires.

I kept my hurt arm close to my body, growling as I dove forward, cutting through the leg. The machine burst back and I stabbed at its body. The color beneath the shelling flashed with every hit, pulsing pink. It almost looked like the master sword was glowing in the darkness. The guardian rightened itself, eye swiveling to me. It took all my strength, blood beginning to drench the front of my shirt, to jump forward, driving my blade into the blue eye. The machine flickered, smoke beginning to billow out of the body, before exploding. The force of the explosion sent me reeling backward, flipping head over heels and landing on my stomach, sliding and ground shoving the shrapnel deeper into my forearm.

I shouted in pain, agony gripping my arm and Zelda suddenly appearing next to me. She apologized, beginning to yank out the pieces of shrapnel, tears landing on my skin. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," she repeated, hiccuping through sobs, putting pressure on my elbow joint to try and cut off circulation. I writhed, my entire body trembling as overwhelming pain coursed through my arm.

She helped me up frantically, to my knees, trying to hide me in the thick grass. I glanced around, seeing guardians crawling past, across the far hill, head swiveling as they looked for something to destroy. I shoved my sword into the earth, pressing my weight on it and growling.

I felt the princess frantically shaking my shoulder. "Link, save yourself! Go!" she begged, trying to pull me up. I shook my head, heaving for breath.

"I can't... leave you," I growled at her, pulling my hurt arm to my body. My words were raspy. It was tough to talk.

"I'll be fine! Don't worry about me!" she insisted, voice getting louder and higher. I desperately wanted to leave but I couldn't just... leave her. I wouldn't. I couldn't.

"I'm f-fine," I murmured, blinking through the rain. Thanks to the fires and storm, the guardians passed by without noticing us.

"P-Please, run!" Zelda cried, beginning to hyperventilate. I could see an approaching form. Shit. I snarled, using all of my strength to rip the sword from the ground, standing up. She let go of my shoulder, the machine approach, standing on the corpse of the first fallen guardian, blue eyes blinking between me, then focusing in on me. 

I stumbled back, seething preparing to charge as it beeped, getting ready to incinerate me on the spot. I stumbled forward, sword raised to fight, when Zelda jumped in front of me.

"NO!"

And the world suddenly turned white.