Free to Love - A Zelda x Link Fanfiction

LXXII: Sacrifice for Victory

Zelda's Perspective:

I didn't remember running to Link's side, but I was suddenly there, his head in my lap. I thought I was all out of tears, and that I couldn't experience any worse grief after seeing my own father sacrifice himself for me, leaving me all alone. I was wrong.

I sobbed, hiccuping, my stomach lurching and tying in knots, as Link lay in my lap, barely breathing. "L-L-Link," I sobbed, gasping through my tears. "Oh g-g-goddess..." I trailed off, suddenly hiccuping for air.

"H-hey..." His soft fingertips touched my face, just barely a graze, fingers sticky with blood. "I-I-It's okay... I prom-mise..."

"N-no, it's no-ot..." I sobbed, trembling. My entire body was shaking.

"Here... loo-ok..." he whispered, brushing against my hand as he tried to lead it to his chest, right between his pecs. He stifled a cough, blood spitting up between his lips. I choked on my tears, gently feeling his chest, to the upper left of his wound. "F-Feel that...?"

I bit my lip, trying to stifle my cries. I could barely feel a thrumming, albeit it was very weak. I had to concentrate to even sense the beat. "My h-heart... still beats f-for you..." he coughed again, his entire body trembling with the force.

He must've been hit in the lung. I pulled my hand back, cradling his head, hand warm and slick with blood. Oh... Oh Hylia no... I suddenly realized.

The blood in my visions, I thought it was me. It should've been me. It should've been me! If I was only faster. If only I had figured out my powers sooner. This is my fault.

Link sensed what I was thinking, fingers touching me gently. He hacked again, it sounding more gurgled. "Hey... l-look at me-e..." he smiled softly, eyes half-lidded. He blinked slowly, then whispered, "Tell me... w-what our we-weddings gonna be-e... like..."

I sobbed, my entire body trembling. The bile stung the back of my throat and I tried to force a smile. For him. It hurt every part of my body to twist my face into a grin, but I did it.

"W-Well, Imm gonna go dress sh-shopping with Miph-pha... and Urbosa..." It hurt to say their names. I hoped they were ok, but I had a feeling they weren't. "I wanted—want... a d-dress with uh... flowers sewn in..."

"The w-white ones...?" he interrupted, smiling still.

"Y-yeah," I responded, laughing a bit sadly. I tried to mask it, but the sorrow was still there. My lips trembled as I forced back another sob. "I-I want l-lots of those flowers... and, uh... I want it out-outside..."

"Sounds.... n-nice," he murmured. I could tell he was fading. I hiccuped sharply, putting a hand to my mouth to try and stifle it.

"Y-Yeah... and I w-want photos... I want th-those, too. Lots of th-them, so we can remember..." He nodded.

"C-Can Reva-ali... and D-Daruk be my... best men?" he asked, spitting and coughing again, his entire shaking with the force of it. I hugged him closer, sobbing a bit.

"Of c-course," I murmured, sweeping his blonde hair from his face.

"And E-Epona... and Sto-o-orm... they gotta b-b-be there, too..." he added.

I nodded. "Y-yeah, St-Storm can drop the rose p-petals, and Epona can be-e the ring... bearer..."

He chuckled. It knocked the breath out of him and he coughed, swiping up the blood with his sleeve, trying to smile, lips pressed tightly together. He didn't want me to see his blood-stained teeth...

"Y-yeah..." Link agreed. "What ab-about the... cerem-m-mony?"

"C-Could Impa do it...?" I asked. He nodded. "I th-think she'd like that... and P-Purah would be upset if she did-didn't do something..."

"Rob-bots?" he suggested.

"Yeah, she'd l-like to do that... And th-th-then, we'd s-say our vows... and..." I trailed off, sobbing sharply. I couldn't hold onto the smile anymore.

"S-Say... what?" he asked. His face was pale. There was so much blood, I could barley think.

"I-I l-love you... that's wh-what I'd s...say..." I choked out.

"I... love you... too... Zelda...."

And then he stopped moving.