Hero by Heart

Chapter 11

Zelda stood very still, for a very long time. Her mind was empty, her expression blank. She was just staring at the darkening land far beneath her, the black mass where a little black dot had disappeared.
She could not wrap her head around his actions. One minute Link seemed to be into her, the next he was running away as if his life depended on it.
As she recalled the events of that night her stomach clenched together and her hands balled into fists. After a few deep breaths she could somewhat calm herself down, but deep within was a raging storm of emotions going on.
She was hurt, of course. It always hurt to be rejected. But she was mostly angry. Angry at Link for running away without an explanation, without even looking back. For someone who was so focused on protecting her, it seemed rather strange that he just left her there.
There were tears stinging her eyes, but she refused to let them go. It was not worth it.
Apparently their history truly meant nothing anymore. It had been a childish dream to think that they could pick up where they left off.
The Link that she had known was really, irrevocably, completely gone. That one had died on the battlefield, like the hero he was. The hero she had fallen in love with.
This Link had run away from her over a kiss.
She took another sharp breath and turned around, purposely relaxing her hands. Slowly, step by step, she started walking, the fog in her head lifting further with every step.
She reached Thunder and mounted, turning his head towards the road. She would not go back to his house. He would turn up there eventually, looking for her. He would probably try to follow her wherever she went, as soon as his sense of duty resurfaced.
If there was one thing she was absolutely certain of, it was that she did not want to see him again. Not with the pain of his rejection so fresh. She had to stay away, find a way to keep ahead of him.
As she was about to leave, she glanced back and saw Epona standing there, head tilted to the side, as if to ask what she was doing. Zelda sighed and dismounted again, walking over to the horse.
No matter what happened between her and Link, she could not take it out on his horse. She had done nothing wrong and Zelda had grown fond of her. She quickly unsaddled her and hastily brushed her off a bit. From her own saddlebags she took two apples and watched her munching them away.
Hopefully Purah or Symin would discover her in the morning and take care of her.
Zelda now mounted again and started trotting downhill. She didn't know exactly where Link was, but since he could not glide back up the cliffs, it would most likely take him a few hours to get back. Which left her with quite some time to outrun him.
     Even with everything going on between them, her tormented feelings and the uncertainty of their relationship, she still felt excited to continue her research.
     There was no doubt in her mind over where she would go, even though he would probably follow her there. If she was quick, maybe she could get lost in her work before he showed up.
It was quiet as she trotted through the village. Most people had gone to bed already, getting their rest before another early morning. Zelda was glad she didn't see anyone, for she was not in the mood to explain to them where she went.
As soon as she left the village behind she spurred Thunder on to a gallop, quickly making her way down the hill. Not much later she passed the crossroads where she and Link had gone off track to settle down for the night.
The memory left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had been so careless back then, enjoying nature and feeling the excitement of a new journey. That seemed like ages ago now.
Link had been kind and warm, opening up more and more. She had felt like they had slowly been restoring their relationship.
How quickly that had all gone to waste.
For the first time Zelda started to think that maybe this was her fault. That she had expected too much of him. She thought he reciprocated her feelings, even though he could not remember them all, but did he really?
As the world flew past her, she shook the thoughts from her head. It was no use now. She had to focus on her work, had to put him from her mind.
     It was not considered particularly safe to travel the roads at night, but she didn't care. She would pay attention, be careful. As long as she could get away from there, from him.
Even though the path she took led her the exact same way she had taken with Link before, she refused to let him into her head. She instead concentrated on the road, her surroundings, and the task ahead of her.
     As she rode she passed big rock walls and enormous rock formations, towering high above her. Even though they still deeply impressed her, she did not stop to look.
     She reached the little grove of trees obscuring Fort Hateno from sight and felt the darkness press in around her. After passing underneath the big gate of the damaged wall, she sighed in relief at the sight of the night sky.
     Eager to create as much distance with Hateno as she could, she rode straight through the grassy planes, not bothering to follow the road. An irritated grimace settled on her face as she saw the road up to Kakariko Village on her right, knowing she had to go out of her way to pass the bridge.
    She rushed on up the slope, until she became aware of the rapid panting of her horse. She had been pushing rather hard, so eager to stay on the move.
    She looked up at the sky and figured it was an hour or so until sunrise. She had made much better time now than when they had traveled the other way. The image of Link riding beside her popped in her head, but she quickly pushed it away.
     Now that she took the time to let herself feel again, she noticed the fatigue in her body, her sore and stiff muscles and her rumbling stomach. She was exhausted, hungry and thirsty, while an uncomfortable sweatiness made her clothes cling to her body.
     Ahead of her she finally saw the first gate of Kakariko Village and relief washed over her. She made it here at least. She would rest for a while, regain her strength and take care of Thunder, before they would continue.
It was quiet in the village, most of the Sheikah still asleep. A few farmers were already out on the fields, looking up as she passed and giving her curious glances, before nodding in greeting and returning to their work.
     As she dismounted in front of the inn, she was staggering on her feet, her exhaustion finally catching up to her. With her eyes half closed already, leaning heavily against him, she unsaddled Thunder and brushed him a little.
     He looked at her before bumping her with his head. He seemed to have recovered quite a bit from his heavy exercise and was no longer panting and foaming.
     Zelda smiled at the horse as she patted his neck, before leading him to the stable and filling his through with hay. Now that she was satisfied that he was okay, she stumbled up the steps of the inn.
     The worker seemed to be sleeping himself, so she left some rupees on the counter and dropped herself on the nearest bed, already gone before she hit the pillow.