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Link knew death like the back of his hand. He had battled with it every day of his life, fighting for survival.
He had watched as villages burned to ash and he couldn’t stop the monsters flooding them. He had watched an entire kingdom fall, their castle still standing as a mocking reminder of what they had lost.
He had caused death wherever he went, killing every monster in his path, all to reach Ganon and stop the rampage of madness consuming everything in its wake.
And so Link knew death intimately.
But even so, he didn’t expect what was to come.
The plague was fast and ruthless, spreading throughout Hyrule before anyone had taken notice.
The symptoms were only things of minor concern. Coughs, a small fever, the like. And so no one had suspected anything, until people started falling.
Entire towns were wiped out from a single cough, and people started to fear for their lives.
Link had asked Zelda to stay within the castle, isolating herself once again so that she wouldn’t be infected, but she had refused, traveling from village to village to bring comfort and rest in the times of unease.
They had put the kingdom on temporary lockdown, hoping that the disease hadn’t made it to any of the other kingdoms. Of course, this was a fools wish. But from what they had seen, Hylians were the only ones majorly affected by it.
The Zora brushed it off as nothing more than a minor cold, and the Gerudo and Gorons weren’t affected as the heat of their location killed the germs trying to infect their systems, with the Rito having the cold do the exact same.
And as Link saw death, and knew it like the back of his hand, he still never expected what had happened.
Zelda had started displaying symptoms, coughing quite a bit, and starting to feel weak and dizzy. Link had tried to insist that she be isolated and had medical treatment, but she refused to be the first to take the cure if it was ever made, instead wanting the people to have the first access to it.
And one thing had led to the next, and the next thing he knew, Link was kneeling next to Zelda’s four poster bed, holding her hand as she lay coughing.
“Link.” She managed to get out between her gasps for air.
He looked up, hoping for something - anything. Her gaze landed on him, and she smiled weakly.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you.”
There’s this thing about death. It never strikes when you expect it, and it never strikes how you expect it.
Link had always imagined Zelda dying on the battlefield, fighting for what she believed was right, and never faltering.
And she would die fighting, and not regret a single thing. She would die with a large bang, making her name known throughout history.
But this...
Link’s throat held in a choked sob, and he stared at her, waiting for her to talk.
“I’m sorry that I will have to leave you.”
Don’t say that! Link wanted to blurt out impulsively. We can still find a cure, it’s only a matter of time!
Zelda stared into his eyes, her eyes shining with tears. “You know that it is too late for me.”
He wished she would stop being so understanding, so accepting. There was nothing that was right about this.
“And I hope I can see you again, sometime.” She whispered, holding his hand tight.
And Zelda, the Queen of Hyrule, the researcher, the holder of the triforce, let out her last breath, smiling all the while.
Miles away, in Kakariko Village, Impa opened her eyes, a knowing look in her gaze.
“Paya.” The girl snapped to attention, her hands shaking. It seems she felt it too. “Tell the kingdom that the Queen has fallen.”
And the kingdom mourned for the loss of a good person who had died, not with a bang, but with a small, sad pop.