Chapter Text
“You had a choice. You’re the only one who had a choice in any of this. And this is what you chose.” He felt something in his throat, holding back the feeling of betrayal.
Link was staring up at the stone statue. The only other sounds were the trickle of water into the pond. The gray statue stood in silence. It might have been a cool, dark night, but Link was very hot under the collar. He tightened his grip on the handle of the Master Sword. Maybe an hour earlier, he had broken the rules. Zelda stood in the still waters for what seemed like an eternity. He gave her her privacy, standing on guard with his back to her. But he couldn’t just stand there when she said it.
“What’s wrong with me?” she asked, beginning to sob.
His heart split cleanly in two in his chest, and he turned to face her, although she was too upset to notice. It wasn’t until he sheathed his sword and waded into the pool did she turn around. She looked up when she heard the water splashing, and was alarmed to see him approaching her.
“Link, what are you…?” But the words died on her tongue when he reached out, his fingertips gently brushing along her jaw, then held her face with his right hand, his thumb rubbing over her cold, red cheek.
“Nothing,” he shook his head, answering her question. “It’s not you. It’s her,” he said, casting what could only be described as a murderous glare towards the statue. Zelda blinked, her lip beginning to tremble. “You’ve prayed enough,” he added, sweeping her up out of the water and into his arms. She might have protested if she wasn’t in shock from him speaking without being prompted. As soon as he began sloshing through the water, she broke down in his arms. She changed out of her heavy, sopping wet prayer dress in the tent–she had put on his clothes, but he didn’t question it–and she cried herself to sleep in his arms. And now here he stood, their tents some twenty yards away, pissed off that he couldn’t fight a statue.
He looked down, shaking his head, scowling with a bitter, metallic taste on his tongue. “It didn’t have to be like this. But this is what you wanted, isn’t it? You allow this to happen. There didn’t have to be any hero, or sword, or sealing powers, or guardian robots. You alone can stop the Calamity from ever occurring. But you can’t be bothered. No, you’d rather watch us die while you sit and hide.
The more he couldn’t run his sword through the statue the angrier he got. “What reason could you possibly have for denying her? Jealousy? She’s more devoted to you than anyone has ever been. You’re the fraud, not her. But It doesn’t matter. We don’t need you. We’ll stop the calamity without you. So go ahead and keep hiding. Because after we defeat the Calamity, I’ll be coming after you. I’ll kill you next.
He kicked muddy dirt up over the statue, which did nothing to soothe his rage. “I don’t forgive you. I won’t waste another prayer on you. And you don’t deserve her prayers. You’re just a coward.”
He had meant to spit it out as his final insult, saving his most cutting, hurtful insult for last. But when the words came out, he simply sounded heartbroken, having realized and accepted a harsh truth about someone he looked up to. No one was coming to save them.