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“You are her knight; nothing more, nothing less.”
And that was all there was to it.
All he could do was watch as she struggled more and more. Struggled to access her powers.... Struggled to stand up to her father.
She couldn’t do this on her own. But, he didn’t see it. Neither of them did.
Then why was it so obvious to him.
Yet he stayed silent.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t speak. He could, he just didn’t like to. What could he even say to her?
“Good job, princess. If you keep trying, you’ll get there someday.”
Those words sounded like false encouragement. Fake. Condescending. He hated himself for even thinking them.
Unconsciously, Link’s grip on the Master Sword tightened.
“Someday” likely wouldn’t be soon enough at the pace Zelda was going at. Link tried to push the bitter thought aside, but it kept resurfacing, rearing its ugly head as the minutes slipped by.
His gaze lingered on Zelda; the precious princess of Hyrule, so strong and powerful.
If only she could see it, he kept telling himself. If only they could all see it!
Would that day ever come?
~
As the two lingered in Spring of Courage for the third time that week, Link stood faithfully at the edge of the pool, back to the princess as she murmured to herself – to the goddess Farore.
“If I have such great power... why can’t I use it?” she said to herself. The wind carried her voice across the plains, echoing in Link’s ears as he tried not to listen.
In the most indirect way possible, he felt rude. Like he was eavesdropping on a delicate moment between Zelda and the imperceptible goddess.
He ignored the squirming feeling of guilt suddenly putting his stomach, silently waiting for her to finish.
Link’s ears pricked to the soft, familiar sigh of the princess as she turned away from the statue, trembling hands balled into tight fists at her sides.
She was wearing the same frumpy prayer dress she always wore every time she visited any of the shrines dotted across the country. Though it wasn’t the prettiest garment, she looked unusually radiant in it that evening....
But Link didn’t have time to dwell on breathtaking sight of the princess standing in the shallow pool beneath the shimmering white rays of moonlight beaming down on her.
Zelda’s lips were pressed together, her nose had reddened sometime during the time Link’s back had been turned away. Her fists shook violently, and he didn’t have to see her teeth to know that they were clenched tightly together; she was barely holding on by a thread.
“Why?” she breathed. “Why can’t I...”
She was so close.... What she wanted was just out of reach. She could just barely taste it! So why was she so....
Her finger were in the water now. She plunged her hands deep into the pool, dropping to her knees as she angrily dug her fingernails into the thick layer of mud that had accumulated on the bottom.
“Please, goddess! Help me!” she screamed into the night air, leaving a fresh set of chills running down Link’s spine.
The air had turned colder than before, as if the goddess had been listening to Zelda’s plea. But nothing came. No power.
Zelda raised a feeble hands to her forehead, caking mud across her skin as tears sprung to her eyelids. “Keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom? Blessed with great power?” she grumbled to herself. “So where is this ‘great power’, goddess?! Tell me!”
No answer.
Frustrated, Zelda threw back her hand and screamed into the sky.
She hated it. Hated it all. Her father, Hyrule, sometimes she even hated Link.
What the hell was her father thinking? She didn’t need a babysitter.
And what was he doing?
The great hero. The “Chosen One.”
All Link ever did was stand over her and watch her.
Except for when it was raining and they had to take shelter under a treat or an abandoned building, he would swing that stupid sword of his.
Her shoulder slumped as she glared up at him. His hand was stretched out toward her, his lips pressed in a slight frown. His eyes looked sad. Sadder than she felt.
“Stop feeling sorry for me!” she snapped suddenly. Then she clapped her hands over her mouth, an apology rolling off her tongue almost immediately. “I’m sorry – I... it’s not your fault. It’s mine.” She graciously took his hand, embarrassed at her outburst.
As always, Link said nothing. Sometimes she wondered if he could speak. But, then she’d remember how easily he spoke to Mipha and the others and her stomach burned with a small light of sliver of annoyance.
Why couldn’t he talk to her like that?
“Hero... no, Link, do you believe I have great power?” Her voice was soft, forgiving, even though he hadn’t done anything.
He’d done nothing. And maybe that’s what had made Zelda the tiniest bit angry toward him. But then logic took over and she understood that there wasn’t anything he could do.
Unlocking her true powers was only up to her. And her alone. She knew that. But Link didn’t.
He thought he could help her, and she knew it. She could read it in his glances, see it in his gleaming blue eyes. It was too obvious.
Zelda averted her gaze as Link’s fingers gingerly closed around her knuckle, tugging the weary princess to her feet. They both fell silent as they concluded their business with a simple glance between themselves, turning their backs to the goddess statue in unison.
They’d wasted enough time here
~
Week past and in a flash of white light they were in the fields of Hyrule, running through the thickets of a forest outside the castle. Everything was in ruin; their friends gone. In Link’s hand was Zelda’s, tightly grasped as if it were the only thing he held precious to him. And, in a way, it was. She was the only living thing left he cared about.
His gripped tightened even more, but Zelda still fell, her shoes slipping in the thick slather of mud beneath their feet. Her knees slammed into the earth before her forearms followed, somewhat catching herself. A gasp parted her lips and she wheezed into the dirt, lowering her forehead to the grass, sleek with rain.
Link turned just as quickly as she fell, lowering a hand toward her. As usual, he remained silent.
“They’re gone...” she said. “They’re gone and it’s all my fault.” Slamming a fist into the mud, Zelda slipped further into despair.
Link dropped to his knees in front of her as she fell forward, holding her against his chest as she sobbed.
“I failed them!” Her sobs were slightly muffled by the fabric of his champion’s tunic.
As Link’s heart hammered inside his chest, he couldn’t ignore the sense of impending doom crashed over him. He shook Zelda’s shoulders. “Princess,” he murmured, his voice full of urgency. “Princess.” She didn’t stop. “Princess.... Zelda!”
At the abrupt use of her name, her gaze shot up, meeting Link’s. Fear was written all over his face.
They had to keep running.
~
Clunk.
One by one the guardians fell. Once created to protect Hyrule, were now pronounced their enemy. Red beams of light sat on Link, and now Zelda, who held the fallen hero in her arms, like a target.
“No,” Zelda breathed as she held her palm up toward the attacking guardians.
Suddenly a soft glow of light illuminated from Zelda’s hand, the symbol of the triforce appearing on her palm for a split second as the beam grew, encasing her vision and the guardians in a bright pale beam. She couldn’t seen anything for a few seconds before she hears a loud crack, and the sound of metal bits clattering to the ground in a matter of seconds.
When the light cleared and Zelda found her bearings, her eyes fell onto the guardians surrounding her and the fallen hero. They are inactive, and, for a moment, Zelda didn’t understand what happened. Then it dawned on her and her grip on Link’s body tightened.
“No...” she breathed. “No... it’s too late. I couldn’t....” Her gaze dropped to Link as tears sprung to her eyes, wetting her cheeks. “No....” She pressed his face to her chest. “It can’t be true.... I was too late.”
~
Peace had fallen over Hyrule in a matter of months, under a wash of white light. The plains were guardian free and there were none of Ganon’s enemies waiting in the shadows to be slaughtered by the hero. However, with the good, came the worst of the worse.
“Listen, listen. Have you heard the news?” The voices of the gossiping townsfolk and prying fairies whispered frantically when Princess Zelda reclaimed Hyrule Castle alone. “The hero has fallen.”
“The hero has fallen?”
“Yes. And the princess is now alone. Forever.”
“Forever?”
“Forever,” Zelda muttered to herself as the wind picked up.
She stood at the highest point in Hyrule Castle, watching over the land as the sun fell again, just below the horizon. She had once enjoyed the company of the hero... of Link. They’d sit and watch the sun setting – or sometimes rising. Now she was alone.
Until her next life.
Listen, listen.
Did you hear? Of The tale of the knight and his beloved princess?
Destined to always meet and always part... sometimes sooner than later.
However, they would meet again. Even if they didn’t know it.