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We were running, faster than my legs would allow. He was dragging me along refusing to let go, but with the rain, the mud, and my failures weighing me down, I slipped and fell to the ground. I just sat there unable to force myself up, I squeezed my eyes shut trying to hold back my tears, “How… How did it come to this?” Link had stopped running and thankfully didn’t force me up, he just knelt next to me silently, letting me get my emotions out. “The Devine beasts, the Guardians, They’ve all turned against us… It was… Calamity Gannon.” I could feel tears threatening to fall from my eyes, but I tried to hold them back. “It turned them all against us, and everyone is trapped in those things. It’s all my fault! Our only hope of beating Gannon is lost because I couldn’t harness this cursed power!”
I couldn’t hold it back anymore all the tears and fear, I’ve kept bottled up since we escaped the castle realizing what had happened. I brought my hands to my face trying to hold them back as if my damn hands could do anything to stop the tears from falling. I looked up from my hands letting all the tears fall as I met my beloved knights eyes, “Everything I’ve done up until now, it was all for nothing.” The tears fell as hard as the rain around us, “So I really am just a failure! I failed everyone, my friends, my father, and most of all, I failed you.” It really was all my fault, If I had just tried harder, if the damned goddess had spoke to me, if I wasn’t a failure of a princess I would have been able to do my part I would have been able to prevent them all from dying. Every single death caused by Gannon is my fault, all that blood might as well have been from my hands. Unable to hold back any of my tears, I let all of them out and fell into Links arms, soaking his already rain soaked tunic with my tears.
He held onto me tightly, keeping me somewhat grounded. He was running his hands up and down my back and whispering to me, “It’s not your fault, none of this is your fault, please… Zelda, please don’t blame yourself for any of this.” I appreciated his words, I did but, it’s hard to believe them when if I did my part this could have been avoided.
I don’t know how long we sat there, but as my tears began to dry he helped me up, and we continued on our route to Fort Hateno. Thankfully for my feet we stopped running and walked along the Hylia river which was swollen from the storm Gannon had caused. Despite not running anymore Link didn’t let go of my hand and I was grateful for that. We walked hand in hand making our way to Proxima bridge. Normally the view of Dueling Peaks rising up above as we neared closer brought me so much joy. It’s a wonderful sight and it marks being near Kakariko, but that view was ruined with the outpost burning down from the monsters and guardians in the area.
As we neared the burning ruins we hid in a stone building at the edge that was able to avoid the fire. Ahead of us was a pack of bokoblins, a few moblins, and a silver maned lynel. They were picking through the ruins maybe looking for survivors. As we watched Link looked for a path to make it safely to the mountain pass. After a few moments he turned and grabbed my shoulders, “Zelda, I need you to stay here stay low, and stay quiet do not leave unless they come towards this house or if I don’t make it and if either of those happen, run back the way we came into the woods, they won’t be able to follow.” He pulled a knife from his belt and pressed the hilt into my hands, “It’s not much but id rather you have something to defend yourself.”
Before I could protest he ran out the back door and began charging at the group of monsters while I watched on. Unsurprisingly the bokoblins and the moblins were no match for him but the lynel was no pushover. Link was struggling to keep up against it, it seemed that the lynel had learned how Link fights from the little it saw of him fighting the others. As the fight dragged on I could see Link getting worn down. It had been a long time since we’ve had any real rest. After our trek down Mount Lanayru and subsequent race to the castle to do what we could against the calamity, and now our race back towards Fort Hateno and that’s not even counting all the fighting he’s been doing, its no wonder he’s struggling. I was only able to breathe a sigh of relief when he finally slayed the lynel.
When he glanced my way and made eye contact I ran from my hiding spot to him. As I ran to him I was stopped in my tracks by the unmistakable metallic clacking and the whir of machinery of a guardian behind Link. I called out to him not that it was necessary as he was already turning to face the cursed machine. When he faced the thing it targeted him with its red laser preparing to fire while also scurrying out of his reach. I’ve seen him deflect a shot from a guardian once before he became my guard but that was from a misfire and he at least had a pot lid with him at the time, now all he has is the master sword. To my horror he was only barely able to get out of the way of the blast and deflected what he could with the sword. It still had managed to clip him, and he fell to the ground. I started running to him, but he only glared at me to stay put.
To my relief he stood up and was able take out the guardians legs before grabbing a nearby bow and firing a few shots into its eye causing the machine to collapse and shut off. This time I let nothing stop me as I ran forward and checked him over for injuries. “Link you need to be more careful, I can’t lose you too. How are you feeling do you think you’ll be able to make it to the fort? It’s not much further maybe another hour walk? We don’t have any supplies on us, and we need to get these wounds taken care of soon.” I stopped to catch my breath, realizing that I just bombarded him with questions.
He smiled at me with a slight grimace as I helped him stand up. He looked fine enough, but I was still concerned if he would be able to make it. “I’m fine Zelda, it hurts sure, but I’ve been through worse.” He gave me another smile, but it quickly faded as he looked to his sword. Looking down at it I saw a sight I never thought possible, the master sword looked horrible, chunks of it seemed to be missing and the now all to familiar sight of Gannon’s malice trying to corrupt the holy blade. It didn’t look like that before and he has fought these monsters before. Is this because of the rise of the calamity? Sensing my discomfort at the blade he took his free hand and gently turned my face to look at his eyes, “It will be fine Zel, we will make it, we will avenge them.” His sincerity cut through the fear enough for me to nod and continue on.
It only got worse, by the time we reached Blatchery Plain, he was barely able to keep going. His wounds only got worse with each monster, and each guardian we came across. I don’t know if we will be able to make it the fort at this rate. We were only halfway through the plain when more and more guardians kept coming. Link did all that he could, but he was struggling to stand I was almost supporting his whole weight now with the sword holding up the rest. The clanks of the guardians wandering the plain looking for us and other survivors was deafening, “Link, you need to go, save yourself.” I heard a guardian steps getting closer, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. Run!” Stupid, brave Link just wouldn’t leave and began to get up on his own only to stumble as he tried to ready his sword.
The Guardian spotted us, the large machine that used to bring me so much comfort just a few months ago stood over us on the remains of other guardians Link had slain. We were bathed in the red glow of the corrupted guardian. The most horrible sound of its aim beeping at us, its sight set directly at Link. Not thinking I pulled him behind me and stood in its sight and held my hand out shouting, “No!” There was an explosion, my vision was blinded from a light coming around us. For a moment there was nothing but white, surely we had died the guardian fired its laser at me and killed me in an instant.
Just as quickly, everything came back too, the storm the guardian, all of it came into focus. The machine was no longer aiming at us instead shuddering much like when Link had killed them and then it shut off. The red glow faded from the machine and the calamitous corruption left the machine. The back of my hand glowed with the triforce, “Was… was that? The power?” I heard a thud behind me. Turning I saw link laying on the ground unmoving. I wasted no time coming to his side, “No…no Link! Get up!” I cradled him in my arms, thank the goddess he opened his eyes, and let out a cough before staring at me. “You’re going to be just fine… I will make sure of it, just hang in there.” He only stared at me his mouth moved attempting to say words, but nothing came out, “It’ll be ok Link I promise, we will get help you’re going to be fine.”
Tears were once again fighting to come free, as I held him. Before I could even begin to think of what to do his eyes closed and his head lulled against me and I could no longer hear his breath, or feel his heart. He lay there in my arms, dead. Dead just like the rest of them, and it was all my fault. I finally awoken my powers, but it cost me everything I had. Curse the goddess, curse Gannon, curse Hyrule. The tears finally fell I held onto him not wanting it to be real as I sobbed into his chest.
I don’t know how long I sat there crying holding him when I heard a chirping sound. Looking around I heard it again, along with a glow coming from the sword. With the chirp and the glow I also heard a faint voice, “Your Grace.” I only stared at it, the sword was said to have a spirit who was apart of it since it was forged by the goddess. “Your Grace, it’s not too late, he can still be saved.” With that one message the sword went silent losing its glow once again.
Trying to understand what it meant I racked my brain for ideas, how could I save someone who was dead? My thoughts were interrupted by a Sheikah calling out to me. Of course, the Sheikah, the shrine. As they arrived the knelt down a few feet away from us with the one closer to us speaking, “Princess are you all right?”
I wasted no time and kept my emotions in check I need him to be saved there will be time for grieving later, “Take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection. Time is short get him there immediately or we will lose forever! Am I clear?” They both nodded to me and stepped forward and began to pick up Link, “Make haste and go, His life is now in your hands!”
They rushed off with him to the Great Plateau leaving me alone in a new guardian graveyard with the now dormmate master sword. My mission is clear, I need to take the sword to be recovered in the care of the Deku Tree and I need to keep Gannon at bay while both it and Link recover.
One Hundred years passed before Link’s healing finished, and I woke him to send him on his journey to recover his memories and prepare to finally put an end to this nightmare we have lived. He faced many hardships and trials and watching him struggle was hard for me, but I had my own part to play.
Eventually the day came when he fought and beat Gannon. Seeing Link again healthy his blue eyes more vibrant than I had ever seen. I couldn’t help the massive smile on my face, but I held back from running to him, “I watched over you as you saved the kingdom, I always knew that you would find a way to beat Gannon. I never lost faith in you, thank you.” I hesitated just a moment as he took another step closer, “May I ask… Do you really remember me?”
He stood there in silence before closing the gap between us and embracing me in a tight hug and I swore I could feel my shoulder getting damp, not that I could say much as I shed my own tears into his as well. “I don’t remember everything, but I do remember you Zel, I don’t know how I ever could have forgotten you.” He whispered to me before pulling back still holding on to me. His eyes were still damp from the tears he shed but the smile he gave was blinding.
He reached up and put his hand, on my face and gently pulled me in closer giving me plenty of time to back away. I let him pull me closer and closed my eyes. His kiss washed away so much of the pain I felt one hundred years ago with his death. His lips were soft and warm and comforting. When he pulled back I held him close and stared at him and whispered, “I love you, I’m so glad that you’re safe and this is all over.”
“I love you too Zel.” I couldn’t be happier at hearing him say that. We have gone through so much, lost even more and yet for the first time in my life I feel hopeful for the future.