Blighted Memories

Chapter 15. To Shoot a Raven

   Link chased Hestu out of the serene grove and into the misty veil of the Lost Woods. Link had to admit, despite his large body and small legs, Hestu was much faster than he appeared. He underestimated the big guy, evidently. It looked as though he would have to push himself a bit harder to catch up. He accepted the challenge.

   "Yahaha!" Hestu sang. "You can't get me! You're too slow!"

   Link wasn't about to take any of that from some forest fairy. He spurred forward with a smug grin, the momentum of Hestu's taunt carrying him.

   Hestu noticed and ran even faster. Link wondered if he had always been this fast. If so, he could see why he was so physically fit. Hestu's playing must've been an effective exercise for him, the perfect way to keep him in peak condition. Perhaps that's why he'd played with Hestu often. Or maybe he found it genuinely fun. Maybe both. Link thought it was plausible. He was feeling a decent rush simply chasing Hestu down, but that may have been because it was challenging his skills, and he loved a challenge.

   Hestu was smart to take advantage of the mist in the forest. When he sometimes changed directions, Link nearly lost sight of him a few times. But he always heard the distinct rattle of the maracas Hestu carried with him. He was able to track him fairly well thanks to them.

   There was something liberating about this. Perhaps it was because he was spending time with an old friend, or that he was getting back in touch with old feelings that he used to feel. It made him feel like the weight of all of Hyrule wasn't on his shoulders, almost as if he were finally breathing again after being suffocated for a long period of time. Part of him didn't want to stop, to keep going and going.

   He'd never felt this way before, at least not since awakening in the Shrine of Resurrection. Is this what it felt like to not have a single care in the world? Is this what it felt like to live the life of an ordinary person, not burdened with the spirit of the goddess's hero? It felt like paradise to Link. He felt like he could let his guard down and enjoy the moment.

   But then images of Hylian soldiers flashed through his head. Smiling faces that quickly transformed into images of them laying in a pool of their own blood, an army of monsters nearby, and Calamity Ganon rising out of Hyrule Castle. Zelda's terrified face crossed Link's mind briefly.

   They weren't even memories. They just came to his mind as he continued to run. Here he was, having a moment of reprieve. But there were people he let down that would never have those moments again. Zelda was still fighting Ganon too, and here Link was goofing off when he should be trying to pull the Master Sword.

   Did he truly deserve to feel this elation? Was he even allowed to permit himself to feel it? What would his old comrades say? What would Zelda say? What would his father say? How could Link just play with a forest fairy he barely remembered when the world was at stake, especially if he were its last line of defense?

   Was he even worthy of feeling this way to begin with?

   Link didn't realize it, but he'd slowed down quite a bit as his mind shifted from the prospect of a break to confusion and guilt. Eventually, he came to a slow stop as the weight of the world forced itself upon his shoulders once more. He stared into the sea of mist, suddenly lost. He knew his way back to the grove. But he was lost.

   Hestu noticed this and turned around. They were almost to the trial site and wanted to keep him moving. But he was concerned about the look on Link's face. Just a moment ago, his face exuded a confident determination and desire for fun. This look was the opposite, one that showed a heart that had been battered and beaten. A heart that was tired, very tired.