Never the Same

Part 14

Zelda felt his breathing getting more and more rapid. She reached up and started combing through his hair with her fingers. He pulled apart and started pacing. Zelda had never seen him so panicked. She was still getting used to the fact that he was showing emotions around her. It meant that he trusted her, and she would cherish that trust.

"Champion"

He didn't hear her.

"Link" Zelda said in a stern tone, wiping away the tear tracks that mapped her face like the rivers in Lanayru.

He looked at her, cyan eyes full of panic.

"Whats wrong?" she said in a gentle tone, grasping him by the shoulders. He placed his head on her shoulder.

"Iris." he said in a small tone.

"Your sister?"

She felt him nod.

"She's- She's learning to become captain of the royal archer. She's 15. Incredibly handy with a bow. She's stuck in the castle Zel."

She froze. She didn't think about that. All of the loss that everyone was experiencing because of this. She broke their embrace. They turned to face the smoking body of Terrakko. All of the champions and their descendants ran up to the courtyard, including Wild and Impa.

Zelda knelt down and brushed the side of terrakko's eye with her fingers. A tear escaped her eye, tracking the dirt on her face.

Her tear dropped on terrakko. His eye lit up barely, and she choked. An eerie whistle wafted through the air. The small tune that it had played when she was younger.

She remembered now. She had fixed terrakko. And he had sung that song to lull her to sleep. But after her mom died, her father had taken terrakko away from her, in order for her to focus on praying.

"Terrakko..." she whispered.

Wild had a hand on Champion's shoulder.

"Calamity Ganon-" Zelda slowly rose to her feet. "For the sake of Hyrule, for all those harmed and slain, For our future," Wild grabbed the hilt of his sword, "This is where you fall!"

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Wild had to admit. Zelda was incredibly strong. She had taken over control of the armies, and had seized control, to lay siege to the the castle. And decimate ganon. This team was hellbent on revenge, and Wild would make sure that there would be one reality that he didn't fail the champions.

As they were running to the sanctum Wild marveled at how crowded the grounds were. When he had charged ganon, it was empty, except for the guardians. Not even monsters had dared to be in the courtyard amongst the guardians. He hadn't seen this many people anywhere. There was a max of 1500 Hylians in his hyrule, but it looked like there was that many in this area alone.

As they neared the sanctum, a girl with fiery red hair and bright blue eyes that matched Champion's was limping out of one of the side doors.

He heard Champion choke. Wild felt like he recognized this girl, she looked fifteen with a bow strapped to her back. She fell to her knees.

Champion surged forward to catch her. Wild caught his lips moving. She had a huge gash over her eye, and had a wound on her side. Mipha ran forward and crouched by Champion, hands already glowing turquoise. Wild just stared at her, head tilted slightly. He took a few steps towards them.

He felt that he should recognize her, but he didn't. And he felt guilty for it.

Mipha had healed her side, but when she went to heal her eye, the girl stopped her.

"Don't Mi. It makes me look cool."

Champion was about to object, but was interrupted by the girl standing up and walking over to Wild. She put her hands on her hips.

"Who are you?" The girl with the red hair said, blue eyes piercing Wild.

"Wild."

"Iris. Captain of the royal archers" Iris said.

Champion gasped. "You got the promotion?"

Iris grinned.

"Champion, mind telling us who this is?" Revali said, with a little bit of edge.

"My sister, Iris." Champion said, no emotion in his voice. Wild had noticed that he showed little to none emotion when addressing the king or the champions, especially when they were in public.

Iris rolled her eyes. "So stoic, Link! Anyways, I have to go check on the other archers." She looked at the other champions including the ones from the future and then looked Wild dead in the eye. Wild held his ground, but once she looked away, he felt himself relax slightly. "But Link, you owe me an explanation. Deal?" Champion and Iris shook hands, and with that, the redhead ran off to check on the other archers.

"You didn't recognize her did you?" Impa said, startling him.

"I didn't. And I feel bad about it." Wild said, clenching his fists.

"Let's just get this over with" Wild said, Looking at the castle with pure rage.

Zelda hesitantly walked towards the entry to the sanctum.

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Zelda was petrified.

One step.

This was do or die. One wrong move and the kingdom falls

Two steps.

One wrong move and she would fail an entire kingdom.

Three steps.

The kingdom that she bled for. That she endured years of praying to save.

Four steps.

She was running now. Running to put an end to ganon.

Five.

Six.

seven.

Eight.

Nine.

She made it to the sanctum and took a shaky breath.

In the dark, two red eyes looked at her. Two eyes full of malice. A guttural growl circled her and the eerily quiet room. She heard the clinking of armor, but she stayed staring into the eyes of ganon. The beast that had taken so much from her and those she loved.

Wild snarled at ganon. He was gripping his royal guard broadsword so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

Champion flexed his shoulders. In his hands, the master sword was glowing, and his Hylian shield was fixed to his arm.

Zelda turned her attention to the Calamity. It lit up in a swarm of purple and red, and rose to its full height. It was easily as tall as a talus, and Zelda could feel its malice.

Zelda took a deep breath.

She thought about all the people who had lost their lives, in Wild's time, and refused to let that happen here. She would destroy Ganon. Or die trying.