Falling Worlds; Zelink, Modern Magic AU (The Legend Of Zelda)

The End Of What She Knew (10)

Zelda waited outside the lab, her father's blood still on her hands. She had tried to help, tried to stop the bleeding... but it was no use; there was only so much a young girl could do in that situation.

Her father had been taken to the hospital but they wouldn't let her go with. The explanations they had given her for why she couldn't go along didn't exactly make sense but it didn't matter if they had or not, she was in shock.

But at least he was alive. He was alive, and she prayed to all the goddesses she knew of that he would stay that way.

After a little while, Link sat down beside her and pressed a hand to her shoulder. "We should go home."

Zelda turned her blurry gaze to Link and shook her head.

"Zelda... right now you need to be in a place you know."

What he's saying makes sense... she thought. "I don't think... I can walk right now..." she said as she wiped the tears off of her cheeks.

Link stood up. "I'll carry you home then."

"What?" she said as she froze, her sleeve on her cheek.

"Don't worry about it," he said as he knelt in front of her. "And when we get home I'll make pancakes."

He's being really nice. She thought, and then shook her head and stood up. Her brain was impaired enough by pain at that moment that she honestly didn't care anymore. Zelda wrapped her arms around his neck and he stood up.

After a few minutes Zelda muttered, "Aren't you going to tell me 'I told you so?'"

Link shook his head. "No," he replied. "Why should I? Do you regret going?"

"N-no, I'm glad I was there... If I hadn't been there... Jeffery could have died."

Link's grip on her legs tightened slightly, then he shifted her to a more secure position. "How did you save him?"

Zelda shook her head slightly where it rested on his shoulder. "I don't know I just sort of... jumped in front of him and the shards hit me and..." she trailed off.

"They hit you?" he pressed. "What happened?"

"It was like I was a wall, and they just... shattered into nothing," she murmured against his shirt.

"I see..."

"Do you have any idea why?"

"Maybe you're magic, missy," he said lightly.

She shook her head, not appreciating his humor in the situation. "Not magic enough to save my father..."

---

Link set her down on the couch and then went into the kitchen to make the promised pancakes. She probably wouldn't be able to eat them, but it was the thought that counted.

Zelda turned on the TV to see if there was any news about the lab accident. She flipped through channel after channel but there was nothing.

She wanted to know how her father was doing but she didn't know how to contact the hospital, or how to ask...

"So... How are you holding up?" Link asked softly as he set a plate of pancakes in her lap.

She looked down at the plate and poked at it with the fork he gave her. "I don't know... I'm just waiting for the hospital to call..."

"They may not give good news."

"Shut up!" she cried, standing up and glaring. "That's not what I need to hear right now," she said angrily.