The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 29: War on the Surface

Chapter 29: War on the Surface

Zelda frowned as she stood within the doorframe of the bedroom, silently watching Link as he prepared for the upcoming battle that was set to begin in just a few hours. The girl had spent the better part of the last two days trying to convince him that he didn't need to fight in the upcoming melee, since he was still recovering from his time in captivity and regaining his strength, but the hero wouldn't hear it. Link knew that defending the surface from the Interlopers would most likely be one of the last things he would ever do of his own free will before being corrupted and he was ready to do anything he could to quell the threat that the rebels posed to Zelda and the surface one last time. And every time the girl tried to plead with him to remain in the village where it would be safe while everyone else went off to war, that is what the hero would tell her, and it only made her feel more guilty about the entire situation.

As angry as she had been with him when he had lied to her about both his corruption and his captivity, she realized that she was now harboring two great secrets of her own. The first was one that she knew she could not tell him yet, as it would only complicate things even more. She hated the fact that it was something that she could not stop, but of course, she didn't really want to stop it at all. What she really wanted was for her husband to be able to survive and share it with her, rather than fade away before even seeing it at all. Her second secret was something that she was almost as afraid to tell him, mostly because she wasn't sure how he would react to it. If she were to tell him that she had a way to cure him of his corruption, but one that ultimately end his life, then she would, in a way, be giving over the decision to him, instead of having to quarrel with herself over it as she had been ever since the dragons told her about it. And in many ways, that would be fair; he would be able to choose for himself what his fate would be, whether it was death or corruption, though neither option was ideal. But no matter what he could possibly choose, Zelda knew that she wouldn't be able to fire that arrow into his heart herself. The very idea of ending Link's life, even if it was to save his spirit, was unthinkable to her.

However, as conflicted as the girl was, she couldn't help but draw in a silent breath when she saw the hero unfurl the crimson cape of Hylia's first hero and prepare to put it on, along with the golden shoulder mantel. Simply seeing the ancient garb filled her mind with the goddess's bittersweet memories of the fallen champion of yore and the reminder that she was going to lose her own hero in a way that was even crueler. But as Zelda thought of this, a sudden realization occurred to her; over the past few months, both her and Link had been keeping far too many secrets from each other, something that they had almost never done before their current ordeal began. Yet despite the many grave secrets she kept hidden from him now, there was at least one that she found she could finally tell him. She owed him that much at least.

"Link," Zelda said as she finally entered the room fully. The hero, who had unaware of her presence until now, turned to face her, giving her a small smile.

"Oh, hey, Zel," he said as he finished securing the golden armor plates on his shoulders. "I was just getting ready. Is something wrong?"

The girl was silent for a moment as she avoided his crimson gaze. "You know…" she said as she took his hands, deciding to start with something unrelated first. "I wouldn't think any less of you if you decided to stay back after all. In fact, I'd even be willing to stay here with you if you wanted me to. Then we'd both be out of harm's way, at least for a little while…"

Link sighed as his smile faded, knowing that they had been through this too many times now. "You know we can't do that, Zelda," he said resolutely, though there was a sincere understanding for her position in his tone. "You've said it before yourself: this land is our responsibility. It's our job to fight for it and keep it and the Triforce safe from them. And that's what I intend to do right up until the very moment I'm fully corrupted."