One For Sorrow

Part One: One For Sorrow

You inhaled deeply. Counted to three, then exhaled even longer. That's one.

You could smell the grass around you, feel the lazy breeze against your skin. It grounded you; reminded you of where you stood.

Another breath. Closing your eyes, you counted again: two.

Breathing slowly, you took in the rest of your surroundings. Faintly, the lazy breeze shook the trees. A bird chirped. The day was as calm as lazy late-summer days can get. To anyone else, the near-uninhabited Great Plateau would have been a great place to relax.

A third breath. This one shaky, but deep.

An equally shaky hand wipes tears away. A bright sun kisses your skin, making the saltwater tracks feel as out of place as your poor mood on what should be a lovely day.

Steady, you inhale again. The fourth time seemed to be the most calming one yet and gives you the courage to open your eyes.

The visual of Calamity Ganon encircling Hyrule Castle reminds you why you were crying in the first place. The black smoke-like tendrils that ensnared the once great pillars were stark against the horizon. Like a snake coiling around itself before it strikes. Waiting. Watching. Ready for the perfect moment to start the hunt. And Hyrule, all its land and citizens, were the prey.

Your fifth inhale is rushed. You have to remind yourself to hold it. To calm your fiercely beating heart. Deprive it of oxygen enough that it slows to conserve the limited amount it receives. That's the only way you can quell the tears.

The castle looms before you. Within a week, you will stand before it. You will go. You will try to fight it. You will die. You know that.

A sixth breath. One that is filled with determination.

You can't be sad; you chose this life for yourself. You know that. You knew that when you volunteered to take this life as your own. And now, 100 years after the Hero of Hyrule fell, you embarked on a journey in the place of another. You were going to save your world. With or without him.

The seventh breath is the one you hold the longest. You take this final opportunity to steady yourself. You know it will be the last chance you get, because he never lets you get to eight.

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Thanks for reading the first chapter of my story! If you liked it, I posted 1 more chapter after this. You can continue reading if you enjoyed what you read here.

After that, I'll try to post a chapter every week. I'm planning on also doing a bonus chapter every other week or something, if that's something you'd all be interested in. Kinda like filler episodes in a TV show. This chapter was a lot shorter than what I usually write (about 400 words) so expect later chapters to be much longer.

As always, feedback is appreciated. I'll try to reply to as many comments as I can, since I'm sharing the stories I write to connect with people who have similar interests as me.