The Oblivion (Fierce Deity Link x Reader)

Chapter 16: Lost Minds

It was a jarring silence that held me in place. Time moved slowly. The armor of the soldiers around us glinted in the morning light. Flashes of magic erupted around me and turned my gaze. The beings behind me prepared to strike. Would they look to my command or would they act with their own intent? The soldier's spears clinked as they aimed their iron tips for the threatening deities before them. The Captain's face twisted in surprise and he grabbed the hilt of his sword.

"No! Stop!" I outstretched my hand toward my companions. They looked at me, bewildered as I turned my head to the Captain. "There is no need for force." My voice flowed strong. I hoped my resolve would convince him. His hand did not move from the hilt of his blade.

"Please," I pleaded. "I don't want any bloodshed." The Captain judged the sincerity of my words and weighed his options. He eyed the two large beings behind me who seemingly were under my command. He could not risk fighting them.

"Very well..." He nodded towards his soldiers. They formed orderly lines beside us, keeping alert should we make any sudden movements. My companions followed suit, erasing their magic yet keeping their weapons holstered.

Not a word was spoken as we marched towards Hyrule Castle. The air was unbearably silent. The birds made appearances flitting between the trees yet they did not dare chirp. Not even the horses made a noise. The only sounds were our movements. The stomping soldiers beside us eyed the forest wearily looking deep into the brush and trees. Hyrule had become a timid land.

Through passing glimpses in breaks among the underbrush, the bloated carcasses of dead monsters lay. Their foul decaying stench clogging the air and invading our lungs. I held my breath, gazing into the glassy white eye of a moblin as we marched over its stomped outreached arm. The forest was a battleground. The morose look on the soldier's faces increased as we neared the entrance to Hyrule field.

The breath was stolen from my lungs. Scorched earth scarred the ground, ruined camps littered the area, broken weapons and armor shown in the morning light through the blood and dust that covered them. I barely saw the blackened ruins of my former home at the sight of everything before me.

As we marched over a hill, my heart lurched. Below the towering walls surrounding Castle Town were rows of wooden grave markers. Our soldier escorts looked forward ignoring the dismal sight of weeping widows and children clutching to the wooden stakes of their fallen loved ones. They trudged into the town, shedding a tear or two as we passed.

The hooves of our steeds echoed dully on the empty cobblestone streets. There was no life. Curtains hid cowering families. The Inn's were overrun with homeless citizens. Men leaning against the walls of buildings in tattered clothes watched us pass with faces void of emotion. I could do nothing but gape in horror of the state of Hyrule. My heart was stricken with guilt as I had not known Hyrule was suffering while I was playing in the forest. I had been "milling about". I should have returned sooner. And why hadn't I? For the fear of what my former friends might think? How selfish of me. 

"Please dismount." The Captain turned to us as guards relieved the soldiers of their positions. Luminite, Oni, and Terr followed my actions, observing my expression with somber faces. We had not expected a war. The guards lead us into the palace. My chest screeched as the grand stone arches of the entrance passed above us. Terr gently brushed my hand with hers as a small gesture of support. However, both of us knew that there was not anything we could do but confess.

Zelda sat on her throne, and I could look at nothing else. Her stare held a thousand emotions as I moved toward the center of the room. This would be my judgment. I prayed that my message would be heard. Our gaze never faltered, never wavered. Her piercing blue eyes tore into my soul, tearing me apart. My friend, my princess, my queen, I had relinquished all that she was to me with my actions. People began to trickle into the throne room upon hearing that I had returned. Sokra's voice erupted from the crowd crying out my name in a gasp of disbelief, but I kept my eyes locked with the queen before me. Zelda's court looked down upon me from their lofty seats next to her. The room's muttering almagamation of whispers ceased as the scribe's voice broke through.