So Below

Part 7

The hands passed Wild from one to another like he was a plate of food being distributed at the dinner table. He fought, he bit, he struggled. Every time he got loose and tried to jerk away, another hand appeared from somewhere and continued to carry him on.

Eventually the hands brought him back to the original chamber he woke up in. They laid him down back upon the pile of animal skins and finally let go. Wild gave out one last kick at them before they disappeared back beneath the ground.

Wild pushed himself back onto his feet, intending to run back to the guys, and stopped. The monster was standing in front of him.

"Zel... da..." It groaned, raising its bloodied, stump arms like it was asking for a hug.

"Oh, shut up!" Wild snapped at him. "Enough of this! Get the hell out of my way!"

The monster didn't move. It cocked its giant head and looked down at Wild's bandaged foot.

"Hurt..."

"I'm hurt because of you! You did this to me!"

The monster shook its head. "Pro... tect..."

"Protect?" Wild repeated. "From what? My friends? They were here to help me!"

The monster continued to furiously shake its head, its dislocated jaw jiggling as it did so. "Pro... tect... Pro... tect..."

"I found the torture chamber."

That shut the monster up. It jerked, its next words dying in his mouth like a raspy wail.

"I read what they did to you," Wild continued. "It was awful and nobody deserved that, but you should've moved on a long time ago. There's nothing for you here now."

Wild took a cautious step forward. He hasn't told the monster the truth. He was afraid if he revealed himself not to be Zelda, it would trigger the monster into attacking him. This creature was too strong to take on by himself without any weapons. He had to stall, wait for the others to find him.

"Let me go," Wild said gently. "Let me go home."

"Hurt!" The monster groaned out. "Hurt!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Hurt! Zel... da!"

"Hurt me? Who? All I know is you kidnapped me one night. Tried to take me away. As far as I can see, the only thing hurting me here is you."

The monster struggled to breathe. It swallowed audibly, a clicking noise coming from its throat.

"Pro... tect..." It bit out. "Pro... tect... Pro... tect... MY... prin... cess..."

A bone-chilling cold settled deep inside of Wild's chest. "What...?"

Another hand rose from the ground in front of Wild. Unlike the other arms that were devoid of blood, this hand was alive, color still in its flesh. Its fingers were badly broken, many parts of its skin burned or cut-

And there on the back of the hand, flickering like a dying candle flame, was a Triforce piece.

Wild felt his heart stop.

For a long second, the world around him ceased to be. He felt no pain, no cold, no wetness. He heard nothing except the blood roaring in his ears as everything he came to learn suddenly slotted together like the last piece in a puzzle.

This creature standing before him wasn't a monster. He was a Hero.

Wild gasped. "Hylia..."

The Hero, broken and worn, shuffled forward, coming into Wild's space. Wild made no attempts to step back. The fear and anxiety that was once swirling inside of him had vanished. Why would he be scared? This was his brother in arms, someone who vowed to protect his princess and has continued to do so long after death. There was no danger here.

"Zel... da..." The Hero said softly. With a contended sigh, he rested his chin against Wild's shoulder. "Zel... da..."

Wild closed his eyes and leaned into him, silent tears falling down his cheeks. The Hero's skin felt like fine leather after it's been treated and aged. He was cold. So, so cold.

Wild needed to get the Hero out of this damnable place. Bring him... bring him to where? Was he even technically alive? He needed help, more help than Wild could provide. Perhaps bring him to an actual Zelda; she would know how to-

The Hero suddenly reared back, a gut-wrenching scream bellowing out of his mouth. He twisted, forcing Wild to stumble back, revealing the arrow sticking out from between his shoulder blades.

And standing there at the entrance of the chamber, was Twilight. He was covered in blood, his clothes torn in several areas. His face was set in cold determination as he quickly notched another arrow. He let it fly.

The arrow struck the Hero right into his empty eye-socket with a echoing THUD. He screamed once again, sounding more like an animal than a man.

Wild ran forward, putting himself between the Hero and Twilight. "Stop! Don't hurt him!"

"What are you doing?" Twilight yelled. He already had another arrow notched, ready to fly. "Get out of the way!"

"He's one of us! He's a Hero!"

"What?"

"He's a Hero..." Wild said again. "Please... don't hurt him... he's been through enough."

Twilight lowered his bow and arrow, his eyes widening in horror.

The Hero was on the ground, curled in around himself, groaning softly in pain. Black blood leaked from where the arrows had struck him. Every breath he took sounded broken. Wild kneeled down and gently placed a hand on his cheek.

"We're going to get you some help, okay?" Wild said to him. "So just hold on."

"Zel...da..." the Hero said softly, his voice getting quieter. "Zel... da..."