Hero by Heart

Chapter 13

Zelda stumbled backwards, while she grabbed hold of the knife tucked underneath her clothes. She might not survive this, but at least she would go down fighting.
     As she hesitantly poked out the blade, there was a sudden flurry of movement as something fell from the sky.
     Within seconds the two green Lizalfos fell down, dead before they even hit the ground. The last one jumped back just in time, as a sharp blade cut through the air where it had just been.
     The monster did not give up though, and quickly moved away from the threat, before looking at it with its narrowed red eyes.
     Zelda looked on with her eyes wide, still trying to process the shock.
     Despite everything that happened, despite the way she felt about him and despite the fact that she hadn't wanted him to follow her, she was incredibly relieved to see Link.
     He saved her life, again. He showed why he was called a hero, why he was her appointed knight, just by showing up.
     As she saw him approach and walk past her, to stand between her and the monster, she noticed the terrible state he was in.
     He looked like he had just gotten up from a grave. His clothes were torn and covered with mud and blood, his hair was coming loose and seemed three shades darker from sweat and dried blood, and his face looked awful.
     The look in his eyes was beyond exhaustion, full of pain and worry. His mouth was set in a tight grimace, as he stared down the Lizalfos.
     He quickly glanced over his shoulder at her, his eyes dull and hard, barely seeming to notice her.
     Zelda gasped and wanted to step forward, but he looked away again and caught the first attack of the Lizalfos on his shield.
     With incredible speed the monster darted around, using its tail and tongue to try and hit Link. Every time it jumped back again, only to return from another angle.
     Link stood his ground, slapping the monster back with shield and sword, but something about him seemed off.
     He missed his usual grace, the incredible speed that he could swing his sword with, and his blows seemed to lack power.
     The Lizalfos kept moving rapidly, while Link only followed it with his eyes, barely moving. Whenever the monster tried a blow with its tail, Link slapped it away with his shield.
After a while Zelda could see how fresh cuts formed on Links arms and chest, dripping bright red blood and staining his tunic even further.
He did not seem to care however, as he suddenly jumped over the long tongue and dashed forward, moving his sword so fast Zelda could barely see it.
When Link jumped back again the monster had a few nasty cuts on its body, leaking dark blood, looking almost black.
The Lizalfos let out a frustrated hiss and sped forward, straight with its face against Links shield, as he bashed it out.
For a few seconds the beast seemed to be dazed and confused, standing still and shaking its head.
That was enough time for Link to stab it right in the chest, making the Lizalfos shudder before dropping to the ground.
Zelda stared at it as it lay there, blowing out its last breath. All of the Lizalfos were dead and she was not. Only a few minutes ago she would not have believed it.
As Link now carefully approached her, she looked up with big, shocked eyes.
Even though his face still seemed lifeless, his eyes burned with emotions. Zelda could not place them all, but the pain was clearly evident. She also thought she recognised anger and sadness and maybe even guilt.
He stopped about one step away from her and dropped his head a little. They looked at each other for a while, both uncertain of what to do.
'Thank you,' Zelda eventually said, so soft she thought he had not heard her.
Link shook his head however, a frown appearing on his face. 'You should not thank me. I just did my duty.'
Now it was Zelda's turn to shake her head. 'You saved my life,' she said, her voice much louder now, with even a hint of anger. 'I can at least thank you for that. And you should let me.'
She abruptly turned around and started walking again. The way he seemed to blame himself made her anger flare up. She wanted him to maybe apologise, or even yell at her for some reason. She did not really know what she wanted him to do, but not this.
She could not bear to see him in so much pain, both emotionally and physically. She did not want to admit that, though, so she walked away.
'Zelda,' she heard his voice from behind her, sounding tired and defeated. 'I'm sorry.'
She turned around again and looked at him, a hard expression on her face. She could not say why, but she could not bring herself to forgive him just yet.
She stood still as Link walked up to her again, guilt and shame radiating of his stature. He stopped in front of her and looked at her with almost begging eyes.
'I'm sorry for leaving you, for abandoning my duty. I'm sorry for hurting you and I am truly, really, sorry for not being here for you to protect you.' His bright blue eyes were burning into hers and Zelda started to feel uncomfortable under his gaze.
She looked down, her eyes gliding over his body. 'You should get yourself healed up. Mipha's Grace can help with that, right?' Her voice was neutral, as she kept her eyes down, unable to look at him.
'I can't,' Link said quietly. 'It needs time to recharge. I already used it today.'
At that Zelda's head shot up again. She could see he had been through something, but she hadn't expected it to be that bad.
Now that she properly looked at him, Zelda could clearly see the irritated red skin and the fresh pink scars on his body, barely covered by his clothes.
'What happened?' She gasped, temporarily forgetting her resentment.
Link shook his head and waved it away. 'It's not important. I'm just really glad I found you in time.' He looked up at her, his eyes finally growing a little softer. 'Are you okay?'
Zelda nodded, unable to say anything. Her throat was clenched and she knew her voice would be trembling, just like her body was now doing. The shock and fear of the events finally caught up to her.
Link grabbed her shoulders and gently moved her to the side of the path, sitting her down on a rock.
As she was sitting there, trying to regain her posture, she watched him climb down to the Zora River and wash his wounds. He did the best he could, but with the dirty clothes and the fresh blood seeping out it was still messy.
Eventually Zelda got up and crawled down to him, gently taking his arm and washing it with a piece of clean cloth from her bag. She then bandaged his wounds for him, as he looked on.
She could feel his gaze on her, but refused to look him in the eye, focusing on the work she was doing.
When she finished, she washed her hands in the river and wiped them on her breeches, before sitting on a stone near Link.
She could still feel his eyes on her and was just about to snap at him, when he suddenly spoke.
'I remembered.'
That was it. That was all he said.
     Zelda looked at him with questioning eyes, but something deep down told her what he was talking about. That could not be. She did not dare to hope that that was what he meant. So she kept looking at him, patiently waiting for him to continue, which cost her all the willpower she had.
'Our kiss,' Link then finally whispered, averting his eyes and clasping his hands together.
Zelda could feel her heart lurch, as her stomach seemed to twist and turn. She gasped softly and looked at him, unsure of what to do or say.
She could not figure out what this meant. Did he only remember that it happened? Did he remember his feelings? What was he thinking? Why did he tell her this now? Was he hoping she would forgive him?
Her thoughts were racing as she stared, her eyes unfocused. She did not know how to act now. Her feelings were more confused than ever. Could she really forgive him, even after that revelation?
When Link finally looked up she saw his beautiful blue eyes, his soft skin and the pained expression on his face. She saw the messy hair that was usually so soft and the muscles in his arms which now stood tight as cords.
As she met his eyes, she suddenly knew she would forgive him. She would always forgive him, because she had fallen in love with him.
'I'm sorry, Zelda,' Link said again. 'I panicked. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to think. I just wanted to be alone for a bit, to figure it out. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I just want you to know. I never meant to hurt you.'
Zelda quietly nodded. She had not quite forgiven him, but she now felt like it would be alright. Eventually.
For a long time they both sat there in complete silence. Their eyes were focused on the ever-moving river and they barely moved a muscle. That didn't mean their minds were quiet too, for there was a lot to think about.

     Zelda opened her eyes to a bright blue sky, the sun peeking over the treetops. It was warm, but a light breeze promised a beautiful day.
     The day before they had decided not to continue to Zora's Domain. Or rather, she had decided and Link just followed. Even though she still felt weird around him and completely unsure of how to act, she would not send him away.
     By the time they had gotten up from beside the river, he had barely been able to climb the rocks back to the road. He was staggering on his feet, but refusing to show weakness.
     That was why Zelda decided they would rest. That plus the fact that it was late in the afternoon and the path was already shrouded in darkness from the tall pine trees and giant mountainpeaks surrounding them. There were more monsters lurking in those woods and she knew for a fact that they would not be able to fight them, with Link in the state he was in.
     So she demanded him to rest and take some time to let his wounds heal, while she prepared a small dinner over the little campfire created by the Lizalfos.
     It had been a quiet affair, as they both chewed while staring at the river, the water being the only sound to disrupt the silence.
     Not long after finishing her food, Zelda had turned around, facing away from Link, and tried to sleep despite the early hour.
     Several more hours had passed before she was finally able to, but she now felt well rested and excited to continue her research in the Domain.
     Glancing over at Link she found him still sleeping, his limbs splayed out in all directions, the bandages and fresh scars clearly visible.
     Zelda bit her lip as a wave of guilt washed over her. He still looked terrible and beat and it was all because of her.
Maybe if she hadn't tried to make a move he would not have ran away, then he would not have had to endure whatever he came across on his way back and he wouldn't have had to save her from those Lizalfos.
She let him sleep while she washed herself near the river, feeling refreshed and alert after the cold water hit her face.
She then prepared a meagre breakfast and ate in silence, before getting up again and walking around for a bit. She was getting restless, but Link was still sleeping, probably really needing it.
     Zelda did what she could to keep busy, even rearranging the little stuff Link had on him. Every now and then she glanced at him, but there was no reaction.
     He lay there sleeping peacefully, a small smile on his lips. He seemed completely different now from how he had arrived yesterday.
     His expression was friendly and relaxed, instead of a hard mask of pain and exhaustion. He did not look at her with those eyes that honestly frightened her, the way they seemed almost lifeless. Maybe he just really needed to rest.
     Zelda thought back of what he had told her. He remembered their first real kiss. That meant something right? If only he had given her a clue of what he felt now.
     It was maddening, to know he only remembered fragments of their past, but that those were the most meaningful. Was that not enough for him to feel like he used to?
     As she looked at him, she felt the pain in her chest, twisting like a knife. He meant so much to her and they had been through so much together. She would give anything to get back to the way it had been.
     But it couldn't be. She had to keep reminding herself he was different. He was not the knight she remembered and it was unfair to treat him like it. It would probably never really be like the old days. She had to forget about him.