XII: Now or Never

Before the Calamity

(Disclaimer: Pieces of dialogue from this chapter belong to Nintendo)

Zelda's POV:

Not much occurred at Rito Village.

I warned Revali that the Calamity was on the rise and gave him a meeting place where I would have all the Champions gather after Link and I had finished talking to them all. I told him to be prepared and to not lose sight of what he was truly fighting for.

I wish I had given myself that advice.

Anyways, after the uneventful trip, I decided I would go adventuring without Link. I was quite tired of him after all.

Of course, it was very difficult to get any time away from him. He followed me when I spoke to Revali and followed me all the way back to Rito Stables. When we reached the stable, I requested to take out Storm. Link began to ask for Epona, but I stopped him.

"Link just... just leave me alone! For just a little while, that's all I ask! I will be going by myself, I am fine."

He stared at me, not knowing what to say. I turned away and didn't look at him, wishing that they could bring Storm quicker so I wouldn't have to dwell in the awkwardness. They took what seemed like forever to saddle him, but he was in my hands soon enough. 

I climbed on top of Storm and shot a serious look at Link, telling him not to follow me. I turned Storm away and began walking down the path. I could feel Link staring at me until I was out of sight.

I thought about what I should do on my little adventure and decided to examine an ancient shrine. They were always quite fascinating to me—how they got there, how they operated... I wished to try one out for myself. 

I took Storm to the top of a very high cliff. I was a little scared being up there, but the excitement of the shrine kept me focused. As soon as I saw it, I dismounted Storm and ran over to investigate it. 

After studying the intricate design of the shrine, I held my Sheikah Slate up to the pedastal. Nothing. It seemed to have been designed for only the hero to use...

"Designs can be worked around!" I said to myself. "Or so I hope..."

But soon enough, I was no longer talking to just myself. I heard a second horse summit the cliff and walk towards me. Link...

I turned around in frustration and shouted at him: "I wanted to come alone! I, the person in question, am fine!" 

I could see the surprise on his face, my fury taking him aback. One would think he would be used to me lashing out at him by now. He jumped off of his horse and walked towards me to make sure I was okay. 

"Stop, Link! I need a break! I need to just... be myself! And clearly that is not something you want to handle so just... leave!"

I stormed away, stomping my feet into the barren cliff top. I hoped he wouldn't, but I knew he would—he followed behind me like a sheep dog.

"And... stop following me!" I shouted. At that, I grabbed onto Storm and jumped up onto the saddle. As quickly as I could, I turned Storm away and started down the cliff. I was hoping to lose Link in the process.

I finally reached the bottom after Storm carefully picked his footing the whole way down. I was ready to be back at the stables to rest. I didn't want to think about the day anymore—my agitation had worn me out.

I rode softly along the massive sand-like walls around me, engulfing the wild that I was surrounded by. As I was appreciating the beautiful land, I noticed three men walking in the distance.

I grew closer and closer to them until I could make out their faces. I didn't recognize them, obviously—they were commoners. But they seemed to be very hearty men by the way they were laughing. 

I approached the gentlemen open-mindedly. I was about to say hello, but I was cut off by one of them.

"My, My! Well if it isn't the princess of Hyrule! What are you doing in these parts, m'lady?" One man asked, dropping his head in respect.

"Hello, kind men! I am currently on a-"

"Say, that is a mighty fine horse you have there, your Highness! Mind if I come take a look?" the second man interrupted.

I was confused why they would ask, but I said yes. The man walked toward me slyly and examined Storm's face. He was a beautiful horse, after all, he had a completely white coat. When I was a girl, I used to marvel at the sight of him.

As I watched the man cautiously, I noticed a small grin that grew on his face.

"You know what I'm thinking boys?" he cackled. "There's three of us... and only one of her."

My heart immediately dropped. I begged Storm to run with a firm kick, but the man grabbed the reins so he couldn't move. I gasped, my breathing quick and jagged. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst through my chest. There was nothing in my body but fear.

"Stop! I command you," I screamed. "You will regret this! My knight is coming!"

"Oh, well where is he?" The third man snickered as he walked toward me. "It appears that he... is nowhere in sight." An evil smile crept across his face as he reached Storm. Suddenly, his hands were grabbing my waist.

I fought it as much as I could. I screamed and kicked, trying to break free of his grasp. Tears burst from my eyes and I cried out, knowing that I could be at the complete mercy of these strange men, not knowing what they were going to do to me.

Storm was spooked and he moved back and forth nervously, switching from foot to foot as he threw his head in the air. I thought he might run away, leaving me with the men.

Despite my strongest efforts, the third man yanked me from Storm's saddle and threw me on the ground. I scurried back, wincing in pain.

"Please... Please!" I begged, coughing from the dust. "You don't know what you're doing!" I moved so quickly along the ground that I reached a sandy wall sooner than I thought. Once I backed into it, I was trapped. 

"Where should we take her?" One of the men asked. 

"We could take her back home or just deal with her right here and now," the first man said. 

I shook in fear, my eyes racing back and forth from man to man, trying to trace their movements. I saw the second man slowly start to fidget with the top of his pants...

"No!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Birds cawed and flew away at the sound of my shriek, and I covered my face with my hands as the first man violently grabbed my wrists. 

"Don't move," he hissed.

The ground shook under me. There was a violent pounding noise, that grew faster and louder. I dropped my hands just under my eyes to see what it was.

A galloping horse... and Link.

"Link!" I shrieked between tears. I wiggled out of the grasp of the first man and tried to get to my feet but was beaten back down onto the ground.

"Grab her!" One of the men said, fear struck into his eyes. The first man grabbed my ankles and dragged me back to him, wrapping me in his arms. "Run!" the other two yelled.

Link was quicker than the travelers. He galloped to me and leaped off Epona mid-sprint, unsheathing his sword during his fall. Without thinking, Link flipped his sword around and smashed the blunt end of the sword's handle into the first man's back, trying to do as little damage to the travelers since I was watching. The man crumbled in pain, loosening his grip on me. I tried to squirm away, but he was crushing me.

Link swiftly dropped to his knees and threw the man over so his back was on the ground. I scurried away, getting to my feet to hide behind Link.

The other two men backed away slowly, fear lining their faces. The man on the ground coughed and raised his head just enough to look in Link's eyes.

"You think," the man groaned, "that you can truly protect her? That whore you have there will make nothing of this kingdom... She deserves nothing but-"

He was cut off by Link's sword in his face.

The man scoffed at Link's threat. "The only thing she has... is her body. She will bring this kingdom to ruin, do you hear me? Ruin! Her purpose is for men to be between her-"

"Go to hell," Link snarled between his clenched teeth, not letting the man finish his sentence. "You deserve to die." He kicked dirt in the scoundrel's face and clenched his sword.

I knew the only holding Link back from slicing the man's throat was that I was standing behind him. I assumed it was out of respect for me—he didn't raise his sword. Link was infuriated.

"You may keep your filthy little lives," Link growled impatiently. "You should really thank the princess. If she weren't here you wouldn't be so lucky..." Link's voice trailed off. He violently threw his head to the side so he didn't have to look at them any longer. "Go," he demanded.

The other two men came and grabbed their friend, pulling him to his feet. They ran off, disappearing from our sight as the sun faded behind the mountains.

Link breathed heavily for a while, staring at the ground. He hadn't turned around to look at me.

I placed my shaky hand gently on his back to tell him I was still there. Immediately, he turned around and grabbed me, pulling me in tightly against his body. For a second it felt like the way it was before.

The tight embrace released all of my emotions. "Oh, Link," I said with tears in my eyes. "You saved... my life." I began to sob as I dug my face into his chest. My body shook heavily as the thoughts of what those men were going to do clouded my head. Link held me until I stopped crying. 

"Princess, this is why you can't be alone," Link said as I raised my eyes to look at him. He let go of me and began to walk away. "It is my duty to protect you."

My breathing stopped. There it was. He was just fulfilling his duty...

My lower lip quivered as I began to tear up again. Thunder cracked against the sky and the horses spooked, running back to the stable. The sky leaked, rain falling slowly before picking up its pace. I batted my eyes, forcing the rain out of them. Link, frustrated, called to Epona but she could not hear him against droplets crashing into the ground.

"So... that's it?" I whispered as my heart sank. "Us, we—you... This is just a duty for you? A job for you to complete?"

Link turned his head slightly but only looked at the ground. I walked toward him slowly, my eyes vision growing blurry. He slowly turned fully to look at me. I looked into his eyes, hoping to find any emotion in them. He looked sad, but I could barely tell.

"Link..." I said quietly, forcing all the air out of my lungs at once. I think he noticed how glassy my eyes were because he turned back and faced the ground in shame. My breathing quivered as I reached my arm out to him. He turned and walked away.

The breath died in my lungs.

"Was holding my hand and cantering through the wild in the job description, Link?" I cried, brushing a wet strand of hair from my eyes. Link was growing farther away from me, the rain flattening his hair against his head. "Was drawing me close in your bed, of all things, part of your job?!"

"Don't you understand?!" Link said, nearly shouting, "your father would have my head for what I've already done! And rightfully so!"

"Rightfully so?!" I stammered. "Is everything just your job? Do you even..." my voice broke and I began to cry. "Do you even care about me at all?"

"Yes! Yes, Zelda!" Link shouted as the rain fought against him.

Zelda? I gasped and stepped back, raising my hand to my face. He had never called me by my name before...

"It has nothing to do with being your knight! My loyalty to the castle has nothing to do with this! Do you ever think it has something to do with the fact that... that I think about you every waking moment of the day, and I get so distracted by you that I'm worried I'll mess up once and get you killed? I couldn't live with myself! Don't you get it?! I can't stop thinking about you! Seeing those men touch you like that... I wanted to kill every single one of them! And I am..." His voice cracked. "I'm terrified of losing you, Zelda! I... I can't lose you!"

I froze. My stomach fluttered and my heart began to beat one thousand miles per minute. I couldn't take it anymore—listening to him. It was now or never. I marched toward him, my clothes squishing in the pouring rain.

Link threw his hands in the air. I threw one leg in front of the other, thinking that the space between us would kill me. The heavy rain made our clothes stick to our skin. Link's especially- I could see the outline of his toned body.

"One slip up like this," Link said shakily. "One slip up and you-"

"Stop talking."

I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him.