XV: Too Slow

Before the Calamity

Link's POV:

"Can't keep up?" Zelda laughed as I chased her across the Rito bridge.

She wasn't very fast. It was amusing how happy she was... I didn't catch her on purpose. Every time I grew close she would shriek and speed up. 

Zelda blew my mind. She was like everything perfect combined into one. One of the smartest people I knew had an inner child that never grew old. She was beautiful, intelligent, fun...

She stopped ahead of me and turned around to face me. I slowed down to a walk and crossed the bridge to get to her. Zelda folded her hands in front of her, looking down at the ground before looking up and smiling at me. Her golden hair beamed in the sunlight and her green eyes glistened. She was irresistible.

I cackled to myself and broke into a run to catch up to her. Her smile grew wider the closer I grew to her, and I swooped her up into my arms as she laughed up at the sky. She bent her head down to kiss me and I closed my eyes when our lips touched.

I smiled between a kiss and suddenly realized I didn't feel her anymore. I opened my eyes and looked down at my arms that were holding her- Zelda was gone. It took only a split second for me to look up after hearing a faint cry. Everything was dark and there she stood- in the grasp of a Yiga. 

My stomach dropped. I lunged forward to reach her but I could barely move- the air was so thick. Every movement toward her was like trudging through thigh-deep mud.

"Let her go," I growled, gasping and furrowing my eyebrows so hard it hurt. Zelda stood frail, the Yiga holding her up by her waist and covering her mouth with his other hand. He knew he had won. The Yiga began to laugh... that horrible evil laugh. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and sent shivers down my spine. I hated them.

With everything I had in me, I crawled through the air toward her. The closer I got, the harder he laughed. I could nearly feel his evil smile growing creepily behind the mask. Suddenly, he pulled out a blade.

"Too slow," he cackled as he cocked his head to the side. 

"No!" I shrieked, watching a tear fall from Zelda's glossy eyes. That split second eye contact was enough to shatter my entire spirit. Zelda watched me let her die. I was too slow. With the blink of an eye, the Yiga threw his arm in the air and slit Zelda's throat. I watched her body fall to the ground. Lifeless.

♦

"ZELDA!!!"

I sat up violently with sweat dripping down my face.

"Link! Yes! Are you okay?"

Zelda lunged off her bed and grabbed me. I was panting so hard that I could feel my own breath bounce of her shirt and back into my face. I gripped her body so hard, trying to pull her closer to me. I was grabbing onto any bit of her I could get.

"Hylia... you scared me," Zelda whispered in my ear as she cradled my head in one hand. "What's wrong?" 

She pulled slightly away and crouched down to look at me. I was hanging my head, my eyes closed as I felt violent fear slowly getting replaced with relief.

"Link?" Zelda cooed as she raised my head slightly. "Oh my," she gasped. "Link- are... are you crying?"

Yeah. I was. I was crying in front of the Princess of Hyrule. Weeping, even.

I grabbed her and pulled her back to me, grasping for her tangible being so I would know she was real. I could feel my hands shaking against her back. I was scared that if I let go of her she would disappear from me and be gone forever.

"Zelda-" I whispered shakily.

"Yes! Yes, Link," Zelda said, longing for me to tell her what was wrong.

I didn't finish my sentence. I was too weak. It felt like I was nothing. My words meant nothing, my actions were nothing if I couldn't protect her... I cried quietly into her shirt like she did into mine the night before.

I refused to let go of her. She probably reasoned that it had something to do with me losing her.

"Link," Zelda said reassuringly. "I'm not going anywhere." She grabbed my face and forced me to look at her. "We're not going anywhere. Promise, remember?"

My heart began to slow down and I regained my composure. Recollections of my surroundings came back to me: we were at the stable.

Oh god. The Stable Keeper probably just saw all of this.

I turned to see the man behind the counter quickly turn around to avoid eye contact. Great. That's just great. The chosen hero crying in front of commoners.

I stood up and walked outside to get a breath of the wild. The dream was haunting- it felt so real. I watched Zelda die... every time I closed my eyes I could see it. It wasn't even that I failed myself, it was that I failed her. She knew that she was going to die and I wouldn't be able to save her.

I tried to brush the thought from my head by listening to the breeze blow through the grass and the birds chirp in the trees. I knew Zelda was here with me but for some reason it felt like I failed somehow. Maybe it was the kiss... maybe I was failing her by falling for her. I felt in my heart that we should be together but somewhere in my subconscious I felt like I was doing something wrong. Maybe our romance was putting us- her, in danger.

"Hey, Hero," I heard Zelda say behind me. Her gentle footsteps grew closer and she wrapped her arms around my waist from behind. "What was that all about?"

I felt like retracting back into my silence- I didn't want to tell her what happened. The guilt from that dream devastated my confidence and pride... The pressure of protecting her felt greater then than it ever had. I didn't even want to speak... I just needed to think and face these things alone.

So, I didn't say anything.