Hero by Heart

Chapter 55

Zelda felt like her heart was going to burst. It was beating so hard that everyone around her for sure had to hear it. But to be honest, she didn't care.
Link was here, he was alive and he was okay, and that was what counted. She had not been too late.
When he finally released her she stood blinking at him stupidly, having forgotten how to form coherent sentences.
Then he smiled at her, the softest, sweetest smile, and it melted her heart.
It was all she could do to prevent herself from falling, as her knees went weak. She had to control herself, act like the princess she was.
She could still hear the echoes of the cheering, laughing, clapping and whooping of their audience, but she refused to look at them. She was certain she was already bright red, and they would definitely try to make that worse.
     Instead, she focused her attention on Link, who still stood close to her, smiling softly with a glimmer in his eyes.
     His clothes were torn and muddy, soaked in sweat and blood, and his hair was one big mess, but his eyes shone bright, and, to her, he looked incredibly handsome.
'Hey, love birds,' Merina called out cheerfully. 'Are you trying to make us feel sick?'
Riju swatted her arm, shooting her an incredulous look. 'Merina! Let them be.' She smiled at Zelda. 'I think it's romantic.'
Everybody laughed, but Zelda indeed took a step back, and looked out over the top of the hill.
With the Rito's help the battle had quickly turned in their advantage, and the last remaining monsters started to turn and flee, or were killed before they got the chance.
'It's over,' Link whispered softly, his voice thick with the hint of strong emotions.
Zelda shot him a worried look, but he kept looking out over the hills and carefully kept his face guarded.
This was not the moment to talk to him, she decided. They would have to have a good conversation later, but not here.
'What now?' She asked softly, not wanting anyone else to hear her.
Link gently grabbed her hand, still not looking at her. 'Now we go back, and we recover.'
Zelda felt a pang of guilt shoot through her. She felt like something had happened here, something big, but she was no part of it. She did not know what Link had been through, and she might never understand it. She could only hope that it would not drive a deeper wedge between them, with their previous problems still unsolved.
'Okay,' she whispered, gently squeezing his hand to try and offer him some comfort.
'Let's gather everyone,' she said to their companions. 'We will take care of the wounded and bring home the dead, so they can get a proper goodbye.'
The others nodded quietly and slipped of the tree trunk, down to the ground.
Standing there, all alone with Link, Zelda suddenly felt like a proper ruler, for the first time in forever.
She just hoped that it would go well, and that Link would remain by her side, to give her some much needed strength.

It was already dark when the entire company finally made it back into Castle Town.
Exhausted by battle, filthy, hungry and thirsty, nobody really cared much about keeping any real order, so everyone just found their own pace to walk.
     This resulted in people of all different Races mingled in a long march, some chatting with their neighbours, others silently dragging on, staring at the ground in front of their feet, too tired to think.
     The wounded were carried on makeshift stretchers, or helped by a friend or family member to keep them up.
     Back in town, Sidon, Riju, Harth and Bayge each led their own Race to the camp, setting up places for the wounded and securing a place to sleep for every other person.
There were only a few Hylians among the fighters, since most of the trained knights were wiped out one hundred years ago, and no one ever bothered training new ones. This meant that Link and Zelda were soon finished with looking after them.
     'You should get some rest,' Zelda said to the knight, seeing him stumble over his own feet.
     'I'll help first,' he said stubbornly.
     Ever since his very warm welcome, he seemed much more distant, and Zelda thought she could guess why. He had remembered why he was angry with her, and obviously still wasn't able to simply let it go.
     She didn't blame him, but she was sad that there was this distance between them, and eager to get it out of the way.
     'I'm going to check the camp,' Link then said, immediately walking off.
     Zelda looked after him, feeling a familiar sadness fall over her again. For a second she had allowed herself to hope it would all be fine. That had been stupid.
When she finally caught up with him he was busy discussing the consequences of battle with Sidon.
'-fourteen wounded and three dead.' She heard the prince say.
The numbers seemed to hit Link like a physical hit, and he shrunk back ever so slightly.
'It could be much worse, Link,' Sidon said friendly, placing a hand on his shoulder. 'It's terrible, for sure, but if they had come here by surprise, there is no telling how many more it would be.'
Link nodded, but still looked defeated. 'I ordered them to fight. Those men died at my orders. How can anyone live with that?'
Zelda felt the blood rush out of her face, as her heart grew heavy. She heard what he did not say. She had left him to do that. She had put that responsibility on his shoulders.
Suddenly she was certain that he would never forgive her for this.
     Tears started to well up in her eyes, and her throat clenched together as desperation took over.
     Before she could start crying in front of them, she turned and walked away, leaving Link and Sidon to continue their business.