The Hero, the Princess, and the Cursed King

Chapter 26: Reunion

[Link]

Link rode atop Epona as he and Hyrule's Army marched forward. It was approaching dawn, and the first rays of sunlight were barely peeking over the horizon. They would be at Castle Town within the hour, and uncertainty hung heavy in the air. The Army had lost the last time they'd fought here, and their pride still hadn't recovered.

"Did your girl give you that bracelet?"

Link startled and looked down to see Old Man Jerry walking alongside Epona--they weren't going very fast--and pointing at his bracelet. Link looked down at its three gems and faintly smiled. "Yeah, she did. How did you know?"

"I've got one too." He held up his wrist where a tattered and slightly-bent gold bracelet rested. Some words were engraved on it, but Link couldn't make them out. "My wife gave it to me almost forty years ago on our anniversary." He gently rubbed the bracelet. "Is your girl the reason you're fighting? The reason you teamed up with a pitiful army like us?"

"I wouldn't say you guys are pitiful, but yes." They crowned a hill, and Link could now clearly make out Hyrule Castle. He glared up at its turrets. "Ganondorf has her, and I'm going to save her. What about your wife? Are you fighting for her?"

"I'm fighting for her memory." Link looked at him confused, and Jerry continued, "When the war first started, we lived in a town right by the border. It was a cute little place, and she had this beautiful flower garden that she tended to every day. Then, our village was raided, and she was one of the first casualties of this cursed war." The rage that entered Jerry's eyes made Link gulp. "I'm fighting to prevent something like that from happening to anyone else."

"I'm sorry for your loss. That's terrible."

"But that's the cost of war, and everyone in this kingdom has had to pay it in some way or another."

Link gripped the reins tightly. Everyone here went through awful things thanks to this war. He'd witnessed the horrors of it first hand, and now it was up to him to stop it. Link had to end this war, even if it meant killing Ganondorf. No. It would mean killing Ganondorf.

"I'll tell you what, Link." Jerry grinned up at him. "I'll fight for your girl too. What's her name?"

Link stared down at Jerry, debating whether or not to tell him the truth. "Her name is. . . Zelda."

Jerry's brow furrowed. "But only princesses are named that."

Link nodded. "I know."

"So you're girl is Princess Zelda? Isn't she dead?"

"The last time I saw her, she wasn't, and I'm hoping to find her alive inside the castle."

Jerry chuckled. "Well, Hylia almighty, I can't believe it. First, the princess is dead, then she's alive, then dead again, and now she's alive again! But how?"

Link laughed too. "It's a crazy, long, slightly sad story that'll have to wait for after the battle."

Jerry shook his head, softly laughing. "I was suspecting to die in this battle, but you've just given me a reason to survive it."

"Jerry!" Henry called from up ahead. "It's time to get into formation. You too, Link."

"Go save our princess," Jerry said as he headed back toward his group.

"I will." Link called after him before spurring Epona forward. Dodging between regiments and medics, he eventually caught up to King Rhoam, who road atop his mighty steed at the head of his troops.

"So you've finally decided to grace me with your presence, huh?" The king glared at Link. "The soldiers need to think we're a team."

"We aren't a team."