The sea was uncharacteristically calm today, its saffire blue so still Link could almost see his reflection in it. The water only rippled every now and then as a gentle breeze blew past, carrying the scent of salt and freshly cut grass.
This spot, at the end of the dock, was where he had been standing for the better part of the last three days, gazing out over the vastness of the sea, hoping, wishing and praying for Zelda to wake up.
Now his prayers seemed to have been answered, and he stood there breathing in the fresh air, feeling so much lighter. The breeze played through his hair and he closed his eyes, revelling in the feeling.
It was as though the sea reflected the calmness he felt within, even if it was just for a moment. For he knew it wouldn't last.
While Zelda had been in that strange, faraway place in her mind, he had been battling through each day, trying to recover from the horrors he had endured.
Before, when he had thought he was still suffering from the aftermath of the poison, now seemed like a leisurely vacation compared to what the last few days had been like.
At first he had been too tired to really notice, for he had slept for the better part of a day. Afterwards, though, Bazz told him he had been trashing in his sleep, groaning and muttering incoherently. Just some nightmares, Link had thought. Not surprising, considering the things he had seen down there. But not even an hour after waking he was rudely reminded of the truth.
The violent attacks he had had before, when his body would tense up as if poisoned all over again, were still there. Not only that, but they were worse than ever before. And much, much more frequent. It felt like there was still Malice clinging to him, crawling under his skin and dripping through his veins.
The worst one had been that very morning, when he truly believed he would die from pure pain.
He had been desperate before, wanting nothing more than to be rid of these attacks, but now he felt absolutely hopeless. There was no way he could be a proper knight like this, for he never knew when it would happen. If he were in the middle of a fight he could not afford to tense up or collapse in pain.
He had to find a way to stop it.
He sighed deeply, staring out over the water. He had to tell Zelda about it, but he dreaded the conversation. She would not understand how much this would limit him and, most of all, his ability to protect her.
Soft footsteps behind him interrupted his bleak thoughts, and he looked over his shoulder to see Kiana approaching.
He smiled at the housewife to show her she was welcome. It was a kind woman, and she had done everything in her power to help them, without a second thought. But her abilities were limited, and she couldn't help him with the problem he was facing. She had tried, but it just didn't work.
'I've just seen Zelda,' she said when she stopped next to him. 'As far as I can tell she is fine, physically.'
The look on her face made Link raise his eyebrows. 'But?'
The young woman shrugged. 'She has a lot to process, and it's going to be tough. But I think she will be alright.'
Link nodded. Knowing the princess, he didn't doubt for a second that she would battle through this. Before long she would be pressing him to return to the castle and resume her duties. But he was determined to keep a close eye on her, make sure she was in the right state of mind before doing so.
'You should probably go see her,' Kiana said softly. Something in her voice made Link look at her suspiciously, feeling like there was something she wasn't saying.
'What is it?'
'You should speak to the princess,' she said, keeping her head down as she stared out over the water. 'I'm sorry.'
Unease filled his stomach, and he frowned at her, but it was clear that the housewife wasn't going to speak. So he turned and headed back to the little hut, his footsteps slightly faster than usual in his confusion.
When he made it through the doorway he found Zelda still lying in bed as he had left her, propped up against some pillows. She had her eyes closed, but a tightlipped smile appeared on her lips when she heared him.
'Are you okay?' Link asked softly, scared of what he was going to find out after the strange behaviour of Kiana.
The princess slowly opened her eyes, and the empty, hurting look in them felt like a slap to the face. He quickly stepped closer, his heart aching to see her like this.
'Link,' Zelda said weakly, holding out her hand for him. 'There is something I need to tell you.'
He looked down at her, nodding for her to continue, while the pit in his stomach grew even wider.
'When Kiana came to check on me, she-' she paused, swallowing thickly. 'She told me-' she paused again, obviously looking for a way to tell him.
'What is it?' He felt sweat break out on his back, as nervous concern coursed through his body. He started imagining the worst kind of possibilities, suddenly quite terrified she might be worse off then she had let on. Had Kiana lied about her being okay?
'I'm alright,' she said as if she could read his mind. She squeezed his hand, but didn't actually sound too convincing.
'Tell me, Zelda,' Link pressed, feeling his heartbeat in his throat now.
She looked away, as if unable to see his reaction when she blurted out the words. 'She told me I was pregnant.'
All thoughts seemed to leave Link all at once, together with the blood in his head. He suddenly felt quite dizzy, and he stared at her with wide eyes as the words sank in.
Pregnant.
He had never thought of himself as a father, never really considered having children. Surely they were way too young for that.
Zelda had never mentioned anything about children either, and he just assumed it would someday happen, maybe. It wasn't something he planned.
But then he started picturing their life with a child in it.
Zelda with a baby boy or girl balanced on her hip, as she walked the castle walls and looked down on the people. Their people.
She would have an heir to the throne, a little one who would be groomed for taking up the crown someday.
Link imagined a small girl, the spitting image of Zelda herself, full of joy and with sparkling green eyes, running circles around them.
He imagined a little boy, also with that beautiful golden hair and those green eyes. A boy who he would teach to fight, training him as he had been trained, teaching him everything he knew.
He saw himself riding his horse, that little boy on a pony beside him, laughing and pointing, his wild locks dancing in the wind.
Suddenly he very desperately did want to be a father. He wanted to be the father to Zelda's children.
And that was when fully realized the way she had said it. The words were ringing in his head, repeated over and over until it was just a droning buzz.
She was pregnant. Was. She was pregnant.
They had lost that child.
'No,' he whispered, hardly more than a breath.
Those dreams, the images he had only just conjured up for the very first time, they burst apart like bubbles.
No matter how short-lived his excitement had been, it was enough to shatter his heart.
He could almost feel it crack and crumble, until there was nothing left but dust.
All strength left his body, and he was no longer able to hold himself up. With a dull thud he dropped to the ground, bending forward to cover his head in his hands.
'Link?!' Zelda called out in panic. 'Link!' She reached for him, but could only barely touch his back. 'Please, Link.'
She tried to get up and reach over the edge of the bed, but cried out in pain and sunk back down.
'Link!' She cried, again.
He barely even heard her, as horrible, gut-wrenching sobs tore through his body.
For one very, very short moment he had known his future, and he had everything he wanted. And now Ganondorf had taken that from him too.
He had wreaked havoc on their lives, had made them suffer, had made them go blind in pain, and now he had taken their future too.
'No!' Link cried out. He screamed, letting his voice carry his pain. Terrible howls were now piercing the buzzing in his ears, as uncontrollable sobs kept tearing through him.
He had never felt such pain before. The physical pain of Malice seemed almost laughable compared to this stabbing, piercing, wrenching pain in his heart.
'Link,' Zelda muttered in his ear, having finally made it down from the bed.
Her arms wrapped around him and she pulled him tightly against her, her warmth enveloping him.
'No,' he said again, his voice cracked, hardly more than a hoarse whisper. He then leaned into her, hiding his face against her chest.
Breathing in her scent slowly made him feel a little calmer, and he breathed haltingly, tears still streaming down his face.
Zelda didn't speak. She just kept stroking his hair and his back, her hand warm and reassuring. She knew it was useless to say something. There was nothing to say.
She felt his pain too.
Eventually Link had composed himself enough to sit up. He slid his arms around the princess and hugged her back.
'I'm so sorry, Zelda.' His voice trembled. 'You would have made a wonderful mom.' Silent tears rolled down his cheeks and fell from his jaw. Zelda, too, had tear tracks down her face, and she smiled sadly.
'And you the most amazing father.' She kissed his forehead. 'We'll have our children someday,' she said firmly, almost daring him to disagree.
Link simply nodded. Not even an hour ago he wouldn't have been able to say if he even wanted any, but now he was absolutely certain.
'First we're gonna finish off that horrible creature,' he growled, anger burning in his veins. 'I will not let my children grow up in a world where such monsters exist.'
Zelda smiled at him through her tears. 'He doesn't stand a chance.'
They sat there together for hours, simply holding each other, taking comfort in the fact that they were still together, that they were still alive.
Eventually they moved back to the bed, stiff and sore from the hard wooden floor, and Link took Zelda tightly in his arms. He gently placed his hands on her stomach, imagining the wonder that had been there. That someday might still be.
When the sky outside was getting darker and the nightly sounds were growing louder they still hadn't left their spot. Then a knock on the wood of the doorway announced the presence of Reeza.
She looked more uncertain that Link had ever seen her. Her face reflected the turmoil within, but in the end she entered without speaking. Instead she put down a tray with two bowls of stew and some bread, and backed away again.
She cast another glance over her shoulder, and Link could see the questions burning in her eyes, but to his immense relief she didn't say a word before she left.
It took some time for him to get Zelda to eat, but eventually they finished it all, and some colour returned to her face.
The rest of the evening they didn't do anything. They didn't speak to the others, although they all came to check on them and offer them various items of food or warm beverages.
Link appreciated their kindness, and their patience, although he could see the curiousity eating at them. From the concerned looks on their faces he figured they had heard at least some of his outburst from earlier, but he didn't really care enough to be embarrassed by it.
Zelda hardly even acknowledged their presence, and simply stared straight ahead or kept her eyes closed. She seemed to be in another world altogether.
Even Link felt like he couldn't really get close to her, but he stayed at her side all the same. He would hold her as long as she needed. As long as they both needed.
Link had made it through most of the night without alerting Zelda to the moments of intense pain that tormented him. He bit back his screams and used all the willpower in him to keep his body as relaxed as possible, so that she wouldn't feel him tense up against her.
But in the early morning, just before dawn, a burst of pain took him by surprise. He had been dozing a little, unable to truly sleep, but the pain was so sudden, so intense, that he couldn't keep back a strangled moan as his body tensed up.
It was the first time, however, that he felt like Zelda was truly there again. She looked at him with bright eyes full of concern, and reached out to place a warm hand on his forehead.
Although he hated this horrible pain, it warmed his heart to see her frown and the worry on her face. It was more feeling than she had showed since she told him... The thought was still too painful to even finish, and he quickly shook it out of his head.
'I'm alright,' he grunted, struggling to sit up as the last spasms of pain coursed through his body.
'It's gotten worse,' she stated, sitting up across from him and tugging her legs beneath her. 'Why didn't you tell me?'
'I was going to,' he muttered, 'but there were some things that had priority.'
'Your health will always have my priority,' Zelda said softly, holding his hands before her.
'Yes, well, your health had my priority this time,' Link countered, smiling gently.
The princess sighed, a sadness filling her eyes again at the reminder. But she kept her head high and squeezed his fingers. 'Next time you tell me right away, okay?'
He nodded. But somehow he couldn't bear to tell her how worried he was about his future as a knight. She had enough to worry about already.
'We'll find a way to help you,' Zelda said, her eyes burning with so much conviction that Link actually believed that they might just succeed.
But then a shadow passed over her face, and the light in her eyes seemed to dim a little. His heart broke at the sight, but he drew her closer and pulled her into his chest.
'Today we'll just stay right here,' he whispered.
She nodded, burying her face in his neck. He simply lay back and made sure they were comfortable, his mind many miles away.
YOU ARE READING
Noble by Nature
Fanfiction--- Sequel to Hero by Heart --- Link and Zelda have started restoration of Hyrule, and are well on their way to establishing a peaceful, prosperous rule. But what neither of them expected was to uncover secrets that might have been better left hidde...
