Noble by Nature

Chapter 32

Link was exhausted.
He had tried not to show, but he could tell from Zelda's face she noticed. Then again, she had seen him almost plant his face in the earth after dismounting, so it would have been hard to miss.
But when she gave Sidon command over their armies and told the others to get some rest and help him afterwards, he knew she had to be on her last legs as well.
There was no way she would walk away from that battle, without knowing where Ganondorf had gone off to, just because he was a bit tired.
She always put the kingdom first. Even above him.
So he quietly reached out and wrapped his arm around her, not knowing who was the one holding who up.
Once all logistics were taken care off, he led her to Epona and made her sit in front of him. They didn't speak, but he was grateful for that. He was focusing all his attention on keeping his head up and his eyes open.
He did check if anyone was seriously injured, possibly in need of his help, but they all seemed fine.
With that reassurance he left Zelda to take the reins and concentrated on Mipha's healing power, sending it through his own body and stichting together the many cuts still seeping blood.
     When he was done he was swaying slightly, but they suddenly came to a halt. He blinked around, seeing the dark shadows between the buildings, with the faint sound of clattering water somewhere nearby.
     They weren't at the palace yet. Zelda had brought them to the Central Square of Castle Town. She had taken him to the inn.
     He chuckled dryly, not even that surprised, knowing she would want to be close to the fight.
     He let her get down first, before clumsily following her to the ground, stumbling over his own feet and leaning heavily on Epona.
     Thankfully it was fully dark out now, and there was hardly any soul left in town, so nobody saw the sorry state he was in.
     'Come on, Link,' Zelda whispered, her arm snaking around his middle, 'nearly there.'
     Everything happened in a blur, as they went in, Zelda exchanged some words with someone, then brought them to a separate little room with only one bed.
     As soon as Link noticed it, he let out a sigh. He unbuckled his sword belt, feeling the relief as its heavy weight slid to the ground, and unceremoniously dropped himself on the bed.
     Zelda chuckled, but he was already drifting off, only waking up enough to make some room and take her in his arms.
     Her familiar scent washed over him, giving him so much comfort he could have cried. Then he was gone.

When Link woke up it was still dark out and Zelda was curled up against his chest.
He knew he could sleep a bit more, but he felt much more energized already.
Once again he internally thanked the Goddess for being cured of the Malice attacks. If not for that, he would be dead now. He would never have been able to hold his ground against Ganondorf.
It had been hard enough as it was. That man was so terrifyingly strong. Link had to use every ounce of strength he had to block his blows. And although his body had felt strong and full of energy again, his stamina was nowhere near where it used to be.
There had been some truly terrifying moments, especially once he had started using his Malice against him.
Link couldn't help but shudder at the memory. He still felt the wave of horror and panic at seeing it lash out at him. He still felt the shame of how badly it had gotten to him. How terrified he was of Malice.
He knew it wasn't really unexpected, after everything that had happened. But he couldn't afford to let it get to him. He had to face it. Even when he wanted to run and hide at the very sight of it.
It was almost funny, he thought, how he hadn't really felt fear when facing Ganondorf himself. He had been determined, knowing he was only buying some time, but he could look the Demon King in the eye and fight him like an enemy.
That wasn't the case with Malice. He had no idea how to defeat that. And it filled him with terror.
But they would find a way. Zelda's power definitely had some effect on it. They just had to find a way to use that.
If not for her, he might not even be here anymore.
Link looked down on her face, so peaceful in her sleep. She was still covered in dried blood and dirt, but it made her look wild and fearsome. It filled his heart with pride to know what a strong warrior she had become.
She had saved his life, once again. And in doing so she had given him the chance to wound Ganondorf.
He didn't think it would have been possible. Not after what Zelda had told him. That he could only be sealed by her power and the Master Sword.
Link hadn't expected his sword to even be able to scratch him.
But maybe Ganondorf wasn't at his full strength yet.
That thought had played through his head from the moment he saw him, terrifying as it was. There had been something off about him, but he sure seemed determined to squash Link in one go.
Maybe he had hoped to rid himself of the knight and leave the path open to the princess. To the throne.
Link felt a grim satisfaction in knowing he had stopped that from happening. If only for now.
He would do it again and again if he had to. As long as he had anything left to give.