The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 22: Strong Enough

The couple began to make their way back to the village, hands entwined in a comfortable silence as the hero started to make his final decision. It was already quite late in the day, as could be seen from the sun sinking below the western skies, which meant that he didn't have much time to remain on the fence about this. Veress expected him to give himself up at midnight, which was only in a few hours and so to help him decide, he listed off every reason why he should and shouldn't go.

Upon a first glance, Link could see that there were quite a few reasons why it wouldn't do any good to turn himself in. Though he didn't know why the Interlopers wanted him, he knew that it would be for some nefarious purpose, even if it was only for the intent of simply torturing him into submission. Wasn't he already being tortured enough on a daily basis by the corruption being put upon him worse and worse each time? The hero knew that if he went, there would be little chance of escape, which meant that he would probably spend the rest of what was left of his existence in a cold, merciless captivity. Did he really want his last moments of self-awareness to be full of pain and misery at the hands of his greatest enemies, rather than at the side of the girl he loved more than anything else? And then, there was Zelda, who was already so torn apart over the fact that she was going to lose him to corruption alone. Link knew that she had been putting on a brave face for his sake, but he could tell by the way she sometimes looked at him, with such sadness and grief in her dark blue eyes, that the very thought filled her with immense heartbreak. How could he possibly leave her on his own accord, knowing how much that would hurt her?

But wasn't the very reason he was doing this to save her? Sure, she would grieve over him for a while, but eventually she would learn to move on and live in safety that the hero could never give her. If Veress was true to her word, then the girl would be free from the threat that the Interlopers posed to her life once and for all and not just them. Though Zelda hadn't told him much of what had happened while he had been entangled in the reigns of corruption that morning, Link had an unshakable suspicion that he had almost hurt her once again. After all, it seemed to be Majora's intent to get him to kill the girl, even if it was only for the purpose of breaking the hero's spirit. And he had already been so close to ending her life several times now. Who was to say that both of them would end up being so lucky during the next bout of corruption? The two of them simply being together was becoming more and more dangerous with each passing day, even if they couldn't bear to be apart. Both of them knew that, at literally any moment, the hero could be dragged into another spell of corruption and there was never a guarantee that he could break free from it in time. Though Zelda definitely wouldn't agree with him, Link knew that it would be safer for both of them if they were to part ways once and for all, as much as he didn't want them to. It would be so easy for him to slip away into the night, alone and unseen, to some unknown part of the surface where she would never find him, and just wait in lonely solitude for corruption to overtake him completely. But if he were to do that, then he would be leaving the girl completely unprotected against the Interlopers, who certainly wouldn't hesitate to destroy her, simply out of spite.

It was becoming increasingly obvious to Link that there was only one thing left for him to do. It would allow him to keep Zelda safe from both the Interlopers and himself, and it would ensure the safety of the surface and its many inhabitants as well. It was a choice that would require him to make the greatest sacrifice he had ever been forced to give, but for the sake of everything that he cared about, he would do it. For the sake of the girl he had always loved and would always love, he would gladly do it.

"Link!" Zelda called out to her hero with a warm laugh as he led by the hand towards the entrance to Kakariko. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Link said, glancing back at her with the most playful grin he could manage at the moment, though on the inside he was filled with dread. He hid it quite well though, since the girl didn't seem to suspect a thing, which was good. The last thing the hero wanted was for her to discover what he was about to do later on that night, lest she try to stop him from going, even though he knew he had to. He hated that he had to lie to her and pretend like nothing was wrong once again, but he wouldn't be able to bear the look on her face if she were to find out. This was already hard enough for him as it was.