The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 23: Selfless Resolves

Chapter 23: Selfless Resolves

Dawn rose over Kakariko Village, but the sun did not rise with it as it normally did. Instead of the skies being bright and clear as they were most every day, they were dark, cloudy and grey, a sight that was rare to see upon the surface, where the sun almost always shined bright. But nonetheless, the pale light of day woke Zelda up as it filtered in through the bedroom window. However, from the moment she opened her eyes, she knew something was wrong, for the very first thing she saw as she awakened was the sight of the side of the bed that Link normally slept on, cold and empty.

The girl gasped as she bolted into an upright position and quickly scanned the room, only to find that the hero was nowhere to be found. Her eyes widened and her heartbeat began to pick up in anxiety. Never in all their long years of friendship had Zelda ever known Link to wake up before her. And though that thought alone bothered her, she would have not thought that much of it if she hadn't spotted his sword and shield resting beside the bed, completely untouched. The hero would certainly never go anywhere without his blade, especially in such dangerous times as these. And as the girl slipped out of bed and hurried to go search the rest of their little home for him, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had gripped her upon seeing that he was missing.

In a hurried panic, Zelda rushed through the house and called out for Link several times, but she received no answer. An unspeakable fear filled her as she began to imagine every worst case scenario she could think of. What if the Interlopers had managed to silently infiltrate their house late last night and stole him away from right under the girl's nose? What if another spell of corruption had overtaken him and instead of trying to force him to kill her, it forced him away from her to some unknown location for some unknown purpose? Zelda could only hope that she was simply thinking the worst, as she prayed that her hero was safe and not too far away.

The girl burst out of the house to start checking the rest of the village for him, but the moment she stepped outside of the door, she turned to find that the Sheikah leader had been standing just outside the home for quite some time, leaning against the side of the dwelling with her arms crossed and her expression somber. The two girls glanced at each other for a moment, as Sheik realized that Zelda knew that something had happened to Link by now, and would be expecting answers. And though she had made a promise to the hero, this was a promise that she had no intention of keeping.

"Sheik," Zelda began breathlessly, her words rushed and tense. "I can't find Link anywhere. Do you know where he is?"

The Sheikah leader was silent for a long moment as she saw the fear in the girl's eyes and understood it well. That same fear, fear of losing the one she loved, had gripped her own heart as she watched the hero disappear into that darkened valley just hours ago to meet his end. With a sigh, Sheik pushed off of the wall and stood before the girl, closing her eyes and shaking her head sadly before she began. "Your grace…" she said solemnly, hating that she had to be the one to bear such awful news. "I… I'm so sorry…"

Zelda hated those words with a passion. Those were the same words that Terminus had said to her when she told her of the corruption that was ultimately going to destroy Link. Those were the words that Fi had said right before she delivered the news of the hero's death. Those were the same words that Link himself had said to her many times over the past few weeks. Those three simple words: "I'm so sorry", were always what came before a hard blow, as if they could ever hope to soften the pain of it. And upon hearing them once more, the girl simply clenched her fists at her sides and braced herself for the worst, wondering with dread what new horrible revelation she was about to be faced with this time. "For what?" she said with little emotion, despite the fact that her emotions were already stirring inside of her.