Until The Last Breath

15 - It's Like The Old Gang, But New

Link knew that Zelda was going to use the Sheikah Slate to take them all to Rito Village, despite the fact that their group was growing larger. He was still suspicious about the capabilities of the Shiekah Slate, but he couldn't deny that it was a useful piece of technology. It had helped him a lot throughout his journey.

Zelda squealed. "Oh my goodness, look at us! A Goron, a Zora, two Gerudos, and two Hylians! We just need a Rito and then we're...we're set."

The princess' smile vanished, and her face soon became sombre. Link hated the change. Even though the princess had done her best to be optimistic throughout their journey so far, he knew she was worried. He could see the fear in her eyes when the topic of the Champions was brought up, or sometimes even the Divine Beasts.

She was having the same thoughts as him, he was sure of it.

Everything was all too familiar. It was like they were marching to their deaths all over again. Link didn't feel like spending another one hundred years in a recovery chamber, and he was pretty sure none of these people wanted to die. He also didn't want to leave Zelda's side ever again. 

He had lost one hundred years of his life. For one hundred years, he had failed to be at Zelda's side. That wasn't going to happen this time. He either lived or died.

Link had told the princess about Teba, a Rito warrior. He just wasn't sure if Teba would actually agree to pilot Vah Medoh. He had a wife and son to take care of at the village, and Link knew that if he had a family, he wouldn't leave them to go anywhere, especially on a mission that could possibly kill him.

"So...uh, Ganondorf." Yunobo scratched his head. "How likely is it that this new Calamity thing could...you know...kill us?"

Link expected Ganondorf to give his usual cocky grin and give some stupid reply, but his face turned serious, and that seemed to make Yunobo uneasy.

"I can't really say. I'm not sure how strong the calamity is now."

A silence fell over the group, even though they weren't really talking before. That wasn't the answer they wanted to hear, and if they weren't afraid before then they were now.

Link watched the princess grip the Shiekah Slate, her knuckles turning white. He'd been on the receiving end of one of Zelda's death grips before, and they hurt.

"Princess! Princess, I have news!"

A flushed guard skidded into the throne room, where Zelda was sitting pensively on her mother's throne. Link looked at the guard, and from the fear in his eyes, he knew the news was not good.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, and Link could hear her voice rise.

"The...the soldiers you sent out to the cave...they're dead."

Link remembered them. The palace had been alerted of a weird red substance that was found not too far from a village that resided next to a large cave. Odd things were happening in that area as a whole, so the princess had sent out a troop to investigate. Their report on the situation was expected tomorrow.

Zelda's hands trembled. "All of them?" she whispered.

The guard nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. We just received word today. People are speculating...people think it's the Calamity, Your Highness."

Zelda leaned back in the throne, and Link could see the tears starting to form in her eyes. He knew the princess would blame herself for this, she always blamed herself for things that were out of her control.

"You may go," she said. "Please, go. Thank you for letting me know."

The guard left the throne room immediately, and Zelda burst into sobs. Torn between wanting to be there for her but also not wanting to overstep as a guard, Link placed his hand on her shoulder. It was the only thing he could think to do.