【 O F A N O T H E R L I F E 】
"[Y/N]?"
You turned your head away from the rising sun, giving your full undivided attention to the Hero of Time.
"Yes, Link?" You responded with a smile.
The quiet man tilted his lips upwards into the smallest of smiles. Then in the softest voice, he gently asked, "what do you plan on doing after all this?"
You raised an eyebrow in confusion before asking, "do you mean after the final battle?"
He nodded back, affirming your question.
"Hm..." you hummed lightly to yourself while tapping your chin in thought. "Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe stop by home for a bit to say hello?"
Silence followed.
You turned back towards your companion. His head was tilted slightly downwards, and his eyes fixed upon the pavement beneath his boots. You had easily become accustomed to that expression of his. He had this far-off look within his eyes, and his lips were slightly pursed in thought. It meant that Link had something on his mind that he wanted to say but wasn't quite sure if it was appropriate or not.
You had come to realize, after your travels together, that all he needed was a little push.
"What is it?" you asked softly while gently nudging his elbow with yours.
"Do you think..." Link raised his head, his intense eyes meeting your own. "That I could come with you? I want to stay by your side if that's okay."
【 P R E S E N T L Y 】
You easily found your old traveling bag from your wardrobe. Unlike Link, you didn't bother stashing it somewhere in the dark depths of the handcrafted cabinet. Link had done it as a symbol of some sort: to confirm that his adventure was over, and now he was here to stay.
You didn't.
What was the point? You knew that the day for you to take your leave would come. It had happened in the past life, and the one before that, and the one before that as well... You always left afterward, unable to bear witness to your soulmate devote his life to another.
You quickly began to gather your worldly belongings before throwing them into your bag. You didn't have much anyway, especially after the whole 'saving the world thing'.
As you reached for your cloak, however, you suddenly stopped. The old thing was worn and tattered. It was also slightly patchy, from having been sewed so many times. Despite its appearance, this cloak has managed to keep you warm and dry without fail.
Oh, the memories this old thing gave you...
You still remembered when you had first gotten it in the first place, almost like it was yesterday. It was right after your little village in the Faron Woods had been attacked by monsters. You had been picking berries in the woods when disaster struck. You wanted to return and ward off the beasts, but some lumberjacks from your village told you to get help from Ordon Village. It was then when you ran, literally, into a group of men from your neighboring town. Or rather, more specifically, you had the luck of crashing right into Link, taking you both to the ground. Apparently, having spotted the smoke from afar, the Ordon men decided to investigate. At that moment, Link gave you his cloak to keep you warm in all his kindness.
You hesitated, wanting so desperately to take it with you. It was the only thing you had to remember him by. All your worldly possessions from your former lives were long gone, along with the many Links that you've lost.
But it would be too hard.
You were already far too lost in your own misery that, when you looked at his cloak, you wouldn't be reminded of the good times. The cloak had come to symbolize the loss of your love.
With a heavy heart, you decided to leave it behind.
You were going to leave it all behind, including your broken heart. That way, you could finally move on, and perhaps one day you'll look back at it all and not feel a thing.
Then perhaps the next life of yours will be easier as well.
⋆✩✮✩ ━━━━━━✩✮✩⋆
Link chuckled lightly before finishing off the last bite of his meal.
"Isn't that strange?" Ilia continued saying, "I'd never thought it was even possible!"
Link broke into a burst of laughter, almost choking on his food. He quickly reached for the canteen of water and downed the whole thing quickly.
"Link! Are you alright?" Ilia questioned in concern while gently rubbing his back.
Link coughed, dislodging the final morsel of his meal from the back of his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Geez," Ilia rolled her large eyes before huffing playfully, "how many times have I told you to eat slowly? Men and their food."
"Hey!" Link quickly retorted. "Look at you! You finished long before I did!"
Ilia immediately flushed red, realizing that Link was indeed correct. "I... Well, t-that's because...!"
Ilia wasn't too sure what she was going say as a response to Link's teasing, but it didn't matter anyway. It was then a very familiar face, the only shop keeper of Ordon, made her way across the field and towards them.
"Aw well, look at you two lovebirds." Sera cooed sweetly while bashing her eyelashes for an added effect.
Now it was both their turn to flush red in embarrassment.
"W-What? Sera!" Link stammered out, almost as if he was protesting against the shopkeeper's observations.
Then again, what was he going to say? Deny the chemistry between himself and his childhood friend? Link wasn't that type of man. He acknowledged it long ago but just hasn't had the chance to act on it until now. He's faced many wicked beasts and risked his life to save the world. Yet, he was a complete loss when it came to love.
Sera raised her eyebrows, a habit of hers when she realizes something new. "Oh my... Link, you're surprisingly very innocent."
Her comment left Link spluttering like a fish out of water.
"Well, that's good news for the mayor, I suppose." Sera muttered quietly to herself before continuing, "don't worry, I'm not here to tease you. I just came to ask if either of you have seen [Y/N]. She's oddly late for her shift... Which never happens."
Link immediately returned to his normal, calm state at the sound of your name. "[Y/N]? She's late?" he asked, more to himself than to Sera.
Never once did he imagine he'd hear those two words being used in the same sentence. You were many things, but 'late' was not one of them. Heck, Link didn't even think that word even existed in your vocabulary. You were extremely responsible and organized, a trait of yours that impressed Sera in the first place. Before you started working part-time for her, her shop had been disastrous. You came in and organized everything, from inventory to bookkeeping. Then there was your grand adventure with Link. You were the one who kept both your belongings in check. You'd even remind Link when he needed to restock on provisions.
To be late... Something must've come up.
"Ah, don't worry." Sera shook her head, immediately noticing the growing concern upon the hero's face. "She's probably just taking a nap somewhere. I'll find her."
Somewhere deep down, Link knew Sera was only saying that for his sake. He wanted so desperately to believe it, but he just couldn't. You were his closest friend, the person he trusted the most. With that came a connection Link probably wouldn't have with anyone else.
As the pieces came together in his head, Link felt his heart sink.
You were just here, maybe half-an-hour ago, having a conversation together. What happened between then and now?
Where did you go? Could you maybe have wandered off somewhere while in a daydream?
No... That didn't seem right.
Link chewed on his lower lip as a dreaded thought filled his mind.
Could you... Maybe have left? To go on another adventure?
Link wasn't blind. He knew something had been off about you since your return to Ordon Village. He thought perhaps maybe the drastic change in your lives had affected you more than him. Perhaps you missed the thrill of adventuring more than he initially thought?
He knew there was no way you'd fall asleep like that. But... Link really did hope that was the case because he wasn't too sure how he'd feel if you really had left without telling him.
⋆✩✮✩ ━━━━━━✩✮✩⋆
Your first days in Ordon Village was filled with so much joy, despite the tragedy that just occurred a few weeks ago. In this life, you were an orphan. You had been abandoned by your birth parents in Faron Woods when you were just barely a few days old. But fate smiled down upon you that day. The Great Spirit that governed the province had led a hard-working tradesman to you. He took you back to his home within the Faron Woods and raised you as his own.
Thankfully your father was away on business when the monsters attacked the village and left nothing but a handful of survivors.
You were one of the lucky few.
You were quite miserable during the entire ordeal, especially since you found yourself quite defenseless. You had your power, yes- but you lacked the strength to fight back and defend your home.
That's when the hands of fate moved into place.
You met Link.
He was such a lovely person in this life that it had taken you by surprise. Sure, he was kind and considerate in the last life, but he never really showered you with so much care and attention. This Link had visited you every single day, you alone. He brought you meals, snacks and helped you adjust to your new life. He spent a good chunk of his day with you, even after you had settled into your new home.
Those were happier times. You thought maybe if you were happy and optimistic, that perhaps in this life Link would finally choose you. Even though you hadn't actively sought him out this time, fate somehow managed to bring you two together.
That had to count for something, right?
Yet, here you are, heart-broken and miserable. Life was cruel, indeed. How many more did you have to live through, suffer through, before you achieved what you were created for?
What have you ever done to deserve this?
You risked your life, again and again, saving the same realm from the hands of evil. In each life, you did exactly what the Gods had meant for you. You never failed to put Link's life before your own. You never failed to love him, but you were never once rewarded. Not even once did Link seem to even return your feelings, not even in the slightest.
So here you are, standing at the peak of the Forest Temple, staring ahead towards the world which you had just risked your life to save. Part of you wished you had perished somewhere along the way, but alas, fate wasn't that kind to you. You survived, and now you had to live out the rest of your life burdened with the fact that your soulmate didn't love you back... again.