Chapter 7: No Matter What
A quiet, yet sudden screech was what woke Zelda up the following morning. With a drowsy yawn, she opened her eyes to see her Loftwing standing over her, peering its face into hers curiously. The bird skwaked again and Zelda smiled as she glanced over at the slumbering hero beside her. As the Loftwing followed her gaze, she put a hand on its beak and stroked it, taking in the warm morning breeze that blew over the small island the two of them had spent the night on.
"Shh..." she quieted her somewhat confused bird gently as it continued to make noise. "He's still asleep..." Once more, she looked over at Link and her smile widened. Last night had been glorious for both of them and in the aftermath of the declaration of their mutual love for one another, they didn't want to be a moment apart. And so, they had stayed on their little islet for quite some time, talking, taking in the beauty of the night and of course, kissing. Every time their lips met, it was as though their world began anew and each time was better than the last. They eventually fell asleep in each other's embrace on the soft green grass of the island, their dreams sweet and their rest fulfilling.
Zelda sat up as her bird took to the skies, joining Link's Loftwing as the two birds circled above the island that their riders were on. The girl watched them contentedly for a while before glancing over at the hero once more and sighing peacefully. She knew that things would certainly be different between them now, but after last night, she had a feeling that things would only get better.
"Hey," she said quietly to Link, nudging him gently and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Wake up, sleepyhead."
With a small smile, the hero opened his eyes to look up at her. "Hey," he said warmly. "Good morning."
"Well, look who's in a good mood in the morning for once!" Zelda chuckled.
"How could I possibly be in a bad mood after last night?" Link asked, pulling her into an embrace as he sat up beside her.
"Good point," the girl said, giving him another kiss on the cheek. He returned it by drawing her into a full kiss, one filled with passion and love. And, it was as they clung onto each other, they both realized that they were more than they had intended to be. Instead of a couple, their relationship was much deeper and richer than they thought it could ever be. They were in love, and it was sheer bliss for both of them.
After a long minute, they broke apart and sat there for a while, staring up into the perfect blue skies above as their Loftwings lingered nearby. "So..." Zelda said with a wide smile as she leaned her head against Link's shoulder. "We're in love now..."
"Yeah," the hero said with a joking grin. "We already established that last night, remember?"
"Well of course I do!" she said, giving him a soft punch on the arm. "But I can't help but wonder... what now?"
Link was silent for a moment as he pondered her question. The previous night, he had been living in the moment when he told Zelda that he loved her, not thinking about how the future could affect anything. But the hero knew well what could happen in his future. There was a large chance that he could succumb to corruption, leaving Zelda alone and heartbroken. But now more than ever, he knew that he still couldn't tell her the truth yet. He remembered Terminus's warning well and her advice: to keep Zelda content and unknowing for as long as possible. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he told her and ended up breaking her heart. And even if the news didn't ruin her, she would try to put on a brave face and fake happiness for his sake. But what Link really wanted was for her joy to be genuine. Seeing an honestly cheerful smile on her face set his mind at ease and made him forget, however briefly, about the impending corruption that sought to steal his soul no matter what. And so, he decided that he was going to do everything he could to keep her in a state of bliss for as long as possible, so that when the corruption did start to overtake him completely, they'd both have the love that they had for each other to cling onto in the end.
"Now," Link began, putting a secure arm around her. "We can start enjoying every minute of it."
Zelda returned his smile as she embraced him once more. "And how do you intend we do that?"
"Like this," the hero said as he pulled her in for another tender kiss.
The couple stayed on their small islet until they decided to return to the surface once more. They spent much of the pleasant, warm day walking through the lush Faron Woods, taking paths that they hadn't before as they strolled along hand-in-hand. They had spent quite a few calm days on the surface together like this before, but now every moment they shared together seemed to be even more special and wonderful. As the day wore on peacefully, the pair took a route that led to the unknown expanse to the northwest of the large forest. They eventually broke into what they initially thought to be a clearing containing a single grassy hill. Upon scaling this hill however, they found something completely amazed them. Beyond the crest of the hill the forest opened up into a vast green field that rolled on in nearly every direction for miles and miles on end. From their excellent vantage point, Link and Zelda could see the full lay of the land and how it connected to Lanayru Desert to the west and Eldin Volcano to the north, acting as a wide crossroad between the three provinces of the surface.
"Wow..." Zelda said in awe as she looked over the landscape. "Its even bigger than Hylia's memories made it out to be..."
"I always wondered what was in between the three provinces..." Link mused as he looked over the wide open area. "But its so empty..."
"Well, people haven't really lived on the surface for generations," the girl said. "But it doesn't have to be empty anymore..." She smiled as she nudged closer to the hero, taking his hand in her own. "If you know what I mean..."
"I do," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her and gazing into her radiant face. He knew well what she was implying: that one day, their life together on the surface would become something much more than what it currently was. It would become a mutual, loving union, and through that union, the two of them would start to repopulate this empty land together. It was a thought that filled the hero with hope for the future, a future where nothing could break through their happiness, not even the threat of corruption. And as he let the idea sink in, Link realized that it was perhaps the best reason he had to keep fighting it. If he resisted and overcame the corruption of the demon, then he'd get to have that future with Zelda. And at the moment, that was the most perfect future he could possibly imagine.
The couple decided to sit on the hill overlooking the field to watch the sunset over the desert to the west. As twilight arrived, the untouched landscape took on a shadowy orange glow as the fading light of the dying day covered both of them in its warmth.
"I'm so glad we decided to stay on the surface together..." Zelda said to Link as they watched the sun sink ever lower. "I love it down here..."
"And I love you..." the hero said warmly as the girl placed her head in his lap and looked up into the skies above, which were painted in a dazzling array of blues, violets, oranges and pink.
"Goddesses, I never get tired of hearing you say that," she said, closing her eyes blissfully. "I love you too, and I'm pretty sure that I always have..."
Link was about to offer a reply when a sudden, very familiar voice pervaded his thoughts with one simple command: "Slay the goddess..." Immediately, the hero knew that this malicious, bloodthirsty voice belonged to Majora, and that the demon was making another attempt at corrupting him, once again at a very inopportune time. As the cold voice of the demon repeated this command over and over to him, the hero forced his eyes to look away from Zelda and instead set them on a tight gaze towards the empty fields ahead, using every once of willpower that he had to resist it.
"Listen to your master, hero..." Majora taunted him from the depths of his mind. "I command you to murder her!"
Link closed his eyes tightly as the demon's voice grew louder and more malevolent, trying to block out its already strong influence. Thankfully, Zelda hadn't noticed his struggle yet, as she was entranced by the beauty of the sunset afar off. "Kill her!" Majora practically screeched to him, and this time, the hero was absolutely determined in his resolve against it.
"No!" he opposed it firmly out loud, though he had meant to keep the thought in his mind. The girl glanced up at him and frowned as the hero realized that she had heard him loud and clear, though she had no idea about the demon trying to corrupt him.
"No what?" she asked in confusion. "Link, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," he was quick to say as the demon continued to cloud his thoughts. "Its... its nothing."
"Are you sure?" Zelda asked in concern as she sat up.
"Yeah," the hero nodded as he rose to stand up. "I... I'll be right back..." He said, turning to head back into the woods behind them, despite the pain that was already beginning to swell up inside of his chest.
"Where are you going?" she asked worriedly, having a feeling that something was wrong.
"Nowhere," Link said as calmly as he could, trying his best to hide the pain. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I promise."
"Well then, why can't I come with you?" the girl continued to press, wanting answers.
"Because you can't!" he said sharply, starting to feel overwhelmed by both the pain and the demon's pressing influence. But the moment he saw Zelda's stunned face, he immediately regretted getting harsh with her. He had never, ever, raised his voice at her in anger before. Had he really been driven to it by the corruption that he seemed to be falling deeper and deeper into? He simply stood there for a moment, ignoring both the pain and the corruption as he realized that he had hurt his best friend and the one he loved on an emotional level, something that was much deeper than any physical pain. And he simply couldn't take that fact or the clear pain in her lovely blue eyes. He turned and ran as fast as he could back into the darkened woods, wanting to get out of her piercing, saddened gaze as soon as possible.
Zelda simply watched him as he escaped her yet again, remaining silent and still as she tried to fight back her pressing tears. She knew that something was wrong with him; that something was happening to him and that it was starting to change him somehow. But whatever was causing it, she knew that he wouldn't tell her for some reason. She wanted to know exactly what it was, so she could help him in any way she could, but at the moment, she was too despondent to even follow him into the woods. Everything had been so perfect between them until now. All she really wanted as she sat in the loneliness of the sunset was to have that perfection once again. And, to have the hero that she fell in love with back from whatever was happening to him.
Meanwhile, Link continued to crash through the forest, simply trying to get as far away from Zelda as he could just in case he really did fall into another spell of corruption. His mind was in a distant, cloudy haze as the demon's voice began to grow even louder and more controlling. He was shivering, despite every part of his body feeling like it was on fire. Groaning in agony, the hero stopped running as legs began to grow weak. He clumsily collapsed against a nearby tree as the world around him started to get darker with each passing second.
"Still you continue to resist?" Majora hissed at him. "You really are stubborn, hero... But you will find that I am equally as resilient..."
A sharp, strong wave of extreme pain washed over Link as he clung onto the tree tightly, trying to push the agony away. "N-no..." he moaned in misery as the demon simply laughed at his suffering. It felt as though his chest wound was being torn open all over again and he cried out loudly, tears of pain threatening to fall from his eyes. Unbeknownst to him however, Zelda, who was still sitting on her spot on the hill clearly heard him and without a moment's hesitation, she started racing back into the woods in an attempt to find him, knowing that he was either in pain or in trouble, or both.
"Does it hurt too much, hero?" Majora cooed cruelly. "You know you could find relief from your pain so easily... if you just stop fighting..."
Link set his gaze on the ground in determination, clenching his fists as he continued to resist, despite the pain that seemed to be tearing him apart. He didn't care if this agony would end if he succumbed to corruption. He still intended to fight it with every fiber of his being until he was free from it once and for all. He was going to resist not only for his own sake, but for Zelda's sake as well. "No!" he proclaimed firmly, shakily rising to stand up and ignoring the twisting pain as much as he could. "I don't care how strong you think you are, I will never stop fighting you!"
The demon screeched in anger as the hero felt himself being gradually released from another spell of corruption. "You foolish hero!" it hissed as its voice started to fade out of his mind. "You can't keep this up forever! I will corrupt you eventually, no matter what! And when I do, then both the Spirit of the Hero and the Blood of the Goddess will be mine!"
As Majora's voice faded away into nothingness, Link let out a sigh of relief, knowing that even though the demon's threat still stood, he was free from its corruption for the moment. He let himself collapse against the tree in sheer exhaustion as his chest continued to pound in pain, but he ignored it as he looked up into the low, dimming light breaking through the trees above him. He sat there for a moment or two, until Zelda's voice calling out for him worriedly broke through the near silence of the forest. He was too weary and worn out to send her a reply so he remained still as he closed his eyes and fell into a stupor.
"Link?!" the girl called out once more as she finally broke into the clearing where the hero was. And when she spotted him, she almost burst into tears when she saw his condition. She was almost certain that he was unconscious as she approached him and saw that he did not stir, but what bothered her even more was the fact that the front of his tunic was soaked red with blood. She knelt down beside him and gently touched his face, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek to let him know that she was there.
"Link...?" she whispered as she gingerly placed her hand across his chest. "Can you hear me?" The hero slowly opened his eyes with a soft groan and looked over at her, feeling extremely weak from his mental battle against the demon.
"Zelda..?" he muttered tiredly with a slight smile, comforted by her presence.
She nodded and returned his smile as she took his hand. "You're bleeding..." she informed him as he followed her gaze down to his chest. "What happened to you?"
Too exhausted to come up with any kind of excuse, Link simply shrugged as he closed his eyes once more. Zelda frowned, still full of questions for him, but she could tell by looking at him that he was much too weak to answer them at the moment. And so, she wordlessly helped him to his feet and let him lean on her for support as the two of them began their long trek back to the Sealed Temple for the night. However, neither of them had any idea that there had been several sets of prying eyes watching the entire display and taking in every piece of information they could get that would aid them in their developing plans.
The moon already hung high in the dark skies as Link and Zelda finally made it back to the temple. Along the way, the hero had fallen in and out of bouts of consciousness and the girl grew continuously more concerned about him as she guided them both out of the dark forest. She theorized that something must have attacked him when he ran off into the woods and whatever it was, it must have fled before she found him. She didn't really care what it could be; she was more concerned about his deteriorating condition. Not only was he bleeding, but he was burning up and shivering at the same time. Zelda surmised that his unseen wound was bringing on a fever, one that she really had no idea how to treat.
As they entered the temple, she helped the hero ease himself down to sit against one of the stone walls before kneeling down at his side and resting for a moment. She almost fell asleep right then and there, but was roused the moment she heard Link moan softly. Without a word, she moved to sit in front of him, taking both of his hands as he opened his eyes to look at her tiredly.
"Hey," she said softly, giving his hands a slight squeeze. "Are you OK?"
He nodded, even though he felt sore, exhausted and sick. "Yeah..." he said in a barely audible whisper. "With you here, I'm OK."
She smiled slightly, filled with both love and pity for him. "Link, are you able to take your shirt off? I need to see your wound..."
Though he was inclined to, the hero didn't argue with her. It took some doing, he managed to slip his shirt off so she could see his bear chest. "Oh goddesses..." Zelda gasped in shock as she examined it. The blood was coming from the wound that the Fierce Deity had given him, which had somehow opened itself up once again. The thick red liquid covered his chest, making the girl even more worried about him.
"Is it bad?" Link asked, even though he knew it was. Majora had no doubt somehow opened the cut that Terminus had sealed during its last attempt at corrupting him. But that had been hours ago; now the wound had bled out a great deal and was painful, but nothing more. Zelda, however, knew how life threatening such an injury could be if left untreated.
"No..." she said calmly, though she knew she was lying. "Its not that bad... All it needs is a little love... Don't worry... I'll take care of it... And, I'll take care of you..."
"Thank you..." the hero sighed contentedly, leaning his head back against the wall and relaxing.
Zelda cracked a small smile as she got to work. Taking some bandage and cloth from the first aid kit that the pair had brought down to the surface from Skyloft, she cleaned up most of the blood before wrapping his wound up horizontally. He was asleep for most of the process, which made her job a bit easier. Once she was finished dressing the wound, she let him lie down and get to sleep fully as she sat beside him for quite a while, humming softly as she kept a cool, wet cloth placed against his feverish forehead. But it didn't take too long for her own eyes to grow heavy and within a short amount of time, she had fallen asleep right beside him in the dense silence of the ancient temple.
However, the rest of the night did not go on peacefully. Unbeknownst to both of them, the corruption of the demon was flaring up inside of the hero once again, and this time, it came completely without warning. Link was totally unaware of Majora taking command of his movements, and even if he had been, he would have been too exhausted to really fight against it. Under the demon's unabridged control, the hero rose from his slumber and took the Great Fairy's Sword, which was not too far away from where he and the girl had been sleeping. And, he slowly began to move towards where she was still peacefully resting, unknowing and unaware of what was really happening. However, thanks to the fact that she was a light sleeper, Zelda heard Link's quiet movements just in time. She drowsily opened her eyes and looked over to where he had been sleeping to find the spot empty. Her eyes widened in complete shock and terror however, when she looked up to see the hero standing directly over her, his expression blank, his blue eyes distant and his sharp sword poised to end her life.
"Link!" she screamed fearfully, her desperate voice echoing throughout the large temple. Upon hearing her cry out for him, the hero gasped and opened his eyes wide, immediately returning to himself. It took him less than a second to see the position that his sword was in and when it hit him that he had fallen victim to another spell of corruption, he tossed the blade aside and broke eye contact with Zelda, not bearing the fear and confusion clearly showing on her face. The realization of what he had almost done was too much for him to take. He had almost killed her, and this time he hadn't even known that he had entered another bout of corruption until it was almost too late. What if she hadn't called out for him when she did? What if he had actually followed through all the way? He couldn't stand to even think such dark thoughts. But as he met the girl's silent, wondering glance once more, he felt more guilty than ever. Guilty for lying to her, guilty for making her worry, and guilty for putting her life in danger simply by being around her. And so, overwhelmed by such feelings, the hero hurried out of the temple's side door as quickly as he could, hoping to save her life simply by putting a distance between the two of them, as much as he didn't want to.
Zelda sat there, stunned with many emotions as she watched him flee from her yet again. The strongest emotion of all of them was dread. Even though he had almost killed her, she knew that it wasn't his fault. As much as she pitied his obvious pain and anxiety, she knew well that something was very wrong with him and this time, she was going to find out what it was, no matter what. And so, she hurried out after him into the cool night air, hoping that she'd be able to simply keep up with him this time.
As Zelda pursued Link though the dark, presumably empty woods alone, she was unaware that both her and her hero were under tight surveillance by two separate groups once again. And as one of these small groups kept a close eye on the couple from the shadows, they whispered amongst themselves about the situation that was unfolding before their eyes.
"Mistress Veress..." one of the members of the small group said to their leader, who had joined them in their watch this time. "As you can see the goddess is alone and the hero is unarmed. Now would be an excellent opportunity..."
"Still your tongue, Miu," the leader, Veress, admonished the young man who stood at her side. "We must be patient. After all, the hero appears to be very unstable at the moment, mentally and physically. Mind you, we still do not know what is wrong with him, but we could use it to our advantage..." From her vantage point high up in the branches of the trees, she looked towards the hero's direction as he continued to try and escape from the girl. "And who knows? After that little spectacle just now in the temple, anything could happen. If we're lucky, then he might just kill her for us."
Her companions snickered softly amongst themselves as they continued to observe the two. However, as Veress looked out across to the trees on the other side of the pathway that cut through the woods, she spotted another set of red eyes looking directly at her from there. Her expression darkened as she returned their piercing glare and she turned to briefly face her followers. "All of you, stay here and continue to watch the hero and the goddess," she commanded and they all nodded obediently. "I must take care of something..." Leaping seamlessly within the shadows, she easily cleared the distance between the two thickets without being seen. She grinned darkly as she landed within the adjacent patch of woods, especially as another figure stepped into view.
"Sheik..." Veress bowed to the other Sheikah who stood in front of her, though there was slight mocking in her tone.
"Veress," Sheik said firmly, acknowledging her show of respect, even though she knew it was not sincere. "What are you doing here? Watching over her grace is not your charge. I thought I assigned you to be in charge of watching the village tonight."
"You did," Veress said with a smirk. "But nothing ever happens there, as you well know. Remember back when we were kids and you used to get so afraid when we were up for village watch? You were always so careful, Sheik, so cautious. How pathetic..."
Sheik glared at her softly, not letting her words sting. "Your personal problems with me aside, you sill haven't answered my question," she said, her piercing red gaze unchanging. "Why are you out here?"
"Well if you must know, I'm simply helping you out, Sheik..." the other Sheikah lied. "You have to admit that it is necessary... Keeping an eye on the goddess isn't as easy as it used to be when Impa was around, is it?"
Sheik looked away from Veress's teasing gaze, not wanting to dwell on a topic that was very personal to her. "It's not because of Impa's absence that I'm worried..." she admitted quietly.
"Well of course not," Veress said with sincerity. "You've certainly noticed too, haven't you? Ever since the two of them have returned from the lost woods, the hero's been a bit... off... hasn't he?"
Sheik sighed, casting a long glance towards the hero as he headed for the large tree that rested within the center of Faron Woods. "He has been acting strange lately... I do fear for the goddess's safety if such behavior continues..."
"And if it gets out of hand?" Veress pressed, her red eyes alight with hidden malice. "What do you intend to do then?"
Sheik was silent for a long minute before turning back to the other Sheikah with an authoritative look in her scarlet eyes. "That is none of your concern," she said firmly. "When the time comes, I will take care of it. It is my charge to ensure the goddess's safety and I will do what I must to carry my duty out, no matter what. And that is all you need to know. Now if you don't mind, we both have duties that we must be getting back to, Veress."
With her final command relayed, Sheik faded seamlessly into the shadows, leaving Veress to make wicked smirk as she returned to her companions. "Sheik does not suspect a thing," she reported triumphantly. "She claims that she will do anything it takes to keep Hylia safe, but even she won't stand a chance against our power..." She was silent for a moment as she watched the girl finally locate the hero, who had scaled up the great tree a little bit to sit on one of its higher ledges. "My brothers and sisters..." she said darkly, keeping her eyes on the couple. "I believe that the time is nigh... Our preparations are finally complete... Let us not wait any longer... The next time the opportunity presents itself, we will strike!"
Though Zelda didn't see Link for the longest time as she walked through the woods, she managed to spot him as he approached the clearing that surrounded the large tree within the center of the woods. The two of them had climbed up the tree several times using several well-placed notches they had made in the wood to make scaling it easier. She slipped out of sight as she watched him climb up to a thick ledge about halfway to the top and when she thought he couldn't see her, she followed after him.
She slowly and silently moved around to the other side of the ledge, to where the hero sat with his back turned to her, looking out across the vast forest despondently. She took in a deep breath as she unceremoniously moved to sit down beside him, neither of them saying or word, or even glancing at the other for quite some time as they took in the serenity of the night. How strange it was that only the previous night, they had stood miles above and proclaimed their love for one another in complete happiness in bliss, but now they sat miles below, dread and angst filling both of them.
"Link?" Zelda asked, wanting to get right to the point for once.
"Yes?" he responded quietly, still avoiding eye contact with her.
"I know that something is wrong with you..." she said, looking up into the moonless, yet starry sky. "And I want to know what it is, because I know I can help you with it... But I also know that you won't tell me... Right?"
"Zelda..." the hero sighed, remembering Terminus's words clearer than ever before. "I... I don't even know what it is..." he lied, and the moment he did, even more guilt filled him. How much longer would he have to keep this charade up, simply to keep her happy? It was so hard to keep it to himself. He wanted to tell her so badly and let everything be out in the open, like he used to tell her everything when they were little. He wanted to be free from the lies almost as much as he wanted to be free from the threat of corruption, but he knew that he couldn't tell her, at least not yet. And so, the easiest thing to do would be to feign ignorance for the time being. But he knew that he'd have to tell her soon enough, so that if he really did loose himself to corruption, then at the very least, he wouldn't be leaving her without the answers she craved.
The girl frowned as she moved closer to him, taking his hand. "This has been going on ever since we returned from Termina..." she mused, trying to get to the bottom of this for both of them. "Maybe we could go back and get Terminus's help tomorrow."
"Zel, we don't have to..." Link said, knowing that Terminus knew as well as he did exactly what was wrong with him.
"But we do, Link..." Zelda said, looking at him sadly. "I'm so worried about you... I want to fix whatever's wrong so that we can be happy... together..."
The hero couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, even though he knew there was no easy way to fix this. But perhaps it would be easier for Terminus to explain everything to Zelda rather than him trying to. Maybe the heartbreak wouldn't be as bad if she got the bitter news from her sister rather than her hero. "Ok..." he agreed a moment later. "We'll go..." He was silent for a moment however as he finally looked towards her, finding a small shred of hope in her beautiful eyes. And at that moment, he realized that he had to give her some form of reassurance, to make up for all of the turmoil and worry he had put her through within the past several hours. "But Zelda..." he said, taking both of her hands into his.
"Yes?" she asked with a small smile.
"I need you to know that no matter what, I still love you.." he said, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her into a tender, comforting embrace.
"Oh Link..." she sighed contentedly as her worry started to wash away. "I love you too... No matter what..."