Zelda was lecturing him.
About the thing with the knife.
She assumed that the marks were old.
From before.
That was good.
He didn't want her to know that some were recent.
But he knew that if Twilight saw, he'd be much more suspicious. He'd know.
He'd have to be careful around Twilight.
He looked at Zelda, who was holding his arm.
"This is dangerous! And not to mention stupid! Don't you dare do it again, or I'll- oh. Oh, Link, it's okay. don't cry. Was I yelling? I'm sorry if I scared you, I-"
"It's fine."
He didn't realize that he was crying. And he upset Zelda because of it. He stood up, pulling his arm away. He pushed his sleeve down, covering the hacked up skin.
He walked away.
Why did he have to break down earlier? That was stupid. Zelda would know that something was going on. That something was wrong.
Oh well.
A real problem would be if Twilight figured it out. Then, he'd be pestered about it non-stop.
Non-stop. Like the guardians. Those damn guardians. He wished that they had never been found. Or made, for that matter. It would have made everything so much easier. There would still be a Castle Town. He wouldn't have died.
But then, Zelda probably wouldn't have discovered her powers. So maybe it was for the best that he was like this. Anyway, nothing would really help him. Might as well just grin and bear it.
So he smiled.
Nothing's wrong, he said.
He was fine.
As long as it helped others.
As long as other people were happy.
After all, his problems didn't matter in the grand scope of everything.
Who cares if he was broken?
He was just being tossed into the trash like a broken dish.
He was trash.
Nobody cared, and if they did, it just hurt him more.
He didn't want anyone to care.
Everyone would be better off if nobody paid attention to him.
Including him.
And if he was a in a prison of his own making, then so be it.
It was for everybody else.
That's what he told himself.
●●●
"Hello, Link."
"Hey, Zelda."
He waved to her, expecting her to walk by. But she stopped in front of him.
"I was wondering, do you feel like you can start helping again? I don't want you to get hurt, but we-"
He stood up.
"Yes. And sorry for interrupting you."
"It's fine. Follow me."
She led him to the entrance of the town, where there were several people moving boxes and supplies.
"I want you to help bring the supplies in. And don't bother using Magnesis. None of the boxes are wooden. Anyway, you should be able to carry them. Ask someone where to take them."
He nodded and walked over to a person who was looking at a paper.
"Where should I take the boxes?"
They looked up at him.
"Hm? Oh, over there."
They pointed to a pile of boxes and barrels. They were a ways away.
"Thank you."
He found a box and picked it up. He started carrying it over to the pile.
It seemed kind of like Zelda was just trying to give him something to do. Something to take his mind off other things. He was grateful for that, but at the same time, he was a little annoyed. Giving him busy work wouldn't do much for him. It did make him feel useful, though.
He put the box down and went back to the entrance.
Why did he even want to feel useful in the first place? He knew it was because he didn't want to take up space, but why? Why did he feel like he'd be taking up space if he didn't do something? Maybe because he'd be in people's way. But this place was huge. There were a lot of people, though.
He picked up a second box and headed back over to the pile.
Why was he always thinking about stupid shit like that? It's not like it mattered or anything. It's not like he mattered or anything. Did anything really matter? Of course. But not him.
Lost in thought, he bumped into someone.
"Oh. Sorry about that."
"It's fine."
The person he had bumped into was Morgan. Funny how they kept finding each other while he was moving boxes.
They awkwardly walked past each other. He looked down at the box he was holding while he did so, not really wanting to make eye contact.
Why was he so awkward around her all of a sudden? Sure, she was kind of cute, but... oh, who was he kidding? Not himself, that's for sure.
He didn't want to ruin her life. Maybe he should just ignore her. Sure, she'd be confused and annoyed and maybe even angry, but it was better than bringing her down with him.
He put the box down and went back to get another one.
He was getting awfully tired, which was weird. These boxes weren't that heavy.
Why was he always so tired? It was annoying. Stupid, really. But he shouldn't complain. That would be annoying. Anyway, what right did he have to complain? He was a knight. Knights shouldn't complain. He'd have to put up with it. He could rest later.
He picked up yet another box.
His arms ached. His legs ached. Everything ached. He should have more stamina than this.
It felt like forever before he reached the pile. Relieved, he put the box down and started walking back.
He was getting hot. But it wasn't that hot out. What was going on with him? Jeez.
He picked up a box and began to walk to the pile.
He stumbled a little, even though the box was relatively light.
After he took a few more steps, he lurched forward and dropped the box. He stumbled back before falling to the ground and passing out.