Chapter 5 - Her Sad Eyes

 

 

Everything was blurry and dark. He couldn’t focus, he couldn’t see. Yet, Link could smell a faint inkling of Zelda’s presence—had she been waiting for him? Had she, despite the risk of getting caught, taken him in and cared for his wounds made by Maru and the soldiers?

Link forced himself to open his eyes; he wished to see if what he thought was true. It was. There beside him, lay Zelda dressed in her thin nightgown, revealing her beautiful and strong body. He couldn’t take his eyes off her; Link had never seen such beauty before in his life. She was perfect. A goddess of eternal beauty… his heart pounding hard in his chest, Link noticed that he had a set of bandages wrapped around his chest. It still hurt, but not as much as before. He shivered, and a red essence quickly spread itself over the white bandages. He was still weak and tired, the wounds hadn’t healed yet despite Zelda’s care… the blood spread quickly, making him fall back into the bed covers, his hair covering his eyes, making him sleep. ‘She saved me…’ Link mumbled before he fell into darkness again…

 

‘Link…Link, drink this, you must drink it’ He felt something cold on his lips, and turned away his head. Two elegant hands gently grabbed his face, forcing him to turn over. His eyes opened with a flash and with a quick and angry swipe of his right hand, the golden decorated bowl flew down on the floor with a loud crash. The herbal medicine mixed with the water spread out, and the whole floor was wet. Left was a sad Zelda, who had just tried to help him.

‘Oh. Zelda I am sorry! I didn’t mean to…’ Her eyes were filled with tears, not just because of last morning’s endeavors but also because of the state of Link’s injuries. She had tried to heal all of his wounds, but it was like they didn’t want to close when she commanded them to through magic. They still bled, and he just looked the same as when he first came to her. Covered in cuts and bruises…

 ‘Zelda…Don’t cry…I don’t like to see you cry.’

He sat up, and took her close to him, trying to show that he cared for her for the entire world. She held herself around him, listening. ‘I can…hear your heart, Link…’ she whispered. A steady, fast beating thump and thump again for every beat Link’s heart took. It felt strong, like the heart of a wild animal. Free and savage, untamed. He in turn felt hers, as it thumped against his chest with power. Light and fast, strong thumps in succession, like a… a wolf’s heart. Like his heart.

She would be a wolf if she ever was in the Twilight, Link thought. Zelda would be noble wolf, full of grace and dignity. He was sure of it, as she had that same burning spirit as him. He could sense it. He trembled slightly. His eyes turned darker and fiercer. Twilight was beginning to shine outside; the setting sun’s rays glowed into the room and cast heavy shadows where they sat. Was he going to transform now?

‘Link… Are you all right? You’re trembling.’ Zelda noticed that he had lost a lot of blood. The bed sheets and her dress were crimson red. His bandages were white no more. How stupid she had been! With him hugging her and her hearing his heart, and being caught in a moment, she had forgotten about his injuries! The scars on his face bled slightly. ‘Link! Your eyes, what has happened with your eyes?!’ she yelled out of fear as she looked up at him. He didn’t answer, and let go off her, getting up and halting away from her, leaving a trail of blood after him on the floor. He didn’t want her to go through with this. He had caused her enough worry and pain. She would just suffer more if she heard about what he was. And saw before her eyes his curse of the triforce. ‘Don’t leave me!!’ She shouted out at him, trying to make him come back. He was about to flee from her again, just as he had done that night so long ago when they lay in the grass together, embraced. He had those same eyes now as then, why did he want to flee from her? Was he afraid of something?

‘Link…please…!’ New tears came, going down her face rapidly and dribbling onto the floor of marble. ‘Zelda…I… can’t. You don’t know what I am. What I have become…’

‘What you are? Why do you say that Link? I…I don’t understand! She cried even more, her face in pain. I have never understood since that night… I... she gulped hard and hesitated. I have always wanted to be with you, by your side! Don’t you understand that? Since the day I first saw you when you saved me from Ganondorf! It’s so strange, I don’t know you anymore Link, you have changed from the hero I knew and…loved…’ She trailed off, she had said it now. Her deepest secret and feeling for him, she had said it. She closed her eyes tightly. For so long had she kept this feeling hidden, put away deep in her heart. To finally say it to the one she loved, always had loved felt relieving and painful at the same time. Would he walk away from her now, maybe forever?

 

 

 

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