Chapter 12 - It Has To Be Us

As far as Link was concerned, the only person he would ever take orders from was Zelda. The commanding officers of the Royal Guard were all long dead along with the Last Great King of Hyrule. There was no one left to answer to but in the grand scheme of things, he supposed they never really mattered. Perhaps another reason his tongue did not possess the will to speak to fellow Hylian. Was he aware of his purpose from birth on some level and then in the act of growing forget until he found the Master Sword? What came first? Was any part of this soul his alone?

Link did not believe their roles – the Hero and the Goddess-blood Princess – were arranged in hierarchy but it did feel natural to lean on her for guidance. She did not share her opinion on whether or not they should follow the instructions from the pilots at the conclusion of the meeting.

But they slept for three days.

Link certainly did not intend to. He couldn't remember falling asleep after they finished the salmon meuniere, never mind finishing it. He only became aware that they had upon himself waking to Zelda slipping from his arms in the dark and accidently jostling the empty bowl. Smoke suddenly lingered in the air. There was a faint hum of ghostly cicada laughter. They released each other quickly but she did not leave his bed. She settled down an arm's length from him in feeble asceticism. He sighed and pressed his hand down in between them where the mattress was still warm. She signed without making eye contact, her palm sweeping in a half circle from her shoulder to sternum and then crossing her index fingers. The motion was disjointed. Forced. Painful, like she was snapping a bone. We can't.

He understood.

Their bodies did not.

They continued to gravitate to each other; a tangle of arms, legs and grief. Whenever they woke up, whoever remembered the risks of their closeness first would attempt to push away before dropping back into sleep. Each time the distance grew smaller and smaller. A strong tide creeping in. On the eve of the second day, he woke to the sound of someone closing the door to the room. A clumsy click with the kind of haste that meant they had been caught off guard. Embarrassed. Suggested privacy would be respected from then on.

His arms were looped protectively around her waist, face pressed against her chest. Zelda was curled around him, the thick of her thigh draped over him and a hand lost in his hair. Her breath was heavy with sleep and he had no energy to fight any longer. Rest was not as dreamless as it had been on Divine Beast Vah Medoh. Places and people visited him from the unconscious; flashes of memory that felt both ancient and beholden to him. A faceless woman teaching his pudgy fingers to sign. A city floating high above the clouds. Armor the shade of darkest emerald. A sandy-haired boy finding the Master Sword over and over and over. Echoes of a harp song. A crimson eyed thief. Mipha slowly going mad trapped alone in limbo. A man the size of a mountain with a vengeful threat history would be written in blood.

Link shuttered and buried his face against her. He heard Zelda stir and felt her fingers hesitate in his hair. A pause, a breath, and then they began to smooth over him as if she could feel his distress and sought to drain it completely from him. It was unfair for her to hold this, he told himself. All she had been through…he wished they could pour their sorrows out together but he could not keep himself from overflowing when she presented him with the chance. The truth was he was not strong enough. A soundless sob hitched in his throat and he burrowed deeper into her welcoming arms and away from the world they would have to save soon. A world that could not sustain and would call their souls to action once again. He had seen it in his dreams. Recognized now in the words of the Deku Tree and the pulse of the spirit within the Master Sword. It was a vicious circle he could not figure out how to escape or save them from.

Power…
Wisdom...
Courage…

The Master Sword echoed three words in an ancient, piercing whisper. A siren call to the power inside him, he felt a stirring like dust rising in the wind of an approaching storm. Unfathomable power, as great as it was terrible. Boundless wisdom, the secret of secrets. Courage, a stubborn light that never goes out.

Power…
Wisdom...
Courage…

All three or none at all.

His specific history was irrelevant; that was the reality of his existence. The power necessary to release his memories…the power to both seal and unlock the darkness. He did not need to be the version of himself before he became the Hylian Champion. The sword knew self-preservation well.

A weapon more clever than it's master.

Saki was waiting for them when they finally exited the room the following afternoon. The Rito did her best to look busy and indifferent to their extended rest but Link could tell she was concerned. She was a mother and her husband and son were miles away. She was quite literally keeping an empty nest. He could feel her fighting the urge to preen them.

"I guess you were tired, hm? You must be starving." Saki did not present them with the opportunity to answer. Using her massive right wing adorned with thick lavender feathers that smelt of cedar and snow, she ushered then into seats and pushed food into their hands. "I can heat it up if it is not warm enough. Hearty steamed mushrooms and spicy meat."

"You are too kind. Thank you." Zelda said. She pulled out the Sheikah Slate and began to scroll through the stream of messages they missed. Link took a bite of mushroom and peered over her shoulder.

"Riju took the next shift to watch Hyrule Castle. I guess she's got a good handle on Vah Naboris. She…wow…she destroyed a cell of Yiga on the outskirts of Gerudo Desert."

"Her people must be impressed." Saki said. Link wondered what the soldiers would have to question now. She was defending her city and charging forward to protect Hyrule. Urbosa would be proud.

"Prince Sidon is next. He's…well, he is pleased it will give him the opportunity to celebrate his engagement as this will be the first royal Zora wedding since the King's own but," Zelda's voice changed into her best impersonation of Sidon's pleasant diction. " he 'remains eager to serve as an honored pilot of Hyrule'."

"Prince Sidon is engaged?" Saki chirped.

"Oh, his armor is beautiful." A picture flashed on the screen of Prince Sidon in a suit of shining dark opal and silver. Link immediately recognized Gruve standing beside him in similar armor. They were both beaming with rows of razor sharp teeth.

"I remember Prince Sidon mentioning him when we arrived to inspect Vah Ruta. He has a reputation as a very skilled warrior, particularly in the water. He was the Prince's right hand when he slayed the Octorok of Lurelin Village."

He is a diver. Link added in sign. 'Warrior' was not the word that jumped immediately to mind when he thought of Gruve but then again, he had been surprised before (Purah). And if Sidon trusted him, he saw no reason to question the praise or undermine their matching.

"I imagine it is a lot like flying." Rito eyesight; perfect for reading lips. "But you do not have to worry about pulling up last minute." Apparently even Saki could not escape the Rito propensity for pride though it did not bother Link much. He was remembering that he'd survived worse. "You've seen him in action?"

Link rolled his head from side to side slowly to will the words to his tongue. The sensation of consciously speaking was similar to swallowing something too large. It nearly triggered him to vomit. "Not really."

"Yunobo is working with Robbie to control Vah Rudania. They've moved the Divine Beast to the Akkala Tech Lab. They have faith Yunobo will do well. He's more patient than Daruk or rather, more willing to at least hear the instructions first." Zelda flipped through a few pictures. Robbie and Yunobo posing in front of Cherry with Jerrin scolding in the background. The Goron peering curiously over a decayed Guardian. "Robbie has a device ready for Impa. They are going to move it down to Kakariko once Yunobo has his bearings. Robbie is…very excited to see her," She swallowed hard and quoted. " 'after all this time'. "

"Anything from Teba?" Saki blurted, dipping her head down into her feathers so her neck disappeared. Zelda confirmed they were on their way back with Vah Medoh. The Rito excused herself only after making sure both of them finished their food. Zelda graciously denied her offer to make more and also framed it in a way that politely requested privacy.

Link waited until the sound of talons clicking against wood faded. His hands moved quickly. I can't watch them all die.

Zelda nodded, covering her mouth with her trembling fingers. "Me either."

The burden of loss between them was palpable. History was gearing up to repeat itself, but this time if they lost their friends again it would consume them. Link could feel the fragility their brilliant lives. So much to lose and it could happen so fast. Beneath the veil of strength Zelda wore well, Link could see she was still mourning. Grief reflected from a prism of loss inside her.

"We have to finish this." She nodded a few more times to herself and glanced at him. "It has to be us."

They pretended to be asleep when Saki returned with supper. He could hear Teba chirping excitedly from the other room before Saki shushed him and shut the door. Link lopped the braid still intact in his hair between his fingers.

They left Rito Village just after nightfall. A combination of stealth elixirs and the massive distraction that was Divine Beast Vah Medoh circling over Hebra allowed them slip by Rito guard. Zelda thankfully figured out how to turn off the location tracker on the Sheikah Slate and did so just before they exited so Purah could not discover them.

The air was cool against his face. A northwest wind muted their footsteps. They picked up horses from the drowsy keep at Rito Stable and rode wordlessly and hard along the trail through the night. They raced the slow shift of twinkling stars and moonlight all the way to Carok Bridge. Only on the south end of the bridge did they paused to collect themselves in the shadow of Hyrule Castle. Vah Naboris marched slowly in the distance near Lake Kolomo. A few wild Guardians glowing a peaceful blue roamed the fields like bored spiders on a web. The sight of them made the hair on the back of Link's neck stand on end and his mouth fill with spit. The preference remained to avoid them when they traveled despite Calamity's defeat rendering them harmless. Judging by the way Zelda positioned herself a wall between Link and the machines, she must have felt the same.

With the sun creeping over the horizon, Link suspected Riju would be setting down within the Divine Beast to rest but they decided to err on the side of caution and abandon the horses. It was a short trip on foot along Regencia River to the castle moat where Link knew there were rafts they could sail undetected into the foundation. As they packed up to leave the bridge, Link spotted a perfectly positioned stone on the top of a raised pillar of earth. A familiar excitement rattled through the air at their closeness; a sign of the struggle to remain unseen. A week ago he would have eagerly shared the game with Zelda. The Korok puzzles always left him feeling lighter. A break within the seriousness of endless missions and quests. The joy of being found with nothing left to do but to go home.

He could not bring himself to play the game. He kept the secret of the tiny stone to himself as he led Zelda away and ignored the disappointed promise of seeds if they would just turn back. Link did not have the heart to tell it there was no home to return to. It was merciful to leave it be. Better to remain blissfully lost then to live in the hell of nowhere to go.

How are you feeling? Link signed as they floated across the moat.

"Stronger." She held her hands out in front of her and flexed her fingers as if admiring a pair of fresh gloves. "It feels like after you fell. I can't remember how many Guardians I destroyed before I faced Calamity Ganon but I'm sure I could take them all now." Link did not doubt it. She erased the magic from the Lost Woods.

"How about you?" She asked.

"The same." He had pondered it in every conscious moment since the fire. Revali's Gale, Daruk's Protection – precious gifts he counted on multiple times in the journey to his battle with Calamity Ganon. It was different than the Shrine of Resurrection. The abilities were not taken from him or lost. It was like something left outside in the winter, lost under a thick blanket of snow and only missed when it is uncovered in spring.

Can you hear it? He tilted his chin back to the Master Sword behind him.

She nodded. "Power, wisdom, courage. It's talking about the Springs."

" 'Fret not'? " He repeated.

Zelda braced herself as the raft prepared to dock against the mouth of a cave beneath the castle. "It sounds afraid."

Note: I'm so sorry for the delay with this chapter...it has been a very busy month and unfortunately, it's only going to get worse through September. But...I mean...in a /good/ way - Like Sidon, I'm getting married! I'm not sure how much free time or energy I will have to write between now and then..I feel like I blinked and it is here and there is so much to do. I have a big licensing exam next weekend and then with the worry of studying off my plate, my goal is to get at least one more chapter out to you guys before we leave for our honeymoon. I will do my best!

I'm thinking there may only be 2-3 more chapters left...(: