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The Legend of Zelda: Memories - Chapter 15

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Chapter 15:

We have entered Faron Woods.
I have never liked the forest. Too much green.
Unlike the Sacred Grove, this woody region is damper and wilder, and the weeds invade partially the faded path blending with the soil. The only thing I sometimes miss is the sun, solely filtering through the leaves. But summer has come and I could not be more grateful for the shade the trees offer us. No one would like to be out in the plains of Central Hyrule at this time of the year, despite the fierce breeze blowing in those fields.

Still. All this green makes me feel uneasy. Stupid hero's tunic.

The birds are whistling and the wind plays with the branches, filling in the woods with a soft hum. The sun is setting, tainting the visible patches of sky with orange and mauve.
I suddenly bump into something, and my grunt of pain disturbs the perfection surrounding us.

« Fi, move out of the way, » I mutter, rubbing my nose. That'll teach me to walk while looking everywhere else but in front of me.

But the spirit does not budge. « Fi? You okay? », I ask as I walk around her still body, taking a glimpse at her. What I see pulls down a frown on my face.

Fi is bent in two, as if choking, a hand covering her mouth, eyes wide open staring emptily straight ahead. I follow her gaze, but notice nothing unfamiliar. Just the usual trees and leaves.
Frowning even more deeply, I turn to face her and seize her shaking shoulders. But she continues to stare ahead as if she was not seeing me.
Loosing patience, I shake her. « Fi, there's nothing. What - what in Din's name is happening? »

« I… I… saw her, » she finally lets out, pointing at where I had checked. « I saw her. They're back to haunt me », she whispers in horror, looking at me wide-eyed.
« I assure you, there's no one! Who did you see? »
« Orielle! Orielle! It was her that I saw! », she cries out, shaking her head almost in denial.

Zelda, probably noticing we had stayed behind, has retraced her steps and creeps up behind me, concerned. « Who's Orielle? », she asks.

« She's… she's… », she trails off, before shaking her head again and staring into nothingness, her hands clutching my arms. Her gaze hovering from Zelda to me, she finally says: « She's… you don't know her. »
I raise my arms hopelessly. « We had gathered that much. But who is she, really? »
« I… »
Impatient, I cannot help but ask: « You're sure it was her you saw? »
« … No, I'm not... As a matter of fact, she looked strongly like someone we've met… What was her name again? Ah, yes. Mirage… »
« Mirage? », I ask, surprised. « The desert woman? I think we would have noticed her here. She's all in yellow and all there is here is green. »

But Fi nods to herself, seemingly convinced about the identity of the mysterious character. « It was Mirage, I'm sure of it! I had this impression the day I met her… »
« What impression? », Zelda asks, frowning, resolved to resolve this enigma.
« I… I don't know anymore… I must have been dreaming. » Her neutral face has returned and she is now looking at us in relief. « I'm sorry I've bothered you with all this, it's all nothing really. As I said, I must be seeing things. »

As soon as she finishes her words, she walks past us and starts marching up the path again, leading the way, leaving Zelda and I rather shocked about her sudden shift of attitude.
I sigh deeply, abandoning. « So close. We were so close to finally learning something. »
But Zelda shakes her head resolutely. « She's not getting away with it, not this time. »

The spirit is about to get out of sight when Zelda calls her back: « Not so fast! The night is about to come and this seems like a good place to rest. We're stopping for today. »
Fi turns back on her tracks and joins us slowly. Under her neutral face I can almost discern hints of annoyance.

The sun disappears behind the thick branches and soon the moon rises in the starless sky, lighting up our surroundings with a surreal aura. Leaning against a shallow tree trunk, I absently pick up the flattened out grass. An hour has passed, and neither of us seem to want to go to sleep. Fi has made the mistake of staying out of the Master Sword.

Zelda shifts a few meters away from me. Sooner than I had expected, her voice fills in our small camp.
« Fi, what are you hiding from us? »

I restrain the urge to comment. This is probably the most brutal way to get to the point, but at least the cards are on the table.

« I don't know what you're talking about. I'm hiding nothing, » she says, her voice is low and unfriendly.
« We all know that's not true. Please, it's for your own best. »
She snickers in the darkness. « Letting out things is not always for your best. Ask Link about it. »
« … I'm sorry, Zelda, but she's got a point, » I cannot help to answer.
« Then do it for us. You're hiding too much. »
She laughs coldly. « I told you I wasn't hiding anything. »
« Zelda's got a point this time. You've played your little game with us for long enough. »
« I have nothing to hide. I'm a sword. »

« And what about the two scars in your back? », I ask.
« Those were made when I was human. »
I snicker. « One runs directly over the heart. You don't survive two wounds like that, trust me. »
« And what about the elusive answers about your past as a human? », Zelda carries on.
« My past as a human is not the most interesting thing in the world », Fi answers ironically.
« Yet you speak of it sometimes you long for… », I counter immediately. « Oh, and let's not forget the constant shits of attitude. You seemed so afraid this evening I could not help but think that it was not the Fi I know. »

She snarls lowly. « You don't know me Link, that's why. »
« You'd be surprised. You're my sword, after all. »
« And what about the flash backs you recall? », Zelda asks, resolved to know the truth.
« Those are just dysfunctions in my system - »
« That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard. » My words are sharp and cold, and they immediately cut her off. A meaningful silence follows.

« Who's Orielle? », Zelda finally whispers.
« Farore I told you I was only hallucinating! How many times do I have to repeat it? », Fi bursts out, loosing all her patience, on the verge on breakdown.
« Swords don't hallucinate, Fi. » She looks at me in surprise, shocked by my words. Understanding denying it is of no use, she drops her head, resigning.
« It's time you tell the truth. We can't go on like this. »

She turns away, back to us, her shoulders slumped in despondency. « I always knew one day it would show too much as the cycles went by and as I lost my usual neutrality. But go on. Ask anything you want. I'll answer it. All your questions led to same thing anyway, » she whispers at long last.
« The scars. »
« Those are… my wings. Or what's left of it. »
« … Hylians don't have wings. And they never had », I retort, shaking my head.
« That's because I wasn't one of them. »
« That's not what you had told us », Zelda says, with a hint of reproach.
« Because the truth would have leaded to more questions that would have revealed what I didn't want to be revealed. And I never said I was Hylian. I said I was like them. »
« But then what were you, for Din's sake? »

She sighs deeply and I can see her putting her face in her hands. « … It's such a pity no one remembers us… But then, it was all my fault… »
« Fi? Please tell us », I insist softly.
« There's nothing to explain. We were eight, then seven when I left. They never understood why... We were a part of the whole, we were the ones keeping the balance of the world. They were much more than a family for me. Together, we represented every race and form of life ever present on the surface. Our name? We have been called many things, and angel was one of them. But we are most commonly known as the Guardians. Our true race's appellation is the Asterians. »

I frown and Zelda gasps in the darkness. « So this legend is true! They do exist! It was said they lived in the Sacred Realm - »
« … The Asterians are gone, both of you. They don't even exist in memories anymore. »
A long silence follows. « What happened? », I ask at last.

Fi has turned back towards us and is looking downwards, absolutely still, not answering.
« Where are they now? Please tell us, » I insist pleadingly.

The voice that follows is only a whisper, and she looks at us, a small shining tear reflected by the moon sliding down her cheek.

« … Well, someone had to know, hadn't they? I killed them. »

A deadly silence takes over. « I had to, » she adds. « But either way, it still doesn't change the fact that I am the one responsible for their deaths. »
She gets up silently and disappears behind the trees. « Try to think nicely of me now Zelda… when you know I murdered my own sisters. And you were right, it can't go on like this. »


I wake up a few hours later, in the middle of the night. Fi's words have been bothering me and I have had difficulties finding sleep. The spirit hasn't regained the Master Sword.
Suddenly a thought crosses my mind, and I begin to panic. Getting up hastily on my feet, I head half running towards the direction she had taken, with her last words echoing ceaselessly in my head.

It can't go on like this.

Think straight Link. Surely this can't be what she meant. And in any case, she's a sword. Swords can't commit suicide. But now I'm not so sure. She was not what we thought she was, and she did seem to have been tortured by her own thoughts for extremely long.

Absolute darkness surrounds me. It seems that I am lost, and I am more and more afraid something has happened to her. I sit down, panting, and stare into the night, trying to clear my anxious mind. The wind has risen and the leaves tremble with the breeze. That's when I hear it. A melody as old as time, that I would have recognized anywhere. It is simply Fi's theme, her theme. It was the melody that guided me to the Master Sword the night I found me, it is the tune that accompanies me in my dreams whenever I see her. But here it has a melancholic aspect to it, and as the notes reach my ears I can hear all the sadness they transmit, as if she was saying goodbye…

I hastily get up and twist around, searching frantically the source of the music. I run blindly towards the sound, as branches slash in my face and my feet stumble at every step. I emerge into a moonlit clearing, and stop there, panting. In middle is Fi, sitting on a dead tree log, playing her tune on a odd shaped flute.

She pulls away from it when she notices me and the last note fades into the air as she looks up at me, her pale blue eyes reflecting the moon.

« I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trouble you - », I start, shaking my head.
« You heard me from that far away? »

I look at her, surprised, but finally chuckle, running a hand through my hair, embarrassed. « I think if I had been at the other side of Hyrule, I would have still heard it. »

« It's haunting, isn't it? I play it when I'm sad. Which doesn't happen much. I'm a sword, after all. »
I remain silent, unsure of what to answer.
« So you can't sleep? », she asks curiously, head titled.
« I was scared, I thought you would… you would… », I trail off. « Never mind. What's that instrument? », I quickly ask, changing subject.
« It's an ocarina. Here, try it. »

I approach shyly and seize the odd shaped flute from her hand. Sitting beside her, I examine closely the strange instrument. It is of a nightly blue, with only six holes and a golden Triforce carved on its mouthpiece. Curious, I set it to my lips. The first few notes come out smooth and soft, and I am encouraged by this sweet sound. After a few experiments, letting my mind drift, I play a few melodies.
After a while, she says: « You sound like him… Those were the songs he used to play. »

« Who's him? », I cannot help to ask.
« The Hero of Time. This belonged to him. It was still that time where I was fully half human, half robot. It was the cycle before the one where it all went… wrong… with them… », she trails off, her voice cracking with emotion.

«Fi… I'm sorry. »
A long silence follows. « I know. »
I am about to reply, but shake my head. « No. No you don't. »

She frowns and looks up to me. « What? »
« I'm not only sorry for you and your sisters. …I'm also sorry for everything I've done. I'm sorry for treating you like garbage at the beginning. I'm sorry for my impossible behaviour towards you. I'm sorry for not being the one you wanted me to be. I'm sorry for not being the hero. »

She remains silent for a while. « I haven't said it many times in my very long existence, but… I'm sorry too. »
« And who knows… », she trails off, turning to me and intensely looking at me, « maybe I was wrong. »

« Goodnight, Link », she says before I can retort anything, curling into a ball of silver light and regaining at lightning's speed our camp, leaving behind a trail of blue particles leading the way back.

« Goodnight, Fi », I whisper back to the emptiness surrounding me.


I've never had such an instable dream. The edge of what I am able to glimpse is blurred, and a few black screens constantly interrupt my vision. Sometimes the image focuses on a few details, some grass, a twig, but then all starts to shift and swirl.
Despite all that, I could easily be convinced I am not dreaming. The scenery taking place right before my eyes is the exact same spot where I last stood. Same leaves, same trees, same light. Something has changed though. The soiled path is no longer visible and the weeds have taken over the woods.

Before I can start to inspect my surroundings, the sudden appearance of three persons stops me dead in my tracks. The dream quivers as they enter the little clearing in which I am standing.
The first one, a tall, agile female with an eye patch and a complex ponytail ended by a metal ring, drops her leather bag next to a bole and announces tiredly that they shall be resting here for the night.
The second character, a blond haired woman, carrying casually a strap pouch across her shoulder, smirks while sitting down on the dead leaves and stretching her legs: « How ironic. This is the exact same place where they stopped.»
The last person drops in lazily and leans against the trunk. « Honestly, I've given up on trying to understand your riddles.», he says, running a hand in his jet black hair.

The female whom he had just spoken to scoffs, half smiling, and lays back, closing her eyes. Her pale blond hair is combed into tufts and she wears two long feather earrings. A detail catches my attention: they are all wearing armour, and seem incredibly at ease with it. What's more, it's unlike any kind of metal I've seen so far, it shines of an odd white glint. It probably comes from a far away country.

I move slowly to catch a glimpse of the face of the third character. Each step disturbs my dream as colourless sparkles start to invade my vision. He's relatively young, same age as me, with locks of black hair falling randomly on his forehead and crystal blue eyes tinted of green. The one-eyed woman is staring absently into space, her foot toying with a twig. A recent scar can be partly seen under the patch and the remaining eye is of a deep ocean blue.

The man makes a face and massages his back, as if to shake off the pain. « Anyway, this life and adventure isn't for me, Zelda. I would have rather stayed in the bakery. »

I nearly choke out of surprise and the dream quivers dangerously. Her? A Zelda? It can't be. I have never seen this one before, even amongst the ones that had not succeeded. I would have remembered her, an one-eyed blond!

« Danicka's dead, you know that. You can't go back to your old life, prophecy and goddesses or not, Link. »

Him. He's a Link. What the hell. Not with black hair. No. That's not possible.
But what in the heaven's name I am witnessing?

« Speaking of bakery, are there any cookies left? », the third woman asks, a straw between her teeth, eyes still closed.

Cookies? What's that thing now?

« No, » they both say together accusatively, glaring at her. « You've eaten them all. »
The dream starts to swirl, and already my sight isn't focused anymore. No, not so soon! I have to - I need to see her eyes! I need to know who she is!

I make my way around the little camp to take a look at the last character's face, and at each step I make my vision trembles dangerously.

Her features are ageless and unknown to me, yet they remind me strongly of someone. If only… If only she could open those eyes of hers before it's too late…
She smiles knowingly and says: « Funny to think he saw this… What we're doing right now. »
My sight progressively darkens and I scream internally with frustration.
« But who in the goddesses' name are you talking about? », Zelda asks far away, slightly irritated.

« Why, but Link of course, » she utters as her eyes fling open and stare right at me.

And then everything goes black.


« Link, would you wake up and stop grunting like that! I have no idea what you're dreaming about, but now it looks extremely wrong - », Zelda says, her voice seeming to come from the other side of the realm, her hand cold and hard against my face, slapping me as to make me regain my senses. I open my eyes into the blinding sunlight and gasp for air, choking. « I… I… », I croak, unable to phrase a complete sentence.

« Oh, so he's woken up? », Fi says, her back to me, twisting her head, a small ironic smile on her lips.
« You! », I shout, pointing at her. « It was you in the dream! »

But now I'm not so sure. Hair isn't the same, clothes aren't the same, facial structure isn't the same. But her pale blue eyes are the exact same ones as the woman's in the dream. And that smirk of hers too.

She shrugs. « You always see everyone in your dreams. No big deal. »
I shake my head vigorously. « This one wasn't the same. Not the same at all. It was you, I'm sure of it… but it wasn't you. »
Zelda raises her arms hopelessly and sighs. « Now who's the one talking in riddles. »
I nod, now sure of myself. « It's you, and it's not you. »
Fi stares at eyebrows raised, unconvinced. « Link, are you aware what you've just said makes no sense? »
« It makes sense to me… »

She sighs and hands me her palm. « Just show me the damn dream and I'll tell you if we're just plain stupid or if you've gone completely insane. »
I look at it doubtfully. Since that stormy night in the cavern, Fi and I have practiced. I have made some progress (although not enough to Grand Master Fi's taste), especially concerning the length of the visions. The quality of the image is still not my strong point.

« Can't. Dream was way too unstable, unlike anything I've had so far. And any case, you wouldn't recognize them. »
She half smiles tauntingly. « Oh, is that so? »

« Then tell me. A blond with a metal ring one-eyed Zelda, a black haired and green-blue eyed Link, and you, with the strangest of haircuts, long feather earrings, walking and behaving as if you were totally human. Which cycle? »

Her smile immediately disappears. « I have no record of this. »

« Told ya. »
« They're not from Hyrule. »
« Possibly. They wore some kind of weird armor and seemed quite comfortable in it. And they also spoke of something… what was the name again… cookies? »

Fi's eyes brighten up at the mention of the world. « I'd gladly give anything to eat one of those things again… But they do not come from Hyrule. »

« Then what were you doing with them? And they were named Link and Zelda, right? », Zelda kicks in back, resolute to solve this mystery.
Fi shrugs. « They're just names… They could mean anything. However… I did wear some earrings and had such a haircut when I was a human, just before becoming the master sword. But then nothing concords… And I would have had my wings if that was the case. »

« Oh », Zelda mutters all of a sudden.
We both to her. Sitting on the ground, she looks up. « We've been stupid. »
A silence follows. « Enlighten us, » I say, frowning.
« Link, you've misinterpreted some information. »
Fi closes her eyes for a short second and sighs deeply. « Oh… I see now. Well, would I never… »
« I still don't see », I grumble, hating to be so slow at understanding things.
« Fi was not walking and behaving as if she was totally human. She was human. It's not a memory you have seen, but a vision. It's normal neither of you remember this version of Link and Zelda. It's because they have never existed. Yet. What you saw was in the future. And judging of Fi's appearance… it was the last one. The last cycle. »

Of course. It all fits into place now. How she seemed to know that I was there. 'They' was me, Zelda and herself of our cycle. 'Him' was me.

I turn to Zelda as I open my mouth to utter something, but I am cut off by her hard look. «… Zelda? »
But she doesn't respond. I move a little, placing myself in front of her. « Hello? Anybody here? »
She only looks at me in silence, her face unreadable. « Are you quite alright? What is it? »
« Fi, what are cookies? », she asks, not answering my question.
« Possibly the greatest food I've ever - »
« Where do they come from? », she interrupts, an edge in her voice.
Fi does not seem to notice and carries on dreamily: « I couldn't even start to describe to you how far it is. Not from another city, another kingdom, no, not even from another realm… It's a whole different world. »

« How many centuries do we have to wait until they get imported here? », she asks this time angrily.
Fi frowns. « … I don't know, Zelda. »
« How many more times do we have to do this? How many more cycles? Is there no end to this? », she shouts, standing up furiously, fists quivering by her side. « How many more dead? How many more lives destroyed? IS THERE NO WAY WE CAN END THIS? »
« I - »
« ANSWER ME! You and your goddesses have caused this kingdom's downfall for centuries! There MUST BE a way of ending the cycles for good. »

« Th-there's a prophecy », Fi dares to mouth.
« Say it. Now. »
« R-round and round the circle will turn
Again and again the cycle will be repeated
And forever more the destinies of the three Triforce holders shall be accomplished
Landscape will change, cities will be built and other destroyed
Souls will be born and die
And at each time of need, the children of destiny shall rise
Chained eternally to this endless repetition
Until the day all three fully admit the errors of the past. »

Teeth clenched, she stares at the spirit for a few seconds before uttering icily: « Just as I thought. » Without a second look at us, she storms out angrily of the small clearing.

It has started raining again. A disagreeable silence follows, only broken by the raindrops falling heavily on the leaves.

« For how long have you known that prophecy? », I ask slowly.
« It has always been around since the island in the sky, but it was only in the previous cycle that I remembered it. »
« She had been thinking about it long before today. Otherwise she wouldn't have become so angry in so little time.

Silence again. « Link, you should go and talk to her. »
I raise my eyebrows without looking at her. « Me? In her state? It would be worse than stepping in Ganon's lair. »
« It would still be better than doing nothing or letting me talk to her. Go and talk to her. She needs you more than you need. » I look up, trying my best to hide my surprise caused by her words.

« Fine. It's been a pleasure knowing you, Fi. Here comes the storm. » And with that said, I leave the clearing, wondering in what other disaster I've been pulled into.

I don't have to wonder around for too long. There she is, standing back to me in the pouring rain, in the middle of this small clearing filled with long grass swaying against our knees. Hair soaked, I approach her silently. Minutes go by and she doesn't turn around.

« Zelda- », I start.
« Leave me alone. » The words are pronounced bitterly, mouthing every syllable.
« I - »
« I insist, Link. Leave. me. alone. » With more hate this time.
« I won't- »
« I said », she utters icily as she turns around with violence, « LEAVE ME ALONE! » On her cheeks are streaming tears full of anger and frustration. Her face is torn in a grimace between pain and hate, her teeth bared in a snarl.

It suddenly strucks me that I've been wrong. I've always thought I had been attracted by her appearance, at first at least, but as I see her now, no longer dazzling as she usually is, I suddenly fully realize how blind I've been. It's for her I'm here, not for what she looks like. It's for what she stands for that I love her, and despite how much she might hate me at this very moment, I shall not leave her. Fi was right. She needs me.

« Please don't cry. I hate seeing you cry. »

She laughs sarcastically and then immediately stops, returning to her low, dangerous, hissing voice. « Well, if you had the obligation of leaving this place, then you wouldn't see me crying. »

Fine. I'm changing tactics. « You never cry. »
« Princesses don't have the luxury to cry. »
« You're no princess. »
« Oh? Aren't I? », she says, half smiling ironically. I hesitate.
« What's happening, Zelda? »

« What's happening? You're asking me what's happening? », she explodes. « You perfectly bloody well know what's happening! Last time I checked, you weren't deaf. Or would you simply refuse to see things? The truth is, and we've always known it someway without wanting to admit it, is that we're trapped. Forever. In this endless repetition. And not just us three. The whole of Hyrule is. »

I step forward, reaching to touch her arm to calm her.
« Don't you dare touch me », she hisses. Ignoring her, I grab her shoulder.
She punches me in the face. Hard. Without a second thought. I grunt in pain and touch my nose carefully.

« That was my nose. »
« As if I cared. »
« Of course you care. You always care. »

A few seconds go by, during which she fiercely stares at me in anger. « There's nothing to do about the cycles, » I add. « What are we? Three against the world, three against a prophecy? How many before us have tried ending it in vain? »

« Oh, so you suggest we do nothing? Sit here twiddling our thumbs while the kingdom's falling apart every time? Have you ever wondered why the other kingdoms such as Labrynna, Holodrum or even Termina are more advanced technologically than us? It's because we're stuck here in our war. Unable to go forward, to move on. »

« But what can we do? The entire realm save us three and Ganon aren't even aware the cycles exist! », I reply back, raising my voice. « Can't you see it? We're alone. So alone in our fight. »

She shakes her head in denial. « You think we're not responsible, but we are! We are! Even if it was centuries after the first cycle, we still are responsible for our actions. Ganon's army of moblins have been destroying the land and villages for weeks, and we have not faced him even once! I know there's the trials. But I can't bear anymore, seeing them all die. I… I just can't. » Her voice breaks with emotion and more tears start to swirl down from her eyes. « That… thing, the reincarnation system, it's killing us. What happened to the Link I used to know, who slammed the door in rage the first night when I told him his true nature? Admit it, you've grown used to be a tool of the goddesses. What happened to the Zelda I used to be, a princess who worshipped the deities and now sues them? Look at us now, as the goddesses and cycles completely and utterly destroy us! »

Her words are like a jab in the chest, and they sting deep inside, reminding me of how true they are. But I must not show it. She has kept strong and supported me when I was in her state. My time to repay her in kind.

« I know Zelda, I know all that! But face the facts! We can do nothing. We don't know how to end this thing. We cannot fully admit the errors of the past, because we do not know what they are! »

A silence follows. « What if this is all wrong? I'm sure you already asked yourself the question. What if this is some terrible prank the goddesses have played on us? What if you're not the hero and you've been going on a suicidal mission just because I said you were the one? Maybe Fi was right the whole way through, who knows? »

« I trust you. »

« What if… I'm not a true Zelda and I've been wrong this whole time? Admit it, Link, I don't look like the others before me, nor will I look like the ones after. »

« Appearance doesn't mean anything. » And oh how I mean right now. It's who you are that matters… And it is only at this moment, where I see her whole, with all her flaws and qualities, that I fully realize it.

She carries on, ignoring me. « You probably heard stories about my birth, how the most wonderful princess had come to life…. They're all lies. When I came into this world, my mother didn't want to believe that I was the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. She kept repeating over and over that I couldn't be the one, that I looked too different. She died shortly after. My father never forgave me for it. »

« It's not because- »

« And in any case, what good have I been so far. I've ruined everyone's life and expectation of me, carried death with me wherever I went. My parents. My uncle was killed because of me. The hundreds of innocents who died because of me. You'll probably die by my fault. I think you've been the worst of all my victims, Link. I've ruined your life so much it's not funny anymore. »

My eyes widen at her words. « Zelda, you've been the best thing that ever happened to me, » I blurt out.

If a week earlier I had said those words, I would have gotten terribly red, stammered a pitiful excuse and regretted bitterly what I had uttered. But no, not today, not anymore. She needs to know.

« Bullshit. »
I grab her hand instinctively. « It's anything but bullshit. »
She looks at her hand in mine and tries to snatch it away.
« Let me go! », she shouts, jerking on her arm.
« No. »
« Let me go or I'll strike you again- »
« I don't care. »

She vividly looks at me, surprised by the seriousness of my tone.
« Now you'll listen to me, Zelda Nohansen Hyrule, 37th of your name, and all those ridiculous titles that don't mean a thing to me. I don't care what happened at your birth. I don't care what people think of you. It's you I treasure, what you stand for, what you share, who you truly are.
I said you were the best thing that ever happened to me, and I very well mean it. And here's why: even if you were born and raised in the shadows, you still saved me. You made me discover that in life there was beauty. That there were things worth living. When I was drowning in darkness, you reached out a hand. To me, who was more than done for.
And I see it now, Zelda. You're not being of shadow. You're Hyrule's light. You're my part of light. »

I've been wrong. Yes, I'm maybe the hero, yes I may be trapped in this endless repetition. Yes I'm the goddesses' pawn. But there's one thing I know for sure that they are real, that they are not manipulated. My feelings. And today, I choose to accept them.

And as the rain starts to pour down even harder, my lips crash on hers.


The following evening, at sunset. A gentle breeze is blowing, and I stare, my mind empty, at the few stars lit up in the sky, head resting beneath my folded arms behind my nape. Zelda is laying a few meters away from me in silence, her back turned to me.

She did not slap me. Her hand only stayed in mid-air, not high enough to be considered as a threat but not low enough to be ignored, quivering with rage, as I looked at her expressionlessly. Streaked by her dried-out tears, her face had turned violent red. But whether it was because of anger or embarrassment, I could not decide. Her eyes portrayed a mixture of hate, confusion, sadness. In fact I could hardly read her emotions at all and I suddenly became afraid of what I had done. Her hand finally curled into a fist and came down her side, and without uttering a single word, she turned around and stormed out of the clearing, leaving me alone under the deluge, whishing that maybe I hadn't done this.

I came back defeated no long after to our small camp where Fi seemed to be waiting anxiously for us. I appreciated her effort to appear concerned during this hard time… or maybe she really was. I just don't know anything about her anymore. In fact, I just don't seem to know anything about anyone anymore.
She stood as soon as I came near. Before she could open her mouth, I said grumpily: « It failed. In every way possible. »
She immediately understood. « She was angry. Don't give up. »
« Easier said than done. You haven't been punched in the nose, you. »

Zelda came back a few minutes later, avoiding eye contact with me at any cost. The day went by at an agonizingly slow pace, where the minutes seemed to last for ages. I never spoke to Zelda and neither did she. Fi ventured once to talk to her, but was told off coldly. Most of our day consisted of us three walking with Zelda leading the way and occasionally shouting back to Fi asking for directions, and me with the spirit at the back of our little group. Fi vainly tried to cheer me up, but I was sulking and staring sadly at the ground, being more and more convinced I had been wrong, that after all she did not love me, and that now I had ruined our friendship the day before the last trial.

And here I am, staring at the orange and mauve sky, feeling rather hopeless about the situation.

« Fi recalculated our way to go and she says we'll reach the third trial by tomorrow, » I say into the evening, my breath curving into smoke as it leaves my lips, not really expecting an answer.
A long silence follows and I begin to think she's fallen asleep.
« I know », she replies neutrally.
« I'm scared of what it will consist of. »
No answer this time.
« You're scared as well », I add.
« … Of course », she whispers as her words fade into the night.

I do not insist. At least I know she will not try to murder me in my sleep.


I'm back in Nolania, in our small fishermen's house decorated with nets and where fishing trophies hang from the wooden beams. It is morning already, and the sunlight is filtering through the window onto the workspace. The hubbub of voices from the local villagers can be heard from where I stand, and it just seems like a normal day in Nolania, myself scaling a fish I had just gotten this morning.

But I am not a fragile boy of nine years old anymore. It is strong hands that seize the fish, it is powerful eyes that observe my surroundings, and on my shoulder I can feel the now familiar touch of the hero's tunic. The Master Sword is leaning against the table, still as resplendent as ever.

I am not facing him when he enters. The sound of his very familiar footsteps prevent me from turning around to face him, for I know to see his face again would destroy me once and for all.
His entrance has created a sudden gust of mind and for a short moment the salty smell of Nolania enters with him. Standing in the doorway with the wooden door still wide open, the room is flooded with light.

I imagine my nine years old self turning around with a smile, shouting his name and taking him by the hand to show him his work on the fish. But I am not that boy anymore. If I turned around, we would stay separated by those few meters as he would contemplate the face of his nineteen year old son, with scars and a broken past.

So I don't turn around. I only meticulously continue my work and say with a hint of nostalgia:

« Hey dad. You're back. »

Smiling slightly through the doorway, his face bathed in the morning sunlight, he answers in his usual warm voice, fully understanding the weight of his words:

« I was never gone, Link. »

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Next: WIP

Just a quick note: the characters appearing in Link's first dream aren't mine. They belong to the incredible author Rose Zemlya (much known here for her fics The Legend of Zelda: The Return, and its sequel Reconciliations). The fic, called The Last Cycle, to which those charcaters belongs to is not written. It is only put in thoughts and drabbles on tumblr, but it's SO GOOD. I highly encourage you to go and check it out. Rose is aware this is here, and in any case this is only a small tribute to her fabulousness.

Her's page 1 of TLC: rosezemlya.tumblr.search/the+l…. I've given you page one, all you gotta do is read on forward from bottom of the page to top! (from oldest to newest)



One of my favorite chapters. Now that I look at it, it's mostly about character developpement, but with action, you know? I mean that this chapter really makes the story go forward, whereas the last chapter kinda didn't.
But yeah, I'm actually rather proud of it!

Music: not much for this one, only three. And two are actually rock music!
- We Are, by Ana Johnsson. You might recognize some part of the lyrics that I included in the Link and Zelda dialogue... :) www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jR7Ab…
- Hide, by Red. It wasn't much for the lyrics there (though it would do a fantastic MidnaxLink song :D), but more for the emotion. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHle9R…
- Fi's Requiem, by Alisa Hight. This one is for Fi's theme that plays in the forest. It's actually much sadder than Fi's Gratiude. I feel this little orchestral remix really conveys Fi's emotions and state of mind during this cycle. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh8Aj_…


Chapter 16 is already written, and honestly it's glorious guys. Now I just gotta upload it... (I might die in the process. It's more than 11 000 words long I think.)
© 2014 - 2024 Kathaersys
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Hiaennyddei's avatar
That, my dear was an excellent chapter ;)