Blood Moon: A Story Before the Calamity

Chapter 38

(A/N: Takes place a few seconds after the end of last chapter)

     Link finally turned away, breathing heavily, a mountain pressing on his chest.

     He let his calm, sensible composure break with each step he took away from the door, let himself be dragged under the void of emotion. 

     Zelda. Confusion drove the air from Link's lungs, making stars appear from the edges of his vision. 

     She had been just a fraction of a centimeter from his lips.

     Link's fingertips pressed into his mouth, still unbelieving, still in shock.

     Why? Why did she do that?

     She had known, of course, that it was impossible for them to ever have a future together. And why would she want that? Link had next to no fortune, he had no place in the hierarchical world. Link tended to be difficult to handle, shadows haunting his soul from a young age, broken to the point of unhealable. Why, then, did Zelda care for him so unconditionally? She, unlike Mipha, had never known him as a innocent child, charming and energetic, lovable.

     Maybe she hadn't cared about all of these complications. Maybe she was willing at accept him as he was, however trauma-hardened he might be. She had been patient enough to slowly unlock his scarred heart, to approach him closer and closer until...

     A dry sob tore through Link's chest.

     Did he love her?

     He thought of the slight jolt whenever their eyes met. He thought of the electricity whenever their skin touched. He thought of the way she made him feel safe. Safer than he felt in the company of any other person.

     Link buried his face in his hands, falling to pieces.

     "You weakling. Crying again?" His trainer walked slowly towards him, Link's back to the wall. There was no escape. The tears fell even thicker, even faster. Hating himself, Link cringed back even further, trying futilely to get as far away from the frightening man with the whip as possible.

     "When will you learn," His voice was menacingly soft, "That there is no place for weakness on the battlefield? When will you learn to control your emotions?"

     Link hung his head, trying to push down his disgusting tears. Shame rose like a wave and filled up Link's lungs. 

     "What you need is a good dose of reality." The trainer leered at Link's tiny figure, looming over the boy. "Something to teach you that there's no such thing as mercy out there, where people die. There is only blood, and it needs to flow from the bodies of your enemies."

     "N-n-no..." Link whispered, barely breathing. "P-Please..."

     The whip rose, the leather catching the sunlight.

     Without realizing it, Link was screaming non-stop into his pillow, muffling the sound so that no one would hear, tears making a stain on his sheets. As he drew breath, his body racked with shudders, as he sobbed uncontrollably.

     Why am I like this? Why can't I be who Hyrule needs me to be?

     Burying his face in his knees, he sat with his back against the corner of his bed, knowing that it was pointless to try and stanch the flow of his cowardice out of his eyes.

     You are a human, Link. A wonderful human, but human.

      Link's breath came harsh and fast.