Work Text:
“I think we can stop here,” Link said from behind Zelda.
Zelda shook her head. “No, we need to keep going,” she said, her breath coming out in pants.
She let out a yelp as she tripped on a small rock, pitching forward. Link’s hand shot forwards to grab her shoulder, steadying her. “Zelda. We need to take a moment to stop.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
The two sat down on a relatively flat boulder. Link took the opportunity to pull out his canteen, taking a long drink before he picked up a stick of jerky. Zelda, meanwhile, surveyed the land that laid out in front of her. From their point on Mount Lanayru, she could see Hyrule spread out around her. The wetlands of Lanayru were the closest, but beyond that stood the rolling plains of Central Hyrule, the castle standing tall amidst its surroundings.
This is what you have to lose, Zelda. This is what you have to protect. This is why you have to get your powers.
Zelda stood up. “Come, let’s keep going.”
“What?” Link said, his voice muffled by the jerky in his mouth. He finished chewing and swallowed, shaking his head. “Zelda, we’ve been resting for, what, two minutes?”
“We can’t waste any time, Link. We have to–”
“Sit down,” Link said, grabbing Zelda’s wrist. “Have something to eat. Hylia will understand that you need breaks. After all, you are only human.”
Zelda reluctantly sat down, grabbing the piece of jerky Link offered to her and taking a bite. The two ate in silence, Zelda’s mind still whirling with thoughts about duty and destiny.
“What’s wrong?” Link asked once he had finished his stick of jerky.
“Nothing,” Zelda said, continuing to stare ahead at the castle.
Link let out a sigh. “Zelda. I can see it on your face. You’re concerned. What’s wrong?”
“It’s…” Zelda trailed off, trying to gather her thoughts into something coherent. “So much revolves around me unlocking my powers here. If I don’t, then…well, I don’t know what will happen then. But all of this,” Zelda said, gesturing to the land around her, “will be torn apart. And I just can’t bear for that to happen. I need to be successful, and it feels like if I stop, even just for a moment, Hylia won’t think I’m deserving of the power.”
Link was quiet for a moment as he stared at the land in front of them. “I understand what you’re saying.”
“You do?”
Link nodded. “I was thirteen when I pulled the Master Sword and was told that my destiny was to destroy evil incarnate. And that was hard. So hard that I stopped talking for years, because it was easier for me to just bury whatever I felt and put up a wall of stoicism. Because I thought I didn’t deserve to be the hero, but if I acted like what I thought a proper soldier was, then everyone would believe that I deserved to wield the Master Sword.”
Zelda frowned as Link continued talking. “But I realized that I had to deserve it, or I wouldn’t have this sword. After all, who am I to question Hylia’s judgement? And it still sometimes feels like I have this impossible weight on my shoulders. But I have faith in myself and my abilities. And I have faith in you, too.”
Zelda looked over at Link and the earnest honesty in his eyes. “Thank you,” she said softly, her hand coming to find his. “You know, you’re my closest friend.”
Link grinned. “As are you,” he said, squeezing her hand.
“Could we just rest here for a little bit longer?”
Link nodded. “Of course.”