Author's Note: this chapter is crazy af (just a warning)

The woman sobbed into your shoulder and you rubbed her back consolingly. Link had yet to give you and Myra an account of what happened, even though you were sure that you already knew what happened. The woman apparently figured it out too. 

Myra was clutching her husband's ring and holding it to her chest. Link was looking at the fire, arms crossed around his chest and eyebrows furrowed with guilt. And there you were, sitting on the ground next to this stranger, trying to make her feel better.

More than anything, you wanted to go console Link, because you knew that look in his eyes. You didn't see it often, but it pained you to see it. You longed to leave Myra's side and help Link, but you couldn't very well abandon her while she cried on you. She very clearly needed support and while you knew the pain Link was in right now, for having watched someone die, this young woman had just lost her husband.

Finally, the sobbing stopped. This took both you and Link by surprise, considering the look Link sent her way. The two of you waited anxiously for her next move. Even the fire seemed to quiet down to hear her. If a pin dropped off in Hyrule Castle right now, you'd have been able to hear it. She lifted her head slowly. Your hands came to your side again and she stood, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. You stood up quickly, steadying her, but she brushed your help off.

Not wanting to argue, you let her stand on her own. She was looking intently at Link and there was still that odd look of desperation in her eyes. "What happened?" Despite having listened to closely for them, you nearly missed her words. Link started, his eyes telling you that above all else he didn't want to recount what had happened earlier. "What happened," she demanded again, her voice dark now. Her grief was replaced by anger and you stepped closer to Link in a mild form of defense for him.

"I...I did my best, miss..." Link began. He didn't get much farther than that explanation before she cut him off.

"What happened?" This third time she said it was steeped in the madness of grief.

Link swallowed thickly and licked his lips tentatively before answering. Summoning his courage and steeling himself, he met her eyes. "Before I could get to him, more of the monsters had appeared. Those ones are strong enough on their own, so you could imagine the danger we were in. As soon as I reached the clearing into which they had him, one had hit him on the head with its club. By the time I took care of the monsters, he..." Link closed his eyes and took a breath before opening them again. "He was dead by the time the last monster fell."

"Why couldn't you just grab him and run?" The woman snapped. You stayed quiet. You didn't like how this woman was treating Link, but knew what it was fueled by and knew the easiest way to get it out of her system was to just let it happen.

"They had arrows, miss. They were lit with fire and they were coming at me from all directions...I couldn't make it to him without burning alive. I had to kill them first."

As the woman looked down at the ring in her hand, you looked at Link. He was tired, that was the first thing you noticed. Not necessarily being shown in his physical features, you could see the tired look in his eyes. You then saw dried blood on his tunic and some streaking down his neck, and a small gash on his neck as well, not yet clotted. Parts of his skin were blackened and charred and his hair was full of twigs and dirt.

You stepped closer to him, gently lowering the neck of his tunic so you could see the gash better. Noticing a longer cut going down under his tunic towards his shoulder, you winced and went to your bag to get what you needed to fix him up.

Returning to him, you asked him gently what the gash on his neck was from. "Stray arrow," was his short, curt answer.

"And the one on your shoulder?"

Link shrugged and looked away. Frowning, you busied yourself with cleaning up his neck wound.

"He told me to bring the ring back to her," Link said to you quietly. "That was the right thing to do, right? Or would it have been better for her to have remained ignorant?"

"No, Link, what you did was the right thing," you assured him, "you fulfilled his dying wish. That was all you could have done." Link didn't respond to your words and didn't even respond to you cleaning his neck wound. Usually, he was a big baby about it- it stung, this you knew from experience as well- but now, he didn't even flinch.

You continued on with your work, gently cleaning the wound and the skin around it. Taking a small bandage, you placed it over the wound and turned your attention to the one on his neck. "Don't blame yourself, Link," you said quietly, knowing that he'd hear it. You received no response. Reaching for a bandage, you were about to place it over the gash when the woman spoke up.

"It's all your fault," the woman hissed, seething with anger. Turning your head, you saw that the woman practically had steam rushing from her ears and your eyes widened. This anger was a mixture of sadness and grief and disbelief, and that made it dangerous. She'd be unpredictable. Link looked at the woman, and one look into his eyes showed you that he believed her.

"Link, don't listen-"

"You did this! You let my husband die!"

"Myra, stop that! Link did all that he possibly could!"

"How do you know," she snapped at you. "You weren't there! Look how guilty he looks, look at his eyes! He knows that what I'm saying is true! My husband would be alive if you actually tried!"

"Myra," you started, keeping your tone even and calm while your eyes expressed the anger you kept from your voice, "calm down. I know Link; he'd never let someone die if he had it in his power to save them."

"Then why is my husband dead? He wasn't fast enough, o-or strong enough, or brave enough! It's his fault!"

"Myra, you stop this right now-"

Before you could even finish, Myra was rushing at Link, trying to get at him. You were there in an instant, holding her back as she reached around you. Craning your neck to look at Link, you realized that he was just standing there, as if he would just let it happen to him.

As you struggled against the woman, you saw how pale he was, how defeated he looked. The pain in his eyes was more than he showed on his body. Hating the sight, you looked away. Looking back at Myra, you got a better grip on her and pushed her backwards, attempting to make more space between her and Link.

"Myra, calm down! Stop this!"

"No! Not until he realizes what he's done!"

"What good will attacking him do?"

The woman stopped fighting against you. Her arms went limp and she starting crying again. Guiding her towards the tree again, you set her down on the ground and stood. Watching her for a moment more, to be sure that she wasn't going anywhere, you turned and returned to Link.

"Can we speak privately?" He didn't answer you, instead casting his gaze on the ground again- so you put one arm around his shoulder and guided him away from the clearing. Once the clearing was several yards away, the fire's glow barely reaching you, you stopped, released his shoulder, and

"Link, I know this will be difficult for you to explain, but please. What happened out there?"

Link took a deep breath and finally met your eyes. His baby blues had never looked so conflicted before. "They were fast," he began, speaking softly. "We fought ones like them before, you remember...they're stronger than the others, and I...I could only do so much, a-and..."

His voice was shaky, as were his hands as they fidgeted by his sides. Grasping his hands in your own, you gave them a gentle squeeze to reassure him and prompt him to continue. He sighed and relaxed into your touch. His hands ceased to shake and you saw some of the tension leave his body. "If I had been faster, or better with a bow, maybe I could have saved him."

"Stop blaming yourself," you said firmly. "She's upset, understandably so, but she's being irrational. Don't take any of what she is saying for face value. You and I both know that you did your best, and that if it was in your power to save him, you would have."

He still looked conflicted. Since you had nothing else to say, you released his hands and went to wrap your arms around him for a hug. That would surely make him relax and it'd be a helpful reminder that he had someone on his side. Just as your arms began to snake around his torso, the cracking of a stick was heard, and you turned your head towards the sound.

Myra was there, and gasped. "D-Don't! Don't hug that...that monster!"

Your eyes widened in surprise and Link stepped away from you. Your arms fell to your sides but you clenched them into fists. Stepping towards Link, you grasped his arms and looked into his eyes. "Don't listen to her," you told him. Looking back to Myra, your voice became far darker and more authoritative than it had ever gone.

"Myra, be quiet. Link is no monster."

Ignoring you, she looked at Link. "Show me where my husband is. It's the least you can do, isn't it?"

---

Stepping through the underbrush wasn't easy, and you were sure that if you weren't going at an easy pace, one where you could pick around to find the best place in which to place your feet, you'd have tripped several times in the last minute alone.

Link led the way through the dark woods, the trunks of trees being little more than large shadowy masses and their branches and roots seemed more like fingers clawing at you. You walked between Myra and Link, merely as a precautious measure. She was unpredictable right now- what had happened earlier was an easy indicator of that- so you just wanted to make sure that if she went for him again in another bout of anger, you'd be there to hold her back.

The walk was uneventful, fortunately. You didn't have to protect Link or hold back Myra and there was no forced talk between the two, either. And after quite a while of walking, you reached a small clearing. This one wasn't natural, however. The grass was burned away and the trunks of nearby trees were charred. The smell of smoke was still in the air here and the smell of blood- human and monster- were equally strong.

Clubs and bows leftover from the monsters Link killed were lying on the ground, useless. Arrows were haphazardly scattered across the ground- some fire, with smoke still rising from their barely-glowing arrowheads. And propped up against a tree was what your eyes had settled upon last, but you couldn't bring yourself to look at for more than a second.

A man- Myra's husband- lay dead against the tree. His glasses were askew, his hair a mess. You had heard of people looking peaceful in death but he certainly was not one of them. His skin was pale but littered with cuts and bruises. His face...you knew that you'd never want to look into the eyes of a dead man ever again.

You covered your mouth and looked away, squeezing your eyes shut. You could hear light footfalls heading towards the man and knew without looking that it was Myra. Opening your eyes, they trailed after her as she approached her deceased husband. She knelt, taking one of his hands in both of her own, sticking the torch she was holding into the dirt nearby.

Glancing at Link, you saw that look in his eyes again. He kept blaming himself, and letting her get into his mind. Reaching out, you took his hand and led him out of the clearing and a few yards away once again.

"Link," you said when you stopped, "we're going to let her grieve, alright? We'll head back to the camp and I'll make you something to eat. How does that sound?" Receiving no answer, you continued. "And then I'll have to make sure you get some sleep, ok? Tomorrow we'll help her get home and we'll continue on towards the next Divine Beast. We'll get back on the road again, just the two of us. Just like before. Ok, Link?"

He still said nothing. You knew what he was doing. With all of the guilt he placed on his shoulders being intensified by Myra's, he was closing himself off again. You stole a quick look into the clearing to see that she was still crying.

Taking this as a good time, you let go of Link's hand and wrapped your arms around him tightly. You pressed your cheek to his shoulder and closed your eyes. Link, after a moment, wrapped his arms around you and lowered his head to rest on yours. His grip on you tightened.

Later that night, when the three of you readied yourselves for bed, Link settled his bedding next to yours and refused to let go of your hand the entire night.

---

The ride to her village wasn't a long one. They hadn't gone far to search for treasure, and the village you arrived in was so small that it didn't even show up on the map. There were at most fifteen houses in total, so the community was one you were sure was close-knit and very connected. Generations would spend their entire lives together, knowing the ins and outs of each person's personality.

In other words, it reminded you of Hateno (though your home village was slightly larger than this one) and you disliked it. Myra was behind you on Nayru while Link rode next to you on Epona. Once you were past the village's gate, she slid off of Nayru while the mare was still walking, startling her.

Nayru stopped walking and snorted as Myra ran further into the village, looking as if she was being chased by a monster. Epona stopped a pace in front of you, and both you and Link simultaneously took in the sights of the village and wondered what she was doing now.

"Keep your children inside!" She yelled, making you furrow your eyebrows in confusion. "There's a monster in the village! Beware of the monster in the village!"

Men exited their homes, looking tired (since it was still just before dawn) but with determined looks in their eyes. Some held torches but most held only used farming equipment. They stepped onto the main street warily, looking around for a monster. One of them questioned Myra- he was met with a rude remark and a snide question at his intelligence. She pointed at Link, and the men turned and looked at the two of you, evidently confused.

They lowered their tools, looking between the two of you. "Mom, mom!" The voice of a little girl rang out, startling you.

Oh, no... You thought, hoping that your luck wasn't as bad as this. A small girl with Myra's hair ran out and clutched her dress. She was no older than seven or eight years old, and as Myra picked her up, the little girl looked around. "Where's daddy?"

Letting out a breath, you risked a glance at Link. His eyes were wide and he looked paler than he had last night- like all the color had been drained out of him. The only spots of color were his eyes, his hair, his clothes and the small earring on his left ear.

Link looked down, his grip on Epona's reins tightening until his knuckles turned right. His jaw was clenched and his hands were shaking, and he looked like he was fighting tears. Shifting in your saddle, you reached over to him when he jerked his arm out of your reach, and backed Epona up. She snorted in displeasure but did as instructed.

You looked over at Myra. She was talking to one of the other men, looking distraught. She gestured to Link repeatedly. She had the audacity to tell the whole village that he was monster, but this was not something you could let stand.

"Listen to me," you called, standing up with your feet still in the stirrups. Nayru steadied yourself as you balanced in the stirrups, commanding all attention to yourself. "You don't know us, and that's fine. But what's not fine is this woman spreading lies about my partner here. We were riding past Myra and her husband as they looked for treasure. When we were many yards past them, we heard screaming, and leapt into action as soon as we could."

Women exited the houses now, looking around at the scene playing out in front of them. Myra's eyes were wide. You continued, despite her. "We raced back towards them but they were being dragged by white Bokoblins- the strongest of the kind- through heavy underbrush in a forest. I managed to save Myra while Link, my partner, continued on after her husband. Unfortunately, there was a whole band of them he had to fight. They had fire arrows in the woods, mind you. Before Link could get to him, the man was killed. He simply couldn't get there in time. Don't listen to Myra- she's too blinded by her grief to think properly."

People of the village looked at you, hearing your words, but they did not listen. Your heart sunk to your stomach as their eyes raked over Link's figure, some even narrowing their eyes at him. Link looked down at his hands, still white from the tension he was exerting on them. "Listen to me, please," you pleaded, sitting back down into the saddle.

"That tunic," one of the men said. "I've seen artwork of that. It's the tunic the Hylian Champion wore, wasn't it? What gives you the right to wear such a piece of clothing when you let an innocent man die?"

"Yea," agreed one of the women. "Poor Myra, losing her husband so young! And little Alya, losing her father! You dare continue to wear that tunic?"

"The sword on his hip, it's the Master Sword, isn't it?"

"He's the real deal then, isn't he?"

"He doesn't deserve that sword, and he certainly doesn't deserve the title of a hero!"

One of the men stepped forward, raising a sickle. "Get out of here! Leave, or we'll make you!" He and some of the other men stepped forward, closer to Link, but you jumped into action without even thinking and kicked into Nayru's sides, urging her forward a few feet before stopping her in front of Link protectively.

"He isn't going anywhere," you said firmly, "because he did nothing wrong!"

The men looked at you, dumbfounded looks on your faces. You went to say more but the clang of metal on the ground behind you caught your attention. Turning around in the saddle, you saw Link backing up on Epona. The Master Sword was on the ground, and you shook your head, wondering what had gotten into him.

Link turned Epona around, causing her to neigh in protest, before kicking into her sides roughly and galloping away. Tugging on Nayru's reins, you were already getting ready to follow after him when the villagers blocked your exit, forming a wall. They faced you with their arms out to their sides.

"N-No! Link, stop!"

Link's head turned for a split moment, and the tears you saw in his eyes as he looked into yours were unmistakable.

---

These people were insane. Earlier, you had tried to charge through them but the people remained adamant on not letting you through, insisting that you were better off with them instead of with the monster. You had gotten off of your white mare and picked up the Master Sword that lay lifeless at your feet. Sheathing it in a scabbard that was a tad too big for the blade of evil's bane, you decided to keep it until Link returned or you found him. You couldn't very well wield it yourself, after all.

The people of the village had basically dragged you into the inn, bringing you to a room with a single bed and insisting that you stayed there until they were sure he was gone for good. You decided that fighting these people would only be met with more resistance, so you listened to them. Cooperating with them was the best thing you could do in this situation. Rushing out on Nayru, without having a clue as to where Link had gone, was a bad idea.

You had a feeling that Link would return, so you'd rough it out with the villagers for the time being. As much as you wanted to tell them how wrong they were- that Link was no monster, he was quite possibly the kindest person you had ever met and likely ever would meet- you simply couldn't. These people wouldn't bend to your words. Their resolve had been set, so there was nothing for you to do but wait. Two stubborn parties would never stop butting heads, so you decided to play along until you could leave with Link.

As you stayed the night in that small room, you realized that this would be the second night in the whole journey in which you hadn't said goodnight to Link, and this thought pained you. He needed you, but there was nothing for you to do but wait- but with each passing minute, your heart longed for him more. You wanted to be sure that he was alright, you wanted to comfort him. Until then, you were by yourself.

Never in your life had you ever felt so very alone in the world.

Author's Note: Gonna start this off with a huge congratulations for Breath of the Wild receiving Game of the Year for 2017. Lord knows I have so much love for The Legend of Zelda series and every single game. 

The love I have for these games- the music, the stories, the styles- there isn't a single Zelda game I dislike and for BotW to win such a prestigious award...I'm just so happy. My boy Link had to do it to 'em, you know. Gotta do it to 'em.

Anyway, I warned y'all about the drama. The drama won't end anytime soon- no, we've got quite the storm coming.

And speaking of storms, snow is finally on the forecast for my area. It is December- usually we're already knee-deep in snow. But finally, finally, we're getting snow. Just in time, too. With the holidays and my birthday coming up, this is the perfect time for some snow.

Thank you all for reading, as always. Let me know what you think of this chapter- is it any good, what your predictions are, or even just what you like about it- and I'll see you all in the next one. <3