...How?

How did it come to this?

She had muttered the exact same phrase to Link not even an hour ago... wait, was it an hour?

She had lost all sense of time since leaving Mount Lanayru, her only proofs that time had passed being the pants of each breath either she or Link took... and the growing heaviness of her body.

She looked down her bloodstained figure as if she expected anything to be any different than it had been for months. Her swollen stomach, five months with child, still rose and fell with her breath. The child squirming within did not rest, as if they understood that death was upon the trio even though no one had taught them its significance. She hurt, a sharp pain shot through her lower stomach with each breath, but she told herself to not mind it. Whatever pain she felt was no more an inconvenience in comparison to the wounds inflicted on Link.

He was cradled gently in her arms, gasping softly as his breaths shuddered out of rhythm. Blood gushed from his chest, neck and arms, spilling onto Zelda's white gown.

She held her face close to his, smelling the hiss of his blood. The scent made her airways close, Hyrule's sacred princess fighting for each breath. Her vision blurred with tears and tiredness, wishing this was all a nightmare so that she could awaken to find Link, her husband of only a few months, unharmed at her side. "You're going to be fine..." She promised, doubting the statement with every fiber of her being. Even her unborn child called out the lie, but she acted as if she believed in hopes that it would keep him alive.

Shaking, he lifted his hand and stroked her face. "Zelda..." His hand shuddered as he felt the curves of her pointed ear, just as he always had when she was distressed, a deep grimace etched onto his face. "I'm not... gonna make it."

"No! No... you're going to be fine!" She gripped his hand tighter. "Just save your strength... you'll see."

Link forced the best smile he could. "The one time I've got something to say... you don't wanna hear it."

"Don't leave me!" She gasped for air, clutching her stomach. "Don't leave us!"

"Don't you have that child out here, Zelda!" His voice was loud, louder than his dying state should have allowed.

Zelda had heard his demand several times since Ganon's revival. She was nowhere near her time, and the hell Hyrule had become was no place to birth a child, not to mention the swarms of Guardians still searching for them would terminate her on sight... especially if they found her in labor. Her hand gently began feeling the kicks inside her, anxiously analyzing her child's movements.

I shouldn't even be like this...

Zelda had no plans to start a family. The only plans she possessed were to marry Link (for she knew she loved him and was already engaged) and to continue uncovering alternate ways to defeat the Calamity (which was halted by her father partly as punishment for becoming pregnant and partly for still being powerless).

The child had been all Hylia's doing. It had been the only time Zelda had ever heard her voice. She said that it was time, that Zelda was to conceive right then in order to protect Hyrule's future. Had the Goddess not spoken to Link and Urbosa as well, Zelda would have thought she was going insane. Hylia promised it was the only way to restore peace to Hyrule, to ensure the Kingdom, for the last words Link or Zelda had heard from her were 'now go... and bring peace to Hyrule.' However, Hylia's demand only seemed to deepen the divides within the country, uproar consumed Hyrule Castle and its Castle Town after Zelda's pregnancy was discovered.

If Rhoam was pleased, then Link was a Cucco.

She had kept the child secret for as long as she could, but she became ill enough to require a doctor around her third month mark, a doctor that noticed her small baby bump.

Link protected her during the uncertain times like only a sacred knight could. He was never more than a pace away from his wife in any direction, to the point where Impa deemed his actions 'excessive and obsessive.' But he didn't rage. He walked right up to Impa, looked her dead in the eye and said, slowly and monotone "Are you advising to leave the Princess, who is the last descendant of Hylia and pregnant, unprotected?"

That whole area of the Castle fell silent for a long time. Impa and Zelda were the only ones who had heard Link speak up until then, so his devotion was awe-inspiring... and questioned. He didn't care, he loved Zelda and was happily married to her, it actually gave him pride that he was the Castle's sole suspect for the father of her child. He didn't want the kingdom to suspect anyone else. Hyrule's silent prince became a common figure among the people, accompanying his wife on journeys across Hyrule even though he had gained the ability to stop her. With the image they'd gained for themselves, it made sense that Link was laying in the fields, dying, within sight of Fort Hateno; one of the last two strongholds left in Hyrule... the only stronghold which would last the night.

"...tell 'em I love 'em, okay?" Link's eyes flicked to Zelda's stomach. "Tell 'em I died for 'em..." A few tears blinked down his bleeding face as he glanced back up. "...and their momma."

She felt his grip weaken, the light fading from his eyes. "Don't die... please... please don't die..."

"I'm sorry... I really am... but I'll be back for you... we're tied together forever." He reached up one last time to caress her face, a pained smile forming on Zelda's face as he marked her with a smeared, bloody handprint down the left side of her face; trailing his hand down to her stomach with great effort and rubbing weakly. "Take care of Momma for me..." He told their innocent child, smiling softly as his love for his family shone through his pain. Link gasped shallowly and glanced up at Zelda once more before his eyes looked out to the side, staring up at someone else. "Hey, Goddess... time to go?"

Zelda then felt his weight fall dead. Her knight, her husband, gone. She took a few gasping breaths as her scientific mind processed his death, then cried out in anguish and hugged his body, letting his blood soak her and her tears soak him. At the moment his life left, a horrible shriek sounded from the Master Sword, its light going out as it slipped from Link's palm and Zelda shielded her ears.

No... no... this can't be it.

She told herself he would come back. She knew this was true. Like every other Link before him he would reincarnate in some distant era to redo the fight between power, wisdom and courage... but if Hyrule didn't carry on, if Hyrule died this night, would there even be a fight to return to?

And even then, he would not return to her. He would return to her descendant, a granddaughter far down her line; a descendant of the baby kicking inside her body while she mourned. And he would be different. He wouldn't be hers.

Perhaps this is why Hylia demanded she conceive that night, so she could bear an heir, continue the bloodline, even though Link would die.

That goddess, who let all my prayers fall on deaf ears, now demands me to run through hell like this?

Zelda was in no condition to run or fight, her pain was great and her child heavy and active... and obvious. Why would Hylia not have spared her grieving soul by having her go though such pain as one, two or even three months pregnant? Or arranged everything in the opposite way to where Zelda would have already birthed her child? Or even just not pregnant at all?

Peace, Your Grace.

Zelda lifted her head from Link's body. The voice was not her own and too formal to be her child... unless she really was going crazy.

There is still hope...

Her eyes, still blurry from tears, focused on the glowing Master Sword. The light had gone out when Link slipped away, but now it had returned.

He can still be saved.

Zelda's ears heard clearly, but her mind was still reeling from grief. "You mean... he can still be saved?"

Of course, Your Grace. Why would I say such a thing if it was untrue?

Zelda wrapped a protective arm around her stomach, preparing for the expedition she was about to take. "Wh-What must I do?"

Master Link must be taken to the Shrine of Resurrection, quickly. Only then may he return to finish his battle... and return to you.

"Princess!" Another voice, not divine or feminine like the sword, cried out from a distance. Two Sheikah soldiers bowed in front of her. "Princess, are you alright?!"

Zelda gripped Link's body and tried to stop the flow of her tears, giving the sword's orders to the soldiers.

The Shrine of Resurrection... quickly... before he is gone forever! These are your orders! Make haste and go!

The voice of one of the guards broke her train of thought as the other took Link's body. "What about you, Your Highness?"

She grabbed the sword and held on tightly, holding out her right hand to showcase her newly found power, its glow hiding her pain. "I'll be fine. Just take him now!"

The soldiers nodded and raced off towards the Great Plateau, Zelda struggled to ascend to her feet. Her body felt almost more burdensome than it had before, she pushed herself up using the remains of a nearby Guardian only to notice a spray of blood accompanied by the now-familiar shooting pain as she extended her right foot to the ground.

Your Grace... I have detected a rather large wound in your side, medical attention is advised.

It was as if the sword had told her 'Don't look down' while at the edge of a cliff. Zelda's focus immediately shifted to finding the source of the blood. The sword hadn't exaggerated about the wound, 'rather large' is exactly how Zelda would have described the laceration in her lower right stomach...

Wait. What?

Zelda grimaced at the sight of her wound, so close in proximity to her growing child. She had no idea when she had been wounded, but it suddenly demanded all her attention. Voices belonging to different people started yelling over each other inside her head. One of the only voices she could hear within the mental pandemonium was a nurse that had attended her wounds once after she'd arrived at a Central Hyrule military base wounded.

Keep your hands away from the wounds, Princess. If the wounds wish to weep, let them. A clean wound will heal quickly, a dirtied wound may complicate.

The words had not come while she'd been pregnant, but rather a year beforehand, when she'd still been uncertain towards her feelings for Link. She didn't remember who the words belonged to. It didn't matter.

Zelda chose to ignore them.

There was a battle to fight and a child to protect, such advice would not stop her blood flow.

Zelda picked up a familiar mechanical sound not far from her.

Guardians!

Zelda was certain she could smell her own panic. She was wounded, badly if looks didn't deceive, and exhausted from the escaping she'd already done. One thing was now different: she had awakened her sacred birthright. She could seal Ganon now.

Use your dress, Zelda! Hold the fabric over the wound!

Hateno Village was close, but any Sheikah working there would have left. She was also the only person left to stop Ganon: if she fled to the country village then the Guardians would only spread their destruction. She needed safety, even though all defenses had been shattered. She needed a place where someone she trusted could tend to her and her child... she needed Link, now more than ever.

She would head to the Shrine of Resurrection. No matter the danger, a Sheikah would be attending the Shrine and Link's mere presence, even though he was dead, might calm her. The location was also at a high enough elevation for her to plan an assault on Hyrule Castle; to stop the Calamity.

"For Hyrule!" A rallying cry came from Fort Hateno, where a village militia emboldened by the sacrifice of their prince raced towards the incoming enemy to protect what remained. A small herd of horses escaped from the fort, spreading out onto the burning plain. One, which bore a startling resemblance to Link's steed (who had perished earlier in the night), trotted up to Zelda.

His name is Vesper.

Zelda's head whipped around. "Link?!"

I'm here. I told you I would be.

Her lip quivered and her sobs resumed. "So this means you're really..."

Zelda. I'm here. You need to focus. This horse will bring you to help. Now's not the time for tears.

The steed named Vesper snorted as if he could hear the conversation, stepping forwards and nickering softly.

Zelda nodded and did the best she could to stop herself from crying, laying her hands on the steed. "I trust you with my life, kingdom and future." The statement was formal, as if it had been memorized for a ceremony.

Vesper's saddle had burned off in the chaos, leaving small marks on his underbelly where the hair had been burned. On top of his fresh wounds, Zelda was uncertain how she was even supposed to mount him without assistance. Taking in a deep breath, she used her uninjured leg to jump up to his back, rolling gently as she cradled her wound. She felt the steed's snout in her hair as she forced herself to an upright position. The child inside her squirmed from all the commotion, distracting Zelda from the world around her. "Shhh, shh..."

An explosion was heard nearby.

Sweet Hylia, the Guardians!

"Go, Vesper, go!"

Without even a whinny, the horse raced across the Blatchery Plain, avoiding the paths and any other places large enough for a Guardian to pass through.

...

Perhaps it was from the wind and landscape rushing by, but Zelda began to feel faint not long after departing for the Great Plateau. She thought she would hear Link's voice again, now that she was weak enough to hallucinate, but the gentle voice of her husband wasn't present.

She didn't know where she was... and in her state she wasn't even sure she cared. Her baby had quieted down for the time being, removing the last barrier between her and unconsciousness.

The road they traveled upon had possessed a slow incline for a while, lulling Zelda closer and closer to sleep until the ground suddenly steepened under them, prompting her to use her fading strength to look around her.

The walls of the Great Plateau were behind her, giving the royal a sudden burst of anxious energy. She was almost to help, the safest place that remained in Hyrule.

Vesper slowed for a few tense moments before stumbling to a stop due to his own exhaustion. He had raced across Hyrule for his rider and had served her well.

Zelda shared in his exhaustion, she stumbled off of his back and nearly tumbled to the ground. "Thank you!" She declared once she had found steady footing on the spongy ground. She rubbed the spent steed's snout tenderly. "I won't soon forget you."

Vesper whinnied with honor, then ambled off to recover his strength.

Zelda looked behind her, right side drooping down in exhaustion, and saw the cave where the Shrine had been built. It was not as far as she'd expected, but far enough that its distance struck her with weariness. For some reason, she felt herself searching the sky. "Link? Link?"

No answer.

"Link?!"

Though he had come to her in a much stronger state, her beloved was anything but there now.

It took much effort to reinitiate her movement, but Zelda was able to begin limping towards her destination. The fabric right around her wound was a deep crimson and dripping with her blood. The closer she got, the faster she forced herself to move, until she was running through the entrance.

And collapsing on the floor.

"Your Highness!" The blurry figure of Impa raced towards her.

Zelda took huge, gasping breaths on the floor of the Shrine, glancing down at her stomach before laying her head down and staring at the pool where Link laid.

Impa whipped her head around. "Purah! It's the Princess!"

Zelda felt a hand on her stomach, then heard a gasp.

"She's bleeding out!" Purah's voice reminded her of the Royal Tech Lab and the peace she felt when working with the same Sheikah tech that had now betrayed her. "We've got to stop it or we're gonna lose her!"

"...Zellddaaa?"

She reached out towards the voice, nearly crying his name. "Link?!"

"Bring her to him!" Impa pointed towards the pool, Zelda felt arms cradle her.

From her new vantage point, Zelda's weary body stretched out to look at Link. He was almost completely undressed, blood still spilling into the pool as the healing waters licked his wounds. His eyes had opened, though dark from lack of life, and focused on her.

Purah laid her down right beside him, head laying on the rim of the pool.

Link reached over to stroke Zelda's face, spilling liquid on her as his shaking hand brushed her skin.

The waters ran down her face, washing the blood off. Some trickled into her mouth and was ingested, she instantly felt herself sedated.

"You 'kayyy?"

Impa repeated the cleansing motion on Zelda's shoulders, taking care to not sedate her. "She's hurt real bad, you both are... we're going to get her patched up."

Link took a sharp breath. "No dyinnn', kay?"

A soft scoff sounded from Zelda. "Hypocrite."

"I knoooww." He reached out of the pool and somehow got his arm wrapped around her stomach. The effort made him raise his head, so he went ahead and kissed his wife. "Diiiddd yaaa missss meee?" His slurring had already become worse in what couldn't have even been a minute.

She made a sound of affirmation only to feel Link slump. Impa forced him to lay back in the waters, but Zelda refused to release his hand.

"Princess. Please. You're wasting precious energy trying to hold on. It's time to say goodbye."

The wounded couple locked eyes, eyes welling with tears.

To Zelda's now-disoriented mind, letting go was synonymous with betrayal, destruction caused by lack of faithfulness.

"You don't have to leave him behind. You just have to let him go."

Zelda looked deep in his eyes, blinking her tears down as she darted her gaze between husband and child.

Link blinked lovingly at her. "I'mm not goinnnn' anywherrreee. Youuu take careee of 'em."

She nodded, attempting to wipe her eyes on her bare shoulders. "I love you."

"Always."

A few tears dripped from Zelda's cheeks into the pool, a golden light flashing for a second for each one, before she leaned in and kissed his forehead, pulling away and sitting down on her knees. She released his hand and pulled hers to her chest. Her curves melted into each other, the gravid princess proving the helplessness of the situation as she clasped her hands together as if praying. She watched Link's eyes look softly at her one last time before closing. The cover of the Shrine's medical facility closed over his body, reawakening Zelda's loud acts of mourning. The princess' wails echoed throughout the Shrine of Resurrection, perturbing the conscious and the Shrine's environmental sensors.

Impa held her shoulders tightly, a few tears leaking from her eyes. "You've brought him peace..."

Zelda shoved herself out of her arms, but lacked the strength to stop herself and collided with the glowing cover of Link's pool. A soft grunt was heard from her on impact before her body slid off, smearing her holy blood onto the place of healing.

Death tried to invade him, but he was covered by life.

Purah brushed Zelda's side, watching her eyelids flutter and her eyes roll. Her breathing became erratic and sped up to the point where she was panting. The two Sheikah sisters shared a glance, eyebrows raising and frowns deepening before they both resituated Zelda in a more comfortable position. Sweat from exhaustion and distress covered Zelda's forehead, Impa brushed a bloodstained rag across her forehead while Purah examined her wound more closely, Zelda squirming away whenever Purah touched her in the vicinity of the laceration.

"Princess, hold still."

No.

"Princess, I've got to look at it."

Not a chance.

"Princess, quit moving so much you're going to make yourself bleed out."

Thanks for the concern, but no.

Purah turned towards Impa in frustration, shaking the blood from her hands. "Ugh. She won't sit still. She was hardly moving by the time she got here... but now she just won't sit still."

"She's in a state of panic. That wound's so close to her little one... and she's just lost the rest of her family... all in traumatic ways."

Zelda clearly showed her body's distress. Her pupils were noticeably dilated, her nostrils flared and her stomach rising and falling irregularly. She tried to squirm away before Purah continued her examination, but found she lacked the strength. Fear began to set in, she stared up at the two with a painfully vulnerable expression.

Impa kept a hand on Zelda's head, fingers running through her hair as she tried to mimic Link's soothing routine. Zelda displayed some confusion as she calmed, but grew weaker and weaker, exhaustion climbing, until she eventually lost consciousness. Impa sighed as she felt Zelda settle, looking softly at Zelda's bloodstained figure.

"Let's get you patched up."