Six

     Zelda again.

     I no longer dwell on her as much as I once did, but she remains in my thoughts. Some call her the princess of destiny, fate to return time and time again alongside the Hero of Time. It is only now that she has been granted a role beyond that of the prototypical damsel in distress.

     Surrender was the cost of mercy. The princess is taken so that the rest of Hyrule might be spared.

     So here Zelda remains, forced to squander her existence in isolation as the rest of the world continues around her. She waits for the reincarnation of the hero to come to her rescue, just as the Hero of Time rescued her ancestor. And here she lies with me, naked body entangled with mine, clothes strewn indifferently across the floor.

     …she is very warm.

     Her heart beats alternately with mine.

     I don't understand our relationship, or whether it could exist outside of her containment. And my life. My life will not end as hers ends. Even at the end of her life, when her skin is withered and her mind taxed, my youth will have yet to fade. Could I stay with her even as I stay the same?

     Her arm is draped across my chest.

     I am allowed so little true happiness in this world. All that I am given comes with a cost. Death. All that I seek is followed by death. Those I come to love afterwards are always preceded by it. Living. Dying. Death.

     The Resistance is supposed to be meeting now, planning the siege of Hyrule Castle. But… I can't bring myself to leave. I love the princess of Hyrule. I love her as much as I've loved anyone, as much as I've cared for any past paramour. So perhaps the fairy tales do hold some truth.

     Heroes do fall for princesses.

     …the siege can wait.

Back to Story Menu