Sprite flew high
up into the treetops, towards her friend Carrie's house. The simple abode was
easy to find, for Carrie owned one of the most beautiful gardens in Silva-Veredis Le' Fey. Alighting upon the wooden veranda, Sprite
took a moment to inhale the fragrant blooms that adorned it, and on impulse
plucked one of the pretty flowers to put in her hair.
"Carrie," she called out loudly. "Carrie, it's Sprite!" A few seconds later a petite redheaded
faerie peered around the doorway, attired in a simple blue dress, some delicate
forget-me-nots strung around her neck.
"Oh Sprite
thank goodness you're here. Tiffany's arrived already,
we were just having some herbal tea. Come inside quickly!" she gestured.
Sprite followed her friend into the cosy hollowed out tree trunk. Tiffany,
their other close friend was seated on a wooden stool at the kitchen table. She
looked as beautiful as ever, in her asymmetrically cut purple dress, her long
blonde hair loose like a shower of gold down past her shoulders. Pots of
flowers and herbs were everywhere, giving the room a rather aromatic but not
unpleasant smell.
"Where's
Felicity?" Sprite questioned, noticing that their other friend was absent.
"She said she
didn't feel like coming out... she said she felt too upset," Tiffany said,
looking a little upset herself.
"She just
hasn't quite been the same since what happened with Mara... and now
Byron," Carrie commented, handing a cup of tea to Sprite. Sprite sat down
at the table, sipping on her beverage thoughtfully.
"It really is
quite awful," she said. "I'd just die if I lost Link," she
admitted.
"It wasn't
her fault but she seems to think it is. But there was nothing she could have
done," Tiffany continued. Felicity had been Byron LeFord's
faerie guardian. Still recovering from her terrible ordeal at the hands of the
evil witch Mara Hespera, Felicity had not realised
her Hylian companion had been in danger until it had
been too late. For the last few days, none of her friends had heard from her.
She had closed the door to her treetop home and gone into mourning.
"I've tried
to talk to her, I really have, but she won't listen. She says that Byron's
death is all her fault and that she doesn't deserve to live anymore,"
Sprite sighed. "And I think she still feels guilty over what Mara used her
to do."
"But Navi counteracted all that, it was barely Flis' fault at all!" Carrie exclaimed.
"Still it's a
pretty big weight to carry. And Mara... oh gosh... she was so terrible to
her," Tiffany said, with a shudder. She too, had suffered at the hands of
the witch, although not to the extent of their friend. Sprite narrowed her eyes
and looked angry.
"It's too bad
she didn't get finished off in the tower along with Enzar
and Robert," she said.
"Yeah well
she'll want to keep away from me because if I see her..." Carrie started.
"You and me
both," Sprite muttered darkly. "If I'd been Zelda I would have
ordered a big huge manhunt to bring her to justice."
"Zelda was
barely in a fit state to worry about such things. She almost died,"
Tiffany pointed out, finishing off her cup of tea.
"I know but
sometimes she just doesn't get her priorities in the right order," Sprite
sighed.
"You know
what your father would say. We should leave the humans to their own
business," Carrie interjected. "Besides, didn't King Harkinian offer a large reward to anybody who brought her
before North Castle?" Sprite shrugged.
"She probably
fled a long while before he issued that decree," she said.
"Yeah, no
doubt she beguiled some unwitting sailor or conjured some sea serpent to make
with her escape," Tiffany said.
Carrie made them all some more of her fragrant tea.
"It's too
late to worry about the likes of her. We really need to do something to help
Felicity, else I'm afraid she'll mourn away to nothing!" she exclaimed.
"I know, I
was so worried about her that I couldn't go and accompany Link on his trip to Catalia," Sprite said. "And I've barely spent any
time with him lately, he's either off out moping
somewhere or being annoyed by Zelda." She let out a heavy sigh.
"Between the two of them, I hardly know what to do at all."
"Link can
look after himself just fine," Carrie remarked. "But Flis really does need our help."
"She won't
even listen to me though! I've called on her every day and every time she's
told me she's not up to coming out and about yet," Sprite replied, her
pretty face troubled. Tiffany shook her head to herself.
"I hate to
say this but..." she trailed off a little, looking guilty.
"What?"
Sprite and Carrie asked at the same time.
"Maybe she
might talk to Navi. I mean, we might be too close and
well... well maybe Navi could even give us advice on
what to do. I mean, she has been around for a long time," the faerie
concluded lamely.
"Hmph I'd sooner rather talk to Fleur than her," Sprite
said haughtily.
"But she did
lift Mara's curse," Carrie argued.
"Oh that
makes her our new best friend now, does it?" Sprite asked sarcastically.
"It was just
an idea," Tiffany said, shrugging. "Since Felicity won't listen to
any of us." Sprite put down her teacup and sighed.
"Maybe you're
right. Maybe some time out at Navi's commune might
actually do her some good," she admitted. "Not, of course, that it
means I'm giving Navi any credit."
"Of course
not," Carrie and Tiffany agreed in unison.
"Come on,
let's go and see the so-called enlightened one then," Sprite said
grumpily. The three faeries trooped out
of the hollow tree, each one wondering if they would be able to help Felicity.
As the pale light
of the morning sun broke through the flimsy drapes that adorned the windows of
Felicity’s woodland abode, the dark haired faerie stirred reluctantly in her
bed, a short sigh passing her dry lips as she realised that it was the
beginning of yet another day. As she lay
in her bed, she could not help but wonder how the sun could continue to rise on
such an empty and unforgiving land. She
could not remember falling asleep, although she could clearly recall that she
had spent much of the night tossing and turning – her mind consumed by a myriad
of thoughts that would not let her rest.
How had her life ever come to this?
It was not a life anymore, thought Felicity, but merely a mindless
existence that served little purpose but to torment her. After she had been released from the evil
sorceress’ Mara’s grip, she had barely been able to believe what the witch had
used her own power for. That she,
Felicity of the Fey, had been responsible for the deaths of countless men, and
the near ruination of Hyrule had been almost too much
for her to bear. Thinking back to how
helpless she had been still left her numb with rage and regret – she should
have been able to resist Mara...but she had not. Only the intervention of her friends, and Navi, had prevented the faerie council from banishing her
from the Fey – but with each passing day, Felicity found herself
wishing more and more that she had been made accountable for her failures. At least then, she supposed, she would not
have to punish herself.
But the events of recent
weeks had faded away into insignificance when Felicity had received the news
that her human companion and friend, Byron LeForde,
had been killed whilst out in the Tantari desert,
attempting to rout the remaining Catalian
rebels. The news had been like a hammer
blow to the faerie, and she had been unable to take it any other way except
badly. She had known the young solider
for many years, and had initially met him when he had saved her mother’s life. Not long after, her mother had sadly died,
and although Felicity was not required to do so, she had continued her mother’s
duty to Byron as a faerie guardian.
Tears stained Felicity’s pale cheeks as she thought of her human
companion, it seemed senseless to her that he should die, a young man with a good
heart, whilst others might live. Others, such as herself.
If Felicity could have given her life for Byron, she would have done in
a second. That she had not been there to
protect him in the desert made it an even bitterer pill to swallow – she had been
so wrapped up in her own problems that she had neglected her duty as a guardian
faerie, and now her elected human companion was dead. But that was not all. Many faeries befriended humans and Hylians and if a faerie was helped by either of the races in
some way, then they would return the deed by becoming a protector or
guardian. But Felicity’s relationship
with her companion had been different to that of other faeries and their larger
race companions. Though Byron had not
known it, Felicity had been very much in love with him. It had not been mere infatuation either, like
Sprite’s love for Link, it had been pure and complete love. Felicity would have done anything to realise
that love, but of course, it had been impossible. She had not just lost a friend, but the only
man she had ever loved. Utter despair
had been replaced with fresh, hot pain....a wound in her heart that Felicity
felt would never heal.
A small sob
escaped Felicity’s lips as she thought of Byron once more, his kindness to her,
his quick wit and incessant banter. He
always had a smile for those around him, and no deed was beneath him if he
thought it would help. Felicity knew
that the two of them could have never been more than friends, and she had
accepted that one day Byron would marry another and perhaps even have
children. She would have never begrudged
him that happiness, and yet to have him so cruelly snatched away in the prime
of his life hurt Felicity more than she could have ever thought possible.
Holding her hands
before her eyes, Felicity could not help but examine the lines that marked her
palms with idle curiosity. Some of the
lines were etched deep into the skin, whilst others made the briefest of
impressions. But only one of the lines
interested Felicity, and that was what the faeries called the line of
life. It was not an accurate way of
predicting life span by any means, but the faerie could not help but note how
suddenly and abruptly her own line cut off. It seemed to her, however, that all around her
people were dying whilst she still lived.
She shook her head, knowing that she should not dwell on such morbid
thoughts, but she somehow could not help herself.
Rising wearily
from her bed, Felicity approached her wash basin, where she slowly began to
wash away the fresh tears brought by the morning. When she had finished, she happened to catch
sight of her reflection in the small mirror that stood by the basin, and she
was appalled at what she saw. Her
normally thick and glossy black hair lay limp at her shoulders, and her usually
flawless pale skin seemed dull, lifeless and blemished. Her blue eyes, so often bright and full of
curiosity appeared dead, and dark circles lay beneath them – an indication of the
frequent sleepless nights that had become so commonplace in her life
recently. Shaking her head, she wiped
her eyes with her fingers before walking over to the table that lay at the
heart of her home. On it was a bowl of
dried nuts and fruits, which she sat and began to gingerly eat. The food seemed tasteless and dry in her
throat, so much so that after just one mouthful Felicity pushed the bowl away,
her hunger not appeased but strangely lacking.
She looked down at her hands once more, and grimaced slightly. Despite all that worried her, there was
something else that caused her deeper despair still. She could not help but notice that since she
had healed Zelda back in Death
Mountain she had not been
able to cast a single spell.
“You know, for a country that is supposedly poverty
stricken, Seline certainly managed to maintain one
heck of a wine cellar. I’ve never seen
anything like it!” remarked Drake to Link as the two traversed one of the many
passages that wound beneath the Royal
Castle at Opela. Row upon row
of dusty wine bottles lined the walls, and every so often, Drake paused to
examine a particular bottle before resuming his path.
“Maybe it was here
before Seline even took over the throne...some of
these bottles look like they’ve been here for quite a while,” suggested Link,
his hands shoved deep into his pockets.
Drake shook his head.
“Such a waste...”
he murmured, pausing to inspect another bottle.
“Does looking at
those labels actually mean anything to you?” inquired Link, rubbing the back of
his neck. It had been a long day, and
the only thing he wanted to do was to sleep.
However, Drake had insisted on exploring the so called cave of wonders
that lay beneath the castle, namely its infamous wine cellar. Link had reluctantly agreed to accompany his
friend, if only with the intention of discovering what exactly was causing
Drake to be so angry of late.
“Not really...most
of the labels are written in what I’m guessing to be the old Catalian language. I
guess you were right about this collection being here since before Seline took over,” replied Drake. They continued to walk on, an uneasy silence
forming between the two. Despite the
silence, Link felt that Drake seemed a little more cheerful than he had been
over the past few days, his mood no doubt improved by the Catalian
horde of intoxicating liquids.
“You
know...Drake...I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been...not your usual
self over the past few days,” began Link uneasily, slightly unsure as to how he
should approach Drake on the subject.
“Your powers of
observation astound me,” remarked Drake gruffly as he pulled a bottle from one
of the racks.
“Is everything
okay?” asked Link, ignoring Drake’s sarcastic remark. Drake shut his eyes for a moment, and then
looked at Link. He shook his head.
“No. No, everything is not okay,” admitted the
knight, bowing his head.
“Then what is it?”
pushed Link gently. Drake turned back to
Link, shaking his head.
“Do you remember
Byron? My cousin?” he asked. Link nodded.
“Yes, of
course. We spoke a few times...”
answered Link, clearly recalling Drake’s young cousin. The two were so alike,
often Link could have sworn the two were brothers.
“He died,” said
Drake, his voice low and abrupt. It came
out so quickly that the hero almost had difficulty in understanding but then it
dawned on him. Link looked at his friend
in surprise, his face a picture of shock.
“I’m sorry...”
murmured Link, at a loss for words. He
didn’t know what else to say.
“I guess I should
be used to it by now. Dying seems to be
the one thing my family are good at,” remarked Drake dryly.
“You never get
used to it,” said Link solemnly. He knew
from experience. Drake looked up as Link
spoke, meeting the hero’s eyes.
“I know,” he
admitted. For a few moments,
the two remained silent, both concentrating on their own private grief. “He was in the desert...you know, trying to
pin down those remaining men loyal to Robert,” explained Drake quietly.
“He was a good man
Drake. I’m sorry...really I am,”
murmured Link.
“I know. You don’t need to say it,” acknowledged Drake
softly. “It’s just such a waste. Why not me?
He was a young man with everything to live for. What do I have? I’m alone Link...I’ve lived my life. I’d rather have died out in the field than
live and see everyone I ever cared about die.”
Link felt shocked as he heard Drake speak. He had never suspected Drake of being so
unhappy with his lot in life. But as
Drake continued, Link realised that he and Drake were similar in many ways. Link had often felt the way that Drake spoke
of, and yet he had always managed to keep such dark thoughts to himself. Both of them had managed to successfully fool
those around them into thinking they were happy, go lucky men who saw the good
in everything. Often they were. But there were times, such as these, when
they could no longer keep up the facade.
Felicity woke with
a start, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes flew open.
“What the...” Her eyes widened in surprise to see three
figures looming over her in the darkness.
“Farore! You woke her!” hissed a voice.
“You know, you
really shouldn’t take the Goddesses’ name in vain...” muttered another. Felicity stared blankly ahead for a moment, then instinctively began to cast a light spell. Predictably, it failed.
“Who are you?” she
questioned, her voice wavering slightly.
“Don’t worry, it’s
for the best...it really is,” replied third voice, their tone soothing.
“What? What do
you-” the faerie’s sentence was cut off as one of the figures cast a sleeping
spell on her, sending her instantly into a deep slumber. She slumped back down onto the bed, limp and
lifeless.
“That was easier
than I thought it would be...” remarked the figure that had cast the
spell.
“Yeah...funny she
didn’t cast a deflection spell. She was
probably still half asleep.”
“Look, we don’t
have time to discuss this. We need to
get her out of here and to you know who as soon as possible. If she wakes up before...well she might not
be so easy to sedate next time!” interrupted the first figure that had originally
spoken. Moments later, Felicity’s body
was levitating in the air and following the three figures out of her small
abode and into the night beyond.
A few hours later,
Drake and Link had found a secluded corner in the cellar stacked with crates of
all kinds. They had dragged out some of
the crates and made them into makeshift seats, suitable for two men intent on
sampling as much of the Catalian wine collection as
possible. It was an escape for both of
them. The last few months had been hard
for Link, the last few days had been especially hard
for Drake.
“You know...”
began Drake, shaking a half empty wine bottle at his friend, “I never was much
of a wine drinker. Always thought it was
for sissies, you know?” Link grinned.
“Give me ale any
day!” remarked the hero loudly, nevertheless taking a hearty swig from his own
dusty bottle.
“Alls we need now
is a lovely bar maid to serve us...like Selina!”
concluded Drake, dropping his empty bottle to the floor with a hollow
clatter.
“She isn’t a bar
maid any more, she’s a Queen now, remember?” reminded Link, chuckling a little
at the thought of Selina, in all her queenly regalia,
serving the two of them with two mugs of ale.
“So
what? Shouldn’t stop her from
serving me ale!” insisted Drake, grabbing another bottle from the small pile
they had collected. He glanced at the
label momentarily, before pulling the cork from the bottleneck with his teeth
and spitting it to the floor.
“Well...no I guess
it shouldn’t,” agreed Link, leaning back against the wall. He didn’t know how much the two of them had
drunk, but he was beginning to feel distinctly woozy. “Say...what do you think the King would say
if he saw us now?” suddenly inquired the hero.
Drake began to laugh. “What’s
funny?” asked Link.
“You’re already in
his bad books...he’d throw a fit!” exclaimed Drake with a grin.
“Hey...that’s not
funny!” realised
Link, running one hand through his hair.
There was a long pause between the two, which was eventually broken by
Drake, a question on his lips.
“What were you
thinking? I mean...Zelda is the next
ruler of Hyrule!” asked the knight, his tone one of
utter confusion. Link looked to Drake
and shook his head. He was still asking
himself the same question. He loved
Zelda more than anything he knew, and yet he had strayed so easily.
“I... I don’t
know. You ever think...maybe it’s
possible to love more than one person?” asked Link, looking down at his boots. Drake snorted.
“When you’re
married to someone like who you’re married to, there’s
no choice. You love that person and that
person alone,” answered Drake stoutly.
“That doesn’t
answer my question.” The knight turned
to Link and fixed his gaze on his.
“I guess you can,”
he finally replied.
“At
the same time?” Drake shook his
head.
“I wouldn’t know
Link. There’s
not been many people in my life that I have loved...let alone at the same
time,” admitted Drake sheepishly. Link
smiled.
“But you’re Drake Benowyc! You have a
woman in every tavern in every town in the whole of Hyrule!”
reminded Link. Drake waved his bottle
dismissively at Link.
“I wish it was
true, boy,” lamented Drake, taking another drink.
“Who
you calling boy? I’m a man now! I
have been for years!”
“That may be
so. But you’ll always be a boy to me,”
responded the knight with an affectionate grin.
“So come on? Do you ever see yourself settled down, with a
wife and children?” pushed Link. Drake
shrugged nonchalantly.
“I think it’s
getting a bit late for that now, don’t you?” he replied. Link frowned and shook his head.
“Absolutely
not! Come on, there must be
someone!” Drake shook his head, a thin
smile tracing his lips. Link frowned
again, cocking his head to one side.
“No-one?” he checked. “Ever?”
“There’s been one
or two...but I missed my chance,” began Drake slowly, scratching his chin with
the bottle in his hand.
“Who?” inquired
Link curiously.
He and Drake had been friends for years, and yet they had never spoken
like this.
“There was one
girl...Rosie Bladelaw. Her father was a trainer in Nabrooru Town...she served regular like in the
Red Swan,” started the knight, his voice quiet, almost sad.
“A
barmaid? How did I guess?” smirked Link.
“She was a great girl, we had a lot of fun.
Then...then my family...” Drake trailed off, unable to repeat those
dreaded words. His family had died, Link
knew, killed by a mad man. “I had to go
home, look after things...and find the bastard,” the knight grimaced at the memory of
the villain who had killed his family.
“I never saw her again, she left Hyrule...I
never found out where she went. But she
was special, you know...I just loved being with her. If things had been different, maybe we
would’ve married...maybe not. I guess
I’ll never know.” Unable to reply, Link
leaned over and gave Drake’s shoulder a comforting pat.
“I never knew,” he
murmured thoughtfully. He tried to think
about how his life would have been if something had prevented him and Zelda
from marrying. He found he could
not. A moth fluttered by in the dim
light, attracted to the burning torch set in the wall. In a way, he supposed, that was like what had
happened with he and Fayzie. The death of his family had driven him from Catalia, and from Fayzie. Things could have been so different.
“Well I never told
anyone...she was beautiful you know...gorgeous hair, like the sand on a beach
at dawn. And she always smelled of the
sea for some reason. Her smile, her
laugh...I missed her. Suppose I still
do,” admitted Drake, his eyes drawn to his boots. They could do with a polish, he thought.
“You never thought
to go and find her?” asked Link, slightly surprised. He would have followed Zelda to the ends of
the Demiari if he had had to.
“Of course I did,
but I had duties you know. I couldn’t
leave home...it was like I was paralysed.
I thought if I left, it might happen again...and some other poor sod
would have to go through what I went through.
Plus I was a mess, I could never have expected
her to be interested. When I wasn’t on
duty I was doing nothing but sleeping and drinking. It’s a wonder I managed to carry on the way I
did for so long.” Link listened to his
friend in quiet disbelief. He didn’t
know if it was Drake or the drink that was talking, but he was learning more
than he had ever imagined. To him Drake
had always been an impressive pillar of strength, a man who let nothing get him down. To
learn that he had been something else surprised him, although he knew it
shouldn’t. As far as he could tell, it
was completely understandable.
“And then...and
then there was someone else.” Link
glanced at Drake who was still talking to his feet, and he quietly took another
swig of the Catalian brew. His eyes were on Drake as the knight looked
at him, a wry smile on his lips.
“She was perhaps
less of a realistic prospect...I never got the chance to really know her. But, by the goddesses, I would’ve given my
left arm to be with her.” Noticing that
Drake had finished yet another bottle, Link offered him another. Drake shook his head.
“Not now,” he
murmured.
“So who was she?”
asked Link, placing his offered bottle back down.
“She’s gone now,
that’s all that matters. I had my chance
to tell her how I felt, but I said it could wait. She died the same day. It was sudden, unexpected. I thought we had all the time in the world,”
continued Drake, his voice almost threatening to break as he spoke.
“I’m...I’m sorry
to hear that,” said Link softly, putting down his bottle. It seemed inappropriate, somehow. Their drunken jesting had turned to a far
more serious subject matter, he knew that without a
doubt.
“Not as sorry as I
was, believe me. I don’t think we would
have ever become anything...I think there was someone else,” Drake glanced at
Link momentarily as he spoke, “But that doesn’t make her death any easier to
live with. She never deserved to
die...no matter what people thought.” As
Drake finished he ran both hands through his dirty blonde hair, as if trying to
purge himself of the memory. Link could
only watch on with deepest sympathy.
“I never knew,
Drake...you were always so cheerful,” began Link, suddenly feeling
redundant. How could he have been so
blind to his friend’s problems all of these years? He had taken Drake’s solidarity for granted,
only to find it was not as real as it had always appeared. Drake broke out into a half smile at Link’s
earnest question.
“Come on
Link...you’re as good at hiding things as me.
It becomes second nature after a while, doesn’t it? It becomes easier to smile than to cry,
because the tears are all gone. And
after a while, you get sick of people asking if you’re okay, because it’s such
a stupid question. You want to yell at
them, say that of course you aren’t okay, but you can’t, because you know that
they were only asking out of concern. So
you make sure that they just assume you’re fine, that you have no worries. They’d ask if they knew, you know that, but
it’s best they don’t sometimes...you don’t want them taking all of your anger
because there’s no one else to direct it at.”
As Drake spoke, his voice rambling slightly, Link found himself agreeing
with every word. It was true. He too had become an expert at making people
think he was fine – like Drake, he had lost family, and the pain had been hard
to bear. But he’d somehow got through
it, and convinced himself that there would never be anything worse. So when anything did happen, he got over
it. Not so that he appeared heartless,
of course, but enough to make sure people just didn’t ask.
“But that’s all
behind me. Byron...well it brought
things back. I’m sorry I’ve been such an godawful person to be
around...and you know, I’m sorry I ever judged you Link. You’re a good man, the greatest, yet you
should still be allowed to make mistakes,” added Drake, looking at Link with a
suddenly sincere gaze. “No matter how
stupid,” he ended with a characteristic grin.
Link found himself smiling back, Drake’s somewhat
clumsy apology meant a lot to him, even if they were both admittedly
drunk. He reached over and grasping
Drake’s hand in a firm handshake.
“You made me
realise what an idiot I was being. I
only wish you’d told me sooner,” admitted Link.
Drake shrugged, stifling a yawn.
“I can’t be
perfect all of the time,” he grinned.
“I guess not,”
replied Link, his lips turning into a smile.
“What about
you...you love that other girl?” asked Drake.
Link paused, unsure of what to say, and not for the first time that
night.
“She’s...she’s a
good friend. Or at least she was. But there’s a part of me that’s
wondering...what if?” Drake nodded.
“A conundrum
indeed, my friend,” acknowledged the knight.
“We should never
have...it was a bad idea from the beginning.
I hate myself for putting her through it...and putting Zelda through it
too,” continued Link, his tone morose.
“I deserve neither of them.”
Drake shook his head and looked at Link fiercely.
“Don’t say that,
don’t even think it. That girl, Zelda I
mean, she’s put you through the wringer a fair few times, more than you ever
deserved. I sometimes thought you were a
fool to put up with it...but you loved one another,” he finished with a shrug. “I mean...the whole situation with Leigh...it
was ludicrous!” exclaimed the knight.
Link glanced at Drake as he mentioned the Avatar’s name.
“We never...you
know. Not like Zel
thought, but you know...I was damn tempted on more than one occasion,” he
admitted, slightly shame faced. Drake
looked at Link with surprise.
“Really? I mean any fool could tell she had a thing
for you...but I never thought...”
“I never would
have done. And I don’t know whether it
was because Zel kept pushing me away that maybe I
wanted to do it just for badness. Or
whether there was a genuine attraction,” explained the hero. Drake let out a soft chuckle.
“She was a
beautiful woman alright! Who
wouldn’t?”
“It was more than
just that. There was another side to
her...a softer one. I think she cared about
people more than she let on, but it was like she didn’t want to. She seemed torn between acting for herself
and acting for others. I don’t know...I
miss her. If only as a
friend.”
“I know what you
mean...” murmured Drake. For a moment,
silence resumed between the two as they thought of their dead friend. After a while, Link looked back up, noticing
that Drake seemed genuinely saddened by talk of their friend. He’d known the two had got on, but had never
thought the two were all that close. Judging
Drake’s reaction, Link suspected there had been more to the two of them than
Drake was letting on. He thought back to
the knight’s earlier admission, of the ‘less realistic’ prospect. Had he been speaking of Leigh? He shook his head, banishing the
thought. If he was right, then it was
clear to him that Drake didn’t want him to know. Otherwise surely he would have mentioned
it. He decided to change the tone,
thinking of his wife.
“But Zelda’s the
one. She always has been...always will
be I guess. She drives me crazy at
times, but there’s always been something there, like if she was gone I’d feel
empty. I still can’t believe we were so
close to throwing it all away.” Drake
looked up as Link spoke.
“We? It was your mistake, Link. Not hers,” reminded the knight bluntly. Link looked at Drake for a moment, wondering
if he should mention Zelda’s own mistakes.
He thought better of it and nodded.
“Yeah...I know.”
At that moment,
the torch guttered and went out, leaving the two in complete darkness.
“Bloody hell,
that’s all we need! You got a
match?” asked
Drake, unable to see a thing.
“’Fraid not,” answered Link, staggering to his feet.
“Brilliant. You do realise we’re going to have to find
our way back with no light, then?” observed Drake dryly.
“Could we not just
wait until daylight?” suggested Link hopefully.
“We’re in a
cellar,” remarked Drake pointedly.
“Ahhh Din...”