#hemisi

Lyrics

Friends are happy for me or they're honeysuckle phonies, Some are loyal soldiers while them other thorns are rosy, And if you never know who you can trust, then trust me you'll be lonely.

Are you ready for the sequel? You ready for the latest?

Merovar bit back a laugh at his sister's expression. But he glanced around again, wondering when the guy did eat. He’d dined with them in the desert, after all. But he supposed that was at their invitation, and during festivities, no less, when everyone partook together.

Whatever. Not his problem, he supposed. He returned his attention to his food.

Merovar loved the pageantry to midday meal, but the downside was that they were constantly reminded of their progress in their mission. The king ate at the table on the far side, on a raised floor from the rest of the room, and whoever was assigned seating closest were those in his most trusted circle. Initially the Gerudo had been placed almost entirely on the opposite side. As the months had progressed, they’d been placed steadily closer.

It had been almost a year of hard work, and they were almost halfway. But it was annoying that it took so much effort for such a clearly stupid king. Merovar sighed. At least the food was decent.

After the meal was finished, Merovar watched his sister start to peel away, heading in a different direction.

“Where are you going?” He asked her suspiciously.

“Just doing my job,” she replied easily with a wink. Merovar rolled his eyes. That meant she was going to harass her boyfriend.

Well, at least she wasn’t harassing him. Honestly, he should go find Orik to make sure he was alright - having to put up with Hemisi was quite the trial, after all. And then he should probably thank him for distracting Hemisi, it certainly made his own life easier.

Smiling to himself, he decided to do just that.

Merovar wasn’t quite as familiar with all the nooks and crannies of the castle like Hemisi was - that hadn’t been his assignment, after all. He spent most of his days in the grand halls while his sister slinked around corridors and alleys between courtyards.

So really, it wasn’t his fault that he got lost.

He stumbled upon a nice little scene in one of the smaller sections of the courtyard, a group of musicians playing for a few young women with some guards around. He didn’t get too close, but the instruments the musicians played did pique his curiosity. He’d heard them before, but he’d never been this up close to see them. They were very different from back home, and he enjoyed the sound they made.

“Your Highness?”

Wait. Merovar knew that voice. Turning a little, he saw Orik standing at the perimeter.

"Hey," he acknowledge mildly, a little caught off guard. "Misi's looking for you."

Orik blinked and then smiled a little. "She probably thinks I'm stationed in one of the corridors. But the princess wanted a concert for her and her ladies-in-waiting. I'm afraid you can't be here, Your Highness."

The princess? Oh, that girl who was never seen except at official functions, and who never spoke? Merovar knew better than to push his luck, and he nodded. But, for his sister's sake, he said, "Well, stop by the Gerudo quarters when you're done. I need her to not be annoying, and that's only gonna happen if she can hang out with you instead. You're doing all of us a service."

Orik nodded, biting back a smirk and returning to his post, and Merovar slinked into the shadows to listen to the music for a bit. He did rather like it, after all. He may have also stood on his toes to get a peek at the princess, but he couldn't quite make her out in the small group of women. He squinted, slightly annoyed, but moved his attention back to the musicians.

He needed to get his hands on one of those double flute things that they played. Those were cool.

As he headed back to familiar territory, he saw his sister and he smirked at her. "You're never gonna find him. He's hanging out with a cuter girl than you."

Hemisi shoved him with some irritated remark before he snickered and moved on to suit his own interests. Like figuring out where to get one of those instruments.

That evening, after dinner, Merovar heard the guards talking to someone, and he figured he knew what that meant. Hemisi was washing up, however, so the timing wasn't quite right. But Orik walked in anyway, glancing around quietly.

The Gerudo prince watched the guard for a long moment in silence. He'd only known the guy for about a month now, having met him when he'd visited the desert, but it was interesting trying to figure him out. Orik proved himself to be a good fighter while sparring with Misi (Merovar had already thanked Orik for beating his sister up for him, but he should probably thank him again), but it was difficult to figure out how this guy worked. He wasn't dangerous - Merovar and their dad had already screened him for that upon meeting him. But Hemisi wouldn't fall for someone who was docile and demure, she was far too much of a force of nature for that. She could command such a person without a second thought, but it seemed unlikely she'd enjoy their company on such a regular basis. Of course, although Merovar had only seen Orik at his most polite, and occasionally smiling and laughing and dancing, he knew the guy had a mischievous streak, considering the amount of times he and Hemisi had snuck out.

So if his lighter side and strong fighting skills had attracted Hemisi, what did Orik see in her? Despite all his teasing and fighting and arguing, Merovar loved his sister dearly, and he wanted to see what this guard was really like. Since Misi wasn't around, that left him the perfect opportunity.

Also, he did have questions about the instrument he'd acquired.

"Misi's taking a bath," he told Orik as he wrapped himself up in a blanket. The winters in this place were freezing. "Father's still out. Did you get permission to be in here?"

Orik's cheeks blushed a little, which clearly said he did not, in fact, get permission. Merovar smirked.

"C'mon, you can hide in my room," he advised. "Father won't pop in without knocking, at least, so you'll have a warning. You knew he was out, didn't you?"

Orik's silence was a polite but obvious admission of the truth. Merovar had to chuckle. Yeah, the guard definitely shared Misi's mischievous nature. Orik followed Merovar to his room, where the prince pulled out the instrument he'd taken.

"Okay, I need your help," he said waving the large double flute instrument in front of him. "What is this thing? It's got a really cool sound to it."

Orik relaxed a little as Merovar flopped in a chair, but he still stood at the entrance. He answered, "That's called an aulos. It does sound quite nice."

"An aulos," Merovar repeated, looking at the instrument. Then he blew into the mouthpiece to test it out.

The sound that erupted from it could really only be equated to a squealing duck. Orik burst out laughing and then quickly tried to reel himself in.

Merovar huffed, cheeks flushing a little. "I'd like to see you play it better!"

"My apologies," Orik said quickly. "I--it is a difficult instrument, I--"

Merovar's annoyance lessened a hair. Orik was genuinely anxious. Oh, brother - he'd have to teach this guy to relax. If he was dating Hemisi, Merovar was the last person to bite his head off - putting up with his sister was a trial enough, after all.

"Sit down," he ordered mildly, pointing to the chair beside him. "We're gonna figure this instrument out. Do you know any good poems for lyrics?"

Orik's stammering halted, and his eyes twinkled a little with excitement. He moved to the chair as he spoke. "Well, I do know a few, but many of them aren't Hylian, so translating them might mess with the cadence."

"What are they?"

"They're in Sheikah, my native tongue."

Oh. He didn't know the guy was bilingual. That was neat. "How about you teach me some Sheikah ones and I'll teach you some Gerudo ones. You can impress Misi."

Orik perked up. "Sure!"

"We can start with a Hylian one, though, so we can get the gist of things," Merovar noted as he glared at the instrument. "This thing will bow to my greatness soon enough."

Orik bit the inside of his cheek in a very clear indication of hiding more laughter.

With a gesture of his arm, Merovar bade Orik to start a Hylian ballad while he made the aulos wail. Orik's words quickly descended into laughter again, and Merovar playfully threw a pillow at him.

"The show must go on!" he insisted, and Orik apologized between giggles.

As Merovar played once again, the stone walls echoing the squeak of reeds with the occasional mellow accompaniment of actually getting a decent tune out, Orik chose a Hylian ballad that fit the situation.

"Awaken the world with a great fire, Grab your lover and take a lyre, For Aunt Mella's mighty dish brings music!

Thunder shakes the world with resounding drones, Accompany it with merry tones, For Aunt Mella's great dish brings music!

Of all its victims, great and small, There was one who rose above them all, Delighting the town with tones of varying beauty!

A traveler weary came through the land, Begging for food, Aunt Mella gave him a hand, And he suffered through the music of the night.

Yet nay, he learned of its beauty in essence, That through this madrigal of flatulence, He could entertain the world at large!"

Merovar choked on the notes, snorting out a laugh so violent through the pipes that the instrument squealed enough to echo in the hall outside the room, and both boys wheezed.

"Goddesses, what the hell are you two doing?"

Both yelped, glancing over to see Hemisi standing in the doorway, arms crossed with a half smile. "It sounds like something's dying in here."

"No girls allowed, we're making music," Merovar huffed, throwing a pillow at her. "Get out."

"That's my boyfriend you're hoarding," Hemisi argued, marching into the room after catching the weapon tossed at her.

"Well if he's courting you, then he's trying to impress the family too, which means my demands are more important right now," Merovar threw back.

"Singing a song about farting while you make that instrument sound like it's being tortured is not more important than hanging out with me," Hemisi laughed. "You boys are so stupid. Come on, Link."

Merovar's rebuttal halted as he looked between the pair confusedly, and then Orik blushed.

"He's got two names," Hemisi explained easily. "Link's his Hylian name, Orik is his Sheikah one. He's supposed to use Orik in public, but he likes Link better."

"Well, that's weird," Merovar commented immediately.

"Yeah, well, Dad doesn't need to know," Hemisi remarked.

Merovar stared at her a moment and then remembered where he'd heard the name before. He almost laughed, wondering why Hemisi would be worried about her boyfriend bearing a name their father had used for some forest gremlin in a story, but he didn't care enough to argue. Shrugging, he said, "Okay, well, Link is helping me make music."

"Link is gonna hang out with me now."

"Link is going to sneak out the window since he hears your dad coming," Orik noted sheepishly, heading for the nearest exit.

Merovar huffed, looking at his sister. "Well, now you ruined it."

"This isn't my fault!" she hissed, reaching out to snatch Orik around the wrist. "We can sneak out through my room--"

"Misi, if Father catches him in your room he'll kill him."

"I don't want to die," Orik added helpfully.

Hemisi groaned, rolling her eyes. Then she rushed to the window with her boyfriend, and the pair hopped out together as Ganondorf called out to his children.

Merovar sighed dramatically. He supposed he'd have to cover for them.

All the stories and songs heralded glory and honor, rising in station and living on in history like heroes. But all she’d seen so far was beasts and blood. At first the war hadn’t seemed real, so far away after a seemingly botched mission. All she knew of the war was her father’s frustration, her mother’s worries, and she and her brother were smuggled hastily back to Lagema as Hyrule came crashing at their border with the might of a sandstorm. Her mother had held them at bay, ordering the rest of the family to remain in the capital.

Her father hadn’t listened. He’d summoned some sort of magic, bringing monsters to heel and protecting their lands.

It had impressed Merovar. It had scared Hemisi.

But even so, the twins had been ordered to stay in the desert. They were to protect the border as Hyrule continued to try beating against their defenses, while their mother returned to ruling and their father moved to the front lines.

Time passed, and beasts were soon not enough. And then Hemisi had to protect her fellow Gerudo as their wounded were ferried back into the desert to be cared for, having been taken down on the front.

And suddenly the war didn’t feel so far away anymore.

The glory of fighting, her eagerness to protect her land, heightened tenfold as she saw her sisters bleeding on the cots being carried through their territory. And she’d wanted to do more.

Merovar had too, but he wouldn’t disobey their mother. Hemisi had no such qualms.

It didn’t matter that they were fifteen. She would be of age in a matter of months. She could enter the fray now. So she snuck out with the next squad of reinforcements, and she finally got a real taste of battle.

And she’d realized just how naïve she’d been.

She supposed it was a stupid sentiment to have. Given all the bloodshed she'd seen so far, it seemed reasonable to assume no one would like war. But then why did the minstrels always sing of their praises?

Perhaps not everyone viewed war the same as she. It seemed her father didn’t hold the same sentiment, but she couldn’t be certain.

How had it escalated to something so catastrophic? How had everything fallen apart so horribly? She didn't know how either of her parents did it, how they handled this war. The original plan had been a quick snatch and run, to steal the Triforce and run back to the desert. She figured it was foolish to assume Hyrule wouldn't go after them, but if it had gone correctly no one would've been the wiser, right? Once the dust had settled, she might have even been able to reach out to Link again.

Instead, the Sheikah warriors had noticed the bodies. Instead, the sacred relic had shattered as soon as her father had touched it. Instead, their mother had screamed that they should retreat when things fell apart. Instead, she'd had to run around her boyfriend's unconscious body and was unable to help him. Instead, Hyrule had a face and a name to call culpable and brought its full wrath down on the Gerudo.

And now, she was finally diving head first into the chaos.

Hemisi had fought before, but never to such an extreme, and never to the death. Yet here she was, covered in the blood of her enemies, staring at the bodies she'd just cut down.

She felt sick. She was sick. This was sick.

Is it really worth all this?

Did it even matter anymore? What was done was done. If she didn't fight, her people would suffer the consequences.

The scimitars fell out of her trembling hands as she stared at blood dripping off her fingers, down her torso, as she felt it on her face.

Hemisi started to hyperventilate, backing away from the carnage, her world spinning.

She wanted nothing more than to turn back time, to go to the days where she and Link were stargazing on the castle walls, where she was training with her father, laughing with her mother, annoying her brother.

But there was no going back. The empty, accusing Hylian eyes that watched her screamed it, cemented in her mind by the life-giving fluid that slid off her skin.

There was noise to her right, and she turned to see more enemies. She couldn’t fall apart now, she wouldn’t. She had chosen to be here, this was not a place for children and she refused to act like one.

So she picked up her blades, ignoring the blood on her arms and hands, and she gritted her teeth, marching forward.

The first Hylian fell easily to her, but the other one put up more of a fight. Adrenaline returned in full force, pushing all of her musings out of her mind as Hemisi parried his sword with one scimitar and dug the other one into his chest, hearing him gasp with pain and surprise. His breathing turned to gurgling, a wretched mix of air and blood bubbling from his wound and his mouth, and she pulled out the sword, swallowing bile, heart racing.

She heard a woman cry out, and quickly looked farther ahead to see a Gerudo warrior falling, and she prepared herself for another fight.

And froze.

That was… that warrior was…

He noticed her scrutiny, recognized a flash of red hair, saw the light glint off her bloodied blades, and then his red eyes met hers.

“Link…” she whispered, completely stunned, mind blank, heart hammering against her ribs.

Link stared at her, the whites of his eyes shining brightly against dirtied skin and matted hair, against a black mask that covered half his face but couldn’t hide the shock he felt upon seeing her.

Neither had seen each other since that fateful night seven months ago.

The world seemed to disappear around them, battle forgotten, dust kicked up from an earth that had been beaten senseless, smoke from magical blasts thickening in her lungs, stealing what little breath she had left away.

And then Link’s eyebrows came together, eyes narrowing, body stiffening as he slowly rose from where he’d been kneeling on the ground from a finishing blow. His grip on an unfamiliar sword tightened, and he slowly stalked towards her. Hemisi felt her blood freeze, and she took a hesitant step away, defenses still lowered.

He was going to fight her. He was going to fight her.

“Link…” she said again, a little stronger, a petition, a warning, a plea, a prayer.

He took another step. And another. Hemisi stepped farther away. The resolve in his eyes didn’t falter. She could see the hurt, the betrayal, the anger.

Link attacked.

Hemisi gasped a little, but she brought up her scimitars all the same, having to use both to hold the large bluish sword at bay. The force of the thrust was stronger than Link had used when they would spar – he’d gotten stronger since then.

She didn’t bother trying to talk to him again. She knew words were useless here, in this forsaken battlefield, where despite how close they were it felt like a chasm the size of the desert itself had formed between them.

They were enemies.

Hemisi grunted, tightened her stance and bracing harder into the ground as she pushed forward. As much as Link had grown, so had she – Gerudo were naturally stronger than Hylians and Sheikah alike, and she would use that to her advantage. Link stumbled back a hair, but she knew his preferred fighting style was quick and personal. As predicted, he pushed forward again, though he used the power of his swing to knock one of her blades out of her hand entirely, startling her. Link closed in, disregarding his sword entirely as he released it with one hand to draw a knife, aiming straight for her throat.

In a split second she realized that trying to cut him with her scimitar would not stop his attack, only diminish it, but a knife to the throat was a knife to the throat no matter the strength behind the thrust. So she dropped her other sword instead, grasping his wrist desperately with both her hands. She realized as soon as she’d done it how vulnerable she’d left herself as he still was armed in his right hand, but it was his nondominant, and she could muscle her way out of this. She kicked forward, hitting him in the gut and knocking the wind out of him, and she twisted his left arm harshly behind his back. Link yelled, kicking back desperately, but at his angle all he could hit was her greave, so it was a fruitless venture.

Link dropped his sword, bringing a hand to his chest, and Hemisi gasped as she lost her balance when her opponent completely disappeared from in front of her. She stumbled forward, and she heard rustling and magic behind her. Turning, she pushed Link’s hand aside as he tried again with a knife, finally knocking it from his grip entirely, and the two started trading blows with closed fists. Link caught Hemisi’s punch, fingers snaking around her wrist as his other hand moved to her armpit, and he dropped to the ground, throwing her over him with a kick to the chest. Hemisi couldn’t get enough breath to even cry out, grunting instead as she slid a ways, barely having time to get up and see him reaching for his sword. Her own scimitars were too close to him for her to try and grab right now, and so she resorted to blocking his next attack with her gauntlets. Her arms trembled as the sword’s blood soaked sharp edge was barely a breath away from her face, but she turned, guiding its momentum to the side as she finally managed to punch him directly in the face and run for her weapons.

She heard Link roar in defiance, heading back towards her just as she managed to reclaim her scimitars, and the two were parrying each other’s attacks once more. They moved fluidly, Link pushing forward, Hemisi meeting his strength with her own. They were forces of nature, trying to overpower the other; Link had grown in height and was no longer shorter than her, making his usual lighter maneuverability more difficult for him. But what he’d lost in flexibility he’d gained in muscle, and the weight of his blade was unfamiliar to her.

Still, she knew Link preferred closing space as much as possible. He typically overpowered an enemy quickly and quietly, relying on stealth and finesse. Most fighters preferred to keep distance in a battle, as it prevented vulnerability. Link bypassed it by ending the battle before it could start. But with Hemisi, that was impossible – she held her ground, keeping him at bay.

A fortress never fell to a storm. Hemisi refused to give up.

But the two had been so focused on each other that they’d lost track of their surroundings, moving farther from the main battlefield, reaching the edge of a large hill that descended into a gorge.

The world lurched as the earth turned to slick mud, and Hemisi gasped. She reached out blindly, snatching Link by his scarf between a few fingers, and they both tumbled together down the side of the cliff. Rock and root alike battered them as they went, and both combatants lost their blades in the tumble, partly from the impacts and partly so they didn’t stab themselves as they went.

As they fell, Hemisi felt sharp pains exploding in her right side as she slammed into a rock, knocking the wind out of her. By the time they reached the bottom she felt more akin to a ragdoll, panting for air with a chest that could hardly expand enough to suck it in. Link didn’t move after they finally slid to a stop, both teenagers desperately trying to get their bearings and blink through the pain.

Hemisi was not going to let her guard down, though. Link’s ferocity spoke for itself, even if it hurt her heart to be on the receiving end of it. No matter how angry he was, she could match it, could yell louder, hit harder, channel all her own frustrations into her moves.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to stop this from happening! Yet here he was acting like it was her fault!

But as angry and hurt as she was, she had to speak to him too, she had to make sure he knew that.

“Link,” she groaned, shakily getting to her feet. “For heaven’s sake, just listen to me.”

Link grunted, teeth gritted in pain as he pushed himself off the ground. His dark mask was gone, having been shredded on the descent, revealing a dark, determined face with red eyes that screamed in more agony than her own ribs.

“Why should I?” he hissed, circling her as she did the same, both warriors automatically scanning the area for their weapons. “So you can lure me into a false sense of security again? So you can pretend to care about me just enough to stab me in the back once more?”

“I pushed you into a closet, you ass, I didn’t hurt you!” she snapped.

Link scoffed, “You think it’s that simple? You got to know me, learned everything about the guards and our routes, our shifts, our routines, everything so that Ganondorf could steal the Triforce! Our entire relationship was just a ruse, a lie! Saying you just pushed me into a closet, like the events of that night meant nothing, just proves that!”

“I did not fake our relationship!” Hemisi argued, growing desperate, feeling her eyes sting with tears of hurt and frustration. “Damn it, Link, this—I didn’t want this!”

“Then maybe you should have told me instead of betraying me,” Link growled, eyes shifting from her to somewhere in the distance. His posture grew stiffer. He’d found his sword, likely.

Hemisi felt anger bubble anew in her chest, and she stepped between him and his target. “Do you think I didn’t try? Do you think I didn’t consider talking my dad out of this—do you think I didn’t argue with him about it?! Do you really think I wanted this war? If you truly believe our relationship meant nothing, then maybe it truly did to you, but I loved you!”

“It meant everything to me!” Link yelled, and she finally saw the tears start to glisten in his eyes as well.

Their voices echoed across the small canyon they were in for a moment, the battle of the distant so far away they could hardly hear it. It was as if the world had stilled to listen to them, and a chill started to settle into Hemisi’s bones as clouds hid the sun from the sky.

Hemisi finally let the painful, awful truth come out of her like a whisper on the wind. “I had to choose, Link. I… I had to choose. You can’t… you can’t expect me not to protect my family. I didn’t… I didn’t know it would lead to this.”

Link’s posture shifted subtly, deflating a little, losing its edge. His lip trembled a moment, and his fists balled as he fought to control himself. Hemisi felt her own heart break at the sight of it, at the truth that had been screaming at her, that egged her on and betrayed her at the same time.

How could she not choose her family? But why did it have to lead to this? Link had become family too!

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, voice trembling so much she wasn’t even sure she could hear herself.

But Link did hear her words, did see her tears, and the fight finally drained out of him. But he kept his distance, despite her crying, when in the past he would have run to her and held her and said it would be okay.

“Our duties always come first,” Link finally said, sounding tired and resigned. “I suppose in the end it doesn’t matter if we loved each other or not.”

“Don’t say that,” Hemisi snapped, stepping towards him. “I still love you, that matters.”

“You’re killing my people!” Link yelled.

“And you’re killing mine!” Hemisi countered.

“What am I supposed to do? I thought you, of all people, understood me!” Link interjected, face growing stormy. “All my life, people have looked down on me, for either being some half-breed or a mistake, or recently from your father because I was too obedient, too demure—but I thought you knew, that you realized that I treasure my people and my country and my duty! Did you really think I’d just—just stand by and let your father steal our most sacred relic, one of the most powerful items in the world, putting everyone in danger?! Did you think I would be fine with you proving that the entire basis of our relationship was part of his plot to take it?! Did you think I would watch your people hurt and kill mine and I would just do nothing? And now, even now you’re still acting as if I’m the one at fault! You spoke to me so many times of stepping up, voicing my own opinions, not just following rules, yet you’re demanding I fall in line and just join you simply because you claim to love me!”

Hemisi shook her head, trying to get a word in, but his own words cut into her more than his blade ever could. And she hated him all the more for it, hated herself, because what was she supposed to say, what could she do, how could anyone fix this?!

Her father had forbade her from joining the war until she was of age. She’d thought he was just being stupidly protective. She’d claimed she was an adult, that she could handle this, that she’d trained for this.

She felt like a fool, like a child lost in the whirlwinds of the world and not knowing what to do. She hated that.

There was no fixing this.

“It’s as you said,” Link finally said flatly. “You chose your family. And I had to choose mine.”

“All this, for the Triforce? For a Sheikah who don’t even appreciate you? For a king who’s a fool and will give power to whoever kisses his ass the most?” Hemisi growled, starting to scan again for her weapons.

“All this, for the Triforce,” Link confirmed, and the two circled each other again. “For a land I love, a land where people are safe, where people don’t attack others for power plays, for my culture that I adore, for a throne that, despite its bad rulers, has protected this land for centuries. This king may be a fool, but the next leader may not. I defend Hyrule, not King Ozen. You make claims about serving a ruler who doesn’t deserve it – what do you think Ganondorf is doing that makes him worthy of being followed? Have you even asked what he wants with the Triforce, what his impetus was to steal it?”

Hemisi felt her own anger rise to the forefront. “You can’t possibly expect me to just lay down and let Hyrule trample my people, whether I agree with Dad’s actions or not. And don’t you dare talk about him like he’s some monster!”

Link swallowed, and both teenagers tensed as they each found their swords in varying places around them. “Then I suppose neither of us has a choice.”

And with that, he lunged forward, and Hemisi moved to stop him but she realized almost too late that he had kunai that he’d been hiding, not even bothering to go for his sword. Hemisi flinched, falling back as he swiped across her chest—is he aiming for my armor?—and gasping anyway as her ribs screamed in protest. She kept up with his attacks, grappling his wrist after another swipe moved across her, using the momentum as she turned and tried to roll and flip him onto the ground. Link slipped a leg between her ankles, jerking and knocking her off balance. She released him so she could catch her fall and then scurried back before he could attack while she was vulnerable.

Link did move elsewhere now, and Hemisi grabbed him by his scarf, making him cough and fall back. She kicked his kunai out of one hand, and he tried to stab the back of her calf with the other, forcing her back. She managed to reach her scimitars before he could get to his sword, as he was still trying to get to his feet, and she charged towards him with a yell.

Their year together was shoved harshly into the back of her mind. Gone were the nights of sneaking out to stargaze, to catch fireflies and laugh and tell stories, gone were the adventures exploring nearby forests and ancient temples, gone were the vulnerabilities shared, the worries and hopes and dreams, the laughter and comfort and hugs.

They weren’t children anymore. There was no more pretending that everything would be fine.

Happy endings were simply for fairytales.

Link whirled around to see her coming before he could defend himself, and he dropped to the ground to avoid a slash that likely would have taken his head. With each potential fatal blow, Hemisi felt her resolve weaken, her fear and love overpowering her determination and anger.

Anger was a strong emotion, but it was an exhausting one. It couldn’t last, it couldn’t keep fueling her, she couldn’t justify this.

But what could she do?!

Her blade finally cut across Link’s upper arm, hitting between the chainmail and the bracer on his forearm, and she watched the purple cloth stain darker as he bled. A piece of her heart bled with him, but she would not be the one to die today.

She had to protect her family and her people. She was the princess, after all, even if she’d never truly cared about what that meant until all of this.

Link crouched down to avoid another attack, and used his vantage point to pounce upward towards her, taking her down and making her drop her swords. She brought her hands up to claw at his face, snarling and crying, and the two rolled in the mud to try and get the upper hand. No matter how hard each teenager tried, though, they kept outmaneuvering the other, until they both slammed into a large rock and had nowhere else to go.

Hemisi’s ribs couldn’t bear the strain any longer, and she gasped for air, pausing her efforts. Link seemed to be bleeding too much, drained of energy as well, and the two were left laying beside each other panting desperately.

“This—is—stupid,” she ground out between breaths.

Link wheezed, a pathetic attempt at a laugh, escaping straining lungs as he trembled and tried to push himself up before collapsing.

“You’re stupid,” he mumbled from where he laid.

“You’re stupider,” Hemisi fired back.

Whatever comeback Link had, it was lost as he groaned when he tried to move again.

“Neither of us have a choice,” Hemisi said, echoing his earlier words, feeling her energy vanish, feeling her body tremble, the one little jab of familiarity from their bantering destroying her cold resolve.

She turned to look at him, to really look at the young man she’d fallen in love with. She saw the same caring eyes buried beneath the pain and anger, she saw the soft features that were steadily carving into stone, the white skin paint that was smeared that he would carefully, ritualistically put on his face every morning. She saw the lips that she’d tasted time and again, that would smile at her and laugh with her and love her, the calloused hands that would hold her own when she’d need comfort. She saw the blue scarf that was so precious to him, tattered and stained with dirt and blood.

“I love you,” she whispered, feeling the tears fall. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

“You’re not going to trick me with that again,” Link muttered, though his tone held less bite and more hurt than anything. “You always claimed to be in charge of your own life, and—”

He cut himself off, sighing heavily, exhausted. Hemisi didn’t have it in her to argue anymore. She knew she wasn’t going to convince him.

It should make her angry. Instead, it just made her cry more.

Link slowly crawled over to her, and she recognized the sound of a kunai scraping against stone. She knew what was coming. Fear gripped at her, mixed with anguish and hurt and betrayal, with pain so deep she couldn’t even put words to it, and all she wanted was to just be home with her family.

Link hovered over her, eyes dark in the shadows cast by what little light was left, and then he said softly, “I’m sorry too.”

Hemisi closed her eyes, waiting for the blow, biting back the quiet sobs. She would at least die like a warrior.

Instead, she felt his soft lips against hers, hot tears falling onto her face.

Hemisi could hardly return the gesture before Link was backing off, and she felt something slip into her hands. It was cool, a glass, a bottle—she looked down to see a red potion.

“You need to leave,” Link said, looking exhausted, the tear tracks still evident on his face, carving a path across dirt and blood.

She—he—

Hemisi swallowed, sitting up despite the way her chest screamed in protest. “Link…”

He pulled away from her, standing. “Hemisi. You need to leave before my people get here.”

She took a breath, trying to come up with something to say, but there were no words left between the two of them. There was nothing left that they could say.

Hemisi nodded, slowly rising. Link watched her as she started to walk away, as she grabbed her scimitars, as she found a path out of the place they’d fallen. She glanced back one last time to see him standing alone, looking small and exhausted but determined.

“Goodbye, Link,” she said finally.

Link swallowed, lips twitching a moment. Then he said in return, “Goodbye, Hemisi.”

And with that, the two parted ways as snow began to fall, the cold wind howling in their ears.

An hour later, Link was found by the Hyrulian forces, half collapsed against a tree, clutching the Master Sword tightly, his scarf tied around his arm to hold pressure. The soldiers whispered how the Hero was so quiet, wondering if perhaps it was shame or pain or exhaustion. No one saw the boy curl into himself that night, laying on the cold ground in the tent spared to him and others, crying quietly into his pillow.

A day later, Hemisi was nearly barreled over by her father when she returned to the Gerudo border. He interrogated her, lectured her, asked if she was hurt. She couldn’t say anything to him. She just cried, cried and let her father hold her for what felt like hours.

And the next day, Link rose to see the land glittering with snow, to see the Hyrule he loved glow golden like the sacred piece he carried with him. And he continued forward, love in his heart despite the pain. The next day, Hemisi looked over her people, watched her father plan their next attack, and she continued forward, love in her heart despite the pain.