Igneo Adventure *SPOILER WARNING*

“What were you thinking, Zelda?!”

He was shouting. Actually shouting.

“You could have gotten both of us killed!”

She’d heard him grumble, seen him roll his eyes, even pout and glare. But she’d never seen him like this. Never seen the teeth clenching, painful, seething kind of anger that seeps under your skin and burns your bones.

Link gripped her shoulders, giving her a good shake. “Are you listening to me, Zelda?!”

The princess flinched at the sound of her name.

She couldn’t look at him. It felt so shameful to be scolded like a disobedient child. But it was her fault, after all. Her gaze fell to the ground, and she whimpered, “I’m sorry,” with a voice that wobbled like it would fall apart. “I was just curious. I thought—I thought we would be fine.”

“That’s no excuse!” He snapped. “If you don’t have to put yourself in harm's way, don’t! You’re the last princess of Hyrule for goddess’ sake!”

She stomped her foot, gaze still locked on the ruby that fell to her feet when Link destroyed the Talus. “I know that!”

“You clearly don’t,” Link hissed between his teeth.

Angry, childish tears flushed her eyes. She hissed right back, caught in the throes of her own temper tantrum now. “I’ve seen you defeat a hundred Taluses!” She cried. “What was wrong with one more?! I wanted to see one up close and—”

“It’s a Talus, Zelda! Not a damn bokoblin!” Somehow, Link’s shouts grew even louder. “And an Igneo Talus, to boot! That’s one of the most dangerous kinds there is!”

“I know—”

“‘Let’s go mine some gems,’ you told me!” Link mocked, even mimicking her accent. “‘We’re right outside of Death Mountain, and I even brought fireproof elixirs!’ For the love of Nayru, how long have you been planning this?!”

She was so angry. Too angry for words. So was he, she knew, and she also knew he was the one in the right. But she was stubborn as a mule, so she didn’t budge.

“ZELDA!”

“It was just today,” she answered in a whisper. “I saw it stamped on the map, and thought it would be an opportune moment to stud—”

“You wanted to study it?” He glared at first. But then he turned, waved her away, pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course you did.” He muttered.

Finally, a phrase that wasn’t a shout.

They were both quiet now. The silence was filled with the bubbling of the lava and the gentle flow of molten mineral in the red river below. She felt like the mountain, ready to erupt, but bit her tongue. It was pointless to argue a losing battle.

“Why did you lie to me?” She heard him mutter. Link had his back turned to her, shoulders still hunched and tense with anger.

She looked away again. “I thought you would disapprove of the idea,” she admitted at last.

Link huffed. “Of course I would!” His voice rose with newfound temper. “You didn’t think it was a good idea yourself, did you?”

“It’s as I said,” Zelda steeled herself. “I knew the risks, but I knew you were with me, and would protect me as you always do.”

“What if I couldn’t protect you?” He shot back. “What if I was injured? What then? What would you have done?”

“But that didn’t happen—”

“It could have! And you would have been killed!” Link was back at Zelda in two short strides. “Not to mention, you put me in danger too!”

“I—”

“You’re so reckless!” He was yelling again. “You always do these stupid things, putting us in danger for dumb reasons like research! Why do you do this?!”

“It’s not ‘dumb’—”

“Yes it is!”

Zelda drew in a quick breath as Link took her shoulders in his grip again. There was no escape this time, nowhere for his eyes to run but to his. Those beautiful eyes, where anger, desperation and pain all burned an icy blue. Chills ran down her spine, but her gaze hardened.

“Don’t you know how worried I get when you do these things?” Link’s voice softened the slightest bit. Hints of a grimace played on his lips. “I don’t want you to get hurt. You know that, right?”

She nodded.

“I can't to lose you again.”

At once, her tantrum extinguished as fire would to rain. The rain came in the form of tears. They rushed to her eyes, stole her breath away, quivered her lips and fingers with an uncontrollable shaking. Not of rage, but grief.

I can't lose you again. No other words would hurt worse. Again. They repeated over and over in her mind like a broken record. They stung like bees, like the piercing of a thousand daggers into her chest. Guilt crashed into her body—slammed into her with the force of a thousand pounds, like she had fought the Talus herself. 

Zelda mouthed a word. I’m sorry. But the air couldn’t reach her voice. I’m sorry. Forgive me!

The grip on her shoulders loosened. Link’s arms slid past hers, reached forward, and wrapped her into one of his signature bone-crushing hugs. Her tears fell in little droplets onto his shoulder, indiscernible from the sweat he was still soaked in from the battle.

The environment was so hot, stifling. But she felt cold as ice. Even wrapped in Link’s arms, his body warm as the sun and his hot breath on her neck, Zelda’s flame had cooled. She instead stool still as a statue, unable to accept his affections.  

“I’m sorry for yelling,” he whispered.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she muttered back. “You’re right. I’m sorry for being so reckless.”

Somehow, his hold on her tightened.  “Don’t lie to me about this stuff anymore, okay?” He asked.

She could only nod into his shoulder.

“Promise?”

She nodded again.

She felt his lips on the side of her head, and only then did she finally, finally allow herself to feel again. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she pulled him close. A cry bellowed from deep within her. Regret, guilt, relief...one hundred-years worth of grief came from her weeping. She tried to pull Link closer, to crush the breathless feeling, to feel him against her until the line between them blurred into one. But it would never be close enough. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…

It was a long time before either of them spoke again. It was Link first, though, and he started with a joke. “Well, bright side,” his voice had lost its weight. “We made a small fortune today. That Talus had a diamond in its gut.”

Zelda laughed. Not quite enough to lift her spirits, but just enough to bring a smile to her hero’s face.

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So... i got an ask on tumblr. "Link and Zelda mining for gems." 
For some reason this was what came to mind? XD 
have some angsty af zelink C: