The five of them stood in silence, staring through the door into the room beyond. Darunia’s hand clamped down on Link’s shoulder, and the young man’s body convulsed in its grip. Saria screamed, shattering the stunned silence.

The room was swimming in blood – the floors, the walls, the doorknob that Link was currently gripping. He let it go, feeling sick again. On the wall opposite was Rauru. His wrists and ankles had been pierced by spears, which held his limp body up against the bastion. His ventral area had been torn open, and the blood that had leaked from it covered the entire room. He had been bled dry.

"Oh, Nayru…" whispered Zelda. "How horrible…"

Link closed his eyes and leaned against Darunia’s considerable, yet comforting, bulk. "Horrible" was not a word strong enough to describe their situation, and Rauru’s malapropos death. Now two of their company were gone; how many more would die before they managed to escape, if they even escaped at all?

"Let’s just continue on," Nabooru said quietly. "Standing here won’t bring him back, and we can’t let ourselves die, too. I know it’s cruel, but it’s true. Link… after you…"

Link shook his head. "I don’t think I can take much more of this…"

"You have to get us out of here, though!" Zelda cried, running to him and grabbing his arm. "We have no chance of survival without you!"

"What about how I feel?" Link roared. He shoved the princess away and looked at each of them in turn, his blue eyes narrowing. "How am I supposed to get us all out of here if I’m going insane? Do you have any idea how hard it is to see my friends be killed, knowing that I’m the one who was supposed to protect them? Do you know how useless I feel? I failed Ruto and Rauru! I don’t want to fail all of you, but I have the worst feeling it’s going to happen. How can I protect you if you won’t protect yourselves?"

"Link…" Nabooru trailed off.

"I’m not the one who’s going to guarantee your survival, Zelda," Link said. "You can’t wander off like Rauru did, and if you’re in a difficult situation, you can’t depend on my strength to save you. It didn’t save Ruto. Let’s just… let’s just continue along. It’s too late to save him now. I wish… I hadn’t let you all down when victory was crucial. I’m sorry."

"We don’t blame you, Link," said Darunia gently. "It was unfair of us to place our fate in your hands. It was too much pressure for you to handle. Any other man would have snapped under the weight you bore on your shoulders."

"No," said Link, shaking his head. "It was my duty. I’m the Hero of Time. I shouldn’t have failed anybody. It’s entirely my fault, and we’re going to stop arguing now so we can get out of here in one piece. I’ll get you all out of here if I die trying."

He started to lead the way from the room, trying to inject confidence into his step. The others did not have a chance to follow. He had barely walked two feet when Saria’s scream pierced the air, mingling with the high-pitched screeches he usually associated with lizalfos. He whirled, clutching the hilt of his sword, to find that one of the scaly creatures had knocked Zelda to the ground, and was entangled in her long blonde locks.

"PRINCESS!" Nabooru screamed, delivering a well-aimed kick to the side of the beast’s head. "Are you alright?"

Zelda grimaced and stumbled to her feet, but she could not hide the red stain on the side of her dress, no matter how hard she tried to cover it. Nabooru gasped and supported her as Link went at the lizards. The fact that he was using his right hand instead of his left was something of a hindrance, but he managed to dispatch the creatures in a matter of minutes.

"Link!" Nabooru cried. "It’s Zelda. She…"

He ran to the side of the injured princess. She was lying in Nabooru’s lap, the blood from the wound in her side pooling steadily around her.

"This is bad, brother," Darunia said grimly. "What are we going to do?"

"You all go on," Zelda said quietly. "I’m just a hindrance."

"We can’t leave you, Zelly," said Saria, tears brimming in her large eyes. "If we get out of here, we can get you fixed up and you’ll be alright again."

Link nodded. "Darunia, can you carry her?"

The Goron nodded and picked the princess up in his strong arms. Her protests faded away when she realized they weren’t just going to leave her to die, and she settled into the Goron’s grip. They continued walking, each of them trying to ignore the flow of blood from Zelda’s wound.

They left Rauru’s body hanging where it was, as they could not give him a proper burial, nor could they take him with them. Nabooru held the torch in one hand, and Saria’s hand in the other as they walked. Link led the way down the corridors, unsure of where he was going, but having no other choice but to continue walking. He wondered if they would ever make it out.

But he had promised to try his best, and he never broke a promise if he could help it.

Author’s Notes: Okay, leaving it there. Jordiscy, you amuse me greatly :D

And now for favourite quotes time! *drumroll*

1. From chapter 3 "Link showered down on Link’s head…" (Excellent work, spellcheck. I commend you for your abilities to spot grammatical errors)
2. From chapter 3 "No, Darunia, she’s having a picnic…" (I can just picture Ruto having a picnic with the sharks. Or maybe she is the picnic… *cackles*)

And will Zelda live? We’ll have to wait and see… Muhuhu…