Goddess Athenaeum
My real name is Athena
Hi everyone. I'm new and joined to share my fanfiction. I figured I'd jump right in. This story is the first part of my collection "Four Stories" that I recently posted on fanfiction. This first story "The Let Down" takes place after A Link to the Past and follows Zelda. This story is based on personal experiences dealing with depression as well as drawing from babysitting. I've learned a lot since writing this first one, so I'm going to share it in two parts instead of the long form I have on fanfiction.
I hope you enjoy it!
I hope you enjoy it!
The Let Down
The night of her journey was much like the night of her rescue, rain poured down over Hyrule. She ventured out in her hooded robes, concealing her identity from the local soldiers, in this way she felt this must have been like his original approach to the castle.
She can only imagine what the Hero must have felt, sleeping quietly in his bed as she called out to him. It was a feeling she desperately missed. Ever since Link had triumphed over Ganon and returned peace to Hyrule, the psychic connection that the two had once shared had been shattered.
It was as though once the quest was completed; the connection had been severed. From the moment that Zelda reawakened in Hyrule she had felt it.
The peace and prosperity of the world was bittersweet, she had awoken from her crystal prison back into Hyrule castle, and it appeared in almost a splendorous holiday fashion.
The castle was decorated in bright red and gold banners, the royal heralds were playing victorious anthems on joyful horns, the maidens and the captains were adorned in their parade colors, the entire castle was in celebration over the return of the King.
And while Zelda felt a great sense of peace and comfort that she had not felt since the coming of the wizard, she felt something else, something almost sickening.
"Link…." She said to herself, standing in the middle of this rainstorm, thinking back to that moment. When Zelda awoke in the castle, she felt the Let Down. That's all she knew to call it.
It was a feeling she had felt before, the initial moment of disconnect from her telepathic conversations with Link. Whenever the two conversed psychically, either from Zelda calling out to him or Link touching a telepathic tile, the connection between the two felt profoundly strong.
It was as though they were swimming in one another's minds, sharing all the deepest and most vulnerable feelings of the other, and when the conversation came to an end, that experience was extinguished in an instant. And what followed was Let Down.
The moment of psychic break was equally profound, in a most horrible way. Zelda came to associate it with pain because most of their conversations were had while she was in captivity, yet the Let Down stretched beyond that. When the connection was broken, Zelda felt an intense sadness, an almost hollowness which lingered for a long time.
It made her feel almost lifeless, as if there was nothing in her left to give. Yet it was her belief and her hope for the Hero to free her which kept her going, and her hopes were not misplaced, the young lad indeed vanquished the Dark World and returned peace to Hyrule.
But upon her awakening, the Let Down lingered. It lingered for days. And in this new world, there were no more psychic conversations, there was no telepathy, Zelda went so far as to search out the tiles which remained in the Palaces, only to find that they were now inert.
Seeking out the Elder Sahasrahla only confirmed her fears. The Let Down was indeed a true experience of a strong psychic link ended, and in the days that followed the Triforce's reassembling and the end of the Dark World, this phenomenon was no more.
The only advice he could offer is that she was of royal blood, and that it was the duty of the Princess of Hyrule to be strong, that this is why she was entrusted with this psychic ability by the higher spirits, and that now her duty was to reintegrate into her new life.
But that did not change what she felt, that did not change the pain, that did not change the trauma, and that did not change her actions. In the days which followed, Link ultimately moved away from the castle.
Though honored as Captain of the Guard, the events which followed found many agreeing that Link would be better off as a benefactor outside of the Princess's political environment, and that his talents were best suited to running the regional militias of the Kingdom from the comfort of his own home. In this way, a year went by.
And that is where Zelda found herself on this night, standing in the pouring rain.
The cold and the wet felt like nothing compared to the sadness that she had been carrying with her since her return. Perhaps she found herself ruminating on these points as she sat under the window to Link's home because she realized how outlandish this was.
If she were a commoner in such a position, she would be arrested and most likely executed for stalking another Hylian. And if her identity were revealed, the very Princess of Hyrule, obsessing over this man, hiding outside his house, the backlash would be felt far and wide. She knew she was disturbed in being here, but she could not help herself.
If she could not be near the Hero anymore, could she at least have a look at the life he was leading now? With this thought in her mind, Zelda took a deep breath and decided to look inside his home.
A soft candlelight lit the modest drawing room where Link sat next to his Uncle.
"Ha" she could hear his Uncle laughing quietly as he pat Link on the back, both men seated at the table. "I tell you, you were just as hard to raise. I had to do it myself, you know. I was the only one around."
Link laughed as well "I don't know how you did it." He said, with a smile on his face. The two men sat together drinking beer and sharing bread and summer sausage. It didn't appear to be as much of a supper as it was a midnight snack, both men were in their night shirts. "The only thing I know is that I couldn't have done it alone."
"Give yourself some credit." His Uncle began again "You braved the front lines by yourself, you took on demons I could never hope to fight, you saved MY life. You're more capable than you think."
Link smiled almost shyly "Only because you taught me. And I always knew one day I'd have to fight, as bad as the world was getting, I knew I'd have to defend myself. What I never expected was this. I never thought I'd find myself dealing with this."
"Neither did I." his Uncle responded. "But that's what being an adult truly is. It's not about being a man, it's not about a role, it's about being mature. And that's what you are now, Link, you are grown. And I know you can do this."
Link looked up at his Uncle smiling, almost with tears in his eyes. "I love you." He responded quite simply, and the two men embraced.
Zelda observed this entire process not knowing what was happening. She could only consider it from her perspective. Sitting where she was right now, feeling what she was feeling, she felt quite sure that Link too was dealing with the Let Down as well, trying to figure it out.
In that moment Zelda has a fleeting hope that perhaps the two could somehow reconnect over this, that despite all of the social and metaphysical barriers standing between them, perhaps she could return to him based on this alone, and the two could reconnect on that. That they felt the same thing.
But in that one moment, Zelda heard a cry from inside the house that proved her wrong.
"Oh! I guess I was right not to go back to sleep." Link said suddenly, having only just parted from his Uncle's hug.
"Your turn, this time champ." His Uncle smiled back.
"I know." Link said almost laughing. "I'm ready this time."
The night of her journey was much like the night of her rescue, rain poured down over Hyrule. She ventured out in her hooded robes, concealing her identity from the local soldiers, in this way she felt this must have been like his original approach to the castle.
She can only imagine what the Hero must have felt, sleeping quietly in his bed as she called out to him. It was a feeling she desperately missed. Ever since Link had triumphed over Ganon and returned peace to Hyrule, the psychic connection that the two had once shared had been shattered.
It was as though once the quest was completed; the connection had been severed. From the moment that Zelda reawakened in Hyrule she had felt it.
The peace and prosperity of the world was bittersweet, she had awoken from her crystal prison back into Hyrule castle, and it appeared in almost a splendorous holiday fashion.
The castle was decorated in bright red and gold banners, the royal heralds were playing victorious anthems on joyful horns, the maidens and the captains were adorned in their parade colors, the entire castle was in celebration over the return of the King.
And while Zelda felt a great sense of peace and comfort that she had not felt since the coming of the wizard, she felt something else, something almost sickening.
"Link…." She said to herself, standing in the middle of this rainstorm, thinking back to that moment. When Zelda awoke in the castle, she felt the Let Down. That's all she knew to call it.
It was a feeling she had felt before, the initial moment of disconnect from her telepathic conversations with Link. Whenever the two conversed psychically, either from Zelda calling out to him or Link touching a telepathic tile, the connection between the two felt profoundly strong.
It was as though they were swimming in one another's minds, sharing all the deepest and most vulnerable feelings of the other, and when the conversation came to an end, that experience was extinguished in an instant. And what followed was Let Down.
The moment of psychic break was equally profound, in a most horrible way. Zelda came to associate it with pain because most of their conversations were had while she was in captivity, yet the Let Down stretched beyond that. When the connection was broken, Zelda felt an intense sadness, an almost hollowness which lingered for a long time.
It made her feel almost lifeless, as if there was nothing in her left to give. Yet it was her belief and her hope for the Hero to free her which kept her going, and her hopes were not misplaced, the young lad indeed vanquished the Dark World and returned peace to Hyrule.
But upon her awakening, the Let Down lingered. It lingered for days. And in this new world, there were no more psychic conversations, there was no telepathy, Zelda went so far as to search out the tiles which remained in the Palaces, only to find that they were now inert.
Seeking out the Elder Sahasrahla only confirmed her fears. The Let Down was indeed a true experience of a strong psychic link ended, and in the days that followed the Triforce's reassembling and the end of the Dark World, this phenomenon was no more.
The only advice he could offer is that she was of royal blood, and that it was the duty of the Princess of Hyrule to be strong, that this is why she was entrusted with this psychic ability by the higher spirits, and that now her duty was to reintegrate into her new life.
But that did not change what she felt, that did not change the pain, that did not change the trauma, and that did not change her actions. In the days which followed, Link ultimately moved away from the castle.
Though honored as Captain of the Guard, the events which followed found many agreeing that Link would be better off as a benefactor outside of the Princess's political environment, and that his talents were best suited to running the regional militias of the Kingdom from the comfort of his own home. In this way, a year went by.
And that is where Zelda found herself on this night, standing in the pouring rain.
The cold and the wet felt like nothing compared to the sadness that she had been carrying with her since her return. Perhaps she found herself ruminating on these points as she sat under the window to Link's home because she realized how outlandish this was.
If she were a commoner in such a position, she would be arrested and most likely executed for stalking another Hylian. And if her identity were revealed, the very Princess of Hyrule, obsessing over this man, hiding outside his house, the backlash would be felt far and wide. She knew she was disturbed in being here, but she could not help herself.
If she could not be near the Hero anymore, could she at least have a look at the life he was leading now? With this thought in her mind, Zelda took a deep breath and decided to look inside his home.
A soft candlelight lit the modest drawing room where Link sat next to his Uncle.
"Ha" she could hear his Uncle laughing quietly as he pat Link on the back, both men seated at the table. "I tell you, you were just as hard to raise. I had to do it myself, you know. I was the only one around."
Link laughed as well "I don't know how you did it." He said, with a smile on his face. The two men sat together drinking beer and sharing bread and summer sausage. It didn't appear to be as much of a supper as it was a midnight snack, both men were in their night shirts. "The only thing I know is that I couldn't have done it alone."
"Give yourself some credit." His Uncle began again "You braved the front lines by yourself, you took on demons I could never hope to fight, you saved MY life. You're more capable than you think."
Link smiled almost shyly "Only because you taught me. And I always knew one day I'd have to fight, as bad as the world was getting, I knew I'd have to defend myself. What I never expected was this. I never thought I'd find myself dealing with this."
"Neither did I." his Uncle responded. "But that's what being an adult truly is. It's not about being a man, it's not about a role, it's about being mature. And that's what you are now, Link, you are grown. And I know you can do this."
Link looked up at his Uncle smiling, almost with tears in his eyes. "I love you." He responded quite simply, and the two men embraced.
Zelda observed this entire process not knowing what was happening. She could only consider it from her perspective. Sitting where she was right now, feeling what she was feeling, she felt quite sure that Link too was dealing with the Let Down as well, trying to figure it out.
In that moment Zelda has a fleeting hope that perhaps the two could somehow reconnect over this, that despite all of the social and metaphysical barriers standing between them, perhaps she could return to him based on this alone, and the two could reconnect on that. That they felt the same thing.
But in that one moment, Zelda heard a cry from inside the house that proved her wrong.
"Oh! I guess I was right not to go back to sleep." Link said suddenly, having only just parted from his Uncle's hug.
"Your turn, this time champ." His Uncle smiled back.
"I know." Link said almost laughing. "I'm ready this time."
What Zelda then saw was truly the last thing she expected. Sitting in the drawing room, not far from the open door leading to the bedroom was what looked at first like a small basket containing blankets.
On closer inspection, Zelda realized this was a makeshift crib. Link walked over to it, whispering softly as he did. He put his arms in, leaned down, and stood back up. And in his arms he held his daughter.
"Shhhh, it's okay Syrra. Your dad is here. I love you with all my heart."
Zelda truly could not believe her eyes. She crouched under the window with her mouth hanging open.
"Heh" his Uncle laughed again, slightly louder now that the baby was up. "By the smell of things, you were right not to go back to sleep."
Link turned and looked at him slightly annoyed. "No need to be rude, Uncle." He said back, knowing his Uncle's good nature.
"Haha, of course not. Think you got it this time?"
"I think so." Link said back honestly.
"I'm right here if you need me." His Uncle responded, with utmost confidence in his nephew.
Link laid Syrra down on a smaller table in the room. Under her night gown, she wore a white cloth diaper with soft patterns of birds and rabbits stitched on them. They reminded Link of the animals he once saw in the Haunted Grove.
By the looks of things, the diaper was quite full. Poor Syrra had waited until the middle of the night to let this one go. Link pulled over a bowl of warm water with a small rag as well as a fresh diaper.
Slowly but surely, Link changed Syrra's diaper. He took his time, clearly still learning, but it was clear he had been practicing too. He held her legs up, whispered softly as he did that he loved her while he undid the dirty diaper.
He took it off and disposed of it for the time being in a small bin under the table. In the very next moment, he took the rag from the warm water and began to clean her. Syrra howled.
"I know, I know baby. But at least it's warmed this time, not cold like before. Shhhh, it's okay sweet girl, daddy will take care of you."
Finally, Link placed the dirty rag in the bin as well and placed the new diaper under Syrra. Once he had made sure she was clean, he pinned the diaper up and completed the change. "There, all done." He said smiling. "It's all okay now." He smiled and held his daughter close.
Syrra stopped crying and looked up at her father and began to coo and even laugh. Link smiled down at her. She made him happier than anything else he had ever experienced. She was the love of his life.
"And it's that simple." His Uncle said, beaming with pride. "If I can do it, you can do it."
Link smiled back. "But I'm glad I have you here to help."
"You always will." His Uncle said back, "just as you helped me."
His Uncle began to clean up the table and prepared to dump the bin into the cesspit in the backyard, where they would wait until laundry day in the morning, another task of Link's. With that his Uncle blew out the candle and they all departed into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. The window went dark, the room was empty, and the night was over.
Zelda sank down and held her feelings in. She held them in for a very long time until she suddenly began to sob. She cried harder than she ever cried in her entire life. The rain did not let up, she just sat there in the rain crying.
"So….that's where she is now. Syrra…. what a beautiful name. Syrra. She's very loved." Zelda said to herself. Perhaps it had been longer than a year, the child looked to be about six months old, if she had to guess. Not old enough to walk yet, but not a newborn either.
When she came to the house this evening, she did not expect to find her there. She had nearly forgotten about her. And that's what delivered to Zelda an absolute sense of guilt on top of all the pain she was already feeling.
Here he was, the Hero yet again, this time taking up the role as a single father, so very grateful to have his Uncle there to help. But he took this role up willingly, with a sense of duty, respect, and the utmost love. She could tell how much he loved the child. Perhaps more than she could have.
And where were her thoughts? What had she been obsessed with this entire time? Reclaiming the lost feeling that she had. One that she was never able to recover, no matter how close she and Link had been in those days that followed the peace.
The Let Down was real, and there was no undoing it. Yet here he was, taking up more responsibility than she could ever hope to, seemingly dealing with the same feelings that she had. All while captaining the local guards during the day.
But through it all, he was there as Syrra's caretaker. Through it all he was her father. Through it all he gave her the love that she needed, from a father she loved so deeply.
Zelda stood up, pulled her hood back up and departed. She had seen all she needed to see. She began to head back towards the castle.
She was able to sneak back inside through the passage from the outside, seemingly unnoticed. In the days that followed, no one ever raised any suspicion that her journey had been discovered. As far as she ever knew, she was the only one who knew of that journey.
But it was a journey that forever changed her. No, she didn't immediately go home with a new sense of duty, bravely stoic in the face of her depression, championing the Kingdom and becoming the Queen everyone expected her to be.
No, far from it. There was a long learning curve and a long journey of healing in front of her. The future politics of Hyrule would wait, and the role she would take in her ascension to the throne was still years off.
But from this experience, she did carry one thing with her. Inspiration to keep going. A desire to grow and mature and become her true and authentic self, even if she didn't know who that was yet.
Princess Zelda had come a very long way from the night she called out to Link from the dungeon of the castle. And on the night, she made this journey, she was released from yet another prison, this time by her own agency.
She was released from a prison of self-pity. And she rose again to face the world despite the Let Down. Just as the Hero would press forward to provide for a family that they would never share, with a lost connection that both would only fondly remember throughout their lives.
On closer inspection, Zelda realized this was a makeshift crib. Link walked over to it, whispering softly as he did. He put his arms in, leaned down, and stood back up. And in his arms he held his daughter.
"Shhhh, it's okay Syrra. Your dad is here. I love you with all my heart."
Zelda truly could not believe her eyes. She crouched under the window with her mouth hanging open.
"Heh" his Uncle laughed again, slightly louder now that the baby was up. "By the smell of things, you were right not to go back to sleep."
Link turned and looked at him slightly annoyed. "No need to be rude, Uncle." He said back, knowing his Uncle's good nature.
"Haha, of course not. Think you got it this time?"
"I think so." Link said back honestly.
"I'm right here if you need me." His Uncle responded, with utmost confidence in his nephew.
Link laid Syrra down on a smaller table in the room. Under her night gown, she wore a white cloth diaper with soft patterns of birds and rabbits stitched on them. They reminded Link of the animals he once saw in the Haunted Grove.
By the looks of things, the diaper was quite full. Poor Syrra had waited until the middle of the night to let this one go. Link pulled over a bowl of warm water with a small rag as well as a fresh diaper.
Slowly but surely, Link changed Syrra's diaper. He took his time, clearly still learning, but it was clear he had been practicing too. He held her legs up, whispered softly as he did that he loved her while he undid the dirty diaper.
He took it off and disposed of it for the time being in a small bin under the table. In the very next moment, he took the rag from the warm water and began to clean her. Syrra howled.
"I know, I know baby. But at least it's warmed this time, not cold like before. Shhhh, it's okay sweet girl, daddy will take care of you."
Finally, Link placed the dirty rag in the bin as well and placed the new diaper under Syrra. Once he had made sure she was clean, he pinned the diaper up and completed the change. "There, all done." He said smiling. "It's all okay now." He smiled and held his daughter close.
Syrra stopped crying and looked up at her father and began to coo and even laugh. Link smiled down at her. She made him happier than anything else he had ever experienced. She was the love of his life.
"And it's that simple." His Uncle said, beaming with pride. "If I can do it, you can do it."
Link smiled back. "But I'm glad I have you here to help."
"You always will." His Uncle said back, "just as you helped me."
His Uncle began to clean up the table and prepared to dump the bin into the cesspit in the backyard, where they would wait until laundry day in the morning, another task of Link's. With that his Uncle blew out the candle and they all departed into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. The window went dark, the room was empty, and the night was over.
Zelda sank down and held her feelings in. She held them in for a very long time until she suddenly began to sob. She cried harder than she ever cried in her entire life. The rain did not let up, she just sat there in the rain crying.
"So….that's where she is now. Syrra…. what a beautiful name. Syrra. She's very loved." Zelda said to herself. Perhaps it had been longer than a year, the child looked to be about six months old, if she had to guess. Not old enough to walk yet, but not a newborn either.
When she came to the house this evening, she did not expect to find her there. She had nearly forgotten about her. And that's what delivered to Zelda an absolute sense of guilt on top of all the pain she was already feeling.
Here he was, the Hero yet again, this time taking up the role as a single father, so very grateful to have his Uncle there to help. But he took this role up willingly, with a sense of duty, respect, and the utmost love. She could tell how much he loved the child. Perhaps more than she could have.
And where were her thoughts? What had she been obsessed with this entire time? Reclaiming the lost feeling that she had. One that she was never able to recover, no matter how close she and Link had been in those days that followed the peace.
The Let Down was real, and there was no undoing it. Yet here he was, taking up more responsibility than she could ever hope to, seemingly dealing with the same feelings that she had. All while captaining the local guards during the day.
But through it all, he was there as Syrra's caretaker. Through it all he was her father. Through it all he gave her the love that she needed, from a father she loved so deeply.
Zelda stood up, pulled her hood back up and departed. She had seen all she needed to see. She began to head back towards the castle.
She was able to sneak back inside through the passage from the outside, seemingly unnoticed. In the days that followed, no one ever raised any suspicion that her journey had been discovered. As far as she ever knew, she was the only one who knew of that journey.
But it was a journey that forever changed her. No, she didn't immediately go home with a new sense of duty, bravely stoic in the face of her depression, championing the Kingdom and becoming the Queen everyone expected her to be.
No, far from it. There was a long learning curve and a long journey of healing in front of her. The future politics of Hyrule would wait, and the role she would take in her ascension to the throne was still years off.
But from this experience, she did carry one thing with her. Inspiration to keep going. A desire to grow and mature and become her true and authentic self, even if she didn't know who that was yet.
Princess Zelda had come a very long way from the night she called out to Link from the dungeon of the castle. And on the night, she made this journey, she was released from yet another prison, this time by her own agency.
She was released from a prison of self-pity. And she rose again to face the world despite the Let Down. Just as the Hero would press forward to provide for a family that they would never share, with a lost connection that both would only fondly remember throughout their lives.
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