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The Mercenary (Beautiful_Disgrace and I)

Link shut the door quietly behind him with a faint sigh, the smell of dinner was more delicious than he wanted to admit...but generally, everyone was in better spirits. It was nice to sit down, laugh...eat a meal made by people who didn't seem to outright hate them. But still, it was hard...really hard to get out of his own head. Maybe Palutena was right, maybe something else was wrong...ugh. He ran his fingers through his hair, giving a smile in passing to a few weary soldiers. Well, whatever it was...he'd have to leave it alone for now.
 
Sona was eating a little more like she used to now that she was feeling better. The food wasn't half bad, something about it was just...better. Maybe it was because it was from the place she called home but...when her red eyes glanced up to see Link, she could already tell there was something wrong. "Hey Link.." She greeted as she studied his face. Something was wrong..she heard him and Zelda having sex. So why did it not seem like he was happy.
 
"Sona, good evening," Link smiled, taking a seat next to her with a plate of mutton and some stew, complete with steamed potatoes. He was entirely familiar with the terms, but it smelled delicious. "You look like you're feeling better?"
 
"Yeah..A little. Wish I could say the same for you." She casually responded at she took another spoonful of stew in her mouth. "What's wrong?" She didn't want to pry but..Link and Zelda had been one of the first friends she had ever made. Aside from Alondite, they were who she trusted the most.
 
His expression dimmed just a fraction as he examined the mutton leg, he took a bite. Surprised to find it as tasty as it was before he chewed and swallowed. "...I've been thinking about Ike," he said after a long moment. "Thinking about what went through his head, or why he's on the other side."
 
Sona was quiet for a moment, her expression darkening a little. "..Did you know that Ike really likes mutton, Link?" She asked after a little while while she looked at her food. She had only taken stew and vegetables...even though everyone knew that she really loved meat. Her plate was devoid of any today, though. "I think about Ike all the time...and why he isn't with me now."
 
"Ike is...practical, isn't he?" Link asked, taking another bite. "Above all, he understands how things work...in ways that I don't." he mumbled. "I'm a Hero, you know? The Hero of Time, there's...I don't know how many legends, how many stories of heroes who fight back Ganondorf and win. That's what I always know, good wins...evil loses." he murmured. "...But Ike sees things differently, too. He wants good to win, but...I think he knows more about the in-between."
 
"Probably. Not everything is black and white. Ganondorf is a pretty clear cut definition of evil, and so is Medusa. But then there are people who think their actions are good. My Goddess Ashunera thought that turning all of her people into stone would be for the better, because they were doing nothing but fighting and killing each other. But that didn't make her evil. She just wanted peace and order. Ike stopped her though. He fought to save all of his friends, even his enemies. Because that was what he thought was the right thing to do." Sona sighed and leaned back into her chair, putting her stew down as she lazily turned her eyes up towards the ceiling.
 
"I saw nothing different when Ike attacked us," he murmured, chewing thoughtfully. "There was no...hatred in his eyes, no evil. Nothing. I am almost jealous, a man who walks so close to the purest definition of evil...yet has lost nothing....I wonder how long that will last," he murmured. "...I wish the world was as simple I as chose to believe it, but...it isn't. Ike attacked us of his own free will, he was not forced or ordered. Zelda's...pregnancy...there is more shadows in the world than I actually knew, and I guess I chose to ignore them." he sighed. "...Ike is a traitor, but I don't think he is an evil traitor." A small, but important difference.
 
"Life isn't bad, Link. Zelda's pregnancy shouldn't be a shadow. I don't know much about being mortal, but I do know that her child is innocent, regardless of who her father is. You can't change what happened that day, none of us can. All you can do is accept it, right?" Sona asked as she lazily turned to him.
 
"...It's not about the child, Sona," Link mumbled. "Imagine being told every day that you're a great hero, that you and Queen Zelda are forever linked, that you would be the person to save her in her hour of need. That you, and you alone are the only one capable of defeating Ganondorf...how do you feel when you didn't?"
 
"I'd feel pretty bad about myself. But, it's not like she's dead. And..maybe you were meant to defeat Ganondorf later? Everything happens for a reason, Link. If it is your destiny to defeat Ganondorf, you'll do it. And you'll have all of us behind you." She gave him a bit of a smile. "You just can't stop believing in yourself just because you failed once. You're here for a reason still, and you're still protecting Zelda."
 
"Easier said than done, Sona," Link admitted. "...You don't just make something like what Ganondorf did go away, I can't just act like it didn't happen...trust me, I've tried." It hurt. It hurt like nothing else.
 
"I know. It's not going to go away. But it's not your fault, Link. In all those legends..when was there ever an instance where Ganondorf was helped by a Goddess?" Sona asked him as she leaned in closer, looking into his eyes. She wanted to make him feel better...maybe he just needed to know it wasn't all his fault.
 
"Not really," Link murmured. "...But I guess we don't know the full story behind every single one, either...just some of them."
 
"Don't know the full story behind every single one, huh? Then maybe there were failures involved in your pasts lives too, but in the end, they prevailed." She reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Just like you're going to do when the time comes."
 
"Thanks, Sona." Link smiled faintly. "Maybe now that we're not running for our lives, I can actually try to put that into practice...it's been hard to do, there's been a hundred different things to worry about."
 
"I know. I know it's hard but..I'm going to try to stay positive. I don't like being miserable. It took a hug to remember that. I am a little scared to hope, but..I'll try. One day at a time right?" Sona moved over and wedged herself between him and the table so she could give him a hug. Maybe he needed one too.
 
"...Yeah," Link smiled, arm around her. "Thanks, Sona...you're right...one day at a time." That did make him feel better, honestly. "...And don't tell the others, but..." Link mumbled, leaning down a little. "...I think Ike is still Ike, no matter what. But that means he deserves our full effort on the battlefield."
 
"I know." Sona was hugging Link to cheer him up but..honestly she was finding it extremely comforting too. Link felt..familiar. He reminded her so much of Ike...and she couldn't help but just move into his lap and stay there..rude as it was when he was eating. "I know, Link. But...I don't have the heart to kill him. I want to save him...I know he can be saved, he just doesn't feel like he deserves to be."
 
Link didn't know what to think when it felt rather comfortable with her on his lap...but given what they did, well, he supposed. "We'll see how it goes, Sona," Link murmured. "...But I don't think Ike is going to give up either way, it wouldn't be easy putting him down if we had to...he held off four of us."
 
"Then we'll just have to get stronger, and fight smarter." Sona rested her head against his shoulder as she closed her eyes. "Please, Link. No one else seems to understand...I don't blame them either. Especially not Lucina, Robin and Chrom...Ike did something very cruel to them and they will probably never forgive him. But..please. If we don't have to kill him..can we please not kill him?" She had Palutena, Pit and of course Alondites support. But she needed Link's support too.
 
"I don't like killing," Link admitted. "...Ganondorf is different, he needs to...people like this, being twisted by Medusa...it just doesn't sit right." he murmured. "I'm not going to promise anything, Sona...but I'm not going to try to." Battle was...it was unpredictable. If it was Link or him, he'd choose himself.
 
"I..understand." Sona smiled a little bit. "I won't ask you to put yourself in danger...not when you at least still have the person you love so dearly on your side." She could still smell Zelda all over him..she had a very sweet smell. "Glad one of us does..."
 
He flushed, despite himself, his ears twitching faintly. "That's not true, Sona." Link murmured. "Love comes in many different forms, Zelda loves you like a sister. You're just as much of a member of our group as Ike was...is." he insisted.
 
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