Whumptober Day 28

it’s not just in your head

“Good, you’re finally awake” | nightmares | panic

how lovely you are - pretties au finale

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

warnings: blood, panic, jealousy

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They didn’t make it far enough, but that was alright. Zelda didn’t think anyone was brave enough to follow them into the thick of the trees and underbrush, anyway. Even if they did, what could she do? She was no better than Link, and when she sat him down and collapsed beside him, she felt her stomach churn at the blood she’d left behind. With nothing left to distract her, with nowhere left to run, she thought back to the man bleeding out on the floor of that strange building in that fucked up society. She’d stabbed him. She’d intended to kill him. She probably did, if they didn’t get him medical attention, and then her hands were shaking again and she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. She gasped, grabbing at the roots, at the grass, at anything that could ground her, because she couldn’t afford to freak out. Not yet. Link was still passed out and if anyone were to see them, follow them, she would be no use to either of them. If they got their hands on them again, Zelda was certain they would not get away as easily as they did.

But no one came. The forest remained as quiet around them as the night sky, which was approaching far too rapidly for her liking. She didn’t know the first thing about surviving. She didn’t even know how to make a fire. Link might, but… At the very least, he didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore. She tried to look over him, but there was little she could do when she didn’t have supplies. All of her reading was of no use to her now… She felt utterly terrible.

She didn’t know how long it’d been before Link stirred, a quiet mumble leaving his lips. Zelda leaned a little closer in concern, pressing a hand over her stomach. She hadn’t gotten the chance to come to terms with the fact that– Well, much less tell Link about it. Perhaps she shouldn’t do it right as he was coming to. 

Whumptober Day 27

i’m fine, i prom...

passing out | vertigo | collapse

how lovely you are - pretties au part 4

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 5

warnings: scar mention, monitoring, implied sexual content, threats, blood, murder

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Perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised that their plan didn’t go quite as they expected. With the colder weather, there was really no opportunity to see the scars, the pieces of imperfection that they’d carved into their own skin to make them less desirable. So, they’d formed a different plan. Maybe it wasn’t smart, maybe it was impulsive and stupid, but Zelda was growing desperate. The prayers were getting longer and longer and her food portions were getting smaller and smaller and they were so controlling that any bit of color she managed to slip into her closet was gone before she had the chance to even wear it. 

There was something a little more disturbing about it all, too. They were so obsessed with this idea of purity—but it seemed to only concern her and Link. No longer were there other women praying with her in the springs and in the chapels. No longer were there other men training with Link in the name of the hero, so they’d told him. Whoever was running the show around here had full intentions of using her and Link for… whatever they wanted to come out of this. She had her suspicions about how much of this was actually related to the gods.

They’d grown a little desperate to leave. To be kicked out or, at the very least, focused on less. Things had started to get…invasive. Zelda was mortified the night he came to her, shaking with anger, and told her how they’d brought in a woman and used her to test the loyalty and purity of him and his fellow men. He didn’t go into detail and she didn’t ask, but no longer did she think the daily change of her bedsheets was something innocent. No, they were watching, weren’t they? Maybe not every minute of the day, but they were watching every time she left her dormitory, every time she had to venture to a chapel, every time she met up with Link. She thought the feeling of more and more eyes on her daily was just a thing of paranoia. She thought she was losing it. It made her mad. It made her scared. And she was so tired of it. 

Whumptober Day 24

one down, two to go

self-induced injuries to escape | flashback | revenge

how lovely you are - Pretties AU part 3

part 1 | part 2 | part 4 | part 5

warnings: mentions of selling people, forced dieting, forced fasting, hunger, passing out, jealousy mention, blood, self-harm

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Her first night in New Hyrule was, in all unfortunate honesty, a fairytale. The streetlights twinkled with some type of candles she’d never seen before and everything looked so clean. Living in Castle Town meant she’d been around the fancier side of the world for most of her life, but it was nothing compared to this. The people around her all seemed so happy and carefree as they chased their children or pets through the street, and there was such a clear view of the sky that she had to wonder whether it was real. Music poured from the pavilion in the center of the square, the type that made her want to kick off her shoes and dance around without a care in the world. The smells of different foods and sweets made their way to her nose, taunting her to come closer. 

To top it off, Link seemed nothing short of a gentleman. Somewhere along their stroll, they’d stopped to cut the stem of her flower so he could tuck it behind her ear, his fingers just ghosting over her skin, and Zelda thought she might faint. 

“I’ve never seen so many sweets before,” she told him when they passed a stall loaded with delicious treats. The vendor offered them a plate, insisting they pick whatever their stomachs desired, but she politely declined. It wouldn’t be wise to fill up on sweets when she hadn’t eaten any other food yet. “Not even in the bakeries in Castle Town.”

“I don't think I’ve ever been to a bakery,” Link replied, eyeing the sweets almost suspiciously. They must not have had many over in the Kokiri prominence. He looked like he wanted to say more, elaborate on whatever thought he had, but he shook his head instead nodded in the direction of the pavilion. He didn’t seem to be the type to revel in the attention of others, but when she expressed her love of dancing in passing, there was little hesitation before he was pulling her to her feet.