Daily Debate: What Would Link’s Final Words Have Been If He Had Collapsed A Minute Later?
Posted on January 21 2022 by Alexandria Weber
The final obtainable memory in Breath of the Wild can be found after not only finding the first twelve, but also after talking to Impa. It is an emotional memory rightly saved for last, as it may have been too raw for Link to have seen right after emerging from the Shrine of Resurrection with amnesia and learning of his destiny. Impa waits until he knows more of his past before disclosing the final memory location, as well as telling Link that him and Zelda were quite close in their final days together.
“Zelda’s Awakening”, the memory found in Blatchery Plains thanks to Impa’s direction, shows how Link got into the Shrine of Resurrection in the first place. After fighting relentless Guardians, he can barely stand without using his sword as a crutch before he wills himself to face yet another Guardian. Knowing his fatigue would likely lead to his death, Zelda selflessly pushes Link aside and puts herself in harms way. Her love for Link in that moment unlocks the sealing power she had prayed for most of her life. She has every bit of the sealing power she always sought after, yet Link collapses behind her and she rushes to his side, bringing him into her arms. After giving herself false hope by telling Link that he is “going to be just fine”, Link lolls his head to rest on her shoulder with a few coughs. He looks at her with great emotion in his eyes, inhales slightly, and then collapses from fatigue. Zelda cries into his unmoving chest and, when the spirit of the Master Sword encourages her, she instructs the approaching Sheikah to take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection.
So, the question is, what was it that Link was meaning to say with his inhale, and what might he have said to Zelda in such a moment laced with finality and insecurity. According to the maps in Creating a Champion, Link and Zelda’s path during the Calamity shows them going from Lanayru promenade to Hyrule Castle, yet apparently changing their minds and heading south, eventually through the Dueling Peaks. I think this is because Link chose to protect Zelda instead of fighting Calamity, dooming an entire kingdom to protect, arguably, the woman he loves. Conjecture aside, it is canon the Zelda harbors love for her knight attendant, as confirmed by the Rito bard Kass. All of this is why I think Link may have wanted to say something along the lines of “I love you” or “you’re beautiful”. He could also have wanted to say something less vulnerable like “I’m sorry” or “keep going”, but the more romantic options just pull at my heartstrings.
What do you think? “Hyaah” jokes aside, what would Link have said to Zelda in that moment? What do you think of their relationship in Breath of the Wild? Let us know in the comments below!
Alexandria Weber is a Senior Editor and an aspiring creative writer. Her favorite food is apple pie and she loves her cat Galadriel. Ask her for pictures!
