The question is asked quietly, almost quiet enough that if Dreamer hadn’t been actively listening, he wouldn’t have heard it.
He turns his eyes to Ruin, but the hero won’t meet his gaze, instead staring blankly at the fire that he’d sparked a couple hours prior.
“Why do you trust me?” Ruin repeats, and finally they lift their eyes to meet his own. “I ruined everything, didn’t I?”
“What do you mean you ‘ruined everything’?” Dreamer asks.
“The world,” they say, waving their hand vaguely. “I ruined it. I failed, didn’t I? I died, and Calamity Ganon was able to wreak havoc while I healed.”
Oh. Oh, this is a pain that Dreamer is all too familiar with.
Red curls flash before his mind’s eye, a voice singing a gentle melody ringing faintly in his ears. Dreamer can distantly taste sea salt on his tongue.
“You didn’t fail,” Dreamer says finally. The words feel heavy on his tongue, no matter how true they may ring, he will always find himself doubting their validity on occasion. “You didn’t.”
Ruin frowns. “Easy for you to say,” they respond. “You didn’t die trying to protect your princess.”
“No, I didn’t,” Dreamer acquiesces, “but I did destroy an entire world. I did lose someone who’s important to me.”
Ruin’s eyes find the seagull feather clipped carefully behind his ear, and they fall silent. Their fingers find the feather tied into their own hair, and their lips press into a thin line as they avert their gaze.
“You tried your best,” Dreamer continues, pressing forward. “You tried your best, even if you didn’t succeed the first time. You came back to fix what had been left undone, even without any memories, Ruin.”
They’re not convinced, he can tell that much, but their shoulders do relax some.
Dreamer considers that to be a win.
