For a long time Link had been silent. No one knew why he had suddenly gone silent. He usually smiled at everyone and always had an exciting story to tell. He could go on and on for hours about his stories, his thoughts, his dreams. His unexpected silence was starting to worry everybody. It was especially worrying Zelda. This was because they had been very close, especially since his father was part of the knights that guarded the castle. They had always been together. They grew up playing in the royal gardens together. After so many years of being together it was strange that her best friend would suddenly stop speaking to her all together.

Had she done something to offend him? She knew he had other friends thanks to him having to go to school. Yet when she thought about it, he never mentioned any of this other friends. She hadn'te even seen any of his friends. The more she mulled over it the more she was convinced that maybe he was part of some gang and didn't want to tell her.

Or maybe he was ashamed of her.

Zelda made up her mind and the next day made her way towards Link's school. She waited near the enterance for him, hoping to catch him and maybe chat a bit. Her blue eyes went directly to the doors as the bell rang for the end of today's classes. Her eyes studied all the students till she saw a certain green-garbed boy. The princess started to walk towards him, trying to get around all the people around her who obviously had no manners whatsoever.

The dirty-blond haired boy had spotted her before she got a chance to surprise him. He still seemed surprise by the look on his face when he realized it was her. He turned away from her, making it seem like he was ignoring her. She frowned. She was not going to be ignored! The princess' frown quickly turned into a smile as she glomped him from behind.

"Hi Lee-Lee!" She said happily as she spotted his face turning red in embarrassment. Good. He deserved to be embarrassed after ignoring her. "So, what's going on?" She asked as she placed her chin on his shoulder. He shrugged before looking in the opposite direction. He wasn't going to talk, was he? She gave him a glare. He didn't want her there.

"Fine! I just wanted to see how my best friend was doing being that I haven't talked to him in weeks!" she huffed before letting go of him and crossing her arms. He turned his head back at her, giving her a sad expression. It made her feel like a big glob of pudding inside. Her face soften up as she sighed. He looked so innocent at times. What was she going to do with him?

The two held hands as Link followed Zelda back to the castle. There was no way she was letting him out of her sight till he told her what was going on with him. The guards eyed the couple as they made their way to their favorite place to hang out: the Royal Garden.

They made their way to their favorite spot, feeling comfort in the flowers around them. Zelda soon laid onto her back, gazing at the clouds as Link sat down next to her. Link still hadn't said a single word to her.
"So...how's school?" She internally groaned. What kind of a question was that? It didn't seemed to faze her friend as he shrugged and stared off at nothing in particular.

"Nothing interesting at all? That's got to be boring." She heard a sigh escaped his being, causing her to sit up. "Are you sure nothing's going on with you?" She looked sternly at the back of his head as he spaced off in a direction away from her. The princess was about to rip her hair out. Why wasn't he telling her anything? She turned away from him, staring at the castle walls that surrounded the garden. She soon felt something warm cover her hand. She turned to see Link had covered her hand with his own and was staring right at her.

She gave him a smile and he actually smiled back. His smile soon faded.
"Zelda..." His voice sounded hoarse, like he had been screaming for way too long.
"Yeah?" She felt happiness swell inside of her. He had spoken to her. He was going to tell her something.
"...I'm...I..." He sighed and stratcehd the back of his head. She looked at him in confusion. "Zelda...I might die." Her eyes widen. What did he just say? There was no way he had said what she though he said.
"What." She stared at him. There was no way. This had to be some type of lie to cover up the truth.

"I...I said I might die." He repeated. She shook her head in disbelief.
"No. There is no way-" He shook his head at her. Link knew she wouldn't believe him. That's why he didn't bother so say anything in the first place. The two grew silent as they thought through their feelings.
"...How could you die?" Zelda whispered, causing Link to look at her and his ears to twitch slightly.
"I...I have some type of disease..." He cleared his throat. "It eats at my body tissue." Her face grew pale at the thought.

"There's...There's a chance I will live though." He said softly. She looked at him hopefully.
"Really?"
"I-it's only if I can get surgery to cut out the infected parts of my body." She smiled.
"That's great!" He shook his head, causing her to go into confusion again.
"I can't afford it." Her smiled disappeared as he made that statement.
"No! You can't die!" She pleaded. "I'm sure there is some way you can get the money! I know! I'm sure Daddy will let you borrow some of our money. It won't be a big deal, he's a king and he's got plenty of-"
"No." He said as he shook his head. "No." He placed his hand on his forehead, resting it on his knee. "I can't let you do that."

"And why not! Link, you're dying and I can't let you-"
"Because it's not right!" He sounded like he wanted to yell at her but was restraining himself from doing so. "There are plenty of people out there that need the money for their illinesses and yet they cannot just go to the king and ask for money to make them well!" He stood up and started to walk away.
"Link!" She ran after him. "Link! I'm not done talking to you!" He ignored her, leaving the garden. Before she could keep following him, she was stopped by a strong hand. She turned to see that it belonged to her Nurse Maid, Impa.

Zelda was soon in a heap of tears in Impa's arms.

The young man had finally found someone that would preform the nesscary surgery on him without it costing too much. It was a relief. He might live after all. Link didn't think Zelda needed to know. He didn't even know how to talk to her after shouting at her. Well, as best as he could shout. He voice had started to get worse and worse and the days went on. It had to be because of the disease. He was losing his voice.

His eyes looked up as he saw the doctor come in. He gulped before giving a smile.
"Well, I'm glad to be operating on you today...uh..." He glanced at the papers. "Link." Link nodded and turned away. This was just a simple surgery, nothing more.

"Don't worry. I'll try to make it as painless as possible." Link sighed in relief. That was nice to know. He turned back at the doctor with a determined look before nodding. He was ready.

They had been waiting in front of his house for hours. Zelda started pacing, wondering where in the world was her best friend. She had come to apoligize to him, and yet he was no where in sight. He would have been home from school by now. A gentle hand landed on her shoulder, belonging to her guardin, Impa.

Impa gently pushed her down to sit on the steps to the door.
"It's going to be okay." She said softly as Zelda nodded. "Maybe we should come back later. He will surely be here later in the eve-"
"Oh Nayru!" Zelda shouted before running off. Impa was quick to look where she was going and follow after her.

Zelda had rushed to the figure who was stumbling around like he was drunk or maybe blind. When it looked like he was going to fall, Impa caught him and lowered him down to the ground.
"Link! Link, are you okay?" Zelda asked. She was worried for him, he didn't look well. He tilted his head at her before smiling. She smiled back. He wasn't in pain, at least it didn't seem like it. The two women helped Link back to his house, making sure that he laid down and rested for a bit.

When he was able to function and sit up again, he was fed some soup and the company of the two. Link smiled, nodded his head, and even used hand gestures. He didn't speak though. Zelda gently placed a hand on his arm and gave him a worried look.
"Are you okay? You haven't said a single thing since you've gotten home." He shrugged before looking away. She gave him an irritated look before grabbing his ear and pulling his head towards her. "I asked you a question and I expect an actual answer!" He grabbed his ear in pain, giving squeaks and squacks. He didn't scream or yelp. When she let go of his ear he motioned towards his throat.

"You got a sore throat?" She asked. He shook his head. She tilted her head at him. "...Does it have something to do with...?" He nodded slowly. Her face turned pale. The disease did something to him that made him speechless. He pointed at a nearby notepad which prompted Impa to hand it to him. He quickly scribbled something down before glancing at her. He then handed it to her. She let her eyes scan it before carefully going over what she was reading.

She lifted her eyes up at Link, who twiddled his thumbs. She read the note one more time, letting it finally sink it. Tears started to flow out of her eyes which alarmed Link. She was soon outright sobbing as he inched towards her and gave her a hug. They sat there for awhile, both soon crying together. Impa soon took the note carefully from the princess, reading it for herself. Her face became sober and she started to have an understanding of why they were crying.

She allowed them to cry in sorrow; for the loss that had happen. They also cried for the good that had happen. The Goddesses had blessed them, but in return they had taken something away. Link was going to be allowed to live the rest of his life. He was going to be able to finish school, and soon become a knight. He would also be able to spend as much time with Zelda as he wanted. In return, he gave up one of the most important things to him.

His voice.