"Zelda?"
"…hmm?"
"…Do you think I'll ever see my parents again? I mean, you know—"
"Yes, Link. I am as sure that you will see your parents as I am of seeing my—my mother—again. I believe that we all will meet up at the end of our lives."
"…you've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?"
"…yes."
"…Zelda?"
"Yes?"
"…thanks for being my friend."
The princess awoke from her lavishly decorated bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she checked the time on the enormous clock tower just outside her window. Half-past two in the morning.
Her mind still buzzing pleasantly from her peaceful dream, she got up and put on her robe as if in a trance. Her slippers, occupied by her delicately small feet, scuffed on the Kokiri oak floors as she wandered into her caretaker's room.
"Impa?" Her voice came wearily and crept past her pale lips.
The former Sheikah awakened almost immediately, shaking her head and looking up at the young woman. She tucked her snow-white hair behind her sharply pointed ears and half-glared at the princess.
"It's another dream about him," Impa stated, recognizing the dreamy look on her young charge's face. Zelda simply nodded and sat on the edge of her bed, tracing lazy circles upon the velvety comforter.
"Come on, then," Impa said wearily, her shoulders slumping slightly in weary resignation.
"This time, it was a memory of when we were kids," Zelda murmured, her eyes gazing fixedly at the gold post of Impa's bed. "He was talking about… how much he missed his parents, and he'd asked me whether or not he'd ever see them again…" Zelda's eyes sought Impa's violet ones. "And he had… that—that look on his face…"
Impa nodded curtly, showing that she understood. Zelda had described many of Link's 'looks' ; there was the cute determined one, the adorable sad one, the hot confident one, etc.
"And I just can't stop… thinking—thinking that maybe I shouldn't have…" her voice stuck in her throat, causing her to choke on her words. She let her eyes wander again, now sparkling with unshed tears. "Maybe I shouldn't have… gone back…"
One small, dry sob escaped from the pent-up blockage in her chest, and Impa reached out a hand to cover Zelda's.
"Shh… you know how I am when you get all… emotional…" Impa said, her nose wrinkling for emphasis.
Zelda let out a half-sob, half-chortle and relaxed, laying down next to her nurse.
"Thanks, Impa…"
xxx
The young man gripped the wheel with renewed force, steering the stubborn ship against the storm's tide. His blonde hair stuck stubbornly to his forehead in wet clumps, causing rivulets to cascade down his scrunched-up face.
His hat, normally forest green and shaped like a sock, had disappeared in the angry howl of the wind and blown into the monstrous sea. His green tunic clung wetly to his lean frame, weighing him down heavily, and his brown boots were slick with the fierce rain.
His knuckles turned white as he gritted his teeth and gave the wheel an enormous push, using the last of his seemingly endless strength. Just when the ship began to turn—
Crash! A bolt of lightning struck the ship's tallest mast, snapping it cleanly down the middle and giving out a pungent scent of scorched wood. The second half of the mast groaned loudly and started to lean downwards upon the ship. It started to make ominous popping noises when it came down. The man looked up at the last second, his blue eyes registering the danger too late.
There was a blistering pain in his temple and he knew no more.
xxx
"Link!"
Zelda bolted upright for the second time that morning, startling her nurse awake. Zelda jumped from the bed, grabbing something before heading out the door.
"Zeld—what?" Impa said groggily, her bloodshot eyes barely registering what she saw in front of her.
Impa shook her head like a great grizzly bear, ridding herself of the leftover drowsiness that took over her mind.
She looked next to her and saw that Zelda was missing. There was still a warm spot where she'd been.
Another glance around the room told her that her rain coat and boots were gone.
"Zelda!"
xxx
The princess wrapped her arms about herself and shivered in the freezing drizzle. She kept running until she recognized—
"There!" She breathed, dashing over as fast as her feet would allow in Impa's oversized rain boots.
She ran along the rocky beach behind her castle until she recognized one of the rock formations in her vision.
xxx
The young man woke, his head throbbing horribly with every heartbeat. He dared not raise his head for fear of falling unconscious once again. His limbs seemed too heavy to lift. He felt so terribly weary… his sky-blue eyes drifted half-shut, his will giving in to the overwhelming desire to sleep…
An image of a beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed maiden was the last thing he saw before he drifted off into subconsciousness once again…