Blood. It was all Link felt as he lay beneath a moonless night sky, clutching his terrible wound. A foolish battle, greatly outnumbered, and now here he lay, his life rapidly flowing from him. It was not the first time he had suffered grievous wounds, but in the back of his mind he knew that this time it was the end for him.

Breathing was so hard, and it was a struggle to keep his eyes open. All around him the darkness was drawing nearer, threatening to take him away from the last glimmers of light. As he curled up in agony, his mind drifted back over his life, thinking of all that happened since the cursed day of his birth.

He remembered his childhood in the Kokiri Forest, his days spent playing with his only friend Saria. And he remembered how it had all been brutally torn away one fateful day, his innocence burned away in the purifying fire of destiny. Across Hyrule he had fought countless, desperate battles to restore peace to the land and slay the evil king.

Zelda...he remembered her most of all. He remembered fighting back tears before she had sent him back, for he wanted so desperately to stay with her...why? Was it love? Link couldn't say. He knew so little of love. But though she had given him back his childhood, she could never give him back his innocence. Though he had spent some time with her in the castle, it was not the place for him, and he had left soon after. But he knew he had hurt her greatly in doing so, and it weighed heavily upon his conscience ever since.

Malon...the most painful memory of all. When he left Hyrule Castle, he had settled in with her and her father Talon, and they had become almost his family. Link was certain that one day he would marry Malon and together they would raise a family, and then he could finally put away his dark, miserable past and live happily with her. But one night while he was away, Malon and her father had gone to deliver goods to the castle, and on the way they were attacked by thieves and marauders. Both of them died that day, and Link's grief was so great that he spent all night and day wandering throughout Hyrule, inconsolable in his sorrow. He then learned who had killed the closest thing he had to family, and when he did he flew into a wild rage and killed them all, never once regretting what he did.

From that day forth there had been no more light, no more happiness. Link wandered Hyrule, fighting battles against anyone who would fight him, fighting thieves and monsters that roamed the land, all because fighting was the only thing he knew how to do anymore. In the clash of blades, where steel met hardened steel, it was only then he was free of his sadness. And it was yet another battle that had led him here, as he lay dying on the ground.

The darkness grew closer, but Link had seen too much in his life to fear death. Death, it seemed, would come and sweep him away from this wretched life, and so he closed his eyes, and let the darkness envelop him.

Whiteness surrounded him. From far away a woman's voice called out, strangely familiar.

Link, please...hold on. Don't let it end like this...

Then, a vague sensation of being lifted up, and suddenly he was standing, though he could see nothing around him but a bright, white emptiness. Was this the afterlife?

"Link," came a resounding voice. "Oh Link, how far you have strayed..."

A figure came forth, instantly recognizable. "Rauru?" he said with a gasp, before collecting himself. "Am...am I dead?"

Rauru sighed. "No...though your body clings to the margins. Whether you live or pass away, that is your choice now."

Link crossed his arms. "Then let me die. Give me a warrior's death."

Suddenly, Rauru's eyes burned with intensity. "Is that what you want, Link? An empty death, in some meaningless battle? Would you forsake your life, and all those who need you?"

His anger began to rise. "No one needs me. You know what my life's become!"

He nodded. "Yes, and it is not the life for the Hero of Time."

Link clenched his fists, for he could not stand to hear himself called that. "That...that's over now."

"What sort of talk is that?" Rauru said, fixing his gaze on him. "You think that you can forget all you've done and where your true destiny lies? You have strayed far if that is what you think."

In an instant his anger boiled over, becoming a trembling rage. "No, damn you! It's over! That's not who I am anymore! All...all I wanted was to settle down with Malon and have a family, but something wouldn't let me! At least when I was fighting Ganondorf it was for something, for someone! Now...now there's nothing! You wanted me to be this great hero, but you never told me what it'd be like after! I...I've got no one, and now...now I do nothing but just...wander...like some vagrant!"

"Is that how you see things, Link? Do you really believe there is no one who cares for you? Who do you think tends to your wounds now, and who keeps you alive? The woman you left behind all those years ago..."

Link paused. "Zelda...?"

Rauru stared at him again. "Yes! She sensed you would be wounded that night and came to help you...maybe too late. But come now, Link, there is something I want to show you."

He began to walk away, and Link nervously followed him. A gateway appeared suddenly before Rauru, and he gestured to Link to walk through it. As he stepped through, the white void vanished, replaced by the real world.

Link looked around, and he recognized where he was immediately. It was the Kakariko graveyard, where the bodies of those who had served the royal family were buried. A cold moon hung in the night sky above, and when he looked around he saw that the graveyard was empty, save for one figure kneeling before a grave, clad in a black cloak.

"Do you see the woman mourning there?" Rauru said, pointing. "Go to her."

Slowly he walked towards her, and she seemed to take no notice of his presence. But when he drew nearer, she looked up, and Link stepped back in surprise.

"Zelda?"

Her golden hair was hidden beneath her robe, but he remembered those deep blue eyes of hers at once. Now, however, they were reddened, and her face was streaked with tears and painted with an expression of grief. She lay a flower on the stone and then began walking away, as though Link were not even there.

"Look at the stone, Link," Rauru bade him.

Link stared down at the headstone, and recoiled again in horror, for it was his name carved there.

"Rauru, is...is this the future?"

His expression did not change. "Perhaps. If it is your will, then I can let your life force wane and your body die. But know now, what grief it will bring to the one person who cares for you most. Zelda loved you, Link, and she loves you still, and she is the only one who will grieve for you. After you pass away, her love for you shall live on, and she will never again find love and never marry. After many years she will die alone, a mere shadow of whom she once was. Is that what you want, Link?"

His body was shaking. "No...no, I'd never want that!"

"Then choose to live. Never betray your destiny."

"I...I never wanted to be a hero. All I wanted was...was to have someone. You know how much I loved Malon..."

Rauru put his hand on his shoulder. "I know, Link. I know you loved her more than anything else. And I know it was cruel of fate to take her from you. But I don't think she would want you to live like this, a life of only bitterness and sorrow."

"Then take me back. Give me a chance to make things right."

He said nothing, and slowly the world around him began to fade. Once again, darkness surrounded and enveloped him, taking him away from everything.

Link awoke to sunlight shining in his face, and when his eyes opened he saw that he was laying in a bed, staring up a stone ceiling. Rauru's words still fresh in his mind, he tried to sit up, but as he did he was suddenly overcome with pain, and cried out.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," came a woman's voice. Link looked to his left and saw a woman standing next to his bed. She was tall and proud-looking despite her age, which was advanced enough that her hair was beginning to gray, and yet her strength seemed undiminished. It took Link a moment to recall the name of this woman, which came to him from far in his past.

"Impa?" he said, his voice raspy. "Where...where am I?"

"Hyrule Castle, where else? Don't try to move too quickly; your wounds were quite grave. If it were not for milady, then...well, let's not speak of such things."

"Zelda? Where is she?" he asked at once.

"Sleeping, still. I almost had to force her to leave your side and go to bed. But don't worry, she'll be awake in an hour or so, and you'll meet her soon enough. Before that, however, I suggest you get dressed," she said, tossing a bundle of clothes onto the bed.

Impa then left, and slowly Link dressed himself in his new clothes, which were a fair bit more elegant than his old. When he was done, he walked to the window and gazed out, seeing the sun rise above the lands of Hyrule. How strange, it seemed, that he had never much taken notice of the beauty of his homeland in all these years.

Just then, he heard Rauru speaking again, in his mind. Remember, Link, that this day and each one forth is a gift. Do not forget who you are.

Link turned and left his room, his wound still aching. He had no particular destination in mind, but wandered through the gray halls of the castle, passing by a great many people whom he did not recognize. He had not spent much time in Hyrule Castle, and much of it was unfamiliar to him, but there was one place he knew intimately well...

By chance or subconscious will he came to the castle courtyard. Seeing it now brought back a flood of memories, for it was here he had first met the princess, and it was here where it all began. He stepped forward, to the exact place where Zelda had been standing all those years before, and where he had first laid eyes on the evil king, Ganondorf. The courtyard was still and quiet, with only a slight breeze blowing through it, and he found it comforting somehow. There was a window in the wall, where Zelda had been looking through when he first met her, and Link felt compelled to the do the same.

He could see some men moving about and talking amongst themselves. "Queen Zelda hasn't left that man's room since they brought him here. Who is he, anyway?"

"Do you remember that lad that used to stay here? I think it's him. Always wondered what happened to him..."

"Oh, that weird little kid? Her highness has strange choices in her friends."

"What friends?"

Just then, Link felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Zelda standing there before him, and he was left speechless. She was truly a vision of beauty, with her long, golden hair, blue eyes, and milky white skin. Her visage could have shamed the Goddesses themselves, and her figure was tall and slender, barely hinting at the strength within. Everything about her was exactly as he remembered her, from the way she was dressed to the look on her face that always suggested wisdom and understanding. Zelda said nothing, but only embraced him tightly, making Link tense in surprise. It had been so long since he had experienced any physical contact with anyone that it was almost shocking to feel it again.

"Link," she said softly, "I...I knew I'd find you here."

She took his hand and began leading him away. "Princess..."

Zelda smiled at him weakly. "It's queen now. My father passed away two years ago."

As she walked with him amongst the hedgerows, Link felt something stir within him. This place seemed so radiant and full of life, and with the sun shining down on him it was so different from the world he'd known before. His life, if one could call it that, had consisted of spending his nights sleeping beneath some tree for shelter, or on the hard ground of Death Mountain in the winter, the only place it was warm. But now he was in Hyrule Castle, and for one brief second he remembered what it was like to be that young child he was once, before the bitterness and darkness took over.

His eyes remained fixed on Zelda. She was so beautiful, so full of light and warmth, that he could not help but be transfixed. Even in the darkest of times, when Ganondorf's reign over Hyrule seemed absolute, she was there, shining in the darkness.

Link tried to say something, but he could scarcely find any words to say, and all he said was, "Zelda, I'm sorry...for leaving you."

She stopped. "I know, but I always knew we'd meet again someday."

But then, he remembered all those vicious battles and duels he had waged, sometimes killing those who challenged him or wounding them grievously, and for what? "Zelda, I...I mean I did a lot things...things I shouldn't have..."

"I know, Link."

He just stared at her. "But...how?"

She held up his hand, showing him the mark of the Triforce on both of their hands. Link had always ignored the mark, almost forgetting the bond he shared with her. Yet it always there, reminding him of the past.

How long had it been since he had last seen Zelda? Seven years? Ten? Link couldn't remember. But now it was as though hardly any time had passed at all.

"I dreamed one night of what would happen to you, but when I found you I...I thought it was too late."

A feeling of shame gnawed at him, not the least for having caused Zelda such anguish. Perhaps he had resigned her to his past, but he could not deny how much he cared for her. Why else had he fought Ganondorf with such fury, if not for having seen her taken from him?

But you aren't the Hero of Time any more, are you?

Are you?

Link glanced down at the Triforce mark again. You've forgotten what it means to bear that mark. You abandoned the only one left in this world who knows who you truly are. Rauru was right, you have strayed...

He felt a flash of anger. He never wanted to be some great hero. All he wanted was a quiet life where he could be left in peace.

But how long would that sustain you? How long until you felt a maddening sense of what a waste that would be, a waste of a man who was born for greater things?

Link's stomach growled. It would do no good for him to endlessly ponder what might have been. At the very least, he thought, he was better off in this place than he was before, for now he had a roof over his head and a warm place to stay the night.

That night he and Zelda ate dinner together in her room, which seemed a rather strange place for it, though Link found it preferable to eating in the crowded castle dining hall. Her room was spacious and luxuriously appointed, as was expected. More enticing to his eye, however, was the wonderful meal laying before him. How many years had it been since he had eaten a good meal? Had he ever eaten a good meal? All this luxury, however, seemed wasted on a man like him, and it was almost strange that Zelda was providing him with all this.

Is that how wretched things have become? A simple act of kindness is strange to you?

"So, what is it like ruling Hyrule?" he asked, wondering how he could have failed to take notice of the king's passing.

Zelda sighed. "I've had to learn much in a short time. Sometimes it's as though I'm carrying all of Hyrule on my shoulders."

He looked into her eyes, and felt a pang of sympathy for her plight. "Well, I'm sure you'll do well."

Link began eating, resisting the urge to devour his food like an animal. But he was so hungry he said little to Zelda until all his dinner was finished.

"Link, this may be rather sudden," she began, "and I'm loath to ask anything more of you, but...I want to know if you...you would be willing to stay here, in the castle."

He did not answer at first, giving it more thought. Hyrule Castle hardly seemed the place for a man like him. Here was a place for the nobility, those of high birth, and what was he? He had no family and no wealth, and he could only imagine what the other people would think of him being a in place like this.

"I...I'll have to think about it, Zelda."

"I hope you'll stay," she said with a slight smile. "After spending all day talking with the nobles and councilors I often forget what it's like to have a real conversation."

Link said nothing, and simply looked into her eyes, remembering what Rauru had said and shown him. Without thinking he reached across the table and took her hand. "I missed you," he said softly, glancing out the nearby window.

"And I you, Link. But I knew in my heart I'd see you again one day."

"I just wish it wasn't like...like this."

She tightened her hand around his. "Link, I know these last few years haven't been kind to you, but it doesn't have to be like this. Stay here, Link. For all you've done for Hyrule you deserve better."

All he had done...Sometimes it was so hard to remember his struggles, as though they were some distant, half-remembered dream.

They finished their dinner, and Link returned to his room, feeling more satisfied with that meal than any other in his memory. Perhaps, he thought, that the prospect of eating well was enough alone to make him want to stay here...

Link kept Zelda's words in my when he went to sleep that night, glad, at least, for the comfort of a warm bed. But as he slept began to dream, and in his dream he saw Malon standing before him in an empty field. She stared at him with an unflinching gaze, as if she were accusing him of something, and all throughout his body there was a sense that something was terribly wrong.

"You killed me," she said flatly. "You should have been there to protect me."

"Malon, I...I'm sorry, I..."

"It should be you that's gone," she said, her face turning angry. "You've got no friends, no family. All you do is wander about bringing misery with your sword."

He could not bear to hear her speak such things. "I'm sorry, Malon, I...I should have been better..."

"You'll always be alone, Link. You'll always be alone because you don't even know what you are! It's a good thing I'm gone, because it's far preferable to being married to you! What a joke it would be, being your wife! You'd wander off on your little quests, forgetting all about how there's people back home who care about you. But no one cares about you, Link! You've made sure of that!"

"It...won't always be like that!" he answer, his voice sounding weak.

"Oh, but you won't change anything. You'll just go back to your old, pitiful life, like I knew you would!"

"Malon..." Link tried to reach out for her, but the moment he did her body crumbled into dust, leaving him alone once more.

He awoke from his dream with a jolt, and he tossed aside the bedsheets and stood up. He then began pacing about the room, so burdened with thoughts that he had not one moment of peace until he left his room and started wandering through the darkened halls of the castle. After some time he wound up in the courtyard once again, still lost in thought.

You have a choice now, don't you? You can take your chances here, in the castle, or go back to your pathetic old ways.

All these years you've been running away from being a hero, and what did it get you? You tried to be who you couldn't be, and for what? All you got was grief and sorrow; seeing your fragile dreams broken before you. You could have stayed with Zelda. Could have become the person you were always fated to be. But then you chose to become someone else...someone with no hope and no future...

No! It doesn't have to be like that! It's not too late...

"Link?"

He spun around to see Zelda standing there, clad only in her nightgown, which did little to conceal her body beneath. "What are you doing here, Link?"

"I...I couldn't sleep," he said, embarrassed.

She walked closer. "I don't think that's the only reason."

There was no use in hiding it from her anymore. "I've just been thinking about whether or not I should stay here."

"Have you...reached a decision?" she asked, fidgeting nervously.

"I...I don't know. It's just that...after I've been through I...I'm not sure if it's where I'm supposed to be." He paused for moment. "Do...did you know a woman named Malon?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, she was Talon's daughter."

Link turned away. "I lived with her and her father, and...and I swore that one day we'd get married and have a family. I thought being with her was my destiny. But I...I lost her one day, because I wasn't there to protect her, and every day since then I've told myself it should be me who's gone, be...because she was so full of hope and promise, and what was I?"

She took his hand and held it tightly. "Link, you mustn't blame yourself for what happened. You couldn't possibly have foreseen it."

"I...I just wanted so much to matter to someone, to be loved, but I couldn't have even that!" Once more his anger began to grow, and he clenched his fists.

"But you do matter, Link! Everyone in Hyrule owes your for the peace this kingdom enjoys. There isn't a man, woman, or child in this world that isn't in your debt for their lives. You did what no one else could have!"

He thought back to her offer. "Zelda, I...I want so much to stay here with you, but you know I'm not good for anything but swinging a sword."

"I don't believe you, Link. What purpose is there to life but to become something more than ourselves?" With those words she embraced him tightly, and he found himself doing the same. The moment he felt the warmth of her body through the gossamer fabric of her gown he was overcome with emotion. For so long he had been deprived of any love or warmth that to feel it now was like feeling the sun's light for the first time.

You were born alone, born to no one. You were a mere foundling, belonging with no one...

"Stay here with me, Link. I need you. Hyrule needs us." Her voice was soft and pleading.

Deep down he knew she was right. I won't reproach myself this time. I can't outrun who I am...

Zelda reached up and touched the side of his face. "I see so much pain in you, Link, and if I had one wish it would be that none of these wretched things had ever happened to you, and that I could tell you how much I love you."

He froze. "Zelda..."

"Please, stay with me. We're stronger together than apart."

Link held her close and shut his eyes, knowing that no one else but she would ever understand what he had been through and what he had suffered for.

Don't go back, pleaded a voice within. Don't go back to those lonely nights filled with guilt and sorrow. Zelda has always been your destiny. Be here, by her side, the way you were meant to be.

"I love you, Zelda. You...you're the only one I've got left. I...I will stay with you."

They began to walk away together, and as they left the courtyard Link gazed up at the moon. You will always be the Hero of Time. If the light calls upon you, you shall raise up the sword once more and fight for what is right and just.

Never betray your destiny...