Four months.

That was all that Link had to suffer through before graduating and leaving behind his hometown of Hyrule. At seventeen, he had no idea where he would go or what he would do, but he knew that he couldn't stay at home any longer. He had a brief episode of running away at fourteen, only to return home in a week, starving and frozen half to death. But he was older now, more mature, and could handle himself out on the streets if he had to—so he thought.

He didn't dislike living with his grandparents. They let him do as he pleased as long as he maintained the farmland to their standards, but their expectations were high and the labor was too much for him alone. He argued with them countless times about hiring another farmhand to do some of the work, but they just didn't have the money. Time hadn't been kind to their bodies either, leaving nearly all of the work to fall onto Link's shoulders.

3:00 am, Link thought, time to get moving.

He rose from his bed unrested like every other night and slipped on a pair of pants from the floor. His bedroom was tiny with only a single bed, a dresser, and a bookshelf all crammed into the corners. In the middle, there was a narrow walkway, just wide enough for his skinny body, that stretched from his bed to the door. He picked up a black hoodie off the top of the dresser and sniffed it. It wasn't pleasant, but he had smelled worse. He threw that over his head and then worked his shoulder-length dirty blonde hair into a low ponytail, leaving the shorter pieces in the front out. He ran his hand over his hair, feeling if it was smooth, and once he was satisfied with how it felt, he left his room.

The farmhouse was a single-story on twenty and half acres of land. It was a tiny farm compared to all the surrounding lands; it paid the bills and not much else. He walked through the dark living room to the kitchen. He flipped on the light to the backyard and on cue, Rosa, the white stray cat who had decided to make the back porch her home, rose from her slumber, stretching out her paws in front of her and yawning.

Link unlocked the door with a friendly meow greeting him. He gently smiled and tickled the spot underneath her chin that she loved. His fingernails scratched in that oh-so-good way that only he knew how to do to her. Not much made Link happy, but Rosa was the exception. She had shown up on the back porch during a heavy rain storm two summers ago. He had tried to shoo her away with a broom for an hour, but she was cute and persistent, always coming back as soon as Link took his eyes off her.

He scooped some dry kibble into her bowl and she crunched away as he went off to the barn. He set to work grooming the horses, sweeping the barn, and collecting eggs from the chicken coop. After finishing, he hopped inside the farm's only tractor. It was ancient, but with all the maintenance Link had put in, it ran smoothly enough to get the job done. He started it up and the loud humming from the machine vibrated his entire body. It was soothing. Behind the wheel of the tractor, he felt powerful, the only time in his life that he had ever felt that way.

He rode around the perimeter of the land, inspecting the fencing for any defects, finding none. He returned to the barn and let the cows out into the fields for the day. They happily swaggered out into the grass and dispersed amongst the fields. Link checked the time on his watch. 6:54.

Heading back inside the farmhouse, Link gave Rosa a soft rub down her back a few times, and relocked the back door. His grandparents were still asleep in their bedroom, their bed creaking as one of them switched positions. Link opened the fridge and grabbed an energy drink he had stowed there, the only thing keeping him awake for the day. He lifted his backpack off the floor by the front door and left to catch his bus.

He was the only farm boy who went to Hyrule High School. All the other teenagers on his road went to the rural high school of Faron, but his grandparent's farmhouse just made the cut-off point for the school district. Everyone else at Hyrule High was a wealthy suburbanite who didn't understand Link, his family dynamics, and why he usually smelled like hay and horse shit. He had gotten used to being the awkward outsider long before high school started so it wasn't a problem anymore for him. Everyone kept their distance from him and he did the same.

The yellow bus traveled along the dirt road, meeting Link as he stood by the mailbox out front. The door opened and he boarded the bus. He was always the first stop no matter the change in bus routes because his was the furthest house from the high school. He slunk into the last row of seats and cracked open his energy drink. It was going to be a long day.

At the next stop, Saria, the only person Link considered a friend, boarded the bus. Her light green hair was short, almost entirely shaved, and her nose was pierced on her right nostril and her septum. It was a good look for her. She sat down next to Link in the back row.

They were friends in a sense. They didn't hang out outside of school or know each other's birthdays, but they often shared the same smoking spot behind the dumpsters near the basketball courts and listened to music. She wasn't a loner like Link as he had seen her plenty of times laughing in the hallways with her friends. He figured she probably enjoyed the quieter moments away from everyone else like him and that's why she stuck around. Link preferred that she sat with him over anyone else on the bus and he knew she felt the same. She dug into her bag as she sat down and pulled out her pack of cigarettes.

"I owe you one," she stated, handing a single cigarette to Link. He nodded and stuck it into his own pack to enjoy later.

That was the only thing said between them for the entire ride to Hyrule High.

Zelda eyes snapped open as she sat up in bed panting heavily. Tears bubbling to her eyes as she attempted to catch her breath. Her fingers grasped at the bed sheets, yanking them towards her face, hiding herself away as much as she could. It's okay¸ she thought, calming herself down. It was just a dream.

It was the third time that night she had had a nightmare, waking herself in a panic. She breathed deeply, trembling uncontrollably. Her own hands felt numb and she squeezed them as hard as she could to regain feeling, to ground herself to this moment.

This was a usual night for Zelda, if she slept. It has been her new normal for the past six months since—

She focused on her breathing again. Her heart no longer thumped in her ears and her eyes dried completely. It hadn't been this bad in the past few weeks. It was happening more frequently again. Maybe, she thought, I should bring that up next session.

She felt safe again in this moment. She grabbed her phone from her nightstand. 5:57. It was too early to get ready for school, but she decided to do it anyway. She showered, releasing the tension from her nightmare down the drain with the dirty water, and braided her wet blonde hair to the left side of her head.

Down the hall, she heard the shuffling of footsteps. She held her breath; they kept walking past, descending the stairs. She let out the air she was holding. Quickly, she scurried back to her bedroom. It wasn't that she was actively trying to avoid her father—she was—but he had nothing but sadness behind his eyes for her, a constant reminder that something had changed between them. Guilt rested in her heart every time she looked at him. One deep breath in, then out.

Zelda pulled a soft blue sweater from her closet and buried her face in it to take in the scent. The smell of clean laundry had always been comforting towards her and wearing something that smelled so fresh would put her in a good mood, she thought. She pulled the sweater over her head, pulling her braid through the neck opening and resting it against her shoulder once more. She wiggled into a pair of black skinny jeans and then examined herself in the mirror.

She didn't look different physically. Her body was still slim. Her skin still soft. Her fingernail polish was chipped, but that wasn't noticeable to anyone but her. She leaned in closer, examining her face. Her eyes looked heavy and her expression was unrecognizable. It was meaner, sadder, and less expressive all at once. She smiled at herself.

It felt empty. Her eyes seemed lifeless.

"Baby steps," she whispered to herself, as she turned away from the mirror entirely. It was time to face her father again.

The aroma of coffee filled the hallway as Zelda stepped out into it. She heard the sizzling of eggs and her father humming gently to himself. This is okay. You're okay.

Her descending footsteps broke through the quietness of the kitchen. Her father lifted his eyes from the stovetop to greet her with a warm smile and gentle eyes. Those eyes filled with pity that made her heart ache. "Good morning, sweetheart," he said softly.

"Morning, Dad," Zelda said, repeating that same tone. He flipped the eggs over in the skillet.

"I didn't think you'd be up this early. I was going to try to wake you up with breakfast in bed." He wasn't trying to make her feel guilty, but somehow, she still felt that way.

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. Now we can eat breakfast together." He flashed a smile up at her and she returned a smaller one to him. He was trying.

"Thank you. I really appreciate this." She meant it from the bottom of her heart. It felt good, normal.

"Can I ask?" He questioned and she nodded. "How did you sleep?"

"I woke up three times, which is up from the last two weeks, but down overall. I'm getting back to sleep easier though, which I think is a good sign." Her father moved to the toaster, inserted four slices and lowered the lever.

"Do you think your sleeping pill is working?" He countered.

"I guess. It's just making me tired." She shrugged and her father looked at her with that gaze that she hated. She needed to make it stop. "But it should get better, right? That's what Doctor Purah said during our last session."

"Yeah, it should. I just don't want you to push yourself too hard. If you want to stay home today, you can. I can call the school and say—"

"No, I'm okay. I can do it." A lie, but she could sell it. Her father nodded.

"If you say so. I just want what's best for you." The toaster sprung the toast to the top and her father turned the stovetop off.

"I know you do. This is good for me. Getting back to normal is what's important, right?" She smiled again, more genuinely than before. He smiled back.

"Right."

Third period had come and gone in an instant and Link walked down the hallway towards his fourth period gym class. The hallways were abuzz today and it was getting under his skin, his hands clenched inside of his hoodie pocket. He couldn't think of a reason why everyone was so talkative and what all the hushed whispers were about. Did something happen that he missed? Did he even care?

No, not really, he decided. He went to his locker to grab his gym clothes. His fingers twisting the lock to the right, then left, and right again. It satisfyingly popped open and he yanked the clothes from the bottom of the locker where they had lived all semester. To his right, the blonde locker mate he hadn't seen in weeks had returned.

Ah, he said to himself, connecting the dots. The princess is back.

Zelda had been assigned the locker to the right of Link's every year of high school, but they had never spoken a single word. She had always been that girl to him. The one who spoke too loudly. The one who was too self-centered. The one whose friends took up too much locker space around them. Link had always viewed her as a snooty goody-two-shoes, a wealthy brat. She was the daughter of Hyrule's mayor after all. He had jokingly started referring to her as "the princess" to himself in his sophomore year because of the impression she had left on him. But in this moment, she seemed different, less like herself, which Link hated that he could pick up on.

His eyes lingered for too long and she could feel his gaze. She side-eyed him quickly before turning back to enter her combination. She tugged on the lock and it didn't come undone. She centered herself and concentrated on trying again. Link grabbed his coat from his locker too as she still fumbled with the lock. Her hands were shaking, he noticed.

She tossed it back against the locker and it loudly clanged against the metal. Link jumped slightly at the noise as he closed his locker. She saw.

"Sorry." Her voice was soft, but frazzled. She wasn't looking at him, but at the lock. He hesitated as he looked at her, taking in this unfamiliar persona. She didn't look as bubbly as usual, as annoying. He sort of felt sorry for her, something he didn't know he was capable of feeling.

Link reached in front of her and grabbed the lock. She looked at him, the first time she had taken him in. He had a small frame, probably no taller than 5'6" without his boots on. His clothes were far too big for his body. His hands rough and calloused; his fingernails short with a thick layer of dirt underneath them. He held the lock in his hand silently. After a few seconds, he turned to look at her. It was the first time they had made eye contact and Zelda felt a familiarity in his heavy, sleep-deprived blue eyes. It was like looking into a mirror.

"Oh," Zelda said, shaking her head, pulling herself away from her thoughts, and turning away from Link's gaze. "It's 28…42…12."

He turned the dial as instructed and pulled on the lock, popping it open. He immediately handed it back to her. She smiled, just slightly, as she took it from his hand.

"Thank you, Link."

How does she know my name?

He nodded once at her and walked off towards his fourth period class, feeling uncomfortable about the exchange between them. Everyone knew who she was. But why would she know who he was? He was nobody.

Once he was in the gymnasium, the thoughts of Zelda and her lock were long gone from his mind. He was jonesing for a cigarette now and no better time than gym class to sneak out and smoke. He changed into his gym clothes, stood for the rollcall, and then snuck out the side door with his coat and cigarettes in tow.

Next to the dumpsters in the building's little side nook, Link sat down so he was hidden. He pulled the cigarette Saria had given him out and lit it between his lips. Taking in a breath of smoke, he felt his anxiety decrease instantly. How relaxing it was to have his first cigarette of the day.

He dragged on the stick constantly for a minute before feeling as okay as he could again. His eyes drooped, the energy drink's effect fading fast, as his head rocked forward and then snapping back up. He didn't want to fall asleep, not here and not now. But his body leaned against the building's stone and betrayed him.

He was floating above an abyss of dark blue water. The waves beneath him crashing against the shoreline. Where was he?

He turned all the way around, but seemed to face the same position towards the shoreline. His feet touched the sand, but it was sharp and hard against the contours of his soles. This was new, he hadn't been here before.

He reached down below and scooped the water into his hand. It felt gelatinous and poured through his fingers like a thick honey.

"Hello?" he called out to no one. His voice echoing, sounding foreign to his own ears. "Hello?" he tried, again.

The world seemingly collapsed onto itself as the water and sand poured together into a funnel with him drowning in between them. They swirled around and round, water then sand. His lungs filling up with both, unable to breathe. His fingers darted around him in every direction, grasping onto their surfaces, a desperate attempt to catch hold and lift himself out, but there was nothing to hold onto. Everything slipped through his fingertips. He kept sinking. His breaths becoming shorter and shorter. The world around him darkening faster and faster until—

"Link!" A hard shove on his shoulder jolted him awake. His panicked eyes searched around to find only Saria before him, looking at him with concern. She stomped his cigarette into the ground. His hand pulsated between his fingers, the cigarette leaving its mark on him. "Again? That's the third time this month."

Link shrugged and dug his hands into his coat pockets. If he were somebody else, he'd be embarrassed, but he wasn't. Saria had found him asleep back here plenty of times, but every time he fell asleep with a lit cigarette, she seemed extra concerned for him. "Do you want to be alone?" she asked kindly.

He shook his head back and forth as Saria sat down beside him. She pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Hers clicked a few times unsuccessfully and Link offered her his flame. With the stick between her lips, she leaned down into the lighter and smiled.

"Thank you, Link."

The words reminded him of Zelda again. A few years ago, he started carrying a tiny notebook around with him whenever he wanted to talk to somebody—almost always Saria. It was no bigger than the size of his hand. He flipped to an empty page.

"Zelda?" He wrote and then handed the notebook to Saria. She read it and handed it back.

"Yeah? What about her?" she asked, putting the cigarette between her lips as she dug around in her backpack.

"What happened to her?" Link wrote on the second line. Saria pulled her earbuds out of her bag and looked over at the notebook. Her brow furrowed as she released the smoke from her lungs.

"Seriously? You don't know?" He shrugged and shook his head. She sighed. "It's too much to explain right now. But later this week?" Link nodded. She brought the cigarette back to her mouth with a chuckle. "The biggest news in Hyrule in the past twenty years and you're just finding out about it. Seems about right." He rolled his eyes with a faintest smile on his face. "What made you think of her?"

"Nothing," he replied, the small smile fading from his face, and then closed the notebook. She offered him one of her earbuds, which he accepted. A lo-fi song he had never heard before played and Saria returned to her smoking.

Why was the princess on his mind again? He had only opened her locker. It wasn't like he had done anything major for her. But in that moment when they looked at each other, a familiarity in her eyes hit Link in the stomach. She looked as exhausted and as pissed off as Link felt. He truly felt sorry for her, but why? She had never once expressed concern over his fatigue in the past three and a half years that they had been locker mates. She was always too self-absorbed in her own world to even acknowledge Link's existence.

But she knew your name.

He rubbed his sunken eyes with the palms of his hands. It didn't matter. In four months, he would never see her again. He was going to go as far away from Hyrule as hitchhiking would take him and he would never turn back. No more farm work. No more high school. No more Zelda.

Just four months.