Initial comments:
Hello everyone, I hope you're all well.
A dear friend from this site, Shelfu, challenged me to write a Halloween-themed fanfic, which I couldn't resist, so I bravely took her up on her challenge XD. The Spanish version of this story is called "Amor sin tiempo", and was published in October 31.
Well, about this particular one-shot, I made it based on a terror series, of which I won't reveal the name until the very end, to see if anyone manages to catch on, especially those of us who were born before or during the 90s, as it most certainly left a mark on out childhood. I'll be sincere, this story won't have any gore, zombies, beheaded people, blood or anything like that, since aside from the fact those are not things that I enjoy, Halloween is not just about that. Suspense, mystery, intrigue, drama, and of course romance, can also be perfectly a part of it, and that will be the central theme of this fanfic.
This is a post-TP story, although some facts will have change. For example, Link will still be the hero chosen by the Goddesses and will have saved the kingdom from a catastrophe, but I'm not going to mention any details related to Midna, Zant or Ganondorf. Think of it as a spinoff of the game.
I can read and write in English, however, I decided to request the translation of my story to a person who is more fluent in the language. My thanks to my friend Fox McCloude for his collaboration
The cover image belongs to Tsuku-sama (Tsukuyomi Land at Tumblr).
…
Before starting, keep the following in mind:
- Scene changes will be announced with "…"
- Character thoughts will be written in italics.
- Dreams will be narrated in first person. They will begin and end with "***".
Disclaimer:The Legend of Zelda and all characters belong to Nintendo.
TIMELESS LOVE.
The twilight tinted the sky with warm and bright golden shades, while the birds' chirps finally stopped, announcing that the time for calling it a day was approaching, both for them and for the people around them, the residents of Ordon.
Link led a peaceful life in his beloved town, where every morning he helped his friend Fado at the ranch's everyday jobs. Feeding the goats, calming them down when they tried to go rogue, and milking them. Thanks to that, they enjoyed the finest milk in the zone, which they used to produce cheese, butter and yogurt. Ordon was also famous for its pumpkins, which made it an economically active land, capable of providing a lot of goods for other regions.
Like always, Link was tired at the end of his workday, although he always felt satisfied of having completed it, of having helped those friends he appreciated so much. Once he had gotten the last goat to sleep in the barn, the young man approached Fado, to hand him back the keys.
"All done, Fado. The goats are all…"
The young man didn't finish, since the man just turned around and left him with the words in his mouth. Link found this attitude really odd, since he had always been quite cordial and happy with his work. Seconds later, he left the ranch, not paying any mind to what had happened.
Upon arriving home, he was in for a surprise, upon seeing that Ilia was waiting for him. At least she seemed to be happy to see him.
"Hey, Link. You must have quite a busy day, so I brought you your favorite." The young woman smiled at him.
"Hey, Ilia. Thanks a lot." Link replied happily. "Yeah, it was a heavy day, but always worth it."
"Go wash your hands first. Today we're having dinner together."
"Why are you always looking out for me?"
"Because we're friends?"
"If you say so…"
"Hey!"
"There, there, I was just kidding. You already know that you're my best friend in the world… my sister."
"I'll only forgive you because of that."
Link went off to wash his hands, while Ilia got everything ready for dinner. In the past, she admitted to have been in love with Link, but after he rescued her when she had been kidnapped, she began seeing him with different eyes, her feelings for him became more platonic, especially after she discovered that the young man's feelings were focused on someone else, someone who was not her.
"Here I am. Let's eat at once, I'm starving."
Upon seeing Link had come back, Ilia left her previous thoughts and sat to have her own dinner as well. They started chatting of different topics, especially their childhood memories. The girl reminded her friend of all the mischief he caused when he was a child, which caused him to blush in embarrassment upon being reminded of it. And so on, one topic led to another.
"Ilia, by the way… Have you noticed something weird with Fado? He didn't speak a word to me during the entire day. I wonder if he's mad at me for something." He asked, thoughtful.
"Huh? Well, I spoke to him today and he seemed normal. Maybe he's just beat, you know how tiresome is working at the ranch." She replied.
"Well… it might be. Maybe I should talk to him tomorrow."
"Rest easy, Link. Like I said, he's just a little stressed. Just pay no mind to it."
"Alright…"
Once they were done with their meal, Ilia offered him to help in washing the dishes. However, Link refused, he had already abused her kindness and wanted her to rest. The young woman only agreed after he insisted repeatedly.
The young warrior approached the sink to wash the dishes, yet something that lied next to it drew his attention and suddenly made him feel intrigued. It was a ring, a golden ring with a diamond.
"What's this?"
Link took the ring and watched it carefully, admiring its beauty and elegance. In a sudden, unknown impulse, he suddenly placed it on his finger, but when he tried to pull it out, he couldn't, it got stuck.
"Ow…"
"Link, is something wrong? Oh! What's with that ring?" Ilia asked.
"Isn't it yours? Found it right here, but I put it on and I can't pull it off."
"Hahahaha, oh, Link! Only you of all people would think of wearing a woman's ring. Though I have to admit, it looks good on that lovely and delicate hand of yours." The girl laughed at him.
"Ha-ha, pretty funny."
"Well, I leave you so you can enjoy your new jewel, my dad's waiting for me a home."
"Thanks for everything, Ilia. Say hi to your father for me."
"I will, see you in the morning."
"See you in morning."
Ilia left Link's home, leaving him to do the washing by himself. Afterwards, he went for a walk and decided to stop by at the Ordon Spring, to take a bath to relax himself. At night, he loved diving into the warm waters, thanks to their healing and relaxing properties, the perfect spot to come after a long and hard day at work. It felt so good, that before he realized he fell asleep next to a rock, the only noise he could hear was the night animals calling…
…
"Link?"
Slowly, a lady started walking towards where I was asleep, gazing at me with interest and lovingly. She remained motionless, until she decided to unstrap her dress, removing it, and walked into the waters to make me company.
As she approached me, she gently stroke my face, her fingers sliding all over my eyes, nose and lips, especially focusing on the latter. Finally, she gave in to her desires, as she gently approached her mouth to my own, ready to seal them in a kiss…
…
"AH! WHAT THE?!"
Link suddenly woke up, his heart beating really, really fast, as he anxiously taped his hands all over his face and lips anxiously, as if trying to find any leftover of what he had just felt. His dream had felt very real, especially the beautiful lady who approached him to stroke his face and then kiss him.
For an unknown reason, he wished he could go back to sleep and meet again with the beauteous woman, so she could finish what she had started.
Over the course of the days, the young swordsman had the same dream over and over again, the only difference being the place where he had fallen asleep. He was starting to get impatient of not being able to feel the lips of that young woman, it was turning into a real obsession and he didn't understand why.
One of those mornings, the young man saw from afar how Ilia spoke to her father on a bench outside of their doorstep, and just seconds before he could reach them, the man left the place. Link sat next to his childhood friend, who greeted him with her brightest smile, even though she noticed him very tired.
"Hey, Link, everything alright? Too much work?" Ilia asked.
"Same old, although Fado seems to still be stressed, too much work to do and no time to talk. Just now I tried to kill some time inviting the kids to practice with the sword, but they were so focused on their game, they paid no attention to me."
"Kids, you already know how they are." The young woman giggled.
"And also this stupid ring, I can't get it off!"
Ilia watched how Link still struggled trying to pull off the ring, in his fingers there were even some stains of several substances he tried to soften his finger with, trying to get the jewel to slide off, but to no avail.
"I think that little ring has gotten attached to you." Ilia joked.
"Well, I'm hoping it detaches soon, I'm getting tired of having it." He expressed, giving up.
"Link, leaving the ring topic aside for a while… I've noticed you a little strange in the past days, like, more tired than usual. Is everything alright?"
"Truth to be told… I've had some strange things happening… with that girl."
"A girl?"
The young man wanted to smack himself in the face for having talked too much. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friend, all she was afraid was her thinking weird of him, since those dreams he was having, they were definitely not normal.
"Ilia… if I tell you this, will you promise not to make fun of me?" He asked, nervous.
"Come on, Link! You know you can always tell me anything."
"Well… the thing is… in the past few nights, I've had dreams with a woman."
"A woman?"
"That's right. She's really beautiful, she has brown hair with golden highlights, like the oak trees at sundown. Her eyes were as blue as sapphires, and her scent was… enticing and bewitching, like that of blooming roses. Not to mention her body… it seemed like it had been sculpted directly by the Goddesses… almost like she herself was one." The young warrior said, all lost in his description.
"What? Are you serious? You've definitely been working too much." Ilia expressed, letting out a laughter.
"See? I knew you were going to laugh at me!"
"No, Link! I'm not laughing at you, it's just that this all sounds weird. Now it turns out that you've fallen in love with a dream?"
"I'm not in love, I don't even know her. Aw, just forget it, you might be right. I'm just working too hard. I might take the day off.
"Rest easy, I'll tell Fado."
"Thanks, I'll see you later."
Link walked back home, but right when he was about to enter, he heard a voice calling out to him from afar.
"Link?"
He immediately recognized the voice, it was the lady of his dreams; however, he wasn't dreaming this time; he was fully awake.
"Link, it's me!"
Anxious, he looked around all over for her, he walked up to the town's exit, and he saw her. He stopped right there, completely shocked at the image before him. There she was, even more beautiful than in his dreams, wearing an elegant purple dress with a white long skirt, sleeveless, and no jewel in sight adorning her, other than a couple of earrings, and her hair completely lose. She was giving him the warmest and most pleasant smile he had ever seen, as if a deity had descended from heaven to give him her blessing.
"Come to me, Link!"
Upon hearing the young woman's voice calling for him, the warrior didn't hesitate to approach her, but all of a sudden she started going backwards, away from him, until she vanished behind a couple of bushes, disappearing from sight. Link looked for her, but to no avail. She was gone, and he felt disappointed.
"I must be going nuts…"
Frustrated, he decided to return home and rest, maybe that was all he needed to get rid of those hallucinations.
Night had fallen upon Ordon, and the moonlight adorned the sky with her magnificence. Link woken up from his dream, which lasted longer than he expected, he wasn't planning on taking a nap until nighttime. He got up from the bed to go take a bath at the spring, like he usually did at that time, so he grabbed his stuff and opened his room's door.
While he walked downstairs, he heard fast steps approaching, taking a few seconds to see that it was the postman. The man, as usual, was running off in a hurry, determined to perform his duty without letting anyone or anything get in his way. Link watched him closely, until he noticed he had dropped an envelope from his bag.
"Hey, Postman! You dropped something!"
Unfortunately, the man had already left, and was too far away to hear Link calling him out. The young man picked up the letter, having a huge surprise upon seeing that it was addressed to him.
"Huh? This is for me…" Without second thoughts, he quickly shred to pieces the envelope. He then began reading the letter…
"Hello, Link.
Forgive me for having left so abruptly this morning, you must be thinking that I have lousy manners, but I have my reasons to do so.
I have something very important to tell you, and I'm hoping that you would oblige. I'd like for us to meet each other at Telma's bar at eleven at night, since I have something very important to tell you... and you have something to return to me.
I'm hoping you will come, I'll be waiting for you.
With love,
The lady with the sapphire eyes.
"Goddesses… how did she know that's what I think of her eyes?" He expressed, completely shocked.
No doubt, that letter had been written by that lady, the woman who was appearing in his dreams, the same one with the scent of roses. He couldn't believe that she was waiting anxiously to meet with him again. For a second, he decided to pinch himself, believing that he was dreaming, but the pain informed him that he wasn't he was fully awake.
"She wants to meet with me… at Telma's bar? Tomorrow is Sunday, it's the only day she doesn't open the place. That's weird…"
What should she do? Should he go and meet up with the mysterious lady? Thinking logically, he shouldn't meet up with a stranger, but for some reason, he felt that she wasn't a stranger, since she knew his name, and he felt… comfortable whenever she said it.
Having weighed his options, he made his choice… he would comply with the request of that young woman driving him crazy.
Thanks to Epona's efforts, Link made it to the place in time. No matter how tired she was, she always had the time and stamina to attend her master, to listen to him and to understand him like no one else did.
The young man left the mare next to a tree to pasture, while he walked the rest of the path to Telma's bar. He didn't recall the last time he had visited, because after his mission and adventure ended, he remained a little distant from everything, especially from his friends, which somehow left an unexplainable void in him.
The path to the Castle Town was quiet, not even a soul walking around. Minutes later, the young warrior reached the bar, finding out that, indeed, it was open, even with the usual cheerful background music.
"Looks like Telma decided to work on Sundays."
Anxious, Link entered expecting the bartender… and it was then, he was in for a big surprise.
It wasn't Telma the one running the business, it was a woman who looked a lot like her, but she had black hair and a slimmer body. There were a few attendants in the bar. An elderly couple, another middle-aged one, and yet another teenage-aged one, who no doubt had snuck out of their homes to spend some time together, which was clear with the way they held hands. The warrior chuckled at the image.
He approached the bar to take a seat, and the Telma-lookalike lady approached to attend him.
"Good evening, you must be Link."
"Huh? Good evening… yeah, I'm Link. How do you know?" He asked, surprised.
"How could I not know of the hero who saved us all? Telma always talks a lot of you." The woman smiled.
"But I had never seen you working here before…"
"Let's just say I'm on the night shift… have some beer while your date arrives."
"How do you know that…?"
"There are no secrets in this bar…"
The woman ended the conversation and went to get the drink for the young man. Link took the sips slowly at first, until the nerves got the best of him and he chugged it down in a single gulp, accepting just a few minutes later another jar from the bartender.
"How much is it?" Link asked.
"Don't worry, that's on the house. Don't you want another?"
"Thanks, but I just came to meet with someone, although she seems to have for…"
His lips were shut when he found out his previous words wouldn't come true, as his date had just entered through the bar's doors, her eyes set on him. Link, speechless, just kept staring at her, completely dumbfounded at her beauty and elegance, and also the familiarity and charm she smiled at him, feeling as if she had something to do with him. The lady slowly walked towards him, and then spoke.
"Good evening, sorry I'm late." The lady smiled.
"Goo…good evening. Don't worry, I wasn't planning on leaving until I saw you." Link replied, clearly flustered.
Link was about to invite the young woman to sit next to him, but just in the second she was about to, the music in the bar changed, from a cheerful, upbeat tone to a slow and romantic one, and suddenly filled the atmosphere of the place.
"What a beautiful song… shall we dance?" She asked.
"Huh?
The lady stretched her hand towards Link, and he, as if he was in a trance, held it, and then they both walked towards the dancing floor. The other attendants shortly followed suit, dancing around them, with each focused on their partner's eyes. However, for moments they seemed to focus their attention on the warrior and his companion, as if they expected something to happen between them.
Neither Link nor the mysterious young woman realized that they were being watched, as they were completely focused on each other's eyes, following the seductive music as they held onto each other's arms, and wishing to get even closer. They both forgot of everything around them, the sky, and the earth; only the two of them existed. Minutes later, the lady lovingly and gently held the warrior's face, and he couldn't help but shiver from head to toe, especially upon smelling that enticing fragrance she had.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" The young man whispered.
"You really don't know, Link? I know everything about you." She replied, stroking his cheek.
Know? What did he have to know? It was the first time he had met with that woman, and even though he didn't understand why, she had completely bewitched him, wishing to know more and get even closer to her. However, even though he was sure that he didn't know her, he still felt something familiar with her, but the more he thought, the less he could figure out.
"Oh… you have my ring."
"Huh? Your ring?"
Link gazed at the ring he had on his pinky finger, the one he had been trying to pull off for days to no avail. He didn't imagine it belonged to the woman who was now in his arms.
"Wow, I never imagined it was yours. I found it at my…"
"It is time, Link."
"Time?"
"We need to go."
"Go? Go where?" He questioned, confused.
In that very instant, the midnight bells rang. Abruptly, the lady suddenly got off of the young man's arms, and he immediately protested.
"What are you doing? I don't want you to leave!"
"There is no time, Link… you have to come with me… do not forget…"
And with those words, the young woman ran off out of the bar, never looking back. Desperately, Link tried to go after her to stop her, for there were still many unanswered questions he needed to ask.
"No! Please don't go! You haven't even told me your…!"
Still unaware of his own actions, the young man accidentally tripped over one of the bar's tables, accidentally crashing a few of the chairs around it. Alarmed, he turned to the bartender, determined to ask her if she knew the woman he had just been with. However, the image he saw left him completely in a daze.
The place was empty, no trace of the bartender or any of the couples whatsoever. Link thought he would be dreaming some kind of disturbing nightmare, but a few instants later he came to realize that it wasn't, everything was real.
"This cannot be…"
Confused and terrified, the young man ran off out of the place, wishing to get back home as soon as possible, while his heart and breathing were almost betraying him.
As the sun rose in the sky announcing the dawn of a new day, the birds also chirped at his presence.
Link, physically and mentally exhausted, had arrived in Ordon after having ridden during the entire night. Epona felt just as exhausted, since after sensing her master's panic, she had to ride off at full speed to get away from whatever that had left him so terrified. Although apparently, the distance hadn't been enough to shake it off, as the young man was still scared.
"Thanks, Epona. I'm sorry I pushed you so hard. Please take a rest."
The mare let out a sad neigh upon seeing her master's demeanor, but she still obliged his orders, and left for her resting area. Link went back home, until a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Link!"
At first, he shook upon hearing his name, but a few seconds later, he acknowledged it was Ilia, who sounded utterly upset.
"Ilia…"
"Where have you been all night!? I was really worried about you!" She scolded him angrily.
"I… I… it's a long story."
"I've got all the time to listen to it. Let's go to your house right, now!" She demanded in a rush.
They both climbed up to the treehouse. Ilia was anxious to hear what Link had to say, while he had no idea on how he was supposed to relate that story. The young woman asked her friend to rest for a bit, while she made breakfast for him. Link, tired as he was, didn't protest. A few minutes later, Ilia took the food to him, and the warrior began eating silently, without even looking at her eyes.
"Now then… tell me what happened." The girl asked.
Link took the last sip of coffee, thinking about how to start with that absurd and sui generis explanation. It took him a few seconds to do so, but he finally decided not to remain silent anymore, he couldn't lie to his best friend.
"Ilia… do you remember I told you I had been dreaming about a young woman?"
"Yeah, you had said she was very beautiful."
"Well, she… I met up with her."
Ilia looked very seriously at her friend, but without uttering a single word so as to not to interrupt him, she wanted to know more.
"A couple days ago, she sent me a letter for us to meet up at Telma's place."
"Telma works on Sundays?" She asked, confused.
"That's the weirdest part. The woman who was running the place wasn't her, it was an acquaintance who was in charge of the nightshift… or so she said."
"I see…"
Link showed Ilia the letter the lady had written for him, and the girl just analyzed it silently.
"Please tell me more, about this woman you met." The young woman requested.
"She… said that she had something to tell me… something very important…"
"What was that?"
Link gulped hard, feeling his heart speeding up. Ilia gazed at him, anxious to get an answer to her question.
"Tell me, Link… what did that woman tell you?"
"First, she said that this ring I can't pull off my finger belongs to her… and then… she told me to leave with her, to go with her somewhere."
The girl remained motionless upon hearing the words of her friend, not knowing what to say about it… at least for the time being.
"And what did you answer?"
"That's what has me terrified the most, Ilia. When I was about to answer, she said that she had to go, and even though I tried to stop her, I couldn't. And right when I turned around to see to see the woman attending the bar, she and everyone else had vanished, and so did the music… the place was left as if nobody had been there in the first place."
Ilia let out a long sigh. Meanwhile, Link, overwhelmed, held his head, almost pulling off a few bangs of his hair, utterly confused.
"Ilia, I don't get what's going on! I can't understand a thing!"
The young woman had no answer to her friend's anguished words, and all of a sudden she got up and left the house, leaving Link completely surprised at her reaction. At first he though she had stormed off because he had scared her out of her wits with the story, although a few minutes later he saw he was wrong, as she came back.
"Why did you leave like that?" Link asked.
"Link, I need to show you something…"
The young woman pulled out of her pocket a folded paper, which she unfolded right in front of Link's eyes for him to see.
"Link… is this the woman you met up with?"
The warrior felt his heart skipping a beat for a few seconds at the image he had before his eyes. Ilia had on his hands a photograph printed on a newspaper article, showing the face of the lady he had met up with. There was no doubt.
"It's her!"
"Are you sure?"
"For the Goddesses, Ilia! That's her alright!"
"Well, Link. This woman you see here, her name is Zelda…"
"Zelda? As in, the Princess of Hyrule?"
"The very one… and she is dead."
"Zelda…"
He was left speechless, dumbfounded and paralyzed. Had he heard well? The young woman he had met up with the previous night, the one he had held in his arms, she was dead? That was completely inacceptable, even more if it was the Princess of Hyrule, of whom he had only heard the name, but had never seen her face.
"That cannot be… I SAW HER, I EVEN DANCED WITH HER! SHE TOUCHED ME, AND I TOUCHED HER!" He shouted in terror.
"I'm telling you the truth, Link. She died in a terrible accident. She had gone off on a journey to a neighboring kingdom, but when traveling through a mountain pass, an avalanche occurred. The carriage was crushed with her inside and she didn't survive. Everything was brutal, and too quick."
"Then she is… a ghost?" He asked, pale as snow.
Link, shocked, fell on his knees to the floor, wishing for everything he was living to be but a horrid nightmare. Not only it crushed him terribly to know that the woman of his dreams was dead, but she was but a mirage, a ghost that was chasing after him.
"Link… why do you think she came looking for you?" Ilia asked.
"She wants to take me with her… but I don't know why."
"You really don't know?"
"Of course not! Why should I know? I don't even know her… or maybe… she wants me to return her ring."
"Then you think it's for the ring." The girl affirmed.
"What else could it be?! She said I had something belonging to her, so what else could it be but this accursed ring?! I'm going to take it off at once, so she'll leave me alone!" – He yelled, completely out of it.
The young man got up from his bed and went towards the basement, looking for an endless number of tools trying to pull off the ring of his finger, while remained seating, watching the newspaper article.
Several days passed after that disturbing night, when Link found that we has being stalked by a spirit, by a suffering soul that would only rest in peace if she was granted her deepest desire… him.
His attempts to get rid of the ring in his pinky finger were as futile as before. No matter what he tried, the jewel remained firmly in his finger, which was actually getting hurt due to everything he tried. No matter what he did, nothing worked. Link was already frustrated at losing a battle against an insignificant trinket, but that was nothing compared to the confusion his body and soul were suffering. Tired and sick of the situation, he decided to go to his bed for a rest, but a knock on his door stopped him.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Link… Zelda."
Upon hearing that name, he felt his blood chilling, his body and voice became completely paralyzed. At the moment, he pondered on whether he should answer, or simply remain silent.
"I know you're there, Link. Open the door, please."
At the time, the young man finally decided that the best he could do was to confront her. He couldn't put up with the anxiety and angst he had been dealing with for several days, he had to leave things clear with that unfortunate young woman so she would leave him alone, as she wouldn't find what she was looking for with him.
Gathering up his courage, he walked up to the door, opened it and faced her. Her stare was still as pure and crystalline, it bewitched him.
"Link… I…"
"Go away! I want you to leave me alone!" He demanded, furious.
"What? But, Link… I can't do that." The young woman was quite shocked at the warrior's reaction.
"Is it your stupid ring you want? I'd gladly give it back, if only I knew how to take it off."
"I don't care about the ring, it's you I came looking for!" The lady retorted, her eyes tearing up.
"What the hell is wrong with you? I have no idea what you're looking for, but you won't find it with me." Link replied with determination.
"Don't you understand?! I've come for you, so you can leave with me!"
"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU! Listen to me, Zelda… I don't want you to come looking for me, or talk to me, or write to me… don't even speak my name. I don't want to see you ever again."
"Link…" The woman let out, unable to hold back her tears anymore.
"I'm sorry… but please, I want you to just leave me alone."
Even though the young woman's sadness left him heartbroken, Link slammed the door without a single word more. He felt like a real bastard for talking to her like that, but it was the only way she would stop stalking him, trying to drag her to her environment.
"As you wish, Link… I won't come back to bother you anymore."
And after the ghostly young woman bid her farewell, the ring stuck on the warrior's finger fell to the floor, echoing on the wood. Immediately, Link kneeled down to pick it up, surprised at how easily it came off now after he had battled for days against it, with no success.
He opened the door to give it back to its owner, only to find that she was already gone.
More nights and more moons passed, and the princess' ghost didn't show up again. Link was still confused and disturbed at everything he had gone through, although that feeling was now mixed with a sense of emptiness in his heart he had never experienced before, but still caused him terrible pain to the point of breaking him down in tears, in the darkest and most terrible of despairs. Ilia was worried at her friend's wellbeing, as she knew there was little to nothing she could actually do to help him, as it was something beyond their understanding.
One of those nights, on the edge of the Ordon Spring, the girl decided to bring up the topic her friend was depressed about, causing him to react defensively.
"No more, Ilia… I don't want to talk about that anymore." He begged.
"It's not good to hold back what you're feeling, Link. You'll only hurt yourself even more. Are you thinking of her? Princess Zelda?"
Upon hearing the lady's name, Link couldn't help but shed some tears. He quickly wiped them off, but decided to talk to his friend.
"Yeah… I do think of her. It might sound stupid what I'm about to say, but since I saw her for the first time, in my dreams, I can't stop thinking of her, let alone after that night we spent together. Dancing, and looking at each other's eyes, as if we had met a long, long time ago, since… forever. I never imagined I'd have the chance to meet the Princess of Hyrule that way, not even in my mission I had the opportunity." The boy expressed.
"Link… what do you want to do?" Ilia asked, concerned.
"I don't know… but what I do know is that I'm not feeling well, I'm confused. I don't know what to do, although maybe…"
The young man pulled out from his pocket the ring belonging to the princess, since in that very moment, an idea came to mind, perhaps as a way to somehow alleviate the emptiness in his soul.
"When she came to see me, I was too harsh with her, Ilia… I'd like to at least apologize and give her back her ring." The young man continued, really ashamed.
"Link, are you sure that by giving her ring back and apologizing everything will be clear?" Ilia asked, incredulous.
"Why not? That's a way to give closure to that chapter. We're both from different worlds and there's nothing else we can do to solve it… as much as it pains me."
"Well… and how do you plan to give it back, if you told her to get away from you?"
"I think… I know where I can find her."
Link knew perfectly which the place was, where he could meet up with the lady, the woman he had to stop dreaming of…
The following day, Link mounted on Epona and rode with her to the place where he could meet up the princess, not caring if he had to make that journey at late night hours. Finally, the young man reached his destination, which was none other than the proper resting place for a woman like the lady of her dreams.
Walking through the secret passage leading to the palace's necropolis, Link walked in between the graves, trying to keep his old oil lamp lit. However, the light couldn't prevent him from tripping and falling, putting out the light. Everything was left back in complete darkness.
Link pulled out an oil bottle to light up his lamp again, although his actions were stopped when he heard footsteps approaching … until he felt a hand on his shoulder…
Scared, he turned around, and to his horror he saw a black-hooded figure, placing one hand on his shoulder, and carrying an oil lamp in the other. Feeling the fear on his very skin, he crawled back to break free of that figure, but just a second later, its voice stopped him on his tracks.
"Link…"
"You scared me, Ilia!"
The young woman pulled back her hood to face her friend, who by the lamp's light seemed shaky and pale. Ilia offered him a hand to help him get back up, which he gladly accepted.
"Are you alright?" She asked, worried.
"Yeah… but what are you doing here, Ilia?"
"I followed you… and I think it's me who should be asking that question. What are you doing here?"
"Well, I came to find Zelda and apologize to her. And also to give her ring back, just like I told you last night. I was looking for her grave."
"And it didn't take long for you to find it. You're standing right on top of it."
At his friend's words, Link lowered his gaze and saw that, indeed, they were standing on top of a grave. The upper part of the gravestone's carving was partially covered by ivy leaves, which upon being removed revealed the lady's name: "Zelda, Princess of Hyrule".
"Zelda…"
The young man kneeled upon seeing the carving with the princess' name, and unable to hold them back, he let out a few tears. How was it possible that he felt so heartbroken at the death of a perfect stranger? And even if she was, why did he feel like she wasn't? Ilia watched his pain for a few minutes, stoic, not saying a single word… but all of a sudden, she exploded.
"STOP IT, LINK!"
The scream snapped him out of the trance, surprised at the way she yelled at him. Link got back up to meet the cold glare of his friend, who was breathing heavily and agitated.
"Ilia… what's wrong with you?" He asked, confused.
"What's wrong with you, Link? Knock this off at once!" The young woman yelled again.
"Knock this off? I don't get what you're talking about."
"You don't get it? If that's the case, then what are you doing in this place?" The girl asked again.
"I thought I told you, I came to apologize to Zelda and give her ring back."
"And how did you know it was here?"
"I… I… isn't it obvious? If she's dead, she has to be buried somewhere. Also, with her standing, it's her right to be buried on royal grounds." He replied, nervous.
"Link, this is the royal graveyard, and only royalty is allowed to step in here. How did you find your way in?" Ilia asked, angry.
"I went through a secret passage, which I imagine you followed me through."
"Of course, a secret passage you found without even looking for it, and it led you to her grave. Or are you going to tell me you just happened upon her grave by mere chance?"
"ENOUGH! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ILIA! WHAT ARE YOU UP TO ASKING ME ALL THESE QUESTIONS?" The young man exclaimed, holding his head with both hands.
"WHAT ARE YOU UP TO, LINK? REMEMBER!"
"What?"
"Remember, Link. Princess Zelda was on a journey… while her personal bodyguard was escorting her from the outside of her carriage. A few hours later, they went through the mountain pass and there was a landslide. The princess tried to get out, but the carriage got stuck on the ground, and thus, she was unable to open the door. There was no way she could get out."
"Stop it…"
"Her bodyguard, desperate, jumped off of his mount and ran towards the carriage to try and break the door and save the princess… but by the time he made it, it was too late… the rocks ended up…"
"NO! ZELDA!"
Ilia's story caused the young man to drop to his knees, while several tears rolled down his cheeks. His body shaken, and his soul shattered, he placed a hand on the princess' gravestone, removing a few more of the leaves covering the lower part… and it was there, the carving took a different meaning altogether.
"Zelda, princess of Hyrule… & Link, Hero chosen by the Goddesses… Together for all eternity".
The young man placed his hand over the second name that had appeared, unsure as to what to say about it. As the tears continued to roll down his disturbed face, everything in his mind became clear. He finally understood what had happened.
"None of you two survived. Not Princess Zelda… not you…"
Ilia pulled out the newspaper article showing the Princess' death, although she quickly produced a second one, which seemed to fit with the first one; that one showed Link's face, as the second victim of the accident. At the time, the couple's death had been a real shock nationwide, as the kingdom had suffered in a double hit the loss of the future monarchs of Hyrule; the kingdom had lost the light of their existence. The warrior looked at his hands, incredulous, as his heart broke down even further.
Once he recovered enough from this terrible impact, Link stood up to face his friend again, clearly devastated.
"Why didn't you tell me before!?" He demanded, clearly upset.
"Because you didn't remember! After the accident, you returned to Ordon as if nothing happened. Nobody except the animals and I could see you, nobody else did. You had forgotten everything after your mission; the time you spent away from Ordon to enlist in the Hyrulean Army, requested by Zelda herself; your friendship with her which eventually bloomed into love, and later…"
"To ask her to marry me… and giving her the ring to make our engagement official." The disheartened young man completed the sentence.
"Link…"
"That day, when the accident happened, I did everything I could to save her. I thought shielding her with my body would be enough… but I couldn't… I let her die." He said, feeling guilty.
"You were a victim too, Link! That day you lost the woman you loved… and I lost my best friend… the man I loved so much…"
Ilia was unable to hold back her tears again, letting out all the pain and the feelings tormenting her for so long. Having lost her friend had been devastating to her, but that truth coming out into the light after trying to conceal it for so long… that really hurt her the most, forcing her to carry a weight she was unable to bear. Saddened at his friend's sorrow, Link approached her to comfort her, causing her to embrace him tightly, wishing that she didn't have to let go. Even though she never confessed, the warrior knew that, once upon a time, the girl had loved him, and although he knew that it was already in the past, he was saddened to think on how much she had suffered that loss, as well as the other people who loved him.
"Please, don't cry anymore…"
"Forgive me for having hidden this from you. I'm sorry." Ilia apologized.
"It doesn't matter… now I get why nobody else paid any attention to me." He said, trying to laugh at his own misfortune.
"You idiot!" She exclaimed, unable to help but laugh a little herself in between her tears.
"You were always my best friend in the world… my sister."
After that statement, a light suddenly appeared behind them, while their surroundings were enticed by the fragrance of roses.
"Link…"
Just having heard that voice was enough for the young man to turn around, once again seeing the person he wanted to badly to see. Just a few steps away, Princess Zelda stood before him, her gaze filling the warrior with immense love and desire. Link gazed back at her, astonished, while the tears continued to pour out of his eyes, while his heart once again sped up in excitement for the long awaited reunion with the lady of his dreams… with the love of his life. On the other hand, Ilia was in awe and in shock of seeing her, as if she was in the presence of a deity.
"Link… my love… you came for me."
"Zelda…" The young man seemed in a trance.
"I miss you… please, come with me, and don't ever leave me again." The princess begged, reaching out with her hand.
The young man turned towards Ilia, who started weeping bitterly herself, for the time she dreaded so much finally had come, that one her heart refused to accept.
"Ilia…"
"Go, Link… your place is by her side, by the side of the woman you love. Don't keep her waiting anymore." She said, forcing herself to smile as she wiped her tears.
The young man embraced his old friend as tight as he could, knowing that it was the time for the farewell. Ilia returned the gesture with the same intensity, fighting against herself to avoid breaking down at the loss she was about to suffer, now for a second time.
"Take care of all of our friends… especially Epona." Link begged her.
"Don't worry, I'm sure she already knew… she will understand."
After one last teary embrace, Link separated from his friend, and it was then that he remembered he still had in his hand his beloved's engagement ring. The warrior gazed at the princess, as if trying to gain the approval for what he was about to do, which she confirmed, with a smile.
Without a single word, the young man held his friend's hand, and placed the ring on her finger, so she could always have a part of him with her.
"Goodbye, Ilia, my dear friend." She said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Ilia gazed at the ring on her hand, giving him one last hug with all of her soul.
"Goodbye, Link… you'll always live in my heart."
And with that last painful and teary farewell, the friends' hands separated. Link walked towards his beloved, and once he was next to her, he held her face to stroke it gently, and he then leaned forward to kiss her lovingly and passionately. The princess returned the kiss in the same way, as a single tear of joy rolled down her cheek. She had finally been reunited with the love of her life, to be together for all eternity.
Ilia, not moving a muscle, watched as the couple walked away towards the path of light, both of them still holding each other's hands. She couldn't deny to herself that the pain of seeing her best friend, her brother, going away forever pierced through her heard like a burning dagger, however, she was comforted by the knowledge that he had found his missing half, for there was no love stronger than that one capable of surpassing death… that one capable of transcending the barriers of time itself.
FIN
Final comments:
So… did you enjoy it? I hope so, even though I'm sure many of you must have gotten a few tears, same way as I did while I wrote the ending. Now, the time has come to reveal the inspiration for this story, although I'm sure many of you must have figured it out now.
The series I spoke of in my initial comments, is none other than "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" which ran from 1990 until series has many episodes with "soft" horror, so to speak, and one of those served me as a guide to write this one-shot, known as "The Tale of the Dream Girl". If you watched this episode, you might have noticed that some of the ideas I wrote in this story are of my own. I totally recommend this series, especially since that was my favorite episode, the one who made me cry the most. I had wanted for a while to post this idea, so I got the perfect chance with Halloween, I guess.
Thanks a lot for reading, see you all around! ^^