Wow. It has honestly been a long time since I have done a story. I am currently trying to prefect my writing skills as I will be going to university in the fall for English and writing. So my next few pieces of work are going to be stories that I have done in my Writer's Craft class this year. Please note that the plot and setting are my own ideas, I have changed my original characters' names to fit those characters of Legend of Zelda, along with some scenes that needed to be modified in order to fit the Legend of Zelda storyline. I hope you enjoy.

Awaiting Freedom

It was heard, the howling winds, the raging waters, and the roaring thunder. All heard from inside a tiny, stone cold room. It was poorly furnished, with only a small cot fastened to a wall. A dirty window allowed for some light from the lightning show happening outside; otherwise, the only source of light and warmth came from a single oil-lit lantern set a few feet away from the cot. The light did not reveal much, only the large barricaded wooden door. The door was old and was chipped in some places. Nevertheless, it served its one main purpose and continued to do so. The room contained an uncertain chill to it, a chill not even the lantern could warm. Needless to say that the paper thin cloth that lay on the cot could not even keep the warmth in one's body either.

Off onto the right of the cot lay a plate of food on the floor. It was no doubt ably as cold as the room itself. Upon the plate was a meal fit for the finest scum. Even so, not all of it was eaten. Half a loaf of bread remained, along with scraps of meat, three slices of carrots, and half a serving of mashed potatoes with the fork still in them. Next to the plate was a glass, a quarter full of a clear liquid; presumably water.

The sound of chains rattling upon the stone floor broke the eerie silence within the room. A bare left foot roamed the stone tiles as the sound of rattling chains continued. The silver chains were attached to the fragile foot. The foot carefully placed itself upon the cot, making sure not to have the chains yank at the delicate skin. Legs went into the chest of a female as thin arms wrapped around them. The sound of the chains stopped as the body ceased its movement, only to be replaced with a long, depressing sigh.

How could she have gotten herself into this mess?

The girl with naturally straight blonde hair that flowed freely passed her shoulders, rested her chin upon her knees. The frown across her pale and thin lips heightened the look of depression within her crystal blue orbs. Her eyes refused to show any light, not even would they reflect the tiny bit of light and warmth the lantern gave from the corner of her vision. She stifled back a shiver as she brought up the back of her right hand to wipe her tiny nose. She then moved her hand to brush away the shortened strands of blonde hair that tickled her face, before placing her hand back in its original position.

She contemplated grabbing the thin cloth laid out in front of her, but decided against it. The thin material would not provide her with any warmth; she might as well accept the fact that her brown shorts, sun-kissed tank top, her black gloves, and the blue cloak she wore over her bare shoulders would be the only materials to give her the slightest amount of warmth.

What would the people of the country say if they ever saw their Princess in such an indecent state?

A melodramatic sigh escaped Princess Zelda's lips. She had to be strong. She not only needed to be strong for herself, but she had to be strong for her people as well. As the days wore on, she was ambushed by the endless tortures and taunts. Each word slowly diminished the hope she had for so long. Perhaps the evil Lord was right. Perhaps he would not come for her. She was just a burden to him anyways, an annoyance that was constantly causing him unjust trouble. No, she could not think like that Link would not truly leave her here to meet her terrible demise. There was not even a slight chance of that being true. Zelda was certain Link was looking for her. Maybe the dark Lord was making it difficult for him to find her. Indeed it is a possible option, and perhaps it was these thoughts of hope that kept the princess sane during her time of desperate need.

Her pointed elf ears twitched in the darkness. Her head quickly rose from her knees. She was shocked. Her blue eyes twinkled with the slightest presence of hope before it vanished. Her ears never twitched, and when they did, it was only due to the fact that a strong magic presence was near by. Either the King of evil was standing outside of her locked door, or something big was happening with the use of magic in which she could not witness but only slightly sense. She moved back into her original huddled position, letting out a third sigh as she did.

Magic.

It could not have been any more useless to her than now. Zelda did not think she could miss her own powers, her predicament however, proved herself otherwise. She did not comprehend the magic the evil man used on her cell when he had imprisoned her. After the fact, unfortunately, she found out her powers could not be used, let alone recognized. She cursed the evil man for this. He must have known Zelda would have used her magic in an attempt to escape, so he rendered her completely useless. He let her live in despair, letting her bask in the knowledge that if she had only been slightly stronger this entire situation could have been avoided. Even though she hated herself for getting into this mess, Zelda never once allowed her guard to break down in front of the dark Lord. Not even when she was alone did she cry, she felt utterly helpless and depressed, but never let the wet liquid from her eyes roll down her pale cheeks. Zelda knew he was laughing at her feeble yet innocent mistakes. She swore on her life the minute she was free again she would make this despicable man pay for his wrongful and evil deeds.

Her ears twitched once again. This time there was a warm tingling sensation to them. She glanced towards the wooden door, seeing if it would open. Nothing of any significance happened. Zelda went back to staring at the unfinished meal that lay on the floor at the end of her bed. As much as she hated to admit it, this tiny cell was beginning to become like a second home to her. As the reality of her position came to her, she began to accept everything for what it was.

There was a thump, breaking Zelda out of her conscious thought. Her eyes eagerly moved towards the door once more. It sounded as if a body was thrown against the door. There was no way this could be real. Her mind was playing tricks on her. No body would be fighting outside her door, or would they? If that was the case, the presence of the magic before hand really did exist. Zelda's heart began to race. There was a battle going on outside her room and she could not see who was fighting who or what the cause of the fight was for that matter. It could be Link. Her heart began to flutter most unnaturally at the thought of his name. For the first time in a while, Zelda felt her lips tug into a small smile. He was here, and he was fighting for her.

The princess inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, all in an attempt to calm her excited body. After all, maybe it was not Link who was outside her door fighting; it could all be a misunderstanding. She felt the sadness overwhelm her as the thought surfaced in her mind. It could not be true; Link had to be out there. Though she could not tell who the magic powers belonged to, Zelda could feel Link's presence. He was outside that door, waiting for the right moment to rescue her.

Her heart began to flutter again and there was a loud crack heard from the other side of the door. Her eyes shot open as she whirled her head around. Within seconds the wooden door that kept her trapped within the room was found scattered into a million pieces lying on the floor. Zelda put a hand to her mouth, trying to inhale clean oxygen as she waited for the dust to settle. The anguish and sadness found within her earlier instantly disappeared as she looked into the doorway. There he stood; tall, dark, and handsome as the light from the hallway gently outlined his tanned body. There was a large sword in his right hand. He continued to grasp it firmly, as if waiting for something unusual to jump out in front of him. His brown pants and green shirt were both ripped and bloodied. The blood did not seem to bother him in the slightest, even as it dripped down his face. He was panting, trying to bring his breathing back to a normal pace. His closed eyes began to open, revealing a dark blue gaze towards the princess. Zelda watched as his tense muscles relaxed and his blond hair covered his eyes. He was obviously relieved to see that his princess was still alive and well.

Zelda slowly placed her feet upon the cold ground, her chains clattering as she did so. No words needed to be spoken. The man in the doorway knew what needed to be done. He placed his sword upon the ground, and then raised his right hand. He mumbled soft, incoherent words. A ball of green light appeared in his hand and slowly made its way to chain around Zelda's ankle. In a quick flash of light the chain was severed. She was free at last.

She stood slowly, unsure how her cramped legs would respond to the sudden freedom. She swayed slightly, and the man took a step forward. She raised her left arm, indicating for him to stop and he obeyed. A smile lit her features as the tears she bottled up for so long threatened to fall. She no longer cared, for she was with him, and now that she was with him she knew he would protect her. A small tear slipped. She threw her arms open, and ran into the man's quickly opened arms, stumbling along the way. Nevertheless, he caught her safely and crashed his lips upon hers. They were both on their knees. Zelda placed her arms around his neck, while he continued to gently hold her back, carefully pulling her close in fear of losing her again.

They broke apart, much to their dismay. She smiled up at him before resting her head on his chest, listening to his restless heartbeat. He then placed his chin up top her blonde locks. They both took a moment to let reality sink in.

"I am glad you are all right, Princess," came the male voice.

"I knew you would come to save me Link, you always do," was Zelda's simple reply as she closed her eyes.

Link's only response was to wrap his arms more securely around Zelda's waist. He looked outside the dusted window. The howling winds, raging waters, and the roaring thunder could still be heard clearly. The lightning could be seen miles away, but none of that mattered anymore. The dark and gloomy weather could not inflict any damage or dark feelings upon the couple's quiet reunion. In fact, their feelings showed quite the opposite of stormy weather. The two were filled with warmth, light, happiness, and bliss, something they were both missing for the longest while.

The moment, however, was not meant to last forever. There was a war beginning to rage on out in the country. The pointless bloodshed and suffering needed to be put to an end. The heroes, who were now basking in each others warmth, needed to prepare themselves for the upcoming battle which, if they were lucky, would not take place for a few weeks. The darkness loomed, cautiously signalling otherwise.

Pushing the morbid thoughts away, the young man pushed the young lady slightly away from him. He overlooked her carefully, scouting for any injuries she may have endured. "Are you all right? Are you hurt, Princess?" he asked.

She let out a giggle and instantly felt relieved and elevated. "Link, how many times must I tell you? When we are alone together there is no need to call me 'Princess'," she smiled, but only for a second before her facial expression grew serious, "concerning your original question, I am fine. I am only slightly fatigued and hungry. I have been in here quite some while, as you already know."

Link smothered Zelda in a bone crushing, yet gentle hug. "I am so sorry, Zelda. I should have been able to have gotten to you much earlier than now," he mumbled into her unclean hair. "I have missed you so much."

"I have missed you a great deal as well, Link," Zelda whispered to him, "but should you have arrived sooner, I fear you would have been worse off. Look at you, you are covered in blood. You must be more hurt than I at the moment."

"Nonsense," smiled Link, wiping some crusted blood off of his face. "My injuries are nothing compared to how much you have suffered," he spoke earnestly. He got to his feet before gently grabbing Zelda's hands and helping her stand up. His face crunched into a look of concern. "Zelda, are you all right?" he asked, noticing the glazed look in the princess' eyes. "Princess?"

Swaying, she grasped her head and stumbled forward. She was caught by Link's strong arms. Zelda closed her eyes tightly, trying to rid herself of her large headache. "What is the matter?" she heard him say softly.

"Nothing," she whispered, attempting to pry herself away from his grasp.

"Why are you struggling?"

Zelda continued to push herself away from him, "I can stand on my own. I don't need your help."

Link watched carefully as Zelda untangled herself from his arms. He noticed her wobble and nearly topple over again. She would have hit the floor had Link not grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the warmth of his chest. Zelda instantly began to struggle again. Link let out a sigh, "Zelda, what did he do to you?"

Warmth enveloped her and her eyes went wide. Zelda turned her attention to Link's left hand. She swallowed hard, there was a familiar glow emitting from the back part of his hand. "No, no, please don't," she whimpered, successfully getting away from him. She rubbed her arms attempting to keep the quickly vanishing warmth inside of her.

"I'm trying to help you, Zelda."

"No, please don't. You are going to need your strength for the battle."

"I'm not going to waste that much magic, Zelda. Even if I do, I am in good shape and my magic regenerates quickly. You're tired because you are deprived of magic. Please Zelda, let me help you," Link spoke, opening his arms.

Hesitation overcame her as she cautiously looked at Link's open arms. Goddesses, how she hating being weak. Zelda shook her head in frustration. "No," she whispered, "I can't." She took a few steps back from him.

"Why can't I help you?" Link asked, raising a brow at her. She continued to move back, before fatigue consumed her and she collapsed onto the floor. "Zelda!" he exclaimed, rushing to her side, wrapping his strong arms around her. He sighed upon feeling her light struggle. Zelda gave up her struggle a short while later, allowing Link to shelter her in his warmth. "Why won't you let me help you?" he asked quietly.

Zelda remained quiet for a moment. She placed her arms around Link's torso. "Please leave me here," she whispered, her eyes beginning to glisten.

"What?"

"You don't understand."

"What don't I understand?"

Zelda sighed, "Link, he is going to kill you. If you waste your time and concern yourself with me then he will definitely kill you this instant. Please leave me here, escape while you can."

"Zelda, you know I would never leave you here alone. My life is not my concern when it comes to your safety," he told her dramatically, determination and lust laced in his tone. His arms got slightly tighter around her glass-like frame.

"Link," she buried her tear stained face into his bloody shirt. "You're so selfless. You're so good to me. I can't believe that you would risk your life for me. I cannot bare the thought of losing you," her voice was severely muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

He chuckled lightly, stroking his fingers through her delicate blonde hair. "Of course I would give my life for you," Link mentioned. He untangled his fingers from her locks, moving them to the base of her chin. He raised her face so he could look her in the eyes. He smiled looking at her soft, watery, blue eyes. "Zelda, I love you. I would do anything to keep you safe," his lips met hers brazenly.

She kissed him back passionately. He was like her water; she needed him to prevent her dehydration. He quenched her thirst. The kissed seemed to breathe some life back into her. Zelda treasured her time with Link, desperately wishing for the moment not to end.

Link drew away from their little moment, gently pulling her back into his chest. "There is no need to worry, Zelda. If we leave right now, I promise that Ganondorf will not find us until you are fully healed."

Zelda looked up at him, her tears had finished their flow. "I don't care about my health. I just want you to be safe."

"I will be," he smiled down at her. "Now, let us get going to the safe house."

Zelda smiled and nodded as Link helped her to her feet. "Yes, let us go home," she spoke quietly, resting her head upon Link's bloody shoulder, relieved that most of the red goo did not belong to him. He would have time to rest before the fight with Ganondorf.