This story promises to be fairly interesting. I must say I was very proud of the title. I do not own Legend of Zelda.

Chapter One

Homeless Hero

Link woke screaming. The lady at the inn was shaking him awake. "Blasted child!" she yelled, "You're waking all the guests!"

Link's eyes snapped open, wide, wild and terrified. The room was shivering in a memory of terror. Panic riddled him, dreams of being seized by a power so much greater than him, tearing his shape as he contorted desperately in space and time, sucked into the grasp of a wooden mask until he became what it kept inside. He was cloaked in sweat and his heart pounded in his jaw. The lady who ran the inn had smacked him to get him awake; his cheek still sang with the numbness. He sat there quivering, chilled with sweat, the face of the inn lady drooping as she watched him. He looked so sad, so frightened, and so alone.

Back in Termina, Link had a purpose, a reason to endure the horrors thrown at him, but now that he was safe in Hyrule, his mind wouldn't let them go. Every night they ravaged his sleep, if he managed to sleep at all. He had barely slept since he made it out of Termina, as exhausted as he had been. Where was he supposed to sleep anyway? He'd been kicked out of half the inns in Kakariko and Castletown for screaming until all the guests were woken, and the dark and damp of the temples only worsened his fear. Zelda had tried to house him when he told her of his plight, but he was hauled screaming from the castle and dumped out on the path in the wee hours of the morning, once again, for screaming.

The lady sighed. She felt sorry for the poor boy, trembling, his eyes framed by deep circles that had collected beneath them.

"How many inns have you been kicked out of?" she asked gently.

"Six," he sniffled.

"Does this happen often?"

"Every night."

To say her heart went out to him would be an understatement. "Do you have any family?" she tried.

"No," he answered.

"Friends?"

"They left me," Link wiped his nose. He was utterly miserable, and there was no one he could go to. He no longer had the heart for the play of the Kokiri in the forest—after so much had happened, he couldn't think about silly things anymore. And even Navi, bound to him by the Deku tree, had left. He realized now how much he had taken her for granted. And in trying to find her again he had wound up in Termina. His days alternated between numb to everything and too tired to do any more than lie in Hyrule field until the Stalphos woke at night, and his instincts made him fight.

The inn lady was still watching him. "So you're all alone, huh?"

Link nodded miserably. He had done so much for Hyrule, and through it all he had never made a place for himself for when the battles were over and his spirit was weary. Darunia was busy ruling a kingdom, Ruto wanted to play trivial games, and though Saria would sit beside him in silence for hours, he knew that she didn't understand him. The Gerudo had turned him away from their gates, and Malon would watch him with big eyes and ask what had happened to him, why was he so sad? Why could he never sleep? Why are you crying?

If Link had an answer to those problems, they wouldn't be problems anymore. He would do something to fix them. But he didn't know what to do. And so he sat there, shivering on the bed as the inn lady watched him sadly.

"Now lift your sword a little bit more…that's it!"

A toothy blonde two-year-old grinned up at the Hero of Time, his huge wooden sword making him look all the smaller.

"There you go! Now try and block me again—great job!"

"Link! It's time for supper!" called Zelda from inside.

The toothy two-year-old gave Link a huge grin, which the Hero returned. "Go on inside to your mother. I'll take your sword," he said as the boy went bobbing off.

As he watched the little boy be greeted by a hug from Zelda, a tall man came to stand next to Link.

"Well, Hero, how does my boy fare in swordplay?" the man asked.

"Very well, Your Majesty," Link returned. "I daresay he lives up to his namesake."

The King chuckled and lightly punched Link in the shoulder. "We named him after you for a reason," he chuckled again, "I only hope that when you have a son of your own, you don't do the same thing."

Link laughed wholeheartedly. "That would be very confusing indeed, Your Highness."

"Yes, it would, Prince Link running around with your son Link….and if you were there as well it would greatly complicate things. Prince Link, Real Link, and Link Jr."

"You are very right, sir. I can only hope that one day I am graced with a son as wonderful as your own," Link replied.

The King chuckled again. "I'm sure you will someday Link. After all, with half the women already naming their children after you, the ones without children would all be more than glad to take your hand. And not being tied to royalty, you would be free to marry whoever you like," he said kindly. "I do ask though, that you decide soon. The ladies of the court simply dissolve into giggles whenever you enter."

Link snorted. "Well, you know what they say, there's nothing like a man in a green tunic."

The King howled with laughter.

"Even if that man is about seven years behind in aging," Link added.

"I don't think that sways you, Link. Though it was surprising when Zelda's attempts to send you back to regain those years failed."

"Yes, it was rather strange. But I am glad that I get to spend time with your son, King Jerome."

"And it is a pleasure that my son has his own namesake to guide him," King Jerome answered. "But if you excuse me, I must go and eat dinner with my family."

"It was a pleasure speaking with you, as always, Your Highness," Link answered, bowing deeply to the King in farewell. The King returned the gesture with his own shallow adaption, and then headed off to where his son had run, still laughing and shaking his head.

As he turned back to see the King greeted by his two-year-old son, a sadness settled in Link's chest. He was happy for Zelda, very happy.

But he had never gotten the Princess.