Ch. 1: A Personal Journey

"This isn't up for debate, Zelda," Link said, defiantly crossing his arms. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were torn and wrinkled and a foul stench radiated from him.

"All I'm asking," Zelda said, a pleading look in her slightly water filled eyes, "is that you think this through. If you go out to sea with how injured you are, you may not be able to make it back."

"By that logic I shouldn't have made it back from Labrynna, which I did by boat and during a thunderstorm. Why should this be any different? Because I'm not going off on some quest to rescue you or because I'm not doing something related to the Triforce?"

"No, of course not, Link, but-"

"But nothing, Zelda! If it's not different, give me one good reason why I shouldn't leave. Please, I would love to hear what reason you could possibly think of."

Zelda winced as she contemplated telling Link how she really felt about him. She had wanted to tell him for quite some time now how she felt whenever he was around. She really did consider it, if only for a moment. Then she thought about all of the problems that could arise if she told him she wanted to be romantically involved with him. Would he question her motives for contacting him from the castle after Agahnim took over? Would he blame her for his uncle's death, assuming he didn't already hold her responsible for it? Then again, Link didn't know that she had contacted his uncle shortly before asking for his help.

"Zelda," Link said, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Do you have a reason or not?"

"I guess I don't," Zelda said at last. "And you're right; it's not different. I just worry about you, Link. You've fought so hard to protect me and everyone else in Hyrule, and I want you to enjoy the peace you've helped to bring to the people here."

"I hate to be the one to tell you this," Link said, his tone lighter now, "but Hyrule is far from peace. Ganon may be dead, but the people are unruly. They're looking for someone to blame for all of the destruction Agahnim and Ganon caused as well as someone to place the blame on for Ganon's near escape from the Dark World. Even worst than that is there are still people convinced that Agahnim had Hyrule's best interests at heart even though they saw first hand what his true intentions were."

"That's all the more reason for you to stay. The people will listen to you. You can tell them the truth and they will believe it more than if I were to tell them."

"It doesn't matter," Link said shaking his head. "There will always be Hylians who will question whatever they're told no matter who is saying it, even if the truth is staring them straight in the face."

Those are just the small minority though. They have no real pull over what goes on."

"But they're the most vocal about their opinions. Eventually they always manage to rope in someone with enough influence into following their twisted logic. It's gotten to such a degree that I'm not even sure I want to save Hyrule again should I need to."

"Come on, Link. I know you don't really mean that."

"No, I do, Zelda. In fact, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even consider coming back to Hyrule. Now that I think about it, I probably wouldn't have saved Hyrule to begin with if if weren't for you."

"What do you mean?"

"That night after you contacted me from the castle, begging me to help you, I knew I had to do something. After I found my uncle dying outside the castle's entrance though, I knew it was only a matter of time before he would be taken away from me. It was then that I realized that I didn't have anyone else that I really cared about. As far as I was concerned, if he wasn't going to be in my life any longer, I didn't have a reason to stick around Hyrule, let alone try to save it's princess."

A puzzled look came over Zelda as she processed this new information. Link had told her before that his uncle was killed in his attempt to save her, something that at the time she knew had a very real possibility of occurring and why she decided to contact Link shortly after she had asked his uncle to come, but until now, she didn't know just how close they were. "So then why did you still decide to come to the castle?"

"With my uncle's dying breath, he asked that I save you, and I had only intended on doing that and then leaving Hyrule. But then you were so insistent to save Hyrule even though it meant risking your life. I knew then and there that my uncle would have wanted me to do everything I could to try to help you. But it wasn't just that. I wanted to help you. I wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to you because of how much you cared for the people here."

A sorrowful look came over Zelda's face, but she quickly replaced it with one of gratitude, hoping that Link hadn't noticed the change. "And you did," Zelda said, gently placing a hand on Link's face, "but now is the time to rest and rebuild. We must make a continuous effort to thrive, otherwise it will be as if Ganon won and destroyed Hyrule."

"You're right." A smile leaped across Zelda's face when she heard Link say that. "But I still can't stay."

"Why?" Zelda asked, a frown quickly replacing the overwhelming smile that just a few short seconds ago she thought would never fade.

"I can't sit still," Link said, quickly looking over his shoulder as a mouse scurried along the ground behind him.

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked as Link turned back to face her.

"I can't focus . . . I'm hearing things, seeing monsters that aren't really there. Everywhere I go, I'm plagued by something that I've had to fight. I just . . . I need to clear my head and get away from all the noise here. I know it sounds silly, but I can't stay here or I'm gong to go crazy."

"It doesn't sound silly," Zelda said with a sigh. "It sounds like you need an overly concerned princess, or now queen I guess, to quit giving you so much trouble."

"I know you mean well, but this is something I have to do."

"I understand." Even if I don't like it. "But will you at least clean up before you go? That smell could make a fish feel nauseous. And they smell like . . . well, fish."

"Yeah, you're right," Link said laughing. "I'll go clean up, but then I'm leaving right after that."

"And you'll take the Master Sword and Mirror Shield?"

"I can't. They'll just remind me of the thing I'm trying to get away from."

"You are a skilled swordsman, Link, and how you manage to master almost any weapon within minutes of getting it is beyond me, but without your weapons, you're as good at defending yourself as a Keese without it's wings. Would you at least consider taking something to defend yourself?"

"I guess I can take my uncle's shield and sword."

"Wouldn't a shield like the ones the Knights use be more useful?"

"I don't plan on fighting anyone. I'm only taking them in case something does happen and I need to protect myself. Besides, this is a personal journey. It's only fitting that I take my uncle's shield and sword."

"Fair enough. Now go clean up. You're stench is starting to burn holes in the ground."