Disclaimer: I do not own any part or whole of Zelda and/or its characters. Intellectual property rights to Zelda and its characters are owned entirely by Nintendo, and I make no monetary gain in writing or posting this work.

Author's Note: This is the censored version of this story. For the full version, please visit the Tumblr link on my profile page.

I started this story almost ten years ago. It has lain entirely dormant since early 2007. Several times, I tried to pick it back up, but never liked where it took me. I couldn't forget this story and could not leave it undone. In hindsight, it was quite rough. I have changed a great deal of the story as a whole to smooth it out. Formatting dialogue always has and still does bedevil me. If you catch any errors, feel free to let me know. Please, enjoy.

Link sat alone on the banks of Zora's River. He stared into the cold, loud water, the thoughts in his mind jumbled. He wanted to disappear. Nothing made sense to him now. What he had seen not an hour ago sent shocks through his chest, caught his breath fast in his throat. He didn't want to think about it. Tried hard not to think about it. Yet, there she was in his mind, her face blocking out the sun and the blue river below. The water gurgled and rushed over the rocks, its sound deafening. Relations had never been perfect between himself and Zelda, but things hadn't seemed this out of hand. Link clutched his face; shocked, defeated. No matter how hard he worked to suppress it, the events played themselves out relentlessly in his head.

The day had started out like normal. Link rose early in the morning, the first rays of red light glowing in the sky. Zelda slept sound in the bed as he slipped out from under the covers, careful not to wake her. He set to washing in the basin on his dresser and donned his riding clothes. He always started his day with a morning ride. There was a slight chill in the stone halls of the castle as he made his way down to the stables. Servants went about their usual drudgery, looking surly and tired. Link nodded to them as he passed and was met with half-smiles.

In the stables, Epona was awake and eager to get going. Link smiled and stroked her soft mane as she gave him a friendly "Good morning" nudge on the shoulder.

"Good morning to you too, Epona."

She hoofed at the ground and neighed with anticipation. He strapped the saddle on with ease, mounted smoothly, and they rode out at a quick trot. Epona whisked them through the castle grounds, then into the town. The morning was on the cool side with a slight breeze blowing. What Link loved the most about this time of day was its fresh quality. Every morning was a blank slate, a new start. All of the early risers were out and about. Shops were opening, the baker setting out fresh loaves of bread, vendors erecting their awnings for another day of hawking their wares. His ninth anniversary with Zelda was today. Link planned to buy her something nice later in the day; a necklace perhaps. Maybe a bottle of myrrh. He nudged Epona to the right and they turned out of town for the fields. The sun rose fast now, flowers opening and bees starting their rounds for the day.

Link loved nature. Perhaps it was innate. Maybe it was due to those first ten years of his life he spent living with the Kokiri. Whatever the reason, being outside, under the sun and out with nature, Link felt vivid. He couldn't stand spending the entire day inside of the castle. When the King had died two years ago, Zelda inherited the crown and all of the duties attached. Link, luckily, had only become her Consort upon marriage and was free from most of it. He was glad for that. He had no way with politics. Hours-long meetings with advisors and staying inside all day looking over piles of documents sounded like torture to him. On the surface, life was good for Link. He was able to do as he pleased. Riding every morning until noon, visiting friends at his leisure, fishing...

Yet, he and Zelda had drifted apart of late. At the start of their marriage nine years ago, conversation had flown easily between them. Zelda had a mind of unmatched capacity, her look inquisitive and her input thoughtful. Link loved her intellect. Never had he known a wiser or more caring person. He sometimes wondered if she merely humored him. Doubtless, he was not as smart as her and never would be. At the beginning, they had talked all of the time. They discussed everything. Subjects ranged from the innocuous to the taboo. And the sex was great. They had started out by having it about once or twice (sometimes three times) a day, every day. Of course, it tapered off as time went on, but it had always remained frequent - until the King died. After that, everything had gradually changed.

Zelda grew distant. No longer did she run to his arms when she was overjoyed or upset. No longer did she talk to him for hours on end. She didn't laugh at his jokes. She didn't seek to sleep with him. In fact, she all but disappeared from his life. Their words became few and terse. Link was not an effusive man. If something bothered him, he was not one to discuss it. Bottling things up was easiest to do. The horrors that he had seen during the war often plagued him during the night, invading his dreams and turning them dark. He would wake up gasping with Zelda trying to calm him down. No amount of words on her part helped. Over time, as her duties increased, Link stopped talking entirely and she stopped bothering to start a conversation. Terrors from his past and worries of the present all converged into a ball of stress in his gut. He swallowed it down. Vain he wasn't, but one day, Link looked in the mirror and noticed bags forming under his eyes and frown lines gathering on his brow. He stared at his reflection, felt as though it stared back, and wondered if his marriage was dead.

The sun neared the noon hour as Link rode by some trees doing a little target practice with his bow. There wasn't much reason for him to do such things anymore, but he liked to stay in form, just in case. He wouldn't want to turn soft, after all. He glanced at the position of the sun and decided that it was time to go back. Perhaps he could manage to have lunch with Zelda. She could spare an hour or two for him since it was their anniversary, after all. After a twenty-minute ride through the fields, he was back in town and remembered that he needed to buy his wife a gift. Link reined Epona to a stop and tied her to a post in front of a pub. There were various stalls set up in the square, all full of wares ranging from the common to the exotic. He stopped by a vendor who was selling jewelry and his eye fell upon a gold necklace set with large, deep-blue sapphires.

"She would love this,"he thought. "How much?" he asked the vendor, examining the bright stones and delicate gold work.

"600 rupees." the man replied. Link pulled out his coin purse to pay, only to discover that he was forty rupees short.

"Damn, I was certain I had much more in here," he thought to himself. The vendor watched him, expectant. "Um..." Link started. The man snorted, sardonic.

"Let me guess; you don't have enough money?"

"I have more back in the castle." Link replied.

"Sure you do."

"No, really. I promise I do. If you'll just hold onto that necklace a while longer, I'll go get the rest and return." The vendor squinted at Link suspiciously with his good eye. (He was wearing a patch over the other.) After a moment of consideration, he sighed and picked up the necklace, placing it in a box on the floor next to his seat.

"I'll keep it back for one hour," he said, waggling his finger, "but if you don't show up by then, you're out of luck." Link beamed and said his thanks.

He hurried over to untie Epona and mounted quickly. The crowd was more dense than usual this particular day and he had a bit of difficulty navigating his horse around all of the patrons. Finally gaining the path to the castle, he urged Epona into a quick trot and made hastily for the gates.

They were shut.

"How odd," he thought.

The gates were usually wide open at this time of day. In fact, if he was out of the castle, they usually remained open until he returned (as long as it was daylight). Link approached a turret and called out to the guard. There was the sound of rustling and clanking from within the small stone building and the gatekeeper groggily poked his head out of the door. Apparently, he had been napping on the job.

"If you don't mind, could you please open the gate?" Link asked. "I'm rather in a bit of a hurry." The guard squinted, slightly confused, and looked towards the castle and then back at Link.

"But I thought you and her Majesty already..." he started, then shook his head and came out to open the gate. Link thanked him and continued into the vast, lush grounds. The look on the gatekeeper's face had been strange. Link could not recall running into a delay getting through the castle gates before. (Well, since he had married Zelda, anyway.) Something about it bothered him, but he brushed it off as nothing. The guard had been sleeping, so he was probably just confused. He made a mental note to have a word with the man's captain.

A minute or so later, he arrived at the main doors and dismounted swiftly. If he didn't hurry the vendor was likely to sell that necklace, whether he'd promised to save it or not. As Link ran through the halls, the servants gave him pensive looks and muttered amongst themselves, but Link didn't take notice. Finally, he reached his and Zelda's bed chamber and turned the door handle. He was about to enter when the sound of voices stopped him in his tracks.

"Oh, Eamon, my God!" a woman cried. Giggling followed. That was Zelda's voice.

"My dear, you're so pretty all over, did you know that?" a man said.

"Eamon, you flatterer. Oh! Now that's nice."

"Only for you, my dear Zelda."

Link felt his heart stop as the blood ran to his feet. His hand shook as he held fast to the door handle, his breathing shallow, short. There was more pillow talk and giggling. Link thought he might faint, or kill someone, perhaps both. He eased the door open a bit and almost cried out at what he saw. There was a man, in hisbed, wearing one of histunics, servicing hiswife. Burning anger choked him, drove him forward. Link flung the door wide and strode over to the bed. Wordless, he grabbed the offender by the collar and jerked him backward off the bed.

"Bastard!" he growled, and yanked the man upward, then punched him hard across the nose. They stumbled and fell down in a tangled heap. Link held the interloper tight by the collar and gave him a hard, fumbling punch in the eye.

"Link, stop it!" Zelda bellowed. Link ceased his assault for a moment and rounded on her.

"How could you!" he shouted, tears burning his eyes, his voice breaking. Zelda glared at him, wrapped in a sheet.

"I think you should leave," she said, ice in her words.

"But Zelda-"

"Please. Leave."

Panic gripped him and he stumbled towards her, tears threatening to break.

"Zelda, please, I love you." He grabbed handfuls of the sheet about her, desperate for purchase.

"No, Link. Leave, before I summon the guards." Her words were cold, flat. He held tight to her sheet for a moment, shocked, anguish building in his chest. Zelda stepped backwards with some force and he released her.

"GO!" she shouted.

Link shot up and darted from the room, flinging doors open as he went, knocking over vases and dodging servants. He burst through the front doors and leapt onto Epona, urging her into a gallop. He rode like a man on fire, clods of turf flying up in their wake. They cleared the castle grounds and the town in three minutes flat before reaching Hyrule Field. He rode Epona at a full gallop until she worked into a lather and they had to slow down. When she couldn't go farther without a break, they stopped by the river where Link now sat.

He continued staring into the water from his spot on the bank. Half of him wanted to jump in, give up, and float out to sea with the current, never to return. For Goddess' sake, he had been blind. No wonder the sex had suddenly stopped. Zelda was getting it somewhere else. Link didn't know whether he should feel angry, or sad, or both. He felt as if he would burst in anguish. Nine years of his life he had given to her. In fact, more than nine. He had given up his heart, pieces of his soul, all because he loved her. He loved her still.

Pain coursed through his heart. The blood in his veins pulsed with acid. He wanted to die and felt as though he were doing so every time the memory played itself out in his head. What was he to do? Zelda had as much as kicked him out of the castle. He had nowhere to stay.

"Who would want to help me in this state, anyway?" he thought glumly.

He wondered about what had driven Zelda away. Perhaps she had never really loved him. Perhaps he was so loathsome in personality and physical appearance that she had to seek out someone better. Or maybe he was awful in bed? Link had always prided himself on his sensitivity and sexual prowess. There were many times he had brought Zelda to climax of such intensity, she had shouted his name out over and over again. And yet, she had taken on another man. Although, at this point, reasons didn't matter. It was clearly over between them.

He paused in his thoughts for a moment, staring blankly at the water as it swirled around the rocks lodged in the riverbed. He couldn't sit here forever. Already, his backside protested his extended repose on the hard ground. The sun rode a bit lower in the sky. Link guessed it to be about four o'clock. The way he saw it, he had three options; sleep under a tree for the night, stay at an inn (and blow a good deal of his rupees), or visit a friend when he didn't feel like talking.

The tree sounded pretty good. However, the wilds of Hyrule weren't exactly safe at night. Link cast his gaze in the direction of Lon-Lon Ranch. It was about a three hour ride away. He had no desire to stay in town and Kakariko was too far to reach by nightfall. Link stood and stretched the kinks out of his muscles. He whistled low and long. Epona trotted up over the embankment, eager to leave. She whinnied happily and swished her tail.

"At least I can be sure that Epona still likes me," he sighed.

As he and Epona rode along across the fields, Link couldn't help but rehash all the things he'd ever done to upset Zelda. The time he had gone out to do target practice rather than eat lunch with her. The time he had accidentally broken her favorite antique doll. All fairly minor. Then, there was the time he had proclaimed that he hated her father. It had been years since he'd uttered those words. His outburst about the King had hurt Zelda, deeply. Link had never apologized to her for it. Could that be the reason she had grown distant since her father's death? Of course, Link had needs and feelings, as well. He was a man of few words, but he was still human. He could still feel pain. The King had harbored an intense dislike for him right from the start. Link never wanted to hate his father-in-law. What he had said to Zelda was unfair. She had no way of controlling her father. A well of frustration over the conflict had built up within Link over the years. One day, during an argument, it came flooding out without warning in those venomous words.

Link was a commoner, a nobody. Not royalty. Not a prince. Certainly not rich and, therefore, not worthy of consideration or respect among the noble classes. No one knew about the sacrifices he had made. Not one person had any inkling of what he had done. The King didn't see the scars on his body every night after he bathed. Zelda did. Yet, not even she knew all the things he had seen and done. She didn't know he had lived two realities. She couldn't see the toll his memories took on his heart, his mind. Yes, he had grown quieter over the years. Things were festering inside of him. The late King's legacy of unyielding disdain was merely one more thing on top of what troubles were already there.

Lon-Lon Ranch loomed in the near distance. Link hadn't visited in ages. Talon the ranch owner and his daughter Malon had always been welcoming towards him. It would be nice to see some friendly faces, despite the ugly circumstances prompting his visit. The gates to the ranch were still open. At least he wouldn't have to wake anyone. The sun was already sinking in the west. The smell of manure and hay drifted heavily in the air as he passed the threshold. Talon came around the corner almost immediately with a pail of water as Link entered. His face broke into a wide grin.

"Well, I'll be. Look who it is, Malon!" he called out.

Link gave Talon the best smile he could muster and dismounted. Malon came out of the stables a moment later, her hair mussed slightly with a small smudge of dirt on her left cheek. Link was struck by how beautiful she looked in the setting sun; hair so red it could rival the color of fire. A pang shot through his chest suddenly, thoughts of Zelda crashing down on him out of the blue. In that instant he saw his wife instead of Malon. Hair of gold, not fire. Anger, pain, and despair welled up within him and tears threatened to come again. Malon smiled at him and waved.

"What brings you by this late in the day?" Talon asked. Link shifted his weight from one leg to the other, feeling awkward.

"Well, I was out riding and lost track of the time. I wasn't prepared to camp out over night, and your ranch was nearby..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say next. "Yeah, great job, Link. That was really convincing." He mentally berated himself for sounding thick. Malon walked up to him, wiping dirt from her hands with an old towel.

"It's been a long time, Link," she said. He greeted her in turn, handing Epona's reigns to Talon, who had his large hand outstretched. Talon smiled warmly.

"Mal, honey, Link is going to be spending the night. Would you fix the guest room up for him?"

Malon nodded and turned, walking toward the large ranch house. Link thanked Talon and followed. It was as though his body was not his own, moving, talking, acting like nothing was the matter. He felt riled, vulnerable. He couldn't think of a time in his life where he had felt more confused. Once inside, Malon showed him to the guest room and set to turning down the bed.

"Have you eaten supper yet?" she asked, while fluffing a pillow.

"Um, no. But, I'm not really hungry tonight. I had a big lunch." His stomach growled as he spoke. She looked upon him with concern, but didn't press him with questions.

"Well, if you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen cooking."

Malon made her way out and closed the door with a soft click. Link stood there for a moment, embarrassed by his inability to tell a good white lie. There were so many emotions flying through him that he again felt as though he would burst from overload. He hadn't felt this unsettled since he was a teenager drowning in hormones. Slowly, he sat himself down on the bed and started removing his boots. Perhaps a little sleep would do him some good. He took his tunic, hose, and cap off next, laying them in a neat pile on a chair.

As he slid down between the cool, soft sheets, his thoughts turned to what he would do with himself. Where would he go? All of his possessions were at the castle, and he doubted that Zelda would allow him back inside to retrieve them. Truthfully, he wasn't sure that he wanted to go back. The idea of returning for any reason made his stomach turn sour. For a while, he lied in bed pondering and feeling wretched, until his thoughts became hazy and disjointed, sleep coming down on him like a thick blanket.

Someone giggled in the distance. Link stumbled forward in boots that were too large for his feet; he was shrinking as he walked. Trees sprung up around him and the sun shone brightly overhead, the light burning his eyes. The giggling continued, ringing off the blue walls of the world.

"Zelda?" he called out. Someone darted behind a tree. He ran clumsily forward to catch whoever it was, but when he reached the tree, no one was there. He turned, searching the area with his eyes, when a pair of cold, white hands suddenly covered them from behind.

"Guess who?" a woman whispered. Link turned about and saw Zelda standing there, beautiful, seductively beckoning to him. He fell into her arms, kissing her soft lips, clutching at her back, desperate to hold her close and not let go. A deep shudder flew from him as he lowered his head, kissing the hollow of her throat.

"Oh, Link, I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do this," she moaned. There was a sudden, sharp pain below his shoulder before he could answer. He stopped kissing Zelda and looked into her eyes. They were black and empty, soulless. Another pain erupted in his back, followed by another, and another. He saw a dagger in her hands and she laughed, high and cruel, the sound echoing in his ears. Blood filled his mouth, tasting horrid, coppery and thick. All around them were souls of the dead from the war. He was screaming, terror spilling from his eyes, mouth and ears.

"Link! Link! Please wake up!"

His eyes flew open and he could hear himself gasping and coughing. Another night terror. He felt like he was going to be sick. Dry heaves wracked his body. Covered in cold sweat, he clutched his head in his hands, blood thundering in his ears. Tears streamed down his cheeks. A pair of strong arms encircled his shoulders and pulled him inward. Link leaned into Malon's chest, sobbing and gasping, uncaring if anyone heard.

"She hates me," he choked. Malon shushed Link and held him firm, trying her best to calm him. After a minute or so, his sobs quieted and he shivered.

"She left me, Malon," he whispered. "I found her with someone else. She doesn't want me anymore. I'm worthless!"

Malon shushed him again. "No, you're not worthless, Link. Of course you're not. Don't ever think that."

"But she left me. How could I be anything else? It's all my fault. I shouldn't have said all those things to her. I should have tried harder!"

"It's okay, Link. You didn't make her go to someone else. She did that, not you. You're a nice person, please don't blame yourself."

Malon held him for a time, wordless, until Link was again calm. She ran her fingers through his hair, silky and fine strands soft between her fingertips. Link sat up and dragged a hand across his face, searching for relief, some sort of mental clarification, anything. His fingers drifted downward and found their way to Malon's bare shoulder. He sighed at the softness of her skin. She was smooth, juxtaposed against the harsh dread in his chest. A sigh escaped his throat and he felt as though he was deflating, moving again into her welcoming arms. He leaned on her heavily, his hand roaming upward to her neck, then her face. His thumb brushed over her cheek. He could feel her warm, moist breath as his thumb traversed her lips. Link wanted nothing more than to feel better.

He brought his face up to meet hers, unconcerned that he was this close to a woman who was not his wife. Malon saw where things were headed and she started to turn away.

"Link, I don't think we should."

"Please, I don't want to be alone." he answered.

Malon turned back and looked in his eyes. Even in the relative dark she could see that they were filled with pain, sadness. By Goddess, she pitied him. She had always longed for him, since the day they'd first met. Now here he was, begging her for warmth. The temptation was too great. She wanted this. It was wrong and regret was certain to follow. Yet, she leaned in, cupped his face in her hands, and they kissed gently.

Malon was no stranger romance, but the way Link kissed her now made her shudder. As though shackled to her spot, she couldn't pull herself away. Damn the consequences; she was unwilling to break this intense moment. Link leaned back and, for a moment, Malon expected it to be over. Then, his lips moved downward to her throat and he kissed her lightly there, his thumbs working in circles over her shoulders. Together, they lied down on the bed, his kisses moving lower to her clavicles. Link realized that what he was doing would fix nothing. Rejected or not, he was still married. But he needed this as much as he had ever needed anything. He felt emasculated and desperate.

Malon's breathing grew shallow and quickened. It had been a long time since she had gone this far with a man. Link's hands strayed. She did not protest, but sighed with anticipation. As his hands caressed her, their lips met again, their bodies close against each other. She ran her hands down his back, stopping to rest on his hips. She again felt nervous at the prospect of what they were doing. Link met her gaze at that moment, and she was transfixed by his eyes, piercing and deep blue. Those unmistakable eyes. The pity and desire welling up inside her was overwhelming. What they were doing was sinful. But for the life of her, she didn't want to stop.

Malon touched his face and urged him to kiss her again. Their lips met with fervor. She kissed along his jaw line and gently nibbled on his earlobe, rolling his turquoise-studded piercing against her tongue. Her fingers swept along the firm definition of his muscles. She reveled in how pleasing they were to the touch. Link let out a sharp breath, a deep groan escaping his throat. He could hardly stand it; the sensation overwhelming. He was nearly in tears with the wave of emotion that broke over him now.

"Oh, Malon, dear Goddesses," he uttered.

They leaned in, taken entirely by their need. For the next hour, caution thrown to the side along with their garments, they indulged in one another. At the end, Malon breathed a contented sigh and ran her hands over his chest. She leaned forward and they kissed again before she moved to lie next to him. Link scooted close to her and she extended an arm. He rested his head on her shoulder, his arm draped across her middle. They kissed languidly for a while, then drifted off the sleep holding one another. Link's nightmares held at bay for the remainder of the night, and he did not rouse again until the sun painted the sky in hues of rose.