I don't want to lose you.

Chapter 2
friend or foe

"YOU'RE MEANT TO BE MY FRIEND! OUR FRIEND! WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING ME?" Link yelled out as he blocked yet another attack, sending Nabooru Flying backwards.
"Me and My tribe serve the master now."
"YOU ARE THE SAGE OF THE SPIRIT TEMPLE! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Link furiously snapped as he tried to corner the tanned woman. She was an amazing fighter though and easily jumped up, flipping in the air and landing behind Link.
"Once I have finished you I need only take Zelda to my master..."
"NO! I won't let you touch her." Link growled beneath his breath. He had only just got her back, they kissed...It was meant to be happy ever after when you kiss.

Link glanced over at Zelda. She still hadn't woken. She was pale now and he could see her chest heaving as if each breath was incredibly painful. Link felt dread, confusion and pain. He couldn't let her die...but he also couldn't kill Nabooru. He remembered how she had always been his friend, never wanting to follow Ganondorf. Why would she follow someone now? Link jumped as Nabooru's spear threatened to slice him and quickly he ran to his bag. He dodged each attack whilst hurryingly searching his bag until he finally found the object he had been trying to find. Pulling out the megaton hammer Link smashed it against the wall of the small cave. Nabooru gasped as she quickly jumped backwards and watched as the cave collapsed.
"You are so determined that the master not have her, you kill her?" She pressed her ear near the rubble and could faintly hear Epona stamp her feet as Link tried to calm her down.
"No...You only wish to cut me off." She corrected herself and sat down watching the wall. There was only way out, and she will guard it.


Link finally calmed Epona down and quickly grabbed his clothes, getting dress as fast as he could. He packed up his things and then looked at Zelda, then at her clothes.
"Damn...okay Link, stop acting like a ten year old and just dress her! She is practically clothed already just suck it up and do it." Link picked up her dress and blushed slightly. He felt like crying. Why was it so hard to dress her. He had slept with her holding him for the last few hours so why can't he just do this.
"I'm really starting to wonder if I really did get the triforce of courage. Maybe I got the triforce of bashfulness. WHAT KIND OF GUY AM I!" Link whined. He had never been like this before the kiss. Why did that damn kiss have to change everything! He was beginning to wish she never kissed him. Link groaned and turned around to face Zelda, but before he had a chance to get up the nerves to dress her, he watched as a small blue stone fell from her pocket and landed near his feet, Smoke engulfed him and he was left coughing, hoping she didn't have poisonous gas in those things.

Opening his eyes he was amazed to see he was now dressed as Sheik. "so cool. So this is what she does!" Link felt he looked really good in Sheik's outfit. He looked a bit more muscular then what Zelda did in it, a little cooler he would think. He dug into her pocket and pulled out the small blue balls along with some purple ones.
"Blue is Sheik so purple must be back to normal! I'm so smart." Throwing one at his feet, his confident smile soon faded as he looked at the princess dress that he now wore.


Nabooru jumped a foot in the air when she heard Link scream. Her heart pounded in fear as she readied her weapon. "What the hell is going on there?" she questioned.
"WHERE'D MY CLOTHES GO? WHERE ARE THEY? THAT'S NOT FAIR THEY VANISHED! WHERE ARE THEY?" Nabooru raised an eyebrow at this unusual rambling and wondered if the lack of oxygen in the cave was starving his brain cells.


Link, deciding to stay as Sheik rather than princess Zelda, Had also thrown a Sheik pebble at Zelda, grateful that it worked even when she was lying down. It definitely made it easier to avoid this new found bashfulness that seemed to cloud his thinking. Maybe they could pass as brothers? He had to find someone to look after Zelda whilst he found the antidote.

"Zel...Come on, wake up just for a little while okay..." Zelda forced her eyes open but was already drifting off again.
"Zel you need to play a song to warp. I can't warp you or Epona with me. Zel..." Zelda forced herself to sit up.
"Link...M-My har...p..." Zelda collapsed but Link was quick to catch her, holding her close to his chest. She had no energy at all and Link couldn't warp her or Epona. The only way out was through that wall he had made. And he knew Nabooru was waiting for him.

"H-Harp." Zelda tried to say again. Link reached over for her harp and sighed. Was she really trying to warp in her condition? He sat there quietly and continued to hold her close just staring at the harp. It was then he saw a scratch on it. Looking closer he followed the scratch with his finger and was shocked to see a secret compartment open. He lay Zelda down so her head was in his lap and pulled out a heap of paper. He gasped at the amount of songs there were! Ones she had taught him and so many he had never heard... including one called the song of invisibility, the song of silence, the song of strength, the song of sleep... The song of sleep. He grinned as he pulled out and followed the melody...


... Link opened his eyes and felt starved for air. His vision adjusting to his surroundings he realised he was still in the cave and it was obvious that oxygen was thin. 'Damn it' he thought to himself, forcing himself to stand. He woke up Epona and looked at the song once again. Okay it was obvious that anyone hearing the song fell asleep, not just the person you wanted to fall asleep. This will be harder then he thought. But he had solved many puzzles in his many heroic adventures and surely he could get out of this. He looked over at Zelda once again and saw that in the peaceful sleep of the song she seemed to be breathing better then before. Although that wouldn't last long if he didn't get them out of here.

He ripped some of the bandages that bound his chest, he could only guess they were the ones that the Sheik outfit usually would have bound Zelda's breast to make her more boy like. He shook the thought from his head before he could blush again and worked at stuffing the pieces of bandages in his ears and Epona's. Epona shook it's head and grunted at Link but he ignored her. After all he couldn't very well carry her out. Playing the song of sleep again he was pleased to see the bandages did their job.

It was easy to sneak past Nabooru after knocking down the wall but as he held Zelda close whilst riding Epona he began fearing if he could trust anyone. He saw Malon riding a horse through Hyrule feilds but she stopped to talk to one of the gurudos. She said she would keep a look out for Zelda and the master will be the first to know.

He travelled all the way to find princess Ruto feeding Jabujabu but she also was telling her father that Zelda had escaped and the master was not happy.

No matter where he tried, every friend he had met, talked about killing him and taking Zelda to the master. Link felt betrayed and alone. Although he didn't really go on adventures with anybody but Navi he still never felt alone when every place he went had an ally. But now he had no one to trust. He still didn't know who the master was! But he had to find out and destroy him, that he was sure of. However he couldn't leave Zelda alone.

Deciding Epona was a obvious give away to his identity he let her run free and continued carrying Zelda on his back. He could feel her fever growing hotter by the minute and it only proved to scare him more. He felt completely useless for the first time in his life since he became the hero of time.

"Link...Is that you." Link's heart jumped in fear and he quickly turned to see Impa only a few feet away. He began to run when she grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks, and thrust her hand to Zelda's forehead.

"What happened to princess Zelda?" She asked as she refused to let his arm go.

"The master." Link said suspiciously as he watched for any reaction at all.

"the master? What are you talking about? I leave for 3 days to pick up my new weapons and when I get back everyone keeps attacking me. Then I find you with Zelda so sick and trying to run from me! What happened?" Link smiled and finally let his tension melt away.

"Impa...We need somewhere safe to hide. Can we go to your place?" unbeknownst to everyone but Link and Zelda, Impa not only had her room in the palace but she had a little house in Kokoriko village where her family was.


After Zelda was laid in a nice warm bed and Zelda had explained about his recent adventure in saving the princess, the house was filled with silence. Link watched Impa as she sat by Zelda's side, deep in thought. Link's eyes wandered around the room, his attention span being that of a four year old, until Impa spoke

"When I got back I was attacked by a goron and a gerudo. They were trying to slip a necklace around my neck. The way our friends are behaving...what if they are wearing a piece of jewellery that controls them?"

"But Nabooru wasn't wearing any necklace." Link sighed. With Nabooru's skimpy clothing it was hard to miss a new piece of jewellery.

"That's all I can think of. So what will you do hero of time?" Link really wished Impa didn't say that. He wished he didn't have to be a hero right now. He was tired, sore, cold and muddy and the last thing he wanted was to go out and fight his friends. But one look at Zelda's pale face erased all those thoughts. He will get to the bottom of this.

"I will go and get Navi first. With her ability to find an enemy's weak spot maybe she can find this supposed jewellery on our friends. Then I will get some answers to who the master is." Impa smiled at the wisdom in his choice and could tell that he alone was the one to carry the triforce of courage. She took one look at his sad expression as he gazed at the sleeping Zelda and smiled.

"Link. I think that is a wise choice. I will look after Zelda. But before you go I need to get some cold water for her. Please watch her for a moment." And with that, Impa left. Link waited till the sound of her footsteps disappeared and then he rose to stand by Zelda's side. Carefully he lay on the bed, pulling Zelda close to him as he kissed her forehead. He held her for ages hoping time would freeze...if only for a moment.