A/N: I'm back! I'm really sorry about this taking so long- I've been going through a lot lately. Actually, I'd like to talk about something at the end of this chapter-I would appreciate you reading it. Anyway, on to the story!

Chapter 2~

~Distancing~

Urbosa poured cool liquid into the colorful teacups on her table. Princess Zelda sat across from her, trying to his her nervous hands away from the intimidating vai.

"Alright. Talk to me, Zelda." Urbosa broke the silence with her stern voice. Zelda stared at the cup in front of her, watched the chunks of ice melt in the pink juice in the dry desert heat.

She had nothing to say, because nothing could really be said about what had just happened. It was still so fresh and clear in Zelda's mind...

— Earlier that Day—

"Your Majesty, please come back! Lady Urbosa has requested that you stay in the village until-" a guard tried to call out to Zelda, but the princess would have none of it. She stormed past the vai and out into the dessert, towards the bazaar so that she could be alone for just a little while longer.

She felt stupid to believe that she could actually escape her knight's constant shadowing. Everywhere she went, he came with her.

Zelda thought herself clever, to think about going to Gerudo Town. She had left the castle last night and rode out to the desert all on her own. She had difficulty riding, but she managed to make it to the stable just on the edge of the desert.

She stayed at Gerudo Town, and had told Urbosa that she was conducting a study, her father had approved. Of course, that was all a lie.

She had panicked when she saw Urbosa speaking with another Hylian, one with golden yellow hair. She knew that it wasn't just girl like her; the way that person held themself- She knew that it was a man in disguise.

She was almost to the bazaar, her goal only about a hundred yards away, when Zelda heard something behind her. She spared a glance to see a cloud of smoke, and from the veil of crimson ran a Yiga foot-soldier.

Adrenaline spiked through Zelda and she broke into a run. The assassin was only a few feet behind her, almost close enough to strike with the Demon Carver infamously carried by the Yiga.

By the time Zelda had made it to the oasis at the bazaar, two more Yiga had joined the chase. One shot their bow, and two arrows sliced through the air and nearly struck the panicked princess. One arrow grazed her leg, cutting through her leggings and left a shallow gash in her calf.

Zelda fell to the hot sand, more in shock than pain. The assassins surrounded her so that she had no means of escaping. Zelda squealed her eyes shut and shielded her face with her arm as one Yiga looked over her with their weapon poised to strike.

Sweat and tears streamed down Zelda's face as she waited for the Yiga to finish her off. Her heart pounded in her chest and her mind screamed in fear. This was it, her last moments. With her gone, who would fulfill her destiny. Every second felt like an eternity as Zelda accepted her fate.

But, her bloody demise never come. Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill cry. At first, Zelda thought it was her own screaming, but as she opened her eyes she realized that they belonged to the Yiga who had attempted to murder her.

They had a long gash across their chest that cut through the tight uniform and leaked crimson down onto the sand. The other Yiga fled in fear, leaving their comrade alone.

"P-please! Don't kill me- I was only doing what the master told me to! I beg you!" The Yiga pleaded. A blade was held inches from the mask that covered their face, threatening strike again.

At the other end of the sword stood the hero himself, Link. His sky blue eyes held a fire in them Zelda had never seen before. The normally stoic face of the knight was twisted into a scowl.

Link drew back his sword and struck the mask off of the Yiga's face, leaving the man behind it unharmed, only shocked. Link sheathed his sword and watched the man scamper away.

Link turned to Zelda, and instead of offering to help her off the ground he picked her up and carried her over to the bazaar. Any other time, Zelda would have protested, hit him- done anything but let him carry her like that, let alone touch her.

But this time... She couldn't understand why exactly she just sat idly in his arms. She then realized how comforting it was, to be held like this. Despite the desert heat, the warmth from his body was welcome to Zelda. She felt safe and contempt.

Link set Zelda down under a tent, and hadn't made eye contact with her at all. He dug into his bag and pulled out an old rag, then went and dipped it in the cool oasis water and pressed it to Zelda's wound.

He tied it securely and looked up at Zelda. A nostalgic feel wash over him, and look of recognition flashed across Zelda's face. "You're-"

Zelda was interrupted by the arrival of Urbosa and a few of her guards. "Princess Zelda, Link... Are you alright? Let's get you back to Gerudo Town." Urbosa said with a bit of annoyance which hid her excitement in seeing the two together like they were.

-Present-

"Zelda?" Urbosa said to the daydreaming girl. Zelda snapped back to the present. "Zelda, why did you run?" Urbosa asked.

Zelda sighed. "Oh, Urbosa. I've done something awful. Yesterday- Yesterday I was out studying the shrines and..." Zelda felt her shame creep into her face. "I was just so frustrated- And then I took it all out on Link. I yelled at him, I told him to stop following me everywhere I went! I left last night because I didn't want to be around him. I knew that he couldn't come here- But he did!"

Urbosa bit her lip and leaned back into her chair. "Yes... That was my idea... To disguise him so that he could come into town."

Zelda frowned, however she wasn't upset with Urbosa. After all, she was only doing what she thought was right. "The thing is... I thought I was going to die when the Yiga attacked me. But... Link saved me. He didn't just save me- He fought for me. I mean- I've seen him battling monsters and all sorts- But today was different. It was... I don't know why."

Urbosa smiled. "Don't worry about it, Zelda. In time, you'll figure it out. I promise you. Until then, Link has gone back to the castle to report the Yiga Clan attack. He should be here tomorrow, and until then you will stay here."

Zelda nodded. "Thank you, Urbosa."

Urbosa drank the rest of her drink and stood up. "Now, shall we attend to Naboris?"

Link had been ordered to go back to the castle to report the Yiga attack to the Royal Guard and the Sheikah chief, Impa. After he did, instead of waiting for Urbosa to send someone to get him the next day, he set out to Gerudo Town as soon as he could.

It was dark by the time he made it to the bazaar, and as he didn't have access to Gerudo Town at the moment, he decided he would stay at the inn until he was needed.

Link payed for his bed and laid on the soft mattress. He couldn't sleep, however, and could only think about what had happened that day, and the day before. The princess had yelled at him, which considering she hardly ever acknowledged his existence, was strange and concerning.

She had run from him, used the Gerudo Town law against him. Link couldn't say that it didn't hurt to think about it, being shut out like he was. He just wanted... Well, he didn't know what he wanted anymore. He wanted to protect the Princess of Hyrule, because it was his job.

But, he couldn't help but think that there was more to it than that. He wanted to protect the Princess- No, he needed to protect her. Not because it was his duty, but his right. It was his right to protect Zelda, nobody else's. He wanted to- needed to keep her safe.

And still, he wasn't quite sure why she was so important to him. Sure, she was the princess, but there was more than that.

Link's thoughts were interrupted when a Rito woman burst into the inn. Her feathers were ruffled and sandy, and she looked exhausted. Link heard as she talked to the inn keeper. "... I was making my way to deliver a message to Hyrule Castle- From Lady Urbosa. But, there was a sandstorm over the canyon, near the stable. I got caught up in it- barely escaped with my feathers..."

A message from Urbosa to the castle... Link gathered his things and ran outside, then tossed some rupees to a woman and grabbed the reigns of a sand seal.

It wasn't hard to see Vah Naboris roaming the dunes, and soon Link had caught up to it. While it was moving, he had no way to get in. However, if Urbosa was looking for him he needed to be there. What if something had happened to Zelda?

Without any further hesitation, Link jumped onto one of the legs of Naboris and began to climb. It was extremely difficult, What with it constantly moving and the material that the beast was made of being polished and smooth.

Link shifted to the inside of the leg, and seeing the dock he decided to make a jump for it. He barely grasped the edge of the dock, and hoisted himself up on to of it. He laid down for a moment to replenish his strength and take a deep breath, but was quickly on his feet again running inside Naboris.

Link ran about the place for a bit before finally finding Urbosa and Zelda on the balcony. Zelda was fast asleep, and after a day like the one she had, who could blame her?

Zelda woke with a start. She looked around frantically after hearing the thunderous boom caused by Urbosa's lightning. She sat up and got a feel for where she was, which was difficult in her groggy state. She was on a balcony... On Vah Naboris. And Urbosa was there, and Link...

Link. The very person she didn't want to see right now. "What is he doing here?!" Zelda snapped at Urbosa. She didn't wait for a response, instead she got up and stormed off.

Urbosa shook her head and sighed. "I'll go deal with her. Link, just... Stay here until I get back." Urbosa said and went after Zelda. She turned back and looked at Link before she went inside. "Just remember what I told you."

A/N: I'd like to talk to everyone about an issue that's really important. First, I want to tell you a story. Once, there was a boy who was different from everyone else. He was very outgoing and expressive, and was a great storyteller. There were only two other people in his whole school that truly accepted him, however, and everyone else made fun of him because he wasn't like them. One day, he finally snapped- he told one of his bullies that he would shoot him if he didn't leave him alone. The bully told administration and the boy was arrested for threatening another student. He ended up being separated from his family and is still in juvenile detention.

Now, this story is true, and it happened to one of my best friends. I don't condone his actions in any way, and I won't try to justify them. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to tell everyone that bullying needs to stop. I believe that if everyone worked to help prevent bullying in our schools, shootings and threats could become less common. This is a very important matter and it shouldn't be dismissed. Thank you for reading this, and I hope that you will join me in the fight against bullying.