Chapter Two

"You know, Zelly," the man said with a sly wink, "this is actually when you run into my arms and give me a heartfelt hug. Or a peck on the cheek."

The man continued. "It's been a while. Seven years to be exact, I would think." His tone suggested that he was stating a private joke, but any jest he might have made was lost on Zelda.

She wasn't listening to him. She heard his voice, but was unable to comprehend his words. Her eyes locked into the sword, and everything else in her field of vision seemed to jerk around her. She placed her fingertips at her temples to steady herself, but her eyes wouldn't rest. She swayed dizzily—or was it the room?—and suddenly stars of blinding, blinding green light, burst into her vision, invading all reason—her eyes rolled back into their sockets, and the scene before her dissolved into blackness. The man in front of her winked out of existence, and Zelda found herself falling into the depths of her mind.

Her dream…

We were there. The sword stood in front us, proud, old, and tall. We were successful, but despair racked my body. Gripped by fear and misery, I fell to my knees and let my tears fall freely onto the cold stone ground. The boy next to me noticed my grief and bent down in front of me.

"Zelda," he explained desperately, shaking my shoulders. "Zel, listen. Zel, it's got to be me. Like the prophecy said, remember? I have to pull out the Sword, and seven years will pass, and I'll defeat Ganandorf. Then I'll come back to you, I promise."

"I know, I know," I sobbed, "but why does it have to be you? Why couldn't someone of crime do such a terrible job instead? Why do they want someone pure like you to suffer?"

He looked away, and stared at the sword. It now seemed to glitter evilly, as if rejoicing in our sorrow. Each flash was a mocking smile. Quietly, he murmured, "Because a criminal wouldn't make it. I won't die. I won't let myself die. I wouldn't be able to die…"

"And how do you know that," I demanded. "Anything could happen!" He stared into my face, and I could see a determination raging behind his eyes. Desperate to finish what he started to say before his courage failed, he squared his shoulders. "Do you remember when we first met, Zelda? I remember when I first saw you… You were in your garden. When you heard me approaching you looked up. But instead of being frightened, you let the most beautiful smile cross your face. When you smiled, it was as though time stopped—my heart beat like crazy, and I fell in love instantly. I won't die… because I would want to come back to find you. Because I love you." Embarrassed having revealed so much, he avoided my eyes carefully.

Despite the gravity of the situation, I couldn't help but giggle. He glanced at me apprehensively, and I drew him in tight. As he returned the gesture, an infinite calm spread throughout me. I savored the warmth of his grasp, the safety, the comfort it brought… I closed my eyes and sighed. I lifted my head and pressed my lips gently to his cheek. He shivered with excitement.

"You," I whispered, "are the true bearer of the Courage. The Sages were not mistaken in choosing you. You are the true Hero of Time. I…"

There was the shuffle of his clothes rustling, and the temperature around me dropped. The feeling of security vanished. Before I had registered that we were no longer held in a firm embrace, the boy had already stridden purposefully towards the sword. His footsteps rang throughout the room as he ascended the steps that led the hilt, where the Sword stood, waiting. A quiver ran up and down the blade, as if it knew that its true owner had arrived. The boy would pull it out, and its power would be unleashed. There was a destiny to be fulfilled. The boy looked back, his face heroic and shining, and grasped the pommel with both hands.

"No!" I gasped, "No, wait! I—"

He tightened his grip. With a grunt, the boy he pulled at the Sword, and with a rasp and a deadly hum, it swung into the air. Sword in hand, the boy spoke.

"Zelda," he said, face grave, "wait for me. Seven years… I'll come back for you. I promise. I promise…"

He stabbed the Sword into the air. The sword glowed, and a halo of emerald light burst from the tip of the blade. The light careened into the air, then bent over. It cascaded downwards, and engulfed the boy in a waterfall of shining jade radiance. His formed, barely visible, ripped from behind the curtain of light. The circle of light bent inward, and the swept underneath the boy's feet. He began to rise into the air, still holding the Sword up high…

With a cry of surprise, I struggled to my feet. I wasn't about to let this destiny make him suffer. I ran over to grab his ankles and pull him down, but was dismayed when I found that he was no longer solid. He was becoming a part of the light, and his body began to diffuse rapidly in particles. I had to watch as the boy I knew so well crumbled before my very eyes. As his neck started to dissipate, he twisted his disembodied head around to gaze longingly at me. His smile was reassuring, but his eyes were clouded with uncertainty. As his face started to melt away into the air, he closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards….

And then he was gone. The green light swirled away into a black vortex, and stole him away from me. Stole the boy I had come to love.

With a howl of pain—one that could still not express the anguish that coursed through my veins—I threw myself forward and clawed the air where he had vanished. I thrashed violently, as though I could rip the air open and grab him back. I ran to the empty hilt and attacked that too, but he did not return. He did not rematerialize, and I knew that he would not be there to hold me, to reassure me… for seven years.

I dropped to my knees, and tears splattered the floor.

"I didn't get to tell you that I love you too…"

Please rate and review! You can tell me if you enjoyed it… or if it made you twitch in disgust. Either way, let me know!

-evett