A/N:

*Dark walks into my room*

Me: Hey, Dark! I got a letter and a box for you!

Dark: Hi... *looks at the box with a slight frown* What does fragile mean?

Me: Fragile means that it'll break easily if you get it hit into something.

Dark: Oh... I've been meaning to ask it from Link but never found the chance. =/

Me: New words to learn. =) Just go and answer to the letter and enjoy! ;-)

Dark: *nods, checks the label* Thank you Swamp Dragon Princess! =D *waves a bit and leaves*

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

LETTERS FROM HYRULE

CHAPTER 3: Brotherhood

Dear Dark, Thank you for writing back to me so fast, I really wasn't expecting a reply so quick, let alone one that was so detailed! I did feel a bit bad that the first one I sent was so short. And I didn't even ask if you were well or anything like that, which is terribly bad mannered of a princess, even one that lives in a swamp!

But your reply did put me in mind of something. You mentioned eating sandwiches with fruits in and you also mentioned that sometimes you don't like to open up the bottles without asking permission first. As it happens, where I am from we are very well known for our strawberries (so sweet they can be eaten without adding any sugar)! So I have sent you some of our strawberry jam. I wrote your name on the label too so you don't need to ask or check with anyone if you want some...it's yours...just for you!

I was also wondering if you could pass on a question for Link for me as well. Since you're like his little brother now, I wanted to know what advice he would give to anyone else who had a little brother too!

Enjoy the jam!

Swamp Dragon Princess

PS Don't worry about making mistakes, it's actually very nice that you went to so much trouble to try and get it right!

Dark was reading through the letter with a small smile on his face. He blushed a bit at mention of him being the Hero's little brother. The dark Hylian wasn't fully sure what to feel but he was smiling. "That's kinda cute... I know Link keeps calling me as bro but... I'm not sure if I'm worth of that..." Dark thought and sighed bit sadly.

He had opened the bottle of strawberry jam a while earlier and it was something that was helping his mood a lot. Yet, the dark Hylian was careful not to get the letter dirtied by the jam. "Hmm... Link should be here soon but I think I could answer to most of the letter already." Dark wondered while putting the small spoon down to his night table. "Wish I had few slices of bread, though..." He continued while fetching the needed things to start a letter.

Dear Swamp Dragon Princess, huge thanks for your kind letter! And especialy for the strawberry jam! I really like it! Um... Again, if I write wrongly, I'm sorry 'bout it. (I just realized that I misspelled one word already...-.-')

And you're going to get two letters! One from me and one from Link. I think he's going to be thrilled about getting to answer to your question! Oh, and I'm probably going to share at least some of the jam with him... That is if he comes to here before I eaten all of it. *nervous chuckle*

I'm actually quite... Um... Forgot the right word but I think 'surprised' is close enough for what I'm currently feeling... And that's kinda about you mentioning me being the Hero's little brother. I know he calls me 'bro' quite often but... I dont' know. *sigh* I just mean that

Dark raised his gaze off of the letter when he heard Link come into the room. "Link, hi!" He called happily while putting the pen down. "You really gotta taste this!" The dark Hylian continued straight off when the Hero got to the bed.

"Huh?" Link questioned while half falling to the bed. The sword fighting practice he had given to a group of guards had been quite tiresome. The Hero took the offered spoon while sitting back up.

"Like it?" Dark inquired bit hopefully. Link liked his lips after taking the spoon out. He nodded with a wide smile.

"Yeah... Who send it?" The Hero replied while giving the spoon back to Dark.

"Swam Dragon Princess." The dark Hylian replied. "You want more?" He continued eagerly. Link chuckled slightly while shaking his head. He had noticed the label on the bottle.

"Thanks but you really should hold on to some of the goods you get." The Hero answered while trying to relax. Dark half pouted at the reply.

"But I wanna share it with you!" The dark Hylian nearly whined. Link only chuckled slightly which only got Dark to sigh. "Anyways, you got a question too." He stated while giving the letter to Link.

The Hero sat up and read the letter through. "I'll continue writing my part of the letter... Unless you want to add yours into mine." Dark continued while turning back to his work.

"Nah... I'll be writing my own reply, but thanks anyways..." Link replied bit spaced out. He turned to his own night table while thinking the letter through. Dark glanced at him but stayed silent.

The dark Hylian sighed a bit. "Something's not right..." He thought but tried to push it away from his mind. Dark shook his head to clear his mind, read through his own writing and continued on his work.

I just mean that we're not blood related as brothers should be... Nor half brothers as far as my knowledge goes. What I fear is that... That my past might come to, how he put it once... Bite me? I think that's the way he said it... I mean that I'm bit scared taht I might end up hurting him without meaning to. *sigh*

I've tried hard not to lie to Link. In over all, through out these seven years, I haven't lied more than couple of times in reality. And I hate even that...

Dark was bit startled about what he had written down. "Oh crap..." He thought while blackening the whole paragraph off. "Can't say that if he's up and about to read this..." The dark Hylian thought bit fearfully before already continuing his work.

What I'm trying to say is that the Hyrule hasn't fully accepted me yet and I don't want Link to end up between the possible problems. I care about him a lot... He's the first one who actually has truly cared about me... And I don't want to break that trust...

There are things that I'm not ready to say and I hope you can accept it... Oh... And I just realized one simple thing that I should've mentioned already in the very start... You haven't done any of mistakes, your highness. And, I am very, very sorry if my letters have been... Well, not respectful enough... I'm sorry, your highness, for forgetting the manners of how to reply to a royalty. I hope I haven't offended you for being straight...

Dark nearly slumped when he realized the mistake he had been doing. "I just hope she won't order my death by being so blunt and all... SHIIIIT! I'm such an idiot!" He thought bit fearfully and glanced at Link. "How am I going to fix this...?" The dark Hylian nearly whined. "Should I re-write the whole letter?"

"Um... Link..." Dark called hesitantly while still slumping in bit of fear. The Hero blinked few times in surprise and turned around very quickly.

"What's wrong?" Link questioned straight off while coming to his side.

"I... I think I've done a huge mistake..." Dark half whispered worriedly. "I... I haven't addressed her on the right way..." The dark Hylian explained while the fear started to rise.

Link did the first thing that came into his mind and that was to hug Dark. "Can I read what you've written so far?" He asked carefully. Dark leaned against Link's chest and just nodded. The Hero picked the letter up and read it through. He checked the letter Dark had gained and let the whole thing sink in fully while holding on to Dark.

"I don't think there's anything that you've done wrong. She's happy to have gained a letter from you and she's being quite informal by herself too. So, honestly speaking, I don't see any of problems in here." Link said very calmly.

Dark blinked few times and pulled off of Link's chest. "You sure it's okay?" He asked while still feeling bit worried. Link chuckled and gave another fast hug to him.

"Thoroughly. I don't see any of trouble in here." He stated with a wide smile. "Just be yourself and don't hesitate. I think the letter's great so far. Just finish it off and enjoy of your treat." The Hero continued happily. "So, unless you need me more here, I do have a letter to write too." He stated with a wink.

Dark sighed and relaxed. "Thanks... It took me a while before I even realized the situation. Thanks, Link!" He replied and, before Link had a chance to return to think his own letter through, the dark Hylian hugged him. "I'll finish it off now." Dark continued, let go of the Hero and returned back to his letter with a smile on his face.

Link watched the darker Hylian for a while before returning to his own side of the bed. "Glad I can help him." He thought happily while wondering through the letter. Dark thought for a while before already blackening nearly fully the last paragraph while leaving the first sentence into there.

I... I have lot going on but Link's been there for me for the past seven years or so. And I know he won't leave me on my own either. But... I think I should leave this topic off before I say (or write) something that I'll regret.

So... Um... Sorry for this to come in late... I haven't really written much of letters. Link's got me to mainly just write some sentences over and over as well as few short story like things... And the letters Link has written to Zelda... Well, not formal way... I think... So, yeah...

Um... I've been okay with ups and downs here and there... But, we've always cleared everything out and that's what I'm grateful of. So... How about you? How's the life at a swamp? I think there's a swamp somehwere around Hyrule but not sure about where... Um... I hope you don't mind me being curious... I just like to learn new things. *nervous chuckle*

I hope you don't mind me having longish letter. And I really hope to get a letter from you again! It's nice to answer to letters. Thank You! With best regards, Dark.

Dark read the letter through few times with a smile on his face. He turned towards Link in hopes of him reading it through just in case but stopped on that second. The dark Hylian could easily notice that the Hero wasn't fully okay. "...Link?" Dark called worriedly.

Link was bit startled and he put the pen down while sitting up a bit straighter. "You okay?" The darker Hylian continued even more worriedly. The Hero sighed but nodded. "You sure?" Dark inquired while not fully believing.

"Yeah... This just ended up being a bit harder than what I thought about." Link replied but chuckled then. "Or then I'm just bit tired and my mind isn't fully working." He continued and shrugged.

"Um... You want to check my letter?" Dark asked while hoping to change the topic a bit. Link chuckled again but shook his head.

"Nah. I know you've got it right. I'm nearly done with the letter anyways..." The Hero replied, blinked few times and tried desperately to keep himself in one piece. Before Dark had a chance to continue the conversation, Link already went back to writing.

Dark sighed bit sadly, checked the letter he had written before already taking two envelopes out. He wrote the names to the envelopes before folding his letter into one of them. "Link seemed okay a while ago... Is this my fault?" The dark Hylian wondered bit worriedly while laying down to the bed and staring right at Link's back.

Link had started the letter quite easily but the further he got with it, the harder things went. He didn't want to worry Dark at all but he knew that the darker Hylian could easily notice that everything wasn't alright. Yet, he had to get the letter done before he could leave and get a chance to calm down. The question had sounded so easy but it brought out something he hadn't thought to crash up ever in his life.

Dear Swamp Dragon Princess, I am very grateful for your interest and care towards Dark. He really is needing lot of caring people around him. So, as for your inquiry, I'm not thoroughly sure I'm the right one to answer. Don't get me wrong here! Dark IS like a brother to me and always will be! It is just that... Well, we're both currently trying to adjust to the full concept of brotherhood. And... Sometimes I feel like I'm doing more of mistakes than of right choices. Yet, I will try to answer to your question as well as I can.

First of all I noticed one simple thing... And I hope this is just a simple misspelling... But I noticed you wrote had a little brother... I really hope you're not meaning that someone has lost a younger sibling because that's quite hard... And I truly hope I'll never lose Dark on any of way but I have lost several friends during my lifetime so I do know how that feels. I am very, very sorry if it isn't a simple misspelling... *sigh* But, I'll try and answer to your question as well as I can.

The first thing, and probably the most important one, is to accept the other one fully with all the mistakes and whatnot. And as he's a (or my) little brother, there's few things to remember.

One: He's younger than you / your friend (or me) so depending on the age difference, he'll be acting fully different than what you'd think to happen. On Dark's case... Well, he's physically equal in age with me but mentally... I have no idea. But, if I had to guess, I'd say he's still younger than me considering that I never went back those seven years after saving Hyrule.

Two: Every person is different and unique. The way he'll act will be different from your (or my) way of acting. Don't force him to be something he doesn't want to be! I... I'm probably still needing to learn this part better... Yet, sometimes I'm just worried for him and... Um... Going forward...

Three: Support. He's bound to go on his own ways eventually so what dreams he's ever going to have for his future, just help him to achieve them... Again, this is probably part that I need more of learning... *sigh* Then again, sometimes it feels like he's trying to follow me on every little thing instead of doing things on his own way... But, even then I should be more supportive towards him...

Four:

Link sighed sadly while staring at the letter. "Dear goddesses... I'm a total failure on being a big brother. All I do is just mistakes..." He thought and blinked few times to keep the tears at bay. The Hero glanced once very swiftly at Dark before dropping his gaze back to the letter he was writing. "I just don't understand how he can stand me so well..."

Four: If you are having a fight with him... NEVER hurt him physically NOR mentally! You'll do more harm than good. If you can't stand him, then just WALK AWAY! Take your time to cool off, think the situation through and, if it was your fault, then apologize. Talk about it calmly with him and show him that no matter what, you'll stand beside him through thick and thin. I... I don't know if I'm good one to state that out because I... I think I have said some stupid things when I've gotten mad at him but there are few things about this: One: I have NEVER physically hurt him! And there will never be any of chances for me to do such a thing! Two: I have ALWAYS asked for forgiveness when I've said something very idiotic to him. Three: ...Um... Going forward... Again...

Five: Don't push him. If there's something he wants to tell, he'll come to you eventually. I know I've once again failed this part but I'm just so freaking worried for him! I just want to learn to know him but... I'd better just shut up already...

Um... Yeah, I'm not really the best one to give the advices. I know I've failed thoroughly as a brother. Dark... Actually, he deserves better than me. I always let his physical looks fool me and because of that I keep forgetting that he's just learning new things... I... *sigh*

I'm proud of him. Fully. He's learned so much and... He actually understands me better than anyone else. All I want is for him to be in safe and happy. He keeps freaking me out by risking his own life for my sake... Not that I wouldn't be doing the exact same thing for him, that is. I... I just wish I could show him better that he can fully trust me. He's still not thoroughly believing on that... Maybe it's because of our reputations. Or... Maybe it's just for the fact that I'm not worthy to be his brother.

Link took few deep breaths to keep himself calm. The tears were already rolling down on his face but he didn't want to worry the darker Hylian at all. He dried the tears as well as he could before continuing with the letter.

I... Just remember that your brother needs you and not the other way around. You're the older one of the two of you so you got the responsibility over him...

...I hope you can forgive me for my sad toned letter. While writing this I've realized how much I've wronged Dark over and over again. It's not his fault that everything's so new to him. Nor that I'm having such a short temper from time to time. Or then the fact that I keep pushing him over the edge because I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to help him! ...I truly hope you're doing better job with your brother than I ever can.

With best regards, The Hero of Time, Link... (Probably the worst big brother in whole Hyrule)

Link folded the paper few times while gulping to get the slump off of his throat. "Don't read it, please..." He half mumbled while giving the paper to Dark. The darker Hylian blinked few times in confusion while taking the folded letter.

"Link?" He called worriedly. He stared at the Hero without knowing what to do. Dark glanced at the piece of paper in his hands before returning his gaze back to Link.

"Just... Don't... Please..." Link whispered while desperately fighting to keep his voice steady and strong. "I... Need bit of fresh air..." He mumbled and without even glancing at Dark, he walked out of the room. Once in the hallway, he started to run and search for a good enough hiding place.

Dark blinked in pure confusion and worry at Link's leaving. Reading the letter was more than tempting but he just half slammed it to his night table. "I'm not going to break his trust on me..." He half muttered while putting Link's letter into the envelope where his letter already was. The dark Hylian was still hesitating but eventually he closed the envelope, put it to the next one and closed that too.

Before going to take the letters into a postbox, the dark Hylian made a fast visit at the kitchen. He had no idea what had changed the Hero's mood so harshly, but he was more than willing to fix that. Dark took few slices of bread before already returning to his and Link's shared room. After that he made several strawberry jam sandwiches, left them to Link's night table before writing a short note.

I'm sorry that the question freaked you out. I kinda thought it was something that you would've been more than eager to answer... Um... As a peace offering... I think... Um... Link... Thank You. You've done more for me than I ever could ask for. I just hope I'm good enough brother for you since, well, as a Hero, well... I'm sure anyone and everyone would be eager to be as your brother... Honestly speaking:

Thank you for choosing me as your brother. It means everything to me.

With little brother's love... Dark

The dark Hylian grinned a bit at the short note. There was so much more he wanted to say but just didn't find the right words. "I hope that's good enough." Dark hoped for the best before leaving the room to get the letters mailed.

Yet, by the time the dark Hylian returned back to the room, the Hero hadn't even visited at there. Dark waited bit worriedly for the whole day in the room. When Link finally returned to there, he just mumbled about going straight to bed. Dark was getting even more worried but by the time the Hero came from the bathroom, he went straight to bed.

Dark tried several times to get Link to talk to him but the Hero stayed silent. The dark Hylian couldn't really do anything to fix the situation. He sighed and went to wash up while feeling quite miserable. "What did I do wrong? Things were so well before that simple question for Link." Dark wondered sorrowfully after going to the bed. He stayed awake for quite long time before the sleep overtook him.

In the next morning, Dark found a short note from his night table. While yawning and sitting up, he took the paper up and unfolded it. The further he got on the note, the more he smiled.

Dark, I'm sorry 'bout yesterday. I'm not thoroughly sure what came over me. Before you think wrongly, you HAVEN'T done anything wrong at all. I just wish I'll be good enough big brother for you because... Well, sometimes it feels like you'd deserve lot better than what I can give you... Yet, you've never done or said anything against things. Thank you, Dark... For absolutely everything. In all reality, Dark, you're my life's best thing. Thank You. Your big brother, Link.

Dark sighed happily and lay back down to the bed. "Thanks, Link..." He whispered quietly with a small smile on his face.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Keep the questions coming! =D

Also, flames are accepted but those shall be for Axel's entertainment or for Demyx's practice! =P

Still in working:
1) Do a drawing from one of my stories and I'll write you a story.
2) Send questions to Dark and/or Link! Also, other characters will be answering if you want to send a question for them! =)