CHAPTER 4

The phone inthe room rang, and Link rushed to pick it up. "Hello?" he panted, still stressed from the random attack.

"It's Zelda. Link, come downstairs. I need to talk to you."

"No way," said Link. "From now on, I'm not saying anything without my lawyer present."

"Please," she begged. "This is important. Façade isn't even here; he went to the spa to get his face frozen by Botox. Oh, and to get a haircut-thanks a lot by the way!"

"Well excuuuuuse me, Princess," said Link.

"Link, it's like, your fault, and you know it," she scoffed.

Link ignored her. " Botox," he snickered. "I can't believe he…no, wait, yes I can. Seriously, Princess, how could you be interested in a guy like that? Are you blind?"

"Are you saying I should be interested in you?" she countered. He could detect the stubbornness in her voice, but he wasn't up to dealing with it.

"I'll be right down," he told her. He hung up and went downstairs to find Zelda waiting at the bottom.

The feeling that you love someone who will never love you back, or at least not in the way you want them to, is like a knife that's being stabbed repeatedly into your heart. You can't run from it-you can only run from the person. However, with time, the pain begins to ease, until, slowly, it fades away forever.

This wasn't the case for Link, however. He was the Hero of Time; he could live through all eternity and fight to save the Princess from whatever monsters Gannon might cook up,and no matter what, he would always have to see her face. He would always have to feel his love for her burning in the depths of his heart. And she would love someone else.

"Link…I really think you should apologize," Zelda said stiffly.

"Is this what you called me down for?" Link said, disgusted. "You want me to admit something that's not true? You want me to pretend I was wrong? Is that really how you think it is?"

Zelda looked at the floor.

"You know, ever since I've come here you've bossed me around," Link continued, his anger rising. "Maybe all I am is a servant to you, though Heaven knows I've wanted to be more. If that's true, then you can have everything else, but I'm not giving up my dignity. Especially not for some Prissy Prince who prances…"

"Link," Zelda interrupted. "You're spitting on me."

"Oh," he said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Sorry. But you get what I'm saying, right?"

"So, what are you saying?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

The muscles in his face tightened with frustration. "I'm saying that…you can have him, but don't expect me to have anything to do with you! I'm leaving! Just leaving!" he scowled.

"Where will you go?" she asked. "You need this job."

"I didn't need this job," he said in a quiet voice. "I needed you. Good luck with Prince Fancypants rescuing you from Gannon. Once he gets his shirt dirty he'll run screaming for his mommy."

"So, I guess this means you're not going to apologize?" she asked in an infuriating display of indifference.

"Princess, for the love of Aquamentus! No, I'm not going to apologize! Because I'm not sorry I did it! I'm glad I did it! In fact, I wish I'd done more to him! GOOD BYE Princess!" Link spun around and stormed out the door.

Then he walked back in because it was the basement door.

"Like I said," he declared. "After I pack I'm leaving!"

"Well maybe being up there packing will give you some time to cool down," Zelda retorted. Secretly, of course, she wanted him to stay. There was something about him she liked, even if it wasn't entirely enough to have her head over heels in love. It was too bad there couldn't be a guy with Prince Façade's charm and royal status mixed in with Link's dark good looks and adventurous spirit.

But, alas, there wasn't. Such a man did not exist.

Zelda was wearing a stunning nightgown of dark blue, which accentuated her sapphire eyes. Her face reddened as she watched Link stomp up the stairs. Instead of chasing after him, she went over to the mantle where her mother's jewelry box was kept to look for her diamond earrings. When she opened the wooden box, she gasped and her eyes went wide with shock and fear.

"Link!" she cried. "Link, wait!"

Link bolted down the stairs. It was a reflex, responding instantly to any cry for help from the Princess. "What is it? What?" he demanded.

Zelda's complexion had turned a pasty white. "All of my jewelry," she said, "…it's…it's GONE!"