Okay I lied, I said I wouldn't update in a while but while I was painting I had a wonderful idea for the story and I had to write it on the computer before it escaped my head, and then I figured since I'm already on the computer I might as well write Chapter 4...so I did as you can see, and Twilight Stallion you will find out pretty soon why Link is being such a grumpy pants perhaps in chapter 6 or 7 idk i still have a few kinks to work out yet

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda, however I wish with all my heart I did

Chapter Four

The Master Sword

Link awoke the next morning in Dr. Borville's office, he was laying on an extremely uncomfortable hospital cot that reeked of mold and overpowering meddicine. Link tried to sit up but when he tried to move his head throbbed intensely and it felt as if he had just been hit in the head with a hammer a thousand times. "Aggh." he moaned out in pain clutching his head in vain to try and ease the throbbing. He then retried to sit up but this time he moved more slowly crepping his way up inch by inch. Link had been removed from his tuxedo and was now garbbed in an embarassing white hospital gown that smelled like bile. Looking around the small medical center Link noticed that he was the patient there, Dr. Borville was no where to be seen or so Link thought. Dr. Borville had conveniently popped out from behind one of the hanging hospital sheets. His grey hair was sticking up crazily resembaling a weak mane and his eyes looked ten times bigger with his obnoxious spectacles.

"Ah..Link. I've see that you're finally up. You've been out for a week. Gave the town quite a scare you did." Dr. Borville strode over to Link, his back was hunched over and he was walking very slowly. "Sit up straighter." he ordered as he pushed in the middle of Link's shoulders blade causing Link's head to explode in pain. Link gave a yelp and the doctor looked slightly amused. "I see you're head still hurts. Now swing you're legs over the bed." Link didn't know why the doctor was telling him to do these things since he was forcing him to do it anyway. The doctor checked Link's reflexies and then moved on with the rest of his examination. He cheeked Link's ears and after he was finished with that he had grabbed Link's eyelid while he checked Link's pupils making sure that they were dialating correctly. Then without warning the doctor had jammed a small wooden stick in the back of Link's throat. 'Hmm...it all seems normally, except for when I do this." the doctor noted on his clipboard and then proceded to hit Link in the head with it.

Link gave out another cry of pain, "Don't do that, it hurts!" Link yelled at the doctor as he snatched his clipboard away from him and rubbed his aching head gently. "What happend to me anyway?" Link asked, he was curious to why he was so much agony and also why he had been knocked out cold for a week.

"You fainted and then cracked you're head on the cobblestone." Zelda said appearing from somewhere in the small medical center, her face held no emotion. "Doctor, if you would excuse us." Zelda said giving the doctor a look that Link couldn't quite place his finger on. Maybe if his head didn't hurt so bad he would be able to think clearer.

"Oh course, I needed to get more medicine anyway." the doctor mumbled he was a terrible liar. Zelda watched the doctor until he had closed the door, even after he had left she continued to say nothing but instead just stared at Link. Link didn't like it, her stares made him nervous, he was curious about the events of the night but he was afraid what she would do if he asked, but then again his curiousity got the best of him.

"Did you find out who was laughing?" Link asked as he tried to make out Zelda's expressions, but it remained emotionless, like stone.

"Link..that was you." she said while she took a seat in the wooden chair next to Link's bed. "After you stopped laughing it's when you fainted." Zelda had refused to meet Link's eyes yet, she kept her baby blue eyes focused on the candle on the right side of Link's cot.

"No, I heard it. I wasn't doing it. I remember now, I stood up and then I heard laughter, you must've heard it, it was loud, I couldn't hear anything else, and then...I blacked out, and now here I am." he said growing angry with Zelda's actions, he couldn't do much to grab her attention, he had sank back into the smelly cot since it was easier on his skull and even when he did this she just averted her eyes and started at the cabinet in the back of the room.

"Link it was you, many people heard you." Zelda said, Link noticed that she was scowling a bit.

"No, I remember I-"

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS. I DIDN'T COME HER TO ARGUE WITH YOU." she shouted, she looked at Link as if daring him to speak again. Her voice immediately became more calm. "I came to discuss you're sword. The guards told me about it."

"Oh no, they told her how I had put up a fight. What was I thinking? I should apologize." Link was about to say he was sorry for his irrational actions but Zelda was quicker.

"It's not a soviner. You've wrecked everything. After you defeated Ganondorf you were supposed to put the sword back in the stone from whence it came from. This was supposed to banish Ganondorf from every coming back and it would lock him into the Sacred Realm. But..you're incompetence has doomed Hyrule. For all we know he's back already." Zelda's teeth were clenched and her fists were balled up tightly. "All that work was wasted." she continued.

"Wasted? Wasted?" Link said glaring at Zelda. "I did all the work while you sat idily by in the castle. I was the one who saved everybody in Hyrule. I was the one who collected the fused shadows and the mirror pieces. ME. I WAS THE ONE THAT SAVED YOU! DON'T TELL ME THAT MY TIME WAS WASTED! YOU WEREN'T THE ONE WHO WAS THRUST A SWORD AND TOLD THAT YOU WERE THE ONE THAT WAS THE CHOOSEN HERO. YOU'RE NOT THE HERO OF LIGHT? ARE YOU? MIDNA DID MORE WORK THAN YOU. YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT MY TIME WAS WASTED!" Link was breathing heavily and he was seeing black dots in front of his eyes. When his vision was restored made a point to look at Zelda. Her face was bewildered and she suddenly looked depressed. Link stared at her until she looked away from him. "If anything it's you're fault. No one told me that the master sword had to be put back." he growled at her, he liked making her uncomfortably she deserved it. "Everybody praises her because she's the princess, how dare she blame it on you. You could put an end to her life...not now, when you're alone." Link heard this voice in his head, it sounded strangly familiar, it was altered a bit though, darker more menacing. "I'm going insane..." Link thought to himself and then for the first time Zelda had appeared it was like he realized who he was talking too.

He cleared his throat. "Have you taken it back to the Temple of Time?" he said in a kinder tone.

Zelda answered him in a monotone voice a look of pain was etched across her delicate features. "Only the sword's master can return it to the pedestal. Take it, I told you about the sword Link." Zelda said as she quickly dropped the Master Sword by Link's feet and in one swift move she was gone.

"We need to plan, her time can end very soon you know." the menacing but familiar voice said. "Don't talk to me. You don't exist, I'm not crazy, I don't talk to people in my head." Link thought desperately. "It's just the side affects, it'll be gone when my head stops aching." "I'm afraid not, I've been here this whole time, you're just know awknowledging me. It's okay it'll all be over soon." the voice in his head said. "What? What will be over soon?" "You will see when it's too late. I'm getting stronger, soon...soon." the voice repeated. "What is soon?" Link asked the voice. "What is soon? Are you the reason why I've been acting differently?" but the voice had disappeared. Link felt more alone then ever.

After a long period of waiting for Dr. Borville to return Link had grown impatient and decided to take matters into his own hands. Standing up Link tried to ignore his massive headache and frantically searched around for his clothes, he scurried throughout the medical center pulling open cabinets searching for the tuxedo he had worn the previous week, when Link finally found his clothes the whole center was in dissary, files, bottles, pillow sheets, and hospital gowns were scattered about the room, Link was in too much of a hurry to clean these things up, he picked up the Master Sword and slung the strap over his shoulder, he hastily dug the horse charm Ilia had made for him out of his pockets as he stepped outside of Dr. Borville's. Whistiling into the ebony shaped horseshoe he played a Epona's favorite song and on que his faithful mare appeared by his side, she had scared a few of the townfolks in castle town but Link was in too much of a rush to say any apologies. He quickly gave his horse a swift kick in the ribs and she gave out a loud whiney and gallopped into Hyrule Field. Link was being inconsiderate as he kept kicking Epona urging her to go faster until she neighed in disapproval and slowed down to a slow trot.

"Go you damn horse!" Link shouted at the stubborn mare underneath him. Epona didn't respond to her master but instead kept her steady pace. Link kept shouting in her ear and kicking her in ribs but she refused to listen to his cues. "Go!" he shouted one more time quite loudly as he yanked on Epona's bleach blonde mane, she didn't like this, she started to make an attempt to buck Link off of her saddle and when he was nearly off she bolted leaving her master in the dust.

Link cursed loudly at Epona and he ran after her until she was out of his view sight. He was in the Faron Woods near Coro's house so it wouldn't be a long run to his house. When Link arrived to his humble home in Ordon he noticed Epona was with Ilia in the spring. When Link got a closer look he noticed that the area around Epona's saddle was pink and raw, Ilia had obviously noticed this too since as soon as she saw him she gave him the death look and then returned to lovingly stroke Epona and bathe her in the spring water. Link ignored them and ran into his house, he changed into his green tunic and grabbed a few necessities. He packed the Hylian sword and the Hero's Bow just in case he came across any danger along the way. It was going to be difficult to run with all the extra weight on him, and since Epona was with Ilia it was out of the question to attempt to ride her again.

Link stepped outside with great resentment towards Ilia and Epona, he had just gotten off of the ladder when he saw Jade appearing from the Ordon Spring. "Need a ride." she offered, she was dressed more boyish today, she wore long black loose fitting pants and a dark purple blouse that had a black leather belt fastened around her middle and her black hair was now straight and she was wearing a pair of knee high black patent boots, she had been riding the large black stallion Link had seen outside of Castle Town and at his party. "It's okay Malakai won't hurt." she said jumping off of the horse. Link looked abashed.

"Zelda told me, I know about the master sword, I was working in the castle when Ganondorf first appeared." she said in an attempt to make Link feel better. "I was hoping I could come return the sword. I've never been any farther than Castle Town, this was the longest journey I've made my whole life." she laughed almost nervously.

"Will we fit?" Link said motioning towards the large black horse. The horse was large but Link didn't know if it was possible to fit two people on without being in one another's comfort zone.

"We should be able to squeeze on." Jade said, her emerald eyes glistened with playfulness? Link wondered. Link mounted the big black horse and held on securely to the reins Jade then jumped on from behind with ease, it was clear that she was skilled with horses. "His a good horse, he won't tire out, you know I've won the championship with him four years in a row at the annual horse race." Jade gloated from behind Link.

"We'll see about that." Link said as he gave the horse a quick kick and they started out on their adventure to return the master sword. The horse bolted and Jade quickly wrapped her arms in freight around Link's waist. Link smiled as he again kicked the horse, it jolted again as Jade screamed and wrapped her arms around Link's waist again.

"Don't do that!" she yelled as she hit him playfully from behind. The trip wasn't a long one since the temple resided in the far east part of the Faron Woods, Link and Jade almost dismounted Malakai in almost perfect unison.

"Now...all we need is to find a cuccoo." Link scrounged around the area looking for the golden cuccoo that lingered around the area, as Link did this, Jade untied a long piece of raggedy rope from her belt and tied a noose to fit around the horses neck, she tied the large stallion to the nearest tree double checking to make sure that the rope was secure. Link had appeared with the golden cuccoo above his head, he looked at the rope around Malakai's neck.

"He doesn't listen very well so I have to tie him up to make sure he doesn't run away." Jade explained blushing a bit, it wasn't embarassing to tie up her horse but whenever Link looked at her she couldn't help but smile. "And what are you looking at me weird for, you have a golden cuccoo above you're head." she emphazied the golden bit.

Link smiled knowing that she wouldn't enjoy the next part of the trip. "We have to ride the cuccoo over that chasm." Link said as he walked over to the edge of the woods. To Jade it looked more like the end of the Earth.

"That dinky little cuccoo is going to magically fly us over to the sacred grove?" she questioned him, raising her eyebrows at the ridiculous looking animal he held in his arms.

"How'd you know it'd called the sacred grove?" Link furrowed his brow.

"Oh I read it in a book." Jade said, she looked extremely nervous, Link couldn't help but chuckle, he didn't think it was too scary flying with the strange bird, he had seen worse.

"Trust me." he said extending an arm out to the jittery female. When Link said those words it pained her, she gave him an exasperated sigh. Link hoisted her up on his back at she wrapped her fingers loosely around his neck being careful not to choke him. "Okay, here we go." Link jumped off the edge the the golden cuccoo fluttering wildly above his head, they glided over the neverending chasm and floated over to a small ledge. "Okay now we've got to go again. Last time I promise." Jade took one last look at the world above, glancing at her agitated looking stallion before she squeezed her eyes shut again. She felt Link descend leaving the earth behind, and for a while, when she closed her eyes she felt as if she was flying. She dared to peak and to her alarmness they were still gliding across the end of the world. She screamed and closed her eyes again tightining her grip. Link didn't mind though, it amused him, he thought it was cute.

When they had finally reached the ground Jade let go of Link immeadiately and collapsed on the ground. "Oh I will never leave you again." for one split second Link had thought Jade was talking to him, but then he quickly realized she was talking to the dirt. "Well, come on I've got to hurry." Link said getting back to business, his blissfullniss was wearing off. Jade stood up quickly looking rather embarassed as she wiped a few pieces of grass off of her blouse.

"I'll never get used to that." she sighed.

"What do you mean? That was only you're first time." Link said joyfully, he was starting to become happy again.

"I mean, I'm not going to like flying over the earth ever." she said getting defensive, her features were pulled into a pout. Link stared at her warily for a moment. "Well, come on I've got to hurry." Jade said mimcking Link's previous words, she unsheated a fine looking sword from her back. Link had just noticed it for the first time.

"Do you know how to use that?" he asked her eyeing the weapon she held in her hand.

"I hope so." she sighed as they continue to trudge through the forrest.

Link was grateful that the skull kids weren't around to play, he had already wasted enough time at the hospital and when Epona wouldn't cooperate. Link quickly navigated through the all to familiar forrest quickly leading the two towards the Sacred Grove where the master sword would reach it's final resting place. The two Hylians chatted merrily as they walked through the forrest, when they finally reached the Sacred Grove both male and female stopped in silence. Link had seen the place numerous times but he would never get used to it's beauty, being untouched by humans for so many years had made this place remarkable, everything was green and the water was crystal clear, the old statues that had once guarded the Sacred Grove stood nobly by the entrance, greeting the lucky person that would step foot into this enchanting forrest.

When Jade saw these things she ran forward and into the resting place of the master sword. "How did she know where it was?" Link thought but then pushed the silly idea out of his head, he was being ridiculous, he needed to learn how to trust people. It was just hard after Midna left Link had vowed never to allow himself to get so emotionally attatched again. But maybe he would make one exception.

Link stepped through the two stone guards and marveled the grove's beauty once more, he looked down at the large trifore that stood behind him. "Courage, Wisdom and Power..." he spoke these words quietly, he then looked forward and saw the pedastal. Jade was waiting impatiently near the stone.

"Wait Link before you do put it back I have something to ask you." Jade ran up to Link and then spun him around so that he was facing towards the triforce. "What were you going to do at that party?" she asked catching Link off guard. He hadn't thought about that since he had woken up but as soon as Jade had mentioned the scene it reappeared still fresh in Link's mind. When Link didn't answer her right away her eyes flickered over to the pedestal. He was about to turn around when she grabbed his cheek with her hand, she leaned in forward almost replaying the whole ordeal again, except this time they had her and Link had switched roles. Not wanting to waste another moment Link leaned in and kissed her. It didn't last long for Jade had pulled back and was now blushing profoundly.

"Sorry..." she said her face turned a bright pink color.

"Don't be." Link smiled, he had almost forgotten about all of the troubles in his life and thought only of her. The two looked at each other sheepishly both blushing madly when Link moved away awkwardly to go place back the Master Sword, it was the only thing he could think of to do. Link gave one last look at the beautiful sword, it had taken him on an amazing and exhausting adventure, he would miss it. As he slowly placed the sword back in the stone he felt a wave of sadness wash over him, the sword began to glow and wind gushed around Link whipping his hair haphazordly. Link felt as if a part of his life was being yanked out of him, making the void in his heart expand. But then he turned around and saw Jade's smiling face, and that void began to close.

Jade and Link had spent the rest of the day wandering around aimlessly throughout the land of Hyrule, when dusk began Link invited Jade back to his home in Ordon to meet some of the villagers, his heart soared when she agreed to accompany him. Epona had thankfully forgiven Link so now he and Jade could talk side by side as their horses carried them throughout the land. Link felt as if he was in a dream, however bad today had been, Jade had made up for it, he had been the happiest he had been in a long time and he finally felt at peace.

Rusl was happily awaiting for the two when they entered the small town. Link politely introduced his new friend to the townsfolk, everyone greeted her with friendliness with the exception of Ilia who had grunted a quick hello before she had stormed off into her house.The Ordon women were cooking a feast for their new found guest while the men were questioning her about her "impressive" blade.

"How skilled are you with the blade?" Rusl asked challenging the young women, since Rusl had been the one who taught Link all the skills he knew, Rusl liked to know that he would always be the best swordsmen after Link, and when he would defeat his foes he would always brag that they could never win since he had been the one to teach the "Hero of Light" everything he knew.

"Not well." Jade admitted trying to avoid a swordfight with Rusl.

"Oh please. Here I can train you. Look at how well Link turned out." Rusl smiled broadly as he quickly took out one of his many swords. "Come come, I'll teach you." Rusl said helping Jade up to her feet. Jade was in fact a terrible fighter, Rusl been practicing with her since she had arrived, when dinner was ready, served and then eaten Rusl insisted they practice more. Near the end of the night Jade was finally able to parray Rusl's attacks.

"I need to be going." Jade said, it was now just her and Link sitting together near the Ordon Spring. "It's dark out, Zelda will be furious when I get back." Jade laughed lightly as she stood up and untied Malakai.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Link asked hopefully.

"I promise." she said before riding off.

Jade rode fast and steadily towards the castle, something about the night made her uneasy. When she snuck into Hyrule Castle and past the guards she went past the gardan and into the secret entrence, when she closed the door, she realized that she wasn't alone.

Hehe the end..of chapter 4...so you wondering why I had a change of heart so soon? it is because I also realized that today is the day that Harry Potter 7 comes out and I will be reading that quite a lot, so yes updates will be delayed, that and my room is still being painted! It is quite tedious and i wish i wouldn't have decided to do it, but it will look schweet even though nobody helps me, my mom was like you had to paint it yourself if you want it grey, and i was like fine, and then i actually went through with it and then...okay sorry I'm rambling...Sorry! Stay tuned...the next chapter I'm hoping will be out by next week.