A/N: o.O I really have no excuses for this being extremely late except for me being lazy. It really shouldn't take me this long, but alas...

And as you may have noticed from the last chapter, I am not good with the action scenes. As always: Enjoy! And sorry for the long wait, I've been caught up in Skyward Sword :) Hero mode is kicking my ass. Finally finished it though :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda

Heroic Assassin

Chapter 4

"Wake up, Sweet Cheeks, we're here."

I'm jostled awake by Link's deep voice humming in my ear. I grimace when I feel my sore limbs burn from the awkward position I've been sleeping in. I lift my head up off of Link's chest, squinting from the bothersome rays of sun, and straighten myself from my slouched state.

"Where's here?" I ask sleepily, forcing myself to wake up from my light slumber. One of these nights I'll have to calm my senses down to actually get decent sleep, because these past few nights have not been good to me.

"Somewhere in eastern Hyrule Field, I believe," Link replies evenly. I rotate my shoulders to relieve them and take in my surroundings. Indeed we are in the eastern part of Hyrule Field with Zora's River steadily running through it, connecting all areas of Hyrule together like one working network. Following the river with my eyes, I can see where it runs all the way to Castletown's drawbridge in the distance. The castle itself is reflecting the sun's rays with its white-washed bricks. The flags flapping in the breeze no longer hold the royal family's insignia: golden phoenix wings spanned out to hold the Triforce in place. Now the flags are merely a blood red color, contrasting greatly with the deep blue shingles of the castle's towers. Already the castle looks darker, more menacing like it did many years ago in the time of Heroes, Sages, and Dark Lords.

"Why are we here exactly?" I inquire, watching as Link dismounts and leads Epona over to the river for a refreshing drink. Instead of answering my question, he just shrugs and crouches down to gather water into his hands.

He has no plan...

"Why are we here, Link?" I say more forcefully, jumping down from Epona and walking over to him. He still doesn't answer me. "Do you even have a plan?" I ask accusingly.

"My initial plan was to escape without being killed, take you even if you went kicking and screaming, and stay hidden for a while," Link finally explains, really shedding no light on the situation. Great, now Link is not only wanted by my guards, but also his pack of assassins as well.

"Yes, and hiding out in a field is such a great idea. No one will see us in an open field." I really didn't mean for that to come out so cold and sarcastic, but it was too late. Link stands, making himself taller than me and causing me to have to look up at him instead of down. If I could see his eyes I'm sure they'd be glaring daggers at me and my accusations. His mouth says enough though, a tense flat line slowly curling into a scowl.

"I'm beginning to wonder why I made the insane move to take you along. You're nothing but a pain in my ass," Link hisses through clenched teeth.

"I don't know why either. You could have just kept me back at the hideout." No sooner had I said it am I wishing I could take it back. I wouldn't have even wanted to stay in that downright degrading place. The corner of Link's mouth twitches before he voices my thoughts aloud.

"And get ravished by the other drunken assassins? I would have loved to see how that would turn out. Or you could have been found by Ganondorf and tortured, leaving you begging for death," He chuckles humorlessly, stepping back to allow us both some room to breathe.

"You don't know what Ganondorf is capable of, Blondie, he would have killed you if I had left you behind," Links says matter-of-factly and my temper rises, flowing over at his naivety.

"I know full well what he's capable of! I've seen his sadistic work up close and personal. I've been through his torture, Link." Memories resurface from what seems like a lifetime ago of Ganondorf, of him murdering my father right in front of my childish eyes, slaughtering the town citizens, leaving the survivors to die at the cold hands of the ReDeads, destroying the once fertile land of Hyrule, and even tormenting Link in the final battle. I force myself to push those unwanted thoughts away and blink back the tears threatening to slip out at the mere thought of the Imprisoning War.

"You haven't the faintest idea what Ganondorf is capable of, Link. I know him better than you." We both know much about Ganon, but Link just can't seem to remember what kind of real impact Ganon had to his life—to ours. Although I am partly held accountable for that. Perhaps if I had not lost my memories of our parting in the clouds, I could have prevented this from happening: Link becoming a wanted assassin with a high bounty on his head.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Princess. Your mind isn't connected with his now, is it?" Link says, tapping a finger to his temple for emphasis. "If I really wanted to, I could know his every thought," He tells me and my rage takes a nose dive at this new information, my eyes widening with disbelief.

"You what?"

"Our minds are connected. It's kind of like we share minds; he's in mine and I in his. I really can't dumb it down any more than that, sweetheart." Ignoring his subtle insult and yet another name, I press on.

"You didn't perform a...a blood oath, did you?" He looks at me as if I've suddenly started talking Ancient Sheikah.

"I'm not stupid. I know what I would be signing away if I did that. I'd have no life, no free will," Link looks away from me, his fingers raking through Epona's gnarled mane. "So to answer your question: no I did not bind my soul to him, although he has offered me that once before," He mumbles the last part mainly to himself. I feel myself relax somewhat, still a bit concerned with the connection of their minds, but it's better than having your whole essence taken away.

"Well, this is getting us nowhere. We need a plan, a cause of action, anything." I justify, thinking hard at what our motive should be; if we even have one.

"Do you know anything about this?" Link asks suddenly. I look at him toss me a small brown pouch, which I catch easily, and untie the strings holding it closed. The Goron's Ruby falls into my hand, glimmering in the light and radiating some form of heat. Well, at least Ganondorf doesn't have this. At my lack of response, Link asks again, breaking me from my reverie.

"Yes, this is the Goron's Ruby. The Gorons, along with the Zoras and Kokiris, treasure these jewels with their lives."

"Any idea why Ganondorf wanted it so much?"

"He—" I stop myself and glance at Link, gauging on how much I can tell him. He notices my hesitation and scoffs.

"I'm not going to go blab to Ganondorf if that's what you're thinking." Right, why did I doubt him in the first place? Mister, 'my mind is linked with the Dark Lord.' I push those scornful thoughts away and continue my explanation, picking and choosing my words carefully.

"Ganondorf is missing a...piece of himself, for lack of better words and the only way to get that piece is to open the Door of Time. And in order to do that, he needs all three Spiritual Stones." And the Ocarina, I mentally add to myself, which, I now realize, is in the castle where said Evil Lord is now occupying.

"A piece of himself..." Link muses aloud, bowing his hooded head in thought. "Do you mean his Triforce?" He asks, surprising me at his knowledge.

"Yes. How much has Ganondorf told you?" He chuckles hollowly and shakes his head.

"Not much. He used to tell me everything when I was younger, when he thought I was too naïve to understand, but as I grew older and adapted a mind of my own, then he shut me out. Come to think of it, that's also the time he began to enter my thoughts."

"I see. Now, back to the topic at hand, if Ganondorf does open the Door of Time and gains entrance to the Sacred Realm, he'll be able to claim his Triforce and all the power along with it. Chaos will ensue, Hyrule will fall, and we will be killed by him no doubt." Thinking about it now, I realize how drastic our situation is and begin to formulate some kind of plan, even if it leads us nowhere in particular.

"So, we have to keep these pretty stones out of Ganondorf's reach. Should be easy enough, right Blondie?"

My train of thought falters and switches direction. "That's another thing: what's wrong with my name?" I ask, my anger piquing at his constant name calling.

"Your name?" He repeats, feigning innocence.

"Yes, I told you my name and it would be nice if you would use it instead of calling me 'Blondie.'" I stare at him expectantly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Where would the fun in that be then?" Link grins crookedly and it only adds to my growing frustration.

"Fine, be an immature child. See if I care," I say indignantly, for lack of better response. He merely chuckles, knowing full well he's caught me in a corner with no escape. Just by the quirk of his lips I know he's enjoying my reactions to his teasing.

"So what's the plan, Princess?" He stoops back down to splash water in his face, all the while keeping his hood up. I contemplate his question a moment and then sigh, looking in the direction of Zora's Domain. Plan? I accused Link of not having a plan and I don't even have one of my own. I'm not even entirely sure what it is we're supposed to do. I drop my gaze down to my hands holding the Goron's Ruby and make a snap decision at that moment. Stuffing the ruby back into the pouch and then into a secret pocket in my shirt, I start walking towards my destination.

"Hey! Hold up, Blondie," Link yells, taking ahold of my wrist to stop me mid-stride. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To Zora's Domain. My plan is to gather all three Spiritual Stones before Ganondorf does."

"And then what? Hide from him?" His grip on my wrist tightens and I wrestle my hand out of his grasp.

"I haven't thought that far ahead. I'm hoping it will come to me as we progress," I admit softly. Link scoffs at my answer.

"Well, isn't that reassuring," He deadpans and I glare at him.

"At least it's something to go off of! At least I have somewhat of a plan!" I yell, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Ha! Yeah, real solid plan you have there."

"Oh, shut up. You coming or not?" I ask impatiently, growing tired of his teasing behavior.

"I've got nothing better to do, so yeah. I guess I am." Link grabs Epona's reins and we walk the short distance to where the river forks in two different directions. From here, we'll have to wade across the water to the other side and then continue on. I tell this to Link and he shrugs, not really caring what we did. I'm just about to walk into the water when Link asks a question, causing me to stop and turn around to face him.

"Where should we hide the horse?" Link asks, gesturing with his thumb at Epona. I smile to myself—of course, how could I forget?—and glide over to the brown mare, stroking her velvety muzzle. Her chocolate eyes gaze at me, wondering and questioning. I close my eyes and lean my forehead against her snout, expanding my mind to encompass hers before prodding in. Animals' minds are so much different from human ones, but they are still structured the same. Epona welcomes me completely and I see a fleeting image of her and Link riding across Hyrule Field. Many images surround me on account of animals not being able to control their memories, but I push them aside and speak directly to Epona, asking if she'd return when called, even if it weren't Link beckoning her. She neighs reassuringly and then I release her, exiting her mind to see comprehension in her eyes. The chestnut mare turns and then gallops away, leaving Link stunned in her absence.

"Why'd you do that? Our food is in those saddle bags!"

"She'll come back when I call her," I say simply and walk past him in the direction of Zora's Domain, not waiting to see if he's following me. Getting to Zora's Domain is no easy feat, and today is no exception for us either. After wading through the first patch of water, we had to again, which only irritated Link more it seemed. What surprises me most is Link's lack of words on our hike to the Domain. Every so often I had to glance over my shoulder to make sure he was still there. More times than not did he catch me looking and having me whip my head forward again with a slight blush coloring my cheeks and the tips of my ears. Luckily, he was behind me the whole time and could not see it.

The sound of the waterfall grows louder and louder as we come closer to it and after crossing the short rope bridge did we come upon the waterfall itself and the many twisting paths up to it. We walk up until we're situated right in front of the raging water and Link looks at me skeptically.

"Don't tell me we came all this way just to stare at a waterfall," He says flatly, anger underlining his annoyed tone. I roll my eyes and decide not to grace him with an answer; instead I bring my hand up to my mouth and place two fingers between my lips. I whistle my lullaby loud and clear, waiting for the waterfall to diverge. When it does, revealing a darkened entrance, I can't help the sly grin spread across my face at Link's dumbfounded look. He glances at me and quickly reorganizes himself to his regular stoic self which only makes my smile widen. He's just about to jump the small gap when I hold out a hand to stop him.

"I think it'd be best if you were to stay out here," I say truthfully.

"Are you serious?"

"I don't think they would take too kindly to see you, is all." I shrug, not knowing what else to say.

"Whatever, I know when I'm not wanted," He waves me off, stalking back the way we came.

"Oh, grow up, Link!" I yell after him. "Just stay here! I won't be long." He gives me a single thumb up and continues walking. I let out a huff of angry breath before turning and entering the Domain.

Zoras are swimming elegantly through the water as I enter and I'm relieved to know that Ganondorf has yet to touch this wondrous place. Stalagmites jut out from the floor and ceiling, dripping water droplets into the pool of water below. The waterfall here is even grander than the one outside, towering over the entire Domain and supplying water to Lake Hylia.

I ascend the staircase that leads to the throne of King Zora and hope that both he and the princess are there. Torches light my way up the dark stairwell until bright light envelopes me and I'm standing before the two Zora rulers.

Princess Ruto's eyes immediately lighten up when I walk in. Although Ruto was snobbish and defiant as a child, she has really matured through the years. Mostly because what we all went through those seven long years waiting for the Hero of Time to emerge from his slumber.

"Zelda, it's so good to see you!" Ruto exclaims, clapping her hands together in front of her chest and resisting the urge to run to me and hug me.

"As it is you, Princess Ruto." I bow my head to show her my respect, but she waves me off.

"We're friends, Zelda, and friends don't bow to each other." Ruto smiles warmly and I return the gesture. "So, what brings you here?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but may we talk in private, please?" I ask meekly, not wanting to disrespect King Zora, but he doesn't seem to mind for he doesn't even flinch at my request. Ruto's features take a turn for the worst, though when she realizes this is not a happy and go lucky visit from me.

"Of course, follow me." Ruto gestures behind her and I trail behind her into the Zora's Fountain. The ankle-deep water soaks through my boots and into my socks, making my footfalls squish with every step. We come to a stop at the foot of the steps leading up to Lord Jabu Jabu.

"No one will hear us here, not even my father. Now, spill. It must be important if you want to speak privately."

"Well, Prin—Ruto, I'm sure you have yet to hear about my dethroning?" I start, knowing that sometimes gossip gets out and travels to all places, but it seems to not have made it this time. Deciding not to wait for her confirmation, I continue, "Ganondorf has taken siege of my castle."

"Impossible. He remains in the Sacred Realm, does he not?" She asks shakily, her composure slipping. I bow my head before speaking again.

"I'm afraid he has escaped our grasps. He runs free with the lack of his Triforce."

"I never thought this day would come that Ganondorf has returned. And in such a short time, too!" Ruto exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Yes, I know. I could not believe it either, but I saw him in the flesh. Ganondorf is back with vengeance. He wishes to open the Door of Time to break the final seal on his imprisonment," I explain, hoping she will catch on to why I'm here.

"But in order to do that, he would have to know where Link is and no one has seen him in years." I bite my tongue to keep from telling her the truth. Link should stay a secret for now and his story is much too long to tell right now.

"Ruto, I'm going to be straightforward with you: I need the Zora's Sapphire. No doubt Ganondorf will be here to take it from you. May I have the stone?"

"But of course! What do you plan to do with it?" Plans, more plans. I've really got to make one up. I brush that thought aside, saving it for another time and answer with what I do know.

"I plan to hide it for now and keep it away from Ganondorf. He can't open the Door of Time without all three." She nods, content with my answer and goes off to fetch the stone, leaving me alone. I couldn't shrug off the feeling of being watched and I glance around, only coming up with Lord Jabu Jabu. I sigh, silently admitting to my festering paranoia.

Ruto returns quickly, not having to have gone far, with the stone in hand. I take it delicately into my awaiting hands and search for the pouch containing the ruby. After depositing the sapphire and pocketing the pouch away, I smile and nod to Ruto.

"This is looking much like the Imprisoning War, Zelda," Ruto speaks up suddenly, worry clouding her violet eyes.

"I pray it won't get that far, Ruto. I fear it, too," I confess and turn to leave, but am stopped by Ruto asking a question I'd rather not answer.

"Have you still not found Link?"

I sigh, closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose.

"No, I have not." Because truly I have not found the Link we once knew, but instead this stubborn, violent, and hot-headed one. Ruto says no more and I take that as my cue to leave, bidding her a good day and safety for the days to come. I walk back through the threshold to the Domain and down the staircase to the ground level.

I'm just nearing the entrance when a dark, hooded figure comes bounding in and takes a stab at me. I recoil back, dodging his knife fluidly and spinning out of his reach.

"Link?"

He lunges at me again and I find myself backed up against a rock pillar protruding from the floor to the ceiling of the Zora's watery Domain.

Nope, definitely not Link, and if it is this is a sick joke even coming from him.

My immobility doesn't deter the assassin at all, instead he takes a clean swipe at me, aiming for my head. Regaining my bearings, I duck and hear his dagger clang against the rock, sending bits of rumble to fall down on my head. Acting fast, I ball my hand in a fist and let it fly into his stomach, making him stagger and teeter backwards. I sweep my leg under his and he falls onto his back with a resonating thud, his head cracking against the rocky floor.

Breath ragged, I rise from my crouched position and take in the situation. The assassin is still breathing, shallowly, but still breathing nonetheless. The Zora's have taken notice and begin to rush over, but I wave them off, signaling that I was fine. Seeing my chance of acquiring a few weapons, I kneel beside the assassin's fallen body and take every dagger that I can find and stow them in my pockets. One question floating through my mind keeps reappearing, bugging me until it's asked:

Where is Link?

He was supposedly stationed at the entrance of the Domain, at least, that's where I told him to stay until I came back with the Spiritual Stone. Worry setting in, I run through the bright light and jump over the small gap between the waterfall and land. My eyes sweep the landscape and come up short. Link wouldn't have let an assassin through, so where was he? Where would he have gone?

"Link!" I call out, waiting for a response and receive nothing in return. "Lin—!" I feel a sudden stinging pain slice my back and I'm sent tumbling down over the edge into the shallow water of the river. I land on my stomach, my hands beneath me and feel one of my wrists give out painfully from my weight. Before I can mutter out a cry of pain, the assassin is looming over me, reaching for the collar of my top and hoisting me up by it.

"Where are the stones?" He seethes in my face, his breath reeking of smoke and poor hygiene. I claw at his hands with my good hand and flail my dangling legs, clipping him in the knees. His grip slackens for a moment before I bring my leg up and knee him in the stomach. He drops me then, his breath coming out in a huff. Before I can react, he's on top of me, straddling my legs and holding a knife to my throat. Determined, I push up with my arms, ignoring the searing pain in my wrist, and roll him over so our positions are reversed. I grip his knife hand and urge it downward towards his neck, but his free hand comes up and backhands me across the face. I let out a whimper this time and, taking advantage of my distraction, the assassin curls his legs up and thrusts them into my stomach, inevitably throwing me over his head and into the deeper water.

I resurface with a gasp, but am immediately sent over the next little waterfall unprepared. The water is shallow here and the ground too close for my plummeting body. My head hits a stone and I see black spots invade my vision. The river pulls me in different directions, leaving me disoriented with which way is up. I'm able to lift my head up and breathe in more air before tumbling down another mini waterfall and being engulfed in water once again.

Get to land before you pass out! I yell at myself mentally and begin grappling for solid ground. My hands grip nothing but open air. My lungs burn for much needed oxygen and I squint my eyes open enough to get my bearings. Between my splotchy vision and the water stinging my eyes, I can't see anything and it shouldn't surprise me when I don't see the cliff wall rearing up behind me. My back collides with the wall so roughly that I exhale the rest of my air, bubbles cascading out of my mouth and up to the surface. My vision blackens completely and I lose feeling of my body, allowing the current to take me downstream.

When I come to again my mind is groggy and my vision is still poor, but I'm vaguely aware of the sound of rushing water near me. I turn my head to cough up water, expelling the unwanted liquid from my lungs. Using my arms, I try to lift my bottom half up onto the ledge, but my arms give out beneath me and I'm left clinging to the edge helplessly. With my hair plastered to my face, I look up through narrowed vision to see the same dark, hooded figure towering over me. Fearing the worst, I go to grab a knife to defend myself, but my arm doesn't even move, my fingers merely twitching. I moan weakly and close my eyes, allowing my body to go slack with exhaustion. The last thing I feel is a set of strong hands lift me from beneath my arms and haul me up out of the water before succumbing to unconsciousness again.


Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and sorry for the wait! Tell me if this feels rushed and if it does, the next chapters should slow down and even out. Until next time! :)