A/N: Oh my GOSH! I am so so so soooo sorry for the late update! But school has gotten to me and my beta reader, TwilightWalkerofTime, was really busy! First I had to study for my Mid-Terms, then I had to do a Science Fair Project, then I had to redo the project because my plants died because they didn't get watered while I was on a short vacation, so I had to think up another project that would only take a week and a half, then my teacher came up to me and said that he lost my and another student's Midterm so he gave us 5 minutes to prepare (Only 5 minutes!), then we re-took it. He came back to us next week and told us how he lost it, his puppy ate them (well half of them, he showed it to us)! And he said that what he saw of the half-eaten test we would have gotten 100's, so now I am stuck with a 91% You know how that makes me feel, FURIOUS, OUTRAGED, SICK WITH ANGER!

Narita: Sorry! I hate cliffhangers too! But they always seem to find a way in.

Din's Fire: I love riding around on Epona, it's so fun. But, alas, villagers are gullible and believe anything they are told...

ClarkyGirl: Hahahaha! Well I have some good news for you, you will see Wolf Link in future chapters.

Generala: Well I can only answer one of those questions, you'll have to read on for the answers to others. If Zelda did try to free herself front The Empress, The Empress would make (and kill) all her people. As Spock says, 'the needs of the many out way the needs of the few,' or was it the other way? I don't know, but it is something to that effect.

Traitor

It was already reaching the small hours in the morning when Link finally reached Ordon. Colin was sitting outside his mother's house, watching the stars. Uli was busy cleaning in the kitchen and organizing last year's seeds for planting this year. She was so absorbed in her work that she had burned though several candles and had completely forgotten to call him in for bedtime. He happily took the extra moments to try and find some of his favorite constellations. He had just located the Kestrel, when he saw Epona approaching.

"Link," Colin called out happily to him as he watched them come nearer.

His happy mood instantly vanished when he saw the undignified way Link got off his horse and slumped to the ground.

"Link?" Colin cried out anxiously, as he ran towards him. "Mom come quick," he called towards the house. "Link is hurt, hurry!"

Uli came out of the house almost immediately and ran to his kneeling form. After examining him quickly she put his arm over her shoulder and lifted him to his feet. She helped him gently into the house, all the while asking questions like: "What happened? How did this happen?"

As soon as she had managed to get him inside she directed Colin to go and fetch water from the Spirit Spring and to get out her healing herbs. Spirit Spring water was known for its healing properties.

"What happened?" she repeated as she helped him lay down on the couch and began carefully removing his boots and tunic. He did not answer, and when she saw the expression on his face she did not press him. She knew he would tell her when he was ready. She felt a hot prickle of tears sting her eyes when she took in his shirtless form.

"Oh, Link," she whispered.

He cut his pain filled gaze to the side and lowered his head. She had hardly ever seen his eyes look so haunted before. She had an unsettling feeling that his pain went deeper than his injuries.

Composing herself, she began to examine him closely. She gently ran her hand along the trouble spots with a practiced touch to check for broken bones or complications, all the while making note of everything she would need. Even though she was gentle, the constant hitching of his breath and clenched teeth were obvious indications that it still hurt him. She ran her fingers soothingly through his hair before heading to the kitchen table.

She went to work preparing several different poultices from her herb supply. She used comfrey arnica and primrose for bruising and swelling, goldenseal, goldenrod, calendula, and marigold for cuts, along with some other herbs. She started a fire to boil some of the Spirit Spring water that Colin had fetched, with some herbs to make a healing drink; she mixed this with half a bottle of potion she had stored up, made from the red chu jelly. It was not known for having a pleasant taste, but its healing powers were great for helping with internal and external damage. She also heated some gumweed and globemallow sap for sticking some of the nastier cuts shut. It was less painful then stitches but worked just as well.

She used the rest of the water along with lavender and tea tree oil to gently clean the wounds and prevent infection. His face screwed up in pain and a slight hissing whimper escaped him as she applied the disinfectant. She knew it stung pretty badly but it was necessary. She tenderly touched his arm and murmured soft apologies to comfort him.

Kneeling down beside the couch, she began to apply the poultices to the wounds, frowning at the bruises and many cuts that marred his face. Her ministrations seemed to alleviate some of the pain and she felt him finally start to relax, his breathing becoming calm, deep, and level.

"As soon as you tell me who did this to you I would like to give them a severe talking to with my frying pan," she said angrily as she continued to work.

Ever since his parents had died, when he was very young, she had unofficially adopted him and thought of him like her own son. That being said, she was completely serious about the frying pan. Her comment was received with brief near-smile from Link before he resumed his sad and pained expression. Well a tiny smile is better than no smile at all, she thought.

When she was finally finished, she stood back and surveyed her work, wiping of some sweat that had accumulated on her forehead. He had fallen asleep and she knew there was nothing more she could do for him but let him rest and let his body heal itself. She replaced his light undershirt, pulling it gently over the bandages on his chest and torso. He was so exhausted that the motion hardy roused him from his sleep. He mumbled incoherently as she placed pillows behind him and a light blanket over him to make him comfortable. She could only pick out one word from his soft mutterings before he was once again silent. 'Traitor?' she wondered to herself, thinking it a rather odd word choice. She gently ran a cooling hand over his hot cheek and forehead, carefully avoiding the wounds. It hurt her to see him like this.

Colin stood near her side anxiously wringing his hands.

"He will be alright," Uli assured him. "He was lucky as far as beatings go. It appears it was meant keep him down and hurt him badly, but not to severely hurt or kill him."

"Beat?…you mean someone… but, but," he stammered. "Who would do this? Why would they do this? And most importantly, how?" Colin demanded tears forming in his eyes.

"You know Link; he thinks with his heart more than his head sometimes and that gets him into trouble."

"Yeah, but he is usually able to use his mind and skill to get himself out of any problem his heart puts him into," Colin retorted quietly, glancing pointedly at Link's hands.

Uli knew what he was implying; she had also noticed that his hands bore hardly any offensive wounds. It looked rather like he had not even tried to fight back or was unable to. It was highly unlikely that anyone would successfully get the drop on him, so it did beg the question who, why, and how? Uli looked sympathetically at her son. She knew he idolized Link and thought of him like an older brother; an older brother who was also like a best friend even though Link was five years his senior.

"He will be completely fine after some rest and a several days of taking it easy," she told Colin softly.

"I will stay with him until he gets better," Colin informed her, his eyes solemn.

"You may stay with him for a little while longer, but you won't help him by making yourself sleep deprived, you are going to bed and so is your little sister. I will stay up with him."

"But mom-"

"You will be going to bed as soon as I get your sister to fall asleep," she informed him in her 'that's final' voice. "You can keep an eye on him for now though," she said gesturing to Link, her expression softening as she looked at him. "Tell me if he needs anything."

Colin looked indignant for a moment but finally nodded.

Uli smiled and kissed him on the forehead before scooping up her daughter and leaving the room.

"You can sit with him all day tomorrow of you'd like," Uli said softly as she left. "I am sure he would be glad of your company. If he starts hurting again or wakes up while I'm gone, then help him drink this," she said pointing to a cup filled with a light infusion of valerian, poppy, and mullin. "If it's really bad you can give him the other half of the red potion first."

Colin nodded solemnly, pulled up a stool, and sat down. He was more than happy to stay with Link as long as he could. This was almost the latest he had ever stayed up in his entire life, but his previous joy at his mother's oversight was substantially dimmed by the present circumstance.

At the moment, he was staring at Link's still from in puzzlement. Hyrule's hero was usually known for getting out of really tight situations relatively unscathed. Colin shook his head; Link had obviously bitten off more than he could chew this time. He secretly hoped that Link gave as good as he got, but the absence of defensive and offensive wounds made him wonder.

He glanced worriedly at Link's face as the wounded teen shifted almost feverishly in his sleep, muttering softly, before he shuddered and then lay still. The flickering firelight from the hearth glittered of something shiny on his sleeping face and Colin watched as it rolled down his cheek, a tear. Colin tried to think back wondering if he had ever seen Link cry before. 'It could be,' Colin thought, 'that the cut going down Link's eyebrow and the corner of his eye had caused his eye to sting and made it water,' but Colin was not so sure.

He reached for Link's hand and softly wished and prayed for him to get better soon.

~x~X~x~

Link woke in the early morning with a start and winced, stifling a groan, as he sat up. The sun had not yet risen but, through the window, he could see the faint glow of the coming day. Uli sat sleeping deeply in her wicker chair beside him, and he could tell by the absence of sound in the little house that Colin and his sister were asleep as well.

He had a vague memory of Uli's soft words and cool touch to calm his hot, feverish, pained, thrashing when he had half woken during the night. He looked sadly at the woman who had always been a mother to him. He was glad that she was sleeping because he knew she would not approve of his planned course of action. He knew he needed to get away and soon. He had endangered them by coming here. He was positive that soldiers would be sent to Ordon to make sure he had left Hyrule completely. If they discovered he had been here, Colin's family could be hurt or killed for his sake. He could not allow that to happen. He shouldn't have come here at all but he had had no clue where else to go.

He pulled off the loose bandages that were on his face. They had been used for the sole purpose of holding poultices in place, but he needed to be able to see out of both eyes where he was going, and they were starting to irritate him. As he pulled them off, he whispered a silent thanks to Uli; his left eye was no longer swollen completely shut. He pulled on his leather boots, taking care not to tighten the right one, and struggled to his feet. He tested his balance for a moment and then grabbed his tunic and gear from their neat pile at the foot of his bed.

He headed slowly for the door, using the wall for support; any sudden movements put him in a world of pain. He knew that if Uli saw him trying to leave, she would stop him and to heck with the consequences. He felt slightly ashamed for not explaining the situation to her, but he did not really want to explain anything to anyone at the moment... and, truthfully, he didn't really know how he could. He stepped outside and looked around for his horse. She was waiting for him near the front of the house.

When she saw him, she trotted up to him whinnying happily, thrusting her muzzle into his hands in her traditional greeting. He stroked her and she sniffed him.

She pulled her head back, snorting with what could almost be considered disapproval, nearly glaring at him. She thrust her nose towards him and then towards the door of Uli's house. It was almost as if she were telling him to go back to bed because he clearly was not completely healed yet.

"As if," he told her with a sigh, "they are going to come searching for me and I have to get away — they could be on their way right now."

She tossed her mane and sided up to the porch as if she had understood every word, or perhaps she just sensed his urgency. He struggled as he mounted her. It was not near as hard as it had been the day before, and today he could even ride her properly. It was too hard to put on his tunic and chainmail, so he put them in his saddle bag whilst making sure he had supplies.

The cause of his all his difficulties was Zelda's handiwork; not only did he have contusions and cuts, but he had a nasty hand-sized starburst-shaped burn on his torso near his side from Zelda's lightning that was sure to be slow to heal and scar, adding terribly to the pain of his already damaged chest. It was this, coupled with an extremely bad bruise on his shin— given to him by a soldier's cudgel and several kicks — which made him limp heavily when he walked. The bone itself had nearly been broken, and was probably slightly fractured.

Physically though, he felt much better today than yesterday. He wished he could thank Uli for her help properly but there was no time. He was not, however, feeling any better emotionally. His feelings seemed to be tied up in knots. All of it slowly began wearing at the shock that had previously numbed him — shock that it had even happened at all. He kept wishing that he could wake up and find it was merely some nightmare. It couldn't have happened…but it had. It all hurt far too much to be a dream.

And that pain only grew as the shock wore down: pain that turned into a sense of sorrow, betrayal, and loss. Everything he was and had been would never again be the same. His life and reputation were ruined. He used to be considered a hero, and now he was nothing more a banished outlaw traitor, despised and outcast. No one but himself would ever look at him the same again. He felt overwhelmed by the shame of it all. And the worst part was that he neither knew how or why it had happened.

He eased Epona into a thicket of trees as five soldiers appeared near the bend in the road heading in the direction of Ordon Village. He put a soothing hand on her to quiet her as they came nearer. He held perfectly still, hoping they would overlook him. His heartbeat quickened. His undershirt was white and his pants were khaki. White stuck out terribly in the forest; if the soldiers were observant enough they would spot him. Thankfully, they appeared to be tired and were oblivious to all around them. They had obviously been roused long before it was light out to be this far so early in the morning.

That same tearing sorrow rose up within him as they passed but, this time, there was a sense of bubbling anger on the fringes of this sadness. It was an anger that grew and turned swiftly into fury as he watched them disappear into the forest. He should not have to hide from the very people he had risked his life so many times to save. He had done nothing wrong, nothing that could ever have justified being dealt such a fate as this, nothing at all.

What could he even do? He had no way to prove his innocence… everything was to twisted, to deep… And the more he thought of Zelda and what had happened, the lees inclined he felt to try. He had trusted her… He felt that bubbling fringe of anger begin to grow and he did not try to stop it… anger covered up the pain and blotted it out for a few fleeting blissful moments.

They thought he was an outlaw? Fine, he would be an outlaw. Not the treacherous murdering villainous type, but his normal self. He would continue to help anyone who needed it and fight using the warrior's code of honor. Running away and leaving Hyrule was out of the question, mostly because it was the only home he had ever known. He knew it as well as the back of his hand, which gave him an advantage. He would make himself uncatchable and stay in Hyrule, living in the forests right under their infuriating noses. He knew lots of places a soldier would never think to look... All of that was fine to think but, he realized as he rode on, it would be easier said than done. He dismounted and limped to a safe spot to rest because, despite his new resolve, his whole body ached and he was very tired.

He sat with his back against a large tree with a comfortable indentation in its trunk. The tree stood near a moss and lichen covered rock outcrop with a sizable overhang. This natural barrier created a near-perfect campsite and it was in the safety of the deepest part of the woods. It also had the added luxury of a small freshwater spring not more than fifteen paces away from where he sat, partially concealed by rocks.

He had found this small dell when he was younger and had named it his secret hiding spot, spending many days of his childhood playing imaginary games in this forest sanctuary. Only three other people knew of its existence: Ilia and Fado, his two village friends, and Rusl, who had tracked them there one afternoon when they had not come when he had called. That had put an abrupt end to their sneaking off into the 'dangerous' deep-woods and only he had visited it since. Not even the recollection of those pleasant childhood memories lightened his heart enough to make him smile. He wished in vain then that he wasn't alone, wished that Midna were still here beside him. She would never believe all the lies being spread about him, and she would know what to do...

He pulled his knees up to his chest. All his tenacity seemed to vanish for a moment as he scanned the nearby foliage. The silent beauty of the forest sparkling with light as the rising sun glittered through every dewdrop brought him no comfort. He hurt, his pride hurt, and his name would be forever tainted. He had lost everything and everyone he loved, aside from his horse. He felt and unwelcome stinging sensation behind his eyes and then they began to fill. Being reduced to weeping for himself shamed him and he tried to stop his tears, but it was a losing battle. He angrily brushed them away with his hand and stared dismally around him.

He had been in hard situations before but he could always fight his way through it or do something about it. He had never before felt so alone and helpless. His tear-filled glance fell upon his horse and then on the shield he had slung over his saddle bag because it had been too heavy to carry. His gaze became riveted to the Hyrule crest that was engraved into its surface; it was the symbol of the kingdom and its ruler, an emblem that he had once been proud and honored to carry. As he studied its design, his miserable expression turned into a scowl of anger and he clenched his fists.

~x~X~x~

Uli woke rather late in the morning, attributing her tiredness to the fact that she had stayed up rather late looking after Link. Thinking of him, she turned towards the couch, to see if he needed anything, only to discover he was gone.

"Is the boy mad?!" She fumed. "Is he trying to get himself killed?!"

"Is who trying to get themselves killed?" queried a sleepy Colin, who had just been woken by his mother's furious outburst.

"Link," Uli complained. "He's gone."

"How?" asked Colin in astonishment, wide awake then.

"I have no idea! Colin, I want you to go and find him before he hurts himself even more. He should not be up and about in his condition; he should be still and resting."

"He probably went out to obliterate whoever he got in that fist fight with," Colin teased, but his expression was worried.

Just as he spoke, Rusl burst through the door and into the room. He had been gone for the past week travelling about Hyrule and meeting with the Resistance, of which he was a key member. He had been talking with them the day before, when Telma burst into her bar, the Resistance's favorite meeting spot, all in a fury. She had explained the situation about Link as best as she knew to her equally enraged listeners. They had come up with a plan to help him but by the time they arrived at the scene, around dusk, he had already gone. The only tracks were those of his horse.

"Uli," he said when he entered the house, not even pausing to give his wife one of his customary hugs, "have you seen Link? He is in big trouble, I need to find him — I think he is hurt, badly so."

Uli explained that she had seen him and looked after him but he had left before it was light out. "I have no idea where he has gone to. You'd think that he'd have more sense than to run off like that," she finished angrily.

"I will go and find him," Rusl assured her. "Did he explain the situation to you?"

"No," Uli answered concerned. "He hardly said a word the whole time he was here, about the only thing he told me was 'thank you'."

"Alright," Rusl said, "we are running out of time so I will have to explain everything to you later. For now, you need to know that there are some Hyrule soldiers headed this way. If they ask you about Link, tell them that you know nothing, understand? Absolutely nothing."

"Why? What has happened?" Uli asked suspiciously.

"I promise I'll explain later."

He glanced about the room at the herbs, linen gauze, and a bloodied cloth hanging off the side of a bow of disinfectant that were strewn across the floor by the sofa. He winced at the sight, a slight hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"It would probably be best if you cleaned that up also," he said, gesturing at the mess.

"I was just about to," Uli replied softly. "I would have done it last night but it was already so late and everything was just…" she left the sentence hanging.

Rusl nodded his understanding as he turned to run out of the house. "Remember, tell them you don't know anything."

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Uli and Colin wondering exactly what sort of trouble Link had gotten himself into. Both of them exchanged a quiet glance; if Rusl was asking them to lie to the Hyrule soldiers, they both knew that it had to be something deadly serious.

~x~X~x~

After a long time of searching and checking many of Link's favorite spots, Rusl eventually came across his trail in the deep part of the forest, and finally located him. He was sitting down, back against a tree, one arm resting across his stomach the other laying limply by his side. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping. His horse Epona was standing nearby, attentive, as if she were keeping watch. She spied Rusl instantly but did not stir because he was a familiar face.

His former apprentice looked awful and for a second Rusl was worried, but it was more than that, he was also furious. Based on what Telma had told him, and what he had seen of Uli's left over healing supplies in his house, he knew that it would be bad; but not even that knowledge prepared him for when he saw it himself. Link was like a son to him, and the thought that anyone had dared to do this to harm him so badly made him downright irate. Rusl trusted the princess and he knew that there had to be one heck of a misunderstanding for something as drastic as this to happen for a mere allegation.

It seemed as if Link's chest was barely rising and falling with his shallow breaths and Rusl felt his stomach clench in a rush of concern. He hastily moved forward, but as he drew closer, he accidentally stepped on a dry twig. Link's eyes sprang open and he leapt to his feet, sword drawn.

"Stay away," he warned, when Rusl tried to approach him.

That response was completely unexpected and Rusl raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What will you do if I don't? Attack me?" he replied sarcastically as he calmly continued to step closer.

"You don't understand," Link replied, his voice raised and his tone dark. "For you own sake, keep away from me!"

"I know what happened," Rusl placated, his tone low and gentle.

He did nothing, however, to stop drawing nearer. He was slightly perturbed by Link's angry tone. In all the time he knew the boy he had never raised his voice at him. He had raised his voice at circumstance and at the village children a few times when they were being exceedingly annoying but never at him. Link pointed his sword towards Rusl's chest.

"I said stay back!" he menaced in a low voice as he took a step backwards, away from Rusl.

He tried to take another backwards step but he grimaced, stifling an outcry as his leg gave out on him and he sank to the ground. His teeth were gritted in pain. His right hand moved up to cradle his chest and side. He took a couple deep breaths before he used his sword like a staff to help himself up again.

"Wait!" Rusl called out, for Link looked as if he had every intention of trying to make a dash for his horse to ride away. "Wait," he repeated, "I only want to help."

"Thank you," the blond youth said, smiling to hide the pain in his voice, "but I am doing quite fine on my own."

"I can see that," Rusl said, his tone caring more than a trace of sarcasm. To Rusl's eyes, Link was looking rather less than fine at the moment. "What would happen," Rusl continued, "if at this very moment you were surrounded by bulblins?"

Bulblins were vicious murdering creatures with greenish and sometimes purplish skin. They looked rather like goblins. It was their favorite pastime to harass creatures, murder and steal. All the defiance left Link's eyes and his expression became sad.

"I know you want to help, and I know I probably need it, but I cannot let you risk everything for my sake. You have a family and they need you more than I do. Also," he said, smiling ruefully, "I picked this spot because it is relatively safe from bulblins and the like."

"I suppose you have a point," Rusl admitted reluctantly, knowing he needed to tread carefully with Link in his current state of mind. He had never seen the boy look so hurt, so lost and, if Rusl didn't know better, scared. He looked him directly in the eyes as he spoke, knowing instinctively that Link needed to hear his words.

"I know you Link, and I trust you. I know you are not a traitor, and if you ever need anything you know where to go. I don't care what happens or what people think or believe. You will always be welcome in my family; in fact, I have always considered you to be a part of my family. Nothing could ever change that."

The eyes that met his suddenly took on the sheen of concealed tears and he saw Link's jaw tense. Though still hurting, the expression was nowhere near as helpless or lost as it had been moments ago. Rusl spoke on.

"Perhaps I can send either Colin or Uli to check up on you when it's safe. In the meantime, I will go to Castle Town and see if I can get to the bottom of this mess and try to clear this enormous misunderstanding."

"Thank you," Link whispered, finally relaxing and slumping into a sitting position. He had been slightly worried that when Rusl and his family found out the truth about what had happened they would think the lies were true and distance themselves from him. Now at least he knew a few people still trusted him and, better yet, had never really doubted him.

Rusl helped him set up a nicer camp before he left.

"It would be best if you lay low for a while until I get this sorted out."

Link merely nodded as he lay back down, exhausted and pained.

"I will get to the bottom of this," Rusl called as he headed back in the direction of Ordon Village.

A memory flashed through Link's mind, urging him to speak.

"Wait! She believes the Resistance was a part of it; she believes I led them. You could be in grave danger if you go."

"Don't worry about me; I will be fine," Rusl shouted back.

Link watched him leave. Rusl had a good head on his shoulders, and was one of the wisest people in Ordon but he was doubtful that his mentor could get to the bottom of the mess. He would put himself at the risk of getting imprisoned or fined or worse for trying, but Link knew that nothing he could say would change Rusl's mind and, though he wanted to, he lacked the strength to try.

Okay, as soon as my beta reader edits the next chapter I will post it.

Question:

Are you happy that they made Windwaker for the WiiU?