Disclaimer: Don't own anything as I am exceptionally poor and jobless. Damn economic crisis!
Enjoy, I hope it is alright!
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Link ignored the feeling of pain that travelled up his legs. His knees had been forced painfully to the ground as his legs had buckled.
Leaning forward slightly, he placed one hand onto the ground, his palm cold from the feel of the earth. The lids of his eyes were pressed tightly together and his breathing sounded harsh and jarring in his ears. The wound in his hand blossomed painfully and his breath caught from the feeling. It was odd that he didn't mind physical pain.
A hand forcefully pushed his face upwards and he squinted through the light of many flickering lanterns. He could see Colin's worried face peering back at him but he only blinked in confusion. His thoughts were disjointed and odd, like his mind was waking from a dream or caught in a haze. Other blurred faces moved behind the boy but his eyes did not stray to them. He travelled his gazed over the boys face. He could detect worry and sympathy, which was tinged with a slight look of anger.
The boys lips were moving and it took Link a moment to realize that he should be listening. Focusing on the words, he shook his head from Colin's grasp and looked to the ground again. Disjointed words reached his ears and he sighed at his inability to grasp them.
He felt lonely.
Never had he felt as bone crushingly lonely as he was now. In the temples, the only sound that had often met his ears were those of his own footsteps. Even seeing another face was rare and mostly unwanted as it was usually tainted with a look of evil. Midna had been his companion then. He knew that she had been as lonely and desperate as he was. Her eyes were inhuman and otherworldly but contained the same shock of sadness that stained his own.
Zelda was lonely as well. He could see it in her eyes. She was proud, stubborn, beautiful and compassionate but she held a sorrow within herself. He had only ever wished to free her from that slight look, the type that caused her to stare off to the horizon in silence.
Hands once again violated his solitude and he pushed them away determidly. Lifting himself from the cold floor, he looked into the dark night and walked into its embrace.
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It had been from the corner of his eye that he saw Zelda leave.
His eyes had then strayed to Link, who seemed frozen in the middle of the dance floor. He dropped his cup as the form of the man swayed and then crumpled to the ground.
A shocked yell sounded from a girl who was dancing near him and the music stopped playing. The crowd backed away from Link to give him some space and a speckle of whispering began.
Colin saw an opening and quickly dashed through the arms of someone to get to his friend. He slowly crouched down and considered the crumpled form. No expression lined Link's face, it was stony and passive, his eyes glazed over as he stared at the ground. Using a gentle but firm push he lifted Link's head and looked into his eyes. No response came from the man except for a slight intake of breath.
"Link, are you alright?" He said in concern. Worried at the lack of a response, he continued, "Can you hear what I am saying?"
The man sighed and he watched as a terrifyingly anguished expression moved across his face. His mind seemed a mile away as the expression travelled across him and Colin bit his lip anxiously.
Suddenly, he began to move. With a strained cry, Colin gripped onto Link's arm. He was surprised at the force that Link used to push him away and he stumbled back. He collided solidly with the form of Mido who pulled him into a standing position.
Composing himself again, he saw the man's form disappear into thee night.
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Beth looked at the horrible scene that had suddenly occurred. She felt her hands shake and a crash sounded as she dropped the bowl filled with water. Only a few curious on lookers glanced at her but she was quickly ignored.
It had only been a few moments since Link had departed the party and Colin was still staring into the night. His whole body appeared to be on alert as he watched the spot that Link had disappeared into it and she could see that Uli had rushed to comfort him. Rusl was standing next to Colin, his face dark and tense as he glanced down at his boy. He placed a firm hand on the should of the boy and she could see him squeeze the area comfortingly.
Running over to Colin she stopped beside his standing form and she watched his emotion filled face. His hand sought hers and she gripped it tightly, bringing their entwined fingers to her heart.
Leaning over to him, she asked quietly, "What just happened?"
Colin glanced at her seriously, "I don't know."
"I think something terrible just happened to Link."
"We need to talk to Zelda."
Beth admired his proactive approach to the situation. When she had been young, she had teased him for his shyness and inability to act upon his impulses. Now, she was proud of the way he analysed the situation and acted appropriately.
He turned resolutely and looked up to his father, who was watching him with concern, "We need to talk to both Zelda and Link."
"Yes, we should," said Rusl.
He spoke quietly, with an odd sadness tinging his voice, "I need to find him."
Beth's eyes filled with tears, "I know. He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"
He squeezed her hand, "he's my family. I can't let him be alone when he's miserable."
She paused, pursed her lips and asked, "Do you hear anything between Zelda and Link?"
"He… they were dancing and… she ran off, into the darkness. He just kind of collapsed after that. I'm not sure of what happened other then that."
Rusl sighed resolutely, "Colin, how about you follow Link. Beth, I think you and Zelda should have a chat. She might need some company right now as well…. I'll… help your mother pack this party up. It's a shame it had to end like this, she was really looking forward to tonight."
Colin nodded at his fathers words and let go of Beth's hand. She kissed him on the cheek as he made to leave and she blushed at the way Rusl glanced at her. She couldn't stop a small smile from slipping onto her lips.
Beth added as Colin departed, "Colin… be carefully. Link's not himself at the moment. Don't do anything that will make him uncomfortable."
He nodded and then disappeared into the black night, which surrounded their brightly lit area. Giving one last look to the black night that had consumed both Link and Colin, she turned and started to look for Zelda. She wasn't sure where the woman was but she knew were to start. Anyone who was upset eventually found their way to the spring. It had a force in it, which repelled anything negative and the water was almost healing in its freshness and clarity. At night, it was particularly beautiful and seemed to almost glow from the wild energy that it emitted.
She walked with determination and despite the build up of sweat on her forehead, she continued to walk as fast as when she had started. Soon she was at the spring.
A soft neighing from a horse brought her attention to the forest at the side of the water and she saw a large chestnut pawing anxiously at the ground. A figure was beside it, the cloak drawn up while she worked with great speed at harnessing the beast properly.
Beth walked up to the woman and at her footsteps the woman turned around, making her hood slide off slightly to reveal a pale, beautiful face underneath.. The woman quickly turned back and continued to bring the strap around the horses belly, buckling the harness on tightly.
Beth asked her loudly and demandingly, "What are you doing?"
The woman gave a sharp yank to the buckle to test it and replied in a shaky voice, "I'm leaving."
"You can't just up and leave. You haven't even told Uli yet?"
The woman turned now and off the moonlight she could see that her features were now strong and regal, "You must thank her for her kindness. She has been generous in her affection."
"You should thank her yourself."
"I cannot, I must depart."
"Why? Why can't you stay?"
"Staying is not an option,"
"You didn't answer my question," Beth was grinding her teeth at the avoidance of Zelda to the issue.
"I can not stay because after tonight, I shall not be welcome anymore."
"That isn't true, why would you think that!"
"I have made a grievous error and have hurt a wonderful and courageous man. I can not stand to look at him, so large is my shame."
"So you would just leave?"
She looked at her with determination on her face, "Yes."
Moving towards the woman, Beth noticed that her hands were shaking. She saw that Zelda following her gaze to her shaking limbs, "Beth, our situation is complicated."
"So complicated that talking to Link would not resolve it?"
She frowned, "perhaps a talk would ease the situation but… I cannot. I can not face him."
Beth lowered her voice as she spoke, "So you would run away from him. Do you even realize how much he would sacrifice for you?"
"Of course I do! He already has sacrificed so much for all of us," she closed her eyes for a moment in thought, "I appreciate your concern but you do not need to involve yourself in our issues."
"Zelda, I may not need to but I want to. Link is my family, as he is to every person in this village. If something upsets him, it is our business to become concerned."
Smiling fondly, yet with a tinge of sadness lining her eyes, the older woman replied, "Truly, the greatest of hearts were born from this small province."
Expecting the woman to lay down her travelling pack, she was surprised when Zelda turned from her and leaped into the saddle of the her horse, calling over her shoulder to Beth as she left, "You may keep my cart. It will only slow my departure."
Zelda pushed her horse to a trot but caught the last, soft remark from Beth, "Don't think that you can just leave him behind. He wont let you… we wont let you."
Crashing through the undergrowth, the princess sped her steed to a gallop. She followed the moonlit paths blankly, her mind behind her and focused on the man she had left behind. She had not wished for her departure to be as it was. She wondered what her intentions had been for this trip: did she truly travel to Ordon just to hand him the letters?
She shook her head.
Her heart couldn't help but hope that he followed her.
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Walking through the cold and dark forest, Colin pushed a branch out of his way and looked around.
His walk had extended to an hour and a half of prowling the deepest recesses of the forest. The spring had yielded him no results and his only choice had been to warily walk across the swaying, rickety wooden bridge, which parted their town from Faron Forest. Truth be told, he was nervous at the thought of entering its darks recesses. Only his courage kept his legs from walking, although the deeper he went, the less eager they were to continue. Wishing for daytime brought him no comfort as he knew that the forest never withheld its gloomy image.
Touching a leaf, he leaped backwards with a yelp as a large bug climbed out from underneath it. His breathing was harsh and jagged, his heart pounding in his chest. He fought down the urge to bolt in the opposite direction, panic would surely only lead him deeper into the forest's hold.
A few more steps into forest led him to another spring. It was a spring that he had never seen before. It held the same aura that Ordon's spring had, the same unnatural glow and healing quality. Beside its cool waters, the form of Link entered his view. His legs were pulled to his chest as he gazed out at the small cascading waterfall that sprung from no height. His face was contemplative and desperately sad and the sound of a sigh drifted lazily to his ears.
Stepping out into the clearing, he saw Link's head snap in his direction as a twig snapped under his foot. His face was hopeful for a moment but when he saw Colin's form, his face and gaze fell and he turned back to the spring. Colin hid the feeling of disappointment that welled inside him at the sight of Link's disappointment. He knew that he hoped for a slender, graceful form.
It was odd to see his hero, the man that he had worshiped and admired since infancy, give in to his emotions. He was usually calm and collected, despite how desperate the situation was. The image of his serious but oddly neutral face was burned into his mind. He both hated and loved Zelda for inspiring such feelings. He hated her for hurting the man, for making him run off in desperation and for causing his face to fall in disappointment. However, he loved her for inspiring that hope, for causing Link to laugh genuinely and smile as if he had always been happy and carefree. He was thankful for Beth being so understanding and problem free.
He spoke softly so not to alarm him, "Link… are you alright?"
The man did not answer and he moved a few paces towards him. Although his posture was strained and tense, he sensed a level of rationality in him.
"I came to see if you were alright…"
Sitting down next to him, he watched him warily as he asked, "so… are you?"
The man grunted, his face turned away from him. Long strands of blonde hair obscured his expression. Colin tried to talk to him again, "You scared us back there."
A guilty expression overwhelmed the other mans anger and he picked at the grass in front of him. Colin continued, "We've never seen you so… shaken before. What happened back there?"
The silence was pregnant with Link's emotion. The sound of the soothing stream was an ambient background to the serious, one-sided conversation. An owl hooted in the distance and a bat flew overhead. Colin was very aware of the darkness, which lined the strangely radiating spring.
Link spoke softly through the silence, "How is that I can face a flaming, chained demon with no hesitation and yet…. looking into that woman's eyes, I'm utterly defeated."
Colin waited for him to continue, "When I was young… I used to think that I would marry Ilia… We always used to joke about it, her and I, but I knew that one day we would own a house together and build a family. It was something that just was. I never even had to consider whether we loved each other, that wasn't even a factor in the marriage. After all, I had never felt what love was before, comfort was all that I had ever known. When we used to joke about it, her and I, she used to speak of our honeymoon and how we would travel to all the cities in the known world. Ironically, I was always the one that dismissed that; I never really wanted to leave Ordon."
He threw a bit of grass into the spring as he spoke. It was disconcerting to hear him speak so freely. When he was young, he was as talkative as any child. When he had returned, his speech had been limited, serious and only deliberate.
Link continued, "When I was a child, I was so eager to prove myself to her. I wanted to show her that I was worthy of her attention so I built this terrible little treehouse at the edge of town. It was filled with cracks and holes and I could never quite get the dampness from the walls. That treehouse, well, it's now my real house," he laughed quietly at that, "I was so focused on it that I decided to find the biggest tree I could. It was only until I had lost myself in Faron woods and stumbled into Hyrule field that I realized that… I couldn't stay in Ordon all of my life. I had to find my way in the world, do something with my life." The man went on, "There were so many times when I thought that I would die on my adventure and every single time I would see Zelda's face. Every time I would black out, I always thought about how much I wished I could tell her my feelings. How much I wanted to be around her, to protect her and fight with her and never give up until she was happy… and now… now I know that she only regards me as the people's hero. She will never see me as I see her."
Swallowing, Colin tried to reassure him, "Are you sure you didn't just judge her reaction wrong?"
Link laughed bitterly, "If only you had seen her face. She was so miserable. It must have been hard to let me down."
Another silence settled over the pair as Colin thought. He didn't know what to say, how to approach Link's situation. A thought had occurred to him and since it was his only one, he decided to use it, "You know Link, Beth really used to hate me," Link looked at him, "I actually once saw her groan when she saw me. It was kind of depressing. I don't know why but I still did like her, more then like really. Everything about her entranced me. You could put the most beautiful woman in the world in front of me and I'd tell her to move aside so that I could see Beth. And I mean… look at us now. She loves me. She told me that today, like she does every day. If I can get together with Beth, I'm sure you have a chance with Zelda."
The man looked across to him, "Do you really think that I have a chance?"
Colin was struck by the innocence of his question. It was almost child like in its simplicity and curious nature. He answered as honestly as he could, "Absolutely."
He was rewarded with a small smile, watery and shaky, but a smile. A silence descended again.
After a while, Colin decided to speak, "We should head back."
"I'm not going back."
Blinking in surprise, Colin asked in disbelief, "What are you talking about?"
Link got up and dusted off his pants. There was a new look in his eyes, fierce and strong. The glow from the spring gave him an almost ethereal appearance, "I don't belong here. I need to follow Zelda."
"Link, you can't do this to us again. You can't, we only just got you back!"
"I've overstayed my welcome."
A sudden feeling of anger welled up in Colin.
Swinging his fist through the air, he punched Link.
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Beth sat by the fireplace and stared at it gloomily.
The house was quiet, not even the wind caused a stir. It was well past midnight and yet she had seen no sign of Colin. Her anxiety had gradually risen in a crescendo and her hands were working shakily on a garment. Tea was sitting cold beside her and an open book was lying on the table. All were discarded in favour of her patient waiting. It took all of her strength to sit still while her feet wished to dart through the door after her loves form.
A scuff broke her out of her thoughts and she ran to her window. Outside, Colin and Link were stumbling up the path. The lanterns only lit their forms partially but she could see that they were tired and haggard. Colin's soft and usually lovely hair was messed and dirtied. She flew over to the door and stormed outside, put her hands on her hips as she waited for an explanation.
Unexpectedly, Colin did not flinch, cower or beg but came over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She found herself leaning into his touch and her angry mood soon disappeared into one of relief.
Without a word she stepped aside and allowed for the two men to walk into the house. Immediately, they sat in the comfortable chairs by the fireplace.
Colin spoke first, "Did you find Zelda?"
She saw Link's head instantly swing towards her and his eyes watched her with a strange nervousness.
She sat down, "Yes, it didn't go quite as I expected…" Looking at them both sheeply she revealed, "We may have spoken some very cross words."
Link did not answer immediately but spoke softly after a pause, "Her highness is not prone to acts of anger."
Colin stood up and bellowed, "I knew it! I knew she was the real Princess Zelda!"
Beth shushed him and he sat down again, "Of course she was, Colin, did you really believe her excuse that her uncle or whoever it was named her after the princess?"
The man looked down in shame and she felt a bit of pride prickle through her for discovering it first. After she allowed herself time to wallow in her superiority she continued, "Well she was very upset… Link, she loves you."
He laughed bitterly, "I don't need your false stories of sympathy."
"They are not false stories, she really does feel that way. She did not say it directly but you must be a fool not to see it in ever line of her body. She is just scared and afraid of how you may react."
Link pursed his lips, "I can not believe you."
As each person considered their thoughts, a silence descended on the room, broken only by the crackle of the fireplace. A snore from upstairs indicated the presence of others but Beth knew that her parents could sleep through a thunderstorm. She did not need to worry about them approaching Link.
Colin's face lit up and he spoke, "What if you heard those three words from Zelda herself?"
Link snarled, "What are you talking about?"
Beth cut in, "Of course, what better way to convince you then from her own mouth?"
Standing up, Colin hoisted up his pants and exclaimed loudly, "I think it's about time that we visited a certain castle."
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