Inspiration: The Ambiguous Law of Sines, lithostratigraphy, quartz and shale rocks, sine waves, harmonics in music, "Quest 64," by THQ (the crystal caves), and the liturgical words: ira, superbia, & avarita.

Original Shout Outs: Guest, Jolie, Stagetrinity, thanks for reading new reading new readers.

Recommended Readings: "Little Lies," by Stagetrinity; "I Dream of Jeanie," UniqueRosa Damascena; "Different Kind of Hero," by Silver Warrior, this writer has some great stuff.

Author Note: The 'tektite' 'tekkite' problem has been resolved lol. Any more questions should be asked with a question mark Ffs lol. Thanks for reading.

Word Count: 13,997


Chapter 9

Link and I rose at dawn, as had been our practice for over the past week. We got ready and headed out for Kakariko Gorge with expediency. Last night was a nice rest, and I was grateful to sleep in a more comfortable bed, but the delay also set us back half a day. Also, I was doing my best to hide my growing list of concerns. With each passing day there seemed to be a new problem presenting itself to me. First, there was the ongoing senselessness of Hylia's lack of transparency. I understood she was the goddess of the land, so essentially her word was law. However, I didn't think her title granted her the duplicity of willful deceit. No matter what I construed she was not going to be clear with me regarding the true nature of this mission. Even Link was beginning to pick up on that. The goddess's opacity, coupled with the veiled, and not so veiled, warnings from the guardians, was telling me that this venture was possibly leading to a disaster. What disaster? I wasn't sure, but a disaster nonetheless. Why wasn't the goddess being more clear? Why was this endeavor not as black and white as it was once was purported to be?

Second, there was this new found business of this Sheikah individual. I had no idea who this person truly was, or why he was so keen on stopping Link and I in finding the mirror. If he was a true servant of the royal family he wouldn't have been hostile in his dealings with us. Something about him seemed off from the very beginning. Why of all things was his first conversation with me a threat? Why didn't he offer to lend a hand in helping me with that woman? Why did he first aide Link only to fight him afterwards? What were his true motives? I had a terrible feeling we were going to meet him again.

Next, I realized the bandits were a much bigger problem than what I or Rusl initially thought. That family Link and I helped yesterday could have died had we not been there to assist them. I couldn't imagine what that woman would have gone through alone, going into labor and worrying about her unconscious son all the while. I needed to increase road side security presence while citizens rode in the countryside. I certainly hoped that family yesterday was going to be alright. I would check on them when I returned to the castle after this was all over. Such unnecessary violence made me contemplate for a moment. Why were people so incredibly selfish and cruel? Why were they willing to give up everything for what they wanted and desired? I hoped that woman and her children faired well soon. I had a feeling that once I returned my generals were going to have more bad news for me.

Lastly, I had my own personal concerns related to my cover. Essentially, if Dr. Borville wanted to inform everyone of my most recent whereabouts, he could. That information would only stand to stagnate my plans in finding the shard and perhaps even compromise Link. When I waltzed into the doctor's office yesterday I should have used more discretion. The shrill of the moment was not an excuse. My identity even took much needed time away from that woman's care. Had she been coherent enough she may have been informed on what the doctor and I were speaking on too. I did wish he were more focused on his patient instead of my face. I found that to be rather frustrating. However, I shouldn't have stood there like a mute fool either. I only added to the suspicions of his already inquiring mind, especially considering who I was with. If it hadn't been for Link, yesterday would have been much more disastrous. Why did I just stand there looking like an open mouthed jest? Why didn't I pretend to be a look-a-like the way Link surmised? It felt like everything was coming to a head all at once.

I took in a deep sigh.

Can it get any worse? I wondered.

I would just have to wait and see.

Anyway, by mid-morning we were about three quarters of the way to the gorge. In that time, Link and I hadn't uttered two words to each other. It wasn't because of our usual back and forth like over the past few days, but the hero seemed lost in his own thoughts. Perhaps he too was concerned with all the things I was concerned with, sans the Hylia encounters. The past few days had been a revelation for us both. Even so, for the most part I let him be, but I was beginning to think he had something very troubling on his mind. I hoped nothing that was said by anyone was deterring him in our goal. I wanted him to know I was still determined to help him find Midna no matter what.

I watched him for a moment as I reflected.

Maybe I should just ask him, I thought.

Instead of generally surmising, that was exactly what I decided to do. We had been quiet long enough.

"If you're going to have that expression on your face great hero then you are begging for a question to be asked of you," I said, finally breaking the silence.

Link didn't respond right away, but he did grin at my statement.

"A simple 'are you okay Link?' will suffice," he replied.

I raised my eyebrows and smiled.

"Your point has been made," I said, "but then I wouldn't have gotten the reaction, thus the smile."

He turned and stared me in the eyes for just a moment.

"I suppose," he replied and smiled wider.

I let my head fall slightly to my left shoulder.

"No, but seriously," I said, changing my tone a little, "what's the matter?"

He sighed and shook his dark blonde locks.

"It's pretty much the same thing that's been bothering me since yesterday," he divulged, "I was just thinking about that warrior and some of the things he said."

I nodded.

"And by 'that warrior' I assume you mean the bandaged fellow," I replied.

Link nodded and returned to looking ahead.

"He was so unusual," he went on, "he was insistent that what we are doing is going to bring about the destruction of Hyrule."

I sighed at the thought of all these doomsday prophecies. It was true that I was concerned about them myself, but I was beginning to wonder how much clout some of them actually had. The biggest instigator of such an occurrence was once again sealed away, Ganondorf, and now all I wanted to do was make peace with Link and Midna, that was all. I didn't see how this endeavor could lead to Hyrule's destruction. I tried to lend a more optimistic viewpoint.

"He may have just been saying that to deter us," I replied, "there are imbeciles every day trying to predict the downfall of Hyrule."

Link saw the point, but shook his head at anyway.

"This wasn't an empty threat Zelda," he stated, "that ninja was dead serious. I really believe we will see him again."

There was no denying that.

So do I, I thought, but wanted to appear confident.

"If so it will be his disadvantage," I said with a hint of confidence, "there's no one that can stand against the Hero of Twilight."

Link then looked at me surprised.

"I appreciate that, but I believe you think too highly of me your majesty," he replied humbly, "although I will agree that I am competent in my ability, any man can have a bad day in combat."

I grinned at him and decided to coax him further. One thing I knew about men was they loved a little encouragement. Goddesses, they loved a lot of encouragement.

"It's Zelda remember?" I replied, then added. "And I fear you think too little of yourself. You should wear the title Hero of Twilight with pride."

Link smiled at my notion, but shook his head again while turning back to looking forward.

"You know what they say about pride Zelda," he said nonchalantly.

I raised my eyebrows.

I was well aware of the saying, but in some instances I couldn't say I always agreed with it. Pride wasn't a terrible thing as long as it had its place.

"What's that?" I asked anyway.

Link shrugged.

"It comes before the fall," he replied.

It was then I gave an exaggerated sigh and rolled my eyes pretentiously.

"I've never completely agreed with that," I verbalized, "I think it's all in how a person exhibits their pride. If you only show in times of distress, then it is not a faulty virtue to have. Pride in one's lineage and country are not faults either."

Link turned his head slightly and looked at me from his profile.

"You consider pride a virtue?" he asked.

I thought about the question for a moment. I suppose in the way I said my previous statement I was making that deduction. However, I couldn't say that pride didn't have its virtuous moments. I think if Hylians were more lateral thinkers they could see that pride didn't always stem from a negative construct. There was good to be had from the feeling as well.

"It can be a vice or a virtue," I said, "it all depends on how it's displayed."

Link hesitated for a moment before he answered, then finally nodded a little in agreement.

"I guess that's a good way of looking at it," he replied, "most people would say it's the first."

I had a counter for that.

"Most people look at things with only vices in mind," I divulged, "more people need to expand their minds and see the virtue behind it. Virtue isn't some grand concept where vice isn't teetering right along the opposite side."

Link raised his eyebrows and nodded again.

"You do that Triforce of Wisdom justice Zelda," he said admirably, "I never thought to think of it that way."

I smiled, feeling a small sense of accomplishment. It was wonderful impressing such an honorable man. This was the way I hoped it would be between us, civil. I was enjoying our conversations very much, and by the end of all this I hoped we would be friends again. Or, if not friends at the very least friendly acquaintances. I didn't want another five years to pass us by and we not speak to each other again. I was more optimistic now than I was a week ago. Even so, I knew all that desire was going to take time. After the conversation abated, we were silent again for a little bit. It was only after a little introspection on Link's part that he decided to speak up again.

"Since we were on the subject of virtues," he said suddenly, "I wanted to apologize to you."

I raised a brow puzzled just then.

"For what?" I inquired.

Link took a long time hesitating before answering.

"For my saying you weren't a warrior back in Ordon," he said finally, "I realize how stupid and foolish my behavior was due to my anger."

My eyes widened slightly and afterwards I felt my cheeks involuntarily blush.

I wasn't expecting this.

"It's alright," I replied.

He shook his head, stopped his horse, and turned to look at me once again.

"No Zelda," he replied, "it isn't alright. It wasn't right for me to disrespect you like that in front of everyone. Yesterday you more than proved me wrong. You shot those arrows with amazing accuracy, and if you weren't with me that woman and her entire family would have died."

I felt my eyes widen and my cheeks burned even more with the way he was looking at me. It was in this instance where I just couldn't help it.

"I..." I trailed, not knowing what to say, "I thank you for that."

He stared into my eyes for a long time afterwards and didn't say anything. He finally grinned to ease the subtle tension and my racing heart slowed down a little too.

"You're welcome," he whispered.

Link reached up and placed his hand over mine before squeezing it affectionately. I was surprised at this and finally had to look away to clear my throat. Everything was going so well between us... too well it seemed to be quite honest. My natural cynicism was creeping back to the fore. When was this perfect scenario going to end? When was he going to start hating me again? I was surmising this because now would have been an excellent time to clear the air and try to start over officially. However, I wasn't sure how Link was going to feel about discussing the past. He made it clear to me a few days ago that he did not even want to consider it, but I knew that wasn't reality. It wasn't going to stay in the background forever. Eventually, we were going to have to address it. I decided to try and be subtle about my approach regarding it.

"Besides," I started quietly after a few moments, "I knew where all that anger was coming from when I first showed up in your village."

Link was quiet, but seemed surprised by the directness in my statement. So much for subtlety. However, he still wasn't baited into the conversation. He slowly let my hand go and I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was debating whether we should address this now or later. That it was conjuring itself in his head again like an old festering wound. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but still didn't say anything regarding the matter. I avoided his gaze, hoping he would say something about the past, even if it was just a small acknowledgement. However, as it stood, that was just wishful thinking on my part. He said nothing.

Do you want to talk about it now Link? I wondered, feeling my heart beat a little bit faster.

However, the hero turned back around and moved Epona forward once again.

"Even still," he said, ignoring my attempt, "I was out of line. You have nothing to prove to me. You're an extraordinary marks woman."

I appreciated his kind words, but I was a little disappointed that he didn't even want to venture into discussing our misgivings. However, when I considered the issues from his point of view, I could understand where his reluctance was coming from. There was a great deal of pain still there for him, for the both of us actually. I decided to let the matter go for now, even though I felt that now was the perfect time. I wanted to discuss our problems when we were both ready. I didn't want to discuss anything in an overly emotive state, nothing beneficial would come of that. I also knew that ignoring it wasn't healthy either. Sooner or later we were going to have to discuss it.

"I thank you again," I replied softly, "that means a lot… really."

When he heard how quiet I got, Link turned to look at me and grinned when he saw the color at my cheeks.

"I knew it," he said of my flushed face, and with a light chuckle he added, "you just can't help yourself, can you Zelda?"

I looked down at Epona and shrugged. That had to be his favorite question to ask me.

"I guess not," I replied, wishing the burn would go away.

Link chuckled more at my reply, which made me grin. I really enjoyed his laugh, he sounded so carefree and joyful when he laughed.

"Don't worry too much about it," he stated, "it's actually very flattering on you. It always has been, even when we worked together at the castle."

The compliment made me blush more. I rolled my eyes at how ridiculous I was being.

Come on Zelda get a hold of yourself, I told myself, it was merely a compliment.

"Thank you once more kind sir," I replied softly.

He grinned, then countered with the usual.

"It's Link, remember?" he replied. "And a simple 'thank you' will suffice."

I wouldn't look at him now.

"Right," I said, wishing I wasn't feeling like such a prude in that moment.

I couldn't help but think that if ancestral mother were in my place, she would have taken advantage of this conversation and had the hero laughing for a completely different reason. It would be for something witty she said. The humor wouldn't be a solely unconventional means because of any shy inclinations she had. I wish I were more spontaneous like her. Though Link laughed at some of the things I commented on, I think it was more because of my unassuming inflections than my words per se. In any such case, it wasn't a big concern, I just appreciated spontaneity and wished I possessed more of it. Maybe if I learned more peasant vernacular I could do so. Even so, we rode along in silence for several more miles before either one of us spoke up again, and this time, I broke the silence. I decided to bring up a subject that was of complete interest to Link, the twilight queen. I was going to approach the conversation in a neutral fashion, or so I hoped.

"When Midna was traveling with you did she help you out a great deal?" I asked all of a sudden.

Link seemed taken aback at the abrupt question. So much so, he didn't answer immediately.

"I'm sorry?" he replied.

I thought nothing of the inquiry initially.

"Midna," I repeated, "when she was traveling with you did she help you out?"

He paused again, then countered with something else. The tone changed slightly in his voice.

"Why?" he asked me unexpectedly.

I looked at him slightly taken aback. He asked that with a little more verve than necessary.

Why? I wondered to myself, not anticipating the question.

"Uh... I was just curious," I replied.

Again, Link hesitated, but I think eventually he saw that my intentions were not to pry, at least, not directly.

"She did help me a great deal," he said finally, then added with more candor, "to be quite honest when I first met her, I didn't like her."

My brows raised slightly at the apt honesty.

"Really?" I inquired. "I never would have guessed that. From the way you always seem enamored with her, I didn't think she could be anything other than pure perfection. Your fixation with her is very apparent."

Link turned his head slightly at my utterance.

"Fixation?" he inquired.

I thought nothing of that either.

"You know," I went on nonchalantly, "how you feel about her: the apple of your eye, the woman of your dreams, the center of your universe, your tunnel vision pursuit of wanton covetousness. You know, your everything."

After hearing me say that, Link stopped Epona all of a sudden then turned to look up at me. He had the strangest expression of distrust on his face just then. However, the more I considered it, it was turning more into open contempt. I had no idea why. He must have taken offense to something I said.

What is this all about? I wondered.

He was making me nervous with the intensity of his striking blue gaze.

I decided to just address it.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked finally.

The hero narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What do you mean by all that?" he demanded, ignoring my question. "Do you think you're funny?"

I shook my head taken aback, not having had any ulterior motives at all. I was just talking to talk.

"No-" I said, but stopped myself when I realized he was taking everything I was saying the wrong way, I needed to redirect. "I was merely stating, you have a strong desire to see your friend again."

Link narrowed his eyes more.

"She's more than just a friend Zelda," he countered, "I have deep feelings for Midna. Are you suggesting something snidely with all your underhanded remarks?"

Underhanded remarks? I thought.

I looked at him in stunned.

"No," I said, "I wasn't suggesting anything other than what I stated, I promise."

Link looked away from me for a moment and groaned in irritation. This didn't make any sense, why was he getting so upset?

"You'd do well not assume anything of me, or anybody for that matter," he said, which made no sense, "you have no rights to do so."

I shook my head.

"I wholeheartedly agree," I replied, "please tell me where I assumed?"

He gave me a quick once over before he continued.

"You know very well what I'm talking about," he replied.

I was taken aback by his manner.

"No," I said, "I don't."

Link was quiet for a moment while he stared at me. I had to admit it made me very uncomfortable because I didn't know where any of this was coming from. I looked away from him to get a little of my confidence back.

"Are you going to answer my question?" I asked finally.

Link paused before he answered me and soon he unhinged the subject completely.

"First you inquired about Ilia, now Midna," he stated, "why do you want to know about my relationships with these women?"

It was more of a demand than anything. I was not expecting this conversation to take this negative of a turn, but now at least it was starting to make sense. He thought I was making a premature judgement of his character. That couldn't have been farther from the truth.

"I wasn't prying to find out any information out about these women, I was merely making conversation," I stated, but then added, "it was the same as when you were talking to me about Elbourne."

His handsome features dimmed when I uttered that.

"Don't you ever put Ilia or Midna in the same class as that scum Elbourne!" he said to me scathingly. "He's a disgusting pig that doesn't deserve the privilege he was born with!"

I felt my mouth drop open.

I didn't say that.

I didn't say that at all and he knew it.

He was purposely getting himself worked up for no apparent reason.

"I never compared either one of them to the dragon prince," I said, trying to keep calm, but he was testing my patience, "I was trying to make a point about our conversation pieces, that's all!"

Link looked away from me again.

I was really getting frustrated with his attitude. I was not going to be his whipping post. He was not going to treat me as though I were a senseless person.

"You make it seem as though I were saying you were a playboy trying to monopolize their hearts or something," I said in passing, but then quickly bit my lip.

I was meaning only to think that and not say it aloud.

Oh no, I thought and closed my eyes.

Link's eyes shot back in my direction.

"What?" he demanded suddenly.

I sighed.

Dear Hylia, why did I say that out loud?

"That was a slip," I replied, realizing I wasn't helping myself.

Link clicked his tongue off the side of his teeth in clear frustration.

"A slip huh?" he replied. "Fine, then why don't we consider this a slip as well: I don't 'monopolize hearts, that's your area of expertise, not mine."

I looked at him taken aback. He could not have been serious. Did he really just say that to me considering our history together?

"I think not Link," I said to him directly, "I think the past accounts for something else entirely, and I think Ilia would agree with me on that!"

I didn't want to take the conversation in that direction, but I was not going to let that slide either. He was accusing me of something that he was clearly guilty of. All he had to do was recollect a few years back to see who had been the real perpetrator of such accusations, and he knew it wasn't me. In that instant Link had nothing to say. When I opted to speak to him, I wasn't expecting anything like this. There was a brief silence that overcame us and I wanted desperately to change the subject.

"Look, I apologize if anything I said was out of line," I said quietly, "I wasn't trying to be, I was just commenting on your feelings."

Link scoffed a little at my words.

"You don't know anything about my feelings," he muttered underneath his breath, "and I find it hard to believe you're sorry about anything you just uttered."

I was getting more aggravated with his irrational behavior. It was just a bloody statement, why was he making such a big deal out of it?

"Why's that?" I demanded.

Link raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

"It just seems a little out of character for you to say something like 'you're sorry' considering the nature of our relationship," he said with a slight encryption to his words, "apologies ring hollow since you're so apt in bringing up the past Zelda."

I knew it.

I knew he was going to come at me like this sooner or later, and this was exactly what I was trying to avoid. Link didn't even bother to mask what he was implying now. Why should he? Technically, I did bring it up first.

I felt my throat tighten a little.

So we're back to that again are we? I thought frustrated. This is why I wanted to clear the air in the first place.

I took in a deep breath.

"And you seemed to have picked up the terrible habit of keeping a grudge," I rebutted, "you can't seem to let anything go, can you? I at least wanted to speak on what you're now trying to use against me. You tend to dodge the issue until it's conveniently used as fodder to attack a person!"

Link didn't back away from that statement.

"I guess I have done that," he said, "and trust me, I want to forget about the past as much as you do, but guess what Zelda? We can't! It's there, it's ugly, and it's something we're both going to have to deal with!"

I felt my bottom lip begin to quiver. This was not how this was supposed to go.

"I'm trying to make that up to you!" I insisted.

Link scoffed again.

"You think finding a goddamn mirror is going to erase what you've done?!" he said angrily.

I clamped my mouth shut and drew back just then. I didn't know what to say after that. He rendered me speechless. Nothing had had changed. Nothing. He sounded exactly as he did when I first got reacquainted with him in Ordon. He was still angry and hateful towards me. I didn't expect changes overnight, but I at least hope for some civility. I was so frustrated at this point that I didn't know what to do. I was trying to keep a level head, but I couldn't if I was constantly going to be attacked. However, I realized something else as well, I didn't have to put up with this. I didn't need the constant reminders from a past I couldn't change. If Link was so hell bent on being grudge worthy, I saw no point in doing this. There was no reason to go any farther if he found my company so deplorable. It took everything in me to keep my composure.

I was tired of this back and forth.

I was tired of it.

I dismounted from Epona just then, which surprised him a little and stared him straight in the eyes. I wanted a concession.

"Do you want to forget this whole endeavor then?" I asked him suddenly. "Because it seems no matter what I do you're going to insist on hating me. I see no point in going any farther if this is something you no longer want!"

Link looked at me taken aback and didn't answer right away. He probably wasn't expecting me to be so direct. He pursed his lips together creating a hard anger line that permeated across his handsome face. In fact, he didn't answer at all, but he looked to be pondering deeply on what I said. It was then I decided to address his apparent issue with my speaking about his precious Midna. I wanted to assure him I meant to no ill will.

He got so upset over a simple question about Midna, I thought, this is all over a misunderstanding about Midna.

I cleared my throat before I spoke up once more.

"Look," I started again, "I know... I know how much you love her. All I want is for you to have the opportunity to see your beloved again. Why don't you let me try and make things right so the two of you can be together? I'm sorry about what happened to you years ago. I'm sorry I was the person who put you through a great deal of that. I was wrong... I was terribly terribly wrong. But now I implore you to let me try to make things right. That's all I want to do. All I want is your happiness Link, however, the choice is your. Do you want to forget this endeavor and go home, or do you want to keep going?"

There was a long silence that followed my utterance. The conviction in my tone and the sincerity of my words must have resonated with him on some level. His manner shifted a little judging from the expression now on his face. He had to know he was being unreasonable at this point, he had to. Even so, he rolled his eyes and looked away. He took in a deep breath and sighed. I waited fully expecting him to accept my offer.

A moment later, he grunted and turned back to staring in my eyes.

"No," he said finally, "no I don't want to go back to Ordon. I want to keep going. I'm accompanying you because... because I want to see this through to the end. I have no intention of turning away now, especially when this opportunity has been presented to me."

Though that was the answer I fully anticipated, I paused for a moment, not certain I wanted to put up with his attitude any longer. If we were going to continue, we needed to come to a consensus and stop arguing. This was getting ridiculous. Either we were going to deal with our past or we weren't, but I refused to keep playing these silly back and forth games with him. We were adults, and adults dealt with matters openly, not in these tiresome squabbles.

You have to be the bigger person Zelda, I told myself, ancestral mother helped you to see the importance of taking responsibility for your own actions when it comes to him and you.

"Are you certain?" I asked anyway. "Are you sure you want to travel with me?"

He gave me a obvious look, but that didn't deter me. The hero then groaned loudly and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Yes," he replied, "yes I'm certain."

I looked away from his face afterwards and felt a little unsettled. Even so, I mounted Epona once more, but not with any real conviction. I worked hard to fight back the tears misting my eyes now. I wasn't the type of person who liked fighting with people I cared for. I knew Link saw me as a horrible individual, but I didn't see him the same way. I was thinking we were on the road to becoming friends again. The last few days made me hopeful. I guess my hope wasn't well founded. My throat tightened and I was trying so hard not to become emotional.

Fight it Zelda, I thought, he doesn't feel the same way, fight it.

"Well then…" I began, my voice broke a little, "shall we get going?"

Link looked up at me when he heard the crack I tried hard to conceal. I wasn't staring at him and attempted to appear stoic. At this point, the tears were there, but I refused to let them spill over. I didn't care if he saw them at this point. I just wanted to get this over with. I saw a hint of remorse in his face from the corner of my eye as he stared at me, but he didn't bother to speak up. He actually seemed disappointed that we regressed back to this state. At least, that was what I gathered from the look on his face.

He then pulled on Epona's reigns and rallied her along.

"Come on girl," he said gently to his mare.

I guess that was that. I was disappointed that our relationship shifted back to this unstable state. I closed my eyes and hoped for better things in the future.

We have to get past this, I thought, we have to!

We continued on our way to Kakariko Gorge.

~SSS~

Kakariko Gorge

We arrived at the open expanses of Eldin Fields several hours later. It was nearing dusk as we made our comeuppance. Along the edge of the far eastern side was the entrance to the brightly lit canyon known as Kakariko Gorge. The luminescence shining heavenward was the phenomenon known as the Hylia Borealis. It certain was a sight to behold. Once we were closer to the entry point, I dismounted Epona and Link and I left her to wander the fields freely while we descended into the illuminated earth. There was a narrow encroaching and outcropping of rock that led down into the chasm. The the light from the opposing direction shined brilliantly, making our way down especially difficult.

Great, I thought sarcastically.

"This promises to be dangerous," I whispered.

I had to admit I was frightened. The idea of climbing down a bright pit with no sense of direction was a terrifying prospect. There was no way to completely adjust to the sensorial shock once the light hit one's vision. I had to remember what Hylia told me in trusting my instincts, and my instincts were telling me to rely on my Triforce of Wisdom. My Triforce sometimes acted as a compass within me when I didn't know the way. Often times that was meant for the figurative sense. I was going to see if it worked in the literal senses as well. When Link and I reached about half way down the road, we found ourselves stuck at an inlet that led to a path continuing down into the great crevice. The pathway then bifurcated into two separate directions: one leading off to the left, while the other led off to the right. It was here where Link and I encountered our first dilemma.

Link finally spoke up since arriving.

"Great," he muttered, "now which way?"

A fitting question for the present situation. I groaned softly while pondering on what to do next, and I knew my best bet was to look into my reference book, the Book of Mudora. I removed my satchel from over my shoulder and took out the large text. I opened it to a chapter on caves and caverns, after skimming over something related to the country of Somaria. I found an obscure notation that read this way: 'when in doubt of where you need to go, take the road less ambiguous.'

I raised a brow and grunted thoughtfully.

"Less ambiguous?" I verbalized.

Link peeked into the book at my utterance.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

I sighed.

"It's this reference here," I said, pointing to the paragraph, "it doesn't make sense. How are we supposed to know which road is 'less ambiguous'?"

The hero raised a brow at my conjecture and grabbed his chin.

"I see your point," he replied, "is there anything else we can refer to?"

I skimmed the page again and saw a tiny citation related to the word 'ambiguous'. Underneath it was a footnote, the footnote read: 'triangulate the location for the answer.'

"There's this," I said, now pointing to the bottom of the page.

The hero looked to where my finger was.

"Hmm," he moaned, then added, "what does ambiguity have to do with a triangulation reference? It almost sounds as if it's an off reference related to mathematics or geometry or something."

When he uttered that I suddenly had an epiphany. I looked at Link with open surprise.

"Wait a minute," I said feeling an abrupt sense of excitement, "say that again."

Link looked at me slightly taken aback, not sure why I was suddenly so enraptured.

"It sounds like something related to mathematics," he repeated with a hint of inquiry.

I closed the book immediately after that and turned to face him. I was confident that I now had the answer.

"Exactly, mathematics!" I said excited. "Of course that's it! And what theorem is related to ambiguity and triangles?"

Link raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders.

"Uh..." he trailed, "the ambiguity triangle theorem?"

I gave him an offhanded look.

"No silly," I corrected, "the ambiguous law of sines!"

He looked at me perplexed for a moment.

"The ambiguous law of what?" he asked me.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at his apparent unawareness.

"The ambiguous law of sines in trigonometry!" I repeated enthusiastically, clasping my hands together. "The book must be referring to that! It's a theorem that determines whether a triangle is real or not."

Link's mouth broke into an 'O' of surprise, afterwards he grinned.

"Wow," he said, "that's pretty clever whoever decided to leave this clue like that."

I smiled as my confidence grew.

"Indeed it was!" I said. "Now all we have to do is utilize it."

Link shook his head for no particular reason.

"I'm pretty impressed with how you figured that out," he said, then added, "I'll tell you one thing, these definitely are trials of wisdom."

I couldn't have agreed with him.

"Absolutely," I replied.

The ambiguous law of sines was a mathematical computation that measured whether a triangle was truly a triangle based off the scientific notation of: side, side, and angle, or SSA for short. If a triangle had three angles and three complete sides it was real, if it didn't it wasn't. It was as simple as that. Now how did that relate to the pathway, and better yet, what numerical computation would I use to solve whether the triangles, wherever they may have been, were real or not?

"There must be something in the geography around here that simulates constant triangulation, like a nook in the road that breaks off or something," I said, looking around the chasm with renew interest. "Or perhaps the book is referencing the sediment like the minerals which all have natural breakdowns. Maybe their logarithmic numbers need to be input into the theorem to determine which road was real or not! We can calculate the trajectories using the ambiguous formulation and determine whether or not we should go right or left! That has to be it!"

In all the time I was explaining, Link was just grinning at me. That was a little surprising considering how he spoke to me earlier. To be honest, I thought he was bent on staying upset with me. I guess I was wrong. His expression made me stop for a moment to address him.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

Link merely shrugged.

"I've just never seen anyone get as excited as you when it comes to things like this," he said, then added, "well, except maybe Shad."

I looked at him thoughtfully and didn't have much to say in a manner of reply. It was what it was. I loved academia and these sort of things excited me. I knew it was silly considering the circumstances, but I felt my cheeks blush. I looked to the ground and nodded.

"Yes… well…" I trailed, slightly embarrassed by my behavior, "I love riddles and such, I always have even when I was a child. It's one of the few things that comes naturally to me and I'm very good at it."

Link grunted at my summation.

"Don't you think you're selling yourself short now?" he replied. "You have many talents, your intelligence just happens to be one of them."

I felt my eyes widen slightly after hearing that. I was surprised at the compliment considering how rude we both were to each other only a little while ago. I hated quarreling, I simply hated it. I just wanted to make amends with Link and have things be as they once were, but I realized that would have to be a concession we both wanted. I started fidgeting with my hands nervously and continued to avoid his eyes. Link saw my unsettled state and came up to me without a cue from me. Surprisingly, he took hold of my shoulders gently to halt me. I froze after a few moments, not wanting to look at him, not wanting a repeat of earlier. I was so tired of fighting... I was so tired of it. However, when he saw I still wouldn't look at him, he let one of my shoulders go and lifted my chin up so my eyes could meet his... there his beautiful sky blue's were.

I took in a deep sigh when I finally met his gaze.

What now? I wondered.

"Yes?" I uttered softly.

His aquatic gaze was searching my face just then.

"I want to apologize for how I treated you earlier," he said finally.

I figured he was going to say something like that. We were so cyclical at this point it was becoming a routine. Even still, I looked at him as though I were surprised.

"What?" I asked.

A guilty look filled his expression.

"I'm sorry," he said directly.

I looked away and shook my head.

"It's okay," I said softly, "I understand why you reacted the way you did."

This time he shook his head.

"No, it isn't okay," he said seriously, "talking to you like that is never going to be okay. You're doing this for me and I treated you like a senseless woman. Look, I know we have our issues and everything, but I want to put that all behind us. I was wrong in how I approached you."

I wanted to believe all this but I just couldn't. There was too much vitriol in our last argument.

"Link-" I tried.

He seemed determined this time.

"I'm serious Zelda, I don't want to argue with you anymore," he interrupted gently, "I'm tired of going back and forth when all I want is to go forward with you. I was wrong with what I said and I was wrong in how I said it. I don't want to spend our days traveling together walking on cuckoo shells."

I clamped my mouth shut and felt my throat tighten. I really wanted to believe what he was saying, but I just couldn't for some reason.

"I don't want that either," I said anyway, feeling a slight break in my voice.

Dear goddesses, don't become emotional Zelda, I told myself, don't.

It was too late for that. My eyes were already becoming misty. I tried to avoid his eyes, but that was proving difficult to do too. I think he saw my frustration with this situation and went to reassure me.

"Some of the best times have been just talking with you while we're walking or riding," he went on, "that... and watching you smile. I... I really enjoy your smile Zelda. I'd forgotten how beautiful it was. You have no idea how much you light up a room. Your laughter, your brilliance, your kindness -everything."

I took a step back, taken aback by his words. Where was all this coming from? With the way he was treating me over the past few days, I sincerely thought he hated me. Now he had all these kind words for me? I must have missed something, or perhaps I was swaying the pendulum of opinion too closely to my own recognition of what I thought his feelings should be for me. Link was staring in my eyes now and unfortunately for me I felt them water up more. My resolve seemed to be proving futile.

"I realize how stupid I was with some of what I said," he continued, "I know what truly happened back then. I know who's truly at fault. I know who was monopolizing hearts... and it wasn't you." He avoided my eyes for a moment and took in a deep sigh. "So, because I was such a fool in how I responded and how I misspoke, I need for you to forgive me... please."

I was speechless for a second. There was an earnestness to his tone that wasn't there before.

"I... I don't know what to say," I whispered honestly.

He looked at me hopefully.

"Say you'll forgive me for being so stupid," he replied.

His words made me chuckle softly a little.

"I wouldn't put it quite that way, but yes... of course I forgive you Link," I replied.

His eyes were still searching my face. It seemed he had a little more to get off his chest.

"I know what I'm about to say may seem out of left field, and I asked you this once a long time ago," he started, "but I was hoping we could be friends again. I really miss your friendship Zelda. You were one of the few people I completely trusted."

My eyes widened simultaneously with his words. I couldn't believe he was saying this. This was the last thing I was expecting. The last thing. I stared at him dumbstruck for a moment.

"You... want to be my friend?" I asked in minor disbelief.

He nodded.

"Yes I do," he said sincerely, then added, "I'm older, I'm wiser now Zelda. I won't take you for granted again. I won't make the same mistakes like before."

This sounded too good to be true. I looked to the ground again and shook my head.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "About what you were talking about earlier, I-" I tried.

"I promise I won't bring up five years ago, directly or indirectly, again," he interrupted quietly, "seriously, I'm done with that. I never should have done that to you in the first place, it wasn't fair to you."

I swallowed hard at hearing him say that. I wanted to believe that so badly, but I just wasn't sure. I simply wanted peace. I wanted nothing more than to be Link's friend again. I wanted to help him find Midna and be content with being his friend. I remember how close we were in the past when it came to our friendship. I remember him telling me his 'terrible' jokes and me laughing at them. I remember it all and I wanted a little of that back. Could we really be friends again? Could we really put the past behind us? That I wasn't sure, but at the behest of more possible disappointment I decided to be hopeful again. Instead of fighting it, I decided to embrace our third attempt at a true. Hopefully, this time it would stick.

"Really?" I asked finally.

He nodded.

"Really," he answered, "I was just as much a party to what happened back then as you," he went on, "it's unfair and stupid of me to blame you for doing what you thought at the time was right."

It seemed that was all the catalyst I needed. That was it. I tried to control my tears by blinking several more times, but they finally spilled over. I probably looked foolish right now. I knew my reaction was silly, but I really wanted to put the past behind us. I even covered my mouth to prevent a sob from escaping my throat. I just couldn't hold my feelings in anymore.

"Thank you," I whispered finally.

Link stared at me seriously for a moment, then without waiting for a prompt from me took me in his arms in a tight secure hug. I gasped softly from his embrace because I was stunned... stunned. I hadn't been hugged by him in so long. My goddess, it had to have been at least five years. Him holding me made me tear up more. I was hesitant at first, but I reluctantly hugged him back. However, my reluctance was more out of fear of this not working again rather than me not wanting to express myself. If I could truly express myself I would have told him what's been locked in my heart for so many years. I would have told him I still loved him. I remember when he used to hug me all the time. He hugged me when I was happy. He hugged me when I was sad. He hugged me when I was feeling low. He hugged my all the time. It was nice to have a little of that back.

When he pulled away he caressed my wet cheeks.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded and looked away. I didn't reply.

"Please don't cry," he said to me gently, "you know I hate it when you cry."

I nodded again, trying to pull myself together.

"I know, I'm sorry," I said, "it was foolish of me."

I attempted to wipe my cheeks with the back of my palms when shortly thereafter Link stopped me. Much to my surprise he reached into his pocket and pulled out the handkerchief I gave him and finish wiping my cheeks for me. When I realized what he was doing I looked at him astonished. My bottom lip started trembling in nervousness and I stared up into his eyes. I didn't know what to think. I wasn't expecting him to be so forthcoming about the gift, but I guess I made it obvious that I knew he still had it.

"Link..." I trailed.

He wiped under my eyes gently.

"You gave this to me," he whispered, "the least I can do is wipe your tears with it."

I pursed my lips together to control them and nodded.

"Thank you for keeping it," I whispered.

Link nodded.

"You're welcome," he whispered, "I had no intention of losing it. Thanking you for getting it back to me."

I looked back down at my hands nervously.

"It... it was all you had left to remember me for awhile," I said, "I wanted to make sure you had it."

Link didn't reply to that. Instead, he lifted my chin and caressed my cheek again. I wasn't sure what to make of what was happening between us right now, but I didn't want to be confused my it. So, I stepped back out of his grasp and we were silent for a few moments. I felt a little awkward, but I was happy we were trying to make things right. I appreciated his efforts.

"We seem to go back and forth, don't we?" I half joked.

He looked at me seriously.

"Not anymore," he said to me, "from now on we'll only go forward."

I didn't reply right away.

Let's hope this actually lasts, I thought.

Link raised his eyebrows when he saw I didn't answer right away.

"Deal?" he asked.

I took in a deep breath and tried to smile.

"Deal," I replied.

This really needed to be the last time if we were ever going move on. There couldn't be this constant back and forth, it wasn't productive.

I'm glad that's over, I thought.

With that settled, Link then looked past me down the chasm at the junction before us.

"So…" he began, "let's see about getting that shard."

I smiled and nodded.

"Absolutely," I replied.

I turned back around and redirected my attention to the road ahead of us. I needed to pick up where I left off, which was me analyzing both avenues. I noticed both roads led down illuminated paths. There was however a subtle difference in how the light reflected off the quartz and shale walls. The left pathway diffractions created triangles of different shapes and sizes, while the right pathway's luminescence was bending at several different degrees, but consistently made the same pattern going down the road. It was clear to me based off what I was seeing that the right road was the right way to go. However, just to be on the safe side I did a quick estimate of the angles and plugged them into the formula in my head. I began figuring out the calculations, and saw a consistent pattern of inconsistency in the left pathway. I calculated the measurement for the right as well so as not to be presumptuous. The outcome was as I predicted.

"We're going right," I said with a confident smile, "it's the road 'less ambiguous.' The light reflections on the left vary too much."

Link grinned at my enthusiasm, then gestured for me to go ahead of him.

"Ladies first," he said.

I merely nodded and began down the pathway. The crevice shined beautifully in all directions. The walls resembled more mirrors than rock, possibly due to the constant casting of light and the embedding of quartz. I stopped to look at a prodigious reflection of myself. It would have taken four of me to equal that size of me in reality. I snickered at the portly woman staring back at me.

"So that's what a greedy Zelda looks like," I said, shaking my head, "I better lay off the tea cakes."

Link grinned at the sight of me, then looked at his own reflection. His was the exact opposite. He was standing in a demarcation that reflected a tall malnourished version of himself. We were quite the opposites, but I couldn't help but feel this subtle variance signified a truer reality. That was the way my people probably saw me, an insatiable woman only thinking of herself. It was strange to me that such a sobering thought came to me all of a sudden. Maybe it was this place that warranted such contemplation.

Link saw the now serious expression on my face and inquired of it.

"What's wrong?" he asked me.

I stared at my reflection once more, then finally looked away.

That's not who I am, I thought in defiance, everyone will know soon enough.

"Nothing," I said, "nothing at all."

Link gave me an offhanded look.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Yes," I said, wanting to forget the excessive woman the wall was showing to me, "let's continue."

We traveled farther into the chasm until we finally reached the bottom. Again, the surface shined from the quartz, as light reflected all around us, but something about it seemed manufactured ... false in a way.

The shard must be in here, I thought, it must be.

"'Faded pictures of celestial bodies are reflected on fractured sand,'" I whispered, looking around the room, "where are you fractured sand?"

Link was next to me, but then narrowed his eyes and walked up to a far wall in the distance. After staring at it for several seconds, he ran his hand across the surface blindly. I looked over at him puzzled.

"Do you see something?" I asked.

Link didn't answer right away.

"I've learned to never trust just my eyes," he replied.

I nodded at his words.

"That's a wise way to go about things," I said.

Link continued feeling against the wall, until he suddenly pulled back when he sliced his thumb.

"Ouch!" he groaned softly.

I looked on surprised.

"Careful," I cautioned.

The hero examined his thumb as bright red blood seeped from it.

"I found it," he said, backing up a little bit.

I walked up to him and took his hand into mine.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Link ignored the bleeding.

"I'll live," he said, taking his hand from my grip and going back up to the wall, "I'm going to pull it from the niche it's resting in."

I looked up to see where he was talking about. After examining the wall, I couldn't determine how he made his conclusion.

"Where is it?" I asked.

Link gestured to the center wall just off to the left.

"It's right there," he said, "whoever hid this thing is a clever bastard. You would never be able to tell it was down here if you weren't actively looking for it."

I had very little to say on that.

My ancestors… I thought, they had to put this mirror here.

I sighed.

"That was the whole idea I suppose," I said simply.

Link went back up along the wall. A few moments later, he was pulling and tugging at a large orifice until a loud grating disrupted the sound barrier. Immediately after the dismantling of the mirror from the wall, the luminescence abated. Link and I looked around the commodious area slightly startled. The sudden darkening took us both by surprise. Even though I had the hypothesis in my head, the darkness was still unnerving.

So... it was true, I thought.

"The Hylia Borealis disappeared!" Link said shocked then looked back at me. "Is that suppose to happen?"

I nodded, not having much to say regarding the phenomenon.

"Unfortunately yes," I said honestly, "the whole occurrence was set up by… unsavory people."

Link stared at me taken aback, then with a slight distrust regarding my answer, but then suddenly raised his eyebrows when he glanced down at the huge mirror in his hands. Out of nowhere, a strange red light began glowing from it. Perplexed, Link walked back slowly to where I was with the mirror still facing him.

"What about this?" he asked, his voice carried waves of growing concern.

I watched at him mildly puzzled.

"What is it?" I asked.

Link looked from the glass to me and back again. He shook his head.

"See for yourself," he said.

I stared at him with a raised brow. However, my puzzlement turned to a subtle foreboding when he turned the mirror around and let me see what he was staring at. I looked at it taken aback.

What in the…? I thought bewildered.

There, as if branded in bright red letters on the glass, were three words written in ancient Hylian: ira, superbia, and avarita.

"Wrath, pride, and greed," I whispered more to myself than to him.

A sinking feeling welled at the bottom of my stomach.

Link raised his eyebrows when he saw my facial expression.

"Do you know what this means?" he asked me.

I slowly shook my head.

"No, I have no idea why it's there," I said softly.

The unsettling feeling never went away. I may not have known, but I was definitely going to find out. There was something very unnerving about this. Why were ancient letters showing up on this discarded shard? However, my inquiry had to wait. A moment later, the words suddenly disappeared from the mirror. Afterwards, the shard shook slightly in Link's grip and shrunk down to about the size of his palm. The whole occurrence happened quickly and out of the blue. It was very strange.

We both looked on bewildered, but didn't have a proper explanation for it.

"Do you think it shrank so we could carry it?" I asked quietly.

The hero took in a deep sigh.

"I suppose so," he replied.

It was the only rationalization that I could come up with.

Link then gripped the shard hesitantly.

"I... I have a bad feeling about this," he said more to himself than to me.

I couldn't have agreed with him more.

"What do you think we should do?" I asked.

He had no words for me and shook his head.

"I don't know," he replied.

I tried to remain enthusiastic, though it was admittedly a fleeting feeling.

"Well…" I started, "we've come this far, we might as well keep going."

Link paused at my words as he looked my way. He was obviously conflicted by the decision.

"Do you honestly think we should?" he asked. "I keep thinking about what the guardians warned and what the ninja yesterday said. Now there's this… it all seems to be pointing to something terrible."

He was right, but then there was someone else to consider.

"I understand what you're saying, but what about Midna?" I asked quietly. "Don't you want to see her again?"

Link raised his eyebrows briefly and looked. He took in a deep breath and contemplated quietly for a moment. He was apparently bothered by the notion of what seeing his beloved could mean, but if he was willing to go on so was I. I was serious about helping him find her.

"Of course I do," he replied, "more than anything else."

That was all I needed to hear. It actually made me a little disconcerted to hear him say that like that, not devastated, just sad. However, this was no longer just about Link, I also wanted to solve this mystery for myself. I wanted to see what was at the end of this elaborate puzzle. Perhaps we were on our way to unlocking a very ancient treasure. Something Hyrule hadn't had access to in many many years. I actually felt a little more encouraged after considering this way. There was more than just the twilight queen to consider here, but I wouldn't disclose that to Link.

"Then getting you to her matters more to me than pondering over things that we think may or may not happen," I replied.

Link hesitated again and reluctantly nodded. However, he didn't share my enthusiasm.

"I suppose," he said trying to agree, but his doubt wouldn't let him completely.

There was a brief silence between us just then.

"Let's get out of here and then we'll figure out what to do next," I suggested, "there are probably people already on their way to this area wondering what happened to the light spectra. There is a society dedicated to this site."

Link nodded again.

"True," he said, putting the shard in his satchel, "let's go before they find us."

I notice a tunnel leading deeper into the underground and considered taking that direction.

"Do you think we should go this way to see where it leads?" I asked. "We could avoid better detection that way."

However, the hero was adamantly against it.

"Trust me when I tell you that direction does not lead to a place where you would want to venture off to," he replied, "especially you."

I looked at him surprised and stared down the tunneling once more. All he did was ignite my curiosity.

"Where does it lead to?" I asked.

Link was already heading in the opposite direction.

"A little place called the Red Lantern District," he replied, "come on, we're not sticking around here."

His reply made me blush.

"The what?" I replied.

He didn't bother to answer me again.

"Let's go Zelda," he replied.

Link quickened his step as he started towards the incline. I in turn looked over my shoulder at the long tunneling once more and was even more curious now. The Red Lantern District... I had heard rumors that such a place existed, but never did I think I would stumble upon it on my journey. I noticed Link was all to eager to get away from here now that he knew where we were. Had he been there before? Is that why he was so adamant about not going? I knew it was best not to ask, nor was it any of my business. Instead, I hurried after him to catch up with him.

We started the long trek back up the ravine to Hyrule Field. When we got back to the main landing, Link called for Epona. I mounted her, and we headed towards Kakariko Village to look for lodging at an inn. However, the village was already in a complete buzz over the sudden disappearance of the Hylia Borealis. If we stayed there, we knew anyone just coming into town would look suspicious. We even overheard some villagers talking about a team of geologists already on their way to the ravine. They were going to investigate the sudden disappearance. After the close call in Castle Town, Link and I decided to forego the inn and camp out on the open plains of Eldin Field by firelight. We traveled in the opposite direction of the ravine so as not to be noticed. Admittedly, I found nothing comfortable about itchy green grass and possible bug infestations, but what could I do? Beggars couldn't be choosers. In the meantime, Link took Epona and went to gather some fire wood. It was a gamble leaving me alone unattended, but I insisted he go so we could be warm for the night. I stayed behind looking in the Book of Mudora for clues to deciphering the second riddle. I was in the middle of decoding a term, when suddenly a bright flashed across the sky and a beautiful, but familiar, bodice formed in front of me.

She floated down slowly before walking over to me.

"Hylia!" I said happily, jumping to my feet to greet her.

She smiled, but then for some odd reason looked ready to scold me.

"That's ancestral mo-" she started but then stopped herself, "wait no it isn't. You finally get it right and I start to crack up. Oh well. Anyway, how's it going?"

I really didn't know where to start to answer that question. I figured the obvious route would be best.

"Since you already know," I started, "I think it's safe to say that it could be better."

Hylia relaxed and sat herself on the ground.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked me.

I shook my head and sighed.

"I mean everything," I said, "there are bandits chasing after us, crazy ninjas trying to fight us, disgruntled servants finding out my identity, cryptic codes, skeptical guardians- just the whole nine cuckoos."

Hylia nodded, but then smiled for some strange reason.

"But you've never looked happier," she said to me sweetly.

I felt my cheeks blush when she said that. I guess that was true.

"What?" I said surprised anyway.

Hylia crossed her arms over her chest.

"This is the happiest I've seen you in a long time," she said to me seriously.

I guess she was right, but my happiness still didn't take away from the fact that I felt all my actions were leading to a very bad outcome.

"I suppose," I replied, sitting down next to her, "but I have to ask you why all this is happening."

Hylia stared into my eyes for a moment and hesitated. I was slightly taken aback.

What's this all about? I wondered.

Hylia turned to look out at the plains.

"It's nothing," she said in answer to my thoughts "everything happens for a reason Zel. You just have to ask yourself is it worth it to you."

I sighed at her evasive nature.

"I believe it is for Link's sake," I said, trying to be honest.

Hylia then turned to look at me.

"What about for your sake?" she asked me.

I didn't look at her when she asked me that.

"I'm happy as long as Hyrule is safe," I replied, "that's all I care about."

Hylia sighed.

"Right," she said sarcastically, "that's why you were discussing having children with the man you're in love with. That's why you're struggling to determine if you want to keep this ruse going. That's why you get all sexually aroused when he just looks at you."

I was surprised at her rather scathing recounting.

"I beg your pardon?" I said slightly upset.

She raised a brow.

"You need me to repeat it?" she replied.

I stared at her taken aback.

"Hylia-" I tried.

"When are you going to tell Link you're in love with him?" she interrupted.

One subject seemed to be shifting into another. I shook my head, not sure what to speak on first.

"I'm-I'm not in love with him," I said, "Link doesn't feel that way about me. We just now got back to being friends again."

Hylia took in an irritated breath.

"That won't work on me Zel," she said to me, "you know you can't lie when I'm around. I know you're still in love with him."

I shook my head.

"He loves Mid-" I tried.

"I'm not talking about Midna," she interrupted, "I'm talking about you and Link. You think he can't tell that you care about him with all that blushing you do? Trust me, he knows it's not just your cheeks that are on fire, your loins are pretty hot as well."

My eyes widened in shock.

"I-I-I-I-I-I do not get that way around him!" I stammered. "What you're suggesting is preposterous!"

Hylia leaned on her side on the grass.

"Look, I'm not trying to pick on you," she reasoned, "but you know as well as I do you need to tell this man how you feel before he ends up in the arms of that twilight chick, then he'll be stuck in the twilight zone if you know what I mean. If you don't start getting over your hang ups and approach him like a real woman, trust me baby, she will."

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away from her angrily. She didn't understand, it wasn't as simple as she was making it.

"He's in love with Midna," I insisted stubbornly, "and it is my duty to make things right between them."

Hylia rolled her eyes and looked at me defiantly.

"Who are you fooling?" she asked me. "Link can see right through you just as well as I can! He was practically giving you permission to tell him how you felt about him at the bottom of the chasm, and what do you do? You screw it up by thinking more of your pride than what you want as a woman!"

I stared at her stunned. I was so sick and tired of being reminded of how pathetic she thought I was. Yes, I was aware that I was putting my feelings to side. Yes, I was aware that I was hurting myself by doing this for Link. Yes, I was aware that I could potentially be throwing something wonderful away that may have been growing between us. But Hylia wasn't understanding the other side of the coin either. She didn't realize Link wanted to be with his beloved Midna. Hylia didn't see how he lit up when he thought about her. She obviously chose to ignore the argument he and I had over his precious twilight monarch earlier today, which nearly made us depart from this venture. Hylia apparently didn't see that I was trying, that I was hoping, and that -bloody hell- I was dreaming of making things right. She couldn't see that there may have been something more important going on than my love life. There was more to Hyrule than the selfish pursuits of its queen. There were the people to consider as well. No, I was tired of being Hylia's whipping girl, and she was going to hear first hand from me why.

I had had enough.

"You don't get it!" I said, then stood up angrily. "How many times do I have to tell you he doesn't love me ancestral mother?! He's in love with another woman! He doesn't want to get to know me the way I want to know him! He doesn't! He's said these things to me! Why should I grovel after someone who doesn't want me? Am I wrong for wanting to keep my decency if he rejects me again? Am I wrong for thinking I'm better than being someone's number two choice? So would you kindly do me a favor and please stop bothering me about this and leave me the hell alone!"

After I was done, Hylia looked at me stunned. I had to admit, I didn't know where that fiery woman came from, but I was so tired of always having to cater to people, only for them to want to walk all over me in return. I wasn't the ice queen that everyone thought I was. I was a person damn it, I had feelings. That was days of pent up anger released in one moment. Afterwards, there was a silence that followed. It stayed that way until I finally calmed down and broke it.

"I'm sorry I raised my voice," I said quietly, stroking my hair behind my ears.

Hylia took in a deep sigh and got up. She came up to me and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Don't apologize," she said softly, "I'm glad you did that. You have so many pent up feelings, that I'm glad you let some of that out. I'm sorry for needling you like that, but I had to."

I looked at her confused, but then rolled my eyes.

"You did that on purpose?" I asked.

Hylia grinned and nodded.

"Yes," she said, "you think everything so vividly. That woman you were in the ravine is the woman you need to be all the time. You should be vivacious and full of life. Stop holding back because you're afraid he'll say no. Let him, because if he does it's his loss."

I felt my eyes burn, but the tears didn't come.

She did that on purpose, I thought incredulously, but even though I was upset at the onset, I was grateful I was able to express myself like that.

I put my hand over my mouth when a perplexing smile began to curl my lips. Hylia quickly pulled my hand away.

"Stop that," she said seriously, "there's nothing wrong with your smile. Like Link said you have a beautiful smile, and it's wonderful that you're showing it."

I characteristically blushed.

"I suppose," I said quietly.

"You shouldn't suppose," she said to me, "it's true."

I looked down and nodded at what she said.

Hylia released me from her grip, then removed one of her bracelets from her wrist. She then took my hand and dropped the bracelet in it.

"This is for you," she said.

I stared at the jewelry surprised.

"What's this?" I asked.

Hylia looked at the bracelet for a moment, then stared directly into my eyes.

"Something you need when the time is right," she said enigmatically.

I looked at her puzzled.

"How will I know when the time is right?" I asked her.

Hylia grinned at me.

"A little birdie will tell you," she said.

I still didn't understand.

"What?" I asked even more confused.

Hylia fanned off my concerns.

"Don't worry about it," she said simply, "trust me you'll know. Anyway, I think I've bothered you enough, and pretty boy is on his way back. I still have hope for you two. Don't blow your opportunity because you want to noble Zel."

I looked at her surprised.

That's advice? I thought.

"Yes," she replied, flashing me a dirty look.

I raised my eyebrows, knowing I could never win with her.

Hylia then took a few steps back and snapped her fingers. A moment later, she was gone. I looked up to heavens wishing I understood her way of thinking better, but digressed that that was just the way of the divine. Afterwards, I put the bracelet around my wrist and admired my hand for a minute.

It's actually quite pretty, I thought.

"A gift from the goddess herself," I whispered, "who'd have thought."

With the goddess now gone, I went back to my spot on the grass and resumed my studies. I was making pretty good progress with the second riddle. As I stated before I was in the middle of decoding the certain terms.

'There must be a perfect harmony of water kissing the wind,' I thought, remembering how I took apart the first riddle.

I would do the same with this one.

First of all, what was perfect harmony? I turned a few pages in the text to find a section focused on the function of harmonics. It stated that in music, harmony was based off the perfect integration of sine waves set at different amplitudes and frequencies. Sine waves were oscillations where the amplitude started at the origin or source. However, the waves were also effected by phase shifts, which were movements to the left or the right of the origin, and vertical translations, or shifts up and down the musical gradient. I came to the conclusion the 'perfect harmony' aspect of the riddle had to do with music in some way. What that way was I wasn't sure as of yet.

Now moving along, what was 'water kissing the wind'? It was a symbolic saying obviously, but there was enough jargon to deduce it referencing a real geographic location somewhere in Hyrule. But where? Well, there were two places where water was the primary abundant source: Zora's Domain and Lake Hylia. Considering Link and I just left from Lake Hylia, I knew the guardians weren't going to make it that easy for us to just backtrack. No, that shard had to be hidden somewhere in Zora's Domain.

The next question to answer was: how did water 'kiss' the wind? Swells of water could be created if enough force by the wind was actuated upon it. Waves of water during a gusty storm could be the ideal situation for 'water to kissing the wind.' In any such case, it was a start. There were still some things I wasn't sure about, but at least I knew our next destination. The shard was somewhere in Zora's Domain, and it was hidden by music. This one wasn't as complicated as I thought it was going to be. I closed the Book of Mudora, and looked out onto the horizon to see Link galloping towards me atop Epona. When he dismounted, he started to unbundle the wood he had tied to the saddle.

I went to help him.

We worked silently before I finally had the courage to say something.

"I wanted to tell you that from now on I'm going to make a more concerted effort to say what's on my mind without any regrets," I said abruptly, "with tact of course."

Link looked down at me and stared at me mildly perplexed for a moment.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

I didn't bother to look at him.

"I'm going to say what's on my mind," I repeated, "I think it's very important that I start being honest with you."

My utterance cleared nothing for the hero.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "Haven't you been already? You seem like a pretty open book to me."

I shook my head and smiled.

"Never mind," I said, "it doesn't matter."

He stared at me for a second and didn't reply right away.

"Are you still upset about earlier?" he asked quietly. "Is that why you're saying this?"

I turned and looked at him surprised.

"No," I replied, "I wasn't even thinking about that."

He paused then nodded and avoided my eyes for a moment. He lowered his voice a little.

"I... I didn't mean those things I said to you," he divulged, "really and truly."

His tone made me blush, but I was quick to reassure him.

"I understand," I said with a grin, "I promise I wasn't thinking about that at all."

Link took in a deep breath and continued unsaddling Epona.

"I meant what I said to you about wanting to be your friend again," he stated, "I really hope we can get back some of what we lost."

I was surprised to hear this, but I was appreciative he was making such an effort.

"I hope so too," I replied sincerely.

I looked into his eyes for just a moment and smiled. He grinned back, but then gave me this strange brooding gaze. It was long mesmerizing.

"What?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head.

"Nothing," he replied.

It, of course, made me blush, but I turned away to escape it. We were silent for a long time, and I found that he was still staring at me.

What's this all about? I wondered.

I decided to dispel the proclivity.

"Anyway," I started, changing the subject, "I figured out where we're going next."

He raised both brows impressed.

"Already?" he asked.

I nodded.

"We head out at dawn," I said, "we're going to visit the Zoras. They may have a little something we want."


The next chapter will be up soon.