Chapter 9: The Dawn before the Day

"It is time for us to say Good-bye, Link." A young, beautiful woman told the young man dressed in his signature green tunic that was adorned with numerous cuts and scratches.

"Why?! I don't want to go back! I want to stay here with you! I did all of this for you!" he yelled frantically trying to hold back the tears he desperately wished to shed. The woman said nothing for several moments.

"I know but there is no need for heroes in peacetime…" she said, knowing fully her Hero's desire to stay. "I have dragged you into a conflict that was entirely my fault." She trailed off. "You must regain your lost time… Now please give me the Ocarina of Time." She said as she held out a delicate hand. Link refused as he shook his head in protest. "Please Link… just go…" she pleaded. Link couldn't help himself now – he cried, however quietly as he handed over the Ocarina, and his now broken heart. Zelda took the instrument and played the familiar tune "Zelda's Lullaby". A circle of blue light surrounded Link and began to carry him off. "I am sorry… and good-bye." The princess whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek that he failed to notice.

Link awoke at the moment and instinctively looked around him to find himself not in the temple of time in Hyrule but in bed at the Stock Pot Inn lying next to his wife who was peacefully sleeping. He felt wet steams on his face and he wiped them away with his hand. He remembered back to years ago when he had nightmare in this bed after he first returned to Termina and he smiled. But the smile disappeared when he realized what he was dreaming or rather remembering; the day he was sent back to his real time by Zelda after completing his journey in Hyrule. The pains of heart-break that he had thought he left behind him in Hyrule were now haunting him like a nightmare… a nightmare that the Fierce Deity paled in comparison to. He wiped again at his face when he then noticed the Triforce mark resonating – Zelda would soon be in town today. "Dammit…" Link muttered when he also realized he was dreaming of a woman that wasn't his own wife! He felt a short bit of guilt as he punched himself in the forehead. He thought of getting up when he noticed that it was still dark outside, so he decided to place his head on the pillow and laid there, unable to sleep. The previous day went uneventful; he and his family simply explored the town and helped out in helping out with preparing for the Queen's coming. Link had helped one band out at Kafei's insisted request with any Hyrulian music or themes. Link thought about being a jerk and teaching them "The Song of Storms" to express his distaste for the coming event.

"The thousand years of rain drops summoned by my song are my tears. The thunder that strikes the earth is my anger!" Link had quoted. "How appropriate…" he had then muttered that day. But for a more fitting and less distasteful setting he had taught them "The Song of Time." The hours ticked by slowly for it was only 3 AM when he woke up, but he just laid there in silence, listening to the sounds of the breathing around him and the occasional creek in the old inn. After a few hours he was able to finally drift off back to sleep; where he thankfully didn't have any more dreams of Zelda.

The morning came quickly, and Romani was the first to rise which was usual even back home on the ranch. She went downstairs after getting dressed out of her nightgown. Anju had also just gotten up and was preparing a quick breakfast for herself and Kafei. "Morning, Anju." Romani greeted as she helped herself to some morning coffee that Anju had prepared for her.

"Good Morning, Romani. How'd you sleep?" Anju responded casually as she then began preparing to make breakfast for more. Romani stretched her limbs.

"Not too bad myself; how about you?"

"I slept pretty well, I'm not used to getting up early to look after the inn anymore; especially since Dutor is usually the one running it now-a-days. But thankfully it's not the busy season."

"The busy season is usually around the Carnival, right?" Romani asked as she leaned up against the island counter, sipping on her coffee. Anju nodded. An awkward silence then passed.

"Hey, Romani is Link alright?" Anju then asked abruptly. Romani was somewhat surprised at her question. The two women have been friends for years since Cremia died in that… incident. However they still didn't talk very often. Whenever they did talk it was mostly casual, not often did they discuss family or specifically their husbands.

"Why do you ask?" Romani asked.

"I thought I heard Link talking or something last night."

"What, in his sleep? I didn't hear anything, but I sleep pretty heavily at times."

"Well, the walls in this inn are not very thick, but at times when he was talking I thought I could hear something like 'I don't want to go' and such." Anju told her friend. Romani sipped further on her coffee in thought as the two sat there in silence. A second later Kafei, Raldo and Marin came down, each yawning and still in their night clothes.

"What's this with Father?" Marin asked, curiously. The two women then noticed the three and the question regarding their conversation.

"Oh it's nothing, Honey." Romani lied to her daughter. She didn't wish to involve her children or anyone else in this matter regarding Zelda and Link yet. It was something that Romani felt that she, her husband, and the Queen would need to tackle on their own, which then reminded her of something. "Oh, Kafei; isn't that Queen Zelda coming sometime today?" she asked to remind the sometimes forgetful Mayor. Kafei's tired eyes then went wide in realization upon what Romani had just asked. He then quickly looked at the clock in the inn lobby; it was quarter past seven!

"Shit! I forgot!" he swore as he quickly ate the remainder of his breakfast and ran upstairs to change. Raldo gave a snicker as they all heard the sound of Kafei tripping on the steps a bit as he ran up them.

"He's so damn forgetful." He commented.

"He sure is. He's so much like Dutor!" Anju agreed as she placed plates in front of the teens.

"Your son?" Marin asked, curious as usual. Anju shook her head.

"Nope, he's more like his own father; Dutor. He wasn't a very competent Mayor, but he was an honest man and cared for the people and his family above all. And for that many people considered him a great Mayor. We named our son after Kafei's father because he was such a good man." Anju told the teens as they ate.

"I wonder how Kafei will handle this thing with that Zelda…" Marin wondered out-loud.

"Well according to what Dad told us the other day, that Zelda only wants to talk to him; not Kafei. So I doubt Kafei will have to do much beyond just greeting her into Town." Raldo commented.

"But brother, even just welcoming the ruler of another country has to be taken very seriously! First impressions are always important! It would be bad for Termina if we ended up causing trouble for Hyrule; we're just a small nation with our people divided. We have good natural defenses, but if we got caught up in a war, we would be in deep trouble!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know but"— Raldo began but Romani clapped her hands, interrupting the political argument.

"Alright, that's enough you two! Why don't you two finish up your breakfasts and go help Kafei in doing some final preparing for the Queen's arrival?" she commanded to her children, who promptly decided to obey. At that moment Kafei whom was now properly dressed and Link whom was wiping the sleep out of his eyes came down. Kafei lightly kissed his wife, waved and ran out the door. Link sat down and sipped slowly at the coffee that Romani had handed him. "Wow did you sleep?" she asked as she refilled her own cup.

"I've had better nights." He muttered as he yawned keeping the reason for bad night a secret.

"You gonna be alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine as soon as I have one of Anju's delicious omelets." He smiled, trying not to make anyone worry about him. Anju got the tip and began making his request. Quietly Link's smile began to fade as quickly as it formed. "And when this deal with Zelda is over." He muttered.