I'm alive!

So I'm guessing many of you are mad at me.

Actually, probably 95% of you want to strangle me. It's okay. I understand. Sorry for having a life.

BUT A NEW CHAPTER IS FINALLY HERE.

And it's for you. Yes, you.

Also, I've managed to write a decent outline and I know exactly where I want this story to go. I have no idea how y'all are going to react to it, but hopefully you will all enjoy my story.

Also a huge thank you to my beta reader. Because reasons.

Anyways.

After a long, long year, here you go.

Happy reading.

Chapter 10

I dragged my feet across the ground, my breaths coming in harsh, labored gasps; staring at the ruthless tyrant who had taken the lead.

"We should rest for a while..." I panted, reaching down and clutching my stomach in exhaustion. We have been walking for hours and hours, searching for a sign of the outskirts of the forests. My feet felt numb as they carried me across the dirt below, my body gradually feeling heavier by the minute. I wanted to stop moving, to sit down upon something, be it a log, a rock, or anything. I just wanted to sit down and think.

Ganondorf stopped momentarily, looking over his shoulder in that same arrogant fashion he always did, scanning my condition from head to toe. Rolling his eyes, he turned around and continued to walk forward at a faster pace.

I blinked once, watching the figure of his back gaining distance. I blinked again, and realized the cruelness of his actions. I did not expect him to be this ruthless, and quickly upped my pace, bearing with the extreme fatigue as I tried to catch up to him.

"You unruly bastard..." I mumbled between harsh breaths, carrying myself after him as quickly as possible. How he was capable of maintaining such a pace in his armor was beyond me. Quite frankly, I did not want to know either.

What sounded like a snicker escaped him. I looked up, catching his eyes briefly noticing how his evil eyes stared down at me, considering me like he considered everyone else: mere tools to further his twisted plans and looked forward, frantically scanning the trees for any signs of closure. A faint smile crossed my lips as I saw how the trees opened up in the distance. My calves burned in response as I ran past Ganondorf, ignoring his order to stop. I raced into the clearing, collapsing onto the ground and rolling, my legs having given way beneath me.

I couldn't remember the last time I had been this tired. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, closing my eyes and escaping to my senses. I could hear the galloping of the mustangs in the meadow nearby; I could feel the gentle winds that caressed my skin, the fluttering of the grass in waves of tranquility. I rolled over to catch a glimpse of the mustangs, looking on in awe at the speed at they were running. It looked nearly impossible to catch one.

One horse was separated from the entire group in particular, nibbling on the grass. He was closer than the rest, and he looked beautiful; almost identical to Epona.

I slowly crawled towards him, careful to not disturb or alert him. With every yard that I closed, I noticed how he paused more often before eating, and when I was only a few feet away, he stared at me as I stood still. Bobbing his head up and down, he trotted towards me and rested down beside me. I ran my hand down his neck, laying my ear upon his stomach as I listened to his heavy breathing.

"Do you tame men in the same way?"

I didn't turn to face Ganondorf as he stood behind me, imagining the disgusted look upon his face.

"It's not my fault they all come to me." I replied.

He scoffed at me, ignoring my response. "Well, that saves time."

I rose and slowly mounted the horse, grasping his mane as he stood. I leaned forward slightly, running my hand along his side.

"I need to give you a name, don't I?" I asked him softly, a gentle smile of satisfaction coming to my lips as he neighed in response.

Ganondorf groaned from behind me. "You can't be serious."

"I'll name you... Mias." I nodded approvingly as I tested the name on my tongue, watching as he bobbed his head. "Mias shall be your new name."

I turned to look over my shoulder, looking at Ganondorf as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm off to find my own." He said, turning and running off after the group of mustangs in the meadow. I shook my head in disbelief as he tackled the leader of the group, a black stallion that was resting at the front. The rest of the horses panicked and spread out, leaving their leader to Ganondorf's clutches.

I turned away to escape the sadistic display, unable to witness to it anymore. I led Mias to a creek a few meters away, letting him drink from the water. He lifted his head when heard Ganondorf approaching. The horse he rode looked completely defeated and torn of his pride. I couldn't help but sympathize with the stallion as he stared at the ground in shame. Mias turned and trotted towards him, trying to lift his neck, but the black beauty twitched away and neighed furiously. Mias backed away and shook his head.

"Let's get going." Ganondorf grasped his horse's mane firmly, leading him north, and I followed after his galloping horse.

I was glad that I had learned to ride bareback before, otherwise this would have been an unbearable experience. My calves still ached from the walk through the forest, but this was much easier to handle. I clutched Mias tightly as he rode through the field after Ganondorf, heading past the flat area towards the inner Faron Province.

I needed a moment to gather my thoughts and think about what I was going to do, about how I was going to contact Midna. We were in the past, so this should mean that the mirror to the Twilight had yet to be broken. Midna had previously mentioned that it was only a few months before the tragedy that Zant had broken the mirror. Ganondorf and I were ten years back at least, so this would mean that I either had to go to the Twilight Realm, or the Twilight had to come to Hyrule.

In truth, I wanted neither.

And according to the old woman, dire consequences would be sought if the three pieces of the Triforce did not remain together while on this journey, so I could not go off on my own. I mean, it's not like I expected Ganondorf to agree to it in the first place, to let me go off on a journey to stop his plans.

But it was still something that had to be considered.

We reached a lake a few hours later to let the horses rest and drink water. The sun was starting to set, and Ganondorf clenched his teeth in irritation.

"Already sunset. What a waste." He reached within his satchel and pulled out something that crudely resembled a blanket, laying it down upon the ground next to him. He sat on it and laid back, not bothering to look at me as he spoke. "We slumber here tonight."

I was half-expecting him to pull out another blanket for me, but I realized just how naive the very thought was; to think that this ruthless man laid down before me would consider the comfort of anyone other than himself. I called Mias to me, who was drinking water from the lake alongside the black stallion. Mias nickered and trotted towards me, laying down at my feet. I brought myself to the ground next to him, leaning on his flank.

Ganondorf sat up and eyed me with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. "That's how you're sleeping?"

I looked at him sharply. "What," I said angrily, "do you expect me to just lay down on the bare ground?"

"Yes, most individuals tend to sleep on the ground."

I glanced over at his blanket for a moment. "You're not." I said simply.

"I came prepared." He responded in a smug tone.

"As did I," I pointed out solemly. "Before you ransacked my belongings."

He narrowed his eyes, his tone becoming acerbic. "Sleep like that, then." He laid back down and closed his eyes.

I sighed and leaned back against Mias, looking up at the sky as it slowly tinted with shades of orange and pink, progressing towards purple, and eventually a dark navy blue. The ocean of stars astounded me, as I had not looked up at the night sky for a long time. If there was one good thing that could be taken out from the situation, it was definitely this.

I felt my eyes beginning to fall, and I turned on my side, towards the lake. I heaved another sigh and finally closed my eyes.

Zelda... Link's voice echoed through my ears.

I was going to get through this.

I had to.

I didn't know exactly how I would, but with the help of the Goddesses, I will definitely solve this chaos.

Zelda... His voice echoed once more.

My consciousness began fading away, and I fell into slumber; the realm of dreams greeting me.

Zelda...

I was in a meadow. A meadow full of flowers, and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. I ran through the field and dove into an enormous bed of flowers, taking a sniff of the air. The scent was lovely, and a nice breeze had surrounded the area, causing my hair to move with the wind.

I laid on my back for what seemed like forever, until I heard footsteps from nearby. I sat up and turned around, and my mouth opened slightly at what I saw.

I was too shocked to even move, and now I started to question whether this was really a dream, or if this was another special realm.

Link paced towards me, and I stood up slowly.

He smiled that same, warm smile. "You're probably wondering what's going on."

I remained speechless, and his smile faded. "We're in a mid-realm, which is a place between the unconscious and the spiritual."

My feet moved forward and I sprinted to him, wrapping my arms around his torso. "Oh my goddess..." I whispered as I buried my face into his chest, feeling his arms holding me close.

I stepped away and looked up towards his face, which had become saddened and concerned.

"I have so many questions..." I whispered, "I'm so scared, Link. I'm at a loss, I don't know how to deal with this."

He held my face in his hands, his thumb gently caressing my cheek. "That's why I called you here," he said with a smile. "We'll solve this, together."

So that's why I was hearing his voice earlier. I took his hands away from my face and held them within my own. "How did you get here? I thought-"

"It wasn't until very recently that the goddesses showed me this place. I'm in the dark, you see, when Ganondorf is conscious. I try to fight my way out, but it's like I'm chained down. I can see everything that he does, feel everything that he's feeling. I see the way he treats you, and...I'm so sorry for that."

He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment in silent contemplation, and then sank down to the ground, bringing me down with him. "I was brought here when Ganondorf began to lose consciousness. I heard a voice, and I followed it out of the darkness to here. I was wandering all over the place while the voice explained to me what this was. I kept calling your name to see if you would come. And then I found you, laying here."

I buried my face in my hands. "I don't know how you do it, Link, going around and rescuing Hyrule. It's so much pressure, I can barely handle it."

He took my hands away from my face and looked at me, his eyes burning with courage. "You bear a heavy burden Zelda, a burden much more heavier than I ever did. You have to take care of an entire kingdom, and all I do is swing around a sword."

I shook my head and faced the ground. "That's not true," I protested softly. "It takes so much more, that's why you're the chosen one. That's why you were entrusted with the Triforce."

I looked back up. "I'm going to try and get Midna to help me. She has my powers, and with my powers, I can finally do something."

Link's eyebrows collided. "How are you going to do that?"

"I don't know."

Link suddenly started to look transparent. My eyes widened in alarm. "Link? What's happening?"

He stood. "Ganondorf is about to awaken." He took my hands and made me stand up. "Meet me here again when he loses consciousness. I'll be here, and we'll get through this."

I nodded. "Okay."

He sighed, frowning. "This is all my fault, Zelda. I'm so sorry..." And just as he had appeared, he faded away.

I stood there, staring at the place where he was, when suddenly I was jolted awake with a bucketful of water on my face.

A startled Mias jumped to his feet and nickered off, leaving me to topple onto my knees and cough out the water that had went down my throat.

"Get up." He ordered.

I wiped my mouth with my hand and stood up. "What the hell is your problem?" I regarded him angrily. "You could have just told me to wake up!"

He ignored me and got on top of his horse.

I scoffed and called Mias, who trotted towards me with a steady gallop. I climbed atop my horse, and glared at the back of Ganondorf's head.

I was going to get through this. I was going to prevail through all of this chaos.

And I was going to see this through to the end, to ensure that all is well in Hyrule.

And then I will kill him.

Yes.

When all this was done, he would pay for his crimes.

I'll try to update when possible, but I promise you all that this story will not go unfinished. I've fallen in love with my (future) plot and I'm determined to make it work out.

Cover artwork for this story was changed, so you can check that out. Can't post links to the original picture. Sorries.

Thank you for reading and don't forget to review, favourite and follow.

-EP

ALSO. I've discovered Tumblr. And it's addicting. And I can relate to people. Just saiyan.

AND ALSO. People PMing me asking to add them on Facebook. It's not cool, man. It's not happening. Pen names happen for reasons. Sorries.