Link's POV

"What the hell, Zelda?"

I was pissed off. She had taken her sweet time getting up here (I'm sure the process of changing to a new dress was just grueling), so I had plenty of time spent pacing on this rooftop to think. And my thoughts just made me angrier. She had acted like I was nothing, like I was just a huge inconvenience.

Zelda remained quiet, her face stoic. Of course she did. Fine. For once, I had plenty to say. "I get that we have to hide our closeness or whatever, but that wasn't... You treated me like I was a stranger. We are not strangers. No one expects us to be."

"I did what I thought was necessary."

"Necessary?" I asked, completely astounded. "Are you freaking kidding me? How is seeing me brutalized at the hand of your guard yet showing only mild disinterest necessary? How is reprimanding me for being set up necessary? And how in the world is acting like you would end your relationship to me in a second if it became an inconvenience, necessary?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You made it necessary. You insisted we dance at my coronation ball and then your skin touched mine revealing that we share a connection neither of us can control. You begged me to meet you on the balcony so you could give me your gift in private. Torrin saw both."

I was taken aback for a moment. Torrin had seen both of those? What kind of demon was he? Still, I didn't like Zelda's train of thought. "You agreed, you know. It's not fair to assign all the blame to me."

She breathed out a small, humorless laugh. "That's just it. I'm not blaming you at all. It was my fault. I should have known better. Usually, I'm so good with politics, so good at avoiding events that could get me into trouble, but I can't seem to say no to you. Because of that, I'm hurting us both."

"Just those two things couldn't—"

"Those two things only served to cement Torrin's suspicions. He already heard you praise me, saw your reaction to his slander of me. He knows how you feel about me."

"And how's that?" I challenged. I wanted to hear her admit it.

Instead, she ignored my question. Probably a wise decision. "But he doesn't know if I return those feelings or to what degree. Our reputations may be linked, but I had to do my best to show him I only cared for that connection as far as it served my interests."

"That's a bleak viewpoint."

"That's my world!" Emotion finally crept onto her face as she willed me to understand. "Do you not understand what Torrin was doing? He wanted to drag you down the halls as a beaten down prisoner for all to see. He wanted rumors to start flying about the hero disgraced. And if the Hero of Twilight wasn't the paragon of virtue everyone suspected then suddenly everything you've said is called into question, including your defense of me. Our connection suddenly starts to work against me, especially so after my inevitable pardon of your actions. But that wouldn't be enough for Torrin. He wouldn't stop until your reputation was completely annihilated, and believe me, he has the skill. Had I not arrived right when I did, he would already be off to a wonderful start, but he will try again unless you distance yourself from me."

I shook my head. "That won't stop him. He's out to get me."

A demented laugh left Zelda's lips. "You think Torrin holds a grudge against you? Torrin's far too self-involved to ever hold a grudge. It's one of his greatest virtues. The only interest he has in you is your connection to me. The instant he can't hurt me through you, you'll drop from his notice."

That couldn't be true. The man who had tormented me wouldn't give me a second thought if I were to separate myself from Zelda? No, his actions had to personal, at least to a degree, right? Even so… "Zelda, I'm not going to let you push me away." I was still really upset, but that didn't mean I wanted to throw away the friendship we had so painstakingly built.

A flash of surprise managed to get by her defenses. She shouldn't have been surprised. Hadn't she been the one to call me steadfast? That look only lasted a moment though, before her face hardened. That wasn't a great sign.

"Link, the truth is, you don't belong in my world. It's this sick and twisted game of deception and destruction. The rules favor manipulators, those who are willing to lie and cheat to gain just a grain of power more. I've heard you like to do favors for those in need of help. Here, favors are never that simple. In fact, they come with so many strings attached that a single misstep will have you all tangled up. The enemies you make here aren't the kind you can just swing your sword at. You have no idea how to make it through the minefield of politics, nor should you ever have to. You should take it as a compliment when I say you don't belong in my world."

I didn't. Clearly she thought me too simple to adapt to her life. And it made me mad to be once again reminded of what I couldn't have. Mad enough to lash out. "You know, when we first met, I was amazed to learn you didn't have any friends, but I'm starting to get it."

She didn't even flinch. "Good. You should know I have allies, and I have enemies. That's how I do my job. I use my allies, and I fight my enemies. Anyone who doesn't fit into either of those two categories is one of my people. Those are the three relationships I'm allowed to have. Friends are a luxury I can't afford."

"So what am I?" I kept my challenging gaze locked on hers. At the very least we were friends, and I needed to hear her say it. To admit that things didn't have to be so bleak as she made them out to be.

"A weakness," she said softly.

Those two words cut me deeper than I thought possible. Certainly deeper than any physical blade was able. "No," I started, fumbling for some counterpoint.

"Yes," she said firmly.

My blood froze in my veins. I never imagined she could say anything so cruel. After everything I had done for her, after everything we had shared, all I was to her was a weakness. I felt physically sick inside at the idea. I searched for regret in her expression, but her face was stone.

As she stood there with her perfect posture, pristine as always in a light blue dress, it was suddenly clear: the only response I could manage. "I'm so sorry, your Supreme Highness. I forgot I was speaking to the Queen of Ice."

My words were full of spite. I knew they'd hurt her even if she didn't show it. I was the one person who had never thought of her like that. Regret began to form in my chest, but my anger was still such that I could bury it.

Zelda cleared her throat, ready to move on because obviously feeling anything or retaliating in any way wasn't proper. "I have something for you." I furrowed my brow in confusion. What could she possibly have for me after what had just happened?

"I should have told you this months ago. However, now it seems a solution to our current predicament."

A predicament. I nearly started laughing from the absurdity of her phrasing. Our friendship crumbling before our eyes was a predicament?

She pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from her dress. "This is a map," she said, handing it to me. "It will lead you to a place better for you. A place without an Ice Queen."

Now I was really confused. I looked at the map. There was a marking in Hyrule Field, along the east edge. I recognized the area as hosting a series of interconnected caves with twisting tunnels. I had explored them to an extent during the war. There was a second piece of parchment behind the first, detailing a path through said tunnels.

"And what is this supposed to be?" I was completely clueless, but at the same time, I was secretly relieved. When she said it was a map, I thought it might detail a foreign kingdom where she intended to send me. At least this led to a place still in Hyrule.

"Those maps lead to a portal to the Twilight Realm."

I breathed in sharply. How was that possible? I had searched myself haggard for months after the war to try and find a bridge between realms. I clenched my jaw. "You said you should have told me this months ago. When did you find it, and why wasn't I informed?"

"You aren't the only one who searched for a connection to the Twilight Realm," she said. "I poured over book after book, divining clues the best I could. I sent a search party once I had a general location, and one of them stumbled upon it. This was approximately five months ago. My reasons for not informing you were selfish. This portal only allows for transportation one way, and I was afraid you'd choose to go through anyway. I thought you needed to remain here for the wellbeing of Hyrule. But now it might be for the best."

I was having a hard time processing everything. I didn't know whether to be furious she had kept it from me or distressed that seeing Midna again meant my permanent departure. "You want me to leave Hyrule? Forever?"

"I want you to have the option. In addition, I want to release you from your obligation to Hyrule. You've far surpassed what could be rationally asked of you. Link, think of Midna. I know how much you've wished to see her again. The two of you could be together. You could serve a queen who isn't bound by political games."

I had to admit, I was tempted. I could get away from the maddening bureaucracy that infected Castletown. But far better than that, I could see my best friend again. We had been together day and night for the majority of the war. I had missed her so much.

But that quickly fell from my mind. All I could think of at the moment was that this was Zelda's way of effectively ridding me from her life. I knew our rooftop conversations were over after she called me a weakness, but we still would have seen each other from time to time. But this was so permanent. Was I really that much of a liability that she wanted me out of her life so definitively?

I looked at her and realized this could be the last time I ever saw her. My heart dropped, and for an instant, my anger dissipated. I couldn't accept that. Zelda meant far too much to me. Yet our relationship was in shreds, and I hadn't a clue how I could ever put it back together.

Fast as it had gone, my anger was back. Zelda was responsible for that. I was willing to fight for us, even in a limited relationship, but she was actively destroying any hope of that. I didn't care if it was for my own good or her own good or freaking Hyrule's own good, I was just mad.

And from there I dove into madness as I realized I couldn't let her go like this. I couldn't let us end on this note. I couldn't leave for good with my tail tucked between my legs. I claim madness because I have no other way of explaining my following actions.

In two long strides, I breached the distance separating us. Her face hosted surprise and confusion because I was going the wrong direction to leave. Instead, lightning fast, before she could stop me, I grabbed the back of her head and crashed my lips to hers.

The kiss was full of fire as I directed all my frustration and passion and other conflicting emotions into it. Zelda was so taken off guard and unprepared that she unconsciously leaned into me and began to return it. My heart felt like it would explode in my chest at the feel of her lips on mine. It was everything I ever wanted.

But time is cruel. One more second I pleaded, loving the feel of her body fitting so perfectly to mine. What I really wanted was an eternity, but I made the most of that extra second before I drew back. Our faces were close, my hand still holding the back of her head, and I saw the swirl of conflicting emotion in her gorgeous, light blue eyes.

For a moment, I thought she might ask me to stay, apologize for her earlier words, but I knew she was too resolved to what she had done, no matter how frazzled she might be from my unexpected advance.

I broke our contact, and my whole body was screaming that I had just made a huge mistake. I turned from her without a word and walked away. Kissing her may have been dumb, but I didn't regret it. However, I also didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to apologize.

"Link," she called out, probably wanting to reprimand me for what I had just done.

I didn't even look back. I just held the rolled-up maps by my shoulder and waved it as I said, "What are you going to do? Banish me?"

A/N: I am so sorry this took so long. I had been so excited to write this chapter for a long time, but when I tried, it felt like everything I wrote was crap. About halfway through, I just started over, which is something I barely ever do. However, I'll definitely try not to let late chapters become a habit.

Anyways, I'm really excited to hear how you guys feel about this chapter. It was quite heavy on the dramatics, really an everything goes to crap chapter. Most reviewers said they felt bad for Zelda more than anything else after the last chapter. How about now? Anyone hate her now?

Oh, and because you guys are awesome, and I had over twenty reviews for the first time for a single chapter, I'll give you a tiny preview for the next chapter. I teased it a little, but I'll now confirm that you'll see Midna in the next chapter. Thanks so much for reading.