Hi People. I just wanted to preface this section by saying I'm sorry and to not lose hope because I know that this section might make some people a little angry. Just remember that it's not over yet. I finally finished the almost 300 episodes of dragon ball z do I will be writing more now. Also I really don't know how long this is going to be or when it's going to end. This is entirely based on my capability to finish a story. I'm the kind of person that can only read books that are a part of series because once I read a book I become so invested in a character's life that I become devoted to knowing what happened from start to end so who knows what that could mean for this story. So yes, have fun, keep hope, and I'm sorry! (Simon Birch style (kudos to you if you know what I mean))

I've been flipping through the same pictures of her for the last half hour. Pictures that I've had since I was little, pictures that once had little to no meaning, other than the fact that this was the woman who was my mother, a woman I never knew. But now I see a woman that wasn't yet affected by this world I've grown up in, a woman that is happy, radiant, in love.

I guess I can see the resemblance between the two of us now, I can see her smile in me, her eyes. I wonder if the world got to see that before she died, I wonder if they made up their own stories, or if they were told the same one I was. Probably the latter.

I find a picture of her with who I assume is her closest friend, Evangeline. She's beautiful, long curling blonde hair, pink cheeks, a tender smile. Her little baby boy is cradled in her arms, wrapped in blankets so that only his face is poking out along with one curled up small fist, her husband stands to her left, an arm around her waist. His eyes are sincere, deep blue, though the picture has faded remarkably. Something about the pair seems very familiar, but my father had said they were killed before I was born, so I couldn't know them.

I look at the baby, so sweet and innocent. He was a victim of Ganondorf like the rest of us, but to be subject to it at such a young age. I wonder if he did really die, or if he escaped with his mother before her eventual death. I wonder if he's living somewhere now without the knowledge of where he came from. Perhaps, I've even seen him before in the streets or towns. He couldn't have been much older than me, perhaps four or five months.

But then again his bones could be at the bottom of the river.

"Princess?"

I start at the voice, putting the pictures down and turning to find Adelaide in the doorway of my room. "Yes?"

"The surgery is over, he's been given the antidote. The doctor said he assumes it will be about a half an hour before it takes it's course but he's awake. The recovery could be rough so this could be the last time-"

I'm already on my feet before she can finish, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze and saying a quick thank you before I rush past her through the door. I pick up my skirt and walk as briskly as I can, though I soon give up and forget my shoes beneath a table holding a vase of flowers and run full out. I'm breathless by the time I burst through the doors and see him, laying in his bed attempting to give me a weak smile.

I let out a combination of a joyful laugh and a pained sob and continue towards him. I catch a glance at Lawrence who looks awful. He's pale and there are drops of sweat on his temples. "I'm going to go out for a while. I'll give you two a minute," he says, throwing me what I assume is a smile.

I stand at his bedside while he stares at me, the smallest hint of glitter returning to his eyes. "Hey, Princess," he says, his voice crackly.

"Link," I say, collapsing to the ground on my knees, my hand on his cheek, "I've been so worried."

"I'm still here," he murmurs.

"Yeah," I say smiling with water building in my eyes.

"So, you saved me again, huh?" he asks, his humor still in tact.

"Not exactly," I say, unable to wipe the smile off my face, "I had the help of a witch too."

"Branching out then, that's good, your pool of friends won't be so limited," he jokes though he can hardly laugh.

"We're not exactly friends, I kind of burst into her house in the middle of the night," I laugh.

"Still, you saved me. Isn't that my job?" he asks.

"You're not the only one with a piece of the triforce," I say, holding up my hand and wiggling my fingers.

He swallows, an act that seems near impossible for him, "Zelda."

"Don't say that courage is more important than wisdom, do you remember how that argument ended?" I say, laughing at the memory.

"No, Zelda-"

"You lost," I remind him.

"Zelda," he says patiently.

"...What?"

"I want to say something," he says, the ease leaving his tone.

"What is it?" I ask.

"I..." he hesitates, "I might be here now, but it might be a different story in an hour."

"You're going to make it, I can feel it," I say.

"Regardless..." he murmurs, "I don't feel how I used to. My body doesn't seem to match my brain."

"You just woke up from surgery, that's normal," I say.

"No, it's different than that. I don't feel the same. Something's changed," he says calmly.

"You'll recover, don't worry," I encourage.

"I don't think I will...ever...fully recover. And so I want you to do something for me."

"What, I'll do it, whatever it is you need," I say, taking his hand in both of mine.

He pauses, looking deep into my eyes and tears suddenly fill his. My breath catches in my throat as I fear what I've just agreed to. "I want you to marry Lawrence."

LINK

She stares at me, processing my words maybe, trying to find a way to fight them. I wait in silence until she opens her mouth and says the one word I feared most. "No."

"Please," I beg, warm water trickling down my temples and onto my pillow, "please do it for me."

"I can't, Link. I can't do that," she says, her voice shaking in panic.

"Zelda, you need someone who is going to be able to take care of you. Things have changed, I can't do that anymore. Zelda...he can do that for you and I need you to see that," I argue, my voice losing it's steam.

She looks so sad. It's killing me so much. I would have rather died so I didn't have to face this moment. She knows how much I don't want to be saying this, how much pain it's causing me to look at her and say it. This face is the one I anticipate I would see everyday if she had to watch me go through life like this. It's why I need to distance myself from her, why I need her to agree to go through with it so she has something.

"But Link, I thought we had decided-" she says in a rushed voice.

"That was before this happened. That was before all of this happened," I say.

"You've always been fine before," she says, her voice growing angry though it quivers, her eyes growing murky with tears, "you have always been okay. Why is this any different?"

"Zelda I can hardly move," I say bluntly.

She pauses, "What?"

I look at her, wanting to reach up and catch the tear that spills over her eyes, "It got to my bones. It's going to be a while before I can be like I used to."

"I don't understand, won't the antidote fix that?" she asks.

"I don't know Zelda. Either that or it'll kill me. But I just feel so tired. As much as I love you Zelda...I'm not only asking this for your sake. I need to rest, I need to recover. I can't run a country by your side and do that at the same time. And... I don't want my daughter to see me like this. I want her to have a father who can hold her and play with her. Don't you want that for our daughter?" I ask.

"I want her to be with her father," she cries.

"Please," I say again.

"No, you're being stupid. You are being completely stupid! This doesn't make any sense. Tell me the truth, if you don't want to be with me because you don't want me or this kingdom just tell me. But if you really love me-"

"Stop. You know I love you. You know that I care about you more than anything. If you marry him it will be better for you. You're not going to have the husband that is always with you, you're going to have the husband that lies in bed all day because he's too tired to walk. That's what you'll get if you choose me," I say.

She puts her face in her hands, her elbows resting on the mattress and sobs. "But I..." is all she manages to get out.

"I want you to marry him," I repeat.

"But what about you?" she asks from behind her hands.

"I'm going to go home. I'm going to rest up and I'm going to keep working towards getting better. It's going to take a long time and I don't think I'll ever be completely heal. But I just need a place away from everything to make up for everything that's happened. Not just now, but during the war, and before that too. I realized that there are a lot of open wounds from before that need to heal first."

She looks up at me, "And that's that?"

I shake my head as best as I can and put a weary smile on my face, "No. I'm sure it's going to be a lot harder than that. But that's what I'm aiming for."

"And for us?"

"I'll still be around. But you'll be busy being the Queen and a mother, and that's what I want for you. To do what you were born to do in a way that makes you happy," I say.

"But how do you know that'll make me happy?" she asks.

"I don't. But I've seen him lately and he's different. He cares about you so much. And I think there's a part of you that does love him, even if it's not as strong as what you feel for me. He's made mistakes, but he's not what I thought he was."

"And what's that?" she asks.

"He's not in this only for the status."

She bites her lip and looks at me with the same tired, sad expression.

"It's what I want," I say again.

She nods wearily, finally giving in. "Then I'll do it...for you."

I nod, relief and pain overwhelming me, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

She stands up, leaning over my bed and kisses my cheek, which I presume will be for the last time, "I love you."

"And I love you."

ZELDA

He passed out about fifteen minutes after we stopped talking. The pain was excruciating for him as the antidote burned through his body. I wait for the result. I hope that it's the one I want. I've been laying in my bed since then, staring at the ceiling because anything else is too hard. Lawrence pushes through the door and looks at me with knowing eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Zelda," he says softly.

"I'm going to be okay," I say, surprisingly calmly.

He lets out a heavy sigh and comes towards the bed, sitting down on the edge. "I know. I heard."

He's not saying that he knows I'll be alright, he's saying he knows something that he shouldn't. My heart is racing. "Heard what?"

"About Link. About Evangeline...About you. When I came back to the hospital I heard you two talking," he says.

"I'm sorry," I say through tears, "I should have told you."

"I assumed. Even when he wasn't here I thought there was something...or someone else," he says, his eyes on the floor.

"I am so sorry. Lawrence, you don't deserve this and I give you every right to want to leave me," I say, almost hoping he'll take me up on my offer.

"I don't want to leave you," he mutters.

"What?"

"I don't blame you for what happened. It was before you met me, or, were with me at least. You thought he was dead and then he came back. How can I blame you for missing what you had before?" he says.

"You're not mad?" I ask.

"Yeah, I am. I want to beat the crap out of the kid. But how in the world would that be justified? How could I do that to him when you were almost engaged to him when it happened?" he says, his brow creased.

"How did you find out about that?" I ask.

"Adelaide. She spilled when I went to her with my theory about you and Link. I told her I wouldn't rat her out but since you asked..." he says, almost laughing.

I roll my eyes though a smile finds my lips too, "She would."

He's still smiling but his voice sobers, "And I...I know you don't want to marry me."

I swallow and sit up, resting a hand on his shoulder, "You're wrong. I do."

He turns his head, and looks at me confused, "You do?"

I nod, because I'm afraid my 'yes' won't sound convincing enough. He laughs and scoops me up and I think that maybe I could get used to these set of arms. Maybe.

LINK

"Hey...I brought you some soup."

"Thanks Mal," I say, sitting up in my bed though all of my muscles ache. It's been two weeks since I woke up after the antidote had burned up in my veins along with the rest of the black magic and I just got home yesterday.

She sets a tray in front of me and a bowl of some broth with spices crushed in it and sits on the edge of my bed to make sure I'm alright. I take the spoon in my hand, using all of my concentration to wrap my fingers around the handle. I dip it into the soup and try to lift it back up but my hand shakes, spilling all the liquid back into the bowl. I set it back down and sit back, sighing in defeat.

"Here," she says, scooting closer and taking the spoon for herself. She holds her other hand beneath the spoon and brings it to my mouth, tipping it past my lips and into my mouth like a professional, not spilling a single drop.

I let it run down my throat, sitting back and letting the flavor sink into my taste buds. It's been too long since I've been able to eat something that isn't simply to nurture my body back from it's near death.

"How does it taste?" she asks.

"Amazing. Thank you," I say.

"We're just so glad you're back," she murmurs, not meeting my eyes, "me and Pop were so worried about you."

"I'm alright now," I reassure her.

"It's been a long couple of weeks for us," she says softly.

"I know...I'm so sorry, Malon."

She reaches into the pocket of her apron and pulls a sturdy piece of paper from it, "This came today."

"What is it?" I ask.

"An invitation. To Zelda's wedding. 'For one Sir Link and one guest.'"

"Do you want to go?" I ask, studying her expression.

She nods, looking at me with a guilty smile. "I know you don't."

"If you want to go, I'll go with you," I say, "she's my friend, I should be there for her."

She takes the tray from off my lap and sets it on the floor. I frown at her because I'm nowhere near to being finished. "What are you-"

But before I can finish she wraps her arms around my neck, burying her face in the curve between my shoulder and neck. "I missed you so much."

"I really missed you too," I say, and I'm surprised by how much I mean it.

"You look so much better than you did yesterday already," she says pulling back. She rests a hand on my cheek, "You've already got some color back in you. You always were a fast healer."

"I hope you're right," I say.

"I usually am," she says with a quirked eyebrow, the sassy Malon I know finally present.

"That's true. Now bring that soup back here, I'm going to need to eat if I want to be back to good health for the wedding," I say.

She smiles and and picks it back up off the floor and sets it in front of me. She tucks her hair behind her ear and watches me as she lifts the spoon to my face again. This time however, I bump her arm and the soup spills on my clothes. We both laugh and it feels so good, like all of the heavy stones weighing down my every thought are being lifted. I think I'm happy with the decision I've made because I know that Zelda must be now that she doesn't have to worry about me. I think I'm happy.

ZELDA

I stare into the mirror as Adelaide rests the tiara on top of my head, nestling it into the elaborate braids and curls. Next she tucks the veil into it's spot and smooths it down. The image of myself is blurry, mostly due to the tears that haven't fallen from my eyes yet. I can't believe it's come so soon.

"You look beautiful, Princess," she says gently, resting her hands on my shoulders.

"Thank you Adelaide," I say in a voice that doesn't seem like my own. It's distant.

She reaches in front of me and hands me something and as I look down a silent tear falls from my eye. She's giving me a handkerchief for me to wipe my eyes with. I look back up at the mirror, my face perfected with soft shimmering blush, dark dramatic eye makeup. I wipe the small streak of black that now falls down my cheek like a scratch of black with the handkerchief and dab at my eyes, trying to remain steady, composed.

"Be happy...Miss," she says even softer.

The image of myself looks so foreign. I look like a cold queen, not like the girl that I used to be. The white dress that surrounds me makes my skin look even paler, the enormous stone on my ring finger the only blemish.

I'm trying, I really am. I've been prepared for this day for almost two years. I lasted twenty minutes this morning before I broke down.

I'm so glad for old superstition that keeps Lawrence away from me until the ceremony, I don't think I could face him right now in all of my misery. The second tear falls from my eye and I catch it in the handkerchief before it can continue it's line of destruction to my jaw line. Adelaide steps around me, blocking my view of myself and reapplies the blush, hiding any evidence that the tears had fallen.

I stand up once she's finished and she steps out of the way, allowing me one last chance to see the full effect of what some would call a blushing bride, despite my blush being completely fabricated. My blonde hair is piled into an elaborate bun on top of my head, delicate curls around my face. The diamond tiara looks like a beacon, the veil like a mask as it is carefully laid over my face, hiding who I really am. My dress is pristine, all of the wrinkles ironed out of it so that I fear moving in certain ways in case I crease it. The sweetheart neckline exposes my collar bones and the top of my chest, the sleeves that just drape over the top of my shoulders make me feel vulnerable. The skirt starts at my waist and billows out away from me, the massive amount of tulle creating a force field around me.

I take my bouquet in a gloved hand, the glove extending all the way up past my elbows. The flowers too are white. Everything about the dark makeup seems dangerous.

"Adelaide," I say.

"Yes, Miss?" she asks.

"Take it off. The makeup. I don't look like myself," I say finally turning and looking at her.

"Are you sure?" she asks.

"Yes. I don't want it." I attempt to give her a small smile.

She nods and brings a bowl of warm water and a cloth and starts removing the makeup. I'm grateful now when I cry no one will see the aftermath of a black stain on me.

LINK

"Do I look pretty?"

I look Malon up and down, her usual dress that she wears to work ditched for a gorgeous dark green gown. Her long auburn hair is swept into a low side bun, her bangs swooping over one of her eyes.

"You look beautiful," I say.

She looks down at her feet, blushing madly, only made worse by her fair skin. She wanders closer to me and adjusts one of my medals. I didn't know what to wear so I had gone with my traditional uniform from the army.

"There, now you could be the prince and no one would know the difference," she says, smoothing out my shoulders.

I smile as I watch her affectionately. The way a brother might watch his sister grow up.

However, a brother would not reach down around her neck and bring her mouth to his like I do. She tastes different than Zelda, much more mellow. She seems surprised which must be why she hesitates at first, but then she relaxes into me, resting her palms on my chest and kissing me back. I know this is wrong because I'm only testing myself. Testing myself to see if I can look at Malon as Zelda is being married and know that I have some form of a future.

She pulls back first, her breathing heavy as she looks down. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to do that," she whispers.

I let my hands fall from her neck and around her slender waist and the satin cascading around it. "I'm so sorry," I say gently.

She looks up at me, a question in her eyes.

"This is going to take me some time. I just wanted to see..." I say truthfully.

She nods, "I understand. You still love her."

"I'm going to have to get over that eventually," I say with a shrug.

"Link...you don't have to fool yourself with me," she says with disappointment in her voice.

"I'm not trying to. I really care about you, Mal. It just might take me some time to...I don't know...show you that," I say.

"Okay," she says, nodding, "but I don't want it to be because you're trying to forget her."

I bite my lip as Talon opens the door to her room, catching us together with a sly look on his face. "You two ready to go?"

"Yes," I say looking around the room.

"Here," she says, handing me what I was looking for.

I take the cane from her and Malon takes my other arm in hers, helping my legs move towards the door, helping my recovering body to move when it can't on it's own.

"Have fun," Talon says as we head out to the cart hooked up to Epona. She had finally come home about a week ago after being cut loose by the thieves, and things were finally looking up. Malon helps me up to my seat and takes her's beside me, holding the reigns in her hands. She looks at her father and waves before setting off towards the castle. Towards Zelda.

ZELDA

It's easier to look at my reflection with the makeup gone. I look younger, more like the person I was when we were fighting Ganondorf. My eyelashes are pale, framing my blue eyes like the lining of the sun behind a cloud. I like this image of myself better. This is the girl that climbed through her window at night after being with Link and being unable to stop smiling. This is the girl that looked at herself in the mirror and thought that she was in love. It's silly, but it makes me think that I can trick myself into thinking that I am, just with a different person.

The only other jewelry I wear other than the ring on my finger is a frail gold chain around my neck, a simple silver ring strung on it. I will tell Lawrence that it is a family ring. But this is the ring that Link gave me.

He had been so nervous I remember, standing by the tree out in the garden, holding my hand in his. We had been talking about our parents, how I didn't remember my mother, how he didn't remember either of his. We spoke of our regrets, of how we wished we knew them once. He spoke of how he wished he knew how his father proposed to his mother. He told me that it didn't matter what was in the past though, because he wanted to tell our kids about how he proposed to me. And then he had opened his other hand, the one with the silver band in it and explained that it was all he had left of them, that it was the only thing that was left with him. He said that he knew that it was a symbol of a love he knew his parents had despite everything, despite the fact that he didn't know them, and he knew that he wanted me to have it. Then he slipped it on my finger, took both of my hands in his and asked me to marry him.

Lawrence had knelt on one knee, very traditional, out by the fountains during a party where everyone was watching us. Everyone clapped.

As I look at the silver circle against my skin, it seems very cold. It's not warm like it was that night after sitting in his hand for moments that seemed too long while I waited for the question I hoped he would ask. I wish it was the one around my finger, not the overly large diamond encircled with rubies. Lawrence and I will exchange wedding bands during the ceremony, but this one waits on my finger, heavy, blaring the truth.

The thought is enough to bring tears to my eyes again. This time, out of the sight of my attendants and maids who have spent the better part of the morning preparing me, I burst into tears, putting my face in my hands and trying not to think about whether or not Link will be there. I don't know which is worse.

He wanted this, he wanted me to go through with it, so I will. But it's so incredibly painful to have to look at myself and say that I want it, because I don't. I was so prepared to fight my dad for him, to fight everything. I'd been ready to even tell Lawrence everything and leave him by the side of the road, a task that would kill him despite the fact that he'd already found out about his daughter that rightfully belonged to Link. But I hadn't been ready to fight Link, and I couldn't.

The girl in the mirror now has lost whatever shields she had put up while trying to hide her feelings and there is nothing but misery on her face now. I hiccup sobs with a hand over my mouth, trying not to make too much noise so that I won't draw attention to myself, so that people won't assume what is true.

There is a soft knock on my door and I clear my throat, blink the few remaining tears from my eyes and take a deep breath. "Come in," I say.

Adelaide pokes her head through the door. "It's time," she says with a humble smile on her lips, trying to reassure me, while knowing that it can't be done.

I stand from my place in front of the vanity and take my bouquet, all hope remaining with the girl in the mirror.

LINK

The castle is completely decorated in flowers and ribbons, all white and green. Malon keeps pointing things out to me but I can't say I'm really paying attention, I'm waiting anxiously for things to start. They've put us all into a grand meeting hall in the castle rather than the Temple of Time simply for seating. Almost everyone from the country is here, plus all of those from Falvale, and so they attempt to fit as many as possible with an invitation into the ceremony room. Those who didn't receive a formal invite are forced to wait in the courtyards in anticipation.

Just then Lawrence walks in with who must be his brother by his side. They look very similar, the same dark hair and dark eyes. Lawrence wears an admiral's attire, looking regal. He wears a crown on his head though it is not the grand crown of a king, still only that of a prince. He won't gain that crown until his coronation. He shakes some people's hands while Malon looks on on the edge of her seat.

He wanders to the front of the room, a smile on his face as he looks towards the doors, awaiting his future wife. The orchestra begins playing, and the doors are swung open. Everyone stands, blocking my view of her, but I know that she's there, that soon she'll walk past this very aisle.

There are small gasps throughout the guests, gasps of envy, of surprise, whispers of her dress, her hair, her ring. There are sighs as she makes her way down the aisle beside her father.

I catch a glimpse of her finally, my heart aching and see that her face isn't proud and happy, but completely empty of any sort of joy. There are tears rushing down her face as she tries to compose herself. It seems as though the King is dragging her with him. When she finally makes it up to Lawrence, she looks so hopeless, so utterly sad. I know that I've done this to her, but it's too late now. I have to live with it.

Everyone sits down and I can see her clearly now, facing Lawrence in a way that allows me to see her face. They take each other's hands and he whispers something to her, probably about how beautiful she looks, because despite the water in her eyes and over her cheeks, she looks the most beautiful I have ever seen her.

"Oh she looks gorgeous," Malon whispers to me.

I nod and mumble something quietly though I'm so gripped right now by longing I can't bring myself to make an intelligible reply.

She looks out towards the crowd, just a fleeting glance, but catches my eyes and holds them there for a brief moment, all of her despair draining into me. Lawrence turns over his shoulder and looks at me just as she looks back and he doesn't look angry to find me there, but resolved with my presence.

The priest begins to speak about love and companionship and of the kingdom, and all the while Zelda is sobbing harder though she's trying desperately to contain herself. She looks so vulnerable, not wearing any makeup as I assumed she would be. She looks like a little girl, not supposed to be in this situation.

Finally he comes to the vows which make my stomach turn. He looks at Zelda and says the words I've been dreading hearing. "Do you Zelda Elizabeth Hyrule take Lawrence Allan Bane to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have an to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

Zelda looks at Lawrence with anguish on her face and sucks in a loud shuddering breath. "I do," she says softly, her voice strained with tears.

A soft sigh echoes throughout the crowd, followed by words of young love. I clench my jaw as the people mistake her misery for complete happiness. I can feel tears leaking into my eyes as I watch the girl I love slipping away out of my reach.

"And do you, Lawrence Allan Bane," the priest continues, "take Zelda Elizabeth Hyrule to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, so long as you both shall live?"

There's a long silence, people watching closely, waiting to celebrate, waiting for him to say 'I do' so he can kiss the bride already. The only thing that can be heard throughout the silence are Zelda's soft cries. He looks at her, waiting, making all of us wait, his hands holding hers.

He swallows, audible in the room where not a single person is breathing in fear of upsetting the silence and says "No. I can't."