A/N: If you're reading this then that means that Heroic Assassin is complete! :D It's been a long time coming and I know the waits haven't been exactly short either :/ And I have no excuse for this being such a long wait, but it's all finished! The rest of the chapters are done and ready to be uploaded. So now I'll upload on a weekly basis, every Saturday.

This chapter didn't turn out the way I had originally thought, but I still like the outcome :)

We hit 100 views! Yay! :D I know when I first started this story I didn't expect this many reviews, so thank you so much for taking such an interest in my story!

Enjoy the long awaited reading!

Heroic Assassin

Chapter 12

"Do you mind telling me why you took my memories from me, Zelda?"

My words are sharp and unforgiving, hissing out between my teeth. Zelda's eyes are wide with uncertainty, her face absent of any color. It almost seems as if she would rather I not have my memories back. Well, unfortunately for her, I did and I know who took them away from me as well.

The sting of betrayal is like a steak in my heart, twisting. I thought I could trust her. I thought she was my friend. I guess that means nothing.

I hang my head low, dropping my intense glare from her stricken face. I choke back the rage, the anger, and speak as calmly as I can. What comes out is merely a heated whisper, a question.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Her body trembles. As if she doesn't know what I'm referring to. Does she play me for the fool?

"My memories! You took them away from me!" I shout, gripping her shoulders and glaring at her. I don't let her speak, though. I'm on a raging rampage. "You took everything from me—everything I worked and bled for and you just snatched it away like it was yours to own! I had friends for the first time in my life and you just erased them!" I take a deep breath and release her shoulders. The anger is still there, though only abated for a short time.

"Just tell me why," I whisper harshly, glaring up at her through my bangs. Her expression hardens from her frightened façade, gaining confidence.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Link. I was only giving you yours."

My anger spills over, subsided no longer. I ball my hands into fists to keep them at my sides, restraining them from lashing out.

"You gave me nothing! You thought erasing my mind was for the better, well look where I've ended up, Zelda! You've ruined my life! I've murdered countless innocent people, I've been working with the enemy, and I kidnapped you, the queen! Is this what you saw for me? What you had planned out for me? I'm a murderer!"

"I wanted you to have a normal childhood, Link. You didn't deserve to be brought into my problems. I wanted to make up for my mistakes."

"My childhood was never normal. I was a misfit from birth. Nothing would have changed that, not even time travel."

"I was only trying to help."

"I don't need your help. You were being selfish and petty, thinking only of yourself. You were afraid."

"I—afraid?" She looks at me, her gaze accusing. "What would I have been afraid of?"

"You were afraid of falling in love, of opening your heart. You were afraid of showing emotion and yet you stood by and watched me confess my feelings! You had absolutely no right to do what you did, but you did it anyway, using me like a puppet—a pawn, in your little game of Screw Link's Life Up."

I hit a nerve there, leaving her speechless and grasping for a retort. Her gaze drops to her fiddling hands and I thought I caught a glimpse of moist eyes. I pinch the bridge of my nose, conflicted. I'm just about to stand and walk around to pace off my temper, but I'm immediately barraged by the heavy odor of smoke. Fearing the worst, I focus my gaze in the direction of Kokiri Village. The tree tops are aglow with orange and yellow hues, waves of heat emitting from down below the tree line. Smoke billows up into the predawn sky, darkening it, and I come to a horrible conclusion.

Kokiri Village is burning.

I scramble to my feet, alarming Zelda in the process and take off sprinting toward the burning village.

"Link, wait!"

I stop just below the tall staircase long enough for her to see me and then I continue running, staying just insight and yet out of reach. I race through the Lost Woods, knowing exactly where to turn at every passage. I pass through the final archway and skid to a halt atop the ledge overlooking the village.

Everything is set ablaze and I have to draw back enough to catch my breath in the smoke polluted air and intense heat. Fire is everywhere, consuming everything it touches. I can only pray that the Kokiri are safe and far away. Some houses aren't recognizable any longer, burned down to black, sooty ashes.

Over the crackle of the flames, I hear Zelda's soft footsteps approach from behind me. Her breath comes in short, labored gasps as she takes in what I've already assessed.

"We need water," She yells over the roar of fire and splintering wood, covering her mouth with her arm, her eyes now watering from the sudden amount of smoke. As if water was a keyword, my mind immediately flashes to the Ocarina, already three steps ahead.

"Give me the Ocarina!" I shout back.

Without asking any questions, she hands it over willingly. I jump from the cliff and run to the center of the burning village, dodging walls of flame to get there. I distantly hear Zelda call out to me, but I ignore her completely. I don't even bother to look if she's following me or not, don't care if she is.

With the Ocarina in hand I bring it up to my lips and begin to play the Song of Storms. Not three seconds after the song has ended is there storm clouds blotting out the morning sun.

I cough into my clothed arm as the smoke intensifies. Flames threaten to singe my flesh, but all too soon thunder crashes overhead and shortly after that a deluge of rain pours down, extinguishing the flames. The grass is gone and is instead replaced with dirt and a thin layer of gray ash. The cool rain is a comfort to my heated body, inside and out. I close my eyes and take deep breathes, trying to calm myself.

Tentative footsteps sound from behind me and I don't have to turn around to know who it is. My calm is gone, if it was ever there in the first place.

Zelda stops behind me. Too close. My shoulders tense, my fists tighten.

"Link—"

She places a hand on my shoulder, but I cringe away from her touch, moving out of her reach. Through the downpour I hear her sharp intake of breath.

"I don't want to see you. Go away." My voice is emotionless and yet it holds a threatening tone to it as well. Without glancing back, I walk away from her, the last of the flames snuffed out.


I watch Link walk away, distancing himself from me and stomping off into the Lost Woods. I won't follow him, figuring I'd only make it worse if I did and I won't be able to keep up with him. Running through the woods the first time was hard enough when he wasn't trying to lose me, but now the situation is different.

I stand in the rain, letting it soak me to the very bone. I can feel my heart twist with guilt, feel it skip a beat when the thought of Link never speaking to me again comes to mind. I deserve this pain though, and I deserve Link's anger towards me.

Only when the rain has doused the last of the flames does it come to an abrupt halt. The thick grey clouds part to reveal the morning sun once again. Rays of sun sneak through the tree foliage above the village and beat down on my dampened body. I decide to move when I hear the faint sounds of nature return to life.

As I pass by the first Kokiri dwelling, I risk the chance of peeking inside, praying I find nothing. It's empty of any existence, as is the same for the next one and the next. One home has crumbled to the ground and is beyond recognition, reduced to charred pieces of bark. It seems the Kokiri had fled before they themselves could be harmed. I step further through the desolate village, my feet leaving impressions on the ash covered ground as I walk.

Who could have done this?

Surely it couldn't have been just natural, not just a stray lightning bolt that touched down. Hyrule hasn't had storms in months, if you don't count the fabricated one that just happened. It wasn't just a random forest fire set off by dry conditions either. I rule out natural disasters and instead move on to people. I immediately accuse Ganondorf, my mind not conjuring up any other alternatives. He is suspect of pulling a stunt much like this and his motives are clear too. He wants the Spiritual Stone and he's going to take it by force.

Fearing that possibility, I make haste where the Great Deku Sprout resides, in the heart of Kokiri Village. When I round the last corner and enter the pristine glade, my breath is stolen from me at the sight. This area of the forest has not been touched by the fire. Grass still grows abundantly here and the trees still cling to their fertile leaves. What's more is the cluster of Kokiri villagers huddled at the base of the hallowed and once living Great Deku Tree. Tiny, varying colored fairies hover above their heads, their life companions. The Great Deku Sprout is planted off to the side, a forever smile on his trunk.

I take a few more steps in before I'm noticed. Among the group of Kokiri, a girl clad in all green stands, her hair the same color as the vegetation around us. Her cobalt blue eyes literally light up when they're set upon me, and she smiles. It shouldn't surprise me that her fairy friend is green like her entire ensemble. It bounces happily in the air, flying over to me, circling me once before returning to Saria again.

Before she can run over to me, the Deku Sprout speaks up. His voice doesn't originate from him, but from the entire forest encompassing us. His voice is in the trees, on the wind, as it travels to our ears. Much like his voice his eyes don't settle on you directly either, but you know when he's looking at you. It's the feeling of being watched by unseen eyes, but whereas usually one would feel uncomfortable and panicked, the Deku Sprout's imaginary gaze is a comfort and not at all invasive.

He is the forest.

"You and I have much to talk about, Queen Zelda."

I gather my bearings and nod my consent. The Deku Sprout rustles his leaves at the same time Saria looks over to him. It takes me a minute to realize that they're having a silent conversation with each other. The rest of the Kokiri stand and begin to file out of the clearing, back to the village and their lost homes. They keep their heads down as they pass me, either not acknowledging my presence or in too much despair to do much else. Saria though has her head held high as she stops before me, smiling again and giving my hand a light pat. She then follows after the other Kokiri, leaving me alone with the Deku Sprout. When we are alone, the Deku Sprout addresses me again, using my secret title.

"Come closer, Sage of Time, much troubles you. I can sense it."

He has no idea.

I kneel before the Deku Sprout, placing my hands in my lap and bowing my head.

"I want to start off by saying thank you, Zelda." This surprises me. So much that I raise my head and look at him questioningly.

"Thank me for what?"

"For putting out the fire, of course."

I refrain from scoffing, knowing it would be impolite.

"It wasn't even me who put out the fire. And if it wasn't for me, the fire would have never happened. It's my fault."

"How so? Did you tell Ganondorf to set fire to the forest?"

"Well, no, of course not, but—wait, so it was Ganondorf who did this?" I ask, wondering how he could have figured it out. I haven't seen a single person other than Link, the Kokiri, and myself in the woods. Certainly not any dark, hooded figures.

"Are you forgetting that I am the forest? The men that came here had ill intentions in their minds."

"They got into the village?"

"No, no. They did not cross the threshold into the village, they never planned to. Ganondorf's plans were very strict. The fire was merely a warning of more to come if we don't meet his demands."

"How do you know all of this?"

"The men that came here were scatterbrained. They were spewing every demand Ganondorf named." I give a weak smile before lowering my head again.

"I'm sorry this ever happened, Great Deku Sprout. The Kokiri and you did not deserve it," I mutter my apology.

"Do not worry over that any longer. The village will prosper over time and be stronger than it ever was." The wind picked up—an inhale—and then died down again—an exhale, a sigh. "Now, onto more important matters: the Spiritual Stone. You wish to claim it, no?"

"Yes, we've already retrieved the stones from the Gorons and the Zoras." As I say this, I realize that the Deku Sprout probably already knows this, but he shows no sign of nonchalance and instead seems to be hanging onto my every word. I continue with our plan, "We're going to keep them out of Ganondorf's reach, possibly hide them somewhere…"

Before I know it, I'm reciting everything to him: our plan, Ganondorf's plan, my worries, Link's anger, everything. If the Deku Sprout could move, I imagine him nodding his head and stroking his chin, listening and thinking at the same time.

"You make some valid points, Queen Zelda," He speaks once my rambling has ceased.

"So now you know why we need the Spiritual Stone. We'll be protecting it from Ganondorf."

"But you are only doing what he wants you to do. Do you not see the pattern here? Do you not recall that Link did the same before? He collected the three stones, brought them to the Temple of Time, played the Ocarina, and retrieved the Master Sword. Ganondorf was waiting for him to do just that. The Sacred Realm was open and the Triforce unguarded. He walked right in without having to do any work, because it had already been done for him."

I'm speechless at his words. I was not expecting this. He continued.

"It seems history is bound to repeat itself unless someone intervenes. And that someone is going to be me, right now. Queen Zelda, I'm sorry, but you may not have the Spiritual Stone." I look at him in shock, panic climbing up my throat and making it hard to breathe evenly.

"Now, now, before you overreact, would you like to hear my plan?"

I nod eagerly, not trusting my voice. I'm open for anything. He chuckles at my reaction and I hear two branches hit each other, a clap.

"Oh, good, now this is what we'll do and you must not tell anyone. It'll be our little secret…"

-.-.-.-

My legs feel cramped when I finally stand from my kneeling position, but it feels good to stretch them again as I walk back to Kokiri Village. After hearing the Deku Sprout's plan, I'm in much higher spirits. With that portion of worries taken care of, I can now worry solely on my fragile relationship with Link. Before leaving the Deku Sprout, I had asked him if he knew of Link's whereabouts. It only took him a moment to locate the Hero and he relayed the location to me.

Link was still fuming in the Lost Woods. He never stepped foot in Kokiri Village the entire time I was consulting with the Deku Sprout.

I can hear the chatter of voices resonating from up ahead and it isn't long until I come upon the chattering voices themselves. The Kokiri are bustling about, hauling large pieces of bark. Every Kokiri is working except one and she's standing just at the entrance to the Great Deku Sprout's glade.

Saria stands with her back to me, her gaze on the slow growing restoration of the village. I want to talk with her, to catch up on events, and this may be my only chance to speak with her alone. I come to a stop next to her, looking down at the top of her head.

"Saria, can we talk for a moment?" I ask the young wise Sage. She looks up at me with a warm smile.

"Of course, Zelda. Shall we walk?" She gestures with her hand towards the village and I follow her, shortening my stride to match her pace.

"You want to talk about Link, correct?"

"More or less." I nod. We walk by Saria's home, one of the few buildings that survived the fire. The one other that survived is Link's tree house. Kokiri children are everywhere, helping each other out with rebuilding homes.

"Link's angry with you," Saria states bluntly and I flinch as if receiving physical pain.

"Furious. Saying he's angry is an understatement."

"And how does that make you feel, Zelda?" I ponder her question, thinking it over greatly before stopping in my tracks. Saria stops as well and gazes at me with aged eyes whereas my eyes are focused on the singed ground beneath my feet as I come to the harsh realization of my past actions.

"It makes me feel like a tyrant," I whisper almost inaudibly. "I took control of Link's memories when they weren't—and aren't— rightfully mine. I can see where he's coming from and I understand his anger towards me."

"He doesn't hate you though," She says rather cheerfully. I can't help it. I scoff and roll my eyes at the impossible prospect.

"It sure seems like he does. Where is he anyway?" I ask, starting up our walk once again. After he had stormed off, I have yet to see him again.

"He's moved to his tree house, but the curtain is down and that means no visitors. He's just cooling down from your argument. Give him time."

I nod in understanding. I'll give him his space until he's ready to talk, if he's ever ready. I don't know how long we can remain here, but I don't want to linger any longer than we have to, fearing Ganondorf will try and pull the same stunt again just to smoke us out. No pun intended.

Saria guides me to one of the many houses residing in Kokiri Village to help clear debris surrounding it. We move from house to house, preforming the same process with each home. All the while, Link does not grace us with his presence. I would have at least thought he would have come to help with the reconstruction, but he seems determined to keep me out of his sight. Out of sight, out of mind I suppose.

I wipe the back of my hand across my forehead, relieving it of sweat. The sun is shining brightly and proves to be relentless as the day drags on. Still Link has not made an appearance and I finally ask Saria how he can stay up in his tree house without food or water. She merely giggles at my bewildered thoughts.

"I just saw him sneak out not ten minutes ago only to return with an armful of necessities."

Despite what I've been taught in etiquette courses, I gape at the young Kokiri girl in disbelief.

"He was taking extra care as to not draw attention to himself, especially your attention." I shoot a halfhearted glare at Link's home before picking up where I left off. When the sun begins to set, the Kokiri call it a day and return to their dilapidated homes. Though we worked for most of the day there is still much to be done. I want to be out of here sooner rather than later, but that doesn't seem like it's going to happen. Of course I don't want to just leave the Kokiri like this, but I also don't want to bring more downfalls to the already degraded village.

Since most of the houses were beyond repairable, the Kokiri and I decide to camp out near the Deku Sprout. The children stick together and distance themselves from me, either out of respect or anger. I'd have to go with the latter. It seems I've made many people angry today.

Saria though plops herself right down next to me, bumping her shoulder against my side in playful banter. Her fairy perches herself on Saria's raised knees, her green glow our only source of light. We sit in silence for a while, waiting for the other Kokiri to fall asleep. Once they do, we start up a quiet conversation. Every once and a while, the Deku Sprout will chime in, inputting his opinion on whatever we happen to be talking about. But soon we cannot ignore sleep any longer and with a whisper of goodnights, we sleep for the long day of work tomorrow. If I strain my ears I can hear the faint melody of an Ocarina, its notes dying in the wind.