**All Standard Disclaimers Apply**

Book One in the Doppelganger Trilogy
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The Hero of Wolves
by The Wolfess

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Chapter Twenty-Four: Bittersweet Reunion

It was as if he was exiting a lightless tunnel into a dim, foggy forest. His eyes opened to the hazed world once—blinked—twice—fluttered shut again. The third time his eyes opened they stayed open, and the fog cleared. He could see sunshine filtering in from the window, breaking through the haze in his mind and warming the skin of his face.

Link furrowed his brow and silently rubbed his face. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then flexed his toes and fingers to test their dexterity. Everything seemed to be working fine, so he eased his legs over the right side of the bed expecting his feet to touch a cold floor of some kind. Instead they dangled off the edge of what the wolf-man now realized was quite a large, plushy bed placed on the right side of a very well-lit room. There were three large windows open along a wall facing outside with thin white curtains fluttering in the breeze. Curious what else was in the room, Link turned too quickly and winced as the patched-up wounds in his side alerted him to their presence.

"Careful, Link," came a soft feminine voice from behind him. "You have some wounds. They are not bad, but also not healed."

This time Link turned a little slower, a hand held over the bandaged wound on his torso. Another bed equal in size to the one he reclined in sat on the other side of the room near the door. In that bed lay the one person the hero had been longing to see. She wore a modest violet gown and her auburn hair cascaded in waves over her shoulders, its deep red highlighted by the noonday sun. Her eyes were trained on him, a soft twinkling cerulean, and her face was graced by a fond smile.

"Good afternoon Link. How do you feel?" she asked when he did not speak.

Link swallowed and opened his mouth. His tongue felt swollen and his mouth tasted like iron. "I feel…well, slow. But otherwise okay. Where am I? Why are you here?"

"We are in the royal section of the Sick Bay in Hyrule Castle. Normally you would be in a section set aside for nobles, but I wanted to speak with you when you awoke so I asked them to place you in the King's bed alongside me. Now that I am more lucid it occurs to me that this was not the best idea in the current political climate, but what is done is done and I am glad to see you Link."

"Current political…what?" Link said, looking confused.

Zelda shook her head. "Never mind. I will explain later. First, may I ask you a question?" Link nodded, so Zelda continued. "Do you remember what happened to you? They say Count Durtain brought you in. He found you covered in blood, some your own but most belonging to other things."

Link looked at the window and tried to remember. They got back to Castle Town…he gave a speech…he went back to the General's quarters…

Link's eyes widened. He looked down at his own hospital attire, then leapt up, ignoring the pain the sudden movement caused, and started darting about the room. "Where is it?!" he asked, eyes wide and frantic. "Who saw it?!"

"Link calm down!" Zelda said, trying to sound forceful but soothing. "I do not know where the stone is…I asked them, but they said you did not have anything like that with you when you were brought in."

Link spun to face Zelda, his hands bunched into fists. "This isn't good," he said, face drawn with anxiety. "What if it falls into the wrong hands? What if someone stole it? I never trusted that Durtain fellow…what if he stole it?" The wolf-man began to pace near the King's bed.

"Link, please calm down and sit. I am sure it is fine, and you will find it soon. Sit down and talk to me. Tell me what happened."

Link took a deep breath again and slowly exhaled. He took a second breath and exhaled. Though still a little twitchy, as he could not seem to stop his leg from bouncing or his hands from picking at things, Link sat down on the edge of the bed facing Zelda. "I just got back from the campaign and it felt like I would go mad if I didn't get out of that armor and position of authority. I hadn't transformed in forever. The wolf inside of me was practically scratching at my skin to get out. I had been resisting it for a long time—leading the army is no time to disappear and transform into a beast and I had duties in the morning—but then my hand started pulsing." Link held up his left hand, showing Zelda the faint Triforce mark underneath. "The stone was pulsing too, at the same speed. It was like the wolf spirit in the stone and the hero's spirit in the Triforce were linked and demanding I change. I couldn't resist. I changed and ripped out of Castle Town."

Here Link paused, his brow furrowing. "It's hard to remember from there…the wolf's mind was so primitive and instinctual…more than it ever has felt before. I wanted to run in the forest. I wanted to hunt and feed. I wanted the feeling of hot flesh ripping in my jaws and warm blood sliding down my throat from a fresh kill. I wanted to attack and kill and hold nothing back." The wolf-man paused and looked at Zelda, who quickly masked the look of horror on her face. "It's not like that!" Link quickly insisted. "Wolves are hunters by nature, not murderers. I went hunting small deer mostly, and found quite a few. They were delicious and the activity satiated my wildness. However I drifted very deep in the southern forest…it's really hazy here. I caught an unfamiliar scent that set my instincts on alert. Next thing I knew there was a pack of wolfos breathing down my neck, and I tried to fight them off but there were too many so I turned around and bolted for the edge of the forest. I made it, but I got really hurt in the process…the wolf stone must have caught a branch in my escape and snapped off."

The room was silent for a moment, only interrupted by the sounds of birds in the garden out the windows. "Link," Zelda said. "I think we have a problem."

"What?" the hero asked. "It had just been a long time is all. A couple things were strange about it but…well, everything will be fine. I'll find the stone like you said and make sure to not go that long again. And to stay out of the forest."

"No Link, that is not what I am talking about," Zelda said, shaking her head. "Well, okay that is part of my concern, but there is more than that." She leaned toward Link and glanced about, as if making sure no one was eaves dropping. "Link when your Triforce started pulsing mine did too. And when you changed into the wolf…well…" the Princess sighed and paused, then took her hands out from beneath the quilts. She held them up so Link could get a good look at the furrows in her arms. "More happened in the Shadow Temple than I let on when I saw you…a version of myself created by Darkness itself created these marks. The Goddesses did something to them I think, but when you transformed like that, with the Triforce pulsing, such pain went through these marks that I passed out and woke up here in the infirmary."

Link frowned, concern lining his features and calculating intelligence in his eyes. "That's horrible...and a definite warning sign for both of us. Those marks are dark, but apparently so is the stone I have been using. Do you have any idea what's happening?"

"No," Zelda said, shaking her head. "I have been reading through books of legend all morning but have found nothing to shed light on this event."

Link sighed and slumped forward, lacing his fingers through his bangs. "I'm sorry," he said after a moment in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry that my…addiction…has caused you such pain."

"Oh Link, no. It's not your fault I don't think…dark magic may have locked you in that form, but I believe that you were turned into a wolf by the Goddesses for a purpose. They designed and orchestrated this…and everything that happened with our pieces of the Triforce is clearly them as well. It does not make sense to our minds, but we do not have their eternal perspective. Perhaps the dark magic that is in that stone and the dark magic that caused my marks have related origins."

"Still…" Link started.

"Still nothing. You are fine Link." Zelda smiled at him, her features soft and fond. "I have missed you…" she admitted, averting her eyes. "Very much."

Link's shoulders slumped, the muscles in his back relaxed, and smiled back. "I missed you too, actually. The soldiers are all fun, sure, but none of them are as intelligent and witty as you. Stupid humor gets old after a while." He chuckled. "As does living with several hundred men."

"This kind of speech is highly improper," Zelda murmured, raising her eyes to meet his again. "But then I suppose that is the reason I wanted you in here…the King and Queen's chamber is built so that no one can overhear."

Link tapped his toes on the edge of the bed, drummed his fingertips on the quilt, and looked about the room. Eventually he eased himself off the bed, more careful of his wounds this time, and walked over to Zelda's bed, bare feet patting over the cool stone floor. Zelda raised an eyebrow in question as Link sat down on the edge of her bed, turned slightly toward her.

"I just figured it would be easier to talk this way," he explained in response to the questioning look in the Princess' eyes. "If we're safe in here like you say." His fingers picked at the threads in the Queen's Quilt, a single tooth gnawing on his bottom lip.

Zelda reached over and laid her small hand on his to still it. "I suppose you're right," she said, smiling a little. "Thank you."

They sat like that for a while, silent and contemplative with their hands touching. It was as if touching the other made them feel a little more grounded, more in control of themselves and their destiny. Torn by duty, destiny, and their own desires, both the Princess and the Hero felt as if they were swimming in a storm-tossed river. No matter how hard they swam it felt they were getting nowhere, and though they reached out for help none seemed to reach back. They could not see where they came from or where they were going, though they remembered their intended destination and origin. Something about the anchoring touch of the other's hand reminded their souls that they were not alone in this fight against the rapids, and that was an invaluable and rare comfort.

"I worried about you," Link murmured, looking down at their hands. "I knew something wasn't right. Deep inside me I could feel it…it drove me wild. I abandoned my troops, attacked my Captains and doctors, killed several Bulblins after their surrender…all to find you and make sure you were safe. I had no control over myself…it was all so strange."

Zelda rubbed her thumb over the top of Link's scarred knuckles, her face gentle but impassive. "I will admit, I have become quite accustomed to having you around Link. Ikal is a comfort, but she is not you. The political climate in Hyrule is uneasy…dangerous even. I feel like I am walking on egg shells at all times with every eye scrutinizing me and few with compassion. My favor is going down among the people…there is pressure to do things and agree to things that I refuse to agree with. It was easier to fight the dead in the bowels of the Shadow Temple than to appeal logic to an addicted, illogical people." Her sad eyes remained fixated on Link's hand, though her grip on it tightened. "I am glad that you are home." She raised her eyes to study his scraggly face. They were silent for a few moments, each held in the other's hesitant gaze. A breath was held in the chamber, as if the wind god himself were waiting. "I feel stronger when you are behind me," Zelda murmured. "Safer."

Link took her hand in both of his own and smiled his first genuine, relaxed smile in weeks. The wildness and hardness seemed to melt from his gaze and his face, and for a moment he felt like a simple goatherd boy again. He didn't feel the urge to run away or kill, didn't feel the heavy weight of responsibility and leadership, and didn't think about the regrets and misgivings in his heart. With a slow sigh he lowered his forehead down onto the Princess's hand and closed his eyes, wishing deep in his heart that life wasn't as complicated as it really was. "I'm tired of watching everything I say," he murmured, "and tired of being so careful not to look at you too long, or to speak of you too familiarly."

"Link, please…" Zelda whispered, looking strained.

"No, please listen," he interrupted, lifting his head and looking her in the eye. "I've had a lot of time to think about this over the month we were gone. A lot of time. All I'm saying is that if you were born in Ordon or Kakariko I would have left flowers in your door this morning and not told you who they were from without being afraid of causing a scandal, and I would have asked you to go on a walk through the woods with me so I could hear your laugh echo through the trees instead of in these stone halls." He swallowed and cast his eyes down again. "That's all."

Princess Zelda sighed and drew her hand away from his, looking down at the quilt as well. They both knew that she couldn't respond, and that reality made the Ordon man's words all the more poignant. Link bit his lip and nodded to himself, then stood up and walked over to the window. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, sighing as he felt the warm sun shine on his face and the breeze rake its fingers through his hair. His chest ached with the weight of responsibilities unnatural for him to bear, and feelings uncomfortable for him to contain. Zelda watched her hero age right before her eyes and her heart sank as well.

"I am sorry to have put so much weight on you," she whispered. "You are wild and untamed. I never thought about how hard this life might be on you…it is all I have known."

Link shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "If I didn't want this life I would have told you no," he said. "I chose it for myself, and chose it gladly." He turned just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye. " I chose it to be nearer to you, though I didn't understand why."

Zelda sighed, lacing and unlacing her fingers on the quilt in front of her. Link turned back to the window. The silence in the room squealed in the Princess's ears. She slipped out of the bed and crossed the room to him, her steps quieter than his on the cold floor. Zelda laid her hand on Link's back. "I cannot…" she whispered. "I am sorry…I just cannot. Not now. Not when my country is falling apart all over again. Please…I need your strength Link. Do not make this more complicated."

Link nodded and turned around, his hands hanging limp at his sides. Zelda stepped back. "Okay," he said. "I won't. So…you keep mentioning the state of Hyrule. I thought we were doing good when we left? And speaking of your guard, where is Ikal?"

Relieved that the conversation had moved on, Zelda walked back over to her bed and sat down. "Ikal has been morose since the night we returned, and she has been acting strangely...emotional of late. She gets very intense lately. I needed a break, so I sent her on some reconnaissance. As for the country, I thought so too, but I have since discovered that the information being given to me by the advisors was incorrect."

Link crossed over to the King's bed as sat facing Zelda. "All right, fill me in. I'm listening."

And so Zelda explained the difference between the nobility and advisor's reports of rising economic health and the effectiveness of Royal Revenues sent to the people, and the reality of rising starvation and economic strain caused by weak crops and monster raids in a farm-based economy.

"With the farmers not able to produce nearly enough crops, the merchants who sell that crop have less to sell, and the people who make the equipment associated with the various crops do not have a demand for their services either. Since they are not earning money, they cannot hire workers. Since they cannot hire workers, the workers can hardly afford basic necessities, let alone buy anything that is unnecessary. It is a terrible cycle with its root cause in the farms, and no amount of Royal Revenue can fix the farmer's nonexistent crops when it is too late in the season to plant."

Link frowned. "I think I understand."

"It is not a good situation," Zelda said. "To top it off, I was receiving false reports and so sent all of the land's able-bodied men on a mission to the dessert to befriend monsters while they were needed at home."

"Which makes it look like you don't care about them," Link deduced, his eyes widening a little, "and are more interested in glory and power than you are in their well-being."

"It gets worse," Zelda said. "While you and I were both away, someone set up a new statue in the fountain that depicts you and I. Did you see it when you came in?"

Link shook his head. "No…I was a little singularly focused at the moment."

"I understand. Whoever had it created put the crown that accompanies the General's Armor on your head, which makes you look like a King. The artist also gave us both swords and crafted our facial expressions to appear hard and ferocious." Zelda paused while Link drew up a mental image. "Count Durtain went on an adventure and brought back these strange black apples that have spread across the kingdom like wildfire. The entire kingdom is obsessed with them, from the regular populace to the nobility to the advisors themselves. They have taken to calling the Count 'the True Savior of Hyrule'."

Link sighed, his head drooping. "Great. I get it. Wonderful." He straightened up and ran his fingers through his tousled hair. "So we appear greedy and out of touch with the regular populace, I look like a power-hungry ladder climber who has somehow tricked you, and Count Durtain looks like the white knight come to rescue the people from starvation."

Zelda nodded. "Exactly. I had the castle alchemists study the fruit because I suspected they have magical properties, and they do indeed. There is dark magic in them as thick as the apples are juicy."

"So what do we do now?" Link asked.

Zelda rubbed her face with her hand. "I do not know," she sighed. "I have not figured that out yet. I cannot think of anything that will purify the apples from the people's systems."

They had slipped into a brainstorming session when someone knocked on the door. Link and Zelda hurriedly slipped under their respective quilts, and then Zelda told the person to enter. A servant stood at the door with a platter of black apples.

"Would you and your guest like something to eat your Majesty?" he asked.

Though Zelda's stomach grumbled, she shook her head. "No thank you." When the servant didn't leave, she asked him if there was something else.

"Yes my Lady," he said. "The Count of Rashak is here to check on my Lord the Duke."

Zelda and Link exchanged a glance, then Zelda said "all right. Send him in."

The servant bowed and exited. It was a couple minutes before Durtain entered, dressed as sharp and darkly as ever. His red eyes glittered in the sunlit room. He bowed deep and low, a fake smile on his face. "It does my heart well to see that you both are up and looking well. I was so worried for you both this morning."

Zelda smiled. "Thank you Count."

Link nodded his head. "Yes, thank you. And thank you for finding me this morning and bringing me in. I was very lucky."

Durtain nodded, looking grave. "Indeed, your Grace. You were in a horrible state. May I ask what happened?"

Link paused, then said, "I was going for a quick ride around the field and some wolves spooked my horse. I fought most of the vile beasts off, but they wounded me anyway."

"I see," Durtain said. "What a frightening adventure. I am glad that you are well." He paused, rummaging around in a velvet pouch on his belt, then drew out a particular strange stone tied in rope like a collar. "Speaking of the forest, I went back to see if any of your belongings had gotten lost in your ordeal and I found this peculiar item. Does it belong to you?"

Link jumped, but kept his face calm. "Yes, it does. I was wondering where it was, thank you Count Durtain." He held out his hand for the stone. Grinning in a way that made Link uneasy, the Count crossed over to the King's bed and dangled the stone over Link's palm. When he did not drop it, Link swiped the chord out of the Count's grasp and hid it under the quilts in one movement, careful not to touch the stone itself.

"Quite the curious item you have there, Duke. You should watch it more carefully next time you go riding. Always have a weapon on hand."

Link nodded. "Thank you for the advice," he said.

Link and Durtain looked hard at each other, the room so filled with tension it was suffocating. Zelda cleared her throat, causing both of the men to look at her. "How nice of you to bring it here, Count! The General is very appreciative I am sure. We are all very grateful for your many services to the Crown and Hyrule itself."

"It is my pleasure, Highness," said Durtain through barely grit teeth. He strode to the door and bowed so quickly that it was almost rude. No one outside the room could see the Count's obvious disrespect. "I should be on my way. Have a pleasant evening."

"You as well," Zelda responded, still smiling sweetly as ever until the Count had left and closed the door behind him. She then spun around to Link, gaze full of meaning as he drew the stone out from under the quilt and held it between them. "This does not bode well for us," she said, forehead creased. "Not well at all."

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Author's Note:

January 2015: REVISED CHAPTER UPLOADED.

Author's Comment from original upload: Hello everyone! Still combing through chapters slowly. I have one through 15 edited and ready to be uploaded but I want them all done first so I can fix them all at once. Enjoy the chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

—The Wolfess