Author's Note: Well, after a long battle with writer's block and a couple crisis' of inadequacy, it looks like I've emerged. I guess whether or not I should have will be up to you guys.

Welcome to "Life Without Death". Kind of nervous about this one but I'm nervous about everything so that doesn't say much. I'm going to let the story primarily speak for itself on this one. Started from a one-shot, as it always does.

Normal text is the "present" and italicized text is the "past". It makes sense as you go along (at least I hope it does). Spoilers for A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. If you haven't played those games, be spoiled at your own risk, obviously, but also I highly recommend them. Not even to read this fic, they're just really good games.

*trigger warnings*: death/dying

Zelda looked into the dusty mirror, a sigh puffing her cheeks slightly until they deflated.

She was glad her attendant wasn't here to remark at her messy hair, unkempt and scraggly from days of being tossed and turned by the ocean's breeze.

Well, at least that's how her attendant would have described it, over-exaggerating the absolute horrid nature of the Princess' current appearance.

In contrast, however, Zelda didn't think she looked too bad. In fact, she just looked like a normal girl, no crown, no jewelry. Her hair and bangs dangled naturally where they wanted to, weren't pinned back by what she would only describe as needles driving into her skull.

A Queen's elegance is a kingdom's success.

The amount of times she'd heard that almost made her want to barf.

But not here, never here, she thought as she leaned forward, her chin descending to rest on her waiting palm.

Somedays, this was all she wanted, the freedom she saw in herself now. Being able to look her age of seventeen instead of being prepared for the role of Queen, looking some ten or twenty years older than she really was.

She always felt like she was trying to fill someone else's shadow, ruling the way they did. Tradition, as a matter of fact, was one of the words that grueled her the most.

Zelda shook off the thought as she stood up, exiting the large cabin to hear a pair of seagulls caw about the boat.

The Princess looked up with squinted eyes at the creatures, their elegant wings, their determined flight, the purpose in their configuration. Sometimes she wished that she too, could be as a seagull. To, at any moment's notice, fly away from the obligations that constrained her.

What a silly notion, she thought, that her wish was to be avian.

Then again, it was less about the animal and more what they could do, the freedom in their being. Zelda supposed her freedom was more limited than she would have otherwise hoped. Everything in her life was decided for her, thrust upon her.

And the first decision she got to make on her own, well…

For his sake, she was starting to regret it.

It had been a week since they departed Hyrule, Zelda eyeing the calm risen sun as she strode across the deck. Her hand found the rim of the ship before it casually slid along it, looking out at the ocean beyond.

There really wasn't much out here, just like she had been told, just endless miles of blue waves.

Gorgeous, sure, the way the sun glimmered on the ocean's surface, made it shimmer and shine. But immense, as far as the eye could see, no islands, no reefs, no movement, no shadows. If she weren't a Princess, people surely would have jived that she'd fall off the face of the world. She didn't doubt that, beyond her earshot, they did.

Zelda hoped that wouldn't happen, that what she was searching for she would find soon. That she would be done with all this worry.

She found herself at the stern now, hands braced against the edges. Just a bit of a dramatic arch of her back and she would have looked like the statue below, the wooden woman that greeted every wave with an unflappable courage.

"Link," she said to the open ocean, no crew in sight to eavesdrop.

"Sometimes I don't even know what I'm doing out here," she started. "You left, surely because you wanted to, and I've been told, instructed to respect that."

Zelda paused.

"But then I think of you in some danger, or…some pain…and I can't bear the thought of you not safe."

She sighed.

"I was told to give up on you," she said. "Logically, being gone for a whole month…you probably had no plans of returning to Hyrule. But I…"

Zelda's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of something in the distant waters, leaning forward ever so slightly. She stared in anticipation at the shadowed lump bobbing up and down.

Her breathing started to heave as soon as it took shape, panic and distress settling upon her.

"Link!" She cried out.

Zelda started to thoughtlessly crawl up on the ledge before a pair of strong hands pulled her back.

She looked back to voice her objections before she heard a splash of water. She forced herself out of the hold and ran to look over the edge.

Her heart urged and pulled with worry as she watched one of the crew swim to the body. She teared up as his immobile body was pulled back to the ship, her hands crossing over each other as she followed exactly where they were.

She cried tears of joy and worry when he was finally laid on the deck, racing to his side and placing a gentle hand on his cold cheek.

"Link," she said with a sniffle, brushing away his wet hair. "Link, wake up."

"Your Highness," said the crew member, his hand floating away from Link's neck. "There's no pulse."

Either Zelda didn't listen, or she didn't want to, grabbing his tunic and shaking him.

"Link! Wake up!" She exclaimed. "Look at me! Open your eyes!"

"Princess…" she heard another voice say behind her.

But she didn't look at the group of them, now all with their hats off and their heads bowed.

Immediately Zelda took her hands and started to pulse them against his chest in a steady beat, tears falling down her face as she did.

Fourteen…Fifteen…

She was desperate as she changed her hands quickly, one pinching his nose and the other at his chin, holding his mouth open.

For a mere second, she stopped there, giving an exhale with a small tip of her head at the knowledge of the next step.

The irony…

She closed her eyes as her lips crashed down to his, breathing air into his throat before lingering a second longer.

Zelda was starting to accept that he was gone, dead, lost and drowned to the sea as she withdrew slowly. Link was just as still as he was before as Zelda brought a hand to her mouth, the warm, supportive hand of a crew member on her shoulder.

There was a dead silence as well as a dead swordsman, only small creaks of wood heard as the ship rocked back and forth on it's now set anchor.

Suddenly, Link coughed up a large gob of water, Zelda's inhale of relief so strong, she had trouble figuring out how to take the next breath.

Link turned over to his side as he coughed more, his eyes opening to watch the water drip from his mouth to the wood of the ship.

His heavy, panting breaths were all that were really heard, everyone else in complete shock that he was alive. Just a few seconds ago, he had no pulse, no breath, the water in his lungs drowning him in salty seawater.

It took a moment for his breath to calm and stabilize, Link sitting up completely,

Zelda smiled, waiting for him to see her, for some fantasized reunion to take place.

Yet, his eyes turned from a dull fatigue to a quick panic when he saw her.

"No…" he whispered with a shake of his head. "Not again."

He actually started to cry.

"Why can't it just be over?" He asked, his voice breaking,

"Link," She started as she came closer. "What are you talking about?"

But he only pushed her away, Zelda's side thudding to the ground.

"You're a dream!" He exclaimed. Zelda sat back up and held a hand up to stall her guard, who had surely just withdrawn their swords to protect her. "This is all a dream! But I'm not falling for it this time!"

"Link," she started slowly, her hands held in front her. "Listen to me, This is real. This isn't a dream."

"No," Link said with shakes of his head, looking up at the sky. "I'm supposed to be dead! Why can't you just let me die?!"

The crew had started to "wander" off, trying to be nonchalant as they eavesdropped with wide, judgmental eyes. Some of them went to some task like releasing the anchor while others faced the ocean, their ears pinned to the interaction between Princess Zelda and, what they were beginning to think, a deranged Link.

"Link, you are not asleep," said Zelda calmly.

"That's what a dream would say," he muttered quickly, looking to the skies. At what, Zelda had no clue.

Zelda pursed her lips in frustration, and, without barely a thought, slapped him straight across the face.

Link looked to her immediately with wide eyes, massaging his cheek.

Pain. He had felt pain.

"Princess," he said breathlessly, his expression melting.

With two slides of her knees, Zelda hugged him tightly.

Link's arms did the same in response, Zelda's hand going to the back of his head as she clamped her eyes shut. Link's head rested in the crook of her neck as they held each other.

She didn't want to let go, Zelda's eyes drifting open to wonder:

What in Hyrule happened to him?

Suddenly, his hold on her let go, in fact, it was as if his entire body let go.

"Link?"

Zelda held him up as she realized he had passed out, leaning backwards at the sudden weight before laying him down on the deck.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his chest going up and down, when she felt a pulse at his neck.

Thank the goddesses.

"Help me get him to my cabin!" She exclaimed. "He needs food and water!"

Zelda felt the cold ground below her as she began to regain a semblance of her senses.

She remembered her dream as a rather unsettling one, the clanging and clashing of weaponry still echoing in her ears as she awoke.

Yet, as she pushed against the stone floor to sit up, her mind recalled the nightmare she found herself in instead.

She wasn't just a little girl who could wake up from a bad dream and enter reality, where a warm and soft hand assured her that she was safe, that any danger was a figment of her wide imagination.

She was a Princess, with a cold chain around her wrist that anchored her to the floor of the dungeon.

The nightmare she found herself in was now much more frightening than anything her imagination could conjure, and, to her horror, much more real.

The fate of her father was a mystery, and her kingdom, even more so.

She didn't need to be wise to know that the wizard Agahnim surely did not have good intentions for the Kingdom of Hyrule. For what purpose he threw her in the castle dungeons must have been a grim one at that, the other maidens now gone and done with.

She moved herself to sit against the wall as the chains clinked, hugging her knees as she placed her chin on top of them.

Her kingdom at its' end and she was powerless to stop it.

She couldn't deny that her hope was dwindling. The only hope she had now was in her dreams, that a gallant knight would come save her, would help restore her kingdom, would help her abolish Agahnims' threat once and for all.

A tear released from her blue eyes when she reminded herself that the fantasy she construed was just as grounded in reality as anything else in her dreams.

The knights under her command, after all, were now under some curse, their eyes glazed over with evil intent. They no longer responded to her, their swords pointed in hostility towards her instead of for her. Their loyalties, secured by an unbreakable oath, were now changed. It was magic she'd never seen, and magic she could barely begin to comprehend, let alone stand against.

Hope, it seemed, had now gone far away from reality.

Suddenly, she heard the rise of footsteps along the dark hallway, her head perking up.

They weren't heavy, like the Ball and Chain Trooper who stood guard a distance away or even one of her former knights.

They were light and soft, Zelda wincing in fear as they neared, anticipating that one of Agahnims' minions had come to fetch her.

Had come to kill her.

A shadowed figure soon came into view, passing across the barred prison barrier to the locked door.

The figure seemed to have trouble opening the lock with the key, attempting it with such a oddly impatient haste.

It was as if it was made of ice, the way the key was fumbled with. Either the figure had never before used a key, or their mind was wrought with such haste to retrieve her that all sense of calm was distant.

The door swung open, Zelda squinting at the figure who was still covered in shadow as she stood up, pressing her back against the wall, wanting to much to go through it completely.

The figure was still as he held open the door, as if he became frozen in that position by some magic.

"Please, I beg you," Zelda said desperately. "Tell Agahnim to spare this kingdom. Whatever riches he desires, they will be his if he leaves Hyrule to peace."

"No, no," the figure said as he let go of the door, with a young voice that surprised the Princess greatly. "I'm not here to hurt you. I…"

He stepped into the light, Zelda's heart skipping a beat when she saw a boy before her with blue eyes. He had strawberry-blonde hair that curled gently like an oceans' waves from his floppy green hat.

"I'm here to save you."

"S-s-save…" she stammered as she inched forward.

It was obvious the Princess was distracted by something, yet she discarded it with a shake of her head before retorting,

"Save me? You're not one of my knights! You are just a boy!"

"And you're just a girl," he argued as he came closer with confident strides.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked as she backed away, forgetting completely that there was a wall behind her until she met it.

"Releasing you," he said as he held up the key, quickly using it to break her bonds.

"Come on," he said with a gesture of his hand as he headed back to the hallway, unsheathing his sword. "It won't be clear for long,"

But the Princess only put her hands on her hips, an odd petulance in her expression.

"What makes you think I'm going with you?" she said, prompting the boy to turn back around.

"Don't you want to be rescued?" he asked.

"I want to be rescued, not led to my death!" she reasoned.

"Well, I got all the way down here, didn't I?" he asked rhetorically as he stepped towards her.

The Princess released a scoff in disbelief at his words.

"I just met you and you want me to trust you with my life? On what grounds would I possibly do that?!"

The boy looked hesitant, like at any moment he could back away in fear.

The Princess started to regret her hostility when she saw it. Really, it only made sense for her to act this way, to have misgivings of this boys' abilities when so much was at stake, but that didn't mean it was fair.

And, if she were honest, there was an odd tension between them that only made it worse. If she knew what it truly was in that moment, her face surely would have reddened.

"I heard you," the boy said quieter, in was obvious that her sharp words had hurt him somehow, "in my dreams. You were calling for help. And my uncle, well…"

The boy sighed heavily, Zelda's expression softening at the weight she heard in it. There was some raw emotion in it, a cut that still bled, a pain that still stung. Even the boys' blue eyes swam with a distinct sadness and guilt.

Something had happened to his uncle.

"You are something to me," the boy continued. "I feel something…I'm not even sure what it is, but…for some reason I can't explain…I need to do this."

Zelda was utterly silenced, the boy mistaking it as the need to convince her further.

"Also, might I add, I'm your only shot at getting out of here."

The boy held out his hand in offering.

"I would tell you that you have to trust me, but I think you already do."

Zelda took a deep breath as her eyes locked into his, her steps bringing her slowly closer to the boy before she stopped in front of him.

She only nodded, the boy dropping his hand to his side before he tightened his grip on his sword and turned around, the Princess following behind him.

Only their cautious footsteps were heard as they entered the hallway, a gasp coming from Zelda's lungs when she saw the dead Ball and Chain Trooper on the floor.

She looked to the back of his head as she followed him up the stairs, both of them minding their stealth.

Legends told fondly of a hero of old, who drove away the darkness with the courage of a thousand knights.

The Princess was always told that it was only a story, that surely time had warped its' truth.

Yet, standing before her now was a boy with a courage she had never seen before, his skill with a blade unprecedented for a boy his age, for even accomplished soldiers.

To take down a Ball and Chain Trooper without a scratch was unfathomable.

A raised hand brought her out of her thought completely, his head soon gesturing to a nearby wall before they both hastened to it.

Their backs were practically glued to it, Zelda wanting to ask why they had stopped, but knowing there must be a reason for the boys' stealth and silence.

A sudden and loud growl caused a quick panic to stir inside the two as they stood side by side, their hands subconsciously finding each other and clasping with a hard grip.

They looked to each other in surprise that the other had reached for theirs, not to mention that they had reached for it themselves, before releasing their grips and tearing away their glances.

The boy looked around the corner at the monster, taking a deep breath in and out and he gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Stay here," he said, prompting Zelda to look at him as he departed, quickly racing around the corner.

She watched as he engaged the cursed soldier in combat before her back met the wall again, her breaths heaving.

The Princess didn't even know what she would do if this boy failed, not even able to fathom the thought of him dying because of her as she stood there.

She shut her eyes tight, clinging to the hope that his courage would prevail, that his swordsmanship would conquer the many threats they had yet to face.

"Are you okay?" she heard, pulling a sigh a relief from her lungs when she opened her eyes and saw him before her.

His blue eyes were full of concern, genuine concern, the Princess trying not to delve too deep into it when she replied with a nod,

"Yes."

The boy looked worriedly off into the distance, as if hearing some echo or seeing some shadow that alarmed him.

"There isn't much time," he said. "Their numbers are starting to increase. You'll have to stay close to me until we get to—"

The boy stopped when he felt Zelda's hand in his, seeing in her blue eyes a trust.

He tightened his grip, understanding her meaning.

Not only would they stay close, but they would stay connected, as an assurance to the other in even the darkest of hallways or the most dangerous corridors.

Because she knew that even he, this courageous boy, was scared as well.