Merry late Christmas everyone! Sorry that this chapter took a little while, but with the holidays and everything, things were pretty hectic. I got a Wii U bundled with the Wind Waker HD for Christmas, but since the eShop network has been down for days because of an overload of traffic, I haven't even gotten to play it! T_T Oh well, at least I got Super Mario 3D World as well, so I'm having fun with that. Now onto more relevant things, thanks to Tangolikeoak, Stardastarly, and animefanatic4 for following/favoriting! Now onto the reviews!

Nikrael: You're quite welcome and thank you too! :D

animefanatic4: Hahaha, yeah this story has me torn between shipping Link and Zelda and Link and Sheik... Their both such great pairings in my opinion! But if you want a little more shipping between Link and Sheik, there might be a few hints of it in this chapter and in the side project I'm doing based on this trilogy, the Bound Destines Side Stories (the link for it is at the end of this chapter), there will be even more shipping between them. But as far as polygamy goes... uh... not here... lol XD

ShadowNinja1011-Yes, and yeeeeeeesssssssssss!

Tangolikeoak-Thanks! I strive for just the perfect balance between the depressing stuff and the not depressing stuff lol :D

Nintendoman01-Yeah, Link does have it pretty hard and this chapter will only emphasise that more. And I have a feeling that you're right about the choice he's gonna make, and believe me when I say, this chapter was emotionally difficult for me to write because of it!

Vivi-ntvg-Unexpected in a good way, or a bad way? lol And yeah, it would be nice to see Sheik get some retribution against Veress... maybe later on though... ;) And I hope that this chapter will help to justify Link's apparent decision a little more... :)

And that's pretty much it! Let's get stated!

Chapter 22: Strong Enough

"Wanna hear your beating heart tonight...
Before the bleeding sun comes alive...
I want to make the best of what is left, hold tight...
And hear my beating heart one last time..."
-Beating Heart, Ellie Goulding

After seeing the destruction that had been wrought upon their home in the sky, the people of Skyloft, with heavy hearts, took a community vote to decide what to do next. The Interlopers had done a great deal of damage to the city in the sky, obliterating nearly every building in sight and tarnishing its once peaceful atmosphere. Though the place had originally been created as a refuge for the humans and the Triforce during Hylia's first struggle against Demise, even Skyloft, high above the surface below, had not been safe from the immense dark power of the Interlopers. And after this great onslaught of destruction, its people found that there was little left to return to. Most of their homes and possessions had be reduced to ash, so what would be the point in trying to restore it all within the somewhat crowded isle in the sky, when, as the Skyloftians discovered upon their escape to the surface, there was much more room for them and their families on the world below? The general consensus was that most, upon seeing the wide open hills and vast plains of the surface, wanted to explore this unknown terrain, in favor of the trite skies that they had known for their entire lives. Of course, there were a few people that opted to return to their former skyward home and attempt to rebuild as much as they could, and so they did, parting ways with their friends and neighbors and wishing them the best of luck as they began crafting a new existence for themselves.

As the former residents of Skyloft gathered what little possessions they could salvage from the wreckage of the town and returned to the surface to stay, the normally reclusive Sheikahs decided to lend them a hand in settling down on the land that was normally only inhabited by them and the other non-human surface tribes. Sheik had told the sky folk that they were permitted to set up a temporary camp in the open hills beside Kakariko Village, where they could stay under the protection of the Sheikah tribe until the Interloper War, as it was now starting to be called, was over. If all ended well, then the Skyloftians would be able spread out across the surface and rebuild a large-scale human society there, one that would hopefully be born out of peace instead of war.

"This is just what Hylia had always wanted them to do," Zelda said to Link as the couple watched their people work together to set up their collective camp, despite the sweltering heat of the summer afternoon. "When she first sent the humans to the sky, she never intended for them to stay up there as long as they did, but since she was only able to seal Demise away and not defeat him for good, they had to so they could stay safe." The girl couldn't hide a small grin of pride that wasn't entirely her own, but rather the goddess's, as she looked upon the people. "So in a way, this land is kind of like their inheritance," she said, before giving a wistful glance to her hero as she slipped her hand into his. "It's our inheritance."

Link gave her a small, half-hearted smile, though he was much too distracted with several other thoughts to be truly engaged in the conversation. Ever since he had returned to the surface along with Zelda and Sheik, he had been struggling to decide what to do in light of Veress's offer. The only thing that he was absolutely certain of was his resolve: to protect the surface and the girl at any and all costs. It was a mission that he had already fully dedicated himself to, for in the face of the corruption that he was doomed to fall victim to, it was really the only thing left for him to do. At this point, he couldn't be concerned with his own welfare any longer, since he knew trying to save himself would be a futile effort. But he had to ensure that Zelda would be safe, even after he was gone. And there was really only one way left for him to do that now.

Though his first impulse was to let the Interlopers attack and fight back with everything he had, Link realized that this strategy would not work. The rebels were strong and formidable opponents, their numbers seemingly countless and their magic devastatingly destructive. And then, there was their leader. Veress had proven herself to be cruel and ruthless, certainly, but she was also calculating and clever. Clearly, she would not be outsmarted or outdone. She would stop at nothing until she got what she desired and her main target at the moment was the hero, though for what reason, he had no idea. But Link didn't really care to dwell on that matter for the moment, as it was just a small part of a much larger, more complex situation.

The couple began to make their way back to the village, hands entwined in a comfortable silence as the hero started to make his final decision. It was already quite late in the day, as could be seen from the sun sinking below the western skies, which meant that he didn't have much time to remain on the fence about this. Veress expected him to give himself up at midnight, which was only in a few hours and so to help him decide, he listed off every reason why he should and shouldn't go.

Upon a first glance, Link could see that there were quite a few reasons why it wouldn't do any good to turn himself in. Though he didn't know why the Interlopers wanted him, he knew that it would be for some nefarious purpose, even if it was only for the intent of simply torturing him into submission. Wasn't he already being tortured enough on a daily basis by the corruption being put upon him worse and worse each time? The hero knew that if he went, there would be little chance of escape, which meant that he would probably spend the rest of what was left of his existence in a cold, merciless captivity. Did he really want his last moments of self-awareness to be full of pain and misery at the hands of his greatest enemies, rather than at the side of the girl he loved more than anything else? And then, there was Zelda, who was already so torn apart over the fact that she was going to lose him to corruption alone. Link knew that she had been putting on a brave face for his sake, but he could tell by the way she sometimes looked at him, with such sadness and grief in her dark blue eyes, that the very thought filled her with immense heartbreak. How could he possibly leave her on his own accord, knowing how much that would hurt her?

But wasn't the very reason he was doing this to save her? Sure, she would grieve over him for a while, but eventually she would learn to move on and live in safety that the hero could never give her. If Veress was true to her word, then the girl would be free from the threat that the Interlopers posed to her life once and for all and not just them. Though Zelda hadn't told him much of what had happened while he had been entangled in the reigns of corruption that morning, Link had an unshakable suspicion that he had almost hurt her once again. After all, it seemed to be Majora's intent to get him to kill the girl, even if it was only for the purpose of breaking the hero's spirit. And he had already been so close to ending her life several times now. Who was to say that both of them would end up being so lucky during the next bout of corruption? The two of them simply being together was becoming more and more dangerous with each passing day, even if they couldn't bear to be apart. Both of them knew that, at literally any moment, the hero could be dragged into another spell of corruption and there was never a guarantee that he could break free from it in time. Though Zelda definitely wouldn't agree with him, Link knew that it would be safer for both of them if they were to part ways once and for all, as much as he didn't want them to. It would be so easy for him to slip away into the night, alone and unseen, to some unknown part of the surface where she would never find him, and just wait in lonely solitude for corruption to overtake him completely. But if he were to do that, then he would be leaving the girl completely unprotected against the Interlopers, who certainly wouldn't hesitate to destroy her, simply out of spite.

It was becoming increasingly obvious to Link that there was only one thing left for him to do. It would allow him to keep Zelda safe from both the Interlopers and himself, and it would ensure the safety of the surface and its many inhabitants as well. It was a choice that would require him to make the greatest sacrifice he had ever been forced to give, but for the sake of everything that he cared about, he would do it. For the sake of the girl he had always loved and would always love, he would gladly do it.

"Link!" Zelda called out to her hero with a warm laugh as he led by the hand towards the entrance to Kakariko. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Link said, glancing back at her with the most playful grin he could manage at the moment, though on the inside he was filled with dread. He hid it quite well though, since the girl didn't seem to suspect a thing, which was good. The last thing the hero wanted was for her to discover what he was about to do later on that night, lest she try to stop him from going, even though he knew he had to. He hated that he had to lie to her and pretend like nothing was wrong once again, but he wouldn't be able to bear the look on her face if she were to find out. This was already hard enough for him as it was.

"Well, can you at least tell me what we're going to do?" Zelda asked, still smiling as she followed him outside of the village and onto the open field. "You've barely said a thing since we came back down here earlier and now, all of the sudden, you wanna take me out on some kind of date. Is that what this is?"

"As far as I know, most married people go on dates all the time," the hero joked with a genuine smile, wanting to savor what little time he had left with her. "Come on. This will be fun."

The girl giggled as she watched him whistle for his Loftwing, which came down to land on the field in front of them despite the nighttime darkness hindering its eyesight. Zelda was about to call for her own bird, until Link stopped her by taking her hand once more and helping her hoist herself onto the crimson Loftwing's back behind him. The girl held onto her hero tightly as the bird took flight, soaring high into the air above the field, so the two of them could see its full scope from several miles above.

"Oh…" Zelda sighed as she looked upon the splendor of the vast land that sprawled out before them, drenched in the pale glow of the moon and stars. "It's so big and beautiful… I know I've said this a thousand times, but I just love this place so much. Wouldn't it be amazing if we were to build a city- no, a whole country down here? Then, we wouldn't have to call it just the 'surface' anymore…"

"And what would we call it?" Link asked, glancing back at her with a smile.

The girl shrugged. "I don't know," she said, scanning the landscape below her once more. "But I'm sure we'll figure something out someday…"

They were both silent for a few moments as they flew high above the surface, letting the distressing events of the previous day fade into memory. They both had much they wanted to forget and holding onto each other's company and letting go of everything else was the best way to do that. For the girl, this peaceful moment was a blessed relief and a comfort, helping to soothe the pain and sorrow that had begun this day. But for the hero, this was perhaps the last time he would ever get to be near her and he wanted it to last for as long as it could. The treasured memories of her and the brief time that they had spent together would be the only thing that he'd be able to hang onto when everything else was taken away from him.

"Hey, Link?" Zelda was the first one to break through the sole sound of the warm whistling wind. "Can we go check on the Triforce really quick? It's been weeks since we have, and I really think we should after everything that's happened."

"Sure, Zel," the hero nodded as he began to direct his bird towards the forest. They glided in over the Statue of the Goddess, which still upheld the golden power, positioned above its palms and shining in its sacred glory. The couple jumped off the Loftwing together and landed squarely on the statue's hands.

Zelda smiled with relief as she examined the Triforce, seeing that it had remained untouched. "Thank the goddesses that they didn't steal the Ocarina of Time along with the harp," she said, with a slight hint of worry in her voice. "Otherwise, they'd already have the Triforce in their hands by now. We can't let them get it. If we do, then everything is lost."

"They won't get it," Link said firmly, knowing that what he was about to do would hopefully prevent the Interlopers from going after the Triforce anymore. "We'll make sure that they don't. I'll make sure that they don't. I promise."

Zelda smiled warmly and nodded in gratitude. "Have I ever told you how grateful I am for everything you've done for me, even when you didn't have to?" she said, taking his hands as she stepped closer to him. "I'll probably never be able to thank you enough for all you've done… but I can always try." With a sly grin, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, a spark of warmth running through both of them as they wrapped their arms around each other and held on for several moments.

When they finally parted, they still kept close to each other, taking in the gentle warmth of the summer's eve as the glow of the Triforce shone upon them. Yet as tender and calm as the moment was, Link knew that it could not last forever like they both wanted it to. If he was going to leave her, he had to make sure that what he was about to go do was justified in her eyes.

"Zelda…" the hero said after several moments of silence in a voice that was little more than a quiet whisper.

"Hm?" the girl responded, contentedly closing her eyes as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I… I need to tell you something," Link said, finding the words that he had to say to her before he left her forever.

"What?"

The hero broke their embrace so that he could look her directly in the eyes, though he still gently held her by the shoulders as she gazed up at him with slight confusion. "I need you to know that I love you more than anything or anyone else," he said with sincerity. "And that's why… That's why I'd do anything to see you be safe and happy. Anything at all."

"Link… What are you talking about?" Zelda asked, raising a curious eyebrow at him. "You make it sound like you're going away… You… You're not… are you?"

The hero glanced down for a moment in hesitation, hating that he had to lie to her once again. "No," he said firmly, looking her right in the eyes as he said it and she seemed to buy it. He knew necessity had turned him into such a good liar, but it was a quality that he wished he didn't have. "I'm not going anywhere yet. But… I just want you to know that everything I've done has been to protect you. Do you understand?"

The girl frowned but nodded solemnly. "Yes," she said uneasily, wondering why he was telling her all of this now. "I… I understand… But… Link, I-"

Before she could ask him any questions, the hero quickly took her into his arms again and kissed her firmly, silencing any and all of her concerns and wonderings. Zelda lazily fell into the unexpected, yet passionate kiss and clung onto him in return, forgetting all of her confusion and replacing it with bliss. Link, on the other hand, was simply trying to freeze this moment in his mind forever, knowing that this would be the last kiss he would ever share with her. It was something of a kiss of desperation for him, and he spent it craving her gentle, beautiful warmth more than he had ever craved something before. He wanted to remember everything about her, from her deep azure eyes to her silky blonde hair to the gentle touch of her delicate hands to the incredible sensation of her soft lips pressed against his. He wanted these things, and nothing else, to be the very last thoughts that would ever enter his mind when everything else faded into the depths of corruption once and for all.

Link frowned as he carefully studied Zelda's peacefully sleeping face while he lay awake in bed beside her, listening to her quiet, steady breathing. After checking on the Triforce, the hero had suggested, under the guise of exhaustion from what had occurred that morning, that they both retire to bed early, hoping to ensure that the girl would be fast asleep long before his midnight departure. He planned on sneaking away in the dead of night without leaving a word or a sign behind, so that no one would ever know where he was going or why. But he decided to give himself just one more hour with his wife before leaving forever, an hour that was passing by much too quickly.

The hero knew that he would miss her more than anything else, but he had to do this for her sake. The only moments of hesitation in this resolve came when he stole a glance at her, but he would quickly toss them away when he remembered Veress's threat to end her life right in front of him. And this was the only thing he thought of as he slowly sat up in bed, as not to wake the girl, who was already a light sleeper anyway. Fortunately, he was already dressed and ready to go, but he stopped before slipping out of the house to give one last glance at her to hold onto. She looked so beautiful, so content and calm as she slept, knowing nothing of what her hero planned on doing. With a small smile, Link gently brushed a few stray hairs out of Zelda's face, hoping that she wouldn't be too hurt by what he was about to do and that it really would help to keep her safe in the long run. After all, that was all he really wanted.

Without a sound, Link made it out of the room and out of the house without being detected by Zelda, leaving the Master Sword and all his other gear behind as he had been instructed. It was still an hour left until midnight, and so the hero decided to take it in as the last hour of freedom he would probably ever know. He walked through the empty streets of Kakariko at a steady pace, trying his hardest to keep his mind off of Zelda and thinking of nothing else. But what he didn't know was that he was being followed by a figure lurking in the shadows, the sole person aside from Veress herself who knew what the hero was going to do and wanted to stop him before it was too late.

Link came to a stop as he made it to the top of the hill that overlooked the small valley behind Kakariko Village, where Veress had demanded him to come. The place was abandoned and foreboding, but he had a feeling that the Interloper leader and her lackeys were already hiding in the shadows nearby, just waiting for him to walk right into their hands. He knew there was still time to change his mind and turn back, but he wasn't going to. This was the only choice left for him; everything else was unthinkable.

As the hero stood at the top of the hill, dreading what he had to do in just a few minutes, he felt a familiar shiver of cold coupled with a familiar flash of heat run through his body, though it wasn't accompanied by the searing pain that it normally was. But of course, the demon's cold voice called out to him within his mind in its usual way. "What do you think you are doing, hero?" Majora asked, though it knew full well about the situation he was facing. "Do you really think that what you are about to do is going to do you any good? Do you think it's going to do her any good?"

Instead of panicking like he normally would have done if Zelda or anyone else was around and a bout of corruption started, Link simply closed his eyes and sighed wearily, in no mood to put up with this now. "Please," he said calmly to the demon aloud, since he was sure no one was around to hear him. "Just stop. I can't deal with this right now. I already have enough to worry about as it is."

"Oh, there is no need to worry yourself, hero," Majora said with a slight patronizing laugh. "I have no desire to pull you into corruption at the moment. What would be the point of that when you're all alone? No, I am simply curious… What makes you think that selling yourself into captivity is going to stop this war altogether? What makes it think it will save your darling little goddess? What can you possibly hope to achieve?"

"It will save her," Link said firmly, trying to emulate more confidence than he actually had. "It has to. It's the only choice I have left."

"And why is that?" the demon asked, a hint of twisted delight in its echoing voice. "Oh yes, I know why… Because you are too weak to stop all of this on your own. Because you're not strong enough to put an end to all of these threats that you are facing and so the only way you can see out is to give yourself up for the sake of others. Such a senseless sacrifice… How brazenly foolish…"

The hero sighed once more, wanting to believe that Majora was wrong in its assumptions about his reasoning, but the demon managed get it perfectly right. The only reason why he was going to give himself away to the Interlopers was because he doubted that he could stop them if he didn't. None of his encounters with Veress had ended well for him and in the last one, he had even died. She was too strong to him and he knew it. And even more than that, how would he be able to save the surface and Zelda from them if he wasn't even able to save himself from corruption? He was losing himself more and more each day and pretty soon, there would be nothing left at all. Every other shred of hope that he used to have had already died. And in light of that, the most hopeless solution of all was the only one he could turn to now.

"Well, hero?" Majora said somewhat impatiently, though there was also cocky delight in its tone. "Admit it. I am right."

Link knew there was no point in trying to deny what was absolutely correct, so he simply nodded in defeat. "Fine," he said, his tone somber and filled with regret. "You're right…"

"Who's right?" a voice from behind the hero asked and the moment it did, the demon's voice faded out of his mind, much to his relief. Link frowned as he turned to find Sheik approaching him, knowing that she would be much harder to evade than Zelda was. He was tempted to hurry down into the valley, but it was already too late for that since she had clearly seen him. So instead, he watched with dissatisfaction as the Sheikah leader stepped up beside him, hoping that she wouldn't ask too many questions. Her blonde hair was free from both its bandages and braid, allowing it to run down her back in long, thick waves. Her normal, armored attire was replaced with a much simpler outfit: a sleeveless dark blue top bearing the Sheikah eye symbol and a similarly colored skirt that reached past her knees. The hero was amazed at how little she looked like the gruff, firm, stoic Sheikah leader that he had meet over a week ago. Instead of the strong, unyielding matriarch of an entire tribe, she looked more like the fragile, delicate teenage girl that she actually was. But then again, weren't they all just teenagers; kids who were entangled in something so much bigger then themselves? Link, Zelda, Sheik, even Veress. They were the ones who were both fighting and waging this war and all of them were still so young. They weren't even adults, and yet all of them were dealing with things that most adults would never have to put up with. Their youthful innocence had been ripped away from all of them so early and that was the one thing that none of them could ever hope to get back.

"Who were you talking to?" Sheik asked Link after he didn't respond to her question. Though she knew full well what he was about to go do, she had been quite curious while watching him from the shadows as to what unseen figure he had previously been in conversation with.

"Nobody," the hero said somewhat defensively. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the Sheikah leader said with a faint smirk.

"How's your arm?" Link asked, guiltily glancing down at her injured arm, which hung from a simple sling.

"Its fine," Sheik shrugged, little concern for it in her tone. "The healers have been using fairy magic on it all day, so it should be fine by tomorrow."

"That's good," he said with a slightly relieved smile. "I never got to finish saying that I'm sorry."

"Link, I told you. Its fine," she said with a sigh, wanting to leave the small talk behind. "But… I think there's something much more important we need to talk about."

"Oh?" the hero asked casually, pretending that nothing was wrong, though he knew she was onto him. "Like what?"

"Don't play dumb," Sheik said with a scowl. "You have no idea how annoying that is."

Link's calm, easy expression faded when he noticed how serious she was. "Sheik…" he began, trying to figure out what to say to diffuse her before she even began, but she simply shook her head, cutting him off before he could say anything else.

"Don't," she said succinctly, holding up her hand to stop him. "What in the world are you thinking? I knew you were reckless, but this… this is just stupid!"

"Not if it's going to save Zelda and everyone else, including you," the hero protested. "How did you even find out about this?"

"You really thought that I wouldn't?" Sheik asked, giving him a harsh look. "Then you must not know me very well. And just for the record, I don't need you to protect me."

"Well, it doesn't matter if you need me or not, because Zelda still does and there's no way you're going to stop me," he said stubbornly, determined not to let her incoming arguments get to him.

"Oh yeah?" she asked with a challenging tone. "It you think that, then you're seriously underestimating me."

"Sheik, I don't have time for this," Link said in aggravation, starting to turn to head into the valley. "It's almost midnight."

"Alright, fine. Go then," Sheik said rigidly, even though she was secretly desperate for him not to go. "But before you do, I want you to really think about this for a second. Think about what losing you like this is going to do to her. You didn't see how distraught she was this morning when you died. I thought I knew a lot about sadness from my own experience, but I had never seen someone so upset before. She loves you and you're just going to leave her."

"You think I don't know that?!" the hero said, his calm front dissipating into anger and grief. "Do you think I actually want to leave her all alone like this? I don't, but I have to, Sheik. It's the only way I can keep her safe from them and… and from me…"

The Sheikah leader hesitated for a moment when she noticed the shame in his voice. "Oh, Link…" she said, her tone softer than it had been before. "I didn't…"

"I'm so afraid that I'm going to hurt her even more than I already have," he said quietly with clear fear and desperation in his voice as he looked away from her. "I wouldn't even care about being corruption if it wouldn't put her life in danger, but it is and I can't stop it. I… I'm not strong enough…"

Sheik frowned she placed a consoling hand on his shoulder, knowing well the doubt that he was dealing with, since she often struggled with it herself. She pitied him greatly, but she was still resolved to convince him against giving himself to the Interlopers. "You may not be strong enough," she said, knowing that he wouldn't want to hear something more encouraging at a low moment such as this. "But this isn't the way to fix this mess. The Interlopers want you for one reason and one reason alone: to do what they weren't able to do this morning and kill you once and for all."

Link sighed and shook his head as he looked at her once more. "Sheik, they won't kill me," he said wearily. "They can't."

"What do you mean, they can't?" she scoffed, believing this claim to be preposterous. "Veress didn't hesitate to kill you earlier today. What makes you think that she won't do it again?"

"Because she can't," the hero said once more, desperately not wanting to explain the reason why to her, but much to his dismay, she pressed on.

"Of course she will!" Sheik growled, growing irritated with him. "That's all she wants! That's all she's ever wanted since all of this began!"

"Sheik!" Link exclaimed in sheer frustration, hating that she was making this so much harder than it had to be. "They can't kill me because I can't die! There! Are you happy now?!"

"What… What do you mean?" she asked somewhat timidly, giving him a look of confusion.

The hero sighed as he ran a hand through his silvery white hair. "The corruption won't let me die," he explained quietly, averting her questioning gaze. "If I die again, Majora will just keep bringing me back to life until I'm totally corrupted once and for all. So no matter how hard Veress tries to kill me, she won't be able to."

Sheik was silent for a long moment as their eyes met. She gave him a look of clear pity and he took it, both of them knowing how difficult this situation was. To have to live through the full pain of dying multiple times was beyond cruel, and yet that was what the hero had to endure as part of his already torturous corruption. "So…" the Sheikah leader finally broke the silence. "You're… immortal now?"

"Yeah…" he muttered, knowing that his newfound immortality was by far more of a curse than a blessing. "I guess… But I don't want to be…"

After another prolonged bout of silence, the Sheikah leader spoke up again, her tone gentle instead of condemning. "Link… I… I think I understand now," she said softly, glancing down. "I know why you have to do this, and it's not because you're not strong enough to defeat the Interlopers on your own." She gave him a small smile of encouragement as she put her hand on his shoulder once more. "It's because you're brave enough to go through so much suffering and pain for those you love. It's because you are strong enough to endure anything that they'll throw at you and throw it right back at them. And that's exactly what makes you such a great hero."

Link couldn't help but smile as he realized that perhaps, she was right. Perhaps he was doing this not because he doubted his own strength, but because he had it in abundance all along. Because he had the courage to face immense pain and torture without flinching, all for the sake of those he needed to protect. The thought filled him relief, because maybe, just maybe he could make the Interlopers pay for what they had done to him and his wife. Maybe he could show them that he was more than the struggling fallen hero they thought he was.

"Thank you, Sheik," the hero said with gratitude as they both glance towards the empty valley that lay before them once more. It was almost time for him to go face whatever fate had in store for him, but now, he was finally ready for it. "I know it's pointless to ask you this, but please try not to let Zelda find out about where I went or why. And whatever you do, please don't let her try to come after me."

"I'll do my best, but she'll find out anyway," the Sheikah leader said. "She found out about your corruption all on her own, so even if I don't tell her, she'll figure out that something is up when you're missing tomorrow morning."

"I know," Link said with a sigh, wistfully looking back towards the village where she was still sleeping peacefully. "So when she does find out, tell her… tell her that I love her, and I didn't want to leave her."

"I'll tell her," Sheik said solemnly. A tentative silence lingered between them, until the final parting words to the hero came to the Sheikah leader at just the right moment. "You know, I'm going to miss you," she said somewhat sheepishly, hiding how much she was really going to despair over his disappearance. "You may be a pain sometimes, but… but I…" She knew would likely never get another chance to tell him how she really felt, but she held it in anyway as she put on a small, false smile. "I've grown to like you over the past few weeks. I can honestly say that I'm glad we met. You're a very surprising person, Link. Thank you for everything."

The hero laughed warmly, glad that her goodbye was not tearful to make him feel worse than he already did. "I'm surprising?" he asked with true levity in his tone. "This coming from you, Sheik?"

The Sheikah leader shrugged as her smile widened into a genuine one. "One more thing, Link," she said as her smile took on a darker tone. "Be brave. Whatever you do, don't let them break you, okay?"

"Don't worry," he said with confidence. "They won't. Thanks, Sheik. For everything."

The two of them met eyes for one long, final moment before the hero began to turn towards the valley where the Interlopers were certainly waiting for him. The Sheikah leader watched with sadness and regret in her eyes as he started to step forward and in that moment, she knew that she was about to lose him forever. Which meant that it was now, or never. "Link, wait!" she called out after him on sheer impulse. He turned around, but before he could say a word, she raced forwards towards him and, replacing courage with reason, she wrapped her still functioning arm around his neck and drew him into a strong, somewhat forceful kiss. The hero's eyes widened in surprise, even though the kiss only lasted for less than a minute. Link was too taken aback to say anything as the parted, but Sheik simply smiled with satisfaction as she savored the fiery warmth coursing through her. "I had to do that," she said, her scarlet eyes alight with passion as she turned to leave him. "At least once."

Link was still stunned as Sheik vanished out of sight on these words, not knowing what to think of what just happened. He wanted to question her about it, but it was too late; she was already gone. And so instead, he turned around once more and started to head off into the valley where the remainder of his short life awaited, but not before giving one final, wistful glance towards the peacefully sleeping village. There was only one thing left for him to leave behind for Zelda and it was his love. And that was the absolute best he could do.

As the hero descended deeper into the valley, he could tell that the shadows of the night were growing darker, no doubt a sign of the presence of the Dark Interlopers, watching him as he arrived. His final moments of freedom were fading all too quickly as it was, but the moment he saw Veress materialize a few feet afar in the distance, he knew that they had finally come to an end. Link clenched his fists as he approached her, hardening his resolve and remembering what Sheik had told him. He didn't care what the Interloper leader planned on doing to him; he would never let her break his spirit. It was the only was he could prove to them that even with their great power, there were some things that they couldn't destroy.

Though her back was turned to the hero as he stopped a few feet behind her, Veress smirked victoriously, knowing that once again, she had won this game. "You're late," she snapped harshly, crossing her arms though she still did not turn to face him. "I told you midnight and its several minutes past. Clearly, you care nothing for punctuality."

Link glared at her, knowing that he had every reason to be late for such a grim occasion, but he decided that instead of lashing out at her every chance he got, he wanted to make her pay for what she was doing in a more simple way. "Actually, I care a lot about punctuality," he said with a hint of sly sarcasm. "But when you force someone to leave behind everyone they care about, it's kind of hard for them to be on time, don't you think?"

Veress's grin faded when she heard the response as she turned around to face him, taking one of her knifes out and holding it casually as she did so. "I'd watch that smart mouth of yours if I were you, hero," she said darkly. "It'd be a shame if someone were to silence you forever."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" the hero challenged, crossing his arms and grinning triumphantly at her.

The Interloper leader smiled wickedly at this, seeming to take some humor in his statement. "I've never seen someone so eager to die before," she said, raising a curious eyebrow at him. "Most people cower and cry in fear when faced with death, and yet you just make jokes. Why is that?"

"Well, it's better than the alternative," Link said with a small shrug, his smile still apparent.

Veress's own grin deepened as she held her knife up, examining it as it caught the faint light of the moon. "Well, I'm sure you'll change your tone after a few days with us," she said, bloodlust showing in her visible eye. "I can't imagine that you're actually prepared for what's to come, are you?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," he said, his smile fading as he glanced back towards the hill behind him, knowing that Kakariko Village, Sheik, and Zelda all lay behind it. "But first I need to know a few things."

"Like what?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"First of all, I need to know that you aren't going to go back on your word," Link said, his tone serious and firm. "I have to know that if I go with you, you won't just attack Zelda and everyone else anyway. If you can't promise me that, then I'll turn around and go back right now."

Veress's grin faded as well and for once, her expression was sincere instead of malicious. "I believe I could agree to that," she said, with a terse nod. "But only if you promise me that you won't try to resist us or escape. Nothing is more annoying than an unruly prisoner."

The hero sighed, hating that he was forced to be complacent in this, but there was nothing else he could do. "Alright," he said with a nod. "I promise I won't try to escape. You can do whatever you want to me, but don't hurt anyone else."

The Interloper leader nodded, satisfied that he would comply. "And I promise that your goddess and your people will not be harmed by me or my followers, so long as you are in our custody," she said straightforwardly, even extending a hand for Link to shake so they could seal this deal. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes," he said somewhat anxiously. "What exactly are you planning on doing with me?"

Veress's normal grin returned, though with an air of cruel mystery. "I'd prefer it if we kept up the element of surprise on that one," she said coyly. "I'll be fair though and warn you; this is going to be much more fun for us than it will be for you."

"That's what I was afraid of…" Link sighed, already starting to brace himself for the onslaught of torture that was certainly about to come. "And one more thing: what do you want with me in the first place?"

"You'll find that out in due time, hero," Veress said as she began to circle him, seeming to examine him as she did so. "Now if you're all done, I would love it if we could be on our way. There's so much to do and, as I'm sure you know, hero, so very little time to do it all."

Link simply nodded as he watched the Interloper leader come to stand in front of him once more. Turning away from him again, she raised her free hand in the air as it took on a violet glow and then, she thrust it towards the ground before her. Her magic caused the ground to quake and split, revealing a set of stairs carving leading down into the darkened earth. Veress stood by the underground passageway that led to the Interloper's shadow temple, motioning for the hero to enter first.

Taking in a deep breath, Link cast one final glance up to the starry night skies above, knowing that this would be the last time he would ever see them, before slowly starting to walk forward into the unknown darkness where his existence would surely end. "Come, hero," Veress said forebodingly as the thick blackness started to swallow him up completely, banishing both light and hope once and for all. "Welcome to your grave."

Sorry if not a whole lot happened in this mostly angsty chapter, but there will be tons of stuff happening in the upcoming chapters: action, drama, angst, mystery, and a few other things. Be warned though: they may not be for the faint of heart, since we are going to be dealing with torture and junk like that. So before I go, I just want to advertise a new side project I'm working on related to the Bound Destinies Trilogy. To help me on my way and give you guys something to read when I get writer's block, I've started working on the Bound Destinies Side stories: a collection of oneshots and shorts related to the trilogy! You can find out more about it by going to my profile and checking it out! And while you're their, follow, favorite and review! And REVIEW this too while you're at it! Until next time!