CHAPTER 5: GONE

Soft footsteps echoed through the large dining hall. The nobles and the high-ranking soldiers that lived at the castle sat together at a large table, eating their breakfast.

They all went silent at the sound of the footsteps, halting their conversations to stare at the beautiful woman walking down the dining area.

"Good morning, your highness," one of the noblemen said politely.

Zelda smiled back at him. "Morning."

She continued walking to her table, ignoring how silent the room got once she entered it. She sighed to herself. This happened almost every morning. She was almost used to it at this point.

Zelda then arrived at her table and sat herself next to Link. Somehow, the room got even more silent.

The nobles were clearly waiting for something to happen between Link and Zelda. After all, most of them were extremely nosy.

"Good morning," Link said to Zelda as she sat down. He smiled brightly at her.

Zelda smiled back.

"Morning, Link."

They both consciously tried to ignore the awkward silence around them.

Link then leaned forward in his seat, moving his face near Zelda's ear.

"They're awfully nosy, aren't they?" Link whispered in her ear. "It's like they're waiting for us to do something. Should I get up and dance for them? I'm sure you would love that."

Zelda snorted loudly, playfully pushing him away from her ear.

"No, please sit down," she said, still laughing a bit. "You're a horrible dancer."

Link playfully rolled his eyes. "How rude. I am not. Watch me."

Link jokingly shot up from his seat, pretending like he was about to start dancing right there.

Zelda quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him down back into his seat, laughing loudly.

The nobles began to whisper amongst themselves, confused as to what exactly was going on. They were speaking to each other?

The nobles then all collectively gasped as they saw Link suddenly throw a piece of food from his plate at Zelda.

"Where are their manners?" a noblewoman whispered to her husband.

"They're acting like they never were even fighting in the first place," whispered another. "I don't get it."

Zelda laughed loudly, pulling the piece of food out of her hair.

The nobles all still stayed silent, processing the odd scene in front of them. What was going on?

A few more moments passed before the nobles slowly returned to their conversations, honestly still a little freaked out by the strange scene in front of them.

"Oh look!" Link exclaimed excitedly, now talking a little louder. "They're talking again! I couldn't bear the silence any longer."

Zelda laughed and started to eat her food. They both continued to talk amongst themselves, a little less constricted with their words since the room was loud again.

Thirty minutes later, Jack appeared in the room, slowly walking towards his table to retrieve his breakfast. His hated this part of the day more than anything, unable to bear the constant tension he had to deal with between his parents every time they were together.

He arrived at his table and quickly sat down in his seat, refusing to look at anything but the floor. He parents didn't seem to notice him sit down, laughing too hard at a conversation they were having.

Wait. They were laughing?

Jack darted his eyes up towards his parents, studying both of their faces. His mother was laughing so hard that she was practically gasping for air. His father just smiled at her, watching her break down in amusement.

"I cannot believe that you still did that!" his mother exclaimed, still laughing. "That man was obnoxious though, he deserved to be attacked by that Cucco that you placed on his head-"

Zelda suddenly stopped talking, realizing that Jack had already sat down with them.

"Oh! Sorry Jack!" she apologized, still laughing a bit. "I didn't even see you there. You just crept up on us!"

Link turned his head towards Jack.

"Morning Jack," he said, nodding his head towards him.

Jack just sat there in shock, unable to process what exactly was going on. Was he in a dream?

Link and Zelda then returned to their conversation, still laughing.

Jack still sat there in shock, staring at his parents conversing with one another. Why were they all of the sudden getting along?

Then, a thought dawned on Jack. He thought about yesterday, and how he watched his mom and dad verbally insulting one another. He knew his mother was guilty about what happened, especially that he witnessed his mother smacking his father clean across the face.

"It's okay. You guys can stop pretending," Jack finally said.

Link and Zelda stopped talking and turned both of their heads towards Jack.

"What do you mean?" his mother asked with a confused expression on her face.

Jack exhaled through his nose, pursing his lips together.

"What you're doing right now. You're all of the sudden acting like you guys get along again. I know you guys both feel bad about yesterday and you're trying to make me feel better, which is nice, I guess. But I'm not stupid."

Link and Zelda went silent, both processing what their son just said. Link gazed at Jack with concerned eyes.

"Jack," Zelda finally spoke up, her voice softening. "This isn't pretend. Your father and I had a very long discussion last night-"

Jack scoffed, interrupting her. "Yeah, right," he said sarcastically. "Look, you don't have to pretend. I'm not stupid. I'm fifteen-"

"Don't speak to your mother that way," Link said sternly.

Jack quickly closed his mouth and looked down at his lap. Whether his father settled his differences with his mother or not, Jack was still intimidated by him.

"No, it's okay," Zelda said sweetly. "Jackie, we're not pretending. Everything is just fine between your father and I."

Jack sighed, still staring and his lap.

"Just because everything is fine between you two doesn't mean everything is just fine with me," Jack mumbled, refusing to make any eye contact.

Zelda's heart broke for him. She suddenly felt extremely guilty, the same type of guilt gnawing at her stomach as the one last night.

"For one, you can't just act like nothing ever happened," Jack continued, still staring at his lap. "I mean, how do you think I felt? Have you ever considered that?"

Link and Zelda both didn't answer that question.

"There's no possible way to just sweep this under the rug and forget about it," he went on. "It affected me a lot too. Long term. You think I didn't hear you guys practically screaming at each other some nights? How do you think I felt when I heard that? How do you think I felt when the boys at my school talked about how the king and queen, my parents, were going to possibly get separated because of marriage problems?"

Jack's eyes became glossy, tears threatening to spill out. He quickly wiped his eyes, attempting to get rid of his tears. He then abruptly got up out of his seat.

"I'm not hungry," he suddenly said. "I'm just going to go to my room."

His parents just watched him in silence as he turned around and walked off, both feeling guilty and shocked at what their son had just said.

After a few moments, Zelda snapped out of her state of shock and turned to face Link.

"I'll get him," she stated. "He probably just needs someone to talk to-"

"No," Link interrupted, turning his head to face her. "I'll go."

Zelda raised her eyebrows, honestly a little surprised. Link got up from his seat and walked out of the dining hall.

Jack sat on his bed in his room, his nose buried in a book. Reading often helped distract him from his problems.

Suddenly, a firm knock came from outside his door, causing him to look up from his book.

"Hey, it's me," he heard his father say from outside his door.

Jack closed his book and sighed.

"Can you just leave me alone?" he snapped.

Link ignored what Jack said and opened the door. He stepped in the room and silently closed the door behind him.

Jack closed his eyes in frustration.

"What do you want?" he asked angrily.

Link pursed his lips together and walked towards Jack's bed. He sat down on the edge of it, making sure not to sit too close to his son.

"I-uh," Link stammered, running his hands through his hair nervously. "I just wanted to-"

"To talk?" Jack interrupted, finishing his father's sentence. "Seriously?"

Link pinched of the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I-I understand that you're feeling a little angry. Your mother and I did have some serious problems, and I get how that's been affecting you over this past year."

"You couldn't possibly understand," Jack mumbled, barely audible. "You don't even care."

Link looked at his son with a sad look in his eyes.

"I do care. You're my son-"

"Oh, really?" Jack interrupted. "That's rich, coming from you, since you practically don't even talk to me anymore."

Link didn't even know what to say to that.

"Don't act like you all of the sudden just care," Jack continued, air-quoting around the word care. "You should've just sent mom up here. At least she's actually nice to me."

Link stayed silent for a few moments, thinking of what to even say to that.

"I know that I've been hard on you," Link finally said, breaking the silence. "I've been trying to push you away from your studies, which was wrong of me. I'm realizing this now, after your mother and I finally talked. I didn't mean to push you away, I just thought I was doing what was best for you. I'm sorry."

Jack clenched his jaw angrily.

"You can't just come up here, apologize, and expect me to just forgive you," Jack stated. "I don't even want your stupid apology anyways. You treated me like I wasn't even your own son for almost a year."

Link's eyes softened. "Jack, I-"

"Almost a year dad!" Jack suddenly shouted. He abruptly stood up from his bed.

"Why couldn't you have just been like mom!" Jack continued, still yelling. "She at least supported what I was interested in, even though she knew there was nothing she could do to stop me from inheriting the throne. You, however, just downright pushed me away! You judged me for being interested in something other than what I was planned to do since birth!"

Jack clenched his fists angrily at his sides. Link just watched, honestly a little shocked about how outspoken Jack was being this morning.

"So, to answer what you just said, I do not just forgive you," Jack continued, his voice lowering. "Not even one bit."

Jack walked out of his bedroom and slammed the door behind him, leaving his shocked father behind.

"The kid won't even look at me. This is all my fault."

Link and Zelda both sat at the edge of their bed. It was almost eleven o'clock at night.

"I think he blames me a bit for what happened between us," Link continued. "He seems to favor you. I don't blame him though. I pushed him away from me, but you stayed by his side."

Zelda rubbed her face. She was exhausted. She was up late, listening to Link's story of what happened when he visited Jack in his room.

"Well, try to put yourself in Jack's shoes," Zelda suggested. "Think about it. He's not going to just forgive you right away. It's probably hard for him to even process that you're even trying to apologize, since it's been so long since you guys actually had a healthy relationship. It might take a while to actually earn his trust back."

Link sighed, accepting what Zelda said. Rebuilding his relationship with his son would take some time.

"Alright," Link started. "You look exhausted. I'm sure you want to go to sleep."

Zelda smiled, nodding her head in agreement.

"More than ever," she said, laughing a little bit.

Link laughed with her and reached over to turn the lamp off. They both then got under the covers, relaxing instantly.

Link rolled over to his side and gently brushed a stray strand of hair out of Zelda's face.

"G'night," he said to Zelda, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Night," Zelda mumbled, already starting to drift off to sleep.

The night was peaceful. Crickets quietly chirped outside the castle. Moonlight shone through the windows of the castle, illuminating its practically desolate halls. Wind softly blew the trees outside the castle, making a quiet rustling sound.

Soft footsteps echoed through the silent dining hall of the castle. There was practically nobody in the dining hall at this hour, all except for two people, a man and a woman.

"Good evening, Zelda," the man greeted.

Zelda stepped a little closer to the man.

"Good evening," she said to him.

The man awkwardly shuffled on his feet, unsure why the queen called him down to meet so late.

"I got your letter," the man said. "You said you wanted to talk?"

"Yes," Zelda replied. "About some very serious matters."

The man gulped, becoming tense at the words serious matters.

"What are these serious matters you speak of?" the man asked nervously. "Surely they cannot be that big of a deal to call me down at midnight."

The queen sighed. Silence passed, making the man anxious for her response.

"We can't see each other anymore," she finally said.

Link jolted awake with a gasp, sitting straight up in his bed. He then sighed with relief, glad to see that he was in his own bed.

Link still had nightmares about his journey that embarked on at so young. He was still haunted by the image of Ganondorf and Midna's sudden leave.

He often thought about Midna. He hadn't seen her in ages. He wondered what she was doing right now, and sometimes wondered if she was actually still alive and okay.

She always used to make fun of his size. Before his growth spurt, he was quite short and skinny, standing at only five feet and six inches. He finally had hit his growth spurt about the age of 18, shooting up to five feet and ten inches. He then continued to grow until he was too old, reaching six feet in height.

He always found it ironic that Midna used to make fun of his height, that was until the curse was lifted and she was revealed in her true form. She looked so tall to him then.

Link sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead. At least he didn't wake up screaming anymore.

Link then turned his head to look at Zelda, only seeing an empty space beside him.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Where did she go? He turned his head towards the bathroom, checking if she could maybe be in there. She wasn't.

Link suddenly became worried, concerned that Zelda might be sitting outside again. He shot up from his bed and went outside his room, still barefoot.

He walked through the halls and arrived at the stairs leading down to the main room of the castle. He descended the stairs, making sure to walk quietly.

He then got to the bottom of the stairs and walked across the main room. He walked towards the entrance to the gardens outside, curious to see if she could be out there. He opened the door and quickly scanned the garden. She was not there.

He sighed and shut the entrance. He then walked to another part of the castle, nearing the dining hall.

"Where is she?" he thought to himself. To answer his question, he suddenly heard voices from the dining hall. He quickly backed behind a wall, curious to see who who could possibly be up in the dining hall at this hour.

He listened closely to the voices, recognizing one of them as Zelda's. Who on Earth was she talking to? Although he was curious, he didn't dare to try and look for himself. He continued to listen.

"Link and I settled our differences," he heard Zelda say. "He still doesn't know about us, so I think it's best that we act like this thing never happened."

"What the hell?" Link thought in confusion. "Who is she even talking to?"

The person that Zelda was apparently talking to spoke up. He sounded like a man.

"Edward!" Link thought in anger, instantly recognizing the voice.

"Zelda, you cannot be serious," Edward said, sounding hurt.

"I am," Zelda responded. "We're over. I never want to see your face again. I'm sorry, but we can't see each other anymore."

Link furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, thinking hard. Was she breaking off their friendship? If she was, why would she need to do this in the middle of the night?

"You're choosing him over me?" Edward asked, clearly hurt.

Link raised both of his eyebrows at that statement. "Well, duh," he thought sarcastically. "I'm her husband for gods sake-"

"Yes, I'm choosing him over you," Zelda stated, interrupting Link's thoughts. "I'm sorry."

They both stopped talking for a moment, standing in silence.

"I can't believe you," Edward then said, breaking the silence. "After all we've been through, after all that we've done-"

"What's done is done Edward," Zelda stated coldly.

Link heard Edward begin to sniffle. Was he crying?

"What about what you told me?" Edward choked out, clearly struggling to talk. "What about what you told me the other night? You said you loved me."

Link stopped breathing. He felt that someone had reached into his throat and pulled out his heart. His head started to spin out of control.

He couldn't believe it. She had lied to him. And he believed her, trusting her every word.

Becoming extremely dizzy, Link stumbled away from the dining hall, not even bothering to hear what Zelda had to say to what Edward just declared. Link almost sprinted out of there, hurrying up the stairs and into his bedroom.

He quickly opened the door and closed it behind him. He frantically searched the room for his bag and began to pack his things.

Zelda walked back up into her room, glad that she had gotten that over with. It was all over. She could finally put it behind her and officially start fresh with Link.

Zelda arrived at the door and opened it quietly, afraid to wake Link. She then quietly shut the door behind her.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks, noticing that her bed was empty and the windows leading to the balcony were open. She started to panic, frantically eyeing the room for any trace of Link. He was nowhere to be found.

Zelda felt her heart start to beat rapidly. Where had he gone? Was he in the bathroom?

Zelda checked the bathroom. He wasn't in there either.

Then, she noticed a piece of paper and a pen lying on her bed. Confused, she walked over to her bed and picked it up, reading the words sprawled on it.

Zelda,

I heard your conversation with Edward downstairs. I wish you hadn't lied to me, but you did. You lied to my face for a year straight. I cannot be with you anymore. I cannot be in this castle. I cannot be anywhere that has memories attached to you.

I'm sorry I have to go so suddenly. I'm not sure how you'll break this news to Jack, but when you do, please tell him that I'm sorry that I'm leaving you both. Tell him that I'm sorry for the way that I treated him and that I think he's growing into a wonderful man. Tell him that I'm proud of him for being so smart, and that I will always love him.

Please use this letter to show the court. This will be my official statement of giving up the throne.

I'll miss you Zelda. I wish things had gone better between us. I'll never forget you, and I'll never forget our memories. I'll always love you, no matter what has happened between us.

-Link

Zelda stood there in shock, unable to mentally process what was said on the piece of paper. She then collapsed to her knees, so broken that she was unable to cry.

END OF PART I

Hey Guys! I'm sorry if you guys didn't like this chapter. I personally did not enjoy writing it because I felt like the writing was a little choppy, but maybe that's just me.

Anyways, I'd also like to address some of the comments. I know a lot of you don't like Zelda, which is perfectly reasonable. But the point was not just to focus on her own flaws, but Link's as well. They both did things that were wrong, which was why their marriage in the end did not work out. One of the major themes in this story is about accepting our mistakes and putting it behind us to become better people. Kind of corny, but just remember that.

I'm also going to be splitting this book into about three parts. Part II is going to have a time jump, so just be warned for the next chapter. I have a rough draft of the next chapter right now. I just need to correct some grammar mistakes and misspellings.

Anyways, please review! I love seeing everyone's comments. I'll see you all soon!