AN: For those of you who want to know why the heck the "Romance" genre is in here, it's because…well, there's gonna be some romance! ^_^; It doesn't happen all at once, people, and at first it'll be subtle. Just be patient, and I promise you'll see plenty of romance!

As for the comment of Link suddenly gaining 7 years without much focus on it from the story, you have to understand that the "evil" had already planned this out from the beginning. That's why it was so abrupt and didn't seem to bring that much attention. I can't say much more, unless you want me to ruin the plot, and what kind of fun would that be, eh? Read and enjoy!

Home, Bittersweet Home

Chapter 2

The evening sun was already starting to sink over the horizon as Link and Epona trotted off into the barren, central part of the once beautiful country. The Hero glanced about the field that was once covered in lush green; now it was nothing more than a color of dark brown with spots of crimson staining the it in almost every direction. Blood. Blood that had been spilled in countless battles across Hyrule, the Cursed Land.

It made his stomach tie up in a knot, the thought that this had happened in a mere seven years. It looked like something that could only be done in a long century, filled with infinite plagues of evil and darkness. Seven years was too soon, much too quick for any of this to happen.

Only a remarkably influential evil could have caused so much havoc in so little time.

Ganon?

Link shook his head, banishing the disturbing thought in the process. No, Ganon was sealed in the dimension between time; there was no possible way of him breaking free of the seal that bound him.

He rode on, with the thought hovering over him like a rebellious shadow.

This all started when I stepped through that portal, he thought quietly. How? How could that have effected Hryule's fate?

The question repeated itself over and over without mercy, and the same answer appeared every time:

I have no clue.

He sighed, having a sudden feeling of melancholy with these thoughts. If he had no where to start, no clue what to do, then how was he supposed to pull this off?!

He didn't have to do anything, of course. He could have just let the country fall apart even more, if that was possible. Link could have just walked away from all the problems, turning his back to everything. But in doing that, he was abandoning his Destiny. And by abandoning Destiny, he could turn himself into an evil of the world…

It reminded him of a saying he had once heard, back when he still thought he was a Kokiri. The Deku tree had said it. It had said it in those tough, but kind and wise old tones that Link sometimes yearned to hear:

There is no pure evil that did not choose to be so. The only pure evil comes from man's shadow…The shadow he leaves by turning his back to the light.

…Even though he could turn away, turning his back to his Destiny… he wouldn't. He would not leave a shadow, like so many had done before him, he promised himself.

And so, with a renewed spirit and confidence, Link urged Epona to her fastest stride, and rode off towards Hyrule castle.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was not as he had remembered. It was bad enough that he had suddenly gained seven years, with the action of simply stepping through the Portal. It was bad enough that the paths were twisted and darkened, and that the land was infected with more deadly, disgusting creatures. It was bad enough that a towering Stalchild had almost gashed him, twice as big as they used to be, and especially considering that the sun still hadn't fallen into the horizon yet. If it weren't for Epona's abrupt burst of speed, Link would be sporting a notably large wound on his right shoulder, leaving a trail of crimson blood for the monsters to follow.

All that was more than bad enough. But it was nothing compared to what he saw before him.

It was like an ominous, taunting shadow that stood a hundred times taller than the boy was. It was an ugly scarred ogre that had once been a holy, graceful unicorn. It was something that had turned into a reminiscent intimation of a dying beast, once grand in its prime.

It was Hyrule castle.

The turrets were crumpled and winding in an immoral way, and it seemed as if the "life" of the once immense castle, not only in size, had been slowly seeping out. If it had been alive, it would have been in pain…it would have been dying. Where once there were clear skies, there were Keese flying about at high altitudes, no longer wary of archers that would be on patrol to shoot them down. There were no archers to shoot them down.

A deadly emotion struck Link the instant he laid eyes upon Hyrule Castle, which now looked more like a dungeon than a decent castle, and he didn't bother to shut it out, like he had done many times before. Instead, he let it drain into him, for there was no need of prolonging the inevitable any more.

It was as if someone had dug deep down into the dark remains of his tattered soul, saw what lay there, and dragged it into reality. He had faced his worst nightmare once…he hadn't expected to do so again. He was afraid.

His thoughts where interrupted by certain cackle he knew all too well.

What happened next went all too fast for even a hero to comprehend.

Link swiftly turned around; bow already in hand, to face a disturbingly large Poe. Red eyes, with its body covered in a gruesome purple "clothing", it had appeared out of thin air, like all Poes have a habit of doing. The dreadful phantom came rushing at him with its lamp swinging in every direction that was possible, almost smacking Link on the forehead, missing by a few inches. Epona neighed and kicked up out of shock and fear, causing her master to tumble to the ground like a rag doll.

His arm hit the ground with a loud snapping sound, and Link let out a fierce cry in both surprise and in pain. He cursed himself from under his breath for not holding on tighter to the reins. He had fallen once already; you would think he would learn his lesson.

The Poe hovered mockingly above him, seeming satisfied with its job, cackling in high pitches. The lantern it waved swung recklessly and made Link squint his eyes to see past it. The Poe flew towards the poor young man closer, preparing to finish whatever evil it had planned.

Whhzzt!

An arrow with a fine black head zipped past the ghost, missing both Link and the ghost by inches.

Grabbing his arm and clutching it close to him, it only caused even more pain, Link concluded. He grabbed for his bow, but did so futilely, for he could not shoot with only one hand. The idea didn't even hit him to look at where the arrow came from until he heard a familiar voice:

"Away, demon. That was fair warning to you; next time, I will not miss."

With that, the Poe glared at the stranger, and in mere seconds, disappeared into the thickened air of the evening. Link noted to himself that it did not disappear the usual way: a look of fright and a cackle, with a spin as a final touch.

"Are you all right, wanderer?" the stranger asked, and Link took it upon himself to look at who had just saved him, ignoring the label he hated so much.

He stared into crimson eyes that held a more welcome place in his past. He stared right through the locks of golden hair and right through his rescuer's false guise. There was no way he could mistake that face, that identity, that soul that held a such special place in his life…

"P-princess?!"

A look of surprise from the savior, followed by the question:

"…How do you know that?"

Link, still sprawled on the dirty ground, managed to sit up, ignoring the throbbing pain in his arm as best as he could. It was the Princess, all right…the only difference was her illusion as Sheik, but that mattered not. She was still Princess Zelda to him. She was still the Seventh Sage and the one who had guided him in so many miserable times.

Despite his situation, he brought about a small smile.

He opened his mouth to say something, to tell her who he was and why he was here, to ask a million questions, but drowsiness had taken over. His eyelids felt like lead, and all he wanted to do was lie down.

Sheik, forgetting her unanswered question, (for the moment, at least) had a look of worry in her eyes.

"You had better come with me…the castle…. The Poe has…sleeping spell…."

The Hero of Time didn't get to hear the full of her sentence. Before he knew it, he was unconscious, deep in the land of dreams.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Link opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was a rather cold wind on his face. It cut right past his thin clothing, and poked and prodded him until he would fully awaken.

He did so, but with the same throbbing pain that wouldn't go away, and his shoulder…

His shoulder was bandaged up in a crude cast, almost pinned to his side to keep it from moving again and causing more pain. Link didn't like it; it made him feel restricted to his own movements, but he felt gratitude for whoever took the trouble to mend it.

His mind was still groggy, and it took awhile for recent memories to come flooding back. Eventually they did, but in a gray haze, and it took a lot of focus to sort them out from one another.

"So, you're awake," said a voice from behind him.

Out of a habit that had a tendency to stick to him annoyingly, Link tensed up and turned around fiercely, as if he expected a monster to come charging at him. He did not face this, but instead, he faced Princess Zelda. Her attire was still that of a Sheika's, but the golden mane of hair that covered half her face, was pulled back, and the mask was off.

"Princess!"

No reply. Nothing more than a stern gaze.

"I…I…Where are we?" Link struggled for words.

"I have brought you to Hyrule Castle…It is not as it used to be," she replied quickly, but sadly.

Indeed it wasn't. It looked much worse from the inside than it did looming over Link outside, as hard as it may be to believe. The walls were stained and tarnished, the granite that once was gleaming was cracked and disheveled, and the floor was soiled and almost impossible to stare at without frowning in disgust. There were no more ornamentations decorated throughout the walls. All that was left were the hinges the curtains and portraits once hung upon. It was a sad memory of what once had been.

"Who…are you?" asked the princess, although deep down she already knew the answer.

"You don't remember?" Link put on his smug smile that was usually reserved only for her. "It's me. It's me, Link."

A glimmer of recognition shone for a second in Zelda's azure eyes and she stepped back in awe.

"…Link? Is it really you?"

"Yes," came the simple reply from the young man, who inside had still nothing more than the simple heart of a child.

There was a moment of pure silence. Nothing else could be heard except the subtle sound of either one's breathing.

"Princess. I need to-"

Zelda withdrew her arm back and slapped Link across the face in one swift motion.

"…! What was that f-"

"How…how could you?"

Tears were streaming down from the princess' gentle face, and Link now finally took the time to notice them. Her fists were clenched together and shaking violently.

"How could you!?" she screamed again, her cry echoing throughout the halls for the walls to hear.

Link was still in too much of a shock to answer. His face stung like fire and it made his eyes water. Soon he too had tears running down the side of his cheek.

"How could you leave us, Link?! To just abandon us? To just abandon…me?"

Link thought of a thousand things to say in his scattered mind, but all were thrown out the window when he caught the look of his Princess' face. It was so sad. So…betrayed. It broke his own heart into a thousand pieces just to glance at it.

"Do you have any idea how long Hyrule has suffered? …Seven years. Seven long years, Link! Where were you when we needed you most? Where were you when we were struggling to live, struggling to live in peace! Where were you?!"

Silence.

"Answer me!!" commanded the broken one.

He couldn't. He simply couldn't. He had no explanation. He couldn't even think of a way to apologize. There was…just nothing. Seven years. It had must have been a long time, he thought. Too long.

Finally, two words escaped his mouth. Simple and true yet straight from a young hero's heart.

"I'm sorry."

Zelda looked at him with hot tears dripping from her face.

She fell to her knees, and wept by Link's side.

~*~*~*~*~*~