A note from the Hime no Argh herself-

Not much to say this time. Here's a new chapter, longer than the last. Oh, and the story's finished. ^_^ Not with this chapter, but for me, I mean. I finished it a couple of days ago. Not going to say how many chapters there are. You'll just have to wait and see. :P

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 22

Guide

My eyes closed, I floated despairingly in white fog. My mind was empty, a blank. Who was I? Where was I? I knew not. I was lost without salvation, a ghost drifting on the wind.

"Zelda."

I heard the voice but knew not who spoke, or to whom.

"Can you hear me, Zelda?" The voice echoed across the void.

My lashes fluttered. I peered from beneath them into the white void, then closed my eyelids again.

"Poor girl." The speaker suddenly sounded as though he were right beside me. His voice was youthful, gentle. I felt a soft touch on my cheek, like warm fingertips.

"I'm lost." It was a new voice. I wondered if it was my own.

Strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me against a warm, solid body. A soft kiss lighted upon my forehead. "Zelda," he whispered, and kissed my lips. Surprised, I opened my eyes.

I was in the arms of a beautiful man, dressed all in green, hair like spun gold, his body lithe and strong. He took his mouth from mine, pulling back to look at me, and I gazed into pure, clear eyes, a perfect sky blue. He looked to be about seventeen, my age.

My age? But who was I?

"You're Zelda, Princess of Hyrule," the man answered my thought, smiling at me. "You may not know it yet, but you will."

I looked at him, confused. "I know you," I said.

He nodded. "My name is Link. I'm your guide." He stood. How he stood on air in the middle of a white void I knew not. But he took my hands and pulled me to my feet, and it was as though I too stood on solid ground, though there was only white below me.

"This world can be what one wishes it to be," Link explained, as though he'd read my mind again. "It's a place that exists deep within the soul, where anything is possible and all things are forgotten. You've traveled a long way to come here." He took my hand again, his grip warm and reassuring, and smiled at me. "You needn't worry, though. I'm here to help you find yourself again."

"Who are you?" I whispered, wishing I could remember from where I knew him.

"Your guide," he repeated, gazing ahead of us. "Look. Here is the world through which we must travel."

I looked up and cried out in surprise. The white void was gone; around us was a vast, dark forest. Soft grass lay underfoot and great old trees stretched to the heavens, their branches crowned with dark leaves, glittering in the silver moonlight like thousands of emerald jewels. Fireflies glowed around us, like stars falling from the night sky.

"What is this place?" I gasped, awed by the beauty surrounding us.

"The Lost Woods." Link gazed about the forest with familiar affection. "Forgotten souls gather here to wander, enchanting visitors with the song of the Sage of Forest."

And indeed, from somewhere deep in the forest came notes of a lively, cheerful song, dancing on the wind. I felt the notes stir something in my heart. A feeling that was half pain, half pleasure rose in my chest.

"It's so lovely," I said, my voice choked, drifting in the direction of the music as though my body had a mind of its own.

Link grasped my hand to stop me and pulled me back to his side. "Don't run off yet, sweetheart. You and I have a ways to travel before you decide your fate."

My vision blurred with tears as I looked at him. "I'm tired, and it's so peaceful here. I just want to sleep."

Link touched my cheek gently, his eyes gazing into mine. "I know," he said quietly. "But this isn't the place for you. I'll help you see the truth. Just trust me for now."

And although I knew not who he was or why he seemed so familiar, or even who I was for that matter, I somehow knew I could trust him. It was a comforting thought.

Link smiled at me. "This way," he said, and led me off through the trees. "Stay close by. I've searched a long way for you, Zelda. I don't want to lose you again."

"Why do you care so much what happens to me?" I asked curiously. "Who am I to you?"

Link took my hand as he walked, threading his fingers through mine. "You're my past and my future," he said quietly, turning his gaze to me. His eyes were very, very blue. "You're my reason for everything."

I stared at him, speechless, feeling gooseflesh rise on my arms.

"Even the goddesses don't mean half as much to me as you do."

I blinked and abruptly stopped walking. Link halted and cocked his head as he looked at me. "Something wrong?" he asked mildly.

"I remember something," I said slowly. "There was a temple, and it was blessed by the goddesses of the Triforce."

I blinked again, shocked. It was as though the words had simply poured out of me, and yet I had no idea what they meant.

Link smiled mysteriously. "Come on, Zelda. Miles to go."

I followed him again until we happened upon a pool of water in a clearing in the middle of the forest. Silver moonlight gleamed down upon the treeless clearing, illuminating the water and grass. Link went to the pool and knelt at its edge.

"Here you'll see a woman named Impa," he told me. "She's someone you once knew. Have a look."

He beckoned to me, and obediently I walked to the edge of the pool and crouched, peering into dark, murky water. For a moment I saw nothing. Then Link passed his hand over the pool, and the water began to ripple, clearing until a scene appeared.

It was a great, cavernous room, with a large circle cut into the stone floor. Within the circle were carved many strange designs, pictures that seemed to crawl under my gaze. A shudder went up my spine as I looked. Around the circle stood dozens and dozens of flaming torches, flickering over the face of the woman who knelt in the middle of the circle.

This, I supposed, must be Impa. She was a middle-aged, solidly built woman, arms and legs well muscled. Her silver hair was tied back in a bun, revealing a serious face, lined with age and fear. Her eyes opened, and I gasped at the color- a vivid crimson, like fresh blood.

"What is she doing?" I whispered to Link, as though afraid of disturbing her.

"She's praying for you," Link replied quietly. "She fears she will never see you again, so she prays for your soul."

"For me?" I asked, dumbfounded. I could not banish the feeling that this woman, too, was somehow familiar to me.

We watched Impa for a bit longer. Then Link stood. "Let's go, Zelda."

Obediently I stood, and after one last glance at the pool, followed Link. In silence we walked through the Lost Woods, tiptoeing carefully over gnarled roots and pushing through leafy branches. The silence of the forest pressed down on us. I was suddenly aware that there were no rustling sounds, no animal cries like one might normally hear in the woods. There was only the soft humming of the fireflies, barely audible over the drifting music.

I pressed close to Link, suddenly afraid. "It's too quiet here," I whispered as if trying to match the forest's silence. "And it's dark, too. I don't like this place."

"It's familiar though, isn't it?" Link remarked. I stared at him.

"I didn't-" I began, then stopped. Something else was coming to me.

"Link," I said, "I think I dreamed about a place like this. There was shadow all around me, and it was very quiet."

I looked at him expectantly, but Link smiled and said nothing. In silence, we walked on.

* * *

Before long, Link and I came upon another pool in another silvery, moonlit clearing. As before, he instructed me to look into the water, and a scene appeared below the smooth, glassy surface. In the middle of a great, round room stood an old man beside a pedestal, a body lying at his feet. The old man gazed up at a window through which golden sunlight streamed, lighting his face and the tears streaming from his eyes.

"Why is he weeping?" I demanded of Link, suddenly concerned for the old man.

"He's weeping for you," Link said, gazing into the water with unreadable eyes.

I blinked. "He knows me, too?"

"Yes." Link smiled sadly. "Rauru, the Sage of Light, has never wept a single day in his life. He has always been childless, but now you, a daughter to him for seven years, have vanished. Never to return, he thinks. So he weeps."

I did not know what to say. Gazing quietly at the scene in the water, I looked closely at the body lying at Rauru's feet. The gleam of golden hair caught my eye, and I stumbled back with a gasp.

Link put his hands on my shoulders to steady me. "Don't be afraid," he said soothingly. "I'm not dead, only asleep. My body rests in the Temple of Time. I'm here in spirit."

I turned swiftly and caught hold of his wrists. I could feel his warmth and strength under my hands, his steady pulse against my fingertips. Link smiled at me, and I let go of him, suddenly light-headed.

"You feel real enough," I muttered, trying without success to catch my breath.

Link put his arms around me and pulled me against him, still smiling. "Of course I do, sweetheart." He brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "If I were just a ghost, I don't think you'd believe a word I say."

"I don't know what to believe," I admitted. "You tell me these things about my past life, but I don't remember any of it."

"It's difficult, isn't it?" Link asked sympathetically.

I nodded.

Link sighed and stepped back from me, holding my hands in his. "To tell you the truth, Zelda, I've only been muddling along and hoping I do this right. Bear with me for now, please. In the end, whatever happens will depend upon your strength of will." He smiled. "But I've no doubts about you."

I gazed into the depths of his eyes, and caught a glimpse of...something. My mind whirled. "Link," I said breathlessly, "how long have we known each other?"

"We've only ever spoken once," Link said ruefully. "But for seven years I've waited for my second chance."

Seven years... Before my eyes flashed an image of a young, golden-haired boy. An instant later, it was gone.

Link gazed at me levelly, and he knew.

"Seven years ago I met you," I whispered. "I've been waiting for you all this time."

Link nodded. Then he pulled me beneath the canopy of a willow tree, took me in his arms again and kissed me. And though I still knew not who I was, for the first time since my arrival in this strange forest I was content, because here at last was something I believed in.

* * *

Continued in Chapter 23.