For most of the afternoon, Zelda spent her hours alone in the castle tower.
Indeed she had circum herself to her trifles over her precious Link, and
although she always tried to keep her mind on lighter matters, she could
not help but constantly wonder why Link continued to reject what little
memories remained. Dare she tell him of the love they shared? The thought
continued to run through her mind, until Zelda felt a migraine occur and
had to stop thinking and rest.
The princess fell back into her velvet chair, her pale eyes sweeping at the world below through the large pained window in front of her. For a while she sat motionless, trying to recede all thought from entering her worn out mind, until sleep finally took its toll on her exhausted frame. Gradually her head moved slightly to her right side, and no matter how hard she tried to stay awake and be alert, she eventually gave in to her tiredness and slowly drifted off to sleep. Little did she notice as she slept that her hands would often clench and grip the arms of the chair as if trying to grasp something – or someone?
Through the hour that she slept, she did not feel Link's warm embrace nor did she hear his sweet calm voice fill her hears and relax her broken spirit. Zelda longed to touch him, to be held inside his strong muscled arms and place her lips to his neck and smother him in soft warm kisses and receive the same from him in return. All that was left for her now was a cold chill from a draft inside the tower that caused her to shiver and become restless in her sleep.
The sun moved across the sky, and when the princess groggily awoke she found herself still alone inside the tower. Zelda sat for some time, her eyes squinting under the gray light shining on her through the window until she decided to go for her afternoon ride, which would occupy her until teatime.
As Zelda made her way carefully though the castle, not once did she sight her beloved anywhere in the corridors or inside its large comfortable rooms. A feeling of concern flooded through her, but she knew Link could take care of himself and was probably off on his own somewhere. When she arrived in the great hallway, Zelda stared out its massive windows as she did normally while her servants ran to the barn to fetch her horse. The princess did not notice two of her guards approach from behind, and when they spoke it startled her greatly.
"My lady, do you require our services this fine afternoon?"
Zelda jumped at their question, and for a moment she was unsure what to say to them. It had been a long while since she had to be accompanied by her guards during her outings, since she and Link used to go out several times during the day and he was the one who would protect her. It would be unwise to go out alone, especially since many thought her to be of too much importance to risk endangerment, but this time she relented on their offer.
"No thank you sirs, I will ride alone today. Do not fear, I shant be gone for very long."
She was unsure why she refused to be accompanied, and felt especially foolish when her guards glanced at one another worriedly before nodding in unison with respect and shuffling off down the hall. Zelda did not feel like having strangers pry into her feelings and thoughts, and riding was among her only pastimes when she could feel independent from the obligations she had as a princess.
Moments later, her servants returned outside the grand doors leading a rather striking white mare by a black halter. The horse was covered with a fine saddle and elegant ribbings and leg garments, most of which bore the triforce symbol of the royal family. With hurried steps, Zelda walked outside to her mare and allowed her servants to help her onto the animal's back, though she knew she could have mounted easily by herself. For a few minutes the princess had to remain still on her mare while the servants fiddled with her dress and smoothed it down, shaking their heads in exasperation to see a lady riding a horse in the same manner as a man.
Before Link came to the castle, Zelda reminisced on how she used to hardly ride at all, and when she did it was sidesaddle as custom for women. Link insisted she ride like a man, as unsuitable as others considered it, and Zelda readily agreed. It was during their hours of long rides through the open fields behind the castle and in Hyrule Field, that their mere friendship turned into courting politely with one another. Sometimes they discussed silly topics such as what the real reason was behind the happy mask shop keeper's constant wide smile, or where the female Goron's were in Goron City.
Most of the time though, their discussions were serious and in depth. Zelda feared if she reminded herself as to what personal things she and Link discussed, she would once again begin crying, and she could not bear to do so in front of the servants. Finally when her tenants finished their finicky work, Zelda nudged her mare gently twice and allowed the horse to go about at a slow trot.
Intently she listened to the songs of the birds in the air, and felt the wind blow against her face and refresh her. For a while as she rode on her horse, she allowed nature to consume her and relieve her of all her burdens and fears. It was when she came to the open pasture where the royal horses were kept that she saw him.
Link. His back was to her, and he was leaning casually on the white painted wooden fence. Zelda's eyes fell onto him and could not stray away, watching the young Hylian's every move. She noticed he was staring at all the horses, particularly at his mare Epona as the female equine galloped around the pasture until slowing when she came up to him and stood in front of him on the inside of the fence. Instead of reaching out to rub her muzzle as he normally did he merely stared at the mare hard in an expressionless way, and Zelda knew he did not remember Epona at all.
Zelda moved her mare in a slow circle, and for a second she thought of going to Link and talking to him once more – but she could not. Something held her back, and was preventing her from moving any closer than where she already was. Link did not notice her presence, and she was not certain if she could stand seeing his piercing blue eyes lock into hers.
Instead she watched Link stand staring at his horse, not knowing Epona belonged to him, as his mare pawed at the grass in agitation and emitted a low whinny. Epona was known as the swiftest horse out of all staying at the royal stable, especially since she was bred at Lon Lon Ranch. The mare's bay colored coat gleamed as she moved closer to Link and attempted to brush her muzzle against his shoulder, but the hero of time stepped back in surprise and kept his distance.
Neither she nor Link was expecting Epona to emit a high pitch whinny in frustration that not only startled Zelda but her mare as well. In sudden fright Zelda felt her mare pick up pace abruptly, and go into a full gallop. The princess was so frightened she nearly lost her balance, and had to force herself to lean forward and grasp her mare's long flowing mane in order to remain on its back.
The animal's pounding hove beats filled the air, and when Zelda glanced to where Link was despite her fear, she saw him spin around and stare at her in pure shock. A loud scream erupted from her vocal chords, as scream she could no longer keep inside her.
Zelda looked ahead for a moment, and tried desperately to stop her mare only to no avail. The horse tore onward, carrying the frightened princess on its back, while Zelda did everything in her power to not fall off and get trampled. She was not the type to ask for a man's help, though this time she wanted nothing more than to get off. Zelda glanced in Link's direction again, and to her further surprise she saw him jump over the fence and mount Epona with lightning speed.
She did not know what more she could do, because her repeated attempts to stop her mare had failed bitterly and most of the time only succeeded in making her horse gallop faster than before. Her once elegant blonde hair whipped in the wind and into her face, so that she could not see what lay ahead. It was when her fear reached its peak that she came back to her senses enough to realize Link's horse had galloped next to hers. Then, to her shock, she felt an arm slide around her waist and cool hands grasp her there until she was lifted clean off of her mare and into the lap of none other than Link himself.
Epona slowed down abruptly, and Zelda turned partially to see Link's blue eyes looking at her in concern. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, securing her in place, until his mare came to a stop. Without hesitating she heard Link's voice sound in the air as he asked her worriedly.
"Are you alright?"
At first Zelda wasn't sure what to say, and could only nod her head rapidly in confirmation. A dim twinkle of relief reflected on Link's face, as he breathed deeply. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as it did when she talked with Link earlier, and a warm feeling came over her to see that as he did before his loss of memory, he was holding her in his arms. She felt foolish to not have told Link Epona was his, which made her explain uneasily.
"I am fine, thank you. I'm sorry for this...I should have told you Epona was your mare. It was my foolish mistake to have passed by at such an awkward time, do forgive me for troubling you so..."
Link said nothing at first, though when he motioned as if to set Zelda down on the ground, she could not stand to part with him so soon. She knew she would be pushing her boundaries with her next request, but what she felt inside was too strong for her to ignore. In a quiet but almost timid sounding voice, she managed to say whimsically.
"No, please. I need to...catch my breath...may I remain here for just a bit longer?"
Zelda hoped she had not implied anything by asking something like that, and when Link paused and continued to hold onto her strongly, Zelda relaxed slightly. Finally, he replied rather understandingly, though keeping distant in emotion from her.
"As you wish. You gave me quite a scare. I knew there was something about Epona by her persistent nature, and it is clear now why she seemed to know who I am."
With a nudge of his heels, Zelda felt a slight movement as he allowed Epona to go at a slow walk. The princess was sitting in front of Link on the horse, indirectly on his lap and sideways with her legs swung delicately over the horse's left shoulder. Link's muscled right arm was wrapped around her back and supporting her gently, and though Zelda knew better than to admit it to him, she adored how carefully he held her and wished she could have stayed that way for a longer time.
"I'm sorry for everything, and I cannot express my gratitude for your heroic efforts. You have always been the kind of person to risk their life for someone else."
She said breathlessly, looking up at Link as the hero of time steered Epona in the direction of the castle. Link's face seemed to discern any hint of fear from the incident now, though behind his steel blue eyes Zelda could still sense that he wanted to say something to her, but didn't know how. Reassuringly she placed one of her elegant hands on his rough gold gauntlets, feeling its smooth metallic surface until Link's eyes widened slightly in contained surprise.
No matter how much he would try to deny his memories – or her – she would always care about him. To explain her sudden motion of affection toward him, Zelda gathered her courage from within before saying gently.
"If there is something you need to say, perhaps a reoccurring memory or something else, please tell me. I cannot help you unless you let me know if there are things you need answered or explained."
Zelda found Link hard to understand, especially when his expression hardened suddenly and he removed his hand from her grasp. She felt herself shrink back almost instinctively, but she would not give up trying so easily. There was a long moment of silence, and Link and Zelda stared at each other with silent words crossing in each other's minds. Zelda was not sure why Link was so hesitant, and Link was not sure why Zelda was so blunt. Finally, when it seemed neither could take the silence any longer since the awkward silences seemed to occur frequently between them, Link said quietly.
"For some reason or another, I feel there was something between us that I cannot understand or remember. You are hiding something from me, and it is obvious not by means that you know more about me than anyone else, but also by how you...touch me. When I feel your hands touch mine, a sense of warmth and familiarity floods though me..."
Zelda felt her heart thumping like mad, especially when Link looked at her with his deep blue eyes before his hand reached to hers and took it gently. The hero of time studied her delicate fingers for a moment, until he rubbed his fingertips against her fingertips soothingly. Another silence occurred, and this time Link broke his gaze and looked to the great towering castle before them, since they had arrived before its grand doors.
Though she could be a very blunt and well-spoken woman, Zelda still had not the courage to explain her actions – nor his. It seemed one moment he was rejecting her, the next he was holding her hand and looking at her in a strange sort of gentle way despite his piercing blue eyes and serious expression. Zelda knew not what to say in response, however she did not wish for their meeting to end so soon. Before it became too late and she would have to take her leave of such a precious moment, she said to him hopefully.
"Sir Link, if it would not be too much trouble upon you, I would enjoy it very much if perhaps we could discuss this further?"
Link glanced at her for a second, and then nodded rigidly. Zelda felt Epona shift as he steered her slowly away from the castle and long the castle's side until they reached the gravel path leading to Hyrule Castle Town. As he moved the horse at a light walk, the princess wondered why the awkward silence was occurring between them so frequently. Before Link lost his memory, he always had much to discuss, though it seemed he had lost the will to be joyful after all that happened to him...
After a short time they reached the market, and Zelda's eyes instantly fell upon the fountain in the center of the small square. A memory flooded though her mind, and though she tried not to think of it at such a time, she could not refuse the feelings of pure reflection and love welling up within her swollen heart. Her crystal blue eyes locked onto Link, and she noticed clearly he was staring at the fountain as though he had seen something rather shocking. Link's mouth gaped slightly, lasting the time that they passed the fountain until it was out of sight. Immediately after it was no longer within visual range, he closed his mouth abruptly and shook his head in a sort of denied confusion.
"You...remember something...don't you Sir Link?"
Zelda said slowly, watching Link's every move from the slight frowning curve in his mouth to the way his eyes stared straight ahead. He was holding her so closely and securely she could feel his body tighten, and noticed his back stiffened and he sat more upright on Epona's bare back.
Epona walked across the lowered drawbridge, and by that time the sun was lower in the sky and the daylight was fading. It was at that moment when they left the Castle Town, Link responded with a hesitant look in his eyes and distinct discomfort showing on his face.
"The fountain...I don't understand this! When I passed by an image flooded my mind, and I saw you and I standing there in the darkness under the moon. This vision does not make sense, it cannot be real!"
Zelda's hand tightened around his, and she looked up into his frustrated face, while tears welled up in her eyes. Link was not finished speaking, and she heard him continue, this time with an almost skeptical tone in his voice.
"Impossible...you are a princess, and I am merely another Hylian. Hero or not, this image must be wrong...or is it? How...why?"
Finally, she knew it was her time to acknowledge him, and explain what he said was the truth. She could not wait any longer, and she could not bear to see him so upset and despairing. She knew not to allow her voice to shake, and when she finally emitted words from her ruby lips, the words flowed easily like a river that could no longer be blocked by a dam.
"You must have experienced another forgotten memory. What you have said is indeed the truth – you and I met at that very fountain one late evening, and it was there that we expressed how we felt about each other-"
She wanted to continue, but when it came to the most crucial part, the time of which she would say how much they loved each other, Link suddenly cried out and clasped his hands to his face. In shock Zelda stopped speaking abruptly and dismounted Epona as swift as lightning in order to aide him properly, though the second she jumped off the fair equine Link suddenly lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, reeling in pain.
"Link!"
The princess cried out fearfully, and ran to her fallen beloved who lay on the ground, his eyes tightly shut and body moving slightly. Zelda kneeled next to his head and d lifted it into her lap, stroking his blonde locks comfortingly. Her lips moved, about to ask him what was the matter but Link spoke before she could, though his words were vague and partial. "Pain...I fell here...into darkness. Nothing..."
Zelda shook her head, then looked around and found they were alone. There was no one around to aid them, so she would have to do something herself.
"I don't understand you Link! Please, you must get up!"
With much of her strength, she turned the hero of time on his back before hauling him to his feet by placing one of his strong arms around her neck and allowing him to lean on her for support. His body weight was greater than hers, and due to her frail condition she would not be able to support him for very long. Fortunately Epona seemed to know of her master's fallen condition, and lowered herself slightly to the ground so Zelda could place Link over the animal's back.
Not wasting any time, Zelda checked on Link once more and found he had fallen unconscious, and was in gave danger. Powered by her will to save him and despite wearing a long flowing dress, she hopped onto the horse with Link laying in front of her before nudging Epona urgently with her heels. The horse emitted a loud neigh, its head tossing back for a second, until it galloped swiftly back toward the Castle Town. Zelda knew not what was the cause behind Link's sudden loss of consciousness, though it was more important for her to save his life – and time seemed to be against her.
Author's Note: Well here's the long awaited chapter! Hope you enjoyed it, and sorry to leave you all with a cliffhanger! Please let me know if you have any comments for it, and reviews are strongly appreciated and always welcome!
Those who choose to review will always be thanked for their input!
Special Thanks:
Snowyflakes: Hey thanks for the review! Yeah I try to make my stories different from most, and I'm glad you get to read something new. I enjoyed reading your review lol and I hope you come back for the next chapter to be added!
Aslan-chic: Thanks for the input! Well if you've read this chapter, then Zelda tried to do that but...well...yeah I guess I wanted further suspense hehe. Will she tell Link of the love they shared? Keep checking and you will find out ;)I hope that by talking as if they exist, I made my story realistic?
Jewel of the Wolves: I agree, I don't like it either when people take FOREVER to update, and I update fast because 1) I like writing and I always get ideas so I want to put them down and 2) because you can lose interest from reviewers and people will start to get annoyed that you never add other chapters regularly and etc. Great to hear you like my formal language, since I'm also not a fan of really casual speech...that wasn't how they talked back then (I think anyway). Its nice to see you think my fic is high quality, and thanks for reviewing my chapters! Ayachan21: Yay! Thanks for reviewing again! Well yeah, keep waiting and eventually some stuff will come back to Link. It's got to start somewhere, but it would suck if I made it all come back suddenly – there would be no story! I know that's not what you may be implying, so yeah I'll keep it interesting so that I might get to read more reviews from you!
Didibrat: Thanks for reviewing and taking an interest in my story! Well, I'm going to get to what made Link change sooner or later, but it will come eventually and I'll make it fit well with the storyline since I don't want to give everything away all at once.
Berlin'sBrownEyes: Hey thanks! Great to see you've come back again! You're a good writer too, I'm going to go and review some of your stuff shortly when I get some time. Its hard to get reviews around here, I've had difficulty with that, so I'm relieved at least one of my stories is taking interest. Will my story end happy? Will Link remember Zelda? Hehe sorry for the incising questions, you'll find out eventually lol
LanieG304: Yay! Lanie's back! cheers you're a great writer, so I love it when people like you really enjoy my work and look forward to more chapters. I have ideas as to where this is going, but nothing's concrete, depending if new ones surface or not (chances are stuff will). I have virtually no experience writing Zelinks so I'm trying my best!
Nagem: Sorry if my paragraphs are too long! I sometimes forget to start new ones, so I'll try to make them a bit short because I don't want your eyes to hurt so you can't read my work lol Thanks for the input and for reviewing!
Hylian Heroine: Yay! Glad you like my Zelink story; I have tried really hard to make it unique and interesting. I want people to anticipate the next chapter, and to keep my story interesting so readers get a feel for the characters and what they go through. It's nice to be recognized for working hard on something, and I appreciate your review very much so (and I'm not just tirelessly repeating that to everyone, since I genuinely do appreciate people who review my work!)
Midnight Starfire: Yeah 'midnight' is back too! Lol I thought I would try a Zelink since I have a thing for romances, Zelink is my favorite Zelda pairing, and also because it's what most people enjoy reading too. I admire your work a lot, and I aim to have many people read Forgotten Memories, and I hope to get lots of people (Zelink fans mainly) aware of its existence and like it. My story may not be as successful as yours, but as long as there are people reading it than that's all that matters to me. Thanks so much for your continued support and encouragement, because without it I don't know if I would have written this story. I was inspired by Fire and Ice, since it's an amazing Zelink, and I hope to achieve a similar feel of tension and symbolism like how you have created in your story.
BookLover90: Thanks for reviewing! You can bet the next chapters will be just as exciting, because I would hate it if I made my readers bored (and worst of all fall asleep while reading it or something!) hehe!
The princess fell back into her velvet chair, her pale eyes sweeping at the world below through the large pained window in front of her. For a while she sat motionless, trying to recede all thought from entering her worn out mind, until sleep finally took its toll on her exhausted frame. Gradually her head moved slightly to her right side, and no matter how hard she tried to stay awake and be alert, she eventually gave in to her tiredness and slowly drifted off to sleep. Little did she notice as she slept that her hands would often clench and grip the arms of the chair as if trying to grasp something – or someone?
Through the hour that she slept, she did not feel Link's warm embrace nor did she hear his sweet calm voice fill her hears and relax her broken spirit. Zelda longed to touch him, to be held inside his strong muscled arms and place her lips to his neck and smother him in soft warm kisses and receive the same from him in return. All that was left for her now was a cold chill from a draft inside the tower that caused her to shiver and become restless in her sleep.
The sun moved across the sky, and when the princess groggily awoke she found herself still alone inside the tower. Zelda sat for some time, her eyes squinting under the gray light shining on her through the window until she decided to go for her afternoon ride, which would occupy her until teatime.
As Zelda made her way carefully though the castle, not once did she sight her beloved anywhere in the corridors or inside its large comfortable rooms. A feeling of concern flooded through her, but she knew Link could take care of himself and was probably off on his own somewhere. When she arrived in the great hallway, Zelda stared out its massive windows as she did normally while her servants ran to the barn to fetch her horse. The princess did not notice two of her guards approach from behind, and when they spoke it startled her greatly.
"My lady, do you require our services this fine afternoon?"
Zelda jumped at their question, and for a moment she was unsure what to say to them. It had been a long while since she had to be accompanied by her guards during her outings, since she and Link used to go out several times during the day and he was the one who would protect her. It would be unwise to go out alone, especially since many thought her to be of too much importance to risk endangerment, but this time she relented on their offer.
"No thank you sirs, I will ride alone today. Do not fear, I shant be gone for very long."
She was unsure why she refused to be accompanied, and felt especially foolish when her guards glanced at one another worriedly before nodding in unison with respect and shuffling off down the hall. Zelda did not feel like having strangers pry into her feelings and thoughts, and riding was among her only pastimes when she could feel independent from the obligations she had as a princess.
Moments later, her servants returned outside the grand doors leading a rather striking white mare by a black halter. The horse was covered with a fine saddle and elegant ribbings and leg garments, most of which bore the triforce symbol of the royal family. With hurried steps, Zelda walked outside to her mare and allowed her servants to help her onto the animal's back, though she knew she could have mounted easily by herself. For a few minutes the princess had to remain still on her mare while the servants fiddled with her dress and smoothed it down, shaking their heads in exasperation to see a lady riding a horse in the same manner as a man.
Before Link came to the castle, Zelda reminisced on how she used to hardly ride at all, and when she did it was sidesaddle as custom for women. Link insisted she ride like a man, as unsuitable as others considered it, and Zelda readily agreed. It was during their hours of long rides through the open fields behind the castle and in Hyrule Field, that their mere friendship turned into courting politely with one another. Sometimes they discussed silly topics such as what the real reason was behind the happy mask shop keeper's constant wide smile, or where the female Goron's were in Goron City.
Most of the time though, their discussions were serious and in depth. Zelda feared if she reminded herself as to what personal things she and Link discussed, she would once again begin crying, and she could not bear to do so in front of the servants. Finally when her tenants finished their finicky work, Zelda nudged her mare gently twice and allowed the horse to go about at a slow trot.
Intently she listened to the songs of the birds in the air, and felt the wind blow against her face and refresh her. For a while as she rode on her horse, she allowed nature to consume her and relieve her of all her burdens and fears. It was when she came to the open pasture where the royal horses were kept that she saw him.
Link. His back was to her, and he was leaning casually on the white painted wooden fence. Zelda's eyes fell onto him and could not stray away, watching the young Hylian's every move. She noticed he was staring at all the horses, particularly at his mare Epona as the female equine galloped around the pasture until slowing when she came up to him and stood in front of him on the inside of the fence. Instead of reaching out to rub her muzzle as he normally did he merely stared at the mare hard in an expressionless way, and Zelda knew he did not remember Epona at all.
Zelda moved her mare in a slow circle, and for a second she thought of going to Link and talking to him once more – but she could not. Something held her back, and was preventing her from moving any closer than where she already was. Link did not notice her presence, and she was not certain if she could stand seeing his piercing blue eyes lock into hers.
Instead she watched Link stand staring at his horse, not knowing Epona belonged to him, as his mare pawed at the grass in agitation and emitted a low whinny. Epona was known as the swiftest horse out of all staying at the royal stable, especially since she was bred at Lon Lon Ranch. The mare's bay colored coat gleamed as she moved closer to Link and attempted to brush her muzzle against his shoulder, but the hero of time stepped back in surprise and kept his distance.
Neither she nor Link was expecting Epona to emit a high pitch whinny in frustration that not only startled Zelda but her mare as well. In sudden fright Zelda felt her mare pick up pace abruptly, and go into a full gallop. The princess was so frightened she nearly lost her balance, and had to force herself to lean forward and grasp her mare's long flowing mane in order to remain on its back.
The animal's pounding hove beats filled the air, and when Zelda glanced to where Link was despite her fear, she saw him spin around and stare at her in pure shock. A loud scream erupted from her vocal chords, as scream she could no longer keep inside her.
Zelda looked ahead for a moment, and tried desperately to stop her mare only to no avail. The horse tore onward, carrying the frightened princess on its back, while Zelda did everything in her power to not fall off and get trampled. She was not the type to ask for a man's help, though this time she wanted nothing more than to get off. Zelda glanced in Link's direction again, and to her further surprise she saw him jump over the fence and mount Epona with lightning speed.
She did not know what more she could do, because her repeated attempts to stop her mare had failed bitterly and most of the time only succeeded in making her horse gallop faster than before. Her once elegant blonde hair whipped in the wind and into her face, so that she could not see what lay ahead. It was when her fear reached its peak that she came back to her senses enough to realize Link's horse had galloped next to hers. Then, to her shock, she felt an arm slide around her waist and cool hands grasp her there until she was lifted clean off of her mare and into the lap of none other than Link himself.
Epona slowed down abruptly, and Zelda turned partially to see Link's blue eyes looking at her in concern. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, securing her in place, until his mare came to a stop. Without hesitating she heard Link's voice sound in the air as he asked her worriedly.
"Are you alright?"
At first Zelda wasn't sure what to say, and could only nod her head rapidly in confirmation. A dim twinkle of relief reflected on Link's face, as he breathed deeply. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as it did when she talked with Link earlier, and a warm feeling came over her to see that as he did before his loss of memory, he was holding her in his arms. She felt foolish to not have told Link Epona was his, which made her explain uneasily.
"I am fine, thank you. I'm sorry for this...I should have told you Epona was your mare. It was my foolish mistake to have passed by at such an awkward time, do forgive me for troubling you so..."
Link said nothing at first, though when he motioned as if to set Zelda down on the ground, she could not stand to part with him so soon. She knew she would be pushing her boundaries with her next request, but what she felt inside was too strong for her to ignore. In a quiet but almost timid sounding voice, she managed to say whimsically.
"No, please. I need to...catch my breath...may I remain here for just a bit longer?"
Zelda hoped she had not implied anything by asking something like that, and when Link paused and continued to hold onto her strongly, Zelda relaxed slightly. Finally, he replied rather understandingly, though keeping distant in emotion from her.
"As you wish. You gave me quite a scare. I knew there was something about Epona by her persistent nature, and it is clear now why she seemed to know who I am."
With a nudge of his heels, Zelda felt a slight movement as he allowed Epona to go at a slow walk. The princess was sitting in front of Link on the horse, indirectly on his lap and sideways with her legs swung delicately over the horse's left shoulder. Link's muscled right arm was wrapped around her back and supporting her gently, and though Zelda knew better than to admit it to him, she adored how carefully he held her and wished she could have stayed that way for a longer time.
"I'm sorry for everything, and I cannot express my gratitude for your heroic efforts. You have always been the kind of person to risk their life for someone else."
She said breathlessly, looking up at Link as the hero of time steered Epona in the direction of the castle. Link's face seemed to discern any hint of fear from the incident now, though behind his steel blue eyes Zelda could still sense that he wanted to say something to her, but didn't know how. Reassuringly she placed one of her elegant hands on his rough gold gauntlets, feeling its smooth metallic surface until Link's eyes widened slightly in contained surprise.
No matter how much he would try to deny his memories – or her – she would always care about him. To explain her sudden motion of affection toward him, Zelda gathered her courage from within before saying gently.
"If there is something you need to say, perhaps a reoccurring memory or something else, please tell me. I cannot help you unless you let me know if there are things you need answered or explained."
Zelda found Link hard to understand, especially when his expression hardened suddenly and he removed his hand from her grasp. She felt herself shrink back almost instinctively, but she would not give up trying so easily. There was a long moment of silence, and Link and Zelda stared at each other with silent words crossing in each other's minds. Zelda was not sure why Link was so hesitant, and Link was not sure why Zelda was so blunt. Finally, when it seemed neither could take the silence any longer since the awkward silences seemed to occur frequently between them, Link said quietly.
"For some reason or another, I feel there was something between us that I cannot understand or remember. You are hiding something from me, and it is obvious not by means that you know more about me than anyone else, but also by how you...touch me. When I feel your hands touch mine, a sense of warmth and familiarity floods though me..."
Zelda felt her heart thumping like mad, especially when Link looked at her with his deep blue eyes before his hand reached to hers and took it gently. The hero of time studied her delicate fingers for a moment, until he rubbed his fingertips against her fingertips soothingly. Another silence occurred, and this time Link broke his gaze and looked to the great towering castle before them, since they had arrived before its grand doors.
Though she could be a very blunt and well-spoken woman, Zelda still had not the courage to explain her actions – nor his. It seemed one moment he was rejecting her, the next he was holding her hand and looking at her in a strange sort of gentle way despite his piercing blue eyes and serious expression. Zelda knew not what to say in response, however she did not wish for their meeting to end so soon. Before it became too late and she would have to take her leave of such a precious moment, she said to him hopefully.
"Sir Link, if it would not be too much trouble upon you, I would enjoy it very much if perhaps we could discuss this further?"
Link glanced at her for a second, and then nodded rigidly. Zelda felt Epona shift as he steered her slowly away from the castle and long the castle's side until they reached the gravel path leading to Hyrule Castle Town. As he moved the horse at a light walk, the princess wondered why the awkward silence was occurring between them so frequently. Before Link lost his memory, he always had much to discuss, though it seemed he had lost the will to be joyful after all that happened to him...
After a short time they reached the market, and Zelda's eyes instantly fell upon the fountain in the center of the small square. A memory flooded though her mind, and though she tried not to think of it at such a time, she could not refuse the feelings of pure reflection and love welling up within her swollen heart. Her crystal blue eyes locked onto Link, and she noticed clearly he was staring at the fountain as though he had seen something rather shocking. Link's mouth gaped slightly, lasting the time that they passed the fountain until it was out of sight. Immediately after it was no longer within visual range, he closed his mouth abruptly and shook his head in a sort of denied confusion.
"You...remember something...don't you Sir Link?"
Zelda said slowly, watching Link's every move from the slight frowning curve in his mouth to the way his eyes stared straight ahead. He was holding her so closely and securely she could feel his body tighten, and noticed his back stiffened and he sat more upright on Epona's bare back.
Epona walked across the lowered drawbridge, and by that time the sun was lower in the sky and the daylight was fading. It was at that moment when they left the Castle Town, Link responded with a hesitant look in his eyes and distinct discomfort showing on his face.
"The fountain...I don't understand this! When I passed by an image flooded my mind, and I saw you and I standing there in the darkness under the moon. This vision does not make sense, it cannot be real!"
Zelda's hand tightened around his, and she looked up into his frustrated face, while tears welled up in her eyes. Link was not finished speaking, and she heard him continue, this time with an almost skeptical tone in his voice.
"Impossible...you are a princess, and I am merely another Hylian. Hero or not, this image must be wrong...or is it? How...why?"
Finally, she knew it was her time to acknowledge him, and explain what he said was the truth. She could not wait any longer, and she could not bear to see him so upset and despairing. She knew not to allow her voice to shake, and when she finally emitted words from her ruby lips, the words flowed easily like a river that could no longer be blocked by a dam.
"You must have experienced another forgotten memory. What you have said is indeed the truth – you and I met at that very fountain one late evening, and it was there that we expressed how we felt about each other-"
She wanted to continue, but when it came to the most crucial part, the time of which she would say how much they loved each other, Link suddenly cried out and clasped his hands to his face. In shock Zelda stopped speaking abruptly and dismounted Epona as swift as lightning in order to aide him properly, though the second she jumped off the fair equine Link suddenly lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, reeling in pain.
"Link!"
The princess cried out fearfully, and ran to her fallen beloved who lay on the ground, his eyes tightly shut and body moving slightly. Zelda kneeled next to his head and d lifted it into her lap, stroking his blonde locks comfortingly. Her lips moved, about to ask him what was the matter but Link spoke before she could, though his words were vague and partial. "Pain...I fell here...into darkness. Nothing..."
Zelda shook her head, then looked around and found they were alone. There was no one around to aid them, so she would have to do something herself.
"I don't understand you Link! Please, you must get up!"
With much of her strength, she turned the hero of time on his back before hauling him to his feet by placing one of his strong arms around her neck and allowing him to lean on her for support. His body weight was greater than hers, and due to her frail condition she would not be able to support him for very long. Fortunately Epona seemed to know of her master's fallen condition, and lowered herself slightly to the ground so Zelda could place Link over the animal's back.
Not wasting any time, Zelda checked on Link once more and found he had fallen unconscious, and was in gave danger. Powered by her will to save him and despite wearing a long flowing dress, she hopped onto the horse with Link laying in front of her before nudging Epona urgently with her heels. The horse emitted a loud neigh, its head tossing back for a second, until it galloped swiftly back toward the Castle Town. Zelda knew not what was the cause behind Link's sudden loss of consciousness, though it was more important for her to save his life – and time seemed to be against her.
Author's Note: Well here's the long awaited chapter! Hope you enjoyed it, and sorry to leave you all with a cliffhanger! Please let me know if you have any comments for it, and reviews are strongly appreciated and always welcome!
Those who choose to review will always be thanked for their input!
Special Thanks:
Snowyflakes: Hey thanks for the review! Yeah I try to make my stories different from most, and I'm glad you get to read something new. I enjoyed reading your review lol and I hope you come back for the next chapter to be added!
Aslan-chic: Thanks for the input! Well if you've read this chapter, then Zelda tried to do that but...well...yeah I guess I wanted further suspense hehe. Will she tell Link of the love they shared? Keep checking and you will find out ;)I hope that by talking as if they exist, I made my story realistic?
Jewel of the Wolves: I agree, I don't like it either when people take FOREVER to update, and I update fast because 1) I like writing and I always get ideas so I want to put them down and 2) because you can lose interest from reviewers and people will start to get annoyed that you never add other chapters regularly and etc. Great to hear you like my formal language, since I'm also not a fan of really casual speech...that wasn't how they talked back then (I think anyway). Its nice to see you think my fic is high quality, and thanks for reviewing my chapters! Ayachan21: Yay! Thanks for reviewing again! Well yeah, keep waiting and eventually some stuff will come back to Link. It's got to start somewhere, but it would suck if I made it all come back suddenly – there would be no story! I know that's not what you may be implying, so yeah I'll keep it interesting so that I might get to read more reviews from you!
Didibrat: Thanks for reviewing and taking an interest in my story! Well, I'm going to get to what made Link change sooner or later, but it will come eventually and I'll make it fit well with the storyline since I don't want to give everything away all at once.
Berlin'sBrownEyes: Hey thanks! Great to see you've come back again! You're a good writer too, I'm going to go and review some of your stuff shortly when I get some time. Its hard to get reviews around here, I've had difficulty with that, so I'm relieved at least one of my stories is taking interest. Will my story end happy? Will Link remember Zelda? Hehe sorry for the incising questions, you'll find out eventually lol
LanieG304: Yay! Lanie's back! cheers you're a great writer, so I love it when people like you really enjoy my work and look forward to more chapters. I have ideas as to where this is going, but nothing's concrete, depending if new ones surface or not (chances are stuff will). I have virtually no experience writing Zelinks so I'm trying my best!
Nagem: Sorry if my paragraphs are too long! I sometimes forget to start new ones, so I'll try to make them a bit short because I don't want your eyes to hurt so you can't read my work lol Thanks for the input and for reviewing!
Hylian Heroine: Yay! Glad you like my Zelink story; I have tried really hard to make it unique and interesting. I want people to anticipate the next chapter, and to keep my story interesting so readers get a feel for the characters and what they go through. It's nice to be recognized for working hard on something, and I appreciate your review very much so (and I'm not just tirelessly repeating that to everyone, since I genuinely do appreciate people who review my work!)
Midnight Starfire: Yeah 'midnight' is back too! Lol I thought I would try a Zelink since I have a thing for romances, Zelink is my favorite Zelda pairing, and also because it's what most people enjoy reading too. I admire your work a lot, and I aim to have many people read Forgotten Memories, and I hope to get lots of people (Zelink fans mainly) aware of its existence and like it. My story may not be as successful as yours, but as long as there are people reading it than that's all that matters to me. Thanks so much for your continued support and encouragement, because without it I don't know if I would have written this story. I was inspired by Fire and Ice, since it's an amazing Zelink, and I hope to achieve a similar feel of tension and symbolism like how you have created in your story.
BookLover90: Thanks for reviewing! You can bet the next chapters will be just as exciting, because I would hate it if I made my readers bored (and worst of all fall asleep while reading it or something!) hehe!