Yes, I know this took forever, but it still didn't take half a year! I'm
making good time!
Chapter 6 - The Travels of the Destined-Part 1
Link and Sheik stepped out of the Forest of the Night and shielded their eyes. After the shadowy forest, this place seemed like a world made of pure Light. Link looked around, catching his first glimpse of the land that would change his life.
"How are we supposed to follow our path when there isn't one in sight?"
"You know what she meant. This place is...wow."
Wow was right, Link thought. The land was huge, covered in untamed, waist- high grass. A breeze blew in from the West, ruffling Link's blonde hair. He looked up to the sky, and noted with surprise the multiple, never-setting moons. He saw five, but who knew how many there were? There was a mountain range to the East, covered in snow and ice. To the North, there was nothing as far as the eye could see, excluding the grass. When he looked to the West, he could only see thick mists that refused to thin out, even with the intense sun and light breeze.
He resisted the urge to lay down in the long grass, turning instead to Sheik.
"Wow. This is a nice place. I wonder what kind of people we'll meet here?"
If Sheik had pulled down the veil over his mouth, Link would have seen a reluctant smile.
"The restless kind, if you ask me. I wonder if we'll meet anyone at all."
"Time to find out, I guess."
The two started off, heading in no particular direction but forwards. Link went first because he had gloves, parting the grass so Sheik wouldn't cut his hands on the sharp blades. They walked in silence, not seeing any signs of life whatsoever. Link was starting to get dizzy; they needed to find water, and fast. When he took the occasional backward glance at Sheik, though, he looked fine, watching for birds and potential danger. He shook his head and sighed. Sheikah, having a naturally lower body temperature than Hylians, retained water much better and could go without for at least a week. However, this made them more susceptible to the cold.
Link unbuttoned his tunic, and closed his eyes as the breeze invaded his clothing and cooled down his body. The sweat that had been dripping into his eyes vanished, eaten up by the hungry sun. He found himself wondering what Zelda would have thought of this land. Link then remembered that she was walking behind him, just with her conscience repressed. He wondered if she had been lying, and she was fully aware of herself even when she was in Sheik's body. Maybe she just changed forms, not minds. What if she...
He blamed this on a starved body and tired mind. Link was complicating things, making something out of nothing. Zelda wouldn't have lied. Would she? Sheik's voice cut into his meandering thoughts.
"I wonder what Furona meant when she said this land was dangerous? I haven't seen any life, not even a bird or an insect. Nothing life threatening, besides this grass, which could only give you a sliver, at worst."
Link looked around him, marveling again at the moons, shining silver in the crystal blue skies.
"I don't know. We'd best be careful, though. You never know."
Just at that moment, Link cut his finger on the grass. He hissed through his teeth, inspecting the red line on his finger. It wasn't bleeding very much, but it hurt too much to let him forget it.
"Ouch. Don't cut yourself, Sheik. I don't want to hear you whining all day about a cut finger."
"That depends. Will I have to listen to you whining?"
He grinned, and continued on, shaking his head. Who knew Sheikah had a sense of humor, albeit a subtle one?
***
They decided to stop when they found a small trickle of water running through the large field. Link was overheating, even in the cool night air. Sheik quickly took Link's canteen of water and used it to wet down a piece of cloth, and laid it on Link's forehead, hoping to cool his friend down. He filled the canteen with the fresh water, and trickled some down Link's throat. The Sheikah lit a fire and laid Link beside it, recognizing the shivering and sweating as a fever running its course. He took some of the fruit they had brought from Hyrule, squeezing an orange into the single bowl he found in Link's bag. Fresh fruit was important when you weren't at your best.
He ripped out some of the pulp, making sure to take only the bits that Link could swallow. He threw the seeds into the fire, and continued to rip up the fruit. He put this is with the juice, rescued a spoon from his own pack, and stirred it a bit so the pulp wouldn't settle at the bottom. Sheik spooned a little bit into Link's mouth, tipping his head back so he would swallow. His friend resisted at first, but eventually gave. It was then that Sheik realized Link was dreaming.
Link's eyes were moving beneath their lids, and a muscle in his jaw was working. He shuffled, then his whole body rocked, and Sheik was afraid that he would roll into the fire. Link's eyes flew wide open, and he screamed out loud. His body continued to spasm, and at one point he nearly rolled on top of his sword. As it was, he cut himself in his shoulder.
Sheik tried to calm him down, but nothing was working. His friend was having a dream, and all he could do was keep him from killing himself! It was frustrating.
Link was murmuring now, inaudible words that made no sense to Sheik. His body convulsed less frantically, but he was still disturbed by the change coming over the young man.
"Link! Stop it, it's only a dream!"
Link screamed one word, that he could just barely distinguish from the wild animal cries ripping themselves from Link's throat.
"ZELDA!"
He suddenly stopped. His whole body sagged down, and two lonely tears made their solitary way down his cheeks. He spoke, as if to himself.
"They took her."
A change came over Sheik then. His eyes flashed a dangerous blue. Zelda had regained control.
She called upon the power of her Triforce, and a light, bright and good enough to blind the eyes of Gannondorf Dragmire himself, shone from the depths of her soul. When the light subsided, she was just Princess Zelda of Hyrule; the Sage of Wisdom had stepped back, and a worried friend had taken the lead. She got down on her knees and shook Link, holding onto his shoulders and staring into his angry face. His eyes were closed once more, and he was murmuring soft words. He jerked, trying to break free. Zelda reached out a hand, and touched his face.
"Link. I'm here."
He immediately calmed, and shivered again. She felt his forehead, and jerked her hand back. Link had the worst fever she had ever encountered. She saw the bowl filled with juice that Sheik had made, and she poured a bit into his mouth, holding his jaw open with her left hand. Zelda went to get the water, only to come back minutes later and see him convulsing again. His hair was singed from a close encounter with the fire.
She decided that enough was enough. She dumped the water over Link's face, taking a small amount of satisfaction when his eyes opened slowly. But she immediately regretted it when she saw that they were bloodshot, and the slight steam coming off of his body. Zelda had never encountered such a sickness in all her life. Her eyes widened. What if he didn't...
"Zelda."
He actually smiled, and not the cocky smile she had come to know so well, either. It was a real smile, the first she had seen in a long time. His voice was hoarse, and when he opened his mouth to speak again, she placed a hand over it. Zelda retrieved the juice and helped him to sit up so he could drink it on his own. She knew how independent he was, and how he hated to be taken care of. He turned to her, when he had drunk half the bowl, agonizingly slowly, and spoke in the same hoarse voice.
"You shouldn't have come. This is no place for you, or Sheik, for that matter."
She also remembered how he was so protective of everyone he got close to, and how he knew that she hated it. This time, though, she would let it slip.
"Too bad. Just because I'm a woman-"
"No. It's not that. It's because you're...one of the best friends I've ever had. I don't want to lose you."
"And how do you think I'd feel if you died out here, all alone, with nobody ever knowing what happened to you? Goddesses, Link, you're so stuck-up, it makes me sick sometimes!"
He grinned weakly, mocking her.
"Of course, Princess. Your wish is my command."
She groaned out loud. She had forgotten his stupid sense of humor, as well.
"Link, I'm serious! If you died, what would I do?"
"I'm sorry, Princess. I'll try my best not to die."
She gritted her teeth. He was trying to shut her out, *again.*
"I have a name. Use it. And stop hiding behind those stupid masks of yours. I know you too well for that, Link."
He sighed, and accepted her offering of juice, sipping at the orange liquid and getting pulp stuck in his teeth. He suddenly froze, then went limp, his head falling on Zelda's shoulder. She laid him on the ground, trying not to jostle him, feeling his forehead. The fever was back, and worse than before. She talked to his unresponsive face, covering him with every blanket she could find.
"And here was me thinking that Heroes had better immune systems than the rest of us. Don't you dare die on me, Link."
She felt his neck, searching for a pulse. When she got it, it was very weak. She held her hand there, and felt it slow down, very gradually. Zelda was now working with the speed of desperation.
"Hang in there, Link. Tell you what, let's make a deal. If you die, I'll never talk to you again. Either that, or I'll call you Fairy Boy all the time. How's that for you, Fairy Boy?"
His lips moved, and she leaned in close to hear him.
"Won't make a difference anyway..."
He was fading. She piled up all the blankets around him, and continually sprinkled water down his throat and on his face.
"Link, don't you dare die. Don't you dare. I'll kill you!"
A corner of his mouth twitched. She stopped moving around, realizing that there was nothing more she could do besides let the fever run it's course. His mouth moved again, and she barely heard him.
"I have a last request."
She shook her head.
"No, you don't. You are *not* going to die, Link!"
"Just in case."
His arm moved, and she took his hand, leaning closer. The blue necklace Sheik had received slipped out and dangled, letting off a small beam of light. She was ready to give in, but not to death.
"Fine, but only because I'm in a good mood. What is it?"
His lips moved, but she heard nothing come out but air. His eyes opened wide, and he grunted at the sharp pain stabbing through his body, looking past her towards the moons in the sky. They were silver, just like the tears running down Zelda's face. The fire was dying down. The unfamiliar constellations looked down on him.
"When I die, my spirit is going to travel the worlds. The first place I'm going is up there, to those moons."
He tried to lift his hand to point up, but gave up. His gaze returned to her face.
"I'll see everything there is to see, then return to Hyrule. If you...if you're still alive then..."
"Link, don't-"
"No, listen."
He closed his eyes and sighed, opening them again to gaze on the face that had haunted his dreams since before he could remember.
"Zelda, in that other timeline...do you remember?"
She shook her head, shaking loose tears, which were absorbed by Link's tunic.
"At the end...we defeated Gannondorf. It was finally over. You took the Ocarina of Time from me, sent me back. You didn't give me a chance to say...goodbye."
She suddenly knew. The memories came flooding back to her. The memories Link had been cursed with; the memories she had forgotten.
***
"Link, give me the Ocarina."
She didn't want to do this, but she had to. She had no choice.
"Zelda, I need to-"
"Link. Give me the Ocarina."
Her voice was soft, and sorrowful.
"Link, it never could have been."
His eyes burned into hers, and she couldn't look away.
"Yes, it could. Are you so afraid that-"
"NO! This was never meant to happen. This whole timeline, it was never meant to be."
She looked down, unable to lie to his face any longer. That was the one thing she was best at; obvious lying.
"How could you, Zelda. How could you take this from me?"
"What, you actually want to live like this? To travel aimlessly, be nearly killed over and over, to bleed until you have no blood left to lose? Do you really want to do that to yourself?"
"Yes, if it means-"
"No. I absolutely forbid it. You must go back to your own time, live out your life like you were meant to."
Link stepped closer, invading her personal space. He took her face in his hands, his anger showing on his face.
"Zelda, have you ever thought that this was meant to be? That this timeline is the right one? Did you ever consider that?"
He leaned closer. She closed her eyes, letting the words bounce off her. Or, at least convincing herself that they were.
"Did you ever consider, Zelda, that *we* were meant to be? I know I certainly have, many times."
He was inches away, and Zelda was just barely hanging on to her resolve. She opened her eyes, searching Link's face. She whispered two words.
"I'm sorry."
Link backed off a bit, confused, and Zelda took the opportunity as it came. She stole the Ocarina of Time from the very person who was meant to have it, the Hero of Time. She stepped away, leaving him to wrestle with his emotions. The notes to her own song, her Lullaby, floated through the sacred realm. Link looked at her, eyes closed, playing the Ocarina, and allowed the moment to engrave itself in his memory. He would never forget, no matter what Zelda said.
How could he forget this emotion, which he had stumbled across while searching for peace? This emotion, which had left him in turmoil? This emotion. He would never forget.
***
Zelda breathed in. She had seen the memory from Link's perspective, but she remembered her own. She remembered everything now; the seven years of hiding and fear, the moment when she realized that the young man before her, the Hero of Time, was Link; the moment she knew that she had fallen. Fallen in love.
Goddesses! She hated it when he did that. He was always surprising her, always revealing something about herself to her, something she should have known all along. She looked down at him, and knew why.
Link had traveled up and down the stream of Time on more occasions than either of them could count. He had gotten to know her; gotten to know her better than she knew herself.
But, he still didn't know the whole truth. A truth she was not prepared to reveal to him, even in death. Not just what had happened in those long, lonely seven years, spent learning the Sheikah spell from Impa, but also...
"Kiss me."
She was shaken out of her reverie, shocked. Zelda looked down at him.
"What?"
He looked at her, daring her to refuse.
"I said, kiss me. It's my last request."
He tried to laugh, but ended up coughing instead. She shook her head. Of all the nerve.
"Only you, Link. Only you."
He looked at her, more serious than he had ever been in his life.
"Zelda. You've experienced the memories. You know...how I feel. You know it. Don't try to lie!"
He said the last angrily, as she opened her mouth to deny it. He smiled, knowing he had her.
"I don't know that you feel the same, but there's no mistaking this. Zelda, you're always telling me to let you in, to stop hiding. Now it's your turn. If you won't kiss me, then tell me the truth."
She tensed.
"The truth about what?"
"Do you...feel the same? Or am I just hoping for something you can't give me?"
She stalled for time, even though she knew he didn't have much left.
"Link, I...can't."
He sighed, and rolled his eyes. His anger was showing.
"Zelda, why are you always in denial? How can you live like that?"
"Sorry, Link, but I can't fulfill that last request. Pick another one."
"No. You tell me, or I'll rattle chains in your castle for all eternity."
"I'd rather have *you* haunt me than the truth!"
"Gotcha, Princess. The truth, haunt you? Now, that's not right. Tell me, what is the truth? What could possibly haunt you for the rest of your life?"
"No."
He frowned, and tried to turn over, unsuccessfully.
"Fine, then. Deny me my very last request. You've denied every single other request, too. Give and take may be my policy, but it sure isn't yours. Goddesses."
His voice was trailing off. He grunted, and his eyes squeezed shut. Zelda sat back on her heels, feeling hurt and yet liberated by his words. He was right. She was so used to lying her way out of every situation that it was shameful. How could she have not noticed it before? Another tear slipped out, and she made up her mind.
"Link, I'm sorry. I just...don't know how to tell the truth, I guess. I can't tell you."
His face seemed to sag, and he looked up to the sky again. Zelda smiled gently.
"I have to show you."
Link turned back to her, hoping the words meant what he thought they did. A sweet jolt of joy burst through him when she kissed his cheek softly. He smiled up at her, finally allowing his eyes to close.
"Thanks. I guess I had you wrong there, Zelda. People are too complicated. I wonder what spirits are like..."
He exhaled, and Zelda fled, knowing what it meant. She ran as far away as she could before she collapsed. She lay there, in the long grass, breathing in the alien air. Zelda lifted her hands to the sky, gathered her power, and hid in Sheik's body.
When he could manage it, he tried to find her way back to the fire. Only by using the Sheikah ability of walking on another plane of existence did he find it.
When he got there, he saw only a few embers. Their supplies, their blankets, and Link's body were all gone.
***
Typed in two hours off the top of my head. I should get an award. R & R would be greatly appreciated! -Shawshank
Chapter 6 - The Travels of the Destined-Part 1
Link and Sheik stepped out of the Forest of the Night and shielded their eyes. After the shadowy forest, this place seemed like a world made of pure Light. Link looked around, catching his first glimpse of the land that would change his life.
"How are we supposed to follow our path when there isn't one in sight?"
"You know what she meant. This place is...wow."
Wow was right, Link thought. The land was huge, covered in untamed, waist- high grass. A breeze blew in from the West, ruffling Link's blonde hair. He looked up to the sky, and noted with surprise the multiple, never-setting moons. He saw five, but who knew how many there were? There was a mountain range to the East, covered in snow and ice. To the North, there was nothing as far as the eye could see, excluding the grass. When he looked to the West, he could only see thick mists that refused to thin out, even with the intense sun and light breeze.
He resisted the urge to lay down in the long grass, turning instead to Sheik.
"Wow. This is a nice place. I wonder what kind of people we'll meet here?"
If Sheik had pulled down the veil over his mouth, Link would have seen a reluctant smile.
"The restless kind, if you ask me. I wonder if we'll meet anyone at all."
"Time to find out, I guess."
The two started off, heading in no particular direction but forwards. Link went first because he had gloves, parting the grass so Sheik wouldn't cut his hands on the sharp blades. They walked in silence, not seeing any signs of life whatsoever. Link was starting to get dizzy; they needed to find water, and fast. When he took the occasional backward glance at Sheik, though, he looked fine, watching for birds and potential danger. He shook his head and sighed. Sheikah, having a naturally lower body temperature than Hylians, retained water much better and could go without for at least a week. However, this made them more susceptible to the cold.
Link unbuttoned his tunic, and closed his eyes as the breeze invaded his clothing and cooled down his body. The sweat that had been dripping into his eyes vanished, eaten up by the hungry sun. He found himself wondering what Zelda would have thought of this land. Link then remembered that she was walking behind him, just with her conscience repressed. He wondered if she had been lying, and she was fully aware of herself even when she was in Sheik's body. Maybe she just changed forms, not minds. What if she...
He blamed this on a starved body and tired mind. Link was complicating things, making something out of nothing. Zelda wouldn't have lied. Would she? Sheik's voice cut into his meandering thoughts.
"I wonder what Furona meant when she said this land was dangerous? I haven't seen any life, not even a bird or an insect. Nothing life threatening, besides this grass, which could only give you a sliver, at worst."
Link looked around him, marveling again at the moons, shining silver in the crystal blue skies.
"I don't know. We'd best be careful, though. You never know."
Just at that moment, Link cut his finger on the grass. He hissed through his teeth, inspecting the red line on his finger. It wasn't bleeding very much, but it hurt too much to let him forget it.
"Ouch. Don't cut yourself, Sheik. I don't want to hear you whining all day about a cut finger."
"That depends. Will I have to listen to you whining?"
He grinned, and continued on, shaking his head. Who knew Sheikah had a sense of humor, albeit a subtle one?
***
They decided to stop when they found a small trickle of water running through the large field. Link was overheating, even in the cool night air. Sheik quickly took Link's canteen of water and used it to wet down a piece of cloth, and laid it on Link's forehead, hoping to cool his friend down. He filled the canteen with the fresh water, and trickled some down Link's throat. The Sheikah lit a fire and laid Link beside it, recognizing the shivering and sweating as a fever running its course. He took some of the fruit they had brought from Hyrule, squeezing an orange into the single bowl he found in Link's bag. Fresh fruit was important when you weren't at your best.
He ripped out some of the pulp, making sure to take only the bits that Link could swallow. He threw the seeds into the fire, and continued to rip up the fruit. He put this is with the juice, rescued a spoon from his own pack, and stirred it a bit so the pulp wouldn't settle at the bottom. Sheik spooned a little bit into Link's mouth, tipping his head back so he would swallow. His friend resisted at first, but eventually gave. It was then that Sheik realized Link was dreaming.
Link's eyes were moving beneath their lids, and a muscle in his jaw was working. He shuffled, then his whole body rocked, and Sheik was afraid that he would roll into the fire. Link's eyes flew wide open, and he screamed out loud. His body continued to spasm, and at one point he nearly rolled on top of his sword. As it was, he cut himself in his shoulder.
Sheik tried to calm him down, but nothing was working. His friend was having a dream, and all he could do was keep him from killing himself! It was frustrating.
Link was murmuring now, inaudible words that made no sense to Sheik. His body convulsed less frantically, but he was still disturbed by the change coming over the young man.
"Link! Stop it, it's only a dream!"
Link screamed one word, that he could just barely distinguish from the wild animal cries ripping themselves from Link's throat.
"ZELDA!"
He suddenly stopped. His whole body sagged down, and two lonely tears made their solitary way down his cheeks. He spoke, as if to himself.
"They took her."
A change came over Sheik then. His eyes flashed a dangerous blue. Zelda had regained control.
She called upon the power of her Triforce, and a light, bright and good enough to blind the eyes of Gannondorf Dragmire himself, shone from the depths of her soul. When the light subsided, she was just Princess Zelda of Hyrule; the Sage of Wisdom had stepped back, and a worried friend had taken the lead. She got down on her knees and shook Link, holding onto his shoulders and staring into his angry face. His eyes were closed once more, and he was murmuring soft words. He jerked, trying to break free. Zelda reached out a hand, and touched his face.
"Link. I'm here."
He immediately calmed, and shivered again. She felt his forehead, and jerked her hand back. Link had the worst fever she had ever encountered. She saw the bowl filled with juice that Sheik had made, and she poured a bit into his mouth, holding his jaw open with her left hand. Zelda went to get the water, only to come back minutes later and see him convulsing again. His hair was singed from a close encounter with the fire.
She decided that enough was enough. She dumped the water over Link's face, taking a small amount of satisfaction when his eyes opened slowly. But she immediately regretted it when she saw that they were bloodshot, and the slight steam coming off of his body. Zelda had never encountered such a sickness in all her life. Her eyes widened. What if he didn't...
"Zelda."
He actually smiled, and not the cocky smile she had come to know so well, either. It was a real smile, the first she had seen in a long time. His voice was hoarse, and when he opened his mouth to speak again, she placed a hand over it. Zelda retrieved the juice and helped him to sit up so he could drink it on his own. She knew how independent he was, and how he hated to be taken care of. He turned to her, when he had drunk half the bowl, agonizingly slowly, and spoke in the same hoarse voice.
"You shouldn't have come. This is no place for you, or Sheik, for that matter."
She also remembered how he was so protective of everyone he got close to, and how he knew that she hated it. This time, though, she would let it slip.
"Too bad. Just because I'm a woman-"
"No. It's not that. It's because you're...one of the best friends I've ever had. I don't want to lose you."
"And how do you think I'd feel if you died out here, all alone, with nobody ever knowing what happened to you? Goddesses, Link, you're so stuck-up, it makes me sick sometimes!"
He grinned weakly, mocking her.
"Of course, Princess. Your wish is my command."
She groaned out loud. She had forgotten his stupid sense of humor, as well.
"Link, I'm serious! If you died, what would I do?"
"I'm sorry, Princess. I'll try my best not to die."
She gritted her teeth. He was trying to shut her out, *again.*
"I have a name. Use it. And stop hiding behind those stupid masks of yours. I know you too well for that, Link."
He sighed, and accepted her offering of juice, sipping at the orange liquid and getting pulp stuck in his teeth. He suddenly froze, then went limp, his head falling on Zelda's shoulder. She laid him on the ground, trying not to jostle him, feeling his forehead. The fever was back, and worse than before. She talked to his unresponsive face, covering him with every blanket she could find.
"And here was me thinking that Heroes had better immune systems than the rest of us. Don't you dare die on me, Link."
She felt his neck, searching for a pulse. When she got it, it was very weak. She held her hand there, and felt it slow down, very gradually. Zelda was now working with the speed of desperation.
"Hang in there, Link. Tell you what, let's make a deal. If you die, I'll never talk to you again. Either that, or I'll call you Fairy Boy all the time. How's that for you, Fairy Boy?"
His lips moved, and she leaned in close to hear him.
"Won't make a difference anyway..."
He was fading. She piled up all the blankets around him, and continually sprinkled water down his throat and on his face.
"Link, don't you dare die. Don't you dare. I'll kill you!"
A corner of his mouth twitched. She stopped moving around, realizing that there was nothing more she could do besides let the fever run it's course. His mouth moved again, and she barely heard him.
"I have a last request."
She shook her head.
"No, you don't. You are *not* going to die, Link!"
"Just in case."
His arm moved, and she took his hand, leaning closer. The blue necklace Sheik had received slipped out and dangled, letting off a small beam of light. She was ready to give in, but not to death.
"Fine, but only because I'm in a good mood. What is it?"
His lips moved, but she heard nothing come out but air. His eyes opened wide, and he grunted at the sharp pain stabbing through his body, looking past her towards the moons in the sky. They were silver, just like the tears running down Zelda's face. The fire was dying down. The unfamiliar constellations looked down on him.
"When I die, my spirit is going to travel the worlds. The first place I'm going is up there, to those moons."
He tried to lift his hand to point up, but gave up. His gaze returned to her face.
"I'll see everything there is to see, then return to Hyrule. If you...if you're still alive then..."
"Link, don't-"
"No, listen."
He closed his eyes and sighed, opening them again to gaze on the face that had haunted his dreams since before he could remember.
"Zelda, in that other timeline...do you remember?"
She shook her head, shaking loose tears, which were absorbed by Link's tunic.
"At the end...we defeated Gannondorf. It was finally over. You took the Ocarina of Time from me, sent me back. You didn't give me a chance to say...goodbye."
She suddenly knew. The memories came flooding back to her. The memories Link had been cursed with; the memories she had forgotten.
***
"Link, give me the Ocarina."
She didn't want to do this, but she had to. She had no choice.
"Zelda, I need to-"
"Link. Give me the Ocarina."
Her voice was soft, and sorrowful.
"Link, it never could have been."
His eyes burned into hers, and she couldn't look away.
"Yes, it could. Are you so afraid that-"
"NO! This was never meant to happen. This whole timeline, it was never meant to be."
She looked down, unable to lie to his face any longer. That was the one thing she was best at; obvious lying.
"How could you, Zelda. How could you take this from me?"
"What, you actually want to live like this? To travel aimlessly, be nearly killed over and over, to bleed until you have no blood left to lose? Do you really want to do that to yourself?"
"Yes, if it means-"
"No. I absolutely forbid it. You must go back to your own time, live out your life like you were meant to."
Link stepped closer, invading her personal space. He took her face in his hands, his anger showing on his face.
"Zelda, have you ever thought that this was meant to be? That this timeline is the right one? Did you ever consider that?"
He leaned closer. She closed her eyes, letting the words bounce off her. Or, at least convincing herself that they were.
"Did you ever consider, Zelda, that *we* were meant to be? I know I certainly have, many times."
He was inches away, and Zelda was just barely hanging on to her resolve. She opened her eyes, searching Link's face. She whispered two words.
"I'm sorry."
Link backed off a bit, confused, and Zelda took the opportunity as it came. She stole the Ocarina of Time from the very person who was meant to have it, the Hero of Time. She stepped away, leaving him to wrestle with his emotions. The notes to her own song, her Lullaby, floated through the sacred realm. Link looked at her, eyes closed, playing the Ocarina, and allowed the moment to engrave itself in his memory. He would never forget, no matter what Zelda said.
How could he forget this emotion, which he had stumbled across while searching for peace? This emotion, which had left him in turmoil? This emotion. He would never forget.
***
Zelda breathed in. She had seen the memory from Link's perspective, but she remembered her own. She remembered everything now; the seven years of hiding and fear, the moment when she realized that the young man before her, the Hero of Time, was Link; the moment she knew that she had fallen. Fallen in love.
Goddesses! She hated it when he did that. He was always surprising her, always revealing something about herself to her, something she should have known all along. She looked down at him, and knew why.
Link had traveled up and down the stream of Time on more occasions than either of them could count. He had gotten to know her; gotten to know her better than she knew herself.
But, he still didn't know the whole truth. A truth she was not prepared to reveal to him, even in death. Not just what had happened in those long, lonely seven years, spent learning the Sheikah spell from Impa, but also...
"Kiss me."
She was shaken out of her reverie, shocked. Zelda looked down at him.
"What?"
He looked at her, daring her to refuse.
"I said, kiss me. It's my last request."
He tried to laugh, but ended up coughing instead. She shook her head. Of all the nerve.
"Only you, Link. Only you."
He looked at her, more serious than he had ever been in his life.
"Zelda. You've experienced the memories. You know...how I feel. You know it. Don't try to lie!"
He said the last angrily, as she opened her mouth to deny it. He smiled, knowing he had her.
"I don't know that you feel the same, but there's no mistaking this. Zelda, you're always telling me to let you in, to stop hiding. Now it's your turn. If you won't kiss me, then tell me the truth."
She tensed.
"The truth about what?"
"Do you...feel the same? Or am I just hoping for something you can't give me?"
She stalled for time, even though she knew he didn't have much left.
"Link, I...can't."
He sighed, and rolled his eyes. His anger was showing.
"Zelda, why are you always in denial? How can you live like that?"
"Sorry, Link, but I can't fulfill that last request. Pick another one."
"No. You tell me, or I'll rattle chains in your castle for all eternity."
"I'd rather have *you* haunt me than the truth!"
"Gotcha, Princess. The truth, haunt you? Now, that's not right. Tell me, what is the truth? What could possibly haunt you for the rest of your life?"
"No."
He frowned, and tried to turn over, unsuccessfully.
"Fine, then. Deny me my very last request. You've denied every single other request, too. Give and take may be my policy, but it sure isn't yours. Goddesses."
His voice was trailing off. He grunted, and his eyes squeezed shut. Zelda sat back on her heels, feeling hurt and yet liberated by his words. He was right. She was so used to lying her way out of every situation that it was shameful. How could she have not noticed it before? Another tear slipped out, and she made up her mind.
"Link, I'm sorry. I just...don't know how to tell the truth, I guess. I can't tell you."
His face seemed to sag, and he looked up to the sky again. Zelda smiled gently.
"I have to show you."
Link turned back to her, hoping the words meant what he thought they did. A sweet jolt of joy burst through him when she kissed his cheek softly. He smiled up at her, finally allowing his eyes to close.
"Thanks. I guess I had you wrong there, Zelda. People are too complicated. I wonder what spirits are like..."
He exhaled, and Zelda fled, knowing what it meant. She ran as far away as she could before she collapsed. She lay there, in the long grass, breathing in the alien air. Zelda lifted her hands to the sky, gathered her power, and hid in Sheik's body.
When he could manage it, he tried to find her way back to the fire. Only by using the Sheikah ability of walking on another plane of existence did he find it.
When he got there, he saw only a few embers. Their supplies, their blankets, and Link's body were all gone.
***
Typed in two hours off the top of my head. I should get an award. R & R would be greatly appreciated! -Shawshank
