A/N: This is... a really short and stupid chapter, to put it bluntly. The next one is longer andsomewhat better, in my opinion. Thank you so much for the support in your reviews, despite the low quality of this story. The end is near... only about three or four chapters left.

Hope

"Link, what would you say if I told you that I was… pursuing a romantic relationship?"

We had just finished eating breakfast when I proposed the awkward question. Link raised his eyes in interest and cleared his throat nervously.

"I, uh… who…?" he stammered.

"Well," I began nervously. "You see, I met this girl a long time ago, and just recently I ran into her again… and, uh…." I trailed off uncertainly.

"Oh," Link put in awkwardly. "Well… what is her name?"

"Her name is Toril," I replied, and then I hesitated. "She… she's a Gerudo, Link."

His eyebrows raised a bit. "A… a Gerudo?" he questioned, sounding uncertain, yet not too angered or fearful.

"Yes," I confirmed. "In fact, she's Lady Nabooru's niece."

He visibly relaxed a bit. "Oh," he said. "I wasn't aware that Nabooru had a niece. Well, I suppose that's fine with me… I mean, you're well past the age when… uh…"

"Yes," I agreed quickly. It was obvious how horribly uncomfortable he was with topics such as this. I smiled to myself, wondering how he would deal with Leora when she came of age. "So, uh… I was wondering… would you like to meet her?"

Link paused, surprise present in his eyes. "Uh… yes, sure. That'd be nice." He smiled wanly, and I could tell he was appreciative of my beginning to open up to him. I had to admit that it was nice being able to tell him things and letting him know a bit about me.

Link allowed me to visit with Toril again a few days later. We met in the marketplace again, and I told her about what Link had said.

"Toril, I told Link about you and he wants to meet you sometime. Would that be all right? You could join us for dinner or something."

Her face brightened. "Really? He wasn't angry or anything?"

I shook my head. "No, just a bit surprised, I think. He seemed almost… happy that I told him about you."

"Well, that's good, right?" Toril asked. "You're finally getting along with him."

"Maybe," I said thoughtfully. "It's still pretty awkward between us, but I suppose that there is considerable less tension than there used to be."

"Hmmm…" she murmured. She sat in my lap and laid back against me lazily. I stiffened at first, but then began absentmindedly running my fingers through her beautiful red hair and breathing in her fragrant scent. "I love you, Toril," I muttered without thinking, so quietly that I wondered if I had actually said it aloud.

After a short pause, I heard her whisper, "I love you, too."

Never before had I experienced such a feeling of ecstasy. Just knowing that she felt the same way about me made my heart soar.

And for once, Ganondorf's commanding voice wasn't there to destroy the moment. All of the happiness that I felt seemed to push him away from my mind.

Maybe my training with Link is actually working, I thought to myself hopefully. It seemed that Ganondorf had been backing off considerably lately. I found myself imagining what life would be like without him. I would be able to accept the position of King, and maybe Toril could be my queen… Even though I knew that Hyrule wasn't quite ready for a half-Gerudo king and a full-blooded Gerudo queen, I liked to fantasize about it anyway.

Weeks passed, and I had gotten to visit with Toril on numerous occasions, including the night she joined us for dinner. Link tried as hard as he could to be friendly, and Leora immediately decided that Toril was her new best friend.

Soon after Toril left the castle after our dinner together, I turned to Link.

"Ganondorf hasn't spoken to me for an entire month, Link," I told him excitedly, unable to keep from grinning. "It's working. Soon he'll be gone!"

Link nodded, but kept a stern expression. "That is a good sign," he said, "but don't assume that it's all over. Can you still feel him there?"

My smile vanished. "Yes," I replied solemnly. "Not as strong as before, but I can still feel him." I wilted, feeling embarrassed for sounding so naïve.

"You've made much progress, though, Kiran," he added quickly. He rested his hand on my shoulder, and I could tell he felt a bit awkward about it, but he didn't pull away. "I… I didn't expect him to retreat so quickly. You have surpassed my expectations."

I smirked, knowing that that was the closest he would ever come to saying that he felt proud of me. "Thanks," I muttered in response.

He dismissed me from the lesson, and I headed for the library to relax for a little while. I curled up with a book on the seat that faced the window, but I had just begun to nod off to sleep by the time I heard a little voice.

"Hi."

I turned to see my little sister Leora standing in the doorway.

"Did you want something?" I asked, turning my back to her and pretending to look engrossed in my lesson book. We had hardly said a word to each other in months, and the gap between us felt larger than ever. After all, I was almost thirteen years older than her, not to mention the fact that I had tried to murder her in her sleep not long ago.

"Not really," she replied. She sat on the chair across from me, and we sat there in awkward silence for a few moments.

"Do you remember that night?" she piped up all of a sudden. "I mean, the night you tried to... you know."

I stared at her for a moment without emotion, in spite of the dread and anxiety I felt in my heart. I nodded. "Yes," I replied, shifting my eyes away. "I… I never told you that I was sorry. I wasn't myself that night."

"Yes, Daddy told me you were sleepwalking and you didn't know any better!" she said, giggling. I smiled weakly, amused at Link's cover up story.

"But I was still scared," she admitted, becoming serious. "You looked very scary. Mommy would have been mad at you for scaring me like that!" I winced at her mention of our mother and turned away.

"But you're still my brother," she added, "and I still want you to play with me sometimes like you used to."

I turned back around and stared at her. She was smiling shyly, her tiny hands clasped together in front of her. "S-So, does this mean you forgive me?" I asked, preparing myself for any possible answer.

To my relief, she smiled and nodded. "Yes. I forgive you, Kiran. And I know Mommy does, too!"

I smiled back, not bothering to hide the tears forming in my eyes. "That means a lot to me," I said. "Thank you."

She slipped her hand into mine, interlocking her fingers with mine. Her ivory skin contrasted significantly to my olive-colored skin, but it didn't seem as noticeable to me at that moment.

"Anytime, Brother," she said.

I sighed happily as I readied myself for bed that night, thinking positively about how my life was going now. Along with Ganondorf's recent absence, the kindness and understanding shown by Toril, Leora, and even Link filled me with hope for the future.

However, my peaceful existence was shattered the moment I began to dream.