2

Luring in…

At that very same moment at a very far away land inhabited and ruled over by the damned, the evil king sat on his throne carved from the bones of his enemies, his hands rested over two skulls that belonged to the generals who once served him and brought his doom.

His condition had begun to get better, although he had lost the triforce before and to be able to flee the sacred realm sacred him immensely, he had found a new source of power that brought his magic a new sense of power.

"What happened with Argul?" he stormed everyone inside the room with that question which echoed in the stoned hallways.

"He was defeated, my Lord." Jarlon, his first general and almost shadow answered.

"How could this be? Did he not receive the nourishment at every moment?"

"He did, my lord, however the nourishment was not enough to keep him alive if killed instantly. I believe that Link cut him in half."

Infected with anger, the evil king grabbed one of the skulls, tore it off from the throne, and smashed it with his bare hands. Quite impressive given that they were hard as rocks because of the special coating the artisans used.

The reason of his anger was not because he resented the loss of the beast or the fact that he did not know that Link would be that strong, it was because Link managed to defeat his creature and he would still have to wait for his revenge.

"Should we lure him into Termina, my lord? There we could gather at least four beasts given the variety of the soil."

"No" Gannon replied strongly. "There is no need for that." He calmed his tone. "you see Jarlon, Link knows that I will be coming for him even to the very gates of Hyrule, when that happens he will have no choice but to fight me with his army and jeopardizing the people inside the kingdom domains, however if he does that, we will be defeated and he will take my head this time instead of trapping me inside the sacred realm."

Jarlon could not believe his ears. "Do you really think he could defeat you? Now you are ever more powerful."

"And I was ever so powerful eight years ago, when he was merely a lad, still he fought me with the aid of the sages and two thirds of the triforce. Now, to this day he holds the full triforce and without a doubt he will use that, I fear he has a high possibility to defeat me."

"What should we do then, my lord?"

"I am still recovering, and Link knows that… I say he will want to find this dark domain and fight me here."

"That would be suicide."

"That is his best choice. He does not know how strong I am and likely he thinks he cannot win, so he will come and kill me here instead of waging war in open field."

"He will never find this place."

"On the contrary, Jarlon I wage he has a lead unto us at this moment.

At that very moment, the castle of Hyrule was quiet, Link was as usual at the living quarters of the soldiers doing the training, supervising the blacksmiths and giving orders to the soldiers for the change of guard and other affairs concerning the work of the army.

Then princess Zelda walked in, always so beautiful, she went towards Link with no other thought in her mind but to see him. Now princess Zelda loved him very deeply and since she was already a sweet person, she wanted to see him every moment she could spare.

Before everyone could see her, Link was demonstrating the skills with the sword; it included to cut thin branches from the tree without moving the bigger branches, an exercise that required speed, skills and a good grip of the sword.

"This exercise needs precision. You rarely need precision at sword range against another army; however you do need it against trained assassins that might storm inside the castle or other positions you may guard." Then he had everyone try with the branches of that tree.

"The sword is not the ultimate weapon. The truth is that there is no ultimate weapon, each sword, spear, axe, or shield should adapt to your fighting style. Only one thing is needed to succeed in battle or outlive your enemies. Whether you fight for good or evil, you are required to have your arm extended against your enemies holding that weapon, and at the opposite end of that arm, your cause and your heart should lie."

Zelda was moved by those words as she lied in the shadows of the corridor "he does feel, he has to feel" she whispered to herself. She carried on, when the soldiers saw her, they saluted, and then Link dismissed them.

"So how are you feeling" she asked although she wanted to know something else.

"Fine, thank you" Link sheathed his sword. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see you" she replied with a sigh. "Do you remember that when you love someone you spend time with her?"

"Aye, I do" Link did not look at the princess. "However, I believe there is another purpose for your visit."

Zelda kept quiet for one moment and then she hesitated. She wondered how someone who had no feelings could be so sensitive to someone's thinking.

"You are right." She finally answered. "I wanted to know why you left in such a hurry last night"

Then Link took a few steps back, because he was too close to her and then he started walking towards the wall, it was merely seven steps away. While Link placed one hand on the wall, he thought about his answer, he could not speak the truth, heavens no; neither could he be honestly lying about the matter.

"Why do you do the same thing?" Zelda walked towards him in a very quick pace, she pointed him with her left hand finger, which in Hyrule is a sign of discontempt and anger. "Must you never trust me? Should you be more concerned about your position rather than your love?"

"I never said that I loved you" His words really hurt Zelda to the deepest end of her heart. True, he never said that, on the other hand he felt something for her, something he could not describe, something that was stronger than is will. Whenever he could not take his eyes off her, whenever he asked one last thing just to hear her voice, whenever he felt like killing that prince Rundrack from the kingdom of Pershiom who flirted with her in every visit.

Many who noticed, often wondered "why can't he tell her?" for Link, life is not easy, since he does not feel anything, not even fear, lies to him are useless, besides he once swore before the Deku tree that he would never lie.

"Why are you telling me this?" Zelda became mad at him though she was hurt by the fact that he was being so cruel to her."

"because I do not think is fair that you love me with all your heart and I do not know what it is" Then he walked toward her and put his arms around, the princess struggled for one moment and then she let herself be surrounded by those powerful arms that had killed likely a million creatures in the past eight years. "Without a lie, I enjoy having you close, my heart pounds and warmth comes over me with only your very thought. Nevertheless I feel this when I am taken by anger, so intense that I cannot tell the difference between them."

With Link's words, Zelda held herself tighter to him as she pondered those facts together. That man holding her knew for sure only one feeling and that was anger, now he compared it with love. How could he? None of this made sense or made a point.

"You once told me that you would discover love with me" she almost whispered and then looked up to him. Sometimes Link's eyes could be discouraging, that is because he has a very cold stare, vague eyes and deep blue, if eyes are windows into the soul, then Link is without one.

"It is as looking at a statue" she thought.

Then she started to question her feelings until Link said "one thing I will tell you: when I came back to Hyrule, it was not fate taking me, it was I. The thought of seeing you again" then he became closer, his face was closer and closer until only a finger-width away. He whispered "this I did in my dreams" and kissed her. Yes, Link had the eyes of a statue, his speech was that of a soldier during battle, but his kiss was of a lover. Their lips touched and could stay there for days because they belonged together as soil and seeds do, as sun and light do. Many things did Link ignore, but this was the only thing that he was fascinated by and puzzled at the same time. They were still embraced when a soldier came to see princess Zelda to request her presence before the king.

"I love you" she said before leaving and then added her last words. "I wish you never leave this world without saying the same to me."

Then she left to see her father as Link stayed there thinking and tanking the time for the moment and for the time she had to go.

Zelda walked back into the castle, by the halls with the laundry, the kitchen, the cistern and the three way intersection. Then she took the stairs to the old tower. It was unknown why the king ordered to live in that old tower even to Zelda. His decease was not contagious, at least not airborne; there was really no need to be away from everybody.

Perhaps it was King Hark's wish to die without anyone watching, especially his daughter, since she had never seen him well since she was very little. Now as he was dying, Zelda loved him more, not because she pitied him, but because she wanted to make the end of his journey more pleasant and she regretted every single time she was disobedient.

"Your highness called?" Zelda asked while she was standing at the door frame smiling sweetly at her father.

"Yes daughter, come in please" The king sat up on his bed while Zelda pulled a chair to sit on. "It is good to see you, I never get company and besides you, that is the way I like it."

"What can I do for you?"

"Do for me? Oh, my child, cannot a father have a time with his daughter for something else than the kingdom's affairs?" the king chuckled. "I just want to talk before you are needed back at the throne."

"Of course father, silly me."

"Now, how are things? With you of course."

"Well" she hesitated. "Everything is going well, right now we have peace and the ball that we celebrated forty days ago for the Kakariko festival was quite lovely." So was her answer. The ball was lovely indeed, but it was not so enjoyable for Zelda.

"I see what about you and Link?" Zelda sighed.

"Father…" king Hark chuckled and smiled at Zelda who had blushed.

"I know, I know, I am not supposed to be meddling between you two. Believe me, I am not. I am just a father who wants to know if his daughter's loving heart is not a broken one."

"Not a broken one?" Zelda stood from her chair and looked out a window next to her, and while she stared at the green fields of Hyrule beyond the horizon, she said "my heart is a constantly broken one. I have only known love through pain and despair. See this, the man who holds my deepest affection is the one who does not show it or even talks about it. Link is so cold and you know that. Sometimes I even pity him for he never knew a home or friendship. While he was fighting off evil, so we could have the two things he will never know, he was left alone to wander through this solitary world, without kin or friend."

"I don't think it affects him anymore" true; however, Zelda did not think that way. She kept looking through the window, feeling the heat from the sunlight on her face while the rest of her body shivered with the cold draft from the stone tower. Then she remembered the time when her father and she had an argument about her love for Link.

It was the first time that prince Rundarck visited Hyrule for political reasons. Link did not like him at all since the prince was a gentle man and a lover of poems and songs, those that become cherished for the warm-hearted people. Rundarck openly flirted with the princess, declaring that her beauty was beyond all reason. Some of his remarks made Link threaten him with his hookshot with the pretext of him getting too close to the princess.

When king Hark learned about it, he requested to see Zelda and talk about the matter alone. They had this conversation at the library in a very cold night by a good fire.

"I find prince Rundarck a charming young man" the king said while he covered himself with his cape made from bear's fur.

"He is indeed" Zelda replied without interest in the conversation.

Then, a very uncomfortable silence. "Do you love Link?" the king suddenly questioned.

"Yes" princess Zelda answered swiftly. "I have no intention in lying. I have felt like this for many years now. I shall openly admit it to anyone who asks."

Although she would openly admit it to anyone who asked, as she put it, she would not look at her father in the eye. While she had been talking, it would seem as she was into deep thinking, actually she was just a bit embarrassed to use those words. She was not ashamed of her love, however she was still young and knew little about these matters, in that sense she was just as bashful as any common girl.

The king stared at his daughter the same way as one stares at a closed, locked door, knowing what lies behind it and yet unsure.

"Say that again, but now look into my eyes." Said the king and leaned forward to look at her better.

Zelda looked at him and quickly looked away. She felt the blood running into her head and her face warmer even though she was so close to the fire.

"I…" she looked at her father and her eyes went from looking at the cape to his eyes. "I love Link, and will openly confirm it to whoever asks"

Their eyes met in the orange light from the fireplace. Inconstant shadows moved around the room and about their bodies. Finally the king lowered his stare, not to see but to think. Zelda did not take her eyes off her father, she was waiting impatiently for a response to her remarks, she wanted to know what her father and king of the land would think of her behaviour. The king coughed and then drank a cup of tea. His majesty's illness made him suffer the changing temperatures, the weather did not matter for him it was sometimes too hot or too cold.

"You know he is a commoner, you on the other hand are from a royal family line maintained for one hundred times nine years." Zelda sighed. "Remember that all of your choices affect the kingdom. When you marry, your children will bring the future ruler. When Link decides that he loves you and wants to marry you, if ever, how will you keep the lords and nobles to respect the marriage? How will you keep the same respect for the treaties with other kingdoms after they know your children are not pure blood?"

Princess Zelda could feel the tears building in her eyes and her soul consumed by grief. Se was worried because she felt for the first time the bitter stab of restriction regarding her love, and the sorrow for the other rulers who undergo such limitations.

She quickly ran out of the library and left the door open. She ran through the hallways panting and breathing out steam constantly. She felt the change of temperature as she left in such a hurry; she felt some tears falling to the ground. Now on the second level of the castle in the east wing and under the full moon ever so bright, she wept for her impossible love.

More than one soldier asked her what had happened, if he could help, if she needed something, just hearing them made her run faster. She despised her position, her blood, the very castle she lived in and the cursed ancestors along with their bylaws.

Just as she was weeping, she heard a voice behind her up in higher ground, it was Impa her loyal bodyguard and servant of the family. Impa looked so much younger than she really was, had grey hair, but because of her family rather than age. She carried a short sword on her back waist and a chest plate with the triforce mark and an eye representing the sheikah family to which she belonged. Her red eyes were sober and big; she was able to see in the dark but not as well due to an injury in her left eye which left a mark.

"What troubles you my lady?" she jumped down to the ground and bowed before her. "Anything that I can be of help?"

Zelda chuckled softly, not because it was humorous, but because the question itself was ridiculous.

"No" she answered and added "nobody can help me. "

"With you power over this land, of the sages, I find that hard to believe." She stood up. "How so?"

"There are battle grounds where we cannot wage war, and there are foes that cannot be fought with weapons or armies."

"What battle grounds are those, my lady?" maybe Impa knew the answer.

"Our own desires, our very souls, my same will." The princess wiped off the tears from her face and turned her back on Impa since it is not considered as rude in Hyrule.

"That is a battle fought every day and always shall."

"But it is not fought by foreign armies. You know that some things will never change. The master sword is the strongest weapon. The seven sages hold immense power. With that we were able to banish the evil king to the sacred realm, but you or I or even the trifoce itself is powerless to change his will or the darkness in his heart. We could kill him, but can never change him."

"Is that what troubles you?"

"What troubles me is that since I am not evil, my will is the only thing there is to change, and as you can see, I cannot, and neither can you."

A cold wind blew. Zelda projected sadness apparent to even the birds that flew across the black sky, completely black except for the blue shine of the moon and small circles around the many stars in the sky. Not far from there a wolf howled and may joined it, the trees were beaten by an even stronger wind and they sounded in the night as the rubbing of their leaves produced the basic melodies of night.

Having been finished with the conversation, Zelda requested to be left alone and not to be bothered. Impa left to do as the princess commanded, but the princess felt a gap inside her, carved with fear, sorrow hatred, a gap that no command could sate. Never did she feel like this before the talk she had with Link before the battle with Bashmulia. It was Link's attitude afterwards, which made her realize how much she really loved him. Why? Very simple, when Link recovered from his wounds, he never mentioned anything to Zelda; he avoided any conversation with the two of them alone. And what did Zelda do? She never complained. She realized that it was the same Link as always who could not know how to deal with matters he could not understand.

Then she heard a grunt, very distant and fading it was joined by a sound of chopping wood. She walked towards the sound for she knew it was within the castle. She passed the rooms, the ways for the towers, went to the main hall and moved towards the west wing to the soldiers' quarters and training grounds, there she saw Link. He was practicing by throwing pieces of firewood into the air and slashing them before they hit the ground. He was moving as fast as the wind; he wielded his sword in that strange matter that created separation among his kokiri brethren: using his left hand.

After the last piece had been chopped, he put them back where he found them and sheathed his sword.

Zelda had been staring at him and watching his moves closely. She noticed that whenever he wielded his sword, is face would actually become with expressions, body language. It was as watching a painting come to life-something Link had actually seen.

He gathered the wood and put it where he found it. He paused and then in clear voice he called her. "Princess" he could smell the rose oil that she puts on every morning. He could not see her; still he stared at the shadows where she was hiding. Zelda approached and Link gave her a bow and asked, "How can I help you?"

She scoffed "yes Link, it would help me so much if we could talk"

"Certainly, what subject"

"Us" she fixed a scavenging stare and prepared herself for an argument. "I would like to know what you feel about me."

"I have no feelings, you know that"

"You must feel, Link. I've seen you in anger; therefore you must feel something else. Nothing is without a counter part. No tower has one side. No rainbow is in one beginning the end. There is no beginning without an end. There is no heart without a soul."

True words, nevertheless they meant nothing to Link. A warrior has no need or use for those words.

"I do not understand."

"Of course, you never understand. I see that you follow orders and your task ends there. But I wish to know about your will. What is it?"

"About you?"

"Yes"

"Time shall decide." He answered hoping that the argument ended there. She on the other hand, felt discouraged to go on, but felt anger fuelling her strength.

"I do not care for religion, so stop shielding behind it. Tell me what you are going to do" She rarely demanded anything from Link; this however had to be demanded.

"What other answer do you want, Zelda? Do you think is that simple? How am I to proceed before you? Would you rather have me when I might not satisfy you?"

Quick questions, neither time to answer nor any means to do so.

"What does your heart tell you?"

"That I need to be close to you "

"Then go on with that feeling and once you get another one, follow it too"

"I am with you"

"I see, you are a liar" that remark shocked Link to a formidable extent. Although he is not offended by much they could say to him, this due to the lack of culture formation, he could be offended when called a liar.

"How dare you?" he turned around and exhaled sharply "aelius gambara?" which interpreted is: "how could she".

"I am no liar" he kept his back turned on her.

"You said that you would discover love with me, and so far you have not made an attempt, not one."

"I am trying"

"You are doing nothing!"

Then Zelda approached her protector and wondered if he could actually follow that order; that challenge.

Another howl and quickly joined was heard even father away. Then one beautiful bird, which is not seen often at that time at night, over flew them and stood on a branch about 10 paces away.

The clouds cleared and a beam shun over them. Link saw the light upon Zelda and realized what a magnificent view that was.

He felt compelled to do something more, something that many several full moons later would confess to have done in his dreams.

He kissed her when no one was watching. It was not as slow as one would think given who inexperienced he is, nevertheless impulsive. Yes, Link was also impulsive, not out of control just impulsive. The same way he would follow his premonitions, the same way that he felt like kissing the princess, or how he felt this rage towards enemies. But not out of control, it would take no more than a command to keep him in place. To think things over was enough too. He was impulsive, but not stubborn.

Now, as he kissed Zelda, he felt something else inside, he felt he should stay there and enjoy the embrace. Throughout that kiss and the ones afterwards, Zelda smiled with Link's lips on her own and thanked time for the time being.

During that first kiss, Link held Zelda by the waist while she touched his chest with both hands. "I can feel you heart" she said with a thankful smile.

They went for a walk around the castle; they got to the garden which at night is perhaps not as lovely for it is full of dark corners that impede the sight of its many different colours which can also be tainted by the pale moonbeams. But the aroma was so intense. Moisten by the dampness of night the smells of sweet flowers combine, carried softly to embrace oneself. In that garden, there were three turrettes, they were made out of a different stone which kept its original colour and yielded little to the pass of time. Up in the third turret, the one closest to the wall, Link and Zelda enjoyed the sight of the rest of the garden, a bit of the Kakariko village lights as well as the kokiri forest.

"This is a charming spot, I have always loved it".

"I like it when it's quiet like this" he breathed deeply. "It reminds me of the forest, but we have crickets and owls that combine with the melodies of the skull kids. They play lively however their songs are sad for they try to forget they have no face."

The princess did not know what to say. Not that Link feels sorrow for the children with no face but se felt uncomfortable with that comment.

"You know, you are the only one who understands when I speak, usually I have to repeat myself. "

"I might understand you in other ways as well"

"I do not see how"

"Well" she was holding one of his hands but then she also held the other to face him. "when you love someone that means that there is a bond between you two, and along with that bond everything is shared… similar to a bridge."

"What is shared through that bridge?"

"Thoughts, feelings, joy, heartache." Zelda answered and Link felt a battle inside him about those words.

"What about pain?"

"That too"

Then he walked away and down the turette. Zelda followed him expecting an answer. She expected him to offer it.

They went as far as the hallways without saying a word.

"Where are you going?" she finally asked

"To sleep, I need some rest" he spoke without stopping.

He turned left and even though he said nothing, he wanted to be alone.

"Is something wrong?" Zelda's patience began to flake.

"There is". But Zelda did not learn that night what troubled him. He kept walking as Zelda stormed deep inside herself wondering what could have gone wrong. Later on she learned that her lover worried much to have Zelda share his pain. He shall always endure pain and danger, he knew this, he also knew his duty was to protect her from any of that, even emotionally or spiritually. He could not bear the idea that she should feel pain because of him.

But that was then. Since that time, they have gone through many hardships. Many times did he feel what Zelda described as love, even if he could not be certain?

As father and daughter kept talking about the relationship inside that room at the top of the old tower, everyone else was about their own business.

Meanwhile, the evil king kept recovering with the sporadic use of his powers, exercising his body and the remedies of magic, potions and medicine. At every moment, his first general would keep company. Jarlon was a native of the borderline of Quiavaughn, the deserted ice-wastelands. Very few people lived there, all of them belonging to small clans. The damned lived their whole lives knowing only the people from their own clan, if any other also damned people as they were. Their only purpose in life was killing. Until the take over of the whole Xilias Empire, the Rue people-which is another way of calling the ice, actually a very foul name- gathered the emperor's enemies and gave them away the whole land, since the only concern of this people was to be freed from the burning cold pit whence they lived. Since the imperial soldiers always guarded the border, the Rue people enjoyed greatly in slaying them any possible occasion.

Jarlon Etereas was his complete name, meaning the sunbeams, rarely seen but fully covered the land the day he was born.

He learned the art of killing, as his father put it once, by the age of eight. By the age of 12 companies were sent specifically to kill him.

Rage would rarely take over him, cleverness was his strongest weapon; also his eyes could see every movement as though they could see the immediate future.

He carried a spear built in a way that could expand and contract with the right movements; he wore armour of which the back plate was actually a shield. His clothes were white for he considered an honour to wear his defeated foe's blood. He had a cape without a hood that covered most of his body, his spear contracted he had in a holster that hung from a very dark blue belt.

He was of very pale skin and very light blue eyes; his hair was grey and shining as silver. His victims bear a mark on the forehead of a circle with a vertical line across it, the symbol of the sun. And a direct blow through the heart. That was his way of killing, his artistic representations.

Jarlon lead the army for the evil king ever since his return; although Jarlon was always an excellent killer, it was never his purpose to conquer anything. Even with the revolution at Xilias, he claimed nothing for him. His only interest was in killing, in having a pleasant life with wine, food women and killing. He lived the life of a pirate and held the loyalty of one.

Now as he stood next to the evil king to review the position of the army, he felt uneasy about the decision his master took earlier that day.

"I would like to know why" he asked so he could understand better.

"I want Link to have a passage to this castle, of course if anyone sees an opportunity to kill him, take it. Though I doubt it"

"I could go ahead and kill him" he gazed at Gannondorf craving for a yes.

"You wouldn't succeed" was the reply. "This campaign is for the sole purpose of wearying him to the point of death, which is our only way."

"Maybe this trap should be away from us. Perhaps attacking another kingdom."

"If we do that, and this is the last time I answer your nonsense, he will tell the princess, if he comes here, he will never let Zelda know, therefore she will be unready for our attack"

Jarlon said no more, yes he had more questions but it was not his wish to trouble his master with more nonsense's. He half understood what Gannon wanted to do. Link would often leave the kingdom regardless of telling the princess or not. He had never seen Link live in action so he could not imagine how he could be superior in fighting.