Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda world and its characters belong to Nintendo.

Author's Note: The last chapter was really intended to be a one-shot, but I found myself thinking about this pairing after exploring my initial writer's curiosity about them. Naturally, I had to keep writing. This chapter takes place after Link is an adult. It is a reimagining of why Link has to return to his childhood before taking on the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time, and it is much darker than the last, featuring mild alcohol abuse and themes of depression. And yes, more chapters will follow. Without further ado…

The heavy wooden door closed by itself as Link entered the Lost Woods Tavern. He walked past the two Business Scrubs arguing loudly about the price of Deku Nuts and approached the bar area. The Scrub working behind the counter fixed him with its beady orange stare but said nothing. Link took that as its invitation for him to order something.

"An ale, please," he said with some uncertainty. He'd never consumed alcohol before, though he had observed its effects. Before Ganondorf had taken over and Hyrule Town became a home for the wandering dead, he had seen that most of the people in and around the taverns seemed happy. They danced, sang, kissed, and said or did other things that he didn't understand as a boy. Some of them fought, but he supposed if he had a chance to be like the happy ones, he would try it.

"What kind?" the Scrub bartender barked at him.

"What?"

"On tap, we've got the Deku Tree's Wisdom, the Kokiri Charmer, the Fairy Fixer Upper, and the Volvagia's Fire."

Link hesitated, and the bartender went on, becoming increasingly annoyed as he recited other brews. He was used to his regulars, not stupid kids who had no idea what they wanted.

"The Kokiri," Link decided on the one that sounded most comforting. In truth, he had been torn between that and the Deku Tree's Wisdom. If Volvagia's Fire lived up to its name, then it probably burned, and he didn't want to relive those memories.

"You sure? Big guy like you? It might be kind of light… pah, well, I just pour 'em. I don't ask questions." The Scrub got a clean glass from the rack and held it under the faucet at a slight angle as the ale poured from the tap. He stared at Link the entire time he was filling the glass, then placed it on the counter. "Ten rupees."

Link handed him the money and picked up the glass, feeling awkward as he did so. "Er… cheers," he said to the bartender, whose name turned out to be Lou.

"Cheers, big guy." Lou went on to another customer, a man whose face was mostly covered by his cloak. He was a bit more welcoming to him, much to Link's quiet frustration. "Looks like you're a newcomer too. Welcome. What'll you have?"

Link didn't like the look of this place. He wondered how many of the Scrubs sitting at the tables or at the bar had once been like him but had wandered the woods for too long. The only other establishment he knew that wasn't infested with Ganon's cronies was the one in Kakariko Village, which reminded him of the mission he was putting off. This one seemed the safest option. Given that Link knew his way around from his playful journeys with Saria as a child, he felt confident that he would not meet the same fate as perhaps the bartender or the two Scrubs that were still arguing across from him.

The Shadow Creature that had come from the well in Kakariko Village was a beast like no other he had encountered. It had the power to take him to the depths of despair simply with its presence alone, and it had the power to do so when Link was not near it. He felt a pang of guilt as he thought about Impa, but something about the beast was debilitating to him. It was not the first time he had wished he could go back to how things were during his time among the Kokiri, before he learned of his parentage, before he made any promises to anyone.

He sat down at an empty table in the corner, where he could still see the door. It was a cautious habit that had been ingrained in him. The Kokiri ale was light in color with a few bubbles at the top, which dissipated the longer Link stared at them. He took a sip, resisting the urge to make a face as he did. Why did anyone like this stuff? Link forced himself to continue drinking as he watched Lou mix various concoctions for the other patrons.

Some of the cocktails seemed more attractive than ale. There was a blue drink that looked like it might be sweet. He learned that one was called the Zora's Solace. The customer who had ordered that one – oddly enough, a Skull Kid – said something that made Lou laugh and shout, "If you can drink 'em, you can make 'em!"

The blue drink, and its name, made him think about Ruto. Her medallion was in his pack, her words still fresh on his mind. While he was relieved that their engagement was off, he felt saddened by the fact that she could not return to her land now that the curse had been lifted. As he reached the bottom of his glass, he couldn't help but think it would have been nice to at least kiss her again. For a spoiled princess, she had grown up quite nicely. She didn't seem so spoiled anymore. Perhaps the responsibility of guarding the Water Temple had matured her, or perhaps seven years was just a long time. Anything could have happened to her between then and now… a thought he didn't like.

She had said something to him before handing him his prize after he defeated Morpha. She had said, "There were things you did back then that I didn't understand… but now I do. When I saw you, it all made sense. Link, you're so strong. Whatever may happen, I will always love you."

Link swore that he could feel her when he touched the medallion, same as the one that Saria had given him. He supposed it was only something that happened when he had a special connection with a Sage. Saria had hinted, too, that perhaps once she had felt more than friendship for him, but nothing could come of that now. As he drank more, it all felt much… sadder than usual, but also lighter in a way. He was starting to feel safe and warm. He could see the draw now, and once he got used to the taste, it wasn't so bad. He stood up and walked back to the counter to get a refill from Lou.

Along his way, Link's thoughts were interrupted by the quiet voice of Navi. "Link… that man in the cloak has been watching you. Be careful."

Link turned his head to see that he was indeed being watched. The cloak blocked him from seeing the man's face, but he could feel the dark eyes upon him. Link waited for Lou to notice him and say, "Another one, big guy?" Link nodded. He noticed that Lou liked to stay busy. When he wasn't serving or mixing drinks, he was wiping down the counter. He loved an immaculate counter. He was the type of personality who could carry on a full conversation while he worked and never miss a beat. Evidently, it just took him a while to warm up to newcomers. Link figured the only reason he was nice to the man in the cloak was the air of intimidation and mystery surrounding him. Even the most aggressive Scrubs got awfully friendly once they had some fear in them.

On Link's third ale, Navi began pleading for him to stop and leave the tavern. "That man – it's almost like he's waiting for your guard to be down. Please, Link, let's just leave."

Eventually, it was not so much Navi's urging as his bladder's that convinced Link to go outside and find a private place to relieve himself. He wasn't afraid. By now, he had killed monsters much greater than some coward that hid behind a cloak. Once he was finished, he made his way back to the tavern, but he felt that sense of being watched again. The man in the cloak stood in front of the door, blocking him.

"Is your name Link?" The voice was brittle, not at all what he might have expected from the air of intimidation.

"Yes." Link tried to brace himself for a fight, but the truth was, he wanted to find a comfortable tree and go to sleep. Lou had kept the ale flowing. Link lost track of how many he had.

"King Ganondorf has a message for you," the man said, reaching into his cloak quickly to hide his shaking hand. He pulled out a dagger and shoved it into Link's side, twisting it, before pulling it out and vanishing.

Link sank to his knees. A vague sense of regret pulled him down into the darkness.

He heard someone calling his name, and he didn't know if it was real or in his dreams.

When he woke, he heard fairy's wings and saw them shimmering in the distance. He could not immediately recall the events that had brought him to the Fairy Fountain. Someone had made him a cot and laid him next to the pristine, shallow pool.

Link sat up and looked down at his tunic, which should have been covered in blood. Someone must have washed his clothes and dressed him. He lifted his shirt to see the wound, which the fairies had almost completely healed. There was only a faint bruise over the area where the dagger had gone in. When he placed his hand over it, he noticed that patch of skin was much cooler compared to the rest, and he had a strange feeling. It reminded him of what he had felt, first seeing the Shadow Creature.

"Link…"

It was Navi that called to him, and he remembered hearing her voice before passing out.

"The blade – it had dark magic in it. You almost died."

He had known the lecture was coming. "I'm sorry, Navi. I should have listened to you."

His words felt flat, empty. But what else could he say?

He heard a light "hmph" noise from Navi before she flew in circles around his head, an affectionate gesture. "No more taverns. But now that I consider it, I think you were only pulled to go there in the first place because of the darkness's hold on you."

No one else's presence was evident here. It was just him and the fairies. "How did I get here? And… the medallions? Do I still have them?" His knapsack was next to him, and he rifled through it to make sure everything was still in its place. He breathed a soft sigh of relief when it was.

"We were lucky. Sheik got to you before someone else did."

The relief that the medallions had not been stolen was crushed by a sense of guilt. "Oh. Sheik…"

"He said not to push yourself," Navi said quickly. "The magic that was in the blade is similar to the magic of the creature that came from the Kakariko Well. It seems to have a strong effect on you, much stronger than what is usual. That's why you might feel, at this moment, that your quest is impossible."

"I am not weak." Link stood, determined to get moving, but Navi did not relent in her pestering.

"No one would even think that! That isn't what I meant. Listen to me. I think you need some time to… to remember what light was like. You've been engulfed in the darkness. You need some time away from it."

"Time is a luxury we cannot afford, Navi." He picked up his scabbard and equipped it, then threw his pack over his shoulder.

"Listen to me!" Navi repeated, this time more firmly. "It is dangerous to go into this battle in your current state. Sheik said you need to gather your strength. You need to remember…"

"Remember what?" he spat. "Remember when everything I knew was a lie? Remember when I was stupid enough to fall into Ganondorf's trap and doom all the realm?" He wasn't sure where this was coming from, but it felt good to get it all out. "Or maybe you want me to remember the Kokiri – which, by the way, I'm not one of them. I can't tell them that I look familiar because they do know me. Or maybe I can remember when Sheik was actually helpful – except, no, I can't, because all he ever does is speak in riddles and rhymes before disappearing! What would you like me to remember, Navi? When I remember, all I feel is pain."

Navi listened to his outburst in silence and did not offer up a response right away. Link felt ashamed. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He sat back down and rubbed his forehead, noticing that his head was throbbing. He didn't know whether it was because of the emotional outburst or his overindulgence at the tavern. "I don't know where any of that came from."

"I do." Navi flew around his head again. "That dagger held magic that even Sheik did not understand. All he knew was that it was dark, and it was conceived in hatred. You need to remember what love feels like, but you can't do it in these times, in these conditions." She paused, letting her words sink in. "Link, you need to return to your childhood… to that afternoon on the island at the lake, before the clouds came…"

"That wasn't love. That was… I don't know. We were so young. I didn't understand anything. Neither did she."

"It doesn't matter. In those moments, you were happy."

He remembered the feel of her skin, the look in her violet eyes just before he kissed her. He remembered how he stayed by her side under the ruse of her showing him around her city for the day, but instead, they had gone to that island and he had gotten lost in her. He thought of the sadness in her gaze as she gave him the medallion, how it had seemed deeper than that of a spoiled princess. It was the sadness of a woman whose dreams did not go in the same direction as her purpose. It was the anguish of a queen who had to send her king away to war. She loved him without knowing why. The older Link got, the more he understood that "why" had no place in love. If he had asked why more often, then maybe he would not be out to restore Hyrule, to lift the curses that plagued the land and tormented the people. Maybe asking why might have opened the doors to selfishness and cruelty, rather like it had been doing ever since the night of the failed attempt on his life.

"The memories are muddled by the darkness," Navi told him, interrupting his thoughts. "Take the Master Sword back to the Temple. Take a day. Sheik and Impa need you, but you do them a disservice if you do not restore yourself. This is part of your mission."

He could have protested further, but he knew she was right. The next enemy could not be defeated with weapons alone, but an inner strength that waned in Ganondorf's world.

He stood up and turned, looking back at the cot that Sheik had made for him.

"If you're listening, Sheik, thank you… and I'm sorry," he said.

With that, he disappeared.