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

Author's Note: I hope that Link and Ruto shippers will rejoice in this chapter. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

The sounds of flowing water and arguing found their way to Link's consciousness, but he was not strong enough to interact with his surroundings. He knew only that his presence was unwanted by most of the voices, except one.

The events leading up to the disconnected present flitted in and out of his memory. After he returned the Master Sword and left Hyrule Town, five men pursued him on horseback. He had no hope of outrunning them, and there was no place to hide in the middle of Hyrule Field. His only choice was to fight, but his Kokiri sword and shield were no match for their blades. Combat in his teenage body felt foreign to him after so much time as an adult. Like treading water, he tried to counter their attacks the best he could to stay alive, but these men fought without honor. He had no time to ask questions and supposed they were more of Ganondorf's men. Ganondorf, as far as he knew, was the only person with a strong reason to want him dead.

Link's wound in his side grew warm and throbbed throughout the battle. Sheik had not been able to fully pull out the dark magic left in him from the dagger. The fairies could not heal it either. It traveled to the past with him. Link knew it all had something to do with how and why these men followed him once he left Hyrule Town. Once Link was exhausted, a flash of white light was the last thing he remembered. Whoever the stranger was that saved him, Link would have to find him and thank him someday.

He awoke in an unfamiliar cavern of a room. Bandages covered his bare upper body, while he still had on his trousers and a blanket to keep him warm. Torches flickered and crackled nearby. Someone was staring at him with worried, violet eyes. Something was missing – the gentle, steady beat of tiny wings.

Navi was gone!

Link jerked and tried to sit up at this urgent realization, stifling a yelp of pain. Cool, blue-silver hands gently pushed him back down. "Shh, shh. It's okay," his guardian whispered. "You're safe. No one can hurt you here."

"Navi. Where is Navi?" he breathed. Everything hurt. It seemed like every part of his body was either bruised, scabbed, or strained.

"Shh." Ruto had realized, too, that his ever-present fairy was missing, but she didn't understand how big of a deal that was. "I'm taking care of you now, Link."

"My bag. You have to check it," he urged her. "There should be four medallions in it."

Ruto looked inside his knapsack, pulling out the four large plate-sized things of different colors. She picked up the blue one and held it in her hands, mesmerized by it. "How did you get these?" she asked him. "What are they?" She sifted through the rest of his things without his permission, her hand coming to rest on top of the ocarina with the Triforce emblem on it. "Link..." She had so many questions, she wasn't sure where to start.

"Never mind that. Are four medallions there?"

"Yes." Ruto placed everything back inside the pack and set it aside. She did not feel that now was the time to admit it, but she was annoyed that he hadn't answered her questions, that he didn't even seem happy to see her again. That's all he cares about? A fairy and some stupid plates?

Link breathed deeply and closed his eyes. Whoever was hunting him, they did not seem interested in the medallions. That was a relief. No doubt, Ganondorf would be thrilled to find them and add the Sages' power to his own if he knew about them.

Ruto swallowed her frustration and held a cup of cool water to Link's lips. "Drink."

Link obeyed, taking tentative sips at first, then downing the whole cup. He asked for more, and she left the room to refill the cup, then returned to his side and held it out to him again. "Easy," she cautioned him, "not all at once."

Once he was done, she put the cup back on a standing tray and picked up a cool cloth from a bowl of water, wrung it, and dabbed at his face. She could hold back the rest of her questions no longer. "Why did you stay away for so long? What happened to you? How could you leave me alone like that and not even write to tell me you were safe?"

He stared at the stone ceiling as he listened to each of her questions, considering. Could he tell her about the future? He had not been sworn to secrecy, but something told him it would be a bad idea. The Zora were all right in the end, and there was no need to worry her without cause. If she knew what was to come, he feared she might try to change it and get hurt in the process. He wished he'd had a chance or had thought to ask Sheik or Navi about this before returning to the past. "It's… complicated."

Her eyes widened, and she ceased her ministrations. "Were you with Princess Zelda? I knew you had feelings for her! Why couldn't you just tell me from the start? When you rushed off to her and didn't even care if I was alright that day, I knew there was something going on. I'm going to need my sapphire back. Link, I declare officially that our engagement is off—"

"Ruto, I can't give it back to you. And no, I wasn't with Princess Zelda. I… I like her, but only as a friend. Maybe even as a sister. She has been kind to me, and she has… given me something important to do. She trusts me, and I trust her."

She brightened. "Oh." She began to dab at his forehead with the cloth again, more gently this time. "Well, never mind then. Still, why did you leave like that? You shouldn't keep me waiting. A lot has been going on here, and I was so confused. And what is this important thing, then? A husband and wife shouldn't keep things like that from each other."

As she rambled on, alternating her personal opinions with accusatory questions, Link found himself amused despite everything. It was nice to see that she hadn't changed much. Everything was tinged with darkness now in its own way, but Ruto was still the neurotic, spirited princess that he had come to know with fondness.

He blinked sleepily at her, taking in her appearance – the dress, the earrings. Evidently, he had crashed an important night for her. She looked dressed up for a special ceremony. The jewelry reminded him of how he remembered her at the Water Temple. He couldn't say it, but she was beautiful.

"Are you even listening to me, Link?"

"Mmm." He could only give a faint acknowledgement, drowsiness pulling at him.

"You're going to sleep again? You know, Jireto is a warrior too, and I don't think even he sleeps this much…"

Link wanted to ask who Jireto was, but the urge to sleep was stronger than his curiosity. He made another soft noise of acknowledgement.

Fading in and out, Link still had an awareness of whether she was there. Most times, she was. He had no concept of time or how much passed between each instance that he emerged from his dreams, and sometimes, he could not tell the difference between a dream and what was happening in the room. He heard Ruto arguing with someone standing in the doorway – a man. It seemed the man had overheard Ruto telling Link that she needed her stone back, and from what Link could tell, the man believed himself the rightful holder of the sapphire. The discussion got heated, and Ruto must have realized they had woken Link, for she led the man somewhere else to continue talking to him.

He had a feeling that this might mean trouble. He couldn't put his finger on why, exactly, before sleep took him again.

"Link. Link. How are you still sleeping? Wake up," Ruto whispered. "But be quiet. I'm not supposed to be here."

Link opened his eyes and nearly let out a noise of surprise once he realized how close the Princess was to him. She had taken off her dress and her earrings at some point, back to her usual self. She placed a hand over his mouth as she crawled into the chaise turned bed to snuggle under the blanket with him.

"Wha-..."

She shushed him again, then gave him a mischievous smile as she placed her head on his shoulder. Remembering herself, she propped herself up and asked him, "That doesn't hurt, does it?"

"Every part of my body hurts, but I'm kind of used to it by now," he replied, then smiled back at her. "Hi, Princess."

She giggled, observing him. "You're different, you know? It's like you went through something and came back with a completely different personality. You're not as shy as before."

Link paused to choose his words carefully. "I'm still me. It feels like much time has passed in only a short while. Almost like years have been packed into a fortnight. That probably makes no sense. But... can you tell me how much time has passed? I mean, how long has it been since I was last here?"

"Yes, you are talking nonsense, but I don't care, because I'm so terribly happy." She closed her eyes, taking in the feel of his skin, his warmth. Being this close to him was making her feel things she never had before. He smelled of the lake and sandalwood, the soap that Honu and a few of Ruto's other ladies had used to wash him. She daren't move or speak too loudly. The Zora were all sleeping in the water, as was their custom. If Honu or anyone else woke and noticed her absence, they would come and find her. Jireto had already lectured her on the impropriety of being alone with a male, especially this outsider boy, and told her his expectations of his wife-to-be. He told her she should have a spotless reputation and have a chaperone present any time she was with Link.

If she and Link were found in bed together, even if it was innocent, it would mean trouble for them both.

"No, really. How long has it been?" Link interrupted her thoughts.

She forced herself to remember, to think of something other than how good he smelled and how much she wanted to kiss him. It had felt like an eternity to her, wondering if he was somewhere out there and feeling the same things. "I guess it's been about six months now." She thought of telling him about all that had passed since: the disagreements between her and her father, her "engagement" to Jireto, but that seemed like it would spoil the moment. She kept them to herself.

So, Link thought, time flows at the same speed here as it does in the future.

That made sense, but he hadn't wanted to assume. With his burning question satisfied, his focus turned to Ruto's proximity. Her fingers traced patterns lightly over his chest. Tiny blue sparks flowed from her hands. It was not electricity, but something else. It moved more like water than electricity, yet it was dry. It felt incredible.

"What is that you're doing?" he asked.

"Fairies aren't the only ones with healing powers." She looked up at him briefly before going on, continuing to soothe and heal his bruises and cuts. "I can only do it in small bursts, but I am getting better when I can focus."

"What is it called?"

"Azure Lustris." At his blank look, she continued, "It means Water Light. It is a gift thought bestowed only on some Zora chosen by the Goddess Nayru herself. We aren't supposed to use it on just anyone. I could also get into loads of trouble just for telling you about it, so keep quiet, yeah?"

He fell silent and watched as she continued to touch him. He didn't want her to stop, but he didn't have words for the moment they now shared. Clearly this was a sacred art, one meant to restore, but it was having other effects on him. This was a side of Ruto he would never have guessed existed before. This was different from when the fairies or Sheik healed him. She had a touch that he hadn't realized he'd been craving. In this moment, she was stunning...

He let out a soft breath as she moved her fingers further down his torso, stopping at the wound from the cloaked man's dagger. It was still a light bruise that was slightly colder than the rest of his skin. She studied it for a moment, holding her Water Light over it for several minutes. Some of his lighter bruises and cuts on his upper body had cleared, but this one refused to budge. She felt herself tiring in the struggle. Not only that, but suddenly, she felt depressed. It was a deep sadness that even being alone with her beloved could not soothe. There was something dark inside Link, and she felt helpless against it. Stopping, Ruto looked up at him again, questioning with her eyes. As she stopped concentrating on the wound, she found herself slowly feeling better.

"An enemy found me," Link explained. "I was... I had my guard down. He stabbed me with a magic blade. Sh-... a friend said it was some of the darkest magic he had encountered. I think it has something to do with the men that ambushed me. But Navi has never deserted me before, so I don't see why she would now. Maybe it's even too dark for her."

Ruto noticed his sadness as he said that last sentence. She hugged him tighter. "I'll never leave you."

He knew she was trying to make him feel better, but Navi's absence was indescribable. He couldn't put into words how it felt to be without his companion who had been with him since he had broken the curse on the Great Deku Tree. And he didn't want Ruto to promise him anything when he could promise nothing in return. Instead, he was silent again. She lay still next to him. "A Rupee for your thoughts?" she asked.

He smiled, her question bringing back memories of their day in the sun together, but it faded as he formed his response. "I can't stay here. I have to find Navi. Anyway, I don't think your father much wants me here, a sentiment that is echoed by most of your people."

"Oh, stuff their feelings!" Ruto huffed in the direction of the cavern ceiling. "As a matter of fact, if I could cut out their feelings and feed them to Jabu Jabu, I would. But if he ate me again, you would have to come save me."

Link laughed. "Of course I would. But you have to admit they have a point. My attackers might track me here."

"We took care of that already. Uncle Ganristian placed a protective enchantment that would prevent anyone detecting you by magic here or Lake Hylia. And don't worry about my father. He will come around. Link..." She moved her fingers over his chest again, her lips close to his. "Can you just be selfish for once? Can you think of you and me, if only for a night?"

It was a big ask when Hyrule's fate rested on him. Still, he found himself slowly giving her a nod. "I can try."

When he fell asleep again, she was still beside him. Ruto lay awake and listened to his steady breaths. She gazed at his face and tried to put every detail to memory in case he left again. In his sleep, sometimes his sword hand twitched or he jerked. Perhaps he was slaying monsters in his dreams. She felt sorry for him, sorry that he could not find peace in his dreams. Whatever had hurt him was pure evil, and she wanted to hurt it back. Whatever it was. She made a note to speak to her father in the morning, to tell him she wanted to learn how to fight for defensive purposes. A Zora trained in combat could mentor her. Then she could help Link. But she wouldn't tell her father that part. He was too protective.

When the morning light began to creep into the domain, she kissed Link's forehead and slipped away, back to the place she had lain next to Honu.