Hello and welcome to my humble Link x Malon fanfic.

This story is set directly after Ocarina of Time, so you'll need to know that game's story in order to not be totally confused. Thus, there WILL be many spoilers for that game.

Also, this story is pretty sad. You have been warned.

With that said, enjoy :D

Link and Zelda were sitting in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle. They had just entered an awkward and uncomfortable silence where neither of them knew what to say. Princess Zelda was thinking over everything the young boy had just told her. She believed him of course, her connection to the Triforce of Wisdom never allowed her to be deceived by anyone. Even still, the idea of this boy travelling through time seemed impossible.

"So...what are you going to do now? Where will you go?"

"I'm going home."

His short response was said with such conviction that it startled Zelda. Link looked very tired, but something lied beyond that. The young princess couldn't quite tell what it was, though.

"You're going back to the forest so soon?"

She was a little disappointed, honestly. She had hoped that he would stay at the castle for a little while. She liked hearing his stories of his adventure. She thought it must have been such a wonderful adventure.

"Yeah. I don't want to hang around here too long." he stood up and started to walk away. What he said next was so low that Zelda barely heard it.

"I wouldn't want to get roped into any more trouble."

He made no attempt to hide his feelings now. That emotion he had been hiding just below the surface was on full display now. He was angry.

"Link!" Zelda stood up quickly and tried to stop him from leaving.

"Link, wait! I'm confused, are you angry at me?"

"No."

She didn't need the Triforce of Wisdom to tell her that he was lying. "You are, aren't you? What is it? What did I do to upset you?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?!" he whirled around to look at her. His face was red and he gazed at her with dark eyes. "You ruined my life! You made me pull the Master Sword knowing what it would do to me. You threw me headfirst into danger without telling me what I was up against. You sent me dreams disguised as 'prophecies' to make me think I had some great destiny. You forced me to be your hero when I never wanted any of this. So yeah, I'm angry at you!"

By the time he finished, he was fighting to catch his breath. Zelda looked like she was about to cry, but he didn't regret what he said. He felt no pity for her at all.

"But Link, that was the future me. I haven't done any of those things to you."

"If you were in that same situation now, would you make those same choices? Would you sacrifice me to save your kingdom?"

"I…" She knew that she was supposed to say no, she wanted to assure him that she would never do that. But deep down, she knew what her answer would be, and it hurt her.

"If that was the only way, then yes."

"Then you are the same Zelda."

With those words hanging in the air, he turned his back on her and walked out. She wanted to stop him so badly, but she didn't know what to say. At first, she felt sad to see him go, but then she thought about it. He's wrong to hate me. Can't he see that it was the only way? His sacrifice saved thousands of lives. Doesn't that make his pain worth it? If he can't see that, then he really is a selfish person.

Link's trek back to Kokiri Forest was only a few days of walking, but to him it felt like weeks. On the night before he entered the forest, he was lying out in a field with a small campfire he made to keep warm. In this timeline, I only left home two months ago, but for me it's been over a year. That timeline…

Suddenly, dozens of memories filled his head all at once. Waking up in the Temple of Time after seven years. Standing on Death Mountain looking out over a destroyed land. Fighting Stalfos in the Shadow Temple. Watching a Sheikah woman cry over the grave of her husband. Biting down on a cloth as he yanked a bloody arrow out of his leg.

Why?! He screamed inside his own head. Why am I still seeing these things?! All of that is over now. Why can't I just forget it all? I just want to go home and forget all of it. Is that so much to ask?

"Link, are you okay?" a bright little fairy asked him. He had been so lost in thought that he forgot Navi was even here. Her voice startled him, but he didn't show it.

"Yup, I'm always okay."

Navi wasn't convinced, but she didn't press him further. She wasn't stupid; she knew that he wasn't alright and would possibly never be alright again. He was only a child, yet he had suffered so much. She wanted to comfort him, but she knew that he didn't like to talk about his feelings. There was nothing she could do for him. She drifted off to sleep beside him with a heavy heart.

Hi, it's me again. I hope you liked the first chapter, there will be plenty more to come in the future. I would really appreciate if you left a like or a review to tell me what you think.