Author Note:
Hey all! I've actually been a long standing fan member, I just haven't published any stories on this account for a long time But, I was playing Breath of the Wild and was like "this is just too good to not write something about" so here we are. A couple notes about this fan fic: I like to use a lot of flashbacks in my stories, and any memory of flashback will be in italics.
_

Blood Moon Rising
Chapter 1: Memories and Regrets

"You're not Immortal, Link…"

Link could feel the heat from Death Mountain burning his skin, he felt as if he might catch fire himself.

He lay on his back, the hot rocks pressing into his skin as he felt as if the skin on his stomach was being ripped open, the wound was burning "No doubt the blade was dipped in poison, bastards" Link said through gritted teeth.

Link's head was beginning to spin, he took one last glance at Zelda and noticed her eyes were shut tightly and lips pursed in concentration as she performed an undoubtedly complicated healing spell. Seconds passed before Link began to feel cool relief as though the the skin on his abdomen knitted itself back together.

"You could have died" Zelda said sternly.

"Could have, would have, should have" Link replied bluntly.

Zelda stood up and looked desperate, "These attacks are becoming more frequent in nature" she said fear rising in her voice "I'm afraid of what the future holds for Hyrule…. What if we're witnessing the return of Calamity Gannon"

Link said nothing in response, simply stared at her, though he wouldn't dare to admit it, Link was often times caught breathless by the Princesses' beauty. The way light reflected in her blue eyes and made them look like there was icy fire in them.

Link reached for her hand, but it disintegrated it, turning to ash through the flames of Death Mountain, Link could feel himself burning the fire drying the salty sweat of his skin….

Something was pulling his hand, another creature ashy and consumed with fire meaning to drag him back to its own fiery hell.

Link resisted, he had to find Zelda he reached for his weapon, but found it turned to ash in his hand. He was finished.

The monster, seemingly expressionless, stabbed him in the abdomen with its putrid claws right in the area Zelda had just healed.

Pain exploded through his body, far greater than what he had just experienced. This was no normal wound, already his world was fading… "Zelda…" he managed to choke out before the demon continued pulling Link into his den of fire and nightmares.

"Sir, are you okay?"

Link awoke with a start, and found his hand was being pulled by a young woman in an attempt to rouse him.

It took him a minute to realize where he was. The Akkala Stable. Of course, he had stopped here to recharge and make a bite to eat, he hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep by the fire.

Link sat up slightly dazed, realizing it was all a dream, but the sharp pain in his abdomen begged the differ, Link glanced down only to see his undershirt covered in bright crimson. Blood.

"You're hurt, aren't you?" The girl asked with concern. Her blue eyes looked exactly like hers. Like Zelda's, filled with icy fire.

"No, I'm fine, it's an old wound" Link replied for the first time "…Really." He added after noticing her disbelief.

"Let me see" She insisted "Old wounds don't bleed" she added after he hesitated.

Link gave in and removed his shirt over his head, exposing his many scars and a dragon tattoo along his ribs. His stomach was covered in blood, and one of his scars was bright red but not open.

"I'm never seen anything like that" the girl replied, "does this happen frequently?"

"It's done it before, I told you it was nothing"

"The girl expertly dabbed at the blood with a white cloth she had gotten from inside the stable. Link noted an antiseptic smell and assumed it wasn't just water. After she had finished, Link shrugged his shirt back on and stood up to find his cloak to put over top. The night had grown cold despite the fire.

"You might as well spend the night at this point. Only a few more hours until morning" The girl told him, Link hesitated to accept her offer.

"My name is Leto, she replied. I run the stable here".

"Thanks" Link replied.

A strange quiet had enveloped the two, Link realized the night was desperately quite; not even the howl of a wolf broke the dead silence.

"So, what's your story, wary traveler?" She asked with a smirk. Was he imagining things, or was she suddenly standing closer? Link took advantage of the observation and stepped imperceptibly closer to her. He could feel the heat from her body at this distance "My story is kind of complicated" he replied "I don't think you'd have the time to listen".

The two were exceptionally close to each other and like a magnet drawn to metal their mouths became intertwined with each other's. Link was surprised but too attracted to her to stop. She showed no sign of wanting to stop.

His hands found her waist and slipped under the thin shirt she was wearing, while her hands undid his belt.

_

Link awoke to midday light streaming into his eyes. Leto laid next to him fully dressed.

"Took you long enough to wake up" She said sarcastically.

Link didn't respond, but instead became distracted by the feeling of the young woman's finger tracing the tattoo on his ribs, he playfully grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing her fingers.

In the light of day, he took note of her features. Delicate and pretty, but there was something hard about her expression. She looked familiar, Link realized, and he couldn't judge if the familiarity was based on her likeness to Zelda or something else. They had the same eyes, this girl and Zelda, Link realized with a pang.

Thinking of Zelda was painful to Link and something he didn't feel like sharing with this stranger.

Link flipped his legs over the edge of the straw mattress and pulled on his pants and belt.

"I need to get going" Link told her empathetically, "I need to get to Kakariko Village and I'm a long ways off".

Leto eyed him and got out of bed herself "The company was nice" she said standing next to him, "I'll see you again sometime".

Link eyed her and noticed there was a peculiar look in her eyes, it was like this woman knew him and it made him feel unsettled.

The sun glinted off of her auburn hair and turned it to gold as he saddled his horse and said goodbye. For the first time he noticed a thin pendant on her delicate neck, a ruby stone setting in the middle of an eye shaped pattern caught the light and reflected like a small inferno. The Sheikah eye.

Link said his goodbyes but felt uneasy, there was a familiarity about this girl, and he wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not.

"I'll see you again sometime."

Her words sounded so certain and, how could they? She didn't know him - he was a random stranger passing by. Spending the night with her had temporarily filled the loneliness he'd been feeling, but it hadn't been able to erase the pang of loss he'd felt about Zelda.

"No." Link refused to let his mind wander to Zelda. Zelda was the Princess of Hyrule – nearly queen – her father was ill, and he, Link was a servant of the Royal Family. Certainly, he was one of the top guards, he was requested by the King himself to be the personal guard and watchman of Princess Zelda herself. It was also a perk that the two were childhood friends.

But their relationship consisting of anything more would be scandalous to the Royal Family and Link would become a social pariah as a best-case scenario.

Right now, Link was en route to Kakariko Village to meet with the Sheikah based on orders from the King himself, there was more evil activity as of late and Zelda had been growing more concerned regarding the cause.

Link didn't actually see the benefit of traveling all the way to the Sheikah village to discuss negotiations; if a Calamity Ganon was returning, there was very little that could be done. Though Link understood the distress the Princess was under, she herself was due to be married to the Prince of Holodrum, in hopes that combining Holodrum's and Hyrule's army would create an impenetrable military barrier in the event of Calamity Ganon's rise.

"I'm trying to protect my country, Link. Just like you've done since you were a child. I may not be a solider but that doesn't mean there aren't things I can do to help…"

Link stood there staring at her coolly "No one's stopping you" he replied.

Zelda ran to him and stood in front of him, he wouldn't meet her gaze but she grabbed his hands at his wrists and forced him to look at her. She was quite strong.

"I'm in love with you" she said, "And if there was any way around this, it would be you. But there isn't"

Link felt his throat tighten. "I'm in love with you".

Link's hand caressed her face and his lips longed for hers, "I love you, Zelda" he mumbled and in that moment the seconds felt like eternity. Their hands grasped each other's as though it were a life line.

He couldn't allow the himself to be seen crying. He was a solider, and his duty was to protect his country, as well as the royal family.

He wouldn't meet her eyes, he couldn't. If he dared to gaze into those blue eyes he would break, and the world around him was already cracking like ice on a river.

Link cleared his throat, and silently disentangled Zelda's arms from his own. She released her grip, like all of her strength was gone.

"Your duty is to your country, as is mine" Link said, his voice devoid of emotion but, he continued, "Our expression of affection to each other was highly inappropriate given the circumstance of your engagement, please do not do it again if you wish for me to remain as your personal protection". With those last words, Link refused to meet her eyes and quietly left her room. He hadn't even recognized his own voice.

Link's mind snapped back to reality, he despised himself for being unable to stop recalling the site of their last fallout but try as he might it was irrevocably branded into his brain. But the intense smell of burning and had interrupted his thoughts.

Link whipped his head from side to side while slowing his horse, something was on fire nearby, he spotted smoke pouring from the thatched roof houses of a village up ahead.

"Fuck" he swore under his breath. He dug his heels into the side of his horse and galloped toward the black smoke.

Author Note:
So that's it for Chapter 1.! If you couldn't tell, I kind of stick to my own creativity and just use names, so this story isn't set in any particular time frame as it could very well have elements from many of the Zelda games. I'm trying to keep it set as a Pre- Breath of the Wild timeline though, so before the events of Calamity Ganon.
Let me know in the reviews what you guys think!