I finally learned how to respond to guest reviews! Yay! (Took me long enough, though, I'll admit - so sorry about that!)

midnaisbae: You're right; people have definitely heard of the Hylian Champion of a century before, and they recognize his role in facing Ganon. But I've noticed that people in modern-day Hyrule don't seem to notice anything special about Link or know anything at all about his quest to save the world; they treat him the way they'd treat any other traveller, and some are actually quite rude to him. Even in areas with Divine Beasts, it doesn't seem like most people know that Link was the one who appeased them (except for the Zora and the various leaders of the other races, of course); I think I've heard a few NPC's say something along the lines of, "Oh look, the Divine Beast has calmed down. How wonderful." Without mentioning anything about Link. A few people comment on the Master Sword but some (if I remember correctly) don't believe it's real - I'm thinking specifically about the guy at one of the stables who believes he's found the Master Torch ( : - and others aren't overly impressed by it, like the girl in the "My Hero" sidequest. So yes, the Hylian Champion of a hundred years ago is recognized as a hero and a mighty warrior, but it seemed to me that people generally didn't associate Link with the Hylian Champion.

Whew! That was a long reply. If I've missed something important, don't hesitate to let me know and I'll try to fix it! I'd love to make you guys happy with what I write! Basically, what I'm saying is that in this story, public perception of Link is based on what I've heard the people of Hyrule say about him and how they treat him, and in this fanfic I'm choosing to emphasize the voices of those who don't know anything about Link's destiny. I'm so sorry if it's a bit of a long stretch; I hope you enjoy the story, though! The next part will hopefully be up the day after New Year's - keep your hugs ready for Link and for anyone you might notice is having a difficult time, especially this time of year when people dealing with depression might be feeling especially lonely or out-of-place, when everyone around them is happy and celebrating. Just to warn you, there's a bit more suicidal thoughts and actions in this chapter, so if that makes you feel worse, please read with caution...

ICE

Link regained consciousness a few hours later, but only long enough to drink the tea; after that it was a few days before he opened his eyes again. His hands, nose, toes, and ears were blistered from frostbite, and he continued to shiver well into the second day. His back wound had stopped bleeding that first night, but Selmie estimated that it had still taken quite a toll on his already-depleted body temperature. The three of them all but drowned him in thick blankets and rags damp with warm water, but it wasn't enough to keep him from developing a vicious cold. Even unconscious, he coughed violently; his breaths were hoarse and uneven.

When at last he truly woke up four days from getting rescued, he felt intensely uncomfortable. Despite the blankets above him he still felt cold, though he no longer shivered; his hands and feet and ears ached, and he felt painfully weak, unable to do little more than twitch, groan, and look around. He heard voices somewhere around him, though they seemed muffled and he couldn't quite make sense of the words; he could see firelight dancing on the walls, but his vision was blurry and unfocused. All at once his breath caught and he coughed violently, his entire body convulsing. Must've… swallowed some… water…

For the love of Nayru… even his thoughts were muddled.

Dim footsteps… then a very familiar face, recognizable despite the blur of his eyesight. The Princess. She looked anxious… concerned… That wasn't right. Gotta… protect her… from that…

"Y… a'right?" he managed, his voice a mere croak as he gazed up at her.

Something glistened on her face, difficult to make out through the haze of his vision. Tears? "Link… sorry… stupid…" were the only words he could make out. He flinched, looking instantly away from her, feeling tears burn suddenly in his own eyes as well. She… thinks I'm stupid.

Misery crashed down onto his soul as he coughed again. Memories… the most recent memories he had, memories of biting cold gnawing at his body, and at his soul, wavered through his weary mind. I was right…

He could remember the thoughts he'd had. Thoughts of death. Thoughts of uselessness. Now here was Zelda, clearly unhappy, and she'd said he was stupid. In his foggy mind the only explanation he could contrive was that he was the reason she was unhappy. Better that I die… right?

He'd had a chance, too. When the ice broke beneath him and the frigid river took him, he could have died. If he'd done nothing, he would not have lived. Instead… I fought. I swam. I lived. Because… because of hope. And her.

Clearly a mistake. Apparently, deep down, some foolish part of him still clung stubbornly to the hope that his feelings for her could be reciprocated; those feelings refused to let him take his own life.

Then I'll just try harder to put myself into impossible situations, he decided numbly, coughing again. He'd done it a bit over the last week, he realized… climbing without protective gear, going out at night to face Keese, refusing to bring substantial clothing to protect himself from the cold... I'll try harder. Eventually it'll work.

Darkness was closing in again around his vision. Link succumbed quickly, eager for the day when he wouldn't have to wake up again. A day when he wouldn't have to feel this pain - the pain of failure, the pain of disappointment, the pain of uselessness and unwantedness.

He shivered violently, weakly trying to curl into himself. But the cold didn't come from his body.

No, it came from his heart.

The first thing he noticed when he regained consciousness the next time was the fact that his senses had cleared. He could see, and he could hear. He wished he couldn't; he was dreading whatever would happen next. His memory was still quite foggy; he could remember nothing of his awakening the day before except for Zelda's unhappiness, along with an acute sense of how little he was needed in the world. By anyone.

"Purah, he's awake!"

No, Link thought, quickly closing his eyes and hoping they'd go away.

"You do understand that I'll tease you about all of this when he's in the clear? Seriously, Zelda -"

"Oh, shut up, Purah!" He heard the two of them trodding nearer, heard the scrape of table legs against the floor; he felt Zelda's presence drawing near and willed himself not to flinch. Eyes closed. Maybe she'll go away.

He couldn't bear to hear her disappointment, her insistence that he get out of her life, for surely he wasn't wanted, not with his failures, not with his utter uselessness -

"Link, can you hear me?"

He didn't want to hear concern in her voice. It couldn't be real. He wasn't worth it.

"Link, please… Open your eyes…"

The raw pain in her voice sent a vibration through his soul, stirring something within him. An instinct, it seemed, developed through his years trying to protect her. The only thing that he'd had when he woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection: Protect her.

And here she was - in pain. Slowly Link opened his eyes, looked up at her, feeling more weak and vulnerable than ever before in her presence.

Zelda gasped happily, a smile breaking out upon her features, tears glistening in her vivid green eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, reaching for his hand but dropping it quickly when he hissed in pain. Now he could clearly see why it hurt so much - both hands were badly swollen and blistered. Frostbite…

He looked up at the Princess, feeling tension coiling in his spine just above the wound in his back. He opened his mouth to say something, anything… but there was nothing to say. I want to die. You don't need me - no one does. No one ever did. You'll be better off without me. And you know it… don't you?

"Try to stay awake this time, hero," Purah urged him, offering a small, hesitant smile from his other side. He blinked at the two of them, slowly piecing together what had happened. We were looking for Dinraal… Another stab in his heart. He'd proven himself utterly useless there as well.

"Wh… where are we?" he asked hoarsely, grimacing as the words forced yet another bout of coughing through his frame. When it passed, he lay back with a groan, hopelessly weakened.

"Selmie's cabin," Zelda said, although her radiant smile faded at the words. "We… saw that you'd labelled her on your map and thought she'd be able to help."

Link's mouth went dry. "Y-you… read my n… notes?"

Purah patted his shoulder gently. "Only on the map. And that little Hyrule Compendium you've compiled. Nothing else."

His muscles relaxed at the revelation. Thank Nayru for that. For he'd kept a journal of sorts throughout his travels, keeping careful record of what he remembered, and when, and where. Many of those notes included the Princess, for she and the feelings he held for her were the only true memories he retained after waking up. Merciful Din… if she ever read those…

Her opinion of him would surely drop. Knowing that he loved her - he, a lowly knight without an ounce of skill or standing! - would turn whatever friendship she had for him into disgust. I'm not the type of person anyone would love.

"Purah," Zelda said softly, raising an eyebrow.

The Sheikah nodded quickly. "Right. I'll go help Selmie chop some wood."

When the door closed behind her, Zelda heaved a sigh and slowly knelt beside the bed. "We… need to talk. And… now that it seems like you're fully cognizant, I… I think it's a good time."

Goddesses, no… Link bit his lip tightly, trying to prepare himself. He suddenly realized… this had happened before. A girl in his village, growing up, before he went to the castle to complete his training…

Three times. Three times, each a year apart, he'd told her how he felt about her. And each of those times, she'd… rejected him. Though he'd done everything he could think of to prove his love… it didn't matter, in the end.

It was a strong memory, though he'd only recalled it just this instant. So strong that he could almost see her face, framed by auburn hair. And now… it was about to happen again. He could feel it. And he knew that there was no way for him to fight back against this kind of agony.

"Link, I… I'm so sorry," Zelda whispered, avoiding his gaze. "I… was stupid, and ungrateful, and… I realize that now. But I was almost too late."

What?

She inhaled deeply, a tear dripping down her cheeks. Again that urge - to protect her, to help her smile again, to keep all the unhappiness away from her. Because, Din curse it, I… can't stop this foolish heart from having hope.

"You've always been there for me, Link," she murmured. "You protected me from the evil around us, and… and you protected me from me. From my thoughts, my fears… You listened, and I know you didn't feel comfortable speaking very much, but when you did speak… it helped. Despite my inability to unlock my powers, despite what everyone was saying about me, you made me believe that I… that I wasn't a failure."

"You never were," Link croaked. "It… was me. I… wasn't good enough. I wasn't as strong as you, or as the others - the Goddesses didn't mean for me to be chosen. I wasn't ever needed; I w-wasn't supposed to be there. And because - because of that… we were..." He closed his eyes tightly, willing the tears away. "Everyone died. M-my fault…"

Zelda stared at him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted in surprise. "Link! How can you… what makes you think that?"

He looked away. "It's… the truth."

"Not at all!" Zelda exclaimed. "You must understand - it wasn't anyone's fault we failed. Ganon knew our plans; I'm convinced the Yiga Clan must have informed him somehow. He knew what we would do, but we didn't know what he would do. No one could have won against such odds."

Link shook his head slowly. "If… if I'd been better… less people would have died…"

Zelda bit her lip, looking at him anxiously. "You cannot focus on that, Link… please don't. It's impossible to save everyone - you clearly don't remember, but… but I do." With cheeks slightly red, she tugged his blankets down to his navel and pointed to a large scar stretching diagonally from his lowest ribs to his hip bone. "I saw that happen to you, Link. When Ganon revealed himself, you and I returned to the castle with Purah and Robbie so that we might unleash the guardians. The instant we set foot in the courtyard Ganon corrupted all of them. You took me to a little cellar, hid me in among the supplies with your shield over me. And then you went out to fight the guardians, to buy time for the residents of Castle Town to escape. Most of them did - because of you. When a guardian spotted a young child frozen with fear and there wasn't time to get them to safely, you placed yourself between them, and… it hit you instead."

Link closed his eyes, trying to remember. Smoke… fear… flames… screams all around… all that remained of his memory from that night.

Zelda's brow creased with concern. "I can tell you more, Link. I saw every wound that you gained, and I can tell you that each one occurred because you saved another life. I was with you as you travelled, remember? Both in the past, and… and after you awakened, though I was there only in spirit." She inhaled deeply, gently reaching down and holding his wrist in her warm hands, her touch sending electric thrills through his soul.

"Ganon's dead now," Link whispered. "You sealed him away - you saved us all. I'm… I'm not needed anymore. I… I don't think I ever was… needed…" He coughed harshly, knives tearing at his throat and lungs. With a groan he leaned his head back against the pillows.

Zelda's swift gasp pried his eyelids apart again, and he saw her eyes tightly closed, a tear streaming down her cheeks. "Link, that's not true. We spoke with Selmie - you helped her, as you helped me, as you've helped so many others across the kingdom. Whenever you saw someone in need, whether or not they were in physical danger or emotional danger, you never just… did nothing." She swallowed tightly. "But that's exactly what I did. Please… forgive me."

Link couldn't think of anything to say. She was asking him… for forgiveness? But she'd done nothing wrong that he could think of. "I… don't understand," he murmured.

Zelda opened her eyes slowly, gently stroking the underside of his wrist with her thumb. "I noticed you growing more reckless. I noticed how you smiled less. I noticed the sadness in your gaze, but… I didn't do anything about it. And now… now this."

"Wh-what exactly do you think is going on?" Link asked softly, feeling dread coiling in his stomach.

"That this… was a suicide attempt," Zelda whispered, looking away.

He opened his mouth to protest, to tell her she'd thought wrong, to explain about the lizalfos.

That was the answer that would protect her. It would help dispel the fear he could see in her eyes.

But he couldn't bring himself to say the words. He inhaled deeply, repressing the urge to cough, and averted his gaze to the ceiling. "That… wasn't my intention. A lizalfos knocked me onto the river; the ice broke and I fell in. But… before that… I…" He stopped, his mouth dry. How did one go about saying this? Should it even be said? It would only hurt her.

A soft voice whispered in his mind - It'll only hurt her if she really cares about you. So… it might be alright.

And he so desperately wanted to let it all out. To confide in someone, even though he didn't know for sure if she would do anything to help. He… wanted to tell her everything.

Well... perhaps not everything. Certainly not the fact that it was thoughts of her, thoughts of hope, that had prevented him from giving up entirely in the river.

Link closed his eyes, feeling slightly nauseous. Nayru, protect her - if for some reason my words trouble her, don't… don't let her feel sad. "Before that, I… I was contemplating… suicide. I thought I should die." All at once the feelings rushed back to him, bringing tears to his eyes; they broke the dam restricting his voice and words flowed from his lips, a river released. "I… I can't help but think about all of those people that died, and wonder if perhaps… it was because of me." He paused, feeling discomfort grip his soul - had he ever said so much at one time?

Link didn't dare look at Zelda. Couldn't muster the courage to meet her gaze. He swallowed deeply. "If… if you look at me, and… and you look at the other Champions…" He laughed bitterly and winced as a bout of violent coughing gripped his chest. With a hoarse groan he continued, "They were powerful leaders among their people, highly skilled and talented. And you… you're extremely intelligent, and… and I never met anyone before who had such faith in the Goddesses. Sure, you were angry at them at times, but… you never doubted their existence. Y-your connection with them is -"

"We were talking about you," Zelda reminded him hesitantly.

"Right," Link murmured, his cheeks growing warm as he studied a patch of wall intently to avoid looking at her. "It's just that - that I'm not any of that. I didn't learn to read until I was twelve; I might be able to solve a few puzzles here and there, but that's… not really intelligence. I don't have any magical abilities or the faith to truly communicate with deities or the endurance to continue on when all seems hopeless. And I… I know Revali doubted my skill; he was right. Just look at what just happened - I can't even fight off a few lizals, and I almost died because of that."

At last he dared sneak a glance at her face. Concern had etched itself into her features, and her soft green eyes still glistened with tears. He inhaled deeply and looked away again. "I don't think I was chosen because I was a hero. I think it was because the King knew his people were worried and decided to give them a symbol of hope by having someone draw the Master Sword. It wasn't meant to be - it's because I wasn't ever meant to be a Champion that we failed."

He lay in silence, shivering, feeling oddly lighter inside. Lighter than he'd felt since waking up. And again he looked at Zelda, who was staring off into nothing with a furrowed brow, biting her lip. There were streaks of tears on her face - he hated seeing them there, hated seeing her unhappy. Weakly he raised one hand slightly off of the blankets as if to brush away the tears; realizing what he was about to do, he quickly put his hand back down.

Guilt was burning in his soul; he could see that he actually was troubling her, but… there was just one more thing he had to say. "The Master Sword… it wasn't necessary at all, was it?" He swallowed painfully, closing his eyes. "When I faced Ganon, I used the Master Sword - a little - but I also used a lynel's spear and one of Robbie's short swords, and both of those did damage as well. And in the final stages of the battle, only the Bow of Light could do anything, but if they'd been alive, any of the Champions could have used it… right?"

Zelda turned away from him, her features downcast.

Link inhaled deeply and went on. "In the end… you were the one that ended him. Th-the Master Sword was entirely unnecessary, as was… as was I." He shut his eyes again. Merciful Din… it hurt. Feeling his own self-worth diminish with every word he spoke. It's the truth, he told himself, pressing his lips tightly together.

He felt… dead inside. Worthless. Insignificant. He dug his fingernails into his palm, feeling the pain, wishing he could do more. Punishment. Death. How could he ever have thought that he deserved to fight alongside the Champions and the Princess? He remembered feeling honored; he remembered feeling needed. Arrogant fool, he scolded himself.

"Why did you save me?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper. "It… it would have been better… if you let me die…"

Zelda's sharp intake of breath prompted him to look at her again. Her eyes were wide, gleaming with tears, and her lips were slightly parted. "I don't know how much you remember of those last days, Link, but… you were the only one I had left. The others were dead, my father was dead, Impa and Purah… well, after my father forbade me from continuing my studies with them, we weren't quite as close. Link, you… you were the only one." Another tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away with a damp sleeve. She smiled sadly. "And I think - I… I need some fresh air. Rest well, alright?"

Link nodded slowly, and she stood up from the chair and hurried outside. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving him alone in the little cabin.

I hurt her, he thought, feeling lower than the dirt. His insides seemed to shrivel and he closed his eyes, feeling exhausted from speaking so much. Guilt burned in his heart. This is why I should never say anything! It only makes things worse for everyone else!

Selfish. Helpless. Worthless.

The desire to end it all returned to his heart. His breath came faster and he listened closely; he couldn't hear anyone nearby. Goodbye, he thought, slowly slinging his legs over the side of his bed and pushing himself upright. Blushing slightly, he snatched the pair of trousers neatly folded on the nightstand and pulled them on, before staggering towards the nearest window and pushing it open, grimacing at the pain in his blistered hands and feet.

A burst of cold air struck his face and he gasped, curling his arms around his bare chest as instantly he began to shiver. Without looking back he squeezed through the narrow opening and tumbled headfirst into the thick snow outside. A feeble cry of pain escaped his throat as the ice cut into his flesh but he forced himself to his feet, trudging barefoot through the snow. A cliff, perhaps. There are many around here… it'll be over soon…