Chapter 22: Fruitcake

Tears streamed down his face. "I'm sorry… I-I tried as hard as I-"

"No excuses!" The captain roared. "It's all your fault! You worthless little boy."

The faces flashed through his mind. "I… I apolo-"

"Link…"

"-If only you were stronger." Another gruff voice said with disappointment dripping from their tone. "Maybe then I wouldn't have died."

"Link…"

"I… no…" He shook his head and buried it in his hands. "...I did everything I-"

"If only you were better." This voice was feminine, and quite bitter. "Everything I had done, and because of you my life was shortened. I could have lived on! There are so many places that I'll never get to see, things I'll never feel!"

"Like the pride that I could have had for you." The other voice cut in. "But instead my son is a disappointment."

"Link…"

"I already know that!" The boy cried out. "I'm doing my best to make you proud! I've tried-"

"Yet now you're wasting your time puppy guarding a little girl instead of becoming the leader among the knights that you kept me from becoming. And she's nothing more than a failure, as well! It's no wonder that Hyrule is doomed!

"The land's future is in the hands of two failures…" The voice paused. "Well, at least the princess is helping with the guardian technology, and will certainly unlock her power in the end.

"But you, on the other hand…"

"Link."

"You'll always be a failure, no matter what."

"Master Link. Open your eyes."

Link gasped awake. He reached up and touched his forehead, where a cold sweat was forming.

He glanced at the sword that sat beside his bed. "Sorry, Fi."

"I live to serve my master." Fi replied emotionlessly.

"Yeah… okay, then." Link stood up and peeked out the door. It's dark. It's still pretty early. I've established that I'm not going to evade sleep anymore… but I'm still tormented within it.

You deserve it, though. Another voice in his mind whispered. No matter what, you can't fix those things you've done. Or should I the things you've failed to do?

"Master, I admit it is quite unsettling to listen to you argue with yourself." Fi said. "It is preferable that you go back to sleep or-"

"I'm not going to fall back asleep, even if I try." Link stated plainly. "But at the same time, I have no idea what to do right now."

"Boredom is the path to creativity."

Link snorted. "If you say so."

Zelda woke a bit early to read a new book that Purah had given her. Despite her personal failure with power, she was intrigued by the myths and legends of old.

And it's not like there's much truth in any of those legends. Zelda mused. Any truth they might have had has been lost in time.

Not bothering to change out of her nightgown, she made her way to her study (Why had she left it all the way over there? She could have read it in bed...), stretching and yawning.

The door opened with a creak and she entered. Letting out one more yawn, she plopped down in her chair…

Only to notice a fruitcake at the desk in front of her, sitting innocently on a plate. One small slice had been cut out of the cake, but other than that, the cake was looking quite delicious.

"What in the…" Zelda trailed off as she saw a note next to it.

"Princess Zelda," It stated on the front in slightly messy handwriting.

Zelda opened the card.

"I heard that you like fruitcake, so I made one. It might not be the best, because it has been a while since I last made one, and I am certainly not the best at cooking, but I hope that it is to your liking."

Interesting. Zelda thought. Who was the last person that I told about my fondness of fruitcake?

"And sorry about the missing piece." Zelda read. "Liari said that she would let me go during her lecture as long as I brought her some.

"So, I'm sorry. And don't worry, Princess. Next time I'll get there in time."

An L-like loop was scribbled sloppily at the bottom.

I have definitely never seen that signature before. Well, if it can even be called a signature. Zelda thought with a snort. But the note did mention Liari… maybe she can tell me who wrote it?

Liari had been sorting papers when a knock came at her door. Liari tried to sense the aura, but it wasn't as easy to read as it was for her to sense Link's. In fact, her big brother's aura was one of the few that she could sense from more than a foot or two away.

"Come in!" Liari called, straightening the stacks.

The door opened, and, to Liari's surprise, there was Princess Zelda, dressed in a deep blue dress.

Liari dipped her head. "Princess. What is it?"

"I wanted to ask you about something." The princess said nervously. "May I sit down?"

"Of course, Princess." Liari walked around her desk and sat. She tenderly pushed the stacks of paper to the side. "What is it?"

"This morning I found a fruitcake in my study." The princess said. Ohhhhhh…. "The only sign of who it came from is this note."

The princess passed Liari the note, and Liari skimmed over it. Hah! He couldn't even give it to her in person! And obviously he knew that she doesn't know what his signature looks like… clever, Big Brother. Very clever.

Liari avoided reading the princess's mind, but it wasn't like she would've been able to do it anyway. She could only read Link and Purah's minds, and maybe a few stray thoughts from others.

"It says that they gave you a piece of it." The princess said. "So I was wondering if you'd know who made it."

Well… He brought this upon himself for making it so obvious. "Link." Liari said with a shrug.

"What?"

"Sir Link made it, Princess." Liari said. "And ignore the part about him not being the best at cooking, because I have yet to taste a better meal."

The princess stared at her. "And the signature?"

"All Link." Liari said, nodding. "I'd know his signature anywhere."

"I think it looks more like a squiggle of some sort than a signature…"

Liari laughed. "I totally agree. But please refrain from saying that to his face, Princess."

The princess tilted her head. "Why? Is he self conscious about it?"

Liari shook her head quickly. "No, but he needs people to build him up, not break him down. Even if it isn't on purpose." He's had enough breaking down to last several lifetimes.

The princess nodded slowly. Then the princess appeared to get an idea. "How is it that you know Sir Link?"

"That's a long story." Liari said with another shrug. "And it's not mine to tell. If Link wants to tell you, he will. Actually, he would tell you if you just asked. He's just like that."

For the first time, Liari could hear a thought floating from the princess's mind. Liari smirked slightly. "If you plan to go through with that, I'd recommend getting some pumpkin soup."

Hmm... what's Zelda planning?

The-Fallen-Spirit: The Illuminati of the TRIFORCE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

MeaninglessMayhem: Thank you for your patience! Mysterious voices. Who knows? Maybe Liari is going insane. If you don't have any plot ideas for your own story, then maybe try a one shot? They're nice and short, and they don't really have a big plot. If not, then my recommendation to come up with ideas is to read other stories and use them for inspiration. But maybe don't take advice from me? I'm not always the most reliable source. But if anything said helped, then you're absolutely welcome!

SmokeyMirrors: Yeah, he kind of does look like a girl. It's no wonder people mistake him for Zelda ALL THE FREAKING TIME, AGH. Still not much Zelda raging. This chapter is just kind of a slight hint of Link's past. That, and fruitcake. Aww, Link's so sweeeeeeeeeeeeet! I can see Zelda being protective of the few friends she has. Yeah, Zelda kind of does have it rough. Oh, I do have plans for the captain. Just you wait. Yup, Zelda would totally do something like that. Not yet, mind you, but probably when they become better friends. Maybe Liari was thinking, maybe not! All will be revealed in time... probably. Maybe? Maybe probably. Yup. There we go. I'm thinking next chapter will have some of Link's back story, but maybe not? I'm not sure yet. Hmm... AU. I'll think about it. So far I think that I'm going to do this like the normal one, and then I'll have an AU story. Who knows? Thanks for the horse facts! I'll keep them in mind. Helps with the realism of the story. Yup, square root of fish= cows. Gold star for you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

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Thanks to all of you reviewers, followers, and favorite...ers! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Well, peace out, y'all!

-Ari