Two things that I'm really, sincerely sorry for: the lateness and janky-ness of this chapter. (The word janky does not belong to me. It belongs to the people who write the iCarly episodes and scripts. Just thought I'd clear that up.) Honestly, the only reason I'm gonna go ahead and post this is because the next chapter is gonna be super long, and I've already made you wait long enough for another chapter. I do have a reason for not updating, though. My muse ran away and refused to come back for a few weeks. Then, when it finally decided to come back to me, I was on in Florida for my Spring Break vacation, and I don't have a laptop, so I had no way to type my ideas. And when I got home, I had to jump back into my crazy busy life, and I really didn't have many opportunities. But when I did get the chance, I typed like a mad-woman. Thus, this 4,427 word chapter was finally finished. I've already got the next chapter started, and I seem to have a little more time now, so it won't take too awful long to get that one up. In fact, I hope to have it posted within two weeks. And if I don't, PLEASE feel free to send me an angry PM demanding to know why I haven't updated yet. That'll make me finish faster if I'm not done yet. Thank you to Kiarra-Chan, my faithful reviewer, and this time, my only one. I hope I didn't offend anybody last time I replied... And as always, replies (or in this case, the reply) will be at the end of the chapter. Please enjoy, if that's possible.


~Angel's POV~

The weeks wore on, although most of the time they felt like a single, endless day. I'm ashamed to say that over the course of this day, I came to a point where rescuing Lily was no longer of such great importance to me. I mean, yeah, she was still my friend and I still wanted to save her, but other things were beginning to take priority over her. For example, food, shelter, and safety.

I knew Link didn't want to kill any little creatures - and neither did I, for that matter - but winter was upon us. The apples, berries, and other fruits and vegetables we'd been living on were soon going to dissapear. I began practicing more with the Fairy Bow, as I had a sneaking suspicion that I'd be using it more than anything else. Not to mention my sloppy defeat of Scorpio had left Link convinced that I was completely clueless as to how the weapons were supposed to be used. Nonetheless, I was quite, uh... surprised, I suppose you could say, when he interrupted my practicing to show me the correct way of going about things.

~About Two Weeks Ago, No One's POV~

The bow string twanged loudly as Angel released the arrow, aiming for a... a... what in the world was that, anyway? ("It was a target, destinykeyblade!" Angel exclaimed, hurt because the authoress couldn't tell.) She missed her mark by about three feet, and hung her head in shame. ("You are so mean to your characters!")

"This is pathetic..." she mumbled. "Why couldn't I hit that?"

"Because you're not doing it right," came Link's voice from behind her.

Angel spun around and stared at him, startled. "Wha-"

"Show me." Link interrupted.

Slightly confused, Angel pulled another arrow out of her quiver, set it to the string, and pulled it back. Link walked in a circle around her, examining everything from her stance to the way she held the arrow.

"Well, you don't have much wrong," the Hylian announced. "You keep your wrist straight, your stance is almost perfect for someone of your build, and you seem to have a firm grip on the string and the arrow. A little too firm, I think."

Angel lowered the bow. "What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

Link walked right up to Angel and randomly (or so she thought) poked her arm.

"Ow! Quit it! I have a bruise there!" the fourteen year-old squeaked.

"Exactly. The string and the arrow are moving to the side when you let go, and they keep hitting your arm. That's why you can't hit your target."

Angel's eyes sparkled with a new understanding. Once Link had moved out of her way, she fit her arrow to the string again and raised the bow, her gaze fixed on the wooden target. After a long moment, Angel released the arrow, and waited with bated breath as it flew through the air.

Thunk!

The Earth girl didn't see it, but Link smiled proudly. "Dead center... Good job," he said quietly.

~End Flashback~

~Angel's POV Again~

After that, our food problem was solved. I shot things with my arrows, and once I was sure they were dead, Link was given the lovely task of skinning the animal and cooking it over the fire. Ari and I dissapeared without fail every time, as I didn't want her to see and, quite honestly, had no desire to see myself. I'd walked in on my dad once, back on Earth, when he was chopping a deer up. It was awful! I shudder just thinking about it...

Anyhow, after that came the problem of keeping us safe. With colder weather came hungrier animals and monsters, and I needed to be able to defend my companions and myself from any that might be a danger to us. This issue was quickly eliminated, as Link, deciding that I had potential, took it upon himself to teach me what he knew.

Every evening when we stopped traveling for the day, he would tell me which weapon I was to train with that night. Then he'd tell me how to use it, show me what I was doing wrong if I messed up, and teach me different techniques for that particular weapon. I never really had any trouble with anything... except the Master Sword. And most of my problems with that came from Ari sneaking up on me. Like this one, for example...

~Another Flashback, Same POV As The Last~

"Wrong!" Link shouted, a touch of irritation in his voice. "If you'd done that in a real battle, you'd have been killed. Don't fight your surroundings; use them to your advantage! Now, try again!" He lunged at her again, holding nothing back. If she was ever to be worth anything as a warrior, she'd have to do better.

Angel growled as she dodged his attack, wondering how she was supposed to use the slope they were on. It looked pretty hopeless, as Link stood higher than she, and could easily pull off some crazy move and - if he wasn't careful - end up murdering her.

After about fifteen more minutes of failed attempts and lots of yelling back and forth, Link walked away, telling Angel to practice the techniques he'd shown her and leave the slope for the next morning.

Growling again, Angel made her way back to level ground and did as she'd been instructed, quickly ceasing to pay attention to the world around her. Therefore, it was no surprise when Ari surprised her.

"Hey Angel!" the child said loudly as she came up behind the elder girl.

"WAAH!!!"

Angel screamed and threw her hands up in the air, unintentionally letting go of the Master Sword as she did so. The blade spun around in the air so that the hilt pointed toward the sky. As it plummeted back to the ground, Angel reached up to catch it, finding too late that the 'pointy end' as she was known to call it, was what she'd be grabbing onto.

The edge of the cold steel sliced her palm as it made its descent, fortunately avoiding her finger and major nerves and veins. For a moment or two, no blood was visible; the nerves were in shock, and for those few moments, pain was non-existent. (A/N: That can happen. I know from experience.)

Ari squealed in fright upon seeing the wound, and immediately began screeching for Link (and that it wasn't her fault, or at least that she didn't mean for that to happen.)

Angel rolled her eyes, knowing that it wasn't quite as serious as it looked. Calmly, she picked up the Master Sword with her left hand, as her right had been the victim, and cut off a strip of the white fabric covering her arm. Then she attempted to tie it around the wound. Unfortunately, it didn't work, as she was quite clumsy when it came to things such as these.

When Link arrived at the scene, he tried to ask Ari what she was yelling about, but was interrupted by Angel barking an order at him.

"Link, come tie this for me."

She held out her hand, the fabric lying on top of it.

"What happened?" he asked as he approached her.

"Just tie that!" the girl snapped. "And don't move it; I've got it in exactly the right spot."

Resisting the urge to look despite what she said, Link wound the makeshift tourniquet tightly around Angel's hand.

"Thank you!" Angel said when he finished, smiling brightly. She made to lower her hand, but Link caught it. A scarlet color was beginning to seep through the ivory threads that covered the gash; the vibrance of it had made Link look.

Angel looked up at the sky pleadingly as the Hylian began a speech about how she should be more careful and blah blah blah blah blah. "Just strike me with lightning already and get it over with!" she begged. "Don't make me suffer through this!"

Of course, no lightning appeared.

~Again, Same As The Last~

With food and protection taken care of, the only thing left to worry about was how to keep warm and dry. And that brings us to the present, as I haven't managed to to find the solution to that problem yet...

~No One's POV~

Rain poured down on the three weary travelers and their mounts.

"Link!" Angel shouted over the roar of the howling wind. "We have to find some kind of shelter, or we're all gonna die!"

"I know, I know!" the seventeen year-old shouted back. Then, quietly, he repeated, "I know."

Ari shivered. The poor child was soaked to the bone, and the cold winter rain showed no signs of stopping. All she could do was hope that her two elder companions could find them a place to stay, and soon.

"Whoah!" Link cried as Epona slipped on a wet rock. The horse hardly managed to right herself, but once she had, she refused to go any further.

Sighing, Link slid out of the saddle and began to walk, picking out the safest route through the maze of stones that sat in their way, some of them nearly invisible in the mud that covered the floor of the forest they traveled through. Angel jumped off Shadow's back and led him past the rocks as well, feeling that it would be better for everyone if they avoided another almost-fall.

Time passed. How much, Angel wasn't sure. She was sure, however, that she was about ready to collapse from exhaustion. They'd been traveling since early that morning, and it was now getting late. By chance or fate, the tired girl just happened to look up from the muddy ground and see something in the woods ahead of her. She squinted, trying to make out what it was.

"Link!" she called. "Link, come here!"

Groaning, the Hylian turned around. You see, he'd gotten a little ways ahead of Angel, and although it didn't exactly make him happy, he trudged back to Angel's position. "What is it?" he asked when he stood beside her.

"Look at that," she said, pointing. "Do I see what I think I see?"

Link looked out in the direction Angel was gesturing. A large, dark shape loomed in the distance - a large, dark shape that he was very happy to see. A smile broke over his face. Without warning, Link dropped Epona's reins and embraced Angel. "You have just saved our lives," he informed her before mounting his steed. "Get back on Shadow; I don't wanna stay out in the rain any longer than I have to."

Angel obeyed him quickly. "Ari, sweetie," she said to the shivering child, "we just found a place to spend the night."

Ari gave a weak cheer. "Yay..."

The horses, at their riders' command, began racing through the darkened forest, neighing happily once they got a look at what they were headed for. Shadow, in fact, put on a burst of speed in order to get there faster. Angel and Ari screamed, but the stallion didn't slow until he'd reached the four stall stable that had been erected next to the house.

(line break)

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Angel called tentatively as she roamed through the dwelling.

Link placed his hand on her shoulder so that she'd look at him and shook his head. "No one's been here for weeks."

"How do you know?" Ari asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah, Link, how do you know?" demanded Angel, placing her hands on her hips. Link sighed and ran his finger along a tabletop, then held it out toward the girls.

"Eww, that looks gross!" Ari exclaimed, backing away. "What's all over yo-"

"It's dust. Lots and lots of dust." The Hylian turned to his Earthling counterpart. "That's how I know."

She began to blush. "Oh."

Shaking his head, Link wandered around until he found a fireplace and a pile of wood. "Hey, Angel!" he called. (She and Ari had stayed in the other room, next to the door. They wanted to be able to get out quickly, in case there was something unpleasant lurking inside the house.)

"What?" she called back.

"Come here!"

"Why?"

Link growled. "Because I'm older than you and I said to!" He didn't like to play the age card, and usually didn't, but after the day they'd had, Link was feeling tired and short-tempered.

"...I don't like you!"

"I don't like you either! Now get in here!"

Angel 'hmph'ed and put her nose up in the air, crossing her arms as well. However, she did as she'd been told, albeit grudgingly. Ari scampered along behind her, not wanting to be left alone.

"What do you want?" Angel asked sullenly upon entering.

"Help me make a fire."

The girl scoffed. "Are you crazy? Me and fire don't mix. And even if we did, I don't know how to light one. You're on your own." So saying, she began sauntering back out of the room, Ari again following her. Of course, this wasn't the whole truth. She had started fires before, but never in a fireplace, and she thought that the procedure might be different. Besides, she wasn't in the mood.

".....I didn't mean it," Link said, right around the time Angel reached the doorway.

The Earthling stopped, but she didn't turn and look at her frienemy (sort of a friend and sort of an enemy). "Didn't mean what?" she asked, trying her best to sound apathetic.

"What I said."

"And what did you say?"

".....I said I didn't like you. That's not true, and I shouldn't have said it."

The brown/blonde-haired teen stood there for a moment or two, wondering what she should do. Should she help him or not? After all, she really didn't know how to start a fire, and if she did manage to get one going... well, she was a bit of a pyromaniac, and was bad to burn things that probably didn't need burned...

"Angel?" Link asked, making her lose her train of thought.

She turned around and walked back to where Link knelt on the floor, a cold, hard expression on her face. Then, she smiled and knelt down beside him. "So, what do I do?" she asked, grinning. (A/N: Notice she never apologizes... If you recall, she was the one who said 'I don't like you' first. -shrugs- Oh well. Link likes her too much to hold it against her, anyway.)

(line break)

A fire crackled in the dusty fireplace, its bright orange flames illuminating the otherwise midnight-dark room. Angel sat staring into it, pouting. The little fire looked so hungry, and Link wouldn't let her slice that chair up and feed it to the poor thing... She sighed and turned away, knowing that if she continued to gaze at it, the fire would force her to do its bidding.

Ari was cuddled up in a blanket that Link had found somewhere within the dark depths of the house, which Angel, by the way, refused to explore until daybreak. She had no real problem with the darkness itself, but the things that hid in it were another story. And speaking of stories...

"Angel?" Ari asked, her voice cutting through the silence that had settled in.

"Hai?"

"....."

The older girl laughed. "Sorry. I know a few words of another language; coudn't help myself. Whatcha need, kiddo?"

Ari looked at her curiously, but shrugged it off and requested that Angel tell her a story. "The one you tell Link," she added. "I'm getting tired of ponies."

Angel wasn't sure what to say. She had never intended for Ari to hear Eragon; it was a bit dark for someone her age...

"Pretty please?" Ari begged.

Sighing, Angel gave in. "Alright. But I won't say a word until Link gets in here. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate us starting without him."

A scowl appeared on the child's face. "LINK!!!!" she cried shrilly. The Hylian, who had been wandering through the darkness Angel refused to venture into, was in the room in an instant.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?!"

"It's storytime and Angel won't start without you!" Ari said, and pointed to the flor. "Sit!" she commanded.

Link stared at the child, who quickly withdrew her finger.

"Umm..." she said uncertainly, wondering how to make up for her mistake. However, when Link began to laugh, she decided she hadn't done any harm and looked to Angel. "Story!"

Also laughing, the older girl started into the tale, feeling a bit like a Jigglypuff from Pokemon when she looked up about fifteen minutes later to find that her audience had fallen asleep.

"What I wouldn't give for a permanent marker..." she muttered before drifting off herself.

~The Next And Rather Interesting Day~

"Angel, Link, come're!" Ari shouted from outside.

Angel groaned. "What do you think she wants now?" she asked the blonde Hylian sitting next to her.

"I don't know," he answered miserably. "But if I've learned anything this morning, it's that you get over there as fast as possible when she calls you. Unless if course you want her to poke and screech at you 'til you do what she wants, that is."

It hadn't been a very good morning so far. Ari, feeling braver now that the dark of night had been banished by the light of day, had taken it upon herself to explore their temporary home. (You see, deciding that if Lily had survived this long, she would continue to and that continuing their quest with winter weather approaching wasn't such a good idea, the travelers chose to stay in the abandoned dwelling until spring.) Several times during her exploration, she had called for her two companions, who weren't very eager to go tromping through the house to find her, and therefore didn't. Well, the first time, anyway. Then they found out what a menace Ari could be if she didn't get her way. Since then, the two had hastened to the child's side, just as they were doing at this very moment.

"What is it, Ari?" Angel asked trying not to sound as annoyed as she was.

"Check this out!" the black-haired girl exclaimed, and, taking the older girl's hand, drug her over to a large set of doors in the ground.

Weird... Angel thought upon seeing them. It looks like a storm cellar or something...

"What are these here for?" Ari asked, curiosity shining in her big blue eyes.

"I don't have a clue," Angel replied, shrugging.

Link stepped up silently behind the Earthling and spoke, making her jump. "Then don't you think you should get one?" The seventeen year-old was slapped, both for his comment and for scaring his comrade. However, she agreed... until she opened the doors.

Cold air surged out of the underground room, as well as a musty smell that reminded Angel of her grandparents' basement. It wasn't these things that made her change her mind, though. It was the pitch blackness of the room that made her want to scream. Even with the sun shining in, only the first couple of steps were illuminated, something that very much disturbed the russet-locked girl.

Angel took a step backward just as Link stepped foward, causing her to bump into him and lose her balance. A flush rose to her cheeks when she felt Link's arms around her, keeping her from falling. Fortunately, her long hair hid the pinkness from the Hylian's eyes. Wriggling out of his grasp, Angel backed up again, regarding the opening in the ground with distrust.

Raising an eyebrow, Link turned to her. "What's the matter with you? Surely you're not scared of the dark?"

"No," she snapped viciously.

Link flinched, but quickly recovered. "Then why aren't you going in to check it out?" he challenged.

~Link's POV~

Note to self: Stay on her good side, I thought to myself as Angel snarled at me. All I did was ask a question; she didn't have go feral like that.

Even after that thought, I couldn't but ask her why she was still standing there. A few seconds passed. Then, I watched in confusion as she ran into the house, emerging a moment later with a Deku Stick torch. Despite what you may have been led to believe, Deku Sticks are made of good, strong wood, and they last for quite a while when set afire.

Slowly, Angel walked in front me, approaching the entrance of the... well, whatever the room was. She stood there for about thirty seconds or so, then turned to face me. Her face had grown pale, and I could see fear in her eyes.

"Link?" she asked quietly. "Does the Sun's Song really freeze Re-Dead?"

I nodded, wondering why she'd want to know something like that. Then I remembered the day I'd first met her. She - and therefore I - had been stuck in the Shadow Temple because of her fear of the vile creatures. She had been so afraid, in fact, that she'd been forced to ask one of her friends for help getting past them. That friend, of course, was Lily, the lunatic we were on this quest to rescue.

No wonder she's so hesitant, I thought. Re-Dead love to hide in dark places like this.

A flicker of relief passed across her face, but quickly vanished.

"But..." she murmured, "how am I supposed to hold the torch, the Ocarina, and the Master Sword? I've only got two hands..."

Resisting the impulse to make her go it alone, I pried the Deku Stick from the vice-like grip she had on it. She looked up at me, confused. I couldn't help but smile as I said "I'm coming with you." Had I not been holding the torch, I think she'd have tackled me like she did after the episode in the Shadow Temple.

Much more confident now that she knew she wouldn't be by herself, Angel drew the Master Sword from its sheath, a determined look on her face. As soon as she glanced at the hole, this look dissapeared, and she shrank back next to me, entwining her left arm with my right.

"...Did you lie when you said you weren't afraid of the dark?" I questioned.

She shook her head. "No. I love the dark; I'm not afraid of it. ...Just the stuff that hides in it."

I couldn't think of a response to that, so rather than try to make something up, I just nodded in understanding and led Angel into the room.

~No One's POV~

Angel's eyes darted around nervously. In the flickering torch light, every shadow looked like a monster waiting to grab her; every footfall that echoed of the stone walls was the sound of something sneaking up behind her. She tightened her grip on the Master Sword's hilt and moved closer to Link, telling herself over and over again that she wasn't in danger.

It's alright, she cajoled mentally. It's alright. Link won't let anything get you.

A strange emotion that she couldn't identify welled up inside her as the last thought entered her mind. It was true, Link wouldn't let anything happen to her. Or rather, he couldn't. He may have wanted her gone; she wasn't sure. But she was sure that, no matter what came after her, Link would jump in front to save her life.

One of the side-effects of being a hero, I suppose, she thought, glancing at him. It must have been hard. It must still be. He was so young when he had to start going around and saving people. He wasn't ready to bear that kind of burden. But then, who would've been? What could prepare you for something like that? And if you show up too late....

Angel shivered, attempting to push the gruesome mental images away. Link, who noticed this shudder, stopped for a moment and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, calm down, alright?" he said, his blue eyes shining in the firelight. "Nothing's gonna hurt you, I promise." The Hylian grinned. "And if some monster came along and tried to... Well, I wouldn't want to be in it's position."

She giggled, not bothering to say what had really caused her spasm. Suddenly, she felt much more at ease. It was as though the shadows that darkened the corners of her mind had been chased away, much like dawn banished the blackness of the night. Angel loosened her grip on Link's arm (only a little, though) and looked ahead of her. She then regarded Link questioningly. His grin broadened, and the two resumed walking.

"What do you think this room is for?" Angel asked in a quiet voice. She felt Link shrug.

"I'm really not sure. But if I had to guess, I'd say we'll know by the time we get to the end of it."

A mouse scurried across the stone floor ahead of them, and Angel couldn't keep from jumping. Her companion laughed loudly, and the sound echoed, bouncing off the walls. She glared at him. "What's so funny?"

"It just amuses me that you can stand up to monsters that would terrify any normal person with no trouble, and yet you jump when you see a mouse."

Angel rolled her eyes and elbowed his ribs, but he just laughed again.

A few moments passed, and the two of them came to the end of their little trek. Another stone wall was in front of them. Angel put the Master Sword back in its sheath, then looked at the wall with her hands on her hips.

"What's the point of this room?" she demanded of the rocks. They didn't answer. Link, however, did.

"Look at this," he said, and Angel turned.

"What? ...Oh..."

All along the sides of the walls were long, tall shelves on which many jars sat. Link held the torch up to them, curious as to what they contained.

"It's a storeroom!" he exclaimed. "These shelves are stocked with food."

Angel did a sort of jig. "Yay! We're not gonna starve during the winter!"

A strange noise that she knew she hadn't made reached her ears, and she squeaked in fright. Grabbing Link's hand, she began to run back to the entrance. Once there, she practically threw the Hylian to the ground and slammed the storeroom doors shut. Angel then collapsed on top of them, panting.

Link shook his head as he watched Angel's theatrics. What am I gonna do with her?


Kiarra-Chan - Thanks; your nice words are a big pick-me-up. I hope I didn't dissapoint you with this chapter the way I dissapointed myself... Really? I take you like her then? Yes. Yes you are. And as soon as I get on a computer that has high-speed internet instead of my snail-speed dial-up, I'll be sure to check 'em out. Cloudy Cult... the name has me interested...